and other news from Today in Palestine
Settlers/ Land, Property, Resource Theft & Destruction/Ethnic Cleansing
11 more families in Occupied West Bank are ordered to leave their homes inside 24 hours. Where is the U.S.?, Philip Weiss
The U.N. in Israel/Palestine is circulating the following information today about a village in the Occupied West Bank, east of Nablus. Ma’an confirms the news. Where is the American President or Secretary of State? We want to inform you that 11 Palestinian families in Khirbeit Tana today were given 24 hours by the Israeli military to pack their things and leave the area. The military said that if they fail to comply with the order, all their livestock and materials will be confiscated. The orders affect all families that did not experience demolition last week.
https://mondoweiss.net/2010/12/11-more-families-in-occupied-west-bank-are-ordered-to-leave-their-homes-inside-24-hours-where-is-the-u-s.html
IOA forces Jerusalemite to raze his own home
The Israeli occupation authority (IOA) forced a Jerusalemite citizen to knock down his own home in Thawri suburb in occupied Jerusalem.
http://www.palestine-info.co.uk/En/default.aspx?xyz=U6Qq7k%2b
UN: Israel demolished 47 Palestinian structures in one week
OCHA issued a report Saturday documenting 47 Palestinian-owned structures that were ripped down in the West Bank’s Area C in one week for allegedly missing building permits.
http://www.palestine-info.co.uk/En/default.aspx?xyz=U6Q
Israeli occupation contributes to the water crisis in the South Hebron Hills, Samuel Nichols
The Israeli military demolished three cisterns and two wells in the South Hebron Hills villages of Khasem ad-Daraj and Hathaleen. In the early morning of December 14, five bulldozers accompanied by the Israeli military, border police, and DCO (Israeli Civil Administration) made the long trek through the arid, rocky hills in order to demolish much-needed cisterns and to destroy wells by filling them with dirt.
https://mondoweiss.net/2010/12/israeli-occupation-contributes-to-the-water-crisis-in-the-south-hebron-hills.html
Derail Israel’s Unlawful A1 Train Project– End International Complicity
Israel’s A1 high-speed train project designed to connect Jerusalem and Tel Aviv violates international humanitarian law and human rights law. The A1 rail project forms a component of Israel’s ongoing plans to cement its regime of occupation, colonial rule and apartheid over the Palestinian people, particularly in the occupied West Bank. It constitutes yet another step in the implementation of Israel’s policy of forced population transfer (ethnic cleansing) which has displaced and dispossessed Palestinians, denied refugees their UN-sanctioned right to return and to receive reparations, and prevented the Palestinian people as a whole for over 60 years from exercising its inalienable right to self-determination.
http://www.alternativenews.org/english/index.php/topics/economy-of-the-occupation/3100–derail-israels-unlawful-a1-train-project-end-international-complicity-
Abu Sha’ar: Israel to blame for Omari Mosque collapse
Palestine’s religious affairs minister in Gaza Talib Abu Sha’ar is assigning blame to Israel for the collapse of the Omari Mosque in Zanuta, a village under threat of demolition east of Al-Khalil.
http://www.palestine-info.co.uk/En/default.aspx?xyz=U6Qq
Family takes stock after mass Lod demolition
LOD, Israel (Ma’an) — The 67 members of the extended Abu Eid family assessed the remains of their six concrete homes on Wednesday, two days after police in Lod demolished them amidst sheets of rain and blustery winds. The six buildings were among more than 100 in the city under immediate demolition orders, following a fall Knesset decision to destroy an estimated 4,000 illegal housing structures in a plan said to cost millions of shekels.
http://www.maannews.net/eng/ViewDetails.aspx?ID=342478
Activism/Solidarity/Boycott, Divestment & Sanctions
Weekly Anti-Wall Protest Update
http://stopthewall.org/latestnews/2420.shtml
Al-Ma’asara Demonstration 17/12/2010 Israeli Army Attacks Nonviolent Demonstrators
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Q1Lk-iTu5Wg
Sheikh Jarrah’s weekly protest opposes Israeli crackdown on Palestinian political action
Protesters marched in the weekly Sheikh Jarrah demonstration this week, Friday 17 December, in opposition to the Judaization of East Jerusalem and the Municipality’s targeting of Palestinian political leaders in the city. Protesters filled the streets of Sheikh Jarrah, drawing to a close outside the occupied home of the Hanoun family, who were evicted on 2 August 2009. Israeli settlers have since moved in to the house, in addition to the al-Gawi home, which was evicted on the same day, and the front partition of the al-Kurd family home, occupied in December 2009. El-Bustan Popular Committee member Adnan Ghaith was invited to speak at the protest regarding Israeli authorities’ current campaign to impose a temporary Jerusalem ban on Ghaith. Ghaith was issued an order on 28 November that would, if implemented, ban him from entering greater Jerusalem for a period of four months. Ghaith’s only chance to appeal the order is through the Israeli Ministry of Defence – the very same ministry that issued the original decree. The order has been issued under a Mandate-period Emergency Law of 1945 that was not overturned with the creation of the Israeli state in 1948. Ghaith stated in his speech: “It is not only I, but all Palestinian Jerusalmites who are vulnerable to Israeli attempts to deport or ban us from our place of origin. Such actions are totally reprehensible and in direct violation of international law, including the Geneva Convention for Human Rights.” Adnan Gaith
http://silwanic.net/?p=9284
Soldiers Occupy House and Attack Demonstrators, Arresting Two Activists
On Saturday, December 18th, 2010, a larger than usual number of Israeli and international activists joined Beit Ommar villagers in their demonstration against the continuing encroachment of Karmei Tsur settlers on land belonging to local farmers. Approximately 80 people took part in the high-spirited demonstration, which was accompanied by a group of Israeli drummers. Demonstrators also waved the flags of the various countries that have recognized Palestine’s right to self-determination in the last few weeks.
http://palsolidarity.org/2010/12/16101/?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+palsolidarity+%28International+Solidarity+Movement%29
In photos: `Santa` headlines Bethlehem anti-wall protest
A Palestinian demonstrator dressed as Santa Claus waves a Palestinian national flag in front of Israeli soldiers during a demonstration against Israel’s wall in the southern West Bank village of Al-Mas`ara, near Bethlehem, on Dec. 17, 2010.
http://www.maannews.net/eng/ViewDetails.aspx?ID=343462
#BDS: Bethlehem Mayor’s Christmas Wish: Sanctions on Israel
Bethlehem Mayor Victor Batarseh lashed out at Israel this week at a tree-lighting ceremony in honor of the Christmas holiday. He accused Israel of cutting Bethlehem off from “its twin city Jerusalem” and called for international sanctions. “Trade sanctions, sports sanctions, educational sanctions, cultural sanctions. Sanctions are the only way,” he said. Batarseh added that it would be “a waste of time” to negotiate with Israel.
http://youthanormalization.blogspot.com/2010/12/bds-bethlehem-mayors-christmas-wish.html
‘Israeli War Crimes’ signs to go on Metro buses
SEATTLE – “Israeli War Crimes,” the enormous advertisement reads. “Your tax dollars at work.” To the right of the image is a group of children — one little boy stares out at the viewer, the others gawk at a demolished building, all rebar and crumbled concrete. It’s an ad you’ll be seeing soon on a handful of Metro buses in downtown Seattle.
http://endtheoccupationblog.blogspot.com/2010/12/israeli-war-crimes-signs-to-go-on-metro.html
Seesaw battle underway in poll over Seattle bus ads, Philip Weiss
This site’s item on the planned Seattle bus ads that denounce aid to Israel for war crimes hit a nerve. Well it’s a groundswell, as I said. Here’s the Seattle Mideast Awareness Campaign that is spending the $1794 on the ads. Political awareness is coming to your community’s consciousness soon!
https://mondoweiss.net/2010/12/seesaw-battle-underway-in-poll-over-seattle-bus-ads.html
Groundswell, Philip Weiss
We’ve noted ads on mass transit in Chicago and the Bay Area that call for an end of aid to Israel. Well now Seattle’s gettin into the act, on Dec. 27, the anniversary of the Gaza onslaught. Allen Schauffler of the NBC affiliate in Seattle reports.
https://mondoweiss.net/2010/12/groundswell.html
#BDS: MNA Khadir urges boycott of shoe store
Quebec solidaire leader Amir Khadir made no apology yesterday for asking people to boycott a family-owned shoe store in his riding because it sells shoes made in Israel. “Just because a business is in my riding, I am not going to abandon my principles,” Khadir, the National Assembly member for Mercier, said in a phone interview yesterday. Khadir took part in a demonstration last Saturday in front of Le Marcheur on St. Denis St., handing out flyers and asking customers to boycott the shop until it stops selling Israeli-made shoes. The demonstration was organized by Palestinian and Jewish Unity, a Montreal based human rights group that advocates for the right of Palestinians to live in safety.
http://youthanormalization.blogspot.com/2010/12/bds-mna-khadir-urges-boycott-of-shoe.html
#BDS: Marks & Spencer opening in Egypt revitalizes calls for boycott
Protest against American chain stores in Egypt, Giza, September 23, 2010. Protesters with the Activists with Palestine Movement organized many protests in Mohandeseen and Dokki calling on citizens to boycott American outlets in support for Palestinian case. Protests are held simultaneously with protests in other eight European countries. Activists referred that many American outlets support Israel and allocate some of profits for war against Palestine. The boycott movement against Israeli products and services in Egypt is just over a decade old. Domestically, the movement is closely associated with the boycott of US goods and services, which began to gain momentum during the second Palestinian Intifada in September 2000 and again during the US-led invasion of Iraq in March 2003.
http://youthanormalization.blogspot.com/2010/12/bds-marks-spencer-opening-in-egypt.html
#BDS: ADVERTISING APARTHEID
Below are some Israeli Ministry of Tourism billboards, posters and advertising hoardings that were “spotted” at London Underground (subway) stations during the past year.
http://youthanormalization.blogspot.com/2010/12/bds-advertising-apartheid.html
The State of Israel vs. Jonathan Pollak, Joseph Dana
The verdict in the case of Israeli activist Jonathan Pollak, charged with illegal assembly for his participation in a January 2008 Critical Mass ride against the siege on Gaza, will be handed down on December 27, 2010 at 10:00 at the Tel Aviv Magistrates Court. If convicted, Pollak is expected to be sentenced to three to six months in prison. A conviction in this case will activate an older three month suspended sentence, imposed on Pollak in a previous trial for protesting the construction of the Separation Barrier. Tel Aviv Magistrates court judge Yitzhak Yitzhak could feasibly add an additional prison term or other sanctions, in addition to the suspended sentence. Jonathan Pollak is a prominent Israeli activist and graphic designer. He is one of the founders of “Anarchists Against the Wall” and serves as outreach coordinator for the Popular Struggle Coordination Committee.
http://josephdana.com/2010/12/the-state-of-israel-against-freedom-of-expression/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=the-state-of-israel-against-freedom-of-expression
Omar Barghouti is on the Mondo Awards Panel of Judges
There, I said it. I realize that is not a very eloquent title for Omar’s Introduction but for the life of me I have no idea how to introduce a Giant. Seriously, we all know him already. The mere mention of his name inspires awe.
https://mondoweiss.net/2010/12/omar-barghouti-is-on-the-mondo-awards-panel-of-judges.html
Anti
#BDS: Denzel Washington visits Israel
Critically acclaimed American actor tours Jerusalem with his wife, who purchases two wedding rings. American actor Denzel Washington arrived in Israel on Tuesday for a private visit. Washington, the son of a Pentecostal minister, arrived to visit his good friend in the past 20 years Dr. David Davis, head of the messianic Jews’ congregation in the Carmel, Haifa. The two met in drama school in New York and acted together in a Broadway show.
http://youthanormalization.blogspot.com/
#BDS: SA group sparks fury by accepting Israeli invite
But founder says they will sing songs about peace and unity, as they did in Palestine. Grammy-award-winning group Ladysmith Black Mambazo has sparked a furious outcry among pro-Palestinian activists, the ANC and Cosatu, following a decision to perform in Israel. The world-renowned group has been invited to perform at a world music show in June at the Opera House in Tel Aviv, as well as in Jerusalem. Omar Barghouti, of the Palestinian Campaign for the Academic and Cultural Boycott of Israel, said if the group were to honour the invitation, it would be “complicit” in covering up Israel’s occupation of Palestinian land.
http://youthanormalization.blogspot.com/2010/12/bds-sa-group-sparks-fury-by-accepting.html
How Europe aids the occupation: David Cronin interviewed
In his new book Europe’s Alliance with Israel: Aiding the Occupation, journalist David Cronin exposes the bad faith behind Europe’s position as a neutral force and its claims to support the basic rights of the Palestinian people. Sarah Irving interviews for The Electronic Intifada.
http://electronicintifada.net/v2/article11677.shtml?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+electronicIntifadaPalestine+%28Electronic+Intifada+%3A+Palestine+News%29
Refugees/Siege/Rights Violations/Restriction of Movement
Israel must grant Gaza justice | Raji Sourani
Two years on, the victims of Operation Cast Lead are still denied justice in Israel’s biased judicial system. The reality of life in the Gaza Strip is hard to convey. Systematic violations of international human rights law have created abject poverty and reduced approximately 1.7 million people to “beneficiaries” of international aid, forced into dependency as the result of a human-made, and completely preventable, humanitarian crisis. International human rights law and international humanitarian law offer necessary protections to every individual on the basis of their shared humanity. However, if they are to have meaning, these laws must be enforced. This is a core component: in the event of a violation, accountability and judicial remedy are the essential consequences.
http://www.guardian.co.uk/commentisfree/2010/dec/20/gaza-justice-israel-courts
Racism and Discrimination
Refugees’ flat torched in Ashdod
Burning tire thrown at apartment’s door; five Sudanese nationals lightly hurt. Police: This is a very serious incident.
http://www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7340,L-4001582,00.html
Racial discrimination – a tool of occupation, Nour Odeh
Our destination was Jub Al-Dib in the Bethlehem area. We located it on the map but getting there by car was a different story. That’s because the West Bank is very spread out, despite its small area. There are hundreds of sometimes tiny communities strewn across the hills and valleys. And going from Palestinian point A to Palestinian point B in the West Bank has nothing to do with directions, logic, or geography. It is decided by a very intricate system of rules, restrictions, and checkpoints that Israel has designed to limit Palestinian movement. There are settler-only roads, “shared” roads, and then there are no roads at all … just rugged terrains. So sometimes, to go southwest, Palestinians must first drive northeast, etc. …
http://blogs.aljazeera.net/middle-east/2010/12/20/racial-discrimination-tool-occupation
Racism of Hillary Clinton
Finally, Clinton illustrated how completely the administration has bought into the Israeli discourse. In her eagerness to support an Israel that is both Jewish and democratic, she skated perilously close to racism. She warned that “the long-term population trends that result from the occupation” were endangering the Zionist vision. In other words, that another four million Palestinians might soon demand equal rights in an Israel that has effectively controlled all of mandate Palestine from the Jordan River to the Mediterranean Sea since 1967. These are murky waters indeed. One cannot imagine a political leader in any real democracy applying the same reasoning to their country. Would U.S. leaders speak of long-term Black, Hispanic, or Muslim population trends that endanger America as a “white and democratic” or as a “Christian” state? In the modern era, democratic states are expected to be constructs in which all citizens are equal under the law, irrespective of race or creed.
http://angryarab.blogspot.com/2010/12/racism-of-hillary-clinton.html
Violence/Aggression
Almost 100 Gaza Laborers Shot this Year for Collecting Rocks
Since March 2010, 97 people have been shot in Gaza for collecting stones. This is one of the few ways a person can actually make money here at all. Beit Hanoun, Gaza is a dangerous place to spend time. 22 days before this report was filed, our party was shot at by Israeli soldiers in towers, here, in this same place.
Over the last three weeks the same number; 22, describes the number of people shot by Israeli military here in this part of Gaza for either farming their crops, or the simple act of collecting stones, which in turn bring a person twenty sheckles a barrel. In the video you meet 15-year old Mukhless Jawad El Massri, who was shot twice by the Israeli soldiers in the leg. Today he is on crutches and unable to work.
http://www.salem-news.com/articles/december192010/gaza-boy-ko.php
IOF soldiers killed 12 Palestinians in December
The Israeli occupation forces (IOF) have killed 12 Palestinians in the current month of December including the five who were slain in an air strike late last night, medical sources said on Sunday.
http://www.palestine-info.co.uk/En/default.aspx?xyz=U6Qq7k%2
Voices from the Occupation
Suhaib (15) was shot in his left leg whilst collecting wood in the Gaza Strip, about 250 metres from the border fence with Israel.
http://www.dci-pal.org/english/doc/press/Voices_2010-12-18_gravel(2).pdf
Palestinian worker injured in IOF shooting
A Palestinian worker was injured with Israeli occupation forces’ gunfire on Monday morning while collecting gravel in northern Gaza Strip, medical sources reported.
http://www.palestine-info.co.uk/En/default.aspx?xyz=U6
Palestinian shepherd wounded in IOF shooting
A Palestinian man was injured by a gunshot fired by Israeli occupation forces (IOF) stationed to the north of the Gaza Strip on Sunday morning, medical sources reported.
http://www.palestine-info.co.uk/En/default.aspx?xyz=U6Qq7k%2bcO
Military Violence in the Hebron Hills, Palestine Monitor
The Israeli military demolished three water cisterns and two wells in the Khashem Ad Daraj – Hathaleen region on December 14. The military have given no reason for the destruction.
http://www.palestinemonitor.org/spip/spip.php?article1651
Detainees
Silwan minor sent to house arrest
JERUSALEM (Ma’an) – An Israeli magistrates court on Sunday sent a Palestinian minor from the Silwan neighborhood of Jerusalem to house arrest for 21 days after the boy’s family paid 750 NIS bail. Mustafa Jamjoum was accused of throwing stones at Israeli forces during recent demonstrations. Also, the Israeli municipality delayed the demolition of a home in Silwan for two months.
http://www.maannews.net/eng/ViewDetails.aspx?ID=343691
Waqf: Police detain mentally ill man at Al-Aqsa
JERUSALEM (Ma’an) — Israeli police detained a mentally ill man who attempted to enter the Al-Aqsa Mosque on Monday, officials said. Police sealed off three entrances to the compound for two hours while they handled the issue, the Muslim Waqf organization said.
http://www.maannews.net/eng/ViewDetails.aspx?ID=343891
3 Fatah affiliates seized in Nablus raid
NABLUS (Ma’an) — Israeli forces raided the northern West Bank village of Kafr Qallil south of Nablus early Monday morning and detained three men affiliated to Fatah. Locals told Ma’an that at 2 a.m. more than 20 Israeli military vehicles raided the village and ransacked the home of Raafat Muhammad Jamil Amir, 28, and detained him. They added that Israeli forces also detained Tamir Khalid Nayif Amir and Salih Sa’di Ibrahim Amir, both 20, after ransacking and inspecting their homes in the village. An Israeli military spokeswoman confirmed that three men were detained in Nablus.
http://www.maannews.net/eng/ViewDetails.aspx?ID=343766
IOF terrorize family of administrative detainee for his refusal of exile offer
The IOF raided the home of prisoner Ayed Dudin in Dura and terrorized his family in response to his refusal of an offer demanding him to accept his exile to Gaza in exchange for his freedom.
http://www.palestine-info.co.uk/En/default.aspx?xyz=U6Qq7
War Crimes
Israel Effectively Denies Palestinian Victims of Operation Cast Lead Access to Justice: PCHR files petition to Israeli Supreme Court
Today, 20 December 2010, the Palestinian Centre for Human Rights (PCHR) is filing a petition to the Israeli Supreme Court on behalf of 1,046 victims of Israel’s 27 December 2008 – 18 January 2009 offensive on the Gaza Strip (Operation Cast Lead). The petition challenges Israeli policies which effectively deny Palestinian residents of the Gaza Strip’s fundamental rights to a judicial remedy and the equal protection of the law. The case is being litigated by Michael Sfard, and Carmel Pomerantz.
http://www.reliefweb.int/rw/rwb.nsf/db900SID/MCOI-8CBJSX?OpenDocument&RSS20=02-P
British MP: Tzipi Livni is a war criminal, daughter of a terrorist
British MP Gerald Kaufman labeled former Israeli foreign minister Tzipi Livni “the daughter of a war criminal and terrorist”, adding that she was involved in the bloody Operation Cast Lead.
http://www.palestine-info.co.uk/En/default.aspx?xyz=U6Qq7k
Sneak Peak: The editors’ note from The Goldstone Report: The Legacy of the Landmark Investigation of the Gaza Conflict, Adam Horowitz, Lizzy Ratner, and Philip Weiss
The following is an adapted excerpt of the Editors’ Note from The Goldstone Report: The Legacy of the Landmark Investigation of the Gaza Conflict. The book will be available on January 11, and you can pre-order it here. Reports come and go. This is one of the tragic truths of the literature of human rights violations. Hard-working researchers scour the rubble of war zones for fragments of evidence—of war crimes, crimes against humanity, other violations of life and freedom—only to watch their findings sink into the oblivion of forgotten documents.
https://mondoweiss.net/2010/12/sneak-peak-the-editors-note-from-the-goldstone-report-the-legacy-of-the-landmark-investigation-of-the-gaza-conflict.html
Israel‘s Arab Helpers
Faruq Qaddumi, As`ad Abukhalil
I can state without any hesitation that there is no decent leader or cadre left in the Fath Movement. It is fair to say that the decent and the competent have all left the movement or have been killed by Israelis. Look at the chief charlatan, Faruq Qaddumi, the so-called head of the Political Department of the PLO. Qaddumi seasonably makes strong denunciations of the Oslo process and the Ramallah gang. Earlier this year, he even accused (justifiably) the Abu Mazen gang of collusion in the plot to kill Arafat. And seasonably, Qaddumi shuts his big mouth and return to silence. Why? Because he receives the funding that he wants for his offices in Hammam Ash-Shatt in Tunisia. So after accusing Abu Mazen of responsibility for killing Arafat, Qaddumi has been secretly negotiating with Abu Mazen to resume funding for his offices. Stay tuned. This is common in this most corrupt of “liberation movements”. You sometimes hear a Fath leader criticizing negotiations and the US: hell, Dahlan has been recently criticizing negotiations with the Israelis. Usually, it is a sign that they have been sidestepped or marginalized. I thought of that when I read yesterday a statement by the lousy Nabil Sha`th. [end]
http://angryarab.blogspot.com/2010/12/faruq-qaddumi.html
Dwaik: Hundreds of political detainees still in Abbas’s jails in W. Bank
MP Dr. Aziz Dwaik, the speaker of the Palestinian parliament, has urged Friday the militia of Mahmoud Abbas to release all political detainees in the PA jails in the West Bank.
http://www.palestine-info.co.uk/En/default.aspx?xyz=U6Qq
Son of MP Abu Jehaisha wounded during pursuit by PA militias
A son of Palestinian lawmaker Mohamed Abu Jehaisha was wounded as he was being chased on Sunday evening by militia men from the Palestinian authority (PA).
http://www.palestine-info.co.uk/En/default.aspx?xyz=U6Qq7k%2bcOd87
Israeli press: 13% of Israeli army’s civilian employees are Egyptian
Some 13 percent of the Israeli army’s civilian employees are Egyptian nationals, according to recent reports in the Israeli media. Abu Bakr al-Guindy, head of Egypt’s official statistics bureau CAPMAS, said that most Egyptians living in Israel were illegal laborers. “For this reason, it’s difficult for us to determine their exact number,” he said. According to estimates by the Egyptian Ministry of Manpower, there are between 20,000 and 25,000 Egyptians currently living in Israel. “I don’t blame the Egyptians who went to live and work in Israel,” said Egyptian Trade Union Secretary-General Ibrahim al-Azhary. “There simply aren’t enough jobs for them here.”
http://www.almasryalyoum.com/en/news/israeli-press-13-israeli-armys-civilian-employees-are-egyptian
Palestinian Wikileaks
Cables show US doubts on Mideast peace
PARIS (AFP) — Fresh leaks of diplomatic cables from 2009 by online whistleblower Wikileaks Monday showed US doubts over Israel’s commitment to the Middle East peace process due to disagreement over Israeli settlements. A US cable from November 2009, published online by Wikileaks and by French newspaper Le Monde, said Israeli Prime Minister Netanyahu wanted to negotiate with President Mahmoud Abbas, known as Abu Mazen.
http://www.maannews.net/eng/ViewDetails.aspx?ID=343908
Abbas wanted Israel to help attack Hamas, WikiLeaks cable shows
Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas wanted unprecedented help from Israel in attacking Hamas during the clashes just prior to the militant group’s bloody coup of the Gaza Strip, according to a classified cable just released by WikiLeaks. In the June 2007 cable, U.S. Ambassador to Israel Richard Jones wrote that Shin Bet security chief Yuval Diskin had told him in a meeting that Abbas’ Fatah movement was in complete despair over the situation in the Gaza Strip. Israel has “established a very good working relationship” with Abbas’ forces, Diskin told Jones in their meeting. As Hamas was overrunning Gaza, Diskin said, some desperate Fatah leaders even wanted Israel to attack Hamas. According to the cable, Diskin assumed in the early days of the clashes that Hamas was not yet strong enough to destroy Fatah’s presence in the Gaza Strip. Hamas may be able to win the battles, Diskin said, but Fatah’s response would be damaging. Diskin told the American envoy that Hamas had managed to penetrate the echelons of Fatah’s security forces, emphasized that Abbas’ faction was suffering a leadership crisis and had put senior official Mahmoud Dahlan in charge of overseeing the situation in the coastal territory. He told Jones that Fatah had thus turned to Israel for help in attack Hamas, which he termed a new and unprecedented development in Jerusalem’s relations with the Palestinian Authority. Diskin went on to share with Jones sensitive details relating to the cooperation between the Shin Bet and the Palestinian security and intelligence forces in the West Bank. Palestinian security was sharing “almost all [its] intelligence with Israel,” Diskin tolf Jones.
http://www.haaretz.com/news/diplomacy-defense/abbas-wanted-israel-to-help-attack-hamas-wikileaks-cable-shows-1.331654?localLinksEnabled=false
WikiLeaks: Yadlin wanted Hamas takeover
Diplomatic cable reveals former military intelligence chief regarded 2007 Islamic takeover of Gaza as positive step; said it will allow Israel to declare Strip as hostile entity.
http://www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7340,L-4002043,00.html
WikiLeaks cable: Shin Bet chief called Palestinian counterpart ‘psychopath’
Newly released cables from 2007 reveal what Diskin thought of ‘desperate’ situation in Gaza and West Bank, lack of Palestinian leadership and ‘psychopath’ Palestinian counterpart. He also shares concerns over ‘last legs’ Fatah and ill-boding situation.
http://www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7340,L-4001917,00.html
Political Developments
Israel orders envoys: Take ‘urgent’ action against Palestinian efforts at UN
Palestinians have been pushing for a UN resolution to recognize unilateral declaration of statehood and pressure Israel to freeze settlements; classified cable to diplomats abroad warns such efforts are ‘not effective or constructive’.
http://www.haaretz.com/news/diplomacy-defense/israel-orders-envoys-take-urgent-action-against-palestinian-efforts-at-un-1.331652?localLinksEnabled=false
Erekat: 10 EU states will upgrade their PLO missions
Chief PA negotiator says Palestinian missions abroad are step closer to becoming embassies of an “occupied state with defined borders.” Around 10 EU countries are set to upgrade the status of Palestinian representative offices in their capitals in the near future, chief Palestinian Authority negotiator Saeb Erekat declared on Sunday. This would mean that Palestinian missions would move a step closer toward becoming embassies whose officials enjoy full diplomatic immunity.
http://www.jpost.com/MiddleEast/Article.aspx?id=200138&R=R3
Hamas: Abbas’s new solution insensitive to the Palestinians’ suffering
Senior Hamas politburo member Izzat Al Resheq is calling on Palestine’s de facto president Mahmoud Abbas to recant on what he called “absurd politics”.
http://www.palestine-info.co.uk/En/default.aspx?xyz=U6Qq7k
Disillusioned Palestinians: US-Guided ‘Peace Process’ is ‘Ridiculous’
JERUSALEM – Disillusioned by the collapse of talks and disappointed by the US administration, the Palestinians are turning away from negotiations and seeking international recognition for a Palestinian state. [When one peace process approach fails, the administration gets busy launching another. In the days since the US administration acknowledged it had failed to chart a path back to direct peace talks between Israel and the Palestinians, senior Palestinian officials have made clear that they think negotiations are dead.(AP Photos)]When one peace process approach fails, the administration gets busy launching another. In the days since the US administration acknowledged it had failed to chart a path back to direct peace talks between Israel and the Palestinians, senior Palestinian officials have made clear that they think negotiations are dead. In the days since the US administration acknowledged it had failed to chart a path back to direct peace talks between Israel and the Palestinians, senior Palestinian officials have made clear that they think negotiations are dead. “The peace process is in a deep coma,” Palestinian negotiator Nabil Shaath told journalists Saturday night. “I don’t think anyone wants to continue this negotiation.” “There is no more credibility to this negotiation process. This is an exercise in futility — ridiculous.”
http://www.commondreams.org/headline/2010/12/20-0
Palestinian PM says not seeking UDI (AFP)
AFP – Palestinian prime minister Salam Fayyad has said a unilateral declaration of independence by his people would only lead to a “Mickey Mouse state” as long as Israel remains the occupying power.
http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/mideast/*http://news.yahoo.com/s/afp/20101218/wl_mideast_afp/israelpalestinianspeace
PLO official: No more negotiations ‘on Israel’s terms’
BETHLEHEM (Ma’an) — PLO negotiator Nabil Sha’ath said Saturday that the Palestinians need to adjust their stance on a more equal footing with Israel, but he stopped short of calling for a return to armed struggle. He said the Palestinians would follow the South African model of popular resistance based on peaceful demonstrations, international recruitment, national unity and building state institutions.
http://www.maannews.net/eng/ViewDetails.aspx?ID=343386
Palestinian official says Fatah not keen in close ties with Syria
DAMASCUS, Dec. 20 (Xinhua) — A senior official of the Popular Front for Liberation of Palestine (PFLP) said here Sunday the Palestinian Fatah movement is not keen in boosting relations with Syria. Ahmad Jibreel, Damascus-based secretary general of PFLP General Command, made the remarks in an interview with the Syrian daily Al- Watan. He argued that Fatah’s efforts to get close to Syria is a tactical act.
http://news.xinhuanet.com/english2010/world/2010-12/20/c_13657064.htm
U.S. officials arrive in Mideast to reignite Israeli-Palestinian talks
Netanyahu rejects claims that the stalled peace negotiations are responsible for the delegitimization campaign he says is being waged against Israel.
http://www.haaretz.com/print-edition/news/u-s-officials-arrive-in-mideast-to-reignite-israeli-palestinian-talks-1.331528?localLinksEnabled=false
PM attacks ‘hypocritical’ human rights organizations
Netanyahu spokesman: Human Rights Watch report on settlements is “anti-Israeli;” report accuses Israel of violations in the West Bank. Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu on Sunday night attacked the anti-Israel bias of human rights organizations. “We must expose the hypocrisy of human rights organizations that turn a blind eye to the most repressive regimes in the world, regimes that stone women and hang gays, and instead target the only liberal democracy in the Middle East,” Netanyahu said.
http://www.jpost.com/DiplomacyAndPolitics/Article.aspx?id=200155
Netanyahu: Stalled peace talks are not catalyst for anti-Israel sentiments
PM says attacks against Israel aren’t based on wars or settlements, but rather are attacks against the existence of the Jewish state.
http://www.haaretz.com/news/diplomacy-defense/netanyahu-stalled-peace-talks-are-not-catalyst-for-anti-israel-sentiments-1.331514?localLinksEnabled=false
Other News
29% Expect U.S.-Israeli Relations To Worsen
A sizable number of U.S. voters continue to believe that relations between Israel and the United States will worsen in the year ahead. A new Rasmussen Reports national telephone survey finds that just 13% of Likely U.S. Voters think America’s relationship with Israel will be better in a year’s time, the lowest level measure since July. Twenty-nine percent (29%) expect that relationship to get worse over the next year, while 49% say it will remain about the same. (To see survey question wording, click here.)
http://www.rasmussenreports.com/public_content/politics/current_events/israel_the_middle_east/29_expect_u_s_israeli_relations_to_worsen
“Border Guards” stage massive training exercise outside Ramallah
Silwanic has received information that the so-called “Israeli Border Guards” are running a large-scale training exercise close to the Israeli settlement of Ma’ale Mikhmas near Ramallah. The exercise is reported to involve approximately 400 soldiers. Observers speculate that such exercises may encompass part of broader preparation for military campaigns in East Jerusalem.
http://silwanic.net/?p=9286
Israeli involved in Kosovo organ trafficking case on run from Interpol
Moshe Harel, an Israeli of Turkish descent, is suspected of being at the center of a network of organ traffickers in Kosovo.
http://www.haaretz.com/print-edition/news/israeli-involved-in-kosovo-organ-trafficking-case-on-run-from-interpol-1.331544?localLinksEnabled=false
Study: Child abuse rate twice as high in Israel than in U.S.
For every 1,000 children, 18 in Israel had said that they had been abused – some 45,600 children in real terms.
http://www.haaretz.com/news/national/study-child-abuse-rate-twice-as-high-in-israel-than-in-u-s-1.331630?localLinksEnabled=false
Bergman on Mossad’s ‘Stupidity, Arrogance’ in Devising Stuxnet
Ronen Bergman has published a story in Friday’s Yediot Achronot on the Stuxnet worm, one of the few comprehensive reports to have appeared in the Israeli media which, as he notes, has studiously (and curiously) avoided an issue that has enflamed the world media. Bergman’s reporting on this is very important since he is known to have excellent sources within the security apparatus, while generally maintaining a certain independence and integrity. And he minces no words in stating baldly (through his sources) that Stuxnet has been a disaster both for the Mossad (he coyly refuses to explicitly name the agency as the source) and western intelligence agencies monitoring and containing Iran’s nuclear efforts. What’s especially critical about this is that few journalists (except me and several others) until now have specified the price that Stuxnet will exact from both its maker and all intelligence agencies working on this issue.
http://www.richardsilverstein.com/tikun_olam/2010/12/17/bergman-on-mossads-stupidity-arrogance-in-devising-stuxnet/
Helen Thomas’ jibe tops list of worst anti-Semitic slurs of 2010
Also on Weisenthal Center’s list of anti-Jewish comments: Oliver Stone and former Malaysian PM Mahatir Mohammad.
http://www.haaretz.com/print-edition/news/helen-thomas-jibe-tops-list-of-worst-anti-semitic-slurs-of-2010-1.331542?localLinksEnabled=false
Analysis/Op-ed
Obama’s failure has served to expose Israeli intransigence here and abroad, Maggie Sager
As the United States sends envoy George Mitchell to grasp at straws in hopes of restarting negotiations to create a Palestinian state after the Israeli government refused to curb settlement construction, Obama’s inability to entice Netanyahu’s coalition to comply with international law has frustrated many who wish for peace between Israel and Palestine. However, upon closer inspection, it becomes apparent that Obama’s specific failure and the now-seemingly inevitable collapse of negotiations in general constitute a tactical victory for Palestinians.
https://mondoweiss.net/2010/12/obamas-failure-has-served-to-expose-israeli-intransigence-here-and-abroad.html
Imagine the Brookings Institution having a forum on the Future of the South in 1964 and inviting no black people, Philip Weiss
Truly demoralizing. Jim Crow is on the job in Washington, D.C. This is the Brookings Institution’s lineup for its recent conference on Hard Choices in the Israel/Palestine conflict. It shows how stifling the atmosphere is inside the Establishment when it comes to discussing these issues. The left is represented by Ken Pollack! I don’t see one Israeli Palestinian. Go through the names on this “Saban Forum.”
https://mondoweiss.net/2010/12/imagine-the-brookings-institution-having-a-forum-on-the-future-of-the-south-in-1964-and-inviting-no-black-people.html
What H. Res. 1765 Tells Us About the Peace Camp?, Sama Adnan
As House Resolution 1765, formerly 1731 and 1734, passed in the House by a voice vote enjoining the Obama administration to oppose a unilateral Palestinian declaration of independence, the peace camp looked disheveled and mystified. With every loss in the halls of Congress we reassure ourselves that the tide is changing, that soon members of Congress will see the right of Palestinians to statehood, that the next president will not succumb to the intransigence of Congress.
http://palestinechronicle.com/view_article_details.php?id=16493
Mr. Almost and ‘The Seventh Seal’
A religious, anti-democratic demographic majority with an external nuclear threat will drive anyone who can leave out of the country. And that is in the best case, if the apocalypse does not come first.
http://www.haaretz.com/print-edition/opinion/mr-almost-and-the-seventh-seal-1.331064
Howard Berman’s reversal is exposed by Haaretz (where’s the American press), Philip Weiss
Nailed in Haaretz. Akiva Eldar calls Howard Berman— sponsor of legislation that would bar Palestinians from even thinking of parking a state here– a self-loving Jewish American Superman who springs into action to save Israel and is actually hurting Israel.
https://mondoweiss.net/2010/12/howard-bermans-reversal-is-exposed-by-haaretz-wheres-the-american-press.html
Israel’s Sham Democracy, Steve Lendman
Numerous previous articles exposed it, highlighting policies affording rights solely to Jews, including a January 2010 Israeli Democracy or Hypocrisy one accessed through the following link: http://sjlendman.blogspot.com/2010/01/israeli-democracy-or-hypocrisy.html It cited a same titled October 2007 Haaretz editorial, calling for “debate about Israel’s control over the lives of Palestinians deprived of civil rights,” saying its democracy is flawed for denying Arab Israelis equality with Jews.
http://sjlendman.blogspot.com/2010/12/israels-sham-democracy.html
A Doctor in Galilee – Book Review, George Polley
(A Doctor in Galilee: The Life and Struggle of a Palestinian in Israel. Hatim Kanaaneh. Foreword by Jonathan Cook. Pluto Press, 2008). Hatim Kanaaneh is the kind of physician I enjoyed working with in my career as a mental health professional: compassionate, humorous and committed to bringing quality medical services to the people of his community, which in his case, was in spite of incredible odds. The government agencies that ought to have helped him because their help would have contributed to the health of the entire district put up roadblock after roadblock to frustrate his efforts and discourage him. But the guy just never gave up, and that is something I admire.
http://palestinechronicle.com/view_article_details.php?id=16491
Inside Story – Racism on the rise
With tens of thousands of Neo Nazi Russians, racist attacks are among the highest in the world. Now the death of a football fan has sparked the biggest single flare-up of racist violence in Russia for 20 years. why have racist attacks gone unchecked for so long? What is fuelling the anger? And who are the parties involved?
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=suXp9wEf53Y&feature=youtube_gdata
Juan Cole on Aljazeera
“The only correction I’d make is that Aljazeera is not sympathetic to al-Qaeda or Muslim radicalism, but has a philosophy of reporting all sides of conflicts. So it is natural that they cover the first responders as well as broadcasting short excerpts from al-Qaeda videos. Unlike US network news, they don’t consider themselves our nannies, that they should filter the news for us and protect us from hearing the words of enemies.”
http://angryarab.blogspot.com/2010/12/juan-cole-on-aljazeera.html
Michael Kinsley is my favorite American writer although he is the typical US liberal with a Zionist lapse
“Speaking of blood, on 9/11: “My blood was boiling. We were going to find out who did this, and kick their ass.” He was in Florida at the time, you will recall, and wanted to return to Washington. The Secret Service wanted him to go to an Air Force base in Louisiana. “I told them I was not going to let terrorists scare me away. ‘I’m the president,’ I said firmly. ‘And we’re going to Washington.’ ” So Air Force One went to Louisiana. There, Bush insisted once again that “the American people needed to see their president in Washington.” So they went to Nebraska. There, “I put my foot down.” And they went to Washington.” It is such a delicious review. Read it NOW.
http://www.nytimes.com/2010/12/19/books/review/Kinsley-t.html?ref=books&pagewanted=print
Lebanon
“Resistance Has Obstructed Several Goals of Conspiracy”
19/12/2010 As he stressed that the Special Tribunal for Lebanon has become a burden for those who have launched it, Loyalty to Resistance bloc MP Nawwaf al-Mousawi was confident that the resistance has obstructed several goals of the conspiracy that is the STL. “The Israeli threats have only increased the Resistance’s confidence that it has made great progress in obstructing several goals of the conspiracy that is the STL,” Mousawi said, the National News Agency (NNA) reported on Sunday. The STL “was primarily prepared to destroy free and independent states in order to subject them to American hegemony.” The MP said that Hezbollah “is intelligently waging a battle against by the U.S. and Israel which is aimed at tarnishing the party’s image, and it is confident of victory,” adding that “those who wanted to trouble Hezbollah through the STL are themselves in trouble now.”
http://almanar.com.lb/NewsSite/NewsDetails.aspx?id=166553&language=en
Israeli Enemy behind Hariri’s Murder: Realistic Scenario
18/12/2010 “The conspiracy of the STL will go with the wind just like the fate of previous conspiracies,” Hezbollah Secretary General Sayyed Hasan Nasrallah said on Thursday, referring to the expected indictment to be released by the so-called Special Tribunal for Lebanon over the assassination of former Prime Minister Rafiq Hariri’s case. As everyone in the world knows, the mentioned international tribunal is set to accuse Hezbollah of involvement in the assassination, as part of a plot to embroil Lebanon into a sedition scheme, from which escaping would not be easy. The indictment is already written, it’s also awaiting the correct political timing, amid reports of efforts undertaken to reach a “consensus” in the case.
http://almanar.com.lb/NewsSite/NewsDetails.aspx?id=166479&language=en
Moussawi: Special Tribunal not a burden for Hizbullah
BEIRUT: Loyalty to the Resistance MP Nawwaf Moussawi said Sunday that the Special Tribunal for Lebanon (STL) has become a burden for its founders rather than for Hizbullah. “The Israeli threats which come in support of the tribunal for Lebanon have only strengthened the resistance’s confidence against the conspiracy of the STL,” said Moussawi in reference to the UN-backed court set up to probe the assassins of former Prime Minister Rafik Hariri. Speaking at a gathering to mark Ashura in Sidon, Moussawi said that “those who wanted to distort the image of Hizbullah got themselves in trouble.” Lebanon’s Cabinet has reached a deadlock after opposing camps have failed to reach agreement over the issue of “false-witnesses.” Moussawi said: “Absurd are those people who think they can force Hizbullah to surrender militarily or politically.”
http://www.dailystar.com.lb/article.asp?edition_id=1&categ_id=1&article_id=122702
Tribunal backers to bury Hariri court – Wahhab
BEIRUT: Tawheed Movement leader Wiam Wahhab said Sunday parties that supported the establishment of the Special Tribunal for Lebanon (STL) would work toward abolishing it henceforth. “Today, you can say that the STL and those who supported it and worked for it will assume the task of burying it with their own hands,” he said in reference to the coalition led by Prime Minister Saad Hariri. He added the release of a false STL indictment accusing Hizbullah members in the assassination of former Prime Minister Rafik Hariri would not undermine the role of the resistance. “Our position remains firm beside the resistance and Syria and will not change, irrespective of pressure. The STL that was set up to deal a blow to the resistance and Lebanon is now part of history,” he said.
http://www.dailystar.com.lb/article.asp?edition_id=1&categ_id=1&article_id=122704
Arslan calls on Hariri to halt all cooperation with tribunal
BEIRUT: Lebanese Democratic Party leader Talal Arslan has called on Prime Minister Saad Hariri to respond positively to Hizbullah’s demand to end cooperation with the Special Tribunal for Lebanon (STL) and thereby obstruct what he labeled a US-Israeli plan to instigate strife among the Lebanese.
http://www.dailystar.com.lb/article.asp?edition_id=1&categ_id=2&article_id=122710
Harb: ‘False witnesses’ purview of normal judiciary
BEIRUT: Labor Minister Butros Harb said Sunday the issue of “false witnesses” fell under the prerogatives of the Lebanese judiciary rather than the Judicial Council, adding that only President Michel Sleiman was entitled to decide whether to put the issue to a vote.
http://www.dailystar.com.lb/article.asp?edition_id=1&categ_id=1&article_id=122705
Frost over the World – The future of Lebanese politics
Barbara Stocking, the director of Oxfam, talks about the massacres in the Democratic Republic of Congo; Plus, Ibrahim Najjar, Lebanon’s justice minister, on the findings of the Hariri Tribunal and its impact; and Alex Brummer, the city editor of the Daily Mail, on Germany’s role in the Eurozone crisis.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5pWvP2wzgDk&feature=youtube_gdata
Iraq
Sunday: 15 Iraqis Killed, 8 Wounded
At least four Iraqis were killed and eight more were wounded in the latest attacks, while 11 badly decomposed bodies were discovered in a mass grave. It is expected that Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki will unveil his new cabinet tomorrow. Iraqiya leader Ayad Allawi will be watching carefully, making sure Maliki sticks to his promise to fairly distribute the streets.
http://original.antiwar.com/updates/2010/12/19/sunday-15-iraqis-killed-8-wounded/
Iraq PM to unveil national unity cabinet (AFP)
AFP – Iraqi Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki was to unveil a national unity cabinet Monday, potentially bringing to an end months of deadlock after elections, though key security posts will remain vacant.
http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/iraq/*http://news.yahoo.com/s/afp/20101220/wl_afp/iraqpoliticscabinet
Iraq’s Sadr in war of words with splinter group (AFP)
AFP – Radical Shiite cleric Moqtada al-Sadr was engaged in a war of words on Friday with a splinter group from his movement that has claimed the kidnap of several British and US contractors in Iraq.
http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/iraq/*http://news.yahoo.com/s/afp/20101217/wl_mideast_afp/iraqunrestpoliticssadr
Saddam half-brother apologises to Iraqi people (AFP)
AFP – A half-brother of executed president Saddam Hussein has apologised to the Iraqi people for the dictatorial rule of his Baath party and charged ex-deputy premier Tareq Aziz was its architect.
http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/iraq/*http://news.yahoo.com/s/afp/20101219/wl_mideast_afp/iraqpoliticssaddamtrial
US pressure over Saddam scientist
THE United States secretly pressured Australia to place one of Saddam Hussein’s former top biological weapons scientists at Victoria University in Melbourne. But the federal government rejected a March 2008 request from the US to accept Professor Ali al-Za’ag, a microbiologist and genetic engineering expert, under a State Department program to provide employment for Iraqi experts in weapons of mass destruction.
http://www.theage.com.au/national/us-pressure-over-saddam-scientist-20101219-191xc.html
Qur’an etched in Saddam Hussein’s blood poses dilemma for Iraq leaders
As country debates whether to destroy everything connected to former dictator, Shia-led regime remains sensitive about relics. It was etched in the blood of a dictator in a ghoulish bid for piety. Over the course of two painstaking years in the late 1990s, Saddam Hussein had sat regularly with a nurse and an Islamic calligrapher; the former drawing 27 litres of his blood and the latter using it as a macabre ink to transcribe a Qur’an. But since the fall of Baghdad, almost eight years ago, it has stayed largely out of sight – locked away behind three vaulted doors. It is the one part of the ousted tyrant’s legacy that Iraq has simply not known what to do with.
http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2010/dec/19/saddam-legacy-quran-iraqi-government
UN raps Sweden for deporting Iraqi Christians (AP)
AP – The U.N. criticized Sweden on Friday for deporting five Iraqi Christians back to their homeland as Iraq’s Christian community comes under severe threat of militant attacks.
http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/iraq/*http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20101217/ap_on_re_mi_ea/un_un_iraq_christians
Nir Rosen on the aftermath of America’s wars
Nir Rosen, is a fellow at NYU’s Center on Law and Security, and one of the best war reporters in the world. Aftermath: Following the Bloodshed of America’s Wars in the Muslim World is his account of the impact of US wars in the Middle East and Central Asia.
http://pulsemedia.org/2010/12/17/nir-rosen-on-the-aftermath-of-americas-wars/
Iraqi cinema makes a comeback at Greek film festival (AFP)
AFP – Iraqi cinema scored a notable first at this month’s Thessaloniki International Film Festival in Greece, with one film up for an award and a retrospective of the young director Mohamed al-Daradji.
http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/iraq/*http://news.yahoo.com/s/afp/20101218/wl_mideast_afp/entertainmentgreeceiraqfilmfestival
Baghdad sculptor realises dream of returning home
More than a million Iraqis have fled the country since 2003, among them many prominent artists. Sculptor Mohammad Ghani Hikmat is one of them. Now, he is back home in Baghdad and keen to pick up where he left off. Al Jazeera’s Jane Arraf went to meet him in the Iraqi capital.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6ImYQUuitpg&feature=youtube_gdata
Wikileaks
US Embassy Cables: : US tapped Delhi Police officers
According to a diplomatic cable sent from the US Embassy in New Delhi in April 2006, American embassy officials had tapped an anti-terror Special Cell official of Delhi Police to gather information regarding investigations into terrorism related cases, bypassing the official route.
http://ibnlive.in.com/news/wikileaks-us-tapped-delhi-police-officers/137819-3.html
Need a laugh? US Lectures On Human Rights and Censorship: US Embassy Cables
Cuba’s ‘best friends forever’ ignore human rights: Australia, Canada and several European countries have stopped pressuring Cuba over human rights in the hope of winning commercial favours from Havana, according to confidential US diplomatic cables released by WikiLeaks.
http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2010/dec/17/wikileaks-cuba-human-rights
WikiLeaks lawyers: Sweden ‘smeared’ Assange with police files release
In what may be an ironic turn of events, lawyers for Julian Assange are up in arms about a leak of sensitive information. The WikiLeaks founder’s Swedish legal team is planning to file a complaint demanding that authorities investigate the leaking of police materials on the Assange investigation to a British newspaper.
http://www.rawstory.com/rs/2010/12/wikileaks-smearing-assange-police-files/
Frost over the World – Extraditing Assange
Carl Bildt, Sweden’s foreign minister, discusses the recent terrorist attacks in Stockholm, and the attempted extradition of Julian Assange for sex crimes. Plus, John Githongo, the Kenyan anti-corruption campaigner on the ICC and Kenyan politics; and David Sedaris, the Grammy-nominated American humourist, on his new collection, Squirrel Seeks Chipmunk: A Wicked Bestiary, a series of animal fables.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=m7DqG1y-EJ0&feature=youtube_gdata
Inside Story – The WikiLeaks copycats
WikiLeaks is inspiring a new breed of would-be whistle-blowers across the globe. But is all this copycat activity really helping to promote freedom of information? And what about the risk of inflaming tensions in volatile countries?
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FxXZgqXOV0c&feature=youtube_gdata
Naomi Wolf vs. Jaclyn Friedman: Feminists Debate on the Sexual Allegations Against Julian Assange
As more details emerge about the sex crimes allegations against WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange, we host a debate between two feminists: Jaclyn Friedman argues the sexual assault allegations shouldn’t be dismissed just because they’re politically motivated, while Naomi Wolf says by going after Assange, the state is not embracing feminism, it’s “pimping” it.
http://www.democracynow.org/2010/12/20/naomi_wolf_vs_jaclyn_friedman_a
Accusations against Assange: both things can be true, As`ad Abukhalil
Many angry leftists wrote to me in protest against what I wrote last week regarding accusations against Assange. I merely said that leftists should rally to the support of Assange as a victim of a global, US-orchestrated campaign to punish him for the release of documents–the authenticity of which have not been questioned–but should not necessarily rally to his defense regarding the accusations by the two women. Both things can be true: that the accusations may have some validity while it is also indubitably true that the use of the interpol and the prosecutor’s office in Sweden is conducted on behalf of the US for political purposes. As I read the long report in the New York Times this morning about the accusations by the two women–and I believe that those accusations should be investigated–I wondered to myself: since when does the horrible New York Times care about the plight of female victims of sexual assault and molestation? Why does not the pages of New York Times be used to investigate sexual crimes in New York City for example?
http://angryarab.blogspot.com/2010/12/accusations-against-assange-both-things.html
Cover-ups, Coups, and Drones: A Holiday Sampler of What Wikileaks Reveals about the US
The US claims broad authority to secretly snoop on the lives of individuals inside and outside of the US. It also works tirelessly to prevent citizens from knowing what is going on by expansively naming basic government information “state secrets.” The government says it has to have the right to keep things secret in order to prevent crime.
http://www.informationclearinghouse.info/article27103.htm
U.S. and other world news
Senators ‘failing 9/11 rescuers’
US politicians have made little progress on legislation that would provide more than $7bn in healthcare for emergency workers and others who became ill after breathing in dust and toxic fumes at the site of the September 11 attacks. A bill was approved by the US House of Representatives in September, but Republicans in the Senate have consistently blocked discussion because of a deadlock over tax-cut extensions. Al Jazeera spoke to Richard Skinner, a former fire fighter who, as a volunteer with the Fire Chiefs Association, was one of those who responded to emergency calls at the World Trade Centre on September 11, 2001.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UUbGxBLPrsI&feature=youtube_gdata
Nato confirms airstrike killed 4 Afghan soldiers
Nato confirmed Saturday that four Afghan soldiers were killed accidentally in an airstrike in a Taliban flashpoint in southern Afghanistan this week.
http://www.nation.com.pk/pakistan-news-newspaper-daily-english-online/International/19-Dec-2010/Nato-confirms-airstrike-killed-Afghan-soldiers
Booze, drugs and hookers: Hundreds of offenses by Afghan contractors uncovered
At two in the morning on Sept. 9, 2005, five DynCorp International security guards assigned to Afghan President Hamid Karzai’s protective detail returned to their compound drunk, with a prostitute in tow. Less than a week later, three of these same guards got drunk again, this time in the VIP lounge of the Kabul airport while awaiting a flight to Thailand. “They had been intoxicated, loud and obnoxious,” according to an internal company report of the incident, which noted that Afghanistan’s deputy director for elections and a foreign diplomat were also in the lounge. “Complaints were made regarding the situation.” DynCorp fired the three guards.
http://www.rawstory.com/rs/2010/12/hundreds-offenses-afghan-contractors-uncovered/
Iran’s nuclear chief takes over as foreign minister, seeks better ties with Gulf Arab nations
Iran’s nuclear chief replaced the country’s sacked foreign minister Saturday and said his top priorities include building a “special relationship” with Saudi Arabia, an announcement that appeared meant to ease suspicion and fear across the Persian Gulf about Iran’s nuclear program.
http://feeds.latimes.com/%7Er/latimes/middleeast/%7E3/uJ2DVdntIak/sns-ap-ml-iran,0,4449924.story
Egypt Charges Another Suspect With Israel Spying
CAIRO Egypt’s State Security says an Egyptian and two Israelis have been charged with recruiting agents in Egypt, Syria, and Lebanon to spy for Israeli intelligence. Prosecutor Hisham Badawi in press conference Monday charged an Egyptian businessman with harming the country’s national interests. Two Israelis were charged in absentia as well.
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2010/12/20/egypt-israel-spying_n_798989.html
Riots reported in Tunisian city
Images posted on social-network sites show police intervening to halt disturbances ignored by national media.
http://english.aljazeera.net//news/africa/2010/12/2010122063745828931.html
Kuwaiti academic detained for ‘undermining emir’s status’
KUWAIT CITY: A prominent Kuwaiti academic, Obaid al-Wasmi, has been detained on suspicion of undermining the status of the emir, his lawyer said Sunday. “The public attorney ordered professor Wasmi to be detained for 21 days in central prison pending further investigation,” Al-Humaidi al-Subaie told AFP.
http://www.dailystar.com.lb/article.asp?edition_id=10&categ_id=2&article_id=122679
The tragedy of Algeria’s ‘disappeared’
They are all over the wall of Naseera Dutour’s office, in their hundreds, in their thousands. There are cemeteries of them, bearded, clean shaven, the youth and the elderly of Algeria, veiled women, a smiling girl with a ribbon in her hair, in colour for the most part; the bloodbath of the 1990s was a post-technicolor age so the blood came bright red and soaked right through the great revolution that finally conquered French colonial power.
http://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/africa/the-tragedy-of-algerias-disappeared-2164859.html
www.TheHeadlines.org
