palashcbiswas,
gostokanan, sodepur, kolkata-700110 phone:033-25659551
From: Shadi Fadda <f_shadi@yahoo.com>
To: president@whitehouse.gov
Cc: enquiry@dfid.gov.uk; inquiries@un.org
Sent: Monday, 20 July, 2009 23:27:46
Subject: [Peoples War] Today in Palestine! ~ Headlines July 20, 2009 ~
Land Theft and Destruction
Palestinian home and olive tree destroyed by settlers in At-Tuwani
AT-TUWANI: On the morning of 17 July, a Palestinian family from the village of At-Tuwani discovered that their newly constructed house was destroyed during the previous night. In addition, the family discovered an olive tree located near the new house cut in half. The family believes that Israel settlers from the Ma'on settlement and Havot Ma'on outpost are responsible for the vandalism. Despite being threatened by both settlers and officers from the Israel military District Coordinator (DCO), the family plans to rebuild the house.
http://palsolidarit y.org/2009/ 07/7702
Outposts demolished, Palestinian fields torched
Settlers respond to evacuation of buildings, demolition of caravan in illegal West Bank outposts by setting fire to fields near Yitzhar. Palestinians report of injuries from stone throwing in Hawara.
http://www.ynetnews .com/articles/ 0,7340,L- 3749336,00. html
Dozens protest east Jerusalem eviction plans
East Jerusalemites, Jewish and Arab politicians and activists gather at home of Sheikh Jarrah resident to protest planned eviction. City Council member says government trying to Judaize area.
http://www.ynetnews .com/articles/ 0,7340,L- 3748980,00. html
While the US and Israel spar over settlements, Israel continues ethnic cleansing in Jerusalem
We've been following the news today that Israel has rejected the Obama's administration' s demand to halt settlement expansion in East Jerusalem. Although this disagreement is taking place behind closed doors here in the US, in Israel/Palestine it is unfolding in the streets of East Jerusalem as Palestinian families fight to stay in their homes. And don't forget there is a very clear US connection here. The settlement in question is being funded by the American casino tycoon Irving Moskowitz.
http://www.philipwe iss.org/mondowei ss/2009/07/ while-the- us-and-israel- spar-in-dc- israel-continues -ethnic-cleansin g-in-jerusalem. html
Abbas: Israel trying to Judaicize East Jerusalem
Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas on Sunday accused Israel of destroying the Islamic and Christian character of Jerusalem, following Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's rejection of a U.S. demand to halt a proposed housing project in East Jerusalem.
http://www.haaretz. com/hasen/ spages/1101542. html
Violence and Aggression and Siege Related Deaths
Two Palestinians suffocate in Gaza tunnel (AFP)
AFP - Two Palestinians suffocated to death in a smuggling tunnel between Gaza and Egypt, medics and witnesses said on Monday.
http://us.rd. yahoo.com/ dailynews/ rss/mideast/ *http://news. yahoo.com/ s/afp/20090720/ wl_mideast_ afp/mideastconfl ictgazatunnel
Palestinian killed on Gaza border
A Palestinian is killed and two are injured in incidents on the border between Israel and Gaza, Israeli and Palestinian sources say.
http://news. bbc.co.uk/ go/rss/-/ 2/hi/middle_ east/8159259. stm
Settlers attack Palestinians following outpost evacuation
Israeli settlers on horseback set fire on Monday to at least 1,500 Palestinian- owned olive trees in the West Bank as others stoned cars, a Palestinian security official said. The incident occurred hours after security forces razed a number of structures built in unauthorized outposts in the West Bank. Two Palestinian motorists were lightly wounded and five vehicles damaged near the settlement of Yitzhar, outside the Palestinian town of Nablus, said the official, Ghassan Daglas.
http://www.haaretz. com/hasen/ spages/1101547. html
Israel shoots and detains Palestinian youth at Gaza border
Israeli forces at the Gaza border shot a Palestinian teenager in his foot and proceeded to detain him, on Sunday evening.
http://www.imemc. org/article/ 61157
Palestinian farmer boy injured by shrapnel
Interview with a 16 year old Palestinian farmer who got injured by shrapnel, above his eye, on the 15th of July while working about 500 meters from the Green Line between the areas of Abassan Jedida and Al Faraheen, in Gaza Strip.
http://palsolidarit y.org/2009/ 07/7728
Palestinian and Israeli peace activists attacked by military en route to Hebron protest
A group of Palestinian and Israeli activists traveling to the village of Beit Ummar, near Hebron, were attacked by Israeli forces while en route. Three were injured and nine were detained by the soldiers for hours, and were unable to reach the area where they had planned to protest on Saturday.
http://www.imemc. org/article/ 61152
Detention
The Israeli military kidnaps seven civilians from several parts of the West Bank
Seven Palestinian civilians were kidnapped on Monday by the Israeli military during pre dawn invasions targeting a number of west Bank communities.
http://www.imemc. org/article/ 61159
Israeli forces raid Bil'in, arrest member of Popular Committee
At 5:30am, shortly after the Palestinian and international solidarity activists returned to their houses after patrolling the village all night, villagers gave the alert that four Israeli military jeeps were driving toward the village. Shortly thereafter, Israeli soldiers raided the house of Abd Al Fatah Bornat whose son, Muhammed Abd Al Fatah Bornat (age 21), they had arrested at 2am on July 17, 2009. His brother is also wanted by the occupation forces, but he was not at home this morning. The army left that home without making any arrests.
http://palsolidarit y.org/2009/ 07/7743
Israel jails a Palestinian for being a security officer at the Palestinian Authority
An Israeli court decided on Monday to jail a Palestinian man from Jerusalem for being a security officer at the Palestinian Authority.
http://www.imemc. org/article/ 61160
Group intervenes on behalf of boy held without charge since 2008
Ma`an - " Defence for Children International (DCI), said in a report filed on 16 July that Wa'ad Al-Hidmy`s seizure "constitutes an arbitrary detention in contravention of international law." The boy was 16 at the time of his arrest... Administrative detention is detention without charge or trial and is often based on "secret evidence." Israeli Military Order 1591 empowers commanders to detain Palestinians, including children as young as 12, for up to six months."
http://www.maannews .net/eng/ ViewDetails. aspx?ID=212926
Report: Israel arrested 12,000 Palestinian women since 1967
Ramallah, July 18, 2009, (Ramattan)- Palestinian local report Saturday revealed that the Israeli Occupation Forces arrested 12,000 Palestinian women since the occupation of the occupied Palestinian territory in 1967.
http://english. ramattan. net/newsdetails. aspx?news_ id=40576
Hamas to free 20 Fatah prisoners
GAZA, July 20 (Xinhua) -- The deposed Hamas government in the Gaza Strip on Monday announced it would free 20 prisoners loyal to Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas as a goodwill gesture.
http://news. xinhuanet. com/english/ 2009-07/20/ content_11739382 .htm
War Crimes and Humanitarian Issues
Why Some Israeli Troops Are Disillusioned by Gaza Tactics
Israeli combatants in the Gaza war against Hamas were told by commanders to minimize their own casualties even if it meant risking the lives of Palestinian civilians, a group of Israeli soldiers have alleged.
http://abcnews. go.com/Internati onal/story? id=8109249
Al-Jazeera Video: Day camps help bring Gaza's traumatised children back on track - 19 Jul 09
Almost half the people who live in Gaza are children and according to relief workers, many have been traumatised by Israel's siege and war on the strip. With summer camps set up across Gaza, a combination of play and therapy is being used to help children deal with what they have seen and lost. Al Jazeera's Sherine Tadros spent a day at one camp and sent this report.
http://www.youtube. com/watch? v=vV7bY8DBeYs
Israeli Discrimination and Racism
IDF prevents Palestinian youth from trip to sea
Machsom Watch plans 'fun day' for 50 West Bank kids at Bat Yam beach, Civil Administration approves names of all but one, citing 'security reasons'. Organization recruits some local celebrities to sign petition to make 15-year-old Ahmad's wish come true.
http://www.ynetnews .com/articles/ 0,7340,L- 3749117,00. html
Stuck behind the Wall, Palestinian students in Bethlehem face a limited future
Antony Loewenstein writes from East Jerusalem: "Signs of Hope Emerge in the West Bank" was a headline in the New York Times on 16 July. On the same day, the London Guardian headlined a similar story, "Allure of normal life triumphs in West Bank 'ghost town'". Both pieces featured the same photo, a new cinema in Nablus. The message was clear. Reduced checkpoints, major cities encouraging business and greater freedom of movement have lifted the spirits of the Palestinians. Nader Elawy, manager of the Nablus Cinema City, told the Times: "We now have law and order. You can really feel the change."
http://www.philipwe iss.org/mondowei ss/2009/07/ loewenstein- bethlehem. html
PA Collaboration
PA forces shoot two Hamas men at refugee camp
Bethlehem - Ma'an/Agencies - Palestinian Authority (PA) security forces shot two Hamas affiliates during an arrest raid into the Ramallah-area Al-Jalazoun Refugee Camp on Sunday afternoon, Reuters reported. The news agency quoted a security source who said that fighting broke out when residents tried to prevent the arrest of 37-year-old Halil Ali, who was nevertheless ultimately taken into custody.
http://www.maannews .net/eng/ ViewDetails. aspx?ID=213193
Hamas: PA arrests five West Bank members
Bethlehem – Ma'an – Fatah-allied Palestinian Authority forces arrested five Hamas members in the West Bank on Sunday night, the Islamic movement said. Hamas claimed in a statement that "the five affiliates were seized from the districts of Qalqiliya, Tulkarem and Jenin." On Saturday night PA forces shot two Hamas supporters in Jazaloun Refugee Camp, north of the city of Ramallah during an arrest raid, according to witnesses. The PA claimed that its officers fired in the air after people in the camp threw stones at them.
http://www.maannews .net/eng/ ViewDetails. aspx?ID=213349
Political Developments
Elections will heal Palestinian divide: Abbas (AFP)
AFP - President Mahmud Abbas said on Monday that the way to resolve the internal Palestinian impasse was to hold simultaneous parliamentary and presidential elections.
http://us.rd. yahoo.com/ dailynews/ rss/mideast/ *http://news. yahoo.com/ s/afp/20090720/ wl_mideast_ afp/mideastpolit icspalestinian
Hamas rejects Abbas' call for immediate elections
RAMALLAH, July 20 (Xinhua) -- Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas on Monday urged the Islamic Hamas movement to accept immediate general elections to help reunite the Palestinians, a proposal promptly rejected by Hamas.
http://news. xinhuanet. com/english/ 2009-07/20/ content_11739963 .htm
Jordan asks Qaddoumi to leave its soil
The Israeli Radio reported that the Jordanian Authorities had officially asked senior Palestinian Liberation Organization (PLO) official, Farouq Qaddoumi, to leave Jordan after his last Sunday statements regarding a plot that 'led to assassination of Yasser Arafat.
http://www.imemc. org/article/ 61149
Week in review - Fateh discord overshadows unity efforts
Just as representatives of Hamas and Fateh were meeting today in Cairo to try yet again to reach an agreement on unresolved issues between the two rival parties, Fateh is still reeling from the latest outburst among its ranks that has left serious repercussions. While the Cairo meeting is mainly to discuss politically- motivated arrests, which both sides accuse the other of carrying out in the West Bank and Gaza, neither side is very optimistic about reaching an agreement that would lead to national unity.
http://www.reliefwe b.int/rw/ rwb.nsf/db900SID /MYAI-7U42RT? OpenDocument
Sabri issues edict prohibiting alternative homeland, exchange of lands
Sheikh Ekrema Sabri, the Khatib (preacher) of the Aqsa Mosque has issued an edict prohibiting accepting an alternative homeland for Palestine and the exchange of lands.
http://www.palestin e-info.co. uk/En/default. aspx?xyz= U6Qq7k%2bcOd87MD I46m9rUxJEpMO% 2bi1s7FJr5Hu41IS hMB2MuIAfbqaLA96 YMoz4azLmmrG% 2fdydLkY3Vd1Y% 2birMFq6o9E2fmmB wh1zekvHceXy8GuF FCRkMH3unInBViZ7 0JDDFefM88% 3d
Swiss FM defends Hamas meeting (AFP)
AFP - Foreign Minister Micheline Calmy-Rey on Sunday defended Switzerland' s decision to meet with a Hamas delegation, saying the militant Palestinian group is "an important player" in the Middle East.
http://us.rd. yahoo.com/ dailynews/ rss/mideast/ *http://news. yahoo.com/ s/afp/20090719/ wl_mideast_ afp/mideastpales tinianswitzerlan dhamas
Ministers: Netanyahu, Obama have their wires crossed
Solidarity/Activism /Boycott, Sanctions and Divestment
Why we will not stop sending boats
These seven photos from the BBC clearly show why the Free Gaza movement will continue to send boats. The Palestinians of Gaza do not want handouts from the world. They want their freedom and they want the right to rebuild their shattered economy, shattered because Israel bombed them into the 18th century with the help of American money and support. This "Silence of Shame" from the Americans, all of us, constitutes a willingness to participate in Israeli war crimes. It is up to us to contact our representatives, the President of the U.S., and our media to express our outrage over the slow-motion genocide of 1.5 million civilians in Gaza, enabled because we pay for it.
http://news. bbc.co.uk/ 2/hi/middle_ east/8154275. stm
http://www.freegaza .org/en/home/ 56-news/1022- why-we-will- not-stop- sending-boats
Prof. Norman Finkelstein's Call For Breaking Israel's Deadly Gaza Seige!
This is recent interview with Prof. Norman Finkelstein outlining plans for a demonstration involving 5,000 internationals and 500,000 Palestinians marching on an Israeli checkpoint to impose International Law. Prof. Finkelstein suggests that honorary grand marshals for the event could be people like Nelson Mandela, Jimmy Carter, and Noam Chomsky.
http://intifada- palestine. com/2009/ 07/18/prof- norman-finkelste ins-call- for-breaking- israels-deadly- gaza-seige/
Deshelving Israeli Goods at Trader Joe's
Over 30 activists in Oakland and San Francisco participated in National Don't Buy Into Apartheid Day on June 20, 2009.
http://www.youtube. com/watch? v=yN1-OUP62CQ
Analysis/Op- ed/Misc
Israeli Settlers Versus the Palestinians
In a hilltop suburb South of Jerusalem called Efrat, Sharon Katz serves a neat plate of sliced cake inside her five-bedroom house, surrounded by pomegranate, olive and citrus trees that she planted herself. She glances out the window at the hills where, she believes, David and Abraham once walked. "We are living in the biblical heartland," she sighs.
http://www.. time.com/ time/magazine/ article/0, 9171,1910975, 00.html?iid= tsmodule
Obama: 'Don't build there.' Netanyahu: 'Forget about It'
The public disagreement between Israel and the U.S. over continued settlement expansion in the West Bank and Jerusalem has heated up considerably today. At a cabinet meeting on Sunday, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu publicly rejected the Obama administration' s request for a halt to construction of a planned settlement in Sheik Jarrah, located in Israeli occupied East Jerusalem.
http://www.philipwe iss.org/mondowei ss/2009/07/ obama-to- netanyahu- dont-build- here-netanyahu- forget-about- it.html
Shameless Israel lobbyist Makovsky (again) puts himself forward as Palestinian spokesman
This is important. Gosh I wish I had the power to prick this balloon...Yesterday on her blog, Helena Cobban noted that David Makovsky, Israel lobbyist par excellence at the Washington Institute for Near East Policy and co-author of a recent book on resolving the conflict (along with Dennis Ross, the Israel lobbyist/catspaw in State), had put himself forward as a spokesman for the Palestinians in a panel at the U.S. Institute for Peace last Wednesday.
http://www.philipwe iss.org/mondowei ss/2009/07/ this-is-importan t-gosh-i- wish-i-could- do-something- about-it- yesterday- on-her-blog- helena-cobban- noted-that- david-makovsky. html
'Peace Now' speaker says settler violence is 'political.. . terrorism'
To fully understand the report from the West Bank above, consider what Helena Cobban reported from Washington today, from an Israeli lawyer, Michael Sfard (speaking at the New America Foundation and co-sponsored by Americans for Peace Now), saying that there's method to the settlers' madness.
http://www.philipwe iss.org/mondowei ss/2009/07/ to-fully- understand- the-report- from-the- west-bank- above-consider- what-helena- cobban-reported- from-washington- today-from- an.html
Akiva Eldar / What Netanyahu wants from Obama's 'self-hating Jews'
Who is to blame for the latest dispute with the United States over the new neighborhood going up in Jerusalem's Sheikh Jarrah area? Mayor Nir Barkat? Certainly not. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, who stood behind him? Ridiculous. Any child knows that everything is the fault of other Jews: Rahm Emanuel and David Axelrod, two American administration officials who are inciting President Barack Obama against their own people.
http://www.haaretz. com/hasen/ spages/1101415. html
Mordechai Vanunu's Ongoing Ordeal
Vanunu's most recent tribulations began on January 25, 2006, when he was convicted by the Jerusalem Magistrates Court of 15 violations of a military order that prohibited him from talking to non-Israelis and for attempting to leave the state [he has no passport] by taking a cab from Jerusalem to Bethlehem to attend Christmas Eve mass at the Church of the Nativity in 2004-his first since he was released from 18 years-most all of it in solitary-from Ashkeleon prison.
http://dissidentvoi ce.org/2009/ 07/mordechai- vanunus-ongoing- ordeal/
Outlawing anti-racism?
The zios are at it again with an attempt to outlaw condemnation of the State of Israel. I saw this coming some time ago with the European Union Monitoring Committee's ludicrous and anti-Jewish definition of antisemitism that includes likening zionism to nazism or the State of Israel to nazi Germany and accusing Israel of the crime of apartheid. It also says that it is antisemitic to deny the Jewish people the right to self-determination which is effectively saying that it is antisemitic to say that Jews are not allowed to get away with ethnic cleansing and exclusive Jewish sovereignty over a territory that most Jews don't come from.
http://jewssansfron tieres.blogspot. com/2009/ 07/outlawing- anti-racism. html
Leaving Israel
Emily Hauser, who has moved between Israel and the U.S., writes a stirring piece about why she's throwing herself back into Palestine/Israel issues. Her story reminds me of all the Americans who moved to Israel after '67. And now the reverse is happening. Go to her blog to read the more hopeful conclusion.
http://www.philipwe iss.org/mondowei ss/2009/07/ emily-hauser- writes-a- moving-piece- about-why- shes-throwing- herself-back- into-palestineis rael-issues- heres-part- of-her-menta. html
A day in the West Bank shows 'the soldiers are settlers but in uniform. They both symbolize the occupation.'
The occupation can seem predictably mundane from a distance. To most Israelis the settlement project is seen as a problem, but a problem happening "over there" and utterly removed from their lives. Rampaging settlers are viewed occasionally on television. Violent Palestinians are seen to resist for no apparent reason. The international community and Barack Obama are protesting the illegal outposts and ongoing colonial project in the West Bank with polls suggesting that many Israelis are opposed to this apparently unfair pressure.
http://www.philipwe iss.org/mondowei ss/2009/07/ a-day-in- the-west- bank-shows- the-soldiers- are-settlers- but-in-uniform- they-both- symbolize- the-occupa. html
Empowering the powerless
PLO: History of a Revolution is a six-part series that tells the turbulent story of the Palestinian struggle for a national home. In the following account, Al Jazeera's senior Middle East analyst explains the origins of the Palestinian armed struggle.
http://english. aljazeera. net/programmes/ plohistoryofrevo lution/2009/ 07/2009714627222 54919.html
Obama and Palestine: Standing for Something, Falling for Anything?, By Alan Sabrosky
Young Police Cadets, Young Police Cadets, There's an American country song that goes "You've got to stand for something, or you'll fall for anything." So far, President Obama's words show he stands for something. But where Palestine and Israel are concerned, his actions show he'll apparently fall for anything, at least if there is enough pressure from the Jewish lobby behind it., Obama's instincts are good, and intellectually he understands the problem, but emotionally he doesn't appear to feel it. So I'm going to try to convey the issue's dynamics differently.
http://intifada- palestine. com/2009/ 07/19/obama- and-palestine- standing- for-something- falling-for- anything/
Tablet Profiles Me (and suggests I'm on Obama's enemies list)
According to Tablet, I am "the YouTube Michael Moore." Never heard that one before. Allison Hoffman, writer for the new Jewish magazine, Tablet (the Jewish Slate, which is slightly redundant), has just published a profile of me and my video work. Allison leads by claiming I am a liability to my father and may be the real reason why the Obama White House scuttled his State Department appointment. She does not back this claim up with any evidence, probably because there is none to support it. This says as much about her editors as it does about her journalistic acumen. Why didn't her editors demand that she at least supply one piece of evidence before going to press?
http://maxblumentha l.com/2009/ 07/tablet- profiles- me-and-suggests- im-on-obamas- enemies-list/
The painful cost to Israel of its settler adventure
But in a real sense, it is precisely the question of the moment. Why, in fact, should settlers be made to pay the price for peace?
The answer, in short: Because of what the settlement movement has cost us, cost Israel.. And because of what it is costing Israel now.
http://www.haaretz. com/hasen/ spages/1101538. html
Mazin Qumsiyeh - A crazy world?
The old Hebron to Jerusalem (now Hebron-to-wall- near Bethlehem) road was lined up with perhaps over 200 armed special forces. These are not Israeli but Palestinian "security". I was going to pick a friend at Dheisheh Refugee camp to eat Knafah (a Palestinian sweet). Every 10 meters (30 ft) for a stretch of over a mile there was one of those security men. Young people 18-24 years old. The "Palestinian Authority" spends most of its budget not on healthcare or education or any other item but on security. We were told President Abbas is coming to the area (either to the headquarters in AlMuqata'a or to the "Presidential Palace" in Artas area very near an Israeli settlement). After the big motorcade the streets had all been cleared of parked cars. The police were slow to let the original traffic reopen and for cars to park again. At the Knafa shop, we had to struggle to get parking and I think it happened only after the owner gave free Knafa to the policemen on duty. No one knows why streets are closed or what is the occasion for the visits of such dignitaries to our little town of Bethlehem (aka Ghetto 12). After the Knafa we visited the besieged village of Tqu' just two miles southwest of Bethlehem and we saw the desperation of these villages which get no presidential visits.
http://palestinethi nktank.com/ 2009/07/20/ mazin-qumsiyeh- a-crazy-world/
'ziggit', fed-up
The pressure keeps building in Gaza. The siege, people locked in with no relief, no escape and no way of escaping the daily problems for even some hours, no real life, no future plans, no fun…They live under invasions, attacks, the taunting of F-16s flying over Gaza's small surface. And people anticipate the next attacks.
http://ingaza. wordpress. com/2009/ 07/19/to- be-ziggit- fed-up/
Einkarem1948' s photostream
http://www.flickr. com/photos/ einkarem1948/
PLO: History of a Revolution - Black September - 20 Jul 09
In the second episode of this six-part series, Al Jazeera looks at the events that led to the PLO's expulsion from Jordan and the birth of the Black September Organisation.
http://www.youtube. com/watch? v=DShud_iyX9s
In 'Heart of Jenin,' injustice finds bromides
The Heart of Jenin, which appeared on PBS ten days ago, belongs to 12-year-old Ahmed Khatib, shot by the IDF, and to his father, Ismail Khatib, who in his misery over his beloved son's death, chose to donate Ahmed's organs so that six Israelis might live. The film shows Ismail's pain transformed into generosity: we see his tenderness to the children who live because of his child's organs, his gentle hands stroking their heads, his sensitive face mingling suffering and compassion. Heart of Jenin poignantly follows a soul loving other children while grieving for his own lost boy.
http://www.philipwe iss.org/mondowei ss/2009/07/ the-divine- -image-pbss- wide-angle- narrows-heart- of-jenin- to-zionist- line----- ---and-all- must-love- the-human- form.html
Ali Jabri retrospective: a life recorded in sketchbooks
Ali Jabri locked his paintings in a trunk. It had been more than 20 years since the artist had opened it, but after he was murdered in his Amman, Jordan apartment in December 2002 his friends decided it was time to tell Jabri's tale. Six years in the making, Fadi Ghandour, a philanthropist and friend of Jabri's, set up a foundation to document and preserve the late artist's work. In a home Jabri had wished to one day own, the Ali Jabri Human Heritage Foundation was launched in Amman. Sousan Hammad reports for The Electronic Intifada.
http://electronicin tifada.net/ v2/article10638. shtml
As the Palestinian world turns
RAMALLAH, West Bank — Soap operas usually block out scenes with two cameras, one for each of the glaring opponents. The editor switches between each actor as they snarl and sneer. As for the plot, you can tune in every few months and nothing seems to have changed. Sorry, did I write "soap operas?" I meant to type "current Palestinian politics."
http://www.globalpo st.com/dispatch/ israel-and- palestine/ 090713/palestini an-politics
Lebanon
Another Israeli spy arrested in Lebanon
Lebanese intelligence forces have arrested another man on suspicion of spying for Israel amid an anti-espionage crackdown in the country. The man identified as Kamal Assaf was arrested in the southern region of Bekaa valley on charges of spying for Israel's notorious intelligence agency, Mossad on Saturday, Naharnet reported.
http://www.presstv. ir/detail. aspx?id=101072
Lebanese villagers prevent UN search for 'weapons depot'
A Lebanese security official says residents of a southern village have prevented UN peacekeeping forces from searching an abandoned building near a suspected Hezbollah weapons depot that recently exploded.
http://archive. gulfnews. com/region/ Lebanon/10332767 .html
Bint Jbeil expats give their town American treatment
Walking through the streets of Bint Jbeil, one is likely to hear bangs and booms, but it has nothing to do with war. It's the music of post-war construction. Clouds of dust disappear around the town to reveal tall slabs of concrete frames for new homes, piles of white stone, tractors, bulldozers and Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah's wide grin peeking out at you from every corner.
http://www.dailysta r.com.lb/ article.asp? edition_id= 1&categ_id=1&article_id=104393
Lebanon: Tomb of Imperialism, by Carlos Latuff
http://latuff2. deviantart. com/art/Lebanon- Tomb-of-Imperial ism-129931978
Iraq
Violence kills 4 in western, northern Iraq (AP)
AP - Iraqi authorities say a car bomb has killed two police officers and injured eight civilians west of Baghdad.
http://us.rd. yahoo.com/ dailynews/ rss/iraq/ *http://news. yahoo.com/ s/ap/20090720/ ap_on_re_ mi_ea/ml_ iraq
Poverty drives Iraq organ trade
Abject poverty across Iraq is fuelling an illegal trade in human organs. Hundreds of people are believed to have sold kidneys and other organs through dealers in the capital, Baghdad, over the last year. Karim Hussein made the long journey from Amara, a province in the south of Iraq, to Baghdad because he was desperate for the $3,000 he would get from the sale of a kidney there.
http://english. aljazeera. net//news/ middleeast/ 2009/07/20097205 2636416787. html
In pictures: Iraqi Shia festival
http://news. bbc.co.uk/ 2/hi/in_pictures /8157377. .stm
Back to Iraq?
Don't look now, but…, by Justin Raimondo, July 20, 2009, Email This | Print This | Share This | Comment | Antiwar Forum, They were dancing in the streets: "An old man blared on a trumpet, policemen danced in the back of their pickup trucks, and a singer," reported the Los Angeles Times, "trilled in a city park, all to celebrate the new era." A description of what happened when we invaded and "liberated" a nation groaning under the boot of Saddam Hussein and his Ba'athist Party dictatorship?
http://original. antiwar.com/ justin/2009/ 07/19/back- to-iraq/
U.S. and other world news
Israel planned to assassinate Ahmadinejad: Iran
http://ca.news. yahoo.com/ s/afp/090717/ world/iran_ israel_politics_ ahmadinejad
Amir Oren / Netanyahu-Obama spat harming IDF capability on Iran
In the summer of 1990, when Saddam Hussein invaded Kuwait and the Israel Defense Forces hastily conceived a plan - without precise intelligence and with no developed, operational plans - to raid the missile sites in western Iraq that threatened Israel, Benny Gantz was the commander of the elite air force commando unit Shaldag. The military coordination with the region's overlords, the Americans, was minimal if not non-existent. Deputy chief of staff Ehud Barak expended much of his energy in maneuvering for the removal of Gen. Doron Rubin, who headed the headquarters for special operations.
http://www.haaretz. com/hasen/ spages/1101414. html
Middle East Christians hit the road
Recent attacks on six Iraq churches highlight the plight faced by Christians in the Middle East. Their populations, even in strongholds like Bethlehem, are steadily decreasing as they head for the West. At the same time, the exodus is leading to increases in foreign remittances to the region.
http://www.atimes. com/atimes/ Middle_East/ KG22Ak01. html
Egypt questions group for spreading Shiite doctrine http://www.independ ent.co.uk/ news/world/ middle-east/ saudi-film- festival- is-cancelled- in-state- crackdown- on-culture- 1753026.html
--
www.TheHeadlines. org
Palestinian home and olive tree destroyed by settlers in At-Tuwani
AT-TUWANI: On the morning of 17 July, a Palestinian family from the village of At-Tuwani discovered that their newly constructed house was destroyed during the previous night. In addition, the family discovered an olive tree located near the new house cut in half. The family believes that Israel settlers from the Ma'on settlement and Havot Ma'on outpost are responsible for the vandalism. Despite being threatened by both settlers and officers from the Israel military District Coordinator (DCO), the family plans to rebuild the house.
http://palsolidarit y.org/2009/ 07/7702
Outposts demolished, Palestinian fields torched
Settlers respond to evacuation of buildings, demolition of caravan in illegal West Bank outposts by setting fire to fields near Yitzhar. Palestinians report of injuries from stone throwing in Hawara.
http://www.ynetnews .com/articles/ 0,7340,L- 3749336,00. html
Dozens protest east Jerusalem eviction plans
East Jerusalemites, Jewish and Arab politicians and activists gather at home of Sheikh Jarrah resident to protest planned eviction. City Council member says government trying to Judaize area.
http://www.ynetnews .com/articles/ 0,7340,L- 3748980,00. html
While the US and Israel spar over settlements, Israel continues ethnic cleansing in Jerusalem
We've been following the news today that Israel has rejected the Obama's administration' s demand to halt settlement expansion in East Jerusalem. Although this disagreement is taking place behind closed doors here in the US, in Israel/Palestine it is unfolding in the streets of East Jerusalem as Palestinian families fight to stay in their homes. And don't forget there is a very clear US connection here. The settlement in question is being funded by the American casino tycoon Irving Moskowitz.
http://www.philipwe iss.org/mondowei ss/2009/07/ while-the- us-and-israel- spar-in-dc- israel-continues -ethnic-cleansin g-in-jerusalem. html
Abbas: Israel trying to Judaicize East Jerusalem
Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas on Sunday accused Israel of destroying the Islamic and Christian character of Jerusalem, following Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's rejection of a U.S. demand to halt a proposed housing project in East Jerusalem.
http://www.haaretz. com/hasen/ spages/1101542. html
Violence and Aggression and Siege Related Deaths
Two Palestinians suffocate in Gaza tunnel (AFP)
AFP - Two Palestinians suffocated to death in a smuggling tunnel between Gaza and Egypt, medics and witnesses said on Monday.
http://us.rd. yahoo.com/ dailynews/ rss/mideast/ *http://news. yahoo.com/ s/afp/20090720/ wl_mideast_ afp/mideastconfl ictgazatunnel
Palestinian killed on Gaza border
A Palestinian is killed and two are injured in incidents on the border between Israel and Gaza, Israeli and Palestinian sources say.
http://news. bbc.co.uk/ go/rss/-/ 2/hi/middle_ east/8159259. stm
Settlers attack Palestinians following outpost evacuation
Israeli settlers on horseback set fire on Monday to at least 1,500 Palestinian- owned olive trees in the West Bank as others stoned cars, a Palestinian security official said. The incident occurred hours after security forces razed a number of structures built in unauthorized outposts in the West Bank. Two Palestinian motorists were lightly wounded and five vehicles damaged near the settlement of Yitzhar, outside the Palestinian town of Nablus, said the official, Ghassan Daglas.
http://www.haaretz. com/hasen/ spages/1101547. html
Israel shoots and detains Palestinian youth at Gaza border
Israeli forces at the Gaza border shot a Palestinian teenager in his foot and proceeded to detain him, on Sunday evening.
http://www.imemc. org/article/ 61157
Palestinian farmer boy injured by shrapnel
Interview with a 16 year old Palestinian farmer who got injured by shrapnel, above his eye, on the 15th of July while working about 500 meters from the Green Line between the areas of Abassan Jedida and Al Faraheen, in Gaza Strip.
http://palsolidarit y.org/2009/ 07/7728
Palestinian and Israeli peace activists attacked by military en route to Hebron protest
A group of Palestinian and Israeli activists traveling to the village of Beit Ummar, near Hebron, were attacked by Israeli forces while en route. Three were injured and nine were detained by the soldiers for hours, and were unable to reach the area where they had planned to protest on Saturday.
http://www.imemc. org/article/ 61152
Detention
The Israeli military kidnaps seven civilians from several parts of the West Bank
Seven Palestinian civilians were kidnapped on Monday by the Israeli military during pre dawn invasions targeting a number of west Bank communities.
http://www.imemc. org/article/ 61159
Israeli forces raid Bil'in, arrest member of Popular Committee
At 5:30am, shortly after the Palestinian and international solidarity activists returned to their houses after patrolling the village all night, villagers gave the alert that four Israeli military jeeps were driving toward the village. Shortly thereafter, Israeli soldiers raided the house of Abd Al Fatah Bornat whose son, Muhammed Abd Al Fatah Bornat (age 21), they had arrested at 2am on July 17, 2009. His brother is also wanted by the occupation forces, but he was not at home this morning. The army left that home without making any arrests.
http://palsolidarit y.org/2009/ 07/7743
Israel jails a Palestinian for being a security officer at the Palestinian Authority
An Israeli court decided on Monday to jail a Palestinian man from Jerusalem for being a security officer at the Palestinian Authority.
http://www.imemc. org/article/ 61160
Group intervenes on behalf of boy held without charge since 2008
Ma`an - " Defence for Children International (DCI), said in a report filed on 16 July that Wa'ad Al-Hidmy`s seizure "constitutes an arbitrary detention in contravention of international law." The boy was 16 at the time of his arrest... Administrative detention is detention without charge or trial and is often based on "secret evidence." Israeli Military Order 1591 empowers commanders to detain Palestinians, including children as young as 12, for up to six months."
http://www.maannews .net/eng/ ViewDetails. aspx?ID=212926
Report: Israel arrested 12,000 Palestinian women since 1967
Ramallah, July 18, 2009, (Ramattan)- Palestinian local report Saturday revealed that the Israeli Occupation Forces arrested 12,000 Palestinian women since the occupation of the occupied Palestinian territory in 1967.
http://english. ramattan. net/newsdetails. aspx?news_ id=40576
Hamas to free 20 Fatah prisoners
GAZA, July 20 (Xinhua) -- The deposed Hamas government in the Gaza Strip on Monday announced it would free 20 prisoners loyal to Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas as a goodwill gesture.
http://news. xinhuanet. com/english/ 2009-07/20/ content_11739382 .htm
War Crimes and Humanitarian Issues
Why Some Israeli Troops Are Disillusioned by Gaza Tactics
Israeli combatants in the Gaza war against Hamas were told by commanders to minimize their own casualties even if it meant risking the lives of Palestinian civilians, a group of Israeli soldiers have alleged.
http://abcnews. go.com/Internati onal/story? id=8109249
Al-Jazeera Video: Day camps help bring Gaza's traumatised children back on track - 19 Jul 09
Almost half the people who live in Gaza are children and according to relief workers, many have been traumatised by Israel's siege and war on the strip. With summer camps set up across Gaza, a combination of play and therapy is being used to help children deal with what they have seen and lost. Al Jazeera's Sherine Tadros spent a day at one camp and sent this report.
http://www.youtube. com/watch? v=vV7bY8DBeYs
Israeli Discrimination and Racism
IDF prevents Palestinian youth from trip to sea
Machsom Watch plans 'fun day' for 50 West Bank kids at Bat Yam beach, Civil Administration approves names of all but one, citing 'security reasons'. Organization recruits some local celebrities to sign petition to make 15-year-old Ahmad's wish come true.
http://www.ynetnews .com/articles/ 0,7340,L- 3749117,00. html
Stuck behind the Wall, Palestinian students in Bethlehem face a limited future
Antony Loewenstein writes from East Jerusalem: "Signs of Hope Emerge in the West Bank" was a headline in the New York Times on 16 July. On the same day, the London Guardian headlined a similar story, "Allure of normal life triumphs in West Bank 'ghost town'". Both pieces featured the same photo, a new cinema in Nablus. The message was clear. Reduced checkpoints, major cities encouraging business and greater freedom of movement have lifted the spirits of the Palestinians. Nader Elawy, manager of the Nablus Cinema City, told the Times: "We now have law and order. You can really feel the change."
http://www.philipwe iss.org/mondowei ss/2009/07/ loewenstein- bethlehem. html
PA Collaboration
PA forces shoot two Hamas men at refugee camp
Bethlehem - Ma'an/Agencies - Palestinian Authority (PA) security forces shot two Hamas affiliates during an arrest raid into the Ramallah-area Al-Jalazoun Refugee Camp on Sunday afternoon, Reuters reported. The news agency quoted a security source who said that fighting broke out when residents tried to prevent the arrest of 37-year-old Halil Ali, who was nevertheless ultimately taken into custody.
http://www.maannews .net/eng/ ViewDetails. aspx?ID=213193
Hamas: PA arrests five West Bank members
Bethlehem – Ma'an – Fatah-allied Palestinian Authority forces arrested five Hamas members in the West Bank on Sunday night, the Islamic movement said. Hamas claimed in a statement that "the five affiliates were seized from the districts of Qalqiliya, Tulkarem and Jenin." On Saturday night PA forces shot two Hamas supporters in Jazaloun Refugee Camp, north of the city of Ramallah during an arrest raid, according to witnesses. The PA claimed that its officers fired in the air after people in the camp threw stones at them.
http://www.maannews .net/eng/ ViewDetails. aspx?ID=213349
Political Developments
Elections will heal Palestinian divide: Abbas (AFP)
AFP - President Mahmud Abbas said on Monday that the way to resolve the internal Palestinian impasse was to hold simultaneous parliamentary and presidential elections.
http://us.rd. yahoo.com/ dailynews/ rss/mideast/ *http://news. yahoo.com/ s/afp/20090720/ wl_mideast_ afp/mideastpolit icspalestinian
Hamas rejects Abbas' call for immediate elections
RAMALLAH, July 20 (Xinhua) -- Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas on Monday urged the Islamic Hamas movement to accept immediate general elections to help reunite the Palestinians, a proposal promptly rejected by Hamas.
http://news. xinhuanet. com/english/ 2009-07/20/ content_11739963 .htm
Jordan asks Qaddoumi to leave its soil
The Israeli Radio reported that the Jordanian Authorities had officially asked senior Palestinian Liberation Organization (PLO) official, Farouq Qaddoumi, to leave Jordan after his last Sunday statements regarding a plot that 'led to assassination of Yasser Arafat.
http://www.imemc. org/article/ 61149
Week in review - Fateh discord overshadows unity efforts
Just as representatives of Hamas and Fateh were meeting today in Cairo to try yet again to reach an agreement on unresolved issues between the two rival parties, Fateh is still reeling from the latest outburst among its ranks that has left serious repercussions. While the Cairo meeting is mainly to discuss politically- motivated arrests, which both sides accuse the other of carrying out in the West Bank and Gaza, neither side is very optimistic about reaching an agreement that would lead to national unity.
http://www.reliefwe b.int/rw/ rwb.nsf/db900SID /MYAI-7U42RT? OpenDocument
Sabri issues edict prohibiting alternative homeland, exchange of lands
Sheikh Ekrema Sabri, the Khatib (preacher) of the Aqsa Mosque has issued an edict prohibiting accepting an alternative homeland for Palestine and the exchange of lands.
http://www.palestin e-info.co. uk/En/default. aspx?xyz= U6Qq7k%2bcOd87MD I46m9rUxJEpMO% 2bi1s7FJr5Hu41IS hMB2MuIAfbqaLA96 YMoz4azLmmrG% 2fdydLkY3Vd1Y% 2birMFq6o9E2fmmB wh1zekvHceXy8GuF FCRkMH3unInBViZ7 0JDDFefM88% 3d
Swiss FM defends Hamas meeting (AFP)
AFP - Foreign Minister Micheline Calmy-Rey on Sunday defended Switzerland' s decision to meet with a Hamas delegation, saying the militant Palestinian group is "an important player" in the Middle East.
http://us.rd. yahoo.com/ dailynews/ rss/mideast/ *http://news. yahoo.com/ s/afp/20090719/ wl_mideast_ afp/mideastpales tinianswitzerlan dhamas
Ministers: Netanyahu, Obama have their wires crossed
Labor ministers say almost no direct contact exists between American president, Israeli PM, claim this is what led US to toughen stance on settlement construction.
http://www.ynetnews .com/articles/ 0,7340,L- 3749013,00. html
Netanyahu defies U.S. on East Jerusalem settlement
* U.S.. and Israel already at odds over settlement freeze
* Palestinians say Netanyahu can't have peace and settlement
* Israeli officials say U.S. protested to Israeli envoy
http://www.alertnet .org/thenews/ newsdesk/ LJ34180.htm
'No difference to U.S. between outpost, East Jerusalem construction'
The United States views East Jerusalem as no different than an illegal West Bank outpost with regard to its demand for a freeze on settlement construction, American sources have informed both Israel and the Palestinian Authority.
http://www.haaretz. com/hasen/ spages/1101353. html
Israel condemns Iran-PA meeting
Israel accuses the a senior Palestinian official of meeting with "enemies of peace" after he holds talks with Iran's foreign minister.
http://news. bbc.co.uk/ go/rss/-/ 2/hi/middle_ east/8159051. stm
Other News
PA tourism police shut down Jericho hotel
Jericho – Ma'an – Palestinian Authority police affiliated with the Ministry of Tourism and Antiquities shut down a hotel in the Jericho and Jordan Valley district on Saturday. The Hisham Palace Hotel lacked an operating license, the police said following their investigation, which was carried out alongside PA security forces.
http://www.maannews .net/eng/ ViewDetails. aspx?ID=212950
Far-right Jewish group eyes Jordan property (AFP)
AFP - An extreme-right Israeli organisation plans to coordinate the purchase of dozens of properties in Jordan by European Jews, the group's head said on Monday.
http://us.rd. yahoo.com/ dailynews/ rss/mideast/ *http://news. yahoo.com/ s/afp/20090720/ wl_mideast_ afp/mideastconfl ictisraeljordanp roperty
Women used for votes but marginalized in national dialogue creating additional split in Palestine
Bethlehem / PNN - Women are being deliberately marginalized in the struggle for Palestinian liberation, according to leftist activist Maryam Abu Daqqa. The head of the Union of Women's Committees and Popular Front member called on women's movements in Fateh and Hamas to take a stronger role in the national dialogue, despite their regular exclusion from meetings.
http://english. pnn.ps/index. php?option= com_content&task=view&id=6228
PA bid: Each clerk to donate dollar for Jerusalem
In light of Palestinian Authority's dire financial state, Parliament Member Jihad Abu Zneid submits innovative proposal: Each public servant to donate dollar for struggle against 'Judaization of Jerusalem'. Prime Minister Fayyad promises to consider proposal, says 'Jerusalem a top priority'.
http://www.ynetnews .com/articles/ 0,7340,L- 3749318,00. html
Islamic-Christian Front to compose Jerusalem dictionary
Ramallah – Ma'an – The Islamic-Christian Front in Jerusalem will compose a dictionary including all the names of archeological sites and streets of the holy city in Arabic, officials said Sunday. The campaign was announced as a response to Israel's decision to Hebraize Arabic and English road signs and sites throughout Israel.
http://www.maannews .net/eng/ ViewDetails. aspx?ID=213153
http://www.ynetnews .com/articles/ 0,7340,L- 3749013,00. html
Netanyahu defies U.S. on East Jerusalem settlement
* U.S.. and Israel already at odds over settlement freeze
* Palestinians say Netanyahu can't have peace and settlement
* Israeli officials say U.S. protested to Israeli envoy
http://www.alertnet .org/thenews/ newsdesk/ LJ34180.htm
'No difference to U.S. between outpost, East Jerusalem construction'
The United States views East Jerusalem as no different than an illegal West Bank outpost with regard to its demand for a freeze on settlement construction, American sources have informed both Israel and the Palestinian Authority.
http://www.haaretz. com/hasen/ spages/1101353. html
Israel condemns Iran-PA meeting
Israel accuses the a senior Palestinian official of meeting with "enemies of peace" after he holds talks with Iran's foreign minister.
http://news. bbc.co.uk/ go/rss/-/ 2/hi/middle_ east/8159051. stm
Other News
PA tourism police shut down Jericho hotel
Jericho – Ma'an – Palestinian Authority police affiliated with the Ministry of Tourism and Antiquities shut down a hotel in the Jericho and Jordan Valley district on Saturday. The Hisham Palace Hotel lacked an operating license, the police said following their investigation, which was carried out alongside PA security forces.
http://www.maannews .net/eng/ ViewDetails. aspx?ID=212950
Far-right Jewish group eyes Jordan property (AFP)
AFP - An extreme-right Israeli organisation plans to coordinate the purchase of dozens of properties in Jordan by European Jews, the group's head said on Monday.
http://us.rd. yahoo.com/ dailynews/ rss/mideast/ *http://news. yahoo.com/ s/afp/20090720/ wl_mideast_ afp/mideastconfl ictisraeljordanp roperty
Women used for votes but marginalized in national dialogue creating additional split in Palestine
Bethlehem / PNN - Women are being deliberately marginalized in the struggle for Palestinian liberation, according to leftist activist Maryam Abu Daqqa. The head of the Union of Women's Committees and Popular Front member called on women's movements in Fateh and Hamas to take a stronger role in the national dialogue, despite their regular exclusion from meetings.
http://english. pnn.ps/index. php?option= com_content&task=view&id=6228
PA bid: Each clerk to donate dollar for Jerusalem
In light of Palestinian Authority's dire financial state, Parliament Member Jihad Abu Zneid submits innovative proposal: Each public servant to donate dollar for struggle against 'Judaization of Jerusalem'. Prime Minister Fayyad promises to consider proposal, says 'Jerusalem a top priority'.
http://www.ynetnews .com/articles/ 0,7340,L- 3749318,00. html
Islamic-Christian Front to compose Jerusalem dictionary
Ramallah – Ma'an – The Islamic-Christian Front in Jerusalem will compose a dictionary including all the names of archeological sites and streets of the holy city in Arabic, officials said Sunday. The campaign was announced as a response to Israel's decision to Hebraize Arabic and English road signs and sites throughout Israel.
http://www.maannews .net/eng/ ViewDetails. aspx?ID=213153
Solidarity/Activism /Boycott, Sanctions and Divestment
Why we will not stop sending boats
These seven photos from the BBC clearly show why the Free Gaza movement will continue to send boats. The Palestinians of Gaza do not want handouts from the world. They want their freedom and they want the right to rebuild their shattered economy, shattered because Israel bombed them into the 18th century with the help of American money and support. This "Silence of Shame" from the Americans, all of us, constitutes a willingness to participate in Israeli war crimes. It is up to us to contact our representatives, the President of the U.S., and our media to express our outrage over the slow-motion genocide of 1.5 million civilians in Gaza, enabled because we pay for it.
http://news. bbc.co.uk/ 2/hi/middle_ east/8154275. stm
http://www.freegaza .org/en/home/ 56-news/1022- why-we-will- not-stop- sending-boats
Prof. Norman Finkelstein's Call For Breaking Israel's Deadly Gaza Seige!
This is recent interview with Prof. Norman Finkelstein outlining plans for a demonstration involving 5,000 internationals and 500,000 Palestinians marching on an Israeli checkpoint to impose International Law. Prof. Finkelstein suggests that honorary grand marshals for the event could be people like Nelson Mandela, Jimmy Carter, and Noam Chomsky.
http://intifada- palestine. com/2009/ 07/18/prof- norman-finkelste ins-call- for-breaking- israels-deadly- gaza-seige/
Deshelving Israeli Goods at Trader Joe's
Over 30 activists in Oakland and San Francisco participated in National Don't Buy Into Apartheid Day on June 20, 2009.
http://www.youtube. com/watch? v=yN1-OUP62CQ
Analysis/Op- ed/Misc
Israeli Settlers Versus the Palestinians
In a hilltop suburb South of Jerusalem called Efrat, Sharon Katz serves a neat plate of sliced cake inside her five-bedroom house, surrounded by pomegranate, olive and citrus trees that she planted herself. She glances out the window at the hills where, she believes, David and Abraham once walked. "We are living in the biblical heartland," she sighs.
http://www.. time.com/ time/magazine/ article/0, 9171,1910975, 00.html?iid= tsmodule
Obama: 'Don't build there.' Netanyahu: 'Forget about It'
The public disagreement between Israel and the U.S. over continued settlement expansion in the West Bank and Jerusalem has heated up considerably today. At a cabinet meeting on Sunday, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu publicly rejected the Obama administration' s request for a halt to construction of a planned settlement in Sheik Jarrah, located in Israeli occupied East Jerusalem.
http://www.philipwe iss.org/mondowei ss/2009/07/ obama-to- netanyahu- dont-build- here-netanyahu- forget-about- it.html
Shameless Israel lobbyist Makovsky (again) puts himself forward as Palestinian spokesman
This is important. Gosh I wish I had the power to prick this balloon...Yesterday on her blog, Helena Cobban noted that David Makovsky, Israel lobbyist par excellence at the Washington Institute for Near East Policy and co-author of a recent book on resolving the conflict (along with Dennis Ross, the Israel lobbyist/catspaw in State), had put himself forward as a spokesman for the Palestinians in a panel at the U.S. Institute for Peace last Wednesday.
http://www.philipwe iss.org/mondowei ss/2009/07/ this-is-importan t-gosh-i- wish-i-could- do-something- about-it- yesterday- on-her-blog- helena-cobban- noted-that- david-makovsky. html
'Peace Now' speaker says settler violence is 'political.. . terrorism'
To fully understand the report from the West Bank above, consider what Helena Cobban reported from Washington today, from an Israeli lawyer, Michael Sfard (speaking at the New America Foundation and co-sponsored by Americans for Peace Now), saying that there's method to the settlers' madness.
http://www.philipwe iss.org/mondowei ss/2009/07/ to-fully- understand- the-report- from-the- west-bank- above-consider- what-helena- cobban-reported- from-washington- today-from- an.html
Akiva Eldar / What Netanyahu wants from Obama's 'self-hating Jews'
Who is to blame for the latest dispute with the United States over the new neighborhood going up in Jerusalem's Sheikh Jarrah area? Mayor Nir Barkat? Certainly not. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, who stood behind him? Ridiculous. Any child knows that everything is the fault of other Jews: Rahm Emanuel and David Axelrod, two American administration officials who are inciting President Barack Obama against their own people.
http://www.haaretz. com/hasen/ spages/1101415. html
Mordechai Vanunu's Ongoing Ordeal
Vanunu's most recent tribulations began on January 25, 2006, when he was convicted by the Jerusalem Magistrates Court of 15 violations of a military order that prohibited him from talking to non-Israelis and for attempting to leave the state [he has no passport] by taking a cab from Jerusalem to Bethlehem to attend Christmas Eve mass at the Church of the Nativity in 2004-his first since he was released from 18 years-most all of it in solitary-from Ashkeleon prison.
http://dissidentvoi ce.org/2009/ 07/mordechai- vanunus-ongoing- ordeal/
Outlawing anti-racism?
The zios are at it again with an attempt to outlaw condemnation of the State of Israel. I saw this coming some time ago with the European Union Monitoring Committee's ludicrous and anti-Jewish definition of antisemitism that includes likening zionism to nazism or the State of Israel to nazi Germany and accusing Israel of the crime of apartheid. It also says that it is antisemitic to deny the Jewish people the right to self-determination which is effectively saying that it is antisemitic to say that Jews are not allowed to get away with ethnic cleansing and exclusive Jewish sovereignty over a territory that most Jews don't come from.
http://jewssansfron tieres.blogspot. com/2009/ 07/outlawing- anti-racism. html
Leaving Israel
Emily Hauser, who has moved between Israel and the U.S., writes a stirring piece about why she's throwing herself back into Palestine/Israel issues. Her story reminds me of all the Americans who moved to Israel after '67. And now the reverse is happening. Go to her blog to read the more hopeful conclusion.
http://www.philipwe iss.org/mondowei ss/2009/07/ emily-hauser- writes-a- moving-piece- about-why- shes-throwing- herself-back- into-palestineis rael-issues- heres-part- of-her-menta. html
A day in the West Bank shows 'the soldiers are settlers but in uniform. They both symbolize the occupation.'
The occupation can seem predictably mundane from a distance. To most Israelis the settlement project is seen as a problem, but a problem happening "over there" and utterly removed from their lives. Rampaging settlers are viewed occasionally on television. Violent Palestinians are seen to resist for no apparent reason. The international community and Barack Obama are protesting the illegal outposts and ongoing colonial project in the West Bank with polls suggesting that many Israelis are opposed to this apparently unfair pressure.
http://www.philipwe iss.org/mondowei ss/2009/07/ a-day-in- the-west- bank-shows- the-soldiers- are-settlers- but-in-uniform- they-both- symbolize- the-occupa. html
Empowering the powerless
PLO: History of a Revolution is a six-part series that tells the turbulent story of the Palestinian struggle for a national home. In the following account, Al Jazeera's senior Middle East analyst explains the origins of the Palestinian armed struggle.
http://english. aljazeera. net/programmes/ plohistoryofrevo lution/2009/ 07/2009714627222 54919.html
Obama and Palestine: Standing for Something, Falling for Anything?, By Alan Sabrosky
Young Police Cadets, Young Police Cadets, There's an American country song that goes "You've got to stand for something, or you'll fall for anything." So far, President Obama's words show he stands for something. But where Palestine and Israel are concerned, his actions show he'll apparently fall for anything, at least if there is enough pressure from the Jewish lobby behind it., Obama's instincts are good, and intellectually he understands the problem, but emotionally he doesn't appear to feel it. So I'm going to try to convey the issue's dynamics differently.
http://intifada- palestine. com/2009/ 07/19/obama- and-palestine- standing- for-something- falling-for- anything/
Tablet Profiles Me (and suggests I'm on Obama's enemies list)
According to Tablet, I am "the YouTube Michael Moore." Never heard that one before. Allison Hoffman, writer for the new Jewish magazine, Tablet (the Jewish Slate, which is slightly redundant), has just published a profile of me and my video work. Allison leads by claiming I am a liability to my father and may be the real reason why the Obama White House scuttled his State Department appointment. She does not back this claim up with any evidence, probably because there is none to support it. This says as much about her editors as it does about her journalistic acumen. Why didn't her editors demand that she at least supply one piece of evidence before going to press?
http://maxblumentha l.com/2009/ 07/tablet- profiles- me-and-suggests- im-on-obamas- enemies-list/
The painful cost to Israel of its settler adventure
But in a real sense, it is precisely the question of the moment. Why, in fact, should settlers be made to pay the price for peace?
The answer, in short: Because of what the settlement movement has cost us, cost Israel.. And because of what it is costing Israel now.
http://www.haaretz. com/hasen/ spages/1101538. html
Mazin Qumsiyeh - A crazy world?
The old Hebron to Jerusalem (now Hebron-to-wall- near Bethlehem) road was lined up with perhaps over 200 armed special forces. These are not Israeli but Palestinian "security". I was going to pick a friend at Dheisheh Refugee camp to eat Knafah (a Palestinian sweet). Every 10 meters (30 ft) for a stretch of over a mile there was one of those security men. Young people 18-24 years old. The "Palestinian Authority" spends most of its budget not on healthcare or education or any other item but on security. We were told President Abbas is coming to the area (either to the headquarters in AlMuqata'a or to the "Presidential Palace" in Artas area very near an Israeli settlement). After the big motorcade the streets had all been cleared of parked cars. The police were slow to let the original traffic reopen and for cars to park again. At the Knafa shop, we had to struggle to get parking and I think it happened only after the owner gave free Knafa to the policemen on duty. No one knows why streets are closed or what is the occasion for the visits of such dignitaries to our little town of Bethlehem (aka Ghetto 12). After the Knafa we visited the besieged village of Tqu' just two miles southwest of Bethlehem and we saw the desperation of these villages which get no presidential visits.
http://palestinethi nktank.com/ 2009/07/20/ mazin-qumsiyeh- a-crazy-world/
'ziggit', fed-up
The pressure keeps building in Gaza. The siege, people locked in with no relief, no escape and no way of escaping the daily problems for even some hours, no real life, no future plans, no fun…They live under invasions, attacks, the taunting of F-16s flying over Gaza's small surface. And people anticipate the next attacks.
http://ingaza. wordpress. com/2009/ 07/19/to- be-ziggit- fed-up/
Einkarem1948' s photostream
http://www.flickr. com/photos/ einkarem1948/
PLO: History of a Revolution - Black September - 20 Jul 09
In the second episode of this six-part series, Al Jazeera looks at the events that led to the PLO's expulsion from Jordan and the birth of the Black September Organisation.
http://www.youtube. com/watch? v=DShud_iyX9s
In 'Heart of Jenin,' injustice finds bromides
The Heart of Jenin, which appeared on PBS ten days ago, belongs to 12-year-old Ahmed Khatib, shot by the IDF, and to his father, Ismail Khatib, who in his misery over his beloved son's death, chose to donate Ahmed's organs so that six Israelis might live. The film shows Ismail's pain transformed into generosity: we see his tenderness to the children who live because of his child's organs, his gentle hands stroking their heads, his sensitive face mingling suffering and compassion. Heart of Jenin poignantly follows a soul loving other children while grieving for his own lost boy.
http://www.philipwe iss.org/mondowei ss/2009/07/ the-divine- -image-pbss- wide-angle- narrows-heart- of-jenin- to-zionist- line----- ---and-all- must-love- the-human- form.html
Ali Jabri retrospective: a life recorded in sketchbooks
Ali Jabri locked his paintings in a trunk. It had been more than 20 years since the artist had opened it, but after he was murdered in his Amman, Jordan apartment in December 2002 his friends decided it was time to tell Jabri's tale. Six years in the making, Fadi Ghandour, a philanthropist and friend of Jabri's, set up a foundation to document and preserve the late artist's work. In a home Jabri had wished to one day own, the Ali Jabri Human Heritage Foundation was launched in Amman. Sousan Hammad reports for The Electronic Intifada.
http://electronicin tifada.net/ v2/article10638. shtml
As the Palestinian world turns
RAMALLAH, West Bank — Soap operas usually block out scenes with two cameras, one for each of the glaring opponents. The editor switches between each actor as they snarl and sneer. As for the plot, you can tune in every few months and nothing seems to have changed. Sorry, did I write "soap operas?" I meant to type "current Palestinian politics."
http://www.globalpo st.com/dispatch/ israel-and- palestine/ 090713/palestini an-politics
Lebanon
Another Israeli spy arrested in Lebanon
Lebanese intelligence forces have arrested another man on suspicion of spying for Israel amid an anti-espionage crackdown in the country. The man identified as Kamal Assaf was arrested in the southern region of Bekaa valley on charges of spying for Israel's notorious intelligence agency, Mossad on Saturday, Naharnet reported.
http://www.presstv. ir/detail. aspx?id=101072
Lebanese villagers prevent UN search for 'weapons depot'
A Lebanese security official says residents of a southern village have prevented UN peacekeeping forces from searching an abandoned building near a suspected Hezbollah weapons depot that recently exploded.
http://archive. gulfnews. com/region/ Lebanon/10332767 .html
Bint Jbeil expats give their town American treatment
Walking through the streets of Bint Jbeil, one is likely to hear bangs and booms, but it has nothing to do with war. It's the music of post-war construction. Clouds of dust disappear around the town to reveal tall slabs of concrete frames for new homes, piles of white stone, tractors, bulldozers and Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah's wide grin peeking out at you from every corner.
http://www.dailysta r.com.lb/ article.asp? edition_id= 1&categ_id=1&article_id=104393
Lebanon: Tomb of Imperialism, by Carlos Latuff
http://latuff2. deviantart. com/art/Lebanon- Tomb-of-Imperial ism-129931978
Iraq
Violence kills 4 in western, northern Iraq (AP)
AP - Iraqi authorities say a car bomb has killed two police officers and injured eight civilians west of Baghdad.
http://us.rd. yahoo.com/ dailynews/ rss/iraq/ *http://news. yahoo.com/ s/ap/20090720/ ap_on_re_ mi_ea/ml_ iraq
Poverty drives Iraq organ trade
Abject poverty across Iraq is fuelling an illegal trade in human organs. Hundreds of people are believed to have sold kidneys and other organs through dealers in the capital, Baghdad, over the last year. Karim Hussein made the long journey from Amara, a province in the south of Iraq, to Baghdad because he was desperate for the $3,000 he would get from the sale of a kidney there.
http://english. aljazeera. net//news/ middleeast/ 2009/07/20097205 2636416787. html
In pictures: Iraqi Shia festival
http://news. bbc.co.uk/ 2/hi/in_pictures /8157377. .stm
Back to Iraq?
Don't look now, but…, by Justin Raimondo, July 20, 2009, Email This | Print This | Share This | Comment | Antiwar Forum, They were dancing in the streets: "An old man blared on a trumpet, policemen danced in the back of their pickup trucks, and a singer," reported the Los Angeles Times, "trilled in a city park, all to celebrate the new era." A description of what happened when we invaded and "liberated" a nation groaning under the boot of Saddam Hussein and his Ba'athist Party dictatorship?
http://original. antiwar.com/ justin/2009/ 07/19/back- to-iraq/
U.S. and other world news
Israel planned to assassinate Ahmadinejad: Iran
http://ca.news. yahoo.com/ s/afp/090717/ world/iran_ israel_politics_ ahmadinejad
Amir Oren / Netanyahu-Obama spat harming IDF capability on Iran
In the summer of 1990, when Saddam Hussein invaded Kuwait and the Israel Defense Forces hastily conceived a plan - without precise intelligence and with no developed, operational plans - to raid the missile sites in western Iraq that threatened Israel, Benny Gantz was the commander of the elite air force commando unit Shaldag. The military coordination with the region's overlords, the Americans, was minimal if not non-existent. Deputy chief of staff Ehud Barak expended much of his energy in maneuvering for the removal of Gen. Doron Rubin, who headed the headquarters for special operations.
http://www.haaretz. com/hasen/ spages/1101414. html
Middle East Christians hit the road
Recent attacks on six Iraq churches highlight the plight faced by Christians in the Middle East. Their populations, even in strongholds like Bethlehem, are steadily decreasing as they head for the West. At the same time, the exodus is leading to increases in foreign remittances to the region.
http://www.atimes. com/atimes/ Middle_East/ KG22Ak01. html
Egypt questions group for spreading Shiite doctrine
Egyptian authorities are questioning a dozen local men suspected of spreading the Shiite doctrine in the Arab world's biggest Sunni country, according to security sources..
http://archive. gulfnews. com/region/ Egypt/10332595. html
Saudi film festival is cancelled in state crackdown on culture
Saudi Arabia's only film festival has been cancelled, dealing a blow to reformist hopes of an easing of clerical control over culture that was raised by the low-key return of cinemas in December.
http://archive. gulfnews. com/region/ Egypt/10332595. html
Saudi film festival is cancelled in state crackdown on culture
Saudi Arabia's only film festival has been cancelled, dealing a blow to reformist hopes of an easing of clerical control over culture that was raised by the low-key return of cinemas in December.
--
www.TheHeadlines. org
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