and other news from Today in Palestine:
Land, property, resources theft & destruction / Ethnic cleansing / Settlers
OCHA report: Israel took third of E. Jerusalem after occupation
NEW YORK, (PIC) 10 May — A report by the UN Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) reveals that Israel confiscated a third of East Jerusalem since its occupation in 1967. Mr. Ray Dolphin has reviewed the report titled ”East Jerusalem, major humanitarian problems” at a press conference at UN headquarters in New York. Dr. Dolphin said it was the first UN report which combines both political and humanitarian implications of Israeli restrictive measures for 270,000 Palestinian residents and the increasing isolation of East Jerusalem from the rest of the Occupied Palestinian Territory. It says 35% of East Jerusalem has been used for the interest of Israeli settlement activity, denouncing that only 13% of that land has been reserved for Palestinians. This is why Palestinians have been ”building illegally” which results in their homes being demolished by the Israeli occupation.
http://www.palestine-info.co.uk/En/default.aspx?xyz=U6Qq7k%2bcOd
Lieberman rules out settlement freeze, ‘even for three hours’
Haaretz 10 May — Foreign Minister Avigdor Lieberman responded to a Palestinian call for Israel to renew its settlement freeze by saying that Israel would do no such thing, “not even for three hours.” … Lieberman was responding to a demand made by Palestinian Authority president Mahmoud Abbas for a short building freeze, possibly for a few months.
http://www.haaretz.com/news/diplomacy-defense/lieberman-rules-out-settlement-freeze-even-for-three-hours-1.360896
Israeli minister calls for boosted settlement activity in Al Khalil
OCCUPIED JERUSALEM, (PIC) 10 May — Israeli minister Uzi Landau has called for the boosting of settlement activity in the West Bank city of Al-Khalil [Hebron], calling the town the “heart of Israel.” [Al-Khalil] is the real infrastructure of Israel, and not water and energy, the minister of infrastructure said in a report by Israeli channel seven. He expressed regret that Israeli schools have failed to teach the youth enough about this ‘fact’.
http://www.palestine-info.co.uk/En/default.aspx?xyz=U6Qq7k%2bcO
Bethlehem area village of Al Walaje soon to be completely enclosed by separation wall
AIC 10 May — “Movement will be controlled, not restricted”, declared the Israeli High Court to the residents of al Walaje, a West Bank village four kilometres from Bethlehem which will be soon be completely enclosed by the Separation Wall. Access to and from the village will be controlled by a gate, manned 24 hours a day by the Israeli army. Over 15000 dunams of al-Walaje’s lands have been confiscated by Israel since 1948, and now just 2800 dunams remain for the village. The tormented story of al Walaje began in 1948 when the Israeli army occupied the village, confiscated its lands and forced the residents to leave their houses and move into caves.
http://www.alternativenews.org/english/index.php/topics/news/3581-bethlehem-area-village-of-al-walaje-soon-to-be-completely-enclosed-by-separation-wall
Road closure in Frush Beddajan
JVS 10 May — Yesterday the occupational forces put big mounds of soil at the entrance of an agricultural path in Frush Beddajan. This new road closure is located few hundreds meters from Al Hamra checkpoint and prevents Palestinian farmers to reach their lands by the shortest way. Frush Beddajan farmers will now have to make a long detour through the checkpoint to reach their land. That means they will waste a lot of money to buy extra gas for their tractors and a lot of time waiting and beoing checked at the checkpoint.It means as well that soldiers will be able to prevent the farmers to reach their lands.
http://www.jordanvalleysolidarity.org/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=262:road-closure-in-frush-beddajan&catid=15:2010&Itemid=21
Yousef Munayyer tweet: Israel celebrates destruction of Palestinian villages by literally dancing on their graves:
Hundreds of thousands of Israeli mark Independence Day at country’s parks
Haaretz 10 May — Parks and forests were packed with visitors, and roads were heavy with traffic on Tuesday, as hundreds of thousands of Israelis traveled the country to mark Israel’s 63rd Independence Day celebrations. Among the most popular sites for Israeli tourists were the Biria Forest in the north of the country, Canada Park in the center and the Lahav Forest in southern Israel, according to the Jewish National Fund, which published a list of the most visited sites.
http://www.haaretz.com/news/national/hundreds-of-thousands-of-israelis-mark-independence-day-at-country-s-parks-1.360873
Settlers pray in evacuated settlement
JENIN (Ma‘an) 10 May – A group of settlers prayed Tuesday under the protection of Israeli forces on the grounds of Homesh, an evacuated settlement southwest of Jenin. Witnesses told Ma‘an that around 100 settlers were praying during the Israeli state holiday on the lands of Homesh settlement which was evacuated in 2005. The onlookers added that a number of Israeli military cars were near the area to protect the settlers while other vehicles were on the main road between Jenin and Nablus.
http://www.maannews.net/eng/ViewDetails.aspx?ID=386601
Incursions / Attacks
Army invades a village near Jericho
IMEMC 10 May — Israeli soldiers invaded on Monday the Fasayel village, north of the West Bank city of Jericho, broke into a home and installed a roadblock … The army claimed that it is searching for farm tractors “illegally” owned by several residents. In related news, a group of fundamentalist Israeli settlers closed Road #60, near Fasayel village, and placed rocks in the street. The army was present in the area but did not attempt to remove the settlers.
http://www.imemc.org/article/61208
Army invades Jenin
IMEMC 10 May — Israeli soldiers invaded on Monday afternoon the southern area of the northern West Bank city of Jenin, and surrounded the Jenin branch of the Al Quds Open University. The soldiers stopped several residents and checked their identity cards in a provocative way, the sources said. Furthermore, soldiers installed a roadblock in Al Sweitat area on the main road that leads to Palestinian villages west of Jenin. Troops stopped dozens of vehicles and searched them while interrogating the residents and checking their identity cards
http://www.imemc.org/article/61206
Israel targets farmers in southern Gaza Strip
Gaza strip, (Pal Telegraph) 9 May — Israeli forces stationed at the military control towers opened fire at a number of international activists and Palestinian farmers in Khoza‘a town in the east of Khan Younis city, without casualties reported. According to local sources, Israeli forces stopped firing as some international peace activists intervened to protect Palestinian farmers from Israeli shooting. Sources added that, Palestinian farmers were able to harvest their agricultural lands under the protection of those internationals.
http://www.paltelegraph.com/palestine/gaza-strip/9117-israel-targets-farmers-in-southern-gaza-strip.html
Palestinian hospitalized in Al-Khalil after IOF assault
AL-KHALIL, (PIC) 10 May — A Palestinian man was injured all over his body in Al-Khalil city after Israeli occupation forces assaulted him in downtown on Tuesday. Local sources said that Saed Al-Sharif, 38, was carried by ambulance car to Al-Ahli hospital. Meanwhile, IOF soldiers rounded up two more Islamic Jihad leaders in Jenin district in line with a campaign of arrests in lines of the movement.
http://www.palestine-info.co.uk/En/default.aspx?xyz=U6Qq7k%2bcOd8
Israeli soldiers attack civilians in Jerusalem
Palestine, (Pal Telegraph) 9 May – Israeli soldiers Monday clashed with Palestinians around the checkpoint near the entrance of Shu‘afat, a refugee camp north of the Old City. Israeli soldiers opened fire using live and rubber bullets at Palestinians across of the camp entrance after they stoned and threw empty bottles as three Israeli vehicles attempted to enter the camp, according to witnesses. Witnesses reported that Israeli soldiers closed the checkpoint from both ways for vehicles and pedestrians, checked their IDs, called for reinforcements and put up metal barricades to block the camp entrance.
http://www.paltelegraph.com/palestine/west-bank/9132-israeli-soldiers-attacks-civilians-in-jerusalem.html
If you have never seen this film, don’t miss it
James Longly’s groundbreaking ‘Gaza Strip’ is now free online / Joseph Dana
Much has changed in the Gaza Strip since 2001 but this documentary still stands out as one of the best films made about the conflicted territory. Regardless of your political persuasion, it is a must watch film about the region and you can do so for free.
http://972mag.com/james-longley%E2%80%99s-groundbreaking-%E2%80%9Cgaza-strip%E2%80%9D-is-now-free-online/
Activism / Solidarity / BDS
Israel disperses rally in Gaza exclusion zone
GAZA CITY (Ma‘an) 10 May — Israeli forces on Tuesday dispersed a weekly protest against a military zone in northern Gaza, opening fire against Palestinians challenging the measure. Demonstrators crossed into the no-go zone, near Beit Hanoun in northern Gaza, and soldiers fired toward the demonstrators, activists said. One woman suffered light injuries after falling. Saber Az-Za‘aneen, the organizer of the once-regular marches toward the area, said the demonstrations had paused for about two months due to the security situation but were being held again. The effort seeks to discredit claims that Gaza is no longer occupied. Protesters say the area contained in the exclusion zone blocks farmers from some of the most fertile land in the coastal enclave.
http://www.maannews.net/eng/ViewDetails.aspx?ID=386540
Video: Nabi Saleh 6 May
Terrified little boy starting at about 3:45, brave and angry woman at about 5:32 – different from the video of the same day in Joseph Dana’s article
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nGn-NNFJ0Nc&feature=player_embedded
EU lawmakers pledge to take part in new Gaza flotilla
dpa 10 May — The organizers of a new Gaza flotilla on Tuesday vowed to carry out their plan to break an Israeli naval blockade and deliver aid to the Gaza Strip, in what an Israeli official warned would be a “political provocation.” The flotilla is expected to reach the waters off Gaza in the third week of June, Greek organizer Vangelis Pissias said at a press conference hosted by European Union parliamentarians in Strasbourg.
http://www.haaretz.com/news/diplomacy-defense/eu-lawmakers-pledge-to-take-part-in-new-gaza-flotilla-1.360916
The Stay Human convoy is leaving for Gaza 11 May 2011
Salem-News 10 May — They want to take Vittorio back to Gaza, by carrying forth the ideas which inspired his everyday actions …The Stay Human convoy (CO.RU.M convoglio Restiamo Umani) will be in Gaza from 11th to 18th May. The people behind this group are individuals, associations and movements which have always been close to the people of Palestine and who feel it is necessary to react to the murder of Vittorio Arrigoni. The delegation of eighty (80) people consists mainly of Italians and some internationals. The convoy will visit the land which Vittorio gave a voice to and keep alive the memory of who he was, what he was doing and what kept him in the open air prison of the Gaza Strip.
http://salem-news.com/articles/may102011/stay-human-float.php
Conference in West Bank is violation of international law
9 May — Gush Shalom, the Israeli Peace Bloc, today (Sunday, May 8) sent letters to Israeli and international criminologists who are to lecture at a conference due to be held later this month at “University Center” in the Israeli settlement of Ariel on the Occupied West Bank. The conference, entitled ” Pink Crime – Women, Crime and Punishment” (http://www.ariel.ac.il/criminology/conferences-heb/3766) is scheduled for May 30. Among the lecturers to mentioned as due to speak at the conference, and to whom Gush Shalom sent its letters are criminologists from universities and colleges within the Israel as well as guest lecturers from Britain and the United States*..
http://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/WO1105/S00173/conference-in-west-bank-is-violation-of-international-law.htm
Detention by Israel
UN Special Rapporteur on torture to give expert opinion on the arrest of minors in Israeli military court
PSCC 10 May — The Special Rapporteur’s expert opinion will be filed to the Ofer Military Court by the defense next Monday in a pre-trial hearing in the case of 14 year-old Islam Dar Ayyoub who was taken from his bed at gun-point by Israeli soldiers in the middle of the night and questioned unlawfully … Ayyoub was arrested on January 23 by a large group of soldiers who stormed his family’s home in the West Bank village of Nabi Saleh in the middle of the night. He was taken from his bed at gunpoint, beaten up by the soldiers, who arrested him and denied him sleep. His arrest, only a week after a previous military night-time raid on his house, is in line with a common Israeli tactic of callously arresting minors in order to use their confessions against many others in the quest to suppress anti occupation demonstrations.
http://palsolidarity.org/2011/05/18236/
Amnesty: Palestinian writer detained without charge by Israeli authorities
10 May — Israeli authorities should release or charge a Palestinian writer and academic held for almost three weeks in the occupied West Bank, Amnesty International said today. “We fear that Ahmad Qatamesh may be behind bars
,” said Philip Luther, Amnesty International’s Deputy Director for the Middle East and North Africa. “If this is so, Amnesty International would consider him a prisoner of conscience and call for his immediate and unconditional release.”
http://www.amnesty.org/en/news-and-updates/palestinian-writer-detained-without-charge-israeli-authorities-2011-05-10
Jalama detainees go on hunger strike amid ‘appalling’ conditions
RAMALLAH, (PIC) 10 May — Palestinian POWs isolated at the Israeli Jalama detention center rejected meals Sunday night as they went on hunger strike to protest horrrible conditions. Prisoners have taken constant steps to protest as many have been held for several months after interrogation had ended without being transported to the central prisons, a prisoner released from Jalama Monday said. The man described Jalama prison conditions as appalling. The Israeli prison administration does not classify it as a central prison, but an interrogation and detention center, where food is bad and the representation of prisoners is not recognized.
http://www.palestine-info.co.uk/En/default.aspx?xyz=U6Qq7k%2bcOd
Rights group: 1,500 detainees need medical attention
BETHLEHEM (Ma‘an) 10 May — A detainees’ center said Monday that over 1,500 Palestinian prisoners held in Israeli jails needed medical attention. A lawyer from the center visited one of Israel’s desert jails in Beer Sheva, and found that prison authorities punished detainees by refusing them medical attention … The number of sick detainees was increasing and many had life-threatening illnesses, the center added.
http://www.maannews.net/eng/ViewDetails.aspx?ID=386441
Detention by factions
Fatah, Hamas agree to release detainees
NABLUS (Ma‘an) 10 May — Fatah and Hamas will begin releasing political prisoners in the next few days, a Palestinian official has said. Khalil Assaf, head of the independent figures in the West Bank, told Ma’an on Tuesday that discussions between the parties had been ongoing to implement a unity deal signed in Cairo this month. Both parties agreed to form a joint committee on the topic after the Fatah leadership meets in Ramallah, Assaf said. He urged them to act in good faith as the issue is particularly delicate.
http://www.maannews.net/eng/ViewDetails.aspx?ID=386537
Restriction of movement
OPT: Aid work delayed by barriers
RAMALLAH, 10 May (IRIN) – The delivery of humanitarian aid to the occupied Palestinian territories (OPT) has been hampered by severe restrictions on staff movements, hurting the quality, scope and sustainability of operations, say the UN and international NGOs … Every day, thousands of aid workers battle with the physical barriers of occupation just like the 4.5 million Palestinians residents. The barriers include nearly 1,000 internal West Bank checkpoints, roadblocks, earth mounds and trenches that are part of Israel’s complex security [land theft] regime.
http://www.irinnews.org/Report.aspx?ReportID=92674
Photoessay: Habla Gate / Bettejo of IWPS
10 May — There are over 100 checkpoints in the West Bank, and this doesn’t include ‘flying checkpoints’ that are set up in a village or on the road without discernible reason and can last anywhere from half an hour to days. Some of the checkpoints are open around the clock ( that doesn’t mean you can get through them, it just means there are soldiers on duty) and some are only open on certain days and at certain times. The Habla Gate checkpoint near Qalqiliya is one of the latter. It is open Sunday – Thursday, 3 times a day, for one hour. Well, at least it is supposed to be.
http://wordsfrompalestine.org/?p=661
Israel closes Nablus checkpoint for Independence Day
NABLUS (Ma‘an) 10 May — Israel’s District Coordination Office informed Palestinian officials Tuesday morning that the Huwwara military checkpoint separating Nablus from the southern West Bank would be closed for the day. The closure was set to last until 7:00 p.m., and was put in place to allow Israelis living in illegal settlements in the West Bank to mark the country’s 63rd anniversary of statehood … Witnesses said soldiers had erected a military checkpoint at the Beita village crossroads five kilometers south of Huwwara. The road also shut down access to the village of Awarta.
http://www.maannews.net/eng/ViewDetails.aspx?ID=386405
Political / Diplomatic / International
Masha‘al: Israel has one year to recognize Palestinian state
Ynet 10 May — Hamas threat: Israeli failure to recognize Palestinian state will prompt Hamas to add additional ‘cards to the pack of resistance,’ group’s Politburo Chief Mashaal says in meeting with young leaders of Egypt uprising
http://www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7340,L-4066848,00.html
Sha‘ath: New government within ten days
BETHLEHEM (Ma’an) — A new government will be formed in 10 days, a top member of the ruling party in Ramallah said Tuesday. Fatah leader Nabil Sha‘ath said the prime minister had not yet been announced, and he did not rule out Salam Fayyad.
http://www.maannews.net/eng/ViewDetails.aspx?ID=386612
US: Israel’s decision to withhold PA funds ‘premature’
Haaretz 9 May — State department deputy spokesman Mark Toner says the U.S. is waiting to see how the Hamas-Fatah reconciliation deal will pan out before making decisions.
http://www.haaretz.com/news/diplomacy-defense/u-s-israel-s-decision-to-withhold-pa-funds-premature-1.360803
Obama on Israeli Independence Day: ‘Legitimate aspirations’ will lead to peace
JTA 10 May — The achievement of the Palestinians “legitimate aspirations” will make the Middle East more peaceful and prosperous, President Obama said in his message for Israel’s Independence Day … “We will continue our efforts with Israel and others in the region to achieve a comprehensive peace, including a two-state solution, and to working together toward a future of peace, security and dignity for the people of Israel and all the people of the region.”
http://www.jewishjournal.com/yom_haatzmaut/article/obama_on_israel_independence_day_palestinian_statehood_will_make_region_saf/
Arab League chief: Hamas not a terror group
Ynet 10 May — Amr Moussa tells Washington Post, ‘The view that Hamas is a terrorist organization is a view that pertains to a minority of countries, not a majority’
http://www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7340,L-4066728,00.html
Report: France offers to mediate peace
TEL AVIV, Israel (Ma‘an) 10 May — During Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s visit to France last week, French President Nicholas Sarkozy offered to host peace talks in Paris, the Israeli newspaper Ma’ariv reported Monday … According to Ma’ariv, Sarkozy aimed to sign an agreement at the end of May, which would see the establishment of a Palestinian state on the pre-1967 borders including Jerusalem and a land swap for some settlement blocs. In return, Palestinians would recognize Israel as a “Jewish state,” and give up the right of return to that state. The report said Netanyahu was mulling the idea and would respond to the offer after he spoke in Washington on May 20.
http://www.maannews.net/eng/ViewDetails.aspx?ID=386336
Fatah to discuss September deadlines
RAMALLAH (Ma‘an) — Fatah’s governing body will evaluate party support and possible strategies including the September deadline for statehood and a possible bid at the UN, an official said Monday night. The party’s Revolutionary Council began meetings late Monday evening, headed by president and party leader Mahmoud Abbas at the presidential headquarters in Ramallah, officials told the government news agency WAFA.
http://www.maannews.net/eng/ViewDetails.aspx?ID=386343
Other news
Palestinian territory: Q&A on a new currency
LA Times 10 May — As part of a statehood bid they plan to bring before the U.N. this September, Palestinians are pushing for the creation of a new Palestine Central Bank and the introduction of new currency. But Jihad Al-Wazir, 48, governor of the Palestinian Monetary Authority, which hopes to soon evolve into the first central bank, says work is needed before reintroducing the Palestinian pound. “We do not expect that in September we would wake up the next day and find the Palestinian pound all over the place,’’ he told the Los Angeles Times recently.
http://latimesblogs.latimes.com/babylonbeyond/2011/05/palestinian-territory-qa-on-a-new-currency-.html
First Palestinian corporate bonds issued
RAMALLAH, Palestinian Territories (AFP) 10 May — Palestinian investment firm PADICO announced on Tuesday the Palestinian territories’ first issue of corporate bonds, worth $70 million (€49 million) … The investment company, which is publicly traded, focuses on investment in the Palestinian economy, and has interests in infrastructure, real estate and tourism projects.
http://news.yahoo.com/s/afp/20110510/wl_mideast_afp/palestinianseconomycompanypadicofinance
Analysis / Opinion
Israel’s Memorial Day highlights stark divisions
JERUSALEM (AP) 9 May — They were two Israeli brothers with radically different views toward the Palestinians: One, an activist for Palestinian rights, the other, a resident of one of Israel’s most radical settlements. Nothing, perhaps, reflected these stark differences more than the place Moti Fogel chose on Israel’s Memorial Day to pay tribute to his brother — believed slain by Palestinian militants just two months ago: a ceremony mourning victims on both sides of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.
http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20110509/ap_on_re_mi_ea/ml_israel_memorial_day
‘Ruh Jedida’: A new spirit for 2011
AIC 10 May — A letter from young Jewish descendants of the Arab and Islamic world living in Israel to our peers in the Middle East and North Africa. This letter was read by a signatory at the joint Palestinian-Israeli conference entitled Joint Struggle for an End to the Israeli Occupation and Racism, held 7 May 2011 in Hebron: We, as the descendants of the Jewish communities of the Arab and Muslim world, the Middle East and the Maghreb, and as the second and third generation of Mizrahi Jews in Israel, are watching with great excitement and curiosity the major role that the men and women of our generation are playing so courageously in the demonstrations for freedom and change across the Arab world.
http://www.alternativenews.org/english/index.php/topics/israeli-society/3582-ruh-jedidaq-a-new-spirit-for-2011
Happy Independence Day wishes from a Palestinian / Aziz Abu Sarah
10 May 2010…For years, Israelis have heard that Palestinians would never accept Israel’s existence and would always work to destroy it. Many Israelis don’t believe that Palestinians accept the reality that we are stuck here together. They doubt that Palestinians also dream of a peaceful tomorrow, where freedom prevails and safety is realized. This narrative of pain and fear has captured the minds of Jews, even though Israel has developed one of the strongest militaries in the world. When Ibrahim uttered the words “Happy Independence Day,” he challenged that narrative of fear and doubt, and assured his Israeli friends that he knows they are here to stay, and accepts that. He wanted to let them know that he is not waiting for a chance to strike back. In essence, Ibrahim was digging a grave for the narrative of fear and replacing it with a narrative of hope.
http://972mag.com/happy-independence-day-wishes-from-a-palestinian/
U.S.
Calm prevails at start of San Diego university’s ‘Palestine Week
JTA 10 May …This marks the first year that pro-Israel students have responded to Justice in Palestine Week, an annual event run by the Muslim Student Association at San Diego, by staging pro-Israel events of their own. On Monday, Muslim Student Association students constructed a mock “apartheid wall” covered with anti-Israel slogans and materials. The pro-Israel students, led by Hillel and Tritons for Israel, held up professionally made pro-Israel signs about 100 yards away, and relations between the protesters were cordial.
http://www.jewishjournal.com/education/article/calm_prevails_at_start_of_san_diego_universitys_palestine_week_20110510/
Attorney General vows to close Guantánamo
PARIS (Reuters) 9 May – U.S. Attorney General Eric Holder said Monday the United States would close the Guantánamo Bay facility holding terrorism suspects in Cuba, despite missing a previous deadline to do so.
http://news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20110509/pl_nm/us_france_guantanamo_holder
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