And other news from Today in Palestine:
Settlers/ Land, Property, Resource Theft & Destruction/Ethnic Cleansing
Report: Israeli settlement activity peaks in November 2010
The Jerusalem center for social and economic rights released a report documenting Israel’s violations against Arab citizens of Jerusalem in November 2010, with special focus on settlement activity.
http://www.palestine-info.co.uk/En/default.aspx?xyz=U6Q
Christmas and New Year’s Eve: More Homeless Palestinian children
When Christians of the West celebrate Christmas in their warm houses, do they remember the millions of Palestinians who live under oppression, deprived of freedom and justice as a result of their governments’ complicity in Israeli crimes which culminated in declared ethnic cleansing in the form of demolishing Palestinian houses and building more settlements for Jews coming from the farthest parts of the world. Will Christians celebrating Christmas remember the suffering of more than eleven thousand Palestinian prisoners, including women and children whose only sin is that they are Palestinians under occupation?
http://sabbah.biz/mt/archives/2010/12/26/christmas-and-new-years-eve-more-homeless-palestinian-children/?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+SabbahsBlog+%28Sabbah+Report%29
Two Palestinian families demolish own homes under municipal orders in Sur Bahir
Two Palestinian families demolished their homes in the East Jerusalem village of Sur Bahir today. The families had received demolition orders from the Jerusalem Municipality on 22 December, citing illegal construction. Maryam Iraqi, the mother of one of the families, told Silwanic that: “We were forced to demolish the home ourselves, as we would be unable to pay the Municipality’s bill, when they would come to demolish it, also we will not be able to take our furniturs out. The Municipality gave us a one-week period in which to destroy our home ourselves.” The Iraqi house, covering 35 square meters and home to 7 family members including 4 children, was built only very recently. Without anywhere else to go, the family will now be forced to stay at a relative’s home. The second home, belonging to the family of 73-year old Khalil Ramadan Debesh housed the families of his three sons Ramadan, Raed and Iyad. Together they numbered 24 people. The Israeli state does not provide alternative housing or financial compensation to Palestinian families whose homes are ordered to be demolished, going so far as to actually charge families for demolition costs. While these two demolitions are the only self-demolitions to take place recently in Jerusalem, three Municipality-implemented demolitions took place last week: one home in Sur Bahir and two others in the Ras al-Amoud district of Silwan.
http://silwanic.net/?p=9533
Palestinian youth shot, clashes sweep through Silwan
Clashes erupted in Silwan in the early afternoon yesterday, 24 December, and continued throughout the day. Tensions were sparked when a young Palestinian was shot by a rubber bullet by an Israeli soldier or police officer. Young protesters set tires and garbage cans alight and hurled stones at Israeli soldiers as the clashes spread to several neighborhoods throughout the village. Witnesses report that one Palestinian was arrested by Israeli police.
http://silwanic.net/?p=9530
East Jlem: Evictions expected within day
JERUSALEM (Ma’an) — Large numbers of Israeli police officers deployed in the East Jerusalem town of Silwan on Sunday morning, with residents worried that the move came ahead of a police evacuation of the home of Abdullah Abu Nab, which settlers have claimed belongs to Jewish groups. Children in the mostly Arab neighborhood threw stones but no major clashes were reported.
http://www.maannews.net/eng/ViewDetails.aspx?ID=345405
Aterit Cohanim to drop case for Abu Nab eviction
A spokesman for Aterit Cohanim settlement association, the group in charge of controversial Beit Yonatan settlement in Baten al-Hawa, stated today that the group is currently abandoning its legal campaign against the neighboring Palestinian Abu Nab family. The group has been seeking the eviction of the Abu Nab family from their home in preparation to “rehouse” settlers from Beit Yonatan, which settlers feared was under threat of eviction. Jerusalem mayor Nir Barakat issued a statement saying that the Municipality would not evict Beit Yonatan in return for Aterit Cohanim’s relinquishment of the legal campaign for the Abu Nab home. Residents of Baten al-Hawa are suspicious however, stating that “this is not what it seems. Underhanded dealings between the Jerusalem mayor and settlers is something we have all become accustomed to.”
http://silwanic.net/?p=9720
Adnan Ghaith files new order against banishment order
Threatened Silwan community leader Adnan Ghaith submitted a petition to the Israeli Supreme Court today after receiving an order this morning giving him until 5pm today to leave Jerusalem. The petition comes as the latest attempt to counter, via legal means, the Israeli military’s campaign to impose a four-month ban on Ghaith from his home city of Jerusalem. Adnan’s lawyer Rami Othman has so far been unable to obtain a temporary injunction against the order. Ghaith is steadfast in his refusal to leave Jerusalem, stating that “I cannot be further away from my home and family just because of what Israeli authorities try to do. I will use all legal means to stop this order’s implementation.”
http://silwanic.net/?p=9716
Violent clashes in Baten al-Hawa
Violent clashes are underway in the Baten al-Hawa neighborhood in the heart of Silwan village. Clashes erupted between Palestinian residents and Israeli settler guards, military and police. Silwanic cameraman Ahmed Siyam sustained head injuries during the clashes. The region is witnessing a state of tension due to a high presence of Israeli forces and rumours of the eviction of the Palestinian Abu Nab family from Baten al-Hawa today.
http://silwanic.net/?p=9702
Israeli forces in Wadi Rababa, Wadi Hilweh and Baten al-Hawa
A large force of Israeli troops are amassing at the entrances to the Wadi Rababa and Wadi Hilweh districts of Silwan. Three Palestinians have already been arrested this morning. The arrested are: Muhammad Abu Nab (35), his nephew Muhammad Abu Nab (19) and Taleb el Auar (23). Tensions are also running high in Baten al-Hawa neighborhood this morning, with a high presence of Israeli troops and police on and around the Beit Yonatan settlement. Next to this lies the Abu Nab home, which is threatened with eviction by the Israeli courts. A large number of residents and activists have also gathered at the site.
http://silwanic.net/?p=9601
Israeli military targets Palestinian paramedics during clashes
In what has become common practice, the Israeli military attempted to prevent medics from reaching those injured in the clashes that gripped Silwan yesterday, say paramedics. Wisam Hamouda, a paramedic who was present at the clashes, told Silwanic that Israeli soldiers refused his ambulance access to the scene. When the ambulance was ordered to enter from another route, Hamouda states that an Israeli jeep sped after the ambulance and even tried to ram the medical vehicle from behind. Paramedics, fearing confrontation, were forced to withdraw from the area. Hamouda added that this is not the first time that medics have been targeted by the military in Silwan.
http://silwanic.net/?p=9543
Israeli army demolishes water cisterns in Khashem Ad-Daraj, South Hebron Hills
Monday 14th December 2010 – On the early morning, five bulldozers, escorted by several Israeli army, border police and DCO (the Israeli army branch dealing with civil administration) vehicles, reached Khashem Ad Daraj — Hathaleen area and demolished five water cisterns belonging to the bedouin communities of the area.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=9Ai96UUZGaA
Settlers’ noise
A group of right-wing Israelis set up large-scale sound systems at Dung Gate of the Old City this afternoon, blaring loud noise pollution at the nearby homes in Silwan. This practice has become commonplace, with music played at decible levels so loud that it actually shakes the inside of their homes, nearby residents say. Families of Silwan are extremely disturbed by the increasingly regular noise attacks, which can cause injury or loss of hearing if sustained. The noise pollution attacks are part of a continuing campaign of settler groups in Silwan to upset what little calmness or sanctity can still be found in the neighborhood. Many times settler groups have organized loud celebrations in the neighborhoods that continue late in to the night, with no thought to the residental areas they are located in. Life in Silwan is already characterized by a jarring cacophany of problems, barriers and noises, with wide-scale settlement and excavation projects taking place throughout the village, frequent traffic jams arising from checkpoints and road closures and the constant “security checks” Israeli forces subject Palestinian pedestrians and vehicles to.
http://silwanic.net/?p=9712
These villages are situated in Area C, where, according to the Oslo Agreements, Israel maintains the complete military and civil control
Among the demolished structures, there were also two wells built about 70 years ago, which have been filled with earth by the bulldozers. As these structures were built before the Israeli occupation of Palestinian territories in 1967, their demolition is an evident violation of both international and Israeli military laws concerning the protection of private property in occupied territories. According to the DCO officials attending the demolitions, the Civil Administration had never issued any permit for the water cisterns, that hence received a demolition order. The destruction of the water wells and cisterns directly impacts the livelihood of Palestinian communities in south Hebron. The Israeli policy in Area C is to prevent the development of Palestinian communities, by denying building permits and by demolishing any structure which is considered “illegal”. In the meantime, Israeli settlements and outposts in the area, despite being illegal according to the international law, keep on expanding while the settlers continue to attack Palestinians without undergoing any legal consequence. This policy of restrictions, closures, demolitions, evacuations and harassment, together with the ongoing violence by the Israeli settlers in the area, denies the Palestinian human rights, by hindering the villagers ability to cultivate their lands and by preventing the development of the local communities.
http://villagesgroup.wordpress.com/2010/12/25/israeli-army-demolishes-water-cisterns-in-khashem-ad-daraj-video/
Ethnic cleansing in Silwan, Ahmed Moor
I’m currently writing in Silwan from the home of a local community leader. We’ve been anticipating the ethnic cleansing of yet another house in occupied East Jerusalem since early morning and the occupation authorities have been swarming all day. Seven families – a total of forty-five people – will be made homeless once they’re evicted. Beit Yonatan, a settler outpost about forty meters down the street, is set to be evacuated as well. The idea is to resettle the settlers in the Palestinian home.
https://mondoweiss.net/2010/12/ethnic-cleansing-in-silwan.html
Rabbi threatens civil war at rally
Thousands gather in J’lem but mainstream settler movement stays away; Wolpe vows to use ‘a stick against a stick’ in future settlement evacuations. There will be a civil war and the creation of a new, autonomous entity, the Authority of Judea and Samaria, should the government evacuate even the smallest West Bank settlement, Rabbi Shalom Dov Wolpe warned at a Jerusalem rally on Thursday night. “If you [Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu] want a civil war, there will be one,” said Wolpe, whose Eretz Yisrael Shelanu movement organized the event.
http://www.jpost.com/NationalNews/Article.aspx?id=200844
Activism/Solidarity/Boycott, Divestment & Sanctions
Festive demonstrators assailed with tear-gas in Bil’in
At yesterday’s demonstration, a number of Bil’in’s citizens as well as a local journalist were wounded, in addition to the dozens of people who suffered choking from inhaling poison gas. These events come during a week of international solidarity with the Palestinian people as well as the occasion of Christmas. The demonstration, organized by the Popular Committee Against the Wall and settlement of Bil’in, began after Friday prayers from the centre of the village and marched towards the Apartheid Wall where the soldiers were already waiting. Dozens of international activists and Israelis marched alongside the people of Bil’in with a number of protesters dressed in Santa Claus outfits shaking bells and distributing sweets as they marched. Participants chanted slogans calling for national unity and the ending of the occupation, as well as the destruction of the wall. They raised Palestinian flags and banners of the various factions and slogans calling for the liberation and national unity.
http://palsolidarity.org/2010/12/16202/?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+palsolidarity+%28International+Solidarity+Movement%29
IOF troops assault Spanish group at the entrance of Bethlehem
IOF troops assaulted a group of Spanish tourists on Thursday afternoon as they tried to enter the southern West Bank city of Bethlehem through its northern entrance to participate in the festivities.
http://www.palestine-info.co.uk/En/default.aspx?xyz=U6Q
Hundreds attend public prayer in Al Bustan today
Hundreds of Silwan residents attended the Friday public prayer in the Al-Bustan protest tent this afternoon. Imam Abdullah Alqam addressed those assembled, denouncing the Israeli government’s campaign of Judaization in Jerusalem and the arbitrary arrest campaigns carried out by the Israeli police.
http://silwanic.net/?p=9524
Several hundred march in al Walaja
Dec 26, 2010– On Christmas Eve, several hundred people protested against the Wall in al Walaja. Located next to Bethlehem, the small village is struggling to halt the recently renewed construction of the Wall. If completed, the village will be encircled on all sides. Residents living near the path of the Wall have faced harassment by Occupation soldiers, and local activists who have tried to stop bulldozers have been beaten and arrested.
http://stopthewall.org/photos/2426.shtml
A week of International Solidarity
http://imeu.net/news/article0020236.shtml
Jewish activist faces jail for West Bank resistance
It is not every day that a leading Palestinian activist issues an emphatic statement of support for a Jewish Israeli – “this friend, whose friendship I am proud to share” – facing prison.
http://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/middle-east/jewish-activist-faces-jail-for-west-bank-resistance-2169876.html
Shin Bet puts Israeli ‘anarchists’ in crosshairs, Amira Hass
Security forces’ Jewish Department warns leftist activists that they might be found to be violating the law.
http://www.haaretz.com/print-edition/features/shin-bet-puts-israeli-anarchists-in-crosshairs-1.333140
Rally and March on the 2nd Anniversary of the Attack on Gaza: Monday, December 27th: 5:00pm @ 33rd and 6th Avenue, Manhattan, NY
On December 27, 2008, the Zionist military savagely attacked Gaza, using weapons paid for by the US to kill hundreds in the first day, and by the end of the three-week assault murdering at least 1,400 and wounding thousands more. In the years before and since the massacres, Israel has imposed a siege on Gaza leading to malnutrition, stunted growth, and death — and a recent human rights report found that the announced “easing” of the siege never occurred. Murder by Israeli snipers of Gaza farmers trying to work their land is an everyday occurrence.
http://al-awdany.org/wp/2010/12/rally-and-march-on-the-2nd-anniversary-of-the-attack-on-gaza/
Activists repeat pledge to break Gaza blockade
BEIRUT: The organizers of the Mariam aid ship to Gaza reiterated Sunday their commitment to break the Gaza blockade and deliver help to Palestinians living under siege. A statement said the executive committee discussed the “shameful” stances adopted by the Arab states in relation with the blockade over Gaza according to the state-run National News Agency.
http://www.dailystar.com.lb/article.asp?edition_id=1&categ_id=1&article_id=122948
Please Boycott Us!
For years I have been rather ambivalent about the wisdom of boycotting Israel. While a boycott of anything related to the illegal settlements in the West Bank, which are a clear derivative of a brutal occupation, is an absolute necessity, and which I have fully supported, I have always been reserved about the boycotting of Israel proper. Today I feel that there is no choice but to call for a full and total boycott directed against Israel – Boycott, Divest, Sanction (BDS). For the good of Israel and in the hope that blatant pressure from abroad directed primarily at the Israeli economy is the only way to wean Israel from what Thomas Friedman in a recent editorial called “Israel’s crack addiction”. It is the only way to wake Israelis up from their (crack) pipe dream of “business as usual” or the feasibility of maintaining a disastrous status quo that will only lead to more land grabs, violence and war, ultimately jeopardizing Israel itself. It is the only way to convince present and future governments that the current situation is untenable and unviable. It is the only way to save us from ourselves. At this point in time, Israelis are unable to affect change from within. The atmosphere has become so poisoned that attempts at the grassroots level to affect political change are insignificant at best, particularly in light of attempts at the legislative level to delegitimise grassroots initiatives and make local NGOs seeking to advance political change illegal.
http://www.amin.org/articles.php?t=ENews&id=3496
Isn’t it time we stopped? (1990), Jeffrey Blankfort
The decision of the Seattle transport authority to cancel a contract to run a series of bus ads protesting Israel’s war crimes brings to mind a similar campaign in the San Francisco Bay Area, twenty years ago this month, which had a very different outcome. On December 3, 1990, 15 large ads, 11 feet by 5 feet, began appearing in BART stations throughout the Bay Area. They displayed a picture of an Israeli soldier pointing his rifle at a group of seated Palestinian women accompanied by a text that described the situation in Occupied Palestine on the third anniversary of the First Intifada and called for stopping US aid to Israel. The ads were produced by the Middle East Peace Network, a coalition of organizations and individuals of which I was member, at a cost of $4800.
https://mondoweiss.net/2010/12/isnt-it-time-we-stopped-1990.html
Seattle executive gave in to ‘bullying’ and yanked ads denouncing Israeli war crimes, Philip Weiss
Mast points: Ads were approved and accepted by the transit authority in October. “They found it neither to be incitement or any kind of unacceptable speech… We signed a contract… The banners were printed… Those who wanted to stop the free speech… went over our heads to the county administration and attempted to stop it. As you know, in doing so, they have created an international news story about Israeli war crimes…. They have mounted a campaign to disrupt the normal operations of King County metro transit.” Including claims of imagined violence, but “no credible claim of safety hazard.” No: “They are simply saying the falsehood that criticizing the actions of an overseas government is the same as criticizing some group in this country.” And King County gave in to this campaign of “bullying, intimidation and threat.”
https://mondoweiss.net/2010/12/seattle-executive-gave-in-to-bullying-and-yanked-ads-denouncing-israeli-war-crimes.html
Human Rights/Racism & Discrimination
Israeli paramedics refuse treatment of Palestinian girl injured by police jeep unless photographer stops filming
An Israeli Police jeep severely injured a young Palestinian girl today when it ran in to her this afternoon in Silwan. The 5 year old girl was then refused treatment by Red Star Of David paramedics until a Silwanic photographer, who was present at the scene, turned off his video camera. The photographer immediately turned off his camera to ensure the treatment for the injured girl.
http://silwanic.net/?p=9634
Groundbreaking report details Israel’s inhumane conditions for isolated prisoners
Report by Israel Bar Association, the first external review of the country’s prisons, says some sections ‘look more like a dungeon.’
http://www.haaretz.com/print-edition/news/groundbreaking-report-details-israel-s-inhumane-conditions-for-isolated-prisoners-1.333107?localLinksEnabled=false
Higher education is province of well-off Jews, report finds
According to the Adva Center’s 2009/2010 report on Israel’s socioeconomic situation, Jewish high-schoolers were twice as likely to enroll in college as their Arab counterparts.
http://english.themarker.com/higher-education-is-province-of-well-off-jews-report-finds-1.332971
Palestinian Youth Assaulted Near Nablus For Not Understanding Hebrew
Israeli soldiers stationed at the Za’tara Roadblock, near the northern West Bank city of Nablus, stopped three Palestinian youths and violently assaulted one of them for not understanding them when they spoke to him in Hebrew.
http://www.imemc.org/article/60269
Chosen: Crimes and Misdemeanors
Rabbi Sholom DovBear Wolpe, a Chabad hasid, spoke to thousands of followers at a rally last night and called on supporters to launch a civil war if the government evacuates even one Jewish West Bank settlement. Wolpe, widely popular among Israeli Chabad hasidim and West Bank settlers, wants to establish a separate Jewish state in the West Bank led by Orthodox and ultra-Orthodox rabbis. (Jerusalem Post). An Israeli-Druze man who served in Israel’s armed forces and his four Israeli-Arab flatmates were forced to flee their home in Tel Aviv after local Jews, egged on by Orthodox and ultra-Orthodox rabbis, vandalized their home and threatened to kill them with a car bomb. (Ynet)
http://www.heebmagazine.com/chosen-crimes-and-misdemeanors-4/
Jews and Arabs must fight Israel’s racism together, Ahmed Tibi
Trends of alienation and despair are evident in Israel’s Arab population, and in this reality it is easy to foster separatism and segregation.
http://www.haaretz.com/opinion/jews-and-arabs-must-fight-israel-s-racism-together-1.332235
Israel to boycott UN racism meet over links to Durban process
UNITED NATIONS: Israel vowed Sunday to boycott a 2011 UN summit commemorating a controversial conference on racism that became overshadowed by disputes over the Middle East. Canada has already said it will not take part in events marking the 10th anniversary of the Durban declaration on racism and some US senators are urging the United States to boycott the meetings, which were called for in a vote at the UN General Assembly Friday.
http://www.dailystar.com.lb/article.asp?edition_id=10&categ_id=2&article_id=122927#axzz19H20jwfv
It’s not anti-Semitic to say that Hasidic Jews are intolerant of goyim
“I didn’t realise that goyim were about as welcome in the Hasidic Jewish shops as Martin Luther King at a Ku Klux Klan convention.”
http://blogs.telegraph.co.uk/news/guywalters/100069450/its-not-antisemitic/
Peretz in Exile
For decades, Martin Peretz taught at Harvard and presided over The New Republic—a fierce, if controversial, lion among American intellectuals and Zionists. Now, having been labeled a bigot, taunted at his alma mater, and stripped of his magazine, he has found peace in a place where there is little: Israel.
http://nymag.com/news/features/70310/
Detainees
Arrests
Six Palestinians were arrested in Silwan today, the majority of which were under the age of 18. Details to follow.
http://silwanic.net/?p=9717
Detention of assaulted Palestinians extended
The detention of two Palestinian boys arrested in Silwan today has been extended until tomorrow, when they will appear in court. Firas Shweiki (25) and his brother Annan Shweiki (15) were assaulted and arrested by Israeli police this afternoon in Wadi Hilweh as they tried to enter the neighborhood of al-Baydoun. Witnesses describe the attack as a brutal assault, quoting one Israeli police officer involved as threatening the two boys by telling them “we will show you who is strong around here”.
http://silwanic.net/?p=9707
Israeli jail isolates prisoner for filing complaint
The Israeli Jalbou prison administration have placed prisoner Jihad Mohammed Shukri Yaghmur in solitary confinement for filing a complaint against prison guards.
http://www.palestine-info.co.uk/En/default.aspx?xyz=U6Qq7
War Crimes
Palestinian doctor sues Israel over daughters’ deaths
A Palestinian doctor is filing a lawsuit against Israel for the death of his three daughters, just a day before the second anniversary of Israel’s war on Gaza. Dr Ezzeldeen Abu al-Aish’s daughters were killed during the military assault when Israeli forces fired on his home. Nisreen el Shamayleh reports from East Jerusalem.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9rfbcHmdED0&feature=youtube_gdata
First ever encyclopedia documenting the Gaza war released Sunday
The “creativity” studies and training foundation released Sunday the first ever electronic encyclopedia that documents Israel’s late 2008 early 2009 war on the Gaza Strip.
http://www.palestine-info.co.uk/En/default.aspx?xyz=U6Qq7k
Israeli bombing of civilian homes in last Gaza war one of the most grisly crimes
The Israeli bombing of civilian homes during the last war on the Gaza Strip was one of the most gruesome crimes which can never be forgotten by the survivors, although they happened two years ago.
http://www.palestine-info.co.uk/En/default.aspx?xyz=U6Qq
Soldiers named in ‘Gaza holocaust’ site
Website launched by Palestinian institute on second anniversary of Operation Cast Lead aims to ‘expose the Zionist propaganda to the world’.
http://www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7340,L-4004870,00.html
Documentary on 2008-2009 Gaza war debuts in Algeria
Algerian filmmakers announced their film dubbed “The Gaza Disaster” documenting Israel’s last war on Gaza will debt in cinemas throughout the world on March 16, 2011.
http://www.palestine-info.co.uk/En/default.aspx?xyz=U6Qq7k%2bcOd
French Jewish writer: Be indignant towards the Israelis’ injustice
French Jewish writer Stephane Hessel is calling on his readers to be indignant towards the Israelis’ injustice against the Palestinians, focusing on Israel’s recent blockade and war on the Gaza Strip.
http://www.palestine-info.co.uk/En/default.aspx?xyz=U6Qq7k%2b
Operation Cast Lead and the Dismembering of a People, Vincent Di Stefano
The horror of Gaza cannot be dismissed as a distant phenomenon that does not concern us. We may withdraw into our own complacency and comfort, but in truth, no one is exempted from the pain visited upon innocent households. No one can evade the consequences of the destructive exercise of brutal force.
http://www.informationclearinghouse.info/article27128.htm
Israel’s Arab Helpers & Spies
Report: Syrian official spied for Israel
New twist in espionage affair: Senior Syrian official handed over secret information to Egyptian man who allegedly worked in service of Mossad, London-based Arab newspaper reports Friday
http://www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7340,L-4003995,00.html
Al-Akhbar Daily Publishes Tareq Al Rabaa’s Recruitment Story with the “Israeli” Mossad
Al-Akhbar Lebanese daily published the nature of affairs of “Israeli” agent Tareq Al Rabaa for nine years, during his employment as a telecommunication engineer in the Lebanese Alfa GSM company, and how he was recruited by the “Israeli” enemy.
http://vineyardsaker.blogspot.com/2010/12/al-akhbar-daily-publishes-tareq-al.html
Egyptian has ‘revealed three Israeli spy cells’ (AFP)
AFP – The confessions of an Egyptian accused of spying for Israel have led to three espionage cells being dismantled in Lebanon and Syria, where an agent was executed in November, Cairo newspapers said Friday.
http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/mideast/*http://news.yahoo.com/s/afp/20101224/wl_mideast_afp/egyptisraellebanonsyriatelecomespionage
Netanyahu to visit Egypt next month
Israeli premier Benjamin Netanyahu is to visit Egypt early next month for talks with president Hosni Mubarak, his foreign minister Ahmed Abul Ghait, and intelligence chief Omar Suleiman.
http://www.palestine-info.co.uk/En/default.aspx?xyz=U6Qq7k%
PA militias harass Hamas officials Qabha and Hajj en route to mosque
Former Palestinian minister Wasfi Qabha said that militia men from the PA intercepted and harrassed him along with Hamas leader Khaled Al-Hajj as they were heading for Friday prayers.
http://www.palestine-info.co.uk/En/default.aspx?xyz=U6Qq7k
Hamas MPs: kidnapping sons of MPs part of war on resistance
Palestinian legislators from the reform and change bloc of Hamas Movement, the biggest in the duly elected Palestinian parliament, have condemned Thursday the kidnapping of Yousef Al-Rejoub.
http://www.palestine-info.co.uk/En/default.aspx?xyz=U6Qq7k%2bcOd8
Political Developments
Hamas: Israel ‘playing with fire’
Group warns of escalation in hostilities unless military operations along Gaza-Israel border stop.
http://english.aljazeera.net/news/middleeast/2010/12/20101225171418475152.html
UK considers recognizing PA diplomats
London looking into possibility of upgrading Palestinian delegation to status of diplomatic mission. Israel fears move may lead to recognition of one-sided Palestinian statehood declaration.
http://www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7340,L-4004905,00.html
Palestinians slam U.S. for not recognizing a state
“The U.S. is supposed to be a fair mediator and a real sponsor of a successful peace process with specific targets,” Majdalani said. “Instead of blaming the Israeli government, which obstructed the peace process, the U.S. is blaming other world countries that did its political duties and recognized the state.”
http://english.people.com.cn/90001/90777/90854/7228390.html
Palestinians unaware of new U.S. ideas over future state’s borders
RAMALLAH, Dec. 26 (Xinhua) — The Palestinian leadership is unaware of new U.S. ideas replacing previous understandings that all concerned parties had agreed on over the borders of future Palestinian statehood, a Palestinian official said Sunday.
http://news.xinhuanet.com/english2010/world/2010-12/26/c_13665363.htm
Lieberman working on Plan B for peace with Palestinians
Foreign Minister Avigdor Lieberman is working on a diplomatic plan for an interim agreement with the Palestinians. He has already presented the general outlines to Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and intends to give him the full plan soon. He would like to see it approved by both the “septet” of seven key ministers and the diplomatic-security cabinet so that it can be presented to Washington in the coming months as Israel’s official position.
http://www.haaretz.com/print-edition/news/lieberman-working-on-plan-b-for-peace-with-palestinians-1.333114
Israeli foreign minister: Peace deal ‘impossible,’ ‘forbidden’
Israel’s foreign minister said Sunday a peace deal with the Palestinians is impossible under current conditions and that Israel should pursue a lesser deal instead — a concept the Palestinians swiftly rejected. The latest diplomatic spat between the two sides came as violence along the Israel-Gaza border simmered.
http://www.rawstory.com/rs/2010/12/israeli-fm-peace-impossible-forbidden/
Other News
IDF warns troops: Facebook can bring terrorists to you
Army responds to publication of Cast Lead troops’ details; letter sent to officers says enemies can use social networking sites to get info. The IDF has stepped up its war on Facebook, warning officers throughout the military that the social network site could be used by the country’s enemies to glean classified information. In a letter sent recently to all commanders in the army from the Operations Directorate, officers were urged to inform their subordinates about the risks that exist on websites such as Facebook.
http://www.jpost.com/Defense/Article.aspx?ID=201058&R=R1
IDF platoon dismantled after soldier hurt playing with weapon
During investigation into incident, platoon’s soldiers admitted it was common practice to play with weapons, in contravention of army safety provisions.
http://www.haaretz.com/print-edition/news/idf-platoon-dismantled-after-soldier-hurt-playing-with-weapon-1.332956?localLinksEnabled=false
Rabbi Yosef: Doctors kill the living
In weekly sermon, Shas’ spiritual leader recalls how mothers he convinced not to have abortions gave birth to healthy babies.
http://www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7340,L-4004368,00.html
Celebrities to be barred from advertising alcohol
Anyone wearing a sports uniform or bathing suit would also be prohibited from appearing in booze adverts.
http://www.haaretz.com/print-edition/news/celebrities-to-be-barred-from-advertising-alcohol-1.333115?localLinksEnabled=false
The Lede: Bishop Equates Zionism to Satanism, ROBERT MACKEY
A Greek bishop who blamed Greece’s financial problems on a conspiracy of Jewish bankers issued a statement on Thursday in which he denied that he was anti-Semitic but also equated Zionism to “Satanism.”
http://thelede.blogs.nytimes.com/2010/12/24/greek-bishop-equates-zionism-to-satanism/
Analysis/Op-ed
Sorry, ‘Mother Jones’ but you’re piping the Israeli narrative of Gaza ‘war’, Mohammed AlNadi
A response to “Sorry, Hamas, I’m Wearing Blue Jeans”, an article in Mother Jones written by Ashley Bates, currently doing journalism in the Gaza Strip, talking about Palestinian feminist Asma Al-Ghoul’s “defiant” confrontation with her Muslim society and dreams of building a secular one instead: I have particularly been offended—as are many Palestinian readers who are more aware of what is going on in Gaza and whose knowledge of the factual current situation is far deeper than any foreign journalist–by the grotesque language Bates used in this article. I have encountered this critical phenomenon in most international printed and online media. It tends to take the Israeli narrative for granted while ignoring accuracy and truthful reporting. “Sorry, Hamas, I’m Wearing Blue Jeans” is one example, in which the writer misrepresents and shows a great deal of partiality in narrating the facts. In her diatribe against Hamas, Bates clearly dedicates most of the article to talk about Hamas’s “new restrictive laws”, but uses only one single word to describe the siege—“devastating”. Was there not any more space to talk about the impact of the siege on the lives of more than 1.5 million people incarcerated in extreme poverty and inhumane conditions? According to Bates, Gaza has been under siege “for three years.” That’s not true. The siege had literally started when Israel implemented the “disengagement plan” or “Gaza expulsion plan” in August 2005.
https://mondoweiss.net/2010/12/sorry-mother-jones-but-youre-piping-the-israeli-narrative-of-gaza-war.html
Israel, briefly a victim of fire, is a fire-starter, By Diana Buttu
With several international aircraft maneuvering the skies above Carmel recently, the scene resembled a synchronized air show with airplanes diving and peaking in perfect tune. Bright yellow fire-extinguishing aircraft ascended sharply among the green pine trees spraying bright orange fire retardant and in the distance the yellow and red flames of the Carmel fire danced. Israelis of all walks descended upon Danya – a posh Haifa neighborhood – to witness what many Israeli onlookers called the “rescue operation.” Fathers graciously pointed out to their young children where each of the aircraft originated (France, the US, Sweden, and so on) while others criticized the Israeli government for not having enough materials and equipment to extinguish a fire of this magnitude. “I hope they learn some lessons,” remarked one onlooker, presumably referring to the Israeli government.
http://www.dailystar.com.lb/article.asp?edition_id=10&categ_id=5&article_id=122924#axzz19H41pW26
The drums of war are heard again in Israel, Ilan Pappe
The drums of war are heard again in Israel and they are sounded because once more Israel’s invincibility in is question. Despite the triumphant rhetoric in the various media commemorative reports, two years after ‘Cast Lead’, the sense is that that campaign was as much of a failure as was the second Lebanon war of 2006. Unfortunately, leaders, generals and the public at large in the Jewish State know only one way of dealing with military debacles and fiascos. They can be redeemed only by another successful operation or war but one which has to be carried out with more force and be more ruthless than the previous one with the hope for better results in the next round.
https://mondoweiss.net/2010/12/the-drums-of-war-are-heard-again-in-israel.html
Santa Claus was from Turkey?, Juan Cole
The modern Turkish town of Demre is on the site of Myra, the birthplace of Saint Nicholas, whom the world now calls Santa Claus. If they are smart, they’ll build a huge amusement park and resort on the theme!
http://www.juancole.com/2010/12/santa-claus-was-from-turkey.html?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+juancole%2Fymbn+%28Informed+Comment%29
Lebanon
Israeli warplanes violate Lebanese airspace
BEIRUT: Israeli warplanes violated Lebanese airspace Sunday with intensive and repeated flights over the regions of Arquoub, Hasbaya, west Bekaa and Iqlim al-Tuffah, the National News Agency (NNA) reported. Three overflights were counted in less than two hours, the statement added.
http://www.dailystar.com.lb/article.asp?edition_id=1&categ_id=2&article_id=122939
Lebanon Following Up Egyptian-Israeli Spy Confessions Seriously
25/12/2010 A Lebanese Judicial source confirmed on Saturday that the Lebanese judicial authorities were closely following up the Egyptian investigations with Israeli spy Tareq Abdel Razzaq and his confessions that a similar spy network is functioning in Lebanon. Speaking to pan-Arab daily As-Sharq Al-Awsat, the judicial reference denied that the Lebanese authorities had actually launched investigations over the possible spread of the network to Lebanon.
http://almanar.com.lb/NewsSite/NewsDetails.aspx?id=167400&language=en
Iraq
Death toll in Iraq suicide bombings rises to 17 (Reuters)
Reuters – Two suicide car bombers targeting a government compound in the Iraqi town of Ramadi killed at least 17 people and wounded 47 on Monday, a police official said.
http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/iraq/*http://news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20101227/wl_nm/us_iraq_violence
Twin suicide blasts kill 6 in western Iraq (AP)
AP – An Iraqi spokesman for Anbar province says two suicide bombers blew themselves up and killed six people in the provincial capital of Ramadi.
http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/iraq/*http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20101227/ap_on_re_mi_ea/ml_iraq
Sunday: 3 Iraqis Killed, 2 Wounded
At least three Iraqis were killed and two more were wounded in unusually light violence.
http://original.antiwar.com/updates/2010/12/26/sunday-3-iraqis-killed-2-wounded-2/
Iraq creates committee to monitor women’s rights
BAGHDAD: The Iraqi Parliament has adopted a resolution affirming that “the issue of women is a priority” and creating a monitoring committee on women’s affairs, Speaker Omar al-Nujaifi announced over the weekend.
http://www.dailystar.com.lb/article.asp?edition_id=10&categ_id=2&article_id=122930
Top Shiite cleric says new Iraqi government is sub-standard
Sheikh Abdel-Mahdi al-Karbalaei, a confidant of influential Shiite spiritual leader Ayatollah Ali al-Sistani, said that the new cabinet is ‘below the standards’ Iraqi citizens had hoped for and suggested it could prove to be weaker than the previous government.
http://www.monstersandcritics.com/news/middleeast/news/article_1607755.php/Top-Shiite-cleric-says-new-Iraqi-government-is-sub-standard
Iraqi refugees face rejection
More than a million people have left Iraq since 2003. The United Nations High Commission for Refugees believes that Iraq is still unstable. But those who reach Europe seeking asylum, are increasingly at risk of being sent back. Al Jazeera’s Jane Arraf reports from Baghdad.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=p0x47fnz90M&feature=youtube_gdata
Wikileaks
Bradley Manning and GI Resistance to US War Crimes
Independent journalist Dahr Jamail spent nine months reporting directly from Iraq following the US invasion in 2003. His stories have been published by Inter Press Service, Truthout, Al-Jazeera, The Nation, The Sunday Herald in Scotland, the Guardian, Foreign Policy in Focus, Le Monde Diplomatique, the Independent, and many others. On radio as well as television, Dahr reports for Democracy Now!, has appeared on Al-Jazeera, the BBC and NPR, and numerous other stations around the globe.
http://dissidentvoice.org/2010/12/bradley-manning-and-gi-resistance-to-us-war-crimes/
Supporters liken Manning’s detention to torture
Supporters of US soldier Bradley Manning say his treatment in jail amounts to torture, and are calling on the United Nations to investigate. The US military is accusing the army private of giving classified documents to WikiLeaks, the whistleblower website. He has been held in solitary confinement at a Marine Corps base in Quantico, Virginia, since his arrest in May, and faces a court martial sometime in 2011. The office of Manfred Nowak, the UN special rapporteur on torture in Geneva, is to look into the complaints. Manning was charged in July with leaking classified material, including a video posted by WikiLeaks of a 2007 US Apache helicopter attack in Baghdad that killed a Reuters news photographer and his driver. Manning has not commented publicly on whether he is the source of the leaks. Al Jazeera’s Patty Culhane reports from Washington.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iougDCH-wJ8&feature=youtube_gdata
The Listening Post – ‘The war you don’t see’
On the show this week we interview renowned filmmaker and journalist, John Pilger about his new film, The War You Don’t See, Iran and Julian Assange, the founder of WikiLeaks. We then turn our attention to the chequered transcripts coming from an Arabic-language translation service in the US.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZGEyOe2_fAE&feature=youtube_gdata
U.S. and other world news
US Congress blocks Guantanamo closure
US lawmakers have effectively blocked President Barack Obama’s efforts to close the controversial terror prison in Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, by approving a Pentagon budge that forbids spending money on the move.
http://www.google.com/hostednews/afp/article/ALeqM5hiCyuo47rG5_B_88fhT_MOqZU-Tw
Cadets For Christ Solicits Letters to the Air Force Academy to Use as Ammo
This is the most recent development in an outrageous story that has been developing over the better part of this year, so, for those who need to be brought up to speed, here’s what’s going on in as small of a nutshell as I can put it.
http://www.talk2action.org/story/2010/12/23/94258/335/Front_Page/Cadets_For_Christ_Solicits_Letters_to_the_Air_Force_Academy_to_Use_as_Ammo
Condemned student granted a reprieve
A Kurdish student activist who was due to be executed yesterday for “waging war against God” was granted a last-minute stay of execution, his lawyer was quoted as saying.
http://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/middle-east/condemned-student-granted-a-reprieve-2169879.html
www.TheHeadlines.org
