and other news from Today in Palestine:
Land, property, resources theft & destruction / Ethnic cleansing / Apartheid
Wikimania 2011 sponsored by Israel government company that develops East Jerusalem
AIC 28 June — …EJDC projects, including settlements, conservation areas and new “heritage” sites, have been sprouting up steadily across East Jerusalem. Palestinian residents in Silwan, for example, are under direct threat from the excavation of the “City of David”, while the Jerusalem Municipality has issued plans to convert much of the Wadi Hilweh and Al-Bustan neighbourhoods into a settler-run archaeological park. To support this plan, Palestinians are evacuated from their homes, denied building permits, and demolition orders are often issued through the municipality on tenuous licensing pretenses.
http://www.alternativenews.org/english/index.php/topics/jerusalem/3688-wikimania-2011-sponsored-by-israeli-government-company-that-develops-east-jerusalem
AICafe 28.6.11 Landscape eco-museum project in Battir
Battir, a village of some 4,000 inhabitants in the Bethlehem area, borders Beit Jala, the villages of Husan and Al Walaje and the Green Line in the north. Battir residents received numerous Israeli military orders aimed at seizing Battir’s lands for various Israeli purposes. Some 900 dunams of land have been confiscated in the area of the “western countryside villages” for the building of the Separation Wall. Battir is also constantly exposed to the establishment of mobile checkpoints and a new settlement is planned on the hill between Battir and Al Walaje. The project Battir Landscape Eco-museum: Management and Conservation of Natural and Cultural Resources of Bethlehem Governorate aims to protect the territory from Israeli land confiscation. The establishment of a Landscape Eco-museum is the output of several years of participatory research and planning.
http://www.alternativenews.org/english/index.php/aicafe/upcoming-events/3689-aicafe-28611-landscape-eco-museum-project-in-battir-presentation-discussion
IOA orders demolition of Maghrabi Bridge
OCCUPIED JERUSALEM (PIC) 29 June — The Israeli occupation authority (IOA) has ordered the demolition of the bridge leading to the Maghareba gate in the Aqsa Mosque in September to benefit from international preoccupation with the UN vote on recognizing a Palestinian state. Hebrew daily Ha’aretz said on Wednesday that the Israeli police recommendation of that date was meant to coincide with the UN vote to ensure that Arab reaction would be minimal. It said that the Israeli police force was still fearing confrontations in occupied Jerusalem as a result of the demolition process. The Maghareba gate is controlled by the IOA and is the only entrance gate for the Jews to the holy Aqsa Mosque.
http://www.palestine-info.co.uk/En/default.aspx?xyz=U6Qq7k%2
Israeli court rules to evict 8 Arab families in Ramla
RAMLA (WAFA) 29 June — An Israeli court Wednesday ruled to evict eight Arab families from their houses in Ramla city in Israel within a month, under the pretext of being ‘unprotected tenants’. The owner of the houses, Abdel Razek El-Ajou, said that he bought a piece of land and a house from the Israel Lands Administration (ILA) in 1960, through a protected lease by the Israeli housing company, Amidar. He built new houses for his sons in line with the contract, where the house owners paid monthly rents to the company. “Five years ago, Amidar stopped receiving the rents and filed a law suit against us in the court demanding to evict us. The company claimed that we are unprotected tenants. The court decided to uproot and evict us,” El-Ajou added
http://english.wafa.ps/index.php?action=detail&id=16579
IOF confiscates hundreds of Ramallah dunums
RAMALLAH (PIC) 29 June — Israeli occupation forces (IOF) confiscated hundreds of Palestinian dunums surrounding the villages of Mazra‘a Gharbiya and Janiya to the west of Ramallah city, citizens told the PIC on Tuesday. Supplying the PIC with the published map, they said that IOF troops and settlers stormed the confiscated land on Monday and installed signs on it, adding that the settlers had survey maps and that engineers with necessary equipment worked on outlining the land. They said that the IOF told the Red Cross, who was delegated by those citizens to inquire about the issue, that the land, rich with olive trees, was confiscated. The commander of the civil administration of the West Bank said in his decision that the land was expropriated according to the absentee law issued by the IOF after occupying the West Bank, which stipulates the expropriation of any land, which owners left and immigrated outside Palestine. [or if they can’t access their land for several years because they’re not allowed to]
http://www.palestine-info.co.uk/En/default.aspx?xyz=U6Qq7k%2bc
Israel to seize 189 dunums of Palestinian land in Nablus
NABLUS (WAFA) 28 June — Israeli forces Wednesday handed landowners seizure notices to take over 189 dunums (1 Dunum=1000 Square Meters) of Palestinian land in Qaryut, a village south of Nablus. Ghassan Daghlas, the official of the settlement file in the north of the West Bank, said that Israeli forces banned the Palestinians from entering their land, which they considered ‘state property’.
http://english.wafa.ps/index.php?action=detail&id=16582
Settlers
Outpost razed; settlers clash with police
Ynet 29 June — Three buildings at illegal outpost Ramat Migron demolished; two girls arrested for throwing paint bottle at police
http://www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7340,L-4088795,00.html
Watch: Settlers and Palestinians who chose to live as neighbors / Harvey Stein
972blog 29 June — There’s a loose “movement” taking place in the West Bank: some settlers and Palestinians are meeting. It pushes the envelope on both sides, making a lot of people cynical — or angry (I have some leftist Israeli friends who think it’s totally hypocritical). Rabbi Menachem Froman, the rabbi of the settlement of Tekoa, is usually viewed as the inspiration for the work.
http://972mag.com/watch-settlers-and-palestinians-who-chose-to-live-as-neighbors/
Detention
IOF troops storm homes of liberated prisoners, round up child among others
JENIN (PIC) 29 June — Israeli occupation forces (IOF) stormed the village of Anin west of Jenin city on Wednesday and broke into the homes of a number of liberated prisoners, local sources said. Eyewitnesses told the PIC reporter that the officer accompanying the soldiers met with a number of ex-prisoners and warned them against indulging in anti Israel activity. He also told them that they are under close watch. They said that the soldiers burst into a number of shops and questioned citizens.
Meanwhile, IOF soldiers arrested two Palestinians in Husan village, west of Bethlehem city, including a 14-year-old child and took them away blindfolded and handcuffed after terrorizing their families.
The soldiers on Tuesday detained four Palestinians in Al-Khalil, human rights sources told the PIC, adding that they were taken to Etzion detention center.
In the Negev, Israeli border police arrested 100 Palestinian workers from the West Bank in the village of Rahet for working in 1948 occupied land without permit.
http://www.palestine-info.co.uk/En/default.aspx?xyz=U6Qq7k%2bc
Israel to crack down on Hamas prisoners’ contact with Gaza leadership
Haaretz 29 June — New move comes as government steps up effort to toughen conditions of Palestinian security prisoners.
http://www.haaretz.com/news/diplomacy-defense/israel-to-crack-down-on-hamas-prisoners-contact-with-gaza-leadership-1.370304
Detainee’s father concerned for son’s health
GAZA CITY (Ma‘an) 28 June — The father of a Palestinian detained in an Israeli prison expressed concern for his son’s health, a prisoners’ center reported. Haitham Salhiya’s father learned from released detainees that his son was put in solitary confinement in a cell the size of a small mattress for 19 consecutive days in Al-Saba prison. He was later put in isolation for 21 consecutive days in Ramon prison.
http://www.maannews.net/eng/ViewDetails.aspx?ID=400708
Italian photographer captures suffering of Palestinian female prisoners, tells true story to the world / Falastine Al-Remawi
RAMALLAH (WAFA) 29 June — Italian photographer Venturo Formicone Wednesday inaugurated his photographic exhibition ‘Suspended Lives’ in Ramallah, which supports and gives voice to Palestinian female ex-prisoners and prisoners in Israeli prisons, shedding light on the human rights violations they have been subjected to … “When I presented these photographs in Madrid last February, I saw people stop, check each photo and read the story, which is a way to support Palestinians. The Spanish government funded this work and that also shows support to the Palestinian issue. Each photo says I am a former prisoner, I am a human being,” he added.
http://english.wafa.ps/index.php?action=detail&id=16583
Arrest of Sheikh Raed Salah in Britain
Islamic Movement leader in Israel arrested in London
Haaretz 29 June — Head of northern branch of Islamic Movement in Israel, Sheikh Ra‘ad Salah, expected to be deported from U.K.; reason for arrest unknown … Zahi Nujeidat, spokesperson for the northern branch of the movement, told Haaretz Wednesday morning that Salah was arrested at the hotel where he was staying after a speaking engagement in the U.K. city of Leicester. Nujeidat said that there is no explanation for the Islamic leader’s arrest, but he believes that it is largely due to the Zionist lobby and members of the British Jewish community.
http://www.haaretz.com/news/diplomacy-defense/islamic-movement-leader-in-israel-arrested-in-london-1.370246
An Israeli trap for Britain / MK Haneen Zoabi
Guardian 29 June — In arresting Sheikh Raed Salah, the UK authorities support the persecution of Arab citizens of Israel — The decision to ban the Palestinian leader Sheikh Raed Salah from entering Britain, and then to arrest him, was transparently not based on any serious examination of his political activities. It was an ugly kneejerk response to the growing hostility of the Israeli establishment and its supporters abroad towards anyone opposing its racist policies – and a rising tide of Islamophobia in Europe. Salah is head of the northern branch of the Islamic Movement in Israel, and three times elected mayor of the Palestinian town of Umm el-Fahm. He and I represent different political organisations and traditions. But there are no legal or legitimate reasons to pursue him. The Israeli persecution of him has recently intensified, as have its attacks on leaders of Palestinian citizens of Israel more generally.
http://www.guardian.co.uk/commentisfree/2011/jun/29/israeli-trap-britain-raed-salah
Sequence of events surrounding Sheikh Raed Salah’s arrest
London (Pal Telegraph) 29 June – Sheikh Raed Salah arrived in London on Saturday 25th using his Israeli passport to enter Britain legally as he has done many times before. He was not questioned by anyone and there was no indication of the existence of an exclusion order. Over the past few days, Sheikh Salah has addressed MPs in the British parliament and has spoken in large public gatherings. His subsequent arrest last night will be challenged in the courts as unjustified.
http://www.paltelegraph.com/world/uk-news/9515-sequence-of-events-surrounding-sheikh-raed-salahs-arrest-.html
Activism / Solidarity
IDF has no way of stopping mass non-violent protest in West Bank
Haaretz 29 June — As September draws nearer, the Israel Defense Forces has been conducting drills in order to contend with the possibility of a mass civilian uprising in the West Bank in the wake of the Palestinian bid to seek unilateral recognition in the United Nations. ”A non-violent protest of 4,000 people or more, even if they only march to a checkpoint or a settlement, and especially if the Palestinian police does not deter them, will be unstoppable,” one IDF officer claims. “Such a great number of determined people cannot be stopped by tear gas and rubber bullets.”
http://www.haaretz.com/news/diplomacy-defense/idf-has-no-way-of-stopping-mass-non-violent-protest-in-west-bank-1.370322
Gaza
Israel continues to hold missile victim arrested at border:
GAZA (PIC) 29 June — Israel continues to hold Ayyub Atallah, 18, from the Gaza Strip, who has suffered extreme health complications after he was hit with shrapnel three years ago, the Gaza Prisoners’ Affairs Ministry said Tuesday. Atallah was arrested on 26 June 2011 on the Beit Hanoun crossing while returning from a trip to get an artificial leg in Slovenia. He lost his leg after Israeli forces launched a missile in April 2008, the ministry’s media director Riyadh al-Ashqar said. Atallah’s crossing of the border was done in coordination with Israel, which waited for his three-year treatment to finish ahead of his arrest. The detention poses grave danger to his health as he requires follow-up.
http://www.palestine-info.co.uk/En/default.aspx?xyz=U6Qq7k%2
IOF troops fire at citizens’ homes south of Gaza
KHAN YOUNIS (PIC) 29 June — Israeli occupation forces (IOF) opened machine gun fire at Palestinian homes and cultivated land lots east of Khan Younis, [in the] south of the Gaza Strip, on Wednesday morning. Media sources said that IOF soldiers stationed at the Kissufim military position to the east of the city opened heavy fire at the Palestinian residential neighborhoods in Qarara and Khuza‘a. They said that the shooting did not cause any casualty but spread panic among the civilians especially women and children.
http://www.palestine-info.co.uk/En/default.aspx?xyz=U6Qq7k%
The blockade on Gaza began long before Hamas came to power / Mya Guarnieri
972blog 29 June — …Sari Bashi is the founder and director of Gisha, an Israeli NGO that advocates for Palestinian freedom of movement. She says that the gradual closure of Gaza began in 1991, when Israel canceled the general exit permit that allowed most Palestinians to move freely through Israel and the Occupied Palestinian Territories. Non-Jewish residents of Gaza and the West Bank were required to obtain individual permits. This was during the First Intifada. While the mere mention of the word invokes the image of suicide bombers in the Western imagination, it’s important to bear in mind that the First Intifada was, by and large, a non-violent uprising comprised of civil disobedience, strikes, and boycotts of Israeli goods.
http://972mag.com/the-blockade-on-gaza-began-long-before-hamas-came-to-power/
Gaza children aim to break world records
GAZA (Ma‘an) 29 June — More than three thousand students from the UN’s agency for Palestinian refugees are expected to break the first of four Guinness world records Thursday as part of a summer games program organized by UNRWA … The world records being attempted include the largest amount of people flying large parachutes from the ground, which was set last year at 1,547. The event will be held at the Khan Younis stadium. “We intend to double the previous record”, said UNRWA spokesman, Chris Gunness. “If kids in Gaza are given half the chance, free from the constraints of this counter-productive blockade, they would show their full potential and be number one in the world. These records will put the spotlight on the world’s only community of hundreds of thousands of fenced in and locked up children. The message is simple: Give Gaza kids their freedom to be children. We need to end this blockade, which has become a blockade against childhood itself.”
http://www.maannews.net/eng/ViewDetails.aspx?ID=400893
Flotilla
Breaking news (so far unconfirmed) Deadly sabotage on Irish ship
29 June — Author: smac | DerryFriendsofPalestine — Irish ship to gaza has been sabotaged by underwater divers Life threatening damage has been done to the boat which could have resulted in the deaths of Irish people onboard the MV Saoirse. Press conference tomorrow at 11Am Dublin
http://occupiedpalestine.wordpress.com/2011/06/29/breaking-news-deadly-sabotage-on-irish-ship/
Gaza flotilla organizers demand Greek police provide security for ships
Haaretz 29 June — Two ships from Sweden and Greece sabotaged over last two days; organizer Manolis Plionis says damage ‘won’t stop us from sailing,’ believes both ships will participate in flotilla … Some of the activists announced that they themselves plan to guard the ships … According to the organizers, the propellers on both ships were damaged, and the pipes leading to the engines were damaged to the extent that an explosion might have occurred once the ships set sail, had it gone unnoticed.
http://www.haaretz.com/print-edition/news/gaza-flotilla-organizers-demand-greek-police-provide-security-for-ships-1.370132
Flotilla: Even state officials say Netanyahu, IDF spread lies / Noam Sheizaf
972mag 29 June — According to government sources, the army doesn’t have any evidence that the flotilla activists are planning violent resistance, yet it publicly accuses them of conspiring to murder soldiers — The top story in two of Israel’s leading daily papers yesterday was a bombshell: The IDF unveiled plans by flotilla passengers to kill soldiers trying to stop the ships from getting to Gaza. Yedioth Ahronoth, Israel’s most widely read paper, ran a headline declaring “Flotilla activists set to kill,” which was attributed to military sources (but only in the fine print). The story declared, “Intelligence information revealed violent plans.” In the inside pages, the headline declared that this flotilla is considered to be “more violent than the previous one.” … Luckily, it didn’t take Max Blumenthal to debunk this one. The media’s tone today was entirely different. Government sources have told Maariv that the so-called “intelligence information” was a spin by Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu, reflecting “a Hasbara [propaganda] hysteria.”
http://972mag.com/flotilla2962011/
Hysteria, ‘hasbara’ and the flotilla / Larry Derfner
JPost 29 June — Rattling the Cage: Israel’s propaganda machine is in full swing prior to the ships’ upcoming arrival … I think Freedom Flotilla 2, even without making much progress toward Gaza, is playing hell with Israel’s image — or, rather, inducing Israel to show off its worst self (much as Freedom Flotilla 1 did.) Once again, Israel has gone hysterical, it’s lost touch with reality … I’m still waiting for the IDF to release all the videos confiscated from the Mavi Marmara — not just those that show the people aboard beating the commandos sliding down the ropes, but the stuff that happened before and after, too, especially the footage of the commandos killing those nine people. Why won’t the IDF let us see that? Why do “senior officials in Jerusalem” make up scare stories about the flotilla? Why does Benny Gantz try to portray Gaza as a horn of plenty? Why does Israel twist and distort and cherrypick its way through the truth about Freedom Flotilla 1, Freedom Flotilla 2, Operation Cast Lead and everything else that has to do with its treatment of Palestinians? And why on earth does anyone believe this “hasbara” — which has come to mean “Israeli disinformation” — anymore?
http://www.jpost.com/Opinion/Columnists/Article.aspx?ID=227181&R=R1
Israeli ministers slam flotilla threat as ‘spin’
JERUSALEM (AFP) 29 June — Several Israeli ministers have accused the army of “spin” over its claims that activists on board a Gaza-bound flotilla plan to harm Israeli soldiers, Maariv newspaper reported on Wednesday. The paper quoted several unnamed members of Israel’s security cabinet as saying the claims were “media spin” and “public relations hysteria.”
http://maannews.net/eng/ViewDetails.aspx?ID=400964
Gaza flotilla begins to form as first ship heads toward maritime meeting point / Amira Hass
Haaretz 29 June — One ship participating in the flotilla to Gaza has already set sail toward the flotilla’s scheduled meeting place in international waters. The French ship “Dignity” does not intend on anchoring before reaching the meeting point at sea, but it is still unclear how long it will be waiting for the rest of the ships, some of which were said to be sabotaged.
http://www.haaretz.com/news/diplomacy-defense/gaza-flotilla-begins-to-form-as-first-ship-heads-toward-maritime-meeting-point-1.370261
Gaza-bound flotilla underway
Ynet 29 June — French ship which departed Saturday apparently skipped Athens stop, en route to rendezvous. Jordanian activists say they have purchased additional ship for $800,000
http://www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7340,L-4088843,00.html
Gaza and thoughts of a starving Ireland / Ray McGovern
28 June — Former CIA analyst Ray McGovern has joined with other humanitarians in a small flotilla determined to sail from Athens to Gaza in a challenge to Israel’s embargo of 1.5 million Palestinians trapped on that narrow strip of land. Awaiting departure, McGovern contemplates the forces of past and present that brought him to his decision: Thinking further here in Athens about how it came to be that I joined the passengers on “The Audacity of Hope” and why I feel so strongly about the oppression in Gaza, it struck me that my Irish genes (as well as my theology) may be playing a role. During the mid-19th Century potato famine, when the starving Irish were being treated in much the same way as Gazans are today, how much my ancestors must have wished for some sign that someone abroad actually cared about them.
http://consortiumnews.com/2011/06/28/gaza-and-thoughts-of-a-starving-ireland/
Gaza-bound — From Aboriginal to Palestinian rights / Amira Hass
GREECE (Haaretz) 29 June — This is not the first time that Sylvia Hale, 69, has been asked why she is so active for the Palestinian cause. What about the discrimination against the Aborigines in her own country, Australia, for example? Hale, a former Green Party parliamentarian who is still active in the party, immediately responded: “Undoubtedly, Australia has a very racist history. Aborigines were give the right to vote only in 1967. But whoever asks us ‘what about the Aborigines’ are not the ones who are interested in their rights, and not the ones fighting for those rights. They are using this as a diversionary tactic for evading the debate over Israel’s policy, or to delegitimize criticism of Israel.”
http://www.haaretz.com/print-edition/news/gaza-bound-from-aborigine-to-palestinian-rights-1.370136
Violence
Taxi driver assaulted in Beit Ommar
PSP 26 June — On the morning of June 26, Mahmoud Ahleia, a resident of Beit Ommar, was driving back into the town when Israeli soldiers stopped him at the entrance and questioned him about his car. Ahleia is a taxi driver, and although he has a taxi license, the soldiers told him that he needs to post a sticker which will identify his vehicle as a taxi, instead of a private car. Most of Beit Ommar is located in Area B, where the Palestinian Authority has jurisdiction over civil control. Thus, the Israeli soldiers who stopped Ahleia did not have legal precedence to do so. The Israeli soldiers removed Ahleia from his car and took him into the military watchtower at the entrance to Beit Ommar, where he was beaten.
http://palestinesolidarityproject.org/2011/06/26/taxi-driver-assaulted-in-beit-ommar/
Israeli forces fire at truck driver near Nablus
NABLUS (Ma‘an) 28 June — Israeli forces on Tuesday fired at a Palestinian truck driver near Za‘tara checkpoint in the northern West Bank after he tried to run over an officer, witnesses told Ma‘an. The driver managed to speed away into Nablus, onlookers said.
http://www.maannews.net/eng/ViewDetails.aspx?ID=400758
Racism / Discrimination / Incitement
Netanya: Man suspected of stabbing Palestinian worker due to nationalistic motives
Palestinian man found stabbed in the chest two weeks ago; 23-year-old suspect says stabbing occurred because victim was ‘staring at his sister’. [Mississippi 1955?]
http://www.haaretz.com/news/national/netanya-man-suspected-of-stabbing-palestinian-worker-due-to-nationalist-motives-1.370286
Israel yet to act against Safed rabbis who warned against renting to Arabs
Haaretz 29 June — Attorney General Yehuda Weinstein says action against municipal rabbis still being examined by relevant officials; letter sent by rabbis in December last year warned homeowners not to rent to Arabs because of halakhic ban.
http://www.haaretz.com/print-edition/news/israel-yet-to-act-against-safed-rabbis-who-warned-against-renting-to-arabs-1.370139
US funds study on incitement caused by Israeli and Palestinian textbooks
Haaretz 29 June — In an effort to settle one of the longest-running disputes in the Middle East peace process, American, Israeli and Palestinian researchers are conducting what purports to be the first scientific study of incitement in Palestinian and Israeli textbooks.sis of how Palestinian and Israeli textbooks depict the “other”.
http://www.haaretz.com/jewish-world/u-s-funds-study-on-incitement-caused-by-israeli-and-palestinian-textbooks-1.370294
Suppression of dissent
Boycott bill: A way to persecute leftists / Yossi Gurvitz
972mag 28 June — Under the guise of a bill against boycotts, the Knesset is muzzling the anti-settlement left — The Knesset’s Judicial Committee, led by MK David Rotem (Israel Beitenu) approved yesterday the “boycott bill” for its final reading. This likely means that the bill will imminently become a law … the bill is now wider: Where earlier on it targeted individuals, now it also targets corporations and NGOs. Article 4 (1) of the bill, for instance, seems to be an attempt to deny tax exemption status to left-wing NGOs, by denying organizations supporting a boycott of settlement products their status as a public institution. Article 4 further dictates that companies who supports a boycott on settlements — such as the Israeli companies who participate in the building of Rawabi, who are contractually obligated to refrain from buying settlement products — will not be eligible for government benefits or securities, for which other companies are eligible.
http://972mag.com/boycott-bill-will-persecute-the-left/
Interview – Janan Abdu-Makhoul: “What cows are to India, security is to Israel: when they call in security, human rights vanish”
Amnesty blog 16 June — Janan Abdu is the wife of Ameer Makhoul, a Palestinian citizen of Israel and a well-known human rights and civil society activist. Earlier this year, Ameer was convicted on various counts of having contact with enemies of Israel and espionage after a plea bargain agreement at his trial. The confession on which Ameer’s conviction and sentencing were based, was admitted as evidence by the court, despite allegations that he was tortured during his interrogation.
http://blogs.amnesty.org.uk/blogs_entry.asp?eid=7791
Sports in Arab Israeli society
No Arabs, no goals / MK Ahmed Tibi
Haaretz 28 June — 1. As is the case in all other spheres of life, sport in the Arab communities also suffers from neglect, non-inclusiveness and discrimination. There isn’t a single Olympic-size swimming pool in the Arab communities, and regular pools, too, are few and far between. There are many Arab swimmers, but their horizon for advancement and professionalism is a very narrow one. Moreover, the field of women’s sport – such as basketball, soccer, swimming and athletics – which should enjoy widespread interest, does not receive the preferential budget it deserves. Arab athletes have achieved success in boxing, judo, tae kwon do and karate, but there are no professional bodies to support them.
http://www.haaretz.com/print-edition/sports/no-arabs-no-goals-1.369951
Part-time heroes try to change age-old patterns / Udi Hirsch
Haaretz 29 June — Being an Arab sports reporter in Israel usually means you also need a day job, but that doesn’t stop many journalists from trying to improve things — There’s no use trying to contact Shaker Mo‘assi before 2 P.M., even if you have a hot story about Bnei Sakhnin, the most successful Arab-Israeli soccer team. Mo‘assi, head of the soccer desk for the weekly Panorama, needs the morning for his day job, which he refuses to talk about.
http://www.haaretz.com/print-edition/sports/part-time-heroes-try-to-change-age-old-patterns-1.370149
Hollow hopes and sad delusions / Zouheir Bahloul
Haaretz 29 June — In Israel the situation of Arab athletes is dismal, catastrophical, but it is doubtful whether Israeli society can support the drastic change needed … Sports are supposed to help ethnic minorities survive … Here in Israel, the situation in what is know as the “sector” is stagnant: There is almost way of supporting sports activities, and many talented boys and girls never get a chance to explore possibilities which could help them expose their talents. Since there are precious few other alternatives, many young Arabs turn to the simplest activity they know: smoking a hookah.
http://www.haaretz.com/print-edition/sports/hollow-hopes-and-sad-delusions-1.370150
Arab athletes join Israel’s Special Olympics team for first time
Haaretz 26 June — Two Israeli Arab athletes will represent the country at the Special Olympics in Athens this year, for the first time in history. Tennis players Muhammad Kunbar of East Jerusalem and Jafar Tawil from Beit Safafa, both 20, will strive for the gold this week alongside Elad Gevandschnaider, 22, of Be’er Sheva and Tamir Segal, 34, of Katzrin.
http://www.haaretz.com/news/sports/arab-athletes-join-israel-s-special-olympics-team-for-first-time-1.369694
Political / Diplomatic / International news
Report: Jordan to oppose PA statehood bid
Ynet 29 June – A senior Jordanian official says the Hashemite kingdom will vote against a Palestinian statehood bid scheduled to be put before the UN General Assembly in September. “Jordan’s top national interests will be in danger if the Palestinian Authority declares statehood unilaterally — especially in everything related to the issue of refugees, water, Jerusalem, and the borders,” the UAE-based al-Bayan quoted a Jordanian state official as saying.
http://www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7340,L-4088927,00.html
President Abbas opens embassy in Azerbaijan
BETHLEHEM (Ma‘an) 29 June — President Mahmoud Abbas officially opened a Palestinian embassy in Azerbaijan on Wednesday, accompanied by PLO official Saeb Erekat, Presidential spokesman Nabil Abu Rudeineh and his advisor Mustapha Abu Ar-Rub.
http://www.maannews.net/eng/ViewDetails.aspx?ID=400948
Russia opens Gaza consulate
VoR 29 June — Russia has opened a consular office in Gaza, to serve the needs of some 200 Russian nationals in this Palestinian territory. The announcement is from the Foreign Ministry spokesman Alexander Lukashevich.
http://english.ruvr.ru/2011/06/29/52562104.html
Video: Hamas official: I would support Fayyad as transitional PM / Dimi Reider
972mag 27 June — Ashley Bates interviews Dr. Ahmed Youssef — Despite the possibility of Salam Fayyad staying on as prime minister in the transitional Hamas-Fatah government being described as one of the major pitfalls awaiting the unity agreement, Youssef spends much of the time praising Fayyad as “humble,” “open minded”, someone he would feel comfortable discussing issues with, and ends up endorsing him as the best candidate to head the transitional cabinet.
http://972mag.com/yousef1/
US Senate passes resolution threatening to suspend aid to Palestinians
Haaretz 29 June — Resolution 185 calls on Palestinians to halt bid for unilateral recognition in UN, calls on Obama to veto the UN vote in September.
http://www.haaretz.com/news/diplomacy-defense/u-s-senate-passes-resolution-threatening-to-suspend-aid-to-palestinians-1.370341
French senator calls MKs ‘colonialists’
Ynet 29 June — Members of the Knesset’s Foreign Affairs and Defense Committee were assaulted by a French senator Tuesday while meeting with a number of senators in Paris. Among other things, she called the MKs “colonialists”.
http://www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7340,L-4088612,00.html
Arkia diverts Denmark flights to Sweden
Haaretz 29 June — In an escalation of the aviation security dispute between Denmark and Israel, which has led to a suspension of flights to and from Copenhagen by Israeli carriers, Arkia Airlines will use Malmo Airport in neighboring Sweden … Denmark recently refused to allow Israeli security agents to carry out their own security checks on Israeli airline flights from Copenhagen to Tel Aviv.
http://english.themarker.com/arkia-diverts-denmark-flights-to-sweden-1.370155
Other news
Fatah official: Palestinians may begin using dollars
RAMALLAH (Ma‘an) 27 June — A leading Fatah figure has revealed some of the means that might be used in the event the UN declines to take a positive decision on Palestinian statehood and its membership in the Security Council. “The Palestinian leadership will be pushed to take decisions with strategic dimension in dealing with this matter, including the use of the US dollar as the main currency in the Palestinian markets instead of the Israeli shekel,” said Muhammad Shtayyeh on Monday, speaking at the Justice Ministry in Ramallah … US dollars are widely used in the Palestinian territories in addition to the Israeli shekel. The Jordanian dinar and Egyptian pound are frequently used in the West Bank and Gaza Strip, respectively.
http://www.maannews.net/eng/ViewDetails.aspx?ID=400439
Tradition mingles with modernity in West Bank fashion show
Xinhua 28 June — …The fashion show held in Nablus this week, included the show of 25 different designs of Palestinian traditional clothes that were inspired by various geographical areas in Palestinian territories. The traditional dresses are Palestinian traditional handmade. Sahar Erqawi, the organizer of the project in the women department in the municipality of Nablus said the fashion show aims at keeping the Palestinian heritage and traditions and protect it from being stolen by the Israelis, adding “the dresses were a mixture of the old traditions and the modern designs.”
http://english.peopledaily.com.cn/90001/90777/90854/7423065.html
IRS fishing for US tax dodgers in Israel
Haaretz 29 June — The United States Internal Revenue Service is gearing up for a widespread campaign to identify federal income tax scofflaws living outside the United States. Tens of thousands of them are estimated to be living in Israel. The Feds will presumably require banks worldwide to report on all customers with U.S. citizenship or residency, even if they hold a foreign, including Israeli, passport.
http://english.themarker.com/irs-fishing-for-u-s-tax-dodgers-in-israel-1.370336
UJA Federation calls on Americans to enlist with Israeli soldiers in Israel boot camp on Long Island / Philip Weiss
Mondo 29 June — From the UJA Federation on Long Island — Federations are the leading Jewish charity — “Enlist in UJA-Federation of New York’s first Israel Boot Camp. Join us for an evening of activity as we simulate some of the experiences that Israeli soldiers encounter in a boot camp training program. You will: Meet and train with Israeli soldiers. Be part of a competitive ground force. Experience military discipline. Learn about the complex dilemmas faced by Israeli soldiers. Train using Krav Maga, the simultaneous defensive and offensive maneuvers taught to Israeli soldiers
https://mondoweiss.net/2011/06/uja-federation-calls-on-americans-to-enlist-with-israeli-soldiers-in-israel-boot-camp-on-long-island.html#more-45937
Celebrate the Fourth of July with Haaretz.com
29 June — Want to win a free family-size pizza? ‘Like’ Haaretz.com’s page on Facebook to celebrate the Fourth of July with us live on our page, and you could be a winner! Did your invitation to the U.S. Embassy’s official bash get lost in the mail? Not to worry, you can join the festivities on Haaretz.com as we stream the whole event live on Thursday, June 30. [which country is this again?]
http://www.haaretz.com/jewish-world/celebrate-the-fourth-of-july-with-haaretz-com-1.370289
1st woman commands sniper platoon
Ynet 29 June — Among the graduates of the Ground Forces officer course Wednesday at the Officers’ Training School (Bahad 1) was one Second Lieutenant Noy, a combat soldier in the Caracal Battalion who made history by becoming the first female officer to command a sniper platoon … In between training and courses Noy has also managed to carry out several ambushes on the Israel-Egypt border after which she decided to enroll in an officers’ course — with the prestigious M-24 sniper rifle at her side.
http://www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7340,L-4089028,00.html
Gas leaks into south Israel nature preserve after pipeline burst
Haaretz 29 June — A large amount of gas leaked into the Nahal Tzin Nature Preserve in the Negev after a major Eilat pipeline burst on Wednesday. The leak caused major damage to the southern Israel nature preserve’s wildlife. The pipe burst when the Eilat Ashkelon Pipeline Company (EAPC) was performing maintenance work in the Tzin Valley. While EAPAC was working in the nature preserve, a pipeline collapsed, resulting in the leakage of a large amount of crude oil into Nahal Tzin. [why are they calling it ‘gas’?]
http://www.haaretz.com/news/national/gas-leaks-into-south-israel-nature-preserve-after-pipeline-burst-1.370258
Analysis / Opinion
Netanyahu playing with fire in bid to win EU backing against Palestinian state / Akiva Eldar
Haaretz 28 June — The impression emerges that after the drubbing Netanyahu gave Obama in Congress, the U.S. president is not eager to use the right to veto again.
http://www.haaretz.com/print-edition/features/netanyahu-playing-with-fire-in-bid-to-win-eu-backing-against-palestinian-state-1.369966
Video: Palestinian Gandhis Part IV: The cactus is mightier than the sword / Yousef Munayyer
PtoN 27 June — In this next installment of the Palestinian Gandhi project you will meet a Palestinian artist in Gaza resisting Israeli oppression through his creativity …At the university level, there is only one art department in all of the Gaza Strip, at Al-Azhar It is a testament to the human spirit that some Gazans persist in their ambitions nevertheless – and are quite resourceful in finding inspiration in the midst of destruction. In this video, Mohammed Al-Hawajri creates his works out of cacti – which he sees as a metaphor for Palestinians, who thrive despite the harsh environment.Check out the video below interviewing Mohammed Al-Hawajri:
http://blog.thejerusalemfund.org/2011/06/palestinian-gandhis-part-iv-cactus-is.html
Palestinian Gandhis Part V: Lyrical resistance / Yousef Munayyer
PtoN 29 June — Resistance Hip-Hop in the Arab world has taken off in recent years. Pioneers in this area include Palestinian groups like DAM who have used English, Arabic and Hebrew lyrics to convey messages of resistance through hip-hop. In this installment of our “Palestinian Gandhis” series, we introduce you to the DARG team, a Palestinian hip-hop group from Gaza that raps about resistance. In this video interview with the group, they discuss what hip-hop means to them and the struggles of being hip-hop artists under occupation and in Palestinian society.
http://blog.thejerusalemfund.org/2011/06/palestinian-gandhis-part-v-lyrical.html
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