Education Ministry announces school trips to occupied West Bank– some parents object

Shiloh, Jewish colony in West Bank, is now archaelogical claim. Story below. Photo at this site.

and other news from Today in Palestine:

Land, property theft & destruction / Ethnic cleansing / Apartheid / Endangered Palestinian culture

Israel land-grabs East Jerusalem area for “national parks”
Al-Akhbar 4 Jan — Israeli authorities are designating areas in east Jerusalem for national parks in a “political” move that obstructs the much-needed development of Palestinian neighborhoods, two Israeli NGOs said. In separate reports released on Tuesday, the organizations said the Jerusalem municipality and Israel’s Nature and Parks Authority (NPA) are working together to encircle Arab neighborhoods and deprive them of necessary space for housing and schools. Bimkom, an NGO which works with vulnerable communities on planning and building issues said declaring land to be a national park is effectively a land-grab strategy. “These national parks, we call them green settlements, because it really works like a settlement,” said Efrat Cohen-Bar, an architect with Bimkom. Palestinians had hoped to build on a large open land in Jerusalem’s annexed eastern sector which lies between the neighborhoods of Issawiya and A-Tur. [see also Activism].
http://english.al-akhbar.com/content/israel-land-grabs-east-jerusalem-area-national-parks

Israel allocates NIS 5 million for security of Jewish East Jerusalem residents
Haaretz 4 Jan — Court petition opposing the use of private security guards to protect the Jewish residents contends that budget ballooned from NIS 7 to 54 million within two decades … Security for the Jewish enclaves in Arab neighborhoods of East Jerusalem has been provided since the early 1990s by the Housing Ministry, which maintains a large and expensive security force for this purpose under police supervision. The security force budget has grown substantially over the past 20 years as Jewish residences have spread in the eastern part of the city and as violence – in response to the Jewish presence – has intensified.
http://www.haaretz.com/print-edition/news/israel-allocates-nis-5-million-for-security-of-jewish-east-jerusalem-residents-1.405357

Palestinians reject Israeli mayor’s visit to East Jerusalem neighborhood
JERUSALEM (WAFA) 4 Jen – Palestinians in the East Jerusalem neighborhood of Issawiya strongly objected to a planned visit by West Jerusalem mayor Nir Barkat to the neighborhood to inaugurate a new post office building, local residents said Wednesday. They said clashes erupted during the night between Palestinian residents and Israeli forces who raided the neighborhood to arrest young residents who earlier threw stones at Border Police patrol. Undercover Israeli units detained a 6-year-old child for several hours before releasing him, said the residents.
http://english.wafa.ps/index.php?action=detail&id=18575

New Elad construction plans approved at top speed
Silwan, Jerusalem (SILWANIC) 30 Dec posted 3 Jan –  New construction plans submitted by settler group Elad to the Jerusalem Municipality’s Planning and Construction Committee were approved in a markedly short space of time. The plan, which outline the construction of several huge new buildings, propose drastic changes to the entire layout of upper Silwan according to the Committee description.  The first Elad plan proposes the construction of a 9,000 square metre building in what is currently Wadi Hilweh Park. The building, which will be partially below ground, will include subterranean passages comprising part of the tourist route through the fabled City of David … The plan also includes souvenir shops, Elad offices, and car park facilities to 250 vehicles, exclusively servicing City of David and Wailing Wall visitors. A bridge running from the Old City’s Dung Gate will connect to the top of the building.
http://silwanic.net/?p=23488

Residents’ caution slows settler takeover
Silwan, Jerusalem (SILWANIC) –29 Dec, posted 3 Jan –  Twenty years ago, Israeli settlers in Silwan had their sights set on the takeover of 40 houses in the district. Given their success, with the aid of property brokers, rumors were rife that settlers had managed to take possession of over 100 Palestinian houses.  Many residents of Silwan were able to see through this loose talk however, and indeed it had the opposite effect of what settlers hoped: residents became far more cautious in selling their properties and did more research about the buyers. In many cases they simply withheld from selling. Today, settlers have succeeded in taking over only 19 houses in Silwan, all of them through forged documentation and invocation of the Absentee Property Law.
http://silwanic.net/?p=23490

Israeli settlers fill in house with concrete in Wadi Hilweh
Silwan, Jerusalem (SILWANIC) 31 Dec, posted 3 Jan –  Israeli settlers have begun work on an annexed Palestinian property in Wadi Hilweh, filling the bases of the house with concrete. Silwanic has learnt that the settlers intend to extend the house to cover 120 square meters, and have received permission from the Jerusalem Municipality to replace the fiber boards of the ceiling with wood. Witnesses reported the new construction on the afternoon of 30 December, when the home’s wooden ceiling was in fact replaced with a newer, larger, concrete one. The expansion stands in stark contrast to the problems faced by Palestinians of Silwan, who face severe reprisals from the Municipality when any attempt to extend or repair their homes is made.
http://silwanic.net/?p=23478

Popular Committees protest plan for settler restaurant in Silwan
Silwan, Jerusalem (SILWANIC) 31 Dec, posted 3 Jan — The Popular Committees of Silwan submitted an objection to the Jerusalem Municipality regarding a proposed plan for the establishment of an Israeli settler restaurant in Wadi Rababa district in the heart of Silwan. A spokesman for the Popular Committees stated “this proposed plan serves only the interests of the Israeli settlers and their tourist trade here in Silwan. It excludes Silwan’s residents, and will indeed prove itself a major provocation amongst them. The plan illustrates the Municipality’s discrimination against us, and their willingness to deprive Silwan’s residents of their daily income. We are forbidden permission to open new stores or anything to generate income – indeed many business are threatened with demolition! Silwan’s residents wish only to live in peace and quiet.”
http://silwanic.net/?p=23473

Israeli forces ‘detain 6-year-old’ in Jerusalem
JERUSALEM (Ma‘an) 4 Jan — An undercover Israeli force briefly detained a 6-year-old boy in East Jerusalem on Tuesday, relatives said. The child’s grandfather Dawood Dirbas told Ma’an that Israeli officers raided al-Isawiya and local youth threw stones at the military vehicles. He said his grandson Muhammad Ali Dirbas was going to the shop when Israeli forces apprehended him and took him to a police station in Salah Addin street where he was interrogated for four hours. On his release, Muhammad told a Ma‘an reporter that police officers tried to scare him “but I am not afraid of them, and they must leave our land.” Residents of al-Isawiya told Ma‘an that Israeli forces and undercover police raided the town, firing stun grenades and tear gas as they tried to detain children.
http://www.maannews.net/eng/ViewDetails.aspx?ID=449915

Violent officer accuses four Wadi Hilwa residents of assault
Silwan, Jerusalem (SILWANIC) 3 Dec, posted 3 Jan — The Jerusalem Magistrates Court released the names of four Wadi Hilweh residents due to attend a hearing session on 4 January 2012. Sameer Rwadi, Nihad Siyam, Mahmoud Sumrain and Fawzi Shwaki are accused of allegedly impeding a police officer’s course of duty and assaulting him while the Israeli government were installing new traffic signs on Wadi Hilweh Street in Silwan some two and a half years ago. The police officer, Basim Nati, is notorious in Silwan for his violent attitude towards Palestinians. The four accused men have denied all charges.
http://silwanic.net/?p=23476

Israel to seize 169 dunums of land near Salfit
SALFIT (WAFA) 3 Jan – Israeli authorities Tuesday handed notices to landowners in Iskaka, a village in the Salfit area, north of the West Bank, that they plan to seize 169 dunums of their land for the expansion of the settlement of Ariel and to build the Apartheid Wall, according to a local officials. Samir Haris, head of Iskaka village council, said the land in question is located north, south and west of the village, which means the village would lose a large area of its agricultural land for the benefit of Ariel.
http://english.wafa.ps/index.php?action=detail&id=18571

Tel Aviv museum ordered to provide Arabic signs after damning Haaretz report
Haaretz 4 Jan — Culture Minister Limor Livnat announced Wednesday that she had ordered the Tel Aviv Museum of Art to install signs in Arabic by the end of February, after a Haaretz probe last week revealed that half of the Israeli museums required to provide visitors with Arabic explanations fail to do so despite government regulations on the matter.
http://www.haaretz.com/culture/tel-aviv-museum-ordered-to-provide-arabic-signs-after-damning-haaretz-report-1.405471

Police confiscate speakers from Jaffa mosque
Ynet 3 Jan — Large Yassam [riot police], Border Guard and police forces on Tuesday raided the complex of the Abu Sayaf family in Jaffa and confiscated speakers that were used to play Muezzin calls in a mosque situated on the premises.
http://www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7340,L-4170857,00.html

Israeli parents urge minister to cancel school trips to West Bank
Haaretz 4 Jan — Petition signed by 500 parents as of Tuesday night, was started after Education Minister announced school trips would visit archaeological site of Shiloh in the West Bank … “Your political agenda is clear to us and it should be said in your favor that you do not bother to hide it. But your political positions are different and in fact in opposition to ours and therefore we cannot allow our sons and daughters to take a trip to Hebron, Shiloh or the rest of the sites and settlement beyond the agreed-on borders of Israel [my emphasis],” the petition states. The petition was signed “Concerned Mothers and Fathers throughout the country.”
http://www.haaretz.com/print-edition/news/israeli-parents-urge-minister-to-cancel-school-trips-to-west-bank-1.405348

Outposts

5 structures razed in Oz Zion outpost
Ynet 3 Jan — Civil Administration officers accompanied by security forces razed five structures at the illegal West Bank outpost of Oz Zion overnight. Nine youths were detained for questioning and later released. Oz Zion is a small outpost adjacent to Beit-El and its residents are mostly hilltop youths. The outpost has been razed several times before and is usually rebuilt shortly afterwards … Residents of Maoz Zion have already begun clearing the debris, saying they will start rebuilding immediately.
http://www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7340,L-4170519,00.html

‘State failing to meet its outpost commitments’
Ynet 3 Jan — High Court orders State to report progress on settling construction in outposts built on non-private land by January 10 … The ruling, by Supreme Court President Dorit Beinish and Justices Eliezer Rivlin and Neal Handel, was given in the case of an agreement reached by the State with Ramat Gilad residents. According to the agreement, structures built on private land will be moved, thus rendering the outpost legal.
http://www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7340,L-4170823,00.html

Year of the relocated outpost / Zvi Bar’el
Haaretz 4 Jan — Creativity knows no bounds, as is reflected in the new idea that illegal West Bank outposts can be relocated from one illegal location to another. This would move them from privately-owned Palestinian land to Palestinian land “owned” by the government, from one space under occupation to another, as if this made it legal. It’s a game of musical chairs in which everybody wins and no one is left without a chair. At the illegal West Bank outpost of Ramat Gilad, nine house trailers are to be moved a few dozen meters and will become part of the “legal” settlement of Karnei Shomron. And when it comes to the illegal outpost of Migron, Minister without Portfolio Benny Begin is suggesting that the buildings be relocated to a “legal” location several hundred meters away.
http://www.haaretz.com/print-edition/opinion/year-of-the-relocated-illegal-west-bank-outpost-1.405369

Settler violence  / Right-wing activists

Palestinian cars torched in Jerusalem ‘price tag’ attack
BETHLEHEM (Ma‘an) 4 Jan — Two Palestinian-owned vehicles were torched in East Jerusalem early Wednesday morning, police said. Israeli police spokesman Micky Rosenfeld told Ma‘an that “price tag” and “revenge” were sprayed near the burnt out vehicles in Sharafat, a Palestinian village near Gilo settlement.
http://www.maannews.net/eng/ViewDetails.aspx?ID=449931

Guards thwart ‘price tag’ attack at Knesset
JPost 4 Jan — …On Wednesday afternoon, Knesset Guards thwarted an attempted “price tag” attack on the Knesset. Police had briefed the Knesset Guards about the suspect, who had a warrant out for his arrest for his involvement in previous “price tag” attacks. The suspect requested to enter the Knesset, but security forces detained the man and he was transferred to police custody.
http://www.jpost.com/DiplomacyAndPolitics/Article.aspx?ID=252209&R=R1

Al Khalil (Hebron): Settlers from Outpost 26 once again attack Za‘atari family home in al-Bowereh
Christian Peacemaker Teams 1 Jan — On 30 December 2011, between ten to twenty settlers in Outpost 26 overlooking the Hebron neighborhood of Al-Bowereh used slingshots to launch stones onto the roof of the Za’atari family home.  The attack began at 6:30 p.m. and lasted approximately one and a half hours. The father of the family whose section of the multi-family dwelling received most of the stones told CPTers that he called the Israeli police when the stoning began and they told him they would be there within a half hour. However, they never appeared. The attack from Outpost 26 is one of many that have occurred over the years in Al-Bowereh, and the lack of Israeli police response is typical.  The extended Za’atari family, because of their homes’ proximity to the outpost has suffered the worst of the vandalism and assaults from the settlers there. Photos taken after the attack are available at http://cpt.org/index.php?q=gallery&g2_itemId=24937.
http://cpt.org/cptnet/2012/01/03/al-khalil-hebron-settlers-outpost-26-once-again-attack-zaatari-family-home-al-bowe

Israel mulls espionage charges against Jewish West Bank activists
Haaretz 3 Jan — The State Prosecutor’s Office intends to indict right-wing activists with espionage over suspicions they tracked Israel Defense Forces activities in the West Bank, Haaretz learned on Tuesday. Late last week, the activists were apprehended following a a joint operation by Israel Police and Shin Bet forces over suspicions that they had gathered intelligence on IDF movements in the West Bank.
http://www.haaretz.com/news/diplomacy-defense/israel-mulls-espionage-charges-against-jewish-west-bank-activists-1.405324

IDF officer gave court false info to keep right-wing activists in custody
Haaretz 4 Jan — Senior officer claims activists ’caused considerable financial damage,’ when seizing abandoned churches near the Qasr al-Yahud holy site in the West Bank, in mid-December — .A senior Israeli officer exaggerated information in court to convince it to reverse a lower court’s decision to release right-wing activists who broke through the fence on the Jordanian border last month, according to written testimony obtained by Haaretz.
http://www.haaretz.com/print-edition/news/idf-officer-gave-court-false-info-to-keep-right-wing-activists-in-custody-1.405350

Gaza

Israeli gunboats ‘fire at fishermen’
GAZA CITY (Ma‘an) 4 Jan — Israeli gunboats on Wednesday opened fire at fishermen off the coast of southern Gaza, witnesses said. No injuries were reported.
Meanwhile, Israeli tanks entered the Gaza Strip through the Kisufim gate near Khan Younis and opened fire as bulldozers razed farmland in the area, onlookers told Ma’an. A military spokeswoman said soldiers identified an explosive device near the border fence and safely detonated it. She said soldiers fired tank shells during the procedure as a “method of deterrence.”
http://www.maannews.net/eng/ViewDetails.aspx?ID=449928

Gaza holds emergency drill
Ynet 4 Jan –Three-week long drill in Strip meant to increase public awareness to fires, various disasters
http://www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7340,L-4171489,00.html

Bumper citrus harvest in Gaza
MEMO 4 Jan — EXCLUSIVE PICTURES  (10) — Palestinian farmers in Gaza are in the midst of harvesting a successful production of citrus fruit. Palestinian officials toured the land, and were given a variety of the harvest to sample. The fertile land, adjacent to the former Netzarim settlement, has seen plenty of hardships over the decades, most recently with the land being completely razed to the ground in the during Operation Cast Lead. Palestinian fruit has always been a popular export product, with its oranges being especially appreciated in Europe. Palestinian farmers in Gaza continue strive to till their lands, with Israel’s occupying forces shooting and attacking them on a regular basis.
http://www.middleeastmonitor.org.uk/news/middle-east/3245-bumper-citrus-harvest-in-gaza

Egypt to close Gaza crossing over holiday
GAZA CITY (Ma‘an) 4 Jan — The ministry of interior in Gaza said on Wednesday that Egypt will close the Rafah crossing linking the countries during the holiday on Saturday.  Orthodox Christmas, celebrated on Jan. 7, is a national holiday in Egypt. The Rafah crossing was also closed on Tuesday during the third round of the Egypt’s parliamentary vote.
http://www.maannews.net/eng/ViewDetails.aspx?ID=450075

PA slams Israeli demolition of Gaza crossing
BETHLEHEM (Ma‘an) — The Palestinian Authority condemned Tuesday Israel’s move to demolish a closed Gaza crossing, warning it would tighten the blockade on the coastal enclave. Israeli radio station Rishet Bet reported Monday that huge explosions were heard as Israeli forces took down buildings at the Karni crossing, after the army warned Palestinian factions were planning to use to passway to launch attacks on Israel. At its weekly cabinet meeting, the government said the levelling on Gaza’s main commercial crossing, which was closed by Israel in 2007, was a “illegal, unilateral move.”
http://www.maannews.net/eng/ViewDetails.aspx?ID=449866

Israeli official: “Islamic Jihad military power stronger than Hamas”
IMEMC 4 Jan — A senior Israeli Military Intelligence official stated Wednesday that Israeli intelligence gathered about the Hamas and the Islamic Jihad Movements in Gaza indicated that the two groups managed to upgrade their military capabilities, and obtained advanced rockets. The official stated that the missiles the Islamic Jihad managed to obtain are more advanced than the missiles that Hamas has, as they can hit areas that are as far as 74 kilometers, which means that they can hit Tel Aviv and areas beyond.
http://www.imemc.org/article/62773

Remembering the 2008-09 Israeli assault on Gaza

4 January 2009: The Abdel Dayem family
PCHR 4 Jan — “I was told initially that Arafa had been injured in an Israeli strike. Of course I was concerned, but many people get injured in his line of work and what was important is that he was still alive. I learnt only fifteen minutes before Arafa’s body arrived back at the family home that he had died. The shock was unbearable”  Arafa Abdel Dayem, 34, was killed on 4 January 2009, during Israel’s 23 day offensive on the Gaza Strip, codenamed “Operation Cast Lead”. Arafa, a medic, was responding to a missile attack on a group of five unarmed men when an Israeli tank fired a shell filled with flechettes directly at the group. Meeting the al Dayem family one can’t help but notice the quiet and composed nature of the whole group … Speaking of the future Imtihan is hopeful, “I have four young boys whom I hope to see graduate from college and get married, but I am only one, it is a huge responsibility and I must be strong.” She is also hopeful for prospects regarding legal proceedings in Israel concerning compensation for her husband’s killing given that Arafa was clearly not a military target at the time of his killing at the hands of Israeli occupation forces. PCHR submitted a criminal complaint on behalf of the Abdel Dayem Family on 21 August 2009. To-date, no response has been received.
http://palsolidarity.org/2012/01/4-january-2009-the-abdel-dayem-family/

Israel killed children while they [were] looking for food in garbage
Gaza (alresalah.ps) 4 Jan — The Palestinian old poor parents Talal Hamdan  and his wife Iman still remember details of horrible  scenes when they saw pieces of their kids’  bodies scattered everywhere.  Children were going to put garbage in its container when Israeli F16 jet bombed them. Haya 12-year-old, lama 10-year-old and Ismael 5-year-old were all killed , while their father got wounded.  ”We all were going  to throw garbage in a location close to the container of waste. Israeli warplanes saw us . Truly, they saw us and they realized we are civilians. I am not sure my children were looking in some garbage for something had their attention. Suddenly, the whole area got horrible bombing. I realized all of us got killed. Unfortunately, I still alive… Ya … I lost all of them … they’ve gone”.. said the father in cracked sad voice while weeping .
http://english.alresalah.ps/?action=showdetail&seid=1089

Activism / Solidarity

A call for action: Stop the slopes of Mt. Scopus ‘National Park’
Sheikh Jarrah Solidarity 4 Jan — …One of the most effective tools in the occupation of East Jerusalem is the settler-led Israel Nature and Parks Authority (INPA). Private lands belonging to Palestinian residents of East Jerusalem are routinely declared “national parks,” often against the judgment of planning experts, archaeologists, and city officials. Within two weeks, yet another political “national park” is to be established, this time on the lands of the residents of Issawiya and A-Tur (The Mount of Olives). The Sheikh Jarrah Solidarity Movement, together with the popular committees of these villages and a coalition of human rights organizations, opposes the establishment of this national park.
http://www.en.justjlm.org/646

Call to action: Justice for Yousef Ikhlayl,
When: January 28, 2012  What: International day of solidarity with Yousef Ikhlayl Background: On January 28, 2011Yousef Ikhlayl was murdered by an Israeli settler from Bat Ayn settlement while working in his family’s fields in the Saffa valley. Yousef was a regular participant in Beit Ommar’s non-violent demonstrations against the settlements, as well as Palestine Solidarity Project’s community programs. One year later, THERE HAVE BEEN NO ARRESTS IN YOUSEF’S CASE. For months, the Israeli Attorney General hasn’t even assigned the case to a lawyer, preventing any further action on the case. As Palestinian negotiators sit with Israeli war criminals to discuss re-opening peace negotiations–negotiations that will leave Bat Ayn in place (according to previously leaked negotiating positions)–THE POPULAR COMMITTEE OF BEIT OMMAR AND PALESTINE SOLIDARITY PROJECT CALL FOR INTERNATIONAL ACTION IN SOLIDARITY WITH YOUSEF AND ALL VICTIMS OF ISRAELI OCCUPATION.
http://palestinesolidarityproject.org/2012/01/04/call-to-action-justice-for-yousef-ikhlayl/

Hasbara

Israeli students to get $2,000 to spread state propaganda on Facebook / Ali Abunimah
The National Union of Israeli Students (NUIS) has become a full-time partner in the Israeli government’s efforts to spread its propaganda online and on college campuses around the world. NUIS has launched a program to pay Israeli university students $2,000 to spread pro-Israel propaganda online for 5 hours per week from the “comfort of home.” The union is also partnering with Israel’s Jewish Agency to send Israeli students as missionaries to spread propaganda in other countries, for which they will also receive a stipend. This active recruitment of Israeli students is part of Israel’s orchestrated effort to suppress the Palestinian solidarity movement under the guise of combating “delegitimization” of Israel and anti-Semitism.
http://electronicintifada.net/blog/ali-abunimah/israeli-students-get-2000-spread-state-propaganda-facebook

Political detention / Court actions

Israeli forces ‘detain 19-year-old girl’
QALQILIYA (Ma‘an) 3 Jan — Israeli forces detained a 19-year-old girl as she returned through an Israeli military checkpoint to the northern West Bank city of Qalqiliya on Tuesday afternoon, her family told Ma‘an. Maha Ghazi Barham, from Kafr Qaddum village east of Qalqiliya, was traveling back after visiting her brother in an Israeli jail, relatives said. Her parents called on the ministry of prisoners and human rights groups to investigate her seizure and demand her immediate release.
http://www.maannews.net/eng/ViewDetails.aspx?ID=449787

Israel detains Jihad leader in West Bank
JENIN (Ma‘an) 4 Jan — Israeli forces detained a senior Islamic Jihad member from his Jenin village early Tuesday, the second party leader in the northern West Bank seized in the past month. Israeli forces raided the home of Sheikh Osama Al-Shalabi in Silat al-Dhahar village south of Jenin, before detaining the Islamic Jihad leader, locals told Ma‘an. An Israeli army spokeswoman said one person was detained overnight south of Jenin, among 14 detentions across the West Bank.
http://www.maannews.net/eng/ViewDetails.aspx?ID=449774

Report: Palestinian arrested in Beersheba
TEL AVIV (Ma‘an) 4 Jan — Israeli forces detained a Palestinian man in Beersheba on Wednesday, the Israeli news site Ynet reported. The man, from Jenin, is suspected of planning a stabbing attack and was transferred to the Shin Bet for questioning, the report said.
http://www.maannews.net/eng/ViewDetails.aspx?ID=449955

Sports star, former prisoner dies in West Bank
BETHLEHEM (Ma‘an) 3 Jan — Football sensation and former detainee Zakaria Daoud Issa died in the West Bank aged 43 on Monday evening. Daoud was released from Israeli jail on Aug. 22 after he was diagnosed with terminal cancer. He had been sentenced to 16 years imprisonment in February 2003, charged with activism for Hamas. Prior to his nine years in prison, Zakaria was known as one of Palestine’s top football strikers, and played for the national team.
http://www.maannews.net/eng/ViewDetails.aspx?ID=449644

International Solidarity: Israel court extends detention of PNN reporter for 12 days
PNN 5 Jan — …The searcher at the International Solidarity of human rights, Ahmad al-Bitawi, said that the Journalist Abu Wardah, 46, was arrested in December 28, 2011. During his 20-hour continuous interrogations in Petah Tikva, Abu Wardah was standing on his feet, his hands were cuffed and he wasn’t allowed to take a rest. The Israeli authorities also forbade Abu Warda from calling the lawyer. Abu Warda was transferred to al-Ramlah hospital, after the deterioration of his health, as he suffers from heart problems.
http://english.pnn.ps/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=11037&Itemid=56

Israeli Conciliation Court forces Palestinian woman to enter psychiatric hospital
PNN 4 Jan …Israeli forces arrested al-Abbasy, who lives in the East Jerusalem neighbourhood of Silwan, while she was passing through Shu‘fat military checkpoint with one of her sons, under the pretext that she waved with a knife, and that she attempted to stab a soldier. Khaled al-Abassy, the defendant’s brother, said that she suffers from a neurological condition after Israel arrested her son Issa, years ago. Aliyah is getting treatment since that incident in the psychiatric hospital in Deir Yassen, and she also suffers the lack of oxygen. He also said that the arresting happened when Alyiah finished visiting her daughter in Shu’fat refugee camp, and was going back to her house in Silwan, “it was the first time that Alyiah pass through the new checkpoint of Shu‘fat, so she didn’t know the path that is specified for pedestrians, and she used the driveway. “When the soldiers saw Aliyah walking at the driveway, they started to shoot towards her without pre-warnings, or showing her the right path, the bullets penetrated the “Abayeh” that she was wearing, ….
http://english.pnn.ps/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=11033&Itemid=64

Political developments

Fatah: Release of political detainees ‘almost resolved’
GAZA CITY (Ma‘an) 4 Jan — Fatah and Hamas are close to resolving the issues of political detainees and passports for Gaza residents, senior Fatah official Nabil Shaath said Wednesday. Shaath met with Hamas leader Mahmoud Zahhar in Gaza City on Tuesday to discuss implementation of a reconciliation deal signed in May to end years of rivalry between the parties. The Fatah leader told Ma‘an that both parties were processing the release of political prisoners, as agreed in the unity deal.
http://www.maannews.net/eng/ViewDetails.aspx?ID=449973

Civil society calls for new policies after unity deal
GAZA CITY (Ma‘an) 4 Jan – Members of an umbrella group of Palestinian civil society organizations called on Wednesday for the reopening of institutions closed during the years of divided Hamas and Fatah government. The groups slammed the policy of “politically conditioned funding,” a statement from the Palestinian NGO Network conference in Gaza City said. Stressing their support for the reconciliation deal between former rivals Hamas and Fatah, the conference called for a unified body to pass laws. The Palestinian Legislative Council, last elected in 2006, has been defunct since the 2007 explosion in violence between the parties that separated the Hamas-run Gaza Strip from the Fatah-led Palestinian Authority in the West Bank.
http://www.maannews.net/eng/ViewDetails.aspx?ID=450059

Palestinians hand Israelis proposals on security, borders
AMMAN (WAFA) 3 Jan – Palestinian negotiators attending a Quartet meeting in the Jordanian capital Amman on Tuesday submitted proposals on security and borders to their Israeli counterparts, who took the proposals and promised to respond to them in future meetings, according to Jordan’s Foreign Minister Nasser Judeh. He said at a press conference following the conclusion of the first direct talks between Palestinians and Israeli in 16 months held in Amman that the two sides held serious and constructive talks and have agreed to hold more meetings in the future, all will be held in Jordan …Judeh admitted that there were no serious breakthroughs in the first meeting, but the fact that the two sides have sat together on the same table and exchanged thoughts on how to proceed is in itself a breakthrough.
http://english.wafa.ps/index.php?action=detail&id=18572

Jailed Palestinian leader says peace process ‘dead’
BETHLEHEM (Ma‘an) 3 Jan — Imprisoned Fatah leader Marwan Barghouthi said on Tuesday the movement should focus on building and reforming Palestinian institutions and peaceful resistance, as the peace process has failed. In a letter penned in jail to the Palestinian people, commemorating his Fatah party’s 47th anniversary, Barghouthi said peace negotiations with Israel are finished, “and there is no point to make desperate attempts to breathe life into a dead body.”
http://www.maannews.net/eng/ViewDetails.aspx?ID=449818

Hamas: PLO, Israeli meeting ‘blow to reconcilation’
GAZA CITY (Ma‘an) 4 Jan — Hamas leader Ismail Radwan said on Wednesday the PLO meeting with Israeli envoys in Amman on Tuesday would damage Fatah’s reconciliation deal with his faction. “We consider these meetings a blow for national reconciliation, especially as we agreed in Cairo to face Israel’s settlements, wall, and attacks together,” Radwan said during a meeting of the community reconciliation committee in Gaza.
http://www.maannews.net/eng/ViewDetails.aspx?ID=450084

PFLP GC calls Amman meeting a ‘fatal blow to Palestinian reconciliation’
MEMO 4 Jan — The Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine – General Command has criticized the meeting held in Amman on Tuesday between officials from the Palestinian Authority and the Israeli government, in the presence of representatives of the Middle East Quartet. The meeting was held at the invitation of the government of Jordan. The leftist group issued a press release in which it noted that the meeting shows the PA’s subordination to American dictates and its opposition to the will of the people.
http://www.middleeastmonitor.org.uk/news/middle-east/3243-pflp-gc-calls-amman-meeting-a-qfatal-blowq-to-palestinian-reconciliation

Abu Rudeineh praises King Abdullah’s efforts
RAMALLAH (WAFA) 4 Jan – Presidency Spokesperson Nabil Abu Rudeineh Wednesday praised the Jordanian King Abdullah II efforts to explore the possibility of resuming final status negotiations between Palestinians and Israelis. Abu Rudeineh stressed the Palestinians’ willingness to make all efforts to resume negotiations …A bu Rudeineh indicated that explorative meetings will continue in Jordan till the end of January.
http://english.wafa.ps/index.php?action=detail&id=18579

Shaath: Technocrat government by end of January
GAZA (WAFA) 4 Jan – Fatah Central Committee member Nabil Shaath Wednesday told Voice of Palestine radio that it was agreed on forming an independent government of technocrats by the end of January to prepare for elections planned for May. After the elections, he said, a national unity government will be formed.
http://english.wafa.ps/index.php?action=detail&id=18578

Haneyya visits Tunisia Thursday
TURKEY (PIC) 4 Jan — As part of his regional trip, Palestinian premier Ismail Haneyya intends on Thursday to make a two-day visit to Tunisia at the invitation of his Tunisian counterpart Hamadi Al-Jebali. Haneyya will be received at the airport by the Tunisian premier before heading to meet president Moncef Marzouki, a senior official from Ennahda Movement, Tunisia’s biggest party
Link to www.palestine-info.co.uk/

Lieberman indictment hearing set for January 17
3 Jan — A hearing that could affect the future of Foreign Minister Avigdor Lieberman and Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s coalition government has been set for January 17-18. In April Attorney General Yehuda Weinstein informed Lieberman of his intention to authorize an indictment, pending a hearing, on fraud, breach of trust, asset laundering and witness tampering … Political sources say that if an indictment is issued against Lieberman, causing him to step down as foreign minister, he would still serve as an MK and head of the Yisrael Beiteinu party.
http://www.haaretz.com/print-edition/news/lieberman-indictment-hearing-set-for-january-17-1.405161

Report: Israel to reach out to Egypt Islamists
BETHLEHEM (Ma‘an) 4 Jan — Israel has decided to try and open dialogue with Islamic factions in Egypt, Hebrew media reported Wednesday. Israel’s Foreign Ministry has instructed the Israeli ambassador in Cairo Jacob Amity to start talks with Egypt’s Muslim Brotherhood and Salafi parties, the Israeli daily Maariv reported. According to Maariv, Israel’s former ambassador to Egypt Yitzhad Levanon suggested establishing relations with the Islamist movements after the overthrow of President Hosni Mubarak in January, but the Foreign Ministry rejected the initiative.
http://www.maannews.net/eng/ViewDetails.aspx?ID=449967

Israeli Foreign Ministry denies opening dialogue with Egypt’s Islamists
MENA 4 Jan — The Israeli Foreign Ministry denied news that it has allowed its ambassador in Cairo, Yaakov Amitai, to enter into a dialogue with Islamists in Egypt, Israeli radio said Wednesday. Israeli radio cited sources from the Israeli Foreign Ministry as saying that Israel does not interfere in what is going on in Egypt and is waiting to see how the new regime will turn out. This response came after Israeli daily Maariv said Wednesday that the Israeli Foreign Ministry has given Amitai the freedom to contact members from the Muslim Brotherhood after they made considerable gains in the parliamentary elections.
http://www.almasryalyoum.com/en/node/583986

Ultra-Orthodox vs. other Israelis

Israel Shas minister warns of split over Orthodox controversy
JERUSALEM (Reuters) 4 Jan — Israeli society could be torn apart if disputes between ultra-Orthodox and less observant Jews continue to heat up, Israel’s religious affairs minister said on Wednesday.
http://www.maannews.net/eng/ViewDetails.aspx?ID=450093

Haredi boy attacked in suspected Jerusalem hate crime
Haaretz 4 Jan — Boy says two teens beat him with sticks and cursed at him, based on their curses, he believes they attacked him because he is ultra-Orthodox — An 11-year-old ultra-Orthodox boy was assaulted at a Jerusalem bus stop on Tuesday. This is apparently the second hate crime in three days by non-religious Jews targeting Haredi children … At school, Lustig told one his teachers, Rabbi Moshe Neuber, who immediately took him to the local police station. “He’s a charming, gentle soul,” Neuber said of Lustig. “He was in shock. I never saw him so confused and shaken.” The police launched an investigation, but Lustig is now afraid to go to school alone.
http://www.haaretz.com/print-edition/news/haredi-boy-attacked-in-suspected-jerusalem-hate-crime-1.405358

‘Israeli Rosa Parks’ receives death threats after refusing to move to back of ultra-Orthodox bus
Haaetz 4 Jan — Tanya Rosenbilt, the Israeli woman who refused to move to the back of the bus when told to do so by an ultra-Orthodox male passenger last month, said Wednesday that she had received several death threats. Rosenbilt, hailed as the “Israeli Rosa Parks,” filed a complaint to the Yarkon District police after she had received threats through the phone, email, and Facebook.
http://www.haaretz.com/news/national/israeli-rosa-parks-receives-death-threats-after-refusing-to-move-to-back-of-ultra-orthodox-bus-1.405463

Israeli army rabbi under fire amid women’s singing row
Haaretz 4 Jan — Chief IDF Rabbi Brigadier-General Rafi Peretz called on Lieutenant Colonel Ram Moshe Ravad to leave his post as Chief Rabbi of the Israel Air Force, in the wake of recent controversy surrounding sensitivity toward religious soldiers … Lt. Col. Ravad’s decision comes a day after the IDF officially announced that it will not excuse religious soldiers from official army events that feature female soldiers singing.
http://www.haaretz.com/news/national/israeli-army-rabbi-under-fire-amid-women-s-singing-row-1.405493

Haredi soldier warns: We’ll leave IDF over women’s singing
Ynet 4 Jan — Following resignation of IAF rabbi over decision not to excuse religious soldiers from official events featuring women’s singing, ultra-Orthodox soldier says army ‘broke promises, we will follow Halacha’
http://www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7340,L-4171199,00.html

Soldier refused entry to nightclub over kippah
Ynet 4 Jan — It wasn’t drunkenness or violence that kept a 27-year-old soldier out of a Tel Aviv nightclub, rather it was his attire. He was told that he could not enter unless he removed his kippah
http://www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7340,L-4171155,00.html

Other news

ICRC: MDA removed symbols from ambulances in West Bank
JPost 4 Jan — A senior official in the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) confirmed Wednesday morning that Magen David Adom removed the “Magen David” symbol from the ambulances it operates in the West Bank to comply with an agreement with the Palestinian Red Crescent, Army Radio reported. The official, Per Stanbeck, told Army Radio that when Magen David Adom joined the ICRC, it was required to cease operating in the West Bank. Because it cannot operate in the territories, “[they] are outsourcing the ambulances” to local authorities, he said. Chairman of the Judea and Samaria Council of Settlements Dani Dayan responded with harsh criticism over the news, saying that while Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu is fighting over details with the Palestinians in Amman, “[Magen David Adom] already recognized a Palestinian state on 1967 borders,” speaking with Army Radio.
http://www.jpost.com/Headlines/Article.aspx?id=252134

Audio: Palestinian organic farmers gaining access to global market through fair trade
4 Jan — Palestine has a small but strong community of sustainable farmers who harvest olive oil, honey, almonds, tahini, cous cous and more. But year after year, politics complicates the harvest. Palestine’s isolation from the world makes it hard for these farmers to fully take part in the growing organic food movement.Vivien Sansour represents the Palestine Fair Trade Association. She’s also the promotions manager for an olive farmer’s collective in the country called Canaan Fair Trade. She tells Worldview what life is like for Palestinian farmers.
http://www.wbez.org/episode-segments/2012-01-04/palestinian-organic-farmers-gaining-access-global-market-through-fair-tr

Report: “Israel Jews will lose majority by 2015”
IMEMC 3 Jan — …Israeli statistics revealed that the population of Israel is now 7.8 million; 5.9 million Jews, 1.6 million Palestinians and 325,000 of different nationalities. Statistics regarding the natural growth of the population revealed that by 2015, the Jewish population will be demographically equal to the number of Palestinians (6.3 million Jews and 6.3 million Palestinians). According to the statistics, there will be a Palestinian majority in the land by 2020, as the number of Palestinians is expected to rise to 7.2 million while the number of Jews is expected to rise to 6.8 million.
http://www.imemc.org/article/62769

Netanyahu’s anti-cyber terror task force is virtually nonexistent
Haaretz 4 Jan — Seven months after being announced to much fanfare, experts say Israel’s anti-cyber terror task force is nothing more than one big network error. The task force officially began operating this week, though without a budget, personnel, jurisdiction or even its preferred head of operations, who refused to accept the job when he realized he wouldn’t have any resources to do the job.
http://www.haaretz.com/print-edition/news/netanyahu-s-anti-cyber-terror-task-force-is-virtually-nonexistent-1.405345

Netanyahu freezes controversial judicial appointments bill amid wave of criticism
Haaretz 4 Jan — Following a slew of criticism from the left and from his own party, PM orders a halt on proceedings regarding the bill which seeks to change the makeup of the Judicial Appointments Committee … The bill changing the makeup of the Judicial Appointments Committee is intended to strengthen the weight of the justice minister, Yaakov Neeman, in the committee.
http://www.haaretz.com/news/national/netanyahu-freezes-controversial-judicial-appointments-bill-amid-wave-of-criticism-1.405492

Analysis / Opinion / Reviews

Delegitimizing discrimination: struggle of Palestinians in Israel focus of new book
EI 4 Jan — Palestinians in Israel: Segregation, Discrimination, and Democracy by British investigative journalist and The Electronic Intifada contributor Ben White links the struggle of Palestinians within Israel, who make up 20 percent of the country’s population, with those in the occupied West Bank, Gaza and the global diaspora. With a foreword by Haneen Zoabi, a Palestinian member of the Knesset (Israel’s parliament), the book provides current and well-documented information on the systematic discrimination facing Palestinian citizens of Israel, the increasingly repressive measures being taken against both Palestinian and Jewish dissenters in Israel, and the ongoing Judaization within Israel, particularly in Galilee and the Negev (Naqab) desert, that is intended to further segregate and isolate Palestinians from Israeli Jews
http://electronicintifada.net/content/delegitimizing-discrimination-struggle-palestinians-israel-focus-new-book/10774

The Camp David treaty is not a sacred text / Khalid Amayreh
Gaza (Alresalah.ps) 4 Jan — The Camp David treaty was not really a treaty of peace, but rather a treaty of submission and capitulation to Zionist regional hegemony, arrogance and military supremacy.  True, the Sinai Peninsula was “returned” to Egypt to the last inch. However, it is also true that vast swathes of the Sinai desert became off limit to the Egyptian forces. This is why smugglers, terrorists, saboteurs and foreign agents seem to act freely throughout that territory, blowing up gas pipelines, smuggling narcotics and other contrabands, and even attacking symbols of Egyptian sovereignty, including police centers and tourist resorts.
http://english.alresalah.ps/?action=showdetail&seid=1087

Analysis: Jordan talks may help Palestinian leader
JERUSALEM (AP) 4 Jan — After this week’s attempt to restart Mideast peace talks, Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas is now caught between undesirable choices. Despite Abbas’ deep misgivings, a Jordanian offer to salvage the peace process may be his best hope. Abbas has been searching for alternatives since the last round of peace talks broke down in September 2010. Refusing to negotiate while Israel expanded its Jewish settlements, he appealed to the United Nations to recognize an independent Palestine and moved to reconcile with the rival Palestinian faction Hamas. Neither move paid off, and both are now in limbo. Any of Abbas’ options carries great risk — whether it’s opening outright negotiations with Israel, taking unilateral action at the U.N. or cozying up to the Islamic militant Hamas. The quiet talks hosted by Jordan between Israeli and Palestinian negotiators on Tuesday — the first face-to-face talks between them in 15 months — could provide a way for him to avoid having to choose a particular path.
http://news.yahoo.com/analysis-jordan-talks-may-help-palestinian-leader-170958141.html;_ylc=X3oDMTEwcmFsYzNmBF9TAzIwMjM4Mjc1MjQEZW1haWxJZAMxMzI1NzAxODQ3

groups.yahoo.com/group/f_shadi (listserv)
www.theheadlines.org (archive)