And other news from Today in Palestine:
Land and Property Theft and Destruction/Ethnic Cleansing
Netanyahu says no extension of settlement slowdown (AP)
AP – Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said Monday that his country will not extend a 10-month slowdown in West Bank settlement construction that is set to expire in late September.
http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/mideast/*http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20100726/ap_on_re_mi_ea/ml_israel_palestinians
Settlers erect Hebron outpost, arrests during clashes
Hebron – Ma’an – Dozens of settlers began building a new illegal outpost in Hebron’s Al-Buweirah neighborhood between the city center and the Kiyrat Arba settlement on Friday. Witnesses said mobile homes and sheds were placed on the site by morning, with one resident saying "dozens of settlers installed themselves in the area." Local and international protesters gathered near the site on Friday morning, but were forced away from the newly occupied area by soldiers, who were reportedly protecting the new area.
http://www.maannews.net/eng/ViewDetails.aspx?ID=302005
US Cash for Israeli Settlements: Making a Mockery of the Moratorium
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu may have declared a freeze on new settlements, but construction is continuing in the West Bank and East Jerusalem. Settlers are receiving contributions from American foundations that enjoy tax breaks, including Christian groups that see Biblical prophecies being fulfilled.
http://www.spiegel.de/international/world/0,1518,707691,00.html
Jordan condemns Israeli moves in Jerusalem, says the city a "time bomb"
CAIRO – Jordan on Monday strongly condemned Israeli measures in occupied Arab Jerusalem which aim to alter the city”s Islamic and Christian identity, and said the holy city is a "time bomb" that could explode the whole region. The Kingdom reiterated that the holy city is a "sacred cause" for the Arab and Muslim world and that all diplomatic and legal options are open to protect it.
http://en.ammonnews.net/article.aspx?articleNO=9148
Jewish Agency: 1000 new olim arrive this week
Jewish Agency has announced that 23 flights will land this week with about 1000 new olim from around the world, Israel Radio reported Sunday. The new olim consist of 550 from France, 100 from Britain, 60 from South Africa and 170 from South America. Jewish Agency Chairman Natan Sharansky welcomed the new olim explaining that it is important to recognize that our brethren in the Jewish world not only support us, but also choose to join us and immigrate to Israel at a time when the state faces much delegitimization around the world.
http://www.jpost.com/Headlines/Article.aspx?id=182568
Solidarity/Activism/Boycott, Sanctions & Divestment
Urgent need for support to release 17 year old Ahmad Abed Al-Fatah from jail
19. July 2010 Bil’in was subjected to yet another Israeli Occupation Forces night raid when an unusually heavy number of Israeli soldiers entered the outskirts of the village to arrest a local youth; 17 year old Ahmad Abed Al-Fatah Burnat – who unfortunately was arrested. (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=86QAchT2swI&feature=player_embedded) Ahmad was taken by jeep to Ofer military prison located outside Ramallah, where arrestees from Bil’in are normally taken. His family witnessed their son and brother being taken away without knowing why. There is still uncertainty why the Israeli army came in 12 jeeps and stormed the family’s house kidnapping the 17 year old that night.
http://groups.google.com/group/newprofile/browse_thread/thread/3770318441c98eba?pli=1
Wadi Rahal: International solidarity activist arrested
July 24th, 2010– The march was organized under the slogan of "Popular resistance continues!", challenging the repression of the Israeli military. As soon as the demonstrators reached the area near the Wall the occupation forces began firing tear gas and sound bombs at the people.
http://stopthewall.org/latestnews/2328.shtml
Nabi Saleh: IOF fired tear gas throughout the village
July 24th, 2010– The occupying forces targeted the houses at the entrance to the village by firing tear gas towards and into them. This caused panic among residents. Finally, the occupation forces chased the protesters all across the village, randomly firing tear gas and sound bombs in the neighborhoods.
http://stopthewall.org/latestnews/2329.shtml
Hebron report: military violently repress protests, following heightened wave of settler violence
The recent escalation of settler violence in Al-Khalil (Hebron) was matched by unwarranted military violence and the arbitrary arrest of peaceful protestors at the latest protest against the closure of Shuhada Street and illegal presence of Israeli settlers on Saturday 24 July 2010.
http://palsolidarity.org/2010/07/13224/?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+palsolidarity+%28International+Solidarity+Movement%29
Ni’lin: Popular resistance will continue!
July 24th, 2010– The protestors held the Friday prayer on land close to the Wall. The speeches underlined the importance of upholding the national and popular resistance as well as the need for political unity in order to be able to confront the occupation policies.
http://stopthewall.org/latestnews/2330.shtml
Fresh protest against Israeli volleyball team in Turkey (AFP)
AFP – Demonstrators gathered here for a second day Sunday to protest an Israeli team playing in a volleyball tournament in Turkey after the Jewish state’s deadly raid on a Gaza-bound Turkish aid ship.
http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/mideast/*http://news.yahoo.com/s/afp/20100725/wl_mideast_afp/israelconflictgazaturkeyvolleydemo
Gaza lawmaker: Israel has no right to stop aid ships
Gaza – Ma’an – Under the Law of Maritime Navigation, Israel has no right to intercept aid ships bound for Gaza, head of the Popular Committee Against the Siege Jamal Al-Khudari said Friday. Speaking most immediately about the Lebanese aid ships The Miriam and The Naji Al-Ali, both scheduled to lift anchor and sail toward Gaza within the week, Al-Khudari said it was the right and the duty of nations to ensure the laws of the sea were properly applied, and to embark toward Gaza shores.
http://www.maannews.net/eng/ViewDetails.aspx?ID=301992
The Olympia Food Co-op Needs Your Support Now!
Just last week the Board of Directors of the Olympia Food Co-op in Olympia, WA, the hometown of Rachel Corrie, took the courageous step of instituting a boycott of Israeli goods, the first grocery boycott of Israel in the US. Already, there is a movement afoot to condemn the Co-op for taking this important stand. Please help us thank the Olympia Food Co-op and its board of directors for supporting human rights in Palestine!
http://www.olympiabds.org/2010/the-olympia-food-co-op-needs-your-support-now.html
The Saga of Abdul Halim
We recently posted the introduction to photojournalist William Parry’s new book Against the Wall: The Art of Resistance in Palestine, as well as a selection of images. Below please find one final excerpt from the book, detailing the struggle of a Palestinian man named Abdul Halim whose home in Nazlit Issa in the northwestern West Bank was commandeered as a base for the Israeli army while his territorial holdings were truncated by the West Bank Wall. Following the excerpt are 9 images of Abdul Halim, his home and village, and the Wall. All photographs by William Parry.
http://pulsemedia.org/2010/07/26/the-saga-of-abdul-halim/
Pro-Apartheid
Facebook prohibits the word ‘Palestinian’, by Paul Woodward
The folks at Palestinian Refugee ResearchNet thought they’d create a Facebook page only to discover: Facebook blocks the term “Palestinian”!
https://mondoweiss.net/2010/07/facebook-prohibits-the-word-palestinian.html
Angry Zionist On Boycotts: Don’t Boycott Israel, The very idea is repellent
"Perhaps boycotts should be off-limits as a tactic against democratic societies, where other means of peaceful protest exist. But here, too, it’s hard to come up with a blanket rule. The immediate resort to sanctions when an elected government—say, Arizona’s—does something objectionable seems extreme and disproportionate. Yet an elected democracy like the Milosevic regime in Serbia can oppress ethnic minorities or commit genocide as well as an unelected one. And, indeed, one could argue that only in a democracy are the people truly responsible for the actions of their government."
http://www.newsweek.com/2010/07/24/don-t-boycott-israel.html?from=rss
Jethro Tull: Won’t be pressured into canceling planned Israel show
Band leader Ian Anderson says plans to donate proceeds of Ceasaria show to charities promoting coexistence between Jews, Arabs, and Christians.
http://www.haaretz.com/culture/jethro-tull-won-t-be-pressured-into-canceling-planned-israel-show-1.303802?localLinksEnabled=false
Violence and Aggression
Israeli warplanes strike Gaza tunnels (AFP)
AFP – Israeli planes fired missiles at two smuggling tunnels near the Gaza Strip border with Egypt early Monday, causing damage but no casualties, officials from the Hamas-run security forces said.
http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/mideast/*http://news.yahoo.com/s/afp/20100726/wl_afp/mideastconflictgazastrike
Checkpoint scuffle lightly injures toddler
Bethlehem – Ma’an – The family of a toddler who was taken to hospital early Saturday morning said the boy’s injuries were sustained at the Container checkpoint northeast of Bethlehem during a scuffle with soldiers. The child, identified by Palestinian security sources as two and a half-year-old Bassam Sa’adah, was admitted to the Beit Jala Hospital for treatment of minor injuries to the head, which medics described as bruises.
http://www.maannews.net/eng/ViewDetails.aspx?ID=301987
IOF detains a bus, injures a child
Hebron, July 24, (Pal Telegraph) A Palestinian child was injured during the Israeli occupation soldiers inspection and detention to a bus at dawn today, attacking and severely beating the passengers at a checkpoint, located at the entrance to Hebron in the West Bank. Israeli Police said in a statement released to the press today, that the Israeli occupation soldiers stationed at the checkpoint at the entrance of Hebron held a bus from Ramallah and attacked the occupants, wounding a child in the attack aging no more than two years, he was moderately wounded in his head, while the Israeli occupation soldiers released the bus at one o’clock in the morning. On the other hand, the Israeli police delivered summoning warrants for Palestinian citizens to attend an interview for the Israeli intelligence in the provinces of Qalqilya, Salfit and the town of Deir Estia.
http://www.paltelegraph.com/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=6774:iof-detains-a-bus-injures-a-child&catid=59:west-bank&Itemid=135
Settlers riot near Nablus checkpoint
Nablus – Ma’an – Residents of an illegal Israeli settlement rioted Monday in the northern West Bank, protesting the demolition of structures built in an adjoining outpost, onlookers said. Ma’an’s Nablus correspondent reported from the scene that dozens of armed settlers stormed the nearby Burin village, opening fire at Palestinian homes. Israeli forces also ransacked houses, locals said, including the homes of Bashir Az-Zein and Ibrahim Abid.
http://www.maannews.net/eng/ViewDetails.aspx?ID=302515
IDF: Curb ‘price tag’ violence
Reprisals continue after Monday’s demolition of illegal structures. Settlers set fire to Palestinian fields near Har Bracha, damage two military vehicles. IDF urges settler leaders to restrain residents, warns situation to deteriorate as decision on construction freeze nears.
http://www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7340,L-3925265,00.html
Radical rabbi arrested for incitement to violence
Rabbi Yitzhak Shapira was arrested Monday on suspicion of incitement to violence against non-Jews. function FlashRequest(command, args) {}
http://www.imemc.org/article/59185
Rabbis oppose Yitzhak’s arrest
Dozens of rabbis, National Religious figures sign condemnation of Rabbi Yitzhak Shapira’s arrest over book. Rabbi Aviner tells Ynet: I am opposed to book, but religious laws governing killing non-Jews outlined in it are legitimate, must be dealt with halachically’.
http://www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7340,L-3925216,00.html
Detainees
Seventeen Year Old Child Taken in Night Raid on Bi’ilin Now Facing Jail Time
Bil’in was subjected to yet another Israeli Occupation Forces night raid when an unusually heavy number of Israeli soldiers entered the outskirts of the village to arrest a local youth; 17 year old Ahmad Abed Al-Fatah Burnat – who unfortunately was arrested.
http://josephdana.com/2010/07/seventeen-year-old-child-taken-in-night-raid-on-biilin-now-facing-jail-time/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=seventeen-year-old-child-taken-in-night-raid-on-biilin-now-facing-jail-time
Israel army: 5 armed Palestinians detained
Bethlehem – Ma’an – Five Palestinians were detained by Israeli forces in Nablus along the road between the Beit Furik village and the illegal Elon Moreh settlement in the district. The Israeli military said a patrol identified five suspicious men on the road who were later found to be in possession of two improvised weapons, two firebombs and a knife. The Israeli online news site Ynet reported that the suspects were detained for questioning.
http://www.maannews.net/eng/ViewDetails.aspx?ID=302490
Ahrar: Israeli court extends detention of Palestinian woman
The Israeli military court in Jalama prison has extended the detention of Fathiya Suwais, 57, for eight more days, the Ahrar center for prisoners’ studies and human rights said on Monday.
http://www.palestine-info.co.uk/En/default.aspx?xyz=U6Qq7k
Mother of prime suspect in spy affair arrested
Police suspect mother of Fada Shaer, suspected of spying, aiding and abetting enemy was involved in Majdal Shams security affair. Majority of affair’s details placed under gag order.
http://www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7340,L-3925215,00.html
The Siege (Gaza & West Bank)/Humanitarian and Human Rights/Restriction of Movement
Mansi: Gaza Strip in need of more than 63,000 housing units
Dr. Yousef Mahmoud Al-Mansi revealed in a televised statement Sunday that the Gaza Strip is in dire need of more than 63,000 housing units, especially after the fierce Israeli war against the Strip.
http://www.palestine-info.co.uk/En/default.aspx?xyz=U6Qq7k%2bcOd87MDI46m9rUxJEpMO%2bi1s7IiUcnreNSGJ4X%2fZTCMVjWm%2b9Cg3bxHoLygyrYj%2bbtTzkurfTdb8%2bKeEJ8GYBwlO2cdMvuXtCBlClk%2blZicg8zv65hrnAmVq2%2bRcZTC%2fqvy8%3d
Gaza hospital suffers interruption in electricity supply
The electricity crisis resulting from the blockade imposed on the Gaza Strip is effecting every aspect of life in the strip even hospitals are not immune to its detrimental effects.
http://www.palestine-info.co.uk/En/default.aspx?xyz
Palestinian Children in West Bank Summer Camp: “Break the Silence, Break the Siege”, Joseph Dana
This afternoon, I visited a Palestinian summer camp in the southern West Bank city of Beit Umar. The camp is named “The Freedom Flotilla Camp” and contains roughly one hundred youth aged 12 to 17 years old from the city. In addition to normal summer camp activities like swimming, playing football and general running around with friends, the children organized a festival titled “Break the Silence, Break the Siege.” The festival, which was organized by various popular struggle committees in the west Bank, included poetry about the occupation, plays about Palestinian interaction with settlers/soldiers and traditional ‘debka’ dances. The aim was to send a message to the international community that Palestine is unified and Gaza is not separate from the West Bank. The children wanted to express their concern about the silence of the international community over Israeli blockade of Gaza and the ongoing occupation of the West Bank.
http://josephdana.com/2010/07/1535/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=1535
Palestinian family reunites in Jordan after 62 years
Amman, July 26, (Pal Telegraph) Two Palestinian brothers met for the first time after a separation that lasted for 62 years since the catastrophe of 1948 (Nakba) last Friday, in the Jordanian capital Amman. The “Gulf Times” newspaper in its Monday editions reported: "The elder brother, Mahmoud Abdel-Hafiz (82 years), met his younger brother, Mohammed (75 years) at the house of a relative of the family in the area ‘Tabarbour’ east of Amman. " The brothers said that they were separated as a result of the 1948 catastrophe, the widowed took some of her sons to Iraq, Mahmoud left with his mom and kept on moving till he settled in Sweden where he got married and now has 9 children. Mohammed stayed in Acre, he got married and had children.
http://www.paltelegraph.com/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=6793:palestinian-family-reunites-in-jordan-after-62-years&catid=77:middle-east&Itemid=126
Multimedia human rights review
Today (26 July ’10), is publishing a multimedia review of human rights in the Occupied Territories during 2009-2010, highlighting personal stories and documentary footage.
http://www.btselem.org/Campaigns/2009_Annual_Report/English/
War Criminals
IDF Report Confirming Goldstone’s Key Findings Is Suppressed Inside Israel, Max Blumenthal
A report quietly submitted by IDF Military Advocate General Avichai Mandelblit to the United Nations two weeks ago regarding Israel’s conduct during Operation Cast Lead confirms the key findings of the Goldstone Report. The report (full version here), which documents 150 ongoing investigations, has outraged the Israeli Army. “It looks as though they were frightened by Goldstone,” remarked an IDF officer. Another military official expressed anger that after a previous IDF report asserting the legality of shelling civilian areas with white phosphorous, a chemical weapon, the Mandelblit report has issued recommendations limiting the munition’s use. “It looks like tying your own hands behind your back. Why should a weapon with which there is no problem be limited?” the official asked.
http://maxblumenthal.com/2010/07/idf-report-confirming-goldstones-key-findings-is-suppressed-inside-israel/
Israel’s Arab Helpers
Egypt Punishes Gaza More, Adam Morrow and Khaled Moussa Al-Omrani
CAIRO, Jul 26, 2010 (IPS) – Almost two months since Egypt announced it would reopen its Rafah border terminal with the Gaza Strip, operation of the crossing remains sorely limited.
http://ipsnews.net/news.asp?idnews=52268
Egypt police kill migrant near Israel border
Bethlehem – Ma’an/Agencies – Egyptian police shot and killed a Sudanese migrant seeking to cross the border into Israel on Saturday, security sources told Reuters. A 23-year-old migrant was shot in the chest after he ignored orders to stop and fled toward the central Sinai peninsula, the sources added. The unidentified migrant’s body was taken to Al-Arish Hospital, the newswire reported. The Egypt-Israel border is considered a major transit route for African migrants and refugees seeking work or asylum in Israel. Egyptian forces often fire on suspected migrants along the route.
http://www.maannews.net/eng/ViewDetails.aspx?ID=302168
Mossad chief reportedly visited Saudi Arabia for talks on Iran
Account on WorldNetDaily follows series of recent reports on increasing secret cooperation between Israel and the Saudis, including defense coordination on matters related to possible military action.
http://www.haaretz.com/print-edition/news/mossad-chief-reportedly-visited-saudi-arabia-for-talks-on-iran-1.304032?localLinksEnabled=false
For Israel’s UN envoy, diplomacy isn’t always in plain view
"How did you manage to create and develop relations with Arab and Muslim ambassadors, despite the diplomatic situation?
"That is the secret of quiet diplomacy, and activity behind the scenes. One of my friends is Egyptian Ambassador Maged Abdelaziz, even though my first husband was killed on the Egyptian front during the Yom Kippur War. I have friendly relations with Oman Ambassador Fuad al-Hinai, whose wife is Oman’s ambassador to the United States. I had good relations with Saudi Ambassador Khalid Alnafisee. Qatar’s ambassador recently expressed regret at my departure. I am particularly proud of the genuine friendship and closeness that came about with the U.S. ambassador, Rice; that’s a wonderful souvenir to bring back to Israel."
http://www.haaretz.com/print-edition/features/for-israel-s-un-envoy-diplomacy-isn-t-always-in-plain-view-1.303353
Political/Other Developments
Arabs, Palestinians under U.S. pressure to start direct talks with Israel: DFLP
AMMAN, July. 25 (Xinhua) — The Palestinians and the Arabs are under immense U.S. pressure to start direct negotiations prior to the deadline of the proximity talks on Sept. 26, the Democratic Front for the Liberation of Palestine (DFLP) said on Sunday. U.S. Middle East Envoy George Mitchell sent Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas a verbal message from U.S. President Barack Obama last week, indicating indirect talks between the Palestinians and Israelis have reached a dead end and the Palestinians should move to direct talks, Nayef Hawatmeh, DFLP’s secretary general said in the Jordanian capital Amman.
http://news.xinhuanet.com/english2010/world/2010-07/25/c_13414699.htm
Abbas ‘ready to meet’ if Israel agrees on borders
Bethlehem – Ma’an – President Mahmoud Abbas says he is prepared to meet with Israeli premier Benjamin Netanyahu if Israel agrees to the establishment of a Palestinian state on lands occupied in 1967 and halts settlements. Abbas said Saturday evening that no progress was made toward resuming direct talks with Israel in spite of international pressure on the Ramallah-based leadership. "Direct talks without an obvious reference could collapse from the beginning," the president told the Palestinian Broadcasting Corp. on the sidelines of the African Union summit in Uganda.
http://www.maannews.net/eng/ViewDetails.aspx?ID=302164
Palestinians "trying to sneak out of direct talks" (AFP)
AFP – Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Monday stepped up the rhetoric against the Palestinians, accusing them of trying to sneak out of sitting down for face-to-face peace talks with Israel.
http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/mideast/*http://news.yahoo.com/s/afp/20100726/wl_mideast_afp/mideastdiplomacyusisraelnetanyahu
Kouchner: We are ready to talk with ‘Hamas’
London, July 25, (Pal Telegraph) French Foreign Minister Bernard Kouchner, expressed his readiness to talk with Hamas if the Palestinian Authority requested that, stressing that it will not reach a peace agreement without Hamas. Kouchner in an interview on a program which was broadcasted on Monday on BBC, said that they have already begun talking with Hamas, adding that "when we have to talk with Hamas for the right reasons, we do it through Syria as a mediator, but we did not talk directly to them." Kouchner confirmed that he would visit with some foreign ministers of EU countries the Gaza Strip at the beginning of next September. He said : "There is no substitute for this visit, but it is not a target in itself, however, we are scheduled to visit at the beginning of September."
http://www.maannews.net/eng/ViewDetails.aspx?ID=302380
Haniyeh lauds calls for dialogue with Hamas
Gaza – Ma’an – Gaza-based premier Ismail Haniyeh said Sunday he welcomed international calls for direct dialogue with Hamas and resistance factions in the coastal enclave. "Several countries are being contacted to urge them hold direct dialogue with resistance factions. We applaud all attitudes toward reconsidering Palestinian democracy, as our own rival is occupation," Haniyeh said, speaking at a graduation ceremony at Islamic University.
http://www.maannews.net/eng/ViewDetails.aspx?ID=302585
Gaza figures on EU talks agenda
European Affairs Minister Dick Roche will attend a meeting of EU Foreign Ministers on Monday at which Gaza and the Middle East will be top of the agenda. The monthly gathering in Brussels is the first to be held under the Belgian presidency of the EU Council. Ministers will hear from chief EU diplomat Catherine Ashton on her recent visit to Gaza and discuss the current US-led proximity talks and way forward.
http://www.belfasttelegraph.co.uk/breaking-news/uk-ireland/gaza-figures-on-eu-talks-agenda-14888471.html#
Israel’s harassment of citizens could ignite uprising, warns Arab politician
• State playing with fire, says member of Knesset
• Zoabi cites anti-democracy bills as ‘undermining’
http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2010/jul/25/israel-arab-citizens-knesset-zoabi
Israel Refuses to Allow Spanish Lawmakers into Gaza
JERUSALEM – Israeli authorities refused to allow four Spanish Socialist lawmakers who intended to visit Palestinian territory to enter Gaza on Sunday. Israeli officials communicated their decision via the Spanish consulate in Jerusalem without offering any explanation, said Fatima Aburto, who is part of the delegation. “We’re indignant. We feel it’s an error for Israel to try and hide the situation in the region. We are not any flotilla, but rather Spanish legislators who have come in coordination with the UNRWA (United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East),” Aburto said.
http://www.laht.com/article.asp?ArticleId=361131&CategoryId=12395
Other News
Israel preventing U.S. from training Palestinian security forces, says watchdog
Report accuses Jerusalem of delaying transfer of military equipment, despite Washington’s efforts to train PA forces in West Bank.
http://www.haaretz.com/print-edition/news/israel-preventing-u-s-from-training-palestinian-security-forces-says-watchdog-1.304037
Israel preventing U.S. from training Palestinian security forces, says watchdog
Report accuses Jerusalem of delaying transfer of military equipment, despite Washington’s efforts to train PA forces in West Bank.
http://www.haaretz.com/print-edition/news/israel-preventing-u-s-from-training-palestinian-security-forces-says-watchdog-1.304037
Israel, US sign deal for Arrow 3 development
After Iron Dome tests conclude successfully, Defense Ministry says will work with US Defense Department to develop missile defense system capable of intercepting long-range ballistic missiles while still outside atmosphere.
http://www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7340,L-3925015,00.html
Netanyahu: Any loyalty oath must define Israel as Jewish state with equal rights for all
Prime Minister calls wording of oath essential in light of ‘offensive’ being conducted against Israel as national home of Jewish people.
http://www.haaretz.com/print-edition/news/netanyahu-any-loyalty-oath-must-define-israel-as-jewish-state-with-equal-rights-for-all-1.304028?localLinksEnabled=false
Suspect in murder of four Palestinians was Shin Bet agent, Jonathan Cook
NAZARETH // The arrest by the Israeli internal security service, the Shin Bet, of an Israeli Jew accused of killing at least four Palestinians has thrown a rare light on the secret police, including claims that it tried to enlist the accused to assassinate a Palestinian spiritual leader. Chaim Pearlman, who was arrested on July 13, has been charged with murdering four Palestinians in Jerusalem and injuring at least seven others in a series of knife attacks that began more than a decade ago. Police are still investigating whether he was involved in additional attacks.
http://www.thenational.ae/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20100725/FOREIGN/707249869/1011/rss
American Jews don military uniforms for volunteer service
"Nathaniel told me that if he’s going to take a bullet, he’d rather take one in Israel, for the country,"
http://www.ynetnews.com/articles/1,7340,L-3923944,00.html
EU threatens halt flights to Israel over pilot ID system
Code Positive is designed to prevent hijacked aircraft from entering Israeli airspace, but European Commission worries pilots will be afraid of interception should the system malfunction.
http://www.haaretz.com/print-edition/news/eu-threatens-halt-flights-to-israel-over-pilot-id-system-1.304035?localLinksEnabled=false
Oliver Stone: Jewish control of the media is preventing free Holocaust debate
Outspoken Hollywood director says new film aims to put Adolf Hitler, who he has called an ‘easy scapegoat’ in the past, in his due historical context.
http://www.haaretz.com/jewish-world/oliver-stone-jewish-control-of-the-media-is-preventing-free-holocaust-debate-1.304108?localLinksEnabled=false
Palestinian tycoons with Libya links behind Tory donations
The Conservative Party has received a six-figure donation from a company owned by Palestinian millionaires who were developing Libya’s vast offshore oilfields, The Daily Telegraph can disclose.
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/newstopics/politics/conservative/7908076/Palestinian-tycoons-with-Libya-links-behind-Tory-donations.html
Brand new car, ‘Made in Gaza’
What do you do when you’re young, bright and restless, but live in the cramped confines of the Gaza Strip? Some young people in Khan Younes have found one solution — they’ve built their own car, piecemeal, from scrap metal found on site.
http://www.timesofmalta.com/articles/view/20100724/world-news/brand-new-car-made-in-gaza
Free Running Hits Gaza
Palestinian youths practice free running wherever they can in Gaza.
http://abcnews.go.com/International/video/free-running-hits-gaza-11234780
Introduction To Palestinian Cooking
Alessandra Bajec – PNN- This week-end I took part to the third cooking class coordinated by a gourmet cook/nutritionist Sandra Carvalho as part of a project founded three months ago at Aida camp in Bethlehem city, southern West Bank. The project aims to empower women in the camp who have a disabled person in the family to find solutions to their daily problems. The idea initiated from Sandra’s desire to work for women in Aida in partnership with her friend Myriam who had prior experience of social care targeting disabled children as well as many contacts that they could start using. Being a woman is hard in Palestine, living in a refugee camp is even harder, and having a disabled family member is certainly a big issue in this society.
http://english.pnn.ps/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=8573
Analysis/Opinion/Human Interest
Exclusive Intifada Interview with Archbishop Theodosios (Atallah) Hanna
http://www.intifada-palestine.com/2010/07/exclusive-intifada-interview-with-archbishop-theodosios-atallah-hanna/
Hasbarapocalypse — Leaked Frank Luntz Memo: Israeli Public Diplomacy in US on Flotilla Failed Dismally
The Israel Project (TIP), an American Hasbara outfit, commissioned Republican political consultant Frank Luntz to examine the effectiveness of Israel’s public diplomacy in the US on the Flotilla debacle. TIP gave the memo to the Prime Minister’s Office, where someone promptly leaked it to Chico Menashe, Channel Ten TV News diplomatic affairs correspondent.
http://www.intifada-palestine.com/2010/07/hasbarapocalypse-%E2%80%94-leaked-frank-luntz-memo-israeli-public-diplomacy-in-us-on-flotilla-failed-dismally/
U.S.-Israel tensions boost conservatives ahead of midterm elections
With his support in opinion polls low, Obama’s criticism of Israel has provided Republicans with ammunition.
http://www.haaretz.com/print-edition/news/u-s-israel-tensions-boost-conservatives-ahead-of-midterm-elections-1.303845?localLinksEnabled=false
What does it mean when the Shin Bet calls you up for a ‘chat’?
The Shin Bet’s tendency to call in citizens to discuss their political activity has ACRI concerned. The Attorney General’s office says the service wants to keep innocent people from being exploited.
http://www.haaretz.com/print-edition/features/what-does-it-mean-when-the-shin-bet-calls-you-up-for-a-chat-1.304057?localLinksEnabled=false
Why Jeff Goldberg Is Losing It, M.J. Rosenberg
For two days, the Atlantic’s Jeff Goldberg has been calling Stephen Walt, John Mearsheimer and other critics of Bibi Netanyahu “anti-Semites.” Nothing new about that. For Goldberg, a major AIPAC neocon, all critics of Israeli policies are anti-Semites by definition. (See this good piece on Goldberg). But why is he obsessing about Walt so much now? It is because, in August, Goldberg is coming out with his big Atlantic piece calling on the United States to bomb Iran so that Israel does not have to. But Goldberg has a problem. As an American who chose to serve in the Israeli army (he was a guard at a Palestinian prison camp), he fears that Stephen Walt and John Mearsheimer — who accused the Likud lobby of promoting war with Iraq in their groundbreaking bestseller — will point out that Goldberg is just about the least credible advocate for war with Iran.
http://pulsemedia.org/2010/07/24/why-jeff-goldberg-is-losing-it/
Smear tactics show that lobby is losing power in discourse, Philip Weiss
Goldberg has had a long run. Consider the fact that early on he seemed content to pursue a parochial career– at the Jerusalem Post and the Forward– then found a golden road opening before him because the mainstream (and yes, pro-Zionist media bosses) trusted Jewish race-men– religious Zionists, like Goldberg. When he got to The New Yorker, it was said that he was editor David Remnick’s id, willing to say stuff that Remnick wasn’t going to say himself but wanted to hear. (Like bad information about Saddam’s alleged ties to Al-Qaeda). Now Goldberg is just Goldberg’s id, and the tantrums show he’s losing power.
https://mondoweiss.net/2010/07/smear-tactics-show-that-lobby-is-losing-power-in-discourse.html
Al-Awda: two-state solution would only prolong oppression, Philip Weiss
Al-Awda, the Palestinian right to return coalition, has released a statement about the way forward in Palestinian solidarity that says that BDS has changed the playing field, and BDS is aimed at one democratic state in historic Palestine. Here is the portion of the statement that opposes a two-state solution– against those who say that visions of one state are "unrealistic." Myself I’m somewhat agnostic, but I recognize the importance/creativity of the statement, at a time when the 2SS has collapsed, but a belief in its vitality is maintained against all evidence inside US power circles (and an oath of that belief is a requirement for access)
https://mondoweiss.net/2010/07/al-awda-two-state-solution-would-only-prolong-oppression.html
A new party of good tidings
The time has come for an Israeli party, a Jewish-Arab party, that will carry the banner of total commitment to equality, without a trace of discrimination and racism.
http://www.haaretz.com/print-edition/opinion/a-new-party-of-good-tidings-1.303537
We were right, the US-Israel rift was simply much ado about nothing
Diana Buttu – Bitter Lemons – "But the US is too afraid to use its annual $3 billion in assistance to Israel as a stick. Instead, it will continue to turn a blind eye to Israel’s colonization while promising an increasingly compliant and complacent Palestinian leadership that, for domestic reasons, the Palestinians will have to wait until mid-term elections, or maybe second-term elections before the stick will be used against Israel"
http://www.kibush.co.il/show_file.asp?num=41326
Book review: Gideon Levy and the Western media elite
The small volume The Punishment of Gaza provides a selection of Gideon Levy’s columns on Gaza in Israeli daily Haaretz since 2006. But does its publication reflect a bias against Palestinian and other Arab voices in the publishing industry? Asa Winstanley reviews for The Electronic Intifada.
http://electronicintifada.net/v2/article11412.shtml?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+electronicIntifadaPalestine+%28Electronic+Intifada+%3A+Palestine+News%29
Writing the Last Chapter, Raid Khoury
The plight of the Palestinian Arabs has been well documented and their cause kept alive by the indestructible spirit of this courageous and proud people. Those who were supposed to disappear from history refused to go away. They endured, struggled, and resisted all attempts to make permanent their dispossession and occupation. The story of Palestine and its people has been written, and narrated in many books, but Ramzy Baroud’s “My Father was a freedom fighter” is not just another book telling the story of Palestine as a sub-plot of 20th century political history, but a unique and necessary Palestinian-centered narrative. Most accounts of the Palestinian experience inevitably focus on the rise and fall of empires, international political intrigue, great power rivalry, and changing global political landscapes with the Palestinians appearing almost always as mere spectators at best, and sometimes a dispensable nuisance.
http://palestinechronicle.com/view_article_details.php?id=16160
Arab Oil, a Blessing and a Curse, Hasan Afif El-Hasan
While important transformations are taking place within the thinly populated oil producing Arab states (APC) due to their wealth, the capital-hungry nonoil producing Arab states are barely managing to feed their populations. The APC states invest hundreds of billions of dollars in the West and too little in the Arab nonoil states. And they are not using their political and economic influence with the industrialized nations to support a just solution to the Palestinian issue. Oil producing countries failed or refused to utilize oil as a strategic commodity for political advantage to back up the Palestinian cause. The 1973 Arab oil embargo supports the view that dependency on oil as the only industry and no national economic diversification limits the Arab states individually and collectively from exerting sustained political pressures on the oil users. When the APC spokesman coined the expression “oil and politics do not mix”, he meant that exploiting the oil as a weapon would very likely harm their own economies and they were not willing to sacrifice.
http://palestinechronicle.com/view_article_details.php?id=16164
Iraq
Four killed in bomb attack on Arabiya TV in Baghdad (Reuters)
Reuters – A suicide bomber killed four people on Monday in an attack targeting the Saudi-owned Al Arabiya news channel in Baghdad, Iraqi security officials said.
http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/iraq/*http://news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20100726/wl_nm/us_iraq_violence
Sunday: 13 Iraqis Killed, 12 Wounded
Security has been tightened ahead of Shi’ite religious holiday, but at least 13 Iraqis were killed and 12 more were wounded in unrelated violence. Meanwhile, a State of Law M.P. complained that the delay in forming the government has shaken the international community’s trust in Iraq. Iraq’s political blocs postponed the parliamentary session by one day to pick a speaker, among other issues plaguing the new parliament. The government, however, was able to make a decision on changing Iraq’s state logo and stamp.
http://original.antiwar.com/updates/2010/07/25/sunday-13-iraqis-killed-12-wounded/
Sunni Militia’s “Struggle for Relevance”
Recent deadly bombing underscores fraught future of Iraqi tribal force that fought insurgents. The latest attack on the Sahwa was grisly even by Iraq’s standards, and grimly symbolic of the militia’s precarious position.
http://www.iwpr.net/report-news/sunni-militia%E2%80%99s-%E2%80%9Cstruggle-relevance%E2%80%9D
Inside Iraq – Iraq’s political deadlock
Within the last six months, two lawmakers from the al-Iraqiya List, the largest parliamentary bloc in Iraq, were assassinated by unknown gunmen. Several other members of the bloc narrowly escaped attempts on their lives. This week we look at the growing political assassinations in the country.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eciTnpdoGxo&feature=youtube_gdata
Lebanon
Israeli cluster bomb wounds 9-year-old
SHAQRA: A nine year-old child was severely wounded by an Israeli cluster bomb explosion in the southern village of Shaqra, near Khiyam on Sunday.
http://www.dailystar.com.lb/article.asp?edition_id=1&categ_id=1&article_id=117448
Sayyed Nasrallah: We Won’t Allow Anyone to Hurt the Resistance Dignity
25/07/2010 Hezbollah Secretary General Sayyed Hasan Nasrallah stressed on Sunday that its part would not allow anyone, whoever he was, to hurt the dignity of the resistance. This resistance, according to Sayyed Nasrallah, was able to crush the new Middle East plan in 2006. Speaking in a ceremony honoring the martyr’s children at Shahed Institution in Beirut’s southern suburb, The Sayyed started his speech by paying tribute to the resistance martyrs.
http://www.almanar.com.lb/NewsSite/NewsDetails.aspx?id=147772&language=en
‘US on losing streak against Hezbollah’
Hezbollah says the US machinations against the Lebanese resistance movement are invariably mired in failure, citing the Washington-waged armed and smear campaigns. "Ever since 1982…what was being written in America and in Europe and in the world, even in the Arab world; ever since we have been founded, we have been targeted," the movement’s Secretary General Seyyed Hassan Nasrallah said on Sunday, addressing the faithful in the Lebanese capital, Beirut. He called the most recent war on Lebanon a brainchild of the United States which enjoyed Israeli implementation.
http://www.presstv.com/detail.aspx?id=136223§ionid=351020203
Hariri calls for calm after Hezbollah revelations (AFP)
AFP – Prime Minister Saad Hariri called on Saturday for "calm" in Lebanon in the face of expectations that a UN-backed court may implicate members of the powerful Hezbollah group in the 2005 murder of his father, ex-premier Rafiq Hariri.
http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/mideast/*http://news.yahoo.com/s/afp/20100724/wl_mideast_afp/lebanonuntribunalharirihezbollah
‘No Place for Fears: Hariri’s Soul Not Reason for Strife’!
24/07/2010 With tears, Lebanon’s Prime Minister Saad Hariri declared it… According to him, the fears expressed these days of a strife that could take place in Lebanon due to the "already written" verdict in the assassination of his father, former Prime Minister Rafiq Hariri, are simply baseless. The reason is very simple: Rafiq Hariri’s pure soul can’t be a reason to restart strife in the country. So, "enough intimidation, enough interpretation, enough mobilization of people’s feelings," Hariri stressed. The young Prime Minister, who entered politics following the assassination of his father, was declaring on Saturday the beginning of the Future movement founding conference, a conference believed by his lawmakers to be a transitional stage in the movement’s path.
http://almanar.com.lb/NewsSite/NewsDetails.aspx?id=147678&language=en
Barak: If Hezbollah attacks, we’ll strike Lebanese gov’t
Defense minister tells Washington Post if Shiite terror group strikes Tel Aviv ‘we will not run after each Hezbollah terrorist or launcher, we will see it as legitimate to hit any target that belongs to Lebanese state’.
http://www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7340,L-3925143,00.html
Aoun warns of conspiracy to naturalize Palestinians
BEIRUT: Free Patriotic Movement (FPM) leader and Kesrouan MP Michel Aoun warned of plans to naturalize Palestinians during a three-day visit to Zahle which he concluded Sunday by attending a Mass held to celebrate the inauguration of the new headquarters of Saint Elias monastery in the city.
http://www.dailystar.com.lb/article.asp?edition_id=1&categ_id=2&article_id=117463
Young Lebanese have much in common but remain wary of other sects – study
BEIRUT: Young Lebanese are avid consumers of new media, but have alarmingly low news and media literacy skills. They’re not particularly supportive of inter-sect or inter-faith marriage. But despite their many differences, they claim to share very similar core values, anchored in their family and country.
http://www.dailystar.com.lb/article.asp?edition_id=1&categ_id=1&article_id=117406
Desperate Zionist propaganda, As`ad Abukhalil
I mean, I dont remember that Zionist propaganda was that dumb. I mean, it has always been dumb but this dumb? They now remind me of Ba`thist propaganda of the 1960s: "A car bomb that exploded July 15 in Ciudad Juarez, Mexico, may indicate that Mexican drug cartels are being assisted by Hizbullah terrorists." To get American public sympathy, I expect Zionist propagandists to soon find links between JFK’s assassin and Hizbullah.http://angryarab.blogspot.com/2010/07/desperate-zionist-propaganda.html
Iran
U.S. strike on Iran likelier than ever, former CIA chief says
Michael Hayden says Iran intends to reach the point where it’s just below having a nuclear weapon, adding that such a step would be as destabilizing to the region as the ‘real thing.’
http://www.haaretz.com/news/diplomacy-defense/u-s-strike-on-iran-likelier-than-ever-former-cia-chief-says-1.303980?localLinksEnabled=false
Iran, Brazil, Turkey foreign ministers to meet in Istanbul
FM: Iran’s Foreign Minister Manouchehr Mottaki will meet with his Brazilian and Turkish counterparts, Celso Amorim and Ahmet Davutoglu, "in Istanbul tomorrow morning to discuss the Tehran Declaration about the fuel swap", Ramin Mehmanparast was quoted as saying by IRNA.
http://news.xinhuanet.com/english2010/world/2010-07/25/c_13413633.htm
Iran and Turkey sign pipeline deal
The $1.3bn agreement could irritate the US and EU who want tougher sanctions on Iran.
http://english.aljazeera.net//business/2010/07/201072314455840549.html
Resolution Green-Lighting Israeli Strikes on Iran Introduced by House Republicans, Jamal Abdi
Republicans in the House of Representatives have introduced a measure that would green-light an Israeli bombing campaign against Iran. The resolution, H.Res. 1553 (in full below), provides explicit support for military strikes against Iran, stating that Congress supports Israel’s use of "all means necessary" against Iran "including the use of military force".
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/jamal-abdi/resolution-green-lighting_b_657608.html?ir=World
Repubs Plot Israel-Iran Apocalypse and the Collapse of the US Economy, Juan Cole
It is not impossible that the people behind this resolution are fervently hoping for the Judgment Day to come more quickly and look forward to a Middle East apocalypse as a step toward the Return of Christ and the end of that pesky but temporarily necessary Judaism.
http://www.juancole.com/2010/07/repubs-plot-israel-iran-apocalypse-and-the-collapse-of-the-us-economy.html
Medvedev ‘mouthpiece’ of Iran enemies: Ahmadinejad
"In a meeting with his ambassadors, he (Medvedev) said we have knowledge that Iran is moving towards the bomb," Ahmadinejad was shown saying in footage broadcast by state television on Saturday.
http://news.yahoo.com/s/afp/20100724/wl_mideast_afp/irannuclearpoliticsrussiaahmadinejad
Israel Hiding Behind The "Iranian Threat"
This renewed exaggeration of an Iranian threat to Israel comes at a time when Israel is clearly being shown to be a strategic liability to the U.S., a fact the Israel Lobby has so far concealed with great success.
http://www.thecanadiancharger.com/page.php?id=5&a=513
U.S. and other World News
Afghanistan war logs: Massive leak of secret files exposes truth of occupation
• Hundreds of civilians killed by coalition troops
• Covert unit hunts leaders for ‘kill or capture’
• Steep rise in Taliban bomb attacks on Nato
http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2010/jul/25/afghanistan-war-logs-military-leaks
Julian Assange: Why the world needs WikiLeaks
The controversial website WikiLeaks collects and posts highly classified documents and videos. Founder Julian Assange, who is reportedly being sought for questioning by US authorities, talks to TED’s Chris Anderson about how the site operates, what it has accomplished and what drives him.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bVGqE726OAo&feature=youtube_gdata
US Kills 16 People in Pakistan
Local people have started rescue activities following the drone attacks and are engaged in clearing rubble and hurrying wounded men to hospital, said the report. The death toll could further rise as many of the injured people are in critical condition.
http://en.trend.az/regions/world/ocountries/1725591.html
Mental Illness Increases For U.S. Troops
The wars in Iraq and Afghanistan are taking a toll on minds as well as bodies, statistics released by the U.S. Army indicate. The Army said the number of U.S. soldiers forced to leave the military because of mental disorders increased by 64 percent from 2005 to 2009, USA Today reported Friday.
http://www.postchronicle.com/news/breakingnews/article_212313969.shtml?ref=rss
Haters Go After the ‘Ground Zero Mosque’
If we follow the "logic" of Newt and his fellow crusaders, then this should be torn down – along with all the other hundreds of mosques in New York City.
http://original.antiwar.com/justin/2010/07/22/haters-go-after-the-ground-zero-mosque/
Florida church sponsors ‘International Burn A Koran Day’
The Dove World Outreach Center, a non-denominational church in Gainesville FL, is planning to mark this year’s anniversary of the September 11, 2001 terrorist attacks with a little bonfire of Korans, the holy book of Islam. They even have a Facebook page with a mission statement to justify their actions.
http://www.examiner.com/x-8947-LA-Atheism-Examiner%7Ey2010m7d22-Florida-church-sponsors-International-Burn-A-Koran-Day?cid=email-this-article
Terror’s Self-Licking Ice Cream Cone, Ray McGovern
There is zero appetite to address what effect U.S. invasions and occupation of Muslim countries and our Siamese-twin relationship with Israel might be having among young Muslim men.
http://consortiumnews.com/2010/072310a.html
Uncovered: Britain’s Secret Rendition Programme
Until now, this country has been guilty only by association in the illegal transfer of prisoners. But the covert rendition of a Moroccan man by MI5 agents suggests that the practice was central to Britain’s ‘war on terror’
http://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/home-news/uncovered-britains-secret-rendition-programme-2033450.html
Egypt’s recycling community
Cairo has one of the most efficient garbage recycling systems in the world, and that’s due to the comunity of garbage collectors known as the Zebbaleen. They collect the trash every night and sort it by hand, recycling up to 80 per cent of the waste they collect. They also use pigs to eat the organic waste they collect, but figures have decreased in the last year, when the government culled them over the swine flu outbreak. Still, companies hired to pick up the trash recycle only a fraction of that Al Jazeera’s Stefanie Dekker has the story of a people doing an important job, with very little recognition.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Fr3ackX82Po&feature=youtube_gdata
www.TheHeadlines.org
