Settlers beat shepherd, construction worker, and 60-year-old in separate incidents

and other news from Today in Palestine:

Land, property, culture theft & destruction / Ethnic cleansing / Apartheid / Restriction of movement

‘Forget about him, he’s not here’
Human Rights Watch 5 Feb  –This report describes the arbitrary exclusion by the Israeli military of hundreds of thousands of Palestinians since 1967 and documents the impact that exclusion continues to have on individuals and families. The way Israel’s military has exercised its control over the Palestinian population registry – the list of Palestinians whom it considers to be lawful residents of the West Bank and Gaza territories – has separated families, caused people to lose jobs and educational opportunities, barred people from entering the Palestinian territories, and trapped others inside them. Egypt also has problematic policies on Palestinians trying to enter Gaza that are based on the Israeli-controlled population registry. Read the Press Release   Read the Report
http://www.hrw.org/reports/2012/02/05/forget-about-him-he-s-not-here-0

Illegal, underground: Palestine’s electricity ‘threat’
MASAFER YATTA (Ma‘an) 6 Feb by Charlotte Alfred — There is an underground bunker in the South Hebron Hills, camouflaged by bracken and heavy sacks, where a tiny Palestinian village is sheltering a secret. Building quietly at night and securing backing from foreign governments, experts are working to share this secret with communities across the area. The illicit activity? Renewable energy. Hundreds of Palestinians living in these rolling hills, known locally as Masafer Yatta, cannot connect to a electricity grid. Now, a green power revolution is under threat by a spate of demolition warnings. Masafer Yatta lies almost entirely in Area C, the 62 percent of the West Bank under full Israel civil and security jurisdiction since the 1993 Oslo Accords.
On Tuesday, Israeli forces delivered stop work orders — the first step towards demolition — to wind and solar power systems in four villages in Masafer Yatta. These threats follow several months of demolitions and official warnings targeting villagers’ efforts to power their communities. Since mid-June 2011, the army has demolished electricity pylons in two villages, threatened to knock down solar power systems in six others, and cut the electricity wires in another, citing a lack of legal permits. Only one village in Masafer Yatta has ever been able to connect to the Palestinian electricity grid, after a decade of wrangling with the military. Masafer Yatta has an electricity network, connecting the four Israeli government-sanctioned settlements and six unauthorized outposts built there since 1981 to Israeli supplied electricity. Palestinian villages have been refused access to these power lines that criss-cross their land, and the army has torn down at least three attempts to connect to the Palestinian Authority supply.
http://www.maannews.net/eng/ViewDetails.aspx?ID=458280

WATCH: Israeli nature authority destroys caves in new national park
Haaretz 6 Feb — Bulldozers constructing the Mount Scopus National Park near Jerusalem destroyed on Monday what looked like hewn caves that possibly have archaeological value. An Antiquities Authority archaeologist was meant to be on site to supervise the work, but was not present. The Nature and Parks Authority claims that it must declare the area a national park, partly in order to protect archaeological remains that are on the site. The Palestinians claim that the aim of the park, being built by the Nature and Parks Authority in collaboration with the Jerusalem Municipality, is to stop the development of the villages of Isawiyah and A-Tur, as the park will include land belonging to them … The “Solidarity” activist movement, which filmed the destruction of the caves by the bulldozers, said that “ever since extremist settlers took over, the Nature and Parks Authority has sacrificed the values of nature and history in the service of extremist nationalist ideology.
http://www.haaretz.com/news/national/watch-israel-nature-authority-destroys-caves-in-new-national-park-1.411431

Israel serves notice to demolish homes in Khirbat al-Taweel
MEMO 5 Feb — EXCLUSIVE PICTURES The Israeli occupation today served notice to demolish a number of homes in Khirbat al Taweel village in the northern West Bank. When enforced the measure would affect 15 families and displace 150 persons. Hundreds of dunums of agricultural land will also be confiscated. The occupation authorities state the notice was served to clear the land for military training facilities. For several years, residents of Khirbat al Taweel have been subjected to regular attacks from settlers in the ‘Giteet’ settlement as part of a scheme to evict them from their land. To date, the occupation has seized 140,000 dunums, leaving only 10,000 dunums for the villagers. Other forms of harassment and maltreatment include; the closure of the main road which residents use travel to and from their village, prevention of farmers from reaching their farms, allowing the settlers to vandalise the farms with pesticides, theft of animals, and destruction of wells. This latest notice also includes the demolition of Al Khirbat mosque, which is under construction as well as the electricity network recently completed to the value of $200,000 donated by the Belgian government
http://www.middleeastmonitor.org.uk/news/middle-east/3356-israel-serves-notice-to-demolish-homes-in-khirbat-al-taweel

Israel hands demolition notices to Palestinians in Salfit
SALFIT (WAFA) 6 Feb – Israeli authorities Monday handed demolition notices to a number of Palestinians in the village of Hares, northwest of Salfit in the northern West Bank, according to Omar Samara, head of the village council. He told WAFA that the houses threatened to be demolished are in an area that [is] supposed to accommodate the natural growth of the village and adjacent to residents’ houses.
http://english.wafa.ps/index.php?action=detail&id=18904

Bedouin community wins reprieve from forcible relocation to Jerusalem garbage dump / Amira Hass
Haaretz 6 Feb — The Bedouin community that lives just east of Jerusalem will not be required to move next to the Abu Dis garbage dump, as initially proposed, and the Civil Administration will provide another permanent site where they will be able to settle. The Bedouin, who are from the Jahalin tribe, will be given the opportunity to review and comment on the new proposal but will not be consulted before it is drawn up, Palestinian sources said. The change in plans, the sources said, follows a visit to the Jahalin encampment at Khan al-Ahmar in the West Bank last week by Maj. Gen. Eitan Dangot, the coordinator of government activities in the territories.
http://www.haaretz.com/print-edition/news/bedouin-community-wins-reprieve-from-forcible-relocation-to-jerusalem-garbage-dump-1.411248

71 Ethiopian olim arrive in Israel
Ynet 5 Feb — Seventy-one olim from Ethiopia arrived in Israel on Thursday accompanied by lay leaders from the Jewish Federations of North America (JFNA).  Included in the delegation are 20 lay leaders from UJA-Federation of New York
http://www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7340,L-4185103,00.html

Settlers

Hundreds of settlers raid agricultural land east of Hebron
HEBRON (WAFA) 6 Feb — Hundreds of Jewish settlers Monday stormed Palestinian agricultural land in al-Baqa‘a area, east of Hebron in the southern West Bank, according to local sources. Atta Jaber, one of the landowners, told WAFA hundreds of settlers, protected by Israeli soldiers, raided about 1000 dunums of land and started planting it with forest tree as [if] it belongs to them … Jaber called on the Palestinian ministry of agricultural to plant al-Baqa‘a area land within the ministry’s greening Palestine project to protect it from settlers and Israeli soldiers.
http://english.wafa.ps/index.php?action=detail&id=18906

In photos: Settlers march in Palestinian village
AIC 5 Feb — On Friday morning, dozens of Israeli settlers entered the West Bank Palestinian village of At-Tuwani in the South Hebron Hills. The settlers, who were escorted by the Israeli military, marched through the village in what seemed to be an attempt to intimidate and provoke Palestinian residents. Several of the settlers were armed … Settlers trampled on a resident’s agricultural field and an olive tree was reportedly damaged during the march. Operation Dove adds that since January 29, Israeli settlers have damaged or cut down 17 Palestinian-owned olive trees in the area. As settlers marched through At-Tuwani on Friday, they verbally harassed villagers. Witnesses report that the residents of At-Tuwani stayed calm. Settlers and soldiers made their way through the village, stopping at a site that some Israeli archaeologists claim to be an ancient synagogue. Some of the settlers began to pray while others, Operation Dove says, “provoked the Palestinians.”
http://www.alternativenews.org/english/index.php/component/content/article/28-news/4110-in-photos-armed-settlers-march-in-palestinian-village

Joseph Tomb caught up in Israel-Palestine dispute
Ramallah (Gulf News) 6 Feb — The Joseph Tomb in the village of Balata of Nablus remains one of the key unresolved and deteriorating religious issues between the Israelis and the Palestinians, with each party claims the tomb to be a main and undisputed ingredient of its culture and ritual traditions … Nablus Department of Islamic Affairs and Awqaf passed to Gulf News its official record of the number of raids the Israeli colonists conducted on the Joseph Tomb in 2011, where the colonists in big groups raided the tomb 36 times during the past years, ignoring the official procedures of coordination with the PNA.
http://gulfnews.com/news/region/palestinian-territories/joseph-tomb-caught-up-in-israel-palestine-dispute-1.976812

Israeli forces

Soldiers beat elderly Palestinian defending land
QALQILYA (WAFA) 6 Feb – Israeli forces Monday severely beat a Palestinian elderly [man] in Kufr Qaddoum, a town east of Qalqilya in the northern West Bank, while he was trying to stop Israeli bulldozers from razing the village’s land, according to a Palestinian activist. Yaqoub Ishtawi, 60, was severely beaten by soldiers as he tried to stop three Israeli bulldozers protected by soldiers and armed settlers from razing land in the village, Murad Ishtewi told WAFA.  He added that the elderly [man] was injured in the head then handcuffed and arrested. Settlers, under the protection of soldiers, started digging the land after bulldozers left, claiming it belongs to them, he added.
http://english.wafa.ps/index.php?action=detail&id=18903

Soldiers assault Palestinian construction worker
BETHLEHEM (Ma‘an) 5 Feb — A Palestinian construction worker was injured by Israeli forces on Thursday while working near Israel’s separation wall in Jerusalem, relatives told Ma‘an on Sunday. Najeeb Mahmoud al-Zeer, from al-Fureidis village near Bethlehem, said that his brother was attacked by soldiers while working inside Israel. He suffered two broken legs and was taken to Beit Jala hospital for treatment.
http://www.maannews.net/eng/ViewDetails.aspx?ID=457994

Settlement guard attacks Ein El Hilwe shepherd
JVS 5 Feb — On Friday 3rd February 2012 a shepherd from Ein El Hilwe was attacked by the security guard of Rotem settlement whilst grazing his sheep on the hillside. Mahdi Qudry Daraghmeh, 23, was approached at 11am by Didi, the security guard from Rotem, an illegal agricultural colony located on a hill near the community. He said: ”Didi walked up to me and beat me over the head. I fell to the ground and he told me not to walk on this land again.” On November 6, his brother Oday Daraghmeh, 18, was arrested by Israeli Occupation Forces (IOF) for grazing his sheep on another hill in Ein El Hilwe in a designated ‘closed military zone’. Oday was taken 15km from where he was arrested and tied to a bench outside a military outpost using plastic cable ties. IOF have declared the land of Ein El Hilwe, and surrounding area, a closed military zone. They use this to legally justify the forced displacement of Palestinians living there.
http://www.jordanvalleysolidarity.org/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=396

Witnesses: Israeli forces uproot olive trees in Qalqiliya village
QALQILIYA (Ma‘an) 5 Feb — Israeli forces uprooted olive trees in the village of Kafr Qaddum, east of Qalqiliya, on Sunday. Witnesses told Ma‘an that tanks and soldiers arrived in the village and began digging up land in order to expand the nearby Israeli settlement of Qedumim. Dozens of villagers tried to stop military forces from destroying their land, but were held back by soldiers.
Israeli forces clamped down on a weekly non-violent demonstration on Friday in the Qalqiliya village.
http://www.maannews.net/eng/ViewDetails.aspx?ID=458030

IOF soldiers storm home of Palestinian prisoner
AL-KHALIL (PIC) 6 Feb — Israeli occupation forces (IOF) stormed the  home of prisoner Adel Amayra in Al-Burj village to the south of al-Khalil and thoroughly searched it. Family of the prisoner said that the soldiers broke into their home at dawn and detained all members in one room before starting their search. They said that the soldiers wreaked havoc inside their home and terrorized all members of the family. Amayra was arrested in 2003 and is serving an eight years sentence. He was deprived early release which is usually accorded to Jewish homicide convicts.
link to www.palestine-info.co.uk

Israeli guard suspected of confining Palestinian woman to get her phone number
Haaretz 5 Feb — Alleged incident took place in Jerusalem’s Ras Hamis checkpoint, where the Palestinian law student says she was detained until the security guard verified she gave him her real number … Following the woman’s complaint, Jerusalem’s police department opened an investigation on the matter, following which the security guard was questioned under warning and released under limitation. Police sources indicated that he was suspected of harassment. Dozens of residents of the woman’s home village of Ras Hamis, upon gaining knowledge of the incident, raided the checkpoint, protesting what they called an abuse of the woman’s honor.
http://www.haaretz.com/news/national/israeli-guard-suspected-of-confining-palestinian-woman-to-get-her-phone-number-1.411176

IDF torturer wants to sodomize Arabs and get medal for it / Richard Silverstein
Tikun Olam 5 Feb — Doron Zahavi, who still can be called only “Captain George” in the Israeli media, has gone public with his grievance against the IDF, which employed him to torture kidnapped Arabs who were thought to have intelligence about affairs in Lebanon or Syria, specifically Israeli prisoners of war. Among those he worked his wonders on was Mustafa Dirani, who was thought to have specific knowledge of the whereabouts of Ron Arad. Yossi Gurvitz reports (in Hebrew) that Zahavi ordered one of his subordinates to undress and rape Dirani. Another Zahavi subordinate, who blew the whistle on the whole military torture complex he ran, says his commander sodomized Dirani with a nightstick. The brave torturer has the effrontery to claim that the anal lacerations Dirani suffered were due to “constipation,” for which they gave him a laxative that caused him to soil himself. http://www.richardsilverstein.com/tikun_olam/2012/02/05/idf-torturer-doron-zahavi-wants-to-sodomize-arabs-and-get-medal-for-it/

Gaza

Gazans denied passports despite reconciliation
GAZA CITY (Ma‘an) 5 Feb — A committee representing people in Gaza who have been denied travel documents by the PA said Sunday that thousands had yet to receive passports, despite official statements that the issue had been resolved. Fair access to travel documents was a tenet of the reconciliation deal agreed between Fatah and Hamas last May, and the West Bank coordinator of a public freedoms committee tasked with implementing reform said last month the issue had been resolved. Lawmaker Mustafa Barghouti said at the time no citizen would be denied a passport.
http://www.maannews.net/eng/ViewDetails.aspx?ID=457981

Hamas leader returns to Gaza after 21 years in exile
GAZA (PIC) 6 Feb — Political bureau member of Hamas Emad Al-Alami returned to Gaza Strip on Sunday night after 21 years in exile … Alami was arrested in 1988 on charges of launching media campaign in favor of Hamas and released in late 1990 then banished to Lebanon along with three other Hamas members four months after his release.
link to www.palestine-info.co.uk

Turkish aid ship docks in Ashdod to transfer supplies to Gaza
MEMO 6 Feb — A Turkish ship loaded with medical supplies has docked in the Israeli port of Ashdod prior to the transfer of its cargo to the Gaza Strip. Egypt has refused for the past three months to allow the ship to dock in El-Arish and transfer the aid to Gaza through the Rafah crossing. A report in the official Turkish news agency said that the Deputy Prime Minister, Bekir Bozdag, had submitted a request to the Israeli Ministry of Defence in October seeking assurances that the ship and aid for Gaza would not be subject to harassment by Israel’s armed forces. The ship was carrying three containers of medicines and medical equipment valued at $1.5 million; the World Health Organisation intervened to help ease its passage to the people of Gaza.
http://www.middleeastmonitor.org.uk/news/europe/3358-turkish-aid-ship-docks-in-ashdod-to-transfer-supplies-to-gaza

Israeli army opens fire at Palestinian farmers in E. Qararah
GAZA (KUNA) 5 Feb — Israeli army on Sunday opened fire towards Palestinian farmers east of Qararah, located northeast of Khan Younis, South of Gaza Strip. Eyewitnesses told Kuwait News Agency (KUNA) that the Israeli military vehicles arrived this morning to the military site of Kissufim east of Qararah, where Israeli soldiers opened fire towards Palestinian farmers working in their farmlands. According to Palestinian medical sources, no one was injured in the Israeli attack. The farmers were forced to leave their lands in order to avoid Israeli attacks.
http://www.kuna.net.kw/ArticleDetails.aspx?id=2219447&language=en

Al-Qassam fighters killed in accidents
GAZA CITY (Ma‘an) 6 Feb — Two fighters affiliated with the Al-Qassam Brigades died on Sunday in accidental circumstances, Ma‘an’s correspondent said. Iz al-Din al Mazir died when a tunnel collapsed and Samir Abdul Rahman, 28, died accidentally during a training exercise. Both men were from Gaza City.
http://www.maannews.net/eng/ViewDetails.aspx?ID=458131

Rocket fired from Gaza hits Israel
AFP 6 Feb — A rocket fired by Palestinian militants from the Gaza Strip hit southern Israel late on Monday causing no casualties or damage, an Israeli military spokesperson said. “A Qassam rocket hit an open field in the Sha’ar Hanegev regional council,” the spokesperson told AFP.
http://www.nowlebanon.com/NewsArticleDetails.aspx?ID=361669

IOF soldiers arrest 3 Palestinians in Gaza
GAZA (PIC) 6 Feb — Israeli occupation forces arrested three Palestinian citizens to the east of Breij refugee camp in central Gaza Strip on Sunday night. Human rights sources said that the three were arrested while trying to infiltrate into 1948 occupied Palestine. The IOF troops arrested seven Palestinians from Gaza during incursions or at crossings while travelling to seek treatment.
link to www.palestine-info.co.uk

First tomato export to Jordan since siege leaves Gaza
GAZA CITY (Ma‘an) 5 Feb — Israeli authorities on Sunday allowed tomatoes to be exported from the Gaza Strip to Jordan, the first such export from the coastal enclave to the Hashemite kingdom since 2007, a crossings official said.  Gaza crossings liaison official Raed Fattouh said two truckloads of tomatoes will leave the Gaza Strip via the Israeli-controlled Kerem Shalom crossing.
One truckload of carnations and two truckloads of strawberries will also pass through for export to Europe, he added.
http://www.maannews.net/eng/ViewDetails.aspx?ID=457881

Israel allows 30 cars, 200 truckloads of goods into Gaza
GAZA CITY (Ma‘an) 6 Feb — Israel allowed the transfer of 30 cars and 200 truckloads of goods into the Gaza Strip on Monday. Palestinian liaison official Raed Fattuh said that two trucks of tomatoes were also exported to European countries.
http://www.maannews.net/eng/ViewDetails.aspx?ID=458184

Gaza rights groups accuse Hamas of abuses
MWC 6 Feb — Palestinian rights groups say masked Hamas police beat and detained members of the Gaza Strip’s tiny Shi‘a Muslim community during a religious commemoration last week. It was the first claim of harassment by a group of Shi‘a worshippers against the territory’s rulers, who are Sunni Muslims. Hamas officials denied the allegations. Hamas is believed to enjoy close ties with Iran, the Shi‘a Islamic republic.
http://mwcnews.net/news/middle-east/16708-hamas-abuses.html

In Gaza: Antiquities down a dusty lane / Eva Bartlett
4 Feb — Two years ago I wrote about Gaza’s antiquities, many of which were destroyed in the 2008-2009 Israeli war on Gaza. But until a few months ago, I hadn’t had the privilege of seeing one of them.  Unexpectedly one day, while interviewing the Ministry of Agriculture on their many projects, I was taken by Tel Umm Amer,  an archaeological site preserving fantastic mosaics and the monastery of St. Hilarion (which I wrote about here, thanks to Abeer Jamal’s information): … Even though I had written about Gaza’s antiquities, it was strange to travel down Gaza’s worn out main highway Salah el Din, onto ruddy backgrounds, past donkeys and their carts, and arrive in a dusty field, beside which is the archaeological site.  Hidden in plain view. We ended at the Pasha Palace, a place I had been before, but never inside.
http://ingaza.wordpress.com/2012/02/04/antiquties-down-a-dusty-lane/

Detention / Court actions

Otherwise Occupied: For the sake of his dignity / Amira Hass
Haaretz 6 Feb — Khader Adnan has already broken a Palestinian record for the longest solo hunger strike. Yesterday he passed his 50th day as a hunger striker, protesting what he regards as humiliating practices exercised by Shin Bet security service interrogators. Posters displayed at support rallies have above his portrait the statement: “Dignity above food”, a statement repeated in a Facebook page titled “We are all Sheikh Khader Adnan.” … Throughout the interrogation, he remained tied, his hands behind his back. Adnan says that Shin Bet questioners cursed him and threatened harm to his family. Was the moment he heard his wife and daughters being cursed when he decided to launch his hunger strike? Or was it when the interrogators forcibly yanked his beard? Or was it when one of the interrogators rubbed a finger on his shoes, and then smeared Adnan’s moustache? Or was it when they did not allow him to pray?
http://www.haaretz.com/print-edition/features/otherwise-occupied-for-the-sake-of-his-dignity-1.411281

Hunger-striking Jihad detainee transferred to northern hospital
GAZA CITY (Ma‘an) 6 Feb — Israeli authorities transferred Islamic Jihad detainee Khader Adnan to a hospital in northern Israel on Monday, as he entered the 51st day of a hunger strike. Adnan is being held in Zeif hospital in Safed, his lawyers told a prisoners group in Gaza, adding that prison authorities were trying to obstruct legal visits to prevent the seriousness of his condition being revealed.
http://www.maannews.net/eng/ViewDetails.aspx?ID=458188

Father of detained Jihad leader starts hunger strike
RAMALLAH (Ma‘an) 6 Feb — The father of imprisoned Islamic Jihad Khader Adnan announced Monday that he will hold an open ended hunger-strike to show solidarity with his son … Qadura Fares, head of the Palestinian prisoner’s society said a protest will be held on Tuesday in support of Adnan and lawyers will boycott Israeli military courts. Supporters have called for five minutes work and traffic-stoppage at noon, and marches toward West Bank city centers in solidarity with Adnan.
http://www.maannews.net/eng/ViewDetails.aspx?ID=458276

Take action for hunger-striking Palestinian prisoner Khader Adnan!
ISM 6 Feb — Khader Adnan needs international support and solidarity to make it clear to the Israeli occupation that the eyes of the world are on his case and that of his nearly 5,000 fellow Palestinian political prisoners. He is currently in a hospital bed and being force-fed liquids over his objection. Send a letter now to Israeli officials demanding his freedom.  TWEET NOW to share this action alert by clicking here!  Addameer, the Prisoner Support and Human Rights Association, details the experience of Khader Adnan with the Israeli occupation on their page dedicated to his case.
http://palsolidarity.org/2012/02/take-action-for-hunger-striking-palestinian-prisoner-khader-adnan/

Amnesty: Israel must release or charge Palestinian detainee on prolonged hunger strike
6 Feb — The Israeli authorities must release a Palestinian detainee or charge him with a recognizable criminal offence and promptly try him, Amnesty International said today amid fears the man could die in detention after more than 50 days on hunger strike.
http://www.amnesty.org/en/news/israel-must-release-or-charge-palestinian-detainee-prolonged-hunger-strike-2012-02-06

Israel’s army arrests 15 across West Bank
RAMALLAH (Ma‘an) 6 Feb — Israeli forces arrested 15 people overnight Sunday and Monday morning, the army and Ma‘an’s correspondent said. Five people were arrested in Nablus, four in al-Mughayyir village near Ramallah, two in Nabi Saleh, one in Beit Fajjar near Bethlehem, one in Beit Ummar and two in Qalqiliya, an army spokeswoman said.
http://www.maannews.net/eng/ViewDetails.aspx?ID=458201

Israeli forces detain journalist near Bethlehem
BETHLEHEM (Ma‘an) 5 Feb — Israeli forces detained a young journalist near Bethlehem early on Sunday after storming his family home. Soldiers broke through the door of the apartment and ransacked the building in al-Ubeidiya village, before detaining Suhayb al-Asaa, 25, who works for Radio Bethlehem 2000, his father said. An Israeli army spokesman said al-Asaa was “transferred for security questioning.” Four others were detained by Israeli forces in the West Bank overnight, he said.
http://www.maannews.net/eng/ViewDetails.aspx?ID=457871

Security forces arrest Palestinian in stabbing
JPost 6 Feb — Security forces arrested a Palestinian resident of the West Bank on suspicion of stabbing an Israeli security guard at the entrance to Ma’ale Adumim, police said Sunday. The arrest was carried out by police and the Shin Bet (Israel Security Agency) on January 27, but only revealed on Sunday due to the lifting of a media ban.
http://www.jpost.com/Defense/Article.aspx?id=256628

Israeli teen jailed for one year over assaulting Arab youths
Haaretz 5 Feb — An Israeli teen was sentenced to a year in prison on Sunday for hitting Arab youths with a car and stabbing them over what the court said was racist motivations. According to the court’s ruling, the defendant, who was 17 at the time of the incident, along with a friend, assaulted Arab teens from the village of Hamaam. At first, the defendant and a peer attempted to run over two of the boys with a car, hitting and wounding one of them. Later, the defendant exited the car holding a knife, and attempted to stab the youth he had failed to run over. He then returned to the car with his friend, chasing down a third Arab teen, 15, and knocked him over. With the Arab youth lying on the ground, the defendant got out of the car holding a knife, with his friend holding a club, proceeding to stab the youth in his left thigh, as his friend hits him over the head with a club, and as the two yell: “Die you Arab.”
http://www.haaretz.com/news/national/israeli-teen-jailed-for-one-year-over-assaulting-arab-youths-1.411181

No permission for the blanket! / Sam Bahour
On December 09, 2011, I wrote about my friend, Walid Abu Rass, who was arrested by Israeli soldiers from his home at 1:30am in front of his wife and two young daughters. To read that story visit: http://bit.ly/walidaburass  I must thank all of you who took action based on the news of Walid’s arrest. Some of your letters and efforts have reached high levels in the Israeli executive and legislative bodies, but sadly, none have brought about his release, just yet, that is … Prisoners are complaining of many human rights abuses, but most critical right now is the lack of heat and blankets. Ramallah is facing one of its coldest winters in recent memory … Below is [13-year-old] Mays’ recollection of her last visit to see her dad. The are allowed a visit behind a glass wall every other Sunday … ” ‘No permission for the blanket!’ This sentence is the only sentence I heard from them … I still keep thinking about the blanket that I couldn’t give to my dad. I left, holding the blanket and looking back at the door of the prison. I was crying. My dad is going to sleep in the winter cold forever. All of you are sitting in your warm houses and my dad is locked up without a blanket.”
http://epalestine.blogspot.com/2012/02/epalestine-no-permission-for-blanket.html

Activism / Solidarity / BDS

Video: Al Walaja 5 Feb 2012
Wheels of Justice — On Sunday 5 Feb 2012, villagers from Al-Walaja and international supporters went to the area where the Israeli apartheid authorities were still destroying lands to build a wall that will isolate the villagers from their remaining lands and allow for further expansion of the illegal colonies of Gilo and Har Gilo. Already over 90% of the village lands were taken for colonial settler activities in the past 6 decades. The area this short video was taken is just around the oldest tree in Bethlehem district ((an olive tree perhaps 3-5,000 year old).
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XZ7Wn9KY4bI&feature=youtu.be

Soldiers arrest 4 activists at Bethlehem village protest
BETHLEHEM (Ma‘an) 5 Feb — Israeli forces arrested four activists at a protest in al-Walaja village near Bethlehem on Sunday … Residents of the southern West Bank village are overwhelmingly refugees, driven from the historic al-Walaja, located just across the valley from the current population center. The village was, in 1948, the second largest land area after Jerusalem but was cut down to one third the size when Israel declared statehood that year. Now a border village, al-Walaja is edged on its eastern flank by an expanding bloc of settlements and is being reduced in size by the path of Israel’s separation wall which annexes between two and three kilometers of village lands from the pre-1967 border.
http://www.maannews.net/eng/ViewDetails.aspx?ID=458037

Breaking: Settlers and Israeli military move forward with plan to steal land
ISM 6 Feb — As of  2:00 PM today it was reported that two army jeeps were still on site in Kufr Qaddoum, in addition to one police jeep, while illegal settlers had left the scene of today’s violent incursion. Abu Ashraf, pictured below being dragged by Israeli military,  is now in a local hospital with injuries sustained to the head and wrists. It is reported he was hit by military on the left side of his forehead leaving an open wound and bruising. His hands were also tightly handcuffed in plastic, leaving bruising to the wrists. Abu Ashraf was defending his family’s land as it was being invaded by settlers from nearby illegal settlements and was met with violence. Settlers plowed this land under the protection of Israeli military. Another 60 year old woman was also wounded by Israel’s violent intrusion into Kufr Qaddoum,  after Israeli forces twisted her arm. Both are in a local hospital, recovering.
http://palsolidarity.org/2012/02/breaking-settlers-and-israeli-military-move-forward-with-plan-to-steal-land/

Video and updates from last Friday’s protest in Issawiya
Sheikh Jarrah Solidarity 4 Feb — The “Solidarity” Movement is continuing is action together with the residents of Issawiya and A-Tur. As in past weeks, we joined  the residents of the two neighborhoods this Friday in a a vigil and tree planting in protest of the planned national park. Read more about the last Friday vigil:  http://kateincolor.wordpress.com/2012/02/03/olive-trees-ii/
http://www.en.justjlm.org/671

Video: Planting hope and natural resistance in Burin
ISM 4 Feb by Jonas Weber — On the 4th of February International Solidarity Movement (ISM) and The Ecumenical Accompaniment Programme in Palestine and Israel (EAPPI) attended the replanting of 50 olive trees on the hillsides above the village of Burin, outside of Nablus. The planting went without disturbances from the surrounding illegal settlements of Bracha and Yitzhar. During 2011 around 3700 olive trees were destroyed in the hills around the village of Burin, most of them due to attacks from the illegal settlement Yitzhar. The 50 olive trees replanted today on the hill slopes facing the illegal settlement of  Bracha will not bear fruit for many years but serve as a long term investment for the villagers of Burin. Small as it may be, this initiative marks the relentless struggle to go on with their lives despite of Israeli occupation … Support the further planting of trees destroyed by Zionists and help Burin’s youth center
http://palsolidarity.org/2012/02/planting-hope-and-natural-resistance-in-burin/

Celebrating heroes and olives: Qaryut begins to dismantle roadblock
[photos] ISM 5 Feb by Aaron — Hundreds of peaceful demonstrators confronted heavily armed Israeli soldiers this Friday, February 3rd,  at a new protest in the village of Qaryut, planting nearly one hundred trees and partially demolishing the roadblock that has obstructed access to the highway since the First Intifada. Although organizers were prepared for military violence, the protest remained peaceful until the end, and demonstrators marched home triumphantly with a promise from the military to remove the roadblock with a bulldozer, which they did later the same day … The problems faced by Qaryut, however, are far from resolved. Located between Ramallah and Nablus (Northern Palestine), Qaryut has long been cut off from the main arterial and its agricultural lifeblood by seven settlements, military harassment, and a earthen roadblock constructed in 2002.
http://palsolidarity.org/2012/02/celebrating-heroes-and-olives-qaryut-begins-to-dismantle-roadblock/?

Interview with injured French activist in Nabi Saleh / Linah al-Saafin
EI blog 5 Feb — Today I sat down with the French activist, 20 year old Amicie P. and her Palestinian fiancé Aram S. to discuss the details of the actions that took place yesterday. The injury seemed pretty serious at first, owing to the fact that there was a large amount of blood, so it was a huge relief to see Amicie sitting next to me casually smoking cigarette after cigarette with a bandage swathed around her head … Amicie: “I was discussing with Diederik [the Dutch activist who was injured in his waist] about when we were going to leave to Ramallah. We agreed to stay for five more minutes. I wasn’t aware of when I got shot. I just felt something hit my head. It hurt me so much. I fell down and couldn’t seem to get up. People were carrying me because I wasn’t able to stand on my feet and the Israeli [border police] were still shooting at us. I wasn’t able to run. The medic Muhanad Saleem was screaming at them to stop shooting.  “I was really so afraid.  I didn’t know if my injury was serious or not. I saw a lot of blood and thought of Mustafa and how he was killed in December.”
http://electronicintifada.net/blogs/linah-alsaafin/interview-injured-french-activist-nabi-saleh

South Africa mulls BDS sanctions on Israel
Al Akhbar 6 Feb — South Africa is considering imposing economic and cultural sanctions on Israel as part of the worldwide Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions (BDS) campaign.
http://english.al-akhbar.com/content/south-africa-mulls-bds-sanctions-israel

US Palestinians organize as government renews threats to indict solidarity activists
EI blog 6 Feb by Maureen — The US Palestinian Community Network (USPCN) is asking supporters to sign a pledge to defend civil and human rights as it was revealed last week that the lead government prosecutor of the Holy Land Five has been assigned to the ongoing secret investigation against anti-war and international solidarity activists across the US. USPCN is a Palestinian formation aimed at unifying Palestinians in the Shatat (exile) in support of self-determination and the right of return and ending the Zionist occupation and colonization of Palestine.
http://electronicintifada.net/blogs/maureen/us-palestinians-organize-government-renews-threats-indict-solidarity-activists

George Galloway brings his Palestinian cause to Jakarta
Jakarta Globe 6 Feb — …Galloway was recently in Jakarta to launch the Indonesian chapter of Viva Palestina, a charity organization he founded in 2009 to send humanitarian aid to the Gaza Strip. He spent 10 days in Jakarta and Bandung holding rallies, meeting local politicians, giving lectures at universities and engaging in discussions about Palestine with NGOs.
http://www.thejakartaglobe.com/lifeandtimes/george-galloway-brings-his-palestine-cause-to-jakarta/496167

Turkey grants Palestinian businessmen year-long visa
RAMALLAH (Ma‘an) 6 Feb — Turkey and the Palestinian Authority Ministry of Economy signed a deal on Monday which will grant Palestinian businessmen a year-long visa to travel to and from Turkey. Coordinator with the private sector Imad al-Jallad told Ma‘an that the application can be completed at the ministry in Ramallah. The announcement came as part of a plan to enhance Palestinian-Turkish relations, he added.
http://www.maannews.net/eng/ViewDetails.aspx?ID=458195

Refugees

Why did Palestinian refugees come to Lebanon? Leb. schools won’t tell / Franklin Lamb
[photos] Al-Manar 6 Feb — During a workshop at the American University of Beirut last year on the subject of the right to work and to purchase a home for Palestinian refugees, a young business major from the Christian village of Bikerki posed a question that surprised some in the audience: “Why if Palestinian don’t like it in Lebanon do they not go home? Why did they even bother coming here in the first place?” “Caroline” was not being antagonistic. Many of the younger Lebanese population are taught in private and religious schools by the various sects using a curriculum including subjects that are heavily politicized and skewed, none more than modern Lebanese history.
http://www.almanar.com.lb/english/adetails.php?eid=44709&cid=41&fromval=1

Political / Diplomatic news

Abbas to head unity government as factions sign agreement
BETHLEHEM (Ma‘an) 6 Feb — President Abbas and Hamas chief Khalid Mashaal penned an agreement in Qatar on Monday which will see the Fatah leader head a unity government. The agreement stipulates that the current President will head an interim government to prepare for parliamentary and presidential elections. It also included agreements on reforming the Palestinian National Council and activating the PLO for the next elections, Palestine TV said. All political prisoners will be released, according to the agreement, and both Abbas and Mashaal reconfirmed the basic principles agreed upon in Cairo, such as allowing election committees to begin their work in the West Bank and Gaza. “We are serious, both Fatah and Hamas, in healing the wounds and ending the chapter of division and reinforcing and accomplishing reconciliation,” Mashaal said in remarks televised live by Al Jazeera from Qatar.
http://www.maannews.net/eng/ViewDetails.aspx?ID=458196

PA official: Interim government to be declared Feb. 18
Ynet 6 Feb — Azzam al-Ahmad, a member of the Fatah Executive Committee and head of the Fatah delegation to the talks with Hamas, said that the composition of the new Palestinian government will be announced on February 18 in Cairo. The Interim government will be in place until the presidential and general elections take place later in 2012.
http://www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7340,L-4186126,00.html

Netanyahu: PA president must choose between peace with Israel and peace with Hamas
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu criticized on Monday the agreement reached between Hamas and Fatah, according to which Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas will head a unity caretaker cabinet. “Hamas is a terrorist organization that wants to destroy Israel and is supported by Iran,” Netanyahu said at a Likud meeting. “Israel had made great efforts to advance the peace process. If Abbas realizes what was signed in Doha it shows that he is choosing to abandon the path of peace and join with Hamas, without Hamas accepting the minimal conditions of the international community.”
http://www.haaretz.com/news/diplomacy-defense/netanyahu-pa-president-must-choose-between-peace-with-israel-and-peace-with-hamas-1.411414

Veteran politician says no return to negotiations without a halt to settlements and recognition of June 1967 borders
MEMO 6 Feb — A senior member of the PLO’s Executive Committee has stressed that the organisation will not return to the negotiating table without a complete halt to Israeli settlement activity and the recognition of the June 1967 borders as the basis of an independent Palestinian state. Dr. Hanan Ashrawi noted that the PLO “reserves the right to go to the United Nations, the Security Council, the General Assembly and all international institutions to which it is affiliated”, adding that it has coordinated its stand with various parties, states and European friends. In a statement to Voice of Palestine Radio, Dr. Ashrawi called on Europe to play a more independent and effective political role in the Middle East. There is a need, she said, to find radical and urgent solutions and not to deal with Israel as it is a state that puts itself above the law.
http://www.middleeastmonitor.org.uk/news/middle-east/3360-veteran-politician-says-no-return-to-negotiations-without-a-halt-to-settlements-and-recognition-of-june-1967-borders

PA starts budget crisis talks
RAMALLAH (Reuters) 6 Feb — Palestinian Authority Prime Minister Salam Fayyad met union leaders and employers on Monday to pursue agreement on the 2012 budget after a public outcry against austerity measures thwarted his first plan to tackle a debt crisis. An abrupt freeze in more than $150 million in US aid last year has slowed the Palestinian economy, widening the deficit to $1.1 billion after rapid growth in 2009-2010.
http://www.maannews.net/eng/ViewDetails.aspx?ID=458274

Final member of Damascus-based Hamas politburo leaves Syria
DPA 5 Feb — Senior Hamas leader Imad el-Alami arrives in Gaza to chants and cheers; Hamas has decided to leave Syria so as not to be seen as endorsing Assad’s crackdown … Hamas has never officially announced its intention to move its headquarters from Damascus. Sami Abu Zuhri, Hamas’ spokesman in Gaza, told reporters that Al-Alami came to Gaza for a visit, but he refused to say how long he intended to stay. Earlier on Sunday, Israeli Radio reported that el-Alami had been the contact person between Hamas militants in the West Bank and those in the Gaza Strip.
http://www.haaretz.com/news/middle-east/final-member-of-damascus-based-hamas-politburo-leaves-syria-1.411226

Hamas: Switzerland decision comes in right order
Gaza (Alresalah.ps) 4 Feb –Hamas considered Switzerland’s decision to remove it from the list of terrorist organizations in the right direction, calling on the rest of the Western countries to trace such a step and to recognize Hamas’s legitimacy.
http://www.alresalah.ps/en/index.php?act=post&id=126

South Africa to step up cooperation with Palestine and increase sanctions against Israel
MEMO 6 Feb — The South African government is looking at plans to step up its support for Palestine. The Minister of Arts and Culture, Paul Mashatile, made the announcement during a press conference in Pretoria last week to announce that a Palestinian delegation, including Mr. Mashatile’s counterpart, Siham Barghouthi, had met with representatives of the government and signed a cultural agreement between South Africa and Palestine. Plans for future cooperation include literature exchanges, exhibitions, language development programmes and heritage preservation initiatives.
http://www.middleeastmonitor.org.uk/news/africa/3359-south-africa-to-step-up-cooperation-with-palestine-and-increase-sanctions-against-israel

Indonesia to open rep office in Palestine
PNN 4 Feb — According to the Jakarta Post the Indonesian foreign ministry will soon open a representative office in Palestine and is currently studying how to do so as Indonesia does not have diplomatic relations with Israel which occupies Palestine. “We will not open an embassy but a representative office,” ministry spokesman Michael Tene told The Jakarta Post over the phone on Friday.
http://english.pnn.ps/index.php/politics/791-indonesia-to-open-rep-office-in-palestine

Israel’s hardline foreign minister to travel to Washington
ME News 5 Feb — Tel Aviv – Israeli Foreign Minister Avigdor Lieberman is scheduled to travel to Washington for talks next week with US Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton, their first in nearly 18 months. Lieberman is expected to tell his hosts that just as the international community should not only impose sanctions on Syria, but act to topple the regime, so it should not be satisfied with sanctions alone against Iran, but act to topple its regime, a Foreign Ministry source told dpa on Sunday.
http://news.monstersandcritics.com/middleeast/news/article_1689089.php/Israel-s-hardline-foreign-minister-to-travel-to-Washington

Israel Racism / Discrimination / Repression

Moving toward a Jewish-only Knesset
5 Feb Sergio Yahni for the Alternative Information Center — Israeli Knesset Member Danny Danon and other right wing members of the Israeli parliament are demanding that MK Ahmad Tibi be ousted from the government due to the speech he gave in January, on Palestinian Martyrs’ Day; a new bill threatens to ban Palestinian citizens of the state from the Israeli Knesset.
http://www.alternativenews.org/english/index.php/topics/israeli-society/4114-moving-towards-a-jewish-only-knesset

Beit Shemesh victims turn activists
JPost 6 Feb — Natalie Mashiach and Hadassah Margolis, recent victims of extremist ultra-Orthodox violence and intimidation, demand gov’t intervention.
http://www.jpost.com/NationalNews/Article.aspx?id=256624&R=R2

US warns tourists against ‘immodest attire’ in Jerusalem
Ynet 5 Feb — Concerns over recent haredi extremism in Israel’s capital prompt US consulate to publish Jerusalem travel recommendations for American tourists — The travel recommendations which were updated by the US State Department two weeks ago with the recent phenomenon of women’s exclusion and haredi violence in mind, calls on American tourists to dress appropriately when visiting religious sites in the Old City and in haredi neighborhoods and to avoid driving through those neighborhoods during the Sabbath.
http://www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7340,L-4185277,00.html

Hasbara, etc.

American Jews trek across Israel
Ynet 29 Jan — Young group hikes across country’s longest trail for 5 months as part of a new program designed to encourage young Jews to get to know Israel … The trip [was] part of a new program organized by the Israeli travel agency Tlalim on the government’s behalf … The group experienced the “real Israel,” as they saw how African infiltrators were caught by the Immigration Police in Eilat, visited Bedouin villages in the south and even celebrated Shabbat in the West Bank settlement of Ofra.
http://www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7340,L-4182382,00.html

Israel looks to gays to improve image
AP 2 Feb — When it comes to stating its case internationally, Israel is tired of playing it straight: It is recruiting gays and lesbians as unofficial envoys. In a bid to boost its international image, the country’s Ministry of Public Diplomacy and Diaspora Affairs has established a cadre of diverse volunteers who speak about Israel around the world. In a recent post on its website, the ministry encouraged minorities and members of the gay community to step forward.
http://www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7340,L-4184081,00.html

Other news

J’lem and Berlin sign contract for sixth submarine
JPost 5 Feb — Exclusive: German defense official dismisses reports that Merkel considered canceling deal in response to Gilo construction — Israel and Germany signed a contract a few weeks ago finalizing the sale of a sixth Dolphinclass submarine to the Israel Navy, The Jerusalem Post has learned … According to foreign reports, Israel’s submarines have a second-strike capability and carry cruise missiles armed with nuclear warheads.
http://www.jpost.com/Defense/Article.aspx?id=256494

Top Israeli minister calls to increase protection of cities amid fears of confrontation with Iran
Haaretz 5 Feb — Home Front Defense Minister Matan Vilnai is today expected to call for increased investment to protect Israel’s cities and national infrastructure. Vilnai presents his annual report on the Home Front’s preparedness for emergencies to the cabinet amid reports from the United States that Israel plans to strike Iran before June.
http://www.haaretz.com/print-edition/news/top-israeli-minister-calls-to-increase-protection-of-cities-amid-fears-of-confrontation-with-iran-1.411072

Israel’s PM warns his officials to stop Iran ‘blabber’
AFP 6 Feb — Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has warned his officials to stop “blabbing” about the possibility of an attack targeting Iran’s nuclear program, the newspaper Maariv reported on Monday. Netanyahu is said to have directed the instruction at a number of military officials and government ministers who he believes have been speaking too freely about a potential Israeli attack on Iranian nuclear facilities.
http://english.alarabiya.net/articles/2012/02/06/192939.html

Israel hails ‘significant’ gas find
Al Akhbar 5 Feb — An Israeli company on Sunday said it had discovered “significant signs of natural gas” after drilling off the country’s Mediterranean coast. Ownership of much of Israel’s offshore gas and oil reserves is disputed both by Palestinian and Lebanese politicians, with Israel threatening to use its military to maintain control of the reserves … Delek said on Sunday that exploratory drilling at the site, 120 kilometers (75 miles) northwest of Israel’s northern city of Haifa, had now reached the final depth of 5,500 meters (18,150 feet)..
http://english.al-akhbar.com/content/israel-hails-%E2%80%9Csignificant%E2%80%9D-gas-find

The finest photographs of early 20th century Palestine, shuttered in controversy
Haaretz 5 Feb — On the counter of the small photography shop Photo Elia in the Old City of Jerusalem lies an early 20th century picture of the Western Wall, which appears squeezed among the homes of the Mughrabi Quarter that no longer exists. To contemporary Israeli eyes, there is something striking about the scene of worshippers: Women and men are praying together in public … One of the photos became the focus of a political controversy last year. The picture, a portrait of a Palestinian family taken in a citrus grove at the end of the 1930s, served as the basis for artist Eliyahu Arik Bokobza’s painting “The Citrus Grower.” MK Aryeh Eldad (National Union ) protested the Knesset’s purchase of the painting for its permanent exhibit, claiming that it was an attempt to depict the past from an Arab perspective, and suggest that “we robbed and expelled them.”
http://www.haaretz.com/print-edition/features/the-finest-photographs-of-early-20th-century-palestine-shuttered-in-controversy-1.411086

And at last there was water! / Pierre Klochendler
BIR EL-BASHA, Occupied West Bank (IPS) 31 Jan – Only days ago, turning on the tap was cause for concern. Would there be running water? Now, it’s reason for celebration. “Thank God, the installation works!” rejoices Muhammad Dakka, the village Imam. “For the first time in our lives there’s running water!” his mother Rasmiyeh, 71, revels, serving sage tea and nut-filled dates to a party of Palestinian Water Authority (PWA) and International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) delegates.
http://ipsnews.net/news.asp?idnews=106596

Analysis / Opinion

False Palestinian analogies / Sami Zaatari
Pal. Chron. 6 Feb — Politicians and supporters of Israel often use analogies to try and paint the Palestinians as the bad guys, the villains who are responsible for the conflict, and the party that is responsible for there being no chance of peace … The example used by Gringich was what if America was getting attacked by daily rocket fire? What would the reaction of most Americans be? According to Gringich, most Americans would view such an act as a declaration of war, and the whole moral of the story is that Israel is the here under constant rocket attack so therefore they are fully justified in what they are doing and that the Palestinians are the guilty party … let us turn the analogy, imagine America was held under siege, occupation, and that Americans were being denied their right to statehood and freedom. On top of this America had no control over its rightful sea, as well as no control over its airspace, thereby effectively turning it into an open prison camp that was not able to partake in the act of free market trade of goods and services. What would the reaction of Americans be?
http://www.palestinechronicle.com/view_article_details.php?id=17754

Israel can clear Mideast of nukes, it just won’t / Akiva Eldar
Haaretz 6 Feb — If Israel accepts an invitation to the conference in Helsinki, it will have an opportunity to move ahead on a deal: comprehensive nuclear disarmament in exchange for comprehensive peace, says researchers’ position paper.
http://www.haaretz.com/print-edition/opinion/israel-can-clear-mideast-of-nukes-it-just-won-t-1.411272

Haaretz editorial: Israeli Arabs are citizens, not enemies of the state
5 Feb — “As a community,” Shin Bet security service chief Yoram Cohen said this week, “Arab Israelis are not a target of Shin Bet. They are not a fifth column and we do not view them as such.” He also presented data which showed that Israeli Arabs were involved in three attacks during the past year, adding that “the number of those involved in terrorism is not large. We arrested 20-30 Israeli Arabs during the past year, compared to 2,000 Palestinians in Judea and Samaria.” The most significant comparison from Cohen’s lecture Thursday in Tel Aviv was between Israeli Arabs and right-wing extremists in the settlements, whom the Shin Bet chief plainly said had “decided to horrify and scare the governments of Israel … we consider this to be terrorism.” http://www.haaretz.com/print-edition/opinion/israeli-arabs-are-citizens-not-enemies-of-the-state-1.411089

Israelis should be afraid of their leaders, not Iran / Gideon Levy
Haaretz 5 Feb — For far too long now Israel has been headed by heroes, the kind who don’t hesitate to take the country on yet another dangerous, purposeless adventure. We must tell them now, loudly: We are a-f-r-ai-d  — Some of the people reading these lines will not live through the winter; some of them may not die a natural death. If one is to believe the threats that are ramping up at warp speed, Israel will strike Iran’s nuclear facilities before spring. If the assessments are accurate, hundreds or even thousands of Israelis will die in the retaliatory missile attacks that are sure to come.
http://www.haaretz.com/print-edition/opinion/israelis-should-be-afraid-of-their-leaders-not-iran-1.411087

For Mideast peace, Israel must cut off the US Jewish lobby / Oudeh Basharat
Haaretz 5 Feb — The time has come to make a decision: If the goal is integration into the region, then it is essential to break away from the Jewish lobby — We have a prime minister who was elected thanks mainly to donations from abroad. Some 98 percent of the donations that Benjamin Netanyahu received for the Likud primaries of 2005 came from foreign donors, most of them Americans. The phenomenon of raising money primarily from abroad repeated itself in last week’s Likud elections. The foreign tycoons do not make do merely with supporting a candidate. They also help the citizens of Israel choose the correct candidate with the aid of a partisan press.
http://www.haaretz.com/print-edition/opinion/for-mideast-peace-israel-must-cut-off-u-s-jewish-lobby-1.411091

International thoughts: Coping with the reality of Israeli occupation
ISM 5 Feb by Iman — …On the one side I think I have seen it all and on the other hand it feels like I haven’t seen a thing. All this information regarding the illegal and destructive Israeli occupation are filling my head. I thought I was prepared before I arrived but I wasn’t. I came here to be an activist, to make a statement, to be of support for the Palestinian people on site as well as for those who I’ve left at home in Germany … I have experienced the checkpoint as an international, Muslim woman who wears the veil and observed the ignorant and mostly arrogant behavior of these young teenage soldiers. I am horrified, angry, and left paralyzed by confusion as  I try to comprehend this behavior. I simply cannot imagine that the Palestinian people have to go through that every single day without having the possibility to leave as I do–without knowing that they can go home and are safe.
http://palsolidarity.org/2012/02/international-thoughts-coping-with-the-reality-of-israeli-occupation/

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