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Today in Palestine! ~ Headlines ~ |
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Land, property, resources theft & destruction / Ethnic cleansing / Settlers
Bedouins slated to get ownership of Negev lands
Ynet 11 Mar -- Draft report on status of Negev lands indicates State
will grant 50% of Bedouin claims on lands they occupy, provide
compensation amounting to billions of shekels. PM's Office: Report not
final ... Sources involved in the case told Ynet on Thursday
the Bedouins may oppose the plan as it will only see them receiving
ownership of 50% of the lands they occupy and be compensated for the
other 50% ... The new plan aims to provide a solution to
what the State has described as a "ticking bomb," by legalizing tens of
thousands of illegal Bedouin structures in the Negev and reinforcing the
enforcement system in the area. Sources familiar with the issue said
the recognition of Bedouin ownership may open a gate for settlers whom
the state evicted from their
homes to demand equal terms in court.
http://www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7340,L-4040664,00.html
Bedouin reject compensation offer, accuse Israel of land grab
Haaretz
10
Mar -- Responding to reported deal to provide Bedouin with
approximately 50% of their current land, some leaders accused the state
an intentional attempt to divide their community.
http://www.haaretz.com/news/national/
bedouin-reject-compensation-offer-accusing-israel-of-land-grab-1.348454
Army destroys wells, tents near Hebron
HEBRON (Ma‘an) 11 Mar -- Israeli forces destroyed wells and tents
of Palestinian families, who live in the Um Nir village near Soseya
settlement. Ten families were left homeless by the action, according to
relatives. They called for urgent intervention to stop Israel's plan to
confiscate land around the settlement for expansion. The Red Cross has
provided tents to the families in the area, they added. [End]
http://www.maannews.net/eng/ViewDetails.aspx?ID=367500
Palestinian family in East Jerusalem told to make way for Jewish settlers / Harriet Sherwood
Guardian 10 Mar -- A Palestinian family in East Jerusalem have been
ordered to evacuate a
room in their home so Jewish settlers can move in, following an 11-year
court battle waged by a pro-settler US millionaire. Ahmed Hamdallah, 33,
has been told to remove his furniture and possessions by Monday or he
will be billed for the cost of bailiffs clearing a room occupied by
himself, his wife and one-year-old son. New occupants will take over the
property under the protection of armed guards, he has been
told ... Hamdallah
said he intended to destroy the extension, which has views of the Dome
of the Rock and the Mount of Olives, rather than hand it over to
settlers. "Do you think I will just give them the key? I'm not going to
allow them to live in my house," he told the Guardian. "I have no power
to do anything. I don't even have the strength to speak or eat or go to
work."
http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2011/mar/10/jerusalem-palestinians-eviction-jewish-settlers
Street in al-Thuri sealed off as clashes continue
Silwan,
Jerusalem
(SILWANIC) 11 Mar 14:35-- Israeli forces closed off Ben Naomi Street in
Al-Thruri district following the spread of clashes throughout southern
Silwan. The village is still witnessing violent confrontations between
citizens and Israeli forces, who are firing rubber bullets, sound
grenades and tear gas at Palestinian residents.
http://silwanic.net/?p=13257
Gas fired into family home in Bir Ayyub
Silwan,
Jerusalem (SILWANIC) 11 Mar 14:00 -- Eyewitnesses report that Israeli
troops fired a tear gas grenade in to a family home in Bir Ayyub
district of Silwan. Members of the Al-Khatour family experienced serious
breathing problems after the gas bomb was fired randomly in to their
home, with the mother and 2 daughters under 5 years of age evacuated
from the home suffering asphyxiation effects. Panic swept through the
house as gas filled the rooms, said onlookers.
http://silwanic.net/?p=13249
Undercover forces infiltrate Silwan, heavy barrage of tear gas fired on prayer attendees
Silwan,
Jerusalem (SILWANIC) 11 Mar 13:22 -- Israeli undercover forces raided
Bir Ayyub district of Silwan immediately after the midday prayer today,
firing a heavy barrage of tear gas and sound bombs. Eyewitnesses state
that Israeli police, accompanied by undercover forces, infiltrated the
neighborhood in a small unmarked minibus. An attack of tear gas and
sound grenades was then launched on those Palestinians attending the
weekly public prayer in Al-Bustan protest tent. Undercover forces
attempted to arrest several children present but were stopped by other
youth.
http://silwanic.net/?p=13252
Ibrahim Aoudeh released, brother remains behind bars
Silwan,
Jerusalem (SILWANIC) 10 Mar 17:44 -- A celebration was staged in Silwan
in honour of 22-year old Ibrahim Aoudeh, released from Israeli detention
today, after he was incarcerated on charges of participating in clashes
in Silwan. Aoudeh’s release has been eagerly awaited after 10 months
behind bars. Aoudeh arrived today at the southern entrance to Silwan,
where he was met by a jubilant throng of friends and family, with a
procession continuing through the village to the Al-Bustan protest tent.
http://silwanic.net/?p=13213
Land Center: Israel committed more than 25 violations last month in Jerusalem
OCCUPIED
JERUSALEM, (PIC) 10 Mar -- 13 serious violations against Palestinians’
right to housing took place during this reporting month, most notably,
the forcing of a citizen to demolish his home by himself in Sur Bahir
area at the pretext of unlicensed construction. ... The IOF returned to
reoccupy the roof of a building in Baten Al-Hawa neighborhood in Silwan
district in order to protect Jewish settlers and help them attack the
residents, while the settlers are still occupying the houses of three
Palestinian families known as Hanoun, Ghawi and Kurd and launching
repeated attacks from these houses on their displaced rightful owners
and other residents of the neighborhood. During the month, about 80
olive, almond, apricot and fig trees were uprooted by Israeli military
bulldozers in Sheikh Jarrah neighborhood....
http://www.palestine-info.co.uk/En/default.aspx?xyz=U6
Israeli settlers threaten Western diplomats
JERUSALEM
(AFP)
10 Mar -- Western diplomats working with the Palestinians told AFP on
Thursday they have received threatening letters warning they are "at
risk" because of their nations' criticism of settlements. Diplomatic
sources at several foreign missions in east Jerusalem and Ramallah
confirmed receiving the letters, which were distributed by men who
appeared to be settlers at a checkpoint by the West Bank city of
Ramallah.
http://news.yahoo.com/s/afp/20110310/wl_mideast_afp/israelpalestiniansconflictdiplomacysettlers
Left-leaning youth to initiate new West Bank settlement
Haaretz
11 Mar -- The left-leaning Bnei Hamoshavim youth movement is planning
to build a
new settlement for its graduates in the Jordan Valley, Army Radio
reported on Thursday. At a meeting between the movement's secretary
general, Eyal Uzon, and the head of the Jordan Valley regional
council, David Alhiani, himself a Bnei Hamoshavim graduate, the movement
was offered the abandoned Gadi military base, near Moshav Mesua, which
is beyond the Green Line.
http://www.haaretz.com/print-edition/news/
left-leaning-youth-movement-to-initiate-new-west-bank-settlement-1.348468
Detention
Hamas slams Palestinian's kidnap in Ukraine
GAZA
CITY
(AFP) 11 Mar -- Hamas condemned on Friday the abduction of a
Palestinian engineer in the Ukraine, which his family blamed on the
Israeli secret service, the Mossad, and demanded his release. "This
kidnapping violates international law and Ukraine's sovereignty. It is
further proof of the contempt of the [Israeli] occupation for the
international community," spokesman Sami Abu Zuhri told AFP ... The
Israeli justice system has imposed a gag order on information connected
to the disappearance of Abu Sisi, an alleged Hamas member and director
of a power station in Gaza.
http://www.maannews.net/eng/ViewDetails.aspx?ID=367637
IOA holds MP Salhab in administrative detention
AL-KHALIL, (PIC) 10 Mar -- The Israeli Ofer court on Wednesday sentenced
Palestinian MP Dr. Azzam Salhab to six months administrative detention
without his presence in court, his family said ... The IOA arrested the
lawmaker a week ago while on his way back home from
Nablus where he was visiting a friend to console him over the death of
his father ... The IOA has re-detained eight Hamas MPs, who were
released from earlier administrative detention, over the past few weeks
and ordered them administratively held anew.
http://www.palestine-info.co.uk/En/default.aspx?xyz=U6Qq7k%2bc
Q&A: 'Women are shackled during childbirth'
VIENNA,
Mar
10, 2011 (IPS) - Female Palestinian prisoners detained in Israel are
often denied legal representation and medical care while being housed in
squalid conditions that can include sharing cells with rodents
... Women bear the brunt of the infringement upon their cultural
and religious rights. A former prisoner said, "They took away my jilbab
[long dress] and gave me their special brown prisoner uniform. It was
short sleeved. I asked for a long sleeved shirt that I could wear under
the uniform. Again they refused. I moved between cells among male guards
in a short sleeved uniform… what hurt me most were the insults they
hurled at me."
http://ipsnews.net/news.asp?idnews=54796
Arab MK Zahalka questions Aharonovitch on child abuse video
NAZARETH,
(PIC) 10 Mar -- Arab Knesset Member Jamal Zahalka has submitted an
urgent interpellation against Israeli Minister of Internal Security
Yitshak Aharonovich questioning him over ”excessive force” used against
an 11-year-old boy arrested in Nabi Saleh. Aharonovich has denied fault
in the way his forces handled the arrest ... Commenting on questions
that the child was arrested under the age of criminal responsibility,
Aharonovich alleged the child had been throwing stones at a special
forces unit and endangered their lives and the lives of pedestrians, and
that such a crime is punishable by law. He added that if police are
unable to ascertain the age of a child, he should be arrested at the
scene.
http://www.palestine-info.co.uk/En/default.aspx?xyz=U6Qq7k%2bcOd87
IOF troops round up 17 West Bankers
WEST
BANK, (PIC) 10 Mar -- Israeli occupation forces (IOF) rounded up 17
Palestinians in various West Bank areas at dawn Thursday after forcing
entire families out of their homes in the severe weather conditions. The
Israeli radio said that the arrests were made after several incursions
in different West Bank areas. Local sources said that the raids focused
on the districts of Qalqilia and Nablus during which the IOF soldiers
stormed homes and wreaked havoc in them.
http://www.palestine-info.co.uk/En/default.aspx?xyz=U6Qq7k%2b
Hamas: PA detained 3 members
BETHLEHEM
(Ma‘an)
11 Mar -- Hamas on Friday said Palestinian Authority security forces
detained three party members overnight. The Islamist movement said its
affiliates were detained in the Nablus district in the northern
West Bank.
http://www.maannews.net/eng/ViewDetails.aspx?ID=367617
Siege / Restriction of movement
sore / Ilana Hammerman
[long, upsetting, and important article]
11 Mar -- After many delays, a diabetes patient from the Gaza Strip was
finally allowed to travel to a Ramallah hospital for surgery. A fraught
journey through the land of the checkpoints ... Hibah, 24, has diabetes,
is nearly blind, suffers from intraocular pressure, and was in urgent
need of an operation meant to save what remains of her eyesight. An
appointment had been made for her at an ophthalmological hospital in
Ramallah. It was the second one she had made: She had not been able to
get there for the first appointment, about a month earlier. Why?... the
Israeli body authorized to issue entry and exit permits to the besieged
residents of Gaza ... had failed to respond to the request,
and the date for the scheduled operation passed.
http://www.haaretz.com/weekend/magazine/sore-1.348589
Union suspends strike at Gaza crossing
GAZA CITY (Ma‘an) 11 Mar -- Gaza's transport workers union decided
Thursday to suspend the strike at Kerem Shalom crossing for two weeks.
Truck drivers have held a sit-in at the crossing since Sunday to demand
the reopening of Karni crossing, Gaza's only bulk goods terminal.
http://www.maannews.net/eng/ViewDetails.aspx?ID=367595
First deal clinched to bring building materials to Gaza via Rafah crossing
GAZA, (PIC) 10 Mar -- The Arab and International Commission to Build
Gaza has clinched the first ever formal deal that would bring
construction materials into the Gaza Strip through the Rafah
border crossing. The AICBG lauded the Egyptian army and new
government in Egypt for allowing the first bag of cement to officially
cross over to Gaza. The deal was signed by the British Aloha Palestine
and the Egyptian international coalition to end the siege and build the
Gaza Strip after European activists successfully got the first
bag of cement into Gaza via the crossing, said AICBG President Kanaan
Abeed.
http://www.palestine-info.co.uk/En/default.aspx?xyz=U6Qq7k%2bcO
Reprisals
Qassam hits Negev, does damage
Ynet
11
Mar -- A Qassam rocket hit agricultural fields in Hof Ashkelon Regional
Council Friday afternoon. No injuries were reported, but damage was
caused to agricultural equipment. The alarm was
sounded in the area, and residents succeeded in reaching their bunkers.
http://www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7340,L-4040893,00.html
Activism / Solidarity / Boycott, Divestment & Sanctions
Soldiers attack West Bank anti-Wall protests, two arrested
Bethlehem - PNN - Anti-wall protests organized in the villages of
Bil‘in, Ni‘lin and al-Nabi Saleh in the central West Bank as well as
al-Ma‘sara in the south ended with two arrested and many others treated
for the effects of tear gas inhalation.
http://english.pnn.ps/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=9693&Itemid=28
Israeli police scare tactics against left activists continue
AIC 10 Mar -- Israeli police issued a search warrant for contraband
drugs in what was apparently an attempt to frighten left-wing activists
and conduct a political interrogation. On Thursday afternoon (10 March)
four Israeli police officers arrived at the home of a left-wing activist
in Tel Aviv with a search warrant.
http://www.alternativenews.org/english/index.php/topics/israeli-society/3394-
israeli-police-scare-tactics-against-left-activists-continue-
Dexia excluded from Triodos sustainable investment universe due to involvement in Israeli settlements
AIC 10 Mar -- Belgian bank Dexia has been excluded from the Triodos
sustainable investment universe because of its ongoing financing of
Israeli settlements in the Occupied Palestinian Territories.
http://www.alternativenews.org/english/index.php/topics/economy-of-the-occupation/3391-
dexia-excluded-from-triodos-sustainable-investments-due-to-involvement-in-israeli-settlements-
Dutch opposition boycotts parliamentary delegation to Israel
EI 10 Mar -- Dutch
opposition parties boycotted a parliamentary delegation to the Middle
East in February after parties supporting the right-wing government
insisted on going ahead with the visit despite an Israeli government ban
on allowing the lawmakers to visit the besieged Gaza Strip.
http://electronicintifada.net/v2/article11850.shtml
Chicago activists rename downtown street signs in honor of murdered Palestinians youth
AIC 10 Mar -- The activists used ladders just as rush hour commuters
were starting to arrive in Chicago's loop, and replaced street signs
that read "Honorary Ben Gurion Way" with "Honorary Mehdi Abu Ayyesh
Way." ... On Wednesday afternoon, activists in San Francisco unfurled a
large banner over the highway reading, “Justice for Mehdi Abu Ayyash,”
as part
of the international events planned
http://www.alternativenews.org/english/index.php/topics/news/3395-
chicago-activists-rename-downtown-street-signs-in-honor-of-murdered-palestinian-youth-
UK groups officially announce aid ships to sail to Gaza in May
London
(PNN)
11 Mar -- British Human Rights groups announced this week that new aid
ships convey will depart to Gaza on May 30, the same day Israeli
commandos attacked Mavi Marmara aid ship sailing to Gaza last year. The
Britain 2 Gaza mission is being brought together by 5 British campaign
groups; Friends of Al Aqsa, the British Muslim Initiative, the Palestine
Solidarity Campaign, Stop the War Coalition and the Palestinian Forum
of Britain. The mission will be joined by similar initiatives from over
20 other countries
http://english.pnn.ps/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=9692&Itemid=59
Refugees
Palestinian refugees storm UNRWA offices in Beirut in protest of aid cuts
AP
11 Mar -- Palestinian protesters were angry over cuts to health and
education services in recent years; police held back protesters at
entrance to UN Relief and Work Agency ...The protest comes three days
after the death of a Palestinian boy in the refugee camp near the
southern city of Sidon. Mohammed Nabih Taha, 10, reportedly died in
front of a hospital where he was refused entry because his family did
not have money for treatment. Some 400,000 refugees live in Lebanon,
mainly in 12 crowded camps.
http://www.haaretz.com/news/diplomacy-defense/
palestinian-refugees-storm-unwra-offices-in-beirut-in-protest-of-aid-cuts-1.348579
Racism / Discrimination
Civil rights lawyer Auni Bana: Is there a logic to the security at Ben Gurion?
Haaretz 9 Mar -- Four years ago, attorney Auni Bana of the Association
for Civil Rights in Israel submitted a petition to the High Court of
Justice. He demanded clarifications on security checks and the labeling
of Arab citizens at Ben-Gurion International Airport. Bana talks about
meticulous and humiliating checks, which he says he himself has
experienced. This week the High Court issued an order instructing the
state to explain why there should not be security checks
according to equal criteria; Bana thinks this is already a significant
step ... Attorney Bana, have you yourself had a bad experience at the airport?
Of course, every time I fly I have such an experience. It begins with
the entry barrier to Ben-Gurion Airport with a special lane for Arabs,
up to the terminal entrance, and of course the meticulous security
check. During one trip the security check
ended only at the door of the plane.
http://www.haaretz.com/print-edition/features/head-to-head-
civil-rights-lawyer-auni-bana-is-there-a-logic-to-the-security-at-ben-gurion-1.348041
A lesson in Arabic / Sayed Kashua
A little boy approached us and shifted the conversation to a different
place. The boy came up to us in the way children have, with a hesitant
gaze, keeping a safe distance. Seeing him, my son bent his head
in embarrassment as he always does, occasionally stealing a glance at
the boy. "He wants to be your friend," I said to my son, who now plucked
up the courage to look the new boy in the eye. "What language are you
speaking?" the boy asked with a smile. "Arabic," my son told the boy,
smiling. "Ichsa [Yuck]," the boy said in response and went on staring at
my son for a moment before returning to his mother's arms. I will never
forget the look that passed across my son's face.
http://www.haaretz.com/weekend/magazine/a-lesson-in-arabic-1.348585
Human rights
Weekly Report on Israeli Human Rights Violations in the Occupied Palestinian Territory 3-9 March 2011
PCHR 10 Mar -- Israeli Occupation Forces (IOF) Continued Systematic
Attacks against Palestinian Civilians and Property in the Occupied
Palestinian Territory
(OPT) 7 Palestinian civilians, including two children, were wounded by
IOF and Israeli settlers in Qasra village, southeast of Nablus.· IOF
launched a series of air strikes against civilian targets in the Gaza
Strip. - A car was bombarded, and 4 offices, stores and 12 flats were
damaged in Nussairat refugee camp.- Two rooms were destroyed and 6
houses were damaged in al-Zawaida village.
ETC
http://www.reliefweb.int/rw/rwb.nsf/db900SID/JARR-8ETHLK?OpenDocument&RSS20=02-P
Palestinian mother doubts UN laws on women's rights
Xinhua 10 Mar -- Zahira
Esha, a 65-year- old mother, better
known as Om Akram, from the north West Bank city of Nablus, does not
believe in UN laws on women's rights when her family faced the
repression caused by Israeli security measures. As two big pictures of
her children hanging on the wall in front of her, Om Akram prays to God
everyday, hoping to see them freed soon from an Israeli prison. One of
her children is imprisoned with his wife, and she is waiting for the
moment to see the three are back to their families.
http://english.peopledaily.com.cn/90001/90777/90854/7314490.html
Political / Diplomatic news
Fayyad to Israel PM: Define a Palestinian state
JERICHO,
Palestinian Territories (AFP) 10 Mar -- The world must push Israel's
Benjamin Netanyahu to say whether or not he accepts a Palestinian state
on lands occupied in 1967, prime minister Salam Fayyad said on Thursday.
"It is time for the international community to ask Israeli Prime
Minister Benjamin Netanyahu: does he accept the establishment of a
Palestinian state on all the lands occupied in 1967 -- yes or no?" he
told AFP on a visit to Jericho.
http://news.yahoo.com/s/afp/20110310/wl_mideast_afp/israelpalestinianspeacefayyad
Fateh rejects document presented by Hamas 'to end internal divisions'
IMEMC
10 Mar -- After the Hamas movement presented a document that was
described as a new initiative to achieve internal Palestinian unity, the
rival Fateh movement rejected the document and said that Hamas is
trying to subdue popular protests for change in the Gaza Strip ... The
Initiative that was presented by Hamas during a meeting with several
factions, calls for forming a unified leadership that runs the
Palestinian affairs until the Palestinian Liberation Organization (PLO)
is reformed so that Hamas and the Islamic Jihad can join it.
http://www.imemc.org/article/60841
Hamas dismayed at Hague statement on elections
DAMASCUS,
(PIC) 10 Mar -- Hamas expressed absolute dismay at recent statements for
British foreign secretary William Hague in which he falsely accused the
movement of strangling democratic freedom of opinion. Hamas said in a
statement on Wednesday that it came to rule via the ballot box with the
free will of the Palestinian people, which the European Union and the
USA refused to recognize or deal with. Hamas reiterated that it was
committed to elections as the means to choose a legitimate leadership
for the Palestinian people.
http://www.palestine-info.co.uk/En/default.aspx?xyz=U6Qq7k%2bcOd
Palestinians mull prospects for unity
BETHLEHEM
(Ma‘an)
11 Mar -- The Gaza Strip and the West Bank are so divided, the only
step remaining is for the rival governments to appoint ambassadors to
each other's territories, said Abu Mohammad, a Palestinian in his 70s.
Abu Mohammad's remark echoes a growing disillusionment on the
Palestinian street over prospects for reconciliation.
http://www.maannews.net/eng/ViewDetails.aspx?ID=367580
Quartet talks peace with Israel, Palestinians
JERUSALEM (AFP) 11 Mar -- Envoys of the Middle East diplomatic Quartet
failed to secure agreement on a resumption of peace talks between Israel
and the Palestinians after a series of separate meetings on Thursday.
http://www.maannews.net/eng/ViewDetails.aspx?ID=367513
Quartet meeting postponed at US request, Russia says
DS 11 Mar -- A meeting of the Middle East diplomatic Quartet has been
delayed by a month until April 15 at the request of the U.S., Russian
Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said, according to the Russian Ria
Novosti news agency ... Lavrov
said Russia was “against a pause in the Middle East peace process,
especially amid the unrest that has hit the region in the past few
months,” the news agency said. "Delaying the [Middle East] settlement in
the current situation is in no one’s interests,” he said.
http://www.dailystar.com.lb/article.asp?edition_id=10&categ_id=2&article_id=125874
Hamas appoints first female minister in shuffle
GAZA CITY (AFP) 10 Mar -- Prime Minister Ismail Haniyeh in Gaza
reshuffled his cabinet on Thursday, appointing a female minister to his
government for the first time. The reorganisation, which the Islamist
group announced in a statement, leaves the 15-member cabinet largely
unchanged, and does not bring members of any other Palestinian political
groups into the government. It creates for the first time a Hamas
ministry for national affairs and a women's ministry, to be headed
by Jamila al-Shanti, the first female minister to be appointed by the
Islamist group. The reshuffle also appoints Mohammed Awad to the post of
foreign minister, the first time the post has been filled since 2007.
http://www.maannews.net/eng/ViewDetails.aspx?ID=367537
Talks sought on Palestinian gas field
JERUSALEM,
March
10 (UPI) -- A natural gas field discovered in the eastern Mediterranean
off the Palestinian-ruled Gaza Strip a decade ago has become entangled
in the tortuous Middle East peace process and may help it along. Israeli
Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu is reported to have approached
Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas to reopen negotiations for Israel to
buy natural gas from a field found off Gaza in 2000. That's a major
shift by the Israelis and probably reflects their energy concerns amid
the turmoil sweeping the Arab world and the downfall of Egyptian peace
partner Hosni Mubarak in particular. The bombing of a gas terminal in
Egypt's Sinai Desert Feb. 5 during an anti-Mubarak uprising cut off the
flow of Egyptian gas to Israel
http://www.upi.com/Science_News/Resource-Wars/2011/03/10/
Talks-sought-on-Palestinian-gas-field/UPI-34681299778573/
Other news
Israeli army holds graduation ceremony at Ibrahimi Mosque
MEMO 10 Mar -- Israeli sources have revealed that the Givati Brigade in
the Israeli Army held the graduation ceremony of a training course for
new recruits in the Ibrahimi Mosque in Hebron. The Mosque is known by
Israelis as the
Cave of the Patriarchs ... This occurs within the context of escalating
Israeli efforts to completely Judaize the Ibrahimi Mosque despite that
the greatest portion
of the area has already been carved out for Jews.
http://www.middleeastmonitor.org.uk/news/middle-east/2135-
israeli-army-holds-graduation-ceremony-at-ibrahimi-mosque
Israeli rabbis launch initiative to marry gay men to lesbian women
Haaretz 11 Mar -- Rabbis from the religious Zionist community have
launched an initiative to marry gay men to lesbian women - with some
surprising successes. So far, 11 marriages have been performed. Haaretz
conducted an email interview with one such couple, Etti and Roni
(not their real names ).
http://www.haaretz.com/print-edition/news/israeli-
rabbis-launch-initiative-to-marry-gay-men-to-lesbian-women-1.348465
Barak's wife faces indictment
Ynet 11 Mar -- An indictment is expected to be filed next week against Defense Minister Ehud Barak's
wife,
Nili Priel, who is suspected of illegally employing a foreign worker at
the couple's Tel Aviv apartment. She is slated to be charged of
violating the Labor law.
http://www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7340,L-4040681,00.html
'Crime figure employed illegal Palestinian aliens'
Ynet 10 Mar Police arrested crime figure Francois Abutbul
on Thursday for allegedly employing three Palestinians residing in
Israel illegally. It is suspected the three were performing renovation
work in a Netanyah restaurant owned by Abutbul, who was released from
prison less than three months ago. [what, not 'illegal Arab alien infiltrators'?]
http://www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7340,L-4040599,00.html
Analysis / Opinion
from 2010 but worth repeating when so much is going on in the Negev:
Israel's Negev 'frontier' / Ben White
Al
Jazeera 7 Apr 2010 -- In the Negev (referred to as al-Naqab by
Palestinian Bedouins), over 3,000 attended a rally at al-Araqib, an
'unrecognised' Palestinian Bedouin village whose lands are being
targeted by the familiar partnership of the Israeli state and the Jewish
National Fund. The historical context for the crisis facing Palestinian
Bedouins today is important, as the Israeli government and Zionist
groups try to propagate the idea that the problems, so far as they
exist, are 'humanitarian' or 'cultural'. Even the category of 'Bedouin'
is historically and politically loaded, with many disputing what they
see as an Israeli 'divide and rule' strategy towards the Palestinians.
http://english.aljazeera.net/focus/2010/04/20104592655951622.html
Decline and fall of Israel's Messianic politics / Carlo Strenger
...What happens to Millenarian movements? Their prophecies are at some
point falsified by history: the second coming of Christ does not occur
when predicted; no Mahdi re-establishes the Caliphate. The
national-religious movement will have to face the failure of its
prophecy that the founding of the State of Israel and the conquest of
the West Bank is the onset of the Messianic period. It will have to
realize that Israel is part of an international system that has
standards of legitimacy that can and must not be disregarded.
The problem is that national-religious Messianism will not go quietly
... The question is, what price will Israel have to pay until its
citizens realize that four decades of messianic politics are threatening
to destroy the down-to-earth, realistic vision of being free people in
our own country?
http://www.haaretz.com/blogs/strenger-than-fiction/
decline-and-fall-of-israel-s-messianic-politics-1.347208
Who benefits from EU-Israel academic cooperation? / David Cronin
EI 10 Mar -- ...Each year the IDC hosts the Herzliya
security conference, attracting Israel's political, military and
business elite, as well as illustrious foreign guests. Speakers at this
conference can spout racist invective without fear of being challenged;
in 2003, Yitzhak Ravid, a senior researcher with Israel's weapons
development authority Rafael, called for coercive measures to curb the
birthrate among Palestinians.
http://electronicintifada.net/v2/article11851.shtml
Right's diversionary tactic
In an op-ed on leading news site Ynet, B'Tselem's spokesperson explains
why focusing on foreign governmental funding of Israeli NGOs is aimed at
diverting attention from the enormous sums donated by wealthy foreigners
to the settlement enterprise
http://www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7340,L-4037413,00.html
While we curl up comfortably / Doron Rosenblum
Haaretz 11 Mar -- No one is going out in the streets holding placards
protesting against the fall of one political outpost after another;
there are no demonstrations against the apathy that holds Israel captive
as its isolation grows, year after year.
http://www.haaretz.com/print-edition/opinion/while-we-curl-up-comfortably-1.348501
Jerusalem & Babylon / Lobbying for the release of Jonathan Pollard will only worsen US ties / Anschel Pfeffer
Haaretz 11 Mar -- Has everyone gone off their minds and am I the only
sane person still around? Why is the whole country joining in this
insane carnival and nobody sounding a warning? What has possessed us to
join this campaign to release the man who single-handedly caused more
damage to Israel's most strategic asset than any other?
http://www.haaretz.com/print-edition/news/jerusalem-babylon-
lobbying-for-the-release-of-jonathan-pollard-will-only-worsen-u-s-ties-1.348475
Culture
Israel to get first museum of Arab art and culture / Harriet Sherwood
Guardian 10 Mar -- Living testimonies from century of conflict will form
basis for $30m museum in Israeli-Arab city -- In a spring storm of
driving rain this week, I visited an art gallery in Umm al-Fahm, an
Israeli-Arab city just north of the West Bank. Sitting on a mountain
ridge, the town is home to around 50,000 Arab citizens of Israel and its
gallery is the only venue in Israel dedicated to Palestinian and Arab
art and culture.
http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/
view-from-jerusalem-with-harriet-sherwood/2011/mar/10/new-museum-umm-al-fahm
Iraq, other Mideast
Thursday: 8 Iraqis killed, 19 wounded
At
least eight Iraqis were killed and 19 more were wounded in the latest
round of violence. Again, almost all reported attacks were in the
capital. Protests also continue, much to the chagrin of the prime minister who went on the defensive today. Amnesty International warned that a number of missing Iraqi protesters could be facing torture while in detention
http://original.antiwar.com/updates/2011/03/10/thursday-2-iraqis-killed-18-wounded/
Audio: Scott Horton interviews Les Roberts
Les Roberts, Associate Clinical Professor of Population and Family Health at Columbia University, discusses the hundreds of thousands of unreported Iraqi deaths,
80% of which were previously uncounted; how “excess deaths” are inferred
from statistical sampling; the changing cause of death in Iraq during
2004-06, from US bombs to Iraqi-on-Iraqi violence; how lazy journalists
failed to cross check fatalities and assumed newly reported deaths were
already accounted for; and the lying US government officials
who claimed “we don’t do body counts.”
http://antiwar.com/radio/2011/03/10/les-roberts-3/
Arab world witnesses more protests
AJ
11 Mar -- Police deployed in Saudi capital in anticipation of protests,
as demonstrations are seen across many Middle East states.
http://english.aljazeera.net/news/middleeast/2011/03/2011311141047609595.html
U.S.
Rabbi decries US congressional hearing for profiling Muslims
Haaretz 10 Mar -- An Orthodox rabbi in New York is leading a coordinated
public relations campaign against a House of Representatives Homeland
Security Committee hearing on the "radicalization of the Muslim
community in the U.S." that
commenced on Thursday.
http://www.haaretz.com/jewish-world/
rabbi-decries-u-s-congressional-hearing-for-profiling-muslims-1.348423
It's all about Israel -- why the Jewish establishment didn't speak up about Peter King's anti-Muslim hearings / Alex Kane
1 Mar -- There has been little objection from the mainstream Jewish establishment to Representative Peter King’s anti-Muslim hearings that took place yesterday, and some commentators are asking why.
Given the history of discrimination against Jews in the U.S., it should
be an easy call to speak out against the McCarthy-like hearings that seek to demonize Muslim-Americans (laudably, J Street has spoken out, as well as, surprisingly, the Anti-Defamation League ).
http://alexbkane.wordpress.com/2011/03/11/its-all-about-israel-
why-the-jewish-establishment-didnt-speak-up-about-peter-kings-anti-muslim-hearings/
Emotions high at US Muslim radicalization hearing
WASHINGTON (AFP) 11 Mar -- Emotional US lawmakers squared off at a drama-filled
hearing on the homegrown Muslim terror threat, showcasing sharp discord
over the extent of radicalization and how Islam fits into the American tapestry.
http://news.yahoo.com/s/afp/20110311/ts_alt_afp/usattackspoliticsislam
Senate bill would preserve anti-terror prison
WASHINGTON
(Reuters) 10 Mar -- President Barack Obama's already stalled bid to
close the U.S. prison for suspected terrorists in Guantánamo Bay, Cuba,
would be blocked under legislation introduced on Thursday in the Senate.
Offered by six senators -- five Republicans and former
Democrat-turned-independent Joe Lieberman -- the measure would prohibit
funding alternatives to the facility.
http://news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20110310/pl_nm/us_guantanamo
Senate panel approves Patriot Act
WASHINGTON (AP) 10 Mar -- The Senate Judiciary Committee on Thursday
voted to extend until the end of 2013 three post-Sept. 11
terror-fighting practices that
have raised concerns among civil liberties groups.
http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20110310/ap_on_re_us/us_patriot_act |
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