Not behaving like Caesar's wife-- Goodman last month called for Israel to wage an international "war" for its public image. Now he's calling for war against Iran.

Notice the sloppy thinking-- that Iran is threatening America with nukes, threatening a world war.

Daniel Nolan reports for the Spectator, a Hamilton, Canada, newspaper on a speech by Goodman on Thursday night at a local synagogue, sponsored by the United Jewish Appeal:

A prominent Israeli writer is advocating his nation attack Iran’s nuclear development facilities now because the risk is too great after that country builds nuclear weapons.

Hirsh Goodman doesn’t believe sanctions being pushed by Western nations will stop Iran and said something has to be done this year before Iran moves its nuclear work underground.

He said a nuclear Iran, along with a nuclear Pakistan, would plunge the world into “a new cold war, if not a hot one.”

“The minute Iran is nuclear, it’s a whole different game,” Goodman said Thursday night at the Beth Jacob Synagogue in west Hamilton.

“Not because they are going to blow up Israel. They’ve got missiles that can reach the east cost of America, but what happens if the ayatollah (Iran’s supreme leader) wakes up one morning and destroys the Saudi fields and the Kuwaiti oilfields and the West is left with no energy.”

The Israel military court has extended administrative detention for two months in addition to three months already detained for civil rights lawyer Dr. Yousef Abdul Haq, a lecturer at An-Najah National University and the Cultural Coordinator for the Tanweer Palestinian Cultural Enlightenment Forum, currently detained in Ofer Prison near Ramallah.

Yousef Abdul Haq was arrested November 7th, 2011 at his home at 2:00 AM, suffering from illness which requires constant dosage of medicine, forcing his transfer to a hospital immediately after his arrest in Ramla.

He was sentenced to two months in administrative detention immediately.

This arbitrary administrative detention is legally incompatible with the most basic international standards of human rights, because it is without any specific charge against the prisoner. These arbitrary detentions depend on the military file and “secret evidence” which cannot be seen by the detainee or defense lawyers. This file is prepared by Israel intelligence and is “collected” illegally.

This type of detention is internationally banned and is impacting lawmakers in the Palestinian Legislative Council, members of local councils, university students, political activists, academics, trade unionists and even women and children.

The imposition of administrative detention by Article 111 of the military state of emergency imposed by the British colonial authorities of Palestine September, 1945 is illegal on the grounds that Article 43 of the Hague international agreement of 1907 prohibits an occupying power to change the legislative reality of the country occupied.

Administrative detention is the endless suffering of the prisoners because they may de detained for a decade, physically and psychologically impacting the detainee and their family based on the expectation that the next decision will be an extension of detention.

The International Solidarity Foundation for Human Rights received from the Israeli military court in Ofer, that the number of additional administrative detentions issued by the Israeli military governor reached a total of 5,971 since the beginning of 2004 until the end of 2010.

We in the Tanweer Enlightenment Forum, call for the release of our colleague Dr. Yousef immediately from behind bars, and we hold the Government responsible for the conditions of Israel’s occupation, in respect to his health. We demand the end of the administrative detentions which are contrary to international law..

On this occasion, we declare our solidarity with the prisoner hero Khader Adnan, who is continuing his hunger strike battle in his 55th day to end the administrative detentions. We also call on international institutions and the Arab and local media to expose the policy of administrative detention. We uphold the work of a united front for the release of Palestinian prisoners including lawyers, members of the Legislative Council, academics, students, children and women.

                 We call for the end of administrative detentions forever.

                                    Freedom for political prisoners.

                 Close the detention camps and prisons and abolish                                               administrative detention.

 

A recent response to a subpoena from the United States Capitol Police has revealed the main assailant of a peaceful demonstrator who was physically attacked and injured on May 24, 2011, to be Stanley Anthony Shulster, allegedly a member of the American-Israeli Public Affairs Committee (AIPAC). According to the lawsuit, Mr. Shulster, a retired lawyer, admitted to assaulting Rae Abileah, a member of CODEPINK, in the House of Representatives while she protested the Israeli occupation of Palestine during the speech by Benjamin Netanyahu, Prime Minister of Israel. The Capitol Police issued an arrest warrant for Mr. Shulster for this attack.

Mr. Shulster’s biography on the Jackson County, Oregon Republican Women website identifies him as “an Unpaid Lobbyist,” and a “Volunteer in the Israel Defense Forces Medical Unit and a member of AIPAC.” The bio states: “At the last AIPAC meeting in May of 2011 Stan was present to hear the stirring address that Prime Minister Netanyahu gave to Congress and he grabbed the woman who heckled the Prime Minister while he was speaking.”

Abileah protests Israeli occupation
during the speech by Netanyahu 5.24.2011

Rabbi Shmuley Boteach also attested to the assault when he wrote in his blog, “The elderly gentleman to my right, whom I had been talking to just before the speech started, pulled the flag out of her hands, cupped his hands over her mouth, and assisted in subduing her.”  Additional witnesses have been identified by the U.S. Capitol Police.

According to the complaint, Mr. Shulster grabbed the banner held by Ms. Abileah, used his hand to attempt to gag and suffocate Ms. Abileah, and yanked her head back, injuring her neck. As a result of the attack, Ms. Abileah sustained a neck strain, swollen neck and muscle strain, and has since suffered from frequent head and neck aches as well as emotional trauma.

Ms. Abileah is a 29 year old American Jew of Israeli descent, who works as the Co-Director of CODEPINK, a women-initiated grassroots peace and social justice organization that seeks to end U.S. wars and the U.S. funded occupation of Palestine.

“I was shocked that the biography of the person who attacked me would brag about his use of violence. This lawless behavior echoes the routine actions of the Israeli government and military in carrying out violent acts daily against the Palestinian people. I am hopeful that my filing suit will be a clear signal to those who attempt to silence peaceful protesters, that they will be held accountable for their illegal actions,” said Ms. Abileah.

Photos of the action and assault can be found here.

AIPAC’s 2012 annual policy conference will be held from March 4 to 6 in Washington, D.C. It is expected that peaceful protesters will challenge AIPAC’s policies of supporting Israel’s ongoing crimes against the Palestinian people and its threats of attacking Iran.

(Plans for OCCUPY AIPAC are under way and will take place March 2-6 in Washington DC.)

News spreads fast. Bloomberg is reporting Adelson isn't planning on floating Gingrich anymore which leaves him high and dry and scrambling for cash.

Five losing contests later, Gingrich and Winning Our Future, an outside political action committee supporting him, are almost silent on television airwaves, offering free water and coffee at events, and revamping a fundraising strategy based largely on the support of a single wealthy backer, Sheldon Adelson, and the Las Vegas casino owner’s family.

In the past seven days, Winning Our Future has spent $61,290 on broadcast television advertisements, compared with $636,920 spent by Mitt Romney and a super-PAC backing him, Restore Our Future, according to data compiled by New York-based Kantar Media’s CMAG, a company that tracks advertising.

For now, the Adelsons don’t plan to deliver another big check to float Gingrich’s campaign, according to a person familiar with their deliberations.

So, have you checked out that video up there yet? (I rec, it's funny) Gee, what can I say?  Does America deserve a president named Santorum? Wrong question. Do I think he'll win? No. Do I think he'll win the GOP nomination? At this point, maybe. I've been saying all along you can't win the GOP nomination if the fundies don't love ya, and fundies don't like Mormons, something about hell....it's hard keeping all those extremists sorted out. I wish we could send them to an island far far away, together. Anyway, enough of my ramblings.

The Hill:

But Rick Santorum's wins in Missouri, Minnesota and Colorado have instead coalesced support around his campaign, with Gingrich now looking for another miraculous come-from-behind.

Meanwhile, a super-PAC supporting Santorum's campaign told Bloomberg the money has been "rolling in" since the former senator's upset wins, including a $1 million donation earlier this week.

Googled Santorum lately? Yep, that site is still holding strong and remains in the #1 position, after the Santorum campaign's paid spot. But it doesn't end there, it's not just a gag site, something I realized tonight when I clicked on "Click to continue":

Rick Santorum is Good at Winning Caucuses

Caucuses by nature are built around people who are the most politically passionate. In Democratic caucuses, this benefits a candidate who is a bit further to the left, and his success in caucuses was a big key towards President Obama's run to the Democratic nomination four years ago. But, as being too far to the left is considered completely unacceptable in our political climate, a socialist group is unable to highjack the proceedings. Things are different in the Republican, where you have two groups of complete whack jobs who are viewed as being a part of the conservative mainstream: the Ron Paul Libertarians and the extreme Religious Right. These people are more passionate than your average conservative, and are more willing to spend their time attending a caucus.

Think of it this way: following the Florida Primary, won by Mitt Romney, a fair amount of attention was paid to the low turnout rate. About 8.5% of Florida's population showed up to vote in the Republican primary. Compare that to Colorado, where just over 1% of the state population participated in the caucus, and Minnesota, where less than 1% participated. And while Santorum had a strong showing in Missouri's primary, that primary was merely symbolic and awarded no delegates. As a result, Missouri's Republican Primary only drew from 4% of the state's population.

What's the conclusion to draw from this? Santorum does have a following. In Midwest states, he is the social conservative candidate of choice. But we won't know if he's become the social conservative candidate of the south until March. More importantly, we have no evidence to this point that Santorum can win anything that a significant portion of a state's population actually shows up to. Until he does that, Santorum is merely the King of Contests Nobody Gives a Shit About. And while that may parlay a better contract for him with Fox News this fall, it will not get him the Republican nomination and certainly would not allow him to even put up a competitive race against President Obama in the General Election.

Comedians are going to have a field day with this, that's one thing we can look forward to.

The following press release was just sent out by WitnessBahrain.org:

American Citizens Arrested in Bahrain during Peaceful Protest
Huwaida Arraf & Radhika Sainath in Police Custody

For immediate release

Febraury 11, 2011

(Manama) – US Citizens Huwaida Arraf and Radhika Sainath were arrested by Bahraini security forces in Manama on Saturday during a peaceful protest in near the Standard Chartered Bank downtown. Protesters had marched into the city center to reestablish a presence of nonviolent, peaceful protest leading up to the 1-year anniversary of the Arab Spring uprising in Bahrain.

Huwaida and Radhika were in Bahrain as part of an international solidarity effort aimed at providing an international civilian presence to report and monitor the situation on the ground. Leading up to February 14, Bahraini authorities had prevented journalists, human rights observers and other internationals from entering the country, leading many to fear a brutal crackdown. The two women are part of the Witness Bahrain initiative ( http://www.witnessbahrain.org ), which arrived in Bahrain in response to a call by Bahraini democracy activists for international observers.

Just yesterday, top US human rights envoy, Assistant Secretary of State Michael Posner, called on the Bahraini authorities to respect the rights of Bahrainis to peaceful protest and to refrain from using excessive force. Huwaida was dragged away by numerous security forces after sitting on the ground, and it is widely reported that detainees have suffered physical abuse while on the way to and at police stations.

Both women were part of a peaceful protest marching near the Pearl Roundabout – site of last year’s peaceful round-the-clock protest in Bahrain, modeled after Egypt’s Tahrir Square – when they were attacked. Both are human rights lawyers, and both have experience as human rights activists in Palestine. Additionally, both were part of the National Lawyer’s Guild delegation to Gaza following Operation Cast Lead to investigate possible war crimes and illegal use of American weaponry on a civilian population.

A new, neoconservative online outlet called the Washington Free Beacon is continuing the campaign against the Center for American Progress (CAP) in two articles that go after the organization for “downplaying” intelligence on Iran’s nuclear program. But the author, Adam Kredo, misleads readers by distorting the existing evidence on Iran. The articles represent a continuation of a campaign to discredit those who are cautious about a war on Iran, a core reason why neoconservatives are attacking CAP.

Kredo’s main contention is that CAP, along with the Huffington Post and Media Matters, has “downplayed new intelligence indicating Iran’s nuclear program is more dangerous than previously thought.” Kredo writes that liberal groups have taken to questioning the reporting of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), the organization tasked with monitoring nuclear energy and weapons. But it’s Kredo’s characterization of the most recent IAEA report that is wrong.

But first, Kredo is also wrong when he writes that liberal groups like CAP have questioned “the IAEA’s recent findings on Iran.” As evidence for that assertion, he links to a CAP report that approvingly cites the IAEA report “detailing Iran’s past and current nuclear weapons-related research.” So in fact, CAP does not question the veracity of the IAEA report--and neither do the other articles Kredo links to.

More important though is Kredo’s distortion of the IAEA report--which, it should be noted, has been credibly criticized by some analysts. The distortion serves up an agenda that portrays an Iranian nuclear weapons program as an “existential threat” to Israel that should be wiped out by the U.S. and/or Israel--actions that would lead to a disastrous war.

"This is the exact same pattern that we saw in Iraq, and the effort by folks to hype the threat and take things out of context and confuse the American public into thinking things that are not true," said Jamal Abdi, the policy director for the National Iranian American Council (NIAC). "Right now, a lot of Americans have been fooled into thinking that Iran has a nuclear weapon, or even that Iran is pursuing a nuclear weapon."

In Kredo's first article (which has a hyperlink with the title, "war on truth,") Kredo writes:

The IAEA’s most recent report reveals that Iran has been pursuing nuclear weapons since the mid-1980s with public activities peaking around 2002 before apparently moving underground.

And in his second article, which smears CAP as "prejudiced" and "anti-Semitic," he similarly states:

Liberal writers routinely question the veracity of the International Atomic Energy Agency’s (IAEA) November report on Iran. The report builds the case that the regime is aggressively pursuing nuclear weapons.

The IAEA report does sound the alarm on certain aspects of Iran’s nuclear work that the report says may indicate nuclear weapons work. But no where in the report can you find a definitive statement that “Iran has been pursuing nuclear weapons since the mid-1980s” or that Iran is “aggressively pursuing nuclear weapons,” which is how Kredo characterizes it.

"What [U.S.] intelligence reports found and continue to find is the same thing the IAEA report found, which is that Iran had a concerted nuclear weapons program up until 2003, and shut that program down," Abdi explained in a phone interview. "And while there still remains some activities that appear to be geared towards no other purpose than potential weapons work, it’s the finding of both the intelligence community and the IAEA that Iran has not made a decision to actually pursue a nuclear weapon. If anything, what they’re moving towards is the capability if they decide to get a nuclear weapon. And that’s much different than what this reporter is asserting."

Kredo's misleading characterizations, which frequently shows up in mainstream media, have been roundly criticized by the media watchdog group Fairness and Accuracy in Reporting (FAIR). In November 2011, a FAIR “action alert” noted:

The first part of the agency's November 8 report declares--once again--that Iran is not transferring uranium for use in a military project.

The more explosive allegations that media are focusing on are contained in an annex that attempts to lay out evidence that has been circulating for years. The IAEA report stresses concern over allegations over past activities; very little of the report is dedicated to research that could be describing as ongoing. Indeed, the media is focusing primarily on the IAEA's speculation about what might be ongoing research that could be related to a military program.

The Christian Science Monitor also had a good report outlining why the IAEA report wasn’t the “game changer” it was made out to be:

In a 14-page annex to its quarterly report on Iran released yesterday, the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) said new intelligence and other data gave it "serious concern" about the allegedly peaceful nature of Iran's nuclear program. But the casus belli for military strikes that anti-Iran hawks in the US and Israel expected to gain from the IAEA report is far from clear-cut...

Prior to the report's release, speculation mounted in Israel and Washington that new revelations might prompt military strikes to prevent Iran from acquiring a weapon.

Instead, experts say, much of the information is years old, inconclusive – and perhaps not entirely real.

Most of the weapons-related work it details was shut down nearly a decade ago – in 2003 – the IAEA says, and less formal efforts that "may" continue do not bolster arguments that Iran is a nation racing to have the bomb.
Iran "doesn't seem to have the same North Korea-like obsession with developing nuclear weapons. That's nowhere to be found in the [IAEA] evidence," says Shannon Kile, head of the Nuclear Weapons Project at the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute (SIPRI).
"Yes, Iran is making progress, they've covered the waterfront in terms of the main technical areas that you need to develop a nuclear weapon," says Mr. Kile. "But there is no evidence they have a dedicated program under way. It's not like they are driving toward nuclear weapons; it's like they're meandering toward capability."

And after readers, urged on by FAIR, complained to the New York Times’ ombudsman about articles claiming that the IAEA report states that Iran's nuclear program has a military objective, the ombudsman agreed with FAIR. Arthur Brisbane wrote correctly that the “agency has stopped short” of emphatically saying that Iran is building nuclear weapons. Similarly, the Washington Post's ombudsman criticized his paper's reporting for "getting ahead of the facts on Iran" after a headline in the Post read, "Iran’s quest to possess nuclear weapons." The Times and the Post are no bastions of anti-war on Iran sentiment, so it’s significant that their ombudsmen would chastise their papers for reporting what Kredo is also writing.

To bolster the case that Iran is definitively pursuing nuclear weapons, Kredo quotes Director of National Intelligence James Clapper as saying that Iran is “certainly moving on [the] path” towards weaponization. It’s true that Clapper said that; but the next sentence in his testimony was this: “We do not believe they have actually made the decision to go ahead with a nuclear weapon.” This is similar to what Defense Secretary Leon Panetta said on CBS last month: “Are they trying to develop a nuclear weapon? No. But we know that they’re trying to develop a nuclear capability and that’s what concerns us.”

Kredo’s zeal to discredit CAP and other analysts who are speaking out against a war with Iran is clearly one more step in the attempt to marginalize critics of current U.S./Israeli policy on Iran. Predictably, the clamoring for an Iran war is appearing in an outlet whose chairman is the neoconservative writer Michael Goldfarb, who advises the Emergency Committee for Israel. Goldfarb has also advised Sarah Palin on foreign policy.

"The hyping of this type is going to become a self-fulfilling prophecy," NIAC's Abdi said. "We’re going to see a repeat of Iraq. But a war with Iran is going to make the wars of the past ten years look like a cakewalk."

The 8th annual Israeli Apartheid week is approaching, and it’s approaching fast. Israeli Apartheid Week is a week where Palestinian solidarity groups from around the globe mobilize events to spread awareness of the atrocities happening to the Palestinians because of Israel’s illegal occupation and apartheid system. It also is a week where these solidarity organizations can answer the call of the Palestinian civil society and launch or continue their Boycott, Divestment, and Sanctions campaign.

Israeli Apartheid Week starts on February 26th and runs until March 3rd. Solidarity groups are currently putting much effort into planning out their schedule for this week of panels, direct action, tabling, and educational events. Planning Israeli Apartheid Week is no piece of cake, and to see the dedication and passion of these individuals, who put effort into making Israeli Apartheid week one to remember, is awe inspiring.

At the University of New Mexico, where I attend, this will be Students for Justice in Palestine’s first time participating in Israeli Apartheid Week. We have been inspired by past efforts of other Palestinian solidarity organizations who have participated in Israeli Apartheid Week in past years. Though, Palestinian solidarity organizations get much resentment towards them from pro-Israel Zionist organizations, they continue their solidarity efforts year round with no hesitation, and with no fear. I commend the daily efforts put forth by these groups and individuals, but the reason why Israeli Apartheid Week remarkable to me is because it brings international unity in the Palestine Solidarity movement. It’s a time where distance might separate us, but we all come together with the same mission, to end Israeli apartheid and end the Illegal occupation. We relay the voice of those in Occupied Palestine who are affected by this inhumane occupation and apartheid, to our neighbors, our community members, and our fellow students.

Boycott, Divestment, and Sanctions plays a key part of Israeli Apartheid Week. The Palestinian civil society has called that we support BDS, and it’s something I recommend all organizations participate in. It’s a non-violent way to support freedom, justice, equality, and human rights. The University of New Mexico Students for Justice in Palestine, along with other social justice organizations on campus are hoping to launch our first ever divestment campaign on campus during Israeli Apartheid week. It’s a great way not only to stand in solidarity with Palestinians, but also a way to take direct action in targeting the systematic oppression, apartheid, and illegal occupation.

Apartheid week is more than just a week of solidarity; it’s a week of community. It’s a week where we stand alongside our brothers and sisters around the world, chanting words of freedom, equality, and justice.

For more information on how you can get involved in Israeli Apartheid week please visit apartheidweek.org and e-mail your regional contact.

Land, property, resources theft & destruction / Ethnic cleansing / Apartheid / Restriction of movement

Israeli Likud party calls to storm al-Aqsa Mosque
JERUSALEM (WAFA) 9 Feb – Members of the Israeli right-wing Likud party Thursday called to  storm al-Aqsa mosque next Sunday to build the alleged temple on the ruins of the mosque, according to Israeli right wing websites. Several websites of the Israeli right wing published an announcement on behalf of the Likud party, calling on thousands of the Likud members to storm al-Aqsa mosque along with a delegation headed by Moshe Feiglin, who ran against Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu for leadership of the party and received 25% of the votes of party members. The announcement said: “We call upon everyone to go up the Temple Mound, the Haram Ash-Sharif, one of the most important religious sites in the Old City of Jerusalem, to declare a proper leadership which insures our full control of the mount in order to build the temple on the ruins of al-Aqsa Mosque.”
link to english.wafa.ps

Nunu: Settlers' plan to storm Aqsa reincarnates Sharon war
GAZA (PIC) 9 Feb -- The Jewish settlers’ plan to storm the Aqsa mosque next Sunday would constitute a reincarnation of former Israeli premier Ariel Sharon’s war on the holy site, Taher Al-Nunu, the Gaza government’s spokesman, said. Nunu warned in a terse statement on Thursday of the repercussions of this crime, recalling that a previous “tour” for Sharon in the Aqsa plazas had ignited the Aqsa intifada.
link to www.palestine-info.co.uk/

AFEH warns of increased violation of Aqsa sanctity
OCCUPIED JERUSALEM (PIC) 9 Feb -- The Aqsa foundation for endowment and heritage has warned of the Israeli occupation authority’s increased violation of the holy Aqsa Mosque’s sanctity. It warned in a statement on Wednesday of the goals behind allowing Israeli soldiers, males and females, to roam freely in the Aqsa plazas while wearing their uniform. It said that those soldiers were provocatively strolling inside the holy compound and taking photos, noting that they were previously not allowed into the mosque in their uniform since 2000. The foundation pointed out that 26 soldiers entered the Aqsa compound in two groups on Wednesday morning.
It also condemned the IOA for allowing tourists to enter the holy compound without any consideration to its holiness, recalling that one of them urinated at one of its corners a couple of days earlier in total disregard to the sanctity of the place.
In another incident, 12 Israeli intelligence officers, men and women, entered the Aqsa mosque on Thursday morning and toured its internal compound, while Jewish settlers continue to storm the holy site and try to perform rituals inside it.
link to www.palestine-info.co.uk

Israeli forces deliver eviction summons in Tubas
PNN 10 Feb -- On Thursday, Israeli forces summoned the citizens of Khirbet Wad Bazeq in Tubas governorate with eviction notices, as the IDF prepares to raze large tracts of local land. Reliable sources stated that "Israeli authorities have summoned the citizens with notices to vacate their residences so Israel could construct roads, under the pretext of security reasons."
link to english.pnn.ps

Israeli bulldozers demolish Palestinian home, tin shack in Jerusalem
JERUSALEM (WAFA) 9 Feb – Israeli Forces Thursday demolished a Palestinian house and tin shack in Jerusalem, according to local sources. They said that Israeli bulldozers demolished a Palestinian house in an area in the neighborhood of Beit Hanina, north of Jerusalem, in addition to a residential shed in al-Khalayleh, a neighborhood in the village of al-Jib northwest of Jerusalem, razing the entire land on which the shack is built and destroying all plants and trees. Forces also destroyed a wall built around the land under the pretext of building without permit.
link to english.wafa.ps

Israel to mull tax exemptions on donations to Zionist settlement
Haaretz 9 Feb -- The Ministerial Committee on Legislation will discuss on Sunday a bill recognizing donations to "Zionist settlement" for tax purposes. The bill would confer a tax exemption of up to thirty-five percent on such donations. The bill did not specify whether "Zionist settlement" referred to settlement in the West Bank or anywhere in Israel, although in practice it most likely means giving assistance to organizations that promote settlement beyond the Green Line.
link to www.haaretz.com

Lifta's imaginary future
Haaretz 9 Feb by Esther Zandberg -- Plans for a luxury development in an abandoned Arab village may have been scrapped - but dreams of restoring Lifta to its former glory are likely to remain just that ... Lifta, on the outskirts of Jerusalem, is the only abandoned Arab village in Israel that has remained intact since the War of Independence, and it has become a symbol of the destruction of the Palestinian community in this country. The only thing left to do now is to protect Lifta from architecture lovers and preservationists who paradoxically may cause the Palestinian memory of this place to vanish into oblivion, specifically as they attempt to preserve it.
link to www.haaretz.com

Palestinian officials worry about movement restrictions
PNN 9 Feb -- On Wednesday, a high-rank Palestinian official told al-Quds al-Arabi newspaper that the VIP identity cards carried by Palestinian officials, including the Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas, will end in March. The news that Israel has refused to renew these cards has caused great concern within Palestinian governments' departments in Ramallah. The VIP cards facilitate coordination of travel between the Israeli and Palestinian governments and allow holders to move freely in the West Bank and Israel. Oddly, the VIP card which the President Mahmoud Abbas holds does not allow him to enter to Eilat ... An Israeli security source denied the news of withdrawing the VIP cards from Palestinian officials, especially from President Abbas, or that further restrictions were being placed on officials' movements. The source said that for technical reasons the VIP cards were issued for all Palestinian officials for only two months.
link to english.pnn.ps

Settlers

Settlers 'bulldoze 100 dunums' of Yatta lands
HEBRON (Ma‘an) 10 Feb -- Ma'on settlers bulldozed 100 dunums [25 acres] of lands that belong to Kharoubeh village on Friday, the coordinator of the popular committee against the wall and settlement said. Rateb al-Jabour said the settlers began to bulldoze the lands early Friday in an attempt to expand the settlement. He added that Israeli authorities are implementing a settlement scheme south of Hebron that aims to surround residents who are living between the wall and settlement. These acts aim to "tighten the noose" on citizens and make them leave their land, he said
link to www.maannews.net

Settlers 'raid Nablus village'
NABLUS (Ma‘an) 10 Feb -- Settlers raided a Nablus-district village overnight Thursday, sparking clashes with residents, a PA official said. Dozens of Israelis from Yitzhar settlement threw stones at a number of homes in Burin, Ghassan Daghlas, who monitors settler activity in the northern West Bank, told Ma‘an. No injuries have been reported. They smashed car windows on the main road from the Jewish-only settlement, he added. Youth from Burin gathered at the home of Ayman Sufan after it came under attack, and clashed with the group of settlers, Daghlas said.
link to www.maannews.net

West Bank village Qaryut clashes with settlers blocking land
RAMALLAH (Ma‘an) -- Palestinians clashed with a group of settlers blocking them from their lands in the central West Bank on Friday, with no injuries reported.  Dozens of residents of Qaryut village tried to enter lands under threat of confiscation near Shilo settlement, and a group of settlers fired on them, a Ma‘an correspondent said.
link to www.maannews.net

UN to probe Palestinian rights situation
GENEVA, Switzerland (UPI) 10 Feb -- A tour of the Palestinian territories will provide a better understanding of the effects of "disturbing" violence from Israeli settlers, a U.N. envoy said. Richard Falk, the U.N. special envoy on human rights in the Palestinian territories, started his tour of the region Friday to assess the ramifications of human rights issues "connected to Israel's occupation of Palestine."
link to www.upi.com

Israeli forces

IDF soldier linked to 'price tag' attack in West Bank Palestinian village
Haaretz 10 Feb -- An Israel Defense Forces soldier is suspected of perpetrating a so-called "price tag" attack in a Palestinian West Bank village, Haaretz learned on Friday, following recently intercepted security camera footage. The Golani Brigade soldier and resident of the Itamar settlement was arrested along with two young women after footage indicated the three vandalizing the Palestinian village of Luban al-Sharqiya near Nablus.
link to www.haaretz.com

Israeli forces raid, vandalize Palestinian prisoner's home
TULKAREM (WAFA) 9 Feb – Israeli forces at dawn Thursday raided and vandalized the house of Palestinian detainee in Israeli jails, Khalil Wajeeh from Atil, a town north of the northern West Bank city of Tulkarem, according to witnesses. Khalil’s father, Abd al-Rahman Wajeeh, told WAFA that a large military force raided his house and fired sound grenades inside the house after surrounding it, forcing the family to stay outside in the freezing winter cold for almost three hours, during which the forces destroyed the entire house contents.
link to english.wafa.ps

PCHR Weekly Report: 11 civilians wounded, 25 abducted by Israeli troops this week
IMEMC 10 Feb -- In its Weekly Report On Israeli Human Rights Violations in the Occupied Palestinian Territories for the week of 02 – 08 Feb. 2012, the Palestinian Center for Human Rights found that 11 Palestinians were wounded by Israeli forces this week, including 4 children. In addition, Israeli forces destroyed four buildings, and damaged 28 houses, 2 shops, a legal firm, a sports club, a school and 4 civilian cars in Gaza; and abducted 25 civilians in 47 incursions in the West Bank.  Full Report here
link to www.imemc.org

IDF takes back Israeli general who left in shame after war with Hezbollah
Haaretz 10 Feb -- Brig. Gen. (res.) Gal Hirsch, whose performance was widely criticized during the Second Lebanon War, has been appointed deputy head of a new IDF command tasked with "spearheading in-depth strategic operations." The new command will consist of a small number of officers who will deal with operations carried out far from Israel, sources at the Israel Defense Forces said.
link to www.haaretz.com

Khader Adnan

PA says Egypt intervening to free Khader Adnan
BETHLEHEM (Ma‘an) 10 Feb -- Palestinian Authority prisoners affairs minister Issa Qaraqe said Friday that Egypt was intervening with Israel to free Khader Adnan, who is on hunger strike in administrative detention. [End]
link to www.maannews.net

UN tells Israel of concern for Palestinian hunger striker
AFP 10 Feb -- A UN envoy called on Israel on Friday to do all it can for the health of a Palestinian prisoner who has been on hunger strike for the past 55 days in protest at his detention without charge. Robert Serry, the UN Special Coordinator for the Middle East peace process, said he "follows with concern reports about the deteriorating conditions" of Khader Adnan, who has been refusing food since December 18 -- longer than any Palestinian prisoner before him, according to Palestinian officials. Serry said he "calls on the government of Israel to do everything in its power to preserve the health of the prisoner and resolve this case while abiding by all legal obligations under international law."
link to news.yahoo.com

Israeli hospital: Khader Adnan risks dying
RAMALLAH (Reuters) 9 Feb -- A Palestinian prisoner on hunger strike for 55 days to protest against his detention without trial by Israel is refusing medical treatment and his life is in danger, a hospital spokeswoman said Thursday. Khader Adnan, 33, a member of Islamic Jihad, has been refusing to eat since mid-December, shortly after his arrest in the occupied West Bank, and has only drunk liquids since then. "He is not in good shape. People on a hunger strike for more than 50 days are in real danger. The doctors are extremely concerned," said Yael Shavit, spokeswoman for Sieff Hospital in the northern Israeli town of Safed, where Adnan has been taken. "He refuses to accept any treatment. He has not agreed to be hooked up to an IV," she said, referring to intravenous infusion. Palestinian officials say it is the longest hunger strike yet undertaken by a Palestinian prisoner and if Adnan dies, they expect major protests in the West Bank and Gaza Strip. Adnan's wife, Randa, denies media reports that he is a leader of Islamic Jihad
link to www.maannews.net

Interview: Ex-prisoner reflects on friendship with Khader Adnan and his hunger strike for justice
EI 9 Feb by Bekah Wolf -- Mousa Abu Maria spent nearly five years, from 1999 to 2003, in Israeli prisons. He spent an additional 14 months, from 2008 to 2009, in administrative detention (without charge or trial). He, like current hunger striker Khader Adnan, was subjected to cruel and inhuman treatment and torture as part of his interrogation. In 2001, he shared a cell with Adnan. Abu Maria, a member of the popular committee in the West Bank village Beit Ommar and co-founder of the Palestine Solidarity Project, spoke to Bekah Wolf about Khader Adnan, who is being held by Israel without charge and has entered his 55th day of hunger strike.
link to electronicintifada.net

IN PHOTOS: On hunger strike in Gaza / Mya Guarnieri
AIC 10 Feb -- A number of Gazans have joined Khader Adnan's hunger strike to protest the inhumane conditions that Palestinian political prisoners face in Israeli jails. Israel often holds Palestinians in administrative detention without charges, depriving detainees of their right to due process. Adnan has been on hunger strike for 55 days and is currently hospitalized in Israel. While Adnan and his lawyers is contesting his administrative detention, the Israeli judge who heard the case yesterday declined to issue an immediate decision. Addameer Prisoner Support and Human Rights Association said that the delay "may prove fatal."  Here, Gazans fast at a protest tent in support of Adnan. Some lie in beds, with shackles, to simulate Adnan's current condition.
link to www.alternativenews.org

Other political detention

Israeli military court extends administrative detention for civil right lawyer Dr. Yousef Abdul Haq
9 Feb -- The Israel military court has extended administrative detention for two months in addition to three months already detained for civil rights lawyer Dr. Yousef Abdul Haq, a lecturer at An-Najah National University and the Cultural Coordinator for the Tanweer Palestinian Cultural Enlightenment Forum, currently detained in Ofer Prison near Ramallah. Yousef Abdul Haq was arrested November 7th, 2011 at his home at 2:00 AM, suffering from illness which requires constant dosage of medicine,  forcing his transfer to a hospital immediately after his arrest in Ramla. He was sentenced to two months in administrative detention immediately.
link to palsolidarity.org

IOF soldiers summon journalist, arrest his brother
AL-KHALIL (PIC) 9 Feb -- Israeli occupation forces (IOF) stormed Arub refugee camp to the north of Al-Khalil at dawn Thursday and served a summons to journalist Ala’a Al-Titi and arrested his brother Abdul Qader. Local sources told the PIC reporter that a big number of IOF soldiers stormed the three-story building of Jabr Al-Titi and a shop that belongs to the family and searched them thoroughly.
link to www.palestine-info.co.uk

Israeli forces arrest three Palestinian minors
HEBRON (WAFA) 9 Feb – Israeli forces Thursday arrested three Palestinian minors from the old city of the northern West Bank city of Hebron, according to security sources. Sources told WAFA that Israeli forces arrested three Palestinian minors; two of them 14 years old and a 15-year-old, after storming the old city and raiding several Palestinian houses along with firing gas and sound bombs. Forces also stormed several towns in the Hebron area, including west of Ithna, south of Yatta and al-Samou‘, setting up military checkpoints at their entrances
link to english.wafa.ps

Gaza

Egyptian-Palestinian talks on Gaza's power crisis
CAIRO (PIC) 10 Feb -- A responsible source at the Egyptian ministry of electricity and energy said that an Egyptian-Palestinian meeting will take place next week to discuss the power crises in the Gaza Strip and the help that Egypt can provide to Gaza in this field. A Qatari media sources said on Thursday that a high level delegation headed by Kanaan Obaid who is in charge of electricity supply in Gaza is due to arrive in Cairo to hold talks with senior officials at the ministry of electricity and energy in Egypt. The source said that the energy authority of the Palestinian government in Gaza warned on Thursday that the Gaza Strip will suffer a blackout  in 27 hours unless fuel supplies are allowed into the Strip to run the sole power station.
link to www.palestine-info.co.uk/

Gaza ministry announces end to passport denials
GAZA CITY (Ma‘an) 10 Feb -- Gaza's ministry of interior called on Friday for all citizens who had been denied a passport to register for travel documents in the Gaza Strip. Fair access to travel documents was a tenet of the reconciliation deal agreed between Fatah and Hamas last May. A Gaza-based committee representing those without passports said on Sunday that thousands were still without travel documents.  The ministry said all citizens needing a passport should register at Hamas-affiliated Change and Reform party's offices in Gaza before Saturday at noon. Payment will be requested after the passport is issued, the ministry added.
link to www.maannews.net

Qassam fired from Gaza; structures damaged
Ynet 10 Feb --  A Qassam rocket was fired from the Gaza Strip at Israel Friday night, and exploded in a community in Ashkelon Coast Regional Council. No injuries were reported, but a few structures sustained damage. Earlier, Palestinian sources in the Gaza Strip reported that IDF forces opened fire at an Islamic Jihad military post in the northern Strip. According to the sources, one Palestinian was lightly injured and evacuated to a hospital.
link to www.ynetnews.com

Activism / Solidarity

3rd annual Global Day of Action to open Shuhada (Apartheid) Street
10 Feb Youth against Settlements -- This year, Palestinian activists in Hebron are planning a week of activities to commemorate the Baruch Goldstein Massacre and demand the opening of Shuhada [Martyrs] Street. The planned activities in Hebron are as follows: Monday 20/02/2012: Photo Exhibition about the Ibrahim Mosque Massacre and Non-violent Resistance in Palestine; Tuesday 21/02/2012: Tour For Israeli Parliament Members (if possible)....
link to palsolidarity.org

Turtles in Aqraba
ISM 10 Feb by 'Jonas Weber' -- ...We were planting trees in the small village of Aqraba, putting up pictures of our missed friends Rachel Corrie and Vittario Arrigoni. Men and women, young and old were helping out with the planting, and we were treated to tea sweet as syrup. Aqaba has lost 144,000 dunums of land to the ten illegal settlements surrounding the village. A road is being built between the settlements of Itamar and Gittit, effectively grabbing even more of the 17,000 dunums still in the village's possession. After the planting some villagers insisted on showing us something on the other side of the mountain adjacent to the hillside on which we were planting the trees. We went down the slope between the blooming red, yellow, and purple flowers. We crossed the road leading from Itamar to Gittit and started climbing around the hill on the other side. From a rock right next to the trail a turtle watched us wobble past a hyena's nest with our arms stretched out to our sides, so as not to lose our balance.
link to palsolidarity.org

Political developments

Fatah official: Palestine seeks Arab support for halt to Israel talks
BETHLEHEM (Ma‘an) 10 Feb -- Fatah Central Committee member Mahmoud Al-Aloul said Friday that Palestinian leaders will seek Arab support for their decision not to return to direct negotiations with Israel, after exploratory talks ended last month without agreement. PLO officials are set to brief the Arab League follow-up committee on Sunday, after Palestinian and Israeli envoys met for a series of talks in Jordan before an international Quartet deadline of Jan. 26 to submit proposals on borders and security issues. Al-Aloul told Ma‘an: "There will not be any more meetings with the Israelis. No one has any illusion that negotiations will lead to results, and we will ask the Arab committee to support our position."
link to www.maannews.net

Netanuyahu refuses EU demands to release detainees
IMEMC 10 Feb -- Israeli Prime Minister, Benjamin Netanyahu, rejected demands presented by representatives of the European Union (E.U.) to release a number of Palestinian political prisoners under a confidence-building measure that would also increase popular support to president Mahmoud Abbas. The Palestine News Network (PNN) reported that a number of E.U. counties also called for creating a “Blacklist” that would include the names of extremist Israeli settlers, in order to prevent them from traveling to E.U. countries. The settlers will likely be those who did not only attack Palestinians but also attacked Israeli soldiers and policemen.
link to www.imemc.org

Report: PA rejects Israeli incentive package
Ynet 10 Feb --  The Palestinian Authority has recently rejected an Israeli "incentive package" meant to encourage the PA's return to the negotiating table, Ynet learned Friday. A senior Palestinian official told Ynet that Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas rejected the deal, which would have seen Israel free 30 Palestinian prisoners, some of whom were arrested prior to the Oslo Accords; as well as extend the Palestinian security forces' authority in Area B.
link to www.ynetnews.com

PLC chief: Not illegal for Abbas to head govt
BETHLEHEM (Ma‘an) 10 Feb -- The secretary-general of the Palestinian parliament said Thursday that President Mahmoud Abbas faces no legal problems in taking on the role of prime minister, as agreed by Hamas and Fatah leaders last week. Hamas legislators and political analysts have critiqued the deal between ‘Abbas and Hamas chief Khalid Masha‘al, which will see the president head an interim government to unite Gaza and the West Bank in preparation for fresh elections. But Palestinian Legislative Council head Ibrahim Khreisheh said the appointment does not break any Palestinian laws, and expressed his support of the deal.
link to www.maannews.net

Hamas leader visits Iran after outreach to Gulf
TEHRAN (AP) 10 Feb – An Iranian semiofficial news agency reports that the Hamas prime minister of Gaza has arrived in Tehran. The visit may be an attempt by the Palestinian militant movement to avoid snubbing Iran even as it cultivates ties with the wealthy Gulf. The Friday report by Fars says Ismail Haniyeh will meet Iranian leaders, despite what the agency claimed were efforts by Gulf countries like Qatar and Kuwait to stop the visit.
link to old.news.yahoo.com

Water

The 'water occupation' of Palestine / Stuart Littlewood
There are few crimes more despicable then stealing your neighbor's water, and polluting what's left, then watching him and his children suffer thirst, disease and ruin. Most of us would want nothing to do with the perpetrators of such evil. British Water describes itself as the voice of the water industry. It talks about best practice and corporate responsibility, and lobbies governments and regulators on behalf of its members. No doubt it does a good job. It also has international ambitions including in the Middle East. So presumably it knows what's going on water-wise in the Holy Land ... The Israeli newspaper Haaretz last month reported on the French parliament's Foreign Affairs Committee findings on the geopolitical impact of water in confrontation zones like Israel-Palestine. According to the report water has become "a weapon serving the new apartheid… Some 450,000 Israeli settlers on the West Bank use more water than the 2.3 million Palestinians that live there. In times of drought, in contravention of international law, the [illegal] settlers get priority for water".
link to www.uruknet.info

UK helps Israel steal Palestinian water
PressTV 10 Feb --  Britain has decided to help the Israeli regime steal water from Palestinians, while even the Israeli press describe the act as a ‘water occupation.’  British Water, which represents the UK water industry supply chain, signed an agreement with Israel in December which received no media coverage. The agreement was not even published on British Water’s website. However, the Israeli regime’s embassy in London proudly reported the agreement.
link to www.presstv.ir

Palestine, France discuss preparations for water forum
JERUSALEM (WAFA) 9 Feb – Head of the Palestinian Water Authority Shaddad Attili and French Minister Henri de Raincourt Thursday discussed ways of cooperation between the two countries and preparations for the water forum. Spokesman of the French Ministry of Foreign Affairs Bernard Valero said, in a statement issued by the Consulate General of France in Jerusalem, that the two ministers discussed necessary steps needed to implement the right to access water in Palestine. De Raincourt welcomed Palestine’s constructive participation to prepare for the forum held in Marseille in March.
link to english.wafa.ps

UNDP celebrates launching of Combat Desertification strategy in Palestine
RAMALLAH (WAFA) 9 Feb – The United Nations Development Program (UNDP) Thursday celebrated, in an official ceremony in Ramallah, the launching of the National Strategy to Combat Desertification in the occupied Palestinian Territory (oPT). The Palestinian Ministry of agricultural in cooperation and full coordination with all relevant parties prepared the agricultural sector strategy; the ‘Shared Vision 2011-2013’ which focused on efficiently and sustainably managing the natural resources in Palestine through increasing water availability and supply management as well as through improving the demand for agricultural water ... Mauring said that in February 2010, 193 countries have ratified the United Nations Convention to Combat Desertification.  The Palestinian Authority was not among them, but now we are very close to the day where the Palestinian Authority will be the country 194.
link to english.wafa.ps

Israeli racism / discrimination

Ethiopian Israelis face increasing discrimination
AIC 9 Feb -- 1500 Israelis of Ethiopian origin demonstrated recently against Israeli racism and discrimination outside the parliament in Jerusalem. The protest took place after some landlords in Kiryat Malachi, which is home to a large Ethiopian Israeli population, refused to rent to Ethiopian Jews. “Israelis don’t want to have Ethiopians around,” says Shoko, an Israeli woman who provides counselling to Ethiopian youths in Haifa. “Their excuse to not rent flats to Ethiopians is that they are noisy...and they eat injera, which is a  ‘stinky’ bread, and its strong smell spreads all over the neighbouring area. In reality, Israelis don’t like Ethiopians because they are black...”
link to www.alternativenews.org

Other news

Palestine becomes member of International Council of Tourism Partners
HAWAII/BRUSSELS (WAFA) 9 Feb -- The International Council of Tourism Partners (ICTP) announced on Thursday that the Palestine Ministry of Tourism and Antiquity has become a member of this alliance of destinations, according to a press release issued by ICTP.ICTP president Geoffrey Lipman said: 'We are particularly excited about Palestine joining ICTP…it is one of the most iconic destinations on the planet containing some of mankind's great historical and cultural treasures…to support the evolution of its green growth future will be a privilege for our organization.'
link to english.wafa.ps

Report: UN confirms Israeli fence near Lebanese village
BEIRUT (Ma‘an) 10 Feb -- A UN peacekeeping official said Israeli forces have erected a barbed wire fence along its frontier with Lebanon, Lebanese media reported on Thursday. The barrier lies in a disputed area near Lebanese village Adaisseh, Lebanon's The Daily Star reported. "On the night of Feb. 7-8 in the general area of Adaysseh Israeli troops laid concertina wire to mark the mine field after prior notification to UNIFIL," spokesperson Neeraj Singh said in a statement. Israeli media reported in early January that the Israeli army plans to build a new 5-meter high and 1-kilometer long wall on the country's northern ceasefire line with Lebanon.
link to www.maannews.net

Israel boosts naval forces in natural gas fields
TEL AVIV (UPI) 9 Feb -- The Israeli government plans to build a floating liquefied natural gas terminal with a sea-based defense radar system off its Mediterranean coast while forming a naval force to protect its rich offshore gas fields against terrorist attack. The terminal, which is scheduled to pump 87.25 billion cubic feet of imported gas into Israel's energy network annually, is intended as a stopgap until the Jewish state's new fields go on-stream in 2013 at the earliest. The new fields, Leviathan and the smaller Tamar field, hold an estimated 25 trillion cubic feet of gas. Major new strikes are expected as Noble Energy Co., which has its headquarters in Texas, and its Israelis partners, extend exploration ... Israel's big finds, which are likely to extend into Cypriot and Lebanese waters, significantly alter the strategic energy picture in the eastern Mediterranean ... Lebanon, with which Israel is technically at war -- they clashed in a 34-day war in the summer of 2006 -- claims Israel's Leviathan field extends into Lebanese waters.
link to www.upi.com

'Anonymous' hacker group threatens 'reign of terror' against Israel
Haaretz 10 Feb -- Group uploads video blaming Israel for committing 'crimes against humanity,' and criticizes its treatment of Palestinians ... The video also makes reference to the possibility of an Israeli strike on Iran, claiming that Israel has “taken steps to ensure a nuclear holocaust,” and that it will not be allowed “to attack a sovereign country based upon a campaign of lies.” Moreover, the video threatens to start a crusade against Israel that will take the form of three steps, only revealing that the first of these steps will attempt to systematically remove Israel from the internet.
link to www.haaretz.com

PA security detains 56 in Israeli-held Hebron zone
HEBRON (Ma‘an) 10 Feb -- Palestinian security forces detained 56 Palestinians sheltering in the Israeli-controlled section of Hebron early Friday, after coordination with Israeli authorities. The dawn raid was the second Palestinian incursion into Hebron's H2 area in recent weeks, under full Israeli control since a 1997 deal split the city. A Palestinian security official told Ma‘an the sweep of arrests was permitted by Israeli authorities after pressure from Europe and the US. Residents told a Ma‘an correspondent they hoped the raid would end the use of the Israeli-zone as a refuge by criminals ... A security official told Ma‘an at the time there was no longer any place to escape the law in Hebron. "Outlaws will have nowhere to go except Palestinian prison after today," he said.
link to www.maannews.net

Egyptian military officers 'kidnapped'
EL-ARISH, Egypt (Ma‘an) -- The Azazma Bedouin tribe has kidnapped 17 Egyptian border officers after one of its members was killed trying to sneak into Israel, security sources said Thursday ... A gas pipeline running from Egypt to Israel was targeted Sunday, and militant group Ansar al-Jihad claimed responsibility saying it was in retaliation for the death in Egyptian custody of the group's leader ... Ansar al-Jihad said it carried out the explosion in the Massaeed area west of the Mediterranean coastal town of el-Arish. Gas pumping was stopped after the explosion on the pipeline, which supplies Israel and Jordan.
link to www.maannews.net

Israel teams with terror group to kill Iran's nuclear scientists, US officials tell NBC News
MSNBC 9 Feb -- Deadly attacks on Iranian nuclear scientists are being carried out by an Iranian dissident group that is financed, trained and armed by Israel’s secret service, U.S. officials tell NBC News, confirming charges leveled by Iran’s leaders. The group, the People’s Mujahedin of Iran, has long been designated as a terrorist group by the United States, accused of killing American servicemen and contractors in the 1970s and supporting the takeover of the U.S. Embassy in Tehran before breaking with the Iranian mullahs in 1980. The attacks, which have killed five Iranian nuclear scientists since 2007 and may have destroyed a missile research and development site, have been carried out in dramatic fashion, with motorcycle-borne assailants often attaching small magnetic bombs to the exterior of the victims’ cars. U.S. officials, speaking on condition of anonymity, said the Obama administration is aware of the assassination campaign but has no direct involvement.
link to rockcenter.msnbc.msn.com

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

When Israel’s conservative Supreme Court judge Asher Grunis wrote the majority opinion in the Citizenship Law case a few weeks ago, he quickly became the mascot for a particularly naked kind of discrimination, one that proudly subordinates human rights and equality to racism and nationalism. “Human rights are not a prescription for national suicide,” Grunis wrote in the decision upholding the law that prevents Palestinians who marry Israelis from living with their spouses.

Well, now it looks like Grunis is getting a promotion. Earlier today, he was confirmed as the new president of Israel’s Supreme Court, an institution which, even under the most “liberal” of judges, has been eyeball-deep in the discrimination business.

Grunis’s path to the chief judgeship was recently cleared with the help of the “Grunis bill,” a handy bit of legislative intervention that did away with the rule preventing judges with less than three years until retirement from being appointed chief justice. Under the old law, Grunis, who has less than three years until he retires, would be ineligible. But Grunis had strong backers among National Union types like Yaakov Katz, who were only too eager to massage the process and secure the top judicial spot for a fellow conservative traveler with a long record of judicial passivity. As a former Supreme Court justice told Haaretz, "It is no secret that Grunis holds rigidly to the idea of reducing the powers of the Supreme Court, and that is why 'wild weeds' on the right want him as president. He is their 'favorite son.'"

With Grunis’s ascent, Israel's Supreme Court officially ends its so-called "liberal-democratic" phase (though, truth be told, it was neither liberal or democratic) and enters what might be called its radical-fanatical right-wing phase. Just last month, the court got its first settler-judge, Judge Noam Sohlberg -- that's right, a man who regularly violates international law is now a member of the highest court in the land, as Eyal Clyne pointed out -- and Grunis will have vast authority over future judicial appointments.

As a prominent lawyer told Haaretz:

"He will wield the greatest influence on the Judicial Appointments Committee, whose members already include right-wing MKs and the justice minister, and they are fighting tooth and nail to do what they did in the army: to introduce religiously observant settlers into the middle ranks of the courts," the lawyer says. "Not only in the district courts but in the Supreme Court as well. They expect Grunis to help them. I am not sure they can count on that - let's hope he will surprise us. He is not a great hero and not one for doing battle. He is certainly not brave."

Make no mistake: even during its "liberal-Democratic" heyday, the Israeli Supreme Court, to say nothing of the lower courts was not terribly brave. It upheld occupation, settlement, siege, torture and a host of other moral outrages. So in some ways, the rise of Grunis represents little more than the stripping down, or disrobing, if you will, of the myth of the robust Israeli justice system. On the other hand, it is a distinct shift and with it, another critical moment in Israel's long moral suicide.

About a week ago the David Project co-produced a video, where a full cast of unpaid college students parodied the newest cannon of viral YouTube videos with "Sh*t people say about Israel."  The video depicts "college students" making generalizations about Israel, or asking naive questions, and closes with a standard hasbara line: Israel wants peace. 

In the video, one brunette co-ed says, "I heard everyone there is in the army." Then, twirling her hair follows up with "are you in the army?"  Another sits with a friend eating from a Sabra container and asks, "is it Hamas or hummus?"  Later, what appears to be a student giving a presentation in class says, "Israel uses disproportionate force against the Palestinians," backed with a clip of, "Jews have no connection to the land of Israel." 

The purpose behind the statements and questions in the video is to demonstrate that people who support the Palestinian cause, are uninformed on Israel, its society and politics.  At the end, the video concludes with a bunch of clips where confused looking people say "you mean Palestine?" and then the punchline:

'No, we mean Israel. Because Israel wants peace. Israel is the only democracy in the Middle East. Jews have been in Israel for over 3,000 years. Israel wants peace. Hamas doesn't want peace. Peace, peace, peace, peace.'

Last fall the David Project created a department that trains college students in multimedia production.  The program, Israel Video Advocacy Project was held in November in Baltimore, MD, where the hasbara group brought sixteen students together for a crash course in production.  Dubbed as "video advocacy" in order to "create a positive atmosphere towards Israel on campus," the David Project also provided each participant with "a flip camera and a USB wrist-band loaded with video-specific links and resources, as well as general Israel campus advocacy information." 

The program is in its pilot year, and "Sh*t people say about Israel" is the first video. (For a double-whammy of sexism and hasbara, check out "Shit Girls Say (Taglit Birthright Israel Parody."

Post-racial racism

In early January comedian Franchesca Ramsey created the online video genre that "Sh*t people say about Israel" models.  She produced what Colorlines calls a "popular and critical examination of race," through her video "Shit White Girls Say…to Black Girls."  In the short, Ramsey, clad in a blond wig uses a voice that pitches the perfect imitation of "not trying to be racist" and being very racist, while asking a series of naive questions to the camera. What makes the video funny is that the perspective is from a black spectator and mocks the notion of a "post-racial" society.

People loved the videos and in days over a million viewed it.  Young people also started making their own, which reflected their particular experience.  "Shit white girls say...to Arabs," reflecting growing Islamophobia and Orientalist attitudes, "Shit White Girls Say... To Brown (Desi/Indian) Girls," reflecting widespread appropriation of Indian culture. 

Though, not all of the videos engage in a constructive discussion of race and gender.  In addition to the videos above, a series of well-made "Shit girls say" videos hit it big online, however in this series men dressed up as women, and depicted women as annoying, insecure and self-obsessed. As Samhita Mukhopadhyay writes at Feministling these videos further gender stereotypes rather than deconstruct them. 

If Ramsey's video is to explore the gaze of the oppressed, a more apropos video would be called, "Sh*t Zionist say to Palestinians."  However, no one has made that video yet.