and other news from Today in Palestine:
Settlers/ Land, Property, Resource Theft & Destruction/Ethnic Cleansing
Carwash Demolished in Jerusalem, Bulldozing Resumes in Karm Etsur Settlement
Hebron – PNN – Israeli forces demolished a carwash in the East Jerusalem neighborhood of Beit Hanina, saying it was unlicensed. The business was owned by Ma’moun and Majdi Yasir Salhab of Beit Hanina.
http://english.pnn.ps/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=9058&Itemid=62
Fayyad: Jerusalem suburbs will one day be part of Palestinian capital
Palestinian PM skips inauguration of school in East Jerusalem after Israel issues warrant banning PA events in Jerusalem municipality.
http://www.haaretz.com/news/diplomacy-defense/fayyad-jerusalem-suburbs-will-one-day-be-part-of-palestinian-capital-1.322466?localLinksEnabled=false
Israel banning official Palestinian event in East Jerusalem
Public Security Minister Aharonovitch issues warrant forbidding the participation of Palestinian PM Fayyad in ceremony marking PA-sponsored school renovations.
http://www.haaretz.com/news/diplomacy-defense/israel-banning-official-palestinian-event-in-east-jerusalem-1.322320?localLinksEnabled=false
Palestinian PM skipping East Jerusalem event due to Israeli pressure
Fayyad was to appear at reception in Dahiat al-Salam marking completion of 15 new East Jerusalem schools; police issued warrant banning event at hall, leading owner to move reception to the streets.
http://www.haaretz.com/news/diplomacy-defense/palestinian-pm-skipping-east-jerusalem-event-due-to-israeli-pressure-1.322428?localLinksEnabled=false
A wall runs through it: Jerusalem and the West Bank
The wall in Jerusalem has been a reality for many years now, and people plan their travel carefully, budgeting the extra time it takes to go through security checkpoints. Some of my classmates live on the other side of it and it takes them longer to get to school even though they live closer to the university than students who live in Jerusalem center.
http://www.uscatholic.org/blog/2010/10/wall-runs-through-it-jerusalem-and-west-bank
Olive Harvest in the South Hebron Hills: What the Occupation Has Become, Joseph Dana
How many Israeli soldiers does it take to remove an elderly Palestinian woman from harvesting olives? It sounds like the beginning of a bad joke but it is an unfortunate reality of life in the West Bank. We are in the middle of the olive harvest season and with it comes episodes of violence as well as the harsh face of Israeli occupation. The following video taken last Saturday by a group of Ta’ayush activists is a small window into the strange reality of the Kafkaesque occupation where every detail of Palestinian life requires a permit which is unattainable. The video does not include subtitles from Hebrew but the basic plot is clear: Israeli activists assist Palestinian farmers harvest olives. The army arrives and informs everyone that they do not have the proper permit to be there. The permit is virtually impossible to obtain because of the nature of Israeli settlement security procedure and the unwillingness of the Israeli government to grant Palestinians in the south Hebron Hills basic civil privileges such as building additions to their homes, digging a well or harvesting olives.
http://josephdana.com/2010/11/olive-harvest-in-the-south-hebron-hills-what-the-occupation-has-become/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=olive-harvest-in-the-south-hebron-hills-what-the-occupation-has-become
Israel’s Ethnic Cleansing Laws, Fouzi Al Asmar
At no time in its modern history has Israel been a state for all of its citizens. Its discrimination against its citizens, especially the Palestinians living in that state since 1948, has been in effect in various forms all through its 60-year history.
http://www.thejerusalemfund.org/ht/display/ContentDetails/i/16941/pid/895
Hijacking the history
Athough it won’t say so, the recent decision by UNESCO to define two mosques in the occupied territories as Palestinian is a reply to Israel that earlier this year registered the mosques — the Bilal Ibn Rabah Mosque near Bethlehem, and the Ibrahimi Mosque in Hebron — as its national heritage sites.
http://arabnews.com/opinion/editorial/article176811.ece
Activism/Solidarity/Boycott, Divestment & Sanctions
VIDEO: Twenty Two Demonstrators injured in Nabi Saleh, Joseph Dana
Seven of those hurt were evacuated to the hospital due to the severity of their injuries. Two journalists, a ten year-old girl hit with a rubber-coated bullet and a woman who suffered a broken ankle among those injured.
http://josephdana.com/2010/11/video-twenty-two-demonstrators-injured-in-nabi-saleh/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=video-twenty-two-demonstrators-injured-in-nabi-saleh
Ni’ilin Protesters Cut Through Electronic Fence During Weekly Demonstration, Joseph Dana
Demonstrators were able to remove a segment of the barrier using bolt-cutters before being interrupted by soldiers.
http://josephdana.com/2010/11/niilin-protesters-cut-through-electronic-fence-during-weekly-demonstration/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=niilin-protesters-cut-through-electronic-fence-during-weekly-demonstration
General strike in Silwan in protest at visit made by Israeli municipal head
Local sources said a general strike was prevailing Monday morning in all neighborhoods of Silwan district in protest at the visit that was made by Nir Barakat to nearby Ras Al-Amud area.
http://www.palestine-info.co.uk/En/default.aspx?xyz=U6Qq7k
Beit Ummar Demonstrators Joined by EU Parliment Member Luisa Morgantini, Joseph Dana
Former Vice President of the European Parliament and current European Parliament member, Luisa Morgantini, joind the weekly anti-settlement demonstration in Beit Ummar.
http://josephdana.com/2010/10/beit-ummar-demonstrators-joined-by-eu-parliment-member-luisa-morgantini/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=beit-ummar-demonstrators-joined-by-eu-parliment-member-luisa-morgantini
Ayed Morrar: Civil Resistance to Bring Down the Walls
Palestinians’ wishes are simple — we want what is ours, our land, with true sovereignty, freedom, equality and civil rights — what Martin Luther King, Jr. called in his Letter from a Birmingham Jail “our constitutional and God-given rights.”
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/ayed-morrar/post_1175_b_776257.html
Bil’in Demands the Release of All Political Prisoners, Joseph Dana
Residents of Bil’in, joined by a Norwegian parliament member, as well as Israeli and international supporters were bombarded with tear-gas by the Israeli army.
http://josephdana.com/2010/11/bilin-demands-the-release-of-all-political-prisoners/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=bilin-demands-the-release-of-all-political-prisoners
Corries urge: Press Obama to end sales of Caterpillar bulldozers to Israel, Philip Weiss
At a State Department briefing, Assistant Secretary Philip Crowley did not deny the U.S. government has delayed the delivery, going only so far as to say that he is “not aware of any contacts between the United States Government and Caterpillar, but perhaps it’s a question to ask Caterpillar.”
https://mondoweiss.net/2010/11/corries-urge-press-obama-to-end-sales-of-caterpillar-bulldozers-to-israel.html
Breakdance breaks Israeli-imposed Gaza blockade
Breakdance, the hip hop dance style that appeared in New York City streets about 40 years ago, recently broke through the tight Israeli-imposed blockade on the Gaza strip drawing applauds from some and repulsion from others.
http://www.alarabiya.net/articles/2010/11/01/124544.html
British acrobatic troupe performs for Gazan kids
GAZA, Nov. 1 (Xinhua) — Gazan boys and girls laughed and laughed as they gathered at al-Qattan Cultural Center for Children, watching acrobatic performance by a British troupe. They has not seen such an entertainment since the Israeli military offensive 22 months ago. The small troupe, consisting of only three women and two men, arrived in the Gaza Strip on Oct. 21 with campaigners of the ” Lifeline 5″ aid convoy through the Rafah crossing between the strip and Egypt. They attracted a houseful of excited children and parents, for whom, the common entertainment was an unique experience.
http://news.xinhuanet.com/english2010/world/2010-11/02/c_13586061.htm
IJAN Statement: No Loyalty to Apartheid, Max Ajl
This is the question to be put, not to the leadership of the organized Jewish community, because they will never make decisions ahead of their membership, but to their memberships, who can make decisions. Why apartheid? Why ethnic cleansing? To maintain Israel as the biggest Jewish ghetto in the history of the world? Crappy idea. I’m with IJAN. You should be, too.
http://www.maxajl.com/?p=4379&utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+http%2Fwwwmaxajlcom%2Ffeedrss2+%28Jewbonics%29
Progressive Canadians must challenge JNF’s charitable status
Last month, Greg Selinger, the New Democratic Party (NDP) Premier of the Province of Manitoba, and two of his ministers visited Israel. Among other things, the official delegation strengthened the longtime “progressive” government’s ties to the Jewish National Fund (JNF). The trip was a sad spectacle that should embarrass every Canadian who opposes racism
http://electronicintifada.net/v2/article11601.shtml?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+electronicIntifadaPalestine+%28Electronic+Intifada+%3A+Palestine+News%29
Siege/Rights Violations/Restriction of Movement
Goods – Needs Vs. Supply – Oct 3 – Oct 30
http://www.gazagateway.org/2010/11/goods-%e2%80%93-needs-vs-supply-%e2%80%93-oct-3-%e2%80%93-oct-30/
Industrial Fuel – Needs Vs. Supply – Oct 3 – Oct 30
http://www.gazagateway.org/2010/11/industrial-fuel-%e2%80%93-needs-vs-supply-%e2%80%93-oct-3-%e2%80%93-oct-30/
Kept in the Dark: Treatment of Palestinian Detainees in the Petach- Tikva Interrogation Facility of the Israel Security Agency
The treatment of detainees is one of the tests of human rights protection. Harm to Palestinian residents of the Occupied Territories held in Israeli detention facilities has engaged HaMoked: Center of the Defence of the Individual and B’Tselem since their inception. Over the years, the manner of harm to inmates has changed, partly due to pressure from human rights organizations and international bodies, yet the phenomenon persists.
http://www.btselem.org/English/Publications/Summaries/201010_Kept_in_the_Dark.asp
Majority of Shin Bet prisoners claim mistreatment, report says
Shin Bet prisoners are often incarcerated and interrogated under unsatisfactory conditions, according to a report to be released by B’Tselem and Hamoked.
http://www.haaretz.com/print-edition/news/majority-of-shin-bet-prisoners-claim-mistreatment-report-says-1.322353?localLinksEnabled=false
Israel Targets Students, Palestine Monitor
On 26 August, Israeli forces stormed a student apartment in Birzeit. “They arrested six students with political or activist ties,” said Anan Quzmar, coordinator of Right 2 Education (R2E), a student’s rights organization based in Birzeit University. “They came in the middle of the night,” said Quzmar. “They arrested half a dozen students and trashed up the house.” The students were taken to detainment facilities and then prison. A few were released, but most have remained behind bars, waiting for their hearing, to meet their lawyers, and see the single judge who will decide their fate.
http://www.palestinemonitor.org/spip/spip.php?article1594
Patrolling Al-Khalil during a tense Jewish holiday
Saturday in Al-Khalil much of the city was under alert for another Jewish holiday; the old city was overwhelmed with thousands of settlers and tourists. The atmosphere was tense and people were restricted from entering the area surrounding the Ibrahim Mosque until 4 p.m. Access to the mosque was completely denied to Muslims for the entire day. ISM volunteers patrolled the city all day, following soldiers stopping Palestinians at random to check their ids, and monitoring children on their way to school.
http://palsolidarity.org/2010/11/15366/?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+palsolidarity+%28International+Solidarity+Movement%29
Israeli troops enforce closure on northern village
NABLUS (Ma’an) – Israeli troops entered the northern West Bank village of Madama overnight, with locals reporting several home invasions, shop closures and what was described as a sector lockdown. Several shop owners were said to have been forced to close their stores, while residents said they were threatened by the troops when windows of homes were opened to survey the situation.
http://www.maannews.net/eng/ViewDetails.aspx?ID=329970
World Forum Boosts Education for Palestinians, Mel Frykberg
RAMALLAH, Nov 1, 2010 (IPS) – Education in Palestinian areas and the longing for a homeland were given a major boost over the weekend through the World Education Forum (WEF). The four-day education conference Oct. 28-31 was held in cities across the West Bank and in Gaza, as well as Lebanon.
http://ipsnews.net/news.asp?idnews=53428
School’s out: why Gazans can’t reach class in the West Bank
I am a Palestinian human rights lawyer living in Gaza. Earlier this year, I was accepted into the Master’s degree program in Human Rights and Democracy Studies at Birzeit University, located in the West Bank. Before the “easing” of the blockade, I tried repeatedly to persuade the Israeli authorities to allow me to leave Gaza and attend my classes, but was blocked at every turn. Would Israel’s new announcement mean that I’d finally be able to go to school this year?
http://mideast.foreignpolicy.com/posts/2010/11/01/schools_out_why_gazans_cant_reach_class_in_the_west_bank
Gaza businesses boxed in by Israeli export ban
Manal Hassan, manager of the Al Awda biscuit factory in central Gaza The biscuit factory run by Manal Hassan could go out of business. Israel may have eased its blockade of the Gaza Strip earlier this year, but a continuing ban on exports from the territory is causing misery for many Palestinians, the BBC’s Jon Donnison reports from Gaza.
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-middle-east-11668080
Racism and Discrimination
Jerusalem Catholic church claims discrimination
Father Michael O’Sullivan of Maison D’Abraham in Ras al-Amud accuses police of failing to protect church, investigate robbery and harassment complaints. ‘I expected more from the only state claiming to be a democracy in the Middle East’.
http://www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7340,L-3978583,00.html
Hezbollah Condemns Attack on Church: Zionist Hallmarks Clear
“01/11/2010 Hezbollah vehemently condemned on Monday the attacks on the Archeological Baptist Church in Al Quds and Sayyidat Al Najat -Our Lady of Deliverance- Church in the Iraqi capital of Baghdad, which resulted in tens of victims, some of which were worshippers in the Church. In a statement it released, Hezbollah said that the malicious Zionist hallmarks in this crime are clear as the Zionist scheme is based on fragmenting this region into feuding entities in order to dominate it.
http://www.almanar.com.lb/newssite/NewsDetails.aspx?id=160521&language=en
Haaretz: US brain scientist forced to give up her books and remove her bra before boarding El Al flight, Philip Weiss
Last summer Donna Shalala got humiliated by Israeli airport security because of her Arab name. And Shalala, a university president (i.e., fundraiser), smiled and waved. Now Haaretz is reporting that an Indiana University scientist, Heather Bradshaw, had to run the gauntlet at Luton, an English airport, when she sought to board an El Al flight to attend a conference at Hebrew University. Bradshaw is a brain scientist at Indiana University’s Kinsey Institute, was on her fourth trip to the country, and was forced to remove her bra and give up her many books, about which she was repeatedly questioned. Apparently she made the mistake of having the same name as an activist on Israel’s lists. Haaretz: When she arrived in Israel, she expected someone from the airline to wait for her and update her regarding her luggage and belongings that were left behind, but no one knew anything, Bradshaw told Haaretz. She said she felt helpless and was holding back tears.
https://mondoweiss.net/2010/11/haaretz-us-brain-scientist-forced-to-give-up-her-books-and-remove-her-bra-before-boarding-el-al-flight.html
Violence & Aggression/Detainees
OCHA Report: 1,000 Palestinians Injured By Israeli Forces in 2010, Palestine Monitor
The Office for The Co-ordination of Humanitarian Affairs’ (OCHA) Protection of Civilians report announced this week that 1,000 Palestinians have now been injured by Israeli forces during 2010. The figure is a 38% increase on the last year’s total for the same time frame.
http://www.palestinemonitor.org/spip/spip.php?article1595
Medics: Israeli forces shoot Gaza man on border
GAZA CITY (Ma’an) — Israeli soldiers shot a Palestinian civilian in the central Gaza Strip east of the Al-Bureij refugee camp on Tuesday, medical officials said. An unidentified 35-year-old man was transported to the Al-Aqsa Martyrs Hospital in the town of Deir Al-Balah, also in the central Strip. Medics said he was lightly injured with a gunshot wound to the shoulder.
http://www.maannews.net/eng/ViewDetails.aspx?ID=330085
PFLP group survives IOF shelling
The Abu Ali Mustafa Brigades, the armed wing of the PFLP, said that a group of its cadres survived shelling by Israeli occupation forces in central Gaza Strip at dawn Tuesday.
http://www.palestine-info.co.uk/En/default.aspx?xyz=U6Qq7k
Two Arrested in Beit Amer, Near Hebron
Hebron – PNN – Israeli forces detained two Palestinians in Beit Amer in the Hebron Governorate in the southern West Bank. Muhammad Awad, spokesman for the Palestinian Solidarity Campaign, said those apprehended were Saba’ Sabarneh, 17, and Nidal Husayn Za’qeeq, 20, after their homes were razed in Beit Amer. Ofer Military Court also handed down the following sentences: 10 months in prison and a 1000 NIS fine for Yusuf Ahmed Khil Abu Hashem, 18, and 18 months in prison for Husayn Khalil Khalayel, 17.
http://english.pnn.ps/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=9060&Itemid=68
War Criminals
Deputy PM Meridor cancels London visit following lawsuit threat
Intelligence and Atomic Energy Minister reportedly faced charges linked to his role in the IDF raid on the Gaza-bound flotilla.
http://www.haaretz.com/news/diplomacy-defense/deputy-pm-meridor-cancels-london-visit-following-lawsuit-threat-1.322328?localLinksEnabled=false
Spain says it cannot offer Dichter immunity against arrest
Spanish authorities said it cannot grant Avi Dichter immunity from arrest and interrogation if he intends to visit its territories because of an arrest warrant was issued against him.
http://www.palestine-info.co.uk/En/default.aspx?xyz=U6Qq7
Fatah
Hamas: PA detains 6 supporters in West Bank
BETHLEHEM (Ma’an) — Palestinian Authority forces detained three Hamas supporters in the West Bank, the Islamist movement said in a statement on Monday. The statement said the six were arrested in Nablus, Hebron, Qalqiliya, and Tulkarem. Hamas says the Fatah-dominated PA is engaged in an ongoing political crackdown on Hamas in the West Bank. The PA denies arresting people for political reasons.
http://www.maannews.net/eng/ViewDetails.aspx?ID=329626
Hamas: PA arrests 9 party members
BETHLEHEM (Ma’an) — Hamas officials in the West Bank accused Palestinian Authority security forces of detaining nine party affiliates for political reasons. Hamas said in a statement that the men were detained from Tulkarem, Hebron, Qalqiliya and Jenin. The detentions come as tensions between rival factions Hamas and Fatah persist, and the latest attempts at reconciling the parties through high-level meetings in Syria remain in limbo following a PA-Syria spat at the last Arab League meeting in Libya in October.
http://www.maannews.net/eng/ViewDetails.aspx?ID=329997
IDF waits to see PA’s treatment of W. Bank terror suspects
Military expects reformed Palestinian Authority legal system to charge Hamas operatives, suspected of perpetrating shooting attack on two Israelis, with attempted murder. In what some view as a test of the Palestinian Authority’s newly reformed legal system, the IDF is waiting to see what charges the PA brings against the alleged perpetrators of a recent shooting in the West Bank.
http://www.jpost.com/MiddleEast/Article.aspx?id=193590&R=R3
PA minister suspected of corruption
BETHLEHEM (Ma’an) — The Palestinian Authority Anti-Corruption Commission submitted an official request to Prime Minister Salam Fayyad to strip the immunity of a minister suspected of corruption, Ma’an has learned. The request was based on the recommendations of a presidential commission formed to investigate misuse of public funds and violations of public office, an official familiar with the matter said.
http://www.maannews.net/eng/ViewDetails.aspx?ID=329868
Hamas
Group: Hamas prevents Balfour protest
GAZA CITY (Ma’an) — Hamas authorities banned a demonstration planned for the anniversary of the Balfour Declaration in Gaza on Tuesday, a local official said. Mahmoud Zak, an official with the tiny Palestinian Popular Struggle Front said the group had planned to hold a protest outside the United Nations compound in Gaza City.
http://www.maannews.net/eng/ViewDetails.aspx?ID=330133
Salafist group says leader arrested by Hamas
GAZA CITY (Ma’an) — Hamas authorities have imprisoned the leader of one of Gaza’s radical Salafist factions for launching attacks against Israel, an official said Tuesday. A spokesman for Jaysh Al-Umma (“Army of the Nation”), told Ma’an that the group’s secretary-general, Abu Hafez Al-Maqdisi, was arrested six weeks ago. The spokesman, who identified himself as Abu Abd Al-Maqdisi in a telephone call, declined to explain why the group waited until Tuesday to make this announcement.
http://www.maannews.net/eng/ViewDetails.aspx?ID=330061
Political “Developments“
Hamas to meet Fatah in Damascus
GAZA CITY (Ma’an) — Hamas leader Ismail Radwan said Monday that the next round of unity talks with Fatah would be held in Damascus on 11 November, a Hamas media site said. Radwan would lead the delegation, and the rival factions would discuss security, the final point of contention on an Egyptian-backed unity deal, the report said. “We hope this meeting will lead to unity and national reconciliation,” Radwan added. Negotiations to reconcile the parties came to a sudden halt in October when Fatah pulled out of scheduled talks in the Syrian capital after President Bashar Al-Assad criticized the Ramallah government.
http://www.maannews.net/eng/ViewDetails.aspx?ID=329930
PA denounces remarks by UNRWA official
RAMALLAH (Ma’an) — The Palestinian Authority Cabinet on Sunday denounced the statement of UNRWA official Andrew Whitley, who said Palestinian refugees should give up their right to return and resettle in Arab countries. Whitley, outgoing New York director of the UN refugee agency, said refugees should not live in the “cruel illusion” that they will return. He said UNRWA did not publicly advocate the issue, which was not “politically palatable.”
http://www.maannews.net/eng/ViewDetails.aspx?ID=329858
Israel mulls US proposal on leasing Palestinian land: report (AFP)
AFP – Israel is mulling a US proposal for addressing key security concerns that would entail leasing swathes of the Jordan Valley from a future Palestinian state, army radio said on Monday.
http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/mideast/*http://news.yahoo.com/s/afp/20101101/wl_mideast_afp/israelpalestinianspeaceus
Sources: Netanyahu expects Obama to resume Mideast efforts after midterms
PM asks Clinton to meet with him during his visit to the U.S. next week, already planning to hold talks with Biden in New Orleans.
http://www.haaretz.com/news/diplomacy-defense/sources-netanyahu-expects-obama-to-resume-mideast-efforts-after-midterms-1.322463?localLinksEnabled=false
Ayalon: PA dedicated to political, legal warfare on Israel
“We have to understand that we are facing a very dedicated enemy,” says deputy FM at Jerusalem seminar; continued de-legitimization will be an “obstacle to peace.”
http://www.jpost.com/VideoArticles/Article.aspx?id=193681
Other News
IDF intelligence chief hints at Israeli role in strike on Syrian nuclear facility
In farewell meeting at the Knesset, outgoing military intelligence chief Amos Yadlin hints for first time at Israeli involvement in 2007 strike.
http://www.haaretz.com/news/diplomacy-defense/idf-intelligence-chief-hints-at-israeli-role-in-strike-on-syrian-nuclear-facility-1.322484?localLinksEnabled=false
90% of Palestinians would no longer back the peace process if West Bank settlement building restarted
The issue of Israeli settlement building in the West Bank is critical to the success of any direct peace talks. 90% of respondents would no longer back the peace process if settlement building recommenced. However, only 49% believed that the expiration of the Israeli settlement moratorium (on 30 September) would bring an end to this round of peace talks.
http://www.zawya.com/story.cfm/sidZAWYA20101102070304
ADL: Carter returns to anti-Israel bias, despite apology to U.S. Jews
Last year, ex-U.S. president apologized to the American Jewish community for ‘stigmatizing Israel’ in a letter published by the Jewish Telegraphic Agency.
http://www.haaretz.com/jewish-world/adl-carter-returns-to-anti-israel-bias-despite-apology-to-u-s-jews-1.322336?localLinksEnabled=false
Israel’s Tea Party draws few supporters to ‘Say No to Obama’ event
Movement is not a breakaway from Netanyahu’s party, Likud MK and organizer says, but is meant to help PM reject Obama’s pressure to bend to Palestinian conditions for peace talks.
http://www.haaretz.com/news/national/israel-s-tea-party-draws-few-supporters-to-say-no-to-obama-event-1.322182
Israelis celebrating terrorists: Bar-Ilan students to party on Rabin murder anniversary
Student union of university which Yigal Amir attended decides to hold party for opening of school year on November 4.
http://www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7340,L-3978111,00.html
If this were a Muslim organization… Canada: Jewish leader jailed for child pornography
Former B’nai Brith director Bill Surkis found in possession of 21 pornographic videos featuring prepubescent girls in 2008; to spend 45 days in prison as result of plea bargain deal.
http://www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7340,L-3978272,00.html
Analysis/Opinion/Human Interest
Meet Eric Cantor: On Israel/Palestine, Contempt for International Law and Justice, Alex Kane
With the Republican Party set to take the House of Representatives tomorrow, it’s worth taking a look at the new potential majority leader, Representative Eric Cantor of Virginia and the only Jewish Republican in the House, and his positions on Israel/Palestine, an area that he is “particularly active on.” As Josh Rogin of Foreign Policy writes, “GOP lawmakers stand to play a huge role” in a variety of foreign policy areas, and their impact will be even greater if they are the majority party in the House.
http://alexbkane.wordpress.com/2010/11/01/meet-eric-cantor-on-israelpalestine-contempt-for-international-law-and-justice/
US foreign policy hostage to Israeli diktats, Ramzy Baroud
It wouldn’t be an exaggeration to claim that the resumption of peace talks between the Israeli government and the Palestinian Authority have thus far yielded nothing of value, at least not as far as settling the decades-long struggle.
http://arabnews.com/opinion/columns/article171011.ece?comments=all
Q&A: Maen Rashid Areikat
Ambassador Maen Rashid Areikat is a skilled and patient negotiator who represents the Palestine Liberation Organization in Washington. A robust, dark-skinned man with salt-and-pepper hair and black-rimmed architect’s glasses, he is a protégé of Palestinian leader Mahmoud Abbas, who supervised Areikat’s work as director-general of the Negotiations Affairs Department of the PLO.
http://www.tabletmag.com/news-and-politics/48834/qa-maen-areikat/
Godard and Zionist hoodlums
I have to ask this to Zionist hoodlums: is there one–one, not two or three–anti-Zionist that you don’t believe is anti-Semitic? Has there been one anti-Zionist that you did not accuse of harboring anti-Semitic views? Do you know how lacking in credibility you are? I mean, there has not been one case in which an anti-Zionist has not been accused of anti-Semitism. Look at this front page story about Godard: they said it is about a controversy when the New York Times itself created the controversy and wants to stir it further. What is the crime of Godard?
http://angryarab.blogspot.com/2010/11/godard-and-zionist-hoodlums.html
Israeli Settlers’ Terror, Dr. Elias Akleh
Palestinians in the Israeli occupied West Bank face waves after waves of Israeli terror campaigns throughout the year. These terror waves are committed by Israeli extremist settlers (colonizers) as well as the Israeli army. The most common attacks include violent trespassing on Palestinian properties during the night, stone throwing at civilians and their homes, physical assaults on farmers, children and women, destruction of all types of properties, burning civilian structures, crops and trees, shooting livestock, poisoning wells, and theft of crops and cutting fruit trees. The worst of these Israeli terror attacks are committed during harvest seasons, especially during olive season.
http://palestinechronicle.com/view_article_details.php?id=16378
My Encounter with a Zionist in Crisis with Her Beliefs, Susan Abulhawa
I received a lovely letter from a reader who identified herself as a Jewish American. To preserve her anonymity, I’ll call her ‘Sally’. She wrote that she loved Mornings in Jenin, even though the historic backdrop of the narrative did not reconcile with what she learned about Israel growing up. It seemed a heartfelt letter and thus worthy of a similar response. I did not see Sally as a Zionist or even as a Jew. I saw her as a woman, a mother, and a fellow writer. So, I was delighted when she came to my panel debate with Alan Dershowitz at the Boston Book Festival, and when she asked if we could talk more after the event, I was happy to invite her to lunch with a group of friends. She was soft spoken, with a gentle demeanor and through the course of the table conversation, I realized that we also shared similar beliefs regarding some matters of spirituality.
http://palestinechronicle.com/view_article_details.php?id=16377
Book review: understanding the economics of occupation
In his debut book The Political Economy of the Occupation, economist Shir Hever synthesizes a slew of sources to come to a solid analysis of the economic factors behind the Israeli occupation of the West Bank and Gaza Strip.
http://electronicintifada.net/v2/article11600.shtml?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+electronicIntifadaPalestine+%28Electronic+Intifada+%3A+Palestine+News%29
MJ Rosenberg: Bill Maher Is A Consistent Bigot, But He’s Cool So Its Okay
The right is right about one thing. Progressives are hypocrites about bigotry. Check this out about Bill Maher. He is “spooked” by babies named Mohammed because he does not want the “western world” overrun by Muslims. Maher fancies himself anti-religion. He’s not. He hates Muslims. His film “Religulous” mildly ridiculed the faith of his mother and father (Judaism and Catholicism) but eviscerated Islam. He loves Binyamin Netanyahu and says that he, more than anyone else, has the answers to the problems of the Middle East. In short, Maher doesn’t like Muslims because of what he learned in Sunday school. Just like a lot of the other bigots.
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/mj-rosenberg/bill-maher-is-a-consisten_b_776965.html
Lebanon
Al-Akhbar: STL Indictment to Be Issued Soon
01/11/2010 The Lebanese daily Al-Akhbar reported on Monday that the Special Tribunal for Lebanon will issue its indictment in the 2005 assassination of former Prime Minister Rafik Hariri before the end of the year. The daily said it has gotten copies of secrete correspondence between the Special Tribunal for Lebanon, the Swedish Justice Ministry, and the Swedish Embassy at The Hague regarding the appointment of two Swedish police officers who are experts in forensics and evidence investigation. The embassy had issued a letter to the Swedish foreign and justice ministries stating that the “tribunal plans on issuing the indictment before the end of the year” and that the “investigation requires additional expertise as soon as possible,” the daily added. It also quoted a legal source in the tribunal as saying that the indictment will be issued in the second or third week of this month.
http://almanar.com.lb/NewsSite/NewsDetails.aspx?id=160473&language=en
Lebanon: 3 ‘Israel spies’ sentenced to death
Military court sentences three Lebanese nationals to death for helping Israeli attacks during war; two of them sentenced in absentia.
http://www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7340,L-3978265,00.html
In Beirut, a crash course in Arabic — and Mideast politics (AFP)
AFP – When Amtissal signed up to learn Arabic in Beirut, she was in for a bonus: class trips to the offices of Hezbollah and Hamas, both classified as terrorist organisations by her native America.
http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/mideast/*http://news.yahoo.com/s/afp/20101101/lf_afp/lebanonlanguagepoliticshezbollah
Iraq
Monday: 7 Iraqis Killed, 13 Wounded
Baghdad is still in a state of shock a day after a deadly attack on a Catholic church left dozens of casualties in the captial. Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki was just one of the many to express dismay at the assault, but at least seven Iraqis were killed and 13 more were wounded in attacks since then.
http://original.antiwar.com/updates/2010/11/01/monday-7-iraqis-killed-13-wounded/
Iraqi police commander held in church attack (AP)
AP – An Iraqi police commander was detained for questioning Tuesday in connection with the deadly attack on a Catholic church in the capital as a top political leader blamed the carnage in part on lax security.
http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/iraq/*http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20101102/ap_on_re_mi_ea/ml_iraq
After Baghdad church attack, Christians shocked but say ‘we still have a mission here’
At least 58 people were left dead after Iraqi commandos stormed a Baghdad church attacked by Islamist militants.
http://rss.csmonitor.com/%7Er/feeds/world/%7E3/NDXJhjqZ9Tw/After-Baghdad-church-attack-Christians-shocked-but-say-we-still-have-a-mission-here
Italian foreign minister in bid to stop Aziz execution (AFP)
Italy’s Foreign Minister Franco Frattini, pictured in june 2010, will fly to Baghdad to try to stop the execution of former Saddam aide Tareq Aziz, who was sentenced to death by an Iraqi court last week, his office said Monday.(AFP/File/Attila Kisbenedek)AFP – Italy’s Foreign Minister Franco Frattini will fly to Baghdad to try to stop the execution of former Saddam aide Tareq Aziz, who was sentenced to death by an Iraqi court last week, his office said Monday.
http://news.yahoo.com/s/afp/20101101/wl_mideast_afp/italyiraqpoliticsexecutionaziz
Iraqi anger at lawmakers’ ‘lavish’ salaries
Iraqi lawmakers have collected their £56,000 stipend, they’re raking in £14,000 a month in salaries and allowances, and they’re spending free nights in Baghdad’s finest hotel – and they’ve only worked about 20 minutes this year, without passing a single law.
http://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/middle-east/iraqi-anger-at-lawmakers-lavish-salaries-2122635.html
Shiite Iraq government is anathema to Arabs
Iraq has broken the world record for the time required to form a government, surpassing the Netherlands that in 1977 took 208 days. The March 7 elections were inconclusive, producing a hung Parliament with four major blocs, the largest of which is Iraqia of former Prime Minister Iyad Allawi. Article 76 of the Iraqi Constitution states that the bloc with the most seats forms the government.
http://www.dailystar.com.lb/article.asp?edition_id=10&categ_id=5&article_id=121057
Iraqis gather plant samples to replace destroyed collection
MOUNT PERMAGRONE, Iraq — On this mountainside in Iraqi Kurdistan, botanists are gathering hundreds of plant samples in an effort to protect their country’s diverse environment, ranging from northern mountain ranges to the marshes of southern Iraq. Mount Permagrone is home to one-sixth of the roughly 3,300 plant varieties intended to be collected and preserved in a new national herbarium – a catalog of the country’s plant specimens that was looted and destroyed in Baghdad after Saddam Hussein was toppled in 2003.
http://www.miamiherald.com/2010/11/01/1902374/iraqis-gather-plant-samples-to.html
Iraqi rowing team makes a splash in the US
Entire team – six rowers, two coaches – was invited to US to train and compete in the world’s biggest crew event.
http://rss.csmonitor.com/%7Er/feeds/world/%7E3/Jmyh0ko1lkk/Iraqi-rowing-team-makes-a-splash-in-the-US
Wikileaks
Torture Orders Were Part of US Sectarian War Strategy, Gareth Porter
The revelation by WikiLeaks of a U.S. military order directing U.S. forces not to investigate cases of torture of detainees by Iraqis has been treated in news reports as yet another case of lack of concern by the U.S. military about detainee abuse. But the deeper significance of the order, which has been missed by the news media, is that it was part of a larger U.S. strategy of exploiting Shi’a sectarian hatred against Sunnis to help suppress the Sunni insurgency when Sunnis had rejected the U.S. war.
http://original.antiwar.com/porter/2010/11/01/torture-orders-were-part-of/
Iran
Saudi Arms Deal Is About Iran, Rep. Ron Paul
This month the U.S. administration notified Congress that it intends to complete one of the largest arms sales in U.S. history to one of the most repressive regimes on earth. Saudi Arabia has been given the green light by the administration to spend $60 billion on some 84 new F-15 aircraft, dozens of the latest helicopters, and other missiles, bombs, and high-tech military products from the U.S. weapons industry.
http://original.antiwar.com/paul/2010/11/01/saudi-arms-deal-is-about-iran/
British FM planning secret Iran talks during Israel trip
William Hague arrives in Israel on Tuesday for his first visit since being appointed foreign secretary in Britain’s recently elected Conservative government.
http://www.haaretz.com/print-edition/news/british-fm-planning-secret-iran-talks-during-israel-trip-1.322347?localLinksEnabled=false
Iran postpones trial date for U.S. “hikers” (Reuters)
Reuters – Iranian authorities have delayed the trial of two Americans arrested near the Iraqi border in July 2009, a judiciary spokesman said on Monday, less than a week before they were due their first day in court.
http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/iraq/*http://news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20101101/ts_nm/us_iran_usa_hikers
Khamenei challenged by senior cleric
Ayatollah Ali Mohammad Dastgheib, known as the “Green Ayatollah” after the color adopted by the opposition, in critical comments of Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei has effectively questioned both the man and his position. Dastgheib’s outspokenness could cost him his position on the powerful Assembly of Experts. – Sahar Namazikhah (Nov 1, ’10)
http://www.atimes.com/atimes/Middle_East/LK02Ak02.html
U.S. and other world news
Witness – Bismillah
How do perceptions of faith impact on the democratic process? A young Muslim woman runs for office in Minnesota and tests the system.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iKlF24E79ws&feature=youtube_gdata
US ban on openly gay troops to stay
Appeals court says law should stay in place while Obama administration challeges decision to allow openly gay recruits.
http://english.aljazeera.net/news/americas/2010/11/201011213039247643.html
Cluster bomb ban gaining ground
Newly released report finds that even though deaths caused by munitions high, states move swiftly to destory stockpiles.
http://english.aljazeera.net//news/asia-pacific/2010/11/20101119574346382.html
Saudi Arabia: Free Debtors From Prison: Human Rights Watch
(New York) – Saudi authorities should release insolvent debtors from jail, including Tariq Yunis al-Mashharawi, who has been held in Buraiman Prison in Jeddah for close to four years, Human Rights Watch said today. Al-Mashharawi is being held on a court order that says he owes a Saudi princess US$640,000. He says he does not have the money, which he claims he turned over to his boss at a luxury car dealership, and disputes that he owes her anything. Al-Mashharawi’s case is not an isolated one, Human Rights Watch said. “Throwing a penniless person in prison for a debt is not going to get that money back,” said Christoph Wilcke, senior Middle East researcher at Human Rights Watch. “Putting someone in prison should be reserved for real crimes.”
http://www.alertnet.org/thenews/newsdesk/HRW/3f0c63424fe673c0a1446e38e6791255.htm
Saudi fatwa bars women from cashier jobs
RIYADH: Saudi Arabia’s top clerics have challenged the government’s policy to expand jobs for women with a fatwa ruling that they should not work as cashiers in markets, in a statement obtained Monday. In the statement obtained by AFP, the official fatwa issuing body said “it is not permissible for a woman to work in a place where they mix with men.
http://www.dailystar.com.lb/article.asp?edition_id=10&categ_id=3&article_id=121022
Danish party urges Arab TV ban
People’s Party says Al Jazeera and other Arabic channels sow hatred against Western society in immigrant communities.
http://english.aljazeera.net/news/europe/2010/11/2010111134217747559.html
www.TheHeadlines.org
