and other news from Today in Palestine:
Settlers/ Land, Property, Resource Theft & Destruction/Ethnic Cleansing
Israel razes Palestinian home in E.Jerusalem (AFP)
AFP – Israeli police on Wednesday razed an illegally-built house in occupied east Jerusalem, shortly before the Palestinian owner arrived home with a court order halting the demolition.
http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/mideast/*http://news.yahoo.com/s/afp/20101124/wl_mideast_afp/israelpalestiniansconflictjerusalemdemolish
Israel erases Palestinian village of Abul Ajaj from map
Israeli bulldozers under heavy military protection demolished Wednesday morning the village of Abul Ajaj in the northern Jordan valley region as a prelude to expanding the settlement of Metsuwah.
http://www.palestine-info.co.uk/En/default.aspx?xyz=U6Qq7k%2b
More Bedouin structures demolished in Jordan Valley
JERICHO (Ma’an) — As the sun rose early Wednesday, Palestinian Bedouins living in Abu Al-Ajaj, a small village in the Jordan Valley were surprised to see Israeli bulldozers demolishing their sheds and sheep shelters. The incident came only two weeks after Israeli authorities confiscated lands belonging to the village slated to expand an illegal settlement.
http://www.maannews.net/eng/ViewDetails.aspx?ID=335483
WATCH: The Battle for Al-Walaja, Palestine Monitor
In a small Palestinian village between the ancient cities of Bethlehem and Jerusalem, lies the village of Al Walaja. In early 2010, the Israeli military entered the village to oversee the confiscation of Palestinian land for the construction of Israel’s separation barrier, in defiance of international law. In the months that followed, the people of Al Walaja, with support from Israeli and international activists, began a spirited campaign of non-violent resistance to put a stop to the theft of their land.
http://www.palestinemonitor.org/spip/spip.php?article1624
Al-Walaja: A Microcosm of the Palestinian Struggle
The first encounter with Abed occurs one evening in a spontaneous fashion with a small group of people keen on meeting this farmer, based in al-Walajah, whose story of long persistent fight on his land is known to many ones. One evening, we pay a visit of friendship and solidarity to Abed, and are invited to spend the night there or come back another time. The few sights I retain clearly from that first visit are the settlements appearing from every side of the hill, a check-point in the proximity of the house, an old stone-made construction where Abed has set himself up, and a tent-roofed large area where we sit and stay for a chat. At a distance, the glimmering lights of Jerusalem fill a gap between two settlement blocs in the night background. What was initially an un-planned evening visit turned into a revealing micro-story of resistance, embodied in the life of a simple man in his late forties, considered to be one of the last holdouts of al-Walajah’s indigenous Palestinian population.
http://www.imemc.org/article/59987
Jewish settlers move into house after Israeli police evict Palestinian family
Family of 14 driven out of house in Jabel Mukaber, an Arab neighbourhood targeted by ideologically motivated settler activists. Jewish settlers today moved into a house in East Jerusalem after Israeli police evicted a Palestinian family of 14 and removed all their possessions. The move will dismay US officials who are striving to discourage settler activity in East Jerusalem in an attempt to restart the stalled peace talks between Israel and the Palestinians.
http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2010/nov/23/jewish-settlers-arab-area-palestinians-evicted
Palestinians clash with IDF over West Bank demolitions
Civil Administration personnel raze tent encampment, pigsty, road, prompting clashes between security forces, locals. No injuries reported. ‘Demolitions aimed at expanding settlement of Masua,’ one Palestinian says.
http://www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7340,L-3989277,00.html
The inauguration of a new settlement project in Al Farouq neighborhood
There is incoming information about the intention of the settlers to expand in Silwan especially in al Farouq neighborhood, expelling the Palestinians from their houses. Al-Farouq neighborhood is located near Jabal al-Mukabber and has the most charming view of the valley. Its name is referred to by Khalifah (Omar Bin al khattab) who visited it. It is located in the southern side of Silwan, it’s also one of the targeted neighborhoods because it is in the Holy Basin project. The Palestinian owners of the lands cannot use them under the pretext that these lands are protected under the provisions of the Israeli nature and parks authority. It is seemed to be that this is a start of preparing a new settlement project in this neighborhood.
http://silwanic.net/?p=8841
Israeli court adjourns hearing into MP Abu Tir case
The Israeli Magistrate court decided in its Monday night hearing to delay the case of Jerusalemite MP Mohammed Abu Tir until 8th December to wait for the Israeli interior minister’s response.
http://www.palestine-info.co.uk/En/default.aspx?xyz=U6Qq7k%2bcOd8
‘Abu Teir sentence a desperate attempt to legalize exiling Arab representatives’
The team of bullied Arab leaders threatened to be exiled from Jerusalem praised Mohammed Abu Teir for not undersigning a paper agreeing to his exile in exchange for his freedom.
http://www.palestine-info.co.uk/En/default.aspx?xyz=U6Qq7k%2bc
The establishment sees the (day)light, Ali Gharib
“The most Jewish possible Jerusalem is in Israel’s interest,” he said. It’s cynical to take it too far, he added, but Israel wants to get Jerusalem as Jewish as possible without quashing a deal. “This could be seen as an area where American interests and Israel’s intersests diverge.” Indeed, it could be seen as an instance of not only divergent interests, but a plainly spoken example of Israel’s policy in East Jerusalem — at best, mild ethnic cleansing — coming from an establishment analyst speaking at a Congressionally-funded think tank, no less.
https://mondoweiss.net/2010/11/the-establishment-sees-the-daylight.html
Activism/Solidarity/Boycott, Divestment & Sanctions
Journalist Beaten While Filming Youth Arrest in Bil’in, Palestine Monitor
Haitham Al-Khatib is a journalist and resident of the Palestinian village of Bil’in, a village divided by the Separation Wall and home to the famous weekly non-violent protests. At 2 a.m this morning he was woken by the screams of his neighbour’s young girls. Along with friend and fellow journalist Hamde Abu Rahmah he came running out of his home to investigate.
http://www.palestinemonitor.org/spip/spip.php?article1625
Nabi Saleh – how a whole village got sprayed with teargas and stink
http://www.kibush.co.il/show_file.asp?num=43542
Weekly Repression Update 15-22 November 2010
http://stopthewall.org/latestnews/2400.shtml
Successful International Week Against the Apartheid Wall in The Netherlands
The ‘Wall Caravan’ for the International Action Week against the Apartheid Wall in the Netherlands collected 3,155 signatures in nine days, 9 – 17 november touring 29 cities all over the country! See for an impression this film: Film. The response by the public was very positive. By touring about 2000 kilometers a large amount of people could see the campaign. Some more pictures can be seen here (text in Dutch): Pictures. The Wall Caravan was a co-project of the Netherlands Palestine Committee and ‘Sloop de Muur’ (Tear Down the Wall – SloopdeMur) with local support from activists across the country. At each stop signatures were collected for an action to force the Dutch Parliament to discuss the issue of sanctions against Israel, since it failed so far to seriously do so in spite of the ICJ verdict. The parliament is obliged to put any civic initiative on the agenda, if supported by at least 40,000 signatures. We are now more than halfway getting a firm boost this past action week.
http://stopthewall.org/worldwideactivism/2402.shtml
South African students action for the Week Against the Apartheid Wall
As part of the Johannesburg South Africa events for the 8th global Week against the Apartheid Wall, a student orientated initiative set up a few events. At the University of the Witwatersrand, students writing their end of year exams were handed fact sheets about the apartheid Wall. This information campaign gave many students new insight and aimed to improve awareness about the realities and illegality of the Wall.
http://stopthewall.org/worldwideactivism/2401.shtml
NY activists confront Hebron Fund director Yossi Baumol
https://mondoweiss.net/2010/11/ny-activists-confront-hebron-fund-director-yossi-baumol.html
#BDS: BDS Success: Tindersticks Cancel Tel Aviv Shows
When agreeing to play our music in Israel we, perhaps naively, believed that the music we make is beyond political considerations.
Over the past weeks, the pressure exerted on us by people and organisations, some close to us, has shown us that this is not the case. It is difficult to defy a rapidly growing movement with whose aims we agree, even if we are not wholly convinced by their methods. The songs we looked forward to playing and singing have already been tainted and their enjoyment stifled, if not completely drowned out by the political furore. We sincerely look forward to a time when we, and others, can make our music for the people in the Middle East for the pure joy of the music itself.
http://youthanormalization.blogspot.com/2010/11/bdsbds-success-tindersticks-cancel-tel.html
American roots artist makes his Palestine debut
11/23/2010 – BETHLEHEM (Ma’an) — Grammy-nominated American roots musician Bill Kirchen made his Palestine debut Monday, in a special performance highlighting his week-long tour through the occupied West Bank.
http://www.maannews.net/eng/ViewDetails.aspx?ID=334967
#BDS: One hundred famous Norwegians call for cultural and academic boycott of Israel
OSLO (EJP)—One hundred famous Norwegians, led by the country’s national football coach, have signed a petition demanding a cultural and academic boycott of Israel, accusing its educational institutions of “playing a key role in the occupation” and equating it with apartheid.
http://youthanormalization.blogspot.com/2010/11/bds-one-hundred-famous-norwegians-call.html
#BDS: Sign the Petition: Stop Your Plans of Opening a Muji Shop in Israel
Israel has oppressed the Palestinian people in various criminal activities. Hundreds of UN resolutions have condemned Israel’s colonial and discriminatory policies as illegal. Also the International Court of Justice (ICJ) found that the construction by Israel of a wall in the Occupied Palestinian Territory and its associated régime are contrary to international law. To stop the Israel’s crimes, and to build the world that the human rights and international laws are respected, we oppose the plans of opening a MUJI shop in Israel. Please join our campagin and send your message. We will deliver your message to MUJI.
http://youthanormalization.blogspot.com/2010/11/bds-sign-petition-stop-your-plans-of.html
#BDS: Berkeley, CA: Holiday Bazaar featuring Palestinian crafts
Sunday, December 5, 10:00am - 4:00pm
PLEASE NOTE NEW LOCATION!
Live Oak Park Recreation Center,
1301 Shattuck Avenue, Berkeley
(at Berryman Street between Shattuck Avenue and Oxford Street – Northeast Berkeley)
Come shop at this popular, annual sale for hundreds of beautifully crafted items including Tatriz (Palestinian Embroidery); Hand-blown Glassware from Hebron; Carved Olive wood; Painted Ceramics; Organic, Extra-Virgin Olive Oil; Olives; Olive Oil Soap; Scarves, Shawls, and other Textiles; Calendars and Cook Books; Honey; Jewelry; Children’s Clothing and Dolls from Gaza, and much more!
http://youthanormalization.blogspot.com/2010/11/bds-berkeley-ca-holiday-bazaar.html
#BDS: Concluding Statement of Russell Tribunal on Palestine
Public Statement of the Russell Tribunal on Palestine following the conclusion of the London Session on corporate complicity in Israeli violations of international law. The RTP London Session took place at the Law Society, 113 Chancery Lane, London WC2A 1PL on 20-21 November 2010. Over the past two days, the Tribunal heard compelling evidence of corporate complicity in Israeli violations of international law, relating to: the supply of arms; the construction and maintenance of the illegal separation Wall; and in establishing, maintaining and providing services, especially financial, to illegal settlements, all of which have occurred in the context of an illegal occupation of Palestinian territory. It is clear from the evidence of witnesses that this conduct is not only morally reprehensible, but also exposes those corporations to legal liability for very serious violations of international human rights and humanitarian law. What distinguishes the present situation from others in which international action has been called for, is that in this case both Israel and the corporations that are complicit in Israel’s unlawful actions are in clear violation of international human rights and humanitarian law.
http://youthanormalization.blogspot.com/2010/11/bds-concluding-statement-of-russell.html
#BDS: Boycott: Put more pressure on Israel to change
As Israel increasingly ignores our government’s objections to the expansion of settlements, its primary concern is with placating its own right-wing parliamentary coalition. And why should Israel be concerned with the protests of the Obama administration when U.S. military aid to Israel – now billions of dollars per year, paid by U.S. taxpayers at a time when they have no jobs and are losing their homes – continues unabated?
http://youthanormalization.blogspot.com/2010/11/bds-boycott-put-more-pressure-on-israel.html
BDS Update: Anti-apartheid Hagues
Despite the stranglehold Israel lobbies have on Euro-parliaments and politicians, there have been some surprisingly plucky official moves to protest illegal Israeli settlements recently. Israeli mayoral visits to Spain and the Netherlands were nixed in September because the delegation included leaders of illegal Israeli settlements in the occupied West Bank. The visit of thirty Israeli mayors to the Netherlands was organised by the Israeli branch of the American Jewish Joint Distribution Committee (JDC) after the Spanish municipal organisation cancelled a proposed visit in light of the Israeli attack on the Gaza Freedom Flotilla.
http://dissidentvoice.org/2010/11/bds-update-anti-apartheid-hagues/
Anti
Education Department Announcement Sparks Fears of ‘Clamp Down’ on Criticism of Israel, Alex Kane
The following article originally appeared in the latest issue of the Indypendent: Jewish organizations are hailing an Oct. 26 announcement from the U.S. Department of Education that will reportedly give greater protection against anti-semitism on college campuses. The announcement emphasizes that Title VI, the part of the 1964 Civil Rights Act that prohibits institutions that discriminate on the basis of race or national origin from receiving federal funding, also includes protections for religious groups that share ethnic characteristics. The statement follows lobbying from Jewish organizations that urged the department to interpret “Title VI to protect Jewish students from anti-semitic harassment.” However, the decision has been met with criticism from Palestine solidarity activists who fear that it could be aimed at silencing legitimate dissent against Israel. In an Oct. 29 blog post on MuzzleWatch, a project of Jewish Voice for Peace, activist Eyal Mazor writes that groups like the right-wing Zionist Organization of America advocated for this policy to “clamp down on student activism that has pushed universities to hold Israel accountable to international law.”
http://alexbkane.wordpress.com/2010/11/23/education-department-announcement-sparks-fears-of-%e2%80%98clamp-down%e2%80%99-on-criticism-of-israel/
Israeli Abuse of Palestinian Children
Gaza boy used as human shield: I’ll always remember, Jared Malsin
GAZA CITY (Ma’an) — Majid Rabah, 11, says he will always remember the “black day” that Israeli soldiers ordered him to open bags they thought were rigged with explosives. “Every moment I remember what happened,” he said in his home in Gaza City’s Tel Al-Hawwa neighborhood Tuesday. An Israeli military court gave a suspended sentence and a demotion Sunday to the two soldiers who used Majid as a human shield, in a ruling he and his family said did not do justice to the trauma.
http://www.maannews.net/eng/ViewDetails.aspx?ID=335290
Psycho-social support for the children of Gaza
Children make up over half of Gaza’s 1.5 million population. The traumatic experience of the 2008 – 2009 violence has left many with continuing psychological trauma, in addition to physical injuries, the loss of family members and damaged homes. Their young lives have continued under difficult material circumstances, as a large number of families are living in poverty and unemployment, and many school facilities have been damaged. Over the last five months, ACTED has been implementing a psycho-social support and nutrition programme to assist children in Gaza, with the financial support of USAID.
http://www.reliefweb.int/rw/rwb.nsf/db900SID/SRID-8BGSEW?OpenDocument&RSS20=02-P
Palestinian poet tells audience of the plight of Gaza’s students
DOHA: Renowned poet Mourid Barghouti held a poetry and prose reading session yesterday expressing his solidarity to students living in Gaza. The reading from ‘Ra’ytu Ramallah (I Saw Ramallah), an autobiographical narrative of this Palestinian writer was well received by the audience at the Virginia Commonwealth University-Qatar, atrium. Barghouti, was introduced to the audience by Seif Salmawy, Managing Director, Bloomsburry Qatar Foundation Publishing. He read several poems and prose both in Arabic and English, at the event sby Al Fakhoora, an international campaign to support students in Palestine.
http://www.thepeninsulaqatar.com/qatar/133506-palestinian-poet-tells-audience-of-the-plight-of-gazas-students.html
Siege/Rights Violations/Restriction of Movement
Italian FM says relaxing Gaza blockade “not enough”
GAZA, Nov. 24 (Xinhua) — Italian Foreign Minister Franco Frattini on Wednesday said the relaxation of Israel’s blockade on the Gaza Strip was “not enough.” Addressing a press conference by the end of a three-hour visit to Gaza, Frattini said that he wants to see the number of commercial trucks entering Gaza “double.” Frattini stressed that Israel must allow construction and raw materials into Gaza as well. He added that Israel should also allow Gazans to export their goods to the West Bank and Europe.
http://news.xinhuanet.com/english2010/world/2010-11/24/c_13620833.htm
Ramallah villages protest toxic factory
11/24/2010 – RAMALLAH (Ma’an) — Residents of three villages near Ramallah held a protest Wednesday against a plastic factory built close to their homes and schools. The residents of Beit Ora At-Tehta, Saffa and Beit Sira told Ma’an radio that the factory emitted toxic gases.
http://www.maannews.net/eng/ViewDetails.aspx?ID=335397
IOA renews travel ban against Jerusalemite expert
The IOA has renewed the travel ban on Khalil Al-Tafakji, the settlement affairs expert and director of the maps section at Orient House in occupied Jerusalem, for six months.
http://www.palestine-info.co.uk/En/default.aspx?xyz=U6Qq7k
Troops Invade Villages in Hebron, Install Several Roadblocks
The Palestinian News Agency, WAFA, reported, on Wednesday, that Israeli army invaded the villages of as-Sammou’, Ithna and Beit Ummar, near the southern West Bank city of Hebron, and installed several roadblocks.
http://www.imemc.org/article/59989
The Middle East Children’s Alliance provides clean, safe drinking water to children in Gaza
There is a growing water crisis in Palestine that affects agriculture, industry, and the health of virtually every adult and child. In the Gaza Strip, poor sanitation and over-extraction have polluted the limited water supply. But thanks to the Middle East Children’s Alliance, nearly 25,000 school children now drink clean, safe water every day.
http://www.reliefweb.int/rw/rwb.nsf/db900SID/JALR-8BHHJN?OpenDocument&RSS20=02-P
The Lucky Ones, Palestine Monitor
Most sane people hate mornings. For London commuters, the tube journey to work in a rush hour crush takes some beating as a low point for the day. The experience might allow Londoners to in some way relate to the inhuman conditions inflicted on Palestinian workers each night and morning at Bethlehem’s container checkpoint.
http://www.palestinemonitor.org/spip/spip.php?article1626
Racism and Discrimination
Israeli town launches campaign against foreign workers
Bnei Brak city hall begins public campaign against renting flats to migrant workers yet simultaneously employs them.
http://www.haaretz.com/print-edition/news/israeli-town-launches-campaign-against-foreign-workers-1.326455?localLinksEnabled=false
Violence/Aggression & Detainees
Jordanian embassy staff say attacked by police
Two embassy employees pulled over by police in Tel Aviv, say detectives assaulted them.
http://www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7340,L-3989030,00.html
Medics: Israeli gunfire injures Gaza worker
GAZA CITY (Ma’an) — Israeli forces shot and injured a Palestinian man who was collecting scrap materials Wednesday near the border with Israel in the northern Gaza Strip, a medical official said. Adham Abu Salmiya told Ma’an that the worker, who was not identified, was moderately injured in the leg. He was transferred to the Kamal Adwan Hospital for treatment, the official added. The shooting was the tenth this month along the border area, Abu Salmiya noted. An Israeli military spokeswoman did not immediately return calls seeking comment.
http://www.maannews.net/eng/ViewDetails.aspx?ID=335548
Israel holds entire family in detention
A squad of more than 50 armed Israeli soldiers abused and abducted a 52-year-old Palestinian woman in Al-Khalil Tuesday morning after carrying out a fierce raid on her home.
http://www.palestine-info.co.uk/En/default.aspx?xyz=U6Qq7k
Grenade tossed at Palestinian prisoners in Hadarim jail
Unknown assailants, believed to be Jewish extremists, hurled an Israeli army grenade at the fence surrounding the Hadarim jail that accommodates around 800 Palestinian prisoners on Wednesday morning.
http://www.palestine-info.co.uk/En/default.aspx?xyz=U6Qq7k%2b
IOF troops wound Palestinian worker, round up three civilians in WB
A Palestinian young man was moderately wounded when Israeli occupation forces (IOF) near the Beit Hanun (Erez) crossing north of the Gaza Strip fired at him while collecting gravel on Wednesday.
http://www.palestine-info.co.uk/En/default.aspx?xyz=U6Qq7k%2bcOd87
IOF soldiers storm house of MP, arrest his son
Hamas MP Dr. Omar Abdulrazek has denounced the Israeli occupation forces (IOF) for storming his home on Tuesday evening and taking away his son.
http://www.palestine-info.co.uk/En/default.aspx?xyz=U6Qq7k
Monthly Report of Detainees
http://addameer.info/?p=1830
Arab Helpers
Detainees’ families to sue European states for supporting police regime of Abbas
Families of Palestinian prisoners in West Bank jails said they are mulling over filing a lawsuit against a number of European countries for supporting the police regime of Mahmoud Abbas.
http://www.palestine-info.co.uk/En/default.aspx?xyz=U6Qq7k%2bcO
Hamas: PA detains 2, summons dozens
BETHLEHEM (Ma’an) – Palestinian Authority security services have detained two more Hamas supporters in the West Bank and summoned dozens for interrogation, Hamas said Wednesday. Hamas said in a statement that the two detainees were from Nablus and Salfit. Most of those summoned by the PA for interrogation were from Qalqiliya, in the northern West Bank, Hamas said.
http://www.maannews.net/eng/ViewDetails.aspx?ID=335435
War Criminals
UN Remains Deadlocked on Defining Terrorism, Thalif Deen
UNITED NATIONS – When Israeli commandos killed nine mostly Turkish activists during a raid on a flotilla of ships carrying humanitarian aid to Palestinians last May, Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan described the attack as a prime example of “state terrorism.” “Even tyrants, bandits, and pirates have their own rules of ethics,” he said, but not terrorists killing on behalf of a U.N. member state. And when several internationally renowned artists, including the rock band the Pixies and British rocker Elvis Costello, responded by canceling scheduled concerts in Tel Aviv, Shuki Weiss, one of Israel’s leading promoters, called the growing boycott movement “cultural terrorism.”
http://original.antiwar.com/deen/2010/11/23/un-remains-deadlocked-on-defining-terrorism/
Political Developments
Palestinians not ask for U.S. guarantees after Israeli incentive package: official
RAMALLAH, Nov. 24 (Xinhua) — The Palestinian leadership has not asked for any guarantees following incentives package from the United States to Israel, a Palestinian official said Wednesday. The Palestinians “have not entered any kind of trade-off with the United States,” said Yasser Abed Rabbo, a senior Palestine Liberation Organization official, adding “We asked nothing in return.” His remarks followed media reports that Washington, which tries to revive peace talks between Israel and the Palestinians, considered offering guarantees to the Palestinian National Authority in exchange for Israel’s incentives.
http://news.xinhuanet.com/english2010/world/2010-11/24/c_13620729.htm
Syria slams Israel referendum bill
New law requires two-thirds Knesset majority or a referendum to cede land in East Jerusalem or the Golan Heights.
http://www.haaretz.com/news/diplomacy-defense/syria-slams-israel-referendum-bill-1.326361?localLinksEnabled=false
Fatah meets for talks on Israel, Hamas (AFP)
AFP – Senior members of Fatah, the party of Palestinian president Mahmud Abbas, met on Wednesday to discuss issues ranging from peace talks with Israel to reconciliation with Hamas.
http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/mideast/*http://news.yahoo.com/s/afp/20101124/wl_mideast_afp/palestinianspoliticsfatah
Hamas: Free our man and Fatah officials can leave
RAMALLAH (Ma’an) — The Gaza government said Wednesday it is willing to reverse a decision to bar seven Fatah officials from leaving the Gaza Strip if Fatah-allied security forces release a Hamas member arrested in the West Bank city of Nablus. The seven members of Fatah’s Revolutionary Council prevented by Hamas security forces from leaving through the Erez crossing point on Tuesday.
http://www.maannews.net/eng/ViewDetails.aspx?ID=335485
Nunu: Fatah responsible for blocking travel of its members
The Palestinian government in Gaza has held the Fatah faction responsible for blocking the travel from Gaza to the West Bank of its revolutionary council members to attend its meeting in Ramallah.
http://www.palestine-info.co.uk/En/default.aspx?xyz=U6Qq7
Other News
Three Dead, Five Injured in Toxic Leak at Israel Oil Refinery
Two people died on Tuesday evening, a third person died on Wednesday morning, and five were hurt in an accident at an oil refinery in the city of Haifa, rescue services reported.
http://www.imemc.org/article/59991
Palestinian officials fund schools, fill potholes in E. Jerusalem. Are they building a state?
Palestinian Authority Prime Minister Salam Fayyad is spearheading an effort to improve public services for Arab areas of East Jerusalem, long neglected by municipal officials.
http://rss.csmonitor.com/%7Er/feeds/world/%7E3/o1J2YweKeko/Palestinian-officials-fund-schools-fill-potholes-in-E.-Jerusalem.-Are-they-building-a-state
Shin Bet may build private road for Netanyahu through nature reserve
Environmental advocates claim shortcut from Prime Minister’s Jerusalem residence to his Caesarea home would cause irreversible ecological damage.
http://www.haaretz.com/news/national/shin-bet-may-build-private-road-for-netanyahu-through-nature-reserve-1.326536?localLinksEnabled=false
Israeli fugitive to pay $54m to settle U.S. fraud suit
Kobi Alexander, former CEO of Comverse, fled to Namibia in 2006 and has been fighting extradition to the U.S.
http://www.haaretz.com/print-edition/business/israeli-fugitive-to-pay-54m-to-settle-u-s-fraud-suit-1.326383?localLinksEnabled=false
Ousted Shas MK refuses to give up Knesset seat
Chaim Amsellem calls Shas leadership ‘kangaroo court’ and slams the party’s ‘habit of adopting Ashkenazi ways of life.’
http://www.haaretz.com/print-edition/news/ousted-shas-mk-refuses-to-give-up-knesset-seat-1.326456?localLinksEnabled=false
Analysis/Op-ed
Haaretz gets Partition wrong, Philip Weiss
Eldad Yaniv in Haaretz is trying to save Partition, save the two-state solution. None of that desperation has yet come to the U.S., where we don’t have a clue about the crisis. It will come soon. Peevish post: Note that Yaniv gets the #s wrong on Partition. It gave more than half the land to Jews, who then comprised about one-third of the population. Yes I know, a small point, but it is evidence of the imbalanced history here. And young Americans should be aware of same as they look at the idea of a “Jewish democratic” state that is more Palestinian than America is Afro-American… Yaniv’s SOS.
https://mondoweiss.net/2010/11/haaretz-gets-partition-wrong.html
Do liberal zionists think that international law should be ignored because Israel will never adhere to it?, Nima Shirazi
Much discussion has already taken place here on Mondoweiss regarding the recent panel discussion entitled “Jewish Perspectives on the Boycott/Divestment/Sanctions Movement” which was held at the Church of Gethsemane in Park Slope, Brooklyn a couple weeks ago. I attended the event and think some of the most instructive aspects of the evening have so far been overlooked.
https://mondoweiss.net/2010/11/do-liberal-zionists-think-that-international-law-should-be-ignored-because-israel-will-never-adhere-to-it.html
Two-state solution, R.I.P., Stephen M. Walt
Yesterday the Israeli Knesset voted 65-33 to approve the so-called referendum law, which requires a national referendum on any subsequent withdrawal from the Occupied Territories. According to Israeli journalist Dimi Reider, the new law: Conditions any Israeli withdrawal from any of its territory — into which Israel, alone in the world, includes the Golan Heights and East Jerusalem — on passing a nation-wide referendum. To overrule the law, the Knesset would need a privileged majority of 80 out of 120 parliamentarians.”
http://walt.foreignpolicy.com/posts/2010/11/22/two_state_solution_rip
The peace process’s last hurrah?, Nathan Brown
Over the past year, the terms of the debate among close observers of Israeli-Palestinian negotiations have turned increasingly gloomy: is the peace process dead or merely dying? The U.S. may be about to answer this question: either the peace process will produce an agreement on borders by late February or it will be over. According to widespread news accounts, that is when the U.S. will agree to drop requests that Israel suspend settlement construction. We don’t know the fine print of the U.S. pledge — and in fact, the fine print does not seem to have been written. But if the U.S. really does back off any future requests for a settlement freeze, it is engaged in a very high stakes game of chicken with the peace process. The U.S. ploy has been widely described as a gamble, because even if a 90-day settlement works to secure a border agreement, there are many bridges to cross before a full two-state solution is achieved. But I would go farther than calling the U.S. plan a gamble; it may be close to a diplomatic doomsday device that could bring the current peace process to a full stop.
http://mideast.foreignpolicy.com/posts/2010/11/17/the_peace_process_s_last_hurrah
Inspirational Stories of Palestine, Rama Chakaki
There is no shortage of inspiration in Palestine. There is a shortage of platforms and media venues featuring inspiring people in and outside Palestine on a local, regional and global scale. When you mention Palestine and Media, visions of a people torn apart by conflict comes to mind. Refugees, school children standing across from tanks and demolished homes. Google the words Palestine and Media, 5 million photos depicting conflict come up. TEDxRamallah is the beginning of a movement to change that.
http://palestinechronicle.com/view_article_details.php?id=16437
The Occupation Heats Palestinian Temperament, Michael Khaled for MIFTAH
The other day I was speaking about Palestinian culture with a friend who runs a school in Jerusalem. It happens to be the first Palestinian green school, which attracts attention from many foreigners, not the religious tourists coming to see the holy land, but the political tourists who want to see the Palestine-Israel conflict firsthand. He told me outsiders, even those well-versed in the conflict, come with wide eyes and wider smiles and ask why no one here returns their grin
http://www.miftah.org/Display.cfm?DocId=22842&CategoryId=13
Film review: Palestine as Hollywood fantasy in “Miral”
Any major film addressing the Israel-Palestine conflict can expect to court a measure of controversy, but American artist and filmmaker Julian Schnabel’s intervention is unlikely to cause much consternation among a mainstream cinema audience. Omar El-Khairy reviews Schnabel’s film Miral for The Electronic Intifada.
http://electronicintifada.net/v2/article11638.shtml?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+electronicIntifadaPalestine+%28Electronic+Intifada+%3A+Palestine+News%29
New York Times covers a TV program
I will get to the issue at hand in a second but I will say this: since when does the New York Times report about a TV program? I mean there are official reports about hate and murder by the state of Israel that go unmentioned by the newspaper. But this one got attention–as it should, of course. The writer is John Burns who headed the segregated (by Iraqi versus non-Iraqi, i am told Iraqis could not stay overnight in the Western supremacist fortress in Baghdad) New York Times bureau in Baghdad. He was a loud cheerleader for Bush’s war and was invited to celebrate it with Bush’s father in Texas, where he teared up embracing Bush senior. But the report warrants attention but why not mention the hypocrisy: that Saudi Arabia receives great support and its horrors are still covered up by virtue of its subservience to the US and Israel: ”A British network of more than 40 part-time Islamic schools and clubs with 5,000 students has been teaching from a Saudi Arabian government curriculum that contains anti-Semitic and homophobic views, including a textbook that asks children to list the “reprehensible” qualities of Jews, according to a BBC documentarybroadcast on Monday.”
http://angryarab.blogspot.com/2010/11/new-york-times-covers-tv-program.html
Is Anti-Semitism More Acceptable Than Criticizing Israel?, Sean Fenley
Glenn Beck would appear to be the template for the anti-Semitic Zionist. After Beck odiously displayed a puppet show, with Hungarian Holocaust survivor George Soros as the stringer-puller-in-chief. Soros is, of course, ostensibly directing and manipulating the country and politicians on both sides of the “political divide” — presumably toward an end of his creation. Beck’s defense for all of this, is that he is probably a stronger supporter of the state of Israel than his bogeyman and antihero.
http://dissidentvoice.org/2010/11/is-anti-semitism-more-acceptable-than-criticizing-israel/
Huffpo gives platform to Israel lobbyist’s claim based on 3000-year-old artifacts, Philip Weiss
Marty Kaplan at Huffpo: “I take Israel personally.” Further proof that the left is permeated by the Israel lobby. Further proof that Zionism has produced a giant IQ drop in what I grew up thinking were the smartest people in the country. Note that Kaplan hadn’t been to Israel in 40 years till he visited lately; but he regards the wall there as his wall. And note the 3000-year-old artifacts of Jewish civilization Kaplan sees at the Israel Museum that combined with genealogical records at the Holocaust museum justify Zionist land claims for him and the rest of the “Jewish people.”
https://mondoweiss.net/2010/11/huffpo-gives-platform-to-israel-lobbyists-claim-based-on-3000-year-old-artifacts.html
Congressional request for Pollard pardon just another example of putting Israel’s interests first, Maggie Sager
In one of the United States Congress’ most recent displays of “Israel First” policy, 39 Representatives, all democrats, have requested that President Obama pardon Jonathan Pollard, an American convicted of spying for the State of Israel in 1987. Pollard is currently serving a life sentence for his crimes.
https://mondoweiss.net/2010/11/congressional-request-for-pollard-pardon-just-another-example-of-putting-israels-interests-first.html
Trade Mordechai Vanunu for Jonathan Pollard
Israeli Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu is nothing if not an expert in chutzpah. He wants Washington to release Jonathan Pollard, arrested a quarter century ago on the steps of the Israeli embassy after spying for Israel, in exchange for a freeze on West Bank settlements. Even stranger is the fact that 39 American congressmen also are urging the release of Pollard who was, well, a traitor. Presumably peace is in Israel’s interest. Israel’s future as a democratic Jewish state is threatened by its militarized occupation of the Palestinian territories. Why then should the U.S. government have to release someone who spied on the U.S. government for Israel to induce Israel to seek peace? Some advocates of Pollard’s release contend that the damage from his activities was exaggerated and his sentence was unduly harsh. Perhaps, though it ill behooves the Israeli government to make this case. After all, Israel maintains arbitrary restrictions on Mordechai Vanunu 24 years after he was kidnapped by Mossad agents and returned to Israel for trial after exposing the details of Israel’s nuclear program.
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/doug-bandow/trade-mordechai-vanunu-fo_b_787360.html
The Israeli model of racism and discrimination receives cheers in Congress
“Representative John L. Mica, Republican of Florida and a critic of the Obama administration’s new screening methods, says the Transportation Security Administration should look at Israel, which uses early detection techniques at airports. An editorial in The Washington Times last week praised El Al, the Israeli national airline, as employing the “smarter approach” of using “sophisticated intelligence analysis which allows them to predict which travelers constitute a possible threat and which do not.” As it turns out, the security methods employed by Israel’s famous Shin Bet security service at Ben-Gurion International Airport in Tel Aviv are frequently stricter and more intrusive than the full-body scanners and pat-downs American officials put into place Nov. 1, said security analysts and the travelers who regularly show up at Ben-Gurion four hours before their flights for screening. At Ben-Gurion, some passengers have been searched so thoroughly that they have had to walk through the terminals, the gates and up to the doors of their planes with no handbags, wallets or even shoes.”
http://angryarab.blogspot.com/2010/11/israeli-model-of-racism-and.html
The Israelification of America, Paul Woodward
As the Transportation Security Administration faces a barrage of criticism, some indignant Americans are calling for the “Israelification” of US airports — as though the security procedures used in a tiny Middle Eastern ethnocracy with one international airport could easily be scaled up for America.
https://mondoweiss.net/2010/11/the-israelification-of-america.html
If you wear the ‘neoconservative burqa,’ you will never see the ‘root cause of Muslim antagonism to the U.S.’, Philip Weiss
Prince Turki Al-Faisal of Saudi Arabia spoke to the National Council on U.S.-Arab Relations in Washington last month. The speech was reprinted in the latest Washington Report for Middle East Affairs (I subscribe; this issue’s not online yet). Some staggering excerpts, emphases mine: Saudi Arabia has had a clear view of where it is going and how to get there. In 1981, the late King Fahd issued what came to be known as the Fahd Peace Plan in which he called for the establishment of a Palestinian state in the occupied territories which Israel seized in 1967. He also called for the recognition of the de facto borders of all countries, prior to June 4, 1967. That meant recognition for the first time by all the Arab states for Israel in pre-1967 borders. All the Arab countries agreed to the plan. Israel, on the other hand, did not even say that it heard of it. The U.S. totally ignored it.
https://mondoweiss.net/2010/11/if-you-wear-the-neoconservative-burqa-you-will-never-see-the-root-cause-of-muslim-antagonism-to-the-u-s.html
The Dangers of Embedded Journalism, PATRICK COCKBURN
Embedded journalism earned itself a bad name in Iraq and Afghanistan. The phrase came to evoke an image of the supposedly independent correspondent truckling to military mentors who spoon-feed him or her absurdly optimistic information about the course of the war. To many, the embedded journalist is a grisly throwback to First World War-style reporting, when appalling butchery in the trenches was presented as a series of judiciously planned advances by British generals.
http://www.counterpunch.com/cockburn11232010.html
Bush the Warmonger in His Own Words, RAY McGOVERN
Why should George W. Bush have been “angry” to learn in late 2007 of the “high-confidence” unanimous judgment of all 16 U.S. intelligence agencies that Iran had stopped working on a nuclear weapon four years earlier? Seems to me he might have said “Hot Dog!” rather than curse under his breath. Nowhere in his memoir, Decision Points, is Bush’s bizarre relationship with truth so manifest as when he describes his dismay at learning that the intelligence community had redeemed itself for its lies about Iraq by preparing an honest National Intelligence Estimate on Iran. As the Bush-book makes abundantly clear, that NIE rammed an iron rod through the wheels of the juggernaut rolling toward war.
http://www.counterpunch.com/mcgovern11232010.html
Lebanon
Israeli Planes Violate Lebanon Airspace
24/11/2010 Two Israeli warplanes have once again crossed over into Lebanese airspace in violation of a UN Security Council resolution, according to a statement released by the Lebanese military. The Israeli aircraft crossed into Lebanese airspace over the southern border village of Kfar Kila at 11 a.m. local time (0800 GMT) on Tuesday and conducted several unwarranted flights above southern Lebanon, as well as the capital Beirut, the statement said. The fighters flew over the southern border town of Alma al-Shaab, at 13:00 p.m. local time (1000 GMT) and left Lebanese airspace. On Monday, an Israeli reconnaissance aircraft violated Lebanon’s airspace and patrolled the skies above several areas in southern Lebanon, including the village of al-Nabi Shayth, located 57 km (35 miles) from Beirut. The remotely piloted plane carried out covert surveillance of Jouaya and Yahfoufa villages. Israel violates Lebanon’s airspace on an almost daily basis, claiming the flights serve surveillance purposes.
http://almanar.com.lb/NewsSite/NewsDetails.aspx?id=163115&language=en
Hezbollah accuses Israel of infiltrating its mobile network (AFP)
AFP – Israel bugged the mobile phones of members of Lebanon’s Hezbollah, allowing it to send false text messages and to track the phones’ movements, a senior Hezbollah MP and a government expert said on Tuesday.
http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/mideast/*http://news.yahoo.com/s/afp/20101123/wl_mideast_afp/lebanonunhariritribunaltelecomhezbollahisrael
‘Israel Still Spying on Lebanon’s Telecoms Network’
The Israeli aggression against Lebanese Telecoms network continues to be uncovered day after another…, On Tuesday, a much-awaited press conference over the Israeli ongoing violations was held at the Parliament by Telecoms Minister Charbel Nahhas, the head of the Information and Telecoms parliamentary bloc MP Hasan Fadlallah and the head of the head of the Telecommunications Regulatory Authority (TRA) Imad Hobballah., The press conference was aimed at showing the level of the Israeli violations and infiltration of the Lebanese Telecoms network and warning against the dangers of such violations at the level of national security.
http://almanar.com.lb/NewsSite/NewsDetails.aspx?id=163087&language=en
Lebanon Druze leader demands govt reject Hariri tribunal
BEIRUT (AFP) – Lebanese Druze leader Walid Jumblatt on Wednesday accused a UN-backed probe into the murder of the country’s ex-premier of being politically motivated and urged the cabinet to unanimously reject it. “This tribunal is aimed at destabilising Lebanon rather than rendering justice,” Jumblatt told AFP. “It would be appropriate at this time for the cabinet to meet and unanimously denounce the tribunal and its [upcoming] verdict.” His comments press reports implicating the militant group Hezbollah in the murder of Sunni ex-premier Rafiq Hariri, who was killed in 2005 along with 22 others in a massive seaside bombing.
http://www.maannews.net/eng/ViewDetails.aspx?ID=335578
Hariri tribunal slams CBC report
Prosecutor says Canadian report linking Hezbollah to the killing of Lebanon’s former PM could jeopardise lives.
http://english.aljazeera.net/news/middleeast/2010/11/20101123234432738387.html
Hezbollah Condemns Israeli Plan to Expand Area around Al Buraq Site
23/11/2010 Hezbollah condemned on Tuesday the ongoing Zionist aggressions on the Islamic and Christian sanctities, pointing to the Israeli enemy’s adoption of a plan to expand the area around Al Buraq Site. In a statement it released, Hezbollah expressed belief that these aggressive practices come in the framework of a systematic plot to Judaize the Palestinian occupied territories, including religious sanctities. The Resistance party said that these practices also confirm the Zionist scheme to Judaize all of Palestine, in addition to imposing this situation as a status-quo in light of an international collusion in this plan, and a disgraceful Arab silence. Hezbollah concluded its statement by calling on Muslims and Christians as well as the world’s free and noble people to be careful to the graveness and dangerousness of the Zionist aggressions against the religions, in addition to the concept of Human coexistence. The statement urged all international concerned institutions to condemn the Israeli aggression and take all necessary precautions to prevent the enemy from proceeding with its criminal plots.
http://almanar.com.lb/NewsSite/NewsDetails.aspx?id=163100&language=en
Iraq
Police: 8 killed in attacks across Iraq (AP)
AP – Eight people have been killed across Iraq in separate drive-by shootings and a roadside bomb that targeted members of an anti-al-Qaida militia, Iraqi officials said Wednesday.
http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/iraq/*http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20101124/ap_on_re_mi_ea/ml_iraq
Bombs kill three, injure 22 in north Iraq-police
BAGHDAD, Nov 24 (Reuters) – Two roadside bombs killed three people and injured 22 near a security checkpoint manned by members of the government-backed Sahwa militia in northern Iraq on Wednesday, police said. The blasts, which occurred in the town of Shirqat, 300 km (190 miles) north of Baghdad, happened in quick succession, killing two Sahwa members and a civilian, a police source said.
http://www.alertnet.org/thenews/newsdesk/KAM447036.htm
Tuesday: 12 Iraqis Killed, 11 Wounded
At least 12 Iraqis were killed and 11 more were wounded in the latest attacks. Meanwhile, a Christian lawmaker called foreign offers of asylum “meddling” in the country’s affairs and instead demanded that Iraq increase protection of the religious minority. Christians, however, aren’t the only Iraqis stressed over their situation. Sunnis, with good reason, fear they are treated unfairly in the court system. Also, a special committee to address problems with implementing the census was formed.
http://original.antiwar.com/updates/2010/11/23/tuesday-12-iraqis-killed-11-wounded/
Response: We doctors must protect all victims of torture and malpractice
In Iraq, medics may have colluded in mistreatment of prisoners. We must speak out. In his analysis of the videos revealing the brutal interrogation of Iraqi prisoners by British soldiers, Dr Brian Fine of the Medical Foundation for the Care of Victims of Torture says: “All allegations of torture and other ill-treatment should be fully investigated and anyone found to be responsible brought to justice” (Important step toward the truth, 6 November). But what if those responsible include his professional colleagues and mine?
http://www.guardian.co.uk/commentisfree/2010/nov/24/doctors-must-protect-victims-of-torture
U.S. & Other World News
Rep. Kucinich slams fake Afghan elections, fake withdrawal, fake Taliban
Rep. Dennis Kucinich (D-OH) again called for the United States to end its involvement in Afghanistan after it was revealed that NATO officials were duped into holding negotiations with a man posing as a senior member of the Taliban.
http://www.rawstory.com/rs/2010/11/rep-kucinich-slams-fake-afghan-elections-fake-withdrawal-fake-taliban/
ADL supports the new START treaty–I kid you not
As part of that effort, the White House has been in contact with pro-Israel and pro-Jewish organizations, encouraging them to be vocal about their support for the New START treaty, and warning them that the failure of the treaty could have negative implications for the drive to halt Iran’s nuclear program. “Certainly we’ve been in touch with all sorts of different groups saying if you feel strongly about the treaty, we hope your voice will be heard,” a senior administration official said when asked about whether Jewish groups had been contacted. The official added that the administration had not asked anyone to contact lawmakers. Over the last three days, three major pro-Israel organizations issued strong statements of support for New START: the National Jewish Democratic Council (NJDC), the Anti-Defamation League (ADL), and the American Council for World Jewry (ACWJ).“
http://angryarab.blogspot.com/2010/11/adl-supports-new-start-treaty-i-kid-you.html
US launches giant eavesdropping satellite
THE United States has placed in orbit a vast reconnaissance satellite reputed to be the largest eavesdropping device ever launched into space.
http://www.heraldsun.com.au/news/breaking-news/us-launches-giant-eavesdropping-satellite/story-e6frf7jx-1225958975836
Poll: Majority oppose body scans, nearly half seek alternative to flying
The use of backscatter x-ray machines to scan travelers’ bodies and new pat down procedures at airports will cause 48% of Americans to seek an alternative means of transportation, according to a Zogby International poll. Of the 2,032 likely voters polled between November 19 and November 22, 61 percent said they oppose the use of body scanners and pat downs. The findings of the Zogby poll strikingly contradict an earlier poll of 1,137 adults conducted by CBS News November 7 to November 10. That poll found only 15 percent of respondents were opposed to the use of body scanners at airport security checkpoints, with four out of five saying they’re in favor. A Washington Post-ABC News poll of 514 adults conducted on November 21 found over half of respondents supported the use of body scanners and 70 percent supported the use of profiling at airports. Another poll, conducted by USA TODAY/Gallup and published today, found that most travelers are bothered or angered by pat downs.
http://www.rawstory.com/rs/2010/11/poll-majority-oppose-body-scans-seek-alternative-flying/
Application for Lower Manhattan Revitalization Funds Sparks More Unfounded Hysteria Over Park 51, Alex Kane
First, opponents of Park 51 were fretting about non-existent foreign money linked to the project. Now, they’re coming out in opposition to the possibility of federal funds going towards the center. The New York papers today are amplifying Pamela Geller’s latest attempt to stoke opposition to the Islamic community center in lower Manhattan. In typical fashion, the New York Post‘s headline reads: “GZ mosque in 9/11 cash grab.”
http://alexbkane.wordpress.com/2010/11/23/application-for-lower-manhattan-revitalization-funds-sparks-more-hysteria-over-park-51/
Egypt says “amazed” by Ethiopia’s Nile remarks
ABU DHABI/CAIRO, Nov 23 (Reuters) – Egypt said it was “amazed” by Ethiopia’s suggestion on Tuesday that Cairo might turn to military action in a row over the Nile waters, saying it did not want confrontation and was not backing rebels there. Egypt, Ethiopia and seven other countries through which the river passes have been locked in more than a decade of contentious talks driven by anger over the perceived injustice of a previous Nile water treaty signed in 1929.
http://www.alertnet.org/thenews/newsdesk/LDE6AM286.htm
In Cairo, an effort to put sexual harassment on the map – via Twitter and text
HarassMap, a website devoted to publishing reports of Cairo’s endemic sexual harassment, debuts next month. Women can report abuse via Twitter, text message, e-mail, or Facebook.
http://rss.csmonitor.com/%7Er/feeds/world/%7E3/kZL7LH1MeBw/In-Cairo-an-effort-to-put-sexual-harassment-on-the-map-via-Twitter-and-text
Clash between Christians and police in Cairo leaves one dead
Thirty injured and 85 arrested after riots erupt when government halts construction of a church.
http://www.haaretz.com/news/international/clash-between-christians-and-police-in-cairo-leaves-one-dead-1.326574?localLinksEnabled=false
www.TheHeadlines.org
