And more news from Today in Palestine:
Land theft and destruction/Ethnic cleansing
Stop work orders handed down in Nablus village
Nablus – Ma’an – Israel’s Civil Administration handed down three stop work orders to residents in the Nablus village of Burqa on Tuesday, a Palestinian Authority official said. Ghassan Doughlas, who heads the northern West Bank settlement file, said the Israeli army accompanied Civil Administration staff to deliver the orders to Muhammad Hamed Hajjeh, Jamal Radi Seif, Hilal Hamdeh Hijjeh.
http://www.maannews.net/eng/ViewDetails.aspx?ID=297456
Clashes Reported In Wadi Ara As Israeli Bulldozers Demolish Arab Home
Bulldozers belonging to the Israeli Ministry of Interior, supported by dozens of armored military vehicles and police cars, demolished on Wednesday at dawn the home of No’man Abu Salem from Ara village in the Northern Triangle area.
http://www.imemc.org/article/59082
Israeli Border Police Destroy Vegetable Fields in Al Baqa`a Valley
CPT Hebron – For Immediate Release – Israeli border police destroyed several Palestinian fields in Al Baqa`a Valley just east of Hebron on July 6, 2010, directly impacting the livelihood of more than one hundred Palestinians. Landowners said that Israeli border police and the Israeli District Coordinating Office (DCO), responsible for the coordination of Palestinian civilian affairs in Area C, began implementing the destruction at around 8:30am. Israeli authorities, with the assistance of hired labor, damaged fields of vegetables and destroyed the irrigation systems of those fields.
http://www.kibush.co.il/show_file.asp?num=40976
PA official says settlers uproot trees in Nablus village
Nablus – Ma’an – Israeli citizens illegally residing in West Bank settlements uprooted several trees in the Luban As-Sharqiyya village in the northern West Bank district of Nablus on Wednesday evening, and attacked residents with stones, a Palestinian Authority official said. PA chief of settlement activity in the northern West Bank Ghassan Doughlas said dozens of settlers entered the village and pelted residents with stones, injuring Muhammad Khalil Muhammad.
http://www.maannews.net/eng/ViewDetails.aspx?ID=297745
When Something is Hard to Ignore, Just Don’t Report It, Joseph Dana
On a cool summer evening in a forgotten corner of the East Jerusalem neighborhood of Sheikh Jarrah, members of the Israeli left, the Palestinian Christian community, the ultra-orthodox anti-Zionist Jewish community and Jerusalem Hamas members, currently under fire by the Israeli government, met to discuss issues concerning recent Israeli initiates to arrest Hamas members in Jerusalem. The meeting took place at the International Red Cross in East Jerusalem, where the Hamas members are currently taking refuge for fear of arrest. Amira Hass has written an article in today’s Haaretz where she details the situation which the Hamas members currently find experience in Jerusalem.
http://josephdana.com/2010/07/when-something-is-hard-to-ignore-just-don%e2%80%99t-report-it/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=when-something-is-hard-to-ignore-just-don%25e2%2580%2599t-report-it
Solidarity/Activism/Boycott, Sanctions and Divestment
Protesters greet Netanyahu in Washington as Israel expands settlements
Hundreds of activists in Washington, DC demonstrated outside the White House to protest Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s visit on Tuesday, 6 July. As protesters held signs calling on the US government to end military aid to Israel, Netanhayu met with US President Barack Obama in a meeting characterized by the Atlanta Journal-Constitution as "empty theatrics."
http://electronicintifada.net/v2/article11378.shtml?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+electronicIntifadaPalestine+%28Electronic+Intifada+%3A+Palestine+News%29
US Campaign member groups prepare to protest Netanyahu’s visit to NYC
HEY HEY NEW YORK: NETANYAHU’S COMING TO TOWN. WE SAY NO!
Let’s tell War Criminal and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu:
You are NOT welcome! Let’s make sure they hear the real story. Thursday, July 8, 12-2 pm.
Council on Foreign Relations
58 East 68th St, near Park Ave
No to the Israeli Occupation!
No to the blockade and siege of Gaza!
No to U.S. tax dollars funding Israeli war crimes!
Yes to Boycott, Divestment, and Sanctions!
YES TO JUSTICE FOR THE PALESTINIAN PEOPLE !
http://endtheoccupationblog.blogspot.com/2010/07/us-campaign-member-groups-prepare-to.html
Seven European Ships Will Join 2nd Gaza Aid Flotilla
The European Campaign to Lift Gaza Siege announced recently that seven European vessels will join the second Gaza aid Freedom Flotilla to break the Israeli blockade, Algerian Press Service (APS) reported.
http://www.bernama.com/bernama/v5/newsworld.php?id=511493
Neturei Karta Members Visit Jerusalem Protest Tent
Members of the Neturei Karta religious Jewish organization that opposes Zionism visited the protest tent of Palestinian legislators from Jerusalem to show solidarity and express rejection to Israel’s intention to expel them from the city.
http://www.imemc.org/article/59089
Suppression of Activism/Targeting Non-Violent Resistance/Pro-Apartheid
Israeli Arab strikes plea bargain over Hezbollah espionage charges
The plea bargain will now have Saeed charged with working for an illegal organization, a crime which will see him incarcerated for seven months.
http://www.haaretz.com/news/diplomacy-defense/israeli-arab-strikes-plea-bargain-over-hezbollah-espionage-charges-1.300782?localLinksEnabled=false
Israeli professors slam education minister over stance on academic boycott
Petitioners include Haifa University rector Prof. Yossi Ben Artzi, Israel Prize laureates professors Benjamin Isaac and Yehoshua Kolodny, and former education minister Prof. Yuli Tamir.
http://www.haaretz.com/print-edition/news/israeli-professors-slam-education-minister-over-stance-on-academic-boycott-1.300657?localLinksEnabled=false
Palestinian students, teachers condemn Italian university’s normalization project
The Italian Development Cooperation (DGCS), with the support of UNESCO, has engineered the partnership of three Israeli universities with that of Al-Quds University in the Occupied Palestinian Territories in a masters program that allows 20 Israeli and Palestinian students to participate in learning about "cooperation, humanitarianism, peace and cultural preservation." This act of normalization aims to blur the boundaries between oppressor and oppressed, colonizer and colonized, occupier and occupied, executioner and victim, and ultimately aims at whitewashing Israel’s war crimes.
http://electronicintifada.net/v2/article11379.shtml?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+electronicIntifadaPalestine+%28Electronic+Intifada+%3A+Palestine+News%29
Violence and Aggression
16-Year Old Arrested, Fined After Being Shot By Settler
On June 3, an Israeli settler shot Ibrahim Al-Biss and his friend Moataz outside Al-Aroub camp. Three weeks later and only one week after the 16-year-old left the hospital, Israeli police detained the boy at Kiryat Arabat. After his father paid 1500 shekels to release him, the police served Ibrahim with a military court order. Written and photographed by Kara Newhouse.
http://www.palestinemonitor.org/spip/spip.php?article1475
Palestinian workers say attacked with electric batons
Hebron – Ma’an – Four Palestinians said they were beaten with electric batons while they were at work inside Israel Wednesday, Ma’an’s correspondent reported. The construction workers, from Yatta, south of the West Bank city of Hebron, said they were attacked by five Israelis, who they identified as settlers, in the southern Israeli town of Masmiya.
http://www.maannews.net/eng/ViewDetails.aspx?ID=297911
Five Wounded In Hebron
Palestinian medical sources in Hebron, in the southern part of the West Bank, reported that five residents suffered concussions and bruises in two separate attacks carried out by Israeli soldiers and settlers in the city.
http://www.imemc.org/article/59086
Israeli Army Conducts Limited Invasion In Southern Gaza
A number of Israeli armored military vehicles carried a limited invasion on Thursday at dawn into an area close to the Kerem Shalom (Karem Abu Salem) Crossing, east of Rafah, in the southern part of the Gaza Strip.
http://www.imemc.org/article/59090
MADA Report: Journalists Were Attacked by Israeli and Palestinian Forces
Palestinian Center for Development and Media freedoms issued its monthly report documenting violations committed against Palestinian Journalists during the month of June. ImageThe MADA report shows that serious violations were committed when a Palestine TV cameraman Fadi Al Jayousi was used as a human shield while he was covering the weekly anti wall protest in Bil’in village, central West Bank. During the month of June MADA says that journalists were beaten and prevented from filming including Pal Media cameraman Yousef Shaheen, The European Agency photographer Abdel-Hafiz Hashlmoun, Associated Press photographer Nasser Al-Shuokhi, APA agency photographer Mamoun Wazwaz, AFP photographer Mousa AlSha’er, and ABA photographer Najeh Hashlamoun, while they were covering peaceful march in Beit Jala near Bethlehem city. Also in June, Associated Press photographer Arif Toufaha and WAFA Agency photographer Ayman Nubani were attacked by Israeli settlers in the town of Asira near Nablus city.
http://english.pnn.ps/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=8470&Itemid=63
War Crimes
B’Tselem repeats call for Gaza war investigation
Bethlehem – Ma’an – As the Israeli military announced it indicted two soldiers for their conduct during its winter assault on Gaza, Israeli organization B’Tselem renewed its call for an independent Israeli investigation. B’Tselem’s own investigations into the attack on Gaza echoed the findings of the UN fact finding mission headed by jurist Richard Goldstone.
http://www.maannews.net/eng/ViewDetails.aspx?ID=297505
‘Military has no sense of humanity’
Relatives of Gaza women killed in Operation Cast Lead say decision to indict soldier responsible not enough.
http://www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7340,L-3916708,00.html
Cases against soldiers have Israel wondering
Indictments and disciplinary actions stemming from Israel’s Gaza offensive are raising a prospect many might find unsettling: the controversial Goldstone report may have been on the right track. A short but growing list of criminal indictments and disciplinary actions stemming from Israel’s offensive in the Gaza Strip 18 months ago is raising a prospect that many Israelis are likely to find unsettling: that the controversial Goldstone report might have been on the right track after all.
http://feeds.latimes.com/%7Er/latimes/middleeast/%7E3/AOvajXYdhb8/la-fg-gaza-war-crimes-20100708,0,6407678.story
The Siege (Gaza & West Bank)/Humanitarian and Human Rights
Weekly Report On Israeli Human Rights Violations in the Occupied Palestinian Territory 01-06 July 2010
http://www.reliefweb.int/rw/rwb.nsf/db900SID/ADGO-875LUL?OpenDocument&RSS20=02-P
Unraveling the closure of Gaza: What has and hasn’t changed since the Cabinet decision and what are the implications? Updated July 7, 2010
On Sunday, June 20, 2010 Israel’s Security Cabinet issued a six-point plan to facilitate access for civilian goods entering Gaza and expand economic activity, following three years of near hermetic closure of the Strip and in the wake of international criticism of restrictive access policies. In the following paper, Gisha assesses the Cabinet’s planned and the situation on the ground in Gaza in the weeks following the Cabinet decision.
http://www.reliefweb.int/rw/rwb.nsf/db900SID/FERB-875H2M?OpenDocument&RSS20=02-P
No easing of travel ban for Gazans: Israel (AFP)
AFP – Israel’s defence ministry told the Supreme Court on Wednesday that its moves to ease its blockade on Gaza do not include relaxing regulations on Palestinians looking to travel out of the enclave.
http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/mideast/*http://news.yahoo.com/s/afp/20100707/wl_mideast_afp/mideastconflictgazablockadeeducation
Gaza women can’t study in Ramallah
The loosening of the land blockade of the Gaza Strip applies only to goods, not people, the state informed the High Court of Justice during a hearing on Wednesday on an appeal to allow a Palestinian woman from Gaza to study at Bir Zeit University north of Ramallah. On June 20, the ministerial security committee decided upon “a series of moves to ease restrictions regarding the entry of various commodities and merchandise into the Gaza Strip,” the state informed the court. “As far as the passage of people is concerned, the decision did not say anything about extending the current policy whereby the state permits entry [into Israel] of humanitarian cases, with the emphasis on urgent medical cases.”
http://www.jpost.com/Israel/Article.aspx?id=180766
Water in Gaza: "it’s not a simple problem"
For the last year Mark Buttle has been the coordinator for the "WASH cluster," the group of aid organizations working on water, sanitation and hygiene in the Gaza Strip. A chartered water engineer, Buttle has worked for a development-oriented nongovernmental organization for more than a decade, including in Afghanistan and Pakistan, and has been based in Gaza since May 2009. He spoke to The Electronic Intifada contributor Sarah Irving about the challenges faced by international agencies working in Gaza.
http://electronicintifada.net/v2/article11373.shtml?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+electronicIntifadaPalestine+%28Electronic+Intifada+%3A+Palestine+News%29
These Explosions Are Saviours, Eva Bartlett
GAZA CITY, Jul 7, 2010 (IPS) – At precisely 12 noon on a Thursday afternoon, among the rolling sandy hills in southern Gaza, a controlled explosion destroys another round of white phosphorous shells left in Gaza following the 2008-2009 Israeli war on Gaza.
http://www.ipsnews.net/news.asp?idnews=52074
OPT: Tough living conditions in Susya village, West Bank
I saw how disappointing it was for the children of Gaza not to be able to watch the FIFA World Cup 2010 games because of the electricity cuts (currently up to 16 hours per day) and the Israeli reconnaissance planes flying overhead, which disrupt TV broadcasts when the electricity is back on. I was convinced the children of Gaza were having a really tough time.
http://www.reliefweb.int/rw/rwb.nsf/db900SID/FGAI-875S34?OpenDocument
Cosmetic Easing In Gaza Keeps Hope On The ‘Banned’ List
As world leaders and mainstream news outlets sing the praises of Israel’s June 17 decision to ease its stranglehold blockade of the Gaza Strip, there is little prospect of change for Palestinians living under siege. Previously banned consumer items such as toys, newspapers, spices, and instant coffee are now passing through two of Gaza’s land border crossings, but the seaports remain tightly closed, all exports are still prohibited, and there is no sign of much-needed construction material. Written by Michael Carpenter.
http://www.palestinemonitor.org/spip/spip.php?article1476
Hamas Lawmaker: Gaza Flotilla Did More Than 10,000 Rockets
Who now doubts that strategic nonviolent action can transform the politics of the Israel/Palestine conflict? Not Hamas parliamentarian Aziz Dweik, the Wall Street Journal reports: "When we use violence, we help Israel win international support," said Aziz Dweik, a leading Hamas lawmaker in the West Bank. "The Gaza flotilla has done more for Gaza than 10,000 rockets."
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/robert-naiman/hamas-lawmaker-gaza-floti_b_637791.html
Trip from Gaza to Eilat then back, thru tunnels
altGaza, July 8, (Pal Telegraph – By Omar Ghraieb) Under the hardship of living that camps in the little space of his modest bungalow, and hindered from providing a somewhat decent living to his seven dependent little kids, M.K. -who oversaw the age of mid thirties- decided to take off on the adventure of his life through an arduous journey in the desert of northern Sinai, hoping to cross the Egyptian-Israeli border and reach the city of “Eilat”, which is the main destination of his dangerous unguaranteed trip.
http://www.paltelegraph.com/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=6652:trip-from-gaza-to-eilat-then-back-thru-tunnels&catid=91:pal-telegraph-featured-articles&Itemid=149
25 Ways to Help Palestine Refugees, July – December 2010
Source: United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East (UNRWA)
The United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East (UNRWA) was established in 1949 to provide much-needed relief and emergency aid to the Palestinian refugees from the 1948 war. Since then, UNRWA’s operations have expanded to provide essential relief and human development services to 4.7 million registered Palestine refugees in the Gaza Strip, Jordan, Lebanon, Syria and the West Bank. UNRWA’s mission is to help Palestine refugees achieve their full potential despite the difficult circumstances in which they live.
http://www.reliefweb.int/rw/rwb.nsf/db900SID/EGUA-875QLX?OpenDocument&RSS20=02-P
Israel‘s Arab Helpers
Hamas: PA detained 4 affiliates across West Bank
Bethlehem – Ma’an – Hamas accused Palestinian Authority forces of detaining four party supporters across the West Bank, a statement issued Thursday read. The Islamist movement said PA Preventative Security Services carried out the detentions in the northern districts of Salfit, Nablus, and Hebron.
http://www.maannews.net/eng/ViewDetails.aspx?ID=297746
Netanyahu to visit ailing Mubarak on way back from U.S.
Netanyahu will update Mubarak on his meeting with U.S. President Barack Obama and plans for holding direct negotiations with the Palestinian Authority.
http://www.haaretz.com/news/diplomacy-defense/netanyahu-to-visit-ailing-mubarak-on-way-back-from-u-s-1.300651?localLinksEnabled=false
Egypt kills African migrant at Israel border
Bethlehem – Ma’an/Agencies – Egyptian police shot and killed an Eritrean migrant as he tried to cross the border illegally into Israel, a security official told Agence-France Presse on Wednesday. According to the AFP report, Egyptian border police warned the 36-year-old man to stop and when he refused they fired shots, the official said.
http://www.maannews.net/eng/ViewDetails.aspx?ID=297610
Bardawil: Egyptian political siege of Hamas won’t serve reconciliation
Hamas MP Dr. Salah Al-Bardawil said that Cairo did not inform Hamas of a ban on entry and departure into and from Gaza Strip of Hamas cadres via Rafah crossing.
http://www.palestine-info.co.uk/En/default.aspx?xyz=U6Qq
UN General Assembly cancels emergency session on Gaza flotilla
President of General Assembly sends letter to member states announcing cancellation of the planned session; some Arab states had reservations about holding the session.
http://www.haaretz.com/news/diplomacy-defense/un-general-assembly-cancels-emergency-session-on-gaza-flotilla-1.300602?localLinksEnabled=false
Arab Zionists: Jordanian Army Vets: Strip Palestinians of Citizenship
[Amman, Jordan] A recent statement made by a group of retired Jordanian army generals, which calls for Palestinian refugees to be stripped of their Jordanian passports, has sent shockwaves across the kingdom. The unprecedented statement was provoked by the haunting fear of the so-called “Jordan option” to end the Palestinian-Israeli conflict at the expense of the kingdom by establishing a Palestinian state in Jordan. The previously negligible group touched on sensitive issues that have been, until lately, considered taboo in the country’s political dictionary, namely Palestinian-Jordanian relations and the future of Palestinians in the kingdom.
http://www.themedialine.org/news/news_detail.asp?NewsID=29232
Political Developments/American Support of Apartheid
Turkey in fresh Israel warning over flotilla raid (AFP)
AFP – Turkey’s foreign minister warned Thursday his country was entitled "to take any measure to protect the rights of civilians" in relation to Israel’s killing of nine people on a Gaza-bound aid ship.
http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/mideast/*http://news.yahoo.com/s/afp/20100708/wl_mideast_afp/israelconflictgazaturkeybritain
Erekat: Direct talks only after complete freeze
Palestinians insist on keeping Israel at arm’s length until it makes certain things clear. ‘The key to direct talks is in the hand of Prime Minister Netanyahu,’ says chief PA negotiator.
http://www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7340,L-3916634,00.html
Abbas’ office denies reports on direct talks
Bethlehem – Ma’an – Presidential spokesman Nabil Abu Rudaineh denied reports in Israeli media on Wednesday that Palestinian officials have put forward suggestions to enter into direct talks with Israel. Speaking on the Ma’an Radio Network, Abu Rudaineh said "the Palestinian president needs to know the basis upon which Israel will negotiate, the borders it will discuss, and projects Palestinians could establish on the Dead Sea to support the Palestinian economy."
http://www.maannews.net/eng/ViewDetails.aspx?ID=297633
Netanyahu: U.S. pullout from Iraq could leave Israel vulnerable
PM apparently implies that even after withdrawing from Palestinian territory, Israel would insist on maintaining troops along the Jordan Valley.
http://www.haaretz.com/news/diplomacy-defense/netanyahu-u-s-pullout-from-iraq-could-leave-israel-vulnerable-1.300641?localLinksEnabled=false
Fueled by White House success, Netanyahu heads to UN (AFP)
AFP – Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu headed to the United Nations Wednesday to meet UN chief Ban Ki-moon, saying he could perform miracles to hammer out a peace deal if all sides come together.
http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/mideast/*http://news.yahoo.com/s/afp/20100707/pl_afp/mideastconflictisraelundiplomacy
Netanyahu puts Obama back on leash: President now working with the PM, not against him
This time, there were no harsh demands, hectoring or patronizing.
http://www.jpost.com/International/Article.aspx?id=180636
Obama: "I Have Met Israel and It Is ‘Us’", Robert Dreyfuss
Yesterday, Israeli Prime Minister Netanyahu set up another illegal Jewish settlement, this time on the White House lawn. And, it appears, President Obama has agreed to serve as its armed guard. So complete was Obama’s identification with Israel yesterday that he actually referred to Israel as “us” before correcting himself: “We strongly believe that, given its size, its history, the region that it’s in, and the threats that are leveled against us – against it, that Israel has unique security requirements.”
http://www.thenation.com/blog/37136/obama-i-have-met-israel-and-it-us
Obama: Mideast peace possible, but Israel is right to be skeptical
U.S. president tells Israeli television in yet-to-be-aired interview that he is not ‘blindly optimistic’, day after talks with Netanyahu.
http://www.haaretz.com/news/diplomacy-defense/obama-mideast-peace-possible-but-israel-is-right-to-be-skeptical-1.300793?localLinksEnabled=false
Obama, Netanyahu make show of mending US-Israeli ties
President Obama and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu affirmed US-Israeli closeness after a White House meeting Tuesday. But strains remain over Iran and the peace process.
http://rss.csmonitor.com/%7Er/feeds/world/%7E3/L8WKwo4467A/Obama-Netanyahu-make-show-of-mending-US-Israeli-ties
Netanyahu spells out Israeli security concerns to Gates (AFP)
AFP – Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Wednesday underscored security concerns that would need to be addressed in peace initiatives, in talks with US Defense Secretary Robert Gates, Israeli officials said.
http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/mideast/*http://news.yahoo.com/s/afp/20100707/pl_afp/mideastconflictisraelusdiplomacy
INTERVIEW-Israel sees nuclear vindication in Obama comments
* Rare U.S. echoing of Israel’s nuclear justifications
* Relief in Israel after Washington stance in NPT review
* Minister: Obama comments important for Israel and region
http://www.alertnet.org/thenews/newsdesk/LDE66627B.htm
Netanyahu in New York, toasts White House success (AFP)
AFP – Fresh from upbeat talks with US President Barack Obama in Washington, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has flown to New York, where he spoke emotionally of the bond between Israel and the United States.
http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/mideast/*http://news.yahoo.com/s/afp/20100708/pl_afp/mideastconflictisraelundiplomacy
Despite :"Rift", Israel Gets More U.S. Aid Than Iraq
It was the most orchestrated photo op of the year. And even if Tuesday’s White House meeting between President Obama and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu was more show than action, it did reinforce what Capitol Hill and America’s taxpayers already know: Israel is America’s best buddy in the Middle East.
http://politics.usnews.com/news/washington-whispers/articles/2010/07/06/despite-rift-israel-gets-more-us-aid-than-iraq.html
EU foreign affairs chief to visit Gaza, Israel: official (AFP)
AFP – European Union foreign affairs chief Catherine Ashton will visit Israel and the Gaza Strip on July 17 and 18, her spokesman said on Wednesday.
http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/mideast/*http://news.yahoo.com/s/afp/20100707/wl_mideast_afp/eudiplomacymideastconflictgazaisrael
Other News
Rabbis: Don’t rent homes to illegal aliens
Twenty five Tel Aviv rabbis endorse call against renting out apartments to illegal aliens; ads to be posted in city to warn residents of ‘Jewish law bans, dangers posed by renting homes to these people’.
http://www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7340,L-3916975,00.html
Analysis/Opinion/Human Interest
ANALYSIS-In Gaza, Hamas may have weathered worst of storm
* As blockade loosens, Hamas sees worst times behind it
* Islamists’ rule seen lasting for foreseeable future
* Wants reconciliation, prisoner swap, but not at any price
http://af.reuters.com/article/egyptNews/idAFLDE66524720100708
Disloyalty on the part of the occupied, Amira Hass
Were it not for Mohammed Abu Tir’s red beard, this would perhaps be only a marginal news item: Israel is working to expel four Palestinian residents of Jerusalem affiliated with Hamas from the city of their birth.
http://www.haaretz.com/print-edition/opinion/disloyalty-on-the-part-of-the-occupied-1.300489
Maybe the ‘Times’ reporter in Jerusalem shouldn’t be best friends with Charles Bronfman?, Philip Weiss
Last week we noted that a first-rate reporter, Taghreed El-Khodary, left the New York Times because she felt that its reputation was "tainted" by the fact that Jerusalem correspondent Ethan Bronner’s son had joined the Israeli army. El-Khodary is Palestinian. She is attuned to the Palestinian street–whose view of the Times is reflected by this savage graffiti reported by our correspondent, Anees of Jerusalem.
https://mondoweiss.net/2010/07/maybe-the-times-reporter-in-jerusalem-shouldnt-be-best-friends-with-charles-bronfman.html
Wash. Post column suggests that discovering the ‘Israel lobby’ now helps careers, doesn’t hurt em, Philip Weiss
The Washington Post’s Dana Milbank has a splendid/witty column on the Obama-Netanyahu meeting characterizing it as a "surrender" by Obama, pointing out that a reporter had to bring up settlements, Obama didn’t.
https://mondoweiss.net/2010/07/wash-post-column-suggests-that-discovering-the-israel-lobby-now-helps-careers-doesnt-hurt-em.html
America and Israel’s Show Must Go On, James Gundun, Washington D.C.
Credit them this skill – they’re good performers. Not great. Great is convincing. But a good performer abides by the cardinal rule of show business. The show must go on whether someone flubs their lines, trips, or passes out, and Israel and America have kept going through it all.
http://palestinechronicle.com/view_article_details.php?id=16118
The Chronic Failure of Israeli Leadership, PATRICK COCKBURN
President Obama was full of gushing goodwill towards Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu during their summit in Washington this week. There was no mention of an extension to the moratorium on Israeli settlement building or the Israeli commandos’ attack on the Turkish aid flotilla bound for Gaza. In private, the White House and even the Israeli delegation were quick to say that Obama’s climb-down had not been quite as humiliating as it looked, and assurances had been given that the moratorium would be quietly extended. But the President was at pains to reverse the cool reception Netanyahu got during his visit to the White House in March when when he was not even allowed a photograph with Obama, who kept him waiting while he had dinner with his family upstairs.
http://www.counterpunch.com/patrick07082010.html
A Palestinian Diary: A Cornucopia of Fruit from A Land under Siege
I doubt that I will ever again be able to utter that innocuous word "occupation" with equanimity. In Palestine it hits you smack between the eyes, trips you, ties you down. You can never put enough distance between it and yourself. It’s hard – when 90 per cent of your land is under the Israelis and only 10 per cent can be claimed as your own – with their permission. When the colour of your Identity Card – blue for Jerusalem, green for the West Bank, brown for Gaza – determines your mobility within your own country. When there are 570 checkpoints controlled by the Israeli Defence Forces in the tiny area of the West Bank.
http://newsblaze.com/story/20100707150304iwfs.nb/topstory.html
Epstein hopes Gazans will be ‘free to pursue their lives in dignity’
Hedy Epstein has been fighting the good fight for more than 60 of her 86 years. She escaped death in 1939 by being placed on one of the British-sponsored Kindertransport ships that carried more than 10,000 children to England and Northern Ireland.
http://www.todayszaman.com/tz-web/news-215327-8-epstein-hopes-gazans-will-be-free-to-pursue-their-lives-in-dignity.html
Breaking the Silence founder Yehuda Shaul, is there a crack in the Israeli army`s wall of silence?
Nir Hasson – Haaretz – "When the operation began I remember that we sat in the office and watched the broadcasts and said that this time it`s a different story, and it turned out that we were right. To date we have collected testimonies from 26 soldiers who served in Operation Cast Lead – half of them in the regular army and half of them reservists. Operation Cast Lead was the first time the IDF admittedly crossed lines that had not been crossed before. The soldiers were told not to risk their lives at all. It was the first time that the IDF said `I don`t care about the other side.` It`s not that they wanted a lot of casualties, but the familiar criteria of targets – a person with the means and intention of causing injury – were overturned.
http://www.haaretz.com/print-edition/features/head-to-head-breaking-the-silence-founder-yehuda-shaul-is-there-a-crack-in-the-israeli-army-s-wall-of-silence-1.300681
Iraq
Deadly attacks target Iraq pilgrims
More than 60 people have been killed in Baghdad in a wave of bombings targeting Shia Muslim pilgrims over the past three days, security sources say. Iraqi officials said blasts on Thursday, the latest in a string of bombings in Iraqi capital, killed 12 people, pushing the death toll in the recent attacks to 62. One bomb struck in central Bab al-Muazam neighbourhood while a second exploded in the southeastern Mashtal district, officials said.
http://english.aljazeera.net/news/middleeast/2010/07/20107882413455505.html
Baghdad attacks kill 33 Shiite pilgrims (AFP)
AFP – A suicide bomber and a series of attacks in Baghdad on Wednesday killed 33 Shiite pilgrims gathering for a major festival with 99 others wounded, Iraqi security officials told AFP.
Wednesday: 17 Iraqis Killed, 26 Wounded
Pilgrims are streaming in to Baghdad for Imam Kadhim observances; however, it was the towns west of the capital that suffered the most in today’s violence. At least 17 Iraqis were killed and 26 more were wounded in the those and other attacks.
http://original.antiwar.com/updates/2010/07/07/wednesday-17-iraqis-killed-26-wounded/
Iraq’s Prospects Seem As Grim As Its Recent Past
As she leaves Iraq, where she spent much of the past eight years, NPR’s Lourdes Garcia-Navarro reflects on the frustration and worry felt by many Iraqis in a country still plagued by bloodshed and political stalemate. "What was it all for?" Iraqis ask her. She has trouble finding an answer.
http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=128357659&ft=1&f=1010
What do Shiite pilgrims want? A new Iraq government.
The need for a new Iraq government was high on the minds of Shiite pilgrims who defied suffocating heat and suicide attacks as they headed toward a Baghdad shrine Wednesday. They are observing the death of an 8th-century imam.
http://rss.csmonitor.com/%7Er/feeds/world/%7E3/mab2o2d74hQ/What-do-Shiite-pilgrims-want-A-new-Iraq-government
Iraq’s rowers step out of shadow of death (AFP)
AFP – Not so very long ago, dead bodies were seen floating down the Tigris river every day in Baghdad, the macabre toll of fierce sectarian violence that brought the country to the brink of civil war.
http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/iraq/*http://news.yahoo.com/s/afp/20100708/wl_mideast_afp/iraqunrestsportrowing
Lebanon
Regional leaders pay tribute to Fadlallah legacy
BEIRUT: Local and international figures continued Wednesday to pay respects over the death of Grand Ayatollah Mohammad Hussein Fadlallah, a top Shiite cleric. Among figures paying their condolences for Fadlallah’s death were former Prime Minister Omar Karami, Grand Mufti Mohammad Rashid Qabbani, Ali al-Adib on behalf of Iraqi Prime Minister.
http://www.dailystar.com.lb/article.asp?edition_id=1&categ_id=2&article_id=116853
Iraqi PM pays respects to late top Lebanese cleric (AP)
AP – Iraq’s prime minister is in Beirut to pay his respects for Lebanon’s late top Shiite cleric.
http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/iraq/*http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20100708/ap_on_re_mi_ea/ml_lebanon_iraq
The Sheikh Who Got Away
How the United States got Lebanon’s leading Shiite cleric dead wrong — and missed a chance to change the Middle East forever.
http://www.foreignpolicy.com/articles/2010/07/06/the_sheikh_who_got_away
CNN’s Octavia Nasr Leaving Network After Controversial Hezbollah Tweet
In the latest case of new media (or oversharing) gone wrong, CNN’s Senior Editor of Mideast Affairs Octavia Nasr is leaving the company following the controversy caused by her tweet in praise of Hezbollah leader Sayyed Mohammed Hussein Fadlallah. Mediaite has the internal memo, which says “we believe that her credibility in her position as senior editor for Middle Eastern affairs has been compromised.” Nasr tweeted this weekend: “Sad to hear of the passing of Sayyed Mohammed Hussein Fadlallah… One of Hezbollah’s giants I respect a lot.” After a blog post expanding on her position, CNN promised the issue was “serious” and would “be dealt with accordingly.” That’s apparently her exit from CNN. Here’s an internal memo obtained by Mediaite: From Parisa Khosravi – SVP CNN International Newsgathering — I had a conversation with Octavia this morning and I want to share with you that we have decided that she will be leaving the company. As you know, her tweet over the weekend created a wide reaction. As she has stated in her blog on CNN.com, she fully accepts that she should not have made such a simplistic comment without any context whatsoever. However, at this point, we believe that her credibility in her position as senior editor for Middle Eastern affairs has been compromised going forward. As a colleague and friend we’re going to miss seeing Octavia everyday. She has been an extremely dedicated and committed part of our team. We thank Octavia for all of her hard work and we certainly wish her all the best. Parisa.
http://www.mediaite.com/tv/breaking-cnns-octavia-nasr-leaving-network-after-controversial-tweet/
l’affaire Octavia Nasr, As`ad Abukhalil
The dismissal of Octavia Nasr proves this: 1) no matter how much you grovel and how much you insult Arabs and Muslims in the US, as Nasr has largely due to her ignorance of Middle East and Islamic affairs, it will never be enough. Unless you advocate the Likudnik positions as Fouad Ajami has, you will be suspect of you are of Arab origin; 2) Israeli orientalists rule supreme in US popular media. We may know that Muhammad Husayn Fadlallah has no position whatsoever in Hizbullah, but US media still insist that he is Hizbullah’s leader. 3) Octavia Nasr does not deserve our support or tears. She has played a lousy job inside CNN. Of course, she is first and foremost unqualified but she has started her "journalistic" work at LBC TV when it was a mere tool of the Lebanese Forces during the war years. I discussed this once with CNN’s Bernard Shaw and he expressed surprise and said that at CNN they thought that LBC TV stands for a state-run TV named Lebanese Broadcasting Company. The CNN’s Middle East correspondents did not think highly of Nasr and some expressed that privately to me. 4) In the US, you may only expressed sympathy and admiration for Jewish and Christian religious figures. Muslim religious figures are all a bunch of terrorists, Sunnis and Shi`ites alike, regardless of views. [end]
http://angryarab.blogspot.com/2010/07/laffaire-octavia-nasr.html
20 YEARS LOST IN A SINGLE TWEET: CNN Fires Octavia Nasr, a well deserved humiliating exit from the network
Those of us who followed Nasr’s career at CNN were a little surprised by her misbehavior. After twenty years honing her skills at the network she understood what was expected of her. She had a demonstrated ability of knowing what to say, and more importantly, what NOT to say. She clearly was not anticipating the backlash when she sat at her computer (or picked up her Blackberry) for that career-ending tweet. The speed with which CNN moved to fire her shows just how restrictive and uniform the corporate dominated “free press” has become. The unofficial propaganda arm of the US government has no tolerance for the mere suggestion of alternative sentiments or viewpoints. Even a short tweet expressing an unauthorized feeling of sadness over the death of a cleric in Lebanon by someone who spent two decades carefully following the script is enough to land that person a spot among the shunned miscreants. Nasr tried to backtrack but it was too late. The decision to fire her was taken before she sat down to explain her aberrant behavior.
http://ikhras.com/?p=307
Israeli intelligence: the laughing stock of the Middle East
Look at this stupid article. They really don’t know anything about the topics at hand. They still think that Iran controls Nasrallah like it controlled Subhi Tufayli when he led the party.
http://angryarab.blogspot.com/2010/07/israeli-intelligence-laughing-stock-of.html
Israeli media are as loyal to the Israeli government as are Ba`thist media to Ba`thist governments
"The publication of detailed information about Hezbollah’s intentions…" Look at this sentence. Publication of…intentions. Intentions? And the Israeli newspaper confirmed that these were the intentions of Hizbullah by penetrating into hizbullah’s leaders heads. And knowing the ignorance of Israeli leaders and their Middle East "experts" and Orientalists, they probably assumed the Amin Gemayyel is a Hizbullah leader too.
http://angryarab.blogspot.com/2010/07/israeli-media-are-as-loyal-to-israeli.html
Christian MPs drafting law to give Palestinians limited rights
BEIRUT: Christian parties are drafting a law to grant Palestinian refugees humanitarian and social rights in a bid to counter two earlier drafts that would award them civil rights. While Phalange party chief Amin Gemayel warned that the integration of Palestinian refugees into the Lebanese community would lead to their naturalization, the Maronite Bishops Council tied the refugees’ rights to responsibilities toward the Lebanese state, starting with the disarmament of Palestinian groups.
http://www.dailystar.com.lb/article.asp?edition_id=1&categ_id=2&article_id=116851#axzz0t1yx8mPd
Death sought for three in failed Lebanon assassination (AFP)
AFP – A Lebanese military court on Wednesday sought the death penalty for three Palestinians fugitives over the attempted murder of the police intelligence bureau chief, the National News Agency reported.
http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/mideast/*http://news.yahoo.com/s/afp/20100707/wl_mideast_afp/lebanonpalestiniantrial
Iran
Sen. Lieberman: US ready to strike Iran if it must
Sen. Lieberman used some very harsh language at the Wednesday press conference to describe the Iranian nuclear program, saying the US must do everything it can to stop Iran from becoming a nuclear power.
http://www.jpost.com/Headlines/Article.aspx?id=180725
Blair ‘exaggerated’ Iran support for al-Qaida, says former ambassador
Richard Dalton said that the UK and US misread the intentions of the Iranian regime, believing it would inevitably be hostile to their mission in Iraq when in fact Tehran wanted them to succeed in installing a stable government in Baghdad.
http://www.eecho.ie/news/world/blair-exaggerated-iran-support-for-al-qaida-says-former-ambassador-464572.html
McCain: Israel not planning strike on Iranian nuclear facilities
JERUSALEM — Israel is not at the moment considering a military strike on Iran to try to set back its nuclear program, U.S. Sen. John McCain said here Wednesday.
http://feeds.washingtonpost.com/click.phdo?i=020c2bb9e76f9bac2b3e81ab06b42ee4
U.A.E. denies backing use of force against Iran
Assistant minister says earlier comments by envoy appearing to back a military strike were taken out of context.
http://www.haaretz.com/news/diplomacy-defense/u-a-e-denies-backing-use-of-force-against-iran-1.300591
Iran to limit trade with UAE: official
The Iran-UAE Chamber of Commerce announced Tuesday that Iran reduced its trade ties with the UAE following the latter’s decision to freeze 41 Iranian bank accounts.
http://www.alarabiya.net/articles/2010/07/07/113236.html
Military official: Iran did not send radar to Syria
A high-ranking military official denied reports that Iran installed a sophisticated radar system in Syria that could jeopardize Israel’s ability to strike the Islamic Republic’s nuclear facilities. The official said such a radar never reached Damascus.
http://www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7340,L-3916571,00.html
U.S. and other World News
UK torture inquiry must be independent and thorough
The UK government must ensure its inquiry into UK complicity in torture and other human rights violations of those detained abroad since 9/11 is thorough, independent and as transparent as possible.
http://www.amnesty.org/en/news-and-updates/uk-torture-inquiry-must-be-independent-and-thorough-2010-07-07
UK troops to pull out of Sangin
The United Kingdom will withdraw its troops from the Sangin district in Afghanistan’s Helmand province, where they have suffered heavy casualties in recent months.
http://english.aljazeera.net/news/asia/2010/07/201077115742572738.html
CIA and Pakistan locked in aggressive spy battles
Publicly, the U.S. credits Pakistan with helping kill and capture many al-Qaida and Taliban leaders. Privately, the relationship is often marked by mistrust and double-dealing as Pakistan runs double agents against the CIA and the agency tries to penetrate Pakistan’s closely guarded nuclear program.
http://www.miamiherald.com/2010/07/06/1716918/cia-and-pakistan-locked-in-aggressive.html
Lazio: Cuomo Should Investigate Ground Zero Mosque
NEW YORK — Republican gubernatorial candidate Rick Lazio on Tuesday called on his Democratic rival, Andrew Cuomo, to investigate the development of a $100 million mosque being planned near ground zero. The mosque, just a block away from the Sept. 11 terror attack site, has been a source of controversy in the community even though Mayor Michael Bloomberg and other city officials support its construction and have said that it poses no security concerns. Some survivors and family members of the 9/11 victims say building a mosque there disrespects the memory of those who died at the hands of Islamic terrorists.
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2010/07/07/lazio-cuomo-should-invest_n_638320.html
Jon Stewart Rips Fox News For Their Fear Of Muslims (VIDEO)
Next up: Fox’s reaction to the growing number of Mosques being built throughout the nation, which many of their personalities feared would spread Islam, and consequently influence the laws of the nation. To be fair, Stewart mocked ABC News as well for their take on the situation as well. But both were asking for it.
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2010/07/08/jon-stewart-rips-fox-news_n_639103.html
Guantanamo detainee admits conspiring with al-Qaeda
Ibrahim al-Qosi, a Sudanese prisoner at the US military prison in Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, has pleaded guilty to providing material support to al-Qaeda. Al-Qosi, who was detained for more than eight years before the conviction, admitted that he was cook and driver to Osama bin Laden, the leader of al-Qaeda. The conviction is the first in a military tribunal since Barack Obama became the US president in January 2009. Al-Qosi faces life in prison, or he could be released for time already served. The US defence department said in a statement that the tribunal process safeguarded "the rights of the accused". Al Jazeera’s Nick Spicer
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=p9x5AlV5hxw&feature=youtube_gdata
When will Israel Release Palestinian Political Prisoners? Cuba agrees to release 52 political prisoners
The decision to free the largest group of political prisoners in a decade follows months of talks and the intervention this week of Spain, the Catholic Church says. The Cuban government has agreed to release the largest group of political prisoners in a decade, following months of talks and the intervention this week of Spain, the Roman Catholic Church in Cuba said Wednesday.
http://feeds.latimes.com/%7Er/latimes/middleeast/%7E3/pQ0vg9MWRwA/la-fg-cuba-prisoners-20100708,0,6657225.story
www.TheHeadlines.org
