and other news from Today in Palestine:
‘Day of Rage’: Tires torched near Jerusalem
The settlers’ “day of rage” began with the blocking of Highway 1, burning of tires and an attempt to block the train, and now after a short intermission – the rage continues. A group of settlers tried to block the entrance to Jerusalem at the Sakharov Gardens junction on Thursday. The protesters torched tires which filled the area with smoke. Police forces cleared the tires and prevented the settlers from stopping traffic … Also Thursday, police arrested 15 protesters who tried to stop traffic at the Shilat Junction while shouting: “A Jew doesn’t deport a Jew.” … Police forces, including undercover officers, are deployed around the country to prevent the blocking of roads by protesters … Protesters said another big rally is expected to take place at Mercaz HaRav, a national-religious yeshiva in Jerusalem
http://www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7340,L-4037420,00.html
Palestinians: Settlers set car on fire near Ramallah
Ynet 3 Mar – Possible ‘price tag’ retaliation in Palestinian village of Beit Ilu near Ramallah as residents claimed that settlers arrived at a house in the village late Wednesday night and set a car on fire. In a conversation with Ynet, a village resident stated that “at 2:30 am we heard an unusual noise outside. We went out and saw six or seven settlers standing near the car of one of our neighbors and setting it on fire.” Residents stated that police have arrived at the village and are investigating the incident.
http://www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7340,L-4037075,00.html
Rightists launch ‘day of rage’ over West Bank outpost demolition
Haaretz 3 Mar — Demonstrators block Tel Aviv-Jerusalem highway, place burning tires in entrance to Jerusalem to protest demolition of illegal structures in the Havat Gilad outpost … Later Thursday, a group of demonstrators attempted to block a section of railway tracks that runs between the city Modi’in and Ben Gurion International Airport … Human rights groups Yesh Din and B’Tselem yesterday demanded that the Israel Defense Forces protect Palestinians from the demonstrations today.
http://www.haaretz.com/news/national/rightists-launch-day-of-rage-over-west-bank-outpost-demolition-1.346849
Dozens of Palestinians injured in clashes with police in Jaffa
JAFFA, (PIC) 2 Mar — Dozens of Palestinians have been injured in clashes that broke out with police protecting Jewish demonstrations in the city of Jaffa. The entire city had gone on strike to protest demonstrations by dozens of Jews, Aqsa Foundation member Mohammed al-Ashkar told the PIC. “Locals went early to the city streets to confront extremists trying to reach the area, and to confirm that Jaffa was and also will be a Palestinian, Arab, Muslim city
http://www.palestine-info.co.uk/En/default.aspx?xyz=U6Qq7k%2bc
A peek into settlers’ war room / Yair Altman
3 Mar — Ynet peeks into the rightists’ war room: In a small apartment on the second floor of a building in Hebron’s Jewish quarter, 12 right-wing activists gathered to create plans on how best to disrupt life in Israel, or what they call their “day of rage” … The men manning the room include Bentzi Gopstein, Baruch Marzel, representatives of the Hilltop Youth, supporters of the infamous Rabbi Meir Kahane, and others. Some are suspected of committing ‘Price tag’ offenses … Representatives of the Hilltop Youth Movement suggested activists infiltrate Palestinian territories in the West Bank – including Jericho, Nablus, and other villages situated between the A and B territories.
http://www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7340,L-4037369,00.html
MKs: Probe outpost evacuation
Ynet 3 Mar– Five rightist MKs want probe following clashes between security forces, settlers … Referring to the plastic bullets used by the officers, MK Danon said, “This is a very grave incident; Jews are being shot with a new and unfamiliar weapon. The internal security minister failed to explain to us whether those were silicon, rubber or plastic bullets. “They are trying a new weapon and the settlers are the guinea pigs…”
http://www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7340,L-4036852,00.html
Disobedient settler gets jail time; rightists plan ‘day of rage’
Ynet 3 Mar — IDF soldier Shimon Weisman was dismissed from the Kfir Brigade and sentenced to 30 days in prison on Wednesday, after he declared he will not continue his military service until his Havat Gilad house is rebuilt. He made his announcement after returning to the illegal outpost on Monday, to find his home among the several structures demolished by the Civil Administration … Weisman returned to his base on Wednesday and was tried for disobeying orders. Kfir Brigade Commander Col. Oren Abman expelled him from the combat training program. After he completes his jail sentence, the IDF will consider the continuation of his military service
http://www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7340,L-4036988,00.html
Op-ed: Above the law in Samaria / Yakir Elkariv
Ynet 3 Mar — While law is strictly enforced in Tel Aviv, illegal outposts enjoy different reality … If you live in central Israel, you can be sure that a city inspector and a police officer will be all over you if you only dare throw a cigarette butt on a Tel Aviv sidewalk. On the other hand, if you enjoy life in an illegal outpost, you are allowed to burn a whole olive grove and return home for the evening prayer session without anyone asking you to explain your actions. Why is it happening? Only because the State of Israel has not yet decided what it wants to do with itself.
http://www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7340,L-4036956,00.html
Rightists march in Jaffa and go on the attack in the West Bank / Joseph Dana
+972 2 Mar — Why the sudden spike in settler violence and provocation? … Why have Israeli authorities, out of nowhere, decided to ‘destroy’ an outpost that was known to be populated by extremist and violent settlers? A violent cocktail of attacks against Palestinians (so called “price tag” attacks) and extremist rhetoric against the state is an absolute certainty when destroying an outpost like Havat Gilad. Why unleash this now? The historic developments in Egypt might be one motivation … Unleashing the convenient right wing settler animal through the destruction of extremist outposts in the West Bank is a great way to ensure that the public will focus on internal instead of external political matters.
http://972mag.com/rightists-march-in-jaffa-and-go-on-the-attack-in-the-west-bank/
Netanyahu’s promise to dismantle illegal outposts is a big step backward / Roi Maor
+972 1 Mar — Netanyahu’s announcement that he would have only three outposts dismantled is actually a major step backward. Previous Israeli prime ministers committed several times to dismantling all outposts, as per the Road Map and various other agreements. Previous heads of government repeatedly announced they were about to execute this decision — but none of these promises was ever carried out … It is important to remember, too, that the term “state land” is highly misleading when applied to the West Bank. A lot of private Palestinian land was declared to be state land by IDF lawyers, utilizing questionably legal ruses. Although public land, according to international law, is to be used for the benefit of the occupied population, Palestinians are allowed nowhere near it … In fact, it is not necessary to evict the settlers from the illegal outposts. As in most cases, turning off the money tap is much more effective than violent confrontations. The truth is that the government, for all its protestations, supports the outposts.
http://972mag.com/netanyahus-promise-to-dismantle-illegal-outposts-is-a-smokescreen/
Facing up to Jewish nationalism and racist violence / Max Blumenthal and Joseph Dana
EI 3 Mar — When we released the now famous and censored video Feeling the Hate in Jerusalem, we were widely attacked and dismissed for daring to publicize footage of college-age Jewish kids behaving like racist fanatics while intoxicated. We argued that our footage revealed a deep sickness within Israeli society and among diaspora Jews who defined their Jewish identity according to extreme Zionist ideology … Because Jewish nationalism is an exclusivist project that defines everyone who exists outside the Zionist spectrum as a potential threat and an obstacle to the ultimate ambitions of Israel, racism directed against Obama and anti-Palestinian racism form a seamless thread. This thread connects automatically to the African and Asian migrant workers who Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has called “a concrete threat to the Jewish and democratic character of the country”
http://electronicintifada.net/v2/article11839.shtml
Jerusalem Post describes a Jewish settler throwing Molotov cocktail into a Palestinian house as ‘vandalism’ / Philip Weiss
3 Mar — Right now we’re seeing days of rage by Jewish settlers of the West Bank after the demolition of a Jewish outpost in the colony by the Israeli government. “Price tag” violence is violence directed against Palestinians, who of course are under occupation. From the Jerusalem Post: “Price tag” is the name given to acts of vandalism against Palestinians in response to state actions against settlements….
https://mondoweiss.net/2011/03/jerusalem-post-describes-a-jewish-settler-throwing-molotov-cocktail-into-a-palestinian-house-as-vandalism.html
PA: World must act on settler violence
RAMALLAH, 2 Mar (AFP) — The Palestinian Authority on Wednesday urged the international community to take action to halt Jewish settler violence towards Palestinians. Following a series of attacks against Palestinians across the West Bank, the Ramallah-based leadership issued a statement demanding the international community “intervene with Israel over the violent and provocative actions by settlers, which the Israeli authorities refuse to control.”
http://www.maannews.net/eng/ViewDetails.aspx?ID=364934
Detention
UN to act on Palestinian inmates’ plight
Press TV 2 Mar — The UN Committee on the Exercise of the Inalienable Rights of the Palestinian People is to address the plight of Palestinian prisoners held in Israeli prisons and detention facilities. The committee’s next meeting, which will be held on March 7 and 8 at the UN office in Vienna, seeks to raise awareness of the dilemma and to strengthen support of the international community for a solution to the issue. More than 11,500 Palestinians are currently held in Israeli prisons under harsh conditions, according to Palestinian sources. A total of 270 of the detainees are under the age of 18 years and 33 of them are women.
http://www.presstv.ir/detail/167845.html
Hamas: 2 affiliates detained by PA
BETHLEHEM (Ma‘an) 3 Mar — Hamas leaders in the West Bank said two party affiliates were detained overnight by Palestinian Authority security forces, and accused the officers of acting on politically motivated grounds. The detentions were said to have been made in Bethlehem and Nablus, but could not be confirmed by Ma‘an.
http://www.maannews.net/eng/ViewDetails.aspx?ID=365111
Reprisals
Gaza fighters: Projectile fired at Israeli military tower
GAZA CITY (Ma‘an) 3 Mar — A militant group in Gaza said fighters fired a C5K rocket toward an Israeli military guard tower on Thursday, saying in a statement that attacks against military infrastructure would continue until Israel’s occupation ended. The National Resistance Brigades, the military wing of the Democratic Front for the Liberation of Palestine, said the munition was fired at a watch tower south of the Kissufim military base, located northeast of Khan Younis, on the Gaza-Israel border.
http://www.maannews.net/eng/ViewDetails.aspx?ID=365083
Siege / Restriction of movement
Sole operating crossing opens for aid delivery to Gaza
GAZA CITY (Ma‘an) 3 Mar — Gaza’s last remaining crossing terminal was opened on Thursday, for what observers say will be a reduced amount of delivered aid and commercial goods … The bulk goods crossing, Karni, located in the northern Gaza Strip, was permanently closed on Wednesday … On Tuesday, Dutch officials said Israeli authorities allowed the export of cherry tomatoes for the first time since 2007. The cash crops were ready for export in December, a statement from the Dutch representative office in Ramallah said, but Israeli officials delayed their decision to allow the goods through the terminal.
http://www.maannews.net/eng/ViewDetails.aspx?ID=365057
Mid-checkpoint duty, Israeli soldiers stop for local snack
TULKAREM (Ma‘an) 3 Mar — The bakers at Al-Massa Sweets at the north end of Tulkarem were surprised Thursday, when four armed Israeli soldiers entered their shop and ordered Knafeh, a locally produced dessert, during a break from manning a flying checkpoint. For the second day in a row, an Israeli patrol unit set up a partial checkpoint in the northern West Bank city. On Wednesday night, the patrol stopped young men and women near the Tulkarem refugee camp, checking ID cards and slowing traffic … Soldiers returned on Thursday morning, driving into the city and setting up at the entrance to Palestine University, a satellite campus for An-Najah National University in Nablus … An Israeli military spokesman said no report of a flying checkpoint had been registered.
http://www.maannews.net/eng/ViewDetails.aspx?ID=365184
Racism
Jerusalem prosecutor reduces charges for suspect in racially motivated killing
Haaretz 3 Mar –Left-wing protesters demonstrated outside court in Jerusalem, after prosecution reduced charges for a minor who allegedly stabbed an Arab man to death last month — The boy in the case is one of four minors who are charged with allegedly stabbing to death Hussam Rawidi, a 24-year-old Arab man, in Jerusalem last month … At the scene of last month’s stabbing, the suspects allegedly used a razor to stab Rawidi to death after shouting racial slurs at him. Lador argued that the stabbing was not carried out with the intent to kill Rawidi. The protesters outside of the court on Thursday called the reduced charges “white-washing,” and demanded that prosecution change the charge against the minor to murder.
http://www.haaretz.com/news/national/protesters-demand-harsher-charges-for-suspect-of-racially-motivated-killing-1.346931
Solidarity / Boycott, Divestment & Sanctions
Bringing Galilee Jews, Arabs closer
Ynet 3 Mar — Singer Chava Alberstein donates paintings to support northern communities
http://www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7340,L-4023964,00.html
US students face jail time for disrupting Israeli official’s speech
EI 2 Mar — Eleven University of California students face criminal charges and possible jail terms for protesting and disrupting a speech by an Israeli official as the Orange County district attorney’s office engages in what one of the students’ attorneys calls “selective and discriminatory prosecution”
http://electronicintifada.net/v2/article11837.shtml
Is entertaining dictators worse than normalizing apartheid? / Nada Elia and Laurie King
EI 3 Mar — …Those of us who have long been engaged in Palestine justice activism cannot help but notice glaring double-standards in these denunciations of the various deals with devils. And at this critical point in the history of the Arab world, we must request that our readers begin to “connect the dots” throughout the region. Is entertaining dictators a lesser crime than normalizing Israeli apartheid? Why hold artists accountable for performing at the behest of tyrants, and let them off the hook for whitewashing Israel’s regime which engages in massive human rights abuses, all subsidized by the United States government?
http://electronicintifada.net/v2/article11840.shtml
#BDS: Israel should be given the South African treatment
“I am a black South African, and if I were to change the names, the description of what is happening in the Gaza Strip and the West Bank would be a description of what is happening in South Africa” Archbishop Desmond Tutu, New York 1989 When Desmond Tutu made this comment, the South African apartheid regime was still in power. In 1994, after 45 years of racial segregation, the apartheid era was officially over. When watershed moments like this occur, multiple factors can be attributed. But history is clear that one of the many reasons this tyranny finally succumbed was an international boycott, divestment and sanctions campaign – BDS.
http://youthanormalization.blogspot.com/2011/02/bds-israel-should-be-given-south.html
#BDS: How can we not boycott Israel? It’s the very least we can do
(video of soldiers arresting child)
http://youthanormalization.blogspot.com/2011/02/bds-how-can-we-not-boycott-israel-its.html
#BDS: Israel Philharmonic orchestra has role in Israeli apartheid
“Pro-Palestinian advocacy group calls for boycott, protests of Israeli orchestra’s tour, saying ensemble ‘diverts attention from Israel’s oppression of Palestinians’ (Ynet)
http://youthanormalization.blogspot.com/2011/02/bds-israel-philharmonic-orchestra-has.html
#BDS: Report on Seattle protest of Israel Philharmonic Orchestra
“This report is from the Palestine Solidarity Committee of Seattle, a US Campaign member group, about just one of multiple planned protests in U.S. cities where the Israel Philharmonic is performing.
http://youthanormalization.blogspot.com/2011/03/bds-report-on-seattle-protest-of-israel.html
#BDS: 500 artists against Israeli apartheid
“A call from Montreal artists to support the international campaign for Boycott, Divestment, and Sanctions against Israeli apartheid…
Today, a broad spectrum of Montreal artists are standing in solidarity with the Palestinian struggle for freedom
http://youthanormalization.blogspot.com/2011/03/bds-500-artists-against-israeli.html
#BDS: Event: Boycott Israel conference: will Scotland lead the way?
“Organised by Scottish Friends of Palestine Saturday 19 March 2011 10am to 5pm Renfield St Stephen’s Church Centre, Bath Street Glasgow — 2011 is the year of election to the Scottish Parliament. Can those parties vying to form the next Scottish government be persuaded of the case for action against the state of Israel?
http://youthanormalization.blogspot.com/2011/03/bds-event-boycott-israel-conference.html
#BDS: AIDS, apartheid and boycotts
…Greyson drew international headlines in 2009 not for what he did show, but for what he didn’t. He yanked his short film from the Toronto International Film Festival in protest of the organization’s sponsorship by the Israeli government. This prompted a loud public debate about TIFF, its corporate sponsorships and boycotts of Israel.
http://youthanormalization.blogspot.com/2011/03/bds-aids-apartheid-and-boycotts.html
#BDS: Palestinian queers for BDS: It is your business
(video)
http://youthanormalization.blogspot.com/2011/02/bds-palestinian-queers-for-bds-it-is.html
Anti-BDS
#BDS: IAW in NYC Coordinating Committee statement on the cancellation of our “Party To End Apartheid” by the LGBT Community Center
“As organizers of New York City’s Israeli Apartheid Week (IAW), we are dismayed to learn that New York’s LGBT Center has canceled the scheduled March 5 “Party to End Apartheid” that was to take place there. We are equally dismayed that the Center also has banned one of the organizers of this event, and a member of our coalition, the Siegebusters Working Group, from holding its regular meeting at the Center.
http://youthanormalization.blogspot.com/2011/02/bds-iaw-in-nyc-coordinating-committee.html
#BDS: alQaws and Aswat statement to the LGBT Center in NY
“We, Palestinian queer activists from alQaws for Sexual & Gender Diversity in Palestinian Society and Aswat Palestinian Gay Women, are writing to you to express our shock and dismay at your recent decision to cancel the “Party to End Apartheid” event and ban activists working for human rights in Israel/Palestine from the LGBT Center.
http://youthanormalization.blogspot.com/2011/03/bds-alqaws-and-aswat-statement-to-lgbt.html
#BDS: ‘Doors’ members breach the Palestinian BDS call
…Two of the original members of the legendary rock band The Doors are scheduled to perform in Israel on July 5, two days after the 40th anniversary of lead singer Jim Morrison’s death.
http://youthanormalization.blogspot.com/2011/02/bds-doors-members-breach-palestinians.html
#BDS: Lucy Liu breached the BDS call and visits Israel
Hollywood actress Lucy Liu arrived in Israel last week with her partner, Israeli businessman Noam Gottesman. The two are arrived in the country following the death of Noam’s father, businessman and Israel Museum President Dov Gottesman.”
http://youthanormalization.blogspot.com/2011/03/bds-lucy-liu-breached-boycott-call-and.html
#BDS: Israel and cultural normalization
American filmmakers Joel and Ethan Cohen to receive Dan David Prize on behalf of Tel Aviv University.
Actor Verne Troyer of ‘Austin Powers’ concludes five-day trip to Israel with visit to Jerusalem holy site.
http://youthanormalization.blogspot.com/2011/02/bds-israel-and-cultural-normalization.html
#BDS: Greek PM: Zionism and the IMF’s last best friend
“In the midst of the Arab uprisings throughout the Middle East, at a time when even the European (EU) has publically condemned Israel’s blockade of Gaza and its illegal land seizures in the West Bank and East Jerusalem, Greek Prime Minister George Papandreou promised a visiting delegation of American Jewish leaders, that he would do everything possible to undermine EU opposition and promote Israeli economic, diplomatic and political interests in Europe.
http://youthanormalization.blogspot.com/2011/02/bds-greek-pm-zionism-and-imfs-last-best.html
#BDS: Israel recruits citizen advocates in Europe
“Israel has instructed its embassies in 10 European countries, including the UK, each to recruit 1,000 members of the public to act as advocates for its policies in a new public relations offensive.
http://youthanormalization.blogspot.com/2011/02/bds-israel-recruits-citizen-advocates.html
Refugees
‘Refugee revolution’ set for March 15
GAZA CITY (Ma‘an) 3 Mar — Palestinian students and rights activists in Gaza initiated a campaign for Palestinian refugees, aiming to harness the winds of change in the Middle East and mobilize the Palestinian diaspora into action. On 15 March, the group said, more than 1 million were expected to participate in a global sit-in, taking place in front of Israeli embassies worldwide. An organizer in Gaza told Ma‘an on Thursday that a preparatory committee had been established and was making contacts regionally and internationally, and a coordinated effort was underway to demand the return of some 9 million Palestinian refugees living in camps in the Middle East and in the global diaspora.
http://www.maannews.net/eng/ViewDetails.aspx?ID=365060
War criminals
Israel examining ways to protect IDF troops from legal action
Haaretz 3 Mar — Israel is examining ways of protecting IDF officers and soldiers from legal action that may be taken against them abroad because of their activities in the Gaza Strip, military sources told Haaretz Wednesday. Last November, a list of some 200 Israeli “war criminals” was published on the Internet, consisting of IDF officers and soldiers who had taken part in Operation Cast Lead in the Gaza Strip some two years earlier.
http://www.haaretz.com/print-edition/news/israel-examining-ways-to-protect-idf-troops-from-legal-action-1.346791
Palestinians and Egypt, Libya
Egypt releases 12 Palestinian detainees
GAZA CITY (Ma’‘n) 3 Mar — Egyptian authorities released 12 Palestinians from the Al-Aqrab prison on Thursday, a spokesman for the families of the detained said, adding that all were en route to the Rafah crossing. According to families in Gaza, who have been in touch with the prisoners, there are an additional 32 men who remain in Egyptian custody. Many were detained during the 2007 destruction of the Gaza-Egypt border wall
http://www.maannews.net/eng/ViewDetails.aspx?ID=365215
‘Arabs will protest like Egypt over social workers’ strike’
Ynet 3 Mar — Following Egypt, Libya and Tunisia, will riots reach Israel too? Arab sector warns that social workers’ strike and recent price hikes could lead to outburst. ‘Government needs to wake up,’ says Kafr Kana official
http://www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7340,L-4037151,00.html
Political news
PA: 150 states to recognize Palestine by September
Ynet 3 Mar – Palestinians expect broad global support: Some 150 countries will recognize a Palestinian state within the 1967 borders by September of this year, Palestinian Authority Foreign Minister Riyad al-Maliki said Wednesday. Maliki claimed that 10 more states in the Caribbean region will be declaring their recognition of Palestine this month.
http://www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7340,L-4036984,00.html
Israel: No Palestinian peace deal possible now
JERUSALEM (AP) 3 Mar — Israel has concluded that a final peace deal with the Palestinians cannot be reached at this time and is weighing alternatives to try to prove that it is interested in keeping peacemaking with the Palestinians alive, officials said Thursday.
http://www.boston.com/news/world/middleeast/articles/2011/03/03/israel_no_palestinian_peace_deal_possible_now/
Obama: Israelis must show seriousness on peace
Ynet 3 Mar — WASHINGTON – US President Obama this week called on Jewish leaders to speak to their colleagues in Israel and to “search your souls” over Israel’s seriousness about making peace, the Jewish Telegraphic Agency reported Wednesday. According to participants, Obama told the Jewish leaders that Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas is eager to secure his legacy by establishing a Palestinian state and would accept a decent offer if one were on the table.
http://www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7340,L-4037049,00.html
PLO envoy tells US Jews: Peace process must lead to Palestinian state
Haaretz 2 Mar – At NYU conference, Maen Rashid Areikat says negotiations have lost credibility amid continued Israeli construction in the West Bank.
http://www.haaretz.com/news/diplomacy-defense/plo-envoy-tells-u-s-jews-peace-process-must-lead-to-palestinian-state-1.346752
Israel’s envoy in Jordan reprimanded
Ynet 2 Mar — The Jordanian Foreign Ministry reprimanded Israel’s ambassador to Amman over a remark made by Knesset Member Aryeh Eldad, the Petra news agency reported. On Tuesday, Eldad said that Jordan is in fact the Palestinian state.
http://www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7340,L-4036944,00.html
Diplomat: I can no longer represent Israel
Ynet 2 Mar — Veteran diplomat Ilan Baruch quits, says he can no longer represent government; Israel’s foreign policy is ‘wrong,’ he says, adds that blaming global anti-occupation views on anti-Semitism is ‘simplistic, artificial’
http://www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7340,L-4036889,00.html
Other news
Hamas arrests wanted global jihad militant in Gaza
Haaretz 3 Mar — Hisham Saidani, leader of the Tawhid al-Jihad, a group associated with Al Qaida and other global jihad elements, arrested after being wanted by Hamas for 18 months … Tawhid al-Jihad had been linked to 2004 attacks against tourist destinations in the Sinai, as well as perpetrating an assault on hotels in the Egyptian peninsula killing 19 people. Recently, the group had widened its Gaza support base. Hamas security has been targeting the global jihad network in Gaza for some time now, last month arresting Mahmoud Taleb, another central figure in the Strip that groups associated with global jihad.
http://www.haaretz.com/news/diplomacy-defense/hamas-arrests-wanted-global-jihad-militant-in-gaza-1.346933
Hamas says reports of weapons in Egypt false
GAZA CITY (Ma‘an) 3 Mar — Hamas officials in Gaza condemned as false Wednesday, a Feb. 26 report in the Egyptian newspaper Al-Ayyam, which said the country’s security forces had seized weapons in Egypt belonging to the Islamist party’s armed wing. A statement from the Gaza government said it held the editorial board of the paper responsible for the error, and called on the Military Council in Egypt to “end such distortion.” The report said a cache of weapons and two Al-Qassam Brigades members were seized.
http://www.maannews.net/eng/ViewDetails.aspx?ID=364748
Gaza banks strike after robbery, demand money back
GAZA CITY (Ma‘an) 3 Mar — The Palestinian Monetary Authority announced Thursday that all banks in Gaza would close on Thursday, following the perpetration of a robbery by unknown gunmen who stole cash from the Palestine Investment Bank in Gaza City. PMA officials did not report the amount of cash taken from the bank, but said the financial institutions would remain closed until the funds were returned. A statement from the body condemned the robbery, saying the use of weapons against the people of Gaza was unacceptable.
http://www.maannews.net/eng/ViewDetails.aspx?ID=365100
Treasury to raise Holocaust survivors’ rent
+972 2 Mar — Last night we found out there is an apparatchik at the Treasury who came up with a brilliant idea for curbing the deficit: Raising the rent of Holocaust survivors. As the clerk – his name is Tzahi David – proudly explained to the somewhat shocked Knesset members, the government subsidizes the rent of many Holocaust survivors, who pay only 8 percent of it. From October onward, said Tzahi David, they’ll pay 10 percent. This will cost them about 70 NIS (about 18 USD); a small amount for Tzahi David, a large sum for a retiree.
http://972mag.com/treasury-to-raise-holocaust-survivors%E2%80%99-rent/
IDF drivers arrested for anti-tank missile theft
Ynet 3 Mar — Undercover agents ‘bought’ one of missiles from alleged thieves, who serve in Golani Brigade, but Investigators suspect three other missiles were sold to criminals … These shoulder-launched units have become a weapon of choice for criminal elements in recent years.
http://www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7340,L-4036936,00.html
U.S.
Video: Republican congressmen join Islamophobic hate rally in California / Adam Horowitz
The Council on American Islamic Relations-Los Angeles issued the following statement along with the video above: The Greater Los Angeles Area office of the Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR-LA) today released a video of a rally organized by anti-Muslim bigots to protest a February fundraising event held by an American Muslim relief group for relief work and charity in the U.S.
https://mondoweiss.net/2011/03/republican-congressmen-join-islamophobic-hate-rally-in-california.html
Palestinian’s ‘Bruno’ lawsuit moved from DC to NYC
3 Mar — NEW YORK (AP) — A Palestinian grocer portrayed as a terrorist in the movie “Bruno” has taken his defamation case from Washington, D.C., to New York City. Ayman Abu Aita’s lawsuit against “Bruno” star Sacha Baron Cohen, David Letterman and others was filed Tuesday in a Manhattan court. D.C. Superior Court records show everyone involved agreed the case could be moved.
http://finance.yahoo.com/news/Palestinians-Bruno-lawsuit-apf-2564436773.html?x=0&.v=1
