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Monday, February 1, 2010
Hamas: “Abbas No Longer Represents The Palestinians”
IMEMC 1 Feb 2010 - Tuesday February 02, 2010 - 02:01, Islamic Resistance Movement, Hamas, issued a statement on Monday challenging the legitimacy of president Mahmoud Abbas, and stating that Abbas’ term in office is over, and that he does not represent the Palestinian people and their aspirations anymore.
HRW Report: “Jordan: Stop Withdrawing Nationality from Palestinian-Origin Citizens”
IMEMC 1 Feb 2010 - Tuesday February 02, 2010 - 01:19, (Amman) - Jordan should stop withdrawing nationality arbitrarily from Jordanians of Palestinian origin, Human Rights Watch said in a report released today. Authorities stripped more than 2,700 of these Jordanians of their nationality between 2004 and 2008, and the practice continued in 2009, Human Rights Watch said.
Two Explosives Located Off Ashkelon Port
IMEMC 1 Feb 2010 - Tuesday February 02, 2010 - 00:54, The Israeli police reported Monday evening that two explosives were located off Ashkelon and Ashdod shorelines. Sappers rushed to the scene and safely unplugged the explosives.
President Abbas Meets With Chancellor of Germany
IMEMC 1 Feb 2010 - Monday February 01, 2010 - 15:39, On Monday, the Palestinian President, Mahmoud Abbas, met the Chancellor of Germany, Angela Merkel, in the German capital city of Berlin.
Israeli Military Breaks Into Palestinian Owned Homes & Shops in East Jerusalem
IMEMC 1 Feb 2010 - Monday February 01, 2010 - 14:46, Israeli troops and workers for the Jerusalem municipality raided, on Monday at midday, Palestinian owned homes and shops located at the Wadi al-Jouz neighborhood near Jerusalem’s old city.
Soldiers prevent farmers from planting olive trees near Bethlehem
IMEMC 1 Feb 2010 - Monday February 01, 2010 - 13:36, The Israeli military prevented, on Monday, Palestinian farmers and their international supporters from planting olive trees near the southern West Bank city of Bethlehem.
Abbas Hints Indirect Talks With Israel After 3 Months Settlement Freeze
IMEMC 1 Feb 2010 - Monday February 01, 2010 - 12:26, Palestinian President, Mahmoud Abbas, hinted on Monday that he might accept holding indirect peace talks with Israel, mediated by US Envoy, George Mitchell. He added that direct talks cannot resume before Israel freezes settlement activities for three months.
Lebanese Shepherd Arrested By Israel, Handed To UNIFIL
IMEMC 1 Feb 2010 - Monday February 01, 2010 - 11:43, A Lebanese Military source reported Monday, that a Lebanese Shepherd who accidentally crossed into Israel on Sunday night was handed to the United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL).
Palestinian Wounded By Army Fire in Southern Gaza
IMEMC 1 Feb 2010 - Monday February 01, 2010 - 10:30, The Israeli army reported on Monday morning that Israeli soldiers shot and wounded a Palestinian man east of Khan Younis, in the southern part of the Gaza Strip, and moved him to an Israeli hospital.
Israeli Army Admits To White Phosphorus Use In Gaza, Claims Two Officers Were 'Disciplined'
IMEMC 1 Feb 2010 - Monday February 01, 2010 - 09:55, In its official response to the United Nations Report on potential war crimes committed during Israel's invasion of the Gaza Strip last year, the Israeli military admitted that Israeli troops did fire white phosphorus artillery shells into a United Nations compound in violation of international law.
Israel: No indictments in injury of American activist
2/1/2010 - Bethlehem - Ma'an/Agencies - The Israeli Justice Ministry said on Sunday that no indictments will be handed down in the case of an American activist who was seriously injured in West Bank demonstration, the Associated Press reported. Tristan Anderson, 38, from Oakland, California, was struck in the head by a tear-gas canister during a protest in Ni'lin in March 2009 and was left comatose as a result. Israeli forces said they responded to rock-throwing by firing tear-gas and rubber-coated bullets, but did not accuse Anderson of having directly taken part, the AP reported. Israeli Justice Ministry spokesman Ron Roman said that a police investigation showed there was no criminal intent in harming Anderson. Related: Israel police not charged over activist shooting
B’Tselem: Gaza ’cover-up’ proof army can’t investigate itself
2/1/2010 - Bethlehem - Ma'an - The Israeli human rights group B'Tselem has sent an urgent letter to Israel's judge advocate general, Maj. Gen. Avichai Mandelblit, demanding that he immediately order a Military Police investigation into the circumstances of the firing of phosphorus shells at the UNWRA compound in Gaza during Operation Cast Lead. "The cover-up of this affair demonstrates, yet again, that the army cannot investigate itself," B'Tselem said in a statement. On Monday, Israeli media reported that the commander of the Gaza division, Brig. Gen. Eyal Eizenberg, and the commander of the Givati brigade, Col. Ilan Malka, were disciplined for authorized the shelling. The report Israel submitted to the UN last weekend omitted details of the incident, stating only that the two officers had been brought before disciplinary hearings for exceeding their authority in a way that endangered lives. . . Related: B'tselem: Cover-up of phosphorus shelling proves army cannot investigate itself
Abbas calls for 3-month settlement freeze
2/1/2010 - Bethlehem - Ma'an/Agencies - President Mahmoud Abbas said that Israel's continued colonization of the West Bank is leading to a one-state solution, and called for a three-month settlement freeze to resume direct peace talks, British media reported on Sunday evening. Abbas' comments followed a meeting with British Prime Minister Gordon Brown and Foreign Secretary David Miliband, the British daily The Guardian reported. Abbas said that he would be prepared to resume direct talks if Israel halted all settlement construction for three months and accepted the June 1967 borders. "These are not preconditions, they are requirements in the road map. If they are not prepared to do that, it means they don't want a political solution," he said in an interview with the newspaper. Continued settlement expansion and building, he said, is "leading to the one-state solution, which we reject," he added.
Hebron governor warns of angry reaction to new settlement
2/1/2010 - Hebron - Ma'an - Governor of Hebron Hussein Al-Araj warned on Sunday evening that renewed settlement building in the area "is pushing Palestinians to react strongly. "Israel is not offering Palestinians motivation to return to negotiations by continuing settlement construction in the West Bank, Al-Araj said, which justifies President Mahmoud Abbas' refusal to return to negotiations while building of settlements and the separation wall is ongoing. "Let everyone know that Israeli settlement construction is still in place, contrary to Israel's allegations," he said. Al-Araj's comments follow the laying of the foundations of a new block to the Beit Hagai settlement, south of Hebron City. [end]
PA ministry to publish anthology of ex-prisoner’s poetry
2/1/2010 - Bethlehem - Ma'an - The Palestinian Authority Ministry of Prisoners and Ex-Detainees Affairs announced on Monday that it would be releasing an anthology of poetry by former Palestinian prisoner Muhammad Abu Laban. The anthology entitled "The Liberty Chant" is a compilation of work Abu Laban composed during his sentence, and includes "Forgotten Days Behind Bars," "The Patient King of Death," "My Homeland Voice," and "Take me, a Stone in your Hand. "Other poets have contributed to Abu Laban's anthology, which includes brief biographies written by the ex-detainee's friends. The introduction, written by Minister of Prisoners' Affairs Issa Qaraqe, describes the establishment of education programs in prisons and the development of poetry, deeming it part of Palestinian national history. Publishing "The Liberty Chant," Qaraqe writes, is a vital part of preserving Palestinian prisoner literature.
Israel’s Goldstone response admits use of white phosphorus
2/1/2010 - Bethlehem - Ma'an - Israeli findings delivered to the UN in response to the Goldstone report compound allegations that white phosphorus munitions were deployed toward an UNRWA compound in Gaza during last year's devastating offensive, Israeli media reported on Monday. The incident occurred two days before the end of Operation Cast Lead on 15 January 2009, in southern Gaza's Tel Al-Hawa neighborhood, the Israeli daily Haretz reported. White phosphorus smoke was used to create a cover, according to the report, to shield Israeli forces from combatants' view, who were in close proximity to the UNRWA compound. The munitions dispersed hundreds of pieces of felt loaded with phosphorus and the report said these pieces landed into the UNRWA compound, causing injury to an UNRWA employee and to two Palestinian civilians who took cover at the location, the daily wrote.
Pro-Israel group J Street defends New Israel Fund
2/1/2010 - Bethlehem - Ma'an - On Monday, J Street Executive Director Jeremy Ben-Ami released the following statement in response to recent attacks against the New Israel Fund and its president, Naomi Chazan:J Street is gravely concerned about escalating threats to the character of Israel's democracy - including vicious, new attacks on organizations defending its democratic values and on individuals exercising their basic democratic rights. This weekend, an organization called Im Tirtzu launched an outrageous campaign viciously attacking New Israel Fund President and former Deputy Speaker of the Knesset Naomi Chazan in a style reminiscent of propaganda from the darkest days of recent Jewish experience, depicting Chazan with a horn on her head and holding her personally responsible for the contents of the Goldstone Report. Related: Peace Now condemns attacks on New Israel Fund
Peace Now condemns attacks on New Israel Fund
2/2/2010 - Washington - Ma'an - Israel's Peace Now movement and Americans for Peace Now on Monday condemned attacks on the New Israel Fund, which has come under fire for funding human rights organizations whose reports appeared in South African jurist Richard Goldstone's UN report on Gaza. In recent days, a right-wing Israeli organization, Im Tirzu, launched a campaign to discredit the fund, its chair, Naomi Chazan, and some of its grantee organizations, including attacks against Chazan in newspaper ads that show the former Knesset Member with a horn on her forehead. The controversy apparently began after the Hebrew-language daily Maariv ran an article over the weekend accusing the US-based progressive fund of supporting human rights groups whose findings appeared in the final report of Goldstone's fact-finding mission. Peace Now and Americans for Peace Now said in a joint statement that. . . Related: Pro-Israel group J Street defends New Israel Fund
Two Gaza crossings open, limited fuel supplies allowed
2/1/2010 - Gaza - Ma'an -Israeli authorities opened the Kerem Shalom and Karni crossings into the Gaza Strip on Monday to allow the transfer of commercial goods, humanitarian aid, and limited quantities of fuel, a Palestinian border crossings official said. The official, Raed Fattouh, said approximately 88 truckloads of merchandise and aid were expected to pass through Gaza's southern border, Kerem Shalom. Two trucks of cut carnations will be allowed to exit through the same crossing, Fattouh added. Limited quantities of domestic gas and industrial fuel will also be transfered through Kerem Shalom. Fattouh further said that 69 trucks of wheat and animal feed will enter Gaza through its northern border crossing, Karni. . . . .
Israeli forces detain two Palestinians near Nablus
2/1/2010 - Nablus - Ma'an - Israeli forces detained two Palestinians early Monday morning from the northern West Bank village of Awarta, south of Nablus, after raiding the family's homes, locals said. The village was stormed shortly after midnight and homes were entered near the mosque of the village center, before Abd As-Salam Awad, 39, and Muhammad Awad, 22, were detained, locals said. The two were taken to an undisclosed location. [end]
Israel closes key checkpoint for second time in 24 hours
2/1/2010 - Bethlehem - Ma'an - Israeli armed forces closed the Bethlehem-area container road checkpoint for the second time in 24 hours on Monday. Ibrahim, an worker from Bethlehem, told Ma'an that he and others may not arrive to their workplaces in Ramallah as a result. Hundreds of cars were stuck at the checkpoint simply because soldiers were in a bad mood, Ibrahim alleged, urging human rights groups to deter Israeli forces from arbitrarily shutting down the post, which is used by students, employees, and patients to travel across the West Bank. The checkpoint is erected on the only route through which Palestinians can move from the southern West Bank to the north and center, as holders of Palestinian ID cards have been banned by Israeli authorities from entering Jerusalem since the early 1990s. The road, known as Wadi Nar, is under complete Israeli control.
Israeli forces detain group east of Bethlehem
2/1/2010 - Bethlehem - Ma'an - Israeli forces reportedly detained a group of Palestinians on Monday who were in the Jeb Al-Theeb village east of Bethlehem to plant almond trees on lands near the Tekoa and Noqedim settlements. Local sources said an Israeli military force of about 20 soldiers, along with 25 settlers and police dogs, arrived to the land and made the volunteers sit in small groups away from one another. Awad Abu Swayy, the spokesman for the Popular Committee in Bethlehem, said that the volunteers were still being detained more than two hours after Israeli forces arrived. He added that soldiers allowed journalists to leave, however. The Israeli military did not immediately return calls seeking comment. . . . .
Israel: Explosives found on 2 beaches
2/2/2010 - Bethlehem - Ma'an - Israeli forces discovered two explosive devices on separate beaches in southern Israel on Monday, sources said 48 hours after a group of factions told Ma'an they launched a barrage in the same area. Early Monday, Israeli civilians reported seeing a suspicious object lying on the Barnea beach, a public beach in the coastal city of Ashkelon, which police later determined to be an explosive device, Israeli military sources told Ma'an. The device, along with a similar object located on a beach in the southern Israeli port town of Ashdod, was reportedly detonated in a controlled manner by the Israeli police sometime on Monday. Israeli security sources linked the discoveries to an announcement 48 hours earlier by a number of armed groups in Gaza who claimed to have fired eight shells at the port of Ashkelon between 29-30 January.
Underground Jordanian arsenal found in Nablus
2/1/2010 - Nablus - Ma'an exclusive - An underground arsenal of Jordanian weaponry from 1967 was discovered under Nablus' main road, in Sebastia, as Palestinian contractors dug up the street in preparation for its renovation. Acting mayor of Sebastia Camilla Sukkar told Ma'an that more than 50 artillery shells and spare parts for tanks were found, confirming that they belonged to Jordanian troops who withdrawal from the West Bank after the 1967 war. Local sources said that Sebastia's residents were surprised at the underground discovery, adding that Israeli military experts arrived on the scene to check for explosives in the area, which is located some 100 meters from the Shevi Shimron settlement. . . . .
’Save Youth’ society starts remedial classes project
2/1/2010 - Gaza - Ma'an - The Save Youth Future Society and the British Consulate in Jerusalem signed an agreement to on Monday to begin a remedial training project to be implemented by the society and funded by the UK. The agreement was signed in the presence of both Emad Darweesh, chairman of the society's board, and Kamal Gherabawi, the head of the British Information & Services Office in the Gaza Strip. In a statement, Darweesh expressed his gratitude to the British Consulate for funding of the program, "as Palestinian society in need of such projects, which will help a large segment of Palestinian students. "Moreover, Darweesh noted that the primary goal of this project is to promote and raise the level of educational attainment for students who face academic problems in school. He said Palestinian students are "in need for any help with the hard circumstances they live with. "
In photos: Prisoner protest in Gaza
2/1/2010 - MaanImages/Wissam Nassar - Palestinians take part in a protest in Gaza City on 1 February 2010, calling for the release of their loved ones imprisoned in Israeli jails. [Background:] Talks remain at an impasse as Israel and Hamas have failed to negotiate the release of hundreds of Israel's estimated 10,000 Palestinian detainees in exchange for an Israeli soldier captured in a 2006 cross-border raid. Hamas recently rejected an offer put forward by Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu that would grant the release of certain "high-value" Palestinian prisoners only on condition they be exiled to Gaza or abroad. [end]
PRC: Dubai assassination sign of Arab-Israel normalization
2/1/2010 - Bethlehem - Ma'an -The Palestinian Resistance Committees described the recent death of Hamas-Iran liaison Mohammad Al-Mabhouh in Dubai as a sign of a normalization in relations between Arab states and Israel. "The assassination comes at a time when Israel is increasing their opposition to resistance and the result of Arab states normalizing with Israel," said Sheikh Zuheir Al-Keisy, member of PRC's political leadership, in a statement. "Resistance is our priority, and the response for this assassination will come in one way or another," he added. Hamas claims an Israeli assassination squad killed Al-Mabhouh, although the Islamic movement's armed wing, the Al-Qassam Brigades, originally told Ma'an last Wednesday that the official died of terminal cancer. . . . .
Masha’al: We’re ready for reconciliation
2/2/2010 - Bethlehem - Ma'an - Senior-most Hamas leader Khaled Mash'al said on Sunday afternoon his movement is ready for reconciliation, following the funeral of Mahmoud Al-Mabhouh, allegedly by Israeli operatives in Dubai. "The martyrs' message is to reunite; we will go to reconciliation in God's will and we will give everything for the sake of reconciliation - this is a promise," he said at the Damascus funeral. Hamas claims an Israeli assassination squad killed Al-Mabhouh, although the Islamic movement's armed wing, the Al-Qassam Brigades, originallytold Ma'an last Wednesday that the official died of terminal cancer. Masha'al called on "the Arabs to genuinely embrace us. . . Gather us in Cairo with whomever you choose and you will find true reconciliation. This is simply the way. This is my message to my brothers in Egypt. Respect what we've agreed upon; we'll reconcile and sign on what we've agreed upon," he added.
Excerpts from the PA cabinet meeting
2/2/2010 - Ramallah - Ma'an - The cabinet of the Ramallah-based Palestinian government called on the international community to exert effective pressure on Israel in order to end the crippling siege imposed on the Gaza Strip, enabling the PA to start reconstruction. During its weekly meeting, caretaker Prime Minister Salam Fayyad told ministers that civil servants' salaries would be paid on Thursday. The cabinet decided that an industrial zone would be built on an area of about 1,000 dunums (1 million square meters) in Jenin in the northern West Bank as part of the PA's efforts to strengthen the national economy. Another announcement was to task the Ministry of Planning with preparing a study on the possibility of adopting international standards of excellence for PA institutions as part of the government's preparations for building independent institutions.
Sha’ath: I don’t need a visa to visit Gaza
2/1/2010 - Gaza - Ma'an - Fatah Central Committee Member Nabil Sha'ath, along with the movement's commissioner for international relations, said on Monday he intended to visit the Gaza Strip without prior approval from the de facto government. "My visit to Gaza comes upon a decision by the Fatah Revolutionary Council, and by President Abu Mazen [Mahmoud Abbas]. It is part of the Palestinian homeland, and I won't seek visa or approval or special permission from anybody," Sha'ath said. "It is my homeland, and the part of my country which has suffered from Israeli occupation more than any other. It is the cradle of Palestinian resistance, where the first intifada began. It is the homeland of Yasser Arafat and Ahmad Yassin," he added, in a statement. Sha'ath said that Fatah seeks national reconciliation and that a Palestinian state would not be achieved without national unity.
Haniyeh: Hamas isn’t afraid of elections
2/1/2010 - Gaza - Ma'an - De facto Prime Minister Ismail Haniyeh said on Monday that Hamas seeks national reconciliation and is not afraid of elections "because we came to move forward and take responsibility and we will not back down under any circumstances. " His remarks came during a ceremony honoring Gaza Transportation Minister Usama Al-Isawy. Haniyeh pointed out that the transportation sector has developed in a variety of ways, including new parking standards and the removal of unregistered cars, which he said once threatened residents' safety. On Sunday, senior-most Hamas leader Khaled Mash'al said his movement is ready for reconciliation, following the funeral of Mahmoud Al-Mabhouh, allegedly by Israeli operatives in Dubai. "The martyrs' message is to reunite; we will go to reconciliation in God's will and we will give everything for the sake of reconciliation - this is a promise," he said at the Damascus funeral.
Gazans celebrate Egypt’s African Cup win
2/1/2010 - Gaza - Ma'an - Palestinian football fans in Gaza celebrated Egypt's victory at the seventh African Cup of Nations on Sunday evening. Shortly after the referee blew his whistle, confirming Egypt's 1-0 win over Ghana, hundreds of Gazan men and women took to the streets to celebrate Egypt's championship hat trick, and their seventh overall win. Gaza City's main streets overflowed with Palestinians rejoicing in the football victory. In a rare display, Palestinians waved Egyptian and Palestinian flags, and photographs of Egypt's top scorer, Muhammad Giddo, goalie Issam Al-Hadari, coach Hasan Shahata, known as "the boss," and Muhammad Abu Treika who, after scoring against Sudan in 2008, lifted his uniform to reveal the now-famous "Sympathize with Gaza" shirt. Despite Gaza's blackout, the result of limited fuel being allowed to enter the besieged coastal enclave, cars' headlights and. . .
Snow expected in Jerusalem
2/1/2010 - Jerusalem - Ma'an - Temperatures in Jerusalem are expected to drop significantly on Wednesday, and snowfall is anticipated on Thursday morning across northern Jerusalem, the Israeli Meteorological Department said. Jabal Ash-Sheikh and the Golan Heights, in the occupied Syrian territories to the north of Israel, will experience the bulk of the snowfall. Precipitation throughout the West Bank is also anticipated, with likely snowfall in Jerusalem's mountainous areas, particularly in the Jabal Mukkaber district of occupied East Jerusalem. Snow was last seen in the occupied Palestinian territories and Israel in 2008. [end]
IDF arrests two suspects plotting to attack Israel for Hamas
Ha'aretz 1 Feb 2010 - East Jerusalem residents allegedly recruited while living in Jordan and Dubai to attack civilian locations.
VIDEO: Israel's immigration police cracks down on pro-Palestinian foreigners
Ha'aretz 1 Feb 2010 - Newly formed Oz Unit has joined the IDF in at least three arrest raids on foreign activists in recent weeks.
IDF denies disciplining top officers over white phosphorous use in Gaza war
Ha'aretz 1 Feb 2010 - Army denial counters state report into Gaza shelling that found two officers jeopardized civilian lives.
Israel frees detained Lebanese shepherd into UNIFIL hands
Ha'aretz 1 Feb 2010 - Lebanese sources accuse IDF of kidnapping 17-year-old and abusing him; Lebanon MP appeals to army.
Israel police not charged over activist shooting
2/1/2010 - BBC Online - Tristan Anderson was shot in the face and critically injured - Charges will not be brought against the police officers who shot an American pro-Palestinian activist in the face, Israel's justice ministry has said. Tristan Anderson suffered severe brain damage when he was shot at a rally in the West Bank town of Naalin last year. The officers did not have any "criminal intent" when they shot Mr Anderson, a ministry spokesman said. Mr Anderson, 38, was in a coma for months and can only communicate with basic sounds, friends say. The case was closed without indicting anyone after an internal police investigation because "there was no proof of criminal behaviour by the police", Justice Ministry spokesman Moshe Cohen told the AFP news agency. Mr Anderson, from Oakland California, was among 400 people demonstrating against the building of the West Bank barrier.
Barak: Without Syria peace, we could be headed for all-out war
2/1/2010 - Ha'aretz - Defense Minister Ehud Barak warned Monday that the stalled peace process with Syria could augur ill for the future of the Middle East. " In the absence of an arrangement with Syria, we are liable to enter a belligerent clash with it that could reach the point of an all-out, regional war," Barak told senior Israel Defense Forces officers on Monday. " Just like the familiar reality in the Middle East, we will immediately sit down [with Syria] after such a war and negotiate on the exact same issues which we are have been discussing with them for the last 15 years," the defense minister said. " A political arrangement is not the dream come true of the other side," Barak added. "This will be a choice of no choice. If the other side believes that it is possible to bring down Israel, to wage a battle of attrition against it, or lure it into a honey trap, then it will prefer to do so. "
Injured US activist case closed
1/31/2010 - Jerusalem Post - Tristan Anderson was critically hurt during West Bank protest last March. - The Justice Ministry declared Sunday that no indictments will be filed against police in the case of a US activist who was hit by a tear gas canister and left comatose during a violent demonstration in the West Bank last year. Tristan Anderson, 38, of Oakland, California, was critically injured during a Palestinian protest in the West Bank village of Nil'in last March. Amir Moran, spokesman for Tel Hashomer hospital, where Anderson is being treated, said his condition "has not changed. " Justice Ministry spokesman Ron Roman said the investigation determined there was no criminal intent in harming Anderson. The investigation was opened in May and closed several weeks ago, but results were made public only Sunday. Human rights groups charge Anderson's case highlights a culture of impunity toward Israeli forces, because. . . .
Israel admits solders were wrong to shell UN site
2/1/2010 - The Independent - Associated Press - Israel has reprimanded two high-ranking officers over the firing of artillery shells at a UN compound during the Gaza war last year - the first admission of any high-level wrongdoing. It announced the punishment in a document submitted to the United Nations in response to a UN report that accused Israel's military of committing war crimes, including using white phosphorus in the attack. Israel is trying to stave off the report's central threat of launching war crimes proceedings if it does not carry out an independent investigation into the military's conduct during the fighting. It remained unclear whether the relatively minor punishments given to the offices would answer international concerns that the military was not capable of investigating itself. The artillery attack, which took place while more than 700 Palestinian civilians were taking refuge in the compound,. . . .
Israel warns officers after Hamas assassination
2/1/2010 - Yahoo! News - AP, JERUSALEM – The Israeli army said Monday it has warned its top officers to be on guard when traveling abroad following the mysterious death of a Hamas commander in Dubai. Hamas accused agents of Israel's Mossad secret service of assassinating Mahmoud al-Mabhouh on Jan. 20, saying the killers waited in ambush for him in his Dubai hotel room, immobilized him with an electric shock and then strangled him. Hamas has vowed revenge, hinting it could attack Israeli targets abroad. The Islamic militant group which rules the Gaza Strip has historically limited its attacks to Israel and the Palestinian territories. Although Israel has not acknowledged any role in the killing, military officials said Monday they were taking the threats seriously and had instructed senior officers, military attaches and soldiers on study leaves to exercise caution when traveling abroad.
Israel 'responsible' on Iran, Obama adviser says
2/1/2010 - Yahoo! News - JERUSALEM (Reuters) – Israel and the United States are closely conferring about the Iranian nuclear program, U. S. National Security Adviser Jim Jones said in an interview published Sunday, calling Israel's conduct "responsible. "Western governments fear that Iran wants to produce nuclear weapons but Tehran says the program is for peaceful purposes. Iran has vowed to respond to any unilateral Israeli strike over the nuclear program. The five permanent Security Council members -- the United States, Britain, France, Russia and China -- along with Germany have been negotiating with Iran, but U. S. officials say drafts of possible sanctions should circulate among the group soon. Jones said the United States and Israel are in close coordination over how to handle Iran. "We have very good dialogue with Israel, continual dialogue," he told The Jerusalem Post. "We're working very closely with them. "
Dubai police chief: Mossad may have killed Hamas commander
2/1/2010 - Jerusalem Post - Dhahi Khalfan tells AFP: "I don't exclude any possibility" in Mabhouh's assassination; Israeli officials say commander played key role in smuggling weapons from Iran to Gaza. - At least seven people were involved in the assassination of a Hamas commander in Dubai last week, according to Dubai police chief Dhahi Khalfan. "It could be Mossad, or another party. . . I don't exclude any possibility. I don't exclude any party that has an interest in the assassination," Khalfan told AFP. He also said that the main suspects in the killing of Mahmoud al-Mabhouh held various European passports, AFP reported. In Israel, meanwhile, officials said Sunday that Mabhouh played a central role in smuggling weapons from Iran to Gaza, but they refused to say whether Israel was responsible for killing the man it had sought for two decades.
Israel should be in European Union, Berlusconi says - Summary
2/1/2010 - Earth Times - Jerusalem - Israel should be a member of the European Union, Italian Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi said Monday, as he kicked off a landmark three-day visit to the Jewish state and the Palestinian areas. "My greatest desire, as long as I am a protagonist in politics, is to bring Israel into membership of the European Union," he said at a formal welcoming ceremony in Jerusalem. The Italian leader, accompanied by seven of his ministers, arrived in Israel Monday afternoon. In the course of stay, he will meet with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, Foreign Minister Avigdor Lieberman, Opposition Leader Tzipi Livni, and President Shimon Peres, and will also hold talks with Palestinian officials in the southern West Bank city of Bethlehem on Wednesday. On Tuesday, the first-ever joint Israeli-Italian cabinet session is slated to take place in Jerusalem and on Wednesday, in a rare gesture by Israel to a foreign leader. . . Related: Berlusconi warning over Israeli settlements
Berlusconi warning over Israeli settlements
1/31/2010 - Yahoo! News - JERUSALEM (AFP) – Italian Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi said Israeli settlements in the Palestinian territories could be an "obstacle to peace" in an interview with an Israeli daily published Sunday. Berlusconi made the remarks ahead of a three-day visit to the Jewish state in which he was to deliver a speech in Israel's parliament, the Knesset. " Israel's settlement policy could be an obstacle to peace," Berlusconi told the Haaretz newspaper. " I would like to say to the people and government of Israel, as a friend, with my hand on my heart, that persisting with this policy is a mistake," he said. " It will never be possible to convince the Palestinians of Israel's good intentions while Israel continues to build in territories that are to be returned as part of a peace agreement. " At the same time, Berlusconi praised Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's "courage". . . . Related: Israel should be in European Union, Berlusconi says - Summary
Group demands rights for Palestinian-origin citizens in Jordan
2/1/2010 - Earth Times - DPA, Amman - A world human rights watchdog on Monday urged the Jordanian government to stop the "arbitrary withdrawal" of nationality from Jordanians descending from Palestinian origin. "Jordan is playing politics with the basic rights of thousands of its citizens," said Sarah Leah Whitson, Middle East director at Human Rights Watch, as she released a 60-page report entitled "Stateless Again: Palestinian-origin Jordanians Deprived of their Nationality. " "Officials are denying entire families the ability to lead normal lives with the sense of security that most citizens of a country take for granted," she added. The West Bank became part of the Hashemite Kingdom in 1950 and its inhabitants automatically obtained Jordanian citizenship. The West Bank, including East Jerusalem, was captured by Israel in the 1967 Middle East war.
US defense fails missile test mimicking Iran strike
2/1/2010 - Reuters - WASHINGTON, Feb 1 (Reuters) - A maiden U. S. attempt to shoot down a ballistic missile mimicking an attack from Iran failed after a malfunction in a radar built by Raytheon Co (RTN. N), the Defense Department said. The Missile Defense Agency said both the target missile, fired from Kwajalein in the Marshall Islands, and the interceptor, from Vandenberg Air Force Base in California, had performed normally after launch on Sunday. " However, the Sea-Based X-band radar did not perform as expected," the agency said on its web site. Officials will investigate the cause of the failure to intercept, it said. The SBX radar is a major component of the ground-based midcourse defense, the sole U. S. bulwark against long-range missiles that could be tipped with chemical, biological or nuclear warheads. Raytheon and Boeing, which manages the overall system, had no immediate comment.
Another U.S. War? Obama Threatens China and Iran
2/1/2010 - Global Research - Shamus Cooke - The possibility of yet another U. S. war became more real last week, when the Obama administration sharply confronted both China and Iran. The first aggressive act was performed by Obama’s Secretary of State, Hillary Clinton, who “warned” China that it must support serious economic sanctions against Iran (an act of war). Clinton said: “China will be under a lot of pressure to recognize the destabilizing effect that a nuclear-armed Iran would have, from which they receive a significant percentage of their oil supply. ”The implication here is that China will be cut off from a major energy source if they do not support U. S. foreign policy — this, too, would equal an act of war. A more direct military provocation occurred later when Obama agreed to honor a Bush-era military pact with Taiwan, a small island that lies off the mainland coast of China, and is claimed by China as its own territory.
Netanyahu’s wife accused of bullying staff
1/27/2010 - The Independent - Outcry over claims she sacked elderly gardener and humiliated housekeeper - It's been a taxing time for Benjamin Netanyahu. He has had to soothe fears of a possible war with Lebanon. He has made an uncompromising statement about the future of Israeli settlements in the West Bank. And then, of course, there's the knotty matter of his wife's domestic arrangements and the employees she is accused of bullying. First, an Israeli newspaper revealed in a front-page story that Sara Netanyahu's former housekeeper, Lillian Peretz, was filing suit for £50,000 damages from her ex-employer for "humiliating" her and paying her less than the minimum wage. Try as she did to brush the allegations off, the first lady could not make them go away. Then, as if her reputation weren't in enough trouble, another publication claimed that Mrs Netanyahu had fired "an elderly Jew, about 70, a bereaved father who. . . .
UN find challenges Israeli version of attack on civilian building in Gaza war
Uruknet February 1, 2010 - A new Israeli report defending the military's conduct in the Gaza war was challenged tonight after evidence emerged apparently contradicting one of its key findings. Israel submitted a 46-page report to the UN on Friday saying its forces abided by international law throughout the three-week war last year. It was meant to avert the threat of...
Holes are shot in army's denial of Gaza attack Israel claimed it did not bomb flour mill, but 500lb explosives find proves otherwise
Uruknet February 1, 2010 - Doubts have been cast on the Israeli rebuttal of the Goldstone Report, after it emerged last night that a bomb was defused last year at a Gaza flour mill that Israel had officially said did not come under air attack in the war. The presence of a large part of the fractured Mark 82 bomb was...
Fighting for an education in Gaza
Uruknet February 1, 2010 - Ayman Talal Quader is a blogger from the Nuseirat refugee camp located in the middle of the Gaza Strip. He launched his blog "Voice From Gaza" (
Jordan: Stop Withdrawing Nationality from Palestinian-Origin Citizens
Uruknet February 1, 2010 - Jordan should stop withdrawing nationality arbitrarily from Jordanians of Palestinian origin, Human Rights Watch said in a report released today. Authorities stripped more than 2,700 of these Jordanians of their nationality between 2004 and 2008, and the practice continued in 2009, Human Rights Watch said. The 60-page report, "Stateless Again: Palestinian-Origin Jordanians Deprived of their Nationality",...
"A different kind of occupation": an interview with Elia Suleiman
Uruknet February 1, 2010 - Nazareth-born filmmaker Elia Suleiman is one of the darlings of Cannes and stands out from the pack of contemporary Palestinian filmmakers for his unique style of filmmaking based on sewing together a series vignettes, silence -- an emphasis on visual storytelling versus dialogue, and deadpan comedy found in often grim humor in the lives of everyday...
Israel uses holocaust memory to effect own holocaust against Palestinians
Uruknet February 1, 2010 - Writing in the Ha’aretz newspaper on Thursday, 28 January, under the title "holocaust remembrance is a boon for Israeli propaganda," the noted Israeli journalist Gideon Levy accused Israel of employing the holocaust memory as a Public Relations gimmick to divert attention from the savagery and brutality meted out to the Palestinians. "When the world is talking...
B'Tselem: Gaza 'cover-up' proof army can't investigate itself
Uruknet February 1, 2010 - The Israeli human rights group B'Tselem has sent an urgent letter to Israel's judge advocate general, Maj. Gen. Avichai Mandelblit, demanding that he immediately order a Military Police investigation into the circumstances of the firing of phosphorus shells at the UNWRA compound in Gaza during Operation Cast Lead. "The cover-up of this affair demonstrates, yet again,...
The grand Zionist façade
Uruknet February 1, 2010 - On 12 January, The New York Times carried an article by David Brooks on Jews and Israel. It so caught my eye that I decided to bring it to my class on the economic history of the Middle East. I sent my students the link to the article and asked them to read it carefully and...
Obama on Why the US Has Not Condemned Israel’s Human Rights Violations against the Occupied Palestinian People
Uruknet February 1, 2010 - A question was posed to US president Barack Obama at a town hall meeting in Tampa, Florida on 28 January. Obama took this as an opportunity to "talk about the Middle East generally." Obama: Israel is one of our strongest allies. ...It is a vibrant democracy... It is critical for us and I will never waver...
MONDAY'S ISRAELI CRIMINAL ACTIVITY ROUNDUP
Uruknet February 1, 2010 - Much Israeli criminal activity to write about this morning. First, Those of you who voted for "Hope and Change" should immediately ask the DNC to refund your money which was obtained fraudulently: Deputy Foreign Minister Danny Ayalon declared Monday that Israel's relations with the United States have "never been better."...
Israel is stealing Palestinian water
Uruknet February 1, 2010 - Recent reports have highlighted the acute water shortage facing Palestinian towns and villages in the West Bank and Bethlehem in particular - and noted that the average Israeli settler consumes six times more water than the average Palestinian. This is despite the latter's rights to the sources as the original owner of the land, albeit an...
Palestinian People’s Party (PPP): Hamas placing Gazans under house arrest
Uruknet January 31, 2010 – The Palestinian People’s Party (PPP) on Saturday criticized the de facto government for the restrictions it has placed on the freedom of movement of Palestinians in and out of Gaza. Member of the PPP’s politburo, Nafith Ghneim, described the recent decision to prevent the entry of Fatah leaders into the besieged strip without permission from the...
Exhibition "Palestine is beautiful - Innovation picture .. .. the article explicitly and realistic
1 Feb 2010 - West Bank, February 01, 2010 (Pal Telegraph) -Sharek Youth Forum opened in cooperation with the French-German Cultural Center yesterday, the exhibition "Palestine pretty" pictures, films, writings, and music of the Middle Eastern media Bags Curzon Hall last Ramallah, which will continue until 15 February, the exhibits presented during the festival Binali Clermont Veareran "codes for a trip travel" in France....
IOF shoot Palestinian near Gaza border
1 Feb 2010 - Gaza, February 1, 2010 (Pal Telegraph) - Israeli occupation force shot and wounded a Palestinian man who was approaching the Gaza border fence on Monday before arresting him, the Israeli army and Palestinian medics said. The man was transferred to Soroka University Medical Center in Beersheba for medical treatment. He will later be investigated. Israeli military spokesman declined to say...
Fatah official to visit Gaza
1 Feb 2010 - West Bank, February 1, 2010 (Pal Telegraph) - A Fatah official on Monday announced he would visit the Gaza Strip despite a recent condition Hamas has put on any Fatah member wants to visit Gaza. "Gaza is part of the home, so I don't need to ask for a visa, a permission or a special license from anyone," said Nabil...
Gaza infant’s deformity increases due to war effects
1 Feb 2010 - Gaza, February 1, 2010 (Pal Telegraph) - Although Israel's "Operation Cast Lead" technically ended in January of 2009, its effects are still emerging, and will be felt for decades to come. Doctors in Gaza City are reporting an alarming increase in birth defects among women exposed to white phosphorous and other chemicals used in Israeli weapons. Dalal Al-Agh, a Gazan...
West Bank: Israeli forces break-in Bi'lin
1 Feb 2010 - West Bank, February 1, 2010 (Pal Telegraph) - Israeli forces invaded on Monday Bil'in village, in the west of Ramallah city, and broke into the houses searching for what Israel calls "wanted" for activities against the settlements and the apartheid wall. The Israeli occupation forces intercepted the employees, students and patients, expropriate their ID cards and stopped their cars. The...
Israeli vehicles penetrate Buriej Camp in central Gaza
1 Feb 2010 - Gaza Strip, February 1, 2010 (Pal Telegraph)- Israeli occupation forces carried out an incursion this morning in the east of Bureij Refugee Camp in central Gaza Strip. According to local sources, five Israeli military vehicles accompanied by three armored bulldozers pushed nearly 200 meters into the east of the camp amid intensive and indiscriminate shooting. The sources added that the...
Arab politicians 'facing increased persecution' in Israel
The National 1 Feb 2010 - Leaders of the Arab minority in Israel say they are facing an unprecedented campaign of persecution, backed by the right-wing government of Benjamin Netanyahu.
Israeli army denies claims it censured pair over Gaza shelling
The National 1 Feb 2010 - The IDF publicly denies that two senior officers have been reprimanded for firing white phosphorous shells in the direction of a Gaza compound.
Abbas: I fear a one-state solution
The National 1 Feb 2010 - The Palestinian president says he is still prepared to begin negotiations if Israel agrees to institute a full settlement freeze for three months.
Israel 'disciplines' army officers
AlJazeera 1 Feb 2010 - Two reprimanded for "breaching guidelines" in shelling populated area during Gaza war.
Iran remembers Khomeini's return
AlJazeera 1 Feb 2010 - Political divisions evident on anniversary of homecoming leading to Islamic revolution.
Iran Plans to Counter Sanctions by Building Seven Refineries
The Media Line 30 Jan 2010 - Iran plans to build seven new refineries to reduce its dependence on foreign refinement capabilities. Iran plans to build seven new oil and gas refineries in a bid to diminish its vulnerability to sanctions from foreign...
Islamists ‘Indoctrinating' Somali Schoolchildren
The Media Line 30 Jan 2010 - Islamists in Somalia make schoolchildren targets of their ideology The Al-Shabab movement in Somalia has issued directives in schools located in areas under its control, in an effort to instill Islamist ideology in the younger generation....
NY Times: U.S. Speeding Up Deployment of Defensive Missiles Throughout Gulf
The Media Line 30 Jan 2010 - The New York Times reported on Saturday that the Obama administration is speeding up deployment of anti-missile missile systems throughout the Gulf region, including the United Arab Emirates, Qatar, Kuwait and Bahrain . According to The Times,...
Disunity Over Goldstone Response Continues to Plague Israeli Government
The Media Line 30 Jan 2010 - Israel's various arms of officialdom continue to wrangle over the issue of meeting the United Nations' demand to conduct an independent review of the Human Rights Council's investigation into the conduct of last January's war in...
Hamas Threatens Israeli Targets Abroad; Charges Jerusalem Responsible for Assassination
The Media Line 30 Jan 2010 - Hamas officials are charging that Israel sent assassins to Dubai as part of Infrastructure Minister Uzi Landau's delegation to an environmental conference last week, when Landau became the first Israeli minister to visit the Gulf state....
Yemen's Displaced Reach 250,000
The Media Line 30 Jan 2010 - Rebels call for a ceasefire in six-year old war as the U.N. deals with over a quarter million refugees. Yemeni forces killed 20 Houthi rebels on Sunday, effectively rejecting a ceasefire offer two days after it...
Attorney Sfard: Israeli Police Investigation of Shooting of Tristan Anderson “Gravely Negligent”
Alternative Information Center 1 Feb 2010 - Yesterday’s announcement by the Israeli Ministry of Justice not to indict anyone in the March 2009 shooting and critically injuring of American activist Tristan Anderson at a non-violent demonstration in the West Bank village of Ni’ilin...
Israel seeks to deport East Jerusalem man for spending too many years in U.S.
PNN 1 Feb 2010 - The Interior Ministry is demanding that a Palestinian resident of East Jerusalem be deported for having spent too many years in the United States. Elias Khayyo - who holds no foreign citizenship - has been detained for three weeks at Givon incarceration facility in Ramle with other people deemed illegal residents and slated for deportation. Khayyo, 41, was born in East Jerusalem...
ISRAEL: 'Avatar' and the Palestinian blues
PNN 1 Feb 2010 - This week, a screening of Avatar erupted into a small ruckus in a suburb when one moviegoer loudly announced that the Palestinians should learn from this movie what to do to the Jews, causing a commotion and angering others in the audience. The opinionated moviegoer was Juliano Mer-Khamis. Born in Nazereth to a Jewish mother and Arab father, he is an accomplished...
Israel 'disciplines' army officers
PNN 1 Feb 2010 - The Israeli army has disciplined two high-ranking officers for approving the use of white phosphorous shells during the Gaza offensive last year, according to local media. The Haaretz newspaper's website said on Monday that a military inquiry concluded that the Gaza division commander and a brigade commander endangered human life by firing the highly incendiary weapon towards a compound run by a...
Israel will not heed PA call for 3-month total freeze
Jeruslalem Post 1 Feb 2010 - Abbas publicly supports Gaza-Egypt wall, claims "no return to armed struggle," but statements gain little attention in gov’t, which won't accept PA position on J'lem as condition for talks.
Israel won’t heed Abbas’s call for 3-month total freeze
Jeruslalem Post 1 Feb 2010 - PA president publicly supports Gaza-Egypt wall, claims "no return to armed struggle," but statements gain little attention in gov’t, which says it won't accept Palestinian position on J'lem as condition for talks.
Analysis: Helping Abbas climb down the high tree
Jeruslalem Post 1 Feb 2010 - PA president wants to resume talks, but "doesn’t want it to look as if he has succumbed to the pressure,” says Ramallah official.
Bennet wants to use settlers to boost Israel’s PR
Jeruslalem Post 1 Feb 2010 - New Judea and Samaria council head seeks to change current image of settlements as a liability to the Jewish state.
'Goldstone report is deceitful'
Jeruslalem Post 1 Feb 2010 - IDF chief says army began investigating itself before "we heard of Goldstone."
'No peace with Syria could mean war'
Jeruslalem Post 1 Feb 2010 - Barak calls for talks with Damascus as soon as possible, says new Iran sanctions won't work.
J'lem Arabs arrested for Hamas recon
Jeruslalem Post 1 Feb 2010 - Men were allegedly to receive weapons, explosives for attacks.
Berlusconi 'dreams of Israel joining EU'
Jeruslalem Post 1 Feb 2010 - PM: Glorious past obligates cooperation today between J'lem, Rome.
7 US, European scientists win Wolf Prize
Jeruslalem Post 1 Feb 2010 - Winners of Israel's prestigious award to receive $100,000 each in May ceremony.
OPT: Flood misery for tented communities in Gaza
IRIN GAZA Thursday, January 28, 2010 (IRIN) - Thousands of Gazans made homeless by Israel’s 23-day military assault on the Gaza Strip which ended just over a year ago, are still in tents and damaged buildings; cold weather and recent flash floods have exacerbated their plight, say aid workers and the...
Israel police not charged over activist shooting
2/1/2010 - International Solidarity Movement - BBC - Charges will not be brought against the police officers who shot an American pro-Palestinian activist in the face, Israel's justice ministry has said. Tristan Anderson suffered severe brain damage when he was shot at a rally in the West Bank town of Naalin last year. The officers did not have any "criminal intent" when they shot Mr Anderson, a ministry spokesman said. Mr Anderson, 38, was in a coma for months and can only communicate with basic sounds, friends say. The case was closed without indicting anyone after an internal police investigation because "there was no proof of criminal behaviour by the police", Justice Ministry spokesman Moshe Cohen told the AFP news agency. Mr Anderson, from Oakland California, was among 400 people demonstrating against the building of the West Bank barrier. The village is one of several places where stone-throwing Palestinian youths clash regularly with police. Mr Anderson was shot by a riot policeman from between 60-70 m (213ft), it was reported.
One injured during a Bil’in night invasion
2/1/2010 - International Solidarity Movement - Popular Struggle Coordination Committee - Starting the month off with a bang! Four Shabak (Israeli Intelligence) jeeps and one military hummer rolled through Bil'in around 3am this morning. Computer screens with GPS maps were visible in the jeeps. They started throwing sound bombs amongst houses when camera people arrived on the scene. Soldiers in the last hummer taunted the camera people by making chicken noises. It seemed like they were looking for someone or were lost in Bil'in as they turned down side streets and returned to the main road between the school and the mosque. Earlier in the evening residents of Bil'in reported seeing the military throwing tear gas at young kids who were near the Israeli Apartheid Wall. Invasions like this are not uncommon in Bil'in. One person from Bil'in was injured while running to document the invasion last night.
Tourism minister's partying is Israel's diplomatic headache
Ha'aretz 1 Feb 2010 - Ministry source: Before Spain fiasco, Misezhnikov disgraced Israel in Belarus, Brazil and Argentina.,
Israel and the Holocaust
Ha'aretz 1 Feb 2010 - Obama exposed his ignorance regarding Zionist movement's history in his Cairo speech last year.,
Netanyahu risks Muslim wrath over Jerusalem holy site
Ha'aretz 1 Feb 2010 - Restoration work near Al-Aqsa Mosque could destroy the remnants of Israel's relations with the Muslim world.,
Netanyahu to Berlusconi: You show courage in backing Iran sanctions
Ha'aretz 1 Feb 2010 - Italian premier, who is joined by seven ministers, arrives in Israel for historic joint cabinet session.
Jordan King Abdullah to Obama: Speed up Mideast peace drive
Ha'aretz 1 Feb 2010 - Abdullah told Obama to intensify efforts for achieving progress towards a two-state solution.,
Human Rights Watch urges Jordan to stop revoking citizenships
Ha'aretz 1 Feb 2010 - Human Rights Watch report finds that thousands of Jordanians of Palestinian origin have had their civil rights infringed upon.,
Barak: Without Syria peace, we could be headed for all-out war
Ha'aretz 1 Feb 2010 - In comments to senior IDF officers, defense minister calls for resumption of talks with Damascus.,
Merkel welcomes prospect of renewed Israel-PA peace talks
Ha'aretz 1 Feb 2010 - During visit by Abbas to Berlin, Merkel expresses support for renewed Israel-PA peace talks.,
Dubai refuses to let Hamas help probe murder of group leader
Ha'aretz 1 Feb 2010 - UAE police says it will consult only with PA; Hamas threatens to strike Israeli targets abroad.,
IN PICTURES / Artist displays Auschwitz model made from gold teeth of Holocaust victims
Ha'aretz 1 Feb 2010 - To coincide with International Holocaust Remembrance Day last week, an art gallery in Copenhagen exhibited Marco Evaristti's 'Rolexgate.',
Deputy FM: Israel-U.S. relations have never been better
Ha'aretz 1 Feb 2010 - Ayalon tells Herzliya Conference ties go beyond Mideast; Livni: Israel can't take U.S. alliance for granted.,
Hamas threatens to strike Israeli targets abroad to avenge slain official
Ha'aretz 1 Feb 2010 - Hamas leader Mabouh killed in Dubai, local police have narrowed down 7 suspects but won't rule out Mossad.,
UN find challenges Israeli version of attack on civilian building in Gaza war
The Guardian 1 Feb 2010 - UN team find remains of aircraft-dropped bombs, contradicting Israeli report on military conduct during three-week conflict A new Israeli report defending the military's conduct in the Gaza war was challenged tonight after evidence emerged apparently contradicting...
Video: Israel reprimands top army officers over Gaza war
The Guardian 1 Feb 2010 - Disciplinary action taken over UN compound attack in populated area of Gaza City last year
False hopes for Palestine | Ben White
The Guardian 1 Feb 2010 - Reports of optimistic developments in the Palestinian Territories are premature – they are still crushed by Israel's control regime Over the last six months, there have been numerous reports on the apparent signs of hope in...
Israeli soldiers 'disciplined' over UN compound attack in Gaza
The Guardian 1 Feb 2010 - Israeli military report says troops 'fired artillery shells in violation of rules of engagement in populated areas' last year Two senior Israeli army officers have been "disciplined" over the firing of artillery shells towards a United...
Netanyahu to Intel: Want money? Promise to stay in Israel
Ha'aretz 1 Feb 2010 - If Intel Israel wants to get the $400 million grant it has requested from the State of Israel, it must undertake to stay in the country for a long time. ...
Settlement growth slows as building freeze starts to bite
Ha'aretz 1 Feb 2010 - The settlement freeze is having an impact, figures obtained by Haaretz reveal: In the second half of 2009, one third of all West Bank settlements experienced slower population growth than the average inside Israel - a larger proportion than during the first half. ...
He made it through the year
Ha'aretz 1 Feb 2010 - The annual State of the Union address, delivered by the president to both houses of Congress, is a ceremonial occasion and the speech is prepared at least one month in advance. And as we saw and heard last week, President Barack Obama recorded no remarkable achievements during his first year in office. Not all his promises were kept fully, not everything that he wanted came to be. But the most important thing is that he gave hope for the future. ...
'Islamic Jihad claims it sent bomb-laden barrels to Israeli beaches'
Ha'aretz 1 Feb 2010 - Two large explosive charges contained in a barrel was discovered on beaches of Ashkelon, Ashdod.
Police: Israeli pedophile solicited 1,000 underage girls via Internet
Ha'aretz 1 Feb 2010 - The Magistrate's Court in Rishon Letzion extended the remand of Tel Aviv resident Avinoam Braverman on suspicions of soliciting children via the internet. ...
Gaza Operation Investigations: An Update
Relief Web 1 Feb 2010 - Source: Government of Israel
End of long ordeal for Palestinian refugees as desert camp closes
Relief Web 1 Feb 2010 - Source: UN High Commissioner for Refugees
Capacity-Building for Palestinian Economic and Regulatory Institutions - Project information document (PID), concept stage
Relief Web 1 Feb 2010 - Source: World Bank
OPT: Lasting Agriculture Versus Lasting Occupation
Relief Web 1 Feb 2010 - Source: Palestine Monitor
OPT: Reclaiming Water in Qarawat Bani Hassan
Relief Web 1 Feb 2010 - Source: Palestine Monitor
Stateless Again: Palestinian-Origin Jordanians Deprived of their Nationality
Relief Web 1 Feb 2010 - Source: Human Rights Watch
Netanyahu to Berlusconi: Israel lucky to have you as a friend
YNet News 1 Feb 2010 - Referring to Iran, Israeli premier tells Italian counterpart, 'Humanity facing one of its most difficult tests since World War II.' Berlusconi: It is impossible to take my eyes away from the proven dangers that you see
Rights group: Jordan pulls citizenship from Palestinians
YNet News 1 Feb 2010 - Human Rights Watch report says 2,732 Palestinians stripped of their Jordanian nationality in past few years to counter any Israeli plans to transfer West Bank Palestinians to the kingdom. 'Jordan is playing politics with the basic rights of thousands of its citizens,' group says
Security sources: Threat to ocean facilities growing
YNet News 1 Feb 2010 - Defense establishment sources doubt Palestinian groups' claims of ability to target strategic facilities at sea, but say potential threat being taken seriously
Berlusconi says Yad Vashem visit 'like being punched in the stomach'
YNet News 1 Feb 2010 - Italian premier deeply moved by tour of Holocaust Museum in Jerusalem, writes 'This cannot be' in guest book
2 explosive devices found in southern beaches
YNet News 1 Feb 2010 - Fishermen in Ashkelon detect suspicious object, call police who show up with reinforcements, closing off city's northern shoreline. Several hours later additional device discovered in Ashdod beach. Police sources claim two devices similar, estimate originated from Gaza Strip
Iran remembers Khomeini amid political tensions
YNet News 1 Feb 2010 - Islamic Republic kicks off celebrations marking 31st anniversary to 1979 return of exiled ayatollah which triggered Islamic revolution
MK Mofaz: Implement 2-state solution as soon as possible
YNet News 1 Feb 2010 - Former defense minister tells Herzliya Conference, 'If we wait another year without any productive steps towards peace, Hezbollah will not allow this calmness to continue.' Elliot Abrams: Arab leaders think West Bank looks like Yemen or Geneva
Barak to IDF brass: Goldstone Report biased
YNet News 1 Feb 2010 - Hours after report that two senior officers were disciplined for exceeding their authority during Gaza war, defense minister says team of legal experts can probe scathing UN report's findings. On Syria: Full-blown war possible if peace agreement not reached
Cover-up of phosphorus shelling proves army cannot investigate itself
B'tselem 31 Jan 2010 - B'Tselem has written urgently to the judge advocate general demanding that he immediately order a Military Police investigation into the circumstances of the firing of phosphorus shells at the UNWRA compound in Gaza during Operation Cast Lead. This is a p
Suicide bomber kills 41 Shiite pilgrims in Iraq
Daily Star 1 Feb 2010 A suicide bomber blew herself up on Monday among Shiite pilgrims on the outskirts of Iraq's capital, killing at least 41 people in the latest attack in a violent run-up to next month's election. Iraq is trying to leave behind years of warfare set off by the 2003 US invasion as it moves to cement security gains made in the last two years, prepare for a US withdrawal
Israel lightly disciplines high-ranking officers for attack on UN compound
Daily Star 1 Feb 2010 The Israeli military said Monday it has reprimanded two high-ranking officers for approving the firing of artillery shells toward a UN compound during the Gaza war last year - the first admission of any high-level wrongdoing during the offensive. Israel announced the punishment in a document submitted to the United Nations last Friday in response.
Abbas softens demands on talks with Israel
Daily Star 1 Feb 2010 Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas said on Monday peace talks with Israel could be restarted if the Israeli government was prepared to put a stop to settlement building for "a certain period." Abbas has insisted that settlement expansion be halted in the West Bank before talks stalled since 2008 resume
Queen Noor fights to eradicate nuclear weapons
Daily Star 1 Feb 2010 In a region where cut-throat politics are the norm, the role of Jordan's Queen Noor in defusing tensions in the Middle East is a refreshing change. In her latest bid to promote peace, the Jordanian monarch has been moving heaven and earth to eradicate the ultimate weapon of mass destruction: nuclear arms. Overly optimistic? You may want to give credence to the queen
Berlusconi: Bring Israel into the European Union
Daily Star 1 Feb 2010 Italian Premier Silvio Berlusconi said Monday he hopes to bring Israel into the European Union, at the start of a three-day visit there. The Italian premier brought eight top ministers for a joint Cabinet meeting with their Israeli counterparts. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, Cabinet ministers and a military honor guard welcomed the Italian delegation
Tense Iran remembers Khomeini
Daily Star 1 Feb 2010 School bells rang out as trains and ships throughout Iran sounded their horns on Monday, marking the 1979 return from exile of Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini, who triggered a revolution that spawned an Islamic state now mired in a political crisis. Ex-President Mohammad Khatami, now a strong backer of anti-government protesters, urged his supporters to join the February 11 march
Sri Lanka in biggest military purge after coup fears
Daily Star 1 Feb 2010 Sri Lanka's president on Monday sacked a dozen senior military officers whom the Defense Ministry said were a "direct threat to national security" after last week's presidential elections. A military official said it was the army's biggest-ever purge and went beyond a 1962 shake up following a coup attempt by volunteer officers against late Premier Sirima Bandaranaike
Israel uses holocaust memory to effect own holocaust against Palestinians
PIC 1 Feb 2010 - “When the world is talking Goldstone, we talk Holocaust.."
Israel to file another indictment against sheikh Salah
PIC 1 Feb 2010 - After he was sentenced nine months in jail by the magistrate’s court in Jerusalem, the Israeli prosecution intends to file on Tuesday another indictment against sheikh Ra’ed Salah.
Erdogan: Turkey cannot watch Israel killing innocents, turning Gaza into prison
PIC 1 Feb 2010 - Turkish premier Recep Erdogan reiterated that Turkey cannot stand idly watching Israel killing innocent people, destroying infrastructure and turning the Gaza Strip into a big prison.
Mashaal calls for sincerely hosting meeting for Palestinian rivals in Cairo
PIC 1 Feb 2010 - Khaled Mashaal called on Arab countries to sincerely host a meeting for the Palestinian rivals in Cairo and respect what will be agreed upon in order for the reconciliation to become a reality.
Newspaper: Palestine’s embassy in Cairo behind the arrest of Ma’rouf
PIC 1 Feb 2010 - An Egyptian newspaper revealed that Fatah-affiliated officials in the Embassy of Palestine in Cairo were behind the arrest of chief of police patrols in Khan Younis Ibrahim Ma’rouf.
Israel Rebukes 2 for U.N. Gaza Compound Shelling
New York Times 1 Feb 2010 - The punishment of a brigadier general and a colonel was a rare admission of high-ranking wrongdoing during the war a year ago.
Lasting Agriculture Versus Lasting Occupation
Palestine Monitor - 1 Feb 2010 - The village of Battir, North West of Bethlehem, was once a haven for farmers. Its rich soil, water resources and favourable climate produced abundant harvests of olives and vegetables. But since the start of the occupation, Battir's 4,000 inhabitants have faced tremendous difficulties. The farmland of...
European Parliamentary Delegation visited Gaza
Palestine Monitor - 1 Feb 2010 - The biggest European Parliamentary Delegation comprised of 55 MEPs and MPs from across Europe visited Gaza between 14 and 18 January 2010. The visit was prepared by the European Campaign to End the Siege on Gaza and The Palestinian Return Centre (PRC). As Gaza strip has...
Reclaiming Water in Qarawat Bani Hassan
Palestine Monitor - 1 Feb 2010 - End of December, accompanied by soldiers, Israeli settlers driving bulldozers started carrying out significant construction works in the area where is located the Neweitef Al – Majur spring, central source of water for farming the land of the nearby West Bank town of Qarawat Bani Hassan,...
A question for Bronner
Mondoweiss - 1 Feb 2010 - I see that Ethan Bronner, the controversial Times bureau chief in Jerusalem, spoke at Brandeis today . I wonder if anyone asked about his son in the Israeli army. And he is speaking at Vassar College in NY on Wednesday afternoon. The Jewish Studies program. My question:...
Mitchell overcame serious doubts before
Mondoweiss - 1 Feb 2010 - Regarding George Mitchell’s predicted failure … They’re all probably right. However, I just received the latest Alumni mag from Colby College, and felt a degree of pride for my old alma mater. Mitchell (actually a native of Waterville, Maine, where Colby is located) spoke at the...
No one is accountable in maiming of Tristan Anderson
Mondoweiss - 1 Feb 2010 - I can hear the US consulate protest from here. Imagine if the same happened in Tehran. JPost : The Justice Ministry declared Sunday that no indictments will be filed against police in the case of [Tristan Anderson] a US activist who was hit by a tear gas...
This casts us in the role of the enabler, forever
Mondoweiss - 1 Feb 2010 - Haaretz says that Turkey is warning Israel that it must mull a future without Turkey as an ally, following the disrespectful treatment of the Turkish ambassador and the horrors of the Gaza war. Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan on Sunday warned Israel should to "take...
White phosphorus reprimands are highly selective
Mondoweiss - 1 Feb 2010 - BBC on Israel’s reprimands re white phosphorus attack: Israel has revealed it has reprimanded two top army officers for authorising an artillery attack which hit a UN compound in Gaza last year. In the attack on 15 January 2009 the compound was set ablaze by white...
Attorney Sfard: Israeli Police Investigation of Shooting of Tristan Anderson “Gravely Negligent”
Alternative Information Center - 1 Feb 2010 - Yesterday’s announcement by the Israeli Ministry of Justice not to indict anyone in the March 2009 shooting and critically injuring of American activist Tristan Anderson at a non-violent demonstration in the West Bank village of Ni’ilin was based on a “gravely negligent” investigation by the Israeli...
Tuesday, February 2, 2010
Israeli Police Remove Evicted East Jerusalem Family's Tent; Israelis & Internationals Aid to Rebuild
IMEMC 2 Feb 2010 - Tuesday February 02, 2010 - 16:43, On Tuesday at dawn, the Israeli police entered the East Jerusalem neighborhood of Sheikh Jarrah to remove the tent owned by al-Gawi family, a Palestinian family evicted from their home.
UN Findings Contradict Israeli Response on Gaza
IMEMC 2 Feb 2010 - Tuesday February 02, 2010 - 16:20, British daily, The Guardian, have reported that the Israeli response to the report authored by Richard Goldstone and his UN fact-finding team, contains a critical error, regarding the al-Badr flour mill.
Egyptian Driver Injured at the Boarders with Gaza
IMEMC 2 Feb 2010 - Tuesday February 02, 2010 - 16:05, An Egyptian driver was injured, Tuesday afternoon, when his car was attacked by stones as it passed the border road between southern Gaza and Egypt.
The Israeli Military Detains 10 Civilians & Hands Out 6 Demolition Orders In The West Bank
IMEMC 2 Feb 2010 - Tuesday February 02, 2010 - 15:55, Ten Palestinian civilians were detained by Israeli troops, on Tuesday, as the military served six demolition orders to families during different invasions targeting West Bank communities.
Hamas Leader Survives Assassination Attempt
IMEMC 2 Feb 2010 - Tuesday February 02, 2010 - 11:29, A Hamas leader survived, on Tuesday at dawn, an assassination attempt after unknown assailants placed an explosive charge in his parked vehicle in Khan Younis refugee camp, in the southern part of the Gaza Strip.
Ethiopian Man Wounded By Egyptian Fire, Another Man Detained
IMEMC 2 Feb 2010 - Tuesday February 02, 2010 - 10:23, Egyptian security sources reported Monday that a young Ethiopian man was shot and wounded by Egyptian Border Police fire, and another man was arrested while trying to infiltrate Israel through an area south of Kerem Shalom (Karem Abu Salem) Crossing.
Barak Warns Of Confrontations With Syria
IMEMC 2 Feb 2010 - Tuesday February 02, 2010 - 07:12, Israeli Defense Minister, Ehud Barak, warned, Monday, of the possibility of military confrontations with Syria due to the lack of progress during indirect talks with the country, and added that such an issue could develop into a comprehensive war.
Israeli jets strike southern Gaza
2/3/2010 - Bethlehem - Ma'an - Israeli warplanes carried out airstrikes on at least two targets in the southern Gaza Strip overnight, witnesses said and the Israeli military confirmed. Three Palestinians were reportedly wounded and three others reported missing shortly after six separate strikes, which targeted the Yasser Arafat International Airport in Dahaniya and a tunnel along the Gaza-Egypt border. Israeli forces launched the strikes "in response for the attempted naval attacks in southern Israel and recent rocket attacks," an Israeli military spokesman said in a statement over the phone. The official added that the army confirmed direct hits on both targets, which he alleged included a tunnel used for smuggling weapons and a "terror tunnel" on the border meant for carrying out attacks in Israel.
Psychological trauma stalks Gaza children
2/2/2010 - Gaza - IRIN - Mona Samouni, 12, is depressed and has nightmares about the day - just over a year ago - when she witnessed her parents and several relatives being shot by Israeli soldiers in their home in Az-Zaitoun, southeast of Gaza City. Like a number of other children who witnessed horrific events during last year's 23-day Israeli military operation in the Gaza Strip, Mona has become increasingly withdrawn and silent - common ways of coping with tragedies, doctors say. Statistics about Palestinians who lost their lives during the military operation vary, but NGOs place the overall number of persons killed between 1,387 and 1,417. The Gaza authorities report 1,444 fatal casualties, whilst Israel provides a figure of 1,166, according to the UN Fact Finding Mission on the Gaza Conflict, also known as the Goldstone report - The killing of Mona's family is one of the. . .
Prisoners society accuses Israel negligence
2/2/2010 - Hebron - Ma'an - The Palestinian Prisoners Society of Hebron accused Israeli doctors of negligence and failing to provide care to critical patients. Head of the society Amjad An-Najjar said there were 300 detainees and ex-detainees in the govornorate who had suffered from inadequate treatment. He outlined the case of Muhammad Abdul Afu Al-Imleh, 26, who suffered renal failure while he was in prison, and Hamza At-Tarayreh, who was diagnosed with throat cancer shortly after his release. Al-Imleh was detained in 2004 and released in 2007. His kidney problems were so acute he was left with no option other than a transplant, which was arranged in Jordan in 2008, An-Najjar said. The youth was sent to the Ar-Ramleh Hospital, the only facility equipped for prisoners in need of medical attention, but An-Najjar said he was not okayed for a transplant at the time.
Mideast NGOs deplore politically motivated attacks
2/2/2010 - The following is an open letter signed by a coalition of Palestinian, Israeli, and international human rights organizations. - The Board of Directors of Rights & Democracy, a not-for-profit organization created by Canada's parliament in 1988 to encourage and support human rights around the world, recently voted, with substantial objection, to repudiate grants given to Al-Haq and the Al-Mezan Centre for Human Rights, two well-known Palestinian human rights organizations located respectively in the West Bank and in Gaza. The chairperson of the Board of Directors of Rights and Democracy, Aurel Braun, was quoted in The Globe and Mail as criticizing both organizations for being two "of the most vitriolic anti-Israeli organizations" and for their accusations against Israel's human rights violations. Further, the article reports that Braun said that "there is no way to ensure that some. . . "
Arab politicians ’facing increased persecution’ in Israel
2/3/2010 - Nazareth - Leaders of the Palestinian minority in Israel warned this week that they were facing an unprecedented campaign of persecution, backed by the right-wing government of Benjamin Netanyahu, designed to stop their political activities. The warning came after Said Nafaa, a Druze member of the Israeli parliament, was stripped of his immunity last week, clearing the way for him to be tried for a visit to Syria three years ago. In recent weeks legal sanctions have been invoked against two other Palestinian political leaders, following clashes with the Israeli security forces at demonstrations against the occupation, and pressure is growing for two more members of Knesset to be investigated. Palestinian politicians are particularly concerned about a bill introduced last month requiring all parliamentary candidates to swear loyalty to Israel as a Jewish state.
Qaraqe: 65 dentists to attend to Palestinian prisoners
2/2/2010 - Ramallah - Ma'an - Palestinian Authority Minister of Prisoners and Ex-Detainees' Affairs Issa Qaraqe struck a deal on Tuesday with the Arab Dentists' Society in which 65 specialists will attend to prisoners in Israeli jails. The medical visits will be coordinated with the ministry as detainees are in need of dental treatment, the minister said. All of the dentists hold Israeli citizenship and therefore have access to prisoners. Qaraqe noted that the deal follows recent failures to provide Palestinians with adequate medical care by the Israeli Prison Administration. According to the minister, at least 1,500 Palestinian detainees suffer from a number of serious illnesses, including cancer. The minister called on local and international human rights organizations to intervene in the cases of those detainees whose health is deteriorating as a result of the alleged Israeli medical negligence.
Jordan urged to stop stripping Palestinians of citizenship
2/2/2010 - Bethlehem - Ma'an - Jordan should stop withdrawing nationality arbitrarily from Jordanians of Palestinian origin, the New York-based Human Rights Watch said in a report released on Monday. Authorities stripped more than 2,700 of these Jordanians of their nationality between 2004 and 2008, and the practice continued in 2009, the human rights organization has alleged. Its 60-page report, "Stateless Again: Palestinian-Origin Jordanians Deprived of their Nationality ," details what Human Rights Watch termed the arbitrary manner, with no clear basis in law, in which Jordan deprives its citizens who were originally from the West Bank of their nationality, thereby denying them basic citizenship rights such as access to education and health care. "Jordan is playing politics with the basic rights of thousands of its citizens," said Sarah Leah Whitson, Middle East director of Human Rights Watch.
Palestinian universities, colleges on partial strike
2/2/2010 - Ramallah - Ma'an - The Union of Palestinian Public Universities and Colleges undertook a partial strike on Tuesday in two universities and three colleges across the occupied Palestinian territories. The Al-Aqsa University in Gaza, the Khodouri University in Tulkarem in the West Bank, the Ramallah Technical College for Girls, Al-Umma College, and Al-Arroub College were on strike between 8am to noon as employees remained in their offices, followed by a complete suspension of classes after midday. Head of the Union of Employees Abdul-Jawwad Al-Atrash said the strike was "part of the union's protests against the lack of response from the Palestinian Ministry of Education to unresolved employees' causes for the last four years. "He added that employees were growing increasingly frustrated with the ministry's approach toward their causes, asserting that the ministry tried to marginalize the employees' union.
Israel: Armed Palestinian detained, 4 others
2/3/2010 - Bethlehem - Ma'an - The Israeli army said on Tuesday that military police detained a Palestinian after discovering a bomb, two fragmentation grenades, a knife and ammunition in his belongings at the Tulkarem checkpoint Hervat Jibara. "The Palestinian was taken for questioning by security forces," the military said in a statement. Overnight, the Israeli army detained four "wanted" Palestinians "during an IDF operation in the Judea and Samaria region [the West Bank]. "They were detained from Jenin, Qalandiya, Ramallah and Qadura, near Hebron, and transferred to security forces for further investigations, the statement concluded. [end]
UN closes Palestinian refugee camp in Iraq
2/3/2010 - Damascus - The main UN refugee agency closed the Al-Tanf refugee camp between the borders of Syria and Iraqi on Monday and relocated the last of the Palestinian refugees who had been stranded in the bleak no-man's land for nearly four years. The UN High Commissioner for Refugees, working in cooperation with the Syrian authorities, transferred the last 60 camp residents on Monday morning. They will be housed temporarily at another refugee camp, Al-Hol, inside Syria. "I am very happy that this is finally over," said Abu Mohanned, one of the relocated refugees. "We have been waiting for this for such a long time and yet we are anxious about what's next. We have suffered a lot and have been forced to leave with no document in hand after living 60 years in Iraq. We just want a place that welcomes us and recognizes us as human beings. . . "
Israeli police chase down, detain 4 in East Jerusalem
2/2/2010 - Bethlehem - Ma'an - Four Palestinians were chased down and detained by Israeli forces in Al-Eizariyya on Monday night, as witnesses described a high-speed chase through the streets of occupied East Jerusalem. Witnesses identified two of the detainees as Dawood Abu Ar-Reish, and Muhammad Sinnawi. Four military patrol cars were said to have ambushed a Palestinian Fiat car near the center of Al-Eizariyya. [end]
PCHR condemns arson attack on Gaza resort
2/2/2010 - Bethlehem - Ma'an - Two masked men set fire to the gates of the Al-Basha Resort in Gaza City on Tuesday, causing serious damage to the sign and no injuries, the Palestinian Centre for Human Rights reported. According to the investigation, the attack occurred at 5:30am. The resort is in the Ad-Daraj neighborhood in the east of Gaza City, and is owned by Mohammed Zakareya As-Sawafiri. It was the second violent incident of the day, after a 3am car bombing that injured two children. Following its investigation, the PCHR distributed a statement saying it "strongly condemns" the act, and saw it as part of "the state of security chaos and misuse of weapons" in Gaza. Workers called on the Office of the Attorney General to open "serious investigations into the incident and to bring the perpetrators to justice. " . . . .
East Jerusalem protests revive hope in Israeli left
2/2/2010 - Bethlehem - Ma'an - A record number of Israeli demonstrators in East Jerusalem's Sheikh Jarrah neighborhood on Friday challenged the trend of continued arrests and threats to protesters, reviving hope in an Israeli left. Despite police plans to end the demonstration with force, more than 300 Palestinians, internationals, and Israeli activists gathered in Sheikh Jarrah on Friday afternoon to protest the evictions of Palestinian families from their homes. A record number of protesters attended the rally, which most expected would end in dozens of arrests and possibly violence. During previous protests, dozens were detained including the director of the Association for Civil Rights in Israel, Hagai El-Ad. When police and protesters clashed in December, 21 were detained. The Israeli daily Haaretz estimated that more than 70 demonstrators have been arrested to date.
Israel: Projectile lands in the Negev
2/3/2010 - Bethlehem - Ma'an/Agencies - A homemade projectile landed in an open area in the Eshkol Regional Council in southern Israel on Tuesday afternoon, Israeli media reported. Residents heard a loud blast at around 3pm and a Color Red siren was sounded, the Hebrew-language daily daily Yedioth Ahronoth reported. No damage or injuries were reported. [end]
Gaza blast destroys Hamas official’s car
2/2/2010 - Gaza - Ma'an - The private car of Hamas leader Yousif Sarsour (known as Abu Omar) was destroyed by explosives in front of his home in Khan Younis on Tuesday morning, medics said. Palestinian medical sources said two children, hit by shrapnel and flying glass, were evacuated to the An-Nasser Hospital in Khan Younis, while Abu Omar remained unharmed. Medical sources described the childrens' injuries as light. Sarsour told Ma'an that he "heard a resonant explosion at around 3am that shook the area. "He said he thought the blast was the result of an Israeli air strike, but then saw the car in front of his home was destroyed without damage to any other area. Sarsour described that apparent attack as "cowardly act" by forces he described as "backward, not even approaching the level of human," on account of the injury of two children, his young neighbors.
Egyptian injured by stone-throwing youths
2/2/2010 - Gaza - Ma'an - An Egyptian man was injured whilst driving close to the Gaza-Egypt border on Tuesday by Palestinian youths hurling stones, Egyptian security sources told Ma'an. Abbas Al-Rubari, who was driving an Egyptian government vehicle, sustained injuries to the head and face, the sources said. Al-Rubari was en route to the Rafah crossing on Egypt's side. Sources added that the car was damaged in the incident. Egyptian authorities have launched an investigation and called on Palestinians to enforce stricter security measures on their borders with Egypt. [end]
Hamas: Reprimands prove Israel committed war crimes
2/2/2010 - Gaza - Ma'an - Israel's willingness to punish its own officers is proof enough the country's armed forces committed war crimes, Hamas spokesman Fawzi Barhoum said on Tuesday. The statement followed news reports that Israel took disciplinary action for over a brigadier general and a colonel for their actions during last year's war on Gaza. The disciplinary measures were announced in Israel's official response to the UN's fact-finding mission, which was led by South African jurist Richard Goldstone. Barhoum said that even the "occupation's allegation that it punished its officers for their crimes in Gaza" was "clear evidence and condemnation, [amounting to] official recognition of the commission of war crimes against the Palestinian people. " Although later news reports in Israel said military officials "flatly denied" that there had in fact been any disciplinary action, Barhoum. . .
Palestinian FM meets Spanish counterpart
2/2/2010 - Ramallah - Ma'an - PA Foreign Minister Riyad Al-Maliki met Spanish counterpart Miguel Angel Moratinos on Tuesday in his Ramallah office to discuss developments in bilateral relations between the PA and Spain, as well as between the PA and EU. Al-Maliki told Moratinos that a successful and credible political process necessitated a complete halt to Israeli settlement activity in the Palestinian territories including Jerusalem. Furthermore, Israel must cease all violations of international law and resolutions, as well as all detentions, assassinations, and incursions in Palestinian territories within the framework of a given timeline, the PA foreign minister said. The right of return, self-determination, and the establishment of an independent Palestinian state for the Palestinian people should also be guaranteed, added Al-Maliki.
Hamas criticizes Fayyad’s participation in Herzilya conference
2/2/2010 - Gaza - Ma'an - Hamas spokesman Sami Abu Zuhri condemned caretaker Prime Minister Salam Fayyad's participation in a Herzilya conference which began on Tuesday. "The Palestinian Authority's cooperation with Israel reached a political level and this is a serious indicator that this national side has connected its projects with Israeli interests and policies," the spokesman said in a statement. The conference, organized by the Strategic Studies Institute, is held annually in Israel and contributes to decisions on Israeli policy and strategy relating to security and politics. [end]
Hamas: PA forces detain 3 supporters
2/2/2010 - Bethlehem - Ma'an -Palestinian Authority security services detained three Hamas members in the West Bank on Tuesday, the Islamic movement said in a statement. Those allegedly seized included ex-detainee Faysal Saba'neh from Qabatiya in Jenin, who was recently released from an Israeli prison due to a deterioarting health condition, Hamas said. In Ramallah, Khaled Abul Bahaa was detained, also a recently released prisoner, Hamas added. In Qalqiliya, a fisherman's storehouse owned my Muhsen Hardan was raided. Hardan is currently in a PA prison, and his whose nephew was detained following the raid, the statement said. [end]
Said conservatory preps for national competition
2/2/2010 - Bethlehem - Ma'an - The Edward Said National Conservatory of Music invited Palestinian youth from the West Bank, Gaza, Jerusalem, Israel and the occupied Golan Heights to participate in their third national music competition. From 2001-2005 the conservatory hosted internal competitions annually, and in 2006 they opened the spectacle to a national body of musicians, hosting the event biennially. The 2008 competition was the first to include voice. A statement from conservatory officials said the competition "aims at encouraging young musicians and music students to improve their musical performance and at enriching the musical culture in Palestine as a whole. "Mohamad Maragha, the activity coordinator at the conservatory, said the event was the only one of its kind in Palestine, bringing together multiple facets of Palestinian music from all parts of Palestine.
Israeli jets strike Gaza smuggling tunnels
Ha'aretz 2 Feb 2010 - Attack comes after Gaza militants fire a Qassam rocket which lands in an open field in the Negev.
Israeli Bedouin crosses border into Gaza Strip
Ha'aretz 2 Feb 2010 - Man tried crossing Jordan and Egypt borders in the past; found to suffer from mental health problems.
Israel fears more explosive-laden barrels in Mediterranean
Ha'aretz 2 Feb 2010 - Following discovery of two explosives in Ashkelon and Ashdod, police scan coast for devices.
UN find challenges Israeli version of attack on civilian building in Gaza war
2/2/2010 - The Guardian - UN team find remains of aircraft-dropped bombs, contradicting Israeli report on military conduct during three-week conflict - A new Israeli report defending the military's conduct in the Gaza war was challenged tonight after evidence emerged apparently contradicting one of its key findings. Israel submitted a 46-page report to the UN on Friday saying its forces abided by international law throughout the three-week war last year. It was meant to avert the threat of international prosecutions and to challenge a highly critical UN inquiry by South African judge Richard Goldstone, which accused both Israel and Hamas of "grave breaches" of the fourth Geneva convention, war crimes and possible crimes against humanity. The Israeli report looked in detail at a handful of incidents, including the attack on the al-Badr flour mill in northern Gaza, which was severely damaged.
Al Mezan Condemns the IOF Attacks against Palestinian Fishermen
2/2/2010 - Al Mezan Center for Human Rights - The Israeli Occupation Forces (IOF) escalated its attacks against Palestinian fishermen. Today, Tuesday 2 February 2010, IOF naval vessels opened heavy fire at fishermen boats, followed them to the beach, and torn their fishing nets in the sea. According to the documentation of Al Mezan Centre for Human Rights, at approximately 8am on Monday 1 February 2010, IOF naval vessels were patrolling the sea opposite to Dier Al Balah town in middle Gaza district and opened fire at Palestinian fishermen boats who were working in the coast of the town and the nearby An-Nuseirat camp. Israeli vessels then sporadically fired towards fishing boats until 1pm on the same day. On Tuesday 2 February 2010, the IOF fired at fishermen boats and chased them by army rubber boats. Al Mezan’s field workers investigated these attacks and reported that fishermen boats did not exceed the limited fishing zone that had been announced by the IOF.
VIDEO - 'To shoot an elephant'
2/2/2010 - ToShootAnElephant.com - A documentary by Alberto Arce and Mohammad Rujailah, "To shoot an elephant" is an eye witness account from The Gaza Strip. December 27th, 2008, Operation Cast Lead. 21 days shooting elephants. Urgent, insomniac, dirty, shuddering images from the only foreigners who decided and managed to stay embedded inside Gaza strip ambulances, with Palestinian civilians. Sinopsis [sic] ". . . afterwards, of course, there were endless discussions about the shooting of the elephant. The owner was furious, but he was only an Indian and could do nothing. Besides, legally I had done the right thing, for a mad elephant has to be killed, like a mad dog, if it's owner fails to control it". George Orwell defined a way of witnessing Asia that still remains valid. "To shoot an elephant" is an eye witness account from The Gaza Strip. December 27th, 2008, Operation Cast Lead. 21 days shooting elephants. . . . Download the film and share it
Palestinian Woman Raises Palestinian Flag In Antarctica
2/2/2010 - Political Theatrics - A Palestinian woman living in Dubai, Susan Al-Hobi, recently climbed Vinson Mount and became the first Arab to reach the highest point in Antarctica. The peak is 4,898 meters (16,050 feet) high. Al-Hobi previously raised the Palestinian flag on the top of a number of other “highest peaks”: Kilimanjaro (Africa), Elbrus (Europe), Mont Blanc (Alps of Western Europe), Aconcagua (South America) and Toubkal (Northern Africa). According to The Gulf newspaper, Al-Hobi loves adventure and looks forward to climbing all of the seven highest mountains in the world. Remaining for her to climb are the summits of Denali (Alaska, US), Carstensz Pyramid (Papua, Indonesia) and Everest (Nepal). She says she wants to prove to the world that Arab women can conquer the impossible.
Series of Explosions and Arson attacks in Gaza
2/2/2010 - Al Mezan Center for Human Rights - Al Mezan: Attacks Condemned; Gaza Government Obligated to Investigate, Prosecute Perpetrators - Detonating explosive devices and arson attacks against cars and coffee shops have increased in the Gaza Strip. Recently, a car exploded in Khan Younis town and a coffee shop was set to fire in Gaza City. Al Mezan Centre for Human Rights condemns these acts and calls the authorities in Gaza to investigate them and prosecute their perpetrators. According to information collected by Al Mezan Centre for Human Rights, at approximately 3am on Thursday 2 February 2010, a white Subaru car owned by Yousif Mohammed Sarsour, 50, was destroyed in an explosion while parking near his house in Al Majadla neighborhood, opposite UNRWA Health Centre in refugee camp of Khan Younis. Fire started in the car and burnt it completely, as a result. The explosion caused light damages to adjacent houses; mainly due to shattered windows panes. Two brothers, Mohannad and Mohiye Ad-Din Ahmed Sarsour (4 and 6 respectively) were injured.
VIDEO - Dr. Norman Finkelstein at the University of Waterloo
2/2/2010 - YouTube - January 20, 2010 - Clip is from American Radical: The Trials of Norman Finkelstein. Copyright Baraka Productions / Typecast Releasing. [end]
Israel’s Nuclear Secrets Exposed: Vanunu’s Photos Of Dimona - 1985
2/2/2010 - The US Campaign to Free Mordechai Vanunu - Photos - Mordechai Vanunu brought his camera to work in late 1985, shortly before leaving his eight-year stint as a technician at Israel's nuclear weapons factory at Dimona. Acting on his conscience, he carefully took about 60 photos of the top-secret labs and unique production processes involved. When some of these photos were originally published in the London Sunday Times' exposé, they confirmed his eyewitness testimony about the extent of Israel's nuclear weapons program and revealed Israel to be one of the world's top nuclear powers. To this day, the Israeli government refuses international inspection of Dimona and continues to deny the existence of its nuclear arsenal. [click here for more of Vanunu's story: archive/story. html]While their publication resulted in Vanunu being locked away for an 18-year prison sentence, his photographs of Israel's nuclear weapons factory - a bold statement against nuclear secrecy and for the abolition of nuclear weapons - are here for all to see.
Congrats to Egypt…and yes it’s from Gaza!
2/1/2010 - Palestine Note - There has been a lot of talk lately that the Palestinians in Gaza hold a grudge against their Egyptian counterparts, which is untrue. A few days ago Egypt won the African cup for the third time on the row, beating the Algerian team, and as result you can see celebrations of this victory in the streets of Gaza. No one in Gaza can forget what Egyptian football player Mohamed Abu-Treka did back in Africa cup. The "We Sympathize with Gaza" t-shirt that he displayed during a match made that player a popular figure in the whole Arab countries, especially Gaza. Until now, you can find how much the people respect and love him. Yes, the Egyptian government is following policies that make our lives here in Gaza harder, but I am perfectly sure that most of the Egyptian people do not agree with it. Today is the perfect time for Egyptians and Algerians to put their disputes aside and to be happy and grateful for both teams' achievements.
Video: East Jerusalem residents languish beyond the wall
Uruknet February 2, 2010 - More than 50,000 Palestinian residents of East Jerusalem live beyond the separation barrier -- areas which are officially part of the city but cut off from its daily life. AFPTV visited the isolated suburb of Kfar Aqeb, where Palestinians are deprived of most municipal services....
British Citizens vs an IDF Guard
Uruknet February 2, 2010 - The Times reported today that the British Government is blocking a deal for Paul and Rachel Chandler's release. The British couple were kidnapped by Somalian pirates in the Indian Ocean. Paul and Rachel may be facing a doomed fate as the British Government is blocking a deal for their release...In the centre of the British Government’s...
Torture, Rendition Victim Maher Arar Asks Supreme Court to Allow Suit Against US Gov’t
Uruknet February 2, 2010 - Lawyers for the Canadian torture and rendition victim Maher Arar are asking the Supreme Court to overturn a lower court ruling blocking him from suing the US government. In 2002, Arar was seized by US officials at Kennedy Airport in New York and rendered to Syria, where he was tortured, interrogated and detained in a tiny...
Exclusive: Israeli commander: 'We rewrote the rules of war for Gaza' Civilians 'put at greater risk to save military lives' in winter attack - revelations that will pile pressure on Netanyahu to set up full inquiry
Uruknet February 2, 2010 - A high-ranking officer has acknowledged for the first time that the Israeli army went beyond its previous rules of engagement on the protection of civilian lives in order to minimise military casualties during last year's Gaza war, The Independent can reveal. The officer, who served as a commander during Operation Cast Lead, made it clear that...
Israeli Police Remove Evicted East Jerusalem Family's Tent; Israelis & Internationals Aid to Rebuild
Uruknet February 02, 2010 - On Tuesday at dawn, the Israeli police entered the East Jerusalem neighborhood of Sheikh Jarrah to remove the tent owned by al-Gawi family, a Palestinian family evicted from their home. The family has resorted to living in a tent situated in front of their former residence, and the 13th time they have had to rebuild their...
Iran president Ahmadinejad accepts nuclear deal terms
Uruknet February 2, 2010 - Iran's president has said it is ready to send its enriched uranium abroad for further enrichment under a deal to ease concerns about its nuclear programme. Mahmoud Ahmadinejad told state TV that Iran would have "no problem" if most of its stock was held for several months before being returned as fuel rods...
AI: Nine at risk of execution over Iran protests
Uruknet February 2, 2010 - Amnesty International has urged the Iranian authorities not to execute nine people sentenced to death who were arrested in relation to the protests that followed last year's disputed presidential election. The organization said it fears the Iranian authorities are planning to execute some or all of the nine in public before 11 February, the anniversary of...
Israeli Occupation Supportive Companies to Boycott
Uruknet February 2, 2010 - In July 2005, a coalition of 171 Palestinian Civil Society organizations created the global BDS movement for "Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions against Israel Until it Complies with International Law and Universal Principles of Human Rights" for Occupied Palestinians, Israeli Arabs, and Palestinian diaspora refugees. Since 1948, hundreds of UN resolutions and civil society actions condemned Israel's...
Israel Owes Over NIS 8.3 Billion to Palestinian Workers from the Occupied Palestinian Territories
Uruknet Febraury 2, 2010 - The State of Israel owes more than NIS 8.3 billion (including interest) to Palestinian workers from the Occupied Palestinian Territories who worked in Israel. This money was deducted from the Palestinian workers’ salaries for social benefits they did not receive. This is the conclusion of detailed research conducted by the Alternative Information Center (AIC) and Kav...
Israeli troops wound two Palestinians including child in West Bank and Gaza
Uruknet February 2, 2010 -- Clashes between the Israeli occupation forces (IOF) and Palestinians on Monday led to the injury of two citizens including a 10-year-old child in the West Bank village of Ni’lin and east of the Gaza Strip. According to B’Tselem organization, an Israeli soldier fired deliberately at very close range a rubber-coated bullet at the head of a...
Psychological trauma, nightmares stalk Gaza children
Uruknet February 2, 2010 - Mona al-Samouni, 12, is depressed and has nightmares about the day - just over a year ago - when she witnessed her parents and a number of relatives being shot by Israeli soldiers in their home in Zeitoun, southeast of Gaza City. Like a number of other children who witnessed horrific events during last year’s 23-day...
Escaping in Gaza
Uruknet February 2, 2010 - Many in Gaza ask me, 'which is better, the (occupied) West Bank or Gaza?’ Not giving in to the devisive efforts of external forces and politicians, I answer that both are Palestine –it’s all Palestine– and both have their beauties and intense hardships. The presence of Israeli occupation soldiers in the occupied West Bank, of remorseless...
UN closes Palestinian refugee camp in Iraq
2 Feb 2010 - Iraq, February 01, 2010 (Pal Telegraph) - The main UN refugee agency closed the Al-Tanf refugee camp between the borders of Syria and Iraqi on Monday and relocated the last of the Palestinian refugees who had been stranded in the bleak no-man's land for nearly four years. UNHCR, working in cooperation with the Syrian authorities, transferred the last 60 camp...
Gaza suffering severe shortage of medical supplies
2 Feb 2010 - Gaza, February 2, 2009 ( Pal Telegraph) - The General Department of Pharmacy is reporting that 104 essential drugs --including treatments for cancer, heart conditions, kidney disease and psychiatric disorders -- and 123 types of medical supplies have completely run out due to the Israeli blockade and ongoing closure of the crossings. The Ministry of Health in Gaza calls on all...
Two Palestinians injured by IOF soldiers in West Bank
2 Feb 2010 - Hebron, February 2, 2010 (Pal Telegraph) - Israeli occupation soldiers beat and wounded two Palestinians, a man and a woman, in the southern West Bank city of Hebron. Local sources said that Alaa Ibrahim Sabarna, 22, from Beit Omar, was referred to a hospital for treatment after Israeli soldiers beat him. Also beaten and sent to a hospital was Nalah Fadel...
Israeli attacks on Palestinians this week
2 Feb 2010 - West Bank, February 01, 2010 (Pal Telegraph) -This week, Israeli forces injured 12 Palestinians throughout the West Bank, compared to the 2009 weekly average of 17. This week's injuries bring the total number of Palestinians injured in Israeli‐Palestinian violence since the beginning of 2010 to 53. Eight of this week's injuries were sustained in non-violent demonstrations throughout the West Bank:...
Gaza: Human rights issues a report of Israeli violations in January 2010
2 Feb 2010 - Gaza, February 2, 2010 (Pal Telegraph) - A laconic report issued by Al-Mezan Center for Palestinian human rights has confirmed continuation of the Israeli violations of human rights and the rules of international humanitarian law in the Gaza Strip in January. The report, issued by Al-Mezan center for human rights, showed the continuation of Israeli violations in the Gaza Strip...
Israel to open Karem Abu Salem crossing
2 Feb 2010 - Gaza, February 2, 2010 (Pal Telegraph) - Karem Abu Salem crossing will be opened on Tuesday, Israeli officials announced, allowing transit of limited aid, fuel and exports goods. Raed Fattouh, Gaza Crossings' official, said 100 to 110 truck are expected to be transferred into the Strip, including aid, commercial goods, products for the agricultural sector and four truck loads of...
Jerusalem: Israeli police invade Wadi Al-Joz
2 Feb 2010 - Jerusalem, February 2, 2010 (Pal Telegraph) - The Israeli police force invaded a number of houses and shops in Wadi Al-Joz, a neighborhood in the old city, Jerusalem, Palestinian sources said. According to the sources, the staff of the municipality, accompanied by a large force of police, invaded the neighborhood to demand that the Palestinian citizens pay the accumulated taxes...
IOF shoots Palestinian near Gaza border
1 Feb 2010 - Gaza, February 1, 2010 (Pal Telegraph) - Israeli occupation forces shot and wounded a Palestinian man before arresting him on Monday. The man was approaching the Gaza border fence, the Israeli army and Palestinian medics said. The man was transferred to Soroka University Medical Center in Beersheba for medical treatment. He will later be investigated. Israeli military spokesmen declined to...
Lebanon's AK-47 index may be pointing to war
The National 2 Feb 2010 - As the country fears another period of conflict, a black-market weapons dealer says the price of everyone's favourite rifle is rising rapidly.
Iran criticises US missile move
AlJazeera 2 Feb 2010 - Tehran says expansion of missile system will increase US military presence in Gulf.
Palestinian PM attends Israel forum
AlJazeera 2 Feb 2010 - Salam Fayyad discusses peace prospects with Ehud Barak in annual Herzliya conference.
Israeli Aerospace Goes Green
The Media Line 1 Feb 2010 - Israel's major aerospace manufacturer considers plans to build wind turbines. Israel's prime aircraft manufacturer is contemplating expanding its expertise of military and commercial aircrafts to the development of wind turbines. The Israeli military and civil aviation...
Somalia's Al-Shabab Aligns with Al-Qaeda
The Media Line 1 Feb 2010 - Somalia's Al-Shabab declares a formal allegiance with the global terrorist network Al-Qaeda. Somalia's Islamist Al-Shabab movement plans to become part of the global Al-Qaeda organization in an attempt to boost its standing among potential recruits and...
Israel Disciplines Senior Officers for Gaza Artillery Use
The Media Line 1 Feb 2010 - Experts argue that international law is no longer relevant in Israel's asymmetric conflict with the Palestinians. One year after the Gaza Operation, the Israeli army has reprimanded two senior officers for firing cannons in populated areas....
Israeli Beaches Closed After 2 Explosive Devices Found Offshore
The Media Line 1 Feb 2010 - Israeli security authorities are keeping civilians off the beaches until they are certain no more explosive devices are floating in the waters south of Tel Aviv. Two devices apparently set to explode were discovered on Monday....
Iran Celebrates Ayatollah Khomeini's Triumphant Return 31 Years Ago
The Media Line 1 Feb 2010 - Iran was awash in celebration on Monday, marking 31 years since the late Ayatollah Khomeini returned from exile to lead the revolution that ousted the Shah of Iran. Festivities will continue until February 11th: the anniversary...
‘Abbas Now Offering Resumption of Talks for Temporary Building Freeze
The Media Line 1 Feb 2010 - Palestinian Authority head Mahmoud 'Abbas is apparently tempering his absolute refusal to return to peace talks with Israel unless an absolute freeze in building in areas Israel acquired in the 1967 war is in place. The...
‘Wine Fatwa' Sparks Religious Spat in Morocco
The Media Line 31 Jan 2010 - A Moroccan cleric issues a ban on wine, drawing angry responses from secularists. A Moroccan cleric's religious edict banning the consumption of wine has drawn angry responses from pro-democracy groups, who say religion is being hijacked...
Israel Outlines Energy Goals
The Media Line 31 Jan 2010 - Israel plans to generate 10% of its energy needs from renewable sources by 2020. Israel hopes to have five percent of its energy needs supplied by renewable sources within five years and to double that percentage...
Israel Owes Over NIS 8.3 Billion to Palestinian Workers from the Occupied Palestinian Territories
Alternative Information Center 2 Feb 2010 - The State of Israel owes more than NIS 8.3 billion (including interest) to Palestinian workers from the Occupied Palestinian Territories who worked in Israel. This money was deducted from the Palestinian workers’ salaries for social benefits...
Meeting and Discussion: Nurit Peled
Alternative Information Center 2 Feb 2010 - The AICafé Tuesday , February 2nd, 2010 Israeli Racist Education: Discussion with Nurit Peled Nurit Peled-Elhanan i s an Israeli peace activist and professor at Hebrew University. She's one of the most prominent critical voices against the...
A deadly step on the road to war
PNN 2 Feb 2010 - DAMASCUS // Although the exact circumstances of the death of Mahmoud al Mabhouh may have been unanticipated he was believed electrocuted and then strangled in a Dubai hotel room the fact of his murder hardly comes as a surprise. Anyone whose job is to make sure that Hamas fighters are well-supplied with weapons for their war with Israel probably does not expect to...
Israel seeks to deport East Jerusalem man for spending too many years in U.S.
PNN 1 Feb 2010 - The Interior Ministry is demanding that a Palestinian resident of East Jerusalem be deported for having spent too many years in the United States. Elias Khayyo - who holds no foreign citizenship - has been detained for three weeks at Givon incarceration facility in Ramle with other people deemed illegal residents and slated for deportation. Khayyo, 41, was born in East Jerusalem...
Israel 'disciplines' army officers
PNN 1 Feb 2010 - The Israeli army has disciplined two high-ranking officers for approving the use of white phosphorous shells during the Gaza offensive last year, according to local media. The Haaretz newspaper's website said on Monday that a military inquiry concluded that the Gaza division commander and a brigade commander endangered human life by firing the highly incendiary weapon towards a compound run by a...
Israeli Beduin crosses into Gaza
Jeruslalem Post 2 Feb 2010 - Hura resident said to be mentally ill; IDF searches area; political leaders briefed.
‘Financial Times sees Israel as main cause of ME problems'
Jeruslalem Post 2 Feb 2010 - Study shows business paper downplays factors integral to conflict, such as terrorism and split between Hamas, Fatah.
PM: If Hamas wants deal, there'll be one
Jeruslalem Post 2 Feb 2010 - Free Gilad Schalit campaigners block Gaza fuel convoy.
'Obama erred in pressuring Israel'
Jeruslalem Post 2 Feb 2010 - Republican Mike Huckabee criticizes US administration during visit to Israel.
'Israel infiltrated Syria leadership'
Jeruslalem Post 2 Feb 2010 - Hamas probing whether Israel also got into Damascus security services.
'Iran ready to send uranium abroad'
Jeruslalem Post 2 Feb 2010 - Ahmadinejad says if West doesn't fulfill UN deal, Iran will resume enrichment on its own.
Salam Fayyad: Occupation must end
Jeruslalem Post 2 Feb 2010 - PA prime minister sits next to Barak in Herzliya during discussion on diplomacy.
MK Danon: Israel should adopt no more than 50 Haitian kids
Jeruslalem Post 2 Feb 2010 -
PM: If Hamas wants a deal, there'll be one
Jeruslalem Post 2 Feb 2010 - Free Schalit campaigners block Gaza fuel convoy.
EGYPT: Report details north Sinai flood damage
IRIN CAIRO Monday, February 01, 2010 (IRIN) - A report on flood damage in the northern part of the Sinai Peninsular was submitted to the Egyptian Cabinet on 28 January. It said flash floods on and after 18 January left 780 homes totally destroyed, 1,076 submerged and the area suffered material...
OPT: Flood misery for tented communities in Gaza
IRIN GAZA Thursday, January 28, 2010 (IRIN) - Thousands of Gazans made homeless by Israel’s 23-day military assault on the Gaza Strip which ended just over a year ago, are still in tents and damaged buildings; cold weather and recent flash floods have exacerbated their plight, say aid workers and the...
JORDAN: Palestinians Unfairly Stripped of Citizenship - Report
IPS WASHINGTON, Feb 1 (IPS) - The Jordanian government should halt the arbitrary revocation of nationality from its citizens of Palestinian origin, according to a Human Rights Watch (HRW) report released Monday.
MIDEAST: Helpless in Gaza
IPS JERSUALEM, Feb 1 (IPS) - Scores of Palestinian women and their children carefully sift through the desert sands. They are looking for hard nuggets.
Q&A: ''Hamas Accepts Existence of Israel Within 1967 Borders''
IPS RAMALLAH, Jan 29 (IPS) - Palestinian politics are at an impasse. The four-year term of the Palestinian Legislative Council (PLC) ended on Jan. 25 with no new elections planned. Presidential elections, meant to be held last year, were also postponed indefinitely.
Gathering to rebuild Gawi tent creates air of solidarity and support in the face of police repression and settler violence
2/3/2010 - International Solidarity Movement - 2 February - Photos - 50 Israeli and international supporters gathered today in Sheikh Jarrah to help Palestinian residents rebuild the Gawi family tent after it was demolished by police earlier in the day. The event, called by neighborhood residents and ISM activists, created a sense of support, solidarity and community in the face of high tension and repression by authorities. Two days earlier, Nasser Gawi was suspended from entering the neighborhood for 15 days after a settler attacked a child, punched Nasser, then cocked and pointed his M-16 assault rifle at a crowd of Palestinians and internationals. The weapon was seized and the settler was also expelled from Sheikh Jarrah for 15 days. Then, in a blatant attempt to break the spirit of the displaced and protesting residents, police raided and removed the living space of the Gawi family.
Sheikh Jarrah: Gawi family tent demolished as tension builds, gathering to rebuild tent today at 4PM
2/2/2010 - International Solidarity Movement - What? Gathering to rebuild Gawi family tent and show support for evicted families in Sheikh Jarrah / When? 4pm, 2 February 2010 / Where? Outside occupied Gawi family house, Sheikh Jarrah, East Jerusalem -- Sheikh Jarrah, East Jerusalem – At 4PM in a showing of solidarity with the forcefully evicted families of Sheikh Jarrah, Israeli, Palestinian and international supporters will gather to rebuild the Gawi family tent after it was demolished by police earlier today. At 9AM police raided and removed the living space of the Gawi family in Sheikh Jarrah, East Jerusalem. Local residents scrambled to remove personal belongings before police confiscated the Gawi tent where the family has been living since their forceful eviction in August of last year. This is the 12th demolition of the Gawi living space. Previous demolitions have occurred as tension in the neighborhood builds and settler vs.
Attorney Sfard: Israeli police investigation of shooting of Tristan Anderson 'gravely negligent'
2/2/2010 - International Solidarity Movement - Alternative Information Center, 1 February - Yesterday's announcement by the Israeli Ministry of Justice not to indict anyone in the March 2009 shooting and critically injuring of American activist Tristan Anderson at a non-violent demonstration in the West Bank village of Ni'ilin was based on a "gravely negligent" investigation by the Israeli police, says Israeli attorney Michel Sfard, who represents Tristan and his family. "We were notified two weeks ago that Israel decided to close this case, and our subsequent study of the investigation file led us to call this press conference," noted Sfard, who met with local and international journalists in Jerusalem at the office of the Alternative Information Center (AIC). "The investigation of the Judea and Samaria District Police into the shooting of Tristan Anderson was gravely negligent," stated Sfard.
International activists accompany Gazan farmers
2/2/2010 - International Solidarity Movement - ISM Gaza, 31 January - Farmers form the villages of Faraheen and Khuza'a , near Gaza's second biggest city of Khan Younis, reported to the ISM that routine 'sweeps' which Israelis carry out along the the border , disrupted the sowing of the wheat in the last few days available after the recent rainfall. Twice a month Israeli's enter the Gazan side of the electrified border fence to ensure that they are no explosive devices left by the Palestinian resistance in the 50 meter belt. This is the time of increased tensions when farmers experience more incidents of intimidation and firing by the Israeli border patrols. For example, in separate incidents, Israeli border patrols fired at the farmers form villages of Faraheen and Khuza'a in the morning of the Saturday, 30th January. The farmers withdrew to the safe distance and returned to continue with the wheat sowing after the soldiers left the area.
Hamas deputy: Israel press reports on Dubai killing 'far from truth'
Ha'aretz 2 Feb 2010 - Abu Marzouk told Syrian TV that Israeli media have exaggerated reports of Al-Mabhouh assassination.
Netanyahu to Hamas: Prisoner swap deal for Shalit is up to you
Ha'aretz 2 Feb 2010 - 'If Hamas wants a prisoner swap deal, it will happen,' the premier said in joint appearance with Berlusconi.
Fayyad to Barak: Israel must show that it is rolling back occupation
Ha'aretz 2 Feb 2010 - Palestinian prime minister made rare joint appearance with Israeli defense minister at Herzliya Conference.
U.S. report: Iran's nuclear program gaining ground
Ha'aretz 2 Feb 2010 - U.S. director of intelligence says it is unclear if Iran has political will to develop nuclear weapons.
Sarah Palin takes aim at 'foul-mouthed' Rahm Emanuel
Ha'aretz 2 Feb 2010 - Former GOP Vice Presidential hopeful slams White House chief of staff for 'f---ing retarded' comment.
Peres: Ahmadinejad travels like king while Iran suffers
Ha'aretz 2 Feb 2010 - In Herzliya conference Peres urges international community to attack the unethical Iranian regime.
After Haiti, Israeli doctor still thinking about the rescue effort
Ha'aretz 2 Feb 2010 - For two weeks, Dr. Ian Miskin was totally immersed in treating survivors rescued from the rubble.
Shalit family warns Hamas after group declares swap talks failed
Ha'aretz 2 Feb 2010 - Hamas leader Zahar accuses Netanyahu of taking negotiations 'step backward' by interfering.
Tehran accuses U.S. of stirring 'Iran phobia'
Ha'aretz 2 Feb 2010 - Iran says U.S. measures are 'conspiracy' which stokes 'Iran phobia' in the Middle East.
In his diary, Mengele predicted 90% of humans would die of stupidity
Ha'aretz 2 Feb 2010 - Journal of Auschwitz death camp doctor put up for auction in U.S. at starting price of $60,000.
Poland requests arrest of Swede for Auschwitz theft
Ha'aretz 2 Feb 2010 - Poland has arrested five local men it believes stole the sign and cut it into three pieces.
Hamas: Dubai assassins were likely Arabs, not Israelis
Ha'aretz 2 Feb 2010 - Probe finds slain arms smuggler Mabhouh had enemies across Mideast, was wanted by Jordan and Egypt.
Mitchell to Abbas: No more excuses, renew Mideast talks
Ha'aretz 2 Feb 2010 - Envoy frustrated with Palestinian leader's refusal to return to talks but rules out U.S. guarantees.
Report: UN evidence counters Israel's account of Gaza war
Ha'aretz 2 Feb 2010 - Remains of aircraft bomb disproves army's claims that tank shells detroyed flour mill, The Guardian says.
Barak: make peace with Palestinians or face apartheid
The Guardian 2 Feb 2010 - Ehud Barak, Israel's defence minister, last night delivered an unusually blunt warning to his country that a failure to make peace with the Palestinians would leave either a state with no Jewish majority or an "apartheid"...
Israel debates over its self-defence| Uri Dromi
The Guardian 2 Feb 2010 - I supported an independent inquiry into the Gaza conflict, but the one conducted by Goldstone and the UN was biased When the Goldstone report condemning Israel was issued last September, I wrote in the Jewish Chronicle...
A real plan to build Palestine | Hussein Ibish
The Guardian 2 Feb 2010 - The PA's proposal to unilaterally build the framework of a Palestinian state is a legal, peaceful response to Israel Two weeks ago the Palestinian Authority issued a detailed budget for the state and institution-building programme it...
UN find challenges Israeli version of attack on civilian building in Gaza war
The Guardian 1 Feb 2010 - UN team find remains of aircraft-dropped bombs, contradicting Israeli report on military conduct during three-week conflict A new Israeli report defending the military's conduct in the Gaza war was challenged tonight after evidence emerged apparently contradicting...
Israel's 'Ajami' nominated for best foreign film Oscar
Ha'aretz 2 Feb 2010 - The Israeli film "Ajami" was named Tuesday as one of the five films in the running for the foreign language Oscars at the upcoming Academy Awards, making it the third consecutive year in which an Israeli film has been nominated for this prestigious award. ...
Illegal Chinese worker arrested on IDF military base
Ha'aretz 2 Feb 2010 - A Chinese citizen, who was working illegally in the Israel Defense Forces army base in Julis, was captured on Tuesday by immigration inspectors from the special unit Oz. ...
Who is the real Israel: its citizens or its politicians?
Ha'aretz 2 Feb 2010 - Israel has embarrassed itself vis-a-vis the international community twice in just the last few weeks. First there was the public humiliation of the Turkish ambassador by Deputy Foreign Minister Danny Ayalon, an episode worthy of a third world banana republic, but not of a modern, sophisticated country. ...
Are Haredi leaders losing their followers to the Web?
Ha'aretz 2 Feb 2010 - Are Israel's Haredi religious authorities losing control of their followers? ...
West Bank settlement growth slows as freeze starts to bite
Ha'aretz 2 Feb 2010 - The settlement freeze is having an impact, figures obtained by Haaretz reveal: In the second half of 2009, one third of all West Bank settlements experienced slower population growth than the average inside Israel - a larger proportion than during the first half. ...
CONFÉRENCE DE PRESSE DU REPRÉSENTANT PERMANENT DE LA FRANCE ET PRÉSIDENT DU CONSEIL DE SÉCURITÉ POUR LE MOIS DE FÉVRIER, M. GÉRARD ARAUD
Relief Web 2 Feb 2010 - Source: UN Department of Public Information
Latest Israeli response to Gaza investigations totally inadequate
Relief Web 2 Feb 2010 - Source: Amnesty
Report on Israeli settlement in the occupied territories Jan - Feb 2010
Relief Web 2 Feb 2010 - Source: Foundation for Middle East Peace
OPT: Psychological trauma, nightmares stalk Gaza children
Relief Web 2 Feb 2010 - Source: Integrated Regional Information Networks
Palestinians: 3 hurt in IDF strike in southern Gaza
YNet News 2 Feb 2010 - Gaza sources report Air Force aircraft fired three missiles at tunnels, three additional missiles at old Dahaniyeh airport. Report not confirmed by army
IDF estimates security fence to be completed in 2020
YNet News 2 Feb 2010 - Army largely satisfied with fence around West Bank that will bring new decade low in number of forces deployed in territories. Soldiers in compulsory service will be given time for training and number of reservists will be reduced. Fears of terrorist infiltrations near Mount Hebron
Mentally ill man crosses into Gaza
YNet News 2 Feb 2010 - Resident of Bedouin village of Hura jumps over fence near northern Strip. IDF force dispatched to area, but man disappears in Palestinian territory. Political echelon briefed on details of incident, fears he may be held by Hamas
IDF chief: Reserve service has become a disadvantage
YNet News 2 Feb 2010 - Ashkenazi visits Ashkelon high school with Education Minister Sa'ar, says employers must care for reserve soldiers' rights
Biden: Iran sowing seeds of its own destruction
YNet News 2 Feb 2010 - As Ahmadinejad suggests in state TV interview exchange for three US hikers jailed in Iran, indicates softened position on uranium deal, US vice president says Iranian regime has lost 'moral credibility' among its people, but warns that not all anti-regime figures are necessarily pro-Western
Fayyad: Israel building inside our state
YNet News 2 Feb 2010 - Palestinian prime minister addresses Herzliya Conference despite death threats, says Palestinians planning to establish independent state by 2011. Defense Minister Barak speaks before him, says 'Israel has a silent majority for peace, which leans to the right at the polling stations'
Peres: Fayyad – Palestinians' 1st 'Ben-Gurionist'
YNet News 2 Feb 2010 - In Herzliya conference address, president lauds Palestinian prime minister for his efforts to establish state, slams those calling for bi-national state. 'There is no country that can hold two nations,' he says
Spanish FM: How could Lieberman work with EU?
YNet News 2 Feb 2010 - Silvio Berlusconi wants to add Israel to European Union, but Moratinos has his doubts: 'Can anyone imagine Lieberman working under foreign affairs chief Catherine Ashton?'
Mousavi: dictatorship persists in Iran despite revolution
Daily Star 2 Feb 2010 Opposition leader Mir Hossein Mousavi Tuesday issued his harshest criticism yet of Iran's regime, saying the 1979 Islamic revolution had failed as the "roots of tyranny and dictatorship" still exist. The sharply worded interview posted on his website Kaleme.org came as a top Iranian Judiciary official was reported as saying another nine anti-government
Militants float explosive-laden barrels toward Israel to avenge Mabhouh killing
Daily Star 2 Feb 2010 Palestinian militants claimed Tuesday they had sent a barrage of floating barrels filled with explosives toward Israel's beaches to avenge the killing of a Hamas leader in the Gulf emirate of Dubai. Police cordoned off beaches, ordered surfers out of the water and deployed robotic bomb squads along a large swath of southern Israel's coastline after two explosive-laden barrels washed up on shore, ready to blow up
Hamas-Israel talks on prisoner swap collapse
Daily Star 2 Feb 2010 A senior Hamas leader said on Tuesday indirect talks with Israel on a prisoner exchange had collapsed and blamed Premier Benjamin Netanyahu for hardening Israeli terms. "The main cause - is that after the interference of the political element, after the interference of Netanyahu personally, there was a big regression and retraction," Mahmoud al-Zahar told BBC World News' Hardtalk program
Tehran criticizes US missile deployments in Gulf, says it stokes 'Iran phobia'
Daily Star 2 Feb 2010 Iran accused the US on Tuesday of seeking to stoke "Iran phobia" in the Middle East by deploying missile defense systems in the Gulf, and said Tehran enjoyed friendly ties with neighboring states. US officials said Sunday the US has expanded land and sea-based missile defense systems in and around the Gulf - a waterway crucial for global oil supplies - to counter what it sees as Iran's growing missile threat
Hamdan: Hamas would not let Israel drag it into irrational reactions
PIC 2 Feb 2010 - Osama Hamdan said Tuesday that his movement will not allow the Zionist entity to drag it into irrational reactions by the assassination of Qassam leader Mahmoud Mabhouh.
Radwan: We are ready for dialog with Fatah at any level
PIC 2 Feb 2010 - Ismail Radwan, one of the leaders of the Hamas Movement, called on Fatah faction to hold direct talks with his Movement to reach an understanding on signing the national reconciliation agreement.
Israeli troops wound two Palestinians including child in West Bank and Gaza
PIC 2 Feb 2010 - Clashes between the IOF and Palestinians on Monday led to the injury of two citizens including a 10-year-old child in the West Bank village of Ni’lin and east of the Gaza Strip.
Egyptian authorities detain 150 Palestinian students
PIC 2 Feb 2010 - The Egyptian security authorities are detaining 150 Palestinian students in their jails all of them from the Gaza Strip despite studying in Egyptian universities, students residing in Cairo said.
Ex-prisoner Fidda: Palestinian female captives experience harsh incarceration
PIC 2 Feb 2010 - Liberated prisoner Majeda Fidda has said that Palestinian prisoners in IOA jails are experiencing harsh incarceration conditions and deliberate medical neglect.
Ruqub: Criminals detonate a car of a noted Hamas official in Khan Younis
PIC 2 Feb 2010 - Hamas spokesman Hammad Al-Ruqub said that unknown criminals at dawn Tuesday detonated an explosive device in a car belonging to Yousuf Sarsour, a noted Hamas official in Khan Younis refugee camp.
Abu Zuhri: Abbas's rejection of resistance reveals his role in liquidating it
PIC 2 Feb 2010 - Dr. Sami Abu Zuhri, a Hamas spokesman, on Tuesday said that the statements by Mahmoud Abbas, the former PA chief, against resistance proved his involvement in liquidating it in the West Bank.
Al-Qassam: Israel messes with the national security of Arab and Muslim states
PIC 2 Feb 2010 - Al-Qassam Brigades said that the murder of one of its leaders in Dubai lately sent a message to Arab and Muslim countries that the Israeli Mossad can tamper with their national security.
Barhoum: IOA allegations on punishing officers attempt to evade ICC
PIC 2 Feb 2010 - The IOA allegation that officers were punished for shelling Gaza Strip with phosphorous bombs was a clear incriminating evidence, Fawzi Barhoum, a Hamas spokesman, said.
Mizan center: IOF killed 8 Palestinians, wounded 5 in January
PIC 2 Feb 2010 - The Israeli occupation forces (IOF) killed eight Palestinians including a child and wounded five others in the Gaza Strip in the past month of January, the Mizan center reported on Monday.
Puzzling Over a Red, White and Blue Iran
New York Times 2 Feb 2010 - Recent images of Iran's president, Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, standing before backdrops prepared for official ceremonies in which the colors of Iran's flag appear to have been changed from red, white and green to red, white and blue have puzzled observers.
Iran, With Opposition Protests Continuing, Executes More Prisoners
New York Times 2 Feb 2010 - Critics of the Tehran government said two recent hangings were an effort to intimidate its opponents, who plan a large demonstration for Feb. 11.
World Briefing | Middle East: Jordan: Loss of Palestinians’ Citizenship Is Assailed
New York Times 2 Feb 2010 - A human rights group criticized Jordan on Monday for stripping the citizenship of nearly 3,000 Jordanians of Palestinian origin in recent years.
Nabi Saleh Chaos in Pictures
Palestine Monitor - 2 Feb 2010 - What began as a peaceful demonstration ended with dozens of injuries, including young children. Others were forced to flee their homes under fire from Israeli soldiers. All photos by Lazar Simeonov. Learn more about the Popular Struggle http://www.popularstruggle.org/
Trees Against
Palestine Monitor - 2 Feb 2010 - Planting trees against occupation, settlement expansion and land expropriation – this is the symbolic action carried out by popular committees of resistance who joined a tree-planting action in Aboud, North-West of Ramallah, last Sunday. Heading to the farmland in Aboud. Photo by Brady Ng Local villagers,...
50 years after North Carolina lunchcounter sit-in, Times calls West Bank protests ‘theatrical… spectacle’
Mondoweiss - 2 Feb 2010 - Here’s the video accompanying Isabel Kershner’s piece on the West Bank protests last week in the Times. It’s billed: "The Spectacle of West Bank Protests… With a stalled peace process, Israeli soldiers and Palestinian protesters [no mention of Israelis and internationals] clash violently each Friday. The...
Ambition: Huckabee says Palestinians should be ‘content’ with Gaza
Mondoweiss - 2 Feb 2010 - Mike Huckabee is interviewed in Israel by the JPost : The issue is not should there be two states– sure– but should those two states be on the same piece of land. Certainly the Palestinians have Gaza, but they don’t seem to be content… The Israelis have...
Obama puts pressure on… Palestinians!
Mondoweiss - 2 Feb 2010 - More evidence (in Haaretz : "Mitchell to Abbas: No more excuses, renew Mideast talks") that Obama and Mitchell have no problem squeezing the Palestinians to make up for their own political problems and weakness. Having taken on Netanyahu and lost, they compensate for their failure by pressuring...
Latest white phosphorus tale is Israel’s 4th
Mondoweiss - 2 Feb 2010 - Israel has announced that it has reprimanded two senior army officers for their role in an attack on a UN facility during last year’s Gaza offensive. Large amounts of fuel were stored in both underground and above-ground tankers at the facility, and 600-700 civilians were taking...
Routine: Israeli army forces shepherds off their lands
Mondoweiss - 2 Feb 2010 - Writer David Shulman of Ta’ayush accompanied Palestinian shepherds in the Hebron Hills near the illegal colony, Maon, the other day. The army came in to force the shepherds, who had three flocks of sheep, including two from Um Zaituna, off their own lands. Part of his...
Israel Owes Over NIS 8.3 Billion to Palestinian Workers from the Occupied Palestinian Territories
Alternative Information Center - 2 Feb 2010 - The State of Israel owes more than NIS 8.3 billion (including interest) to Palestinian workers from the Occupied Palestinian Territories who worked in Israel. This money was deducted from the Palestinian workers’ salaries for social benefits they did not receive. This is the conclusion of detailed...
Meeting and Discussion: Nurit Peled
Alternative Information Center - 2 Feb 2010 - The AICafé Tuesday , February 2nd, 2010 Israeli Racist Education: Discussion with Nurit Peled Nurit Peled-Elhanan i s an Israeli peace activist and professor at Hebrew University. She's one of the most prominent critical voices against the Israeli occupation of the West Bank and Gaza. Please come...
Wednesday, February 3, 2010
Shaath Meets Hamas Leaders In Gaza
IMEMC 3 Feb 2010 - Thursday February 04, 2010 - 02:55, Dr. Nabil Shaath, member of the Central Committee of Fateh movement, met on Wednesday evening with delegates of the rival Hamas movement, and also met with Fateh leaders and leaders of other factions.
Netanyahu Expects Peace Talks To Resume Within Coming Weeks
IMEMC 3 Feb 2010 - Thursday February 04, 2010 - 01:44, Israeli Prime Minister, Benjamin Netanyahu, stated Wednesday that there is a chance that the stalled peace process would be unconditionally resumed in the coming few weeks.
The Israeli Military Invades Areas Near Gaza City & Destroys Farm Lands
IMEMC 3 Feb 2010 - Wednesday February 03, 2010 - 17:06, Israeli tanks and bulldozers invaded residential areas and farm lands, east of Gaza City on Wednesday afternoon.
The Israeli military detained 12 Palestinian civilians from the West Bank
IMEMC 3 Feb 2010 - Wednesday February 03, 2010 - 16:55, Twelve Palestinian civilians were detained, on Wednesday, by Israeli troops during pre-dawn invasions targeting a number of West Bank communities.
Two Palestinians & One American Detained Following Pre-Dawn Incursion in Bil'in
IMEMC 3 Feb 2010 - Wednesday February 03, 2010 - 14:34, 26 Israeli soldiers entered the West Bank village of Bil’in, near Ramallah, on Wednesday at 3 am. They detained 2 Palestinians, one a journalist, and an international journalist.
More Detainees Seeking Higher Education
IMEMC 3 Feb 2010 - Wednesday February 03, 2010 - 13:17, The Palestinian Prisoner Society (PPS) reported that more Palestinian detainees, imprisoned at the Ramon Israeli prison, are joining the Hebrew Open University. The detainees are also holding seminars and educational sessions.
Israeli Army Breaks Into The Home Of Hebron Legislator
IMEMC 3 Feb 2010 - Wednesday February 03, 2010 - 12:14, Palestinian sources reported that Israeli soldiers, on Wednesday at dawn, broke into the home of Palestinian Legislator of, Hatem Qafisha, in Wad al-Harya area, south of Hebron in the southern part of the West Bank.
Israel Bombards Seven Areas In Gaza, Carries Limited Invasion
IMEMC 3 Feb 2010 - Wednesday February 03, 2010 - 11:29, The Israeli Air Force bombarded, on Wednesday at dawn, seven areas in the Gaza Strip killing one resident, and wounding two others. The army also carried out a limited invasion into northern Gaza. The attacks targeted border areas, and the Gaza International Airport.
Hamas Halts Indirect Prisoner-swap Talks With Israel
IMEMC 3 Feb 2010 - Wednesday February 03, 2010 - 09:44, The Hamas movement decided to halt the indirect prisoner-swap talks with Israel in the aftermath of the assassination of Mahmoud al-Madbouh who was killed at a hotel in Dubai two nearly weeks ago. Hamas claims Israeli agents were behind the assassination.
Fayyad From Hertzilia: "Ending Conflict Is The Only Assurance To Israel's Security"
IMEMC 3 Feb 2010 - Wednesday February 03, 2010 - 03:09, Palestinian Prime Minister, Dr. Salaam Fayyad, stated during his speech at the Hertzilia Conference on Tuesday at night that ending the Palestinian-Israeli conflict is the only means that could assure Israel's security, and stability in the region.
Watch: American detained for `interfering` with military
2/3/2010 - Ramallah - Ma'an - A 27-year-old American woman was detained along with two Palestinians by Israeli forces during a night raid in the village of Bil'in on Wednesday. All three were taken to the border police station, an organizer said. An Israeli military spokesman confirmed the detentions. Forces broke into the home of Abed Al-Fattah Burnat, 27, then surrounded the home of Ashraf Abu Rahma. International and Palestinian activists were alerted of the raid and went to the location to film the event. Witnesses said the home was declared a closed military zone by army officials, who demanded reporters and activists stay 50 meters away from the door. Organizers said the group moved 50 meters back, but soldiers continued to harass photojournalist and B'Tselem volunteer Hamdi Abu Rahameh, 22. The Israeli military said Rahameh is a Palestinian citizen of Israel, and said he was. . .
Worker killed in smuggling tunnel collapse at Rafah
2/3/2010 - Gaza – Ma'an – A smuggling tunnel underneath the Egypt-Rafah border collapsed killing a young man from Jabaliya on Wednesday, bringing to three the number of tunnel-related deaths already in 2010. Muawiya Hassanein, director of ambulance and emergency service in Gaza Strip hospitals, identified the young man as 21-year-old Mahrous An-Nathir. He was evacuated to Abu Yousif An-Najjar Hospital in Rafah where he was pronounced dead. According to medics, the tunnel was in the Al-Qassas area west of the Salah Ad-Din Gate. The death is the second in a week, following the electrocution of 23-year-old Ashraf Al-Attar o Saturday. In 2009, 139 young men were killed during their work in the tunnels.
Al-Qassam Brigades combatant killed in ’Jihad’ mission
2/3/2010 - Gaza – Ma'an – A man was killed during a resistance mission conducted by the Izz Ad-Din Al-Qassam Brigades, the militant wing of the Hamas party, the group announced Wednesday. A statement, brigades leaders identified the slain man as Abu Dajana Abdul Rahman from the Sheikh Radwan neighborhood in Gaza. [end]
Mustafa Barghouthi nominated for Nobel
2/3/2010 - Bethlehem - Ma'an - Founder of the political party the Palestinian National Initiative Mustafa Barghouthi was nominated for the 2010 Nobel Peace Prize by Mairead Maguire, Nobel Peace Laureate and co-founder of Peace People in Northern Ireland. The nomination was submitted on 15 January. In her letter Maguire cited Barghouthi's "commitment to nonviolence in his personal and public life" as an effort that "is truly in the Ghandian spirit. " Recognition for Barghouthi, she said, would "be a recognition of not only his great spirit of peace and nonviolence but also of the Palestinian nonviolent movement, which gives us all hope for the future of Palestine, Israel and the Middle East community. "Barghouthi was a presidential candidate in Palestine in 2005, was elected to the Palestinian parliament in 2006, appointed Minister of Information under the 2007 national unity government,and. . . Related: Palestine Monitor: Mustafa Barghouthi Nominated for 2010 Nobel Peace Prize
Swap talks over, Hamas official says
2/3/2010 - Bethlehem - Ma'an - Hamas leader Mahmoud Az-Zahar said on Tuesday that negotiations for a prisoner swap deal between the Islamic movement and Israel have stopped. "As regarding negotiations, as of now the process has failed," he said in an interview with the British Broadcasting Corp. "The main cause, well known to everybody, well known to the mediator, that after the interference of the political element, after the appearance of [Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin] Netanyahu personally, there was a big regression and retraction. For this reason negotiations have now stopped," he added. Az-Zahhar added: "We are looking to set free our people and also to give a chance for the family of the Israeli soldier to live as a human being also. We demanded a considerable number of prisoners, but the Israeli side, after hundreds of rounds of talks, reached backward too much. "
Report: German mediator en route to Israel for swap talks
2/3/2010 - Bethlehem - Ma'an - Head of the Campaign to Free Gilad Shalit, Shimshon Liebman, told Voice of Israel's morning program that the German mediator involved in prisoner swap talks will return to Israel this week. The news follows announcements by Hamas officials that the talks negotiating the release of the captured Israeli soldier in exchange for 1,000 Palestinian prisoners were closed, as retaliation for the alleged assassination of a Hamas armed wing leader in Dubai on 21 January. Officials said the swap talks were over, citing their lack of faith in Israeli intentions to follow through on the deal in light of the assassination. Israeli media outlets variously confirmed that the death of the Hamas leader was a Mossad hit and accused Arab arms traders of killing the former official. Liebman said the mediator would hand Hamas Israel's response to the last round of talks.
Fayyad criticized for attending Israeli security conference
2/3/2010 - Bethlehem - Ma'an - Prime Minister Salam Fayyad addressed the Tenth Herzliya Conference on Wednesday, following Israeli Foreign Minster Ehud Barak, and amid harsh criticism from several sides in Palestine. The conference, at the Campus of the Interdisciplinary Center Herzliya, was co-sponsored by Israel's Institute for Policy and Strategy, and The Lauder School of Government, Diplomacy and Strategy. Topics at the conference were Israeli personal security, regional security, Russian immigration, preparedness on the home front, pension savings, Iran as a nuclear threat and climate change. Fayyad attended a final discussion on regional peace, and stressed the need to hand over security control to Palestinian officers, saying "It's time to stop the IDF raids. The Palestinians can have an official security presence outside Area A as well. "
Haniyeh: Gaza is open for all
2/4/2010 - Gaza - Ma'an - De facto Prime Minister Ismail Haniyeh said on Wednesday that reconciliation is a national necessity, speaking at a meeting with businessman Munib Al-Masri in Gaza City. Welcoming Fatah leader Nabil Sha'ath, who arrived the same afternoon, Haniyeh asserted that Gaza "is open for all. ""We are talking about practical procedures and agreed-upon views concerning notes and procedures that would lead us to sign the Egyptian proposal, with which we would achieve a real conciliation to end division," Haniyeh said. He called for "unifying the Palestinians to confront the challenges and risks which Jerusalem and the Palestinian cause are facing. "The Hamas leader noted that "these meetings are normal among one Palestinian people, during which they will discuss many issues that are of concern to the Palestinians - at the top of which is conciliation. "
Fatah leader enters Gaza for talks with Hamas
2/3/2010 - Gaza - Ma'an - Fatah Central Committee member Nabil Sha'ath arrived in Gaza on Wednesday afternoon via the Erez crossing, it was his first visit to the area since the Hamas take-over in 2007 and marks the first time a Fatah member visited the Strip since the Sixth Fatah conference in August. The trip came amidst controversy in Gaza, with Hamas officials threatening to require permits authorized by the government before Fatah leaders would be allowed to enter. The governor of the central Gaza Strip Abdullah Abu Samhadana publicly objected to the rumored ban, saying Palestinians should always have the right to return to their homeland no matter what political party they were from. Officials expect Sha'th will be in Gaza for several days, and sources said he would hold meetings with members of all political groups including Hamas, likely around issues of reconciliation.
Two Gaza crossings open; strawberries set for export
2/4/2010 - Gaza - Ma'an - Gaza's Kerem Shalom and Karni crossings will open for the transfer of limited goods into the coastal area, including humanitarian aid, commercial goods and some fuel, Palestinian crossings liaison Raed Fattouh said Wednesday. Four of an expected 88 truckloads of goods will include equipment for the Palestinian Telecommunications Company (PalTel), the second such import of repair and upgrade materials in two days. The remaining 84 trucks will transport humanitarian and some commercial goods, as well as quantities of cooking gas and industrial fuel for the Gaza Power Plant. At the bulk-goods crossing, Karni, a total of 63 truckloads of wheat and animal feed will be imported, Fattouh said. One truck of strawberries will be exported, under a Dutch government program supporting farmers in the besieged area. . . . .
Egypt: Rafah partially open Wednesday, Thursday
2/3/2010 - Al-Arish – Ma'an – The Rafah crossing was opened one way on Wednesday for patients treated outside Gaza to return to the area, along with some others stranded in Egypt, security sources said. Egyptian officials told Ma'an that the crossing would be open on Thursday, also only allowing passage into the Strip, with priority given to patients whose treatment in Egypt has been concluded. The Rafah crossing is usually open on Thursdays and Fridays for the transfer of patients and students in and out of the Strip. [end]
One dead, three injured in gas canister explosion in Gaza City
2/3/2010 - Gaza – Ma'an – The explosion of a cooking gas cylinder in a Gaza City home on Wednesday killed one man and injured four others in the third home-heating accident in Gaza in the past two weeks. The canister, used for supplying stoves with gas for cooking and home heating devices in the winter, was on the first floor of the home. The force of the explosion displaced the canister, and police were not immediately sure what caused the explosion. Civil defense forces rushed to the home of Ali Al-Ghafry in the As-Sahaba neighborhood of Gaza City, and found the charred body of one man, and delivered a critically injured woman to the Ash-Shifa Hospital along with three other family members. Eyewitnesses told Ma'an ambulances and civil defense rushed to the place. At the end of January, a home fire killed one when a generator malfunctioned, and three children were killed earlier in the month when. . . .
Bethlehem brawls see 2 injured, 9 detained
2/3/2010 - Bethlehem – Ma'an – A family brawl in Marah Ma'alla village saw two injured and nine detained after locals called police to quell the burgeoning conflict south of Bethlehem Wednesday, as a second family fight in the city was controlled without incident. The Public Relations and Information office in Bethlehem said police arrived to Marah Ma'alla, south of Bethlehem, when the fight was at its peak, and had to physically intervene and disperse the family members, detaining nine. They said the conflict was quelled and mediation efforts will continue. A second fight in Bethlehem's Old City, at the Mashakh neighborhood south of the Nativity Church, was caught early by police,the information office said, likely preventing injuries as a family fight spread to the street during the early hours of Wednesday.
Hamas: PA forces arrest 7 West Bank affiliates
2/3/2010 - Bethlehem – Ma'an – Hamas officials released a statement Wednesday, accusing the West Bank government of detaining seven of its members for political reasons. The statement said the members were taken from the Jenin, Nablus and Tulrarem areas. [end]
PRC’s Abu Mujahid denies claims of joint Ashkelon mission
2/3/2010 - Gaza - Ma'an - The armed wing of the Popular Resistance Committees, the An-Naser Salah Ad-Din Brigades, denied having any part in the explosive devices found Monday on the Ashkelon beach, spokesman Abu Mujahid announced Wednesday. A joint statement was issued on 1 February by the Al-Aqsa Martyrs Brigades, the military wing of Fatah, Islamic Jihad's armed group the Al-Quds Brigades, and the military wing of the Popular Resistance Committees, the An-Nasser Salah Ad-Ding Brigades, saying they had collectively fired eight shells at the port of Ashkelon. The statement was delivered by Abu Abdallah Ash-Shayshany, a second An-Nasser Brigades leader, and confirmed during an interview on Tuesday. The An-Nasser Brigades sent a statement Wednesday, however, accusing an "unknown group" of "acting in the name of the brigades and releasing statements under the name of the armed wing. "
Israel: Explosive device found on Tel Aviv beach
2/3/2010 - Bethlehem - Ma'an - An explosive device was found at a beach in Tel Aviv on Wednesday afternoon, the Israeli military reported, hours after the country's armed forces attacked two sites in the southern Gaza Strip. The finds came came two days after explosive barrels were reportedly discovered in Ashdod and Ashkelon. Security forces neutralized all three explosives, according to the army, the latest of which was said to have been found on Tel Aviv's Palmachim beach. Israeli forces discovered two explosive devices on separate beaches in southern Israel on Monday, sources said 48 hours after a group of factions told Ma'an they launched a barrage in the same area. Early Monday, Israeli civilians reported seeing a suspicious object lying on the Barnea beach, a public beach in the coastal city of Ashkelon, which police later determined to be an explosive device, army sources said.
Abbas to meet Mubarak in Cairo Saturday
2/3/2010 - Cairo - Ma'an - President Mahmoud Abbas is scheduled to meet Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak in Cairo on Saturday, Palestinian ambassador to Egypt and the Arab League Barakat Al-Farra announced. Al-Farra told reporters in Cairo on Tuesday that Abbas would arrive in Cairo Friday evening, and hold a meeting with his Egyptian counterpart on Saturday. Abbas and Mubarak will discuss US Middle East envoy George Mitchell's suggestions over the possible resumption of peace talks, he said. The visit follows Abbas' trip to Europe, where he spent time in Britain, Germany and Russia rallying support for the Palestinian stance on demands for a settlement freeze before the resumption of peace talks. The trip was on the heels of a series of meetings with regional leaders by US Special Envoy to the Middle East George Mitchell, who failed to convince sides to resume talks.
Farmer finds giant lemon on his Jericho grove
2/3/2010 - Bethlehem - Ma'an - A Palestinian farmer from Beit Sahour found a two-kilogram lemon on his grove in Jericho on Tuesday. Issa Rishmawi, 56, took the exceptionally large citrus to the office of the PA Ministry of Agriculture in Bethlehem to try and find an explanation for the lemon's irregular size. Head of the botanic department of the ministry Auda Sabarna said the lemon measured 53 by 61 centimeters and weighed a whopping 1,950 grams. As for the scientific explanation for its huge size, Sabarna said it was an organic mutation as Rishmawi does not use chemical fertilizers on his grove. The tree that yielded the oversized lemon was planted three years ago, Rishmawi said, and last year's yield produced lemons over one kilogram in weight.
14,000 apply for Gaza security services posts
2/3/2010 - Gaza - Ma'an - More than 14,000 young men and women applied for jobs with the de facto government security services during the last hiring call, interior ministry spokesman Ihab Al-Ghussein announced Wednesday. The Gaza government previously announced the positions at an event in the Abu Khadra compound near the government buildings, where hundreds gathered to pre-register for the fitness and other required tests. Of the thousands of applicants only 1,000-1,500 will be hired for the forces, Al-Ghussein noted. With over 70% unemployment in the Gaza Strip, government positions provide secure and steady paycheques for Palestinians in the area, two-thirds of which are registered refugees. The blockade of the Strip by Israel that started in 2006 and intensified in 2007 saw most industry shut down with only 5% of factories continuing to operate.
Police destroy third 'barrel bomb' washed ashore south of Tel Aviv
Ha'aretz 3 Feb 2010 - Two barrels found earlier this week were packed with TNT and rigged for detonation by cellphone.
Second Qassam rocket in 24 hours strikes southern Israel
Ha'aretz 3 Feb 2010 - Attack follows calls to expedite deployment of delayed "Iron Dome" defense batteries.
Dubai warns Mossad, Hamas against covert operations
Ha'aretz 3 Feb 2010 - Dubai police chief denies Hamas claim that the assassins entered the country with Israeli delegation.
Peretz to Barak: Deploy anti-missile system near Gaza
Ha'aretz 3 Feb 2010 - Comment by former defense min. comes as IDF says it will only deploy Iron Dome system in IAF bases.
Shalit family: German mediator set to deliver Hamas response
Ha'aretz 3 Feb 2010 - Hamas says mediated talks have been halted due to assassination of Mahmoud al-Mabhouh in Dubai.
IDF officer: Gaza civilians risked to protect Israel troops during war
Ha'aretz 3 Feb 2010 - Officer tells The Independent that the IDF's new policy meant literally zero risk to the soldiers.
Hamas returns Israeli Bedouin who entered Gaza
Ha'aretz 3 Feb 2010 - The reportedly mentally unstable man made previous attempts to illegally cross into Egypt and Jordan.
IAF hits Gaza tunnels in wake of bombing attempt by sea
Ha'aretz 3 Feb 2010 - Palestinians claim responsibility for attempted attack, say more explosive-laden barrels in sea.
Palestinian ex-detainee dies of mistreatment while in occupation jails
Uruknet February 3, 2010 -- Liberated prisoner Mohammed Al-Emle, 26, was pronounced dead on Wednesday in one of Al-Khalil hospitals of kidney failure after he was given wrong medication while in Israeli custody. Medical sources told the PIC that the deceased was given medicines not fit for his condition during his administrative detention three years ago. They said that the detainee...
Settlers Vandalism in Bethlehem (Video)
Uruknet February 3, 2010 - Monday started with the news that the Israeli military has decided to reoccupy part of Ush Al-Ghrab in Beit Sahour after having left it in 2006 and Tuesday saw the army begin clearing land of Ush Ghrab. Ush Ghrab is part public (Palestinian) land but a major part of it is private lands that was put...
A Review of Shahid Alam's "Israeli Exceptionalism" Zionism Laid Bare
Uruknet February 3, 2010 - The essential point of M. Shahid Alam’s book, Israeli Exceptionalism: The Destabilizing Logic of Zionism, comes clear upon opening the book to the inscription in the frontispiece. From the Persian poet and philosopher Rumi, the quote reads, "You have the light, but you have no humanity. Seek humanity, for that is the goal." Alam, professor of...
Amid media blackout Congressional hearing reveals US intelligence agencies shielded Flight 253 bomber
Uruknet February 3, 2010 - A January 27 hearing of the House Committee on Homeland Security established that US intelligence agencies stopped the State Department from revoking the US visa of Umar Farouk Abdulmutallab. The Nigerian student, whom US officials suspected of being affiliated with the Yemeni terrorist group Al Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula, attempted to set off a bomb...
Fatah leader enters Gaza for talks with Hamas
Uruknet February 3, 2010 – Fatah Central Committee member Nabil Sha'ath arrived in Gaza on Wednesday afternoon via the Erez crossing, it was his first visit to the area since the Hamas take-over in 2007 and marks the first time a Fatah member visited the Strip since the Sixth Fatah conference in August. The trip came amidst controversy in Gaza, with...
Mustafa Barghouthi nominated for 2010 Nobel Peace Prize
Uruknet February 3, 2010 - Founder of the political party the Palestinian National Initiative Mustafa Barghouthi was nominated for the 2010 Nobel Peace Prize by Mairead Maguire, Nobel Peace Laureate and co-founder of Peace People in Northern Ireland. The nomination was submitted on 15 January. In her letter Maguire cited Barghouthi's "commitment to nonviolence in his personal and public life" as...
Netanyahu - West Bank Settlement of Ariel “Will be part of Israel”
Uruknet February 3, 2010 - The illegal settlement of Ariel, south of Nablus and well inside the occupied West Bank, will be part of Israel in any agreement reached with the Palestinians. This claim was made by Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu last Friday, according to Israeli media reports. Netanyahu was visiting the settlement and planting a symbolic tree when he...
Video: Blood Lust: Israelis back new strike on Gaza amid calls to prosecute 'war criminals'
Uruknet February 3, 2010 - A recent poll has revealed more than half of Israelis approve of another attack on Gaza. That's despite widespread international condemnation of last year's offensive which killed more than 1300 Palestinians. It comes as recent Goldstone Gaza report said Israel committed war crimes, and there've been many claims of the use of banned weapons...
Palestinian red crescent society (PRCS): We were the target of 455 Israeli attacks in 2009
Uruknet February 3, 2010 -- The Palestinian red crescent society (PRCS) announced on Tuesday that its medical teams were the targets of 455 Israeli attacks in 2009 including shooting and physical assaults. A PRCS report said that the Israeli occupation forces (IOF) fired 15 times at its ambulance vehicles in the West Bank and Gaza Strip killing one of the volunteers...
Advocacy group: Israel is a pedophile's paradise
Uruknet February 3, 2010 - The National Council for the Child welcomed the arrest of Avinoam Braverman and called on government ministries to take steps to prevent pedophiles from trapping children on the Web. "We have been saying for a long time that Israel is a pedophile's paradise and everyone said we were exaggerating," council head Yitzhak Kadman said. "But we...
Yes...I am Suicidal "Nadia...the Martyr...the Mujahida..."
Uruknet February 3, 2010 - You may have forgotten Nadia, the girl who was raped by the dogs of the occupation in the notorious prison Abu Ghraib, and to revive your memory, this is her story which she revealed; she did not throw herself in the arms of her family, like any aggrieved, oppressed prisoner would do, a prisoner with a...
Israeli jets strike southern Gaza
Uruknet February 3, 2010 - Bethlehem – Ma'an – Israeli warplanes carried out airstrikes on at least two targets in the southern Gaza Strip overnight, witnesses said and the Israeli military confirmed. Three Palestinians were reportedly wounded and three others reported missing shortly after six separate strikes, which targeted the Yasser Arafat International Airport in Dahaniya and a tunnel along the...
Fatah leader enters Gaza for talks with Hamas
3 Feb 2010 - Gaza, February 03, 2010 (Pal Telegraph) -Fatah Central Committee member Nabil Sha'ath arrived in Gaza on Wednesday afternoon via the Erez crossing, it was his first visit to the area since the Hamas take-over in 2007 and marks the first time a Fatah member visited the Strip since the Sixth Fatah conference in August. The trip came amidst controversy in...
Gaza:One Dead,4 injurrd in gas canister blast
3 Feb 2010 - Gaza, February 03, 2010 (Pal Telegraph) -A Palestinian citizen was killed while four others were injured today Wednesday when gas canister exploded in a building located in Assahaba Avenue in Gaza city. Eye witnesses said that a big explosion echoed in a five-floor building owned by Al Ghefari family in Assahaba strees. Ambulances and medics and civil defense teams hurried...
Nobel Peace Prize nominated Palestinian activist, Dr Mustafa Barghouthi visits Britain
3 Feb 2010 - UK, February 03, 2010 (Pal Telegraph) - Nobel Peace Prize nominated Palestinian activist, Dr Mustafa Barghouthi visits Britain Renowned Palestinian leader Dr Mustafa Barghouthi has been nominated for a Nobel Peace Prize for his commitment to non-violent resistance to overcome the Israeli occupation. Mr Barghouti will be making a keynote speech at the Palestine Solidarity Campaign's Annual Meeting in...
Israel detains 2 Palestinians and American activist
3 Feb 2010 - Ramallah, February 3, 2010 (Pal Telegraph) - Israeli occupation forces invaded on Wednesday Bil'in village, in the west of Ramallah city, and detained 2 Palestinians and American activist. The Popular Committee against the Wall and Settlement said that Israeli occupation forces broke into the houses and kidnapped Ibrahim Abed Al-Fatah Brant, 29 years, who is a member of the committee...
Rafah: Tunnel collapses; 1 dead
3 Feb 2010 - Gaza, February 3, 2010 (Pal Telegraph) - Mahrous Kamal Al-Nazer, 21, from Jabalya in north Gaza Strip, was killed inside a tunnel west of the Salah El Din Gate in Rafah when it collapsed. Meanwhile, three civilians were injured in intense Israeli bombing raids on Tuesday evening that targeted the tunnels near Rafah crossing and Gaza airport. Their injuries were...
Gaza: Explosion in building;1 dead and 3 wounded
3 Feb 2010 - Gaza, February 3, 2010 (Pal Telegraph) - One person was killed and three were seriously injured as an explosion rocked a building in the Al-Shaba neighborhood in Gaza City on Wednesday morning, Palestinian medical officials said. The cause of the blast, which apparently occurred in the basement of the multi-story structure, was apparently faulty gas pipes. The policemen are investigating...
Israeli officer admits army protected soldiers' lives over civilians'
3 Feb 2010 - Jerusalem, February 3, 2010 (Pal Telegraph; reprinted from The Independent, by Donale Macintyre) - A high-ranking officer has acknowledged for the first time that the Israeli army went beyond its previous rules of engagement on the protection of civilian lives in order to minimise military casualties during last year's Gaza war, the British newspaper The Independent revealed. Israeli attack...
Poll: Most Palestinians want Abbas to stay in office until next elections
3 Feb 2010 - Gaza, February 3, 2010 (Pal Telegraph) -- A clear majority of Palestinians want Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas to stay in office until the next presidential elections, a poll indicates. A poll released Tuesday by the Palestinian Center for Public Opinion indicated 57.6 percent of respondents want Abbas to stay in office. The president, whose term expired last year, has...
Cairo: Reconciliation deal signed by Fatah must be approved as is
3 Feb 2010 - Cario, February 3, 2010 (Pal Telegraph) - Egypt on Tuesday welcomed statements by Hamas leaders that they were ready to seal a unity deal with the rival Fatah faction but said Cairo's blueprint for Palestinian reconciliation was not up for negotiation. Fatah leader Mahmoud Abbas and Hamas head Khaled Mishaal "Successive statements from several Hamas leaders regarding their willingness to...
Israel threatens to punish Gaza for explosive barrels found on beach
3 Feb 2010 - Tel Aviv, February 3, 2010 (Pal Telegraph; reprinted from the Wall Street Journal, by Joshua Mitnick) - Israel closed a stretch of beaches north of the Gaza Strip after two explosive-laden barrels washed ashore and Palestinian militants promised more, in revenge for what some in Hamas said was Israeli's assassination of a top Hamas leader last month. Israelis patrol beach...
Israeli report claims $2bn stolen from Palestinians
The National 3 Feb 2010 - A group of economists say a fifth of workers' salaries were deducted by the state over 40 years and used to subsidise settlements.
Israeli jets 'strike Gaza targets'
AlJazeera 2 Feb 2010 - Palestinian witnesses say tunnels hit a day after two bombs wash up on Israel's shore.
Iran plans poll protest executions
AlJazeera 2 Feb 2010 - Official says nine demonstrators to be hanged "soon" over post-election unrest.
US sceptical on Iran nuclear move
AlJazeera 3 Feb 2010 - Washington tells Tehran to formally notify IAEA about its readiness to ship out uranium.
Not Much Hope for Fayyad’s Statehood Plan
Alternative Information Center 3 Feb 2010 - On Tuesday, 3 February, at the 10th Herzliya Conference, Palestinian Prime Minister Salam Fayyad presented his plan to declare an independent Palestinian state in mid-2011. Fayyad expressed confidence that Palestinians will be able to declare a...
Israeli Settlers and Military Occupy the Area of Oush Grab in the Bethlehem District
Alternative Information Center 2 Feb 2010 - Fear, hope and now again fear. This is how some inhabitants of Beit Sahour and several villages in the Bethlehem district describe what is happening these days. On 2 February, early in the morning, soldiers and...
Israel Owes Over NIS 8.3 Billion to Palestinian Workers from the Occupied Palestinian Territories
Alternative Information Center 2 Feb 2010 - The State of Israel owes more than NIS 8.3 billion (including interest) to Palestinian workers from the Occupied Palestinian Territories who worked in Israel. This money was deducted from the Palestinian workers’ salaries for social benefits...
Israeli jets 'strike Gaza targets'
PNN 3 Feb 2010 - Israeli aircraft have struck tunnels in the Gaza Strip, Palestinian witnesses say, a day after two explosive devices said to have originated in Hamas-ruled Gaza washed up on Israel's coastline. The Israeli army had no immediate comment on the alleged strikes on Tuesday which witnesses say were carried out by Israeli air force jets against an abandoned airport building in Gaza and...
Hamas: Talks on Shalit and prisoner swap stopped
PNN 3 Feb 2010 - Leading Hamas official Mahmoud Zahar has said talks on swapping Palestinian prisoners for the captive Israeli soldier Gilad Shalit have collapsed. Late last year a German-mediated deal emerged in which hundreds of Palestinian prisoners would be exchanged for Gilad Shalit. In an interview with the BBC, Mr Zahar blamed Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu for the talks' failure. Gilad Shalit was captured...
Hamas raps Fayyad over attending Israeli conference
PNN 3 Feb 2010 - Hamas has denounced the Palestinian Authority for the participation of the caretaker Prime Minister Salam Fayyad in an Israeli conference. Fayyad addressed Israel's 10th annual Herzilya conference on Tuesday, following remarks by Tel Aviv's Defense Minister Ehud Barak. The Palestinian Authority's cooperation with Israel reached a political level and this is a serious indicator that this national side has connected its projects...
4 new roadblocks part of IDF plan for Route 443
Jeruslalem Post 3 Feb 2010 - Roadblocks to be set up near Harbata, Beit Sira, Beit Horon and Givat.
Assad: Israel pushing Middle East to war
Jeruslalem Post 3 Feb 2010 - Syrian leader says Israel isn't serious about peace.
Israel braces for a snowy Thursday
Jeruslalem Post 3 Feb 2010 - Municipalities in J'lem, Safed, Golan, MDA and IDF prepare for stormy weather.
PM: Peace talks could resume in weeks without preconditions
Jeruslalem Post 3 Feb 2010 - Speaking at Herzliya Conference, Netanyahu praises Palestinian efforts to improve economy and build institutions, appeals to them to accept resumption of efforts toward peace accord.
Senior Fatah leader visits Gaza Strip
Jeruslalem Post 3 Feb 2010 - Nabil Shaath returns for first time since Hamas takeover, set to meet Zahar.
Analysis: Israel joining the EU? Words, words, words
Jeruslalem Post 3 Feb 2010 - For security, diplomatic and emotional reasons, this piquant idea is a nonstarter.
‘Cry for Shoah, show pain for Cast Lead’
Jeruslalem Post 3 Feb 2010 - Italian PM's link threatens to tarnish visit that has cemented warm Israel ties.
Snatched corpse returned to J'lem police
Jeruslalem Post 3 Feb 2010 - Haredim grab body of woman from police; family returns corpse after intense searches.
Palestinians irate over new Jerusalem light rail
Jeruslalem Post 3 Feb 2010 - Pisgat Ze’ev-Mount Herzl first line will have 23 stations.
MIDEAST: Corrupt Arab Regimes - Who is to Blame?
IPS RAMALLAH, Feb 2 (IPS) - The Mideast continues to be plagued by autocratic Arab regimes where human rights, democracy and freedom of speech are a pipe dream for the average citizen. But who is to blame and what can be done to amend this situation?
Bilin, three arrested in night raid: Ibrahim Abed El Fatah Bornat, Hamde Abu Rahmah and an international journalist
2/3/2010 - International Solidarity Movement - 2 February - At 3 am 26 soldiers entered the village of Bilin on foot to arrest Ibrahim Abed El Fatah Bornat. On their way to Ibrahim’s house, the soldiers ran into Ashraf Abu Rahmah. A gun was pointed to his head, his hands cuffed behind his back and a cloth attached to his mouth to prevent him from alarming people. Ashraf was distanced from the scene and left in the dark, guarded by soldiers while Ibrahim was arrested and taken away. At 3. 30 am a military convoy of seven jeeps entered Bilin to search the house of Ibrahim’s family. A computer, a pair of shoes, a cap and several documents, all belonging to Ibrahim’s brother Mohammad, were confiscated. While the search went on, cameramen and photographers were held back from the scene by soldiers and border police claiming the area to be a closed military zone. The captain held a paper in Hebrew, supposedly supporting the claim of this area to be military closed.
Netanyahu cool to calls for fresh Syria talks
Ha'aretz 3 Feb 2010 - Syrian leaders responded to Ehud Barak's call for renewed peace talks by threatening total war.
Assad: Israel leading the Middle East to war
Ha'aretz 3 Feb 2010 - Israel 'planting the seeds of war in the region,' warns Syrian foreign minister Walid Moallem.
Netanyahu: Peace talks with Palestinians 'within weeks'
Ha'aretz 3 Feb 2010 - Israeli premier tells Herzliya Conference that negotiations will resume 'without preconditions.'
Mayor bows to pressure, pledges to remove E. Jerusalem settlers
Ha'aretz 3 Feb 2010 - Barkat had resisted court order to evacuate Jewish-owned building in the Silwan area of East Jerusalem.
German court postpones Demjanjuk trial due to illness
Ha'aretz 3 Feb 2010 - Judge calls temporay halt but rejects defense motion to abandon Holocaust crimes hearing.
Egypt: Two editors punished for dealing with Israel
Ha'aretz 3 Feb 2010 - Journalists' union reprimands chief editor and bans Jewish affairs commentator for three months.
Fatah official visits Hamas-ruled Gaza for 1st time since '07 coup
Ha'aretz 3 Feb 2010 - Nabil Sha'ath, a member of the Fatah central committee, arrived in Gaza on Wednesday.
Report: UN to submit pacifying response to Israel's Gaza report
Ha'aretz 3 Feb 2010 - Sources: UNSG Ban has no intention to drag Goldstone report to a fight between Israel and the UN.
Syria: U.S. officially requests to accredit Damascus envoy
Ha'aretz 3 Feb 2010 - Robert Ford will be the first U.S. envoy to Syria since she assassination of Lebanese PM Rafik Hariri in 2005.
Fear of peace will be the death of Israel
Ha'aretz 3 Feb 2010 - The right wants to wall off Israel as the world's last remaining legally mandated Jewish ghetto.
Shalit family: German mediator set to deliver Hamas response
Ha'aretz 3 Feb 2010 - Hamas says mediated talks have been halted due to assassination of Mahmoud al-Mabhouh in Dubai.
Hamas suspends Shalit talks to protest Dubai assassination
Ha'aretz 3 Feb 2010 - PM: The choice is in Hamas' hands; Shalit family lashes out at Hamas for poor treatment of Palestinians.
The lessons of Iraq have been ignored. The target is now Iran | Seumas Milne
The Guardian 3 Feb 2010 - The US military buildup in the Gulf and Blair's promotion of war against Tehran are a warning of yet another catastrophe We were supposed to have learned the lessons of the Iraq war. That's what Britain's...
Palestine's impossible dream | Yousef Munayyer
The Guardian 3 Feb 2010 - Lavish, unrealistic plans for Palestinian development are a dangerous alternative to the struggle for independence Recently I received a very impressive full-colour booklet printed on expensive paper advertising a development project. The ambitious plan is to...
Pressure mounts for Israel to hold Gaza war inquiry
The Guardian 3 Feb 2010 - Senior military law officer adds to voices denying war crimes but calling for examination to counter UN's Goldstone report Israel's government is facing fresh calls for an independent inquiry into the military's conduct during the Gaza...
Schools to teach about trial of Adolf Eichmann for first time
Ha'aretz 3 Feb 2010 - High school students will learn for the first time about the Eichmann trial and its impact on the shaping of the collective memory of the Holocaust in Israel. ...
J'lem Haredim abduct woman's corpse to prevent autopsy
Ha'aretz 4 Feb 2010 - A group of Jerusalem Haredim abducted Wednesday evening the corpse of a young woman who apparently died of a drug overdose, shortly after it was discovered in an abandoned building on Bar-Ilan Street. ...
Storm expected to sweep Israel as northerners brace for snow
Ha'aretz 4 Feb 2010 - After several days of fair weather, a storm is expected to sweep across Israel on Wednesday, with heavy precipitation expected to hit central and northern Israel as soon as the early afternoon. ...
Treasury chief: Boosting Arab and Haredi employment would make Israel rich
Ha'aretz 3 Feb 2010 - Israel would rank among richest nations if it could unlock the potential of its minorities, top finance official says.
Russian Jews in Israel outlive those who stayed behind, study shows
Ha'aretz 3 Feb 2010 - Immigrant families also have twice as many children as their Russian counterparts.
Netherlands contributes NIS 10.36 million to the payment of PA civil police and defence salaries of January, through the EU's PEGASE mechanism
Relief Web 3 Feb 2010 - Source: European Union, Government of the Netherlands
European Union contributes €21 million to the Palestinian Authority's payment of January salaries and pensions through PEGASE
Relief Web 3 Feb 2010 - Source: European Union
Netanyahu hopes for talks with Palestinians in weeks
Relief Web 3 Feb 2010 - Source: Reuters - AlertNet
Peacebuilding through Health Among Israelis and Palestinians
Relief Web 3 Feb 2010 - Source: US Institute of Peace
Al Mezan Condemns the IOF Attacks against Palestinian Fishermen
Relief Web 3 Feb 2010 - Source: Al Mezan Center for Human Rights
Israel launches air strikes in Gaza -Hamas
Relief Web 2 Feb 2010 - Source: Reuters - AlertNet
Assad: Israel pushing region towards war
YNet News 3 Feb 2010 - Syrian president meets with Spanish foreign minister in Damascus, tells him Jewish state 'is not serious about achieving peace and all facts point to it being the one pushing the region towards war.' PM's Office says remarks 'unfortunate'
Scientist convicted of trying to kill Americans blames Israel
YNet News 3 Feb 2010 - MIT-trained Pakistani scientist found guilty of assaulting American personnel in Afghanistan. Upon hearing verdict, she yells, 'This verdict coming from Israel, not America.' Also believed to be planning bomb attack in New York, Aafia Siddiqui claims she can single-handedly bring peace to Middle East
Suspected buoy from explosive barrel reaches Netanya
YNet News 3 Feb 2010 - Styrofoam buoy located off Netanya shore, some 90 km (56 miles) from Gaza, suspected to have been attached to explosive-laden barren sent by Hamas to Israel's shores. Object sent to police explosives lab for analysis
Iran launches new research rocket into space
YNet News 3 Feb 2010 - Defense Minister Vahidi says Kavoshgar-3 launched into space carrying a mouse, turtles and worms; local media report Islamic Republic to unveil three new satellites. US calls rocket launch 'provocative act'
Barkat says will seal Beit Yehonatan, 200 Arab homes
YNet News 3 Feb 2010 - Mayor to implement sealing orders on illegal structures built by both Jews and Arabs in east Jerusalem
Navy chief: Terror groups recruiting Gaza fishermen
YNet News 3 Feb 2010 - Marom says explosive barrels were set afloat by fishermen kept safe by Israeli army
Iran launches satellite rocket, stokes Western fears
Daily Star 3 Feb 2010 Iran said on Wednesday it had launched a Kavoshgar-3 rocket capable of carrying a satellite - a move that may add to Western concern about Tehran's nuclear program. President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad said the launch was a huge breakthrough which would help break "the global domineering system" - a reference to Iran's Western foes
Netanyahu: Peace talks will resume in 'coming weeks'
Daily Star 3 Feb 2010 Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said on Wednesday he expects peace talks with the Palestinians to resume in the coming weeks, nudged on by the United States, after being stalled for more than a year. "I have reasons to believe, realistically, that we will resume the peace process with the Palestinians, without prior conditions, in the coming weeks," he told a conference on security in Herzliya, northern Israel
Moallem warns Israel: Starting war with Syria would lead to wider conflict
Daily Star 3 Feb 2010 Syrian Foreign Minister Walid Moallem warned Israel on Wednesday about launching any war against his country, saying it would turn into a wider conflict. "Israelis, do not test the power of Syria since you know the war will move into your cities," Moallem told journalists in the Syrian capital Damascus
Iran and US moving in circles?
Daily Star 3 Feb 2010 The recent expansion of US missile-defense systems in the Gulf just days after President Barack Obama warned Iran of "growing consequences" if it did not accept the West's conditions over its nuclear program signals a possible change of approach by Washington even as uncertainty still prevails how it will deal with Iran eventually
Riyadh: No extra security for Iran's Mecca pilgrims
Daily Star 3 Feb 2010 Saudi Arabia said on Wednesday it was Tehran's prerogative to block Iranians from pilgrimages to Mecca, and that it would not make special arrangements for them. "The kingdom is focused and making the best efforts to ensure the highest security for pilgrims from all Islamic countries without exception," a spokesman of the Hajj Ministry told the state news agency SPA
Senior Fatah official in rare visit to Hamas-run Gaza
Daily Star 3 Feb 2010 A senior member of Palestinian president Mahmud Abbas' Fatah party made a rare visit to the Hamas-run Gaza Strip on Wednesday in a bid to encourage stalled reconciliation efforts. Nabil Shaath, a member of the central committee of the secular Fatah, said he hoped to meet representatives from all the Palestinian factions including Hamas, which seized Gaza in June 2007 after driving out Fatah loyalists
Berlusconi: Italy proud of solidarity with Israel
Daily Star 3 Feb 2010 Premier Silvio Berlusconi Wednesday pledged Italy's firm support for Israel, urging "effective sanctions" against its arch-foe Iran and speaking out against a damning UN report on the Gaza war. He also called on Israel to halt the growth of Jewish settlements in the occupied West Bank, calling it a "basic condition" for restarting peace talks with the Palestinians that were suspended over a year ago
Palestinian ex-detainee dies of mistreatment while in occupation jails
PIC 3 Feb 2010 - Liberated prisoner Mohammed Al-Emle, 26, was pronounced dead on Wednesday in one of Al-Khalil hospitals of kidney failure after he was given wrong medication while in Israeli custody.
Shaath in Gaza for conciliation talks
PIC 3 Feb 2010 - Dr. Nabil Shaath, central committee member of Fatah faction, arrived in Gaza on Wednesday and told a press conference that his visit aimed at holding talks on national reconciliation.
Ihsanoglu: We are looking forward to visiting Gaza
PIC 3 Feb 2010 - Ekmeleddin Ihsanoglu, the secretary general of the OIC, has said that he was looking forward to visiting the Gaza Strip and championed an early end to the blockade on the beleaguered Strip.
Abu Marzouk denies involvement of Arab countries in assassination of Mabhouh
PIC 3 Feb 2010 - Dr. Mousa Abu Marzouk has denied Hebrew press reports that Arab countries were involved in the assassination of Qassam commander Mahmoud Al-Mabhouh in a Dubai hotel.
PRCS: We were the target of 455 Israeli attacks in 2009
PIC 3 Feb 2010 - The Palestinian red crescent society (PRCS) announced on Tuesday that its medical teams were the targets of 455 Israeli attacks in 2009 including shooting and physical assaults.
IOF soldiers arrest American activist, demolish home in Negev & tent in OJ
PIC 3 Feb 2010 - Israeli occupation forces (IOF) arrested an American activist and two Palestinian citizens in Bilin village, Ramallah district, at dawn Wednesday.
IOF troops storm home of MP, threaten to demolish six homes in Al-Khalil
PIC 3 Feb 2010 - Israeli occupation forces (IOF) stormed the home of MP Hatem Qufaisha in Al-Khalil city in a pre dawn raid on Wednesday and told him to report for interrogation later in the morning.
Grandi urges the world community to lift the siege on Gaza
PIC 3 Feb 2010 - Filippo Grandi, the new commissioner-general of UNRWA, has urged the world community to end the Israeli siege on the Gaza Strip, adding that the undignified life of the people of Gaza must change.
IOF escalates aggression on Gaza, launches 7 air raids
PIC 3 Feb 2010 - Israeli occupation forces (IOF) launched seven aerial raids on the Gaza Strip before midnight Tuesday on the Egyptian-Palestinian borders and Gaza airport wounding three Palestinians.
Zahhar: Swap negotiations collapsed
PIC 3 Feb 2010 - Dr. Mahmoud Al-Zahhar, political bureau member of Hamas, said that the indirect talks with Israel over swapping captured soldier Gilad Shalit with Palestinian prisoners had collapsed.
Israel satire show sees no end of material
LA Times 3 Feb 2010 - Muli Segev, creator and executive producer of TV's 'It's a Wonderful Country,' says life in Israel 'is very intense. . . . It requires stronger humor to achieve relief and deal with the stress.' The camera zooms in on the face of an actor portraying a captive Israeli soldier as he reads a prepared statement.
Ethiopian air crash shines light on lives of migrant workers
LA Times 2 Feb 2010 - One of the victims, Tigist Tadess Woldemariam, is remembered as a trusted friend and beloved nanny who one day hoped to launch a farming project in her homeland. The woman from the small Ethiopian village of Nazareth was never content to toil in the shadows as a maid or nanny, one of the thousands of poor migrant workers who make their way to Lebanon from Asia or Africa.
Iran Sends Some Animals, and Some Ambitions, Into Space
New York Times 3 Feb 2010 - The rocket carried a rat, two turtles and worms, and came days after the U.S. said it is accelerating deployment of new missiles defenses.
Critic's Notebook: The Sour Notes of Iran’s Art Diplomacy
New York Times 3 Feb 2010 - A tour across Europe by the Tehran Symphony Orchestra drew protests and the faint echo of an earlier era of cultural diplomacy.
Iran Opposition Leaders Plan Rally
New York Times 3 Feb 2010 - Iran’s leading opposition figures are urging protesters to take to the streets in an antigovernment rally on Feb. 11.
In Response to Iran’s Nuclear Program, German Firms Are Slowly Pulling Out
New York Times 3 Feb 2010 - As the United States and Israel press to tighten sanctions against Iran, some German companies are winding down operations there or operating through third countries.
World Briefing | Middle East: Israel: Talks on Prisoner Exchange Collapse, Hamas Official Says
New York Times 3 Feb 2010 - A senior Hamas leader blamed Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu for hardening Israeli terms.
World Briefing | Middle East: Israel: Coast Is Searched After Explosives Wash Ashore
New York Times 3 Feb 2010 - A police spokesman said that the explosive devices, discovered Monday, were apparently intended for attacks on ships or beachgoers.
Mustafa Barghouthi Nominated for 2010 Nobel Peace Prize
Palestine Monitor - 3 Feb 2010 - “I have pleasure in nominating Dr. Mustafa Barghouthi for the 2010 Nobel Peace Prize. I am inspired by the life and work of Dr. Barghouthi whose commitment to nonviolence, in his personal and public life, is truly in the Ghandian spirit", stated in her letter to...
Bronner: ‘My son joined the IDF five weeks ago’
Mondoweiss - 3 Feb 2010 - Electronic Intifada broke the story a week back. Tonight, responding to a question at Vassar College, Ethan Bronner, Jerusalem bureau chief for the New York Times, confirmed it. Dennis Loh, of Brooklyn for Peace: "Do you have a son in the IDF, yes or no?" Bronner:...
Momzer muffs moser
Mondoweiss - 3 Feb 2010 - At the Forward, Josh Nathan-Kazis flashes shoe-leather in a smart follow-up to Alan Dershowitz’s calling Richard Goldstone an "evil" "traitor" to the Jewish people on Israeli radio. Dersh blames it on a language misunderstanding, then retracts his retraction. Note the scary Rabin-assassination angle Nathan-Kazis has picked...
‘J Street’ blasts Dershowitz and home evictions in E. J’lem
Mondoweiss - 3 Feb 2010 - I’ve failed to cover an important new battle inside the pro-Israel lobby, the battle over the New Israel Fund’s support for Breaking the Silence. New Israel Fund is dedicated to promoting democracy in Israel for its Jewish and Palestinian citizens. It is a progressive Zionist group....
Judt: Obama joined Netanyahu’s campaign to denigrate & deny a brave Jew, Goldstone
Mondoweiss - 3 Feb 2010 - Tony Judt wrote the following (for Huffpo) on behalf of a Jews Say No petition for Jews supporting the Goldstone report : Justice Goldstone and the Jews We Jews should be very proud of Richard Goldstone. In an ancient tradition of Jewish self-questioning and uncomfortable truth-telling, the...
Even in Russian, Salinger changed my life
Mondoweiss - 3 Feb 2010 - Lia Tarachansky grew up in the Occupied Territories (in a settlement) and then in Canada. She now works in Israel for The Real News. She responds to this post . Salinger gave me the confidence and guidance to start writing when I was 13. My first encounters...
Not Much Hope for Fayyad’s Statehood Plan
Alternative Information Center - 3 Feb 2010 - On Tuesday, 3 February, at the 10th Herzliya Conference, Palestinian Prime Minister Salam Fayyad presented his plan to declare an independent Palestinian state in mid-2011. Fayyad expressed confidence that Palestinians will be able to declare a state by this date and he outlined the steps his...
Israeli Settlers and Military Occupy the Area of Oush Grab in the Bethlehem District
Alternative Information Center - 2 Feb 2010 - Fear, hope and now again fear. This is how some inhabitants of Beit Sahour and several villages in the Bethlehem district describe what is happening these days. On 2 February, early in the morning, soldiers and a bulldozer came to the area of Oush Grab, in...
Israel Owes Over NIS 8.3 Billion to Palestinian Workers from the Occupied Palestinian Territories
Alternative Information Center - 2 Feb 2010 - The State of Israel owes more than NIS 8.3 billion (including interest) to Palestinian workers from the Occupied Palestinian Territories who worked in Israel. This money was deducted from the Palestinian workers’ salaries for social benefits they did not receive. This is the conclusion of detailed...
Thursday, February 4, 2010
Settlers Occupy a Palestinian Mountain In Nablus
IMEMC 4 Feb 2010 - Thursday February 04, 2010 - 13:50, A group of right-wing, armed, Israeli settlers occupied a 500-Dunam Palestinian mountain south of Nablus city, in the northern part of the West Bank.
Israel Exiles A Detainee To Gaza, Aim At Expelling Nine To Jordan
IMEMC 4 Feb 2010 - Thursday February 04, 2010 - 13:03, Less than one month after detaining him in the northern West Bank city of Tulkarem, Israeli soldiers exiled a detainee, Baker al-Hafi, to the Gaza Strip.
Army Kidnaps 29 Palestinians in the West Bank
IMEMC 4 Feb 2010 - Thursday February 04, 2010 - 11:56, Israeli soldiers detained, on Thursday at dawn, 29 Palestinians in different parts of the occupied West Bank. Army sources claimed that those detained are on their “wanted-list” by the Israeli security.
Sha'ath Meets Hamas Leaders In Gaza
IMEMC 4 Feb 2010 - Thursday February 04, 2010 - 02:55, Dr. Nabil Sha'ath, member of the Central Committee of the Fatah party, met on Wednesday evening with delegates of the rival Hamas movement, and also met with Fatah leaders and leaders of other factions.
Italian Prime Minister Evasive During Bethlehem Press Conference
IMEMC 4 Feb 2010 - Wednesday February 03, 2010 - 17:42, Italian Prime Minister, Silvio Berlusconi, visited the Church of the Nativity, in the West Bank City of Bethlehem, today and held a joint press conference with Palestinian Authority President, Mahmoud Abbas.
Gaza power plant to cease operations
2/5/2010 - Gaza - Ma'an - The Gaza Strip's sole power plant will cease all operations late Friday night due to a lack of fuel, officials warned. The plant had already shut down services to all but 30-40 percent of the coastal strip by nightfall on Thursday, the Gaza Energy Authority said, noting that the sudden cold front in the region spent the remaining fuel faster than expected. The Energy Authority has notified mayors and municipalities across Gaza, and was informing the Health Ministry and major telecommunications companies PalTel and Jawwal to prepare for the worst. "People are trying to stock up on fuel to operate private generators for the buildings and institutions that have them," according to Emad Eid, the director of Ma'an's Gaza City bureau. He said that while Gazans are used to these blackouts, most generators in private homes are too weak to produce enough electricity for. . .
New checkpoint targets Tulkarem farmers
2/4/2010 - Tulkarem - Ma'an - Israeli military personnel completed the installation of a partial checkpoint and search station Wednesday for farmers in the Tulkarem area who pass through Gate 753 on their way to lands cut off by the separation wall. Families with orchards or fields near Khirbet Jubara, south of Tulkarem, must have a pre-arranged permit to access their lands, west of Israel's separation wall. Farmers would travel to Gate 753, south of the Ephraim checkpoint, and wait for the scheduled openings of the gate in the wall, in order to access their lands. Residents of the village must also pass through the gate to access Tulkarem. As of Wednesday, farmers with permits from the Israeli Civil Administration must also undergo physical searches. Farmers and all their equipment must be scanned and pass through metal detectors in the new room constructed at the gate.
Overnight Israeli raids see 22 taken to unknown locations
2/4/2010 - Bethlehem - Ma'an/Agencies - Nighttime raids targeting the Bethlehem, Ramallah, Qalqiliya and Hebron areas saw a total of 22 Palestinianstaken from homes and streets and transported to unknown locations, military sources confirmed. A Palestine Solidarity Project Spokesman said troops stormed Beit Ummar north of Hebron and raided several homes. During the searches, women and children were thrown out of the buildings and told to wait in the freezing rain. Secondary military vehicles threw stun grenades at homes as the raid continued. Those taken from the village were identified as: Murshid Muhammad Murshid Al-Aqeed, 35, Aiesh Ahmad Murshid Za'aqeq, 23, Rami Bassam Khalil Za'aqeq, 32, Muhammad Bassam Khalil Za'aqeq, 20, Murad Amer Ahmad Abu Juda, 21, Muhammad Amer Ahmad Abu Juda, 20, Sharif Fathi Muhammad Baragheeth, 22, Ashraf Ali Khalawy Sabarna, 27, Jihad. . .
Israel hands down travel ban for Jerusalem researcher
2/4/2010 - Jerusalem - Ma'an - Israeli police handed prominent Jerusalem researcher Khalil At-Tafkahi a signed order by the Minister of Internal Security preventing him from traveling outside the country for a period of six months. The order cites "security reasons" for the ban. A Palestinian resident of Jerusalem, At-Tafkahi is the Director of the Cartographic Section in the Arab Studies Society (Beit Ash-Sharq) and an expert on settlements and settlement expansion. At-Tafkahi said he considered the order evidence that Israel does not want peace. "I am a peace man," he said, recalling he was in the delegation of Palestinians who attended peace talks from Oslo to Taba (1992-2001) and stressed that any move against him was a move by the current Israeli government against peace. . . . .
Israeli report claims $2 billion stolen from Palestinians
2/4/2010 - Nazareth - Over the past four decades Israel has defrauded Palestinians working inside Israel of more than US $2 billion by deducting from their salaries contributions for welfare benefits to which they were never entitled, Israeli economists have alleged. A new report, "State Robbery," to be published later this month, says the "theft" continued even after the Palestinian Authority was established in 1994 and part of the money was supposed to be transferred to a special fund on behalf of the workers. According to information supplied by Israeli officials, most of the deductions from the workers' pay were invested in infrastructure projects in the Palestinian territories - a presumed reference to the massive state subsidies accorded to the settlements. Nearly 50,000 Palestinians from the West Bank are working in Israel - following the easing of restrictions on entering Israel. . . .
Hasan Ghafry marks 21 years in Israeli prison
2/4/2010 - Gaza - Ma'an - Palestinian detainee Hasan Ghafry marks today his 21st year in Israeli prison on Thursday, having spent more than half of his life incarcerated, detainees affairs experts announced. The 39-year-old from Sinjil village east Ramallah was detained when he was 18, he is unmarried. He was taken by Israeli military personnel on 4 February 1990, accused and convicted in a military court of taking action against the Israeli army. He was sentenced to life. When he was detained, Hasan was a student at Hebrew University in Jerusalem. In 1992, he was permitted to continue his studies, in which he focused on Hebrew and Arabic Grammar with a minor in English Literature. [end]
Lieberman warns Syrian president, his family
2/4/2010 - Bethlehem - Ma'an - Israeli Foreign Minister Avigdor Lieberman threatened Syrian President Bashar Assad and his family on Thursday, speaking at a business forum hosted by Tel Aviv's Bar Ilan University. "If you declare war on Israel, you and your family will lose your reign," he said, according to a statement circulated by the university, which is considered among the more right-wing institutions in Israel. Lieberman was referring to a comment made yesterday by the Syrian president that Israel is not serious about its intentions to make peace with Damascus, as evidenced by "its conduct which is leading the region to war. "The West Bank settler declared that Assad's statement had "crossed a red line. ""We heard Defense Minister [Ehud] Barak's sincere call for peace with Syria, and we have now received Syria's answer. Whoever thinks territorial concessions will disconnect Damascus from the Axis of Evil is wrong," he asserted.
US peace groups to Obama: Ask Israel to lift Gaza closure
2/4/2010 - Six US-based Middle East peace organizations sent a letter to President Barack Obama on Thursday, urging him to ask Israel to lift its Gaza closure in order to remove a "serious obstacle to restoring hope and making peace" in the region. Following is the full text of the letter: February 4, 2010, President Barack Obama, The White House, Washington, DC - Dear Mr. President, We are seven organizations that strongly support your commitment to a two-state peace between Israel and Palestine that will ensure Israel's security, win Palestinian self-determination, and protect U. S. national security. As your administration works to launch a political process to achieve this, we echo the recent call of the fifty-four Members of Congress who signed the McDermott-Ellison letter urging that the U. S. also address now, urgently, the grave humanitarian crisis affecting. . . .
All factions meet in Gaza for talks on unity
2/5/2010 - Gaza - Ma'an - Representatives of all Palestinian factions met in Gaza City late Wednesday at the headquarters of the independents, Yasser Al-Wadiyeh said Thursday morning. The announcement came hours after the arrival of Fatah leader Nabil Sha'ath to Gaza, where he was welcomed by several of the independent personalities. Al-Wadiyeh said political leaders sat and discussed recent developments in the Palestinian arena, mainly internal reconciliation and efforts around achieving unity. All partners agreed that the current status of talks must be overcome and unity achieved. Factions also expressed the need to find solutions for the people of Gaza, living under a tight blockade, Al-Wadiyeh added. He promised that representatives of the meeting would not stop working for solutions to both problems, and said efforts would. . .
Haniyeh greets top Fatah leader in Gaza
2/5/2010 - Gaza - Ma'an - De facto Prime Minister Ismail Haniyeh welcomed Fatah Central Committee member Nabil Sha'ath into his home in the Ash-Shati Refugee Camp on Thursday, along with delegations of Fatah and Hamas leaders in Gaza. The visit came after Sha'ath spent the day touring Al-Azhar University and civil service institutions in the Strip. At the university he met the board of trustees, staff and several members of the student senate, with whom he discussed the school's academic and administrative policies. The Fatah leader visited the home of the late Yasser Arafat and toured its gardens, paying a social visit to Arafat's sister Khadija and learning about her social programs and their goals. Sha'ath arrived in Gaza on Wednesday afternoon via the Erez crossing. It was his first visit to the area since the Hamas takeover in 2007 and marks the first time a Fatah member visited the Strip since the sixth Fatah conference in August.
Former PJS official slams ’illegitimate’ elections
2/5/2010 - Gaza - Ma'an - A former board member of the Palestinian Journalists Syndicate rejected Friday's scheduled elections as illegitimate, speaking out after it came to light they would not include members from the Gaza Strip. The official, Zakariyah At-Telmes, said the long-delayed vote should take place simultaneously throughout the occupied territories. Palestine's ongoing state of disunity, with separate governments controlling the West Bank and Gaza Strip since 2007, has prevented some organizations from operating normally. Recent months have seen an escalation of that tension with the Palestinian Authority and Hamas playing tit-for-tat over the arrests of journalists working for media associated with rival political groups. At-Telmes told Ma'an that "no agreement was arranged between the syndicate's board concerning the. . . "
Authorities say 161 return to Gaza Strip
2/4/2010 - Gaza - Ma'an - The crossings administration in Gaza said Thursday that 161 people returned to the coastal enclave over the past 48 hours. In its daily report, the administration said 28 people left Gaza for Egypt during the same period. At the Erez crossing, 155 travelers, including 101 Gazans, 49 internationals, and five Palestinians from Israel crossed over, the report said. The administration said the total number of those who left Gaza for medical treatment was 69, among them eight visitors, five with work permits, and 19 classified as "other. " Last Thursday and Friday at Rafah saw 123 Palestinians return to Gaza, mainly patients finished medical treatment, including 11 denied transport from the Cairo airport to several destinations and deported to the Strip, officials said. That Friday, a report said, an UNRWA delegation of 10 officials were stuck on the Egyptian. . .
Police: Fatah office set ablaze near Ramallah
2/5/2010 - Jerusalem - Ma'an - A Fatah official's office in Qalandiya refugee camp was the target of an apparent arson on Thursday, police said. Palestinian Authority security forces opened an investigation into the incident, police said, refusing to identify whose office was targeted. In a statement, the Ramallah police department stated that "intelligence services rushed to the scene, where it was discovered that the office door was deliberately opened by force, and that unknown assailants set fire to its contents. "It was not immediately clear exactly when on Thursday the alleged attack was carried out. [end]
Blast near Red Cross convoy in northern Gaza
2/4/2010 - Gaza - Ma'an - An explosion occurred near a Red Cross convoy near the Erez crossing in northern Gaza on Thursday, witnesses said. The explosion shattered one car's windows, but no one was hurt. Gaza security forces arrived on the scene soon after and were investigating. In a statement, the International Committee of the Red Cross said "a blast occurred in Gaza, shattering the windshield of one of the convoy's jeeps, but no one was hurt by this explosion. "Iyad Nasser, Red Cross spokesman in Gaza, added that "the convoy was en route to the Israeli-controlled Erez crossing when a strong explosion on the roadside occurred, during which a jeep's glass was shattered. "However, the convoy continued its journey toward the crossing and departed Gaza. " . . . .
Hamas leader Mash’al to visit Moscow next week
2/5/2010 - Bethlehem - Ma'an - Russia's Foreign Ministry said Thursday that Hamas leader Khaled Mash'al will visit Moscow next week to hold talks over ending division among Palestinians and resuming peace talks with Israel. Mash'al's last visit to Russia was in 2007. Ministry spokesman Andre Nestrenko told reporters in Moscow that "the main issue that will be discussed is the way to end division and ways to resume Palestinian-Israeli negotiations. " . . . .
EU donates 21 million Euro to PA salaries
2/4/2010 - Bethlehem - Ma'an - The European Union is providing a contribution of 21 million Euro to "help the Palestinian Authority pay the January salaries and pensions of 80,551 Palestinian public service providers and pensioners," a statement said. The government of the Netherlands contributed almost 2 million Euro to the payment, devoting its funds to 17,376 Palestinian civil policemen and members of civil defense services, such as fire-fighters and rescue services "At the request of Prime Minister Fayyad, the contribution made available by the European Union this month towards the regular payment of Palestinian civil servants and pensioners is higher than in previous months," European Union Representative in Jerusalem Christian Berger said. He further noted that "the need for the Palestinian Authority to have a predictable and steady flow of aid to enable its administration. . . "
At Berlusconi meeting, Abbas says peace plans in works
2/4/2010 - Bethlehem - Ma'an - While Italian Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi displayed mixed political messages during his visit to Israel and the West Bank on Wednesday, host President Mahmoud Abbas announced his determination to move forward with peace talks. Palestinian leaders must move ahead with the peace process, Abbas told reporters at a news conference with Berlusconi, noting steps were being made with "Arab brothers and friends. "He told the conference Palestinians should expect an official announcement in the coming weeks. Though Berlusconi expressed sadness over the loss of life and destruction of Israel's war on Gaza while he was in Bethlehem, he told Israel the offensive was a justified response to the firing or homemade projectiles by Gaza militant groups. His criticism of the Goldstone report stemmed from the same sentiments; he told Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. . .
Haniyeh hails 14,000-strong police applicant pool
2/4/2010 - Gaza - Ma'an - "Our security forces were in a state of attrition; we are ready to upgrade and boost their presence in Gaza," de facto Prime Minister Ismail Haniyeh commented Wednesday. Speaking at a ceremony to honor the leaders of the police departments in Gaza City, Haniyeh referred to the application of 14,000 men and women to announced posts in the de facto government security services. The overwhelming number of applications are for an estimated 1,000-1,500 jobs. Gaza security forces "passed through an exhausting stage, they endured grueling work during Israel's war on Gaza. Just maintaining the security of the area is a difficult job," Haniyeh said, promising to bolster the forces and diversify responsibilities. The de facto prime minister recounted the difficult history of the forces, saying their formation "during the term of the tenth government. . . "
Dubai: We'll go after Netanyahu if Mossad killed Hamas man
Ha'aretz 4 Feb 2010 - Police chief warns both Mossad and Hamas against conducting covert operations in Dubai.
Robbing Sderot of defense from rockets
Ha'aretz 4 Feb 2010 - Suspicions exist that defense establishment developed Iron Dome to serve moneymaking interests.
IDF officer: I wouldn't live in same country as Goldstone
Ha'aretz 4 Feb 2010 - GOC Central Command Maj. Gen. Mizrahi to yeshiva students: I don't believe a word of Gaza report.
Hamas rejects Goldstone charge of Gaza war crimes
Ha'aretz 4 Feb 2010 - Human Rights Watch: Hamas claim that rocket attacks against Israel are not war crimes is legally wrong.
Israel's southern residents irate over missile defense decision
Ha'aretz 4 Feb 2010 - IDF: No intention at this stage of deploying Iron Dome system to protect Sderot against rocket attacks.
B'Tselem: Israel’s report to the UN misstates the truth
Uruknet February 4, 2010 - On Friday, 29 January 2010, Israel submitted to the UN an update on the investigations opened following Operation Cast Lead in the Gaza Strip. The 46-page document offers almost no new information, except for updated figures on the investigations. The report states that, to date, the military has begun to examine 150 cases, most of which...
Israeli army Kidnaps 29 Palestinians in the West Bank
Uruknet February 04, 2010 - Israeli soldiers detained, on Thursday at dawn, 29 Palestinians in different parts of the occupied West Bank. Army sources claimed that those detained are on their "wanted-list" by the Israeli security. Seven residents were kidnapped in Qalqilia district, one in Jenin, three in Ramallah, eight in Bethlehem and ten in Hebron; all were moved to interrogation...
Weekly Report: On Israeli Human Rights Violations in the Occupied Palestinian Territory 05/2010 (28 Jan.- 03 Feb. 2010)
Uruknet February 4, 2010 - Israeli violations of international law and humanitarian law continued in the OPT during the reporting period (28 January – 03 February 2010). Shooting: During the reporting period, IOF wounded a Palestinian child in the West Bank village of Beit Ummar village, north of Hebron. On 30 January 2010, IOF moved into Beit Ummar village and chased...
Video: Adjusting to life one year after Israel's war on Gaza
Uruknet
More air strikes in Gaza: the fruits and blessings of the Herzliya Conference EXCLUSIVE PICTURES
Uruknet February 4, 2010 - Israeli fighter jets late on Tuesday 2nd February attacked several targets in southern Gaza Strip, including on what used to be Gaza’s International Airport in southern Gaza. Minutes later, F-16 planes dropped bombs on a tunnel located on Palestinian-Egyptian border in Rafah. The raids did not result in any human casualties at the Gaza International Airport,...
GAZA; ILLUSIONS AND REALITY
Uruknet February 4, 2010 - The United States seems to live on illusions…… illusions of hope, change and more that have no connection to the reality of life. Whitewashing the war crimes that were carried out in Gaza last year is a part of those illusions. Perhaps the logic is that if Israel is not quite guilty as charged, then those...
Israeli report claims $2 billion stolen from Palestinians
Uruknet February 4, 2010 - Over the past four decades Israel has defrauded Palestinians working inside Israel of more than US$2 billion (Dh7.4bn) by deducting from their salaries contributions for welfare benefits to which they were never entitled, Israeli economists revealed this week. A new report, "State Robbery", says the "theft" continued even after the Palestinian Authority was established in 1994...
Constant Israeli attacks on graves and shrines "The Case of Awarta village"
Uruknet February 3, 2010 - The village of Awarta, Nablus district, is known for its green plains and high hills and long history of Maqamat ( religious shrines and monuments) indicating its ancient history and authenticity. Awarta village was on the new date of the serial attacks by colonizers on its land and people when a dozen of military vehicles accompanied by...
With 47 journalists in jail, Iran sets notorious records
Uruknet Febraury 3, 2010 - Iranian authorities are now holding at least 47 journalists in prison, more than any single country has imprisoned since 1996, according to a new survey by the Committee to Protect Journalists. While many of the detainees were arrested in the aftermath of the disputed June presidential election, CPJ’s survey found that authorities are continuing to wage...
Show Trial
Uruknet Febraury 3, 2010 - In order that Khalid Sheikh Mohammed be denied even the formalities of American justice as we once knew it, the system itself must be eviscerated. "Phony concerns about security costs and whipped up fears of impending terror attacks are used to subvert the legal system that was once held up as a model for the rest...
Pro-Israel Lobbies Work on Europe
Uruknet February 3, 2010 - Defenders of Israel’s aggressive stance have for many years been recognised as a powerful force shaping United States foreign policy. A less well-known fact is that the pro-Israel lobby has been making a concerted effort to strengthen its presence in Europe. The lobby’s determination to make an impression on European Union policy-makers was exemplified by a...
My Father was a Freedom Fighter- a book review
Uruknet February 3, 2010 - Ramzy Baroud’s "My Father Was A Freedom Fighter" is more than a book, it is actually a masterpiece. In an overwhelmingly evoking personal style Baroud manages to bring to light the history of the Palestinian people and their battle with Israel and Zionism. Through the story of the Baroud’s family the book outlines every event in...
US to Israel: Ease Gaza blockade to counter Goldstone charges of war crimes
4 Feb 2010 - US, February 4, 2010 (Pal Telegraph; reprinted from Haaretz, by Barak Ravid) - The United States has suggested to Israel that easing the Gaza blockade would help counter the fallout from the Goldstone report on alleged war crimes during Operation Cast Lead a year ago. Judge Richard Goldstone Friday, United Nations Secretary General Ban Ki-moon is expected to present a...
Report: Israel guilty of defrauding Palestinian workers
4 Feb 2010 - Jerusalem, February 4, 2010 (Pal Telegraph; reprinted from The National, by John Cook) - Over the past four decades Israel has defrauded Palestinians working inside Israel of more than US$2 billion (Dh7.4bn) by deducting from their salaries contributions for welfare benefits to which they were never entitled, Israeli economists revealed this week. A Palestinian worker, helping to build Israel's illegal...
Berlusconi fails to notice apartheid wall
4 Feb 2010 - Bethlehem, February 4, 2010 (Pal Telegraph) - Italian Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi travelled along the road from Jerusalem to Bethlehem on Wednesday but he said the failed to notice the eight-meter-high Israeli apartheid wall. At a joint news conference with the Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas, an Italian journalist asked Berlusconi about his impressions of the apartheid wall. "I'm going to...
Erekat says Palestinians should consider declaring Oslo Accords 'null and void'
4 Feb 2010 - Israel, February 4, 2010 (Pal Telegraph; reprinted from The Jerusalem Post, by Khaled Abu Toameh) - A paper prepared by chief Palestinian Authority negotiator Saeb Erekat on the status of the peace talks with Israel recommends that the Palestinians consider the possibility of abandoning the two-state solution in favor of a one-state solution if the peace process does not move...
Snow hits high-areas Thursday
4 Feb 2010 - Gaza, February 04, 2010 (Pal Telegraph) -Temperatures remain on average six degrees below normal as scattered showers turn to snow in regions with elevations above 1000 meters. Brisk northwesterly winds are expected, creating driving rain and rough seas. On Friday, skies will be partly cloudy as rain and cold temperatures persist during the day, with the low-pressure system abating by...
All factions meet in Gaza for talks on unity
4 Feb 2010 - Gaza, February 4, 2010 (Pal Telegraph) - Representatives of all Palestinian factions met in Gaza City late Wednesday, said Yasser Al-Wadiyeh, spokesman for the Independent Palestinian Party. The announcement came hours after the arrival of Fatah leader Nabil Sha'ath to Gaza, where he was welcomed by several members of Al-Wadiyeh's party. Al-Wadiyeh said political leaders discussed recent developments in the...
Israel bans travel for Jerusalem researcher
4 Feb 2010 - Jerusalem, February 4, 2010 (Pal Telegraph) - Israeli police handed prominent Jerusalem researcher Khalil At-Tafkahi a signed order by the Minister of Internal Security preventing him from traveling outside the country for a period of six months. The order cites "security reasons" for the ban. A Palestinian resident of Jerusalem, At-Tafkahi is the director of the Cartographic Section for the...
Israel detains 22 Palestinians in West Bank
4 Feb 2010 - West Bank, February 4, 2010 (Pal Telegraph) - Israeli occupation forces detained 22 Palestinians from different cities of the West Bank Wednesday night and Thursday at dawn. They detained seven Palestinians near Qalqilia, three from Ramallah, one from Jenin, eight near Bethlehem and three from Hebron. The arrest operation was conducted despite bad weather conditions. The detainees were transferred to...
Abu Rudaina: No peace talks unless Israel halts settlement activities
4 Feb 2010 - West Bank, February 4, 2010 (Pal Telegraph)- Despite claims by Israeli Prime MInister Benjamin Netanyahu that peace talks could resume shortly, Israel must first fully stop settlement activity, in the West Bank as well as in East Jerusalm, says spokesman Nabil Abu Rudaina. "We do not know anything about what Netanyahu said in terms of negotiations being resumed; all is...
Fatah leader enters Gaza for talks with Hamas
3 Feb 2010 - Gaza, February 3, 2010 (Pal Telegraph) - Fatah Central Committee member Nabil Sha'ath arrived in Gaza on Wednesday afternoon via the Erez crossing, it was his first visit to the area since the Hamas take-over in 2007 and marks the first time a Fatah member visited the Strip since the sixth Fatah conference in August. The trip came amidst controversy,...
Blockade forces Gaza to turn from modern medicine to bee stings
The National 4 Feb 2010 - Cut off from modern medicine by Israel's sanctions, Palestinians turn to cheap forms of alternative medicine for cures.
Israel: Peace talks to resume soon
AlJazeera 3 Feb 2010 - Prime minister Netanyahu says negotiation with Palestinians to restart within weeks.
Israel's Lieberman cautions Syria
AlJazeera 4 Feb 2010 - Foreign minister tells Damascus to refrain from drawing his country into another war.
Principles and Mechanisms to Hold Business Accountable for Human Rights Abuses: Potential Avenues to Challenge Corporate Involvement in Israel’s Oppression of the Palestinian People
Alternative Information Center 4 Feb 2010 - About the Working Paper Palestinians would not be a people displaced, dispossessed and oppressed in 2010 if states and the UN had held Israel accountable for its massive violation of international law and the Nakba over...
Arab Population Accuses: Israel Systematically Acting to Impose Violent Confrontation
Alternative Information Center 4 Feb 2010 - T his coming Friday, 5 February 2010, a public campaign will be launched to defend the Arab population under the slogan “Meeting challenges and defending existence.” The campaign is organized by the Public Committee for Defending...
Not Much Hope for Fayyad’s Statehood Plan
Alternative Information Center 3 Feb 2010 - On Tuesday, 3 February, at the 10th Herzliya Conference, Palestinian Prime Minister Salam Fayyad presented his plan to declare an independent Palestinian state in mid-2011. Fayyad expressed confidence that Palestinians will be able to declare a...
Ajami One Conflict, Many Views, No Actors
PNN 4 Feb 2010 - THE Israeli movie industry, once a sorry mix of ethnic melodrama and soldier slapstick, has come distinctly into its own in the past decade with a crop of admired writers, directors and actors. For two years now an Israeli film of subtlety and power has made the Oscars’ final five for best foreign picture: “Beaufort” (http://movies.nytimes.com/movie/350383/Beaufort/overview) in 2008 and “Waltz With Bashir”...
Renovated cinema to bring new life to Jenin
PNN 4 Feb 2010 - Standing in the dusty, half-lit lobby of Cinema Jenin with paint splattered builders beavering away all around, it's hard to imagine that this venue was once the place to be on the Jenin social scene.The cinema in the centre of the West Bank city was first opened in 1957. But over the years, Jenin has seen some of the worst violence between...
Israel: Peace talks to resume soon
PNN 4 Feb 2010 - The Israeli prime minister has said he expects peace talks with the Palestinians, which have been stalled for more than a year, to resume in the coming weeks. I have reasons to believe, realistically, that we will resume the peace process with the Palestinians, without prior conditions, in the coming weeks, Binyamin Netanyahu told a conference on security in Herzliya, northern Israel,...
Israeli jets 'strike Gaza targets'
PNN 3 Feb 2010 - Israeli aircraft have struck tunnels in the Gaza Strip, Palestinian witnesses say, a day after two explosive devices said to have originated in Hamas-ruled Gaza washed up on Israel's coastline. The Israeli army had no immediate comment on the alleged strikes on Tuesday which witnesses say were carried out by Israeli air force jets against an abandoned airport building in Gaza and...
'Israel sows seeds of war in ME'
Jeruslalem Post 4 Feb 2010 - At press conference with Moratinos, Syrian FM warns Israel against testing Damascus.
AG briefed on Lieberman case
Jeruslalem Post 4 Feb 2010 - Foreign Minister says in response that he is a victim of political persecution.
Lieberman warns Assad war will drive him from power
Jeruslalem Post 4 Feb 2010 -
Barak urges Assad to return to negotiating table instead of trading harsh words
Jeruslalem Post 4 Feb 2010 - After Lieberman's warning to Assad regime, Netanyahu tells ministers to refrain from speaking to press on Syria; Syrian foreign affairs chief: Israel isn't interested in peace.
Assad:
Jeruslalem Post 4 Feb 2010 - In interview with The New Yorker , Syrian President
Kadima: Israel is playing with fire
Jeruslalem Post 4 Feb 2010 - Opposition party, Meretz head, MK Eitan Cabel criticize FM for Syria remarks.
FM: If Syria provokes Israel, Assad will be out of power
Jeruslalem Post 4 Feb 2010 - Lieberman blasts Syrian president for claiming Israel leading Middle East towards war, says Assad made a "direct threat on Israel," calls on Damascus to give up demand for Golan Heights.
Criticize, yes. Demonize, no
Jeruslalem Post 4 Feb 2010 - It wasn’t that the NIF criticized its government for moral lapses that angers its critics. That it criticized Israel at all provoked the venom.
Lieberman: If Assad provokes Israel, he will be out of power
Jeruslalem Post 4 Feb 2010 - FM blasts Syrian president for accusing Israel of leading region towards war, claims Assad made a "direct threat on Israel," calls on Damascus to give up demand for Golan Heights.
(04-02-2010) Weekly Report: On Israeli Human Rights Violations in the Occupied Palestinian Territory
PCHR
Scattered Palestinian protests reflect a fractured struggle
2/4/2010 - International Solidarity Movement - AFP - The villagers prepared for battle, piling up rocks in the streets, erecting barricades out of rubbish bins, and wrapping their faces in trademark Palestinian chequered scarves. But only a few dozen people gathered in front of a line of Israeli troops to chant against the takeover of nearby land by Jewish settlers, and they soon scattered before a deafening salvo of tear gas and sound grenades. With the peace process at an impasse for over a year, the Western-backed Palestinian Authority has vowed to escalate "popular struggle" by supporting home-grown weekly protests in villages across the occupied West Bank. But few are turning out for the demonstrations, both because of heightened Israeli efforts to suppress the gatherings and growing disenchantment with the fractured Palestinian movement.
'Israel wants Syria peace, but will not be threatened'
Ha'aretz 4 Feb 2010 - Top Netanyahu aide says PM and FM Lieberman support peace talks with Damascus, without preconditions.
U.S.: Nuclear Iran is not in China's best interest
Ha'aretz 4 Feb 2010 - Iran Moscow envoy: We have received assurances Russia intends to deliver long-range air-defense missiles.
'U.S. Jews concerned over state of pluralism in Israel'
Ha'aretz 4 Feb 2010 - Diaspora Min. Edelstein: U.S. Jewish groups say they cannot be expected to always support Israel.
Austrian magazine pulls ad of dog wearing Nazi-era Jewish badge
Ha'aretz 4 Feb 2010 - Wuff magazine: We did not intend to equate persecution of Jews and opposing dog licensing bill.
Meshal to visit Russia next week on Mideast peace
Ha'aretz 4 Feb 2010 - Last month Israel protested Hamas leader's previous meeting with Russian FM in Damascus.
Report: Syria renews intel sharing with U.S., U.K.
Ha'aretz 4 Feb 2010 - New Yorker journalist Seymour Hersh: Senior Syrian official said U.S. envoy relayed request from Obama.
U.S.: Easing Gaza siege would help counter Goldstone
Ha'aretz 4 Feb 2010 - Ban Ki-moon to present report Friday on implementation of Goldstone's recommendations by Israel, PA.
Iran: U.S. is fighting a 'psychological war' in the Gulf
Ha'aretz 4 Feb 2010 - Tehran claims the U.S. presents Iran as a threat to Arab states so they will seek U.S. protection.
Avram Grant named as Premier League boss seen at brothel
Ha'aretz 4 Feb 2010 - Israeli manager of Portsmouth FC faces probe after being photographed visiting a 'massage parlor.'
Virtual memorials on Facebook commemorate Holocaust victims
Ha'aretz 4 Feb 2010 - Some historians fear the use of social media in war remembrance may trivialize such tragedies.
Australia blocks Iran shipments over nuclear weapons fears
Ha'aretz 4 Feb 2010 - Australian PM: Iran nuclear aims pose a threat to global peace, pressure must continue.
The message is clear: Israel must not strike Iran
Ha'aretz 4 Feb 2010 - Former European ambassador in Tehran: Israeli attack on Iran would unite Iranians behind the regime.
Peace will be found in Damascus, not Ramallah
Ha'aretz 4 Feb 2010 - No imminent breakthrough in Palestinian relations; a breakthrough with Syria must be initiated.
Grandson of Auschwitz survivor buys Mengele's diary
Ha'aretz 4 Feb 2010 - Buyer intends to donate diary to a Holocaust museum, said Bill Panagopulos of Alexander Autographs.
Israel's dual reality | Aluf Benn
The Guardian 4 Feb 2010 - Israelis believe in peace, yet the Palestinian issue is met with apathy – except by our leaders, who see it just as a PR problem Israel's image problem abroad is down to one issue: the stark...
Teenager who killed dozens of cats sent to 20 months in prison
Ha'aretz 4 Feb 2010 - A Petah Tikva magistrate's court sentenced a 19-year-old on Thursday to 21 months in prison for killing dozens of cats, in addition to conspiracy to murder and knife possession charges. ...
Rabin assassin asks to be removed from 'vengeful' solitary confinement
Ha'aretz 4 Feb 2010 - Assassin of former Prime Minister Yitzak Rabin,Yigal Amir, said on Thursday that Israel's request to keep him in solitary confinement was motivated by "revenge." ...
IN PICTURES / Snow in northern Israel, as cold snap bites
Ha'aretz 4 Feb 2010 - Israel faced relatively heavy snowfall in Mount Hermon and the Golan Heights overnight Wednesday, while Jerusalem residents were left disappointed Thursday morning, having no snow grace their city. ...
Petah Tikva court indicts brothers over murder of 7-year-old boy
Ha'aretz 4 Feb 2010 - The brothers suspected of murdering 7-year-old Leon Kalantarov were indicted by the Petah Tikva district court on Thursday. ...
Israeli schools to teach about Eichmann trial for first time
Ha'aretz 4 Feb 2010 - High school students will learn for the first time about the Eichmann trial and its impact on the shaping of the collective memory of the Holocaust in Israel. ...
OPT: Under the auspices of H.E. Prime Minister Salam Fayyad - The General Personnel Council Graduates the First Group of Civil Service Leaders
Relief Web 4 Feb 2010 - Source: UN Development Programme
Israel to seal settler house in east Jerusalem
Relief Web 4 Feb 2010 - Source: Agence France-Presse
Principles and Mechanisms to Hold Business Accountable for Human Rights Abuses: Potential Avenues to Challenge Corporate Involvement in Israel's Oppression of the Palestinian People - Working Paper No. 11
Relief Web 4 Feb 2010 - Source: BADIL Resource Center for Palestinian Residency and Refugee Rights
Netanyahu associates: Bibi backs Lieberman
YNet News 4 Feb 2010 - Prime minister's aides say Netanyahu is not criticizing foreign minister's belligerent statements vis-?-vis Syria, but timing of declarations unwise
Dubai may seek Bibi's arrest over Hamas man's assassination
YNet News 4 Feb 2010 - Dubai to issue arrest warrant for Netanyahu should it turn out that Mossad killed al-Mabhouh, senior official says
US: Taiwanese national aided Iran
YNet News 4 Feb 2010 - Man arrested on charges of exporting goods for Iran's missile program
Bibi tells ministers to keep mum on Syria
YNet News 4 Feb 2010 - Netanyahu, Lieberman issue joint statement in bid to allay tensions vis-?-vis Damascus
Mossad, Shin Bet: Our disabled veterans on par with IDF
YNet News 4 Feb 2010 - Dagan, Diskin speak before committee, call for equality of disabled veterans in rare open session
Red Cross Jeep hit by bomb in Gaza
YNet News 4 Feb 2010 - Powerful explosion hits Red Cross convoy on way to Erez crossing; no injuries reported
Tannenbaum arrested for debts of NIS 2 million
YNet News 4 Feb 2010 - Police arrest former Hezbollah captive. If debt not paid, will be detained for seven days
Assad: Golan withdrawal before peace
YNet News 4 Feb 2010 - In interview with The New Yorker, Syrian president says, 'You start with the land; you do not start with peace'; claims Israel lacks 'old-generation politicians like Rabin'
Israel warns Syria it would face defeat in future conflict
Daily Star 4 Feb 2010 Israel's foreign minister on Thursday harshly warned Syria against drawing his country into another war, saying Syria's army would be defeated and its regime would collapse in a future conflict. Foreign Minister Avigdor Lieberman also advised Syria to abandon its dreams of recovering the Israeli-held Golan Heights in a speech that ratcheted up simmering political tensions between
Talk of Iran sanctions hinders diplomacy, says China
Daily Star 4 Feb 2010 China told other world powers on Thursday that discussing broader sanctions against Iran was counter-productive, striking a blow to a Western push to rein in Tehran's nuclear program. Chinese Foreign Minister Yang Jiechi told a conference during a visit to France that Tehran's negotiating position was evolving and he wanted to see more direct talks with Iran
Hamas wants talks with Americans, Europeans: Haniyya
Daily Star 4 Feb 2010 Hamas is ready for dialogue with the international community, including the United States and European Union, the leader of the Palestinian Islamist movement Ismail Haniyya told AFP. "Hamas is ready to dialogue with the world, international community, the US, the [Middle East] Quartet and the Europeans," he said Wednesday
Iran tells Gulf states not to buy 'ineffective' US missiles
Daily Star 4 Feb 2010 A senior Iranian military official told Gulf states Thursday not to squander money on US missiles, boasting that Iran can render them useless, the country's state news agency IRNA reported. Tehran had on Wednesday slammed plans by the United States to beef up defenses in the Gulf against potential Iranian missile attacks, with the Islamic Republic insisting it posed no threat to its neighbors
Palestinian government in Gaza submits official response to Goldstone report
PIC 4 Feb 2010 - The Palestinian government in Gaza submitted its official response to the office of the high commissioner for human rights regarding the recommendations of Goldstone report.
Khudari: Gaza economy is moribund
PIC 4 Feb 2010 - MP Jamal Al-Khudari warned that the economy in the Gaza Strip moved from weakness to the intensive care unit because of the different measures taken by Israel to destroy it.
IOA to demolish "unlicensed" homes in Silwan, IOF detain civilians
PIC 4 Feb 2010 - The Israeli occupation authority (IOA) has reiterated its intention to demolish all "unlicensed" buildings in occupied eastern Jerusalem.
Hindi: Fayyad is politically mutinous and uncontrollable
PIC 4 Feb 2010 - Dr. Mohamed Al-Hindi, a senior Islamic Jihad official, strongly denounced Salam Fayyad’s participation in Herzliya conference, describing Fayyad as politically mutinous and out of control.
Haneyya: The reconciliation is a top priority for the gov’t and Hamas
PIC 4 Feb 2010 - Premier Ismail Haneyya welcomed the visit of Nabil Shaath to Gaza and stressed that the Palestinian reconciliation is a high priority for his government and the Movement of Hamas.
Bardawil: Berlusconi's statement more fanatic than that of the occupation
PIC 4 Feb 2010 - Dr. Salah Al-Bardawil, the spokesman of Hamas's parliamentary block, lashed out at Italian premier Silvio Berlusconi for supporting the Israeli war on Gaza.
Palestinian ex-detainee dies of mistreatment while in occupation jails
PIC 4 Feb 2010 - Liberated prisoner Mohammed Al-Emle, 26, was pronounced dead on Wednesday in one of Al-Khalil hospitals of kidney failure after he was given wrong medication while in Israeli custody.
Iran announces launch of powerful rocket carrying animals into space
LA Times 3 Feb 2010 - A rat, two turtles and worms are on board the Kavoshgar-3, reports say. Tehran's advances in space and missile technology are worrisome to the West. Iran announced that it fired a powerful rocket loaded with a rat and several other live animals into space Wednesday, a week before a national holiday and amid heightened international concerns about Tehran's nuclear research and missile programs.
U.S. rebuffs Iran's offer to swap detainees
LA Times 4 Feb 2010 - Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton says Tehran should release three American hikers because there is no basis for their detention. Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton on Wednesday rebuffed Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad's suggestion that three detained American hikers in Iran be swapped for Iranian citizens held in the U.S.
Israeli Minister Adds Heat to Exchange With Syria
New York Times 4 Feb 2010 - Israel’s foreign minister, Avigdor Lieberman, warned Syria’s president, Bashar al-Assad, that the Assad family would lose power in any war with Israel.
Abroad: The Sour Notes of Iran’s Art Diplomacy
New York Times 4 Feb 2010 - A tour across Europe by the Tehran Symphony Orchestra had the faint echo of an earlier era of cultural diplomacy.
China Renews Opposition to Iran Sanctions
New York Times 4 Feb 2010 - Adding to tension between Washington and Beijing, China said that pressure for tighter sanctions against Iran over its nuclear program could impact chances of settling the dispute.
World Briefing | Middle East: Syria: U.S. to Send First Envoy Since ’05
New York Times 4 Feb 2010 - Washington withdrew its last ambassador in 2005 after the assassination of Prime Minister Rafik Hariri of Lebanon, for which many blamed Syria.
World Briefing | Middle East: Gaza Strip: Fatah Leader Arrives for Talks
New York Times 4 Feb 2010 - A senior Fatah leader returned to Gaza for the first time since the territory was seized by the Islamic militant group Hamas in 2007, saying he hoped to help end the rift between the two rivals.
Iran Opposition Leaders Urge Rally on Anniversary
New York Times 4 Feb 2010 - Iran’s leading opposition figures are urging protesters to take to the streets in an antigovernment rally on Feb. 11.
Ministry Of Mixed Messages
Palestine Monitor - 4 Feb 2010 - The circus named Berlusconi has left town. During his whistle stop tour of Israel and the West Bank the world's most flamboyant head of state was at his crowd pleasing best. Crying with Netanyahou during a speech to the Knesset, delivering a set of priceless Da...
Mustafa Barghouthi Nominated for 2010 Nobel Peace Prize
Palestine Monitor - 3 Feb 2010 - “I have pleasure in nominating Dr. Mustafa Barghouthi for the 2010 Nobel Peace Prize. I am inspired by the life and work of Dr. Barghouthi whose commitment to nonviolence, in his personal and public life, is truly in the Ghandian spirit", stated in her letter to...
Goldstone co-author: The court of world opinion is determined to see the report prevail
Mondoweiss - 4 Feb 2010 - Hanan Chehata of Middle East Monitor goes to Dublin to interview Desmond Travers, the retired Irish colonel who was one of the authors of the Goldstone Report . The money: The best statement I can make about that is the one that Richard Goldstone made when an...
Haaretz: Bronner’s son’s service has fostered ‘mini blog storm’
Mondoweiss - 4 Feb 2010 - I’m on record saying that Ethan Bronner’s son serving in the IDF is going to affect his assignment at The New York Times. The Times doesn’t like its reporters making news, and Bronner’s making it. From Anshel Pfeffer at Haaretz , who advises Bronner how to spin...
Bronner to speak in S’ta Barbara on Monday
Mondoweiss - 4 Feb 2010 - I’m doing my little part to promote the speaking tour…Here’s the info, from the Santa Barbara Independent : "This Monday, February 8, [NYTimes Jerusalem bureau chief Ethan] Bronner will appear at UCSB’s Campbell Hall to deliver a free public lecture: Covering the Israeli-Palestinian Conflict in 2010: A...
It’s a happy day around these parts
Mondoweiss - 4 Feb 2010 - We’ve had joyous news at this site, I’ve done all I could to contain myself. A day or so ago, Adam Horowitz and his partner became the parents of twins. Everyone’s healthy, I gather the parents are deliriously happy, and deliriously tired. Adam’s going to be...
Rabbis for Human Rights: witchhunt endangers the state of Israel
Mondoweiss - 4 Feb 2010 - A few times now I’ve referred to the democracy crisis that Israel is experiencing over the official threats to the New Israel Fund for its support of dissident groups inside Israel. Below is a letter from Arik Ascherman, a leading rabbi with Rabbis for Human Rights ,...
Principles and Mechanisms to Hold Business Accountable for Human Rights Abuses: Potential Avenues to Challenge Corporate Involvement in Israel’s Oppression of the Palestinian People
Alternative Information Center - 4 Feb 2010 - About the Working Paper Palestinians would not be a people displaced, dispossessed and oppressed in 2010 if states and the UN had held Israel accountable for its massive violation of international law and the Nakba over 60 years ago. However, not only governments and the UN,...
Arab Population Accuses: Israel Systematically Acting to Impose Violent Confrontation
Alternative Information Center - 4 Feb 2010 - T his coming Friday, 5 February 2010, a public campaign will be launched to defend the Arab population under the slogan “Meeting challenges and defending existence.” The campaign is organized by the Public Committee for Defending Liberties, under the auspices of the Higher Arab Monitoring Committee....
Not Much Hope for Fayyad’s Statehood Plan
Alternative Information Center - 3 Feb 2010 - On Tuesday, 3 February, at the 10th Herzliya Conference, Palestinian Prime Minister Salam Fayyad presented his plan to declare an independent Palestinian state in mid-2011. Fayyad expressed confidence that Palestinians will be able to declare a state by this date and he outlined the steps his...
Friday, February 5, 2010
Israel Slaps Six-month Travel Ban On Palestinian Map Expert
IMEMC 5 Feb 2010 - Saturday February 06, 2010 - 00:59, Citing "security reasons" -- the ubiquitous and unanswerable catch-all phrase against which it is almost impossible to mount any defense -- Israel's Ministry of the Interior has just issued a six-month travel ban on map expert Khalil Tafakji.
Mizrahi: “Our Army Can Reach Damascus, Syria Cannot Stop Us”
IMEMC 5 Feb 2010 - Saturday February 06, 2010 - 00:44, Head of the Central Command at the Israeli Army, Avi Mizrahi, stated that Syria cannot defeat the Israeli Army, and that the army can reach the Syrian capital, Damascus, “while Syria will not be able to stop us”.
Irish Herald: “Four Israelis Who Assassinated Hamas Leader Carried Irish Passports”
IMEMC 5 Feb 2010 - Friday February 05, 2010 - 22:59, The Irish Herald reported Friday that members of the hit squad that operated in Dubai and killed Hamas leader, Mahmoud Al Madbouh, 50, carried Irish passports.
Two Injured at the Weekly Anti-Wall Protest in Bil’in Village
IMEMC 5 Feb 2010 - Friday February 05, 2010 - 15:25, Two civilians, one Palestinian and one international, were injured by Israeli fire when troops attacked the weekly anti-wall protest at the village of Bil’in, central West Bank.
Soldiers Attack Anti-Settlement Construction Protest in Central West Bank
IMEMC 5 Feb 2010 - Friday February 05, 2010 - 14:46, Three Palestinian villagers were injured when they were fired upon by Israel soldiers, on Friday, at the village of Nabi Saleh, central West Bank.
Nil’in’s Weekly Protests Ends After Tear Gas Assault
IMEMC 5 Feb 2010 - Friday February 05, 2010 - 14:39, Local villagers of Nil’in held their weekly non-violent protest, after Friday prayers, despite rainfall.
Friday Protest in al-Ma’sara Ends Peacefully, Without Clashes
IMEMC 5 Feb 2010 - Friday February 05, 2010 - 14:14, The weekly demonstration against the construction of the annexation wall on Palestinian land, ended with no clashes with the Israeli military, in the West Bank village of al-Ma’sara.
Fateh and Hamas Form Field Committee
IMEMC 5 Feb 2010 - Friday February 05, 2010 - 11:55, The rival Fateh and Hamas movements managed to form a committee that would be in charge of discussing field issues that are preventing reconciliation. The committee was formed after Fateh official Nabil Shaath met on Thursday with Ismail Haniyya of Hamas and several Hamas leaders in Gaza.
Dubai Might Issue Arrest Warrant Against Netanyahu
IMEMC 5 Feb 2010 - Friday February 05, 2010 - 08:07, Head of the Police Department in Dubai, Dhahi Khalfan, stated that an arrest warrant will be served against Israel’s Prime Minister, Benjamin Netanyahu, should the investigation reveal that the Israeli Mosad is behind the assassinating of a Hamas leader at a Dubai Hotel.
Livni Vows To Visit Britain Despite Arrest Warrant
IMEMC 5 Feb 2010 - Friday February 05, 2010 - 06:15, Israeli Foreign Minister, opposition leader, Tzipi Livni, vowed to visit Britain soon even if the country refrains from changing its laws regarding the arrest and prosecution of leaders accused of committing war crimes.
Official: Settlers take over 500 dunums of Palestinian village
2/5/2010 - Nablus - Ma'an - Israeli settlers illegally appropriated 500 dunums of land from Mount Hillah Al-Wusta, in the Palestinian village of Jalud, south of Nablus on Thursday morning. Ghassan Doughlas, official responsible for settlement activity in the northern West Bank, said the settlers took over the land and parked four caravans on the area, he told Ma'an in an interview. The area is located near the Addy Add settlement, established several years ago, he said. Abdullah Al-Hajj Mohammad, head of the Jalud village council, said the mount that was taken over was a vital part of the village. Settlers, he said, have seized control of over 16,000 dunums of the villages 20,000 dunums, establishing the Ady Add, Shilo and the Shavot Rahil settlements. The Jalud village is home to 500 residents. . . . .
Locals: Settlers surround Tulkarem area village
2/5/2010 - Tulkarem - Ma'an - Israeli settlers surrounded the village of Kherbet Al-Hammam, 5 kilometres east of An-Nazlah Ash-Sharqeiyah, north of Tulkarem, locals reported. Resident Mohammad Al-Jaluli told Ma'an that "settlers, reinforced by Israeli soldiers, invaded the village on Wednesday," forcing him to destroya sheep pen, he said. "Some 100 settlers descended from the nearby illegal settlement of Dutan that is built on the lands of the cities of Tulkarem and Jenin," Al-Jaluli added. Kherbet Al-Hamam is located between the illegal settlements of Dutan and Hermish. The village is inhabited by approximately 70 Palestinian residents, who are often prevented from leaving the village or accessing the well nearby by settlers. . . . .
2 African migrants killed, 1 injured by Egyptian border police
2/5/2010 - Al-Arish - Ma'an - An Eritrean national was shot dead by Egyptian police 1 kilometre south of the Kerem Shalom crossing on the border with Israel and Gaza at dawn on Thursday, according to Egyptian security sources. In a separate incident on Wednesday, two African migrants were killed and one was injured when Egyptian border police opened fire at a group of ten migrants attempting to cross the border into Israel, the sources added. Sources said the group was chased down 3 kilometres from the Kerem Shalom crossing, south of Gaza. One Eritrean national was injured after being shot in the chest and one migrant of unknown nationality was killed by a bullet wound to the back, the sources said. Five Eritrean and three Ethiopian nationals turned themselves in to Egyptian police following the incident, according to sources.
Scores suffer tear-gas inhalation at weekly anti-wall ralles
2/5/2010 - Ramallah - Ma'an - Palestinians and peace activists were prevented from accessing private and agricultural lands on Friday, when Israeli forces used tear gas, sound bombs and barbed wire fences to restrict protesters movement. Popular protests continued in Bil'in, Ni'lin and Al-Ma'asara on Friday, with increasing international support for the non-violent resistance activities expressing outrage at Israel's continued construction of the separation wall and illegal settlements on Palestinian land. In Bil'in, scores of protesters suffered tear-gas inhalationas they attempted to access land behind the separation wall. Residents of Bil'in and international peace activists made way to the wall's construction site, where Israeli forces were deployed behind cement blocs and a gate closed off by barbed wire. When those present tried to access the area behind the wall, Israeli forces. . .
PA security forces fire warning shots as settlers try to enter Nablus
2/5/2010 - Nablus - Ma'an - Palestinian Authority security forces fired warning shots in the air after noticing a car of Israeli settlers travelling through a Palestinian checkpoint over the speed limit near Joseph's Tomb inside the West Bank city of Nablus, security sources told Ma'an. "PA security forces were not notified by the Israeli army of any intention to enter the area where PA forces are deployed and were surprised to see the car with settlers," the sources said. The driver was asked to stop the vehicle but did not respond, following which security forces fired warning shots in the air. The car fled the scene, the sources said. [end]
Gaza school children struggling to learn
2/5/2010 - GAZA - IRIN - Nearly half a million children in Gaza returned to overcrowded and dilapidated schools on 1 February, many attending in a shift system, with missing textbooks, stationery or uniforms. "I don't have a school uniform because my Dad doesn't have a job and said he doesn't have enough money to buy me one," said Mohammed al-Khouli, nine, at the government-run al-Mu'tasem primary school in Gaza City. "I have to borrow pens and pencils from other kids in my class because I don't have any. "Israel's 23-day military offensive on Gaza which ended on 18 January 2009 had "devastating consequences for the education system", according to a report by the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA). Some 440,000 students attend 640 schools in Gaza; 383 are government schools, 221 are run by the UN agency for Palestinian. . .
Gazan dies of injuries sustained in 2003 Israeli airstrike
2/5/2010 - Gaza - Ma'an - Abdul Rahman Maher Taym, 22, died on Thursday morning in An-Nusseirat Refugee Camp in Gaza, as a result of injuries he sustained during an Israeli airstrike in 2003. Mu'awiya Hassanein, head of ambulance and emergency services in Gaza, said Taym's car was targeted by two missiles east of the refugee camp in 2003 during an Israeli airstrike. The second missile destroyed the car, scattering fragments around the area, he said. Seven people were killed following the airstrike and 50 others were injured, including 11 teenagers, Taym and his brother, Hassanein added. Taym was paralyzed as a result, and was diagnosed with renal failure which led to his death on Thursday. . . . .
Fuel crisis sees Gaza crossing open Friday
2/5/2010 - Gaza - Ma'an - Israeli authorities opened the Karem Shalom crossing on Friday for the transfer of limited amounts of fuel, Palestinian border crossing official Raed Fattouh said. Though crossings are scheduled to open every Friday, they have been ordered closed by Israeli officials since August, decreasing the number of operating days to 5 per week. Even amid last week's fuel crisis peak, the crossing was not allowed to remain open. According to Fattouh, 80 tons of domestic gas will be transferred into the besieged Strip through its southern border crossing with Israel, as well as 220,000 litres of industrial diesel for Gaza's power plant will be allowed through. The entry of vitally needed fuel follows warnings from officials on Thursday that Gaza's sole power plant will cease all operations late Friday night due to a lack of fuel.
BU student recounts forced deportation to Carnegie Endowment in DC
2/5/2010 - Bethlehem - Ma'an - Bethlehem University student Berlanty Azzam, forcibly removed from the West Bank in October, was hosted via video-link in Washington on Wednesday by the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace, where she spoke about the right to education in Palestine. The event, titled "The Right of Palestinians to Study and Travel: A Discussion" had Berlanty recount her abrupt seizure, where she was blindfolded and handcuffed on the road from Ramallah to Bethlehem, held four hours then ejected into Gaza, where her family lives. Israeli military personnel said she was living illegally in the West Bank and 'deported' her to Gaza. Berlanty's story, as one of the narratives of dozens of BU students from Gaza, was put in context of the larger Israeli ban on Gaza residents seeking education at Palestinian universities in the West Bank by Vice President for Development at BU Brother Jack Curran.
Rights group outraged at Ban for dragging war crimes issue
2/5/2010 - Jerusalem - Ma'an - UN Secretary-General Ban Ki Moon said "No determination can be made on the implementation of the resolution by the parties concerned," during the meeting of the General Assembly on Thursday, prompting an outcry from the Palestinian Center for Human Rights. Ban made the statement, PCHR said, "despite the fact that Resolution A/Res/61/10 explicitly called for the Secretary-General to 'report on the implementation of the present resolution'. "The organization, based in Gaza, continued, saying "As representatives of the victims of the atrocities committed during the Israeli attacks on Gaza in December 2008 and January 2009, PCHR is shocked and appalled by this lack of responsibility. " Ban's statements came after Israel, the Palestinian Authority and the de facto Government in Gaza all handed over short reports detailing. . . Related: PCHR Expresses Grave Concern Regarding Credibility of Investigations Carried Out in Response to Recommendations of the Goldstone Report
Gaza: 16 hurt in gas canister explosion
2/5/2010 - Gaza - Ma'an - Sixteen people were injured when a gas canister exploded inside a Gaza City factory as cold weather, limited fuel and an immanent closure of the Gaza Power plant force residents to seek alternative energy sources. Witnesses said the sound of the explosion was heard from several kilometers away in residential areas east of the Shakur Tehina factory, and noted the rapid response of emergency medical teams to rescue the factory workers. Muawiya Hasanein, director of ambulance and emergency services in Gaza, said ten were treated for severe smoke inhalation, while six others suffered mild to moderate burns. All were treated in the Ash-Shifa Hospital in Gaza City, he said. The explosion is the second in a week, with one dead and five others injured in an explosion south of Gaza City in the As-Sahaba neighborhood when a canister exploded in the Al-Ghafri family home.
Man detained for alleged stabbing attempt
2/5/2010 - Ramallah - Ma'an - Israeli forces detained a Palestinian man at the Qalandiya checkpoint, north of Jerusalem, for attempting to stab an Israeli soldier on Friday, military sources reported. The suspect's relatives told Ma'an that Mahmoud Al-Qatary, 25, was detained for allegedly holding a knife. Al-Qatary was taken to an unknown location, his family said. [end]
US contributes $40 million to UNRWA
2/5/2010 - Jerusalem - Ma'an - At an official signing ceremony in the Dheisheh Refugee Camp in Bethlehem on Thursday US Consul General Daniel Rubinstein announced that the US will contribute 40 million US dollars to UNRWA to support its budget and emergency programs in the West Bank and Gaza. The contribution will provide critical health, education, and humanitarian services to 4. 7 million Palestinian refugees across the region, a statement from the US consulate said. Of this contribution, 30 million US dollars will support UNRWA's core services in Jordan, Syria, Lebanon, the West Bank, and Gaza. An additional 10 million US dollars will support UNRWA's emergency appeal for the West Bank and Gaza, including emergency food assistance, and job creation programs. The new Commissioner General Filippo Grandi thanked the US Government for its contribution, saying: "We are very grateful to the United States government for its generous contribution. "
Netanyahu calls on gov’t to refrain from Syria remarks
2/5/2010 - Jerusalem - Ma'an/Agencies - Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu instructed Cabinet Secretary Tzvi Hauser to call on government ministers to refrain from making remarks concerning Syria, Israeli media reported on Friday. The decision followed numerous hostile comments made by Israeli and Syrian government officials in recent days, the Israeli daily Yedioth Aharonot reported. Foreign Minister Avigdol Lieberman responded on Thursday to Syrian remarks that in the event of a war with Israel, "not only will you lose the war, you and your family will no longer be in power. "However, Lieberman issued a joint statement with Netanyahu saying "Israel is seeking peace and wants to engage in political negotiations with Syria, without pre-conditions. Nevertheless, Israel will continue to fiercely and firmly respond to any potential threat," the daily reported.
Mash’al to visit Russia next week
2/5/2010 - Bethlehem - Ma'an - The Russian government announced on Friday that senior-most leader of Hamas Khaled Mash'al will visit Russia next week, a spokesman for the Russian Foreign Ministry told reporters in Moscow. Andrei Nstrenko, the spokesman, said "the main issue to be discussed is how to end Palestinian divisions and how to resume the Palestinian-Israeli negotiations. "Mash'al last visited Moscow in 2007. . . . .
Next investment conference to improve on first attempts
2/5/2010 - Bethlehem - Ma'an - Two years after the 2008 premier Palestine Investment Conference in Bethlehem, organizers are preparing for a June conference, which will focus on matching small and medium-sized businesses with direct investment. Unlike the broad mandate of the first conference, the 2010 meeting will "be more target specific with a special focus on investment promotion in SMEs [small and medium sized businesses]," a statement promoting the conference promised. The 2008 conference saw 1. 4 billion US dollars pledged, but only a fraction of the initiatives got off the ground. Of the investments pledged, about 550 million US dollars was from major Arab investors for a new West Bank town and a shopping complex, both of which are awaiting permission to go ahead from Israeli authorities. The conference was followed up with a London Investment Conference for Palestinian businesses,. . .
Hamas submits report on Goldstone investigations to UN
2/5/2010 - Gaza - Ma'an - Five days after Israel and the Palestinian Authority submitted reports to the UN over progress on internal investigations into allegations made by the Goldstone report, Hamas officials handed in a 52-page summary of local proceedings. Delivered to head of the UN Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights in Gaza Curt Goering on Wednesday, officials in the de facto government said the document "contained all the information relating to the implimentation of the recomendatiods laid out in the Goldstone report. "The Israeli daily Haaretz said this included a section explaining that the death of three Israeli civilians from homemade projectile fire were accidents, and the projectiles were aimed at Israeli military targets. Of the 13 Israeli deaths during Operation Cast Lead, three were civilian.
Al-Haya: Changes in coming days toward achieving conciliation
2/5/2010 - Gaza - Ma'an - "There will be changes within the coming days toward achieving conciliation," said senior Hamas leader Khalil Al-Haya following a meeting with Fatah Central Committee member Nabil Sha'ath and de facto Prime Minister Ismail Haniyeh on Thursday. At Haniyeh's home in the Ash-Shati Refugee Camp, Al-Haya revealed that Sha'ath and the de facto prime minister exchanged documents for review, detailing the means of overcoming recent impasses reached in the ratification of the Egyptian document, tipped to end Fatah-Hamas rivalry and restore national unity. Sha'ath said he considered the meeting a step toward reviving confidence in both parties, saying, "We did not talk about details but rather what would create the right atmosphere and what would bring our people close to unity. " The Fatah leader himself expressed increased confidence in a unity deal, saying "I am leaving. . . "
Hamas: PA security detains 11 supporters
2/5/2010 - Bethlehem - Ma'an - Hamas accused the Palestinian Authority security forces of detaining 11 of the movement's supporters across the West Bank in a statement issued on Friday. PA forces detained the Hamas supporters in Nablus, Ramallah, Tulkarem and Qalqiliya, according to the statement. The statement identified those detained in Qalqiliya as Hamam Ash-Shanty, Saher Aby Asab, Shehab Abu Saleh, Muhammad Hamuda, Maysara Afaneh, Muhammad Swiyani and As'ad Abu Saleh. In Ramallah, the two detained were identified in the statement as Ahmad Samih Shatat and Muhammad Shreiteh, while Rasem Saleh and Abdul Rahman Odeh were detained in Nablus and Tulkarem, respectively, Hamas said. [end]
Sha’ath leaves Gaza via Erez after talks
2/5/2010 - Gaza - Ma'an - Member of Fatah's Central Committee Nabil Sha'ath left Gaza via the Erez crossing en route to Ramallah, following a series of meetings in the besieged costal enclave with Palestinian factional leaders and independent figures. Before his departure, Sha'ath met with the Samouni family in the Az-Zeitoun neighborhood, who lost 27 family members during Israel's Operation Cast Lead last winter. After meeting with a host of political leaders in Gaza, Sha'ath additionally met with the Nativity Church deportees. Spokesman for the deportees, Basem Kan'an, said that Sha'ath was given a letter intended for President Mahmoud Abbas outlining their cases, as well as those in European, who have been in exile for the last eight years. Kan'an demanded that the Nativity Church deportees' case be brought before both Fatah's Central Committee and Revolutionary Council, and for the. . .
Get real, Iron Dome is too expensive to defend Sderot
Ha'aretz 6 Feb 2010 - Israel needs money for attack forces, protecting civilians and other measures, not just missile defense.
Israel slaps six-month travel ban on Palestinian map expert
Uruknet February 5, 2010 - Citing "security reasons" -- the ubiquitous and unanswerable catch-all phrase against which it is almost impossible to mount any defense -- Israel's Ministry of the Interior has just issued a six-month travel ban on map expert Khalil Tafakji. Tafakji, like almost all other Palestinians in occupied East Jerusalem, is a "permanent resident," but not a citizen...
NYT's Israel Editor's Sticky Situation Ethan Bronner's Conflict With Impartiality
Uruknet February 5, 2010 - Ethan Bronner is the New York Times Jerusalem bureau chief. As such, he is the editor responsible for all the news coming out of Israel-Palestine. It is his job to decide what gets reported and what doesn’t; what goes in a story and what gets cut. To a considerable degree, he determines what readers of arguably...
Pressure continues on Veolia and Alstom to halt light rail project
Uruknet February 5, 2010 - French transport giants Veolia and Alstom are involved in the construction and running of a light rail line which connects West Jerusalem to several illegal settlements in or surrounding occupied Palestinian East Jerusalem. The light rail project is part of the "Jerusalem Transportation Master Plan" sponsored by the Israeli government and the Jerusalem municipality. In reality,...
Fateh and Hamas Form Field Committee
Uruknet Friday February 05 - The rival Fateh and Hamas movements managed to form a committee that would be in charge of discussing field issues that are preventing reconciliation. The committee was formed after Fateh official Nabil Shaath met on Thursday with Ismail Haniyya of Hamas and several Hamas leaders in Gaza. The meeting is the first of its kind conducted...
Gaza schoolchildren struggling to learn
Uruknet February 5, 2010 - Nearly half a million children in Gaza returned to overcrowded and dilapidated schools on 1 February, many attending in a shift system, with missing textbooks, stationery or uniforms. "I don’t have a school uniform because my Dad doesn’t have a job and said he doesn’t have enough money to buy me one," said Mohammed al-Khouli, a...
Rights group outraged at Ban for dragging war crimes issue
Uruknet February 5, 2010 - UN Secretary-General Ban Ki Moon said "No determination can be made on the implementation of the resolution by the parties concerned," during the meeting of the General Assembly on Thursday, prompting an outcry from the Palestinian Center for Human Rights. Ban made the statement, PCHR said, "despite the fact that Resolution A/Res/61/10 explicitly called for the...
Putting the independence of the British judiciary to the test
Uruknet February 5, 2010 - In December last year, Westminster magistrates’ court issued an arrest warrant for Israel’s former foreign minister, Tzipi Livni, under Britain’s universal jurisdiction laws. It was granted in the wake of conclusions by the United Nations fact-finding mission on the conflict in Gaza which found evidence that both Israeli forces and Palestinians committed acts that amount to...
Gazans Denied Justice as Rights Take a Beating
Uruknet February 5 2010 - Gazans hoping for a modicum of justice following Israel’s indiscriminate military assault on the coastal territory during December 2008 and January 2009 - which left 1,400 Palestinians, mostly civilians, dead - could be waiting in vain. The Israeli government has taken the offensive in the propaganda battle and attacked United Nations-appointed Justice Richard Goldstone’s report into...
US intelligence chief claims right to assassinate Americans overseas
Uruknet February 5, 2010 - US Director of National Intelligence Dennis Blair said on Wednesday that government agencies have a policy of assassinating Americans overseas as required by the "war on terror." In testimony before the House intelligence committee, Blair said the assassinations would be justified if US citizens were "taking action that threatens Americans." This is an extremely broad category,...
Video - MSF: Gaza, One Year On In Gaza, the effects of last years Operation Cast Lead is still being felt
Uruknet February 5, 2010 - ...The health care system's ability to function properly has been weakened considerably. Most medical equipment is unreliable and the embargo makes it impossible to obtain certain spare parts. Similarly, medical units also face drug shortages. More than 5,000 people were wounded during the January war. Many are disabled and the only rehabilitation center in the Gaza...
Video: Soldiers attack Palestinian Shepherds and Torture Musab Raba'i
Uruknet February 5, 2010 - On the morning of Thursday 7 January 2010, Israeli soldiers attacked and injured Palestinian shepherds from the Musa Rabai family, as they grazed their sheep in Humra valley, near the village of At-Tuwani in the South Hebron Hills. Five members of the family were hospitalized. Before leaving the area, the soldiers arrested one of the shepherds,...
Human Rights Abuses in Israel and Occupied Palestine
Uruknet February 5, 2010 - Founded in 1972, the Association for Civil Rights in Israel (ACRI) is its leading human and civil rights organization through activities involving litigation, legal advocacy, education, and public outreach. Each year it publishes an annual report covering flagrant violations, positive trends, if any, and "significant human rights-related processes" affecting Israelis and Palestinians. Its latest December 2009...
Israel rejects Hamas's regrets for civilian deaths
5 Feb 2010 - Gaza, February 6, 2010 (Pal Telegraph) - Israel, where Hamas suicide bombers have killed hundreds of civilians over two decades, dismissed any apology for the three non-combatants hit by rockets from Gaza in the war as insincere. In a report by a committee set up by Hamas to examine U.N. allegations of war crimes by its fighters, the authors said: "...
All factions meet in Gaza for talks on unity
4 Feb 2010 - Gaza, February 4, 2010 (Pal Telegraph) - Representatives of all Palestinian factions met in Gaza City late Wednesday, said Yasser Al-Wadiyeh, spokesman for the Independent Palestinian Party. The announcement came hours after the arrival of Fatah leader Nabil Sha'ath to Gaza, where he was welcomed by several members of Al-Wadiyeh's party. Al-Wadiyeh said political leaders discussed recent developments in the...
Palestinians still waiting for right to use Highway 443
The National 5 Feb 2010 - Israeli supreme court has issued a deadline to open vital route linking Tel Aviv and Jerusalem to West Bank traffic – and time is running out.
UN chief says Gaza conflict evidence incomplete'
The National 5 Feb 2010 - Ban Ki-moon cannot determine whether Israel and the Palestinians have met UN demands to carry out credible investigations of alleged war crimes in the Gaza Strip.
With First Lady's help, Syria wakes up to benefits of volunteerism
The National 5 Feb 2010 - Non-governmental organisations are now playing a much more prominent role in the provision of services in the country.
UN unsure if Gaza probes set up
AlJazeera 4 Feb 2010 - Ban Ki-moon says not clear independent probes on Gaza war conduct have been carried out.
Iran: Uranium deal close
AlJazeera 5 Feb 2010 - Foreign minister says final deal to send uranium abroad for enrichment is near.
Berlusconi, Israel and the Big Brother
Alternative Information Center 5 Feb 2010 - After the three-day visit of Italian Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi to Israel and a short visit to the Occupied Palestinian Territories, a judgement is due. Berlusconi came with a large Italian ministry delegation (Foreign Minister Franco...
Principles and Mechanisms to Hold Business Accountable for Human Rights Abuses: Potential Avenues to Challenge Corporate Involvement in Israel’s Oppression of the Palestinian People
Alternative Information Center 4 Feb 2010 - About the Working Paper Palestinians would not be a people displaced, dispossessed and oppressed in 2010 if states and the UN had held Israel accountable for its massive violation of international law and the Nakba over...
Arab Population Accuses: Israel Systematically Acting to Impose Violent Confrontation
Alternative Information Center 4 Feb 2010 - T his coming Friday, 5 February 2010, a public campaign will be launched to defend the Arab population under the slogan “Meeting challenges and defending existence.” The campaign is organized by the Public Committee for Defending...
Israel: Peace talks to resume soon
PNN 4 Feb 2010 - The Israeli prime minister has said he expects peace talks with the Palestinians, which have been stalled for more than a year, to resume in the coming weeks. I have reasons to believe, realistically, that we will resume the peace process with the Palestinians, without prior conditions, in the coming weeks, Binyamin Netanyahu told a conference on security in Herzliya, northern Israel,...
Gaza key power plant could shut over money row
Jeruslalem Post 6 Feb 2010 - EU starts scaling back funds, says it wants PA to find other ways to pay for fuel; PA demanding Hamas pay its share.
‘Mabhouh died after interview'
Jeruslalem Post 6 Feb 2010 - Israel allegedly identified senior Hamas operative on Al-Jazeera.
Egypt foils attack on Jewish grave
Jeruslalem Post 6 Feb 2010 - Prosecutors arrest 25 extremists over terror plot targeting Abuhatzeira’s tomb.
Hizbullah may help Hamas strike abroad
Jeruslalem Post 6 Feb 2010 - Defense officials: Palestinian group doesn't have much overseas experience.
Wooing Damascus to isolate Teheran
Jeruslalem Post 6 Feb 2010 - Analysis: IDF believes in peace with Syria over keeping the Golan Heights.
Ban's report pleases Israel
Jeruslalem Post 5 Feb 2010 - But rights groups say UN chief failed to assess Israeli, Palestinian probes.
'Mabhouh's killers had Irish passports'
Jeruslalem Post 5 Feb 2010 - Irish paper: Authorities check claims by Dubai officials on Hamas man's death.
Middle Israel: Sharonism - status report
Jeruslalem Post 5 Feb 2010 - Legacy that reminded many of de Gaulle increasingly resembles Juan Peron’s.
China urges patience in Iran talks, Russia warns Teheran
Jeruslalem Post 5 Feb 2010 - Chinese FM calls on all parties concerned to "adopt more flexible policy;" Lavrov: UN Security Council will discuss Iranian nuclear program if Iran fails to diplomatically resolve issue.
EGYPT: Minimum Wage Not Enough
IPS CAIRO, Feb 4 (IPS) - A stalemate between labour unions and business associations is preventing Egyptian authorities from setting a minimum wage that could improve the lot of millions of citizens living in poverty.
MIDEAST: Raze Illegal Buildings - Unless They Are Jewish
IPS SILWAN, Occupied East Jerusalem, Feb 3 (IPS) - Backed by armed security men, the municipal inspectors race their jeeps through the narrow alleyways and up a hillside crowded with buildings.
(28 Jan. -03 Feb. 2010)
PCHR During the reporting period, IOF wounded a Palestinian child in Beit Ummar village, north of Hebron in the West Bank. On 30 January 2010, IOF moved into Beit Ummar village and chased a number of children and boys in “al-Bayad” area.
Dozens Suffer Tear Gas Inhalation During the Weekly Protest in Bil’in
2/5/2010 - International Solidarity Movement - Bil'in Popular Committee Against Wall & Settlements - An EU delegation for monitoring Israeli army violations against protesters, lead by Mr. Thierry Vallat, along with international and Israeli activists joined a demonstration in Bil'in village on Friday. Protesters carrying Palestinian flags and banners called for an end to the Israeli occupation and the release of all Palestinian political prisoners. The protesters marched on the streets of the village chanting slogans and singing national songs. Protesters called for national unity against the Israeli occupation, the release of all prisoners and specifically the release of the Coordinator of the Popular Committee of Bil'in, Abdallah Abu Rahmah, and Bil'in residents Adeeb Abu Rahmah and Ibrahim ‘Amera. When protesters reached the wall, an Israeli army unit was situated behind a block of cement.
Popular resistance expands in An Nabi Salih
2/5/2010 - International Solidarity Movement - 10 people were injured by rubber-coated steel bullets and tear gas cannisters in today's demonstration in An-Nabi Salih village, in the north Ramallah region, against the expansion of the illegal Halamish settlement on to village lands. The storm clouds and cold temperatures did not deter demonstrators, as some 100 locals (approximately a fourth of the village), both male and female, were joined by 20 Israeli and international activists in the village square following the midday prayer. Protesters then marched towards the lands south of the village where stands Halamish settlement, built on the stolen lands of An-Nabi Salih, and where Israeli occupation forces awaited their arrival. Demonstrators chanted songs of protest and carried baby olive trees in the hopes of planting them on the seized land as a peaceful assertion of their rights to be there.
PA Ambassador: International court must rule on Gaza conflict
Ha'aretz 5 Feb 2010 - Riyad Mansour tells journalists that UN Security Council has not carried out its responsibility.
Iran: We're optimistic about nuclear talks
Ha'aretz 5 Feb 2010 - Iran seeks changes to UN plan, but says deal can be reached; China urges patience in nuclear negotiations.
Hamas: We regret harming Israeli civilians in rocket attacks
Ha'aretz 5 Feb 2010 - Despite apology in report on alleged war crimes, Hamas says ready to conduct 'martyrdom operations.'
Turkish girl 'buried alive for talking to boys'
Ha'aretz 5 Feb 2010 - Teenager's father and grandfather arrested over suspected 'honor killing' after police unearth shackled body.
Gilad Shalit campaigners plan new protests to break talks deadlock
Ha'aretz 5 Feb 2010 - Activists announce wave of demonstrations after Hamas declares 'deep freeze' on negotiations to free captured soldier.
Report: Assassins of Hamas official used Irish passports
Ha'aretz 5 Feb 2010 - Mahmoud al-Mabhouh, who reportedly worked to smuggle arms to Gaza, was found dead in a Dubai hotel.
FM on Syria feud: Grave issues in Mideast require a response
Ha'aretz 5 Feb 2010 - Lieberman defends his warning to Syrian President Bashar Assad that drew harsh criticism.
Tension with Syria can turn into war in an instant
Ha'aretz 5 Feb 2010 - A crisis has erupted suddenly between Israel and Syria at a time when the status quo seemed quite stable.
Top Egyptian cleric issues Facebook fatwa
Ha'aretz 5 Feb 2010 - Social networking site 'breaks up families,' says Cairo Sheikh after survey links online surfing to divorce.
British PM 'deeply troubled' by record anti-Semitism in 2009
Ha'aretz 5 Feb 2010 - Community Security Trust records 924 anti-Jewish incidents, more than 50 percent higher than 2006.
'U.S. urges Israel, Syria to curb renewed tensions'
Ha'aretz 5 Feb 2010 - State Department source tells A-Sharq al-Awsat that the U.S. was making efforts to see peace talks resume.
The Jewish dilemma of accepting Evangelical support
Ha'aretz 5 Feb 2010 - 50 million Americans back the Jewish state 100 percent - but with a theological price tag.
Syria is blowing off steam, not rattling sabers
Ha'aretz 5 Feb 2010 - In the absence of U.S. pressure, Assad is in no rush to initiate unconditional negotiations with Israel.
German historians plan reprint of Hitler's 'Mein Kampf'
Ha'aretz 5 Feb 2010 - The anti-Semitic political work first published in 1925, has been banned since World War II.
Nobel Prize laureates back Elie Wiesel anti-Ahmadinejad ad
Ha'aretz 5 Feb 2010 - Full-page ad slams Iran's human rights violations, warns that its nuclear program is a danger to humanity.
Video: Theatre in the shadow of the Palestinian Nakba
The Guardian 5 Feb 2010 - Playwright Amir Nizar Zuabi on how growing up in Galilee after the 1948 conflict inspired his latest theatre piece, I Am Yusuf and This Is My Brother Andrew Dickson Mustafa Khalili Laurence Topham
Christian Aid's anti-Israel blunders | Adam Levick
The Guardian 5 Feb 2010 - By hosting vicious attacks on Israel, Christian Aid is destroying its reputation as a non-partisan charitable organisation Christian Aid, one of the world's largest anti-poverty NGOs, chose 27 January, International Holocaust Remembrance Day, to issue a...
Chilcot will change the way Muslims see the west | Karen Armstrong
The Guardian 5 Feb 2010 - If there is any hint of whitewash in the Iraq inquiry, it will only exacerbate an already inflamed situation As we watch the unfolding drama of the Chilcot inquiry, we should be aware that this is...
Amid row over contentious ad, Jerusalem Post fires Naomi Chazan of New Israel Fund
Ha'aretz 5 Feb 2010 - The broadside campaign by the Im Tirtzu movement against the New Israel Fund caught its president, Professor Naomi Chazan, in New York, where she traveled to chair a meeting of the fund's board of trustees, scheduled months in advance. ...
One year on, most Israelis disapprove of Netanyahu
Ha'aretz 5 Feb 2010 - Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is losing altitude, according to the Haaretz-Dialog poll published here. The results show that, for the first time in a year, a majority of the public is dissatisfied with his performance and questions his suitability as prime minister. ...
When did the Israeli right become so McCarthyite?
Ha'aretz 5 Feb 2010 - Human right organizations are a nuisance. The moment the number of one of their PR people appears on my mobile, I groan inwardly. Another alleged case of wrongdoing by IDF soldiers in the West Bank. First, I have to sift through the initial report and decide whether there is any merit in it, which usually means an argument with the aforementioned PR person. ...
Israel may charge cop over death of Palestinian boy
Ha'aretz 5 Feb 2010 - The central district attorney is set to serve an indictment, pending a hearing, against Omri Abo, who was then in the Border Police, on charges of negligent manslaughter in the fatal shooting of 10-year-old Ahmad Musa in the village of Naalin 18 months ago. ...
U.S. firm signs deal to produce Israeli TV shows
Ha'aretz 5 Feb 2010 - The American television industry continues to show interest in original Israeli programming. On Thursday the American firm Electus signed a deal with the Israeli group Abbot Reif Meiri; Electus is to develop Israeli programming in the United States, and the Israeli company will market Electus' content here. Under the terms of the agreement, Electus acquired the game show "Cuckoo's Nest," a cooperative venture of Cellcom and Abbot, which is broadcast on Facebook and to the cellular phone company's subscribers. ...
Hamas 'regrets' civilian deaths, Israel unmoved
Relief Web 5 Feb 2010 - Source: Reuters - AlertNet
Follow-up to the report of the United Nations Fact-Finding Mission on the Gaza Conflict: Report of the Secretary-General (A/64/651)
Relief Web 5 Feb 2010 - Source: UN General Assembly
PCHR Expresses Grave Concern Regarding Credibility of Investigations Carried Out in Response to Recommendations of the Goldstone Report
Relief Web 5 Feb 2010 - Source: Palestinian Centre for Human Rights
Bomb Detonated near ICRC Convoy in Northern Gaza Strip
Relief Web 5 Feb 2010 - Source: Palestinian Centre for Human Rights
OPT: Gaza schoolchildren struggling to learn
Relief Web 5 Feb 2010 - Source: Integrated Regional Information Networks
Palestinians say Hague ignoring appeals
YNet News 5 Feb 2010 - Following Ban's answer to Israeli response to Goldstone report Palestinian ambassador to UN says 'Security Council not showing commitment to handle report', adds Hague ignoring appeals to probe Israel's 'crimes'
Report: Al-Mabhouh killers used Irish passports
YNet News 5 Feb 2010 - Irish Herald reports group of Israelis entered Dubai with Irish papers to assassinate Hamas commander
Russia: Security Council may discuss Iran
YNet News 5 Feb 2010 - Foreign Minister Lavrov says Iran must give Russia 'constructive response' on nuclear program
Fatah official back from Gaza: We paved way to new ties
YNet News 5 Feb 2010 - Nabil Shaath returns from three-day visit to Strip saying talks with Hamas officials centered on 'need to end Palestinian division'
'Ban Ki-moon mirrors our sentiments on Goldstone'
YNet News 5 Feb 2010 - Jerusalem is quick to show satisfaction with document submitted by UN secretary general to UN General Assembly even though it claims conclusions cannot yet be drawn regarding Israel's investigation of Gaza war
Protest outside PM's house: Shalit is also cold
YNet News 5 Feb 2010 - Some 70 protesters for release of captive Israeli soldier gather outside prime minister's residence in Jerusalem with cardboard cutouts of Gilad Shalit and signs that read 'I want a blanket, I am cold'
Report: US urges Syria, Israel to show restraint
YNet News 5 Feb 2010 - Al-Sharq al-Awsat quotes American officials commenting on Israel-Syria crisis, urging both states to renew peace talks and avoid 'hindering' acts
German FM: Iran using tricks on nuclear program
YNet News 5 Feb 2010 - Guido Westerwelle says 'For past two years Iran has repeatedly bluffed and played tricks...international community cannot accept nuclear-armed Iran'
Israeli military may aim new rocket shield at Lebanon front instead of Gaza
Daily Star 6 Feb 2010 Israel's new rocket-interceptor system will not be deployed near the Gaza Strip as expected but kept on standby, possibly to counter attacks from the north by Lebanese Hizbullah should conflict erupt with its backer, Iran. News this week on deployment of "Iron Dome," a short-range system to be ready by June, disappointed Israelis in southern towns
Dubai police may pursue Israel's PM in Hamas killing
Daily Star 6 Feb 2010 Dubai would seek the arrest of Israel's premier if it found evidence intelligence service Mossad was behind the killing of a senior Hamas official, its police chief said in a newspaper on Friday. Hamas has blamed Israel for the killing Mahmoud al-Mabhouh, one of its top military commanders, in a Dubai hotel last month. Israel has declined to comment
Disquiet enables Tehran to crack down on People's Mujahedeen of Iran
Daily Star 6 Feb 2010 An outlawed Iranian group says Iran's government has been taking advantage of the wave of arrests that followed widespread protests across the country to also crack down on their affiliates in Iran, its spokesman said on Friday. "There are more arrests of sympathizers of the People's Mujahedeen of Iran [PMOI] since the beginning of the uprising [in Iran]," the group's spokesman Shahriar Kia told The Daily Star
Senior Fatah official winds up talks with Gaza's Hamas leaders
Daily Star 6 Feb 2010 A senior member of Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas' Fatah party on Friday concluded a rare visit to the Hamas-run Gaza Strip aimed at encouraging reconciliation between the rival factions. "We opened the way for a new relationship based on partnership and trust," said Nabil Shaath, a member of the central committee of the secular Fatah who had been in the coastal enclave since Wednesday
UN Security Council may discuss Iran: Russia's Lavrov
Daily Star 6 Feb 2010 UN Security Council members will discuss Iran if it fails to act constructively in a row over its nuclear work, Russia said Friday, in a signal Moscow may be eyeing a tougher line on the Islamic Republic. Iran faces a possible fourth round of UN Security Council sanctions due to its uranium enrichment work which Western nations believe is designed to develop a nuclear bomb
NATO special forces assault hijacked ship, free crew of 25
Daily Star 6 Feb 2010 NATO special forces stormed a Slovenian cargo ship captured by pirates in the Gulf of Aden Friday, freeing the crew of 25 in an unprecedented operation, a spokesman for the EU's naval force said. The assault and rescue, by Danish NATO forces, was made possible because the crew managed to send out a distress call and secure themselves in a safe room where they couldn't be hit by crossfire or used as human shields
Turkey's balancing act may soon face test on Iran
Daily Star 6 Feb 2010 Even for a country that boasts about being a bridge between East and West, the Middle East and Europe, Turkey's diplomacy this week must have seemed a bit of a perilous balancing act. Underlying unique contacts, Turkish leaders have welcomed Iran's foreign minister as Western powers increased pressure on Tehran over its nuclear plans, hosted a meeting of NATO allies and held talks with US Defense Secretary Robert Gates
Ma'roof: I was tortured in Egyptian jails
PIC 5 Feb 2010 - A Palestinian police officer from Gaza, who was recently released from an Egyptian jail, said that he was tortured during his week-long detention in Egypt..
The sole power station in Gaza to grind to a halt Friday evening
PIC 5 Feb 2010 - The Palestinian Power Authority (PPA) said on Thursday that the sole power station in the Gaza Strip is going to grind to a halt Friday evening because of lack of fuel.
IOF troops bulldoze tracts of land east of Khan Younis
PIC 5 Feb 2010 - IOF troops, on Thursday, entered the Farahin area to the east of Khan Younis in the southern Gaza Strip and bulldozed tracts of land according to local sources.
Israeli occupation deports Palestinian captive to Gaza
PIC 5 Feb 2010 - The Israeli occupation authorities have deported freed captive Baker al-Hafi from the northern West Bank city of Tulakarem to the Gaza Strip after spending one month in captivity..
Abbas's militia humiliates Palestinian women in the West Bank
PIC 5 Feb 2010 - The PA security forces in the West Bank have summoned Layla Saqar for interrogation in a bid to pressure her husband Ahmad Nabhan Saqar who has been languishing in Israeli jails for ten years now.
Exploring Iran via its cinema
LA Times 5 Feb 2010 - The UCLA Film & Television Archive's 20th annual celebration of the country's art-house offerings affords what is for many a rare glimpse inside the country's psyche as well as its borders. For the past two decades, the UCLA Film & Television Archive has been presenting the preeminent in Iranian art-house cinema -- highly personal, moving, contentious and even controversial films dealing with day-to-day life, social mores, religion and war.
‘AP’ misquoted UN Sec’y Gen’l as praising Israel
Mondoweiss - 6 Feb 2010 - Here’s a weird story. And I think we have the internet to thank for discovering the weirdness. Last night the New York Times printed an AP story about the United Nations’ followup to the Goldstone report, titled "UN Chief Praises Israel Probe of Its Gaza Actions."...
‘Forward’ editor Eisner seems to want to silence ‘Breaking the Silence’
Mondoweiss - 5 Feb 2010 - One of my goals these days is to support the New Israel Fund in its fight to promote democracy and human rights in Israel. I do so because even though it tends to overlook apartheid conditions in the West Bank, NIF has done great things: it...
Ban’s collapse on Goldstone ’shocks and appalls’ representative for Palestinian victims
Mondoweiss - 5 Feb 2010 - Just as Norman Finkelstein predicted he would, UN Sec’y-Gen’l Ban Ki-moon has folded on Goldstone : "The U.N. chief says Israel is thoroughly investigating allegations it deliberately targeted civilians during last year’s Gaza offensive." Here is word from the Palestinian Centre for Human Rights (PCHR), questioning the...
the excommunicators
Mondoweiss - 5 Feb 2010 - Today in Haaretz : "[Elie] Wiesel blasted Judge Richard Goldstone, saying his report on the Israeli offensive in Gaza was ‘a crime against the Jewish people.’" A few days ago in Haaretz : "Professor Alan Dershowitz slammed jurist Richard Goldstone, the architect of a UN report which accuses...
Canadian official ‘repudiates’ B’Tselem’s funding
Mondoweiss - 5 Feb 2010 - We keep posting about Israel’s crackdown on dissident groups that question militant and racist policies. It has threatened to cut off foreign funds to B’Tselem , for instance, the human-rights organization. And there is a smear campaign against the New Israel Fund , in what the fund calls...
Berlusconi, Israel and the Big Brother
Alternative Information Center - 5 Feb 2010 - After the three-day visit of Italian Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi to Israel and a short visit to the Occupied Palestinian Territories, a judgement is due. Berlusconi came with a large Italian ministry delegation (Foreign Minister Franco Frattini, Economy Minister Giulio Tremonti, Defense Minister Ignazio La Russa,...
Principles and Mechanisms to Hold Business Accountable for Human Rights Abuses: Potential Avenues to Challenge Corporate Involvement in Israel’s Oppression of the Palestinian People
Alternative Information Center - 4 Feb 2010 - About the Working Paper Palestinians would not be a people displaced, dispossessed and oppressed in 2010 if states and the UN had held Israel accountable for its massive violation of international law and the Nakba over 60 years ago. However, not only governments and the UN,...
Arab Population Accuses: Israel Systematically Acting to Impose Violent Confrontation
Alternative Information Center - 4 Feb 2010 - T his coming Friday, 5 February 2010, a public campaign will be launched to defend the Arab population under the slogan “Meeting challenges and defending existence.” The campaign is organized by the Public Committee for Defending Liberties, under the auspices of the Higher Arab Monitoring Committee....
Saturday, February 6, 2010
U.S Vows To Burry Goldstone Report In UN
IMEMC 6 Feb 2010 - Sunday February 07, 2010 - 03:23, Israeli sources reported Saturday that the United States vowed to Israeli leaders to bury the report of Judge Richard Goldstone on Israel’s war in Gaza last year. The sources added that the Israeli government vowed to respond to the report of Goldstone by forming an independent committee.
Hamas Says It Did Not Apologize For Civilian Israeli Casualties During Israel’s War On Gaza
IMEMC 6 Feb 2010 - Sunday February 07, 2010 - 01:48, The Hamas-led government in Gaza stated Saturday that it did not apologize for Israeli civilian deaths during the Israeli offensive against the Gaza Strip.
Five Israeli Family Members Wounded in Mine Explosion In The Golan
IMEMC 6 Feb 2010 - Saturday February 06, 2010 - 23:59, Israeli sources reported Saturday that five Israelis, members of the same family including three children, were wounded when a landmine went off near them as they were vacationing in the occupied Golan Heights.
10 injured in peace protest in Nabi Saleh
2/6/2010 - Ramallah - Ma'an - At least 150 anti-wall peace activists gathered in Nabi Salah on Friday, including 20 Israelis and Palestinians from around the West Bank, joining villagers to voice dissent against Israel's continued construction of the separation wall. Responding to the gathering with rubber-coated metal bullets and tear gas, Israeli forces injured 10 of the protesters. The route of the separation wall and the expansion of nearby settlements has deprived Nabi Salah villagers of access to the local spring, which supplied the area with fresh water. According to a statement from local activists, the Friday demonstration "quickly became an exercise in organized community resistance, as demonstrators created makeshift barricades on the roads, preempting an invasion of military jeeps to the village. "Dumpsters wheeled down the road towards the soldiers served as an effective road block, and doubled as shelter to the volleys of tear gas,.
Israel to adjust wall’s route in Bil’in
2/6/2010 - Ramallah - Ma'an - Attorney of Bil'in local council, Michael Sfard, said on Saturday that Israeli authorities informed him of the new route of the separation wall, adjusted according to a decision by the Israeli Supreme Court of Justice in 2007. "We were not convinced that it was vital for security reasons to maintain the existing route that passes through a topographically low area of Bil'in land and that there was no fitting security substitute to the construction of the barrier in order to protect the residents of Modi'in Illit," Justice Supreme Court President Dorit Beinisch wrote in her decision. Once the adjusted route is implemented, residents of Bil'in are expected to restore almost half of their 2,300 donums confiscated during the construction of the wall's original route. However, as the portion of the wall already built will be removed, farmers will expect significant damage to their olive groves located in the area.
Gaza power plant shuts down 1 of 2 generators amidst fuel crisis
2/6/2010 - Gaza - Ma'an - The Gaza Energy Authority announced on Saturday that the sole power plant shut down one of its two generators as a result of the ongoing fuel shortage in the coastal enclave. "The remaining amount of fuel is enough to operate one generator until Sunday morning," a statement said. "The power plant's capacity has dropped to 30 megawatts. . . Gaza districts will suffer as a result, leaving the plant unable to provide power for around 50% of the residents. This will rise to 60% if bad weather continues as it causes electrical malfunctioning. "The Energy Authority called on international parties, Arab states, and delegates of the Islamic Conference Organization to end Gaza's power crisis by holding the Ramallah-based Ministry of Finance responsible for decreasing the fuel allowance into Gaza, which it said mirrored Israel's blockade policy on the Strip.
Family injured in mine explosion in Golan Heights
2/6/2010 - Bethlehem - Ma'an/Agencies - Five people, including three children were injured on Saturday after a land mine explosion near a kibbutz in the Golan Heights, occupied Syrian territory, Israeli media reported. A boy, 11, had tripped on the mine, sustaining serious injuries to his legs, while his sister 12, suffered moderate injuries from shrapnel, the Israeli daily Haaretz reported. The third sibling and two adults sustained minor injuries. The family was in the mountainous area for a hike, and the Megan David Adom emergency medical team, which treated the injured, said the mine may not have been visible because of the snow. The injured were evacuated to hospital by helicopter, the daily added. Minefields remain in the area following Israel's occupation of the Syrian land in 1967, which the Israeli military says is cordoned off with barbed wire, the daily wrote.
De facto gov’t: No apologies in Goldstone response
2/7/2010 - Gaza - Ma'an - There was no apology included by the de facto government to the Goldstone report allegations, Hamas officials responded Saturday to media reports offering quotes from the document. Minister of Justice in Gaza Muhammad Faraj Al-Ghoul told reporters "there were no apologies," and that moreover, "the Israeli occupation was held accountable for any claims of civilian casualties because they committed the assault and the holocaust [of the people in Gaza]. "According to Reuters, which said it obtained a copy of the de facto government report, the document addressed the Israeli public, saying "We hope the Israeli civilians understand that their government's continued attacks on us were the key issue and the cause. " The document further noted, Reuters said, that all projectile launches from Gaza were aimed at Israeli military targets and were defensive in nature.
3 injured in clashes following Hebron protest
2/6/2010 - Hebron - Ma'an - Three Palestinians from the village of Safa, north of Beit Ummer in Hebron, were injured when Israeli forces fired rubber-coated bullets as clashes erupted between locals, protesters and soldiers in the village on Saturday. Spokesman for the Palestine Solidarity Project, Mohammad Ayyad Awad said Israeli forces declared Safa a closed military zone, preventing farmers and protesters from accessing land. "A verbal argument erupted between the protestors and the Israeli soldiers, who fired sound bombs, tear-gas canisters and rubber-coated bullets to keep them away from the area. Three were injured," he said. Awad added that "Israeli soldiers harshly beat a disabled resident, identified as Ibrahim Mohammad Eliyan Ikhliel, 22 years old. Residents interfered to rescue him. "Those injured during the protest were treated at the scene, Awwad said. . . . .
Israeli army stops journalists on container road after PJS election
2/6/2010 - Hebron - Ma'an - Israeli forces stopped a bus transporting journalists on the container checkpoint en route to Hebron from Bethlehem, after having voted in the Palestinian Journalists Syndicate elections in Ramallah on Saturday. One journalist present said that Israeli forces detained journalist Raed Al-Atrash "under the pretext of attacking one of the soldiers. "Israeli soldiers demanded that all journalists to get off the bus, including the female journalists, he said. Despite journalists refusing the order, the bus was eventually allowed to pass through the checkpoint. [end]
Israeli website publishes list of 13 top Hamas wanted activists
2/6/2010 - Bethlehem - Ma'an/Agencies - The Israel-based self-described intelligence and security news service debkafile published a list of 13 Hamas leaders allegedly "Israel's next targets for liquidation" on their website Friday. The service said the list was distributed by de facto government security services to members following the alleged assassination of Hamas military wing founder Mohammad Al-Mabhouh in Dubai on 19 January, citing "counter-terror sources. "According to the service, the following 13 men and woman were notified of an imminent assassination threat:Jamila Shanti, member of the Hamas political bureau and Palestinian lawmaker; Muhammad Deif, former supreme commander of Hamas until he was badly injured in a previous Israeli attack;Ahmad Jabry, Leader in the armed wing of Hamas, the Izz Ad-Din Al-Qassam Brigades;. . . Related: Debkafile: Hamas warns 13 top operatives Israel is after them
Gaza media blocs ask IFJ to boycott Press Syndicate election results
2/6/2010 - Gaza - Ma'an - Gaza-based media figures publicly objected to the decision of the Palestinian Journalists Syndicate to hold separate elections in the West Bank without arranging a simultaneous vote in Gaza, calling the move "duplicitous" and "divisionist. " Speaking at a news conference on Friday as syndicate elections began in Ramallah, members of the media union in Gaza aligned with the figures who called for a postponement of the union elections. The speakers called on the Federation of Arab Journalists and International Federation of Journalists - which already expressed concern around the elections and called for a stay so transparent mechanism could be put in place - to refuse recognition of the results of what Gaza press members considered an "illegal" election. Several Palestinian factions announced earlier in the week that they would boycott the elections, including Hamas,. . .
Qaraqe calls on British Mandate prisoner file to be opened
2/6/2010 - Bethlehem - Ma'an - Minister of Prisoners' Affairs and Ex-Detainees Issa Qaraqe demanded that the files of Palestinian and Arab prisoners arrested during the British Mandate and following the 1948 war be opened to facilitate research and understanding into the era, he said on Saturday. The minister's statement follow a visit to the Hasan Al-Labadi Association, named after one of the longest-serving Palestinian prisoners arrested during the British Mandate. "Establishing such an association named after Al-Labadi is an important step in collecting information on the prisoner, this great fighter. . . and all documents relating to him and the circumstances of his detention. . . in which he was isolated from the world, not knowing what happened to Palestine during that period," Qaraqe said. Qaraqe said the Ministry of Prisoners' Affairs will support the association in documenting and. . .
Plans for Palestinian Summer School week in Lebanon
2/6/2010 - Lebanon - Ma'an - A group of Arab and international Palestinian solidarity groups announced plans for a 500-student-strong school on Palestinian politics, history and culture aimed at educating the English-speaking world, organizers said Saturday. The school, based in Lebanon, would include field trips around the country with particular focus on the Palestinian refugees living in the camps of the south and around Beirut. Organizers Ma'un Bashour of the Arab International Center for Continuity and Solidarity, Alice Howard with Viva Palestina and Nabil Hallaq of Gaza's Breaking the Siege on Gaza said the school would last a week at the end of June. The school is hoped to contribute to a "qualitative shift in Palestinian rights and activism [reaching] an international public opinion level. " Bashour suggested to name the week after Rachel Corrie, theAmerican member of the International. . .
Controversial media syndicate elections go forward in Ramallah
2/6/2010 - Ramallah - Ma'an - The Administrative Board of the Palestinian Journalists Syndicate returned with a series of recommendations to boost clarity and representation at the union's general elections, postponed from Friday after calls for a new voting system were made. Several candidates and union representatives were contacted regarding the nature of the changes to voting protocol, but none were able or available to comment on the issue. The new regulations apparently still must be ratified before they take effect. Voting was expected to begin by Saturday afternoon despite the reigning confusion over elections methodology. One official said he expected the board to reach 63 members, and noted that the new board and outgoing chief would together elect a replacement head for the union body. The International Federation of Journalists called last week for a postponement in the elections,. . .
Palestinians convene in Cairo, mull over Mitchell suggestions
2/6/2010 - Ramallah - Ma'an - The Palestinian leadership will examine US Middle East Envoy George Mitchell's suggestions to restart the peace process at an Egyptian-Palestinian summit in Cairo this week, participants confirmed Thursday. Secretary-General of the Office of the President At-Tayyib Abdul Rahim said Palestinian delegates would begin talks Friday and participate in a series of consultations with delegates from around the Arab world as well as representatives from the office of the Quartet. "It is the Israeli government that lays obstacles impeding the resumption of peace talks. In order to restart bilateral talks, settlement activities should be frozen completely including those in Jerusalem, and negotiations should start from where they stopped in December 2009," he said during an address inaugurating the general conference of the Palestinian union of journalists in Ramallah on behalf of President Mahmoud Abbas.
Israel dismisses Hamas claim civilian deaths accidents
2/6/2010 - Bethlehem - Ma'an/Agencies - A spokesman for Israel's foreign ministry dismissed de facto government expressions of remorse over civilian deaths as "misguided," adding that Hamas used to "boast about suicide attacks against civilians. " The spokesman addressed Israel's Army Radio on Saturday, responding to the document submitted to the UN earlier in the week by the de facto government. The report on progress into investigations of war crimes outlined by Justice Richard Goldstone's mission said that Hamas "regrets any harm that may have befallen any Israeli civilian. "According to Reuters, which obtained a copy of the de facto government report, the document addressed the Israeli public, saying "We hope the Israeli civilians understand that their government's continued attacks on us were the key issue and the cause. "
Israeli tourist sentenced to 3 years in Egypt for hash possession
2/6/2010 - Al-Arish - Ma'an - An Egyptian criminal court in Sinai sentenced an Israel tourist to three years of jail time on Saturday for possessing narcotics, a court reporter told Ma'an. An Egyptian officer in Taba, on the Israel-Egypt border, had suspected Avrim Teub, 21, of suspicious behavior, the court reporter said. "After searching his luggage, Egyptian security found Hashish among his possessions, which he intended to consume, according to his confession during interrogation," the reporter added. Teub was en route to one of the Sharam Ash-Sheikh resorts before he was questioned in Taba. [end]
PPP official warns of ’factional formulae’ diverting unity talks
2/6/2010 - Gaza - Ma'an - Member of the Palestinian People's Party (PPP) politburo Walid Al-Awwad warned of certain Palestinian factions moving toward creating "factional formulae" to suit their movement's interest, a move, he said on Saturday, which would lead to the deviation of conciliation talks. Al-Awwad's comments follow Nabil Sha'ath, member of Fatah's Central Committee's recent visit to Gaza, which he said should be viewed as an attempt to create an atmosphere of good will, leading to the success of reconciliation efforts. Any Palestinian effort to promote unity, he said, should stem from removing the obstacles in place which discourage the ratification of the Egyptian document, tipped to end inter-Palestinian factional rivalry. . . . .
Abbas: Reconciliation began in Egypt and will be finalized there
2/6/2010 - Bethlehem - Ma'an - Following a meeting with his Egyptian counterpart on Saturday, President Mahmoud Abbas asserted that reconciliation will not be attained without Egypt playing a major role and that no other mediator will be called on, and discussed proximity talks put forward by US Middle East Envoy George Mitchell. After meeting with Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak, Abbas said efforts to reconcile rival Palestinian factions began in Cairo, where leaders signed the Egyptian-sponsored document. Therefore, he said, the final signing ceremony will take place in Egypt, who will also follow up on the agreement's implementation. "This is the Palestinian Authority and Fatah's stance," Abbas said. Proximity talks - Abbas further spoke of his meeting with a US delegation on Friday, with whom he discussed Mitchell's ongoing role as a shuttle between Israel and Palestinian sides.
Fatah spokesman: Hamas humiliating itself in front of Israel, world
2/6/2010 - Ramallah - Ma'an - Fatah spokesman Ahmad Assaf expressed astonishment at Hamas' regret for the deaths of Israeli civilians by rocket fire"while they [Hamas] don't regret killing and injuring hundreds of Palestinians during the bloody coup they staged [in 2007]. . . "he said in a statement on Saturday. "President Abbas and the Palestinian leadership have always warned of these useless rockets," he added, in reference to Hamas' investigation into the Goldstone report submitted late on Wednesday, which stated that the Islamist movement's intentions were to fire solely at military targets, but the rudimentary nature of the projectiles led to the unintended death of Israeli civilians, Hamas said. "While Hamas avoids speaking of reconciliation, refuses to sign the Egyptian document and restore Palestinian national unity, they are now humiliating themselves in front of Israel and the. . . "
Palestinian volleyball team excluded from Arab Championship
2/6/2010 - Bethlehem - Ma'an - Palestinian volleyball teams will demand answers for a series of mistakes leading to the denial of registration for West Bank and Gaza teams in the 28th Arab Volleyball Championship. The games, set to start on 23 February, will go ahead with neither the Senjil Club from the West Bank nor the As-Sadaqa Club team from Gaza because of a decision to send the official invitation to the Palestinian representative of volleyball teams in Jordan, who in turn was late in transmitting the details of the event. The As-Sadaqa and Senjil clubs received the registration notice late, but sent their team lists in anyways, along with a note of apology explaining the situation. Head of As-Sadaqa Club in Gaza, Jamal Abu Hashish, blamed the Palestinian Volleyball Federation for the mishap. "The program of the Arab Volleyball Federation is distributed to the regional clubs at the. . . "
Ma’an TV, Patients’ Society to produce documentary on wind energy
2/6/2010 - Hebron - Ma'an -The Ma'an TV Network and the Patients' Friends Society (PFS) in Hebron signed an agreement on Saturday to produce a documentary on a wind energy project implement by the Al-Ahli Hospital and funded by the EU. Following the signing ceremony, Mohammad At-Tamimi, project manager, said that the goal of the wind energy project was preserve the environment and noted that 700 kilowatts of energy generated by wind turbines reduces the hospital's energy consumption by 40 percent. The project will be reviewed to ascertain the feasibility of implementing similar wind turbine projects across the West Bank, he added. Funded by the EU at a cost of 1. 3 million Euros, 80% of the project's total cost, it aims at assisting developing states and partner organizations in managing the environment and natural resources as well as contribute to the fight against global warming, desertification. . .
PA, Israel jointly arrest six Qaida-linked jihadists in West Bank
Ha'aretz 6 Feb 2010 - Group was busy disseminating ideas identified with the ideology of Osama bin Laden via Internet.
UN chief can’t judge if Gaza probes are ’credible’
2/5/2010 - Antiwar.com - UN chief says he can't determine if Gaza probes by Israel and the Palestinians are 'credible' - AP - U. N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon said he could not determine whether the Israelis or Palestinians had conducted credible investigations into allegations of war crimes during last year's Gaza conflict as required under a U. N. resolution. In a highly anticipated report released Thursday night to the 192-nation General Assembly, Ban said "no determination can be made on the implementation of the resolution by the parties concerned. " A U. N. panel, overseen by a respected South African jurist, Richard Goldstone, found in September that both Israel and Palestinian militants committed war crimes during the fighting, in which 13 Israelis and almost 1,400 Palestinians were killed, including many civilians. In November, the General Assembly endorsed the Goldstone report, urging Israel and the. . . .
Israel to adjust wall’s route in Bil’in
2/5/2010 - Ma’an News Agency - Ramallah – Ma’an – Attorney of Bil’in local council, Michael Sfard, said on Saturday that Israeli authorities informed him of the new route of the separation wall, adjusted according to a decision by the Israeli Supreme Court of Justice in 2007. “We were not convinced that it was vital for security reasons to maintain the existing route that passes through a topographically low area of Bil’in land and that there was no fitting security substitute to the construction of the barrier in order to protect the residents of Modi’in Illit,” Justice Supreme Court President Dorit Beinisch wrote in her decision. Once the adjusted route is implemented, residents of Bil’in are expected to restore almost half of their 2,300 donums confiscated during the construction of the wall’s original route. However, as the portion of the wall already built will be removed, farmers will expect significant damage to their olive groves located in the area.
Don’t Let Israel Ballet Tip-toe around Apartheid
2/6/2010 - WAFA - Palestine News Agency - NEW YORK, February 6, 2010 (WAFA)- Adalah-NY, the Palestinian Campaign for the Academic and Cultural Boycott of Israel, the US Campaign to End the Israeli Occupation, the US Campaign for the Academic and Cultural Boycott of Israel, Boycott! Supporting the Palestinian BDS Call from Within, and American Jews for a Just Peace call for a boycott of and protests against the performances of the Israel Ballet during their February, 2010 US tour, due to the Israel Ballet’s complicity in whitewashing Israeli apartheid. The Israel Ballet will perform from February 8 – 27, 2010 in Panama City (FL), Ft. Myers (FL), Sarasota (FL), Bunnel (FL), West Palm Beach (FL), Gainesville (FL), Newport News (VA), Burlington (VT), Worcester (MA), Brooklyn (NY), Morgantown (WV), Buffalo (NY), Elmira (NY) and Rockville (MD). We call on individuals and groups to mobilize to boycott and protest against these performances.
Ban’s report pleases Israel
2/5/2010 - Jerusalem Post - But rights groups say UN chief failed to assess Israeli, Palestinian probes - “Israel is satisfied that the secretary general of the United Nations accurately reflected the Israeli document submitted this week,” the Foreign Ministry said in a statement published Friday afternoon. The ministry said Israel’s document “fully expresses Israel’s obligation to hold independent and reliable investigations, which would measure up to the yardstick of international law. ”“Despite the difficulties presented by the Gaza theater, Israel kept international norms and will continue to do so in the future, while primarily maintaining the security and well-being of its citizens,” the statement continued. A senior Israeli official said Israel has been in constant contact with UN Secretary General Ban Ki-Moon and other UN officials. The United States has also been a key advocate, deploying senior officials to convey a strong message on the issue.
OCHA: 16 Palestinians Injured by Israeli Forces
2/5/2010 - WAFA - Palestine News Agency - JERUSALEM, February 5, 2010 (WAFA)- This week, (January 27 – February 2) Israeli forces injured 16 Palestinians in various incidents throughout the West Bank, bringing the total number of Palestinians wounded in Israeli-Palestinian violence since the beginning of 2010 to 67, the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) in the Occupied Palestinian Territory reported. The weekly average number of injured in 2009 was 17. Four of this week’s injuries were sustained during the weekly anti? Barrier protest held in Bil’in village (two) and a demonstration held by Palestinian residents of Deir Nidham and An Nabi Saleh villages against the expansion of Hallamish settlement in the Ramallah area (two); two Israeli forces were injured in the former. In the latter demonstration, one family, including five children were evacuated after Israeli forces fired gas canisters into their house; several other cases of tear gas inhalation were reported.
Drawings From Gaza
2/5/2010 - Political Theatrics - The following drawings were created by unidentified Palestinian children living in the Gaza Strip – These bright and passionate children are witness to unwavering Israeli brutality, heart-wrenching violence, and death – all of which is due to the illegal occupation of their homeland, Palestine. [end]
Five injured in mine explosion in North Israel
2/6/2010 - Earth Times - DPA - Jerusalem - An Israeli family of five, including three children, were injured Saturday in a mine explosion as they were hiking in the Golan Heights, in the border between Syria and Israel, the Israeli Defence Forces (IDF) said in a statement. An 11-year-old boy was seriously injured in the legs while his 12- year-old sister suffered slight face injuries. Three other three hikers, members of the same family, also suffered minor injuries. All were immediately evacuated to hospital by helicopter. The family from central Israel had travelled to the snow-covered Mount Avital in the Golan Heights and entered a mine zone which the IDF said had signs posted warning that it was a military area. It was initially unclear if the family might not have noticed the warning signs because they were covered by the snow. The IDF issued a statement regretting the incident and said that Israeli citizens. . . .
Israeli hit squad that killed Hamas commander ’had Irish passports’
2/6/2010 - Belfast Telegraph - Members of a hit squad that assassinated a top Hamas military commander used Irish passports to enter and leave Dubai, it's been claimed. The suspected Israeli hit team, including at least one woman, entered the United Arab Emirates using Irish documents, police authorities said. Mahmoud al-Mabhouh (50), held responsible by Israel for the abduction and murder of two Israeli soldiers in 1989, died in mysterious circumstances on January 20 in a Dubai hotel room. The Irish Department of Foreign Affairs spokesman said yesterday: "We are aware of the media reports and we are in contact with authorities locally to try and determine the truth of the reports. " Al-Mabhouh was said to have been shocked with an electric weapon held to his legs and then suffocated or poisoned. Iran and Hamas have blamed Israel for the killing, but Israeli news media claimed al-Mabhouh had many enemies and could have been killed by other Arab factions.
Palestinians question US on reviving peace talks
2/6/2010 - Yahoo! News - CAIRO – The Palestinians have asked the Obama administration to clarify a U. S. envoy's proposal to restart long-stalled peace talks with Israel indirectly by shuttling between the two sides, the Palestinian president said Saturday. The talks collapsed a year ago during Israel's war against Hamas in the Gaza Strip. Efforts by President Barack Obama since then to revive them have failed in large part over the issue of Israel's settlement construction in areas the Palestinians want for a future state. On Saturday, Abbas met with Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak, whose country has also served as an intermediary between Israel and the Palestinians, to discuss the new U. S. plan. " We have asked the American side some questions. . . and the answers will be discussed within a joint Arab framework and then we will announce our position," Abbas said.
Pilot who refused to bomb Palestinian targets gets ’golden wings’
2/6/2010 - Ha'aretz - Brig. Gen (res. ) Iftach Spector, the highest-ranking officer to sign the "pilots' letter," declaring the refusal to participate in operations in the territories in 2003, was last week awarded the golden wings given to Israel Air Force pilots to mark the 50th anniversary of their graduation from flight school. The insignia was bestowed on Spector less than two weeks after the Israel Defense Forces decided to dismiss from service a Kfir Brigade soldier for waving a sign in support of refusing to evacuate unauthorized settler outposts in the West Bank. In 2003, at the height of the second intifada, Spector was the commander of the IAF's Ramat David and Tel Nof bases and was considered one of the best fighter pilots in Israeli history. He downed 12 enemy planes in the course of his career and was one of the pilots who attacked Iraq's nuclear reactor in 1981.
Samaritans mourn their high priest
2/5/2010 - Jerusalem Post - Snow flurries drifted to the ground on Mount Gerizim overlooking Nablus on Thursday, as mourners gathered to bury the spiritual leader of the Samaritans, who passed away the previous day. High Priest Elazar ben Tsadaka ben Yitzhaq was born during a snowstorm 83 years ago, one mourner said. On Thursday, as he was being laid to rest at the holiest site in the Samaritan religion, the snow began to fall again. According to Samaritan tradition he was the 131st holder of the post since Aaron. This is not be accepted by all historians, but the office may well go back to the Hellenistic period, which would still make it the oldest office in the world. One account in Josephus suggest that it is an offshoot of the Zadokite high priests in Jerusalem from around the time of Alexander the Great. Mourners took shelter from the storm inside the community center in the hilltop neighborhood of Kiryat Luza, where much of the ethnoreligious group of 730 lives. Nearly all the rest live in Holon’s Neveh Pinchas neighborhood.
Complete power outage imminent in Gaza
6 Feb 2010 - Gaza, February 6, 2010 (Pal Telegraph) - The Energy and Natural Resources Authority in Gaza warned that a severe shortage of fuel will force it to shut down electricity by Sunday. Kanan Abaid, head of the authority, said on Saturday that only enough fuel is available for one more day, warning of a crisis if the station stopped working. He...
Is it just the calm before the storm in Israel?
6 Feb 2010 - Jerusalem, February 6, 2010 (Pal Telegraph; by Patrick Martin) - It's been a year since the election that brought Benjamin Netanyahu to power in Israel and, for most Israelis, it's been the best year in recent memory. There has been almost no violence or breaches of security, and the country's economy weathered the world recession remarkably well. Israelis, for the...
U.S. pledges $40 million for Palestinian refugees
6 Feb 2010 - U.S., February 6, 2010 (Pal Telegreph) - The United States on Thursday pledged an additional contribution of $40 million for the United Nations relief operations for Palestinian refugees. The U.S. State Department said out of this, $30 million would support the UN Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East's (UNRWA) core services in Jordan, Syria, Lebanon,...
Four killed in car accident in Gaza
6 Feb 2010 - Gaza, February 6, 2010 (Pal Telegraph) - Four Palestinians were killed and four others were seriously injured in a car accident in Salah Al-Din Street, in central Gaza Strip on Friday. Medical sources said in a press statement that the accident occurred when a mini bus hit a tank truck carrying fuel. Later, the medical sources declared the IDs of...
Protesters clash with IOF in Ni'lin
6 Feb 2010 - Ramallah, February 6, 2010 (Pal Telegraph) - Hundreds of the Palestinians and international activists demonstrated on Friday afternoon against the construction of the apartheid wall in Ni'lin. Israeli occupation forces fired gas bombs against the protesters after they hurled rocks at them. In addition, Israeli occupation forces worked to disperse some 100 Palestinian protesters who gathered near Nabi Saleh, northwest...
Gaza: Fire erupts at food factory; 10 injuries
6 Feb 2010 - Gaza, February 6, 2010 (Pal Telegraph) - At least 10 Palestinians were injured Friday evening after a fire erupted at a food factory in AL- Shejaeya neighborhood, in eastern Gaza. The fire started as a result of the explosion of several gas pipes in a factory, injuring several workers. Medical sources said that a number of people suffered burns and some...
Crashed Ethiopian jet parts found off Lebanon
The National 6 Feb 2010 - Search teams have found main segments of the Ethiopian Airlines plane that crashed off the coast of Lebanon last month killing all 90.
US denies Iran nuclear deal 'close'
AlJazeera 6 Feb 2010 - Defense secretary dismisses Iran's claims uranium swap could be agreed in near future.
Lebanon finds crash jet recorders
AlJazeera 6 Feb 2010 - Divers retrieving black boxes but "will take time", transportation minister says.
Archaeology and the struggle for Jerusalem
PNN 6 Feb 2010 - I like to travel and when I travel, I like to have a guide book. Here in Jerusalem, that guide book is the Tanah, the Bible. This is how guide Asher Altshul likes to start his tours at the expansive City of David archaeological site in Jerusalem. The site stretches along and down one of Jerusalem's hills, just outside the Old City....
Palestinians still waiting for right to use Highway 443
PNN 6 Feb 2010 - JERUSALEM // They start just after the Israeli checkpoint near the city of Modi’in, along this fast, scenic motorway that connects Tel Aviv to Jerusalem. All along the hilly road, vast concrete boulders, rubble heaps and piles of rubbish barricade access from several Palestinian villages. At one such barrier at the village of Beit Sira, cars with Israeli registration plates deposit groups of...
IDF considers using BlackBerry
Jeruslalem Post 6 Feb 2010 - Senior officer: This is a completely secure network, impossible to hack into.”
IDF purchases ATVs for risky transport
Jeruslalem Post 6 Feb 2010 - Plan to enable soldiers to carry large amounts of equipment into enemy territory and operate independently.
‘Post’ stops Chazan column after legal threat
Jeruslalem Post 6 Feb 2010 - New Israel Fund and its president Chazan threaten legal action against 'Post' after running advertisement.
Israel 'satisfied' with UN chief's report on Gaza probes
Jeruslalem Post 6 Feb 2010 - No long a sense of urgency in Jerusalem to combat fallout from Goldstone Report.
Western powers reject Iran nuke proposal
Jeruslalem Post 6 Feb 2010 - Germany: Teheran is playing for time; US is losing patience, Gates says.
IDF considers using BlackBerry for military network
Jeruslalem Post 6 Feb 2010 - “This is a completely secure network that is impossible to hack into,” a senior officer in the IDF’s C4I Directorate explained.
Syria: We're ready for peace or war
Jeruslalem Post 6 Feb 2010 - Official paper accuses Israel of having "no intention" to take path of peace.
OPT: Gaza schoolchildren struggling to learn
IRIN GAZA Friday, February 05, 2010 (IRIN) - Nearly half a million children in Gaza returned to overcrowded and dilapidated schools on 1 February, many attending in a shift system, with missing textbooks, stationery or uniforms.
MIDDLE EAST: Experts urge governments to revise water policies
IRIN AMMAN Thursday, February 04, 2010 (IRIN) - Governments in the Middle East must put aside political differences, rethink water management and revise strategy and policy in using water otherwise the region will face a dire future, scientists have warned at an international conference in Jordan.
MIDEAST: Gazans Denied Justice as Rights Take a Beating
IPS RAMALLAH, Feb 5 (IPS) - Gazans hoping for a modicum of justice following Israel’s indiscriminate military assault on the coastal territory during December 2008 and January 2009 - which left 1,400 Palestinians, mostly civilians, dead - could be waiting in vain.
Mohammad Khatib released as 3 more arrested in Bil’in night raids
2/6/2010 - International Solidarity Movement - Bil'in Popular Committee Against Wall and Settlements, 3 February - Mohammed Khatib of the Bil'in Popular Committee against the Wall and Settlements was released from jail on Wednesday night Feb. 3rd, 2010. The military had taken Khatib from his home in Bilin on January 28th for allegedly not complying with legal conditions from a arrest in 2009. He was released on a bail of 10,000 Israeli shekels, with the condition of not participating in any of the weekly protests. He must appear at the nearest Israeli police station every Friday between 12:00- 5:00pm. The night of Khatib's release, the Israeli military conducted their second raid of the month in Bilin Village. Ibrahim Burnat a resident of Bilin and activist against the wall was arrested in his home early Thursday morning, along with local photojournalist Hamde Abu Rahmeh and an international journalist who were documenting the invasion.
Zvi Bar'el / Peace with Syria no less vital than stopping Iran's bomb
Ha'aretz 6 Feb 2010 - Ehud Barak said what he had to say, Bashar Assad did not understand or maybe he did, Avigdor Lieberman uttered his usual concoction, Benjamin Netanyahu explained that "we want peace," and life is good. Everything is all right. This week's ruckus is over. All that remains is the media circus. Because war, we should recall, is not something Israel does in winter. ...
UN likely to refer Goldstone findings to The Hague
Ha'aretz 6 Feb 2010 - Sources in New York said Saturday that in all likelihood the United Nations General Assembly will convene to discuss the report transmitted Friday by UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon to the GA and to member states on the responses by Israel and Hamas to the fact-finding mission on Operation Cast Lead led by Justice Richard Goldstone. The UN is likely to refer the findings of the Goldstone report to the International Court of Justice in The Hague. ...
'Hezbollah raises alert level in Lebanon'
Ha'aretz 6 Feb 2010 - Hezbollah has raised its state of alert in Lebanon following the recent war of words between Israeli and Syrian officials, according to a report by the Beirut correspondent of Saudi daily Al-Okaz. ...
Deputy FM Ayalon shakes hands with Saudi prince in rare gesture
Ha'aretz 6 Feb 2010 - In a rare occurrence, Deputy Foreign Minister Danny Ayalon shook the hand of Saudi Arabia's Prince Turki al-Faisal during the annual security conference in Munich on Saturday. The handshake was preceded by the prince's attempts at avoiding participation in a panel alongside Ayalon, a consequent uproar and a sharp American condemnation of the Saudi behavior. ...
U.S. Senator Lieberman: Impose sanctions on Iran or attack it
Ha'aretz 6 Feb 2010 - IAEA chief seeks accelerated talks with Tehran over proposed uranium enrichment outside Iran.
Peace with Syria still in Israel's sights
The Guardian 5 Feb 2010 - It might be wishful thinking, but some in Israel believe the time is ripe to push for a deal with Damascus It is hardly news that Avigdor Lieberman, Israel's rightwing foreign minister, is a bruiser who...
Netanyahu slaps down minister to end war of words with Syria
The Guardian 4 Feb 2010 - Israeli prime minister rebukes foreign minister, Avigdor Lieberman, for threat directed at Syrian president Israel's prime minister, Binyamin Netanyahu, has slapped down his controversial foreign minister, Avigdor Lieberman, for warning President Bashar al-Assad of Syria that...
Police warn public any next-door neighbor could be a Web pedophile
Ha'aretz 6 Feb 2010 - The suspect pedophile arrested early last week came to the attention of police after the parents of an 8-year-old girl complained to the webmaster of a children's Web site that a man identifying himself as a 25-year-old had been communicating with her on the site's forum. ...
Going to sleep in Israel, waking up in Lebanon
Ha'aretz 6 Feb 2010 - It was only when the sun rose on Tuesday morning that the inhabitants of Ghajar ascertained their village was still in Israel and had not gone over to some other sovereignty during the night. The United Nations soldiers had not yet fanned out into the streets, and the Israel Defense Forces soldiers were still manning their nearby positions. ...
Chazan associates: JPost is harming freedom of speech
Ha'aretz 6 Feb 2010 - Associates of Prof. Naomi Chazan attacked the Jerusalem Post Saturday in the wake of the English-language daily's decision to fire the former Meretz MK who is at the center of a right-wing campaign against the New Israel Fund, of which Chazan is president. ...
A fascist state under the cover of Zionism
Ha'aretz 6 Feb 2010 - Binyamin Ze'ev is turning in his grave once again: A McCarthyite movement has taken his best-known slogan for its name. Im Tirtzu, which deceptively calls itself a "moderate, centrist movement," gives a bad name to Herzl, a democrat and liberal, who coined the phrase "Im tirtzu, ain zo agada" (If you will it, it is no dream). The group's latest trick: a dirty war against the New Israel Fund for its funding of 16 organizations that provided documentation used in the Goldstone report. ...
Actor in Oscar-nominated Israeli film Ajami arrested
Ha'aretz 6 Feb 2010 - Tony Copti, a supporting actor in the Oscar-nominated Israeli film Ajami and brother of Ajami co-director Scandar Copti, was arrested Saturday evening along with another brother for allegedly assaulting police officers during a brawl in Jaffa, and released several hours later. ...
Israel: Military Investigations Fail Gaza War Victims
Relief Web 6 Feb 2010 - Source: Human Rights Watch
Arab media: 2 Israeli Navy ships passed through Suez Canal
YNet News 6 Feb 2010 - Two Israeli missile boats pass through Egypt's Suez Canal en route to Red Sea, according to Arab media reports; Cairo adopts strict security measures to ensure ships' safety. Egyptian sources estimate vessels headed to Persian Gulf
70 Palestinian illegal aliens found in truck
YNet News 6 Feb 2010 - Veteran police officers stunned after stopping suspicious truck at impromptu roadblock
Iran lauds 'very good meeting' with IAEA chief
YNet News 6 Feb 2010 - Iranian foreign minister sounds positive, but says Tehran insists on determining amount of fuel to be exchanged under deal with West
Hamas backtracks on missile apology
YNet News 6 Feb 2010 - Hamas distances itself from earlier statement of regret over Israeli casualties in Gaza war
2 children hurt in Golan mine explosion; boy in serious condition
YNet News 6 Feb 2010 - Family from central Israel enters minefield near Mount Avital; 11-year-old's foot severed in blast, his sister sustains moderate wounds; three others suffer from shock
Obama security adviser: Sanctions looming for Iran
YNet News 6 Feb 2010 - In Munich, Jones says Tehran must meet its responsibilities or face wider sanctions, increased isolation. US Defense Secretary Gates says Tehran has done nothing to reassure international community it is willing to stop progress towards nuclear weapon
Report: Hezbollah raises alert level
YNet News 6 Feb 2010 - Lebanese sources tell Saudi paper Shiite group fears heightened tensions between Jerusalem and Damascus may lead to Israeli strike
Israel's report to the UN misstates the truth
AlJazeera 3 Feb 2010 - The report praises the military's investigative and judicial systems, ignoring essential flaws in their operation. To date, only one soldier who participated in Operation Cast Lead has been prosecuted - for stealing a credit card. B'Tselem again urges Isr
We need an honest commission of inquiry to establish the truth
PIC 7 Feb 2010 - The recent visit to the Gaza Strip by Fatah leader Nabil Sha’ath should be a welcome first step toward Palestinian national reconciliation.
Friends of humanity: 2009 the worst ever in the history of Palestinian detainees
PIC 7 Feb 2010 - Friends of humanity organization reported Saturday that 2009 was the worst year ever in the history of Palestinian prisoners in Israeli jails.
UN report: Israel continues violations against Palestinians
PIC 7 Feb 2010 - OCHA issued a report Saturday accusing the Israeli occupation authority (IOA) of violating human rights of the Palestinian people and destroying tens of their homes without justification.
Haneyya gov't: We did not apologize in our response to Goldstone report
PIC 7 Feb 2010 - The Palestinian government under premier Ismail Haneyya underlined that resistance is a legitimate right for all Palestinians in face of occupation and aggression as endorsed by international laws.
IOA allocates 15 billion US dollars to Judaize Jerusalem by 2020
PIC 7 Feb 2010 - The Muslim-Christian commission for supporting the Aqsa and holy shrines in Palestine has exposed Saturday an Israeli scheme to completely Judaize the occupied city of Jerusalem by the year 2020.
Khudari: The US administration unserious about its call for easing Gaza siege
PIC 7 Feb 2010 - MP Jamal Al-Khudari said that the US administration is not fair in its dealing with the Palestinian people and not serious about its call on Israel to ease its blockade on the Gaza Strip.
Egyptian journalist: Sha'ath visit to Gaza serves as a tranquilizer
PIC 7 Feb 2010 - Ibrahim Al-Darawi opined that the visit of Fatah official Nabil Sha'ath to Gaza Strip was meant to calm the Palestinian public for a while till the futile negotiations process is re-endorsed.
Israeli gunboats fire at Palestinian fishing boats
PIC 7 Feb 2010 - Israeli navy gunboats attacked Palestinian fishing boats off the coast of northern Gaza Strip on Saturday but no casualties were reported.
Dubai to issue arrest warrant against Netanyahu if Mossad involvement proven
PIC 7 Feb 2010 - "The National" newspaper has revealed that Dubai police would issue an arrest warrant against Netanyahu if the Israeli Mossad was behind the killing of Mahmoud Al-Mabhouh two weeks ago in Dubai.
Surani: Ban Ki-moon’s speech is imprecise
PIC 7 Feb 2010 - Palestinian center for human rights director Raji Al-Surani said that the speech of Ban Ki-moon on the Palestinian and Israeli response to Goldstone report is inaccurate and full of sophistries.
Egypt's Copts fearful amid increasing tensions
LA Times 7 Feb 2010 - As the majority Muslim nation turns more conservative, the Christian minority, which has lived in relative peace for centuries, faces an uncertain future. Recent killings and riots add to the fear. Father Metyas Mankarios ministers to garbage men and runs a newspaper for Coptic Christians from an office crammed with brittle archives above vegetable sellers and fishmongers barking out prices along the muddy roads of a Cairo neighborhood.
Robert Gates says Iran's response to nuclear proposal is disappointing
LA Times 7 Feb 2010 - Defense Secretary Gates urges tougher sanctions as Iranian officials offer conflicting messages on the proposed deal to swap uranium for fuel plates. U.S. Defense Secretary Robert M. Gates and a conservative official in Tehran found something they could agree on Saturday, as each dismissed the Iranian foreign minister's suggestion that a deal was near on Iran's nuclear program.
Gates Scoffs at Iran Nuclear Claim
New York Times 6 Feb 2010 - The United States and Germany rejected Iran’s assertion that it was close to accepting an international compromise on enriching uranium abroad.
Hamas Insists Rockets Were Not Aimed at Civilians
New York Times 5 Feb 2010 - Hamas insists that it did not intentionally aim rockets at Israeli civilians during the Gaza war last winter, according to a report submitted this week to a United Nations office in Gaza.
Weekly Protest Video Round-Up
Palestine Monitor - 6 Feb 2010 - Local and international activists braved foul weather conditions to demonstrate in villages up and down the West Bank yesterday. As further evidence of the popular struggle's growing power, each protest went ahead as planned. Here's a video round-up of what happened. Bilin Thierry Vallat led an...
Blair says Israelis were in on pre-war planning
Mondoweiss - 6 Feb 2010 - Remember when Mearsheimer and Walt were called deluded anti-Semites? A choice tidbit from Mehdi Hasan’s blog on the New Statesman’s website re: Tony Blair’s testimony in the Iraq War Inquiry: The most unforgivable, outrageous and bizarre moment of the day occurred when Blair, for some inexplicable...
Jews are rich elitists, ‘Commentary’ says
Mondoweiss - 6 Feb 2010 - Last month Commentary published a piece called "Why Jews Hate Palin" that I greatly appreciated. Written by Jennifer Rubin, the piece directly addressed sociological issues that I often raise about my tribe: we’re incredibly privileged, and not very humble, and our political values tend to be...
status, radicalism, & happiness
Mondoweiss - 6 Feb 2010 - I grew up in a liberal Jewish academic community. Everyone was smart, everyone did well. My parents’ friends are in their late 70s/80s now and all have two houses and good lifestyles. Yet they regard themselves as Jewish outsiders– an understanding cemented by their youthful experience...
I wish journalists would interview Jim Crow whites about how/why they changed
Mondoweiss - 6 Feb 2010 - Last night NBC Nightly News did a moving report on one of the black students who helped desegregate Little Rock Central H.S. more than 50 years ago. Her daughter is now a parks officer who conducts tours of the site. Very inspiring. The mother was such...
Sunday, February 7, 2010
Israeli Navy Ships Crossed The Suez Canal
IMEMC 6 Feb 2010 - Sunday February 07, 2010 - 04:11, Israeli Yedioth Aharonoth reported that two Israeli Navy Vessels crossed the Suez Egyptian Canal on Thursday morning while on their way to the Red Sea.
Israel detains 2 internationals in overnight raid
2/7/2010 - Bethlehem - Ma'an - Israeli soldiers raided a Ramallah apartment early Sunday morning and detained a Spanish and Australian nationals over expired visas, the Popular Struggle Coordination Committee said in a statement. The Israeli army forcefully entered an apartment in the Area A city of Ramallah at 3am and arrested two activists from the International Solidarity Movement (ISM) on suspicion of overstaying their visas. The two, Ariadna Jove Marti, a Spanish journalist, and Bridgette Chappell, an Australian student at Birzeit University, were then taken to the Ofer military prison located inside the occupied territories, where they were handed over to the Israeli immigration police unit "Oz," The PSCC said"The raid and detention of the two is in direct violation of the Oslo Accords between Israel and the Palestinian Authority, which clearly forbids any Israeli incursion into Area A for reasons not directly and urgently related to security. Related: Army raids Ramallah to arrest international activists in violation of Oslo Accords and Deported international activist appeals against her illegal arrest"
HRW: Gaza inquiry fails war victims
2/7/2010 - Bethlehem - Ma'an - Israel has failed to demonstrate that it will conduct thorough and impartial investigations into alleged laws-of-war violations by its forces during last year's Gaza conflict, Human Rights Watch said on Sunday. An independent investigation is needed if perpetrators of abuse, including senior military and political officials who set policies that violated the laws of war, are to be held accountable, the New York-based group said. On Thursday, HRW met with military lawyers from the Israeli military to discuss the investigations. While the military is conducting ongoing investigations, officials did not provide information showing that these will be thorough and impartial or that they will address the broader policy and command decisions that led to unlawful civilian deaths, the rights group alleged. Israel claims it is conducting credible and impartial investigations, but it has so far failed to make that case. . . "Related: HRW: Israel: Military Investigations Fail Gaza War Victims"
Israel releases, deports Gazan prisoner to West Bank
2/7/2010 - Gaza - Ma'an - Israeli authorities released and deported on Sunday Nitham Muhammad Shneina, originally from Khan Younis, southern Gaza Strip, to the West Bank. According to Riyad Al-Ashqar, spokesman for the de facto government's Ministry of Prisoners' Affairs,Shneina was detained on 4 October 2006 in the West Bank where he was employed. He was sentenced to three and a half years, and was released on Sunday and deported to the West Bank, instead of being allowed into Gaza where his family lives, Al-Ashqar said. On Friday, Israeli authorities released Bakr Al-Hafi, who lived in Tulkarem with his family for the last ten years, and deported him to Gaza, where his family originates from. Nine other Palestinian prisoners are awaiting deportations abroad. . . . .
Sha’ath: Hamas vows fair treatment for Fatah members
2/7/2010 - Bethlehem - Ma'an - The Hamas movement vowed to fairly treat members of Fatah in the Gaza Strip, Nabil Sha'ath, a member of Fatah's Central Committee, said on Saturday during an interview with Al-Arabiyya TV. "There are certain procedures, but I will not announce them; I will leave it to Hamas to do so," Sha'ath said. The Fatah member further said he had refused the establishing of joint reconciliation committees, but called on more visits to Gaza to intensify contact between Hamas and Fatah. "I oppose the idea of joint committees because they overstepped the Egyptian reconciliation document. " Sha'ath said he had remained in constant contact with Egypt before and during his visit to Gaza, and informed the mediating side of events following his departure. However, Sha'ath said he did not want to exaggerate the chances of ratifying the Egyptian document with Hamas, ending inter-Palestinian. . .
Palestinian seized near Hebron’s Ibrahimi Mosque
2/7/2010 - Hebron - Ma'an - Israeli soldiers and paramilitary police detained a young Palestinian man near the Ibrahimi Mosque in the center of Hebron on Sunday evening, onlookers said. Palestinian witnesses said Mohammad Jibril Taha, 22, was seized after Israeli forces accused him of stealing a mobile phone. Onlookers also said Israeli forces searched others, checked ID cards, and temporarily denied them access to the area surrounding the mosque. An Israeli military spokesman said that after an initial inquiry, he was unaware of any arrests in the area. [end]
PA security official: No coordination with Israel on Qaeda arrests
2/7/2010 - Bethlehem - Ma'an - Ibrahim Ramadan, a Palestinian AuthorityPreventative Security official, denied on Sunday that Israel and Palestinian security forces coordinated the arrest of an Al-Qaeda cell in the West Bank. His comments follow reports in Israeli media that both the PA and Israeli security forces recently arrested members of radical Islamist groups with links to Al-Qaida and global jihadists in various parts of the West Bank. According to the Israeli daily Haaretz the largest arrests were made in the town of Qabatiya near Jenin, where six people were detained. "Those detained were unarmed and were arrested before they could carry out any attacks," the daily reported, having quoted a PA security source. Ramadan said that a Preventative Security spokesman would imminently comment on the media reports. . . . .
Netanyahu: Israel open to resuming talks with Syria
2/7/2010 - Bethlehem - Ma'an - "Israel aspires to complete peace agreements with all of its neighbors," and is open to resuming peace talks with Syria, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said during his weekly cabinet meeting on Sunday. "We did this with Egypt and Jordan, and we aspire to achieve similar agreements with both the Palestinians and Syria. Two principles dictate our approach to peace negotiations with our neighbors," he told cabinet members. The two principles he spoke of were preconditions and Israel's security. Negotiations, however, would be conducted without precondition, with a view of maintaing Israel's national interests, particularly security. "We do not accept the idea that Israel must always make extraordinary concessions in advance while the other side is exempt. . . "Netanyahu added that while he deems negotiations "important," the absence of preconditions and Israel's security take priority.
One Gaza crossing open, limited fuel supplies allowed
2/7/2010 - Gaza - Ma'an - Israeli authorities opened the Kerem Shalom crossing into southern Gaza on Sunday to allow the transfer of limited humanitarian aid, commercial merchandise and fuel, while the Karni crossing to the north remained closed, Palestinian border crossing official Raed Fattouh said. Between 66 and 77 truckloads of humanitarian aid and commercial goods will enter via Kerem Shalom, as well as limited quantities of domestic gas and industrial fuel. Gaza's Energy Authority said the Strip's sole power plant is running on one generator as a result of the ongoing fuel shortage, which it said could affect up to 60 percent of residents as temperatures drop. Additionally, Fattouh said, two trucks of cut carnations will travel out of the southern crossing point for export. The Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs in the occupied Palestinian territories (OCHA). . .
Israeli peace activist celebrates birthday in Bethlehem
2/7/2010 - Bethlehem - Ma'an - Israeli activists travelled to Bethlehem to celebrate the birthday of Israeli peace activist Amit Lechem on Sunday, in spite of the separation wall. "I came to Bethlehem to tell the residents that this wall will not withstand, neither will it prevent peace activists from defending freedom. This is the least we can do to tell the leaders that walls won't foil our efforts to make peace," Lechem said as she celebrated her birthday in a Palestinian home in the city. Lechem and fellow Israeli activists were welcomed by local Palestinians, who said that the wall will not defeat peoples' will for freedom, she said. The visit was significant as Bethlehem is in Area A, which, following the Oslo Accords in 1993, is an area that Israeli citizens are forbidden to access under threat of arrest. . . . .
In photos: New UNRWA chief begins work
2/7/2010 - Ma'an Images - Photos, Haytham Othman, Wissam Nassar, Hatem Omar - 1-8: US Consul General in Jerusalem Daniel Rubinstein meets newly-appointed UNRWA Commissioner-General Filippo Grandi as Rubinstein arrives to sign an agreement at the UNRWA school in Deheisheh refugee camp in the West Bank city of Bethlehem on 4 February 2010. A grant of four million US dollars was provided to the UN Relief and Works Agency through an agreement with the US government. 9-16: Grandi visits the only power plant in central Gaza on 2 February 2010, to inspect damage caused by floods. Heavy rain and flooding on 25 January badly hit tented communities in Beit Lahiya in northern Gaza; Al-Mughraqa, a town six kilometers southwest of Gaza City; and Ezbet Abed Rabbo, east of Jabaliya town in northern Gaza. UNRWA described conditions in Al-Mughraqa as "shocking. " . . . .
Medics: Man shot dead in central Gaza
2/7/2010 - Gaza - Ma'an - A Palestinian man was shot to death in central Gaza on Sunday, medics said. He was identified as Fadi Talal Ismail, 29, of Al-Mughazi refugee camp. Medics at Al-Aqsa Martyrs Hospital said Ismail was pronounced dead on arrival. The circumstances behind his death were not immediately clear. [end]
Herziliya chairman: More Palestinians should participate
2/7/2010 - Bethlehem - Ma'an - General (res) Danny Rothschild, chairman of the annual Herziliya conference on Israel's national security, believes more Palestinians should participate in the series. "No doubt Palestinians can benefit from the conference. Direct talks are what we [Israelis] miss. I hope more Palestinians will participate in the future," he said in an interview with Ma'an on Sunday. Rothschild described caretaker Prime Minister Salam Fayyad's speech as a "highlight" of the conference. "He gave a very good speech, even if it contained nothing new, the fact that it was in front of an Israeli audience was significant. "The Ramallah-based prime minister had reiterated President Mahmoud Abbas' call for a settlement standstill across the West Bank and Jerusalem before peace talks could be resumed. Fayyad shared the stage on Wednesday with Israeli Defense Minister Ehud Barak - a. . .
Egyptian forces find tank of unknown origin in Sinai
2/7/2010 - Al-Arish - Ma'an - Egyptian security services were surprised to discover a military tank in the center of the Sinai peninsula near the border with Israel, security sources in the country said. The tank may have been swept into Egypt by the recent floods in the region, originating from Israeli territories, Egyptian security sources said, adding that it may also be a ordnance remaining from previous military confrontations with Israel. Egyptian authorities are investigating the incident. In January, two Israeli military vehicles were swept into Egyptian territories as a result of flooding. [end]
Hamas: Israel manipulating evidence of war crimes
2/7/2010 - Gaza - Ma'an - Israel's rebuttal to the UN's fact-finding mission is just the latest its its "constant efforts to escape responsibility for committing war crimes in Gaza," Hamas spokesman Fawzi Barhoum said on Sunday. "Yet again, Israel seeks to mislead international human rights organizations by conducting investigations based on fabricated and forged evidence," Barhoum said in a statement. "Such obstruction, by either party,. . . affirms involvement in these crimes. "He said evidence of Israel's efforts in this regard were confirmed in a report issued on Sunday by Human Rights Watch, which alleged that Israel was failing to fully investigate accusations of war crimes. The group has also accused Hamas of violating the laws of war. Barhoum said Richard Goldstone's fact-finding mission on the Gaza assault had documented and condemned Israel's "war crimes and crimes against humanity,". . .
IDF detains two pro-Palestinian foreigners in West Bank raid
Ha'aretz 7 Feb 2010 - Arrest operation marks third time Israeli forces have entered West Bank to arrest foreign activists.
Open Letter to Bono: Entertaining Apartheid Israel...U 2 Bono?
2/7/2010 - PACBI - Occupied Ramallah, 13 January 2010 - Dear Bono, The Palestinian Campaign for the Academic and Cultural Boycott of Israel (PACBI) was deeply disturbed to learn that that you are scheduled to perform in Israel this coming summer. Two years ago, you were invited by Israeli President Shimon Peres to attend a conference in Israel marking Israel‘s contributions to medicine, science, and conservation; we urged you then, as a prominent activist on issues of global inequality and a campaigner for basic human rights, to say no to Israel, especially since the invitation coincided with celebrations marking the 60th anniversary of the founding of the state. [1] You did not go to Israel then; we call on you now not to grant legitimacy to a state that practices the most pernicious form of colonialism and apartheid. Performing in Israel would violate the almost unanimously endorsed Palestinian civil society. . . .
VIDEO - Wadi Fuqeen Villagers Battle Israeli Wall
2/7/2010 - The Friends of Wadi Fuqeen - Al-Jazeera TV Video Report - Palestinians and Israeli dissenters are getting together to fight Israel's plan to build another section of the separation wall in the occupied West Bank. According to environmentalists, the wall will stop the flow of water to the natural springs and thus threatens to dry out much of the Palestinian land. They also see the wall - illegal under international law - as a part of long-term Israeli policy to grab more and more Palestinian land in the West Bank. But the Israeli government says the separation wall is for security reasons, in order to stop Palestinians carrying out attacks in Israel. [end]
Israel: Military Investigations Fail Gaza War Victims
2/7/2010 - Human Rights Watch - Independent Investigation Remains Essential - Israel has failed to demonstrate that it will conduct thorough and impartial investigations into alleged laws-of-war violations by its forces during last year's Gaza conflict, Human Rights Watch said today. An independent investigation is needed if perpetrators of abuse, including senior military and political officials who set policies that violated the laws of war, are to be held accountable, Human Rights Watch said. On February 4, 2010, Human Rights Watch met with military lawyers from the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) to discuss the investigations. While the military is conducting ongoing investigations, officials did not provide information showing that these will be thorough and impartial or that they will address the broader policy and command decisions that led to unlawful civilian deaths, Human Rights Watch said.
VIDEO - Gaza villages Wiped off the map
1/21/2009 - YouTube/Channel 4 - January 21, 2009 - YouTube/Channel 4 UL - Gilad Atzmon: 'Another excellent report by Jonathan Miller. Telling the story of destruction and killing in Gaza. ' [end]
IOF Arrest Four Fishermen, Seize Boats on Beit Lahyia Coast: Al Mezan Condemns IOF Violations, Calls for International Protection
2/7/2010 - Al Mezan Center for Human Rights - The Israeli Occupation Forces (IOF) continued attacking Palestinian fishermen in Gaza sea. Today, Sunday 7 February 2010, IOF naval vessels opened fire at fishing boats, arrested four fishermen, and confiscated two fishing boats opposite Beit Lahyia coast. Al Mezan condemns IOF’s continuous violations against Palestinian fishermen and calls on international community to provide protection for them. According to investigations conducted by Al Mezan Centre for Human Rights, at approximately 6am on Sunday 7 February 2010, IOF naval vessels that patrol Gaza sea opened fire at Palestinian fishing boats which was north Al-Waha resort, west of Beit Lahia town in the North-Gaza district. The fishermen were working inside the fishing zone that had been announced by the IOF, which is limited to 3 nautical miles. Eyewitnesses informed Al Mezan that IOF military boats moved towards two of the fishing boats and rounded them.
VIDEO - Anthony Lawson - More About Israeli Barbarism
2/7/2010 - Gilad Atzmon - Anthony Lawson did it again, a brilliant expose of Israeli brutality: the numbers, the intensity, the images and the carnage the Israel has left behind. [end]
U.S. Embassy in Ankara denies links to Ergenekon
2/7/2010 - PanARMENIAN.Net - The United States Embassy in Ankara said the U. S. has no involvement with a probe in Turkey over an alleged criminal network that came to be known as Ergenekon. A spokesperson for the Embassy described the allegation as "ridiculous" in a written statement on Monday, saying that the embassy could not comment on an ongoing case in a Turkish court. A national newspaper in Turkey has said part of an indictment in the Ergenekon probe alleged a car registered on the U. S. Consulate in Istanbul had entered a military zone to take photographs in Poyrazkoy district, the scene of an excavation which unearthed weapons and explosives last April. The spokesperson said they had no record of a Consulate vehicle being present at the site on April 7, 2009, Anatolian News Agency reported. The Ergenekon case in Turkey has been investigating a neo-nationalist gang believed to be the extension of a clandestine. . . .
Assad: We’ll stand by Lebanon in case of Israeli attack
2/7/2010 - YNetNews - Official news agency reports Syrian president, Lebanese parliament speaker discussed 'repeated Israeli threats against the region's countries and the Israeli extremism threatening to destroy the chances for peace by igniting the region' - Syrian President Bashar Assad addressed the voices of war and peace in the Middle East for the first time Sunday evening. Speaking in a meeting with Lebanese Parliament Speaker Nabih Berry, Assad stressed that his government and the Syrian people would stand by Lebanon "in any case of an Israeli attack which it may face. "Official Syrian news agency SANA reported that the two discussed "the repeated Israeli threats against the region's countries and Israeli extremism threatening to destroy the chances for peace by igniting the region with wars and taking it into the unknown. "The two also discussed the developing bilateral relations between the two. . . .
Iran nuclear issue the ’top global security threat’
2/7/2010 - Yahoo! News UK - AFP - Iran's defiance over its nuclear programme poses the greatest threat to international security, US National Security Advisor James Jones warned on Saturday. " Hanging in the balance is a nuclear arms race in the Middle East and greater proliferation world wide. I can think of no greater concern at the moment to our collective security," he said. " Tehran must meet its responsibilities or face stronger sanctions and perhaps even deeper isolation," he told security experts and senior officials at a conference in Munich, southern Germany. Jones said that the door for diplomacy with Iran remains open, but he underlined that "Tehran's puzzling defiance. . . now compels all of us to work together as allies and partners on a second track of increased pressure. "
U.S. doesn’t foresee nuclear deal with Iran in near future
2/6/2010 - Ha'aretz - U. S. Defense Secretary Robert Gates said on Saturday he saw no sign a deal was close between Iran and Western powers on exchanging some of its low-enriched uranium (LEU) for higher-grade fuel, suggesting it was time to move forward with sanctions. " I don't have the sense that we're close to an agreement," Gates told reporters in Ankara where he met Turkish leaders. His comments stood in contrast to those by Iran's foreign minister, Manouchehr Mottaki, who said on Friday he saw good prospects for clinching a deal with world powers on exchanging LEU for higher-grade fuel it can use in a reactor producing medical isotopes. " If they are prepared to take up the original proposal of the P-5 plus one of delivering 12,000 kilograms of their low enriched uranium, all at once to an agreed party, I think there would be a response to that," he added, referring to the five permanent U.
Personality of the Month: Ramzi Rihan
2/1/2010 - This Week in Palestine - 'Ustaz' Ramzi, as he is known to his students, has been in the teaching profession for many years. He retired recently from Birzeit University but continues to teach a course in physics. Good physics teachers who can make this dry subject appealing are not easily available, and Ramzi is one of those very few. Maybe his success as a teacher is due to the fact that he considers teaching to be human interaction, which is also why he enjoys teaching, and why his students enjoy his classes. It was by chance that he ended up in Birzeit. Maybe he was destined to do so after spending a year of his elementary education at Birzeit after 1948, but eventually he graduated from the Friends Boys’ School in 1954 where he also taught in 1955. Ramzi was born in Nazareth in 1939, and like many other Palestinians, he was affected by the Nakba.
On Why Zionism Dehumanizes Its Enemies
Uruknet February 7, 2010 - ...The real reason why Israel cannot treat Palestinians according to normal humanitarian standards is that its own Zionist ideology requires that the non-Jewish population under its rule be treated inhumanely. This is very difficult for Zionist Israelis - raised on a narrative of their own essential and eternal victimhood, and of an honorable Jewish ethical tradition...
Israel arrests two foreign tourists in West Bank
Uruknet February 7, 2010 - Two women have been dragged from a home in Ramallah by the Israeli army for overstaying their visas. The Israeli army swept into Ramallah in the West Bank Sunday in a pre-dawn raid to arrest two women who had overstayed their visas. The women were seized from a Ramallah home where they were staying, after soldiers...
Silent occupation
Uruknet February 7, 2010 - ...Travel down any street in Jerusalem, and a far more frightening site emerges. Street signs displaying names in Hebrew, Arabic, and English; but the Arabic is blotted out. The perpetrators, usually Jewish youth, use paint, or stickers with religious and nationalistic slogans that obscure the Arabic names. While both Arabic and Hebrew are official languages, and...
JERUSALEM POST LIES TO JUSTIFY ITS WITCH HUNT AGAINST THE LEFT
Uruknet February 7, 2010 - The Jerusalem Post has canceled Naomi Chazan’s biweekly column, after she and the New Israel Fund of which she is president threatened legal action against the paper over a recent advertisement. The decision was taken by Jerusalem Post management after a legal threat was received at the paper from the NIF and Chazan’s lawyers. Along with...
The apartheid will end when Israelis have to face its cost
Uruknet February 07, 2010 - The former US president Jimmy Carter set off a firestorm in 2006 when he said that Israel would have to choose between maintaining an apartheid occupation of the West Bank and Gaza and a two-state peace agreement with the Palestinians. That Mr Carter brokered Israel’s most important peace treaty with an Arab country was immaterial; he...
The Unbearable Loneliness of the Iranian People
Uruknet February 7, 2010 - ...All the difficult work to eliminate this regime will have to be done by the Iranian people or the outcome would be either a rampant and out of control capitalism of the peripheral flavor, or national disintegration fuelled by foreign interventions and schemes. The Iranian people have no strategic friends in this fight except themselves and...
Video: Palestinians battle Israeli wall
Uruknet February 7, 2010 - Palestinians and Israeli dissenters are getting together to fight Israel's plan to build another section of the separation wall in the occupied West Bank. According to environmentalists, the wall will stop the flow of water to the natural springs and thus threatens to dry out much of the Palestinian land. They also see the wall -...
Ahmadinejad orders nuclear work
Uruknet February 7, 2010 - Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, the Iranian president, has instructed Iran's Atomic Energy Organisation to begin enriching uranium for use as nuclear fuel, casting doubt on the prospect of a deal with the West. Ahmadinejad's comments on Sunday, carried on state television, were directed at Ali Akbar Salehi, who heads the atomic energy body and who was sitting in...
U.S Vows To Burry Goldstone Report At UN
Uruknet February 7, 2010 - Israeli sources reported Saturday that the United States vowed to Israeli leaders to bury the report of Judge Richard Goldstone on Israel’s war in Gaza last year. The sources added that the Israeli government vowed to respond to the report of Goldstone by forming an independent committee. The United Nations is set to convene soon to...
Hamas Says It Did Not Apologize For Civilian Israeli Casualties During Israel’s War On Gaza
Uruknet February 7, 2010 - The Hamas-led government in Gaza stated Saturday that it did not apologize for Israeli civilian deaths during the Israeli offensive against the Gaza Strip. The statements of Hamas came in its report responding to the report of Judge Richard Goldstone. Hamas said that resistance is an internationally guaranteed right, and that the Palestinians, living under Israeli...
Video: Gaza in Plain Language
Uruknet February 7, 2010 - The article "Gaza in Plain Language", by Joe Mowrey, first published by Dissident Voice, was brought to my attention by Robert H. Stiver, and I immediately agreed to do a video treatment of it. Joe and I shared the research effort, and we would like to thank all of those whose video and photographic work is...
Remaining fuel to light Gaza for 24 hours
Uruknet February 7, 2010 -- The Palestinian energy authority has announced that one of the generators in the Gaza electricity generation station had stopped functioning on Saturday for lack of fuel and that the remaining quantity of fuel would allow operating the station for 24 hours only. The authority, in a statement, said that the power generation in the station had...
Israeli navy kidnaps 4 fishermen of Gaza shores
7 Feb 2010 - Gaza, February 7, 2010 (Pal Telegraph) - The Israeli navy forces kidnapped Sunday morning 4 fishermen in Gaza shores, in north Gaza, and then they took them to unknown place. Nizar Ayash, the head of the Palestinian fishermen, said that the Israeli navy detained the four fishermen while they were fishing in the distance of one mile in Gaza shores....
US Pledges To Burry Goldstone Report At UN
7 Feb 2010 - Palsetine, February 7, 2010 ( Pal Telegraph) - Israeli sources reported Saturday that the United States vowed to Israeli leaders to bury the report of Judge Richard Goldstone on Israel's war in Gaza last year. The sources added that the Israeli government vowed to respond to the report of Goldstone by forming an independent committee. The United Nations is set to...
Israel kidnaps 70 Palestinian workers
7 Feb 2010 - West Bank, February 7, 2010 (Pal Telegraph) - Israeli occupation forces kidnapped 70 Palestinian workers overnight in the west bank near Bait Aor Al-Tahta village, in west of Ramallah. The workers were hidden in a van as they were not given permissions to work inside 1948 occupied lands. The workers were hiding in a van launched from Jerusalem towards the1948...
Saudi prince's handshake with Israeli minister does not change policy'
The National 7 Feb 2010 - A senior Saudi Arabian prince says his public handshake with Israel's deputy foreign minister does not signal a change in Saudi government policy.
In Egypt, real men don't smoke
The National 7 Feb 2010 - A new health warning on cigarette packets is causing outrage – as well as a few giggles.
Iran cuts ties with British Museum
AlJazeera 7 Feb 2010 - Move follows museum's delay in lending Persian treasure to allow for public display in Iran.
Palestinians still waiting for right to use Highway 443
PNN 6 Feb 2010 - JERUSALEM // They start just after the Israeli checkpoint near the city of Modi’in, along this fast, scenic motorway that connects Tel Aviv to Jerusalem. All along the hilly road, vast concrete boulders, rubble heaps and piles of rubbish barricade access from several Palestinian villages. At one such barrier at the village of Beit Sira, cars with Israeli registration plates deposit groups of...
‘New York Times’ editor defends bureau chief’s continued posting in Jerusalem
Jeruslalem Post 7 Feb 2010 - Questions raised following report Ethan Bronner’s son is in the IDF.
Human Right Watch rejects Israeli report to UN on Operation Cast Lead
Jeruslalem Post 7 Feb 2010 - NGO rejects Israeli assertion Bader flour mill was hit by tank during fight with Hamas, not from the air.
Hamas sends mixed message on rocket apology
Jeruslalem Post 7 Feb 2010 - PA accuses group of double talk regarding stance on Goldstone report.
'Minefield wasn't marked off'
Jeruslalem Post 7 Feb 2010 - As injured kids recover in hospital, IDF claims signs warn of explosion hazard.
Abbas disappointed with US stance
Jeruslalem Post 7 Feb 2010 - PA president: Obama should use his power to pressure Israel on settlements.
J'lem counsel rejects Barkat’s Silwan demolition ultimatum
Jeruslalem Post 7 Feb 2010 - Letter calls mayor's plan to evacuate and seal Jewish-owned Beit Yehonatan in Silwan, demolish more than 200 Arab-owned homes into question.
Assad: Syria will stand by Lebanon
Jeruslalem Post 7 Feb 2010 - Syrian president, Lebanese official discuss "repeated Israeli threats."
IDF weighs jailing soldiers alongside Palestinians
Jeruslalem Post 7 Feb 2010 - Comes a month after state comptroller slammed army for deteriorating prison conditions.
Jordan urges US to push ME peace
Jeruslalem Post 7 Feb 2010 - King Abdullah: "Decades of instability" if 2-states solution becomes unviable.
OPT: Gaza schoolchildren struggling to learn
IRIN GAZA Friday, February 05, 2010 (IRIN) - Nearly half a million children in Gaza returned to overcrowded and dilapidated schools on 1 February, many attending in a shift system, with missing textbooks, stationery or uniforms.
Army raids Ramallah to arrest international activists in violation of Oslo Accords
2/7/2010 - International Solidarity Movement - Israeli soldiers raided a Ramallah apartment around 3AM to arrest a Spanish and an Australian activist over expired visas in direct violation of the Oslo Accords. At three in the morning, the Israeli army forcefully entered an apartment in the Area A city of Ramallah and arrested two activists from the International Solidarity Movement (ISM) on suspicion of overstaying their visas. The two, Ariadna Jove Marti, a Spanish journalist, and Bridgette Chappell, an Australian student in the Beir Zeit university, were then taken to the Ofer military prison located inside the Occupied Territories, where they were handed over to the Israeli immigration police unit "Oz". The raid and detention of the two is in direct violation of the Oslo Accords between Israel and the Palestinian Authority, which clearly forbids any Israeli incursion into Area A for reasons not directly and urgently related to security. Even the conduct of "hot pursuit" is disallowed in non-security related matters, which overstayed visas are.
Israeli forces arrest two foreigners in West Bank
2/7/2010 - International Solidarity Movement - Reuters - Palestinian government spokesman Ghassan Khatib said the arrest of Spaniard Ariadna Jove Marti and Australian Bridgette Chappell in the city of Ramallah violated interim peace accords that gave Palestinians self-rule in parts of the West Bank. An Israeli army spokesman said the two women "were known to have been involved in illegal riots that interfered with Israeli security operations," apparently in reference to the protests against the barrier. Both in their 20s, the women were activists with the pro-Palestinian International Solidarity Movement (ISM), established in 2001 to mobilize international support for Palestinian activism against Israeli occupation. "They were arrested in Ramallah on the grounds of staying in Israel illegally," the military spokesman said, in apparent reference to tourist visas they received on entering Israel, which controls access to the occupied West Bank.
Deported international activist appeals against her illegal arrest
2/7/2010 - International Solidarity Movement - The lawyer of Eva Nováková, the former International Solidarity Movement (ISM) media coordinator, who was taken from her apartment in Ramallah on 11 January 2010 and subsequently deported, filed an appeal to the Supreme Court of Justice today to challenge the legality of her arrest. The official reason given by the Israeli authorities was that Eva Nováková overstayed her visa. However, her lawyer argues that by invading Ramallah the Oz unit, which is a part of the Israeli Ministry of the Interior, acted against the law as they do not have jurisdiction over areas with full Palestinian civilian control. "The ministry of the interior was acting outside of the sovereign territory of Israel" said Omer Schatz, the lawyer of Eva Nováková following her arrest. Today, he added that: “In the petition we filed today we argue that the unlawful kidnapping and deportation of Nováková is part. . . .
Syria signaling to Arab world readiness to fight Israel
Ha'aretz 7 Feb 2010 - Netanyahu: Israel seeks peace with all neighbors; Saudi paper says Hezbollah has raised alert in Lebanon.
Palestinians give into U.S. pressure for indirect Mideast talks
Ha'aretz 7 Feb 2010 - U.S. envoy George Mitchell to mediate proximity talks; PM believes talks will begin in late February.
Abbas: Obama hurt Mideast talks by dropping settlement demands
Ha'aretz 7 Feb 2010 - In interview with German magazine, PA leader accuses Obama of backtracking on stance for full freeze.
Syria vows to respond to any Israeli 'aggression'
Ha'aretz 7 Feb 2010 - Netanyahu: Israel seeks peace with all neighbors; Saudi paper says Hezbollah has raised alert in Lebanon.
Iran's Supreme Leader: West can't save Israel
Ha'aretz 7 Feb 2010 - Khameini tells Palestinian militant leader that Israel will be obliterated at the will of God.
Iran production of higher enriched nuclear to start Tuesday
Ha'aretz 7 Feb 2010 - West hits back over Iran plan for higher enriched nuclear fuel, after Ahmadinejad apparently rejects compromise.
Rights group faults Israel's Gaza war crimes probe
Ha'aretz 7 Feb 2010 - Israel failing to prove it is conducting impartial inquiry into UN claims, Human Rights Watch says.
Peace with Syria as vital as stopping Iran's bomb
Ha'aretz 7 Feb 2010 - Though Syria is a key country in the new Mideast axis being formed, Netanyahu does not want peace.
The less rosy aspects of Shai Agassi's electric car
Ha'aretz 7 Feb 2010 - Amid Sunday's fanfare as Better Place rolled out its electric car technology in north Tel Aviv, the company was also throwing up smokescreens to avoid dealing with the less rosy aspects of Shai Agassi's dream of clean, silent cars plying Israel's roads. ...
After family hurt, IDF admits Golan minefields not properly marked
Ha'aretz 7 Feb 2010 - The IDF acknowledged Sunday that there are problems with some of the fences surrounding minefields on the Golan Heights, and in some of the areas the fences are not visible. However, Israel Defense Forces sources reiterated on Sunday that the minefield the Yuval family entered on Saturday, with five members ending up injured by a mine, was fenced and had clearly visible warning signs. ...
Likud minister to Greater Israel: Give up your dream
Ha'aretz 7 Feb 2010 - Proponents of the Greater Land of Israel - including the recently established Land of Israel caucus in the Knesset, hawkish Likud members and other MKs - are deceiving the public because their dream cannot be fulfilled, Minister Michael Eitan (Likud) said over the weekend. ...
Palestinian expert on settlements barred from foreign travel
Ha'aretz 7 Feb 2010 - Interior Minister Eli Yishai has banned Palestinian geographer Khalil Tufakji, a resident of Jerusalem, from traveling abroad for six months, citing unspecified security concerns. ...
Tel Aviv principal defends banning IDF program from his school
Ha'aretz 7 Feb 2010 - The principal of Tel Aviv's prestigious Gymnasia Herzliya High School attempted to explain on Sunday his decision not to take part in a joint army-Education Ministry program; which angered Israel Defense Forces Chief of Staff Gabi Ashkenzi. ...
Palestinians favor bin Laden, Ahmadinejad over Hamas
YNet News 7 Feb 2010 - Pew Research Center survey reveals mediocre support ratings for Hamas, Hezbollah among Muslim world. Saudi King Abdullah, US President Obama most popular leaders
Beit Yehonatan residents to get evacuation orders Monday
YNet News 7 Feb 2010 - Ynet learns municipality inspectors to arrive at building in east Jerusalem neighborhood of Silwan, to give Jewish residents seven-day warning before actual evacuation
Eritrean refugee says raped by 8 Bedouins in Sinai
YNet News 7 Feb 2010 - Twenty-five-year-old female refugee from Eritrea who infiltrated into Israel says she was sexually attacked by Bedouins who led her, other refugees through Sinai. Population and Immigration Border Authority officials say familiar with phenomenon
Jordan's king: US credibility under question
YNet News 7 Feb 2010 - In CNN interview, King Abdullah says Obama's 'undivided attention desperately needed' in order to set right tone for Israeli-Palestinian peace talks. He warns against crossing 'invisible line', missing out on two-state option
Report: Iran to start producing 20% atom fuel Tuesday
YNet News 7 Feb 2010 - Head of Iranian Atomic Energy Agency says his country will inform UN nuclear watchdog of its plan to will start producing 20% enriched nuclear fuel
Khamenei: Israel's disappearance certain
YNet News 7 Feb 2010 - Iranian supreme leader tells Islamic Jihad secretary-general that Jewish state is moving in downward spiral, urges him to continue armed struggle
High Court to discuss deportation of peace activists
YNet News 7 Feb 2010 - Two Spanish, Australian women arrested early Sunday in Ramallah, handed over to Oz unit members. American national, who was with them in apartment, says '10 soldiers broke in, demanded our passports and then informed the two that they were arrested for not having a valid visa'
Jewish politician may become Costa Rica's VP
YNet News 7 Feb 2010 - If polls are accurate, elections in Central American country to result in first female president in country's history. In this case, vice president position to be filled by Luis Lieberman, son of Polish immigrants, who is to become most senior Jewish official in country's history
Netanyahu: Israel open to peace talks with Syria
Daily Star 7 Feb 2010 Israel's prime minister attempted to end a war of words with Syria on Sunday, saying his country is open to peace talks with its longtime enemy. Israeli and Syrian officials have traded threats over the past week, raising concerns of an escalation between two neighboring countries that have officially been at war for more than 60 years
Defiant Ahmadinejad ratchets up atom work despite threat of sanctions
Daily Star 7 Feb 2010 Iran's President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad gave instructions on Sunday for the production of higher-grade nuclear reactor fuel, prompting the United States and Germany to threaten carefully targeted new sanctions against Tehran. The head of Iran's Atomic Energy Organization said it would start producing uranium enriched to a level of 20 percent from Tuesday, state television reported
Iraq moves to sew up loophole tailor-made for Al-Qaeda suicide bombings
Daily Star 7 Feb 2010 Iraq is clamping down on a booming Baghdad retail trade in police and military uniforms amid fears it may have provided Al-Qaeda with the disguises that made possible a spate of suicide bombings. Authorities have told tailors and vendors that in future only authorized security force personnel will be allowed to buy the uniforms which previously they could sell to anybody, both bespoke and off the peg
Saudi diplomat: No recognition for Israel despite handshake
Daily Star 7 Feb 2010 A senior Saudi diplomat said Sunday his handshake with Israel's deputy foreign minister at a Munich security conference was no step toward recognition of Israel. Prince Turki al-Faisal, the country's former intelligence chief and ex-ambassador to the United States, said his handshake Saturday with Israeli Deputy Foreign Minister Danny Ayalon only came after Ayalon apologized for actions that Turki objected to
Mabhuh admits role in killing of Israeli soldiers
Daily Star 7 Feb 2010 A slain militant of the Palestinian Islamist movement Hamas confessed to his involvement in the 1989 killings of two Israeli soldiers, in a video aired on Sunday more than two weeks after his death. Mahmoud al-Mabhuh, whose body was found in a luxury Dubai hotel room on January 20, said in the tape broadcast by Al-Jazeera television that he had been at the center of the killings of Ilan Saadon and Avi Sasportas
Iran arrests seven protesters who were 'hired by CIA'
Daily Star 7 Feb 2010 Iran said on Sunday it had arrested seven people accused of stoking unrest after last year's disputed election, including some who were hired by the US Central Intelligence Agency, the official IRNA news agency reported. The arrests were reported before possible new anti-government protests on February 11, when Iran marks the anniversary of the 1979 Islamic revolution that toppled the US-backed shah
Egypt recalls Algeria ambassador over attacks on soccer fans
Daily Star 7 Feb 2010 Egypt recalled its ambassador in Algeria for consultations on Thursday after attacks against Egyptian soccer fans in Sudan and businesses in Algiers, the Foreign Ministry said on Thursday. An Egyptian Foreign Ministry official confirmed that the ambassador was recalled for "consultations." Earlier in the day, Egypt summoned the Algerian ambassador in Cairo to protest against the disturbances
Hamas: We won't respond to heresies of Fatah spokesmen
PIC 7 Feb 2010 - Hamas Movement has confirmed Sunday that its response to the Goldstone report didn’t contain any apology, stressing the Palestinians' right to defend themselves and to resist the Israeli occupation.
Khudari warns of IOF escalation in targeting Palestinian fishermen
PIC 7 Feb 2010 - MP Jamal Al-Khudari, the head of the popular anti siege committee, has warned of the escalating Israeli targeting of Palestinian fishermen after circulating trivial allegations and security pretexts.
Barhoum: Abbas's priority is talks with Israel not with Hamas
PIC 7 Feb 2010 - Fawzi Barhoum, the spokesman of Hamas Movement in Gaza Strip, has asserted Sunday that Mahmoud Abbas's main concern was to talk to the Israelis and not to Hamas.
Commission to Arab leaders: Declare occupied Jerusalem disaster area
PIC 7 Feb 2010 - The Islamic Christian commission catering for Jerusalem and holy shrines in Palestine has warned that the Israeli judaization of occupied Jerusalem had entered a serious stage.
Remaining fuel to light Gaza for 24 hours
PIC 7 Feb 2010 - The Palestinian energy authority has announced that one of the generators in the Gaza electricity generation station had stopped functioning on Saturday for lack of fuel.
IOF soldiers detain four Palestinian fishermen at sea
PIC 7 Feb 2010 - Israeli occupation forces (IOF) aboard navy gunboats on Sunday arrested four Palestinian fishermen off the northern Gaza Strip coast and towed their boats to Israeli shore.
Tamimi: IOA plans to seal off Bab Al-Amod in Jerusalem
PIC 7 Feb 2010 - Palestinian Chief Justice Tayseer Al-Tamimi has accused the IOA of planning to seal off Bab Al-Amod, one of the biggest gates of the Aqsa Mosque, for two years in preparation to judaize the city.
6 Palestinians wounded in IOF shooting at civilians
PIC 7 Feb 2010 - Israeli occupation forces (IOF) barred farmers from heading to tend to their farms in Beit Ummar village, Al-Khalil district, on Saturday and fired at them sound and gas bombs.
Sources: Egyptian steel wall along Gaza borders almost completed
PIC 7 Feb 2010 - The Egyptian authority was about to complete the steel wall it was erecting along its borders with the besieged Gaza Strip despite the waves of condemnation to that wall, sources told the PIC.
Hamas: We are keen on achieving national dialogue and on easing obstacles
PIC 7 Feb 2010 - Hamas confirmed that it was and still is keen on achieving national reconciliation, but blamed Mahmoud Abbas, the leader of Fatah faction, for the continued political rift in the Palestinian arena.
Defying the West, Iran's president orders boost in nuclear enrichment
LA Times 7 Feb 2010 - Mahmoud Ahmadinejad tells his atomic energy chief to increase uranium enrichment from 3.5% to 20% as talks over a nuclear-fuel exchange sputter. Iran's energy chief says it's simply an 'alert.' In a move possibly meant to deflect attention from his domestic political woes, Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad on Sunday ordered the nation's atomic energy agency to begin enriching uranium to a higher level of purity to serve as fuel for a Tehran medical reactor.
Israeli conservatives attack U.S.-based philanthropy as unpatriotic
LA Times 7 Feb 2010 - Nationalist groups accuse the New Israel Fund of seeking to undermine Israel, alleging that rights groups it has sponsored provided most of the testimony to a U.N. panel on the Gaza war. A U.S.-based philanthropy that funds human rights groups in Israel is under fire amid accusations that its recipients provided the bulk of evidence to a U.N. commission that issued a report highly critical of Israel's Gaza Strip offensive a year ago.
Iran lawyer haunted by young man's execution
LA Times 8 Feb 2010 - Lawyer Nasrin Sotoudeh is filled with rage over the treatment of her client, 20-year-old Arash Rahmanipour, who was not defended in court and then was quietly put to death. The defendant met with his lawyer once for 15 minutes before he was sentenced to death and hanged.
Iran’s President Moves Ahead on Uranium Processing
New York Times 7 Feb 2010 - The announcement comes at a time of intense diplomatic maneuvering by the U.S. and Iran over possible sanctions.
Iran May Be Near Uranium Deal
New York Times 6 Feb 2010 - The West may balk at Tehran’s condition: that it set the amounts of uranium to be enriched.
How to run for President: whatever the ‘people of Israel decide is in their interest’
Mondoweiss - 7 Feb 2010 - Pretty amazing interview with Indiana congressman Mike Pence ( posted by Matt Duss ). This guy wants to run for president in ‘12 (the reason he decided not to run against Bayh this year — even though polls showed him ahead): I think President George W. Bush got...
Sri Lanka/Gaza
Mondoweiss - 7 Feb 2010 - I first picked up on Sri Lanka war crimes because Antony Loewenstein told me how they outweighed Israel’s actions in Gaza. Here’s his piece condeming the reports that Australia may grant asylum to the former head of the Sri Lankan army, Sarath Fonseka: I have spoken...
Touring Israeli ballet company has no Palestinian dancers
Mondoweiss - 7 Feb 2010 - Several BDS groups, including Adalah-NY here , have called for boycott of the Israel Ballet’s tour to Florida and the Northeast this month. The groups say that the ballet is part of the government’s rebranding campaign– The Israel Ballet, which receives around $1 million annually from the...
there I go, counting Jewish names again
Mondoweiss - 7 Feb 2010 - It is impossible to discuss the action of the Israel lobby in our foreign policy without acknowledging a sociological reality: Jews are big winners of the meritocracy, we are the richest group by religion in the U.S. I have to keep hitting this point because a,...
JPost publishes mendacious garbage about human-rights org’s finances
Mondoweiss - 7 Feb 2010 - Sarah Honig is the darling of Jerusalem Post readers, if the comments and ratings to her op-eds are any indication. Her latest, Another Tack: Nessie and why Obama can’t , says that "Israeli-Arab peace" is a Loch Ness monster, i.e., a fantasy. Quite a few readers at...
Monday, February 8, 2010
Female Activist Kidnapped By The Army
IMEMC 8 Feb 2010 - Tuesday February 09, 2010 - 04:54, The Ahrar Center for Detainees Studies stated that the Israeli army kidnapped on Monday Montaha Taweel, 45, an activist in defending the rights of the Palestinian detainees, and the wife of Al Biereh mayor.
Israel Objects To Moscow’s Reception of Mashal
IMEMC 8 Feb 2010 - Tuesday February 09, 2010 - 02:05, The Israeli embassy in Moscow sent a letter to the Russian government expressing dismay over Moscow’s reception of Hamas Political Bureau Chief, Khalid Mashal, and a number of Hamas officials.
Troops Invade Hebron town, refugee camp
IMEMC 8 Feb 2010 - Tuesday February 09, 2010 - 00:24, Israeli soldiers invaded on Monday evening the town of Beit Ummar, north of the southern West Bank city of Hebron, and the Al Arroub refugee camp in the city.
The Israeli Navy Opens Fire at Palestinian Fishermen Near Gaza's Southern Shore
IMEMC 8 Feb 2010 - Monday February 08, 2010 - 17:23, Israeli navy forces opened fire, on Monday midday, at Palestinian fishermen off the shore of Rafah town, southern Gaza Strip.
Ten Detained By Israeli Troops During Pre-Dawn Invasions Targeting West Bank Communities
IMEMC 8 Feb 2010 - Monday February 08, 2010 - 17:12, Ten Palestinian civilians were detained by Israeli troops, on Monday, during pre-dawn military invasions targeting a number of West Bank communities.
Scores Detained By The Military As Soldiers Attack Palestinian Refugee Camp In Jerusalem
IMEMC 8 Feb 2010 - Monday February 08, 2010 - 16:26, Sixty Palestinian civilians were detained by Israeli soldiers, on Monday, during house-to-house raids targeting the Shufat refugee camp in the city of Jerusalem.
Stop The Wall Campaign Raided & ISM Activists Released On Bail
IMEMC 8 Feb 2010 - Monday February 08, 2010 - 16:14, The Stop the Wall campaign has issued a press release stating that their office, in Ramallah, was raided by the Israeli military, late Sunday night.
Israeli Authorities Ban Palestinian Cartographer From Travel Abroad
IMEMC 8 Feb 2010 - Monday February 08, 2010 - 06:24, 60-year old Palestinian geographer and cartographer Khalil Tufakji, who has spent years researching Israeli settlements constructed on Palestinian land, was ordered to appear at an Israeli police station last week, where he was told by a plainclothes officer that he cannot travel abroad for the next six months due to 'security concerns'.
U.S Vows To Bury Goldstone Report At UN
IMEMC 8 Feb 2010 - Sunday February 07, 2010 - 03:05, Israeli sources reported Saturday that the United States vowed to Israeli leaders to bury the report of Judge Richard Goldstone on Israel’s war in Gaza last year. The sources added that the Israeli government vowed to respond to the report of Goldstone by forming an independent committee.
Israel stays eviction of settlers, despite court order
2/9/2010 - Jerusalem - Ma'an - Israel's Jerusalem Municipality cancelled the distribution of eviction orders for a residential building erected by settlers in occupied East Jerusalem's Silwan area, Israeli media reported on Monday. The building, known as Beit Yonatan, was set to be sealed off after officials persuaded Israel's Jerusalem Mayor Nir Barakat to implement the order, the Israeli daily Haaretz reported. "Barkat pledged to enforce the court order to evacuate the structure, though he added that he was doing so under protest," the newspaper reported. According to protocol, the distribution of eviction notices must be carried out in coordination with the Israeli police. However, police said they were unaware of any such plans. "Contrary to reports, there was no coordination Monday between the Jerusalem Municipality and the district police regarding distribution of evacuation orders in Silwan," a police statement said.
Injuries after fierce clashes at Jerusalem refugee camp
2/9/2010 - Jerusalem - Ma'an - Dozens of Palestinians including journalists were injured as fierce clashes broke out on Monday in Shu'fat refugee camp after Israeli civil and paramilitary police stormed the camp and detained dozens. Confrontations erupted near the military checkpoint at the main entrance to the camp after young Palestinians pelted Israeli soldiers with stones and empty bottles. Soldiers responded by firing tear gas, rubber-coated bullets and stun grenades. As a result, several correspondents and photojournalists were hurt. Amongst them were Samir Abu Gharbiyya, a cameraman working for the Qatar-based Al-Jazeera International, Amir Abed Rabbo, cameraman of Panet news, and Diala Juweihan, working for Quds Press. Ma'an's Jerusalem correspondent, who was also on the scene, said three Israeli officers sustained injuries.
Israel army raids offices of anti-wall group
2/9/2010 - Jerusalem - Ma'an - The Israeli army raided the offices of the Stop the Wall organization in Ramallah early Monday morning. Ten military jeeps, hummers and an armoured bus belonging to the Israeli military and intelligence services entered Ramallah at 1am, the group said in a statement. Follwing a three-hour search, soldiers confiscated computer hard disks, laptops, and video cameras along with paper documents, CDs, and video cassettes, the organization said. "This is part of the continuous targeting of the popular grassroots movement and the struggle of the Palestinian human rights defenders for Israeli accountability," said Jamal Juma, coordinator of Stop the Wall. But the movement's supporters "will not be intimidated by this," Juma added, insisting that it would continue its efforts until a 2004 ruling by the International Criminal Court on the wall's illegality is enforced.
Israel army closes Beit Fajjar, conducts search
2/9/2010 - Bethlehem - Ma'an - Several army vehicles closed off entrances to Beit Fajjar on Monday, shutting down roads to the area from Bethlehem and Hebron, witnesses reported. An Israeli military spokesperson announced that the checkpoints were the result of a pipe bomb tossed by a youth at troops operating in the area earlier, prompting the closure and a search for the alleged attacker. No injuries were reported. Onlookers said a number of army vehicles and soldiers closed the Beit Fajjar junction near the Gush Etzion settlement, as well as roads leading to the Hebron-area Al-Aroub refugee camp and the nearby Beit Ummar village. Travelers reported heavy traffic, and some city-to-city buses were altering their routes. Earlier, the Hebrew-language daily Yedioth Ahronoth reported that Palestinians threw stones at an Israeli vehicle. . .
Israel’s High Court frees 2 foreign activists
2/9/2010 - Bethlehem - Ma'an - Israel's High Court of Justice on Monday freed two foreign nationals who were detained early Sunday in Ramallah. Ariadna Marti of Spain and Bridgett Chappel of Australia, activists with the International Solidarity Movement, posted a 3,000-shekel bail and will be permitted to remain in Israel while they challenge a deportation order. The High Court accepted that the detentions may have been illegal, because they reportedly involved Israel's special "Oz" immigration unit, which is permitted to handle only cases of foreigners in Israel. Marti and Chappel, however, were in Ramallah, a city supposedly under control of the Palestinian Authority. "The raid and detention of the two is in direct violation of the Oslo Accords between Israel and the Palestinian Authority, which clearly forbids any Israeli incursion into Area A for reasons not directly and urgently related to security. "
One Gaza crossing open, no new commodities to enter
2/8/2010 - Gaza - Ma'an - No new commodities have been allowed into the Gaza Strip, undersecretary for the Ministry of National Economy Nasser As-Sarraj said on Monday. As-Sarraj told Ma'an that talks focused on allowing the transfer of clothing and shoes into the Strip through its commercial crossings, were nothing more than rumors, adding that the ministry will officially announce the entry of previously prohibited items when Israeli authorities permit it. Meanwhile, Israeli authorities partially opened the Kerem Shalom crossing on Monday, while the Karni crossing in the north remained closed, Palestinian border crossings official Raed Fattouh. Fattouh said that 70 truckloads of commercial merchandise and humanitarian aid will be transferred through Gaza's southern crossing. One of these trucks will be transporting equipment for the Palestinian Telecommunication Company, he said.
Israeli forces detain wife of mayor in Ramallah
2/8/2010 - Jerusalem - Ma'an - Israeli forces detained Muntaha Tawil, wife of Al-Bireh Mayor Jamal Tawil, on Monday, after searching their home in Ramallah. "Heavily armed soldiers and large numbers of military vehicles raided the mayor's home on Monday early morning breaking the doors and damaging the house' interior before they detained Muntaha Tawil, the mayor's wife," an Al-Birreh Municipal Council statement said. Mayor Tawil said his wife's detention would not hinder his ability to provide his constituents with the services they need, adding that Israel often attempts to exert pressure on mayors of Palestinian villages through detentions, forced home searches and summons orders. Tawil is the mother of four and her husband has been detained several time by Israeli forces. Mayor Tawil previously served 13 years in an Israeli prison.
Gaza detainee marks 20 years in Israeli jail
2/8/2010 - Gaza - Ma'an - The Information Committee affiliated to Hamas detainees in Israeli jails said that Ashraf Al-Ba'lougi, 38, from Gaza City, marked his 20th year in prison on Sunday. Al-Ba'lougi was detained after stabbing three Israelis in Tel Aviv on the anniversary of the Hamas movement's founding on 14 December 1990. All three victims were killed, the committee said. According to the committee, Israeli forces had also detained Al-Ba'lougi's father and brother following the attack. [end]
Disabled man among 10 seized overnight
2/8/2010 - Hebron - Ma'an - One of 10 Palestinians detained in West Bank raids overnight is disabled, local sources told Ma'an late Monday. Yousif Ibrahim Abdul Fattah Al-Mawa'jeh, 43, was paralyzed in an accident, neighbors said, and had received treatment in Iran. A native of Yatta, near Hebron, Al-Mawa'jeh was rounded up along with nine other Palestinians in Qalqiliya, Ramallah, Bethlehem, and Hebron at daybreak. The army said a homemade rifle was confiscated during the search of a home in Beit Ummar, north of Hebron. [end]
Report: Abbas agrees to proximity talks
2/8/2010 - Jerusalem - Ma'an/Agencies - Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas agreed to proximity talks with Israel, following the proposal of US Middle East Envoy George Mitchell, Israeli media reported on Monday. According to the Israeli daily Haaretz, senior Palestinians had confirmed to the daily that Abbas has agreed, in principle, to the US suggestion of indirect talks. Last week, Abbas said he would consult with Arab allies before responding on Thursday Mitchell's call for proximity talks, according to the British daily The Guardian, which said Abbas indicated that he may be prepared to accept. "If there is any substance in the response from the Israeli side - for example, if they accept the framework of a two-state solution based on the 1967 borders and an end to occupation, with timelines and mechanisms - then there will be progress," Abbas said.
Erakat: Speculation on proximity talks unhelpful
2/9/2010 - Jerusalem - Ma'an - Chief Palestinian Negotiator Saeb Erakat on Monday said that recent media speculation concerning US facilitated proximity talks was both premature and unhelpful. "President Abbas has consulted widely with his brothers, the Arab leaders, and our friends in the international community, regarding the obstacles Israel has put in the way of negotiations. These consultations will continue," Erekat said in a statement. The chief PLO negotiator said that Palestinians sides are waiting to hear from the US on "terms of reference, objectives and timelines for proximity talks. Only then will they be considered and only President [Mahmoud Abbas] will announce his decision. Until that time, media speculation is both premature and unhelpful. " Erekat added that while Middle East Envoy George Mitchell's visits to the region have been reciprocated with the intention to overcome. . .
PA cabinet calls municipal, local elections
2/9/2010 - Ramallah - Ma'an - The cabinet of the Ramallah-based government decided on Monday to hold municipal and local elections in the West Bank and the Gaza Strip on 17 July 2010. Directives were given to the Palestinian Central Elections Committee to begin preparations. During its weekly meeting in Ramallah, the cabinet of the caretaker government stressed in a post-meeting statement that "completion of this democratic process is considered a basic component of the PA's agenda set to complete building institutions of the Palestinian state. This is also part of maintaining good governance principles in Palestine. "The cabinet condemned Israel's operation in Shufat refugee camp hours earlier, which left several residents and Israeli forces injured, in addition to violence directed against local and international anti-wall activists.
Unidentified gunmen open fire at Hamas official
2/8/2010 - Qalqiliya - Ma'an -Assailants opened fire on Sunday night at the offices of Hamas-affiliated Palestinian lawmaker Imad Nofal in Qalqiliya, northern West Bank. Unidentified gunmen opened fire from a car, locals said. The gunshots were heard in Qalqiliya's town centre, where Nofal's office is, they said, adding that they fled the scene. Nofal described the attack as "unacceptable" and "unpatriotic," and harming Palestinian interests. "Those who did it at this time want to foil reconciliation attempts which Dr Nabil Sha'ath started when he headed to Gaza Strip and met with Hamas leaders," he said. Palestinian Security Services have launched in investigation into the incident. Several security checkpoints were erected across Qalqiliya to locate the vehicle and the assailants. . . . .
Haniyeh: Egypt wall won’t break our will
2/8/2010 - Gaza - Ma'an - De facto Prime Minister Ismail Haniyeh said on Monday that the blockade and walls surrounding Gaza would not force Palestinians to submit to external control. He was speaking at a reception honoring the Interior Ministry in Gaza City. "Gaza is surrounded on three sides; north, east, and south; to make it raise a white flag," Haniyeh said, insisting that Egypt's underground wall would not have the desired effect. "The escalation of the blockade and the siege is aimed at bringing down the government and making the Palestinian people kneel," he added. First exposed by the Israeli daily Haaretz, Egypt has been constructing an underground steel wall to stem the flow of smuggling into the coastal enclave. First constructed to transport weapons, tunnels supply Palestinians with daily needs like food and fuel, necessitated by the ongoing military blockade.
Bardawil: Hamas may allow Fatah to reopen Gaza HQ
2/8/2010 - Gaza - Ma'an - Hamas leader Salah Al-Bardawil said on Monday that Hamas is "studying the possibility" of allowing Fatah members to move freely, and may reopen the party's headquarters in Gaza. Al-Bardawil told Ma'an that the Islamic movement is "hoping that the security services in the West Bank will take the necessary measures to stop violations against Hamas leaders and supports, particularly in regard to political arrests and the closure of institutions. "He said the issue of inter-Palestinian reconciliation remains at a standstill, despite ongoing efforts to move forward. He also stressed that Hamas remains flexible and would sign the Egyptian document if the movement's amendments were taken into consideration. . . . .
Sha`ath: Fatah HQ to reopen in Gaza
2/9/2010 - Bethlehem - Ma'an - Hamas will instruct its government in the Gaza Strip to release detainees held on political grounds and reopen the Fatah party headquarters within the next two days, a top Fatah official said on Monday. Speaking days after his first trip since 2007 to the besieged coastal enclave, Central Committee member Nabil Sha'ath said Fatah officials were already permitted to visit without any special permit. "I informed Hamas that I rejected their security escort or visits to their government offices, and I held meetings freely," he said following a meeting in Cairo with Amr Moussa, the Arab League secretary-general. Sha'ath said Hamas requested that its members receive better treatment in the West Bank, and that he responded, "They have freedom of movement and they have no problems. When someone from Hamas told me a Hamas delegation wanted to visit the West Bank, I said: 'Welcome; I came here with permission from the occupying authorities, so whoever wants to visit the West Bank is more than welcome. "
Gaza journalists win PJS elections
2/8/2010 - Jerusalem - Ma'an - The results of the controversial Palestinian Journalists Syndicate elections were announced late Sunday evening, revealing that journalists in Gaza received the highest number of votes. Voting began on Saturday afternoon despite the reigning confusion over elections methodology. One official said on Saturday he expected the board to reach 63 members, and noted that the new board and outgoing chief would together elect a replacement head for the union body. Participants casted their votes to choose 63 members for the central council out of 82 candidates. Of 780 members eligible to vote, 508 cast a ballot. Journalists in Gaza were unable to attend, as the voting took place in Ramallah. Of the 508 ballots cast, 67 blank votes were discarded. It was decided that members of the syndicate would vote for candidates according to which bloc they represented.
Israeli media: 3 settlers detained in Hebron
2/8/2010 - Bethlehem - Ma'an - Israeli police detained three settlers at a so-called illegal outpost near Hebron on Monday, Israeli media reported. The Hebrew-language daily Yedioth Ahronoth reported that the settlers, all minors, were detained near the "Hill 18" settlement outpost. The detainees, who were not identified, were accused of rioting, according to the newspaper. [end]
International donors, Palestinian officials discuss municipal projects
2/8/2010 - Ramallah - Ma'an - Board of directors of the Palestinian Municipal Development Program held a meeting on Monday with international donors in Ramallah in the central West Bank, to discuss developments in municipal services. The conveners included Minister of Local Governance Khaled Al-Qawasmi, member of the board of directors Abdul Ghani Nofal and directors of PMDP as well as representatives of the World Bank, the German Development Bank, the French Agency for Development, the Danish Commission and the German Agency for Technical support. On the agenda was the progress made by the PMDP, which will fund a two-stage project to develop Palestinian municipal services, paying 72 million US dollars over three years on a range of projects to be carried out by various Palestinian municipal councils. . . . .
Mash’al arrives in Moscow
2/8/2010 - Gaza - Ma'an - Senior-most Hamas leader Khaled Mash'al arrived in Moscow on Monday with a delegation for talks on Palestinian reconciliation and the peace process with Russian officials. Mash'al told the Russian newspaper Vremya Novostei that "it is possible to restore cohesion between the Palestinians if the US desists from obstructing the end of division. "The Hamas leader added that the second obstacle remained "adjustments that were made to the terms of the Egyptian reconciliation proposal. " According to Hamas representative to Lebanon Osama Hamdan, who is among the delegation, "In Moscow Hamas plans to discuss issues related to prospects of inter-Palestinian dialogue and the peace process with Israel. "Hamdan added that Hamas delegates hoped to discuss solutions to issues throughout the region, and talks with Russian officials will not solely be based on Palestinian affairs.
Five Israeli cops hurt in arrest raid on Jerusalem refugee camp
Ha'aretz 8 Feb 2010 - 25 people arrested in raid, some for involvement in unrest and others for municipal tax evasion.
Israeli police raid Palestinian refugee camp
2/8/2010 - Reuters - JERUSALEM (Reuters) - A Palestinian refugee camp on the edge of Jerusalem erupted in violence on Monday after Israeli police carried out a raid to arrest tax evaders and Palestinians responded by throwing stones. Eleven people were arrested, some for involvement in the unrest and others for the non-payment of municipal taxes and other bills, police spokesman Micky Rosenfeld said. The violence in Shuafat refugee camp, within the expanded Jerusalem borders that Israel declared after capturing its eastern sector in a 1967 war, was another example of tensions that are always near the surface in a city at the heart of the Arab-Israeli conflict. Palestinian schoolchildren threw rocks at police vehicles and Rosenfeld said four officers were slightly hurt. Palestinian officials said 10 Palestinians were injured, none seriously.
Building back in Gaza with Mud Bricks
2/8/2010 - WAFA - Palestine News Agency - GAZA, February 8, 2010 (WAFA) - Hassan al-Err, aged 67, and his seven-member family are moving into a mud house built by the UN agency for Palestinian refugees (UNRWA) in the Gaza Strip, because other building materials are not available, United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs - Integrated Regional Information Networks (IRIN) reported. The two-bedroom house in the Ezbet Abed Rabbo neighbourhood of Jabaliya town, north of Gaza City, is an improvement on the tent in which they had been living - next to the rubble of their former home. Rebuilding homes damaged in last year's 23-day war, has been almost impossible because Israel does not allow construction materials such as cement and steel into the Strip, saying they could be used for military purposes. 'I can't forget how hard the past year has been for me and my family living in a tent in the cold winter and the hot summer,' al-Err told IRIN.
VIDEO - Israel Threatening To Use Nuclear Weapons On Iran
2/7/2010 - YouTube/FoxNews - New York Post columnist Michael Goodwin confirms Israeli official threatened to use tactical nuclear weapons against Iran. [end]
Under Pressure From Settlers, IOF Rebuilds West Bank Watchtower
2/7/2010 - WAFA - Palestine News Agency - TEL AVIV, February 7, 2010 (WAFA)- The Israeli Occupation Forces (IOF) is rebuilding a military position on a base it evacuated in April 2006 east of Beit Sahour near Jerusalem. Israeli sources said that they are only building a guard tower, Haaretz Israeli Daily reported, today. The building of the military position follows intensive pressure by settlers from Gush Etzion to gain approval for the establishment of a Jewish city on the site of the abandoned military camp and its environs, Haaret added, such a development would link up the neighborhood of Har Homa in Jerusalem and Gush Etzion in the West Bank. Last Friday, settlers held a ceremony at the site, where they learned that the army intended to build a watchtower on the site. According to a report by settler radio station Arutz Sheva on Sunday, Colonel Eran Makub, who is charged with securing the area, announced that the IOF intends to 'rebuild an IOF position at Shadma.
U.S Vows To Bury Goldstone Report At UN
2/8/2010 - International Middle East Media Center - Saed Bannoura - Israeli sources reported Saturday that the United States vowed to Israeli leaders to bury the report of Judge Richard Goldstone on Israel’s war in Gaza last year. The sources added that the Israeli government vowed to respond to the report of Goldstone by forming an independent committee. The United Nations is set to convene soon to discuss the report but did not schedule a date for the discussion. Bur Israel sources said that Israel will not show “any further cooperation” and that the United States will not allow the report to reach the Security Council. Last week, Israel reveled that a series of talks were held between Israeli and American officials in order to define the means to counter the Goldstone report and to bury it. Israel also said that the United States will not hesitate in using its Veto power should the efforts to bury the report fail.
Iran asks UN atomic body to oversee fuel production
2/8/2010 - Press TV - Iran on Monday informed the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) in an official letter that from Tuesday, it will begin enriching higher-grade nuclear fuel. " Today we handed over the letter," Iran's envoy to the IAEA, Ali Asghar Soltanieh, told Press TV. He said Iran has asked the UN nuclear agency to dispatch its inspectors to the country to oversee the process of the 20 percent enrichment work. Iran says as a signatory to the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT), it is entitled to enrich uranium for civilian purposes. On Sunday, President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad ordered the country's nuclear organization to take measures to produce the fuel for the Tehran reactor domestically. He, however, stressed that a nuclear swap deal with the West is still possible. Soltanieh said Iran will use its nuclear stockpile to enrich uranium to up to 20 percent to supply the Tehran research reactor which produces medical isotopes. The fuel will be produced at the Natanz enrichment plant.
Building back in Gaza - with mud bricks
Uruknet February 8, 2010 - Hassan al-Err, aged 67, and his seven-member family are moving into a mud house built by the UN agency for Palestinian refugees (UNRWA) in the Gaza Strip, because other building materials are not available. The two-bedroom house in the Ezbet Abed Rabbo neighbourhood of Jabaliya town, north of Gaza City, is an improvement on the tent...
Tel Aviv's hydra-headed monster
Uruknet February 8, 2010 - It's surely ironic that the country that complains loudest about terrorism has assassination squads travelling the world in search of prey. The murder of Hamas commander Mahmoud Al Mabhouh in a Dubai hotel room last month is believed to have been carried out by members of the Mossad allegedly using Irish passports. And the fact that...
IRAN: As many as 3 million protesters anticipated at Thursday rally
Uruknet February 8, 2010 - The 22nd day of the Persian calendar month of Bahman, the date 31 years ago when Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini declared Iran an Islamic republic, is traditionally a time for official patriotic fervor and the unveiling of national achievements. But on Sunday, a source inside Tehran police headquarters told a friend of the Los Angeles Times in...
Poll result shows that "the majority of Palestinians oppose the resumption of negotiations without the pre-conditions"
Uruknet February 8, 2010 - An independent Palestinian news agency says that the majority of Palestinians are opposed to any resumption of negotiations with the Israelis without pre-conditions. According to a poll conducted by Sama on its website, 836 out of 1356 participants, 62%, said they oppose the resumption of indirect negotiations, as is now proposed, without any pre-conditions set by...
Danny Ayalon’s Arrival Sparks Outrage In London
Uruknet February 8, 2010 - A protest march will be held in London today against the arrival of deputy foreign minister Danny Ayalon. The Palestine Solidarity Campaign and British Muslim Initiative are co-ordinating the march, expected to number several hundred, to highlight the ongoing human rights abuses perpetrated by the Israeli government. Ayalon is the first Knesset member to visit Britain...
Israel admits detention of international activists illegal
Uruknet February 8, 2010 - A state prosecutor admitted before the Supreme Court today that the Immigration Police illegally detained the two international activists arrested yesterday in a pre-dawn raid on the International Solidarity Movement’s Ramallah offices. The two will be released on bail. Earlier today, the Israeli Supreme Court ordered the release on bail of the two activists who were...
Iran: Student Facing Execution for Throwing Rocks
Uruknet February 8, 2010 - The International Campaign for Human Rights in Iran today strongly condemned the prosecution of a young student activist, Mohammad Amin Valian, under the charge of Moharebeh, or "enmity against God," which is punishable by death and called the charges "grossly disproportionate." At least nine other protestors have been sentenced to death in similar unfair trials and...
Video: Gazans recycle rubble to rebuild
Uruknet February 8, 2010 - Palestinians have been forced to innovate ways to rebuild houses destroyed during last year’s war on Gaza. That is because an Israeli blockade is preventing construction materials from getting into the Gaza Strip. Many therefore are collecting rubble from destroyed homes, smuggling in cement from Egypt, and using the two to make concrete blocks. The quality...
Dozens of Palestinians injured as Israelis raid refugee camp
Uruknet February 8, 2010 - Israel police injured dozens of Palestinians in violence that broke out after they raided a refugee camp on the edge of Jerusalem on Monday, a Palestinian news agency reported. Israeli police moved into the camp early on Monday to arrest tax evaders while Palestinians, mostly schoolchildren, retaliated in the afternoon by hurling stones. Over 10 people...
Sheikh Jarrah settlers threaten Palestinians with M-16 for the second time in 8 days
Uruknet February 8, 2010 - Today at around 3PM, a settler named Yoni was caught spray painting a swastika on the Ghawi tent by an Palestinian who was driving by in his truck. The truck driver yelled at the settler, Yoni and called the police. When the police arrived they ignored the settler and accused neighborhood Palestinians of having painted the...
Stop the Wall offices hit in late night raid
Uruknet February 8, 2010 - Late last night Occupation forces raided the Stop the Wall offices in Ramallah. Some 10 military jeeps, hummers and an armoured bus surrounded the building as soldiers searched rooms, turning the office upside down and confiscating computer hard disks, laptops, and video cameras along with paper documents, CDs, and video cassettes. Part of the mounting repression...
Health conditions of Palestinian prisoners in Israeli jails
Uruknet February 8, 2010 - Since the beginning of the Israeli occupation of the West Bank and Gaza Strip in 1967 the number of Palestinians detained is in excess of 700,000 men, women and children, representing 20% of the Palestinians living in the Occupied Territories. The current number of prisoners and detainees is estimated at between 8,000 – 10,000 spread around...
Friends of Humanity: 2009 is the worst year in the history of Palestinian detainees
8 Feb 2010 - Palestine, February 8, 2010 ( Pal Telegraph) - Friends of Humanity International organization, based in Vienna, issued on Saturday a detailed report entitled "Beyond the Sun" on the reality of Palestinian detainees in Israeli jails; the organization reported that 2009 was the worst year in history of Palestinian detainees utterly. "In 2009, The Israeli Prison service practiced new methods of torture...
Israeli invasion into Qalqilyah and Al-Bira
8 Feb 2010 - West Bank, February 8, 2010 (Pal Telegraph) - Israeli occupation forces on Monday dawn detained six Palestinians in raid into the villages of Azzun and Haja in Qalqilya governorate in the West Bank. Local sources said that a large force of Israeli army invaded the villages at dawn and raided several houses. After searching them, they kidnapped six Palestinians and...
Israel detains 60 Jerusalemite
8 Feb 2010 - West Bank, February 8, 2010 (Pal Telegraph) - Israeli occupation forces invaded on Monday Shu'fat camp, north-east of occupied Jerusalem and detained 60 Jerusalemite. Khader Dibs, the official of The Popular Campaign in the camp, said : "The occupation forces invaded the camp after midnight, and carried out raids in the camp." He added that these forces detained 60 boys from...
Israel deports a detainee to West Bank
8 Feb 2010 - West Bank, February 8, 2010 (Pal Telegraph) - The Ministry of Detainees and Ex-detainees Affairs said that the Israeli authorities freed the detainee Nezam Mohammed Hamattu Shaninah from Khan Younis city, southern Gaza Strip, and then they deported him to the West Bank rather than returning to his home in the Gaza Strip. The ministry said in a statement on...
UNRWA's Filippo Grandi meets Egyptian FM
7 Feb 2010 - Egypt, February 7, 2010 ( Pal Telegraph) - Filippo Grandi, the new commissioner-general of UNRWA, met on Sunday with Egyptian Foreign Minister Ahmed Abu Al-Ghit and discussed the difficult situation in Gaza Strip. Grandi observed after his meeting that it is important to conduct such talks with Egyptian officials, particularly because of the regional role it plays by mediating with all...
Israeli navy kidnaps 4 fishermen off the Gaza shore
7 Feb 2010 - Gaza, February 7, 2010 (Pal Telegraph) - The Israeli navy kidnapped four fishermen from the northern Gaza shore, then took them to an unknown place. Nizar Ayash, head of the Palestinian fishermen, said the Israeli navy detained the four fishermen while they were fishing about one mile from the Gaza shore. The fishermen are Odai Al-Soltan and his brother Mohammed,...
Palestinian reconciliation on a knife-edge
The National 8 Feb 2010 - Hamas leaders outline possible follow-up measures to build up trust, but anger among followers of two factions still runs deep.
The height of Israeli intransigence
The National 8 Feb 2010 - The mayor of Jerusalem has been told to evict eight families from an illegal block built by Jewish settlers. In retaliation, he has threatened to demolish 200 Palestinian homes.
Egypt struggles with population surge
The National 8 Feb 2010 - The country's families minister admits measures have failed to cut the number of children living on the streets.
Israeli forces raid West Bank camp
AlJazeera 8 Feb 2010 - Hamas and Fatah supporters among scores arrested following raid on Shuafat camp.
New sanctions urged over Iran move
AlJazeera 8 Feb 2010 - US and France lead calls for sanctions as Tehran says it will step up uranium enrichment.
Arab Censorship Warrior Gets Democracy Prize
The Media Line 7 Feb 2010 - Yemeni developer of software to circumvent online censors wins prestigious European democracy award. A Yemeni academic who developed software that allows netcitizens throughout the world to circumvent government censorship of websites has been awarded the 2010...
Egyptians Rile Over Mosque Cameras
The Media Line 7 Feb 2010 - Egyptians are worried security forces are abusing their powers in monitoring mosques with surveillance cameras. Egyptians are protesting against a plan to install surveillance cameras in thousands of mosques throughout the country. Egypt's Ministry of Islamic...
Tourism Explodes as Syrian Airline Grounded
The Media Line 7 Feb 2010 - Despite skyrocketing tourist numbers, Syrian Air remains grounded due to U.S. sanctions. International tourism to Syria may be burgeoning, but getting there is increasingly difficult due to U.S. sanctions that have essentially grounded Syria's national airline....
Egypt Cracks Down on Muslim Brotherhood, Arrests Key Leaders
The Media Line 7 Feb 2010 - Egyptian security forces have detained over a dozen members of the outlawed but highly popular Muslim Brotherhood, including three of its senior leaders. Reports from Egypt identified one of the detainees as Mahmoud Ezzat, the Brotherhood's...
Ahmadinejad Gives Orders to Begin Enriching Uranium
The Media Line 7 Feb 2010 - Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad has given orders to his Atomic Energy Organization to go ahead with higher-grade enrichment of its uranium stockpile on its own. Ahmadinejad said the enrichment from 3.5 percent to 20 percent was...
Netanyahu's Visit to Russia Expected to Focus on Blocking Iran
The Media Line 7 Feb 2010 - Israeli Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu will meet with his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin and other leaders during an official visit next week to Moscow. This will be Netanyahu's first official visit to Russia, though he secretly...
Ambassador At Very Large
The Media Line 6 Feb 2010 - Arab states reject senior diplomat whose name refers to large male genitals in Arabic. Up until just over a month ago, His Excellency Miangul Akbar Zeb had lived an esteemed life as one of Pakistan's most...
Egypt-Israel Gas Deal Realized Despite Popular Discontent
The Media Line 6 Feb 2010 - A new deal increasing the export of Egyptian natural gas to Israel has come into effect despite popular protest in Egypt. The Egyptian Mediterranean Gas company, which exports natural gas to the state owned Israel Electric...
The Kairos Document
PNN 8 Feb 2010 - This document is the Christian Palestinians’ word to the world about what is happening in Palestine. It is written at this time when we wanted to see the Glory of the grace of God in this land and in the sufferings of its people. In this spirit the document requests the international community to stand by the Palestinian people who have faced...
Israel bars Palestinian expert on settlements from travel abroad
PNN 8 Feb 2010 - Interior Minister Eli Yishai has banned Palestinian geographer Khalil Tufakji, a resident of Jerusalem, from traveling abroad for six months, citing unspecified security concerns. The ban was issued on the recommendation of the Shin Bet security service and is based on 1948 Emergency regulations. Having been convinced that there is real concern that the exit of Mr. Khalil Tufakji from Israel may...
Israel kidnaps 70 Palestinian workers
PNN 8 Feb 2010 - Israeli occupation forces kidnapped 70 Palestinian workers overnight in the west bank near Bait Aor Al-Tahta village, in west of Ramallah. The workers were hidden in a van as they were not given permissions to work inside 1948 occupied lands. The workers were hiding in a van launched from Jerusalem towards the1948 occupied lands.Shaher Sad, the secretary general of the Palestine General...
Yishai moves to legalize Beit Yehonatan
Jeruslalem Post 8 Feb 2010 - Eli Yishai authorizes vote on the east J'lem building’s status next week.
'Israelis abroad should vote'
Jeruslalem Post 8 Feb 2010 - PM backs Israel Beiteinu bill which would "help shape Israel's identity."
'Activists try to disrupt security ops'
Jeruslalem Post 8 Feb 2010 - IDF says int’l group urged foreign members to turn up activity in Israel.
Lieberman: My critics are losers
Jeruslalem Post 8 Feb 2010 - FM lashes out at political opponents, highlighting coalition's strength.
Mashaal: US 'vetoed' Palestinian unity
Jeruslalem Post 8 Feb 2010 - Group's leader arrives for talks just a week before PM scheduled to visit there.
Israel opens Jalama crossing to tour buses
Jeruslalem Post 8 Feb 2010 -
Analysis: Barkat plays Samson
Jeruslalem Post 8 Feb 2010 - Mayor never made a secret of his plans to incorporate Jewish presence in Silwan into his plans to turn J'lem into a tourist attraction.
IDF: 50 activists working to disrupt security ops in W. Bank
Jeruslalem Post 8 Feb 2010 - Defense officials say int’l group called on foreign members to turn up activity in Israel.
Activists’ release prompts questions on Oz jurisdiction
Jeruslalem Post 8 Feb 2010 - Does the Interior Ministry’s Oz Immigration Authority have the right to operate in the West Bank?
OPT: Building back in Gaza - with mud bricks
IRIN GAZA Monday, February 08, 2010 (IRIN) - Hassan al-Err, aged 67, and his seven-member family are moving into a mud house built by the UN agency for Palestinian refugees (UNRWA) in the Gaza Strip, because other building materials are not available.
EGYPT: Controversial organ transplant bill welcomed by WHO
IRIN CAIRO Sunday, February 07, 2010 (IRIN) - A controversial organ transplant bill expected to become law in the next few weeks could regularize organ transplants and curb Egypt’s booming illicit trade in human organs, experts say.
Weekly Report on Israeli Human Rights Violations in the Occupied Palestinian Territory
PCHR Israeli Occupation Forces (IOF) Continue Systematic Attacks against Palestinian Civilians and Property in the Occupied Palestinian Territory (OPT) · A child was wounded in Beit Ummar village, north of Hebron.
International activists to accompany Gazan farmers
2/9/2010 - International Solidarity Movement - On Tuesday the 9th February 2010, ISM Gaza volunteers will be accompanying farmers from the village of Khuza'a near Khan Younis to their land near the border with Israel where soldiers fired at the farmers recently on several occasions. Several farmers have been shot by Israeli forces while farming their lands. 5 June 2009, Shoka, Rafah: Khaled Ismail Mohammed Jahjuh was shot in his lower spine by the Israeli army. 3 June 2009, Beit Hanoun: Ali Mohammed al-Zummara, 65, injured by shrapnel in the back. 3 June 2009, Beit Hanoun: Saleh Mohammed al-Zummara, 66, injured by a gunshot to the left hand. 3 June 2009, Bedouin village ‘Um An-Nassir': Ahmed Tawfiq Abu Hashish, 17, injured by shrapnel to the left shoulder and foot. 3 June 2009, Bedouin village ‘Um An-Nassir': Saleh Ahmed al-Madani, 17, seriously. . .
Sheikh Jarrah settlers threaten Palestinians with M-16 for the second time in 8 days
2/8/2010 - International Solidarity Movement - Today at around 3PM, a settler named Yoni was caught spray painting a swastika on the Ghawi tent by an Palestinian who was driving by in his truck. The truck driver yelled at the settler, Yoni and called the police. When the police arrived they ignored the settler and accused neighborhood Palestinians of having painted the swastika. Palestinians painted over the swastika to prevent further accusations. Later, at 5. 30 the settler came back again and this time accompanied with another settler dressed in army uniform. This time they threatened the 87 years old Rifka Al-Kurd with a M-16 machine gun and said that they would kill her. All this was taped by the Al-Kurd daughter and the recording was shown to the police who arrived 15 to 20 minutes after the incident started. The settler who was carrying the machine gun was arrested, but the one called Yoni managed to escape the scene before the police arrived.
Israel admits detention of international activists illegal
2/8/2010 - International Solidarity Movement - A state prosecutor admitted before the Supreme Court today that the Immigration Police illegally detained the two international activists arrested yesterday in a pre-dawn raid on the International Solidarity Movement's Ramallah offices. The two will be released on bail. Earlier today, the Israeli Supreme Court ordered the release on bail of the two activists who were arrested on Sunday during a pre-dawn raid on the Ramallah media office of the International Solidarity Movement. During the hearing, the State Prosecutor admitted that it was illegal for the Immigration Police to receive custody of the two in the Occupied Territories, where it has no legal authority. While the illegality of the detention of the two, Ariadna Jove Marti, a Spanish journalist, and Bridgette Chappell, an Australian student in the Beir Zeit university, by the Immigration Police is now undisputed, the overall legality of the raid remains contested.
Israeli forces fire upon a demonstration in Gaza
2/8/2010 - International Solidarity Movement - The Israeli army fired four shots and shouted abuse at the group of about 40 Palestinians and internationals who, on Monday 8th February ‘10, walked within 50 meters of the Erez border crossing, waving Palestinian flags and chanting demands for justice and an end to the Occupation. Similar demonstrations have taken place weekly for over a month and this is the closest that the demonstrators got to the border, so far. To mark the occasion two Palestinian flags were placed at the furtherest spots the demonstrators reached. ‘ I don’t think a Palestinian set a foot at this place for a long time’, said a participant. The organizers, the volunteers form the ‘Local Initiative’ in Beit Hanoun were inspired by the similar peaceful resistance initiatives in Ni’lin ans Bil’in. Their aim is to support people who have farms in the so called ‘buffer zone’, a 300 metre wide belt of Palestinian land which Israelis declared a no-go area.
Germany's only Jewish film festival in danger of closure
Ha'aretz 8 Feb 2010 - Around 100 Jewish film festivals are held worldwide each year, most of them in the United States and Canada.
Israel protests to Russia over Hamas leader Meshal's visit
Ha'aretz 8 Feb 2010 - On trip to Moscow, Meshal says Israel's aggression and U.S. backtracking made Mideast peace impossible.
Iran FM: Israel is a crazy country run by crazy people
Ha'aretz 8 Feb 2010 - Mottaki tells Al-Jazeera Israel is 'weaker than ever', but vows Iran will defend itself in case of attack.
Turmoil at NY Times as Israel bureau chief's son enlists in IDF
Ha'aretz 8 Feb 2010 - Public Editor Hoyt says Bronner should be reassigned, while Executive Editor Keller sees no conflict of interest.
IAEA prepares to intervene as Iran declares new nuclear plans
Ha'aretz 8 Feb 2010 - Barak urges world not to ignore Iran provocations; Russian lawmaker calls for 'serious measure' against Iran.
Palestinian FM: New Mideast talks must focus above all on borders
Ha'aretz 8 Feb 2010 - PA official: 3-month talks to begin February 20; Abbas agrees in principle to U.S. proposed mediation.
Swastikas and racist graffiti smeared on French mosque
Ha'aretz 8 Feb 2010 - About a dozen inscriptions were painted on the walls of the Great Mosque in Saint-Etienne.
Saudis urges firm stance on Israel after Ayalon handshake
Ha'aretz 8 Feb 2010 - Saudi Arabia downplay significance of meeting with Deputy FM, condemns Israel's treatment of Palestinians.
Hamas rejects Palestinian Authority call for July elections
Ha'aretz 8 Feb 2010 - Palestinian Authority calls for municipal elections on July 17; Hamas says move is 'illegitimate'
Iran informs UN of plan to enrich nuclear fuel at higher levels
Ha'aretz 8 Feb 2010 - Tehran to begin enriching up to 20 percent from its present stock of lower enriched uranium.
Jordan king: Iran may give up nukes if Mideast conflict resolved
Ha'aretz 8 Feb 2010 - Jordan's King Abdullah: Israel, Palestinians in desperate need of U.S. attention in negotiations.
Abbas give in to U.S. pressure for indirect Mideast talks
Ha'aretz 8 Feb 2010 - U.S. envoy George Mitchell to mediate proximity talks; PM believes talks will begin in late February.
Hamas fails to pay January salaries of Gaza civil servants
Ha'aretz 8 Feb 2010 - A senior official at the Hamas-run Finance Ministry blamed the delay on new 'technical procedures.'
Assad: We will stand by Lebanon if attacked by Israel
Ha'aretz 8 Feb 2010 - Netanyahu: Israel seeks peace with all neighbors; Saudi paper says Hezbollah has raised alert in Lebanon.
Building a peaceful future | Seth Freedman
The Guardian 8 Feb 2010 - Plans for a mixed Arab and Jewish neighbourhood in Jerusalem could be a step towards eradicating decades of hostility For all that Jerusalem is perpetually mired in clashes between rival groups of Arab and Jewish residents,...
Israel's top skier dreams of victory as he heads to winter games
Ha'aretz 8 Feb 2010 - While Vladimir Renzhin trained some of Europe's finest alpine skiers on the frigid peaks of Ukraine, his young son Mikail would watch their every move from the safety of the lodge, fixated. When he was 3 years old, the younger Renzhin first stuck his feet in ski boots and started working on his snowplow technique. ...
Gideon Levy / If Israel lets ex-pats vote, what's to stop enfranchising all Jews?
Ha'aretz 8 Feb 2010 - What rejoicing in America! How delighted they will be - Abe (formerly Avraham), Joe (formerly Yossi) and Sam (formerly Shmulik). From now on, they will be able to vote from afar. ...
Gay Israeli families struggle for acceptance at kids' schools
Ha'aretz 8 Feb 2010 - When Sefi and Tali Rachlin-Paz's son Yotam started going to kindergarten, near their home in South Tel Aviv's Shapira neighborhood, both his parents came to talk with the teacher. "We told the usual story we tell to people we've just met, especially in the education system," explained Shefi Paz, a book designer. "We tell them Yotam was raised in a family with two mothers and he calls us Imma and Mama. It's our way of putting the cards on the table and coordinating expectations." ...
Yoel Marcus / If Netanyahu wants peace, he must lose Lieberman
Ha'aretz 8 Feb 2010 - In our government, everyone talks whenever he pleases about whatever he pleases. Foreign Minister Avigdor Lieberman acts like the neighborhood bully; his style and statements suit the extreme right's worst thugs, who do what they want in the territories. ...
Move for absentee voting prompts fire across the political spectrum
Ha'aretz 8 Feb 2010 - Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Yisrael Beiteinu head Avigdor Lieberman announced Monday that they intend to promote a bill that would let Israeli citizens vote from abraod in Knesset elections. The parallel announcements appeared to be coordinated. ...
Palestinians to urge again for Gaza inquiry-prosecutor
Relief Web 8 Feb 2010 - Source: Reuters - AlertNet
Joint Press Release on the Meeting between Dr. Yukio Hatoyama, Prime Minister of Japan, and Dr. Mahmoud Abbas, Palestinian President
Relief Web 8 Feb 2010 - Source: Government of Japan
Palestinians to hold local elections in July
Relief Web 8 Feb 2010 - Source: Agence France-Presse
OPT: Serious Increase in Internal Violence in Gaza - Al Mezan
Relief Web 8 Feb 2010 - Source: Al Mezan Center for Human Rights
Urgency of Addressing Permanent Status Issues to Form Theme for International Meeting in Support of Israeli-Palestinian Peace, in Malta, 12-13 February
Relief Web 8 Feb 2010 - Source: UN General Assembly
OPT: Behind the Marathon - Playing together and involving the fathers
Relief Web 8 Feb 2010 - Source: European Commission Humanitarian Aid department, Médecins du Monde
Livni: Allowing Israelis to vote abroad immoral
YNet News 8 Feb 2010 - Opposition leader slams Netanyahu's plan to submit bill allowing all Israeli citizens who live overseas to vote, says 'Israel's future, character should be determined by people who live here'
Saudis urge firm stance on Israel after handshake with Ayalon
YNet News 8 Feb 2010 - Riyadh appeals to international community on need for 'rigorous position' regarding Israel's 'threats against Lebanon, Syria and Palestinians.' Ex-head of Saudi intelligence downplays significance of Munich encounter with deputy FM
US, France lead calls for sanctions against Iran
YNet News 8 Feb 2010 - After Tehran announces plans to produce higher-enriched uranium, add 10 nuclear sites in a year, US Defense Secretary Gates and French President Sarkozy agree Islamic Republic should face 'strong sanctions' over its nuclear program. Possible targets for sanctions: Iran's central bank, Revolutionary Guards
Hamas sees 'no prospects' for Mideast peace
YNet News 8 Feb 2010 - After meeting with Russian foreign minister Khaled Mashaal says Israeli leaders block negotiations with PA, Syria and Lebanon by 'bringing war and occupation,' leaving Russia's hopes of holding regional peace conference in doubt
Iran FM: Israel a mad nation led by insane people
YNet News 8 Feb 2010 - Mottaki says 'Zionist regime is in its weakest position' following Goldstone Report, Lebanon and Gaza wars, but warns entire region 'must be prepared for crazy operations against us'
Yemen's al-Qaeda calls for jihad against Jews, Christians
YNet News 8 Feb 2010 - Deputy leader of terror group's Yemen-based wing says, 'We advise people in Arabian Peninsula to prepare and carry your weapons and to defend your religion and yourselves'
UK assures Ayalon he won't be arrested
YNet News 8 Feb 2010 - Deputy foreign minister addresses International Institute for Strategic Studies in London on Mideast issues. He attempts to ease tensions with Syria, says Israel will maintain good relations with Turkey, but 'will react to dangerous rhetoric emanating from our neighbors'
Iran tells UN of enrichment plan as new sanctions loom
Daily Star 8 Feb 2010 Iran said Monday it has formally told the UN nuclear watchdog of its plan to produce higher enriched uranium, sparking fresh warnings by world powers of new sanctions against the Islamic Republic. "Iran's official letter about commencing the 20 percent enrichment activity in order to provide fuel for the Tehran reactor has been handed over to the IAEA"
Expect only modest US gains from thaw with Syria: analysts
Daily Star 8 Feb 2010 The Obama team may get modest benefits from ending a five-year chill with Damascus but will find it hard, if not impossible to peel Syria way from hardline ally Iran and break the Arab-Israeli stalemate, analysts said. US President Barack Obama's administration said last week it submitted its nominee for ambassador to Damascus, the fruit of a year-long drive to engage Syria in a bid to promote Arab-Israeli peace
Palestinians want peace talks to focus on borders
Daily Star 8 Feb 2010 Palestinian officials demanded on Monday that any US-backed peace talks with Israel focus on border issues and be given a deadline of up to four months. Washington has proposed circumventing a dispute preventing the resumption of talks, stalled for more than a year since a war in Gaza, by reconvening in the form of "proximity talks" on an indirect basis, under closer US mediation
Egypt arrests 3 top Muslim Brotherhood leaders
Daily Star 8 Feb 2010 The Number two leader of Egypt's opposition Muslim Brotherhood and two other top figures have been arrested by police Monday in a dawn sweep targeting members of the nation's most powerful opposition group across the country. The arrests, part of an ongoing crackdown, come just as the group chose a new leadership and ahead of parliamentary elections set for October
Hamas leader holds talks on Palestinian unity in Moscow
Daily Star 8 Feb 2010 The leader of Palestinian Islamist group Hamas met in Moscow Monday with Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov for talks on efforts to reunify the two main Palestinian independence movements. "We met to pursue our discussions, and our principal goal is to build on efforts brokered by Egypt to secure Palestinian unity," Lavrov told reporters at the start of talks with Hamas political leader Khaled Meshaal
Israeli police raid East Jerusalem refugee camp
Daily Star 8 Feb 2010 Israeli security forces on Monday raided a Palestinian refugee camp in occupied East Jerusalem, arresting 11 people in an operation police said was aimed at putting "some order" in the area. Dozens of police and border police forces in jeeps entered the densely populated Shuafat camp in the north of occupied and occupied East Jerusalem after midnight, witnesses and police said
Iran reformist leaders deny links to foreigners
Daily Star 8 Feb 2010 Iran's top reformist leaders on Monday rejected the authorities' accusation that the opposition movement had links to foreigners and urged people to attend rallies on Thursday marking the 1979 Islamic revolution. The opposition is expected to revive anti-government protests at the February 11 events, raising fears of further clashes with the security forces
Rights group: Bahrain has resumed torturing detainees
Daily Star 8 Feb 2010 The Gulf kingdom of Bahrain resumed torturing detainees in 2007 after about a decade of not engaging in the "scourge," US-based Human Rights Watch (HRW) said in a report released Monday. As of late 2007, "torture is back in the repertoire of Bahrain's security services" the international watchdog said in the report
Palestinian journalists scoff at “farcical election”
PIC 8 Feb 2010 - Independent and professional journalists throughout Occupied Palestine are scoffing at the “journalists’ union elections” which took place on Saturday under the aegis of the Fatah ..
Khudari hails Turkish support for Gaza steadfastness
PIC 8 Feb 2010 - MP Jamal Al-Khudari on Monday described the Turkish government, institutions and people as an honorable model of unlimited support for the Palestinian people.
PFLP warns of returning to negotiations with the Israelis
PIC 8 Feb 2010 - The PFLP has warned that the US-Israeli diplomatic maneuvers were meant to liquidate the Palestinian cause through the resumption of the "indirect" talks between the PA in Ramallah and the IOA.
Protest rally against Ayalon's visit to UK
PIC 8 Feb 2010 - Tens of British citizens and Arabs and Palestinians living in London gathered in front of the IISS to protest the visit of Daniel Ayalon, the deputy Israeli foreign minister, to the UK.
Mishaal-Lavrov meeting focuses on Palestinian reconciliation
PIC 8 Feb 2010 - Russian foreign minister Sergey Lavrov discussed Palestinian reconciliation efforts with a visiting delegation of the Hamas Movement led by its leader Khaled Mishaal on Monday.
Egypt starts building sea barrier near Rafah coast
PIC 8 Feb 2010 - After building the steel wall, the Egyptian authorities started constructing a sea barrier near the coast of Rafah close to the international mark number one, an Egyptian paper said.
IOF troops storm house of Hamas leader in W. Bank
PIC 8 Feb 2010 - The IOF stormed the house of Palestinian citizen Ismail Abu Tamie, one of the political leaders of Hamas in Jenin city, north of the West Bank, on Monday, local sources revealed.
Mishaal in Russia on official visit
PIC 8 Feb 2010 - Khaled Mishaal arrived in Moscow on Monday at the head of a delegation to confer with Russian foreign minister on latest Palestinian developments and means of ending the internal Palestinian rift.
Haneyya discuses reconciliation mechanisms with PFLP leaders
PIC 8 Feb 2010 - Ismail Haneyya has discussed the Palestinian affairs and the file of the national reconciliation with a delegation from the PFLP, sources in the PA government revealed.
Jewish settlers uproot Palestinian grape trees
PIC 8 Feb 2010 - Armed Jewish settlers have attacked and uprooted grape trees in Al-Baqa area east of Al-Khalil city under the protection of Israeli occupation forces (IOF), local sources said.
Iran Nuclear Plans Start New Calls for Sanctions
New York Times 8 Feb 2010 - After Iran notified the U.N. nuclear agency of plans to enrich its uranium, officials from the U.S., France and Russia called for stronger measures against Tehran.
An 'Israeli Remix' of a Palestinian Scarf
New York Times 8 Feb 2010 - A Jewish D.J. in Brooklyn finds himself defending his right to market what he calls an "Israeli remix of the keffiyeh," a symbol of Palestinian identity.
Danny Ayalon's Arrival Sparks Outrage In London
Palestine Monitor - 8 Feb 2010 - A protest march will be held in London today against the arrival of deputy foreign minister Danny Ayalon. The Palestine Solidarity Campaign and British Muslim Initiative are co-ordinating the march, expected to number several hundred, to highlight the ongoing human rights abuses perpetrated by the Israeli...
Human Rights Groups Say Israel and Hamas Fail in Investigations
Mondoweiss - 8 Feb 2010 - A chorus of statements from human rights organizations has determined that both Israel and Palestinian authorities have failed to conduct independent, impartial investigations into alleged war crimes committed during last year’s Israeli assault on Gaza. The United Nations’ Goldstone report called on both sides to conduct...
‘New York Times Fails to Disclose Possible Conflict of Interest’–ABC News
Mondoweiss - 8 Feb 2010 - Story itself is a rehash . But the headline is choice, and echoes the EI item that broke the kerfuffle. Related posts: In Political Coverage, ‘The Times’ Fails to Identify the Jewish Right First it was Jayson Blair. Now ‘Times’ fails to identify ‘mishpocha’ as Yiddish In...
Goldberg is neo-segregationist
Mondoweiss - 8 Feb 2010 - Listen to Jeffrey Goldberg on the Ethan Bronner flap, saying his friend should of course stay in Jerusalem: this is a somewhat obvious point except to propagandists, reporters are capable of actually separating out their personal interests from their coverage. I’ve worked with Palestinian reporters in...
Ahmed Moor wants to make aliyah!
Mondoweiss - 8 Feb 2010 - Dear friends, I’m finished with Beirut; I’m moving to Israel. There is a remarkable philanthropic organization called Nefesh B’Nefesh seeking people just like me for “the first ever formal initiative to populate Israel’s northern region with English speaking Olim.” My options are a little limited; I...
Bronner story keeps on ticking
Mondoweiss - 8 Feb 2010 - Gray lady has a thorn in her side. Bernard Avishai says (and I tend to agree) that Ethan Bronner shouldn’t be moved from Jerusalem just because his son joined the IDF. But Avishai then quotes Karl Popper and Thomas Kuhn in a highminded (and dual-nationalized) struggle...
Tuesday, February 9, 2010
Shabak Instructs Lieberman’s Bodyguards Not To Speak In Russian
IMEMC 9 Feb 2010 - Wednesday February 10, 2010 - 02:42, The Israeli General Security Agency, Shabak, informed the guards of Israel’s Foreign Minister, Avigdor Lieberman, that they will not be allowed to talk to him in Russian and should only use the Hebrew language in their communication with the minister.
Israel Retracts Its Pardon Of Palestinian Fighter In Nablus
IMEMC 9 Feb 2010 - Tuesday February 09, 2010 - 23:22, Senior Palestinian sources reported Tuesday that the Israeli government retracted its full pardon previously issued to a Palestinian fighter from the northern West Bank city of Nablus, and decided downgrade it into a partial pardon.
Clashes Continue At Jerusalem Refugee Camp Following Monday's Attacks
IMEMC 9 Feb 2010 - Tuesday February 09, 2010 - 16:44, Tensions continued, on Tuesday, at the Shu’fat refugee camp, East Jerusalem, following yesterday’s clashes and arrests, Ma’an News Agency reported.
The Israeli Military Opens Fire at Farm Lands Near Gaza City
IMEMC 9 Feb 2010 - Tuesday February 09, 2010 - 16:05, Israeli tanks stationed at the borders of the central part of the Gaza Strip opened fire at farm lands on Tuesday, at midday.
Non-Violent Action Continues In The Gaza Strip; Inspired By The West Bank
IMEMC 9 Feb 2010 - Tuesday February 09, 2010 - 15:49, A delegation of farmers from Beit Hanoun, in the Gaza Strip, will be joined by international supporters from the International Solidarity Movement, Tuesday, in a demonstration inspired by the non-violent protest carried out by villagers in the West Bank.
The Israeli Military Detained 16 Palestinian Civilians From The West Bank
IMEMC 9 Feb 2010 - Tuesday February 09, 2010 - 15:35, The Israeli military detained 16 Palestinian civilians during invasions targeting West Bank communities, late Monday night and Tuesday at dawn.
Shaath: “Hamas Will Release Fateh Detainees, Reopen Headquarters”
IMEMC 9 Feb 2010 - Tuesday February 09, 2010 - 12:46, Dr. Nabil Shaath, a Member of Fatah’s Central Committee, stated that the Hamas government in Gaza will be releasing Fatah political prisoners in the coming days, and will also re-open Fatah headquarters it had previously shut down.
Israel To Partially Open Gaza Trade Crossings
IMEMC 9 Feb 2010 - Tuesday February 09, 2010 - 11:28, The Israeli Authorities decided, Tuesday, to partially open its trade crossings with the Gaza Strip to allow the entry of some foodstuffs, and to enable the export of flowers and strawberries.
British Government Promises Israeli Official He Won't Be Arrested During Visit
IMEMC 9 Feb 2010 - Tuesday February 09, 2010 - 10:14, After receiving a letter from the British Foreign Ministry promising that he wouldn't be arrested for war crimes while in England, Israeli Deputy Foreign Minister Danny Ayalon arrived in London on Monday.
Effort To Retroactively Approve Illegal Jerusalem Settlement Backed By Interior Minister
IMEMC 9 Feb 2010 - Tuesday February 09, 2010 - 09:36, A seven-story building constructed by right-wing Israeli settlers on Palestinian land, in East Jerusalem in 2004, is moving toward receiving 'retroactive approval,' with the unexpected support of Israel's Interior Minister, Eli Yishai. This support adds an air of legitimacy to the settler's illegal maneuver.
Jerusalem mayor to raze 200 Palestinian homes
2/9/2010 - Nazareth - Jerusalem's mayor threatened last week to demolish 200 homes in Palestinian neighbourhoods of the city in an act even he conceded would probably bring long-simmering tensions over housing in East Jerusalem to a boil. His uncompromising stance is the latest stage in a protracted legal battle over a single building towering above the jumble of modest homes of Silwan, a deprived and overcrowded Palestinian community lying just outside the Old City walls, in the shadow of the silver-topped al Aqsa mosque. Beit Yehonatan, or Jonathan's House, is distinctive not only for its height - at seven storeys, it is at least three floors taller than its neighbors - but also for the Israeli flag draped from the roof to the street. The settlement outpost, named for Jonathan Pollard, serving a life sentence in the US for spying on Israel's behalf in the 1980s, has been home to eight. . .
Shots fired as activists test Gaza ’exclusion zone’
2/9/2010 - Gaza - Ma'an - A few dozen Palestinian and international protesters approached Gaza's northern-most area on Sunday, drawing fire from Israeli forces operating an "exclusion zone" inside the coastal enclave's borders. Israeli armed forces fired four gunshots when the group approached an area near the Erez crossing, said Saber Az-Za'anin, coordinator of Local Initiative, a Beit Hanoun-based organization seeking to reclaim some 300 meters of privately owned farmland. Az-Za'anin said soldiers also shouted at the protesters, demanding they leave the area, and opened fire when they initially refused. "We decided to leave for the sake of our lives and to avoid any danger. . . we want to break the siege in a peaceful way," he said. An Israeli military spokesman told Ma'an that "IDF soldiers identified a suspicious gathering in a restricted area in the northern Gaza. "
Israeli police disperse prisoner’s homecoming rally in Jerusalem
2/9/2010 - Jerusalem - Ma'an - Israeli police used violent force to disrupt a celebratory rally marking the release of Ahmad Mahmoud Abu Al-Hawa from Israeli prison after serving 10 years in various facilities. The rally, hosted in the At-Tur neighborhood east of the Old City, was in contravention of an Israeli military order preventing the gathering of individuals or any activities marking the release of Abu Al-Hawa. Witnesses said the border police used stun grenades to disperse the group, which continued to march in celebration despite the attack. [end]
Israeli warplanes fire on southern Gaza
2/10/2010 - Bethlehem - Ma'an - Israeli warplanes fired on the southern Gaza Strip late Tuesday night, locals reported and the army confirmed. There were no immediate reports of injury. An Israeli military spokeswoman told Ma'an the strikes came in retaliation for projectiles launched into the western Negev in recent days. In a separate statement, the army also warned that it would "continue to operate firmly against anyone who uses terror against the State of Israel. Hamas is solely responsible for maintaining peace and quiet in the Gaza Strip. "The airstrikes targeted the Yasser Arafat International Airport in Dahaniya, said BBC correspondent Shadi Al-Kashif. Five missiles struck the facility in total, Agence France-Presse quoted a witness as saying. Israeli forces last targeted the airport on 3 February in response to an attempted naval attack. Three Palestinians were wounded in those airstrikes, which also targeted a tunnel along the Gaza-Egypt border. . . . .
MKs, pro-settler activists visit Sheikh Jarrah
2/9/2010 - Jerusalem - Ma'an - A delegation of members of the Knesset's Internal Committee, along with pro-settler campaigners, visited on Tuesday the Sheikh Jarrah neighborhood in occupied East Jerusalem, and Palestinian homes taken over by Israeli settlers last summer. Amal Al-Qassam, a Palestinian Jerusalemite, said that the delegation was accompanied by Israeli police. A delegation of Palestinian members of Knesset, headed by Muhammad Barakeh, is expected to visit the neighborhood in a show of solidarity with Palestinians evicted from their homes, Ma'an's correspondent said. [end]
Palestinian shot, 5 settlers injured in West Bank clashes
2/10/2010 - Nablus - Ma'an - An Israeli settler shot a Palestinian teenager south of Nablus on Tuesday afternoon, officials said, during clashes that reportedly left five settlers injured. Amid Kadous, 18, was lightly to moderately injured by a gunshot wound to the leg, according to medics at Rafidia Hospital in Nablus. Ghassan Doghlas, a Palestinian Authority official who holds the settlements portfolio for the northern West Bank, told Ma'an that a settler opened fire directly toward Kadous after clashes broke out east of the village of Iraq Burin, near the Har Bracha settlement. The settlers were in the area planting crops on Palestinian farmland adjacent to the settlement, he added. An Israeli military spokesman said a civilian guard at the settlement fired warning shots into the air as part of an arrest procedure that followed a riot during which Palestinians threw stones and boulders at foreign nationals who were volunteering at a vineyard connected to the settlement.
Israel invades Al-Aroub camp, detains two youth
2/9/2010 - Hebron - Ma'an - Israeli forces detained invaded the Al-Aroub Refugee Camp north of Hebron Tuesday morning, taking six young men from their homes. Of the six targeted by the Israeli army, four were later released. Two others, identified asNaseem Rebhi Al-Jawabreh, 19, and Bayan Khaled Zaqqout, 20, were taken to an unknown location. [end]
Locals: Israeli forces detain workers, erect flying checkpoint
2/9/2010 - Jericho - Ma'an - Israeli forces detained late on Monday night a group of Palestinian workers in the industrial area near Khan Al-Ahmar, Jericho. According to locals, Israeli forces erected a flying checkpoint at the entrance of the industrial zone and confiscated workers' permits. Those detained were taken to Ma'ale Adummim police station for questioning, they added. Among the workers detained were Muhammad As-Samhury, Muhammad Hmeidan, and Ahmad Hassan. Weal Nathif, head of the Palestinian workers' union in Jericho, said the detention of workers was a serious issue and that the union will follow up on the detentions. An Israeli military spokesman said that the army was not familiar with the incident, following an initial investigation into the report. . . . .
Building back in Gaza - with mud bricks
2/10/2010 - Gaza - IRIN - Hassan Al-Err, aged 67, and his seven-member family are moving into a mud house built by the UN agency for Palestinian refugees (UNRWA) in the Gaza Strip, because other building materials are not available. The two-bedroom house in the Ezbet Abed Rabbo neighborhood of Jabaliya town, north of Gaza City, is an improvement on the tent in which they had been living - next to the rubble of their former home. Rebuilding homes damaged in last year's 23-day war has been almost impossible because Israel and Egypt do not allow construction materials such as cement and steel into the Strip, saying they could be used for military purposes. "I can't forget how hard the past year has been for me and my family living in a tent in the cold winter and the hot summer," Al-Err told IRIN. Of course a mud house is much better than a tent, although it's not a real solution because I can't build another flat on top of it for my two married sons who live in a rented house in Jabaliya town.
Two Gaza terminals partially open
2/9/2010 - Gaza - Ma'an - Gaza's Kerem Shalom and Karni crossings will open partially Tuesday, allowing the delivery of humanitarian aid and commercial goods into the besieged Gaza Strip, as well as limited exports of flowers and strawberries, officials said. Palestinian crossings liaison official Raed Fattouh said he was informed by Israeli sides that 65 t0 75 truckloads would enter Gaza via the Kerem Shalom crossing, plus limited quantities of domestic gas and industrial diesel. Via the Karni crossing, he said, 85 truckloads of wheat and animal feed would be permitted entry. Exports under the auspices of a Dutch government program continue, seeing two trucks carrying strawberries and flowers export the goods via Kerem Shalom. . . . .
Israeli forces detain PA security guard
2/9/2010 - Hebron - Ma'an - Israeli forces detained a Palestinian Authority security guard near the central West Bank city of Bethlehem on Tuesday evening, a security source confirmed, after he was accused of possessing a knife. Ahmed Taqatqa was en route to Hebron from his home in Beit Fajjar when he was detained near the Kfar Etzion junction on accusations he had a knife in his car, the source said, denying the official explanation for his arrest. Approached by Ma'an, an Israeli military spokesman confirmed that a Palestinian was detained in the same area on grounds he had a knife in his possession. He was transferred to Israeli police, the spokesman said. Palestinian civilians are detained multiple times each week on accusations they were found to be in possession of knives or sharp tools, although it is not as common for PA security officers to be held on such charges as they are generally permitted to carry firearms and other weapons. . . . .
Palestinians to urge ICC action over Gaza war
2/9/2010 - Bethlehem - Ma'an/Agencies - International Criminal Court prosecutors will host Palestinain officials in The Netherlands, where they will present arguments for the prosecution of crimes committed on Palestinian land during Israel's Operation Cast Lead, Reuters reported Monday. Palestinian officials will present at the court in March, the ICC chief prosecutor Luis Moreno-Ocampor told Reuters, noting no decision over whether or not to proceed with a case would be made until after their arguments were heard. The ICC already launched a preliminary investigation in the fall of 2009, and the Palestinian Authority officially recognized ICC jurisdiction during the course of the probe. In October 2009, Minister of Justice in the caretaker government Ali Al-Khashan presented papers at the ICC and answered several inquiries from the court that he said would guarantee Palestine a place within the Rome Statute and thus full membership at the court.
Mash’al: US insistence on talks stalls unity efforts
2/9/2010 - Bethlehem - Ma'an - Chief of the Hamas politburo Khalid Mash'al accused the United States on Monday of hindering Palestinian unity efforts by insisting on a peace process when there was no opportunity to do so with the current Israeli government. Speaking to reporters following a meeting with Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov in Moscow, Mash'al said Hamas "wants reconciliation with Fatah as soon as possible," but noted obstacles to unity included several American conditions placed on going back to peace talks. He further explained that Hamas was ready to sign the initial Egyptian unity document, but noted the current version signed by Fatah officials had been amended without consulting Hamas. He said that without American intervention the re-negotiation of the unity document would be straightforward. On the status of prisoner-swap talks, Mash'al said he held Israeli Prime. . .
Fayyad: End army raids, settlement construction
2/9/2010 - Ramallah - Ma'an - Greeting the Assistant Secretary-General of the United Nations Office of Political Affairs Oscar Fernandes on Monday, Prime Minister Salam Fayyad stressed the importance of the UN's role in compelling Israel to abide by its roadmap obligations. According to the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs, there were on average 103 raids into West Bank areas each week in 2009. Peace Now numbers indicate a 20% increase in the number of West Bank settlers since 2003, when the roadmap plan was initiated. Phase I of that plan had an Israeli pullout from the West Bank and a halt to settlement construction. At the government headquarters in Ramallah, Fayyad told Fernandes that the UN, as a global institution and a member of the Middle East Quartet, has the power to demand and implement a halt to settlement construction and Israeli raids of the West Bank.
Israelis denounce Russia for Mash’al visit
2/9/2010 - Bethlehem - Ma'an - Chief of Hamas' politburo Khalid Mash'al's Moscow visit has sparked controversy in Israel, with complaints being raised to Russian officials, Israeli media reported on Tuesday. According to Kol Israel radio, officials have called on Russia to stall meetings between the Hamas delegation, headed by Mash'al, and Russian leaders. Other Israeli media outlets speculated that Mash'al was tipped to meet with Russian PresidentDmitriy Medvedev and Prime Minister Vladimir Putin. However meetings have only been held between Mash'al and Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov. Russian Ambassador to Israel Peter Stegny said that Russia has maintained contact with Hamas following its electoral victory in the Palestinian general elections in 2006. Mash'al arrived in Moscow on Monday with a delegation for talks on Palestinian reconciliation and the peace process with Russian officials.
Bardawil: Reopening Fatah HQ depends on reconciliation
2/9/2010 - Gaza - Ma'an - Hamas leader Salah Bardawil said on Tuesday that the reopening the headquarters of Fatah in Gaza is tied into the reconciliation process and depends on making agreements based on common national interests, he said in a statement. Bardawil called on Fatah "to stop their crimes in the West Bank against Palestinians their practices to oppose freedom. . . ""Reconciliation requires that Fatah stop their practices. . . against Hamas in order to prepare for an atmosphere of unity. " The Hamas leader added that the de facto government aspires toward social stability and peace within the community, which he said are core Hamas values. On Monday Fatah Central Committee member Nabil Sha'ath said that Hamas will instruct its government in the Gaza Strip to release detainees held on political grounds and reopen the Fatah party headquarters within the next two days.
Palestinians prepare world’s largest keffiyeh
2/9/2010 - Nablus - Ma'an - The Friends of Palestine Society began weaving what will soon be the world's largest Palestinian keffiyeh to be unveiled on Land Day, 30 March, and be judged for entry into the Guinness book of world records, the society announced Tuesday. The project will be undertaken by 50 Palestinian and international volunteers, who will work through February and March on the 500 x 5 meter checkered scarf. On Land Day, the society will display the work on the world's largest separation wall, stringing it up near Ramallah. The scarf will then go on exhibition around the world, making tours first of dozens of Palestinian refugee camps and population centers of the Palestinian diaspora. Head of the society Omar Nasser said the effort was meant to commemorate the Palestinian liberation movement and the keffiyeh as a symbol of the unresolved Palestinian question. . . . .
Palestinian Al-Jazeera employee killed in Doha crash
2/9/2010 - Gaza - Ma'an - A Palestinian employee of Al-Jazeera was killed in a car accident in Doha on Sunday. Osama Munir Abdullah, 28, was a technical designer for the Arabic-language network's Web page, and was based in its news room. He was born in London to parents whose families were originally from Jenin. Osama was the son of the late Al-Jazeera presenter Mahir Abdullah, who was killed in a similar accident six years ago, also in Qatar. Mahir anchored the religious segment "Sharia and Life," and was considered among the network's more prominent presenters. He is survived by his wife and three daughters. [end]
Israel: Gaza crossing to stay shut as long as Hamas in power
Ha'aretz 9 Feb 2010 - Official: Structure of crossing, lack of coordination with Hamas puts it at high risk for terror attacks.
Israel strikes Gaza in response to Qassam rockets
Ha'aretz 9 Feb 2010 - Since the start of 2010, more than 20 rockets and mortars have been fired into Israel from Gaza.
Four things Netanyahu needs for an Israeli strike on Iran
Ha'aretz 9 Feb 2010 - Obama's timetable won't permit an attack on Iran this year, so Netanyahu has a lot of groundwork to prepare.
6 hurt in West Bank clashes between Palestinians, settlers
Ha'aretz 9 Feb 2010 - Palestinians hurl stones at American volunteers in a West Bank field; Israeli guard fires back.
Lieberman: Turkey's 'anti-Israel' line must not kill our ties
Ha'aretz 9 Feb 2010 - In Azerbaijan, Foreign Minister urges Turkey to make amendments to policy of 'weekly' condemnation.
Israeli Army Open Fire on Gazan Farmers and International Observors
Uruknet February 9, 2010- Gazan farmers whose land lies in Israeli defined buffer zone accompanied by international observers have been held down in their field by live gunfire. The Israeli army shot live ammunition for a quarter of an hour after finding the unarmed group fertilizing wheat crops. The international observers loudly informed the soldiers they were unarmed civilians, but the...
Video: Israel denies NGOs work permits
Uruknet February 9, 2010 - The Israeli interior ministry has stopped issuing work permits to foreigners working for international non-governmental organisations (NGOs). In the last few weeks, NGO staff have been given tourist visas instead, making it virtually impossible for them to carry out their work. The new Israeli policy affects 120 International NGOs, of which many which provide vital developmental...
Gaza: Abu Taima’s land
Uruknet February 9, 2010 - It’s like spring and we’re visiting the Abu Taima region. The different Abu Taima brothers and cousins speak of their land, all in or near the Israeli-imposed "buffer zone" (officially 300m in which Palestinians cannot enter without fear of being shot, killed; but in reality a land-annexation which extends even up to nearly 2 km, driving...
Aqsa foundation: Aqsa walls cracked
Uruknet February 9, 2010 - The Aqsa foundation for endowment and heritage that caters for Muslim holy shrines in Palestine disclosed that big cracks were seen in the northern wall of the Aqsa Mosque. According to a press release issued by the foundation and published by the Quds Press on Tuesday, the cracks were expanding day after day, and described the...
What's Israel's new strategy? Arresting Palestinian women
Uruknet February 9, 2010 - The arrest by the Israeli authorities of Montaha Altaweel has been condemned by Ahrar Centre for Studies on Human Rights and Prisoners. Ms. Altaweel is one of the most active women working in the prisoners' solidarity movement; her husband is the mayor of Albera, Gamal Altaweel. Fouad Alkhafesh, the Director of the Centre, regards Ms. Altaweel's...
A mother's grief
Uruknet February 9, 2010 - Nejoud al-Ashqar is a 30-year-old mother from the northern Gaza Strip town of Beit Lahiya. Two of her sons, Bilal, 5, and Mohammad, 6, were killed during Israel's invasion of Gaza last winter. Al-Ashqar also lost her right arm in the assault. Surrounded by her neighbors and her youngest son and daughter she recounted her story. "...
Effort To Retroactively Approve Illegal Jerusalem Settlement Backed By Israel's Interior Minister
Uruknet February 9, 2010 - A seven-story building constructed by right-wing Israeli settlers on Palestinian land, in East Jerusalem in 2004, is moving toward receiving 'retroactive approval,' with the unexpected support of Israel's Interior Minister, Eli Yishai. This support adds an air of legitimacy to the settler's illegal maneuver. After US President Barack Obama's retraction of his call, last year, that...
British Government Promises Israeli Official He Won't Be Arrested During Visit
Uruknet February 9, 2010 - After receiving a letter from the British Foreign Ministry promising that he wouldn't be arrested for war crimes while in England, Israeli Deputy Foreign Minister Danny Ayalon arrived in London on Monday. He is the first Israeli official to visit Britain since a British judge issued an edict declaring that Israeli officials would be subject to '...
Israel to raze 200 Palestinian homes in Jerusalem
Uruknet February 9, 2010 - Jerusalem’s mayor threatened last week to demolish 200 homes in Palestinian neighbourhoods of the city in an act even he conceded would probably bring long-simmering tensions over housing in East Jerusalem to a boil. His uncompromising stance is the latest stage in a protracted legal battle over a single building towering above the jumble of modest...
Israeli forces fire upon a demonstration in Gaza
Uruknet February 9, 2010 - The Israeli army fired four shots and shouted abuse at the group of about 40 Palestinians and internationals who, on Monday 8th February '10, walked within 50 meters of the Erez border crossing, waving Palestinian flags and chanting demands for justice and an end to the Occupation. Similar demonstrations have taken place weekly for over a...
No Treatment in Gaza, No Security Risk, but Israel Prevents a Seriously ill Man from Getting Treatment
Uruknet February 9, 2010 - Gisha and Physicians for Human Rights-Israel appealed to the High Court of Justice on behalf of Issam Hamdan against a District Court ruling blocking his exit from Gaza for emergency medical treatment.· The State refuses to allow him out of Gaza based on its claim that he may settle in the West Bank after treatment.· Mr....
Number of cancer patients in Gaza on the rise
Uruknet February 9, 2010 - The Palestinian health ministry in the Gaza Strip has announced that the number of cancer patients in the beleaguered Strip had increased to 1899 including 770 women and 220 children. The ministry said in a statement on Monday on occasion of the international day for cancer patients that 850 of those suffer blood cancer...
Netanyahu's government tries to save settler house
9 Feb 2010 - JERUSALEM, February 10, 2010 (Pal Telegraph) - The Israeli government has stepped in to save a house built illegally by Jewish settlers in a volatile Palestinian neighborhood in east Jerusalem, complicating already troubled U.S. efforts to renew Mideast peacemaking. The move is meant to skirt a court order to evacuate and seal the house, thus easing settler anger over Prime...
70% of Palestinian Youth Oppose Violence
9 Feb 2010 - Palestine, February 10, 2010 (Pal Telegraph) -More than 80 percent of young Palestinians are depressed and 47 percent identify themselves as Muslim rather than Palestinian, according to a United Nations Development Program (UNDP) report.The report, based on interviews with 1,200 Palestinians over the age of 17 from the West Bank and Gaza found that 39 percent were "extremely" depressed and...
Report documents journalist rights violations
9 Feb 2010 - Palestine, February 10, 2010 (Pal Telegraph) - A number of violations of the rights of journalists, most committed by the Israeli occupation forces, occurred in the Palestinian territories last month. The following journalists were assaulted by Israeli forces during their professional work: Haroon Amayreh, Musa'b Al-Khatib, Ahmad Al-Kilani, Yousif Shaheen, Ayed Awemer, Rami Swidan and Issam Rimawi. In addition, they detained and deported...
Narratives Under Siege (14): Gaza’s 700 Stranded Students
9 Feb 2010 - Gaza Strip, February 10, 2010 (Pal Telegraph) -Hadeel Abu Kwaik is one of 7 students whose Fulbright scholarships were recently withdrawn, then swiftly reinstated by the US State Dept. But almost 700 other students remain stranded in Gaza Three days ago, on 1 June, Hadeel Abu Kwaik was sitting in her computer lab at Al-Azhar University in Gaza looking worried,...
HRW: Israel failed to properly investigate Gaza war crimes
9 Feb 2010 - New York, February 9, 2010 (Pal Telegraph)- Human Rights Watch said Israel has failed to demonstrate that it will conduct an exhaustive and impartial investigation into violations of the laws of war by its troops during last year's offensive on the Gaza Strip. The organization added that there is a need for an independent investigation to hold accountable those who...
Dangerous cracks in Al-Aqsa Mosque discovered
9 Feb 2010 - Jerusalem, February 9, 2010 (Pal Telegraph)- The Al-Aqsa Foundation for Waqf (endowment) and Heritage warned on Monday of large, dangerous cracks in the northern wall of Al-Aqsa Mosue, confirming that theses cracks were caused by Israel's unrelenting escalation of excavation in the vicinity. Al-Aqsa Foundation warned of the gravity of the cracks occurring in the Al-mutwadeat (ablution) area, where cracks...
Abbas mulls peace talks, expects more info from U.S. soon
9 Feb 2010 - Tokyo, February 9, 2010 (Pal Telegraph) - Palestinian leaders have not yet set specific terms on which they would accept a new U.S. offer to mediate indirect peace talks with Israel, and expect clarification on the proposed talks in a week, President Mahmoud Abbas said on Tuesday. The United States has proposed circumventing a dispute preventing the resumption of talks,...
Gaza zoo where the zebras were not all they seemed
9 Feb 2010 - Gaza Strip, February 10, 2010 (Pal Telegraph) -The two painted mules in Marah Land zoo in Gaza, one of which has now died An emaciated lion, a hyperactive camel, and the only "zebra" in Palestine - this unusual assortment of animals could soon be yours. Mahra Land, a ramshackle zoo in Gaza, is now on the market. The zoo...
Shalit activists to obstruct visits to Palestinian prisoners
9 Feb 2010 - Palestine, February 9, 2010 (Pal Telegraph) - A few dozen activists for the release of Gilad Shalit, the Israeli soldier who is kept in Gaza, gathered on Tuesday near Hadarim Prison to block family members of Palestinian prisoners from visiting their relatives in jail. Hadar Miller, one of the event's organizers, claimed: "It is absurd that the Palestinian prisoners in...
Brotherhood arrests are tactic in Egypt poll'
The National 9 Feb 2010 - More raids on the Muslim Brotherhood are expected after 15 members of the opposition party are detained in run-up to elections.
Eastern Syria faces catastrophe'
The National 9 Feb 2010 - Economists say the combination of economic reforms and water shortages has impoverished the region, leading to mass emigration.
Iran says it has begun nuclear enrichment
The National 9 Feb 2010 - Tehran's intentions remain unfathomable, given the flurry of conflicting signals it has sent in recent days.
Israelis Guess How Their Compatriots Overseas May Vote
The Media Line 8 Feb 2010 - Proposal to allow Israelis abroad to vote rests on assumptions about their political opinions. [Jerusalem] Israeli politicians were at each others' throats Tuesday over a proposal by Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu to allow Israelis living abroad...
Israel Runs Out of Space for Tourists
The Media Line 8 Feb 2010 - The Israeli tourism ministry is pushing to increase tourism but some worry there is a shortage of hotel rooms. [Tel Aviv, Israel] The Israel Minister of Tourism aims to increase both the number of tourists and...
Egypt Begins Building Sea Barrier Blocking Gaza
The Media Line 8 Feb 2010 - Reports from Cairo say that Egypt has begun extending its robust barrier between the Sinai and the Gaza Strip out to sea. The daily Dustur said that bulldozers began forming a breakwater near the coast of...
Iraqi Prime Minister Agrees to Judicial Review of Blacklisted Election Candidates
The Media Line 8 Feb 2010 - Democracy appears to have been given a reprieve in Iraq after Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki agreed to a judicial review of candidates who had been blacklisted from participating in the country's elections. Under pressure from the...
Hamas Rejects Palestinian Authority Call for Summer Municipal Elections
The Media Line 8 Feb 2010 - Hamas has rejected the decision by the Palestinian Authority to hold crucial municipal elections this July. PA President Mahmoud Abbas announced the elections for the West Bank in what is being seen as a bid to...
US seeks significant Iran sanctions
AlJazeera 9 Feb 2010 - Obama says six powers moving "fairly quickly" against Iran for latest uranium enrichment.
Barriers: an examination of life with the wall
PNN 9 Feb 2010 - New York Times correspondent Isabel Kershner has covered Israel-Palestine for years. She knows her beat, and this shows in both her news reporting and her in-depth features. 'Barrier (http://www.amazon.com/Barrier-Israeli-Palestinian-Conflict-Isabel-Kershner/dp/1403968012/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8 s=books qid=1260173473 sr=8-1)' is her riveting, humane examination of how Israel's controversial barrier has affected people on the ground. From a reviewPalestinian Center for Policy and Survey Research (http://www.pcpsr.org/)in Ramallah: Nothing expresses the...
"Art for the struggle": They Do Not Exist revisited
PNN 9 Feb 2010 - They Do Not Exist (Laysa lahum wujud), Mustafa Abu Ali, 1974, 25 min Salvaged after the 1982 Lebanon War with Israel and only recently been made available, Mustafa Abu Ali's early film They Do Not Exist focuses on Lebanon's Palestinian refugees. Abu Ali worked with French New Wave-filmmaker Jean-Luc Godard on Ici et Ailleurs (Here and Elsewhere) and founded the PLO's film...
Australian activist to fight deportation
PNN 9 Feb 2010 - AN Australian pro-Palestine activist says she was arrested at gunpoint, falsely imprisoned and denied food and phone contact for 15 hours over what Israeli authorities say is a visa irregularity. Bridget Chappell of Canberra was one of two foreign activists arrested by Israel's military in a pre-dawn raid on Sunday on the apartment she shared with a Spanish woman Ariadna Jove Marti...
Palestinian journalists scoff at "farcical election"
PNN 9 Feb 2010 - Independent and professional journalists throughout Occupied Palestine are scoffing at the “journalists’ union elections” which took place on Saturday, 6 February, under the aegis of the Fatah organization, describing the event as a “farce” and “fraud.” The Fatah group, in coordination with some erstwhile leftist organizations, selected some 60 journalists who are supposed to form the new journalists union to replace the...
"Behind the Marathon : Playing together and involving the fathers"
PNN 9 Feb 2010 - Nablus - 08/02/10: On Saturday, about 1.300 children and fathers from 5 villages South of Nablus (Burin, Madama, Einabus, Urif and Assira) participated to a marathon race. More than a sport event, the marathon was a community-based activity that aimed at improving vulnerable children’s psychosocial well-being.The Burin marathon was a fathers’ activity that stood as the launching event for a wider year-long...
‘PA hijacked Journalist Syndicate vote’
Jeruslalem Post 10 Feb 2010 - Prominent Ramallah reporter says union has become a "branch of Fatah."
'Rather starve than coach Israel'
Jeruslalem Post 9 Feb 2010 - Egyptian coach says he's heard of Israelis killing Arabs, not playing soccer.
‘PA hijacked Palestinian Journalists Syndicate vote’
Jeruslalem Post 9 Feb 2010 - Prominent Ramallah reporter says union has become a "branch of Fatah."
PM: Palestinians must know EU won't deliver Israel
Jeruslalem Post 9 Feb 2010 - Netanyahu urges European countries to disabuse Palestinians of vain hopes; Lieberman visits Azerbaijan.
‘Corruption will let Hamas take W. Bank'
Jeruslalem Post 9 Feb 2010 - Dramatic warning delivered by Abbas’s former corruption-buster Fahmi Shabaneh.
'Impose crippling sanctions on Iran now'
Jeruslalem Post 9 Feb 2010 - Netanyahu tells EU envoys that words are not enough against Teheran. [video]
FM: Turkey can't keep slamming Israel
Jeruslalem Post 9 Feb 2010 - In Baku, Lieberman says J'lem has backed relations with Ankara for 10 years.
Egyptian coach: Rather starve than coach Israel
Jeruslalem Post 9 Feb 2010 - Hassan Shehata says he's heard all his life of Israel killing Arabs, but not of Israelis playing soccer.
'I wouldn't cry if Ahmadinejad was killed'
Jeruslalem Post 9 Feb 2010 - Elie Wiesel tells Army Radio of petition against Iran regime, battle against Goldstone report.
Stop the Wall offices hit in late night raid
Stop The Wall10 Feb 2010 - February 8th, 2010, Late last night Occupation forces raided the Stop the Wall offices in Ramallah. Part of the mounting repression of the anti-Wall movement, this attack on the Campaign offices comes after arrests of Stop the Wall staff and an dramatically increasing number of grassroots activists struggling against the Wall.
Join the second Global BDS Day of Action!
Stop The Wall10 Feb 2010 - February 7th, 2010, The BDS National Committee (BNC) is calling on you to unite in your different capacities and struggles for a Global BDS Day of Action on 30 March 2010 in solidarity with the Palestinian people and for Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions (BDS) against Israel.
Weekly Report on Israeli Human Rights Violations in the Occupied Palestinian Territory
PCHR Israeli Occupation Forces (IOF) Continue Systematic Attacks against Palestinian Civilians and Property in the Occupied Palestinian Territory (OPT) · A child was wounded in Beit Ummar village, north of Hebron.
Israeli Army Open Fire on Gazan Farmers and International Observors
2/9/2010 - International Solidarity Movement - ISM Gaza - Gazan farmers whose land lies in Israeli defined buffer zone accompanied by international observers have been held down in their field by live gunfire. The Israeli army shot live ammunition for a quarter of an hour after finding the unarmed group fertilizing wheat crops. The international observers loudly informed the soldiers they were unarmed civilians, but the bullets only landed closer. Khuza'a is located 7 kilometers southeast of Khan Yunis. It is about a kilometer from the fence that serves as a border between Israel and Gaza. According to the UN 30% of the arable land in Gaza is in the buffer zone. The farmers and ISM volunteers who came under fire today were on land that was recently lush with a variety of crops. Over the past few years, the number of crops grown has dwindled to due to the fatal threat posed by the Israeli army.
Despite increased repression, a victory
2/9/2010 - International Solidarity Movement - Legal challenges are an important battle field in non-violent resistance because often the occupation is forced to change their policies when these are held up to scrutiny. Court cases such as the one below as can determine whether or not Israeli occupation forces continue to use a particular oppressive tactic. But legal work is also quite expensive. The ISM is asking its supporters to throw fund-raising events to raise money to support the work of the ISM's solidarity with the Palestinian movement against apartheid. You can donate by check, or online (via Paypal) for details. [link follows] On Monday, February 8, 2010, the Israeli Supreme Court ordered the release on bail of the two activists who were arrested on Sunday during a pre-dawn raid on the Ramallah media office of the International Solidarity Movement. Ariadna Jove Marti, a Spanish journalist, and Bridgette Chappell, an Australian student at Beir Zeit university have now been banned from the Occupied Palestinian Territories. .
Israeli-Palestinian peace would neutralize Iran threat
Ha'aretz 9 Feb 2010 - Attempting to destroy Iran's nuclear potential militarily is liable to drag Israel into a drawn-out war.
'Israel may free Palestinian prisoners when peace talks resume'
Ha'aretz 9 Feb 2010 - Netanyahu tells EU officials Israel will improve quality of life in West Bank if progress is made.
Shalit family to Red Cross: Verify Hamas claims on Gilad's health
Ha'aretz 9 Feb 2010 - Family asks supporters of abducted IDF soldier to delay protest in front of Red Cross offices in Tel Aviv.
Obama: Iran sanctions in weeks over nuclear program
Ha'aretz 9 Feb 2010 - U.S. president says despite Tehran's denials it is clear to him that Iran is pursuing 'nuclear weaponization.'
Egypt soccer boss: I'd rather starve than coach Israelis
Ha'aretz 9 Feb 2010 - Veteran trainer Hassan Shehata ends speculation over cross-border move in bluntest possible terms.
Protesters attack foreign embassies in Tehran
Ha'aretz 9 Feb 2010 - Demonstrators hurl stones, shout 'Death to Berlusconi'; Protests also at French, Dutch embassies.
Wiesel: If Ahmadinejad were assassinated, I wouldn't shed a tear
Ha'aretz 9 Feb 2010 - Nobel winner Elie Wiesel gathers signatures from 50 other winners for petition denouncing Iran leader.
Muslim students scream 'killer' during Israel envoy speech in L.A.
Ha'aretz 9 Feb 2010 - Police arrest 12 hecklers who disrupted Michael Oren's speech at California university.
Investigator: Demjanjuk's story exhibits inconsistencies
Ha'aretz 9 Feb 2010 - Investigator disputes statements about where alleged Nazi war criminal was after capture by Germans.
British academics urge Elton John to cancel Israel concert
Ha'aretz 9 Feb 2010 - In open letter, group writes concert cannot be morally neutral: 'Read what Goldstone said about Gaza'.
Polish city displays two faces to its few Jews
Ha'aretz 9 Feb 2010 - One side of Poland is educating about Jewish history, while another still demonize them, along with gays.
Palestinians seeks U.S. clarification on proposal to renew Mideast talks
Ha'aretz 9 Feb 2010 - Abbas says Palestinian Authority has no specific conditions and is keeping door open to U.S. offer.
UN prepares to intervene as Iran declares new nuclear plans
Ha'aretz 9 Feb 2010 - Barak urges world not to ignore Iran provocations; Russian lawmaker calls for 'serious measure' against Iran.
Environmental protection chief: State is Israel's biggest polluter
Ha'aretz 9 Feb 2010 - Environmental Protection Minister Gilad Erdan (Likud), who is just completing his first year in the post, presented plans Tuesday for one of his most important goals: Improving the ministry's ability to enforce the law. ...
Israeli academics reject university status for settlement college
Ha'aretz 9 Feb 2010 - Two hundred fifty Israeli faculty members sent an open letter to the Council of Higher Education Tuesday, calling on it not to recognize the Ariel college as either a "university center" or a university. ...
Family says Israeli man died after hospital staff ignored doctor's note
Ha'aretz 9 Feb 2010 - A 54-year-old man who died after stomach surgery at Ichilov Hospital could have been saved if proper procedures had been followed, his family said in a lawsuit filed Tuesday in the Tel Aviv Magistrate's Court. ...
Like Netanyahu, Barak wants second shot as prime minister
Ha'aretz 9 Feb 2010 - His career has been eulogized more than once. They said he would never be leader again, that he was insensitive, arrogant and disconnected from the people. They reckoned that his party was disintegrating and predicted that he would defect to the rival camp and glean crumbs from the table of his historical antagonist. All the same, Ehud Barak is returning to the center of the political arena and has once again joined the list of candidates for prime minister. A Haaretz-Dialog survey published last Friday confirmed a gut feeling: Barak is the most popular person in the cabinet. ...
Defense Minister and IDF chief at loggerheads over Ashkenazi's future
Ha'aretz 9 Feb 2010 - Severe tension has developed between Defense Minister Ehud Barak and Israel Defense Forces Chief of Staff Gabi Ashkenazi - Barak is furious over what he sees as Ashkenazi's efforts to get his term extended for an exceptional fifth year. This issue prompted senior ministry officials to lash out at IDF Spokesman Avi Benayahu on Tuesday. ...
Palestinian church leaders call for justice and equality
Relief Web 9 Feb 2010 - Source: Mennonite Central Committee
UN says needs $100 million in 2010 for Palestinian refugees
Relief Web 9 Feb 2010 - Source: Agence France-Presse
Report: IDF chief's term may be extended
YNet News 9 Feb 2010 - Barak's aides slam TV report saying Ashkenazi may enter 5th year of term, say it was never discussed
Police: IDF convoy attacked in Yitzhar
YNet News 9 Feb 2010 - Army rebuked by police for failing to report attack with stones, paint cans by settlers until day after
Obama: Working on new sanctions for Iran
YNet News 9 Feb 2010 - US president says Tehran pursuing nuclear weapons, world united on country's 'misbehavior'
Palestinian hurt in clash with settlers
YNet News 9 Feb 2010 - Teen sustains light injuries when Har Bracha security officer fires in air during West Bank brawl
Ahmadinejad's supporters attack Western embassies
YNet News 9 Feb 2010 - Hundreds of students protest Western 'interference' in Iranian internal affairs in Tehran, call 'death to' Britain, France and throw eggs, tomatoes at embassies. Italian FM: Protesters are Besij militia members
Hamas fails to pay employees' salaries
YNet News 9 Feb 2010 - Clerks, security forces say pay delayed due to problem in smuggling funds to Gaza Strip
Israeli Knesset decides not to return confiscated Arab lands
PIC 10 Feb 2010 - The Knesset endorsed the second and third reading of a resolution allowing the return of confiscated lands to their owners if they weren’t utilized but excluded lands confiscated from Palestinians.
Mansour: The W. Bank is the victim of the PA-Israeli security coordination
PIC 10 Feb 2010 - Palestinian MP Mona Mansour asserted that the West Bank was the victim of the PA-Israeli security coordination that badly harmed and humiliated the Palestinian people there.
Human rights groups: IOA plans demolition of hundreds of homes in OJ
PIC 10 Feb 2010 - Jerusalemite human rights groups have warned that around one third of the population in the Shiyah suburb in central occupied Jerusalem is threatened with displacement.
Popular outcry at Egyptian arrest of Palestinian students
PIC 10 Feb 2010 - The solidarity committee with Palestinian captive in an Egyptian jail Ayman Nofal has strongly condemned the arrest of more than 150 Palestinian students at the hands of the Egyptian authorities.
IOF continues arrest campaign in Shafat refugee camp and Al-Khalil
PIC 10 Feb 2010 - Israeli occupation forces are still rounding up Palestinians in Shafat since Monday night in a campaign of arrests that continued till the early hours on Tuesday, local sources said.
Sabri: Aqsa Mosque was and will remain a red line
PIC 10 Feb 2010 - Sheikh Ekrema Sabri, the head of the higher Islamic authority, has warned of messing with the holy Aqsa Mosque in occupied Jerusalem.
Aqsa foundation: Aqsa walls cracked
PIC 10 Feb 2010 - The Aqsa foundation for endowment and heritage that caters for Muslim holy shrines in Palestine disclosed that big cracks were seen in the northern wall of the Aqsa Mosque.
Mishaal: Washington strives to abort Palestinian reconciliation
PIC 10 Feb 2010 - Khaled Mishaal has accused the United States of trying to foil Palestinian efforts to achieve the national reconciliation by pressuring Fatah leader Mahmoud Abbas not to go ahead with it.
Abu Sha'ar: The IOA demolishes more Palestinian homes in O. Jerusalem
PIC 10 Feb 2010 - Palestinian Awkaf minister Dr. Talib Abu Sha'ar has warned of the IOA policy of demolishing tens of Palestinian homes in the occupied city of Jerusalem with the pretext they have no building permits.
Human rights group: IOA escalating detention of Palestinian women
PIC 10 Feb 2010 - A Palestinian human rights group has charged the IOA with escalating the targeting of Palestinian women in a bid to spread fear among the Palestinian people and to humiliate them.
Power struggle could portend a cold, dark winter in Gaza Strip
LA Times 10 Feb 2010 - Outages may grow as West Bank officials pressure the electric company over debts. The Gaza Strip's beleaguered residents face worsening power outages, even as winter temperatures drop, because of a financial dispute between the Ramallah-based Palestinian Authority and Gaza's electricity distributor.
Russia, U.S. harshly condemn Iran's nuclear move
LA Times 10 Feb 2010 - Tehran says it will enrich some of its uranium to a higher purity for medical purposes, but other nations fear the process could eventually be used for weapons. China's response is more muted. Iran's move on Tuesday to produce higher-grade uranium for a medical reactor prompted widespread international condemnation and an uncharacteristically harsh response from Russia, whose support is key to U.S.-led efforts to impose tough new sanctions against the Islamic Republic.
Arrests by Iran in Bid to Quell Wide Protests
New York Times 9 Feb 2010 - Iranian security officials were believed to have arrested as many as 1,000 people in the past two months, a rights group said.
World Briefing | Middle East: Egypt: Police Arrest 3 Top Figures of a Powerful Opposition Group
New York Times 9 Feb 2010 - The police arrested three top figures of the Muslim Brotherhood, the country’s most powerful opposition group, as part of a continuing crackdown since the group recently chose new leadership.
World Briefing | Middle East: Yemen: Qaeda Affiliate Urges Joint Blockade of Red Sea
New York Times 9 Feb 2010 - The Yemen-based wing of Al Qaeda called Monday for a regional holy war and a blockade of the Red Sea to cut off shipments to Israel.
Targeting Peace Activists: Stop The Wall Offices Raided
Palestine Monitor - 9 Feb 2010 - Late Sunday night Israeli Army raided the Stop the Wall Campaign (a Palestinian grassroots coalition) offices in Ramallah, West Bank. Some 10 military jeeps, hummers and an armoured bus surrounded the building, where the offices are located. Photo: Stop The Wall Following a three-hour search, Israeli...
Fabulous Nablus
Palestine Monitor - 9 Feb 2010 - Look through the Rough Guide to Israel & the Palestinian Territories and you will find barely 20 pages devoted to Palestine. From that the city of Nablus receives just a few skinny paragraphs and a map, reinforcing the popular perception that the 7000 year old city...
Wiesel scored $500,000 for speech to congregation of Hagee, a Holocaust revisionist
Mondoweiss - 9 Feb 2010 - During the J Street conference, I criticized Elie Wiesel for delivering a speech to the congregation of the homophobic, Holocaust revisionist Pastor John Hagee, whose conspiratorial prophecies were so extreme John McCain withdrew the preacher’s endorsement. Now, just over three months later, we know why Wiesel...
The landlord
Mondoweiss - 9 Feb 2010 - The Jerusalem Post website today carries an "exclusive" interview with two settlers in the Sheikh Jarrah neighborhood of East Jerusalem. The whole piece is an interesting insight into this particular mentality – note, for example, Yuval’s observation that the "Galilee needs to be taken care of...
Sullivan gets the treatment
Mondoweiss - 9 Feb 2010 - Leon Wieseltier, in a V-part symphony in the New Republic , smears former New Republic editor Andrew Sullivan as an anti-semite because of his criticisms of Israel. Hard to read. Baroque style. Best quotes in the piece are Sullivan’s. Note that after Jeffrey Goldberg published a piece...
If Bronner were reassigned to China, what makes you think is replacement would be better?
Mondoweiss - 9 Feb 2010 - My initial reaction to the news that Ethan Bronner’s son had joined the IDF was a shrug. I have found Bronner’s reporting to be biased toward Israel, but only a reflection of the deeply entrenched institutional biases that control our media. Bronner is biased for the...
Oxford and Cambridge are Scylla and Charybdis of Jewish state
Mondoweiss - 9 Feb 2010 - As we say at Yom Kippur, the doors are closing. In England, that is. A few days ago a talk by Benny Morris to the Israel Society at Cambridge University was canceled under pressure from students who cited Morris’s anti-Arab statements in One State, Two States ....
Wednesday, February 10, 2010
Palestinian From Hebron Sentenced To Three Years For Faxing Death Threat To Netanyahu
IMEMC 10 Feb 2010 - Thursday February 11, 2010 - 02:53, Israeli Ynet News reported Wednesday that a Palestinian man from the southern West bank city of Hebron was sentenced to three years for sending a fax to Israeli Prime Minister, Benjamin Netanyahu, threatening to kill him.
More Attacks Against Reporters In The West Bank
IMEMC 10 Feb 2010 - Thursday February 11, 2010 - 02:30, Palestinian reporters, either working for local or international agencies, were repeatedly subjected to attacks by the Israeli army, but recently such attacks witnessed a sharp increase leading to injuries, damage to equipment, and to preventing them from performing their duty.
Following the killing of an Israeli soldier, Troops Kidnap Six Palestinians In Jenin
IMEMC 10 Feb 2010 - Thursday February 11, 2010 - 00:24, The Israeli army invaded Al Khiljan village, near the northern West Bank city of Jenin, and kidnapped six members of the Al Khatib family, including four brothers. The invasion came after Mahmoud Al Khatib reportedly killed an Israeli soldier on Wednesday.
Troops Detain Two Civilians, Attack And Search Homes in Hebron City
IMEMC 10 Feb 2010 - Wednesday February 10, 2010 - 18:22, Two Palestinian civilians were detained by Israeli troops, on Wednesday, during house search targeting the city of Hebron and nearby town.
Beit Sahour Residents Protest Work Carried Out at Osh Grab
IMEMC 10 Feb 2010 - Wednesday February 10, 2010 - 18:16, Members of the town of Beit Sahour, along with members of the international community, protested at the site of former military base Osh Grab, on Wednesday, against work carried out at the site by the State of Israel. Israel claims that it wishes to build a new watchtower on the site.
Israeli Troops Attack Palestinian Farmers & Internationals in Southern West Bank
IMEMC 10 Feb 2010 - Wednesday February 10, 2010 - 16:03, Israeli troops fired tear gas at Palestinian famers and their international and Israeli supporters, on Wednesday, at the town of Yatta southern West Bank.
Egypt Detonates Rafah Tunnel
IMEMC 10 Feb 2010 - Wednesday February 10, 2010 - 10:09, The Egyptian security forces detonated, on Tuesday, a tunnel on the Gaza-Egypt border in Rafah, in the southern part of the Gaza Strip.
Israeli Settler Security Guard Shoots Palestinian Teen in Northern West Bank
IMEMC 10 Feb 2010 - Wednesday February 10, 2010 - 09:36, Local sources have reported that an 18-year old teenager from the Palestinian village of Iraq Burin, near Nablus, was shot by an Israeli security guard from the settlement of Har Bracha, wounding him in the knee.
Israel Bombards the Gaza International Airport
IMEMC 10 Feb 2010 - Wednesday February 10, 2010 - 09:20, The Israeli air force fired, on Tuesday evening, several missiles at the Gaza International Airport, east of Rafah city, in the southern part of the Gaza Strip.
Arab Parliamentarians To Visit Gaza Mid February
IMEMC 10 Feb 2010 - Wednesday February 10, 2010 - 09:00, A group of 15-25 Arab Parliamentarians are expected to visit the Gaza Strip in the middle of this month to express support to the Palestinian people living under siege in the Gaza Strip. Egypt approved their entry through the Rafah border terminal.
Blackouts turn off life in Gaza
2/10/2010 - Gaza - Ma'an- As Israel, the Palestinian Authority, the Gaza Power Authority, the EU and international donors point fingers over the failure to provide adequate fuel for electricity generation in the Strip, the lives of residents again turned upside down as they faced life without power. "The blackouts cause a lot of trouble for merchants, factories, families and students, my wife has to work overnight sometimes when the electricity comes on to make foo for the family," Abu Khalil, who works in a Gaza shop said. "I leave home at 7am and return at evening and find no power, our lives are conducted in the dark," he said. Abu Khalil said he was worried about buying a generator, after two fires erupted in the last month from faulty models, and a third - improperly stored inside a home - resulted in the death of three children from carbon monoxide poisoning.
Medics: 5 injured as unrest continues in Jerusalem camp
2/10/2010 - Jerusalem - Ma'an - Two teenagers and three journalists were injured in clashes between Shu'fat Refugee Camp residents and Israeli forces Tuesday evening. Medics at the scene said Ahmad Al-Hawas, 14, was shot in the leg and Naser Abu Asab, 15, was moderately injured after being assaulted by Israeli soldiers. Three journalists were injured while covering the confrontations, medics identified them as Ata Oeisat, Mahmoud Elian of the Al-Quds newspaper and Ahmad Gharabli from the French News Agency. These latest injuries followed confrontations between school children and border guards at the Shu'fat military checkpoint earlier on Tuesday, leading to the detention of 15-year-old Ahmad Jamil Abu Hamda and the injury of a soldier, witnesses said. Locals said soldiers used tear gas to disperse the crowds. Overnight a series of overnight raids saw border guards hand out dozens of notices for residents to turn themselves in for questioning at Israeli intelligence compounds in Jerusalem.
Military extends woman’s administrative detention for 40th time
2/10/2010 - Nablus - Ma'an - An Israeli military court operating in the West Bank detention center of Salem in Jenin delayed the hearing of a young woman, and extended her detention for the 40th consecutive time. Sanabel Nabegh Breik, 19,from Nablus, was detained a year ago on charges of involvement with the Fatah movement. Following the court hearing, Breik's mother said "TheIsraeli [military] judges have decided to review the case until March 16. "Breik's mother added that, following each trial in front of a military tribunal, her daughter would be transferred to the hearing in a vehicle used to transport prisoners and underwent harsh treatment at the hands of Israeli authorities. [end]
Military vehicles deployed around Jerusalem refugee camp
2/10/2010 - Jerusalem - Ma'an - Israeli border guards and police continued operating in the Shu'fat Refugee Camp on Wednesday, following clashes which began on Monday, in the northern quarter of East Jerusalem. Ma'an's correspondent reported dozens of military vehicles being deployed around the camp, particulary at it's western entrance - the site of ongoing confrontations between Israeli forces and Palestinians. On Tuesday evening two teenagers and three journalists were injured in clashes between Shu'fat Refugee Camp residents and Israeli forces. Medics at the scene said Ahmad Al-Hawas, 14, was shot in the leg and Naser Abu Asab, 15, was moderately injured after being assaulted by Israeli soldiers. Three journalists were injured while covering the confrontations, medics identified them as Ata Oeisat, Mahmoud Elian of the Al-Quds newspaper and Ahmad Gharabli from the French News Agency.
Jerusalem community centers shut down for `affiliation with Hamas`
2/10/2010 - Jerusalem- Ma'an - The Israeli police department ordered the closure of the Sur Baher Cultural Forum and a kindergarten housed in the former Dar Al-Hadith Society buidling, saying they were affiliated with Hamas, community leaders said. The orders, issued in the name of Israeli police chief Dudi Cohen, require the community institutions to shut down on 28 February for a period of one year. Head of the Sur Baher Cultural Forum Sufyan Jadallah said police broke into his home and forced him to travel with them to the center and open its main gate. Police then conducted a search of the building, ransacked its contents, confiscated a laptop and delivered the closure order, he said. Jadallah denounced the closure, saying it targeted a grassroots Palestinian organization that represents the Palestinian community in Sur Baher, and not a political party.
Israel bulldozes area around Beit Sahour family park
2/10/2010 - Bethlehem - Ma'an - Israeli bulldozers prepared for the military take-over of a family recreation park in the town of Beit Sahour on Wednesday afternoon, preventing local journalists from accessing the area. The park compound, in the map pictured, was a Jordanian army base taken over by Israel during the 1967 war and abandoned in 2006. Grants from governments including the United States helped turn the area into a family picnic area including a modest climbing wall and playbround for local residents. In recent years Israeli settler groups had threatened to take over the space, and Israeli media outlets reported in January that the military intended to re-occupy the area. Following the announcement, Beit Sahour residents - who own the land on and around which the Jordanian base was built - pledged to work the land and re-establish their presence there. Formerly adjacent to an Israeli military base, the land had fallen into disuse and was often declared a closed zone. . . .
Tree planters say soldiers used riot dispersal methods on volunteers
2/10/2010 - Hebron - Ma'an - International and Palestinian tree planters were dispersed with tear gas and sound bombs as they attempted to work land belonging to local farmers on Wednesday, the Palestinian solidarity project said. Media spokesman for the project Mohammad Awad said the volunteers, participating in the "voluntary day to protect lands under threat of confiscation" brought 500 olive tree seedlings to lands registered to Hasan Awad, Husam Ahmad Bahar and Ibrahim Abed Al-Hamid Abu Maria. Shortly after the group started planting, Israeli soldiers descended on the area from near the Karmi Zur settlement, 19% of which is built on Palestinian owned land, according to Peace Now, and residents say much of the rest of the land belonged to the village of Beit Ummar. Awad said soldiers attacked the group and fired teargas as well as sound bombs at them until they retreated from the area.
Israel revokes amnesty of pardoned Fatah affiliate
2/10/2010 - Nablus - Ma'an - The Israeli government revoked the full amnesty granted to a previously "wanted" Palestinianfor a partial agreement, sources said Wednesday. Mahdi Maraqa, 33, from Nablus, and once affiliated to Fatah's paramilitary organization the Al-Aqsa Martyrs Brigades, will from Wednesday on be detained by Palestinian authorities at 8pm daily and spend the night in a detention center. Additionally, the Palestinian Authority was been ordered to prohibit Maraqa from leaving area A, the only part of the West Bank under full Palestinian control following the Oslo Accords in 1993. In accordance with Israel's amnesty offer to "wanted" Palestinian combatants, Maraqa was transferred to the PA Juneid Prison in Nablus in November 2008, and asked to hand in all arms and denounce Palestinian militancy. In return, those pardoned will not be subject to Israeli assassinations.
Army raids home of alleged attacker
2/11/2010 - Bethlehem - Ma'an - Twenty-five Israeli military jeeps on Wednesday evening surrounded the Jenin-area home of a Palestinian Authority police officer accused of killing an Israeli soldier hours earlier near Nablus. The home of Muhammad Al-Khatib in the village of Ya'bad was placed under curfew as Israeli authorities questioned his relatives over allegations he attacked a soldier, the army said. Forces questioned Al-Khatib's mother and brothers, the family said. The army also searched the home for "incriminating evidence," according to a military spokesman, after Al-Khatib allegedly stabbed a soldier through an open window of his military car while waiting at a traffic light near the Tappuh junction and the Za'tara checkpoint. According to the military, the injured soldier lost consciousness whilst fleeing the scene and crashed into a nearby barrier.
One Gaza crossing partially open, no exports
2/10/2010 - Gaza - Ma'an - Israeli authorities partially opened the Kerem Shalom crossing into southern Gaza to allow the transfer of humanitarian aid andquantities of domestic gas and industrial fuel, Palestinian border crossing official Raed Fattouh said. Fattouh said that 75 truckloads of aid will enter Gaza via its southern crossing, as well as an unspecified amount of domestic gas and industrial fuel for Gaza's ailing power plant. Meanwhile, the Karni crossing to the north of Gaza will remain closed, Fattouh added. Reports in the Israeli daily Haaretz said officials were preparing to seal the bulk goods crossing at Karni, reportedly until Hamas no longer rules the Gaza Strip. The report could not be confirmed. No exports were permitted from Gaza despite an ongoing Dutch government program to support strawberry and carnation farmers in the Strip.
Israeli forces detain Palestinian in Hebron-area town
2/10/2010 - Hebron - Ma'an - Israeli forces detained a resident from Yatta, south of Hebron, on Wednesday and took him to an unknown location, Palestinian Authority security forces said. Sources said "Israeli forces invaded the town and arrested Iyad Mahmoud Khalil Abu I'beid, 28, after breaking into his home and ransacking its contents. "[end]
PFLP: Repression in Shu’fat camp must end
2/10/2010 - Gaza - Ma'an - The constant harassment and repression of Palestinians in the Shu'fat Refugee Camp, ongoing since Monday, must come to an end, the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine demanded Wednesday evening. The faction called on Palestinians to unite in the face of the violence, and stop the constant police raids and rampant damage to civilian properties in the camp. Unrest followed the invasion of dozens of forces on Monday as the Israeli army detained dozens of camp residents. Palestinians in the camp responded by stone throwing, answered in turn by a heavy military presence at all entrances to the camp, heightened following each protest by residents. A schoolboy was detained near a checkpoint Tuesday, and clashes again erupted Wednesday as more arrests were made. The PFLP said solders were randomly detaining dozens including young boys.
Palestinian forces dismantle unknown object
2/10/2010 - Jenin - Ma'an -Palestinian national forces, intelligence forces and the Jenin police dismantled an unknown object on the Jenin-Arabah road on Tuesday. Brigadier Mohammad Alawneh said that they received a call from one of the residents informing them that a strange object lay on the road, a police report said. Police and the various Palestinian forces immediately responded to the call and dismantled the object, the report concluded. [end]
De facto cabinet applauds response to Goldstone report
2/10/2010 - Gaza - Ma'an - Members of the de facto government praised those behind the body's response to the Goldstone report, and called on the international community to "sue Israeli war criminals in international courts" during its weekly cabinet meeting held on Tuesday. Cabinet members also applauded what they termed a "Palestinian uprising" in the Shu'fat Refugee Camp in Jerusalem, which has been the site of confrontations since Monday. "The people's uprising, which came in response to Israeli aggressiveness, asserts that all attempts to tame the Palestinian people and kill the spirit of resistance in the West Bank are doomed to failure," cabinet members said. The cabinet also reviewed Fatah Central Committee member Nabil Sha'ath's recent two-day visit to the Gaza Strip, and dubbed the move a step toward fastening bilateral reconciliation efforts between the rivaling Hamas and Fatah factions.
Abbas to meet with Sarkozy in coming weeks
2/10/2010 - Bethlehem - Ma'an - President Mahmoud Abbas will meet with his French counterpart Nicolas Sarkozy in Paris on 22 February, a Palestinian official announced on Wednesday. The official said Abbas will urge Sakrozy to support indirect negotiations with Israel. "Abbas will also demand that the French president support negotiations with the 1967 borders as their basis," the official added. On Monday, the Israeli daily Haaretz reported that Abbas agreed to proximity talks with Israel, under the auspices of the US - a suggestion put forward by US Middle East Envoy George Mitchell during his visit to the region two weeks prior. However, chief Palestine Liberation Organization negotiatior Saeb Erekat quickly denounced the speculation concerning US facilitated proximity talks as both premature and unhelpful andthat they are waiting to hear from the. . .
PA ambassador presents credentials to Mozambique
2/10/2010 - Ramallah -Ma'an - Fayez Abed Al-Jawwad officially presented his credentials as the new Palestinian Authority ambassador to the President of Mozambique Armando EmÃlio Guebuza. After presenting his credentials, Abed Al-Jawwad reviewed with Guebuza the latest political updates in Palestinian and regional, and ways of improving bilateral relations with Mozambique. Abed Al-Jawwad further met with Minister of Foreign Affairs for Mozambique to discuss Palestinian concerns. Guebuza confirmed his support for the two-state solution and his solidarity with the Palestinian people. [end]
PPP marks 28th anniversary by calling for reconciliation
2/10/2010 - Gaza - Ma'an - Supporters of the Palestinian Peoples' Party (PPP) organized rallies on Wednesday across the Gaza Strip and its refugee camps, marking the party's re-establishment with a call for national unity. Member of the PPP's politburo, Nafeth Ghuneim said "the central committee of the party decided to expand the celebrations of the party's re-founding in a way that would pressure the parties to speed up signing the Egyptian proposal as a step on the way to ending division and restoring unity. "The event was organized to celebrate the 28th anniversary of the re-founding the PPP, which is an offshoot of the Palestine Communist Party founded in 1919. The largest celebration is expected in Beit Lahiya. . . . .
PLC members form committee to review Gaza aid
2/10/2010 - Gaza - Ma'an - A committee was formed last month under caretaker Prime Minister Salam Fayyad and is in the process of reviewing the needs of Gaza residents, a Fatah official reported Wednesday. Member of the Palestinian Legislative Council (PLC) in Fatah's bloc, Mohammad Hejazi, said "the committee was formed almost a month ago and held a series of meetings. The members from Gaza were in charge of specific files. "Involved parties, and the executive authoritymust urgently adopt the needs of Gaza, which are increasing everyday because of the continued Israeli siege and severe shortage in the UNRWA budget that cover a significant part of the requirements of Palestinian refugees in Gaza. "Hejazi further called on international donors to swiftly contribute to paying UNRWA's budget deficit in order to offer more aid to Palestinian refugees. "
PA calls Israeli corruption story `smear campaign` against Abbas
2/10/2010 - Bethlehem - Ma'an - Palestinian Authority officials dismissed the intelligence officer behind allegedly leaked videotapes cataloguing government corruption more than two years ago, secretary-general of the Palestinian president's office At-Tayyib Abdul Rahim said Wednesday. The leaked reports were reported by Ma'an in August, and the story reappeared in the Israeli press this week, with Channel 10 reporting it had more than 400 documents supporting corruption claims. The story ran with the lead that the PA had refused to comment on the issue. Angered over what he called the persistent misleading reports over the matter, Abdul Rahim said Fahmi Shabana, a low-level officer who leaked the tapes was charged with collaboration and dismissed for the leak as well as "several other immoral and dishonest offences. " The PA official said the government was "not surprised by the frantic. . . "
Motorsport federation racers to receive tax waivers on new cars
2/10/2010 - Ramallah - Ma'an - Palestinian car racers will have more travel freedom than ever before, and increasing support from the government, officials from the Motorsport Federation announced Sunday as they handed out awards to the nation's top ten drivers. At a reception in the Grand Park Hotel in Ramallah motorsport chief Khaled Kaddura said he was proud to announce ramped-up efforts to see "racers' [and their] cars travel to any country to participate in foreign races. "Minister of Transportation with the caretaker government Sa'dy Al-Krunz said the popularity of Palestinian car racing had seen the nation's flag flown across the Middle East, and announced a decision to waive the taxes on cars purchased by racers imported into the West Bank. Vice Governor of the Ramallah Layla Ghannam said she supported the sport despite its high costs,. . .
West Bank attack victim Ihab Khatib 'had a heart of gold'
Ha'aretz 10 Feb 2010 - Family describes victim's enthusiasm for service in the IDF, his desire to contribute.
Holocaust: Israel's Ultimate Red Herring
Uruknet February 10, 2010 - Whenever Israel's image suffers a setback, mainly because of its manifestly criminal treatment of the Palestinians, Israel invokes the holocaust. Israel does not openly link the Nazi-like brutality meted out to the Palestinians to the holocaust.However, the implied message in highlighting holocaust commemorations is inescapable. The message is that what Germany did to European Jewry in...
Gaza Energy Crisis Averted - For Now
Uruknet February 10, 2010 - Pressure exerted on the Palestinian Authority (PA) by international and regional officials has given Gazans a last minute reprieve, albeit temporary, from plunging into darkness and plummeting temperatures. "The emergency has been temporarily halted after the PA released urgent funds to finance two fuel tankers entering Gaza on Sunday," says Osama Dabou from Gaza’s Power Plant (...
US' Expanded Weapons Stockpiling in Israel
Uruknet February 10, 2010 - Sameh Habeeb, a young, independent, Palestinian journalist, lived in a modest house in the middle of Gaza City in December 2008. From his bedroom window, Habeeb reported to international news outlets exactly what he saw night after night during Israel's lethal 22-day assault. On one occasion, Habeeb told Truthout, "the Apache helicopter gunship hovered less than...
The false sacredness of the 1967 border
Uruknet February 10, 2010 - When the United States abandoned its demand that Israel freeze settlement construction as a prelude to restarting stalled Palestinian-Israeli negotiations, the Obama administration urged both sides to move straight into discussions about a future Palestinian state "based on the 1967 borders." Setting the border first, it was hoped, would automatically "resolve" the issue of the settlements,...
Gaza's defiant tunnellers head deeper underground
Uruknet February 10, 2010 - They are the real resistance. They are the lung through which Gaza breathes. True, missiles must pass along their subterranean tracks, Qassam rockets, too, Kalashnikov ammunition, explosives. But by far the greatest burden of the tunnellers of Gaza is the very life-blood of this besieged little pseudo-Islamic statelet: fresh meat, oranges, chocolate, shirts, trousers, toys, cigarettes,...
Finally, some Humanity out of the Silence.
Uruknet February 10, 2010 - I am touched, deeply touched by reading Hussein's Anwar last blog post about raped Iraqi women. I felt for many years, I was alone, talking about, denouncing, writing, crying out in the wild about the fate of rape victims in societies that are not only occupied but that also show no mercy to its women, when...
Israeli military vehicles deployed around Jerusalem refugee camp
Uruknet February 10, 2010 - Israeli border guards and police continued operating in the Shu'fat Refugee Camp on Wednesday, following clashes which began on Monday, in the northern quarter of East Jerusalem. Ma'an's correspondent reported dozens of military vehicles being deployed around the camp, particulary at it's western entrance - the site of ongoing confrontations between Israeli forces and Palestinians...
Palestinian Families Appeal to UN Over Israeli Construction of “Museum of Tolerance” on Jerusalem’s Historic Mamilla Cemetery
Uruknet February 10, 2010 - Palestinian families have filed a petition with the United Nations over the Simon Wiesenthal Center’s plans to build a "Museum of Tolerance" over the historic Muslim cemetery Jerusalem. Opponents of the project have long questioned how a monument to tolerance can be built on the remains of the graves of generations of Palestinian Muslims. We speak...
Silencing Palestinian voices in Jerusalem
Uruknet February 10, 2010 - Last week, the Israeli Ministry of Interior issued Palestinian geographer Khalil al-Tafakji with a six-month travel ban. Tafakji's activities are largely confined to surveying and cartography, he is not a politician. However, his work has created major obstacles for Israel's plans to Judaize the city of Jerusalem and decrease its Palestinian population. Tafakji is employed by...
Israeli warplanes fire on southern Gaza
Uruknet February 10, 2010 – Israeli warplanes fired on the southern Gaza Strip late Tuesday night, locals reported and the army confirmed. There were no immediate reports of injury...The airstrikes targeted the Yasser Arafat International Airport in Dahaniya, said BBC correspondent Shadi Al-Kashif. Five missiles struck the facility in total, Agence France-Presse quoted a witness as saying.
U.S. Non-Profit Targeted Rights Group over Goldstone
Uruknet February 9, 2010 - A campaign of attacks against the New Israel Fund (NIF), a U.S.-based progressive organisation that supports human rights groups in Israel, has gained attention in both the Israeli and U.S. media, raising questions about the role played by foreign non-profits and non-governmental organisations in influencing Israeli government policy. But an IPS investigation into publicly available tax...
Israeli Knesset decides not to return confiscated Arab lands
Uruknet February 9, 2010-- The Israeli Knesset (parliament) on Monday endorsed the second and third reading of a draft resolution allowing the return of confiscated lands to their real owners if they weren’t utilized but the new resolution excluded the lands confiscated from Palestinian citizens. Arab Knesset member Dr. Jamal Zahalka condemned the resolution, asserting that the Israeli MPs exerted tremendous...
Israeli stabbed by Palestinian near Nablus
10 Feb 2010 - Jerusalem, February 10, 2010 (Pal Telegraph) -Israeli radio reported today that an Israeli died of serious wounds sustained when he was stabbed by a Palestinian near the Tafooh crossroad in southern Nablus. The radio station reported that the Palestinian stabbed the Israeli while he was driving his car, causing his car to turn over. The Israeli sustained critical wounds and...
Media sources:Rafah crossing to open on 15/2 for 2 days in both directions
10 Feb 2010 - Gaza Strip, February 10, 2010 (Pal Telegraph) -Media sources revealed today Wednesday that Rafah border crossing will be opened from February, 15 until February 17/ 2010. The Borders and Crossings corporation in Gaza Strip appealed for the necessity of opening the crossing for the travel of humanitarian cases including patients , injured and students. It is worth telling that communications aimed...
“Behind the Marathon : Playing together and involving the fathers”
10 Feb 2010 - West Bank, February 10, 2010 (Pal Telegraph) -about 1.300 children and fathers from 5 villages South of Nablus (Burin, Madama, Einabus, Urif and Assira) participated to a marathon race. More than a sport event, the marathon was a community-based activity that aimed at improving vulnerable children’s psychosocial well-being. The Burin marathon was a fathers’ activity that stood as the launching...
Israeli military gathering in Shofat camp
10 Feb 2010 - Jerusalem, February 10, 2010 (Pal Telegraph) - Huge Israeli forces accompanied by policemen have continued their hostile operation in Shofat refugee camp in north Jerusalem for the third day and kidnapped more youth after raiding their houses. Eyewitnesses said that tens of Israeli military vehicles are now stationed at the western entrance of the camp. Yesterday afternoon, the clashes between...
Israeli F16 warplanes strike Gaza airport in Rafah
10 Feb 2010 - Gaza, February 10, 2010 (Pal Telegraph) - Israeli F16 warplanes attacked today Rafah, south of Gaza Strip. The Israeli F16 warplanes fired three rockets targeting Gaza International Airport, east of the Rafah city. The attack caused damages to already destroyed buildings of the airport, which were targeted many times before. Medical sources confirmed that there were no casualties. Israeli warplanes...
Group protests Israeli refusal to allow Gaza man to leave for treatment
10 Feb 2010 - Gaza, Feb. 10, 2010 (Pal Telegraph) - The Legal Center for Freedom of Movement and Physicians For Human Rights-Israel filed an appeal yesterday in the Supreme Court on behalf of Issam Hamdan against a District Court ruling blocking his exit from Gaza to receive emergency medical treatment. The state refuses to allow him out of Gaza based on its claim...
Group calls on UN to protest Israeli arrest of anti-wall activists
10 Feb 2010 - Ramallah, February 10, 2010 (Pal Telegraph) - The Special Rapporteurs of the UN Human Rights Council should intervene with relevant Israeli authorities in all cases of Palestinian human rights defenders arrested for their advocacy work against the Apartheid Wall and its associated, unlawful regime; demand the immediate cessation of the use of force by Israeli soldiers against Palestinian protesters; and...
Silver clue to Gaza's rich history
The National 10 Feb 2010 - 1,400 ancient Greek coins found sealed in pottery container near the Egyptian border.
Fatah Corruption Exposé Shuns Palestinian Media
The Media Line 9 Feb 2010 - The use of Israeli media by former P.A. 'corruption buster' to expose corruption has led to suggestions the Palestinian media cannot handle 'hot potato' A Palestinian 'corruption buster' exposed a massive case of embezzlement and corruption...
Riot at Saudi Girls' School
The Media Line 9 Feb 2010 - Midterm exams end in violence at girls' school in Islam's holiest city Hundreds of angry students start screaming. Together they charge a nearby classroom. They break tables and chairs, destroy the school kitchen and attack the...
Clinton Off to Saudi Arabia & Qatar
The Media Line 9 Feb 2010 - In an effort to improve ties with the Muslim world, US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton will head to the heart of the Middle East this weekend. The four-day trip will take in Qatar and Saudi...
Tensions Revealed Between Israel's Defense Minister and Army Chief
The Media Line 9 Feb 2010 - Conflicting reports that Israel's defense minister was mulling extending the current Israel Defense Forces chief of general staff's office by another year has exposed a deep rift between the two offices. The popular IDF chief Lt.-Gen....
Lebanese PM: We'll Stand with Hezbollah if Attacked by Israel
The Media Line 9 Feb 2010 - Concerned over the recent belligerent rhetoric in the region, Lebanese Prime Minister Saad Hariri has weighed in and vowed to stand by Hezbollah should conflict break out with Israel. Speaking in an interview with the BBC,...
UAE Launches Workers' Rights Booklet
The Media Line 9 Feb 2010 - The UAE is due to distribute a new booklet outlining the rights and duties of foreign workers in the emirates following reports of workers' rights abuses. Rights organizations are applauding plans by the United Arab Emirates (...
Nobel winner: Stop Iran catastrophe
AlJazeera 10 Feb 2010 - Shirin Ebadi urges UN action against Iran's government for repressing population.
US imposes new sanctions on Iran
AlJazeera 10 Feb 2010 - Move comes as UN nuclear watchdog says Tehran's enrichment activities limited.
Struggle to Return to the Land Stolen by Israel
Alternative Information Center 10 Feb 2010 - Tuesday, 09 February 2010, The right of return is not, as is often presented, an emotional matter. It is a political problem and as such should not be taken lightly. The right of return was...
The Keyboard is Mightier than the Sword: Stop the Wall Offices Ransacked by Israeli Soldiers
Alternative Information Center 10 Feb 2010 - Tuesday, 09 February 2010, Sunday night, 7 February, Israeli soldiers stormed the offices of Stop the Wall in Ramallah. The soldiers wreaked havoc in the office, damaging it and its contents, but more importantly, they have...
Internal or External Confrontation
Alternative Information Center 10 Feb 2010 - Tuesday, 09 February 2010, In the dying days of the Weimar Republic, which preceded the rise of Adolf Hitler to power in January 1933, all of the analysts who followed the process in and outside of...
Stop the Wall’s Jamal Juma’: Israel Should Learn History—Targeting Palestinian Grassroots Activists Will Strengthen and Not End Resistance
Alternative Information Center 10 Feb 2010 - Wednesday, 10 February 2010, “The Israeli people must choose: either the fulfillment of Palestinian national and human rights or a continuation of international condemnation, marginalization and boycott against Israel.” So said Palestinian grassroots activist Jamal Juma’,...
Palestinian Descendants Petition UN against Israeli Construction of “Museum of Tolerance” on 12th Century Muslim Cemetery in Jerusalem
Alternative Information Center 10 Feb 2010 - Wednesday, 10 February 2010, Descendants of people buried in Jerusalem’s Ma’man Allah (Mamilla) Muslim Cemetery in Jerusalem, in addition to local and international human rights organizations, filed a “Petition for Urgent Action on Human Rights Violations...
Israeli settler security guard shoots Palestinian teen in northern West Bank
PNN 10 Feb 2010 - Local sources have reported that an 18-year old teenager from the Palestinian village of Iraq Burin, near Nablus, was shot by an Israeli security guard from the settlement of Har Bracha, wounding him in the knee. The incident took place after Israeli settlers and supporters who were gathered on stolen Palestinian land in the settlement of Har Bracha called the settlement's security...
Identity Found: On West Side via West Bank
PNN 10 Feb 2010 - Najla Said’s “Palestine,” a one-woman Off Broadway show that began previews on Saturday, is a coming-of-age story about Ms. Said’s journey to become an Arab-American on her own terms.The daughter of [[Edward W. Said]], the [[Columbia University]] professor who until his death in 2003 was the most prominent advocate in this country for the cause of [[Palestinian]] independence, Ms. Said guides the...
'J'lem sovereignty means equal municipal services for Arabs'
Jeruslalem Post 10 Feb 2010 - “My view is that Jerusalem must remain unified and that we need to establish full sovereignty throughout the city.”
Goldstone analyst: Hamas only fired 2 rockets at Israel
Jeruslalem Post 10 Feb 2010 - Dore Gold: He can't be an analyst on any military issue and should not be employed by the United Nations.
Excavation uncovers evidence supporting mosaic Jerusalem map
Jeruslalem Post 10 Feb 2010 - The map, from the Byzantine period, is the oldest surviving original cartographic depiction of the Land of Israel.
'Iran's new enrichment modest'
Jeruslalem Post 10 Feb 2010 - IAEA report: First batch of higher enriched uranium expected within days.
Taking the brown out of the green
Jeruslalem Post 10 Feb 2010 - 150 IDF bases to be connected to sewage systems
Hariri: We'll stand with Hizbullah
Jeruslalem Post 10 Feb 2010 - Lebanese prime minister says Israel is escalating tensions on the border.
Palestinians turn to UN on J'lem museum
Jeruslalem Post 10 Feb 2010 - Rights groups oppose building tolerance museum on top of Muslim cemetery.
Iran ready to export gas to Swiss
Jeruslalem Post 10 Feb 2010 - According to 2008 deal, Switzerland will get 1 m. cubic meters of gas per day.
'I'd rather starve than coach Israel'
Jeruslalem Post 10 Feb 2010 - Egyptian coach says he's heard of Israelis killing Arabs, not playing soccer.
MIDEAST: Gaza Energy Crisis Averted - For Now
IPS RAMALLAH, Feb 9 (IPS) - Pressure exerted on the Palestinian Authority (PA) by international and regional officials has given Gazans a last minute reprieve, albeit temporary, from plunging into darkness and plummeting temperatures.
MIDEAST: U.S. Non-Profit Targeted Rights Group over Goldstone
IPS WASHINGTON, Feb 9 (IPS) - A campaign of attacks against the New Israel Fund (NIF), a U.S.-based progressive organisation that supports human rights groups in Israel, has gained attention in both the Israeli and U.S. media, raising questions about the role played by foreign non-profits and non-governmental organisations in influencing...
Stop the Wall offices hit in late night raid
Stop The Wall10 Feb 2010 - February 8th, 2010, Late last night Occupation forces raided the Stop the Wall offices in Ramallah. Part of the mounting repression of the anti-Wall movement, this attack on the Campaign offices comes after arrests of Stop the Wall staff and an dramatically increasing number of grassroots activists struggling against the Wall.
Weekly Report on Israeli Human Rights Violations in the Occupied Palestinian Territory
PCHR Israeli Occupation Forces (IOF) Continue Systematic Attacks against Palestinian Civilians and Property in the Occupied Palestinian Territory (OPT) · A child was wounded in Beit Ummar village, north of Hebron.
Israeli Army Open Fire on Gazan Farmers and International Observors
2/9/2010 - International Solidarity Movement - ISM Gaza - Gazan farmers whose land lies in Israeli defined buffer zone accompanied by international observers have been held down in their field by live gunfire. The Israeli army shot live ammunition for a quarter of an hour after finding the unarmed group fertilizing wheat crops. The international observers loudly informed the soldiers they were unarmed civilians, but the bullets only landed closer. Khuza'a is located 7 kilometers southeast of Khan Yunis. It is about a kilometer from the fence that serves as a border between Israel and Gaza. According to the UN 30% of the arable land in Gaza is in the buffer zone. The farmers and ISM volunteers who came under fire today were on land that was recently lush with a variety of crops. Over the past few years, the number of crops grown has dwindled to due to the fatal threat posed by the Israeli army.
ANALYSIS / Dilemmas about when a soldier is killed in the West Bank
Ha'aretz 10 Feb 2010 - Majority of fatal attacks against Israelis in W. Bank in recent years carried out by PA security forces members.
Report: Iran to shut down Google email service
Ha'aretz 10 Feb 2010 - U.S.: Virtual walls won't work in the 21st century any better than physical walls worked in the 20th century.
Officials: UN Security Council poised to pass Tehran sanctions
Ha'aretz 10 Feb 2010 - Obama working to obtain Chinese support for move, present five superpowers as united coalition.
Ex-Congressman and 'friend of Israel' Charlie Wilson dies at 76
Ha'aretz 10 Feb 2010 - Former Congress liaison at the Israeli embassy: His support for Israel was based on the belief that we are a brave people.
U.S.: Iran gambling with lives of cancer patients
Ha'aretz 10 Feb 2010 - Head of U.S. IAEA delegation accuses Iran of hypocrisy for opting to pursue nuclear technology at expense of sick citizens.
IN PICTURES / New aerial photos of September 11 attack released
Ha'aretz 10 Feb 2010 - Never-before-seen photos, obtained by ABC News, show the World Trade Center towers collapsing.
After Syria tension, MKs vote in favor of tax breaks for Golan residents
Ha'aretz 10 Feb 2010 - Golan residents would receive a 13% tax break; Kadima leader Livni calls proposal 'poorly timed.'
Deputy FM may seek charges against 'slaughter Jews' heckler
Ha'aretz 10 Feb 2010 - Ayalon after speech at Oxford disrupted by pro-Palestinian activists: No tolerance for anti-Semitism.
Goldstone co-author: Hamas fired 'something like two' rockets before Gaza war
Ha'aretz 10 Feb 2010 - Desmond Travers, a member of the UN mission: Court of world opinion wants to see Gaza report prevail.
Is Madonna's Israeli manager the next American Idol judge?
Ha'aretz 10 Feb 2010 - Guy Oseary reportedly at top of the list to replace Simon Cowell on hit show.
U.S. to 'target Iran Revolutionary Guards' in latest sanctions
Ha'aretz 10 Feb 2010 - Iran atomic chief says a deal with West still possible, after Obama warns sanctions imminent.
Lebanese PM: We will stand united against Israeli threat
Ha'aretz 10 Feb 2010 - Hariri: Israel is betting there might be some division in Lebanon if there is a war against us.
Palestinian stabs Israeli soldier who dies near checkpoint
The Guardian 10 Feb 2010 - Killing on the West Bank as soldier is killed in his jeep A Palestinian assailant killed a soldier in an Israeli military jeep near a West Bank checkpoint today , the military said. The soldier, who was...
Row over plan to build Jewish museum of tolerance on site of Muslim cemetery
The Guardian 10 Feb 2010 - • Islamic groups say site contains thousands of graves • Petition challenges court's decision to back project A group of Palestinians descended from 15 of Jerusalem's oldest Arab families lodged a protest with the UN today...
Palestinians may not trust Netanyahu yet. But they would do well to test him | Jonathan Freedland
The Guardian 10 Feb 2010 - Allies of the Israeli prime minister insist that he is ready to talk peace. If his bluff is called, he'll be forced to do just that Tired of the jokes about his wife, perhaps, Northern Ireland's...
Palestinians petition UN over construction of Jerusalem museum
Ha'aretz 10 Feb 2010 - Activists say planned Museum of Tolerance would disturb centuries-old graves; Simon Wiesenthal Center denies the claim.
Ministers to vote on bill to enfranchise Israelis abroad
Ha'aretz 10 Feb 2010 - The nationalist Yisrael Beitenu Party has drafted a bill, proposing that Israel allow citizens living abroad to vote in Knesset elections. Under the bill, any citizen who's held an Israeli passport for at least ten years will be able to participate in parliamentary elections, regardless of whether or not they reside in the country. ...
Archaeological findings unveil 1,500-year-old Jerusalem road
Ha'aretz 10 Feb 2010 - The Israel Antiquities Authority and Jerusalem Development Authority on Wednesday unveiled archaeological findings from the Byzantine era that confirm an ancient map of Jerusalem. ...
Twelve Israeli teens suspected of raping girl for 4 years
Ha'aretz 10 Feb 2010 - Police revealed that 12 teenagers from the north were arrested for allegedly raping a young girl for over the course of four years, starting from age 10. ...
UN closes Palestinian camp on Syria-Iraq border
Relief Web 10 Feb 2010 - Source: Reuters - AlertNet
Police arrest rock-throwing Palestinians in Jerusalem
Relief Web 10 Feb 2010 - Source: Agence France-Presse
Fayyad condemns West Bank attack
YNet News 10 Feb 2010 - PA prime minister says murder of IDF soldier goes against Palestinian interests
Palestinian gets 3 years for threatening Netanyahu
YNet News 10 Feb 2010 - Hebron man who sent threatening fax to prime minister going to jail; defense attorney: My client wanted to be arrested because of family dispute
Terror victim's friends: Druze will continue to serve Israel
YNet News 10 Feb 2010 - Arab village of Maghar mourns death of IDF soldier Ihab Khatib, murdered in West Bank Wednesday; 'Despite discrimination, we'll continue to contribute to country whose existence we pray for,' says Druze mourner
PA detains 6 al-Qaeda men
YNet News 10 Feb 2010 - For first time, Palestinian Authority forces arrest six al-Qaeda activists in West Bank, security official says; source in Jenin tells Ynet group planned to hit PA targets, some suspects known as Hamas members in past
Jerusalem: Demolition orders for Arab homes within days
YNet News 10 Feb 2010 - Jerusalem mayor raises stakes in Beit Yonatan affair, plans to issue demolition orders for illegal Arab homes in east Jerusalem within days. Opposition slams decision
Russia: Iran sanctions more relevant
YNet News 10 Feb 2010 - Russian deputy FM says question of sanctions more relevant given 'new situation'
Army partially closes road despite High Court ruling
B'tselem 6 Feb 2010 - In October '09, the Israeli HCJ ruled that prohibiting 45,000 Palestinians from travelling on a road in order to protect 150 settlers living nearby was disproportionate, and gave the army three months to find an alternative. Palestinians are now allowed t
Dwaik: Negotiations harm the Palestinian issue
PIC 10 Feb 2010 - Dr. Aziz Dwaik has warned that the indirect negotiation with the IOA that Fatah leader Mahmoud Abbas agreed to was similar to the Oslo style and harms the Palestinian issue.
Settlers assault old farmer, Palestinian attacks soldier in same district
PIC 10 Feb 2010 - Jewish settlers savagely assaulted the 75-year-old Palestinian farmer Khader Mansour while tending to his land west of Deir Estiya village, Salfit district, on Wednesday, locals reported.
Hussein: Arab summit should support Jerusalem and holy shrines
PIC 10 Feb 2010 - The Mufti of Palestine has warned that the IOA is relentlessly attempting to demolish the Aqsa Mosque and build the alleged Temple on its ruins through the excavation activities under the Aqsa.
MP Mubarak: Convening the PLC would help restore national unity
PIC 10 Feb 2010 - MP Ahmad Mubarak stressed Wednesday the need to convene the legislature, adding that convening the parliament would help restore the national unity and facilitate reconciliation.
Hamas: Fatah must shun corrupt members
PIC 10 Feb 2010 - Hamas said that Israeli media reports that Ramallah and Fatah officials were involved n financial and moral scandals were not new, recalling that it has documents proving those officials' corruption.
Barhoum: Honoring killers official patronage of terrorism
PIC 10 Feb 2010 - Fawzi Barhoum lashed out at the Israeli government for honoring the killers of Palestinian leaders within and outside occupied Palestine in addition to committing crimes in other areas.
Grandi: UNRWA needs $50m to continue its services
PIC 10 Feb 2010 - Fillipo Grandi, the commissioner general of UNRWA, told the UN radio that his agency was in need of 50 million dollars so as to continue extending basic services to Palestinian refugees in 2010.
IOF troops round up 6 Palestinians
PIC 10 Feb 2010 - Israeli occupation forces (IOF) rounded up six Palestinian civilians in the districts of Al-Khalil and Tulkarem in pre dawn raids on Wednesday.
Arab parliamentary delegation in Gaza in mid February
PIC 10 Feb 2010 - A delegation of the APU is to visit the Gaza Strip by mid February after the Egyptian authorities gave permission for the delegates to cross into the Strip via Rafah terminal.
Haneyya's gov't: Attempts to liquidate resistance in W. Bank failed
PIC 10 Feb 2010 - The government of Ismail Haneyya said that the Palestinian uprising in the Shafat camp proves that all the attempts to liquidate the spirit of resistance among the Palestinian people have failed.
Power struggle could portend a cold, dark winter in Gaza Strip
LA Times 10 Feb 2010 - Outages may grow as West Bank officials pressure the electric company over debts. The Gaza Strip's beleaguered residents face worsening power outages, even as winter temperatures drop, because of a financial dispute between the Ramallah-based Palestinian Authority and Gaza's electricity distributor.
Iran plans to build 10 more nuclear plants
LA Times 9 Feb 2010 - Despite Western threats of sanctions, Tehran says it will build more nuclear fuel plants and beef up its military. As Iran moved to enrich uranium to a higher level of purity and build new nuclear-fuel plants, U.S. and French defense officials suggested Monday that sanctions were needed to force Tehran to curb its nuclear program.
Anticipating Protests, Iran Disrupts Internet Communications
New York Times 10 Feb 2010 - The move is thought to be part of an effort to head off opposition demonstrations planned for Thursday, the 31st anniversary of the Islamic Revolution.
Arrests by Iran Are a Bid to Quell Wide Protests
New York Times 10 Feb 2010 - Iranian security officials were believed to have arrested as many as 1,000 people in the past two months, a rights group said.
U.S. Eyes New Sanctions Over Iran Nuclear Program
New York Times 10 Feb 2010 - The Obama administration hopes to undermine the Revolutionary Guards, the group that runs Iran’s nuclear program and cracks down on protesters.
World Briefing | Middle East: Egypt: Police Arrest 3 Top Figures of a Powerful Opposition Group
New York Times 9 Feb 2010 - The police arrested three top figures of the Muslim Brotherhood, the country’s most powerful opposition group, as part of a continuing crackdown since the group recently chose new leadership.
# of New Yorkers opposing ’special relationship’ with you-know-who jumps from 1/3 to 1/2 after just 90 minutes of exposure to facts
Mondoweiss - 10 Feb 2010 - I missed the debate at NYU last night over a Resolution to end the special relationship with Israel. Rashid Khalidi and Roger Cohen for, Stu Eizenstat and Israeli Itamar Rabinovich agin. Praise the lord, Tablet was there , and has a typically Israel-lobbyish report, which includes a...
American Jews launch campaign to ‘break the law of return’
Mondoweiss - 10 Feb 2010 - A new campaign has been announced on Facebook by American Jews rejecting the "Law of Return," which allows me to move to Israel tomorrow, while a Palestinian who was born in the ‘48 territories/Israel can’t go near his or her ancestral village. Writes one of the...
Khalidi on Mamilla: ‘this grotesque project must be stopped!’
Mondoweiss - 10 Feb 2010 - Rashid Khalidi talking on Democracy Now today about the "Museum of Tolerance" that is being built on a Muslim cemetery in Jerusalem. Today descendants of those buried there petitioned U.N. bodies in Geneva to stop the project. [M]any protests were made. There were protests made from...
How can you call yourself a Zionist if you live in Florida?
Mondoweiss - 10 Feb 2010 - Israel’s Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu plans to submit a bill in the Knesset, Israel’s parliament, that would allow Israeli citizens to vote from outside the country. The Media Line reports: Currently only Israeli envoys and diplomats can vote from overseas. Israel’s Absorption Ministry estimates that around...
Israeli Ambassador Michael Oren’s Speech Disrupted at University of California, Irvine
Mondoweiss - 10 Feb 2010 - The specter of Gaza, Goldstone, and the occupation follows Israeli officials wherever they go. The Israeli ambassador to the United States, Michael Oren , attempted to give a lecture February 8 to students at the University of California at Irvine, but was continually interrupted . The students shouted,...
Palestinian Descendants Petition UN against Israeli Construction of “Museum of Tolerance” on 12th Century Muslim Cemetery in Jerusalem
Alternative Information Center - 10 Feb 2010 - Wednesday, 10 February 2010, Descendants of people buried in Jerusalem’s Ma’man Allah (Mamilla) Muslim Cemetery in Jerusalem, in addition to local and international human rights organizations, filed a “Petition for Urgent Action on Human Rights Violations by Israel: Desecration of Ma’man Allah (Mamilla) Muslim Cemetery in...
Struggle to Return to the Land Stolen by Israel
Alternative Information Center - 10 Feb 2010 - Tuesday, 09 February 2010, The right of return is not, as is often presented, an emotional matter. It is a political problem and as such should not be taken lightly. The right of return was always a red line for Israel. Israel is lucky, for...
The Keyboard is Mightier than the Sword: Stop the Wall Offices Ransacked by Israeli Soldiers
Alternative Information Center - 10 Feb 2010 - Tuesday, 09 February 2010, Sunday night, 7 February, Israeli soldiers stormed the offices of Stop the Wall in Ramallah. The soldiers wreaked havoc in the office, damaging it and its contents, but more importantly, they have confiscated materials from the office—video cameras, cassettes, laptops, hard-drives, CDs...
Internal or External Confrontation
Alternative Information Center - 10 Feb 2010 - Tuesday, 09 February 2010, In the dying days of the Weimar Republic, which preceded the rise of Adolf Hitler to power in January 1933, all of the analysts who followed the process in and outside of Germany knew that the police and security forces dealt cruelly...
Stop the Wall’s Jamal Juma’: Israel Should Learn History—Targeting Palestinian Grassroots Activists Will Strengthen and Not End Resistance
Alternative Information Center - 10 Feb 2010 - Wednesday, 10 February 2010, “The Israeli people must choose: either the fulfillment of Palestinian national and human rights or a continuation of international condemnation, marginalization and boycott against Israel.” So said Palestinian grassroots activist Jamal Juma’, Coordinator of the Stop the Wall Campaign...
Thursday, February 11, 2010
US Store discontinues Ahava dead sea products after boycott call
IMEMC 11 Feb 2010 - Friday February 12, 2010 - 04:42, The ‘Stolen Beauty’ campaign has declared a small victory, after Costco stores agreed to stop carrying Dead Sea Salt from the Ahava corporation.
Abbas Instructs Erekat To Ensure The Release of An Ailing Detainee Imprisoned By Israel
IMEMC 11 Feb 2010 - Friday February 12, 2010 - 03:25, The Palestinian Prisoners Society (PPS) reported that President Mahmoud Abbas instructed head of the Negotiations Department at the Palestinian Liberation Organization to act on the release of a sick detainee imprisoned by Israel since more than 30 years.
P.A Plans To Investigate Sex Tape Scandal
IMEMC 11 Feb 2010 - Friday February 12, 2010 - 02:37, Israeli Ynet news reported Thursday that Palestinian president, Mahmoud Abbas, is planning to investigate a video tape showing the Palestinian Authority’s head of bureau trying to solicit sexual relations, the report includes corruption and financial scandals.
Medical Aid Convoy Makes It Into Gaza
IMEMC 11 Feb 2010 - Friday February 12, 2010 - 02:16, A medical aid convoy sent by the Arabs Physicians Union managed to enter the Gaza Strip on Thursday afternoon via the Rafah Border Terminal between Gaza and Egypt.
Israeli Military Destroys Five Water Cisterns And Three Farming Huts In Southern West Bank
IMEMC 11 Feb 2010 - Thursday February 11, 2010 - 16:55, Israeli military bulldozers demolished five water cisterns and three farming huts owned by farmers from Ithna village, southern West Bank, on Thursday.
Israel To Demolish Home of Palestinian Man Who Killed Soldier On Wednesday
IMEMC 11 Feb 2010 - Thursday February 11, 2010 - 16:31, On Thursday, Israeli troops ordered the family of Muhammad al Khatib, to leave their home in al Khiljan village, north in the West Bank.
The Israeli Military Detain Four Civilians From Bethlehem City
IMEMC 11 Feb 2010 - Thursday February 11, 2010 - 16:11, Four Palestinian civilians were detained on Thursday by the Israeli military during invasions targeting the southern West Bank city of Bethlehem.
Protest Continues at Osh Grab
IMEMC 11 Feb 2010 - Thursday February 11, 2010 - 14:17, This morning, Thursday, February 11th, a group of residents from the town of Beit Sahour, near Bethlehem, arrived at the former military base, Osh Grab, to discover that excavation of the site had continued.
Qassam Fighter Killed In Gaza
IMEMC 11 Feb 2010 - Thursday February 11, 2010 - 11:53, The al-Qassam Brigades, the armed wing of the Hamas movement, reported on Thursday morning, that one of its fighters was killed in Gaza City during what the group described as “Jihadist Task”.
Two Children Wounded By Israeli Shells In Gaza
IMEMC 11 Feb 2010 - Thursday February 11, 2010 - 09:59, Palestinian medical sources reported that two sisters, aged 13 and 5, were wounded when the Israeli army bombarded Juhr Ed Deek area, east of al-Boreij refugee camp, in the central Gaza Strip.
Night raid sees 5 Jenin families served with demolition papers
2/12/2010 - Jenin - Ma'an - Israeli forces entered Barta'a Ash-Sharqiya village Thursday before sunrise and handed five families demolition orders for their homes and agricultural buildings in area west of Jenin. Member at the Barta'a village council Tawfiq Qabha said that the forces overran the village and woke five families in the middle of the night, pounding on doors and handing over warnings that homes would soon be demolished. Those targeted were identified as: Mustafa Qabha, Omar Ali, Jihad Qabha, Jum'a Qabha and Abdul Aziz Abu Saleh. According to the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA), the Israeli Civil Administration delivered stop work orders against 20 Palestinian-owned structures in Area C last week. Of the structures to be demolished 16 were homes. They were ordered demolished because they were built without permits.
Israeli fire kills 1 in central Gaza, injures 3 kids
2/11/2010 - Gaza - Ma'an - An Israeli airstrike at midday killed one and injured a second, hours after Israeli artillery fire injured three children on Thursday in Johur Ad-Dik, central Gaza. An Israeli military spokesman confirmed the strike, saying it was in retaliation against militants who had fired on Israeli patrol jeeps earlier that morning. He said the Israeli patrol had been operating on the east side of the Gaza border, and that soldiers returned fire in the direction of the attack. The same spokesman later identified the slain man as 26-year-old Faris Ahmad Jaber of Gaza City, allegedly affiliated with the "Global Jihad," a previously unknown group in Gaza. The spokesman said Jaber and one other man were preparing to launch an attack on Israel when they were targeted. The second man was not identified, but the spokesman said he was known to have been involved in planning a separate attack on Israel.
Detainees association: Israeli police break leg of Abu Dis teen
2/11/2010 - Salfit - Ma'an - Undercover Israeli agents attacked a 17-year-old Palestinian youth, breaking his leg and taking him first to hospital, officials from the Detainees Association said Thursday. A statement identified the youth as Muhammad Halabiyah, a resident of Abu Dis, and said the report came from a visit to the youth in the detention facility. Halabiyah reportedly told the association that he was followed, beaten taken to the the Hadassa Hospital in Jerusalem then to the Nitzan Detention Center at Ramle. A fellow detainee, Ammar Qazaz, told association officials that when Halabiyah arrived in the facility he was in poor condition and in a great deal of pain from his recently set leg. Qazaz said prison officials ignored Halabiyah's request to be taken to a medical center for treatment, and was left in a cell with the injury, according to the association.
Israel forces detain family of alleged knifeman, 24 others
2/11/2010 - Bethlehem - Ma'an - The brothers of alleged knife attacker Muhammad Al-Khatib were detained during a raid on their home in Ya'bad village in the Jenin governorate Wednesday afternoon, as Israeli soldiers nabbed 19 teens and three adults from other locations across the West Bank overnight. The detention of Ated Aqab Khalaf Khatib, 29, and Muhammad Aqab Khalaf Khatib, 30, followed the detention of their brother, accused of stabbing an Israeli soldier near the Za'tara checkpoint on Wednesday afternoon. The soldier died in hospital of injuries sustained after the attack when he rolled the vehicle while escaping. Israeli forces raided Muhammad's home Wednesday afternoon, part of an investigation into the killing, an Israeli military spokesman said. The spokesman confirmed that the family members were detained as suspects, but could not confirm whether they were suspects in the alleged knife attack.
Israeli forces demolish wells, sheds near Hebron
2/11/2010 - Hebron - Ma'an - Israeli bulldozers demolished five water wells and three small storerooms, confiscated electric generators and water pumps in Idhna, a town west of Hebron. Abdullah Al-Asoud, whose irrigation systems were destroyed in the demolition raid, said the area affected was in agricultural lands near the separation wall. The farmer noted that the other residents whose wells were affected, had filed petitions with the Israeli court challenging the demolition notices. Since the suits were in progress, Al-Asoud said, farmers were surprised to see demolition crews Thursday morning. Al-Asoud noted that while the wells and irrigation systems were ripped up, fields planted with crops were destroyed. The mayor of Idhna, Jamal At-Tamzi, said that the municipality will work in cooperation with the Palestinian Authority to reconstruct the agricultural projects and the wells in the area.
Palestinians rally against settlers at Mount of Olives
2/12/2010 - Jerusalem - Ma'an -Jerusalem residents and Fatah official Hatem Abdul Qader interfered with a group of Israeli settlers as they attempted to claim lands on the Mount of Olives on Thursday morning. The leaders of Beit Orot, an illegal Israeli settlement on the hill north of the Old City of Jerusalem, are aggressively expansionist. According to their website, "Beit Orot is at once defending the sacred traditions of our nation, the physical security of Eretz Yisrael and the integrity of Yerushalayim as the undivided capital of Israel and the Jewish people. " According to Abdul Qader, the group of Jerusalemites went to the location where Beit Orot settlers were working. He said the lands were registered to Palestinian families living in the city, and that he went to warn the settlers against continued colonization of the lands.
Channel 10 invites Abbas to address corruption allegations
2/11/2010 - Jerusalem - Ma'an - President Mahmoud Abbas has a standing invitation to appear on Israel's Channel 10 to challenge allegations several of his senior aides have for years fleeced international aid to the Palestinian Authority, a top Israeli journalist said on Wednesday. "We have been trying to interview you onscreen, yet you refuse," said Zvi Yehezkeli, the head of Channel 10's Arabic desk. "You should have agreed, because Israeli audiences don't know who Abu Mazen is, whether he fights corruption or not. "Issuing his appeal via an interview with Ma'an, Yehezkeli said that "the Palestinian president should listen to the Israeli media and know what is being said about him and the PA. This is important for him and for us. " The news network, among Israel's largest, last week reported that it received approximately 400 documents and videotapes that purportedly reveal rampant corruption within the PA.
Palestinians detained near Gaza-Israel border
2/12/2010 - Gaza - Ma'an - Israeli forces detained at least six Palestinians in northern Gaza on Thursday, witnesses said and the army confirmed. Onlookers said 10 Palestinian men scavenging for iron girders northeast of Beit Lahiya were seized and dragged into Israel by soldiers patrolling the border. They were rummaging through the rubble of buildings, and were loaded into military vehicles and taken to an undisclosed location, the witnesses said. Approached by Ma'an, an Israeli military spokesman said six Palestinians were detained when they came close an area considered off-limits to Palestinians. He said they were released shortly thereafter. Residents of the area said Israeli soldiers opened fire on workers Wednesday, with no injuries reported. As Israel and Egypt continue to ban all but 36 types of goods for import into Gaza, most of which are foodstuffs, the only construction. . .
500 settlers visit Nablus site under armed guard
2/11/2010 - Nablus - Ma'an - More than 500 Israeli settlers under military guard entered the Balata neighborhood of southern Nablus on Thursday morning, as Israeli army raids targeted the city center with troops withdrawing before sunrise, Palestinian security sources said. The settlers, visiting the holy site at Joseph's Tomb for prayers, entered under heavy military guard in the early hours of the morning. Soldiers closed off nearby streets, effectively shutting down the area for local civilians, witnesses said. Witnesses reported seeing dozens of Israeli buses arrive at the tomb, accompanied by several Israeli military vehicles. Hebrew-language media put the number ofsettlers visiting the tomb at 500. . . . .
One Gaza crossing partially open, limited exports resume
2/11/2010 - Gaza - Ma'an - One Gaza crossing was partially opened Thursday, for the transport of limited aid, fuel and exports as all other goods terminals remained closed, transfer liaison officer Raed Fattouh said. The official said between 102-112 truckloads of aid and commercial goods would be transported into the besieged Strip, while limited quantities of cooking gas and industrial fuel would be pumped in. After a day's pause, limited exports will resume, Fattouh said, with a truck of flowers and a truck of strawberries set to leave Gaza under a Dutch government program granting aid to farmers. The bulk goods crossing at Karni remained closed, after reports in the Israeli media that officials had declared it would stay closed until Hamas rule in the Strip is over. Palestinian officials said they had not been informed that the crossing would be sealed.
Egypt seizes goods bound for Gaza
2/11/2010 - Al-A'rish - Ma'an - Egyptian forces raided the border with Gaza and commandeered seven smuggling tunnels on Thursday, security sources said, the same day Cairo allowed medical and food aid into the besieged coastal enclave. Egyptian security sources told Ma'an that troops foiled an attempt to smuggle spare motorcycle parts into Gaza at the Salah Ad-Din area during raids in which troops discovered warehouse for smuggling fuel intended for markets the Strip. Cairo's intelligence services have carried out "sweeps of raids on the Salah Ad-Din terminal on the border with Gaza, where seven smuggling tunnels were taken over, as well as the land of a smuggler, identified by the initials AH," a security official said. "Two smuggling tunnels were taken over that were 120 meters from the border line. No smugglers or goods were seized in that raid," added the official, who smoke to Ma'an on the condition of anonymity.
Pro-boycott protesters: Don’t help ’occupier’s economy’
2/11/2010 - Nablus - Ma'an - Thirty young men and women and number of members of the Palestine People's Party took to the streets of Nablus on Thursday, marching through the city center while carrying banners calling for boycotting Israeli goods. The protesters were urging locals not to help "the occupier's economy. "Kahled Mansur, a member of the PPP politburo office and coordinator of the popular campaign to boycott Israeli goods, said the "PPP is carrying out a campaign to boycott Israeli goods as a form of popular resistance, a kind of resistance the party is working to enforce to spread it all parts of Palestine as a tool to end occupation and achieve legitimate Palestinian goals. " Naser Abu Jeish, PPP secretary and member of its central committee said that "we will work in cooperation with organizations and unions to expand the campaign and to intensify its activities. . . "
Islamists say leader hurt in Gaza raid
2/12/2010 - Bethlehem - Ma'an - A Salafi operative was seriously injured when Hamas-led security forces raided his home in Gaza City on Tuesday, prominent Islamist leader Abu Al-Bara' Al-Masri said on Thursday. In a statement, Al-Masri said that Mahmoud Taleb, who is known as Abu Al-Mu'tasem Al-Maqdisi, was hurt when forces loyal to Hamas' de facto government raided a hideout west of Gaza City. "The statements of the deposed security forces that they arrested Abu Al-Mu'tasem were the first of their kind, indicating the security departments' intentions to kill this leader, who is wanted by the Israeli army," Al-Masri said. "This is the second time in which Al-Maqdisi was injured by deposed government fire: he was injured by former [Palestinian Authority] security forces years ago, and injured by the Israeli army four times during assassinations and clashes on the battlefield," he added.
Police: 12 arrested after Hebron brawls
2/11/2010 - Hebron - Ma'an -Palestinian police charged 12 Hebronites with misdemeanors during a series of fights that erupted Tuesday and Wednesday, the press department of the local police office said. In a statement, the police said they were called in to control several scuffles that escalated to street brawls, and arrested a dozen of the alleged antagonists. The statement added that those arrested will be transferred to the general prosecution to proceed legal procedures against them. They were not identified. [end]
Egypt sends food, medical aid into Gaza
2/11/2010 - Al-A'rish - Ma'an - Egyptian authorities allowed medical and food aid into the besieged Gaza Strip on Thursday, officials said. Amer Hadhud, a Palestinian Authority liaison official at the Al-Auja commercial crossing, told Ma'an that the World Food Programme transferred from Egypt 49 tons of biscuits on 12 trucks for the besieged coastal enclave. The crossing, located some 40 kilometers from Rafah, is fully controlled by Israel. Authorities there would have had to approve the transfer, but none could immediately be reached for comment. Egypt also sent medical aid via the Arab Doctors Union; the Egyptian Red Crescent will supervise its entry through Rafah, which is operated by Palestinians and Egyptians. The medication is worth some 4,000 US dollars, and is to be delivered to sick children and others with heart disease, cancer, and kidney problems.
Hundreds attend funeral of IDF officer killed in West Bank Attack
Ha'aretz 11 Feb 2010 - Ihad Khatib, stabbed to death by a member of PA security, laid to rest in Druze community of Maghar.
Shin Bet: We foiled Hamas attempt to abduct and kill Israeli soldier
Ha'aretz 11 Feb 2010 - Israel arrested two Hamas men in Dec. who allegedly tried to murder soldier, perform terror attacks.
IDF says jihadi terrorist killed in Gaza air strike
Ha'aretz 11 Feb 2010 - Air force targets terror squad allegedly planning attack near Karni humanitarian aid crossing.
Work starts to reroute West Bank security fence at Bil'in
Ha'aretz 11 Feb 2010 - Newly routed barrier will hand 700,000 square meters of agricultural land back to Bil'in village.
Palestinian policeman who killed soldier 'had personal problems'
Ha'aretz 11 Feb 2010 - Israel general suggests suicidal motive for Wednesday's stabbing in West Bank.
IDF twice raids Ramallah office of pro-Palestinian group
Ha'aretz 11 Feb 2010 - Army confiscates computers, T-shirts and bracelets from International Solidarity Movement.
Perverse Irony: 'Tolerance' Museum To Be Built Atop Muslim Cemetary
2/11/2010 - Political Theatrics - A group of Palestinians descended from 15 of Jerusalem’s oldest Arab families lodged a protest with the UN today in a fresh effort to prevent the construction of a “Museum of Tolerance” on the site of an ancient Muslim cemetery. The project, run by the Simon Wiesenthal Centre in Los Angeles, has been dogged by controversy since its launch in 2004. Islamic groups and individual Palestinians complained that the site, in west Jerusalem, was the ancient cemetery of Ma’man Allah, also known as Mamilla, which housed thousands of graves dating back hundreds of years and where even today there are still many gravestones and tombs. The Simon Wiesenthal Centre argued the site was adjacent to the cemetery and that construction would be on what is today a municipal car park. After legal battles, the Israeli Supreme Court ruled in October 2008 that building could go ahead.
Lebanon warns of 'dangerous' situation with Israel
2/10/2010 - Reuters - LONDON (Reuters) - Israeli aircraft are making daily incursions into Lebanese air space, creating a very dangerous situation, Lebanese Prime Minister Saad al-Hariri said in an interview broadcast on Wednesday. Israel has insisted such flights are needed to monitor Hezbollah guerrillas and has criticized the 12,000-strong U. N. peacekeeping force in southern Lebanon, UNIFIL, for not stopping weapons Israeli officials say have been flowing to the group. The overflights and any rearming of Hezbollah are a violation of Security Council resolution 1701, which ended the 34-day war between Israel and Hezbollah guerrillas in 2006. " We hear a lot of Israeli threats day in and day out, and not only threats," Hariri told the BBC. " We see what's happening on the ground and in our air space and what's happening all the time during the past two months -- every day we have Israeli war planes entering Lebanese air space," he said.
VIDEO - Israel denies NGOs work permits
2/9/2010 - YouTube - The Israeli interior ministry has stopped issuing work permits to foreigners working for international non-governmental organisations (NGOs). In the last few weeks, NGO staff have been given tourist visas instead, making it virtually impossible for them to carry out their work. The new Israeli policy affects 120 International NGOs, of which many which provide vital developmental and humanitarian aid to Palestinians in the West Bank and Gaza. Many NGO members have said that Israel's actions are illegal because the country is obligated under Geneva and humanitarian law to issue them visas and let them work freely there. Al Jazeera's Sherine Tadros reports from Jerusalem. [end]
Candid camera sex scandal shocks Palestinians
2/11/2010 - Israeli Occupation Archive - AFP, RAMALLAH, West Bank — Palestinians were shocked on Thursday after Israeli TV aired a graphic video showing a senior official caught on a hidden camera soliciting sex from a job applicant. The video, parts of which aired on Israel’s Channel 10 earlier this week, was shot by former Palestinian intelligence officer Fahmi Shabaneh, who has accused the Western-backed Palestinian Authority of widespread corruption. In the video, Rafiq al-Husseini, president Mahmud Abbas’s chief of staff, is shown flirting with a woman Shabaneh said was seeking a job in the Authority before entering a bedroom, taking off his clothes and crawling into bed. “How does this work? Should I turn off the lights or will you,” he chuckles from inside the room to someone off-screen in the video, now widely available on youtube. Moments later Shabaneh and several other security men walk into the room, surprising. . . .
West Bank Attack Kills Israeli Soldier
2/10/2010 - New York Times - JERUSALEM — An Israeli soldier was killed Wednesday in the northern West Bank by a Palestinian police officer, the Israeli military said. It was a rare instance of violence that occurred at a delicate time, with the Israeli and Palestinian security forces trying to build mutual trust. The soldier, Sgt. First Class Ihab Khatib, 28, a Druse from Galilee, was stabbed while sitting in his parked military jeep with the window open at a junction south of Nablus. He tried to drive away but lost consciousness, and the jeep overturned. He later died of his wounds. The Israeli military identified the police officer as Mahmoud al-Khatib, who is not related to the Israeli soldier. He is from a Palestinian village near Jenin. Maj. Peter Lerner, a spokesman for the Israeli military’s Central Command, said the officer was in an area controlled by Israel and was not in uniform.
VIDEO - 11 arrested for disrupting Israeli ambassador
2/8/2010 - College Life - Eleven people were arrested Monday evening during a raucous lecture at UC Irvine where Israeli Ambassador Michael Oren came to talk about U. S. -Israel relations. (UCI earlier said that 12 were arrested. )Here are the identities of the 8 UCI students and 3 UC Riverside students who were arrested. Oren was interrupted 10 times Monday while trying to give his speech before 500 people at the UCI Student Center, where there was heavy security. Oren took a 20 minute break after the fourth protest, asked for hospitality and resumed his speech, only to be interrupted again by young men yelling at him every few minutes. Many members of the audience also applauded Oren. After the 10th interruption, several dozens students who opposed Oren’s talk got up and walked out and staged a protest outside. It is not clear whether they were members of the UCI Muslim Student Union, which issued an email earlier in the day condemning Oren’s appearance on campus.
Netanyahu’s government tries to save settler house
2/9/2010 - Yahoo! News - JERUSALEM – The Israeli government has stepped in to save a house built illegally by Jewish settlers in a volatile Palestinian neighborhood in east Jerusalem, complicating already troubled U. S. efforts to renew Mideast peacemaking. The move is meant to skirt a court order to evacuate and seal the house, thus easing settler anger over Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's decision to slow Jewish settlement construction. But it is likely to fuel new friction with the Palestinians, who hope to establish a future capital in that sector of the holy city. Palestinian negotiator Saeb Erekat said Israel's latest attempts to entrench its presence in east Jerusalem only further discourages peace efforts. Israeli officials "know for sure that there will never be peace without east Jerusalem being the capital of Palestine," Erekat said Tuesday. "By undermining this, they're undermining the peace process. "
Joint Letter to the President of the UNGA
2/10/2010 - Al-Haq - Signed by 18 human rights groups - Re: Domestic investigations on alleged violations of international humanitarian and human rights law committed during the Gaza Conflict - Your Excellency, On the occasion of the submission of the initial findings of the Secretary-General on the domestic investigations conducted to date, as recommended in the Report of the UN Fact-Finding Mission on the Gaza Conflict (the Report) and endorsed by the General Assembly, we would like to draw your attention to our concerns about the effectiveness of the endeavours undertaken by the concerned parties. As local and international human rights organisations committed to promote and ensure respect for human rights and justice, we are concerned that the investigations were not “independent, credible and in conformity with international standards [required for] serious violations. . . . Related: Full Letter (PDF)
Wiesel: If Ahmadinejad were assassinated, I wouldn’t shed a tear
2/9/2010 - Ha'aretz - Nobel Prize laureate Elie Wiesel said on Tuesday that if Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad were assassinated, he would not shed a tear. " Ahmadinejad is a danger to the world and pathologically sick," Wiesel said during an interview on Army Radio. "He is dangerous because he openly wants to destroy Israel, meaning, to destroy another six million Jews. " Over the last few weeks, Wiesel has gathered signatures from more than 50 Nobel laureates across the world for a petition denouncing Ahmadinejad. The petition will be published in The New York Times and The International Herald Tribune. The letter condemns Iran's severe human rights violations and warns that Iran's nuclear program is a danger to humanity. The petition is part of Wiesel's worldwide campaign to raise awareness of the threat he says Ahmadinejad poses to world peace.
AP Pulls Iran Nukes Story After Antiwar.com Exposé
2/9/2010 - Antiwar.com - Associated Press issued a story yesterday (Monday) entitled “Iran moves closer to nuke warhead capacity. ” It was full of inaccurate and misleading information implying that Iran had admitted trying to enrich weapons-grade nuclear material. The story appeared on a wide variety of media. Last night, Antiwar. com news editor Jason Ditz issued a story refuting the AP story. This morning, Associated Press recalled the story without explanation and replaced it with another, much less inflamatory story written by a different author. It is important to question the mainstream media and not let them get away with helping the warmongers with their agenda. Related: AP Article Fuels Iran War Hysteria
Up to $6 bil. in natural gas found off Israeli coast
2/2/2010 - Jerusalem Post - The Canadian Bontan Oil and Gas Company, which has been exploring for natural gas off the coast of Israel, announced Tuesday that it had found prospective resources of up to 6 trillion cubic feet [TCF]of natural gas in Mira and Sarah Prospects off the country's coast. As defined on the company's Web site, prospective resources are “those quantities of petroleum estimated, as of a given date, to be potentially recoverable from undiscovered accumulations by application of future development projects. “The two finds could be worth upwards of US $6 billion. The Canadian company “will have an indirect 71. 625% interest in these prospects via its 75% equity interest in the Israel Petroleum Company which has acquired a 95. 5% interest in the drilling licenses as well as an adjoining exploration permit from the current operator subject to approval by the Government of Israel,” a press release on its Website announced.
Israeli website publishes list of 13 top Hamas wanted activists
Uruknet February 11, 2010 - The Israel-based self-described intelligence and security news service debkafile published a list of 13 Hamas leaders allegedly "Israel's next targets for liquidation" on their website Friday. The service said the list was distributed by de facto government security services to members following the alleged assassination of Hamas military wing founder Mohammad Al-Mabhouh in Dubai on 19...
30 hours in Gaza
Uruknet February 11, 2010 - One of my first glimpses of the Gaza Strip was a youth on a motorcycle who threw me his red kuffiyeh. "Remember me!" he shouted, before disappearing in a sea of flags. With a certain irony, it was the members of the Viva Palestina aid convoy who ended up playing the role of war victims as...
Palestinian Christian priests call for non-violent resistance
Uruknet February 11, 2010 - The voice of Father Jamal Khader coming over the waves of Radio Mawwal in Bethlehem was soothing and confident. A caller asked him to explain the words of Jesus, "to love your enemy", in light of the occupation and walls built by Israel and the injustice against Palestinians. Father Khader, who was being interviewed along with...
Increased Hostility Towards Reporters In West Bank
Uruknet February 11, 2010 - Palestinian reporters, either working for local or international agencies, were repeatedly subjected to attacks by the Israeli army, but recently such attacks witnessed a sharp increase leading to injuries, damage to equipment, and to preventing them from performing their duty. Two of the reporters, Ata Oweisat and Mahmoud Oleyyan, work for the al Quds newspaper. Another...
Palestinians detained near Gaza-Israel border
Uruknet February 11, 2010 - Israeli forces detained at least six Palestinians in northern Gaza on Thursday, witnesses said and the army confirmed. Onlookers said 10 Palestinian men scavenging for iron girders northeast of Beit Lahiya were seized and dragged into Israel by soldiers patrolling the border. They were rummaging through the rubble of buildings, and were loaded into military vehicles...
Iran: Live blog - 22 Bahman - Anniversary of 1979 Revolution - Thursday, 11 February 2010
Uruknet February 11, 2010 - ...Mohammad Taghi Karroubi, son of opposition leader Mehdi Karroubi, spoke to BBC Persian about the attack on his father near Second Sadeghiyeh Square: 'A rock was thrown at him and it hit him on his head and the police directly shot tear gas at him. Someone offered to drive him away and the security forces savagely...
Mahmoud Ahmadinejad declares Iran a 'nuclear state'
Uruknet February 11, 2010 - President Ahmadinejad declared Iran a "nuclear state" today, saying that scientists had produced the first batch of highly enriched uranium, a leap towards the production of weapons-grade fuel. Mr Ahmadinejad told crowds of cheering supporters that Iran was capable of going all the way to weapons grade but would not do so because "we do not...
Palestinian Youth Suffers Broken Leg After Being Attacked By Israeli Soldiers
Uruknet February 11, 2010 - Undercover forces of the Israeli army violently attacked a 17-year-old youth in Abu Dis town, in East Jerusalem, and broke his leg. The youth was transferred to an Israeli hospital before he was moved to the Etzion detention center. Local sources reported that Mohammad Halabiyya was walking in Abu Dis when he was attacked by a...
Row over plan to build Jewish museum of tolerance on site of Muslim cemetery
Uruknet February 11, 2010 - A group of Palestinians descended from 15 of Jerusalem's oldest Arab families lodged a protest with the UN today in a fresh effort to prevent the construction of a "Museum of Tolerance" on the site of an ancient Muslim cemetery. The project, run by the Simon Wiesenthal Centre in Los Angeles, has been dogged by controversy...
Israeli airstrike, artillery fire kills one, injures 4 in central Gaza
Uruknet February 10, 2010 - An Israeli airstrike at midday killed one and injured a second, hours after Israeli artillery fire injured three children in Johur Ad-Dik, in central Gaza on Thursday. Dr Muawiya Hassanein, head of ambulance and emergency services in Gaza, said shrapnel from Israeli artillery fire in the early morning caused injury to three children identified as Afaf...
ZIONISM UNMASKED: A Fairy Tale That's Become a Terrifying Nightmare
Uruknet February 10, 2010 - ...The Jews who returned in answer to Zionism’s call had no biological connection to the ancient Hebrews. They were converts to Judaism long after the end of the Hebrew conquest and short-lived domination of much of Canaan, the name as in the Bible by which Palestine was first known to the world. They therefore had no...
No Checkpoints in Heaven
Uruknet February 10, 2010 - ...Since the siege on Gaza, my father’s life became impossible. His ailments were not 'serious’ enough for hospitals crowded with limbless youth. During the most recent Israeli onslaught, most hospital spaces were converted to surgery wards, and there was no place for an old man like my dad. All attempts to transfer him to the better...
Open Letter to President Obama from the Diplomatic Corps in Gaza
11 Feb 2010 - Gaza, February 11, 2010 (Pal Telegraph)- President Barack Obama The White House 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue Washington, DC 20500 Dear President Obama, We would like to express our deep thanks for your tireless and ongoing efforts to resolve the Palestinian suffering from the Israeli Occupation and for your commitment to spread a breath of fresh air in the Middle...
Power struggle could portend a cold, dark winter in Gaza Strip
11 Feb 2010 - Gaza, February 11, 2010 (Pal Telegraph) - The Gaza Strip's beleaguered residents face worsening power outages, even as winter temperatures drop, because of a financial dispute between the Ramallah-based Palestinian Authority and Gaza's electricity distributor. The authority says it pays about $30 million a month to provide electricity to Gaza's 1.5 million people. But officials say the Gaza Electricity Distribution...
Israel arrests 10 Palestinians in north Gaza.
11 Feb 2010 - Gaza Strip, February 11, 2010 (Pal Telegraph)- Israeli occupation forces have arrested on Thursday morning ten young men from the liberated zone "Dugit" in the northern Gaza Strip, claiming that they were approaching the separation barrier. An infantry unit of the Israeli army ambushed these young men and arrested them while they were collecting pebbles from the area, except that...
Israel makes life miserable for Palestinians west of the Apartheid Wall
11 Feb 2010 - West Bank, February 11, 2010 (Pal Telegraph; by Amira Hass) - About eight of the 40 families from Dhaher al-Maleh have left their tiny village and have gone to live on the eastern side of the separation wall. They could no longer bear the Israeli ban on building houses. Neither could they bear the other restrictions and prohibitions that the...
Families fight back with peace in the Gazan 'buffer zone'
11 Feb 2010 - Gaza, February 11, 2010 (Pal Telegraph; by Pam Bailey) - The Israelis call it the "buffer zone." Gazan NGOs often call it the "hot zone." But to the Palestinians who live near this wide swath of land alongside the border between the Gaza Strip and Israel, it is fertile land where their children played and they made a decent l...
Israeli shelling wounds two girls in Gaza
11 Feb 2010 - Gaza, February 11, 2010 (Pal Telegraph) - Two Palestinian girls were wounded today when an Israeli tank shell exploded near their home during an exchange of fire along the border of the Gaza Strip. Palestinian medics said the girls, aged five and 13, were wounded by shrapnel from the blast. According to Muawiya Hassanein, the head of Gaza emergency services,...
Rafah crossing to open for 2 days in both directions
10 Feb 2010 - Gaza Strip, February 10, 2010 (Pal Telegraph) - Media sources reported today Wednesday that the Rafah border crossing will be opened from Feb. 15-17. The Borders and Crossings Corporation in the Gaza Strip stated that the opening of the crossing is necessary for humanitarian cases, including students and those needing medical treatment. International organizations and Egyptian officials engage in an...
Marathon helps strengthen bond between fathers and their children
10 Feb 2010 - West Bank, February 10, 2010 (Pal Telegraph) - About 1.300 children and their fathers from five villages south of Nablus (Burin, Madama, Einabus, Urif and Assira) recently participated in a marathon race. But it was more than a sporting event; rather, its goal was to improve vulnerable children’s psychosocial well-being. The marathon was a launch event for a broader year-long...
Israel reroutes barrier that cuts off West Bank village of Bilin
The National 11 Feb 2010 - Move comes two and a half years after supreme court ruled barrier must be moved to ease hardship of Palestinians.
Israel bombs southern Gaza
The National 10 Feb 2010 - Israeli warplanes bomb several sites in southern Gaza overnight in response to rocket fire from the Hamas-run enclave, the army says.
Lebanon: Jet crash cause unclear
AlJazeera 11 Feb 2010 - Both technical problem and explosion ruled out on basis of flight data recorders' analysis.
Rallies mark Iran Revolution Day
AlJazeera 11 Feb 2010 - Ahmadinejad's supporters celebrate anniversary while opposition protests are quashed.
US dismisses Iran uranium claims
AlJazeera 11 Feb 2010 - White House expresses doubt over claim that Iran has achieved higher-level enrichment.
Archaeologists Uncover Byzantine-era Jerusalem Street
The Media Line 10 Feb 2010 - Archaeologists digging under a busy Jerusalem crossroads have unearthed a section of a stone street from Byzantine times, thus confirming the city's depiction in a 6th century mosaic map. Digging up a busy city crossroad isn't...
Lebanon Marks Fifth Anniversary of Hariri Assassination
The Media Line 10 Feb 2010 - Tensions in Lebanon are running high as the country prepares to remember its former Prime Minister. The 14th of February will mark five years since the killing of former Lebanese Prime Minister Rafik Hariri. In 2005...
Palestinian Policeman Kills Israeli Soldier
The Media Line 10 Feb 2010 - A Palestinian security officer stabbed an Israeli soldier to death at the Tapuach Junction, north of Nablus, on Wednesday. Israeli soldier Ihab Khatib was sitting in his vehicle with the window open when the Palestinian pulled...
Palestinians Petition U.N. Over Museum Construction
The Media Line 10 Feb 2010 - Palestinian and human-rights organizations are petitioning the United Nations to halt the construction of a Jerusalem museum being built on the site of a Muslim cemetery. Israel's supreme court rejected a 2008 appeal to stop the...
Iranians Clash During Rally Marking 31 Years to Revolution
The Media Line 10 Feb 2010 - Iranian opposition activists say security forces fired bullets at supporters of Iran's "green" opposition movement during a mass gathering in Iran on Thursday. Hundreds of thousands, some claim millions, gathered at Tehran's central square on Thursday...
Murder, Execution and Camel Compensation
The Media Line 10 Feb 2010 - Saudi judicial authorities begin a revaluation of camel-based 'blood money'. Saudi Arabian officials are reevaluating the standard amount of 'blood money' awarded to the families of murder victims in the kingdom. The judiciary council is an...
Yes, We Objected to the War on Gaza
Alternative Information Center 11 Feb 2010 - Wednesday, 10 February 2010, Despite the irresponsibility with which (Israeli reporter) Ben Caspit published the report of the radical right wing group Im Tirtzu, we wish to thank him for the exposure he provide to the...
Italian NGO Opposition to Statements Made by Italian PM Berlusconi in Israel
Alternative Information Center 11 Feb 2010 - Thursday, 11 February 2010, Following the three-day visit last week (1-3 February) of Italian Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi to Israel and Occupied Palestinian Territories, many voices of protest were raised against his declarations and unconditional support...
2.5 Years after Israeli Supreme Court Order: Path of the Wall in Bil'in to Be Moved
Alternative Information Center 11 Feb 2010 - Thursday, 11 February 2010, Five years into anti-Wall struggle in Bil'in, Infrastructure work began yesterday to reroute the path of the barrier on the village's lands in accordance to an Israeli Supreme Court decision. Two and...
Oxford University students statement against a speech by Israeli Deputy Foreign Minist
PNN 11 Feb 2010 - Danny Ayalon, Israel's Deputy Foreign Minister and member of the far-right Yisrael Beitenu party, came to the Oxford Union on 8 February, on a desperate PR mission to resuscitate Israel's image after global public condemnation for its war crimes in Gaza last year. The Oxford Students' Palestine Society, together with other student groups and members of the public, organized a protest, both...
Silver clue to Gaza's rich history
PNN 11 Feb 2010 - GAZA CITY // It was perhaps fitting that when workmen came across a haul of 1,400 ancient Greek silver coins, some 2,500 years old, they should do so in Rafah, Gaza’s southern border town. Rafah, after all, is the only place in the territory where international trade still takes place, albeit illicitly through hundreds of smuggling tunnels, the result of Israel’s crippling siege...
Protestors hit Beirut Starbucks
PNN 11 Feb 2010 - Customers flee as demonstrators express displeasure with coffee chain's pro-Israel CEO. Protesters from a leftist group shouted anti-Israel slogans outside of a Starbucks coffee shop Wednesday during a protest in Lebanon's capital, Beirut. Demonstrators tried to block the entrance to the shop, thereby causing customers inside to flee. The protesters said they targeted the store because they claim that Howard Schultz, the...
Palestinians aim to push tourism beyond Bethlehem
PNN 11 Feb 2010 - BETHLEHEM, West Bank — For your next getaway, you might consider this: four nights and five days in sunny Palestine: land of miracles . It's a tough sell for a place that has become synonymous with Middle East violence, for a country not yet a country which does not even control all of its territory, let alone its major tourist attractions.And yet the...
Israeli settler security guard shoots Palestinian teen in northern West Bank
PNN 10 Feb 2010 - Local sources have reported that an 18-year old teenager from the Palestinian village of Iraq Burin, near Nablus, was shot by an Israeli security guard from the settlement of Har Bracha, wounding him in the knee. The incident took place after Israeli settlers and supporters who were gathered on stolen Palestinian land in the settlement of Har Bracha called the settlement's security...
Israel decides: No independent probe of Gaza war
Jeruslalem Post 11 Feb 2010 - Exclusive: J’lem hopes recent report to Ban will deter future UN action; legal expert warns: Individual states could pose endless problems based on Goldstone charges.
Bill Clinton undergoes heart procedure
Jeruslalem Post 11 Feb 2010 - Former US president "in good spirits" after 2 stents inserted in artery.
Why are people going to Iran?
Jeruslalem Post 11 Feb 2010 - Iranian olim spokesman to 'Post': Ashdod man's conviction for trip justified.
'We didn’t train PA officer who killed soldier'
Jeruslalem Post 11 Feb 2010 - EU police advisers say attacker was trained by Palestinian instructors in Jericho academy, served in PA Police headquarters in Ramallah.
Re-branding Israel? If only I could...
Jeruslalem Post 11 Feb 2010 - "In today’s media environment, we don’t have the time to make a good argument," laments the diplomat who is battling to change the int’l perception of militaristic Israel.
Man gets community service for Iran trip
Jeruslalem Post 11 Feb 2010 - Beersheba resident guilty of traveling to enemy state without special permission.
IDF foils plan to kidnap soldier
Jeruslalem Post 11 Feb 2010 - Five Hamas operatives arrested on way to commit attacks in Israel.
IAF strike in Gaza kills terrorist
Jeruslalem Post 11 Feb 2010 - Global jihad operative dies, another hurt in joint IDF-Shin Bet operation.
Israel rerouting barrier near West Bank village
Jeruslalem Post 11 Feb 2010 - Weekly protests being held in opposition to barrier construction.
OPT: Gaza schoolchildren struggling to learn
IRIN GAZA Friday, February 05, 2010 (IRIN) - Nearly half a million children in Gaza returned to overcrowded and dilapidated schools on 1 February, many attending in a shift system, with missing textbooks, stationery or uniforms.
Weekly Report on Israeli Human Rights Violations in the Occupied Palestinian Territory
PCHR Israeli soldiers arrest a Palestinian civilians during clashes in Shu'fat refugee camp near Jerusalem 04 – 10 February 2010 Israeli Occupation Forces (IOF) Continue Systematic Attacks against Palestinian Civilians and Property in the Occupied Palestinian Territory (OPT)
Israel raids ISM media office for the second time
2/11/2010 - International Solidarity Movement - 10 February - Nine Israeli soldiers kicked in the door of the ISM media office and demanded the passports of the internationals present. The soldiers confiscated a desktop computer used by ISM volunteers. Two internationals, Ryan Olander of the U. S. and Nick Bryer of the U. . K. , were awoken from their night's rest as nine Israeli soldiers barged through the door at 4am brandishing M16 fully-automatic assault rifles. Luckily, the door had not yet been repaired from a previous raid on Sunday morning. This facilitated their entry and reduced the damaged they inflicted upon the apartment. The internationals were taken to a common room and made to present their passports. Upon entering the common room the two men noticed that the computer had been removed from the desk and placed by the door. After verifying that the two men had valid visas, the soldiers attempted to interrogate the. . . .
IDF twice raids Ramallah office of pro-Palestinian group
2/11/2010 - International Solidarity Movement - Ha'aretz - Israel Defense Forces soldiers raided the International Solidarity Movement's Ramallah office Wednesday for the second time this week, confiscating computers, T-shirts and bracelets engraved with the word "Palestine. " On Sunday, soldiers arrested Ariadna Jove Marti of Spain and Bridgette Chappell of Australia at the Ramallah office. The High Court of Justice ordered the two women freed on Monday. Yesterday's raid took place at 3 A. M. Hours later, the ISM held a press conference, in conjunction with other pro-Palestinian organizations, at which they lashed out at the IDF's behavior. According to the ISM, the army launched an organized campaign in mid-December, the goal of which was to break up the popular protests against the separation fence in the West Bank villages of Bili'in and Na'alin. This campaign has included arrests and other forms of harassment, the activists charged.
Analysis / Iran revolution failed, sanctions are West's only hope
Ha'aretz 11 Feb 2010 - Israel worried over possible gap between its aims to end Iran's nuclear program and Washington's bid for dialogue.
Ex-U.S. President Clinton undergoes heart procedure
Ha'aretz 11 Feb 2010 - Former U.S. president has two stents inserted into clogged artery following chest pains.
Nazi swastika adorns Sports Illustrated Swimsuit Issue
Ha'aretz 11 Feb 2010 - The photo, posted on the magazine's website, appears alongside Israeli models Bar Refaeli and Esti Ginzburg.
Think tank: Israel faces global delegitimization campaign
Ha'aretz 11 Feb 2010 - Tel Aviv-based security and socioeconomic think tank urges ministers to treat the matter as a strategic threat.
Mumps outbreak hits New York's Haredi community
Ha'aretz 11 Feb 2010 - N.Y. Health Dept. urges young Jews to get vaccinated, unless they were fully vaccinated in the past.
Syrian official: Golan tax breaks prove Israel doesn't want peace
Ha'aretz 11 Feb 2010 - Knesset votes on bill that would grant tax benefits to Israeli residents of territory Syria wants returned.
U.S.: Iran's nuclear efforts are anything but peaceful
Ha'aretz 11 Feb 2010 - White House: Ahmadinejad has said many things, and many of them turn out to be untrue.
Iran atomic chief: Tehran to initiate 2 new nuclear sites this year
Ha'aretz 11 Feb 2010 - Ali Akbar Salehi: We have the enrichment abilities, but we won't produce weapons grade uranium.
Israel needs Goldstone
Ha'aretz 11 Feb 2010 - Dreading the truth, besieged by Gaza, in a thousand ways, Israel has brought the war home.
Lawyer of co-accused Mumbai attacker shot dead
Ha'aretz 11 Feb 2010 - Nine Israelis were killed in Chabad House in Mumbai attack that left over 195 people dead .
Poland refuses to build shelter for Auschwitz cat
Ha'aretz 11 Feb 2010 - Museum that runs the camp rejects animal rights group's call to build shelter for cat living on premises.
Iran clamps down on opposition rally as thousands mark Islamic revolution in Tehran
Ha'aretz 11 Feb 2010 - Reform supporters report sharp drop in internet, mobile service and Google disruptions ahead of central rally.
'10 agents including 3 women, took part in Dubai Hamas assassination'
Ha'aretz 11 Feb 2010 - Female agent posing as reception clerk coaxed target into opening hotel room door, according to report.
Soldier's murder was latest in trend of terror by PA security
Ha'aretz 11 Feb 2010 - Majority of fatal attacks against Israelis in W. Bank in recent years carried out by PA security forces members.
Ultra-Orthodox riot in Jerusalem over remand of Haredi protester
Ha'aretz 11 Feb 2010 - Ultra-Orthodox protesters erupted in Jerusalem's Mea Shearim neighborhood on Thursday after a court ruled earlier to remand a Haredi man detained for rioting charges. ...
Supreme Court overrules Knesset on terror-linked arrest process
Ha'aretz 11 Feb 2010 - The Supreme Court canceled on Thursday a clause in the criminal procedure law permitting remand hearings related to security offences to be held without the suspect being physically present. ...
'170 percent rise in student sexual assault complaints in last 9 years'
Ha'aretz 11 Feb 2010 - The last nine years have seen a 170 percent rise in students appealing to the Education Ministry's sexual assault prevention center, a report published by the ministry officials said on Thursday. ...
The New Israel Fund for Deepening the Jewish-Arab Rift
Ha'aretz 11 Feb 2010 - The Im Tirtzu organization accuses the New Israel Fund of financing Israeli organizations which Judge Richard Goldstone used for information to accuse the Israel Defense Forces of "war crimes." ...
Survey: Modern Israelis clinging to traditional family structures
Ha'aretz 11 Feb 2010 - The average Israeli is generally pleased with his life, his standard of living is up, his family relationships are happy and he has a mobile phone and internet services, according to Central Bureau of Statistics data released ahead of family day next week. ...
OPT: Violent night raid and arrest of 19 children in Jalazon camp
Relief Web 11 Feb 2010 - Source: Defence for Children International/Palestine Section
Protection of Civilians Weekly Report, 3 - 9 Feb 2010
Relief Web 11 Feb 2010 - Source: UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs
Al Mezan Condemns IOF Attacks on Gaza; Calls Calls for International Intervention to Ensure Protection of Civilians
Relief Web 11 Feb 2010 - Source: Al Mezan Center for Human Rights
Joint Letter to the President of the UNGA: Re: Domestic investigations on alleged violations of international humanitarian and human rights law committed during the Gaza Conflict
Relief Web 11 Feb 2010 - Source: Al Mezan Center for Human Rights, BADIL Resource Center for Palestinian Residency and Refugee Rights, Defence for Children International/Palestine Section, Palestinian Centre for Human Rights
Kadima official: Livni must unite party
YNet News 11 Feb 2010 - Ynet report on deadline set by Mofaz for primary elections sparks political row. Likud waiting for developments, Kadima sources call on chairwoman to prevent split in party
IDF source: Soldiers are distracted by Jews too
YNet News 11 Feb 2010 - Military officials note settler disorder can disturb soldiers' concentration, making it hard to prevent attacks like Wednesday's fatal Tapuach Junction stabbing
Bill Clinton hospitalized in New York
YNet News 11 Feb 2010 - Former US president undergoes successful heart procedure to open blocked arteries in his heart with two stents after experiencing chest discomfort
Legal expert: Nullification of law protects weak sectors of society
YNet News 11 Feb 2010 - Controversial High Court ruling that disqualifies law enabling remand extension of security detainees without their presence 'puts Israel on level playing field with other democracies,' says law professor
PA may form commission of inquiry into sex scandal video
YNet News 11 Feb 2010 - Palestinian sources tell Ynet Abbas plans to investigate video in which PA's head of bureau tried to solicit sexual relations. Meanwhile, sources say they are still convinced whole incident is Israeli fabrication meant to pressure PA back into negotiations
Palestinian witnesses won't be driven like detainees
YNet News 11 Feb 2010 - Rights groups turn to IDF, request that Palestinians testifying in Israeli courts not be transported in vehicles intended for prisoners. Military police chief: Respect rights, dignity of witnesses
US questions Iranian uranium enrichment claims
YNet News 11 Feb 2010 - White House spokesman says Islamic Republic's leadership has made a series of statement based on politics, not physics. State Department says Tehran attempts to choke information flow, adding that Iranian government fears its own people
Barak, Askenazi display 'business as usual'
YNet News 11 Feb 2010 - Defense minister, IDF chief of staff meet privately for first time since tensions arouse surrounding Ashkenazi's tenure. 'These are two senior figures who are aware of the burden on their shoulders; even if there is slight tension between them – they know how to separate it from their work,' says security source
Mofaz threatens to split Kadima
YNet News 11 Feb 2010 - Opposition Chairwoman Livni faces clear deadline from her party's No. 2. 'The only way for me to stay in Kadima is with an unequivocal decision on primary elections by the end of this month,' Mofaz clarifies in closed forums
Extreme rightists questioned over IDF insubordination
YNet News 11 Feb 2010 - Activist Baruch Marzel, Rabbi Dov Wolpe suspected of encouraging disobedience in army by holding ceremonies in honor of soldiers refusing orders, giving them money as reward for their actions. 'This is a political investigation. Our mouth will not be shut,' Marzel tells police
Carrying Palestinian witnesses in prisoner transport vehicle stopped
B'tselem 10 Feb 2010 - Following the intervention of Yesh Din and B'Tselem, the Chief Military Police Officer announced that the Military Police will improve the treatment of Palestinians arriving in military courts in Israel to testify in trials of security forces charged wit
Iran opposition leaders 'attacked' amid Revolution Day clashes
Daily Star 11 Feb 2010 Iranian opposition leaders Mohammad Khatami and Mehdi Karroubi came under attack and their supporters clashed with police as vast crowds massed in Tehran on Thursday to mark the 1979 Islamic Revolution. The Revolutionary Guards and police had warned they would crack down heavily on any protests which, since they first erupted last June
Israel hopes for peace talks, opens fire on Gaza
Daily Star 11 Feb 2010 Israeli Foreign Minister Avigdor Lieberman on Thursday said he hoped indirect Middle East peace talks would begin by the end of this month and direct talks would follow by the end of March. "I hope that by the end of this month - indirect talks with the Palestinians will begin, and direct talks within the month after that," Lieberman told journalists during a visit to Azerbaijan, the Trend news agency reported
Why do they hate us?
Daily Star 11 Feb 2010 The report of the UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon caused a shock to all those concerned about justice and human rights. In his report to the UN General Assembly on February 5, 2010, on the Israeli war on Gaza, he says: "No determination can be made on the implementation of resolution 64/10 by the parties concerned," pointing out that he has "called upon all of the parties
Syria: Golan tax break proves Israel 'rejects' Mideast peace
Daily Star 11 Feb 2010 Syria fired a new round in its war of words with Israel on Thursday, saying the country did not want Middle East peace and offering as evidence proposed tax breaks for Israelis living in the Golan Heights, captured from Syria. The parliamentary vote on a bill providing tax breaks to settlers living in the Golan "is a new sign of the true intentions of Israel, which rejects peace," a Foreign Ministry statement said
Iraq orders hundreds of security guards linked to Blackwater to leave country
Daily Star 11 Feb 2010 Iraq has ordered hundreds of private security guards linked to Blackwater Worldwide to leave the country within seven days or face possible arrest on visa violations. The order, announced late Wednesday by the interior minister, comes in the wake of a US judge's dismissal of criminal charges against five Blackwater guards who were accused in the September 2007 shooting deaths of 17 Iraqis in Baghdad
Jordan activists risk jail after calling for end to CIA ties
Daily Star 11 Feb 2010 A prominent writer and a political activist have been charged with insulting the state after criticizing Jordan's cooperation with the United States in the war against terror, a judicial official said on Thursday. Columnist Muwafaq Mahadin, who writes for the independent daily Al-Arab Al-Yawm, and Sufian Tel were detained on Wednesday after a military prosecutor
At least 15 die in violence in Somali capital
Daily Star 11 Feb 2010 At least 11 civilians and four security officers were killed in the Somali capital Wednesday in two separate incidents of violence, an officer and residents said. Islamic insurgents fired several mortars from Mogadishu's main Bakara market in the direction of African Union peacekeeping bases in the capital's south, said Dahi Mohammad, a witness
Israel rerouting barrier near occupied West Bank village
Daily Star 11 Feb 2010 Israel began work on Thursday to reroute a section of its West Bank separation barrier to restore land to a village that has become a flashpoint of Palestinian opposition to the enclosure. The move comes two-and-a-half years after Israel's Supreme Court ruled that the barrier must be moved to ease the hardship of Palestinians in the village of Bilin
Abu Marzouk: Presence of Shalit in Gaza doesn’t avert another Israeli war on it
PIC 11 Feb 2010 - Dr. Mousa Abu Marzouk, the deputy-head of Hamas's political bureau, asserted Wednesday that the presence of Israeli soldier Gilad Shalit in Gaza Strip won't avert another war..
Fatah Gate shakes the PA; Abbas threatens to resign if more scandals exposed
PIC 11 Feb 2010 - A high-ranking official in the office of Mahmoud Abbas revealed Thursday that Abbas sent a message to Israeli premier that he will resign if more scandals of his associates are revealed ..
Khudari: IOA might turn siege on Gaza as fact on the ground
PIC 11 Feb 2010 - Palestinian MP Jamal Al-Khudari has warned Thursday of an Israeli plan to turn the siege on Gaza Strip as a fact on the ground the international community should deal with as it is.
Barhoum: IOA preparing for its racist, fanatic state
PIC 11 Feb 2010 - Fawzi Barhoum has charged that the recent IOA escalation against Shafat refugee camp in occupied Jerusalem was in preparation for the establishment of a Jewish, racist and fanatic state.
IOF disguised soldiers break foot of Palestinian teen
PIC 11 Feb 2010 - Israeli occupation forces (IOF) wearing plain clothes beat up a 17-year-old Palestinian teen a few days ago and broke his foot, the Palestinian prisoners' society said on Thursday.
Resistance fighter killed in IOF shooting
PIC 11 Feb 2010 - A Palestinian resistance fighter was killed and a number of others were wounded when the Israeli occupation forces (IOF) targeted a group of them in Shujaia suburb east of Gaza city on Thursday.
Hundreds of settlers storm Nabi Yusuf tomb with IOF escort
PIC 11 Feb 2010 - Hundreds of Jewish settlers stormed the Nabi Yusuf tomb in Nablus city on Wednesday night under the protection of Israeli occupation forces (IOF), local sources said.
AFEH: Israeli companies marketing settlement outpost overlooking Aqsa
PIC 11 Feb 2010 - AFEH warned on Wednesday of the dangers of marketing a settlement project in occupied Jerusalem for the purpose of Judaizing the holy city called "Ma'aleh Hazeetim".
Two children wounded in IOF incursion
PIC 11 Feb 2010 - Two children were wounded when the Israeli occupation forces (IOF) opened artillery afire at the eastern areas of the Gaza Strip at an early hour on Thursday, medical sources said.
ADU launches biggest medicine convoy to Gaza
PIC 11 Feb 2010 - The relief and emergency committee in the Arab doctors union launched the biggest ever convoy of medicine from Cairo to the Gaza Strip on Wednesday evening to the tune of 2.5 million dollars.
Israel begins rerouting West Bank barrier
LA Times 12 Feb 2010 - In the village of Bilin, Palestinians will regain 170 acres. Residents celebrate, but foes of the barrier say they'll continue to protest until it's completely gone. The Israeli military has begun rerouting a hotly disputed section of the West Bank security barrier, marking a victory for Palestinians who fought for five years to win back access to their land, officials said Thursday.
Pro-government demonstrators overshadow opposition in Iran
LA Times 12 Feb 2010 - Despite weeks of calls to action, protesters fail to derail a rally marking the anniversary of the Islamic Revolution. Ahmadinejad gives a defiant keynote speech. A huge crowd of government supporters filled Tehran's Azadi Square on Thursday to commemorate the 31st anniversary of the Islamic Revolution, overshadowing the smaller groups of nearby anti-government protesters confronted by plainclothes and uniformed security forces.
Iran Boasts of Capacity to Make Bomb Fuel
New York Times 11 Feb 2010 - On the anniversary of the Islamic Revolution, Iran’s president sent forces onto the streets to break up protests and taunted the West by claiming progress on uranium enrichment.
World Briefing | Middle East: Airstrike Kills Palestinian Militant
New York Times 11 Feb 2010 - A Palestinian militant was killed on Thursday in an Israeli airstrike, according to Israeli officials.
Atomic Agency Views Iran’s Stepped-Up Enrichment of Uranium as a Violation
New York Times 11 Feb 2010 - An International Atomic Energy Agency report is likely to give the United States more evidence that Iran is not meeting commitments on its nuclear program.
Latest Updates on Demonstrations in Iran
New York Times 11 Feb 2010 - On Thursday, The Lede is tracking news of fresh protests in Iran posted online, as the country celebrates the 31st anniversary of the Islamic Revolution.
Right to Free Speech Collides With Fight Against Terror
New York Times 11 Feb 2010 - The Supreme Court will hear a challenge to a ban on providing “material support” to terrorist groups in a test of the constitutionality of a provision of the USA Patriot Act.
News Analysis: Obama Takes Several Gambles in Bid to Defuse Nuclear Standoff With Iran
New York Times 11 Feb 2010 - The president is pursuing a global agreement on sanctions against Iran, while trying to win China’s backing for such a move and dissuading Israel from attacking.
The transformation of ‘anti-Semitism’
Mondoweiss - 11 Feb 2010 - In recent years, right-wing Israeli political leaders and their supporters have warned of the rise of a “new anti-Semitism”, rife across Europe and in left-wing political circles. The new anti-Semites are critics of Israel. They don’t target Jews; they target the Jewish state. (I say “they”...
Derfner in JPost says only the ‘liberal West’ can save Israel from itself
Mondoweiss - 11 Feb 2010 - Larry Derfner in the Jerusalem Post moves from an analysis of the expat vote issue to the broader theme that only the democratic West, Jewish and not, can save Israel from being a danger to itself and others. Left to itself, it’s a lost cause. Not...
Let me not to Wieseltier’s fulsome toast of a power marriage admit impediments
Mondoweiss - 11 Feb 2010 - The flip side of Leon Wieseltier’s vicious-turgid attack on Andrew Sullivan is a toast he made to Samantha Power and Cass Sunstein– then-Harvard powerhouses, today Obama aides– when they got married in Ireland a year and a half ago. Wieseltier was so proud of the toast...
Student disruptions of Israeli officials continue to make waves
Mondoweiss - 11 Feb 2010 - The student protests at Oxford University and the University of California, Irvine that interrupted Israeli officials’ speeches are continuing to make waves in a variety of ways. An apparent anti-Semitic remark in Arabic was hurled at Israeli Deputy Foreign Minister Danny Ayalon during the interruptions to...
‘New School’ convenes legalistic panel to bash Goldstone with no advocate for the other side
Mondoweiss - 11 Feb 2010 - The other night the New School held a panel to bash the Goldstone Report on legalistic grounds. It is a mystery to me why a school known for its leftwing heritage would, when a landmark moral document is under attack by government officials, convene such a...
Yes, We Objected to the War on Gaza
Alternative Information Center - 11 Feb 2010 - Wednesday, 10 February 2010, Despite the irresponsibility with which (Israeli reporter) Ben Caspit published the report of the radical right wing group Im Tirtzu, we wish to thank him for the exposure he provide to the opposition of citizens in Israel to “Operation Cast Lead.” Caspit...
2.5 Years after Israeli Supreme Court Order: Path of the Wall in Bil'in to Be Moved
Alternative Information Center - 11 Feb 2010 - Thursday, 11 February 2010, Five years into anti-Wall struggle in Bil'in, Infrastructure work began yesterday to reroute the path of the barrier on the village's lands in accordance to an Israeli Supreme Court decision. Two and a half years after an Israeli Supreme Court decision deeming...
Italian NGO Opposition to Statements Made by Italian PM Berlusconi in Israel
Alternative Information Center - 11 Feb 2010 - Thursday, 11 February 2010, Following the three-day visit last week (1-3 February) of Italian Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi to Israel and Occupied Palestinian Territories, many voices of protest were raised against his declarations and unconditional support for Israeli government policy. On 9 February, Berlusconi's...
Friday, February 12, 2010
Clinton: “Blair and Mitchell To Intensify Efforts To Resume Middle East Talks”
IMEMC 12 Feb 2010 - Saturday February 13, 2010 - 01:12, U.S. Secretary-of State, Hilary Clinton, stated Friday that U.S. Middle East Peace Envoy, George Mitchell, and Middle East Envoy, Tony Blair, will intensify their efforts to ensure the resumption of the stalled peace talks between Israel and the Palestinians.
Two Injured at the Weekly Bil’in Protest
IMEMC 12 Feb 2010 - Friday February 12, 2010 - 18:22, A journalist and a villager were injured by Israeli fire when troops attacked the weekly anti-wall protest at the village of Bil’in, central West Bank.
The Israeli military detains two civilians at the Nil‘in weekly protest
IMEMC 12 Feb 2010 - Friday February 12, 2010 - 18:21, A Palestinian teen and an Israeli supporter were detained by Israeli soldiers during an anti-wall protest at the village of Nil’in near the central West Bank city of Ramallah.
Israeli Troops Attack Protester Near Bethlehem
IMEMC 12 Feb 2010 - Friday February 12, 2010 - 18:19, Israeli soldiers attacked anti-wall protesters on Friday near the southern West Bank city of Bethlehem using tear gas and sound bombs.
250 Olive Trees Planted By Volunteers Near Osh Grab
IMEMC 12 Feb 2010 - Friday February 12, 2010 - 17:10, Following the beginning of construction of a new watchtower at the site of the former military base, this week, residents of Beit Sahour and international volunteers gathered at the surrounding farmlands, on Friday, to cultivate the land, planting 250 olive trees.
Army Bombards Al Maghazi Refugee Camp in Gaza
IMEMC 12 Feb 2010 - Friday February 12, 2010 - 12:09, Palestinian sources reported that the Israeli army bombarded on Friday morning an area east of the Al Maghazi refugee camp, in the central district of the Gaza Strip.
Dr. Husseini On TV To Talk About “Scandal Report” Targeting Him
IMEMC 12 Feb 2010 - Friday February 12, 2010 - 11:46, Head of the Palestinian President’s Office in Jerusalem, Dr. Rafiq Husseini, will be participating in the “All In The Open” program at the Palestinian TV to talk about the details of “corruption and scandal” issue invoked against him at a report by the Israeli TV.
PCHR Weekly Report: 7 Palestinian civilians wounded by Israeli forces this week
IMEMC 12 Feb 2010 - Friday February 12, 2010 - 10:39, According to the Palestinian Center for Human Rights' Weekly Report on Israeli Human Rights Violations in the Occupied Palestinian Territories, during the week of 04 – 10 February 2010, 7 Palestinian civilians, including two journalists and a child, were wounded by Israeli gunfire in the West Bank.
Reports: 2 dead after Israeli shelling in Gaza
2/12/2010 - Gaza - Ma'an - Israeli forces shelled an area east of the Al-Maghazi Refugee Camp on Monday, hitting the central Gaza Strip region with several artillery shells in at least three barrages, witnesses said. Unconfirmed Israeli media reports said two Palestinians were killed. Camp residents said the shells were mostly landing in the Abu Hamam area, and said the hits began at approximately 9am. An Israeli military spokeswoman said the fire was the response of an army unit near the Kissufim military base, south of the Al-Maghazi camp, to an attempt by armed men who were "identified detonating an explosive device" near the border fence that she said was "targeting soldiers. "After soldiers heard an explosion nearby, they responded, she said. The army did not identify a direct hit, she said, and noted that no soldiers had been injured.
Israeli fire kills Hebron man
2/12/2010 - Hebron - Ma'an - A Palestinian man died en route to a Jerusalem hospital after he was shot by Israeli forces in Hebron on Friday. Locals identified the man as 41-year-old Fayez Ahmad Sayed Faraj, who was reported critically injured by Israeli gunfire earlier the same day. Onlookers said soldiers opened fire at Faraj in the Bab Az-Zawiyah area of central Hebron, and that Palestine Red Crescent ambulances were prevented from reaching the scene to offer aid to the injured man. An Israeli military spokeswoman said the Palestinian tried to stab a soldier in the Old City. Soldiers fired toward him and identified hitting him in the stomach, she said. Palestinians said soldiers transferred Faraj to Ad-Daboya, an area of Hebron under Israeli military control.
Dozens hurt by tear gas during West Bank protests
2/12/2010 - Ramallah - Ma'an - Dozens choked on tear gas across the occupied West Bank on Friday, as weekly protests against Israel's separation barrier were carried out in a number of Ramallah-area villages and towns. In Bil'in, protesters dressed up as creatures in the animated American film Avatar, which chronicles the trials of a fictional indigenous population known as the Na'vi struggling against colonialism on another planet. Palestinian, Israeli and international activists were painted blue, with pointy ears and tales, resembling the Avatar characters. "Like Palestinians, the Avatars fight imperialism, although the colonizers have different origins," said a statement from the Popular Struggle Coordination Committee. The Avatars' presence in Bil'in "symbolizes the united resistance to imperialism of all kinds. " Among the injured were Harun A'maieyarah, a correspondent for Palestine. . .
Students find school vandalized after settler visit
2/12/2010 - Nablus - Ma'an - Students at the Ma'zuz Al-Masri Girls School found the building vandalized by what officials say was settler mischief during an army-organized visit to a nearby religious site in Nablus on Thursday morning. The Israeli military, however, said it was their soldiers who damaged the building "in order to secure" a visit to Joseph's Tomb by approximately 500 settlers the night before. An Israeli military spokesman explained: "While entering, minor damage was caused to the school. The IDF took note of the damage and is cooperating with the Palestinian authorities in order to fix the damage. "When teachers and students arrived at the school they found it had been broken into, with several windows smashed and garbage thrown in the school water reserves, school officials reported. The Nablus municipality said its health crews examined the water and found it had been contaminated by trash. The reserve had to be emptied, disinfected and re-filled, officials said.
Family of alleged attacker say Israel to demolish home
2/12/2010 - Bethlehem - Ma'an - The family of alleged knife attacker Muhammad Al-Khatib was informed on Wednesday that Israel will demolish their home, according to a report by the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs. An Israeli military spokesman, however, said no official demolition order was handed out. Al-Khatib was accused of stabbing an Israeli soldier near the Za'tara checkpoint on Wednesday afternoon. The soldier died in hospital of injuries sustained after the attack when he rolled his military vehicle while escaping. The man's family reported the demolition warning to the UN following the detention of as many as six relatives during a home invasion following the alleged stabbing. Two of those detained were Al-Khatib's brothers Ated Aqab Khalaf, 29, and Muhammad Aqab Khalaf, 30. The Israeli military said two family members were detained.
Israeli activist arrested near Ramallah
2/12/2010 - Bethlehem - Ma'an/Agencies - The Israeli army arrested an Israeli peace activist near Ramallah on Friday, news reports said. The Hebrew-language daily Yedioth Ahronoth reported that Jonathan Pollak, an Israeli citizen and anti-wall movement organizer, was detained in the Ramallah-area village of Dir Nezam during a protest there. He was reportedly being held on the pretext that he violated an army order and entered Area A, a West Bank designation off-limits to Israeli citizens. Residents of Dir Nezam are joined by international peace activists each week. Earlier, Ma'an's correspondent said protesters threw stones and Israeli forces fired stun grenades, tear-gas canisters, rubber-coated bullets. No injuries were reported in the brief confrontations. . . . .
Israel army: No plans to damage park in Beit Sahour
2/12/2010 - Bethlehem - Ma'an - Following three days of military work on a hill overlooking a family park compound in Beit Sahour, an Israeli army spokeswoman assured that no damage would come to Palestinian structures on the land. The Beit Sahour family park, was a Jordanian military base known as Oush Gharab until 1967, when it was taken over by the Israeli army and abandoned in 2006. Since that time it was converted into a family park with a playgound, climbing wall and barbecue area with funds from international donors including USAID. In 2008, Israeli settlers laid claim to the land, gathering on the site a few Saturdays a year. Local residents called the visits intimidating. On Wednesday, Israeli soldiers and a bulldozer entered the park compound and began leveling ground and destroying old military outpost structures. The area was declared a closed military zone and access was prohibited to land owners and journalists.
Home of Qalqiliya journalist comes under attack
2/12/2010 - Bethlehem - Ma'an - Following reports that the home of Qalqiliya journalist Mustapha Sabri came under fire by unknown gunmen Thursday, the Palestinian Center For Development and Media Freedoms (MADA) issued a condemnation and expressed concern for media freedoms in Palestine. The attacked followed a 4 January 2010 arrest by Palestinian Authority Security Services, as well as an earlier attack on 6 November 2008, MADA reported. According to Sabri's wife, the shots were fired just before midnight on Thursday, and Palestinian police investigating the incident found that two of the bullets had pierced the outer fence of the home. No injuries were reported. [end]
Fatah wing claims responsibility for Wednesday stabbing attack
2/12/2010 - Bethlehem - Ma'an - The Al-Aqsa Martyrs Brigades, Fatah's armed wing, claimed responsibility on Friday for the stabbing death of an Israeli soldier near Nablus on Wednesday. Abu Al-Majd, a leader of the armed wing, identified the attacker as Muhammad Al-Khatib, the same Palestinian who Israeli forces took into custody on suspicion of carrying out the attack. "Al-Khatib, a brigades activist, carried out this attack in response to ongoing Israeli attacks on Palestinians and the assassination of three brigade affiliates in Nablus two months ago," Al-Majd said in a phone interview. Al-Majd threatened that the Fatah-affiliated faction would carry out more "substantive" attacks in the near future. He also said the delay in claiming responsibility was for security reasons. . . . .
Fatah’s Abdul Qader forms Shu’fat task force
2/13/2010 - Jerusalem - Ma'an - A popular committee was established Wednesday to find solutions for the continued tension in Jerusalem's Shu'fat Refugee Camp, following a string of Israeli military invasions and arrest campaigns, officials said. Fatah's Jerusalem official Hatim Abdul Qader announced the committee on Thursday, saying it was charged with following the cases of the dozens of men detained from the camp between Monday and Wednesday, as well as checking up on the men, women and children injured in the ensuing riots. The committee is an effort to empower the residents and rally the community around continued rights violations, Abdul Qader said. On Monday, Israeli forces, including the Border Police, municipal workers and an undercover police unit, carried out asearch and arrest operation in Shu'fat Refugee Camp during the early morning hours.
Gaza crossings closed
2/13/2010 - Gaza - Ma'an - Israeli officials announced Friday morning that all Gaza crossings would be closed for the day, transfer liaison officer Raed Fattouh said. Though crossings are scheduled to be open Fridays, Israeli officials communicated their closure every Friday since August, with the exception last Friday, 5 February, where fuel was pumped in via Kerem Shalom. The former fuel transfer crossing, Nahal Oz, was closed in January, leaving two crossings officially open; Kerem Shalom in the south, and the bulk goods crossing at Karni south of Gaza City. UN officials noted during the Israeli war on Gaza last year, that in order to get the required amount of aid and commercial goods into Gaza the Kerem Shalom crossing was insufficient. With most of the goods coming from the West Bank, Tel Aviv suburbs or the port at Ashdod, the extra 30 kilometers drive south to Kerem Shalom, and. . .
Police: Gaza man dies of self-inflicted gunshot wounds
2/12/2010 - Gaza - Ma'an - A Palestinian man killed himself in Gaza City on Thursday, de facto government security sources said. The 34-year-old victim was identified only by his initials, M. A. , security sources said. Security forces told Ma'an that a resident of the Ash-Shanti area north of Sheikh Radwan shot himself with a Kalashnikov rifle. Gaza police said the man's body was transferred for autopsy and forensic examination. [end]
Egypt: African migrant arrested with infant child
2/12/2010 - Al-A'rish- Ma'an - Egyptian authorities detained an African migrant woman with her infant child on Friday, security sources said, alleging the two were on their way to Israel. "While the security forces were on shift south of the Karem Shalom crossing they noticed an African woman carrying an infant trying to pass through the barbed wire," a statement from the border guard office said. Officers reportedly rushed to the scene and detained the woman when they discovered she was an Eritrean, they said. [end]
As talks remain stalled, US pushes Palestinian economy
2/13/2010 - Bethlehem - Ma'an - Middle East Quartet Envoy Tony Blair and US Middle East Peace envoy George Mitchell will work closely together in the coming phase of the American peace plan push, US Secretary of State Hilary Clinton said Thursday. At a Washington news briefing, Clinton said the policy of the administration under US President Barack Obama would shift to the first of three long-term goals; "to help build the economy and capacity to govern of a Palestinian state. " The renewal of political negotiations appears to have been sidelined, following failed efforts by Mitchell to entice sides back to the table in several rounds of scuttle diplomacy. According to Clinton, the new effort is "Consistent with Prime Minister Fayyad's plan for a future Palestinian state," and will be backed by Blair and Mitchell as "in support of the political negotiations".
Al-Bardawil: Egypt is not part of the dispute with Hamas
2/12/2010 - Gaza - Ma'an -Egypt is not a party of the dispute with Hamas, but a mediator between Hamas and Fatah and should not be made a part of the division, Hamas leader Salah Al-Bardawil said Thursday. "It is meaningless to force [Egypt] into the middle of a deluded rivalry with Hamas or the besieged Palestinians in Gaza," he told reporters. The statements followed meetings in Gaza during the visit of Fatah official Nabil Sha'ath and members of the Palestine People's Party, who sat with the National Action Committee to discuss reconciliation and party unity. PPP officials at the meetings said sides were in agreement over the centrality of the Egyptian unity proposal in achieving reconciliation, but that Hamas was insistent that changes had to be made to the document. " Hamas's notes on the Egyptian proposal are necessary to strengthen the agreement and to stabilize it," Al-Bardawil said.
As-Salhi: efforts continue to end division, sign Egyptian paper
2/12/2010 - Gaza - Ma'an - Efforts are ongoing towards the signing of the Egyptian reconciliation paper, Secretary-General of the Palestinian People's Party Bassam As-Salhi confirmed on Thursday, one week after a Fatah official visited Gaza. As-Salhi told Ma'an that the meetings between Fatah and Hamas during the visit, in cooperation with the multi-faction National Action Committee, secured a serious drive to end party division and sign the Egyptian reconciliation proposal in Cairo. The PPP leader, from the southern West Bank town of Dura, entered the Gaza Strip last week to attend the 28th anniversary of the party's founding, held in Beit Lahiya. He joined the National Action Committee in several meetings during his visit. "We cannot say there were any direct results from the meeting, but the essence of the meetings was an accord over the importance of agreeing to sign the Egyptian proposal," As-Salhi said.
MOH: 1,144 medical aid shipments for Gaza private sector in ’09
2/12/2010 - Nablus - Ma'an - The Ramallah-based Palestinian Ministry of Health sent 60 million shekels worth of medicines and medical equipments to the Gaza health sectorin 2009, a report from the ministry said. The imports, composed of 1,144 separate medical aid shipments, were destined for the private sector, including hospitals, pharmacies and health center warehouses the report, released Thursday, said. Coordination was carried out via the ministry for 44 Palestinian companies to ensure they were able to transport goods to the local market, the report said. Thirteen of the deliveries were in December. Already in 2010, the report said, a 5 million shekel delivery of medications is awaiting the final permissions for entry into Gaza. . . . .
Energy Authority blames PA for Gaza fuel crisis
2/12/2010 - Gaza - Ma'an - Gaza's Energy Authority publicly blamed the Ramallah-based Petroleum Authority of limiting the supply of industrial fuel transferred into Gaza and causing the energy crisis that continues to plague the Strip. The UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs said of the crisis,"power supply has been reduced and remains precarious due to a shortage of funds allocated for the purchase of fuel from Israel and, recently, recurrent technical failures," in a Protection of Civilians report, noting up to 12 hours of rolling blackouts. The Gaza Power Authority issued a statement, saying "the policy of reducing quantities of industrial fuel vital to the operation of the Gaza power generator is ongoing. "The statement said only 1,600 cubic meters of the necessary 2,200 were transferred into Gaza last week, and demanded an answer as to why the amounts had been reduced. . .
Hamas boycotts meeting over municipal elections
2/12/2010 - Ramallah - Ma'an - No members of the Hamas party attended the Thursday meeting of PLO factions alongside the elections committee to prepare for a June municipal vote across the West Bank and Gaza, Fatah General Elections Commissioner Muhammad Al-Madani said. Though Hamas is not part of the PLO, the party was invited to the meeting, Al-Madani said, to prepare for elections called by the Ramallah-based caretaker government on 2 February. The Palestinian Authority Cabinet, under appointed Prime Minister Salam Fayyad, set the elections date for 17 July 2010. A Hamas spokesperson objected to the decision to hold municipal elections, because it was made unconstitutionally by an unelected government and without the consultation of Gaza officials. The meeting was scheduled at the Monday cabinet session on 1 February.
Hamas: PA forces detained 4 members in dawn raids
2/12/2010 - Bethlehem - Ma'an - Hamas officials accused Palestinian Authority forces of detaining four of its members and affiliates during arrest campaigns across the West Bank overnight Thursday. In a statement, the party identified those detained as: Ramallah: Muhammad Hamed, Bassam Hammad, Tulkarem: Muhammad Abu Zeineh, Hebron: Adel Badarin. The detentions could not be independently verified. [end]
Palestine Investment Fund plans IT park in new development
2/12/2010 - Ramallah - Ma'an - Mirroring Dubai's 'city' model, the Palestine Investment Fund (PIF) announced plans to establish what organizers call a "Techno Park," housing hubs for the budding technology sector of Palestine, PIF Chief Executive Muhammad Mustafa said Thursday. The park will be built as part of the new housing development Ar-Reihan, west of Ramallah, alongside that project's housing and commercial sectors. Mustafa accompanied President Mahmoud Abbas on his official trip to Asia last month, where he discussed partnerships and projects in the park with the South Korean government, he said. While Mustafa said he would not accompany Abbas on his upcoming trip to India, he noted the subject would be discussed and funding sought. . . . .
IDF thwarts knife attack on soldier in Hebron
Ha'aretz 12 Feb 2010 - Palestinians: IDF kills two militants near Gaza; IDF soldiers on alert for Hamas kidnap attempts.
Hamas: Next war with Israel will be regional conflict
Ha'aretz 12 Feb 2010 - Political leader Meshal accuses Israel of making threats against Gaza, Syria and Lebanon.
Is Israeli society strong enough to face the future?
Ha'aretz 12 Feb 2010 - At the base of Netanyahu's worldview is profound anxiety over Israel's fortitude in the face of external threats.
Violent Night Raid, Arrest of 19 Children in Jalazon Camp
2/12/2010 - WAFA - Palestine News Agency - RAMALLAH, February12, 2010 (WAFA)- Defence for Children International/Palestine Section (DCI/PS) said it is gravely concerned by the Israeli army's arrest of 19 children from Al-Jalazon refugee camp last Wednesday night. According to initial information collected today by DCI-Palestine, Israeli troops entered Jalazon at around midnight on Wednesday, 10 February, then went from house to house and started rounding up, beating and harassing residents of the camp. The night raid ended at approximately 5:00am when the army withdrew. It appears that a total of 19 children were arrested in addition to adult residents of the camp. According to DCI-Palestine's initial information, which will shortly be verified, among the 19 children arrested were: five children aged 14, seven children aged 15, four children aged 16, and three children aged 17. . . .
Palestinians dressed as the Na’vi from the film Avatar stage a protest against Israel’s separation barrier
2/12/2010 - Telegraph - Photos - Protesters dressed as characters from the movie Avatar marchs in the West Bank village of Bilin near Ramallah. REUTERS [end]
Israeli Soldiers Fire on Photographers during East Jerusalem Clashes
2/11/2010 - WAFA - Palestine News Agency - JERUSALEM, February 11, 2010 (WAFA)- Around 10 of the journalists who went to cover a major Israeli military operation in the Shu’fat refugee camp, in East Jerusalem, were targeted by Israeli soldiers firing tear-gas grenades, stun grenades and rubber bullets on February 8 and 9. “Everything indicates that Israeli soldiers deliberately fired on the journalists,” Reporters Without Borders said. “And this is far from being the first time. Will the Israeli authorities ever put a stop to the impunity allowed to their soldiers? We urge the Israeli military to investigate and punish those responsible. Otherwise this sort of disgraceful incident will keep recurring. ”Many journalists were wounded while covering the Israeli search and arrest operation in the refugee camp on 8 February. As the major military deployment got under way, clashes broke out between young Palestinians and Israeli soldiers near a checkpoint at the main entrance to the camp.
VIDEO - Goldstone Facts - The Real Story Behind Israel’s Invasion of Gaza - Part 1
2/6/2010 - YouTube/GoldstoneFacts.org - Part 1 -- In this video, we distill out the findings of the Chapter 11("Deliberate Attacks against the Civilian Population") of the Goldstone Report to make it accessible to the lay public. The factual and legal findings are narrated by Noam Chomsky. The video also contains live testimonies of Khalid, Kawthar and Samar Abd Rabbo before the UN Fact Finding Mission headed by Justice Richard Goldstone. For more information on this video, please go to goldstonefacts. org. Related: GoldstoneFacts [end]
VIDEO - Goldstone Facts - The Real Story Behind Israel’s Invasion of Gaza - Part 2
2/6/2010 - YouTube - Part 2 - In this video, we distill out the findings of the Chapter 11("Deliberate Attacks against the Civilian Population") of the Goldstone Report to make it accessible to the lay public. The factual and l. . . In this video, we distill out the findings of the Chapter 11("Deliberate Attacks against the Civilian Population") of the Goldstone Report to make it accessible to the lay public. The factual and legal findings are narrated by Noam Chomsky. The video also contains live testimonies of Khalid, Kawthar and Samar Abd Rabbo before the UN Fact Finding Mission headed by Justice Richard Goldstone. [end]
Al Mezan Condemns IOF Attacks on Gaza; Calls Calls for International Intervention to Ensure Protection of Civilians
2/12/2010 - Al Mezan Center for Human Rights - The Israeli Occupation Forces (IOF) has escalated its attacks against the Gaza Strip. The IOF have shelled the Gaza International Airport, Palestinian fishermen, and Palestinian workers who were removing rubble from the industrial area in North Gaza District during the last few days. Today, Thursday 11 February 2010, the IOF escalated its aggression and killed four Palestinians and injured four, including a child. The IOF also arrested ten Palestinian workers; Al Mezan Centre for Human Rights was able to identify seven of their names. According to Al Mezan's field investigations, at approximately 10:15am on Thursday 11 February 2010, an Israeli reconnaissance drone launched a missile at a group of Palestinian people who were near 'Ubied Gas Station in Ash-Shija'ia neighborhood eastern Gaza City. As a result, Faris Akram Ahmed Jabir,27, who lives in Al Jalaa Street in the north of Gaza. . . .
Goldstone report widens political divide in Israel
2/12/2010 - Islami Davet - Israel’s crime-stained image has been topped with internal disputes as right and left-wing advocacy groups brawl over a possible independent Gaza war probe. The New Israel Fund (NIF) has come under fire by rightists who accuse the civil rights group of aiding the UN Human Rights Council’s fact-finding committee in its inquiry into the war Israel staged against the Gaza Strip in December 2008. NIF President Naomi Chazan has also been accused of backing the damning report by former international war crimes prosecutor Richard Goldstone — a Jew who has also been labeled as a “traitor. ”Chazen warned against a “very, very dangerous process” under way in Israel, where human rights groups such as hers were increasingly criticized. “The very pillars of democratic society are being assailed and we have to be very concerned about that,” the former left-wing Meretz party legislator told Reuters.
Roadblocks remain in quest to achieve Middle East peace, says Ban
2/12/2010 - United Nations - Daunting challenges remain in the search for lasting peace in the Middle East, Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon said today, calling for the prompt resumption of political talks and the swift delivery of concrete results. “Permanent status issues, including Jerusalem, borders, refugees, security, settlements and water will be resolved only through negotiations,” Mr. Ban said in a message to the UN-backed International Meeting in Support of Israeli-Palestinian Peace, which kicked off today in Qawra, Malta. While Israel’s efforts and willingness to resume talks are welcome, he said, returning to negotiations is hampered by developments on the ground, including continued settlement expansion in the occupied Palestinian territory. “At this crucial juncture, Israel should refrain from taking steps which have the potential to prejudge negotiations and create tensions,” especially in East Jerusalem,. . . .
Adalah-NY: New York Campaign for Boycott of Israel
2/12/2010 - WAFA - Palestine News Agency - NEW YORK, February 12, 2010 (WAFA- For the third year in a row, human rights advocates will use music, song parodies and chants to invite Madison Avenue shoppers to shop with conscience before Valentine’s Day, Adalah-NY reported. Under the theme “Diamonds are Forever, but Apartheid Has to End”, protesters will entertain while they educate with favorites like “Lev's Diamond’s Are a Crime’s Best Friend” and new editions like “Its Apartheid, So you shouldn't put a ring on it“ sung to Beyonce’s “Single Ladies. ”These efforts, which are part of a growing international campaign, come in response to documented human rights abuses in the Angolan diamond industry as well as Leviev's funding of Israeli settlement construction in the occupied West Bank, an activity that violates international law. Since the start of the boycott campaign against Leviev, UNICEF, Oxfam, the British Government and major Hollywood stars have all distanced themselves from Leviev.
Hamas: Next war with Israel will be regional conflict
2/12/2010 - Ha'aretz - Hamas political leader Khaled Meshal warned on Friday that should another war erupt with Israel, the majority of battles would not be contained to the Gaza Strip as they were during the conflict last winter. Meshal told the London-based Al-Hayyat that Hamas was not interested in seeing another war, but would embark on steadfast defense of the Palestinian people should one begin. Speaking during a visit to Russia, Meshal accused Israel of making threats of war in Gaza, Lebanon and Syria. He said the quickening tide of military threats was the result of Israel's leadership under Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, Foreign Minister Avigdor Lieberma and Defense Minister Ehud Barak - the latter to whom he referred as "the most extremist. " The Hamas leader also blamed Israel over the failure in Russian attempts to mediate between the two enemies, with regard to peace negotiations and efforts. . . .
Iran envoy reminds France of skeleton in closet
2/12/2010 - Islami Davet - Iran’s Ambassador to France Mehdi Mir Abu Talebi has called on French officials to be even-handed in their dealings with Iran. Speaking to Press TV on the eve of the 31st anniversary of the Islamic Revolution, Mir Abu Talebi reminded France of its secret role in helping Israel develop its nuclear program in 1950s. “France was one of European countries which were supporting the Israeli regime by giving it the technology to produce nuclear weapons,” the Iranian envoy said. “They (the French officials) are acting in two opposite directions. On one hand they condemn Iran for its peaceful [nuclear energy] activity and on the other hand they are supporting countries that that are not even a member of the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty,” Mir Abu Talebi stated.
Canada’s Effort to Criminalize Criticism of Israel
2/12/2010 - Alethonews - Seriously Free Speech - Israel’s siege of Gaza has made it a “closed zone” – no access, no exit, cut off from the world. By attempting to shut down criticism of Israel’s practices, Canadian supporters of the government of Israel are creating another “closed zone” in Canada – in which criticism, open debate, and freedom of expression will not be allowed. Who is doing this? Quietly, without authority from Parliament, an all-party group which calls itself the Canadian Parliamentary Coalition to Combat Antisemitism (CPCCA) has been formed to investigate antisemitism in Canada. Not antisemitism as it is traditionally understood: discrimination against or denial of the right of Jews to live as equal members of society. (Members of this Coalition are well aware that traditional antisemitism exists only among fringe groups in Canada.
Website Review
1/15/2010 - This Week in Palestine - Scholarship. ps is an ambitious website that seeks to help Palestinians locate scholarships, fellowships, internships, and jobs all around the planet. The site is available in English (default), and an Arabic switch is being developed and may be fully functional by the time you view it. The structure of the site follows a blog (weblog) format and is apparently run by one person - a great effort, contrary to the notion 'One hand cannot clap. 'The site features a two-column content area with a top header, including a menu bar, and a footer centred on a dark, textured background. The site name functions as a logo at the top left and also provides a link to the main page from any location. There is a five-button menu bar with Home (entry page based on selected language), About (explains site features), Deadlines (includes approaching deadlines. . . Related: Scholarship. ps
An Iranian responds to the Angry Arab
Uruknet February 12, 2010 - Hello all, I wrote the comment below for Angry Arab blog’s recent posts about Iran: 1- Journalists outside of Iran, like Nazila Fathi who was forced into exile, are unable to deliver the truth about the Iran’ demonstrations, according to the Angry Arab blog. 2- It’s unjustified for the Middle Eastern journalists to cover Iran’s demonstrations...
A BIG THANK YOU FROM BARCELONA, SPAIN
Uruknet February 12, 2013 - Yesterday, Ayman Quader arrived in Spain! It was a long battle to get him out of Gaza, but we won! This could not have been possible without the worldwide support we received on his behalf. One thousand, seven hundred and thirty three people signed the On Line Petition called 'Open Rafah for Ayman’. A special thank...
Israeli fire kills Hebron man
Uruknet February 12, 2010 – A Palestinian man died en route to a Jerusalem hospital after he was shot by Israeli forces in Hebron on Friday. Locals identified the man as 41-year-old Fayez Ahmad Sayed Faraj, who was reported critically injured by Israeli gunfire earlier the same day. Onlookers said soldiers opened fire at Faraj in the Bab Az-Zawiyah area of...
Israel's war on protest
Uruknet February 12, 2010 - The Israeli courts ordered the release last week of two foreign women arrested by the army in the West Bank in what human-rights lawyers warn has become a wide-ranging clampdown by Israel on non-violent protest from international, Israeli and Palestinian activists. The arrest of the two women during a nighttime raid on the Palestinian city of...
"Breaking the Silence:" Women Soldiers Speak Out
Uruknet February 12, 2010 - "Breaking the Silence is an organization of veteran Israeli soldiers that collects anonymous testimonies of soldiers who served in the Occupied Territories during the Second Intifada." They recount experiences that deeply affected them, including abusing Palestinians, looting, destroying property, and other practices "excused as military necessities, or explained as extreme and unique cases." They disagree in...
A Popular Boycott Movement in Defiance of Occupation and Oppression
Uruknet February 12, 2010 - Every couple of weeks we hear that the so-called PA had destroyed illegal products from Zionist colonies in occupied Palestine. In a vain effort to present itself as "protector" of Palestinian interests, but failing miserably, this PA had previously announced it will boycott such products. Upon hearing this, first thing to come to mind would be:...
PCHR Release Genuinely Unwilling: Israel’s Investigations into Violations of International Law including Crimes Committed during the Offensive on the Gaza Strip, 27 December 2008 – 18 January 2009
Uruknet February 12, 2010 - Israel’s offensive on the Gaza Strip, 27 December 2008 – 18 January 2009, resulted in the killing of over 1,400 Palestinians, the overwhelming majority of whom (82%) were civilians. At least 5,300 Palestinians were also injured, and public and private property throughout the Gaza Strip was extensively targeted and destroyed. Investigations conducted by the Palestinian Centre...
FLASHBACK: War Crimes Against Children
Uruknet February 12, 2010 - The Palestinian Centre for Human Rights (PCHR) is publishing War Crimes Against Children in response to the unprecedented number of children killed by Israeli forces in its latest operation; a total of 313 children under the age of eighteen. Containing numerous eye witness testimonies, the report brings to light Israel’s widespread targeting of unarmed civilians, including...
Israel acts on West Bank wall order
Uruknet February 12, 2010 - Israel has begun rerouting a section of its controversial separation barrier near the West Bank village of Bilin following a two-and-a-half-year-old court ruling. But activists and Bilin residents continued to hold protests against the barrier on Friday, despite the concession, which returns only about a third of the area claimed by the Palestinians. "It's a small...
Unconfirmed reports of 2 dead after Israeli shelling in Gaza
Uruknet February 12, 2010 - Israeli forces shelled an area east of the Al-Maghazi Refugee Camp on Monday, hitting the central Gaza Strip region with several artillery shells in at least three barrages, witnesses said. Unconfirmed Israeli media reports said two Palestinians were killed. Camp residents said the shells were mostly landing in the Abu Hamam area, and said the hits...
IOA kidnaps 150 Palestinians in two days
Uruknet February 12, 2010 - The PA ministry of prisoners and ex-prisoners affairs in Gaza said on Thursday that the Israeli occupation authorities kidnapped 150 Palestinian citizens over the past two days, most of them from Jerusalem city. According to Reyadh Al-Ashkar, the information officer in the ministry, the IOA rounded up nearly 100 Palestinian youths and minors in the refugee...
UK’s Jewish Chronicle editor says extra-judicial murder is kosher
Uruknet February 11, 2010 - In response to an email in which a reader of the Jewish Chronicle asked whether the newspaper considered "extra-judicial murder by Israel or any other state as acceptable in any way", Mr Pollard simply replied "yes". The Jewish Chronicle is currently spearheading a campaign by Israel’s stooges and agents of influence to change UK law so...
Protesters dress as 'Avatar' characters
12 Feb 2010 - Jerusalem, February 13, 2010 (Pal Telegraph) - Palestinian protesters have added a colorful twist to demonstrations against Israel's separation barrier, painting themselves blue and posing as characters from the hit film "Avatar." he demonstrators also donned long hair and loincloths Friday for the weekly protest against the barrier near the village of Bilin. They equated their struggle to the intergalactic...
Diplomatic corps calls on President Obama to pressure Israel
11 Feb 2010 - Gaza, February 11, 2010 (Pal Telegraph) - President Barack Obama The White House 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue Washington, DC 20500 Dear President Obama, We would like to express our deep thanks for your tireless and ongoing efforts to resolve Palestinian suffering from the Israeli occupation and for your commitment to spread a breath of fresh air in the Middle East...
Power struggle could portend a cold, dark winter in Gaza Strip
11 Feb 2010 - Gaza, February 11, 2010 (Pal Telegraph) - The Gaza Strip's beleaguered residents face worsening power outages, even as winter temperatures drop, because of a financial dispute between the Ramallah-based Palestinian Authority and Gaza's electricity distributor. The authority says it pays about $30 million a month to provide electricity to Gaza's 1.5 million people. But officials say the Gaza Electricity Distribution...
Israel acts on West Bank wall order
AlJazeera 12 Feb 2010 - Decision to reroute part of separation barrier near Bilin follows court ruling.
Jerusalem Diaries Episode 34: Once Upon a Time... and Again in Oush Grab
Alternative Information Center 12 Feb 2010 - Thursday, 11 February 2010, Since the first days of February, Israeli soldiers and bulldozers have occupied the area of Oush Grab, Beit Sahour Municipality, in the Bethlehem district. The area, which was a former Israeli military...
Right to Return to the Middle East
Alternative Information Center 12 Feb 2010 - Friday, 12 February 2010, Many years ago, my friend Rachel showed me a photograph of a transit camp in the center of Israel and a picture of a refugee camp in Jordan, and asked me to...
Silver clue to Gaza's rich history
PNN 11 Feb 2010 - GAZA CITY // It was perhaps fitting that when workmen came across a haul of 1,400 ancient Greek silver coins, some 2,500 years old, they should do so in Rafah, Gaza’s southern border town. Rafah, after all, is the only place in the territory where international trade still takes place, albeit illicitly through hundreds of smuggling tunnels, the result of Israel’s crippling siege...
Hebron: IDF foils stabbing attempt
Jeruslalem Post 12 Feb 2010 - Palestinian armed with knife dies after soldiers open fire; no troops hurt.
Khamenei lauds rally, warns West
Jeruslalem Post 12 Feb 2010 - Enemies must abandon futile efforts to subjugate Iran, supreme leader warns.
Mullen to visit Jerusalem, TA
Jeruslalem Post 12 Feb 2010 - Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff to meet Ashkenazi, Barak, IDF officials.
Growing US-Israel cooperation: Mullen to visit J'lem, TA
Jeruslalem Post 12 Feb 2010 - Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff to meet Ashkenazi, Barak, IDF officials.
No independent probe of Gaza war
Jeruslalem Post 12 Feb 2010 - Jerusalem hopes to deter UN action on Goldstone Commission report.
IDF foils kidnap attempt near Hebron
Jeruslalem Post 12 Feb 2010 - Palestinian man armed with knife tries to attack patrol; no soldiers hurt.
Cut! Cameron blasts Israel boycotts
Jeruslalem Post 12 Feb 2010 - “To suppress a gathering of artists, from afar, through boycott or any other means of exerting pressure, is wrong,” Oscar winning filmmaker tells the 'Post'.
Bill Clinton leaves NYC hospital
Jeruslalem Post 12 Feb 2010 - Peres wishes former US president "a quick, full recovery" from heart procedure.
'Next war with Israel will be regional'
Jeruslalem Post 12 Feb 2010 - Mashaal says Hamas doesn't want war, but warns conflict won't be limited to Gaza.
Weekly Report on Israeli Human Rights Violations in the Occupied Palestinian Territory
PCHR Israeli soldiers arrest a Palestinian civilians during clashes in Shu'fat refugee camp near Jerusalem 04 – 10 February 2010 Israeli Occupation Forces (IOF) Continue Systematic Attacks against Palestinian Civilians and Property in the Occupied Palestinian Territory (OPT)
Path of the Wall in Bil’in to Be Moved
2/12/2010 - International Solidarity Movement - Popular Struggle Co-ordination Committee, 11 February - Two and a half years after an Israeli Supreme Court decision deeming the path of the Wall on the lands of Bil'in illegal, preliminary infrastructure work to reroute the barrier in accordance with the ruling has finally began. Since the ruling, the state has twice been found in contempt of the court, for not implementing the decision. Mohammed Khatib, the coordinator of the West Bank-wide Popular Struggle Coordination Committee and a member of the the Bil'in Popular Committee, said today that "The Supreme Court had already ruled this should happen almost three years ago and it should not have taken so long. There should be no doubt in anyone's mind that the only reason that this is finally happening now are the five years of persistent struggle and the scarifies the people of my village have made. "
An unacceptable fight against protest
2/12/2010 - International Solidarity Movement - Ha'aretz - Israeli security forces have recently intensified their fight against peace activists from here and abroad who seek to protest against the occupation and identify with the Palestinian inhabitants. This week, Israeli soldiers raided the Ramallah offices of the International Solidarity Movement a number of times. They arrested two activists – one a Spanish citizen and the other an Australian. They confiscated office equipment, T-shirts and bracelets bearing the word "Palestine. "They also raided the offices of Stop the Wall and the Palestinian Communist Party in Ramallah. According to data provided by the activists, since December, Israeli forces have undertaken more than 20 nighttime raids on the villages of Na'alin and Bil'in and have arrested more than 30 people. They are all suspected of taking part in protests against the separation fence, which. . .
Akiva Eldar / The Palestinian Ben-Gurion
Ha'aretz 12 Feb 2010 - A day in the life of Salam Fayyad, who does what no other public servant in the world does.
U.S. official: We want to boost Syria ties
Ha'aretz 12 Feb 2010 - Philip Crowley says decision to send Bill Burns to Syria reflects desire for strong ties with Assad.
U.S. launches largest joint offensive on Taliban stronghold
Ha'aretz 12 Feb 2010 - Helicopter-borne U.S. marines and Afghan troops swoop into Taliban-held town of Marjah in Afghanistan.
Palestinian protesters pose as Na'vi from 'Avatar'
Ha'aretz 12 Feb 2010 - Demonstrators paint themselves blue for weekly protest against West Bank separation barrier.
Iran: We are now among world's top 15 nuclear states
Ha'aretz 12 Feb 2010 - We are ahead of Pakistan - even though it already has the bomb, says atomic energy chief.
Hezbollah No.2: It will be Israel who decides if there'll be regional war
Ha'aretz 12 Feb 2010 - Hezbollah vows to avenge 2008 assassination of former military commander at "appropriate" time.
Nobel Peace Prize winner pleads for human rights in Iran
Ha'aretz 12 Feb 2010 - Shirin Ebadi: Tomorrow we'll be facing tragedy in Iran. How long can you ask people to not resort to violence?
UN Chief: Israel, Palestinians must resume peace talks
Ha'aretz 12 Feb 2010 - Ban Ki-moon: Israeli blockade of Gaza 'unacceptable and counter-productive' to Gaza's reconstruction.
Thousands protest against Mohammad caricature in Oslo
Ha'aretz 12 Feb 2010 - Norway one of countries at center of Mohammad cartoon controversy in 2005-2006 that led to torching of Nordic embassies.
Iran revolution failed, sanctions are West's only hope
Ha'aretz 12 Feb 2010 - Barring a revolution in Iran, Obama has little choice but to rally global support for substantive sanctions over the nuclear program.
Peres wishes Clinton speedy recovery after heart surgery
Ha'aretz 12 Feb 2010 - Former U.S. president leaves hospital following operation on Sunday morning.
Quartet envoy Blair to work with Mitchell to renew Mideast talks
Ha'aretz 12 Feb 2010 - Clinton says UN envoy to intensify coordination; Blair: New strategy needed to end Gaza siege.
In New York, a new kind of Hebrew school is born
Ha'aretz 12 Feb 2010 - The Hebrew Language Academy, funded mostly by the state of New York, is dual-language program among the first of its kind. The four-month-old school has become a showcase for others interested in using it as a model.
Clean-shaven partners for peace | Yousef Munayyer
The Guardian 12 Feb 2010 - The west's endless attempt to find someone it can 'work with' leaves Palestinians without strong leadership After the failure of talks at Camp David in 2000, a new narrative about moving the peace process forward began...
Dear Haredim, while you were sleeping, secular Jewish culture was thriving
Ha'aretz 12 Feb 2010 - A response to Aryeh Deri's claim that secular Judaism has given us education but no culture.
U.S. Army chief to visit Israel for talks on Iran, defense issues
Ha'aretz 12 Feb 2010 - The Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff of the United States Military is set to arrive in Israel on Sunday for a meeting with the Israel Defense Forces Chief of Staff to discuss the situation in Iran. ...
Israel upholds legality of Jews-only housing complex in Jaffa
Ha'aretz 12 Feb 2010 - The Tel Aviv District Court rejected a petition this week against a decision to lease land in Jaffa's Ajami neighborhood for the exclusive use of members of the religious Zionist community. ...
While America shivered, Israelis spent the day at the beach
Ha'aretz 12 Feb 2010 - Summery weather has returned after a few weeks of rain and cold, with a spate of especially hot days in store beginning tomorrow. In some areas, the mercury will rise as high as 28 degrees, and in Tel Aviv, it will hit 29 on Monday. ...
Urgency of Addressing Permanent Status Issues Central to International Meeting in Support of Israeli-Palestinian Peace, Under Way in Malta
Relief Web 12 Feb 2010 - Source: UN General Assembly
Pivotal Role of Each Permanent Status Issue Assessed as Starting Point For Talks, at Malta Meeting in Support of Israeli-Palestinian Peace
Relief Web 12 Feb 2010 - Source: UN Department of Public Information, UN General Assembly
Secretary-General Says 'Daunting Challenges' Remain in Shared Quest for Middle East Peace, in Message to Malta Meeting
Relief Web 12 Feb 2010 - Source: UN General Assembly, UN Secretary-General
Israeli, Palestinian clashes erupt in Maghazi camp
Relief Web 12 Feb 2010 - Source: Kuwait News Agency
OPT: USAID West Bank/Gaza mission program achievements - Week of 1 Feb 2010
Relief Web 11 Feb 2010 - Source: US Agency for International Development
Genuinely Unwilling: Israel's Investigations into Violations of International Law including Crimes Committed during the Offensive on the Gaza Strip, 27 December 2008 – 18 January 2009
Relief Web 11 Feb 2010 - Source: Palestinian Centre for Human Rights
Iran threatens to spur uranium enrichment
YNet News 12 Feb 2010 - If Obama continues to threaten more sanctions Iran will speed up nuclear plan, says Ali Larijani
Qassam explodes in Negev, no injuries
YNet News 12 Feb 2010 - Rocket fired from Gaza lands in open spaces in Shaar HaNegev Regional Council
Experts: Syria all talk
YNet News 12 Feb 2010 - Defense experts tell Ynet Syria unable to obliterate Israel, but can wreak havoc in case of war
MK Oron: Gov't backs rightists in east Jerusalem
YNet News 12 Feb 2010 - Meretz chairman says Jews in Sheikh Jarrah 'thuggishly preventing attempts to divide Jerusalem'
Palestinian tries to stab soldier
YNet News 12 Feb 2010 - Just days after Sgt.-Maj. Ihab Khatib stabbed to death in West Bank, Palestinian pulls knife on soldier patrolling mosque in Hebron Kasba. Stabber shot, killed by another soldier
Leftists, Palestinians protest in 3 locations near Ramallah
YNet News 12 Feb 2010 - No injuries reported during clashes with security forces in rallies against construction of West Bank security barrier; leftist leader Pollak arrested
France does not believe Iran's nuclear claim
YNet News 12 Feb 2010 - FM Kouchner says Tehran incapable of enriching uranium to 80 percent; 'claim adds to the dangerousness of situation,' he states
Michael Oren: sorry, but you represent a Nazi state
PIC 13 Feb 2010 - During a lecture at the University of California-Irvine on Monday, 8 February, Oren tried to present Israel’s ugly face as that of a civilized, democratic state..
One Palestinian protestor injured, others suffer breathing difficulties
PIC 13 Feb 2010 - One Palestinian anti-wall protester was injured and tens suffered breathing difficulties when IOF troops fired at activists participating in the weekly anti-wall protest..
Saba'na fighting illness in the dungeons of Abbas's militia
PIC 13 Feb 2010 - The family of Sheikh Faisal Saba'na (50 years) expressed profound fear for the life of their son who is detained in one of Abbas's militia prisons and stressed that he was in a bad health condition
Jerusalem women call for protection of the holy city from Judaization schemes
PIC 13 Feb 2010 - Palestinian women in Jerusalem called on the international community to afford them protection in the face of Israeli occupation schemes that target the Palestinian presence in the holy city.
Hasaneen: no casualties as a result of IOF shelling
PIC 13 Feb 2010 - Dr.Muaweya Hasaneen, head of emergency department at the Ministry of Health in Gaza, stated that there were no casualties as a result of IOF shelling of the central Gaza Strip.
PSL condemns new Israeli museum on Islamic graveyard
PIC 13 Feb 2010 - The Palestinian Scholars League (PSL) has strongly deprecated Thursday the Israeli occupation government plans to build new museum on the ruins of an Islamic cemetery in occupied Jerusalem.
IOA kidnaps 150 Palestinians in two days
PIC 13 Feb 2010 - The PA ministry of prisoners and ex-prisoners affairs in Gaza said on Thursday that the IOA kidnapped 150 Palestinian citizens over the past two days, most of them from Jerusalem.
Masri: Fayyadh has no place in Palestine
PIC 13 Feb 2010 - MP Mushir deprecated the illegitimate prime minister of the PA in the West Bank Salam Fayyadh for condemning the killing of an Israeli soldier by a Palestinian police officer.
PA justice ministry: IOA reprimand of some IOF officers theatrical
PIC 13 Feb 2010 - The Palestinian justice ministry in the Gaza Strip on Thursday said that the IOA decision to reprimand IOF officers who ordered the use of phosphorous was a "theatrical display".
Abu Marzouk: Presence of Shalit in Gaza doesn’t avert another Israeli war on it
PIC 13 Feb 2010 - Dr. Mousa Abu Marzouk, the deputy-head of Hamas's political bureau, asserted Wednesday that the presence of Israeli soldier Gilad Shalit in Gaza Strip won't avert another war..
Pro-government demonstrators overshadow opposition in Iran
LA Times 12 Feb 2010 - Despite weeks of calls to action, protesters fail to derail a rally marking the anniversary of the Islamic Revolution. Ahmadinejad gives a defiant keynote speech. A huge crowd of government supporters filled Tehran's Azadi Square on Thursday to commemorate the 31st anniversary of the Islamic Revolution, overshadowing the smaller groups of nearby anti-government protesters confronted by plainclothes and uniformed security forces.
Feb. 11: Updates on Demonstrations in Iran
New York Times 12 Feb 2010 - On Thursday, The Lede is tracking news of fresh protests in Iran posted online, as the country celebrates the 31st anniversary of the Islamic Revolution.
Iran Boasts of Capacity to Make Bomb Fuel
New York Times 12 Feb 2010 - On the anniversary of the Islamic Revolution, Iran’s president sent forces onto the streets to break up protests and taunted the West by claiming progress on uranium enrichment.
Atomic Agency Views Iran’s Stepped-Up Enrichment of Uranium as a Violation
New York Times 12 Feb 2010 - An International Atomic Energy Agency report is likely to give the United States more evidence that Iran is not meeting commitments on its nuclear program.
In California speech, Oren says, ‘Barack Hussein Obama’
Mondoweiss - 12 Feb 2010 - Spencer Ackerman’s column, guest-authored by Jolene Crixell, reporting on an appearance at UC San Diego two days ago by his holiness Israeli Ambassador Michael Oren: He told us about how when he was asked to be ambassador everyone kept telling him what a difficult job he’d...
Who would teargas ‘Avatar’?
Mondoweiss - 12 Feb 2010 - Photo of Palestinians dressed up as Navi tribe from the film Avatar during weekly protest against the wall today, from unnamed photog for Reuters, at the Telegraph site. The video: Related posts: All you need to know about the history of Israel/Palestine In Indian culture, the...
‘Times’ troika of Keller, Hoyt & Bronner were involved in earlier conflict-of-interest
Mondoweiss - 12 Feb 2010 - The revelation that Ethan Bronner, Jerusalem bureau chief for the Times, has a son in the IDF has brought charges that the Times has a conflict of interest on one of the most important stories on the planet. In fact, Times public editor Clark Hoyt has...
Touring ‘Operation Attila the Hun,’ Finkelstein tells the schmuck joke
Mondoweiss - 12 Feb 2010 - Bridegroom Abdel Rahman Sha’ath, Mohammed Sha’ath, and Norman Finkelstein, Gaza City, June 2009 I’ve been citing Norman Finkelstein a lot lately because he has an important book coming out on the Gaza slaughter, ‘This Time We Went Too Far.’ Well last June, I wrote a piece...
‘Special relationship’ is now the acceptable euphemism for–
Mondoweiss - 12 Feb 2010 - The Israel lobby. Cause if you say the word "lobby," then your dear friend Leon Wieseltier will deem you an anti-Semite. Roger Cohen in the New York Times today: Domestic U.S. politics constrain innovative thought — even open debate — on the process without end that...
Right to Return to the Middle East
Alternative Information Center - 12 Feb 2010 - Friday, 12 February 2010, Many years ago, my friend Rachel showed me a photograph of a transit camp in the center of Israel and a picture of a refugee camp in Jordan, and asked me to distinguish between them. I couldn’t. The tents were the same...
Yes, We Objected to the War on Gaza
Alternative Information Center - 12 Feb 2010 - Wednesday, 10 February 2010, Despite the irresponsibility with which (Israeli reporter) Ben Caspit published the report of the radical right wing group Im Tirtzu, we wish to thank him for the exposure he provide to the opposition of citizens in Israel to “Operation Cast Lead.” Caspit...
Saturday, February 13, 2010
MK Tibi: “We Are The Natives Of This Land”
IMEMC 13 Feb 2010 - Sunday February 14, 2010 - 01:27, Arab member of Knesset, Ahmad Tibi, slammed the statements of Israel’s Deputy Foreign Minister, Danny Ayalon, who called for swapping areas inhibited by the Arab population in Israel with settlements. Tibi stated that the Arabs are the natives of the country and are not immigrants.
Gaza Power Plant To Cease Functioning Due to Israel’s Siege
IMEMC 13 Feb 2010 - Sunday February 14, 2010 - 00:51, The Energy Authority in the Gaza Strip reported Saturday that Gaza’s sole power plant will case functioning in a matter of hours due to the ongoing Israeli blockade, preventing basic supplies including fuel needed to run the generators, from entering Gaza.
Palestinian Man Killed By Israeli Fire In Hebron
IMEMC 13 Feb 2010 - Saturday February 13, 2010 - 00:55, Palestinian medical sources in Hebron, in the southern part of the West Bank, reported that a Palestinian man, 41, was shot and killed by Israeli soldiers on Friday evening in Bab Al Zawiya area, in the center of the city.
Authorities: Gaza Power Plant to cease functioning within hours
2/13/2010 - Gaza - Ma'an - Gaza's sole power plant will cease to function within hours, the Gaza Energy Authority said on Saturday. In a statement, the Energy Authority reported that one generator had already been shut down and the remaining amount of fuel in the Strip was only sufficient to continue the plant's electricity output for a few hours, putting shut-down at just after sunset. The power plant's output decreased to 30 megawatts from more than 60 last week, the statement said, noting Gaza will experience blackouts as a result of an energy deficit of 50%, authorities added. The announcement of an immanent power outage is the second in two weeks, with an announcement of closure on 4 February, prompting an emergency delivery of fuel on the following Friday, when Gaza crossings are frequently shut. A generator was shut down on 6 February, but then re-started later in the week.
Rafah crossing closed for 40 days, 267 people stranded
2/13/2010 - Gaza - Ma'an - The de facto border crossing administration said 267 people remain stranded on the Egyptian side of the Rafah crossing, most of whom are patients, a statement said on Saturday. "The [Rafah] crossing remained closed in both directions for the last 40 days until recently. . . 40 of those who recently travelled were coordinated, in addition to an UNRWA delegation which was allowed to exit," the statement said. Additionally, the administration said the Erez crossing into Israel has been partially functioning over the past week, with a total of 696 people leaving Gaza, among them 464 residents, 188 international passport holders and 45 from Israel. The number of people entering the Strip via Erez was 703, 201 of whom were internationals and 48 from Israel. As for the Kerem Shalom crossing, Gaza's southern border, the Gaza administration said that between 4 February. . .
Peace activists rally in Shiekh Jarrah
2/13/2010 - Jerusalem - Ma'an - Dozens of peace activists from around the world joined Palestinian residents in the East Jerusalem neighborhood of Sheikh Jarrah and rallied on Friday, denouncing the Israeli policy of confiscating Palestinian homes provided with a cover of the government. "Jerusalem will not be as easy for you as Hebron," and "No to settler terrorism in Sheikh Jarrah," the signs of protesters read, marched around in Arabic, English and Hebrew in the face of dozens of Israeli border guards. Circling the activists, Israeli border guards filmed the participants and prevented residents from accessing their homes on the Al-Ghawi family road, while blocking off the protest tent. Several of the demonstrators began a sit-in at the Hanun family home, taken over by a settler group last year. There were no reports of injuries or detentions, despite high tensions.
PSP: 5 international activists suffer tear-gas inhalation
2/13/2010 - Hebron - Ma'an - Five international activists suffered tear-gas inhilation as they assisted Palestinian farmers tend to their trees on Saturday in the village of Saffa, north of Hebron, the Palestinian-founded popular resistance organization the Palestine Solidarity Project said. PSP spokesman, Mohammad Awad said "Israeli authorities prevented 70 peace activists who came to show solidarity with the farmers and forced them to return, escorted by an Israeli patrol. " Awad added that while a number of activists were able to reach the village, Israeli soldiers prevented farmers and activists from reaching all the land by declaring a closed military zone. The spokesman added that Israeli forces made use of sound bombs and tear-gas canisters to deter the activists. The five injured were treated at the scene, he said. The spokesman added that the attempt to access the land was undertaken. . .
Rights orgs call Goldstone implementation ’challenge to UN system’
2/13/2010 - Bethlehem - Ma'an - A group of 18 rights groups sent a letter to the UN General Assembly expressing "concerns about the effectiveness of the endeavors undertaken" in order to ensure the allegations brought up in the Goldstone report are justly considered. The letter, made public Thursday, follows what rights organizations said was a disappointing response from UN Secretary General Ban Ki Moon to the progress reports handed over to the UN by the Israeli and Palestinian governments. The group of 18 Palestinian, Israeli and international organizations said they were "concerned that the investigations were not 'independent, credible and in conformity with international standards [required for] serious violations of international humanitarian and international human rights law', as requested by the General Assembly resolution adopted on 5 November 2009. "
Ayalon proposes Palestinian population transfer
2/13/2010 - Bethlehem - Ma'an/Agencies - A peace deal could include a population swap in addition to a land swap, Israeli Deputy Foreign Minister Danny Ayalon said told the London-based Arabic daily Ash-Sharq Al-Awsat on Saturday. An alternative, put forward by Ayalon would see the transfer the Palestinian minority in Israel with citizenship, as well towns and villages still populated with significant numbers of Palestinians in the north, in exchange for sovereignty over Israeli settlement blocs in the West Bank, the daily reported. This swap would not include Nazareth, he said. "I am talking about land that has territorial contiguity. . . We don't want to get into surgical operations at this stage, but what is important is that the acceptance of this idea will give Jews a message of goodwill toward peace, since a majority of Jews will live in Israel and a majority of Palestinians will live in Palestine," he told the daily.
Egyptian navy arrests 4 Palestinian fishermen off Rafah’s shore
2/13/2010 - Gaza - Ma'an - Egyptian naval forces arrested four Palestinian fishermen Friday night, trawling for a late night catch on the Gaza shore south of Rafah, witnesses said. The men were taken to an unknown location and remain out of contact with family, sources confirmed. Witnesses identified the men taken as Khalid Al- Hesi, Marwan Al-Se'eidi, Khader Murad and Fathi Ar-Reba'i. The reasons behind their detentions remain unclear. [end]
2.5 years after Supreme Court order, Israel moves wall
2/13/2010 - Bethlehem - Ma'an - Infrastructure work began last week to reroute the path of Israel's separation wall on lands of Bil'in village, in accordance with an Israeli Supreme Court decision made two and a half years ago, local activists announced. "The Supreme Court had already ruled this should happen almost three years ago and it should not have taken so long. There should be no doubt in anyone's mind that the only reason that this is finally happening now are the five years of persistent struggle and the scarifies the people of my village have made," Mohammed Khatib, the coordinator of the West Bank-wide Popular Struggle Coordination Committee and a member of the the Bil'in Popular Committee, said in a statement. Construction of the wall in the village started in February 2005, shortly after which Bil'in residents organized weekly popular protests against the barrier, which cut off hundreds of dunums of agricultural land from the village.
Report: Projectile lands in western Negev, no injuries
2/13/2010 - Bethlehem - Ma'an - Israel Radio reported a projectile landing in western the Negev late on Friday, with no injuries or structural damages. The report said the projectile was launched from Gaza, but no Palestinian faction operating in the Strip claimed the attack. On Friday morning Israeli forces aimed artillery fire at a group of what a spokesman called "armed men detonating an explosive device" near the border wall, and fired in their direction. The Israeli daily Haaretz reported two men were killed in the attack but the report remained unconfirmed as of Saturday. On Thursday, one Gaza man was killed and another injured in an Israeli airstrike that followed an early morning exchange of fire between an unknown militant group and Israeli forces. The Israeli fire injured three girls on their way to school.
DC: Blair-Mitchell cooperation to join economic, political threads
2/14/2010 - Bethlehem - Ma'an - Assistant White House Secretary Philip Crowley gave details around the announced increased cooperation between US Middle East Envoy George Mitchell and Quartet Envoy Tony Blair at a Washington briefing on Friday. US Secretary of State Hilary Clinton announced the two would be working closely in a statement Thursday, noting a focus on support for the Palestinian economy over an earlier push to restart peace talks between Israel and the Palestine Liberation Organization under President Mahmoud Abbas. Reporters in DC asked for clarification around the revised roles of the two envoys, and were told that cooperation was an effort to "put every thread into a tapestry that is able to support and advance Middle East peace. The new program will apparently see increased cooperation between Blair, whose portfolio consists mostly of economic support for Palestine and ensuring. . . .
Gaza official sends EU parliament open letter
2/13/2010 - The Honorable Jersey Buzek, President of the European Parliament - Dear President Buzek: Please accept a belated congratulation on your election as president of the European Parliament. In our faith-based tradition the weighty task of holding public office is considered a trust and a responsibility. In that vein we duly registered your pledge to make human rights a priority during your term of office. As a number of your colleagues have embarked on an historical visit to the Gaza Strip we trust that they will fully report to you the destruction wrought upon the Strip and the humanitarian affects on the people of Gaza. With the progression of contemporary geo-political order human rights are basic rights and freedoms to which all humans are entitled. The doctrine of human rights aims for a "universal" minimal standard of justice, tolerance and human. . .
Abbas lashes out at ’Israeli attacks’ against him
2/13/2010 - Bethlehem - Ma'an - "When Israel wants to defame someone or some party, they launch accusations against him from all directions," President Mahmoud Abbas told a Dubai satellite channel Friday. While speaking on the issue of resuming peace talks under the auspices of an American plan, Abbas referred to "Israel's attack" on him via a media interest in hundreds of leaked document and a sex tape allegedly used in a corruption scandal involving land sales of Palestinian property to Zionist Israelis. Abbas added that the attacks were not all in relation to the corruption files, noting the Israeli newspaper Israel Today quoted Israeli Minister of Infrastructure Uzi Landao last week saying, "There is no difference between former Palestinian President Yasser Arafat, and president Abbas since both had the same goal of destroying Israel. "
Police: Allenby traffic down over last week
2/13/2010 - Jericho - Ma'an - Numbers of travelers entering and leaving the West Bank last week were down slightly over the previous week, with 6,474 entering and 8,099 leaving, a police report said. The numbers, down1,290 and 1,312 respectively, included lower numbers of internationals and Israeli ID holders passing the Allenby Bridge border as well. Last week 54 (previously 73) internationals and 20 Israeli ID card holders left, and55 (76) internationals and 20 (58) men and women with Israeli ID cards entered. Of those exiting the West Bank, Palestinian security forces arrested 13 men they said were fugitives last week, attempting to escape to Jordan, the report said. Most of the men were allegedly wanted by the attorney general for fraud cases already filed in Palestinain courts.
Fayyad: PA committed to settlement produce ban
2/13/2010 - Tulkarem - Ma'an -Caretaker Prime Minister Salam Fayyad spoke of the Palestinian Authority (PA)'s enforcement of a ban on settlement goods in the Palestinian market during an opening speech at a conference on the settlement issue in Tulkarem. The Saturday conference, hosted by Al-Quds Open University, was titled "Settlements: Either bridges of peace and economic development or the destruction of people and the environment. "The Ramallah-based government is following up with countries committed to the Hague's decision on the illegality of Israeli settlements in accordance with the Fourth Geneva Convention, Fayyad told conference goers, adding that the PA placed great importance on working to replace settlement goods in the global market. Fayyad further said the PA is strengthening cooperation and partnership in the private sector to advance Palestinian economy.
Palestinian group rejects peace talks until references are clarified
2/13/2010 - Ramallah - Ma'an - A group of prominent Palestinian academics and personalities have organized a campaign calling for the rejection of resuming peace talks until appropriate terms of reference are put forward, and national reconciliation is achieved, a statement issued on Saturday read. "Outside pressures, particularly from the US, and Israel are escalating to leading the Palestine Liberation Organization toward resuming negotiations with Israel without obliging it to define clear terms of reference and a settlement freeze. " "We see the resumption of talks under the current situation as a danger to the Palestinian cause. . . Resuming these negotiations, directly or indirectly, on any level, will provide a cover for the policies of the Israeli occupation in Jerusalem, settlement expansion and the construction of the wall. This will create cantons and ghettos in the West Bank, while the tightening siege continues to be imposed on Gaza. "
Medical convoy worth $2.5 million enters Gaza via Rafah
2/13/2010 - Gaza - Ma'an - The Union of Arab Doctors announced that a medical convoy transporting 2. 5 million US dollars worth of medical aid entered Gaza via the Rafah crossing on Saturday. The convoy consists of medicine for cancer and heart patients, 20,000 of fabric for operating rooms and equipment and supplies for heart surgeries. Muhammad Al-Majdalawi, UAD manager, said"the Egyptian authorities allowed the convoy into Gaza through Rafah. The convoy was sent by the Emergency Relief Committee in the Federation of Arab doctors in Egypt. "Al-Majdalawi said that the medical convoy is the largest Gaza has seen since Israel's war on the costal enclave in 2009. [end]
Al-Aqsa TV yet to air PA sex scandal tape
2/13/2010 - Bethlehem - Ma'an - The Hamas-affiliated Al-Aqsa TV has yet to air a videotape Israeli Channel 10 TV released Tuesday, which allegedly reveals Palestinian Authority corruption in a sex scandal tape. On Thursday, Fatah official in charge of Jerusalem affairs Hatim Abdul Qader was quoted praising de facto government Prime Minister Ismail Haniyeh for his decision not to air the videotape, though it was not clear whether the decision to avoid airing the clip came directly from the Hamas leader. Israel News One said the alleged ban was a result of Hamas officials trying to avoid the appearance of cooperating with Israeli media. The clip reportedly shows a PA sting operation where head of the president's office Rafik Al-Husseini propositions a job applicant for sex in a Ramallah hotel room. The footage was provided by Fahmi Shabana, the former head of the PA's anti-corruption department.
Hamas to honor Al-Mabhouh in public ceremony
2/13/2010 - Gaza - Ma'an - A ceremony to honor Mahmoud Al-Mabhouh, co-founder of Hamas' Izz Ad-Din Al-Qassam Brigades, allegedly assassinated by Israeli intelligence agents in Dubai last month, will be held in Gaza city shortly, officials announced Saturday. The ceremony will take the form of an A'had Ar-Rijal, or a pledge of committment to the men of the party, where the party's community will celebrate the acts of Al-Mahbbouh, including the kidnapping and slaying of Israeli soldier Avi Sasportasin the 1980s, officials said, adding they would be "honoring Al-Mahbbouh's blood. "The Hamas member died in Dubai in January, with Hamas officials saying he was assassinated by Israeli Mossad agents, and Israeli media alleging he was killed by agents in the arms dealing ring he was allegedly part of. . . . .
Hamas: Affiliates, Islamic Jihad members detained by PA
2/13/2010 - Bethlehem - Ma'an - Security officers with the Palestinian Authority detained two West Bank residents from Qabatiya village in the northern West Bank on Friday night, Hamas officials said, adding that the men were targeted for their political affiliation. One of the men was affiliated with Hamas, a party statement said, while the second was a member of the Islamic Jihad. Hamas officials regularly report the detention of members by West Bank government police, accusing officials of targeting the party's supporters because of an ongoing rivalry between the Fatah-run West Bank government and the Gaza-based Hamas-lead governments. [end]
Hamas organizes rallies in Gaza for Jerusalem
2/13/2010 - Gaza - Ma'an - Hamas organized a number of rallies in the Al-Breiji and An-Nusseirat Refugee Camps to protest Israeli violations in occupied East Jerusalem, the group said Saturday. Hamas supporters and leaders participated, in addition to members of the Palestinian Legislative Council, calling for an end to Israeli policies across Jerusalem, and in particular at the Al-Aqsa Mosque compound. Yousef Farahat, Hamas spokesman, said "Jerusalem is being brutally abused and violated by Israel," and called on all institutions and Arab countries to bring an end to attempts to Judaize Jerusalem. . . . .
Palestinian student senates threaten action over transfer of grants
2/13/2010 - Nablus - Ma'an - The Union of Student Senates in Palestinian universities will take steps to ensure the closure of West Bank universities if demands for the retention of student grants, rather than a transition of loans, are not met by the Ministry of Education. Makram Daraghmeh, president of the An-Najjah University in Nablus' student senate and spokesman for the USS in the West Bank, said Saturday that a decision on action undertaken by student senates in the West Bank will be announced in the coming days "because of the failure to transfer the outstanding amount of grants to Palestinian university students. "Daraghmeh said the Ministry of Education had failed to address the issue since December 2009. The grant money, which is paid by the ministry, is provided to students from lower-income families. However, Daraghmeh said the ministry is considering changing the status of the grant into a loan, placing students in debt.
5 factions call on Hamas to sign Egyptian proposal
2/13/2010 - Gaza - Ma'an - Five Palestinian factions called on Hamas to sign the Egyptian reconciliation document during a meeting at the Popular Struggle Front's Gaza headquarters on Saturday. The factions in attendance included the Palestinian Liberation Front, Fida, the Arab Liberation Front, the Palestinian-Arab Front and the Popular Struggle Front. Members of the various factions demanded that Hamas sign the proposal as it represents "a lifeline" for the Palestinian people. Additionally the Palestinian factions discussed the latest political developments including what affiliates termed the radicalization of the Israeli-right wing government, working to Judaize Jerusalem through settlement expansion. President Mahmoud Abbas' refusal to return to negotiations until a full settlement standstill is enforced and the terms of reference are clearly identified was applauded.
PA security confiscates 1 million ’sexual stimulant’ pills
2/13/2010 - Hebron - Ma'an - Palestinian Authority Preventative Security Services in Hebron confiscated 1 million pills advertised as sexual stimulants, worth an estimated 20 million Shekels, from a warehouse in the city. According to the Ministry of Health, the pills originated from China and entered the West Bank without a required permit from the ministry. The warehouse raid followed a tip-off and was carried out in the presence of prosecutor Ashraf Al-Qawasmi, the general manager of tax and customs, Fawzi Abu Dayyah, and representatives of the Ministry of Health. Khaled Seder, Ministry of Health manager in Hebron, said the pills confiscated were unusual, a variety he has not encountered before during his 28-year career as a doctor, he said. "These are not sexual stimulants; they are poisons. Samples will be sent to the laboratory for examination, to discover the chemical composition of. . . "
Ex-IDF chief: Israel can't handle nuclear Iran alone
Ha'aretz 13 Feb 2010 - Dan Halutz says Israel should not take it upon itself to be the flag-bearer of the West against Tehran.
Egypt official: Israel assassination policy inflaming entire Mideast
Ha'aretz 13 Feb 2010 - PA source to London Times: Other countries won't agree to turn into Israel-Palestinian killing field.
Gaza sources: Sole power plant to halt over Israel fuel blockade
Ha'aretz 13 Feb 2010 - Ma'an report: Strip's officials appeal international groups, Arab nations to end ongoing electricity deficit.
Petition for Urgent Action on Human Rights Violations in Mamilla Cemetary by the Israel, the Occupying Power
2/13/2010 - Al-Haq - Jointly with petitioners whose human rights have been violated and non-governmental human rights organisations, Al-Haq co-petitioned on 10 February 2010 a complaint sent to various experts of international human rights law within the United Nations, such as the High Commissioner for Human Rights, on the issue of destruction and desecration of an ancient Muslim cemetery by the Occupying Power. The Occupying Power has permitted the construction of a “Center for Human Dignity - Museum of Tolerance” on the holy site by the Simon Wiesenthal Center. Undoubtedly, the construction of such a facility on a holy site violates the right to respect for freedom of religion and its manifestation, as well as the right to protection of cultural heritage and cultural property. Related: Full Petition (PDF)
Costco discontinues sale of Israeli beauty products
2/13/2010 - Palestine Note - Popular US wholesaler Costco has agreed to discontinue sale of Ahava Dead Sea Salt products, International Middle East Media Center reports. Israeli cosmetics company AHAVA manufactures its products on an illegal settlement, Mitzpe Shalem. Stolen Beauty has called for a boycott of Ahava products, citing Ahava's use of Palestinian resources is in violation of the Fourth Geneva Convention. Stolen Beauty is a campaign against Ahava products, supported by CODEPINK advocacy group. Excerpt: "AHAVA Dead Sea Laboratories is an Israeli cosmetics company whose manufacturing plant is in an illegal settlement on Palestinian land. The settlement, Mitzpe Shalem, was built near the shores of the Dead Sea in 1970. Activists with the Stolen Beauty campaign argue that Ahava’s use of Palestinian natural resources from the Dead Sea is patently illegal under the Fourth Geneva Convention. . . "Related: IMEMC: US Store discontinues Ahava dead sea products after boycott call
VIDEO - 'Settlements' in Palestine and how they happen
2/9/2010 - Axis of Logic - Anne Baltzer - Apartheid – Israel Builds Racist Colonies On Stolen Palestinian Land & US Taxpayers Pay For It. "Apartheid – Israel Builds Racist Colonies On Stolen Palestinian Land & US Taxpayers Pay For It. [end]"
ACTION ALERTS! Muslim students threatened with expulsion, and more
2/11/2010 - Anna In Palestine - Dear friends, There's been a lot going on lately. Here's just a sampling. I'll be sending my Spring Tour schedule very soon. . . MSU STUDENTS ARRESTED AT UCI: On Monday, eleven members of the Muslim Student Union at the University of California at Irvine were arrested after repeatedly interrupting a speech by Israeli Ambassador Michael Oren co-sponsored by the UCI Law School and Political Science Department. Following the disruption, the students were arrested and are now being threatened with punishment as severe as expulsion. Watch a short clip of the event at www. democracynow. org/2010/2/9/headlines (skip to minute 10:25). Towards the end you'll see an angry man announcing to each one, "You are failing your exams. "You can read why they chose to interrupt Mr. Oren [link follows]. Please write UCI Chancellor Michael Drake (chancellor@uci. edu) and the Dean of Students (deanstu@uci. edu), who will be determining the punishment. Here are some important points to bring up:. . . .
Israel reroutes separation barrier at Bilin
2/12/2010 - Palestine Note - Acting on a two-and-a-half-year old court rulling, Israel has begun the process of rerouting the separation wall near Bilin, a village in the West Bank, Al-Jazeera English reports. The awarded concession effectively freezes building in the neighboring Israeli settlement Modiin Ilit. Work on the project began Thursday, and once the new section is built, the original section will come down, returning roughly 700,000 square meters to Bilin. The appeal to the Israeli courts changing the route of the wall came from Palestinians who insist the wall cuts them off from arable farmland. Excerpt: "It's a small victory," Mohammad Khatip, an anti-wall activist, told Al Jazeera. "We win a round of the game but we didn't win the game yet so we will continue in our struggle. . . to dismantle this wall and this settlement," he said, referring to the Jewish settlement of Modiin Ilit which lies on the other side of the barrier. . . Related: Aljazeera: Israel acts on West Bank wall order
Israel is accused of waging covert war across the Middle East
2/13/2010 - Times of London - Israel is waging a covert assassination campaign across the Middle East in an effort to stop its key enemies co-ordinating their activities. Israeli agents have been targeting meetings between members of Hamas and the leadership of the militant Hezbollah group, and the Iranian Revolutionary Guards. They are also suspected of recent killings in Dubai, Damascus and Beirut. While Israel’s Mossad spy agency has been suspected of staging assassinations across the world since the 1970s, it does not officially acknowledge or admit its activities. The current spate of killings began in December when a “tourist bus” carrying Iranian officials and Hamas members exploded outside Damascus. The official report by Syria claimed that a tyre had exploded but photographs surfaced showing the charred remains of the vehicle — prompting speculation that a much larger explosion had taken place.
British MP tells Allston audience its time end to Gaza Strip blockade
2/5/2010 - Axis of Logic - Allston/Brighton TAB - Alston, MA - George Galloway slammed the collective punishment Israel imposed on Palestinian people living in the Gaza Strip during a speech on Monday night at the Palestinian Cultural Center of Peace in Allston. Galloway, who is a member of the British Parliament, was the featured speaker at a benefit for Viva Palestina. Israel began the blockade of Gaza to punish citizens for the way they voted in a democratic election, said the MP. Supporters calling for an end to the blockade gathered at the Palestinian Cultural Center for Peace to listen to Galloway, the founder of Viva Palestina, a charity that aims to break the siege of Gaza by bringing convoys of humanitarian aid into the Gaza Strip. Galloway is no stranger to controversy. In 2005, he defended himself in the United States Senate from accusations of profiting from Iraqi oil sales.
Gaza: BBC Takes Obama To The Streets
2/11/2010 - Palestine Note - BBC has raised banners across Gaza asking Palestinians, "[After] one year of Obama. . . What has changed? ""[After] one year of Obama. . . What has changed? " The BBC has raised this question 430 times in banners featuring U. S. President Barack Obama in key locations across Gaza. The banners confront Gazans on morning and evening commutes, and as a result Obama has become the talk of the town. Gaza’s BBC correspondent Shohdy Al-Kashef explains the banners are part of an ad campaign for a recent a BBC Arabic-language program, and the Obama banners have gone up in cities across the Palestinian territories. The BBC called on Palestinians to interact with the program, especially asking for comments about the Obama presidency one year later, via text and interactive internet forum. . . . . I did not find any positive response to the Obama presidency.
Lib Dem frontbencher Jenny Tonge sacked over call for Israeli soldier inquiry
2/13/2010 - The Guardian - Nick Clegg asks health spokesperson to step down after she called for inquiry into organ-trafficking allegations in Haiti - The Liberal Democrat leader, Nick Clegg, has sacked his health spokeswoman in the House of Lords after she called for an inquiry into allegations that Israeli soldiers were involved in organ trafficking in Haiti. Clegg described Baroness Jenny Tonge's remarks about Israeli troops sent to the earthquake-stricken country as "wrong, distasteful and provocative". It is the second time Tonge has been fired as a Liberal Democrat frontbencher for making controversial comments about Israel. The latest row followed accusations in the online Palestine Telegraph - of which she is a patron - that members of the Israeli Defence Force (IDF) had been harvesting body parts in the aftermath of the Haiti earthquake.
Gilani likens Kashmir to Palestine
2/13/2010 - The Indian Express - Islamabad - Equating the Kashmir issue with the Palestine problem, Pakistan Premier Yousuf Raza Gilani has claimed that peace will remain elusive in South Asia and the Middle East unless these matters are resolved. Gilani made the remarks during a meeting with visiting Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas here last evening. The resolution of the Palestine issue "finds resonance in the just and peaceful struggle of Kashmiri people for self-determination," Gilani claimed. " People of Palestine and. . . Kashmir are fighting for their just right of self-determination," he said. Gilani assured Abbas that Pakistan will continue to have a principled stance of absolute support to Palestinian people for their right to self-determination and a sovereign state. Pakistan wants the total withdrawal of Israel from all occupied Arab territories, including Jerusalem, stoppage of all measures like construction. . . .
Lee presidential office: ’Korea supports Fatah’
2/11/2010 - Palestine Note - After arriving in South Korea Wednesday, PA President Mahmoud Abbas and South Korean President Lee Myung-bak discussed the stalled peace process and Palestine's future, reports JoonAng Daily. South Korea recognizes the Palestinian National Authority as the legitimate governing body of the Palestinian territories, but it does not recognize Palestine as a "sovereign nation. "Though consistently neutral in the Palestinian-Israeli conflict, a presidential official gave a surprisingly partisan statement, saying: “The Korean government supports Fatah, which maintains a peaceful and moderate line. Abbas had won the presidency on the Fatah ticket, and his trip to Korea is to seek the Lee administration’s backing for the Middle East peace negotiations as well as internal conflicts against Hamas. ” Excerpt: At the meeting, Lee expressed hope that peace talks between Palestine and Israel will resume soon. . . . Related: JoonAng Daily: More aid to rebuild Palestine offered
Husseini’s turn: PA sex scandal continues
2/12/2010 - Palestine Note - Abbas chief of staff Rafiq al-Husseini, accused of sexual misconduct by former PA intelligence officer Fahmi Shabaneh, will be on Palestinian TV's "All in the Open" Friday to respond to the allegations aired against him on Israeli channel 12 earlier this week, says a report from the International Middle East Media Center. The Palestinian Authority continues their line that these allegations are an Israeli ruse aimed at discrediting the Abbas government. Excerpt: "Nimir Hammad, political advisor to president Mahmoud Abbas, told the Palestine Radio that Al Husseini will present details on the issue and the accusations made by Fahmi Shabana, an official at the Palestinian General Intelligence Service. Hammad said that this issue is a campaign targeting the credibility of President Mahmoud Abbas and the Palestinian Authority (P. A). . . . "Related: IMEMC: Dr. Husseini On TV To Talk About “Scandal Report” Targeting Him
Ayalon proposes Palestinian population transfer
Uruknet February 13, 2010 - A peace deal could include a population swap in addition to a land swap, Israeli Deputy Foreign Minister Danny Ayalon said told the London-based Arabic daily Ash-Sharq Al-Awsat on Saturday. An alternative, put forward by Ayalon would see the transfer the Palestinian minority in Israel with citizenship, as well towns and villages still populated with significant...
Bosnia and Clinton’s Radical Islamists
Uruknet February 13, 2010 - In all wars you have distortions and of course no single ethnic group or religious group is immune from slaughtering others during times of war. Yet the wars in the former Yugoslavia were distorted to the point of national shame, and this national shame applies to so-called democratic leaders, like former US President Bill Clinton, and...
Rafah crossing closed for 40 days, 267 people stranded
Uruknet February 13, 2010 – The de facto border crossing administration said 267 people remain stranded on the Egyptian side of the Rafah crossing, most of whom are patients, a statement said on Saturday. "The [Rafah] crossing remained closed in both directions for the last 40 days until recently ... 40 of those who recently travelled were coordinated, in addition to an...
Gaza: Life in the "Buffer Zone"
Uruknet February 13, 2010 - The Israelis call it the "buffer zone." Gazan NGOs often call it the "hot zone." But to the Palestinians who live near this wide swath of land alongside the border between the Gaza Strip and Israel, it is fertile land where their children played and they made a decent living by raising wheat and olives. That...
The new McCarthyism sweeping Israel
Uruknet February 13, 2010 - It's hard, sitting on the other side of the office table from which Naomi Chazan is picking at her modest hummus and salad snack lunch, to believe that the amiable 63-year-old university professor with a self-deprecating sense of humour has suddenly become the most discussed, not to say demonised, woman in Israel. Ms Chazan is president...
Israel is accused of waging covert war across the Middle East
Uruknet February 13, 2010 - Israel is waging a covert assassination campaign across the Middle East in an effort to stop its key enemies co-ordinating their activities. Israeli agents have been targeting meetings between members of Hamas and the leadership of the militant Hezbollah group, and the Iranian Revolutionary Guards. They are also suspected of recent killings in Dubai, Damascus and...
The Wiesenthal Center
Uruknet February 13, 2010 - The Wiesenthal Center is notorious for its pro-Israeli propaganda. It publishes flagrant lies, exaggerations and half-truths which are often presented as "academic and objective facts." However, in truth, many of these findings are actually fabrications. This recently came to light with the publication, in June 2009, of Hunting Evil, by British Author Guy Walters, in which...
Authorities: Gaza Power Plant to cease functioning within hours
Uruknet February 13, 2010 - Gaza's sole power plant will cease to function within hours, the Gaza Energy Authority said on Saturday. In a statement, the Energy Authority reported that one generator had already been shut down and the remaining amount of fuel in the Strip was only sufficient to continue the plant's electricity output for a few hours, putting shut-down...
Israeli soldiers kill Palestinian in cold blood in Al-Khalil
Uruknet February 13, 2001 -- The Israeli occupation forces (IOF) killed in cold blood on Friday evening a Palestinian citizen from Al-Khalil city, south of the West Bank, alleging that he tried to stab one of their soldiers. Medical sources told the Palestinian information center (PIC) that Fayez Faraj, 41, was shot dead without warning by Israeli soldiers during his presence...
Mum's the word on Gaza probe Is the UN preparing to bury the damning findings of the Goldstone Report on Israel's Gaza assault of one year ago?
Uruknet February 12, 2010 - Critics are accusing the UN of stalling legal action against Israel after an independent fact finding mission accused Israel of possibly committing war crimes and crimes against humanity in its December 2008 to January 2009 assault on Gaza. Dubbed after the name of the head of the mission, the 575-page long Goldstone Report submitted to the...
Why is the PA so reticent about Shabaneh's revelations?
Uruknet February 12, 2010 - Sexual and financial corruption is "rampant" throughout the Palestinian Authority (PA), according to Fahmi Shabaneh. The former PA intelligence official has made these grave allegations in an interview in the Jerusalem Post, and again on Israeli TV Channel 10. The leadership, claims Shabaneh, knows about this but is doing nothing about it. Such revelations appear to...
Losing patience with squabbling '2-rump' Palestine
Uruknet February 12, 2010 - ...It is obvious that Fatah must face down threats from the US, forge unity with Hamas and agree clear objectives based on what has already been set out in UN resolutions and international law. Both camps need to behave impeccably, hold new elections instead of overstaying their term, and co-operate if they are to earn respect...
Twenty Palestinians wounded this week in Sha''fat camp - OCHA report
13 Feb 2010 - West Bank, February 13, 2010 (Pal Telegraph) - Twenty Palestinians, including six journalists, were wounded this week, while dozens were arrested in the West Bank's Sha'fat refugee camp, said the Ramallah-based UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) in the Palestinian territories in its weekly report on Saturday. The report said that Israelis established a new settlement in...
Palestinian police officer arrested for allegedly stabbing Israeli soldier
13 Feb 2010 - West Bank, February 13, 2010 (Pal Telegraph) - A Palestinian police officer has been arrested after allegedly stabbing an Israeli soldier, who subsequently died. Israeli army Non-Commissioned Officer (NCO), Sergeant 1st class Ihab Chattib (pictured) was killed Wednesday when a Palestinian man approached the soldier who was sitting in his car at Tapuach Junction, just south of Nablus. Chattib, who...
Israel abducts more than 150 Palestinians in 2 days
13 Feb 2010 - West Bank, 13 February, 2010 (Pal Telegraph)- The Palestinian Ministry of Detainee Affairs said that the occupation authorities have stepped up recently abductions of Palestinians from various parts of the occupied West Bank, Jerusalem and the Gaza Strip, where more than 150 residents were abducted during the past two days. Riyad Al-Ashqar, director of the information department in the ministry, said...
Egyptian soldiers shoot Palestinian fishermen
13 Feb 2010 - Gaza, February 13, 2010 (Pal Telegraph) - Four Palestinian fishermen were shot at then kidnapped Friday afternoon by Egyptian security forces off the Gaza coast, Palestinian sources reported. The sources confirmed that the Egyptian soldiers opened fire at the Palestinian fishermen while they were fishing and then kidnapped them. They kidnapped Khaled Al-Hams, Mirwan Al-Saidy, Khader Morad and Fathi Al-Rabai,...
Israeli soldiers kill Palestinian in Hebron
13 Feb 2010 - Hebron, February 13, 2010 (Pal Telegraph) - Israeli soldiers shot and killed a 41-year-old Palestinian resident of Hebron in the West Bank on Friday afternoon. Fayez Farraj was critically wounded after Israeli soldiers opened fire at him in the neighborhood of Bab el- Zawya in the old city of Hebron. He died in a hospital a few hours later. The Israeli...
Israel acts on West Bank wall order
AlJazeera 12 Feb 2010 - Decision to reroute part of separation barrier near Bilin follows court ruling.
Not guilty plea in Egypt Copt trial
AlJazeera 13 Feb 2010 - Three men plead not guilty to charges of killing Coptic Christians in southern Egypt.
Palestinian protesters pose as Na'vi from 'Avatar'
PNN 13 Feb 2010 - Palestinian protesters have added a colorful twist to demonstrations against Israel's separation barrier, painting themselves blue and posing as characters from the hit film Avatar. The demonstrators also donned long hair and loincloths Friday for the weekly protest against the barrier near the village of Bilin. The demonstrators compared their struggle with the Na'vi race portrayed in Avatar, who find themselves having...
British academics urge Elton John to cancel Israel concert
PNN 13 Feb 2010 - A group of British academics have called on singer Elton John to cancel his scheduled performance in Israel this June. Political or not political, when you stand up on that stage in Tel Aviv, you line yourself up with a racist state, the British Committee for Universities of Palestine wrote in an open letter to John on Monday. Do you want to...
PM to focus on Iran in Moscow
Jeruslalem Post 13 Feb 2010 - Netanyahu leaves for Russia as Mullen arrives for talks with Ashkenazi.
Ground forces to get satellite dishes
Jeruslalem Post 13 Feb 2010 - IDF to increase communications capabilities of infantry, armored brigades.
Senior J'lem prosecutor apologizes for bad-mouthing judges
Jeruslalem Post 13 Feb 2010 - Capital's deputy district attorney was quoted by students as saying “a large number of judges in Israel are big asses."
Absentee ballot bill to be voted on
Jeruslalem Post 13 Feb 2010 - Sunday's vote puts majority parties Likud and Israel Beiteinu at odds with Shas and Labor.
Iran to be focus of PM’s talks in Moscow, Mullen's visit
Jeruslalem Post 13 Feb 2010 - PM leaves for Russia on Sunday as US army chief arrives for talks with Ashkenazi.
'Israel waging secret war on terrorists'
Jeruslalem Post 13 Feb 2010 - UK paper: Arab diplomats "aware" that Israel continually targets Hamas, Hizbullah all across the Middle East.
'Population swap as part of peace'
Jeruslalem Post 13 Feb 2010 - Ayalon: Demand to freeze settlements is like demanding PA give up right of return.
OPT: Gaza schoolchildren struggling to learn
IRIN GAZA Friday, February 05, 2010 (IRIN) - Nearly half a million children in Gaza returned to overcrowded and dilapidated schools on 1 February, many attending in a shift system, with missing textbooks, stationery or uniforms.
Weekly Report on Israeli Human Rights Violations in the Occupied Palestinian Territory
PCHR Israeli soldiers arrest a Palestinian civilians during clashes in Shu'fat refugee camp near Jerusalem 04 – 10 February 2010 Israeli Occupation Forces (IOF) Continue Systematic Attacks against Palestinian Civilians and Property in the Occupied Palestinian Territory (OPT)
250 Olive Trees Planted By Volunteers Near Osh Grab
2/12/2010 - International Solidarity Movement - International Middle East Media Center, 12 February - Following the beginning of construction of a new watchtower at the site of the former military base, this week, residents of Beit Sahour and international volunteers gathered at the surrounding farmlands, on Friday, to cultivate the land, planting 250 olive trees. The former military base at Osh Grab was abandoned by the Israeli military in April 2006, and part of the site was transformed into a public park and centre for the residents of Beit Sahour by the town's municipality. The land private land reverted to its original owners, including the sites worked on today. Part of the site has remained abandoned, though, as it falls inside of zone C, as designated by Interim Agreement on the West Bank and the Gaza Strip, also referred to as Oslo 2, signed in 1995. Part of the accords divided the land in the West Bank into 3 sections; areas A, B and C.
Israel clampdowns on non-violent protest
2/13/2010 - International Solidarity Movement - Jonathan Cook, Middle East Online, 12 February - The Israeli courts ordered the release this week of two foreign women arrested by the army in the West Bank in what human-rights lawyers warn has become a wide-ranging clampdown by Israel on non-violent protest from international, Israeli and Palestinian activists. The arrest of the two women during a nighttime raid on the Palestinian city of Ramallah has highlighted a new tactic by Israeli officials: using immigration police to try to deport foreign supporters of the Palestinian cause. A Czech woman was deported last month after she was seized from Ramallah by a special unit known as Oz, originally established to arrest migrant labourers working illegally inside Israel. Human rights lawyers say Israel's new offensive is intended to undermine a joint non-violent struggle by international activists and Palestinian villagers. . .
Ma’asara Demonstration Takes a New Route to Settler Road
2/13/2010 - International Solidarity Movement - 12 February - Activists in Ma'asara village near Bethlehem changed their demonstration route today and marched to the "settler only" road outside the village. Once they reached Highway 60 the demonstration was surrounded by Israeli soldiers and the area was declared a closed military zone. Demonstrators were then besieged by tear gas as they made their way back to the village. Soldiers began following people into the village once the activists crossed the razor wire fence that the military uses to block the progress of weekly demonstrations. Many people suffered from tear gas inhalation at today's demonstration, and many children were terrified once the military invaded the village. At the beginning of 2010 the Israeli military began intensifying the level of violence used in their methods to repress non-violent demonstrations in villages opposing the apartheid wall and settlements.
VIDEO - Bil’in weekly demonstration reenacts the Avatar film
2/13/2010 - International Solidarity Movement - Friends of Freedom and Justice, 12 February - The village of Bil'in reenacted James Cameron's new film Avatar during today's weekly demonstration. Five Palestinian, Israeli and international activists were painted blue, with pointy ears and tales, resembling the Avatar characters. Like Palestinians, the Avatars fight imperialism, although the colonizers have different origins. The Avatars' presence in Bil'in today symbolizes the united resistance to imperialism of all kinds. Today's non-violent demonstration was again met with excessive violence by the Israeli army. Sound bombs and tear gas were used, leaving four people directly injured by the canisters. The canisters were shot directly at the protesters, which is in violation with the IOF's firing regulations. Many other activists suffered from tear gas inhalation. Related: Palestinians dressed as the Na’vi from the film Avatar stage a protest against Israel’s separation barrier and YouTube: Bilin Reenacts Avatar Film
CNN: West Bank wall still triggers weekly protests in village
2/13/2010 - International Solidarity Movement - CNN, 12 February - Tear gas, stun grenades, rubber bullets and rocks: It must be Friday afternoon in the West Bank village of Bil'in. It's billed as a nonviolent protest against what Israel calls its security barrier, what the Palestinians call the apartheid separation wall. The barrier separates the villagers from their farmlands. Protesters come from all over the world to support the Palestinian cause. A few Palestinian youths covering their faces with scarves throw stones at a couple dozen Israeli soldiers in full riot gear and armed with tear gas, stun grenades and bullets. The protest soon degenerates into chaos as it has nearly every week for the past five years. Six protesters have been killed in Bil'in and the neighboring village of Na'alin since July 2008, according to the Palestinian group, Popular Struggle, one of several organizers of the weekly protests.
Peaceful Protest in Al Masara Halted
2/13/2010 - International Solidarity Movement - ISM, 12 February - Peaceful Protest in Al Masara Halted with Tear Gas and Sound Bombs - Yesterday around 1pm, a peaceful demonstration at Al Masara was stopped by the Israeli army when tear gas and sound bombs wereunexpectedly thrown into the crowd. The protest comprised of around 20 Palestinians, 8 internationals and 7 Israeli activists. Three mini busses of approximately 75 Palestinians from neighboring villages were stopped at a nearbycheckpoint and prohibited from attending the protest. Palestinian demonstrators at this protest werecompletely nonviolent, both verbally and physically. The crowd at once obeyed theorders from the commander of the army to move off the spontaneously demarcatedclosed military zone. The first tear gas was fired soon after two youths waved Palestinian flags in front of a military vehicle as the crowd was movingback according to the orders from the commander.
Collective Wall-Building Effort Baffles IOF in An-Nabi Salih
2/13/2010 - International Solidarity Movement - ISM, 12 February - Israeli army and border police used tear gas, stungrenades, rubber- and plastic-coated bullets, live ammunition and "stinky water"to disperse close to 150 Palestinians who tried to reach their village wellin An-Nabi Salih. The villagers were accompanied by over 20 Israeli and international solidarity activists. Following mid-day prayers, protesters marched towards thewell and their agricultural lands but were immediately confronted with tear-gasand rubber-coated bullets. A group of 50 settlers from the neighboring settlement of Halamish watched as theIsraeli Occupation Forces attacked the Palestinians. In total, 14 protesters were injured, including one hit in the face with a tear gas canister. The march began in its usual fashion. Villagers, Israelis and internationals descended the hillside to attempt to plant olive trees in the settler-occupied land.
Almond Tree Planting Interrupted by IDF
2/13/2010 - International Solidarity Movement - ISM - Saturday morning around 9am, Palestinian residents of the Jubbet adh Dhib Village, south east of Bethlehem, were planting almond trees ontheir limited land when settlers from the nearby illegal outpost of Noqedim called the IDF to stop them from doing so. The soldiers arrived quickly, but didn't doanything before their commander arrived half an hour later with a paper stating that thearea was a closed military zone. Meanwhile, the settlers tried to herd theirgoats out on to the field, but the Palestinians verbally herded them back anddemanded that the soldiers tell the settlers to leave the area as well. Afteranother half an hour of discussion about who started the trouble and whose landthis is, the soldiers made the settlers go back to their road and thePalestinians proceeded back to their village as well.
India police: Pune bomb likely meant for Chabad House
Ha'aretz 13 Feb 2010 - Explosion in Pune restaurant popular with foreigners near famed meditation center kills 9, wounds 53.
Israel to boost efforts to launch new Iran sanctions
Ha'aretz 13 Feb 2010 - U.S. Joint Chiefs of Staff Chairman Mike Mullen to arrive in Israel Sunday for talks on Iranian nuclear program.
'If Mideast peace isn't realized now, it may never come'
Ha'aretz 13 Feb 2010 - Senator John Kerry: Region cannot endure another generation growing up knowing only conflict.
Eight dead in suspected bomb attack near India Jewish center
Ha'aretz 13 Feb 2010 - Four foreign women among the dead at a Pune restaurant, their nationality has not yet been made known.
Ex-IDF chief: Israel can't handle nuclear Iran alone
Ha'aretz 13 Feb 2010 - Dan Halutz says Israel should not take it upon itself to be the flag-bearer of the West against Tehran.
Obama names Rashad Hussain as envoy to the Muslim world
Ha'aretz 13 Feb 2010 - In Cairo speech last June, the U.S. president called for a new beginning in ties with Muslim nations.
Neo-Nazis mark 1945 Dresden bombing with 'mourning' march
Ha'aretz 13 Feb 2010 - German extreme rightists have equated the 1945 Allied Forces' bombing of the German city to the Holocaust.
NATO attack on Afghanistan Taliban going 'without a hitch'
Ha'aretz 13 Feb 2010 - U.K. army spokesman: Efforts by British troops in south of country have thus far been successful.
Israeli rights group sues North Korea over 1972 terror attack
Ha'aretz 13 Feb 2010 - Lawsuit alleges North Korea trained, funded terrorists that killed more than 20 at Ben-Gurion airport.
Ayalon touts population swap in peace deal
Ha'aretz 13 Feb 2010 - Deputy FM says peace deal with Palestinians would maintain territorial, demographic integrity.
U.S. official: We want to boost ties with Syria
Ha'aretz 13 Feb 2010 - Report: Syria has accepted nominee for the first U.S. ambassador to Damascus in five years.
Ultraconservative jihadists challenge Hamas rule in Gaza
Ha'aretz 13 Feb 2010 - Groups known as Jihadi Salafis are inspired by al-Qaida but are not formally affiliated with it.
A day in the life of the Palestinian Ben-Gurion
Ha'aretz 13 Feb 2010 - Salam Fayyad is one of the few people who wakes up in the morning to work to build a state for his people.
Danish artist: gold teeth used in Auschwitz work
Ha'aretz 13 Feb 2010 - Sculptor bought teeth and fillings from Austrian who claimed they were from Nazi death camp.
Aide to Palestinian president Mahmoud Abbas embroiled in sex scandal
The Guardian 12 Feb 2010 - Footage of naked Rafiq Husseini broadcast on Israeli TV Palestinian officials yesterday rallied around a top aide to Palestinian president Mahmoud Abbas amid other calls for him to step down after a video surfaced showing him...
Giving in to the settlers in Beit Sahur
Ha'aretz 13 Feb 2010 - People in Beit Sahur believe the Israeli settlers who claim that the Israel Defense Forces was responding to the settlers' pressure when it started erecting a new guard tower last week in the eastern part of this largely Christian West Bank town. Locals do not, however, accept the army's claim that the tower was added for professional, military reasons. The settlers vow to keep up the pressure - and Beit Sahur residents know all too well what they mean. In the last 18 months, settlers from the Gush Etzion area have been holding increasingly frequent protests against the "Arab construction" in Beit Sahur. ...
Israel girds for Iran battle
YNet News 13 Feb 2010 - US military chief arriving in Israel Sunday, will discuss implications of Iran sanctions, other options with senior IDF officials; meanwhile, PM Netanyahu heading to Moscow in effort to boost Russian support for sanctions
Jaffa graffiti protests 'Jewish building'
YNet News 13 Feb 2010 - Residents of Ajami neighborhood step up protest, spray slogans reading 'settlers be gone', 'Jaffa is not Hebron'. 'Local residents feel they are fighting for their home, council chairman says
Arab woman pours water on rightist MK
YNet News 13 Feb 2010 - Elderly woman targets National Union's Michael Ben Ari in east Jerusalem, flees scene
Fayyad takes on settlement products
YNet News 13 Feb 2010 - PA prime minister calls for Palestinian, global ban on goods produced in settlements
Yemen says truce holds despite rebel attack on official
Daily Star 13 Feb 2010 SANAA: Houthi rebels shot at an Interior Ministry official and killed a soldier in northern Yemen on Friday, violating a truce announced hours earlier. Sanaa and rebel leader Abdel-Malik al-Houthi agreed late on Thursday to a truce that began at midnight. The truce was welcomed on Friday by Iran, which has criticized Saudi Arabia’s involvement in the fighting on the government side.
US, France dismiss Iran claims on high-enrichment capability
Daily Star 13 Feb 2010 The United States and France do not believe Iran’s claim that it is capable of enriching uranium to near weapons-grade levels, the White House spokesperson and France’s foreign minister said. On Friday, French Foreign Minister Bernard Kouchner told Europe 1 radio that the “Americans don’t believe, not any more than us, that Iran is currently capable of enriching uranium to 80 percent.
Clinton: Blair to ‘intensify’ work on Middle East peace
Daily Star 13 Feb 2010 WASHINGTON: Middle East envoy Tony Blair will “intensify” his work with US negotiator George Mitchell to broker peace talks between Israel and the Palestinians, United States Secretary of State Hillary Clinton said on Thursday. The former British premier represents the “Quartet” of Middle East negotiators made up of the US, the European Union, the United Nations and Russia.
Hamas conducts own probe into Dubai murder of commander
Daily Star 13 Feb 2010 DUBAI: Hamas is conducting its own internal inquiry into the killing in Dubai last month of one of its top militants, the Palestinian Islamist group’s exiled head said in an interview published Friday. “We are carrying out an internal investigation, within our own procedures,” Khaled Meshaal, whose movement accuses Israeli agents of having assassinated Mahmud al-Mabhuh, told the pan-Arab newspaper Al-Hayat.
Khamenei lauds state rally, warns domestic, foreign foes
Daily Star 13 Feb 2010 TEHRAN: Iran’s supreme leader praised the mass turnout at the government-backed rally marking the 1979 Islamic Revolution and warned the West to stop putting obstacles in his country’s path, state Press TV reported Friday. Ayatollah Ali Khamenei thanked the “tens of millions” across the country who celebrated Thursday’s anniversary, saying the turnout at rallies reflected the nation’s strength.
Al-Qaeda fuels security, criminal woes in Sahara states
Daily Star 13 Feb 2010 DAKAR: Al-Qaeda’s Sahara wing has raised its profile with hostage-takings and cocaine smuggling, threatening already weak West African states with crippling criminality but not large-scale terror attacks. Revenues from ransoms and involvement in the drugs trade in countries like Mauritania, Mali and Niger are providing funds and could lure recruits.
Bill Clinton leaves NYC hospital after heart operation
Daily Star 13 Feb 2010 NEW YORK: Former President Bill Clinton has left the Manhattan hospital where he underwent a heart procedure, a close friend said Friday. Former Democratic National Committee chairman Terry McAuliffe said on CBS’ “The Early Show” that Clinton had left New York Presbyterian Hospital. Clinton lives in Chappaqua, a hamlet about 55 kilometers north of New York City.
The Wiesenthal Center
PIC 13 Feb 2010 - There is no doubt that lying is the modus operandi at the Wiesenthal Center. In recent years, the center has spearheaded a campaign to build “a Museum of Tolerance” right on top of a Muslim cemetery.
Israeli policemen desecrate Aqsa Mosque
PIC 13 Feb 2010 - Al-Quds media center revealed that the Israeli policemen deliberately desecrate the sanctity of the Aqsa Mosque and urinate in its different courtyards and areas especially at its gates.
Mishaal: We are ready for any honest, transparent elections
PIC 13 Feb 2010 - Khaled Mishaal has asserted that Hamas was ready to contest any election in the Palestinian arena provided it is held in normal conditions, and must be honest.
Al-Qassam: Olmert’s confessions in his book disclosed Israel’s ugly face
PIC 13 Feb 2010 - Al-Qassam Brigades said the confessions made by Ehud Olmert in his book about the experience of the war he waged on Gaza unveiled the ugly face of Israel and the disintegration of its leadership.
Homes of 32 Palestinian families in Jerusalem face the nightmare of demolition
PIC 13 Feb 2010 - The Jerusalem-based Jerusalemite Foundation for Community Development has confirmed that the IOA had notified 32 Palestinian families to vacate their homes before next week.
Occupation soldiers beat up youth, police raise alert at Akka beach
PIC 13 Feb 2010 - Israeli occupation soldiers manning the Container road barrier east of occupied Jerusalem beat up a Palestinian youth on Friday night, local sources said.
Agriculture ministry condemns Egyptian arrest of Palestinian fishermen
PIC 13 Feb 2010 - The Palestinian agriculture ministry has expressed dismay at the Egyptian detention of four Palestinian fishermen in which it described as a "serious precedent".
Israel escalates its restrictions on pro-Palestinian activists
PIC 13 Feb 2010 - Jason Koutsoukis, an Australian correspondent for the Age newspaper, said that Israel escalated its restrictions on foreign activists because of their role in exposing its violations of human rights.
Israeli soldiers kill Palestinian in cold blood in Al-Khalil
PIC 13 Feb 2010 - The Israeli occupation forces (IOF) killed in cold blood on Friday evening a Palestinian citizen from Al-Khalil city, south of the West Bank, alleging that he tried to stab one of their soldiers.
Abu Zuhri: Let resistance retaliate
PIC 13 Feb 2010 - Dr. Sami Abu Zurhi has said that the escalating IOA aggression on the Palestinian people reflected its aggressive nature and necessitated unshackling resistance to retaliate to such escalation.
Imprisoned Iranian protesters share a bond forged in hell
LA Times 14 Feb 2010 - Former inmates describe the horrors they endured during five days in Kahrizak prison in Tehran after their arrests during postelection unrest. "What is this place?" the guard shouted.
Was Kahrizak prison doctor a victim or villain?
LA Times 14 Feb 2010 - It may be impossible to know. The young Iranian doctor, Ramin Pourandarjani, was found poisoned late last year. During a visit to the Tehran military courthouse one day last fall, Hossein and Hamid spotted the doctor.
World Briefing | Middle East: Israel: Work Begins to Reroute Barrier
New York Times 13 Feb 2010 - More than two years after a Supreme Court ruling, Israel has started work to reroute its security barrier near Bilin, a Palestinian village in the West Bank.
U.S. Envoys Head Out on a Mission to Rally Iran’s Neighbors
New York Times 13 Feb 2010 - Tensions over Iran’s nuclear ambitions have forced visits by Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton and other diplomats to Israel, Lebanon, Syria, Jordan, Egypt, Saudi Arabia and Qatar.
Role model
Mondoweiss - 13 Feb 2010 - Dexter Filkins, New York Times , yesterday from Afghanistan: And then, almost invariably, they [US and NATO troops] have cleared out, never leaving behind enough soldiers or police officers to hold the place on their own. And so, almost always, the Taliban returned — and, after a...
‘LA Times’ gives Wiesenthal Center a platform to spin falsehoods about Muslim cemetery in Jerusalem
Mondoweiss - 13 Feb 2010 - Yesterday, and somewhat shockingly, the Los Angeles Times published an opinion piece by Rabbi Martin Hier of the Simon Wiesenthal Center (SWC) defending the desecration of the Mamilla Cemetery in Jerusalem so that the SWC can build its "Center for Human Dignity– Museum of Tolerance" there....
Israel tracks the ‘delegitimizers’
Mondoweiss - 13 Feb 2010 - The Reut institute, a Tel Aviv thinktank, has presented a report on the delegitimizers of Israel to the Israeli cabinet. Some of the language recalls the "loose coalition" language of Walt and Mearsheimer, accurately describing the Israel lobby. The Reut Institute was praised by Arianna Huffington...
New site defends Goldstone
Mondoweiss - 13 Feb 2010 - It’s called Goldstone Facts , and is very attractive. Related posts: U.S. government publishes Goldstone hit that defends… apartheid Goldstone: ‘If Gaza isn’t collective punishment, what is?’ Goldstone commission sees evidence of ‘persecution’
Slater: ‘Times’ self-censorship on Israeli ‘catastrophe’ recalls mum on Holocaust
Mondoweiss - 13 Feb 2010 - Jerry Slater : The Bronner affair is but one example of the many ways in which in its coverage of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, the Times fails to meet its most basic responsibilities as the world’s most influential newspaper: to fully and truthfully report on issues of the...
Sunday, February 14, 2010
British Journalist Detained In Gaza
IMEMC 14 Feb 2010 - Monday February 15, 2010 - 03:48, Palestinian and British sources confirmed that a British documentary director was arrested by the Hamas-controlled security forces after he arrived at a Gaza court to testify in a law suit filed against a Palestinian gunman accused of collaborating with Israel.
Arab Parliamentarians In Gaza Monday
IMEMC 14 Feb 2010 - Monday February 15, 2010 - 03:22, The Hamas-dominated Palestinian Legislative Council (PLC) reported that 26 Arab Parliamentarians from different Arab countries will visit on Monday to express solidarity with the residents of the war-torn and impoverished coastal region.
Child Wounded By Israeli Fire In Central Gaza
IMEMC 14 Feb 2010 - Monday February 15, 2010 - 02:56, Palestinian medical sources in the Gaza Strip reported on Sunday evening that a Palestinian child suffered moderate wounds after the Israeli army bombarded a number of homes in Juhr Al Deek area, in central Gaza.
Husseini: “I Was Framed; Tape Was Dubbed To Blackmail Me”
IMEMC 14 Feb 2010 - Monday February 15, 2010 - 02:43, Dr. Rafiq Husseini, a top aide to president Mahmoud Abbas in Jerusalem, stated at a Sunday evening press conference in Ramallah, that the “sex tape scandal” against him was dubbed, and added that a “gang framed him to politically blackmail him due to his sensitive position”.
Gaza Children Suffer Psychological Issues Due To War
IMEMC 14 Feb 2010 - Monday February 15, 2010 - 01:04, Fadel Abu Hayyin, head of the Psychological Program at the Palestinian Ministry of Health in Gaza, stated that more than 100.000 Palestinian children in Gaza are suffering from different psychological issues resulting from the Israeli war and aggression on Gaza.
PFLP Leader Visits Cairo, Holds Talks with Egyptian Leaders
IMEMC 14 Feb 2010 - Sunday February 14, 2010 - 08:37, Visiting Cairo, member of the Political Bureau of the leftist Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine (PFLP), Jamil Majdalawi, held a series of meetings with Egyptian leaders to ease the tension between Egypt and Hamas in Gaza, and to find a way to prepare the atmosphere for signing a Palestinian unit deal supervised by Egypt.
Old City stores in Jerusalem threatened with demolition
2/14/2010 - Jerusalem - Ma'an - Several Palestinian shops inside Jerusalem's Old City in Damascus Gate face the threat of demolition after the Israeli Jerusalem Municipality inspectors handed down notices to owners and tenants on Wednesday. The notices were given to Muhammad Abu Ad-Dab'at, owner of several shopes, and to tenants Mu'tasim Abu Rmeila, Samir Salayma, and Najati Ja'bari. All were given three days to evacuate the shops. According to the owner's son, Wael, Israeli municipality store-inspectors do not have the jurisdiction to hand down demolition notices, which is usually executed by license and building inspectors. He added that neither he nor his father or tenants received eviction orders from the Israeli High Court, in accordance with recent Israeli policy. "We will try to stop the demolition by any means. We are ready to appoint engineers to survey the area in order to get license for the shops," he added.
Al-Ghawis protest tent removed in Sheikh Jarrah
2/14/2010 - Jerusalem - Ma'an - Israeli police took down the protest tent erected by the Al-Ghawi family in the Sheikh Jarrah neighborhood of occupied East Jerusalem, following their eviction from their home a year ago on Sunday. The Al-Ghawi tent was dismantled shortly after the detention of Fatima Diab, 45, a resident of Sheikh Jarrah, for allegedly pouring water over far-right Israeli Member of Knesset Micheal Bin Ari, after he visited the area with pro-settler activists recently. According to sources, an Israeli court is reviewing a request put forward by police to extend Diab's detention. [end]
British documentary filmmaker arrested in Gaza
2/14/2010 - Gaza - Ma'an - Security forces in the Gaza Strip arrested a British filmmaker on Sunday as he arrived to testify at the trial of a Palestinian fighter accused of collaborating with Israel. Documentary filmmaker Paul Martin was detained shortly after he arrived in the coastal enclave to speak on behalf of the unidentified defendant, a journalist who was present at the courthouse in Gaza City told Ma'an. "This person [the Palestinian] was accused by the government of being a collaborator with the Israeli side. Our colleague [Martin] came as a witness to testify in favor of this guy," the journalist said. Martin arrived in Gaza with evidence proving the accused man had fought against the Israeli military, the journalist added. "Suddenly, the court announced that the reporter said something that is against the law, and it jailed him for 15 days for investigation," according to the journalist, who said Martin had interviewed the accused man during Israel's assault on Gaza, which began in late December 2008.
De facto gov’t: 4 fishermen detained by Israeli navy off Gaza coast
2/14/2010 - Gaza - Ma'an - Israeli naval forces detained four Gazan fishermen off the Sudaniyya coast of northern Gaza, according to Nixar Ayyash, head f the Union of Fishermen in Gaza. Sources within the de facto government identified those detained as Awad Ramadan Sultan, Fadl Jamal Sultan, Sharif Muhammad Sultan, and Samih Rajab Sultan. The de facto Ministry of Interior called for the fishermen's immediate release urged international human rights groups to protect Gaza's fishermen. An Israeli military spokesman said the following: "Earlier today two Palestinian fishing boats crossed into an area not permitted for Palestinian sea vessels. An IDF naval force called on the crew to halt. When the latter failed to comply the boats were lead to the Ashdod port where the crews were taken for security questioning. " . . . .
Egyptian security deny arresting Gazan fishermen
2/14/2010 - Al-A'rish- Ma'an - Egyptian authorities denied arresting four Gazan fishermen off the southern coast of Rafah on Friday, senior Egyptian security sources told Ma'an on Sunday. "The territorial water between Egypt and Gaza did not witness any Palestinian violations [prompting an arrest] over that period of time," the sources said. "Egyptian coast guards deal with Palestinian in a humane way; if they cross into Egyptian territorial water, they are turned away without arrest because of the inhumane circumstances Palestinian fishermen are living under. "Sources added that any arrests would be announced through the legal channels within the Egyptian security services. [end]
Egyptian authorities raid 6 tunnels
2/14/2010 - Gaza - Ma'an - Egyptian authorities raided six tunnels on the Gaza-Egypt border and confiscated goods intended for smuggling, security sources told Ma'an on Sunday. Security services stormed the tunnels 120 meters from the Rafah border crossing after receving a tip-off that increased attempts to transfer goods into the Strip were reported near the Salah Ad-Din terminal, particularly in residential areas near the subterranean metal wall, the sources said. Spare parts for computers were confiscated during the operation, the sources added. Fifteen tunnels have been stormed and shut down near the Salah Ad-Din terminal near the metal wall's construction site, as contractors face problems in installing the required metal bars due to rocky terrain, the sources said. Meanwhile, two separate attempts to enter Israel through the barbed wire border between Israel and Egypt by African migrants was apprehended, the sources concluded.
Locals: Combatants in Gaza survive Israeli artillery shelling
2/14/2010 - Gaza - Ma'an - A group of Palestinian combatants survived Israeli shelling in the Zeyton neighborhood of Gaza City overnight, locals said. Witnesses and residents said Israeli forces stationed near the border fired artillery shells toward a group of fighters near a car market in the Zeyton neighborhood. No injuries were reported. An Israeli military spokesman said the army was not familiar with any military activity in the area. [end]
Abbas dimisses Rafiq Husseini, appoints investigation committee
2/15/2010 - Ma`an HQ in Bethlehem on 15 December 2009 [MaanImages/Luay Sababa]Bethlehem - Ma'an - President Mahmoud Abbas dismissed Rafiq Husseini, his chief of staff, on Sunday following the leak of a videotape that apparently shows Husseini propositioning a job applicant for sex in Ramallah. Abbas said he has formed an investigation committee headed by the Fatah Central Committee's secretary-general, Abu Maher Ghneim, and including committee member Azzam Al-Ahmad and the head of the Palestinian high court, Rafiq An-Natsheh. The committee will investigate allegations of corruption put forth in footage and documents provided to an Israeli news network by Fahmi Shabana, the former head of the PA's anti-corruption department. Shabana said he initiated the sting when the applicant informed PA intelligence of Husseini's alleged misuse of his seniority in the US-backed government.
Ex-Abbas aide Husseini: I was framed
2/15/2010 - Ramallah - Ma'an - Rafiq Al-Husseini, the former chief of staff to President Mahmoud Abbas, said Sunday he is innocent of allegations broadcast on Israeli TV days earlier. Flanked by relatives, Al-Husseini told reporters that a videotape apparently showing him propositioning a job applicant for sex was a fabrication. He refused to answer questions. In brief remarks, Al-Husseini read aloud a statement alleging that conspirators, who he did not name, dubbed his voice on the videotape for the purposes of blackmail, both political and financial. He described the videotape as manipulated, noted it was more than a year and a half old, and insisted he informed Abbas at the time. Nevertheless, Al-Husseini said he would cede power as instructed and cooperate with the PA's commission of inquiry, which will be headed by Fatah Central Committee secretary-general Abu Maher Ghneim.
13 Palestinian factions to meet in Gaza
2/14/2010 - Gaza - Ma'an - Intensive contacts have been made with Egyptian officials to ensure that all Palestinian factions' comments on the reconciliation document are taken into account, said Yasser Al-Wadiyya, representing independent Palestinian dignitaries, on Saturday evening. Meanwhile, sources told Ma'an that, following the visits of Fatah Central Committee member Nabil Sha'ath and secretary-general of the Palestinian Peoples' Party, Bassam As-Salihi to Gaza, a general meeting will be held in the Strip on Sunday including all 13 Palestinian factions which participated in the Cairo talks on ending inter-Palestinian rivalry. Signing the Egyptian document should be undertaken immediately, Al-Wadiyya said, making it the top priority of the Arab League Summit scheduled to be held in Libya in March. He further called for the reconstruction of the Gaza Strip, bringing an end to the siege,. . .
Tightened security enforced on checkpoints in key West Bank cities
2/14/2010 - Nablus - Ma'an - Israeli forces imposed heightened security measures on the military checkpoints on the main road between Nablus and Ramallah in the West Bank on Sunday, while the container checkpoint in Bethlehem saw similar restrictions. Locals told Ma'an that hundreds of cars were held up at the Huwwara and Za'tara checkpoints south of Nablus as well as at the Atara checkpoint north of Ramallah. An Israeli military spokesman said the army was unfamiliar with any tightened security measures at the Huwwara checkpoint and said no special alert had been issued there. In Bethlehem, Palestinians travelling on the container checkpoint said that hundreds of vehicles were unable to transit in both directions on the road, with heightened searches on cars and ID cars being enforced by Israeli soldiers manning the checkpoint. At the beginning of February, Israeli armed forces closed the Bethlehem-area container road checkpoint for two days.
One Gaza crossing partially open for limited export, fuel transfers
2/14/2010 - Gaza - Ma'an -Israeli authorities opened the Kerem Shalom crossing into southern Gaza to allow the transfer of humanitarian aid and commercial goods, as well as the limited export of Gaza flowers on Sunday, border crossings official Raed Fattouh said. Between 57 and 67 truckloads of humanitarian aid and commercial goods will be delivered to the besieged coastal strip via Kerem Shalom, Fattouh said. The same crossing point will see the export of two truckloads of cut carnations and the vital transfer of limited quantities of domestic gas and industrial fuel. The Gaza Energy Authority reported on Saturday that the sole power plant in the Strip would shut down operations in the evening, as fuel reserves were depleted as a result of insufficient fuel transfers. Gaza's northern crossing point, Karni, will remain closed, Fattouh concluded. . . . .
Israel: 3 armed Palestinians detained near Nablus
2/14/2010 - Bethlehem - Ma'an - Three Palestinians were detained in the northern West Bank on Sunday, an Israeli military spokesman said. He said the detainees were found with three pipe bombs and a seven-inch knife at a military checkpoint east of Nablus. On Friday, a Palestinian man died en route to a Jerusalem hospital after he was shot by Israeli forces in Hebron. The army said the Palestinian had tried to stab a soldier in Hebron's Old City. On Wednesday, an Israeli soldier died after he was stabbed near Nablus. The army arrested a Palestinian suspected of involvement in the attack, for which Fatah's military wing claimed responsibility. [end]
Two US lawmakers visit Gaza Strip
2/14/2010 - Gaza - Ma'an - Two members of the US House of Representatives arrived in the Gaza Strip on Sunday afternoon, authorities said. The de facto crossings authority reported that the Democrats entered via Rafah and were received by a UN delegation. One of the two lawmakers, Brian Baird of Washington, said it was his third visit to the besieged coastal enclave. It was not immediately clear who was accompanying Baird. According to the crossings authority, in a statement, the visit was coordinated with the UN, and will include field visits to schools, hospitals, and areas destroyed in the most recent conflict that began in late 2008 "to learn firsthand about the suffering in Gaza. "[end]
PRC says movement excluded from factional talks
2/14/2010 - Gaza - Ma'an - The Palestinian Resistance Committees (PRC) said it was excluded from the meeting of 13 Palestinian factions in Gaza on Sunday to discuss the Egyptian reconciliation document. The PRC expressed shock at media reports saying that all active factions were invited to talks when the movement was not asked to attend, a statement read. While satisfied with goals of the meeting, the PRC said that no faction has the right to define a movement as "active" or not. The movement's statement added that when the future of Palestinians is discussed, the PRC should be asked to join in talks as it forms part of the initial resistance movement, it said. The PRC called on rivaling movements Fatah and Hamas to reconcile, saying that without national unity, "time is being lost which only serves Israeli interests. "
Hamas: PA security detains 5 affiliates across the West Bank
2/14/2010 - Bethlehem - Ma'an - Hamas accused the Palestinian Authority Security Services of detaining five of the movement's affiliates across the West Bank, in a statement issued on Sunday. Those detained include lawyer Murad Azzam from Nablus, Ahmad Saleh Al-Arouri of Birzeit University, Ramallah, An-Najjah University student Anas Raddad from Sayda in Tulkarem and Polytechnic University students Majed Kweistro and Nidal Shawar from Hebron, according to the statement. [end]
De facto government calls PJS elections ’illegal’
2/14/2010 - Gaza - Ma'an - The de facto government called the recent Palestinian Journalists Syndicate elections "illegal in shape and form," on Sunday. "There is nothing in Gaza known as a journalists' union board [administrative council], and nobody is authorized to operate under this name according to law. Thus, we wait to see what the journalists blocs in Gaza decide," a statement issued by the Gaza government read. "We call upon the International Federation of Journalists and the Arab Federation of Journalists to visit the occupied Palestinian territories and check this 'farce' called an election. "Elections were held last Saturday to determine the new members of a 63-person administrative council within the PJS. The IFJ had called on the PJS to postpone general elections in an effort to "establish an acceptable mechanism which guarantees transparent and comprehensive preparation. . . "
Nuzha Nusseibeh named Knight of Jerusalem
2/14/2010 - Jerusalem - Ma'an - Nuzha Nusseibeh was named the Knight of Jerusalem during a ceremony celebrating her lifetime achievements in education, women and prisoners' rights, at the Dar At-Tifl school and orphanage in Jerusalem on Saturday evening, organized by the Jawwal Theatre Group. Nusseibeh was awarded the title for her pioneering role in establishing a number of Palestinian institutions dedicated to providing education to both young girls and orphans, most prominent of all being the Young Women's Islamic Association which hosts one of the most successful secondary schools for girls in Jerusalem. Under Nusseibeh's leadership, theYWIArecently opened a new school and community center on the Mount of Olives following a lengthy battle with the Israeli Jerusalem Municipality.
2 Palestinian workers killed in Israeli factory accident
2/14/2010 - Bethlehem - Ma'an - Two Palestinians were killed in an Israeli factory in the Negev, southern Israel, when a bulldozer tyre exploded on Sunday. Sources said Israeli police and ambulances were called to the scene, but paramedics pronounced the two dead at the site. Three months ago, a truck driver was killed in the same factory when his truck overturned. Several fatal accidents have occurred in Israeli factories and construction sites. A bulldozer driver, 20, was killed and a man, 40, fell to his death on a construction site. A Palestinian worker, 60, died after an iron bar fell on his head. [end]
Fire destroys poultry farm near Nablus
2/14/2010 - Ramallah - Ma'an - Palestinian civil defense crews in the West Bank city of Nablus fought a fire that erupted inside a poultry farm in Tamoun, owned by a resident identified only by his initials, FA. Soon after arriving on the scene, a civil defense statement said, crews evacuate six large gas canisters, preventing the fire from reaching them. The firecaused material loss including the deaths of 4,000 birds, in addition to contents of the farm. The statement civil defense department warned owners of farms against leaving heaters inside enclosed areas, and thatappropriate measures be taken while using them on farms and other areas at risk of catching fire. [end]
Israelis warned of Hezbollah threat abroad
Ha'aretz 14 Feb 2010 - Counterterrorism Bureau: Israelis could be target for revenge attacks over Mughniyeh, Iran scientist killings.
In 2009: PRCS records 455 violations against its facilities and medical teams
2/7/2010 - Palestine Red Crescent Society - Al-Bireh: Israeli Occupation Forces pursued their attacks against PRCS medical teams in 2009. A total of 455 violations were recorded, including direct shooting incidents, verbal and physical abuse as well as impeding the Society’s access to the sick and wounded, in crying breach of IHL rules applicable in times of military occupation. 15 shooting incidents and attacks against PRCS ambulances and their teams were recorded in the West Bank and the Gaza Strip. Furthermore, a PRCS volunteer in the Gaza Strip died in the course of duty, while 10 other EMTs were injured and 22 ambulances sustained damage. Moreover, PRCS recorded 440 incidents where its ambulances were delayed or denied access, including 289 such incidents on checkpoints leading to Jerusalem and 132 incidents in the Gaza Strip during the Israeli war which lasted for 22 days.
VIDEO - Palestinian Families Appeal to UN Over Israeli Construction of 'Museum of Tolerance' on Jerusalem’s Historic Mamilla Cemetery
2/10/2010 - Democracy Now! - Palestinian families have filed a petition with the United Nations over the Simon Wiesenthal Center’s plans to build a “Museum of Tolerance” over the historic Muslim cemetery in Jerusalem. Opponents of the project have long questioned how a monument to tolerance can be built on the remains of the graves of generations of Palestinian Muslims. We speak to Columbia University professor and author Rashid Khalidi, a petitioner whose ancestors were buried at the Mamilla Cemetery; and Michael Ratner of the Center for Constitutional Rights, which is representing the families in their petition. [includes rush transcript]. [end]Related: Mamilla Campaign
Protesters in NY: ’Diamond forever, Apartheid has to End’ on Valentine’s Day
2/14/2010 - WAFA - Palestine News Agency - NEW YORK, February 14, 2010 (WAFA)– Fifty human rights activists performed Saturday for Valentine's Day shoppers compelling them to boycott the Israeli diamond and settlement mogul Lev Leviev outside his store on Madison Avenue, Adalah-NY reported. The New York protest took place against the backdrop of an escalating arrest and harassment campaign by the Israeli military against Palestinian human rights organizations and protest and boycott activists from the West Bank villages where Leviev has built settlements. Under the theme “A Diamond is Forever, but Apartheid Has to End,” protesters entertained shoppers by singing parodies of 'Diamonds are a Girl's Best Friend' and The Beatles' 'Can't Buy Me Love' with lyrics such as:Don't buy me Lev, Lev / Don't buy me Lev / Don't buy a diamond ring from Lev, and now I'll tell you why / Settlements on stolen land, he's a really nasty guy / Lev's a crook so.
Military Activities Affecting Palestinians: Clashes in Shu’fat Refugee Camp
2/13/2010 - WAFA - Palestine News Agency - JERUSALEM, February 13, 2010 (WAFA)- Israeli forces, including the Border police, municipal workers and an undercover police unit, carried out a search and arrest operation in Shu’fat refugee camp (East Jerusalem) during the early morning hours of February 8, the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs said in its weekly report (February 3-9). During the operation, intense clashes erupted between the Israeli police and Palestinian youth, which lasted for two days. According to the Israeli media, the operation aimed at arresting tax evaders. During the confrontations, Israeli forces fired live ammunition, rubber? coated metal bullets and sound bombs and Palestinians hurled stones at Israeli forces. As a result, at least 11 Palestinians were injured, including six Palestinian journalists covering the event, four of whom were physically assaulted by the Israeli police and two who were hit by stones.
Lebanese troops open fire on Israeli warplanes
2/14/2010 - Maimi Herald - AP, BEIRUT -- Lebanese troops opened fire Sunday on four Israeli warplanes that flew into Lebanese airspace, the army said. Israeli warplanes frequently fly over Lebanese territory in what Israel says are reconnaissance missions. The overflights have been a constant source of friction between the two countries. Sunday's incident comes amid heightened tensions in the Middle East following some of the sharpest exchanges in years between Israel and its Arab neighbors. Last week, Syria's foreign minister accused Israel of "spreading an atmosphere of war" in the region after Israel's Defense Minister Ehud Barak warned that the stalled peace process with Syria could result in an all-out regional war. The Lebanese army said in a statement that its troops used anti-aircraft fire Sunday to force the Israeli warplanes out of Lebanese airspace. The army said the planes were in southern Lebanon and the Bekaa Valley in central Lebanon. A spokesman for the Israeli military declined to comment.
Ayalon touts population swap in peace deal
2/14/2010 - Ha'aretz - Ayalon denied that this was an attempt to rid Israel of the country's Arabs - Deputy Foreign Minister Danny Ayalon on Saturday spoke out on the peace process, saying that a deal between Israel and the Palestinians could include a swap comprising both land and populations, according to an interview published in the London-based Arabic daily A-Sharq Al-Awsat. Ayalon suggested that Israel would trade the concentration of Israeli Arab towns and villages in the north known as "the triangle" in exchange for Israeli settlement blocs in the West Bank. He added, however, that the swap would not include cities such as Nazareth. Ayalon said such an exchange would maintain territorial integrity and demographics in both Israel and a Palestinian state. " I am talking about land that has territorial contiguity," said Ayalon. "We don't want to get into surgical operations at this stage, but what is important. . . . "
Abbas moves to draw line under sex scandal
2/15/2010 - The Independent - Chief of staff suspended over video alleged to show encounter with job applicant - Ben Lynfield in Jerusalem - The Palestinian President, Mahmoud Abbas has suspended his chief of staff over an alleged sex scandal that has further eroded his public standing. Three leading Abbas loyalists in Fatah have been appointed to a commission which will investigate the behaviour of the chief of staff, Rafiq al-Husseini. Given that past inquiries by the Palestinian Authority (PA) into corruption and political fiascos – including the loss of Gaza to Hamas in 2007 – have not led to dismissals, the step was seen as a way of addressing public anger over the scandal, while not yet firing Mr Husseini, a long-time Abbas associate. Israeli television's Channel Ten last week aired a video that showed Mr Husseini undressing and then lying in bed while calling out to a woman off-camera to join him.
Clinton tackles Mideast peace, Muslim ties in Gulf
2/14/2010 - Reuters - DOHA (Reuters) - U. S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton called on Sunday for more pressure on Iran to curb its nuclear program on a Gulf visit aimed at promoting Arab-Israeli peace and improving U. S. ties with the Islamic world. Speaking at a conference on U. S. -Muslim relations, Clinton solicited regional support to revive Israeli-Palestinian peace talks and she sought to blunt anger at U. S. airline screening policies that many Muslims see as discriminatory. Making her first stop on a three-day visit to Qatar and Saudi Arabia, Clinton spend much of her time explaining why the United States believes further U. N. sanctions may be the only way to persuade Iran to abandon its nuclear ambitions. The West, and many Arab states, believe Iran is using its civil nuclear program as a cover to develop nuclear weapons. Iran has said that the program is simply to generate power so it can export more of its valuable oil and gas.
Ahmadinejad: Iran doesn’t need nukes, they haven’t helped Israel
2/14/2010 - YNetNews - Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad said his country doe not near [sic] nuclear weapons and is capable of defending itself without them. In an interview to Russian newspaper VIP, Ahmadinejad said there is no longer any use for nuclear weapons. "Did nuclear weapons stop the collapse of the USSR? Did nuclear weapons help the United States in Iraq or Afghanistan? "Regarding Israel, the president said that even with nuclear weapons, the Jewish state was unable to win the Second Lebanon War or succeed in Operation Cast Lead in Gaza. (Dudi Cohen). [end]
Ex-IDF chief: Israel can’t handle nuclear Iran alone
2/14/2010 - Ha'aretz - Reuters, Haaretz Service - Israel may lack the military means for successful preemptive strikes against Iranian nuclear facilities, former Chief of Staff Dan Halutz told Channel 2 news on Saturday. While endorsing international efforts to pressure Tehran into curbing sensitive nuclear technologies, Israel has hinted it could resort to force. But some analysts say Israeli jets would be stymied by the distance to Iran and by its defenses. " We are taking upon ourselves a task that is bigger than us" Halutz, who stepped down in 2007, said when asked about Israeli leaders' vows to "take care" of the perceived threat. " I think that the State of Israel should not take it upon itself to be the flag-bearer of the entire Western world in the face of the Iranian threat," Halutz, a former air force commander, told Channel Two. " I'm not some passer-by. "
PFLP Leader Visits Cairo, Holds Talks with Egyptian Leaders
Uruknet February 14, 2010 - Visiting Cairo, member of the Political Bureau of the leftist Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine (PFLP), Jamil Majdalawi, held a series of meetings with Egyptian leaders to ease the tension between Egypt and Hamas in Gaza, and to find a way to prepare the atmosphere for signing a Palestinian unit deal supervised by Egypt....
Child Wounded By Israeli Fire In Central Gaza
Uruknet February 14, 2010 - Palestinian medical sources in the Gaza Strip reported on Sunday evening that a Palestinian child suffered moderate wounds after the Israeli army bombarded a number of homes in Juhr Al Deek area, in central Gaza. Medical sources identified the child, Yousef Al Atrash, 14. He was at home when the army opened fire at the area......
Old City stores in Jerusalem threatened with demolition
Uruknet February 14, 2010 – Several Palestinian shops inside Jerusalem's Old City in Damascus Gate face the threat of demolition after the Israeli Jerusalem Municipality inspectors handed down notices to owners and tenants on Wednesday. The notices were given to Muhammad Abu Ad-Dab'at, owner of several shopes, and to tenants Mu’tasim Abu Rmeila, Samir Salayma, and Najati Ja’bari. All were given...
Abu Hein: 100,000 children in Gaza traumatized by the Israeli war
Uruknet February 14, 2010 - GAZA, (PIC)-- Director of the mental health program in the Gaza Strip Fadel Abu Hein said Saturday that more than 100,000 Palestinian children were traumatized as a result of the Israeli war on Gaza, pointing out that the magnitude of this problem is bigger than the capacity of health institutions...
Imprisoned Iranian protesters share a bond forged in hell
Uruknet February 14, 2010 - ...It began in a police station courtyard. Their legs lashed together with electrical cables, the demonstrators -- part of the protest movement that sprang up after June's disputed presidential election -- were lined up while a judge read out the charges: acting against national security, arson, damaging public property, clashing with law enforcement and colluding with...
De facto gov't: 4 fishermen detained by Israeli navy off Gaza coast
Uruknet February 14, 2010 - Israeli naval forces detained four Gazan fishermen off the Sudaniyya coast of northern Gaza, according to Nixar Ayyash, head f the Union of Fishermen in Gaza. Sources within the de facto government identified those detained as Awad Ramadan Sultan, Fadl Jamal Sultan, Sharif Muhammad Sultan, and Samih Rajab Sultan...
PFLP condemns Fayyad's betrayal of Palestinian interests
Uruknet February 13, 2010 - The Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine said on February 11, 2010 that PA Prime Minister Salam Fayyad showed "shameful disregard for the interests of the Palestinian people," harshly denouncing Fayyad's condemnation of the killing of an Israeli occupation soldier at an occupation checkpoint in the West Bank of Palestine by a Palestinian resistance fighter....
Love & Destruction...
Uruknet February 14, 2010 - ...Maybe you can afford to pontificate, debate, argue, stress, pinpoint, analyse, theorize, expose, summarize, conclude.. I, on the other hand, have only one reality staring me in the face. Only ONE and not any other.... And whichever way I try to look at it, it does not go away, it does not run away, it does...
Gaza Power Plant To Cease Functioning Due to Israel’s Siege
Uruknet February 14, 2010 - The Energy Authority in the Gaza Strip reported Saturday that Gaza’s sole power plant will case functioning in a matter of hours due to the ongoing Israeli blockade, preventing basic supplies including fuel needed to run the generators, from entering Gaza. The Energy Authority issued a statement regarding the issue and said that the amount of...
Terror 'death lists' target Americans
Uruknet February 13, 2010 - Raising troubling comparisons to tactics employed by Josef Stalin and right-wing Latin American dictatorships, the U.S. government has created a "hit list" of Americans abroad marked for murder. Director of National Intelligence Dennis Blair told a House Intelligence Committee hearing on Feb. 3 the U.S. may, with executive approval, target and kill American terrorist suspects, Inter...
PACBI: All Israeli academic institutions complicit in apartheid
Uruknet February 13, 2010 - In response to the recent decision by the Israeli government to upgrade the status of the so-called Ariel University Center of Samaria (AUCS) to a full university, the Palestinian Campaign for the Academic and Cultural Boycott of Israel (PACBI) reiterates its call for a boycott of AUCS and all other Israeli academic institutions due to their...
More Pain for Devastated Haiti: Under the Pretense of Disaster Relief, U.S. Running a Military Occupation
Uruknet February 13, 2010 - Official denials aside, the United States has embarked on a new military occupation of Haiti thinly cloaked as disaster relief. While both the Pentagon and the United Nations claimed more troops were needed to provide "security and stability" to bring in aid, according to nearly all independent observers in the field, violence was never an issue....
Despite fear, Gaza children still have hope
14 Feb 2010 - Gaza Strip, 14 February, 2010 (Pal Telegraph)- Gaza children have already been suffering a lot under Israel's cruel siege. Maybe they had some hope that someday everything would become better, but then the war on Gaza destroyed this hope, replaced by fear, and now they are trying to return to normal life, yet still under increasingly tightening siege. The first...
Gazan photographer wins World Press Photo award
14 Feb 2010 - Gaza Strip, February 14, 2010 (Pal Telegraph)- Mohammed Jadallah, 25, Reuters photographer in the Gaza Strip, won one of this year's awards in the World Press Photo contest. Judges awarded prizes to 63 photographers from 23 countries in one of journalism's most prestigious photo contests. The jury spent two weeks reviewing a record 101,960 photographs by 5,847 photographers from 128 different...
Gazan fishermen fight to protect a way of life
14 Feb 2010 - Gaza, February 14, 2010 (Pal Telegraph; by Pam Bailey) - Once upon a time, this little strip of land (just 139 square miles) was a potentially booming resort and fishing capital, with 25 miles of beautiful coastline and beaches and a Mediterranean Sea Port teeming with sardines and shrimp. This is the Gaza Strip...But it's not a fairy tale and...
Israeli navy forces kidnap 4 Palestinian fishermen
14 Feb 2010 - Gaza, February 14, 2010 (Pal Telegraph) - Israeli naval forces kidnapped on Sunday morning four Palestinian fishermen off the coast of northern Gaza while they were fishing, and then abducted them to an unknown destination. Nizar Ayash, a Palestinian fishermen unionist, said the four arrested fishermen are from the Al-Sultan family: Awad Ghalib, 22; Fadel Jamal, 19; Sheriff Mohamed, 29;...
Israel kidnaps 5 Palestinians in West Bank
14 Feb 2010 - West Bank, February 14, 2010 (Pal Telegraph) - Israeli forces kidnapped five Palestinians in the West Bank early Sunday morning. Israeli occupation forces detained Emad Hadowish and Aziz Al-Hour from Sorif and Bair Awa villages, close to Hebron in the West Bank. The houses of the two Palestinians were searched before they were taken away. Palestinian sources reported that another...
IOF kidnaps a woman from Sheikh Jarrah
14 Feb 2010 - Jerusalem, February 14, 2010 (Pal Telegraph) - Israeli occupation forces kidnapped early Sunday a woman from Sheikh Jarrah neighborhood in downtown of Jerusalem. Sources in the neighborhood said: "The large force of Israeli police raided the house of Mrs. Fatima Abu Diab, 45, today dawn and took her to Al-Maskobya investigation center in the city. According to sources, the police...
Remembering Quzmar and Recalling the Need for Palestinian Unity
13 Feb 2010 - Gaza, February 14, 2010 (Pal Telegraph)- He was in a deep coma after a traffic accident. Lying on his back with his eyes covered and feet bound, I could not control myself and tears filled my eyes as I looked on the young engineering student from Beir Zeit University, who was supposed to graduate this semester. Mohammed Quzmar, a young Palestinian...
Clinton begins Gulf visit
The National 14 Feb 2010 - Hillary Clinton arrives in Qatar, where she is holding talks with top government leaders and speaking at an international conference.
Like father like son, the same dilemma
The National 14 Feb 2010 - As the drums of war between Israel and Hizbollah beat louder, Saad Hariri faces his father's old problem: how to reconcile a vision of economic development with an agenda of national resistance.
Lebanon rally marks Hariri killing
AlJazeera 14 Feb 2010 - Political leaders back reconciliation with Syria as thousands remember former PM.
Abbas suspends chief of staff
AlJazeera 14 Feb 2010 - Palestinian officials investigate corruption claims as aide says he was blackmailed.
Clinton: Iran pursuing nuclear arms
AlJazeera 14 Feb 2010 - US secretary of state calls on Tehran to reconsider "dangerous" nuclear policies.
Palestinian protesters pose as Na'vi from 'Avatar'
PNN 13 Feb 2010 - Palestinian protesters have added a colorful twist to demonstrations against Israel's separation barrier, painting themselves blue and posing as characters from the hit film Avatar. The demonstrators also donned long hair and loincloths Friday for the weekly protest against the barrier near the village of Bilin. The demonstrators compared their struggle with the Na'vi race portrayed in Avatar, who find themselves having...
British academics urge Elton John to cancel Israel concert
PNN 13 Feb 2010 - A group of British academics have called on singer Elton John to cancel his scheduled performance in Israel this June. Political or not political, when you stand up on that stage in Tel Aviv, you line yourself up with a racist state, the British Committee for Universities of Palestine wrote in an open letter to John on Monday. Do you want to...
‘29 settlements violated freeze order’
Jeruslalem Post 14 Feb 2010 - Vilna’i makes statement in response to question posed by Meretz chairman.
Network busted smuggling Palestinian workers into Israel
Jeruslalem Post 14 Feb 2010 - Civil Administration official and a senior female Interior Ministry employee among the suspected ring members.
Right-wing group: Money transfer to Gaza banks is illegal
Jeruslalem Post 14 Feb 2010 - Court upholds state position that funds were to pay PA civil servants and therefore anti-terrorism law does not apply.
Olmert: We can stop Iran without strike
Jeruslalem Post 14 Feb 2010 - Former PM says his successor is sincere about making peace.
Abbas suspends aide over sex scandal
Jeruslalem Post 14 Feb 2010 - Palestinian Authority whistleblower: That is not enough.
Cabinet backs bill to register NGOs funded by foreign states
Jeruslalem Post 14 Feb 2010 - No organization in Israel would be allowed to receive money from a foreign political entity unless it registers.
'Strike may have unplanned results'
Jeruslalem Post 14 Feb 2010 - Mullen: A nuclear Iran would be a big, big problem for all of us.
Korb takes leave; date of Olmert trial in doubt
Jeruslalem Post 14 Feb 2010 - District Attorney’s allegedly offensive remarks may result in punitive measures.
Analysis: A fading revolution
Jeruslalem Post 14 Feb 2010 - Is Lebanon starting to accept the Hariri assassination as an unsolved mystery?
OPT: Gaza schoolchildren struggling to learn
IRIN GAZA Friday, February 05, 2010 (IRIN) - Nearly half a million children in Gaza returned to overcrowded and dilapidated schools on 1 February, many attending in a shift system, with missing textbooks, stationery or uniforms.
Weekly Report on Israeli Human Rights Violations in the Occupied Palestinian Territory
PCHR Israeli soldiers arrest a Palestinian civilians during clashes in Shu'fat refugee camp near Jerusalem 04 – 10 February 2010 Israeli Occupation Forces (IOF) Continue Systematic Attacks against Palestinian Civilians and Property in the Occupied Palestinian Territory (OPT)
CPT: ‘My son, my son’
2/14/2010 - International Solidarity Movement - Maureen Jack, CPT Hebron, 13 February - Yesterday a man died in Al Khalil/Hebron. Israeli soldiers shot him, and he died of his injuries. He was a Palestinian of about forty, with a large family. There are different versions of what happened. The Israeli military have reported that the man attempted to stab one or more soldiers with a knife and that the soldiers then shot him. Locals say that this is not true. One report CPTers have heard is that Palestinian kids were throwing stones and the soldiers started shooting; the man had not been involved but was shot while he was trying to escape from danger. We were not there and so do not know. There has been no large funeral of the kind often held when a Palestinian dies this way. The man was buried quietly late last night; a Palestinian friend told us that this was at the insistence of the Israeli authorities.
Despite Netanyahu pressure, Russia defends Iran missile deal
Ha'aretz 14 Feb 2010 - PM seeks Tehran sanctions; Moscow says no reason to delay sale of arms to Iran.
Amid push on Iran, U.S. seems keen for Israel to show restraint
Ha'aretz 14 Feb 2010 - U.S. military chief: I worry a great deal about the unintended consequences of a strike on Iran.
U.S. vows commitment to Israel, wary of war over Iran nukes
Ha'aretz 14 Feb 2010 - U.S. military chief in Israel; Netanyahu to push Russia for sanctions; Russia: Iran missile sale still in works.
Olmert: Abbas never responded to my peace offer
Ha'aretz 14 Feb 2010 - Former PM tells Tel Aviv conference he was 'hours' from meeting Syria FM when Israel went to war in Gaza.
British journalist detained by Hamas in Gaza
Ha'aretz 14 Feb 2010 - Freelance filmmaker Paul Martin taken into custody at trial of Palestinian militant charged with revealing secrets.
Clinton: U.S. can't force Israel, Palestinians into peace talks
Ha'aretz 14 Feb 2010 - On visit to Doha, U.S. Secretary of State acknowledges 'disappointment' over delay in renewing talks.
Lebanon troops fire at 4 Israeli warplanes flying overhead
Ha'aretz 14 Feb 2010 - Lebanese army says Israel Air Force planes violated air space over southern and central Lebanon.
Spain gets rabbi with Marrano roots for first time since Inquisition
Ha'aretz 14 Feb 2010 - Rabbi Nissan Ben-Avraham, a descendant of forcibly-converted Spanish Jews, appointed as Shavei Israel's new emissary to the Marranos of Spain.
A Jewish Journal of Ideas Is Born
Ha'aretz 14 Feb 2010 - The Jewish Review of Books to focus on Jewish literary and political affairs; the magazine is funded by an endowment established by the late Zalman Bernstein.
Israeli Druze minister: Syria should give water to Golan towns
Ha'aretz 14 Feb 2010 - Town of Majdal Shams now receives 10 percent of its water from Syria, as part of a 25-year agreement.
Abbas suspends PA aide embroiled in sex tape scandal
Ha'aretz 14 Feb 2010 - Rafik Husseini removed from post after being taped soliciting sex in exchange for political favor.
Colin Firth to play Jewish underground leader in 'The Promised Land'
Ha'aretz 14 Feb 2010 - Michael Winterbottom set to direct film depicting Jewish resistance during the British Mandate.
Israel to erect Sinai barrier to prevent infiltrators, drugs
Ha'aretz 14 Feb 2010 - Netanyahu: There is no clear state policy regarding the migration law and this is necessary.
Thousands rally in Beirut to remember slain premier Rafik Hariri
Ha'aretz 14 Feb 2010 - Hariri was assassinated in a 2005 bombing; Syria has been accused of involvement, which it denies.
U.K. lawmaker 'fired over claims IDF harvested organs in Haiti'
Ha'aretz 14 Feb 2010 - Baroness Jenny Tonge, a Liberal Democrat, has been fired before for controversial comments on Israel.
Avatar protest at West Bank barrier
The Guardian 14 Feb 2010 - Demonstrators dress as Na'vi from Avatar for weekly demonstration against Israel's separation barrier, in Bilin
Israel turns down bid to teach Palestinian poems in schools
Ha'aretz 14 Feb 2010 - The Education Ministry has decided not to publish an academic paper recommending that high school students study both Jewish and Palestinian poems about Jerusalem in their literature classes, even though the journal to which it was submitted had previously accepted the paper. ...
Israel basks in longest winter heat wave in almost 40 years
Ha'aretz 14 Feb 2010 - The heat wave that has hit the entire country will reach its peak Monday, with temperatures up to 30 degrees Celsius expected in some areas. ...
A Palestinian arrest so ridiculous even the Israeli judges smiled
Ha'aretz 14 Feb 2010 - Something about 12-year-old Bassam caused two Israelis to smile. Two ...
Three Israeli hospitals refuse ambulance drop-offs due to overflow
Ha'aretz 14 Feb 2010 - The Health Ministry instructed Magen David Adom ambulance services not to bring patients to Sheba Medical Center in Tel Hashomer, Barzilai Medical Center in Ashkelon or Haemek Hospital in Afula until Tuesday afternoon. The ministry explained that the hospitals have requested a hiatus from drop-offs, but noted that this does not pertain to the general public. ...
Israel to resume building separation barrier south of Jerusalem
Ha'aretz 14 Feb 2010 - The Defense establishment has announced plans to resume construction of Israel's separation barrier south of Jerusalem - a move that has drawn criticism from environmental groups who claim the barrier will cause grave harm to ancient agricultural landscapes in the area. ...
OPT: With funding from the Australian Agency for International Development CARE International streams efforts to improve access to safe water to 3,500 people in six communities in Jenin governorate
Relief Web 14 Feb 2010 - Source: Australian Agency for International Development, CARE
IDF nabs 3 Palestinian teens carrying bombs
YNet News 14 Feb 2010 - Soldiers manning checkpoint east of Nablus seize three explosive devices, knife
Mullen: Attack on Iran could have 'unintended consequences'
YNet News 14 Feb 2010 - During press briefing in Tel Aviv, US army chief hints strike on Iran possible if nuclear talks fail, but adds, 'We are not there yet'
Olmert: Peace with Syria possible, can change Middle East
YNet News 14 Feb 2010 - In rare public appearance, former prime minister criticizes Netanyahu in respect to stalemate with Palestinians, growing tensions with Turkey and lack of contacts with Syria. 'Peace is essential and urgent,' he says
British man detained in Gaza
YNet News 14 Feb 2010 - Abu Rish Brigades spokesman says journalist was detained at courthouse after he showed support for terror group member who was being tried on charges of providing information to Israel
Lebanon says fired on Israeli jets
YNet News 14 Feb 2010 - Lebanese army says it used anti-aircraft fire to force four warplanes out of airspace over Bekaa Valley
Iran to top Netanyahu's agenda in Moscow
YNet News 14 Feb 2010 - Ahead of talks with Medvedev, PM tells cabinet 'Israel believes that heavy pressure must be applied on Iran, above all very severe sanctions.' Russia's Security Council: No reason to halt sale of S-300 missiles to Tehran
Clinton: US, others working on new Iran measures
YNet News 14 Feb 2010 - Secretary of State tells US-Islamic World Forum in Qatar that Tehran has not lived up to its nuclear obligations, rebuffed efforts to engage in negotiations
Barak, Steinitz refuse to pay for fence
YNet News 14 Feb 2010 - Cabinet discussion of prime minister's plan to set up barrier along border at cost of NIS 1.35 billion postponed. Treasury, Defense Ministry refuse to fund project; Ynet learns Barak demanding 'thorough discussion'. Official reason for postponement said to be defense minister's birthday
State prosecutor to Barkat: Seal off Beit Yonatan
YNet News 14 Feb 2010 - Lador urges Jerusalem mayor to implement court order against Jewish building in east Jerusalem's Silwan neighborhood
NATO missile strike kills 12 Afghan civilians
Daily Star 14 Feb 2010 NATO rockets killed 12 Afghan civilians on Sunday, missing Taliban militants attacking NATO and Afghan troops as they press ahead with a major offensive that must win over the local population to succeed. "It's regrettable that in the course of our joint efforts, innocent lives were lost. We extend our heartfelt sympathies and will ensure we do all we can to avoid
Clinton seeks Saudi help to win China's backing on Iran sanctions
Daily Star 14 Feb 2010 Secretary of State Hillary Clinton flew to the Gulf on Sunday to seek oil-rich Saudi Arabia's help in pressing China to join the US drive for sanctions against Iran, aides said. The US chief diplomat's three-day trip to Qatar and Saudi Arabia is also aimed at enlisting broader regional support, including Turkey's, in a drive to stop Iran's sensitive nuclear work, her aides told reporters
Hamas, Fatah join Gaza talks on reconciliation
Daily Star 14 Feb 2010 Palestinian groups including Hamas and Fatah held talks on Sunday in the Gaza Strip aimed at finding reconciliation between the factions, they said in a statement. The meeting, the first for two years according to Ayman Taha, a spokesman for Hamas in the Palestinian enclave, was designed to overcome obstacles to the signing of a reconciliation pact in Cairo late last year
Karroubi's wife blames Khamenei over son's 'abuse'
Daily Star 14 Feb 2010 The wife of one of Iran's opposition leaders accused the nation's supreme leader Sunday of allowing violence and abuses to crush opposition supporters, including the alleged beating of her son during last week's protests. Fatameh Karroubi claimed her son Ali was savagely attacked inside a mosque by hardline militiamen amid a massive security crackdown during events Thursday marking the 31st anniversary of the Islamic Revolution
Egypt's press freer, but still fettered by state's dominance
Daily Star 14 Feb 2010 Not long ago an editorial like the one that appeared in the independent Al-Dustour newspaper this week might never have made it into print. In his weekly column, entitled "Fraud for the benefit of Egypt," chief editor Ibrahim Eissa accuses Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak of systematically and meticulously rigging elections and referendums to perpetuate his rule
After threats from Tamimi, Abbas forms committee to probe his office scandal
PIC 14 Feb 2010 - Mahmoud Abbas has bowed to the threats made by former intelligence officer Fahmi Al-Tamimi and decided to form a committee to probe the scandal of Al-Husseini.
Nofal subjected to intensified torture in Egypt
PIC 14 Feb 2010 - Solidarity committee with Palestinian captive Ayman Nofal who is detained in Egyptian dungeons has strongly condemned the Egyptian police for intensifying moral and physical torture against him.
Mullen discusses tightening siege on Gaza with Israeli officials
PIC 14 Feb 2010 - Admiral Mike Mullen, the current chairman of the US joint chiefs of staff, is to discuss with Israeli military commanders means of blocking "arms smuggling" into the Gaza Strip.
Two American congressmen arrive in Gaza
PIC 14 Feb 2010 - Two American congressmen Brian Bird and Nick Bilono, both Democrats, arrived in the Gaza Strip on Sunday, the crossings and border authority said in a statement.
Store owners in Bab Al-Amud in J’lem handed demolition orders
PIC 14 Feb 2010 - The IOA handed a number of store owners in the area of Bab Al-Amud, the largest entrance of the occupied city of Jerusalem, demolition orders at the pretext of unlicensed construction.
Abu Zuhri: Hamas insists on its remarks on the Egyptian document
PIC 14 Feb 2010 - Dr. Sami Abu Zuhri has renewed his Movement's insistence on matching the Egyptian document on Palestinian reconciliation with what was approved during the national dialog talks in Cairo.
Masri: Blair and Clinton should turn words to deeds
PIC 14 Feb 2010 - MP Mushir Al-Masri has called on Toni Blair and Hillary Clinton to turn their words of easing movement of the Palestinian people in the WB and improving life conditions in Gaza into tangible deeds.
ADU sends medicine to Gaza hospitals
PIC 14 Feb 2010 - The ADU has sent shipments of medicine worth $2.5m dollars to the besieged Gaza Strip to help Palestinian doctors cope up with the increasing numbers of sick Palestinian citizens due to the siege.
Erdogan: There will be no peace while Gaza under siege
PIC 14 Feb 2010 - Turkish premier Recep Erdogan slammed the western countries and the UN for using the policy of double standards, warning that there would be no peace in the region while the Gaza Strip is under siege.
Resistance fighters survive IOF shelling, 3 West Bankers detained
PIC 14 Feb 2010 - The Israeli occupation forces (IOF) fired an artillery shell at a group of Palestinian resistance fighters east of Gaza city but its members survived unharmed.
Biden Expects China’s Support on Iran
New York Times 14 Feb 2010 - Vice President Joe Biden said that the United States expected to gain China’s support for imposing sanctions on Iran over its nuclear program.
Valentine rhymes with Palestine, on a big day for BDS
Mondoweiss - 14 Feb 2010 - While Valentine’s Day weekend is usually a time to buy jewelry or beauty products for your spouse, Palestine solidarity activists in New York used the occasion as an impetus to further the boycott, divestment, and sanctions (BDS) movement targeting Israel. Dozens of activists gathered outside billionaire...
Rads
Mondoweiss - 14 Feb 2010 - I was a little freaked out by the student uprisings this week at speeches by Israeli officials at Oxford and at University of California-Irvine. One protest targeted an Israeli deputy foreign minister. The other Israeli ambassador Michael Oren. In both cases there was suppression of free...
Someone explain this to me
Mondoweiss - 14 Feb 2010 - The two-state solution would create a Palestinian state in the West Bank and Gaza. The two chunks of land are 30 miles apart. I always heard the word "contiguous" Palestinian state. What is contiguous (in contact with) about Gaza and the West Bank? Would you accept...
Monday, February 15, 2010
US denies backing down on settlement issue
IMEMC 15 Feb 2010 - Monday February 15, 2010 - 23:39, In a visit to the Arab Gulf state of Qatar Monday, US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton said that the US has not backed down on demanding that Israel end its expansion of illegal settlements on Palestinian land in the West Bank – despite earlier statements by US President Barack Obama that the US was willing to compromise on the issue.
The Israeli Military Detain 12 Palestinian Civilians During Invasions in the West Bank
IMEMC 15 Feb 2010 - Monday February 15, 2010 - 16:01, Twelve Palestinian civilians were detained by Israeli troops, on Monday, during invasions targeting a number of West Bank communities.
The Israeli Military & Police Raid Palestinian Areas in Jerusalem to Enforce Taxes
IMEMC 15 Feb 2010 - Monday February 15, 2010 - 15:28, The Israeli police forces, along with Israeli soldiers, stormed a number of Palestinian neighborhoods, on Monday, to enforce resident to bay taxes.
At least 15 detained at West Bank checkpoint
2/16/2010 - Tulkarem - Ma'an - Israeli forces detained more than 15 youths at a checkpoint in the northern West Bank on Monday, onlookers said. Ma'an's correspondent, reporting from the scene, said 15 young Palestinians were being held up at the At-Tunib checkpoint near Deir Sharaf, between Tulkarem and Nablus. According to the correspondent, the searches were humiliating because all the detainees were being forced to hold their hands in the air for no apparent reason as people passed by. He added that dozens of vehicles were also held up at the checkpoint. Forces were searching the cars intensively and making any young males found inside step out for inspection. An Israeli military spokesman did not immediately return calls seeking comment. . . . .
Gazan detainee released after 10 years of detention
2/15/2010 - Gaza - Ma'an - Israeli forces released on Sunday Iyad Abu Shiha from north the Gaza Strip after being detained for 10 years. Abu Shiha, 33, was detained on 16 July 2000 at the Beit Hanoun crossing and was sentenced for 10 years. Abu Shiha continued his studies while he was in prison, undertaking a varied syllabus. Since 2005, Abu Shiha was banned from receiving family visits, during which his mother passed away. [end]
Wife of Gazan detainee accuses Israeli Prison Service of neglect
2/15/2010 - Gaza - Ma'an - The wife of a Gazan detainee suffering from bone marrow cancer accused the Israeli Prison Service of medical negligence on Monday. Raed Muhammad Drabyeh, 36, from the Jabaliya Refugee Camp was sentenced to life and has undergone several surgeries to treat his cancer, Drabyeh's wife said. "We are so worried about his life, particularly after his last surgery in March 2009 following which he lost sensation in his legs and was no longer able to walk," she said. Head of the Prisoner Studies Society, Ra'fat Hamdounah, condemned alleged medical negligence at the hands of the IPS, citing a number of cases of prisoners with chronic illnesses who have not been allowed access to medical treatment. Hamdounah called on human rights organizations to intervene and end the neglect of detainees in Israeli jails. . . . .
UK filmmaker accused of ’violating Gaza’s security’
2/16/2010 - Gaza - Ma'an - The de facto Ministry of Foreign Affairs claimed on Monday that the arrest of British filmmaker Paul Martin was based on suspicions of "violating the security of Gaza. " "Mr. Martin is alleged to have committed offences contrary to the law and harmful to the security of the country. . . The allegations made against Mr. Paul will be fully investigated in accordance with the law," read a statement issued by the ministry. Martin was granted access to a private lawyer and received a visit from a British official, the ministry added. "The Ministry of Foreign Affairs wishes to reassure all journalists working in the region that the Palestinian Government guarantees their freedom to work in the Gaza Strip without interference. Nonetheless, the government has a duty to investigate any individual who acts in manner that is likely to threaten the security of the Palestinian people," the statement said.
PCHR condemns shooting incident at Qalqiliya journalist’s home
2/15/2010 - Bethlehem - Ma'an - The Palestinian Centre for Human Rights (PCHR) called for investigations into a shooting incident at the home of journalist Mostafa Sabri in Qalqiliya on Thursday, in which no injures were reported. According to investigations conducted by the PCHR, including the testimony of Sabri's wife, unknown gunmen fired at the house of Mostafa Ali Abdullah Sabri, 43, in the Ghyada neighborhood of Qalqiliya city in the northern West Bank at approximately midnight on Thursday, according to a statement. Sabri's family told the PCHR that they had heard three gunshots from a pistol fired at the outer walls of the house. However, they did not know who the perpetrators were and why they shot at the home. In her testimony, Sabri's wife, Laila Naji Dawood, said that the firing had been pre-planned because at approximately 7pm on 8 February, big stones had been thrown at the door.
Press forum condemns arrest of journalists by PA
2/15/2010 - Gaza - Ma'an - The Palestinian Press Forum condemned the detention of a journalist by Palestinian Authority forces on Monday after being summoned to the Palestinian intelligence forces. Ma'ath Mash'al, 24, was called on to present himself for questioning on Saturday and his family was informed that evening of Mash'al's arrest, sources said. The PPF expressed their concern for the continued arrest of journalists in the West Bank by the PA, saying that it was a move that opposed the freedom of the press, in a statement. The forum further called for the release of four other journalists, Mustapha Sabry, Mohammad Bsharat, Yazid Khader and Tareq Abu Zeid, who have been detained for more than three months, as well as all other journalists currently detained in PA jails. . . . .
Clashes kill 2 at Lebanon refugee camp
2/15/2010 - Bethlehem - Ma'an/Agencies - Clashes have killed at least two people in a refugee camp in Lebanon, The Associated Press quoted Palestinian officials as saying Monday evening. The US news agency reported that it was not clear what prompted the clashes at Ein Al-Hilweh refugee camp, reportedly between Islamists and gunman affiliated with Fatah. The AP report identified the Islamists as members of the Asbat Al-Ansar group. A Fatah member was seriously wounded, according to the report, which quoted Palestinian sources who spoke on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to make official statements. Last month, Fatah gunmen clashed with fighters affiliated with the Jund Ash-Sham faction in the same refugee camp. The clashes came after Fatah official Sultan Abu Al-Aynayn accused external parties of bringing. . .
Israeli soldiers seize 12 in night raids
2/15/2010 - Washington - Ma'an - The Israeli military said on Monday it seized 12 Palestinians during raids in the West Bank overnightAccording to the military spokesperson's unit, seven were detained in the Nablus area, two in Hebron, and three in the Ramallah area. A gun was found in the home of one of the detainees, who were all taken on account of their "wanted" status. Palestinian security sources identified those detained in Nablus as Thaer Walid Najim, 28, his brothers Mujahid, 19, and Imad, as well asMuhammad Minni, 20, Mahdi Salim, 25, Raji Salim, 20, and Mujahid Qutub, 23. The Israeli military also reported that three Palestinians carrying three pipe bombs and a knife were detained at an army checkpoint in the Nablus area on Sunday. It was unclear if these three were included in the total of 12 detentions reported by Israel.
PA security chief detained in Jerusalem
2/15/2010 - Jerusalem - Ma'an - Israeli forces detained the head of the Palestinian Authority's preventative security services in Jerusalem on Monday. Ma'an's Jerusalem correspondent reported that Muhammad As-Sayyad was seized at his home, and will be held for 24 hours of questioning. An Israeli police spokesman said he was not familiar with the report. [end]
Two Gaza crossings partially open, export prohibited
2/15/2010 - Gaza - Ma'an - Israeli authorities partially opened the Kerem Shalom and Karni crossings into the Gaza Strip on Monday to allow the transfer of food and fuel, according to Palestinian border crossings official Raed Fattouh. Approximately 80 will enter through Gaza's southern border, Kerem Shalom, delivering humanitarian aid and limited varieties of commercial goods, Fattouh said. Limited quantities of domestic gas and industrial fuel will also be transfered through Kerem Shalom, vitally needed to operate Gaza's sole power plant. Through Gaza's northern border crossing, Karni, Fattouh said 118 truckloads of wheat and animal feed will be permitted entry, for the first time in six days. No provisions have been made to allow the export of goods from the besieged strip. . . . .
Fayyad meets with new UNRWA commissioner general
2/16/2010 - Ramallah - Ma'an - Palestinian Authority Foreign Minister Riyad Al-Maliki met with the newly-appointed Commissioner General of UNRWA Fillipo Grandi in Ramallah. Al-Maliki said that UNRWA should be enabled to continue offering its services to Palestinian refugees inside Palestine and in the Diaspora, and efforts should be undertaken to improve these services. Moreover the foreign minister said that the international community should force Israel into bringing an end to the siege imposed upon the Gaza Strip and enable the PA to commence reconstruction, following the extensive damage sustained throughout Gaza during Israel's Operation Cast Lead. Grandi asserted that UNRWA abided by its duties toward Palestinian refugees, despite the financial deficit it faced and called on donor countries to submit much needed financial support to the organization so that it is able to continue serving Palestinian refugees.
Dubai: European team killed Hamas leader
2/16/2010 - Bethlehem - Ma'an - Hamas leader Mahmoud Al-Mabhouh was assassinated by a team of 11 mercenaries in his hotel room in Dubai last month, the emirate's police chief said Monday. "This is a highly sophisticated operation conducted by people who knew when Al-Mabhouh would arrive in the country," Lt. Gen. Dhahi Tamim told reporters in Dubai. "We have identified the suspects and will issue arrest warrants against them and will take legal action against anyone or any party which will prove to stand behind the murder," Tamim added, as police released photos and CCTV videos of the accused European nationals. Tamim said two suspects are Palestinians, both residents of the UAE. They have been detained on suspicion they provided logistical support to the operation, he said. According to the Dubai-based satellite network Al-Arabiya, the two were handed over by Jordan.
On Mash’al’s heels, Netanyahu arrives in Moscow
2/15/2010 - Washington - Ma'an - Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu arrived in Moscow early on Monday morning for a three-day visit that follows by less than a week a trip by Hamas leader Khalid Mash'al. Russia is an ally of Israel, but is also the only member of the diplomatic Quartet that has open relations with Hamas. The other members of the peace negotiations-sponsoring Quartet - the US, EU, and UN - boycott the Islamic group. Russia's relations with key opponents of Israel - Iran, Syria, and Hamas among them - will top the agenda for Netanyahu's meetings with Russian officials. "I view Russia as in important power and an important friend of the State of Israel. We will discuss a range of issues, but first and foremost Iran," Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu told his cabinet on Sunday. "Israel believes that strong pressure must be applied to Iran, especially. . . "
Clinton: US can’t force Israel, PA into peace talks
2/15/2010 - Washington - Ma'an - US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton on Sunday made an unusual acknowledgement of frustrations with the long-frozen Palestinian-Israeli negotiation process. Speaking at the US-Islamic World Forum in Doha, Qatar, on the first day of a trip to the Middle East, Clinton said,know people are disappointed that we have not yet achieved a breakthrough. " "The President, Senator Mitchell, and I are also disappointed. But we must remember that neither the United States nor any country can force a solution. The parties themselves must resolve their differences through negotiations," she added, according to a transcript. "The United States stands ready to play an active and sustained role, and to support the parties as they work to resolve all permanent status issues including security for Israelis and Palestinians, borders, refugees, and Jerusalem," she also said. "
Olmert: If there’s a chance for peace, it’s based on my offer
2/15/2010 - Bethlehem - Ma'an/Agencies - Former Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert said on Sunday that a peace settlement could only be based on the offers put forward during his premiership, the Israeli daily Yedioth Aharanot reported. "I gave the elected Palestinian leader [Mahmoud Abbas] an offer that I think was not made in the past and will not be made in the future. If there's any chance for a settlement, it's on the basis of what I offered and they must respond to it so we can complete what we nearly finished," Olmert was quoted as saying in the daily. With regard to the withdrawal from Palestinian territories the former prime minister said "I said as early as 2003 that we would have to withdraw from most territories, including Jerusalem. It was after I reached the conclusion that in choosing between the greater Land of Israel and a Jewish, democratic state, I prefer the latter. "
Tamimi: Israel working to build Third Temple
2/15/2010 - Jerusalem - Ma'an - Supreme Judge Sheikh Tayseer Tamimi said Monday that Israeli institutions, settler groups and the government are working to fulfill 18th century Rabbi Vilna Goan's prophecy declaring that the Third Temple would be re-built by 16 March 2010. He said archeological excavations have caused structural damage to the Al-Marwani Mosque, under the Al-Aqsa Mosque's northern walls, and to Palestinian homes in the Old City of Jerusalem. The sheikh further alleged that a plan had been implemented in 1993 to intensify efforts to "Judaize" Jerusalem by establishing two major settlements around the city and a military brigade dedicated to closing off the city and separating it from its surrounding neighborhoods. Tamimi said the plan included the shutting down of Palestinian institutions in Jerusalem, the expulsion of dignitaries and the revokingof Israeli ID cards of Jerusalem. . .
Settlement goods banned in PA-controlled cities
2/15/2010 - Ramallah - Ma'an - The cabinet of the Ramallah-based Palestinian government voted on Monday to approve a law prohibiting the entrance of settlement goods into areas controlled by the Palestinian Authority. During the weekly cabinet meeting in Ramallah, ministers said they approved the legislation as settlements amount to "an attack on the Palestinian territories, and violate international law. " In a post-meeting statement, the cabinet added that "This decision comes as a basic step toward advancing the national economy and supporting Palestinian products. "Also, ministers also voted to alter the penal code on "family honor" killings, upgrading the crime to murder. "No one can take the law into his own hands," the cabinet said, adding that they agreed to the change "to ensure that the principles of equality. . . "
In show of goodwill, 13 factions meet in Gaza
2/16/2010 - Gaza - Ma'an - More than a dozen Palestinian political factions, including rivals Hamas and Fatah, verbally reaffirmed their commitment to ending infighting during a summit at the offices of the leftist Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine (PFLP) in Gaza City on Sunday. Officials at the meeting all said they were committed to getting every party to sign an Egyptian unity document already ratified by Fatah. "An atmosphere of placing national interest ahead factional interest had prevailed. All of the factions agreed on the urgent need to end division in order to confront the [Israeli] occupation," said PFLP leader Rabah Muhana after the meeting. He also urged the Egyptian government to continue its efforts to broker a power sharing agreement. Mahmoud Az-Zaq, a member of the politburo of the Palestinian Popular Struggle Front (PPSF) said, "the meeting is intended to. . . "
Hamas: PA security detains 5 affiliates in Ramallah
2/16/2010 - Bethlehem - Ma'an - Hamas accused the Palestinian Authority Security Services of detaining five of the movement's affiliates in the West Bank, a statement said on Monday. The statement said that all five Hamas supporters were detained in Ramallah. [end]
PA tells Hamas: Local elections will be fair
2/15/2010 - Ramallah - Ma'an - The head of Palestine's Central Elections Commission met with a delegation of Hamas officials in Ramallah on Sunday ahead of planned local elections. The commission's chief, Hanna Nasser, met with Hamas-aligned Palestinian Legislative Council members Omar Abdul Razeq and Mahmoud Ar-Ramahi. A statement from the commission said Hanna pledged "to hold free and honest elections that would guarantee the participation of all. "The commission is meeting with each Palestinian faction in preparation for municipal elections. Last week the Fatah-dominated West Bank-based caretaker government set 17 July as the date for the local polls. Sources familiar with the talks said the two Hamas officials expressed confidence in the Elections Commission, but also voiced fears about a general lack of a politically "free atmosphere" in Palestinian Authority-controlled areas of the West Bank.
Fatah official: Hamas must sign before amending deal
2/15/2010 - Gaza - Ma'an - A member of Fatah's Revolutionary Council in Gaza, Abdullah Abu Samahdaneh, on Monday urged Hamas to sign the Egyptian-backed reconciliation document, which he said is the means to discuss additions to the proposal. Abu Samahdaneh's comments followed a meeting of 13 Palestinian factions in Gaza on Sunday to discuss the Egyptian document, in which both Fatah and Hamas particpated. "The Egyptian document is the outcome of multiple dialogue sessions, held in Cairo, which means it is a national, Palestinian product. Hamas must realize that reconciliation starts when it signs it and any delay means a delay in reconciliation, which harms the national project," he said. The Revolutionary Council member said Fatah had signed the agreement, despite the movement's reservations, and that all factions' suggestions will be taken into consideration following its ratification.
PFLP slams ’insufficient’ commission of inquiry
2/15/2010 - Ramallah - Ma'an - A commission of inquiry set up to investigate corruption allegations raised by a former intelligence officer does not go far enough, the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine said on Monday. In a statement, the leftist faction said the commission, made up of three Fatah members, "does not meet the requirements to ensure professional and objective findings as it was formed of only one party. "The PFLP called on President Mahmoud Abbas and the PLO Executive Committee to expand its inquiry to include professionals and human rights organizations, on a national rather than factional basis, to more effectively respond to what the group termed Israeli targeting. Abbas dismissed his chief of staff, Rafiq Al-Husseini, on Sunday after Israel's Channel 10 broadcast a videotape that allegedly showed Al-Husseini propositioning an unidentified woman for sex in exchange for political favors.
Haniyeh: Unity talks should start where they left off
2/15/2010 - Gaza - Ma'an - Ismail Haniyeh, the de facto government prime minister, said on Monday that national reconciliation talks "starts and continues from where we reached, and not from where we were. ""We back national unity and our position concerning reconciliation is fixed and will not change, he added, speaking at the High Court building in Gaza City. "Reconciliation does not mean a return to zero, but to build on what has been accomplished. " Haniyeh's remarks came after a member of Fatah's Revolutionary Council in Gaza, Abdullah Abu Samahdaneh, urged Hamas to sign an Egyptian-backed document which he said is the means to discuss modifications to the proposal. Both statements from leaders of the main two rival parties followed a meeting of 13 Palestinian factions in Gaza a day earlier, in which both Fatah and Hamas participated. "
How Israeli policies and attacks have ravaged Gaza’s agricultural sector
Uruknet February 15, 2010 - "If we didn’t get the wheat planted today, we would not have had crops this year," says Abu Saleh Abu Taima, eyeing the two Israeli military jeeps parked along the border fence east of Khan Younis, southern Gaza Strip. Although his land is more than 300 meters away, technically outside of the Israeli-imposed "buffer zone," Abu...
Haiti Is Open for Business
Uruknet February 15, 2010 - In December 1984, Canada's conservative prime minister, Brian Mulroney, told the New York Economic Club that "Canada is open for business," meaning US companies were welcome, the two countries would work for greater economic integration, America's sovereignty took precedence of his own, and corporate interests from both countries could operate freely at the expense of most...
Sheikh Tamimi: Israel working to build Third Temple
Uruknet February 15, 2010 - Palestinian Supreme Judge Sheikh Tayseer Tamimi warned on Monday that Israeli institutions, settler groups and the current Israeli government are working to fulfill the 18th century Rabbi Vilna Goan's prophecy declaring that the Third Temple would be re-built by 16 March 2010. Tamimi said that Israeli archeological excavations have caused structural damage to the Al-Marwani Mosque,...
Abbas suspends chief of staff
Uruknet February 14, 2010 - Mahmoud Abbas has suspended his chief of staff amid allegations of financial impropriety, Palestinian media have reported. Abbas, currently on a tour of the Far East, ordered the suspension of Rafik al-Hussein on Sunday and launched an investigation into claims made by Fahmy Shabaneh, a former Palestinian intelligence officer, Wafa, the official Palestinian news agency, reported......
Israeli poll: 75 percent favour deporting fellow citizens; Netanyahu favours birth control
Uruknet February 14, 2010 - A survey conducted by the Israeli Knesset channel shows that 75 percent of Israeli Jews are in favour of deporting Israeli-Arab citizens to a future Palestinian state as part of any deal between the Israeli government and the Palestinian Authority. Almost seven hundred people representing a sample of the Jewish public in Israel were asked if...
PFLP Leader Visits Cairo, Holds Talks with Egyptian Leaders
Uruknet February 14, 2010 - Visiting Cairo, member of the Political Bureau of the leftist Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine (PFLP), Jamil Majdalawi, held a series of meetings with Egyptian leaders to ease the tension between Egypt and Hamas in Gaza, and to find a way to prepare the atmosphere for signing a Palestinian unit deal supervised by Egypt....
Child Wounded By Israeli Fire In Central Gaza
Uruknet February 14, 2010 - Palestinian medical sources in the Gaza Strip reported on Sunday evening that a Palestinian child suffered moderate wounds after the Israeli army bombarded a number of homes in Juhr Al Deek area, in central Gaza. Medical sources identified the child, Yousef Al Atrash, 14. He was at home when the army opened fire at the area......
Old City stores in Jerusalem threatened with demolition
Uruknet February 14, 2010 – Several Palestinian shops inside Jerusalem's Old City in Damascus Gate face the threat of demolition after the Israeli Jerusalem Municipality inspectors handed down notices to owners and tenants on Wednesday. The notices were given to Muhammad Abu Ad-Dab'at, owner of several shopes, and to tenants Mu’tasim Abu Rmeila, Samir Salayma, and Najati Ja’bari. All were given...
Imprisoned Iranian protesters share a bond forged in hell
Uruknet February 14, 2010 - ...It began in a police station courtyard. Their legs lashed together with electrical cables, the demonstrators -- part of the protest movement that sprang up after June's disputed presidential election -- were lined up while a judge read out the charges: acting against national security, arson, damaging public property, clashing with law enforcement and colluding with...
Israeli official: Israel continues building settlements
15 Feb 2010 - Jerusalem, February 15, 2010 (Pal Telegraph)- Matan Vilnai, Israel's deputy defense minister, said: "construction in 29 Jewish settlements in the West Bank and occupied Jerusalem continues despite the 10-month freeze decision." Vilnai stated in remarks published in The Jerusalem Post on Monday that this statement came in his response to a question from the leader of Meretz, Haim Oron, in the...
Palestinian prisoner released after 10 years in prison
15 Feb 2010 - Gaza Strip, Feb. 15, 2010 (Pal Telegraph)- Israel has released Palestinian prisoner Eyad Abu Shiha. He was received after serving 10 years in Israeli jails by the Waed Society for Prisoners and Ex-Prisoners and a large mass of Palestinians from the northern Gaza Strip. Abu Shiha, 33, was arrested on July 16, 2000, at the Erez checkpoint. During his imprisonment,...
Arab parliamentarians visit Gaza
15 Feb 2010 - Gaza, February 15, 2010 (Pal Telegraph) - The Hamas-dominated Palestinian Legislative Council (PLC) reported that 26 parliamentarians from different Arab countries will visit the Gaza Strip on Monday to express solidarity with residents. The PLC issued a press release stating that Dr. Ahmad Bahar, deputy head of the PLC, will represent the council in welcoming the visiting Arab officials. They...
Congressman: U.S. should break Gaza siege
15 Feb 2010 - Gaza, February 15, 2010 (Pal Telegraph) - The United States should break Israel's blockade of Gaza and deliver badly needed supplies by sea, a U.S. congressman told Gaza students yesterday. Rep. Brian Baird, a Democrat from Washington state, also urged U.S. President Barack Obama's Middle East ambassador, George Mitchell, to visit Gaza to get a firsthand look at the destruction...
Ban flouted in latest West Bank settlement expansion
The National 15 Feb 2010 - Recent construction defies the government ban on new housing in settlements, aimed at restarting peace talks with the Palestinians after months of US pressure.
High Profile U.S. Trade Mission Heading to Libya
The Media Line 14 Feb 2010 - U.S. companies to travel to Libya with hopes of tapping growing Libyan market. A large and high profile U.S. trade delegation due to arrive in Libya in February is signaling a further thawing of Libyan-American relations....
Abbas Suspends Official Accused of Sex Scandal
The Media Line 14 Feb 2010 - Palestinian leader sets up inquiry to investigate corruption allegations. Palestinian Authority Chairman Mahmoud Abbas suspended one of his top advisors on Sunday following the official's implication in a sex scandal. Abbas's political advisor Rafiq Al-Husseini has...
Afghan Drug Trade Affronted by Unlikely Partners: Iran and U.S.
The Media Line 14 Feb 2010 - Iranian efforts to seal its borders to the insurgent Afghan drug trade is being aided by the allied offensive in Afghanistan, but experts say success may be limited. Taliban forces and Afghan drug lords are facing...
Vice President Biden to Visit Middle East
The Media Line 14 Feb 2010 - U.S. Vice President Joe Biden is set to visit the Middle East next week, stopping at Egypt, Saudi Arabia, Jordan and Israel. This will be the first visit to Israel by the vice president since the...
Threatened Sunni Boycott Undermines Iraqi Elections
The Media Line 14 Feb 2010 - A Shi'ite-led purge of Sunni candidates has spurred threats of a boycott of next month's crucial national elections in Iraq by its Sunni political leadership. An Iraqi judicial appeals committee agreed to reinstate just 100 out...
Russia Says It Won't Cancel S-300 Missile Sale to Iran
The Media Line 14 Feb 2010 - The Kremlin has announced that it will not cancel a deal for the sale of S-300 anti-aircraft missiles to Iran on the grounds that these were defensive weapons and therefore not subject to international sanctions. "There...
Dubai Allows Israeli to Compete at Tennis Championships
The Media Line 13 Feb 2010 - Israeli tennis star Shahar Pe'er arrived in the United Arab Emirates on Sunday to compete in the Barclays Dubai Tennis Championships a year after she was denied a visa to enter the country and compete in...
Sudan Begins First Multi-Party Election Campaign
The Media Line 13 Feb 2010 - Candidates have begun campaigning for the April 11 presidential election. The campaign for Sudan's first multi-party election in 24 years began on Saturday. After being delayed twice, the poll scheduled for April 11 will include elections...
Clinton ramps up rhetoric on Iran
AlJazeera 15 Feb 2010 - US secretary of state uses Gulf tour to press for support on sanctions drive.
Deadly fighting in Lebanon camp
AlJazeera 15 Feb 2010 - Woman killed in clashes between rival groups in Ain al-Helweh Palestinian refugee camp.
Right of Return and Israeli Democracy
Alternative Information Center 15 Feb 2010 - Friday, 12 February 2010, The comprehensive Israeli veto of discussion about the right of return of Palestinian refugees exposes democracy and human rights as tools intended to protect the discriminatory nature of the ethnic society in...
Displaced Persons: Arab-Jews, Arab-Palestinians, Mizrahis and Palestinian Refugees
Alternative Information Center 15 Feb 2010 - Monday, 15 February 2010, Documentation of the fourth meeting in the series “Meetings from the Dark Perspective,” the headline of which was “1948 Refugees: Mizrahi Perspectives.” A panel discussion with Ilan Halevi, Kochavi Shemesh, Nizar Hassan...
The Rising Phoenix of Israel's Assassination Policy
Alternative Information Center 15 Feb 2010 - Monday, 15 February 2010, The assassination of Hamas leader Mahmud Abdel Rauf al-Mabhuh in Dubai on 20 January raised concerns in the region about Israeli efforts to neutralize Palestinian activists. According to reports in the press,...
Mofaz meets with Lieberman
Jeruslalem Post 15 Feb 2010 - Livni rules out compromising with political rivals.
PM urges Iran fuel sanctions
Jeruslalem Post 15 Feb 2010 - Netanyahu praises Medvedev for showing understanding over nuclear issue.
IDF manpower chief raps letter by top army rabbi
Jeruslalem Post 15 Feb 2010 - Senior officer had advised army rabbis to refrain from answering questions from soldiers on settlement outpost-related mutiny.
Livni 'willing to get cuffed'
Jeruslalem Post 15 Feb 2010 - Universal jurisdiction law fix could wait until after UK's elections.
Mullen to IDF Haiti delegation: Humanity is proud of you
Jeruslalem Post 15 Feb 2010 - "The important work you did will not be forgotten," says chairman of US Joint Chief of Staff.
UAE: European team killed Mabhouh
Jeruslalem Post 15 Feb 2010 - Dubai police: 11 people involved in Hamas man's death; 2 reportedly arrested.
Will Israel run Obama's red light on Iran ?
Jeruslalem Post 15 Feb 2010 - If the US gives Israel a firm red, the gov’t will have to approach the oncoming fateful intersection with extreme caution.
Clash in Palestinian camp in Lebanon kills 2
Jeruslalem Post 15 Feb 2010 - Clashes involved Asbat al-Ansar, which US has accused of being linked to al-Qaida.
Teheran: West made new nuclear proposal
Jeruslalem Post 15 Feb 2010 - US denies, says only offer is IAEA plan; Clinton: We won't accept nuclear Iran.
Two arrested at Ni'lin demonstration
Stop The Wall - February 13th, 2010-- Occupation forces attacked protestors in Ni’lin with tear gas during the Friday demonstration. Two people, a local camera man and an Israeli activist, were arrested. Despite the intensification of the arrest campaign against Ni’lin, residents have refused to end their demonstrations. [
Weekly Report on Israeli Human Rights Violations in the Occupied Palestinian Territory
PCHR Israeli soldiers arrest a Palestinian civilians during clashes in Shu'fat refugee camp near Jerusalem 04 – 10 February 2010 Israeli Occupation Forces (IOF) Continue Systematic Attacks against Palestinian Civilians and Property in the Occupied Palestinian Territory (OPT)
Violent Zionists Tour Sheikh Jarrah
2/15/2010 - International Solidarity Movement - 14 February - At approximately 1 pm today, roughly 20 Zionist tourists entered the yard of the occupied al-Kurd home in Sheikh Jarrah as part of a settlement promotion tour. Verbally harassing both Palestinian residents and Internationals and attempting to block their cameras, tourists listened as a guide expounded upon the religious claims which Zionists use to justify the eviction of Palestinians from their homes. After concluding with song, the tourists passed through the gate as several verbally attacked Palestinians present. 85-year-old Rifqa al-Kurd was roughly pushed while observing the visitors. Upon crossing the street to view the Gawi home, a particularly violent woman verbally attacked an ISM activist, flinging the activist's camera several meters into the air. Although intentionally provocative Zionist tours are nothing new in. . .
Sheikh Jarrah woman arrested as far-right MK tours settler-occupied homes
2/14/2010 - International Solidarity Movement - Sheikh Jarrah resident, 45 year old Fatima Diab was arrested by Israeli police on Saturday evening, February 13, following the provocative appearance of far-right Knesset member Micheal Bin Ari at the Al-Gawi home in solidarity with the extremist settlers occupying the house. Diab was released on a bail of 2000 shekels following an appearance in Jerusalem District Court on February 14. Tensions were raised in the neighbourhood as MK Bin Ari arrived around 7pm, entering the occupied Al-Gawi house to inspect the state of the settler takeover, accompanied by heightened settler and police presence. Shouting broke out as Bin Ari exited the stolen home, with settlers and Palestinian residents exchanging taunts. Diab, who stood in the crowd, flicked water on Bin Ari as he walked to his car, causing police to immediately demand that she accompany them to the police station for questioning.
Editorial / Israel should heed Obama's warning not to strike Iran
Ha'aretz 15 Feb 2010 - Israeli and Iranian leaders have escalated the threats they have been exchanging over the past few weeks.
Yossi Melman / Dubai assassins used Mossad methods to kill Hamas leader
Ha'aretz 15 Feb 2010 - The hitmen arrived on separate flights, stayed in different hotels and entered the target's room using keys.
Hamas probing Dubai murder with help of Iran and Syria
Ha'aretz 15 Feb 2010 - Dubai police: Hamas operative was assassinated by 11-member hit squad carrying European passports.
Netanyahu to Hamas: Israel's offer for Shalit is final
Ha'aretz 15 Feb 2010 - Medvedev promises PM Russia will hold off on delivering S-300 advanced air defense system to Iran.
Saudi Arabia: Efforts to rid Mideast of nukes must apply to Israel
Ha'aretz 15 Feb 2010 - Saudis cool to idea of Iran sanctions; Clinton in Mideast as part of bid to shore up effort against Iran.
Dubai seeks to arrest 11 for Hamas assassination, still won't rule out Mossad
Ha'aretz 15 Feb 2010 - Police Chief: All suspects in Mabhouh's murder carry European passports; Hamas still blames Israel.
Russia tells Netanyahu it will hold off on Iran arms deal
Ha'aretz 15 Feb 2010 - In Moscow, Netanyahu asks Medvedev to back 'sanctions with teeth' against Iran over its nuclear program.
World powers urge Iran to accept standing nuclear offer
Ha'aretz 15 Feb 2010 - Secretary of State: Iran is turning into military dictatorship; Biden to visit Israel as row over Iran grows.
U.S. denies dropping demand for Israel settlement freeze
Ha'aretz 15 Feb 2010 - Palestinians won't agree to talks until U.S. clarifies offer; Abbas to meet Mitchell aide in coming days.
Lebanon urges France: Help prevent Israel from attacking us
Ha'aretz 15 Feb 2010 - Lebanon parliament speaker urges France to use its international influence to see Resolution 1701 enforced.
Israel official: India bomb attack not intended for Chabad house
Ha'aretz 15 Feb 2010 - No one has yet claimed responsibility for the Pune restaurant attack, which killed 9, wounded 60.
Lieberman: Palestinian Authority behind campaign to smear Israel
Ha'aretz 15 Feb 2010 - FM says that 16 years of futile talks are proof of Palestinians' lack of real drive to reach peace.
'Livni may cause own arrest to shame U.K. into changing law'
Ha'aretz 15 Feb 2010 - Israel says Kadima chairperson nixed a December London trip after warned of warrant awaiting her arrival.
U.S. congressman: U.S. should break Israel`s blockade of Gaza
Ha'aretz 15 Feb 2010 - Rep. Baird: U.S. Mideast envoy should visit Gaza to look at destruction caused by Israel's offensive.
Hitler painting that may have belonged to Freud put up for auction
Ha'aretz 15 Feb 2010 - Starting price for the watercolor by Hitler is 10,000 pounds; Painting may have hung in Freud's clinic.
Members of hit squad suspected of killing Hamas man 'had UK passports'
The Guardian 15 Feb 2010 - Dubai police says 11 people, including one woman, are wanted over hotel murder Six members of an 11-strong hit squad suspected of killing a senior Hamas military commander in Dubai entered the country using British passports,...
British journalist detained in Gaza
The Guardian 15 Feb 2010 - Documentary film-maker Paul Martin was due to testify on behalf of man accused of collaborating with Israel Hamas officials said today that they have detained a British freelance journalist. Documentary film-maker Paul Martin was detained yesterday...
Hillary Clinton: 'Iran is moving towards a military dictatorship'
The Guardian 15 Feb 2010 - US secretary of state steps up war of words against Tehran, calling on regime to rethink 'dangerous' nuclear policy Hillary Clinton today said Iran was becoming a military dictatorship as the Obama administration's diplomatic campaign against...
Talk to Hamas | Arik Diamant and David Zonsheine
The Guardian 15 Feb 2010 - As Israeli soldiers we hang our heads in shame over last year's attack on Gaza's civilian population. Dialogue, not war, is needed The Israeli media marked the one-year anniversary of Operation Cast Lead , the war on...
Poll: 15% of Israeli senior citizens are on Facebook
Ha'aretz 15 Feb 2010 - The stereotype of seniors sitting at home and doing little more than channel surfing may be quite off the mark, at least the channel part: 55 percent of the elderly in Israel report using a computer, and 15 percent even use Facebook. ...
IN PICTURES / Christian pilgrims baptize en masse in Lake Kinneret
Ha'aretz 15 Feb 2010 - More than 250 Colombian pilgrims traveled to the Yardenit Park near Lake Kinneret on Monday to participate in a mass baptizing ceremony in the Jordan River's water. ...
Israeli reporter insists IDF officer 'confirmed kill' of Gaza girl
Ha'aretz 15 Feb 2010 - Israeli television reporter Ilana Dayan appealed to the Jerusalem District Court to overturn its ruling favor of an Israel Defense Forces officer who sued her and Channel 2 for defamation. ...
Israel mulls NIS 500M 'heritage' trails that reach into West Bank
Ha'aretz 15 Feb 2010 - Netanyahu at Herzliya Conference: Our continued existence relies on our knowledge of Israel's legacy.
Yisrael Beiteinu under fire for pre-elecion spending
Ha'aretz 15 Feb 2010 - State Comptroller Micha Lindenstrauss released a report on Monday on political parties spending for the elections to the 18th Knesset held a year ago. A number of parties were subject to harsh criticism in the report on their election spending, and in particular Foreign Minister Avigdor Lieberman's Yisrael Beiteinu party. ...
Two killed in Lebanon refugee camp clashes
Relief Web 15 Feb 2010 - Source: Agence France-Presse
OPT: The Humanitarian Monitor - Jan 2010
Relief Web 15 Feb 2010 - Source: UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs
OPT: Confronting Settlement Expansion in East Jerusalem
Relief Web 15 Feb 2010 - Source: Middle East Research and Information Project
Anatomy of an assassination
YNet News 15 Feb 2010 - Ynet special: Security affairs analyst Ron Ben-Yishai examines Hamas man's assassination in Dubai in wake of dramatic police revelations, says assassins highly professional, some questions remain unanswered
Dubai: Hamas man assassinated by 11 mercenaries
YNet News 15 Feb 2010 - Ten men, one woman carrying various passports behind assassination of Mahmoud al-Mabhouh in Dubai, local police say; 2 Palestinians detained in connection with killing. Assassins dressed up as tennis players, used advanced technology
Livni rejects Mofaz's primaries ultimatum
YNet News 15 Feb 2010 - Kadima chairwoman says she will not bring Kadima's primaries forward, slams Mofaz's conduct
Qatari PM: Arabs must negotiate with Israel
YNet News 15 Feb 2010 - Qatari leader says negotiations with Israel a must in order to advance peace process
Lebanese among five Australian ‘terror plotters’
Daily Star 15 Feb 2010 SYDNEY: Five Muslims, among them Lebanese-Australians, were jailed for up to 28 years Monday for plotting an attack using guns and explosives to protest against Australia’s role in the “war on terror.” The five men, who cannot be identified by name, were already convicted in October of gathering firearms, chemicals and bomb-making instructions, along with a mass of Islamist propaganda, for the attack on an unknown target.
Clinton: Iran moving toward military dictatorship
Daily Star 15 Feb 2010 RIYADH: The United States believes that Iran’s Revolutionary Guards are driving the country toward military dictatorship and should be targeted in any new UN sanctions, Secretary of State Hillary Clinton said on Monday. Speaking in Qatar before flying to Riyadh, Clinton denied the United States planned to attack Iran and said Washington wanted dialogue with Tehran.
Abbas seeks US answers before agreeing to talk to Israel
Daily Star 15 Feb 2010 RAMALLAH, Occupied West Bank: Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas said on Monday he was still waiting for the United States to explain how it might help restart peace talks before he will consider reopening those negotiations. A senior aide to US mediator George Mitchell will meet Abbas in the coming days, a senior US official said
Britain and France lead call for probe into Iran election violence
Daily Star 15 Feb 2010 GENEVA: Britain and France led a call Monday for an international probe into the violence that followed last year’s disputed presidential election in Iran. The demand, which Iran swiftly rejected, came during the United Nations (UN) Human Rights Council’s first review of Iran’s rights record since the organization was founded in 2006. Iran should invite UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon to “investigate the postelection violence.
Hundreds of protesters flock to funeral of ‘tortured’ Darfur student
Daily Star 15 Feb 2010 KHARTOUM: Hundreds of protesters gathered at the funeral of a Darfuri student who colleagues said was abducted, tortured and killed by Sudanese authorities in a case that has sparked tensions ahead of polls. Sudanese security services have denied any involvement in the death of Mohammad Musa, 23, who fellow students told Reuters was abducted in Khartoum on Wednesday and later found dead and disfigured.
UK journalist to be detained for ‘harming’ Gaza security: Hamas
Daily Star 15 Feb 2010 GAZA City, Gaza Strip: Hamas officials said Monday that a British freelance journalist detained in Gaza will be held for 15 days, an unprecedented step against a foreigner since the Islamic militants seized Gaza in 2007. Documentary filmmaker Paul Martin was detained on Sunday at a Gaza military tribunal where he was to testify on behalf of a Gaza man accused of collaborating with Israel.
Berri urges France to take ‘firm stand’ against Israeli aggression
Daily Star 15 Feb 2010 BEIRUT: Parliament Speaker Nabih Berri on Monday urged France take a “firm stand” to stop Israel from launching an attack on Lebanon. “In view of its ties and influence, we demand France take a firm stand to prevent Israel from attacking Lebanon … and from turning Lebanon into an arena for regional proxy wars,” Berri said at a luncheon with Gerard Larcher.
More than half of region’s employers plan to recruit in Q2
Daily Star 15 Feb 2010 BEIRUT: More than half of the region’s employers, 56 percent, plan to recruit over the next few months, according to a Jobs Index study conducted by leading website Bayt.com, in conjunction with research specialists YouGov Siraj. The number of employers planning to recruit shows an improvement on the last wave, when 52 percent said they would hire during the quarter.
Arbitrating the US-Iran saga
Daily Star 15 Feb 2010 The geopolitical chess game between Washington and Tehran has seen a recent up-tick on the rhetorical and diplomatic fronts. Esfandiar Rahim-Mashaei, the adviser to Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, recently visited Doha to confer with senior Qatari officials. Qatar’s emir advised Western countries to rely on states like Iran to foster peace and security in the region.
Lebanon hands over bodies of 10 foreign victims of Ethiopian airlines crash
Daily Star 15 Feb 2010 Lebanon on Saturday handed over the bodies of 10 foreign victims killed in last month's Ethiopian plane crash. Ethiopian Airlines flight ET409, bound for Addis Ababa, crashed into the Mediterranean Sea on January 25 shortly after take-off from Beirut's Rafik Hariri International Airport. All 83 passengers and seven crew are presumed dead
A ‘Green New Deal’ is good for Lebanon
Daily Star 15 Feb 2010 Lebanon faces a threat. Its natural environment has reached a state of degradation approaching the point of no return. Yet, like many developing and middle-income countries, it is still focused on economic growth and lifting people out of poverty. Protecting the Lebanese environment seems only secondary to these objectives. In 2008, a group of Europeans that included green and social activists.
Thousands express their love for Rafik Hariri
Daily Star 15 Feb 2010 The flags blocking the view at least offered some protection from the sun. On one of the hottest days of the year so far, citizens old and young waved them in their thousands; sky blue for the Future Movement, white for Lebanese Forces, livid red for March 14. The perfect weather brought partisans of Lebanon's majority parliamentary bloc from across
Haneyya's government invites Mousa to visit Gaza Strip
PIC 15 Feb 2010 - The legitimate PA government in the Gaza Strip has welcomed the visit of an Arab parliamentary delegation stressing that it is about time for Amre Mousa to visit the Strip.
Rocky sediments hamper Egypt's steel wall along Gaza borders
PIC 15 Feb 2010 - The team that is building the Egyptian steel wall along the borders with the Gaza Strip affirmed Monday that rocky sediments caused by the heavy rains and floods..
Kandil: There is an Arab scheme to liquidate Palestinian issue
PIC 15 Feb 2010 - The famous Egyptian journalist Hamdi Knadil has warned Monday of a vicious scheme between the Arab regimes and the USA to liquidate the Palestinian issue and to pressure the Palestinian people..
Sheikh Salah: I am not afraid of the prison sentence issued against me
PIC 15 Feb 2010 - Sheikh Ra’ed Salah said that he does not care for the imprisonment sentence issued by Israel against him and stressed that the Palestinians are ready to defend their right without hesitation.
Israeli policemen attack committee of Zakat in Aqsa Mosque
PIC 15 Feb 2010 - Israeli policemen and intelligence officers on Sunday stormed and ransacked the headquarters of the Zakat committee in the Aqsa Mosque.
IOA orders administrative detention of mayor's wife
PIC 15 Feb 2010 - The Israeli occupation authority (IOA) has held Muntaha Al-Tawil the wife of detained mayor of El-Bireh Sheikh Jamal Al-Tawil under administrative detention.
13 Palestinian factions including Hamas and Fatah meet in Gaza
PIC 15 Feb 2010 - 13 Palestinian factions including Hamas and Fatah held a meeting described as the first of its kind since two years in the office of the popular front for the liberation of Palestine in Gaza.
Erdogan calls for pressuring IOA to end Gaza siege
PIC 15 Feb 2010 - Turkish premier Recep Erdogan has called for world pressures on the Israeli occupation authority (IOA) to end the siege on Gaza and to open its commercial crossings.
Al-Quds center warns of Israeli plan to banish 20,000 Jerusalemites
PIC 15 Feb 2010 - Al-Quds center for legal rights warned of an Israeli plan to expel more than 20,000 Palestinian citizens from their homes in the occupied city of Jerusalem at the pretext of unlicensed residence.
26 Arab parliamentarians arrive in Gaza
PIC 15 Feb 2010 - The Palestinian legislative council (PLC) said that a 26-member delegation of Arab parliamentarians is due in the Gaza Strip at noon Monday on a two-day visit to the beleaguered Strip.
Iran moving toward military dictatorship, Clinton says
LA Times 16 Feb 2010 - The secretary of State, speaking in Qatar, says sanctions against the Islamic Republic must be aimed at the Revolutionary Guard, which she warns is supplanting the government. Bluntly warning that Iran is sliding into military dictatorship, Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton told an audience in Qatar on Monday that economic sanctions against the Islamic Republic should be increasingly aimed at its elite Revolutionary Guard.
Clinton Raises U.S. Concerns of Military Power in Iran
New York Times 15 Feb 2010 - Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton said that the U.S. feared Iran’s government was being supplanted by the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps.
Hamas Arrests British Journalist in Gaza
New York Times 15 Feb 2010 - The detention of a journalist for unspecified security offenses is the first time Hamas has arrested a foreigner since it took over Gaza in in 2007.
Clinton Pleads for Patience at U.S.-Islamic World Forum
New York Times 15 Feb 2010 - Little has changed since President Obama pledged to improve relations between the United States and the Muslim world.
Opposition in Iran Meets a Crossroads on Strategy
New York Times 15 Feb 2010 - After a vast street protest failed to materialize last week on the anniversary of the country’s Islamic Revolution, opposition supporters are re-examining their movement.
Palestinian President Suspends Aide in Sex Scandal
New York Times 15 Feb 2010 - The accusations against Rafiq Husseini have stoked a crisis of confidence in Palestinian leadership.
(Goodbye to Congress) Brian Baird says US should break Gaza blockade by ‘our version of the Berlin airlift’!
Mondoweiss - 15 Feb 2010 - Two U.S. Congress members entered the Gaza Strip yesterday, the Palestinian news agency Ma’an and the Associated Press reported. Representative Brian Baird , a Democrat from Washington State who is retiring from the House of Representatives, is one of the lawmakers who entered. It’s not clear who...
US diplomacy hits a roadblock in Doha called… Gaza
Mondoweiss - 15 Feb 2010 - Jeffrey Goldberg and other Israel advocates argue that Israel/Palestine is not a big deal. But it is a big deal. Have you seen the headlines from Qatar’s US-Islamic forum? Islamic states think the US should stop the settlements. And many of them care about Gaza : [T]he...
‘Time’ magazine publishes pro-sanctions piece
Mondoweiss - 15 Feb 2010 - Tony Karon smuggles a pro-BDS argument into a piece in Time magazine about the stalled peace process: It was certainly a courageous decision by De Klerk [20 years ago], but it’s important to remember that it was not some epiphany about the immorality of apartheid that...
Sullivan doubles down
Mondoweiss - 15 Feb 2010 - He has a good column provocatively titled What Often Happens to Israel’s Critics I , picking up a Johann Hari piece on his own smearing for daring to criticize Israel. Hari: Any attempt to describe accurately the situation for Palestinians is met like this. If you recount...
Quotas
Mondoweiss - 15 Feb 2010 - Not bad. One of the Americans is not Jewish. He is sent to Syria and Lebanon. Haaretz : A high-level U.S. delegation will visit Israel next week for strategic talks on Iran and a number of other issues. In contrast to the original plans, talks will not...
The Rising Phoenix of Israel's Assassination Policy
Alternative Information Center - 15 Feb 2010 - Monday, 15 February 2010, The assassination of Hamas leader Mahmud Abdel Rauf al-Mabhuh in Dubai on 20 January raised concerns in the region about Israeli efforts to neutralize Palestinian activists. According to reports in the press, al-Mabhuh was injected with a drug to induce heart failure. Smadar...
Right of Return and Israeli Democracy
Alternative Information Center - 15 Feb 2010 - Friday, 12 February 2010, The comprehensive Israeli veto of discussion about the right of return of Palestinian refugees exposes democracy and human rights as tools intended to protect the discriminatory nature of the ethnic society in Israel. The perception according to which the power of democracy...
Displaced Persons: Arab-Jews, Arab-Palestinians, Mizrahis and Palestinian Refugees
Alternative Information Center - 15 Feb 2010 - Monday, 15 February 2010, Documentation of the fourth meeting in the series “Meetings from the Dark Perspective,” the headline of which was “1948 Refugees: Mizrahi Perspectives.” A panel discussion with Ilan Halevi, Kochavi Shemesh, Nizar Hassan and Shiko Behar*. The meeting was conducted in Tel Aviv,...
Tuesday, February 16, 2010
The Israeli military detains to civilians and conducts a training exercise in the West Bank
IMEMC 16 Feb 2010 - Tuesday February 16, 2010 - 16:51, Two Palestinian civilians were detained by Israeli soldiers, while other troops conducted a training exercise in the West Bank on Tuesday.
PA Marshal Court sentence a Palestinian Journalist to 18 months in jail
IMEMC 16 Feb 2010 - Tuesday February 16, 2010 - 16:25, On Tuesday, Palestinian Marshal Court in Nablus city, southern West Bank, sentenced a Palestinian Journalist to 18 months in jail.
The Israeli military injures three and detains them at northern Gaza Strip
IMEMC 16 Feb 2010 - Tuesday February 16, 2010 - 15:49, Three Palestinians were reported injured and detained by Israeli troops on Tuesday at the northern Gaza Strip town of Biet Lahyia.
Arab Parliamentarians Arrive In Gaza
IMEMC 16 Feb 2010 - Tuesday February 16, 2010 - 06:01, A group of Arab parliamentarians managed to cross into the Gaza Strip on Monday in a visit of solidarity with the Palestinian people living in the besieged, war-torn, and devastated coastal region.
Dubai Police Releases Details on Persons Involved In Assassinating Hamas Leader
IMEMC 16 Feb 2010 - Tuesday February 16, 2010 - 04:58, The police department in Dubai released on Monday significant details regarding the cell that carried out the assassination of Qassam Brigades leader, Mahmoud Al Madbouh at a hotel in the United Arab Emirates on January 20.
One Gaza crossing partially open, exports resume
2/17/2010 - Gaza - Ma'an - The Kerem Shalom crossing will be partly opened on Tuesday, Israeli officials informed Palestinain liaison officials, for the limited import of food aid and export of flowers. Palestinian border crossing official Raed Fattouh said 72 to 82 truckloads of humanitarian aid and commercial goods were expected to be allowed into Gaza, including three truckloads of paper for the Palestinian Telecommunications Company (PalTel). Some fuel and two truckloads of glass will also be permitted to pass into Gaza, Fattouh said. The glass shipments complete the 100-truckload quota permitted by Israeli crossings officials. Limited amounts of cooking gas and industrial fuel will also be pumped in, the official said. Only minimal industrial fuel deliveries have been permitted since Sunday, following an announcement by the Gaza. . .
Locals say Gaza man held without charge in Egypt since 2008
2/16/2010 - Gaza - Ma'an - Friends and colleagues of a Gaza man said this week that he has been held without charge or trial in an Egyptian jail since early 2008 when he and hundreds of thousands of other Palestinians breached the border wall into Egypt. Ayman Noufal's supporters say he was arrested on 27 January 2008, when militants in Gaza dynamited the border wall separating Gaza from Egypt, allowing thousands to cross into Egypt to buy goods made scarce by the Israeli-led blockade. A "solidarity committee" set up to support Noufal said he has been subjected to "psychological and physical torture" while in prison. The report could not be independently verified by Ma'an. The solidarity committee appealed specifically to the Hamas government in Gaza to pressure Egypt to release Noufal and return him to his family and six children.
Hamas: PA court jails journalist
2/16/2010 - Nablus - Ma'an - A Palestinian Authority military court in Nablus sentenced a Hamas affiliate to 18 months in prison on Tuesday on charges of money laundering and other offenses. Tariq Abu Zeid of Jenin was found guilty of incitement, "delivering information," and laundering money to "enemy entities," said an official in the prosecutors office who spoke on the condition of anonymity. However, Hamas sources said Abu Zeid is in fact a journalist, and was arrested and convicted because he worked as a correspondent for the Hamas-affiliated Al-Aqsa satellite TV. [end]
Gaza detainee released after 6 years in detention
2/16/2010 - Gaza - Ma'an - Israeli authorities released Wael Abu Elwan of Rafah after six years of detention on Tuesday evening. Wael was detained by Israeli forces in a raid against the Tal As-Soltan neighborhood in the southern Gaza Strip city in 2004, when he was detained along with a number of Palestinian men. Israel had accused Abu Elwan of involvement with armed groups, including Palestinian Authority security forces. [end]
In Saudi Arabia, Clinton gives nod to settlements
2/17/2010 - Washington - Ma'an - A day after she acknowledged frustration with the US role in the stalled Mideast peace process, US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton reaffirmed US calls on Monday for an Israeli withdrawal to the 1967 borders with the exception of some settlements. "The parties can mutually agree on an outcome which ends the conflict and reconciles the Palestinian goal of an independent and viable state based on the 1967 lines with agreed swaps, and the Israeli goal of a Jewish state with secure and recognized borders that reflect subsequent developments and meet Israeli security requirements," she said during a news conference in Riyadh alongside Saudi Foreign Minister Saud Al-Faisal. The reference to "subsequent developments" was a an acknowledgement of Israeli intentions to maintain control of many settlements built on land taken from Palestinians after the 1967 occupation of the West Bank.
Jordan king to J Street: Peace efforts at critical phase
2/17/2010 - Washington - Ma'an - Jordan's King Abdullah II told supporters of a US pro-Israeli group on Monday that efforts to achieve peace between Israel and Palestinians have reached a "critical phase" that demands renewed international attention. The kingdom's state news agency Petra that Abdullah made this pronouncement in a meeting with in Amman a visiting delegation representing the J Street, the US' self-styled pro-peace, pro-Israeli organization. According to the group's website the delegation includes five members of the US House of Representatives Lois Capps (D-California), Bill Delahunt (D-Massachusetts), Bob Filner (D-California), Mary Jo Kilroy (D-Ohio), and Donald Payne (D-New Jersey). J street also said the group is planning to visit Israel and the West Bank city of Ramallah, a stop which will include a meeting with caretaker Palestinian prime minister Salam Fayyad.
Nasrallah: Armed opposition deters Israel
2/17/2010 - Washington - Ma'an - Hizbullah Secretary-General Hassan Nasrallah argued on Tuesday that armed resistance, not diplomacy, is the most effective means to keep Arab nations safe from potential Israeli attack. Since Israel's 2006 war with Hizbullah in Lebanon, Nasrallah asserted, "The Israelis have acknowledged failure and admitted that the resistance has grown stronger. " "When Israel wants to go to war, it has to be conditional. They [must] be able to achieve a clear, decisive, and guaranteed victory, not just victory as a possibility," he added in a speech delivered in a south Beirut suburb commemorating the deaths of Hizbullah members. "In Lebanon, Palestine, and Syria, we are so strong that Israel cannot wage war on us whenever it wants to. It is not enough for Israel to have a strong possibility of victory because this entity cannot tolerate another defeat," he said, as quoted by Hizbullah's official broadcaster Al-Manar.
Arab MPs visit Gaza in bid to break Hamas-Fatah stalemate
2/16/2010 - Gaza - Ma'an - A delegation of Arab lawmakers arrived in Gaza via Egypt on Monday in a bid to break an impasse in Palestinian unity efforts. "We came to represent the Arab parliaments and the Arab nation. We came as 22 deputies who represent the Arab nation from the Atlantic Ocean to the Gulf as a united nation," the group said in a declaration upon arriving via the Egyptian-controlled Rafah crossing point. "We want the Palestinian people to be united, as no party ever defeated its enemy when it was divided," they added. "We ask you to unite in order to achieve the nation's aim of establishing an independent Palestinian state. " The delegation from the Arab Parliamentary Union included m,embers from Egypt, Jordan, Syria, Morocco, Algeria, Qatar, Bahrain, Lebanon, Sudan, Kuwait, and Oman. Ahmad Bahar, a Hamas leader and the deputy speaker of the Palestinian Legislative. . .
PA begins enforcing ban on settlement goods
2/16/2010 - Bethlehem - Ma'an - Hundreds of turkeys smuggled from Israeli settlements in the northern West Bank were seized en route to Bethlehem on Tuesday, a Palestinian Authority official said. Bethlehem Governor Abdul Fattah Hamayil said a truck driver transporting the poultry claimed it came from Jenin, however, investigators discovered it was smuggled from Israeli settlements. Hamayil said the poultry was seized as a result of cooperation between PA preventative security services in Bethlehem and Jenin, customs agents, the Bethlehem governorate and its municipal council. The poultry was confiscated, he added. "After the birds were examined and proved fit [for consumption], authorities decided to slaughter them and distribute the meat to charities working for the disabled, elderly people, and children," he said, vowing to crack down on the smuggling of settlement products.
Fayyad meets with foreign minister of Austria
2/16/2010 - Ramallah - Ma'an - Caretaker Prime Minister Salam Fayyad met on Tuesday with foreign minister of Austria Michael Spindelegger in Ramallah along with an Austrian delegation. Fayyad updated his guests on the current situation in Palestine and obstacles which impede the peace process, which he identified as Israel's refusal to freeze settlement activities. The Ramallah-based prime minister stated the importance of European action based on the EU foreign ministers' statement on the Middle East released on 8 December 2009, which backed East Jerusalem as the capital of a future Palestinian state. He described the statement as a milestone and real basis for "a clear and balanced international stand, which will enable the International Quartet to effectively intervene and compel Israel to comply with international law and fully halt settlement activities, especially in Jerusalem. "
PA denies reported arrest of security officer
2/17/2010 - Bethlehem - Ma'an - A man reportedly detained for plotting to kill Palestinian Authority officials is not a member of the PA security services, a top security official said on Tuesday. PA security spokesman Adnan Ad-Dmeiri told Ma'an that Mujahed Nimer, a resident of Qalandiya refugee camp, has never been a member of the Ramallah government's forces. Nimer was arrested on criminal charges following a warrant issued by prosecutors, Dmeiri said, contradicting a report in the Israeli daily Yedioth Ahronoth that identified Nimer as "a top official in the Palestinian security apparatus. "Quoting a senior Fatah source, the Hebrew-language newspaper said Nimer, identified as a police officer, was apprehended along with four other members of a group, said to be affiliated with Fatah, for planning to carry out an assassination.
Hamad: Hamas, PA working to reopen Rafah
2/17/2010 - Gaza - Ma'an - The de facto government in the Gaza Strip is holding contacts with the Ramallah-based government and others to reopen the Rafah crossing, an official said on Tuesday. Ghazi Hamad, head of crossings authority in Gaza, said Egypt, the Red Cross, and the UN were involved in ongoing talks to return the crossing to normal operations. At a news conference in Gaza City, Hamad said an agreement could be reached between the Gaza government and Ramallah. According to Hamad, 70 to 100 patients leave Gaza through the Erez crossing with Israel every day, while the Kerem Shalom and Karni crossings allow limited amounts of goods and humanitarian aid into Gaza weekly. "Several parties have suggested that Gaza and Ramallah form a joint police force to monitor the Rafah crossing," Hamad said. "This was discussed with Prime Minister Isma'il Haniyeh, and he agreed. Another option would be for the Palestinian presidential guards and European monitors to resume monitoring. " . . . .
Students to shut down Al-Quds University
2/16/2010 - Bethlehem - Ma'an - The Student Senate at Al-Quds University in East Jerusalem declared a shutdown of the school, effective Tuesday, amid mounting strife over financial aid. A communiqué from the Student Senate on Monday night said classes at the Abu Dis campus would be "suspended until further notice. "The declaration pinned blame for the strike on the administration and urged "all parties to quickly resolve the crisis that threatens the future of the educational process at Al-Quds University. " The student body accused the administration of "ignoring the demands of the students in regard to issues of grants and exemptions, postponements and other academic issues. "Ma'an's repeated phone calls to university officials for a response went unanswered. The strike comes after student groups accused the Palestinian Authority's Ministry of Education of unilaterally converting. . . .
Zahhar: Progress on Hamas-Fatah reconciliation imminent
2/16/2010 - Gaza - Ma'an - A Palestinian reconciliation agreement could be signed within a few days under Egyptian supervision, senior Hamas official Mahmoud Az-Zahhar announced Monday night. Following a celebration of educational institutions in Gaza City, Zahhar told reporters, "It is obvious that Egypt understands. . . that the Egyptian reconciliation document needs amendment. I expect the issue to be reconsidered and a signing to be secured. "The reconciliation process broke down during the fall when Hamas said the final unity document drafted by Egypt did not include several points that had been agreed on during talks. Party representatives insisted on making amendments to the agreement before they would sign it. Egypt never responded officially to the request to change the paper, and Fatah members signed the deal amid a government debacle at the UN Human Rights Commission.
Sources: Fayyad to reshuffle cabinet
2/16/2010 - Bethlehem - Ma'an - Caretaker Prime Minister Salam Fayyad will dismiss members of his cabinet in the wake of a corruption scandal shaking the Ramallah-based Palestinian government, sources said on Tuesday. Officials said President Mahmoud Abbas approved Fayyad's recommendations at a cabinet meeting on Monday, which Abbas chaired, and offered Interior Minister Said Abu Ali the position of chief of staff. Abu Ali, however, has since denied knowledge of the offer. Meanwhile, the same sources said "more than one" cabinet member will be replaced in the coming shakeup, most likely Justice Minister Khashan Ali, Education Minister Lamis Al-Alami, and Agriculture Minister Ismail Deiq. However, no new portfolios were immediately announced, and the PA has refused to officially confirm its plans to reshuffle not only the. . .
Nablus police detain escaped murder suspect near Jerusalem
2/16/2010 - Nablus - Ma'an - Palestinian police in Nablus arrested a man wanted for murder following a Monday night pursuit, officials said. The suspect, from Beita village in the northern West Bank, was detained by police in Anata, west of Jerusalem, the public relations department in Hebron said. The alleged killer, wanted since 2001, is suspected of shooting his sister's husband over a family dispute. He had been detained during the initial investigation but escaped when Israeli forces bombed the police headquarters in an attack during the second Intifada. A police statement said of the situation that "After the era of security chaos ended, and security began to stabilize, police started chasing the killer until they finally discovered he was hiding in Anata, near Jerusalem, where he was arrested. " . . . .
Jawwal lowers costs for calls in Jordan
2/17/2010 - Ramallah - Ma'an - The Palestinian telecommunications company Jawwal says it will decrease costs of calls for subscribers using the mobile giant's services in Jordan. The rate will be lowered to. 89 shekels per month, Jawwal said in a statement to Ma'an. "All Palestinians in Jordan will soon receive a message informing them about the costs of calls to Palestinians, in an effort to encourage communication free of prohibitive costs," the statement said. Jawwal has faced increased competition since the launch of rival Wataniya mobile last fall, but has maintained its hold on the Palestinian market, which has also been penetrated by Israeli mobile companies. [end]
Hebron: Firm plans pink women-only taxis
2/16/2010 - Hebron - Ma'an - A Palestinian company is planning to bring women-only taxis - a phenomenon already popular in Beirut and elsewhere - to the conservative West Bank city of Hebron. Hazem At-Takrawi, the director of the Ishraqat training and development firm, said on Monday that his company is already training women to drive the female-only cabs. As in Beirut, the cars would be pink, he told anchor Adel Eghraieb on the television show "On the Table. " Asked whether Hebron and Palestinians in general would accept the idea, At-Takrawi said the company already commissioned a survey that found that 95% of Palestinians would accept the new cabs. In addition, he said the program will create jobs, claiming that more than 100 women, mainly university graduates, already applied for positions as cabbies. At-Takrawi said that if the idea succeeds in Hebron, he will expand the business to other West Bank cities.
Police seize expired milk, counterfeit pills at Hebron dairy
2/16/2010 - Hebron - Ma'an - Palestinian customs agents seized 700kg of spoiled dairy products and what specialists call counterfeit pills advertised as "sexual stimulants," during a raid in the Hebron-district town of Yatta on Tuesday. Chief of customs Hussam Khalayleh said officers discovered the goods during a regular inspection tour of commercial outlets alongside officials from the caretaker Ministry of the National Economy. Khalayeh said the shop was neither licensed as a dispensary nor were the pills brought into the area legally. He said the items were confiscated and the shop owner fined heavily. The find follows the Saturday discovery of at least 1 million similar pills, which Khaled Seder, Ministry of Health manager in Hebron, described as "not sexual stimulants; they are poisons. "The samples were sent to local labratories for inspection.
Cheated: PA trade union head details permit fraud
2/16/2010 - Nablus - Ma'an - Thousands of Palestinians hoping to gain work and higher wages in Israel were duped over the last three years by a gang of Israelis and Palestinians selling forged permits, Secretary-General of the Palestinian Trade Union Shahir Sa'd said Tuesday. The scam was routed Sunday when Israeli police detained dozens of alleged gang members. The undercover investigation was carried out over a number of months under Commander Dorit Ben-Meir, the Israeli news site Ynet reported at the time. According to the report, 23 Israelis and 11 Palestinians were involved in the scam. The head of the operation was identified as a high-profile Israeli security officer working in the Civil Administration offices, Linda Salem, while her second in command was an Israeli working in the Ministry of the Interior, Mariah Hashash, Sa'd said.
High Court orders state to speed up outpost demolitions
Ha'aretz 16 Feb 2010 - 16 homes in unauthorized West Bank outposts Hayovel, Harsha have been considered ilegal since 2005.
Barak signals thaw in tensions with army chief Ashkenazi
Ha'aretz 16 Feb 2010 - Defense Minister praises chief of staff, signaling end to row over extending Ashkenazi's term to fifth year.
Nasrallah: 'If you hit Beirut airport, we'll hit Ben Gurion'
Ha'aretz 16 Feb 2010 - Hezbollah leader threatens to attack Tel Aviv in future conflict; says group still seeks to avenge Mughniyeh.
Who are the new Hamas recruits in Gaza?
Ha'aretz 16 Feb 2010 - Many of 15,000 applicants have no interest in police work or in politics - they just are looking for jobs.
Video: Israeli settlement building continues
Uruknet February 16, 2010 - Israel is continuing to build illegal settlements on Palestinian land, despite a 10-month suspension of new construction announced by the government. Peace Now, an Israeli non-governmental organisation, says work is taking place at more than 30 settlements in the occupied West Bank. Nour Odeh reports from Beit Sahour...
Gaza's Female Scribes Face Worse Than Discrimination
Uruknet February 16, 2010 - Female journalists worldwide complain about discrimination on the grounds of gender. However, their colleagues in Gaza also face death threats, the dangers of working in a war zone and the struggle for daily necessities as the Israeli siege on Gaza drags on. Last year a shadowy group in Gaza calling itself 'Swords of Islam' threatened to...
Israel's new strategy: "sabotage" and "attack" the global justice movement
Uruknet February 16, 2010 - An extraordinary series of articles, reports and presentations by Israel's influential Reut Institute has identified the global movement for justice, equality and peace as an "existential threat" to Israel and called on the Israeli government to direct substantial resources to "attack" and possibly engage in criminal "sabotage" of this movement in what Reut believes are its...
"Joe Biden working for the Baathists..."
Uruknet February 16, 2010 - The above title is no joke. This is what W.Qanbar, a spokesman for the Iraqi National Alliance (INA), the grouping of the Shiites parties such as Muqtada Al-Sadr (the college drop out who recycled himself in drilling), Ammar A-Hakeem (the Shiite playboy and smuggler of the South, head of the notorious Badr Brigades) "Dr" Adel Abdul...
Israeli police conduct arrest among children in Silwan
Uruknet Tuesday, February 16, 2010 - Palestinian citizens in the Jerusalem neighborhood of Silwan reported that Israeli police and the security intelligence services have escalated recently their campaign of arrest of Palestinian children in the area on throwing stones charges. Palestinians who neighbor Yonatan Building, where a group of extremist settlers live, reported that the police summons and arrest several children...
Shadowy and deadly - the long arm of the Mossad
Uruknet February 16, 2010 - Israel's Mossad secret service, more formally known as the Institute for Espionage and Special Tasks, has a long history of carrying out clandestine operations, including several spectacular assassinations. Much remains secret but cases that are documented have involved large teams of agents using false or stolen passports to disguise their Israeli origins. The Mossad's assassination unit...
Dubai suspects 'had fake passports'
Uruknet February 16, 2010 - Britain and Ireland have said that the passports used by nine people suspected of the killing of a senior Hamas figure in the United Arab Emirates are believed to be fake. The nine passport holders are alleged members of an 11-person hit squad which Dubai police have said that they want to question over the murder...
Children as young as 12 arrested in night raids in Silwan, East Jerusalem
Uruknet February 16, 2010 - B'Tselem recently uncovered a number of cases in which minors aged 12-15 from Silwan, in East Jerusalem, were arrested in the middle of the night by police officers and Israel Security Agency agents accompanied by armed border policemen. In four cases documented by B'Tselem, the minors were taken from their beds and homes and brought, their...
ISRAEL GIVES BIRTH TO STRANGE CREATURES IN GAZA'S HOSPITALS
Uruknet February 16, 2010 - In Gaza's hospitals, one might see peculiar, near-alien looking objects in the maternity ward. Is this child human, or is it from another planet, escaped from some Hollywood movie? The answer will surprise you when a Palestinian mother says: This is my son! The Palestinian Ministry of Healthy in Gaza has issued several press releases concerning...
Defending Palestinian children: An interview with Rifat Kassis
Uruknet February 15, 2010 - Defence for Children International-Palestine Section aims to protect the rights of children and minors living in occupied Palestine. Rifat Kassis was elected as president of the executive council of Defence for Children International (DCI) in 2005 and is currently serving his second term. The Electronic Intifada contributor Adri Nieuwhof recently interviewed Kassis about DCI-PS's work and...
Three Villages In The Hebron Hills
Uruknet February 15, 2010 - Settler violence. Drought. Tension with the Israeli military. Poverty. Palestinians in the Hebron Hills have seen their fair share of problems. The Palestine Monitor highlights the current situations in three villages located in the Hebron Hills. All photographs were taken by Brady Ng. At’tuwani is a small village southeast of Hebron in the West Bank. With...
PFLP hosts national unity meeting of all factions in Gaza
Uruknet February 15, 2010 - The Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine hosted a meeting of all national and Islamic forces, including representatives of Fateh and Hamas, in its office in Gaza City, on February 14, 2010. This meeting was the first of its kind to take place in Gaza since the internal division. The objective of the meeting was...
Israeli vehicle hits Palestinian in Sheikh Jarrah
16 Feb 2010 - Jerusalem, February 16, 2010 (Pal Telegraph) - A vehicle that belongs to the municipality of Jerusalem hit a Palestinian citizen Tuesday during protests in the East Jerusalem neighborhood of Sheikh Jarrah. The vehicle was there to help demolish the tent of the Al-Ghaoui family, who had been evicted from their home by settlers. The family has been forced from their...
IOF raids central Gaza
16 Feb 2010 - Gaza Strip, February 16, 2010 (Pal Telegraph)- Israeli occupation forces carried out an incursion in the afternoon in the central Gaza Strip. According to local sources, 6 Israeli military vehicles, accompanied by three armored bulldozers, penetrated approximately 300 meters east of Deir al-Balah in central Gaza. The sources added that the Israeli vehicles and bulldozers began combing the area and...
Israel opens Karem Abu Salem Crossing
16 Feb 2010 - Gaza Strip, February 16, 2010 (Pal Telegraph)- Israeli occupation authorities opened on Tuesday Karem Abu Salem crossing to allow the entry of food aid and limited amounts of industrial fuel to the Gaza Strip, while kept the Karni crossing closed. Raed Fattouh, a Palestinian crossings official liaison, said that Israeli authorities will allow the entry of 72-82 trucks through the...
IOF invades 2 towns in Hebron
16 Feb 2010 - Hebron, February 16, 2010 (Pal Telegraph) - Israeli occupation forces raided on Tuesday Seir and Al-Shouokh towns, and a house in the old town of Hebron in the West Bank. Local sources said that a number of Israeli military troops raided the towns in early morning, and they roamed their neighborhoods before withdrawing from the towns. The sources did not...
Clinton calls Iran 'largest supporter of terrorism'
The National 16 Feb 2010 - The US secretary of state says the evidence doesn't support Iran's claim its nuclear programme is peaceful.
Egyptian council defends ban on female justices
The National 16 Feb 2010 - The State Council, the body that recommended barring women from sitting on one of Egypt's highest judicial bodies, say its only a matter of time before women take positions.
Sectarian clashes in Lebanon raise fears
The National 16 Feb 2010 - At least one person is reported killed and several wounded in a series of clashes between Islamist groups and Fatah authorities in Lebanon's largest Palestinian refugee camp.
Dubai suspects 'had fake passports'
AlJazeera 16 Feb 2010 - Documents belonging to alleged killers of Hamas figure were falsified, officials say.
Iran 'still open to nuclear deal'
AlJazeera 16 Feb 2010 - Iran's president says ready for "fair" nuclear fuel swap, warning West against sanctions.
War of the Colorful City
Alternative Information Center 16 Feb 2010 - Monday, 15 February 2010, South Tel Aviv has become the primary area of life for the migrant workers—which causes fury and grievances amongst the veteran residents of the area. However, there is a way in which...
'Administration has learned lessons'
Jeruslalem Post 16 Feb 2010 - Conference hears that Israel to question if Abbas really wants to talk.
PM: Israel not planning war with Iran
Jeruslalem Post 16 Feb 2010 - Teheran is just concerned over new sanctions, Netanyahu says at end of Moscow trip.
PM: Israel to erect Red Army memorial
Jeruslalem Post 16 Feb 2010 - Netanyahu tells Putin gesture to commemorate crucial role in victory over Nazis.
Hotovely: Gran West Bank Palestinians citizenship
Jeruslalem Post 16 Feb 2010 - Rightist Likud MK Tzipi Hotovely came out in support of granting Israeli citizenship to the Arab population of Judea and Samaria.
Dubai assassins used names of UK olim
Jeruslalem Post 16 Feb 2010 - Six British passport holders named by Dubai cops as Hamas chief assassins have same names as Israeli immigrants.
Muslims planned Mamilla project in '45
Jeruslalem Post 16 Feb 2010 - Wiesenthal Center accuses Museum of Tolerance opponents of hypocrisy after clipping from "The Palestine Post" found.
Israel to use 'ordinary' people for PR
Jeruslalem Post 16 Feb 2010 - Asked whether they would want to help represent Israel when they were abroad, 85% said “yes.”
Partners against Iran
Jeruslalem Post 16 Feb 2010 - Mullen's visit underlined Washington’s intensifying effort to keep closely coordinated with Israel.
US-YEMEN: Clinton Hails Ceasefire, But Aid Concerns Remain
IPS WASHINGTON, Feb 15 (IPS) - The ceasefire announced late last week between Yemen's government and Houthi rebels in the northern part of the country is being greeted here as an important initial step toward stabilising the Arab world's poorest country and reversing advances by al Qaeda's affiliate there.
MIDEAST: Gaza's Female Scribes Face Worse Than Discrimination
IPS RAMALLAH, Feb 15 (IPS) - Female journalists worldwide complain about discrimination on the grounds of gender. However, their colleagues in Gaza also face death threats, the dangers of working in a war zone and the struggle for daily necessities as the Israeli siege on Gaza drags on.
MIDEAST: Telling Film Floats Between Art and the Actual
IPS JERUSALEM, Feb 15 (IPS) - An Oscar nominee for best foreign-language film, Israel's 'Ajami', is a tragic, yet realistic, pointer to the multi-layered conflict of Jews and Arabs, Israelis and Palestinians.
EGYPT: Press Freer, but Still Fettered
IPS CAIRO, Feb 14 (IPS) - Not long ago an editorial like the one that appeared in the independent Al- Dustour newspaper this week might never have made it into print.
Planting trees, building bases in Bethlehem
Stop The Wall - February 16th, 2010-- Last week, Occupation forces act on their intentions to re-establish a military base in Beit Sahour. Despite the protests of residents, soldiers declared the area a closed military zone, bringing in heavy machinery to begin work. Also around Bethlehem last week, activists planted olive trees near the Wall in a symbolic display of steadfastness and a refusal to be uprooted from their land. [
Weekly Report on Israeli Human Rights Violations in the Occupied Palestinian Territory
PCHR Israeli soldiers arrest a Palestinian civilians during clashes in Shu'fat refugee camp near Jerusalem 04 – 10 February 2010 Israeli Occupation Forces (IOF) Continue Systematic Attacks against Palestinian Civilians and Property in the Occupied Palestinian Territory (OPT)
Five Israelis wake up as named 'Dubai assassins'
Ha'aretz 16 Feb 2010 - British sources say Irish passport-holders on Dubai's suspect list are probably Israeli Mossad.
Amir Oren / Following alleged Dubai mess, the Mossad chief must go
Ha'aretz 16 Feb 2010 - This is not the first time the Mossad has not been careful to avoid diplomatic crises with allied countries.
Netanyahu lobbies Russians for ancient Hebrew texts
Ha'aretz 16 Feb 2010 - Russian officials will 'positively consider' returning Guenzberg collection with over 16,000 items.
U.S. envoy to return to Syria after five-year absence
Ha'aretz 16 Feb 2010 - White House: Obama has nominated career diplomat Robert Ford, in bid to strengthen ties with Syria.
Israel has nothing to worry about
Ha'aretz 16 Feb 2010 - Without dramatic evidence to prove Israeli connection, Mossad will emerge unscathed, like pros should.
At least five Israelis 'share names with Dubai hit squad suspects'
Ha'aretz 16 Feb 2010 - Photo of 'Melvyn Adam Mildiner' released by Dubai does not match that of U.K.-born Israeli.
Hamas man's Dubai death was a Mossad-style execution
Ha'aretz 16 Feb 2010 - Assassins arrived on separate flights, stayed in different hotels and entered the target's room using keys.
White House refuses to rule out military option on Iran
Ha'aretz 16 Feb 2010 - U.S., Russia and France warn UN that Iran is 'escalating' nuclear standoff.
Netanyahu in Moscow: Israel not planning war
Ha'aretz 16 Feb 2010 - Prime Minister responds to Iranian claims that his government is eyeing a 'spring or summer offensive'.
Watchdog: Iran arrested 90 journalists in 2009
Ha'aretz 16 Feb 2010 - Committee to Protect Journalists says Iran conducting one of the world's severest media crackdowns.
Ireland confirms 'Irish' Dubai killers don't exist
Ha'aretz 16 Feb 2010 - U.K. sources: 'Irish' assassins likely Mossad agents; Jordan confirms extraditing two Palestinians to UAE.
Israel should heed Obama's warning not to strike Iran
Ha'aretz 16 Feb 2010 - Israel can't go to war without intelligence, military equipment and diplomatic support from the U.S.
Latin American Jews are now following each other on Twitter
Ha'aretz 16 Feb 2010 - UJCL recently broadcast its 12th biennial convention live online using twitter feeds, marking it the first Jewish event in Latin America to do so.
Why should Israel care what the rest of the world thinks?
Ha'aretz 16 Feb 2010 - It is increasingly apparent that in order to survive, Israel must pay heed and recognize the new Zionist realism.
Dubai murder: anger of accused
The Guardian 16 Feb 2010 - British man named as suspect in Mahmoud al-Mabhouh killing says ordeal has left him 'angry, upset and scared' Three British men who today found themselves named as some of the assassins suspected of killing Mahmoud al-Mabhouh...
Dubai murder: fake identities, disguised faces and a clinical assassination
The Guardian 16 Feb 2010 - CCTV appears to show sophisticated operation behind killing of Hamas official Mahmoud al-Mabhouh As soon as Mahmoud al-Mabhouh walked out into the foyer of Dubai International Airport at 3.17pm, the foreign assassins had latched on to...
Dubai killers stole identities of UK citizens
The Guardian 16 Feb 2010 - Real British nationals named among suspects deny role in murder of Hamas official Mahmoud al-Mabhouh A hit squad that murdered a senior Hamas official in Dubai used the stolen identities of six British citizens and faked...
Hamas murder suspects 'used forged British passports'
The Guardian 16 Feb 2010 - Six out of 11-strong hit squad wanted over Dubai hotel killing were using fake passports and are not UK nationals, say officials British officials said today that the British passports used by six suspects in the...
The silence of Israel's liberals | Carlo Strenger
The Guardian 16 Feb 2010 - The gulf between the country's cultural and political life will continue to widen unless the left wakes from its paralysis It is not a pleasant experience to look at Israel's image in the world nowadays, to...
Video: Dubai hit-squad suspects caught on CCTV
The Guardian 16 Feb 2010 - Police have shown footage of some of the 11 Europeans suspected of killing Hamas commander Mahmoud al-Mabhouh
British journalist detained in Gaza
The Guardian 15 Feb 2010 - Documentary film-maker Paul Martin was due to testify on behalf of man accused of collaborating with Israel Hamas officials said today that they have detained a British freelance journalist. Documentary film-maker Paul Martin was detained yesterday...
Aluf Benn / Israel's future relies on integrating Arabs and Haredim
Ha'aretz 16 Feb 2010 - The answer to the question of where this country is headed is hidden in table 8.11 of Israel's annual Statistical Abstract, which shows "Projections of Students in Primary Education" for the coming five years. These are the figures: In the current school year, 47.5 percent of first-graders are either Arabs or Haredim (ultra-Orthodox). The growth rate of the Haredi school system is 39 times greater than that of the state secular schools, and that of the Arab school system is 13 times greater. These are not demographic forecasts, which can turn out to be false; these are children who have already been born and are awaiting their turn in the education system. This is reality. ...
Hundreds flock to show support for embattled rabbi
Ha'aretz 16 Feb 2010 - Hundreds of supporters gathered at the home of Rabbi Mordechai Elon yesterday morning to show their support for the embattled rabbi, who had been accused the day before of inappropriate sexual behavior by a forum of senior religious figures. ...
Tel Aviv panel to meet today on plan to widen Kakal St. by expropriating yards
Ha'aretz 16 Feb 2010 - Tel Aviv's municipal planning and construction committee will meet today to discuss the possibility of expropriating land from the yards of homes on Keren Kayemet (Kakal) St. for the sake of broadening the busy thoroughfare. ...
The Kennedys of the religious Zionist camp
Ha'aretz 16 Feb 2010 - The Elon family, a member of the religious Zionist elite, is entrenched in the world of law, politics and halakha (Jewish religious law). The roots of the dynasty are in Dusseldorf, Germany. A year before the Nazi rise to power, the family fled to the Netherlands and from there to Israel. ...
CEO's son hired to design Holocaust asset group's new office
Ha'aretz 16 Feb 2010 - An internal inquiry conducted by the Company for Restitution of Holocaust Victims Assets has revealed that the group chose an architectural firm linked to its chief executive's son to help the government-run organization relocate its headquarters. ...
Calm restored at Lebanon refugee camp after clash
Relief Web 16 Feb 2010 - Source: Agence France-Presse
Serious Concern Voiced at Prolonged Paralysis of Peace Process, as International Meeting in Support of Israeli-Palestinian Peace Concludes in Malta
Relief Web 16 Feb 2010 - Source: UN General Assembly
United States, Russian Federation Delegates Urge Resumption of Talks, At International Meeting in Support of Israeli-Palestinian Peace
Relief Web 16 Feb 2010 - Source: UN General Assembly
COMMISSION DECISION of on the approval and financing of a Global Plan for humanitarian Actions in the Middle East from the general budget of the European Union ECHO/-ME/BUD/2010/01000
Relief Web 16 Feb 2010 - Source: European Commission Humanitarian Aid department
Quarter of Israeli settlements violate building ban: group
Relief Web 15 Feb 2010 - Source: Agence France-Presse
UK investigating if passports were copied by immigration staff
YNet News 16 Feb 2010 - British Foreign Office confirms identities in passports used by Hamas man's assassins in Dubai are those of real British nationals. Germany, France also looking into passports of two of killers. Report: Syrian source provided assassins with information about al-Mabhouh
Life of 6-year-old from Haiti in danger
YNet News 16 Feb 2010 - Woodley Elysee, who landed in Israel together with IDF aid mission to Haiti, undergoes surgery to repair heart defect, however sudden hemorrhage leaves him in critical condition. Doctors from all fields turn up in effort to save his life
Dahlan: Israel waging war on Abbas
YNet News 16 Feb 2010 - Senior Fatah official accuses Jewish state of 'seeking more anarchy in order to destroy what is left of PA'. Meanwhile, Palestinian prime minister dismisses three ministers, appoints interior minister instead of Abbas' bureau chief
Nasrallah threatens to attack Ben-Gurion Airport
YNet News 16 Feb 2010 - Hezbollah secretary-general says 'Israel needs no excuse' to attack Lebanon. 'If you destroy buildings in Dahiya – we will destroy buildings in Tel Aviv,' Nasrallah warns. He slams US President Obama, who he says cannot help Lebanon as he has failed in stopping settlements
Israeli 'assassin': I was never in Mossad
YNet News 16 Feb 2010 - Melvyn Adam Mildiner, originally from UK, tells Ynet was surprised to discover his name, on passport of suspect in Hamas man's assassination in Dubai. Two other Israeli citizens with similar backgrounds find their names in online media reports
Netanyahu: Israel not planning war with Iran
YNet News 16 Feb 2010 - Speaking in Moscow, prime minister says Tehran's concerns over conflict are result of threat of additional international sanctions. Putin promises him to build museum dedicated to Nazi extermination of millions of Jews in Holocaust
Jerusalem police arrests minors in the middle of the night
B'tselem 15 Feb 2010 - An investigation by B'Tselem has revealed a few cases in which minors aged 12-15, residents of Silwan, East Jerusalem, were unlawfully arrested in the middle of the night and taken, their hands cuffed, for interrogation on suspicion of stone throwing. Tes
Ahmadinejad says Iran will retaliate against any new sanctions
Daily Star 16 Feb 2010 TEHRAN: President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad said on Tuesday any country that tried to impose new sanctions on Iran would regret its actions, as the United States and Russia voiced shared concern about Tehran's nuclear program. Ahmadinejad was speaking a day after US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton sought oil giant Saudi Arabia's support to help win Chinese backing for additional sanctions.
Clinton vows to use clout for Mideast peace
Daily Star 16 Feb 2010 JEDDAH: US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton pledged on Tuesday to use "whatever methods and influence" it has with both Israelis and Palestinians to achieve peace, saying the time has come for a settlement. "We are absolutely committed to do everything we can to get both sides into negotiations and get those negotiations to a successful conclusion," the chief US diplomat told students at a women's college in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia.
Iran's human-rights council head backs opposition right to protest
Daily Star 16 Feb 2010 GENEVA: Iran's top human rights official said Monday that anti-government protests should be allowed in his country because they are "natural" for a democratic state. The comments stand in stark contrast to Tehran's efforts to crack down on opposition groups protesting the outcome of last year's presidential polls. Hundreds of people have been arrested and dozens killed in street clashes between protesters.
Dubai seeks global dragnet for Hamas slaying
Daily Star 16 Feb 2010 DUBAI, United Arab Emirates: Dubai police appealed for an international manhunt Tuesday after releasing names and photos of an alleged 11-member hit squad accused of stalking and killing a Hamas commander last month in a plot that mixed cold precision with spy caper disguises such as fake beards and wigs. Dubai authorities said they would seek assistance from the global police coordination agency Interpol.
Death toll in Maoist attack rises to 25Sailendra Sil
Daily Star 16 Feb 2010 KOLKATA, India: The death toll from a Maoist rebel attack on Indian police rose to 25 on Tuesday after more bodies were found in a ravaged security camp in the east of the country, police said. About 20 rebels riding motorcycles launched the assault in West Bengal state's restive Midnapore district late Monday, killing police in a hail of gunfire and exploding landmines which started fires.
Dubai police name eleven Europeans suspected of assassinating Mohammad al-Mbhouh
PIC 16 Feb 2010 - The Dubai police has announced the arrest of two Palestinians and published names of eleven Europeans suspected of involvement in the killing of Hamas leader Mahmoud Al-Mabhouh.
Abu Halabiya: Israel started a new wave of serious violations against J’lem
PIC 16 Feb 2010 - Dr. Ahmed Abu Halabiya said that there is a new wave of serious Israeli violations that started two weeks ago against the occupied city of Jerusalem, its people and holy sites.
IOA seeks to update information on new targets in Gaza
PIC 16 Feb 2010 - A Palestinian security source has warned that the IOA was trying to reform its net of agents in the Gaza Strip to refresh its information on targets to be hit in any future war.
Haneyya hopes reconciliation would be reached before Arab summit
PIC 16 Feb 2010 - Palestinian premier Ismail Haneyya told a visiting delegation of Arab parliamentarians that he wished Palestinian reconciliation would be signed prior to the Arab summit scheduled for next month.
Hamad: Crossings a humanitarian issue
PIC 16 Feb 2010 - Dr. Ghazi Hamad, the head of the Palestinian authority of borders and crossings, said Tuesday that the closure of crossings increases the suffering of Gaza people.
Syrian MP: The destruction in Gaza surpassed what the Nazis did
PIC 16 Feb 2010 - Syrian lawmaker Mohamed Al-Zoghbi said Tuesday that the size of destruction which the Arab parliamentary delegation saw in Gaza exceeded all expectations and surpassed what the Nazis did.
IOF soldiers detain 3 Palestinians after wounding them in northern Gaza
PIC 16 Feb 2010 - Israeli occupation forces (IOF) detained three Palestinian citizens north of the Gaza Strip after shooting and wounding them, local sources reported.
Khudari urges visiting Arab MPs to provide all kinds of support for Gazans
PIC 16 Feb 2010 - MP Jamal Al-Khudari stressed the importance of the visit made by Arab lawmakers and called for providing political, financial and spiritual support for Gaza people to strengthen their steadfastness.
Shabana threatens a bombshell against Abbas, PA officials
PIC 16 Feb 2010 - Fahmi Shabana Al-Tamimi, the Palestinian intelligence officer, has threatened Tuesday to drop a bomb shell that would block Mahmoud Abbas's participation in the upcoming Arab summit.
Nazzal: Libya mediating between Hamas and Fatah
PIC 16 Feb 2010 - Mohammed Nazzal has disclosed that the Libyan leadership had started mediating between his Movement and Fatah faction to forge a Palestinian national reconciliation prior to the Arab summit.
Selling a piece of Palestinian Main Street
LA Times 16 Feb 2010 - A new private equity fund hopes to raise cash to invest in small and medium-sized businesses in the territories. Is the West Bank ready for Wall Street?
As Saudi Women Meet Clinton, No Talk of Rights
New York Times 16 Feb 2010 - The students declined the secretary of state’s invitation to raise questions about women’s rights at the site of an exchange with a Bush administration official in 2005.
Clinton Issues Another Warning to Iran
New York Times 16 Feb 2010 - At the end of a regional visit, the secretary of state said that Iran’s program might set off a nuclear arms race.
New Hints of Skulduggery in Hamas Killing
New York Times 16 Feb 2010 - New questions have emerged about the identities of the assassins of a Hamas official in Dubai in January.
'Avatar' on the West Bank
New York Times 16 Feb 2010 - Last week protesters in the West Bank painted themselves blue and wore loinclothes, pointy ears and tails to make themselves look like characters from the film "Avatar" for a demonstration against the security barrier Israel is building near the village of Bilin.
Assassins of Hamas Official Caught on Tape, Dubai Says
New York Times 16 Feb 2010 - The Dubai police released video they say shows 11 members of an assassination team at work last month in the hours leading up to the killing of a Hamas official in a luxury hotel.
News Analysis: U.S. Encounters Limits of Iran Engagement Policy
New York Times 16 Feb 2010 - White House officials say they have not abandoned President Obama’s pledge of engagement, but they are beginning to acknowledge some of the policy’s limits.
Hollywood Lands In Jenin
Palestine Monitor - 16 Feb 2010 - Jenin's grand old cinema has been shut down and neglected for more than twenty years, since the start of the first Intifada. This idea to renovate came from Marcus Vetter, the famous German film-maker, who was awarded the ‘Cinema for Peace' award last year for his...
Israeli soldiers fire rubber bullets at journalists in East Jerusalem
Mondoweiss - 16 Feb 2010 - We aim to track reports that Israeli society is toughening, it is exhibiting growing intolerance of dissent, debate, and sunlight. Here is a report at a UN site about an incident last week in which Israeli soldiers fired upon journalists who were covering raids in the...
‘Birthright’ veteran says the debauchery produced dubiety
Mondoweiss - 16 Feb 2010 - Apparently Birthright enrollment closes tomorrow, the free trip to Israel for American Jews between 18 and 26. And in the University of Wisconsin newspaper, Steven Horn critiques the program. He went last summer and says, yes, he had a great time; Birthright made sure that "Israel...
‘Osama prays every night for a war between the West and Iran’
Mondoweiss - 16 Feb 2010 - Went to see Jean-Pierre Filiu, author of “The Nine Lives of Al Qaeda” speak at the New American Foundation . Filiu a professor at Sciences Po in Paris, is a thin sensitive-looking man who devotes much of his life to studying communications and strategies of the amorphous...
Divestment campaign gains traction at U of Arizona
Mondoweiss - 16 Feb 2010 - Divestment is biting at the University of Arizona. Several articles about the campaign in the student newspaper. Here’s the lead : UA administrators are resisting a recommendation by UA students to terminate the university’s contract with the Motorola Corporation. Students say the company is complicit in human...
War of the Colorful City
Alternative Information Center - 16 Feb 2010 - Monday, 15 February 2010, South Tel Aviv has become the primary area of life for the migrant workers—which causes fury and grievances amongst the veteran residents of the area. However, there is a way in which both sides can cooperate on a joint struggle. Some hear...
Wednesday, February 17, 2010
New Excavations Under the Walls Of Jerusalem’s Old City
IMEMC 18 Feb 2010 - Thursday February 18, 2010 - 06:07, The Al Aqsa Foundation for Waqf and Heritage reported that the Israeli authorities started new excavations under the walls of the Old City of Jerusalem., The foundation stated that most of the digging is now concentrated in Bad Al Amoud (Damascus Gate) and Bab Al Sahera (also known as Herod's Gate), in the Old City of Jerusalem.
Palestinian Child Wounded By Settlers in Hebron
IMEMC 18 Feb 2010 - Thursday February 18, 2010 - 02:13, A group of fundamentalist settlers attacked on Wednesday a Palestinian child in the southern West Bank city of Hebron causing concussions and bruises that required hospitalization.
Soldiers Invade Salfit village, Break Into Municipality Building
IMEMC 18 Feb 2010 - Thursday February 18, 2010 - 02:02, Israeli soldiers invaded on Wednesday afternoon the village of Kufr Ad Deek village, near the central West Bank city of Salfit, and broke into its local council building.
Awad: “Reconstruction Donations Never Reached Gaza”
IMEMC 18 Feb 2010 - Thursday February 18, 2010 - 01:47, Dr. Mohammad Awad, secretary-general of the Council of Ministers at the Palestinian Authority in Gaza, stated that the promised Arab and international aid donations, allocated for rebuilding the Gaza Strip, never made it to the coastal region.
Al Qassam Vows Retaliation For The Assassination Of Al Madbouh
IMEMC 18 Feb 2010 - Thursday February 18, 2010 - 00:50, Abu Obaida, spokesperson of the Al Qassam Brigades, the armed wing of Hamas, vowed retaliation for the assassination of Mahmoud Al Madbouh, who was killed in Dubai, and said that the response will be “as big as the crime carried out against Al Madbouh”.
Two Soldiers Wounded By Settlers In Yitzhar Settlement
IMEMC 18 Feb 2010 - Thursday February 18, 2010 - 00:02, Israeli sources reported Wednesday that a border-guard officer and an Israeli soldier were lightly wounded on Wednesday after a group of young Jewish settlers from the Yitzhar settlement, in the West Bank, hurled stones at them.
The Israeli army orders the demolition of two houses near Bethlehem city
IMEMC 18 Feb 2010 - Wednesday February 17, 2010 - 16:07, The Israeli military handed out on Wednesday demolition orders against homes in the village of Al Khader near the southern West Bank city of Bethlehem.
The Israeli Military Detains 11 Palestinian Civilians From The West Bank
IMEMC 18 Feb 2010 - Wednesday February 17, 2010 - 14:45, Eleven Palestinian civilians were detained by Israeli troops on Wednesday during invasions targeting a number of West Bank communities.
Israeli settlers injures a Palestinian child at the southern West Bank city of Hebron
IMEMC 18 Feb 2010 - Wednesday February 17, 2010 - 13:00, A Palestinian child was injured on Wednesday when Israeli settlers attacked her at the old city part of Hebron, southern West Bank.
Hamas To Release 20 Fateh Prisoners
IMEMC 18 Feb 2010 - Wednesday February 17, 2010 - 12:46, Ismail Haniyya, Prime Minister of the dissolved Hamas-led government in Gaza, stated Wednesday that his government would release 20 Fateh political prisoners as a gesture of good will towards the visiting Arab parliamentarians.
Israel stops construction in West Bank town
2/18/2010 - Bethlehem - Ma'an - Armed Israeli soldiers seized construction materials in the West Bank town of Al-Khadr on Wednesday after delivering stop work orders for two unfinished houses. One of the houses belongs to Ali Salim Mousa, the other belongs to the village's mayor Ramzi Salah. According to the stop work orders, the two houses are being built in an area under full Israeli military control, a claim Palestinian authorities and residents dispute. Officials from the Al-Khadr Municipality told Ma'an that Israeli soldiers arrived on Wednesday in the Abu Sud area in the southern part of the village, close to the separation wall which runs alongside a settler bypass road. Once in the area, the officials said, soldiers handed over a stop work order for Ali Salim Mousa's house. According to Mousa's son, soldiers also confiscated construction equipment.
Palestinian workers protest at checkpoint
2/18/2010 - Nablus - Ma'an - Palestinian trade unions staged a demonstration at the Sha'ar Efraym crossing point near the West Bank city of Tulkarem on Wednesday protesting what they say are humiliating searches by a private security company at the checkpoint. Angry workers appeared at the barbed wire fence that surrounds the crossing and handed over a letter to Israeli officials demanding an end to the hours of waiting and strict searches workers are subject to while crossing into Israel. The letter also emphasized that if workers' demands are not met, further protests will take place. According to Farouq Omar, secretary of the Palestinian trade union in Nablus, each night more than 15,000 workers from throughout the West Bank districts line up at the crossing starting after midnight. He explained that "humiliating inspections take a long time, and so workers can't arrive to their workplaces in time. "
Israel shuts checkpoints amid settler violence
2/18/2010 - Nablus - Ma'an - Israeli forces closed all checkpoints into the northern West Bank city of Nablus on Wednesday evening, onlookers said, after Israeli forces clashed with settlers in the area. An Israeli military spokesman told Ma'an that forces "are conducting exercises throughout the Samaria [northern West Bank] region. " The military later issued a statement saying that during the exercise two Border Police officers and a soldier were injured by rocks thrown by 30 teenage Israeli settlers from Yizhar. "The exercise "¦ was disrupted when the teens rioted in the village and hurled rocks and bottles filled with paint at IDF soldiers and other security forces," the statement said. "The rioters also prevented the forces from leaving the community by placing tires and blocking its gate. Two Border Policemen and an IDF soldier were lightly injured by the rock hurling and several military vehicles were damaged," it added. "
Israel army seizes 11 Palestinians in night raids
2/17/2010 - Washington - Ma'an - Israeli military forces detained 11 Palestinians during nightly raids on West Bank communities, army sources reported on Wednesday. The men were all allegedly detained as "wanted," and were taken for questioning, an Israeli media report said. They were not immediately identified. Witnesses said three men were taken from their homes in Sa'ir village northeast of Hebron overnight. A neighbor of one of the detained men said Israeli forces invaded the town before sunrise and entered the home of Ya'qub Jaradat, where the detained his two sons: Majdi, 26,and Fuad, 22. A second witness said the home of Shleish Jaradat was also invaded, and its contents ransacked. Jaradat's son Sa'd, 22, was taken to an unknown location, he said. . . . .
Report: Britain summons Israel envoy over Dubai assassination
2/17/2010 - Bethlehem - Ma'an - Britain will ask Israel to explain why six alleged members of a hit squad that killed a Hamas commander in Dubai last month entered the emirate with UK passports, The Guardian reported Wednesday. The London-based newspaper said the Israeli ambassador will be called in to the Foreign Office on Thursday to "share information" about the use of identities stolen from six citizens living in Israel who deny involvement in the assassination of former Hamas commander Mahmoud Al-Mabhouh last month. British Prime Minister Gordon Blown has also launched a "full investigation" into the use of British passports that will be led by the Serious Organized Crime Agency (SOCA), according to the report. "The British passport is an important part of being British and we have to make sure everything is done to protect it," the prime minister reportedly said.
Hamas vows to avenge Mabhouh assassination
2/17/2010 - Gaza - Ma'an - Hamas' armed wing vowed on Wednesday to avange the death of a movement leader it alleges was assassinated by Israel. "The decision has been made. We decided to respond," said Abu Obaida, the spokesman for the Eddedin Al-Qassam Brigades, speaking at a Hamas rally in Sheikh Zayed City in the northern Gaza Strip. He said Hamas would not say when or where this response would take place, but said Israel "must pay for this crime. " He was referring to the murder of Mahmoud Al-Mabhouh, the Hamas leader who was found dead in A Dubai hotel room on 20 January. On Monday Dubai police named an 11-member hit team that traveled to the emirate on what were later revealed to be false European passports. Abu Obaida also warned Israel against waging a new offensive on Gaza, saying any such attack would be "sure to fail. "
Smuggling tunnel business on severe decline
2/17/2010 - Gaza - Ma'an - Gaza markets saturated with goods smuggled in through underground tunnels from Egypt have caused retailers to slash prices, often to below cost, tunnel operators said Wednesday. As a result in the margin shrinkage, dozens of tunnels have ceased operations and hundreds of young men in Gaza have lost their only source of income, they said. Owners of some smuggling tunnels in the south of the Strip said the subterranean steel wall Egypt continues to build along the border has little o do with the tunnel closures, but rather said the business became less lucrative. One tunnel operator who preferred not to be identified, said damage done by the construction of the wall was easily repaired, and workers could cut through the steel dug into the earth by Egyptian workers. Abu Ali, a second tunnel owner said "about 80% of tunnel owners closed their tunnels due to the serious increase in prices which lowered profits unprecedentedly. "
Two Palestinians held in Dubai over Hamas killing
2/17/2010 - Washington - Ma'an - Police in Dubai questioned two Palestinians in connection with the recent assassination of a Hamas official, the French news agency AFP reported on Tuesday. The revelation came a day after the Dubai police chief named an 11-member hit squad who traveled to the Emirate on what appeared to be forged European passports. Dubai police released the names and passport photos of the alleged assassins. The two Palestinians, both residents of the United Arab Emirates (UAE), "fled to Jordan" after Hamas member Mahmoud Al-Mabhouh was found dead in a Dubai hotel room last month, police chief Dahi Khalfan told AFP. The pair were arrested in Jordan and then extradited back to the UAE, he said. In a dramatic announcement on Monday, Khalfan said police planned to issue arrest warrants for six British passport holders, three with Irish passports, including a woman, and the. . .
US to return envoy to Syria
2/17/2010 - Washington - Ma'an/Agencies - US President Barack Obama moved to reappoint an ambassador to Syria on Tuesday after a five-year absence. Obama nominated career diplomat Robert Ford, according to a statement from the White House. "His appointment represents President Obama's commitment to use engagement to advance US interests by improving communication with the Syrian government and people," the statement said. Obama's predecesso,r George W. Bush, withdrew the US ambassador from Damascus in 2005 after the assassination of Lebanese Prime Minister Rafiq Hariri. Syria denied accusations that it arranged the killing. While relations between Syria and the US have thawed somewhat since Obama took office in early 2009, the US president renewed sanctions against the country in May. Middle Eastern news media have reported for weeks that Washington was preparing to return its envoy to Damascus.
Palestinians of Yaffa face settlers as neighbors
2/18/2010 - Yaffa - Graffiti scrawled on walls around the mixed Jewish and Arab town of Yaffa in central Israel last week exclaimed: "Settlers, keep out" and "Yaffa is not Hebron. " Yaffa is home to what remains of a Palestinian community near what is now the bustling coastal metropolis of Tel Aviv. Palestinian residents say their neighborhood has become the latest battleground for an attempted takeover by extremist Jews, a dynamic familiar from West Bank cities like Hebron, where Zionist Israelis move into Palestinian homes under the cover of armed soldiers. Small numbers of nationalist religious Jews have begun moving into Yaffa's main Arab district, Ajami, over recent months. Tensions have been simmering since a special Yeshiva, or Jewish seminary, was established last year in the heart of Ajami for young Jewish men who combine study of religious texts with serving in the Israeli army.
In Photos: Palestinian children denounce Gaza blockade
2/17/2010 - Photos - Palestinian children hold a demonstration in Gaza City on Tuesday, 16 February, calling for an end to the three-year-old Israeli-led blockade of the Gaza Strip, which has recently caused widespread power outages, in addition to scarcity of crucial goods. Gaza's 1. 5 million inhabitants have been all but banned from leaving the tiny Strip since 2007. Photos by Ma'an's Wissam Nassar.
Israel cites ’security reasons’ for sudden crossing closure
2/17/2010 - Gaza - Ma'an - Hours after Palestinians were informed that the Karni crossing would be open Wednesday, Israeli officials suddenly shut down the terminal citing "security threats. "Earlier in the day Palestinian crossings liaison Raed Fattouh said the central Gaza bulk goods crossing would transport 104 truckloads of wheat and animal feed into the besieged area. The opening would have been the second in the week, and followed reports in the Israeli media saying the crossing was a security risk and would remain closed until "Hamas rule" in Gaza was over. Although Israeli officials said the crossing would open and Palestinians waiting for the opening said it looked as though preparations were being made to open the terminal, no goods passed through. An Israeli spokeswoman at the Erez crossing confirmed that the crossing was closed, and. . .
Detainee released after 5 years in Israeli jail
2/17/2010 - Gaza - Ma'an - Israeli authorities released a detainee from Nablus after five years of detention on Wednesday. Hamas' Detainees Committee reported that Ahmad Abdel Aziz Dweikat, 24, from Rogeib village in Nablus, was released. Dweikat had been accused of opposing the occupation in Nablus, the Detainees Committee said in a statement. [end]
Hebron mayor talks sustainability with Dutch delegation
2/18/2010 - Hebron - Ma'an - Dutch Consul General Jack Twiss paid a visit to Hebron on Tuesday, touring several sites including projects funded by The Netherlands. Twiss said he was pleased with the progress of the projects, particularly in reference to the development of Hebron's Central Bus Station, being constructed with a 2 million Euro donation from Holland. Hebron Mayor Khalid Esseleh and chief of projects for the municipality Ziad Sharia spoke with Twiss and his delegation about the vision of Hebronites for sustainable development in the city, as well as the pitfalls an Israeli occupation sets for stymieing the process "A world calling for peace should stand by Palestinians, end the occupation and take away the settlers. Only then can we establish our independence and live a normal, secure, healthy and free life as other people do," Esseleh said.
Report: German mediator to resume efforts on Shalit deal
2/17/2010 - Bethlehem - Ma'an - German mediator Gerhard Conrad will likely resume his bi-lateral efforts toward a prisoner-swap deal between Hamas and Israel before the end of February, Israel's channel 2 TV reported Tuesday. Hamas spokesman Salah Al-Bardawil said the movement has not received any messages around the resumption of swap talks, and denied recent reports that Israel had passed information to Russia on the process, he said Wednesday. "Hamas isn't concerned about discussing messages on the prisoner swap deal. Our cause is a sacred right, and releasing Shalit is an interest for us and for Netanyahu" Al-Bardawil announced. Channel 2 said Conrad considered Israel's last offer to Hamas "just and acceptable. "The last deal reportedly involved the release of many of those requested by Hamas, but would have seen hundreds exiled to Europe and parts of the Middle East as well as West Bankers confined to Gaza.
Hamas: Israeli oppression will fuel third Intifada
2/17/2010 - Gaza - Ma'an - If Israel continues to displace Palestinians and judaise Jerusalem they will see a third uprising from the Palestinian people, leaders in the Hamas movement warned Tuesday. Palestinians in Gaza demonstrated in Khan Younis in the afternoon, decrying the displacement of their fellow nationals in the West Bank, and particularly occupied areas of Jerusalem. During the rally, Hamas spokesman Hammad Ar-Ruqab warned that Palestinians could not be repressed so harshly without fighting back. "The crimes of Israeli occupation of the West Bank have become a threat to the whole Palestinian question, especially the campaign to judaise the Al-Aqsa Mosque in Jerusalem," Ar-Ruqab said, warning that the accumulated oppression would need only a small spark to ignite a third Intifada. "We say to our people in the West Bank including Jerusalem that we are with them and will never remain, hands folded, toward their suffering. "
PWA obtains Israeli approval for suspended water projects
2/17/2010 - Ramallah - Ma'an - Dozens of wells in West Bank areas under full Israeli military and civilian control can be dug and rehabilitated following the release of a suspension order Wednesday, that had stalled the projects for years. Head of of the Bilateral Joint Technical Committee Jihad Bashir said the Palestinian Water Authority (PWA) said all the suspended projects were in "Area C. " Palestinian civilians, non-governmental organizations and government bodies must all apply to Israeli liaison offices for permission to engage in any sort of construction on lands that remain under full Israeli military occupation. The use of heavy machinery on those areas is strictly prohibited. Bashir released a statement saying the PA had been granted permission to dig a well, providing 300-400 cubic meters of water per month to residents of the Jerusalem district.
Settlement products destroyed in Salfit
2/17/2010 - Salfit - Ma'an - Crews from the caretaker Ministry of the Economy, customs officers and the Palestinian Authority preventive security department seized and destroyed 20,000 shekels (5,355 US dollars) of settlement goods on Wednesday, officials said. The economy ministry said the goods included detergents and plastic containers produced in the illegal settlement of Qarne Shomron, in the northern Salfit district. The seizure and destruction come in like with a new government policy in the West Bank prohibiting the sale of goods produced in the settlements. The statement said the implementation of the ban would be strict, that it is in the interests of the Palestinian National Project and that "anyone violating the law will be brought into account. " . . . .
Arab parliament delegation leaves Gaza
2/17/2010 - Gaza - Ma'an - A pan-Arab parliamentary delegation left the Gaza Strip via Egypt on Wednesday after a three-day visit intended to push forward Palestinian reconciliation efforts. Gaza border crossings authorities said top Hamas leader Mahmoud Az-Zahhar accompanied the 22-member group to the Rafah crossing point. While in Gaza the delegation visited sited destroy during last year's Israeli military offensive, including the Palestinian Legislative Council building, and also met with de facto Prime Minister Ismail Haniyeh, civil society groups, and the families of Palestinians held in Israeli prisons. The delegation from the Arab Parliamentary Union included members from Egypt, Jordan, Syria, Morocco, Algeria, Qatar, Bahrain, Lebanon, Sudan, Kuwait, and Oman. Salim Ben Ali Al-Kabi, an MP from Oman led the delegation.
Haniyeh to free 20 Fatah detainees
2/18/2010 - Gaza - Ma'an - Ismail Haniyeh, the prime minister in Gaza, said Wednesday that his government would release 20 Fatah-affiliated detainees. It was not clear, however, when the unidentified prisoners would be released. Haniyeh's remarks came during a farewell ceremony for 26 Arab parliamentarians, who entered the besieged enclave on Monday. Ahmad Bahar, a Hamas leader and deputy speaker of the Palestinian Legislative Council, praised the decision. Ihab Al-Ghosen, spokesman of the de facto Ministry of the Interior, said the move comes "in the framework of building bridges of trust between us and Fatah and is a way to honor the visit of the Arab parliamentary delegation and Dr Nabil Sha'ath. Therefore, the prime minister decided to release 20 Fatah detainees who were detained for security and various criminal issues. "
Hamas, Fatah voice support for Egyptian unity deal
2/17/2010 - Gaza - Ma'an - In the latest of a series of public displays of goodwill, rival Palestinian political factions, including Hamas and Fatah, voiced support on Tuesday for a restoration of national unity based on an Egyptian-backed power-sharing plan. Hamas and Fatah officials made these remarks at a conference in Gaza City titled "A Joint Resolution: We will not be divided," organized by the Palestinian Alliance for Peace. Hamas leader Ismail Radwan said in a speech, "Hamas supports a genuine and lasting national reconciliation. "He also made reference to his group's demands for changes to the Egyptian reconciliation plan. At Egypt's request, Fatah signed the unity document in October, but Hamas balked at backing the initiative, asking to alter aspects of the deal which the Islamic movement said could undermine the party.
Fatah official: No changes to inquiry team
2/17/2010 - Bethlehem - Ma'an - Despite reports to the contrary, President Mahmoud Abbas will not replace members of a commission of inquiry he established to examine corruption allegations, a senior Fatah official said on Wednesday. Fatah leader Rafiq An-Natshah told Ma'an Radio that "we have no information of changes to the existing commission of inquiry or a new one," denying reports that appeared Wednesday in the Israeli press. The Hebrew-language daily Yedioth Ahronoth reported that Abbas was considering appointing a new commission to probe his former chief of staff, Rafiq Al-Husseini, who was caught on video allegedly soliciting sexual favors from a job applicant. "I know there is a commission headed by Mohammad Ghuneim, although there may be some new additions," An-Natshah added, contradicting Fatah officials quoted as saying Ghuneim had declined to serve.
Fayyad: No plans for cabinet reshuffle
2/17/2010 - Washington - Ma'an - Palestinian caretaker Prime Minister Salam Fayyad was quoted on Wednesday denying reports that [he] was planning a reshuffle of his cabinet in the wake of corruption scandals. Fayyad told the US-based website Palestine Note that he is not planning any changes to the Palestinian Authority (PA) cabinet in Ramallah. On Tuesday PA officials told Ma'an that President Mahmoud Abbas had already approved a plan to replace "more than one" cabinet member. The sources said Fayyad offered. Interior Minister Said Abu Ali the position of chief of staff. Abu Ali, however, has since denied knowledge of the offer. The sources had also originally said Justice Minister Ali Khashan, Education Minister Lamis Al-Alami, and Agriculture Minister Ismail Deiq would likely be replaced. The PA has been shaken by scandals in recent weeks.
3 hurt as West Bank settlers mistake IDF drill for eviction
Ha'aretz 17 Feb 2010 - Rioters throw stones, damage vehicles in attack on soldiers and border guards training in West Bank.
'Illegal' Gaza tunnel owners suffer as Hamas economy grows
Ha'aretz 17 Feb 2010 - Merchandise overflow caused by Hamas-run tunnels, which puts 'illegal' tunnel owners out of work.
High Court orders Israel to speed up outpost demolitions
Ha'aretz 17 Feb 2010 - 16 homes in unauthorized West Bank outposts Hayovel, Harsha have been considered ilegal since 2005.
Israeli report: 33 settlements violating freeze
Uruknet February 17, 2010 - At least 33 West Bank settlements are expanding in violation of a partial ban on construction ordered by the Israeli government in November, the Israeli group Peace Now reports. Last week the Israeli Defense Ministry, which is charged with enforcing the ban, admitted that violations are ongoing in 29 settlements. Israel’s Deputy Defense Minister Matan Vilnai...
Western Media, Not Israeli Hasbara
Uruknet February 17, 2010 - With the dreadful threat of yet another Israeli war in the Middle East looming, Israeli propaganda machine is likely to go into full gear. In fact, trial balloons have already been sent out bearing supposedly unrehearsed comments by former Israeli Army general and current Minister Yossi Peled, suggesting that another war is on its way. More...
Israeli Prime Minister Plans 'Zionist Heritage' Trail Through Palestinian Land
Uruknet February 17, 2010 - After a recent speech to a Zionist conference in Tel Aviv extolling the importance of building 'heritage sites' and other projects connecting Jews around the world to the Zionist program, Israeli Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu has announced a five-year plan to construct 'heritage trails' that will criss-cross and annex land throughout the Palestinian West Bank. Netanyahu...
Video: Palestine | The Truth.
Uruknet February 17, 2010 - Watch it, and find out the truth. Find out how since the idea of the State of Israel, Palestinians have suffered. Find out how Palestinians were, and are treated. Find out how Zionism is like Nazism for the Palestinians. FIND OUT NOW!...
Report: Britain summons Israel envoy over Dubai assassination
Uruknet February 17, 2010 - Britain will ask Israel to explain why six alleged members of a hit squad that killed a Hamas commander in Dubai last month entered the emirate with UK passports, The Guardian reported Wednesday. The London-based newspaper said the Israeli ambassador will be called in to the Foreign Office on Thursday to "share information" about the use...
The Israeli military injures three and detains them at northern Gaza Strip
Uruknet February 16, 2010 - Three Palestinians were reported injured and detained by Israeli troops on Tuesday at the northern Gaza Strip town of Biet Lahyia. A number of Israeli tanks stormed the evacuated settlement of Doghet and opened fire at Palestinian workers injuring three of them, witnesses reported. Troops then detained the three men and took them to an unknown...
Afganistan: If the enemy vanishes -- kill civilians
Uruknet February 16, 2010 - ...The attack on Marjah is no different from the numerous other Nato "clear, hold and build" missions -- except in the number of troops and the amount of media ballyhoo. And there's no reason why this should be different in the outcome, with the Taliban withdrawing tactically and biding its time, before infiltrating back into the...
Jews-Only Homes for Ajami Arabs of Jaffa Face Settlers as Neighbors
Uruknet February 16, 2010 - Over the past few days graffiti scrawled on walls around the mixed Jewish and Arab town of Jaffa in central Israel exclaims: "Settlers, keep out" and "Jaffa is not Hebron". Although Jaffa is only a stone’s throw from the bustling coastal metropolis of Tel Aviv, Arab residents say their neighbourhood has become the unlikely battleground for...
Video - The Silent War: Israel's Blockade of Gaza
Uruknet February 16, 2010 - Israels blockade of Gaza has been in place for almost three years. Building on existing closures and restrictions, the blockade means the delay or denial of a broad range of items food, industrial, educational, medical deemed "non-essential" for a population largely unable to be self-sufficient at the end of decades of occupation. The blockade prevents access...
Israel detains 5 Palestinians and sets up checkpoints in Jenin
17 Feb 2010 - West Bank, February 17, 2010 (Pal Telegraph) - Israeli occupation forces kidnapped 5 Palestinians early Wednesday after an operation of raids launched in different villages, towns and neighborhoods of Hebron in the southern of the West Bank. Security sources said that occupation forces detained two brothers Majdi and Fawzi Jaradat, in the twenties of age, after raiding their house, also...
Palestinians collaborate with Israel on permit scam
17 Feb 2010 - Nablus, West Bank, February 16, 2010 (Pala Telegraph) - Thousands of Palestinians hoping to gain work and higher wages in Israel were duped over the last three years by a gang of Israelis and Palestinians selling forged permits, Secretary-General of the Palestinian Trade Union Shahir Sa'd said Tuesday. The scam was routed Sunday when Israeli police detained dozens of alleged...
Taking credit without responsibility, Israel expects little diplomatic fallout
The National 17 Feb 2010 - Analysis While voices in the country are mixed on Mossad's role, history indicates that this international relations storm, too, shall pass.
Tehran on the defensive after being called a dictatorship
The National 17 Feb 2010 - Hillary Clinton, the US secretary of state, warned this week that Iran is moving toward a military dictatorship , prompting a swift and furious response from Iran.
Turkey steps in to soften Iran's hard line
The National 17 Feb 2010 - Finding itself in a bind, Ankara embraces the role of mediator between East and West and asks Tehran to suspend enrichment.
Egypt to Double Export Value in 4 Years
The Media Line 16 Feb 2010 - Egypt plans to double the value of its exports in four years by investing in its infrastructure, transportation and energy sectors. Egyptian Prime Minster Ahmed Nazif has announced that Egypt plans to increase the value of...
Israeli Leader: 'Here I Come, Arrest Me'
The Media Line 16 Feb 2010 - Former Israeli Foreign Minister plans trip to London to get arrested. Israeli opposition leader Tzipi Livni has announced she is willing to face arrest as a "test case" to pressure the British government to fulfill a...
Nasrallah Warns Hezbollah Will Strike Israel's Airport
The Media Line 16 Feb 2010 - Hezbollah leader Sheikh Hassan Nasrallah has warned that his organization will destroy Israel's main international airport if it dares to attack Lebanon. "If you hit Rafik al-Hariri international airport in Beirut, we will hit Ben-Gurion airport...
Israel Demolishes Foundations of New Jewish Homes in Territories
The Media Line 16 Feb 2010 - Officials of the Civil Administration and Israeli security forces demolished four concrete foundations in Revava, a Jewish community in the areas acquired by Israel in 1967. This is the first time that construction foundations have been...
War of Words between Israel and Iran
The Media Line 16 Feb 2010 - Israel's Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu said Israel is not planning a war with Iran or with any other country. Speaking before he left Moscow, Netanyahu responded to statements made by Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad that Israel...
Saudi Arabia to Keep Dollar Peg
The Media Line 15 Feb 2010 - Saudi Arabia has announced it will retain its peg to the dollar despite falling exchange rates. The head of Saudi Arabia's central bank says the riyal will remain pegged to the dollar. Muhammed Al-Jasser, the Governor...
Top U.S. General Vows: Never Again
The Media Line 15 Feb 2010 - U.S. Joint Chiefs of Staff states commitment to avert another Holocaust during visit to famous Jerusalem memorial. As Iran moves closer to attaining nuclear weapons, America's top-ranking military official vowed during a visit to Jerusalem that...
US names new envoy to Syria
AlJazeera 17 Feb 2010 - Nomination of ambassador to Damascus ends five-year break in ties with Washington.
Hamas vows revenge for killing
AlJazeera 17 Feb 2010 - Thousands attend Gaza rally for commander assassinated in Dubai hotel.
The Personal is the Most Political: Bedouin Women in the Negev
Alternative Information Center 17 Feb 2010 - Tuesday, 16 February 2010, Many women in the West perceived the women of the East as a woman of the noble savage, an obedient woman who sits at home. Their perception of Arab women in the...
6 more assassins added to Dubai wanted list
Jeruslalem Post 17 Feb 2010 - Former senior Mossad man tells ‘Post’: Hit serves those who want to accuse Israel of being aggressive.
Right slams demolition deadline demand
Jeruslalem Post 17 Feb 2010 - High Court accused of regarding itself as “branch of NIF rather than Israel."
'New UN Iran sanctions in March'
Jeruslalem Post 17 Feb 2010 - Austrian FM speaks to 'Post' as PM continues to urge measures against Iran’s energy sector.
Right slams demand for demolition deadline
Jeruslalem Post 17 Feb 2010 - High Court accused of regarding itself as “a branch of the NIF rather than of the State of Israel."
Hesder rabbi: IDF insubordination teaches children anarchy
Jeruslalem Post 17 Feb 2010 - Everyone has a red line, but when it becomes a movement or a rallying cry, it is a descent into mob rule, warns Yuval Cherlow.
Russia: S-300 delivery delayed
Jeruslalem Post 17 Feb 2010 - Iran to get system once technical issues are resolved, Russian official says.
Aflalo, Schneller slam Livni for ‘leftist' speech
Jeruslalem Post 17 Feb 2010 - Mofaz holding talks for Kadima to join government.
Barak: Syria shouldn't test Israel
Jeruslalem Post 17 Feb 2010 - Defense minister's comments come after Assad meets US undersecretary of State.
Top US official meets Assad in Syria
Jeruslalem Post 17 Feb 2010 - Burns' visit comes after Obama says he'll nominate career diplomat as Damascus envoy.
Weekly Report on Israeli Human Rights Violations in the Occupied Palestinian Territory
PCHR Israeli soldiers arrest a Palestinian civilians during clashes in Shu'fat refugee camp near Jerusalem 04 – 10 February 2010 Israeli Occupation Forces (IOF) Continue Systematic Attacks against Palestinian Civilians and Property in the Occupied Palestinian Territory (OPT)
U.K., Ireland to Israel envoys: Explain identity theft in Dubai killing
Ha'aretz 17 Feb 2010 - Israeli officials: Mahmoud al-Mabhouh assassination could spawn a serious diplomatic rift with Great Britain.
Ari Shavit / Iran threat is too much for the Mossad to handle
Ha'aretz 17 Feb 2010 - Israel's intelligence agencies operate brilliantly, but they can't tackle historic challenges single-handedly.
Gideon Levy / Mossad is supposed to gather intelligence, not sow death
Ha'aretz 17 Feb 2010 - How we love winking at each other and feeling proud of the Mossad, whose long arm can reach any hotel.
Editorial / Troubling questions from Dubai
Ha'aretz 17 Feb 2010 - What initially seemed like a 'clean' operation turned out to be wracked by negligent mishaps.
U.S. prosecutors probing allegations of fraud against Israeli rabbi
Ha'aretz 17 Feb 2010 - Popular Be'er Sheva kabbalist allegedly defrauded American Jews out of hundreds of thousands of dollars.
U.K. summons Israel envoy over passports used in Hamas killing
Ha'aretz 17 Feb 2010 - Ireland also expected to send for Israeli ambassador to explain identity thefts by Dubai assassins.
Clinton: U.S. has no plan to strike Iran over nuclear program
Ha'aretz 17 Feb 2010 - Iran: We will never give up enrichment at any price; Netanyahu: Watered-down sanctions not enough.
Russia-Iran arms deal delayed due to 'technical problems'
Ha'aretz 17 Feb 2010 - During visit to Russia this week, Netanyahu lobbied Moscow to cancel sale of S-300 to Tehran.
U.S. lawmakers in Israel 'puzzled' by Ayalon boycott
Ha'aretz 17 Feb 2010 - Deputy Foreign Min. snubs U.S. congressional delegation touring Israel with members of J Street group.
Convicted Holocaust denier to be released from German prison
Ha'aretz 17 Feb 2010 - Ernst Zundel, 70, served five years after being convicted of inciting hatred, anti-Semitic activities.
U.S. woos Syria in 'candid' Damascus talks
Ha'aretz 17 Feb 2010 - Top official meets Assad in Obama administration's latest drive to lure Damascus away from Tehran.
Pro-Mideast in America: Getting past 'Pro-Israel' and 'Pro-Palestine'
Ha'aretz 17 Feb 2010 - The Jews for whom compromise is spelled Auschwitz, the Palestinians for whom it is is spelled collaboration.
Haaretz's Dubai look-alike: Even my mother asked if I'd been abroad
Ha'aretz 17 Feb 2010 - Haaretz education correspondent wakes up to find he's the spitting image of an alleged assassin.
Following alleged Dubai mess, the Mossad chief must go
Ha'aretz 17 Feb 2010 - This is not the first time the Mossad has not been careful to avoid diplomatic crises with allied countries.
Response: Tony Blair is determined to help bring peace to Gaza
The Guardian 17 Feb 2010 - Good relations with both Israelis and Palestinians make Blair a highly effective asset Avi Shlaim's attack on Tony Blair was unjustified and unbalanced ( Gaza's great betrayer , 3 February). Tony Blair is committed to helping bring about...
Hamas official accused of helping Mossad hit squad
The Guardian 17 Feb 2010 - • Palestinian 'defectors' suspected of involvement in murder • Police hunt six new suspects as more details of plot emerge A key security operative of the Palestinian Islamist movement Hamas was under arrest in Syria tonight...
Mahmoud al-Mabhouh's murky world | Brian Whitaker
The Guardian 17 Feb 2010 - Details of the Hamas official's murder resemble a movie script, but there's unlikely to be a neat Hollywood ending Murder is a serious matter but amid tales of forged passports , not to mention the suspects' use...
Hit squad suspected of killing Mahmoud al-Mabhouh
The Guardian 17 Feb 2010 - 16 February 2010: A hit squad carrying British and other European passports was responsible for killing Mahmoud al-Mabhouh, a senior Hamas commander, in his hotel room in Dubai, according to the Dubai police chief
Dubai assassins stole identities of six UK citizens
The Guardian 17 Feb 2010 - Hit squad that killed one of the founders of Hamas military wing also faked at least five other European passports A hit squad that murdered a senior Hamas official in Dubai used the stolen identities of...
Jerusalem to turn Sheikh Jarrah land into parking lot near Jewish tomb
Ha'aretz 17 Feb 2010 - The Jerusalem municipality will appropriate a plot of land in East Jerusalem's Sheikh Jarrah neighborhood to build a public parking lot near the tomb of a Second Temple-era high priest, despite arguments that the move is intended to benefit Jewish pilgrims and expand the Jewish presence in East Jerusalem. ...
Doctors threaten strike in row with Deputy Health Minister
Ha'aretz 17 Feb 2010 - The Israel Medical Association is threatening to take action, and strike if necessary, in its escalating battle with Deputy Health Minister Yaakov Litzman should its Scientific Council be transferred to the ministry. The heads of various medical associations held an emergency meet Wednesday, and the president of the IMA, Dr. Leonid Eidelman, said the organization would not hesitate to carry out its threat. ...
Israel to triple demolition rate for illegal Bedouin construction
Ha'aretz 17 Feb 2010 - The Interior Ministry, the Israel Lands Administration and the southern district of the Israel Police have jointly resolved to triple the demolition rate of illegal construction in the scattered Bedouin communities in the Negev. The decision came at a meeting about a month ago. ...
Court rejects prosecution move to postpone Olmert trial
Ha'aretz 17 Feb 2010 - State had hoped to force delay when lead prosecutor stepped down over reports he insulted judges.
In letter to court, Netanyahu's wife denies mistreating maid
Ha'aretz 17 Feb 2010 - Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's wife on Wednesday submitted a letter of defense to the Tel Aviv Labor Court, in which she flatly denied accusations that she had mistreated and underpaid her housekeeper. ...
Israel tightens vice on Gaza Strip, UN reports
Relief Web 17 Feb 2010 - Source: UN News Service
PCHR's submission to the 13th session of the Human Rights Council - Agenda Item 7
Relief Web 17 Feb 2010 - Source: Palestinian Centre for Human Rights
Joint Statement: More than One year after Operation Cast Lead : Distressing Lack of Accountability and Justice for the Victims of the Conflict
Relief Web 17 Feb 2010 - Source: Al-Dameer, Al Mezan Center for Human Rights, BADIL Resource Center for Palestinian Residency and Refugee Rights
West Bank: no respite from hardship for Palestinians
Relief Web 17 Feb 2010 - Source: ICRC
Israel begins rerouting West Bank barrier
Relief Web 16 Feb 2010 - Source: LA Times
World Bank Examines Impact of Conflict and Closure Regime on Palestinian Women
Relief Web 16 Feb 2010 - Source: World Bank
State on illegal outpost: Delay in relocating settlers
YNet News 17 Feb 2010 - Peace Now petitions High Court, says no progress in plan to relocate Migron settlers in Adam. State: There was delay of some months
UK: Passport defrauding a very serious issue
YNet News 17 Feb 2010 - London, Dublin express anger over use of stolen identities by assassins of senior Hamas member in Dubai, pointing finger at Jewish state. Israeli ambassadors to Britain, Ireland summoned by countries' foreign ministers for clarifications
Mashaal threatens to avenge Mabhouh's killing
YNet News 17 Feb 2010 - Hamas politburo chief says 'talks about revenge are over, execution time is here.' He calls on world to add Israel to list of terror organizations
Bereaved families, soldiers mark 13 years to helicopter disaster
YNet News 17 Feb 2010 - During memorial service for 73 fallen soldiers, chief of staff gives hope, issues warning: 'Israel is as strong, deterring as ever. We want peace but are ready for any challenge we might face'
Clinton: US has no plan for military action against Iran
YNet News 17 Feb 2010 - US secretary of state says her country focusing on trying to change Iranian behavior, not planning anything other than sanctions
New clip shows 2nd woman in Dubai hit team
YNet News 17 Feb 2010 - Dubai investigation team releases footage showing new details regarding murder of Hamas' al-Mabhouh
Officer to be disciplined over wife's road accident
YNet News 17 Feb 2010 - Military Advocacy decides former Galilee Division Commander Brigadier-General Imad Fares will only face disciplinary trial following incident in which his wife got into traffic accident while using military vehicle. Despite light punishment, chief of staff not likely to allow Fares back into IDF, says military source
Settlers lightly injure 2 soldiers in Yitzhar
YNet News 17 Feb 2010 - Group of youngsters hurl stones, paint-filled light bulbs at soldiers, torch, puncture tires of two military vehicles. Defense establishment: Proof of inadequacy for local residents
IPA threatens liberated prisoners with liquidation
PIC 17 Feb 2010 - The Israeli prisons authority (IPA) threatened the liquidation of released Palestinian prisoners if they engage in anti-occupation activity after their release from prison.
Bardawil: Hamas did not receive any message on prisoners swap deal
PIC 17 Feb 2010 - Dr. Salah Al-Bardawil, the spokesman of Hamas's parliamentary bloc, has denied that his Movement had received any message from Russia concerning the prisoners' exchange deal.
Awad: We didn’t receive a penny of Arab and international donations to Gaza
PIC 17 Feb 2010 - Dr. Mohammed Awad asserted on Wednesday that not a single penny of the international and Arab donations allocated to rebuild Gaza Strip had reached the Strip.
IOA to confiscate Arab land to build parking lot
PIC 17 Feb 2010 - The Israeli occupation authority (IOA) controlled municipality of Jerusalem is planning to confiscate Arab land in Sheikh Jarrah neighborhood to build a parking lot.
Hayya asks Arab MPs to support reconciliation
PIC 17 Feb 2010 - MP Dr. Khalil Al-Hayya has asked the visiting Arab parliamentarians to back the Palestinian reconciliation efforts in a bid to conclude a solid internal political partnership.
British FM: British passports of Mabhouh's killers forged
PIC 17 Feb 2010 - The British foreign ministry announced on Wednesday that the British passports used by six assassins of the Hamas leader in Dubai city were fake.
Nasrullah threatens to bomb Tel Aviv if Beirut is bombed
PIC 17 Feb 2010 - Hassan Nasrullah has threatened on Tuesday to shell Tel Aviv city in occupied Palestine if the Lebanese capital Beirut is shelled in any future war with the "Zionist entity".
Jordanian activists demand closure of Dimona
PIC 17 Feb 2010 - Jordanian activists are expected to file a lawsuit against Israel next month to demand the closure of its Dimona nuclear reactor for causing death to many Jordanians.
Lobby for Gaza in US congress
PIC 17 Feb 2010 - American congressmen have formed a lobby called power 54 for Gaza in reference to the number of congressmen forming that lobby, Hebrew press reported.
Netanyahu presents a new prisoner-exchange offer
PIC 17 Feb 2010 - The Israeli channel2 TV has revealed that Israeli premier Benjamin Netanyahu presented a new offer to swap captured Israeli corporal Gilad Shalit with Palestinian captives in Israeli jails.
Use of citizens' identities in assassination roils Israel
LA Times 18 Feb 2010 - The Mossad spy agency is suspected in the killing of a Hamas figure in Dubai. Israel has seldom shied from attacking its enemies -- even if it takes years, even on foreign soil, even if it sours relations with allies.
King Tut's mundane death
LA Times 17 Feb 2010 - Malaria and a broken leg, not murder, probably led to the demise of Egypt's famed boy king. New testing also shows that he had a cleft palate, clubfoot and degenerative bone disease. Archaeologists have weaved elaborate tales of intrigue and deceit about the death at age 19 of Egypt's fabled boy king Tutankhamen, with theories that include poisoning by his regent, Aye, and a blow to the head by thugs hired by Aye, but new research indicates his cause of death was probably more mundane -- complications from a broken leg and malaria.
At least some Dubai photos of Hamas 'assassins' appear fake
LA Times 16 Feb 2010 - Irish officials and Israeli citizens dispute the validity of passport information released by the emirate in the killing of alleged arms dealer Mahmoud Mabhouh in a Dubai hotel room. At least some of the passport photos and information released by Dubai this week on 11 suspects in the assassination of an alleged Hamas arms dealer appears to be false, Irish officials and several Israeli citizens said Tuesday.
Iran moving toward military dictatorship, Clinton says
LA Times 16 Feb 2010 - The secretary of State, speaking in Qatar, says sanctions against the Islamic Republic must be aimed at the Revolutionary Guard, which she warns is supplanting the government. Bluntly warning that Iran is sliding into military dictatorship, Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton told an audience in Qatar on Monday that economic sanctions against the Islamic Republic should be increasingly aimed at its elite Revolutionary Guard.
Positive Views of Israel, Brought to You by Israelis
New York Times 17 Feb 2010 - A government campaign to improve Israel’s image abroad addresses the Palestinian conflict but also includes an emphasis on food, culture and technology.
New Hints of Skulduggery in Hamas Killing
New York Times 17 Feb 2010 - New questions have emerged about the identities of the assassins of a Hamas official in Dubai in January.
Obama Nominates Envoy, Robert Ford, for Syria
New York Times 17 Feb 2010 - Filling the post, vacant since 2005, is seen as a step toward improving relations with Damascus.
Diplomatic Memo: Iran Policy Now More in Sync With Clinton’s Views
New York Times 17 Feb 2010 - Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton has relished taking the lead in seeking support for U.N. sanctions.
'Avatar' on the West Bank
New York Times 16 Feb 2010 - Last week protesters in the West Bank painted themselves blue and wore loinclothes, pointy ears and tails to make themselves look like characters from the film "Avatar" for a demonstration against the security barrier Israel is building near the village of Bilin.
Oslo made us strangers in our native land
Mondoweiss - 17 Feb 2010 - The farcical downward slide continues. In hierarchical order: Mahmoud Abbas attempts to bury the Goldstone report on the Gaza massacre; Salam Fayyad speaks at the Herzliya Conference, truly earning Akiva Eldar’s munificent praise ; and a Fatah underling tries to make sleazy love in a sleazy video....
How can you talk about Mort Zuckerman’s Senate interest without bringing up his love of Israel?
Mondoweiss - 17 Feb 2010 - Robert Wright at the New York Times opinionator blog can! FYI: Zuckerman is the former chairman of the Conference of Presidents of Major Jewish Organizations, and many of his posts on Huffpo have been about Israel , and he has aligned with the settler movement. His anti-Obama...
Clinging to the ghost of the two-state solution
Mondoweiss - 17 Feb 2010 - Those who complain about the composition of Obama’s Middle East team miss the point, which is: Are they even relevant to what’s going on any more. Here’s an item in which Jeremy Ben-Ami talks shamelessly about "the national home of the Jewish people." As I more...
If Israel is the ‘collective Jew’… uh-oh
Mondoweiss - 17 Feb 2010 - Canadian solidarity activist Joanne Naiman takes on the new Canadian Parliamentary coalition to Combat Anti-Semitism, and unmasks its agenda: Is antisemitism in fact growing in Canada? I am a sociologist, and in the submission I made to the CPCCA in the summer of 2009, I made...
Abunimah: ‘Israel is delegitimizing itself’
Mondoweiss - 17 Feb 2010 - Ali Abunimah responds to the Israeli thinktank ’s program of responding to the growing delegitimization of Israel : [U]nderlying the Reut Institute’s analysis is a complete inability to disentangle cause and effect. It seems to assume that the dramatic erosion in Israel’s international standing since its wars...
War of the Colorful City
Alternative Information Center - 17 Feb 2010 - Monday, 15 February 2010, South Tel Aviv has become the primary area of life for the migrant workers—which causes fury and grievances amongst the veteran residents of the area. However, there is a way in which both sides can cooperate on a joint struggle. Some hear...
Thursday, February 18, 2010
Nine German Physicians Arrive In the West Bank To Perform Sensitive Surgeries
IMEMC - Friday February 19, 2010 - 00:42, Palestinian sources reported Thursday that nine physicians, including a professor in medicine, arrived in the central West Bank city of Ramallah to perform sensitive surgeries.
Nablus Fighter Dies on Wounds Suffered In 2002
IMEMC - Friday February 19, 2010 - 00:22, Palestinian sources reported Thursday that a fighter died at hospital in Berlin – Germany of wounds suffered during an attack targeting Alon Moreh settlement near the northern West Bank city of Nablus, in 2002.
The Israeli military detains 11 Palestinian civilians form the West Bank
IMEMC - Thursday February 18, 2010 - 17:44, Eleven Palestinian civilians were detained on Thursday by Israeli troops during military invasions targeting West Bank communities.
Israeli tanks and bulldozers level two homes and uproot farm lands in central Gaza
IMEMC - Thursday February 18, 2010 - 17:22, Israeli tanks and a number of bulldozers leveled on Thursday two Palestinian homes and uprooted farm lands at central Gaza Strip.
Bedouin Youth Killed During Scuffle With Russian Jews In The Negev
IMEMC - Thursday February 18, 2010 - 12:51, A Bedouin youth was killed on Wednesday at night and another youth was seriously wounded during a scuffle that took place between Bedouins and a group of Russian Jews in Be’er Sheva, south of the country.
3.5 Tons Of Explosives Located Near Gaza Border
IMEMC - Thursday February 18, 2010 - 11:24, A senior Egyptian security source reported on Thursday evening that the Egyptian Border Police located and confiscated 3.5 Tons of explosives near the border area in Rafah.
Nine more demolition orders bring village total to 26
2/19/2010 - Jenin - Ma'an - Bringing the number of homes and agricultural structures to be demolished in Barta'a Ash-Sharqiya to 26, Israeli forces invaded the village at noon on Thursday to deliver eight orders for home destructions and one for a chicken coup, residents said. Member of the village council Tawfiq Qabaha said the families affected by the orders include: Rami Saleh Qabaha, Nael Ibrahim Yousef Qabaha, Mohammad Taysir Ash- Sheikh Ali, Muhanad Yousef Qabaha, A'yesh Mustafa Qabaha, Mohammad Hatem Ahmad Qabaha, Ala Hatem Ahmad Qabaha, Yahya Yousef Qabaha, Ahmad Saleh Qabaha. The orders follow one week after a pre-dawn raid saw Israeli soldiers hand five families demolition orders. The UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHAR) noted that already in 2010, 37 Palestinian owned structures in Area C have been demolished, displacing 109 Palestinians, compared to the 2009 monthly average of 16 structures demolished and 27 persons displaced.
Gaza health system fails children despite success
2/19/2010 - Gaza - Ma'an - The chief of Pediatric Surgery at the European Hospital in Gaza Dr Jihad Abu Dayyah lead a team of Palestinian physicians in an eight-hour surgery that saw the successful transplant of an esophagus in a child. One month earlier, however, a two-year-old boy died from congenital heart failure that could not be treated in Gaza. According to a report from the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) the boy's death occurred while he waited to the day of his appointment at the Wolfson Medical Center in Israel, which was set up on 19 January, after being previously postponed. As the General Director of the hospital, Abdul Latif Al-Hajj, praised the team of doctors and noted the success of the rare operation "even though the economical situation is deteriorating and the siege on the strip," not all patients are lucky enough to receive treatment at home or at all.
PA jails journalist for ’undermining authority’
2/18/2010 - Gaza - Ma'an - A Palestinian Authority military court sentenced a Nablus journalist to a year and a half in prison on Tuesday, in a move condemned by rights groups. Tariq Abu Zaid, 35, was charged with "undermining the status of the [Palestinian] Authority and resisting [its] public policy. "The Palestinian Center for Human Rights (PCHR) called the sentence "an assault on the freedom of opinion and expression and press freedoms. " PCHR reported that a special military court in Nablus, chaired by Brigadier Abdul Karim Al-Masri, also found Abu Zaid guilty of "resisting the public policy of the Palestinian Authority" in violation of article 179 of the Palestine Liberation Organization Revolutionary Penal Code of 1979. Abu Zaid is a correspondent for Hamas-linked Al-Aqsa television. He was arrested by the PA's Military Intelligence Service on 15 August 2009.
Israeli forces cross into Gaza Strip
2/19/2010 - Gaza - Ma'an - Israeli forces entered the Gaza Strip on Thursday after a soldier was injured by a bomb planted at the border, the military said, confirming reports of an incursion following a blast hours earlier. "This morning, an IDF soldier was lightly injured when an explosive device was detonated against a force patrolling the Israeli side of the central Gaza Strip's security fence," a military spokesman told Ma'an. "While searching the area, IDF soldiers discovered a second explosive device, which was detonated in a controlled manner by IDF sappers," the spokesman added. "The IDF holds Hamas responsible for maintaining the peace and quiet in the Gaza Strip. " Bulldozers demolished two homes belonging to Ali and Salem Suleiman Ibn Said northeast of Deir Al-Balah, both on the outskirts of Al-Masaddar, and large swaths of olive groves, relatives said by phone.
Mayor: Israeli forces raid municipality building
2/18/2010 - Salfit - Ma'an - Israeli forces raided a village municipality building near the northern West Bank town of Salfit on Wednesday, an official said, searching for part of an iron gate erected by the army that had gone missing. In a statement, the mayor of the Salfit-area village of Kafr Ad-Dik said soldiers threatened him personally over the iron structure, which was set up at a military checkpoint between his village and Deir Ballout. Mayor Jamal Ad-Dik said the army made unspecified threats of reprisals were the gate not immediately returned. He condemned "this attack" on the municipality building, "supposedly to look for that gate," and also the hostile remarks allegedly made to him by soldiers operating in the area. An Israeli military spokesman said he was not familiar with the incident. . . . .
Friday: Thousands to mark 5 years of protest in Bil’in
2/18/2010 - Bethlehem - Ma'an - Organizers of Bil'in's weekly anti-wall protest expect thousands to turn out on Friday and mark the fifth year of popular action against the continued confiscation of village land by Israel's separation wall. Caretaker Prime Minister Salam Fayyad and leaders of all political factions will be among the demonstrators, a statement from the Bil'in Popular Committee said. The anniversary will also be a cause to celebrate, coming just one week after an Israeli court ordered that the route of the wall be rerouted. The changes should see Palestinians from the area granted better access to their lands. Over its five years of protest, Bil'in has seen a sharp increase in violence and repression, with regular night raids targeting protest organizers, thousands injured by riot-dispersal equipment alongside real bullets, and the death of a Palestinian man last year after a tear-gas canister was shot at him from a high-velocity gun. Basem Ibrahim Abu Rahmeh was 29 years old when he was. killed.
Gaza: Karni crossing re-opens after sudden shut-down
2/19/2010 - Gaza - Ma'an - Two Gaza crossings are expected to partially open on Thursday, for the transport of limited aid, fuel and exports, crossings liaison officer Raed Fattouh said. The bulk goods crossing at Karni is expected to allow the transport of 114 truckloads ofwheat and animal feed following its sudden closure on Wednesday, when Israeli forces announced a security threat and shut down the area. Last week, Israeli media predicted the total closure of the crossing, citing the proximity to the densely populated Gaza City as part of a series of threats to the area. One projectile was fired at a military station near the terminal late last year. At the southern crossing, Kerem Shalom, 118 to 128 truckloads of aid and commercial goods were expected to make their way into Gaza, while one to two truckloads of cut carnations will be exported under a Dutch government program supporting Gaza farmers.
Gaza crossings report on weekly civilian traffic
2/19/2010 - Gaza - Ma'an -The Gaza Crossings Monitoring Committee said Egyptian officials will likely open the Rafah crossing Friday for travelers moving in and out of the coastal region. The body issued its crossings report, compiled by observers with the organization each day the civilian terminals in the north and south of the Strip are opened. Information from the last three weeks indicates: 17-18 February, Erez: 112 enter, 137 exit, Rafah: 162 enter, 25 exit / 10-11 February, Erez: 155 enter, 135 exit, Rafah: 161 enter, 28 exit / 3-4 February, Erez: 135 enter, 198 exit, Rafah: 123 enter, 23 exit. The 137 who left Gaza Wednesday include 102 Gaza residents, 34 international passport holders and one Palestinian citizen of Israel. Egyptian officials noted that most of those returning to Gaza via Rafah were patients referred for medical treatment who had finished their hospital stays and were heading home.
IN PHOTOS: Palestine’s sole woman cab driver
2/19/2010 - Bethlehem - Ma'an - Sabreen Manasra is the first Palestinian woman known to make a living driving a public taxi. This photo essay by Ma'an photographer Haytham Othman shows Mansara at work and with her family at home. On Monday a Palestinian company announced plans to bring women-only taxis - a phenomenon already popular in Beirut and elsewhere - to the conservative West Bank city of Hebron. Hazem At-Takrawi, the director of the Ishraqat training and development firm, said on Monday that his company is already training women to drive the female-only cabs. As in Beirut, the cars would be pink, he told anchor Adel Eghraieb on the television show "On the Table. "Asked whether Hebron and Palestinians in general would accept the idea, At-Takrawi said the company already commissioned a survey that found that 95% of Palestinians would accept the new cabs.
Salah Ad-Din fighter sentenced to 25-year jail term
2/18/2010 - Gaza - Ma'an - ABeersheba court sentenced Gaza resident and member of the Popular Resistance Committees' An-Nasser Salah Ad-Din Brigades on Wednesday to 25 years in prison for his role in an attack on the Erez checkpoint. The accused, Mamdouh At-Tanany, is from the Jabaliya refugee camp. He stood trial in an Israeli military court and was found guilty of participating in an attack on the terminal, the only civilian crossing between Gaza and Israel, during which forces penetrated into Israel and clashed with troops for three hours near the Natif Hatsarah settlement north of the crossing. A statement from the Salah Ad-Din Brigades said the sentence would not deter their fighters from continuing their resistance activities. . . . .
In photos: Church of Jacob`s Well in Nablus
2/18/2010 - MaanImages /Rami Swidan: 1-2 -- A view of the Church of Jacob`s Well near the northern West Bank city of Nablus on 18 February 2010. Traditionally associated with the religious figure Jacob, the church sits atop a deep well. In Christian tradition, it marks the site where Jesus offered a Samaritan woman water from its spring. 3-7 -- The church, an Eastern Orthodox monastery, lies on the edge of the Balata refugee camp, the most populated such camp in the occupied Palestinian territories. Once neglected, the monastery underwent a major restoration overseen by the Palestinian Authority shortly after its establishment in 1994. 8-10 -- A view of stained glass windows inside the church. Its Christian iconography has been the subject of disputes between the local Christian minority and Israeli settlers, who also consider the site holy. Abuna Philoumenos, the monastery`s late priest, was hacked to death by axe-wielding settlers in 1979.
Cartoonists in Israel take aim at Mossad
2/19/2010 - Jerusalem - Ma'an - Political cartoonists working for Israeli newspapers this week turned their attention away from Rafiq Husseini, the Palestinian Authority official who disgraced by a sex tape. The new target of the cartoonists is a subject that is usually off-limits: Mossad. The shift in focus took place as suspicion mounted that the spy agency was involved in the assassination in January of Hamas leader Mahmoud Al-Mabhouh in Dubai. The details of the plot itself provided ample fare for satire: CCTV footage showed the assassins were dressed as tennis players. Dubai police said the operatives used wigs and false beards. In keeping with its policy of "ambiguity" on the matter, Israel has neither confirmed nor denied involvement in the killing. But the cartoons, like Israeli press at large, simply assume that Mossad was behind the hit.
Al-Aqsa fighter succumbs to injuries in Berlin
2/19/2010 - Nablus - Ma'an - A Palestinian operative affiliated with Fatah's Al-Aqsa Brigades died in Berlin on Thursday, sources said. Dia Faeq Salawda, 23, was seriously injured during an attack on the illegal Elon Moreh settlement south of Nablus in 2002. Salawda was treated at the Hadassah Medical Center in Jerusalem, before being transferred to Jordan, and finally Germany, where he died. [end]
Deibes: PA will include Area C in plans
2/19/2010 - Jericho - Ma'an - The Palestinian Authority plans to include Area C in it strategic planning in an effort to lay the groundwork for a future state, Tourism Minister Khouloud Deibes said on Thursday. Deibes made this remark following a meeting in Jericho with a visiting delegation from the Italian Ministry of Foreign Affairs. She also said her ministry is committed to attracting private sector investment to tourism-related projects in the West bank, particularly north of the Dead Sea, and also attract more tourists to the area. The minister led the delegation on a tour of archaeological sites in the Jericho area, including Tel As-Sultan, and Hisham's Palace, which is under renovation. She said the PA is working to have Jericho, a 10,000-year-old city, listed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site. The Oslo Peace agreements of the 1990s ceded certain parts of the West Bank to the PA.
Interpol issues alert over Dubai suspects
2/19/2010 - Washington - Ma'an - The international police agency Interpol placed 11 members of the alleged hit team that killed Hamas official Mahmoud Al-Mabhouh on its most wanted list on Thursday. Interpol said it issued the "red notices" for individuals at the request of police in Dubai, which released the names and photos of the suspects on Monday. "Since INTERPOL has reason to believe that the suspects linked to this murder have stolen the identities of real people, the Red Notices specify that the names used were aliases used to commit murder," the agency said on its website. Interpol's "red notices" are not arrest warrants, but are intended to help national authorities locate and extradite wanted criminals. Mabhouh was found dead in his Dubai hotel room on 20 January. This week Dubai authorities issued arrest warrants for 11 suspects they said traveled to the emirate on European passports that now appear to be false.
PA minister urges Italy to boycott settlement goods
2/18/2010 - Ramallah - Ma'an - Palestinian Authority Economy Minister Dr Hassan Abu Libda on Wednesday brainstormed ways to educate the Italian pubic about Israeli settlement products and strategies to boycott them in the country. A delegation, visiting the Ramallah Ministry of the National Economy headquarters, was lead by a deputy from the Italian foreign minister's office, a statement said Wednesday. The group met with an agenda to strengthen Italian-Palestinian relations, and directly addressed the issue of a boycott of settlement goods, a statement said. The cabinet of the Ramallah-based Palestinian government voted on Monday to approve a law prohibiting the entrance of settlement goods into areas controlled by the PA. During the weekly cabinet meeting in Ramallah, ministers said they approved the legislation as settlements amount. . .
PA customs agents continue to enforce settlement goods ban
2/18/2010 - Ramallah - Ma'an - Approximately one and a half tonnes of cardboard two tons of processed pastry dough produced in settlements built on Palestinian lands in the West Bank were seized by Palestinian police said customs officers on Thursday. The public relations and information office said it was waiting for the go-ahead from the Internal Market Organizing Committee for the destruction of the goods. During the raids, officers also found 28 gallons of oils marketed as olive oil but not meeting minimum health or quality standards, officers said. [end]
UN envoy: Quartet to back PA autonomy
2/18/2010 - Hebron - Ma'an - Robert Serry, the UN special envoy to the Middle East peace process, hinted on Thursday that the international community would pressure Israel to cede parts of the occupied West Bank to Palestinian Authority control. Serry said the International Quartet, made up of the UN, EU, US and Russia, will express support for PA demands on the Israeli government to transfer Areas B and of the West Bank C into A, under full Palestinian control, on the road to establishing statehood. Speaking during a visit to the West Bank city of Hebron, which is divided between PA security autonomy and Israeli military control, Serry told Ma'an, "if Israel is serious about the peace process, and the two-state solution, and wants to see an end to the occupation, we should back Prime Minister Salam Fayyad's successful program. "
PFLP, Hamas discuss unity in Beirut
2/18/2010 - Beirut - Ma'an - Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine officials welcomed a delegation of Hamas leaders into their Beirut headquarters on Wednesday, for discussions on the re-initiation of factional talks on Palestinian unity. Marwan Abdul Al, a PFLP politburo member, headed up the discussions, while the Hamas delegation was fronted by Ali Barakeh, a statement from the Palestinian Authority representative office in Lebanon said. The political leaders sat to discuss a PFLP proposal to reunify Palestinian factions, which the statement described only as a plan that would "activate the Palestinian political framework and encourage cooperation and understanding. "Abdul Al wrote in the statement that the PFLP effort was the result of an urgent need to find grounds for party negotiations and to work on reasonable and achievable expectations.
'Syria site bombed by Israel in 2007 likely to have been a nuclear reactor'
Ha'aretz 18 Feb 2010 - New IAEA report includes clearer language than previously used in its analysis of the bombed site.
Son of Palestinian peace activist admits to attempted terror attack
Ha'aretz 18 Feb 2010 - Mohanned Abu-Awwad says he was acting on behalf of Fatah, and the attack was filmed with a B'Tselem camera.
IDF commander: Settler leaders 'losing control' to rioting youths
Ha'aretz 18 Feb 2010 - Army furious after three hurt when settlers mistook a military exercise for eviction.
Mossad Agents with Fake Pass in Malta
Uruknet February 18, 2010 - The assassination of Mohammed Mabhouh in Dubai was not the first International crime which Mossad death squads committed by using the fake or stolen European passports. There is a long record full of assassinations which were carried out by the Israeli death squads in Europe and in many other countries. The latest crime, the assassination of...
Israeli Abusive Administrative Detentions
Uruknet February 18, 2010 - ...Israel uses administrative detentions repressively, in violation of the letter and spirit of international law. In all cases, security considerations must be balanced against individuals' rights to due process and judicial fairness. Detentions based on secret evidence without trial or meaningful judicial review are "the most extreme measure that an occupying state may use against residents...
Gaza: A dark comedyAt first the Goldstone Report seemed a breakthrough. Now most hopes for justice have been dissipated
Uruknet February 18, 2010 - When Israel attacked Gaza just over a year ago, the Israeli government undoubtedly believed it could get away with murder with little damage to its reputation. The way that this would happen, however, was probably not envisioned. Neither the Israeli generals who ordered the attacks on civilians, civilian infrastructure, and whatever else was within sight, nor...
Israeli assassinations: passports to killOur government seems to be fine with letting the Israeli secret service wage its war with Hamas under a British flag
Uruknet February 18, 2010 - British passports are the property of the British government. When that government says and does nothing for six days after it was given evidence that Mossad agents stole the identity of six British citizens to assassinate a Hamas commander in Dubai, it starts to seem as if Israel was right to think it could get away...
Interpol releases 'wanted' notices for Israeli secret agents
Uruknet February 18, 2010 - Official "wanted" notices for a suspected team of Israeli secret agents accused of participating in the assassination of a Palestinian militant were released today. The faces of an 11-strong alleged hit squad appeared on the Interpol website this morning, some 48 hours after authorities in the United Arab Emirates issued arrest warrants for the killing last...
Construction continues in a quarter of West Bank settlements despite “freeze”
Uruknet February 18, 2010 - Israel’s Ministry of Construction and Housing had allowed contractors who had won the bid for new construction in the Betar Illit settlement
Israeli bulldozers raze private lands in Gaza
Uruknet February 18, 2010 - Israeli military vehicles breached the Gaza border Thursday morning, reaching 200 meters inside the central Gaza region near the Deir Al-Balah neighborhood. Witnesses said the vehicles were bulldozing private lands. The limited incursion followed local reports of of an explosion, allegedly an anti-tank shell launched at an Israeli jeep...
How did the assassins obtain British Passports?
Uruknet February 17, 2010 - The involvement of six British passport holders in the killing of senior Hamas official, Mahmoud Al-Mabhouh, last month in Dubai was described in the Guardian today as "an extraordinary tale of modern-day espionage." The Brits in question have denied any part in the assassination and have proclaimed their innocence stating that their passports must have been...
Jerusalem’s Battle of the Graves
Uruknet February 17, 2010 - I carried a handful of ashes from my father’s cremates into the occupied Palestinian territories a few years ago, hoping to take them to his hometown, Nablus. At the border, the only available taxi was driven by an Israeli Moroccan Jew. Delighted I was an Arab, he immediately plunged into conversation and pointed out various landmarks...
The Long Arm of Israel better be amputated
Uruknet February 17, 2010 - We have learned in the last few days that the Dubai assassins were Mossad agents who stole identities of six UK citizens and faked at least five other European passports. Dubai Police yesterday presented footage of some of the 11 'Europeans’ suspected of killing Hamas commander Mahmoud al-Mabhouh.According to the Guardian, "Official sources said UK authorities...
PACBI: Intellectual responsibility and the voice of the colonized
Uruknet February 17, 2010 - The Palestinian Campaign for the Academic and Cultural Boycott of Israel (PACBI) has recently encountered a number of projects that while intending to empower the colonized Palestinians, in essence end up undermining their will and choice of method of struggle for freedom, justice and self-determination. The publication of a new book entitled The Power of Inclusive...
Chalabi and Al-Lami work for Iran - That is news for you? .. واي واي فطم
Uruknet February 17, 2010 -
Weekly Report on Israeli Human Rights Violations in the Occupied Palestinian Territory
18 Feb 2010 - World, February 19, 2010 (Pal Telegraph) Israeli Occupation Forces (IOF) Continue Systematic Attacks against Palestinian Civilians and Property in the Occupied Palestinian Territory (OPT) IOF killed two Palestinians, including a civilian who was killed in cold blood in Hebron. Five civilians were wounded in the Gaza Strip, including 4 children. IOF fired bullets and projectiles from the...
Egypt police seize explosives destined for Gaza
18 Feb 2010 - Gaza Strip, February 19, 2010 (Pal Telegraph) - Security officers found the TNT on Tuesday concealed in 79 large bags in Sarsuriya district near the Rafah border crossing with Gaza, the official said. Residents had tipped off police about the 3.5-tonne cache, which had been prepared for smuggling through one of the many underground tunnels linking Gaza with Egypt. Cairo...
Robert Fisk: Britain's explanation is riddled with inconsistencies. It's time to come clean
18 Feb 2010 - World, February 18, 2010 (Pal Telegraph) - Collusion. That's what it's all about. The United Arab Emirates suspect - only suspect, mark you - that Europe's "security collaboration" with Israel has crossed a line into illegality, where British passports (and those of other other EU nations) can now be used to send Israeli agents into the Gulf to kill Israel's...
Beqaa valley leader: Hizbollah wasted its opportunity to improve Lebanon'
The National 18 Feb 2010 - Despite his role as a spiritual leader, around the northern and eastern Beqaa Valley Sheikh Tufayli is a tough man who does not take kindly to injustices.
Region evasive over Iran sanctions
The National 18 Feb 2010 - Analysts split on whether Hillary Clinton's visit to the Gulf this week to push for sanctions against Iran will be enough to win support.
Protesters judge ruling as a setback for Egyptian women
The National 18 Feb 2010 - The State Council's vote to bar female justices from serving in Egypt's administrative courts could be overturned by Supreme Council.
Israel Facing Diplomatic Fallout Following Dubai Assassination
The Media Line 17 Feb 2010 - Increasing evidence that Israel's national intelligence agency (Mossad) was behind the assassination of Hamas terrorist mastermind Mahmoud al-Mabhouh has led to diplomatic fallout between Israel and Britain and Ireland. Dublin and London have summoned the local...
Clinton: US Has No Plan for Military Action Against Iran
The Media Line 17 Feb 2010 - US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton said during a visit to the Gulf that America currently has no plan for military action against Iran over its nuclear program. "We don't want Iran to become a nuclear...
France Expanding Military and Arms Presence in Middle East
The Media Line 17 Feb 2010 - As top French defense officials are in Saudi Arabia to push increased arms sales there, reports have surfaced in Israel of enhanced military cooperation between Israel and France. The reports say that joint exercises have been...
Interpol alert over Dubai suspects
AlJazeera 18 Feb 2010 - Dubai police chief "99 per cent certain" of Israeli spy agency's role in Hamas leader's murder.
Continued Harassment of Journalists in the West Bank
Alternative Information Center - Thursday, 18 February 2010, The Palestinian Center for Human Rights (PCHR) condemns continued harassment of journalists in the West Bank, which constitutes an assault on the freedom of opinion and expression and press freedoms. PCHR is...
Israel makes life very hard for Palestinians, says ICRC
PNN - Thursday, 18 February 2010
U.K., Ireland to Israel envoys: Explain identity theft in Dubai killing
PNN - Thursday, 18 February 2010
Dubai killers used fake EU passports
PNN - Wednesday, 17 February 2010
Zionist Organization Calls for Jewish Boycott of UC Irvine
PNN - Wednesday, 17 February 2010
Fayyad tells US Jewish leaders: IDF incursions undermine us
Jeruslalem Post 18 Feb 2010 - Palestinians now ‘have security, hope, unity of purpose,’ PA prime minister says at meeting in Jenin.
Israel: Nothing links us to Mabhouh
Jeruslalem Post 18 Feb 2010 - UK, Ireland envoys have “nothing to add”; France, Germany demand explanations.
Israel to set up $1.5m. school for 1,000 kids in Haiti
Jeruslalem Post 18 Feb 2010 - Amid the rubble, community institutions will be set up in the heart of Port-au-Prince.
Lebanese man sentenced to death for link to Mossad hit
Jeruslalem Post 18 Feb 2010 - Retired police officer convicted of working on 2006 car bombing that killed 2 Palestinian terrorists.
Daily video news wrap
Jeruslalem Post 18 Feb 2010 - Watch 4-minute wrap of today's events from Israel's Channel 2.
IAEA: Teheran may be working on nukes
Jeruslalem Post 18 Feb 2010 - UN nuclear agency expresses concern over Iran's intentions for first time.
'Hamas would lose PA elections'
Jeruslalem Post 18 Feb 2010 - Survey finds Fatah to be 33 percent more popular than Hamas.
'Hamas man arrested in Dubai killing'
Jeruslalem Post 18 Feb 2010 - Guardian report claims Nahro Massoud, wanted by Israel, detained in Syria.
Palestinian rocket launcher sentenced to 25 years
Jeruslalem Post 18 Feb 2010 - Convicted man helped carry out attack against IDF soldiers at Erez Crossing.
MIDEAST: Scandals, Assassination Plan Rock Palestinian Authority
IPS RAMALLAH, Feb 17 (IPS) - The Palestinian Authority (PA) in Ramallah is fighting a tidal wave of fresh allegations, including sexual harassment, an internal power struggle and embezzlement.
Weekly Report on Israeli Human Rights Violations in the Occupied Palestinian Territory
PCHR Israeli Occupation Forces (IOF) Continue Systematic Attacks against Palestinian Civilians and Property in the Occupied Palestinian Territory (OPT)
IDF Raids 5 Apartments in Nablus
2/18/2010 - International Solidarity Movement - International Solidarity Movement - Last night at around 2. 30am, the Israeli army illegally stormed into 5 apartments in the Ashref Building on Suki Street in Nablus. The city is located in "Area A", which is under full Palestinian Authority control under the Oslo II Agreement, making this raid illegal under international law. Without any warning, IDF soldiers forced their entry by blowing open all five apartment doors as it left visible dents on the metal door frame, deformed metals doors and cracked walls. Residents described the device to have been pushed against both sides of the door frame, as the dents on all the door frames indicate, with a control box in the middle, making a loud explosive sound as the doors blew open. After hearing the description of this device, two former IDF soldiers have recognized it as a "Fox", an IDF military device loaded with two fingers of TNT to blow open doors.
IAEA report: Iran may be developing atom bomb
Ha'aretz 18 Feb 2010 - Covert report also confirms Iran produced its first, small batch of uranium enriched to 20 percent.
Shalit's father: 'U.S. not interested in striking prisoner exchange deal'
Ha'aretz 18 Feb 2010 - Noam Shalit says a deal to release his son was drafted 2 months ago, passed over to Hamas for approval.
ADL: U.S. Jews mustn't boycott university for heckling of Israel envoy
Ha'aretz 18 Feb 2010 - B'nai B'rith director says attack on Michael Oren's speech was clear manifestation of anti-Semitism.
Spain sculpture offensive to Jews, Israel says
Ha'aretz 18 Feb 2010 - Art piece 'Stairway to Heaven' displays a crouching Muslim, topped by Christian, topped by praying Jew.
Germany, France also request Israeli answers on Dubai fake passports
Ha'aretz 18 Feb 2010 - Report: Suspected killers of Hamas commander in Dubai used U.S.-issued credit cards during operation.
Interpol adds suspected Dubai assassins to most wanted list
Ha'aretz 18 Feb 2010 - Dubai police chief: Mossad head should be arrested if Israel behind killing of top Hamas man.
Iran in the cross-hairs
Ha'aretz 18 Feb 2010 - In their first post, senior Haaretz correspondents take a look at the brewing storm over Iran's nuclear program.
I envy the people who hate Israel
Ha'aretz 18 Feb 2010 - We should have expected the Dubai hit. Israel's drive to delegitimize itself was going too slowly.
Livni: This is not the time to boycott Israel's allies
Ha'aretz 18 Feb 2010 - Opposition leader says after meeting with U.S. congressmen that differences of opinion can be overcome.
Ahmadinejad: Israel will be destroyed if it attacks Hezbollah
Ha'aretz 18 Feb 2010 - Region should be delivered from Israel's 'evil ways' forever, Iranian president tells Nasrallah.
Dissident Iranian diplomat granted asylum in Norway
Ha'aretz 18 Feb 2010 - Mohammed Reza Heydari quit last month to protest the crackdown on anti-government demonstrators in Iran.
Israeli Shahar Peer advances to Dubai Championship semifinals
Ha'aretz 18 Feb 2010 - Peer continues winning streak by beating 10th seed Na Li in the quarterfinal match.
Drive safely and pay bills, Hezbollah leader tells Lebanon
Ha'aretz 18 Feb 2010 - Militant group is trying to reinvent itself as a more conventional political movement.
Mossad is supposed to gather intelligence, not sow death
Ha'aretz 18 Feb 2010 - How we love winking at each other and feeling proud of the Mossad, whose long arm can reach any hotel.
Iran threat is too much for the Mossad to handle
Ha'aretz 18 Feb 2010 - Israel's intelligence agencies operate brilliantly, but they can't tackle historic challenges single-handedly.
Letters: Questions for Mossad over Dubai hit
The Guardian 18 Feb 2010 - The government is right to be concerned about the doctored British passports used by the assassins of Mahmoud al-Mabhouh ( UK calls in Israeli ambassador as Dubai killing row escalates , 18 February). And this is not the...
The truth about the Mossad
The Guardian 18 Feb 2010 - The recent, outlandish assassination in Dubai may prove the most damaging yet in the Mossad's history of high-profile, bungled operations. How did it squander its reputation for ruthless brilliance? Last November, a sharp-eyed Israeli woman named...
Israeli embassy raises eyebrows with tennis tweet
The Guardian 18 Feb 2010 - Message boasts of Israeli player's 'hit on Dubai target' amid mounting row over Hamas chief's killing Amid the mounting diplomatic row over Mossad's alleged assassination of a Hamas commander in Dubai, the Israeli embassy has turned...
Dubai police call on Interpol to help arrest Mossad head
The Guardian 18 Feb 2010 - • Emirate '99% sure' Israeli spies were behind Mabhouh death • Israeli ambassador told to explain use of fake British passports Interpol should help arrest the head of Mossad if Israel's spy agency was responsible for...
Interpol releases 'wanted' notices for Dubai murder suspects
The Guardian 18 Feb 2010 - Faces of alleged hit squad appear on Interpol website in connection with killing of Hamas operative Official "wanted" notices were released today for a suspected team of Israeli secret agents accused of participating in the assassination...
Julian Borger on the Israeli ambassador's Foreign Office summons over al-Mabhouh killing
The Guardian 18 Feb 2010 - Julian Borger on the Israeli ambassador's visit to the Foreign Office over Dubai killing of Mahmoud al-Mabhouh When Israel's ambassador to London, Ron Prosor, was called in to the Foreign Office this morning he was on...
AG calls for state inquiry of abuse claims against Rabbi Elon
Ha'aretz 18 Feb 2010 - Attorney General Yehuda Weinstein ordered police on Thursday to check the sexual abuse allegations raised earlier this week against the prominent religious Zionist Rabbi Mordechai Elon. ...
The crucial role Rabbi Elon played in my life
Ha'aretz 18 Feb 2010 - It is almost impossible to put in words what Rabbi Mordechai (Moti) Elon meant to me and still means for thousands of youngsters and grown-ups who learned from him and took his advice at every step of their personal lives. ...
Rabbi Elon accused of 'long-term' sexual relationship with student
Ha'aretz 17 Feb 2010 - Takana, the group that published allegations against Rabbi Mordechai Elon of sexually exploiting his students, said it did so because of "a long-term relationship that was clearly of a sexual nature." ...
OPT: Protection of Civilians Weekly Report, 10 - 16 Feb 2010
Relief Web 18 Feb 2010 - Source: UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs
OPT: City of Mud
Relief Web 18 Feb 2010 - Source: UN Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East
Palestinian students in the North better equipped for better opportunities
Relief Web 18 Feb 2010 - Source: UN Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East
Under-Secretary-General, Briefing Security Council, Urges Israeli-Palestinian Embrace of Proposed Negotiations under United States Mediation
Relief Web 18 Feb 2010 - Source: UN Security Council
Position Paper: On the Call for Local Elections in Palestinian Authority Territories in July 2010
Relief Web 18 Feb 2010 - Source: Palestinian Centre for Human Rights
No peace without solution for Palestinian refugees: UN
Relief Web 18 Feb 2010 - Source: Agence France-Presse
Senior official: Everyone uses similar methods in war on terror
YNet News 18 Feb 2010 - Officials in Jerusalem confident Western criticism over Dubai assassination will soon die down; All Western countries threatened by terror use similar methods, international cooperation must continue, senior source says
Barak due in US to discuss Iran, Goldstone
YNet News 18 Feb 2010 - Defense minister to meet senior figures in Obama administration, UN secretay-general. Focus of meetings: Goldstone Report, Iran threat
Noam Shalit: US hindering deal for my son
YNet News 18 Feb 2010 - Abducted soldier's father criticizes Obama Administration, says US hinting that Israel should not finalize prisoner swap; in speech before US Jewish leaders, Noam Shalit urges PM Netanyahu to make tough decision, approve deal
France, Germany seek explanations on Dubai assassination
YNet News 18 Feb 2010 - Europeans summon Israeli ambassadors to Paris, Berlin, ask them to answer questions about possible links to killing of senior Hamas man in Dubai
IAEA: Iran may be working on nuclear warhead
YNet News 18 Feb 2010 - IAEA changes course: First report under new Chief Amano uses unusually blunt language; information available to agency is extensive, raises concerns about undisclosed Iranian activities, confidential document says
Palestinian teen caught with bombs
YNet News 18 Feb 2010 - For second time in two days, forces uncover pipe bombs in possession of Palestinian boy
Soldier lightly wounded in explosion at Gaza fence
YNet News 18 Feb 2010 - Remote-controlled device detonated by IDF patrol near Kibbutz Kisufim in third Gaza border incident this week
IDF welcomes 'super-drone'
YNet News 18 Feb 2010 - New unmanned aircraft can fly higher, stay in air longer than other drones
Top American counterterrorism official has 'productive talks' in Syria
Daily Star 18 Feb 2010 DAMASCUS: Daniel Benjamin, the US State Department's coordinator for counterterrorism, met with a group of Syrian officials on Thursday for "productive and detailed" talks, the US Embassy said. The two sides discussed "shared counterterrorism concerns and threats," it said, adding that "we believe Syria can play a constructive role in mitigating these and other threats in cooperation with regional states and the US."
Dubai directly accuses Mossad of Hamas hit
Daily Star 18 Feb 2010 DUBAI, United Arab Emirates: Dubai police on Thursday directly accused Israel's Mossad spy agency of orchestrating the hit squad slaying of a Hamas commander as four European countries whose passports were implicated in the killing piled pressure on Israel. Lieutenant General Dahi Khalfan Tamim was quoted as saying he was "99 percent, if not 100 percent" certain that Mossad was behind last month's slaying.
China likely to agree to new Iran sanctions: think tank
Daily Star 18 Feb 2010 BEIRUT: While China resists tougher UN Security Council sanctions on Iran, it is likely to ultimately come on board but will seek to delay and weaken the West's desired measures, according to a new report by the Brussels-based think tank International Crisis Group (ICC). "The Iran Nuclear Issue: The View from Beijing," the latest ICC briefing, examines China's perspective on the nuclear impasse.
Egypt set to ban gatherings for ElBaradei's return
Daily Star 18 Feb 2010 CAIRO: Egypt is poised to ban any gatherings in Cairo to mark the planned return on Friday of former UN nuclear watchdog chief and potential presidential candidate Mohamed ElBaradei, security sources said. The 2005 Nobel laureate, who is expected to fly home on Friday afternoon, has repeatedly called for democratic change in Egypt since stepping down as head of the International Atomic Energy Agency in November.
US ambassador accuses Iran of role in Iraq poll ban
Daily Star 18 Feb 2010 WASHINGTON: Reiterating accusations of Iranian interference in Iraq's internal affairs, the US ambassador to Iraq said Wednesday that he was in "100 percent agreement" with remarks by the top US commander in Iraq regarding Iran's involvement in a highly controversial decision that eventually barred over 140 candidates from running in Iraq's parliamentary elections next month.
Big aid convoy to head from Turkey to Gaza in April
PIC 18 Feb 2010 - The Turkish humanitarian relief foundation IHH said it is making big preparations for sending an aid convoy composed of 20 ships from Istanbul port to the besieged Gaza Strip next month.
Health unions warn of blockade impacts on lives of Gaza patients
PIC 18 Feb 2010 - The assembly of health unions warned of the serious impacts of the Israeli blockade and the power crisis on the health sector and pointed out that the siege led to the death of 386 Gazans so far.
IOF troops round up West Bankers, IOA sentences Gazan to life in jail
PIC 18 Feb 2010 - Israeli occupation forces (IOF) on Thursday rounded up 11 Palestinians in the districts of Nablus, Ramallah and Jenin at the pretext they were wanted for interrogation, local sources reported.
British Independent: The Mossad is behind the assassination of Mabhouh
PIC 18 Feb 2010 - The British Independent newspaper said Wednesday that all information confirmed that the Mossad was behind the assassination of senior Hamas official Mahmoud Al-Mabhouh in Dubai last month.
Arab MPs promise series of visits to Gaza
PIC 18 Feb 2010 - MP Jamal Al-Khudari, the head of the popular anti siege committee, has said that the Arab parliamentarians who concluded a visit to Gaza on Wednesday promised him that it would not be the last.
Mishaal: It is time to retaliate to the assassination of Mabhouh
PIC 18 Feb 2010 - Khaled Mishaal stressed that it is time to respond to the assassination of martyr Mahmoud Al-Mabhouh and expressed his confidence in the ability of Al-Qassam Brigades to fulfil its promise.
AFEH: New IOA diggings under the Aqsa
PIC 18 Feb 2010 - The Aqsa foundation for endowment and heritage (AFEH) has disclosed that the Israeli occupation authority (IOA) had started a new wave of diggings underneath the Old City of occupied Jerusalem.
Egyptian paper: Cairo opposes inviting Hamas to the Arab summit
PIC 18 Feb 2010 - An Egyptian newspaper has said that Cairo informed the Libyan authorities its objection to the presence of a delegation of the Hamas Movement in the upcoming Arab summit in Tripoli.
A bumbling Mossad hand suspected in Dubai assassination
LA Times 19 Feb 2010 - Israel has refused to comment on whether it sent the team that killed Mahmoud Mabhouh, a Hamas military commander, but as evidence mounts and Interpol issues warrants, questions are multiplying. To its planners, the assassination of senior Hamas figure Mahmoud Mabhouh must have first seemed like the perfect spy operation.
U.N. nuclear agency expresses concern on Iran
LA Times 19 Feb 2010 - The IAEA's latest report says new information raises concerns that Iran may have hidden activities related to developing a nuclear bomb. The United Nations' nuclear watchdog for the first time Thursday explicitly voiced concern that Iran is trying to make a nuclear bomb, amid signs of fraying relations between the agency's inspectors and authorities in the Islamic Republic.
I.A.E.A. Suspects Iranian Nuclear Weapons Activity
New York Times 18 Feb 2010 - The U.N.’s nuclear inspectors declared for the first time that information it has collected raised concern of “past or current undisclosed activities” by Iran to develop a nuclear weapon.
Task Force Warns Anew on Terrorist Funding From Iran
New York Times 18 Feb 2010 - Iran leads the list of countries that have failed to crack down on money laundering and terrorist financing, a global task force said.
World Briefing | Middle East: Syria: Talks Held With U.S. Official
New York Times 18 Feb 2010 - The highest-ranking American official to visit Syria in five years held talks with President Bashar al-Assad of Syria, part of a U.S. effort to mend ties with Syria.
Israelis Share Suspicions in Hamas Leader’s Killing
New York Times 18 Feb 2010 - After an assassination investigation revealed a world of bumbling spies and assassins, Israelis are questioning what role their intelligence agency might have played.
dual loyalty again…
Mondoweiss - 18 Feb 2010 - Greenwald on Gary Ackerman : whatever else is true, once one listens to this, it’s simply impossible to deny that this highly influential American Congressman, devoted to pushing the U.S. to war with Iran, is driven, at least in substantial part, by his fervent devotion to Israel....
Canadian minister: attack on Israel is an attack on Canada
Mondoweiss - 18 Feb 2010 - From the Globe and Mail in Canada , a piece on Peter Kent, junior Foreign Affairs Minister: In an interview published in Shalom Life, dated Feb. 12, Mr. Kent said: “Prime Minister Harper has made it quite clear for some time now and has regularly stated that...
Steve (Nightflower) Rosen gives AIPAC seal to Obama
Mondoweiss - 18 Feb 2010 - When Steve Rosen is comfortable writing a long posting at Foreign Policy in praise of Barack Obama’s Israeli and Mideast policies ("Is Barack Obama More AIPAC than J Street?" [Yes]) it’s time to admit that banking on this Administration is counter-productive. (I hate to say I...
Hubris: Israeli gov’t flips off 6 congresspeople visiting with J Street
Mondoweiss - 18 Feb 2010 - MJ Rosenberg picks up an inciden t I’ve failed to note: the Israeli gov’t refusing to meet six congresspeople who visited Israel at the behest of J Street, and calling J Street "anti-Israel." Anyway, at about the same time [deputy Foreign Minister Danny] Ayalon attacked J...
US once threatened sanctions/tax deductions when Israel occupied land by force
Mondoweiss - 18 Feb 2010 - Henry Norr urges Obama to study the Suez war , when an American President and Sec’y of State actually used the UN General Assembly as a bully pulpit, and threatened sanctions, and took on the lobby too, to force Israel out of Gaza. At the end of...
Continued Harassment of Journalists in the West Bank
Alternative Information Center - 18 Feb 2010 - Thursday, 18 February 2010, The Palestinian Center for Human Rights (PCHR) condemns continued harassment of journalists in the West Bank, which constitutes an assault on the freedom of opinion and expression and press freedoms. PCHR is particularly concerned over an imprisonment sentence issued by a military...
Friday, February 19, 2010
Israeli troops attack the weekly anti wall protest at Nil'in and Bil'in villages central West Bank
IMEMC - Friday February 19, 2010 - 22:24, At Bil'in and Nil'in villages central West Bank Israeli troops used tear gas and sound bombs to suppress anti-wall protests. Today, the people of Bil'in, a small Palestinian village in the central West Bank marked the 5th year anniversary of their weekly struggle against the Israeli-built wall on their lands.
One injured scores suffered tear gas inhalation at an anti wall protest near Bethlehem
IMEMC - Friday February 19, 2010 - 22:03, Israeli Forces aggressively dispersed a peaceful demonstration of Palestinians protesting the construction of the Israeli apartheid wall through their land at Al Ma'sara village near Bethlehem city on Friday afternoon.
Nine German Physicians Arrive In the West Bank To Perform Delicate Surgeries
IMEMC - Friday February 19, 2010 - 00:42, Palestinian sources reported Thursday that nine physicians, including a professor in medicine, arrived in the central West Bank city of Ramallah to perform delicate surgeries.
Nablus Fighter Dies From Wounds Suffered In 2002
IMEMC - Friday February 19, 2010 - 00:22, Palestinian sources reported, Thursday, that a fighter died at hospital in Berlin, Germany from wounds suffered during an attack targeting Alon Moreh settlement near the northern West Bank city of Nablus, in 2002.
The Israeli Military Detain 11 Palestinian Civilians from the West Bank
IMEMC - Thursday February 18, 2010 - 17:44, Eleven Palestinian civilians were detained, on Thursday, by Israeli troops during military invasions targeting West Bank communities.
Israeli Tanks & Bulldozers Level Two Homes and Uproot Farm Lands in Central Gaza
IMEMC - Thursday February 18, 2010 - 17:22, Israeli tanks and a number of bulldozers leveled, on Thursday, two Palestinian homes and uprooted farm lands at central Gaza Strip.
Egypt Objects To Hamas’ Participation In Arab Summit
IMEMC - Thursday February 18, 2010 - 10:13, Egyptian media sources reported that Cairo informed the authorities in Libya that it objects to the participation of the Hamas movement in the upcoming Arab Summit March 27 in Tripoli.
Israel tightens restrictions on limboed village
2/20/2010 - Qalqiliya - Ma'an - Residents of Azzun Atma, a village in the West Bank surrounded by the separation wall on two sides, settlements on three sides and a road barrier to the south, said Israeli forces guarding the area had recently tightened security procedures in the area. The Azzun Atma village council said Israeli forces postponed the opening hours for the northern Azzun Atma checkpoint they must pass through to access agricultural land and workplaces in Qalqiliya and surrounding villages. Instead of opening at 4:30am, the checkpoint now opens one hour later. Villagers say the delay means many cannot arrive to work or school on time. Farmers say the later opening will have an increasingly detrimental affect come summer, when morning hours are the coolest. Witnesses say long lines of workers, farmers and students cue at the checkpoint, all hoping to be the first through.
Beit Ummar sit-in tear gassed by Israeli forces
2/20/2010 - Hebron - Ma'an - After two weeks of denying the use of riot dispersal mechanisms against protesters in Beit Ummar, the an Israeli army spokesman confirmed the use of tear gas and sound bombs on Palestinian and Israeli protesters Friday. A group of farmers, Beit Ummar residents and solidarity activists staged a sit-in outside the illegal Israeli settlement of Karmi Zur, north of Hebron, and were asked to leave by Israeli troops, the military confirmed. Spokesman for the Palestinian Solidarity Project Mohammad Awad said the group was quietly voicing dissent against "the Israeli policy that supports the settlers by allowing them to confiscate more of the town's land. "The Israeli spokesman said the army considered the sit-in a "provocation" and asked the group to leave. When they refused, he said, forces were "afraid the situation would develop" into violent actions against the settlers, and used "riot dispersal" methods against the group.
Officials: Settler sewage flowing into West Bank village
2/19/2010 - Qalqiliya - Ma'an - Sewage from a treatment plant in the Israeli settlement of Sha'are Tiqwa has been flowing into a high school in the northern West Bank village of Azzun Atma since the early morning, local authorities said late on Wednesday. The Azzun Atma Municipality said that some students simply stayed away from school because of the stench emanating from the wastewater that pooled in the schoolyard. The municipality said it informed the Palestinian civil coordination office in order to pass a message to Israeli authorities. Officials from the International Committee of the Red Cross came to the village from nearby Qalqiliya and documented the sewage flow, the municipality added. . . . .
Israel deploys forces at Jerusalem anti-eviction rally
2/20/2010 - Jerusalem - Ma'an - Some 100 Israeli and Palestinian protesters amassed in the Palestinian neighborhood of Sheikh Jarrah in Jerusalem on Friday, calling for an end to settlement activity and forced eviction of Palestinians from their homes. Amidst a heavy police and border guard presence, protesters and evicted families gathered to denounce both Israeli policy in Sheikh Jarrah and the separation wall's route in Bil'in, which marked five years of anti-wall demonstrations on Friday. This week's Sheikh Jarrah demonstration was tame in comparison to its Bil'in counterpart, where protesters breached part of an Israeli military fence and were met with riot disposal gear. In occupied East Jerusalem, protesters marched down to a residential area not marked off by Israeli police but were quickly dispersed. No one was arrested or injured.
3,000 protesters mark Bil’in anniversary
2/20/2010 - Jerusalem - Ma'an - Organizers said at least 3,000 demonstrators marched the separation wall cutting off the village of Bil'in from its agricultural lands on Friday to mark the fifth year of anti-wall protest by residents. Protest organizers also said the weekly march "celebrated" the Israeli military's decision to implement a two-year-old court order to move the barrier back from center of the village. "The Israeli court had already ruled two years ago that the Wall here should be rerouted, but it is our struggle, not their court, that forces the Army to implement this decision now", said Mohammed Khatib, an organizer from the village, in a statement. "The International Court of Justice in the Hague ruled that the Wall should be dismantled in its entirety, and not just partially like the Israeli court had ordered," he added. Related: VIDEO - Over a Thousand Demonstrators Marked Five Years of Struggle in Bil'in by Dismantling the Wall
Israeli forces detain 11 from across the West Bank
2/19/2010 - Nablus - Ma'an - Israeli forces raided Haifa street in the west end of Nablus city on Thursday morning, taking two young men from the area, witnesses said. The families of the teens identified them as Ala Kamel Teryaqi, 17, and Sami Hashem Abu Shleik, 17. An Israeli report said a total of 11 Palestinians were taken from areas across the West Bank overnight. The Palestinian Monitoring Group, under the PLO's Negotiations Affairs department, counted 10 arrests, 13 detentions and 31 raids by Israeli forces overnight on Wednesday, when Israeli reports also said 11 Palestinians were detained. An Israeli media report said the 11 men were taken for questioning. . . . .
3 Jerusalemites detained in Old City
2/19/2010 - Jerusalem - Ma'an - Israeli forces detained three Palestinians and assaulted a woman following a brawl between Israeli troops and Palestinians in the Old City of Jerusalem. Locals said confrontations began when troops approached the Palestinians and beat two brothers, Fadi and Shadi Muhammad Al-Khatib. Amir Al-Bary was detained and his mother was assaulted when trying to intervene, and was taken to the closest hospital, they said. Mrs Al-Bakry has launched a complaint with the Israeli police against the border guard, according to locals. [end]
Top UN official: Abbas must negotiate
2/20/2010 - Washington - Ma'an - A senior UN official placed onus on Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas to enter US-brokered negotiations with Israel on Thursday. "We remain deeply concerned at the current stalemate," said B. Lynn Pascoe, the UN's undersecretary-general for political affairs, in a briefing to the Security Council on Thursday morning. "The secretary-general hopes that President Abbas will move forward on the basis of that practical proposal so that serious talks can begin," Pascoe said. Pascoe also said Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon "notes [Israeli] Prime Minister [Benjamin] Netanyahu's stated commitment to a two-state solution, although confusion as to the government's intentions arises from statements by various government officials. "Peace negotiations were broken off in December 2008 when Israel launched a three-week military offensive. . .
Study: Occupation, internal violence undermines women’s safety
2/20/2010 - Ramallah - Ma'an - The sacrifices Palestinian women have made for the larger political struggle have gone largely unnoticed, Geneva Centre for Democratic Control of Armed Forces Ronald Fredric said last week. The centre, which recently published a report, titled Palestinian Women and Security: Why Palestinian Women and Girls Do Not Feel Secure shared its findings with a group of women, in Ramallah on Wednesday. The event hosted Minister of Women's Affairs Rabiha Thyab, Women's Studies professor at Birzeit University Islah Jad, police officer Wafa Hussein, and head of the Palestinian center for Gender Studies Zuheira Kamal, who each spoke about the issue of women and security under political strife, occupation and religious society. The Center's supervisor Stephany Shapan said the study opened windows into the types of obstacles women face, and highlighted the massive. . . Related: DCAF: Full Report
Israeli media: 4 ’wanted’ Palestinians detained in West Bank
2/20/2010 - Jerusalem - Ma'an - The Israeli army detained four "wanted" Palestinians in the West Bank on Thursday night, Israeli media reported. The four were detained near Bethlehem and Ramallah, and were taken for questioning by Israeli security forces, the Israeli daily Yedioth Aharonot said. "Four Palestinian men were arrested [overnight], suspected of involvement in terror activity," an Israeli military spokesman told Ma'an. [end]
Egyptian security destroys two Gaza tunnels
2/20/2010 - Gaza - Ma'an - Explosions, believed to be the sound of Egyptian security forces imploding smuggling tunnels, were heard along the Rafah border on Friday evening. The blasts were heard by residents of the Egyptian side of the As-Salam neighborhood of the city of Rafah, which straddles the sensitive border with the Gaza Strip. Ma'an learned that Egyptian security forces detonated explosives in two such tunnels. One week ago Egyptian forces destroyed several tunnels in the Yibna area of the border region. Egypt says it is cracking down on the vast network of tunnels in Rafah, which smugglers use to import goods made scarce by an Israeli-led blockade of Gaza. [end]
PCHR: Municipal elections unrealistic and impractical
2/19/2010 - Jerusalem - Ma'an - The current state of Palestinian political disunity is an obstacle to holding transparent elections in July 2010, the Palestinian Centre for Human Rights (PCHR) said in a public statement released Thursday. The caretaker government of the Palestinian Authority under appointed Prime Minister Salam Fayyad made the decision to hold elections during a January session of the government. The last municipal elections were held in 2005. Officials in the Gaza de facto government have not commented on whether or not they will participate in the elections, but called the decision making process behind the vote announcement "undemocratic" and "one-sided. " PCHR said it rejects the holding of elections when the "results are known in advance," which it said is currently the case. . . . Related: PCHR: On the Call for Local Elections in Palestinian Authority Territories in July 2010
Israeli authorities permit the transfer of bottled water into Gaza
2/19/2010 - Gaza - Ma'an - Israeli authorities agreed to allow the transfer of bottled mineral water into the Gaza Strip, beginning next month, according to Palestinian border crossings official Raed Fattouh. Since 2006, bottled mineral water has not been permitted into the Strip by Israeli authorities. The small relaxation of import regulations follows several months on the okay to import water purification devices for home use. Even before the siege and the Israeli war on Gaza, water resources in the area were limited, with most underground wells contaminated by salt water, and limited access to the sole aquifer. In September 2009, the Gaza Coastal Municipal Water Utility issued a report saying that unless urgent action is taken, the supply of water "fit for human use in the Gaza Strip will be depleted in 5-10 years. The import of drinking water, now still and sparkling, will improve the available resources for residents faced with access difficulties, and help guarantee water reserves when pumps and desalinization equipment break. "
Wife of Al-Birreh Mayor released by Israeli authorities
2/19/2010 - Ramallah - Ma'an - An Israeli military court released the wife of the mayor of Al-Birreh, Ramallah, on bail Friday. Muntaha At-Tawil was detained two weeks earlier and taken to Telmond prison. According to At-Tawil's lawyer, the court had denied her release a week ago. At-Tawil was detained in an early morning raid, after Israeli forces searched her home, the Al-Birreh Municipal Council said. Upon her detention, an Israeli military spokesman told Ma'an that At-Tawil was detained because of her involvement in activities "in the Hamas terrorist organization. "[end]Related: Israeli forces detain wife of mayor in Ramallah
Fayyad promises support to villages beyond the wall
2/20/2010 - Jenin - Ma'an - One of the villages benefiting from Prime Minister Salam Fayyad 58 million dollars in development projects, officially opened in Jenin Thursday, was served with nine demolition warnings as the Palestinian official delivered congratulatory speeches. "We will not stop work on the homes," head of the Barta'a Sharqiya village council Ghassan Qabbaha said Friday, "in fact, e have hired lawyers to make sure the homes have permits, and we are filing a petition to have more of the village land included in 'Area B. '" The projects Fayyad opened included the construction of roads, schools, health centers municipal council buildings, all part of a package for development in the Jenin district worth a total of 58, 030, 505 US dollars, the prime minister's office said. The villages targeted by the development are mostly in "Area A," a district under Palestinian Authority civil. . .
Assad: Europe must push Israel toward peace
2/20/2010 - Washington - Ma'an/Agencies - Syrian President Bashar Al-Assad told the visiting French prime minister on Friday that European states should compel Israel to comply with what he termed the "requirements of peace. " According to state news agency SANA, Al-Assad told Prime Minister Francois Fillon that in his view Israel currently lacks the "genuine will" to achieve peace. The same report said the two leaders discussed bilateral relations and regional issues including the situation in the occupied Palestinian territories. Syria wants Israel to commit to a full withdrawal from the Golan Heights, an area Israel occupied during the June 1967 war. Israel considers the land an annexed territory, but the international community does not recognize Israeli control there, and has repeatedly called for an Israeli pullout. Fillon is the first French Prime Minister to visit Syria in 33 years, AFP reported earlier on Friday.
In photos: US hip hop group HaviKoro perform in Nablus
2/19/2010 - Bethlehem - Ma'an - The US Consulate in Jerusalem sponsored local performances by The HaviKoro Crew, a hip hop group based in Houston, Texas, playing to capacity crowds in the West Bank and East Jerusalem, organizers said. The crew, whose next stop is Jordan, are part of an ongoing initiative by the US representatives officeto promote "mutual understanding and stronger ties between Palestinians and Americans," a statement said. The initiative has seen Jazz, rap and Swing groups perform across Palestine in recent years, in what was described as an effort to expose Palestinians to music and culture that is uniquely American, with a global influence. HaviKoro, like the bands that came before them, performed for audiences and conducted workshops across Palestine. Students in Ramallah, Nablus and East Jerusalem were treated to day-long dance classes as the crew shared their moves with eager children and young adults.
Top US official visits Israel, West Bank
2/19/2010 - Washington - Ma'an - US Deputy Secretary of State Jacob J. Lew arrived on Wednesday for a four-day visit to Israel and the West Bank that will include talks on trade, technology, and humanitarian aid, the State Department said. While in the West Bank, the State Department said Lew, who served as budget director under former President Bill Clinton, plans to "focus on how U. S. assistance can best support the efforts of President Abbas and Prime Minister Fayyad to build the institutions of a future state, to develop the Palestinian economy and civil society institutions, and other elements integral to US efforts to help achieve a two-state solution and comprehensive peace in the region. "Also on Thursday President Mahmoud Abbas met with a senior aide to Middle East envoy George Mitchell, Reuters news agency reported. Chief Palestinian negotiator Saeb Erekat confirmed the scheduled meeting with aide David Hale had taken place in Ramallah. Neither the PA nor the US had any comment on the subject of the meeting.
German doctors’ delegation arrives in West Bank
2/19/2010 - Nablus - Ma'an - A delegation of nine German doctors arrived in the occupied Palestinian territories on Thursday night to perform a number of heart, blood vessel and brain surgery, the Ramallah-based Ministry of Health said. Spokesman for the ministry, Omar Al-Nasr, said Minister of Health Fathi Abu Mughli received the delegation which will undertake a number of its surgeries at the Ramallah Governmental Hospital. One of the doctors accompanying the delegation had performed surgery on former President Yasser Arafat, and visited his grave to place a wreath on Friday morning, Al-Nasr said. President Mahmoud Abbas is scheduled to meet the delegation at his office in Ramallah, Al-Nasr added. . . . .
Hamas says PA forces detained 8 supporters
2/19/2010 - on 31 May 2009 [MaanImages-Khaled Raesh] Bethlehem - Ma'an - Hamas accused Palestinian Authority Security Services of detaining eight of the movement's supporters across the West Bank on Friday, a statement said. Hamas said the supporters were detained from Nablus, Qalqiliya, Ramallah and Salfit. [end]
Sex tape source cancels scheduled public appearance
2/19/2010 - Bethlehem - Ma'an - Former Palestinian Authority intelligence officer and source of February's sex scandal tapes Fahmi Shabanah canceled a scheduled public address, "in the high interests of Palestinian unity," he told reporters. Addressing a closed group of press members, Shabaneh said he would not go ahead with a public speech where he had promised to disclose the reasons behind his choice to hand over hundreds of documents and a video tape showing presidential aide Rafiq Husseini apparently exchanging sex for jobs in the government. "I am Fahmi Shabana At-Tamimi did what I have done out of my belief that it would help fight corruption in all its forms, colors and levels. . . . . I wanted to push the reform wagon onto the right track in order to achieve justice. "The release of the material two weeks ago prompted President Mahmoud Abbas to suspend Husseini and call an inquiry into the incident.
Hamas: Assisting Zionist enemy will result in confrontation
Ha'aretz 20 Feb 2010 - Hamas says two Palestinians linked to Dubai hit are employed by senior Fatah strongman Dahlan.
Bil'in protesters dismantle section of West Bank barrier
Ha'aretz 20 Feb 2010 - 1,000 take part in rally marking five years since the first protest taking place near the Palestinian village.
U.S. Lawmakers Blast Boycott of J Street Delegation in Israel
2/18/2010 - Common Dreams - Ha'aretz - Five U. S. Congressmen on a visit here, which the left-wing American advocacy group J Street initiated, yesterday held a news conference in Tel Aviv to demand an official explanation for an apparent snub by Danny Ayalon, deputy foreign minister. Tension between the Foreign Ministry and J Street was believed to be behind the unprecedented diplomatic rift between Israel and the U. S. Congress. " It was with real surprise and disappointment that we read a headline in this morning's newspaper saying 'Foreign Ministry boycotts members of Congress,'" said Rep. William Delahunt (D-Massachusetts), who heads the delegation. J Street director Jeremy Ben-Ami said at the news conference that he was confused by Ayalon's calling the lobby anti-Israel. "Our relations with Israel's embassy in Washington are on the mend. . . I hope this is no more than his personal opinion," he said.
VIDEO - Mass Demo Bil’in: Five Years of Resistance Commemorated
2/19/2010 - YouTube - Haith M Katib - Today Bil'in commemorated the fifth anniversary of popular demonstrations against the settlements and the Apartheid Wall. Israel's occupation has confiscated over 50% of Bil'in's land. Only last week the construction work to reroute the Wall began, nearly two and a half years after the High Court of Justice ordered the Wall to be moved. Approximately 30% of land will be returned to the village. This victory strengthens Bil'in's resistance and counterbalances the hardships the Israeli Occupation Army has inflicted upon the village. Throughout the past five years, Bil'in's non-violent demonstrations have met with severe army violence, injuring over 1,200 people and killing one person. Another 85 villagers have been arrested for organizing or merely taking part in the demonstrations. The Israeli Occupation Army terrorizes the entire village, entering Bil'in at night, often using sound bombs and tear gas.
UNRWA: City of Mud
2/19/2010 - WAFA - Palestine News Agency - GAZA, February 19, 2010 - Hassan al-Err is the head of a family of seven who are preparing to move into a mud house built by UNRWA in the Gaza Strip. UNRWA has resorted to building with mud because other building materials are not available. The two-bedroom house in Jabalia, north of Gaza City, is an improvement on the tent in which the 67-year-old Hassan had been living with his family - next to the rubble of their former home. The family's home was one of 4,036 houses in Gaza which were totally destroyed or damaged beyond repair last year in Israel's 23-day military operation. Since then, rebuilding has been almost impossible because Israel does not allow construction materials such as cement and steel into the Strip, saying they could be used for military purposes. 'I can't forget how hard the past year has been for me and my family living in a tent in the cold winter and the hot summer,' Hassan explains.
Sunday 'Resisdance' Protest to Tell Israel Ballet It can’t Tip-Toe Around Apartheid
2/19/2010 - WAFA - Palestine News Agency - BROOKLYN, NY, February 21, 2010 (WAFA)- Human rights activists will call upon New Yorkers to boycott the Israel Ballet at their Sunday afternoon performance at the Brooklyn Center for the Performing Arts at Brooklyn College. The protest will include contemporary and folk dance, anti-apartheid ballet-themed chants, and more. Organizers of the protest affirmed the boycott call by the Palestinian Campaign for the Academic and Cultural Boycott of Israel and stated that Israeli cultural and academic institutions that do not openly denounce Israeli crimes against Palestinians and dissociate themselves from Israeli policy should be subject to a popular boycott. Allison Brown of Adalah-NY comments, “Rather than distancing itself from the Israeli state’s cynical use of the arts to whitewash its apartheid and colonial policies, the Israel Ballet, which receives around $1 million annually from the Israeli government, has proudly embraced its ties with the state.
Maan News Agency: Officials: Settler sewage flowing into West Bank village
2/19/2010 - Ma’an News Agency - Qalqiliya – Ma’an – Sewage from a treatment plant in the Israeli settlement of Sha’are Tiqwa has been flowing into a high school in the northern West Bank village of Azzun Atma since the early morning, local authorities said late on Wednesday. The Azzun Atma Municipality said that some students simply stayed away from school because of the stench emanating from the wastewater that pooled in the schoolyard. The municipality said it informed the Palestinian civil coordination office in order to pass a message to Israeli authorities. Officials from the International Committee of the Red Cross came to the village from nearby Qalqiliya and documented the sewage flow, the municipality added. [end]
U.S. Congressman Calls for Breaking Gaza Blockade
2/19/2010 - WAFA - Palestine News Agency - WASHINGTON, February 19, 2010 (WAFA)- U. S. Congressman Brian Baird (D-WA) called for the United States to break the Gaza blockade, provide immediate humanitarian aid and urged Special Envoy Mitchell to visit Gaza. Baird statement reads as follows: In the past year I have been to Gaza three times. I was the first US Government official to visit Gaza after the Israeli Cast Lead operation. My recent two-day visit was to assess aid shipments and humanitarian conditions in Gaza. These are the facts: There is an Israeli blockade around Gaza, on land and along the coast. This blockade was established so that contraband weapons and equipment used for rockets to shell Israel will not enter Gaza. While there are foodstuffs entering Gaza, the shipments are tightly controlled and items such as tomato paste and pasta are sometimes restricted by the Israelis.
Israel tightens vice on Gaza Strip, UN reports
2/19/2010 - United Nations: International Law - 17 February 2010 – The ability to bring essential commodities into Gaza, already under an Israeli blockade that is undermining health care, the economy and rehabilitation after last year’s devastating Israeli offensive, was further cut in January by more crossing closures, according to the latest United Nations update. The UN and other humanitarian organizations have repeatedly called on Israel to immediately open all border crossings not only for basic necessities, which it allows in limited amounts, but for the reconstruction material needed to rebuild the scores of buildings destroyed by the offensive, which Israel says it launched to halt rocket attacks by Palestinian militants in Gaza. But in January the situation further deteriorated due the total closure of the fuel crossing at Nahal Oz, which turned Kerem Shalom into the single functional crossing for goods, except for a conveyor. . . .
Joint Statement: More than One year after 'Operation Cast Lead': Distressing Lack of Accountability and Justice for the Victims of the Conflict
2/17/2010 - Al Mezan Center for Human Rights - UN HUMAN RIGHTS COUNCIL - Thirteenth Session, 1 – 26 March 2010 - Joint written statement by Adalah - The Legal Centre for Arab Minority Rights in Israel; Addameer Prisoner Support and Human Rights Association;Al Mezan; AL-Dameer Association for Human Rights-Gaza; Al-Haq; Arab Association for Human Rights (HRA); Badil Resource Center for Palestinian Residency and Refugee Rights; International Committee of the National Lawyers Guild; Palestinian Center for Human Rights; Physicians for Human Rights-Israel; The Gaza Community Mental Health Program; The Israeli Committee Against House Demolitions; The National Center for Community Rehabilitation; Women’s Center for Legal Aid and Councelling (WCLAC). 1. The UN Fact Finding Mission on the Gaza Conflict (the Mission), determined that Israel and Palestinian armed groups committed serious violations of international human rights and humanitarian law and possible war crimes and crimes against humanity.
UN hopes ‘serious’ Israeli-Palestinian talks will begin soon, political chief says
2/19/2010 - United Nations: International Law - 18 February 2010 – The United Nations remains deeply concerned at the current stalemate in the Middle East peace process, the world body’s political chief said today, voicing the hope that both the Israelis and the Palestinians will accept a proposal put forward to restart talks. Under-Secretary-General for Political Affairs B. Lynn Pascoe said a proposal from United States envoy George Mitchell to the parties to begin indirect talks with US mediation is currently under serious consideration. Israel has indicated its readiness to work on this basis, while Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas is still seeking clarifications. “The Secretary-General hopes that President Abbas will move forward on the basis of this practical proposal so that serious talks can begin,” Mr. Pascoe said in his briefing to the Security Council.
American Hip Hop Group HaviKoro Concludes Palestinian Tour
2/19/2010 - WAFA - Palestine News Agency - JERUSALEM, February 19, 2010 (WAFA)- The HaviKoro Crew, an American hip hop group based in Houston, Texas, concluded their Palestinian performance tour, playing to capacity crowds in the West Bank and East Jerusalem during their three-day program that ended in on February 18, 2010. The U. S. Consulate General Consulate said in a press release that the group performed for audiences and conducted workshops in Ramallah, Nablus and East Jerusalem on a program sponsored by the U. S. Consulate General in Jerusalem, in partnership with local Palestinian arts and educational institutions. The HaviKoro Crew consists of four members: Mario Jaramillo, Joe Belmarez, Chris Thomas, and Nathan Rene Cano. Speaking after a workshop at Tomorrow’s Youth Organization in Nablus, HaviKoro leader Mario Jaramillo commented, “We are pleased to have been invited by the U.
Hamas assassination: Did Britain know about Mossad hit?
2/19/2010 - Daily Mail - Did Britain know about Mossad hit? Israeli agent claims MI6 was tipped off - MI6 was tipped off that Israeli agents were going to carry out an 'overseas operation' using fake British passports, it was claimed last night. A member of Mossad, the Israeli intelligence service, said the Foreign Office was also told hours before a Hamas terrorist chief was assassinated in Dubai. The tip-off did not say who the target would be or even where the hit squad would be in action. But the claim from a credible source that the Government had some prior knowledge of the abuse of UK passports will strengthen calls for ministers to come clean about what they knew and when. It came as more details emerged of how Mahmoud al-Mabhouh was lured into a trap by Palestinian double agents last month before being smothered with a pillow. The killers tried to make his death look like an accident.
Dubai wants head of Mossad arrested over Hamas assassination
2/19/2010 - Times of London - The Dubai chief of police called yesterday for the arrest of Meir Dagan, the head of Mossad, if it is proved that the Israeli spy agency was behind the assassination of the Hamas commander Mahmoud al-Mabhouh. Lieutenant-General Dahi Khalfan Tamim called on Interpol, in a statement last night, to issue a red arrest notice seeking Mr Dagan’s extradition “as a killer in case Mossad is proved to be behind the crime, which is most likely now”. An insider close to the case confirmed that Mr Dagan and Binyamin Netanyahu, the Israeli Prime Minister, are top of the Gulf state’s wanted list. “Our investigations reveal that Mossad is involved in the murder of al-Mabhouh,” General Tamim said. “It is 99 per cent, if not 100 per cent, that Mossad is standing behind the murder. ” Police in Dubai said that they would release new evidence in the coming days that proves that the assassination can be traced. . . .
VIDEO - Finkelstein vs. Gissan
2/18/2010 - Information Clearing House/Russia Today - Norman Finkelstein: One Man's Struggle for Justice - By RT - On Peter Lavelle's CrossTalk, Israel critic Norman Finkelstein faces off against a formidable spokesperson of Israel's "soft power", Ronan Gissan. [end]
VIDEO - Israel’s Mossad in spotlight after Hamas murder
2/18/2010 - YouTube - AFP - Interpol has issued arrest notices for 11 suspects in the killing of a top Hamas commander, Mahmud al-Mabhuh, last month. The apparent assassination, which took place in Dubai, has piled diplomatic. . . Interpol has issued arrest notices for 11 suspects in the killing of a top Hamas commander, Mahmud al-Mabhuh, last month. The apparent assassination, which took place in Dubai, has piled diplomatic pressure on Israel, since the suspects travelled on fake European passports. Some are blaming the murder on the Israeli intelligence agency Mossad. Duration: 01:55 [end]
An Innovative Approach to Improving Education in the West Bank
1/27/2010 - This Week in Palestine - Ilona Kassissieh - In a survey conducted in May 2008, it was found that UNRWA school children in the fourth, sixth, and eighth grades had hardly reached a mean achievement of 50 in two vital subjects, namely, arithmetic and Arabic. This blatant decrease in performance was a wake-up call to take urgent steps to deal with this critical situation. It illustrated that education in general, which was severely impacted by the second Intifada, was in dire need of a facelift in order to carve out a relatively stable future within a very unstable context. The never-ending conflict, access restrictions, and declining socio-economic standards have only added to the negative impacts of daily life on all students in the West Bank, including those at UNRWA schools. Indeed, it is quite difficult to nurture and support a child’s cognitive, emotional, physical, and psychological well-being under the prevailing. . . .
Kurdish militia tighten grip on non-Kurdish districts in Iraq’s Mosul
Uruknet February 19, 2010 - A senior official in the Province of Nineveh of which Mosul is the capital has denounced the presence of Kurdish armed militias in several provincial districts and towns. In response, the militias, known locally as peshmerga, have tightened their grip on these areas, arresting and harassing people and officials resisting their rule. Osama al-Najaifi accused the...
Israel Decides to Confiscate Palestinian Land in Jerusalem to Establish a Jewish Parking Lot
Uruknet February 19, 2010 - A municipal official in Occupied Jerusalem has revealed the occupational municipality's intention to confiscate Palestinian land in order to build a new car park in the Arab suburb of Sheikh Jarrah. The car park is intended for the service of Jewish visitors to a shrine in the region. The official, named Yair Gabay, stressed that the...
Sex abuse claims against famed rabbi grip Israel
Uruknet February 19, 2010 - Israeli police said on Friday they were looking into allegations of sexual abuse against one of the country's most famous and politically influential rabbis, in a case that has triggered dramatic headlines this week. Mordechai Elon -- known as "Rabbi Motti" by viewers of his popular TV show and by many young men in the West...
Gaza City in Darkness
Uruknet February 19, 2010 - Last night the Children of the beleaguered Gaza strip held a candlelit protest on the streets of a Gaza City plunged into darkness as a result of the devastating and continued Israeli imposed and Egyptian maintained siege of the area. Since Hamas' election victory in 2006, the civilian population of the tiny populous strip has faced...
Clashes erupt at West Bank protest
Uruknet February 19, 2010 - Israeli security forces have fired tear gas and munitions at a group of Palestinians staging a protest in the West Bank town of Bi'lin to mark the fifth anniversary of a separation wall built by Israel..."The Israeli army fired tear gas and began throwing various munitions over the fence including skunk gas ... which is very harmful,"...
Weekly Report on Israeli Human Rights Violations in the Occupied Palestinian Territory, February 10 – 17, 2010
Uruknet February 19, 2010 - Israeli violations of international law and humanitarian law escalated in the OPT during the reporting period (11–17 February 2010): Shooting: During the reporting period, IOF killed two Palestinians; a member of the Palestinian resistance who was killed in the Gaza Strip and a civilian who was killed in cold blood in Hebron. IOF also wounded 5...
Gaza health system fails children despite success
Uruknet February 18, 2010 - The chief of Pediatric Surgery at the European Hospital in Gaza Dr Jihad Abu Dayyah lead a team of Palestinian physicians in an eight-hour surgery that saw the successful transplant of an esophagus in a child. One month earlier, however, a two-year-old boy died from congenital heart failure that could not be treated in Gaza. According...
Gaza: Fishing Under Fire
Uruknet February 18, 2010 - Ten years ago, Gaza’s approximately 3,600 fishermen were hauling approximately 3,000 tons of fresh fish a year, supporting an even larger 30,000 people in Gaza. Since then, violent clashes with — and ever-tightening restrictions by — the Israeli army have virtually destroyed the once booming business. Today, just 20 percent of Gaza fishermen are still able...
U.S. Attempts to Erase Haitian Nationhood
Uruknet February 18, 2010 - The world’s sole superpower behaves as if Haitian sovereignty no longer exists. Notions of legality are wholly absent in America’s occupation of Haiti, where the U.S. poses as the internationally recognized authority. Washington arrogantly improvises the terms of the Haitian "protectorate."...
Iran Rebuffs U.N. Criticism, Denies Abuses
Uruknet February 18, 2010 - International human rights groups and Iranian activists say Iran's decision to reject major recommendations made by the 47-member U.N. Human Rights Council on Wednesday is disappointing and signals that Tehran has no intention of easing the crackdown on dissent in the country. Mohammad Javad Larijani, secretary-general of Iran's High Council for Human Rights, said on Monday...
Israel remains silent over use of forged British passports in Dubai assassination
Uruknet February 18, 2010 - Britain today declared its "outrage" at the use of forged British passports by a hit squad that killed a Hamas official in Dubai, and dispatched police investigators to the Gulf emirate to collect evidence. The officers from the Serious Organised Crime Agency (SOCA) arrived in the United Arab Emirates as the investigation focused increasingly on Israel....
Video: The murder of Mahmoud al-Mabhouh
Uruknet February 18, 2010 - Dubai police has released video footage of the Jewish-Mossad gang responsible for killing top Hamas official Mahmoud al-Mabhouh on Tuesday 19 Jan 2010. Dubai police chief Lieutenant General Dhahi Khalfan Tamim, has named and identified 11 suspects wanted in connection with murder of Hamas commander Mahmoud al-Mabhouh, 49, in UAE. Tamim said: Leaders of certain countries...
Gaza's desert rose: new concept of recycling
19 Feb 2010 - World, February 19, 2010 (Pal Telegraph) -"Need is the mother of invention," says Adel Eid, the administrative officer at the UNRWA Khan Younis Training College (KYTC). Unfortunately, in blockaded Gaza need is certainly widespread. A strict blockade has been imposed by the Israeli government since the Hamas takeover of the Strip in June 2007. The blockade means that no building...
Working to rebuild the joy of children
The National 19 Feb 2010 - Unicef support teams are trying to repair the psychological damage suffered by Palestinian youngsters whose homes were destroyed by Israeli forces.
Britel: Lebanon's forgotten town
The National 19 Feb 2010 - Written off by the Lebanese government and neglected by Hizbollah, crime is all that is left for the people of Britel.
Dubai murder strains Israel ties
AlJazeera 19 Feb 2010 - Use of European passports in Hamas leader's killing strains relations with allies.
IAEA fears Iran working on warhead
AlJazeera 19 Feb 2010 - Report suggests "possible military dimensions" to Tehran's nuclear programme.
Clashes erupt at West Bank protest
AlJazeera 19 Feb 2010 - Israeli forces fire tear gas at Palestinians rallying against separation wall.
Clinton: US Has No Plan for Military Action Against Iran
The Media Line 17 Feb 2010 - US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton said during a visit to the Gulf that America currently has no plan for military action against Iran over its nuclear program. "We don't want Iran to become a nuclear...
News from Within Podcast: The Case Regarding the Israeli Deportation of American Journalist Jared Malsin
Alternative Information Center - Thursday, 18 February 2010, On Tuesday, 16 February 2010, I spoke with Jared Malsin, Chief English Editor of the Palestinian news organization, Ma’an. Jared, an American citizen, was deported to the United States by the Israeli...
Tel Aviv University President's Sophie Choice
Alternative Information Center - Friday, 19 February 2010, “As the new president of Tel Aviv University, the country’s largest and most comprehensive institution of higher education, I find myself caught in an agonizing double bind. On the one hand, my...
1,000 Demonstrators Marked Five Years of Protest in Bil'in by Dismantling Portions of the Wall
Alternative Information Center - Friday, 19 February 2010, One week after work to reroute the path of the Wall in Bil'in had began, more than a thousand demonstrators celebrated five years of struggle by dismantling a section of the Wall...
'West will lose by helping Israel'
Jeruslalem Post 19 Feb 2010 - Hamas official warns nations to stay out of Israeli-Palestinian conflict.
Khamenei: Iran not seeking bomb
Jeruslalem Post 19 Feb 2010 - Soltanieh: IAEA report based on fabricated documents; Russia warns of sanctions.
Israel: Nothing links us to Mabhouh
Jeruslalem Post 19 Feb 2010 - UK, Ireland envoys have “nothing to add”; France, Germany demand explanations.
Fayyad tells US Jewish leaders: IDF incursions undermine us
Jeruslalem Post 18 Feb 2010 - Palestinians now ‘have security, hope, unity of purpose,’ PA prime minister says at meeting in Jenin.
EGYPT: H1N1 flu down but not out
IRIN CAIRO Thursday, February 18, 2010 (IRIN) - The number of H1N1 influenza patients has fallen sharply in Egypt since the start of 2010, but health officials say they are bracing for a second wave of infections. The Health Ministry said it is recording 500 infections a week, as against 2,500...
SYRIA: Over a million people affected by drought
IRIN DEIR EZ ZOUR Wednesday, February 17, 2010 (IRIN) - Drought in eastern and northeastern Syria has driven some 300,000 families to urban settlements such as Aleppo, Damascus and Deir ez Zour in search of work in one of the largest internal displacements in the Middle East in recent years.
SYRIA: U.S. Starts Normalisation Process in Earnest
IPS WASHINGTON, Feb 18 (IPS) - After months of delay, the administration of President Barack Obama is taking major steps engage the government of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad as part of a broader regional strategy designed in major part to isolate Iran, escalate the fight against al Qaeda and other radical...
MIDEAST: Scandals, Assassination Plan Rock Palestinian Authority
IPS RAMALLAH, Feb 17 (IPS) - The Palestinian Authority (PA) in Ramallah is fighting a tidal wave of fresh allegations, including sexual harassment, an internal power struggle and embezzlement.
Weekly Report on Israeli Human Rights Violations in the Occupied Palestinian Territory
PCHR Israeli Occupation Forces (IOF) Continue Systematic Attacks against Palestinian Civilians and Property in the Occupied Palestinian Territory (OPT)
VIDEO - Over a Thousand Demonstrators Marked Five Years of Struggle in Bil’in by Dismantling the Wall
2/19/2010 - International Solidarity Movement - Popular Struggle Coordination Committee - One week following the victory forcing Israel to begin rerouting the path of the Wall, and under the shadow of an unprecedented wave of repression against the popular struggle, over a thousand protesters took part in a demonstration at the west Bank village of Bil'in, marking five years of struggle there. At the height of the demonstration dozens of protesters stormed the Barrier, toppled some 40 meters of it and crossed to village's lands. Protesters also managed to take over a military post adjacent to the path of the Wall for a short time. In a show of support of the popular struggle and the village of Bil'in, hundreds from all across the West Bank joined the demonstration today, as well as many Israeli and international activists. Among the many supporters were also the mayor of Geneva, Nabil Sh'ath, Mustafa Barghouthi and Palestinian. . . .
A thousand demonstrators gather to commemorate the 5 year struggle in Bil’in
2/19/2010 - International Solidarity Movement - More than 1000 Palestinians, Israelis and internationals gathered. Demonstrators managed to get to the fence, dismantlea large section down, and cross the wall, placing a Palestinian flag on top of an Israel Defense Forces outpost. The Israeli soldiers responded by spreading water with chemicals which provoke unbearable smell, shooting scores of tear gas canisters. [end]
French FM: Need for Palestinian state is immediate
Ha'aretz 20 Feb 2010 - Bernard Kouchner: Assassination of Hamas leader in Dubai underscores need for peace in Middle East.
I envy the people who hate Israel
Ha'aretz 20 Feb 2010 - We should have expected the Dubai hit. Israel's drive to delegitimize itself was going too slowly.
Israel embassy sets U.K. a-Twitter over 'second Dubai hit'
Ha'aretz 20 Feb 2010 - Tweet of Israeli Tennis player's 'hit on Dubai target' comes amid rising storm over Hamas assassination.
Three men charged with financing Hezbollah in Miami
Ha'aretz 20 Feb 2010 - Men exported electronics to a South American mall which funnels money to Hezbollah, U.S. claims.
Russia to supply Iran with S-300 defense systems
Ha'aretz 20 Feb 2010 - Kremlin to fulfill contract with Iran despite Israel, U.S. efforts to convince Russia to scrap it.
Israel urges world: Immediately impose sanctions on Iran
Ha'aretz 20 Feb 2010 - Germany says Iran must pay for nuclear defiance; Khamenei denies seeking atomic bomb.
Abbas to renew talks with Israel next week
Ha'aretz 20 Feb 2010 - Palestinians agree to resume indirect negotiations after year-long standstill.
IAEA report: Iran may be developing atom bomb
Ha'aretz 20 Feb 2010 - Covert report also confirms Iran produced its first, small batch of uranium enriched to 20 percent.
Q&A: Israel and the Dubai killing
The Guardian 19 Feb 2010 - The background, the key players and the possible consequences of the row over Mahmoud al-Mabhouh's death What triggered the row? Mahmoud al-Mabhouh, a senior official of the Palestinian group Hamas, was murdered, apparently by suffocation, on...
How fair trade can help tackle poverty and bring peace to conflict zones | Sarah Irving
The Guardian 19 Feb 2010 - Fair trade can help communities affected by war and conflict to emerge from poverty and develop sustainably Tackling poverty in conflict areas is an enormous challenge. But, say an increasing number of fair trade pioneers on...
Mossad forged my passport to carry out 1979 killing, says Briton
The Guardian 19 Feb 2010 - Man tells how he was questioned by special branch after Israeli revenge assassination for 1972 Olympic attack The infamous 1979 assassination of the Palestinian who masterminded the Munich massacre was carried out using a forged British...
Britain denies advance knowledge of Dubai killing
The Guardian 19 Feb 2010 - Foreign Office dismisses reports it was told beforehand about Israeli plan to assassinate Hamas official Britain has flatly denied having any advance knowledge of Israeli plans to assassinate a senior official of the Palestinian group Hamas...
The war underground | Aluf Benn
The Guardian 19 Feb 2010 - Despite much moral debate, assassinations have always been part of the Israeli-Arab conflict Israelis enjoy a love-hate relationship with the intelligence service, Mossad. When they succeed in another James Bond-style operation, we sing their praises as...
Palestinian and Israeli midwives come together for professional development
Relief Web 19 Feb 2010 - Source: MADRE
Increased humanitarian aid to Gaza after IDF operation 13 Feb 2010
Relief Web 19 Feb 2010 - Source: Government of Israel
OPT: Abbas considers options on peace talks restart
Relief Web 19 Feb 2010 - Source: Reuters - AlertNet
Assad: Force Israel to commit to peace
YNet News 19 Feb 2010 - In meeting with French prime minister, Syrian president says Europe must take up active role in regional talks, stresses peace process must be based on international resolutions
3 men charged in Miami with financing Hezbollah
YNet News 19 Feb 2010 - Indictment says suspects ran companies using Miami port to move goods to Paraguay shopping center included on US banned list of suspected terrorist fundraising networks. Center's owner, Muhammad Yusif Abdallah considered a senior Hezbollah leader in South American region
Report: Russia says to supply Iran S-300 missiles
YNet News 19 Feb 2010 - Deputy Foreign Minister Sergei Ryabkov tells Interfax news agency 'There is a contract to supply these systems to Iran, and we will fulfill it'
Hamas: Aiding Zionist enemy will end in confrontation
YNet News 19 Feb 2010 - Mahmoud al-Zahar warns West against aiding Israel following assassination of movement's operative Mahmoud al-Mabhouh last month. Meanwhile, Senior Israeli official tells AFP 'Dubai police have provided no incriminating proof' in investigation into killing, adds 'Threats against Mossad chief Meir Dagan are absurd, baseless'
ElBaradei returns to Egypt hoping to run for presidency
YNet News 19 Feb 2010 - After ending term as International Atomic Energy Agency chief, Mohamed ElBaradei returns to homeland to 'do everything I can for Egypt to advance toward democracy'
Germany, France, Russia urge action on Iran
YNet News 19 Feb 2010 - In response to IAEA report, showing concern over Iran's nuclear program, Germany says, 'Persistent defiance forcing us to pursue further sanctions'. Meanwhile, France urges world powers to act 'with determination to response to Iran's lack of cooperation'
Bilin protestors dismantle part of fence
YNet News 19 Feb 2010 - (Video) Some 1,200 demonstrators gather in village west of Ramallah to mark fifth anniversary of their protest activities. Some manage to damage parts of separation fence and hurl stones at security forces, who try to keep distance and avoid clashes
Iran: UN nuclear warhead report 'baseless'
YNet News 19 Feb 2010 - Islamic Republic rejects UN nuclear watchdog's fears that Tehran may be working to develop nuclear payload for missile. Meanwhile, Russia urges Iran to be more cooperative with IAEA
French PM embarks on landmark Syria visit
Daily Star 20 Feb 2010 DAMASCUS: French Prime Minister Francois Fillon, the first head of state to visit Syria in 33 years, arrived Friday in Damascus on a mission to bolster diplomatic ties and forge new economic relations. Cabinet members including French Economy Minister Christine Lagarde and Culture Minister Frederic Mitterrand accompanied Fillon for the 24-hour visit, along with a delegation of top businessmen.
Khamenei denies Tehran seeks nuclear arms
Daily Star 20 Feb 2010 TEHRAN: From the deck of Iran's new guided-missile destroyer, Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei denied Friday that Tehran was seeking nuclear weapons and criticized the US military presence in the Gulf. His comments came as international concern rose over Tehran's nuclear ambitions a day after the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) said it may currently be working on making a nuclear warhead.
Sex-abuse claims against famed rabbi grip Israel
Daily Star 20 Feb 2010 OCCUPIED JERUSALEM: Israeli police said on Friday they were looking into allegations of sexual abuse against one of the country's most famous and politically influential rabbis, in a case that has triggered dramatic headlines this week. Mordechai Elon - known as "Rabbi Motti" by viewers of his popular weekly television show and by many young men in the West Bank settler movement.
Syria drought affects over 1 million people with 300,000 moving to urban areas
Daily Star 20 Feb 2010 DEIR EZ ZOUR, Syria: Drought in eastern and northeastern Syria has driven some 300,000 families to urban settlements such as Aleppo, Damascus and Deir ez Zour in search of work in one of the largest internal displacements in the Middle East in recent years. The country's agriculture sector, which until recently employed 40 percent of Syria's workforce and accounted for 25 percent of gross domestic product, has been hit badly.
Tel Aviv shrugs off calls for arrest of Mossad chief
Daily Star 20 Feb 2010 OCCUPIED JERUSALEM: Israel shrugged off on Friday calls for its top spy to be arrested in the killing of a Hamas commander, as pressure mounted after Interpol issued arrest notices for 11 suspects in the Dubai hit. "The Dubai police have provided no incriminating proof," a senior official told AFP, asking not to be identified. Dubai police chief Lieutenant General Dahi Khalfan said Thursday.
Zionist terror starts to sputter as Israel's true face is unveiled
Daily Star 20 Feb 2010 Two decades after Nelson Mandela was released from prison on February 11, 1990, this fighter for freedom and justice has become a living example of the fact that those who become immortal are freedom fighters not their jailers. Who remembers today the names of those who imprisoned and tortured Mandela? Who remembers even the names of the rulers who imprisoned him and his comrades?
Two dead, 35 wounded in North Caucasus blasts - official
Daily Star 20 Feb 2010 NAZRAN, Russia: A series of bomb blasts killed two people and wounded 35 on Friday in southern Russia where security forces are locked in a conflict with Islamic insurgents, officials said. The explosions occurred on the outskirts of Nazran, the main city in the volatile North Caucasus republic of Ingushetia, said Svetlana Gorbakova, spokeswoman for the local investigative committee.
Beyond the Mabhuh affair
PIC 20 Feb 2010 - The murderous assassination by the Mossad of Mahmoud al Mabhuh in Dubai a month ago confirms and reasserts the criminal nature of the Israeli state.
Hamas denies involvement of Nehru Masaud in the assassination of Mabhouh
PIC 20 Feb 2010 - Hamas firmly denied involvement of Nehru Masaud, one of its cadres, in the assassination of Mahmoud al-Mabhouh, stressing that such claims are pure Zionist fabrications..
Nazzal accuses Dahlan of involvement in the assassination of Mabhouh
PIC 20 Feb 2010 - Muhammad Nazzal, member of Hamas's political bureau, accused Mohmmad Dahlan, the leader of the mutiny trend in Fatah, of being involved in the assassination of Mahmoud al-Mabhouh in Dubai last month.
Tamim: there is more evidence in the case of Mabhouh's assassination
PIC 20 Feb 2010 - Lt Gen Dahi Khalfan Tamim said that there is more evidence held by Dubai police regarding the assassination of the Hamas leader Mahmoud al-Mabhouh in addition to the videos and photos published..
INTERPOL issues Red Notices to assist in identification of Dubai murder suspects
PIC 20 Feb 2010 - INTERPOL has issued Red Notices for 11 internationally-wanted individuals who have been charged by UAE/Dubai authorities with co-ordinating and committing the murder of Mahmoud al-Mabhouh in Dubai.
Radwan calls for Israel to be put on the list of terrorist states
PIC 20 Feb 2010 - Ismail Radwan, a Hamas leader in the Gaza Strip, said on Thursday that his movement, from the outset, had no doubt that the Mossad were behind the assassination of Mahmoud al-Mabhouh in Dubai.
Review: 'Ajami'
LA Times 19 Feb 2010 - The cultures that overlap in today's Israel are presented with gripping complexity in this Oscar-nominated film. The last thing you see in "Ajami" should be the first thing on your mind about this compelling new film from Israel. That would be the closing credits, written in both Hebrew and Arabic, separate but equal, side by side, mirroring the creative process behind this potent work and the story it has to tell.
Calls in Egypt for ElBaradei to Seek Presidency
New York Times 19 Feb 2010 - Crowds greeted Mohamed ElBaradei, the former head of the International Atomic Energy Agency, upon his return to Egypt on Friday.
World Briefing | Middle East: West Bank: Hamas Accuses Fatah of Links to Assassination in Dubai
New York Times 19 Feb 2010 - Hamas asserted Friday that two former officers from the rival Fatah organization were involved in the assassination of a Hamas official in Dubai.
Iranian Supreme Leader Denies Nuclear Arms Push
New York Times 19 Feb 2010 - Iran’s supreme leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, derided Western claims about his country’s nuclear program, saying Iran does not believe in nuclear weapons.
Inspectors Say Iran Worked on Warhead
New York Times 19 Feb 2010 - The U.N.’s nuclear inspectors declared for the first time that information it has collected raised concern of “past or current undisclosed activities” by Iran to develop a nuclear weapon.
Israeli Embassy Deletes Joke About Dubai 'Hit' From Twitter
New York Times 19 Feb 2010 - On Thursday, the same day that Israel's ambassador to Britain was asked to tell the British government if he knew anything about the apparent use of cloned British passports by suspects in the assassination of a Hamas official in Dubai last month, his embassy's official Twitter feed posted a joking reference the killing.
First Al Gore invented the internet, then Israel invented the tomato
Mondoweiss - 19 Feb 2010 - Angry Arab slams the New York Times for publishing the stupendous claim that Israelis developed the cherry tomato. I realize that Shmuel and other commenters on this site were on to this story first! Related posts: I heard all this at AIPAC ‘In Iran, We’re Taking...
Why not Judeo-Christian-Muslim?
Mondoweiss - 19 Feb 2010 - Nice piece by Rick Salutin in the Globe and Mail : In an interview published last week, Peter Kent, the junior foreign affairs minister, said “an attack on Israel would be considered an attack on Canada.” It sounded like the guns of August, 1914. It was ridiculous....
Climbdown: Britain knew Mossad used fake passports for Dubai assassination
Mondoweiss - 19 Feb 2010 - That’s the news from Haaretz . It’s all kabuki theater in the name of diplomatic cover. The matter will disappear from the headlines within days. Related posts: Were those Mossad assassins wearing tennis outfits in Dubai? Ripped from the headlines Will Dubai get Gaza to the ICC?...
Dershowitz offers blanket defense to his celebrity client for murder anywhere
Mondoweiss - 19 Feb 2010 - Distressed and out-of-kilter post by Dershowitz [on the Dubai assassination], asserting that Israel has the right to kill (any way it pleases, and anywhere it can) people whose acts have demonstrated an intention to harm Israel. The argument is compulsive. He isn’t sure Israel is behind...
‘J Street’ attacks ‘character assassination’ of Goldstone
Mondoweiss - 19 Feb 2010 - From Haaretz : [J Street's Jeremy] Ben-Ami says it’s the same thing regarding the Goldstone report on Israel’s Gaza offensive a year ago. "We are not going to endorse or support a report," he says. "The Goldstone report is an indictment and it needs to be investigated....
Tel Aviv University President's Sophie Choice
Alternative Information Center - 19 Feb 2010 - Friday, 19 February 2010, “As the new president of Tel Aviv University, the country’s largest and most comprehensive institution of higher education, I find myself caught in an agonizing double bind. On the one hand, my university and other Israeli academic institutions are the subject of...
News from Within Podcast: The Case Regarding the Israeli Deportation of American Journalist Jared Malsin
Alternative Information Center - 19 Feb 2010 - Thursday, 18 February 2010, On Tuesday, 16 February 2010, I spoke with Jared Malsin, Chief English Editor of the Palestinian news organization, Ma’an. Jared, an American citizen, was deported to the United States by the Israeli government on 20 January, after being detained for eight days...
1,000 Demonstrators Marked Five Years of Protest in Bil'in by Dismantling Portions of the Wall
Alternative Information Center - 19 Feb 2010 - Friday, 19 February 2010, One week after work to reroute the path of the Wall in Bil'in had began, more than a thousand demonstrators celebrated five years of struggle by dismantling a section of the Wall and taking over a military post. Among the demonstrators were...
Saturday, February 20, 2010
Two Palestinian Workers Wounded Near Hebron
IMEMC - Saturday February 20, 2010 - 11:25, Israeli soldiers shot and wounded on Saturday morning two Palestinian workers near a military roadblock east of Yatta town, south of the southern West Bank city of Hebron.
Three Wounded In Gaza
IMEMC - Saturday February 20, 2010 - 10:02, Palestinian medical sources in the Gaza Strip reported Saturday morning that three residents were wounded when the Israeli Air Force bombarded an area close to the Kissufim Israeli military camp in southern Gaza.
PCHR Weekly Report: Israeli forces kill 2 Palestinians, wound 5 over the last week
IMEMC - Friday February 19, 2010 - 09:01, According to the Palestinian Center for Human Rights' Weekly Report on Israeli human rights violations in the occupied Palestinian Territories, during the week of February 10 – 17, 2010, Israeli forces killed two Palestinians, including a civilian who was killed in cold blood in Hebron. Israeli forces also wounded 5 Palestinians, including 4 children, 3 of whom are sisters.
Ma’asara protest: Israeli forces fire on demonstrators
2/21/2010 - Bethlehem - Ma'an - Two residents were injured by rubber-coated metal bullets as they protested the confiscation of village and privately owned land in the village of Al-Ma'asara south of Bethlehem on Friday. Dozens of village residents and international peace activists marched from the ancient center of Al-Ma'asara toward the confiscated lands, organizers said. "Residents were violently attacked by the Israeli forces who fired rubber coated bullets and gas canisters on the protesters," anti-wall activists said after the event, noting that troops blocked the main road out of the town that leads to the scene of land confiscation. Journalists were beaten as they attempted to take pictures, a media spokesman for the campaign said. . . . .
Three injured in clash on Gaza border
2/21/2010 - Gaza - Ma'an - Three Palestinians were injured when Israeli helicopters fired on a group of fighters near the central Gaza military base Kissufim following reports of clashes in the area early Saturday morning. Security sources said armored Israeli vehicles at Kissufim had fired shells at areas in the south-central border region, following an attack on the base by resistance fighters. Witnesses said the fighters were less than 100 meters away from the military post. An Israeli military spokesman said soldiers "identified armed men moving along the security fence" toward the army base and fired "in their direction. "He noted the detonation of an explosive device in the same area two days earlier, which injured a soldier. Muawiya Hassanein, head of emergency and ambulance services in Gaza, confirmed the injury of three Gaza residents undergoing treatment at the Nasser Hospital in Khan Younis.
Dire straits for Palestinian refugees in Cyprus
2/21/2010 - Ramallah - Ma'an - Some 2,800 Palestinian refugees who fled war-torn Iraq for Cyprus recently spoke of their "worsening" situation to a delegation from Ramallah taking part in an international karate tournament in the country's capital, Limasol. Husam Abdul-Hafith Al-Madi, in his fifties, told members of the delegation that "we sought refuge in this country, and endured hardships until we arrived in Cyprus hoping to start a better life. "He said the lack of support from the Palestinian Authority was partly to blame. "After we arrived in Larnaka, Cyprus agreed to grant us temporary asylum for humanitarian reasons, without giving us citizenship. However, our situation worsened gradually as we weren't allowed to work at all. The absence of any Palestinian support, even moral, added to our suffering and we were left alone to face our fate," Abdul-Rahman Al-Hassan, the unofficial. . . .
An-Najah physics prof ’slowly dying’ in Israeli prison
2/20/2010 - Tulkarem - Ma'an - The Ahrar Center for Prisoners Studies and Human Rights called attention to the urgent case of a 52-year-old Physics Professor in an Israeli prison suffering from a bevy of untreated medical problems, including kidney disease and high blood pressure, a report said. Director of the center, Fuad Al-Khufesh, described the failure of Israeli prison officials to treat the man as "medical negligence," and said Israel would be held accountable for his health and well being. The prisoner, professor of physics at An-Najah National University in Nablus, Isam Rashed Al-Ashqa, is from the town ofSeida in the Tulkarem governorate. "Rashed is slowly dying. . . because of medical negligence and lack of medications," Al-Khufesh said, noting the professor only receives light painkillers for treatment. Rashed obtained his bachelor of sciences in Physics from the Jordanian University. . .
Christian monitoring group tracks rise in settler violence
2/20/2010 - Bethlehem - Ma'an -A "rise in violence against Palestinian shepherds shows settler-military collaboration," the a report from the Hebron-based Christian Peacemaker Teams alleged Friday. The group, with the motto of "getting in the way" of Israeli human rights abuses in target areas in the southern West Bank, has members stationed in Hebron and the village of At-Tuwani, 25 kilometers south of the city. The observers said they had been notified of attacks against Palestinians by setters 19 times in the last 19 days. "In my experience, its typical for there to be one major incident every week," one field worker said, noting the recent attacks were a "distinct increase in activity. "A report from CPT said, "The past two weeks have seen a marked rise in settler activity outside the illegal settlements of Ma'on and the Havat Ma'on (Hill 833) outpost," citing rock throwing, intimidation, harassment, physical violence. . . Related: CPT: Palestine Projects
Israeli soldiers shoot and injure alleged car thieves in Yatta
2/21/2010 - Hebron - Ma'an - Officials in Yatta denied Israeli allegations that two men injured by soldiers in the southernmost region of the West Bank on Saturday were attempting to steal cars from an Israeli settlement police impound lot. Yatta leaders said the two men were attempting to enter Israel for work. They were driving in an Israeli-plated car towards the borders of the West Bank, officials said, when soldiers tried to stop the the vehicle. On sight of the soldiers, the two fled north toward Yatta, sources said. When the men refused to stop for the soldiers, they reportedly opened fire. The Israeli military had a different version of events, saying the two car loads of men were stopped at a car impound lot near the Adoreim military base adjacent to the illegal Otni'el settlement. When soldiers arrived the group fled, and one of the cars allegedly "drove fast, directly at a soldier," a military spokesman said. The soldier fired, the spokesman said, but the vehicle escaped.
Stargazing under siege in Gaza
2/21/2010 - Gaza - Ma'an - A Palestinian astronomer who returned to Gaza after Israel's Operation Cast Lead killed his son and demolished his home, brought with him the means to show children there is a world outside the Strip. Dozens of children will soon be stargazing under the supervision of Gaza-born astrophysicist Suleiman Baraka, a former employee of the US space agency NASA. Baraka's group will have the help of a telescope imported to Gaza with the help of the French Consulate General in Jerusalem and the French Cultural Center. He said he wants to get children interested in astronomy in order to help them overcome what he calls a "stereotype" of the sky as a source of death, with its Israeli unmanned drones, helicopter gunships and fighter jets. Baraka told Ma'an, "When we ask a child here, "˜what do you see in the Gaza sky? ' He would say he sees Apache [helicopters] and F-16s and all of the causes of death and destruction.
Security developments in the Hebron area
2/21/2010 - Hebron - Ma'an - Israeli forces intervened in a number of incidents in the Hebron area on Saturday, including the detention of Palestinians and the prohibiting of access to agricultural land, and reportedly withdrew from a military base. The following report does not include the shooting by Israeli forces of two Palestinians in Yatta. Click [below] for a detailed account of that incident. Arrests and withdrawal - Locals said an Israeli military camp known as Al-Majnuna was evacuated on Saturday. Two residents from the town Dura, identified as Ahmad Khalil Najib and his brother, Yassin, were detained by Israeli forces upon attempting to enter the area of the camp, and were taken to an unknown location, locals said. An Israeli military spokesman said the army was "not familiar" with the evacuation of a military base in Hebron. Another Palestinian was detained by Israeli forces during a raid. . . Related: Israeli soldiers shoot and injure alleged car thieves in Yatta
Medics: Palestinian injured in car crash near settlement
2/20/2010 - Nablus - Ma'an - A Palestinian was critically injured on Saturday afternoon after he was hit by a car near the Ma'ale Efraim settlement south of Hebron, medics said. Medics with the Palestine Red Crescent identified the injured as Ibrahim Afana, 32, and said that Israeli forces prevented the Palestinian medical crew from gaining access to Afana, who was transferred to an Israeli hospital in an Israel ambulance. An Israeli military spokesman said he was looking into the incident. [end]
Israel military: Exchange of gunfire near Bethlehem
2/21/2010 - Bethlehem - Ma'an - The Israeli military said it opened fire on Palestinian gunmen in a speeding car who attacked a military patrol west of Bethlehem on Saturday night. A military spokesman told Ma'an that the Palestinians opened fire on the patrol and attemped to run over soldiers near the Gush Etzion settlement block. The Israeli personnel returned fire and pursued the car, which managed to escape, the military also said. Palestinians in the village of Hussan, west of Bethlehem, reported that Israeli soldiers opened fire at men driving a stolen car, injuring three of them. The the men managed to escape, residents said. The Israeli District Coordination and Liaison Office (DCO) received word that two Palestinians were being treated at a hospital in Bethlehem for gunshot wounds. The DCO also reported that three Palestinians were detained by Israeli forces in connection with the incident.
Zahhar: West must not collude with Israel
2/21/2010 - Gaza - Ma'an - Senior Hamas leader Mahmoud Zahhar criticized on Friday what he intimated was western collusion with Israel in the wake of reports tying European countries to the recent murder in Dubai of a Hamas official. In a sermon at the Imam Shafia Mosque in Gaza, Zahhar said the west must "close its gates to the [Israeli] occupation" or face a confrontation. "The west must realize that we do not wish to be enemies, nor do we seek confrontation in this world," he said, "but if the West allows the Israeli occupation to turn its [the west's] land into a land where Palestinians are killed, it will be the loser. "Zahhar's remarks followed suspicions of possible European involvement in last month's killing in Dubai of Hamas official Mahmoud Al-Mabhouh. Dubai police announced this week that a hit squad traveling on British, French, German, and Irish passports suffocated Al-Mabhouh with a pillow in his hotel room.
Abbas seeks backing from Gadaffi, Sarkozy, Assad
2/21/2010 - Bethlehem - Ma'an - President Mahmoud Abbas will meet with French President Nikolas Sarkozy on Monday in Paris, the French Foreign Ministry announced on Saturday. The visit, according to Palestinian sources, is the second in a string of official visits by Abbas, including set meetings with Libyan leader Muammar Gaddafi on Sunday, and Syrian President Bashar Al-Assad on 27 February. The visits are intended to build regional support for Palestinian positions demanding a recognition of a Palestinian state on the 1967 borders, and a demand for a total halt on Israeli settlement construction before the Palestinian leadership returns to peace talks with Israel. Gaddafi is the head of the 53-member African Union of States, and top Libyan diplomat Ali Treki is currently the head of the UN General Assembly. Fatah Central Committee member Azzam Al-Ahmad said he would accompany Abbas. . .
PA official: Talks could resume in March
2/21/2010 - Bethlehem - Ma'an - A US effort to break the deadlock in Israeli-Palestinian negotiations toward a peace deal could come to fruition by mid-March with the start of indirect talks, Palestinian officials said on Saturday. Arab states are now joining the US and European countries in attempting to bring the two sides back to the negotiating table. Officials say these efforts have intensified since President Mahmoud Abbas announced he will not negotiate until Israel stops expanding settlements in the West Bank. In the meantime Abbas has been seeking clarification on a US offer to mediate in "proximity talks" wherein special envoy George Mitchell would shuttle between the two sides. The chairman of the Palestinian Legislative Council (PLC) Political Committee, Abdullah Abdullah, told Ma'an that the Palestinians asked the Follow-up Committee of the Arab. . .
Report: Dubai assassin used real German passport
2/21/2010 - Washington - Ma'an - German officials investigating the murder of Hamas leader Mahmoud Al-Mabhouh in Dubai have found that one of the suspected assassins carried a genuine German passport, the German magazine Der Spiegel reported on Saturday. One German passport was used in the 20 January assassination, which has been attributed to the Israeli spy agency Mossad, although Israel has not confirmed any involvement. Six British, three Irish, and one French passport were also used, according to Dubai police. Der Spiegel said German intelligence agents found that in June 2009 an Israeli man identifying himself as Michael Bodenheimer - a name listed by police as a member of the hit squad - approached immigration officials in Cologne with the pre-World War II address of his grandparents. Bodenheimer acquired German citizenship on the basis of this information.
French FM sees ’Palestinian state without borders’
2/20/2010 - Washington - Ma'an - France's Foreign Minister Bernard Kouchner said the recognition of a Palestinian state even before its borders are demarcated is a possibility, Agence France-Presse reported. Kouchner said economic and institutional development in the West Bank constitutes "the building of a reality" that includes the creation of a state. "France is training Palestinian police, businesses are being created in the West Bank. . . It follows that one can envision the proclamation soon of a Palestinian state, and its immediate recognition by the international community, even before negotiating its borders," Kouchner told the French Journal du Dimanche, according to AFP, which will be published Sunday. The comments dovetail with Palestinian caretaker Prime Minister Salam Fayyad's government plan to build the infrastructure and trappings of a state by 2011.
Hamas leader: Don’t blame Fatah for Dubai hit
2/21/2010 - Gaza - Ma'an - The Israeli spy agency Mossad is entirely responsible for the assassination of Hamas leader Mahmoud Al-Mabhouh in Dubai last month, party officials announced Saturday. During a news conference in Gaza City, Hamas spokesman Salah Al-Bardawil said Israel must suffer the repercussions of the "crime," as news outlets around the world speculate over who was behind the espionage and assassination. Speculation of Fatah, Hamas, Iranian and Israeli involvement have already circulated. Al-Bardawil said that while members of the alleged Israeli hit-squad, traveling on European passports, were reportedly affiliated to Fatah, "the fact that members of the PA security services were involved, is not proof enough to directly accuse Fatah or the PA of complicity. "Though he expressed doubts over PA complicity with the assassination ploy, Al-Bardawil called on Fatah officials "to stop all trivialities in the media. "
Nablus police destroys 498 illegal cars, dismantle explosive
2/21/2010 - Nablus - Ma'an - Palestinian police impounded and destroyed 498 illegal cars in the town of Jama'een south of Nablus and dismantled a shell, a police report said on Saturday. Three fugitives were arrested upon confiscating an old artillery shell, measuring 155 milimiters, the report said. Police, with the assistance of the anti-bomb squad, dismantled the shell with no reports of injury or damage. According to the report, Nablus police and security services have destroyed 941 illegal cars since the beginning of 2010. [end]
Student senates to strike over PA grant-to-loan policy
2/20/2010 - Nablus - Ma'an - Student senates at Palestinian universities across the West Bank voted to carry out a comprehensive strike Tuesday and Wednesday, protesting a government decision to convert student-grant money into loans. Ina joint statement released Friday, the senates outlined a strike schedule that will hit all higher education institutions from Jenin to Hebron. In addition to the comprehensive strike on Tuesday and Wednesday, senate organizers planned activities through to March, ensuring a continued disruption of classes. Marches at university campuses were scheduled for 10 and 11 March, and an open strike was set to start on 25 March pending a governmental policy reversal. "These protests stem from concern about students' rights which must be preserved in order to serve the interests of higher education," the statement said.
Gaza factions convene to discuss unity
2/20/2010 - Gaza - Ma'an - Palestinian resistance and opposition factions held its periodic meeting in Gaza on Saturday to discuss the latest in Palestinian affairs and national unity. Those in attendance included members of the Free Palestine Movement, the Popular Resistance Movement, the general command of the Popular Front and the Palestinian Popular Struggle Front. Faction officials reitarated their refusal of resuming peace talks with Israel, stating that it only serves an Israeli agenda "as a cover for the crimes against the Palestinian people," the meeting's minutes reported. Additionally, members spoke of the need for national dialogue to end division and achieve reconciliation between rival Palestinian parties. . . . .
Ashrawi: Hamas’ demands unrealistic
2/20/2010 - Ramallah - Ma'an - Hanan Ashrawi, member of the Palestine Liberation Organization's (PLO) Executive Committee, said no one is capable of offering Hamas the changes it says are prerequisites for the movement's ratification of the Egyptian-sponsored unity deal, on Saturday. Ashrawi said all the factions who met to discuss Palestinian unity had requested several amendments to the reconciliation document, tipped to bring an end to Hamas-Fatah rivalry, but delayed discussing the additions until after the document's ratification, save for Hamas. "These amendments Hamas has presented. . . are no more than technical and language issues. . no one is capable of offering the guarantees they are demanding," she said during a radio interview produced by Watan TV. "The Executive Committee discussed and studied Hamas' notes, which were on the nature of the work of the joint committee," she said,. . .
Jericho tourism spike: 24,000 visitors last week
2/20/2010 - Jericho - Ma'an - The Palestinian Tourism and Antiquities police announced that 24,000 tourists visited 116 sites in the Jericho governorate and Jordan Valley last week. A police spokesperson said of last week's tourists, that 7,915 were international passport holders, 11,825 were from the West Bank and 4,445 were Palestinians with Israeli citizenship. Jericho's hotels also recorded impressive numbers, with a total of 1,700 guests, including 927 internationals, 636 locals and 147 Palestinians living in Israel. Among the tourist attractions in Jericho are the ancient archaeological ruins of the world's oldest city, religious sites like the the Mount of Temptation, where it is said Jesus' faith was tested by the devil. The mount is also home to the 6th Century Monastery of Temptation, run by the Greek Orthodox Church. Inside the city is the Zacchaeus Tree, where a tax collector climbed to get a better view of Jesus as he passed through the city.
IDF opens fire on Gaza gunmen near border
Ha'aretz 20 Feb 2010 - Palestinian news agency reports three hurt in clash; two wounded in seperate West Bank incident.
Bil'in protesters dismantle section of West Bank separation barrier
Ha'aretz 20 Feb 2010 - Hundreds mark five years since the first weekly anti-fence protest near the Palestinian village.
Yossi Melman / Kidon, the Mossad within the Mossad
Ha'aretz 20 Feb 2010 - Contrary to popular belief, assassinations by the Mossad are actually few and far between.
KAIROS Palestine Condemns Israeli Act in Beit Sahour
2/20/2010 - WAFA - Palestine News Agency - JERUSALEM, February 20, 2010 (WAFA)- KAIROS Palestine condemned Saturday Israeli army declaration of the Reacreation Park in the West Bank town of Beit Sahour as a military zone. Israeli soldiers and bulldozers arrived on February 10 at a family recreation park in Beit Sahour – a town slightly east of Bethlehem, and the site of the former army base Osh Grab, which was abandoned by the Israeli army in 2006 – and declared it a closed military zone. KAIROS Palestine called upon churches worldwide to advocate for the Christians and all residents of Beit Sahour and intervene in the damage, present and projected, wrought upon their home. Since 1967, Beit Sahour, one of the last Christian majority towns in the West Bank, has repeatedly lost land to the Jerusalem municipality and to the nearby settlement of Har Homa. Much of the remaining land was occupied by an Israeli military base, Osh Grab.
CPT: Rise in Violence against Shepherds Shows Settler-Military Collaboration
2/20/2010 - WAFA - Palestine News Agency - HEBRON, February 20, 2010 (WAFA)- The past two weeks have seen a marked rise in settler activity outside the illegal settlements* of Ma'on and the Havat Ma'on (Hill 833) outpost, in the southern Hills of the West Bank city of Hebron. Christian Peacemaker Teams (CPT) said: This has varied from settlers crossing Palestinian grazing land, to grazing their sheep while shooting rocks from slingshots at nearby Palestinian shepherds, to abducting young Palestinian shepherds with the aid of the Israeli military and police. On Friday afternoon, Jewish settlers, soldiers and police detained a 12-year-old boy from the Palestinian village of Saadet Tha'lah, located near the Israeli settlement of Carmel in the South Hebron Hills. The boy had been grazing his family's flock alone in their regular grazing area, just above Umm Zeitouna Valley, on the south side of the large Israeli dairy facility belonging to the Ma'on Settlement. Related: CPT: Palestine Projects
Friday Night Lights: American and Israeli human rights activists disrupt ballet performance in Vermont
2/20/2010 - P U L S E - BURLINGTON, VT- Greetings from the Green Mountain State! I want to give a shout out to those who participated in a successful night of activism. Several activists leafleted 249 people attending last night’s Israeli Ballet performance at the Flynn Theater. The leaflet asked “Would you like some information about Don Quixote and the Israel Ballet? ” — which was an accurate presentation of last night’s performance. “Israel’s ‘Golden Helmet of Mambrino’ — which makes one invisible, thus capable of all actions — is slowly turning into Don Quixote’s version of it — a upside-down shaving bowl plopped on the head — incapable of nothing but making its wearer more obvious and actionable to the world. Brand Israel will continue to call forth increasing protests as audiences realize they are being used,” said author and activist Marc Estrin.
Adalah Demands Cancellation of Travel Ban Imposed by Israel on Khalil Tufakji, a Prominent Palestinian Planner and Resident of Jerusalem
2/17/2010 - Adalah - On 8 February 2010, Adalah sent a letter to the Minister of the Interior demanding the cancellation of a six-month travel ban imposed on Mr. Khalil Tufakji, a prominent Palestinian planner and geographer and a resident of Jerusalem. The ban prevents Mr. Tufakji from leaving the country before 2 August 2010. Adalah also requested all the materials the ministry had relied upon in making the decision to impose the ban. Adalah Attorney Haneen Naamnih stated in the letter that Mr. Tufakji is an expert in geography and a researcher in the fields of land, planning and the Israeli settlements in the West Bank. He has served in many positions, including as director of the department of mapping in the Society of Arab Studies and a member of the Palestinian delegation to the final status negotiations in 1991-2001. He currently works as a member of the Palestinian Authority presidential commission for real estate. His positions require him to travel abroad several times a year to participate in various conferences and events.
US State Department lifts travel warning for Syria
2/20/2010 - Yahoo! News - AP - DAMASCUS, Syria – The U. S. has lifted an advisory warning American travelers of security concerns in Syria, officials said Saturday, as Washington tries to boost ties with a country seen as key to peace in the region. However, Syria remains on a U. S. list of countries supporting terrorism, a designation made in 1979 because of suspicions that Syria collaborates with Iran in supplying munitions to radical Islamist groups for use against Israel. The country also remains under U. S. sanctions, which President Barack Obama renewed in May. First imposed by former President George W. Bush, the sanctions cite Syrian support for terrorism, its pursuit of weapons of mass destruction and other activities including efforts to undermine U. S. operations in Iraq. Earlier this week, the International Atomic Energy Agency said that uranium particles found at a Syrian desert facility bombed three years. . . .
Anglican leader worried about Mideast’s Christians
2/20/2010 - Yahoo! News - AP - BAPTISMAL SITE, Jordan – The Archbishop of Canterbury Rowan Williams voiced grave concern Saturday over the eroding Christian presence in the Holy Land on the first stop of his four-day pilgrimage to the region. Williams, the spiritual leader of the Anglican communion worldwide, held a sermon for hundreds of faithful at the River Jordan after dedicating the cornerstone of an Anglican church to be built at the site where tradition says Jesus was baptized by John the Baptist. Williams said he "worried deeply" about the dwindling numbers of Christians in the Mideast, and stressed that it was the church's duty to support Christians who face hardship due to regional conflicts. Williams is also expected to visit Gaza and the West Bank, after traveling to Jerusalem for meetings with the Chief Rabbinate of Israel as part of an interfaith dialogue.
2008-2009 Survey of Palestinian Refugees and IDPs
2/17/2010 - Badil - This Survey endeavors to address the lack of information or misinformation about Palestinian refugees and internally displaced persons (IDPs), and to counter political arguments that suggest that this issue can be resolved outside the realm of international law and practice applicable to all other refugee and displaced populations. Chapter One outlines the history of Palestinian forced displacement from the British Mandate to the present, while identifying the ‘triggers’ of contemporary forced displacement on both sides of the ‘Green line’ in historical Palestine, as well as in exile; Chapter Two provides statistical information on the scope of displacement, and the distribution and characteristics of the refugee and IDP population; Chapters Three and Four clarifies the framework governing protection and assistance of Palestinian refugees and IDPs; Chapter Five sets out the basic. . . .
Israeli Enemy Searching For Substitute Airport In Case of War
2/19/2010 - Political Theatrics - Three days following the “terror balance” speech delivered by Hezbollah Secretary General Sayyed Hasan Nasrallah in the occasion of the Martyr leaders’ anniversary on Tuesday, and while Israeli authorities maintained their “unprecedented silence,” the first “practical” moves saw light…Thus, Israeli Vice Prime Minister and Minister of the Development of Negev and Galilee Silvan Shalom chose the farthest point from the north (border with Lebanon) to discuss the establishment of a sub-civilian airport in a military base in the Negev south of occupied Palestine as a substitute to the Ben Gurion airport in time of war. “I know that the air force has severe necessities but I hope that together, we could find the way for a real change in the Negev,” Shalom said. “If you strike martyr Rafiq Hariri’s international airport in Beirut, we’ll strike your Ben Gurion airport in Tel Aviv.
Israel Unveils Surveillance Drone To Reach Iran
2/19/2010 - Political Theatrics - The Israeli army says it has unveiled the world’s largest unmanned surveillance drone which can fly for over 20 hours and reach Iran. According to the army, the Israeli drone is physically larger than any other drone and can fly at higher altitudes. “The Eitan can stay in the air for more than 20 hours; it can carry very large cargo and fly very far, much further than any other unmanned drone in Israel,” said Air Force Lt. Col. A on Thursday. “Only few aircraft in the world approach such capabilities,” the Israeli officer went on to say. The Israeli army further added that drone is also equipped with more advanced technological systems than its predecessors. The drone was presented by the Israeli air force to local reporters at an army base in central Israel on Thursday. The drone had already been tested on several occasions, including during Operation Cast Lead in the Gaza Strip.
France, Syria sign 11 agreements to boost relations
2/20/2010 - Earth Times - Damascus - France and Syria signed 11 cooperation agreements Saturday during the visit of French Prime Minister Francois Fillon to Damascus. The deals were signed after Fillon met with his Syrian counterpart Mohammad Naji al-Otri to discuss ways of boosting economic relations between the two countries. " The visit of the French Prime Minister to Syria comes to mark a new stage of cooperation between Syria and France," al-Otri said after their meeting. The agreements aim at bolstering ties in agriculture, civil aviation, culture and administrative cooperation. The bilateral trade is estimated to be around 800 million euros. Al-Otri also called on French companies to expand their investments and engage in tourism projects in Syria, as well as the development projects in energy, oil, gas, transportation and public services.
Hamas: Assassinated operative put himself at risk
2/20/2010 - Yahoo! News - AP - GAZA CITY, Gaza Strip – A Hamas leader assassinated during a visit to Dubai last month exposed himself to attack when he breached security protocol by talking about his trip over the phone and making hotel reservations on the Internet, the militant Islamic group said Saturday. The methodical stalking and killing of Mahmoud al-Mabhouh in a luxury hotel room — widely blamed on Israel's Mossad spy agency — has put Hamas on the defensive over purported security lapses. The new details emerged as the case has spread across several continents with investigators probing possible credit card links to U. S. -based banks and European officials grilling Israeli envoys over fraudulent passports. Hamas legislator Salah Bardawil said al-Mabhouh unwittingly led his attackers to him by openly planning his travels — a move that would make him easily traceable if he were already under surveillance.
Hamas: Suspects in Dubai killing include Fatah men
2/20/2010 - Antiwar.com - Hamas says 2 Palestinians arrested in Dubai killing of militant operative are Fatah members - AP - Hamas claimed Friday that two ex-officers from the rival Fatah organization were involved in the assassination of a Hamas operative in Dubai, and Fatah shot back by insinuating Hamas members were the ones who collaborated with the killers. The slaying of Mahmoud al-Mabhouh in a luxury Dubai hotel room last month has widely been blamed on Israel's Mossad spy agency but it also has sparked bitter recriminations among the rival Palestinian factions, which have long competed for influence in the Palestinian territories. Dubai police unveiled 11 suspects — 10 men and one woman — who apparently traveled to Dubai on European passports with real names and authentic data, but possibly altered photos. Dubai also said police had two Palestinians in custody for alleged involvement in the murder of al-Mabhouh. . . . Related: Hamas leader: Don't blame Fatah for Dubai hit
Hamas leader killing stirs questions, little criticism - Feature
2/19/2010 - Earth Times - Tel Aviv - The assassination of senior Hamas commander Mahmoud al-Mabhouh has been front-page news in Israel ever since Dubai police early this week released the names of 11 European suspects, some seven of whom happen to have dual Israeli citizenship. Interpol believes that those who carefully planned and carried out the murder of al-Mabhouh most likely used forged or fake European passports of innocent citizens whose identities were stolen. The James Bond-style operation has sparked widespread debate about whether it was really the Mossad, Israel's intelligence agency, which carried it out, as all but certainly claimed by Dubai police. Lieutenant General Dahi Khalfan Tamim told Dubai TV late Thursday he would request an arrest warrant against Mossad head Meir Dagan, if it were proven beyond doubt that the agency was behind the murder. He called for an international investigation by a team from the UAE, on whose soil the crime was committed, and from Britain, Ireland, France and Germany, whose passports were used.
Israeli Govt Struggles to Downplay Growing Dubai Scandal
2/19/2010 - Antiwar.com - After Angry Summons, Israeli Ambassador to Britain Mocks Dubai Assassination - Though privately there appears to be growing disquiet about the “amateurish” nature of the apparent Mossad assassination in the city of Dubai, and concern about the ramifications in the international community, publicly the Israeli government is trying to downplay the situation. Israel’s Foreign Ministry declared today that it was “absurd” to discuss the arrest of Mossad chief Meir Dagan, and said there was “no incriminating proof” that it was even as assassination, let alone one Mossad was responsible for. Yet the fake passport data has pointed clearly at Israel, enough so that the British government yesterday summoned Israel’s ambassador to demand an explanation. Dubai police say they are “99 percent” certain that Mossad was behind the hit.
J Street: Criticism of Israel does not make us the enemy
2/19/2010 - Ha'aretz - Comments come in wake of Foreign Ministry snubbing of congressional visit back by the dovish lobby. - The attitude of Israeli politicians and U. S. right-wing Jews toward anyone critical of Israel has to change, director of the left-leaning U. S. lobby J Street, Jeremy Ben-Ami, told Haaretz in an interview on Thursday. According to Ben-Ami, "A part of the Jewish community in the United States and some people here are intolerant of people who disagree with them or criticize them. "And that intolerance immediately flips to 'you are anti-Israel - you're a Muslim lover or you're Muslim,'" he told Haaretz in an interview. "These are things that they call me, and this is what some of them call the president. It has to change both in the politics here and in the right wing of the American Jewish community. "Ben-Ami's comment came as the Foreign Ministry apparently came to regret its snubbing of a U. "
Activist’s case will test U.S. anti-terrorism law
2/18/2010 - Los Angeles Times - USC professor Ralph Fertig says he's protected under the 1st Amendment for advocating for the Kurdish minority in Turkey, whose political party has been designated a terrorist group by the U. S. - Ralph Fertig hardly resembles a terrorist, but the soft-spoken 79-year-old pacifist and human rights activist from Los Angeles might well qualify as one under the government's strong anti-terrorism law. He is the lead plaintiff in a Supreme Court case to be heard next week that will test whether speaking out on behalf of an oppressed foreign minority -- represented by a group that's been deemed a terrorist organization by the U. S. -- can result in a long prison term. In 1996, Congress expanded the anti-terrorism law, imposing a prison term of up to 15 years for providing "training" or "expert advice or assistance" to a designated international terrorist group.
Israeli human rights groups face state repression
Uruknet February 20, 2010 - Israeli human rights groups and activists have become the target of a vicious campaign by right-wing groups, security forces and politicians. It is the immediate response of the Israeli political elite to criticism of Israel’s 2008-09 assault on Gaza in the wake of the Goldstone report. The UN report accused Israel of war crimes, and said...
An-Najah physics prof 'slowly dying' in Israeli prison
Uruknet February 20, 2010 - The Ahrar Center for Prisoners Studies and Human Rights called attention to the urgent case of a 52-year-old Physics Professor in an Israeli prison suffering from a bevy of untreated medical problems, including kidney disease and high blood pressure, a report said. Director of the center, Fuad Al-Khufesh, described the failure of Israeli prison officials to...
Dubai has evidence Mossad killed Hamas man: report
Uruknet February 20, 2010 - Dubai's police chief said in a report on Saturday that his force has evidence incriminating the Mossad in the killing of a Hamas commander in the Gulf emirate last month, despite Israeli denials. "Among the new evidence available to Dubai police which incriminates the Israeli secret service, the Mossad, and confirms its involvement in the murder ......
Three in a Million - Voices From the Haitian Camps
Uruknet 19 February 2010 - The United Nations reported there are 1.2 million people living in "spontaneous settlements" or homeless camps around Port-au-Prince. Three people living in the camps spoke with this author this week, before the hard rains hit... No one has come to talk to us to tell us what is going on. We know nothing about tents or...
Over a Thousand Demonstrators Marked Five Years of Struggle in Bil'in by Dismantling the Wall
Uruknet February 19, 2010 - One week following the victory forcing Israel to begin rerouting the path of the Wall, and under the shadow of an unprecedented wave of repression against the popular struggle, over a thousand protesters took part in a demonstration at the west Bank village of Bil’in, marking five years of struggle there. At the height of the...
Israel launches air attack on central Gaza; clashes reported
Uruknet February 20, 2010 - Three Palestinians were injured when Israeli helicopters fired on a group of resistance fighters near the central Gaza military base Kissufim following reports of clashes in the area early Saturday morning. Security sources said armored Israeli vehicles at Kissufim had fired shells at areas in the south-central border region, following an attack on the base by...
Mass protests greet Sarkozy visit to Haiti
Uruknet February 19, 2010 - French President Nicolas Sarkozy traveled for a one-day visit to Haiti on February 17, amid rising popular opposition to the Western-backed Préval government and international tensions over how to rebuild the country. The US military occupied Haiti after the devastating January 12 earthquake that killed over 200,000 people, wounded over 250,000, and destroyed much of the...
Jerusalem families come out against museum built on ancestors' graves
Uruknet February 19, 2010 - Members of prominent Palestinian families from Jerusalem came out last week in protest against plans by the Simon Wiesenthal Center to build a Museum of Tolerance on top of part of the ancient Mamilla Cemetery where their ancestors are buried. The initiative includes filing a petition in Geneva to various United Nations human rights bodies and...
Officials: Settler sewage flowing into West Bank village
Uruknet February 19, 2010 – Sewage from a treatment plant in the Israeli settlement of Sha’are Tiqwa has been flowing into a high school in the northern West Bank village of Azzun Atma since the early morning, local authorities said late on Wednesday. The Azzun Atma Municipality said that some students simply stayed away from school because of the stench emanating...
The Tide Has Changed
Uruknet February 19, 2010 - London is 'angry’ over the use of stolen identities by the Dubai assassins and points its finger at the Jewish state and its notorious Mossad espionage agency. The Israeli ambassador to Britain, Ron Prosor, was summoned yesterday by the foreign minister to "share information". In practice Britain has stopped short of accusing Israel of involvement in...
Israeli embassy raises eyebrows with tennis tweetMessage boasts of Israeli player's 'hit on Dubai target' amid mounting row over Hamas chief's killing
Uruknet February 19, 2010 - Amid the mounting diplomatic row over Mossad's alleged assassination of a Hamas commander in Dubai, the Israeli embassy has turned to Twitter to comment. A tweet issued by the embassy today read: "@israeluk You heard it here first: Israeli tennis player carries out hit on #Dubai target
EU denies stop financing Gaza power plant
20 Feb 2010 - Brussles, February 20, 2010 (Pal Telegraph)- The EU denied that it had reduced or stopped the financing of fuel for the operation of Gaza's main power plant, saying, at the same time, that the funds allocated to it were all sent to the Palestinian Authority. This came in official letters received by the office of the Brussles-based European campaign to...
Israeli soldiers stop Palestinian farmers from reaching land
20 Feb 2010 - West Bank, February 20, 2010 (Pal Telegraph) - Israeli occupation authorities Saturday afternoon prevented Palestinian farmers from reaching their land in Khirbat Safa, north of Hebron in the West Bank near the Bait Ayin settlement. Mohammed Awad, the spokesman for the Palestinian Solidarity Project, said: "A large force from the Israeli army prevented farmers from reaching their lands to cultivate...
While the world talks about Shalit, thousands of Palestinians remain in prison
20 Feb 2010 - Gaza, February 19, 2010 (Pal Telegraph; by Pam Bailey) - "Gilad Shalit" is virtually a household name for anyone who follows Middle Eastern politics even somewhat cursorily. Shalit is an Israeli soldier of French nationality who was captured by members of the Palestinian Resistance Committees (various political factions, all resisting the Israeli occupation) on June 25, 2006, while he was...
Abbas to visit Syria this month: report
20 Feb 2010 - West Bank, February 20, 2010 (Pal Telegraph) - Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas will meet Syrian President Bashar al-Assad before the end of February, a Palestinian newspaper reported Saturday. "The meeting would be on Feb. 27 and it was arranged by a senior Palestinian official who visited Damascus recently," the Ramallah-based al-Ayyam daily quoted well-informed sources. Abbas and Assad, whose country...
3 minors tortured by IOF in Jerusalem
20 Feb 2010 - Jerusalem, February 20, 2010 (Pal Telegraph)- B'Tselem, the Israeli Information Center for Human Rights in the Occupied Territories, revealed that members of Israeli police and intelligence, accompanied by gunmen from Israeli border guards, arrested minors aged between 12 and 15 years, residents of Silwan neighborhood in occupied East Jerusalem. It said that the minors were forced out of their homes for...
IOF shoots 2 Palestinians in West Bank
20 Feb 2010 - Hebron, February 20, 2010 (Pal Telegraph) - Israeli occupation forces shot and wounded on Saturday two Palestinians, one of them seriously, in the occupied West Bank, Palestinian sources said. An official in Yatta the village where both men live, in Hebron, said that Soliman Idais, 26, and Khalid Idais were shot by Israeli border guards as they tried to enter...
Egypt implodes smuggling tunnel
20 Feb 2010 - Rafah, February 20, 2010 (Pal Telegraph) - Egyptian security forces imploded smuggling tunnels on Rafah border on Friday evening. The blasts were heard by residents of the Egyptian side of the As-Salam neighborhood of Rafah. Egyptian security forces detonated explosives in two such tunnels. Palestinian sources said that Egyptian security forces discovered the tunnel one week ago. It confirmed that...
Israeli human rights violations in week
20 Feb 2010 - West Bank, February 20, 2010 (Pal Telegraph)- Israel has continued its systematic attacks and human rights violations against Palestinian civilians in the West Bank, over the last week.
Israeli gunships open fire at Palestinian fishermen
20 Feb 2010 - Gaza Strip, February 20, 2010 (Pal Telegraph)- Israeli gunships opened fire on Saturday at Palestinian fishing boats off the coasts of northern and southern Gaza Strip, but no casualties were reported. Palestinian sources told KUNA that the gunships stationed out at sea, opposite Sudaniya , in north of Gaza, and Rafah, opened fire on the fishing boats, which headed back to...
3 Palestinians injured by IOF in south Gaza
20 Feb 2010 - Gaza Strip, February 20, 2010 (Pal Telegraph)- Three Palestinians were injured in an Israeli attack on al-Qarara area east of Khan Younis in southern Gaza Strip, accompanied by a limited Israeli incursion near kissufim crossing-- the nearby crossing into the Gaza Strip Local sources said that paramedics had evacuated 3 people to Nasser Hospital in Khan Younis, and described their...
Barrier imprisons West Bank village
AlJazeera 20 Feb 2010 - Illegal Israeli settlement construction isolates Palestinian village.
Clinton: US Has No Plan for Military Action Against Iran
The Media Line 17 Feb 2010 - US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton said during a visit to the Gulf that America currently has no plan for military action against Iran over its nuclear program. "We don't want Iran to become a nuclear...
Where is Israeli Legitimacy Going?
Alternative Information Center - Friday, 19 February 2010, The Reut Institute is an semi-official Israeli think tank dealing with security as well as socio-economic issues, and provides reports to the government. Some of its reports are made of well known...
Campaign to preserve Mamilla Jerusalem Cemetery
PNN - Saturday, 20 February 2010
Palestinian-American Aims to be Governor of Texas
PNN - Saturday, 20 February 2010
The Israeli army orders the demolition of two houses near Bethlehem city
PNN - Saturday, 20 February 2010
Netanyahu to bring Heritage Plan to cabinet
Jeruslalem Post 20 Feb 2010 - Knesset Lobby for Greater Israel to visit Cave of the Patriarchs to protest the site’s exclusion from PM's plan.
Gazans to invest in Bank of Israel
Jeruslalem Post 20 Feb 2010 - Barak approves Gaza banks' request as humanitarian gesture.
Dubai police: Soon we’ll have proof against Mossad
Jeruslalem Post 20 Feb 2010 - Nothing links Israel to hit, Ayalon says; Hamas says Fatah men aided squad.
Peace Now holds ‘masquerade carnival’ to protest gov’t
Jeruslalem Post 20 Feb 2010 - MK Horovitz tells Post he sees no difference between Netanyahu, Barak.
Haig had a ‘special feeling’ for Israel
Jeruslalem Post 20 Feb 2010 - Four-star general and former US secretary of state dies on Saturday at 85.
Israel: IAEA report confirms ‘military intentions’ of Iran
Jeruslalem Post 20 Feb 2010 - Report states ‘Teheran resumed or never stopped enriching uranium’; US: Findings consistent with ‘ongoing concerns about Iran’s activities.’
IDF opens fire on Gaza border cell
Jeruslalem Post 20 Feb 2010 - Palestinians say 3 wounded as army foils possible al-Qaida linked attack.
Syria warns: Next war will be ruinous
Jeruslalem Post 20 Feb 2010 - Syrian PM says if future conflict erupts it will affect "the region and beyond."
Syria warns: Next war will be catastrophic
Jeruslalem Post 20 Feb 2010 - Syrian PM says if future conflict erupts it will affect "the region and beyond."
SYRIA: Over a million people affected by drought
IRIN DEIR EZ ZOUR Wednesday, February 17, 2010 (IRIN) - Drought in eastern and northeastern Syria has driven some 300,000 families to urban settlements such as Aleppo, Damascus and Deir ez Zour in search of work in one of the largest internal displacements in the Middle East in recent years.
Weekly Report on Israeli Human Rights Violations in the Occupied Palestinian Territory
PCHR Israeli Occupation Forces (IOF) Continue Systematic Attacks against Palestinian Civilians and Property in the Occupied Palestinian Territory (OPT)
Peaceful Al Ma’sara Demonstration Faces Continued Aggression
2/20/2010 - International Solidarity Movement - ISM - 19 February - The peaceful demonstration in the Occupied West Bank village of Al Ma'sara by Palestinians and Internationals was aggressively dispersed using tear gas & sound bombs, today, by Israeli Occupation Forces (IOF). This is the second week that the IOF have been using increasingly violent methods to repress non-violent demonstrations in Al Ma'sara, a reflection of their tactics across the villages of the West Bank. Palestine Popular Struggle - Approximately 70 Palestinians and 14 Internationals, including 3 Israelis, gathered to protest against the construction of the Israeli apartheid wall which is illegal under international law. The wall runs through the land of the village, the completion of which will block the residents from their farmland; they have already lost more than 350 hectares of land to a nearby Israeli settlement.
Silwan Demands Justice in Anticipation of Home Demolitions
2/20/2010 - International Solidarity Movement - ISM - 19 February - A vigil began close to 12:30PM at the protest tent in the neighborhood of Silwan, East Jerusalem. More than one hundred Silwan community members gathered to listen to speeches and commenced mid-day prayer in unison. Following the collective prayer the community members marched through the streets of Silwan. Today's demonstration is a response to the pending demolitions of over 200 homes in Silwan. These demolitions were slated to be government sanctioned "price tag" actions in response to the anticipated eviction of the illegal Zionist squat Beit Yonatan. Ateret Cohanim, a Zionist settler organization, built Beit Yonatan in the heart of Silwan. Their building plan was approved for a four story complex, but and extra three stories were added without approval. This is in contradiction to the four-story limit to which Palestinians in the neighborhood are held.
France, Spain push bid to recognize Palestinian state within 2 years
Ha'aretz 20 Feb 2010 - According to senior European diplomats, Israel has relayed its opposition to the initiative.
'Netanyahu authorized Dubai assassination in early January'
Ha'aretz 20 Feb 2010 - Mossad used Tel Aviv hotel to train agents for hit on Hamas' Mahmoud al-Mabhouh, Sunday Times reports.
Germany probing identity of passport-holder tied to Dubai killing
Ha'aretz 20 Feb 2010 - The document was used by one of the suspected assassins a day before the Hamas commander was eliminated.
Zvi Bar'el / Iran has become a regional superpower even without the bomb
Ha'aretz 20 Feb 2010 - Tehran is creating a rift between China and the U.S., with Washington arming Taiwan in bid to pressure Beijing.
Iran sanctions to top agenda at upcoming Israel-China talks
Ha'aretz 20 Feb 2010 - China has vast economic interests in Iran, with much of its energy market dependent on imported Iranian oil.
Alexander Haig, former U.S. secretary of state, dies at 85
Ha'aretz 20 Feb 2010 - Haig never lived down his televised response to the 1981 assassination attempt on president Ronald Reagan.
Syria dismisses IAEA call for more access to nuclear sites
Ha'aretz 20 Feb 2010 - France, Syria sign 11 cooperation agreements; France working to revive indirect Israel-Syria talks.
Report: German passport tied to Dubai hit wasn`t forged
Ha'aretz 20 Feb 2010 - Hamas: Operative slain in Dubai put himself at risk; Deputy FM: No proof tying Israel to Mabhouh hit.
Blair hopes Middle East talks to resume within weeks
Ha'aretz 20 Feb 2010 - Quartet envoy says both sides want talks; stresses importance of ending Gaza blockade.
Dubai hit - another move in the Israel-Iran cold war
Ha'aretz 20 Feb 2010 - The two regional powers are fighting for influence in the Middle East and threatening mutual destruction.
French PM: World to take action if Iran refuses nuclear talks
Ha'aretz 20 Feb 2010 - France asks Syria for assistance in halting Iran from making decisions 'dangerous to world peace.'
French FM: Dubai killing proves need for a Palestinian state
Ha'aretz 20 Feb 2010 - French PM Fillon condemns Mabhouh assassination, says light must be shone on those responsible.
Syria warns Israel new Mideast war would be catastrophic
Ha'aretz 20 Feb 2010 - Syrian leaders hold talks with French delegates in bid to strengthen economic and diplomatic ties.
Report: U.S. lifts warning against travel to Syria
Ha'aretz 20 Feb 2010 - New Yorker Magazine reports that cooperation has been restored between CIA, Syrian intelligence.
Israel can accelerate peace by exercising restraint | editorial
The Guardian 20 Feb 2010 - The diplomatic challenge is to help Israel grasp how its failure even to engage with international opinion risks an isolation which will make the country much less secure It was inevitable that the Mossad, Israel's secret...
Scientists irate after top education official questions evolution
Ha'aretz 20 Feb 2010 - The Education Ministry's chief scientist sparked a furor among environmental activists and scholars Saturday with remarks questioning the reliability of evolution and global warming theory. The comments from Dr. Gavriel Avital, the latest in a series of written and oral statements casting doubts on the fundamental tenets of modern science, led several environmentalists to call for his dismissal. ...
First Arab judge appointed to Jerusalem Magistrate's Court
Ha'aretz 20 Feb 2010 - The Judicial Appointments Committee on Friday chose the first Arab judge to ever serve on the Jerusalem Magistrate's Court. Abbas A'asi is also the first Arab to be appointed a judge at any court in the capital since Awni Habash, who retired from the district court in December. Habash had served for more than 20 years. ...
Government to discuss bill to ease restrictions on egg donation
Ha'aretz 20 Feb 2010 - After 10 years of negotiations, a bill setting guidelines for egg donations will be presented tomorrow for government approval. The new measure is intended to ease restrictions that in the past encouraged Israeli women with fertility problems to travel abroad to gain access to assisted reproductive technology. ...
Gideon Levy / Sexual assault punished differently among religious
Ha'aretz 20 Feb 2010 - Religious Zionism presents: a show of arrogance. For about three years, they kept their dirty laundry at home, but now they have been so kind as to display it for everyone to see. The fact that in the State of Israel there is an alternative law enforcement system such as the Takana forum, which investigates and metes out punishment only to religious Zionists, is intolerable. The fact that this system is run by the heads of a movement that in vain regulates to itself what is morally, ethically and culturally permissible is another sign of its arrogance. ...
Google in talks to buy Israeli start-up Catch Media
Ha'aretz 20 Feb 2010 - Search giant Google is in early talks to acquire the Israeli start-up Catch Media to better compete with archrival iTunes, the news Web site Cnet reported. ...
INTERVIEW-Blair hopes Middle East talks resume within weeks
Relief Web 20 Feb 2010 - Source: Reuters - AlertNet
Police, protesters clash in West Bank
Relief Web 20 Feb 2010 - Source: Agence France-Presse
Irish FM to ask Lieberman for clarifications on Dubai operation
YNet News 20 Feb 2010 - Martin says will 'underline our deep concern' about use of fake Irish passports by al-Mabhouh hit squad during meeting with Israeli counterpart in Brussels; Miliband will also raise issue during talks with Lieberman
TA rally: Settlement freeze not enforced
YNet News 20 Feb 2010 - Hundreds protest continued construction in West Bank; Meretz chief says Barak a cover for 'anti-peace forces'
Blair: Israel-Palestinian peace talks to resume
YNet News 20 Feb 2010 - In Nigeria, Quartet's Mideast envoy says, 'The real question is can we provide Israel with security and the Palestinians with a genuine belief that they will have a viable state'
Syria dismisses IAEA call for more inspectors access
YNet News 20 Feb 2010 - FM Moallem rejects recommendation to adopt UN nuclear watchdog's Additional Protocol, which permits unfettered inspections beyond declared nuclear site. 'Unlike Israel, our program is peaceful,' he says
Hamas: Assassinated operative put himself at risk
YNet News 20 Feb 2010 - Islamist group legislator says al-Mabhouh erred when he booked trip to Dubai online, informed family in Gaza at which hotel he would be staying. French PM Fillon condemns assassination, demands explanations from Israel
Syria warns war would have 'catastrophic results'
YNet News 20 Feb 2010 - Damascus cautions Jerusalem that armed conflict between two nations would 'be catastrophic for the region and beyond'
Ayalon: Israel-Europe relations solid
YNet News 20 Feb 2010 - Deputy FM says that since nothing links Jerusalem to Dubai hit on Hamas operative, chances of diplomatic crisis with European allies are slim
US lifts travel warning for Syria
YNet News 20 Feb 2010 - Damascus' news agency quotes State Department official as saying Washington had lifted travel advisory to country
Hariri calls for religious co-existence
Daily Star 21 Feb 2010 BEIRUT: Prime Minister Saad Hariri stressed on Friday the need to preserve the presence of Christian communities within Lebanon in order to set a worldwide example of coexistence among religions. Hariri made his statements to News Rai Italian television ahead of his arrival in Italy on Friday where he is scheduled to meet with Pope Benedict XVI and Italian Premier Silvio Berlusconi Saturday.
Beirut hotel-occupancy rate at 73 percent - Ernst & Young
Daily Star 21 Feb 2010 BEIRUT: Ernst & Young's benchmark survey of the Middle East hotel sector indicated that the occupancy rate at hotels in Beirut was 73 percent in 2009, up from 55 percent in 2008, as reported by Lebanon This Week, the economic publication of the Byblos Bank Group. The occupancy rate at Beirut hotels was the sixth highest among 21 markets in the region.
Amends over Sadr may redeem Libya
Daily Star 21 Feb 2010 The widespread view that the Lebanese should snub the Libyan regime next month on the occasion of the Arab League summit to be held there should alert Tripoli that it needs to come to terms with the truth if it ever hopes to have normal relations with Lebanon. Libya's leadership has been widely perceived as being responsible for the sudden disappearance of Lebanese cleric Musa al-Sadr while he was on a trip to Libya some 30 years ago.
Women more likely to vote in spite of poor representation
Daily Star 21 Feb 2010 BEIRUT: Women in Lebanon may not seek out political leadership positions as often as men but they are potentially more likely to vote in elections, a new study has found. Results from "The Status of Women in the Middle East and North Africa Project" were released on Wednesday and Thursday to non-governmental organizations and academics.
Pressure without engagement will fail
Daily Star 21 Feb 2010 Amid the day-to-day and week-to-week waves of diplomatic activity that wash over the Middle East, a fascinating subtext continues to define some of the most important relationships which involve key actors: How does one deal with countries such as Syria and Iran, or with powerful movements such as Hamas and Hizbullah? These four state and non-state actors have established a semi-formal alliance defined primarily by common opposition.
EU: Funds for Gaza fuel reached PA
PIC 21 Feb 2010 - The EU has denied slashing funds allocated for financing the fuel purchases necessary to operate the Gaza power station, affirming that the funds were paid to the PA in Ramallah in full.
Three Palestinians wounded in IOF incursion, Palestinian woman detained in WB
PIC 21 Feb 2010 - Three Palestinians were wounded on Saturday morning when Israeli occupation forces (IOF) raided east of Qarara, Khan Younis district south of the Gaza Strip, local and medical sources said.
Hamdan: Europe should react firmly to Mossad practices
PIC 21 Feb 2010 - Osama Hamdan, Hamas's representative in Lebanon, has asked the world community especially Europe to adopt strict measures against Israel for constituting a permanent source of world tension.
IOF troops wound foreign activists while quelling peaceful anti wall marches
PIC 21 Feb 2010 - IOF used rubber bullets and gas canisters to disperse peaceful demonstrations in three Palestinian villages against the separation wall, wounding a number of foreigners in the process.
Ahrar center calls for release of seriously ill physics professor
PIC 21 Feb 2010 - The Ahrar center has asked international organizations and human rights groups to swiftly demand the release of Professor Isam Al-Ashqar, who is held in Israeli occupation authority jails.
Zahhar: Enemy is the loser if it shifts battle outside Palestine
PIC 21 Feb 2010 - Dr. Mahmoud Al-Zahhar, a political bureau member of Hamas, has warned that his Movement might retaliate to the Israeli occupation's crimes in kind.
United States Lifts Syria Travel Advisory
New York Times 20 Feb 2010 - Despite a move to improve relations, Syria remains under sanctions and on an American list of countries supporting terrorism.
ZOA calls for a (much) different kind of academic boycott
Mondoweiss - 20 Feb 2010 - About ten days ago, 11 students at the University of California, Irvine were arrested after repeatedly interrupting Israeli ambassador to the United States Michael Oren’s speech at their campus. The students face potential disciplinary action from their school for the protest. Now, the right-wing Zionist Organization...
How would you feel if your mother had to get to work this way?
Mondoweiss - 20 Feb 2010 - Atef Safadi photo Dan Sisken sent along this photo from a report by the World Bank on gender/economic implications of the wall. He writes, Not much info on Atef Safadi, the photographer. Here’s his photo page on a photosite called "Elsewhere." Photo is titled, Ramadan–women cross...
A political prisoner tries to imagine wearing shoes again
Mondoweiss - 20 Feb 2010 - Human rights worker Abdallah Abu Rahmah’s letter to supporters and friends from the Ofer prison, where he has been held for two months: The prison is a collection of tents enclosed by razor wire and an electrical fence, each unit containing four tents, 22 prisoners per...
J St and AIPAC teamed up on Iran sanctions
Mondoweiss - 20 Feb 2010 - MJ Rosenberg called them "Dumb Sanctions." But J Street pushed them way over the top. Ron Kampeas at JTA : "J Street has a dependable cadre of 40-50 members of the U.S. House of Representatives ready to heed its voting recommendations. Congressional insiders say J Street’s green...
Hasbara meets chutzpah: Daniel Schorr puts Dubai hit on Palestinians
Mondoweiss - 20 Feb 2010 - While in Israel serious questions are being raised about the Mossad’s role in the Duba i assassination, Benny Avni, the NY Post’s house Israeli is gloating: "An Excellent Kill." And on NPR, syrupy Scott Simon allows that indefatigable hasbara war pony , Daniel Schorr to suggests to...
Where is Israeli Legitimacy Going?
Alternative Information Center - 20 Feb 2010 - Friday, 19 February 2010, The Reut Institute is an semi-official Israeli think tank dealing with security as well as socio-economic issues, and provides reports to the government. Some of its reports are made of well known and almost obvious matters than any newspaper's reader is aware...
Sunday, February 21, 2010
British Prime Minister: Israeli officials were part of decision to invade Iraq
IMEMC - Saturday February 20, 2010 - 12:02, In his recent testimony to the UK Committee investigating the Iraq war, British Prime Minister Tony Blair admitted that Israeli officials influenced and participated in the decision by the US and UK governments to attack Iraq in 2003.
Israeli shelling injures 5 in northern Gaza
2/21/2010 - Gaza - Ma'an - Five Palestinians were injured and structural damage was sustained when Israeli forces opened fire at a target north of Beit Lahiya, northern Gaza, on Sunday. Muawiyah Hassanein, director of ambulance and emergency services in Gaza, said three people sustained minor injuries and were treated at the scene, while two others were transfered to the Kamal Udwan Hospital to undergo further treatment. Witnesses said the shelling targeted Palestinian workers at the evacuated Israeli settlement of Gush Katif in northern Gaza. An Israeli military spokesman told Ma'an: "Earlier today an IDF force identified a man approaching the security fence in a suspicious manner in the northern Gaza Strip. The force fired at the suspect. No casualties or structural damage were reported on both sides. " Three Palestinians were injured when Israeli helicopters fired on a group of fighters. . .
Israel claims West Bank holy sites
2/22/2010 - Bethlehem - Ma'an - Israel has added two holy sites in the occupied West Bank to a list of national heritage sites, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu announced on Sunday. Within his "Plan to Rehabilitate and Strengthen Israel's National Heritage Infrastructures," the upgrade affects Hebron's Ibrahimi Mosque, known to Israelis as the Cave of the Patriachs, and Rachel's Tomb in Bethlehem. An existing list already includes 150 Israeli locales, but the move to upgrade two located in the West Bank cities of Hebron and Bethlehem as Israeli heritage sites is unusual because neither are found in Israel. Renovation projects are tipped to cost 400 million Israeli shekels (approximately 110 million US dollars). 'An act of aggression against cultural and religious rights' - Palestinian Authority officials immediately condemned the initiative.
Israeli forces use tear gas against peaceful protest near Bethlehem
2/22/2010 - Bethlehem - Ma'an - A peaceful protest at the Beit Sahour Family Park was dispersed by Israeli forces Sunday morning. Organizers said soldiers deployed tear-gas canisters to scatter the crowd. Approximately 30 people arrived at the part to protest the Israeli decision to construct a small military base and watch tower on the land. Beit Sahour residents and international solidarity activists have gathered in the park on an increasingly regular basis to work the lands and protest the renewed Israeli presence. The area, turned into a military base when the West Bank was under Jordanian control, was taken over by the Israeli army in 1967. The post was abandoned in 2006. Since then, residents have attempted to develop the area, but plans for a children's hospital were dumped when planners could not get permission from Israeli authorities since the land is in "Area C".
Jordan Valley residents challenge Area C restrictions
2/21/2010 - Bethlehem - Ma'an - In defiance of Israeli restrictions, residents mended roads today in the village of Jiftlik, in the Jordan Valley. The villagers were objecting to Israeli building and planning rules that prevent construction and infrastructure improvements in most of Israeli-controlled Area C, which composes sixty percent of the West Bank. According to the Popular Struggle Coordination Committee, the residents were joined by the Palestinian Minister of Agriculture, Ismail Deiq. They repaired roughly one kilometer of roads inside the town. Jiftlik, the largest town in the Jordan Valley is home to some 5,000 people and is located entirely in Area C, which under the Oslo peace agreements, remains under full Israeli military control until a final peace agreement is negotiated. Under the Oslo accords the entire Jordan Valley was classified as Area C with the exception of the city of Jericho.
Israeli forces raid Jericho, remove settlers
2/22/2010 - Jericho - Ma'an - Israeli forces raided Jericho in the occupied West Bank late Sunday night, to remove dozens of settlers who forced their way into the Palestinian city hours earlier in a bid to establish an Israeli presence in the area. The activists passed through an Israeli military checkpoint in order to access the city, which they say is home to an ancient synagogue. An Israeli military spokesman said entrance to the city, supposedly under security control of the Palestinian Authority, is illegal under Israeli law. He accused the settler activists of rioting, and said the situation was soon brought under control. "The IDF denounces any incident where Israeli civilians break the law and will operate accordingly to bring those responsible to justice," the spokesman said. The 35 Israeli citizens were transferred to police custody, he added. According to the Israeli daily Haaretz, the settlers were marching with the goal of "renewing the Jewish settlement in Jericho. " . . . .
Egyptian police kill 2 African migrants, injure 3
2/21/2010 - Al-A'rish - Ma'an - Egyptian police shot dead two African migrants and injured three others trying to enter Israel three kilometers south of the Kerem Shalom crossing on Sunday. Police patrols had spotted a number of migrants attempting to breach the Egyptian-Israeli border fence, upon which police fired warning shots in the air, Ma'an's Egyptian correspondent reported. Despite the warning shots, the migrants continued their attempt and further shots were fired, killing two and injuring three. Those injured were transferred to the Al-A'rish Hospital, where they were said to have confessed to Egyptian police to paying a fee of 1,000 US dollars to human traffickers to assist them in finding work in Israel. . . . .
PA official: Setters assault doctor, damage cars
2/21/2010 - Nablus - Ma'an - Israeli settlers smashed windshields of cars driving along the Nablus-Jenin road in the northern West Bank on Sunday, and assaulted a doctor, a Palestinian Authority official said. Ghassan Daghlas, who holds the PA's northern West Bank settlements portfolio, told Ma'an that dozens of settlers "hurled stones on the As-Seela road, near Homesh, totally shattering the windshields of several Palestinian cars. " Mohammed Saleh Salem, a Palestinian doctor, was injured during the episode and his car was extensively damaged, Daghlas said. "Attacks by settlers on Palestinians in the Nablus district continue, almost every day," Daghlas added, demanding that the International Quartet, "starting with the US, urgently intervene by pressuring the Israeli government to stop these attacks. " An Israeli military spokesman told Ma'an that, after an initial inquiry, he was not. . .
One Gaza crossing opened for limited export
2/21/2010 - Gaza - Ma'an - Israeli authorities opened the Kerem Shalom crossing into the southern Gaza Strip on Sunday, said to Palestinian border crossings official Raed Fattouh. Between 77 and 87 truckloads of humanitarian aid and commercial goods were schedelued for transfer into Gaza through Kerem Shalom, as well as limited quantities of domestic gas and industrial fuel, he said. The UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) said, despite an increase in the import of cooking gas into the coastal enclave, this represents only 49 percent of the weekly needs of gas (1,400 tones), as estimated by the Gas Station Owners Association. "Since November 2009, quantities of gas available at the Palestinian General Petroleum Cooperation (PPC) are being distributed to bakeries and hospitals first, as a priority, due to ongoing shortfalls," OCHA said.
Israeli patrol enters Tulkarem-area village
2/21/2010 - Tulkarem - Ma'an - Israeli forces entered the village of Bal'a, east of Tulkarem, and deployed its troops in residential neighborhoods on Sunday, witnesses said. Soldiers conducted searched homes and stores in the neighborhood and checked locals' ID cards, witnesses said. No arrests were reported. An Israeli military spokesman told Ma'an that following an initial inquiry, the army is not familiar with the incident. [end]
Report: Netanyahu gave final authorization on Dubai hit
2/21/2010 - Bethlehem - Ma'an - Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu gave the final authorization to carry out the assassination of Hamas leader Mahmoud Al-Mabhouh in Dubai, British media reported on Sunday. According to the Sunday Times, in early January, Netanyahu met with the Israeli spy agency Mossad's chief Meir Dagan where he was briefed on the assassination squad's preparation for the hit and reportedly met with some of the squad's members. Dagan briefed Netanyahu on intelligence acquired by Mossad, revealing that Al-Mabhouh was planning a trip to Dubai where he would stay in a luxury hotel, and later travel to Iran to purchase weapons for Hamas in Gaza, the newspaper reported. Members of the hit squad had reportedly trained in a Tel Aviv hotel in preparation for the assassination. Certain members of the squad had visited Dubai previously, where Al-Mabhouh's movements were recorded, the weekly said.
Israeli forces storm Fatah offices in Nablus
2/21/2010 - Nablus - Ma'an - Israeli forces stormed offices belonging to Fatah in the northern West Bank village of Beit Imrin, west of Nablus, on Sunday morning, party sources told Ma'an. Israeli soldiers attempted to break into the office by forcing down the main doors, and were unable to, the sources said. Forces reportedly set light to a poster of the late President Yasser Arafat which was hanging on the main doors, the sources added. An Israeli military spokesman told Ma'an that "overnight, an IDF force entered the village of Beit Umrin. . . for the purpose of patrolling. Earlier today a complaint was filled with the Civil Administration about the [above mentioned] incident. "The complaint is being investigated, he said. . . . .
EU denies cutting Gaza fuel funds
2/21/2010 - Gaza - Ma'an - The European Union has denied slashing or stopping funding for fuel for the Gaza Strip's sole power plant amid an ongoing electricity crisis. The EU responded in a letter to inquiries from the Brussels-based European Campaign to End the Siege on Gaza. The campaign said in a media release on Saturday that it continues to fund the Palestinian Authority (PA) in accordance with priorities set by Palestinian officials. The letter also said the EU in 2009 sought to help provide Gaza with an average of 202 megawatts of electricity: 120 from Israel, 17 from Egypt, and 65 from the Gaza power station. This totals about 70% of Gaza's electricity needs, according to the EU. European officials also in their letter expressed "annoyance" at the PA for "distorting" Europe's image during the power crisis. The officials also pledged to speak with the PA and determine why there was a decrease in the fuel supply reaching Gaza since November.
Abbas fears return to violence if talks fail
2/21/2010 - Bethlehem - Ma'an - President Mahmoud Abbas expressed concernon Friday that Palestinians would resort to violent uprising if the establishment of a Palestinian state is not achieved through negotiations, French media. "If there are no prospects for the future, I fear that the population would make alternative choices. For the moment, we are controlling the situation. . . If people don't believe that the future will bring them a Palestinian state, if there is an obstacle, I fear they will return to violence," Abbas told the French daily Le Monde. The president further told the daily that Israel would not make concessions without US pressure. "We are counting on American President [Barack] Obama, just as we count on [French] President [Nicolas] Sarkozy. The French president wants to play a role, and I believe that he can, because he is both a friend of the Palestinians and the Israelis. "
Sha’ath: Fatah welcomes Kouchner’s comments
2/21/2010 - Ramallah - Ma'an - Member of Fatah's Central Committee Nabil Sha'ath welcomed a French and Spanish initiative to recognize the establishment of a Palestinian state within two years, which French Foreign Minister Bernard Kouchner announced on Saturday. "We welcome these European declarations, especially those of France, which we consider to have adopted a new attitude amidst the current political stalemate," Sha'ath said. "This [stalemate] is the result of Israel's stubbornness and ongoing settlement constrction, confiscation of Palestinian land, the Judiazation of Jerusalem, and the daily oppressions and detentions against the Palestinian people. "Peace, Sha'ath said, would be unobtainable if such Israeli measures continue to undermine all previous agreements and treaties. Sha'ath reiterated that the Palestinian Authority would not resume peace talks while Israeli settlement. . .
Fayyad: Scouts will celebrate centennial in Jerusalem
2/21/2010 - Ramallah - Ma'an - Caretaker Prime Minister Salam Fayyad called on Saturday for scout troupes to start preparing for a centennial celebration of Palestinian scouting in 2012. He made this call during an event celebrating scout troupes' achievements in 2009 at the Ramallah Cultural Palace. The ceremony was attended by dozens of Palestinian Authority (PA) and local officials and hundreds of boy and girl scouts. "We trust and hope that we will be able to celebrate [this anniversary] within an independent Palestinian state specifically in Jerusalem where the organization was founded in 1912," said Fayyad, referring to the Palestinian Scouts and Guides Organization. Fayyad said the PA wants to give youth an opportunity to achieve their dreams ad contribute to the Palestinian national project. "I congratulate you for the achievements of this movement, a pioneer scout movement. . . "
3 PA governors return to Gaza via Rafah crossing
2/21/2010 - Gaza - Ma'an - Three Palestinian Authority appointed governors in the Gaza Strip returned to the coastal enclave via the Rafah crossing with Egypt on Thursday, for the first time since Hamas' takeover in June 2007, one of the governors said on Saturday. Osama Al-Farra, governor of Khan Younes, Muhammad Al-Qudwa, governor of Gaza City, Zuhdi Al-Qudwa governor of Rafah, as well as Major General Fatima Al-Birnawi crossed into Gaza as a result of efforts to achieve national reconciliation, Al-Farra said in a statement. Other Fatah officials, he said, would be returning to the Strip imminently. "We should all encourage such return because it enhances reconciliation efforts. Meetings between Hamas and Fatah leaders should also be held to make progress toward conciliation. " Al-Farra said that the four officials were prepared to undertake the necessary steps to support national unity.
Hamas: PA detained 12 supporters across the West Bank
2/21/2010 - Bethlehem - Ma'an - Hamas on Sunday accused the Palestinian Authority Security Services of detaining 12 of the movement's supporters across the West Bank, including a prominent leader in Nablus. Mustapha Ash-Shunnar, 49, a lecturer at Nablus' An-Najah University, was detained as he left a wedding party in the city, Hamas said in a statement. The remaining detentions took place in Ramallah, Bethlehem and Qalqiliya, Hamas said. [end]
PA police: 7 fugitives detained at Allenby
2/21/2010 - Jericho - Ma'an - Palestinian police deployed at the Allenby Bridge crossing between Jericho and Jordan detained seven "fugitives" attempting to flee to Jordan last week, a police report said on Sunday. Those arrested were detained criminal charges and were transferred to the general attorney to progress with legal proceedings against them, following interrogation, the report said. According to the report, 7,218 Palestinians left the West Bank last week via the Allenby crossing while 6,058 entered. Additionally, 60 international passport holders and 35 Palestinians with Israeli ID cards entered. During the same period, 58 foreign nations and 534 Israeli ID card holders left through the West Bank border crossing, the report said. . . . .
Gaza cabinet chief: Hamas ready for reconciliation
2/21/2010 - Gaza - Ma'an - Mohammad Awad, secretary-general of the de facto government's cabinet in Gaza, said on Sunday that Hamas is undertaking great efforts to reach a unity agreement. "We have delivered many clear speeches and messages to many states noting our support for conciliation, because we are convinced that division is affecting the hopes and future of the Palestinian people and threatening their existence," he told Ma'an. "Reconciliation has not progressed, despite meetings that have attempted to move talks forward. The issue is not the ratification itself, but rather what follows it - we do not want to repeat previous experiences by signing the document as it is and then returning to the starting point. " Awad said the Hamas-led government in Gaza had "achieved many accomplishments" under the hardships endured by Palestinians in the besieged coastal enclave.
5 hurt as IDF tank fires at Palestinians near Gaza border
Ha'aretz 21 Feb 2010 - IDF Spokesman's office: A tank had fired toward figures approaching the border in a 'suspicious' manner.
IOF Continues Enforcing Security Buffer Zone inside Gaza, Bulldozes Agricultural lands, Destroys Palestinian Houses
2/21/2010 - Al Mezan Center for Human Rights - The Israeli Occupation Forces (IOF) has increased its attacks on Palestinians near the Gaza Strip's eastern and northern borders with Israel; an area inside Gaza that the IOF has declared as a security 'buffer zone'. Al Mezan's investigations indicate that the IOF always fires at any Palestinians near the eastern and northern borders. The IOF's attacks do not follow a specific pattern. The IOF claims that its soldiers fire at Palestinians only when they are 300 meters from border fence. However, while some attacks have occurred close to the border fence, many other attacks occurred when civilians were more than a kilometer from the borderline. According to Al Mezan's continuous monitoring, at approximately 6am on Thursday 18 February 2010, Israeli tanks and four armored bulldozers moved under the cover of reconnaissance drones nearly 650 meter inside the Al Msadar village in the Al Maghazi refugee camp.
VIDEO - Palestinian village isolated from West Bank
2/21/2010 - Palestine Note - Al Jazeera's Nour Odeh reports. Israel's separation wall has generated anger and protest all over the Palestinian territories. For one small village on the ouskirts of Bethlehem, the wall has effectively created a prison for its. . . Israel's separation wall has generated anger and protest all over the Palestinian territories. For one small village on the ouskirts of Bethlehem, the wall has effectively created a prison for its Palestinian residents. Al-Nu'man village was cut off from Jerusalem and the rest of the West Bank in 2003 and it is walled in on three sides by the wall, which was illegally constructed beyond the Green Line of armistice drawn after the 1949 Arab-Israeli war. A permanent checkpoint is now the only entrance to and exit from the village.
U.S. places Iran nuclear issue on pressure track
2/21/2010 - Ha'aretz - The United States is placing its efforts to thwart the Iranian nuclear program on a "pressure track," head of U. S. Central Command general David Petraeus said in an interview to a U. S. network on Sunday. Speaking to NBC's "Meet the Press," Petraeus said that he thought "that no one at the end of this time can say that the United States and the rest of the world have not given Iran every opportunity to resolve the issues diplomatically. " "That puts us in a solid foundation now to go on what is termed the pressure track," the U. S. general said, adding that "that's the course on which we are embarked now. " The United States is leading a push for a fourth round of United Nations Security Council sanctions against Iran because of suspicions it is secretly developing a nuclear arsenal. Washington has been supported from fellow Security Council members Britain and France, while Russia, which. . . .
Congressman calls for US to circumvent Israeli Gaza blockade
2/21/2010 - Jerusalem Post - Rep. Brian Baird compares Strip to Berlin Blockade after third visit to Gaza since Hamas took over. - Foreign Ministry spokesman tells CNN he wonders whether Baird’s support for a Berlin-like breaking of the blockade would have extended to a Berlin under Nazi Germany. - Rep. Brian Baird, a Democrat from Washington state, called on the Obama administration on Friday to “circumvent” Israel’s blockade of the Hamas-controlled Gaza Strip. Baird spoke in Jerusalem after a two-day visit to Gaza, his third since Hamas took over the territory in 2007. The US should circumvent Israel’s blockade, “much like we did when we circumvented the Berlin Blockade,” he said. “We would accomplish this using roll-on/off ships supplying the needed material for Palestinians to rebuild their society. ” Baird criticized Israel for being too stringent in its blockade, which he said “was established so that contraband. . . .
Israel Adds Mideast Jewish Refugees to Negotiations
2/18/2010 - The Media Line - Israel’s parliament discusses bill that will tie compensation for Jewish refugees from Arab countries to any future peace negotiations. - Israeli lawmakers are seeking a law that will make compensation for Jewish refugees expelled from Arab countries after 1948 an integral part of any future peace negotiations. Lawmakers put together a bill demanding compensation for current Jewish Israeli citizens, who were expelled from Arab countries after Israel was established in 1948, leaving behind significant valuable property. Originally submitted almost a year ago in the Knesset, Israel’s parliament, the bill passed its first hearing two weeks ago. Now various interest groups are pushing the bill with the Knesset’s 120 members before it is subjected to a second and third hearing next week. The bill was sponsored by Member of Knesset (MK) Nissim Ze’ev from the Shas party and follows a resolution. . . .
20 Ships to Head for Clash in Gaza
2/21/2010 - Arutz Sheva - (IsraelNN. com) The Turkish IHH Humanitarian Relief Foundation announced that a fleet of 20 ships would be sent to break Israel’s embargo on Hamas-run Gaza two months from now. Five of the ships will be under the auspices of IHH; the support of charitable businessmen in Turkey is being sought for funding to purchase them. IHH was founded in 1992 to provide humanitarian aid to Bosnia, and later extended its reach to “deliver foodstuff, clothes and tents to crisis regions hit by wars, conflicts, and natural disaster to meet urgent needs of victims. ”However, it has now added political intervention to its agenda, vowing that its “aid ships will continue to head for Gaza until Israeli embargo is lifted. ”The cargo ships are to carry “Israeli-embargoed building materials, generators, medication, medical equipment and educational materials.
'The Brightest Spot in Israeli Democracy'
2/21/2010 - New Israel Fund - "The Brightest Spot in Israeli Democracy" - As many of you now know, the New Israel Fund is under attack from those seeking to weaken Israel's democratic foundation by equating the legitimate and necessary work of human rights groups with disloyalty to Israel. The scurrilous campaign falsely accuses NIF of working to weaken Israel by supporting human rights, and personally demonizes NIF president and former Deputy Knesset Speaker Naomi Chazan, in a manner many commentators have likened to historic anti-Semitic propaganda. The comprehensive media campaign, which began three weeks ago with an exclusive article in Ma'ariv and a spate of advertisements in major Israeli dailies grotesquely caricaturing Professor Chazan with a horn on her head, was designed by the architect of the anti-disengagement settler organizations and is being spearheaded by Im Tirtzu, a right wing organization with strong. . . .
Video: Israel accused of 'tax theft'
Uruknet February 21, 2010 - Israel is being accused of effectively stealing more than $2.5bn in taxes from Palestinian workers. A recent report by an Israeli NGO says money was deducted from the salaries of Palestinians who were working in Israel. The tax funds were transferred to the government to provide social services and benefits to the Israeli people. But many...
Meir Dagan: the mastermind behind Mossad's secret war
Uruknet February 21, 2010 .IN early January two black Audi A6 limousines drove up to the main gate of a building on a small hill in the northern suburbs of Tel Aviv: the headquarters of Mossad, the Israeli secret intelligence agency, known as the "midrasha". Binyamin Netanyahu, the Israeli prime minister, stepped out of his car and was greeted by Meir...
Report: Netanyahu approved Dubai assassination in early January
Uruknet February 21, 2010 - Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu authorized in early January the assassination of Hamas commander Mahmoud al-Mabhouh, according to a report published in the Sunday Times. Based on information obtained from "sources with knowledge of Mossad," the paper reported that Netanyahu gave Mossad chief Meir Dagan the green light for the Dubai operation during a meeting at the...
Medic: 5 injured in Israeli artillery shelling, northern Gaza
Uruknet February 21, 2010 - Five Palestinians were injured and structural damage was sustained when Israeli forces opened fire at a target north of Beit Lahiya, northern Gaza, on Sunday. Muawiyah Hassanien, director of ambulance and emergency services in Gaza, said three people sustained minor injuries and were treated at the scene, while two others were transfered to the Kamal Udwan...
A Reading into the Conditions of Arab Women in Israel
Uruknet February 20, 2010 - Since the declaration of the state of Israel in 1948, Israel has exercised racist policies against minorities living within its borders. This naturally contravenes the democratic principles it claims to pursue and uphold as a way of life. Nevertheless, it continues to consider itself the only democratic state in the Middle East. This self-portrait is wholly...
ABDALLAH ABU RAHMAH (from Bil’in) writes from his Israeli prison cell 19Feb10
Uruknet February 20, 2010 - Dear Friends and Supporters, It has been two months now since I was handcuffed, blindfolded and taken from my home. Today news has reached Ofer Military Prison that the apartheid wall on Bil’in’s land will finally be moved and construction has begun on the new route. This will return half of the land that was stolen...
Monitoring group tracks rise in settler violence
Uruknet February 20, 2010 - A "rise in violence against Palestinian shepherds shows settler-military collaboration," the a report from the Hebron-based Christian Peacemaker Teams alleged Friday. The group, with the motto of "getting in the way" of Israeli human rights abuses in target areas in the southern West Bank, has members stationed in Hebron and the village of At-Tuwani, 25 kilometers...
Targeting the Wrong Kind of Tunnels
Uruknet Febraury 20, 2010 - At a time when extreme and even unthinkable measures are being taken to completely sever the few remaining passageways of life into Gaza through Rafah's underground tunnels into Egypt, other tunnels of a different kind and a different purpose are being dug elsewhere everyday in broad daylight for all the world to see in occupied East...
Video: Palestinian village isolated from West Bank
Uruknet February 20, 2010 - Israel's separation wall has generated anger and protest all over the Palestinian territories. For one small village on the ouskirts of Bethlehem, the wall has effectively created a prison for its Palestinian residents. Al-Nu'man village was cut off from Jerusalem and the rest of the West Bank in 2003 and it is walled in on three...
Gaza: 5 Palestinians hurt in Israeli shelling
21 Feb 2010 - Gaza, February 21, 2010 (Pal Telegraph) - Five Palestinians were reported injured in an Israeli shelling of homes near the town of Beit Lahya north of the Gaza Strip, on Sunday morning. Dr. Mouawiya Hassanain, head of ambulances and emergencies, said that the injured, who were of the same family, were rushed to Kamal Adwan Hospital.He added that injuries were...
IOF wounds 3 Palestinians near Bethlehem
21 Feb 2010 - West Bank, February 21, 2010 (Pal Telegraph) - Israeli occupation forces on Saturday night shot and wounded 3 Palestinians in the village of Hosan near Bethlehem, medics and local sources said. The sources said that the three wounded Palestinians Mohammed Hmamra, 21, Mosab Al-Zaoul, 21, and Ismail Ismail, 22; were in a car, adding that an Israeli occupation force opened...
Israel's new attack on freedom of speech'
The National 21 Feb 2010 - Human rights groups said to have supplied damaging evidence to the UN face jail terms if they fail to meet tough new regulations.
Blast outside Egypt synagogue
AlJazeera 21 Feb 2010 - An explosive device in a suitcase is thrown at a Jewish place of worship in Cairo.
Israel PM 'signed off' on Dubai hit
AlJazeera 21 Feb 2010 - Last month's killing of Hamas figure had been rehearsed in Tel Aviv, newspaper says.
Israel drones 'could target Iran'
AlJazeera 21 Feb 2010 - Military unveils unmanned aircraft capable of reaching Gulf as pressure mounts on Iran.
Spike in Tourism to Jericho
The Media Line 20 Feb 2010 - Jericho stands out as Palestinian tourism magnet. Maybe it's the relatively quiet security situation, or perhaps it's the unusual February heat wave that has lingered over the region since last week – but for whatever reason,...
The Right to Not Return
The Media Line 20 Feb 2010 - American Jews Reject Israeli law providing citizenship to any Jew. A campaign by American Jews to publicly reject the legal and financial privileges offered to them by the State of Israel has received more than 1000...
Iran: Don't Talk to Foreign Media
The Media Line 20 Feb 2010 - General warns citizens against cooperating with American and British broadcasters. Iran's police chief warned citizens against cooperating with foreign media over the weekend, specifically accusing the state-sponsored Voice of America (VOA) and British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC)...
British Newspaper: Netanyahu Wished Hit Men Well Before Al-Mabhouh Assassination
The Media Line 20 Feb 2010 - A report on the assassination in Dubai of Palestinian terrorist Mahmoud Al-Mabhouh appearing in The Sunday Times (London), claims that Israeli Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu personally approved the operation as early as a month before and...
Syria Says “No” to Increased Access for Atomic Inspectors
The Media Line 20 Feb 2010 - The Syrian government has rejected a call for unlimited access to its nuclear facilities by inspectors of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA). The IAEA made the request shortly after announcing its conclusion that the facility...
Blair Tells AP Israeli-Palestinian Talks to Resume “Within Weeks”
The Media Line 20 Feb 2010 - Quartet envoy Tony Blair said on Saturday that he expects talks between Israel and the Palestinians to resume "within coming weeks." Negotiations broke off when the term of former Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert ended and...
The Israeli army orders the demolition of two houses near Bethlehem city
PNN - Saturday, 20 February 2010
IAF introduces new drone fleet
Jeruslalem Post 21 Feb 2010 - Heron TP is size of passenger jet, can fly 20 hours nonstop, reach Iran.
IAEA: Iran's nukes 'also for army’
Jeruslalem Post 21 Feb 2010 - US: Findings consistent with ‘ongoing concerns about Iran’s activities.’
Ben Gurion Airport is nearing capacity
Jeruslalem Post 21 Feb 2010 - As Ben-Gurion draws ever nearer to capacity, Israel is no closer to laying the cornerstone for a new international airport.
SYRIA: Over a million people affected by drought
IRIN DEIR EZ ZOUR Wednesday, February 17, 2010 (IRIN) - Drought in eastern and northeastern Syria has driven some 300,000 families to urban settlements such as Aleppo, Damascus and Deir ez Zour in search of work in one of the largest internal displacements in the Middle East in recent years.
Weekly Report on Israeli Human Rights Violations in the Occupied Palestinian Territory
PCHR Israeli Occupation Forces (IOF) Continue Systematic Attacks against Palestinian Civilians and Property in the Occupied Palestinian Territory (OPT)
Israel's obstinacy is holding back peace, PA official says
Ha'aretz 21 Feb 2010 - Nabil Sha'ath applauds EU plan to declare Palestinian state within 2 years, apart of Israel-PA talks.
Top EU official: Dubai hit may harm ties with Israel
Ha'aretz 21 Feb 2010 - Dubai police: Assassins used diplomatic passports; U.A.E. urges European investigation.
France to aid Jordan in realizing 'nuclear ambitions'
Ha'aretz 21 Feb 2010 - Abdullah II: Jordan can show region how to develop nuclear power for peaceful purposes, and do it right.
Israeli version of hit TV sitcom The Office in the works
Ha'aretz 21 Feb 2010 - Show creator Ricky Gervais: I am thrilled that Israel is making The Office, who ever heard of Jewish entertainers?
Bomb hurled at main synagogue in Cairo; no casualties
Ha'aretz 21 Feb 2010 - Cairo police: Man threw suitcase with explosives at synagogue from the window of a nearby hotel.
Egypt police kill 2 African migrants at Israel border
Ha'aretz 21 Feb 2010 - Egyptian security official says they refused to surrender after guards fired warning shots.
Lebanon PM: Israel talks peace but does nothing to achieve it
Ha'aretz 21 Feb 2010 - After meeting with Pope Benedict XVI in Rome, Saad Hariri told reporters 'Arabs want peace.'
Report: PM approved Dubai assassination in early January
Ha'aretz 21 Feb 2010 - Mossad said to have used Tel Aviv hotel to train agents; Dubai police: Mabhouh aide leaked information.
Top 10 U.S. Jewish politicians to watch in 2010
Ha'aretz 21 Feb 2010 - The Forward's list represents Jewish politicians who are either making their first steps on the national scene or are viewed as possible future leaders.
Iran is regional superpower even without nukes
Ha'aretz 21 Feb 2010 - Tehran is creating a rift between China and the U.S., with Washington arming Taiwan in bid to pressure Beijing.
EU initiative: Recognition of Palestinian state by next year
Ha'aretz 21 Feb 2010 - According to senior European diplomats Israel has relayed its opposition to the initiative.
Alexander Haig was my friend and a friend to Israel
Ha'aretz 21 Feb 2010 - Haig's support was not only based on the rationale that the U.S. and Israel had shared strategic interests.
Israel to push China on Iran sanctions
Ha'aretz 21 Feb 2010 - China has vast economic interests in Iran, with much of its energy market dependent on imported Iranian oil.
Barak to visit U.S. in bid to nix Goldstone Gaza report
Ha'aretz 21 Feb 2010 - Barak to meet with UN Secretary-General Ban, U.S. Defense Secretary Gates and other Pentagon officials.
Killed Hamas official Mahmoud al-Mabhouh betrayed by associate, says Dubai police chief
The Guardian 21 Feb 2010 - Two more fraudulent Irish passports linked to Palestinian's killing, officials say Mahmoud al-Mabhouh, the Hamas official assassinated in Dubai, was betrayed by a close associate, the emirate's police chief claimed as it emerged today that the...
Police arrest 35 rightist activists in Jericho march
Ha'aretz 21 Feb 2010 - Dozens of right-wing activists succeeded to infiltrate on Sunday into the city of Jericho in the Palestinian Authority, and rallied in one of the city's synagogues until security forces managed to evacuate them. ...
3 people lightly hurt in helicopter crash near Latrun
Ha'aretz 21 Feb 2010 - Three people were lightly injured Sunday when a civilian helicopter crashed near Latrun junction not far from Jerusalem. ...
Netanyahu: West Bank sites added to national heritage list
Ha'aretz 21 Feb 2010 - Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu announced on Sunday that the Cave of the Patriarchs in Hebron and Rachel's Tomb in Bethlehem would both be added to the list of national heritage sites that the government plans to promote. ...
OPT: The French Consul General Lays the Cornerstone for the reconstruction project of Al-Quds Hospital in Gaza
Relief Web 21 Feb 2010 - Source: Palestine Red Crescent Society
OPT: Checkpoint misery epitomizes a Mideast divide
Relief Web 21 Feb 2010 - Source: Medical Aid for Palestinians
IOF Continues Enforcing Security Buffer Zone inside Gaza, Bulldozes Agricultural lands, Destroys Palestinian Houses
Relief Web 21 Feb 2010 - Source: Al Mezan Center for Human Rights
IDF: Rightists must be brought to justice
YNet News 21 Feb 2010 - Army angered at right-wing activists' infiltration of Jericho, officials say group behaved irresponsibly by occupying army with 'needless provocation'. 'IDF should focus on defense, preventing terror,' they say
Fatah: Israel's decision on heritage sites dangerous
YNet News 21 Feb 2010 - Abbas' party says decision to include Rachel's Tomb, Cave of the Patriarchs in national plan to rehabilitate some 150 Jewish and Zionist heritage sites 'will add to the religious component of Arab-Israeli conflict'
PR website: Justifying state or government?
YNet News 21 Feb 2010 - We agree with Ministry of Information that we don't all ride camels, but political issues are more controversial. Settlements not obstacle to peace? Golan Heights crucial for security? Whose opinions are reflected by the website?
35 rightists arrested in Jericho
YNet News 21 Feb 2010 - MK Ben Ari leads march past IDF checkpoints to hang Israeli flag from top of West Bank synagogue
Petraeus: US to pursue pressure track on Iran
YNet News 21 Feb 2010 - Head of US Central Command tells 'Meet the Press' international community gave Iran every opportunity to resolve nuclear standoff diplomatically. 'Obama administration plans to send the kind of signal to Iran about the very serious concerns countries in the region and the world have about its nuclear program,' he adds
Israel unveils new drone fleet that can reach Iran
YNet News 21 Feb 2010 - Air Force official says Heron TP drones, which first saw action during war in Gaza, a 'technological and operational breakthrough'
France considers recognizing Palestinian state before talks
YNet News 21 Feb 2010 - FM Kouchner says 'tempted' by idea of international recognition of Palestinian state before borders negotiated; PM Fillon says proposal aimed at 'accelerating peace process'
EU diplomat: Dubai killing may harm EU-Israel ties
YNet News 21 Feb 2010 - Emirates foreign affairs minister says deeply concerned that suspected al-Mabhouh assassins used expertly doctored passports of 'close allies'; two more fake Irish passports linked to hit squad, local officials say. EU official says affair may damage bloc's relations with Israel
Kouchner wants quick recognition of Palestine
Daily Star 21 Feb 2010 French Foreign Minister Bernard Kouchner has suggested that a Palestinian state could be proclaimed and recognized by the international community even before the issue of its borders is worked out. "I would be tempted by that," Kouchner was quoted as telling Sunday newspaper Le Journal du Dimanche. But he added: "I'm not sure of being followed on that, and I'm not even sure of being right."
UAE summons EU envoys, Times sources say Netanyahu met Mabhouh assassins
Daily Star 21 Feb 2010 DUBAI: The use of forged passports in the assassination of a Hamas commander in Dubai is a global security threat, a United Arab Emirates minister said on Sunday, vowing to bring those behind the killing to justice. Dubai police say the 11 suspects in the January 19 killing of Palestinian Mahmoud al-Mabhouh in one of the emirate's luxury hotels used forged passports from Britain, France, Ireland and Germany.
Syrian economic progress linked to peace efforts: French prime minister
Daily Star 21 Feb 2010 Syria can make economic progress by helping Middle East peace efforts, including finding an agreement on Iran's nuclear drive, visiting French Prime Minister Francois Fillon said late on Saturday. "One of the conditions of continued economic development in Syria is peace and security in the region," Fillon told an economic forum in Syria's capital Damascus.
Clinton ducked my nuclear question: Saudi student
Daily Star 21 Feb 2010 RIYADH: A Saudi student Sunday blasted US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton for skirting her question on Israel's nuclear arsenal during a "town hall" meeting at a Jeddah college. "I did not get a straight answer," Mariyam Alavi said in a letter published in Arab News on her question to Clinton last Tuesday. "My question was simple and direct enough," she wrote, but Clinton's response "was very unsatisfying."
Iran expels Greek steward over 'Persian Gulf' row
Daily Star 21 Feb 2010 TEHRAN: Iran on Sunday expelled a Greek steward working for a domestic airline after he argued with flight passengers over a "Persian Gulf" naming row, Fars news agency reported. The steward working for Kish Airline had a "verbal argument" with passengers on a Tehran-Kish flight on Friday, during which he threatened to arrest them, Fars said, quoting a top police officer.
Russia's patience on Tehran: strained but not snapped
Daily Star 21 Feb 2010 MOSCOW: In half a decade of nuclear crisis, Iran's President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad has counted on the Russia of strongman Vladimir Putin to balance the hard line of the West with a more moderate stance. But in the last weeks, senior Russian figures have signaled mounting frustration with Iran, saying that new sanctions could be realistic and even casting doubt on Tehran's insistence that its nuclear drive is peaceful.
Washington to pursue 'pressure track' on Iran: Petraeus
Daily Star 21 Feb 2010 The United States is raising the stakes in its bid to halt Iran's nuclear program, putting the issue on a "pressure track," top US General David Petraeus said on Sunday. "I think that no one at the end of this time can say that the United States and the rest of the world have not given Iran every opportunity to resolve the issues diplomatically," he said. "That puts us in a solid foundation now to go on what is termed the pressure track.
Young Palestinian leadership at the helm of state building
Daily Star 21 Feb 2010 In January 2009 I was standing with dozens of Palestinian youth who were jostling in front of the Palestinian Presidential Guard offices in Ramallah, hoping for a chance to work for the Guard. Some of them left quickly looking disappointed, evidently rejected for not meeting the basic requirements such as height or weight. The young generation of Palestinians are playing an increasingly important part.
Makeshift bomb thrown at Egypt synagogue, no casualties
Daily Star 21 Feb 2010 CAIRO: A man hurled a suitcase containing a makeshift bomb at Cairo's main downtown synagogue in the early hours Sunday morning, but there were no injuries or damage, police said. According to the police report, a man entered a hotel located on the fourth floor of a building across from the synagogue at around 3 am and as he was checking in, abruptly threw his suitcase out the window.
Hariri says Israel just 'looking for excuses' to launch another war on Lebanon
Daily Star 21 Feb 2010 BEIRUT: Prime Minister Saad Hariri said on Sunday that Israel's repeated threats to wage war on all of Lebanon because of Hizbullah's participation in Cabinet were just a pretext to launch an aggression against Lebanon. "Hizbullah participated in the government in 2007, 2008 and 2009 so why now [is Israel] raising the issue? Because Israel is looking for excuses for war," Hariri said in an interview with the Italian daily Corriere Della Sera.
Electricity constraints take toll on Lebanese economy
Daily Star 21 Feb 2010 BEIRUT: A Working Paper by the International Monetary Fund indicated that electricity constraints, labor skill shortage and insufficient access to finance for businesses are costing the Lebanese economy up to 4.3 percent in real per capita GDP growth per year, as reported by Lebanon This Week, the economic publication of the Byblos Bank Group.
Lebanon's outnumbered Maronites pull stops on voting age reform
Daily Star 21 Feb 2010 BEIRUT: In a country where 18-year-olds can drive, marry and serve in the army, allowing them to vote would generally be applauded as a boon for democracy. But not so in Lebanon. A move to lower the voting age from 21 to 18 has sparked fears of a shake-up of Lebanon's political structure, a complex power-sharing system between Christians and Muslims that has helped preserve a fragile peace since the end of the 1975-1990 Civil War.
Hamas urges European countries to act against Netanyahu for Dubai crime
PIC 21 Feb 2010 - Hamas spokesman Sami Abu Zuhri called on the countries whose passports were used by the Mossad in Dubai operation to prosecute the perpetrators and those who gave orders especially Benjamin Netanyahu.
Ghoul: The gov't supports resistance against occupation
PIC 21 Feb 2010 - Palestinian justice minister Mohammed Al-Ghoul has said that the Palestinian people are entitled to resist the occupation of their land, and the government backs this right.
Resheq: Hamas wants to participate in Dubai investigation
PIC 21 Feb 2010 - Izzat Al-Resheq said that his Movement is still trying to urge Dubai authorities to involve it in the investigation conducted on the assassination of Mahmoud Al-Mabhouh.
Haneyya invites Kuwaiti speaker to visit Gaza
PIC 21 Feb 2010 - Ismail Haneyya, the Palestinian premier, reached Jassem Al-Kharafi, the Kuwait parliament speaker, on the phone on Sunday and invited him to visit the besieged Gaza Strip.
5 Palestinians wounded in IOF shelling in Gaza, 3 others in WB including child
PIC 21 Feb 2010 - Five Palestinian citizens were wounded on Sunday morning when Israeli occupation forces (IOF) fired artillery shells at residential neighborhoods in northern Gaza.
Sunday Times: Netanyahu authorized assassination of Mabhouh
PIC 21 Feb 2010 - The Sunday Times newspaper said that Benjamin Netanyahu personally approved the assassination of Al-Mabhouh in Dubai during a visit he made to the Mossad headquarters in early January.
One child injured, another suffocates during Israeli attacks in Al-Khalil
PIC 21 Feb 2010 - One Palestinian child was injured and another suffered tear gas suffocation during different attacks by Israeli settlers and troops on Palestinian citizens in Al-Khalil city on Saturday.
IOF troops storm Nablus, settlers perform rituals at Nabi Yusuf
PIC 21 Feb 2010 - Israeli occupation forces (IOF) stormed the Balata refugee camp, east of Nablus city, at the early dawn hours on Sunday amidst sounds of explosions and gunfire, local sources reported.
Abbas militias kidnap Hamas leader, 11 other supporters
PIC 21 Feb 2010 - Militias loyal to Mahmoud Abbas rounded up 12 Hamas cadres and supporters in the West Bank over the past 24 hours, according to a Hamas statement on Sunday.
Der Spiegel: The Mossad’s Kidon unit assassinated Mabhouh
PIC 21 Feb 2010 - The German Der Spiegel magazine said that that the Mossad’s Kidon unit, responsible for killing and kidnapping missions, might be behind the assassination of senior Hamas official Mahmoud Al-Mabhouh.
UAE 'deeply concerned' over passports used in Hamas leader's assassination
LA Times 22 Feb 2010 - The Persian Gulf federation is apparently trying to pressure European officials, whose nationals are able to freely travel through Dubai, to help it find the killers of Mahmoud Mabhouh. The United Arab Emirates Foreign Ministry issued a statement Sunday saying it was "deeply concerned" that passports from countries whose "nationals currently enjoy preferential visa waivers" were used in the recent assassination of a senior Hamas figure.
Nader/Zinn– It’s time for Palestinians to participate in power
Mondoweiss - 21 Feb 2010 - I just heard Ralph Nader on C-Span, speaking at Howard Zinn’s memorial service in D.C. Nader said that, scarred by his own experience of dropping napalm on French civilians during WW2, Howard Zinn denounced injustice wherever he saw it, and did not pick and choose. And...
David Brooks’s dilemma (and ours)
Mondoweiss - 21 Feb 2010 - Consider one of David Brooks’ dilemmas. In last Friday’s Times he wrote a pretty good column about the contemporary American power elite. As he described it, sixty and more years ago, blue blood WASPs ran America’s financial institutions and foreign policy (something of a simplification, but...
J Street and ‘the Jewish collective’
Mondoweiss - 21 Feb 2010 - On the one hand, J Street has stopped playing their coy game about how Zionist or non-Zionist they are, and now speak openly not merely of "the Jewish people" but even come close to using Commentary’s dark phrase "the Jewish collective". On the other hand, the...
Turkey vows to launch Berlin airlift
Mondoweiss - 21 Feb 2010 - 20 ships headed to Gaza in 2 months , from Turkey, bearing cargo blocked by the blockade… If and when Turkey does it the Israelis will have a serious problem on their hands because this will attract the kind of international attention that those from the US...
Thousands converge on Bil’in, Fayyad among them
Mondoweiss - 21 Feb 2010 - More at The Real News Wonderful report by Lia Tarachansky on Friday’s Bil’in demo, attended by thousands celebrating the fifth anniversary of the protest. Note that Salam Fayyad, the P.M. of the Palestinian Authority, attended the demo and, in English, thanked the internationals for coming to...
Monday, February 22, 2010
Al Rishiq: “Annexing Holy Sites, A New Aggression Against the Palestinians”
IMEMC - Tuesday February 23, 2010 - 04:54, Izzat Al Rishiq, member of the Political Bureau of Hamas movement, stated that the Israeli decision to annex the Ibrahimi mosque in Hebron and the Bilal Mosque in Bethlehem, to consider them as part of the “Jewish Heritage Trail”, is another aggression against the Palestinians and their holy sites.
Sarkozy Calls For A Viable Palestinian State
IMEMC - Tuesday February 23, 2010 - 03:28, During a Monday meeting with the Palestinian President, Mahmoud Abbas, French President, Nicolas Sarkozy, stated that the objective of the peace process between Israel and the Palestinians is a viable and independent Palestinian State within the 1967 border.
Israel To Claim Ibrahimi Mosque, Bilal Mosque, As Historic Jewish Sites
IMEMC - Tuesday February 23, 2010 - 00:43, Bethlehem will be holding a general strike on Tuesday to protest the Israeli government’s decision to annex the Ibrahimi Mosque in Hebron and the Bilal Mosque to the so-called ‘Historic Jewish Sites” as part of the Israeli “Heritage Trail”.
Palestinian Fighters Clash with Israeli Forces in Northern Gaza Strip
IMEMC - Monday February 22, 2010 - 16:35, Palestinian fighters clashed, on Monday at midday, with an Israeli force at the Northern Gaza Strip borders with Israel.
Israel Releases New Plans to Build 550 Settler Homes in Jerusalem
IMEMC - Monday February 22, 2010 - 16:18, Israeli settlers organization announced, Monday, a plan by the Israeli controlled Jerusalem Municipality to construct 550 new settlers homes in Jerusalem’s east city.
Israeli Military Detains Five Civilians in the West Bank
IMEMC - Monday February 22, 2010 - 16:02, Five Palestinian civilians were detained by Israeli troops, on Monday, in morning invasions. The attacks targeted a number of West Bank communities.
Settlers and Soldiers Attack Protesters in Hebron
IMEMC - Monday February 22, 2010 - 15:53, One Palestinian youth sustained moderate wounds in Hebron City, southern West Bank, as scores suffered tear gas inhalation during clashes that broke between local residents and Israeli soldiers
Israeli Settlers Attack Palestinian Cars & Drivers Near Nablus
IMEMC - Monday February 22, 2010 - 10:32, Right-wing Israeli settlers threw stones at Palestinian cars near Nablus, breaking several windshields and wounding a Palestinian doctor on Sunday.
Latest collapse in Jerusalem blamed on Israeli excavations
2/22/2010 - Jerusalem - Ma'an - A street collapse near the entrance of the Bab Khan Az-Zeit market in the Old City of Jerusalem occurred on Sunday, as a result of Israeli excavations in the area, witnesses reported. "A two by one meter deep hole was left following the collapse," Ma'an's Jerusalem correspondent said. The latest collapse is reportedly related to ongoing Israeli archeological digs around the Al-Aqsa Mosque compound, which have caused a series of cave-ins around the Old City and in East Jerusalem neighborhoods. The cave-in follows Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's decision to include two sites in the occupied Palestinian territories on an Israeli heritage list, The Ibrahimi Mosque in Hebron and Rachel's Tomb in Bethlehem. In January, the Al-Aqsa Foundation for Endowment and Heritage reported a street collapse on the main road in the area of Silwan in occupied East. . .
Clashes after Hebron mosque declared Israeli heritage site
2/22/2010 - Hebron - Ma'an - Confrontations broke out between Palestinians and Israeli forces in Hebron on Monday, as public figures declared a general strike amidst growing anger at the Israeli cabinet's move to recognize shrines in the occupied West Bank as Israeli heritage sites. Protesters in the southern part of the city set tires alight, while in the city center, an Israeli military outpost at the entrance of Ash-Shuhada' street, closed off to Palestinians, was pelted with stones. According to locals, Israeli soldiers used stun grenades against demonstrators. An Israeli military spokeswoman said that about 100 Palestinians were rioting in the area, "hurling rocks in a violent and illegal riot. "One soldier was lightly injured as a result, she said. Confrontations reportedly erupted near the Tariq Ibn Ziad school, between students and Israeli soldiers in the southern part of the city.
Witnesses: Israel navy fires on Gaza fishermen
2/22/2010 - Gaza - Ma'an - Israeli naval forces opened fire at fishermen off the coast of Gaza on Monday, locals said, forcing them to return to shore. No injuries were reported, but the purported witnesses said the fire has become an almost daily occurrence. An Israeli military spokeswoman said there was no such activity in the area. Last Sunday, naval forces detained four fishermen off the Sudaniyya coast in northern Gaza. They were identified as Awad Ramadan Sultan, Fadl Jamal Sultan, Sharif Muhammad Sultan, and Samih Rajab Sultan. At the time, an Israeli military spokesman said two boats crossed into an area not permitted for Palestinian vessels, and were detained for questioning when they refused orders to turn around. The same day, Egyptian security sources denied detaining four fishermen off the coast of Rafah. . . . .
Medics: Israeli forces shell Gaza overnight
2/23/2010 - Gaza - Ma'an - Israeli reconnaissance planes overnight on Sunday shelled open areas in the northern Gaza Strip, with no casualties reported. Muawiya Hassanein, director of ambulance and emergency services in Gaza, said the shelling targeted As-Sudaniyya, west of Beit Lahyia, an area targeted on Sunday morning by Israeli artillery shells. No casualties were reported. Israeli sources said the shelling was aimed toward a group of Palestinian fighters operating in the area. An Israeli military spokeswoman said that the army was unaware of any aerial fire or shelling overnight in As-Sudaniyya. On Sunday morning, five Palestinian workers were injured when Israeli forces deployed artillery shells near the former Israeli settlement of Gush Katif. An Israeli military spokesman said that the fire was aimed toward a Palestinian who approached the Israeli boundary in a "suspicious manner". . . . .
Three children killed in Gaza fire blamed on Israeli fuel blockade
2/23/2010 - Gaza - Ma'an - Three children were killed and five others injured in a house fire in the town of Bani Sahela in the southern Gaza Strip on Monday. Medical officials said twin brothers Tarnim and Bassim Abu Jame, 8, and Tansim Abu Jame, 13 perished in the blaze. The medics said the three bodies arrived, completely burnt, at a hospital. Their mother Wafa Abu Jame was critically inhured. Civil defense officials said an initial investigation found that the fire began when an electric generator exploded. The Gaza Strip has been experiencing scheduled rolling blackouts for weeks due to a slowdown in production at the territory's only power plant. Energy authorities say Israeli-imposed limits on fuel imports are to blame. In a separate incident on Monday, Lana Iyad Al-Farra, 4, died after falling from the fourth floor of a building in the city of Khan Younis.
Israel plans new Jerusalem-area settlement
2/23/2010 - Jerusalem - Ma'an - Israeli authorities have approved a plan to build 549 new homes for settlers on land across the Green Line in south Jerusalem, an advocacy group said on Monday. Ahmad Laban, an official with the Israeli-led group Ir Amim said a regional planning body in the Israeli-controlled Jerusalem Municipality approved the plan, which still needs to take further bureaucratic strides before it is finalized. The regional committee of organizing and building in the Israeli municipality of Jerusalem had approved to present a new settlement plan to build 549 housing units. "An announcement will be made on this issue soon," Laban said of the plans, which will be submitted to the public for possible objections over a period of 60 days, in accordance with Israeli law. The new settlement housing is planned on Palestinian land in the town of Beit Safafa, west of the Jerusalem-Hebron road.
Barghouthi seen arguing with Israeli settlers
2/23/2010 - Hebron - Ma'an - Mustafa Barghouthi, the secretary-general of the Palestinian National Initiative, on Monday termed as provocative the Israeli cabinet's move to designate West Bank holy shrines as "Israeli heritage sites. "The former Palestinian Authority information minister was spotted arguing with Israeli settlers during clashes in Hebron on Monday. "Your presence here is illegal, not only in Hebron but in Jerusalem and the rest of the occupied lands," he said, addressing settlers who were protected by Israeli forces stationed near the Ibrahimi Mosque, which Israelis call the Cave of the Patriarchs. At a news conference following the confrontations, Barghouthi said "this racist decision comes four days before the anniversary of the Ibrahimi Mosque massacre, which was in 1994. " . . . .
Israel renews ban on key West Bank bus line
2/23/2010 - Bethlehem - Ma'an - A month after Israel rescinded a ban on foreign nationals using a main Bethlehem bus line, travelers say authorities are again pulling internationals off buses en route to Jerusalem. Last December, for reasons that remain unclear, tourists leaving the central West Bank city were banned from line 21, a route used predominantly by Palestinian holders of East Jerusalem residency cards. The ban was briefly lifted over the Christmas holiday, the army said, but foreign nationals say they are again being targeted and removed from the line, the only continuous transport between the two cities. An American volunteer told Ma'an that she was inexplicably pulled off a bus as she left Bethlehem to attend church in Jerusalem on Sunday morning, as she does every week. A guard "was deaf to my pleas that I just wanted to go to church," the volunteer said.
Hamas to Dubai police: Prove collaborator claim
2/22/2010 - Gaza - Ma'an - Hamas said Monday that Dubai Chief of Police Dahi Khalfan Tamim had yet to provide evidence that a collaborator from within the movement had supplied Mossad with information on Mahmoud Al-Mabhouh, who was killed in his Dubai hotel room in January. "Who is this person he speaks of, why haven't they disclosed his name and why wasn't he arrested like the two other Palestinians? "read a statement from a party official. UAE media outlets reported that Tamim accused a member of Hamas of providing information to the Israeli intelligence agency on Al-Mabhouh's movements and locations in Dubai to facilitate the hit. Sources said that the movement had not been informed of the Dubai police's investigations into the murder. "It is illogical to see Hamas learn of case through the media," adding that it was unclear if Tamim's claims were based on evidence or mere speculation.
PCHR condemns Israeli heritage declaration
2/23/2010 - Bethlehem - Ma'an - The Palestinian Center for Human Rights (PCHR) on Monday condemned a decision taken by the Israeli government to include the the Ibrahimi Mosque in Hebron and Rachel's Tomb in Bethlehem on a list of Israeli archaeological sites. In a statement, the human rights group recalled that the decision was taken on the eve of the 16th anniversary of the mass killing of 29 Palestinian worshippers in the mosque by an Israeli settler, Barach Goldstein, on 25 February 1994. PCHR further emphasized that the continued international tolerance toward "crimes committed by Israel, the Occupying Power, serves to encourage it to commit more of such crimes. "Accordingly, PCHR repeated its calls for the international community to provide protection for Palestinian civilians, their property and their religious sites.
Qureia: Israeli heritage decision discriminates
2/23/2010 - Bethlehem - Ma'an - PLO Executive Committee member Ahmad Qureia on Monday condemned Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's plan to include the Ibrahimi Mosque and Rachel's Tomb on a list of Israeli heritage sites. Qureia dubbed the move a "discriminatory crime" targeting Palestinian identity and historic sites that are representative of the nation. He highlighted that the Israeli cabinet's decision follows a recent decision by country's Jerusalem Municipality to approve the construction of a new settlement scheme of 549 housing units in Beit Safafa, south of Jerusalem. "We question how such plans are undertaken when the US is exerting efforts to achieve peace, while Israel is attacking homes and taking over holy places belonging to Palestinians," he said, calling on the international community to intervene "to stop such crimes before returning to negotiations. "
Erekat blasts ’Israeli heritage’ initiative
2/23/2010 - Bethlehem - Ma'an - Chief PLO negotiator Saeb Erekat on Monday condemned an initiative to include holy shrines in the occupied Palestinian territories on a list of Israeli "heritage sites. " "The unilateral decision to make Palestinian sites in Hebron and Bethlehem part of Israel shows there is no genuine partner for peace, but an occupying power intent on consolidating Palestinian lands," Erekat said in a statement. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's announcement came during his government's weekly cabinet meeting on Sunday. In addition to Rachel's Tomb in Bethlehem and Hebron's Ibrahimi Mosque, both located in major Palestinian cities, the list also includes the West Bank sites of Herodion, Qumran, and Susiya. Noting that the move came just as the Quartet and other members of the international community were making. . .
UN envoy: Heritage sites not in Israel
2/22/2010 - Bethlehem - Ma'an - Robert Serry, the UN envoy for Middle East peace, expressed concern on Monday over Israel's announcement regarding holy sites in Hebron and Bethlehem and the heightened tensions that have resulted. "These sites are in occupied Palestinian territory and are of historical and religious significance not only to Judaism but also to Islam, and to Christianity as well," Serry said in a statement. "I urge Israel not to take any steps on the ground which undermine trust or could prejudice negotiations, the resumption of which should be the highest shared priority of all who seek peace. I also call for restraint and calm," he said. "As I underscored in my visit to Hebron last week, I would like to see more positive steps by Israel to enable Palestinian development and state-building in the area and throughout the West Bank, reflecting a genuine commitment to the two State solution," he added.
Two Gaza crossings open, no exports transfered
2/22/2010 - Gaza - Ma'an - Israeli authorities opened on Monday the Kerem Shalom and Karni crossings to the south and north of Gaza respectively, Palestinian border crossings official Raed Fattouh said. Between 77 and 88 truckloads of humanitarian aid and commercial goods would be transferred through Kerem Shalom, in addition to limited quantities of domestic gas and industrial fuel, Fattouh said. Unlike on Sunday, the Kerem Shalom crossing did not see the export of Gazan produce. The previously shut-down Karni crossing will be opened for the delivery of 113 truckloads of wheat and animal feed. [end]
Human rights groups in Israel face crackdown
2/22/2010 - Nazareth - The Israeli government and its right-wing supporters have been waging a "McCarthyite" campaign against human-rights groups by blaming them for the barrage of international criticism that has followed Israel's attack on Gaza a year ago, critics say. In a sign of the growing backlash against the human-rights community, the cabinet backed a bill last week that, if passed, will jail senior officials from the country's peace-related organisations should they fail to meet tough new registration conditions. The measure is a response to claims by right-wing lobbyists that Israel's human-rights advocates supplied much of the damaging evidence of war crimes cited by Judge Richard Goldstone in his UN-commissioned report into Israel's Operation Cast Lead. Human-rights groups funded by foreign donors, such as the European Union, would be required to register as political bodies and meet other demands for "transparency. "
Sources: Rafah crossing to open next week
2/22/2010 - Al-Arish - Ma'an - Authorities will open the Rafah border crossing next Monday to allow for humanitarian cases to enter or leave the Gaza Strip, Ma'an has learned. It will remain open through next Wednesday. Egyptian sources said coordination between the de facto government in Gaza and Cairo resulted in a list of names both sides agreed could be permitted to cross the border, namely patients, students and holders of foreign passports. "Egypt's hesitancy to open the crossing is due to the crisis between Hamas and Cairo following the death of Egyptian soldier Ahmad Sha'ban," one source told Ma'an, referring to protest at the border last month. Egypt, along with Israel, sealed its border with Gaza in 2007 following Hamas' takeover of the coastal enclave. Cairo rarely opens the Rafah crossing, which is the only means of entering or exiting Gaza for most Palestinians.
High court hears challenge to PA ’security’ firing
2/22/2010 - Ramallah - Ma'an - In a hearing on Sunday, the Palestinian High Court of Justice heard a challenge by the Jerusalem Legal Aid and Human Rights Center against a decision by the Palestinian Ministry of Education to fire public school teachers for "security reasons. "The firings resulted from a decision by the cabinet of the Palestinian caretaker government decision on 13 September 2007 to adopt security checks as part of the criteria for the appointment of civil servants. Attorney Bassam Karaja from the Jerusalem Legal Aid and Human Rights Center said the court decided to hold another hearing on the issue 17 October 2010. In its appeal, the rights group described the cabinet decision as illegal as it contradicts article 26 of the Palestinian Basic Law. The center also said the decision violated the Palestinian civil service law of 1998. . . . .
2 Palestinians detained at Nablus checkpoints
2/22/2010 - Bethlehem - Ma'an - Israeli forces detained two Palestinian men at military checkpoints near Nablus on Monday, the army said. Neither detainee was not immediately identified. An army spokeswoman said one man was found with a pipe bomb and a 30-centimeter knife at the Beqa'ot checkpoint east of Nablus. He was transferred to Israeli security forces for questioning, she added. Meanwhile, a second Palestinian was detained west of Nablus. Israeli forces pursued and eventually caught a Palestinian man near the Za'atara checkpoint after he threatened a settler with a toy gun, settler-affiliated Web sites reported. The Israeli military spokeswoman also corroborated those reports, but said the incident occurred at the Tapuah checkpoint, which is west of Nablus in the northern West Bank. . . . .
PRC wing: RPG fired at Israeli forces in Gaza
2/22/2010 - Gaza - Ma'an - The military wing of the Popular Resistance Committees claimed responsibility on Monday for firing a rocket-propelled grenade toward an Israeli vehicle in northern Gaza. The armed affiliates, the An-Nasser Salah Ad-Din Brigades, said clashes erupted between members of the military wing and Israeli forces in Bura Abu Samra, north of Beit Lahiya. Approached by Ma'an, an Israeli military spokeswoman said there was no such activity reported in the area. [end]
Visiting US official pledges support to PA
2/23/2010 - Ramallah - Ma'an - US Deputy Secretary of State Jacob Lew pledged to continue and expand support to the Palestinian Authority during a visit to Ramallah on Monday. "We want to help the Palestinians to change their lives through international aid and the agreements that are being signed "¦ intended to helping them build their state," Lew told Health Minister Fathi Abu Moghli during a visit to the Palestine medical compound under construction in Ramallah. Lew also pledged general support, through USAID, to the Palestinian Health Ministry. Abu Moghli said, he welcomed Lew's visit, which he said would help him "to see first hand one of the samples of developing the health sector in Palestine which is being implemented within the trilateral plan of the Palestinian government. "The minister said that the emergency room of the new hospital has already begun operating. "
EU condemns Dubai killing, passport fraud
2/23/2010 - Bethlehem - Ma'an - EU foreign ministers said on Monday that the killing of Mahmoud Al-Mabhouh in Dubai on 20 January "raises issues which are profoundly disturbing to the European Union. " In a statement, Europe's Foreign Affairs Council meeting in Brussels said: "This was an action which cannot be conducive to peace and stability in the Middle East. "It added: "The EU strongly condemns the fact that those involved in this action have used fraudulent EU Member States' passports and credit cards acquired through the theft of EU citizens' identities. " The ministers also called on all countries to cooperate with the investigation by the Dubai authorities. The statement did not mention Israel by name, although its Mossad intelligence agency is widely believed to have carried out the assassination. The country's leadership have not denied the allegations, as is customary.
Israel: PA thwarts West Bank projectile fire
2/22/2010 - Bethlehem - Ma'an - The Palestinian Authority cooperated with the Israeli military in foiling the planned launch of a homemade rocket-like projectile from the West Bank into Israel, Israel said on Monday. In a statement the military hailed the effort as an example of "successful cooperation between the IDF, the Civil Administration and the Palestinian Security Forces. "According to the military, the alleged projectile was of the same type fired into Israel from Gaza. The so-called "Qassam" rockets are usually metal pipes packed with explosives. The rockets are unguided and militarily ineffective. Israel waged a three-week war on the Gaza Strip last year with the stated aim of stopping such projectiles. An account published in the Israeli newspaper Ma'ariv revealed more details of the alleged operation. The newspaper said PA forces received information on a group affiliated to Hamas' armed wing, the Al-Qassam Brigades, operating in the villages of Beit Surik and Beit Liqya, near Ramallah.
Israel’s new envoy to Egypt submits credentials
2/22/2010 - Bethlehem - Ma'an - Israel's new ambassador to Egypt, Yitzhak Levanon, presented his credentials to Foreign Minister Ahmad Aboul Gheit on Monday after arriving in Cairo last week. The credentials will be handed over to President Hosni Mubarak, who is expected to approve them. According to news reports, Levanon was born in Lebanon, where his now 92-year-old mother was tortured and sentenced to death in 1961 after being found guilty of spying for Israel for 14 years. Levanon's mother was released in 1967 as part of a prisoner exchange in the aftermath of the Six Day War. She now said to live in West Jerusalem. Levanon is set to replace ambassador Shalom Cohen, who served an extra year because a replacement could not be found. Levanon recently served as the Israeli ambassador to the United Nations in Geneva and was also the director of the Israeli Foreign Ministry's Arab media division.
Fatah delegation set to visit Gaza on Thursday
2/23/2010 - Ramallah - Ma'an - Arrangements have been made for a delegation of members of Fatah's Revolutionary Council to visit Gaza on Thursday, senior vice president of the body and secretary said on Monday. Sabri Saidam said the delegation is waiting for Israeli authorities to provide them with the required permits to enter, he told Ma'an radio. "A list of names has been made in order to receive the permits, after which, those who are to travel to Gaza will be determined. "Members of the Revolutionary Council in Gaza have been asked to prepare a program for the delegation, to communicate internal issues and Fatah affairs to members in the West Bank, he said. "We are ready for any meetings [with Hamas] that might create an atmosphere to encourage the parties to achieve reconciliation, but, as I said, the aim of the visit is to communicate with Fatah members. "
Shabanah vows to expose more PA corruption
2/23/2010 - Bethlehem - Ma'an - Fahmi Shabanah, a former Palestinian Authority intelligence officer, threatened during a news conference on Monday to expose more evidence of corruption among high-ranking government officials within days. President Mahmoud Abbas' unrepentant advisors are "solely responsible for the repercussions of the [upcoming news] conference," he said. Shabanah said he was moving forward on his prior pledge after he was accused of treason for handing documents over to an Israeli television network, which aired video showing former PA chief of staff Rafiq Husseini allegedly seeking sex for political favors. During Monday's remarks, Shabaneh also criticized a Ma'an editorial that, in addition to calling on Husseini to resign, questioned Shabanah's decision to leak the classified documents to an Israeli news channel rather than a Palestinian broadcaster.
Palestinian university employees announce strike
2/22/2010 - Hebron - Ma'an - The Syndicate of Palestinian Universities Union announced a series of protests on Monday that will take place in universities across the West Bank and Gaza Strip, over demands for an increase in salaries. Mousa Rawashda, the union's spokesman, said that they are calling for an increase in salaries in accordance with the higher cost of living , which had previously been agreed upon by the Ministry of Higher Education and the union on 1 September 2009. Additionally, the union said that action would continue unless the ministry agrees to implementing the 1995 agreement related to fixing the rate of income tax, which was accorded and ratified in 2004. Employees are further calling on the government to adopt a law on general retirement to secure a pension for university workers and lecturers. Action will take place on Monday, 1 and 10 March, if their demands are not met, Rawashda said.
Hamas: PA arrested 10 supporters across West Bank
2/22/2010 - Bethlehem - Ma'an - Hamas accused Palestinian Authority Preventative Security Services of detaining ten of the movement's affiliates across the West Bank on Monday. The Islamist movement said that those detained were arrested in Nablus, Hebron, Ramallah, Bethlehem, Qalqiliya and Salfit. [end]
Palestinians: We thwarted suicide attack against Israel
Ha'aretz 22 Feb 2010 - Young female would-be terrorist from Ramallah belongs to Islamic Jihad, PA sources reveal to Haaretz.
Palestinians hand Israel Qassam rocket seized in West Bank
Ha'aretz 22 Feb 2010 - Handover signals growing cooperation between Palestinian security force and IDF.
Some 100 Palestinians clash with IDF soldiers in Hebron
Ha'aretz 22 Feb 2010 - Dozens of protesters march to Tomb of the Patriarchs to denounce Israel's new list of national heritage sites.
Police release 33 activists detained for entering Jericho
Ha'aretz 22 Feb 2010 - Two still in custody over Sunday night's attempt by rightists to pray at West Bank synagogue.
Checkpoint misery epitomizes a Mideast divide
2/21/2010 - Antiwar.com - 5 days crossing an Israeli checkpoint shows Palestinian frustrations - BEN HUBBARD, AP News - The journey to Jerusalem, for tens of thousands of Palestinians, begins in a dank, trash-strewn hangar. They move through cage-like passages and 7-foot-high turnstiles to be checked by Israeli soldiers from behind bulletproof glass. The soldiers often yell at them through loudspeakers. They are supposed to work in pairs to speed the lines through, but sometimes one of them is asleep, his feet on his desk. The Qalandia crossing, say the Israelis, is where potential attackers are filtered out before they can reach Jerusalem on the other side. Palestinians say it's a daily humiliation they must endure to reach jobs, family, medical appointments and schools. This main checkpoint between the northern West Bank and Jerusalem is one of the rawest points of friction between Israel and the Palestinians,. . . .
Unhappy with Israel, EU condemns Dubai killing
2/22/2010 - Reuters - BRUSSELS (Reuters) - The European Union condemned on Monday the use of fraudulent EU passports by the killers of a Palestinian militant in Dubai, showing its discontent with Israel without referring to it directly. In a short statement that European diplomats said was intended as a rebuke to Israel, EU foreign ministers said that the assassination was "profoundly disturbing" and that its citizens' rights were violated. Dubai has accused Israel of being behind the killing of Hamas commander Mahmoud al-Mabhouh. Israel has not denied or confirmed it played any role but its foreign minister, visiting Brussels, said there was nothing to link it to the killing. " The EU strongly condemns the fact that those involved in this action (the killing) used fraudulent EU member states' passports and credit cards acquired through the theft of EU citizens' identities," ministers said after talks in Brussels.
Dancing, Singing New Yorkers protest, calling for boycott of Israel Ballet
2/22/2010 - Adalah-NY - Ballet official says nothing existed in Israel before 1948, denies government funding despite ballet's own website - Brooklyn, NY, February 21, 2010 – Forty-five human rights activists called upon fellow New Yorkers to boycott the Israel Ballet at its performance Sunday at the Brooklyn Center for the Performing Arts. Accompanied by the Rude Mechanical Orchestra, protesters performed ballet, sang, chanted, and handed out mock programs to bring attention to the Israel Ballet's role in the Israeli state's use of the arts to whitewash its crimes against the Palestinian people. The demonstration was the third to take place along the Ballet company's U. S. tour in as many days. Hundreds of people entering the Brooklyn Center for the Performing Arts were handed mock programs that, when opened, described the connections between the Israel Ballet and Israeli apartheid.
VIDEO - The Single BDS Ladies
2/22/2010 - Adalah-NY - Single Lev’ies (to the tune of Single Ladies by Beyonce) -- All the customers! (repeat 7x) / Now put your hands up! / Up at the store, we all showed up / doing our own pro-test. / You used to shop, now we want you to stop / cuz settlements are a crime. / We’ve got the facts, its apartheid, / so don’t pay for Lev’s dia-monds! / He steals the land and builds on it / so you really should boycott him! / [Chorus] Its apartheid so you shouldn’t put a ring on it / Its apartheid so you shouldn’t put a ring on it / Occupation is a crime so put an end to it! / Its apartheid so you shouldn’t put a ring on it. . . . Related: Also on YouTube
VIDEO - Interview with Grant F. Smith, Author of Spy Trade
2/20/2010 - Dissident Voice - Press TV - Iranian satellite television channel Press TV broadcast of a 25 minute interview with Institute for Research Middle Eastern Policy (IRmep) director Grant F. Smith about the Israel lobby’s history of challenges to rule of law and governance in the United States. [end]
Israeli claim on sites in occupied Palestinian territory matter of concern – UN
2/22/2010 - United Nations - 22 February 2010 – A senior United Nations official today voiced concern at Israel’s announcement that it was adding two religious sites in occupied Palestinian territory to its list of national heritage sites, warning against moves that could prejudice the resumption of peace talks. Noting that the Israeli announcement concerning the tombs of the biblical patriarch Abraham in Hebron and the biblical matriarch Rachel in Bethlehem had led to heightened tensions, UN Special Coordinator for the Middle East Peace Process Robert Serry stressed that the sites are of historical and religious significance not only to Judaism but also to Islam and Christianity. “I urge Israel not to take any steps on the ground which undermine trust or could prejudice negotiations, the resumption of which should be the highest shared priority of all who seek peace,” he said in a statement, referring to Israeli-Palestinian peace talks that have been stalled for over a year.
Israel’s smiling PR drive
2/22/2010 - The Guardian - Israeli citizens are being recruited to boost the country's image abroad – but the campaign amounts to papering over cracks. - Israel's latest conscripts in the fight to improve the country's image have been unveiled: ordinary Israeli citizens. Armed only with a government-issued hasbara pamphlet and a winning smile, they will be sent to wage war with their detractors, in an effort to present Israel as a benign, democratic utopia whose only achilles heel is poor public relations. Into the breach has stepped a phalanx of Israeli spin doctors, who have devised a campaign in which they want all Israelis to participate when travelling overseas by "telling about the beautiful Israel you know". To that end, three television commercials are currently being aired which mock the foreign media for its portrayal of the country. In one, a French newsreader is shown confusing Independence Day fireworks and flypasts with military action on Israel's streets.
Canadian Jewish Tourism Ad Uses Oral Sex to Promote Israeli Tourism
2/22/2010 - Tikun Olam - SIZE DOESN’T MATTER – BIG PARADISE from Size Doesnt Matter - Dimi Reider has discovered one of the stranger of Israel’s tourism promotions. This one is sponsored by the Canadian Council for Israel and Jewish Advocacy (CIJA) undoubtedly in close collaboration with the foreign ministry. The video is in indescribably bad taste, portraying an attractive couple in bed with the woman telling the man she can’t possibly “do it” because it’s “too small. ” The dialogue is so lame that it simply must be quoted to be believed: "Girl: Uhhh… Boy: What? G: Don’t be mad…It’s just that it’s small… B: Small? ! G: I don’t know if I can go there. B: I consider this a spot of worship. It may be small, but it’s brought the driest places to life. Baby, this is paradise. [camera pans to show map of Israel and tourist guidebooks covering boy's crotch]. G: OK, but if I go down there for you, you have to promise you’ll down south for me next winter. . . . "Related: Ad Campaign Video
Clinton criticized for dodging question on Israel nukes
2/21/2010 - Press TV - US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton is criticized for dodging a question on Israel's nuclear arsenal during a "town hall" meeting at a Jeddah college. Mariyam Alavi, a Saudi student, asked Clinton last Tuesday about Washington's stance on the existence of nuclear weapons in the Middle East. " I did not get a straight answer," Alavi said in a letter published in Arab News, AFP reported. " My question was simple and direct enough," she wrote, but Clinton's response "was very unsatisfying. " The 12th grader at the International Indian School in Jeddah, who attended the meeting at the elite Dar al-Hekma College, noted that the US top diplomat only detailed Iran's nuclear program, without mentioning Israel. If the Americans "so vehemently oppose Iran's nuclear program," she had asked, "then why isn't the US asking Israel to give up their nuclear weapons? "The student has questioned Washington's. . . .
Occupation forces fire on ambulances north of Gaza
Uruknet February 22, 2010 - Israel's Occupation forces, on Sunday, February 21, shot at ambulances north of the Gaza Strip. Palestinian medical sources reported the ambulances -- which were trying to reach the area raided by the Occupation Forces, north of Gaza - came under intense Israeli fire resulting in severe damages to the vehicles. The sources added that the ambulances...
Gaza, living in the dark
Uruknet February 22, 2010 - Gaza survives on a minimal amount of electricity, leaving residents without power for the most part of the day. No television is one thing; no street lighting and hospital equipment is another. The Israeli Air Force bombed Gaza's main power station in 2006, plunging the strip's 1.5 million residents into darkness. Although the station was repaired,...
Israel Annexes West Bank Mosques
Uruknet February 22, 2010 — The Israeli occupation authorities have decided to place two historic mosques in the occupied West Bank to a list of alleged Jewish heritage sites, drawing immediate rebuke from Palestinians and Israelis alike. "This announcement is an act of aggression against the cultural and religious rights of the Palestinian people," Hamdan Taha, director of the Palestinian Tourism...
THE ISRAELI GUANTANAMO BAYDISAPPEARANCES, DETENTION WITHOUT TRIAL, BRAINWASHING, AND RECRUITMENT TO MOSSAD
Uruknet February 22, 2010 - If you have a loved one who has died, you know where his body is, and if he a prisoner, you can follow his news and visit him, but if you have a missing son, you must wait. Wait and wait without the promise of his return or well-being. Waiting is the reality of hundreds of...
Israel’s new ‘attack on freedom of speech’
Uruknet February 22, 2010 - The Israeli government and its right-wing supporters have been waging a "McCarthyite" campaign against human-rights groups by blaming them for the barrage of international criticism that has followed Israel’s attack on Gaza a year ago, critics say. In a sign of the growing backlash against the human-rights community, the cabinet backed a bill last week that,...
Is Israel severing East Jerusalem from the West Bank?
Uruknet February 22, 2010 - Blocked roads and asphalt that has been ripped open like a zipper can be seen everywhere in Ramallah these days. And whether or not the municipality bothers posting explanatory signs, people know what is being done - a new road, sewage pipes, a sidewalk. But seven or ten kilometers away, at the Qalandiyah and Jaba checkpoints,...
Scannergate: Terror Scares A Boon for Security Grifters
Uruknet February 21, 2010 - Call them what you will: bottom feeders, corporate con-men, flim-flam artists, peddlers of crisis, you name it. You can't help but marvel how enterprising security firms have the uncanny ability to sniff-out new opportunities wherever they can find, or manufacture, them. After all, nothing sells like fear and in "new normal" America fear is an industry...
Killed Hamas official Mahmoud al-Mabhouh betrayed by associate, says Dubai police chief
Uruknet February 21, 2010 - Mahmoud al-Mabhouh, the Hamas official assassinated in Dubai, was betrayed by a close associate, the emirate's police chief claimed as it emerged today that the Palestinian's murderers used more fake Irish passports. Lieutenant General Dhahi Khalfan Tamim described whoever leaked details of Mahbouh's arrival to his assassins as "the real killer", Abu Dhabi's al-Khalij newspaper reported....
Gaza Fishermen Fight to Keep a Way of Life Alive
Uruknet February 21, 2010 - ...Ten years ago, Gaza's approximately 3,600 fishermen were hauling out approximately 3,000 tons of fresh fish a year, supporting an even larger 30,000 people in Gaza. Since then, violent clashes with - and ever-tightening restrictions by - the Israeli army have virtually destroyed the once-booming business. Today, just 20 percent of Gaza fishermen are still able...
Public Service: Watch Mohammad Bakri's Jenin Jenin
Uruknet February 21, 2010 - Jenin Jenin depicts the true story of Israeli colossal barbarism. There is no doubt left, the Jewish State is the ultimate enemy of humanity and humanism. It also presents the Palestinian ordeal facing the Zionist evil. Clearly, surviving the Israeli occupation is nothing but heroism. Soon after Jenin Jenin was released, after only three showings, the...
Israel claims West Bank holy sites
Uruknet February 21, 2010 - Israel has added two holy sites in the occupied West Bank to a list of national heritage sites, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu announced on Sunday. Within his "Plan to Rehabilitate and Strengthen Israel's National Heritage Infrastructures," the upgrade affects Hebron's Ibrahimi Mosque, known to Israelis as the Cave of the Patriachs, and Rachel's Tomb in...
PFLP denounces Zionist attempt to hijack Palestinian and Arab heritage at Ibrahimi Mosque and Bilal Ibn Rafah
Uruknet February 21, 2010 - The Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine denounced the occupation state's designation of our Palestinian national and holy sites, the Ibrahimi Mosque in al-Khalil, and the Bilal Ibn Rabah Mosque in Bethlehem, as "Israeli National Heritage" sites by the Netanyahu regime on Sunday, February 21, 2010. A PFLP spokesperson said that this action was an...
Israel prevents farmers from tilling land in Qalqilia
22 Feb 2010 - West Bank, February 22, 2010 (Pal Telegraph)- Israeli occupation forces prevented Palestinian farmers on Monday morning from reaching their fields in Qalqilia, in the northwest of the West Bank. Abdul Rahman Abu Saleem, a Palestinian farmer, said that he was heading to his tractor with another farmer to cultivate the land they own near the Jewish settlement of Qadumim, but...
Abbas meets with Kouchner, Sarkozy
22 Feb 2010 - France, February 22, 2010 (Pal Telegraph) - Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas met yesterday with France's foreign minister Bernard Kouchner, who recently talked of recognising a Palestinian state even before its borders are finalized. The visit followed diplomatic tensions with Israel after France and other countries summoned Israeli diplomats to explain the use of fake passports in the killing of a...
Israel allows aid and fuel into Gaza
22 Feb 2010 - Gaza Strip, February 22, 2010 (Pal Telegraph)- Israeli occupation authorities opened on Monday Karem Abu Salem and Al-Montar crossings partly to allow limited quantities of fuel and food aid into the Gaza Strip. Raed Fattouh, Palestinian crossings official, said Israeli occupation authorities would allow the entry of 77 to 88 trucks, carrying aid and goods for commercial and agricultural sectors,...
Clashes erupt over Israeli plan to seize West Bank sites
22 Feb 2010 - West Bank, February 22, 2010 (Pal Telegraph) - Palestinians clashed Monday with Israeli occupation forces in Hebron, in the West Bank, amid outrage over an Israeli plan to seize two Islamic holy sites in the occupied territory. Dozens of youths hurled stones at an Israeli military checkpoint in the city as IOF fired tear gas, stun grenades and rubber bullets....
IOF kidnaps 5 Palestinians in West Bank
22 Feb 2010 - West Bank, February 22, 2010 (Pal Telegraph) - Israeli occupation forces kidnapped five Palestinians early Monday after raiding several cities in the West Bank. Security sources said that Israeli occupation forces raided Jenin and Bethlehem and broke into the citizens' houses. They kidnapped the five Palestinians and transferred them to an unknown place. The sources said that Israeli occupation forces...
Qatar donates $10m to Palestinian Authority
22 Feb 2010 - Doha, February 22, 2010 (Pal Telegraph) - Qatar has decided to donate $10 million in aid to the West Bank-based Palestinian Authority, the Qatari News Agency reported yesterday. Qatar "presents the money at the direction of Qatari Emir His Highness Sheikh Hamad bin Khalifa Al Thani in response to the urgent need of the Palestinian people in the Gaza Strip,"...
Israel places West Bank shrines on heritage list
22 Feb 2010 - JERUSALEM, February 22, 2010 (Pal Telegraph, AP) - Israel is adding two key West Bank holy shrines to its list of national heritage sites, the prime minister said Sunday, staking a claim that angered Palestinians, who want Israel out of the West Bank. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, addressing a session of his cabinet at a heritage site in the Israeli...
Bethlehem strike sparked by "Heritage Trail"
Palestine Note 22 Feb 2010 - A general strike will be held in Bethlehem on Tuesday in objection to the Ibrahimi Mosque in Hebron and the Bilal Mosque being added to the list of Jewish sites in the Israeli "Heritage Trail," reported...
US official pledges USAID support for Palestinian Health Ministry
Palestine Note 22 Feb 2010 - Jacob Lew, the US Deputy Secretary of State for Management and Resources, pledged USAID support to the Palestinian Health Ministry, Ma’an News Agency reported. Lew made the pledge while touring a hospital under construction in Ramallah...
Palestinian statehood reassessed by supporters
Palestine Note 22 Feb 2010 - The Jerusalem Post reported that French President Nicolas Sarkozy, along with French and Spanish foreign ministers, backtracked on their previous stance supporting a Palestinian state, stating that a Palestinian state should not by recognized until an...
New kids on the block: Shadia Mansour and UnderAsh light up the Palestinian hip hop scene
Palestine Note 22 Feb 2010 - Arabic's first lady of hip hop Shadia Mansour is a British-born Palestinian performer being touted as 'the first lady of Arabic hip hop.' Mansour has performed with house-hold Arabic rap group DAM, French rapper Olkinary and...
Traditional Palestinian tiles
Palestine Note 22 Feb 2010 - A backyard of the only remaining traditional handmade tiles factory in Palestine.Of course the owner never meant it to be such a masterpiece.He only added and added samples of his factory's designs ,aiming at showing as...
Size doesn't matter?: Israeli tourism campaign appears to be in poor taste
Palestine Note 22 Feb 2010 - Jewish university students across Canada are coordinating a campaign against the sixth annual Israeli Apartheid Week , which will run March 1-7, JTA reports. The campaign is being coordinated between the Canadian Council for Israel and Jewish...
Clashes over Israel heritage sites
AlJazeera 22 Feb 2010 - Palestinian protesters throw stones at Israeli troops in West Bank town of Hebron.
Israel under fire for Dubai murder
AlJazeera 22 Feb 2010 - Irish FM criticises Israel for not denying involvement in Hamas murder last month.
The Second Battle of Gaza: Israel’s Undermining Of International Law
Alternative Information Center - Monday, 22 February 2010, The Israeli attack on Gaza in December 2008/January 2009 was not merely a military assault on a primarily civilian population, impoverished and the victim of occupation and besiegement these past 42 years....
Press Conference About Ongoing Situation in Sheikh Jarrah
Alternative Information Center - Monday, 22 February 2010, On 17 February 2010, the Civic Coalition for Defending Palestinians’ Rights in Jerusalem held a press conference in the Ambassador Hotel, East Jerusalem, regarding the ongoing situation in Sheikh Jarrah. During the...
Israel adds West Bank shrines to heritage list
PNN - Monday, 22 February 2010
Palestine Network Launches in Bethlehem on Tuesday
PNN - Monday, 22 February 2010
Poster depicts Peres bowing to Erdogan
Jeruslalem Post 22 Feb 2010 - Israel shrugs off massive banner unfurled near Ankara.
'Support Israel at this crucial time'
Jeruslalem Post 22 Feb 2010 - In spite of differences, US Jews must defend Israelis, ambassador says.
PA seizes West Bank rocket
Jeruslalem Post 22 Feb 2010 - Palestinian security forces handed weapon over to the IDF two weeks ago.
EU tones down Dubai criticism
Jeruslalem Post 22 Feb 2010 - Lieberman: There is No evidence linking Israel to the killing.
French reconsider recognizing Palestine
Jeruslalem Post 22 Feb 2010 - Sarkozy, Kouchner stress state must be established in negotiations.
UN coordinator slams PM’s heritage plan
Jeruslalem Post 22 Feb 2010 - Says Rachel’s Tomb, Cave of Patriarchs in "occupied Palestinian territory."
Ex-UN nuclear chief: Egypt must change
Jeruslalem Post 22 Feb 2010 - Mohamed ElBaradei says country has stagnated under President Mubarak while corruption has thrived.
PA hands W.Bank-made Kassam to Israel
Jeruslalem Post 22 Feb 2010 - Army Radio says Palestinian security forces find rocket ready to launch.
ElBaradei returns to Egypt, urges change
Jeruslalem Post 22 Feb 2010 - Former UN nuclear chief slams Egypt's ruling system Sunday, says country has stagnated under Mubarak while corruption has thrived.
IOF Continues Enforcing Security Buffer Zone inside Gaza
WAFA 22 Feb 2010 - GAZA, February 22, 2010 (WAFA)- The Israeli Occupation Forces (IOF) has increased its attacks on Palestinians near the Gaza Strip's eastern and northern borders with Israel; an area inside Gaza that
Settlers Chase Schoolchildren, Soldiers Refuse to Continue Daily Escort
WAFA 22 Feb 2010 - HEBRON, February 22, 2010 (WAFA)- Four Jewish settlers chased today Palestinian school children who were walking home after school in At-Tuwani village in the south hill of the West Ban k City
Dancing, Singing New Yorkers Protest, Calling for Boycott of Israel Ballet
WAFA 22 Feb 2010 - BROOKLYN, NY, February 21, 2010 – Forty-five human rights activists called upon fellow New Yorkers to boycott the Israel Ballet at its performance Sunday at the Brooklyn Center for the Performing
ISESCO Condemns Israel’s Decision to Add 2 Sites to its Heritage
WAFA 22 Feb 2010 - RABAT, February 22, 2010 (WAFA)- The Islamic Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (ISESCO) strongly condemned the Israeli occupation authorities’ decision to add Al-Haram Al-Ibrahimi in
Japan Extends Assistance by USD 171,648 for Third Phase of WB Program
WAFA 22 Feb 2010 - RAMALLAH, February 22, 2010 (WAFA) - The Government of Japan has just recently decided to extend its assistance with the amount of$ 171,648 to support the third phase of the program for training of
PLO Condemns Israeli Decision on Holy Sites
WAFA 22 Feb 2010 - HEBRON, February 22, 2010 (WAFA) - Palestine Liberation Organization (PLO) condemned an Israeli decision to add the holy sites Ibrahimi Mosque in the West Bank city of Hebron and Bilal
Palestinian Students in North Lebanon Equipped for Better Opportunities
WAFA 22 Feb 2010 - BEIRUT, February 21, 2010 (WAFA)- 36 Palestine refugee students graduated from UNRWA's North Vocational Training Centre (NTC), in the presence of the First Secretary for Economic Cooperation
Daily Star: It’s Back to “Square One” in Palestine
WAFA 22 Feb 2010 - BEIRUT, February 21, 2010(WAFA) – “The desperate resort to indirect talks following 17 years of failure makes no sense, other than to provide the illusion of progress where there is only stalemate,”
SYRIA: Over a million people affected by drought
IRIN DEIR EZ ZOUR Wednesday, February 17, 2010 (IRIN) - Drought in eastern and northeastern Syria has driven some 300,000 families to urban settlements such as Aleppo, Damascus and Deir ez Zour in search of work in one of the largest internal displacements in the Middle East in recent years.
MIDEAST: Dubai Hit Exposes Hamas's Weaknesses
IPS RAMALLAH, Feb 22 (IPS) - Hamas has closed ranks and is licking its wounds following the Jan. 20 assassination in Dubai of one of its top operatives, Mahmoud Al Mabhouh. It is alleged that one of its own was responsible for providing the hit team with vital logistical information.
MIDEAST: Opposition Grows Against Egypt-Gaza Barrier
IPS CAIRO, Feb 22 (IPS) - Activists and opposition groups are stepping up pressure on the Egyptian government to stop constructing a barrier along the border with the Gaza Strip. Officials say the barrier will prevent cross-border smuggling, but critics say it will seal the fate of the people on the...
Weekly Report on Israeli Human Rights Violations in the Occupied Palestinian Territory
PCHR Israeli Occupation Forces (IOF) Continue Systematic Attacks against Palestinian Civilians and Property in the Occupied Palestinian Territory (OPT)
AT-TUWANI: Israeli settlers chase, intimidate Palestinian school children after Israeli soldiers refuse to continue daily escort
2/22/2010 - International Solidarity Movement - Christian Peacemaker Teams - AT-TUWANI – On Monday morning, 22 February 2010, four Israeli settlerschased Palestinian school children who were walking home after school in At-Tuwani village. For one hour they awaited the Israeli military escort assigned to ensure their safe passage to their home villages of Tuba and Maghaer Al-Abeed. Because the Israeli military failed to arrive, the children were forced to take a circuitous path home taking over an hour. They finally arrived in Tuba and Mughaer Al-Abeed three hours after the end of the school day. After the Israeli military refused to respond to members of Christian Peacemaker Teams’ repeated phone calls for over half an hour, Israeli settlers approached on a farm tractor. Two men, one masked, drove down to the children’s regular waiting point on the dirt road that bisects the Ma’on settlement and the Havat Ma’on settlement outpost.
Yoel Marcus / Dubai hit can't distract from Palestinian talks
Ha'aretz 22 Feb 2010 - Could that woman with the penetrating stare be the same one as in Dubai, in disguise?
Akiva Eldar / For Palestinians, more talks don't mean new hope
Ha'aretz 22 Feb 2010 - Netanyahu's 1996 directive to open Western Wall Tunnel cost dozens of Israeli and Palestinian lives.
Barak off to U.S. to discuss Iran, peace talks with Palestinians
Ha'aretz 22 Feb 2010 - Defense minister decides to embark on trip despite rising security tensions, especially on northern border.
'Military strike won't stop Iran's nuclear program'
Ha'aretz 22 Feb 2010 - Comment by U.S. army chief Mullen comes as State Dept. says it is weighing effective Iran sanctions.
UN: Israel 'heritage sites' are on Palestinian land
Ha'aretz 22 Feb 2010 - Netanyahu announced addition of West Bank's Rachel's Tomb, Tomb of the Patriarchs to 'heritage list.'
J Street, Iran and everything in between
Ha'aretz 22 Feb 2010 - U.S. envoy discusses J Street talks; students blast ZOA call to ban university; UN envoy on Iran.
Sarkozy: Failed peace talks leading to intifada
Ha'aretz 22 Feb 2010 - French president rejects reported EU plan to unilaterally declare a Palestinian state within 2 years.
Lieberman on Dubai assassination: Arabs always blame Israel
Ha'aretz 22 Feb 2010 - Dubai reportedly finds 2 more fake U.K. passports linked to the January killings of the Hamas official.
Hungary parliament mulls legal ban on Holocaust denial
Ha'aretz 22 Feb 2010 - Some 450,000 Hungarian Jews perished during the closing months of the Second World War.
Court reunites Syrian woman with Israeli husband
Ha'aretz 22 Feb 2010 - High Court rules family unity supersedes suspicions the woman's family involved in terrorism.
U.K. officer slams 'Pavlovian' criticism of IDF after Gaza war
Ha'aretz 22 Feb 2010 - Retired Col. Kemp said IDF scrutinized in a harsher manner than their U.K. counterparts in Afganistan.
Israel demands embargo on Iran oil, even without UN okay
Ha'aretz 22 Feb 2010 - Iran earmarks 20 sites for nuclear enrichment plants, says construction of two could begin this year.
New York Jewish woman leaves behind 2,000 descendants
Ha'aretz 22 Feb 2010 - Yitta Schwartz considered bearing children as her tribute to God, said one son-in-law.
EU condemns use of forged passports in Dubai hotel killing
The Guardian 22 Feb 2010 - Israel not directly referred to but statement intended to 'censure country' over alleged involvement in Hamas official's assassination The EU has strongly condemned the use of forged European passports by the hit squad which assassinated a...
Israel's smiling PR drive | Seth Freedman
The Guardian 22 Feb 2010 - Israeli citizens are being recruited to boost the country's image abroad – but the campaign amounts to papering over cracks Israel's latest conscripts in the fight to improve the country's image have been unveiled : ordinary Israeli...
Letter: Hamas must be part of a peaceful solution
The Guardian 21 Feb 2010 - It is not correct that the 1980 Venice declaration of the European Community called for the creation of a Palestinian state ( Troubled alliance: Period of crisis worsens already strained relations , 19 February) . It is true that...
Israel can accelerate peace by exercising restraint
The Guardian 22 Feb 2010 - The diplomatic challenge is to help Israel grasp how its failure even to engage with international opinion risks an isolation which will make the country much less secure It was inevitable that the Mossad, Israel's secret...
Archaeologist finds Jerusalem wall matching biblical story
Ha'aretz 22 Feb 2010 - A team of Israeli archaeologists has announced the discovery of a massive wall they say dates to the 10th century BCE in Jerusalem's Ophel Park on the slope between the Temple Mount and the village of Silwan. The dig director, Dr. Eilat Mazar, dates the wall according to potsherds found nearby to the period of King Solomon and the major period of construction in Jerusalem in the First Temple period, as described in the Bible. ...
Ten years on, Israel remembers iconic singer Ofra Haza
Ha'aretz 22 Feb 2010 - A decade after the mysterious death of singer Ofra Haza (February 23, 2000), her Cinderella story still fascinates, and Channel 24 is devoting its entire broadcast today to Haza. ...
Border policemen 'cleaning up' crime-infested Arab-Israeli towns
Ha'aretz 22 Feb 2010 - Friday, 10 P.M., Tira. The streets are almost deserted as a man in his 40s approaches the window of the Toyota driven by Jawad Kabalan, a young deputy inspector from Beit Jann who serves in the Eyal Border Police unit. Kabalan stops the car. ...
For the first time, West Bank settlers can switch on to public radio
Ha'aretz 22 Feb 2010 - The Israel Broadcasting Authority has installed four radio transmitters in West Bank settlements, which have had difficulty picking up IBA broadcasts. Several settlements, such as Ma'aleh Adumim, Beit El, Kiryat Arba and Ma'aleh Efraim, have not been able to receive IBA broadcasts for decades, or receive them partially. ...
Witnesses allowed entry as family of activist killed in Gaza sues Israel
Ha'aretz 22 Feb 2010 - The Obama administration is pressuring the Israeli authorities to allow four activists of the International Solidarity Movement from the U.S. and Britain to enter the country so they can testify in the civil suit brought against the Defense Ministry by the family of Rachel Corrie, an activist killed by an IDF bulldozer in the Gaza Strip in March 2003. ...
Clashes erupt over Israeli plan to restore West Bank sites
Relief Web 22 Feb 2010 - Source: Agence France-Presse
Statement by Robert H. Serry, United Nations Special Coordinator for the Middle East Peace Process, following the Israeli heritage sites decision and tensions in Hebron
Relief Web 22 Feb 2010 - Source: UN Special Coordinator in the Occupied Territories
Permanent status issue of refugees - International Meeting in Support of Israeli-Palestinian Peace The urgency of addressing the permanent status issue of refugees
Relief Web 21 Feb 2010 - Source: UN Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East
IOF Continues Enforcing Security Buffer Zone inside Gaza, Bulldozes Agricultural lands, Destroys Palestinian Houses
Relief Web 21 Feb 2010 - Source: Al Mezan Center for Human Rights
Mullen: Strike on Iran won't be decisive
YNet News 22 Feb 2010 - US Joint Chiefs of Staff chairman says attack on Islamic Republic's nuclear sites won't halt nuclear program. State Department claims Iran's plan to build two new uranium enrichment plants 'further evidence it refuses to engage cooperatively and constructively with IAEA'
Iran warns airlines over not calling Gulf Persian
YNet News 22 Feb 2010 - Islamic Republic's transport minister says airlines of neighboring countries flying to Iran must use 'Persian Gulf' on their flight monitors or be banned from Iranian airspace
Miliband: Israel must cooperate with passport probe
YNet News 22 Feb 2010 - In Brussels meeting with FM Lieberman, British foreign secretary demands full cooperation from Israel with British inquiry into use of bogus passports in al-Mabhouh killing. Hamas: Put Israel on list of countries that sponsor terror
France's Sarkozy backs 'viable' Palestinian state
YNet News 22 Feb 2010 - In joint press conference with visiting PA leader Abbas, French president says, 'The objective is a Palestinian state in the frontiers of 1967, with an exchange of territory'
US indictments offer glimpse into Hezbollah funding methods
YNet News 22 Feb 2010 - Investigation spanning three years results in indictments against three businessmen who exported electronic equipment to shopping center in Paraguay in South America's infamous Tri-Border Region. According to indictment, share of profits from products' sale ended up with Islamic terror organization
'PA officials involved in sale of Jerusalem assets to Jewish groups'
YNet News 22 Feb 2010 - Former Palestinian intelligence head who uncovered sex scandal involving Abbas' bureau chief tells reporters PA did not prosecute officer who sold Old City asset to Jewish organization; mentions other corruption cases
Lieberman: Israel being made scapegoat
YNet News 22 Feb 2010 - Foreign minister holds meeting with fellow Irish, Czech, Romanian FMs in Brussels; tells Dublin's Michael Martin there is no evidence connecting Jerusalem to Dubai hit
Barak on Jericho infiltration: State only authority in West Bank
YNet News 22 Feb 2010 - Defense minister says Sunday's infiltration of dozens of right-wing activists into Palestinian city 'unacceptable'
Israeli pressure in Jordan Valley may force Bedouin community to leave
B'tselem 21 Feb 2010 - In recent years, Israel has attempted to force Palestinians to leave al-Hadidiyeh, a Bedouin community in the Jordan Valley, by denying building permits, repeatedly demolishing structures, and severely restricting movement. In addition, local residents st
Sarkozy warns Mideast peace talks must be restarted to avoid 'catastrophe'
Daily Star 22 Feb 2010 PARIS: Middle East peace talks must be restarted to avoid a "catastrophe," French President Nicolas Sarkozy declared Monday, adding that he and visiting Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas has discussed a new initiative for the region.But Sarkozy backed off the notion of declaring a Palestinian state before borders with Israel are defined, as suggested by France's foreign minister.
EU condemns Dubai killing in indirect Israel slam
Daily Star 22 Feb 2010 BRUSSELS: The European Union condemned on Monday the use of fraudulent EU passports by the killers of a Palestinian militant in Dubai, showing its discontent with Israel without referring to it directly.In a short statement, which European diplomats said was intended as a rebuke to Israel, EU foreign ministers said after talks in Brussels that the assassination raised "profoundly disturbing" issues and said citizens' rights were violated.
Tehran: Work will commence soon on 2 new enrichment sites
Daily Star 22 Feb 2010 TEHRAN: Iran said Monday it plans to build two new uranium-enrichment facilities deep inside mountains to protect them from attack, a new challenge to Western powers trying to curb Tehran's nuclear program for fear it is aimed at making weapons. The United States responded to the plan calling it "further evidence" that Iran rejects diplomatic engagement with the international community.
Clashes erupt over Israeli plan to restore West Bank holy sites
Daily Star 22 Feb 2010 HEBRON, Occupied West Bank: Palestinians clashed with Israeli troops in the West Bank town of Hebron Monday amid outrage over Israel's plan to restore two flashpoint Jewish holy sites in the occupied territory. Dozens of youths burned tires and hurled rocks at an Israeli military checkpoint in the city as troops fired tear gas and stun grenades, an AFP correspondent said. A strike closed down shops and schools.
Iran's Karroubi calls for referendum on key body's banning of political candidates
Daily Star 22 Feb 2010 TEHRAN: One of Iran's top opposition leaders called Monday for a referendum on whether to strip the ruling system of the right to ban political candidates - a powerful tool used to blacklist liberal voices from key campaigns. It's highly unlikely that Iran's theocracy will allow a public judgment on one of the pillars of the Constitution. But the appeal by Mehdi Karroubi could signal new strategies by the opposition.
Meeting of top Iranian clerical body likely to test Rafsanjani's clout
Daily Star 22 Feb 2010 BEIRUT: Veteran politician Ali Akbar Hashemi Rafsanjani, keen to reassert his weakened influence by healing Iran's post-election rifts, may come under fire from hardliners again when he chairs a meeting of a top clerical body this week.In recent months followers of President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad have criticized Rafsanjani for failing to give the supreme leader.
ElBaradei insists Egypt must change
Daily Star 22 Feb 2010 CAIRO: Former UN nuclear chief Mohamed ElBaradei sharply criticized Egypt's ruling system Sunday, saying the country has stagnated under President Hosni Mubarak while corruption has thrived. In his first televised appearance since he returned to his native Egypt, the 67-year-old ElBaradei said his ultimate goal is to set the country down the path of democratic reform.
Parliament fails to lower voting age
Daily Star 22 Feb 2010 BEIRUT: Lebanon's Parliament on Monday shot down a bill to lower voting age from 21 to 18, a proposal which has sparked fears of an upheaval of the multi-confessional country's power-sharing political structure. Only 34 out of Lebanon's 128-strong Parliament voted in favor of the bill, while 66 abstained and one voted against. Twenty-seven MPs did not attend the session.
Lebanese gold reserves largest in MENA region, 15th worldwide
Daily Star 22 Feb 2010 BEIRUT: Lebanon's gold reserve is considered the largest reserve in the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) region and is ranked 15th globally, according to the World Gold Council. Lebanon's gold reserves totaled $9.2 billion at the end of 2009, ranking it in 15th place globally and in first place among 14 countries in MENA, as reported by Lebanon This Week, the economic publication of the Byblos Bank Group.
A war over words in the Gulf
Daily Star 22 Feb 2010 What's in a name? Sometimes quite a lot, when you arrive at the intersection of nationalism, geopolitics and international aviation. Iran has issued the following warning to airlines that want to use its country's airspace: the term "Persian Gulf" is absolutely required for use on in-flight monitors, while "Arabian Gulf" is banned. If this measure isn't followed, the warning continues, the offending planes will be impounded.
Protesters urge MPs to lower voting age
Daily Star 22 Feb 2010 BEIRUT: NGO workers, civil society campaigners and reform lobby groups gathered in Downtown Beirut on Monday in an attempt to influence Parliament's session on lowering the voting age in time for June's Municipal Elections. Members of the Civil Campaign for Electoral Reform (CCER) banged drums and waved banners at traffic as a steady stream of MPs entered Beirut's Parliament building.
The Dubai killing and European tolerance
Daily Star 22 Feb 2010 In diplomatic circles, Israel increasingly resembles a distant relative who drunkenly turns up at family functions, does something embarrassing, and leaves the rest of the family wringing its hands in bewilderment. Whether or not firm evidence emerges linking Mossad to the murder of Hamas official Mahmoud al-Mabhouh in Dubai on January 19 (and as British Prime Minister Gordon Brown was at pains to point out last week.
Hamas MP: Israel finalizing Judaization of Al-Quds
PIC 22 Feb 2010 - Hamas lawmaker Fadl Hamdan revealed an Israeli plan to build a new settlement on Palestinian lands in the neighborhood of Beit Safafa, south of Jerusalem.
Hamas slams PA for selling real estate in J’lem to Israelis
PIC 22 Feb 2010 - Hamas strongly denounced the Palestinian Authority (PA) for allowing some of its officials to sell Palestinian real estate in occupied Jerusalem to Israelis as treason against the Palestinian people.
Hamas asks Europe to list Israel as a "terrorist entity"
PIC 22 Feb 2010 - Hamas called on the European Union members on Monday to put Israel on its list of "terrorist countries" because it constituted a threat to world peace.
One Palestinian wounded, dozens suffocate in Al-Khalil clashes
PIC 22 Feb 2010 - One Palestinian was wounded and many others suffered suffocation during clashes that broke out in Al-Khalil in protest at an Israeli decision to make the Ibrahimi Mosque part of the Jewish legacy.
Khudari asks Arab summit to send delegation to visit Gaza
PIC 22 Feb 2010 - MP Jamal Al-Khudari asked the Arab leaders meeting in the Libyan capital next month to send a high level delegation to Gaza Strip to get a first hand information on the suffering of its inhabitants.
Mousa: Mossad assassination in Dubai criminal act
PIC 22 Feb 2010 - Amre Mousa, the Arab League secretary general, described as a criminal act the Israeli Mossad's assassination of a Palestinian in the United Arab Emirates.
Dweik addresses message to Abbas to facilitate convening of PLC session
PIC 22 Feb 2010 - Dr. Aziz Al-Dweik, the speaker of the PLC, has asked Mahmoud Abbas, the PA chief whose tenure expired over a year ago, to facilitate means of holding a PLC session in early March.
Ahrar center appeals for releasing professor Doqan from Israeli jails
PIC 22 Feb 2010 - Al-Ahrar center for prisoners’ studies appealed to international human rights organizations to necessarily intervene to secure the release of university lecturer Dr. Ghassan Doqan from Israeli jails.
IOF troops detain 5 Palestinians, shell resistance fighters
PIC 22 Feb 2010 - Israeli occupation forces (IOF) rounded up five Palestinian citizens in West Bank districts at dawn Monday at the pretext they were "wanted", a Hebrew daily said.
UAE summons EU ambassadors to brief them on Dubai hotel crime
PIC 22 Feb 2010 - The United Arab Emirates summoned European Union ambassadors to brief them on the assassination of Mahmoud Al-Mabhouh in Dubai, especially since the killers used European passport to commit the crime.
Israel relies on a deadly specialty
LA Times 22 Feb 2010 - Dubai allegations put the Jewish state on the hot seat again for its use of assassinations. When Israeli Foreign Minister Avigdor Lieberman faced questions Monday from European diplomats over Israel's suspected role in the Dubai assassination of a Hamas militant, he responded with familiar indignation: Why is Israel always the first to be blamed, he asked.
Wounds are healing, but the fear remains
LA Times 22 Feb 2010 - An Iraqi reporter was injured by flying glass when a bomb went off at the Hamra hotel. Weeks later, he wonders how many others share his lingering terror and whether he'll ever be the same. Whenever I walk past a window I feel a stab of fear. Traffic scares me because I think that any one of the cars could blow up. Sudden sounds terrify me.
Iran to Build More Enrichment Plants
New York Times 22 Feb 2010 - A senior Iranian official said on Monday that his country planned to build 10 more nuclear enrichment plants, two of them within the next year.
E.U. Decries Passport Use by Assassins
New York Times 22 Feb 2010 - The condemnation avoided implicating Israel, which has been accused of planning the attack on Mahmoud al-Mabhouh, a founder of Hamas’s armed wing.
Israel’s Plans for 2 Sites Stir Unrest in West Bank
New York Times 22 Feb 2010 - Clashes erupted after a Hebron shrine and a tomb in another West Bank city were added to a list of Israeli national heritage sites by Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.
European Press Links Israelis to Dubai Killing
New York Times 22 Feb 2010 - As Israel's foreign minister, Avigdor Lieberman, prepared to meet his British and Irish counterparts on Monday, press reports from Britain and Germany linked Israelis to the assassination of a Hamas official in Dubai last month.
Israel Unveils Drones Able to Hit Iran
New York Times 22 Feb 2010 - Israel’s Air Force on Sunday introduced a fleet of huge pilotless planes that can remain in the air for a full day and fly as far as the Persian Gulf.
Canadian Hasbara outfit is scraping the bucket
Mondoweiss - 22 Feb 2010 - As mentioned earlier, Zionist hasbara efforts in Canada now boast a new initiative called ‘Size Doesn’t Matter’. The campaign has got most publicity so far on account of a video that combines sexual crudity with the erasure of Palestine from the map. This propaganda drive, sponsored...
Imagine a Harvard fellow calling for limiting Jewish births
Mondoweiss - 22 Feb 2010 - Electronic Intifada : A fellow at Harvard University’s Weatherhead Center for International Affairs, Martin Kramer, has called for "the West" to take measures to curb the births of Palestinians, a proposal that appears to meet the international legal definition of a call for genocide. Related posts: Career-Limiting...
David Frum admits that his vote is all about Israel
Mondoweiss - 22 Feb 2010 - David Frum is a former Bush aide who pushed the Iraq war and is said to have coined the Axis of Evil formulation. I’ve always thought that he is Israel-centric but like other smarting/hunted neocons he’s cagey about it. Once when he gave a sermon in...
Israel cruises into a diplomatic storm
Mondoweiss - 22 Feb 2010 - Israel’s Deputy Foreign Minister Danny Ayalon, speaking on Saturday, suggested that Israel will not face a diplomatic crisis with Europe over the killing of Mahmoud al-Mabhouh in Dubai "because there is nothing linking Israel to the assassination." "Britain, France and Germany are countries with shared interests...
Hoenlein: campus climate is ‘deteriorating’
Mondoweiss - 22 Feb 2010 - Here’s a new video called "Crossing the line, the new intifada comes to campus" that equates the campus movement of criticizing Israeli behavior with anti-Semitism. It was sent out by the Forward today, as an advertisement. Zionists in the bunker; Hannah Schwarzschild writes, "They clearly think...
The Second Battle of Gaza: Israel’s Undermining Of International Law
Alternative Information Center - 22 Feb 2010 - Monday, 22 February 2010, The Israeli attack on Gaza in December 2008/January 2009 was not merely a military assault on a primarily civilian population, impoverished and the victim of occupation and besiegement these past 42 years. It was also part of an ongoing assault on international...
Press Conference About Ongoing Situation in Sheikh Jarrah
Alternative Information Center - 22 Feb 2010 - Monday, 22 February 2010, On 17 February 2010, the Civic Coalition for Defending Palestinians’ Rights in Jerusalem held a press conference in the Ambassador Hotel, East Jerusalem, regarding the ongoing situation in Sheikh Jarrah. During the meeting, the Civic Coalition announced that the first hearing of...
Tuesday, February 23, 2010
Netanyahu Blasts Abbas’ Statements Regarding “Jewish Heritage Trial”
IMEMC - Wednesday February 24, 2010 - 03:11, Israeli Prime Minister, Benjamin Netanyahu, blasted president Mahmoud Abbas for his remarks regarding Israel’s plan to consider the Ibrahimi Mosque in Hebron and the Bilal Mosque in Bethlehem as part of the “Jewish Heritage Trail”.
Israeli Mail Delivery Halted Due TO Explosive Mail Suspicion
IMEMC - Wednesday February 24, 2010 - 01:08, The Israeli Police in Jerusalem had to shut down all mail deliveries throughout the country on Tuesday after what is believed to be an explosive package was located at the post office in Migdal Ha’emek settlement.
Israeli troops detain eight civilians during raid in the West Bank
IMEMC - Tuesday February 23, 2010 - 18:22, Eight Palestinian men were detained on Tuesday by Israeli troops during invasions targeting a number of West Bank communities.
Palestinians Clash With Israeli Police As It Crackdown On Protests In Jerusalem
IMEMC - Tuesday February 23, 2010 - 17:55, Clashes erupted between Palestinians and Israeli police in the city of Jerusalem, on Tuesday, during protests.
Settlers Uproot Olive Trees In Northern West Bank
IMEMC - Tuesday February 23, 2010 - 17:18, A group of Israeli settlers uprooted, on Tuesday at dawn, olive trees that belongs to Palestinian farmers from the village of Burin, near the northern West Bank city of Nablus.
Dubai Police: “We Have Evidence That Incriminates The Mossad”
IMEMC - Tuesday February 23, 2010 - 13:30, Lieutenant Dahi Khalfan Tamim, Chief of Police in Dubai, stated that the police obtained sufficient evidence that prove that the assassination of an Hamas official in Dubai was carried out by agents working for the Israeli Mossad.
Fighter Killed During Training In Gaza
IMEMC - Tuesday February 23, 2010 - 12:40, The al-Qassam Brigades, the armed wing of Hamas movement, reported Monday, that one of its fighters was killed in what the group described as “preparing and training” accident in the Gaza Strip.
P.A Security Forces Prevented The Firing Of Homemade Shell From West Bank
IMEMC - Tuesday February 23, 2010 - 11:30, Israeli media sources reported that the security forces of president Mahmoud Abbas in the West Bank prevented Hamas fighters from firing a homemade shell, manufacture by Hamas in Ramallah, and handed the shell to Israel.
PPP Leader Meets Mashaal In Damascus
IMEMC - Tuesday February 23, 2010 - 11:01, Secretary-general of the leftist Palestinian People Party (PPP), Bassam Salhi, met twice with Hamas Political Bureau head, Khalid Mashaal, during his visit to the Syrian capital Damascus.
Soldiers Kidnap Four Palestinians In Nablus
IMEMC - Tuesday February 23, 2010 - 08:53, Israeli soldiers detained, Monday evening, four Palestinians, including three brothers, in Burin village south of the northern West Bank city of Nablus after invading the village and imposing curfew.
Israeli construction ban forces Yatta children to learn in tents
2/23/2010 - Hebron - Ma'an- A collection of Bedouin settlements in Area C southeast of Yatta has tried for years to obtain the necessary permissions for the construction of small school building for some 40 students who until now have been schooled in a tent. The south Hebron hills were settled by several Bedouin communities in 1948 when they were expelled from their traditional grazing lands. They largely maintain a Bedouin lifestyle, but are confined to small areas in the hills. As the population of the Bedouin communities grew, families became increasingly adamant that their children receive schooling under the Palestinian system. To help residents, in 2009 the joint service council in Yatta provided them with three tents and school desks to be used as temporary classrooms. The tents, which resemble many of the homes for Bedouin families, differ only because of the Palestinian Authority. . .
Bethlehem: General strike over heritage sites
2/23/2010 - Bethlehem - Ma'an - The committee of Palestinian factions in Bethlehem declared a general strike on Tuesday in Bethlehem governorate in protest of Israel's claim on sites in Bethlehem and Hebron as "heritage sites. " The factions urged schools, institutions, and shops to participate in the strike. The committee also called on Palestinians to participate in Friday noon prayers close to Rachel's Tomb, one of the sites designatedas an Israeli heritage location despite its location on Palestinian land. In addition, the committee urged the public to join the demonstration in Beit Sahour at 10:30am on Sunday near Oush Ghrab, the military base recently reoccupied by the Israeli military. Palestinians in Hebron clashed with Israeli troops on Monday in the wake of the Israeli pronouncement. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's announcement came during his government's weekly cabinet meeting on Sunday.
PA official: 45 olive trees chopped down near Nablus
2/23/2010 - Nablus - Ma'an - Israeli settlers cut down dozens of olive trees in the occupied West Bank on Tuesday, a Palestinian Authority official said. Ghassan Daghlas, who holds the PA's northern settlements portfolio, said residents of the illegal Yitzhar settlement chopped down 45 olive trees on land belonging to Burin, a Palestinian village near Nablus. The trees were planted on property owned by cousins Suhail Najjar, Murad Ma'roof Najjar, and Issa Mahmoud Najjar, the official said. Daghlas denounced what he termed the continuous aggression, particularly in villages near settlements. He urged human rights organizations to immediately intervene on behalf of affected farmers. An Israeli military spokesman told Ma'an that the Civil Administration, a branch of the country's Defense Ministry in the occupied territories, received a complaint about the incident.
African migrant shot dead at Egypt-Israel border
2/23/2010 - Al-Arish - Ma'an - An African migrant was shot dead by Egyptian police en route to Israel early Tuesday morning, security sources said. The unidentified migrant, whose nationality was not immediately clear, was with nine others including two Eritreans when police opened fire, Egyptian sources confirmed. Two others were reportedly hurt when, despite calls for them to surrender, three refused and raced toward a border fence between Egypt and Israel about three kilometers south of the Kerem Shalom crossing into Gaza. On Sunday, police shot dead two migrants and injured three others under similar circumstances, Ma'an's Egypt correspondent reported. Police patrols spotted a number of migrants attempting to breach the same border fence, upon which police opened fire, he said. Those injured were transferred to the Al-Arish Hospital, where they were said to have informed Egyptian police of paying a fee of 1,000 US dollars to human traffickers to assist them in finding work in Israel.
AP photographer detained in Hebron
2/23/2010 - Hebron - Ma'an - A photographer for The Associated Press was detained in the West Bank city of Hebron on Tuesday morning. Nasser Shiyoukhi was arrested near the Ibrahimi Mosque, he said in a phone call to Ma'an. Shiyoukhi said a police document alleges he assaulted a settler in Hebron two months ago. Israeli police spokesman Mickey Rosenfeld confirmed that a journalist was being held for questioning in Hebron. The Palestinian Center for Development and Media Freedoms (MADA) denounced the arrest. The AP had no immediate comment. [end]
Israeli prison service isolates 2 for cell phone possession
2/23/2010 - Gaza - Ma'an - Prisoners at Israel's Hadarim Detention Center reported the isolation of two Palestinians found with hidden mobile phones during a cell search last week, the Prisoners Studies Center reported Tuesday. Center director Ra'fat Hamdounah identified the two as Abdel Rahman Shehab, 42, and Wael Abu Fanounah, 42. He called the isolation of the men an "escalation against Palestinian prisoners," and said Israel was responsible for their well being. Shehab was detained in 1988 from Jabaliya and was sentenced to a life term, while Fanounah was detained in 1989, and is also serving a life sentence for his involvement with the Islamic Jihad movement. Both were found guilty of resisting the occupation, Hamdounah said. . . . .
Israeli forces raid Nablus-area town, seize 4
2/23/2010 - Nablus - Ma'an - Israeli forces raided the village of Iraq Burin, south of Nablus on Monday afternoon, imposing a curfew on the community and arresting four young men, residents said. Palestinians in the village said the soldiers raided the house of Said An-Najjar and seized his three sons, Ayman, 24, Amjad, 23, and Luay, 21. Soldiers also detained Iyad Mustafa Az-Zawahri, 24. The four were taken out of the village in armored military jeeps. Stone-throwing teenagers confronted the soldiers during the raid, local sources also said. [end]
Gaza imports to include 2 trucks of electrical repair supplies
2/23/2010 - Gaza - Ma'an -Israeli authorities decided to partially open the Kerem Shalom crossing Tuesday to allow 102-112 truckloads of aid and commercial goods into the Gaza Strip,Palestinian liaison official Raed Fattouh said. Among the expected imports are two trucks of materials for the Gaza Power Authority, whose power supply was described as "precarious" by a weekly report by the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA). "Recurrent technical failures caused by the lack of spare parts due to the Israeli-imposed blockade," caused blackouts several times during the previous week, OCHA said. "As a result, the GPP was forced to reduce its electricity production from 60 MW (megawatts) to 30 MW between 12 and 14 February, triggering long rolling scheduled blackouts of up to 12 hours during the two days," the report explained.
Death sentence handed down for Gaza murder
2/23/2010 - Gaza - Ma'an - The de facto government's Court of First Instance issued a death by hanging sentence Monday, against a 30-year-old resident found guilty of killing a Christian gold trader on 2 August 2009. The accused, identified only as A. Gh. , stood trial for the shooting death of Akram Issa Ibrahim Al-Amash, 34, in Beit Lahiya. He was found guilty of premeditated murder, a statement from the court said. The sentence can be appealed at the Court of Appeal in Gaza. A. Gh. was detained only hours after the death of Al-Amash was reported, police said. He was held as prosecutors put together his case and tried earlier in February. [end]
PA sappers defuse Israeli ordnance
2/23/2010 - Hebron - Ma'an - An artillery shell left behind by Israeli forces near the West Bank city of Hebron was disarmed Tuesday, police said. Palestinian Authority sappers dismantled the shell without incident, a police report said. The public safety unit of the PA police said the unexploded ordnance was discovered in Idhna, west of Hebron, after a resident found the object at a scrap metal shop, the report added. [end]
Japan backs psychological support program in Ramallah
2/23/2010 - Bethlehem - Ma'an - The Government of Japan decided to extend its support for the training of psychological-social support in West Bank villages on Monday, with a donation of 171,648 US dollars. The project will provide training to kindergarten teachers and mothers in Ramallah villages in mental health issues, stress management and psychological development of children. The training participants are expected to support their communities as psycho-social leaders and sub-leaders. The project began in 2008 across 11 villages in the Ramallah governorate and was expanded in 2009 to Jericho. In March 2010, the project will focus on 13 villages in the Ramallah district. The training project is implemented by a Japanese NGO, Campaign for Children in Palestine, in cooperation with the Early Childhood Resource Centre (ECRC). . . . .
US professor meets Haniyeh in Gaza
2/23/2010 - Gaza - Ma'an - De facto government Prime Minister Ismail Haniyeh hosted former national security adviser for Latin America Bob Pastor in Gaza City on Monday, officials reported. Pastor, who worked under the administration of former US President Jimmy Carter, teaches at the American University in Washington, DC in the International Service School. He is also co-director of the Center for North American Studies and the Center for Democracy and Election Management at the university. Government spokesman Tahir An-Nunu said Haniyeh and Pastor discussed political developments in the region and Palestinian reconciliation efforts. Haniyeh also addressed the effect of the Israeli-led siege on the region. . . . .
Ten tons of settlement plastic confiscated in Hebron
2/23/2010 - Hebron - Ma'an - Ministry of Economy officials in the Hebron governorate said staff seized on Tuesday 10 tons plus 300kg of plastic produced in an Israeli settlement and set for sale to the Palestinian market. Maher Al-Qaissy with the customs office said the settlement goods were identified during his field visit to Hebron-area stores. He said the goods were worth an estimated 103,000 shekels (27,300 US dollars). Consumer protection services will continue enforcing a ban on the sale of goods made in illegal Israeli settlements, Al-Qaissy said, in accordance with the law passed by the Palestinian Authority in early February on the recommendation of the Ministry of the Economy. [end]
Haniyeh calls for West Bank uprising
2/23/2010 - Gaza - Ma'an - De facto Prime Minister Ismail Haniyeh on Tuesday called on Palestinians in the West Bank to launch an uprising against Israeli forces, in response to the inclusion of the Ibrahimi Mosque and Rachel's Tomb on a list of Israeli heritage sites. Haniyeh's comments came during a session of the Palestinian Legislative Council,where he stated that Arab and Muslim countries should respond by supporting Palestinian resistance, and not by offering a political cover for the resumption of negotiations. "The Israeli decision to include the Ibrahimi Mosque in Hebron and the Bilal Bin Rabah Mosque [Rachel's Tomb] in Bethlehem on a list of Israeli heritage sites comes at a time when discussions around the resumption of Israeli-Palestinian negotiations in the news," Haniyeh said. Israel's policy is to cover old crimes with new ones," he added. "
Abbas: Heritage row could spark war
2/23/2010 - Bethlehem - Ma'an - President Mahmoud Abbas warned Tuesday that Israel's plan to nationalize religious landmarks in the occupied West Bank could lead to war. Speaking in Brussels, Abbas slammed an announcement by Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu declaring Hebron's Ibrahimi Mosque and Rachel's Tomb in Bethlehem Israeli "national heritage sites. "Netanyahu hit back shortly after the remarks, which his office described as a "campaign of lies and hypocrisy," the Israeli daily Haaretz reported. "Rachel's Tomb and the Cave of the Patriarchs are burial sites dating from more than 3,500 years ago of Israel's forefathers, Abraham, Isaac and Jacob, and the nation's foremothers, Sarah, Rebecca, Leah and Rachel - and are worthy of preservation and renovation," the Prime Minister's Office said in a statement. "We are talking about a campaign of lies and hypocrisy," the statement added.
Nablus media on strike over PA fees
2/23/2010 - Nablus - Ma'an - Nine radio and TV stations in Nablus halted broadcasts at 3pm on Tuesday, protesting the Palestinian Authority's decision to shut down their operations within 48 hours for failure to pay a number of fees. Station owners said they had called President Mahmoud Abbas to urge him to personally intervene in the matter. Gama TV director Abir Al-Kilani told Ma'an that the fees in question amount to a yearly sum of 20,000 Jordanian dinars. "We expected the PA to afford us our role as the press and encourage us for our work and efforts," he said. "We never expected them to close our stations after all our work in fighting corruption and standing by the PA agencies during our national crisis. " The Nablus stations played a pivotal role in disseminating information during the Al-Aqsa Intifada, which began in 2000 when Israeli incursions into the city were daily occurrences, Al-Kilani added.
Head of teachers union critical after stroke
2/23/2010 - Ramallah - Ma'an - The secretary-general of the Palestinian Teachers Union was in critical condition on Tuesday after suffering a stroke. Civil Servants Union director Bassam Zakarneh told Ma'an that Jamil Shehada has been transferred to a Jordanian hospital, after being initially treated in the Ramallah hospital. [end]
Settlers: New Palestinian city will harm security, the environment
Ha'aretz 24 Feb 2010 - Construction of West Bank city Rawabi near Ramallah supposed to have 5,000 housing units for 25,000 people.
Netanyahu faces double intifada from Palestinians and settlers
Ha'aretz 24 Feb 2010 - PM's box of tricks is running out, as world loses trust over Dubai killing and Fayyad joins Bil'in protest.
CPT: Israeli settlers chase, intimidate Palestinian school children
Uruknet February 23, 2010 - On Monday morning, 22 February 2010, four Israeli settlers chased Palestinian school children who were walking home after school in At-Tuwani village. For one hour they awaited the Israeli military escort assigned to ensure their safe passage to their home villages of Tuba and Maghaer Al-Abeed. Because the Israeli military failed to arrive, the children were...
Scattered in death as in life
Uruknet February 23, 2010 - I carried a handful of ashes from my father's cremates into the Occupied Palestinian Territories a few years ago, hoping to take them to his hometown, Nablus. At the border, the only available taxi was driven by an Israeli Moroccan Jew. Delighted I was an Arab, he immediately plunged into conversation and pointed out various landmarks...
Rachel Corrie's family bring civil suit over human shield's death in Gaza
Uruknet February 23, 2010 - The family of the American activist Rachel Corrie, who was killed by an Israeli army bulldozer in Gaza seven years ago, is to bring a civil suit over her death against the Israeli defence ministry. The case, which begins on 10 March in Haifa, northern Israel, is seen by her parents as an opportunity to put...
Israeli construction ban forces Yatta children to learn in tents
Uruknet February 23, 2010 – A collection of Bedouin settlements in Area C southeast of Yatta has tried for years to obtain the necessary permissions for the construction of small school building for some 40 students who until now have been schooled in a tent. The south Hebron hills were settled by several Bedouin communities in 1948 when they were expelled...
Hebron's living hell
Uruknet February 23, 2010 - On 12 January, we drove to the southern West Bank city of Hebron. This city is drowning in a complex, traumatic and violent history that has given birth to the outrageous situation we see today. Hebron is known from biblical stories as the burial place of Abraham, Isaac, Jacob and their wives several thousand years ago....
Bethlehem: General strike over heritage sites
Uruknet February 23, 2010 - The committee of Palestinian factions in Bethlehem declared a general strike on Tuesday in Bethlehem governorate in protest of Israel’s claim on sites in Bethlehem and Hebron as "heritage sites." The factions urged schools, institutions, and shops to participate in the strike. The committee also called on Palestinians to participate in Friday noon prayers close to...
Israeli Unaccountability and Denial: Suppressing the Practice of Torture
Uruknet February 23, 2010 - The Public Committee Against Torture in Israel (PACTI) "believes that torture and ill-treatment of any kind and under all circumstances is incompatible with the moral values of democracy and the rule of law." Yet it’s systematically practiced by the Israeli Police, General Security Service (GSS), Israeli Prison Service (IPS), and Israeli Defense Forces (IDF). In December...
SEX AND THE SINGLE ZIONIST ~~ “SIZE DOESN’T MATTER”
Uruknet February 22, 2010 - Israel can realistically start a tourist campaign using the following unique drawing cards….
The Second Battle of Gaza: Israel’s Undermining Of International Law
Uruknet February 22, 2010 - The Israeli attack on Gaza in December 2008/January 2009 was not merely a military assault on a primarily civilian population, impoverished and the victim of occupation and besiegement these past 42 years. It was also part of an ongoing assault on international humanitarian law by a highly coordinated team of Israeli lawyers, military officers, PR people...
Israeli troops attack Sunday Mass with tear gas in Beit Sahour
Uruknet February 22, 2010 - Israeli troops fired tear gas and concussion grenades on Sunday midday at a Mass held by residents of Beit Sahour, a city in the southern West Bank. Residents from Beit Sahour, along with international supporters, gathered at the evacuated Israeli military base of Ush Ghrab east of the city. People held banners demanding the halt of...
Harvard Fellow calls for genocidal measure to curb Palestinian births
Uruknet February 22, 2010 - A fellow at Harvard University's Weatherhead Center for International Affairs, Martin Kramer, has called for "the West" to take measures to curb the births of Palestinians, a proposal that appears to meet the international legal definition of a call for genocide. Kramer, who is also a fellow at the influential Washington Institute for Near East Policy (...
Israel plans new Jerusalem-area settlement
Uruknet February 22, 2010 - Israeli authorities have approved a plan to build 549 new homes for settlers on land across the Green Line in south Jerusalem, an advocacy group said on Monday. Ahmad Laban, an official with the Israeli-led group Ir Amim said a regional planning body in the Israeli-controlled Jerusalem Municipality approved the plan, which still needs to take...
Gazans continue die in the tunnels
23 Feb 2010 - Gaza Strip, February 23, 2010 (Pal Telegraph) - Palestinians continue to fall victim to the Gaza-Egypt tunnels. To date this year, five Palestinians have been killed and 106 injured. Since 2006, 141 people have been killed in the tunnels, including four children -- 116 of them between 2008-2009 alone. The highest number of tunnel victims was reported in 2009, with...
Riots erupt over Israel's attempt to take over holy sites
23 Feb 2010 - West Bank, February 23, 2010 (Pal Telegraph) - Palestinian protesters threw bottles and stones at soldiers who responded with tear gas and stun grenades. The protesters say the move to list the shrines as heritage sites would restrict Muslims access to them, but this has been denied. Cave of the Patriarchs The Hebron shrine is an important site for both...
Understanding the Gaza Catastrophe
23 Feb 2010 - World, February 23, 2010 (Pal Telegraph) - For eighteen months the entire 1.5 million people of Gaza experienced a punishing blockade imposed by Israel, and a variety of traumatizing challenges to the normalcy of daily life. A flicker of hope emerged some six months ago when an Egyptian arranged truce produced an effective ceasefire that cut Israeli casualties to zero...
Settlers cut down 45 olive trees in Nablus
23 Feb 2010 - West Bank, February 23, 2010 (Pal Telegraph)- A Jewish group from Yitzhar settlement near Nablus, in north West Bank, cut down 45 olive trees belonging to residents of Bourin village on Tuesday morning. Ghassan Douglas, an official at the Nablus office of the Palestinian Authority, said some settlers of Yizhar settlement truncated 45 olive trees belonging to the Najjar family:...
Jericho works to attract more tourists
23 Feb 2010 - Jericho, February 23, 2010 (Pal Telegraph; by Rachelle Kliger) - Maybe it's the relatively quiet security situation, or perhaps it's the unusual February heat wave that has lingered over the region since last week - but for whatever reason, the number of tourists flocking to Jericho spiked over the past week, reaching 24,000. No one in the tourism industry could...
Hamas: Put Israel on terror list
23 Feb 2010 - Gaza Strip, February 23, 2010 (Pal Telegraph; reprinted from Times of Oman)- Hamas urged European leaders yesterday to put Israel on the list of countries supporting terrorism due to its implication in the murder of a top Hamas leader in Dubai last month. "We call on the European Union to place the Zionist entity on the list of countries supporting...
IOF raids Jenin and arrests student
23 Feb 2010 - West Bank, February 23, 2010 (Pal Telegraph)- Israeli occupation forces launched a wide range raid campaign at dawn on Tuesday in different areas of Jenin, and arrested a university student at a military checkpoint in the early morning and set up new checkpoints in more than one area. Eyewitnesses said: "an Israeli intelligence officer, claiming he is the new district...
IOF kidnaps 2 Palestinians and sets up checkpoint in Nablus
23 Feb 2010 - Nablus, February 23, 2010 (Pal Telegraph) - Israeli occupation forces kidnapped on Tuesday morning two brothers, Mohammed and Hussein Kamel Abu Al-Samn of Al-Fareah camp in Nablus, after raiding their parents' house. Sources from the camp told the SAFA news agency that "the Israeli occupation forces raided the camp at night and searched a number of houses without reporting any...
Four Palestinians killed in Gaza Strip
23 Feb 2010 - Gaza, February 23, 2010 (Pal Telegraph)- Four Palestinians, including three children, were killed Monday night in two separate incidents in the southern Gaza Strip, medics said. They said that three children, all brothers, were killed in their home in the village of Abbassan, east of the city of Khan Younis, when an electric generator exploded. Five family members also were...
Humanitarian Aid Foundation ships to break Gaza blockade
23 Feb 2010 - Turkey, February 23, 2010 (Pal Telegraph)- The Turkey-based Humanitarian Aid Foundation (İHH) has announced that a fleet of 20 ships, five of which will belong to the İHH, will be sent to break Israel's embargo on Hamas-run Gaza two months from now. According to a report on its Web site, the İHH is seeking the support of charitable businessmen in...
Uneasy truce in Lebanon's simmering refugee camp
The National 23 Feb 2010 - Hamas mediates as peace remains fragile between two rival Palestinian groups, who have come close to a second firefight.
Yediot’s Gvirtz: ‘Ayalon has outdone even Lieberman in recklessness, no mean feat’
Palestine Note 23 Feb 2010 - As reported here yesterday (February 21 2010) condemnation of Deputy FM Danny Ayalon's snubbing of the J Street sponsored US congressional delegation has been nearly universal. The only exception was a Kahanist MK . Now joined only...
Wise Words on Iran and Israeli-Palestinian peace efforts, from James Baker on CNN this week
Palestine Note 23 Feb 2010 - Former Secretary of State James Baker was interviewed February 21st on CNN by Fareed Zakaria. The full transcript is available here . Some gems from the interview: Baker on Obama's Iran policy thus far: "I think it's...
'Gaza One Year later' paints a desparate and depressing picture
Palestine Note 23 Feb 2010 - By Sarah Harlan - Reporter, Palestine Note Feb. 23, 2010 Children wait to collect water amid ruins of a bombed-out mosque in Beit Lahiya The Palestine Center hosted a lunch hour briefing on Gaza one year...
Haniyeh calls for a "third intifada" over Tomb of the Patriarchs
Palestine Note 23 Feb 2010 - I've only been to Hebron once. It was one of the stranger experiences in my travels in the Middle East -- the overwhelming military presence to protect a few hundred settlers, the settler-only road, the grave...
US professor meets with Hamas leader
Palestine Note 23 Feb 2010 - De facto Gaza PM Ismail Haniyeh has held a meeting with Dr. Robert Pastor, professor of international relations at American University in Washington, DC, Ma'an News Agency reports. Pastor met with Haniyeh in Gaza City Monday....
Yalla Peace/Yalla Salam:Great debate on my Facebook page on the Dubai murder
Palestine Note 23 Feb 2010 - You are nmissing out if you are not connected to my Facebook Page Http://www.FaceBook.com/rghanania Here's the debate minus the people's IDs: RAY HANANIA Israel under huge heat for the murder in Dubai by their Mossad, reportedly...
Sudan Signs Peace Deal with Darfur Rebels
The Media Line 22 Feb 2010 - The deal appears to give rebel leaders government positions. Sudan's government signed a ceasefire with Darfur's largest rebel movement on Tuesday, marking what some analysts called a major development towards ending the six-year ethnic conflict in...
Yemen to Set-Up Stock Market
The Media Line 22 Feb 2010 - Yemen is planning to establish a stock market despite a secessionist rebellion in the south, an ethnic civil war in the north and growing Al-Qaeda presence. The Yemeni Minister of Industry and Trade discussed the opening...
Will Google Buy Israeli Media Start-Up?
The Media Line 21 Feb 2010 - Internet giant Google may be looking to Israeli developed software to compete with Apple's iTunes. Google is considering buying Israeli software to keep up with rival Apple's move towards new computing infrastructure forms. The Los Angeles...
Israel and Iran Beef Up Their Arsenals
The Media Line 21 Feb 2010 - Iran reveals self-produced destroyer as Israel launches UAV. Israel and Iran are rolling out the new toys. Iran's first domestically built guided-missile destroyer was firing against imaginary air and land targets on Sunday while on a...
Joint Chiefs Chairman: Even Military Strike Won't End Iranian Nuclear Program
The Media Line 22 Feb 2010 - Chairman of the U.S. Joint Chiefs of Staff Admiral Mike Mullen drew surprised reactions when he told a Pentagon briefing on Monday that even a military strike will not end the Iranian nuclear program. Mullen said "...
Turkish Government Says It Prevented Coup
The Media Line 22 Feb 2010 - Turkish police arrested the former heads of the nation's air force and navy and about 50 others that included senior military officers in what it says was a coup aimed at overthrowing the government because of...
Sarkozy Tempers Kouchner's Remarks on Palestinian State
The Media Line 22 Feb 2010 - French President Nicolas Sarkozy used a joint news conference with visiting Palestinian Authority head Mahmoud 'Abbas to temper remarks concerning a Palestinian state that his foreign minister made to a newspaper on Sunday. FM Bernard Kouchner...
Iran arrests Sunni rebel leader
AlJazeera 23 Feb 2010 - Head of group Tehran blames for series of deadly attacks is arrested on aircraft.
The Economy of the Occupation 25: Israel Owes Billions of Shekels to Palestinian Workers
Alternative Information Center - Tuesday, 23 February 2010, In this report we propose an approximate calculation of amounts that the Department of Payments deducted from the salaries of Palestinian workers from the Occupied Palestinian Territories (OPT) who were employed in...
Israel Compensation Payment to UN Ignores Rights of Gaza Victims
Alternative Information Center - Tuesday, 23 February 2010, Amnesty International has said it is concerned that the United Nations (UN) accepted US$10.5 million compensation from Israel for UN buildings damaged during last year's Gaza conflict without securing compensation for any...
Israel grants visas to witnesses in suit over Rachel Corrie death
PNN - Tuesday, 23 February 2010
Bil’in village plants 200 trees next to apartheid wall: existence as resistance!
PNN - Tuesday, 23 February 2010
Riots over Israeli claim to West Bank heritage sites
PNN - Tuesday, 23 February 2010
Israel holds first talks on Ghajar with new UNIFIL head
Jeruslalem Post 23 Feb 2010 - Foreign Ministry characterizes talks as “positive and constructive.”
Barak in US to push Iran sanctions
Jeruslalem Post 23 Feb 2010 - TAU institute: Teheran a year from nuclear bomb, if it wants.
Activists urge Gazans to pressure Hamas
Jeruslalem Post 23 Feb 2010 - Free Gilad Schalit protesters block fuel tankers at Kerem Shalom terminal.
Livni: Int’l community must back Dubai hit
Jeruslalem Post 23 Feb 2010 - “Every terrorist must know that no one will support him when a soldier, and it doesn’t matter what soldier, tries to kill him," says opposition leader.
Iran nuclear offer falls short
Jeruslalem Post 23 Feb 2010 - In secret document, Iran formally set out terms for giving up most of its cache of enriched uranium.
Shama: Killing Mabhouh - a mitzvah
Jeruslalem Post 23 Feb 2010 - MK A-Sanaa says Israel behaving like mafia, Dubai hit must be investigated.
Livni: Kadima rebellions are over
Jeruslalem Post 23 Feb 2010 -
Lebanon's parliament rejects lowering voting age
Jeruslalem Post 23 Feb 2010 - Bill to lower the voting age from 21 to 18 led to sharp divisions between Christian and Muslim politicians.
Jericho, again
Jeruslalem Post 23 Feb 2010 - A decision by the PA to stamp out terrorism and incitement against Israel would constitute a huge step on the road to independence.
IOF Arrests Palestinian Shepherd
WAFA 23 Feb 2010 -
PCBS: 142,504 Guests in Palestine in Fourth Quarter of Last Year
WAFA 23 Feb 2010 - RAMALLAH, February 23, 2010 (WAFA)- Palestinian Central Bureau of Statistics (PCBS) reported that guests to the Palestinian Territory reached 142,504 persons in the fourth quarter of
Annual Consultation between Netherlands, PA
WAFA 23 Feb 2010 - RAMALLAH, February 23, 2010 (WAFA)- The Netherlands Government represented by Mr. Henne Schuwer, the director [assistant Secretary] for Middle East and North Africa and the Palestinian Authority (PA)
EUPOL COPPS Participates in the USSC-Palestinian Intermediate Leaders’ Course
WAFA 23 Feb 2010 - RAMALLAH, February 23, 2010 (WAFA)EUPOL COPPS’ Specialist Police Advisers, Mr Jean Frederic Martin and Mr Philippe PEREZ, today participated in the Palestinian Intermediate Leaders’ Course jointly
Haaretz: Israel to Grant Visas to Witnesses in Suit Over Rachel Corrie Death
WAFA 23 Feb 2010 - TEL AVIV, February 23, 2010 (WAFA)- under pressure from the United States, Israel is to grant visas to four activists from the International Solidarity Movement so they can testify in suit brought
Palestinian Women's Football Team Crushes Kuwaiti Counterpart
WAFA 23 Feb 2010 - ABU DHABI, February 23, 2010 (WAFA)- The Palestinian women football team went on goals spree against Kuwait, drubbing them 17-0 at the women’s West Asian Championship at the Military
Bil’in tears down the Wall as protests spread across the West Bank
Stop The Wall - Protests were held across the West Bank on Friday, with the biggest taking place in Bil’in where more than 1,000 demonstrators marked 5 years of resistance in the village by tearing down the Wall. Weekly anti-Wall protests were also held in al-Ma’sara and Ni’lin, where soldiers attacked demonstrations with tear gas and rubber bullets. Protests also continued in Nabi Saleh, where villagers have rallied against the Halamish settlement. [
Weekly Report on Israeli Human Rights Violations in the Occupied Palestinian Territory
PCHR Israeli Occupation Forces (IOF) Continue Systematic Attacks against Palestinian Civilians and Property in the Occupied Palestinian Territory (OPT)
Rachel Corrie’s family bring civil suit over death in Gaza
2/23/2010 - International Solidarity Movement - The Guardian - The family of the American activist Rachel Corrie, who was killed by an Israeli army bulldozer in Gaza seven years ago, is to bring a civil suit over her death against the Israeli defence ministry. The case, which begins on 10 March in Haifa, northern Israel, is seen by her parents as an opportunity to put on public record the events that led to their daughter's death in March 2003. Four key witnesses - three Britons and an American - who were at the scene in Rafah when Corrie was killed will give evidence, according the family lawyer, Hussein Abu Hussein. The four were all with the International Solidarity Movement, the activist group to which Corrie belonged. They have since been denied entry to Israel, and the group's offices in Ramallah have been raided several times in recent weeks by the Israeli military.
Bil’in village plants 200 trees next to apartheid wall: existence as resistance!
2/23/2010 - International Solidarity Movement - Bil'in Popular Committee, 22 February - Palestinian and internationals help plant olive trees in Bilin to replace those destroyed by Israeli troops and settlers. At 9:30am residents of Bil'in village, Palestinian political representatives, and International activists gathered in Bil'in to plant olive trees and almond seeds for 20 farmers who own land besides Israel's Apartheid Wall. Approximately 200 trees were planted as part of the ongoing popular resistance to the Israeli apartheid wall and settlements. Bil'in has organized weekly and sometimes daily actions against the wall for the past five years, gaining international attention for the struggle and becoming a symbol for nonviolent, creative, popular struggle around the West Bank of Palestine. An hour into the planting, an Israeli soldier appeared on the other side of the wall and gave a warning shot.
The Mountains to An Nabi Salih
2/23/2010 - International Solidarity Movement - International Solidarity Movement, 19 February - Tramping - There was an odd collection of internationals rousing in our media office this morning. We were an eclectic mix of activists from the US, Denmark, France, England, Sweden and Taiwan preparing to head out to various demonstrations across the West Bank. After an early guitar session with fellow volunteers, we waved goodbye and began our journey to the Nabi Salih protest. Although we hadn't made this journey before, we found the service in Ramallah without much trouble. We were three at this point, Valle, Sweet Prince and Lucy, fresh with international enthusiasm to go to a Palestinian demonstration. Fifteen minutes into the ride, it dawned on us that we needed an alibi if we were questioned by the IDF at the Atara checkpoint just ahead. Valle, pulling out a giant wooden cross out of his bag, thought that we could perhaps. . .
CPT: Netanyahu statement on Ibrahimi Mosque leads to unrest in Hebron
2/23/2010 - International Solidarity Movement - Christian Peacemaker Team, 22 February - On 21 February 2010 Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu announced the Israeli government's intention to designate as Jewish heritage sites Rachel's Tomb in Bethlehem and the Ibrahimi Mosque in Hebron. Netanyahu's statement has led to considerable concern and outrage in the Palestinian community. The Ibrahimi Mosque is one of the most important Muslim sites, and is the one most accessible to West Bank Palestinians. The prospect of these sites becoming closed to Muslim worshipers has been particularly keenly felt in Hebron, where the Ibrahimi Mosque regularly draws large numbers of Muslim worshipers and was the site on 25 February 1994 of the massacre of 29 Muslim worshipers by Dr. Baruch Goldstein, an extremist Jewish settler.
Iran using Hezbollah as diversion from nukes
Ha'aretz 23 Feb 2010 - While Ahmadinejad warns of a war in the north, U.S. advisor James Jones warns of the opposite scenario.
Haaretz exclusive: Hamas founder's son worked for Shin Bet for years
Ha'aretz 23 Feb 2010 - Mosab Hassan Yousef helped prevent dozens of suicide attacks, saved hundreds of lives.
U.S.: Time and patience running out over Iran
Ha'aretz 23 Feb 2010 - Crowley: We are willing to continue to negotiate with Iran, but there will be consequences along the track.
Settlers: New Palestinian city will harm security, the environment
Ha'aretz 23 Feb 2010 - Construction of West Bank city Rawabi near Ramallah supposed to have 5,000 housing units for 25,000 people.
Why does Israel continue to dismiss Obama's Mideast peace efforts?
Ha'aretz 23 Feb 2010 - Even if Obama encounters further difficulties during his term, he can still resolve the Mideast conflict.
Iran: Dubai hit is an act of state terrorism by Israel
Ha'aretz 23 Feb 2010 - Iranian spokesman says Israel's existence is based on terror, French news agency AFP reports.
Netanyahu: Abbas remarks on heritage sites are lies, hypocrisy
Ha'aretz 23 Feb 2010 - Abbas: Newly added Israel heritage sites may spark religious war; Hamas' Haniyeh urges new intifada.
Livni on Dubai hit: A dead terrorist is good news
Ha'aretz 23 Feb 2010 - World must support fight against terror, says Livni; ex-IDF chief: Crediting Israel with hit boosts Israel deterrence.
Israeli diplomats ordered to cut ties with PMO, Defense Ministry
Ha'aretz 23 Feb 2010 - Foreign Ministry workers' committee adopts strict labor sanctions in salary dispute with Finance Ministry.
Who's afraid of Israeli far-rightists?
Ha'aretz 23 Feb 2010 - Harel and Issacharoff: Coordinated PA and Israeli security crackdown works against Palestinians but not Jews.
For Israeli athletes, politics find their way onto the court
Ha'aretz 23 Feb 2010 - Fear for Shahar Peer's security in Dubai is latest in a string of hostilities toward Israeli athletes.
Egypt police arrest suspect in Cairo synagogue attack
Ha'aretz 23 Feb 2010 - Man suspected of hurling makeshift bomb at synagogue on Sunday has record of Islamic extremism.
Barak heads to U.S. to discuss Iran, Mideast peace talks
Ha'aretz 23 Feb 2010 - Defense minister decides to embark on trip despite rising security tensions, especially on northern border.
Iran says captured Sunni leader had links to Mossad and West
Ha'aretz 23 Feb 2010 - Insurgency leader Abdulmalik Rigi, wanted for attacks against Revolutionary Guard, arrested near Pakistan.
Jordan frees 70 Islamists detained after attack on Israel diplomats
Ha'aretz 23 Feb 2010 - Dozens still held over January bombing of convoy returning to Israel from Amman.
Rachel Corrie's family bring civil suit over human shield's death in Gaza
The Guardian 23 Feb 2010 - Parents want case to highlight events that led to American activist's death under Israeli army bulldozer The family of the American activist Rachel Corrie, who was killed by an Israeli army bulldozer in Gaza seven years...
How the PA helps Israel occupy | Jesse Rosenfeld
The Guardian 23 Feb 2010 - Ramallah's political establishment is now more interested in retaining western support than resolving national division Since the Palestinian Authority's initial diplomatic disaster over the Goldstone report, it has switched into reverse gear, issuing a barrage of...
Government earmarks NIS 160 million to digitize Israeli culture
Ha'aretz 23 Feb 2010 - Some NIS 160 million has been earmarked for the Culture Ministry to digitalize Israel's cultural and spiritual heritage, ministry officials told Haaretz. The ministry intends to set up a virtual archive for the public to access cultural assets of permanent value from the early years of the state. This is part of the national heritage program the government has approved and for which NIS 600 million has been budgeted. ...
As Olmert trial gets underway, his lawyer says no chance of plea
Ha'aretz 23 Feb 2010 - Attorney Navot Telzur, Olmert's situation looks bad, especially in the Rishon Tours affair of double invoices for trips abroad. Perhaps you ought to be aiming for a plea bargain? ...
Jerusalem's Old City an unexpected haven for rare animal and plant life
Ha'aretz 23 Feb 2010 - The millions of visitors to Jerusalem's Old City every year are usually seeking the sacred - a prayer at the Western Wall, the Temple Mount or the Church of the Holy Sepulchre - or more earthly pursuits, like a good price on a rug or an olive wood camel. Few imagine that between these ancient walls they can also enjoy the beauty of nature. ...
Bomb plant seepage creating Israel's worst-ever water pollution
Ha'aretz 23 Feb 2010 - Rocket fuel and remains of explosives that seeped into the aquifer from the Israel Military Industries Ramat Hasharon plant are continuing to spread, according to data presented yesterday for the first time by the Water Authority and obtained by Haaretz. ...
Israeli diplomats ordered to cut ties with PMO, Defense Ministry
Ha'aretz 23 Feb 2010 - The Foreign Ministry's worker committee announced on Tuesday that it would adopt an unprecedented series of labor sanctions, due to an ongoing dispute with the government. ...
UN General Assembly to meet Friday on Gaza 'war crimes'
Relief Web 23 Feb 2010 - Source: Agence France-Presse
OPT: URGENT APPEAL - Mass arrest of children in Jalazun Refugee Camp
Relief Web 23 Feb 2010 - Source: Defence for Children International/Palestine Section
European Commission allocates more than €375 million in humanitarian aid to help vulnerable people from Afghanistan to Sudan
Relief Web 23 Feb 2010 - Source: European Commission Humanitarian Aid department
Edelstein: Al-Jazeera understands Israel better than Peace Now
YNet News 23 Feb 2010 - Information minister responds to criticism directed at his new pro-Israel PR campaign, says international media understand Israel's right to defend itself better than leftist group
Palestinian group threatens attacks over heritage sites
YNet News 23 Feb 2010 - After Abbas and Haniyeh's warnings, Islamic Jihad threatens to resume attacks in heart of Israel in response to cabinet's decision to include Cave of Patriarchs, Rachel's Tomb in list of national heritage sites. 'The rules of the game are expected to change,' al-Quds Brigades spokesman tells Ynet
Israel, US tighten relations as part of Iran sanctions effort
YNet News 23 Feb 2010 - Defense minister to meet US administration officials for talks that will focus on efforts to intensify punitive measures against Islamic Republic. Jerusalem to renew strategic dialogue with Washington, led by Deputy Foreign Minister Daniel Ayalon
Report: Mabhouh aide arrested in Syria
YNet News 23 Feb 2010 - Fatah-affiliated website says Damascus authorities detained Muhammad Nasser, who arrived in Dubai before Hamas man's assassination, for possible involvement in plot. Police uncover identity of four other people involved in operation
Halutz: Dubai hit helped deterrence
YNet News 23 Feb 2010 - Former IDF chief of staff explains Hamas man's assassination contributed to Israel's deterrence against terrorist organizations and states that support them. 'Anyone like Mabhouh needs to think twice before every move,' he states, adding he opposes military strike against Iran
Grenade found under car in Jerusalem mall
YNet News 23 Feb 2010 - Fragmentation grenade planted under vehicle belonging to Sur Baher school principal who was threatened by Palestinian elements in past
Rafsanjani warns Israel against Lebanon invasion
Daily Star 24 Feb 2010 TEHRAN: Veteran politician Ali Akbar Hashemi Rafsanjani, a key figure in Iran's ruling elite, warned Israel on Tuesday to avoid a war on Lebanon, warning that such an act of aggression will definitely be reciprocated by Hizbullah's crushing response. "If conditions rise in a way that no war happens, it will be very good but if any war occurs, Hizbullah's response will certainly be tougher than the past.
Abbas says Palestinian state 'vital interest' for Israelis
Daily Star 24 Feb 2010 Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas said Tuesday that the creation of an independent Palestine is a "vital interest" for Israel, while reiterating his refusal to enter talks unless Jewish settlement building ends. "An independent Palestinian state is a vital interest for Israel," the Palestinian Authority head said during exchanges with Belgian senators and deputies in Brussels.
Hamas prime minister calls for West Bank to 'rise up' over holy sites
Daily Star 24 Feb 2010 Hamas Premier Ismail Haniyya on Tuesday called on Palestinians in the West Bank to "rise up" against Israel over a plan to restore two contested holy sites in the territory, while Syria also echoed the protest denounced Israel over the move. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu sparked outrage on Sunday when he said that he hoped to include Rachel's Tomb in Bethlehem.
More British, Irish passports used in Dubai hit
Daily Star 24 Feb 2010 DUBAI: The United Arab Emirates (UAE) has identified four more suspects who carried British and Irish passports in the Dubai killing of a Hamas commander, a source familiar with the investigation said Tuesday. The use of fraudulent passports from European Union countries by the killers of Mahmoud al-Mabhouh has drawn censure from the bloc. Dubai has accused Israel of being behind the assassination.
Ahmadinejad to meet with allies in Damascus
Daily Star 24 Feb 2010 DAMASCUS: Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad is to visit key ally Damascus on Thursday for talks with Syrian counterpart Bashar Assad, the official SANA news agency said.It said the two leaders would also attend a religious ceremony to mark Prophet Mohammad's birthday.Various media reports suggested that the Iranian president will also meet with key figures in both the Palestinian and Lebanese resistance.
Iran says any fuel swap must take place on its own soil
Daily Star 24 Feb 2010 TEHRAN: Iran said Tuesday any exchange of nuclear fuel must take place on its territory, a condition rejected by Western powers seeking to prevent it stockpiling material which could be enriched to make a bomb. The United States and its allies hope to get new United Nations sanctions imposed on Iran in the coming weeks over its continued uranium enrichment, after failing to reach agreement on the fuel exchange.
180,000 Iraqis in Jordan set to vote in general elections
Daily Star 24 Feb 2010 AMMAN: Around 180,000 eligible Iraqi voters are expected to cast their ballots in Jordan as part of global out-of-country voting in the March 7 poll, Iraq's electoral commission said on Tuesday. "About 180,000 Iraqis in Jordan are expected to vote on March 5, 6 and 7 at 16 polling stations," Nehad Abbas, head of Iraq's Independent High Electoral Commission (IHEC) in Jordan, told a news conference.
ElBaradei says he's ready to face Mubarak in elections
Daily Star 24 Feb 2010 CAIRO: Former UN atomic watchdog chief Mohamed ElBaradei has said he is prepared to run for president of Egypt even against veteran incumbent Hosni Mubarak, newspapers reported on Tuesday. ElBaradei said he was "prepared to run for president, if the people ask me to, no matter who will run against me in elections," he told Dream TV, in excerpts of an interview carried by independent daily Al-Masry Al-Youm.
Haneyya calls for third Intifada against Israeli decision to seize mosques
PIC 24 Feb 2010 - Premier Ismail Haneyya called for a new Intifada in the West Bank and occupied Jerusalem in light of the Israeli decision to annex the Ibrahimi and Bilal Mosques.
Lawsuit filed against UK for not fulfilling its int’l duties toward Palestine
PIC 24 Feb 2010 - A British court will hold a hearing on Thursday to review a case filed by Al-Haq against the British government over its failure to fulfill its obligations regarding Israel’s violations in Palestine.
Dubai police: More forged passports detected
PIC 24 Feb 2010 - The Dubai police revealed that four other suspects in assassinating Hamas leader Mahmoud Al-Mabhouh carried British and Irish passports, a reliable source told Reuters.
Annexation of Ibrahimi and Bilal Mosques anger Jerusalem people
PIC 24 Feb 2010 - Palestinian young men potested Tuesday morning in many neighborhoods of Jerusalem against the Israeli decision to annex the Ibrahimi Mosque and Bilal Mosque to the list of the Jewish historical sites.
Bardawil: Media trying to smear Hamas, absolve Israel
PIC 24 Feb 2010 - MP Dr. Salah Al-Bardawil said the circulation of news by Hebrew, Fatah and some Arab media about involvement of Hamas cadres in the assassination of Mahmoud Al-Mabhouh aimed at smearing the movement.
Jewish settlers cut off 45 olive trees
PIC 24 Feb 2010 - Jewish armed settlers cut off 45 olive trees in the village of Burin, south of Nablus city, on Tuesday, local sources reported.
Barghouthi: Israel’s decision to annex mosques is offensive
PIC 24 Feb 2010 - Mustafa Al-Barghouthi stated that the Israeli decision to annex the Ibrahimi Mosque and Bilal Mosque is unacceptable and provocative, and falls under the Israeli policy of annexation and Judaization.
Resheq calls on Palestinians to confront Israel’s decision against WB mosques
PIC 24 Feb 2010 - Izzat Al-Resheq called on the Palestinian people and their factions to confront the Israeli decision to add two West Bank mosques to the list of the alleged Jewish heritage in occupied Palestine.
Abbas militias prevented the firing of a rocket from the West Bank
PIC 24 Feb 2010 - Militias loyal to former PA chief Mahmoud Abbas have foiled an attempt to fire a locally made rocket from the West Bank at Israeli targets, Hebrew press sources revealed.
IOF troops round up West Bankers
PIC 24 Feb 2010 - Israeli occupation forces rounded up six Palestinian citizens at a late hour on Monday night in West Bank areas mainly in the Jordan Valley, the Israeli army radio said on Tuesday.
Israel's 'miracle' anti-rocket defense plan raises anxieties
LA Times 23 Feb 2010 - The Iron Dome defense system is billed as a surefire guard against rockets targeting Sderot and other vulnerable Israeli towns. But many Israelis question its effectiveness and cost. The rockets may not strike as often these days, but residents of this working-class town say they can't shake the anxiety that comes with living in Israel's most frequently bombed city.
Conflicting accounts arise over Iran rebel's capture
LA Times 24 Feb 2010 - Iran says it caught Abdulmalak Rigi, but his outlawed group, Jundallah, says he was captured by U.S., Pakistani and Afghan intelligence and handed over to Iran in a backroom deal. Contradictory accounts clouded Iran's announcement Tuesday that it had captured the leader of a Sunni Muslim militant group it has been fighting for years.
Lebanon may follow anti-smoking trend
LA Times 23 Feb 2010 - Turkey and Syria have banned smoking in public places, and other nations have restricted tobacco use. Now Lebanon, with one of the highest smoking rates in the world, is considering such steps. First it was the bars of New York. Then the bistros of Paris. Now the smoky teahouses and hookah cafes of the Middle East are pushing smokers to the sidelines.
Iran Letter Repeats Nuclear Swap Terms Rejected by West
New York Times 24 Feb 2010 - The response Tuesday was unlikely to ease a stalemate over a Western-backed plan to defuse the crisis surrounding the country’s nuclear ambitions.
Iran Says Capture of Rebel Is Blow to U.S.
New York Times 23 Feb 2010 - The head of a militant Sunni group accused by the Iranian government of a string of terrorist attacks has been captured, the official Islamic Republic News Agency said.
Foe of Iran Government Calls for Referendum
New York Times 22 Feb 2010 - Defying a harsh crackdown on political protesters in Iran, Mehdi Karroubi, an opposition leader, sought to gauge the popularity of the country’s leadership.
Let the good times roll: NYT’s Kershner and Bronner are listed as authors by ‘Israel Hasbara Committee’
Mondoweiss - 23 Feb 2010 - Ethan Bronner and Isabel Kershner, the two Jerusalem correspondents for the New York Times, are named on a long list of authors for the "Israel Hasbara Committee." David Frum, Krauthammer, Caroline Glick, David Horovitz, David Horowitz and Bob Dylan are also on the list. Mostly rightwingers....
Unfairly balanced
Mondoweiss - 23 Feb 2010 - Earlier today I read the BBC’s report on the fifth anniversary of the Bil’in protests against the Annexation Wall. It was not one of the worst the BBC has done on I/P; yet I got angry at the enforced, distorted "balance" which gave Israeli military spokesperson...
Why do I boycott Israel?
Mondoweiss - 23 Feb 2010 - From World War 3 Illustrated Related posts: The Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions Debate: Boycott or ‘One Big Carrot of Peace’ NY Times offers the rationale for the cultural boycott of Israel Israel supports cultural boycott
Harvard finds Kramer ‘appalling’ but won’t divorce him
Mondoweiss - 23 Feb 2010 - EI has the latest on the Martin Kramer debacle at Harvard , the fellow who called for the west to take action to limit the Palestinian birthrate. Harvard offered mixed signals on Kramer, but is sticking by his right to be controversial. I’m all for controversy myself;...
Rahm: gone, or invincible
Mondoweiss - 23 Feb 2010 - I leaned towards this interpretation also : Rahm is on his way out, and uses stenographer Dana Milbank in the Washington Post to issue a parting shot at Obama’s insider team. Or else the lobby makes him feel invincible, which would be very bad for Obama’s future....
Israel Compensation Payment to UN Ignores Rights of Gaza Victims
Alternative Information Center - 24 Feb 2010 - Tuesday, 23 February 2010, Amnesty International has said it is concerned that the United Nations (UN) accepted US$10.5 million compensation from Israel for UN buildings damaged during last year's Gaza conflict without securing compensation for any of the actual victims of the attacks. The UN announced...
The Economy of the Occupation 25: Israel Owes Billions of Shekels to Palestinian Workers
Alternative Information Center - 24 Feb 2010 - Tuesday, 23 February 2010, In this report we propose an approximate calculation of amounts that the Department of Payments deducted from the salaries of Palestinian workers from the Occupied Palestinian Territories (OPT) who were employed in Israel, or which were deducted for them from their employers,...
Thursday, February 25, 2010
Medics: Man shot by Israeli forces east of Gaza City
2/25/2010 - Gaza - Ma'an - Israeli forces operating east of the Ash-Shuja'iyeh neighborhood of Gaza City shot and wounded a Palestinian man, medics in the Ash-Shifa Hospital said. Muawiya Hassanein, head of emergency and ambulance services in Gaza, said the unidentified man was moderately injured. An Israeli military spokesman said soldiers fired warning shots in the air when a Palestinian approached the border area near Ash-Shuja'iyeh, but stressed that they "did not recognize a hit" and said he was "unfamiliar with reports of a Palestinian injured in the area. " Later Thursday, an army spokeswoman also denied claims by Fatah's military wing that it attacked an undercover Israeli military unit that breached the border in northern Gaza. The Al-Aqsa Martyrs Brigades claimed to have hurled an explosive device that caused "deaths and injuries among the soldiers. "
Barred by Israel, Irish FM enters Gaza via Egypt
2/25/2010 - Gaza - Ma'an - Irish Foreign Minister Michael Martin arrived in Gaza on Thursday via the Egyptian controlled Rafah crossing after Israel denied him entry to the costal territory. A Palestinian official at the Rafah crossing said Martin was joined by a 10-member delegation. The group was escorted in UN vehicles to the UN compound in Gaza city. In a brief interview, Martin told Ma'an that he came to Gaza to "see for myself" what had transpired in the Strip, which was the target of a three-week military campaign by Israel last year. Martin, who is known as a critic of the Israeli-led blockade of Gaza, said Israel had given "no good reason" for denying him entry to the enclave. He also criticized Israel's eviction of Palestinians from their homes in Jerusalem, house demolition, and arbitrary detention.
Israel detains AFP photographer
2/26/2010 - Hebron - Ma'an - A photographer for Agence France-Presse was briefly detained by Israeli soldiers in the West Bank city of Hebron on Thursday. Marco Longari was arrested for "acting violently toward security forces" and transferred to police custody, an army spokeswoman said. An Israeli police spokesman confirmed that Longari was briefly held for questioning, but said the journalist was released without charge. Longari is the head photographer for AFP, our correspondent in Hebron reported. A colleague identified him as an Italian national. The AFP declined comment, and several calls to Longari's mobile phone were not immediately returned. Onlookers said Longari was one of three journalists injured during clashes near Hebron's Ibrahimi Mosque on Thursday. The others were identified as Abed Al-Ghani An-Natshah, who reportedly blacked out after inhaling tear gas, and Nasser Shiyoukhi, who was beaten by soldiers.
Silwan families: Israel serves 8 new demolition orders
2/25/2010 - Jerusalem - Ma'an - Eight families in the East Jerusalem neighborhood of Silwan were handed orders announcing their homes were slated for demolition, as Israeli municipality workers entered the area accompanied by military guards on Wednesday. The families targeted were identified as those of Azmi Ghanem, Fakhri Ghanem, Mu'een Al-Qaq, Fahmi Meswada, Talib Meswada, Marwan Ash-Shuyoukhi, Mousa Al-Haeiymuni, Naser As-Salfiti and the At-Tawils. All of the homes are in the At-Tanak and Wadi Hilwa areas of the neighborhood. Spokesman for the Israeli municipality Gidi Shmerling, said the "claims are false," noting in an e-mail that "the Jerusalem municipality did not deliver demolition orders in Silwan today [Wednesday]. He said that "during a routine inspection only three warnings were ordered for three buildings in Silwan neighborhood due to building violations.
Expert: UN could ’bury’ Goldstone report
2/25/2010 - Chicago - Ma'an - A year after Israel's assault on Gaza, bureaucratic wrangling is threatening to bury a UN report that accuses Israel and Palestinian militias of committing war crimes, a UN expert on the issue said on Wednesday. Richard Falk, the UN's special rapporteur on human rights in the occupied Palestinian territories, made the remarks ahead of a Friday vote at the UN General Assembly, which is expected to give Israeli and Palestinian authorities five more months to investigate war crimes charges outlined in the Goldstone report. "I think it's part of the wider effort basically to bury the recommendations of the Goldstone report, unnecessarily delaying the implementation of its recommendations," Falk told Ma'an in a phone interview. As time passes, Falk said, the UN is less likely to hold accused war criminals accountable. The delays "remove the reality of what happened in Gaza from the collective memory of world society. . . . "
Union: Farmer beaten by Israeli forces at Jubarah checkpoint
2/25/2010 - Tulkarem - Ma'an - A farmer on his way to agricultural lands near Tulkarem was told to lie on the floor of the Jubara checkpoint and was subsequently beaten while on the floor, the Agricultural Union said in a report released hours after the alleged event Thursday. The man, identified as Said Walid, is a resident of Khirbet Jubara, a village in the West Bank but on the western side of Israel's separation wall. Residents of the village must pass through the Jubarah checkpoint to reach the city of Tulkarem, and any other of the neighboring villages. Shortly after the checkpoint opened at 5:30am, a statement said, Walid entered the military zone en route to his fields on the far side of the wall. The union said he was badly beaten "without any explanation," adding that Walid was the fourth member of the Tulkarem Agricultural union to have been beaten by soldiers since the start of 2010.
Israeli forces raid kindergarten, detain 5 in Beit Ummar
2/25/2010 - Hebron - Ma'an - Israeli troops detained five Beit Ummar residents from their homes north of Hebron Thursday morning, and handed papers to nine others demanding that they appear in front of Israeli intelligence officials. The Toyur Al-Janneh (Birds of Heaven) kindergarten building was also raided and ransacked, Palestinian Solidarity Project spokesman Muhammad Awad said. Awad identified those detained as: Ibrahim Awad, 18, Iyad Za'aqiq, 34, Nader Bahar, 37, Muhamad Alami, 17, and Hasan Alami, 22. He said they were all taken to an unknown location. [end]Related: VIDEO - Tuiur Al Jannah - Al Maa`
Former PA minister among 5 hurt in Hebron clashes
2/25/2010 - Hebron - Ma'an - Clashes erupted in the West Bank city of Hebron on Thursday, as hundreds of Palestinians protested a declaration that the Ibrahimi Mosque is an Israeli heritage site. At least five Palestinians were hospitalized, medics said, while others were seen receiving treatment for tear-gas inhalation on site. Among the injured was Mustafa Barghouthi, a former information minister. He and four children were treated for tear-gas inhalation at the Al-Muhtaseb Hospital, medics said. Two pairs of sisters were identified as Tahrir Kamel Jaber, 5, and Bara, 10, as well as Suad Taleb Jabber, 8, and Naghem, 7. An Israeli military spokeswoman said she was aware of only one Palestinian injured and four arrested. A member of the country's border police unit was hurt by a rock, she said, as well as the injured Palestinian.
Israel seals West Bank for holiday
2/25/2010 - Bethlehem - Ma'an - Israeli Defense Minister Ehud Barak ordered a total closure of the West Bank effective Thursday night and continuing through the Jewish holiday of Purim until Monday. Closures generally mean that Palestinian West Bank residents with permits will be banned from entering Israel or East Jerusalem. Foreign nationals are usually not effected. [end]
Fatah wing: Israeli forces targeted in Gaza
2/25/2010 - Gaza - Ma'an - Fatah's military wing said it attacked an undercover Israeli army unit that breached the border in northern Gaza on Thursday, claiming to have hurled an explosive. In a statement, the Al-Aqsa Martyrs Brigades said the explosive charge struck members of the Israeli unit "directly," and that "there were deaths and injuries among the soldiers. "The supposed attack "comes in response to [Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin] Netanyahu's statements on including the Ibrahimi Mosque on a list of [Israeli] heritage sites," the statement said, and "as a confirmation of ongoing resistance in order to stabilize national unity among Palestinians in the West Bank and Gaza, and within the ongoing response to the killing of three [Fatah] leaders in Nablus" last December. An Israeli military spokeswoman said that, after an initial inquiry, the army was aware of no such attack.
PA official: Israel to allow glass into Gaza
2/26/2010 - Gaza - Ma'an - Israel will allow window panes into the Gaza Strip by the end of next week, a Palestinian Authority official said Thursday. Deputy Economy Minister Nasser As-Saraj said the shipment "includes 100 truckloads delivering glass panes, which will enter in stages. "Two months ago, 100 truckloads were allowed into the enclave, which has been under siege by Israel and Egypt since Hamas took power in 2007. The only other source of domestic window glass in Gaza is via the increasingly restricted tunnel trade. Merchants say prices reached up to US $150 a meter in the months following Operation Cast Lead. . . . .
EU court: Duties apply to settlement goods
2/26/2010 - Chicago - Ma'an/Agencies - The European Union's high court ruled on Thursday that products made in Israeli settlements in the West Bank are not Israeli and should therefore be subject to import taxes. The EU has agreements with both Israel and the Palestinians exempting the two from import duties. "Each of those two association agreements has its own territorial scope," the court said, according to The Associated Press, adding Israeli goods made in the West Bank cannot enjoy duty-free access to the vast EU market. The court said the EU deal with Israel "applies to the territory of the State of Israel" and the Palestinian one to "the territories of the West Bank and the Gaza Strip. "Israeli companies in West Bank settlements export produce, cookies, pretzels, wines, cosmetics, and computer equipment. . . . .
Journalists: We will go to court to challenge the PJS elections
2/26/2010 - Gaza - Ma'an - Members of the Journalists Syndicate will go to court in Ramallah to challenge the outcome of the elections for the Palestinian media body, accusing organizers of corruption. Member of the syndicate Zakareiyah At-Telmas said the 8 February elections results were announced by officials who were not members of the press, not members of the syndicate and had no business being involved with the elections process. "The journalists in Gaza [elected to the syndicate board] are working to prepare a memorandum signed by dozens of syndicate members that accuses elections organizers of culling the membership rolls before calling the elections," At-Telmas said. At the time, observers accused Fatah and Palestinian Authority figures of forcing the syndicate into politics by clouding the elections policy, and running party lists rather than single vote ballots.
Defense for Children International appeals for detained minors
2/25/2010 - Bethlehem - Ma'an - Following the detention of 17 minors, many of them children, from the Jalazone Refugee Camp on 11 February, Defense for Children International issued an emergency appeal seeking an intervention for the continued confinement and ill-treatment of the boys. At the time, Ma'an reported the detention of 21 teens and young men from the Jalazone Refugee Camp, 17 of whom were under the age of 18, while all were under the age of 20. According to DCI, the boys were accused of throwing stones at Israeli soldiers. They were forced to walk to the Beit El settlement, were transferred to the local police station then brought to the Ofer prison in the West Bank. In their report, the organization called the arrest of the children and teenagers "examples of what appears to be the systematic and institutionalized ill-treatment. . . "
Gaza fishermen under fire
2/25/2010 - Gaza - IRIN - Sami Al-Qouqa, a 30-year-old former fisherman from Ash-Shati refugee camp in northern Gaza, lost his left hand when his boat came under fire from an Israeli gunboat on 12 March 2007, in an incident documented by the Palestinian Centre for Human Rights. "I was on my small fishing boat in Palestinian fishing waters when two Israeli warships approached me. The Israeli navy shouted at me: 'Go back or we'll kill you!' Initially, I refused, so they began shooting at me. One of the gunboat's shells hit me and seriously wounded my left forearm and hand," Al-Quoqa told IRIN. He was taken to Ash-Shifa Hospital in Gaza City where doctors amputated his hand. He has since been unemployed and depends on the UN agency for Palestinian refugees (UNRWA) for food aid for his wife and two sons. Gaza fishermen say ever-tightening restrictions on where they can fish, frequent attacks by Israeli gunboats. . .
Egypt arrests Chinese nationals en route to Israel
2/25/2010 - Al-Arish - Ma'an - Egyptian authorities arrested three Chinese nationals in central Sinai on Wednesday, security sources said. The three unidentified detainees were en route to Israel, Egyptian security sources told Ma'an. The men surrendered after Egyptian forces fired warning shots in the air, the sources said. Under questioning, the men said they were attempting to enter Israel to search for jobs, the sources said, adding that they had paid 1,000 US dollars to international smugglers. Meanwhile, Egyptian police detained a Palestinian teenager trying to enter the Gaza Strip from Egypt, sources said. He was identified as Ibrahim Ash-Shureiky, 16, and was accused of working in tunnels along the border. As a minor, the teenager will be returned to his parents in Gaza after questioning, sources added. The four arrests come amid an ongoing Egyptian crackdown against foreign migrants.
Two Gaza crossings open Thursday
2/25/2010 - Gaza - Ma'an - Two Gaza crossings will open Thursday for the transport of 107-117 truckloads of aid and commercial goods, in addition to limited fuel imports, Palestinian liaison officer Raed Fattouh said. The bulk goods crossing at Karni had been shut since Monday, when it transferred 113 truckloads of wheat and animal feed. The previous week Karni also opened on Monday and Thursday. Two truck of cut carnations will be exported from Gaza under the Dutch government program, ongoing since December 2009. There are no other exports permitted from Gaza. [end]
Israel army: Car flips after pelted with rocks near Qalqiliya
2/25/2010 - Bethlehem - Ma'an - A settler was reportedly injured after Palestinians threw stones at his car in the northern West Bank on Thursday. A military spokeswoman said an Israeli man's car flipped as a result of being hit by rocks thrown by Palestinians near Ma'ale Shomron, a settlement south of Qalqiliya. He was not identified. The spokeswoman said the man suffered light injuries and was treated at the scene of the incident. Israeli forces also arrived, and were searching the area for suspects, the official added. [end]
US delegation in Israel for intel, security talks
2/25/2010 - Chicago - Ma'an - A senior US official arrived in Israel on Tuesday for three days of "strategic dialogue" that the American State Department notes as a show of support for Israel and the country's security. The American State Department said Deputy Secretary of State James Steinberg's participation in the talks "demonstrates the United States' continued commitment to Israeli security, including working toward a comprehensive peace in the Middle East. "The statement continued, saying "the Strategic Dialogue is an ongoing process that the United States values as a meaningful tool to discuss a wide range of issues that concern both of our countries. " Other top officials will also reportedly participate in the talks, including Under Secretary of Defense Michèle Flournoy, Principal Deputy Director of National Intelligence. . .
Australia summons Israeli envoy over Dubai killing
2/25/2010 - Chicago - Ma'an/Agencies - The Australian government summoned the Israeli ambassador in Canberra late on Wednesday, after Dubai authorities alleged that Australian passports were used in January's assassination of Hamas leader Mahmoud Al-Mabhouh, reports said. "We will not be silent on this matter. It is a matter of deep concern. It really goes to the integrity and fabric of the use of state documents, which passports are, for other purposes," Australian Prime Minister Kevin Rudd told Australian radio. "Any state that has been complicit in use or abuse of the Australian passport system, let alone for the conduct of an assassination, is treating Australia with contempt and there will therefore be action by the Australian government in response," said Rudd. Earlier in the week, United Arab Emirates released the names and passport information of 15 alleged Israeli Mossad agents they say were involved in the murder.
Hamas vows response to heritage list
2/25/2010 - Gaza - Ma'an - Hamas threatened on Wednesday to strike Israel over a controversial government decision to lay claim to West Bank holy sites as part of "Israeli heritage. ""Hamas is restricted in the West Bank but the silence won't last long. This is just the silence before the thunder. The response to these Israeli crimes is coming soon," Hamas leader Yousef Fatahat told a demonstration in Gaza. He was referring to Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's pronouncement this week claiming the Ibrahimi Mosque in Hebron and Rachel's Tomb in Bethlehem as Israeli heritage sites. The Fatah-led Palestinian Authority (PA) bans Hamas from operating in public in the West Bank, but the Ibrahimi Mosque lies in an area of Hebron under Israeli military control. During last year's assault on Gaza, Hamas staged demonstrations in the area.
Barak, UN chief hold talks
2/25/2010 - Chicago - Ma'an - Israeli Israeli Defense Minister Ehud Barak and UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon discussed efforts to revive the Israeli-Palestinian peace process and other issues during a meeting on Wednesday afternoon. According to The Associated Press, Barak did not speak to reporters after the hour-long meeting, but UN spokesman Farhan Haq said on behalf of Ban, that "they discussed ongoing efforts to restart Israeli-Palestinian negotiations. " Haq said Ban expressed regret over Israeli actions that could hinder those efforts, including new orders to demolish Palestinian buildings in East Jerusalem and the inclusion of West Bank holy sites on an Israeli "heritage" list. The meeting was Barak's first on a brief trip to New York and Washington. He is also scheduled to meet US peace envoy George Mitchell, Defense Secretary Robert Gates, Adm.
Clinton: US hopes talks will start soon
2/25/2010 - Chicago - Ma'an/Agencies - US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton told US lawmakers on Wednesday that she hoped Israelis and Palestinians could resume negotiations toward a peace settlement "soon. "A year of US efforts to bring the two sides back to the negotiating table have failed so far, but Clinton struck an upbeat tone in testimony to the Senate Foreign Relations Committee. After demanding last year that Israel halt the construction of all settlements on Palestinian land in the West Bank, the US softened its position, and is now hoping that Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas will drop his demand that settlement construction halt before peace talks start. "We hope that that will commence shortly," Clinton said, as quoted by Reuters. "We think it's absolutely essential that they begin to talk about the final status issues that divide them. "
PLO: If Netanyahu wants our holy sites, he can’t have peace talks
2/25/2010 - Ramallah - Ma'an - The Executive Committee of the PLO will not support talks with Israel's Benjamin Netanyahu government in light of its decision to declare sites in Palestinian areas "Israeli heritage sites," the body announced after a meeting Wednesday. "We will reject any kind of negotiations, even indirect talks," Secretary General of the PLO body Yasser Abed Rabbo said after the meeting in Ramallah. Netanyahu declared the Ibrahimi Mosque in Hebron, and Rachel's Tomb in Bethlehem - both sites of historical value to Jews, Christians and Muslims, and both located on lands within the 1967 borders of what would be a Palestinian state - Israeli heritage sites, during his cabinet meeting on Sunday. It was not immediately clear what the practical implications of the move would be. Abed Rabbo said the "extremist right-wing government in Israel is poisoning. . . "
Islamic Jihad calls for ’Day of Anger’ in face of continued occupation
2/25/2010 - Gaza - Ma'an - Islamic Jihad called for a day where Palestinians can collectively express their anger against the Israeli occupation of the Al-Aqsa Mosque in Jerusalem and the Ibrahimi Mosque in Hebron, the third and fourth holiest sites for Muslims respectively. What the party termed the "Day of Anger" will be held on Friday, less than a week after Israel's government declared the Hebron mosque an "Israeli heritage site. "The day will be an opportunity for "Arab and Islamic nations to show solidarity with the Palestinians by carrying out rallies and popular conferences," a statement from the movement said. Outrage over the expansion of Israeli takeover of Palestinian religious sites should be a rallying point for Palestinians, the movement said, and called on citizens throughout the West Bank, Gaza and occupied Jerusalem to "escalate confrontations against the occupation and to confront the settlers. "
Abu Libdeh, Quartet discuss Bethlehem economic conference
2/25/2010 - Ramallah - Ma'an - Palesitnian Authority (PA) Economy Minister Hassan Abu Libdeh held talks with Quartet officials in Ramallah on Thursday about preparations for a planned repeat of the 2008 Bethlehem investment conference. More than 1,000 business and political figures from around the world attended the Palestine Investment Conference, which Libdeh organized. He is now hoping for a repeat performance in Bethlehem in June. At Thursday's meeting Libdeh asked the Quartet (a grouping of the US, EU, Russia, and UN) to pressure Israel to ease the movement of conference delegates into Bethlehem, and also the easing of restrictions on tourists' access to the city. Libdeh also asked the Quartet to ease restrictions generally on commerce and industry, particularly the export economy, in the West Bank. The World Bank and United Nations say that the main obstacle to economic development. . .
PA arrests four PFLP members in Nablus
2/26/2010 - Nablus - Ma'an - Fatah-allied Palestinian Authority (PA) security forces arrested four members of the leftist Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine (PFLP) in the West Bank city of Nablus on Thursday. Senior PFLP officials said PA forces deployed across the city and arrested Muhammad At-Teriaqi, 17, Muhammad Jihad An-Natur, 18, Omer Tayseer Abdul Haq, 18, and Muhammad Al-Madani, 17. A source close to the PA security establishment told Ma'an that the arrests were made at Israel's request. If they four had not been arrested,the source said, Israeli forces would have invaded Nablus and taken them to Israeli prisons. Khalida Jarrar, a PFLP-affiliated member of the Palestinian Legislative Council slammed the arrests as "serving Israeli security interests. " "It was a concession to the Israeli conditions and dictates that are imposed on the Palestinian Authority,". . .
Hebron police make 25 arrests
2/25/2010 - Hebron - Ma'an - Palestinian Authority police said they arrested 25 suspected criminals and seized 30 unlicensed cars and motorcycles in the Hebron area on Wednesday. The suspects included several suspected of robbery, a police statement added. Police also said these actions took place as a part of a "security campaign to impose law and order. "In Jericho, police seized cocaine and pills from a man who was admitted to a hospital after overdosing on a cocktail of drugs. A police report said the man was "under heavy guard" in the hospital, but his condition stabilized. An initial investigation revealed that the man had never taken illegal drugs before. [end]
Fatah delegation to Gaza postponed
2/25/2010 - Ramallah - Ma'an - Fatah Revolutionary Council Undersecretary Amin Maqboul said a planned visit of party delegates to the Gaza Strip was postponed Wednesday night, when Hamas officials denied the group permission to enter Gaza. Other members of the delegation said the delay resulted from Israel's refusal to issue permits to the delegation. A seven-member delegation from Fatah was set to enter Gaza via the Erez crossing, on the heels of a historic visit to the region by Fatah Central Committee Nabil Sha'ath between 3 and 6 February. Israeli officials have not yet granted the delegation permission, Maquboul said. Sha'ath was the highest-ranking party member to visit Gaza following the Hamas takeover of the coastal strip in 2007. Maqboul told Sawt Ash-Shab radio that though "the seven members of the Revolutionary Council were expected to visit Gaza on Thursday, the visit was postponed because Hamas didn't allow them to access Gaza and they have not received permits [from Israel] yet. "
Gaza authorities ban late-night parties
2/25/2010 - Gaza - Ma'an - Weddings in the Gaza Strip will no longer run past midnight, authorities announced on Thursday, a move critics say is the latest in an ongoing government crackdown on perceived immorality. In a statement, the de facto Ministry of the Interior announced that wedding parties will be allowed to continue up until midnight, after which they would be "prohibited to ensure people's rest and relaxation. " The ministry urged residents of Gaza to cooperate with the move, the legal basis for which was not specified in the ministry's statement, and warned that anyone who violated the decree would be prosecuted. The Ministry of the Interior in Gaza has operated for the past two years under jurisdiction of the de facto government, which was formed by Hamas when it took over the coastal enclave following a brief but violent civil war in the occupied Palestinian territories in 2007.
George Habash (2 August 1926 - 26 January 2008)
2/25/2010 - George Habash was a Christian Palestinian nationalist who founded the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine (PFLP). He is considered a founding father of the resistance movement of the Palestinians and a pioneer of armed struggle and revolutionary violence as the sole means for the liberation of Palestine. Habash served as the secretary-general of the PFLP until 2000, when ill health forced him to resign. He died in Amman, Jordan on 26 January 2008. Despite a politically tumultuous life, Habash remained faithful to his conviction that only by force could Palestinians regain their rights, including the recovery of the original Palestinian territory. Habash was born in Lydda, Palestine (today's Lod in Israel) to a family of Greek Orthodox grain merchants. He later studied medicine at the American University of Beirut (AUB), where he would eventually graduate at the top of his class.
Volleyball coach to attend course in Germany
2/25/2010 - Ramallah - Ma'an - Volleyball player Rani Asfour will leave the West Bank on Thursday to participate in a five-month training course at Leipzig University in Germany. Asfour, from the village of Sinjil near Ramallah, was chosen to participate in the course by the Palestinian ministries of education and sport. Twenty volleyball players will attend the course from throughout the Arab world. The group will be trained in coaching methods and volleyball technique for children and teens. Courses for coaches will include topics like team building, physical training, mental preparation and managing an athletics program, organizers said. Asfour received a bachelor's degree from An-Najjah University in Nablus and works as a sports instructor in Al-Bireh. He was selected as Palestine's top volleyball player in 2000 and won first place at several championships.
In photos: Media on strike in Nablus
2/25/2010 - MaanImages/Rami Swidan - Staff of nine Palestinian TV stations protest exorbitant broadcast fees instituted by the Ministry of Communications, in the West Bank city of Nablus on 24 February 2010. The stations halted broadcasts on Tuesday, protesting the Palestinian Authority's decision to shut down their operations within 48 hours for failure to pay the fees. Station owners said they had called President Mahmoud Abbas to urge him to personally intervene in the matter, which affects some 150 media workers. [end]
PCBS: Tourism numbers inch up in Q4 of ’09
2/25/2010 - Bethlehem - Ma'an - A total of 142,504 tourists visited Palestinian hotels in the fourth quarter of 2009, more than double the third quarter numbers, a report from the Palestinian Central Bureau of Statistics released Tuesday said. In December of 2009 there were a total of 97 operating hotels, offering 4,986 rooms with a total available bed number of 11,042. Thirty three of the hotels were in Jerusalem. The overall number of hotels increased from 2008, when PCBS recorded a total of 82 with 26 in Jerusalem. The average number of workers increased by 17% over 2008, while the number of guests was up 21% over the previous year. During the fourth quarter 2009, the total number of guests in in Palestinian hotels reached 142,504, of which 11% were Palestinian, 37% from European Union countries.
Barak to U.S.: Impose new Iran nuclear sanctions
Ha'aretz 25 Feb 2010 - In meet with Defense Sec. Gates, Barak says Hezbollah arming for the sole purpose of harming civilians.
IDF soldier attacked, stripped of his rifle in North
Ha'aretz 25 Feb 2010 - Police suspects soldier was accosted by 2 men while hitchhiking in road near northern town of Kiryat Shmona.
Netanyahu: 'Heritage' list won't change West Bank status quo
Ha'aretz 25 Feb 2010 - PM says outrage over addition of West Bank shrines to list of heritage sites stems from a 'misunderstanding.'
'Hamas leader killed in Dubai used multiple passports in arms deals'
Ha'aretz 25 Feb 2010 - Confidant of al-Mabhouh, killed last month in Dubai, says he supplied money and arms to Hamas.
Dubai hit did not affect intel ties, Israel official says
Ha'aretz 25 Feb 2010 - Former CIA official says January assassination of Hamas strongman will not effect Mossad ties.
Iranian threat to destroy Israel doesn't hold up
Ha'aretz 25 Feb 2010 - Israel needs to internalize the insight that all talk about an Iranian bomb is irrational and meaningless.
Army police winds down Gaza human shields investigation
Ha'aretz 25 Feb 2010 - Inquiry finds no basis for claims that IDF troops hid behind noncombatants during Operation Cast Lead.
The predicament of Palestinian workers in Israel
Uruknet February 25, 2010 - The Palestinian economy is in a state of total collapse with a 31% rate of unemployment in the West Bank. As a result, despite the difficult circumstances they face, the number of Palestinians seeking work inside Israel is increasing. Of the approximately one million Palestinian workers living in the West Bank, only a small number are...
Four decades of occupation in Hebron
Uruknet February 25, 2010 - I have been to Hebron three times, but each visit was like entering a different city. In May of 1967, the entire West Bank including Hebron was under Jordanian rule. A Palestinian family living in Jerusalem had invited me to visit their village south of Hebron, where they owned acres of land with olive trees they'd...
Researcher claims that Israel experiments on prisoners, causes cancer
Uruknet February 25, 2010 - The Israeli occupation forces have been accused by a Palestinian Researcher of carrying out "thousands of experiments on Palestinian prisoners every year" which have lead to an increase in the number diagnosed with cancer. The specialist in Palestinian prisoners' affairs, Abdul Naser Ferwana, himself a former prisoner of the Israelis, claims that "more than five thousand...
Knesset criminalises the commemoration of the "Nakba"
Uruknet February 25, 2010 - A new law in Israel makes it a crime to commemorate what Palestinians call the "Nakba", the "catastrophe" of their dispossession by the creation of the Zionist state in 1948. The Knesset, Israel's parliament, has passed "The Nakba Draft Law" after just one reading. Penalties will be imposed on anyone showing signs of sadness and mourning...
Former PA minister among 5 hurt in Hebron clashes
Uruknet February 25, 2010 – Clashes erupted in the West Bank city of Hebron on Thursday, as hundreds of Palestinians protested a declaration that the Ibrahimi Mosque is an Israeli heritage site. At least five Palestinians were hospitalized, medics said, while others were seen receiving treatment for tear-gas inhalation on site. Among the injured was Mustafa Barghouthi, a former information minister...
German Jews prepare solidarity aid ship to Gaza
Uruknet February 25, 2010 - As groups and organizations across Europe plan for a solidarity flotilla of aid ships to Gaza, the organizing includes a group of Jews in Germany, some of them Holocaust survivors, who hope to show their support for the people of Gaza with their humanitarian aid ship. In their press release, the group states, "We are a...
Medics: Man shot by Israeli forces east of Gaza City
Uruknet February 25, 2010 - Gaza – Ma'an – Israeli forces operating east of the Ash-Shuja'iyeh neighborhood of Gaza City shot and wounded a Palestinian man, medics in the Ash-Shifa Hospital said. Muawiya Hassanein, head of emergency and ambulance services in Gaza, said the unidentified man was moderately injured. The Israeli military had no immediate comment on the report...
Israel's new war on Islamic sites
Uruknet February 25, 2010 - In a move that appears to be a celebration of the 16th anniversary of the massacre of 29 worshippers by the terrorist Baruch Goldstein, the Israeli government has proclaimed that the Ibrahimi Mosque in Khalil (Hebron) and Masjid Bilal ibn Rabah (mosque) in Bethlehem are "Jewish Heritage sites". Goldstein, an American-born Israeli settler who served as...
One Friday Morning in Occupied Palestine – The Ibrahimi Mosque Massacre 25.02.1994
Uruknet February 25, 2010 - ...It was a Friday in the month of Ramadan, so hundreds of Palestinians had gone to the Ibrahimi mosque for the dawn prayer. At around 5 am, and as the worshippers were kneeling in prayer, Zionist colonist Baruch Goldstein, a leader of the fanatic terror movement Kach, who was hiding behind one of the pillar, started...
NYT, Ethan Bronner and Conflicts of Interest
Uruknet February 24, 2010 - A recent assignment of mine covering Israel's presumed links to the assassination of Hamas leader Mahmoud al-Mabhouh provoked some more thoughts about the New York Times reporter Ethan Bronner. He is the Jerusalem bureau chief who has been at the centre of a controversy since it was revealed last month that his son is serving in...
Harvard Professor's Modest Proposal: Starve the Gazans into Having Fewer Babies
Uruknet February 24, 2010 - Martin Kramer revealed his true colors at the Herzliya Conference, wherein he blamed political violence in the Muslim world on population growth, called for that growth to be restrained, and praised the illegal and unconscionable Israeli blockade of civilian Gazans for its effect on reducing the number of Gazans...It is shocking that Kramer, who has made...
The Abraham Mosque of Hebron
Uruknet February 24, 2010 - I was 12 years old when my family forced to move from Hebron, on 1977. I don't know if I was lucky or not, as I was born in this historical holy city, which is located in the south of the West Bank (WB). I was born in the old city, very close to the Abraham...
Raed Salah sentenced to prison by the Israeli occupation
25 Feb 2010 - Palestine, Feb. 25, 2010 (Pal Telegraph)- The Israeli Jerusalem's Court of Magistrates has sentenced Raed Salah, the prominent Palestinian leader, to prison on January 13, 2010. Salah is one of the most renowned leaders of the 1948's Palestinians (i.e. located in the Palestinian territories occupied since 1948).
Tension to mount in Hebron due to Israeli measures
25 Feb 2010 - West Bank, Feb. 25, 2010 (Pal Telegraph)- Israeli occupation forces are gearing up in Hebron in anticipation of clashes with the Palestinians marking the 20th anniversary of Al-Haram Al-Ibrahimi massacre, which coincides with Israel's decision to add the mosque to its Jewish national heritage. The massacre was carried out on the fifteenth day of Ramadan, when the Jewish terrorist Baruch...
Egypt building military towers on border with Gaza
25 Feb 2010 - Gaza Strip, Feb. 25, 2010 (Pal Telegraph)- Egypt building military towers on border with Gaza Egyptian authorities began on Wednesday evening to build fortified military towers along the border with the Gaza Strip. It was reported that the Egyptian army, before the middle of the night, brought in military iron towers into Al-Salam and Yebna areas, south of Rafah. Huge...
Israel kidnaps 20 Palestinians in West Bank
25 Feb 2010 - West Bank, Feb. 25, 2010 (Pal Telegraph)- Israeli occupation forces launched at dawn on Thursday a raid and search campaign in different areas of the occupied West Bank, during which more than 20 Palestinians were kidnapped Israeli Yediot Ahronot, on its website, said that Israeli army launched at dawn today a wide search and arrest campaign in different cities of...
IOF detains 2 reporters in Hebron
24 Feb 2010 - West Bank, Feb. 24, 2010 (Pal Telegraph)- Some Israeli intelligence agents briefly detained on Wednesday morning two reporters: Hassan Al-Rjoub, SAFA's reporter, and Awad Al-Rjoub, Al-Jazeera's reporter, during an Israeli raid on Ras al-Jura area in the center of Hebron in the West Bank. It was reported that members of the Israeli intelligence and occupation army deleted the images from the men's...
IOF kidnaps 11 Palestinians in West Bank
24 Feb 2010 - West Bank, February 24, 2010 (Pal Telegraph) - Israeli occupation forces launched on a dawn raid today in different cities of the West Bank and detained 11 Palestinians. In one incident, the IOF closed Hawara checkpoint to the south of Nablus and detained a citizen and seized dozens of vehicles. Eyewitnesses in Nablus said that the Israeli forces stopped a...
Israel conducts limited incursion in northern Khan Younis
24 Feb 2010 - Gaza Strip, Feb. 24, 2010 (Pal Telegraph)- Several Israeli military vehicles partly penetrated on Wednesday morning the Al-Amour area in Khan Younis, amid sporadic shooting towards the Palestinian farmers. Eyewitnesses reported five Israeli armored vehicles, four bulldozers and three jeeps, which penetrated about 250 meters to the north of the Sufa Crossing and stopped in the Al-Amour area. The witnesses...
IOF sets up checkpoints in Jenin
24 Feb 2010 - West Bank, February 24, 2010 (Pal Telegraph) - Israeli occupation forces raided Jenin after midnight this morning, also carrying out a training operation and setting up checkpoints. Eyewitnesses told the SAFA news agency that Israeli occupation forces were stationed in the western mountains of Jenin and did not break into any houses or make arrests, indicating it was a military...
IOF attacks Beit Lahia in north Gaza
24 Feb 2010 - Gaza Strip, Feb. 24, 2010 (Pal Telegraph)- A number of Israeli military vehicles penetrated partly on early Wednesday the areas adjacent to the town of Beit Lahia in the northern Gaza Strip. Local sources said that 2 Israeli vehicles suddenly struck the liberated zone 'Dugit', to the north of Beit Lahia town, and began razing lands. Recently, Israel has escalated...
Israeli protesters stop fuel from entering Gaza, calling for Shalit release
24 Feb 2010 - Gaza, February 24, 2010 (Pal Telegraph) -- Activists seeking the release of Israeli soldier Gilad Shalit blocked fuel tankers from entering Gaza Tuesday, witnesses said. The protesters, including Shalit's father, Noam Shalit, held banners urging Gazans to pressure Hamas into releasing the soldier, kidnapped June 25, 2006, in a cross-border raid. "Hamas is deceiving you and keeping you in the...
Palestinians clash with Israelis over holy sites
The National 25 Feb 2010 - Around 100 Palestinians clash with Israeli troops in the West Bank over a plan to renovate two deeply contested holy sites in the occupied territory.
Tehran aims to mobilise regional allies at Syria talks
The National 25 Feb 2010 - Ahmadinejad is to meet with Syria, Hizbollah and Hamas in Damascus as a show of strength in the face of growing international pressure.
Are serious Mideast negotiations around the corner?
Palestine Note 25 Feb 2010 - Palestinians and many others around the world are trying to figure out whether the current US-backed push to restart Mideast talks will lead to serious negotiations or will it be just another act that leads nowhere....