And more news from Today in Palestine:
Land/Property/Resource Theft and Destruction/Ethnic Cleansing
Settlers blamed for mosque blaze
Prayer rugs and Quran copies burnt in a West Bank mosque, in fire said to have been started by Israeli settlers.
link to www.youtube.com
Settlers Torch Mosque, Copies of the Holy Quran, Near Bethlehem
A group of fundamentalist Israeli settlers broke into a mosque, on Sunday at night, in Beit Fajjar, near Bethlehem, and set it ablaze.
link to www.imemc.org
Occupation bulldozes lands in the village of Takku
BETHLEHEM, (PIC)-- Eyewitnesses said that Israeli occupation bulldozers started on Friday morning to bulldoze Palestinian lands close to a Jewish settlement built on confiscated Palestinian land belonging to the village of Takku to the south east of Bethlehem.Local sources believe that the work of the bulldozers in their land is a prelude to confiscation of the land to build more settlement units to expand the present settlement. Local sources also said that settlers placed a number of caravans to the east of Masha area east of Bethlehem in preparation for its confiscation.
http://www.palestine-info.co.uk/en/default.aspx?xyz=U6Qq7k
10 dunums of olive trees in Awarta burned by settlers
Oct 1, 2010-- two settlers of Itimar settlement burned, approximately 10 dunums of an olive grove. The fires were North East of Awarta village, in the South Nablus district.
link to stopthewall.org
Zionist settlers block Palestinian villagers from harvesting olive crop
Zionist settlers stormed the village of Al-Mughir in northern Ramallah on Sunday and wreaked havoc in olive fields, cutting trees, and stealing the harvest.
http://www.palestine-info.co.uk/En/default.aspx?xyz=U6Qq7
Israel to compensate settlers for construction freeze losses
So far the defense establishment's complaints committee has reached a decision on 45 of 109 compensation claims.
link to www.haaretz.com
Netanyahu Places News Conditions For Extending Freeze
Israeli Prime Minister, Benjamin Netanyahu, said that he agrees to extending settlement construction freeze for a number of months, but in return he wants guarantees that it will not be asked for a further extension.
link to www.imemc.org
Israeli ministers oppose fresh moratorium: report (AFP)
AFP - Attempts by Washington to entice Israel into extending a settlement moratorium look set to meet fierce opposition from coalition hardliners, a newspaper poll of cabinet ministers showed on Monday.
link to us.rd.yahoo.com
Activism/Solidarity/Boycott, Sanctions & Divestment
Occupation Forces supress Al-Masara weekly demonstration, Firing teargas on the children’s circus on the Apartheid Wall
Oct 1, 2010-- Tens of activists and children suffered from tear-gas inhalation fired at them by the Occupation Forces during the weekly demonstration against the Apartheid Wall in Al-Masara.
link to stopthewall.org
The trial of Ameer Makhoul enters a new phase
The campaign to free Ameer Makhoul, a Palestinian citizen of Israel and political and human rights activist falsely accused of espionage, has achieved significant advances. Makhoul’s attorneys challenged the legality of the circumstances of his arrest and undermined the prosecution’s core allegations against him on September 16th in the Haifa District Court. State Prosecutors admitted that no evidence of espionage had been found in any of the computers and cellular phones seized from Makhoul’s home and office. Nor was any evidence of espionage found, they admitted, in the transcripts of thirty thousand wiretapped telephone conversations.
link to josephdana.com
Supreme Court: Maguire not here on friendly visit
Nobel Peace Prize laureate fails to convince court she was unaware of deportation order issued against her following her participation in May's Gaza-bound aid flotilla.
link to www.ynetnews.com
Architects against Israeli occupation | Abe Hayeem
With the settlement freeze over, international architects must take action to end illegal construction in the West Bank. In deciding to back the boycott of Ariel theatre in the West Bank, Frank Gehry, the Canadian-American architect of Guggenheim fame, joins a growing body of professionals who are making a stand against the illegal settlements. Ariel, a quintessential illegal settlement, is continually expanding to fit the over-generous boundaries staked out over Palestinian land, choking the development of Palestinian villages nearby. Its new state-funded cultural centre, 20 years in the construction, is due to open in November.
link to www.guardian.co.uk
#BDS: Methodist Preacher to Sue Church Over Anti-Israel Boycott
A Methodist preacher is planning to sue his own British-based church over its anti-Israel policies. Pastor David Hallam, 62, said he has asked attorney Paul Diamond to fight a resolution passed this summer by the Methodist Church -- the fourth-largest Christian denomination in Britain -- promoting a boycott against Israeli goods produced in Judea, Samaria and Gaza. The resolution was heartily supported by Palestinian Authority Christians. The British Board of Deputies, which represents the country's Jews, broke off all contact with the leadership of the Methodist Church over the issue.
link to youthanormalization.blogspot.com
#BDS: Artists breaking the silence on Palestine
Artists play a galvanizing role in shaping popular opinion on the defining issues of our time. Historic struggles for justice are often remembered at a grassroots level not by campaign slogans or political speeches but via artistic symbols. Art can capture both the human emotion and political energy of critical moments in history, etching cultural expression into our collective social conscious.
Gaza's humanitarian crisis is alarming the world and accordingly many artists are standing with Palestine in unprecedented ways, including poet and musician Gil Scott-Heron.
link to youthanormalization.blogspot.com
The Siege (Gaza & West Bank)/Humanitarian/Restriction of Movement/Human Rights/Racism
Goods – Needs Vs. Supply – Sep 5 – Oct 2
link to www.gazagateway.org
School By Day, Prison By Night, Palestine Monitor
Most students catch the bus to campus, other come in cars, Mohammed is escorted from his cell to the university gates by soldiers. At the end of a day's studying, while his peers go off to smoke argeela (water pipe) and shoot pool in the cafes around town, he is escorted back to his cramped cell. His story represents the wider tale of denial and disruption of education enacted by the Israeli occupation.
link to www.palestinemonitor.org
Strangled By Aid, Palestine Monitor
A two-day conference at Birzeit University last week assembled scholars from around the world to discuss one of Palestine’s most complex problems: aid. Dr. Sara Roy, the keynote speaker, claimed aid has depoliticised the root causes of Palestinian suffering. By focusing exclusively on the humanitarian aspects of the occupation, donors effectively deprive Palestinians of their voices and right to self-determination. Recognising the detrimental effects of aid, including dependency issues, the participants sought alternatives to a system failing despite large budgets. The Occupied Palestinian Territories (OPT) are among the largest recipients of aid per capita in the world. In 2008, $1.8 billion of went to the Palestinian Authority (PA), $700 million to specific projects, and $500 million to humanitarian aid, according to statistics from French consulate in Jerusalem.
link to www.palestinemonitor.org
Gaza power cuts reduced
GAZA CITY (Ma'an) -- Two generators in Gaza's sole power station are now operational, reducing power cuts in the Strip, an energy official said Sunday. Spokesman for the Gaza Energy Authority Jamal Ad-Dardasawi said fuel deliveries had facilitated the operation of the second generator increasing the plant's productivity to 60 mega watts. A new schedule could now be implemented, under which power would be cut for eight hours a day for two days, followed by two days without power cuts, he said.
link to www.maannews.net
Israel to allow 30 more cars into Gaza
GAZA CITY (Ma'an) -- Israeli authorities will be partially open one Gaza crossing on Monday for the entry of 30 new cars, a Palestinian crossings official said. Raed Fattouh said six trucks transporting the new cars would be permitted entry through the Kerem Shalom crossing in southern Gaza, marking the third time in under a month that vehicles have been allowed into the Strip since 2007.
link to www.maannews.net
Violence/Aggression & Provocations
Palestinian Worker Shot Dead By Israeli Policeman Near Jerusalem
A Palestinian laborer was shot and killed, on Monday at dawn, by an Israeli policeman, who reportedly shot him at point blank range in occupied East Jerusalem. The policeman was placed under house arrest for five days.
link to www.imemc.org
Worker dies of heart attack during army chase
HEBRON (Ma'an) -- A Palestinian worker died of a heart attack on Monday after being chased by Israeli forces as he tried to enter Jerusalem from Hebron, medics told Ma'an. A source with the Palestine Red Crescent Society said Shahda Muhammad Hussein Karja, 55, from Halhul, likely sustained a stress-induced heart attack during the chase. The source also said Karja had inhaled tear gas deployed by forces during the pursuit.
link to www.maannews.net
Palestinian struck by car driven by settler
HEBRON (Ma'an) -- A Palestinian was hospitalized Sunday after he was hit by a car driven by an Israeli settler near Hebron, witnesses said. Samir Abu Merya was struck on the Beit Ummar junction north of the West Bank city and transferred to hospital, onlookers said.
link to www.maannews.net
Settlers clash with Jerusalemite family, settler runs over youth
Israeli settlers attacked Al-Qarsh family in Al-Sa'diya neighborhood in occupied Jerusalem and tried to remove their furniture from their house. The settlers claim they own the house.
http://www.palestine-info.co.uk/En/default.aspx?xyz=U6Qq
IOF troops advance into eastern Gaza during funeral of minister's wife
Israeli occupation forces (IOF) mounting tanks advanced into eastern Gaza city on Sunday during the funeral procession of the wife of Palestinian health minister Basem Naim.
http://www.palestine-info.co.uk/En/default.aspx?xyz=U6Qq7k%2b
Detainees
Human rights groups demand release of political detainees in WB
Two Palestinian human rights groups on Sunday demanded the immediate release of Sheikh Khader Adnan, an Islamic Jihad leader, and all political detainees in the West Bank jails.
http://www.palestine-info.co.uk/En/default.aspx?xyz=U6Qq7k%2bcO
IDF bars Arab teen's lawyer from abuse testimony
Military Police refuses to allow a lawyer to attend as 15-year-old Palestinian gives account of alleged attack on him by Israeli soldiers.
link to www.haaretz.com
Report: Israel arrested 485 Palestinians last month
A report issued by Palestine’s supreme national committee to support prisoners said Israeli occupation forces have ramped up in this last month of September arrest campaigns against Palestinians.
http://www.palestine-info.co.uk/En/default.aspx?xyz=U6Qq7k%2b
Minister pledges support to boy under Israeli house arrest
HEBRON (Ma'an) -- Minister of Prisoners Affairs Issa Qaraqe was received on Friday by the family of a 13-year-old Hebron boy on Friday, days after the child's release from Israeli prison. Karem Khaled Da’na, from the Wad Al-Bustan neighborhood in the West Bank city of Hebron, was taken from his family home by Israeli forces on 22 September, who said he had thrown stones at settlers on his way home from school.
link to www.maannews.net
Israeli military court releases minor on bail
HEBRON (Ma’an) -- An Israeli military court in the Ofer detention center in the central West Bank district of Ramallah released a minor on Monday on bail of 5,000 shekels. Layers for the Prisoner Society in Hebron the military prosecution originally delayed the release of Sayil Ribhi Abu Qweidary 72 hours to file an appeal against the court's decision. Abu Qweidar was detained on 27 September, days after 13-year-old Akram Da'an was detained by Israeli forces and tried for throwing stones at troops.
link to www.maannews.net
In photos: Palestinians call for prisoner release
link to www.maannews.net
War Crimes
Filmmaker Ken Loach, writer Arundhati Roy and Nobel Laureate Mairead Maguire Read from the Goldstone Report
Goldstone Facts-Chapter 10, Indiscriminate Attacks by Israeli Armed Forces
link to www.normanfinkelstein.com
"Peace" Talks/Political Developments
Lieberman 'key' to cabinet vote on settlement freeze
Netanyahu must win backing from skeptical foreign minister to push through decision to prolong West bank building ban, top officials say.
link to www.haaretz.com
Lieberman: Obama trying to force agreement on Israel
FM tells fellow Yisrael Beiteinu members US wants two-month settlement freeze to draft peace deal that would mean two states for two people along 1967 borders. On controversial UN speech: I wanted to tell the world the truth as I see it.
link to www.ynetnews.com
Yesha chair: US' offer is poisonous pill
Danny Dayan says he hopes Prime Minister Netanyahu will withstand US' pressure over settlement freeze; adds conceding will put Israel in clear disadvantage for duration of peace talks
link to www.ynetnews.com
Other News
Palestinians invest $2 billion in Jericho to celebrate its 10,000th birthday
The idea of celebrating the 10,000-year anniversary of the city arose after the millennium celebrations in 2000, which focused primarily on tourist sites connected to Jesus.
link to www.haaretz.com
Police mishandled probe into Israeli Arab riot deaths, report finds
Three cases against police officers who shot dead Israeli Arabs in riots in October 2000 were improperly closed, Israel Democracy Institute claims.
link to www.haaretz.com
MK wants Neturei Karta classified as terrorists
After being attacked by sect members in Mea Shearim, National Union chairman Yaakov Katz promotes bill aiming to classify Sikrikim as members of terrorist organization for their activities against state institutions.
link to www.ynetnews.com
After France, Israel considers 'banning the burqa'
All clothing that covers the face in a public place would be banned, but the proposed law would affect mainly Muslim women.
link to www.haaretz.com
Obama uses Weekly Address to lobby for Israeli firm BrightSource, Ali Abunimah
But in light of the fact that BrightSource is effectively based in Israel -- and that's where all the R&D happens -- the president's claim to be supporting 'American innovation' is at best disingenuous. Obama is scaring Americans about "handing the competitive edge to China" while quietly giving it to Israel.
link to aliabunimah.posterous.com
Israel mulling enlisting Facebook for the home front in future battles
JERUSALEM, Oct. 4 (Xinhua) -- Israeli army officials say they are planning to use the Facebook social networking site in order to alert and inform the Israeli public during future conflicts. The idea is to immediately alert people of possible threats, including missile strikes. An Israel Defense Forces' home front command population department official confirmed the report to the Ha'aretz newspaper, although a final decision has not yet been made over using the widely popular website.
link to news.xinhuanet.com
Video: The Palestinian Oktoberfest 2010
Ramallah – PNN – on Saturday the Palestinian Oktoberfest 2010 started in the small village of Taybe in central West Bank.
link to www.youtube.com
Analysis/Opinion/Human Interest
Israel’s Arab Citizens Are Not a Negotiating Chip, Jonathan Cook
Benjamin Netanyahu, Israel’s prime minister, has insisted from the launch of the current peace talks that the Palestinians set no preconditions, while making his own precondition the centerpiece of negotiations. Netanyahu has said talks are futile unless the Palestinians and their leader, Mahmoud Abbas, first recognize Israel as a Jewish state. “I recognized the Palestinians’ right to self-definition, so they must do the same for the Jewish people,” he told American Jewish leaders recently. Netanyahu, of the right-wing Likud Party, is not the first Israeli leader to make such a requirement of the Palestinians. His predecessor, Tzipi Livni, the leader of the centrist opposition, wanted the same recognition. Barak, the defense minister and head of the supposedly left-wing Labor Party, also supports this position. The consensus on this matter, however, masks a reluctance by Israeli politicians to clarify what exactly is being expected of the Palestinians and why recognition is so important.
link to original.antiwar.com
'We were supposed to enter quietly - instead we threw grenades', Amira Hass
IDF soldiers speak out about the climate of fear during their West Bank service.
link to www.haaretz.com
Yalla! Let's build, Akiva Eldar
Instead of suspending construction for Jews, let's resume construction for all West Bank residents.
link to www.haaretz.com
Josh Ruebner: Obama's Misplaced Missive
As the clock ticks closer toward an ignominious end to the Obama Administration's ill-conceived gambit to reconvene direct Israeli-Palestinian negotiations, President Obama appears desperate to keep the talks alive, as revealed on Wednesday in accounts of a letter he purportedly sent to Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.
link to www.huffingtonpost.com
speaking of that broken Israeli culture, Max Ajl
6,000 Israeli Arabs marched today amidst a call for a general strike in commemoration of 13 boys who Israeli police officers murdered in October 2000. They marched from a town in the Galilee, Kfar Kanna. MK Ahmed Tibi said that "Failure to put the criminals on trial is like making sure the victims are really dead," and added that Israeli racism has mounted since October 2000: it has now reached what he calls "frightening levels"--structural and cultural racism has practically suffused Israeli society, while the left is mostly silent, in retreat and disarray. A few weeks ago, I had some unkind words for Bernard Avishai's polemic against Boycott, Divestment, and Sanctions. I think extended intellectual disquisitions arguing against BDS should be dissected and countered for the simple reason that there is nothing else for activists to do internally or externally right now. Without something to do, we fall quiescent or fall into ineffectiveness. Maybe more weirdly, we call for Palestinian non-violence and have cat-fights about its efficacy and the appropriate level of nuance to integrate into such a call, as though we have absolutely anything to do with Palestinian society's ability-or-not to mount a non-violent Third Intifada.
link to www.maxajl.com
The Extraordinary Rendition of Palestine, Mazin Qumsiyeh
It has been a rather bizarre week in the Middle East. Let me just cite a few examples: The International Atomic Agency (IAEA) succumbed to pressure from the US and other western countries and thus failed to make any explicit or even implicit request of Israel to join the nonproliferation treaty. One of the excuses given is that there is a delicate peace process going and we do not want to upset the situation (i.e. upset Israel).
link to alternativenews.org
Israel keeps moving the goalposts
From children playing soccer in the street, to the superstars playing in the Champions League final, everyone accepts that one should not play the game if the other side keeps moving the goalposts.
link to www.dailystar.com.lb
Lebanon
Syria Seeks Arrests Over Hariri Probe - General
BEIRUT (Reuters) - A Lebanese general held for four years over the killing of former prime minister Rafik al-Hariri said Sunday a Syrian judge had issued arrest warrants for 33 people over false testimony to investigators.
link to feeds.nytimes.com
Iraq
Iraqi cameraman killed in bomb attack near Baghdad
BAGHDAD, Oct. 4 (Xinhua) -- An Iraqi cameraman working for a U. S.-based television was killed in a bomb attack west of Baghdad on Monday, while a senior police officer was wounded by a separate bomb attack in Baghdad during the day, the police said. Tahreer Kadhem, a cameraman of the al-Hurra Arabic language American satellite channel, was killed when a sticky bomb attached to his car detonated while he was driving near a bridge in Garma area near the city of Fallujah, some 50 km west of Baghdad, a local police source told Xinhua on condition of anonymity.
link to news.xinhuanet.com
Bomb hits Iraqi minister's convoy
Bodyguard killed and seven people injured in bombing apparently targeting deputy minister, who escaped unharmed.
link to english.aljazeera.net
US War Crimes in Fallujah, Steve Lendman
On August 31, declaring an "end to the combat mission in Iraq," Obama disgracefully said: "Through this remarkable chapter in the history of the United Stated and Iraq, we have met our responsibility," infamously displaying his culpability as a war criminal, matching the worst America ever produced. Daily he proves it in Iraq, Afghanistan, and by reckless global marauding.
link to sjlendman.blogspot.com
Iraq oil reserves overtake Iran's (AFP)
AFP - Iraq reported on Monday a sharp rise in proven oil reserves that saw it leapfrog Iran into third place worldwide, as the war-battered country seeks to rebuild its crude-dependent economy.
link to us.rd.yahoo.com
Water sports popularity rise in Baghdad
The Iraqi capital Baghdad has often been associated with explosions and violence. At one point, the Tigris river that runs through the city was used as a dumping area for dead bodies. But now it's becoming popular with water-sport enthusiasts. Al Jazeera's Rawya Rageh reports from Baghdad.
link to www.youtube.com
Iran
Israel scrambles to prevent Ahmadinejad's Lebanon visit
BEIRUT: Israel is urging international diplomats to push Lebanon into canceling next week's visit by Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, media reports said on Sunday. Ahmadinejad is expected to arrive in Lebanon on Wednesday, October 13 for his first official visit to the country since assuming office in 2005.
link to www.dailystar.com.lb
The Listening Post - Ahmadinejad's media blitz
On The Listening Post this week we look at Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad's media blitz in New York: there were interviews, press conferences and photo-ops but back in Iran the media remain tight lipped and under pressure. We also explore the challenges of reporting in Japan in an interview with Jake Adelstein, an American journalist who has made Tokyo his turf for the past 20 years.
link to www.youtube.com
IRAN VERSUS SANCTIONS, Part 1 : A history of failure
Three decades of United States-led sanctions against Iran have failed to bring the country to heel even as they have benefited politicians and others in Tehran who are supposed to be subdued by US policy. Given the history of sanctions, that should be of little surprise to Washington. - Hossein Askari
link to www.atimes.com
U.S. and other world news
Afghan civilians killed in NATO raid-police
KANDAHAR, Afghanistan, Oct 3 (Reuters) - At least three Afghan civilians were killed in a NATO air strike targeting senior Taliban commanders in southern Helmand province at the weekend, the provincial police chief said on Sunday. The spreading insurgency has made this year the bloodiest in Afghanistan since it began, after the Taliban were overthrown in late 2001. Civilians are increasingly caught up in the violence as victims of both sides.
link to www.alertnet.org
Thousands of liberals rally in US
Labour unions, civil rights activists and others gather to show support for Democrats and counter Tea Party rallies.
link to english.aljazeera.net
Harry Belafonte: Iraq & Afghanistan Wars Are "Immoral, Unconscionable and Unwinnable"
"The President’s decision to escalate the war in that region alone costs the nation 33 billion dollars," the legendary musician, actor and activist Harry Belafonte said at Saturday’s "One Nation Working Together" in Washington. "That sum of money could not only create 600,000 jobs here in America but would even leave us a few billion to start rebuilding our schools, our roads, our hospitals and affordable housing. It could also help to rebuild the lives of the thousands of our returning wounded veterans."
link to www.democracynow.org
Justice in the US
"In 2005, 15-year-old Ashley was facing trial in Manhattan Family Court for lying to police after she told officers she didn't know who had assaulted her on the way to school. As she waited in the court's holding area for her court appearance, juvenile counselor Tony "Tyson" Simmons came up to the handcuffed girl, took her in an elevator to the building's basement, and raped her. Moments later, Ashley -- who's withholding her last name for fear of reprisal -- was in the courtroom being sentenced to 12 months in prison for filing a false police report. This week, Simmons was sentenced to 10 years' probation for the sexual assault on Ashley and two other teens."
link to angryarab.blogspot.com
Saudi women fight in court for control of their marital fates
RIYADH: Women in Saudi Arabia are fighting back against tribal traditions that make them hostage to the whims of their fathers and male guardians who alone can decide who their future husbands will be.
link to www.dailystar.com.lb
www.theheadlines.org
“Throwing stones” is the allpurpose charge that the IDF uses to terrorize the WB population. Break in the door at 2 am, drag a kid out of bed, charge him with throwing stones, torture a confession out of him, take him to a military judge for sentencing. Any Palestinian knows this could happen to them, at any time. No one can sleep at night without this constant anxiety.
When I hear all the constant yapping about “Israel’s security” I’d like to show each and every one what real insecurity is.
>> When I hear all the constant yapping about “Israel’s security” I’d like to show each and every one what real insecurity is.
Without the Holocaust, “generation to generation” fear-scarring and self-perpetuating insecurities and insularity to give it some real vitality, Palestinians’ insecurities and fear are, at best, second-rate stuff.
Palestinian insecurities are based on reality, not paranoia.
The Holocaust is no excuse. Where does the Sephardic hatred of the Palestinians come from? There was no Holocaust where they came from.
>> Where does the Sephardic hatred of the Palestinians come from?
It must be one of those “support your friends unconditionally” things. Or maybe they just didn’t/don’t want to miss out on the fun.
I’m not sure if that was a rhetorical question, but I will answer it anyway.
At a young age, Sephardic Jews and Mizrahi Jews undergo the same indoctrination at school that Ashkenazi Jews do. But, unlike some Ashkenazi Jews who may have a Holocaust survivor in the family, non-Ashkenazi Jews do not. So the state seeks to inculcate them with the images and experiences of the Holocaust in order to build a shared sense of victimhood among the various ethnic Jewish groups.
Students watch films about the Holocaust. They go on field trips to concentration camps in Germany, Austria and Poland. So the average Israeli is taught that the Holocaust is not only an Ashkenazi experience, but that it is also an Israeli experience. For one to be a full pledged Israeli he/she must internalize the events of the Holocaust.
Now add to that the need to feel assimilated — to be inside the circle — and the Mizrahi Jew finds it imperative to make the Holocaust his own. Otherwise, he will feel alienated from the nation as a whole.
I remember back in grade school on the day of Holocaust remembrance and commemoration how some students of Mizrahi background would get teary eyed and some would even cry despite them having to direct connection to the Holocaust in Europe. But, once the experience was internalized, the events instilled and the emotions cultivated, it was difficult to feel as though the Holocaust was an exclusively Ashkenazi experience.
Additionally, the non-European Jews (non-Ashkenazi) were historically discriminated against in Israel. They were the underclass, the “primitive” laborers while the Ashkenazim were the “brains” behind the Zionist project.
Over time this hierarchy was blurred, to an extent — smoothed over — thanks to several factors. Among these factors was the immigration of Ethiopian Jews and to a greater extent the presence of the Palestinian minority in Israel. So, the non-Ashkenazi Jews welcomed the opportunity of having another social group below them in the hierarchy. In an effort to maintain that hierarchy they found it necessary to shun the Palestinian citizens, shun the Ethiopian Jews and so on.
Add to that the constant state of siege that which the government seeks to invoke and perpetuate and one ends up with Mizrahi, Ashkenazi and Sephardic Jews united against the common enemy — the “enemy at the gates” — the Arab nations.
Thanks Avi. Your insight into the school experience is very interesting.
On the subject of Holocaust day I was very struck in 1996 by a picture in the Irish Times. It showed Israeli soldiers taking a break from shelling Lebanon (Grapes of Wrath, top hit Qana, over 100 murdered) to remember the Holocaust. Zionism is nothing without hypocrisy.
The Holocaust is no excuse. Where does the Sephardic hatred of the Palestinians come from? There was no Holocaust where they came from.
Using this same argument, how can you accept Al-Qaeda’s argument that the I/P problem is a major cause for their violence against the West?
Speaking of throwing stones, here is a heart felt video about a Palestinian girl injured by one of these harmless acts of resistance.
link to youtube.com
You’re pathetic. Truly and utterly pathetic.
Your heart felt sympathy for the Palestinian girl is hollow in light of the fact that your heroes half a world away have killed thousands of Palestinian girls over the years.
>> Speaking of throwing stones, here is a heart felt video about a Palestinian girl injured by one of these harmless acts of resistance.
Kudos to the soldier, condemnations to the stone throwers. There. Now, will you start condemning soldiers who aren’t so humanist? If not, what the f*ck’s your point?
I whole-heartedly condemn all acts of violence, intimidation, and the mistreatment against the Palestinian population.
You can place your bets that Rachel Maddow, Ed, Olbermann, Chris Matthews and the rest of the talking heads on MSM outlets will not be touching this story. But if the tables were turned and it had been Palestinians burning the Torah/Bible, and burning a Synagogue..all of these news outlets NPR, MSNBC, CNN would be all over it.
BBC did cover this story this morning but not NPR
Well, here’s a surprise, from Ethan Bronner no less:
link to nytimes.com
Even better: link to latimes.com
Nothing on MSNBC tonight about this. Nothing at all on NPR’s Morning Edition Nothing at all on All Things Considered. Silence. Absolute silence.
If a Synagogue had been partially burnt and Torah’s or Bibles burnt by Palestinians Rachel Maddow, Keith Olbermann, Michelle Norris, Robert Siegal would have been all over this story. Instead Silence
Notice the wording in the article?
It states that Palestinian officials “accused” settlers…..
That leaves room for doubt.
In contrast, when Palestinians are the perpetrators and Jews or Israelis are the victims, then the US media make it a fact.
And so they would state something along the lines of: “Palestinians attacked a Jewish settlement in ……” As opposed to, “Israeli officials accused Palestinians of ……”
This bias is part and parcel of American favoritism toward Israel.
Israelis and Jews are given the benefit of the doubt, while Palestinians are guilty by default.
Great point.
Let’s call it what it is – a pogrom.
This is suicidal and insane. We American Jews are called on to blindly support this politically and financially, and I fear we will bear the brunt of the eventual repercussions of these actions.
To piggy-back on Kathleen’s comments, no outcries that this will harm our troops or provide more recruiting incentives for Al Qaida, etc.
Good call, Avi.
Zionism is a disaster for Judaism. The people who vandalise mosques and shoot dead those who dare to try to enter Jerusalem do it fronting their kippas and Stars of David. The damage they do to the image of Judaism in the Middle East and farther afield is incalculable.
The religious term for such behaviour is hillul Hashem – desecration of the divine name, and it’s a doozy of a sin, but like most aspects of religion is “as the clay in the potter’s hand”.
Curious, is there a Muslim equivolent for such behavior? Would you consider this a crime in the name of Judaism or a crime in the name of Zionism?
“Curious, is there a Muslim equivolent for such behavior? Would you consider this a crime in the name of Judaism or a crime in the name of Zionism?”
Such crimes are the very ease
of Zionism. They are only taking place in Palestine – nowhere else.
The US pastor’s threat to burn Korans seemed set to provoke a world-wide explosion by Muslims, yet this actual burning of Korans by Jews does not seem to have caused nearly as much controversy.
Go figure??
Endless 24 hour coverage for weeks about this guy. Complete Silence on those same MSM outlets about these crimes. Silence
All of the above reports will not be covered by our MSM. Rachel Maddow will only cover human rights issues if they have to do with gay rights or protesters in Iran. Silent about other human rights abuses. Silence
“All of the above reports will not be covered by our MSM. Rachel Maddow will only cover human rights issues if they have to do with gay rights or protesters in Iran. Silent about other human rights abuses.”
G-d, do you whine. People have pointed out that both the NY Times and LA Times covered this story.
I’m waiting for the next MSM story about Congo or Burma. Actually, I’m waiting for the first story about Congo or Burma, because there are precious few.
A group of very prominent rabbis from Gush Etzion and elsewhere visited the mosque and condemned the attack in the strongest terms.
link to ynetnews.com
How many atrocity-bearing skirts are you going to hide Zionism behind, anyway? I think the only one your forgot to mention was the Sudan.
I guess it’s self-centered, because Last I checked, Congo and Burma don’t receive a ton of our tax dollars that very well may be financing the settlers who then perpetrate these actions.
So maybe next year for Yom Kippur maybe we can make a pact – we both lobby our Rabbis to bring representatives from Congo and Burma onto the bima to lobby us for money in place of the Israel bond drive rep.
Deal?
“Last I checked, Congo and Burma don’t receive a ton of our tax dollars that very well may be financing the settlers who then perpetrate these actions. ”
Egypt does, and they don’t cover the human rights abuses there either, not that it should matter whether the US gives aid to a country in deciding whether that country deserves coverage.
“So maybe next year for Yom Kippur maybe we can make a pact – we both lobby our Rabbis to bring representatives from Congo and Burma onto the bima to lobby us for money in place of the Israel bond drive rep. ”
My rabbi, and many others, have address Darfur many times, while members of the pro-Palestinian movement have done nothing.
Regardless, it’s the media’s responsibility to cover the news, not the rabbis’.
“My rabbi, and many others, have address Darfur many times, while members of the pro-Palestinian movement have done nothing.”
That’s because the money for Darfur goes to the WB settlers; it’s a scam.
link to onlinejournal.com
Egypt, with a population of around 85m, gets around $1bn, or $11 per Egyptian.
Israel, with a population of around 7 1/2m gets around $3bn, or over $500 per Israeli.
Which is the more advanced country? Which has the healthier economy? Which is trying to increase its territory? Which effectively is an apartheid state? Which practices more human rights abuses per head?
Great! I’m glad to see you putting Israel in exactly the same boat as Egypt and Sudan. Mind if we add Libya and Saudi Arabia to the list?
They did, and the IDF prevented the villagers from coming to join them.
god, do you whitewash, hophmi. From the article you posted:
“This act does nothing for the settlements; it is morally and religiously wrong and is offensive to its core,” [Rabbi Brin] said “This is not how we educated our children; Islam is not a hostile religion even if we have a dispute with some of its followers.”
Rabbi Brin made it clear that “religion is religion and the mosque is a holy place to Muslims. …”
Another rabbi who took part in the visit added that “the people visiting today are residents of Judea and Samaria who believe that the presence and settlement in the land of our forefathers is part of our stance. In spite of this, we condemn the attack.”
So the good Rabbis support only what’s good for the settlements, and the good settlers only steal Arab land without attacking the mosques in JUDEA AND SAMARIA. Some religions are more equal than others, and settle land claims?
Has anyone claimed responsiblity for this arson? How do we know it isn’t another Hamas tactic to try and sabotage the peace process? You guys are always the first to bring up the use of false flag operations, I am surprised it hasn’t been discussed on here yet….
Yes, yonira, because the first thing an “Islamist” faction is going to do to forward its agenda is SET FIRE TO A MOSQUE.
Can you do us a favor and stop blaming the proverbial Jews in the Warsaw Ghetto for being attacked by proverbial German settlers?
Chaos,
When in Rome. Just illustrating the hypocrisy amongst the commenters here on Mondoweiss. You guys were the first to blame Israel for the killing of the settlers, but cry fowl when the same idea is brought up in reverse.
Again Chaos, check your handbook, it is Gaza which is to be compared to the Warsaw Ghetto, not the West Bank.
Links, please to SPECIFIC comments where any IDF personnel were accused of killing Israeli settlers.
There is no such thing as an anti-hasbara handbook. What, you think people who oppose you fight dirty too? Think again.
A couple of creeps in the Ha’aretz comment section made similar suggestions to yonira’s, and were overwhelmingly given thumbs-down.
The commenters also condemned the IDF troops for letting the perpetrators go.
Kudos where kudos are due:
link to english.aljazeera.net
>> Nidal Thawabte, the mayor of Beit Fajjar, told Al Jazeera that the Rabbis were received by the town as men of God and not as settlers because they did not identify themselves as settlers.
>> “A group of Jewish Rabbis came on Tuesday afternoon with a box of 25 to 35 Qurans. While the cost and the extent of the damage was much more than just a few copies of the Quran, we accepted their gesture as an act of goodwill,” Kamel Hammash, president of the municipality council, told Al Jazeera on Wednesday.