And other news from Today in Palestine:
Land and Property Theft and Destruction/Ethnic Cleansing
Police clash with Bedouin attempting to rebuild razed village
A number of injuries have been reported, among them MK Talab El-Sana, who apparently fainted while entrenched in a tent constructed to protest the village’s demolition.
http://www.haaretz.com/news/national/police-clash-with-bedouin-attempting-to-rebuild-razed-village-1.305956?localLinksEnabled=false
Al Araqeeb village demolished for 3rd time, constant suffering
West Bank, August 4, (Pal Telegraph) Hundreds of Israeli police and special units broke into Al Araqeeb village in the Negev, to demolish and erase the village because the people built tents in it after it was demolished by Israeli forces last week. According to reports from villagers that the violent clashes broke out between the villagers and Israeli police leaving five people injured, including Knesset member Talab al-Sana, he was assaulted and thrown out from the tent that he was marching inside, a field researcher at the Center for Justice, Salim Abu Mdegm and Dr. Awad Abu Freih and others were also injured, which has necessitated the transfer of some of them to a near hospital for treatment.
http://www.paltelegraph.com/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=6858:al-araqeeb-village-demolished-for-3rd-time-constant-suffering&catid=59:west-bank&Itemid=135
Israeli army raids villages in Negev, demolishes dozens of homes
A large force of Israeli police raided Tuesday several villages in Negev, south of Israel, amid a demolition operation targeting dozens of homes in the villages.
http://www.palestine-info.co.uk/En/default.aspx?x
Six homes flattened, 300 others damaged in Israeli bombing of Deir Al-Balah
A preliminary report issued by the Palestinian ministry of public works stated that the Israeli random shelling of Deir Al-Balah caused damage to more than 300 homes and destroyed six others.
http://www.palestine-info.co.uk/En/default.aspx?xyz=U6Q
IOF demolishes 7 graves in Jerusalem
Jerusalem, August 4, (Pal Telegraph) Bulldozers of the Israeli municipality of Jerusalem demolished today morning seven graves in the cemetery of "Ma’man allah”. According to eyewitnesses, that the Israeli bulldozers started demolishing the graves under police protection and under the pretext of not obtaining a license by The Islamic Movement to restore them.
http://www.paltelegraph.com/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=6857:iof-demolishes-7-graves-in-jerusalem&catid=59:west-bank&Itemid=135
Israeli settlement watchdog finds 492 ‘freeze’ violations
The Israeli settlement watchdog Peace Now has documented 492 violations of a partial “moratorium” on new construction in the occupied West Bank set to expire in September, the group said on Tuesday. Based in part on aerial photographs, the group said construction had begun on at least 600 housing units in 60 different settlements, at least 492 of them in “direct violation” of the moratorium which was imposed late last year. Peace Now director Yariv Oppenheimer said the government has taken significant steps to enforce the moratorium but that the newly documented violations show it has not been entirely successful.
http://www.dailystar.com.lb/article.asp?edition_id=10&categ_id=2&article_id=117824#axzz0vaCDT5Sm
517,774 Jewish settlers live in West Bank: report
RAMALLAH, Aug. 3 (Xinhua) — Around 517,774 Jewish settlers live in settlements in the West Bank, according to a report published Tuesday by Palestinian Central Bureau of Statistics ( PCBS). According to the report, settlements in the West Bank were distributed into four strips, namely the eastern strip including 28 settlements, mountain strip including 31 settlements, western hills strip including 48 settlements and the greater Jerusalem strip including 37 settlements. "The number of settlers who live in Israeli settlements in the Palestinian territories increased by more than 40 times during the period of 1972 to 2009," according to the PCBS report about the Israeli settlements in the Palestinian territories for the year 2009.
http://news.xinhuanet.com/english2010/world/2010-08/03/c_13428653.htm
Solidarity/Activism/Boycott, Sanctions & Divestment
16 Arrested in al-Walaja
16 persons of conscious, including the village’s mayor, have been arrested in the West Bank village of al-Walaja, on Wednesday, protesting the construction of the annexation wall.
http://www.imemc.org/article/59228
Group pledges new aid flotilla to Gaza this year (AFP)
AFP – The organisers of the "Freedom Flotilla" to Gaza said in Stockholm Wednesday they would make a new attempt to reach the Palestinian territory before the end of the year.
http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/mideast/*http://news.yahoo.com/s/afp/20100804/wl_mideast_afp/israelconflictgazaswedenflotilla
British Muslims urged to boycott Israeli dates during Ramadan
New protest at occupation of Palestinian territories, as Israeli ambassador counters with ‘two-date solution’ pun. British Muslims are being urged to boycott Israeli dates when breaking their fast during Ramadan in protest at the continued occupation of the Palestinian territories. Campaign organisers Friends of Al Aqsa hope the boycott will dwarf previous attempts to hit Israel in the pocket, capitalising on the attention afforded to the plight of Palestinians by the deadly Israeli attack on a flotilla carrying aid to Gaza at the end of May.
http://www.guardian.co.uk/uk/2010/aug/04/israeli-dates-boycott-ramadan
An interview with Yonatan Shapira
“If I needed something to confirm I am going in the right direction…” an interview with Yonatan Shapira
http://theonlydemocracy.org/2010/08/if-i-needed-something-to-confirm-i-am-going-in-the-right-direction-an-interview-with-yonatan-shapira/
Why I support the Olympia Co-op boycott, Rabbi Lynn Gottlieb
Dear friends, The Olympia Food Co-op boycott of Israeli products (except for fair trade olive oil) has generated much controversy and emotion. I do pray for healing and understanding among those who support and those who oppose such a boycott in the community of Olympia, Washington and around the world. All of us must stand together and mourn the loss of life generated by this conflict. May their memories be a blessing. The Food Co-op and many concerned citizens around the world have asked the question: How do we transform the Israeli-Palestinian conflict through the use of nonviolence? What is meaningful action?
https://mondoweiss.net/2010/08/why-i-support-the-olympia-co-op-boycott.html
Violence and Aggression (also see Lebanon)
Israel air raid on southern Gaza
At least one Palestinian dead and another wounded near Khan Younis.
http://english.aljazeera.net/news/middleeast/2010/08/20108443033940628.html
Scores injured in days of Israeli attacks on Gaza
Tens of Palestinians were injured in a series of Israeli air strikes on Monday, 2 August in the refugee camp of Deir el-Balah in the south of the occupied Gaza Strip. Israeli forces targeted senior Hamas official Alaa al-Danaf during the attacks, which leveled his house and badly damaged at least 12 other homes nearby. This followed three consecutive days of Israeli strikes across the besieged territory.
http://electronicintifada.net/v2/article11440.shtml?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+electronicIntifadaPalestine+%28Electronic+Intifada+%3A+Palestine+News%29
PCHR Calls for Investigations into Injury of 58 Palestinians, Including 13 Children, by Explosion in Deir al-Balah
Palestinian Centre for Human Rights (PCHR), Date: 03 Aug 2010, The Palestinian Center for Human Rights (PCHR) calls upon the government in the Gaza Strip to investigate the circumstances of an explosion that occurred in Deir al-Balah refugee camp in the central Gaza Strip, which left 58 injuries, including 13 children and 9 women, 7 houses uninhabitable and 30 others damaged. PCHR calls further for publishing the results of such investigations.
http://www.reliefweb.int/rw/rwb.nsf/db900SID/VVOS-87YQXB?OpenDocument
Police: Family attacked by settlers after car crash
NABLUS (Ma’an) — A fight erupted between a Palestinian family and Israeli settlers on Tuesday following a car crash, Palestinian Authority police reported. Police said the cars collided on the Burin junction, in which Abdul Min’em Owni Sabah, 26, his wife Shahrayar Yousef Daoud, 26, and their daughter Duha, three, were injured.
http://www.maannews.net/eng/ViewDetails.aspx?ID=304950
Israeli Military Injures One Gazan Worker
Israel shoots another man as he attempts to gather construction materials.
http://www.imemc.org/article/59226
Watch: PA raids Ma’an’s Nablus bureau
BETHLEHEM (Ma’an) — Palestinian Authority customs agents raided Ma’an’s Nablus bureau Tuesday, assaulting three journalists during the latest in a series of operations targeting local broadcasters in the occupied West Bank. Rami Swidan, a photojournalist on the Nablus desk, said PA forces attacked journalists Duhana Abu Ayasheh, Ayman Alawi, and Ala Ash-Shanti when they entered the office to shut down operations.
http://www.maannews.net/eng/ViewDetails.aspx?ID=304997
Detainees
Boy Begs Soldiers Not To Take His Dad
TV cameras have captured the terrible moment of a five-year-old Palestinian boy seeing his father arrested by Israeli soldiers, nearby Hebron. In the video, the kid, Khaled Jabari, wails in torment and confusion as Israeli Army drag away his father, Fadel, for stealing water. http://news.sky.com/skynews/Home/vi… Walking barefoot, the youngster becomes hysterical as he pleads with the troops not to take his father away. One of the soldiers picks up the lad and removes him from the scene before Fadel is driven away in a four-wheel-drive. Dr Mustafa Barghouthi, Secretary General of the Palestinian National Initiative, commented the video, circulated yesterday on SKY TV and Al Jazeera, saying that “Palestinian children grow up under the Israeli occupation, surrounded by the Apartheid Wall, by oppression and destruction. Israel repudiates children’s rights and welfare and treats them like adults, clearly violating UN Declaration of Child’s Rights”.
http://www.palestinemonitor.org/spip/spip.php?article1502
Palestinian child that touched the world
Hebron, August 4, (Pal Telegraph) The child Khaled Fadhel Al-Jabari, four years, looked very courageous when he attacked the Israeli soldiers while they were abducting his father infront of his eyes, and thus the scene has aroused the world and created many questions about the courage that the child showed during the direct confrontation with the Israeli occupation soldiers, without fear or indifference.
http://www.paltelegraph.com/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=6856:palestinian-child-that-touched-the-world&catid=91:pal-telegraph-featured-articles&Itemid=149
17 Palestinians arrested in Tiberias
Police and Border Guard officers arrested 17 Palestinians staying in Tiberias without permit Monday night. They were transferred for questioning with the security establishment.
http://www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7340,L-3929314,00.html
IOF arrests 4 Palestinian workers in Hebron
Hebron, August 4, (Pal Telegraph) Israeli occupation forces arrested today morning four Palestinians while trying to enter their place of work in the occupied Palestinian territories of 1948. Local sources said that Israeli troops from the so-called border guards have arrested four workers while trying to pass the barrier to reach their place of work. Same sources reported that those detained four Palestinian workers were taken to an unknown location.
http://www.paltelegraph.com/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=6855:iof-arrests-4-palestinian-workers-in-hebron&catid=59:west-bank&Itemid=135
Hamas: PA forces detain 2 university lecturers
Bethlehem – Ma’an – Hamas said Tuesday that Palestinian Authority security forces detained seven party affiliates across the West Bank, including two An-Najah University professors. The Nablus lecturers were identified in a Hamas statement as Dr Farid Abu Dahir and Dr Ghassan Khaled. The other detentions took place in Nablus, Qalqiliya, Ramallah and Tulkarem, Hamas said. On Monday, the Palestinian Centre for Human Rights denounced the arrests of Hamas-affiliated residents in the West Bank, accusing the PA of waging a campaign of politically-motivated arrests.
http://www.maannews.net/eng/ViewDetails.aspx?ID=304916
The Siege (Gaza & West Bank)/Humanitarian and Human Rights/Restriction of Movement
Expired medicine donated to Gaza
There is no doubt that hospitals in the Gaza Strip are in dire straights, desperately in need of medicine and technology. However, millions of dollars worth of useless, out of date or expired medicine is being sent to the enclave as aid. And the expired medicine is ending up in land-fills which are not properly equipped to deal with medical waster. Gaza’s hospitals and clinics relay on international donations, and no-one is accusing donors of acting with malice. But doctors and health officials in Gaza want to be consulted before new donations are sent to the strip to ensure that patients in Gaza are getting what they actually need. Al Jazeera’s Nicole Johnston reports from the Gaza Strip.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xe9S_wKjtkE&feature=youtube_gdata
Egypt allows Libyan aid into Gaza Strip (AFP)
AFP – Egypt allowed 200 tonnes of medical aid unloaded from a Libyan ship into the blockaded Palestinian Gaza Strip enclave, an official said on Wednesday.
http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/mideast/*http://news.yahoo.com/s/afp/20100804/wl_mideast_afp/mideastconflictegyptlibyagazaaid
Rockets
Hamas denies involvement in Eilat rocket attack
The Gaza-ruling Islamic Hamas movement denied on Tuesday any involvement in Monday’s rocket attack against the Israeli city of Eilat. "We have no relation with the attack," Hamas official Salah al- Bardawil told Xinhua. He said that Israel’s accusations that the attack was carried out by Hamas are "meaningless" and meant to mobilize the international community against the Islamic movement. Israeli security sources said the rockets were fired on Monday morning from either Egypt’s Sinai or southern Jordan.
http://english.peopledaily.com.cn/90001/90777/90854/7091732.html
Parliament chairman condemns rocket attack
Bethlehem – Ma’an – The chairman of the Palestinian National Council and the Arab Parliamentary Union Salim Az-Zannoun condemned Tuesday the launching of at least five rockets that struck Jordan and Israel a day earlier. Az-Zannoun described the attack, in which one Jordanian national was killed, as an attempt to weaken Jordan, Palestine, and the region’s stability. Such "desperate" attempts, he said, would not achieve its goal, as Jordan plays a key role in maintaining regional stability.
http://www.maannews.net/eng/ViewDetails.aspx?ID=304990
PRC denies launching rockets toward Jordan and Israel
Bethlehem – Ma’an – The Popular Resistance Committee in Gaza denied reports Tuesday that it launched at least five rockets which struck the southern coastal cities of Eilat in Israel and Aqaba in Jordan. Abu Al-Atayah, who speaks on behalf of the PRC’s Salah Ad-Din Brigades, told Ma’an radio that the rockets, which killed one Jordanian civilian on Monday, were launched by "private" groups with "goals not related to any Palestinian faction." "We only battle in the West Bank, the Gaza Strip, and over our occupied lands. We never attack the Israeli occupation in any other place," Abu Al-Atayah said.
http://www.maannews.net/eng/ViewDetails.aspx?ID=304900
Report: Palestinian leader supports launching rockets
Bethlehem – Ma’an – Fatah Intifada Movement representative in Lebanon Abu Moussa says his group supports launching rockets at Israel and is willing to do so itself, LBCI television reported on Monday. “Fatah al-Intifada supports any Palestinian [party] that has the potential to fight Israel in any location on the Palestinian arena,” he also said adding that the issue of Palestinian arms outside refugee camps in Lebanon should be resolved away from media, NOW Lebanon reported.
http://www.maannews.net/eng/ViewDetails.aspx?ID=304745
Egypt admits rocket attack from its own soil (AP)
AP – The deadly rocket attacks on Israel and Jordan’s Red Sea ports were carried out by the militant Palestinian Hamas group operating from Egypt, an Egyptian official said Wednesday after days of denials.
http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/mideast/*http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20100804/ap_on_re_mi_ea/ml_egypt_israel_explosion
Political/Other Developments
US: Time now for Israeli-Palestinian peace talks (AP)
AP – The Obama administration says the time has come for Israel and the Palestinians to begin direct peace negotiations without preconditions.
http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/mideast/*http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20100803/ap_on_go_ca_st_pe/us_us_mideast
Report: PLO assents to trilateral meeting
Bethlehem – Ma’an – The PLO has reportedly agreed to hold a Palestinian-Israeli-US meeting to discuss direct talks, the London-based Arabic-language daily Ash-Sharq Al-Awsat reported Tuesday. According to the newspaper, which quoted an unnamed Palestinian source, the trilateral meeting will be convened to tackle the details of direct negotiations that were broken off in December 2008 as Israel launched Operation Cast Lead.
http://www.maannews.net/eng/ViewDetails.aspx?ID=304851
Probe into flotilla killings met with skepticism
UNITED NATIONS (IPS) – Despite initial misgivings, UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon received the tacit approval of the Israeli government to establish an international panel to probe the widely-condemned killings of nine Turkish civilians onboard a flotilla of ships carrying humanitarian aid to Gaza last May. "This is an unprecedented development," Ban said Monday, virtually patting himself on the back.
http://electronicintifada.net/v2/article11441.shtml?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+electronicIntifadaPalestine+%28Electronic+Intifada+%3A+Palestine+News%29
Israel says won’t allow int’l cmte to question citizens
Although Israel has agreed to cooperate with a UN probe on the raid on a Gaza-bound flotilla in May, it will not allow the committee to question Israeli officers, civilians or soldiers, according to officials.
http://www.kuna.net.kw/NewsAgenciesPublicSite/ArticleDetails.aspx?id=2104281&Language=en
Not surprising, Philip Weiss
Outgoing Colombian president Alvaro Uribe is to be the vice chair of the new U.N. panel looking into the flotilla raid. FYI, Uribe won an award from the B’nai Brith. "Past winners include first Israeli Prime Minister David Ben Gurion; fourth Israeli Prime Minister Golda Meir; former U.S. Presidents Harry S. Truman and John F. Kennedy." And in 2007 he received an award from the American Jewish Committee. “President Uribe is a staunch ally of the United States, a good friend of Israel and the Jewish people…"
https://mondoweiss.net/2010/08/not-surprising.html
Uribe appointment undermines U.N. flotilla investigation, Carmen Andrea Rivera and Nico Udu-gama
It was announced yesterday, August 2nd, that outgoing Colombian president Álvaro Uribe Vélez will be the Vice Chairman of the U.N.’s four-member international committee tasked with investigating the Israeli commando attack on the Gaza Freedom Flotilla. On May 31st, Israeli forces attacked the MV Mavi Marmara, a Turkish ship manned by international activists delivering aid supplies to the besieged Gaza Strip. The ensuing confrontation left nine activists dead and dozens wounded and sparked international criticism of Israel. Prior international investigations and condemnation have done little to change Israel’s colonial policies in occupied Palestinian territories. Appointing Uribe to this latest investigation preemptively undermines its credibility.
https://mondoweiss.net/2010/08/uribe-appointment-undermines-u-n-flotilla-investigation.html
Other News
Press union condemns PA closure of TV stations
Nablus – Ma’an – The Palestinian Journalists Syndicates condemned the closure of TV stations in Nablus on Tuesday by the Palestinian Authority Ministry of Telecommunications and customs officers. Union chief Abdel Nasser An-Najjar said he had contacted both the Ministries of Telecommunications and Interior, who said they were not aware of the move. Telecom Minister Mashhour Abu Daqqa said no closures would take place without informing the PJS in advance.
http://www.maannews.net/eng/ViewDetails.aspx?ID=304956
A Tale Of Two Summer Camps And One Dark Future, Max Blumenthal
On July 31, I published a piece about a group of high school age Israelis who helped the Israeli police level the Bedouin Arab village of al-Arakib. Since publishing the story, “The Summer Camp of Destruction,” I have received unconfirmed accounts from witnesses that the youth volunteers sang “Am Yisrael Chai,” while police bulldozers destroyed homes. At this point, nothing is unbelievable.
http://maxblumenthal.com/2010/08/a-tale-of-two-summer-camps-and-one-dark-future/
The right to live here
The Jewish people has the right to its own state like other nations, and it has the right to its own Law of Return, as do other dispersed peoples, including the Armenians and the Palestinians in their state that is supposed to be established beside Israel.
http://www.haaretz.com/print-edition/opinion/the-right-to-live-here-1.305413
‘Chelsea’s marriage a spiritual Shoah’
Haredi newspaper devotes editorial to Chelsea Clinton’s wedding, slams assimilation.
http://www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7340,L-3929754,00.html
Helen Thomas to be honoured with a statue
PNN – Bethlehem – The journalist is the subject of a campaign by the Arab American National Museum to honour her career with a statue. The former Washington correspondent Helen Thomas, who turns 90 tomorrow, was forced to resign after she made anti-Israeli comments at an Israeli Heritage Celebration in Washington. The director of the museum, Anan Ameri, says that some people don’t want to donate towards it because of the comments and says $10,000 more is necessary for the statue’s erection.
http://english.pnn.ps/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=8612&Itemid=72
Analysis/Opinion/Human Interest
ISRAEL’S PR WAR
After Israel’s major attack on Gaza in December 2008, it has faced criticism around the world. This criticism escalated after the publication of the Goldstone Report in 2009 that found evidence of war crimes in the attack. This year, Israel’s security establishment declared a full out PR war on criticism that it identifies as “delegitimization” of Israel. Israel’s most influential think tank, the Reut Institute, developed the strategy for how to fight this PR war. It published a massive report in preparation for this year’s Herzeliya conference entitled “Building a political firewall: against Israel’s delegitimization” which advocated that the Israeli intelligence agencies establish special units to collect information on critics of Israel. The report also advocates the establishment of pro-Israel networks in “hubs of delegitimization” which it named as London, Paris, Madrid, Toronto, and the Bay Area. The Real News’ Lia Tarachansky spoke to Morton A. Klein, the president of the Zionist Organization of America who talks about how American lobby groups help Israel fight its PR war.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7OiEF_QxU-8&feature=player_embedded
The Eve of Destruction?, Tony Karon
Last time around the U.S. encouraged this, what will Obama do? Tuesday’s cross-border firefight between Israeli and Lebanese government forces might simply have been a misunderstanding. And the rockets fired from Gaza and the Israeli air strikes on the besieged territory over the past week could be viewed as periodic blip in business as usual on that front. By the same token, last Friday’s unprecedented joint visit to Beirut by the leaders of Saudi Arabia and Syria could be viewed simply as a move to stop the conflict between their Lebanese proxies turning nasty. And British Prime Minister David Cameron’s pleas to Turkey to keep open its communication channels with Israel’s leaders are quotidian diplomatic common sense. Viewed in a wider context, however, each of those events could be taken as signs of why many in the Middle East believe that despite the outward calm, the region may be on the brink of another catastrophic war.
http://tonykaron.com/2010/08/03/the-eve-of-destruction/
Israel lobby’s man on Iran keeps his job from Bush to Obama, no problem, Philip Weiss
Obama got past Hillary in 2008 because his opposition to the Iraq war was a litmus test for much of the Democratic base. Then he won the last presidential election in part by opposing Bush’s foreign-policy agenda and promptly reached out to the "Muslim world." So why is a Bushie with an ideological agenda hanging on into the Obama administration?
https://mondoweiss.net/2010/08/israel-lobbys-man-on-iran-keeps-his-job-from-bush-to-obama-no-problem.html
MJ Rosenberg: American Jewish Committee Opposes Mosque Too
I have to admire the AJC — the ADL’s twin — for opposing the Muslim center near Ground Zero but for scoring points by not being as slightly less racist about it than ADL. Instead of just saying "hell, no" to the Muslim, David Harris, the neocon head of the AJC, says "yes, but." He is all for building the center if it addresses some "concerns." It’s like me saying that I endorse everything Glenn Beck stands for if he would just address my concern about his right-wing politics
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/mj-rosenberg/american-jewish-committee_b_669384.html
Making a mockery of rape
The conviction of a Palestinian man for rape after consensual sex with a Jewish woman is a measure of the depths of anti-Arab racism in Israeli society, writes Gary Lapon.
http://socialistworker.org/2010/08/03/making-a-mockery-of-rape
Neocon halfway house, Philip Weiss
Andrew Sullivan has been doing important work on neoconservatives. Here is a piece in which he and Joe Klein lament their failure to see thru the neoconservative agenda for the Iraq war. The regrets expressed here are genuine and important and god knows they should be taken up by the Jewish community, whose leadership, including Reform Jewry, supported the destruction of an Arab society with the untold suffering that has resulted.
https://mondoweiss.net/2010/08/neocon-halfway-house.html
Lebanon
Lebanon: Retired commander suspected of spying for Israel
Authorities detain high-ranking army officer, a Christian party member and a telecom firm employee. Source: Lebanese intelligence not sure yet if they were giving information to Israel.
http://www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7340,L-3930262,00.html
Nasrallah: Hezbollah will respond if Israel attacks Lebanon’s army
In speech marking 4 years since Second Lebanon War, Hezbollah chief says Israel has violated cease-fire resolution over 7,000 times.
http://www.haaretz.com/news/diplomacy-defense/nasrallah-hezbollah-will-respond-if-israel-attacks-lebanon-s-army-1.305825?localLinksEnabled=false
Aoun Not Surprised with Israeli New Attack against Lebanon
03/08/2010 The head of the Change and Reform parliamentary bloc MP Michel Aoun said on Tuesday that he was not surprised with Israel’s attack against Lebanon, recalling that the decision of war and peace was not in the hands of the Lebanese. "The Lebanese army is charged with deterring attacks and it currently plays the role of defending the border," Aoun told reporters following his bloc’s weekly meeting. "The Resistance’s role begins when the Israeli forces infiltrate the country," he added. "Today’s assault is a test to the Lebanese army that demonstrated a solid will to defend itself. Israel has understood that it will confront the Lebanese army should it attack Lebanon," he continued.
http://almanar.com.lb/NewsSite/NewsDetails.aspx?id=148931&language=en
Arabic: Nasrallah Speech
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=A44cR7VO8UI
Sayyed Nasrallah: Israeli Hand That Attacks Army Will Be Cut Off
Hezbollah Secretary General Sayyed Hasan Nasrallah warned on Tuesday that the Resistance party would not stand silent if the Israeli enemy attacked the Lebanese Army in the future, pledging that the Israeli hand that attacks the national army would be cut off. Sayyed Nasrallah was speaking through a large TV screen at Al-Raya stadium in Beirut’s southern suburb, during the ceremony held by Hezbollah to mark the fourth anniversary of the Divine Victory, a few hours after an Israeli aggression against the Lebanese Army. "I say honestly, that in any place where the Lebanese army will be assaulted and there’s a presence for the resistance, and it is capable, the resistance will not stand silent, or quiet or restrained," Sayyed Nasrallah told crows of people who took part in the ceremony.
http://www.almanar.com.lb/NewsSite/NewsDetails.aspx?id=148968&language=en
Hezbollah accuses Israel of Hariri murder
BEIRUT (AFP) – Hezbollah chief Hassan Nasrallah on Tuesday openly accused Israel of the 2005 assassination of ex-premier Rafiq Hariri and said he would unveil proof to that effect at a news conference next week. "I accuse the Israeli enemy of the assassination of (former) Prime Minister Rafiq Hariri and… I will prove this by unveiling sensitive information at a press conference on Monday," Nasrallah said in a speech transmitted via video link. The Shiite leader said he would present concrete and audiovisual evidence showing that Israeli agents had worked to exploit his Iranian-backed party’s "political rivalry" with Hariri, a Sunni Muslim who was close to Saudi Arabia, in an attempt to pin the murder on Hezbollah.
http://news.yahoo.com/s/afp/20100803/wl_mideast_afp/lebanonuntribunalharirihezbollahisrael
Nasrallah Promises Evidence that Israel Killed Hariri
Clearly, the most important piece of information delivered in Nasrallah’s address tonight (click here for the YouTube video, here for an Arabic transcription of the major points, and here for an English summary) was the promise that he would return to the subject of the STL indictment next Monday, August 9th, at 8:30 PM. This will be the second press conference in a two-part series (click here for my commentary on Part I), and the Hizbullah Secretary-General promised that he would provide conclusive evidence that Israel was behind the murder of Rafiq al-Hariri.
http://qifanabki.com/2010/08/03/nasrallah-accuses-israel/
Clashes kill five in Lebanon
Three Lebanese soldiers, a journalist and an Israeli officer have been killed in a cross border clash between the two countries. Another Israeli commander was critically wounded. Zeina Khodr reports from Adaisseh in Lebanon where the incident took place.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=opTE7QnY7m8&feature=youtube_gdata
Journalist Abu Rahhal slain while reporting on clashes
ADAYSSEH: Lebanese journalist Assaf Abu Rahhal was killed in clashes Tuesday between the Lebanese and Israeli armies. Abu Rahhal died instantly after Israel shelled the southern border village of Adaysseh. Abu Rahhal, 55, worked for the Arabic-language Al-Akhbar daily and was reporting on the clashes from the southern Lebanese town of Adaysseh. The journalist hailed from the village of Kfeir in the southern province of Hasbaya and had three children – Nisrine, Mazen and Geryes. “It is totally unacceptable that a civilian, a dedicated journalist, husband and father, be targeted and killed while the international community and UN troops [in south Lebanon] stand by idly,” Omar Nashabe, Law page editor and columnist at Al-Akhbar told AFP. Before joining Al-Akhbar, Abu Rahhal worked as the Hasbaya correspondent for the Arabic-language daily Al-Mustaqbal. The slain journalist also contributed articles to the Shu’un Janoubiah magazine.
http://www.dailystar.com.lb/article.asp?edition_id=1&categ_id=2&article_id=117831#axzz0vaC6dKgG
Trees causing clashes with Israel "on Lebanese soil": minister
BEIRUT, Aug. 4 (Xinhua) — Lebanese Information Minister Tareq Mitri said on Wednesday that the trees cut down by Israeli troops which led to deadly border clashes with Israel "were on Lebanese soil," contradicting a statement by the UN peacekeeping force saying the trees were on the Israeli side of the shared border. "The trees were south of the Blue Line, but in Lebanese lands," Mitri told a press conference in Beirut, noting "the Blue Line is not the international border, and Lebanon always has its reservations about it. Yet, Lebanon has always respected the line. "
http://news.xinhuanet.com/english2010/world/2010-08/04/c_13430337.htm
Netanyahu: Lebanon responsible for violence against Israel
Defense Minister Barak demands Lebanese probe into ‘murderous act of terror’ after Israeli officer killed in rare Israel-Lebanon border skirmish.
http://www.haaretz.com/news/diplomacy-defense/netanyahu-lebanon-responsible-for-violence-against-israel-1.305806?localLinksEnabled=false
Israel blames U.S., France for arming Lebanon
United States has given Lebanon approximately $400 million over the past year to purchase arms, despite Israel’s objections.
http://www.haaretz.com/print-edition/news/israel-blames-u-s-france-for-arming-lebanon-1.305848
US urges ‘maximum restraint’ by Lebanon, Israel
Following deadly border skirmish, State Department spokesman says, ‘The last thing that we want to see is that this incident expand into something more significant’.
http://www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7340,L-3929840,00.html
Senior Israeli officer killed in border clash: military (AFP)
AFP – A senior Israeli officer was killed on Tuesday during clashes with the Lebanese army along the flashpoint northern border, the Israeli military said.
http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/mideast/*http://news.yahoo.com/s/afp/20100803/wl_afp/mideastconflictlebanonisraelarmytoll
Assad: We’ll support Lebanon in face of criminal Israeli aggression
UN peacekeepers urge ‘maximum restraint’ after Israeli and Lebanese soldiers exchange fire along border, killing 4 Lebanese.
http://www.haaretz.com/news/diplomacy-defense/assad-we-ll-support-lebanon-in-face-of-criminal-israeli-aggression-1.305771?localLinksEnabled=false
Lebanese Army to Israel: War in Lebanon Not Picnic
Once again, Lebanon’s people proved to be victorious in the face of all schemes and plots… Tuesday was not one of the Israeli enemy’s best days… While recalling its humiliating defeat in Lebanon four years ago, the Israeli enemy had to face on Tuesday a strong and capable army, an army armed with its people’s support and strength… The Lebanese Army heroes proved on Tuesday that Lebanon, through its resistance, army and people, are the victorious in the face of the Zionist aggressions and crimes. The message was more than clear: Israeli provocations cannot pass without repercussions anymore, and Lebanon will remain united in the face of all schemes and plots. In an exclusive interview with Al-Manar website, former minister Michel Samaha noted that the few last hours proved again the heroism of the Lebanese Army, the aggressiveness of the Zionists and the fragility of the international forces in South Lebanon.
http://www.almanar.com.lb/NewsSite/NewsDetails.aspx?id=148952&language=en
AL condemns Israeli violations against Lebanese borders
CAIRO, Aug. 3 (Xinhua) — Cairo-based Arab League (AL) condemned on Tuesday the "Israeli violations" against the Lebanese borders, urging the international community to act with this serious situation. Hisham Youssef, chief of the cabinet for AL secretary general, said these violations are condemned and unacceptable, referring to reports showing that Israeli army has used banned weapons such as cluster bombs. Youssef said that AL chief Amr Moussa is contacting Lebanese leaders to stand on the latest developments of the situation, adding "AL is discussing filing complaint to the UN Security Council in the light of the Israeli violation of UN Resolution 1701."
http://news.xinhuanet.com/english2010/world/2010-08/03/c_13428642.htm
Egypt supports Lebanon to face Israeli violations: FM
CAIRO, Aug. 3 (Xinhua) — Egyptian Foreign Minister Ahmed Abul- Gheit said Tuesday Egypt is fully siding with Lebanon in the face of Israeli violations. In a telephone conversation with Lebanese Prime Minister Saad Hariri, Abul-Gheit confirmed that Egypt is fully supporting the Lebanese government in standing up to the Israeli violations of Lebanon’s sovereignty.
http://news.xinhuanet.com/english2010/world/2010-08/03/c_13428634.htm
Egypt contacts U.S., France, UN to stop Israeli attack on Lebanon
CAIRO, Aug. 3 (Xinhua) — Egypt’s Foreign Ministry on Tuesday contacted the United States, France and the United Nations, calling for immediate intervention to stop the Israeli attack on Lebanon, state-run MENA news agency reported. Egypt called upon all parties concerned to step in to pressurize Israel into self-restraint and abstain from escalating the military situation in south Lebanon, said the report. Egypt is also urging respect for UN Security Council Resolution 1701 and stopping violations on this score.
http://news.xinhuanet.com/english2010/world/2010-08/03/c_13428637.htm
UAE condemns Israel over border clash with Lebanese army
ABU DHABI, Aug. 4 (Xinhua) — The United Arab Emirates (UAE) on Wednesday expressed condemnation towards Israel over the border clashes with the Lebanese army on Tuesday, the state news agency WAM reported. "The UAE condemned today Israel’s aggression on the Lebanese army in south Lebanon as a flagrant infringement and blatant violation of the UN Security Council Resolution 1701," the report said.
http://news.xinhuanet.com/english2010/world/2010-08/04/c_13430122.htm
Israeli provocation on Lebanese border could trigger new war, Paul Woodward
Border clashes between Israeli and Lebanese troops have left three Lebanese soldiers and a journalist dead. Lebanon’s Hezbollah TV, Al Manar, reports one high-ranking Israeli officer has been killed but this has not been confirmed by the Lebanese army or UN troops stationed in southern Lebanon. As the photo above makes clear, this was a blatant act of provocation by Israeli forces — no one accidentally strayed over the border. This is more like kids tossing matches to find out whether a brush fire will start.
http://warincontext.org/2010/08/03/israeli-provocation-on-lebanese-border-could-trigger-new-war/
Lebanese-Israeli relations: A history
Tensions between the two neighbors are nothing new: Israel has invaded Lebanon on a number of occasions – mainly in persuit of Hezbollah and Palestinian fighters, who it accused of threatening its security. Tarek Bazley has this look at the backdrop to the current tensions.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ed4TXPlmgZA&feature=youtube_gdata
The pro-Hariri propaganda of Robert Fisk, As`ad Abukhalil
I have offered to buy a golden watch to officiate over a retirement ceremony for Robert Fisk. Look at this lousy piece of his. 1) he claims that the border is murky between Lebanon and Palestine when the picture in the article shows the fence. 2) look how many times he uses "Iranian funded" in reference to Hizbullah but he does not say US-funded about the usurping entity; 3) he talks about the efforts of Sa`d Hariri and his phone calls but he does not tell readers that the man is on his yacht in Sardinia. 4) Notice how he spells the name of the latest Israeli spy as Milad Ein Forgetting that "Ein" is the reference to hte first letter of his last name when his full name was identified on TV here. 5) Is Abed, his driver, sleeping because Fisk is really out of it these days. I mean, between watching Rima Maktabi on CNN and reading Fisk in the Independent on Lebanon, I would rather consume large amounts of crack cocaine provided it is legal on some remote island, of course.
http://angryarab.blogspot.com/2010/08/pro-hariri-propaganda-of-robert-fisk.html
America’s Dog in Lebanese Fight, FRANKLIN LAMB
For months, as Lebanon’s historic debate over basic civil rights for Palestinian refugees has unfolded, the Obama administration has watched idly along the sidelines. As hundreds of thousands of Palestinian refugees cough and slow-bake while inhaling rancid camp air in Lebanon’s sweltering breezeless heat, the White House has now sent Lebanon’s Parliament a message. The United States will not support meaningful civil, social or economic rights for the world’s largest and oldest refugee population and it wants them naturalized anywhere except anyplace in Palestine.
http://www.counterpunch.com/lamb08032010.html
Too Much Information
Say what you will about Hizbullah’s Secretary-General Hassan Nasrallah, but at least give him credit for his consumate skills in political messaging. Next week’s press conference, in which the entire world will be treated to what Nasrallah has called “material evidence” that Israel was behind the assassination of Rafiq al-Hariri, is something of a cross between a WikiLeaks media scandal and the finale of American Idol. Hizbullah is not content to simply pass on its evidence to the Special Tribunal for Lebanon; the whole point of the effort is to reshape public opinion in Lebanon. The result of this effort will be that the Lebanese will have two different sources of authority on the question of who killed Rafiq al-Hariri. Just as the old binaries of the 2005-09 period were fading away (March 14 vs. March 8, loyalists vs. opposition, etc.), a new one has arisen to take its place. “Do you believe the U.N. or Hizbullah?” is what we’ll ask each other. “Which story is more convincing? Which evidence is more compelling? If both organizations aired their findings in primetime specials on two different channels, which one would you watch live and which one would you TiVo?” At the end of the day, is there such a thing as too much information?
http://qifanabki.com/2010/08/04/too-much-information/
Ain al-Hilweh factions call truce after 2004 dispute
BEIRUT: A truce between factions at the Palestinian refugee camp of Ain al-Hilweh ended a six-year dispute on Tuesday, as officials called for unity. Several Palestinian officials and Ain al-Hilweh figures gathered inside the camp, in south Lebanon, to put an end to the argument, which erupted in 2004 between the Fatah faction and members of Jund al-Sham Islamist militant group.
Jund al-Sham member Amer Dahabera and Fatah member Anis Khoder were both killed in the fighting.
http://www.dailystar.com.lb/article.asp?edition_id=1&categ_id=1&article_id=117817#axzz0vaC3osfo
Looking to Ignite New War against Lebanon, Carlos Latuff
http://mrzine.monthlyreview.org/2010/latuff040810.html
Iraq
Tuesday: 50 Iraqis Killed, 118 Wounded
A rare car bombing in a southern, Shi’ite city and another flag-planting attack on security forces in the capital were just two of the many attacks witnessed across Iraq today. Overall, at least 50 Iraqis were killed and 118 more were wounded. The figures are expected to rise in the Kut bombing. Meanwhile, 26 Kurdish families have crossed the frontier into Iraqi Kurdistan to escape Iranian artillery attacks against suspected Party of Free Life of Kurdistan (PJAK) rebels.
http://original.antiwar.com/updates/2010/08/03/tuesday-50-iraqis-killed-118-wounded/
30 killed, 80 wounded in Iraq twin car bombs: medic (AFP)
AFP – Two near-simultaneous car bombs in the southern Iraqi city of Kut on Tuesday killed 30 people and wounded 80, a medical official said, giving a new toll.
http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/iraq/*http://news.yahoo.com/s/afp/20100803/wl_afp/iraqunrestkut
Car bomb blasts rock Iraqi city
At least 10 people killed after three devices were planted in commercial district of Kut.
http://english.aljazeera.net/news/middleeast/2010/08/20108316136190523.html
Allawi rejects US offer to allow PM Maliki to keep office
Sources in the Iraqia List said that Iraq’s former prime minister Iyad Allawi had strongly disagreed with a senior U.S. delegation during his talks held in the Kurdish city of Irbil. According to the sources, the Americans insist on Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki’s stay in office.
http://www.informationclearinghouse.info/article26069.htm
Iraq releases former top Saddam loyalist (AP)
AP – The Iraqi government has released from prison a top Saddam Hussein loyalist after he was found innocent of helping the former regime punish opponents by draining the country’s fabled marshlands, a judge said Wednesday.
http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/iraq/*http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20100804/ap_on_re_mi_ea/ml_iraq
End of Iraq Combat Operations or Beginning of Downsized, Rebranded Occupation Relying Heavily on Private Military Contractors?
President Obama said Monday in a speech before the Disabled American Veterans national convention in Atlanta that the US military is on target to withdraw all its combat troops from Iraq by the end of August. We speak with independent journalist Jeremy Scahill, who says this instead marks the beginning of a downsized and rebranded occupation that will rely heavily on private military forces. [includes rush transcript]
http://www.democracynow.org/2010/8/3/end_of_iraq_combat_operations_or
Operation Infinite Occupation, ANTHONY DiMAGGIO
The Status of Forces Agreement (SOFA) signed by President Bush in late 2008 legally required the U.S. to withdrawal all troops from the country by the end of 2011. The Bush administration was never keen on the plan, which was forced on U.S. leaders by Iraqi political official who were set on ending the occupation, in accord with the wishes of the vast majority of the Iraqi people. If Bush had remained in office long enough, there is little doubt that he would have opposed a full withdrawal, as setting a timetable for removing U.S. troops was long opposed by the President, who consistently and vigorously demanded that “conditions on the ground” dictate the removal or adding of forces.
http://www.counterpunch.com/dimaggio08032010.html
Iran
Iran favors dialogue with West based on justice, respect: president
TEHRAN, Aug. 4 (Xinhua) — Iran’s President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad said Wednesday that the Islamic Republic is interested in dialogue with the West based on justice and mutual respect, official IRNA news agency reported. Ahmadinejad said that he is ready to talk with U.S. President Barack Obama as he was ready to negotiate with former U.S. President George W. Bush.
Ahmadinejad said Monday that he is ready to hold face-to-face talks with Obama on global developments at the upcoming UN General Assembly, according to IRNA.
http://news.xinhuanet.com/english2010/world/2010-08/04/c_13430124.htm
Did Iran’s Mahmoud Ahmadinejad just survive an assassination attempt?
His government says no, but early reports of a grenade attack on President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad’s convoy were issued by Iranian news agencies with close ties to the regime.
http://rss.csmonitor.com/%7Er/feeds/world/%7E3/KQdYMKav2fU/Did-Iran-s-Mahmoud-Ahmadinejad-just-survive-an-assassination-attempt
Iran warns of unforeseen consequences in event of US attack
President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad said Monday that Mullen’s remarks and the constant use of military rhetoric by the United States showed that it was desperate.
http://www.monstersandcritics.com/news/middleeast/news/article_1575179.php/Iran-warns-of-unforeseen-consequences-in-event-of-US-attack
Fuel swap talks with Iran may be close
Discussions to facilitate a nuclear fuel swap deal with Iran could start soon, International Atomic Energy Association (IAEA) chief Yukiya Amano said Monday, according to a Reuters report.
http://www.jpost.com/ArtsAndCulture/Entertainment/Article.aspx?ID=183434
U.S. Freezes Iranian Assets
The U.S. Treasury Department on Tuesday said it has frozen assets linked to several Iranian individuals and two entities that have helped finance Hezbollah "terrorism" efforts.
http://online.wsj.com/article_email/SB10001424052748703545604575407342040520382-lMyQjAxMTAwMDAwMzEwNDMyWj.html
Iran, Venezuela to form joint oil firm
Upcoming Tehran-Caracas talks will focus on the establishment of a joint oil shipping company as agreed in a memorandum of understanding the two countries signed last year, Iranian Deputy Oil Minister Hossein Noghrekar Shirazi told Mehr News Agency on Tuesday.
http://presstv.ir/detail.aspx?id=137326§ionid=351020102
Iran ‘spy trial’ opens in Kuwait
A trial opens in Kuwait of six men, including a Kuwaiti soldier, and one woman accused of spying for Iran.
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-middle-east-10851217
U.S. and Other World News
Afghanistan Civilian Deaths: NATO Data Shows Sharp Increase In Attacks After Civilians Killed
Each time U.S. or NATO forces accidentally kill Afghan civilians, insurgents and their sympathizers typically retaliate with six additional assaults on foreign forces over the next six weeks, researchers using newly declassified NATO data conclude.
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2010/08/03/afghanistan-civilian-deat_n_668440.html
Faith in Obama’s handling of Afghan war at record low: poll
WASHINGTON — American public support for the Afghan war and US President Barack Obama’s handing of the conflict has hit an all-time low after the leak of secret military documents, a poll showed Tuesday. Obama’s overall ratings also declined to a new low, with only 41 percent of Americans saying they approved of his performance, according to the USA Today/Gallup poll — his worst showing since taking office in January 2009.
http://rawstory.com/rs/2010/0803/faith-obamas-handling-afghan-war-record-poll/
Ground Zero mosque project clears major obstacle
Ambitious plans to build a mosque next to New York’s Ground Zero cleared a major hurdle on Tuesday when a local commission voted to remove the existing structure on the site from a protected list. The Landmarks Preservation Commission voted unanimously in favor of an application to end the protected status of the 1850s Italian Renaissance palazzo-style building, which now houses only an abandoned clothing store.
http://rawstory.com/rs/2010/0803/ground-mosque-project-clears-major-obstacle/
‘Ground Zero’ mosque approved
Despite protests, the building of an Islamic cultural center in New York city can now go ahead after a unanimous vote to clear the way for the Islamic site. The proposed centre has become the focus of debate because it would be built near the site of the September 11th attacks. Al Jazeera’s Rosalind Jordan reports
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Xk5Ql1sYm9c&feature=youtube_gdata
Why We Sued to Represent Muslim Cleric Aulaqi
Anwar Aulaqi is a US citizen and Muslim cleric living somewhere in Yemen. The US has put him on our terrorist list and is trying to assassinate him. The Center for Constitutional Rights and the ACLU filed suit today so we can be pro bono lawyers for his father, Nasser Aulaqi, to stop the government from killing him. We filed suit today challenge the US requirement that lawyers must seek permission from the government before we can provide free pro bono legal representation to a US citizen.
http://dissidentvoice.org/2010/08/why-we-sued-to-represent-muslim-cleric-aulaqi/
Julian Assange Responds to Increasing US Government Attacks on WikiLeaks
It’s been ten days since the whistleblower website WikiLeaks published the massive archive of classified military records about the war in Afghanistan, but the fallout in Washington and beyond is far from over. Justice Department lawyers are reportedly exploring whether WikiLeaks and its founder Julian Assange could be charged with violating the Espionage Act of 1917 for publishing the classified Afghan war documents. Meanwhile, investigators in the Army’s criminal division have reportedly questioned two students in Boston about their ties to WikiLeaks and Private First Class Bradley Manning, a leading suspect in the leak. We speak with WikiLeaks founder, Julian Assange. [includes rush transcript–partial]
http://www.democracynow.org/2010/8/3/julian_assange_responds_to_increasing_us
Pakistan No Obedient Ally, Eric Margolis
WikiLeaks data shows how volatile nation is forced to act against own self interests.
http://www.torontosun.com/comment/columnists/eric_margolis/2010/07/30/14880351.html
Murder Inc. in Afghanistan, JOHN GRANT
Let me get this straight. Robert Gates, the Secretary-Of-Defense-For-Life, is touring the TV news shows and major newspapers pleading with great angst lines in his forehead that WikiLeaks is “guilty” and “morally culpable” for releasing 75,000 field reports from Afghanistan to the American public because they endanger Afghans allied with US forces. But he and the US militarists who initiated the war in Iraq and who have continued the war in Afghanistan for nine years, the people who keep everything about these wars secret except what is useful to sustain them, the people who finance these wars on credit without raising taxes, dumping the costs on future generations – these people are not “morally culpable,” “guilty” or endangering anyone?
http://www.counterpunch.com/grant08032010.html
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