Israeli Finance Minister: Netanyahu gov’t has doubled funding for settlements

Netanyahu’s government has quietly doubled funding for settlements, says finance minister
Haaretz 12 Nov — Benjamin Netanyahu’s government has quietly doubled the portion of Israel’s national budget allocated to Jewish settlements in the West Bank settlements, Finance Minister Yuval Steinitz said in an interview on Monday. “During the current government’s term, we doubled the budgets [allocated] to Judea and Samaria. We did it with a low profile, in agreement with the mayors,” Steinitz told Galei Yisrael, a regional radio station based in the West Bank. The government carried out the moves quietly, so that “elements in Israel and abroad” would not attempt to stymie them, he added.
http://www.haaretz.com/news/diplomacy-defense/netanyahu-s-government-has-quietly-doubled-funding-for-settlements-says-finance-minister-1.477204

Right-wing group’s theft of Palestinian heritage outlined in new study
EI 12 Nov by Charlotte Silver — Yesterday, the alternative archaeology group Emek Shaveh published its most recent report on the extent to which Elad, the ultra-nationalist settler organization, has control over the presentation, excavation and development of archeology in Jerusalem, specifically in occupied East Jerusalem. The report outlines each of Elad’s six sites, emphasizing that “visitors are told an exclusive story of Jewish heritage and Israeli connection to the site, whilst other periods and cultures are almost entirely ignored.” The report is welcome, as this time last month Israeli and Zionist media spun itself into a frenzy when a French consul general, Frédéric Desagneaux, dared to celebrate his consulate’s 150-year anniversary of work in Palestine, noting “the important archaeological projects that French archaeologists had helped to uncover in Palestine.”
http://electronicintifada.net/blogs/charlotte-silver/right-wing-groups-theft-palestinian-heritage-outlined-new-study

Jerusalem plans to evict 120 Bedouin to make room for waste landfill
Haaretz 13 Nov — The municipality says the 500-dunam dump is expected to completely fill the wadi in about 20 years, after which the plan calls for building a public park atop it — The city says the 500-dunam dump, which will be located in a wadi below a road leading east from the city to the West Bank settlement of Ma’aleh Adumim, will handle construction waste from the entire Jerusalem area … But leftist and human rights organizations such as Ir Amim, several of which sent activists to the site this week, say the plan’s real purpose is to prevent the construction of housing for East Jerusalem’s Palestinian residents. “Parks have become another way to take over land in East Jerusalem,” said Ir Amim’s Ahmad Sub Laban.
http://www.haaretz.com/news/national/jerusalem-plans-to-evict-120-bedouin-to-make-room-for-waste-landfill.premium-1.477281

IOA confiscates 200 dunums of Bethlehem land
BETHLEHEM (PIC) 12 Nov — The Israeli occupation authorities (IOA) confiscated 200 dunums of Palestinian land in Firdis village near to the ancient Mount Herodian to the east of Bethlehem. A number of farmers whose land lots were appropriated said that the IOA claimed the confiscation was meant to transform the area into a military zone. Farmers refused the compensation offered by the IOA, adding that the confiscation did not include 16 dunums only as in the IOA decision, but covered 200 dunums surrounding the mountain, which contain Roman relics. They said that houses near to the confiscated land would be encircled by an iron fence.
http://www.palestine-info.co.uk/En/default.aspx?xyz=U6Qq7k%2bcOd87MDI46m9rUxJEpMO%2bi1s7GCn6CFI6BBT8kCJGLm3%2bvgdBC%2b%2bENJ3ptaQ1tcSyQupfQzSTfssYLbuCgbHWf7DaQIvZa1huQlxs8hmr6Q%2fLtGkgc1SEVjzW8MbwRtEuAR4%3d

Family forced to demolish own home in Jerusalem
JERUSALEM 12 Nov (WAFA) — A family of seven, including five children, was forced Monday to demolish their own home in Beit Hanina, north Jerusalem, under the pretext of building without permit, according to the owner of the house Ali Adaydeh. He told WAFA that Israeli forces ordered him two days ago to demolish his 70-square-meter home, which was under construction. Adaydeh was building the new home near a container where he has been living with his family for several years after efforts to get a permit to build on his land had failed.
http://english.wafa.ps/index.php?action=detail&id=21043

Israeli forces destroy water spring near Hebron
HEBRON 12 Nov (WAFA) – Israeli forces Monday destroyed a water spring used by Palestinian residents for agricultural purposes in Beit Anoun area, north of Hebron, according to a local farmer. He said that that an Israeli bulldozer, protected by soldiers, destroyed the water spring which residents use to irrigate their crops.
http://english.wafa.ps/index.php?action=detail&id=21045

West Bank area in the line of Israeli fire
Ramallah, occupied Palestinian territories (Al Jazeera) 10 Nov by Dylan Collins —  In July 2012, Israeli Defense Minister Ehud Barak ordered the expulsion and demolition of eight villages in the South Hebron Hills, claiming the zone to be vital for Israeli army training exercises.  The 3,000-hectare area of Masafar Yatta, in the arid hills of the southern occupied West Bank, is home to about 2,000 people living in traditional Palestinian herding communities. This 12-community area, however, is also known by another name and dedicated to an entirely different purpose. “Firing Zone 918” – as Israeli authorities call Masafar Yatta – doubles as a live-fire training zone for the Israeli military … The number of Israeli firing zones in the West Bank, and the frequency with which they are used, have steadily risen over the last decade. Shooting ranges constitute about 18 per cent of the West Bank – an area equal to the amount land the Palestinian Authority fully controls.
http://www.aljazeera.com/indepth/features/2012/11/20121188225339505.html

Settlers raid evicted settlement near Jenin
JENIN 12 Nov (WAFA) – More than 50 Israeli settlers Monday raided the location of the evicted settlement of Kadim east of Jenin, and set tents in the area, according to security sources. They told WAFA that the settlers, under Israeli army protection, blocked the main road connecting Jenin and Arrana village, east of the city, and hung up banners stating that the area is locked down. They also blocked a bypass road and prevented Palestinians from entering the closed area.
http://english.wafa.ps/index.php?action=detail&id=21047

Palestinian spouses of Israeli citizens to be given work permits
Haaretz 12 Nov — The Interior and Justice Ministries have decided to grant work permits to Palestinians who are not entitled to Israeli citizenship but have permits to stay here temporarily. The state announced the change of policy in a court case filed by Hamoked – Center for the Defense of the Individual on behalf of four temporary residents of East Jerusalem. Lack of permission to work in Israel has affected thousands of Palestinians who are married to Israeli citizens or to permanent residents, mainly in East Jerusalem … Until 2002, the state allowed Palestinians from the West Bank or Gaza Strip to acquire legal status in Israel through marriage to Israeli citizens or permanent residents. But that year, the most violent of the Second Intifada, the government halted this arrangement for Palestinian applicants on the argument that it posed a security threat to Israel.
http://www.haaretz.com/news/diplomacy-defense/palestinian-spouses-of-israeli-citizens-to-be-given-work-permits.premium-1.476861?localLinksEnabled=false

Israeli terrorism

WATCH: Police fire teargas on Bedouin children; Israeli media is absent
972mag 12 Nov by Yuval Ben-Ami — With all eyes on Gaza, Israeli police forces shoot tear gas into an elementary school. 29 children were hospitalized and 19 people were arrested after police attempted to place eviction notices on several buildings in the Bir Hadaj village in the Negev … Nadia gave me some background. Unlike most Bedouin communities around Be’er Sheva, Bir Hadaj is recognized by the state. It is nearly impossible, however, for residents to receive building permits, and natural growth of many families forces the residents to build illegally … Abu-Hammed told me that early in the morning, a large number of policemen surrounded the village, supported by two crowd dispersal trucks, a helicopter and between 20 and 30 vehicles. He claimed that eviction notices were posted at random, on houses built several decades ago, and said he suspects the entire event to be a provocation. “They came prepared to beat people up, to punish people for the previous confrontations. They also brought mista’arvim [policemen disguised as Bedouin] to cause provocation and stir the situation out of control.”
http://972mag.com/watch-police-fire-teargas-on-bedouin-children-israeli-media-is-absent/59647/

IOF breaks into Negev village, arrest dozens of its residents
BEERSHEBA, AL-KHALIL (PIC) 12 Nov — Dozens of Palestinians were injured and arrested on Monday where the Israeli occupation forces (IOF) had stormed the village of Bir Hadaj in Negev, occupied in 1948, to hand demolition orders. Local sources told PIC reporter that the Israeli occupation forces and special units and a number of officers, stormed the village to hand demolition orders to a number of Palestinian homes, which led to the outbreak of violent clashes, where 30 people suffered breathing difficulty, including school students, were reported, due to the firing of tear gas canisters and using batons. The sources stated that the Israeli soldiers arrested 13 Palestinians and transferred them to detention centers for interrogation, adding that a state of anger prevailed throughout the village because of the continued Israeli plans to Judaize the city and expel its people.
http://www.palestine-info.co.uk/En/default.aspx?xyz=U6Qq7k%2bcOd87MDI46m9rUxJEpMO%2bi1s7Wvtsu9GXzBeRcf2FBCgjgJ8P5JbBavw%2fE7eSt%2fx9yIQ2ot0DeaUG0pFjjiKwgcY%2fltPN7Xu28THYYYE%2bN37jyynfiPByP1MgeFQx2o5ej0M%3d

Israeli occupation raid Hebron, search stores and homes
PNN — On Sunday evening 11th November, Israeli occupation forces raided Hebron Governorate, south of the West Bank and searched several stores and houses. Security sources and eyewitnesses said that Israeli forces stormed as-Salam Street, middle of Hebron, and searched a house and stores belonged to al-Natsha family. The sources said that Israeli forces handed the Palestinian Amin Abdul Rahman al-Natsha a notice to meet with the Israeli Intelligence.
http://english.pnn.ps/index.php/politics/3055-israeli-occupation-raid-hebron-search-stores-and-houses

More settler violence
MEMO 12 Nov — A Palestinian man had his arm broken by Jewish settlers on Monday morning in the southern Hebron suburb of Jaber. Shadi Al-Zarou was attacked by a group of illegal settlers when he was on his way to work. Al-Zarou was left unable to move until bystanders came to his aid and transferred him to hospital.
http://www.middleeastmonitor.com/news/middle-east/4609-more-settler-violence-as-israel-steals-even-more-land-in-west-bank

Racist graffiti, arson by Israeli settlers in Bethlehem
IMEMC 14 Nov — A group of right-wing Israeli settlers tried to set fire to a Palestinian home near Bethlehem Sunday night, and spraypainted racist graffiti on the home and nearby structures. The graffiti included ‘Death to Arabs’, which has become a rallying cry in recent years for the right-wing settler movement, whose state objective is to rid the West Bank of its indigenous Palestinian inhabitants and take over their land to annex it to Israel. The incident took place at around 2:30 am, Monday morning, in the village of al-Manshiya southeast of Bethlehem.
According to reports from local sources, the settlers poured gasoline on the home of Younis Abu Dayyeh in the village, and spraypainted racist slogans, then tried to light the gasoline on fire. They were chased out by the villagers before they managed to carry out the arson attack.
http://www.imemc.org/article/64544

Gaza

Israel launches multiple airstrikes on Gaza, no injuries
GAZA CITY (Ma‘an) 12 Nov — Israel launched multiple airstrikes on the Gaza Strip overnight Sunday, with no injuries reported, Ma’an’s correspondent and the Israeli army said. Fighter jets targeted two open areas in the northern Gaza Strip and a third strike landed in another open area near Rafah, Ma‘an’s reporter said.
Israel’s army said it targeted “a terror tunnel and a weapon storage facility in the northern Gaza Strip, as well as a launching site in the southern Gaza Strip,” in response to rocket fire. An Israeli army spokesman said 11 rockets had been fired from Gaza since Monday morning. One rocket struck a home in the city of Netivot at around 7 a.m., causing material damage. Islamist militant faction the Shura Council of Mujahideen claimed responsibility for the Netivot rocket, with Israeli officials warning of a tough response.
http://www.maannews.net/eng/ViewDetails.aspx?ID=536378

Report: Egypt negotiating Gaza ceasefire
TEL AVIV, Israel (Ma‘an) updated 12 Nov — Egypt is making efforts to implement a ceasefire with Gaza factions to end the latest round of cross border violence which has killed six Gazans and injured dozens more since Saturday, Israeli media reported Sunday. Senior Egyptian sources said that Hamas and Islamic Jihad have agreed to a ceasefire as long as Israel halts airstrikes on the coastal enclave, Ynet news reported. The sources said that on Saturday Hamas asked Egyptian authorities to mediate a cessation to hostilities, the Israeli website said…
Islamic Jihad, however, said in a statement that it had not agreed to a truce and will “respond to Israeli aggression which targets civilians.” The Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine also denied agreeing to a truce with Israel, calling on factions to respond strongly to Israeli attacks against Palestinians.
http://www.maannews.net/eng/ViewDetails.aspx?ID=536296

Abbas to meet Morsi in light of escalation in the Gaza Strip
PNN — On Tuesday 13th November, the London-based Al-Hayat newspaper published that Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas will hold a meeting with Egyptian President Mahammad Abbas. Palestinian officials told the newspaper that the two will discuss recent escalation in the Gaza Strip and south of Israel.
http://english.pnn.ps/index.php/national/3056-abbas-to-meet-morsi-in-light-of-escalation-in-the-gaza-strip

Gaza factions meet over Israeli threats
GAZA CITY (Ma‘an) — Palestinian factions met on Monday in Gaza City to discuss Israeli attacks and threats of a wider operation in the enclave. Hamas called the meeting to try and avoid further casualties after Israeli forces killed six Palestinians in Gaza since Saturday, said Democratic Front for the Liberation of Palestine leader Talal Abu Tharefa.
Top-selling Israeli daily Yedioth Ahronoth said Monday that the United States had given a green light for an Israeli operation in Gaza. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu convened foreign ambassadors in what appeared to be an attempt to pre-empt international censure should Israel, whose 2008-2009 Gaza offensive exacted a costly civilian toll, again go in hard…
Environment Minister Gilad Erdan, an influential member of Netanyahu’s Likud party, said the briefing was meant to prepare world opinion for “what is about to happen,” adding there might be a major Israeli escalation within a few hours.
http://www.maannews.net/eng/ViewDetails.aspx?ID=536681

Israel will avoid Gaza war but may mull Hamas assassinations
Haaretz 12 Nov — Amos Harel and Avi Issacharoff explain the pressure on Netanyahu ahead of January’s election to respond more forcefully to rocket fire from Gaza, and Israel’s desire to avoid a ground operation a la Cast Lead — One reason is that the diplomatic reality now is far different than it was when that offensive was launched in 2008: Israel fears a direct confrontation with the new regime in Egypt and it knows that neither the United States nor Europe will be as tolerant of a large-scale military operation this time around.
http://www.haaretz.com/news/diplomacy-defense/israel-will-avoid-gaza-war-but-may-mull-hamas-assassinations.premium-1.476857?localLinksEnabled=false

Photos: Gazans mourn victims of latest Israeli strikes
972mag 12 Nov by Anne Paq — …On Saturday evening, Al Shifa hospital struggled to cope with the number of injuries. Ambulances were coming and going, people were screaming and crying, and blood was on the floor. The local police had to push back the nervous crowd to let the ambulances reach the gate of the hospital. Among the injured were many children, women and elderly civilians. The fear was palpable, with F16s flying overhead and news of more attacks continuing to come in. The next day, a crowd waited in front of the morgue to accompany the victims to their grave. Some Palestinian relatives collapsed in grief. The bodies were taken first to their homes, for the women relatives say their last goodbyes. The photo below depicts the relative of one victim, 19-year-old Matar Abu Al-Atta. Matar’s mother gave birth to the infant in the photograph the night that Matar was killed.
http://972mag.com/photos-gazans-mourn-victims-of-latest-israel-strikes/59615/

VIDEO: Survivors of Israeli attack on Gaza say bombs continued to fall on the al-Shoja‘iya neighborhood as civilians raised white flags
Mondoweiss 12 Nov by Adam Horowitz — The video above interviews two survivors of the Israeli attack on the al-Shoja‘iya neighborhood east of Gaza City. Here is a summary published by the Palestinian Centre for Human Rights over the weekend on what took place in the neighborhood:
https://mondoweiss.net/2012/11/video-survivors-of-israeli-attack-on-gaza-says-bombs-continued-to-fall-on-the-al-shojaiya-neighborhood-as-civilians-raised-white-flags.html

Israel’s latest assault on Gaza: the lie of who started it
Antiwar 11 Nov by John Glaser — …As in every vicious military offensive Israel carries out in Gaza, the dominant narrative is that it is a response to rocket fire from Gaza into southern Israel. This is how it’s being reported in the US, and this is how virtually every American understands it. And it’s a lie. It’s true that on Saturday, prior to the expanded Israeli bombardment, the military wing of the Popular Front For the Liberation of Palestine shot an anti-tank missile at an Israeli Defense Forces vehicle near the Gaza border, wounding four Israeli soldiers. But what prompted the firing of the anti-tank missile? First, on Monday, November 5th, Israeli forces shot and killed 23 year old Ahmad Nabhani when he “approached the border fence with Israel.” According to at least one account, Nabhani was mentally challenged.
http://antiwar.com/blog/2012/11/11/israels-latest-assault-on-gaza-the-lie-of-who-started-it/

Medical official: 2-year-old killed in Gaza house fire
GAZA CITY (Ma‘an) 12 Nov — A toddler was killed and two other people wounded in a house fire on Sunday in the Sabra neighborhood of Gaza City, a medical official said. Ashraf al-Qidra, spokesman of Gaza’s health ministry, told Ma‘an that Ashraf Shadi Kali, 2, died and his father and one-year old brother Muhammad were injured in the blaze. The fire was caused by candles the family had lit during an electricity blackout in the neighborhood. The house was completely destroyed by the fire …
Three children were killed earlier in the year by similar fires during an outage. Hamas blamed the electricity shortages on Egypt which it says is restricting the flow of fuel, and on Israel, which imposed a blockade on the coastal enclave in 2007 when Hamas seized control from the Western-backed Fatah.
http://www.maannews.net/eng/ViewDetails.aspx?ID=536463

Kerem Shalom, Erez crossings to reopen Tuesday
Ynet 12 Nov — The Defense Ministry has ordered to reopen the Kerem Shalom and Erez crossings on Tuesday, following a recent lull in the Gaza Strip.
http://www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7340,L-4304567,00.html

Illegal arrests / Prisoners

Racist Russian doctor says prisoner Abu Sisi should be killed, not treated
RAMALLAH (PIC) 12 Nov — A Russian doctor working for the Israeli Ramla prison infirmary blatantly labeled ill prisoner Dirar Abu Sisi as “a terrorist who should die”, the Palestinian prisoner society (PPS) said on Sunday. The PPS reported the incident after its lawyer recently visited prisoner Abu Sisi in Ashkelon solitary prison. Abu Sisi, who speaks the Russian language, told the lawyer that about three weeks ago, he was taken to Ramla jail infirmary, particularly to the hematology department where a doctor said loudly in Russian, “where is this terrorist who should die and not be treated.”…
http://www.palestine-info.co.uk/En/default.aspx?xyz=U6Qq7k%2bcOd87MDI46m9rUxJEpMO%2bi1s7Qrg0OAZuL6hRJlx2cF0mBmVnoZhtkbB5mCtFlLdc5VZldLZbxt%2fnxDpAilhXIwRrWUoChb1IXs7mX1R2Z2mzxZ7kr7sUMKhusnosUwAKRRs%3d

IOA cancels visit for Gaza prisoners
GAZA (PIC) 12 Nov — The Israeli occupation authority (IOA) cancelled Monday’s scheduled visit of relatives of Gaza prisoners without giving any reason, the Red Cross said. Ayman Al-Shihabi, the spokesman for the Red Cross, said in a press statement that Israel told the Red Cross at a late hour on Sunday night that the scheduled visit for Gazans to their detained relatives in Israel was called off.
http://www.palestine-info.co.uk/En/default.aspx?xyz=U6Qq7k%2bcOd87MDI46m9rUxJEpMO%2bi1s7rSrLtHOPQj2VFEStnRRD3A72eXDZDWCcVDsGFDev%2b9jN4pRW9Ak%2bNxe264uMupB4VvOHk%2bryYPY2hdi4kt7PKV3iRCDy8axPNvWaL2MitUQ%3d

IOF soldiers storm house of MP
AL-KHALIL (PIC) 12 Nov — Israeli occupation forces (IOF) stormed the home of MP Mohammed Al-Tal in Al-Khalil before dawn Monday, the MP said. He said that the soldiers also broke into the homes of his brothers after midnight and other neighbors. Tal said that the soldiers summoned his youngest brother Rami to Etzion intelligence headquarters next Thursday.
http://www.palestine-info.co.uk/En/default.aspx?xyz=U6Qq7k%2bcOd87MDI46m9rUxJEpMO%2bi1s7k6eMkS6VBqF2w%2fwF4DGWK%2bU76uC7pv8%2f0TrOEsL10H%2bqfwexiulXB9sHfTl4Z3t8sQHhQwXR6WLoa35VXlucZO5aY5WxYE5KFse79CNbfdc%3d

PA’s apparatuses arrest 2 liberated captives
WEST BANK (PIC) 12 Nov — The Palestinian Authority security arrested in the occupied West Bank two liberated prisoners from the Israeli jails, and Hamas movement supporters, while the Israeli occupation forces arrested an ex-prisoner in PA jails in al-Khalil. The Preventive Security arrested Abu Hassan Hamadna, a liberated captive from the prisons of the occupation, from Asira Shamaliya near Nablus after summoning him, he had been released only five days ago from the Israeli jails.
Meanwhile, the occupation forces arrested yesterday morning a 21-year-old youth, a former political prisoner in PA jails, from al-Khalil.
The people in the West Bank has been denouncing the policy of role exchange between the PA security and the occupation forces, calling for the protection of liberated captives from political arrests.
http://www.palestine-info.co.uk/En/default.aspx?xyz=U6Qq7k%2bcOd87MDI46m9rUxJEpMO%2bi1s7vPPrV7Ps4NpIwaGkyegb%2bW%2bvm9pjQGF8YrcpaQ7BGSLEwOmljNiPIraIGGc63DwIF3pmGGtIFI5Wyww10m%2fieNcriHFlFM1undLwRh7w9g4%3d

Hunger striker Uday Zaid taken to Ramla prison infirmary in bad shape
NABLUS (PIC) 12 Nov — The international Tadamun (solidarity) society for human rights said the Israeli jailers on Sunday transferred hunger striker Uday Zaid, 25, from his solitary confinement in Jalama prison to Ramla prison infirmary after his health deteriorated very badly. Zaid started his hunger strike on October 23 in protest at his detention administratively without any guilt.
http://www.palestine-info.co.uk/En/default.aspx?xyz=U6Qq7k%2bcOd87MDI46m9rUxJEpMO%2bi1s7QfFRbNps%2fAcQHqR9Q7vLeNq5Bh%2bcXL9TKedDVe2oO9dhyWQuo76275zDeIZoCPaSa8McY1nJ4ZZkeBTAOE54Zgf4mH3ktXcO8Ak5hGJBjHM%3d

Awawda and Sharabati continue their hunger strike for the 3rd day in PA jail
AL-KHALIL (PIC) 12 Nov — The liberated captive, Ayoub Awawda, has continued for the third day respectively his hunger strike in the intelligence service’s prison in al-Khalil, in a rejection of his political detention, in light of the deterioration of his health condition … Ayoub Awawda was arrested by the intelligence service only five days after his release from the Israeli jails, where he had served two years … Meanwhile, the family of the political detainee Raed Sharabati from the city of al Khalil, reported that its son, who has launched a hunger strike since three days in the prison of the preventive security service, was also taken to the hospital this morning due to the deterioration of his health condition … Raed Sharbati is a liberated prisoner from the jails of the Israeli occupation, and he had been arrested several times by PA’s preventive security service and intelligence service.
http://www.palestine-info.co.uk/En/default.aspx?xyz=U6Qq7k%2bcOd87MDI46m9rUxJEpMO%2bi1s7sWO3i6bRAA6Xs1Lo3LeFmk0mpB8No0PBUcOEjPsSWzMtaSD5AntyaZD4SF%2bdF%2bdbUnzTwn85fiLUSqsPzVialyaaqMyI6c3qgBllkVKBXhw%3d

Longest administrative detainee released by Israel
TULKAREM (Ma‘an) 11 Nov — Raafat Nasif, the longest serving administrative detainee in Israeli jails, was released on Sunday, a statement from Hamas said. Hamas leader Nasif, 45, had been held by Israel for 44 months without charge or trial since his arrest in March 2009.
http://www.maannews.net/eng/ViewDetails.aspx?ID=536266

Upon his release, Nassif visits the solidarity tent for the captive Sharawna
AL-KHALIL (PIC) 12 Nov — The liberated prisoner, Rafat Nasif, has visited, after his release from the Israeli jails on Sunday, the protest tent set up in solidarity with hunger striker Ayman Sharawna in the town of Deir Samit west of Dora in the al-Khalil district. The occupation authorities have released Nassif on Sunday afternoon after spending 44 months in administrative detention in Negev prison in southern occupied Palestine. He was greeted by a number of Islamist MPs on the Dahriya checkpoint south of al-Khalil from where he went immediately to the protest tent.
http://www.palestine-info.co.uk/En/default.aspx?xyz=U6Qq7k%2bcOd87MDI46m9rUxJEpMO%2bi1s7sX0fDgNqU%2fyT6O9s1NLqiQRr6p2so%2bJmlekZ16Y7eV%2fS20B4wAg6et7gKv3v1m3YGfHEJ%2bpqnQBQX2c0m%2fsQWUZDdrzRV3oRzxnjc8Hk9Ow%3d

Sheikh Raed Saleh: The prisoners’ issue is an Islamic Waqf
TUNIS (PIC) 11 Nov — Sheikh Raed Salah, the leader of the Islamic Movement in 1948-occupied Palestine, stressed that the prisoners’ conference unites all the Palestinian parties, saying that “the Palestinian prisoners’ issue is an Islamic Waqf”. Sheikh Salah stated that the prisoners’ issue is above all parties’ interests, “We will seek to keep the prisoners’ issue a Palestinian constant that symbolizes the Palestinian national unity,” he added.
http://www.palestine-info.co.uk/En/default.aspx?xyz=U6Qq7k%2bcOd87MDI46m9rUxJEpMO%2bi1s7NMYoqfSdEYCy2VbXOc6GYSea%2fVJCOKZBi7f6x4pua43AouwiNdDyvIfRv2YLzLcnjuLHE9ri%2bf3WjhBM4EbIu%2bobQrfykawpIvTWHtTQyRs%3d

PRC: The PA absence in the prisoners’ conference is a fatal flaw
TUNIS (PIC) 12 Nov — Majed Al-Zeer, Chairman of The Palestinian Return Centre (PRC), has praised the efforts made during the Palestinian prisoners’ conference which ended in Sunday under the auspices of the Tunisian President Moncef Marzouki … Al-Zeer criticized the absence of the Palestinian Authority in the conference, and described it as “a fatal political flaw”. When we talk about the prisoners’ issue, we must forget about all political interests,” according to him.
http://www.palestine-info.co.uk/En/default.aspx?xyz=U6Qq7k%2bcOd87MDI46m9rUxJEpMO%2bi1s7zzn2th76Hcs%2bW7LcDL1jPgstZB2O283b%2bBL7nFvro%2bxRKxG5B5UYk017UWX%2bFjJMDBYKIN0GBbaC8X6ixKFqj6OrIzCN4TJ1BoyeH3led%2fA%3d

Refugees

Activists: 7 Palestinians killed in Damascus camp
GAZA CITY (Ma‘an) 12 Nov — Seven Palestinian refugees were killed Monday in a refugee camp in Damascus, the Yarmouk coordination committee said. The committee said forces loyal to Syrian President Bashar Assad shelled al-Tadamon neighborhood, causing a huge fire on Palestine Street. Free Syrian Army rebels destroyed an army tank on the same street, the group added.
http://www.maannews.net/eng/ViewDetails.aspx?ID=536638

Yasser Arafat

Arafat’s tomb exhumation set to commence
Al Jazeera 12 Nov — Palestinian leader Yasser Arafat’s tomb has been screened from public view in what a Palestinian official said was preparation for forensic examination of his body. The entrance to the presidential headquarters in the West Bank city of Ramallah was surrounded on Monday by blue tarpaulins. “Since this morning, Arafat’s mausoleum was closed as a preliminary step in the investigation of his death,” Tawfiq Tirawi, head of the Palestinian investigative committee on Arafat’s death, told the AFP news agency.
http://www.aljazeera.com/news/middleeast/2012/11/2012111216211764502.html

PA’s Abbas vows joint Arafat probe and UN bid
Al Jazeera 11 Nov — Mahmoud Abbas, the Palestinian Authority president, has said in a speech that he is co-ordinating with Russia, and with Swiss and French experts, on the exhumation of late president Yasser Arafat. “We are currently in co-ordination with the French investigators, the Swiss experts, and also the Russian government to open the tomb,” he said in a speech  on Sunday marking the eighth anniversary of Arafat’s death. The Palestinian Authority has vowed to unearth Arafat’s body partly because of an Al Jazeera documentary that found elevated levels of polonium-210 on the late Palestinian leader’s personal effects. If tests on his remains reach the same conclusion, it would offer more conclusive evidence that he was poisoned.
http://www.aljazeera.com/news/middleeast/2012/11/2012111110652794677.html

Ma‘an to broadcast documentary series about Arafat
BETHLEHEM (Ma‘an) — Ma‘an network and Mix satellite channel will broadcast a series of documentary films on Sunday to commemorate the anniversary of late president Yasser Arafat’s death. Four films entitled ‘Palestinian rebel’,’Commander-in-chief’, ‘Political fighter’, and ‘Besieged president’ will be broadcast starting at 10 p.m. on Sunday. The documentary series will continue on Monday at 1 p.m. and 7 p.m.
http://www.maannews.net/eng/ViewDetails.aspx?ID=536263

Employees union suspends work to mark Arafat death
RAMALLAH (Ma‘an) 11 Nov — The public employees union suspended work Sunday at 10:30 a.m. to mark the death of late Palestinian leader Yasser Arafat, an official said. Moin Insawi said a festival honoring Arafat would be held at Palestine Technical College for girls, and he called on all nearby public sector employees to attend. Sunday was the eight anniversary of Arafat’s death from a mysterious illness.
http://www.maannews.net/eng/ViewDetails.aspx?ID=535938

Political and other news

Palestinian UN observer bid on 29 November
BBC 12 Nov — The Palestinian Authority will present its bid for Palestine to become a UN “non-member observer state” on 29 November, President Mahmoud Abbas says. The request is being made despite US and Israeli opposition. Mr Abbas said that if the bid were successful, he would begin negotiations with Israel “the next day”.
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-middle-east-20299149

Fatah leader discounts Israeli sanctions threat
RAMALLAH (Reuters) 12 Nov — Israel will not carry out its threat of financial sanctions if Palestinians achieve a statehood upgrade at the United Nations, a Fatah leader predicted on Monday. Mohammad Shtayyeh said Israel had no interest in bringing about the collapse of the Western-backed Palestinian Authority, which administers parts of the occupied West Bank.
http://www.maannews.net/eng/ViewDetails.aspx?ID=536641

Fatah: Gaza escalation aims to thwart UN bid
RAMALLAH (Ma‘an) 12 Nov — Israel is using the escalation in Gaza to try and thwart the PLO’s bid for state membership of the UN, a senior Fatah official said Monday. Jamal Nazzal, a member of Fatah’s revolutionary council, said Israel was trying to hold the Palestinian Authority responsible for rockets fired from the Hamas-run Gaza Strip.
http://www.maannews.net/eng/ViewDetails.aspx?ID=536684

PA says to pay partial salaries Sunday
RAMALLAH (Ma‘an) updated 12 Nov — The Palestinian Authority finance ministry announced Sunday that it would pay part of salaries owed to public sector employees by the end of the day. The salaries of prisoners’ families will be paid completely while public sector employees will receive 52 percent of their salaries, the ministry said in a statement.
http://www.maannews.net/eng/ViewDetails.aspx?ID=536103

EU, Netherlands, Sweden contribute €19 million to PA
JERUSALEM 12 Nov (WAFA) – The European Union, the Netherlands and Sweden contributed €19 million to the payment of the October salaries and pensions of around 84,200 Palestinian civil servants and pensioners in the West Bank and the Gaza Strip, an EU press release said Monday. The European Commission’s share was €13.8 million, Sweden contributed €4 million and the Netherlands €1.2 million earmarked specifically to the PA salaries in the Justice sector.
http://english.wafa.ps/index.php?action=detail&id=21037

Japan funds handicapped project in Bethlehem and Jenin
RAMALLAH 11 Nov (WAFA) – Representative of Japan to the Palestinian Authority, Matsuura Junya, Sunday attended the opening ceremony of the project for “Enhancing the Communal Support for Physically Disabled People in Bethlehem and Hebron Governorates”, said a press release by Representative Office of Japan to the PA.
http://english.wafa.ps/index.php?action=detail&id=21036

Abbas meets Russian patriarch in Bethlehem
BETHLEHEM (Ma‘an) 11 Nov — President Mahmoud Abbas visited Bethlehem on Saturday to welcome Patriarch of the Orthodox church of Moscow and Russia Kirill I, who is in the holy land to pray for peace.
http://www.maannews.net/eng/ViewDetails.aspx?ID=535718

Patriot missiles fired as part of US-Israeli drill
Ynet 12 Nov — The joint US-Israeli military drill reached its pinnacle on Monday with an air defense exercise that saw four Patriot missiles launched from the central Israeli Palmachim Airbase towards the sea. Some 2,500 American troops – 1,000 of whom arrived in Israel – took part in the large-scale maneuver, which has entered its final week. A similar number of Israeli soldiers took part in the event. The joint drill aimed to prepare the armies for a possible massive missile attack from multiple origins
http://www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7340,L-4304332,00.html

Israel returns fire as Syria shell lands in Golan Heights
BETHLEHEM (Ma‘an) 12 Nov — A Syrian mortar shell landed in the Golan Heights on Monday as fighting from Syria spilled into the Israeli-occupied territory for the third time in five days, Israel’s army said. An Israeli army spokesman said Israeli forces fired tank shells after the mortar bomb exploded in a central area of the Golan Heights. Israeli military sources said Syrian mobile artillery was directly hit in the incident. Military sources would not say if the mortar bomb was fired by Syrian army forces or by the rebels they are battling in and around the UN-patrolled area of separation.
http://www.maannews.net/eng/ViewDetails.aspx?ID=536581

Netanyahu says Israel to determine if Syrian mortar fire was intentional
Haaretz 12 Nov — Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu reacted to Syrian mortar fire against Israeli targets on the Golan Heights on Monday, saying Israel was weighing its steps. Netanyahu said Israel would have to determine if the mortar fire from Syria was carried out by mistake or if the Syrians intentionally fired on the Israeli territory on Sunday and Monday.
http://www.haaretz.com/news/diplomacy-defense/netanyahu-says-israel-to-determine-if-syrian-mortar-fire-was-intentional.premium-1.477228

Israeli Racism / Discrimination / Sectarianism

Tens of thousands ‘like’ idea of of throwing Palestinian MKs out of Knesset
AIC 12 Nov — Tens of thousands of Israelis have “liked” the idea of throwing Palestinian Knesset members Dr. Ahmad Tibi (Ra’am-Ta’al) and Hanin Zoabi (National Democratic Assembly) out of the Knesset.  The Hebrew-language website Israel Now, which describes itself as a “counter page to Peace Now,” aims to “fight the left in Israel through all legal means.” These legal means include incitement against elected Palestinian members of the Knesset and explicit calls for their removal.  Calling MK Tibi “anti-Semitic”  and an “enemy” while questioning whether MK Zoabi should be allowed to remain in Israel, the official Facebook page text is carried further by racist readers’ comments. Racism is indeed legal in Israel. [End]
http://www.alternativenews.org/english/index.php/news/news-updates/5609-tens-of-thousands-like-idea-of-throwing-palestinian-mks-out-of-knesset-.html

Museums may not have to provide Arabic explanations for short-term exhibits
Haaretz 13 Nov — Changes mean museums won’t have to translate Hebrew text to get state funding…In January Haaretz reported that many museums do not abide by the criteria under this regulation. Under the proposed changes, they won’t be forced to if the exhibit is up for less than six months, though if the display is up for longer the information provided in Arabic must be equivalent to that offered in Hebrew..
http://www.haaretz.com/news/national/museums-may-not-have-to-provide-arabic-explanations-for-short-term-exhibits.premium-1.477282?localLinksEnabled=false

Female soldier rebuked for ‘offending’ religious comrades
Ynet 12 Nov — Female recruit ordered to hand in written apology for offending ultra-Orthodox soldiers’ sensitivities by braiding fellow soldier’s hair in public
http://www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7340,L-4304443,00.html

Report: Every third Israeli woman falls victim to sexual assault
Haaretz 12 Nov — Violence against single women rises nearly twenty-fold since 2003, Public Security Ministry report finds … The most alarming statistic is that about one-half of all victims of sexual violence are minors, while the proportion of girls and young women (up to the age of 24) is far greater than that of older women
http://www.haaretz.com/news/features/report-every-third-israeli-woman-falls-victim-to-sexual-assault-1.476888

Analysis / Opinion / Reviews

Against forgetting: an interview with Eyal Sivan
Al Jazeera 12 Nov — Filmmaker Eyal Sivan talks about his exhibit with over 100 testimonies given by the perpetrators of the Nakba — Last month in Tel Aviv an exhibit with an unprecedented intention debuted. Curated by two prominent anti-Zionist Israelis, filmmaker Eyal Sivan and historian Ilan Pappe, “Towards a Common Archive” presents over 100 testimonies given by the perpetrators of the Nakba, the period between 1947 and 1949 when over 750,000 Palestinians were expelled from their land to create the state of Israel. The exhibit is hosted by Zochrot, the sole Israeli organisation dedicated to remembering the Nakba. Sivan describes their project as racing against time, as it collects testimonies from the ageing generation that fought with the Zionists gangs. In the absence of a formal Truth and Reconciliation Commission, Sivan envisages the perpetrators’ historic testimonies as forming a basis for truth without which a future reconciliation could not occur. Yet despite the significance of the undertaking – and to the surprise of Sivan – the Israeli press has completely ignored the exhibit, save for one right-wing settler newspaper which disparaged it.
http://www.aljazeera.com/indepth/opinion/2012/11/2012115131735888399.html

Giving Palestine’s palaces back to the people
Nablus (EI) 12 Nov — During the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries, what is now the West Bank was divided up and ruled by 27 wealthy sheikhs (elders or leaders) who collected taxes from the surrounding peasant villages on behalf of the Ottoman government. The sheikhs accumulated a huge power base and with this they built remarkable palaces that reflected their lifestyles. Their urban style houses towered over peasant lands, unique in their spaciousness and extravagance. These villages, many of which have now been abandoned, are known as the ‘throne villages’ or qura karasi in Arabic. The Palestinian organization Riwaq has begun a process of restoring the historic buildings for modern cultural use.
http://electronicintifada.net/content/giving-palestines-palaces-back-people/11851

The Israeli documentary putting military rule in Palestine on trial / Rachel Shabi
Guardian 12 Nov — The Law In These Parts builds a strong case against the judges responsible for Israel’s draconian occupation laws — The Law In These Parts, an Israeli documentary awarded this year’s Sundance World Cinema Grand Jury prize, examines how the country created a military-legal system to control the Palestinians in the lands Israel occupied in 1967. And at some point during the film, it becomes clear that it’s the judges who are on trial. The documentary, which just screened as part of the UK Jewish Film Festival, features forceful archive footage, alongside a line-up of Israeli legal experts, explaining how they made Israel’s occupation laws.
http://www.guardian.co.uk/commentisfree/2012/nov/12/law-in-these-parts-israel-palestine

The strange case of the police writs served to Israeli activists / Yossi Gurvitz
972mag 12 Nov — What we can learn from the weird orders served to several leftist activists on Sunday. On police intimidation and the sham of ‘the only democracy in the Middle East’ — At least 11 leftist activists were surprised on Sunday morning when they were woken up by cops. The cops, all plainclothes and in groups of three, knocked on their doors between 6 and 7 in the morning, and handed them what they claimed to be administrative restraining orders, signed by the commanding general, prohibiting them from entering four villages in the occupied West Bank: Bil‘in, Qaddum, Ni‘lin and Nabi Saleh. Activist Alma Biblash reported that the policemen entered her apartment without a warrant, taking care to video not just her but her sister as well. The cops also waved in her face a file with her name on it. In another case, the cops woke up the parents of an activist who had moved out long ago. Activist Leehee Rothschild, also served with a warrant, was told they were issued under the 1945 Emergency Ordinances.Commanding general? What the hell, you say? Oh. Despite Israeli propaganda claiming it is the only democracy in the Middle East, the 1945 Emergency Ordinances — defined by Menachem Begin, a noted leftist radical, as worse than Nazi legislation — are still in effect in Israel. They allow the military commander (in the case of all residents of Israel proper, that would be the Home Front Command) to do basically what he damn well pleases, or, to be more precise, to do what his ISA (AKA Shin Bet) handler damn well pleases he do.
http://972mag.com/the-strange-case-of-the-police-writs-served-to-israeli-activists/59636/

Who has a tighter iron fist, Hamas or Israel? It’s hard to tell / Amira Hass
Haaretz 12 Nov — In Hamas-ruled Gaza, violent dispersal of women protesters inspires governmental qualms and leads to an inquest. In the West Bank, however, under Israel’s military rule, a violent break-up of demonstrations ends in arbitrary arrest.
http://www.haaretz.com/print-edition/features/who-has-a-tighter-iron-fist-hamas-or-israel-it-s-hard-to-tell.premium-1.476889

MC Stormtrap Asifeh takes on liberation vs Fayyadism in new video “In This Prison”
EI 12 Nov by Maureen Clare Murphy — Abboud Hashem, aka MC Stormtrap Asifeh, a co-founder of the Ramallah Underground collective, has released a new video for his track “In this Prison.” The track is featured on Stormtrap Asifeh’s solo EP Iradeh that was released earlier this year (download the EP for free from Asifeh’s website). In an email to The Electronic Intifada, Stormtrap Asifeh said that the track “deals with life under occupation, the price of freedom and the right to self-defense.”
http://electronicintifada.net/blogs/maureen-clare-murphy/mc-stormtrap-asifeh-takes-liberation-vs-fayyadism-new-video-prison

Where are we headed? A reflection on the 73rd anniversary of Kristallnacht / Rabbi Lynn Gottlieb
Palestinian Talmud 10 Nov — I grew up in Allentown, Pennsylvania, a sixth generation North American Jew in the Reform tradition. I am still amazed by the wisdom of my rabbinic teachers in response to the Shoah. I learned from the rabbis of my youth not to barricade myself in layers of fear and distrust; rather, they taught me to protest racism in all its ugly manifestations in public because never again meant never again for anyone. They taught me that when one of us suffers, all of us suffer.  They taught me that silence in the face of injustice is complicity with injustice. They tied these lessons to their version of Jewish religion. I never imagined that I would have to apply these lessons to the actions of the Jewish community in relationship to Israel. I incorrectly assumed that the Shoah had somehow immunized us against harming others, that we had learned the Biblical lesson: do not oppress others, for you were once oppressed.
http://palestiniantalmud.com/2012/11/10/where-are-we-headed-a-reflection-on-the-73rd-anniversary-of-kristallnacht/

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