and other news from Today in Palestine:
Land, property, resources theft & destruction / Ethnic cleansing / Settlers
Jewish town to be built on Bedouin land under Negev relocation plan
Haaretz 3 June — The land of one of the Bedouin communities slated to be evicted under a proposed government plan will be used for the construction of a new Jewish community, documents revealed by Adalah, the legal center for Arab minority rights in Israel, and obtained by Haaretz show. In the coming weeks, the cabinet is expected to approve the forcible relocation of some 30,000 Bedouin to new neighborhoods of existing Bedouin towns. Residents of the community in question did not squat on the land, but were transferred there in 1956 by the direct order of the military administration in place at that time. But now, their lands lie within the master plan of the Be’er Sheva metropolitan area.
http://www.haaretz.com/print-edition/news/jewish-town-to-be-built-on-bedouin-land-under-negev-relocation-plan-1.365666
Hebron/Al Khalil: Settlers injure Palestinian with stones
Christian Peacemaker Teams 3 June — On 2 June, two boys, residents of the Beit Hadassah settlement in Hebron’s Old City, ages 14 and 15, threw multiple stones at Palestinians walking in the market below. Some of the rocks were as large as 5 inches. One nine year old Palestinian boy was struck with two stones causing a head injury that splattered the sidewalk and storefront with blood. An ambulance arrived to rush the boy to the hospital. An Israeli soldier stationed beside the settlement had neither tried to stop the boys nor take any action against them after they hurled the stones. An Israeli policeman later called on a Palestinian resident who saw much of the incident, and took information to investigate further. This same resident’s house is back to back with the Beit Hadassah settlement. Besides enduring daily harassment from settlers, he boards up his windows to protect his family from the violence of the settlers. Lately, he has reported several incidents, including settlers from Beit Hadassah smashing his car windows and throwing eggs at his store.
http://cpt.org/cptnet/2011/06/03/hebronal-khalil-settlers-injure-palestinian-stones
Worse by the day in Jerusalem / Jillian Kestler-D’Amours
JERUSALEM (IPS) 2 June — As thousands of right-wing Israeli settlers descended on Jerusalem to celebrate the so-called unification of the city this week, Palestinian residents of East Jerusalem were confronted by extreme provocations and the stark reality that their city remains very much divided … Ali Jiddah, a longtime Palestinian political activist and alternative tour guide based in Jerusalem’s Old City, told IPS that he refers to Jerusalem Day as “Arrogance Day”. “I call it the day of (arrogance) because Israelis, on that day, (their) behaviour, you will find what’s the meaning of (arrogance). You feel that in some way Israelis are totally drunk by what they have achieved concerning the Old City,” Jiddah said. “They will come down in groups in the streets, (provoking) Palestinians, trying to attack Palestinians.”
http://ipsnews.net/news.asp?idnews=55904
History: Port in a storm / Shay Fogelman
The mass flight of Haifa’s Arabs remains one of the most contested events of the 1948 war. Yet despite strong evidence to support Arab claims, Israeli historians remain economical with the truth. Here’s the story they don’t want you to know … History cannot be treated as propaganda in the old-timer’s club in Haifa’s Wadi Nisnas neighborhood. For the dozens of local Arab residents who visit the club every day, the Nakba is a chapter in their personal biography. One of them remembers how Jewish troops expelled his neighbors at gunpoint; another describes how Haganah snipers shot at his father as he returned home from work; a third recalls the small bundle he carried while fleeing. All of them remember the fear they felt as helpless civilians, caught in the storm of war … By most estimates, 62,500 Arabs called Haifa their home before the War of Independence.
http://www.haaretz.com/weekend/magazine/port-in-a-storm-1.365729
Israeli forces
Twilight Zone: A burning issue / Gideon Levy
Haaretz 3 June — When two shepherd boys were badly burned after finding a metallic object, the IDF sent a team to scour the area. So why did another boy find a similar object in the same place just two days later? — Eid and Mohammed find it difficult to stand up. Their wounds are very painful, they grimace. They are wearing filthy bandages, their hands and feet are wrapped and scarred, the skin of Eid’s face is peeling. Eid and Mohammed Dajneh are two shepherd boys, cousins, residents of the remote village of Al Bweib in the South Hebron Hills. A poorly maintained gravel road leads to the tiny shepherds’ village on the side of the desert mountainside – the Civil Administration does not permit the village to pave an access road worthy of the name – between the settlements of Pnei Hever to the north, and Carmel to the south.
http://www.haaretz.com/weekend/magazine/twilight-zone-a-burning-issue-1.365730
Israeli forces close main road for settler bike tour
PSP 1 June — At mid-day Wednesday June 1st, Israeli soldiers closed the main road to Bethlehem and Hebron in front of Beit Ommar to make way for about 400 Israeli settlers who were cycling to Jerusalem. For two hours, 15 military vehicles, including two APCs, were stationed near the entrance of the Beit Ommar and alongside the road. All traffic was stopped in both directions, and the soldiers forced everyone present to leave the area immediately. Vehicles and people attempting to exit the village via the main gate were also blocked. After an hour and a half, three jeeps and an Israeli police vehicle passed, followed by the cycling settlers. Twenty minutes later they had all passed by, and the main road was opened once more.
http://palestinesolidarityproject.org/2011/06/01/israeli-forces-close-main-road-for-settler-bike-tour/
Gaza
Tensions grow as Egypt restricts use of Rafah crossing
GAZA CITY (Ma‘an) 4 June 17:59 — Egypt opened its Rafah border with Gaza several hours later than scheduled Saturday, causing tension as hundreds of Palestinians waited to cross. The director of the Palestinian side, Salameh Barakeh, said Egypt decided to allow travelers to enter on foot rather than buses. The decision was difficult to implement due to the number of patients, elderly people and children who were traveling among others across the sole Egyptian exit from Gaza, Barakeh told reporters at a news conference.
The crossing will remain closed for the rest of the day, Barakeh said. He urged residents to follow up with the Ministry of the Interior in Gaza while both sides try to come to an agreement to end the crisis. According to a security source in Egypt, the opening of the crossing was delayed for works which were to have been completed Friday. Several buses queued at the Egyptian gate, and dozens of Palestinians tried to break through the crossing into Egypt, witnesses said.
http://www.maannews.net/eng/ViewDetails.aspx?ID=393608
Official report: Gaza population 1.7 million
GAZA, (PIC) 4 June — An official report by the interior ministry in Gaza Strip said that the population in all Strip districts reached around 1.7 million. It said in a statement on Friday the majority of the population lives in Gaza [City?] district followed by that of Khan Younis, while Rafah was the least populated. The ministry noted that 60,000 babies were born in all Gaza districts in 2011. It expected the population to double within 21 years if the current rate of fertility was maintained.
http://www.palestine-info.co.uk/En/default.aspx?xyz=U6Qq7k%2b
The long walk to Israel
[photo] 4 June — Passing between Israel and the Gaza Strip on foot at the Erez border crossing is an eerie experience. The walk includes a mile or so stretch (no exaggeration here) through an outdoor tunnel of sorts. It’s a cement sidewalk that’s fenced-in on both sides and covered by a metal roof. It feels a bit like a strolling through the passageway in an empty sports stadium. Oftentimes, you don’t pass anyone else in the corridor at all. Just silent security cameras peering down at you every couple of hundred yards. On a recent morning, I crossed into Israel from Gaza with a Palestinian woman and her infant grandson. It was the first time she had been to Israel in 20 years. The baby needed medical treatment for a heart problem. They had an appointment with doctors at a hospital near Tel Aviv … Odai is the only son of young Palestinian parents from Beit Hanoun, an area 10 minutes down the road from the Erez crossing. The parents came to kiss their baby goodbye. With tears in his eyes, the baby’s father Ali gestured to me, to keep an eye on his boy. I tried to imagine sending my own son off for medical treatment through a militarized checkpoint with his grandmother. [the parents, of course, were not allowed to go]
http://www.theworld.org/2011/06/the-long-walk-to-israel/
Flotillas
Devastated sewerage systems in Gaza will affect Israel too, says Tun Mahathir
Sepang 4 June (Bernama) Israel should actually support the mission to send humanitarian aid of 7.5km PVC pipes to Gaza as it will benefit Israelis as well, said former prime minister Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad. “Their whole sewerage system has broken down and because of that a lot of dirty effluent goes into the sea. It can carry diseases not only in Gaza but also neighboring countries including Israel,” he said. “So actually Israel should support this but you know the Israelis, they don’t care at all for humanitarian aid. They just want to show they have power and they can stop people.” Dr Mahathir was met at the KL International Airport (KLIA) after welcoming seven more crew members from the ship MV Finch who had joined the Perdana Global Peace Foundation (PGPF) mission to send the PVC pipes to Gaza
http://www.bernama.com/bernama/v5/newsindex.php?id=591577
Salah: 1 million Turks registered for Gaza flotilla
BETHLEHEM (Ma‘an) 4 May — Leading Muslim cleric Sheikh Raed Salah said Friday that one million Turks registered to join the Freedom Flotilla 2 to break Israel’s blockade of the Gaza Strip.
http://www.maannews.net/eng/ViewDetails.aspx?ID=393560
Activism / Solidarity / Naksa Day protests
Thousands march in Tel Aviv in support of Palestinian state based on 1967 borders
Haaretz 4 June 20:38 — Around 5,000 people participate in march that was organized under the title ‘Netanyahu said no – We say yes to a Palestinian state’. The march will end with a rally at the Tel Aviv Museum. MKs Dov Khenin (Hadash) and Zahava Galon (Meretz) and playwright Yehoshua Sobol will give speeches. Numerous leftist political parties and groups – including Labor, Meretz, Hadash, the Derech faction of Kadima, the National Left, Peace Now and Gush Shalom – participated in the march. Marchers held signs reading “Palestinian state – An Israeli interest”, “Bibi, recognize the Palestinians” and “Yes, we KEN [which means ‘yes’ in Hebrew]”.
http://www.haaretz.com/news/national/thousands-march-in-tel-aviv-in-support-of-palestinian-state-based-on-1967-borders-1.365923
Arab-Israelis hold ‘Naksa Day’ rally in Golan
Israel Police on Saturday prevented members of the United Arab List Ta’al party, including MK Talab El-Sana, to hold a march in a Druze village adjacent to the Syrian border. The party members held a demonstration in the checkpoint where they were stopped to mark ‘Naksa Day’ – the 44th anniversary of the Six Day War which falls on Sunday. Druze leaders met the Arab-Israeli activists in the road leading to Majdal Shams. The protestors waved Palestinian flags and chanted “Golan Heights are Arab” as well as slogans condemning the Israeli occupation.
http://www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7340,L-4078129,00.html
A protest march in Jordan to mark the Naksa
AMMAN, (PIC) 3 May — Hundreds of people participated in a march that started at the Hanbali mosque after the Friday prayers towards the Ras Al-Ain district to mark the 44the anniversary of 1967 Naksa. Participants in the march that was organised by opposition parties carried placards that condemned occupation and the Wadi Araba peace agreement between Jordan and the Israeli occupation. They also carried placards reaffirming the right of return of Palestinian refugees and rejecting the notion of an alternative home in Jordan for those refugees.
http://www.palestine-info.co.uk/En/default.aspx?xyz=U6Qq7k%2bc
Report: Syria cancels ‘Naksa Day’ border march
Ynet 4 June — Organizers offer no explanation for nixing march to Israel’s borders, but say protests will go on in refugee camps; IDF continue to brace for event
http://www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7340,L-4078202,00.html
WATCH: One protester struck in the head by shrapnel of live bullets during peaceful protest against the Israeli illegal quarry in the West Bank near the village of Shukba today
Ni‘lin Sons 4 June — A private Israeli guard opened live fire on protesters marching on an illegal quarry near the West Bank village of Shuqba. The march was organized by the Ni’lin and Budrus popular committees and commenced at noon. Dozens of Palestinian and Israeli activists marched toward the illegal quarry to stop the further confiscation of Palestinian lands from the nearby villages of Ni‘lin, Qibya, Shuqba and Shebteen … Villagers had not even arrived to the designated spot of protest, the quarry, before live ammunition was shot. The injured protester from Budrus was evacuated to the hospital for necessary treatment. After some time, three Israeli military jeeps arrived and began firing tear gas canisters at the protest. Many suffered from gas inhalation and a few olive trees caught on a fire. The quarry, owned by an Israeli commander, rests on lands confiscated from Palestinian villages. The demonstrators hope to deter further confiscation, since the quarry continues to be expanded illegally.
http://www.nilin-village.org/2011/06/04/one-protester-struck-in-the-head-by-shrapnel-of-live-bullets-during-a-peaceful-protest-against-the-israeli-illegal-quarry-in-the-west-bank-near-the-village-of-shukba-today04-06-2011/
Israel seals Iraq Burin ahead of rally
NABLUS (Ma‘an) 4 May — The Israeli army declared a closed military zone in a northern West Bank village on Saturday ahead of a planned protest, a Palestinian Authority official said. PA settlement affairs official Ghassan Douglas said Israeli troops had been trying to stop anyone entering ‘Iraq Burin, near Nablus, since Friday evening. ‘Iraq Burin holds weekly non-violent protests against illegal Jewish-only settlements built on village land. Locals said dozens of soldiers were deployed in the village early Saturday morning.
http://www.maannews.net/eng/ViewDetails.aspx?ID=393614
Video: On the anniversary of Al Nakba one journalist was wounded
Bilin FFJ — Friday 3 June — On the anniversary of Al Naksa one journalist was wounded in addition to dozens of cases of asphyxiation from gas in Bil’in … Among those injured was Khaled Mansra, who is a correspondent for Iranian TV and the Watan TV channel. He was hit in the leg by a tear gas canister and had to be treated by an ambulance crew. Participants of the demonstration were able to access areas of the wall and they succeeded in destroying tens of meters of the electronic fence. The soldiers also fired tear gas into the olive groves with the intent of setting fire to them. This led to the burning of many of the olive trees. Video: Haitham Khatib
http://www.bilin-ffj.org/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=362&Itemid=30
Detention
Israeli forces ransack home of acting supreme judge
RAMALLAH (Ma‘an) 4 June — Israeli forces ransacked the home of the acting supreme judge of Palestine and deputy chief of the Higher Judiciary Council Sheikh Yousif Id‘eis early Saturday morning in Biddu near Ramallah. The sheikh was not home at the time, and soldiers gave his wife a warrant ordering him to go to the Ofer military base near Ramallah, his assistant Muhammad Kaffiya said. An Israeli military spokeswoman said Yousif Id‘eis was not issued a warrant overnight
http://www.maannews.net/eng/ViewDetails.aspx?ID=393571
Eishel captives punished for protesting, women’s section at Hasharon raided
GAZA (PIC) 3 June — The Israeli occupation prison administration imposed a collective punishment on captives at the Eshel prison, as they were denied stroll time and room visits. The captives said in a letter that they were punished because they refused to take breakfast and lunch on Thursday to protest the bad treatment meted to them by the prison administration and the provocations by prison guards.
Furthermore, the prisoners’ center said that a large number of prison guards made a surprise raid of the women’s section at the Hasharon prison breaking into individual rooms on the pretext of searching them. The search took more than three hours during which the captives were kept in the section and were prevented from seeing their lawyers who were turned back because of the search
http://www.palestine-info.co.uk/En/default.aspx?xyz=U6Qq7k%
Palestine-Israel, youth arrest in Nabi Saleh / Ben Ronen
In the morning we arrived at the Ofer compound, one of the many luxurious compounds built for the comfort of over 6,000 Palestinian prisoners currently being held by Israel. The compound contains a huge prison and a military court in which Palestinian prisoners, young and old are judged by Israeli military officers. Here there is no racism or discrimination, because here everybody without exception has the right to an unjust trial … We arrive at the big metal gate that separates us from the beginning of a fastidious security check. Like everything else on this day, the long wait to go in is another well planned game between the visitors and the guards, who, despite having a clear list of the visitor’s names will do everything possible to delay and humiliate the family members.
http://ilanisagainstwalls.blogspot.com/2011/05/palestine-israel-youth-arrest-in-nabi.html
Report: Hamas hands Egypt ‘final answer’ on Shalit deal
Ynet 4 June — Palestinian sources say Hamas’ Deputy Politburo Chief Moussa Abu Marzouk gives Cairo final position on prisoner exchange deal with Israel
http://www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7340,L-4078080,00.html
Political / Diplomatic / International news
Report: Abbas knows UN won’t recognize Palestine
JERUSALEM (Ma‘an) 4 June — President Mahmoud Abbas has concluded that a statehood push at the United Nations will not advance the Palestinians’ cause, a senior Palestinian official reportedly said Saturday … According to the report, the official spoke on condition of anonymity because the PLO intends to go ahead with its plan to approach the UN, in order to save face among the Palestinian people. Former PLO negotiator Saeb Erekat, however, said Saturday the Palestinians would “continue our diplomatic effort to gain international recognition for our state on the 1967 borders.”
http://www.maannews.net/eng/ViewDetails.aspx?ID=393760
Abbas nods at French bid to revive talks
Reuters 4 June — Palestinian president ‘accepts in principle’ proposal to renew negotiations under French auspices. ‘Plan talks about Obama’s vision of a Palestinian state with ’67 borders,’ he says. Netanyahu has yet to reply
http://www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7340,L-4078057,00.html
Bardawil: Abbas approval of French peace proposal ‘hasty’
GAZA (PIC) 4 June — Senior Hamas official Salah al-Bardawil has condemned Abbas’s approval of the French proposal designed to urge the Palestinians to resume peace talks with Israel … “…we consider it a sort of retreat by the [Palestinian] Authority, and a failure to manage the conflict with the Israeli enemy, and a step backwards in Palestinian unity,” Bardawil said in a statement to Quds Press.
http://www.palestine-info.co.uk/En/default.aspx?xyz=U6Qq7k%2b
PFLP rejects French initiative, calls it a gift for Netanyahu
GAZA (PIC) 4 June — Emad Abu Rahme, member of the PFLP central committee, said in a press release on Saturday that the initiative was tabled to block the Palestinian decision to go to the UN next September seeking international recognition of an independent Palestinian state on 1967 occupied land. He said that PA chief Mahmoud Abbas’s acceptance of that initiative was a mistake. He described the initiative as a free gift for Israeli premier Benjamin Netanyahu, arguing that negotiations did not bring anything good for the Palestinians but achieved a lot for Israel.
http://www.palestine-info.co.uk/En/default.aspx?xyz=U6Qq7k%2bcO
Obama delays relocation of US Embassy to Jerusalem
AP 4 June — US Embassy stays put – Following the practice of his predecessors, President Barack Obama has invoked US national security interests to notify Congress he will not move the US Embassy in Israel from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem. The notification is necessary under a 1995 law that authorized the embassy’s relocation but left the decision to presidents. Bill Clinton and George Bush submitted similar notifications to Congress. Under the law, such declarations must be made every six months.
http://www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7340,L-4078017,00.html
Other news
Economic growth in West Bank and Gaza reaches limit
Daily Star 4 June — BEIRUT: Economic conditions in the occupied West Bank and Gaza can no longer be bolstered without an end to Israeli occupation and separation in those territories, a new report released Friday by the International Labor Organization said. The ILO report on “the situation of workers in the occupied Arab territories” charts linkages between Israel’s restrictions on movement in the post-1967 Palestinian territories and state-building efforts. It examines the nearly four-year drive by the Palestinian Authority’s Salam Fayyad government to create the institutions of a state in those territories and subsequently bolster its economy, in spite of ongoing Israeli occupation … It concludes that while there has been some improvement to the economic situation as a result of the PA’s initiatives, economic growth experienced is not sustainable due to its high dependence on aid.
http://www.dailystar.com.lb/Business/Middle-East/2011/Jun-04/ILO-Economic-growth-in-West-Bank-and-Gaza-reaches-limit.ashx#axzz1OLAMDfhy
Killer butterfly takes wing / Pierre Klochendler
NEGEV DESERT, southern Israel, Jun 4, 2011 (IPS) – “Look, a swallowtail!” A 70-year old moustachioed man hops jubilantly between rocks and prickly flowers, chasing a butterfly. “And look here!” What looks like a dragonfly hovers around in a mechanical whir of transparent wings. Meet Israel’s new weapon device in advance stage of development, the butterfly killer or ‘X-wing’, and its creator, Duby Binyamini, a top gun engineer at Israel Aircraft Industries.
http://ipsnews.net/news.asp?idnews=55926
Jordan supplies Jericho with electricity
Amman, June 4 (Petra) — The Palestinian Authority PA hailed Jordan’s decision to start supplying the West Bank city of Jericho with electricity at prices similar to those offered by local power distribution companies. PA Minister of Energy and Natural Resources Omar Kittani said during a meeting with his Jordanian counterpart Khaled Touqan that the Kingdom’s power supplies would be a stable source of electricity and prevent common power outages across the West Bank. He said the power supply agreement is a fruit of existing economic cooperation between the PA and the Kingdom and also amounted to humanitarian gesture toward the Palestinians, adding that he expected electricity to reach other Palestinian cities.
http://www.petra.gov.jo/Public_News/Nws_NewsDetails.aspx?Site_Id=1&lang=2&NewsID=33741&CatID=13&Type=Home>ype=1
Israel to start collecting fingerprints from all citizens
978blog 4 June — … As we learned from a recently leaked document, the only reason that a biometric database is required was to pass information to the police about the citizens of Israel. This is the reason the police rejected a safer mean of storing biometric information detailed by Prof. Adi Shamir,claiming that it won’t be able to use such database. The same police that uses violence on protesters from the right and left, who crush political dissent by Arabs and social activists, now asks for unprecedented authority over Israeli citizens.
http://972mag.com/israel-to-start-collecting-fingerprints-from-all-citizens/
Explosive device detonated in central Gaza City
GAZA CITY (Ma‘an) 4 June — Unidentified assailants detonated an explosive device in front of a printing shop in Gaza City early Saturday, witnesses said. The blast caused damage to the building and a neighboring shop in Al-Wihda Street in the center of the city. No injuries were reported.
http://www.maannews.net/eng/ViewDetails.aspx?ID=393632
AF launches new campaign to remind Muslims about Jerusalem and Aqsa Mosque
OCCUPIED JERUSALEM (PIC) 3 June — The Aqsa Foundation that caters for Muslim holy shrines in occupied Palestine has decided Thursday to unleash new campaign with the aim to remind Arabs and Muslims about occupied Jerusalem and the Aqsa Mosque … The AF said it would distribute thousands of colored posters on passersby at junctions of the main streets inside the 1948-occupied Palestinian lands, and that it would encourage them to display those posters in their homes and shops in a bid to permanently remind the public about the significance of the Jerusalem and the Aqsa Mosque for Muslims.
http://www.palestine-info.co.uk/En/default.aspx?xyz=U6Qq7k%2bcOd8
Fatah, Hamas to collaborate on rap album (satire)
ANKARA, Turkey (CAP) – Following meetings in Cairo and Gaza City to finalize the terms of a recording deal, Fatah and Hamas officials met in Turkey’s capital yesterday to announce that the two groups would be collaborating on a new rap album to be released next month. Proceeds from music downloads will go toward the Gaza Strip Rebeautification Project. “Nothing brings two disparate groups together like music,” said Arab League Secretary General Amr Mousa, who brokered the deal … “Our hope is that instead of hating on each other, both Fatah and Hamas can work together on a shared hatred of Western authority, historical boundaries, and the Po-Po,” added Mousa … DJ Bull said the album features guest tracks by Jew-Z (Fatah Gots To Chill), LL Cool Jew (Hamas Said Knock You Out) and DJ Jazzy Jew (Palestinians Just Don’t Understand). Other tracks include Nuthin But A “Gaza” Thang, Hamaz N The Hood, and Pop Goes The Peace Accord.
http://www.crystalair.com/story.php?id=201106003
Opinion / Analysis / Human interest
From residents to prisoners / Ronit Sela
Haaretz 3 June — The logical and moral thing would be for the Interior Ministry to differentiate between residents who were born here, and should thus always be allowed to come and go as they wish, and others who immigrated here and whose status may be considered conditional.
http://www.haaretz.com/print-edition/opinion/from-residents-to-prisoners-1.365651
Israelis rush for second passports / Franklin Lamb
Beirut (Al-Manar) 3 June — Perhaps historians or cultural anthropologists surveying the course of human events can identify for us a land, in addition to Palestine, where such a large percentage of a recently arrived colonial population prepared to exercise their right to depart, while many more, with actual millennial roots but victims of ethnic cleansing, prepared to exercise their right of Return … Several studies in Israel and one conducted by AIPAC and another by the Jewish National Fund in Germany show that perhaps as many as half of the Jews living in Israel will consider leaving Palestine in the next few years if current political and social trends continue. A 2008 survey by the Jerusalem-based Menachem Begin Heritage Center found that 59% of Israelis had approached or intended to approach a foreign embassy to inquire about or apply for citizenship and a passport. Today it is estimated that the figure is approaching 70%.
http://www.intifada-palestine.com/2011/06/franklin-lamb-israelis-rush-for-second-passports/
Palestinians are people too / Dr. Mustafa Barghouthi
PalMon 4 June — …Last month in the United States, it became clear to me that few Americans fully understand what it means to be under military occupation for 44 years. Imagine a situation where all universities are closed down by a foreign military power for a total of three years. That happened here in the eighties. Imagine a situation in which all elected local municipality councils are dismissed by the military and replaced by foreign officers. That happened to us in the seventies. And try to imagine how you would feel if you woke up one day and found your business, factory or farm demolished by Israeli bulldozers. That’s what happened during the Israeli invasion of Gaza in 2008-09. Imagine a situation in which 40 percent of all adult males in your community and a substantial number of women, including young girls, have been imprisoned for political reasons – mostly to suppress freedom of expression. That is exactly what has been happening to us for the past 44 years.
http://www.palestinemonitor.org/?p=555
Get rid of Zionism / Yitzhak Laor
Haaetz 3 June — Had masses of Israelis had the sense to say that on the morning after the occupation, instead of choosing to ‘discover our undivided country,’ we would be in a different situation today … The “Land of Israel” is a phantasm. Withdrawing from “parts of it” is presented as a “concession” even by supporters of the move. But the only concession we needed to make, even back in 1967, was giving up the messianic claim that this is our land, from the Bible, and therefore we have a right to it. In comparison with this claim, the Serbs, with their preoccupation over the Battle of Kosovo in 1389, are rational, secular people.
http://www.haaretz.com/print-edition/opinion/get-rid-of-zionism-1.365648
Aged Jenin woman goes back to school in her 70s
by Maysaa Bsharat, Omer Othmani — JENIN, West Bank, June 3 (Xinhua) — Arifa Malaysha, a 70-year-old schoolgirl, does not care [mind?] at all to sit on bench together with her classmates of kids who are not older than seven years old in a school in the village of Jaba’s in northern West Bank. Wrinkles of decades on Malaysha’s face and hands never stopped her ambitions to learn reading and writing from the very beginning since she gave up school to keep her family in bread. “I was unlucky to lose my education when I was young due to the hard living conditions. I never mind to go to school, even after I got very old, I wanted to compensate myself and get my education again,” said Malaysha in her first grade … The Palestinian Statistic Bureau Center (PSBC) said in a recent report that the rate of illiteracy in the Palestinian territories had dropped from 13.9 percent in 1997 to 5.4 percent in 2009.
http://news.xinhuanet.com/english2010/indepth/2011-06/04/c_13910335.htm
groups.yahoo.com/group/f_shadi (listserv)
www.theheadlines.org (archive)
