Medics: 2 women injured after hit-and-run involving settler car
NABLUS (Ma’an) -- Two women from the northern West Bank were injured on Tuesday morning in a hit-and-run incident involving an Israeli settler car, medics said. The women were hit as they crossed the main road of Huwwara village, south Nablus. Ahlam Bilal Hamad, 19, and her sister Saja, 18, suffered mild injuries in the incident. A settler driving a Subaru pickup truck fled the scene, Palestinian medical sources said. The Nablus area has witnessed a surge in settler attacks over the last month, including village raids, attacks on property and the vandalism of two mosques. On Sept. 5, settlers torched a mosque and spray-painted anti-Arab slogans and the Star of David in the village of Qusra, south of Huwwara.
And more news from Today in Palestine:
Land, property theft & destruction / Apartheid / Restriction of movement
UN statistics show that Israel's occupation is more aggressive
Jailed Legislator Rejects Deportation Plea Bargain
Detained legislator Ahmad Attoun, of Jerusalem, rejected an Israeli Court offer of expulsion from Jerusalem in exchange for his release. He also refused to sign a document stating that he will not return to the city.
Closing The Ibrahim Mosque for Muslims and Opening it to Israeli Settlers
Israeli Military forces closed the Ibrahim Mosque in Hebron in the West Bank today, October 4th, the Palestinian news agency WAFA reported.
Army Demolishes a House and Cowshed, Bulldozes Olive Orchard in Hebron
The Israeli army demolished a house and cowshed, bulldozed an olive orchard, and confiscated two caravans in the village of Beit Ola, northwest of the West Bank city of Hebron, Palestine News & Info Agency (WAFA) reported on Tuesday.
Senior Israeli Police Officer Brutally Assaulted Activists in Anatot Pogrom
In Hebrew, it’s called a “lynch.” No, not necessarily stringing a rope over a tree and hanging you. Closer perhaps in meaning to “pogrom.” But “lynch” gives you an idea of what it was like for those brave Israeli peace activists who tried to help a poor Palestinian farmer from having his land stolen from him by yet another Israeli settlement. And that’s what any reasonable Israeli who cares about the mass hooliganism that occurred in the settlement of Anatot is calling it (in Hebrew), a “lynch.”
The new ‘internalized conflict’: Israeli settlers targeting Israeli activists w/ impunity
Earlier today Adam posted the stark video from the settler attacks last Friday on demonstrators protesting theft of Palestinian lands at the Anatot settlement in occupied Palestine (a version with English subtitles is above). Over the weekend I spoke with one of the Israel activists who was targeted in the attacks. The activist declined to be identified and provided this insight.
Kidnapping a passing by youth by a Military Jeep
The Israeli troops kidnapped a youth from al Harah al Wasta in Silwan while passing by an Israeli military Jeep and the identity of the youth is still unknown. This is in a continuous policy of arresting people even if they don’t participate in the clashes in Silwan Town according to a resident in Al Hara Al Wasta.
Four children are summoned for investigation Wednesday
Four Children from the neighborhood of Wadi Hilweh and Wadi Al Rababeh were summoned by the Israeli authorities The kids ages are between 8-11 yrs . The Israeli Intelligence doesn’t slacken to arrest children and minors and interrogating them in arbitrary ways . This is according to testimonies taken by kids who were interrogated by the Israeli Authorities.
Raids in Ashkelon, Nafha prisons as thousands join hunger strike
Special units raided cells in the Israeli Ashkelon and Nafha prisons as thousands of Palestinian prisoners have joined a seven day hunger strike.
link to Palestine Information Center
Refugees
Sabra Camp Braces for Winter Floods
Yearly floods plague residents of the Sabra Palestinian refugee camp in Beirut. Locals must fend for themselves while government attempts to stem the crisis regularly fail. With winter approaching, there are no signs within Sabra Palestinian refugee camp of precautionary measures to counter the flooding that occurs each year. Sabra residents and street vendors call the yearly flood caused by heavy winter rains ‘the river.’ Sabra is geographically lower than its surrounding areas, making it a perennial location of flooding. The nearby Abu Sahl neighborhood, which is on higher ground, forces rainwater to flow into Sabra’s main square, where it joins waters coming from the Ard Jalloul neighborhood in the west. Flood waters from Beirut’s Sports City complex gather at the butcher-market street, where water levels reach their height. A final tributary passes Hursh Sabra (Rihab Station) through the main street of Shatila camp.
Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions
Swedes call for academic boycott of Israel
More than 200 students, professors and lecturers across Sweden have signed on to a growing academic boycott call demanding that Swedish universities not participate in any academic cooperation with Israeli educational institutions. They also called on the Swedish government to “act [towards] the cessation of the [European Union’s] research support to Israel.”
link to electronicintifada.net
Cleanliness campaign in the Feasts of Jew
In Coincidence with the Hebrew New year The Jerusalem Municipality is conducting a cleanliness campaign using its Lorries and vehicles in the neighborhood of Wadi hilweh in Silwan As usual, this campaign was focused on the areas of settlement blocks and the streets that are used by tourists . The vehicles emptied the rubbish containers The Neighborhoods and streets of Silwan are considered neglected and left in an awful situation especially after the Israeli Supreme Court concluded the illegality of part of renovation work in streets of Silwan . As a revenge measure of Jerusalem Municipality according to Silwan Residents , the Municipality didn’t asphalt the streets to put the residents under pressure to accept the conditions of the project which will turn Wadi Hilweh neighborhood into a tourist settlement project .By this the settlers agenda will be served and on the other hand , the original residents needs will be ignored.
U.S. scrambles to keep Palestinian aid flowing
Reuters - The Obama administration is lobbying Congress to unblock $200 million in aid for the Palestinian Authority that was frozen due to its bid for U.N. recognition of statehood over U.S. and Israeli objections.
Palestinians say freeze in US aid taking effect
AP - Palestinian officials said Monday that the U.S. has suspended West Bank development projects worth tens of millions of dollars after Congress froze funding to dissuade the Palestinians from seeking U.N. recognition of an independent state.
link to us.rd.yahoo.com
OPT: Bracing for Palestinian statehood bid fallout
GAZA CITY 04 October 2011 (IRIN) - As reports come in that the USA may be preparing to cut a substantial portion of the aid it gives to the Palestinian Authority (PA) if the Palestinian statehood bid is successful, people in the occupied Palestinian territory are bracing for possible consequences.
Panetta visiting Egypt amid spy suspense (AP)
AP - Defense Secretary Leon Panetta, America's former top spymaster, is meeting with Egyptian leaders to urge them to release a U.S.-born man being held for allegedly being an Israeli spy.
link to us.rd.yahoo.com
20 killed in Iraqi police hostage crisis
UAE activists boycott 'unfair' trial
Five men charged with insulting officials refuse to attend hearing in trial rights group call "fundamentally unfair".
Bahrain sentences 26 for protest links (AP)
AP - A Bahraini security court has sentenced 26 activists to prison for their part in anti-government protests, raising to 60 the total number convicted over the past two days in stepped-up prosecutions by the Gulf kingdom.
Hussein Agha and Robert Malley, "The Arab Counterrevolution"
The young street demonstrators challenge the status quo, ignite a revolutionary spirit, and point the way for a redistribution of power. But what they possess in enthusiasm they lack in organization and political experience. What gives them strength during the uprising -- their amorphous character and impulsiveness -- leads to their subsequent undoing. Their domain is the more visible and publicized. The real action, much to their chagrin, takes place elsewhere. The outcome of the Arab awakening will not be determined by those who launched it. The popular uprisings were broadly welcomed, but they do not neatly fit the social and political makeup of traditional communities often organized along tribal and kinship ties, where religion has a central part and foreign meddling is the norm. The result will be decided by other, more calculating and hard-nosed forces. . . . From all corners of the Arab world, Islamists of various tendencies are coming in from the cold. Virtually everywhere they are the largest single group as well as the best organized. In Egypt and Tunisia, where they had been alternatively -- and sometimes concurrently -- tolerated and repressed, they are full-fledged political actors. In Libya, where they had been suppressed, they joined and played a major part in the rebellion. In Syria, where they had been massacred, they are a principal component of the protest movement. . . . The Arab world's immediate future will very likely unfold in a complex tussle between the army, remnants of old regimes, and the Islamists, all of them with roots, resources, as well as the ability and willpower to shape events. Regional parties will have influence and international powers will not refrain from involvement. There are many possible outcomes -- from restoration of the old order to military takeover, from unruly fragmentation and civil war to creeping Islamization. But the result that many outsiders had hoped for -- a victory by the original protesters -- is almost certainly foreclosed.
New statistics from the United Nations demonstrate that Israel's occupation of the West Bank and Gaza Strip is becoming more aggressive and dangerous for Palestinian civilians. A report from the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs in the occupied territories (UNOCHA) has revealed an increase in Israel's demolitions of Palestinian houses and other buildings in 2011. The number of Palestinians injured by Israeli forces this year has more than doubled compared with last year. The UNOCHA report said that the Israeli Occupation Authorities demolished 409 Palestinian structures in 2011 compared with 290 over the same period in 2010. Just over 800 Palestinians have been injured to-date in 2011; the figure for January to September 2010 was 374.
Detained legislator Ahmad Attoun, of Jerusalem, rejected an Israeli Court offer of expulsion from Jerusalem in exchange for his release. He also refused to sign a document stating that he will not return to the city.
Israeli Military forces closed the Ibrahim Mosque in Hebron in the West Bank today, October 4th, the Palestinian news agency WAFA reported.
The Israeli army demolished a house and cowshed, bulldozed an olive orchard, and confiscated two caravans in the village of Beit Ola, northwest of the West Bank city of Hebron, Palestine News & Info Agency (WAFA) reported on Tuesday.
Confrontations spark in many neighbor hoods of Silwan
Confrontations sparked in many neighborhoods of Silwan in the middle strict security measures taken by Israeli police in the occasion of Hebrew new year . The Israeli Forces closed streets to secure thousands of Jews march in Silwan.
Confrontations sparked in many neighborhoods of Silwan in the middle strict security measures taken by Israeli police in the occasion of Hebrew new year . The Israeli Forces closed streets to secure thousands of Jews march in Silwan.
On the occasion the Hebrew new year the neighborhood of Wadi Hilweh in Silwan was totally closed , An ttempt of assaulting a child
The Israeli forces imposed a complete closure over the entrances of Wadi hilweh after midday noon time . The Participating settlers’ herds in the annual march and the settlement’s blocks were guarded heavily by the Israeli forces until the last moment of the sunset when the Last Israeli soldier withdrew from the Neighborhood. This annual march takes place in Wadi hilewh in the occasion of The Hebrew New Year. The march participants used dirty language cursed the Palestinians and called for expelling Palestinians from there. homeland. Many children randomly went out of their houses with flags logoed by ” I love you Silwan” and the Palestinian Flags , then the settlers tried to assault them under justifying this by they are having a Jewish Feast and those naughty children have no right to be there “ according to one of the Jew Extremist.” You are the master of the international terrorism, How Much do you pay them to practice terrorism “ one of the settler shouted. The Israeli police tried to stop the music coming out from Wadi Hilweh Information center in Silwan justifying this by bothering the march participants . One of the participating settler said “You are bothering our ears so go to hell”
link to silwanic.net
The Israeli forces imposed a complete closure over the entrances of Wadi hilweh after midday noon time . The Participating settlers’ herds in the annual march and the settlement’s blocks were guarded heavily by the Israeli forces until the last moment of the sunset when the Last Israeli soldier withdrew from the Neighborhood. This annual march takes place in Wadi hilewh in the occasion of The Hebrew New Year. The march participants used dirty language cursed the Palestinians and called for expelling Palestinians from there. homeland. Many children randomly went out of their houses with flags logoed by ” I love you Silwan” and the Palestinian Flags , then the settlers tried to assault them under justifying this by they are having a Jewish Feast and those naughty children have no right to be there “ according to one of the Jew Extremist.” You are the master of the international terrorism, How Much do you pay them to practice terrorism “ one of the settler shouted. The Israeli police tried to stop the music coming out from Wadi Hilweh Information center in Silwan justifying this by bothering the march participants . One of the participating settler said “You are bothering our ears so go to hell”
link to silwanic.net
Municipal official cites differences of opinion with project's sponsors and financers, the Simon Wiesenthal Center, as cause for resignation.
Israeli Regime Violence, Past and Present
GAZA CITY (Ma'an) -- Israeli helicopters fired at homes in southern Gaza on Tuesday morning as bulldozers crossed the border and started digging up land, witnesses told Ma'an. Residents of Khan Younis said several military jeeps and bulldozers entered al-Qarara north of Khan Younis and started leveling agricultural land as the helicopters hovered overhead firing randomly at homes. An army spokeswoman said there had been military activity in the Gaza Strip on Tuesday but could not provide further details.
In Hebrew, it’s called a “lynch.” No, not necessarily stringing a rope over a tree and hanging you. Closer perhaps in meaning to “pogrom.” But “lynch” gives you an idea of what it was like for those brave Israeli peace activists who tried to help a poor Palestinian farmer from having his land stolen from him by yet another Israeli settlement. And that’s what any reasonable Israeli who cares about the mass hooliganism that occurred in the settlement of Anatot is calling it (in Hebrew), a “lynch.”
Loud explosion and tense Israeli troops spread in Silwan
Through a telephone call with Silwanic site , eye witnesses declared that they heard the sound of strong explosion in the middle of Silwan time and there are tense Israeli troops spreading in many neighborhoods in Silwan and there , the situation is charged with tension.
Through a telephone call with Silwanic site , eye witnesses declared that they heard the sound of strong explosion in the middle of Silwan time and there are tense Israeli troops spreading in many neighborhoods in Silwan and there , the situation is charged with tension.
Janet Venn-Brown was Palestinian spokesperson Wael Zuaiter’s partner for eight years and one of the last people to see him before his assassination. Sarah Irving interviews for The Electronic Intifada.link to electronicintifada.net
Tuba Zangaria residents tense after mosque arson
Bedouin town whose mosque fell prey to 'price tag' arson sees clashes between residents, police; protesters stone security forces, block town's entrance.
link to www.ynetnews.com
The death throes of Greater Israel
Above is more video from the settler attack on Israeli leftists from over the weekend. Notice the acquiescence (and participation?) of the police. Watching this I can only believe that the pure fury the settlers display towards the activists is a sign that they know their world is crumbling around them. The activists represent a reality the settlers know to be true - the era of Israeli impunity is coming to an end and their days are numbered. Their illegal and immoral crusade to colonize all of historic Palestine is increasingly being exposed and rejected. The world is watching and has deemed their presence, and worldview, illegitimate. I suspect we'll see many more videos like this, with increasing violence. Those who believe in Greater Israel will fight until the end. The death throes of an idea can be a very dangerous time.
Israeli Settler Terrorism
Jewish terrorists strike again, this time in the Galilee, Lizzy Ratner
Another day, another act of extreme "price tag" violence. It's all getting to be terrifyingly, horrifyingly routine. Early this morning, suspected Jewish extremists -- or heck, let's just call them what they are, suspected Jewish terrorists -- set a mosque on fire on fire in Tuba Zangaria, a Bedouin village in the northern Galilee. The blaze caused "serious damage" to the mosque, police spokesman Micky Rosenfeld told The New York Times, and destroyed copies of the Koran as well as walls and rugs. The arsonists also took the time to spray-paint a message in Hebrew on the outside walls of the mosque: the words "Price Tag," "Revenge" and "Palmer." "Palmer," it is believed, is a reference to Asher Palmer, a settler from Hebron who was killed last week in a car crash that Israeli police have labeled a terrorist attack -- though what the people of a small Bedouin village in northern Israeli have to do with the death of an Israeli settler near Kiryat Arba remains utterly perplexing.
Another day, another act of extreme "price tag" violence. It's all getting to be terrifyingly, horrifyingly routine. Early this morning, suspected Jewish extremists -- or heck, let's just call them what they are, suspected Jewish terrorists -- set a mosque on fire on fire in Tuba Zangaria, a Bedouin village in the northern Galilee. The blaze caused "serious damage" to the mosque, police spokesman Micky Rosenfeld told The New York Times, and destroyed copies of the Koran as well as walls and rugs. The arsonists also took the time to spray-paint a message in Hebrew on the outside walls of the mosque: the words "Price Tag," "Revenge" and "Palmer." "Palmer," it is believed, is a reference to Asher Palmer, a settler from Hebron who was killed last week in a car crash that Israeli police have labeled a terrorist attack -- though what the people of a small Bedouin village in northern Israeli have to do with the death of an Israeli settler near Kiryat Arba remains utterly perplexing.
Tuba Zangaria residents tense after mosque arson
Bedouin town whose mosque fell prey to 'price tag' arson sees clashes between residents, police; protesters stone security forces, block town's entrance.
link to www.ynetnews.com
Above is more video from the settler attack on Israeli leftists from over the weekend. Notice the acquiescence (and participation?) of the police. Watching this I can only believe that the pure fury the settlers display towards the activists is a sign that they know their world is crumbling around them. The activists represent a reality the settlers know to be true - the era of Israeli impunity is coming to an end and their days are numbered. Their illegal and immoral crusade to colonize all of historic Palestine is increasingly being exposed and rejected. The world is watching and has deemed their presence, and worldview, illegitimate. I suspect we'll see many more videos like this, with increasing violence. Those who believe in Greater Israel will fight until the end. The death throes of an idea can be a very dangerous time.
The new ‘internalized conflict’: Israeli settlers targeting Israeli activists w/ impunity
Earlier today Adam posted the stark video from the settler attacks last Friday on demonstrators protesting theft of Palestinian lands at the Anatot settlement in occupied Palestine (a version with English subtitles is above). Over the weekend I spoke with one of the Israel activists who was targeted in the attacks. The activist declined to be identified and provided this insight.
Child Detentions / Political Arrests
Kidnapping a passing by youth by a Military Jeep
The Israeli troops kidnapped a youth from al Harah al Wasta in Silwan while passing by an Israeli military Jeep and the identity of the youth is still unknown. This is in a continuous policy of arresting people even if they don’t participate in the clashes in Silwan Town according to a resident in Al Hara Al Wasta.
Four children are summoned for investigation Wednesday
Four Children from the neighborhood of Wadi Hilweh and Wadi Al Rababeh were summoned by the Israeli authorities The kids ages are between 8-11 yrs . The Israeli Intelligence doesn’t slacken to arrest children and minors and interrogating them in arbitrary ways . This is according to testimonies taken by kids who were interrogated by the Israeli Authorities.
Gaza,(Alresalah.ps)-- Israeli Occupation Forces (IOF) detained eight Palestinian citizens, Tuesday dawn, in the occupied West Bank.
The Jewish newspaper(Ynet) reported that three Palestinian citizens were detains by Israeli soldiers in Qalandia Refugees Camp southern Ramallah, while five others were detained in Halhol town north Hebron Province. IOF set up a military checkpoint at Jabloon Village entrance eastern of Jenin City and started inspecting the citizens' automobiles and checking their IDs. Israeli occupation forces interrogate the citizens of the aforementioned village. Israeli soldiers confiscated a number of citizens said.
Prison Hunger Strikes
Special units raided cells in the Israeli Ashkelon and Nafha prisons as thousands of Palestinian prisoners have joined a seven day hunger strike.
link to Palestine Information Center
Palestinian children hold candles during a protest calling for the release of, Palestinian prisoners from Israeli jails in Gaza City on April 26, 2010., (MaanImages/Wissam Nassar), RAMALLAH (Ma'an) -- Israel's prison administration has refused Palestinian detainees' demands as prisoners enter their eighth day on hunger strike, the minister of detainees' affairs in Ramallah said Tuesday., Issa Qaraqe said a meeting between prisoner representatives, the assistant general director of prisons and Israeli intelligence officers in Ramon prison failed to yield any results.
Israel escalates violations against Palestinian prisoners in its jails
EXCLUSIVE PICTURES: Palestinian prisoners being held in Israeli prisons have embarked on a hunger strike in protest over poor conditions of detention and ill-treatment. Yesterday, Israeli prison authorities took action against a number of the hunger strikers placing them in solitary confinement. There currently over 6,000 Palestinian prisoners being held in Israeli jails.
link to www.middleeastmonitor.org.uk
Activities Launched To Support The Striking Detainees
Palestinian prisoners in Israeli detention facilities started an open-ended hunger strike a week ago, after a Prison Service crack-down to punish the detainees while at the same time starting a campaign aimed at influencing world public opinion regarding prison conditions.
EXCLUSIVE PICTURES: Palestinian prisoners being held in Israeli prisons have embarked on a hunger strike in protest over poor conditions of detention and ill-treatment. Yesterday, Israeli prison authorities took action against a number of the hunger strikers placing them in solitary confinement. There currently over 6,000 Palestinian prisoners being held in Israeli jails.
link to www.middleeastmonitor.org.uk
Palestinian prisoners in Israeli detention facilities started an open-ended hunger strike a week ago, after a Prison Service crack-down to punish the detainees while at the same time starting a campaign aimed at influencing world public opinion regarding prison conditions.
Refugees
Yearly floods plague residents of the Sabra Palestinian refugee camp in Beirut. Locals must fend for themselves while government attempts to stem the crisis regularly fail. With winter approaching, there are no signs within Sabra Palestinian refugee camp of precautionary measures to counter the flooding that occurs each year. Sabra residents and street vendors call the yearly flood caused by heavy winter rains ‘the river.’ Sabra is geographically lower than its surrounding areas, making it a perennial location of flooding. The nearby Abu Sahl neighborhood, which is on higher ground, forces rainwater to flow into Sabra’s main square, where it joins waters coming from the Ard Jalloul neighborhood in the west. Flood waters from Beirut’s Sports City complex gather at the butcher-market street, where water levels reach their height. A final tributary passes Hursh Sabra (Rihab Station) through the main street of Shatila camp.
Swedes call for academic boycott of Israel
More than 200 students, professors and lecturers across Sweden have signed on to a growing academic boycott call demanding that Swedish universities not participate in any academic cooperation with Israeli educational institutions. They also called on the Swedish government to “act [towards] the cessation of the [European Union’s] research support to Israel.”
Racism & Discrimination
Cleanliness campaign in the Feasts of Jew
In Coincidence with the Hebrew New year The Jerusalem Municipality is conducting a cleanliness campaign using its Lorries and vehicles in the neighborhood of Wadi hilweh in Silwan As usual, this campaign was focused on the areas of settlement blocks and the streets that are used by tourists . The vehicles emptied the rubbish containers The Neighborhoods and streets of Silwan are considered neglected and left in an awful situation especially after the Israeli Supreme Court concluded the illegality of part of renovation work in streets of Silwan . As a revenge measure of Jerusalem Municipality according to Silwan Residents , the Municipality didn’t asphalt the streets to put the residents under pressure to accept the conditions of the project which will turn Wadi Hilweh neighborhood into a tourist settlement project .By this the settlers agenda will be served and on the other hand , the original residents needs will be ignored.
RAMALLAH, October 4, 2011 (WAFA) - Palestine News and Information Agency (WAFA) monitored incitement and racism against the Palestinians and Arabs published by the Israeli media between September 15 and 22. Eitan Haber wrote an article published in ‘Yedioth Ahronoth’ newspaper, in which he said, “In 1967, we brought back 300 thousands settlers to Judea and Samaria (West bank) and Gaza. We proved to the world that we are the masters of this land and we own the world.”
“Things have changed,” he added, “The terrorists are now the world’s sweethearts! 190 countries chanted to Palestinian president, Mahmoud Abbas (Abu Mazin) while we are consoling ourselves with the American Veto. What a stupid consolation!”
Palestinian poet Taha Muhammad Ali from Nazareth passed away. Taha Muhammad Ali is one of the leading poets on the contemporary Palestinian literary scene. Born in 1931 in Galilee village of Saffuriya, he fled to Lebanon, together with most of the inhabitants of his village, during the Arab-Israeli war of 1948. A year later he slipped back across the border with his family and settled in Nazareth, where he has lived ever since. The Saffuriya of his childhood has served as the nexus of his poetry and fiction, which are grounded in everyday experience and driven by a storyteller’s vivid imagination. He is self-taught and began his poetry career late (in 1983). Taha Muhammad Ali writes in a forceful and direct style, with disarming humor and unflinching, at times painful, honest—the poetry’s apparent simplicity and homespun truths concealing the subtle grafting of classical Arabic and colloquial forms of expression. In Israel, in the West Bank and Gaza, and in Europe, audiences have been powerfully moved by Taha Muhammad Ali’s poems of political complexity and humanity. He has published several collections of poetry and is also a short story writer.
Statehood Bid & Other Political Developments
In a 'tool of Congressional oversight', U.S. puts some $200 million in 2011 aid on hold whilst seeking further details about Palestinian Authority's usage of funds; Obama administration lobbies to unblock aid.
Reuters - The Obama administration is lobbying Congress to unblock $200 million in aid for the Palestinian Authority that was frozen due to its bid for U.N. recognition of statehood over U.S. and Israeli objections.
Palestinians say freeze in US aid taking effect
AP - Palestinian officials said Monday that the U.S. has suspended West Bank development projects worth tens of millions of dollars after Congress froze funding to dissuade the Palestinians from seeking U.N. recognition of an independent state.
link to us.rd.yahoo.com
MJ Rosenberg: AIPAC's Democrats Demand Cutting Palestinian Aid
Yes, the Palestinians are turning to the United Nations to achieve statehood, but Netanyahu has ignored repeated demands by the Obama administration to take action to facilitate negotiations.
Yes, the Palestinians are turning to the United Nations to achieve statehood, but Netanyahu has ignored repeated demands by the Obama administration to take action to facilitate negotiations.
RAMALLAH, October 4, 2011 (WAFA) – Minister of Foreign Affairs Riyad al-Malki said the Palestinian Authority is making continuous efforts to gain the ninth vote in the United Nations Security Council. He told Voice of Palestine that he will be visiting Serbia and Bosnia-Herzegovina to guarantee their votes in favor of the Palestinian application to the Security Council. He said all Palestinian and Islamic diplomatic means will be used to in order to support the Palestinian bid, as it is the only Palestinian option. Al-Malki explained that these means include Arab and Islamic investments in Bosnia-Herzegovina and the Russian and Serbian influence to support the bid.
GAZA CITY 04 October 2011 (IRIN) - As reports come in that the USA may be preparing to cut a substantial portion of the aid it gives to the Palestinian Authority (PA) if the Palestinian statehood bid is successful, people in the occupied Palestinian territory are bracing for possible consequences.
Palestinian Prime Minister says security barrier erected by Israel will give under the 'will of the Palestinian people.'
Officials: Blair acting for US, Israel
BETHLEHEM (Ma'an) -- Senior Palestinian officials said Sunday that Middle East Quartet envoy Tony Blair was acting as a propagandist for the US and Israel.link to www.maannews.net
BETHLEHEM (Ma'an) -- Senior Palestinian officials said Sunday that Middle East Quartet envoy Tony Blair was acting as a propagandist for the US and Israel.link to www.maannews.net
Knesset Speaker to Biden: Show clemency, release Jonathan Pollard at once
Letter by Reuven Rivlin to U.S. Vice President comes following report according to which Biden objected to Obama bid to release the convicted spy.
link to www.haaretz.com
Letter by Reuven Rivlin to U.S. Vice President comes following report according to which Biden objected to Obama bid to release the convicted spy.
link to www.haaretz.com
In his 1,000-word letter to the editor, Mr. Blinken went into a full exposition of all the ways in which Mr. Obama has been helpful to Israel, highlighted by an unparalleled $3 billion in military assistance, including an additional $205 million to build the Iron Dome rocket defense system for communities on Israel’s border with Gaza. He also emphasized the United States’ effort to block a declaration of statehood at the United Nations by the Palestinian president, Mahmoud Abbas, and intervening to protect the Israeli ambassador when a violent mob stormed the embassy in Cairo. At his Boca Raton meeting with the rabbis — at the home of a former Democratic congressman, Ron Klein — Mr. Biden went through the same list, adding some flourishes of his own. Mr. Biden, who through his foreign policy work in the Senate built lifelong ties with Israeli politicians, is able to sprinkle his remarks with asides about how he first met Yitzhak Rabin back in 1973 when Mr. Rabin was working with Golda Meir, then the Israeli prime minister, and how Mrs. Meir once confided to Mr. Biden that Israel’s secret weapon is that it has “nowhere else to go.” He talked about having dinner at the home of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, and about how he autographed a photo for Mr. Netanyahu with “love you, love you, love you, but we don’t agree on anything,” Mr. Klein said."
UNITED NATIONS, Oct 4 (KUNA) -- Addressing a UN gathering on international terrorism, the State of Kuwait demanded the Israeli crimes against the Palestinians be put before the International Criminal Court (ICC) and to hold perpetrators of violations of Human Rights and International Law accountable for their actions. The Second Secretary of the Kuwaiti Permanent Mission to the UN was addressing, Monday evening, a gathering discussing issues of international terrorism, during the 66th UN General Assembly.
AP - Defense Secretary Leon Panetta, America's former top spymaster, is meeting with Egyptian leaders to urge them to release a U.S.-born man being held for allegedly being an Israeli spy.
link to us.rd.yahoo.com
CAIRO (Reuters) -- Egypt will soon finish drafting a new contract for gas exports to its neighbor Israel that includes a big increase in prices, a newspaper cited the petroleum minister as saying on Tuesday.Gas supplies to Israel have been disrupted by a series of attacks on the pipeline in the Sinai border region by assailants believed to oppose the sale of gas to Israel.
Other Mideast News
At least 20 people were killed in western Iraq on Monday when security forces stormed a police station to end a hostage-taking situation.
An Iraqi citizen has won a legal victory in London over the "barbaric" practice of hooding terror suspects.
Bahrain jails 14 over same murder
A special security court in Bahrain sentences 14 people to 25 years in jail each for the killing of a Pakistani man during unrest.
A special security court in Bahrain sentences 14 people to 25 years in jail each for the killing of a Pakistani man during unrest.
UAE activists boycott 'unfair' trial
Five men charged with insulting officials refuse to attend hearing in trial rights group call "fundamentally unfair".
Bahrain sentences 26 for protest links (AP)
AP - A Bahraini security court has sentenced 26 activists to prison for their part in anti-government protests, raising to 60 the total number convicted over the past two days in stepped-up prosecutions by the Gulf kingdom.
link to us.rd.yahoo.com
I was tortured in Bahrain police cell, says one of the doctors jailed for 15 yearsAs one of 20 Bahraini doctors and nurses given up to 15 years in prison, Dr Roula al-Saffar recalls with outrage the tortures inflicted as police tried to force her and other medical specialists to confess to "a doctors' plot" to overthrow the Bahraini government.
Saudi forces clash with protesters
I was tortured in Bahrain police cell, says one of the doctors jailed for 15 yearsAs one of 20 Bahraini doctors and nurses given up to 15 years in prison, Dr Roula al-Saffar recalls with outrage the tortures inflicted as police tried to force her and other medical specialists to confess to "a doctors' plot" to overthrow the Bahraini government.
Security forces have clashed in Saudi Arabia with pro-reform protesters in the Qatif Governorate in the Eastern Province of the country, Press TV reports.
link to www.presstv.ir
More than 700 ‘Occupy Wall Street’ protestors arrested
NEW YORK — More than 700 anti-Wall Street activists were arrested in New York amid chaotic scenes on Brooklyn Bridge after the protest movement’s march against “corporate greed” was broken up by police. The activists, many of whom have been camped out in Manhattan for two weeks, were detained during their latest and biggest demonstration yet against government-backed banking bail-outs and corporate influence in U.S. politics. As approximately 1,500 protesters walked about a third of the way across the bridge, the police corralled hundreds of them with orange netting.
‘Occupy Chicago’ enters eleventh day of protest
The “Occupy Chicago” protest against corporations influence on the United States government has lasted for eleven straight days. “Occupy Chicago” began on September 23, when around 20 people gathered at Willis Tower, formerly known as the Sears Tower, and then marched to the Federal Reserve Bank to show their solidarity with the “Occupy Wall Street” protesters in lower Manhattan.
Occupy LA Protests Enter Third Day
Today marks the third day of Occupy LA, a movement that is still a few hundred strong and growing as mainstream unions (and even an elected official) throw their hat in with their cause. About 100 Occupy LA protesters woke up on City Hall lawn this morning, reports the Los Angeles Times, andtonight they'll be joined by members of the education union United Teachers of Los Angeles in a protest against banks. Unlike the protests in New York, Boston and Chicago, the occupation has so far been extremely laid back. Just a few only-in-LA features include vegan cupcakes for the protesters, and a nearby filming crew shooting a major Hollywood film. Protesters even planned to take advantage of the news cameras in the area for the Michael Jackson doctor trial!
Mourners Call For Abolishing Death Penalty at Funeral for Troy Davis in Georgia
This weekend in Savannah, Georgia, Troy Anthony Davis was laid to rest. Davis was killed by lethal injection in Jackson, Georgia on Sept. 21 after the U.S. Supreme Court refused to stop his execution. The 2,000-seat Jonesville Baptist Church was filled to capacity for his funeral. While his body was being lowered into the burial ground, 23 doves were released. The first was symbolic of his spirit, and the remaining 22 represented each year Davis spent in prison. He was convicted of the 1989 killing of an off-duty police officer, Mark MacPhail. Since then, seven of the nine witnesses have recanted their testimony, and there was no physical evidence that tied Davis to the crime scene. Democracy Now! was in Savannah for the funeral and we play excerpts from the eulogies by Jason Ewart, Troy Davis’s attorney and an eyewitness to his execution; Ben Jealous, president of the NAACP; Larry Cox, president of Amnesty International USA; Lou DuBose, president of NAACP-Georgia; Lenda Sullivan-Russell, friend of Troy Davis; Rev. Raphael Warnock, pastor of Ebenezer Baptist Church; Antone’ De’Juan Davis-Correia, nephew of Troy Davis.
NSC Officials: "'The US veering back to 'Stability over else' approach in the Arab world!"
"Administration officials are breathing a sigh of relief that the Palestinian application for admission to the UN has not yet reached the Security Council for a vote. The policy of veto, as made clear by President Obama, remains completely intact, but the White House is pleased that it has won a delay. It is further delighted at the successful assassination of Anwar al-Awlaki, the Al-Qaeda leader in the Arabian Peninsular. Behind the scenes, some officials at the National Security Council are beginning to worry that the US approach to the “Arab Spring” is starting to veer back to the traditional US priority for stability over reform. One official cautioned privately: “To set up the right circumstances which permitted the Awlaki killing, we had to make a number of concession to the Yemeni government, involving the return of President Saleh.There are inconsistent with our reform agenda. We are most concerned that the Egyptian military is receiving the wrong message and will try to delay democratic elections and crack down on participants.” An equally serious problem concerns relations with Pakistan. The internal debate as to allowing Admiral Mullen, the outgoing Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, to accuse publicly the Pakistan government of complicity with the Haqqani network rumbles on in the White House. Intelligence officials have no doubt that their Pakistani counterparts are, as they commented privately, “highly flexible” in the relationships they run, but they question whether it makes sense to put this public searchlight onto the issue. Our judgment, however, is the evidence is compelling that it would likely have become public. So US military officials will not back away from these claim, thus keeping Washington’s relationship with Islamabad in a constant state of tension. With regard to China, the US $6 billion arms refurbishment package has provoked what US officials see as a “moderate” reaction from China. Some joint military exercises have been postponed, but the reaction has been less harsh than expected. Finally, the announcement that Russian Prime Minister Putin will likely resume his tenure as Russia’s president following next March’s election did not come as a surprise in Washington but was nonetheless a grave disappointment. While many US officials saw the current President simply as a place-holder for Putin, nonetheless he was seen as more reform minded. Washington is preparing for tougher bargaining with Moscow."
Nasser’s Anniversary: Toward a Reassessment, As'ad AbuKhalil
This year’s anniversary of Nasser’s death passed with more notice in the Egyptian press and culture than years past. Even the military ruler, Field Marshal Tantawi, paid tribute to Nasser and spoke about his achievements. Nasser has been a reference point in the Egyptian uprising: not so much in terms of revival of Arab nationalism, because Egyptian nationalist fervor is quite strong, but in terms of the elevation of his stature after decades of vicious propaganda campaigns by the Sadat-Mubarak regime against Nasser and his family. The memoirs of Nasser’s wife, Tahiya, were published only months prior to the eruption of the Egyptian uprising. It is arguable that the life of the Nasser couple, as revealed in her memoirs, was one of many sparks that triggered the Egyptian uprising. The modesty and frugality of the Nasser’s household was a great contrast with the imperial lifestyle of emperors Sadat and Mubarak.
link to english.al-akhbar.com
Bloggers say Arab Spring has gone global
Prominent Arab bloggers, who meet in Tunis, say their methods are being picked up by activists in the West.
U.S.
More than 700 ‘Occupy Wall Street’ protestors arrested
NEW YORK — More than 700 anti-Wall Street activists were arrested in New York amid chaotic scenes on Brooklyn Bridge after the protest movement’s march against “corporate greed” was broken up by police. The activists, many of whom have been camped out in Manhattan for two weeks, were detained during their latest and biggest demonstration yet against government-backed banking bail-outs and corporate influence in U.S. politics. As approximately 1,500 protesters walked about a third of the way across the bridge, the police corralled hundreds of them with orange netting.
‘Occupy Chicago’ enters eleventh day of protest
The “Occupy Chicago” protest against corporations influence on the United States government has lasted for eleven straight days. “Occupy Chicago” began on September 23, when around 20 people gathered at Willis Tower, formerly known as the Sears Tower, and then marched to the Federal Reserve Bank to show their solidarity with the “Occupy Wall Street” protesters in lower Manhattan.
Occupy LA Protests Enter Third Day
Today marks the third day of Occupy LA, a movement that is still a few hundred strong and growing as mainstream unions (and even an elected official) throw their hat in with their cause. About 100 Occupy LA protesters woke up on City Hall lawn this morning, reports the Los Angeles Times, andtonight they'll be joined by members of the education union United Teachers of Los Angeles in a protest against banks. Unlike the protests in New York, Boston and Chicago, the occupation has so far been extremely laid back. Just a few only-in-LA features include vegan cupcakes for the protesters, and a nearby filming crew shooting a major Hollywood film. Protesters even planned to take advantage of the news cameras in the area for the Michael Jackson doctor trial!
CodePink activists arrive at ‘Occupy Wall Street’ protest
Two members of the anti-war activist group CodePink on Saturday arrived at the “Occupy Wall Street” protest in lower Manhattan. “We are here with the 99 percent to say that we’ve had enough of the corruption and greed on Wall Street,” said on activist, Mel. “I’ve been to Tahrir square in Egypt and I’ve been to Madison, Wisconsin, and this is just the same kinds of energy,” CodePink co-founder Medea Benjamin added. The group is trying to help the “Occupy Wall Street” protest by leading a women’s media training workshop.
Two members of the anti-war activist group CodePink on Saturday arrived at the “Occupy Wall Street” protest in lower Manhattan. “We are here with the 99 percent to say that we’ve had enough of the corruption and greed on Wall Street,” said on activist, Mel. “I’ve been to Tahrir square in Egypt and I’ve been to Madison, Wisconsin, and this is just the same kinds of energy,” CodePink co-founder Medea Benjamin added. The group is trying to help the “Occupy Wall Street” protest by leading a women’s media training workshop.
Marina Sitrin, an attorney who is part of the “Occupy Wall Street” legal working group, told Amy Goodman ofDemocracy Now on Monday that New York Police officers were conducting mass arrests in hopes of suppressing the ongoing protest. More than 700 demonstrators were arrested as they tried to cross the Brooklyn Bridge on Saturday. Protesters said that New York police officers had purposefully led them onto the bridge roadway so that they could then arrest them. Those who remained on the sidewalk were not arrested.
Mourners Call For Abolishing Death Penalty at Funeral for Troy Davis in Georgia
This weekend in Savannah, Georgia, Troy Anthony Davis was laid to rest. Davis was killed by lethal injection in Jackson, Georgia on Sept. 21 after the U.S. Supreme Court refused to stop his execution. The 2,000-seat Jonesville Baptist Church was filled to capacity for his funeral. While his body was being lowered into the burial ground, 23 doves were released. The first was symbolic of his spirit, and the remaining 22 represented each year Davis spent in prison. He was convicted of the 1989 killing of an off-duty police officer, Mark MacPhail. Since then, seven of the nine witnesses have recanted their testimony, and there was no physical evidence that tied Davis to the crime scene. Democracy Now! was in Savannah for the funeral and we play excerpts from the eulogies by Jason Ewart, Troy Davis’s attorney and an eyewitness to his execution; Ben Jealous, president of the NAACP; Larry Cox, president of Amnesty International USA; Lou DuBose, president of NAACP-Georgia; Lenda Sullivan-Russell, friend of Troy Davis; Rev. Raphael Warnock, pastor of Ebenezer Baptist Church; Antone’ De’Juan Davis-Correia, nephew of Troy Davis.
Analysis / Op-ed
Israel Builds Settlements and Wants Talks
JERUSALEM — Days after his halfhearted conciliatory U.N. appearance, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu had already approved the construction of 1,100 flats in occupied East Jerusalem. Yet on Sunday, he threw his support behind the new Mideast Quartet’s peace plan with the Palestinians.
JERUSALEM — Days after his halfhearted conciliatory U.N. appearance, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu had already approved the construction of 1,100 flats in occupied East Jerusalem. Yet on Sunday, he threw his support behind the new Mideast Quartet’s peace plan with the Palestinians.
It is amazing how much Zionists control the media coverage (and congressional deliberations and decisions) in the US. How many of you, for example, were aware that the Supreme Guide in Iran spoke against the slogan of "throwing the Jews into the sea" and explicitly said that it was not "their intentions". In fact, comrade Ibrahim Amin in Al-Akhbar wrote that this ostensible goal was never a stated goal for any serious resistance group in the region and yet Zionist hoodlums made it out to be a cherished goals for Arabs when no Arab was found to have made it (I only found one sentence uttered by the founder of the Muslim Brothers, Hasan Al-Banna in 1948 in Al-Musawwar--research the archives here). Of course, the Israeli military (air force to be exact) gave a military communique-order in 1967 in which it explicitly and categorically called for pushing the Arabs into the desert (you may find it in Michael Oren's Six Days of War--again, search the archives here). It was mentioned in passing and the impulses of ethnic cleansing of Zionists never get attention in Western media. In other words, if Khamenei said: we don't want to throw Jews into the sea, it is not news. But if some unknown unidentified Muslims in a village in some faraway land said it would be front page story in the New York Times. Now, of course, the conference in Tehran is empty and has no agenda except the delivery of long boring speeches. But my favorite part of the entire conference was the presence of Ahmad Chalabi there. That was quite a picture. I mean, here is the man who was for a while in the 1990s and beyond the hope of Zionists in the US who thought he would be the man who could bring peace between Iraq and Israel, and now he is a lackey of Iran and Muqtada As-Sadr. The speech by Khalid Mish`al only confirms the news of rift between Hamas and the Syrian regime although his speech contained some praise for the Syrian government as well.
It is not often that major international publications respond to crackpot opinion pieces in other newspapers. Yet Robert L. Bernstein’s latest tantrumagainst the Palestinians, which the Washington Postpublished instead of steering the author to an extremist website, was so far beyond the pale thatThe Economist felt compelled to issue a rejoinder. Beneath the layers of dehumanization, delegitimization, distortion, and outright deceit, Bernstein’s argument is straightforward in tone yet crooked in reasoning: Israel is the victim of the Palestinians it has dispossessed and occupied; Palestinian (and Arab) hostility to Israel is—and is motivated by—anti-Semitism rather than dispossession and occupation; and anyone who disagrees with his putrid nonsense is an accomplice to incitement to genocide. His proof consists of a blend of his own imagination and assertions, and quotes from Palestinian Media Watch which is a propaganda outfit run by radical Jewish settlers that has been thoroughly discredited by serious scholars on every continent save Antarctica.
Netanyahu: Master of Deception, Samuel Dowell
I tend to believe things that a son says to his father in private. To this end, we should go back to 2009, to the words revealed by the father, Benzion Netanyahu, regarding the conduct of his son, Benjamin. With the consent of his son, the prime minister, the father gave an interview to Amit Segal on Channel 2 News, and this is what he said about the Bar-Ilan speech advocating the establishment of a Palestinian state: "He [the prime minister] doesn't support it. He supports it under conditions that they [the Arabs] will never accept. That's what I heard from him, not from myself. He proposed the conditions. They will never accept those conditions, not one of them," said Netanyahu Sr.” [One of those conditions was acceptance of a “Jewish” State.]
I tend to believe things that a son says to his father in private. To this end, we should go back to 2009, to the words revealed by the father, Benzion Netanyahu, regarding the conduct of his son, Benjamin. With the consent of his son, the prime minister, the father gave an interview to Amit Segal on Channel 2 News, and this is what he said about the Bar-Ilan speech advocating the establishment of a Palestinian state: "He [the prime minister] doesn't support it. He supports it under conditions that they [the Arabs] will never accept. That's what I heard from him, not from myself. He proposed the conditions. They will never accept those conditions, not one of them," said Netanyahu Sr.” [One of those conditions was acceptance of a “Jewish” State.]
NSC Officials: "'The US veering back to 'Stability over else' approach in the Arab world!"
"Administration officials are breathing a sigh of relief that the Palestinian application for admission to the UN has not yet reached the Security Council for a vote. The policy of veto, as made clear by President Obama, remains completely intact, but the White House is pleased that it has won a delay. It is further delighted at the successful assassination of Anwar al-Awlaki, the Al-Qaeda leader in the Arabian Peninsular. Behind the scenes, some officials at the National Security Council are beginning to worry that the US approach to the “Arab Spring” is starting to veer back to the traditional US priority for stability over reform. One official cautioned privately: “To set up the right circumstances which permitted the Awlaki killing, we had to make a number of concession to the Yemeni government, involving the return of President Saleh.There are inconsistent with our reform agenda. We are most concerned that the Egyptian military is receiving the wrong message and will try to delay democratic elections and crack down on participants.” An equally serious problem concerns relations with Pakistan. The internal debate as to allowing Admiral Mullen, the outgoing Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, to accuse publicly the Pakistan government of complicity with the Haqqani network rumbles on in the White House. Intelligence officials have no doubt that their Pakistani counterparts are, as they commented privately, “highly flexible” in the relationships they run, but they question whether it makes sense to put this public searchlight onto the issue. Our judgment, however, is the evidence is compelling that it would likely have become public. So US military officials will not back away from these claim, thus keeping Washington’s relationship with Islamabad in a constant state of tension. With regard to China, the US $6 billion arms refurbishment package has provoked what US officials see as a “moderate” reaction from China. Some joint military exercises have been postponed, but the reaction has been less harsh than expected. Finally, the announcement that Russian Prime Minister Putin will likely resume his tenure as Russia’s president following next March’s election did not come as a surprise in Washington but was nonetheless a grave disappointment. While many US officials saw the current President simply as a place-holder for Putin, nonetheless he was seen as more reform minded. Washington is preparing for tougher bargaining with Moscow."
Nasser’s Anniversary: Toward a Reassessment, As'ad AbuKhalil
This year’s anniversary of Nasser’s death passed with more notice in the Egyptian press and culture than years past. Even the military ruler, Field Marshal Tantawi, paid tribute to Nasser and spoke about his achievements. Nasser has been a reference point in the Egyptian uprising: not so much in terms of revival of Arab nationalism, because Egyptian nationalist fervor is quite strong, but in terms of the elevation of his stature after decades of vicious propaganda campaigns by the Sadat-Mubarak regime against Nasser and his family. The memoirs of Nasser’s wife, Tahiya, were published only months prior to the eruption of the Egyptian uprising. It is arguable that the life of the Nasser couple, as revealed in her memoirs, was one of many sparks that triggered the Egyptian uprising. The modesty and frugality of the Nasser’s household was a great contrast with the imperial lifestyle of emperors Sadat and Mubarak.
link to english.al-akhbar.com
Prominent Arab bloggers, who meet in Tunis, say their methods are being picked up by activists in the West.
The young street demonstrators challenge the status quo, ignite a revolutionary spirit, and point the way for a redistribution of power. But what they possess in enthusiasm they lack in organization and political experience. What gives them strength during the uprising -- their amorphous character and impulsiveness -- leads to their subsequent undoing. Their domain is the more visible and publicized. The real action, much to their chagrin, takes place elsewhere. The outcome of the Arab awakening will not be determined by those who launched it. The popular uprisings were broadly welcomed, but they do not neatly fit the social and political makeup of traditional communities often organized along tribal and kinship ties, where religion has a central part and foreign meddling is the norm. The result will be decided by other, more calculating and hard-nosed forces. . . . From all corners of the Arab world, Islamists of various tendencies are coming in from the cold. Virtually everywhere they are the largest single group as well as the best organized. In Egypt and Tunisia, where they had been alternatively -- and sometimes concurrently -- tolerated and repressed, they are full-fledged political actors. In Libya, where they had been suppressed, they joined and played a major part in the rebellion. In Syria, where they had been massacred, they are a principal component of the protest movement. . . . The Arab world's immediate future will very likely unfold in a complex tussle between the army, remnants of old regimes, and the Islamists, all of them with roots, resources, as well as the ability and willpower to shape events. Regional parties will have influence and international powers will not refrain from involvement. There are many possible outcomes -- from restoration of the old order to military takeover, from unruly fragmentation and civil war to creeping Islamization. But the result that many outsiders had hoped for -- a victory by the original protesters -- is almost certainly foreclosed.
“On Sept. 5, settlers torched a mosque and spray-painted anti-Arab slogans and the Star of David in the village of Qusra, south of Huwwara.”
At “Anatot” the other day what did the settlers do?
“Six cars were seriously damaged, and some were totally destroyed. One car door was etched with Starof David.”
Hello settlers. Say hello to the KKK.
link to slate.com
one law for jews, another one for those of a different religion… welcome to the religiocentric world of israel where the pecking order is based off religion…
Israeli law is for all, Jew and other, and its courts administer it the Israeli way.
“Detained legislator Ahmad Attoun, of Jerusalem, rejected an Israeli Court offer of expulsion from Jerusalem in exchange for his release. He also refused to sign a document stating that he will not return to the city.
Attoun was kidnapped by undercover forces of the Israeli army last week. He was near the protest tent in the proximity of the Red Cross in Jerusalem, where several legislators and elected Palestinian officials from Jerusalem are protesting Israeli orders of expulsion from their city.
The court also ruled that Attoun must sign an affidavit stating that he will not enter Jerusalem without an Israeli permit, or until the High Court rules that he is allowed into the city. He rejected this condition because he is from Jerusalem and insists on his legal right to be there.”
link to http://www.imemc.org
ethnic cleansing in the unholy city.. go figure… when does the light bulb go off for the zionists in the usa supporting these actions? ever?
ot – interesting article from haaretz
The Jewish year 5772 began with grand tidings: The Tel Aviv District Court recognized author Yoram Kaniuk’s right to be registered in the state population rolls as “without religion” rather than “Jewish.” In his appeal petition, Kaniuk explained that he would prefer to have his nationality status registered as “Israeli,” but that this is not yet possible since he cannot produce a certificate of conversion to another religion.
Is something wrong with this picture? This confounds the most basic logic: If someone declares himself as being without religion, how can he be asked to prove his conversion to a different religion? Kaniuk, author of “1948,” concluded that this important ruling means that he has no religion but is Jewish by nationality.
Is this indeed the case? How and where is there a Jewish nation that is separate and distinguished from the Jewish religion? Israeli law defines a person as “Jewish” who has a Jewish mother and has no other religion. The condition – being born to a Jewish mother – is a condition set by Jewish law. In other words, the condition is religious in nature. The conclusion that the separation of religion and state has been achieved because an Israeli citizen whose mother was Jewish has been allowed to be classified as having no religion remains a fervent wish only.
link to haaretz.com
How many times does this need to be explained?
Israeli law defines who is a Jew just for the purpose of the immigration law. It is not an attempt to define a Jew for any other purpose and does not have any special standing as a definition. A person who is born to a Jewish mother and says he is not a Jew, is not a Jew. If he comes to Israel and asks for citizenship he will get it, because for the purpose of the immigration law he is considered a Jew. But of course he is not a Jew.
Does your Israeli ID card list “Jewish” as your nationality, eee?
3e is right. Israeli law really doesn’t care about definitions of Jewishness per se. Immigration aside (for which purposes it has, more or less, adopted the Nuremberg grandparent paradigm), it would appear to be far more concerned with establishing whether an individual is one of “us” or one of “them”.
See Yitzhak Laor’s comment on Kaniuk’s “victory”, in today’s Haaretz:
link to haaretz.com
Oh please, Shmuel. US law “really doesn’t care” about the ethnicity of people who stand accused of crimes. Yet somehow, African Americans are incarcerated (and even executed, in states that still allow the practice) at rates far in excess of “blind” average.
Both the US and the Israeli government prove that it doesn’t matter what’s written in the law books if the punishment for the crime is enforced in a biased (bigoted, really) manner. And you’ll have a hard time convincing me that legislators and enforces don’t recognize that while they’re instituting all of this.
Chaos,
Please read Yitzhak Laor’s article. I was referring to a specific aspect of Israeli policy, and the idea that the designation “not Arab” can be far more important than the designation “Jew”.
How many times does this need to be explained? Israeli law defines who is a Jew just for the purpose of the immigration law.
That’s incorrect. Many of Israel’s other laws and ministerial regulations use that same criteria as a legal test, i.e. Jewish for the purpose of the Law of Return. For example the ILA can lease land to foreign nationals if they can prove that they would qualify as Jewish under the Law of Return. No intent to immigrate is required.
If this had been Palestinians, the action would have been labelled “terrorism”.
From the WTF department
link to haaretz.com
Porat came under criticism in 1994 after American-Israeli doctor Baruch Goldstein shot dead 29 Muslims and wounded more than 100 others at a mosque in Hebron. Porat replied with “Happy Purim!” to a reporter’s question about what he thought of the massacre. He later claimed his comments had been taken out of context.
Oh, gee, it’s not like we’ve heard the “quote out of context” excuse before, right?
If the settlers had done this with rockets, their neighbor’s children would have been set on fire with white phosphorus (but only if the settlers were Palestinian).
Anatot Pogrom Victims Suffered Sexual Abuse
“When the wives of the male attackers saw their husbands hitting male and female protestors alike, they [the settler women] applauded and spat at me: ‘Traitor,’ ‘You deserve it.’ And when they heard their husbands threaten us: ‘We’ll fuck you in the ass,’ they suddenly turned into men themselves, applauding their husbands’ sexual conquests as if they were one of the boys.”
link to richardsilverstein.com
“Landau interprets the language of the settlers as their means of revenge and redemption of their self-respect. Through rape, sodomy and other physical and verbal acts the honor of the tribe is upheld. It’s primitive, brutal, bestial, but alas all too human. We think we are Jews, that we don’t do such things, that we are civilized, that we have our sacred books and traditions that raise us above such brutalism. Alas, violence like this reminds us that we are only those things in our best moments. In our worst, we are no different. And when we are no different, we have betrayed those traditions which we like to think set us apart or above the worst humanity has to offer.”
talking of running over dogs i was reminded of this famous speech from sometime ago, anyway the speaker was an obscure figure outside his little nation whose wildly impracticable aspirations to overthrow his comprador government need not detain us, stupid old guy in a tarboush.
“They have taken a law to the Parliament according to which first of all we are to accede to the Vienna Convention, and secondly we have to add a provision that all American military advisers, together with their families, technical and administrative officials, and servants – in short, anyone in any way connected to them – are to enjoy legal immunity with respect to any crime they may commit in Iran! If some American’s servant, some American’s cook, assassinates your marja’-i taqlid in the middle of the bazaar, or runs over him, the Iranian police do not have the right to apprehend him! Iranian courts do not have the right to judge him! The dossier must be sent to America so that our masters there can decide what is to be done!
The previous government approved this measure without telling anyone, and now the present government just recently introduced a bill in the Senate and settled the whole matter in a single session without breathing a word to anyone. A few days ago, the bill was taken to the lower house of the Parliament and there were discussions, with a few deputies voicing their opposition, but the bill was passed anyhow. They passed it without any shame, and the government shamelessly defended this scandalous measure. They have reduced the Iranian people to a level lower than that of an American dog. If someone runs over a dog belonging to an American, he will be prosecuted. Even if the Shah himself were to run over a dog belonging to an American, he would be prosecuted. But if an American cook runs over the Shah, or the marja’ of Iran, or the highest official, no one will have the right to object.
Why? ”
Ayatollah R. Khomeini October 26 1964, revolutions are not made in a day, of course some believe that there are worse things than being Americas slaves.
rest at link.
//www2.irib.ir/worldservice/imam/speech/16.htm