And other news from Today in Palestine:
Land and Property Theft and Destruction/Ethnic Cleansing
Civil Administration demolishes Bedouin village of al-Farsiya, in the Jordan Valley
In two waves of demolitions, on 19 July and 5 August, the Civil Administration demolished all the structures in al-Farsiya, a Bedouin village in the northern Jordan Valley, east of which the Shadmot Mehula settlement was built. On 19 July, 70 temporary structures were demolished, of which 26 were shacks in which at least 107 persons, among them 52 children, lived. The rest of the structures were used as kitchens, lavatories, and for farming, including a packing house built 30 years ago in partnership with the Israeli agricultural export firm Agrexco.
http://www.btselem.org/English/Planning_and_Building/20100812_Whole_village_demolished_in_Jordan_Valley.asp
Sharp increase in demolitions and displacement in the West Bank update July 2010
In recent weeks, around 550 people have lost their homes or sources of livelihood as a result of demolitions carried out by Israeli authorities in East Jerusalem and Area C. These recent developments represent a significant increase in demolitions and forced displacement in the West Bank, raising a number of serious humanitarian concerns.
http://www.reliefweb.int/rw/rwb.nsf/db900SID/ASAZ-88AJ2B?OpenDocument&RSS20=02-P
Palestine’s Jerusalem MPs:Just get out; The Israeli authorities try to expel Hamas’s MPs from East Jerusalem
HAMAS members of parliament who live in Israeli-occupied East Jerusalem have not only lost their jobs, since the Palestinian Authority (PA) closed down their legislature; they are also losing their homes. Perhaps they were too successful. Four years ago a more conciliatory Israeli government let East Jerusalem’s Palestinians, including Hamas, compete in the Palestinian legislative elections. Though still banned as a terrorist outfit, Hamas swept all four of East Jerusalem’s contested seats in the Palestinian parliament.
http://www.economist.com/node/16793332?story_id=16793332
Israeli forces desecrate 200 graves in Muslim cemetery; injure Sheikh with bulldozer
A Jerusalem Sheikh who tried to stand in the way of Israeli bulldozers demolishing a Muslim cemetery was injured Tuesday, as the Israeli government continued the desecration of hundreds of graves. This marks the largest cemetery desecration by Israeli forces since 2009, when 1500 graves were bulldozed to make way for a ‘Museum of Tolerance’ sponsored by the Simon Wiesenthal Center in Los Angeles.
http://www.imemc.org/article/59264
Israeli Depravity: Destroyed Muslim graves in Jerusalem were ‘fake’: Israel (AFP)
AFP – Around 300 Muslim gravestones destroyed by Israeli bulldozers in a Jerusalem cemetery earlier this week were "fake" and set up in a bid to snatch government land, the city charged on Thursday.
http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/mideast/*http://news.yahoo.com/s/afp/20100812/wl_mideast_afp/mideastconflictjerusalemgraves
Israel "has declared war on the living and the dead to erase Palestinian identity"
An Arab member of the Israeli parliament, the Knesset, has called the authorities’ destruction of hundreds of graves in the Muslim Ma’aman Allah Cemetery in Jerusalem "a declaration of war against living and dead Palestinians". Massoud Ghanayem said that this "declaration of war" is Israel’s way of "imposing its agenda and trying to erase Palestinian identity and distort the identity of the land". Such action, he added, "proves that Israel is still acting with brutality against icons of Palestinian identity in the drive to confiscate Arabs’ and Muslims’ rights in the city of Jerusalem". The United Arab List MK drew attention to the fact that Ma’aman Allah Cemetery is "a cultural legacy and an important part of Jerusalem’s history, the loss of which should be of concern to the Israeli government even as it aims to Judaize the Holy City".
http://www.middleeastmonitor.org.uk/news/middle-east/1412-israel-qhas-declared-war-on-the-living-and-the-dead-to-erase-palestinian-identityq
Solidarity/Activism/Boycott, Sanctions & Divestment
One Injured, Two Arrested During Anti Wall Protest In Walaja Near Jerusalem
Jerusalem – PNN – A Palestinian man sustained light wounds two others arrested by Israeli soldiers during the weekly anti wall protest in Al Walajah village between Jerusalem and Bethlehem.
http://english.pnn.ps/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=8647
Israeli Peace Activist Injured During The Weekly Protest In Bil’in village
Ramallah – PNN – One Israeli peace activist was injured other civilians suffered tear gas inhalation as Israeli troops attacked the weekly anti wall protest in the village of Bil’in, central West Bank. Villagers along with Israel and international supporters marched on Friday midday from the village to local farmers’ lands behind the Israeli-built wall. As soon as protesters reached the gate of the wall separating villagers from their lands Israeli troops stationed their fired tear gas and sound bombs at them. An Israeli peace activist was hit with a tear gas bomb in her hand; other protesters suffered effects of tear gas inhalation and were treated by local medical crew. The weekly protest ended with clashes between soldiers and local youth, no injuries were reported during those clashes.
http://english.pnn.ps/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=8649&Itemid=59
Israeli Soldiers Attack Anti Wall Protests In Central West Bank
Ramallah – PNN – Two wall protests were reported on Friday in Nil’in and Al Nabi Saleh villages central West Bank. Israeli and international supporters joined the two events. At the village of Nil’in, central West Bank, Israeli soldiers used tear gas and sound bombs to suppress the weekly anti wall protest. Protesters reached the gat of the wall before soldiers attacked them with tear gas and sound bombs. Troops also beat up some protesters after following them back to the village, local sources reported. In the nearby Nabi Saleh village, soldiers fired tear gas bombs directly at the protesters and then chased them back to the village, Mohamed Al Tamimi, a local organizer reported.
http://english.pnn.ps/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=8648&Itemid=59
Dempsey calls for Israel boycott
Singer-songwriter Damien Dempsey has called on artists around the world to stand in solidarity with the people of Palestine. The Dubliner backed about 150 Irish creative and performing artists who have already signed a pledge to boycott Israel until it ends its blockade of Gaza. Dempsey said he believed the recent commando attack on the aid flotilla brought home the lawlessness of Israeli forces, saying: "What’s going on in Palestine is very wrong. We have a long history of oppression so I think anybody else who’s being oppressed, we should have a duty. And as artists we yield a bit more power than ordinary people."
http://www.google.com/hostednews/ukpress/article/ALeqM5ivGU9kmsUh0Qp-ib0_ZiH1h1l6Zw
South Wales to Gaza campaign launch
The launch of the South Wales to Gaza campaign tells the inside story of the Israeli military attack on a humanitarian aid flotilla that killed nine civilians, writes Adam Corner.
http://www.guardian.co.uk/cardiff/2010/aug/13/south-wales-to-gaza-campaign
The Siege (Gaza & West Bank)/Humanitarian and Human Rights/Restriction of Movement
Weekly Report On Israeli Human Rights Violations in the Occupied Palestinian Territory No. 32/2010, 05 – 11 Aug 2010
http://www.reliefweb.int/rw/rwb.nsf/db900SID/VVOS-889LS7?OpenDocument&RSS20=02-P
Palestinians denied mosque access on Ramadan
On the first Friday prayers in Ramadan, the Muslim Holy Month, thousands of Palestinians flocked towards the Al Aqsa mosque in Jerusalem to attend prayers. But, as is often the case, many were not allowed inside to pray. Israeli authorities have put restrictions on who can attend prayers at the holy site, but they say they are trying to accommodate as many worshippers as possible. Special permits are available but just for women between the ages of 30 and 45 and men between 45 and 50. Palestinian officials say that such restrictive measures do not respect the sanctity of the month. Al Jazeera’s Nisreen El-Shamayleh reports from occupied East Jerusalem.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sxLNL5TWdTw&feature=youtube_gdata
Gaza crossings shut down for weekend
GAZA CITY (Ma’an) — Israeli officials told Palestinian liaison officers the Gaza crossing terminals would be closed on Friday, meaning a two day goods transport hiatus with the scheduled closure on Saturday. Palestinian coordinator Raed Fattouh said he was informed on Friday morning that crossings would be shut down until Sunday.
http://www.maannews.net/eng/ViewDetails.aspx?ID=307737
Three new agreements between the Gaddafi Foundation and UNRWA
Tripoli: The Gaddaffi Foundation, one of the leading charitable foundations in the Middle East and North Africa, has signed with the UN Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees three agreements supplementing the two agreements signed on 9 August in Amman. The new agreements provide for:
– A mobile health clinic in the West Bank
– A support programme for the Bani Suhaila school in the south of Gaza
– A microfinance project to support 800 families and approximately 4,800 dependants in Gaza through small-scale projects which will enable these families to support themselves.
http://www.reliefweb.int/rw/rwb.nsf/db900SID/EGUA-889QZ9?OpenDocument&RSS20=02-P
A special place for human rights
As part of a joint strategy to foster a human rights culture in the Palestinian community, the UN Human Rights office (OHCHR) and the Treatment and Rehabilitation Centre for victims of Torture are providing specialist reading material on human rights to public libraries in a number of cities in the West Bank. The latest project has seen the opening of a dedicated human rights corner at Ramallah public library which offers a range of books and other resources to its more than 6,000 members. This follows a similar addition to Nablus public library, with another soon to follow in Jenin, two of the West Bank’s other major cities.
http://www.reliefweb.int/rw/rwb.nsf/db900SID/EGUA-889QA5?OpenDocument&RSS20=02-P
Violence and aggression
PA: Israeli forces shoot Palestinian man
QALQILIYA (Ma’an) — Israeli forces shot at and arrested a Palestinian man east of Qalqilya on Thursday morning, Palestinian security forces reported. Witnesses said Israeli police ordered Imad Dawla, 22, to stop his car and began firing live ammunition at the vehicle when he failed to stop. Dawla was injured, and arrested by police, while two passengers in the car escaped, the onlookers added. An Israeli army spokeswoman referred inquiries to police. A police spokesman said he was not familiar with such an incident.
http://www.maannews.net/eng/ViewDetails.aspx?ID=307649
Three Palestinians beaten by Israeli soldiers in Hebron
Israeli troops invaded the city of Hebron on Wednesday to declare the closure of three shops in Bab Al-Bladeya neighborhood. They beat the owner of one of the shops, as well as two young men who tried to intervene.
http://www.imemc.org/article/59266
Rights group: Teen tortured, held by Israeli forces
BETHLEHEM (Ma’an) — Palestinian rights group Addameer said it received a sworn affidavit from a 17-year-old boy who said he was detained by Israeli forces at a West Bank checkpoint and tortured. The boy, identified as Emad Al-Ashhab, remains in Israeli custody under his third Administrative Detention order following his incarceration on 21 February from the Container checkpoint on the Wadi Nar road between Bethlehem and Ramallah.
http://www.maannews.net/eng/ViewDetails.aspx?ID=307731
IDF soldier on leave attacks group of Peace Now activists in Tel Aviv
Soldier from elite Givati Brigade attacked activists passing out flyers near Tel Aviv’s central train station; Peace Now to file formal complaint against soldier.
http://www.haaretz.com/news/national/idf-soldier-on-leave-attacks-group-of-peace-now-activists-in-tel-aviv-1.307890?localLinksEnabled=false
Heavy Israeli presence around Al-Aqsa
JERUSALEM (Ma’an) — Hundreds of Israeli border police and security officials were deployed in occupied East Jerusalem Thursday night, witnesses said, with hundreds more observed arriving in the area Friday morning, witnesses said. As Palestinians from the West Bank, Jerusalem and cities inside Israel make their way to the Haram Ash-Sharif (Noble Sanctuary which houses the Al-Aqsa Mosque) to pray on the first Friday of the Holy Month of Ramadan, travel to the area was significantly restricted.
http://www.maannews.net/eng/ViewDetails.aspx?ID=307728
Gaza Strip: Crisis Takes a Psychological Toll on Locals (Time.com)
Time.com – The Palestinian enclave remains traumatized by war and blockade. It is evident in the games children play, the art on the walls and the crises within families.
http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/mideast/*http://news.yahoo.com/s/time/20100813/wl_time/08599201006400
Detainees
54 Palestinians detained this week
http://www.pchrgaza.org/portal/en/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=6911:weekly-report-on-israeli-human-rights-violations-in-the-occupied-palestinian-territory-05-11-august-2010&catid=84:weekly-2009&Itemid=183
Hamas: PA security arrest 6 affiliates
NABLUS (Ma’an) — A statement from Hamas officials in the West Bank accused Palestinian Authority officers of detaining six of its party members for political reasons on Thursday. According to the document, detentions targeted Hamas members in Bethlehem, Ramallah and Qalqiliya. Ma’an was not able to verify the reports independently.
http://www.maannews.net/eng/ViewDetails.aspx?ID=307750
Political/Flotila Developments
Report: Israel to offer Palestinians 90 per cent of West Bank
Cairo – Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu would offer an interim agreement to withdraw from 90 per cent of the occupied West Bank in direct negotiations with the Palestinians, a regional daily reported Friday. The offer would exclude East Jerusalem, al-Hayat reported. Palestinians want the eastern part of the holy city as their future capital. The Arab League recently approved a move to allow direct talks between the Israelis and Palestinians, but left the timing up to President Mahmoud Abbas, and said any future round would have to be the final negotiations.
http://www.monstersandcritics.com/news/middleeast/news/article_1577396.php/Report-Israel-to-offer-Palestinians-90-per-cent-of-West-Bank
Palestinians to decide on talks after Quartet invite (AFP)
AFP – The Palestinians will decide whether to hold direct talks with Israel after the diplomatic Quartet issues a formal invitation, a senior Palestinian official said Friday.
http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/mideast/*http://news.yahoo.com/s/afp/20100813/wl_mideast_afp/mideastdiplomacyuspalestinian
EU: Abbas very close to accepting direct Mideast peace talks
Letter by EU FM Ashton indicates planned Quartet proposal will demand Israel to halt settlement building, reach peace deal within 24 months.
http://www.haaretz.com/news/diplomacy-defense/eu-abbas-very-close-to-accepting-direct-mideast-peace-talks-1.307770?localLinksEnabled=false
Abbas meets Jordan king in Cairo
CAIRO (Ma’an) — President Mahmoud Abbas met with Jordan’s King Abdullah II in Egypt on Thursday. The meeting was one of several scheduled to brief regional officials on the latest talks held with US envoy for Middle East peace George Mitchell, who was in Ramallah this week. Earlier, Abbas met Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak and intelligence chief Omer Suleiman.
http://www.maannews.net/eng/ViewDetails.aspx?ID=307701
Clinton talks to Netanyahu in bid to restart peace talks (AFP)
AFP – US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton spoke with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu in a bid to clear hurdles to restarting direct Israeli-Palestinian peace talks, her spokesman said Friday.
http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/mideast/*http://news.yahoo.com/s/afp/20100813/pl_afp/mideastusdiplomacy
PA: State-building continues despite occupation
RAMALLAH (Ma’an) — "Despite the occupation, the Palestinian people have made strong progress in building sound institutions within a stable society, on the way to statehood," the Palestinian Authority declared Thursday. The report, spanning May 2009-May 2010, cataloged what the PA called successes for the year, citing the construction of 34 new schools and expansion of 23 – 11 new clinics, 44 new housing projects, 16 new roads, and 370,000 newly planted trees among other achievements.
http://www.maannews.net/eng/ViewDetails.aspx?ID=307632
Palestinian, Israeli economy ministers meet
RAMALLAH (Ma’an) — Palestinian Authority Minister of National Economy Hasan Abu Libdeh held a meeting Thursday with his Israeli counterpart, Benjamin Ben Eliezer, the Palestinian ministry said., The meeting, called by the Israeli trade and industry minister, was to discuss the PA’s campaign to ban settlement produce in the West Bank., “The request for this meeting only indicates the success of the campaign and its impact on the decline in economic strength of the settlements,” Abu Libdeh said.
http://www.maannews.net/eng/ViewDetails.aspx?ID=307663
STATE Official: "Abbas is a good man …but he is feckless…"
And even those most sympathetic to, his political weakness, have made no secret of their frustration, with their inability to get him to agree to direct talks. "He is, a good man," says one veteran US official who has known Abu Mazen, for many years. "But he is feckless.", What is particularly frustrating to a number of officials is, that, with qualified Arab backing for direct talks and Israeli, embrace of them, Abu Mazen has put himself in the position of, spoiler. "Abu Mazen really wants a peace deal. We’re not so, sure about Bibi [Israeli Prime Minister Netanyahu], says one, veteran US official. Other, more senior US officials say that, President Obama is convinced that Netanyahu is serious about, making an acceptable deal. They say that in recognition of this, fact, the Administration adjusted its approach to dealing with, the Israeli Prime Minister. "The President understood that the, Israelis needed to feel comfortable," said one well-placed US, official. He also added "The old way wasn’t working."
http://friday-lunch-club.blogspot.com/2010/08/state-official-abbas-is-good-man-but-he.html
Turkey Sets Up Commission to Probe Israel’s Flotilla Raid
Turkey’s government has set up a commission to investigate an Israeli raid on a Gaza-bound aid flotilla in May in which Israeli commandos killed nine pro-Palestinian activists. Officials said Thursday the commission will be under the authority of Turkey’s prime minister and will present its findings to an international inquiry set up by the United Nations earlier this month. U.N. spokesman Martin Nesirky says the four-member U.N. panel met for the first time on Tuesday and Wednesday. He says it held positive, substantive discussions and will strive to produce an interim report on the flotilla incident on September 15th.
http://www1.voanews.com/english/news/europe/Turkey-Sets-Up-Commission-to-Probe-Israels-Flotilla-Raid-100543589.html
Gaza panel will meet again next month (AP)
AP – Initial discussions by a U.N. panel probing Israel’s deadly raid on a Gaza-bound aid flotilla took place "in a positive atmosphere" and more talks will be held in early September, the United Nations said Thursday.
http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/mideast/*http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20100812/ap_on_re_us/un_un_gaza_blockade
Israel says too late to appoint woman to flotilla panel
TEL AVIV (Ma’an) — The Israeli government says it is too late to include a woman on the panel charged with investigating the 31 May flotilla raid, Israeli press reported Thursday. Women’s rights groups in Israel appealed to Israel’s High Court of Justice to appoint a woman to the all-male commission, which includes five members and two observers, the news site Ynet reported.
http://www.maannews.net/eng/ViewDetails.aspx?ID=307503
Israel response to convoy attack ‘typical’
Ramzy Baroud, a Palestinian-American journalist and author of acclaimed books such as My Father Was a Freedom Fighter, joined Press TV for a phone interview on Wednesday. Professor Noam Chomsky has lauded his analytical and researching skills and insight into the region, especially as the Editor-in-Chief of the Palestine Chronicle.
http://www.presstv.ir/detail.aspx?id=138447
Netanyahu tells a distorted story in flotilla probe
But then, how could Netanyahu offer an apology for a premeditated intention. Because that what the Israeli commandos raid was all about. It was a premeditated killing.
http://www.veteranstoday.com/2010/08/12/netanyahu-tells-a-distorted-story-in-flotilla-probe/
Israel Lies, Civilians Die; Flotilla Violence Expected, ANTHONY DiMAGGIO
Recent revelations from the Israeli government reveal that the Gaza flotilla raid was an act of premeditated violence, planned weeks prior to the raid, in that it was understood in advance that it would provoke a violent counter-response. This finding, recently reported by Al Jazeera stands in marked contrast to claims from Israeli leaders at the time of the raid that the violence directed at activists was purely reactionary and in self-defense against violent attacks from the flotilla activists themselves.
http://www.counterpunch.com/dimaggio08132010.html
Other News
Israeli ‘agent’ freed in Germany
Germany frees on bail a suspected Israeli agent arrested in connection with the killing of a Hamas commander in Dubai.
http://www.bbc.co.uk/go/rss/int/news/-/news/world-europe-10967808
Report: Israel to end assistance to planned city
TEL AVIV, Israel (Ma’an) — Israel will stop any assistance offered to the Palestinian Authority to build a new city, Ar-Rawabi, in the West Bank, Israeli press reported Thursday. Israel’s Defense Minister Ehud Barak will inform the PA that assistance will be withdrawn, despite months of cooperation, because the construction does not comply with laws to protect the environment, the Hebrew-language daily Israel HaYom reported.
http://www.maannews.net/eng/ViewDetails.aspx?ID=307688
Libya: Palestinian prisoners freed in deal for Israeli photographer
In exchange for Rafael Haddad’s release, Israel allowed Libyan-sponsored cargo aid ship into Gaza and for Libya to construct 20 buildings for Gaza residents.
http://www.haaretz.com/news/diplomacy-defense/libya-palestinian-prisoners-freed-in-deal-for-israeli-photographer-1.307698?localLinksEnabled=false
Israel to free Palestinians in ‘swap,’ says Kadhafi son (AFP)
AFP – The son of Libya’s leader hinted on Thursday that his country’s release of an Israeli reportedly held as a spy was linked to a deal to free Palestinian prisoners held by the Jewish state.
http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/mideast/*http://news.yahoo.com/s/afp/20100812/wl_mideast_afp/mideastisraellibyapalestinianspy
Funeral held for Palestinian killed in 1976
RAMALLAH (Ma’an) — A funeral procession for Mashhur Talab Al-A’ruri was held in Ramallah on Thursday, 34 years after he was killed by the Israeli army. Al-A’ruri was killed during an attack in 1976, but Israeli authorities did not release his body until Monday. A number of senior officials from the Fatah party and the Democratic Front for the Liberation of Palestine attended the procession, which began at the Palestinian Medical Compound and headed to Al-A’ruri’s village. In a statement, the DFLP called for all the bodies of Palestinians killed by the Israeli army to be returned to their families as soon as possible in accordance with international law and the Geneva Conventions.
http://www.maannews.net/eng/ViewDetails.aspx?ID=307665
Michigan mosque backs away from Finkelstein speech under political pressure, Philip Weiss
Speaking of mosques and the Israeli lobby, Norman Finkelstein was scheduled to speak at two Michigan mosques this past weekend, on "the Gaza Tragedy." His Saturday night gig at the Islamic Association of Greater Detroit (IAGD) went off without a hitch, I am told. The next day, Sunday morning, he was to speak at a mosque in Franklin, MI. The AP had printed the smear that Finkelstein is anti-Semitic, in connection with the events, and my sources inform me that pro-Israel groups complained to Franklin city officials/Franklin mayor about the event and the mosque gave in and the event was moved at the last minute to a hotel. The result was low attendance, only 80 people. Truly pitiable; some day this story will be told to disbelieving children visiting the Nakba museum.
https://mondoweiss.net/2010/08/michigan-mosque-backs-away-from-finkelstein-speech-under-political-pressure.html
Palestine File Complaint To FIFA After Players Blocked In Gaza Strip
The Palestinian Football Federation (FPF) have filed a complaint to FIFA after six players were hindered by Israeli authorities when they tried to leave the Gaza Strip for Nouakchott where an international friendly had been scheduled to take place between Mauritania and Palestine on Wednesday, August 11, according to Reuters.
http://www.goal.com/en/news/89/africa/2010/08/12/2068110/palestine-file-complaint-to-fifa-after-players-blocked-in
IDF to dismantle intifada-era barrier in Jerusalem
Army spokesman says barrier’s removal reflects the stable security situation seen at this particular site in recent years.
http://www.haaretz.com/print-edition/news/idf-to-dismantle-intifada-era-barrier-in-jerusalem-1.307765?localLinksEnabled=false
Israeli Delusions: This Ramadan, the hot topic in Ramallah is business, not the occupation
These days, the hot topic is business. Peace negotiations, and even the Gaza Strip, are irrelevant.
http://www.haaretz.com/print-edition/news/mess-report-this-ramadan-the-hot-topic-in-ramallah-is-business-not-the-occupation-1.307705
Ramallah parking tickets don’t stop for Ramadan
On Wednesday afternoon, the first day of the month-long fast of Ramadan, the weather in the West Bank was cooler than it had been earlier in the week, making it more conducive to fasting. But with temperatures still hovering around 30 degrees Celsius, it is easy to understand that fasting from dawn to dusk is no great pleasure.
http://www.haaretz.com/print-edition/news/ramallah-parking-tickets-don-t-stop-for-ramadan-1.307705
New soap opera launched in Palestine
BETHLEHEM (Ma’an) — Usually the word “team” is associated with football, but this Ramadan, a new “team” is being launched, a soap opera documenting a different side of Palestine, far from popular conceptions of life under occupation. “The team” will be broadcast each of the 28 nights of Ramadan, and will reflect the daily life of Palestinians on both sides of the separation wall, in the West Bank cities of Bethlehem, Ramallah, Nablus, Jericho, and in the northern cities of Haifa and Nazareth in Israel.
http://www.maannews.net/eng/ViewDetails.aspx?ID=307779
Analysis/Opinion/Human Interest
Israel Lacking Allies and Friends, George S. Hishmeh – Washington, D.C.
Oftentimes, Israelis and their supporters bury their heads in the sand, ignoring all that goes around them. Take the case, for one example, of a university professor who joyously lauded in a commentary in a leading American newspaper, The New York Times (which in turn was remiss in not checking) an "opinion poll" that claimed that 71 percent of Arab respondents have "no interest" in the Palestinian-Israeli "peace process." Probably sharing his enthusiasm, the paper headlined the column, "The Palestinians, Alone."
http://palestinechronicle.com/view_article_details.php?id=16194
Peace summit or the height of folly? | Khaled Diab
Can an activists’ peace summit at the top of Mont Blanc help bridge the abyss of Israeli-Palestinian conflict? With Israel-Palestine diplomacy leading nowhere and the situation steadily worsening in recent years, even the most optimistic doves have had their wings clipped by the hawks who prey on every fledgling initiative, often before it has had a chance to hatch.
http://www.guardian.co.uk/commentisfree/2010/aug/13/israel-peace-summit-mont-blanc
Momentum, Pamela Olson
Less than two months ago, I was at a hastily-organized report-back from survivors of Israel’s attack on the Mavi Marmara when someone, almost as an afterthought, suggested that an American boat should go to Gaza with the next Flotilla, proudly flying the red, white, and blue to show the world that not all Americans supported Israel’s policies, and challenging Israel, who thought nothing of assaulting a Turkish ship, to try the same trick with a ship full of citizens of its closest ally. The crowd cheered enthusiastically.
https://mondoweiss.net/2010/08/momentum.html
Ofra Yeshua-Lyth: Just Saying No
A note in the Israeli daily Haaretz informing that the state attorney’s office has asked police to start an investigation against author and editor Ilana Hammerman justly outraged human rights activists. Hammerman drew attention when she bravely published, in May of this year, a detailed magazine article describing a trip to an Israeli beach in the company of three Palestinian girls.
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/ofra-yeshualyth/just-saying-no_b_680350.html
Israel must change its policies, or it will remain isolated
Political Zionism led by Theodor Herzl would not have come into existence were it not for European anti-Semitism, pogroms in Russia and a fear lest the emergence of the Jews from the ghetto and their integration into the economic, political, media and academic systems of the day provoke a sharp and violent reaction against them.
http://www.dailystar.com.lb/article.asp?edition_id=10&categ_id=5&article_id=118146
Lebanon
Lebanese citizen sentenced to prison over spying for Israel
BEIRUT, Aug. 12 (Xinhua) — A Lebanese citizen who was found guilty of spying for Israel between 2004 and 2005, was sentenced to 20 years in prison, a Lebanese military court said Thursday. Ziad Saadi was charged with engaging in espionage plots on behalf of Israel and providing information of political and party figures, said the court. Saadi confessed that he started spying for Israel in 2004 by providing information about Lebanese Shiite armed group Hezbollah, adding that he also spied on family members and fellow residents from his southern hometown Shebaa.
http://news.xinhuanet.com/english2010/world/2010-08/13/c_13442574.htm
Hezbollah to give ‘evidence’ on Hariri murder (AFP)
AFP – Hezbollah on Friday said it would hand over data allegedly implicating Israel in the murder of ex-premier Rafiq Hariri to Lebanese authorities, following a request by a UN court probing the killing.
http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/mideast/*http://news.yahoo.com/s/afp/20100813/wl_mideast_afp/lebanonuntribunalhezbollahisrael
Hariri to address debate about STL during iftar on Saturday
BEIRUT: Premier Saad Hariri is to tackle on Saturday the ongoing debate over the UN investigation into his father’s assassination, while ambiguity still surrounds the question of whether Hizbullah will cooperate with the UN-backed tribunal.
http://www.dailystar.com.lb/article.asp?edition_id=1&categ_id=2&article_id=118176
Syria offers support to Lebanese army
DAMASCUS, Aug. 12 (Xinhua) — Syrian political sources expressed their country’s readiness to support the Lebanese Army in various ways, London-based al-Quds al Arabi daily reported Thursday. Syria will save no efforts to help Lebanon’s army to upgrade its defensive ability to face the dangers that threaten Lebanese security, said the sources. Syria, on various occasions, presented a vast amount of logistic and technical support to the Lebanese military forces, said the report.
http://news.xinhuanet.com/english2010/world/2010-08/12/c_13442472.htm
Murr promises journalists he upholds press freedoms as sacred
BEIRUT: Defense Minister Elias Murr told members of Lebanese Journalists Union (LJU) on Thursday that press freedoms were sacred, adding that he respected all journalists. The LJU had requested an urgent meeting with Defense Minister Elias Murr following the questioning by the military intelligence of a young journalist who wrote an article holding Murr responsible for the fleeing of an Israeli agent.
http://www.dailystar.com.lb/article.asp?edition_id=1&categ_id=2&article_id=118180#axzz0wRAxj0t1
Lebanese Minister of Defense, As`ad Abukhalil
This dumb Minister who was installed in power in ministerial positions by virtue of his father’s gifts to Syrian intelligence officials in Lebanon made the mistake of his life by launching a war on Al-Akhbar. Al-Akhbar is fighting back in full force. The hard-working investigative journalist at al-Akhbar, Hasan `Ullayq, wrote two days ago that a notorious Israeli spy/terrorist in Lebanon, Ghassan Al-Jidd, was going to be arrested but that Elias El-Murr suggested to the Lebanese Army that it should wait. Al-Jidd in the 1990s was deputy chief-of-staff of the Lebanese Army. Imagine the incompetence of that Army when an Israeli spy reaches that position when Elias Murr’s dad was Minister of Defense. Al-Jidd fled Lebanon soon after. His name was mentioned by Hasan Nasrallah in his speech because he was spotted in the scene of the crime of Hariri. The crime of `Ullayq is that he mentioned the story of the incompetence of this clown of a minister of Defense who was only installed in ministerial positions by Syrian Mukhabarat goons. Don’t mess with Al-Akhbar, o clownish Minister of Defense of Lebanon. Today, the paper carried fierce articles (and a picture) against him. Ironically, the same fine reporter, Hasan `Ullayq, and I were having a conversation only two weeks ago. I was as usual mocking the Lebanese Army and its intelligence service and the Internal Security Forces and its intelligence service, and Hasan interjected to tell me that there are some good people who work there.
http://angryarab.blogspot.com/2010/08/lebanese-minister-of-defense.html
Calls to stop funding Lebanese army put Obama in tight spot
BEIRUT — After Israel and Hezbollah fought a war in 2006, President Bush bolstered assistance to the Lebanese army to create a counterweight to the Shiite militia. Now, after a deadly clash last week between Israeli and Lebanese troops, some on Capitol Hill want to stop funding Lebanese forces…
http://feeds.washingtonpost.com/click.phdo?i=64a8150eb01e3022e064e4276e2fb16e
Bourj el-Barajneh: Searching for Meaning in a Refugee Camp, Ramzy Baroud – Beirut, Lebanon
Two young girls stood, as if frozen, starting below them at an ever vibrant Beirut. Their balcony, like the rest of their house and most of their refugee camp was of an indistinct color. It was dirty, as were their clothes. They, on the other hand, looked beautiful and bright, although their future didn’t.
http://palestinechronicle.com/view_article_details.php?id=16191
Fadlallah’s charity for orphans still giving despite top cleric’s death
BEIRUT: This Ramadan, Muslim and Christian orphans from across the country will be attending an iftar banquet in a bid to enhance national unity. “Iftar al-Ahebba,” – Arabic for “The Iftar of the Loved Ones” – is one among several activities organized by Al-Mabarrat Foundation to celebrate Ramadan. Mohammad Baqer Fadlallah, the general manager of Al-Mabarrat.
http://www.dailystar.com.lb/article.asp?edition_id=1&categ_id=1&article_id=118164
Hizbullah kicks off anti-drug theater effort
BEIRUT: Hizbullah’s Islamic Health Committee launched its theater performance “Ana Hurr” on Wednesday, to raise awareness about drug use among Lebanon’s youth. The first show of the play “Ana Hurr” – which translates to I Am Free in English – was held at Batoul High school on the airport road, in the presence of several social figures.
http://www.dailystar.com.lb/article.asp?edition_id=1&categ_id=1&article_id=118166
Iraq
Thursday: 7 Iraqis Killed, 10 Wounded
At least seven Iraqis were killed and 10 more were wounded in light violence. Shi’ite Iraqis began Ramadan fasting today. Also, the U.S. wants Iraq to increase its share of aid to victims of U.S. combat operations.
http://original.antiwar.com/updates/2010/08/12/thursday-7-iraqis-killed-10-wounded/
131 wanted Iraqis hand themselves in
131 wanted 60% of whom are accused of terrorism charges handed themselves in different regions of Diyala Province since last May, Diyala Police Command said. Investigation teams released 50 wanted after proven innocent, the Police Command reported. The initiative of the Interior Ministry has been positively received by the people and has increased pressure on wanted to hand themselves and allow Iraqi Judiciary to decide about their case while giving them the right to defense, Diyala Police media spokesman Major Ghaleb Attieh told Alsumaria News.
http://www.alsumaria.tv/en/Iraq-News/1-52954-131-Iraqi-wanted-hand-themselves.html#comments
Wanted in Iraq: good leadership
The mess that is Iraq today is “owned,” as they say, by a politician like caretaker Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki, as well as his fellow politicians in Iraq. In fact, it’s the responsibility of the entire Iraqi political class.
http://www.dailystar.com.lb/article.asp?edition_id=10&categ_id=17&article_id=118143
Factsheet on Iraqi Youth
The General Assembly proclaimed the year commencing 12 August 2010 as the International Year of Youth under the theme: "Dialogue and Mutual Understanding." As 12 August is the International Youth Day, the Year will be launched on this significant day for young people.
http://www.reliefweb.int/rw/rwb.nsf/db900SID/EGUA-889RY9?OpenDocument&RSS20=02-P
Jamal Dajani: Iraq: Invading is Easier than Leaving
There are remarkably few positive things to say about Iraq today. The country seems to be in perpetual upheaval since the U.S. invasion in 2003. Dozens of people were killed across Iraq just days ahead of the start of the holy month of Ramadan, and more will probably lose their lives in the coming few days when insurgents typically step up their attacks. Yet the Obama administration has recently announced that the U.S. is "on target to end the combat mission." The U.S. government plans to withdraw its combat troops by the end of August and to remove all troops by the end of 2011.
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/jamal-dajani/iraq-invading-is-easier-t_b_681216.html
Would-be Suicide Bomber Recalls Failed Mission
Young Iraqi woman tells of how she was enlisted by insurgents to carry out attack in marketplace.
http://iwpr.net/report-news/would-be-suicide-bomber-recalls-failed-mission
Drained by Iraq, Revived by Mecca
An Iraqi journalist finds renewal on a pilgrimage as his country struggles on without a government.
http://iwpr.net/report-news/drained-iraq-revived-mecca
What South Africa could teach Iraq | Hayder al-Khoei
Iraq must be put back together piece by piece. A truth and reconciliation commission might be just the place to start. Reconciliation is a word loathed by many Iraqis who want to reverse the injustices of the last 30 years. A tyrannical regime, two bloody wars, several rebellions, genocide and a decade of sanctions later, every Iraqi has a painful story to tell. Members of my family were persecuted, arrested and executed by the despotic regime of Saddam Hussein. I learnt to read and write English only because Saddam forced my family to flee Iraq, and we eventually ended up in the UK. Those experiences notwithstanding, I seriously believe reconciliation is the only viable solution left for Iraq.
http://www.guardian.co.uk/commentisfree/2010/aug/13/iraq-could-learn-south-africa
Iraq retrieves the spectacular gold earrings of an ancient Assyrian queen of Nimrud
The fabulous gold earnings once worn by an Assyrian queen have been returned to the Iraq Museum, according to the Minister of Antiquities and Tourism Qahtan al-Jibouri. Jibouri said eight pairs of gold earrings along with three cuneiform tablets were spotted by Iraqi diplomats abroad and an international auction in Washington. The diplomats notified Interpol whose officers seized the earrings, he added. It was previously thought that the Nimrud treasure of 613 pieces of gold jewelry, precious stones and ornaments had escaped looting intact. Together, the treasure weighs about 50 kilograms of pure gold.
http://www.azzaman.com/english/index.asp?fname=news\2010-08-12\kurd.htm
Iran
Iraq to Allow Iranian Gas Pipeline to Syria
Iraq says it has agreed to allow its neighbor, Iran, to build a natural gas pipeline to Syria through Iraqi territory. Iraq’s government says Oil Minister Hussein al-Shahristani approved the project in principle at a meeting Wednesday with a visiting Iranian delegation in Baghdad. The Iraqi oil ministry says both sides will form a committee to study the route the Iranian gas pipeline will take through Iraq to Syria and the Mediterranean Sea.
http://www1.voanews.com/english/news/middle-east/Iraq-to-Allow-Iranian-Gas-Pipeline-to-Syria-100535904.html
Iran sanctions helping Ahmadinejad: Karroubi
Western countries’ sanctions against Iran are boosting rather than hurting the Iranian government, opposition leader Mehdi Karroubi said in an interview with a British newspaper published Thursday.
http://www.france24.com/en/20100812-iran-sanctions-helping-ahmadinejad-karroubi
Russia against unilateral Iran sanctions
Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Alexey Borodavkin has reiterated Moscow’s opposition to US and EU unilateral sanctions against Iran over its peaceful nuclear program.
http://www.presstv.ir/detail.aspx?id=138220§ionid=351020101
Russia to begin loading fuel into Iran’s nuclear reactor in 8 days
Russian spokesman: Loading reactor is key step towards starting up the reactor at the Islamic Republic’s first nuclear power plant.
http://www.haaretz.com/news/international/russia-to-begin-loading-fuel-into-iran-s-nuclear-reactor-in-8-days-1.307891?localLinksEnabled=false
Repercussions of an Israeli attack on Iran
An Atlantic Monthly article argues there’s a high chance of an Israeli attack on Iran next summer. What might happen next if they did?
http://rss.csmonitor.com/%7Er/feeds/world/%7E3/xyiEXaMimms/Repercussions-of-an-Israeli-attack-on-Iran
The morning after the attack on Iran
How will the international community respond the next day?
http://www.haaretz.com/print-edition/opinion/the-morning-after-the-attack-on-iran-1.307474
Walt, Karon and Leveretts say ‘alarmist’ Goldberg Iran piece promotes Israeli objectives, Philip Weiss
I still haven’t read the Jeff Goldberg piece in the Atlantic (I need time and space to do the St. Vitus dance that will inevitably follow) but cooler heads have– Tony Karon at rootless cosmopolitan, and Stephen Walt and Flynt and Hillary Mann Leverett at Foreign Policy– and all these writers concur that the Goldberg is an argument for war and that it’s a war with a strong Israel interest. I find it amazing that such an Israelcentric argument can be put forward in establishment debate after a, Goldberg helped lead us into the Iraq war on a dubious basis without suffering much diminution of influence, and b, Goldberg himself admitted last year on Israeli television that when it came to Iran, Israeli interests and U.S. interests diverge, and he would be torn. Well, not that torn!
https://mondoweiss.net/2010/08/walt-karon-and-leveretts-say-alarmist-goldberg-iran-piece-promotes-israeli-objectives.html
Anshel Pfeffer / Israel suffers from evoking Holocaust to justify militant policies
Israel will probably succeed in preventing Ahmadinejad from building a bomb, but if in doing so its leaders continue to invoke Auschwitz repeatedly, then we are all losers.
http://www.haaretz.com/print-edition/news/anshel-pfeffer-israel-suffers-from-evoking-holocaust-to-justify-militant-policies-1.307713?localLinksEnabled=false
The Return of Jeffrey Goldberg; Shilling for War on Iran, RAY McGOVERN
I guess I was naïve in thinking that The Atlantic and its American-Israeli writer Jeffrey Goldberg might shy away from arguing for yet another war — this one with Iran — while the cauldrons are still boiling in Afghanistan and Iraq. Even world-class chutzpah must have its limits, I had thought.
http://www.counterpunch.com/mcgovern08132010.html
U.S. and Other World News
Afghans protest US killing of civilians
Hundreds of people in eastern Afghanistan have held an anti-US demonstration to protest the death of Afghan civilians at the hand of US forces.
http://presstv.ir/detail.aspx?id=138441§ionid=351020403
…Huge Oil Deposit Discovered in Northern Afghanistan
Officials in the Ministry of Mines and Industries say their studies have shown that a large deposit of oil with the capacity of 2 billion barrels is discovered in northern Afghanistan
http://www.tolonews.com/en/afghanistan/278-huge-oil-deposit-discovered-in-northern-afghanistan
Omar Khadr Guantánamo military trial condemned
Omar Khadr is facing five "war crime" charges, including a murder charge for allegedly throwing a grenade that fatally wounded a US soldier. Amnesty International has condemned the US government’s decision to go ahead with the military commission trial of Omar Khadr at the Guantánamo Bay detention centre, describing the move as another violation of human rights by the USA in the name of countering terrorism.
http://www.amnesty.org/en/news-and-updates/omar-khadr-guant%C3%A1namo-military-trial-condemned-2010-08-12
Khadr Guantanamo trial suspended
Trial of Guantanamo Bay’s youngest inmate postponed indefinitely as lawyer falls ill.
http://english.aljazeera.net//news/americas/2010/08/201081313222388417.html
Pentagon cautions WikiLeaks over new document dump
SAN DIEGO, Calif., Aug 12 (Reuters) – The Pentagon on Thursday told WikiLeaks it would be the "height of irresponsibility" if it went through with a new threat to publish outstanding documents it had on the Afghan war. Amid news reports that WikiLeaks plans to soon release about 15,000 documents it had held back last month, Pentagon spokesman Geoff Morrell repeated a U.S. demand for the whistle-blower site to expunge all classified material from the Internet and return the material it had to the U.S. government.
http://www.alertnet.org/thenews/newsdesk/N12136363.htm
DISPATCHES FROM AMERICA : Mosque mania
The "Ground Zero" mosque controversy seems less about a mosque than about rising, government-stoked fear among the public that Islam is a fifth column attempting to take over the US. The hysteria has led to hate attacks and legislation focused on Middle Easterners and South Asians that reminiscent of a time when "dirty commies" were being hounded by a certain senator Joseph McCarthy. – Stephan Salisbury (Aug 11, ’10)
http://www.atimes.com/atimes/Front_Page/LH12Aa01.html
Saudi king says authority to issue fatwas reserved for senior clerics
JEDDAH: King Abdullah of Saudi Arabia on Thursday issued a decree stating that only senior clerics are permitted to issue fatwas, or Islamic religious edicts, the official SPA news agency said. It cited the text of the decree as saying that for the time being, only members of the Council of Senior Ulema (scholars) will be allowed to issue fatwas.
http://www.dailystar.com.lb/article.asp?edition_id=10&categ_id=2&article_id=118159
The death of Arabic is greatly exaggerated
Some scholars and advocacy groups may believe that the future of the Arabic language hangs in the balance. However, the reality is that, in vernacular form, on television and the internet, it has never looked healthier, writes Elias Muhanna.
http://www.thenational.ae/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20100813/REVIEW/708129994/1008
www.TheHeadlines.org
