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Today in Palestine! ~ Headlines ~ |
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Land, property, resources theft & destruction / Ethnic cleansing / Deportation / Restriction of Movement
Committee: Israel to build new bypass road south of Bethlehem
HEBRON (Ma’an) -- Israeli authorities notified the municipality of Beit
Ummar on Wednesday of plans to build a bypass road which will annex over
800 dunams of village land, a local committee spokesman said. Mohammed
Awad, spokesman of the national committee against the wall, said the
military order entails a bypass road starting from the junction of Kefar
Etzion settlement and passing through Al-Arrub refugee camp and Beit
Ummar village, south of Bethlehem.
http://www.maannews.net/eng/ViewDetails.aspx?ID=424522
Army Bulldozes Lands in Hebron
Israeli Army kidnapped a Palestinian inhabitant from the village of Dora in
Hebron and bulldozed lands in the middle of the city, Palestine News and
Info Agency reported on Thursday.
http://www.imemc.org/article/62137
Basim Hjazee Demolished His House with His Own Hands
Basim Hjazee was forced to demolish his own house which lies in the
neighbourhood of al Abaseya in Silwan. Hjazee received a demolition
order from the Jerusalem Municipality as well as a fine 15,000 NIS (
$1=3.70 NIS) before Jerusalem Municipality bulldozers reached the
house to demolish an added room. His house is 54 square meters and
houses 5 family members. It is worth mentioning that it is not the first
time the Jerusalem Municipality obliged Hjazee to remove the roof of
the same room and made him pay 7500NIS.
http://silwanic.net/?p=20685
Al-Bustan demolition court session delayed
The
Central Court session scheduled for today regarding the Jerusalem
Municipality’s plans to demolish most of Al-Bustan neighborhood of
Silwan has been delayed. The lawyer for Al-Bustan was informed by the
Court today that the critical session has been delayed to an unknown
date at the Municipality’s request.
http://silwanic.net/?p=20706
AIC Video: Home Takeover - Stern 61
On 1 September 2011 homeless families and activists took over an abandoned
building owned by the Hebrew University on Stern Street in Jerusalem.
http://www.alternativenews.org/english/index.php/topics/jerusalem/3832
Turkey: Gilo housing plan 'unacceptable'
Ankara's
Foreign Ministry issues statement criticizing Israel's decision to
permit construction of new homes in east Jerusalem's Gilo neighborhood.
'It raises serious suspicions about its sincerity, true intentions,'
claims announcement.
http://www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7340,L-4129055,00.html
Japan: Israeli settlement plan goes against world efforts for peace
BETHLEHEM (Ma'an) -- Japan said on Thursday that Israel's building of
new settler homes threatened to undermine a return to negotiations with
Palestinians. Japan "does not recognize any act that prejudges the final
status of the territories in the pre-1967 borders" a statement from the
Japanese Ministry of Foreign Affairs said, adding that the government
"deeply deplores" Israel's move. An Israeli ministry announced on
Tuesday its approval of 1,100 new units in East Jerusalem settlement
Gilo.
http://www.maannews.net/eng/ViewDetails.aspx?ID=424578
Serry Slams Israel’s Decision To Build 1100 Units
United
Nations Envoy, Robert Serry, stated that with its new decision to build
1100 new settlement units in occupied East Jerusalem, Israel sends a
wrong signal amidst the international efforts to ensure the resumption
of the stalled peace talks.
http://www.imemc.org/article/62129
Amr: Quartet’s position on UN bid to blame for new settlement plans
Egyptian
Foreign Minister Mohamed Kamel Amr said members of the international
community were responsible for addressing Israel’s recent approval of
1,100 settlement units in east Jerusalem.
link to Palestine Information Center
Settler population on the rise: Israeli government
JERUSALEM
— Settlements in the occupied West Bank gained 3,500 residents last
year and settlers had the largest families of any Israeli community,
with an average of 4.6 persons, a government survey said. It said about
four percent of all Israelis, equivalent to about 312,000 people, live
in Jewish settlements in the West Bank. The Central Bureau of Statistics
report released ahead of the Jewish New Year, which begins at sunset on
Wednesday, said the average birth rate for all Jewish Israeli mothers
was 2.97 each, the highest since 1977. The average Muslim mother gave
birth to 3.75 babies in 2010, with her Christian counterpart bearing
2.14 offspring.
http://www.google.com/hostednews/afp/article/ALeqM5gII4ecqtYyzyjiBL2TYWm8i5niwQ
Israeli Aggression & Violence Against Palestinians
On
24 Saturday, Issam Kamel Abid Badran Odeh received a martyr’s funeral
in his hometown of Kusra, near Nablus. Odeh was shot and killed by
Israeli soldiers last week. Watch a slideshow of the funeral procession
below and read our accompanying story, here.
Pro-Israel whitewash of 10-year-old's killing unravels in court, Max Blumenthal
One day in 2007, Israeli Border Police officers swept into the in the
village of Anata just north of Jerusalem and began firing rubber bullets
at a group of children who had thrown rocks at them. One Israeli bullet
landed in the skull of a 10-year-old Palestinian girl named Abir
Aramin, tearing the back of her head off and killing her. Aramin was the
daughter of a prominent Palestinian activist named Bassam Aramin, who
helped lead the group Combatants for Peace, a group that fosters
dialogue between former combatants on both sides of the conflict. The
little girl's death sent sparked international outrage, generating
headlines around the world. The Israeli government went into damage
control mode, denying any wrongdoing in connection with Aramin's death
and insisting without evidence that she had been struck in the head with
a rock.
http://english.al-akhbar.com/blogs/gadfly/pro-israel-whitewash-10-year-olds-killing-unravels-court
Military raid in Bir Ayyub
Israeli
troops and intelligence agents raided a Palestinian home in Bir Ayyub
district of Silwan this morning at 2:30am. The home was broken into by
troops, terrifying the sleeping children in the house. Home contents
were smashed by raiding officers, who continued the search of the house
until dawn. Troops then moved to Baten al-Hawa and Wadi Hilweh, where
two children 7 years of age were summoned for investigation.
http://silwanic.net/?p=20700
Provocative acts by Israeli Forces cause and outbreak of confrontations
Confrontations broke out as worshippers left the mosques after Friday
afternoon prayers due to the concentration of, and provocations by,
Israeli troops in the Palestinian neighbourhoods and streets.
http://silwanic.net/?p=20719
Information Center director faces new allegations in on-going trial
A session was held today in Jerusalem’s Central Court in the assault
case lodged against Wadi Hilweh Information Center director Jawad Siyam.
The session follows an appearance in the Magistrates Court two days
previously, when the judge heard the Israeli prosecution’s allegations
against Siyam, of alleged involvement with the Palestinian Authority and
of continuously preventing Israeli settlers from buying property in
Silwan. The main witness, an Arab resident of East Jerusalem whose
identity has not been disclosed to the public but claims to be head of
the Jerusalem Merchants Committee, claims that Siyam physically
assaulted him threatened to kidnap him and take him to the city of
Jericho. The witness also alleged that Siyam introduced himself to him
on behalf of the Palestinian Authority and as head of the Silwan
Committee. Siyam states that the witness is an employee of David Beiry,
the director of Elad Settlement Association, and of aiding settlers in
land appropriation by purchasing property himself to then in turn sell
to settlers. Siyam claims that he himself was physically assaulted by
the man in question, as were as many as 20 other residents of Silwan.
Siyam has been arrested numerous times by Israeli officials for his
community activism in Silwan, and has served 4 months under house
arrest. A smear campaign has been run against him by right-wing Israeli
newspapers, while he and his family continue to suffer harassment and
intimidation by Israeli authorities. His family home has been raided
multiple times by Israeli forces. Today’s session was requested to be
closed to the public by the Palestinian witness, while Siyam’s lawyer
insisted that it be open to the public.
http://silwanic.net/?p=20703
Settler Aggression & Violence Against Palestinians
'Price Tag': Olive trees uprooted near Hebron
Anonymous
vandals mutilate Palestinian olive trees in West Bank, spray paint
'Halhul Price Tag,' Star of David. Incident occurs near location of last
Friday's terror attack in Kiryat Arba.
http://www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7340,L-4129084,00.html
Tension at the Wailing Wall and Wadi Hilweh
Throngs of Israeli right-wing extremists in their thousands occupied
the Wailing Wall plaza in the Old City and Wadi Hilweh district of
Silwan today. Multiple reports of aggressive behavior towards
Palestinian residents were received, with the extremists staging
dramatic acts of wailing and crying at the Wall, continuing throughout
last night and past dawn.
http://silwanic.net/?p=20698
Settlers gather south of Bethlehem, block cars
BETHLEHEM
(Ma’an) -- Israeli settlers gathered on Tuesday at the junction between
the Tuqu village southeast of Bethlehem and prevented some cars from
passing through, witnesses said. Onlookers told Ma’an that dozens of
settlers went out in a march near Tuqu junction and forbade the
Palestinian cars from passing by throwing stones toward them. In Jurat
Ash-Sham'a village south of Bethlehem, settler security guards detained
Salem Ali Hussein, 65, while he was on his way to pick grapes, said
anti-wall activist Hassan Barjyeh.
http://www.maannews.net/eng/ViewDetails.aspx?ID=424195
Arresting minors in the neighbourhood of Ras Al amoud
Last
night the Israeli forces arrested Yaseen Abu Madi, 16, in the
neighbourhood of Ras Al Amoud. Yaseen has previously been arrested and
was under house arrest.
http://silwanic.net/?p=20688
Israeli Army kidnapped a Palestinian inhabitant from the village of Dora in Hebron
Israeli
Army kidnapped a Palestinian inhabitant from the village of Dora in
Hebron and bulldozed lands in the middle of the city, Palestine News and
Info Agency reported on Thursday.
http://www.imemc.org/article/62137
Hamas: PA security arrest 2 members from Nablus
NABLUS
(Ma'an) -- Hamas on Thursday accused Palestinian Authority security
forces of detaining two party affiliates in the northern West Bank. A
statement from the ruling party in Gaza said the Hamas members, who were
not named, were taken from their villages of Tell and Asira al-Qibliya
on Wednesday night.
http://www.maannews.net/eng/ViewDetails.aspx?ID=424642
Reports reveal Attoun abduction happened on Red Cross premises
Condemnation has abounded after undercover Israeli policemen abducted
Monday Palestinian lawmaker Mohammed Attoun as Israeli reports are
rebutted that the abduction took place outside the ICRC.
link to Palestine Information Center
MP Attoun suffered heart failure in abduction
Palestinian
MP Ahmed Attoun said he suffered “severe trauma” when he was abducted
Monday by Israeli occupation undercover soldiers as medics in Bikur
Holim hospital have discovered. link to Palestine Information Center
Sheikh Abul-Heija declares open-ended hunger strike
Hamas leader Jamal Abul-Heija, 52, began an open-ended hunger strike on
Monday in protest of being isolated for the past eight years. link to Palestine Information Center
Prisoners declare hunger strike after conditions turn for worst
Palestinian prisoners in the Israeli Nafha prison have declared a
prison-wide hunger and tensions have run high in Ofer and Shata prisons
after the approval of a set of stricter punitive measures. link to Palestine Information Center
Ahmad Qatamesh: Israeli Prisoner of Conscience, Stephen LendmanOn
April 21, 2011 at 2:00AM, Israeli soldiers arrested Qatamesh at his
brother's Ramallah home. An hour earlier, his wife (Suha), daughter
(Hanin), and two female relatives were held hostage to force his
surrender. At gunpoint, they forced Hanin to call him. When connected, a
soldier threatened to hold his family hostage and destroy his house if
he didn't surrender.
http://sjlendman.blogspot.com/2011/09/ahmad-qatamesh-israeli-prisoner-of.htmlChange and Reform deputies hold solidarity vigil for Palestinian representatives abducted by Israel
The
President of the Palestinian Legislative Council, Dr Aziz Duwaik, along
with other deputies from the Change and Reform bloc held a sit-in on
Wednesday afternoon in solidarity with Palestinian representatives,
prisoners and those on hunger strike currently being held in Israeli
prisons. The sit-in took place in Manara Square in the central West Bank
City of Ramallah.
http://www.middleeastmonitor.org.uk/news/middle-east/2875
Committee for Defending Arab Prisoners in Israeli Jails is launched in Cairo
A joint Egyptian-Palestinian Committee for Supporting Arab Prisoners in
Israeli Jails has been launched at a ceremony in Cairo. The new group
will be active in defending the rights of all Palestinian and Arab
prisoners being held by the Israeli occupation authorities and exposing
the crimes of the prison system. According to the Waed Society for
Palestinian Prisoners in Israeli Jails, the committee will include
representatives of all Egyptian political bodies, revolutionary youth
and independent figures as well as Palestinians.
http://www.middleeastmonitor.org.uk/news/middle-east/2869
Gaza
Strike closes all UNRWA schools in Gaza Strip
A strike by the Arab staff union has closed down all UN Relief Works Agency schools across the Gaza Strip on Thursday. link to Palestine Information Center
Miles Of Smiles 6 Heading To Gaza Soon
The Miles of Smiles 6 solidarity convoy will be heading to the Gaza
Strip in the coming days by sailing to Al Arish Egyptian port before
heading to the besieged coastal region by land. http://www.imemc.org/article/62130
Boycott, Divestment & Sanctions / Solidarity and ActivismIn Oakland, a chance to hear Alice Walker (and me) speak about Palestine, Ali Abunimah
I’m very excited and honored to be sharing the podium with Alice Walker
at a Middle East Children’s Alliance (MECA) event in Oakland California
next week. You’re invited! http://electronicintifada.net/blog/ali-abunimah/
oakland-chance-hear-alice-walker-and-me-speak-about-palestine
Protest Video and Petitions Delivered! Thousands tell National Building Museum: No Award to Caterpillar Inc.!US
Campaign member group, the Rachel Corrie Foundation for Peace and
Justice, along with the US Campaign to End the Israeli Occupation,
Jewish Voice for Peace, CODEPINK, and the Washington Interfaith Alliance
for Middle East Peace, celebrated a victory earlier this month when the
National Building Museum announced its cancellation of the ceremony to
award Caterpillar, Inc. with an award for "innovation in building
technology" and "exceptional leadership," following a campaign which
gathered more than 7,000 signatures. However, the National Building
Museum did not rescind the award itself, prompting protesters to
demonstrate outside the museum when Cindy and Craig Corrie delivered the
petition, as described below in an account from the Rachel Corrie
Foundation... Make sure to check out the video! http://blog.endtheoccupation.org/2011/09/protest-video-and-petitions-delivered.html
Flash mob in El Cerrito, CA Bed Bath & Beyond protests Soda StreamA
flash mob in an El Cerrito, CA branch of Bed Bath & Beyond this
month protested the store's sales of Soda Stream, a soft drink product
made in an illegal settlement with exploited Palestinian labor. The
approximately two dozen protesters wore shirts emblazoned with ""Boycott
Israel 'til Palestine is Free," and sang and chanted in the Bed Bath
& Beyond before moving outside to march and hand out fliers. The
store called the police, who declined to interfere, saying the
p-rotesters would leave soon without causing harm. The flash mob
included several members of US Campaign ember groups such as NorCal
Friends of Sabeel, Bay Area Jewish Voice for Peace and CODEPINK.
http://blog.endtheoccupation.org/2011/09/flash-mob-in-el-cerrito-ca-bed-bath.html
CU-Divest! delivers 2000+ signature to CU Regents!US
Campaign member group CU-Divest! presented a petition with over two
thousand signatures asking the university to divest. Read more about
the group's efforts here, or visit the group's website: CU-Divest! A week ago on September 12th,
CU-Divest! at the Regents’ meeting at UC Denver, delivered our petition
asking the University of Colorado to divest from Israeli Apartheid. I
count this action as one of our major successes. Thanks to Beth Daud
and her determined group of campus activists and the folks who drove
down from Boulder, we had “good” showing with signs and flyers and this
time I think we had the Regents’ attention. We handed out our flyer
requesting the Regents to support our campaign and sign our
petition. The flyer highlights a campaign that was successful in the
1980s in compelling CU to divest from South African apartheid.
http://blog.endtheoccupation.org/2011/09/cu-divest-delivers-2000-signature-to-cu.htmlInternational star Natacha Atlas announces Israel boycott, Ali Abunimah
International
singer and songwriter Natacha Atlas has announced publicly that she is
canceling a planned concert in Israel and will boycott the country
“until this systemised apartheid is abolished once and for all.”
http://electronicintifada.net/blog/ali-abunimah/international-star-natacha-atlas-announces-israel-boycott
BDS: DONATE NOW! SJP's first national conference
Students for Justice in Palestine (SJP) needs your help hosting the
first ever national conference at Columbia University this fall.
Hundreds of SJP students from chapters across the country – and students
who want to form SJP chapters -will meet Oct. 14-16 to begin a national
discussion about making student Palestine solidarity work more
effective.
http://youthanormalization.blogspot.com/2011/09/bds-donate-now-sjps-first-national.htmlCultural BDS against Israel exploding everywhere
"Film directors Mike Leigh and Ken Loach, theatre director Michael
Attenborough and actress Dame Harriet Walter are among the 117
signatories to a letter of protest over the “harsh” punishment. They
claim that artists should be allowed to express themselves freely
“without fear of financial or professional retribution”.
http://youthanormalization.blogspot.com/2011/09/cultural-bds-against-israel-exploding.htmlBDS Update: An Eventful Summer
"Festival season is winding down in Israel, as it is most other places.
There's certainly no denying that the Israeli concert industry was able
to dodge the slew of cancellations that it experienced the previous
summer. There weren't the large groups of acts and artists backing out
of fests in protest. In fact, with the concerts by Dylan, Paul Simon,
Moby, Justin Bieber and others, it's safe to say that there were some
real boons for Israel's summer concerts.
http://youthanormalization.blogspot.com/2011/09/bds-update-eventful-summer.htmlBDS ALERT: Don't buy Agrexco - Don't support Occupation
"Last month, Israel exporter company Agrexco has gone bankrupt because
of the world wide BDS campaign for the company's long and deep
involvement with the illegal settlements in the Occupied Palestine. But
now a Japanese company are going to buy the fallen Agrexco with two
other Israeli company for 40 million NIS, to make the Apartheid business
survive. We ask you urgently to sign the petition below to put pressure
on the company to divest from the Apartheid business."
http://youthanormalization.blogspot.com/2011/09/bds-alert-dont-buy-agrexco-dont-support.html
Rewarding Alstom: Arab Partnership in Occupation
Alstom, a French corporation, has received global condemnation for
aiding Israel’s colonization of the Occupied Palestinian Territories.
Yet Alstom’s business ventures continue to thrive in the Arab world, and
the corporation appears set to win more multi-million dollar contracts
in the near future. Boycott Divestment and Sanctions(BDS) campaigners in
Beirut warned Wednesday in a press conference that French construction
giant Alstom Group may be awarded major new contracts in several Arab
countries, notably Saudi Arabia and Iraq. The activists appealed to Arab
governments to stop dealing with the firm, which is complicit in
Israel’s ongoing theft of Palestinian land.
http://english.al-akhbar.com/content/rewarding-alstom-arab-partnership-occupation
Could censorship of children’s art prove a turning point?, Henry NorrIf
I were one of the Zionist operatives who pressured the Museum of
Children's Art in Oakland to cancel the exhibit of Gaza children's
drawings, I'd be kicking myself right now. If they'd simply ignored the
whole thing and let its scheduled two-month run proceed, probably no
more than a few hundred people, most of them school children, would have
seen the show. It's not as if MOCHA is a major attraction. But thanks
to the ham-handed censorship engineered by the Jewish establishment -
and the determined fight-back of the Middle East Children's Alliance and
others opposed to such bullying - thousands of people around the world
have seen the kids' pictures.
Racism & Discrimination
Ibrahim Sarsur says rise in racism toward Arab minority due to
'government's failure to uphold human rights or its blatant infringement
of them'
JERUSALEM (Reuters) -- US President Barack Obama's popularity has risen
sharply in Israel after he spoke out forcibly against a Palestinian
statehood bid at the United Nations last week, according to an Israeli
newspaper poll published Wednesday. The poll by The Jerusalem Post found
54 percent of Jewish Israelis thought Obama's policy was favorable to
Israel, while 19 percent said it was pro-Palestinian. A survey in May
showed 12 percent thought US policy was pro-Israel and 40 percent saw it
as pro-Palestinian.
http://www.maannews.net/eng/ViewDetails.aspx?ID=424386
PA: Nigeria to support Palestine statehood bid
RAMALLAH (Ma'an) -- Nigeria will vote in favor of the application for
full UN membership in the Security Council, foreign minister Riyad Malki
said Tuesday after meeting with his Nigerian counterpart.
http://www.maannews.net/eng/ViewDetails.aspx?ID=424184
Abbas: Don't budge to American pressure
In a new brazen provocation that flies in the face of everyone and
anyone wishing to retain a glimmer of hope for peace, Israel has
announced plans to build more than a thousand settler units.
link to Palestine Information Center
Gaza government backs Palestinian state but not at cost of recognising Israel or relinquishing historic Palestine
The Prime Minister of the Palestinian government in Gaza has said that
he and his colleagues back the establishment of a Palestinian state on
"liberated land". However, said Ismail Haniyeh, this should not be at
the cost of recognising the state of Israel or relinquishing lawful
rights over any part of historic Palestine. Mr Haniyeh told a conference
in Gaza that his government is not against a state per se. "The people
have been getting killed for more than 60 years in the cause of
liberation," he told delegates. "We say liberation should come first and
then the state, because states are not created through UN resolutions
or political manoeuvres and compromises, but through steadfastness and
resistance."
http://www.middleeastmonitor.org.uk/news/middle-east/2868
Israeli finance minister calls for elimination of Palestinian Authority if it becomes "anti-Israel state"
Israel's Minister of Finance has called for the elimination of the
Palestinian Authority headed by Mahmoud Abbas in response to the bid for
full membership of the United Nations before reaching a peace agreement
with the Zionist state. According to Radio Israel, Yuval Steinitz said
that he is ready to bear the repercussions of the closure of the
Palestinian Authority if it turns into an anti-Israel state which
refuses to end the conflict or to recognise Israel as a distinctly
Jewish state.
http://www.middleeastmonitor.org.uk/news/middle-east/2866
Egypt / Turkey / Israel
'Sinai terror threat disconcerting'
PM Netanyahu, Defense Minister Barak express concerns over terror threat lurking in Sinai Peninsula.
http://www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7340,L-4128966,00.html
Ilan Grapel, accused of spying for Israel, held in undisclosed location in Egypt
Grapel was arrested three months ago; U.S. Embassy in Cairo attempts to
secure his release on bail, denied on flight risk grounds.
http://www.haaretz.com/print-edition/news/
ilan-grapel-accused-of-spying-for-israel-held-in-undisclosed-location-in-egypt-1.387093?
Turkey rejects "mutual apology" proposal
Sources in Israel have revealed that Turkey's Prime Minister has
rejected an American proposal for solving the diplomatic crisis between
Tel Aviv and Ankara. The initiative produced by the Ambassador to Tel
Aviv would require a mutual apology to be made by the two sides over the
Israeli attack on the Gaza-bound Freedom Flotilla in May 2010.
According to a report on Radio Israel, Ambassador Dan Shapiro said that
Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan and Israel's President Shimon Peres
could speak to each other by telephone and apologise. The initiative was
approved by the Israel Forum of the Eight Senior Ministers more than
two weeks ago.
http://www.middleeastmonitor.org.uk/news/europe/2871-turkey-rejects-qmutual-apologyq-proposal
Other Palestine / Israel News
Abbas wishes Peres a happy new year while occupation seals West Bank
PA president Mahmoud Abbas phoned the Israeli occupation president Simon
Peres to wish him a happy new year, while the occupation sealed the
West Bank for four days starting Wednesday.
Just days after being declared persona non grata at the Labour
Party conference, Tony Blair looks set to receive similar treatment in
the Middle East. The Palestinians have lost trust in the former prime
minister as envoy for the Quartet on the Middle East peacemakers,
claiming he is biased towards Israel. Palestinian youth wings of the
main political parties have informally declared Mr Blair persona non
grata in the occupied West Bank and would not meet him there, a
Palestine Liberation Organisation (PLO) official said. If, as expected,
the youth wings make a formal declaration about Mr Blair, it is likely
to be adopted by senior politicians.
WATCH: Obama stresses U.S. commitment to Israel in Rosh Hashanah message
In short and low-key video message, U.S. President Barack Obama extends greetings to Jews everywhere. http://www.haaretz.com/news/diplomacy-defense/
watch-obama-stresses-u-s-commitment-to-israel-in-rosh-hashanah-message-1.387067
Watch: Perry does hora around menorah(Video)
Youtube clip from 2010 shows US Republican Party presidential hopeful
dancing with rabbis around menorah at Hanukkah candle lighting ceremony.
http://www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7340,L-4128876,00.htmlEuropean Union approves trade agreement with Palestine
BRUSSELS (BNO NEWS) -- The European Union (EU) on Tuesday announced that
its Parliament has approved a trade agreement to help boost the
Palestinian economy by enabling the West Bank and Gaza to export farm
and fisheries products directly to the EU. According to the agreement,
agricultural and fisheries products from the West Bank and Gaza Strip
will have direct duty-free and mostly quota-free access to the European
market. It also provides European produce access to Palestinian markets.
http://channel6newsonline.com/2011/09/european-union-approves-trade-agreement-with-palestine/
Other Mideast News
Bahrain court upholds sentences for activists
Appeals denied to 21 opposition activists held in June after Gulf state crushed an uprising by majority Shia Muslims. http://english.aljazeera.net//news/middleeast/2011/09/2011928111821273875.html
Bahrain military court finds medics guiltyA
military court in Bahrain has sentenced 20 medics to long prison
sentences on charges of attempting to topple the government during
protests.
http://www.amnesty.org/en/news-and-updates/bahrain-military-court-finds-medics-guilty-2011-09-29
Flogging sentence for Saudi Arabian woman after driving 'beggars belief'
A Saudi Arabian woman has been sentenced to flogging merely for driving a
car, highlighting the country's ongoing repression against women. http://www.amnesty.org/en/news-and-updates/flogging-sentence-
saudi-arabian-woman-after-driving-beggars-belief-2011-09-27-0
Saudi Arabia: Woman Driver Verdict Reportedly Overturned By KingRIYADH,
Saudi Arab — A Saudi government official says King Abdullah has
overturned a court verdict that sentenced a Saudi woman to be lashed 10
times for defying the kingdom's ban on women driving. The official
declined to elaborate. He spoke Wednesday on condition of anonymity
because he was not authorized to brief the media.
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2011/09/28/saudi-arabia-woman-driver-verdict_n_985857.htmlFearing Change, Syria’s Christians Back Assad
With chaos growing, many Syrian Christians said they feared a change of
power could deprive them of the semblance of protection the Assad family
has provided.
http://feeds.nytimes.com/click.phdo?i=45b81d3d39c8280f6ba0f6ce7bc99700Analysis / Op-ed
Perfect match: Bob Bernstein uses settler sources for racist anti-Arab ‘WaPo’ Op-Ed, Adam Horowitz
Robert Berstein has an Op-Ed in today's Washington Post
that shows just how truly desperate Israel's cheerleaders have become.
Bernstein, a founder of Human Rights Watch who now seems to hate human
rights, responds to the push for Palestinian statehood by recycling the
tired argument that it is Palestinian words that are driving the conflict, not the Israeli boot on their necks http://mondoweiss.net/2011/09/perfect-match-
bob-bernstein-uses-settler-sources-for-racist-anti-arab-wapo-op-ed.html
Abbas's Next Move, Mouin Rabbani
Mahmoud Abbas’s address to the United Nations General Assembly on 23
September fell considerably short of Yasir Arafat’s electrifying 1974
speech from the same podium. Nor did it compare with Haidar Abdul
Shafi’s dignified – and unanswerable – call for justice at the 1991
Madrid Peace Conference. Yet it may come to be seen as a historic
turning point in the fortunes of the Palestinian people. Abbas’s agenda
was transparent. He was sending the Americans a message: grow a spine,
stop appeasing Israel and launch credible negotiations – because if you
don’t, my next failure will be my last. There are several problems with
his approach. For one, the so-called peace process is working precisely
as designed, to give political cover to Israeli colonisation and
maintain America’s diplomatic monopoly. Second, the US has become even
more extreme than Israel. Obama’s speech delighted Avigdor Lieberman but
was denounced by American politicians as a betrayal of Israel. Third,
there is nothing to negotiate about with Israel’s current rulers, who
refuse even to acknowledge the occupation, let alone commit to ending
it.
http://www.jadaliyya.com/pages/index/2771/abbass-next-moveThe (unplanned) victory of the UN statehood bid
There was one significant victory at the United Nations for Mahmoud Abbas, even if it was not the one he sought. http://electronicintifada.net/content/unplanned-victory-un-statehood-bid/10432
PA astroturf effort to build campus momentum for statehood falls flatVisit the Students for Statehood (SFS) website
powered by WordPress, to view pixilated flyers for some twelve
calendared rallies in support of the PA statehood bid to the UN. They
look as though designed by students. They use basic logos, and there is
an embedded hip-hop video. http://mondoweiss.net/2011/09/pa-astroturf-effort-to-build-campus-momentum-for-statehood-falls-flat.html
The Occupied Turn OccupiersIn
a recent debate Congressman Ron Paul claimed the United States military
had troops in 130 countries. The St. Petersburg Times looked into
whether such an outrage could actually be true and was obliged to report
that the number was actually 148 countries. However, if you watch NFL
football games, you hear the announcers thank members of the U.S.
military for watching from 177 countries. The proud public claim is
worse than the scandalous claim or the “investigative” report. What
gives?
http://dissidentvoice.org/2011/09/the-occupied-turn-occupiers/Money
for nothing and occupation for free: The 1994 Paris protocols on
economic relations between Israel and the PLO, Simone Daud
I’m
familiar with Stanley Fischer's research before he became a central
banker. I also know his books with Dornbusch and Blanchard very
well. Fischer is a Rhodesian born economist who has been the governor of
Israel’s central bank since 2005. Last year Fischer was declared Central Banker of the Year by Euromoney
magazine. This is not surprising because Israel has almost entirely
avoided the effects of the financial collapses that have occurred in
Europe and the US. Indeed, most Israelis trying to find a job in
Tel-Aviv or in Haifa or in Jerusalem will probably have a much easier
time than most unemployed Americans. http://mondoweiss.net/2011/09/money-for-nothing-and-occupation-for-free-
the-1994-paris-protocols-on-economic-relations-between-israel-and-the-plo.html
Why Fewer Young American Jews Share Their Parents' View of Israel"I'm trembling," my mother says, when I tell her I'm working on an
article about how younger and older American Jews are reacting
differently to the Palestinians' bid for statehood at the United
Nations. I understand the frustrations of the Palestinians dealing with
ongoing settlements construction and sympathize with their decision to
approach the U.N., but my mom supports President Obama's promise to
wield the U.S. veto, sharing his view that a two-state solution can be
achieved only through negotiations with Israel. "This is so emotional," she says as we cautiously
discuss our difference of opinion. "It makes me feel absolutely terrible
when you stridently voice criticisms of Israel." (See photos inside the West Bank settlements.)
http://old.news.yahoo.com/s/time/20110929/wl_time/08599209550500
Loving Judaism but questioning Israel
Only these days, I’m not so crazy about Israel – the nation-state,
that is. I don’t like that on the eve of these holidays and at the
moment when Mahmoud Abbas was making his bid at the United Nations for
Palestinian statehood, Israel announced the approval of 1,100 new
housing units in East Jerusalem. I’m ashamed that Israel continues to
draw criticism from human rights groups for the demolition of homes in
the West Bank and, sharing blame with the Palestinians, for waging a
conflict over land with the lives of innocent people. Intellectually, I
see that Israel the nation-state and Israel the historical-theological
concept are separate things, but when I pray, the two ideas reverberate
together, and the conflation troubles me. In the practice of Judaism, we
petition God to protect “Israel;” I hesitate before I voice this plea. http://www.washingtonpost.com/national/on-faith/
loving-judaism-but-questioning-israel/2011/09/28/gIQA1cbs5K_story.html
Obama’s Badge of ShameThe
portion of Obama’s speech in the United Nations that referred to the
Palestinian bid for membership in the UN earned for him a “badge of
honor” from Israeli prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu (those are the
very words used by Netanyahu when he congratulated Obama on his
speech!). But, in the eyes of most of the world, it brought shame and
disgrace on Obama and the US and made a laughing stock of both.
http://dissidentvoice.org/2011/09/obamas-badge-of-shame/
Leila Khaled in Lipstick: Palestinian Women Out of Frame
Acre - Leila
Khaled hijacked an American airplane on 29 August 1969. After the
operation, the photograph of the famous revolutionary taken by Eddie
Adams turned Khaled into an icon. Khaled, a young brunette carrying a
Kalashnikov with a kuffiyeh around
her neck, became a symbol of an era. Images of Khaled and other icons
of the seventies are reproduced at Framed-Unramed, an exhibition at the
Ethnographic and Art Museum, in partnership with the Institute of
Women’s Studies at Birzeit University.
Palestine's Tashweesh: Performing the Intifada in Beirut
An unconventional mix of music and artistry, Tashweesh will recreate the
daily lived language of the intifada as performance in their Beirut
debut. Unlike traditional music bands that include a singer and
musicians, Tashweesh (Arabic word for jamming or static) is a
Palestinian performance collective that engages the audience by joining
audio and visual techniques on stage. In their work, space, sound, and
time come together unapologetically. The group debuts in Beirut with
three shows, including a public concert in Shatila refugee camp next
Sunday.
http://english.al-akhbar.com/content/palestines-tashweesh-performing-intifada-beirut
A few points for the occasion of the Atzmon saga going mainstreamOf
course Atzmon is antisemitic. I think a lot of people who steered clear
of him, including yours truly, have been loath to say that because of
the way this accusation has been weaponized by Zionists, and the desire
not to give them any credibility. But that kind of circumlocution quite
often has a price. Had people been less circumspect, the implosion of
Mearsheimer might not have happened. It takes a unique kind of genius to
cede the moral high ground to the denizens of Harry’s sewer, where
every kind of bigotry is acceptable except antisemitism, or the
concentration camp volunteer guard Jeffrey Goldberg.
http://jewssansfrontieres.blogspot.com/2011/09/few-point-for-occasion-of-atzmon-saga.html |
| For further information contact Shadi Fadda |
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