and other news from Today in Palestine:
Land, property, resource theft & destruction / Ethnic cleansing / Apartheid / Settlers
Jerusalem
Hundreds of Israelis march through East Jerusalem under heavy security
Haaretz 1 June — Police arrest 15 people in clashes following a flag procession marking 44 years since Jerusalem’s reunification in the 1967 Six-Day War … About 30,000 Israelis were expected to take part in the march through Sheikh Jarrah, past a contentious Jewish enclave there … Two of the left-wing activists protesting the march were reportedly arrested. Five residents of East Jerusalem were arrested after hurling stone at the march. Near Jerusalem’s Damascus Gate, five Jewish men were arrested after uttering nationalistic calls at nearby Israeli Arabs and reportedly attempting to strike them. In the city’s Hanevi’im Street, two marchers were arrested after hurling objects at Israeli Arabs passing nearby. No injuries were reported in any of the incidents. In a separate incident, One man was arrested after entering a Sheikh Jarrah mosque, waving a flag.
http://www.haaretz.com/news/national/hundreds-of-israelis-march-through-east-jerusalem-under-heavy-security-1.365356
Police arrest Palestinian journalists outside Al-Aqsa
Silwan, Jerusalem (SILWANIC) 1 June — Israeli forces arrested two Palestinian journalists in the Al-Aqsa courtyard today at 1pm. Muna Qawasmi of Al-Quds newspaper and Maisa Abu-Ghazaleh were seized by Israeli police, who alleged that the two had been following Jewish groups in the Old City and photographing them. Witnesses state the police confiscated the journalists’ mobile phones and cameras on the spot. Qawasmi and Abu-Ghazaleh were then transferred first to Bab Alsilsila police station then Alqishla in Jaffa Gate.
http://silwanic.net/?p=17625
$8.4 million European-Palestinian agreement to support Jerusalem projects
MEMO 1 June — On Tuesday, May 31, the Palestinian Authority and the European Union signed a €6 million agreement (approximately $8.4 million) to support developmental, cultural, educational, health, humanitarian, and human law projects in Jerusalem. The head of the Palestinian Authority President’s office, Hussein Al Araj, who signed the agreement on behalf of the Palestinian side, was quoted by official PA media sources as saying that he hoped that the plan would receive Arab and Muslim support in combating Israeli schemes to Judaize Jerusalem.
http://www.middleeastmonitor.org.uk/news/middle-east/2419-84-million-european-palestinian-agreement-to-support-jerusalem-projects
Israeli forces arrest five children while playing
Silwan, Jerusalem (SILWANIC) 1 June — Five Palestinian children were arrested by Israeli forces in Silwan at 3:45pm today. Amer Walid Siyam (7), Tamer Walid Siyam (11), Ahmed Khaled Rajaby (11), Mohammed Ibrahim Riwadi (10) and Rawnaq Zaki Zaytun (8) were playing when they were seized by Israeli forces from Alwar Hill between Bir Ayyub and Alabasya districts. Residents state that the situation had been quiet in the region at the time of the arrests. The Israeli forces were seen leaving an Elad settlement in the area to close in on the children. As yet the children’s families have not been notified as to where they are being held.
http://silwanic.net/?p=17623
Israeli forces storm Bir Ayyub
Silwan, Jerusalem (SILWANIC) 1 June — A convoy of Israeli military vehicles stormed Bir Ayyub district last night at 7pm, kidnapping two children. Tamer, 10, and an unknown youth were taken by Israeli troops. Tamer’s mother told Silwanic that his father is already imprisoned, on a double life sentence, while his eldest brother Tha‘er, 19, has been serving a house arrest sentence for the last two weeks. “I’m afraid for my son,” she said.”“I am powerless in the fact of this repression and systematic targeting of our children.” A spate of child arrests has gripped Silwan in recent days, despite an otherwise calm atmosphere in the area.
http://silwanic.net/?p=17577
Israeli forces raid Ein Aluza house, one arrested
Silwan, Jerusalem (SILWANIC) 1 June — A large force of Israeli troops stormed a Palestinian home in Ein Aluza district last night at 11pm. No explanation was given by troops to Ibrahim Odeh, the house owner, for the kidnapping of his son, Fadi Odeh, 16.
http://silwanic.net/?p=17575
Youths seized by Israeli special forces
Silwan, Jerusalem (SILWANIC) 1 June — Israeli special forces kidnapped two Palestinian boys from Wadi Hilweh district of Silwan late last night. Murad al-Banna, 18, and an unknown youth were seized by troops last night on the pretext of stone-throwing and involvement in local protests. Al-Banna had been on his way home from a gathering to mourn the death of a relative in the Al-Bustan region when he was arrested. Al-Banna’s brother told Silwanic that the allegations of stone-throwing are clearly falsified, given that his hand is currently broken. “How could Murad throw a stone with a broken hand?” he asked. “Moreover, Silwan was quiet last night – no protests!”
http://silwanic.net/?p=17570
Report: Israel has rounded up 1,200 minors [in Jerusalem] since start of 2010
OCCUPIED JERUSALEM, (PIC) 31 May — A report released Tuesday reveals a drastic escalation in friction between Israeli police and the Palestinian citizens of Jerusalem, especially those in the Silwan and Al-Issawiyya districts. Issued by the Association for Civil Rights in Israel, the report documents that police since the beginning of 2010 rounded up 1,200 Palestinians suspected of throwing stones and kept some 760 of them in custody. About a third of those arrested were indicted and imprisoned until the end of the legal proceedings, the ACRI said. “The large numerical gap between the youth who were questioned and arrested and those who were actually indicted speaks to the suspicions of Palestinians, who believe that most of these arrests and interrogations are intended solely to intimidate the minors,” the report says.
http://www.palestine-info.co.uk/En/default.aspx?xyz=U6Qq7
Celebrating United Jerusalem – in Sheikh Jarrah / Adam Keller
28 May — On June 7, 1967 IDF soldiers entered the Old City of Jerusalem. This historic event left the famous photos, shown at any Israeli history book, of paratroopers crying with joy at the Wailing Wall. Three days later, in the early evening hours of June 10, the paratroopers were followed by the State of Israel’s bulldozers, making an impressive debut appearance in East Jerusalem. All residents of the Mughrabi Quarter, which was founded in 1193 and had been part of the Jerusalem landscape for nearly eight centuries, were ordered to evacuate their homes immediately. The entire quarter – 135 houses were destroyed and completely razed within hours. All traces were removed and the large, impressive Wailing Wall Plaza came into being. It is likely that during this historic event, too, some tears were shed, but the photographers were no longer present. To commemorate these exciting events, the State of Israel set up the annual Jerusalem Day
http://adam-keller2.blogspot.com/2011/05/celebrating-united-jerusalem-in-sheikh.html
PM: Jerusalem being abandoned
Ynet 1 June — Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu lamented the fact that Jerusalem’s youth are “abandoning” the city but vowed to make infrastructure changes that would change this. Speaking at a special Knesset hearing held in honor of Jerusalem Day, Netanyahu promised to build more schools and improve transportation to and within the city … On Tuesday Netanyahu defied pressure from the United States and Europe to share Jerusalem, saying that he will not stand for the division of the capital and insinuating that he plans to authorize more construction there.
http://www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7340,L-4076836,00.html
Netanyahu: Arabs and Jews alike benefit from united Jerusalem
Haaretz 1 June – … Knesset speaker Reuven Rivlin delivered a political message of his own at the Knesset session, highlighting the disparities between the western and eastern parts of the city. “We promised a united Jerusalem but we failed to deliver,” he said. “We built the City of David, established Ma’ale Hazeytim, salvaged the Hurva Synagogue from ruin – but what have we done for Ras al-Amud? What have we done for the children living in East Jerusalem who can’t find a school that will have them?” Rivlin went on to describe the “barely functioning” postal services in East Jerusalem.
http://www.haaretz.com/news/national/netanyahu-arabs-and-jews-alike-benefit-from-unified-jerusalem-1.365328
Peres: Jerusalem will see peace in our time
Haaretz 1 June — President Shimon Peres said Wednesday that peace could be achieved in Jerusalem in “our time”, declaring that Israel has replaced the divisions that once wracked the holy city by offering freedom to all faiths and creeds.
http://www.haaretz.com/news/national/peres-jerusalem-will-see-peace-in-our-time-1.365361
Elsewhere
Vote on Bedouin housing postponed
Ynet 31 May — The Prime Minister’s Office has decided to postpone the presentation of a report reviewing the status of Bedouin settlements in the Negev, as well as the subsequent government vote on its conclusions, Ynet learned Tuesday. The decision followed what was described as extensive pressure by the various parties, most notably over the report’s recommendation to allot Bedouins in the Negev hundreds of thousands of acres of land, in favor of future towns. Both the Right and the Left have reportedly claimed that the Bedouins’ persistent refusal to settle in regulated townships — as offered by various governments over decades – has rendered them ineligible to receive the scopes of land recommended in the report.The Bedouin settlement plan, put together by a special unit in the Prime Minister’s Office, aims to regulate the land issue, and prevent Bedouin tribes from illegally squatting across the Negev.
http://www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7340,L-4076737,00.html
2 hurt in attack in Bethlehem village
BETHLEHEM (Ma‘an) 31 May — Israeli settlers injured two Palestinians in the Sinjil village Tuesday, residents said. The settlers filmed an attack on one of the Palestinians, according to onlookers in the Ramallah village. The mayor called the Palestinian Authority, which coordinated with Israel the settlers’ evacuation.
http://www.maannews.net/eng/ViewDetails.aspx?ID=392545
Settler arson attack on the village of Madama
ISM 1 June — On Monday 30 May at 4pm, the villagers of Madama reported that a fire had been started by seven to eight settlers in one of the village’s wheat fields. The field was close to the place where less than a week ago, Hamad Jaber Qut – a 66 year old shepherd, was attacked by 15 settler youths with knives and sticks whilst tending his sheep and getting ready for prayer. Mohammed, a resident of Madama, witnessed the arson attack which came at the hands of settlers who reside in the illegal settlement, Yizhar which is 1.5km away on top of one of the hills overlooking the Palestinian village. Mohammed saw them throw petrol and light the wheat. On seeing the smoke, the residents of Madama called the fire brigade to put the fire out, by which time the settlers had retreated back into the settlement. The fire was put out in due course.
http://palsolidarity.org/2011/06/18642/
Bethlehem: Checkpoint at dawn with Palestinian workers
AIC 1 June — 2410 people crossed the Bethlehem checkpoint the other day in two hours and forty five minutes, from 3.55AM to 6.40AM. “A good average if compared to a regular day,” related a volunteer of the Ecumenical Accompaniment Programme in Palestine and Israel (EAPPI), an association that monitors the Bethlehem check point twice weekly. Sometimes we stay here until 7.45-8 AM for the same number of people.” … Every morning the workers wait at least one hour in an iron cage, outside. The cage’s broken roof doesn’t spare them from the cold of winter, the terrible heat of summer and the rain. This cage is more than 100 metres long but once inside it feels never ending … This is only the first step, a sort of people flow control before the real checkpoint.
http://www.alternativenews.org/english/index.php/topics/news/3638-bethlehem-checkpoint-at-dawn-with-palestinian-workers-
Gaza
Hamas: Rafah border is paralyzed
Ahram 1 June — Palestinian officials told Ahram Online that Rafah Crossing is paralysed after Egyptian authorities restored restrictions on the border with Gaza Wednesday. Only two buses crossed from Egypt to Gaza during Wednesday, according to Ghazy Hamad, a senior official to the Hamas foreign minister in Gaza. He added that there is disagreement between Hamas and Egypt over the number of travellers to be permitted to cross every day, and the criteria under which people can gain entry visas, whether to Gaza or Egypt … “Ninety five per cent of the people on this blacklist do not have security problems with Egypt; the list also includes old women in their seventieth year,” Hamad said. http://english.ahram.org.eg/~/NewsContent/2/8/13439/World/Region/Rafah-crossing-is-paralysed-Hamas.aspx
PA ambassador to address Egypt’s Rafah blacklist
GAZA CITY (Ma‘an) 1 June — Officials at the Palestinian embassy to Egypt said Wednesday that contacts were being made with Egyptian authorities over the publication of a list of 5,000 blacklisted from travel through the newly opened Rafah crossing. Sources said there were already promises from Cairo to review the names on the list, which were principally Gaza residents currently inside the coastal enclave. If on the blacklist, a Palestinian cannot receive permission to travel via the crossing with Egypt. Representative of Palestine in Cairo Mohammad Arafat said the situation was being handled delicately, following Egyptian insistence that all efforts already made came in the face of immense pressure from Israel and the United States. “Egypt is under Israeli and US pressure to close Rafah and to keep the situation as it was after June 2007,” Arafat told Ma‘an
http://www.maannews.net/eng/ViewDetails.aspx?ID=392817
Scores at Rafah spark tension with Egypt
RAFAH (Ma‘an) 1 June — An escalated crisis between Egypt and the Hamas government of the Gaza Strip was dampened Tuesday night, as officials met over ways to handle the flood of Palestinians seeking to cross the Rafah border terminal … On the first day of full operations, 530 Palestinians used the terminal crossing both ways, while the second day saw 845 Palestinians pass through the terminal. On Monday, the third day of operations, 722 Palestinians entered or exited Gaza. The slow process and long lines frustrated officials, while a list of more than 5,000 Palestinians blacklisted from using the terminal sparked anger from Hamas. Officials traded increasingly headed accusations over who failed in the creation of a mechanism to allow Palestinians to use Rafah, culminating in a late-night meeting between security personnel from both sides. Following the meeting, the officials announced that a cap of 400 travelers per day would be set on the crossing, and the names of the permitted passengers would be posted one day ahead of travel … Hamas officials in Gaza have accused Egyptians of failing to meet their pledge to fully open the crossing. In Cairo, however, officials say they are doing more than enough, noting the move is already a challenge to Israel.
http://www.maannews.net/eng/ViewDetails.aspx?ID=392780
Egypt: Consulate may open in Gaza after govt formed
GAZA CITY (Ma‘an) 1 June — Egypt is seriously considering the possibility of opening a consulate in Gaza City, a top official was quoted Wednesday, saying the office would oversee travel coordination for those not permitted to travel freely through the newly opened Rafah crossing. The office, Egyptian ambassador to the Palestinian Authority Yaser Othman told Arabic-language newspaper Al-Hal, would be a branch of the consular seat in Ramallah, and could be opened shortly after the new unified Palestinian cabinet is announced. According to the paper, released by Birzeit University’s Center for Media Development based in Ramallah, Othman said the principal task of the office would be to coordinate travel permits for men between 18-40, who are currently the only group not permitted free passage via the Rafah border crossing
http://www.maannews.net/eng/ViewDetails.aspx?ID=392937
Gaza’s third generator to resume operations
GAZA CITY (Ma‘an) 1 June — The Gaza Energy Authority announced Wednesday that the power station’s third generator would resume operations as of 2 p.m. Since 2007, Israel’s closure of the Gaza Strip has led to severely restricted fuel supply, causing power shortages. Restrictions on the import of equipment saw the power station’s four generators reduced to three, only two of which have been working since 2009. A plant official said a strategic reserve had been tapped, in order to provide the necessary fuel for the third generator, but cited a lack of funds to purchase fuel for the regular operations. In 2011, the restricted Israeli supply was supplemented by fuel smuggled in through the underground tunnels connecting Egypt and Gaza, used in electricity generation for the first time after a local engineer developed a refining process. The engineer was later abducted by Israeli intelligence agents during a trip to the Ukraine. Kanan Obeid, president of the Energy Authority, decided to re-launch a near-capacity generation schedule in time for high school students to study for their final exams, set for June 15. The set of tests, known locally as the Tawjihi, determine which programs at Palestinian universities students can apply to. Before the third generator began operating, Gaza residents had eight hours of rolling blackouts a day.
http://www.maannews.net/eng/ViewDetails.aspx?ID=392919
Video: Gaza Reels
A timely and slick video from Gisha on how Israel controls Gaza, along with a “cheat sheet” on the closure policy
http://www.maxajl.com/?p=5387
Israeli forces — violence / attacks / incursions
ISFSR: Attacks aimed at striking Palestinian survival
NABLUS (PIC) 1 June — The International Solidarity Foundation for Human Rights said Israel’s attacks on the Al-Bara Muslim girls association and the office of the Islamic orphan relief fund on Tuesday morning in Jenin were only the last in a long series of violations targeting organizations operating in the occupied Palestinian territories. Altogether ISFHR researcher Ahmed al-Beitawi documented 21 attacks on institutions and associations in the Palestinian territories since the onset of 2010. The attacks targeted charities, centers of culture, art, and the media, and village councils. Most notably, the Israeli occupation forces raided the Al-Maqasid charity society in Jerusalem and the international solidarity movement in Ramallah in late January and early February of 2010. In the operation, the IOF arrested foreign activists and deported them. Later in February, the IOF raided the headquarters of the Hope cancer patient fund … Beitawi said that the attacks were aimed at striking Palestinian organizations designed to relieve disadvantaged Palestinians under occupation and help them survive on their land.
http://www.palestine-info.co.uk/En/default.aspx?xyz=U6Qq7k%2b
Israeli gunboat fires on fishermen in Gazan waters
ISM 1 June — Ramadan Zidan, 51, and his son Mohamed, 20 set sail from the harbor in Gaza at seven in the morning, they didn’t plan to go far, only to fish outside of the harbor. For an hour and half everything went well, it was a beautiful morning and they still hoped to have a successful day of fishing. When the Israeli gunboat first started to approach them at eight thirty a.m. they thought nothing of it, they were close to the port, nowhere near the Israeli imposed three mile limit on Palestinian fisherman. Unexpectedly the gunboat started to shoot around their boat.
http://palsolidarity.org/2011/06/18647/
Short video: Night raid / Haitham Khatib
29 May — One o’clock after midnight, two Israeli Jeeps Invaded the center of Bil’in village, and the soldiers became throwing sound bombs randomly causing a panic and inconvenience to the citizens when they are asleep.
http://www.bilin-village.org/english/videos/8633-Night-raid-:-29-05-2011
PA to cover treatment of journalist injured on Nakba Day
GAZA CITY (Ma‘an) 1 June — Palestinian journalist Muhammad Othman will be transferred to Jordan for medical treatment at the expense of the Palestinian Authority, President Mahmoud Abbas ordered on Wednesday. Othman was shot in the chest by Israeli soldiers while covering a rally commemorating the Nakba Day on May 15, near the Erez crossing in the northern Gaza Strip. Sources told Ma’an that Othman has hemiplegia, and is unable to move the left side of his body as a result of the wound, which doctors said damaged his spinal cord.
http://www.maannews.net/eng/ViewDetails.aspx?ID=392986
Aid flotillas
Photoessay: Undefeated, freedom flotillas expand
GAZA CITY 31 May (IPS) – A gleaming new memorial towers in the centre of Gaza City’s battered port. Flanked by flags of various nations whose citizens have sailed to the Gaza Strip to highlight the all-out siege on Gaza, the memorial’s inscription bears the names of the Turkish solidarity activists who died one year ago when Israeli commandos firing machine guns air-dropped onto the Freedom Flotilla, killing nine and injuring over 50 of the civilians on board.
http://ingaza.wordpress.com/2011/06/01/undefeated-freedom-flotillas-expand/
MV Finch: Three Malaysian on Gaza aid mission arrive home
KUALA LUMPUR (Bernama) 1 June — Three of the six Malaysians who were on board the MV Finch to send humanitarian aid to Gaza, arrived at the Kuala Lumpur International Airport Wednesday evening … The three were among 12 passengers on board the vessel which left Malaysia on May 3 to send 7.5 kilometres of PVC pipes in an effort to restore the sewage system in Gaza … MV Finch has been stranded in Egyptian waters and until yesterday had yet to receive consent from the Egyptian government to dock at El-Arish Port.
http://www.bernama.com.my/bernama/v5/newsindex.php?id=590851
Haniyeh surprised by UN chief’s opposition to flotilla
GAZA CITY (Ma‘an) 31 May — The head of the Hamas government in Gaza said Tuesday he was surprised to hear the UN chief Ban Ki-moon’s statements calling on organizers to cancel an aid flotilla. Ismail Haniyeh urged Ban to backtrack on his call and support the Palestinian cause – not to “ignore Israeli massacres against the Palestinian people, especially in Gaza.”
http://www.maannews.net/eng/ViewDetails.aspx?ID=392639
Activism / Solidarity / BDS
Soldiers disperse protest in north Gaza
GAZA CITY (Ma‘an) 31 May — Israeli forces opened fire during a protest in Gaza early Tuesday, activists said. There were no injuries in the incident in Beit Hanoun, along the border with Israel, the coordinator for the demonstration against Israel’s no-go zone, Saber Za‘anin, explained. Residents walk toward the no-go zone each Tuesday demanding access to their farmland. Israel’s army says it considers the area a combat zone and frequently opens fire.
http://www.maannews.net/eng/ViewDetails.aspx?ID=392583
Israel warns Syria, Lebanon ahead of ‘Naksa Day’
Ynet 1 June — Israel issued a harsh warning to Syria and Lebanon ahead of ‘Naksa Day’ – the 44th anniversary of the Six Day War. “We shall use all means to prevent an attack on our sovereignty. You will be held accountable,” the message said. Israel is raising its alert level ahead of Sunday’s events, which may involve marches on Israel’s borders similar to those held on ‘Nakba Day.’ Israel has also informed the United Nations it will not tolerate any attack on its sovereignty. The Hezbollah-affiliated Al-Akhbar newspaper reported that Sunday’s events may be canceled in light of enormous pressure on Hezbollah and the Lebanese Army which may hurt their ability to secure the marches.
http://www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7340,L-4077203,00.html
Christians plan mass at Bethlehem checkpoint
BETHLEHEM (Ma‘an) 1 June– Churches and community groups from Bethlehem and Jerusalem will hold a church service on Saturday next to the checkpoint dividing the cities, a statement said Monday. After the service, at the Benedictine Church abutting the checkpoint, congregants will process by candlelight along the separation wall, and gather to watch presentations and films projected on the wall about the restrictions on Palestinians’ access to Jerusalem, according to organizers. [End]
http://www.maannews.net/eng/ViewDetails.aspx?ID=392353
Deheishe Camp refugees speak, prepare for return on 5 June
AIC 1 June — Between the narrow streets in the Deheishe Refugee Camp, the 1948 refugees get ready for 5 June. After the Nakba commemoration of 15 of May, the Palestinian refugees killed and injured on the borders with Lebanon and the Israeli soldiers’ violence in West Bank, Palestinian refugees will march again. Rumors run rampant amongst the 15,000 refugees in Deheishe, who promise to take part in the commemoration. “On 5 June we won’t go back to our homes — Khalil, a 23 years old man says — but it will be the beginning of our struggle. We won’t free Palestine with a demonstration, but we will regain our lost unity.
http://www.alternativenews.org/english/index.php/topics/news/3639-deheishe-camp-refugees-speak-prepare-for-return-on-5-june
Photos: Lebanon Nakba march
25 black-and-white photos of the May 15 march
http://yashruti.photoshelter.com/gallery/Lebanon-Nakba-March/G0000LuF1YyeeY5M/
Coldplay endorses Freedom for Palestine single on Facebook page
Haaretz 1 June — British music giant Coldplay have endorsed an upcoming musical collaboration called “Freedom for Palestine,” released as a single by the War on Want and One World foundations. Writing on their official Facebook page on Wednesday, Coldplay referred fans to the “Freedom for Palestine” page, saying: Some of our friends are involved in OneWorld’s new ‘Freedom for Palestine’ single,” providing a link to the official “‘Freedom for Palestine”
website. http://www.haaretz.com/culture/coldplay-endorses-freedom-for-palestine-single-on-facebook-page-1.365351
VIDEO: Greek BDS activists plant trees in Estee Lauder store
EI 31 May — … According to a press release from an activist performance group calling itself the Land Annexation Society, six participants dressed in suits as members of the Jewish National Fund (JNF) and “proceeded to ‘plant’ trees over the Estee Lauder shop space [in Thessaloniki, Greece] … flyers were distributed to shoppers and staff informing them that ‘this Estee Lauder space is currently being rezoned.'” The JNF is an Israeli quasi-governmental institution which has facilitated ethnic cleansing operations since 1948 and continues to administer land-grabs for Jewish-only use in illegal settlements in the occupied West Bank, and in places like al-Araqib in the Naqab (Negev) desert. It was tasked with literally covering up the destruction of approximately 500 Palestinian villages beginning in the late 1940s by planting trees and forests over the ruins of Palestinian homes. The JNF has currently re-branded itself as an environmental charity organization, and has implemented its land confiscation policies as ones under a benign-sounding ‘re-greening’ project in the Naqab.
http://electronicintifada.net/blog/nora/greek-bds-activists-plant-trees-estee-lauder-store
Detention
Administrative detention of Hamas lawmaker extended
HEBRON (Ma‘an) 1 June — Israeli authorities extended Tuesday the administrative detention of former minister and legislator Nayef Rajoub for an additional six months, two days ahead of the end of his current term … Under a 1979 Israeli military law, Palestinians can be detained without charge for a period of up to six months, a period of administrative detention that can be renewed indefinitely. At last count there were 222 Palestinians being held under the law, two of whom have been detained without charge for more than 43 consecutive months.
http://www.maannews.net/eng/ViewDetails.aspx?ID=392779
Change and Reform Bloc denounces extension of MP’s detention
MEMO 1 June — The Change and Reform Bloc of the Palestinian Legislative Council (PLC) has denounced the Occupation Authority’s decision to extend the detention of one of its members, Nayef Rajoub, for another six months. The bloc considered the decision to be part of an Israeli strategy to eliminate the symbols of Palestinian legitimacy. In a press statement released on Tuesday, May 31, the bloc stated that the verdict reflected Israel’s insistence on violating the immunity of Palestinian members of parliament
http://www.middleeastmonitor.org.uk/news/middle-east/2420-change-and-reform-bloc-denounces-extension-of-mps-detention
Group: 26 from Bethlehem arrested in May
RAMALLAH (Ma‘an) 1 June — Israel arrested 26 residents of Bethlehem last month, the Palestinian Prisoners Society said Wednesday. Abed Khalil, the head of the rights group, said arrests increased in May among minors. The army destroyed property and used jeeps during the raids that arrested many schoolchildren, he said.
http://www.maannews.net/eng/ViewDetails.aspx?ID=392956
Israel detains 5 in West Bank overnight
QALQILIYA (Ma‘an) 1 June — Israeli forces detained five Palestinians from areas of the West Bank overnight, a military statement said, with Palestinian officials identifying a young man and two minors taken from the Qalqiliya area … Local sources told Ma‘an that several Israeli military jeeps entered the neighborhood, breaking street lights and plunging the area in to darkness as soldiers carried out home raids. Relatives said the homes of the three detained were ransacked.
http://www.maannews.net/eng/ViewDetails.aspx?ID=392835
Sheikh Salah charged with obstructing officer
Ynet 1 June — Islamic Movement leader charged with violently refusing security checks on Jordanian border
http://www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7340,L-4077009,00.html
Israel to release detainee suffering from cancer
HEBRON (Ma‘an) 1 June — The Israeli military prosecutor at Ofer detention center has endorsed an appeal to release a Palestinian prisoner in administrative detention since Jan. 17, because he has cancer. Lawyer Tariq Barghouth, who works for the Palestinian Authority’s Ministry of Prisoners Affairs, said Wednesday that the prosecutor agreed to release 58-year-old Yasser Rajoub from Hebron in the southern West Bank after his condition worsened.
http://www.maannews.net/eng/ViewDetails.aspx?ID=393033
Political / Diplomatic / International news
Palestinians may try to sidestep US veto in UN statehood push, official says
AP 1 June — …Security Council approval is needed to gain acceptance as a UN member. But President Barack Obama has signaled the U.S. will use its veto power in the council. The Palestinian Foreign Minister Riad Malki said Wednesday that the Palestinians will seek an emergency session of the General Assembly known as “Uniting for Peace” to override any veto. The move is certain to set off legal wrangling. And Malki acknowledged the Palestinians still do not have the required two-thirds support in the assembly. http://www.haaretz.com/news/diplomacy-defense/palestinians-may-try-to-sidestep-u-s-veto-in-un-statehood-push-official-says-1.365376
Other news
Israel-Iran trade ties thriving
Ynet 31 May — Under American radar, dozens of Israeli companies secretly engage in relations with Islamic Republic through third parties – Iranian money appears to be stronger than the Iranian threat, as dozens of Israeli companies have been holding secret trade relations with the Islamic Republic in recent years.
http://www.shalomlife.com/eng/15312/Israel-Iran_trade_ties_thriving/
TA rampage driver receives threat letters
Ynet 31 May — Lawyer of driver suspected [by some] of carrying out deadly rampage in Tel Aviv on ‘Nakba Day’ gets letter with suspect’s photo with swastikas on through forehead … The letter contained racist slurs, calling the driver “a pig son of a pig”, “Palestinazi,” and other debasing statements. The author of the letter also write “the terrorist will never leave jail,” and that “the sea is the same sea, and Arabs are the same Arabs — garbage.”
http://www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7340,L-4076704,00.html
Magic Wand defense system slated for test run
Ynet 31 May — Defense establishment says mid-range anti-missile system to become operational sooner than expected
http://www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7340,L-4076672,00.html
TV anchor under fire for Arab discrimination comment during Netanyahu’s US Congress speech
Haaretz 1 June — Dozens of viewers complain about comment added by Yonit Levy of Channel 2 television about the status of Arabs in Israel – said during the prime minister’s speech to Congress.
http://www.haaretz.com/print-edition/news/tv-anchor-under-fire-for-arab-discrimination-comment-during-netanyahu-s-congress-speech-1.365215
Gaza man sentenced to death on collaboration charge
GAZA CITY (Ma‘an) 1 June — A military court in the Hamas-run Gaza Strip sentenced a man from Rafah to death Tuesday after he was found guilty of collaboration with enemy entities. Fadel Msallam Shallouf, 26, was sentenced to death by hanging, the Palestinian Center for Human Rights reported. The court convicted Shallouf of spying for an enemy state.
http://www.maannews.net/eng/ViewDetails.aspx?ID=393081
Even Hamas leaders don’t know where Shalit is
Haaretz 1 June — Home Front Defense Minister says most of the militants involved in the soldier’s capture from Gaza five years ago ‘are no longer with us … Most of the members of Hamas who know where Shalit is being held died “in unfortunate accidents,” Vilnai said. “Anyone involved in the abduction does not need to worry about the day that he will end up in an old-age home, because he will not get there,” added the minister.
http://www.haaretz.com/news/diplomacy-defense/even-hamas-leaders-don-t-know-where-shalit-is-1.365350
Analysis / Opinion
What about defensible borders for Palestine? / Yousef Munayyer
31 May — Let’s recap a few basic points: 1. Israel occupies Palestine and not the other way around. 2. Israel has peace treaties with Egypt and Jordan, the states on its longest borders. 3. Israel has one of the most advanced armies in the world with a vast arsenal of offensive weapons. 4. Israel has hundreds of Nuclear Weapons. 5. Per U.S. and Israeli demands, the proposed Palestinian state would have no military. . Israel has actively and aggressively colonized Palestinian territory through the use of force, not the other way around. 7. Israeli settlers have a history of aggressive violence against Palestinians and zealously covet Palestinian territory. And yet, despite all of this, the debate continues to be about whether the ’67 lines are defensible for Israel?
http://blog.thejerusalemfund.org/2011/05/what-about-defensible-borders-for.html
Jerusalem Day celebrations will not cover up the city’s rot and discrimination / Yossi Sarid
Haaretz 1 June — Jerusalem Day is an artificial celebration, which only the religious Zionist movement, settlers, workers on an organized outing, the president, the mayor and Channel 1 bother celebrating in a big way. Most people in Israel don’t even know, and don’t care, why it even exists.
http://www.haaretz.com/print-edition/news/jerusalem-day-celebrations-will-not-cover-up-the-city-s-rot-and-discrimination-1.365222
Foundation myths / Joseph Dana
Tablet 1 June — On May 15, five days after Israel’s Independence Day, Palestinians rallied around the Nakba — the Arabic word for catastrophe, used to mark the displacement of as many as 750,000 Palestinians in 1948. It was a bid to reiterate their opposition to Israel’s occupation of the West Bank and control of the Gaza Strip. For the first time in years, every Israeli newspaper carried the word ‘Nakba’ on its front page, albeit not in reference to the historical event but to demonstrations that consumed the West Bank and Israel’s border towns. The episode highlighted an important truth: Sooner or later, Israel will be forced to incorporate the Palestinian Nakba narrative into the larger Israeli societal discourse. There can be a Zionist narrative of 1948 that includes the tragic and violent Palestinian experience of displacement — but it must be predicated on the acceptance of the Nakba in Israeli society.
http://www.tabletmag.com/news-and-politics/68304/foundation-myths/
The US-Israeli train wreck / Jeff Gates
Dissident Voice 31 May — President Obama hopes to head off a train wreck in September at the U.N. General Assembly. That’s when member nations plan to press for an independent Palestine. The Israel lobby is furious. Critics doubt that the General Assembly has the authority to recognize Palestine. Yet protection of member sovereignty has been a goal of the U.N. since its founding. Thus the priority that Israel placed on U.N. recognition after President Harry Truman acknowledged Israel on May 14, 1948, eleven minutes after the Zionist enclave declared itself a state. Truman refused to recognize this enclave as “the Jewish state.” Despite Barack Obama’s reference to the Jewish state in a recent speech on the Middle East, during the final days before granting recognition and thereby “legitimacy,” Truman was consumed with the fear that Zionist aspirations would lead to a racist or a theocratic state.Those concerns led Zionist leader Chaim Weizmann to lobby Truman with a seven-page letter reassuring him that Jewish settlers envisioned a thoroughly secular state similar to the U.S. and Great Britain.
http://dissidentvoice.org/2011/05/the-u-s-israeli-train-wreck/
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