Israeli settlers increase their attacks on Palestinian Christian sites
At the same time that thousands of Christian Zionist tourists descended on Jerusalem last week to display their unequivocal support for Israel, local Christian leaders say they fear a recent increase in attacks on their holy sites signals the potential for future, more extreme violence. “Today, they attack holy sites in the night. Tomorrow, they will attack the holy sites while they are filled with people, and then [it] will end [with them] bombarding churches and mosques while people are praying,” Rifat Kassis, coordinator of Kairos Palestine, a Palestinian Christian activist organization, told The Electronic Intifada. “If we fail to see this from now, and to stop this from now, then the whole international community is complicit with this,” he warned.
http://electronicintifada.net/content/israeli-settlers-increase-their-attacks-palestinian-christian-sites/11756
Land Theft & Destruction / Ethnic Cleansing / Restriction of Movement / Apartheid & Occupation
Anti-corruption commission pursues PLO land theft BETHLEHEM (Ma’an) — The Palestinian Authority’s anti-corruption commission is working to retrieve PLO-owned land registered to individual PLO leaders, commission chief Rafiq Natsha said Wednesday. So far in 2012, the commission has recovered around 400 dunums of PLO -owned land, Natsha told Ma’an. In the past, the PLO’s land was registered as the private property of PLO leaders, some of whom have voluntarily approached the commission to return it, Natsha told Ma’an. Other PLO leaders are claiming they own the land and have refused to return it, he said. They have been asked to produce deeds to prove their ownership, and those who failed to do so have been taken to court and forced to cede the land to the PLO.
http://www.maannews.net/eng/ViewDetails.aspx?ID=527951
The Israeli occupation authorities are preparing for a huge ceremony in light of the Judaization plans targeting the Umayyad palaces area south of al-Aqsa Mosque, Jerusalemite sources revealed.
http://www.palestine-info.co.uk/En/default.aspx?xyz=U6Qq7k%2bcOd87MDI46m9rUxJEpMO%2bi1s7igwMpnpuZYeXxp6zIgdrrVkDy86m462I21Z%2fcd5ZUnmUEYu6NVNPu1CAg2jFfTHH2bv2wJcqPKiOE4OYp0E1eS6QyqSD4ENKmpprnjezrdY%3d
Israel soldiers invaded, on Thursday morning, Dir Nitham village, near the central West Bank city of Ramallah, and handed a resident a military order informing him that the army intends to demolish his home.
Human rights group says 162 complaints filed by Palestinians over alleged orchard vandalism by settler last seven years have yielded only one indictment.
http://www.maannews.net/eng/ViewDetails.aspx?ID=528015
Egypt seals Gaza tunnels
For years, many Palestinians relied on goods transported through tunnels running from Egypt to Gaza. The Egyptian authorities have been shutting them down and it is believed that nearly 35 per cent are now closed. Cal Perry reports this new crackdown is causing an economic crisis.
The Israeli occupation forces (IOF) on Wednesday evening launched a new military surveillance zeppelin over Juhr Addik district to the southeast of Gaza city.
Jewish settler runs over Palestinian boy in hit and run
An illegal Jewish settler ran over a Palestinian child with a car in an apparent hit and run attack in the city of Al-Khalil Thursday morning, the Palestine Information Center reports. Eyewitnesses said the 10-year-old Munketh Al-Jabari sustained injuries and bruises all over his body and was taken to hospital. They said the settler appeared to deliberately hit the child. Jewish settlers from the Al-Khalil area threw rocks at a Palestinian car this week, injuring its driver and breaking one of his ribs.
Israeli settlers invaded, on Wednesday evening, the Burin village, south of the northern West Bank city of Nablus, and attacked several residents returning home from their olive orchards. Two youths injured by army fire.
Further Night Raids in Beit Ommar
At 3 a.m. October 10th Israeli occupation forces entered the village of Beit Ommar and broke into the house of Jamil Al Alamy. The soldiers searched the family home and gave them an order for the son, Iyad Jamil Al Alamy, to meet at the military base in the colony of Gush Etzion. The son is 23 years old and he is currently studying at the Palestine Polytechnic University in Hebron. The occupation forces also went to the Safa area in Beit Ommar and they gave the same kind of order to Abdelkader Akhalil (50), Waael Abdul Hamid Akhalil (42) and two other men living in the same area. In total, five orders were given out this night. Night raids happen on weekly basis in Beit Ommar and they are often resulting in arrests of Palestinian children and youth. According to Prisoner Club Hebron and Center for Freedom and Justice 160 residents of Beit Ommar have been arrested the last nine months.
Israeli conscripts, settlers storm Aqsa mosque
A big number of Israeli male and female conscripts stormed the holy Aqsa mosque in occupied Jerusalem on Wednesday morning.
The SMC in Jerusalem held an urgent meeting, on Wednesday morning, to discuss the recent Israeli attacks against al-Aqsa mosque during this week, where several decisions have been taken.
PA denounces religious incitement to kill Palestinians
The Palestinian Authority’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs has denounced a rabbinical ruling which incites people to kill Palestinians. In a press statement, the ministry said that it holds the Israeli government fully responsible for this “terrorist” ruling and called on Tel Aviv to stop sponsoring and supporting such acts.
The PA Magistrate’s Court in Nablus extended on Wednesday the detention of Quds Press correspondent in Nablus Mohamed Anwar Mona, 30, for 15 days for the second time in a row.
Israeli occupation forces arrested seven Palestinian from the Gaza Strip at Erez (Beit Hanun) crossing since the start of 2012, the Palestine prisoners’ center for studies said on Thursday.
The prisoner Sharawna plans to step up his hunger strike
The prisoner Ayman Sharawna, on hunger strike for the past 100 days, has informed his lawyer that he would step up his hunger strike, in response to the Israeli procrastination to release him.
PA courts extend detention of eight Hamas supporters
The PA magistrate and primary courts in Nablus have extended the detention of eight supporters of Hamas for 15 days including four brothers and a journalist.
Serious deterioration in the health of prisoner al-Amour
The Ramla Prison Hospital administration stated that the detainee Riyadh Dakhlallah al-Amour, 43, was transferred to the emergency department at the hospital ‘Assaf Harofe’.
In this video, Palestinians call for participation in the World Social Forum Free Palestine. Happening in Porto Alegre, Brazil at the end of November, the social forum is now open for registration.
Tadamon! Part of Culture Shock: Apartheid 101 & BDS on campus
Tadamon presents as part of QPIRG Mcgill’s Culture shock series: Wednesday, October 17th – 6pm Lev Bukhman room, SSMU Building 3480 McTavish (metro Peel) Tadamon! (solidarity in Arabic) is giving an interactive workshop that looks at the true nature of Israel as an Apartheid state.
http://www.tadamon.ca/post/10323
Below is an article in The Jewish Week covering the talk our National Organizer Anna Baltzer gave this past weekend in New York on “The Jewish-American Relationship with Israel at the Crossroads” with Norman Finkelstein. You can read Anna’s remarks here.
Let’s unite our struggles to challenge legacies of US and Israeli ethnic cleansing
Israel’s law against equating its foundation with ethnic cleansing mimics Arizona’s ban on Mexican studies.
Kobi Arieli, a prominent ultra-Orthodox radio presenter for Galey Tzahal (Army Radio) told his co-host that he hoped that the upcoming U.S. presidential election would bring to office a president who “hates Arabs.” The statement may’ve been intended in that sort of “light-hearted” way bigots have of thinking they’re telling a joke when they’re speaking cold, brutal truth. Even more chilling was the reaction of Irit Linor, his co-host, who let loose a peal of laughter at his comment at the end of which she closed the segment by saying “Very nice.” This is precisely the sort of casual, everyday racism one comes to expect of a society which has lost all sense of democratic values. A society in which racist, supermacist theological values have triumphed.
According to accepted wisdom – or more accurately, received wisdom from Israeli public relations officials – most Jewish Israelis don’t abhor non-Jewish Arabs for racial reasons, they only resent them for violently resisting Jewish mass immigration to Palestine. The Israeli-Palestinian conflict is often portrayed in the American media as a contest over land and other precious resources, but not so often as a battle to defend the Jewish genome.
Withdrawal announced in protest at letter sent by Christian leaders to Congress, urging a reevaluation of U.S. military aid to Israel.
For Abe Foxman’s ADL, “interfaith dialogue” means Christian leaders must shut up about Israeli crimes, Ali Abunimah
ADL objects as US Christian leaders call for Congress to review aid to Israel, suggest it may violate US laws.
http://electronicintifada.net/blogs/ali-abunimah/abe-foxmans-adl-interfaith-dialogue-means-christian-leaders-must-shut-about
Hezbollah Secretary General His Eminence Sayyed Hasan Nasrallah announced Thursday that the surveillance drone, which flew over occupied Palestine reaching the southern part, was sent by the Islamic resistance in Lebanon.
The Israeli Air Force was on maximum alert on Wednesday due to the “infiltration of objects into Israeli airspace” which was closed as a result. All air traffic in and out of the country’s Ben Gurion Airport was suspended for some time. The alert came just days after an unmanned drone, believed to have been launched by Hezbollah, was shot down by Israel over the Negev Desert. A number of military reconnaissance aircraft were scrambled and anti-aircraft missile batteries were deployed in case the “objects” were hostile. There has been no confirmation of what they actually were. In fact, according to Israel military radio, the alert turned out to be a false alarm, and the airspace was reopened for civilian traffic after several minutes. Palestinian sources report increased activity by the Israeli air force over the occupied West Bank and the 1948 Armistice (“Green”) Line during the alert.
Israeli plans for spying on Egyptian President Mohamed Morsi have been published by the Palestinian news agency Sama. The plans, it is claimed, were prepared by the Mossad and Aman spy agencies. Dubbed ‘Green Crescent’, the plans were designed to spy on the president’s public and personal activities, even making note of how long he sleeps and the amount of time he spends with his family and neighbours. It is known that Mossad has compiled a comprehensive file about Morsi, but he is now under more extensive scrutiny since he took full control of the country. His close associates in the presidential team are also believed to be included in the observations. Mossad, it is alleged, is seeking to recruit a spy from within the president’s team to learn what is said behind closed doors where even the bugging devices cannot reach. One of Mossad’s priorities is to know the extent of Egyptian links with the Hamas government in Gaza. Relations with Iran and Turkey are also being watched closely.
Hamas: Bringing forward elections prove the fragility of the Israeli situation
The Islamic Resistance Movement “Hamas” considered the early Israeli elections as evidence of the fragility of the situation inside the Israeli entity.
Ezzedeen Al Qassam Brigades, the military wing of the Islamic Resistance Movement Hamas, stated that the joint operations to respond to the Israeli escalation are “more painful to the enemy”.
Palestinian ex-detainee Samer Abu Seir said the last prisoner swap deal proved that the capture of Israeli soldiers are the magical solution for the liberation of Palestinian prisoners.
Hamas MP Mushir Al-Masri said that his movement prioritizes the liberation of Palestinian prisoners in Israeli occupation jails over that of liberating the Aqsa mosque.
Jordan: US forces plan shield against Syria
From the edge of a steep mountain overlooking a desert compound built into an old rock quarry, machine gunfire echoes just outside hangars where U.S. special operations forces are training Jordanian commandos.
Podcast: West Bank village faces irreversible damage in Israel’s wall plan
Israel’s plans for the wall in the West Bank could irreversibly damage the village of Battir and destroy the heritage of its Palestinian residents; BDS news, and more!
Editorial note: This is the second part of a three-part article. Part I is here. Part III will appear on Friday. It was and is a matter of high principle for the neoconservatives that the US unconditionally support Israel in its struggle against the Arab world.
In a strange and alarming twist, an Israeli man who impersonated a Palestinian woman online, emerges in the midst of the Free Gaza controversy.
Hundreds of thousands of entry permits are expected to be granted to Palestinians during Eid al-Adha, but the move is likely to hurt Palestine economically as well as undermine the standing of the Palestinian Authority as the effective power.
“Israeli settlers increase their attacks on Palestinian Christian sites”
And American Christians turn their backs on their brothers to throw their lot in with their tormentors.