And other news from Today in Palestine:
Land, property, resources theft and destruction / Ethnic cleansing / Settlers
13 Jewish homes approved in Sheikh Jarrah
7 Feb – Construction plans drawn up ‘with sole aim of creating trouble,’ says Meretz councilman, but head of Israel Land Fund argues, ‘Arabs should thank Jews for letting them stay free of charge on land that belongs to them’ … Aside from the approved 13, sources in the municipality said plans were in the works for hundreds of new homes.
http://www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7340,L-4025141,00.html
Jerusalem set to approve contentious Jewish housing in Arab neighborhood
7 Feb – The Jerusalem Municipal Committee for Planning and Building is expected to approve today the construction of two buildings that will include 13 apartments for Jewish residents in the Sheikh Jarrah neighborhood of East Jerusalem. Backing the plan are settler organizations who currently occupy three homes in the neighborhood. Following the plan’s approval, it will be necessary to evict a number of Palestinian families living on the site in order for construction to commence. The planning committee is also expected to approve a new access road south of Har Homa, which will enable the expansion of the neighborhood.
http://www.haaretz.com/print-edition/news/jerusalem-set-to-approve-contentious-jewish-housing-in-arab-neighborhood-1.341693
IOA takes hold of endowed Islamic land in central J’lem
OCCUPIED JERUSALEM, (PIC)– The Israeli occupation authority (IOA) ordered the seizure of endowed Islamic piece of land belongs to 15 Palestinian families in central occupied Jerusalem in order to establish a settlement project. Ziyad Qawas, the guardian of this land that contains other endowed real estate, said the IOA issued an order to confiscate this land which is located west of the US consulate in Nablus street in addition to other property including a mosque, a gas station, a garage and stores built on this land.
http://www.palestine-info.co.uk/En/default.
Israel razes Araqib village for the 12th time
NAZARETH, (PIC)– Bulldozers of the Israeli interior ministry, escorted by big numbers of Israeli police and army forces, on Monday razed all houses in the village of Araqib in the Negev for the 12th consecutive time, Palestinian sources reported. Dr. Awad Abu Freih, the spokesman for the committee in defense of Araqib, said that the bulldozers of the so-called Israel land administration and of the interior ministry demolished all constructions in the Bedouin village and left women and children in the open, cold weather without shelter. He told the Quds Press that police and army forces encircled the village’s graveyard and assaulted the inhabitants who resorted to the cemetery for sanctuary.
http://www.palestine-info.co.uk/En/default.aspx?xyz=U6Qq7k%2bcOd
Palestinian family ‘imprisoned’ in own home
The Al Khatib family is from the village of Hizma, a Palestinian town on the northeastern outskirts of Jerusalem. The village sits on some 10,400 dunams of land and is surrounded by five Palestinian villages: Anata, Beit Hanina, Shufa’t, Jab’a & Ar-Ram. However, in 2004 the Israeli military began clearing village land for construction of the Separation Wall. When the five-kilometer stretch of the wall cutting through Hizma was completed, the village lost about 4,318 dunams of land – and the Al Khatib family. The 24-person Palestinian family is now surrounded by the Israeli settlement of Pisgat Ze’ev, imprisoned in their own home. The village of Hizma borders the settlements of Pisgat Ze’ev, Neve Yaakov, Geva Binyamin, and Almon.
http://www.alternativenews.org/english/index.php/topics/jerusalem/3259-palestinian-family-imprisoned-in-own-home-
New pictures of the school in Eil il Hilwe [Jordan Valley]
7 February
http://www.jordanvalleysolidarity.org/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=161:new-pictures-of-the-school-in-ein-il-hilwe&catid=15:2010&Itemid=21
Jewish settlers bulldoze archaeological sites
SALFIT, (PIC)– Jewish settlers started on Sunday to bulldoze vast areas of Deir Sama’an in Kufr Al-Dik village west of Salfit, which is famous for its archaeological sites. Eyewitnesses reported that the area is strategic and fertile and is rich in Roman relics, describing it as one of the most important archaeological sites in Salfit district. The inhabitants said that they could not enter that area for the past eight years after the establishment of a settlement outpost near it. [The word ‘Deir’ دير found in many village names means ‘monastery’ and such villages normally have archaeological sites, not necessarily Christian ones]
http://www.palestine-info.co.uk/En/default.aspx?xyz=U6Qq7k%2
Leading rabbi calls Israelis to prepare to build alleged temple
OCCUPIED JERUSALEM, (PIC)– A leading West Bank rabbi said Saturday that the Aqsa Mosque must be taken from Palestinian hold in order to pave the way for the alleged temple. “We must save the site and return it to Israeli ownership; and if we cannot build the temple on grounds of law it does not absolve us from doing what we actually are able of,” said Dov Lior, rabbi of the Karyat Arba settlement near Al-Khalil. He is also considered the chief rabbi in the occupied West Bank.
http://www.palestine-info.co.uk/En/default.aspx?xyz=U6Qq7k%2
Fearless in the West Bank / Akiva Novick
Special: Jewish hikers ignore security warnings, go on trips throughout Judea and Samaria … Friday trips around territories under Palestinian rule have grown into a trend recently, drawing hikers from around the country. These excursions have turned into yet another territorial battle between Israelis and Palestinians in the area, keeping security forces busy … Naturally, there are those looking to cause trouble. The activist group Garin Jericho and its Nablus and Hebron equivalents hold protest trips to the cities that had Israeli presence prior to the signing of the Oslo Accords. “The goal is to return to these cities, and through that return to the rest of Judea and Samaria,” says Meir Bretler, one senior activist.
http://www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7340,L-4024789,00.html
Violence
Israeli gunboats strike Palestinian fishermen
Gaza Strip (Pal Telegraph) – Israeli gunboats stationed off Gaza city shore opened Monday heavy fire at Palestinian fishermen; no causalities were reported. Local sources said that the fishermen were enforced to leave the sea after being targeted by Israeli fire.
http://www.paltelegraph.com/palestine/gaza-strip/8403-israeli-gunboats-strike-palestinian-fishermen.html
Palestinian worker shot by IOF soldiers
GAZA, (PIC)– A Palestinian worker collecting gravel east of Gaza city was shot by the Israeli occupation forces and sustained injuries, medical sources said on Monday. Adham Abu Salmiya, the spokesman for medical services, told the PIC that the worker was slightly wounded in the incident. He added that the soldiers fired at a group of workers in Shujaia suburb using machine guns and injured one of them who was hospitalized.
http://www.palestine-info.co.uk/En/default.aspx?xyz=U6Qq7k%2bcOd
B’Tselem petitions High Court to order JAG’s office to decide in the case of Firas Qasqas, killed three years ago
The incident took place on 2 Dec. 2007 in the village of a-Tira, Ramallah District. Firas Qasqas, a 32-year-old husband and father of three from the village of Batir in Bethlehem District, came to a-Tira with his family to visit relatives. According to information obtained by B’Tselem, that afternoon, Qasqas and two of his brothers-in-law went for a walk in an open area near the houses of the village. Suddenly, they saw a group of soldiers some 500 meters from them. Without warning, the soldiers opened fire at the three men, who were unarmed and had not done anything to endanger the soldiers’ lives. A bullet struck Qasqas in the back and exited from his stomach
http://www.btselem.org/English/Firearms/20110207_Qasqas_petition.asp
Madhut Yusuf’s relatives consider petitioning against Gantz
Family members of Druze soldier Madhat Yusuf, who was killed at Joseph’s Tomb in Nablus in September 2000, told Ynet on Saturday they were considering filing a petition with the High Court of Justice against Major-General Benny Gantz.Gantz, who has been named as Defense Minister Ehud Barak’s choice as the next IDF chief of staff, was commander of the Judea and Samaria Division at the time. It was claimed he did not exhaust all options to save Yusuf, who was badly injured in clashes in the Joseph’s Tomb compound, despite the fact that there was a force ready to enter and rescue the soldier.
http://www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7340,L-4024293,00.html
Statement: Israelis attempt murder of six reporters in OJ
RAMALLAH, (PIC)– A Palestinian rights group accused in a press statement released Sunday the Israeli army of attempting to kill six journalists amid assaults on 36 civilians during clashes that broke out Friday in East Jerusalem. According to the Rasid (Monitor) human rights society, a military unit deliberately targeted an assembly including news correspondents covering clashes that erupted between the troops and residents of the Bab Al-Amoud neighborhood, when soldiers fired rubber bullets and toxic gas used for the third time against unarmed civilians. The soldiers had intent of premeditated murder, the statement says.
http://www.palestine-info.co.uk/En/default.aspx?xyz=U6Qq7k%2bcOd87MD
Activism / Solidarity / BDS
A week’s collection of Israel/Palesting VIDEOS
http://www.dailykos.com/storyonly/2011/2/4/941354/-Israel-Palestine-News
Nabi Saleh marches with the people of Egypt
6 Feb – Despite pounding rain and aggressive repression tactics employed by the army, the village of Nabi Saleh marched Friday in solidarity with the people of Egypt. The demonstration was also in honor of 14 year Nabi Saleh resident Islam Tamimi, who was arrested in a night raid in the village almost three weeks ago and remains in jail.
http://palsolidarity.org/2011/02/16526/
Who’s afraid of the cultural boycott? / Max Blumenthal & Joseph Dana
…We began to understand the power of the cultural boycott in disrupting the apathy that pervades middle class, urban Israeli society. Apathy allows Israelis to live in comfort behind iron walls while remaining immune to the occupation and inoculated from its horrors. The culture of apathy allows them to watch the news and let out a groan of concern without thinking seriously about political engagement … The cultural boycott forces Israelis to deal with Israel’s behavior towards Palestinians by targeting them where it counts most: in the heart of their affluent comfort zones.
http://maxblumenthal.com/2011/02/whos-afraid-of-the-cultural-boycott/
Palestinians speak on growing boycott of Israel / Kim Bullimore
…Over the past five years, the BDS campaign has gone from strength to strength internationally, with trade unions, student groups and other sectors announcing support. Kim Bullimore spoke with Omar Barghouti and Hind Awwad in Ramallah about the growing international campaign. Barghouti is a Palestinian political and cultural analyst and a founding member of the Palestinian Campaign for the Academic and Cultural Boycott of Israel (PACBI). Awwad is the national coordinator of the Palestinian Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions National Committee (BNC).
http://directaction.org.au/issue29/palestinians_speak_on_growing_boycott_of_israel
Rutgers pro-Palestinian rally not what enraged Jewish students think
The Forward – The Saturday evening event was a stop on a multi-city tour titled Never Again for Anyone, stressing that neither Jews nor Arabs should suffer at the hands of aggressors. Days earlier, the conservative blog Atlas Shrugged had exhorted readers to protest the pro-Palestinian presentation at Rutgers University, whose organizers the blog described as “Holocaust Deniers and Islamic Supremacists.”
http://www.haaretz.com/jewish-world/rutgers-pro-palestinian-rally-not-what-enraged-jewish-students-think-1.341378
War crimes
New flotilla for Gaza on deadly raid’s anniversary
MADRID (AFP) — A new flotilla of ships will try to reach Gaza at the end of May to mark the first anniversary of deadly Israeli raid against a similar convoy that killed nine Turkish activists, organizers said Monday. The flotilla that will try to break Israel’s blockade of the territory this time will consist of around 15 boats with activists from 25 nations compared to just six ships last year, they told a news conference in Madrid.
http://www.maannews.net/eng/ViewDetails.aspx?ID=357889
Report: Gaza complains to UN over Goldstone follow-up
GAZA CITY (Ma’an) 7 Feb — Gaza Minister of Justice Mohammed Faraj Al-Ghoul reportedly sent a letter to UN officials last week, asking why the international body had failed to follow-up on local efforts to respond to allegations outlined in the Goldstone report.
http://www.maannews.net/eng/ViewDetails.aspx?ID=357679
Detention
IOF troops detain 10 Palestinians, mostly minors
RAMALLAH, (PIC)– The Israeli occupation forces (IOF) rounded up ten Palestinian citizens in various West Bank areas at dawn Monday mostly minors, local sources reported. Quds Press reported that a large number of IOF soldiers stormed tens of Palestinian homes and searched them after forcing their inhabitants into the open, cold weather. Palestinian sources said that IOF soldiers barged into Beit Ummar town, north of Al-Khalil, and took away six minors.
http://www.palestine-info.co.uk/En/default.aspx?xyz=U6Qq7k%2bc
Group: Prisoners denied basic needs
RAMALLAH (Ma’an) — Palestinian detainees held in Israel’s Etzion prison near Bethlehem are denied basic needs, Palestinian Prisoners’ Society lawyer said Sunday. The lawyer said Israeli authorities refused to allow the organization to bring blankets, clothing or food to detainees. He said the prisoners were considering starting a hunger strike in protest at conditions in the facility.
http://www.maannews.net/eng/ViewDetails.aspx?ID=357502
‘We were for blackmail’ escaped Hamas prisoner says
[Ayman Noufel was] detained in 2007 after Hamas forces in Gaza ripped a section of the border wall down, allowing thousands of Strip residents to spill into Egypt, where most bought provisions and fuel. ”I left to get things we needed for the house, I was riding in a car and we passed a checkpoint of Egyptian security. I was arrested and taken immediately to the El-Arish police center where I was questioned and tortured for two weeks,” Noufel said. Egyptian officials said he was detained for belonging to Hamas … During the interrogation sessions, Noufal said, “They asked what kind of weaponry Hamas had, how prepared the movement was and what the range of projectiles had reached.”
http://www.maannews.net/eng/ViewDetails.aspx?ID=357600
Haniyeh visits escaped prisoner
Gaza Prime Minister Ismail Haniyeh on Sunday visited a Hamas militant who returned to the Gaza Strip after escaping an Egyptian jail. Haniyeh congratulated Noufel on his release, and said he prayed to God to protect all resistance fighters. Ayman Noufel, a leader in Hamas’ armed wing the Al-Qassam Brigades, returned to the Al-Buriej refugee camp in central Gaza on Saturday.
http://www.maannews.net/eng/ViewDetails.aspx?ID=357829
Palestinian held by Israel sustains stroke upon hearing of son’s death
GAZA, (PIC)– A Palestinian man held in the Israeli Ramle prison sustained a stroke after hearing his 16-year-old son had died from cirrhosis of the liver. Two months later, his family has no clue to his whereabouts or medical condition. The man Fawzi Atiyya Abu Ghunaim like many other Palestinians jailed in Israel has been denied family visits and contact under the Shalit law imposed four years ago. Abu Ghunaim, a father of eight, was arrested in 2009 and has since been detained without sentence.
http://www.palestine-info.co.uk/En/default.aspx?xyz=U6Qq7k%2b
Siege
OPT: Prices soar in Gaza as Rafah, tunnels close
GAZA, 7 Feb (IRIN) – More than a week of political unrest in Egypt has heightened the threat of a humanitarian crisis in neighbouring Gaza. Egyptian soldiers fled their posts on the northern border on 30 January, forcing the Rafah crossing – a critical valve for the 1.5 million Palestinians living in Gaza – to close.
Around 60 Palestinians, attempting to return home via Cairo when Gaza’s southern border closed, are still being held in the “deportation room” at Cairo airport. Among them are six children and several critically ill patients who are running out of medication.
… Petrol has now run out entirely and the only fuel available is the limited amount coming from Israel at treble the price. A fuel shortage in Gaza would not only mean no cars, but also no electricity.
http://www.irinnews.org/Report.aspx?ReportID=91844
Housing Ministry criticized UNRWA’s ‘weak’ role in Gaza reconstruction
GAZA, (PIC)– The Ministry of Public Works and Housing urged the UN Relief Works Agency to shoulder responsibility in rebuilding the war-torn Gaza, criticizing the “weak, partisan” role it has so far played. “The UN has played a partisan role in rebuilding Gaza,” the ministry said in a press statement on Sunday. “It has veered from its humanitarian role and begun to act as one of the Quartet who have besieged Gaza.” Discussing the effects of the recent Israeli war on Gaza, the statement says 100,000 residential units have yet to be restored, 55,000 of those being completely destroyed.
http://www.palestine-info.co.uk/En/default.aspx?xyz=
The circles in the sky over Gaza / Yasmeen El Khoudary
People keep talking of a new war. They tell you about their neighbors — they’re probably too shy to admit that it’s their family, not their neighbors — who already started stocking up on food items and candles in preparation for the upcoming war. “People are really scared,” they tell you, using “people” instead of “we.” Everyone — groundless news reports and loud rumors — is saying that they can hear the war drums, can’t you?! … Well, congratulations Israel for winning the psychological war on Gaza. No, you don’t find it enough that you are honored to be the only power on the planet that finds purpose in physically besieging a whole population, but you also want to drive them mad.
http://electronicintifada.net/v2/article11779.shtml
Bulk goods crossing continues to operate
Israeli authorities told their counterparts on the Gaza crossings that two terminals would be open for the limited transfer of goods on Monday, officials said.
http://www.maannews.net/eng/ViewDetails.aspx?ID=357622
Reprisals
2 mortar shells hit south; no injuries or damage
6 Feb – Palestinians fired two mortar bombs at Israel which hit the Eshkol Regional Council. No injuries or damage were reported.
http://www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7340,L-4024772,00.html
Egyptian uprising and Palestine
Palestinian security suppressing West Bank fervor over Egypt protests / Amira Hass
We are still preoccupied with demonstrations and their dispersal in this part of the world. After the immediate shock and anger died down last Wednesday, however, one could not help but notice the European, mainly French, scent that wafted from Al-Manara Square in Ramallah where the Palestinian Authority once again suppressed a demonstration of support for the Egyptian people that evening. A few hours earlier, in the same streets, supporters of Fatah had held an undisturbed demonstration in support of the Egyptian government and President Hosni Mubarak.
http://www.haaretz.com/print-edition/features/palestinian-security-suppressing-west-bank-fervor-over-egypt-protests-1.341722
Palestinian streets quiet as PA suppresses protests / Mel Frykberg
RAMALLAH, Feb 7, 2011 (IPS) – The Palestinian Authority (PA) is using brute force and intimidation tactics – similar to those deployed in Cairo – to suppress pro-Egyptian and Tunisian protests in the West Bank. However, despite PA President Mahmoud Abbas and his ruling Fatah party being all too keenly aware of their own tenuous grip on power, it appears Palestinians are not yet ready to rise up like their brethren in the region.
http://ipsnews.net/news.asp?idnews=54390
Now Gaza begins to shake / Pam Bailey
6 Feb – Gaza City – Ripple effects of the Egyptian uprising are now spreading to Gaza, where some groups are planning a new rally next week. Moves by some Gazans to mimic protesters in Egypt, Tunisia and Yemen by taking to the streets are making the Hamas government nervous. Government officials sponsored an official rally in solidarity with the Egyptian protesters earlier, but when a small group of journalists and bloggers organized their own, six women and eight men were arrested
http://www.truth-out.org/now-gaza-begins-shake67503
Egyptian uprising and Israel
Israel turns down another Egyptian request to send more troops to Sinai
OCCUPIED JERUSALEM, (PIC)– Israel has refused an Egyptian request to send more troops to the Sinai Peninsula to confront growing dangers as described by Egyptian sources, Hebrew daily Maariv reported on Monday. It said that the Egyptians justified their request by saying that it was meant to confront the growing dangers in the peninsula, citing the latest explosion in the gas pipeline.
http://www.palestine-info.co.uk/En/default.aspx?xyz=U6Qq7k%2
Will Egypt unrest affect Israel’s electric supply?
An interview with Electric Corporation head Amos Lasker — The lack of political stability in Egypt, together with Saturday’s fire in the pipeline transporting natural gas to Israel and Jordan, has focused Israeli attention on its natural gas sources. While the current disruption appears to be temporary, those in charge of Israel’s energy economy must prepare now for the possibility of more prolonged interruptions, whether due to problems operating the pipeline or a reversal in Egypt’s commitment to supplying natural gas to Israel.
http://www.haaretz.com/print-edition/features/will-egypt-unrest-affect-israel-s-electric-supply-1.341721
Minister: Israel to step up plans for gas imports
JERUSALEM (AFP) 7 Feb – Israel is to step up plans for an offshore platform for importing liquid natural gas in the wake of the weekend attack on an Egyptian gas pipeline, a cabinet minister said on Sunday.
http://www.maannews.net/eng/ViewDetails.aspx?ID=357467
Army Chief Ashkenazi: Prepare for all-out war
In his final days on the job, Chief of Staff Ashkenazi warns about growing radicalization in region; given recent changes across Middle East, Israel must prepare for a battle in several theaters, he says … However, Ashkenazi said that both Hamas and Hezbollah pose only a limited threat to Israel at this time. “I do not underestimate Hamas or Hezbollah, but they cannot take over the Negev or Galilee,” he said.
http://www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7340,L-4025266,00.html
Politics / Diplomacy
Hamas says Gaza cabinet shuffle still on books
GAZA CITY (Ma’an) 7 Feb — A shuffled cabinet has been set and is ready to assume its duties, Hamas politburo member Khalil Al-Hayya said in a statement Monday, adding that the body would not take office until the timing was right.
http://www.maannews.net/eng/ViewDetails.aspx?ID=357655
Abbas, Abdullah meet as region remains in turmoil
RAMALLAH (Ma’an) — President Mahmoud Abbas sat with Jordan’s King Abdullah on Sunday, the PA government press agency WAFA reported, saying the two discussed the latest political developments in the region.
http://www.maannews.net/eng/ViewDetails.aspx?ID=357555
Haneyya: Gaza will not detract from Jordan’s sovereignty
GAZA, (PIC)– Palestinian Prime Minister in Gaza Ismail Haneyya, receiving a medical delegation from Jordan on Monday, expressed strong refusal of an Israeli proposal that would have Palestinian refugees resettle in Jordan as an alternative homeland. “We cannot engage in any Israeli project that detracts from Jordan’s sovereignty,” Haneyya said. “The Palestinians are honored guests in Jordan until they return to their land.”
http://www.palestine-info.co.uk/En/default.aspx?xyz=U6Qq7k%2bcOd8
Other Palestine news
Palestinians want Bethlehem on UN heritage list
BETHLEHEM, Palestinian Territories (AFP) – The Palestinian Authority is to launch a campaign to get the West Bank town of Bethlehem, Jesus’s traditional birthplace, added to UNESCO’s list of world heritage sites, officials said on Sunday.
http://news.yahoo.com/s/afp/20110206/wl_mideast_afp/palestiniansbethlehemunescocultureheritage
Palestinian artist wins Joan Miro prize
Palestinian-British artist Mona Hatoum has received the 2011 Joan Miro Prize for her great skill in connecting personal experience with universal values.
http://www.presstv.ir/detail/164128.html
Ma`an Arabic readers divided on Palestine papers
6 Feb – Readers of Ma’an’s Arabic-language news site were divided over the publication of leaked PLO documents by the Qatar-based satellite channel Al-Jazeera, according to a survey. Almost 60,000 readers answered a poll on the news site, and 56.8 percent (33,310) said Al-Jazeera should not have published the papers. Meanwhile 24,887 voters, 42.4 percent, disagreed and said the network was right to uncover the documents. Of readers polled, 434 (0.7 percent) were neutral.
http://www.maannews.net/eng/ViewDetails.aspx?ID=356701
Other Israel news
North Korean couple gets refugee status in Israel
Man, woman in their 50s flee oppressive regime, infiltrate Israel from Egypt and settle in Jerusalem. Interior Ministry grants request for political asylum, says it is ‘falsely depicted as being intolerant’
http://www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7340,L-4024363,00.html
‘Taliban women’: A cover story
Newly-religious women walking around covered head-to-toe in black clothes are growing in numbers. Even six-year-old girls are made to hide their faces. Haredi rabbis finally condemn growing trend
http://www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7340,L-4021877,00.html
Anti-secular MK to be reinstated
Israel Eichler, who called Israel ‘evil regime’, seculars ‘two-legged animals’, to be sworn in to Knesset
http://www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7340,L-4024870,00.html
Analysis / Opinion
Palestine is the key to Arab democracy / Sam Bahour
…The obvious question is: if Palestinians are so experienced in taking to the streets, why then are there so few serious demonstrations in Nablus, Ramallah, Bethlehem or Gaza in solidarity with the Egyptian people? The reason is that the Palestinian Authority has been co-opted by a US-dominated and foreign-funded agenda which, in times of crisis, understands a single tool: force.
http://www.maannews.net/eng/ViewDetails.aspx?ID=357809
It will not happen to us / Akiva Eldar
7 Feb – The Israeli Democracy Index for 2010, published recently by the Israel Democracy Institute, shows that nearly 40 percent of Israelis believe there is too much freedom of expression in Israel. 59 percent of Jews who identify with the right, 49 percent of those who say they are center, and 39 percent of those who believe they are left, think that human and civil rights groups such as the Association for Civil Rights in Israel and B’Tselem cause damage to the country. Avigdor Lieberman knew what he was doing when he declared war on them.
http://www.haaretz.com/print-edition/opinion/it-will-not-happen-to-us-1.341726
Multiculturalism – Arab, that is / Merav Michaeli
7 Feb …what Cameron is basically saying is that “this swarthy Islam doesn’t fit in so well in our nice white country.” It seems that the white Westerner’s primeval fear of the Arab mob is uncontrollable, and is sparked even if the mob is in Egypt and demanding freedom. Many Israelis who travel to London and return astounded by the fact that “the streets are full of Arabs,” can probably relate. Indeed, this white, Western fear exists here to the same extent, and here too it is reinforced by the masses demonstrating in Egypt. So there’s a good chance that we’ll soon hear the prime minister or one of his ministers taking a page from Cameron in justifying more measures against the Arab community in Israel.
http://www.haaretz.com/print-edition/opinion/multiculturalism-arab-that-is-1.341728
In Mideast, US backing means absolute power / Fadi Elsalameen
America’s horses, Salam Fayyad and Mahmoud Abbas, I am sorry to say, have created an authoritarian police state that is actively suppressing people’s dissatisfaction with them … “America’s horse” is the Arab leader who is backed by the United States and given a license to rule however he deems appropriate, as long as he doesn’t threaten Israel’s security or other American interests in the region. In return, he is allowed to abuse human rights and deny his people economic and political rights.
http://www.haaretz.com/opinion/in-mideast-u-s-backing-means-absolute-power-1.341180
A US accepted by the Arab world is good for Israel / Gideon Levy
6 Feb – After two years of letting the Middle East down, U.S. President Barack Obama finally appeared this past week in all his glory … Even if the worst scenario happens (which is doubtful ) and the Muslim Brotherhood rises to power in Egypt, the United States will be perceived as having stood in the right place without inflaming the hatred against it. The Muslim Brotherhood will have to remember this, and with them the masses of Egyptians, Arabs and Muslims.
http://www.haaretz.com/print-edition/opinion/a-u-s-accepted-by-the-arab-world-is-good-for-israel-1.341500
Made in America – the People’s Revolution / Yvonne Ridley
US administrations have been blighted since 9/11 by a deadly cocktail of arrogance and ignorance with a twist of strong desire for revenge thrown in. But before you take aim and fire you have to know your enemy, and the scattergun policies of the Bush Junior and Obama regimes have served only to create hatred and mistrust against the US in areas where it was never really present before. In fact, far from driving the likes of al-Qaeda into oblivion, this strategy turned America into al-Qaeda’s most successful recruiting officer.
http://www.middleeastmonitor.org.uk/articles/americas/2027-made-in-america-the-peoples-revolution
Iraq
Saturday: 4 Iraqis killed, 10 Iraqis, 9 Iranians, 2 Pakistanis injured
At least five Iraqis were killed while 21 people were wounded. Among the wounded were Pakistani and Iranian pilgrims who were traveling to shrines in Salah ad-Din province. Separately, journalists decried new restrictions against them. Also, the Victory Arch, which symbolized Saddam’s rule, is being rebuilt.
http://original.antiwar.com/updates/2011/02/05/saturday-4-iraqis-killed-10-iraqis-9-iranians-2-pakistanis-wounded/
Sunday: 3 Iraqis wounded
Sunday was fairly peaceful as only three people were reported injured in light violence. Clashes also took place during a demonstration in Basra, but no casualties were reported in them.
http://original.antiwar.com/updates/2011/02/06/sunday-3-iraqis-wounded/
Iraq cabinet ramps up spending as oil prices rise
AFP – Iraq’s government submitted a revised draft budget to MPs for approval on Sunday, raising projected public spending as oil prices have increased, government spokesman Ali al-Dabbagh said. The new spending programme estimates overall expenditure at $81.86 billion, or 96.6 trillion Iraqi dinars, while income will be $68.56 billion, leaving a shortfall of $13.3 billion– about a 16 percent budget deficit.
http://www.france24.com/en/20110206-iraq-cabinet-ramps-spending-oil-prices-rise
Iraq repairs Saddam’s triumphal sword arch
Officials in Iraq have begun to restore the notorious “Hands of Victory” arch in Baghdad, enraging many who see the massive bronze sculpture commissioned by Saddam Hussein to mark the war with Iran as a symbol of the brutality and excesses of his long rule.
http://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/middle-east/iraq-repairs-saddams-triumphal-sword-arch-2206361.html
Lebanon
Ghajar withdrawal on hold
Israel freezes plan to pull out of border village of Ghajar as result of toppling of Lebanese government, tensions over Hariri report, official in Jerusalem says. ‘We won’t be giving Hezbollah free gifts,’ he says
http://www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7340,L-4024810,00.html
Hariri ally quits talks on new Lebanon gov’t
BEIRUT (AFP) 7 Feb — Christian leader Amin Gemayel on Monday said his pro-West party would not join Lebanon’s next cabinet, accusing the Iran-backed Hezbollah of seeking to unilaterally control the new government.
http://news.yahoo.com/s/afp/20110207/wl_mideast_afp/lebanonpoliticsgovernment
Lebanon tribunal debates terrorism at first hearing
LEIDSCHENDAM, Netherlands (Reuters) Feb — The U.N.-backed Lebanon tribunal opened its first session on Monday trying to settle legal points before it can issue arrest warrants in the assassination of former premier Rafik al-Hariri.
http://news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20110207/wl_nm/us_lebanon_tribunal
Mikati strives to form gov’t as Lebanon crisis drags on
BEIRUT (AFP) – Ten days after the appointment of Hezbollah-backed candidate Najib Mikati as its new prime minister, Lebanon is yet to see a government as a political deadlock drags on. “We are still stuck in this impasse as the crisis is deep, and there is no deep solution to this crisis,” said Sahar Atrache, an analyst with the International Crisis Group think tank.
http://news.yahoo.com/s/afp/20110206/wl_mideast_afp/lebanonpoliticsgovernment
Other Mideast, Arab world
Banned Islamists say time for change in Morocco
RABAT, Feb 7 (Reuters) – The banned Islamist group Justice and Charity, believed to be Morocco’s biggest opposition force, has said “autocracy” will be swept away unless the country pursues deep democratic reform.
http://www.trust.org/alertnet/news/banned-islamists-say-time-for-change-in-morocco
Jordan’s tribes warn of revolt if no reform
(AP) Members of Jordan’s major Bedouin tribes are warning of a Tunisia or Egypt-style revolt in the country if the US-backed ruler does not speed up political reforms. It is very rare for Jordan’s tribesmen, who form the bedrock of support for the monarch, to criticize the government.
http://www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7340,L-4025118,00.html
Islamists reject offer to join new Jordan gov’t
AMMAN, Jordan (AFP) — Jordan’s Islamist opposition said on Sunday it has rejected an offer to join a new government led by Prime Minister Marruf Bakhit and tasked with pushing through reforms.
http://www.maannews.net/eng/ViewDetails.aspx?ID=357525
Tunisia takes steps to halt ‘security breakdown’
TUNIS, Feb 6 (Reuters) – Tunisia suspended activities of the former ruling party on Sunday, saying it acted to prevent a breakdown in security after some of the worst unrest since the president was ousted in a revolt last month. Security officials in the coalition government put in place after President Zine al-Abidine Ben Ali fled to Saudi Arabia have said there is a conspiracy by officials close to the old administration to spread chaos and take back power.
http://www.trust.org/alertnet/news/tunisia-suspends-activities-of-ex-ruling-party
U.S.
Help bring Al Jazeera English to US airwaves / Jillian C. York
What’s preventing your cable provider from carrying Al Jazeera English? Part of the reasoning over the years–that is, beyond the histrionics–has been lack of demand, but in light of recent events, it seems that argument may no longer be valid … For their part, Al Jazeera has recently launched a slick campaign for Americans to “Demand Al Jazeera”; the website (http://english.aljazeera.net/demandaljazeera/) encourages viewers to enter their zipcode to contact their local provider and demand the channel.
https://mondoweiss.net/2011/02/help-bring-al-jazeera-english-to-u-s-airwaves.html#more-35644
‘The Palestine Cables’: Al Jazeera is viewed in White House for Egypt coverage, but US complained about its 08-09 Gaza coverage / Alex Kane
Despite the fact that the Obama administration has been watching Al Jazeera to get the latest out of Egypt, the U.S. has a tortured history with Al Jazeera, as Jeremy Scahill of the Nation points out: bombing its offices in Afghanistan, shelling a hotel in Iraq and killing the network’s Iraq correspondent and holding a network employee in Guantanamo Bay for seven years. Recent WikiLeaks cables obtained by Counterpunch add more to the U.S.-Al Jazeera story. According to a January 31 story authored by Kathleen Christison, the U.S. government, in the wake of the 2008-09 Israeli assault on Gaza, held a meeting with Al Jazeera to complain about its coverage of the assault:
https://mondoweiss.net/2011/02/the-palestine-cables-al-jazeera-is-viewed-in-white-house-for-egypt-coverage-but-u-s-complained-about-its-08-09-gaza-coverage.html
Israelis to receive expedited clearance in US airports
Israel joins US program that will allow travelers go through automated biometrics checks upon arrival
http://www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7340,L-4024868,00.html
Arab unrest complicates counterterrorism efforts
WASHINGTON (AP) — The unrest engulfing Arab streets and threatening authoritarian governments in the Mideast is complicating U.S. counterterrorism efforts, scrambling the volatile battleground against al-Qaida in Yemen and raising concerns about the durability of Egypt’s stance against militants.
http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20110206/ap_on_re_us/us_mideast_unrest_terrorism
