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Today in Palestine! ~ Headlines ~ |
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Land Theft and Destruction
Israel to raze 12 Palestinian buildings near Jenin
Jenin
– Ma’an – Israeli authorities have delivered demolition orders to 12
residents of the West Bank village of Barta’a Ash-Sharqiya, a community
isolated between the Israeli separation wall and the Green Line near
Jenin. A member of the village’s Municipal Council, Tawfiq Qabaha,
said that Israeli forces “broke into several homes, searched and
ransacked their contents, and handed over demolition orders for homes
and other structures.”
http://www.maannews.net/eng/ViewDetails.aspx?ID=249476
Activism/Solidarity/Boycott, Sanctions and Divestment
Blockage In Jordan (Resolved) - Plea to Egypt to Open Rafah
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=G7o_jpfMDeE&feature=player_embedded
Women to join rights march in Gaza
AMHERST
- On a day that many people will be cleaning up the wrappings from
presents and eating leftovers from Christmas, four area women will be
heading overseas to Cairo on Sunday to join with more than 1,300
delegates from 42 countries for a New Year's Eve day march into Gaza.
http://www.masslive.com/news/index.ssf/2009/12/women_to_join_rights_march_in.html
Gaza Freedom March: The Siege Has to End
'Is
this our fate? Is this what we are worth? Nothing more than pictures on
the wall?' said Um Rabia referring to what has now become a custom in
Palestine, covering walls in the streets, homes and shops with pictures
of deceased family members. Um Rabia' children were killed by an
automatic watch tower as they were walking to school. No soldiers, no
officers and no government has ever been forced to take responsibility
for this action and if trends are abided to then it is very hard to
believe justice will be served in any near future. Unfortunately, Um
Rabia' story is a very common story in Palestine. If this trend is not
stopped, soon there shall be no more wall in the streets, in homes and
in shops left uncovered.
http://palestinechronicle.com/view_article_details.php?id=15638
A Week of Actions for Palestinian Victims and Gaza War
Several
Organizations are preparing for a memorial week for the Palestinian
victims over the past 60 years. The organizations are picking the last
week of the barbaric attacks on Gaza “Gaza genocide-war” to be the
yearly annual week to mark the suffering thousands of Palestinians who
passed the mayhem and exile.
http://jnoubiyeh.blogspot.com/2009/12/week-of-actions-for-palestinian-victims.html
Villages challenge occupation on human rights day, Jo Ehrlich writing from al-Tuwani
Al-Tuwani
is a Palestinian village in the south Hebron Hills of the occupied West
Bank. The village, home to approximately 200 residents, is more than
1,000 years old. Al-Tuwani falls under Area C (which covers some 60
percent of the occupied West Bank), an outcome of the Oslo accords
which means the Israeli army has full control over all security,
planning and construction in the village. There is no running water and
a diesel generator provides electricity for a few hours a day.
Al-Tuwani's residents have faced repeated obstacles from the Israeli
army to any type of development in the village, from halting
construction of a medical clinic to confiscating electricity lines.
Meanwhile, Israeli settlers in the nearby illegal settlements Ma'on and
Havat Ma'on continually harass villagers and poison their livestock.
http://jnoubiyeh.blogspot.com/2009/12/villages-challenge-occupation-on-human.html
Barghouthi: Anti-wall protests should be boosted
Bethlehem
– Ma’an – Palestinians living in areas threatened by the Israeli
separation wall should be empowered to resist the theft of their land,
Palestinian National Initiative Secretary-General Mustafa Barghouthi
told demonstrators on Friday.
http://www.maannews.net/eng/ViewDetails.aspx?ID=249535
US campaign for academic boycott gaining strength
The
United States Campaign for an Academic and Cultural Boycott of Israel
was formed in the immediate aftermath of Operation Cast Lead, bringing
together educators of conscience who were unable to stand by and watch
in silence Israel's indiscriminate assault on the Gaza Strip and its
educational institutions. Today, over 500 US-based academics, authors,
artists, musicians, poets and other arts professionals have endorsed
our call.
http://electronicintifada.net/v2/article10967.shtml
You are invited to submit short videos [less than 5 minutes] on the theme of Israeli Apartheid
Videos should reflect the nature, realities, and/or consequences of the apartheid policy in Israel and the occupied areas.
http://www.itisapartheid.tv/
War on protest
The
war the police and the Israel Defense Forces are openly waging against
protests by left-wing and human rights activists has heated up in
recent weeks. As a result, concern is growing over Israel's image as a
free and democratic country, one that accords equal and tolerant
treatment to all its citizens and residents. Nonviolent protests in
the East Jerusalem neighborhood of Sheikh Jarrah against the expulsion
of Palestinians from their homes by extreme right-wingers have met with
a violent and disproportionate police response. The IDF has responded
with insufferable harshness to protests against the separation fence in
the Palestinian villages of Bil'in and Na'alin.
http://www.haaretz.com/hasen/spages/1137613.html
Violence and Aggression
Palestinians: Settlers fire at Burin homes; none injured
Palestinian
sources reported that settlers form the Yitzhar settlement, near
Nablus, fired at home of the nearby Palestinian village of Burin.
According to the reports, security forces called to the scene dispersed
the settlers. No injuries or damage were reported. http://www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7340,L-3824972,00.html
Detainees
Israeli forces detain 3 in night raids
Jenin
– Ma’an – Israeli forces detained three Palestinians during raids in
the northern West Bank early on Friday, Israeli and Palestinian sources
said. Palestinian security officials said Israeli forces invaded the
city of Jenin and surrounded the residence of Majdi Jamil Al-Aqhash, in
the eastern neighborhood of the city.
http://www.maannews.net/eng/ViewDetails.aspx?ID=249474
Israeli forces detain Hebron teen
Bethlehem
– Ma’an – Israeli Border Police detained a 17-year-old Palestinian at
military checkpoint in the center of the city of Hebron on Thursday for
allegedly carrying a sharp tool. The teen was arrested “after arousing
their suspicion,” according to the Israeli news website Ynet. The teen
was handed over to police for interrogation, the report added. The
reported incident took place at a checkpoint near the Ibrahimi Mosque.
http://www.maannews.net/eng/ViewDetails.aspx?ID=249482
Humanitarian Issues//Siege/War on Gaza
Gaza Blockade Set to Remain in Force Even if Shalit Freed
25/12/2009 Israel would most likely keep the blockade of the Gaza Strip
in place even if Gilad Shalit were released in the prisoner swap
currently being negotiated. Media reports had speculated that once
Shalit was released, Israel would no longer have an excuse to continue
imposing the blockade. However, all of the supplies that Israel lets
into Gaza are medical and humanitarian. It does not allow in
electronics or other equipment that do not fall under that category.
After Shalit was captured in June 2006, Israel claimed that his capture
was one of the reasons behind the continued blockade. According to
senior defense officials, though, the blockade would likely remain in
place following Shalit's release. This would be possible due to a
resolution passed in former Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert's
cabinet in September 2007, which officially defined the Gaza Strip as a
"hostile entity."
http://almanar.com.lb/NewsSite/NewsDetails.aspx?id=116882&language=en
Israel seals Gaza goods crossings
Gaza
– Ma’an – Israel decided to seal all commercial crossings with the Gaza
Strip on Friday including Kerem Shalom, Nahal Oz and Karni. On
Thursday, Israel opened the Kerem Shalom crossing, allowing 72
truckloads of goods to cross into Gaza, and holding another 20
truckloads at the crossing, according to Palestinian liaison official
Raed Fattouh.
http://www.maannews.net/eng/ViewDetails.aspx?ID=249463
Israel closes road leading to Nablus-area village
Nablus
– Ma’an – Israeli military bulldozers closed a road leading in to the
West Bank village of Madama, south of Nablus on Thursday, local
officials said. A member of the Municipal Council in the village, Ihab
Tahsin Qat said bulldozers constructed earth mounds that make the road
inaccessible, blocking access to more than two thirds of the village’s
farmland, and severing the main link to the Nablus-Qalqiliya road.
http://www.maannews.net/eng/ViewDetails.aspx?ID=249524
UN expert slams 'tragic' international failure in Gaza
Special
Rapporteur for Occupied Palestinian Territories urges Israel's
European, North American allies to threaten it with economic sanctions
if blockade not lifted; calls for swift implementation of Goldstone
Report conclusions.
http://www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7340,L-3824428,00.html
OPT: The basics - accessing safe water
Even
before the conflict, access to safe drinking water was a problem in
Gaza. Over two years of blockade meant that vital equipment needed for
the construction, maintenance and operation of water and sanitation
facilities was unavailable. Already weakened infrastructure was further
damaged during the military offensive.
http://www.reliefweb.int/rw/rwb.nsf/db900SID/MUMA-7Z33XE?OpenDocument&RSS20=02-P
Gaza 12 months on: responding to need, pressing for action
The
most recent conflict in Gaza ended on 18 January 2009. It accelerated
the decline of already serious humanitarian conditions. The
international community responded swiftly. The UK was at the forefront
of this response. We pledged nearly £47 million pounds to support
immediate humanitarian needs, early recovery and reconstruction
activities.
http://www.reliefweb.int/rw/rwb.nsf/db900SID/MUMA-7Z3424?OpenDocument&RSS20=02-P
Israel Declares War on Peace NGOs
JERUSALEM
– One year after the devastating attack on Hamas in Gaza
a new wave of reports castigating Israel for war crimes has emerged.
Now, Israel is fighting back with a report on the reports, picking
on international NGOs such as Amnesty, Christian Aid, Oxfam, Trocaire ,
Finn Church Aid, Diakonia, and Cordaid. The immediate target of Israeli
ire is a collective report entitled
"Failing Gaza: No rebuilding, no recovery, no more excuses," issued by
these NGO, based in Europe.
http://original.antiwar.com/kessel-klohendler/2009/12/24/israel-declares-war-on-peace-ngos/
Twilight Zone / Cut off, Gideon Levy
Three
years after it was sealed to the Israeli media, and one year after
Operation Cast Lead, Gaza remains a collection of memories
Last Friday night, the phone rang at my house. It was Munir. We hadn't
spoken for several months, and every conversation with him stirs
powerful feelings in me. Last month marked three years since the last
time we met. I remember it well: We drove together to Indira Gandhi's
preschool (the proprietor of this school in Beit Lahia had been named
after the late Indian leader). Two days before that, the Israel Defense
Forces had fired a missile near a minibus transporting the children,
killing two, plus other bystanders and the young teacher, Najwa Halif -
all this in front of 20 youngsters on their way to kindergarten. When
we arrived at the well-tended kindergarten, funded by donations from
Germany, Gandhi showed us the preschoolers' drawings: children lying on
the ground and bleeding, a teacher in a pool of blood, a plane and a
tank firing barrages of missiles. This is what the kids of Indira's
kindergarten have grown up with. It is also my last memory of the Gaza
Strip. Since then, I haven't been permitted to go there.
http://www.haaretz.com/hasen/spages/1137477.html
Arabs in the Service of Israel
Egypt bans Gaza convoy from Red Sea port
Bethlehem
– Ma’an/Agencies – Egypt refused permission on Thursday for a
Gaza-bound aid convoy in led by British MP George Galloway to enter the
country through the Red Sea port of Nuweiba. There will be "no entry
from Nuweiba. Entry can only be through Al-Arish," on the Mediterranean
coast, Hossam Zaki told the French news agency AFP.
http://www.maannews.net/eng/ViewDetails.aspx?ID=249475
Egyptian opposition to Gaza Freedom March has ‘hardened’
The
Egyptian Foreign Ministry’s opposition to the Gaza Freedom March has
"hardened" since it announced on December 20 that it would not allow
the Code Pink-organized demonstration to enter the Strip from Rafah, on
the Egyptian border. So a friend informs, and the San Francisco paper confirms.
http://mondoweiss.net/2009/12/egyptian-opposition-to-gaza-freedom-march-has-hardened.html
Israel is now welcome at UAE
While
censorship grows in the UAE, I have received news that the UAE censors
have lifted the ban on Israeli websites two or three months ago,
without fanfare or announcements.
http://angryarab.blogspot.com/2009/12/israel-is-now-welcome-at-uae.html
Political Developments
Hamas still debating whether to exile prisoners for Shalit
A
delegation of senior Hamas officials was expected in Cairo and Damascus
on Friday to discuss Israel's offer for a prisoner swap that would see
the release of abducted Israeli soldier Gilad Shalit. According to
A-Sharq al-Awsat, Hamas is still divided on whether to accept Israel's
proposal, which includes a demand that some of the prisoners freed in
the swap be exiled away from the Gaza Strip.
http://haaretz.com/hasen/spages/1137713.html
Report: Mashaal opposes swap deal
London-based
al-Sharq al-Awsat newspaper says Hamas members in Gaza want to accept
Israel's latest offer, but organization leaders in Damascus are against
deal which will not include senior prisoners. Hamas source tells
al-Hayat newspaper, 'Israel will wait a long time if it fails to pay
the price.
http://www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7340,L-3825081,00.html
Netanyahu 'refused to discuss checkpoints'
Bethlehem
– Ma’an – Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu rejected several
requests from his cabinet in recent months to discuss the policy of
removing military checkpoints from the West Bank, Israel Radio reported
on Friday. The requests came from right-wing members of the
government who see a direct link between the removal of checkpoints and
attacks on Israelis.
http://www.maannews.net/eng/ViewDetails.aspx?ID=249499
Other News
Ahmad Tibi could be next Knesset opposition leader
Bethlehem
– Ma’an – Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has asked
opposition leader Tzipi Livni, raising the possibility that a
Palestinian could become the opposition leader. This parliamentary
situation arose due to Knesset rules which stipulate that a member of
the largest faction outside the ruling coalition becomes the head of
the opposition.
http://www.maannews.net/eng/ViewDetails.aspx?ID=249530
Jewish group: Carter's apology to Jewish community a 'publicity stunt'
The
holiday season brought U.S. Jews a surprising gesture from former
president Jimmy Carter recently, when he issued a letter of apology for "stigmatizing Israel".
http://www.haaretz.com/hasen/spages/1137525.html
Christmas
Residents of Sheikh Jarrah celebrate Christmas despite ongoing settler expansion
On Wednesday, 23 December, residents of Sheikh Jarrah organised a
Christmas celebration outside the occupied homes of the Gawi and
al-Kurd families. At 11am two trees, donated by the Jerusalem
Collation, were brought by the Palestinian community, and were
continually decorated thoughout the day. The decorations started from
handmade paper baskets filled with candy for the children, a panda bear
and monkey toys, who had been living outside with the Ghawe family, and
ended with streamers, tensile, and a bright lit up star. The best
decorations were the Palestinian flags flowing across the trees.
http://palsolidarity.org/2009/12/9937
Chief Rabbinate In Israel Demands Not Displaying Christian Symbols
As
the Christian world celebrates Christmas, and as Christians in
Palestine and in Israel celebrate the birth of Jesus Christ in
Bethlehem, the Chief Rabbinate in Israel recommended that hotels and
restaurants in the country should refrain from displaying Christian
symbols.
http://www.imemc.org/index.php?obj_id=53&story_id=57466
World pray for peace on Christmas Eve in Bethlehem
BETHLEHEM,
Dec. 25 (Xinhua) -- People from all over the world gathered in the holy
city of Bethlehem in the West Bank on Christmas Eve Thursday, praying
for peace on the special occasion. The birthplace of Jesus Christ was
crowded and festive as people flooded the usually quiet half-empty
Palestinian city. Palestinian Muslims and Christians, foreigners and
even Jews arrived in succession to join in the Christmas celebrations.
With better security situation in the West Bank this year, Bethlehem is
expecting the biggest number of Christmas tourists.
http://news.xinhuanet.com/english/2009-12/25/content_12703605.htm
Analysis/Op-ed/Human Interest
Up next for Obama: Mideast peace, Akiva Eldar
Officials
in Jerusalem watched tensely as the Obama administration worked to push
major health insurance reform through both houses of Congress. Senate
Democrats passed the landmark health care bill in a climactic Christmas
Eve vote that could define President Barack Obama's legacy and usher in
near-universal medical coverage for the first time in U.S. history.
The 60-39 vote on a cold winter morning capped months of arduous
negotiations and 24 days of floor debate. It also followed a succession
of failures by past congresses to get to this point.
http://www.haaretz.com/hasen/spages/1137587.html
‘Newsweek’ columnist endorses Goldstone Report
I’m
doing something good this Christmas; I’m reading the Goldstone Report.
It’s amazing. I never did read it through. It’s the greatest work by a
Jewish writer since Norman Mailer left town. No it’s not literary, but
it’s a fervent effort to give dignity to the lives of Palestinian
civilians gunned down in their homes because Israeli soldiers were
pursuing a policy of frightening the population and "communicating"
with bullets. I see now why the Goldstone report will resonate for a
long time. Because it’s overwhelming. Because its findings are
inarguable– or so far uncontested. Because it’s been nullified by the
Israel lobby, and this offends the world, when civilians are wantonly
murdered and there is zero accountability.
http://mondoweiss.net/2009/12/newsweek-columnist-endorses-goldstone-report.html
“If everything is anti-Semitism, then there is no anti-Semitism at all.”
Every time the State of Israel is confronted with substantial
international criticism for its political behavior and its violations
of basic international standards, it counter-attacks by using the
infamous tool of accusations of anti-Semitism. One remembers the
campaign on anti-Semitism launched by Ariel Sharon and his friends
throughout the world, Jews and non-Jews, after the murder of Muhammad
al-Dura in Gaza in September 2000, in order to create a diversion (in
the very words of Roger Cukierman, then chairman of the French Jewish
umbrella organization—CRIF) and to transform the victim into a
victimizer and the victimizer into a victim: for more than two years,
western media “exposed” the anti-Semitism of the critics of Israel
instead of denouncing the massacres committed by the Israeli military
in Gaza and the West Bank.Sixty five years after the end of WWII, the
ashes of the victims of Nazi genocide have not yet disappeared from the
sky of Poland, and the accusation of anti-Semitism remains connected to
one of the bloodiest crimes of the twentieth century; as French
journalist, Daniel Mermet, one of the targets of this campaign, pointed
at, “no accusation can be worse, and even after you are proved not
guilty of charge, the bad smell of such an accusation will be with you
forever.”
http://www.muzzlewatch.com/2009/12/24/if-everything-is-anti-semitism-then-there-is-no-anti-semitism-at-all/
U.S. led World Community Fails, Palestinians on Brink of Explosion, Nicola Nasser
"In
the absence of all hope, we cry out our cry of hope," Palestinian
Christian leaders, representing churches and church-related
organizations, meeting in Bethlehem on December 11, concluded in their
13-page document titled "Kairos Palestine - 2009: A Moment of Truth,"
enlisting Christians worldwide in proactive efforts to end the Israeli
occupation of Palestinian territories. Their "cry" symbolizes the
popular mood of their people as well as the political status quo. On
both sides of the inter-Palestinian divide between the U.S. - backed
presidency and the Israeli - hunted legislative, the Fatah - led West
Bank (where the leadership of the Palestine Liberation organization
(PLO) is committed to peace, direct negotiations and security
coordination with the Israeli occupying power, but the 16 -year old
"peace process' has reached an impasse and the negotiations are
deadlocked in a one -year old stalemate over the cancer - like
expanding Jewish colonial settlements) and the Hamas - led Gaza Strip
(where the Islamic resistance Movement (Hamas) is strictly committed to
ceasefire save in self - defense while conducting indirect negotiations
mediated by Egypt and Germany over an exchange of POWs), both political
and military solutions for the century - old Arab - Israeli conflict
have failed and aborted all prospects of peace, which have proved an
elusive mirage, a stark failure of the U.S. led world community. An
imminent explosion seems the only breakthrough ahead.
http://www.zcommunications.org/znet/viewArticlePrint/23455
‘They Planted Hatred in Our Hearts’
Joe Sacco’s account of mass killings of Palestinians in 1956 impressively combines graphic artistry and investigative reporting.
http://www.nytimes.com/2009/12/27/books/review/Cockburn-t.html
Iraq
Three teachers among six killed in Iraq: police (AFP)
AFP
- Six people, including three teachers and the brothers of a town
mayor, were killed on Friday in three separate attacks in Iraq, police
said.
http://news.yahoo.com/s/afp/20091225/wl_mideast_afp/iraqunrest
Thursday: 36 Iraqis Killed; 180 Iraqis, 1 Iranian Wounded
Although
the Christmas holiday will be celebrated in Iraq tomorrow, gunmen chose
to target Shi’ite Ashura pilgrims instead of Christians today. At least
36 Iraqis were killed and 180 more were wounded in mostly
Ashura-related violence. One Iranian pilgrim was injured, though more
victims could be foreign nationals. Because Christians have chosen to
quietly celebrate their holiday this year, Ashura [...]
http://original.antiwar.com/updates/2009/12/24/thursday-36-iraqis-killed-180-iraqis-1-iranian-wounded/
Iraqi priest says Christians must 'not be afraid' (AFP)
AFP
- A senior Iraqi priest in his Christmas sermon on Friday urged
Christians not to be intimidated by a string of deadly attacks against
the minority community but warned they should not linger near churches.
http://news.yahoo.com/s/afp/20091225/wl_mideast_afp/iraqunrestchristmas
Iraqi Crisis Report: Women Struggle to Find Work
Unemployment
among women said to be impoverishing hundreds of thousands of
families. After her husband was killed in a car bombing near Baghdad
in 2005, 45-year-old Um Hasan supported her five children by collecting
empty aluminium cans and selling them to factories. Today, Um Hasan is
being trained as a seamstress at the Baghdad-based Women's Support
Centre and receives a government stipend to help her look after her
family.
http://www.reliefweb.int/rw/rwb.nsf/db900SID/SNAA-7Z344M?OpenDocument&RSS20=02-P
Iraqi Crisis Report: Farmers Hit Hard Times
A
shortage of domestic fruit and vegetables is being felt in bazaars
across Iraq, with families groaning about rising prices and perplexed
by an unfamiliar array of produce grown abroad. "All the fruits and
vegetables we sell now are imported, except for a few vegetables like
celery and spring onion, which we still have to import in some
seasons," said Saed Abdullah, 47, a long-time grocer in Erbil's
Shekhalla bazaar.
http://www.reliefweb.int/rw/rwb.nsf/db900SID/SNAA-7Z346J?OpenDocument&RSS20=02-P
U.S. and other world news
Noam Chomsky - America is not a Democracy
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LmJv_wf91W8&feature=player_embedded
Yemeni air strike kills 30, targets home of US cleric
"If
the American government helped in attacking one of [its own] citizens,
this is illegal," said Aulaqi, his voice cracking. "Nidal Hassan killed
13 people and he's going to get a trial. My son has killed nobody. He
should face trial if he's done something wrong."
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2009/12/24/AR2009122400536.html?hpid=topnews
Jesus in Islam
Muslims don't worship Jesus, but they do revere him and believe about him much that Christians do.
http://www.guardian.co.uk/commentisfree/belief/2009/dec/23/religion-islam |
| For further information contact Shadi Fadda |
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