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Today in Palestine! ~ Headlines ~ |
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Palestinian Prisoners' Day / Detention
Palestinian Prisoners' Day
AIC
17 Apr -- Today, 17 April, is Palestinian Prisoners’ Day. The day
commemorates the release of Palestinian prisoner Mahmoud Hijazi in the
first prisoners’ exchange between the Palestinians and the Israelis in
1974 ... The situation for Palestinians in Israeli prisons is grim.
According to ADDAMEER, the Palestinian Prisoners' Rights NGO, over 6,800
Palestinians, from the West Bank, Gaza, East Jerusalem, and 1948
Palestine, are currently imprisoned by the Israeli state. Of those, over
300 are children, 34 are women, 18 are elected Palestinian
representatives and almost 300 are 'Administrative Detainees' - that is
they have been interned without trial not having been charged with any
crime or seeing the secret evidence against them.
http://www.alternativenews.org/english/index.php/topics/news/3535-palestinian-prisoners-day
IOF troops detain 845 Palestinians in three months, including 105 children
GAZA,
(PIC) 16 Apr -- A statistics report by the Ansar Al-Asra society said on
Saturday that Israeli occupation forces (IOF) detained 845 Palestinians
in the first three months of 2011. The statement added that
among those were 105 children and three members of the Palestinian
legislative council. It noted that the IOF detention spree in the first
quarter of 2011 witnessed an upsurge as it started with 180 people in
January, then 285 in February and 380 in March.
http://www.palestine-info.co.uk/En/default.aspx?xyz=U6Qq7k%2bcO
VIDEO: Israeli prison raid footage released
AJ
17 Apr -- Hundreds of Palestinians have died inside Israeli prisons and
now an Israeli television channel has aired shocking footage of Israel's
so-called Control and Restraint unit, or Masada, attacking Palestinian
prisoners. Activists have demanded people in charge of the operation,
carried out in 2007, be charged and the family of one of the victims
told Al Jazeera that they would consider suing Masada. Al Jazeera's
Nisreen El-Shamayleh reports from Seida in the occupied West Bank.
http://www.aljazeera.com/video/middleeast/2011/04/2011417101015775554.html
PCHR: Narratives behind locked doors
In
honor of Prisoners' Day, several articles: The Transformation of
Palestinian Prisoners' Visitation Rights over the Years; Arwa
Abdel-Rahim, a Mother of two Prisoners; Abla Sa'adat: A husband
imprisoned; Trying to See Her Brother - The Struggle of the Family of a
Prisoner from the West Bank; No Family Visitation for Prisoners from
Gaza: the Case of Abdallah Inshahsi; and others.
http://www.pchrgaza.org/portal/en/index.php?
option=com_content&view=category&layout=blog&id=142&Itemid=303
Report: More than 130 prison raids in 2010
VIENNA,
(PIC) 17 Apr -- A report by Vienna-based Friend of Humanity
International documents that this year was ”not normal in the lives of
Palestinian prisoners”, as the Israeli prison authority more than 130
cell raids on Palestinian prisoners this year alone. The report details
human rights violations that took place in Israeli prisons throughout
2010. Its release was time to coincide with the Palestinian prisoner day
observed on April 17. The report documents that special security units
and soldiers sprayed gas and used fists and electric batons and isolated
prisoners in a year rife with abuses.
http://www.palestine-info.co.uk/En/default.aspx?xyz=U6Qq7k%2
Military court orders Nabi Saleh protest organizer Bassem Tamimi remanded until end of legal proceedings
ISM 17 Apr -- The arrest of Bassem Tamimi, a 44 year-old protest
organizer from Nabi Saleh and the coordinator of the village’s popular
committee, was extended indefinitely today at the Ofer Military Court.
Tamimi will remain in detention until the end of legal proceedings in
his case. The indictment against Tamimi, filed two weeks ago, is based
on questionable
and coerced confessions of youth. He is charged with incitement,
organizing unpermitted marches, solicitation to throw stones, disobeying
the duty to report to questioning, and a scandalous obstruction of
justice charge, for allegedly giving youth advice on how to act under
interrogation by the police in the event that they are arrested.
http://palsolidarity.org/2011/04/17799/
IOF troops detain 7 in Silwan, a minor in Al-Khalil
OCCUPIED
JERUSALEM, (PIC) 17 Apr -- ...The Hebrew radio said on Sunday that the
Israeli police rounded up seven Jerusalemites over the past few days on
suspicion of throwing stones and firebombs at police vehicles. It
claimed that the youth confessed to the charge of organizing riots in
Silwan and would face a trial hearing in the central court on Sunday.
Meanwhile, Israeli occupation forces (IOF) detained a Palestinian minor
in Al-Khalil's Old City on Saturday night as he was heading home. Local
sources said that the soldiers took the 15-year-old Mutaz Mohtaseb to
the nearby Kiryat Arba settlement. IOF soldiers at dawn Sunday stormed
the city of Jenin and nearby villages but no detentions were reported.
The soldiers installed a roadblock between Jenin and Nablus and searched
vehicles on Sunday morning.
http://www.palestine-info.co.uk/En/default.aspx?xyz=U6Qq7k%2bcO
IOF troops violently disperse relatives of Palestinian prisoners
RAMALLAH,
(PIC) 17 Apr -- Israeli occupation forces (IOF) and Ofer prison guards
used force to disperse a peaceful rally by relatives of Palestinian
prisoners held in that notorious jail on Sunday. Hundreds of
Palestinians staged a sit-in before the military jail in which Israel is
holding around one thousand Palestinian prisoners demanding their
release. The participants hoisted Palestinian flags and photos of their
relatives in the rally organized to mark the Palestinian prisoner's day.
http://www.palestine-info.co.uk/En/default.aspx?xyz=U6Qq7k%2bcOd8
Report: Sheikh Salah detained at Allenby
TEL AVIV (Ma‘an) 17 Apr -- Israel's Jerusalem Post reported Sunday night
the arrest of the head of the Islamic Movement in Israel Sheikh Raed
Salah at the Allenby Bridge border crossing as he returned from a trip
to Jordan. According to the report, Salah was detained because he
refused to submit to investigations and searches that border staff at
the crossing intended to carry out. Police told the Post that Salah
arrived at the border crossing with his wife and refused a search of his
wife, standing between police and his spouse to prevent it.
http://www.maannews.net/eng/ViewDetails.aspx?ID=379717
Haniyeh says no to Shalit compromise
Ynet
16 Apr -- Hamas Prime Minister in Gaza, Ismail Haniyeh, urged the
Palestinian factions holding Gilad Shalit to insist on their prisoner
swap demands. Haniyeh made the remarks Saturday during a special session
of the Palestinian parliament in Gaza convened to mark Palestinian
Prisoners Day.
http://www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7340,L-4057661,00.html
Abbas: No peace deal until political prisoners freed
RAMALLAH (Ma‘an) 17 Apr -- President Mahmoud Abbas said Saturday that no
peace deal could be reached with Israel until all political prisoners
were released. Abbas' comments were made in a televised address ahead of
Palestinian Prisoners' Day on Sunday.
http://www.maannews.net/eng/ViewDetails.aspx?ID=379500
Relatives of detainees ask Ramallah authority to release them
RAMALLAH,
(PIC) 17 Apr -- The relatives of detainees held in jails of the
Fatah-controlled Ramallah authority have called for their immediate
release. The relatives' committee issued a statement hailing the
steadfastness of Palestinian prisoners in Israeli occupation prisons. It
described the authority's arrest of prisoners liberated from Israeli
jails as a "shame", and called for an immediate end to the political
detention policy. The committee along with human rights groups had said
that the Ramallah authority was detaining 420 Palestinians including 300
ex-prisoners in Israeli jails.
http://www.palestine-info.co.uk/En/default.aspx?xyz=U6Qq7k%2bcO
Land, property,resources theft & destruction / Ethnic cleansing / Settlers
Shas MK: East Jerusalem building blocked for political reasons
Haaretz 17 Apr -- Statements made by Housing and Construction Minister
Ariel Atias represent first time a senior Israeli figure discussed
existence of freeze on East Jerusalem construction, which runs contrary
to PM's public stance.
http://www.haaretz.com/print-edition/news/shas-mk-
east-jerusalem-building-blocked-for-political-reasons-1.356317
Jerusalem aid committee announced in Washington
WASHINGTON,
(PIC) 16 Apr -- The establishment of an international campaign designed
to curb the Israeli Judaization of Jerusalem was announced in United
States capital Washington, DC on Friday. The campaign will include a
group of international figures as well as political and media events
from across the world. The campaign said it would take Jerusalem as its
main contact center, and that the center would be linked to Ramallah,
Nazareth, and Gaza to provide information. The Jerusalem protection
campaign is aimed at protecting Jerusalem families who are threatened by
Israeli plans to displace major portions of the Arab population in the
city and replace them with Jewish settlers.
http://www.palestine-info.co.uk/En/default.aspx?xyz=U6Qq7k%2bc
Demolition orders handed out in south
HEBRON (Ma‘an) 17 Apr -- Israeli authorities gave a military order to
demolish a
barn and a water well in the village of Al-Bira village southwest of
Hebron on Thursday afternoon. According to the Land Research Center,
land owner Yasser Salem Al-Awawda was handed the notification, which
gave one week for the structures on the property to be taken down.
Al-Awawda told the center that he removed the barn’s roof, citing
concern that the demolition would harm his cattle.
http://www.maannews.net/eng/ViewDetails.aspx?ID=378669
Army brutality as violent clashes sweep through Silwan
SILWANIC Saturday, 16 April, 2011 | 23:29 Clashes
erupted
tonight between Israeli troops and Palestinian youth in Bir Ayyub
district of Silwan. Massive quantities of tear gas have been fired by
Israeli forces on Palestinian residents. Palestinians responded
by throwing stones at military vehicles, causing damage to one settler
vehicle in the process ... Several entrances to Silwan have been sealed
off by the military, including the Wadi Rababa entrance that links
Silwan to West Jerusalem ... Israeli forces have also assaulted
journalist Hamza Najib, a photographer for Pal Media, while he was
covering events in Samer Sarhan
Street. Silwanic photographer Ahmed Siam was also assaulted and
threatened by armed forces in an attempt to stop him covering unfolding
confrontations in the area.
http://silwanic.net/?p=14881
The effect of Passover on Palestinians
More youths' detention extended in the leadup to Passover
Silwan, Jerusalem (SILWANIC) -- A hearing was held in the Israeli
Central Court today regarding the arrest of a young man and 3 children
from Silwan ... A member of the Rajabi family stated that "an
overwhelming number of Silwan’s youth have been seized and their
detention extended recently. We take this as a precautionary tactic
employed by Israeli authorities in the leadup to their holiday of
Passover. We, meanwhile, must suffer the closure of roads, acts of
provocation and the arrest of our children – throughout every Jewish
holiday."
http://silwanic.net/?p=14913
Military closure for West Bank on Passover
TEL
AVIV (Ma‘an) 17 Apr -- Israel's military announced a "general closure"
of the West Bank during the Jewish Passover holiday, which will begin on
Sunday at 11:50 p.m. and continue for ten days. The closure will
affect Palestinians with work permits, barring them from access to
Israel and Jerusalem until 11:50 p.m. on 26 April.
In addition,
Israeli officials announced heightened security measures around
Jerusalem as the country's religious Jewish residents prepare to
celebrate Passover, Israel Radio said, with Palestinians expecting
restrictions on freedom of worship and movement ... Israel's police
department
told the station that extra officers would be deployed around areas
where Christian pilgrims would gather for the upcoming Easter holiday.
http://www.maannews.net/eng/ViewDetails.aspx?ID=379718
Jerusalem: Christians face restrictions during Holy Week
17 Apr -- For Christians, Holy Week in Jerusalem has a special spiritual
connection. The Old City, its gates and roads, the Mount of Olives,
Via
Dolorosa and The Holy Sepulchre Church, where pilgrims from all over the
world journey to, are equally important to the Palestinian Christians
of Gaza and the West Bank, who want to join their Christian brethren in
Jerusalem, for the liturgical events leading to the holiest celebration
in Christianity. In every country that respects and implements freedom
of worship, worshipers of different faiths live their faith and express
their prayers without restrictions from governing authorities. In
Jerusalem for the past decade, this has not been the case.
http://www.indcatholicnews.com/news.php?viewStory=18078
Gaza
Israeli tanks open fire in northern Gaza
GAZA CITY (Ma'an) 17 Apr -- Several Israeli army tanks entered northern
Gaza on Sunday and opened fire, witnesses said. No
injuries were reported, but residents said fields sustained heavy damage
from the tanks' caterpillar tread, which ripped through crops.
http://www.maannews.net/eng/ViewDetails.aspx?ID=379530
'Oliva' in Gaza: Launch of international boat to monitor human rights in Palestinian waters
17 Apr -- On Wednesday, April 20th, "Oliva", a human rights monitoring
boat with an international crew, will launch from the port of Gaza City.
The crew of the Civil Peace Service, which currently consists of
citizens from Spain, the United States, Italy and Belgium, will
accompany Gazan fishermen within Palestinian waters. Violations of
international law will be monitored and documented. Data and video
materials will be collected and disseminated. Vittorio Arrigoni, the
murdered human rights activist, was involved in setting up this project
and therefore a commemoration of his life and work will be held at the
end of the press conference.
http://www.cpsgaza.org/2011/04/oliva-in-gaza-launch-of-international.html
Rafah crossing to open to pilgrims only
GAZA CITY (Ma‘an) 17 Apr -- Egypt's Rafah crossing will be opened on
Monday only for Gaza residents registered as pilgrims set to perform the
Umrah
pilgrimage to Saudi Arabia. Crossings chief in Rafah Ayoub Abu Sha‘ar
said other travelers who scheduled to leave on Monday were delayed to
Tuesday, but said no other disruptions were expected.
http://www.maannews.net/eng/ViewDetails.aspx?ID=379673
Gaza: 1 border crossing partly open
GAZA
CITY (Ma‘an) 17 Apr -- Israeli authorities on Sunday opened Gaza's
Kerem Shalom crossing to allow the limited entry of commercial
merchandise and
humanitarian aid into the besieged coastal enclave.
http://www.maannews.net/eng/ViewDetails.aspx?ID=379403
The murder of Vittorio Arrigoni
Gazans to hold 'state funeral' for slain Italian
AFP
17 Apr -- Hamas foreign affairs and planning minister Mohammed Awad told
reporters that slain activist Vittorio Arrigoni's body would be moved
to Egypt via the Rafah border crossing on Monday after a funeral in
Gaza. "We're waiting for his friends and relatives to arrive in Gaza.
Some are already here but there are others we are waiting for, and then
there will be a state funeral," Awad said. "We expect afterwards that
his body will be taken to the Rafah crossing and then on to Cairo,
according to the wishes of his family." Hamas officials said Arrigoni's
girlfriend was already in Gaza, and his mother told Israeli media that
she too planned to visit the coastal territory to see where her son
"lived and died."
http://uk.news.yahoo.com/18/20110417/twl-gazans-to-hold-state-funeral-for-sla-3cd7efd.html
Gaza police up stakes for arrest in activist murder
GAZA
CITY (Ma‘an) 1 Apr -- Chief of police in the Gaza Strip Abu Ubayda
Al-Jarrah announced Sunday a reward to any security officer who helped
locate the killers of an Italian solidarity activist found dead two days
earlier. The statement was made despite the arrest and questioning of
four men currently being interrogated over the murder of Italian
reporter and activist Vittorio Arrigoni, who was found hanged early
Friday morning.
http://www.maannews.net/eng/ViewDetails.aspx?ID=379549
Man arrested in the Arrigoni murder case suspected of collaboration
GAZA,
(PIC) 17 Apr -- The murder of Italian activist Vittorio Arrigoni raised
the serious question as to who stands behind such a gruesome act,
especially after the Israeli PM Benjamin Netanyahu declared he has plans
to thwart solidarity with the Gaza Strip "at any price". The Palestinian
security awareness website Majd has revealed a few surprise discoveries
as the case unravels and after several men were taken into custody over
suspected involvement in the abduction and murder. It has come to light
that one of the suspects that has been arrested is also suspected of
collaboration and has a number of violations on his list, while others
appeared naïve.The website said that one of the men got orders to abduct
and kill Arrigoni on the internet.
http://www.palestine-info.co.uk/En/default.aspx?xyz=U6Qq7k%2bcOd
Vittorio Arrigoni's mother to join Freedom Flotilla II
Gaza - PNN
16 Apr -- Agidea Prata, the mother of Vittorio Arrigoni, the Italian
activist and journalist killed in Gaza on Friday, said that she will be
sailing to Gaza on May with the Free Gaza flotilla.
Prata
on
Saturday told Italian news sources that “I want to see the Gaza that my
son loved and sacrificed for, I want to meet the good people living
there that my son Vik always talked about”. She added that Vittorio's
work will go on though his friends.Vittorio’s mother added that her son
received death threats from a right wing American group on their website
two years ago because of his photos published online and the pro
Palestinian tattoo he has on his shoulder.
http://jnoubiyeh.com/2011/04/vittorio-arrigonis-mother-to-join.html
He who endures shall overcome / Roqayah Chamseddine
15 Apr -- I
admittedly wept when I heard the news of his murder. I had watched and
translated the kidnappers' video via Twitter, wherein a seemingly abused
and beaten-up Vittorio was displayed, donning a blindfold. He was
stolen, so easily. As if a life had meant nothing to his captors. As if
his blood had no value. This is the plight of the men and women who are not Palestinian by blood but by heart; their actions have helped
bring attention to the plight of the subjugated and persecuted people of Palestine. He is an honorary Palestinian in this right. As I perused his facebook page for a picture I came across a poem by Mahmoud Darwish which he had cited under
“about me” and it has much more meaning now, in death, than it could have before. Passport by Mahmoud Darwish:
They did not recognize me in the shadows / That suck away my color in this Passport....
http://thecynicalarab.wordpress.com/2011/04/15/he-who-endures-shall-overcome/
VIDEO: London vigil to pay respect to Vittorio Arrigoni
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Gq1pl6Ti6lg&feature=youtu.be
Activism / Solidarity / BDS
VIDEO: Remembering Bassem Abu Rahma
Anarchists
against
the Wall 17 Apr 2010 -- On April 17th we mark one year to losing
Bassem, who we also knew as Pheel. Although he is greatly missed at the
village and during every demonstration, his spirit keeps on living with
each and every one of us.
For this anniversary we decided to share the short film made in his
memory.
http://palsolidarity.org/2011/04/17791/
We honor their memories through the fight for justice / Joseph Dana
Today marks the two year anniversary of the murder of Bassem Abu Rahmah.
El Pheel, as he was known to his friends, was killed when an Israeli
solider fired a high-velocity tear gas canister directly at his chest
from a distance of no more than ten meters. Shai Carmeli-Pollak, the Israeli filmmaker behind Bilin Habibti,
has made a moving tribute to Bassem and the Popular Struggle in Bil’in.
It is now online for the anniversary of Bassem’s death. During this week of shock and sadness at the brutal murder of Italian
peace activist Vittorio Arrigoni in Gaza, we must honor the other amazing individuals that we have lost in this struggle.
http://josephdana.com/2011/04/we-honor-their-memories-through-the-fight-for-justice/
Popular committee planning march to occupied Palestine borders
AMMAN,
(PIC) 16 Apr -- The Jordanian popular committee to commemorate the Nakba
(catastrophe) announced it was planning a march to the Jordanian
borders with occupied Palestine on the 64th anniversary of the Nabka on
15th May. Tawfik Abu Ershaid, the committee's spokesman, said on Friday
that the march would pose as a symbolic return of Palestinian refugees
to their occupied homeland.
http://www.palestine-info.co.uk/En/default.aspx?xyz=U6Qq7k%2bc
Helen Thomas to address anti-Israel protests during Netanyahu's visit to U.S.
Haaretz
17 Apr -- A series of anti-Israel protests, lectures and meetings are
scheduled to coincide with the PM's visit and the AIPAC conference in
Washington DC in May; BDS founder meets Friday night with 250 activists
calling Israel apartheid state.
http://www.haaretz.com/print-edition/news/
helen-thomas-to-address-anti-israel-protests-during-netanyahu-s-visit-to-u-s-1.356321
Itamar murders
Two teens from West Bank village arrested over Itamar massacre
Haaretz 17 Apr -- Israeli security forces have arrested two teenage
residents of the West Bank Arab village of Awarta for allegedly carrying
out last month's murder of five family members in the settlement of
Itamar, the lifting of a gag order revealed on Sunday. Palestinian
students Amjad Awad, 19, and Hakim Awad 18, both admitted to committing
the murder ... Shin Bet investigators have at this point not identified
the murder as being carried out under the auspices of the Popular Front
organization. According to what is currently known, the murders were
carried out independently by the two suspects. Six additional
Palestinian suspects from Awad were also arrested in connection to the
crime, four of whom belong to the same family. The six purportedly aided
the two alleged perpetrators in hiding the murder weapon and in
suppressing additional evidence.
http://www.haaretz.com/news/diplomacy-defense/
two-teens-from-west-bank-village-arrested-over-itamar-massacre-1.356396
Israel holds 2 Palestinians over settlement killings
Reuters 17 Apr -- ...Nimrod Aloni, a senior military officer who
commanded Israeli troops
in the search for suspects in Awarta, said in a conference call the
killings were not premeditated but that the brothers were egged on by
their own daring."The murders were not planned, they were something that
happened when they entered and exited the house twice. They wanted to
test their own ability to break into a house and steal a weapon. The
killings took place when they went in for a second time," Aloni said.
Hakim's mother, Nof, told Reuters by phone that her son was innocent and
suggested he may have been pushed into a confession
by Israeli questioning. "Maybe my son went crazy as a result of
the interrogation or they asked him to sign some paper. My son cannot do
such a thing ... They had taken his sister to prison for six days (to
pressure him) and they also took me in for two days," she said. Aloni
said he had no doubt the killers had been caught, although he did
not elaborate on the evidence that had been uncovered other than
mentioning the assault rifle found in the two men's possession.
http://www.trust.org/alertnet/news/israel-holds-2-palestinians-over-settlement-killings
Itamar massacre solved; 2 arrested
Ynet 17 Apr -- ...The first suspect is Hakim Mazen Awad, 18,
a high school student whose father was active in the Popular Front
terror organization. Awad has a prison record. His uncle, who was killed
in clashes with IDF forces in 2003, was involved in a June 2002 terror
attack in Itamar, which left five dead. The second suspect, Amjad Mahmad Awad, 19, also a student, is affiliated with the Popular Front ... On April 5 and April 10, IDF forces arrested Amjad and Hakim. The investigation into the attack revealed that the two
decided to carry out a terror attack and attempted to acquire weapons three days before the March 11 attack. In
order to obtain the weapons they turned to a Popular Front militant in
their village, but he refused to acquiesce to their request.
And yet, at midday on Friday March 11, they decided that they would go
to Itamar that night, armed with knives and carry out the attack. ... Sources
familiar with the investigation said the two offered a dispassionate
account of the attack, and "a chilling reenactment."
http://www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7340,L-4057894,00.html
Awarta stunned over Itamar attack revelation; 'They're just kids'
Ynet 17 Apr -- Awarta village neighbors of two suspects in Itamar
massacre stunned by their arrest. Village chief says confessions must
have been coerced, demands international probe ... Other
villagers didn't try to claim that the two teens weren't involved in the
massacre but they received the news with a great deal of sadness.
"We're in the stage where we're just trying to digest the details and
people here are in complete shock," Samir, a villager told Ynet.
http://www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7340,L-4057965,00.html
Family of Awarta teen deny allegations
AWARTA,
West Bank (Ma‘an) 17 Apr -- The family of one of two teens charged by
Israeli forces in the murder of a settler family last month is
contesting the allegations, saying 19-year-old Hakim Awwad was too ill
to have carried out the gruesome attack. Nouf Awwad told Ma‘an on
Sunday, the day reports of the allegations against her son were made
public with the lifting of an Israeli gag-order on the case of the slain
settlers, that her son was still recovering from a recent surgery, which
prevented him from walking long distances and required him to use the
toilet every hour. "We have the medical records, he is in unstable
health," she said, adding that the family is gathering the papers to
present as evidence
http://www.maannews.net/eng/ViewDetails.aspx?ID=379664
Solving the Itamar case does not justify the means the army uses on Palestinians / Noam Sheizaf
17 Apr -- Now that Israel has in custody two people who admitted to committing the murder in Itamar a month ago, I received several comments demanding I “update” my post on Awarta,
meaning retract on the allegations in its last few paragraphs. I really
don’t see a reason why. Hundreds of Palestinians were arrested and
interrogated without due process. Such “investigation” would have never
taken place were the suspects Jews. The legal system in the West Bank is
purely Apartheid: One law for Jews and another for Arabs. The fact that alleged killers of Palestinians from Itamar were never located
is further proof to that matter -- Itamar was never terrorized the way
Awarta was. When Awara tactics will be used everywhere - or preferably,
when Palestinians enjoy due process - will there be a need to retract.
http://972mag.com/
solving-the-itamar-case-does-not-justify-the-means-the-army-uses-on-palestinians/
Political/Diplomatic/International news
Donor states to PA condemn provocative flotillas to Gaza
Haaretz 17 Apr -- The donor states to the Palestinian Authority, which
held a conference last week in Brussels, condemned in its concluding
statement uncoordinated aid flotillas to Gaza. The conference called on
all parties to use land terminals to the Strip and avoid provocations.
The statement is signed by the chairman of the conference, Norwegian
Foreign
Minister Jonas Gahr Store.
A major force behind the clause was intense lobbying from the Israeli
delegation to the conference
http://www.haaretz.com/print-edition/news/
donor-states-to-pa-condemn-provocative-flotillas-to-gaza-1.356322
Abbas eyes French, German help on statehood
RAMALLAH
(AFP) -- President Mahmoud Abbas has told AFP he will visit France next
week and Germany in May to seek advice on the creation of a Palestinian
state ... "We will ask [French President Nicolas] Sarkozy for his
advice," Abbas told AFP, saying he wanted the Europeans' advice about
the steps leading
to the recognition of a Palestinian state later this year.
http://www.maannews.net/eng/ViewDetails.aspx?ID=379413
Ministers to PM: Present foreign policy in Israel, not US
Ynet
17
Apr -- Prime Minister Netanyahu says his upcoming speech at US Congress
is opportunity to 'present political, security principles.' Right-wing
ministers demand him to introduce strategy in Israel first
http://www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7340,L-4057923,00.html
Druze in Golan rally against Assad
Ynet 16 Apr -- For first time, Druze living in Golan Heights join protests against Syrian government
http://www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7340,L-4057638,00.html
Other news
Israeli teen wounded in attack on school bus dies
JERUSALEM
17
Apr -- A hospital official says an Israeli teen critically wounded when
an anti-tank rocket fired from Gaza hit a school bus 10 days ago has
died. The 16-year-old did not regain consciousness. Inbal Guter, a
spokeswoman for Soroka Hospital in Beersheba, says he died Sunday ...
The bus dropped off all its passengers except for the teenager minutes
before it was hit by the anti-tank rocket from nearby Gaza.
http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20110417/ap_on_re_mi_ea/ml_israel_palestinians_4
Palestinian support for attacks drops, poll finds
JERUSALEM
(AFP) 17 Apr -- ...The survey conducted by the Jerusalem Media and
Communication Centre found that support for Palestinian "military
operations of any kind' against Israel fell from 53.3% in January 2009
to 37.1% in
April of this year. Palestinians also showed less support for the firing
of rockets from Gaza into Israel, with 25.4% saying they believed the
rockets "are useful in achieving the national goals," down from 50.8% in
January 2009. In Gaza, respondents felt
more strongly than their West Bank counterparts that the rocket fire was
harmful, with 41.5% saying the rockets harmed "Palestinian goals" as
compared to 36.8% in the West Bank.
http://www.maannews.net/eng/ViewDetails.aspx?ID=379637
60% of polled Israelis support a new war on Gaza
NAZARETH,
(PIC) 17 Apr -- An Israeli opinion poll revealed that 60% of Israelis
support a new sweeping attack on the Gaza Strip similar to the 23-day
operation Cast Lead of late 2008. The poll conducted by "New Wave"
polling institute for the Israel Today newspaper surveyed 400 Hebrew
speaking Israelis. The results displayed that only 29.6% opposed such a
war. A similar survey conducted last month for the same paper showed
that 50.8% were supportive of a new military campaign against Gaza while
38.8% opposed it.
http://www.palestine-info.co.uk/En/default.aspx?xyz=U6Qq7k%2bcOd
Gaza lawyer elected president of Arab Organization for Human Rights
GAZA CITY (Ma‘an) 17 Apr -- Palestinian lawyer and activist Raji Sourani
was elected president of the board of trustees of the Arab Organization
for Human Rights on Saturday. Sourani was elected to the position at a
vote in Cairo on Saturday evening. He is the first Palestinian ever to
hold the post.
http://www.maannews.net/eng/ViewDetails.aspx?ID=379461
Analysis / Opinion
Vittorio and Israel's attack on the intellectual intifada / Lauren Booth
17
Apr -- ...The headline ‘Italian peace activist killed by Palestinian
extremists’ is an Israeli propagandist's wet dream. A gift as
potentially large in its political implications as the now inevitable
retraction by the UN of
the Goldstone report. Why? Two reasons. firstly, if nothing is done, and
fast, Israel will use the momentum of these two machinated events as an
excuse to re invade the Gaza Strip under the auspices of ‘terrorism and
security’ issues. Secondly, Israeli is seeking to end the growing
momentum of the siege-breaking movement and the increasing appeal of the
ISM (International Solidarity Movement).
http://lauren-booth.blogspot.com/search/label/Vittorio
Michael Jansen: Murder of Vittorio Arrigoni
17 Apr -- The question that must be asked about the assassination of Arrigoni is: cui bono?
Who benefits? Not the Salafis. Hamas is certain to strike them with an
iron fist. Not Hamas. It has been exposed as having failed
to provide security in the strip although Arrigoni’s kidnapping is the
first since Hamas took power nearly four years ago. Not Gazans who count
on the support given by ISM “internationals” who interpose between
Israeli forces and threatened fishermen and farmers and report to the
excluded outside world what is taking place in the strip. Foreign
activists, who had felt safe among welcoming Palestinians, may now have
doubts about their security when they go about their work. Israel,
however, can claim that Salafis connected to Al Qaeda – the current
bogey-movement of the Western world – are asserting themselves in Gaza
and, consequently, the siege and blockade must remain. Israel can also
contend that the ostracism of Hamas, which has, allegedly, permitted the
Salafis to prosper, must continue. Cui bono can also be asked about the
murder of Mer-Khamis, but that is another story.
http://gulftoday.ae/portal/5667ddb7-14b2-45a6-b2bf-4e6852b671b4.aspx
Lift the blockade on Gaza, talk to Hamas / Yousef Munayyer
17 Apr -- ... I don’t have a solution for the immediate political and
diplomatic problems, but I there are a few questions which nobody seems
to be asking. Looking back, wasn’t it better to let Hamas enjoy its victory in the 2006 elections?
... Hamas is not ready to abandon the armed struggle and become a
political movement -- but when it actually did, the election results
were canceled and the political leaders of Hamas put under Israeli
arrest. So instead of political confrontation, the fight between
Hamas and Fatah became a civil war. Shouldn’t we encourage the
politicization of Hamas, as oppose to its militarization, as we do now? Second thought: Isn’t isolating the strip just making Hamas stay in power? This
is
pretty obvious -- when Gaza is disconnected from the world, and no
elections take place, who is there to challenge Hamas? And how exactly
could one do so? It seems to me that by isolating Gaza, we are actually
making it much easier for Hamas to exercise complete control. If we break Hamas (I’m not sure how this can be done, but still) -- are we going to like those who will replace them? What if it is a group like the Salafi who killed Vittorio?
What is there to be lost from talking to Hamas?
http://972mag.com/lift-the-blockade-on-gaza-talk-to-hamas/
The Settler State / Uri Avnery
16
Apr
-- ...Some weeks ago I wrote that the problem may not be the annexation
of the West Bank by Israel, but the annexation of Israel by the West
Bank settlers. Some readers reacted with a chuckle. It looked like a
humorous
aside. It was not. The time has come to examine this process seriously:
Is Israel falling victim to a hostile takeover by the settlers?
http://zope.gush-shalom.org/home/en/channels/avnery/1302911451/
Iraq
Saturday: 4 Iraqis killed, 6 wounded
At least four Iraqis were killed and six more were
wounded in light violence. In Baghdad, a policeman
was shot to death in Ilam. A bomb targeting an Education Ministry
official wounded
two bystanders in Karrada. Gunmen wounded
a policeman in Kadhimiya. A Washash bombing left two
wounded. A federal policeman
was killed in a shooting in Saidiya. In Hawija, the body
of a Sahwa leader was found several days after he had been kidnapped. Two
suspects were arrested
in an unrelated event....
http://original.antiwar.com/updates/2011/04/16/saturday-4-iraqis-killed-6-wounded-2/
U.S.
Israel chief rabbi says Obama must free Pollard if he wants another term
Haaretz 17 Apr -- The Ashkenazi chief rabbi of Israel, Yona Metzger,
told congregants in a
Sabbath sermon that if U.S. President Barack Obama seeks reelection, he
must release Jonathan Pollard, Israel Radio reported on Sunday ...
Metzger said there was a feeling that many American Jews that had
supported Obama in the last election were disappointed in him, in no
small part because of Obama's indifference to Pollard.
http://www.haaretz.com/news/national/report-
israel-chief-rabbi-says-obama-must-free-pollard-if-he-wants-another-term-1.356383 |
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