And other news from Today in Palestine:
Settlers/ Land, Property, Resource Theft & Destruction/Ethnic Cleansing
Study: Israelis seized 86 per cent of east Jerusalem
Israeli authorities have seized 86 per cent of the land area in east Jerusalem, imposing a fait accompli that is unchangeable by the “peace process”, a Palestinian researcher said in a report.
http://www.palestine-info.co.uk/En/default.aspx?xyz=U6Qq7k%2bcOd87M
Palestinian businesses demolished in East Jerusalem
JERUSALEM (Ma’an) — Israeli authorities on Wednesday demolished the businesses of a Palestinian resident northeast of Jerusalem, witnesses said. Forces destroyed two garages, a car wash and building materials belonging to Abed Al-Aziz Al-Khatib, a resident of Hizma. The buildings provided the main source of income for Al-Khatib’s 50-member family, he said.
http://www.maannews.net/eng/ViewDetails.aspx?ID=348288
Silwan committee: New settlement at Job’s Well
JERUSALEM (Ma’an) — A new settlement project in the Jerusalem community of Silwan will see the neighborhood split in two, a spokesman for the area’s Land and Real Estate Defense Committee said on Thursday. The new development, set for 5 dunums of land some of which take up the Silwan valley, a fertile area southeast of the Old City walls known alternatively as the Valley of Jehosaphat, or Kideron Valley.
http://www.maannews.net/eng/ViewDetails.aspx?ID=348681
Abu Shaar condemns $18 million mosque conversion
Gaza religious affairs minister Talib Abu Shaar condemned Wednesday Israel for a multi-million dollar move to Judaize two mosques in the city of Jerusalem.
http://www.palestine-info.co.uk/En/default.aspx?xyz=U6Qq7k
Top Palestinian officials besieged by colonists
Ramallah: Israeli colonists besieged top Palestinian officials in a house in the city of Hebron in the West Bank, hurling stones on the house. The house owner and his family members were also stuck with them. Hebron Governor Kamel Abu Hamid, Civil and Security Coordination chief Mohammad Khalaidah and other top officials from Hebron were surrounded in the house by the colonists, and until the time of filing this report were not allowed to leave the house.
http://gulfnews.com/news/region/palestinian-territories/top-palestinian-officials-besieged-by-colonists-1.741615
Umm al-Fahm neighborhood organizes general strike in response to home demolitions
After the Israeli government demolished a 3-story building Tuesday in the neighborhood of Umm al-Fahm in East Jerusalem, the residents of the neighborhood declared a general strike in protest of Israel’s demolition policy.
http://www.imemc.org/article/60360
Murder of Non Violent Activist Jawaher Abu Rahmah
IDF scales back defense over death of Palestinian protester
Brother Ashraf shot after hands cuffed and eyes bound. The military court is set to hold a sentencing hearing today for a Lt. Col. Omri Borberg, convicted of ordering a soldier under his command to aim a rifle at a bound Palestinian protester two years ago. The protester, identified as Ashraf Abu Rahmah, is also the brother of Jawaher Abu Rahmah, the woman who died last Saturday following a protest in Bil’in Friday and the circumstances of whose death are in dispute. Borberg, who was relieved of his post as battalion commander following the incident with Ashraf Abu Rahmah, was convicted of intimidation and of conduct unbecoming an officer.
http://www.haaretz.com/print-edition/news/idf-scales-back-defense-over-death-of-palestinian-protester-1.335470?localLinksEnabled=false
Ira Chernus: Israel’s Deadly Tear Gas Made in USA
When activists find things marked “Made in USA” lying on the ground they deliver them directly to the US ambassador to Israel.
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/ira-chernus/israels-deadly-tear-gas-m_b_804666.html
More on the Bilin incident, Stephen M. Walt
This is a follow-up to my previous post on the death of Jawahar Abu Rahmah. I’m trying to get ready for a trip to Southeast Asia and hadn’t intended to write about it again, but subsequent events deserve a brief commentary. After the initial press reports cited in my original post, IDF officials mounted a wide-ranging challenge to the story that Ms. Abu Rahmah died as a result of inhaling tear gas. In particular, an IDF spokesman (who apparently met with a select group of sympathetic bloggers and questioned whether Rahmah had been at the rally), noted some alleged inconsistencies in the medical records, and suggested that Rahmah might have been suffering from other illnesses, including cancer. The clear implication was that the IDF’s actions had nothing to do with her death.
http://walt.foreignpolicy.com/posts/2011/01/05/more_on_the_bilin_incident
Haaretz Knocks Haaretz On Israeli Coverage of Death of Bil’in Woman, Alex Kane
Two days ago, the Israeli daily Haaretz added to the Israeli media’s shameful reporting on the death of Jawaher Abu Rahmah, a Bil’in village resident who was killed at last Friday’s anti-wall demonstration due to Israeli Defense Forces-fired tear gas. Ironically, in a separate article today on Abu Rahmah’s death, the paper slightly knocks Israeli media coverage that repeated the IDF’s claims as fact–something that Haaretz did itself.
http://alexbkane.wordpress.com/2011/01/05/haaretz-knocks-haaretz-on-israeli-coverage-of-death-of-bilin-woman/
Jawaher Abu Rahmah Not the First to Die from Israeli Tear Gas, Joseph Dana
Contrary to Israeli claims, Abu Rahmah is not the first to have died as a result of tear-gas inhalation. Already during the years of the First Intifada, Amnesty International had reportedforty deaths from CS tear gas inhalation from December 1987 to June 1988 alone in its report “Israel and the Occupied Territories: Amnesty International’s concerns in 1988” (published 1989).
http://josephdana.com/2011/01/jawaher-abu-rahmah-not-the-first-to-die-from-israeli-tear-gas/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=jawaher-abu-rahmah-not-the-first-to-die-from-israeli-tear-gas
Activism/Solidarity/Boycott, Divestment & Sanctions
Physicist: Naalin shooting tape doctored, Police says it was not edited
(Video) Expert says geometric, ballistic analysis of tape showing soldier firing rubber bullet at bound Palestinian during anti-fence rally determined it is not authentic. Police: I wasn’t edited
http://www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7340,L-4010082,00.html
Bil’in’s Abdallah Abu Rahmah sentenced to a year in prison
Bil’in protest organizer Abdallah Abu Rahmah was sentenced to 12 months imprisonment today, for his involvement in his village’s unarmed struggle against the wall. Abdallah Abu Rahmah was sentenced today to 12 months in prison, plus 6 months suspended sentence for 3 years and a fine of 5,000 NIS. In the sentencing, the judge cited the non-implementation of an Israeli High Court ruling which declared the current route of the wall on Bil’in’s land illegal as a mitigating factor. The military prosecution is likely to appeal this sentencing – as they did in the case of Adeeb Abu Rahmah, who was also sentenced for 12 months on similar charges but is still in prison after 15 months, pending the decision about the prosecution’s appeal. The defense attorney, adv. Gaby Lasky, is considering an appeal against Abu Rahma’s conviction.
http://popularstruggle.org/content/bilins-abdallah-abu-rahmah-sentenced-year-prison
Adnan Ghaith arrested by Israeli forces
Al-Bustan Popular Committee member Adnan Ghaith was arrested by Israeli forces at 2pm today. Ghaith, who also holds the position of Fatah secretary general in Silwan, has been fighting a lengthy legal battle with Israeli authorities against the military-issued order that will become active on 12 January, banning Ghaith from the Jerusalem area for a period of four months. The ban is regarded by many as an escalation in Israeli attempts to crack down on Palestinian political activity in Jerusalem.
http://silwanic.net/?p=10045
Two E.Jerusalem political activists arrested (AFP)
AFP – Israel police have arrested two Palestinian activists from a flashpoint neighbourhood in east Jerusalem in a move local officials said on Wednesday was politically motivated.
http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/mideast/*http://news.yahoo.com/s/afp/20110105/wl_mideast_afp/israelpalestiniansjerusalemarrestsilwan
Siyam will appear in court tomorrow
The Israeli court has accepted the appeal lodged by detained Wadi Hilweh Information Center director Jawad Siyam’s legal counsel. Siyam will appear in the Jerusalem Central Court at 1pm tomorrow.
http://silwanic.net/?p=10048
New poster focuses on Palestinian political prisoners
https://mondoweiss.net/2011/01/new-poster-focuses-on-palestinian-political-prisoners.html
Italian singer brings Gaza twinning accord
GAZA CITY (Ma’an) — Deputy Gaza Mayor Nezar Hejazi welcomed renowned Italian opera singer Joseph Fallisi to the Strip on Wednesday. Fallisi arrived in Gaza with the Asia 1 aid convoy. A delegation from Gaza’s Culture Ministry and the head of the Palestinian union of artists Zakareyah Zein Din joined the deputy mayor to greet Fallisi.
http://www.maannews.net/eng/ViewDetails.aspx?ID=348330
Join Huwaida Arraf & Adam Horowitz on an Interfaith Peace-Builders Delegation in May 2011!
This delegation will explore Palestinian and Israeli efforts to achieve peace and a resolution to their conflict based on justice. The delegation will feature meetings with Palestinian and Israeli peacemakers – leaders of civil society groups, grassroots organizers, religious leaders and more. IFPB’s May-June delegation also traditionally focuses on the annual commemoration of the Palestinian Nakba (Catastrophe) and the founding of the State of Israel. Visit http://www.ifpb.org/del36/default.html for more details. To express interest, email office@ifpb.org and get more information!
http://endtheoccupationblog.blogspot.com/2011/01/join-huwaida-arraf-adam-horowitz-on.html
Anti
MK Ben-Ari: Eradicate treacherous leftists
After Knesset approves establishment of inquiry commission into funding of left-wing Israeli organizations, National Union MK tells Jerusalem conference they are ‘enemies of Israel,’ equates them to Hamas, Hezbollah.
http://www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7340,L-4009642,00.html
Breaking: Israeli Knesset plenum votes to investigate human rights groups
The folks over at the Reut Institute are either really proud of themselves just about now, or are beginning to be just a little bit alarmed by the openly anti-democratic lengths Israeli legislators are willing to go to shut down what Reut inelegantly calls the “delegitimatizers.” (First its human rights groups, and then?)
http://www.muzzlewatch.com/2011/01/05/breaking-israeli-knesset-votes-to-investigate-human-rights-groups/?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+Muzzlewatch+%28MuzzleWatch%29
Leftist groups: ‘Witch hunt’ against us will destroy democracy in Israel
Knesset plenum votes overwhelmingly in favor of establishing panel of inquiry to probe source of funding for rights groups accused of ‘delegitimizing’ the IDF.
http://www.haaretz.com/news/national/leftist-groups-witch-hunt-against-us-will-destroy-democracy-in-israel-1.335405?localLinksEnabled=false
#BDS: Bill being Drafted to Bar International Peace Activists from Entering Israel
Knesset Member Yariv Levin, of the right-wing Likud party, together with the pro-settlement group The Legal Forum for the Land of Israel, are currently working on an “anti-subversive” bill aimed at anarchists and supporters of the Palestinian call for Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions (BDS). If approved the law would allow Israel’s Interior Ministry to bar international activists from entering Israel. The law would apply restrictions to anyone who acts against Israel, denies the Holocaust, works to boycott Israel and/or attempts to place Israeli leaders on international trial for what they did in the line of duty, reported Arutz Sheva.
http://youthanormalization.blogspot.com/2011/01/bds-bill-being-drafted-to-bar.html
“Spin-off is great news for Motorola Israel”
“The spin-off is great news for Motorola Israel,” Motorola Solutions Israel CEO Shimon Dick told “Globes”, “because Motorola Solutions is expected to increase its investment in the technologies in which Israel has accumulated decades of world-class experience and expertise. This spin-off is therefore a lever for the growth of activity in Israel.” Work at Motorola Inc. began today as two separate companies: Motorola Solutions Inc. (NYSE: MOT) and Motorola Mobility Holdings Inc. (NYSE: MMI), which will continue to develop, manufacture, and market mobile devices. The spin-off of the mobile division came after over two years of preparations aimed at refocusing the two companies on their core businesses.
http://endtheoccupationblog.blogspot.com/2011/01/spin-off-is-great-news-for-motorola.html
#BDS: Disney invests in Haifa entertainment complex
“The city of Haifa is already on the tourist map of Israel, but now it’s likely to get an even bigger chunk of the market with its new Disney-style theme park. The Walt Disney Company investment arm Shamrock Holdings and the Israeli New Lineo cinema chain have announced plans to build a $168 million amusement park and a multiplex movie center in the port city. The entertainment complex is said to open in 2013. It will include a 30,000 square meter amusement park and a 50,000 square meter compound with shops, 25 movie houses, and four theater auditoriums. “The project, which is still in its development stages, reflects our goal of providing quality entertainment for the people of Israel,” Avi Edery, Deputy CEO of New Lineo Cinema, told a news conference.”
http://youthanormalization.blogspot.com/2011/01/bds-disney-invests-in-haifa.html
Human Rights/Humanitarian Issues/Siege
URGENT APPEAL – Children of Silwan
76% of children arrested in Silwan tell DCI they suffered some form of physical violence during arrest, transfer or interrogation.
http://www.dci-pal.org/english/doc/press/UA_2_11_SILWAN.pdf
Single Gaza crossing open for transport
GAZA CITY (Ma’an) — The southernmost Gaza-Israel crossing terminal was open for imports and export on Thursday, the last expected day of crossing activity for the week. Raed Fattouh, Palestinian liaison official at the crossing, said he was told to expect 160 to 170 truckloads of goods for the aid and commercial sectors, including 20 new cars and limited quantities of domestic gas and industrial diesel.
http://www.maannews.net/eng/ViewDetails.aspx?ID=348657
Egypt halts full aid delivery to Gaza
Egyptian authorities have prevented some convoy members, including Iranians and some Jordanians, from crossing into the besieged Palestinian territory and have refused to allow the convoy, which is worth some 1 million dollars of aid, to be delivered to Gaza through the Rafah border crossing.
http://www.presstv.ir/detail/158808.html
VIDEO: B’Tselem worker beaten by Israeli soldier
Two Palestinian family members were beaten and arrested by an Israeli soldier in their own olive grove last November, following an unlawful detainment of their two teenage relatives. Filming for B’Tselem near Susiya in the southern Hebron Hills, ‘Aliaa a-Nawaj’ah, 12, and her 14-year old brother Hamzah were leading their sheep on their own land when, according to ‘Aliaa, around 7:30 AM, two soldiers arrived via an army jeep. The soldiers detained the siblings with plastic handcuffs before releasing them.
http://www.palestinemonitor.org/spip/spip.php?article1661
Ramsey Clark: Siege on Gaza must end
GAZA CITY (Ma’an) — Former US Attorney General William Ramsey Clark said Wednesday that what he witnessed in Gaza was “far beyond expecations.” Clark said the trip had been tough and the journey exhausting. He waited for several hours at Cairo airport before he crossing to the blockaded coastal enclave by land at Rafah, he said.
http://www.maannews.net/eng/ViewDetails.aspx?ID=348548
Besieged Gaza Two Years after Cast Lead, Stephen Lendman
December 28 was Cast Lead’s second anniversary, a three week onslaught inflicting an appalling human, destructive and environmental toll. The war ended. Regular attacks continued, and Gaza remains suffocating under siege. Yet world leaders are doing nothing to end it or hold Israeli war criminals accountable. The Palestinian Centre for Human Rights (PCHR) said “Gaza remains sealed-off from the outside world (after) the single most brutal event in” the occupation’s history, and “impunity for war crimes prevails.”
http://palestinechronicle.com/view_article_details.php?id=16531
We don’t need Wikileaks to know what the closure is
It doesn’t take a Wikileaked cable to tell us that Israel’s policy towards Gaza has been one of economic warfare for the past several years, but yesterday’s article in Haaretz spelled it out again for anyone who hasn’t been paying attention.
http://www.gazagateway.org/2011/01/wikileaks/
Palestinian health ministries exchange accusations
GAZA CITY (Ma’an) — The health ministries of the rival Palestinian governments in Gaza and the West Bank exchanged accusations on Wednesday. The Palestinian Authority’s Health Ministry in Ramallah accused Gaza government security forces of arresting and dismissing health workers in the Strip, and summoning dozens more for questioning.
http://www.maannews.net/eng/ViewDetails.aspx?ID=348482
Racism & Discrimination
Zionism is racism, always
“In the corners of the living quarters of the Africans … you will find the filth, card games played for money, residents getting drunk, and prostitution. … The Africans bring this way of life with them when they migrate, and it is no wonder that crime in the country is on the upswing. Young women and even young men are again not safe going out on the streets alone after dark.” These harsh statements were not written about African refugees who recently arrived in Israel. They were written by Haaretz journalist Aryeh Gelblum on April 22, 1949, and referred to the Jews who had immigrated from North Africa, many of the same immigrants who either themselves or whose descendents now populate south Tel Aviv and who are now spouting similar rhetoric against newly arrived refugees from Africa.”
http://angryarab.blogspot.com/2011/01/zionism-is-racism-always.html
MK Zoabi: Let Arab students speak in mother tongue
During heated Knesset debate over Jaffa principal’s decision to prohibit Arab students from speaking Arabic in classrooms, Arab MK says education system at fault ‘for not teaching Arabic over past 60 years.’ Rivlin: Anti-Israel propaganda.
http://www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7340,L-4009488,00.html
Beitar Jerusalem soccer fans fined for racist remarks during game
Seven fans of the soccer team Beitar Jerusalem, who shouted racist remarks during last Saturday’s match, were called to the Jerusalem Magistrate’s Court for a debate on whether to order them to keep away from games. Six of the fans agreed not to shout such remarks for the next year and a half. Four will be fined NIS 3,000 ($845) and two NIS 2,000 ($563). The seventh was released because he had not shouted such remarks, but only encouraged his companions. (Yair Altman)
http://www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7340,L-4010081,00.html
Violence/Aggression/War Crimes
Two Gazans killed by Israeli gunfire (AFP)
AFP – The bodies of two Palestinians shot dead overnight in northern Gaza by Israeli troops were recovered Thursday by Palestinian medical officials.
http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/mideast/*http://news.yahoo.com/s/afp/20110106/wl_mideast_afp/israelpalestiniansconflictgazatoll
Israel troops fire on Palestinians at Gaza border (AFP)
AFP – Israeli troops opened fire on a group of Palestinians apparently trying to breach the Gaza Strip border on Wednesday, hitting at least one of them, the military said.
http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/mideast/*http://news.yahoo.com/s/afp/20110105/wl_mideast_afp/israelpalestiniansconflictgaza
IOF troops raid southern, central Gaza Strip
Israeli occupation forces (IOF) raided central and southern Gaza Strip on Wednesday and bulldozed cultivated land lots, Palestinian security sources reported.
http://www.palestine-info.co.uk/En/default.aspx?xyz=U6Qq7k%2bcOd87
Clashes Enter Second Day
Today, eyewitness reports say Israeli military forces used tear gas in the Ein Silwan region, located between Al Bustan and Wadi Hilweh districts. Clashes were reported in Baten el Hawa as well. The violence has resulted in the injury of a number of Palestinians due to tear gas inhalation. Yesterday’s military forces used live fire. Fortunately, no one was shot during the clash. Israeli military forces were met with resistance to the violence-a military jeep was burned while occupying the Palestinian neighborhood of Silwan.
http://silwanic.net/?p=10103
Detainees held by IOF and PA
17 Year Old Boy Arrested
Israeli forces arrested M.S., a 16 year old resident of Bir Ayyoub in the Silwan district. His arrest comes during the second day of clashes between Silwan residents and Israeli forces that have left many residents injured due to tear gas.
http://silwanic.net/?p=10105
The Israelis arrest three Beit Rema municipality officials
The Israeli army arrested Thursday four Palestinians from the northwest Ramallah town of Beit Rema, three of them members of the town municipality, said Palestinian rights expert Fouad al-Khuffash.
http://www.palestine-info.co.uk/En/default.aspx?xyz=U6Qq7k%2bcOd87M
Hamas: PA arrests two members from Ramallah
BETHLEHEM (Ma’an) — Hamas forces in the West Bank accused the Palestinian Authority of detaining two members of the party from the Ramallah area on Wednesday evening.
http://www.maannews.net/eng/ViewDetails.aspx?ID=348692
Hebron governor visits Hamas-affiliated detainees
HEBRON (Ma’an) – Hebron governor Kamil Hamid on Wednesday visited Hamas-affiliated detainees held by Palestinian Authority security services. Hamid told Ma’an he wanted to check up on the prisoners after they partially ended a hunger strike, and to listen to their demands and pass them on to President Mahmoud Abbas.
http://www.maannews.net/eng/ViewDetails.aspx?ID=348589
Report: One third of Palestinians deprived of visiting their detained relatives
A statistics report indicated that around 30% of relatives of Palestinian detainees in the West Bank are deprived of visiting their next of kin held in Israeli jails.
http://www.palestine-info.co.uk/En/default.aspx?xyz=U6Qq7k%2bc
Political Developments
Collective punishment: Wikileaks doc says Israel kept Gaza on ‘brink of collapse’ partly as response to capture of Gilad Shalit, Philip Weiss
The Wikileaks cable first reported by Aftenposten and mentioned by Amy Goodman this morning on Democracy Now (and picked up by Robert Mackey at the Times and Andrew Sullivan too). The assault on the banking system was documented in November 2008, a few weeks before Cast Lead. And all justified by starving a “terrorist regime” of funds– including the gov’t salaries of any Hamas members. Consistent with the destruction of government buildings that Goldstone later scored as a likely war crime.
https://mondoweiss.net/2011/01/collective-punishment-wikileaks-doc-says-israel-kept-gaza-on-brink-of-collapse-in-part-because-of-capture-of-gilad-shalit.html
‘Israelis demand bribes to let US products into Gaza’
WikiLeaks: Coca Cola, P&G, HP and others charged 75 times the standard price to import goods through the Karni crossing. US businesses complained that Israeli officials demanded bribes in order to allow American goods into Gaza, according to a diplomatic cable released by WikiLeaks on Thursday.
http://www.jpost.com/International/Article.aspx?id=202452
Israel security official in 2007, ‘Sooner or later we’ll have to deal with Hamas’, Helena Cobban
The Norwegian daily Aftenposten has been posting a lot of new Wikileaks material. In there is this cable from 26 July, 2007– just a few weeks after the elected Hamas leaders of Gaza rebuffed a U.S.-backed coup attempt led by Fateh strongman Mohamed Dahlan. It’s a record by a U.S. diplo in Tel Aviv of a meeting that GWB aide Fran Fragos Townsend had with Israeli National Security Council officials on July 12.
http://justworldnews.org/archives/004121.html
US appears toothless in latest Wiki snapshot, Philip Weiss
Another Wikileaks cable from the US State Department notes that 3 weeks before Israel unleashed the Gaza onslaught in 2008, the American government was pushing Israel to allow more cash into Gaza as the Palestinian Authority had requested…
https://mondoweiss.net/2011/01/us-appears-toothless-in-latest-wiki-snapshot.html
Palestinians look for early vote on UN resolution (AFP)
AFP – A Palestinian resolution condemning Israel’s settlement building could be voted on at the UN Security Council as early as next week, the Palestinian representative to the UN said Wednesday.
http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/mideast/*http://news.yahoo.com/s/afp/20110105/wl_mideast_afp/palestiniansisraelpeaceun
Ex-US attorney general visits Gaza Hamas leader (AP)
AP – Former U.S. Attorney General Ramsey Clark visited the Hamas-ruled Gaza Strip Wednesday on a solidarity mission.
http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/mideast/*http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20110105/ap_on_re_mi_ea/ml_israel_palestinians
Jordan: Swift action needed for peace
In phone conversation with Prime Minister Netanyahu, King Abdullah discusses need for ‘serious and effective peace talks’. ‘Deadlocked peace process threatens entire region,’ says king.
http://www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7340,L-4009638,00.html
Mubarak says Israel must revise position on talks (Reuters)
Reuters – Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak said on Thursday Israel needs to revise its position over peace talks and settlement-building to reach a final accord with the Palestinians.
http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/mideast/*http://news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20110106/wl_nm/us_palestinians_israel_egypt
Netanyahu to meet Mubarak in Sharm
JERUSALEM (AFP) — Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu heads Thursday to Egypt for talks with President Hosni Mubarak on ways to break the impasse in peace negotiations with the Palestinians, his office said. The two leaders will meet in the Red Sea resort of Sharm Ash-Sheikh for talks that will also focus on threats facing the region.
http://www.maannews.net/eng/ViewDetails.aspx?ID=348678
Israeli-Palestinian stalemate set to continue: analysts
JERUSALEM, Jan. 5 (Xinhua) — Israeli Defense Minister Ehud Barak said Tuesday that 2010 had been the quietest year regarding attacks against Israel in a long time, but he also warned that “a complicated reality continues to surround us.” Speaking to reporters during a tour to the Negev desert, Barak also restated the need to achieve an agreement with the Palestinians, local daily Ha’aretz reported.
http://news.xinhuanet.com/english2010/world/2011-01/06/c_13678097.htm
Israel’s Lieberman to stay put in coalition govt
JERUSALEM — Israel’s ultra-nationalist Foreign Minister Avigdor Lieberman appears set on becoming the new champion of the Israeli right although for the time being, he is happy to stay within the ruling coalition. Describing his relationship with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu leader as “correct,” Lieberman told AFP he thought the makeup of the current coalition was “the best solution.”
http://www.google.com/hostednews/afp/article/ALeqM5geIhDwSPbN1xPN3MaU1nPS4upjIw?docId=CNG.05a6e85bfb37cddd7fe037aaf5164bc0.401
Israel says Palestinian alternatives a “mirage” (Reuters)
Reuters – Israel urged the Palestinian leadership on Wednesday to set aside a diplomatic campaign to widen the stalled Middle East peace process and get back instead to direct talks.
http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/mideast/*http://news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20110105/wl_nm/us_israel_palestinians
“Rejectionist front”: Maariv details Netanyahu’s refusal to directly negotiate with PA
As Israel’s diplomatic position erodes and the Palestinian Authority’s campaign for the unilateral recognition of a state in the 1967 borders gains ground, the demand for “direct negotiations” has become a central talking point of Israeli government spokespeople. Here’s the latest example, from a January 2 Associated Press report…
http://coteret.com/2011/01/03/rejectionist-front-maariv-details-netanyahus-refusal-to-directly-negotiate-with-pa/#more-2955
Netanyahu woos top Labor minister in bid to save coalition
Industry, Trade and Labor Minister Benjamin Ben-Eliezer offered perks in hopes he won’t carry out his threat to lead Labor out of the coalition.
http://www.haaretz.com/print-edition/news/netanyahu-woos-top-labor-minister-in-bid-to-save-coalition-1.335469?localLinksEnabled=false
Lieberman blames Turkey for strain in relations
JERUSALEM (AFP) — Turkey is to blame for the crisis in relations between Israel and Ankara, and the state will not become a Turkish “punching bag,” Israel’s foreign minister said on Thursday. In a commentary published in the English-language Jerusalem Post, Avigdor Lieberman accused Ankara of anti-Israel incitement, and warned the situation in Turkey reminded him of Iran just before the Islamic revolution.
http://www.maannews.net/eng/ViewDetails.aspx?ID=348753
64% of Turks: Freeze ties with Israel
Survey finds US, Israel seen by Turkish citizens as top threat, followed by Iran; only 27.9 percent say ties with Jewish state should be improved.
http://www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7340,L-4009536,00.html
Israel asks U.S. to ban Turkish charity behind Gaza flotilla
IHH is banned in Israel over its alleged support for Hamas; WikiLeaks shows U.S. has expressed concern over its link to terror group.
http://www.haaretz.com/news/diplomacy-defense/israel-asks-u-s-to-ban-turkish-charity-behind-gaza-flotilla-1.335454?localLinksEnabled=false
Examples of Hasbara
Fall of Palestinian strongman Dahlan shows just how powerful Abbas is
Since the former PA adviser’s falling out with the Palestinian president, Dahlan has been essentially banished from the political scene.
http://www.haaretz.com/news/features/fall-of-palestinian-strongman-dahlan-shows-just-how-powerful-abbas-is-1.335407?localLinksEnabled=false
Israel to Palestinians: How can we make peace if you won’t talk to us?
Government spokesman Mark Regev urges the Palestinian leadership to rid itself of the ‘mirage’ that there can be any alternative to a negotiated agreement.
http://www.haaretz.com/news/diplomacy-defense/israel-to-palestinians-how-can-we-make-peace-if-you-won-t-talk-to-us-1.335426?localLinksEnabled=false
Other News
‘Dangerous’ political websites blocked from viewing at Israel’s airport
Get your news fix before you leave home, because you’ll have only limited access before flying.
http://www.haaretz.com/print-edition/news/dangerous-political-websites-blocked-from-viewing-at-israel-s-airport-1.335467?localLinksEnabled=false
Israel-Syria Wedding Takes Place At U.N. Buffer Zone (PHOTOS)
For newlywed couples, a wedding day usually represents a milestone transition into wedded bliss. And like most brides, Samar Salman al-Khayal looked the part of a storybook princess, donning a flowing white dress and carrying a fragrant bouquet as she went forward to meet her groom. Only for Khayal, the transition will be the even more significant. As Haaretz is reporting, the 26-year-old Syrian bride had to cross the Syrian-Israeli checkpoint at al-Quneitra before she could marry her fiance Nabih Farhat, an Israeli Druze who lives in the Golan Heights.
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2011/01/05/israel-syria-wedding_n_804963.html
Beilin: Pardon Katsav
Former justice minister tells Army Radio ‘real punishment’ for ex-president ‘is not to be separated from society but rather to remain on his street.’ Gal-On: A rapist’s place is in prison.
http://www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7340,L-4009606,00.html
Israeli foreign official accused of sexual harassment
A senior official in the Israeli foreign ministry is under investigation for sex crimes against two Asian women, Israeli channel two reported Wednesday.
http://www.palestine-info.co.uk/En/default.aspx?xyz=U6Qq7k%2bcO
Orthodox lawyer’s refusal to grant wife a ‘get’ stirs U.S. public dispute
Hundreds of protesters across the country have joined demonstrations urging Republican tax lawyer Aharon Friedman, 34, to release Tamar Epstein, 27, from chains of marriage.
http://www.haaretz.com/jewish-world/orthodox-lawyer-s-refusal-to-grant-wife-a-get-stirs-u-s-public-dispute-1.335404
Court: Segregation only upon consent
High Court rules ‘kosher’ bus lines can continue to serve haredi public, but women must not be coerced into sitting in back. Judges order Transportation Ministry to supervise lines to make sure passengers not being harassed.
http://www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7340,L-4009846,00.html
Analysis/Op-ed
Oh, no. I want Israel to keep underestimating the enemy. Israeli arrogance is in our favor
“As one very senior German intelligence expert told me: “The Israelis’ problem has always been that they underestimate everyone—the Arabs, the Iranians, Hamas. They are always the smartest and think they can hoodwink everyone all the time. A little more respect for the other side—even if you think he is a dumb Arab or a German without imagination—and a little more modesty would have saved us all from this embarrassing entanglement.””
http://angryarab.blogspot.com/2011/01/oh-no-i-want-israel-to-keep.html
Cowardice of Arab governments
“” […] no coincidence that Israel would give the name Leviathan to the massive gas field it discovered and claims is within its regional waters, although it is at a distance of 129km off the northern coast of Palestine and therefore, situated in the un-chartered waters between Palestine and Lebanon. The field in question is believed to contain 450 billion cubic meters of natural gas, which would cover Israel’s needs for 90 years. No wonder then that Israeli officials issued a pre-emptive threat, vowing to use force to protect its gas reserves. Surprisingly, not one Arab organisation showed the slightest interest. It was only Hizbollah that warned about Israel’s transgression on Lebanese waters, supported by the chairman of the Lebanese parliament who was the only Arab official to question whether this new discovery was in Lebanese waters.”
http://angryarab.blogspot.com/2011/01/cowardice-of-arab-governments.html
Gaza on the edge of no return, Amira Hass
A fragile ceasefire holds in Gaza, but it can’t last. Amira Hass – an Israeli journalist who lived there for three years – reports on the unbearable tension of life inside the strip
http://www.newstatesman.com/middle-east/2011/01/israel-gaza-hamas-palestinian
Gaza Diary, day 13: seeds of the next Intifada?, Max Ajl
Gaza from a distance is quiet, bestilled, stuck in political stasis—the government quietly accruing power, the population quiescent, the Israeli army engaged in obscured, never-reported incursions in Farraheen, Khoza’a, Abasan, savagely flaying the rural edges of Gaza, squeezing the Strip geographically and, in turn, economically. The buffer zone protests have subsided, or been quashed. For a brief period they were going on frequently, three or even four times a week, or multiple protests simultaneously: in Rafah, Meghazi, Beit Hanoun. But those have mostly stopped, in part because people got so scared after IDF snipers showed how they were prepared to enforce that buffer zone. At quick glance, there seems to be very little organized political protest. But beneath the surface, Omar Shaban of Pal-Think tells me, sentiment is bubbling fiercely. There’s ongoing political debate and discussion: lectures, seminars, strategy sessions, self-education, and so on. Last week I was at a brief movie viewing and discussion about the apartheid analogy, hosted by Haidar Eid, where we discussed the benefits and costs of using the apartheid analogy for the Israel-Palestine conflict. Yesterday I went to a lecture and open discussion on Western Media Discourse toward the Palestinian Issue, given by Mousheer Amer, a professor of Linguistics at the Islamic University of Gaza—he discussed the Chomsky and Herman propaganda model, did a discourse analysis of the way the conflict is reported. Other professors, journalists, old leftists I know filled the room, along with several of the hyper-literate young writers from Gaza that have been filing their reminiscences of the Cast Lead massacre, on its biennial, at the Mondoweiss site. At that event a female university student was carrying Amira Hass’s Drinking the Sea in Gaza. She said that the situation is “hopeless,” in that exasperated way some people have here of announcing its hopelessness with their secret hope that it is anything but. Anyway, most of the people here, young and old alike, say this, and most carry on, stolid, implacable.
http://www.maxajl.com/?p=4688&utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+http%2Fwwwmaxajlcom%2Ffeedrss2+%28Jewbonics%29
Gaza Two Years Later: 23 days of my life, Jehan Al-Farra
My first semester at IUG, the Islamic University of Gaza, was quite intense; different life style, freshman zeal, new faces, new troubles, architecture major, and most significantly >> war. My first final exam – Applied Physics – was scheduled to be on the 27th of December. As usual, I was hardly prepared and I was actually wishing they’d postpone it!
https://mondoweiss.net/2011/01/gaza-two-years-later-23-days-of-my-life.html
What More Can Obama Do, George S. Hishmeh
Barack Obama must be very disappointed these days since he was hardly applauded in the American media which reviewed his domestic and foreign policies, especially his stance on the Middle East, at the beginning of the century’s second decade. In foreign affairs, his “signature issue” throughout his first two years has been the Palestinian-Israeli peace process, which disappointingly remains in limbo, despite his key appointment of former senator George Mitchell as his Middle East peace envoy just as he stepped triumphantly into the White House.
http://palestinechronicle.com/view_article_details.php?id=16530
Well who does he remind you of?, Philip Weiss
Maybe I’m wrong, but the use of this photograph by Didi Remez strikes me as an Israeli’s cry to the world for help.
https://mondoweiss.net/2011/01/well-who-does-he-remind-you-of.html
In the ‘Forward,’ Pogrebin condemns the ‘un-Jewish’ smear campaign of Goldstone by Jews,Susie Kneedler
As an admirer of Letty Cottin Pogrebin, a founding editor of Ms. Magazine, for nearly 40 years, I was dismayed by her fervent defense of Hillary Clinton in a debate over the 2008 election with her daughter, Abigail Pogrebin, who supported Barack Obama. I was disappointed that someone who’d helped the country envision the liberation of women could define HRC as a “revolutionary” rather than an “establishment” figure.
https://mondoweiss.net/2011/01/in-the-forward-pogrebin-condemns-the-un-jewish-smear-campaign-of-goldstone-by-jews.html
Declaring Palestine: Revisiting Hope and Failure, Ramzy Baroud
When late Palestinian President Yasser Arafat read the Declaration of the Palestinian Independence just over 22 years ago, Palestinians everywhere were enthralled. They held onto his every word during the Palestinian National Council (PNC) session in Algeria on November 15, 1988. The council members incessantly applauded and chanted in the name of Palestine, freedom, the people and much more. Back in Nuseirat, a refugee camp in Gaza, a large crowd of neighbors and friends watched the event on a small black and white television.
http://palestinechronicle.com/view_article_details.php?id=16532
The invisible world inside Israel, Audrey Farber
In a dream world, I would write about Palestinians in Israel. I would write about my experiences working and living in Israel, why I care and why it matters. I would talk about the myriad of perspectives, the layers and layers and layers of complications, melanges of heritages and cultures and languages and religions and nationalities that pretend to coexist here. Most importantly, I would bring this knowledge home, challenging the dominant memes and rhetoric and discourse. I want the world to see these debates are not two-sided and the dichotomies don’t make sense.
https://mondoweiss.net/2011/01/the-invisible-world-inside-israel.html
Seeing Through the Smokescreen, Joharah Baker
Anyone who has followed the Palestinian-Israeli peace process over the past decade and a half would be virtually blind not to see just how dysfunctional the entire setup really is. In this case, Israel’s inconsistencies seem so obvious, it is surprising that anyone takes some of the statements from some of its officials with anything but a grain of salt. For example, Israel’s recent ire over the Palestinians’ refusal to return to negotiations is ridiculous. Palestinians have said from the start that they would no longer sit at a table with Israel’s leaders as long as settlements in the West Bank and east Jerusalem continue to expand. Logically, since Israel refuses to stop its illegal expansion of Jewish colonies on Palestinian land, Palestinians have decided to take another route in their pursuit of liberation. Instead of relying on the negotiating process, which has clearly proven a failure, the Palestinian leadership, led by President Mahmoud Abbas is looking to the international community to acknowledge their national rights and aspirations.
http://www.miftah.org/Display.cfm?DocId=23013&CategoryId=3
A New Year’s song of hope for Gaza
On New Year’s Eve, my family and I planned to escape the immense pressure we and everyone else in Gaza continue to endure. We ended up at a party that contradicted the notion that conservative Gaza is being ruled by freedom-curtailing Islamists.
http://electronicintifada.net/v2/article11714.shtml?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+electronicIntifadaPalestine+%28Electronic+Intifada+%3A+Palestine+News%29
Any Respect For International Law Left In The US Congress?, Franklin Lamb
The US administration, as revealed in a State Department cable posted by Wikileaks, has been working overtime with Israel to parry further condemnation of Israeli crimes documented in the Richard Goldstone and Richard Falk Reports, among others
http://www.informationclearinghouse.info/article27197.htm
Atlanta Journal Constitution changes article headline after being faced with the reality of Gaza
I wrote the following after reading an obviously biased headline and news story regarding an International group of peace activists who were bringing medicine and medical supplies to Gaza. The mercy ship was seized and the activists abducted and thrown in an Israeli jail, including one former American Congresswoman, Cynthia Mckinley. Ironically enough, few media outlet were even making note, much less talking and upset about these events. The few media outlets that did speak of this news were obviously biased and spinning the usual dish of Israel is the most moral blah blah bologne. It is important to note that my letter did make a difference, I know people think they are often powerless but we are not. Ideas and headlines have consequences, this is one example of challenging media bias which later resulted in changing the headline to one that does not set up bias in the reader’s mind.
https://mondoweiss.net/2011/01/atlanta-journal-constitution-changes-article-headline-after-being-faced-with-the-reality-of-gaza.html
Salena Tramel: Gaza, Then and Now
Today, the siege on Gaza continues with no end in sight. Truckloads of wheat reportedly sit idle on a conveyor belt that has acted as a lifeline to Palestinians. And now, military violence against Gaza has escalated again.
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/salena-tramel/gaza-then-and-now_b_801616.html
Signs of desperation in the lobby, Philip Weiss
A bunch of jobs are being advertised by the rightwing shoppe, The Israel Project, Lanny Davis’s old outfit that is Israel-right-or-wrong. Why are they hiring so many people? I believe because they’re flailing, because public opinion is changing fast on the special relationship, and even the elites are quietly starting to desert, realizing that Israel is killing the U.S. brand. And now all the lobby has is money. But they sure got a lot o money. Interns, web masters, India affairs specialists… I wonder what kind of talent they’ll get. Hardliners. Monobrows and low foreheads.
https://mondoweiss.net/2011/01/signs-of-desperation-in-the-lobby.html
Tilting Towards Israel: Journalist Jonathan Cook Reveals The Bias In ‘Balance’ On Israel-Palestine
Towards the end of last year, we sent out two media alerts – Put The Palestinians On A Diet and Too Toxic To Handle? – about the corporate media’s failure to report the release of documents detailing Israel’s deliberate policy of near-starvation for Gaza. “The idea”, explained a senior Israeli official, “is to put the Palestinians on a diet, but not to make them die of hunger.” The human rights group Gisha published explicit Israeli formulas for the amount of food, animal feed and poultry to be allowed into Gaza, and the cold calculation of “breathing space”: the number of days before these essential supplies would run out.
http://dissidentvoice.org/2011/01/tilting-towards-israel/
Lebanon
UN refuses Lebanon request to intervene in Israel gas drilling
Lebanese FM urged Ban Ki-moon to prevent Israel from exploiting Lebanon’s maritime wealth, but UN spokesman says it won’t demarcate border.
http://www.haaretz.com/news/diplomacy-defense/un-refuses-lebanon-request-to-intervene-in-israel-gas-drilling-1.335403?localLinksEnabled=false
Southern villagers protest one-week blackout
BEIRUT: Residents of the southern village of Zawtar al-Sharqiyya set tires on fire Wednesday night and blocked the village’s eastern entrance in protest of more than a one-week blackout in some neighborhoods.
http://www.dailystar.com.lb/article.asp?edition_id=1&categ_id=1&article_id=123324
Iraq
Wednesday: 6 Iraqis Killed; 6 Iraqis, 4 Iranians Wounded
At least six Iraqis were killed and six more were wounded in light violence. Also, four Iranians were wounded. Meanwhile, Shi’ite cleric Moqtada al-Sadr made an unannounced return to his home in Najaf for the first time in almost five years today and, coincidentally, Iranian Foreign Minister Ali Akbar Salehi also visited Iraq to cement ties with the new government.
http://original.antiwar.com/updates/2011/01/05/wednesday-6-iraqis-killed-6-wounded-6-iranians-wounded/
More than 2,000 Iraqi army officers killed in the past few months
Attacks, mainly by silencer guns and explosive devices targeting Iraqi army officers, have surged recently and more than 2,000 officers are reported to have been killed in the past few months. Intelligence sources, refusing to be named, said in the face of the “new form of terror,” Iraqi security forces have intensified their searches of individuals and vehicles particularly in Baghdad. The intelligence sources said there were organized “assassination groups” whose main target was killing Iraqi army officers.
http://www.azzaman.com/english/index.asp?fname=news\2011-01-05\kurd.htm
Iran’s foreign minister in Iraq to cement ties
Iran’s new foreign minister is pushing to cement ties with neighboring Iraq at a time when American troops are preparing to go home and Tehran’s influence is expected to rise.
http://www.alarabiya.net/articles/2011/01/05/132346.html
U.S. and other world news
Private memo exposes US fears over Wikileaks
The White House has instructed every US government department and agency to create “insider threat” programmes that will ferret out disgruntled or untrustworthy employees who might be tempted to leak the sort of state secrets recently made public by the website WikiLeaks.
http://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/americas/private-memo-exposes-us-fears-over-wikileaks-2177041.html
Foreign occupation troops kill 3 civilians
Afghan residents Wednesday accused US-led troops of killing three civilians in an overnight raid in Afghanistan’s restive south.
http://www.google.com/hostednews/afp/article/ALeqM5h8fPSkx9mabLRtb4YwNqmNMc9ZLw?docId=CNG.850d68793570b46d02fb10bce04d9b6d.b41
Jordan, Syria, Lebanon, Turkey move closer to economic integration
AMMAN, Jordan – A Jordanian official says Jordan, Syria, Lebanon and Turkey have moved closer to economic integration. The official Petra agency said Thursday that the countries signed an agreement establishing a committee to unify their legislation to enhance economic integration. It quoted Transport Minister Alaa Batayneh as saying Jordan has been tasked to draw up joint plans to develop the transport sector. Syria is to work on energy, Lebanon on tourism and Turkey on industry. Batayneh also says the ministers want to draw up a regional transport plan, involving road and railway links.
http://www.winnipegfreepress.com/world/breakingnews/jordan-syria-lebanon-turkey-move-closer-to-economic-integration-112996429.html
Egyptian police charge activists
Eight Muslim activists who joined Coptic demonstrations against Alexandria attack charged with disturbing public safety.
http://english.aljazeera.net//news/middleeast/2011/01/20111517119192942.html
Thousands bury Tunisian whose protest sparked unrest
Thousands of people vowing revenge attended the funeral Wednesday of a young Tunisian who died after setting himself alight in a protest over unemployment that sparked a wave of unrest, witnesses said.
http://www.alarabiya.net/articles/2011/01/05/132355.html
silence on Tunisia
“Not even torture, which is rampant or live bullets which the Tunisian authorities are using with greater frequency stop them. […] The United States State Department remains silent in face of the Tunisian protests. Since the protests began on December 17, 2010, there has been little media coverage in the mainstream US media, virtually nothing on mainstream television, nothing in the New York Times or Wall Street Journal, or for that matter even Democracy Now!”
http://angryarab.blogspot.com/2011/01/silence-on-tunisia.html
Riots quelled in Jordanian town
Jordanian police say they have restored order in the southern city of Maan, after two days of anti-government riots there.
http://www.bbc.co.uk/go/rss/int/news/-/news/world-middle-east-12122259
Iran ‘detains US woman on spying’
State media says authorities arrest 55-year-old woman who entered the country without visa and with “spying equipment”.
http://english.aljazeera.net//news/middleeast/2011/01/2011168265100969.html
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