and other news from Today in Palestine:
Land, property, resources theft & destruction / Ethnic cleansing / Settlers
Jerusalem
PLO denounces move to seize Jerusalem homes
BETHLEHEM (Ma‘an) 21 Apr — The PLO has denounced indications that Israel will confiscate 27 Palestinian homes and expel their residents from a neighborhood in occupied East Jerusalem. “This move is carried out within a plan of racist ethnic cleansing by the rightist Israeli government against Jerusalem,” the PLO said in a statement condemning the settlement initiative in Sheikh Jarrah, which came to light Tuesday … The PLO urged the Quartet and its member states to immediately intervene in order to prevent Israel from committing “this racist and terrorist act.” It will also request an urgent Security Council session. The strong reaction from the PLO followed reports that an extremist settler organization on Tuesday handed eviction notices to 10 Jerusalem families in Sheikh Jarrah, a Palestinian neighborhood in East Jerusalem.
http://www.maannews.net/eng/ViewDetails.aspx?ID=380665
Strategic plan to link settlement to occupied Jerusalem
OCCUPIED JERUSALEM, (PIC) 21 Apr– The Israeli Ministry of Housing has laid down plans to build a new neighborhood including 800 houses in the Givat Ze’ev settlement northwest of occupied Jerusalem, Israeli Army Radio reported on Thursday. What makes the neighborhood special is its strategic geographical placement, as it is designed to connect the outlying settlement and make it an integral part of the holy city … Israeli Army Radio said exclusive sources told it that the plan is linked to the approval of the Israeli war minister Ehud Barak, but Housing Minister Ariel Attias vowed to press ahead with the plan in order to reach the stage of application on the ground. News sources inside the 1948-occupied territories said that international pressure has caused Israel to avoid announcements of new settlement plans in the West Bank. But what is actually happening during the current stalemate in the political process is that the government has been funding plans that have accumulated, waiting for the moment when it is able to implement such strategic plans on the ground.
http://www.palestine-info.co.uk/En/default.aspx?xyz=U6Qq7k%2bcO
Youth shot in the face with rubber bullet as clashes rage
Silwan, Jerusalem (SILWANIC) 20 Apr 23:50 — Violent clashes took place between Israeli forces and Palestinian youth in Bir Ayyub district of Silwan this evening. Troops fired vast quantities of rubber[-coated steel] bullets at Palestinian youth in the village streets, with one 20 year old man shot directly in the face. Eyewitnesses stated that his lip sustained the worst injury. The victim was transferred to ‘Ein Kareem hospital for treatment. Confrontations spread to several other districts, reaching Al-Thouri neighborhood, adjacent to Silwan. Clashes continued for several hours.
http://silwanic.net/?p=14988
Israeli forces attack literary event in Al-Bustan protest tent
Silwan, Jerusalem (SILWANIC) 20 Apr 23:53 — Israeli troops fired rounds of tear gas in the Al-Bustan protest tent in Silwan this evening as dozens of Palestinian, Israeli and international activists gathered for a literary event. Undercover forces attempted to arrest several children in Bir Ayyub and Al-Bustan districts, but were prevented from doing so by youth on the scene, fueling clashes in the region. Many Palestinians and foreign visitors and peace activists were forced to evacuate the tent
http://silwanic.net/?p=14991
NGO employees run marathon in support of Silwan
Silwan, Jerusalem (SILWANIC) 21 Apr — Employees of various non-governmental and aid sector organisations formed a Silwan solidarity team for this year’s marathon from the Dead Sea to the Red Sea. 10 employees of various organisations in the Occupied Palestinian Territories (United Nations, GIZ, FORUM ZFD, WHO) from a wide range of backgrounds (Germany, Ethiopia, USA, Romania) ran the gruelling 242km marathon to raise awareness about Silwan and the problems faced by its community.
http://silwanic.net/?p=14996
Sharing the right to Jerusalem’s past / Yonathan Mizrachi
Jerusalem 19 Apr — The Palestinian village Silwan in East Jerusalem is situated about a hundred metres from the Temple Mount/Haram el Sharif. It is home to 40,000 Palestinians and almost 400 Jewish settlers. The village also hosts a large archaeological site called the ‘City of David’ … Ancient artifacts may seem like an unlikely flashpoint for conflict, but both sides are using the remains of the past to legitimate their claims for sovereignty over Jerusalem. Silwan, which was occupied by Israel in 1967, is arguably one of the most sensitive locations in Jerusalem. Moreover, the fact that the City of David site is jointly administered by the Israeli authorities and a Jewish settlers’ organisation has placed its archaeological remains at the centre of the present-day national struggle.
http://www.commongroundnews.org/article.php?id=29602&lan=en&sp=0
Israel gearing up to open tunnel network under Aqsa Mosque area
OCCUPIED JERUSALEM, (PIC) 20 Apr — Israeli occupation authorities are making preparations ahead of opening a network of underground tunnels near the Aqsa Mosque in East Jerusalem, the Israeli Haaretz newspaper [Hebrew edition only?] reported on Wednesday. The tunnels stretch from under walls of the sacred zone to Jerusalem’s Old City … Tourists would be able to enter Silwan and walk below the surface of the earth to Jerusalem’s Old City. According to Haaretz, the excavations have ruined the archaeological features under the ground. The objective was to dig past Islamic and Christian features in a bid to stumble upon Jewish artifacts. The project itself was aimed at enhancing settlement outposts erected in the city’s Muslim quarter by linking them to outposts in the Silwan district. Israeli archaeologist Yoram Tseverir [Tsafrir] has declared that digging under the mosque is “wrong”, assuring that no scientific findings can be made thereby. The digging has caused serious cracking and cave-ins in the mosque’s square.
http://www.palestine-info.co.uk/En/default.aspx?xyz=U6Qq7k%2bcOd8
Israeli soldier hurls grenade near Aqsa Mosque
OCCUPIED JERUSALEM, (PIC) 21 Apr — An Israeli soldier hurled a grenade late Wednesday night in the courtyard of the Aqsa Mosque in occupied Jerusalem. An Israeli patrol vehicle parked near the eastern wall of the mosque, Palestinian witnesses reported. Then, a soldier exited and threw an explosive grenade at a bush area in the courtyard and fled the scene towards the Mount of Olives. However, there was no report of injury or damage. In a related development, extremist Jewish groups have boosted presence outside of the Aqsa Mosque and roamed the mosque’s courtyards under the protection of Israeli soldiers and police.
http://www.palestine-info.co.ukd87MDI46m9rUxJEpMO%2bi1s76
Elsewhere
Settlers establish settlement ahead of Palestinian statehood declaration
Haaretz 21 Apr 01:24 – -Five hundred people wearing white shirts gathered Wednesday on the hills facing the West Bank settlement of Itamar to establish a new settlement, named Regev … The radical settlement movement is concerned about the possible transfer of areas from C (full Israeli control ) to B (Palestinian civil control; Israeli military control ) to A (full Palestinian control ), as reported in Haaretz. If that happens, young people are reportedly planning to take over these areas to prevent their evacuation. Just before Passover, settlement leaders began to realize that Netanyahu was going to make a significant move.
http://www.haaretz.com/print-edition/news/settlers-establish-settlement-ahead-of-palestinian-statehood-declaration-1.357123
New settlement founded, dismantled
NABLUS (Ma‘an) 21 Apr 12:23 — The newest illegal settlement in the West Bank was dismantled overnight on Wednesday, hours after hundreds of settlers had gathered to announce the land grab.
http://www.maannews.net/eng/ViewDetails.aspx?ID=380859
Rightists stopped on way to Jericho
Ynet 21 Apr – Some 100 youngsters held a bicycle trip Thursday from Samaria’s Tapuach Junction to the West Bank town of Jericho in the aims of “renewing the Jewish presence in the area.” However, police officers called to the area, including riot police, attempted to convince the youngsters to call off their trip and eventually detained three of them. The detainees, arrested on suspicion of illegal gathering, include two Hilltop Youth leaders who organized the initiatives and a girl who violated the terms of her house arrest.
http://www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7340,L-4059501,00.html
Settler threatens Bedouin family in ‘Ein Al Hilwe
On Wednesday 20 April, one of the family in ‘Ayn Al Hilwe Bedouin community in the north of the Jordan Valley was visited by a settler coming down from Masskiot illegal colony. The settler drove down in a blue car, armed with a gun and approached the tent of the family, telling Fathi, the father, that their cows were forbidden to eat the grass of the hill which is at less than twenty metres from the tent family. The family is worry and afraid because usually they need to pay high fees because of the capricious decisions of the army about the animals, and also because it’s not rare that the colons beat at the residents even women and children.
http://www.jordanvalleysolidarity.org/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=235:settler-threaten-bedouin-family-in-ein-il-hilwe-englishespanol&catid=15:2010&Itemid=21
Incursions / Raids
Tanks enter Gaza City industrial zone
GAZA CITY (Ma‘an) 21 Apr — Several Israeli tanks penetrated Gaza’s border on Thursday morning, entering the Gaza City industrial zone where they demolished an unknown number of factories, all which had been closed since 2005 … Official sources in Gaza told Ma‘an that sheds, and shelters formerly used by PA security forces before 2007, were also demolished during the incursion. One official who preferred to remain anonymous said he was miffed by the move, saying the demolition had been carried out “despite the fact that this place is calm and there have been no operations by factions carried out from the zone.”
http://www.maannews.net/eng/ViewDetails.aspx?ID=380844
Israeli troops destroy structures near Gaza crossing
GAZA CITY (AFP) 21 Apr — Israeli troops made a brief incursion into Gaza early on Thursday to demolish several buildings which the army said were being used by “terrorist organizations”. Palestinians said the buildings were warehouses holding goods which had been transferred to the Gaza Strip via the nearby Karni crossing, which Israel shut down earlier this year. Witnesses said the buildings contained assorted equipment, children’s diapers, scrap metal and cleaning detergent. The goods were damaged during the destruction of the warehouses. The operation also damaged a room holding the electrical generators for the industrial zone near the Karni crossing, they said.
http://www.maannews.net/eng/ViewDetails.aspx?ID=381057
Israeli troops raid Hebron school
HEBRON (Ma‘an) 21 Apr — Israeli forces surrounded the Tareq Ben Ziyad Secondary School for boys in Hebron’s city center on Thursday morning, then entered the building deploying sound grenades, witnesses said. School was in progress when the soldiers arrived at approximately 10 a.m., entering the school and classrooms. No detentions were reported, and troops withdrew to an area outside of the school, which is in the Israeli-controlled zone of the city.
http://www.maannews.net/eng/ViewDetails.aspx?ID=380898
Detention
Female detainees at Hasharon prison ‘punished’
BETHLEHEM (Ma‘an) 21 Apr – Lawyer Fawzi Shludi reported Tuesday that the administration at Hasharon prison imposed punishments on female detainees after they refused to eat. Prison staff restricted access to recreation time due to the hunger strike, the attorney said, which is protesting Israeli authorities refusal to allow the women to wear traditional garments in court. The women have been forced to wear orange jumpsuits while in court and are prohibited from holding paper or pens when they meet with their lawyer, according to Shludi.
http://www.maannews.net/eng/ViewDetails.aspx?ID=380330
Detainee released after 3 years in prison
RAMALLAH (Ma‘an) 21 Apr — The Detainees Center in Ramallah reported Wednesday that Israel’s prison administration released a man from Nablus after the end of his three-year term. Baker Bilal, 46, was detained in May 2008, the center said, noting that he had reported being tortured for a period of two months. Three of Bilal’s brothers are also being held by Israeli forces, two serving 15-year sentences. His brother’s wife, Nelly Safadi, is also detained at the Hasharon prison.
http://www.maannews.net/eng/ViewDetails.aspx?ID=380828
Hamas: PA arrested two members
BETHLEHEM (Ma‘an) 21 Apr — Hamas officials in the West Bank released a statement Thursday accusing PA forces of arresting two Hamas affiliates in the West Bank, saying the detentions came for political reasons. The men were detained from the Tulkarem and Hebron regions, the statement said.
http://www.maannews.net/eng/ViewDetails.aspx?ID=380849
Siege
Irish medical delegation in Gaza
GAZA CITY (Ma‘an) 21 Apr — Irish medics visited a hospital in Gaza Thursday, to prepare the ground for medical operations there by Irish doctors, delegation organizers said … The surgeon, Doctor Padraic Murray, is investigating bringing a larger medical team to carry out hip and knee replacement operations for Gaza patients who cannot afford to travel outside the strip for such treatment, an UHWC statement said.
http://www.maannews.net/eng/ViewDetails.aspx?ID=380929
Gaza crossing opens for 2nd day
GAZA CITY (Ma‘an) 21 Apr — A single Gaza crossing terminal opened on Thursday for the import and export of goods from the coastal enclave, for the second day in a row, following two days of closure as the Passover holiday was observed in Israel … The crossing is expected to close again Friday as Passover celebrations resume, while the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs has warned of shortages of both fuel and wheat.
http://www.maannews.net/eng/ViewDetails.aspx?ID=380803
Gaza children stressed, desperate, and in danger
PARIS (AFP) 19 Apr — Israel’s blockade of the Gaza Strip has left the isolated Palestinian territory’s children stressed, desperate and in poverty, forcing some to do dangerous and deadly work, UNICEF said Tuesday.
http://www.khaleejtimes.com/displayarticle.asp?xfile=data/middleeast/2011/April/middleeast_April415.xml§ion=middleeast&col=
Murder of Vittorio Arrigoni
WATCH: Vittorio Arrigoni’s body arrives in Rome
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=io3m2FFwSdo&feature=player_embedded#at=118
WATCH: Gaza authorities release details of arrest raid
GAZA CITY (Ma‘an) 21 Apr — …On Wednesday, [spokesman of the Ministry of Interior Ehab] Al-Ghusein briefed reporters on the specifics of the operation. At a news conference in Gaza City, he displayed images in which the mother of Bilal Al-Umari, one of the suspects, tries to convince him to surrender saying she had received assurances about his treatment. Authorities also brought Hisham Al-Saidni, the leader whose release the suspects had allegedly demanded, and he urged them to give themselves up, Al-Ghusein explained. His ministry has released dramatic footage showing the events leading up to the raid. Relatives of the suspects are seen pleading with them to surrender to police. Eventually, a gunshot is heard.
http://www.maannews.net/eng/ViewDetails.aspx?ID=380748
Foreign Ministry clarifies Arrigoni murder stance in diplomatic campaign
GAZA, (PIC) 21 Apr — The Foreign Ministry of the Palestinian government in Gaza has organized a diplomatic campaign to clarify its position on the murder of Italian activist Vittorio Arrigoni by armed men in the Gaza Strip. A fresh statement by the ministry says the men involved in the crime are being prosecuted. The ministry said it has sent a number of official letters to several countries explaining the position of the government
http://www.palestine-info.co.uk/En/default.aspx?xyz=U6Qq7k%2b
Ramallah to name streets after slain activists
RAMALLAH (Ma‘an) 21 Apr — Two streets in the West Bank city of Ramallah will be named after pro-Palestinian activists from Israel and Italy killed in recent weeks, Palestinian Authority officials said Wednesday. Juliano Mer-Khamis and Vittorio Arrigoni will be remembered by streets named in their honor, the Ramallah municipality said in a statement cited by the official PA news agency WAFA. The municipality said the decision honors the activists’ “immense contribution to the Palestinian cause,” according to the report, which hailed both men’s efforts to expose “Israeli crimes to the world.”
http://www.maannews.net/eng/ViewDetails.aspx?ID=380759
Activism / Solidarity
Activists restart work after Gaza murder
GAZA CITY (AFP) 20 Apr — Members of the pro-Palestinian International Solidarity Movement resumed their activities in Gaza on Wednesday, days after the murder of an activist from the group. Five members of the organisation gathered at a dock in Gaza City to restart work monitoring Israeli treatment of Palestinian fishermen seeking to ply their trade on a small strip of ocean off the coast of Gaza.
http://www.maannews.net/eng/ViewDetails.aspx?ID=380764
Helen Thomas cancels participation in anti-AIPAC event
Haaretz 21 Apr — Veteran journalist, who has raised controversy with her comments that Jews should leave Palestine and go back to Europe, says she doesn’t want focus of events to be on her.
http://www.haaretz.com/jewish-world/helen-thomas-cancels-participation-in-anti-aipac-event-1.357160
Political/Diplomatic/International news
Clinton: Resumption of negotiations an ‘urgent need’
TEL AVIV (Ma‘an) 21 Apr — US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton called on Israel and the Palestinians to resume the peace talks immediately, Israeli Radio reported Thursday morning. In a television interview, Clinton said that the US administration did not support a unilateral Palestinian step to ask the UN for recognition. Her statement followed assertions by President Mahmoud Abbas indicating he believed the US would back him in the move for recognition.
http://www.maannews.net/eng/ViewDetails.aspx?ID=380811
Obama’s plan: Palestinian state, without the right of return
WASHINGTON Ynet 21 Apr – The White House has been working on a new peace initiative for the past three months, one that revolves around a few key principles: A Palestinian state without the right of return, Jerusalem as the capital of both states, and an emphasis on Israel’s security needs. According to an article published in the New York Times Thursday, the details of the proposal are yet to be hashed out.
http://www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7340,L-4059562,00.html
Fatah may participate in upcoming Gaza flotilla, Palestinian official says
Haaretz 21 Apr — Nabil Sha‘ath, the faction’s head of foreign relations, says Fatah officials do not require either the permission of Israel or Hamas before arriving at the blockaded Strip.
http://www.haaretz.com/news/diplomacy-defense/fatah-may-partake-in-upcoming-gaza-flotilla-palestinian-official-says-1.357259
Turkey: Palestinian peace will decide the fate of Arab uprisings
In New York Times editorial, Turkish President Abdullah Gul says Israel must react to growing desire for Mideast democracy, adds it cannot afford to be perceived as an ‘apartheid island’ in an Arab-dominated region.
http://www.haaretz.com/news/diplomacy-defense/turkey-israel-palestinian-peace-will-decide-fate-of-arab-uprisings-1.357278
Left and right clash at Tel Aviv rally to support Palestinian state
Haaretz 21 Apr — Rally participated by 21 Israel Prize laureates was to culminate by signing declaration of Palestinian independence outside Tel Aviv’s historical Independence Hall … The rally, taking place outside Tel Aviv’s Independence Hall, was reportedly disrupted by right-wing activists equipped with bullhorns, who called out: “leftist professors, it will all blow up in your face,” “Kahane was right,” and “traitors.” … Rally organizers and participants, who included 21 Israel Prize laureates, said present police forces did not separate rally goers from objectors, as they usually do during right-wing events.
http://www.haaretz.com/news/national/left-and-right-clash-at-tel-aviv-rally-to-support-palestinian-state-1.357368
Other news
Putting Bu‘eina Nujidat on the map
Haaretz 21 Apr — Amina Suleiman-Akasha uprooted leek from her vegetable garden, washed it quickly and served it. The flavor of the leek was sweetish and distinct, as though it bore the unique fingerprint of Umm Ajaj, as she is called in her village, Bu‘eina-Nujidat, on the edge of the Beit Netofa Valley. The elderly woman smiled in satisfaction: After all, she knew she had a winning card. Soon day trippers who come to the area will be able to enjoy the fruit of the land of Umm and Abu Ajaj. This hidden village will open its doors to the Israeli public thanks to the efforts of a group of 25 full-time housewives, over the age of 50, who have rarely left their homes. Some know only a few words of Hebrew. .
http://www.haaretz.com/print-edition/news/putting-bueina-nujidat-on-the-map-1.357128
Report: Commerce body says worker permits ‘rigged’
BETHLEHEM (Ma‘an) 21 Apr –The official said that Israel issued a large number of month-long permits for Palestinian workers to enter Israel in April, which were timed to overlap with the 10-day Jewish festival of Passover, according to the report, when West Bank crossings to Israel are closed to work permit holders. “It is known that during the Jewish holidays, the crossings are closed, so there is no benefit from those permits,” the official is quoted saying by the site.
http://www.maannews.net/eng/ViewDetails.aspx?ID=381009
PA asks Subaru to act against spoof ad
JERUSALEM (AFP) 21 Apr — The Palestinian Authority Wednesday called on the Israeli branch of Japanese automaker Subaru to take action after an apparent parody advertisement showed one of their cars hitting Palestinian youths. The supposed advertisement, which appeared on several websites, showed a well-known picture of an Israeli settler leader running over stone-throwing boys in east Jerusalem last year in his Subaru vehicle. Imposed over the scene was the Hebrew slogan: “See who will stand in your way…”
http://www.maannews.net/eng/ViewDetails.aspx?ID=380808
Analysis / Opinion
We have the right to know where Israel is going / Gideon Levy
Haaretz 21 Apr — A word of warning: This article is being written without the slightest cynicism; this call on Benjamin Netanyahu is being written with due sincerity and seriousness. And I’m begging him to tell us and the world what he wants and where he is heading … Too few people, if any at all, know the direction this government and its chief are taking. This situation is insufferable. If the right has a plan of action, let it show it immediately. Let it carry it out.
http://www.haaretz.com/print-edition/opinion/we-have-the-right-to-know-where-israel-is-going-1.357150
Post-modern racism / Dmitri Shumsky
Haaretz 21 Apr — The Acceptance Committee Law for communities is clear post-modernist racism, which is unashamedly masquerading as multicultural discourse on a religious-ethnic minority.
http://www.haaretz.com/print-edition/opinion/post-modern-racism-1.357151
Iraq
Wednesday: 1 US soldier, 8 Iraqis killed, 30 Iraqis wounded
At least eight Iraqis were killed and 30 more were wounded in new attacks. Also, one U.S. sailor was killed in a non-combat incident. In Mosul, a civilian was killed in a drive-by shooting. Gunmen killed two policemen at a checkpoint, and shot dead a student elsewhere. A bomb targeting an electoral commission employee failed to harm anyone. Gunmen wounded a senior oil official. Two bombs in Sadr City killed three people and wounded 10 others. In Baghdad, a bomb targeting a housing ministry official wounded four bystanders instead….
http://original.antiwar.com/updates/2011/04/20/wednesday-1-us-soldier-8-iraqis-killed-30-iraqis-wounded/
