And other news from Today in Palestine:
Settlers/ Land, Property, Resource Theft & Destruction/Ethnic Cleansing
IOA bulldozes Beit Ummar land to establish 50 new housing units
The Israeli occupation authority is accelerating the bulldozing of Palestinian land in Beit Ummar village, Al-Khalil district, in preparation for building 50 new housing units.
http://www.palestine-info.co.uk/En/default.aspx?xyz=U6Qq7k
Israelis Tear Down Homes, Interrogate Citizens near Bethlehem, Tulkarem
Bethlehem – PNN – Israeli forces carried out home inspection and demolition operations on Wednesday in the villages of Kur, south of Tulkarem, and Beit Fajar, south of Bethlehem, arresting a number of Palestinians. A source told Wafa that the Israeli force that moved into the village of Beit Fajar was composed of five patrols. The force demolished the homes of Ahmed Muhammad Taqataqa, Muhammad Kamil, and Waleed Thawabiti, as well a bakery owned by Muhammad Ali Abyan.
http://english.pnn.ps/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=9065&Itemid=64
Israeli colonies expand, Palestinians face home demolitions
Bulldozers, backed by Israeli soldiers and police forces, razed a Bedouin Palestinian encampment in Isawiya, a village northeast of Jerusalem on Wednesday, 27 October. Israeli forces destroyed tents and other structures that were home to six families, according to Ma’an News Agency (“Israel Razes Bedouin Camp,” 27 October 2010). “Hani al-Eisaway of the Isawiya Land Defense committee said that the Israeli [forces] bulldozed more than 50 dunams (12.5 acres) of land,” Ma’an reported. The encampment was close to the Israeli settlement of Maale Adumim.
http://electronicintifada.net/v2/article11603.shtml
PA minister: Israel steals Palestinian heritage
BETHLEHEM (Ma’an) — Palestinian Authority Minister of Culture Siham Barghouthi said Tuesday that his ministry was investigating Israel’s theft of Palestinian heritage. Palestinian culture must be preserved by organizing exhibitions and festivals to show that heritage claimed by Israel is actually Palestinian, Bargouthi said in an interview with Ma’an Radio. A blue version of the keffiyeh, a scarf and a Palestinian national symbol, could be found in markets with a Star of David used instead of the traditional pattern, the minister noted.
http://www.maannews.net/eng/ViewDetails.aspx?ID=330237
Activism/Solidarity/Boycott, Divestment & Sanctions
Refugees in south protest Balfour declaration
SIDON: Palestinian refugees at the south Lebanon refugee camp of Ain al-Hilweh marked Tuesday the signing of the Balfour declaration. Camp residents and political factions marched in the street to protest the declaration, considered as a cornerstone in the foundation of Israel.
http://www.dailystar.com.lb/article.asp?edition_id=1&categ_id=1&article_id=121087
Silwan Extends Harsh Welcome to “Racist” Mayor Barkat
Jerusalem – Maysa Abu Ghazala – PNN – Neither with roses and smiles nor with congratulations and blessings did the people of Jerusalem’s Ras al-Umud neighborhood welcome Mayor Nir Barkat on his Tuesday morning visit to open the “Ras al-Umud Comprehensive Girls’ School.” Writing on the walls of the school called for Barkat to get out, next to Palestinian flags and national slogans. On the floor of the school was a Star of David next to a swastika, surrounded by trash. Fakhry Abu Diab of the Committee to Defend Silwan said that the people of Ras al-Umud welcomed Barkat as he deserved to be welcomed, as a mayor in an occupation state. He said they didn’t want to see him in the same neighborhood whose residents he has threatened to displace.
http://english.pnn.ps/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=9056&Itemid=73
Budrus hero calls for Abdallah Abu Rahmah’s freedom, Jesse Bacon
I recently had the good fortune to attend a packed Monday night NYC screening sponsored by Jewish Voice for Peace and the American Arab Anti-Discrimination Committee. One issue raised by the extremely well-informed director was how similar protests in other villages have had difficulty duplicating Budrus’s success. A Budrus protest participant told me that even Budrus itself could see its victory threatened as Israel completes the building of the Wall. So it is inspiring to me that Ayed Morrar, the Budrus leader, has continued to struggle on behalf of other less fortunate villages in the West Bank. Here he writes in Huffington Post (apparently more “mainstream” outlets passed on it) in support of Abdallah Abu Rahmah, his counterpart organizer in Bi’lin.
http://theonlydemocracy.org/2010/11/budrus-hero-calls-for-abdallah-abu-rahmahs-freedom/
British foreign secretary to meet Palestinian activists in East Jerusalem
William Hague’s itinerary, which includes Sheikh Jarrah, raises eyebrows in Israel’s diplomatic corps.
http://www.haaretz.com/news/diplomacy-defense/british-foreign-secretary-to-meet-palestinian-activists-in-east-jerusalem-1.322535?localLinksEnabled=false
Education minister urges new ethics code to end row over teaching Zionism
The code, he said, should include the following principles: course material should reflect the range of academic views on the particular topic; lecturers should not be discriminated against on the basis of their political views; and academic freedom should not include the lecturers’ right to advocate boycotts of Israel, whether academic or otherwise.
http://www.haaretz.com/print-edition/news/education-minister-urges-new-ethics-code-to-end-row-over-teaching-zionism-1.322553?localLinksEnabled=false
#BDS: Egyptian author threatens to sue Israeli-Palestinian NGO for translating book without permission
Though no profits were earned as the novel was published for free, the writer is upset because he wanted to boycott the Hebrew language for political reasons.
http://youthanormalization.blogspot.com/2010/11/bds-egyptian-author-threatens-to-sue.html
#BDS: Linkin Park, Cancel Apartheid Israel’s Show!
Dear Chester Bennington, Brad Delson, Joe Hahn, Mike Shinoda, Rob Bourdon and David Farrell of Linkin Park, We are a group of over 150 Israeli citizens, who support the Palestinian United Call for Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions (BDS) against Israel until it complies with international law and universal principles of human rights1. On November 15 your band Linkin Park is scheduled to perform in Tel-Aviv, Israel, thus undermining the most unified Palestinian form of non-violent struggle, which has already gained substantial recognition across the globe. We therefore urge you to cancel your Israel show, which is inevitably a show of support for Israel’s apartheid.
http://boycottisrael.info/content/linkin-park-cancel-apartheid-israels-show
#BDS: Debunking pro-Israeli arguments against boycott Inbox X
While the boycott, divestment and sanctions (BDS) movement against apartheid Israel continues to grow, its opponents continue to resort to the same old canards in trying to defend Israel. In a Jerusalem Post article published on 17 October 2010, columnist Hannah Brown gives us a good example of some of the Israeli talking points (“British director Mike Leigh cancels Israel visit”. In her concluding paragraph she writes:
http://youthanormalization.blogspot.com/2010/11/bds-debunking-pro-israeli-arguments.html
A “Swiss Made” Boat for Gaza, Silvia Cattori
Meeting in Geneva in early October, representatives of the International Coalition to Break the Siege on Gaza (people from Britain, Switzerland, Greece, Sweden, Malaysia, Turkey, United Sates, Norway, the Netherlands, Ireland, Italy, Algeria, Kuwait, Jordan as well as other Arab countries) have confirmed their determination to break the maritime blockade imposed by Israel on the population of Gaza. While the Swiss boat was ready as of August, the departure of the second Freedom Flotilla had to be postponed till next spring since an increasing number of countries want to join it. The 45 passengers who will leave aboard the Swiss boat (500 applications have been received) include members of parliament. Jean-Charles Rielle, 58, Socialist member of the Swiss Parliament, is one of them.
http://dissidentvoice.org/2010/11/a-swiss-made-boat-for-gaza/
Help send Alex Kane to Israel/Palestine
As many of you know Alex Kane is a frequent contributor to Mondoweiss. His work on Islamophobia, media analysis, the Freedom Flotilla, and general news from Israel/Palestine has been invaluable. Alex is now raising money to travel to Israel/Palestine as part of a delegation organized by American Jews for a Just Peace. Please help him get there!
https://mondoweiss.net/2010/11/help-send-alex-kane-to-israelpalestine.html
Israeli Abuse of Palestinian Children
DCI: 38 incidents of settlers’ violence against children occurred in two years
Defense for children international (DCI) organization-Palestine section documented 38 incidents of settlers’ violence against Palestinian children that happened during the past two years.
http://www.palestine-info.co.uk/En/default.aspx?xyz=U
Israeli police arrest five Palestinian children in Silwan
Israeli occupation policemen stormed the Silwan town, south of the Aqsa Mosque in occupied Jerusalem, on Wednesday and arrested five Palestinian children including two brothers.
http://www.palestine-info.co.uk/En/default.aspx?xyz=U6Qq7
IOF release child after 38 days in several jails
The Israeli occupation forces (IOF) released a 13-year old child called Sayel Abu Qwaider after he spent 38 days in different Israeli jails.
http://www.palestine-info.co.uk/En/default.aspx?xyz=U6Qq7
Israel to place stone-throwing children under house arrest
JERUSALEM — Israeli police said on Tuesday they would begin imposing house arrest on stone-throwing youths in east Jerusalem and hold their parents legally responsible for their actions. “The police will bring the situation of children throwing stones at the police and at Jewish cars under control with court orders imposing strict house arrest on these children,” police spokesman Shmulik Ben Ruby told AFP.
http://www.google.com/hostednews/afp/article/ALeqM5iS-6KDOZy0DlFqFHN8J4mFKAPviw?docId=CNG.be5fb3dcc700cba9b479f52a306036f2.491
Report: New Israeli plan to discourage stone-throwing
TEL AVIV, Israel (Ma’an) — Jerusalem police are imposing high fines and house arrest on Palestinian children in occupied East Jerusalem to prevent stone-throwing at Israeli vehicles, the Hebrew-language daily Maariv reported Tuesday. Police have conducted a trial of the policy for several weeks. A senior Jerusalem District Police officer, quoted in the newspaper, said three children were arrested in Silwan, but a Magistrates Court refused to extend their detention “because of their young age.”
http://www.maannews.net/eng/ViewDetails.aspx?ID=330065
AFP: Children of Silwan to Be Placed Under House Arrest
Shmulik Ben Ruby, spokesman for the Israeli police, said on Tuesday that Israel was to issue court orders imposing house arrest on stone-throwing children living in the Arab neighborhood of Silwan, in East Jerusalem, Agence France-Presse reported.
http://www.imemc.org/article/59812
Gaza children bear scars of war
Israel’s war on Gaza almost two years ago killed at least 1,400 Palestinians – including more than 300 children according to human rights groups. Many of the children who witnessed the violence now suffer ongoing psychological damage. Al Jazeera’s Nadim Baba reports on how residents are trying to restore some normality to the children of Gaza.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EpybxTPbqp4&feature=youtube_gdata
Israeli military in action
http://angryarab.blogspot.com/2010/11/israeli-military-in-action.html
Racism
Carmiel initiative tries to prevent home sales to Arabs
Deputy mayor backs anonymous service, saying he wants to ‘maintain Jewish nature’ of northern city.
http://www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7340,L-3978960,00.html
Safed man harassed for renting flat to Bedouin
Posters plastered around the city, explicitly naming apartment owner, 89, are latest episode in campaign to halt influx of young Arabs.
http://www.haaretz.com/print-edition/news/safed-man-harassed-for-renting-flat-to-bedouin-1.322561?localLinksEnabled=false
Anti-Arab Campaign Intensifies in Safed, With Public Humiliation of Elderly Man Who Rents to Arabs
The elderly apartment owner told reporters that he has also been threatened with violence by anti-Arab leaders in the town, and was told that his building would be torched if he did not evict the Arab students.
http://www.imemc.org/article/59810
Other Rights Violations & Discrimination/Restriction of Movement/Siege
Army harasses journalists during West Bank raid
TULKAREM (Ma’an) — Israeli forces raided the West Bank city of Tulkarem and confiscated a journalist’s ID card on Tuesday. Three army patrols and one intelligence patrol were seen entering the city and deploying near the agriculture ministry building. Soldiers stopped passersby and students of Khaddori University, demanding to see their IDs. Photojournalist Muhammad Al-Ashqar, an employee at the local Ma’an affiliate As-Salam TV who was covering the incident, said soldiers confiscated his ID and ordered him and several other reporters to leave the area. An Israeli military spokesman did not immediately return a call seeking comment.
http://www.maannews.net/eng/ViewDetails.aspx?ID=330249
Catholic Priest: Israel Doesn’t Investigate Complaints of Jerusalem Church Attacks
Jerusalem – PNN – A Catholic priest accused Israeli authorities of failing to investigate complaints of encroachment on Jerusalem churches, such as that regarding the attack on the Our Father Abraham church in Jerusalem last week.
http://english.pnn.ps/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=9071&Itemid=64
A Personal Occupation, Palestine Monitor
Last week, Israeli soldiers occupied Hayat Mutlak al-Salaymeh’s house for the third time since August. On October 28, around 25 young soldiers piled into her family’s small apartment on the third floor of a family-owned complex. For a few days her house became a fortress: the soldiers erected the Israeli flag on top of the roof, stationed two men at the bottom entrance, two on roof, and the rest remained inside her home, supposedly keeping security for a Jewish celebration taking place that weekend.
http://www.palestinemonitor.org/spip/spip.php?article1598
Israeli troops enforce closure on northern village
NABLUS (Ma’an) – Israeli troops entered the northern West Bank village of Madama overnight, with locals reporting several home invasions, shop closures and what was described as a sector lockdown. Several shop owners were said to have been forced to close their stores, while residents said they were threatened by the troops when windows of homes were opened to survey the situation.
http://www.maannews.net/eng/ViewDetails.aspx?ID=329970
The Entry of UN’s Construction Materials in Gaza Remains Restricted
On Tuesday, while truckloads of food and commercial goods entered the Gaza Strip via the southernmost crossing, Kerem Shalom, the entry of construction materials remained delayed by the Israeli army.
http://www.imemc.org/article/59807
The World Education Forum: Palestine’s Opportunity to Overcome Obstacles, Palestine Monitor
“Through education we will become a prosperous nation, and will obtain a life that allows us to live in freedom. We are a people who can live and learn despite the problems we encounter. We will continue to improve education, so that future generations can live peacefully.” – Adbul Hakeem, head of the Ministry of Education
http://www.palestinemonitor.org/spip/spip.php?article1597
Education in Palestine in world spotlight
The behind-the-scenes work of Palestinian unions, Palestinian and international BDS groups, video conferences bridging Palestine to the outside world, and the struggle of Palestinian students to access an education continues largely unnoticed by the cameras.
http://electronicintifada.net/v2/article11604.shtml?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+electronicIntifadaPalestine+%28Electronic+Intifada+%3A+Palestine+News%29
Education Behind Bars: Freed Prisoners Talk About Writing on Cigarette Papers
Sidqi Musa – Nablus – PNN/Exclusive – Could prison become a kind of university, a place rich in culture and artistic experience? That’s the opinion of at least some freed prisoners who spoke about their experiences during a workshop called “Educational Experiences of Palestinian Detainees,” held at Nablus’ al-Najah University on Tuesday. The workshop was part of a series of events called “Global Education in Palestine.”
http://english.pnn.ps/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=9064&Itemid=1
Gaza tunnels don’t just run one way
The Gaza tunnels, formerly a way to get Egyptian goods into Gaza, are now making some of their business sending goods, some of them Israeli, from Gaza to Egypt.
http://rss.csmonitor.com/%7Er/feeds/world/%7E3/yD1OsPFvmlw/Gaza-tunnels-don-t-just-run-one-way
UNRWA tells the story of Palestinian refugees in the new series ‘Peace starts here’, Adam Horowitz
The video above is from the new series produced by UNRWA (the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East) called Peace Starts Here. UNRWA is the UN agency established in December, 1949 to work with Palestinian refugee communities in Jordan, Lebanon, Syria and the occupied Palestinian territory.
https://mondoweiss.net/2010/11/unrwa-tells-the-story-of-palestinian-refugees-in-the-new-series-peace-starts-here.html
Violence & Aggression/Detainees
Gaza car blast kills one, Hamas blames Israel
GAZA, Nov 3 (Reuters) – A car exploded outside a Palestinian police headquarters in the Hamas-ruled Gaza Strip on Wednesday, killing a member of a fringe Palestinian Islamist group, sources in Hamas and other militant movements said. Hamas blamed the blast, in which a second Palestinian was wounded, on an Israeli air strike. Israel Radio said it might have been the premature detonation of a car bomb.
http://www.alertnet.org/thenews/newsdesk/LDE6A20TZ.htm
Gaza medics: Israeli forces shoot mentally disabled man
GAZA CITY (Ma’an) — A mentally disabled man was shot Tuesday by Israeli forces east of Khan Younis in the southern Gaza Strip, medics said. Gaza medical services spokesman Adham Abu Silmiyya said the 40-year-old man was transferred to hospital. An Israeli military spokesman said soldiers saw a Palestinian approaching the security fence in the area, and shot at his lower body after he failed to respond to warning shots. The army considers the area close to the border to be a combat zone, he added.
http://www.maannews.net/eng/ViewDetails.aspx?ID=330296
Israeli Soldiers Shot a Citizen in Gaza Strip
On Tuesday afternoon, a Palestinian citizen was shot by Israeli soldiers in the east of al-Bureij refugee camp in the central Gaza Strip, while he was collecting plastic from a garbage dump.
http://www.imemc.org/article/59806
IDF general: Naalin shooting an operational accident
Commander of IDF colleges Major-General Gershon Hacohen testifies as character witness for former battalion commander Omri Borberg convicted of attempted threats in 2008 shooting incident involving bound Palestinian protestor.
http://www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7340,L-3979119,00.html
Detainees
Israeli Army Detained Four Brothers in Tulkarem
On Wednesday, the Israeli army detained four brothers from al-Gayosee family, from the village of Kor, in the southern part of Tulkarem. Detention was accompanied with invasion and searching of some houses in the village.
http://www.imemc.org/article/59811
Two Arrested in Beit Amer, Near Hebron
Hebron – PNN – Israeli forces detained two Palestinians in Beit Amer in the Hebron Governorate in the southern West Bank. Muhammad Awad, spokesman for the Palestinian Solidarity Campaign, said those apprehended were Saba’ Sabarneh, 17, and Nidal Husayn Za’qeeq, 20, after their homes were razed in Beit Amer. Ofer Military Court also handed down the following sentences: 10 months in prison and a 1000 NIS fine for Yusuf Ahmed Khil Abu Hashem, 18, and 18 months in prison for Husayn Khalil Khalayel, 17.
http://english.pnn.ps/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=9060&Itemid=68
IOF destroys Palestinian project in OJ, detains four brothers in Tulkarem
Israeli occupation forces (IOF) escorted bulldozers in destroying the foundation stone of a Palestinian road paving project in Enata village, occupied Jerusalem, at a late hour on Tuesday night.
http://www.palestine-info.co.uk/En/default.aspx?xyz=U
Detainee still in jail months after serving term
GAZA CITY (Ma’an) — Protesting a 3-month delay of his release, a Gaza man held in Israel’s Negev prison went on hunger strike Monday, a prisoners support group reported. Shadi Abu Al-Hussein, 34, from the southern Gaza city of Khan Younis, was due for release on 31 August but has remained in an isolation cell. An Israeli prison service spokesman confirmed that Abu Al-Hussein had completed his sentence but “is being held in legal custody awaiting deportation.”
http://www.maannews.net/eng/ViewDetails.aspx?ID=330014
Detainees in Hawara complain of inhuman incarceration
The Palestinian prisoner’s committee said in a statement on Wednesday that tension was rising high among Palestinian detainees in the Israeli Hawara military detention center.
http://www.palestine-info.co.uk/En/default.aspx?xyz=U6Qq
Israel’s Arab Helpers
Islamic Jihad: PA arrests West Bank supporter
GAZA CITY (Ma’an) — The Islamic Jihad movement on Tuesday accused Palestinian Authority security forces of detaining a party affiliate in the West Bank city of Bethlehem. In a statement, the group said PA forces detained Muhammad Issa Abda, 42, a party supporter who has spent 10 years in Israeli jails. The movement added that party supporter Muhammad Reda Mur’eb, 37, from Jenin, remained in PA detention and that he was being tortured.
http://www.maannews.net/eng/ViewDetails.aspx?ID=330303
Islamic Jihad: The preventive security sill tortures wounded resistance fighter
Islamic Jihad said that the Palestinian authority’s preventive security continues to torture a wounded Palestinian resistance fighter called Mohamed Mor’eb in its jails in the West Bank.
http://www.palestine-info.co.uk/En/default.aspx?xyz=U6Qq7
Political “Developments”
PLO official: Dissolving PA an option
BETHLEHEM (Ma’an) — PLO negotiator Nabil Sha’ath said Tuesday that dissolving the Palestinian Authority would be considered as a last resort if efforts to end Israel’s occupation failed. The Fatah official told Ma’an radio that if the PA was unable to meet its responsibilities, it would be shameful to retain authority. “Its decisions are shot down by the occupation, as the people of the West Bank can’t visit Gaza and Gazans can’t live in the West Bank. It is not permitted for anyone to build a new Palestinian village or city, which is unacceptable.”
http://www.maannews.net/eng/ViewDetails.aspx?ID=330218
Obama’s message to Israel: Freeze settlements or get rid of Dimona
In an address to AIPAC last week, Dennis Ross outlined the link between peace negotiations and Israel’s nuclear program in delicate but clear diplomatic language.
http://www.haaretz.com/print-edition/opinion/obama-s-message-to-israel-freeze-settlements-or-get-rid-of-dimona-1.322382
Israel halts ‘dialogue’ with UK
Israel is postponing “strategic dialogue” with Britain over defence and security issues, as William Hague arrives in Israel for an official visit.
http://www.bbc.co.uk/go/rss/int/news/-/news/uk-11681989
Other News
Poll: 56% oppose resuming talks with Israel
GAZA CITY (Ma’an) — More than half of Palestinians in the occupied territories oppose a return to direct negotiations with Israel in the face of ongoing West Bank settlement expansion, an opinion poll released Wednesday suggests.
http://www.maannews.net/eng/ViewDetails.aspx?ID=330391
Palestinian gov’t demands Britain to apologize for Balfour declaration
The Palestinian government demanded Britain once again to declare publicly its responsibility for Balfour declaration, apologize to the Palestinian people and atone for its historical crime.
http://www.palestine-info.co.uk/En/default.aspx?xyz=U6Qq7k%
Olmert: Terror’s origin is Islam
Olmert says foreign governments should get out of political comfort zone for effective war on terror; former PM also slams Netanyahu’s foreign policy moves.
http://www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7340,L-3978780,00.html
Likud’s Gamliel refused entry to Dubai
Following accusations Israel behind al-Mabhouh killing, Dubai bars entry to Gila Gamliel, due to attend World Economic Forum conference.
http://www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7340,L-3978795,00.html
IDF intelligence chief: Israel’s next war will see heavy casualties
In farewell meeting at the Knesset, Gen. Amos Yadlin says next conflict will hit Israel far harder than recent wars in Lebanon and Gaza – and hints for first the time at Israeli involvement in a 2007 strike on a nuclear plant in Syria.
http://www.haaretz.com/news/diplomacy-defense/idf-intelligence-chief-israel-s-next-war-will-see-heavy-casualties-1.322484
Police refuse permit for secular student protest in Bnei Brak
College students banned from demostrating in Orthodox Jewish district, days after ultra-rightwing protest went ahead in Arab town.
http://www.haaretz.com/news/national/police-refuse-permit-for-secular-student-protest-in-bnei-brak-1.322502?localLinksEnabled=false
Prosecutors House Vandalized Over Conviction of Gaza Soldiers
Petah Tikva – PNN – Graffiti was found on house of Major-General Avichai Mandelblit this morning in response to the prosecutor’s conviction of two Israeli soldiers. The graffiti called Mandelblit a “traitor” and compared him to Judge Richard Goldstone, the head of a commission for the United Nations that charged both Israel and Hamas with committing war crimes during Operation Cast Lead in the winter of 2008 and 2009.
http://english.pnn.ps/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=9070&Itemid=64
Culture
Dreaming of dancing around the world
After years of training, the traditional Canaan Dabke dance troupe has a name renowned throughout Gaza, and uniforms to match.
http://electronicintifada.net/v2/article11606.shtml?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+electronicIntifadaPalestine+%28Electronic+Intifada+%3A+Palestine+News%29
Analysis/Opinion/Human Interest
Tough questions for Hamas
Has Hamas been able to actually build on its high level of commitment and sacrifice, not only on the part of the movement but of Palestinians in general? Haidar Eid comments.
http://electronicintifada.net/v2/article11605.shtml?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+electronicIntifadaPalestine+%28Electronic+Intifada+%3A+Palestine+News%29
Lieberman: The man dragging Israel to the right [Israel was to the right before Lieberman and will be so after Lieberman]
William Hague is entitled to a little more than the usual trepidation that afflicts every minister making a first visit as Foreign Secretary to the political minefield that is Israel and the occupied territories. For today, he comes face-to-face with his Israeli counterpart, Avigdor Lieberman, one of the most controversial politicians in the democratic world who also royally humiliated the last two European foreign ministers to pay him a visit.
http://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/middle-east/lieberman-the-man-dragging-israel-to-the-right-2123561.html
Why Salam Fayyad is Israel`s public enemy number one
Yossi Sarid – Haaretz – “There`s a rumor that on a recent visit, senior members of the New York Times editorial staff were more impressed by him than by his Israeli counterpart, and gave expression to this in an editorial calling on Netanyahu to stop his dangerous games.”
http://www.haaretz.com/print-edition/news/why-salam-fayyad-is-israel-s-public-enemy-number-one-1.322552
Working the Visa System, Michael Khaled
In any regime that controls people, finding ways to “work the system” becomes standard discussion among the system’s targets. Internationals sympathetic to the Palestinians always get extra attention from Israel’s border control and finding ways to enter the country and remain here legally is a constant concern. For Americans and citizens of most western countries, Israel grants a three-month tourist visa at the airport or any border crossing entitling the traveler to move through Israel and the occupied territories with the exception of the Gaza Strip. For foreigners who want to stay longer though, things get dicey. The Israeli interior ministry, which is responsible for visa extensions, is known to deny requests for people staying in or with ties to Palestinians in the West Bank, even if they work or volunteer with legitimate international organizations.
http://www.miftah.org/Display.cfm?DocId=22778&CategoryId=13
Israeli state violence and the value of Palestinian life, Elia Zureik
Disregard for Palestinian life has characterized the attitudes of Israeli authorities towards its Arab citizens since the establishment of the state. The Palestinians constitute what the Italian philosopher Giorgio Agamben calls homo sacer, according to which the laws of humanity do not apply to them. For Israel, the Palestinians exist in conditions of “bare life”. Their minimal existence is tolerated but not enhanced. Invariably, the law is suspended when it comes to rectifying Palestinian grievances. Israel is usually quick to cite “national security” as justification for its lethal actions. Life for Palestinian citizens of the state is in a perpetual state of emergency where exception to the universal application of the law is the rule. As a colonial state, life in Israel is best viewed from a racialized prism where ethnicity and race govern the treatment of its citizens.
https://mondoweiss.net/2010/11/israeli-state-violence-and-the-value-of-palestinian-life.html
Ten years later, Palestinian citizens of Israel are still waiting for justice, Dr. Mahmoud Yazbak
A decade has elapsed since the Jerusalem and Al-Aqsa uprising, and yet the killers remain free and at large. Perhaps some of us thought, naively, that the killers would receive due retribution. Such naivety was reflected in the actions of many of our people on October 1st, 2000. They took to the streets to demonstrate and protest, and called a general strike against Sharon’s violation of the sanctity of the Haram Al-Sharif and his defiance and disdain for the sentiments of Arabs and Muslims (or his deliberate attempt at provocation aimed at bringing a decisive end to the peace process, which was in its death throes at the time).
https://mondoweiss.net/2010/11/ten-years-later-palestinian-citizens-of-israel-are-still-waiting-for-justice.html
If a stranger spews hateful rhetoric in the woods in Maine, and no one’s there to hear him…, Audrey Farber
Back in September, I wrote an op-ed that was published in the Portland Press Herald (my home-away-from-home local paper) describing my thoughts on the futility of the impending negotiations between Netanyahu and Abbas.
https://mondoweiss.net/2010/11/if-a-stranger-spews-hateful-rhetoric-in-the-woods-in-maine-and-no-ones-there-to-hear-him.html
Albuquerque Journal: “UNM Jews Upset Over Palestinian Speaker ” (This time desperate Zionists liken me to the KKK), Ali Abunimah
The Albuquerque Journal reports on the “controversry” over my upcoming talk at the University of New Mexico on 7 November. In perhaps a new low for anti-Palestinian activists, Sam Sokolove, the executive director of the Jewish Federation of New Mexico, which has been leading the campaign of vilification and slander, likens me to the KKK while advocates for racist Zionist apartheid Israel are supposedly the equivalent of the NAACP.
http://aliabunimah.posterous.com/albuquerque-journal-unm-jews-upset-over-pales
Piecing Together a Future in Beit Sahour
Beit Sahour – PNN/Exclusive – The workshop that Samer Hanna built six months ago lies off of Shepherd’s Field road in Beit Sahour, hidden among the groceries and butcher’s shops that line the street. The space is large with high ceilings, painted a warm terracotta brown. When PNN reporters visited on a sunny Tuesday afternoon, one entire wall was opened up to the sunlight, and the sounds of stone grinders pierced the air.
http://english.pnn.ps/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=9063&Itemid=1
The Tea Party and Race in America, Noura Erekat
What began as a laughable spectacle of Americans reenacting the Boston tea party across the country in early 2009 has congealed into a viable and tangible political force. Early midterm election results indicate as much as Tea Party Senatorial candidates Rand Paul and Marc Rubio ascended to victory in Kentucky and Florida. Governor Charlie Crist’s defeat to newcomer Marco Rubio in Florida’s Senate race is especially telling of the Tea Party’s political strength.
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/noura-erakat/the-tea-party-and-race-in_b_777989.html
Lebanon
Lebanon sentences three to death for spying for Israel
Dozens of Lebanese have been arrested since last year as part of an espionage investigation in which many have been formally charged; suspects can appeal sentence.
http://www.haaretz.com/news/diplomacy-defense/lebanon-sentences-three-to-death-for-spying-for-israel-1.322685?localLinksEnabled=false
Discussion on”false witnesses” in Lebanese cabinet postponed
BEIRUT, Nov. 2 (Xinhua) — A decisive session of the Lebanese cabinet to discuss the issue of the “false witnesses” was postponed after the Lebanese prime minister decided to stay abroad for urgent meetings. “A cabinet session scheduled on Wednesday was adjourned because the prime minister was forced to extend his stay in London for urgent meetings there,” the prime minister’s office said in a statement. Prime Minister Saad Hariri who is currently on a state visit to London met with British Prime Minister David Cameron on Tuesday.
http://news.xinhuanet.com/english2010/world/2010-11/03/c_13588010.htm
Hezbollah warns Hariri indictment would be ‘explosive’ (AFP)
AFP – Hezbollah’s number two warned on Tuesday of the risks of an explosion in Lebanon if members of his party are indicted by a UN-backed tribunal on the assassination of Lebanese ex-premier Rafiq Hariri.
http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/mideast/*http://news.yahoo.com/s/afp/20101102/wl_mideast_afp/lebanonunhariritribunalhezbollah
Middle East ‘heading for disaster’
Lebanon’s Prime Minister Saad Hariri says the Middle East is “heading for disaster” unless comprehensive peace is achieved.
http://www.bbc.co.uk/go/rss/int/news/-/news/world-middle-east-11678531
‘Israel won’t get away with treatment of Palestinians’
Hariri to BBC: “I think Iran has an influence, but the real danger lies in not achieving a comprehensive peace.” A BBC interview with Lebanese Prime Minister Saad Hariri was broadcast on Wednesday, in which he blamed Israel for the absence of peace in the region and told BBC Middle East Editor Jeremy Bowen that it is this lack of peace that is the real danger, and not any threat from Iran. “I think Iran has an influence, but I think the real danger lies in not acheiving a comprehensive peace,” he said.
http://www.jpost.com/MiddleEast/Article.aspx?id=193845
Iraq
Tuesday: 117 Iraqis Killed, 322 Wounded
Updated at 5:20 p.m., Nov. 2, 2010 In a still developing story, a series of at least 21 explosions in the capital has left scores of casualties. At least 107 people were killed across the country, while as many as 322 were wounded. These numbers are estimates and could change throughout the day and into tomorrow. In the United Kingdom, meanwhile, a student was found guilty of attacking a British lawmaker over his support for the Iraq war.
http://original.antiwar.com/updates/2010/11/02/tuesday-49-iraqis-killed-102-wounded/
Baghdad bombs kill 63 (AFP)
AFP – Eleven car bombs rocked Shiite neighbourhoods of Baghad on Tuesday killing at least 63 people amid growing concern that Sunni militants are taking advantage of a persistent power vacuum seven months after an inconclusive general election.
http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/iraq/*http://news.yahoo.com/s/afp/20101102/wl_afp/iraqunrestattacks
A look at major attacks in Iraq this year
http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20101102/ap_on_re_mi_ea/ml_iraq_attacks_glance
A look at targets of Tuesday’s Baghdad attacks (AP)
AP – A look at the mostly Shiite Baghdad neighborhoods targeted Tuesday night in a series of bombings and mortar strikes that took place over the span of about an hour.
http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/iraq/*http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20101102/ap_on_re_mi_ea/ml_iraq_targets_glance
Baghdad grinds to halt as bomb attacks blanket a reeling city
Sixteen bombs struck Baghdad Tuesday, prompting a snap curfew and shocking a city still coming to grips with a deadly attack Sunday on a Catholic church.
http://rss.csmonitor.com/%7Er/feeds/world/%7E3/os84ynR2F9E/Baghdad-grinds-to-halt-as-bomb-attacks-blanket-a-reeling-city
Iraq probes church raid; says attackers disguised (Reuters)
Reuters – BAGHDAD (Reuters) -Iraq launched an investigation on Tuesday into a church raid in which 52 hostages and police were killed, trying to find out how al Qaeda-linked gunmen managed to storm the building despite checkpoints, an official said.
http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/iraq/*http://news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20101102/wl_nm/us_iraq_violence_church
Iraq shuts Al-Baghdadia after bloody church attack
New York, November 2, 2010–The Committee to Protect Journalists is alarmed by the Iraqi authorities’ decision to close down Al-Baghdadia TV offices in Iraq. The closure of the Cairo-based satellite channel was announced after it broadcast the demands of gunmen who attacked a church in Baghdad on Sunday. Fifty-eight people were killed during the siege, according to news reports.
http://cpj.org/2010/11/iraq-shuts-down-al-baghdadia-tv-after-bloody-churc.php
Qaeda group in Iraq says Christians ‘legitimate targets’ (AFP)
AFP – An Al-Qaeda group in Iraq has declared Christians “legitimate targets” as a deadline expired for Egypt’s Coptic church to free women allegedly held after converting to Islam, SITE monitors said Wednesday.
http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/iraq/*http://news.yahoo.com/s/afp/20101103/wl_afp/iraqunrestchristianqaedaegypt
Inside Story – Forcing Christians out of Iraq?
On Sunday, a church siege in Iraq left 58 people dead – with an al-Qaeda-linked group claiming responsibility. So, is the attack a fresh round of violence against this community? And is the aim of the attack to force Christians out of Iraq?
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mW_bqjt6mdU&feature=youtube_gdata
Wikileaks Iraq documents raise critical questions
The trove of Iraq war documents recently made public by Wikileaks underscores several important truths. One, the American people have a right to know when Americans or their allies commit violations of the laws of war. Two, the American government has been woefully nontransparent. Transparency is key to accountability, to minimizing violations and to preventing the civilian population from turning against US forces. This, in turn, protects, rather than endangers, US troops.
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/human-rights-first/wikileaks-iraq-documents_b_777792.html
U.S. and other world news
Pro-Israel group claims election victory
One prominent pro-Israel lobbying group in Washington is already praising the GOP takeover of the House of Representatives as a net benefit for Israel. “While Democrats are likely to keep control of the U.S. Senate, Republicans will take over the U.S. House of Representatives following Tuesday’s elections. This is likely to have implications for Israel-related issues such as Israel’s relationship with the United States and the push for sanctions against Iran,” said an e-mail blasted out by The Israel Project only minutes after news stations called the turnover of House control a certainty.
http://thecable.foreignpolicy.com/posts/2010/11/02/pro_israel_group_claims_election_victory
The midterms: an Israeli perspective
President Barack Obama is not popular in Israel, to say the least. Israelis knew John McCain as their supporters; Obama was a mystery. Early in 2009, the new president’s attempts to approach the Arab world defined him as a pro-Palestinian, at least in the eyes of many Israelis. Minister Limor Livnat (Likud) expressed the common view in the government when she declared that “we fell into the hands of a horrible administration” (other politicians were blunter, simply calling Obama “a new Pharaoh“). Rightwing comments on the internet often refers to him just as “Hussein”.
http://www.promisedlandblog.com/?p=3552
Obama betrayed the antiwar left, Philip Weiss
Here are two perspectives on the Tea Party movement that offer tea some sympathy. Both writers are alive to an important trend, the degree to which privilege among Democrats (and there is a clear class break between blue states and red ‘uns) has separated them from populist concerns– including the concern that their children will be killed in Afghanistan. Visionary Milton Friedman wanted this to happen by eliminating the draft; he wanted the elite not to have to decide to murder its own children; and he has got his wish.
https://mondoweiss.net/2010/11/obama-betrayed-the-antiwar-left.html
US deploys fourth submarine in Persian Gulf
A total of thirty combat vessels are currently deployed in the region, including those belonging to Britain and France.
http://www.presstv.ir/detail/149367.html
Afghan civilian deaths caused by allied forces rise
Internal U.S. military statistics show 160 fatalities in 2010, up from 144 by this time last year. The greater use of attack helicopters has led to more accidental deaths.
http://www.latimes.com/news/nationworld/world/la-fg-afghan-civilians-20101102,0,4783095.story
Afghan police unit defects en mass to Taliban
“This was not an attack but a plot,” said Mohammed Yasin, the chief of the Khogeyani police force. “The Taliban and the police made a deal.”
http://www.cleveland.com/world/index.ssf/2010/11/bad_news_for_reintegration_afg.html
US Plans CIA Squad in Yemen: Report
The Wall Street Journal reported that President Barack Obama’s administration was considering placing under CIA authority elite “hunter-killer” special operations teams that operate secretly in the country to track and kill Al Qaeda leaders.
http://www.thepeninsulaqatar.com/international/131212-us-plans-cia-squad-in-yemen-report.html
Maher Arar: Omar Khadr: America’s Injustice, Canada’s Shame
Forty years in prison: this was the sentence that was pronounced by the jury panel for being a child soldier. While shocking, it was no surprise to those who closely followed the Omar Khadr saga at Guantanamo bay.
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/maher-arar/omar-khadr-americas-injus_b_777402.html
Bush autobiography says he considered dumping Cheney (AFP)
AFP – Former US president George W. Bush admits he considered dropping Dick Cheney ahead of his re-election run but defends his vice president as well as the invasion of Iraq in a new autobiography, a newspaper reported Tuesday.
http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/iraq/*http://news.yahoo.com/s/afp/20101102/pl_afp/uspoliticspeoplebushbook
Iran stoning woman ‘not executed’
The French foreign minister says Iran has not yet decided to execute a woman sentenced to death by stoning for adultery, amid reports her execution was imminent.
http://www.bbc.co.uk/go/rss/int/news/-/news/world-middle-east-11681837
Saudi journalist to be lashed in public
A Saudi journalist has been sentenced to be whipped in public after being convicted of “instigating protests” against a government electricity company following a series of power cuts. Fahd Al Jukhaidib, a journalist with the daily newspaper, Aljazierah, must serve two months in prison and suffer 50 lashes with the whip, including 25 lashes in public, in front of the electricity department.
http://www.guardian.co.uk/media/greenslade/2010/nov/02/press-freedom-saudiarabia
www.TheHeadlines.org
