Israeli govt to provide grants to build hotels in West Bank settlements

Israeli cabinet set to approve grants for building hotels in West Bank settlements
Haaretz 1 Aug — A special panel will propose that the government give grants for building hotels in West Bank settlements near Jerusalem to absorb some of the the high demand for hotel rooms in the capital. A new interministerial committee of experts convened this year to designate priority areas for the coming years; it is expected to hand its proposals to the cabinet soon. According to a separate study, Jerusalem could suffer a shortage of accommodations in the future. The “administrative grants,” as they are known, provide state support for 20 percent of the cost of construction of hotels with at least 25 rooms. They provide 10 percent support for construction of other tourist attractions.
http://www.haaretz.com/news/diplomacy-defense/israeli-cabinet-set-to-approve-grants-for-building-hotels-in-west-bank-settlements.premium-1.455060#

Land, property, resources theft & destruction / Ethnic cleansing

Israeli group maps Palestinian removals
ROAD 60, OCCUPIED WEST BANK, Jul 30 2012 (IPS) – Sitting in an air-conditioned car along Road 60 in the heart of the occupied West Bank, Ovad Arad explained how he goes about his job: driving unannounced into Palestinian towns and villages, taking photographs, having coffee with families, and leaving almost as quickly as he arrived. “I don’t lie. When they ask me what I’m doing there, I say I’m doing research into the area. I try not to go into deep conversation. I do the work and go,” Arad told IPS. But he adds that he doesn’t reveal who he works for, or the real reason he takes photos. A resident of the Israeli settlement Mero Horon, Arad is head of the Judea and Samaria (West Bank) division of Regavim, a right-wing Israeli organisation whose work focuses primarily on using legal channels to have demolition orders on Palestinian homes and other structures carried out. Asked whether he feels bad when a Palestinian family has their home destroyed as a result of his work, Arad responded: “No. Really, no.”
http://www.ipsnews.net/2012/07/israeli-group-maps-palestinian-removals/

Israeli spending on West Bank settlements up 38%
Guardian 31 July by Harriet Sherwood — Israeli government spending on West Bank settlements has increased by 38% under prime minister Binyamin Netanyahu, according to official figures disclosed as the cabinet voted to implement an austerity package of tax increases and budget cuts. According to data from the Central Bureau of Statistics, obtained by the business newspaper Calcalist, spending on Jewish settlements in the West Bank was 1.1bn shekels (£160m) in 2011, up from 0.8bn the previous two years. The overall state budget increased by 2.7% in 2011, Calcalist reported … The money mainly goes on housing, education and services, such as transport and utilities. It does not include security costs. According to a spokesperson for the Settler Council quoted by Calcalist, the Jewish population in the West Bank has grown at a rate of 5% a year, almost two and a half times the population growth of Israel.
http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2012/jul/31/israeli-spending-west-bank-settlements?newsfeed=true

MK calls for moving Aqsa Mosque to build the alleged Temple in its place
NAZARETH (PIC) 30 July — The rightist Knesset member Aryeh Eldad of the “National Union” bloc has proposed to his government to “cut up and move” the Aqsa Mosque in order to build the alleged Temple in its place. Eldad said, during a march around the walls of the Old City of Jerusalem: “when the time comes to build the holy Temple and that will be soon, we will then cut up the structure which is there now.” “We will cut it up, and they can take it wherever they want.” For his part; the Arab MK Talab Sanie asked the legal advisor of the Israeli government to investigate Eldad for what he proposed. [wonder if Eldad meant the Dome of the Rock shrine, rather than the Al-Aqsa Mosque]
http://www.palestine-info.co.uk/En/default.aspx?xyz=U6Qq7k%2bcOd87MDI46m9rUxJEpMO%2bi1s7e4sBl%2f7K0EdxesQxOhtggQ9GO5BMvof8I4%2fs8aSdT2PQgWqFztSi5qkrTHb4kya03aZJQe8W933rdsEmPNntPrmbEjIjM0WexrLzZFC7AuQ%3d

Israelis resume demolition of historic bridge to Al-Aqsa Mosque
MEMO 31 July — EXCLUSIVE PICTURES The Israeli occupation authorities are resuming their demolition of the historic Al-Magharibah Bridge to Al-Aqsa Mosque. Details of the Israeli project were disclosed during a press conference arranged by Al-Aqsa Foundation for Endowment and Heritage. The work, it is alleged, will also undermine the foundations of Islam’s third holiest mosque … According to the Israeli plan, Al-Magharibah Bridge and Gate will be replaced by a more modern bridge capable of allowing heavy military vehicles to have access to the Noble Sanctuary of Al-Aqsa. This will, claims the Foundation, enable the Israelis to move large numbers of security forces into the compound with relative ease. “That is one of the purposes of the current work,” said a representative of the Foundation … Part of the Israeli proposal is to add another tunnel to the network already creating problems for the foundations of Al-Aqsa Mosque. Al-Aqsa Foundation revealed last month that the Israeli excavations beneath Al-Aqsa have now reached the foundations of the building from the western side of the southern wall and penetrated as far as the ground floor of the Islamic Museum.
http://www.middleeastmonitor.com/news/middle-east/4078-israelis-resume-demolition-of-historic-bridge-to-al-aqsa-mosque

Cleric says Israel wants to open Aqsa courtyard for Jews
JERUSALEM (Ma‘an) 31 July — The deputy leader of the Islamic movement in Israel, Sheikh Kamal al-Khateib, said Tuesday that the Israeli municipal council of Jerusalem planned to transform the yards of the Al-Aqsa Mosque compound into public parks and gardens, to make them accessible for the Jews to visit at any time … “For the first time, the occupation has allowed settlers and extremists to access Al-Aqsa compound during Ramadan paying no attention to the feelings of the Muslim worshipers there,” he said. “Meanwhile, the municipality which represents the occupation approved a decision to consider the yards in Al-Aqsa compound public parks which anybody can access.”
In mid-July Palestinian officials denounced Yehuda Weinstein, the Israeli attorney general, after he claimed that the Al-Aqsa area was part of Israel and referred to the mosque’s courtyards as public space. Weinstein was quoted on Israeli news sites as saying the area was under Israeli jurisdiction for matters such as planning and building, and said the courtyard was for public use.
In his remarks Tuesday, Al-Khateib said soldiers detained the imam of the Al-Aqsa Mosque on Friday while he was praying. “Israeli troops stormed the mosque and prevented worshipers from completing their prayer,” he said. On Thursday a mosque guard told Ma‘an that 20 rightists entered the grounds of the holy site.
http://www.maannews.net/eng/ViewDetails.aspx?ID=508782

Israel has 30 days to find solution for residents of West Bank village set for demolition
Haaretz 30 July by Chaim Levinson — Israel’s high court says state has responsibility to find alternative for the 27 families living in the West Bank village of Zanuta in the southern Hebron Hills — Israel’s High Court ruled on Monday that the state has 30 days to provide a solution for residents of the West Bank village of Zanuta, which is scheduled for demolition because it was built on an archaeological site. In a hearing that took place on Monday, the residents’ legal representative Nira Shalev said, “The residents have been in this place since before 1967, and it is the duty of the army to regularize construction in this location.” A state legal representative, Yitzhak Bar, said that there is no possibility of regularizing buildings in the village, because it is built on an archaeological site. Judge Hanan Meltzer said that the state has a responsibility to find an alternative solution. He said it was not as simple as demolishing, “but we don’t know where they will go.” “The role of a military governor is to find a solution.” he said. Judge Edna Arbel added, “It is advisable to think in advance where they will go, not afterwards.”
http://www.haaretz.com/news/diplomacy-defense/israel-has-30-days-to-find-solution-for-residents-of-west-bank-village-set-for-demolition-1.454671

Otherwise occupied: Chronicle of a demolition foretold / Amira Hass
Haaretz 30 July — Time is running out for Zanuta, yet another Palestinian village that Israel is threatening to obliterate — Today, Supreme Court Justices Edna Arbel, Hanan Melcer and Noam Sohlberg will hold in their hands a ticking time bomb. Or should I say: One more of the time bombs that are ticking amongst the dozens of Palestinian communities all over the West Bank, and which are occasionally handed to the High Court of Justice. This time it is Zanuta, a Palestinian village in the southern West Bank. The craftsman, as usual, is the Civil Administration, which assembles time bombs inspired by higher authorities (the government, army, the Jewish public’s yearning for real estate and ancient landscapes ). The diligent apprentice is Regavim, a nonprofit organization whose objective is to protect what it calls national (Jewish ) land and to demolish Palestinian structures that were built without a permit. The organization, which calls itself apolitical, has asked to join the case as an amicus curiae, a party unrelated to the case that is offering information to assist the court in deciding the matter before it.
http://www.australiansforpalestine.net/67018#more-67018

Using water as a weapon in the West Bank / Amira Hass
Haaretz 1 Aug — Events in Area C are a burning issue for the Coordinator of Government Activities in the Territories, Maj. Gen. Eitan Dangot. More correctly, he is infuriated by what he and the Civil Administration bureaucracy term “Palestinian illegal construction.” What especially sets his blood boiling, at least according to European representatives who have spent time with him, is that some of this very construction – of facilities like cisterns, solar panels and school buildings – is being funded by European countries, who see it as a necessary humanitarian move.
http://www.haaretz.com/opinion/using-water-as-a-weapon-in-the-west-bank.premium-1.455087
http://jfjfp.com/?p=33050#water3

Israel orders demolition of structures in Jordan Valley
JORDAN VALLEY, July 30, 2012 (WAFA) – Israeli soldiers Monday handed Palestinians in the northern areas of the Jordan Valley demolition notices of seven structures, according to the head of al-Maleh [or al-Malih] village council Aref Daraghmeh.  He told WAFA that the Israeli notices ordered them to stop work in the area and to demolish seven structures, including tents, shelters and animal barns by September 4.
http://english.wafa.ps/index.php?action=detail&id=20359

Israel issues demolition notices to Palestinians in the Jordan Valley
MEMO 31 July — The Israeli occupation authorities have issued demolition notices to Palestinians in the northern Jordan Valley area, informing them that their homes and farms are going to be knocked-down. According to the chairman of the Local Council in Wadi Al Maleh and Bedouin villages, the residents have been given notice that the demolitions will start no later than 9th August. Aref Daraghmeh told Quds Press that Israeli soldiers swept into the area accompanied by officers from Israel’s Planning and Building Committee to hand out the notices in Khirbet Al Maita and Hammamat for the demolition of homes, tents, and barns. He accused the Israelis of putting pressure on local residents to evacuate the area “on the pretext that it is near to an army camp”.
http://www.middleeastmonitor.com/news/middle-east/4068-israel-issues-demolition-notices-to-palestinians-in-the-jordan-valley

Israeli forces ‘seize tractors’ in Jordan Valley
TUBAS (Ma‘an) 31 July — Israeli authorities seized two tractors and a water tanker from the al-Mayte area in the Jordan Valley on Tuesday, the village council in al-Malih and al-Madarib said. The council accused Israeli authorities of carrying out a “new policy” to put pressure on residents to move. The policy, the council said, “is evidenced by the confiscation of equipment and machinery that transports water” and other vital supplies … Aref Daraghmeh, the head of village council, said the equipment belonged to two families. He said residents of the area are faced with such “brutal Israeli policies” as often as twice a month.
http://www.maannews.net/eng/ViewDetails.aspx?ID=508810

Report: Israeli forces block dirt roads in Salfit
SALFIT (Ma‘an) 30 July — Israeli forces on Monday blocked off two dirt roads used by farmers in Salfit, officials news agency Wafa reported. The mayor of Salfit village Deir Istiya told Wafa that soldiers escorted a bulldozer to the roads, which were then blocked with earth and rocks. Blocking access to the Wadi Abu Nasser and Qattan al-Jami roads will prevent farmers from accessing large areas of fields and pastures in the western part of Deir Istiya village, Nathmi Salman said. Israeli forces have now closed six roads in Deir Istiya, he added.
http://www.maannews.net/eng/ViewDetails.aspx?ID=508615

Israeli bulldozers raze land near Bethlehem
BETHLEHEM, July 31, 2012 (WAFA) – Israeli bulldozers Tuesday razed land in Taqou‘, a town east of Bethlehem, in suspect[ed] preparations for opening a new road connecting two nearby settlements, according to Taqou‘ mayor Tayseer Abu Mfrah. He told WAFA that Israeli bulldozers razed land in areas in Taqou‘ adjacent to Roman settlement, adding that the razing most likely aims to take over the land and steal it, in order to open a road linking Taqou‘ and Roman settlements. Abu Mfrah stressed that the Palestinian landowners have documents and deeds proving their ownership of the razed land.
http://english.wafa.ps/index.php?action=detail&id=20373

Israeli settlers uproot and burn olive trees in Nabi Saleh
IMEMC 1 Aug — Israeli settlers uprooted and burned olive trees on Palestinian land in the village of Nabi Saleh on Wednesday. According to the Palestine News Network, a spokesman for the Palestinian Popular Resistance Movement in Nabi Saleh said that the Israeli military escorted a group of settlers to the area and watched passively as the settlers destroyed Palestinian property. The land’s owners were not present at the time the destruction began but villagers rushed to the area as soon as smoke was spotted. The settlers ran away before the farmers could reach them.
http://www.imemc.org/article/63995

Renewal of Orient House closure ‘an act of piracy’
BETHLEHEM (Ma‘an) 1 Aug — Palestinian negotiator Saeb Erekat said Wednesday that Israel’s decision to renew a closure of the former PLO office in Jerusalem was “an act of piracy.” He wrote in a letter to foreign officials in Jerusalem that “such illegal Israeli measures are considered null and void by the international community.” Erekat said Israel was violating international law and UN resolutions by continuing to close Palestinian institutions in east Jerusalem, which was occupied by Israel in 1967. Israel shut down the house during the second intifada in 2001 in response to Palestinian attacks. A Palestinian official told Ma‘an that Israel renewed the order this week … Since declaring the city its “undivided” capital in 1980, Israel has closed down dozens of Palestinian institutions in Jerusalem. It maintains a ban on gatherings sponsored by the Palestinian Authority.  One of Israel’s conditions under the Quartet-backed “Roadmap” peace plan was to reopen Palestinian institutions in Jerusalem, but Israeli leaders in 2003 refused to follow through.
http://www.maannews.net/eng/ViewDetails.aspx?ID=509239

IOA to build dozens of settlement units in Al-Khalil
AL-KHALIL (PIC) 1 Aug — Hebrew media reported that the Israeli war ministry has recently decided to build 84 new housing units in Kiryat Arba settlement in the occupied city of Al-Khalil [Hebron]. The plan came as part of the privileges granted by Israeli premier Benjamin Netanyahu to the settlers following the Knesset’s rejection of the law legalizing random settlement outposts. Hebrew newspapers described this government’s decision as odd since Kiryat Arba is a single and isolated settlement and is not within the large settlement blocs.
http://www.palestine-info.co.uk/En/default.aspx?xyz=U6Qq7k%2bcOd87MDI46m9rUxJEpMO%2bi1s7OT5jH82KMBNWKNhe39%2bG6omQnOzU23bkbOMiNEyFU6%2f1K4t8xUxQT7RDjg7FBiUQymfFxEld0SmT5BlWukdXLJWPyjGXrnynKqhyyECWOiQ%3d

Israel claims demolition of two settlement outposts in the West Bank
PNN — On Tuesday, 31st July, Israeli sources said that forces from the Israeli army demolished four temporary buildings on Monday night. They were constructed in two random settlement outposts in Ramat Mordechai and Givat Haúaguz in Benjamin area. Quoting Israeli sources, Hebrew language reports said that there were no major incidents during the demolition.
http://english.pnn.ps/index.php/national/2330-israel-claims-demolition-of-two-settlement-outposts-in-the-west-bank

Dispossession — a love story / Akiva Eldar
Haaretz 31 July — The state’s unwillingness to evict settlers who have occupied Palestinian-owned land for over 10 years reveals a pattern of systematic defiance of High Court orders — Defense Minister Ehud Barak has a weakness for real estate images, primarily “premium” real estate. Israel is to him a nice villa, the home of good and law-abiding Israeli citizens surrounded by a teeming jungle of bad and law-breaking Arabs.
http://www.haaretz.com/news/features/dispossession-a-love-story.premium-1.454812?localLinksEnabled=false

quite slanted toward Israel’s point of view:
BBC Video: Israeli security ‘read’ tourists’ private emails
31 July — How would you feel if when you arrived at your holiday destination, security staff demanded to read your personal emails and look at your Facebook account? Israel’s attorney general has been asked to look into claims that the country’s airport security officials have been doing just that – threatening to refuse entry to the country unless such private information is divulged. Keith Wallace reports. [the following group, new to me, is mentioned: Green Olive Tours]
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/programmes/fast_track/9741639.stm

Violence / Raids / Arrests / Provocations

Palestinian killed and three injured in Jerusalem
IMEMC 30 July — [One] Palestinian was killed and two others were injured on Monday after the Israeli military opened fire toward their car on al-Za‘em military checkpoint, east of Jerusalem. Israeli newspaper Maariv reported that an Israeli soldier opened fire at the Palestinians when they refused to stop at the checkpoint.  In the meantime, an Israeli soldier was slightly injured in the incident, however it is not clear how. The newspaper revealed that one of the Palestinians was shot in the head and killed and was transferred to Hadassah hospital, he was identified as Akram Bader, from the village of Beitillu near Ramallah.  The two others were slightly injured and were transferred to Ramallah hospital. The two wounded were identified as Khaled al-Sabti from Deir Ammar village, west of Ramallah, who was shot in the shoulder and leg and Khaled Imad from Beitillu,  who was shot in his thigh.
http://www.imemc.org/article/63981

Fayyad: Israel to blame for checkpoint killing
RAMALLAH (Ma‘an) 30 July — Palestinian Authority Prime Minister Salam Fayyad on Monday blamed the Israeli government for the shooting of a 46-year-old Palestinian at a checkpoint near Jerusalem. Israeli border police opened fire at a Palestinian vehicle at a checkpoint between Ramallah and Jerusalem shortly after midnight on Monday, killing Hasan Omar [Akram Badee‘a Bader?] and wounding two other passengers, Palestinian officials and an Israeli police spokesman said. “The root cause of the problem is having the Israeli occupation and these checkpoints on our land which cause the killing of many people by either Israeli soldiers or settlers” Fayyad said in a statement. Israel’s failure to hold its forces accountable for criminal acts meant that violations continued, the PA premier added. Fayyad also said he doubted Israel’s account of the incident…
Khalid Abdullah, who was in the vehicle, told Ma‘an that border guards opened fire without ordering the driver to stop. “We were 13 workers in a Ford Transit traveling to our working place in Jerusalem. Before we arrived at al-Zaayyem checkpoint, the driver received a message from another driver who approached the checkpoint telling him that strict procedures were being applied and he should go back,” Abdullah said. “As the driver started to turn, border guard officers opened fire at the car without asking the driver to stop,” he added.
http://www.maannews.net/eng/ViewDetails.aspx?ID=508616

Tuesday raids follow Monday killing
IMEMC 31 July — On Tuesday the Israeli military raided several refugee camps south of Hebron and detained two residents. Five more Palestinians were arrested simultaneously around the West Bank. The arrests of seven Palestinians on Tuesday morning as part of strategic Israeli raids into refugee areas continued what has already been a violent week in the West Bank … The Israeli military has released no charges for the detainees or any cause for the raids. The violence on Tuesday followed shocking news from Monday in which three Palestinians were shot at an Israeli checkpoint between the West Bank capital of Ramallah and occupied East Jerusalem.
News of killings is often followed by other news of arrests in the immediate area or elsewhere in the Occupied Territories. Some have argued that the summary harassment and arrest of Palestinians is a tactic where raids are used as a means to stamp out local resentment for Israeli killings.
http://www.imemc.org/article/63988

Israeli checkpoints: Deathtraps for Palestinians
Jerusalen (Al-Akhbar) 31 July by Fadi Abu Saada — Another crime was added yesterday to the extensive list of Israeli occupation forces’ acts of aggression against Palestinians. The occupation does not care for the sanctity of Ramadan or even Palestinian life. Yesterday, its soldiers killed a Palestinian worker in cold blood. Akram Badih Badr’s sole concern was getting to his place of work so he could earn a wage and buy food for his children and return home before sundown. This time, his return was blood-soaked. On the al-Zaim checkpoint east of occupied Jerusalem, Israeli occupation forces killed Badr and injured two others, one of them critically. The soldiers opened fire on a car carrying workers on their way to Jerusalem … This crime is but one of hundreds of similar incidents by the Israeli occupation forces on military checkpoints spread all over the West Bank … Since the beginning of the Second Intifada in 2000, the number of Palestinians killed at such checkpoints has reached 160, according to reports by Palestinian human rights organizations. This number is less than half of the 401 Palestinian who have died at checkpoints due to medical negligence and the Israeli siege.
http://english.al-akhbar.com/content/israeli-checkpoints-deathtraps-palestinians

Photos: The funeral of shaheed Akram Badee‘a Bader, assassinated by Israel July 31, 2012
Occ. Palestine 1 Aug — Below’s photography is related to the news about the assassination of 40 year old, father of 3 children Akram Badee‘a Bader (Click to see the OVERVIEW)
http://occupiedpalestine.wordpress.com/2012/08/01/photos-the-funeral-of-shaheed-akram-badeea-bader-assassinated-by-israel-july-31-2012/

Palestinian ‘shot, injured’ by Israeli forces near Beit Ummar
HEBRON (Ma‘an) 31 July — Israeli forces shot and injured a 19-year-old Palestinian overnight Monday near Beit Ummar in the southern West Bank, a local official said. Israeli forces shot Ziad Muhammad Ikhlil twice during a military operation west of Beit Ummar, local popular committee spokesman Muhammad Awwad said in a statement. Also overnight, around 30 Israeli soldiers raided the home of Mahmud Awwad, 56, and detained him and his son Ibrahim, 28, Awwad said. The father and son were taken to the nearby Karmi Zur settlement and pressured to hand over Mahmud Awwad’s other son Muhammad, 22, who was not at home at the time of the raid, Awwad said, adding that both men were released in the morning. Israeli forces also detained Jalal Abu Ayyash, 19, and Muhammad Ihkhil, 18, Awwad said.
http://www.maannews.net/eng/ViewDetails.aspx?ID=508953

7 detained overnight, Israel raids Hebron camp
HEBRON (Ma‘an) 31 July — Israeli forces raided several houses in a refugee camp south of Hebron and detained two Palestinians early Tuesday, local activists and the Israeli army said. Soldiers detained 20-year-olds Islam Gameel Amer al-Titis and Thaer Mohammad Abed Rabbo Ghatasheh from the al-Fawwar refugee camp south of Hebron, the Palestinian prisoners society said. An Israeli military spokeswoman confirmed the two arrests in al-Fawwar and said five more Palestinians were detained elsewhere across the occupied West Bank. She reported one arrest in Beit Ummar, another in Qalqiliya, and three from a village near Jenin [Zubaba].
http://www.maannews.net/eng/ViewDetails.aspx?ID=508774

Israel attacks funeral procession near Hebron
IMEMC 1 Aug — The Israeli military attacked Palestinians in a funeral procession in the village of Beit Ummar north of Hebron on Tuesday. Yousef Abu Maria, spokesperson for the National Committee Against the Wall in Beit Ummar told WAFA news that Israeli occupation forces attacked while the funeral procession was heading to a cemetery located on the main road between Hebron and Jerusalem. The Palestine News Network reported that Israeli forces fired tear gas and sound bombs at the Palestinians and chased young people at the entrance to the village at al-Aseda area.
http://www.imemc.org/article/63996

Israel detains 4 Palestinians in West Bank raids
NABLUS (Ma‘an) 1 Aug — Israeli forces on Wednesday detained four Palestinians in raids across the occupied West Bank, Palestinian officials and an Israeli army representative said. In a raid on Nablus, forces entered homes and detained Ghassan Hayroni, 24, locals said. After conducting searches and storming other homes, forces withdrew around 4 a.m. An Israeli military spokeswoman confirmed that arrest and said Palestinians hurled rocks at soldiers during the raid. She said soldiers also faced rock-throwers during an arrest raid near Jericho. Two others were detained overnight, she said, one in Salfit and another from Budros, near Ramallah.
http://www.maannews.net/eng/ViewDetails.aspx?ID=509084

Israel claims arrest of Palestinian ‘cells’ in Hebron
IMEMC 1 Aug — Late Tuesday, it was reported that the Israeli military and intelligence service, Shabak, arrested members of two Palestinian “cells” in the Hebron area. Yesha News published the story on its Hebrew-language website and the Palestine News Network published the story on its English-language site. The cells were allegedly located in Halhoul village north of Hebron and had plans for a “series of attacks” on Israelis. These attacks consist of Palestinians throwing stones at Israeli civilian or police cars.
In the past week alone, at least nine actual attacks on Palestinians by the Israeli military or Israeli settlers have been documented in the Hebron area. No charges have been filed against any Israelis for any of these incidents.
http://www.imemc.org/article/63997

Israel arrests Palestinian with special needs in Hebron
IMEMC 31 July — The Israeli military arrested a young Palestinian with special needs after severely beating him in front of his parents, the media spokesperson of the Popular Committee Against Settlement in Beit Ummar told the Palestine News Network. Mohammad Ayad Awad said that Israeli forces broke into the home of Mohammad Khalil Mahmoud Abu Dayeh, 23, in the Safa area in Beit Ummar on Monday, and though they were aware of his mental health status, they tortured and beat him before removing him to an undisclosed location in a military jeep.
ttp://www.imemc.org/article/63984

Agriculture union says targeted by Israeli arrest campaign
RAMALLAH (Ma‘an) 1 Aug — Israeli forces on Wednesday detained the projects coordinator of the Union of Agricultural Work Committees in Jericho, the union said. The union, which provides assistance to farmers, said in a statement that its employee Moad Bsharat was detained. An Israeli army spokeswoman told Ma‘an that forces had arrested a Palestinian in the Jericho district overnight. The union accused Israel of waging a campaign against the organization. The union’s engineers Fuad Abu Seif and Muhammad Nujum were also recently detained by Israel, it said.
Meanwhile, Israel has extended the administrative detention of Ahmed Soufan three times. Soufan is a member of the union’s board of directors and is being held without charge or trial.
http://www.maannews.net/eng/ViewDetails.aspx?ID=509049

Ministry: 9 Palestinian women in Israeli jails
BETHLEHEM (Ma‘an) 1 Aug — Israel has detained three Palestinian women in recent days, bringing the total number of female prisoners to nine, the Ministry of Prisoners Affairs said Wednesday. Ministry lawyer Shireen Iraqi said Hadeel Abu Turki, Jordanian national Nusseibeh Jaradat, and Wafaa Atteih had recently been imprisoned. Atteih, a 29-year-old from Qalqiliya, suffers from an enlarged liver and spleen, Iraqi said in a ministry statement.
http://www.maannews.net/eng/ViewDetails.aspx?ID=509099

Border Police, Hebron’s substitute for summer camp counselors / Gideon Levy
Haaretz 31 July — Palestinian kids try to make the most of their summer vacation under the supervision of Israeli troops — Some children were standing near the fence, watching families in the garden on the other side barbecuing meat. That grassy area, located in front of the Tomb of the Patriarchs in Hebron, looks like a public place; but it’s open to Jews only. The Palestinian children who live across the way and whose homes overlook the park are forbidden to enter. One day last week, when we were visiting and the youngsters were pressing their noses to the fence, an armed Border Policeman arrived on the scene. “Go home – scat,” the policeman ordered, pushing them away. But the kids had nowhere to go. It’s summer, vacation time, and there’s nothing in their homes. They’re not allowed to be on the street, they’re not allowed to enter the park, they’ve never even heard of day camp and they’ve never seen a swimming pool or the beach … On June 29 two Border Police were filmed by a camera belonging to the B’Tselem human rights organization, hitting and kicking Abed a-Rahman Burkan, a boy of 9, whom we also met this week. The children say that the beatings and kicks are a matter of routine; on June 29 the camera just happened to record them.
http://www.haaretz.com/news/features/border-police-hebron-s-substitute-for-summer-camp-counselors.premium-1.454811

PA security kidnaps 12 Palestinians
RAMALLAH (PIC) 30 July — The Palestinian Authority’s security forces escalated their arrest campaign against Hamas cadres and supporters during the last two days and kidnapped 12 of them in the West Bank cities of Nablus, Jenin, Bethlehem, and Al-Khalil. Among the detainees is a noted Hamas figure from Bethlehem who spent more than 10 years in Israeli jails. He was also detained by the PA security forces several times during which he was brutally beaten by them with rifle butts. A teacher of Arabic language named Abdulhamid Abu Jarour was also one of the detainees. The PA ministry of education in Ramallah had already axed him and two of his brothers from their jobs because of their political affiliation.
http://www.palestine-info.co.uk/En/default.aspx?xyz=U6Qq7k%2bcOd87MDI46m9rUxJEpMO%2bi1s75FSIxQVJqj5CleImOwmvhVSIxvQzAxSYVJHHFzpX6Z8MsORPuiYjRSYcORmRIP36%2fgas8p%2b%2bZBR62J6q7l5ZHu58wPDDhhVYGY7Wx0z4hME%3d

Former official reveals that 25% of Palestinian detainees were arrested by Israel due to collaboration
MEMO 30 July — A former senior Palestinian security official has revealed that around 25 per cent of Palestinian prisoners in Israeli jails are there as a direct result of collaboration between the Israeli and Palestinian Authority security forces. Fahmi Shabaneh mocked calls by the PA and Fatah to free Palestinian prisoners, calling the Palestinian leadership represented by Mahmoud Abbas and Fatah’s Central Committee “trivial”.
http://www.middleeastmonitor.com/news/middle-east/4063-former-official-reveals-that-25-of-palestinian-detainees-were-arrested-by-israel-due-to-collaboration

Detainees

Father of blind children still jailed after 5 months
GAZA CITY (Ma‘an) 1 Aug — Ihab Abu al-Jedyan is one of dozens of Palestinians from Gaza detained during interviews with Israeli security forces to secure a permit to visit the West Bank. Abu Al-Jedyan, 35, is the father to two blind children who study at al-Shuroq school for the visually impaired in the West Bank city of Bethlehem. In February, Abu al-Jedyan applied to Israeli authorities for a permit to travel to the West Bank and collect his children, to bring them to his home in Gaza for the summer holidays. Israeli security forces summoned him for an interview and detained him. He has been in an Israel’s Ashkelon prison for five months without charge, his brother Ahmed told Ma‘an. Abu Al-Jedyan’s children in Bethlehem told Ma‘an they missed their father. “Our father was going to visit us but the Israelis took him and we can’t see him. We miss our father, especially in Ramadan,” one of his sons said.
http://www.maannews.net/eng/ViewDetails.aspx?ID=509176

‘Don’t tell my mother that I am blind’: Muhammad Brash grasps for light in the darkness of Israeli jail
Elect. Int. 28 July by Shahd Abusalama — …Muhammad Brash, like every Palestinian hero locked up in Israel’s jails, has his own story, a human and heroic story that would touch any heart. I didn’t know him before I coincidentally – and tearfully – read his letter, “Don’t tell my mother that I have become blind.”  I want to introduce you 32-year-old Muhammad Brash to you in depth. But I’ll let his own poetic words first tell you who he is. Here is my translation of his letter: “Don’t tell my mother that I can no longer see. She can see me, but I can’t see. I fake my smiles when she shows me the photographs of my siblings, friends, and neighbors, as she doesn’t know that I have become blind after illness spread in my eyes until the darkness filled me. Don’t tell her that I waited several years to have a cornea transplant surgery. But the Israeli Prison Service kept procrastinating and procrastinating, giving my eyes every reason to leave me.
http://electronicintifada.net/blogs/shahd-abusalama/dont-tell-my-mother-i-am-blind-muhammad-brash-grasps-light-darkness-israeli

Rights groups concerned for life of striking prisoners
RAMALLAH, July 31, 2012 (WAFA) – Palestinian and Israeli human rights organizations expressed concern for the lives of three Palestinian prisoners who are still on hunger strike in Israeli jails, according to a statement issued Monday. Addameer Prisoner Support and Human Rights Association, Al-Haq, and Physicians for Human Rights-Israel (PHR-IL) said they were “gravely concerned” for the life and health of the three remaining Palestinian hunger strikers held by Israel. Administrative detainees Samer al-Barq has been on hunger strike for 70 days, Hassan Safadi, 40 days and Ayman Sharawna, 30 days.
http://english.wafa.ps/index.php?action=detail&id=20366

Israeli guards storm Nafha prison
GAZA (PIC) 31 July — Israeli prison guards savagely stormed section 14 of Nafha desert prison at dawn Monday, the Palestinian Prisoners’ Center for Studies said. The center said that the raid had been the largest in Nafha prison for the past several months, as all the 120 prisoners were moved out of section 14 and transferred to very hot and small rooms, after being thoroughly searched. The Israeli special units stormed and searched all the section’s cells, spoiling and confiscating the captives’ personal belongings and foods, the center underlined. The center added that this raid is one of the Israeli occupation’s techniques to harass the prisoners in the month of Ramadan, as the campaigns of searches and raids continue for long hours.
http://www.palestine-info.co.uk/En/default.aspx?xyz=U6Qq7k%2bcOd87MDI46m9rUxJEpMO%2bi1s7EAT6Fw%2b2LpUFwQbiJyiuW4eMkVBOzgSslhfJfw8DiHZJQMhudyBtrfgxLVC6e3Qo%2fy7cHdCJPFMrBLKXmrjPJUD1OfDAWSM5Hx09NXvyTLw%3d

Q&A: ‘Israel’s heavy-handed abuse of Palestinian children is unacceptable’
UNITED NATIONS, Jul 30 2012 (IPS) IPS U.N. Bureau Chief Thalif Deen interviews U.N. Committee Chair AMBASSADOR PALITHA KOHONA — After a fact-finding tour of the Israeli-occupied Gaza Strip – and following hearings in Amman and Cairo – a three-member United Nations committee has lambasted Israel for the harsh treatment of Palestinian children held in custody. The Special Committee to Investigate Israeli Practices (facetiously called the Israeli (mal)practices committee) in the Occupied Territories has unleashed a scathing attack on the Jewish state for its continued denial of fundamental human rights of the Palestinians and describing the harshness as totally ‘unacceptable’. The chairman of the Special Committee, Ambassador Palitha Kohona, Sri Lanka’s Permanent Representative to the United Nations, has specifically blasted Israeli security forces for the rigorous crackdown on children, mostly accused of hurling rocks at a fully-armed military. “Children’s homes are surrounded by Israeli soldiers late at night, sound grenades are fired into the houses, doors are broken down, live shots are often fired, and no warrant is presented,” he said.
http://www.ipsnews.net/2012/07/qa-israels-heavy-handed-abuse-of-palestinian-children-is-unacceptable/

IOA renews administrative detention of Dudeen for third time
AL-KHALIL (PIC) 30 July — The Israeli occupation authority (IOA) renewed on Sunday evening the administration detention of Ayed Dudeen, 45, for six months for the third consecutive time. Dudeen, who works as an ambulance driver in the Palestinian Red Crescent, was previously held in IOA jails for 15 years. Dudeen, from Dura town in Al-Khalil, was arrested on 9/8/2011 after only two months from his release of 44 months of administrative custody, the longest in history of Palestinian detainees. The detainee, who was summoned by PA preventive security in Al-Khalil few days before his arrest for questioning on his political affiliation, is a prominent Islamic leader and is the brother of Mousa Dudeen who was released from IOA jails in the Wafa Al-Ahrar deal and deported outside Palestine.
http://www.palestine-info.co.uk/En/default.aspx?xyz=U6Qq7k%2bcOd87MDI46m9rUxJEpMO%2bi1s7JFT6tjIe0jGDikE37RSK9mTltO8%2bquDs3cqXpHJ1uK2kXLW8Lr9KoAFFn6nJUDLw2uEcDTHHM1jJkEDFq2NQALKV5wLpyC207Yn5iHtxL%2fs%3d

Deportees appeal to Abbas to let families visit
GAZA CITY (Ma‘an) 31 July — Palestinians deported to Gaza by Israel urged President Mahmoud Abbas on Tuesday to help secure permits for their families to visit them during Ramadan. In 2002, Israel deported 26 Palestinians to Gaza after they took shelter in the Nativity Church during Israel’s siege on the West Bank city. Israeli forces surrounded the church for 40 days before the deal was reached to deport the men inside, who were wanted by the Israeli army. “The Israeli authorities have prevented the deportees’ families from visiting their sons in the Gaza Strip for nine years under false pretenses,” the deportees said in a statement.
http://www.maannews.net/eng/ViewDetails.aspx?ID=508788

Gaza

IOF soldiers open machinegun fire at Palestinian fields
KHAN YOUNIS (PIC) 31 July — Israeli occupation forces (IOF) opened machinegun fire at Palestinian fields east of Qarara town to the northeast of Khan Younis, south of the Gaza Strip, local sources said. They said that the Israeli troops stationed near Kissufim military outpost fired at the agricultural fields on Monday but no casualties were reported. The IOF command claimed that Palestinian resistance fighters retaliated to the shooting by firing a number of mortar shells that caused no losses.
http://www.palestine-info.co.uk/En/default.aspx?xyz=U6Qq7k%2bcOd87MDI46m9rUxJEpMO%2bi1s7Cg3UBlxZPeFXlRLr6NggaIxwELRDasBNutCNS8qTtF1QbE4ygq8GR0H5hXd8y4sF0zHaeQpz2kmK06aZ38PwkwNde1oDmGG1XmVDBCeihvU%3d

Israeli soldiers open fire at Palestinians in Gaza
GAZA, August 1, 2012 (WAFA) – Israeli soldiers stationed along the borders with the Gaza Strip Wednesday opened heavy artillery fire at Palestinian houses and farms in several areas in the Gaza Strip, according to local sources. Israeli soldiers opened fire at Palestinian property east of Khan Younis and in Beit Hanoun, a town north of the Gaza Strip. No injuries were reported.
Meanwhile, Israeli forces accompanied with bulldozers stormed under heavy gunfire areas east of al-Bureij and al-Maghazi refugee camps in central Gaza. The bulldozers razed vast areas of land and put up earth mounds in the area.
http://english.wafa.ps/index.php?action=detail&id=20375

Gaza medics identify man killed in June
GAZA CITY (Ma‘an) 1 Aug — Medics have identified the body of a man killed by Israeli forces in the northern Gaza Strip in June, the Ministry of Health in Gaza said Wednesday. Ministry spokesman Ashraf al-Qidra identified the victim as 29-year-old Yasser Abdullah Ramadan, from Shati refugee camp in west Gaza. Ramadan was killed by Israeli shelling on a street east of Beit Hanoun on June 18.
http://www.maannews.net/eng/ViewDetails.aspx?ID=509181

Gaza: Man killed, 2 injured in explosion
GAZA CITY (Ma‘an) 1 Aug — A Palestinian man was killed and two others were injured when a car exploded in Gaza City’s Tal al-Hawa neighborhood before dawn Wednesday, an official said. Ashraf al-Qidra, spokesman of the ministry of health in the Hamas-run government in Gaza, said 22-year-old Ayman al-Sharafa sustained deadly wounds in the incident and was pronounced dead later. Two other men sustained injuries, he confirmed. The cause of the blast was not immediately clear.
http://www.maannews.net/eng/ViewDetails.aspx?ID=508992

Hamas leader downplays expectations for Egypt
BETHLEHEM (Ma‘an) 1 Aug — A Hamas official on Wednesday downplayed expectations from Egypt’s President Muhammad Mursi following Gaza premier Ismail Haniyeh’s recent visit to Cairo. Hamas leader Ahmad Yousef told Ma‘an that Haniyeh met with Mursi to congratulate him on his recent election and to discuss problems facing the Gaza Strip, particularly the power crisis and medical shortages. The transition from Cairo’s pledges to ease life in Gaza to actions on the ground will be left to specialists within ministries and security services, Yousef said. “It is premature to talk about Egypt’s commitment to implement agreements.” Palestinians must realize Cairo has its own problems to deal with, particularly in terms of fuel and the security situation in the Sinai, Yousef said.
http://www.maannews.net/eng/ViewDetails.aspx?ID=509065

Egypt opening doors to Gaza, slowly
CAIRO, Jul 31 2012 (IPS) Analysis by Adam Morrow and Khaled Moussa al-Omrani – With the election of the Muslim Brotherhood’s Mohamed Morsi as Egypt’s first-ever freely elected president, the Gaza file — especially as it pertains to Egypt’s border with the besieged enclave — is fast becoming one of the new president’s first major foreign policy challenges. “Morsi knows that the Gaza issue is intimately linked to Egypt’s relations with Israel and the U.S.,” Tarek Fahmi, director of the Israel desk at the Cairo-based National Centre for Middle East Studies told IPS. “He understands well that any unilateral change to the status quo on the Egypt-Gaza border would have serious international repercussions, for which Egypt isn’t currently prepared.” Therefore, Fahmi added, the new president “is likely to tread very, very cautiously on the issue.”
http://www.ipsnews.net/2012/07/egypt-opening-doors-to-gaza-slowly/

Egypt to increase fuel deliveries to Gaza
GAZA CITY (Ma‘an) 30 July — Egypt is set to increase fuel deliveries to the Gaza Strip on Monday, the deputy prime minister in the Gaza Strip said. Muhammad Awad told Ma‘an that 10 trucks carrying 450,000 liters of fuel would be delivered to the coastal enclave daily, an increase from the previous six truckloads … The fuel, which is supplied by Qatar, transits from Egypt into Israel before it is delivered to Gaza in accordance with existing arrangements on the entry of goods into the territory that was captured by Israel from Egypt in a 1967 war.
http://www.maannews.net/eng/ViewDetails.aspx?ID=508570

Ramadan in Gaza – blog 1
Islamic Relief Palestine by Lina Taha — City of light and dark Everyone in Gaza, young and old, waits anxiously for the start of Ramadan. As soon as the announcement comes, streets light up with children’s lanterns and the sound of Ramadan songs, nasheeds, fill the air. Ramadan is a time that Muslims around the world do not eat in daylight hours but in Gaza, they are forced to eat in [no] light at all. The regular power cuts make life in Ramadan more difficult than at any other time of year. With little light and no electricity to enjoy even the briefest respite from the heat by turning on a fan, Gaza’s Muslims cook their meals, break their fast and stand in prayer, night after night, in darkness.
http://www.irpal.ps/irpal/news-239

In pictures: Ramadan in Gaza’s old quarter
BBC 30 July
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-middle-east-19052288

Hamas condemns attack on Fatah leader in Gaza
GAZA CITY (Ma‘an) 1 Aug — Hamas on Wednesday condemned the assault of a senior Fatah leader in the Gaza Strip the previous evening. Yahya Rabah was leaving a restaurant in Gaza City when unidentified men approached him and beat him with bats, his relatives said. Hamas spokesman Sami Abu Zuhri condemned the attack in a statement but said he was surprised at attempts to implicate Hamas in the incident. Abu Zuhri called on police to investigate the assault. Rabah is being treated at Al-Quds Hospital west of Gaza City where his condition is stable, relatives say. Rabah is a member of Fatah’s higher leadership committee in the enclave, a writer and political analyst.
http://www.maannews.net/eng/ViewDetails.aspx?ID=509182

Ministry: Gaza City blackout caused by technical fault
GAZA CITY (Ma‘an) 30 July — A blackout in parts of Gaza City on Sunday was caused by a technical fault with electricity generators, the Gaza energy authority said. A technical fault caused a blackout in 50 percent of Gaza City’s neighborhoods, Gaza’s Hamas-run Ministry of Energy told Ma‘an. The ministry said that possible vandalism may have triggered the fault in electricity generators,
http://www.maannews.net/eng/ViewDetails.aspx?ID=508542

Jordanian aid convoy heads to Gaza next month
AMMAN (PIC) 30 July — The Jordanian Lifeline Committee started preparations for Ansar 3 aid convoy which is planned to travel to Gaza in September.  “Ansar 3 convoy will leave from Jordan to Gaza in the second half of next September,” Wael Al-Sakka, Jordanian Lifeline Committee Chairman and spokesperson said in a press release on Sunday. “The convoy will be launched from Amman to Aqaba, to Nuweiba Egyptian port, and then to the Rafah crossing through El-Arish in Egypt, aiming to support the Palestinian people in Gaza and development projects to reduce unemployment rates in the Strip,” he added.
http://www.palestine-info.co.uk/En/default.aspx?xyz=U6Qq7k%2bcOd87MDI46m9rUxJEpMO%2bi1s7GTX5lq2UNzctNnCULoyokqy%2f5Y4RmNpmJuR0cegOPDUKm5Tab2KzCt7L2fAYA23rvj01zVHz%2fPc4t1XnS5dIZdtp8NELyug2ZsV%2fB6Dk32E%3d

UAE donates 1 million dirhams to refugees in Gaza
BETHLEHEM (Ma‘an) 1 Aug — The United Arab Emirates Red Crescent has donated one million dirhams to refugees in Gaza for the holy month of Ramadan, the UN agency for Palestinian refugees said Tuesday. The United Nations Relief and Works Agency said the $272,000 donation would provide hot meals to 11,645 poor families as well as cash assistance and clothing to refugees in abject poverty. UNRWA representative Peter Ford praised the UAE’s consistent support to Palestinian refugees.
http://www.maannews.net/eng/ViewDetails.aspx?ID=509241

Political / Economic / Diplomatic News

Reconciliation hopes dashed as Fatah, Hamas make demands
GAZA CITY (Ma‘an) 31 July — After optimistic remarks by Hamas and Fatah officials about a possible reconciliation deal, leaders of the rival parties posing new demands and preconditions without which there will be no deal. As Fatah announced there would be no unity government before elections take place, Hamas posed the issue of public freedoms in the West Bank as an obstacle to reconciliation and elections. The group said it would be impossible to carry out elections in light of Palestinian Authority restrictions. Kayid al-Ghoul, a senior leader of the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine, said Monday that both Hamas and Fatah make up pretexts from time to time “because both do not seriously want reconciliation.”
http://www.maannews.net/eng/ViewDetails.aspx?ID=508848

Palestinian Authority, Israel agree on revenue revamp
JERUSALEM (Reuters) 1 Aug — The Palestinian Authority and Israel agreed on a revamp of revenue collection that may help relieve the Palestinian government’s deepening debt crisis, officials said Tuesday … An Israeli Finance Ministry statement said the sides agreed on steps that would better facilitate the movement of goods between Israel and the Palestinian Authority and reduce illegal trade and tax evasion, measures that could increase revenue. Prime Minister Salam Fayyad and Israeli Finance Minister Yuval Steinitz signed off on the arrangements that will begin to be implemented on January 2013.
http://www.maannews.net/eng/ViewDetails.aspx?ID=509007

Finance agreement entrenches dependence on Israel
IMEMC 1 Aug — The debt crisis gripping the Palestinian Authority has forced Ramallah to turn to Israel for funding as it struggles to stay solvent … The new agreement with create a larger monitoring infrastructure to track the flow of goods into and out of Palestine. It will also construct pipelines to deliver Israeli petroleum products to Palestinian markets. This is not the first time the Israeli government has offered to cover the PA’s administrative costs, but the new trend is important for the peace process and further negotiations about Palestinian statehood. By agreeing to cover some of the financial burdens of the Palestinian Authority, Tel Aviv is ensuring Palestine’s dependence on Israel for its survival. This was the conclusion of the World Bank just last week when it released a comprehensive report on the Palestinian economy.
http://www.imemc.org/article/63999

New tech sector growing in West Bank
Inc. 30 July — A second “Silicon Wadi” seems to be taking root in the West Bank. Kickstarted four years ago by a $10 million investment by Cisco Systems, a burgeoning tech sector has grown to make up 5% of the Palestinian economy, reports the New York Times. The tech sector has an advantage here, the Times notes: “It is much less affected by impediments to movement, like the barriers, checkpoints and permit requirements that Israel imposes on the territory in the name of security.” It also has a built-in talent pool: While about 2,000 Palestinians a year graduate from university with technical subjects, fewer than a third find local IT jobs, the paper reports.
http://www.inc.com/caitlin-berens/new-tech-sector-growing-in-west-bank.html

Ministry: Palestine, Thailand announce diplomatic relations
RAMALLAH (Ma‘an) 1 Aug– The Palestinian Authority has established diplomatic relations with Thailand, the PA Foreign Ministry announced Wednesday. While relations were officially upgraded as of Wednesday, diplomatic affairs will be handled at the Palestinian embassy in Malaysia until an embassy in Bangkok is opened, a ministry statement said.
http://www.maannews.net/eng/ViewDetails.aspx?ID=509032

Other news

Photoblog: Gaza’s Paralympians: defeating all odds
Al-Akhbar 2 Aug by Ruqaya Izzidien — Palestinians in Gaza are pinning their hopes on their two Paralympic heroes, Khamis Zakout, 47, and Muhammad Fanouna, 32. Zakout is competing in the discus, javelin and shot put events, while Fanouna will compete in the long-jump, javelin and 200m sprint. The pair are heading to this year’s Paralympic Games – for athletes with disabilities – in London, with the hope of bringing back a coveted medal. But Fanouna thinks this aspiration may be a little unrealistic. “We get no support. I’m a 200m sprinter and I have no track, and I practice my long-jump on a homemade sandpit surrounded by concrete.” Fanouna won first place in the long-jump in the Asian Games seven months ago, and received the bronze medal in the Athens Paralympics in 2004. He said that although he is aiming for gold, like all athletes at the London Games, even a bronze would be an achievement, “if you take into account the siege we are under which prevents us from acquiring the right tools, training and tracks.” The Israeli government forbade Khamis Zakout from travelling to a 100-day Olympic countdown event in Jerusalem held by the British Consulate.
http://english.al-akhbar.com/photoblogs/gazas-paralympians-defeating-all-odds

Widow asks France for murder probe into Arafat death
PARIS (Reuters) 31 July — Yasser Arafat’s widow asked a French court on Tuesday to launch a murder probe into the death of the former iconic leader, after a report suggested he was poisoned by a radioactive element before his death in a Paris military hospital in 2004.”My husband died in an odd way. There are signs leading one to believe he was poisoned,” Suha Arafat told Le Figaro daily.
http://www.maannews.net/eng/ViewDetails.aspx?ID=508914

Arafat inquiry like looking for ‘needle in the ocean’
BETHLEHEM (Ma‘an) 30 July — The investigation into late President Yasser Arafat’s death is ongoing, director of the committee responsible for the inquiry said Sunday … “We haven’t initiated the investigation based on the hypothesis that Arafat was killed by poison, but we agreed to begin an investigation searching directly for the killer regardless of the medical reports which will eventually show the method of killing and name of the toxin,” al-Tirawi told Ma‘an. “We are looking for a needle in the ocean,” he added. The Palestinian Authority is willing to exhume Arafat’s body if required and will arrange for the late president’s wife, Suha Arafat, to travel to Ramallah to aid inquiries if necessary, al-Tirawi said.
http://www.maannews.net/eng/ViewDetails.aspx?ID=508459

Palestinian intellectual Naji Alloush dies in Amman
AMMAN (Ma‘an) 29 July — Palestinian intellectual and veteran political leader Naji Alloush died on Sunday in Amman aged 77, a year after he was diagnosed with cancer … A former member of Fatah’s Revolutionary Council, Alloush split from the party criticizing it for abandoning the revolution. In a statement mourning Alloush’s death, Fatah described him as “an Arab nationalistic poet, researcher and critic.”
http://www.maannews.net/eng/ViewDetails.aspx?ID=508274

Public slashing of Palestinian woman prompts calls for more protection
BETHLEHEM, WEST BANK (AP) 1 Aug — The brutal killing of a battered wife in front of horrified witnesses in an open-air Bethlehem market prompted angry accusations Wednesday that Palestinian police and courts ignore violence against women. Nancy Zaboun, a 27-year-old mother of three, had her throat slashed Monday after seeking a divorce from her abusive husband of 10 years. The husband was arrested at the scene and is the prime suspect, West Bank officials said. The case reverberated across Palestinian society because of the brutality of the attack. However, violence against women continues to be tolerated — similar to attitudes in other parts of the Arab world — and women’s rights activists say abusive husbands are rarely punished. Zaboun was regularly beaten by her husband, 32-year-old Shadi Abedallah, at times so severely that she had to be hospitalized, said Haula al-Azraq, who runs a West Bank counselling centre where Zaboun sought help. Even so, Abedallah was never arrested. Police only made him sign pledges he would stop hitting his wife, said al-Azraq, adding that Abedallah himself is a former police officer.
http://www.thestar.com/news/world/article/1235214–public-slaying-of-palestinian-woman-prompts-calls-for-more-protection

US religious freedom report credits PA policy
BETHLEHEM (Ma‘an) 31 July — The US State Department on Monday released its annual report on the state of religious freedom around the world, including information on Israel and the occupied territories. The report credited the Palestinian Authority for protecting freedom of religion in the West Bank, mentioning that Christian clergymen expressed gratitude for the PA’s coordination with local leaders regarding control of the Church of the Nativity in Bethlehem. But there have also been some problems for the Ahmadi Muslim minority, as well as anti-Semitic sermons from Hamas-affiliated imams and militant groups in Gaza, the report said. Israel, meanwhile, privileges Jewish concerns, the report said. It mentioned the Simon Wiesenthal Center for Tolerance which was slated to be built on a Muslim cemetery….
http://www.maannews.net/eng/ViewDetails.aspx?ID=508799

Report: Gaza hackers attack website of Israeli minister
BETHLEHEM (Ma‘an) 31 July — Hackers in Gaza attacked the website of Israeli Minister for Public Diplomacy Yuli Edelstein on Tuesday, a settler-affiliated news site reported. Hackers wrote “Death to Israel” and “Free al-Aqsa Mosque” in Hebrew on the minister’s website, as well as messages calling for the release of Palestinian prisoners and an end to settlement construction and attacks on Gaza, Arutz Sheva said.  Arutz Sheva said a group dubbed “the hacker group of Gaza” was responsible for the attack. Edelstein called the hacking attack “an act of terrorism,” the report said.
http://www.maannews.net/eng/ViewDetails.aspx?ID=508944

Egypt denies Mursi letter sent to Israel’s Peres
JERUSALEM (Reuters) 1 Aug — Israel said Tuesday it had received a letter from Egypt’s President Mohamed Mursi indicating he wanted to work for peace in the Middle East, but Mursi’s office later denied sending it. An Israeli official, who asked to remain anonymous, said the denial was to be expected, due to the sensitivity of the issue.
http://www.maannews.net/eng/ViewDetails.aspx?ID=509025

Saudi ex-detainee to sue Israeli regime for his illegal detention
RIYADH (PIC) 1 Aug — The lawyer of the Saudi ex-detainee who spent about six years in Israeli jails said his client Abdulrahman Al-Atwi has the right to file a lawsuit against the Israeli regime for detaining him for years without any guilt or evidence. Lawyer Kateb Al-Shammari told the Saudi newspaper Al-Watan that if his client decided to file a lawsuit and demand financial recompense, he would coordinate with international lawyers specialized in such cases.
http://www.palestine-info.co.uk/En/default.aspx?xyz=U6Qq7k%2bcOd87MDI46m9rUxJEpMO%2bi1s7z6FQdSB7ch3sWCkRDuQMwacnfE%2f8fK9N140q1e0Y2RiLmR2T0IGbzmXFvAdoRqCzkzriIyj2hrz4BZSWpdfnQ8YmTlNtyEoSVjw0NVxCbdE%3d

Israeli racism

Three stabbed in latest anti-migrant attack
Mondoweiss 1 Aug by Allison Deger — Yesterday an unidentified Israeli man stabbed three African asylum seekers in a Tel Aviv cafe, marking a continuation of violence against migrants that have taken place over the past four months. Since April there has been six arson attacks on refugee residential buildings, and one kindergarten. The last reported attack took place only two weeks ago when a Jerusalem apartment where three Eritreans live, including a pregnant woman, was set aflame. From +972 Magazine:
https://mondoweiss.net/2012/08/three-stabbed-in-latest-anti-migrant-attack.html

Israel denied me entry on the basis of my skin color and religion
Elect. Int. 27 July by Jakril Hoque — A British citizen who was detained, interrogated and denied entry at Ben Gurion airport last month describes his experience — Israel attempts to portray itself as a vibrant, liberal country that promotes pluralism and diversity, the only democracy in a region filled with tyrants and despots, a young energetic start-up advocating inclusiveness. So why the need for barefaced racial discrimination at its airports? Following my ordeal at Tel Aviv’s Ben Gurion airport last month, I have found myself repeatedly asking this question, replaying the scenes over and over in my head. After landing on the tarmac at around 7pm local time and exchanging pleasantries with the cabin crew, I made my way towards immigration. I stood in line quietly and patiently and watched immigration officials greet Israeli passengers with beaming warm smiles. It was my turn. I approached the booth to be faced by a young dark-haired woman who had a puzzled look on her face. The suspicions in the intonation of her questions were apparent. “Where are your parents from?” “India.”  “… and what is your religion?” With a smile on my face, I responded, “Islam.” And so the game began.
http://electronicintifada.net/content/israel-denied-me-entry-basis-my-skin-color-and-religion/11536

Romney

Democracy in America: Mitt Romney abroad
The Economist 31 July — … this morning, at a fund-raising breakfast largely populated by ultra-rich Jewish Americans, Mr Romney managed to suggest that Palestinians are poor because their culture is inferior to that of Jews.
Palestinians were less than thrilled. “What is this man doing here?” said Saeb Erekat, a top Palestinian official. “Yesterday, he destroyed negotiations by saying Jerusalem is the capital of Israel, and today he is saying Israeli culture is more advanced than Palestinian culture. Isn’t this racism?”
To make matters worse, Mr Romney got his numbers wrong. Per capita income in Israel is over $31,000; in the Palestinian territories it is closer to $1,500. Those aren’t the kinds of numbers that divide industrious Protestants from happy-go-lucky Catholics. They’re the kind of numbers that divide South Korea from Ghana. You don’t get those kinds of divisions because of cultural differences.
The reason most Palestinians have low third-world income levels is that they are born into impoverished towns or refugee camps inside the gerrymandered Bantustans of the Palestinian Authority, where border crossings are controlled by Israeli military authorities, water sources are tapped to feed Jewish settlements, Israeli-built infrastructure bypasses them, the education system is funded by paltry international contributions and paltrier taxes, agricultural land is periodically taken by Jewish settlers whose illegal seizures are retroactively approved by the government, land values are undermined because of the overhanging threat of expropriation by Israel, and on and on through all the savage indignities and economic violence of a 50-year-long occupation by people whose ultimate goal is to force you off as much of the territory as possible.
http://www.economist.com/blogs/democracyinamerica/2012/07/mitt-romney-abroad

Mitt Romney’s insult-the-world tour excels in picking on the Palestinians
Guardian 31 July by Rachel Shabi — In his enthusiasm to attract Jewish donors, Romney fails to acknowledge Israel’s iron grip on Palestinian economic hopes — …Over a £16,000-a-plate campaign fundraiser breakfast with Jewish donors in Jerusalem, Romney aired his deep thoughts on “the dramatic, stark difference in economic vitality” between the Palestinian and Israeli economies. These thoughts were obtained by reading books, he prefixed, before surmising that Israeli accomplishments were down to “at least culture and a few other things” – oh, and also, “the hand of providence”. So Romney thinks that Palestinians are screwed because Israelis have a better culture and a better god. It’s a shame he didn’t add something about bad karma and the Palestinians not doing their positive affirmations properly.
http://www.guardian.co.uk/commentisfree/2012/jul/31/mitt-romney-world-tour-palestinians

Dear Mr Romney, Palestinians are poor because you stole from them and kept them stateless / Juan Cole
31 July — Mitt Romney, a privileged white man worth a quarter of a billion dollars who has sheltered his money from taxes in Bermuda, the Cayman Islands and Switzerland, and who never misses a square meal, stooped to a new obscene low in blaming the victim on Monday by slamming the Palestinians for not being richer. Palestinian politician Saeb Erekat characterized Romney’s remarks as “racist,” but even that was charitable. Evil, is more like it … Romney didn’t mention a little thing like US direct aid to Israel of over $100 billion and indirect aid to the tune of tens or hundreds of billions more. It is telling that Romney has no idea [of] the economic straits to which the Palestinians have been reduced by vampire-like right wing Israeli policies toward them.
http://www.juancole.com/2012/07/dear-mr-romney-palestinians-are-poor-because-you-stole-from-them-and-kept-them-stateless.html

Romney exposed his ignorance in the land of the prophets / Sam Bahour
RNS 31 July — …With no sense of the impediments Palestinians labor under, Romney compared Israel’s economic success to that of its Palestinian neighbors and claimed the discrepancy was due to ‘cultural’ differences and the ‘hand of providence’. Such blatantly racist and bigoted references to the conflicting parties are only occasionally rivaled by Israel’s most right-wing politicians. Given Palestine is part and parcel of an Arab culture that was the cradle of civilization, is home to the oldest cities in the world, and provided humanity with significant contributions towards the development of many ‘modern’ sciences, such as physics, chemistry, medicine, mathematics and astronomy, one can only assume Romney sees no value in any of these — or is entirely ignorant of them. Instead, he views Israel as the ‘miracle’, a 64-year-old country that was built on the ruins and ashes of the indigenous Palestinians, many of whom refuse to submit to a continuing campaign of slow – and sometimes not so slow – removal from the land.
http://www.religionnews.com/politics/election/guest-commentary-romney-exposed-his-ignorance-in-the-land-of-the-prophets

Jon Stewart on Romney’s painfully oblivious racism against Palestinians
Mondoweiss 1 Aug — As we all know by now, Romney’s visit to Israel was punctuated by his claim that Israel’s economic superiority over the Palestinians is due to culture and the hand of God — implying, of course, that Palestinians have a defective culture and God doesn’t love them as much. (Occupation? What occupation?) Oy. It would just be goofy if people who sincerely believe that — and are fully willing to act on it — didn’t have so much power. Luckily we have Jon Stewart to lay such utter foolishness bare in high, hilarious fashion.
https://mondoweiss.net/2012/08/jon-stewart-on-romneys-painfully-oblivious-racism-against-palestinians.html

White House asks Romney to clarify description of Jerusalem as ‘Israel’s capital’
MEMO 31 July — The White House has called on Republican presidential candidate Mitt Romney to clarify his controversial remarks about Jerusalem which have outraged Palestinians. White House spokesman Josh Earnest said that Romney’s remarks, in which he endorsed Jerusalem as “Israel’s capital”, contradict the US position which has been adopted by former Democratic and Republican presidents alike.
http://www.middleeastmonitor.com/news/americas/4077-white-house-asks-romney-to-clarify-description-of-jerusalem-as-qisraels-capitalq

Romney adviser defends statements about Palestinian culture
NPR 1 Aug — A top foreign policy adviser to Mitt Romney on Wednesday defended statements the Republican presidential candidate made in Israel about the cultural differences between Israelis and Palestinians. “How has terrorism flourished in certain parts of Palestinian society?” Dan Senor asked during an interview Wednesday with NPR’s Audie Cornish on All Things Considered. “That is a question we should be asking about certain leaders and certain individuals within the Palestinian territory who glorify violence, who encourage violence, who celebrate terrorists, who name stadiums and streets and monuments after suicide bombers as opposed to naming streets after successful entrepreneurs.” [Hmm, and the squares and streets named after Jewish terrorists? The Jewish terrorists who became prime ministers? (Begin, Shamir, Sharon)]
http://www.npr.org/blogs/itsallpolitics/2012/08/01/157722975/romneys-adviser-defends-statements-about-palestinian-culture

Israel elects a US president / Zvi Bar-el
Haaretz 1 Aug — Israel convinced that it is the one electing the American president – that the decision on who will lead the United States, and the world, rests in its hands –  …Romney also knows that Israel’s enthusiasm carries a price: It comes with a checklist dictating a list of conditions that the presidential candidate must satisfy if he wishes to earn the Israeli public’s support. So far, Romney has met them all. A trip to Israel? Check. Contempt for the Palestinians? Check. A pledge to move the U.S. embassy to Jerusalem? Check. Admiration for Jewish genes? Check. Nary a word about the occupation? Check. Support for an attack on Iran? Absolutely.
This, therefore, is the man who ought to replace the Muslim president now sitting in the White House. Barack Hussein Obama – who prevented recognition of a Palestinian state, who caved in when faced with the Wild West outposts in the territories (after a pathetic attempt to freeze construction in the settlements ), who is bestowing all the most advanced equipment on Israel, who has mobilized the world against Iran, and above all, who has understood that you can’t spank the rebellious Israeli child, but can only mutter “I don’t approve” – is no longer suitable for Israel.
http://www.haaretz.com/opinion/israel-elects-a-u-s-president.premium-1.455088

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