and other news from Today in Palestine:
Land/Property/Resource Theft and Destruction/Ethnic Cleansing
Tubas group sues Palestinian settlement workers
TUBAS (Ma’an) — A group of public figures in Tubas filed a lawsuit Thursday to the Palestinian General Attorney against Palestinian construction workers employed in illegal settlements. The lawsuit is the first of its kind to be filed in Palestinian courts. The complainants said they hoped to obtain a ruling which would demonstrate that the confiscation of Palestinian land to build settlements violated public and private rights to property. The group, from the northern West Bank, said they hoped the Palestinian judiciary would assess the harm caused to them and their property by the construction of illegal settlements.
http://www.maannews.net/eng/ViewDetails.aspx?ID=321940
Freeze or no freeze, Palestinians find work in settlements (AFP)
AFP – They line up every morning at Israeli checkpoints: Palestinian workers who are paid to build the Jewish settlements that are eating away at their hope for a future state.
http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/mideast/*http://news.yahoo.com/s/afp/20101007/wl_mideast_afp/israelpalestinianspeacesettlereconomy
Oren: U.S. offered Israel incentives for settlement freeze extension’
Comments by Israel envoy to the U.S. come as PA official confirms Palestinian willingness to rejoin peace talks if temporary freeze achieved.
http://www.haaretz.com/news/diplomacy-defense/oren-u-s-offered-israel-incentives-for-settlement-freeze-extension-1.317730?localLinksEnabled=false
Activism/Solidarity/Boycott, Sanctions & Divestment
Victory in Sheikh Jarrah!
Activists were delighted yesterday when they won a sweet victory against the ever-encroaching colonization of east Jerusalem. The Zionists at Shimon Hatzadik had planned a huge rally for the night of the sixth of October and to support that had illegally (as always) erected three large metal flag-posts on land that was not theirs. Not only was this blatant trespass and criminal damage to property but these seven meter tall monstosities towered over the area in nasty attempt to dominate the locals, who already suffer from daily harassment and persecution. A large but calm crowd of Palestinian locals, Israeli activists and ISM’ers gathered with a view to removing this provocative eyesore without delay.
http://palsolidarity.org/2010/10/14804/?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+palsolidarity+%28International+Solidarity+Movement%29
No justice for slain laborer
SHUAFAT, occupied East Jerusalem (IPS) – A peaceful morning is interrupted by the sounds of an Israeli helicopter circling overhead — often a sign of trouble on the ground. Later Sunday the news broke — a Palestinian man was shot dead in the village of Issawiya by Israeli paramilitary border police as he tried to enter Israel in search of work.
http://electronicintifada.net/v2/article11559.shtml?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+electronicIntifadaPalestine+%28Electronic+Intifada+%3A+Palestine+News%29
As Budrus opens in US, film hero is denied exit from West Bank
Budrus, a documentary about the unarmed struggle of a Palestinian village against the confiscation of its land for the construction of Israel’s security barrier, is opening today in cinemas in the US and in Israel. I watched Budrus twice, a few months ago in Israel and last night in NY, in a special screening attended by Queen Noor of Jordan. I found the film as inspiring and compelling as it was on the first time I saw it. In 2003-2004, Budrus played a key role in what became, in my opinion, the most important grassroots effort of the decade: the emergence of a widespread unarmed campaign against the occupation, involving Palestinians, Israelis and international activists.
http://www.promisedlandblog.com/?p=3504
Interview: Palestine’s red lines of struggle
The National Committee for the Protection of the Inalienable Rights of the Palestinian People is a newly-formed body that upholds the red lines of the Palestinian struggle. Hazem Jamjoum interviews committee co-founder Bilal al-Hassan for The Electronic Intifada.
http://electronicintifada.net/v2/article11551.shtml?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+electronicIntifadaPalestine+%28Electronic+Intifada+%3A+Palestine+News%29
Hope, and How Not to Visit Palestine
My visit to Nablus coincided with the first Palestinian Human Rights Film Festival at an-Najah University. Even better than the films shown were the panel discussions afterwards, on issues such as refugees, resistance and women’s rights. The first film I saw was “To Shoot an Elephant” (watch it here), a brutal, highly-recommended documentary shot by International Solidarity Movement activists who happened to be in Gaza as the 2008/09 massacre unfolded. After the screening the audience communicated with director Alberto Arce via a video link-up to Spain. (Alberto is permanently banned from entry into Israeli-controlled territory.) Alberto said this: “It is not my job to tell the Palestinians what to do. It’s my job to support the Palestinians and to witness what’s happening to them. The Palestinians have suffered so much from the actions of foreigners, and foreigners have no right to impose their beliefs on Palestinians.”
http://pulsemedia.org/2010/10/07/hope-and-how-not-to-visit-palestine/
The Siege (Gaza & West Bank)/Humanitarian/Restriction of Movement
Palestinians caught in border trouble
For the people of Gaza, living and working close to Israel’s border can be life-threatening. According to the UN, since the end of Israel’s attack on Gaza in January 2009, 25 civilians have been killed and another 146 injured for being too close to the border. Al Jazeera’s Bernard Smith reports from the town of Juhor Ad Dik, right along the Israeli border.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YBO_qylIeN4&feature=youtube_gdata
Al Mezan Concludes Training on Lawyers Role in Detecting and Combating Torture
On Wednesday 6 October 2010, Al Mezan Center for Human Rights concluded a specialized training course on ‘Lawyers Role in Detecting and Combating Torture’, which was held in Gaza City. The training was organized as part of the EU-supported project on combating torture in the occupied Palestinian territory (oPt). Twenty-five lawyers participated in the training course. The course provided 24 hours training over a period of four days.
http://www.reliefweb.int/rw/rwb.nsf/db900SID/VDUX-89ZQ28?OpenDocument&RSS20=02-P
Human Rights/Racism & Discrimination
Israel loyalty oath bill stirs Arab-Israeli unease
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is pushing for a loyalty oath that would require non-Jewish candidates for Israeli citizenship to pledge loyalty to Israel as a ‘Jewish state.’
http://rss.csmonitor.com/%7Er/feeds/world/%7E3/6P-8pZRBKYY/Israel-loyalty-oath-bill-stirs-Arab-Israeli-unease
Lieberman: Zoabi is the reason we need a loyalty oath
Arab MKs call proposed bill “the height of fascism,” as well as “racist and stupid;” Israel Beiteinu denies law is in exchange for building freeze.
http://www.jpost.com/Israel/Article.aspx?id=190519&R=R2
Woman filmed by soldiers describes torture, humiliation
HEBRON (Ma’an) — The Palestinian woman who was filmed, handcuffed and blindfolded, as an Israeli soldier danced around her said Thursday that the video only showed the beginning of “a journey of torture and humiliation.” A video of 24-year-old Ihsan Dababisa surfaced on YouTube on Monday, and was aired on Israel’s Channel 10 News. Dababisa spoke to Ma’an’s correspondent in her home in Nuba village, west of Hebron, and described the ordeal which followed her detention.
http://www.maannews.net/eng/ViewDetails.aspx?ID=321957
South Tel Aviv residents step up campaign against refugees
Locals meet with Darfur survivor, but encounter changes little.
http://www.haaretz.com/print-edition/news/south-tel-aviv-residents-step-up-campaign-against-refugees-1.317788?localLinksEnabled=false
Violence
3 hurt in second IAF strike on Gaza in 24 hours, Palestinians say
Gaza eyewitnesses say vehicle hit by one missile launched from Israeli aircraft; strike comes hours after IAF hit Hamas targets in the coastal enclave.
http://www.haaretz.com/news/diplomacy-defense/3-hurt-in-second-iaf-strike-on-gaza-in-24-hours-palestinians-say-1.317741?localLinksEnabled=false
Eleven Palestinians Wounded In Several Israeli Military Attacks In Gaza
Palestinian medical sources reported that eleven Palestinians were wounded Thursday after the Israeli army conducted several aerial attacks, and attempted to assassinate a resistance fighter. Damage was reported to several homes.
http://www.imemc.org/article/59566
Detainees
Overnight detentions include son of mayor
HEBRON (Ma’an) — Overnight raids saw Israeli forces detain the 18-year-old son of Beit Ummar’s mayor, with reports saying as many as 12 Palestinians were detained from across the West Bank overnight. Ahmad Nasser Rashid Sabarna, was taken from his home north of Hebron in the early hours of the morning, local spokesman Muhammad Ayyad Awad told Ma’an.
http://www.maannews.net/eng/ViewDetails.aspx?ID=321749
Overnight detentions include son of mayor
HEBRON (Ma’an) — Overnight raids saw Israeli forces detain the 18-year-old son of Beit Ummar’s mayor, with reports saying as many as 12 Palestinians were detained from across the West Bank overnight. Ahmad Nasser Rashid Sabarna, was taken from his home north of Hebron in the early hours of the morning, local spokesman Muhammad Ayyad Awad told Ma’an.
http://www.maannews.net/eng/ViewDetails.aspx?ID=321749
Political Developments
Palestinian factions urge AL peace committee to adopt new strategies to get Palestinian rights
GAZA, Oct. 7 (Xinhua) — Palestinian factions and political, social figures demanded Thursday that the Arab League (AL)’s peace committee to convene in Libya this Friday back the Palestinian move to suspend direct peace talks with Israel till the latter halts settlement construction. The Democratic Front for the Libration of Palestine urged the peace committee to adopt a new strategic political policy based on multiple options, not only the choice of negotiations.
http://news.xinhuanet.com/english2010/world/2010-10/08/c_13546186.htm
U.S.: We want to see entire Mideast support direct peace talks
Ahead of Arab League ruling on the possibility of resuming troubled peace talks, State Department official says only direct negotiations can resolve region’s issues.
http://www.haaretz.com/news/diplomacy-defense/u-s-we-want-to-see-entire-mideast-support-direct-peace-talks-1.317773?localLinksEnabled=false
US seeks Arab support on Mideast peace talks (AP)
AP – Amid uncertainty over whether Israel will act to prevent the Palestinians from walking out of nascent U.S.-mediated peace talks, the Obama administration is seeking Arab support for keeping the negotiations alive.
http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/mideast/*http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20101007/ap_on_go_ca_st_pe/us_us_mideast
No easing of Palestinian demand seen at Arab League (Reuters)
Reuters – Arab League foreign ministers meet in Libya on Friday to hear Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas’s case for suspending peace talks with Israel until it extends a moratorium on settlement building in the West Bank.
http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/mideast/*http://news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20101007/wl_nm/us_palestinians_israel_league
Other News
Israel signs agreement to buy F-35 jets from US
Agreement signed for deal worth $2.75 billion including Israeli industries in production process, simulators, spare parts, will maintain Israel’s qualitative military advantage in region.
http://www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7340,L-3966219,00.html
Dogs to be used in next flotilla raid
IDF learns lessons from Turkish flotilla: Oketz unit dogs will be first to go aboard, keep area sterile until soldiers arrive.
http://www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7340,L-3966094,00.html
Hamas says thwarted Israeli attempt to locate Shalit
Israel attempted to locate captive IDF soldier Gilad Shalit’s hideout via collaborator in Hamas’ military wing, Egyptian paper says; sources in group say agent maintained ties with senior figure, fled to Israel after being uncovered.
http://www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7340,L-3966144,00.html
Fayyad: PA will abide by court decision on cars
RAMALLAH (Ma’an) — Ramallah-based Prime Minister Salam Fayyad said Thursday his government would abide by the Supreme Court ruling on the withdrawal of cars from civil servants. The Supreme Court ruled Thursday that Fayyad’s plan to revoke 6,200 vehicles from high-level civil servants should not be implemented until the court has reached a final decision on the issue.
http://www.maannews.net/eng/ViewDetails.aspx?ID=321902
Gaza burns as Hamas declares war on drugs
Use of narcotics has soared among a people under siege. Now the authorities have vowed to clean up
http://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/middle-east/gaza-burns-as-hamas-declares-war-on-drugs-2101007.html
Letter to settlers: Don’t enlist because of Naveh appointment
Rabbi who took part in pulsa denura ceremonies calling for Rabin and Sharon’s death, urges hesder yeshiva students not to join army because ‘criminal who destroyed northern Samaria’ named as its next deputy chief.
http://www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7340,L-3966193,00.html
Slumdog Movie Star Turns Defiant Palestinian Girl
The Indian actress who starred in “Slumdog Millionaire” has moved from the slums of Mumbai to the squalid refugee camps of the West Bank in a new film: the story of a defiant Palestinian girl who wants to fight against Israel in a coming of age story with a Mideast twists.
http://feeds.nytimes.com/click.phdo?i=9449b35344b1627abc742346536f31cc
Analysis/Opinion/Human Interest
Will Abbas get, and accept, a two-month settlement freeze?
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is backing a ‘loyalty oath’ to appease Israel’s right wing, and there are indications that Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas will be offered a two-month settlement freeze to keep peace talks going.
http://rss.csmonitor.com/%7Er/feeds/world/%7E3/5x-wrNoTg_I/Will-Abbas-get-and-accept-a-two-month-settlement-freeze
Scientific paper shows that Israeli attacks merely perpetuate violence, Philip Weiss
An important new paper in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences uses statistical data on violent attacks during the Second Intifadah to show that violence breeds violence in Israel and Palestine. It reminds me of Ari Fleischer’s boast to a Cincinnati synagogue, during the 2004 campaign, that he had never used the words “cycle of violence” while he was Bush’s mouthpiece. No, all the Israeli violence was good violence. Reuters covers the paper here.
https://mondoweiss.net/2010/10/scientific-paper-shows-that-israeli-attacks-merely-perpetuate-violence.html
Jailbreak: Rep Donna Edwards raises money by championing human rights in Gaza, Philip Weiss
New Policy.org is a lobby against the Israel lobby, and Donna Edwards, the great Maryland congressperson, is appearing at a fundraising event that the group is sponsoring, on Oct. 16, at the Sheraton Washington North Hotel in Beltsville, MD. 1-3. Maybe J Street will join up? From the press release, which is all about the occupation and Palestinian human rights.
https://mondoweiss.net/2010/10/jailbreak-rep-donna-edwards-raises-money-by-championing-human-rights-in-gaza.html
Even “anarchists” in the Zionist entity are racists
“James Horrox’s book on anarchism in the kibbutz movement marginalises the Palestinian people in a similar way – they do not really exist in his narrative of how the Israeli collective settlements were established and then functioned. He is writing about Palestine, a country whose population was around 90% Arab (Christian and Muslim) when the first kibbutz was established in 1910, as if its primary importance was as a plaything for European experiments in group living [2]. The book is a strange attempt to blend Zionist mythology with anarchism. In the forward, Israeli anarchist Uri Gordon questions “the validity of applying anti-colonial hindsight to people that any progressive would otherwise consider economic migrants or refugees” (p. iv).”
http://angryarab.blogspot.com/2010/10/even-anarchists-in-zionist-entity-are.html
assassinating the resistance: PFLP fighters survive attack, Max Ajl
Today, the Israeli military attempted a targeted killing of three “militants” (freedom fighters) from the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine. The main target was apparently Ahmad al-Ashkar. The Israeli military hasbara spokeswoman said, “The organization was planning attacks against Israel in the coming days.” Does anyone really believe that these three PFLP members were “planning” an incipient attack against “Israel,” or that Israel is justified in attempting to assassinate them while its blockade constitutes an ongoing act of mass terror against the population of the Gaza Strip? Will we see condemnation of this attack from any quarter? Just from the PFLP, probably, and perhaps obliquely from Ma’an News. It’s true that the three militants escaped with light injuries and were not killed, but that isn’t the point. The point is intent, and the intent was assassination and the crushing of resistance.
http://www.maxajl.com/?p=4235&utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+http%2Fwwwmaxajlcom%2Ffeedrss2+%28Jewbonics%29
Obama’s Balfour Declaration, Hasan Abu Nimah
Those who invested again in the so-called peace process apparently believed that Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu was ready for historic decisions, and that US President Barack Obama’s support for the talks represented a unique and serious opportunity. Netanyahu allowed Israel’s mostly fictitious 10-month “settlement freeze” to expire on September 26, setting off a desperate scramble among peace process sponsors to find a formula to “save the peace talks” – as if simply having such talks is the ultimate prize. US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, US envoy George Mitchell and EU foreign policy chief Catherine Ashton all rushed in not with the goal of stopping Israel’s criminal settlement expansion but to find a formula for Israel to continue building settlements while pretending it is not.
http://www.jordantimes.com/index.php?news=30664
Barack Obama Cements U.S. Role as ‘Israel’s Lawyer’, Alex Kane
One of the more famous lines about the U.S. role in the “peace process” between Israel and the Palestinian Authority is Aaron David Miller, a former Middle East negotiator for the U.S., saying that “for far too long, many American officials involved in Arab-Israeli peacemaking, myself included, have acted as Israel’s attorney, catering and coordinating with the Israelis at the expense of successful peace negotiations.”
http://alexbkane.wordpress.com/2010/10/07/barack-obama-cements-u-s-role-as-israels-lawyer/
WP: Dennis Ross is Netanyahu’s man in the White House, Philip Weiss
Here’s a shocking/obvious story (my emotional terrain alas) from yesterday’s Washington Post by hardworking Glenn Kessler about how Dennis Ross is now the “back channel” between Obama and Netanyahu.
https://mondoweiss.net/2010/10/wp-dennis-ross-is-netanyahus-man-in-the-white-house.html
Nothing Has Changed Since the Yom Kippur War, Gideon Levy
Nothing has changed in 37 years. Israel has the same arrogant hubris and the same obstinate resistance to any prospect of a peace agreement.
http://www.haaretz.com/print-edition/opinion/nothing-has-changed-since-the-yom-kippur-war-1.317617
OBAMA’S LETTER, NETANYAHU’S REJECTION AND THE MEDIA’S NON-RESPONSE
Following Israel’s capture of the West Bank in 1967, along with other territories including East Jerusalem, Israel has built and expanded Jewish settlements on occupied Palestinian land. The settlers enjoy the benefits of a separate, and far superior, civilian infrastructure to nearby Palestinian communities, and they are protected at great expense by the Israeli military. Under international law, the settlements are illegal. But despite private agreements with the US to rein in growth, Israel has continued the non-stop expansion of its illegal settlements. While the public stance of the United States is that it does not recognise “the international legitimacy” of the settlements, Washington has in practice provided decades-long support for Israeli policy.
http://www.medialens.org/
News That’s Unfit to Print: UN Report on the Flotilla Deaths, Scott Horton
The United Nations Human Rights Council appointed an expert panel to look into the deaths resulting from the August 10 Israeli interception of a flotilla of vessels bringing relief supplies to Gaza. It was headed by Judge Karl T. Hudson-Phillips, Q.C., a retired judge of the International Criminal Court and former attorney general of Trinidad and Tobago, and included Sir Desmond de Silva, Q.C., the British former chief prosecutor of the Special Court for Sierra Leone, and Ms. Mary Shanthi Dairiam of Malaysia, a prominent women’s rights advocate. The panel released its report on September 27. (PDF) It contains some startling findings, particularly surrounding the death of a Turkish-American dual national, Furkan Doğan, and five other passengers:
http://www.harpers.org/archive/2010/10/hbc-90007675
Sundus in Palestine
Sundus Abdul hadi, painter/artist/photographer and my wife!, just recently returned from her trip to Palestine. She was invited to be a part of a workshop at the Edward Said Music Conservatory. She spent two weeks in one of the most important and significant countries in Human History. Peep some of her painting work Here: Warchestra and download the accompanying album HERE!produced and engineered by her and I. All Live Instruments. Here are some photos of her recent trip that really moved me, and some of her new work.
http://illuminarcy.blogspot.com/2010/10/sundus-in-palestine.html
The Palestinian Gentlemen: Peace Process in Style, Seraj Assi
This is the tenth anniversary of the Second Intifada, which broke out in Palestinian cities and villages in late September 2000 unmasking the myth of the peace process in the region. So it is perhaps an opportune time to reflect on the gentlemanly approach implemented by PA “peacemakers” for nearly two decades, while they celebrate the renewal of “direct talks” in Washington now.
http://palestinechronicle.com/view_article_details.php?id=16319
‘Dying to Win’: Newt Gingrich’s ‘Terrorism’, Ramzy Baroud
On September 30, within the time frame of a few hours, an accused man reportedly confessed to terrorism charges in Germany, the terrorism threat level was raised in Sweden, and former US Speaker of the House Newt Gingrich lengthily discussed ‘suicidal jihadists’ in a speech he made in Denver. Although it was tacitly understood that US president Barack Obama has distanced himself from his predecessor’s indefinite war objectives – embodied in the ill-defined ‘war on terror’ - the chances are the dreadful term ‘terrorism’ is not going not leave us alone anytime soon.
http://palestinechronicle.com/view_article_details.php?id=16318
The Media’s Construction of the ‘Ground Zero Mosque’: How Islamophobic blogs manufactured a controversy, Alex Kane
How did a local story about a proposal to build an Islamic cultural center in Lower Manhattan turn into a national controversy about whether a “Ground Zero Mosque” would be a slap in the face to 9/11 victims? It started with a small group of anti-Muslim activists who suggested the proposal was a scheme by anti-American Muslims to “conquer” the hallowed site of the September 11 attacks (Big Government, 5/18/10). Some even suggested that the Imam behind the proposal was an Al-Qaeda supporter (Fox News, 5/13/10). The project was named “Cordoba House,” opponents argued, in honor of the Islamic conquest of Spain, where Muslim victors built a mosque on the ruins of a sacked church (Newt.org, 6/21/10). How could anyone miss the parallels? Created on small anti-Muslim blogs, the “Ground Zero Mosque” framing was eventually adopted by bigger right-wing outlets before making extensive inroads into broader corporate media.
http://alexbkane.wordpress.com/2010/10/07/the-medias-construction-of-the-ground-zero-mosque-how-islamophobic-blogs-manufactured-a-controversy/
The Bigot-Whisperers of the Right, Phil Rockstroh
The idea of Beck and Palin leading a populist, pitchforks and torches style uprising in the US is sheer fantasy. Most Americans wouldn’t rally en mass unless they could bring their couches with them.
http://www.informationclearinghouse.info/article26536.htm
Lou Dobbs, American Hypocrite
Dobbs has relied for years on undocumented labor for the upkeep of his multimillion-dollar estates and the horses he keeps for his 22-year-old daughter, Hillary, a champion show jumper.
http://www.thenation.com/article/155209/lou-dobbs-american-hypocrite
Lebanon (and Ahmadinejad’s visit…)
Iranian and Hezbollah leaders to appear together at rally (AFP)
AFP – The Iranian and Hezbollah leaders are set to appear together next week at a rally organised by the Shiite militant group for the Iranian leader’s visit to Lebanon, a Hezbollah official said on Thursday.
http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/mideast/*http://news.yahoo.com/s/afp/20101007/wl_mideast_afp/lebanoniranhezbollahnasrallah
In pictures
Lebanon awaits controversial visit from Iran’s President Ahmadinejad.
http://www.bbc.co.uk/go/rss/int/news/-/news/world-middle-east-11495533
Excitement brews in the south ahead of Ahmadinejad’s visit
KFAR KILA: Residents of southern Lebanon are brimming with excitement ahead of a visit by Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, who is expected to tour the border area with his arch-enemy Israel in a message of defiance.
http://www.dailystar.com.lb/article.asp?edition_id=1&categ_id=1&article_id=120108
Iranian-Lebanese film recounts suffering in war with Israel (AFP)
AFP – A Lebanese-Iranian film about two Hezbollah fighters and their women during the 2006 war with Israel is one of the biggest ever made in the country, one of its producers said on Thursday.
http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/mideast/*http://news.yahoo.com/s/afp/20101007/wl_mideast_afp/entertainmentlebanoniranisraelconflictfilm
Lebanon’s bloggers are pioneers in the Arab world
A recent survey of readers of the more than 400 blogs in Lebanon shows that their numbers are close to the online readership of the most well-known Lebanese newspapers: both averaging 14,000 visitors daily. This is a clear indication that blogs have become one of the main media sources for Lebanese youth to access diverse information and various opinions.
http://www.dailystar.com.lb/article.asp?edition_id=10&categ_id=5&article_id=120123
Bracing for Israel’s Next Attack on Lebanon, Franklin Lamb – Maron al Ras on the Lebanon border
You can see Akka, Palestine from my favorite Lebanese village, Maron al Ras. On any day, but particularly since September 21 of this year, you can also see beefed up IDF military patrols, assorted electronic listening posts and sundry spy devices, new Raytheon-produced surveillance equipment, two new supposedly camouflaged cinder block one room shacks with Zionist soldiers peering out. They frequently glare from widows heavily screened to keep out stones that tourists on the Lebanon side of the ‘blue line’ regularly throw at them when UNIFIL guys aren’t paying attention or shoo them away.
http://palestinechronicle.com/view_article_details.php?id=16316
Iraq
Thursday: 15 Iraqis Killed, 39 Wounded
Baghdad and Mosul, as usual, saw small but multiple attacks, but it was south of the capital where the most significant violence took place. Overall, at least 15 Iraqis were killed and 39 more were wounded across the country.
http://original.antiwar.com/updates/2010/10/07/thursday-15-iraqis-killed-39-wounded/
Twin blasts kill 5 at market south of Baghdad (AP)
AP – Back-to-back bombings at a vegetable market south of Baghdad on Thursday afternoon killed at least five people, an Iraqi medical official said.
http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/iraq/*http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20101007/ap_on_re_mi_ea/ml_iraq
Noam Chomsky: Imperial Culture, Fallujah – A Partial Demonstration of US lack of Remorse
http://www.informationclearinghouse.info/article26540.htm
Iraq’s Disappeared
Whereabouts of thousands who went missing during dark days of sectarian conflict still unknown. Sahera Ibrahim and her family watch a recording of a news broadcast that she says shows her missing son in an Iraqi prison. Like thousands of other Iraqi families, Ibraheim’s believes her son is languishing in one of Iraq’s notoriously secretive prisons. A tearful Sahera Ibrahim speaks about the day in 2006 when her son was taken away by an armed and uniformed group and never heard from again. Each day before noon prayers, Sahera Ibrahim lights a candle at the Sunni shrine of Abu Hanifa in the Adhamiya district of east Baghdad to pray for the return of her son.
http://iwpr.net/report-news/iraqs-disappeared
U.S. and other world news
US Attack Kills 4 More People In Pakistan
Thursday’s attack followed US and Nato apologies for a September 30 attack that left two Pakistani soldiers dead. The men were killed when Nato helicopters mistook them for insurgents they were pursuing.
http://english.aljazeera.net/news/asia/2010/10/201010713143513675.html
CIA mum on lawsuit alleging drone targeting errors
The CIA has declined comment on allegations that its drones have a targeting margin of error of up to 40 feet, a malfunction that could be contributing to civilian deaths in Afghanistan and Pakistan.
http://blog.washingtonpost.com/spy-talk/2010/10/cia_mum_on_lawsuit_alleging_dr.html#more
No justification for US drone strikes, says Pakistan foreign ministry
“We believe that they are counter-productive and also a violation of our sovereignty,” foreign ministry spokesman Abdul Basit told reporters.
http://www.dawn.com/wps/wcm/connect/dawn-content-library/dawn/news/pakistan/04-no-justification-for-drone-strikes-fo-qs-07
54 trucks torched in raid on NATO logistics in Pakistan
Firefighters in north-western Pakistan were on Thursday trying to extinguish a fire that engulfed 54 trucks carrying supplies for NATO troops in Afghanistan after the latest suspected militant attack on supply convoys, police said.
http://www.monstersandcritics.com/news/southasia/news/article_1589672.php/54-trucks-torched-in-raid-on-NATO-logistics-in-Pakistan
How long can US troops withstand rupture of Pakistan supply lines?
Half of the supplies for US and NATO troops come through Pakistan via multiple routes, according to US military officials.
http://www.csmonitor.com/USA/Military/2010/1006/How-long-can-US-troops-withstand-rupture-of-Pakistan-supply-lines?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+feeds%2Fusa+%28Christian+Science+Monitor+%7C+USA%29
Barack Obama accused of exaggerating terror threat for political gain
• Pakistani diplomat launches scathing attack on White House
• European intelligence claims raised terror alerts ‘nonsensical’
http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2010/oct/07/barack-obama-terror-threat-claims
US veterans concerned over war trauma
Thursday, October 7 was the ninth anniversary of the beginning of the US war in Afghanistan. Marking the event at the US Capitol building in Washington DC, a small group of military veterans have launched a campaign to end the practice of sending traumatised troops back into the battlefield. Al Jazeera’s Josh Rushing reports.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jjoAsjgBtho&feature=youtube_gdata
Interview: Arab League reform becomes priority
CAIRO, Oct. 7 (Xinhua) — As the Middle East region is witnessing a very critical and yet complicated peace process, Libya will host an extraordinary Arab Summit on Saturday, with its focus on two topics, the improvement of the Arab joint action and an initiative by Arab League Secretary General Amr Moussa to establish an Arab neighborhood policy. To reform Arab League has become a top priority to meet joint Arab work and achieve demands of the Arab people in accordance with international changes and challenges imposed on the Arab world, Hani Khalaf, a former senior Egyptian diplomat, told Xinhua in a recent interview.
http://news.xinhuanet.com/english2010/world/2010-10/08/c_13546181.htm
US Town Wants Muslim Graveyard Gone
In the small town of Sidney, New York, officials are attempting to force a Muslim group to remove a tiny graveyard on private property. The town says the burial site is illegal and against zoning regulations, and that anti-Muslim prejudice played no role in their decision. They want the two bodies buried there to be exhumed and moved to another location.
http://wfol.tv/news/5448-us-town-wants-muslim-graveyard-gone.html?utm_source=twitterfeed&utm_medium=twitter&utm_term=kazi+mahmood+world+future&utm_content=news
France’s constitutional watchdog endorses veil ban
French Constitutional Council endorses ban on Islamic face veils, removing key hurdle France’s constitutional watchdog on Thursday endorsed a divisive law forbidding face-covering Islamic veils anywhere in public, but expressed concern about applying it in places of worship such as a mosque.
http://www.rawstory.com/rs/2010/10/frances-constitutional-watchdog-endorses-veil-ban/
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