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Today in Palestine! ~ Headlines ~ |
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Land, property, resources theft & destruction / Ethnic cleansing / Apartheid
Film trailer: Roadmap to Apartheid
There are many lessons to draw from the South African experience of
Apartheid relevant to conflicts all over the world. Roadmap to Apartheid
explores in detail the apartheid comparison as it is used in the
enduring Israel-Palestine conflict. As much an historical document of
the rise and fall of apartheid, the film shows us why many Palestinians
feel they are living in an apartheid system today, and why an increasing
number of people around the world agree with them.
Featuring interviews with South Africans, Israelis and Palestinians,
Roadmap to Apartheid winds its way through the West Bank, Gaza Strip,
and inside Israel moving from town to town and issue to issue to show
why the apartheid analogy is being used with increasing potency.
http://roadmaptoapartheid.org/
Academics support Israel's 'Civil Disobedience Women' willing to break Israel's entry laws
AIC
23 June -- About 300 lecturers and teachers from institutes of higher
education throughout Israel have signed a public advertisement in
support of civil disobedience actions of a women’s group which openly
infringes the law of entry to Israel ... The women, who have all been
investigated by Jerusalem police and who now have official criminal
records, called for the Israeli public to join them in their protest
activity which consists of driving Palestinian women and children for a
day at Israeli recreational sites and the beach ... "We recognize
neither the legality, nor the morality, nor the wisdom of the walls
between us and our neighbors which have been erected with brute force,"
stated the group in its advertisement.
http://www.alternativenews.org/english/index.php
Palestinian arrested after being hit by jeep in Silwan
JERUSALEM (Ma‘an) 24 June -- Israeli forces detained a young Palestinian
from Silwan after hitting him with a military Jeep. Local witnesses said
the Israeli military detained Ali Sabri Abu Diab, 15, from Silwan, for
unknown reasons. Israeli
forces also raided a solidarity sit-in tent in Silwan after Friday
afternoon prayers which lead to confrontations between the police and
citizens, locals said. No Israeli spokesperson was available for
comment. The tent is part of the popular struggle against house
demolitions and forced displacement in East Jerusalem.
http://www.maannews.net/eng/ViewDetails.aspx?ID=399532
'Now it's all gone': Women cope with siege in Jordan Valley / Nora Barrows-Friedman
EI 24 June -- ...The demolitions in al-Hadidya and Khirbet Yerza come on the heels of a
massive demolition inside the village of Fasayil on 14 June. The Israeli Committee Against House Demolitions (ICAHD)
states in a report that more than 100 persons — including 64 children —
were left homeless after Israeli forces destroyed 21 structures, including 18 homes (Jordan Valley homes demolished, 103 left homeless 15 June 2011). ICAHD
co-director Itay Epshtain says in the
report that the latest demolition of Fasayil "is part of an ongoing
ethnic cleansing of the Jordan Valley … It is Israel’s overt policy to
demolish Palestinians’ homes in the Jordan Valley to allow for land
expropriation and for neighboring settlements to encroach on
Palestinian land."
http://electronicintifada.net/content/now-its-all-gone-women-cope-siege-jordan-valley/10105
ICAHD launches Jordan Valley tours
19
June
-- ICAHD is launching new tours to the Jordan Valley, and welcome your
participation. Our tours are based on engagement with local activists
and the Palestinian community in the area, as well as on research
conducted by ICAHD Co- Director, Itay Epshtain. Having provided
thousands of people from around the world with top-quality tours for
over twelve years, ICAHD is known for its knowledgeable tour guides and
multi-faceted approach to examining the complexities of life in East
Jerusalem and the Jordan Valley. From meeting with Palestinian families
suffering under Israeli policies of separation and home demolitions, to
seeing the Israeli settlement project’s implementation on the ground,
ICAHD prioritizes first-hand learning and encourages questions and
debate.
http://www.icahd.org/?p=7455
Amnesty International call for urgent action against demolitions in Hadidiya
JVS
23 June -- URGENT ACTION: FAMILIES WITHOUT HOMES FOLLOWING DEMOLITION
The Israeli army have destroyed 29 homes and other properties in the
Bedouin hamlet of Hadidiya in the Jordan Valley, leaving 11 children and
16 adults without homes. The families are planning to rebuild structures
to live in, but these will also be at immediate risk of demolition by
the authorities ... PLEASE WRITE IMMEDIATELY in English, Hebrew or your
own language: *Condemning the demolition of the homes and
other structures in Hadidiya and urging all demolition and eviction
orders against Palestinians in Hadidiya and the Jordan Valley to be
cancelled immediately; ...
http://www.jordanvalleysolidarity.org/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=294
Amidror to oversee Beduins' settlement
JPost 22 June -- Following
controversy surrounding Public Policy Department head Ehud Prower’s
program
for resettling the Beduin in the Negev, Prime Minister Binyamin
Netanyahu has transferred responsibility for solving the Beduin issue to
National Security Council chief Ya’acov Amidror. Beduin
groups expressed skepticism over the appointment, fearing Amidror’s
purported right-wing views, Israel Radio reported.
http://www.jpost.com/NationalNews/Article.aspx?id=226083&R=R2
Settlers
Settlers intensify their tours of West Bank mountains
RAMALLAH
(PIC) 24 June -- Acquainted sources said that Zionist usurpers have
lately intensified exploratory tours to the mountains of the West Bank. A
number of farmers from different areas in the West Bank said that groups
of settlers, ranging in number between ten and forty settlers were seen
on group tours of the mountains and valleys of the West Bank. The
farmers added that the settlers are focusing in their tours on the
springs and archaeological sites, and they are in possession of maps of
the places they visit sometimes leaving marks in those places.
Palestinians fear that these tours are a prelude to theft and control of
those places by the settlers in the absence of any resistance in the
West Bank.
http://www.palestine-info.co.uk/En/default.aspx?xyz=U6Qq7k%2b
Teenage girls indicted for Price Tag acts
Ynet 24 June -- Two
underage teenage girls from Jerusalem and
Beit Shemesh have been indicted for torching a Palestinian car in Hebron
a few weeks ago, as part of Price Tag retaliation acts. The two were
brought before the court on Friday and indicted for arson and conspiracy
to commit a crime ... after
their arrest, the two used cigarette ashes to write abusive slogans on
the walls of their holding cell, including 'We will be back for
vengeance', 'Death to Arabs', and 'Prisoners of Zion'.
http://www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7340,L-4086634,00.html
IDF soldiers punished for wearing shirts declaring 'Golani fights enemies and does not evict Jews'
Haaretz 24 June -- Four Golani Brigade soldiers were sentenced on Friday
to 20 days in military prison for provocative behavior at a beret
ceremony held a day earlier ... An initial investigation has found that
the incident was planned in advance by the family of a soldier from the
Alon Shvut settlement in the
West Bank as well as an activist from the movement to reestablish the
evacuated Homesh settlement.
http://www.haaretz.com/news/national/idf-soldiers-
punished-for-wearing-shirts-declaring-golani-fights-enemies-and-does-not-evict-jews-1.369394
Settlers launch anti-withdrawal computer game
JPost 21 June -- You
can help two masked terrorists launch a virtual missile against the
city of Kfar Saba, located in the center of the country, with the click
of a computer mouse.
Or if that feels like too tame a target, you can set your sights on Ben-Gurion Airport. Welcome
to a new kind of political advertisement in the form of a mini-computer
game, "Evacuation, Explosion," which the Samaria Citizens Committee
posted on its website in advance the Home Front Command’s missile drill
on Wednesday.
http://www.jpost.com/NationalNews/Article.aspx?id=225992&R=R2
Activism / Solidarity
Seven injured by troops' gunfire as Bil‘in celebrates the removal of the old Wall
Ghassan Bannoura/PNN Exclusive 24 June -- Seven people were injured on
Friday as Bil‘in villagers in central West Bank celebrated the removal
of the old Israeli wall built on their lands. The six locals and one
French activist sustained moderate wounds as they were hit in the arms
and legs by gas bombs fired by Israeli soldiers. Villages all over the
West Bank followed Bil‘in's steps in conducting weekly protests against
the Israeli built wall on their lands. Today protests were reported in
Ni‘lin and Nabi Saleh in central west Bank and al Ma‘ssara village in
the south. In Nabi Saleh troops injured a nine year old girl and
arrested one international activist.
http://english.pnn.ps/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=10321&Itemid=56
Video: Palestinian PM attends Bil‘in protest
Palestinian
Prime
Minister Salam Fayyad participated Friday at an anti-security fence
protest staged in the village of Bil‘in, west of the city of Ramallah.
Hadash Chairman Mohammad Barakeh was also present. Palestinian
sources said that the protesters brought a bulldozer to the site in
order to dismantle the fence, and were actually successful in removing
part of it. Live ammunition was reportedly fired toward the bulldozer's
wheels and teargas grenades were hurled at the protesters. The driver of
the bulldozer fled the area and escaped arrest.
http://www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7340,L-4086672,00.html
Colorful day in Nabi Saleh
BETHLEHEM
(Ma‘an) 24 June -- The children of An-Nabi Saleh set off with kites and
painted faces to the village's hill shortly after noon on Friday. An
hour later, they were sheltering in a village house, while five Israeli
military jeeps surrounded the location and fired tear gas towards them,
according to eyewitness accounts. Activists made sure the children were
distracted by switching on cartoons, and while they recovered from tear
gas inhalation, they reflected on an afternoon in which Israel's
military faced down clowns and a boy painted as Spiderman, arresting one
Israeli activist. Activists had planned a day of colorful dress,
balloons, face masks, face paints and kite-flying. A Facebook group
urged volunteers to "Bring
Your colourful smile and join us in our struggle for freedom!!" "Let’s
make our freedom colourful," the page said. After
a morning painting faces and making kites, between 20 and 30 children
and 40 volunteers headed to a village mountain to fly paper kites.
http://www.maannews.net/eng/ViewDetails.aspx?ID=399506
Witnesses: Israeli fire torches Nabi Saleh olive trees
RAMALLAH
(Ma‘an) 24 June -- Israeli troops fired tear gas in An-Nabi Saleh
village on Thursday, setting fire to olive trees, witnesses said. Locals
told Ma'an that troops entered the village and fired on houses, breaking
into some of the homes and deploying on their rooftops. Teargas
canisters set the trees alight, the witnesses said, adding that
villagers threw stones at the Israeli troops' vehicles. An
Israeli military spokeswoman said "violent and illegal riots took place
near Nabi Saleh. Rioters hurled rocks towards security forces, who
responded with riot dispersal means. "The gathering was dispersed
without injuries or damage. Reported claims of live fire being used and
the burning of olive trees, are baseless and have no merit."
http://www.maannews.net/eng/ViewDetails.aspx?ID=399421
Ni‘lin demonstrates against the Apartheid Wall
ISM 24 June -- A weekly Ni‘ilin demonstration was met with the intense
tear gas attack, leaving dozens suffering from the consequence of
inhaling the gas. Demonstration, organized by the Ni‘ilin Popular
Committee and joined by Israeli and international peace activists was
held in solidarity with the political prisoners from the village held in
Israeli
prisons. The prisoners from the village, detained 17 months ago and
sentenced on false charges, were moved from Ofer to Negev military
prison. Once the demonstration reached a gate in the apartheid wall,
protesters started to knock on the door and demand that they are allowed
to access their stolen land, which they have not seen for last three
years. The soldiers reacted by attacking the peaceful demonstration with
tear gas grenades, rubber coated steel bullets and sound grenades. One
of the protesters was shot and dozens suffered from suffocation after
inhaling tear gas.
http://palsolidarity.org/2011/06/19068/
Video: Coalition member organization works permanently in occupied Palestinian territory, steps in the way of violence
23 June -- Christian Peacemaker Teams,
a coalition member of the US Campaign, is a faith-based organization
that supports Palestinian-led, nonviolent, grassroots resistance to the
Israeli occupation and the unjust structures that uphold it. By “getting
in the way” of violence and educating in our home communities, we help
create a
space for justice and peace.
We maintain two project sites in Palestine, one in the Palestinian city
of Hebron (Al-Khalil) in the southern West Bank and the other is located
25 kilometers (15 miles) further south in the Palestinian village of
At-Tuwani. Follow our work on Facebook and Twitter.
http://endtheoccupationblog.blogspot.com/2011/06/
coalition-member-organization-works.html?spref=tw
Weekly human rights report
PCHR weekly report on Israeli human rights violations in the oPt, 16-22 June
IMEMC 24 June -- ...a Palestinian was wounded and abducted by Israeli
forces in Qalqilia, and 4 Palestinian civilians, including a child, were
wounded in non-violent anti-Wall demonstrations, and 12 Palestinian
civilians. In addition, Israeli warplanes bombarded a chicken farm in
the central Gaza Strip, killing 3,500 chicks. In the West Bank, Israeli
forces abducted 6 international human rights defenders from non-violent
demonstrations. Israeli gunboats opened fire at Palestinian fishing
boats in the Gaza Strip. Two fishing boats were damaged ... Israeli
forces conducted 38 incursions into Palestinian communities in the West
Bank this week, during which they abducted 14 Palestinian civilians,
including two children -- twelve in nighttime raids of their homes, and
two at checkpoints ... Israeli forces have continued to impose severe
restrictions on the movement of Palestinian civilians ... Israeli forces
have continued settlement activities in the West Bank and
Israeli settlers have continued to attack Palestinian civilians and
property. Full PCHR report here
http://www.imemc.org/article/61538
Detention / Summonses / Court actions
Hamas: Israel's decision to toughen prison conditions violates international law
Haaretz
24 June -- Hamas spokesman says PM Netanyahu is attempting to cover up
his government's failure to secure the release of captured IDF soldier
Gilad Shalit
http://www.haaretz.com/news/diplomacy-defense/
hamas-israel-s-decision-to-toughen-prison-conditions-violates-international-law-1.369424
Israeli troops hand interrogation orders to Jenin villagers
JENIN (Ma‘an) 24 June -- Israeli forces raided Raba village, southeast
of Jenin,
on Friday breaking into several houses and handing out orders for
villagers to report for questioning, locals said. Locals told Ma‘an that
Israeli troops handed warnings to six residents from the village,
ordering them to attend questioning with Israeli police. An Israeli
spokeswoman said the villagers were to be questioned for security
reasons. No detentions were reported.
http://www.maannews.net/eng/ViewDetails.aspx?ID=399484
Israel releases village council leader
RAMALLAH (Ma‘an) 24 June -- Israel on Monday released Qibya village
council leader Abdul Hafeth Gheithan after detaining him for almost two
years without a trial, a detainees' center reported. Israel's Ofer
military court had refused to release the local official since his
detention in 2010. He was never charged with any offense, the center
added.
http://www.maannews.net/eng/ViewDetails.aspx?ID=399495
Israeli High Court of Justice vacates verdict in Cast Lead case
PCHR 23 June -- On
Wednesday, 15 June 2011, the Israeli High Court of Justice vacated (cancelled)
a previous judgment dismissing a case brought by the Palestinian Centre for
Human Rights, and litigated by Advocates Michael Sfard and Carmel Pomerantz, on
behalf of 1,046 victims of Operation ‘Cast Lead’. The case had been illegitimately
dismissed in April 2011 when the Court issued its decision solely on the basis
of the State’s submission, effectively denying PCHR’s ‘right of reply’. This
procedural irregularity was challenged, resulting in the successful decision of
15 June 2011. A
new panel of judges will now be appointed, and the case can proceed.
http://www.pchrgaza.org/portal/en/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=7516
Gaza
Medicines for Gaza stuck at Israeli crossing
BETHLEHEM
(Ma‘an) 24 June -- Gaza's medicine shortage has reached "alarming
proportions," international aid group Oxfam said Friday, quoting medical
officials saying that drugs were held up at Israel's crossing into Gaza.
Shifa Hospital in Gaza City has only five vials left to dissolve blood
clots, the director of Gaza's Central Drug Store told Oxfam, and kidney
transplant patients are at risk of rejected organs due
to drug shortages, a release from the international organization said.
"Can
you imagine after going through all the hardships to find a compatible
kidney, having it rejected because drugs did not enter Gaza?" Dr
Mohammed Zamili said, noting that deliveries from the Ministry of Health
in Ramallah were not meeting the huge shortage of medicines.
http://www.maannews.net/eng/ViewDetails.aspx?ID=399470
New Rafah travel mechanisms from next week
GAZA
CITY (Ma‘an) 24 June -- New travel mechanisms will be implemented at the
Rafah crossing at the start of the week, Gaza Cabinet head Mohammad
A‘zqul said Thursday. The Ministerial Council secretary did not
elaborate on the new procedures approved by the government in Gaza, but
said that they would give priority to patients seeking treatment abroad,
students enrolled at universities abroad, residents with passports of
residency status in foreign countries and emergency travelers. The
official announced the establishment of an internal monitoring committee
to regulate the operations of the terminal on Gaza's southern border,
http://www.maannews.net/eng/ViewDetails.aspx?ID=399319
Blogging Gaza: border opening fails to soften siege / Eva Bartlett
23
June ...A year on, in this enclosed 40-something km strip of land
flanked by the Mediterranean sea, I notice some things have changed, but
the big picture hasn’t. The water is still contaminated from untreated
sewage pumped into the
sea for want of treatment facilities. By World Health Organization
standards, roughly 95 per cent of Gaza’s water is not safe to drink.
Diesel-fueled generators sputter into action, polluting the air and
silence, when the power cuts out, day or night. Unemployment has reached
45 per cent, one of the highest rates in the world. Fishermen are still shot at,
shelled and arrested by the Israeli navy inside Palestine’s waters --
even as close as three miles from the coast. And farmers continue to be
pushed off their land near the border by Israeli shootings and shelling.
The few changes I see are superficial.
http://www.newint.org/blog/2011/06/23/gaza-a-year-later/
Israel closes Gaza crossing over weekend
GAZA
CITY (Ma‘an) 24 June -- Israel closed the sole goods crossing into Gaza
on Friday for two days, Palestinian officials said. Liaison official
Raed Fattouh said Israel would reopen the Kerem Shalom crossing on
Sunday.
http://www.maannews.net/eng/ViewDetails.aspx?ID=399424
European Campaign: Israeli excuses for besieging Gaza null and void
GAZA
(PIC) 24 June -- The European Campaign to End the Siege on Gaza (ECESG)
has utterly rejected the Israeli excuses for besieging the Gaza Strip,
stressing that life of Israelis couldn’t be built or protected at the
expense of the lives of 1.7 million Palestinians cordoned there. The
Israeli occupation ambassador to Washington, Michel Oren, had defended
the siege on Gaza over the past five years saying that it was "a matter
of life and death" to the Israelis ... "It is simply wrong to deny 1.7
million individuals the simplest human rights, including food and fuel
that are considered as basic needs for people. There are no articles in
international law that allow the blockade as the IOA alleges," the
organization said in a statement it issued in this concern on Thursday.
http://www.palestine-info.co.uk/En/default.aspx?xyz=U6Qq7k%2bc
Flotillas
White House: Gaza flotilla activists may be breaking US law
AP/Haaretz
24 June -- U.S. State Department says Gaza is run by U.S. designated
foreign terrorist organization Hamas and Americans providing support to
it are subject to fines and jail.
http://www.haaretz.com/news/diplomacy-defense/
white-house-gaza-flotilla-activists-may-be-breaking-u-s-law-1.369486
Israeli assault on the Flotilla is well underway / Joseph Dana
24
June -- ...Early this morning, I discovered that a ‘private complaint’
had been filed against the US boat to Gaza. The complaint, it is still
unclear who filed it, stated that the US boat to Gaza is not ’seaworthy’
and requires a detailed inspection.The harbor master where the boat is
in port has declared that until the complaint is resolved the boat is
not permitted to leave. Currently, lawyers representing the US boat are
looking into the origins of the complaint and whether it was filed as a
result of Israeli economic or diplomatic pressure on the Greek
government. The boat is US-flagged and registered in the United States.
http://972mag.com/flotilla2/
Israel escalated pressure, threats against flotilla / Bego Astigarraga
BILBAO, Spain (IPS) 23 June -- As the second Gaza Freedom Flotilla,
made up of some 10 ships carrying 1,000 activists from 20 countries,
gets ready to sail for the besieged Gaza Strip, Israeli authorities are
stepping up their threats ... Spanish government under pressure The boat that will carry fifty persons from Spain -- including this reporter -- was named Gernika
and will carry to Gaza a loose interpretation by Basque Country artists
of the famous painting that Pablo Picasso painted in 1937 after German
and Italian forces bombed the Basque village of Gernika (or Guernica) in
northern Spain. The Spanish government has avoided making statements on
the issue. But Foreign Minister Trinidad Jimenez said the best way to
help Gaza is by means of diplomatic pressure, not flotillas.
http://electronicintifada.net/content/israel-escalates-pressure-threats-against-flotilla/10101
Clinton: Flotilla a bid to provoke Israel
AP 24 June -- ...A
day after the State Department warned Americans against participating
in the planned flotilla, Clinton said the flotilla, which Israel has
said it will thwart, is not helpful and will only increase tensions. She
noted that Israeli authorities had this week approved new shipments of
housing construction material to enter Gaza legally and that the aim of
the organizers appeared to be to merely
provoke Israel into using its right to defend itself.
http://www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7340,L-4086580,00.html
Flotilla organizers say Israel pressuring Greek govt / Mya Guarnieri
ATHENS, Greece (Ma‘an) 24 June -- Organizers of the US Boat to Gaza say
that the
Greek government has come under intense pressure from Israel. The
Israeli government is allegedly using trade agreements with the Greeks
as leverage.
http://www.maannews.net/eng/ViewDetails.aspx?ID=399477
A moment before boarding the next flotilla / Gabriel Matthew Schivone
Haaretz 24 June -- You might wonder what would motivate a Jewish
American college student to participate in what may be the most
celebrated - and controversial - sea voyage of the 21st century, one
that aims to nonviolently challenge U.S.-supported Israeli military
power in the occupied territories. I simply cannot sit idle while my
country aids and abets Israel's siege, occupation and repression of the
Palestinians. I would rather use my personal influence and power, in
concert with other members of American civil society, to actively and
nonviolently resist policies that I consider abominable.
http://www.haaretz.com/print-edition/opinion/a-moment-before-boarding-the-next-flotilla-1.369336
Mini Gaza freedom flotilla to set sail on Sunday
Utrecht
(PNN) 24 June -- A Number of Dutch human rights and solidarity groups
are
organizing a mini flotilla in the canals of Utrecht, in the center of
the country, to show support for the humanitarian aid Freedom Flotilla
to set sail to Gaza later this month.
http://english.pnn.ps/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=10316&Itemid=56
Ya'alon: Israel won't apologize for flotilla raid
Ynet
24
June -- Minister Ya'alon met Turkish foreign ministry officials last
week as part of attempts to solve crisis with Ankara; stressed Israel
won't apologize for [May 2010] actions but will compensate victims'
families
http://www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7340,L-4086558,00.html
Hasbara
Pinkwashing: 'Mother Teresa with a keffiyeh' by marc3pax / Benjamin Doherty
EI blog 23 June -- 'Marc', a previously unknown 'gay
activist', has released his first ever video on YouTube. It’s a
perfectly edited, slickly produced, funny but also very sincere inquiry into the Gaza Freedom Flotilla 2. This personal video blog is badly executed and counterfeit.
There is no reason to indicate that anything this actor says is true.
He has no history on the internet, no other videos, and no real story.
Where did he attend college? What is his last name? Which group did he
write to? What exactly did they say? ... This is pinkwashing.
This is a transparent effort to justify the oppressive and criminal
siege of Gaza -- and possible violent Israeli attack on the upcoming
Flotilla -- by describing Palestinians as dangerous, violent homophobes
and
misogynists. Pinkwashing is a tactic that pro-Israel groups and the
Israeli government have been consciously using to try to divide and
co-opt the Palestine solidarity movement and its connection to other
movements around the world.
http://electronicintifada.net/blog/benjamin-doherty/pinkwashing-mother-teresa-keffiyeh-marc3pax
Political / Diplomatic / International news
PA to pursue UN bid regardless of talks
Ynet
24
June -- Palestinian delegate to UN says PA will not drop September bid
even if negotiations with Israel are successfully reignited ... Riyad
Mansour, the Palestinian envoy to the United Nations, said the
Palestinians were working on three independent tracks: restarting
negotiations, building institutions for an independent state and gaining
recognition for statehood.
http://www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7340,L-4086583,00.html
Erekat: Turkey to aid statehood bid
BETHLEHEM (Ma‘an) 24 June -- PLO official Saeb Erekat said Friday that
Turkey had pledged to enlist more nations to recognize Palestine as an
independent state at the UN in September. Speaking with Ma‘an from
Turkey, where he is with President Mahmoud Abbas for meetings with the
Turkish leadership, Erekat said they had a made a number of requests
of Turkey which were all agreed, without giving further details.
http://www.maannews.net/eng/ViewDetails.aspx?ID=399429
Haniyeh: Government will be through consensus
GAZA
(Ma‘an) 24 June -- Gaza Prime Minister Ismail Haniyeh said Friday that
the coming unity government will be made through consensus, saying that
the "reconciliation ship has left the port and will reach a safe shore
with God’s will."
http://www.maannews.net/eng/ViewDetails.aspx?ID=399538
Abbas: No turning back from Palestinian unity efforts
ANKARA, Turkey (AFP) 24 June -- President Mahmoud Abbas vowed Friday to
press ahead with efforts for a unity government, as disagreements with
Hamas continue to delay the process. "We are continuing on the path of
reconciliation and there will be no turning back," Abbas said after
talks with Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan that marked the
end of his four day visit to Ankara.
http://www.maannews.net/eng/ViewDetails.aspx?ID=399534
PA sacks six teachers for their political affiliation
JENIN
(PIC) 24 June -- The Palestinian Authority security agencies sacked six
teachers in the northern West Bank city of Jenin because they are
affiliated with Hamas, despite the reconciliation agreement which was
signed between Fatah and Hamas in Cairo recently. A Hamas source said
that the Education department local office in Jenin received the
decision from Ramallah to sack four male teachers and two female
teachers ... The salaries of a number of other teachers were stopped in
preparation for their sacking, the PIC will not publish their names as
they have not
been officially informed of being sacked.
http://www.palestine-info.co.uk/En/default.aspx?xyz=U6Qq7k%2b
Fayyad to Israel: Give Palestinians freedom or right to vote
Ramallah
(Ma‘an) 24 June -- ...Attending the weekly anti-wall rally in the
village [Bil‘in], Fayyad demanded either freedom or civil rights and
said Israel was no longer able to defend its illegal occupation of
Palestinian land, which had become an "ethical burden."
http://www.maannews.net/eng/ViewDetails.aspx?ID=399544
French Mideast conference plan sows confusion
BRUSSELS (AFP) 24 June -- Europe's leaders Friday backed a French plan
for a Palestinian donor conference as President Nicolas Sarkozy insisted
it had a wider goal of gathering Palestinians and Israelis together for
peace talks. Confusion surfaced when EU leaders issued a summit
statement backing "a conference in Paris to provide economic support for
the construction of the Palestinian state in the framework of a
re-launched peace process."
http://www.maannews.net/eng/ViewDetails.aspx?ID=399566
Israel names new military attaché to Turkey
Ynet 24 June -- IDF hopes appointment of Colonel Moshe Levy would further aid to thaw relations between Jerusalem, Ankara ... The tensions between
Jerusalem
and Ankara have rendered the once-desirable post less so, and according
to the newspaper, it took considerable persuasion, including by
Major-General Eitan Dangot, Coordinator of Government Activities in the
Territories, to convince Levy to agree to the post.
http://www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7340,L-4086636,00.html
Ayalon to Turkey: I never intended to humiliate your ambassador
Ynet 24 June -- Nearly two years after Deputy Foreign Minister Danny
Ayalon publicly humiliated Turkey's ambassador to Israel by seating him
in a lower chair
than his during a televised meeting, Ayalon on Thursday sat with a group
of seven Turkish journalists in an attempt to explain the incident,
which marked a climax in the diplomatic tear between the two countries.
http://www.haaretz.com/news/diplomacy-defense/
ayalon-to-turkey-i-never-intended-to-humiliate-your-ambassador-1.369484
Other news
Palestinian theatre stages first play without director Juliano Mer Khamis
Guardian
22 June -- A pioneering community theatre that aimed to replace violence
with drama in one of the most battle-scarred Palestinian towns has
hosted its first performance since the murder of its director. Israeli
and Palestinian police have not identified the gunman who shot and
killed Juliano Mer Khamis in April, but on Tuesday students from Jenin's
Freedom Theatre performed Shu Kamam, or What Else, as a defiant message
that they will continue his work.
http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2011/jun/22/palestinian-theatre-juliano-mer-khamis
Palestine fight bravely but fall foul to away goals
Ramallah
(PNN) 24 June – The Palestinian Olympic Football Team were defeated 2:1
by Bahrain in Ramallah last night, losing 2:2 on aggregate, thus missing
out on progressing to the third round of the Asian qualifiers for the
2012 Olympics on the away goals rule. [note to US readers: in British
English, a country name used with a plural verb refers to that country's
team.]
http://english.pnn.ps/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=10317&Itemid=
Econ C'tee recommends mining freeze at Samar sand dunes
JPost 24 June -- Green groups pleased with committee’s decision to seek alternatives, preserve region’s wildlife ... The Samar sands, viewed as the last dunes in the Arava Desert, are thought to be a continuation of the Sahara. The
desert is home to animals whose genetic makeups are closer to their
counterparts in Mali and Mauritania than to animals in nearby areas in
Israel, according to Dr. Uri Shanes.
http://www.jpost.com/NationalNews/Article.aspx?id=226392&R=R2
International Refugee Day event canceled
Ynet
24 June -- Organizers say police intentionally altered security
regulations at last moment to sabotage mass Tel Aviv event scheduled for
Friday
http://www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7340,L-4086560,00.html
Foreign Ministry doesn't want Left donations limited
Ynet
24 June -- Ministry review of pending Likud MK bill says it would only
increase Israel's delegitimization -- In what has been described as a
rare move,
the Foreign Ministry submitted a brief to the government opposing a bill
presented by MK Ofir Akunis (Likud), which calls for the State to limit
donor funds to leftist organizations.
http://www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7340,L-4086610,00.html
Israel praises Apple for removing 'intifada' application
JPost 24 June -- The computer giant Apple’s decision to remove an application from its online store
called “3rd intifada” is an additional step in "preventing hostile
elements -- which are frequently tainted by anti-Semitism -- from
spreading incitement via the new media," Public Diplomacy and Diaspora
Affairs Minister Yuli Edelstein said Thursday.
http://www.jpost.com/NationalNews/Article.aspx?id=226379&R=R2
Hamas official: Army Radio gives me free speech
JPost 21 June -- MKs and journalists received a call on Tuesday
purportedly from Hamas spokesman Ribhi Rantisi, telling them that Army
Radio should not be closed, out of concern for free speech.
The call was actually pre-recorded by My Israel, an organization that,
among other things, advocates closing the IDF’s radio station, because
its hosts interview Hamas members. A member of the NGO telephoned
Rantisi, claiming he was a representative of Army Radio, and asked him
to pledge his support for the station.
http://www.jpost.com/NationalNews/Article.aspx?id=225958&R=R2
Analysis / Opinion
Video: Selling Israeli militarism like toothpaste
From children's shows to national war drills, a discussion on militarism
in Israeli society and gender equality in the army... "50% of Israel's
land within the Green Line is controlled and used by security
organizations" - Rela Masali, founder, New Profile; conscientious
objectors; others
http://therealnews.com/t2/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=31&Itemid=74&jumival=6942
The diamond industry's double standard on Israel / Seán Clinton
EI 23 June -- All too aware of how bad association with war crimes is
for business, the diamond industry has taken pains to evade questions
about its connections with Israel’s human rights abuses -- and so far
has escaped scrutiny from watchdog organizations ... Diamonds are
Israel’s number one export commodity, accounting for between one quarter
and one third of Israeli exports. In 2008, diamond exports were valued
at $19.4 billion with a net value of approximately $10 billion
— far exceeding even the gross value of electronic or pharmaceutical exports. The diamond industry in Israel adds 5 percent to
the GDP and is a significant source of the revenue needed to sustain Israel’s occupations, siege on Gaza and illegal settlements.
http://electronicintifada.net/content/diamond-industrys-double-standard-israel/10102
Christians will not apply for permits anymore / Yusuf Daher
23 June -- Elderly women seeking treatment, teachers trying to access an
under-staffed school system, worshipers trying to get to the Al-Aqsa
Mosque and the Church of the Holy Sepulcher, why must they all humiliate
themselves by asking an occupying force for permission to travel into
Jerusalem? Even with a permit, these people require a military check
through metal detectors, turnstiles and magnetic cards registering
their fingerprints. During Easter, parish priests in Bethlehem applied
for thousands of permits for their congregations, and secured only a
fraction of those requested ... This system is totally unlawful and
discriminating. We, as a community and Churches, should not abide by
it.
http://www.maannews.net/eng/ViewDetails.aspx?ID=399139
Are Begin and Shamir also considered terrorists? / Yossi Sarid
Haaretz 24 June -- From the end of 1937 until the middle of 1939, in
less than two years, the terrorist activities of the Irgun and Lehi
claimed 232 victims with another 370 wounded - men, women and children
... Many people who headed movements of national liberation adopted
violent and indiscriminate methods of resistance that brought death and
injury to the innocent and the wicked alike, to civilians as well as
soldiers, and which deliberately sowed panic among the public. We have
to be sorry
but not to deny this, and those who do the rewriting should not be
hopeful. Later on, the terrorists became legitimate leaders, presidents
and prime ministers; and Begin and Shamir are among these.
http://www.haaretz.com/print-edition/opinion/are-begin-and-shamir-also-considered-terrorists-1.369342
Israel is tearing apart the Jewish people / Carlo Strenger
Haaretz
24 June -- After all that has happened to us, we Jews must never, ever
allow violation of universal human rights -- In June last year, Peter
Beinart published an article in the New York Review of Books that
created quite a storm by pointing out the deep estrangement between the
young generation of American Jews and Israel. A
year later, it is time to take stock.
Unfortunately, the situation has only grown a lot worse. In my
travels to Europe I speak to predominantly Jewish audiences, but also to
non-Jews who care deeply about Israel. They voice their pain and
anguish
openly: They want to understand what has happened to Israel. They
desperately want to stand by it, but they are, increasingly, at a loss
of knowing how to do so ... Israel has never had a government that so
blatantly violates the core values of liberal democracy. Never has a
Knesset passed laws that are as
manifestly racist as the current one.
http://www.haaretz.com/print-edition/opinion/israel-is-tearing-apart-the-jewish-people-1.369341
Netanyahu is the one 'delegitimizing' Israel / MJ Rosenberg
HuffPost 23 June -- The
"pro-Israel" lobby's latest hobbyhorse is "delegitimization." Those who
criticize Israeli policies are accused of trying to "delegitimize" Israel,
which supposedly means denying Israel's right to exist. Even President Obama
has gotten into the act, stating in his May 19 speech that "for the
Palestinians, efforts to delegitimize Israel will end in failure." ... So what is
the lobby talking about? Israel achieved its "legitimacy"
when the United Nations recognized it 63 years ago. It has one of the strongest
economies in the world. Its military is the most powerful in the region. It has
a nuclear arsenal of some 200 bombs, with the ability to launch them from land,
sea, and air. In that
context, the whole idea of "delegitimizing" Israel sounds silly. Israel can't
be delegitimized ... The answer is
simple: It is talking about the intensifying opposition to the occupation of
the West Bank and the blockade of Gaza which, by almost any standard, is illegitimate.
It is talking about opposition to the settlements, which are not only
illegitimate but illegal under international law. It is talking about calls for Israel
to grant Palestinians equal rights.
The lobby's
determination to change the subject from the existence of the occupation to the
existence of Israel makes sense strategically.
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/mj-rosenberg/netanyahu-is-the-one-dele_b_882872.html |
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