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Today in Palestine! ~ Headlines ~ |
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Land, property theft and destruction / Ethnic cleansing / Restriction on movement / Exile
Occupation authorities arrest Ya‘qub Abu Asab in Jerusalem
OCCUPIED JERUSALEM (PIC) 4 Nov -- The Israeli occupation authorities on
Friday at dawn detained Ya‘qub Abu Asab, an academic and a member of the
national committee against exile. Abu Asab, who is pursuing
postgraduate research in the management of institutions, was detained by
Israeli occupation on several previous occasions
link to Palestinian Information Center
Israeli authorities intend to commence Al-Bustan demolitions
Silwan,
Jerusalem (SILWANIC) 4 Nov -- Silwanic has learnt that Israeli
authorities intend to commence their heavily criticised program of
demolition in Al-Bustan neighborhood of Silwan in the coming weeks.
Authorities seek to clear vast swathes of Palestinian homes and property
to make way for a 'biblical garden' as part of the City of David
settlement project. The Jerusalem Municipality has been trying to market
the biblical park project since 2005, promoting Al-Bustan as the
original site of King Solomon’s park. “Al-Bustan”, which can be
translated as 'the garden' in Arabic, has been cited as conclusive
evidence.
http://silwanic.net/?p=21771
WATCH: Israel blasts route of wall near Bethlehem
BETHLEHEM (Ma‘an) 4 Nov (40 seconds) -- Residents of Bethlehem awoke to loud blasts
Thursday as Israeli construction crews dynamited a planned route of the
separation wall through a nearby village ... The construction is for a controversial separation wall cutting off the
village of Walaja, which abuts an Israeli settlement outside Bethlehem,
from other parts of the occupied West Bank.
http://www.maannews.net/eng/ViewDetails.aspx?ID=434973
So much for freedom of religion
Pilgrims: Israel stops freed prisoners at border
RAMALLAH (Ma‘an) 4 Nov -- Israeli authorities on Friday barred passage of a
bus taking released prisoners from the West Bank to make pilgrimage to
Mecca, passengers said. Raed Amer, traveling with the group of
86 pilgrims recently freed from Israeli jails in a exchange deal with
Hamas, said Israeli forces stopped the buses and forced them to return
to the city of Jericho. Amer protested Israel's continued
"punishment" of former detainees by banning them from praying in the
holy city of Mecca during the Islamic holiday Eid al-Adha, which begins
Sunday.
http://www.maannews.net/eng/ViewDetails.aspx?ID=435126
Gaza
Officials prepare Rafah for prisoners making Hajj
GAZA CITY (Ma‘an) 3 Nov -- Officials at the Rafah border crossing are
facilitating arrangements for recently released prisoners to make the
annual pilgrimage to Mecca, the interior ministry in Gaza said.
Crossings
officials at Rafah terminal on Gaza's border with Egypt have been
working since Wednesday evening to prepare passports and visas for the
prisoners, the ministry said, adding that pilgrims would be able to
leave Thursday evening or Friday morning. Rafah crossing is the only
entry and exit point from the Gaza Strip not controlled by Israel.
Palestinian Authority religious affairs minister Mahmoud Habash
announced Wednesday that Saudi King Abdullah invited 477 released
prisoners to perform Hajj, an Islamic obligation. [Hajj is Nov 4-9 this
year]
http://www.maannews.net/eng/ViewDetails.aspx?ID=434880
Israeli drone targets area in northern Gaza
GAZA
(WAFA) 3 Nov -- An Israeli drone Thursday launched missile fire
targeting an area northwest of the town of Beit Lahia, in the northern
Gaza strip, according to local sources. Sources said an Israeli drone
targeted a group of Gazans during confrontations in response to Israeli
soldiers’ incursion into the area, which led to the destruction of a
water well used for agricultural purposes. The area was later heavily
shelled by Israeli military tanks stationed at the border. There were no
reports of any injuries.
http://english.wafa.ps/index.php?action=detail&id=17959
Occupation opens dams flooding Palestinian homes in Abasan
GAZA, (PIC) 4 Nov -- Israeli occupation authorities opened water dams at
Sanati to the east of Khan Younis in the southern Gaza Strip causing
the flooding of Palestinian homes in the town of Abasan al-Kabira. The
mayor of Abasan, Mustafa al-Shawwaf, told Safa news agency 8 homes in
the town were flooded to a height of 70 to 90 cm, and that residents of
those homes are being evacuated. Many streets in Khan Younis, in the
southern Gaza Strip, were also flooded as a result of torrential rain
that fell all night in the area.
http://occupiedpalestine.wordpress.com/2011/11/04/
occupation-opens-dams-flooding-palestinian-homes-in-abasan/
Gaza airstrikes destroy olive groves / Ruqaya Issidien
Al-Akhbar 4 Nov -- Gaza- Last week, 12 Palestinians and one Israeli were
killed during a three day round of cross-border attacks on Gaza. Beyond
the loss of life, Israel's airstrikes also wrought long lasting damage
on Palestinians' livelihoods dependent on olive cultivation.
On Sunday
October 30, at 3am, an F-16 shelled an olive grove in Beit Hanoun,
northern Gaza, destroying over 40 trees and leaving a crater five metres
deep and twice as wide.
Sufyan Musa, whose family has owned the farm
for over 50 years, explained: "It’s like the farm was hit by an
earthquake, and now there is nothing; no farm, no yield, no point."
http://english.al-akhbar.com/content/gaza-airstrikes-destroy-olive-groves
Photoblog: The story of Gaza's olive oil / Ruqaya Issidien
Al-Akhbar 4 Nov -- Gazan olive oil used to be considered amongst the most luxurious in the
world. Today, the blockade and attacks on agricultural land have reduced
the quantity and quality of oil to a shadow of its former status. But
Gazan farmers are keen to keep the tradition, and the oil, running.
The
olives are either handpicked or beaten with sticks and drop to tarpaulin
below. They are then scooped into bags and taken to be squeezed in one
of the few olive presses in Gaza.
http://english.al-akhbar.com/photoblogs/story-gazan-olive-oil
Army: Rocket from Gaza lands in Israel
BETHLEHEM (Ma‘an) 4 Nov -- Israel's army says a rocket fired from the Gaza
Strip struck open territory in the Hof Ashkelon regional council late
Friday. There were no reports of injury or damage.
http://www.maannews.net/eng/ViewDetails.aspx?ID=435212
Twilight Zone: Grad land / Gideon Levy
Haaretz 4 Nov -- ...A row of burnt cars stretches across the scorched parking area, wrapped
in plastic and adorned with Israel Police ribbons, as though they are
surprise gifts. Two days after the Grad missiles struck, employees of
Window and Door - which does glass and aluminum work - and of Shai's
Shutters are busy taking apart all the windows on the facade of this
seven-story apartment building ... Two days after the tragedy, quiet and equanimity are apparent in all the
places that were hit by rockets and missiles - Ashdod, Ashkelon, Gan
Yavne. A small war that again erupted for a moment and was immediately
capped, something the residents of this area have somehow got used to.
The order of things is also, by now, routine: A Grad hits an open area,
10 or 20 Palestinian "activists" are assassinated in revenge, followed
by a few more revenge volleys resulting in one Israeli fatality, then
quiet until the next round, in the unending blood game of "whose is
bigger."
http://www.haaretz.com/weekend/magazine/twilight-zone-grad-land-1.393739
Israeli's selective blockade of the Gaza Strip / Mya Guarnieri
972mag
4 Nov -- Four things Israel doesn’t want you to know about the blockade
of the Gaza Strip -- According to the "IDFSpokesperson" account on
Twitter, "Gaza is under
a maritime security blockade according to international law." The
two-boat flotilla known as "Freedom Waves to Gaza," is, according to the
same Twitter feed a "provocatilla.” Setting aside the issue of whether
or not the blockade is legal–and
I don’t believe that is -- here’s what the IDF fails to mention when it
starts issuing statements about the blockade: 1) In August of 2008 and
October of the same year, boats manned by
activists reached Gaza, breaking the blockade that Israel is now so
intent on enforcing. 2) Israel itself selectively breaks the blockade when it needs or wants to. Take, for example, the recent decision to import palm fronds from Gaza for Sukkot 3) Even though both the Israeli government and the mainstream media
claims that the blockade began in 2007, the closure of Gaza was a gradual process that started in 1991..
http://972mag.com/israels-selective-blockade-of-the-gaza-strip/27053/
Miles of Smiles 7 enters Gaza
IMEMC 4 Nov -- The Miles of Smiles 7 solidarity convoy made it in the Gaza Strip on
Thursday after crossing through the Rafah Border Terminal between the
Gaza Strip and Egypt. Issam Yousef, convoy coordinator, stated that the convoy carried more
than 30 types of medications not found in Gaza due to the ongoing
Israeli siege, 120 power-chairs, handicapped-friendly transport
vehicles, and other essential medical supplies.
Approximately 100 persons, from various Arab and European countries,
(Jordan, Kuwait, Bahrain, Algeria, France, and Britain) participated in
the convoy.
http://www.imemc.org/article/62433
Haniyeh says committed to safety of Gaza Christians
GAZA CITY (Ma‘an) 2 Nov -- Ismail Haniyeh told Father Hammam Ashzoz, the
chargé d'affaires of the
Latin Patriarch in Jerusalem, that it is "their right, and our
obligation" to ensure that Gaza's 3,000 Christians are free to practice
their religion ... Muslims and Christians in Palestine share "one goal
and a common destiny," he said. Haniyeh congratulated Christians upon
the release of Chris Bandak, a
Bethlehem-born member of Fatah's armed wing who was released to Gaza in
the Israel-Hamas prisoner swap.
http://www.maannews.net/eng/ViewDetails.aspx?ID=434635
Gaza: 180 prisoners to be released on Eid al-Adha
GAZA CITY (Ma‘an) 3 Nov -- The government in Gaza will release 180 prisoners
for the Eid al-Adha holiday, the interior minister said Thursday. Fathi
Hammad said 120 of the prisoners will be returned to jail after the
holiday, which starts on Sunday subject to lunar sighting.
http://www.maannews.net/eng/ViewDetails.aspx?ID=434767
Israeli forces' attacks, raids, incursions
PCHR weekly report: 12 fighters killed; 5 fighters, 4 civilians wounded by Israeli forces this week 27 Oct - 2 Nov
4 Nov -- ... Israeli war planes launched 17 air strikes against targets in the Gaza Strip.
A country house, a room and two containers were destroyed and a number
of houses, shops and fields were damaged ... Israeli naval troops
arrested two Palestinian fishermen .. Israeli forces conducted 56
incursions into Palestinian communities in the West Bank, during which
they abducted 8 Palestinians. In addition, Israeli soldiers abducted 5
Palestinian civilians, including a child, at various checkpoints in the
West Bank. In one instance, Israeli forces used a dog to attack a
Palestinian civilian... Full text of the report
http://www.imemc.org/article/62438
Hebron copes with self-deifying Israeli military and its settlers
ISM 3 Nov by Alistair George -- The streets of Tel Rumeida are
locked-down and divided; physically
occupied by a forceful Israeli military. For the Palestinian community
living in this part of H2, Israeli-controlled Hebron, military
occupation is an inescapable intrusion into everyday reality ...
Movement around H2 is severely restricted. In some streets Palestinians
are allowed to walk but not drive, forcing them to manually lug heavy
supplies such as gas canisters and food. Even ambulances are not
allowed to drive through certain areas. Palestinians are forbidden from
passing through some streets by car or by foot ... However, despite the
enduring hardship in Tel Rumeida, resistance to the
Israeli occupation remains strong. The ‘Study and Challenge Centre’ is
located on Palestinian land that is surrounded by four Israeli
settlements – the closest of which is only metres from the rear of the
building ... The centre is a hub of nonviolent resistance and its
existence is a
testament to the spirit that exists in a beleaguered community under
occupation.
http://palsolidarity.org/2011/11/hebron-copes-with-self-deifying-israeli-military-and-its-settlers/
Soldiers 'raid journalist's home' in Jericho
JERICHO
(Ma‘an) 4 Nov -- A Palestinian journalist says Israeli forces raided
his house on Wednesday in a Jericho refugee camp. Adel
Ibrahim Abu Nimeh said soldiers held his family in a room while they
searched his house in Aqaba refugee camp, filing through his papers and
documents. Abu Nimeh, a reporter for Al-Hayat al-Jadida, said the
soldiers terrified his family members.
http://www.maannews.net/eng/ViewDetails.aspx?ID=434550
Detention
Researcher: 23 lawmakers in Israeli custody
GAZA
CITY (Ma‘an) 2 Nov -- Israel holds 23 Palestinian lawmakers in its
prisons, a researcher in prisoners affairs said Wednesday. Riyad
al-Ashqar said the arrest of Hassan Yousef on Tuesday brought the total
up to 23, in addition to two former ministers. Yousef spent six years
in Israeli prison, and was released months ago before soldiers seized
him again for belonging to Hamas. Israeli authorities have also
sentenced lawmaker Jamal Tirawi to 30 years in prison. All but three of
the MPs have been placed in administrative detention, al-Ashqar says.
[End]
http://www.maannews.net/eng/ViewDetails.aspx?ID=434306
Prison administration 'closes medical section'
BETHLEHEM (Ma‘an) 3 Nov -- The Israeli prison administration closed Thursday a
section for sick detainees in Ramle prison hospital and isolated two
representatives of the prisoners for demonstrating against the decision.
The Fatah information department said the prison
administration closed the section and moved 22 sick prisoners who were
being treated to four small rooms with no kitchens or other facilities.
http://www.maannews.net/eng/ViewDetails.aspx?ID=435039
A human rights organization: Sick captives live in harsh conditions
GAZA
(PIC) 3 Nov -- The Palestinian centre for the defence of captives said
that the occupation authorities and the prison administration are fully
responsible for the lives of 25 captives in the Ramalah [Ramle] prison
hospital... Researcher at the centre Reyad al-Ashqar said, in a
statement on Thursday ... also said that there [are] 25 captives being
held at the Ramala prison
hospital, all of them are seriously ill; suffering from illnesses such
as cancer, renal failure, paralysis and other serious illnesses.
http://occupiedpalestine.wordpress.com/2011/11/03/
a-human-rights-organisation-sick-captives-live-in-harsh-conditions/
Witnesses: Israeli forces detain teens in Hebron
HEBRON
(Ma‘an) 4 Nov -- Israeli forces detained three people in Hebron at dawn
on Friday, including two teenagers, locals said. Eyewitnesses told
Ma‘an that soldiers raided a house in southern Hebron and detained Amjad
Salhab, 13, and Izz al-Din Salhab 14. In Yatta village, south of
Hebron, forces also detained Ala al-Shamisti, 21, from his father's
house early Friday, locals said.
http://www.maannews.net/eng/ViewDetails.aspx?ID=435097
Israeli forces detain teenager near Hebron
HEBRON (Ma‘an) 3 Nov -- Israeli forces detained a Palestinian teenager from
Beit Ummar village in Hebron after forcing him to step out of a car near
the northern entrance of the village, activists said. The forces closed the entrance and forbade cars from passing. Muhammad
Ayyad, the spokesman of the popular committee in the village, said
forces made Jaafar Ibrahim Awad, 19, exit his car and before arresting
him and taking him to Kfar Etzion.
http://www.maannews.net/eng/ViewDetails.aspx?ID=435022
Israel special forces arrest two Palestinians in Dheisheh, Beni Na‘im
PNN 3 Nov -- On Thursday, Israeli special forces soldiers arrested a 25-year-old
man from Dheisheh camp south of Bethlehem while a raid in Bani Na‘im
concluded with the arrest of another Palestinian man.Israeli bulldozers also tore down electricity poles in the South
Hebron Hills villages of Tawani and al-Masdara towns, east of Yatta.
These electricity was being provided by a joint Israeli-Qatari company
and the poles were located in Area C, under the military and civil
control of Israel. Israeli forces accompanying the bulldozers forbade foreign journalists from approaching the location.
http://english.pnn.ps/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=10838&Itemid=64
Israeli authorities arrest four youth in dawn raid
Silwan,
Jerusalem (SILWANIC) 4 Nov -- Israeli troops arrested four youth from
Silwan village early in the morning of Sunday, 30 October. Abed
al-Kareem Shukhi (14) was taken from Al-Hara al-Wasta neighborhood for
the second time in one week ... al-Kareem was ordered released to a
house arrest sentence on a bail of
1,000 NIS. The family refused to pay the bail, citing near-bankruptcy.
Al-Kareem faced the same charges in this most recent court appearance as
his previous one. The al-Shukhi family is a family commonly targeted by
Israeli
authorities in Silwan. One family member is currently held in prison in
Israel, and all members of the family have been arrested multiple times,
including the mother. She told Silwanic that "I only work so that we
can pay lawyers’ fees and bails, but my salary is still not enough. I
grieve for our family – we can’t pay 1,000 shekels to bring our son
home."
http://silwanic.net/?p=21769
Officials: Israel grants amnesty to 51 'wanted' prisoners
NABLUS (Ma‘an) 4 Nov -- Palestinian Authority officials have released a list
of fighters they say have been granted amnesties by Israel, as part of a
move to free "wanted" persons held in protective custody in the West
Bank. The list of 51 persons obtained by Ma‘an includes 21 who
will receive a full amnesty, and 30 who will be confined to Nablus
governorate. The prisoners have been held in protective police
custody in the PA-run Juneid prison as part of a deal to eventually
remove the fighters from the from Israel's "wanted" list.
http://www.maannews.net/eng/ViewDetails.aspx?ID=435115
Mahmoud Sa‘di goes on hunger strike in a PA jail
JENIN (PIC) 4 Nov -- Mahmoud al-Sa‘di, who is detained by PA security at
Jericho central jail, started a hunger strike after 60 days of
arbitrary detention. He is being detained by the PA for being the
brother in law of Bassam al-Sa‘di who is a leader of the Islamic Jihad
movement and is detained in occupation jails. He was taken two months
ago from his home in Jenin after trying to stop elements of the PA
Preventive Security from arresting his nephew. Human rights groups in
Palestine criticised the continuation of the PA to repress Palestinian
residents in the West Bank, especially against freed captives.
link to Palestinian Information Center
Activism / Solidarity
Under the flag of UNESCO marched Gaza
ISM
1 Nov By Nathan Stuckey -- We gathered on the road in front of the
Agricultural College of Beit
Hanoun, one side of the road a functioning school, on the other, only
the remains of destroyed school buildings. For three years the people
of Beit Hanoun have gathered here every Tuesday for their protest
against the no go zone and the occupation. Members of the Local
Initiative of Beit Hanoun, townspeople, students who had taken the
afternoon off of school, and the International Solidarity Movement, all
marching under the same flag, the flag of Palestine, red, white, black
and green, together. For three years we have marched together, every
Tuesday for three years we have went into the no go zone. Today was
different though. Today we marched under another flag as well, the flag
of UNESCO.
http://palsolidarity.org/2011/11/under-the-flag-of-unesco-marched-gaza/
Israeli soldiers suppress Kufr Qaddoum weekly anti-settlement march
QALQILIA
(WAFA) 4 Nov -- Israeli soldiers on Friday suppressed the weekly anti
settlements march in Kufr Qaddoum, a town east of Qalqilia in the
northern West Bank, causing severe suffocation cases among Palestinians
and a foreigner, according to witnesses.T he soldiers fired tear gas and
stun grenades towards the participating in the march, [Murad Shteiwi]
said. The soldiers also fired tear gas bombs towards a number of houses,
causing suffocation cases among the families inside which included five
children, he added ... Weekly march of Kufr Qaddoum launched last July
to demand the opening of the street that has been closed since 9 years
and in protest against the Israeli policy of annexation and expansion in
favour of the settlement of Kedumim, built on the village’s land.
http://english.wafa.ps/index.php?action=detail&id=17964
We continue building in the Valley
[photos] JVS 3 Nov -- So many volunteers from everywhere (France,
England, Irland,
Scotland, Colombya, USA, Spain, ... and of course Palestine) have joined
to build.Volunteers spent a lot of time making mud bricks during the
summer.
Now it is becoming a very big building with strong walls and arches.Come
and join the building of this community center or of other buildings!
Every hand is welcome to challenge the occupation!
http://www.jordanvalleysolidarity.org/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=352
Israeli racism / discrimination
Ultra-Orthodox spitting attacks on Old City clergymen becoming daily
Haaretz 4 Nov -- Ultra-Orthodox young men curse and spit at Christian
clergymen in the
streets of Jerusalem's Old City as a matter of routine. In most cases
the clergymen ignore the attacks, but sometimes they strike back. Last
week the Jerusalem Magistrate's Court quashed the indictment against an
Armenian priesthood student who had punched the man who spat at him ...
Judge Dov Pollock, who unexpectedly annulled the indictment, wrote in
his verdict that "putting the defendant on trial for a single blow at a
man who spat at his face, after suffering the degradation of being spat
on for years while walking around in his church robes is a fundamental
contravention of the principles of justice and decency."
http://www.haaretz.com/news/national/
ultra-orthodox-spitting-attacks-on-old-city-clergymen-becoming-daily-1.393669
Some 65% of Ethiopian children in Israel live in poverty
Haaretz 4 Nov -- The figure, from a report published by the Myers-JDC-Brookdale Institute
in Jerusalem, compares to a poverty rate of 15 percent among the
children of immigrants from the former Soviet Union, and 23 percent
among children in the veteran population.
http://www.haaretz.com/print-edition/news/
some-65-of-ethiopian-children-in-israel-live-in-poverty-report-finds-1.393606
Frisky business / Sayed Kashua
Haaretz
4 Nov -- "Do you also have an ID card?" the security guard at
Ben-Gurion
International Airport asks me as she riffles through my passport."Yes," I
reply, and hand it to her ... The minute I saw the numbers on the
sticker that the first security
person pasted on my suitcase and passport, I knew I was going to have to
endure the "suspect" procedure ... I know I have written about this a
million times, and I will probably
write about it another million times. Because it's simply humiliating.
If only these security people projected some embarrassment when they
check your underwear, knowing in advance that it's clean; if they only
at least looked apologetic for getting under your skin. But no: Their
gaze is always brimming with confidence. They know they are doing holy
work, and the look they give you is always accusatory. It's a look that
says "How do you even dare allow yourself to fly?" Or, "Why doesn't
someone like you understand that this airport is not meant for you?..."
http://www.haaretz.com/weekend/magazine/frisky-business-1.393751
What women want / Benny Ziffer
Haaretz
28 Oct -- God loves mirth - that's a fact. Otherwise he would not have
created the
ultra-Orthodox, on the one hand, and gender, on the other, and ordered
them to brawl with each other, in particular during the Sukkot holiday,
when in fact we were supposed to rejoice more than on ordinary days ...
And in the midst of all this mirth, no one has asked what, in fact, the
women want. Those selfsame women who are pushed into the women's section
of the synagogue and are pushed to the back of the bus and are forced
to walk in the lane designated for women only. What do they want? To
remain the way they are, obedient wives and mothers, or to join the
gender camp?
http://www.haaretz.com/weekend/week-s-end/what-women-want-1.392438
Former neo-Nazi gang leader gets 69 months in jail
Ynet 3 Nov -- The Tel Aviv District Court sentenced Dimitri Bogitch,
25, to 69 months in jail and three years on probation on Thursday. Bogitch was one of the leaders of a neo-Nazi
youth gang in Petah Tikva and Tel Aviv between the years 2005-2007.
http://www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7340,L-4143656,00.html
Flotilla
To keep up with the news, videos, and discussion on the flotilla, please read the many articles on it on Mondoweiss - here is just the latest one:
They were sailing for us / Medea Benjamin & Robert Naiman
Mondo 4 Nov -- Two boats full of courageous passengers were on their way to Gaza when
they were intercepted on Friday, November 4, by the Israeli military in
international waters. We call the passengers courageous because they
sailed from Turkey on November 2 with the knowledge that at any moment
they might be boarded by Israeli commandos intent on stopping
them—perhaps violently, as the Israeli military did in 2010 when they
killed nine humanitarian aid workers on the Turkish boat named Mavi
Marmara.
http://mondoweiss.net/2011/11/they-were-sailing-for-us.html
Israeli military boards Gaza-bound aid ships
Jerusalem (CNN) 4 Nov -- Israeli sailors boarded two aid ships headed to
the Palestinian territory of Gaza on Friday, the Israeli military said.
While no resistance was reported, activists criticized the Israeli
action as "illegal" and vowed that activists "will keep coming, wave
after wave" to try to deliver aid to Palestinians in Gaza ... According
to the activist organizers, this mission was the eleventh
attempt to run Israel's blockade of Gaza by sea. Five missions arrived
safely in Gaza between August and December 2008, with the rest
intercepted by Israel. [this here to show that the event did make the US
mainstream media]
http://www.cnn.com/2011/11/04/world/meast/gaza-flotilla/index.html?section=cnn_latest
Israel urged to identify arrested journalists
BETHLEHEM
(Ma‘an) 4 Nov -- A press freedom group is urging Israel to disclose
the names of journalists it has arrested from on board two boats bound
for Gaza on Friday afternoon. The New York-based Committee to
Protect Journalists says it knows of three who were on board: Lina
Attallah of Al-Masry al-Youm, Jihan Hafiz of Democracy Now, and Hassan
Ghani of Press TV. "Israel must immediately disclose the names
of all journalists aboard the ship and allow them to work freely," said
Mohamed Abdel Dayem, the group's Middle East and North Africa program
coordinator, in a statement. "Israel should also refrain from
confiscating any journalistic material as it has done in past raids."
http://www.maannews.net/eng/ViewDetails.aspx?ID=435221
Activists react to Gaza assault
Al-Akhbar 4 Nov By: Ruqaya Izzidien -- ...Huwaida Arraf, a Palestinian-American human rights activist said,
"This kind of violent, irrational behavior by Israel is similar to that
which we see in other brutal regimes that are being challenged by the
people. It's important that we don't give into this violence and that we
keep taking to the sea, to the air, to the streets, to prove that
violence and military might is not more powerful than the rights that we
are fighting for."
The 27 activists and journalists aboard the boats were taken, against
their will, to the Israeli port of Ashdod where they were put in the
custody of local police.
http://english.al-akhbar.com/content/activists-react-gaza-flotilla-assault
Initial reactions from Gaza on the new Freedom Flotilla
ISM 3 Nov by Radhika S -- Here in Gaza, people -- especially the youth
-- are really excited about the new flotilla on its way from Turkey. “I
can’t wait to receive my brothers and sisters who share our
suffering and who also experience Israel’s apartheid policies and
aggression,” said 19-year-old Al-Azher University student Hussien Amody,
upon hearing news that a Palestinian from Haifa was on board yesterday
evening. Hussein subsequently stayed up all night making signs and
posters for today’s march
in Gaza demanding that the United the Nations and the international
community protect the two small boats. I rose early this morning and
head to Gaza’s port to go out on the Oliva, a project run by CPS Gaza to
monitor the Israel navy’s treatment of Palestinian fisherman. I
promptly told Salah, our Captain, the news ... "I think the Israeli navy
will stop them,” he said as continued out to sea..
http://palsolidarity.org/2011/11/initial-reactions-from-gaza-on-the-new-freedom-flotilla/
Political news
'New setback' for Palestinian hopes on UN membership
BBC
3 Nov -- A UN diplomat says the UK, France and Colombia have told
Security Council members they would abstain in any vote on Palestinian
membership. None of these countries have officially confirmed this yet.
But their decision is a setback for the Palestinians, who have been
trying to win support from European states.
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-middle-east-15587250
France will abstain in vote on Palestinian UN seat
PARIS (Reuters) 4 Nov -- France will abstain in a vote on a Palestinian
request for full membership of the United Nations, the French foreign
ministry said on Friday. While France regarded the quest for
Palestinian statehood as legitimate, the request for full UN membership
had no chance of being accepted, notably because of US opposition, the
ministry said in an electronic media briefing. "That is why,
during a (UN) admissions committee meeting, France's permanent
representative at the United Nations said France would have no choice
but to abstain in the Security Council," it said.
http://www.maannews.net/eng/ViewDetails.aspx?ID=435159
Palestinians won't accept less than full UN seat
RAMALLAH (Daily Star) 4 Nov -- The Palestinians will not accept anything
less than full U.N. membership and do not want an upgrade to an
observer state in the world body, their foreign minister said on
Thursday. Riyad al-Malki's remarks suggested the Palestinians would not
seek such an upgrade once their bid for full state membership meets its
widely expected fate -- failure due to opposition from the United States
and other governments.
Malki told journalists in Ramallah the Palestinians could have won
observer state status long ago and were not interested in it now.
http://www.dailystar.com.lb/News/Middle-East/2011/Nov-04/153169-
palestinians-wont-accept-less-than-full-un-seat-fm.ashx
If UN General Assembly votes for Palestinian state, US may be forced to defund entire UN system / Richard Silverstein
Tikkun Olam 4 Nov -- An interesting question given our defunding UNESCO for its vote in favor
of accepting Palestine as a member. Let’s presume the Security Council
does not approve statehood and the issue goes to the General Assembly,
and it does. From what I understand of the law under which we defunded
UNESCO, we’d also have to defund the entire UN system, or at least the
General Assembly. Can anyone imagine a scenario in which this happens?
And if it doesn’t happen won’t that make our UNESCO decision appear
totally hypocritical and self-serving (or I should say '“Israel-serving')?
http://www.richardsilverstein.com/tikun_olam/2011/11/04/
if-un-general-assembly-votes-for-palestinian-state-u-s-may-be-forced-to-defund-entire-un-system/
Al-Malki: Palestine will not apply to other UN bodies
BETHLEHEM (Ma‘an) 4 Nov -- The PLO will not apply to join any more
international organizations but will focus on full membership of the
United Nations, the Palestinian Authority minister of foreign affairs
said Thursday ... Meanwhile, UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon said Thursday that
Palestinian efforts to join other UN agencies were "not beneficial for
Palestine and not beneficial for anybody." In an interview with
The Associated Press, Ban said Palestinian applications to join other
agencies could result in funding cuts affecting millions of people.
http://www.maannews.net/eng/ViewDetails.aspx?ID=435007
Source: Israel to resume tax transfers soon
BETHLEHEM (Ma‘an) -- Israel has decided to stop transferring tax revenue
to the Palestinian Authority in the aftermath of UNESCO's acceptance of
Palestine as a full member, at least temporarily. But according
to a high-ranking official in the Palestinian government, Israel is
facing considerable international pressure and is unlikely to continue
the sanctions long past the Muslim holiday of Eid al-Adha. Israel knows that permanently cutting off funds to the Palestinian
Authority will essentially amount to an end of the Oslo peace agreement
http://www.maannews.net/eng/ViewDetails.aspx?ID=434716
West Bank woman's struggle for change
RAMALLAH (WaPo) 4 Nov -- When Palestinian Authority President
Mahmoud Abbas returned home to a hero’s welcome after applying for
United Nations membership for a Palestinian state, Hurriyah Ziada was not moved to join the celebration. A 22-year-old university student who is active in protests
against Israeli occupation in the West Bank, Ziada is skeptical that the
statehood bid will bring any tangible change. Disillusioned with her
leaders after years of fruitless talks with Israel and uninspired by the
prospect of symbolic U.N. recognition, Ziada is part of a loose network of young activists who represent a potential new force in Palestinian society and politics.
http://www.washingtonpost.com/world/middle-east/
west-bank-womans-struggle-for-change/2011/10/07/gIQAdlFPlM_story.html
Fatah leader reveals 'new Palestinian strategy'
BETHLEHEM
(Ma‘an) 4 Nov -- A member of the Fatah central committee says
President Mahmoud Abbas has formed a committee to reconsider the
strategy and future of relations between Israel and the Palestinian
Authority. Muhammad Shtayyeh told Ma‘an that "the new strategy
will be the path after Nov. 11," when the UN Security Council is
scheduled to meet to discuss Palestine's application for membership as a
state. Shtayyeh said the Palestinian leadership is set to break the
status quo with Israel and reformulate relations. The new committee,
among its members the leaders of the PLO and Fatah,
is discussing "where we are going now," Shtayyeh said without revealing
the substance of the strategy.
But he said reconciliation with
Hamas would formulate a basic part of it and noted Abbas planned to meet
Hamas leader Khaled Mashaal after the holiday. He says the PA and
Israel cooperate in some areas, but all of them are strained.
http://www.maannews.net/eng/ViewDetails.aspx?ID=435174
Iran
AIPAC's 'War with Iran' bill passes House committee / M J Rosenberg
3 Nov -- Wasting no time after its success in getting the administration
to
oppose Palestinian statehood at the United Nations, and still
celebrating the UNESCO funding cut-off, AIPAC has returned to its #1
priority: pushing for war with Iran ... The clearest evidence that war
is the intention of the bill's supporters comes in Section 601 which
should be quoted in full.
http://www.huffingtonpost.com//mj-rosenberg/us-iran-israel_b_1074058.html
'Iran far from posing existential threat'
Ynet
4 Nov -- Ex-Mossad Chief Ephraim Halevy warns strike on Iran could have
devastating effect for region. 'Ultra-Orthodox radicalization poses
bigger threat than Ahmadinejad,' he says
http://www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7340,L-4143909,00.html
Egypt, Palestine/Israel, Sinai
Egyptian helicopter invades Israel's airspace
Ynet 3 Nov --Pilot flies over Negev for 25 minutes, refuses to answer
radio; retracts steps only after IAF fighter jets fire warning shots -- ...The official added that
the Air Force views this incident with the fullest gravity, noting that
they have never encountered a similar situation.
[but your neighbor Lebanon certainly has...]
http://www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7340,L-4143452,00.html
Egypt grants citizenship to 444 Palestinians with Egyptian mothers
CAIRO (WAFA) 3 Nov – The Egyptian interior ministry Thursday
issued a decision to grant citizenship to children of Egyptian women
married to non-Egyptians, among them 444 Palestinians, in accordance
with the provisions of Article III of Law No. 154 for 2004, according to
a statement by the ministry.
http://english.wafa.ps/index.php?action=detail&id=17957
Watch: Refugees smuggled to Israel face organ theft in Sinai
972mag
4 Nov --CNN and Egypt’s Channel 25 released this week chilling video
reports lending credence to rumors of an emerging organ trade in the
Sinai Peninsula
http://972mag.com/watch-refugees-smuggled-to-israel-face-organ-theft-in-sinai/27063/
Other news
Abbas warns security chiefs to be alert to Israeli provocation
RAMALLAH (Ma‘an) 3 Nov -- President Mahmoud Abbas has instructed his security
commanders to be alert and cautious of Israeli attempts to escalate
tension, his political adviser Nimr Hammad said. Abbas discussed
developments on the ground with security commanders in light of threats
by Israeli politicians and military officials and Israel's decision to
withhold Palestinian tax revenue, Hammad told Ma‘an.
http://www.maannews.net/eng/ViewDetails.aspx?ID=434866
Israeli 'deserter' who refused to destroy Gaza tunnels denied asylum in Canada
Nat'l Post 4 Nov -- An Israeli army reservist who deserted after
refusing to destroy
terrorist tunnels in Gaza, then sought political asylum in Canada, has
been ordered to return home. He was also branded a draft dodger, rather
than a legitimate
conscientious objector, in a court decision that rejected his claim the
Israeli military routinely breached international humanitarian law. The
case hardens the Federal Court of Canada’s stand against foreign
nationals fleeing democratic homelands to avoid military service by
taking refuge in Canada, as was seen in recent cases of U.S. soldiers
refusing to serve during the war in Iraq.
http://news.nationalpost.com/2011/11/04/israeli-reservist-denied-asylum-to-canada/
PCBS: Palestinians under 21 comprise 71% of population in Occupied Territories
PNN 2 Nov -- Ola Awad, president of the Palestinian Central Bureau of Statistics
(PCBS), said on Wednesday that as the world reached seven billion
people, Palestinians accounted for about 11 million, or about a tenth of
a percent of that number ...
Inside the
occupied territories, Awad said,
Palestinians number about 4.2 million of the 11 million Palestinians in
the world. After the 1948 Nakba, when Israel expelled just under a
million Palestinians, the population grew to 2.9 million in 1967 and 3.8
million in 1997. The growth rate reached 2.7% during 1997 and 2007.
Awad
said PCBS expects the total number of Palestinians in the occupied
territories to reach 5.4 million by 2020 and 6.1 million in 2025. Awad
said the high population density in the occupied territories,
especially the Gaza Strip, had become an obstacle to development... http://english.pnn.ps/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=10833&Itemid=72
Morbid theory in mystery of Israel's answer to Stonehenge
Haaretz 3 Nov -- A newly proposed solution to an ancient enigma is reviving debate about
the nature of a mysterious prehistoric site that some call the Holy
Land's answer to Stonehenge ... The site's name means "stone heap of the wild cats" in Arabic. In Hebrew
it is known as Galgal Refaim, or the "wheel of ghosts." It was first
noticed by scholars in 1968, a year after Israel captured the Golan
Heights from Syria ... It seems likely that Rujm al-Hiri served residents of excavated villages
nearby that were part of the same agrarian civilization that existed in
the Holy Land in the Chalcolithic period, between 4500 and 3500 B.C.
This predates the arrival of the Israelites as described in the Bible by
as much as three millennia.
http://www.haaretz.com/news/national/morbid-theory-in-mystery-of-israel-s-answer-to-stone-henge-1.393568
Video: The white soldiers of Jerusalem
AFP 4 Nov (1:24 minutes) -- Israeli artist Yuda Braun and Jonathan Peleg set off on patrol covered
from head to toe in white paint and dressed in full combat gear to
provoke reactions from people living on both sides of a city at the
heart of the ongoing Israeli-Palestinian conflict.
http://www.theglobeandmail.com/news/video/video-the-white-soldiers-of-jerusalem/article2225761/
Analysis / Opinion
Israeli leaders' price tag against the Palestinians / Gideon Levy
Haaretz 3 Nov -- This price tag meted out by the forum of eight is not
much different than the settlers' price tag; it's violent, uncontrolled
and seeks vengeance -- What, for heaven's sake, is so terrible about
Palestine being
accepted to UNESCO? Why is this considered an "anti-Israeli" step? And
in general, what's so bad about the Palestinians relinquishing terror
and going over to the international arena? If Israel were to behave
intelligently, it would vote to accept the Palestinians to any
respectable international organization.
And if Israel were to behave with integrity,
the hollow talk about two states would be translated into support for
the Palestinians' diplomatic moves to achieve that.
http://www.haaretz.com/print-edition/opinion/israeli-leaders-price-tag-against-the-palestinians-1.393408
Funding illegal Israel settlements? Priceless. / Bernard Keane
13 Dec 2010 --Visa, Mastercard and PayPal all enable donations to be
made to US-registered groups funding illegal Israeli settlements in the
West Bank in defiance of international law. It appears at least one of
the major credit cards also enables donations to an extremist Jewish
group that has placed a bounty on the lives of Palestinians. All three
have in the last week ceased enabling donations to WikiLeaks ... Credit
card transactional systems play a key role in facilitating this support
for illegal settlements. Here are some examples ... Worst of all is the
extremist SOS Israel group, which has incurred even the wrath of the
Israeli Defence Force by rewarding Israeli soldiers who disobey orders
to evict settlers from illegal outposts (i.e. inciting mutiny), and
which has offered a bounty for Palestinians shot by IDF soldiers. The
SOS Israel website describes a number of ways you can make your
'generous donation' to it, including credit cards. Crikey’s token $2
donation via a Visa card was successful last night.
http://www.crikey.com.au/2010/12/13/funding-illegal-israeli-settlements-priceless/
LA Times editorial: Using the United Nations
2 Nov -- The lopsided vote for Palestine's entry into UNESCO shows how
isolated the U.S. and Israel are ... regardless of how one feels about
the proper borders of Israel, the Palestinian switch to a diplomatic
strategy represents progress. It is also working brilliantly, if the
Palestinians' goal is to bring attention to their cause. The UNESCO vote showed that it is the United States and Israel, not the Palestinians, that are internationally isolated.
http://www.latimes.com/news/opinion/opinionla/la-ed-unesco-20111102,0,2129467.story
Hats off to Awn Khasawneh / Khalid Amayreh
3 Nov -- It is a good omen that the
newly-appointed Prime Minister of Jordan, Mr. Awn Khasawna, has finally
admitted publicly that the expulsion of Hamas leaders from Jordan in
1999 was wrong. Khasawneh, a jurist of impeccable credentials, said deporting the
Islamist Palestinian leaders, who were and are still Jordanian citizens,
was a legal mistake ... Khasawneh probably couldn't have uttered
what he said only a few months ago, especially prior to the outbreak of
the Arab Spring against autocracies, despotism, and dynastic fiefdoms. The
fact that he has said what he said illustrates the tremendous
psychological change hovering over the Arab world, including Jordan.
http://mwcnews.net/focus/politics/14586-hats-off-to-awn-khasawneh.html
The UNESCO mess / M J Rosenberg
AJ
1 Nov -- It was bound to happen sooner or later. At some point, both
the
president and Congress would be faced with a clear choice between US
national interests and the demands made by Israeli Prime Minister
Binyamin Netanyahu and his powerful Washington lobby. In the larger
sense, it happens all the time. US policy toward the
Palestinians endangers our interests throughout the Muslim world,
including - first and foremost - our civilian and military personnel in
the Middle East, as well as our strategic and economic interests ... The
entire world expects that from the United States by now and
understands precisely why we operate that way. It understands that
Israel is an important friend whose security we would never jeopardise.
They understand quite clearly that it is our absurd system of
campaign funding that dictates that we follow Israel's lead on defending
the occupation and preventing Palestinians from achieving any kind of
recognition or sovereignty.
http://english.aljazeera.net/indepth/opinion/2011/11/201111175413649373.html
Hold me back! / Uri Avnery
"Hold me back!" is a part of Israeli folklore. It reminds us of our
childhood. When a boy has a scuffle with a bigger and stronger boy, he
pretends that he is going to attack him any moment and shouts to the
spectators: "Hold me back, or I am going to kill him!" Israel is now in
such a situation. We pretend that we are going to attack Iran at any
moment and shout to the entire world: "Hold us back or…"
It is dangerous to prophesy in such matters, especially when we are dealing
with people not all of whom are wise and not all of whom are sane. Yet I am
ready to maintain: there is no possibility whatsoever that the government of
Israel will send the air force to attack Iran.
http://original.antiwar.com/avnery/2010/04/04/hold-me-back/
Welcoming Palestine to UNESCO / Richard Falk
AJ 2 Nov -- It may not ease the daily pain of occupation and blockade or the endless
anguish of refugee status and exile or the continual humiliations of
discrimination and second class citizenship, but the admission of
Palestine to membership in UNESCO is for so many reasons a step forward
in the long march of the Palestinian people toward the dignity of
sunlight! The event illuminates the path to self-determination, but also
brings into the open some of the most formidable obstacles that must be
cleared if further progress is to be made.
http://english.aljazeera.net/indepth/opinion/2011/11/20111128926149164.html |
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