and other news from Today in Palestine, for Saturday Nov. 27:
Settlers/ Land, Property, Resource Theft & Destruction/Ethnic Cleansing
25 rendered homeless in latest Israeli demolition
HEBRON (Ma’an) — The extended family of Iyad and Muhammad Musleh Al-Amour, 25 men, women and children in total, had their 250 square meter home demolished by Israeli Civil Administration forces early on Thursday. The home, in the Ad-Derat area east of Yatta in the southern West Bank, was razed using heavy machinery and in the presence of personnel from 15 military jeeps. Officials on the scene said the home had no permit.
http://www.maannews.net/eng/ViewDetails.aspx?ID=335953
Army Demolishes A House In Yatta VIllage
The Palestine News and Information Center,WAFA, reported on Thursday that Israeli soldiers demolished a house of that belongs to two brothers identified as Iyad and Mohammad Al-Ummor, in the village of Yatta in the eastern part of the southern West Bank city of Hebron.
http://www.imemc.org/article/60011
Israeli Forces Demolish Mosque in a wave of West Bank Demolitions
Israeli forces demolished Palestinian homes in the Jordan Valley and the South Hebron Hills today in what seems as a wave of demolitions following yesterday’s demolitions all across the West Bank. Non-violent leaders from Beit Ummar have also been arrested in night raids. Grassroots organizers Mousa and Yousef Abu Maria were arrested from their homes as harassment continues in Beit Ummar
http://josephdana.com/2010/11/israeli-forces-demolish-mosque-in-a-wave-of-west-bank-demolitions/
BBC puts mosque between quotation marks
“Israel razes West Bank ‘mosque’” If an Arab puts a “synagogue” between quotation marks, cries of anti-Semitic would follow and the ADL would call on the UN Security Council to convene.
http://angryarab.blogspot.com/2010/11/bbc-puts-mosque-between-quotation-marks.html
Israeli settlers expand presence in east Jerusalem (AFP)
AFP – Jewish settlers moved into a house in the Al-Tur district of occupied east Jerusalem on Wednesday, just hours after Israeli officials razed another Palestinian home in the same neighbourhood.
http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/mideast/*http://news.yahoo.com/s/afp/20101124/wl_mideast_afp/israelpalestiniansconflictjerusalem
Eviction Notices Not Enforced Against Hebron’s Squatter Settlers, Palestine Monitor
This week saw Palestinian shopkeepers from Hebron petition the High Court of Israel to honour an eviction notice given to settlers over two and a half years ago. In 2001 settlers moved illegally into part of Hebron market, which remains under the control of Israel’s Civil Administration. Today a number of settler families are squatting there, a presence which has severely reduced the numbers of Palestinian visitors and damaged the local economy.
http://www.palestinemonitor.org/spip/spip.php?article1629
Israel destroyed his home: if you are an American liberal who supports Israel, don’t talk to me
http://angryarab.blogspot.com/2010/11/israel-destroyed-his-home-if-you-are.html
Our Story Released on DVD, Palestine Monitor
After generations of one-sided analysis of the Israel-Palestinian conflict, Dr. Mustafa Barghouthi’s ‘Our Story’ finally provides a Palestinian perspective on the history of occupation and ethnic cleansing. Following an enthusiastic international reception and cinematic release, ‘Our Story’ provides a definitive account of Palestinian history, charting occupation and displacement from 1948 up to the present day. Featuring shocking accounts from the Gaza war, the film is a must for anybody who wishes to hear the untold truths behind the Palestinian-Israeli conflict.
http://www.palestinemonitor.org/spip/spip.php?article1628
Activism/Solidarity/Boycott, Divestment & Sanctions
Four Detained, Many Treated for Tear Gas Inhalation During W.B. Anti Wall Protests
Ghassan Bannoura- PNN - This week four were arrested and dozens of civilians were treated for the effects of tear gas inhalation as Israeli troops attacked anti wall protests organized at a number of Locations in the West Bank. Israeli troops detained three Israeli peace activists and one young Palestinian man during the weekly Friday non-violent demonstration in the village of al-Ma’sara , south of Bethlehem.
http://english.pnn.ps/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=9198
Palestinians demonstrate in Jerusalem against house appropriations
Hundreds of Palestinians demonstrated Friday in the Sheikh Jarrah suburb in Jerusalem to protest the occupation policy of confiscating Palestinian property and passing it on to settlers.
http://www.palestine-info.co.uk/En/default.aspx?xyz=U6Qq7k%2bcOd
Majida Abu Rahmah: Al Eid Without a Father and Husband
Al Eid is a holy time of the year for Muslims, when families gather and visit each other. But with my husband in Israeli jail, it’s hard to enjoy this Al Eid in the same way.
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/majda-abu-rahmah/eid-without-a-father-and-_b_786670.html
Jewish settlements targeted in divestment campaign (AP)
AP – There is a budding movement by foreign investors and activists to join a Palestinian campaign against companies doing business in the West Bank — aimed at hitting them in their pockets.
http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/mideast/*http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20101124/ap_on_bi_ge/ml_israel_broadening_boycott
Scandinavian funds divest from companies involved in occupation of Palestinian land
Activists with the Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions movement (http://www.bdsmovement.net) claimed another victory on Wednesday as Swedish and Norwegian pension funds announced their divestment from companies doing business in Israeli settlements or with the Israeli military occupying Palestinian land.
http://www.imemc.org/article/60005
#BDS: Another BDS victory: TEEU votes to Boycott Israel
At its biennial conference last weekend, the Technical Engineering and Electrical Union (TEEU) unanimously voted to “support for a boycott campaign of Israeli goods and services and a policy of disinvestment from Israeli companies” as a result of the Israeli state’s continuing breaches of international law and human rights abuses against the people of Palestinian. The Ireland-Palestine Solidarity Campaign (IPSC) welcomed the passing of the motion[1].
http://youthanormalization.blogspot.com/2010/11/bds-another-bds-victory-teeu-votes-to.html
Princeton students: Boycott Sabra hummus
Palestinian group wants Israeli product removed from campus stores because it serves ‘occupation’.
http://www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7340,L-3990406,00.html
USPCN Endorses Minnesota Break the Bonds Campaign
Building upon the USPCN Popular Conference 2010, and its National Call to Action, the US Palestinian Community Network is pleased to announce its endorsement of the Minnesota Break the Bonds Campaign. MN Break the Bonds Campaign (MN BBC) is a movement advocating for the state of Minnesota to divest from Israel Bonds in solidarity with the 2005 Palestinian Call for BDS (Boycott, Divestments and Sanctions) – http://mn.breakthebonds.org/?p=393
http://palestineconference.org/wp/2010/11/24/uspcn-endorses-minnesota-break-the-bonds-campaign/
Confronting the Hebron Settlers in New York, Max Blumenthal
I stood with about 100 demonstrators outside Chelsea Piers in silent protest of the Hebron Fund’s cruise. A group from J Street’s campus division protested nearby, but would not stand with us, which was weird but not unexpected. Regardless, it was nice to see that a few liberal Zionists were willing to back up their talk about removing settlements to make a Palestinian state possible. I hung around for an hour with good people like Joseph Dana, Noam Sheizaf, Adam Shapiro and Huwaida Arraf, Emily Henochowicz, Rebecca Vilkomersen, the Bitar family, Daniel Levy, Daniel May and a former Givati brigade soldier who turned his back on the occupation and now wears a Cynthia McKinney button emblazoned on his IDF uniform.
http://maxblumenthal.com/2010/11/confronting-the-hebron-settlers-in-new-york/
#BDS: The Fall – The Fall Gig Targeted By Protesters
British rockers THE FALL were targeted by protesters at their London show on Tuesday night (23Nov10) over their plans to play in Israel next year (11). The post-punk band took to the stage at the Electric Ballroom but their performance was marred by a group of activists who gathered outside the venue waving banners and placards. The protesters are angry about the band’s decision to schedule a concert in Tel Aviv in January (11) and they are urging the group to scrap the show and boycott the country over unrest in the Gaza Strip.
The band’s gig went ahead uninterrupted, according to NME.com.
http://youthanormalization.blogspot.com/2010/11/bds-fall-fall-gig-targeted-by.html
#BDS: Tell Amazon shoppers it’s not OK to buy apartheid products
Would you buy products tested on animals, or that you know to be environmentally destructive, or exploit child labor? If you know that a product harms others or violates international law, shouldn’t you boycott it? #BDS: Tell Amazon shoppers it’s not OK to buy apartheid products
Below, please sign up to help us ”save (the) amazon!” It’s not good for the world’s biggest online retailer to sell products that support inhumane policies.
http://youthanormalization.blogspot.com/2010/11/bds-tell-amazon-shoppers-its-not-ok-to_24.html
#BDS: Act now: Tell BT to hang up on the Occupation
BT is complicit in Israel’s crimes against the Palestinian people. BT has recently allowed Israeli company Bezeq into its exclusive BT alliance club. Bezeq provides telecommunications support for Israel’s illegal settlements in the Occupied Palestinian Territories. BT will remain complicit in Israel’s breaches of international law unless it cuts all ties with Bezeq International. Using the form below, write to BT Chief Executive Ian Livingston to demand that the company hang up on the Occupation.
http://youthanormalization.blogspot.com/2010/11/bds-act-now-tell-bt-to-hang-up-on.html
Thousands write to BT about complicity in occupation
Two weeks after the launch of Disconnect Now, thousands of people have emailed BT asking for an end to the company’s complicity in illegal Israeli settlements in the Occupied Palestinian Territories. As BT ignores the human rights implications of their relationship with Bezeq International, activists are calling for people to phone BT and tell them to disconnect now. A Just Peace for Palestine, along with campaign coalition members War on Want, Jews for Justice for Palestinians, and Palestine Solidarity Campaign, are yet to receive any formal response from BT to their letter calling for a meeting to discuss our concerns.
http://stopthewall.org/worldwideactivism/2403.shtml
#BDS: Veolia and Alstom feel the heat – BNC calls for intensifying pressure!
Occupied Palestine, November 2010 – Veolia and Alstom, the two French companies involved in the construction and management of a tramway linking west Jerusalem with illegal Israeli colonial settlements in Occupied Palestinian Territory, described by the UN Human Rights Council as a “clear violation of international law and relevant United Nations resolutions,”1 have both recently been reported to be selling their shares in the consortium that manages the project. There can be little doubt that Veolia and Alstom are responding to the overwhelming campaigns launched against them by the Palestinian-led global movement for boycotts, divestment and sanctions against Israel until it complies with international law (BDS). Campaigners have successfully lobbied for the exclusion of Veolia and Alstom from several large public sector contracts and investment funds – the BDS movement has shown that there is a price to pay for actively supporting Israel‟s system of occupation, colonisation and apartheid.
http://youthanormalization.blogspot.com/2010/11/bds-veolia-and-alstom-feel-heat-bnc.html
Volvo equipment enabling torture, facilitating occupation
Volvo prides itself on being a byword for sturdiness, safety and reliability. After a careful examination of the vehicle-maker’s investment in Israel, perhaps it should also become synonymous with enabling torture.
http://electronicintifada.net/v2/article11640.shtml?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+electronicIntifadaPalestine+%28Electronic+Intifada+%3A+Palestine+News%29
Arava Institute claims to promote peace, but remains silent on justice, Adalah-NY
The Arava Institute’s online event “With Earth and Each Other,” held Sunday, November 14, exemplified why the Palestinian call for a boycott of Israeli academic and cultural institutions is vital. The event was billed as a celebration of Palestinians, Israelis and Jordanians working together for the environment. But it failed to educate viewers about the most basic facts of Israeli policies, and thus simply reinforced the status quo. The event, billed as not “political,” suggested that the Middle East conflict can be resolved if people of different religions and ethnicities are nicer to each other. It presented no information on the fundamental and systematic inequalities that are at the root of the conflict.
https://mondoweiss.net/2010/11/arava-institute-claims-to-promote-peace-while-remaining-silent-on-justice.html
Siege/Rights Violations/Restriction of Movement
Industrial Fuel – Needs Vs. Supply – Oct 24 – Nov 20
http://www.gazagateway.org/2010/11/industrial-fuel-%e2%80%93-needs-vs-supply-%e2%80%93-oct-24-%e2%80%93-nov-20/
Goods – Needs Vs. Supply – Oct 24 – Nov 20
http://www.gazagateway.org/2010/11/goods-%e2%80%93-needs-vs-supply-%e2%80%93-oct-24-%e2%80%93-nov-20/
Photostory: somber holiday under occupation
The holiday of Eid al-Ahda — the Feast of the Sacrifice — is celebrated by Muslims across the world to commemorate the prophet Abraham’s sacrifice of a sheep in the place of his son Ishmael. Palestine is no different than most countries where the holiday is observed, but with one notable exception: the Israeli occupation. Photographer Sanne Winderickx documents the Eid al-Adha holiday under occupation in the West Bank.
http://electronicintifada.net/v2/article11641.shtml?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+electronicIntifadaPalestine+%28Electronic+Intifada+%3A+Palestine+News%29
Racism and Discrimination
‘Washington Post’ columnist describes bald racism behind Israeli security, Philip Weiss
I keep saying that if our journalists only described conditions in Israel and Palestine honestly, Americans would rise up. But they don’t. Which makes all the more refreshing Joel Dreyfuss’s piece at the Washington Post, explaining why a multiethnic society would not wish to emulate Israel’s security methods at airports. At a time when many mainstream journalists are piping the line that Israel does it right, Dreyfuss recalls a trip to Israel five years ago. Dreyfuss, please go back and visit the West Bank and East Jerusalem and Negev and tell young Americans what’s going down, gov’t land theft carried out on a racial basis..:
https://mondoweiss.net/2010/11/washington-post-columnist-describes-bald-racism-behind-israeli-security.html
Violence/Aggression & Detainees
Israeli forces re-take Nablus during op
NABLUS (Ma’an) — Following an official hand over of military control to Palestinian Authority Security forces one week earlier, Israeli military vehicles were reported moving near the former government compound toward Joseph’s Tomb. Informed Palestinian security sources said the Israeli military had informed the appropriate officials ahead of what was described as a “security activity” in the eastern sector of Nablus, in the region of the Balata refugee camp mid-morning on Friday.
http://www.maannews.net/eng/ViewDetails.aspx?ID=336172
Jewish settlers open random fire at Qalaqalia village
A gang of Jewish settlers opened heavy fire on Palestinian homes on Wednesday in the village of Kafr Qadoum, east of Qalalia, the West Bank.
http://www.palestine-info.co.uk/En/default.aspx?xyz=U6Qq7k%2bcOd87MDI46m9rUxJEpMO%2bi1s7WtNl9YQmF5iHsEC6gxG4SCgVCqxBzI0%2b0wFmWNhtqs2X%2feibkisc0mBjc6SL%2fgAQsWaCTJfWt1j9Ii5CC2jJ9MzDikMNt1bXwoaKvf%2b32Dc%3d
Israel’s Arab Helpers
Abbas’s militia kidnap a number of pilgrims for meeting with Gaza pilgrims
Abbas’s militia kidnapped Majed al-Nouri and his nephew Hazem al-Nouri one day after their return from the pilgrimage trip under the pretext that they met with pilgrims from Gaza during pilgrimage.
http://www.palestine-info.co.uk/En/default.aspx?xyz=U6Qq7k%2bc
Hamas: PA detains 10 supporters in latest raids
BETHLEHEM (Ma’an) — Hamas officials in the West Bank accused the Palestinian Authority security services of detaining 10 of its supporters from three different municipal regions on Friday. A statement released the morning after the arrests accused the PA of “continuing their campaign against Hamas supporters,” naming ten affiliates from the Nablus, Tulkarem and Hebron regions who were reportedly detained overnight.
http://www.maannews.net/eng/ViewDetails.aspx?ID=336295
Egypt seizes 14 tunnels along Gaza border
AL-ARISH, Egypt (Ma’an) — Egyptian forces seized 14 tunnels on the border between Egypt and Gaza on Thursday, Egyptian security sources said. Two tunnels were seized in As-Sarsuria, where large quantities of paint and iron pipes were found, and a further 12 tunnels were found in Abu Halawa south of Salah Ad-Din, sources said.
http://www.maannews.net/eng/ViewDetails.aspx?ID=336218
Egypt refuses entry of nine “Hope” activists
The Egyptian authorities have informed organizers of the European aid convoy “Hope” that it would not allow nine of the accompanying activists to enter Egypt en route to deliver the aid to Gaza.
http://www.palestine-info.co.uk/En/default.aspx?xyz=U6Qq7k%2b
Political Developments
U.S. efforts to restart Mideast peace process stumbling
JERUSALEM, Nov. 25 (Xinhua) — Two months after the direct Israeli-Palestinian peace negotiations broke down, effort by the U. S. to restart them seems stumbling. When Israel’s 10-month freeze on Jewish settlement construction in the West Bank ended in September, so did the U.S.-sponsored peace talks between the two parties. The Palestinians insist that the negotiations can only be continued after settlement construction halts.
http://news.xinhuanet.com/english2010/world/2010-11/26/c_13622717.htm
Yediot’s defense analyst on the looming US-Israel ’security catastrophe’, Didi Remez
Alex Fishman is Yediot’s veteran defense analyst. Besides providing a detailed post-mortem of the latest fiasco in US-Israeli diplomacy, he makes a very blunt allegation: Netanyahu is selling out the IDF’s self-defined strategic interests and the good will of the US administration in order to buy political time. In the economic jargon that Netanyahu loves to use, this would be called paying for recurrent expenditures with the proceeds from the sale of national assets.
http://coteret.com/2010/11/26/yediot%e2%80%99s-defense-analyst-on-the-looming-us-israel-%e2%80%99security-catastrophe%e2%80%99/
Haniyeh, leftists stress need for unity
GAZA CITY (Ma’an) — Gaza Prime Minister Ismail Haniyeh met with a senior leftist leader in Gaza City on Tuesday, to discuss the latest on the reconciliation efforts between rival parties Hamas and Fatah. Democratic Front for the Liberation of Palestine official Salih Zeidan was invited to meet with Haniyeh, who said in a statement following the discussion, that reconciliation efforts were being held up by Fatah.
http://www.maannews.net/eng/ViewDetails.aspx?ID=335706
Egypt denies rumors that Dahlan is persona non grata
CAIRO (Ma’an) — The Egyptian Ministry of Foreign Affairs denied news reports Thursday alleging ministry officials had informed Fatah leader Mohammad Dahlan that he is persona non grata in the country. Sources in the ministry said in a statement that “the Egyptian government is standing by the side of the Palestinians and their cause to reach just solutions that will end division among them.”
http://www.maannews.net/eng/ViewDetails.aspx?ID=336128
Other News
Despite Netanyahu’s promises, battered Israeli women find no relief
Of the NIS 5 million the PM pledged, NIS 2 million was to be given as grants to women leaving shelters, enabling them to rent an apartment and finance other initial expenses.
http://www.haaretz.com/print-edition/news/despite-netanyahu-s-promises-battered-israeli-women-find-no-relief-1.326625?localLinksEnabled=false
Culture
‘My political party is my poem’, An evening with Palestinian poet Mourid Barghouti
In today’s fast-paced culture poetry readings can seem a little old-fashioned. But the faithful fans of Mourid Barghouti who recently gathered in Doha, Qatar, to hear the Palestinian poet were treated to an evening that was anything but quaint. The author holds a unique position in the Palestinian diaspora. His book, I saw Ramallah, is a seminal work. First published in Arabic in 1997, it has since been translated into many different languages and won him global acclaim. It is in turns warm and touching, funny and politically charged. The Palestinian intellectual Edward Said described it as “one of the finest existential accounts of Palestinian displacement we now have”.
http://english.aljazeera.net/indepth/2010/11/2010112616465725613.html
Mourid Barghouti poetry reading
Palestinian poet Mourid Barghouti gives a reading.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=c3Dgg3CceK4&feature=youtube_gdata
Analysis/Op-ed
Akiva Eldar / Referendum bill uses public as peace deal rubber stamp
Knesset approves bill mandating referendum before decision to withdraw from Israeli territory, but does not enable appeal against decision to reject a peace agreement.
http://www.haaretz.com/news/national/akiva-eldar-referendum-bill-uses-public-as-peace-deal-rubber-stamp-1.326858?localLinksEnabled=false
The Palestinian right of return is not for the US, Israel, or Israel’s supporters, to bargain away, Nima Shirazi
When discussing possible solutions to the current Israeli/Palestinian impasse during a recent panel discussion entitled “Jewish Perspectives on the Boycott/Divestment/Sanctions Movement,” participant Gil Kulick suggested a return to the proposals of the 2000 Clinton Parameters, the 2002 Nusseibeh-Ayalon agreement, and the 2003 Geneva Accords. This would effectively declare the Nakba a Zionist fait accompli and force us to pretend that a wholly demilitarized Palestinian state – existing on 42% of the 80% of the 22% of 100% of their original homeland - is a viable expression of nationhood. In terms of Israel’s actual legal obligations regarding the Palestinian right of return, Kulick said this: “The right of return will have to be exercised within the Palestinian state…and I think everyone understands that.”
https://mondoweiss.net/2010/11/the-palestinian-right-of-return-is-not-for-the-us-israel-or-israels-supporters-to-bargain-away.html
Should Palestine Declare Statehood?, Palestine Monitor
It would not be the first time. In 1988, the Palestine Liberation Organisation (PLO) unilaterally declared independence in Algeria. Other than an upgrade of the PLO’s 1974-acquired observer status though, the Algiers declaration did not have much effect. As dozens of countries – but none of the main Western players – endorsed the declaration, the occupation and the settlement-building went on, and Israel retained main control over the land, the resources and the population.
http://www.palestinemonitor.org/spip/spip.php?article1627
There is no “Talibanization” of Gaza
To accuse Hamas of marketing fundamentalism and extremism in the Gaza Strip is false and inaccurate. There is no “Talibanization” of Gaza. Such a claim is based on Israeli propaganda and the deliberately distorted accounts of those in Gaza who are politically and ideologically opposed to the government of Prime Minister Ismail Haniyeh. Ahmed Yousef, Deputy of the Palestinian Ministry of Foreign Affairs, comments for The Electronic Intifada.
http://electronicintifada.net/v2/article11639.shtml?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+electronicIntifadaPalestine+%28Electronic+Intifada+%3A+Palestine+News%29
No Palestinian State without Gaza, Ahmad Yousef – Gaza
To accuse Hamas of marketing fundamentalism and extremism in the Gaza Strip is false and inaccurate. There is no “Talibanization” of the Gaza. Such a claim is based on Israeli propaganda and the deliberately distorted accounts of those in Gaza who are politically and ideologically opposed to the government of Ismail Haniya. It is true that some individuals in the Ministry of the Interior and the Ministry of Awqaf and Religious Affairs have acted in an overzealous or misguided manner driven by their own concern to preserve what they see as the culture of the community but their actions were not done so on the basis of any governmental decision or a ministerial policy. In fact on a number of occasions the government directly intervened to reverse their misguided actions.
http://palestinechronicle.com/view_article_details.php?id=16441
America’s Latest $3 Billion Bribe to Israel
The danger in this latest American bribe is that it comes not as a reward for progress in talks, but as an incentive to the Netanyahu government to agree to stop carrying out actions that are considered illegal by the entire international community, including the US.
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/daoud-kuttab/americas-latest-3-billion_b_788334.html
Isabel Kershner is outraged
1) Israeli leaders, scholars, and journalists belittle or downplay or disregard Muslim and Christian feelings about Jerusalem on regular basis and that does not produce outrage in the articles of the New York Times. One lone PA guy (in the collaborationist government set up by Israel) writes one article on a website, and the whole world has to know about it. It becomes major news story. 2) Kershner said: ”About 200,000 Jews live in areas of East Jerusalem that have been developed since 1967…” Is “developed” another word for occupied now? 3) Why no article about the Wailing Wall talks about how the Zionist occupation forces destroyed an entire quarter (the Moroccan residential quarter) to make room for more worshipers at the Wall?
http://angryarab.blogspot.com/2010/11/isabel-kershner-is-outraged.html
What the Oslo Accords were about, from the mouths of babes. Literally, Didi Remez
In the second episode, broadcast Tuesday evening, the girls are quizzed in the Channel Ten TV News studio on the Israeli-Arab conflict by high-brow interviewer Yaron London and mythical Palestinian affairs reporter Yoram Binur. Most of the section is heart breaking. At one point, however, viewers are treated to a dose of honest wisdom that would never be broadcast on a “serious” venue [watch the entire episode here; the passage translated below starts at 48:14].
http://coteret.com/2010/11/25/what-the-oslo-accords-were-about-from-the-mouths-of-babes-literally/
Exposing Israel’s Fraudulent Third Periodic Report to the UN, Steven Lendman
On October 18, the Palestinian Centre for Human Rights offered an “Alternative Report” response to Israel’s submission, sent to the UN Committee on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights (CESCR). Submitting to the UN, Aharon Leshno Yaar, Israel’s Permanent Representative to Geneva said “Israel was proud of its long-lasting recognition of the inherent dignity and the equal and inalienable rights of all members of the human family,” omitting to explain he means only Jews, no others, especially Muslims. State belligerence for over six decades proves it. PCHR reviewed recent facts, documenting them in its report. Previous articles discussed them it detail, but they bear repeating. By so doing, peace and self-determination for a beleaguered people may come sooner.
http://sjlendman.blogspot.com/2010/11/exposing-israels-fraudulent-third.html
the future of Fayyadism, Max Ajl
The apartheid metaphor is fine for polemical purposes. For analytical ends, it is problematic. The central issue is that of labor dependency. Israel long ago replaced Gaza-as-bedroom-community with near-slaves from the Philippines and other Asian countries, and does not rely on West Bank-based Palestinian labor. In contrast, South Africa was vitally dependent on black labor from the Bantustans. So what’s the plan for economic growth in the West Bank (As always, forget Gaza)? A recent essay by Sam Bahour in the Middle East Research and Information Project lays out the economic trajectory of Fayyadism. At best, these economic development programs are composed of industrial zones which “promise menial labor-intensive jobs to Palestinians who are extremely reliant on donor funds to maintain their livelihoods,” meant to shift over to a system based on foreign-capital inflows like the aid-based development model currently prevalent in the West Bank. The forthcoming programs are slightly different in that they “require Palestinians to sell their labor for the benefit of those commercial entities established in the industrial zones, which will depend on Israeli good will to succeed.”
http://www.maxajl.com/?p=4483&utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+http%2Fwwwmaxajlcom%2Ffeedrss2+%28Jewbonics%29
Amira Hass Eqbal Ahmad Memorial Lecture
The brave and gifted Israeli journalist Amira Hass, daughter of Nazi Holocaust survivors and a past resident of Gaza (she authored a book about Gaza in 2000), was a featured lecturer at this year’s Eqbal Ahmad Memorial hosted by Hampshire College.
http://pulsemedia.org/2010/11/24/amira-hass-eqbal-ahmad-memorial-lecture/
Everyday heroes: filmmaker Dahna Abourahme interviewed
Filmmaker Dahna Abourahme’s latest film focuses on the Palestinian refugee camp of Ein al-Hilwe in south Lebanon, and on the women in particular as they reminisce about their roles during the Israeli attack on the camp in 1982-1984. Amany Al-Sayyed interviews for The Electronic Intifada.
http://electronicintifada.net/v2/article11636.shtml?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+electronicIntifadaPalestine+%28Electronic+Intifada+%3A+Palestine+News%29
“Racists and Hypocrites When it Comes to Palestinians”
Some stinging remarks about U.S. professors and Palestine from University of Illinois law school professor Francis Boyle.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=b5wtE9wd1uU&feature=player_embedded
After the Elections: U.S. policy, Israel and Gaza – A conversation with Congressman Brian Baird
November 18, 2010 — Listen to this extraordinary conversation with Congressman Brian Baird on “After the Elections: U.S. Policy, Israel and Gaza.” Congressman Baird is the congressman of Rachel Corrie and has traveled to Gaza on four separate occasions. In this remarkable interview he discusses why he became so involved in the issue of Gaza and his experience in Congress. He reflects on U.S. policy in the Middle East and discusses what he thinks the U.S. should do to protect our security, the security of Israel and justice for the Palestinians. Listen here.
http://endtheoccupationblog.blogspot.com/2010/11/after-elections-us-policy-israel-and.html
More reasons for U.S. foreign policy foolishness, Stephen M. Walt
The writer who pens the “Democracy in America” blog at The Economist has taken mild issue with my post from earlier this week on the negative consequences of America’s extraordinarily secure international position. It’s a thoughtful comment and well worth reading.
http://walt.foreignpolicy.com/posts/2010/11/24/more_reasons_for_us_foreign_policy_foolishness
Robert Fisk: Oceans of blood and profits for the mongers of war
Since there are now three conflicts in the greater Middle East; Afghanistan, Iraq, Israel/”Palestine” and maybe another Lebanese war in the offing, it might be a good idea to take a look at the cost of war.
http://www.independent.co.uk/opinion/commentators/fisk/robert-fisk-oceans-of-blood-and-profits-for-the-mongers-of-war-2145037.html
Is America on the path to ‘permanent war’?
Bacevich says the notion that the U.S. military has to stay in Afghanistan to deny al Qaeda a sanctuary doesn’t “pass the laugh test.”
http://www.cnn.com/2010/POLITICS/11/23/war.afghan/index.html
When a Saudi propaganda rag attacks Counterpunch, As’ad Abukhalil
This is rather a classic definition of irony: a Saudi propaganda rag (Ash-Sharq Al-Awsat–the mouthpiece of lousy Prince Salman) labels Counterpunch as example of “yellow journalism“. For Saudi rags to label a newsite or news outlet “yellow journalism” is like Muhammad Dahlan labeling somebody as “collaborator”, or is like Sa`d Hariri calling someone “dumb” or like Saudi King calling someone incompetent and inarticulate. What irony. In the past, the folks at Counterpunch got mad at me because I did expose that an alleged interview with Hasan Nasrallah was in fact a hoax. They got mad at me when I in fact was keen on protecting their credibility. I am a fan of Counterpunch and it has my support although they may sometimes publish what I may deem as unreliable. The pieces on Lebanon by Franklin Lamb (which are peddled by pro-Iranian media in the Middle East) are very unreliable and he has proven consistently to be wrong in his assessments and predictions. His last piece attributing stuff to Jeffrey Feltman is clearly–in my mind at least made up. Most importantly, Walid Jumblat who was a witness–according to the account of Lamb–just denied that story categorically. The language used in the alleged conversation does not sound like one to be used by a US official–as much as I detest the Zionist Feltman. [end]
http://angryarab.blogspot.com/2010/11/when-saudi-propaganda-rag-attacks.html
Lebanon
Lebanon’s bedouin still denied citizenship
FAOUR: Hiam Abu Ragheb has big dreams for her 19-month-old triplets despite being a bedouin without papers in Lebanon. Her sons will be doctors – Bahaa a gynaecologist and Saad a surgeon – and her daughter Nazek will be a lawyer or journalist. But little Bahaa, Saad and Nazek, namesakes of members of Lebanon’s Hariri dynasty might not even make it through school.
http://www.dailystar.com.lb/article.asp?edition_id=1&categ_id=1&article_id=121836
Israel’s Ghajar proposal ‘fake withdrawal’ – Berri
BEIRUT: Parliament Speaker Nabih Berri said Friday recent Israeli moves in the direction of a withdrawal from the village of Ghajar represented a masked occupation of Lebanese territories, given that the Lebanese Army was still prevented from deploying in the village.
http://www.dailystar.com.lb/article.asp?edition_id=1&categ_id=1&article_id=121920
The Washington Post on Hariri: or when Jenine Zacharia sees the Hariri light
This piece on Hariri in the Washington Post by Jenine Zacharia suffers from the same problems that other articles on the Middle East in mainstream US press suffer from.
http://angryarab.blogspot.com/2010/11/washington-post-on-hariri-or-when.html
Iraq
Friday: 3 Iraqis Killed, 9 Wounded
At least three Iraqis were killed and nine more were wounded in light violence. Both Iranian refugees at Camp Ashraf and Iraqi journalists throughout the country have long maintained they are the targets of illegal harassment under the Maliki government. Two significant stories that were published today appear to support their allegations. European lawmakers are asking the United States and United Nations to help the People’s Mujahedeen Organization of Iran (Mujahedeen-e-Khalq).
http://original.antiwar.com/updates/2010/11/26/friday-3-iraqis-killed-9-wounded/
Thursday: 10 Iraqis Killed, 30 Wounded
At least six Iraqis were killed and 28 more were wounded in violence that mostly occurred in the north. Also, Nouri al-Maliki was formally tasked with forming the next government as its prime minister today.
http://original.antiwar.com/updates/2010/11/25/thursday-6-iraqis-killed-28-wounded/
Iraq blast wounds 3 children
An explosion in Abu Ajeil village, southeastern Tikrit, near the house of Mahmoud Ali Issa wounded his three children. Another blast on Thursday night killed an Interior Minister Major due to a bomb stuck to his car in Al Basatin District in Al Shaab region.
http://www.alsumaria.tv/en/Iraq-News/1-56859-Iraq-blast-wounds-3-children.html
Iraqi soldiers suffer from poisoning in camps
12 Iraqi soldiers suffer from poisoning in Al Mostaqbal camp at Baghdad International Airport without knowing the reasons thereof, an informed police source reported. Soldiers were transported to Al Yarmouk Hospital for treatment, the source said.
http://www.alsumaria.tv/en/Iraq-News/1-56820-Iraqi-soldiers-suffer-from-poisoning-in-camps.html
Nineveh Christian families allowed to possess protection arms
Nineveh Governor Athil Al Nujaifi announced in a joint press conference with deputy US Ambassador to Iraq Stuart Johns that the Iraqi Government decided to grant every Christian family in Nineveh an official permission to possess one piece of arm for protection.
http://www.alsumaria.tv/en/Iraq-News/1-56825-Nineveh-Christian-families-allowed-to-possess-protection-arms.html
Cairo-based TV in church siege row ends Iraq operations (AFP)
AFP – Cairo-based satellite TV channel Al-Baghdadiya said Friday it had shut its Iraq operations, weeks after its broadcasts were cut for airing demands of militants who took Christians hostage in a church.
http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/iraq/*http://news.yahoo.com/s/afp/20101126/wl_mideast_afp/iraqunrestmediareligionchristian
Iraq weapon factories turn peaceful
In Iraq, dozens of factories which were involved in military industries have realigned their production for peaceful purposes by the orders of the post-invasion US Administrator Paul Bremer. What was once a place for making cluster bomb components is now churning out plumbing pipes and gas fittings. Al Jazeera’s Rawya Rageh reports on the turnaround.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bXTybbvlO-o&feature=youtube_gdata
Sadr sees star rise again in Iraq
The radical Shiite cleric’s move to support Prime Minister Maliki’s bid for a second term has reaped him a political windfall, netting key posts and release from jail for his supporters. Anti-U.S. cleric Muqtada Sadr, whose feared militia was crushed by Iraqi Prime Minister Nouri Maliki two years ago, has leveraged support for his former enemy’s government into renewed influence over the country’s security forces, governors’ offices and even its prisons.
http://feeds.latimes.com/%7Er/latimes/middleeast/%7E3/GoR7WwVJVEY/la-fg-iraq-sadr-20101125,0,1708589.story
European Parliament urges Iraq to drop Aziz death sentence
The European Parliament urged Iraq on Thursday to drop a death sentence against Tareq Aziz, warning that killing him would “do little to improve the climate of violence.”
http://www.alsumaria.tv/en/Iraq-News/1-56857-European-Parliament-urges-Iraq-to-drop-Aziz-death-sentence.html
Head-bangers in Baghdad sing of war-torn lives
On a makeshift stage in a neglected wedding hall, Ahmed Salhi and his heavy-metal bandmates swigged vodka and screamed into their microphones, even though it was still midafternoon.
http://feeds.washingtonpost.com/click.phdo?i=25ea77c7a21277af71beac58ae769a97
U.S. & Other World News
New leaks may harm Pakistan, warns US
The United States is reported to have warned Pakistan that it tops a list of countries that may be affected by a leak of secret documents by a whistleblowers’ website. US officials warned that the documents may also contain “unpleasant facts” about US policies in the Pak-Afghan region.
http://news.dawn.com/wps/wcm/connect/dawn-content-library/dawn/the-newspaper/front-page/new-leaks-may-harm-pakistan,-warns-us-610
WikiLeaks may show US has helped terrorist group
Several of the documents set to be published by WikiLeaks this weekend are believed to show the US has been helping Turkey’s Kurdish separatist movement the PKK, or Kurdistan Workers Party. – The documents also say US forces in Iraq have given weapons to the PKK.
http://www.smh.com.au/technology/technology-news/wikileaks-may-show-us-has-helped-terrorist-group-20101126-18avu.html?from=smh_sb
US envoys forced to apologise in advance as Wikileaks release looms
Frantic behind the scenes wrangling was under way last night as US officials tried to stem the fallout from the expected release of up to three million confidential diplomatic communiques by the Wikileaks website.
http://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/politics/us-envoys-forced-to-apologise-in-advance-as-wikileaks-release-looms-2144993.html
Classified Papers Prove German Warnings to Bush
It indicates steps by the German government to prevent the war and undermines claims in George W. Bush’s memoir that Gerhard Schröder indicated he would support the president should the US go to war.
http://www.spiegel.de/international/germany/0,1518,730979,00.html
The Tea Party and Israel
I don’t believe this article one bit. I think that the Tea Party will come around and support Israel and aid to Israel in the same vehemence like the Republican Party leadership. Remember: Marco Rubio flew to Israel days after his election victory.
http://angryarab.blogspot.com/2010/11/tea-party-and-israel.html
Islam in Tennessee: or the danger of one mosque (or the expansion of an existing mosque)
“So perhaps it should not have come as a surprise that three Rutherford County residents filed a lawsuit in September to block construction of the mosque. The plaintiffs believe that they “have been and will be irreparably harmed by the risk of terrorism generated by proselytising for Islam and inciting the practices of sharia law,” which, they claim, “advocates sexual abuse of children, beating and physical abuse of women, death edicts, honour killings, killing of homosexuals, outright lies to Kafirs (those who don’t submit to sharia law), Constitution-free zones, and total world dominion.” Of course, Murfreesboro has had a mosque for decades, and does not seem infested with “Constitution-free zones”; quite how moving to a bigger building in a different location intensifies the risk remains unclear. The defence called a single witness, who testified that the county’s planning commission followed proper procedure; the plaintiffs called at least 17, including Frank Gaffney, who runs a think-tank in Washington, DC, and speaks often about the dangers of sharia (for whatever that is worth: on the stand he admitted, “I am not an expert on sharia, but I have talked a lot about it as a threat”). Their attorney’s questioning often focused not on the details of open-meetings laws but on the incompatibility of sharia and American law, on whether Islam is a religion (the federal government filed a brief saying that it is) and on whether advocating sharia law ought to be protected by the first amendment.”
http://angryarab.blogspot.com/2010/11/islam-in-tennessee-or-danger-of-one.html
Bolivia rejects US warning on Iran ties
“Nobody will stop me” from negotiating with any country, Morales said at the opening of a biannual conference of regional defense ministers attended by Gates. “Bolivia, under my leadership, will have agreements and alliances with everyone,” the leftist leader added.
http://www.dailynews.lk/2010/11/24/wld03.asp
Election troubles in Alexandria
Egyptian courts have ordered the cancellation of Sunday’s parliamentary election in 24 districts in the city of Alexandria. This is after the government ignored orders to reinstate opposition and independent candidates. The Muslim Brotherhood is competing for a third of Egypt’s parliamentary seats and was founded in Alexandria – but has officially been banned in Egypt for over half a century. The Brotherhood has built its support by providing an alternative welfare system, and the ban adds to its appeal. But critics say its main goal is the same as that of all other parties — to win power. Al Jazeera’s Jacky Rowland reports from Alexandria.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=c8d7wnuYwPI&feature=youtube_gdata
Muslim Brotherhood rally
Thousands turn up at a Muslim Brotherhood rally in the northern city of Damanhour.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GWmas3OWMpA&feature=youtube_gdata
Young Egyptians campaign for change
Egyptians will vote in parliamentary election on Sunday, but rights groups say the vote will be neither free nor fair. There have been a series of government crackdowns against the media and opposition supporters ahead of the poll. Despite resistance from the government, young Egyptians are beginning to agitate for change. Al Jazeera’s Jacky Rowland has the story in Alexandria.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GWmas3OWMpA&feature=youtube_gdata
Robert Fisk: The man who dares to take on Egypt’s brutal regime
Ayman Nour touches his sideburns, just a shade grey beneath his black hair: not bad for a 45-year old, but not up to the standard of the absolutely uncompromisingly jet black hair of 82-year-old Egyptian President Hosni Moubarak, whose job – in theory at least – Dr Nour would like.
http://www.independent.co.uk/opinion/commentators/fisk/robert-fisk-the-man-who-dares-to-take-on-egypts-brutal-regime-2142973.html
Egyptian Facebook user faces five years in jail for posts
Amnesty International today called on the Egyptian authorities to stop the trial in a military court of a Facebook user facing up to five years in prison after he published public information on Egypt’s military service. Amnesty International today called on the Egyptian authorities to stop the trial in a military court of a Facebook user facing up to five years in prison after he published public information on Egypt’s military service. Ahmed Hassan Bassyouni, 30, appeared before a military court Tuesday 24 November charged with revealing military secrets, for establishing a Facebook group on carrying out military service and answering questions on the military without permission.
http://www.amnesty.org/en/news-and-updates/egyptian-facebook-user-faces-five-years-jail-posts-2010-11-26
Inside Story – Egypt’s growing sectarian tensions
One protester has been killed and dozens injured in clashes between Egyptian police and Coptic Christians over the construction of a new church. How might these growing sectarian tensions impact the upcoming elections?
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5U_yvNObd1o&feature=youtube_gdata
Kuwait urged to release blogger who criticized Prime Minister
Journalist and lawyer Muhammad ‘Abd al-Qader al-Jasem was sentenced to one year in prison this week after he was convicted of criminal defamation. Amnesty International has urged the Kuwaiti authorities to release a blogger who was sentenced to one year in prison this week, on charges relating to an article he wrote on his blog criticizing the country’s Prime Minister. A criminal court in the capital, Kuwait City, sentenced the journalist and lawyer Muhammad ‘Abd al-Qader al-Jasem on Monday after he was convicted of criminal defamation in a case filed against him by the Prime Minister, Shaikh Nasser al-Mohammad al-Sabah.
http://www.amnesty.org/en/news-and-updates/kuwait-urged-release-blogger-who-criticized-prime-minister-2010-11-26
Western Sahara: Beatings, Abuse by Moroccan Security Forces
(New York) – Moroccan security forces repeatedly beat and abused people they detained following disturbances on November 8, 2010, in the Western Sahara capital city of El-Ayoun, Human Rights Watch said today. Security forces also directly attacked civilians, a Human Rights Watch investigation showed.
http://www.hrw.org/en/news/2010/11/26/western-sahara-beatings-abuse-moroccan-security-forces
Women of Saudi Arabia Emerge on the Bosporus
A creative movement based in London and Jidda has organized an exhibition in Istanbul of works from 22 Saudi artists that touch on faith, culture and identity.
http://www.nytimes.com/2010/11/25/arts/25iht-M25CART.html?partner=rssnyt&emc=rss
Bahrain names Jewish woman to parliament
King Hamad appoints Nancy Khadhori after fellow Jew, Huda Nono, leaves house to take role of country’s US ambassador.
http://www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7340,L-3990184,00.html
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