Settlers/ Land, Property, Resource Theft & Destruction/Ethnic Cleansing
MSD: Israel has razed 1, 485 homes in east J’lem since its occupation
Al-Maqdesi for society development said Israel has demolished 1, 485 Palestinian homes in east Jerusalem since 1967 and issued 1, 322 orders to raze homes in the same area in 2009 and 2010.
http://www.palestine-info.co.uk/En/default.aspx?xyz=U6Qq7k%2bcOd87
Four Houses Razed in Jerusalem; Estimates Predict Unprecedented Palestinian Exodus
Jerusalem – PNN – In a series of home demolition operations in East Jerusalem, Israeli troops razed one building in Ras Khamis and two in ‘Issawiya, and a fourth home was destroyed by its owners in Sheikh Jarrah to avoid the demolition fee imposed by the Israeli municipal authorities. The incidents come as a Jerusalem think tank predicts that about 3500 Palestinians will be forced out of the city in the next year.
http://english.pnn.ps/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=9214
Violent Confrontations in ‘Issawiya Ahead of Planned Demolitions
Jerusalem – PNN – The East Jerusalem neighborhood of ‘Issawiya witnessed violent confrontations between Palestinian citizens and heavily-armed Israeli police. A local source said police set up blockades and issued a demolition order for one home, saying it was unlicensed. Violence ensued near the entrances of the blockade and more Israeli soldiers and police were called in. Eyewitnesses said that most of the assaults and arrests of Palestinians were carried out by Israeli soldiers dressed up as Arabs. Others claimed they used police dogs to disperse the protestors. Maher Husayn of ‘Issawiya said the Israeli police went beyond their lawful responsibilities in arresting children and closing off entrance points to the neighborhood.
http://english.pnn.ps/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=9210&Itemid=64
Bulldozers demolish home, workshop in Jerusalem
JERUSALEM (Ma’an) – Bulldozers of the Jerusalem municipal council escorted by Israeli police and border guards demolished a newly constructed home and a printing workshop Tuesday in the neighborhood of Al-Isawiya, north of the Old City. The home, under construction for two years, was a 125-square-meter building belonging to Atiyya Imteir, a father of eight and worker at the Shaare Zedek Medical Center.
http://www.maannews.net/eng/ViewDetails.aspx?ID=337349
Protests after Israel demolishes E.Jerusalem home
JERUSALEM — Palestinians protested in east Jerusalem on Tuesday, throwing rocks and setting several cars on fire, after Israeli forces demolished a home in the Arab neighbourhood of Issawiya. Israeli police and the local officials confirmed that a home and a small room housing a printing press next door had been demolished in Issawiya, in occupied east Jerusalem. Israeli police spokesman Micky Rosenfeld said the building was demolished because it was built illegally.
http://www.google.com/hostednews/afp/article/ALeqM5i5Bxy0S6TongnFL77tsAkPx-FWXA?docId=CNG.23afc412c6dd3afe7b5a46ff5c2bc83f.571
UN Report Uncovers Israeli Efforts to Drive Palestinians from Jerusalem
Cairo – PNN – The Cairo-based UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) released a report on Monday saying that Israeli settlers in Jerusalem cooperated with Israeli police to seize a three-storey Palestinian apartment in the East Jerusalem neighborhood of Jebel al-Mukabar between November 10 and November 23. Three families, 14 people all together including five children, left as a result. The OCHA report said that settlers bought the apartment from a family member who died several years ago, putting the deal into dispute. The Palestinian owners of the buildings demanded to see the papers of sale and alleged that they were defrauded. OCHA claimed this is the second time buildings have been seized by settlers since the beginning of the year. In July, settlers took over eight residential units in the Old City, resulting in the flight of eight Palestinian families, or 29 people in all.
http://english.pnn.ps/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=9206&Itemid=64
Palestinian leader warns of settlement ‘time bomb’ (AFP)
AFP – Palestinian leader Mahmud Abbas warned Monday that Israel’s settlement of occupied territories has become “a time bomb” that could destroy peace hopes at any moment.
http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/mideast/*http://news.yahoo.com/s/afp/20101130/wl_mideast_afp/israelpalestiniansun
Israel`s latest settlement plan angers Palestinians
JERUSALEM (AFP) — Israeli authorities on Monday approved a request for 130 new Jewish homes on the outskirts of annexed east Jerusalem, drawing an immediate protest from Palestinian officials. The Jerusalem municipal council approved a request that would rezone an area in the settlement of Gilo, near Bethlehem, allowing residential construction on a plot of land originally designated for a hotel.
http://www.maannews.net/eng/ViewDetails.aspx?ID=337259
Non-Aligned Movement reiterates call for end to Israeli settlement building
UNITED NATIONS, Nov. 29 (Xinhua) — Maged Abdelaziz, the permanent representative of Egypt to the UN, said here Monday that Israel must stop infringing on the Occupied Palestinian Territories in order to allow a two-state solution to be negotiated in the Middle East. The Egyptian ambassador made the statement when he was speaking on behalf of the Non-Aligned Movement (NAM) at a UN meeting to mark the International Day of Solidarity with the Palestinian People.
http://news.xinhuanet.com/english2010/world/2010-11/30/c_13627854.htm
Activism/Solidarity/Boycott, Divestment & Sanctions
Weekly Repression Update 22-29 November 2010
http://stopthewall.org/latestnews/2409.shtml
Protesters: Israeli forces fire on Gaza march
GAZA CITY (Ma’an) — Israeli forces opened fire on a peaceful protest march in the northern Gaza Strip near the Erez crossing point, demonstrators said. The march was organized by the Beit Hanoun Local Initiative to commemorate the International Day of Solidarity with the Palestinian People. The demonstrators were carrying Palestinian flags.
http://www.maannews.net/eng/ViewDetails.aspx?ID=337106
Letter from prison: I have a lot of energy to struggle
The following is an excerpt from a letter by Palestinian political prisoner and civil society leader Ameer Makhoul, written in response to a postcard featuring an image of a lighthouse sent by The Electronic Intifada contributor Adri Nieuwhof: “The lighthouse, al-fanar in Arabic, is an inspiration. I have built a lighthouse here in jail. It has been built in my mind because I am not allowed to use the space, but my mind is totally mine.”
http://electronicintifada.net/v2/article11644.shtml?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+electronicIntifadaPalestine+%28Electronic+Intifada+%3A+Palestine+News%29
Arrested while helping farmers in Saffa Valley
It was a bright, warm morning in the occupied West Bank’s Saffa Valley Thursday, 18 November when, without warning, the Israeli occupation forces were upon us. Within moments, five Israeli soldiers were shouting in Hebrew. “You have one minute to leave the area!” they said, before shooting stun grenades at our feet. Moments later, we were told to sit quietly and hand over our passports. A six-hour detention was to follow.
http://electronicintifada.net/v2/article11645.shtml?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+electronicIntifadaPalestine+%28Electronic+Intifada+%3A+Palestine+News%29
Ain al-Hilweh refugees mark day Palestine was divided
SIDON: Palestinian refugees at the south Lebanon camp of Ain al-Hilweh staged a demonstration Monday to mark the International Day of Solidarity with the Palestinian People. Refugees gathered outside the notorious refugee camp of Ain al-Hilweh and representatives of various Palestinian political and civil-society organizations were present.
http://www.dailystar.com.lb/article.asp?edition_id=1&categ_id=1&article_id=121988
Princeton students vote on alternate hummus brands (AP)
AP – Princeton University students voted Monday in a referendum by a pro-Palestine student group on whether to expand the school’s hummus offerings.
http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/mideast/*http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20101129/ap_on_re_us/us_princeton_hummus_vote
My aunt the revolutionary, Dima Shaibani
Hana al-Shaibani gave up her comfortable life in 1960s Baghdad to live in a refugee camp and fight for the PLO.
http://english.aljazeera.net/indepth/features/2010/11/201011883848566888.html
Anti
Israeli-Palestine Holiday Tour, Without Showing the Conflict
The French tour company Voyageurs du Monde (World Travelers) has launched a new brochure to promote tourism in Israel and Palestine as a whole, under the slogan “peace and love” but only mentions, superficially, the separation wall or the checkpoints. The project has been supported by the Israeli National Tourism Office as well as the Delegation of Palestine in France.
http://www.imemc.org/article/60038
Abuse of Palestinian Children
Israeli Troops Arrest Two Boys in Hebron, 10 and 15
Hebron – PNN – Israeli forces arrested two boys in the township of Saeer, east of Hebron, during a series of home raids on Tuesday.
http://english.pnn.ps/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=9212&Itemid=64
Siege/Rights Violations/Restriction of Movement
UN officials denounce Israeli law violations
BEIRUT: Israel’s continued flouting of international law and denial of human rights to millions of Palestinian civilians living under occupation was strongly denounced Monday by a collection of leading United Nations and Lebanese political figures speaking on the occasion of the International Day of Solidarity with the Palestinian People.
http://www.dailystar.com.lb/article.asp?edition_id=1&categ_id=1&article_id=121987
Gaza still struggling despite Israeli let-up
A partial lifting of Israel’s Gaza Strip blockade has had only a limited effect in improving life for residents of the Palestinian coastal enclave, a coalition of humanitarian groups said Tuesday. A report by 22 organizations and entitled “Dashed Hopes: Continuation of the Gaza Blockade” says an Israeli pledge to liberalize the import of materials for UN and other international building projects has barely dented a backlog.
http://www.dailystar.com.lb/article.asp?edition_id=10&categ_id=2&article_id=122004#axzz16ibW7pAF
Falk: Prolonged occupation new crime against humanity
GENEVA (Ma’an) — Israel’s prolonged occupation of the Palestinian territories is “a new type of crime against humanity,” a senior UN envoy said Monday. UN representative on human rights in the Palestinian territories Richard Falk urged the international community to draft a new protocol of international humanitarian law to address the situation imposed on Palestinian people by 43 years of Israeli occupation.
http://www.maannews.net/eng/ViewDetails.aspx?ID=337237
The Victims of Sol Or
The Sol Or factory, located in Tulkarem’s industrial settlement, has become a killer. The factory produces gas and fuels, which require strict safety regulations, but its owners have neglected them at the cost of their employee’s lives.
http://www.palestinemonitor.org/spip/spip.php?article1633
Gaza Famers Get Home Garden Training
ANERA – PNN/Gaza – Winter is approaching in Gaza but that doesn’t mean that farmers there are idle. With help from ANERA, 35 farmers are getting ready to launch their own home gardens. The first step included five training sessions conducted by the American Near East Refugee Aid – ANERA. In the coming weeks the 23 men and 12 women in the project will receive the greenhouses, tools, seedlings, water tanks, fertilizers and irrigation system to achieve their goal. Throughout the training and implementation of the gardens, the focus is on best agricultural practices. Trainer Mohammed Khader describes the term “home gardens”: “Home garden is an area of arable land surrounding a home, regardless of its size. It can be used for growing vegetables, fruit trees and ornamental plants and flowers or for raising animals such as sheep and poultry for the provision of animal protein.”
http://english.pnn.ps/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=9204&Itemid=63
Racism and Discrimination
Poll: Most Israeli Jews believe Arab citizens should have no say in foreign policy
Israel Democratic Institute conducts study on democracy, concludes that more than half Israelis say Arabs should be encouraged to emigrate.
http://www.haaretz.com/news/national/poll-most-israeli-jews-believe-arab-citizens-should-have-no-say-in-foreign-policy-1.327972?localLinksEnabled=false
Survey: Half of Israeli Jews oppose having Arab neighbors
Survey finds 46% of Israeli Jews consider Arabs as worst neighbors, while quarter of population thinks haredi and gay neighbors the least desirable. ‘Media fuels radicalization,’ says Justice Minister Ne’eman.
http://www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7340,L-3992058,00.html
Haredi town of Bnei Brak moves to evict migrant workers
This comes on the heels of a campaign announced by the municipality earlier this month to stop landlords in the city from renting to illegal immigrants.
http://www.haaretz.com/print-edition/news/haredi-town-of-bnei-brak-moves-to-evict-migrant-workers-1.327780?localLinksEnabled=false
Chief rabbi: Torpedo IDF conversions law
In urgent letter to Prime Minister Netanyahu, Rabbi Amar says automatic recognition of army conversions will have ‘severe consequences’.
http://www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7340,L-3991615,00.html
Violence/Aggression
Israel raids limited area in Bait Hanoon
Israeli occupation forces raided Monday a limited area in Bait Hanoon, in north of Gaza Strip. According to local sources, bulldozers and vehicles invaded meters in the Palestinian land. Residents in the area reported that they targeted the invaded forces by mortar shells.
http://www.paltelegraph.com/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=7595:Israel-raids-limited-area-in-Bait-Hanoon&catid=58:gaza-strip&Itemid=134
Carts evacuate 5 wounded workers at Gaza border
GAZA CITY (Ma’an) — Five Palestinian workers were shot and taken to hospital on Tuesday, after Israeli forces opened fire on the group in what the injured said appeared to be a rapid succession of sniper attacks. The men said they were collecting stone aggregates in the northern Gaza Strip near the evacuated Israeli settlement of Eli Sinai north of Beit Lahiya when the incident occurred. Medics said ambulances could not reach the area, so the men were first evacuated by donkey cart until they were safely out of Israel’s unilaterally imposed “no-go-zone” which officials say is kept clear because it is an area where attacks are launched against Israel. The lands in the zone constitute some 20 percent of arable farm lands in the Strip.
http://www.maannews.net/eng/ViewDetails.aspx?ID=337326
Detainees
Shin Bet arrests 3 Fatah faction members
Three Fatah members admit to carrying out September terror attack in Hebron injuring 35-year-old pregnant woman, who gave birth hours later.
http://www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7340,L-3992109,00.html
Center condemns nights raids in Israeli prisons
GAZA CITY (Ma’an) — Israeli prison authorities assaulted detainees during overnight cell raids at Nafha prison, a detainees’ center in Gaza said Monday. The center issued a statement condemning the raids and said the treatment of Palestinian political prisoners violated human rights.
http://www.maannews.net/eng/ViewDetails.aspx?ID=337271
Arab Helpers
PA militia kidnaps professor Douqan from his home
A Security militia from the Palestinian authority kidnapped Monday evening professor Ghassan Douqan, a lecturer at Al-Najah university, after a violent raid on his home in Ma’ajeen neighborhood.
http://www.palestine-info.co.uk/En/default.aspx?xyz=U6Qq7k
20 Hamas affiliates arrested by PA
BETHLEHEM (Ma’an) — Palestinian Authority forces detained 20 members of Hamas, the Islamist movement said Tuesday. The group said in a statement the arrests took place in Nablus, Jenin, Hebron and Qalqiliya.
http://www.maannews.net/eng/ViewDetails.aspx?ID=337360
Political Developments
Palestinians confront Israeli control in West Bank (AP)
AP – With a pledge to rebuild a demolished road, the Palestinian prime minister is opening a confrontation with Israel over the large parts of the West Bank that are under sole Israeli control.
http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/mideast/*http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20101130/ap_on_re_mi_ea/ml_israel_palestinians
Netanyahu: Germany could play central role in Mideast peace
Speaking after joint meeting in Jerusalem, German President Christian Wulff urges Israel to adopt a constructive attitude on settlements and the Gaza Strip.
http://www.haaretz.com/news/diplomacy-defense/netanyahu-germany-could-play-central-role-in-mideast-peace-1.327750?localLinksEnabled=false
IOF raids villages in Jenin
29 Nov 2010 – Jenin, November 29 (Pal Telegraph) – Israeli occupation forces (IOF) raided Monday Brqeen village and number of neighborhoods in south of Jenin city, in north of the West Bank. Israeli soldiers raided shops and restaurants and questioned number of citezens , local sources reported.
http://www.paltelegraph.com/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=7594:IOF-raids-villages-in-Jenin&catid=59:west-bank&Itemid=135
WikiLeaked: John Kerry calls for Israel to cede Golan Heights and East Jerusalem – By Josh Rogin
On a February trip to the Middle East, Senate Foreign Relations Committee chairman John Kerry (D-MA) told Qatari leaders that the Golan Heights should be returned to Syria, that a Palestinian capital should be established in East Jerusalem as part of the Arab-Israeli peace process, and that he was “shocked” by what he saw on a visit to Gaza.
http://thecable.foreignpolicy.com/posts/2010/11/29/wikileaked_john_kerry_calls_for_israel_to_cede_golan_heights_and_east_jerusalem
Netanyahu said no peace with ‘right of return’: WikiLeaks (AFP)
AFP – The Palestinians will not be a partner for peace until they drop demands for the “right of return,” Benjamin Netanyahu said two years before being elected premier, leaked US cables showed on Monday.
http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/mideast/*http://news.yahoo.com/s/afp/20101129/wl_mideast_afp/usdiplomacywikileaksisraelpalestiniansrefugees
WikiLeaks blows cover off Israel’s covert Gulf states ties
Diplomatic cable dating from 2009 indicates that then FM Tzipi Livni had a good working, personal relationship with U.A.E. Foreign Minister Abdullah Ibn Zayed.
http://www.haaretz.com/news/diplomacy-defense/wikileaks-blows-cover-off-israel-s-covert-gulf-states-ties-1.327758?localLinksEnabled=false
‘Souring’ Israel-Turkey relationship seen in WikiLeaks trove
Confidential documents show how Americans grew frustrated and even angry over a Turkish foreign policy out of sync with the U.S. vision. U.S. officials had scrambled to keep two allies from airing their growing differences in public — again.
http://feeds.latimes.com/%7Er/latimes/middleeast/%7E3/YObifWnFSGs/la-fg-wikileaks-turkey-20101130,0,1451149.story
WikiLeaks exposé: Israeli officials accused Egypt of undermining ties
The cable, from the U.S. Embassy in Tel Aviv, quoted Uzi Arad, chairman of Israel’s National Security Council, as accusing Egypt’s Foreign Ministry of harming relations with Jerusalem.
http://www.haaretz.com/print-edition/news/wikileaks-expose-israeli-officials-accused-egypt-of-undermining-ties-1.327776?localLinksEnabled=false
Other News
Golan Leaders Disown Likud MK Ayyoub Qarra
During a meeting led by dozens of Druze figures in the occupied Golan Heights, social and religious leaders and residents declared that they disown Member of Knesset Ayyoub Qarra of the Likud Party, and that al-Qarra will not be welcomed or acknowledged by anyone.
http://www.imemc.org/article/60039
Culture
Gaza/West Bank Unite Through ‘Puppet Shoes’
Yesterday night, the French-German Cultural Center in Ramallah screened a series of short films produced by youth in refugee camps throughout the West Bank and Gaza Strip. The screening was held in coordination with venues in Nablus, Gaza City and Amman, Jordan to commemorate International Day of Solidarity with the Palestinian People.
http://www.palestinemonitor.org/spip/spip.php?article1634
Palestinian Folk Dance- Dabka – Goes International
The groups in Genève – Switzerland, Toronto – Canada, Utrecht – The Netherlands, Paris – France and Geel in Belgium, preformed the Palestinian traditional Dabka dance. These groups did a joined international flashmob action to show solidarity with the Palestinian people and to promote the call for Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions until Israel complies with international law.
http://english.pnn.ps/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=9208&Itemid=63
Review: paintings scream to break walls of silence
Scottish artist Jane Frere’s exhibition In the Shadow of the Wall reminds us that the plight of the Palestinian people is not just confined to periods of overt conflict, but is an ongoing, everyday experience. Stephen Fiddes reviews for The Electronic Intifada.
http://electronicintifada.net/v2/article11643.shtml?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+electronicIntifadaPalestine+%28Electronic+Intifada+%3A+Palestine+News%29
Analysis/Op-ed
Robert Fisk: Now we know. America really doesn’t care about injustice in the Middle East
I came to the latest uproarious US diplomatic history with the deepest cynicism. And yesterday, in the dust of post-election Cairo – the Egyptian parliamentary poll was as usual a mixture of farce and fraud, which is at least better than shock and awe – I ploughed through so many thousands of American diplomatic reports with something approaching utter hopelessness. After all, they do quote President Hosni Mubarak as saying that “you can forget about democracy,” don’t they?
http://www.independent.co.uk/opinion/commentators/fisk/robert-fisk-now-we-know-america-really-doesnt-care-about-injustice-in-the-middle-east-2146971.html
WikiLeaks Docs Expose Egyptian Complicity with Israeli War Crimes (Again), Alex Kane
One of the most striking things that I took away from my time in Egypt last winter was the extent to which the U.S.-backed Mubarak dictatorship goes to squash public dissent on their government’s Gaza policy (see the video above). Swarms of riot police encircled peaceful protests calling on the Egyptian government to let activists part of the Gaza Freedom March into Gaza. During the marchers’ standoff with the Mubarak regime, the Egyptian government was exposed as being collaborators in the Israeli blockade of Gaza, something that deeply upsets ordinary Egyptians and led to Mubarak getting hammered in the Arab press.
http://alexbkane.wordpress.com/2010/11/29/wikileaks-docs-expose-egyptian-complicity-with-israeli-war-crimes-again/
Someone Should Tell Ileana Ros-Lehtinen: WikiLeaks Docs Show Israel’s Happiness with Palestinian Authority, Alex Kane
There isn’t anything earth shattering (yet) that was revealed by the latest batch of WikiLeaks documents regarding the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, but that doesn’t mean they are meaningless. Numerous leaked cables have given insight into how Israel views its negotiating partner, the Palestinian Authority (PA), which controls the West Bank. Some members of Congress should especially read the cables, like incoming House Foreign Relations Committee chair Rep. Ileana Ros-Lehtinen, whose hysteria over the United States’ funding of the PA doesn’t bear much relation to the reality of how the PA operates.
http://alexbkane.wordpress.com/2010/11/29/someone-should-tell-ileana-ros-lehtinen-wikileaks-docs-show-israels-happiness-with-palestinian-authority/
Clinton ‘tore the fabric’ herself long before we ever heard of Wikileaks, Kathleen Galt
Secretary of State Hillary Clinton’s response to the latest Wikileaks release was shaky and full of holes at best. Hypocritical is more like it. Clinton stated “Let’s be clear. This disclosure is not just an attack on America — it’s an attack on the international community.” Such leaks, “tear at the fabric” of responsible government. “There is nothing laudable about endangering innocent people, and there is nothing brave about sabotaging the peaceful relations between nations,” Clinton said at the State Department news conference.
https://mondoweiss.net/2010/11/clinton-tore-the-fabric-herself-long-before-we-ever-heard-of-wikileaks.html
If you’re going to cite Arabs re Iran in Wikileaks, why not re ‘Israel causing U.S. to lose Muslim hearts and minds’?, Philip Weiss
NPR just aired an exchange between Robert Segal and the Atlantic’s Jeffrey Goldberg over the fact that Wikileaks cables show that Arab governments want to stop Iran’s nuclear weapons program. I don’t doubt the cables; though when Goldberg says that the Arab governments perceive an “existential threat” from Iran, just as Israel does, I don’t trust him a lick. Goldberg told us that Saddam had links to Al Qaeda and helped get us into the Iraq debacle.
https://mondoweiss.net/2010/11/if-youre-going-to-cite-arabs-re-iran-in-wikileaks-why-not-re-israel-causing-u-s-to-lose-muslim-hearts-and-minds.html
“We Have Not Seen Anything Yet”: Guardian Editor Says Most Startling WikiLeaks Cables Still To Be Released
“In the coming days, we are going to see some quite startling disclosures about Russia, the nature of the Russian state, and about bribery and corruption in other countries, particularly in Central Asia,” says Investigations Executive Editor David Leigh at the Guardian, one of the three newspapers given advanced access to the secret U.S. embassy cables by the whistleblower website, WikiLeaks. “We will see a wrath of disclosures about pretty terrible things going on around the world.” Leigh reviews the major WikiLeaks revelations so far, explains how the 250,000 files were downloaded and given to the newspaper on a thumb drive, and confirms the Guardian gave the files to the New York Times. Additional cables will be disclosed throughout the week.
http://www.democracynow.org/2010/11/30/we_have_not_seen_anything_yet
Noam Chomsky: WikiLeaks Cables Reveal “Profound Hatred for Democracy on the Part of Our Political Leadership”
In a national broadcast exclusive interview, we speak with world-renowned political dissident and linguist Noam Chomsky about the release of more than 250,000 secret U.S. State Department cables by WikiLeaks. In 1971, Chomsky helped government whistleblower Daniel Ellsberg release the Pentagon Papers, a top-secret internal U.S. account of the Vietnam War. Commenting on the revelations that several Arab leaders are urging the United STates to attack Iran, Chomsky says, “Latest polls show] Arab opinion holds that the major threat in the region is Israel, that’s 80 percent; the second threat is the United States, that’s 77 percent. Iran is listed as a threat by 10 percent,” Chomsky says. “This may not be reported in the newspapers, but it’s certainly familiar to the Israeli and U.S. governments and the ambassadors. What this reveals is the profound hatred for democracy on the part of our political leadership.”
http://www.democracynow.org/2010/11/30/noam_chomsky_wikileaks_cables_reveal_profound
Wikileaks: fishy? The seclection, As`ad Abukhalil
Many in the Arab world are expressing doubts and skepticism about Wikileaks. I note to them–when they ask me the following. The selection by the New York Times (and even by Guardian) is rather fishy. There is not a single document that is embarrassing to Israel. Not one. The New York Times did a political hack job with the documents: it used them as a campaign to launch a war on Iran. Yesterday, they drew a silly chart showing all those Arab leaders calling for a war on Iran. The documents released is a small fraction of the total documents. We have to wait for the total release. Is it possible that the intelligence officer who released them protected Israel by holding off on some documents? The volume is too large for him to go through them, I think. And most importantly, despite the release and the fanfare and the noise from the White House: there is nothing that is really embarrassing or revealing about the US government. Only embarrassing about US puppets in the Middle East region. [end]
http://angryarab.blogspot.com/2010/11/wikileaks-fishy-seclection.html
Obama’s Middle East turkeys, MJ Roseberg
Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu’s government has repeatedly treated even the most polite requests to live up to its international commitments (i.e., freezing settlements) with contempt. So now the Obama administration has escalated from simple requests to a version of “pretty please, with a cherry on top.”
http://english.aljazeera.net/indepth/opinion/2010/11/201011297254974458.html
MSM stirs– Wilkerson tells Olbermann Israel can’t be ‘democratic and Jewish’, Susie Kneedler
Last night Colonel Lawrence Wilkerson gently set a naive Keith Olbermann partly straight. Olbermann noticed (at 2:45 or so) that a 2007 cable in the WikiLeaks communiques gives “a reason other than the obvious for Israel’s opposition to Iranian nukes”: that they pose a ‘demographic” threat to “Israel’s long-term survival as a Jewish and democratic state.” Olbermann mentioned that “surveys find that one-third of Israelis would leave [Israel if Iran had the bomb] and Palestinian Israelis already make up twenty percent,” so if Palestinians “become a majority, Israel would have to figure out how it could remain both Jewish and democratic at the same time.”
https://mondoweiss.net/2010/11/msm-stirs-wilkerson-tells-olbermann-israel-cant-be-democratic-and-jewish.html
Sullivan combats anti-Semitic smear by Goldberg, Philip Weiss
Is Sullivan the best? Yes. He is doing the hard labor of taking on the Israel lobby forcefully in the mainstream media, with unrivaled clarity and eloquence. Here he bats down a piece of thuggery from Jeffrey Goldberg, that Sullivan believes that “a group of warmongering Jews– alone” is pushing World War III. Disgusting. Though Sullivan makes clear as he has again and again lately that the Israel lobby is unstraightforward about its agenda and that agenda is at odds with the American people’s interests.
https://mondoweiss.net/2010/11/sullivan-combats-anti-semitic-smear-by-goldberg.html
Will the PA Declare a State… or Collapse?, Stuart Littlewood – London
The other day I looked back with sadness on how nothing had changed for the better since my last trip to Palestine three years ago. On that occasion I also visited Gaza, an experience indelibly etched on my memory. The situation there only goes from bad to worse – intolerably worse. But if I’m dispirited, heaven knows how the average Palestinian must feel as a result of the incompetent leadership they have had to endure these last 63 years… a leadership which failed to coherently argue and convey the justice of the Palestinian cause and never bothered, even to this day, to formulate and put into action an effective communications plan to win freedom.
http://palestinechronicle.com/view_article_details.php?id=16446
Fatal Diplomacy, Mitri I. Musleh
The Israeli cabinet continues debating on whether to accept the US offer for a 90 day freeze in Israeli settlements in the West Bank, excluding any settlements build up in East Jerusalem. By doing so, the US is hoping to get the direct talks between the Palestinians and Israelis back on track. International news quoted diplomats claiming that the incentive package the US is offering Israel includes commitments to fight international resolutions critical to Israel. Further, the US Congress would be asked to supply 20 F-35 stealth fighter jets to Israel as part of a huge military aid package. If the above claim proves true, a new fatal chapter in the Middle East could just be opening up.
http://english.pnn.ps/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=9202&Itemid=58
What would you do if . . ., Mohammed Said AlNadi
https://mondoweiss.net/2010/11/what-would-you-do-if.html
By disempowering women, Arab states only punish themselves
The Egyptian poet Hafiz Ibrahim once declared that “a mother is a school. Empower her and you empower a great nation.” What he meant was that if women were offered the social and economic opportunities they merited, they could help to build strong nations.
http://www.dailystar.com.lb/article.asp?edition_id=10&categ_id=5&article_id=122001
Lebanon
More WikiLeaks memos touch on Lebanese politicians’ stands
BEIRUT: Prime Minister Saad Hariri reportedly urged the United States to “go all the way” in stopping Iran’s nuclear program in August 2006, according to leaked secret US diplomatic memos released this week.
http://www.dailystar.com.lb/article.asp?edition_id=1&categ_id=2&article_id=122017
Jumblatt: Erdogan’s stance ends Lebanon’s isolation
BEIRUT: Head of the Progressive Socialist Party (PSP) MP Walid Jumblatt praised Monday remarks made by Turkey’s Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan, who visited Lebanon last week, saying the stances moved Lebanon from isolation. “Erdogan has stressed in Akkar that Palestine is the central cause and he also recalled the Sabra and Shatila massacres.
http://www.dailystar.com.lb/article.asp?edition_id=1&categ_id=1&article_id=121994
Berri Working on Meeting between Nasralla and Hariri
28/11/2010 Lebanese Speaker Nabih Berri reassured the Lebanese that he is thoroughly following up the situation in Lebanon from every angle and with all concerned parties. Speaking to the Lebanese newspaper An-Nahar, Berri revealed he was working on setting a meeting between Hezbollah Secretary General Sayyed Hasan Nasrallah and Prime Minister Saad Hariri when the latter returns from his tour abroad. The Speaker underlined the Syrian-Saudi efforts to establish reconciliation in Lebanon and pull this country from its quagmire. Berri also said that the few coming days will be “very busy” especially upon Hariri’s return to Lebanon, as a large scale political activity should take place amongst the parties involved in the current crisis.
http://almanar.com.lb/NewsSite/NewsDetails.aspx?id=163589&language=en
Hezbollah hoping Syria, Saudi can defuse Lebanon tensions (AFP)
AFP – Hezbollah is counting on a joint Syrian-Saudi initiative to contain the impact of looming indictments by a UN-backed court set to implicate members of the group in the murder of Lebanon’s ex-premier, experts say.
http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/mideast/*http://news.yahoo.com/s/afp/20101129/wl_mideast_afp/lebanonunhariritribunalhezbollah
Maariv: Ball in Hezbollah’s Court, Feltman Deeply Involved in Lebanon Quagmire
27/11/2010 Israeli daily Maariv reported Friday that “there are US-Israeli understandings” on ways to counter the repercussions of the Special Tribunal for Lebanon (STL) indictment against Hezbollah in the assassination case of former Premier Rafiq Hariri. The newspaper’s correspondent in Washington Shmuel Rosner said that the US administration was working on this track more than it was on the Israeli Palestinian track. He added it was surprising to see how busy the US official’s schedule on the Middle East, be it with Saudi or Israeli officials who have been to Washington lately.
http://almanar.com.lb/NewsSite/NewsDetails.aspx?id=163515&language=en
Iran, Lebanon ink 9 MoUs on mutual cooperation
TEHRAN, Nov. 29 (Xinhua) — Iran and Lebanon signed nine memoranda of understanding (MoUs) on expansion of mutual cooperation between the two countries Monday as Lebanese Premier Saad Hariri wrapped up his visit to the Islamic Republic, the official IRNA news agency reported. The agreements included the expansion of mutual cooperation, campaign against illiteracy, addiction and drug trafficking, cultural heritage, rehabilitation of handicaps, protecting elderly males and females, supporting unprotected children and women affairs as well as family planning, said the report.
http://news.xinhuanet.com/english2010/world/2010-11/30/c_13627540.htm
Rights activist calls for end to brutality in dealing with spy suspects
BEIRUT: The Foundation for Human and Humanitarian Rights called for respecting the rights of suspected spies, during a workshop against the death penalty it held Monday. Several experts took part in the workshop and the foundation’s executive director Wael Kheir linked human rights to the freedom of the press, saying a free press played a major role in protecting human rights.
http://www.dailystar.com.lb/article.asp?edition_id=1&categ_id=1&article_id=121991
Iraq
Monday: 13 Iraqis Killed, 33 Wounded
Interior Minister Jawad Bolani said security forces thwarted an attack on the French embassy that was planned by the same insurgents who took over a church last month; however, they were not able to prevent the violence that led to at least 13 Iraqis losing their lives today. Another 33 were wounded as well. Meanwhile, Foreign Minister Hoshyar Zebari called the latest WikiLeaks dump “unhelpful and untimely.”
http://original.antiwar.com/updates/2010/11/29/monday-13-iraqis-killed-33-wounded/
Iraq forces thwart attack against French embassy: general (AFP)
AFP – Iraqi forces thwarted an attempt by a suicide bomber to blow up a vehicle by the French embassy using intelligence gathered after a bloodbath at a Baghdad cathedral, a general told AFP on Monday.
http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/iraq/*http://news.yahoo.com/s/afp/20101129/wl_mideast_afp/iraqunrestfrance
More than 500 Iraqi Christian families flee to Kurdish north
The exodus of Iraqi Christians is continuing and 507 families have landed in the Kurdish north where security conditions are relatively stable. Many more families have fled directly abroad, mainly to Syria, Jordan and Turkey. Those fleeing to the Kurdish north are reported to be mostly low income Iraqi Christians whose meager resources will not make it easy for them to make ends meet in a foreign country. But the Kurdish north, where Kurds have established a semi-independent state in the three provinces of Arbil, Sulaimaniya and Dahouk, is even more expensive than countries such as Syria. Rents are extremely high and commodity prices dearer than in other parts of Iraq. The large exodus began after scores of Iraqi Christians were killed in a church in Baghdad as they attended mass on Sunday.
http://www.azzaman.com/english/index.asp?fname=news\2010-11-29\kurd.htm
U.S. and other world news
Powerful Republican suggests to colleagues he’d shoot at Obama
‘Put anything in my scope and I will shoot it,’ GOP Rep. says of Obama Administration The former chairman of the House Energy and Commerce Committee may have just destroyed his chances to lead that committee again — if close attention is paid to a slideshow he’s circulating to his Republican colleagues.
http://www.rawstory.com/rs/2010/11/powerful-republican-calls-assassination-president-obama/
US says it may go after WikiLeaks chief
The United States on Monday said it was carrying out a criminal investigation into WikiLeaks and would pursue the whistle-blower website’s chief if he were found to have broken the law. “We have an active, ongoing criminal investigation with regard to this matter,” Attorney General Eric Holder told a press conference the day after the website began releasing some 250,000 confidential State Department memos. “We are not in the position, as yet, to announce the result of that investigation,” he said, adding that the justice and defense departments were both probing the website.
http://www.rawstory.com/rs/2010/11/wikileaks-chief/
U.S. opens criminal investigation against WikiLeaks founder
Julian Assange: Obama administration is ‘a regime that doesn’t believe in the freedom of the press’; Ecuador offers asylum to Assange.
http://www.haaretz.com/news/diplomacy-defense/u-s-opens-criminal-investigation-against-wikileaks-founder-1.327911?localLinksEnabled=false
GOP Rep. asks Clinton to declare WikiLeaks a ‘foreign terrorist organization’
GOP Rep. asks Clinton to declare WikiLeaks a foreign terrorist organizationA key Republican Congressman from New York has a new definition for the word “terrorism” that doesn’t require the use of violence or even fear.
http://www.rawstory.com/rs/2010/11/gop-rep-wikileaks-deemed-foreign-terrorist-organization/
Assange may have a new home
Bravo: Ecuador on Monday offered Julian Assange, the WikiLeaks founder who has enraged Washington by releasing masses of classified U.S. documents, residency with no questions asked. “We are ready to give him residence in Ecuador, with no problems and no conditions,” Deputy Foreign Minister Kintto Lucas told the Internet site Ecuadorinmediato. “We are going to invite him to come to Ecuador so he can freely present the information he possesses and all the documentation, not just over the Internet but in a variety of public forums,” he said.
http://antonyloewenstein.com/2010/11/30/assange-may-have-a-new-home/?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+antonyloewenstein%2Ffeed+%28Antony+Loewenstein%29
WikiLeaks fallout reveal more cracks in Afghan war strategy
The continued political survival of US Ambassador to Afghanistan Karl Eikenberry suggests the doubts he expressed about the war strategy have deepened in American government circles.
http://rss.csmonitor.com/%7Er/feeds/world/%7E3/NGsHOz4Naio/WikiLeaks-fallout-reveal-more-cracks-in-Afghan-war-strategy
Afghan policeman kills 6 American troops
The shooter also is killed. It is the deadliest such incident in a year and points up the dangers U.S. troops face as they try to train local police and soldiers to take over security. An Afghan border policeman on Monday turned his weapon on Western troops, fatally shooting six of them. NATO did not disclose the nationalities of the slain soldiers, but an Afghan official said they were American.
http://feeds.latimes.com/%7Er/latimes/middleeast/%7E3/wsgLqXY-yRE/la-fg-afghan-casualties-20101130,0,4351945.story
Exclusive: Leaked cable reveals US-Israeli strategy for regime change in Iran
Wiki-leak confirms reporting by veteran journalist Seymour Hersh According to a diplomatic cable released by WikiLeaks, in August 2007 the head of Israel’s intelligence agency urged US Under Secretary of State for Political Affairs, R. Nicholas Burns, to join with Israel in carrying out a five-part strategy to implement regime change in Iran.
http://www.rawstory.com/rs/2010/11/wikileaks-cable-reveals-israel-pushing-regime-change-iran/
Iran calls for unity among Islamic countries
TEHRAN, Nov. 29 (Xinhua) — Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad called for strengthening unity among Islamic countries, especially between Iran and Lebanon, the Iranian presidential website reported Monday. If the Lebanese government and its “resistance”, implying Iran- backed Shi’a group Hezbollah, against Israel are in the same front, the Zionist regime will not be able to harm the Lebanese nation, Ahmadinejad said in a meeting with the visiting Lebanese Premier Saad Hariri in Tehran on Sunday.
http://news.xinhuanet.com/english2010/world/2010-11/30/c_13627563.htm
US threatens Iran with military action
Mullen made the remarks following Iran’s announcement that the Bushehr nuclear power plant in south of the country has started to generate electricity.
http://www.presstv.ir/detail/153060.html
Israel primed to attack a nuclear Iran
US embassy cables show security service has told Washington ‘all options’ are on table if Iranian bomb looks inevitable
http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2010/nov/28/israel-primed-attack-nuclear-iran
Russia offered Israel $1 billion for drone technologies to cancel deal to supply Iran with S-300 missiles
Russia offered Israel $1 billion for advanced drone (automatic aircraft) technologies, and in addition offered to cancel the deal to supply Iran with S-300 missiles, according to an official cable published Sunday via WikiLeaks.
http://www.panarmenian.net/eng/world/news/57519/
Bomb blast blamed on Israel and US kills Iran nuclear scientist
Iran has accused Israel and the US of orchestrating bomb blasts yesterday morning in Tehran that killed a prominent nuclear scientist and injured a colleague.
http://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/middle-east/bomb-blast-blamed-on-israel-and-us-kills-iran-nuclear-scientist-2146996.html
Landslide vote was a fraud, say Egyptian opposition
Egypt’s Muslim Brotherhood said yesterday a “rigged election” had all but wiped out its presence in parliament, virtually eliminating opposition to President Hosni Mubarak’s ruling party before next year’s presidential vote.
http://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/middle-east/landslide-vote-was-a-fraud-say-egyptian-opposition-2147006.html
Angry Egyptians riot, burn cars, claiming vote fraud
ALEXANDRIA, Egypt: Protesters set fire to cars, tires and two polling stations, clashing with police firing tear gas in riots that erupted around Egypt Monday over allegations the ruling party carried out widespread fraud to sweep parliamentary elections.
http://www.dailystar.com.lb/article.asp?edition_id=10&categ_id=2&article_id=122003
MIDDLE EAST: Focus on domestic workers’ rights
DAMASCUS Tuesday, November 30, 2010 (IRIN) – The UN International Labour Organization (ILO) is encouraging the drafting of labour legislation to provide foreign domestic workers (FDWs) in the Middle East with legal protection.
http://www.irinnews.org/report.aspx?ReportId=91236
Kuwait MPs want jail for women in swimsuits
KUWAIT CITY: Five Islamist MPs in Kuwait Monday proposed a one-year prison term and $3,500 fine for women who wear swimsuits at the beach. The lawmakers, representing various Islamist groups in Parliament, also said in a proposal to amend Kuwait’s penal code that the same penalty should apply to women who reveal their upper chest or take part in “indecent behavior.
http://www.dailystar.com.lb/article.asp?edition_id=10&categ_id=2&article_id=122009
www.TheHeadlines.org
