and other news from Today in Palestine:
Settlers/ Land, Property, Resource Theft & Destruction/Ethnic Cleansing
Palestinian family evicted from East Jerusalem home claimed by Israeli rightists
Elad association, which intervened on behalf of the rightists, say that the family had sold the home and agreed to evacuate voluntarily; residents say deal was not legal, as landlord no longer alive.
http://www.haaretz.com/news/diplomacy-defense/palestinian-family-evicted-from-east-jerusalem-home-claimed-by-israeli-rightists-1.326295
Israeli forces enter Gaza, uproot trees
GAZA CITY (Ma’an) – Israeli military vehicles entered the Gaza Strip on Tuesday morning, passing through the border area east of the Jabaliya refugee camp, where they uprooted trees, witnesses said. Onlookers said seven military vehicles were involved in the destruction.
http://www.maannews.net/eng/ViewDetails.aspx?ID=335212
Another Injury Due to Israeli Excavations
Today a resident of Wadi Hilweh, Thaer Abu Rmeileh, fell into a hole created during excavation work by the Israeli Antiquities Authority. He suffered injuries to his head and was transferred to Hadasa ein Karem Hospital. This is the second time a resident of Wadi Hilweh has been injured as a result of excavations by the Israeli Antiquities Authority. On 16 November, a twelve-year-old boy called Mohammed Siyam broke his arm after falling into a separate hole.
http://silwanic.net/?p=8771
Palestinians condemn Israel’s plan to renovate Wailing Wall in Jerusalem
RAMALLAH, Nov. 21 (Xinhua) — The Palestinians lashed out at Israeli government’s approval of a plan to renovate what the Jews call the Wailing Wall, and Muslims call al-Buraq Wall, next to al- Aqsa Mosque in East Jerusalem with a cost of 30 million U.S. dollars. Official and religious Palestinian figures considered the Israeli plan, which was approved by the government of Israel on Sunday and will be executed within the coming four years, as part of the plans to Judaize the eastern part of Jerusalem.
http://news.xinhuanet.com/english2010/world/2010-11/23/c_13617604.htm
Ethnically Cleansing East Jerusalem,Stephen Lendman
As Israeli-Palestinian negotiations lurch from crisis to crisis, Palestinian Authority (PA) leaders have been suggesting they may go to the United Nations to seek resolutions confirming the illegality of Israel’s settlements in the occupied territories and recognizing a reality of Palestinian statehood.
http://baltimorechronicle.com/2010/111910Lendman2.shtml
‘We are not in Israel’: Close encounters at the entrance to the Nokdim Settlement, The volunteers of the Harvesting Peace
A Palestinian family living in Bethlehem but originally from the village of Jeb al Theeb contacted our group of volunteers asking for help in harvesting olives on their land adjacent to the settlement of Nokdim, home to Israeli FM Avigdor Lieberman. For the past ten years they have been forbidden to access or cultivate the land. We immediately agreed to help and at dawn the following day twelve men from the family, young and old, came for the five of us. They showed us a document in Hebrew, dated June 17, 2010, certifying ownership of the property. Equipped with video and digital cameras, we were ready to get involved in helping defend their rights.
https://mondoweiss.net/2010/11/we-are-not-in-israel-close-encounters-at-the-entrance-to-the-nokdim-settlement.html
Activism/Solidarity/Boycott, Divestment & Sanctions
For Immediate Release: Israeli forces arrest son of jailed Bil’in activist in night raid
Israeli forces raided the home of jailed Bil’in activist, Adeeb Abu Rahmah at 2:30am. Arresting his only son, Mohammed, soldiers entered the family home and harrassed the family. Mohammed, who is under 16, was the sole provider for his family since his father’s arrest. Adeeb Abu Rahmah was arrested in July of 2009 under the suspicion of participating in Bil’in’s unarmed demonstrations. He was recently convicted of ‘incitement’ and sentenced to 18 months in prison.
See video here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iuROwpAYZPU&feature=player_embedded
http://palsolidarity.org/2010/11/15815/?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+palsolidarity+%28International+Solidarity+Movement%29
Rattling The Cage: Face of Israel in a West Bank courtroom, LARRY DERFNER
Here’s a look at justice for Palestinians in the only democracy in the Middle East. This was justice as I’d never seen it, as very, very few Israelis have seen it. The judge was an IDF officer in a light-green uniform and knitted kippa. The prosecutor was an IDF officer in a light-green uniform, no kippa. The defendant was a Palestinian in a brown prison jumpsuit. This was last Thursday afternoon in a bungalow that serves as military appeals court on the grounds of Ofer Prison, the towering, concretewalled monstrosity on Route 443 between Modi’in and Jerusalem. Ofer is Israel’s prison in the West Bank for Palestinians. The defendant was Abdallah Abu Rahmah, 39, a high school teacher and organizer of the best known of the “demonstrations against the wall,” the ones that have been taking place for years every Friday afternoon in the village of Bil’in.
http://www.jpost.com/Opinion/Columnists/Article.aspx?id=196367
Judge orders non-violent Palestinian Organizer to remain in jail after he has finished serving his sentence in full, Joseph Dana
Abdallah Abu Rahmah was scheduled to be released from prison last Thursday, after having served the one-year prison term he was sentenced to. He remains in jail after the Military Court of Appeals ordered today to keep him behind bars regardless, pending a decision in the Military Prosecution’s appeal of the sentence.
http://josephdana.com/2010/11/judge-orders-non-violent-palestinian-organizer
What’s the point of a trial? Protest organizer detained indefinitely,Jesse Bacon
From the Popular Struggle Coordination Committee: Military Judge Orders to Keep Bil’in Organizer Jailed Even After He Has Finished Serving His Sentence in Full: Ed’s note: Not only is organizing popular protest apparently a crime, it is one deserving unending prison sentence. Since it is obvious Israel’s government has no intention of ending the theft of land that cause these protests in the first place, they must resort to locking up the organizer, or the messenger if you will. This should put to rest any thought that these policies of “administrative detention,” in the United States or Israel, are ok because they only target the “worst of the worst ticking bombs” etc.
http://theonlydemocracy.org/2010/11/whats-the-point-of-a-trial-protest-organizer-detained-indefinitely/
Bil’in marches in solidarity with Abdallah Abu Rahmah
The people of Bil’in dedicated the weekly demonstration in the village to Abdallah Abu Rahmah, the coordinator of the Bil’in Popular Committee, who is kept in jail despite having served his one-year sentence in full. One protester was injured. Dozens of Israeli and international supporters joined the demonstration in Bil’in this week, which was dedicated to Abdallah Abu Rahmah, the local grassroots organizer jailed for his part n the village’s campaign. The protesters condemned his continued detention and the fact that he is still in jail despite having finished serving his sentence. People waved Palestinian flags and pictures of Abu Rahmah, and chanted slogans condemning the Occupation, settlements, the repression of the struggle and the jailing of Palestinian activists. The march set forth from the mosque at the center of the village towards the Wall, where they opened the gate and were immediately bombarded with gas. A strong wind from the south enabled demonstrators to hold their ground amidst the thick clouds of gas. An hour into the demonstration, most demonstrators had already started to retreat back to the village, which apparently did not seem like reason enough for the soldiers to keep barrage the village with tear-gas, and eventually even invade the village for a short while. An eighteen year-old was injured by a rubber-coated bullet that hit him in the hip.
http://www.bilin-village.org/english/articles/testimonies/Bilin-marches-in-solidarity-with-Abdallah-Abu-Rahmah
European “Hope” aid vessel arrives in El-Arish tonight
The European aid convoy aboard the “Hope” vessel is expected to reach the Egyptian El-Arish harbor on Monday night en route to the Gaza Strip, Egyptian sources aid.
http://www.palestine-info.co.uk/En/default.aspx?xyz=U6Qq7k%
IRS Asked to Revoke AIPAC’s Tax Exemption
WASHINGTON, Nov. 22, 2010 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ — Today the Internal Revenue Service received a 1,389 page filing demanding that the American Israel Public Affairs Committee’s (AIPAC’s) tax exempt status be retroactively revoked. The filing, submitted by the IRmep Center for Policy and Law Enforcement, spans nearly 60 years, from the moment AIPAC’s founder left the employment of the Israeli Ministry of Foreign Affairs to the present.
http://endtheoccupationblog.blogspot.com/2010/11/irs-asked-to-revoke-aipacs-tax.html
Minnesotans Call for Divestment from Israel
The video is produced by the Minnesota Break the Bonds Campaign (MNBBC), a statewide organization calling for Minnesota to divest from Israel Bonds until Israel complies with international human-rights law. We are Palestinians, Jews, Christians, Muslims, students, professionals, parents, community members and allies working together to support justice and human rights and to examine our relationship as Minnesotans to Israel’s occupation of Palestine.
http://endtheoccupationblog.blogspot.com/2010/11/minnesotans-call-for-divestment-from.html
#BDS: Pro-Palestinian activists blockade Ahava store in London
Police arrest 2 protesters who locked themselves to a cement-filled barrel at shop’s entrance; store reopens for business. Pro-Palestinian activists blockaded an Ahava store in London’s Covent Garden on Monday, resulting in temporary closure of the store. Two activists reportedly locked themselves to a cement-filled barrel at the entrance to the property. Police were called to the store, and the two were subsequently arrested on charges of aggravated trespassing, and taken to a central London police station.
http://youthanormalization.blogspot.com/2010/11/bds-pro-palestinian-activists-blockade.html
#BDS: Why Marks & Spencer should NOT open in Egypt
Marks & Spencer is a British megastore which has been strongly linked with Zionism since the early 1900s. Now it plans to open its first branches in Egypt later this year. The following is a breakdown of its continued support and contribution to the Zionist movement.
http://youthanormalization.blogspot.com/2010/11/bds-why-marks-spencer-should-not-open.html
#BDS: Galilee tea takes London by storm
Spicy Way herb and spice farm sells several tons of tea infusion in UK within a few months, but British importer removes word ‘Israel’ from label fearing product won’t sell otherwise
http://youthanormalization.blogspot.com/2010/11/bds-galilee-tea-takes-london-by-storm.html
Signs that the BDS is biting
MEMO – By Renee BowyerOn November 6th The Jerusalem Post published an article written by G. Steinberg and J. Edelstein titled, ‘Turning the Tables on BDS’. The article discusses the need for Israel to implement a counterstrategy to deal with the BDS campaign (Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions for Palestine).
http://jnoubiyeh.com/2010/11/signs-that-bds-is-biting.html
Israel, like South Africa, is an apartheid state
Jon Booth, McGill Daily Nov. 18 2010. Photo: Drawing comparisons to South African apartheid policies, the Israeli military forces Palestinians to carry identification documents that restrict their movement. The word apartheid is one of the most controversial parts of the Palestinian solidarity movement.
http://www.tadamon.ca/post/8413
Kairos Palestine to Chilean Miners: Don’t Allow Israel to Exploit Your Suffering!
To our Chilean brothers, We, Kairos Palestine – co-authors of the “Moment of Truth” document, which is Christian Palestinians’ word to the world about the Israeli occupation of Palestine and a call for support in opposing it – send you warm greetings from Bethlehem.
http://www.alternativenews.org/english/index.php/topics/economy-of-the-occupation/3022-kairos-palestine-to-chilean-miners-dont-allow-israel-to-exploit-your-suffering-
A Jewish Boat: The Story of Irene, Lillian Rosengarten
I want to give you a small sense of the political climate that hovered over us when we attempted to sail to Gaza. The bottom line truth of my experience on the little Jewish boat, Irene is that I became a witness to what I can only call insanity. I am completely indebted to this historic voyage for it has fueled in me a fire, an intense determination to break down walls of hate, to speak out, to shout and condemn Israel’s insane politics and to use myself in the spirit of non violence for I am a pacifist. I support liberation and an open society for Palestinians and Israelis as one. This is my dream to break down barriers of fear and hate. There is no other choice.
http://palestinechronicle.com/view_article_details.php?id=16436
Anti
Ahava uses ‘crazy pants logic’ to try and beat stolen-minerals rap, Philip Weiss
Ahava, the beauty products company that mines Palestinian lands, is feeling the heat. That comes through in this Code Pink presentation of evidence of Ahava’s illegal activities in the West Bank at Saturday’s London Session of The Russell Tribunal on Palestine. The presentation begins at minute 24 or so. Rae Abileah says that Ahava is changing its labelling so that people don’t know where the products come from. It has lately eliminated the zip code, which is the zip code of a settlement in the occupied territories. “Ahava labels its products as products of Israel… [The] product now says Dead Sea, Israel.”
https://mondoweiss.net/2010/11/ahava-uses-crazy-pants-logic-to-try-and-beat-stolen-minerals-rap.html
Israeli Abuse of Palestinian Children
UNICEF: Israel Violates the Convention on the Rights of the Child
A statement by the UNICEF, issued on the 21st anniversary of the Geneva Convention to protect children’s rights, accused Israel of failing to uphold international law and live up to its obligation to protect children, Quds Press reported on Monday.
http://www.imemc.org/article/59978
Undercover men grab 10-year-old boy in East Jerusalem, Philip Weiss
Lia Tarachansky sent this along, saying she gets news like this all the time. Three undercover Israeli security men grab a 10-year-old boy in Silwan (a village in occupied Jerusalem just below the Dung gate of the Old City).They hold him for a couple of hours, accuse him of throwing stones. Note the fierce spirit of resistance in the boy’s account: Captain Shadi spoke to my father. “Your son is still young, he should focus on his studies or he’ll be joining his brothers in prison.” “He’s here if you want to put him in prison,” my father said. “I’ll do that when I want, not when you want,” Shadi replied. He then untied me and I went home with my father.
https://mondoweiss.net/2010/11/undercover-men-grab-10-year-old-boy-in-east-jerusalem.html
‘I Was A Human Shield’, Palestine Monitor by Palestine Monitor
Defence for Children International (DCI) Palestine have obtained testimony from a child alleging he was used as a human shield by Israeli soldiers in August. DCI publicised the affidavit just one day after an Israeli military court sentenced two soldiers to probation for the same crime in Gaza.
http://www.palestinemonitor.org/spip/spip.php?article1623
Israeli army still using children as human shields in 2010
DCI-Palestine documents new human shield case in Nablus after sentencing of two Givati Brigade soldiers for using a nine-year-old boy as a human shield in Gaza.
http://www.dci-pal.org/english/display.cfm?DocId=1714&CategoryId=1
Group: Israeli soldiers detain 5 schoolchildren
HEBRON (Ma’an) — Israeli soldiers detained five schoolchildren near the West Bank city of Hebron on Friday, peace activists said. Since 2005, children from Tuba village in the south Hebron hills have been escorted to school by Israeli soldiers, tasked with protecting them from attacks by Israeli settlers. The children must walk through an illegal settlement to reach their school in neighboring At-Tuwani. A Christian Peacemaker Team delegation said that on Friday, the children waited for more than an hour as the soldiers were late and then began a conversation with settlement security guards. Eventually, two children left for school unaccompanied, and 13 others returned home, CPT said in a statement.
http://www.maannews.net/eng/ViewDetails.aspx?ID=334940
Siege/Rights Violations/Restriction of Movement
Single Gaza crossing operates
GAZA CITY (Ma’an) — Israeli authorities partly opened the Kerem Shalom crossing on Tuesday, keeping all other goods transport terminals sealed, officials said. Palestinian liaison officer at the crossings Raed Fattouh said he was told to expect entry of 190 to 200 truckloads of goods and humanitarian aid for the day. He said Israeli officials informed him that the shipment would include five truckloads of cement and iron bars to be used in UN-sponsored construction projects.
http://www.maannews.net/eng/ViewDetails.aspx?ID=335092
Despite law “reform,” Palestinians out of work in Lebanon
BEIRUT, Lebanon (IPS) – Abu Yussif doesn’t want to talk about his work anymore. “It’s not going to help and nothing will change anyway,” he says. The tall, white-haired Palestinian has just returned from work and relaxes in his little garden in the Burj al-Shamali refugee camp near the southern Lebanese city of Tyre. Abu Yussif is a pharmacist. But the massive discrimination against Palestinians in the Lebanese labor market has forced him to give up his profession and work as a taxi driver.
http://electronicintifada.net/v2/article11637.shtml
Reporters Without Borders Calls for Press Freedom for Palestinian Journalists
On Monday, the international press freedom organization, Reporters Without Borders (RSF), denounced that, in the enmity between Hamas and Fatah, Palestinian journalists are victims of “collateral damage in the years-long conflict “, AFP reported.
http://www.imemc.org/article/59979
Gaza farmers sow self-sufficiency
It was midday on a Monday when 61-year-old Hamdan Abu Shallouf bent down, laboring away in his small home garden among his okra plants. There is something special about Abu Shallouf’s crops in the rural area of Khirbet al-Adas in Rafah in southern Gaza Strip.
http://electronicintifada.net/v2/article11625.shtml?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+electronicIntifadaPalestine+%28Electronic+Intifada+%3A+Palestine+News%29
EU: Israel failed to deliver on easing of Gaza blockade
BRUSSELS (DPA) — Israel has failed to live up to its commitments on easing the blockade on the Gaza strip, the European Union’s foreign policy chief Catherine Ashton said Monday. Israel pledged to loosen its grip on the Palestinian enclave in June, reacting to the international outcry caused by its at-sea shooting in late May of nine Turkish activists, who were trying to break the blockade.
http://www.maannews.net/eng/ViewDetails.aspx?ID=335041
The calm strength of a Palestinian woman, The volunteers of the Harvesting Peace Project
Umm Khaled, at first glance, is a Palestinian woman like many others: black clothing drapes over her body and head, her face marked by the years making her look older than she probably is. Yet this woman, who according to Western stereotypes should be ignorant and submissive in an oppressive patriarchal society, possesses an uncommon strength, a strength that only those who have known suffering, yet face difficulties with their heads held high, possess.
https://mondoweiss.net/2010/11/the-calm-strength-of-a-palestinian-woman.html
Violence and Aggression
Gaza: 6 injured after Israeli F16 bombs house in Deir al-Balah and Drone hits Khan Younis Farmhouse
The afternoon of November 19th an Israeli fighter plane bombed a house in Deir al-Balah in central Gaza. The house of the Dar Shorafa family, located 400 meters from the border fence, has disappeared. At the center of the date palm garden is a 3 m deep crater with the rubble of the former house scattered around. At the time of attack the residents were absent, but the neighbors witnessed the attack. The Abu Mustafa family lives opposite them, approximately 50 meters from the bombed house. When the strike happened they were in the back yard hosting visitors. A moderate strike was heard and while the family was looking for shelter, a loud explosion rocketed debris through the air. Four people were hit and the roof of the family’s basic house was pierced five times.
http://palsolidarity.org/2010/11/15685/?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+palsolidarity+%28International+Solidarity+Movement%29
Palestinian Youth Wounded By Army Fire Near Hebron
Palestinian medical sources reported Monday that a Palestinian youth was shot and wounded by Israeli army fire in an area south of Hebron, in the southern part of the West Bank.
http://www.imemc.org/article/59972
Detainees
Israel releases 5 detainees
NABLUS (Ma’an) — Five detainees from the West Bank city of Nablus have been released by Israel since Sunday, a local detainees’ center said. Nour Ash-Shalabni was released Sunday after spending five years in Israeli prisons. Celebrations were held in Askar refugee camp to welcome him, attended by members of the Democratic Front for the Liberation of Palestine who called for the release of all political prisoners. Maysar Atnani, an activist for detainees, said Monday that Musa Salameh, Wael Al-Fakih, Zahi Al-Shalabi and Shadi Al-Ghalith were released. Al-Ghalith, who had spent 18 months in detention, said he would get married on Friday.
http://www.maannews.net/eng/ViewDetails.aspx?ID=334962
Algeria to host Arab-int’l conference on prisoners next month
The preparatory committee for the Arab international conference on prisoners in Israeli jails announced that the next conference will be held in Algeria from the fifth to the sixth of December 2010.
http://www.palestine-info.co.uk/En/default.aspx?xyz=U6Qq7k%2bcO
Day-trip for detainees’ parents in Gaza
GAZA (Ma’an) — Gaza’s detainees’ center organized a day trip Monday to An-Nour in central Gaza for the parents of political prisoners detained in Israel. Gaza Detainees’ Minister Muhammad Al-Ghoul accompanied the group, and said the excursion was arranged to support parents who suffered anxiety waiting for their children’s release. “We make all efforts to support the detainees and to secure their release,” he added.
http://www.maannews.net/eng/ViewDetails.aspx?ID=335003
Arab Helpers
Hamas: PA detained 8 supporters overnight
BETHLEHEM (Ma’an) — Hamas accused Palestinian Authority security services of detaining eight party members across the West Bank overnight on Monday. The Islamist movement said the detentions took place in Nablus, Tulkarem and Qalqiliya in the northern West Bank and in Hebron in the south, in a statement issued Tuesday. Hamas also said that PA forces detained party-supporter Tamam Abu Saud, a school teacher, seven days ago. Red Cross representatives told her family she was taken to hospital on Friday and underwent cardiac catheterization surgery, the statement added.
http://www.maannews.net/eng/ViewDetails.aspx?ID=335224
Allegations of West Bank torture increase, Tobias Buck
Naiema Abu Ayyash’s worst fears were confirmed this month when she finally managed to visit her husband in Jericho prison.
http://www.ft.com/cms/s/0/c5ceda42-f58b-11df-99d6-00144feab49a.html#axzz161d9NvF8
Palestinian faction accuses rival over arrests (AFP)
AFP – The Palestinian Islamist movement Hamas on Monday accused its rivals in the Fatah party of president Mahmud Abbas of sabotaging reconciliation efforts with a campaign of arrests in the West Bank.
http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/mideast/*http://news.yahoo.com/s/afp/20101122/wl_mideast_afp/palestinianspoliticshamasfatah
Hamas: Fatah wrecking unity efforts with arrests
DAMASCUS, Syria (AFP) — Hamas on Monday accused its rivals in the Fatah party of sabotaging reconciliation efforts with a campaign of arrests in the West Bank. “The arrests carried out by the security services of [President] Mahmoud Abbas and [Palestinian Authority Prime Minister] Salam Fayyad against symbols of national action and representatives of the Palestinian people are poisoning the atmosphere,” it said.
http://www.maannews.net/eng/ViewDetails.aspx?ID=334953
Cairo asked Abbas to postpone reconciliation meet
The inter-Palestinian reconciliation bid topped the agenda of Palestinian de facto president Mahmoud Abbas’s talks with Egyptian officials in Cairo, senior Egyptian officials told the PIC on Monday.
http://www.palestine-info.co.uk/En/default.aspx?xyz=U6Q
Egyptian government: Israeli border fence not our concern
The Egyptian foreign ministry spokesman, Husam Zaki, said that his government was not concerned with the Israeli border fence as long as it is being built in Israel.
http://www.palestine-info.co.uk/En/default.aspx?xyz=U6Qq7k%2
War Criminals
IDC: IOF used Palestinian children as human shields on 15 occasions
The IDC has criticized an Israeli court verdict against two Israeli soldiers that sentenced them to three months suspended sentence for using a Palestinian child as a human shield during the Gaza war.
http://www.palestine-info.co.uk/En/default.aspx?xyz=U6Qq7k
Political Developments
PLC speaker: Hamas should sign unity paper
BETHLEHEM (Ma’an) — Palestinian Legislative Council speaker Aziz Dweik said Monday that Hamas should sign the Egyptian proposal for unity with Hamas rather than negotiate the security file. In an interview with Ma’an, the Ramallah-based Hamas leader said both sides should return to the Egyptian agreement to speed up reconciliation.
http://www.maannews.net/eng/ViewDetails.aspx?ID=335038
Hamas keen on partnership with PNA within PLO’s framework: Mashaal
DAMASCUS, Nov.22 (Xinhua) — Damascus-based Hamas leader Khaled Mashaal said here on Monday his organization is keen on partnership with the Palestinian National Authority (PNA) within the Palestinian Liberation Organization (PLO)’s framework, local Damascus Press website reported. Mashaal said that Hamas is interested in accomplishing reconciliation with the Palestinian Fatah organization.
http://news.xinhuanet.com/english2010/world/2010-11/23/c_13617664.htm
PA: Referendum law ‘disregard of int’l law’
Chief Palestinian negotiator Erekat says newly approved Knesset law obligating government to seek public’s approval on any withdrawal from territories under full Israeli sovereignty, conveys negative message ‘as the end of the occupation cannot depend on any referendum.’ Defense Minister Barak: Law could be used by our rivals.
http://www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7340,L-3988624,00.html
Barak: Israel’s enemies will use referendum law against us
Defense Minister suggests moving past obstacle of settlement freeze and on to core issues, says law will harm Israel’s image.
http://www.haaretz.com/news/diplomacy-defense/barak-israel-s-enemies-will-use-referendum-law-against-us-1.326313?localLinksEnabled=false
Knesset passes bill conditioning land concessions with popular referendums
Bill architect Likud MK Levin says bill is of the utmost national importance for retaining the unity of the people.
http://www.haaretz.com/news/national/knesset-passes-bill-conditioning-land-concessions-with-popular-referendums-1.326172?localLinksEnabled=false
ANALYSIS / Referenda bill further polarize Israelis
Many experts say that in a polarized society, referenda can often make the rifts even deeper.
http://www.haaretz.com/print-edition/news/analysis-referenda-bill-further-polarize-israelis-1.326177?localLinksEnabled=false
Livni: Netanyahu is too weak to give up land for peace
Opposition leader says Kadima will vote against Likud bill conditioning any retreat from territories upon the holding of a popular referendum.
http://www.haaretz.com/news/national/livni-netanyahu-is-too-weak-to-give-up-land-for-peace-1.326114?localLinksEnabled=false
Former Obama aide: Palestinians receptive to gradual peace deal
Former National Security Advisor James L. Jones says it is unclear whether Netanyahu would be willing to give up land given his right-leaning cabinet.
http://www.haaretz.com/news/diplomacy-defense/former-obama-aide-palestinians-receptive-to-gradual-peace-deal-1.326132?localLinksEnabled=false
Other News
Jaffa imam released, cleared of terror charges
Shin Bet fails to find evidence on Muhammad Ayash who was arrested for undisclosed terrorism charges ‘Security forces are destroying co-existence,’ vindicated imam says.
http://www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7340,L-3988377,00.html
‘I may never return to Israel’
Australian tourist writes open letter to Israelis about her experience with airport security. ‘I never want to go through that again even if it means not coming back to Israel,’ she says.
http://www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7340,L-3988184,00.html
IDF uses Facebook to catch women lying their way out of the army
Military official says investigators used the popular social networking site to uncover 1,000 women who told IDF enlisters they were religious to avoid mandatory service.
http://www.haaretz.com/news/diplomacy-defense/idf-uses-facebook-to-catch-women-lying-their-way-out-of-the-army-1.326151?localLinksEnabled=false
Analysis/Op-ed
Twenty F-35s to not build a trailer park?
There are some well-recognised problems with paying people not to do things, as opposed to paying them to do things.
http://www.economist.com/blogs/democracyinamerica/2010/11/israeli_settlements
Let Israel keep its freeze, Lamis Andoni
At the beginning of his term, Barack Obama became the first US president to call for a halt in Jewish settlement construction in the Israeli occupied Palestinian territories as a prerequisite for the resumption of Israeli-Palestinian negotiations. But if a deal that stipulates a partial 90-day freeze of settlement building in return for US military and political incentives is reached, he will become the first US president to legitimize the colonies.
http://www.maannews.net/eng/ViewDetails.aspx?ID=335200
A deal on settlements: are we being played?, Léa Park
You’re fed up with Israel’s settlement policy. You’ve read about Obama’s offer to give Israel the moon for a three month moratorium that excludes East Jerusalem, and you’re furious. On the other hand, you might be someone who could care less about settlements. Your chief concern is Israel’s security and you believe that any daylight between the US and Israel when it comes to Mideast negotiations undermines that security. You’ve read about an offer to give Israel the moon for a three month moratorium, an offer the United State won’t commit to in writing, and you’re furious. Either way you’re wondering – who’s the genius setting the stage for this T-boning of an American Administration?
https://mondoweiss.net/2010/11/a-deal-on-settlements-are-we-being-played.html
Why Have U.S. Efforts to Deliver Israeli-Palestinian Peace Failed?
With illegal Israeli settlement construction ongoing, American attempts to impose a settlement freeze and revive the long-faltering peace process have thus far proved unsuccessful. Will the Obama administration crack the code for achieving a lasting peace in the Mideast or will the impasse continue indefinitely?
http://www.blogtalkradio.com/imeu/2010/11/18/why-have-us-efforts-to-deliver-israeli-palestinian-peace-failed
Bronner: ‘There aren’t many other places in the world where white people with guns tell brown people what to do’, Philip Weiss
“There aren’t many other places in the world where white people with guns tell brown people what to do,” said Ethan Bronner, The New York Times correspondent in Israel, today as he tried to explain Israel’s image problem in the international press.
https://mondoweiss.net/2010/11/bronner-there-aren%e2%80%99t-many-other-places-in-the-world-where-white-people-with-guns-tell-brown-people-what-to-do.html
Obama’s Bribe; Palestinians Will Be The Losers – Again, Jonathan Cook
Watching the peace process between Israel and the Palestinians drag on year after year without conclusion, it is easy to overlook the enormous changes that have taken place on the ground since the Oslo Accords were signed 17 years ago. Each has undermined the Palestinians’ primary goal of achieving viable statehood, whether it is the near-trebling of Jewish settlers on Palestinian land to the current numbers of half a million, Israel’s increasing stranglehold on East Jerusalem, the wall that has effectively annexed large slices of the West Bank to Israel, or the splitting of the Palestinian national movement into rival camps following Israel’s withdrawal from Gaza in 2005.
http://www.opednews.com/articles/Obama-s-Bribe-Palestinian-by-Jonathan-Cook-101122-457.html
Palestinians’ other fight in the Middle East – for green development, Salam Fayyad
Palestinians seek to build a secure, sustainable state – and incorporating green building practices and technologies into its development is key to that stability. Improved environmental security contributes to the security of the whole Middle East.
http://www.csmonitor.com/Commentary/Opinion/2010/1122/Palestinians-other-fight-in-the-Middle-East-for-green-development?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+feeds%2Fcommentary+%28Christian+Science+Monitor+|+Commentary%29
Israel’s ashkenazi elite, not Russian immigrants, are responsible for the country’s ever increasing racism, Gabriel Ash
Before syphilis was baptized with its modern name, it used to be called the “French disease” in Italy, Poland and Germany, the “Italian disease” in France, the “Spanish disease” in the Netherlands, the “Polish disease” in Russia and the “Christian disease” in Istanbul. Something quite similar appears to be today the fate of overt racism. Bad people always seem to be bringing it from elsewhere. For some unfathomable reason nobody wants to claim ownership.
https://mondoweiss.net/2010/11/israels-ashkenazi-elite-not-russian-immigrants-are-responsible-for-the-countrys-ever-increasing-racism.html
‘London Review of Books’ is unsurprisingly a target of the lobby, Muhammad Idrees Ahmad
If I had to rank the world’s best publications, I would put the London Review of Books on top. Unlike its progenitor, the NY Review of Books, it is edgier, more daring in its politics. It also has a generally-superior stable of writers. The late Edward Said was a frequent contributor, so is my friend Tariq Ali. Its Israel-Palestine beat is covered by critical voices like Rashid Khalidi, Yitzhak Laor, Ilan Pappe, Neve Gordon, Uri Avnery, Charles Glass, Henry Siegman, Alastair Crooke, Avi Shlaim, Sara Roy, Raja Shehadeh et al — writers you’d never expect to see in the NYRB or the New Yorker. And of course, in 2006 it did what no American publication dared do: it gave platform to John Mearsheimer and Stephen Walt.
https://mondoweiss.net/2010/11/idrees-ahmad.html
Gaza: A love that knows no boundaries
The marriage between a Palestinian and an Israeli has survived war, poverty and family ostracism. Donald Macintyre reports
http://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/middle-east/gaza-a-love-that-knows-no-boundaries-2141140.html
No Surprise Here: Palin’s PAC Tied to Islamophobic Dutch Writer, Alex Kane
Mother Jones magazine reports on an “incendiary Dutch journalist” named Joshua Livestro who is apparently working on Sarah Palin’s political action committee (emphasis mine): Not surprisingly, Livestro’s views skew to the right. He helped to found the Edmund Burke Foundation, a right-wing Dutch think tank created to push back against progressive politics in the Netherlands. In one manifesto, citing the number of Muslims in the Netherlands, the foundation warned of ethnic conflict and said the country’s borders should be closed. In the Dutch magazine Vrij Nederland, Livestro once wrote that the gruesome photos depicting detainee abuse at Abu Ghraib resembled little more than an out-of-control frat party; he complained that Abu Ghraib critics were “cry-babies” exaggerating the episode’s signficiance. On his blog, Livestro similarly quipped that the CIA’s torture techniques—with the exception of waterboarding—were milder than the hazing methods of fraternities.
http://alexbkane.wordpress.com/2010/11/22/no-surprise-here-palins-pac-tied-to-islamophobic-dutch-writer/
Judge Goldstone needs to report on the U.S., Philip Weiss
David Cole responds to the Ahmed Ghailani verdict in New York last week, “Obama’s Torture Problem”: The most likely reason that Ghailani was acquitted of the other charges was that the judge barred the prosecution from putting on its chief witness—who would have testified that he sold Ghailani the TNT used to blow up the embassy in Tanzania—because the government learned of that witness only through statements obtained from Ghailani while he was being tortured in a CIA black site. Ghailani reportedly also confessed to his role in the bombings during interrogations at the black site and at Guantánamo, but that confession also could not be used because of the CIA’s illegal tactics. The same result would have been obtained in a military trial, as involuntary confessions are inadmissible in both forums. The problem with the Ghailani case, in other words, was not the civilian versus military character of the courtroom, but the fact that the Bush administration tortured him.
https://mondoweiss.net/2010/11/judge-goldstone-needs-to-report-on-the-u-s.html
The U.S. is too secure for its own good, Stephen M. Walt
You know the old line: “you can’t be too thin or too rich?” The foreign policy equivalent would be “you can’t be too secure.” Because there is no agency or institution that can protect states from each other, realists generally view security as the highest aim of states. The need for security encourages governments to remain watchful about emerging dangers and to avoid squandering resources unnecessarily on fanciful projects or special indulgences. The need to compete effectively in the harsh world of international politics imposes a certain discipline on domestic political quarrels, and encourages competing parties to limit partisan backbiting for the good of the country. When people say that “politics stops at the water’s edge,” that’s what they are talking about.
http://walt.foreignpolicy.com/posts/2010/11/22/the_us_is_too_secure_for_its_own_good
My Friend Barack, Ralph Nader
After nearly two years out, I can imagine George W. Bush writing his successor the following letter: Dear President Obama: As you know I’ve been peddling my book Decision Points and while doing interviews, people ask me what I think of the job you’re doing. My answer is the same: He deserves to make decisions without criticism from me. It’s a tough enough job as it is. But their inquiries did prompt me to write you to privately express my continual admiration for the job you are doing. Amazing! I say “privately” because making my sentiments public would not do either of us any good, if you know what I mean.
http://palestinechronicle.com/view_article_details.php?id=16435
Lebanon
Lebanese Hope Saudi-Syrian Efforts Would Bear Fruit to Defuse Crisis
22/11/2010 The week-long holidays end tomorrow, and politics will resurface amid speculations that a Syrian-Saudi effort to calm down the situation in Lebanon would bear fruit. Speaker Nabih Berri expected that “Prince Abdul Aziz’s visit to Syria would be pivotal to determine the path that the (Lebanese) crisis will take.” Speaking to the Lebanese daily Assafir, Berri underscored that the Syrian-Saudi contact has been restored as planned following the holidays. “President Michel Sleiman, Premier Saad Hariri, Hezbollah, and I, are anticipating the results of the new round of consultations.” The speaker reiterated that the “situation in Lebanon will remain under control, as long as the Syrian-Saudi contact persists.” For his part, the head of the “Democratic Gathering” MP Walid Jumblatt stressed the importance of the Syrian-Saudi effort, “which can delay or disable the effects of the (Special Tribunal for Lebanon – STL) indictment on the internal atmosphere.
http://almanar.com.lb/NewsSite/NewsDetails.aspx?id=162883&language=en
UN criticises Hariri tribunal leaks
Spokesman says Canadian report of Hezbollah links to the killing of Lebanon’s former PM could harm UN investigation.
http://english.aljazeera.net//news/middleeast/2010/11/2010112221254165947.html
Netanyahu: Israel will not let Hezbollah take over Ghajar
Prime Minister’s remark during meeting with Italian FM comes less than a week after Israel’s cabinet approved the IDF pullout from the disputed border town’s northern side.
http://www.haaretz.com/news/diplomacy-defense/netanyahu-israel-will-not-let-hezbollah-take-over-ghajar-1.326144?localLinksEnabled=false
Iraq
Monday: 8 Iraqis Killed, 17 Wounded
At least eight Iraqis were killed and 17 more were wounded in the latest violence. Meanwhile, lawyers will ask President Jalal Talabani for a pardon for former Foreign Minister Tariq Aziz who was sentenced to death last month.
http://original.antiwar.com/updates/2010/11/22/monday-8-iraqis-killed-17-wounded/
Iraqi Interior Ministry employee escapes assassination
An Interior Ministry employee escaped assassination due to a bomb stuck to his car in Al Soha District, Dora. Security Forces cordoned off the incident site and evacuated damaged cars, an informed security source said.
http://www.alsumaria.tv/en/Iraq-News/1-56727-Iraqi-Interior-Ministry-employee-escapes-assassination.html
Many Sunnis see Iraqi justice system as Shiite cudgel
BAGHDAD – The soldiers yanked Arkan Subhi Ahmed al-Habshi out of bed shortly before dawn, screaming and striking him with their guns, a scene that has become routine in Sunni districts of Baghdad.
http://feeds.washingtonpost.com/click.phdo?i=d1f86ec846806fb8c904d8947c548f15
Lawmaker blasts asylum offers for Iraqi Christians (AP)
AP – A lawmaker called on Iraq’s government Tuesday to better protect its dwindling Christian community and lambasted other nations that have offered asylum to fleeing Christians as meddling in Iraq’s problems.
http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/iraq/*http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20101123/ap_on_re_mi_ea/ml_iraq
U.S. & Other World News
TSA Pat Down Went Too Far, Agency Chief Says
“The woman who checked me reached her hands inside my underwear and felt her way around,” she said. “It was basically worse than going to the gynecologist. It was embarrassing. It was demeaning. It was inappropriate.”
http://abcnews.go.com/Travel/tsa-responds-passenger-outrages-underwear-search-happen/story?id=12208932
Young Boy Strip Searched By TSA
According to CBS News polling, four in five Americans say they support the use of full-body airport scanners.
http://www.cbsnews.com/8301-503544_162-20023553-503544.html
TSA abuse and “random” selection
Video: They handcuffed her to a chair.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ADZUQUfJoBk&feature=player_embedded
Mayor Of London Warns George Bush He Might Face Arrest As A War Criminal
Keith Olbermann talks with Jonathan Turley (law professor) about a piece in the conservative Daily Telegraph where Boris Johnson, Mayor Of London, advises George W. Bush not to bring his book tour to Britain, because he could face arrest as a war criminal.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RlK4iPSFSmY
Russia Today TV crew arrested in US filming at ‘School of Assassins’
http://vineyardsaker.blogspot.com/2010/11/russia-today-tv-crew-arrested-in-us.html
45 groups seek investigation of FBI over peace activist raids
On September 24th, the FBI raided the homes of 14 peace activists in Minneapolis and Chicago, ostensibly searching for possible “material support” to terrorist organizations. Nearly two months later, a coalition of 45 civil rights, human rights, peace and environmental groups have mounted a campaign to press Congress for an investigation of federal law enforcement’s conduct, claiming the raids violated constitutional protections and could reflect a growing politicization of law enforcement.
http://www.rawstory.com/rs/2010/11/45-groups-seek-congressional-investigation-fbi/
Kabul ‘safer’ for kids than London or New York, says NATO official
Children’s advocates, aid workers, and human rights campaigners challenged the statement from NATO’s civilian representative Mark Sedwill, saying it was blind to ground realities.
http://rss.csmonitor.com/%7Er/feeds/world/%7E3/0l-Wv6rFYOA/Kabul-safer-for-kids-than-London-or-New-York-says-NATO-official
Taliban vow to force NATO out before 2014 pullout
“It is a good news for Afghans and all freedom-loving people of the world and it is a sign of failure for the American government,” they said in the emailed statement.
http://www.dailytimes.com.pk/default.asp?page=2010%5C11%5C22%5Cstory_22-11-2010_pg1_6
Government loses bid to keep 7/7 evidence secret
Home Secretary Theresa May has lost a legal bid to force the inquest into the 2005 London bombings to hear secret evidence behind closed doors.
http://uk.news.yahoo.com/22/20101122/tuk-uk-britain-july7-mi5-fa6b408.html
Kuwait court jails writer for ‘insulting’ premier
Kuwait’s lower court on Monday sentenced leading writer and journalist Mohammad Abdulqader al-Jassem to one year in prison for writing an article deemed highly critical of the prime minister, his lawyer Abdullah al-Ahmad said.
http://www.alarabiya.net/articles/2010/11/22/127005.html
Concerns over Egypt vote transparency
The Muslim Brotherhood, Egypt’s largest opposition group, has accused authorities of carrying out a widespread crackdown on its members in the run-up to parliamentary elections. It came as human rights groups warned the country’s election campaign was becoming increasingly violent. A Muslim Brotherhood spokesman said on Monday that more than a thousand of its members had been detained in the weeks preceding the November 28 vote. “There is a complete siege on the Muslim Brotherhood members,” Essam Al Arian said. Over the last few days, processions and campaign rallies for the group’s candidates across the country had been disrupted by police he said, adding that “rubber bullets were also fired on some occasions.” Despite calls from within the group to boycott the elections, party officials said it would persevere with its campaign. As many throughout the country are concerned over whether the vote will be free and fair, the country’s independent election monitors have threatened to boycott their observation mission if there is lack of transparency. Ayman Mohyeldin reports from Cairo, the capital.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kDe9uL9baeE&feature=youtube_gdata
Riz Khan – Egypt’s elections
Will the upcoming vote preserve Egypt’s so-called ‘sham-ocracy’ or move the country towards reform?
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wuuM4p1SeeY&feature=youtube_gdata
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