UPDATE: The two internationals have been released from the Israeli police station without charge. The tent was eventually taken down by the residents of Sheikh Jarrah, though it has now been rebuilt. The bulldozer, after threatening to demolish the tent, instead built a small rock wall inside the Palestinian property.
http://www.palsolidarity.org/
Israeli Authorities demolish dozens of homes, barracks in the Negev
The Regional Committee for Unrecognized villages in the Negev reported on Monday that the Israeli authorities displaced the population of the unrecognized Arab village in the Negev rendering dozens of families homeless.
http://www.imemc.org/article/
Razing of Beduin village leaves dozens homeless
Brenda Gazzar - Jerusalem Post - Days after a state-appointed commission recommended that many unrecognized villages be accepted as legal, dozens of Beduin citizens were made homeless on Monday after an unrecognized village was razed by the Israel Land Administration. Guy Perel, the Tel Aviv-based attorney representing several of the inhabitants, said that "The ILA is acting, with the approval of the court, against the law."
http://www.jpost.com/servlet/
Police demolish entire Bedouin village inside Israel
Ma`an - "After over six hours, no structures were left standing and all inhabitants were pushed off their land."
http://www.maannews.net/en/
Israel court orders barrier rerouted in flashpoint village
AFP - The Israeli High Court ordered the government on Monday to change the route of its controversial West Bank separation barrier around the flashpoint village of Bilin, the scene of weekly protests.
http://us.rd.yahoo.com/
HCJ voided another route offered by the state in for Bil'in barrier
In a rare decision the Israeli High Court of Justice ruled that the second amended route of the barrier proposed by the State in the lands of Bil'in is also illegal.
http://www.btselem.org/
Bil'in residents cautious following Supreme Court order to move the annexation wall
The Israeli Supreme Court yesterday ruled that the second proposed route of the annexation barrier proposed by the Israeli military is illegal. The High Court judges concluded following the court session that the route presented by the Israeli State did not conform to the previous court ruling from September 2007.
http://www.palsolidarity.org/
Three injured in Israeli airstrike on northern Gaza Strip
Three Palestinians including two women were injured on Tuesday evening when an Israeli aerial drone fired a missile at Beit Hanoun in the northern Gaza Strip. Witnesses told Ma'an that the Israeli drone fired at least one missile at a group of ordinary Palestinian civilians north of the town.
http://www.maannews.net/en/
Army assassinates leader of the Al Quds Brigades in Jenin
An under-cover force of the Israeli army assassinated on Monday night after midnight the leader of the Al Quds Brigades, the armed wing of the Islamic Jihad, in the northern part of the West Bank after the forces surrounded an internet coffee-shop in the Al Yamoun town, west of Jenin.
http://www.imemc.org/article/
Settler charged with kidnapping Palestinian
Son of Yesha Human Rights Organization head indicted on charges of kidnapping Palestinian youth, beating him, and leaving him naked in field after chasing him and his friends with mini tractor.
http://www.ynetnews.com/
Israeli forces seize two university students at checkpoints
Israeli troops detained two university students from Tulkarem at checkpoints on Tuesday morning.. Both were taken to an unknown location. Palestinian Security sources revealed that Israeli troops at the Ennav and Za'tara checkpoints in east Tulkarem detained Musa Fa'eq Odeh, who was on his way to An-Najah National University in the city of Nablus. The second student, Mahmoud Ahmad was detained at the Za'tara checkpoint in southern Nablus on his way to Bir Zeit University. [end]
http://www.maannews.net/en/
Israeli forces detain 13 Palestinian youths near Hebron
Israeli forces ransacked several homes in the town of Beit Ummar, north of Hebron, evacuated occupants at gunpoint and detained 13 Palestinian youth Tuesday morning. The Prisoners' Society in Hebron condemned the arrests, especially those of 17-year-old Murad Abu Judah whose life may be endangered by the detention. Abu Judah was shot in the leg three years ago by Israeli soldiers and needs several medical attentions.
http://www.maannews.net/en/
Israeli forces seize 22 Palestinians in West Bank raids
Israeli forces detained 22 "wanted" Palestinians from various locations in the West Bank early Tuesday morning and took them to detention centers. The Palestinians were taken from Deir Abu Mash'al in Ramallah, the Al-Fawar Refugee Camp and Beit Ummar in Hebron along with other areas in the West Bank.
http://www.maannews.net/en/
Israeli Military Detains Palestinian Residents From the West Bank
On Tuesday, Israeli military detained at least 22 Palestinian residents from the West Bank.
http://www.imemc.org/article/
PLC Speaker Aziz Dweik sentenced to 36 months by Israeli court
An Israeli military court sentenced Aziz Dweik, the speaker of the Palestinian Legislative Council (PLC) to 36 months in prison on Tuesday. Dweik, who last went before a judge in 2007, has already served 28 months, meaning he technically has eight months left to serve.
http://www.maannews.net/en/
Death threats to UN assembly head probed: official
UNITED NATIONS – A spokesman for U.N. General Assembly President Miguel d'Escoto Brockmann says U.S. authorities have been asked to help investigate online death threats against his boss. Enrique Yeves said Monday that the threats against d'Escoto were posted during the past week. He did not specify the nature of the threats or say where they were posted, but called them "very serious." D'Escoto, a Roman Catholic priest with openly leftist views, has been critical of the United States and of Israel's treatment of the Palestinians. He was quoted in The Jerusalem Post in November as saying the international community should consider a boycott, divestment and sanctions against Israel similar to those used against South Africa decades earlier. [end]
http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/200
UN: Israel's expulsion of human rights envoy is 'dangerous'
Israel's decision to expel a U.S. expert on human rights was a "dangerous" move that contravened mandates given to rights advocates working for the United Nations, the UN General Assembly president said Monday.
http://www.haaretz.com/hasen/
Israel denies entry to UN rights reporter
At the order of Israel's ministry of the interior, Israeli border police denied Prof. Falk entry into Israel on 14 December 2008, on his way to the West Bank to carry out his official functions. He was deported from Ben Gurion airport in Tel Aviv on 15 December 2008. In March 2008, the UN Human Rights Council voted to appoint Prof. Falk to this position as UN Special Rapporteur for a six-year term. Prof. Falk's duties include preparing reports on human rights violations in the Occupied Palestinian Territories, informing the UN about his work and conclusions, and suggesting ways of alleviating these violations.
http://electronicintifada.net/
UN official: Israeli delegation spreading 'malicious lies'
United Nations General Assembly President Miguel d'Escoto Brockmann on Tuesday charged that the Israeli delegation has spread a "malicious lie" by asserting that he tried to bar its envoy from addressing a human rights session.
http://www.haaretz.com/hasen/
Israel shuts down Gaza crossings
The IOA on Tuesday ordered the closure of all Gaza Strip commercial crossings only few days after partially opening them at the pretext missiles were fired from the Strip at adjacent Israeli targets.
http://www.palestine-info.co.
Hezbollah chief calls on Arab, Muslim world to help lift Gaza blockade
Hezbollah leader Sheik Hassan Nasrallah called on people across the Arab and Muslim world to help lift the Israeli blockade against the Gaza Strip.
http://www.haaretz.com/hasen/
Nasrallah organizing mass rallies against Gaza siege
Hizbullah chief urges 'brothers in Egypt' to open Rafah crossing and end 'great Islamic humanitarian disaster' in Strip.
http://www.ynetnews.com/
Arabs, Muslims Start Action Friday to End Gaza Siege
Friday will be the day to start action to end the siege of Gaza, Hezbollah Secretary General Sayyed Hasan Nasrallah announced Monday night. In a televised speech broadcast on Al-Manar, Sayyed Nasrallah said that large demonstrations in solidarity with the oppressed Palestinians and to end the siege of Gaza will take place starting Friday after noon prayers. His eminence stressed in his speech the demonstrations are also to support the choice of resistance, steadfastness and adherence to rights regardless of the sacrifices and difficulties. Sayyed Nasrallah called on all Lebanese, regardless of the political affiliations, to take part in the action given the importance of the central cause of Palestine. "I call on all the Lebanese, regardless of whether they are loyal to March 8 or 14, to participate in the demonstration that Hezbollah will organize on Friday at 2 PM," Sayyed Nasrallah said.
http://almanar.com.lb/
Iran bazaars close in support of Gaza
Iran says the only solution for the Israeli crisis is for the Palestinian nation -- the indigenous population of the land -- to be allowed to hold a national referendum to determine their own fate. Trade at Iranian bazaars has been brought to a halt as merchants protest over recent Israeli crimes against the Palestinian people in Gaza.
http://www.presstv.ir/detail.
Nigeria: Shiites in Kano Protest Gaza Blockage
Hundreds of Shiite Muslims in Kano have protested Israel's bloc-kage of Gaza city, urging Presi-dent Umaru Yar'adua to sever diplomatic ties with the Jewish state. Speaking during the protest, the representative of Sheik Ibrahim El-zakzaky, Malam Sanusi Abdulkadir, said it is high time the whole world gathered in unison to call Israel to order.
http://allafrica.com/stories/
Help GCMHP to Help Gaza
"When I see 1.4 million trapped in a situation of collective punishment, without rights, I have to raise that, and I will go on raising it." These are the words of Mary Robinson, a former UN High Commissioner for Human Rights and former president of Ireland, who was one of the few outsiders permitted to enter the Gaza Strip in November. She told the BBC on November 4th that it was "almost unbelievable that the world doesn't care while this is happening…Their whole civilization has been destroyed, I'm not exaggerating."
http://palestinechronicle.com/
Mood in Gaza suprisingly upbeat
Not only was the Gaza Strip surprisingly flush with food, but the mood on the street was remarkably upbeat. Yes, Gaza, particularly in the refugee camps, is a miserable place — overcrowded, filthy, lack of work and forced confinement in a district 1/15 the size of Prince Edward.
http://business.
Barghouthi: IOA released 900 prisoners and detained 5,000 others since Annapolis
MP Mustafa Al-Barghouthi, leader of the national initiative party, has described the Israeli release of 230 Palestinian prisoners as "pulling the wool on the eyes".
http://www.palestine-info.co.
Freed Palestinians receive warm welcome in Ramallah
Hundreds of people gave a heroes' welcome on Monday to more than 200 Palestinian prisoners freed by Israel in what was billed as a goodwill gesture toward Western-backed Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas. The released inmates got off five buses in the center of the Occupied West Bank.
http://www.dailystar.com.lb/
Hamas: Liberating prisoners national duty
Hamas on Monday welcomed the release of Palestinian prisoners from Israeli occupation jails and their return to their homes and families, adding that they deserve to live in freedom.
http://www.palestine-info.co.
Israel's revolving door for Palestinian prisoners
The respected Palestinian politician and humanitarian activist Mustapha Barghouthi notes that since Annapolis (remember Annapolis, folks?), Israel has released 990 Palestinian political prisoners-- but it has arrested and detained (usually without trial) a further 4,950 Palestinians. Israel, he said, now holds around 11,000 Palestinians, including 47 elected members of parliament. A Palestinian non-state group holds one Israeli who at the time of capture was a combatant in the IDF.
http://justworldnews.org/
Agreement in Hamas: Cease-fire to end Friday
After expressing contradictory positions on Sunday, Hamas' leadership on Monday adopted a united stance: The cease-fire with Israel, which expires this Friday, will not be extended. On Sunday, the Damascus-based head of Hamas' political bureau, Khaled Meshal, had said precisely that, but Gaza-based leaders of the movement insisted that no decision had yet been reached.
http://www.haaretz.com/hasen/
Livni Says Israel Can't Tolerate Hamas State in Gaza
Foreign Minister Tzipi Livni said Israel can't tolerate a Hamas-run state in the Gaza Strip, as a six-month truce with the Islamic militant group comes to an end.
http://www.bloomberg.com/apps/
Abbas calls for extension of Gaza truce
Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas urged on Tuesday the continuation of an Israeli-Palestinian ceasefire in the Gaza Strip should be extended, four days before the truce formally expires. Abbas argued that the termination of the agreement serves no one's interests and would double the impact of the Israeli seige on the Gaza population.
http://www.maannews.net/en/
Qassam Brigades: Resistance was founded to counter occupation
The Qassam Brigades on Monday stressed that resistance was only formed to fight occupation that only understands the language of force and is only deterred by resistance.
http://www.palestine-info.co.
Palestinian Authority: Death Sentences Surge in West Bank, Gaza
(Jerusalem, December 14, 2008) - Palestinian officials should announce an immediate moratorium on the death penalty and eliminate its use in Palestinian law, Human Rights Watch said today in letters to Palestinian officials. In 2008, Palestinian civil and military courts have sentenced 11 people to death, including a defendant who was a child at the time of the alleged offense. The last time a Palestinian court sentenced someone to death or Palestinian authorities carried out an execution was in 2005. Under Palestinian law, the president of the Palestinian Authority (PA), Mahmoud Abbas, must ratify all death sentences prior to implementation.
http://www.hrw.org/en/news/
Abbas urged to reverse a 'surge' in death sentences
Human Rights Watch urged Palestinian officials to place a moratorium on the death penalty and eliminate its legal use on Monday.
The New York-based organization reported that 11 people have been sentenced to death in Palestinian civil and military courts in the West Bank and Gaza this year, the first such sentences since 2005.
http://www.maannews.net/en/
New face of law and order in the West Bank
The traffic cop doing Michael Jackson-esque moves outside the Stars and Bucks café in busy Ramallah attracts a lot of attention. To many however, the sight of any Palestinian uniform in the West Bank is still a novelty. The dancing policeman is the face of a new force — trained in Jordan with US and European support — in an attempt to establish Palestinian law and order in the West Bank.
http://www.timesonline.co.uk/
Border Control / Democracy in the West Bank? Not if it's up to Israel
Shortly after the Israeli elections, it will be the Palestinians' turn to go to the polls. Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas (Abu Mazen) repeatedly tells people he has had enough and is ready to retire. The 73-year-old leader has recently been sending messages to the Israeli authorities that he would like to see Marwan Barghouti, who is being held in an Israeli prison, succeed him.
http://www.haaretz.com/hasen/
Mideast Quartet to meet to spur push for peace
AFP - UN chief Ban Ki-moon was to host a meeting of the diplomatic Quartet on the Middle East here Monday on the eve of a Security Council ministerial session as part of stepped-up efforts to give fresh impetus to the peace process.
http://us.rd.yahoo.com/
Quartet says U.S.-led Mideast talks 'irreversible'
The Quartet of Middle East peace negotiators said on Monday there was no turning back from U.S.-led talks between the Israelis and Palestinians even though they have failed so far to produce a peace agreement. In a statement issued after a meeting of Quartet members -- the United States, Russia, the European Union and the United Nations -- the group said the negotiations launched last November in Annapolis, Maryland should be accelerated.
http://www.alertnet.org/
Rice: Bush approach best to achieve Mideast peace
Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice says the Mideast peace process that President Bush launched last year is the best chance yet to end the conflict between Israel and the Palestinians.
http://feeds.sfgate.com/click.
ANALYSIS / How Abbas' stance on peace talks can help Netanyahu
If elected prime minister, Benjamin Netanyahu will continue peace talks with the Palestinians, but their content will change. Based on past experience, he will recognize signed agreements, but will reject the proposals made by Prime Minister Ehud Olmert and Foreign Minister Tzipi Livni to Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas and chief Palestinian negotiator Ahmed Qureia. In Netanyahu's view, governmental continuity applies only to signed and ratified agreements. Proposals that have not yet been accepted do not bind future governments.
http://www.haaretz.com/hasen/
Report: Abbas won't run for another term
Al-Hayat newspaper quotes Palestinian sources as saying PA president will declare presidential, Legislative Council elections to be held in April.
http://www.ynetnews.com/
Bush to meet Abbas on Friday: White House
AFP - President George W. Bush plans to meet Palestinian president Mahmud Abbas on Friday at the White House, spokeswoman Dana Perino said on Tuesday.
http://us.rd.yahoo.com/
Poll: Most Israelis oppose leaving West Bank for Arab world's recognition
Two-thirds of Palestinians support a plan that offers Israel full recognition from the Arab world in return for withdrawing from occupied territory, and nearly two-thirds of Israelis oppose it, according to a survey released Tuesday. The poll also indicated that a majority of Israelis and Palestinians support an extension of a truce between Israel and Gaza's Hamas rulers. The truce, which has become increasingly shaky in recent weeks, expires on Friday.
http://www.haaretz.com/hasen/
Water pollution exposed as cause of Nablus epidemic
Water in the Al-Qayroun neighborhood of Nabulus has been found to be contaminated with cryptosporidium protozoan, announced Ayman Hussein, an associate professor at An-Najah University's Medical Sciences Department on Tuesday. Hussein claimed the cryptosporidium protozoan that has contaminated water networks comes from sewage and is the cause of the gastro-intestinal illness and diarrhea 200 Nabulus residents suffered from about a month ago.
http://www.maannews.net/en/
The Wall
"The construction of the wall being built by Israel... in the occupied Palestinian Territory, including in and around East Jerusalem... [is] contrary to international law. Israel is under obligation... to dismantle forthwith the structure... [and] make reparation for all damage caused..."
http://www.palestinemonitor.
East Jerusalem
"The 75 km Wall being built in East Jerusalem is an instrument of social engineering designed to achieve the Judaization of Jerusalem by reducing the number of Palestinians in the city."
http://www.palestinemonitor.
Israel's 'Crime Against Humanity'
Israel's siege of Gaza, largely unseen by the outside world because of Jerusalem's refusal to allow humanitarian aid workers, reporters and photographers access to Gaza, rivals the most egregious crimes carried out at the height of apartheid by the South African regime.
http://www.truthdig.com/
Israel's Terror Rampage
The Israeli government is conducting a meditative mass murder operation against Gaza residents while the whole world is silently and complicity watching and the American media is distorting the facts.
http://www.
Simon Tisdall: Round and round again in the Middle East
Pressure is building on all sides for positive movement to resolve the Israel-Palestine conflict. The transition in Washington, February's Israeli elections, and possible power shifts among the Palestinians are encouraging perceptions of a new "window of opportunity". But while the view through the glass may be clearer, the window frame remains firmly locked and bolted.
http://www.guardian.co.uk/
Veolia involved in Israel's waste dumping in West Bank
At the entrance of the Tovlan landfill, located beside the Jordan River in the Occupied Palestinian Territories (OPT), three flags fly proudly: those of Israel, France and the European company, Veolia. Through its Onyx subsidiary, Veolia, which is also constructing the Jerusalem light rail project on occupied Palestinian land, is managing the Tovlan landfill. In a 2004 year report on sustainable development, Veolia announced that its subsidiary Onyx brought "the new Tovlan landfill into service in Israel."
http://electronicintifada.net/
Madoff and the Israel lobby
I keep posting about Madoff because it's huge and everyone is wondering which way this tree is going to fall. I think it has resonance for the Israel lobby. Today on NPR they quoted somebody Flood in New York talking about investing with Madoff. From her accent, I sensed, she's Jewish (and certainly Jewish groups predominated among his investors). And she said in essence: There were a couple of red flags, and the numbers never did make complete sense but my accountant said, Hey, he's making a lot of money! The subtext of the interview was, He's a smart Jewish guy, he's the last person who'd screw us. Or as Scott McConnell wrote to me today: "the Madoff event may be the greatest example of intelligent people being blinded by ethnocentrism I've ever seen."
http://www.philipweiss.org/
Lev Leviev Blood Diamonds
On Saturday 13th December a number of ISM activists braved the rain and cold, took to the streets and voiced their opposition to Lev Leviev and his blood diamonds which finance the illegal Israeli settlement expansion into the Palestinian territories. Located on the upmarket Old Bond Street in the West End of London, activists stood out against a backdrop of designer boutiques. Despite innitial opposition by Leviev's security guards, management and police officers, the demonstration went ahead undeterred. Activists shouted various chants, read out facts about Leviev's human rights abuses and war crimes, distributed leaflets and spoke with members of the public about Leviev's more sinister activities. Activists wanted to raise awareness that the shine of the diamonds can't take away from the darkness of his abuses. Even the security guards took an interest and it was suggested they find an alternative company they could be proud to work for.
http://sabbah.biz/mt/archives/
Fighting on a different front
They are just out of school and would rather go to jail than serve in the Israeli military. This Thursday, a group of Israeli young men and women, barely out of school, will bring home some important truths about the situation in Israel/Palestine for those who care to listen. The Shministim (Hebrew for twelfth-graders) are Israelis who, having been called up for compulsory military service, have refused to serve in an occupying army and are thus sent to prison for refusing the draft.
http://www.guardian.co.uk/
In new ads, Palestinians try to sway Israeli public on peace plan
On Hebrew language billboards and newspaper ads, the Palestinian Authority promotes an Arab peace initiative to skeptical Israelis.
http://www.csmonitor.com/2008/
Beyond the frame
Visual arts Photographs of Lebanon's Palestinian refugee camps have at times proven exploitative and unhelpful for the subjects in front of the lens.
http://www.thenational.ae/
Palestinian artist Emily Jacir awarded top prize
On 13 November Palestinian conceptual artist Emily Jacir was awarded the prestigious Biennial Hugo Boss Prize. Established in 1996 in conjunction with the Solomon R. Guggenheim Foundation to "recognize significant achievement in contemporary art," the prize includes a $100,000 award and a solo exhibition at the Guggenheim Museum New York in 2009. The award is the latest honor for the celebrated artist. Maymanah Farhat reports.
http://electronicintifada.net/
I am Egyptian, My Blood in Palestinian: Hani Shaker in Ramallah and Jericho
When Hani Shaker sang in Jericho Thursday, 10,000 fans flooded the eastern West Bank's Jericho. The Egyptian singer is incredibly well-known, but his popularity in Palestine is mixed. However, at least 10,000 Palestinians were willing to publically love the pop singer during the Jericho performance. The night before, a press conference was held at Ramallah's Grand Park Hotel. A statement issued at the same time was entitled, "I am Egyptian and my Blood is Palestinian."
http://english.pnn.ps/index.
Bethlehem gears up for a busy Christmas
AFP - The traditional birthplace of Jesus is preparing to welcome a record number of tourists in its first year of relative calm in the West Bank since 2000, Bethlehem's mayor said on Monday.
http://us.rd.yahoo.com/
Christmas tree lit in Bethlehem's Manger Square
A 10-meter-high (32-feet-high) Christmas tree has been lit in Manger Square. The ceremony began the Christmas season in Jesus' traditional birthplace. About 500 visitors counted down and cheering Monday as red and yellow lights on the cypress lit up. The tree is the centerpiece of elaborate decorations put up around town in anticipation of a booming holiday season.
http://www.google.com/
The road to Bethlehem
BBC correspondent Aleem Maqbool keeps an online diary in text and video as he walks from Nazareth to Bethlehem, retracing a journey made by Joseph and Mary in the Christmas story told by Luke the Evangelist.
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/
Road to Bethlehem, Day 1, Video
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/
The Order to Destroy Has Been Given
It is Wednesday afternoon on the 5th November. I woke up this morning and was happy. The man who repeatedly exclaimed "Change" and "Yes we can" had done the impossible, had proven that change is possible. Now seven hours have passed and I have gone to Silwan, south of Jerusalem's Old City. A house is to be demolished and the morning and the happiness feel distant, as if it had been a different time.
http://palestinechronicle.com/
Israel's 'Get Out of Jail Free' Card
Excerpt: The powerful Israel Lobby, with its support of the Iraq war and its insistence that Iran be denuclearized, by force if necessary, is a major constituent of the War Party in the United States.
http://feeds.feedburner.com/%
Israel Vows 'Swift Victory' in Next War with Hezbollah
Israeli occupation military has reiterated its threats against Lebanon amid talk about practical scenarios where the Israeli occupation army would occupy the area south of the Litani and end its war with Hezbollah in a "quick and decisive victory." Israeli daily The Jerusalem Post, quoting Israeli military sources, said the elite Golani Brigade has only recently concluded a one-week maneuver on the occupied Golan Heights amid talk about the possibility that Israel could wage war both on Syria and Hezbollah.
http://almanar.com.lb/
Why Hezbollah Stiffed Carter
Truth be told, this observer, along with one suspects plenty of others, was miffed at Hezbollah this past Wednesday morning. As I looked up at sunrise at Sammin Mountain above Beirut on the Western chain of Lebanon's dramatic range to see if the rumor was true that the preceding night would welcome the season's first snowfall, I was disappointed that there was not one centimeter of the white stuff, knowing that when it does arrive, it's one the most beautiful sights in the Levant.
http://www.counterpunch.org/
Syria offers Israel map of potential Golan borders
Syria has drafted a document defining potential boundaries for the Golan Heights and is waiting for an Israeli reply through Turkish mediators, sources familiar with the talks said this week.
http://www.haaretz.com/hasen/
Monday: 21 Iraqis Killed, 32 Wounded
Excerpt: At least 21 Iraqis were killed and 32 more were wounded in the latest violence. No Coalition deaths were reported. Meanwhile, an Iraqi journalist has become a hero to many Iraqis a day after throwing his shoes at U.S. President Bush. Also, the U.N. is asking Iraqis to treat Saddam-era officials fairly when they are handed over from U.S. custody next year. Thousands of Iraqis across the country demanded the release of Iraqi journalist who insulted and threw shoes at U.S. President Bush yesterday. Muntadhar al-Zeidi lobbed his shoes at Bush during a press conference while yelling, "this is a farewell kiss, you dog. This is from the widows, the orphans and those who were killed in Iraq." Al-Zeidi is in Iraqi custody.
http://www.antiwar.com/
Tuesday: 11 Iraqis Killed, 42 Wounded
Excerpt: At least 11 Iraqis were killed and 42 more were wounded in the latest round of violence. No Coalition casualties were reported, but the Iraqi cabinet has drafted a law that will cover British troops remaining in Iraq. Meanwhile a shoe-lobber, who attacked President Bush, may have been beaten while in Iraqi custody. Also, a U.S. group blasted the Iraqi government for tolerable the abuse of religious minorities as the U.S. handed over a number of detainees to Iraqi authorities.
http://www.antiwar.com/
18 killed in Iraq attacks after Bush visit
Seven members of a single family from the ancient Yazidi religious sect were gunned down in their home as violence killed 18 people in Iraq on Monday in the wake of US President George W. Bush's farewell visit. Police in Sinjar, a town near the Syrian border, said the three women and four men who died were killed by a group of armed men, though the mayor said there was a single attacker, "apparently bent on tribal vengeance."
http://www.google.com/
Iraqi mayor blames 'tribal vengeance' for slaying of seven Yazidi family members
Seven members of a family from the ancient Yazidi religious sect were gunned down in their home as violence continued in Iraq on Monday in the wake of US President George W. Bush's farewell visit. Police in Sinjar, a town near the Syrian border, said the three women and four men who died were killed by a group of armed men, though the mayor said.
http://www.dailystar.com.lb/
Iraqi police: Bomb in downtown Baghdad wounds 6
AP - Iraqi police say a bomb blast in central Baghdad has wounded three officers and three civilians.
http://us.rd.yahoo.com/
Iraqis doubt U.S. can, or will, honor withdrawal dates
BAGHDAD — The deadlines sound clear enough in the security agreement: U.S. combat troops must be out of Iraqi urban areas by June, and all Americans should withdraw from the country by Dec. 31, 2011.
http://www.mcclatchydc.com/
Green Zone comes under missile attack during Bush's visit
A rocket attack targeted the Green Zone, downtown Baghdad, Sunday evening while visiting U.S. President George W. Bush was holding talks with Iraqi leaders. Loud explosion of a Katyusha missile was heard at 7:30 pm. (local time) as Bush was set to sign the U.S.-Iraqi Status of Forces Agreement (SOFA), a security official said.
http://www.kuna.net.kw/
Bush considers visit to Iraq 'successful', says U.S. spokesperson
BAGHDAD / Aswat al-Iraq: The spokesperson for the U.S. embassy in Baghdad said on Monday that President George Bush described his visit to Iraq as 'successful', despite the incident he faced during the press conference with the Iraqi premier before signing the joint statement between the two countries. "President Bush described his visit to Iraq as [...]
http://en.aswataliraq.info/?p=
Bush Acknowledges Absence Of Al Qaeda In Pre-Occupation Iraq With A 'So What?'
Reality-based observers have long known that the Bush administration's attempts to connect al Qaeda with pre-invasion Iraq have been nothing more than a campaign of misinformation. Al Qaeda had no presence in Iraq prior to the 2003 invasion, and even afterward, the so-called "al Qaeda in Iraq" never amounted to anything more than a "microscopic terrorist organization" with "850 full time fighters." But regardless of the facts, one theme has been constant from this administration. The presence of al Qaeda, terrorists, "special groups," and foreign fighters (typically from Iran) is sold as justification for the invasion and occupation, when it is actually the result of the invasion and occupation.
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/
Iraqi Sewed Up Mouth In Failed Bid To Avoid Deportation
A Kurdish asylum seeker who sewed up his mouth in an attempt to avoid being returned to Iraq last week had the stitches forcibly removed and was still put on the plane the next day, it emerged yesterday. He was among 49 rejected asylum seekers who were put on a special charter flight to northern Iraq last Wednesday, which took off six hours late from Stansted and was forced to return to Britain after being refused permission to land in Iraq.
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/
10 Iraqi female prisoners handed over to Iraqis
BAGHDAD / Aswat al-Iraq: Ten Iraqi female prisoners that had been detained by U.S. forces were handed over to Iraqi authorities, a U.S. adviser said on Tuesday. "The ten prisoners were handed over to the Iraqis today," the adviser told Aswat al-Iraq. "There are currently no Iraqi female detainees in any U.S. prison in Iraq," [...]
http://en.aswataliraq.info/?p=
IRAQ: Looking After Pockets, Not Patients
A nurse at Baquba General Hospital asked Ahmed Ali, who co-authored this report, for a bribe to look after his sick baby. It was hardly an exceptional demand. Patients around Iraq have begun commonly to speak of the need to bribe medical staff to get some form of care.
http://www.ipsnews.net/news..
Sons of Iraq a test for Baghdad
The transition of 25,000 "Sons of Iraq" volunteers in parts of the Sunni Triangle from United States to Iraqi control will be a stern test for the Shi'ite-dominated government. Despite their success in battling extremists, the volunteers fear betrayal by an administration they see as a proxy of Iran, and al-Qaeda will be only too happy to capitalize on any security void created by the transition..
http://www.atimes.com/atimes/
Iraqi group files 200 lawsuits against Rumsfeld, US security firms for torture
"Around 30 lawsuits have been accepted so far," Qeisi told AFP. The others are still under consideration. "The torture was systemic, and those responsible for it should be punished and the victims should be compensated," he said.
http://rawstory.com/news/2008/
Iraq shoe-thrower in hospital with broken arm: brother
Reuters - An Iraqi journalist who hurled his shoes at President George W. Bush in a fit of outrage was hit in the head with a rifle butt and had an arm broken in chaotic scenes when he was leapt on by Iraqi security officers, his brother said on Tuesday.
http://us.rd.yahoo.com/
Iraq to probe 'custody abuse' of Bush shoe assailant
AFP - Iraq's justice system is to probe the case of the journalist who hurled his shoes at US President George W. Bush, officials said on Tuesday, as his brother said he had been beaten up by security agents.
http://us.rd.yahoo.com/
George Bush shoe protest man questioned by Iraq military
The Iraqi journalist who threw his shoes at George Bush has been beaten in custody, his brother said today. Muntadhar al-Zaidi suffered a broken hand, broken ribs and internal bleeding, as well as an eye injury, his older brother, Dargham, told the BBC.
http://www.guardian.co.uk/
Iraq faces pressure to free journalist
Thousands of Iraqis take to the streets to demand the release of a reporter who threw his shoes at President George W Bush.
http://www.thenational.ae/
Family: Shoe thrower hates both US, Iran role
AP - The Iraqi TV reporter who hurled his shoes at George W. Bush was kidnapped once by militants and, separately, detained briefly by the U.S. military — a story of getting hit from all sides that is bitterly familiar to many Iraqis.
http://us.rd.yahoo.com/
Bush shoe attacker's actions outcome of occupation
BAGHDAD / Aswat al-Iraq: An Iraqi parliamentarian on Tuesday said the actions of journalist Muntadher al-Zaydi, who threw shoes at U.S. President George W. Bush at a press conference in the capital Baghdad, were the result of occupation. "What Muntadher al-Zaydi, a correspondent for al-Boghdadiya satellite channel, has done was the outcome of five years of [...]
http://en.aswataliraq.info/?p=
Bush shoe incident catches Secret Service flatfooted
WASHINGTON — Although the Secret Service put everyone who attended President George W. Bush's Baghdad news conference through several layers of security Sunday, the agency appeared to be caught off guard when an Iraqi journalist hurled his shoes at the president.
http://www..mcclatchydc.com/
Iraqis Hail Journalist Who Threw Shoes at Bush as a Hero
BAGHDAD, Dec. 15 -- Iraqis demonstrated in the streets Monday demanding the release of the journalist who hurled two shoes at President Bush during a press conference on Sunday, as Arabs across the Middle East hailed Bush's assailant as a hero who reflected their anger at American policies. Iraqi authorities have placed Muntadar al-Zaidi under arrest for "his aggressive actions against an official and a visitor of the Iraqi government," said Yaseen Majeed, a top media adviser to Iraqi Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki. In a statement, Majeed blasted Zaidi as "a disgrace to journalism" and said he would be handed over to the Iraqi justice system for "punishment."
http://www.washingtonpost.com/
'Shoe-thrower of Baghdad' brings Iraqis on to the streets
Thousands of Iraqis poured into the streets of Baghdad yesterday in support of Muntazer al-Zaidi, who was catapulted from obscurity to worldwide celebrity after hurling his shoes at the US President, George Bush. As the Iraqi journalist remained in detention for what authorities called "a barbaric and ignominious act", a crowd in Baghdad pelted US troops with their shoes in one of many street protests called in support of the reporter's action.
http://www.independent.co.uk/
Arab world embraces Iraqi who threw shoes at Bush
Iraq faced mounting calls Monday to release the journalist who hurled his shoes at George W. Bush a day earlier, an action branded shameful by Baghdad but hailed in the Arab world as an ideal parting gift to the unpopular US president. Colleagues of Muntazer al-Zaidi, who works for independent Iraqi television station Al-Baghdadia, said.
http://www.dailystar.com.lb/
Video: Gazans rally for Bush shoe protester
Palestinians rally in Gaza in support of Iraqi journalist who threw shoes at US president George Bush.
http://www.guardian.co.uk/
Gaza journalists rally in support of Iraqi who threw shoe at Bush
Journalists in the Gaza Strip staged a demonstration on Tuesday in support of an Iraqi reporter who was arrested for throwing two of his shoes at US President George W Bush at a Baghdad press conference on Sunday. Muntathar Zubeidi, a reporter for Al-Baghdadiya television, has attained hero status in the Arab world for expressing his resentment at the US leader who launched the occupation of Iraq.
http://www.maannews.net/en/
Israeli Jewish-Arab party posts Web petition for release of Iraqi who threw shoes at Bush
The Hadash faction has posted on its Web site a petition calling on Iraqi police to release from custody the reporter who was detained after throwing his shoes at visiting U.S. President George W. Bush during a Baghdad press conference on Sunday.
http://www.haaretz.com/hasen/
Hezbollah Praises Iraqi Journalist al-Zaidi as Hero
Hezbollah on Monday commented on the incident in which an Iraqi journalist threw his shoes at US President George W. Bush. "This is a goodbye kiss on behalf of the widows and orphans and people who have been killed in Iraq," a statement issued by the media relations in Hezbollah read, recalling the words of Mountathar al-Zaidi, a correspondent for a Baghdadi television channel, who called U.S. President George W. Bush a "dog" and threw his shoes at him on Sunday.
http://almanar.com.lb/
Journalist who threw shoes at George Bush emerges as hero of resistance
An Iraqi journalist who threw his shoes at George Bush and called him a dog emerged yesterday as an unlikely hero among angry Arabs across the Middle East, who embraced his chosen weapon as a symbol of resistance. A US military patrol in Najaf was pelted with shoes by Shia protesters, as crowds gathered around Iraq brandishing footwear and demanding the release of Muntadhar al-Zaidi, the television reporter whose attack on Bush at a Baghdad press conference on Sunday made him the toast of the radical Arab press. http://www.guardian.co.uk/
Bush's record and the shoes heard around the Arab and Islamic worlds
It goes without saying that journalists, during the course of carrying out their duties, will inevitably be asked to interview or interact with individuals or groups with whom they themselves might disagree, or even regard with complete contempt. For the most part, Arab reporters carry out these responsibilities.
http://www.dailystar.com.lb/
Libyan group gives courage award to reporter who threw shoes at Bush
The Iraqi journalist who threw his shoes at U.S. President George W. Bush on Sunday was given a bravery award on Monday by a Libyan charity group chaired by leader Muammar Gadhafi's daughter.
http://www.haaretz.com/hasen/
Each Shoe Was Worth a Thousand Words, By PATRICK COCKBURN
The sight of the Iraqi reporter Muntazer al-Zaidi hurling his shoes at President Bush at a press conference in Baghdad will gladden the heart of any journalist forced to attend these tedious, useless, and almost invariably obsequious, events. "This is a farewell kiss," shouted Mr Zaidi. "This is from the widows, the orphans and those who were killed in Iraq."
http://www.counterpunch.com/
Precedent for the shoe-throwing protest
Al-Zaidi may have been beaten for his outburst at George Bush, but Iraqi journalists are entitled to righteous indignation.
http://www.guardian.co.uk/
If the Shoe Fits
Since yesterday, Muslims and Arabs throughout the Middle East have not simply rushed to the defense of al Zaidi -- they've praised him as a hero. They say that he spoke for the millions of Iraqis and millions more Arabs throughout the region who feel that they've suffered at the hands of the Bush administration's foreign policy for the past eight years. They say that he'll go down in history as the man who stood up and did something many would've thought impossible by lashing out at the president of the United States. They're talking about putting the shoes he threw in a museum as a lasting symbol of defiance.
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/
A Hero of Our Time: Muntadar al-Zaidi
When Iraqi journalist Muntadar al-Zaidi heaved his two shoes at the head of President George W. Bush during a press conference in Baghdad, he did something that the White House press corps should have done years ago.
http://www.counterpunch.org/
The weapon of the occupied
Shoes are a weapon of the masses. The fact is that most do not have the means to defend against their foreign invaders equipped with superior American-made weaponry. Shoes, like stones and most other projectiles used by people under occupation are not about defeating or causing physical damage to the enemy. It is a symbolic act, and one filled with anger, like I'm sure all of us at one point have thrown something during a fit. It is a clear and simple message from the people to the occupiers that they are not welcome. And it is a message that the occupiers and its media so arrogantly refuse to admit. Matthew Cassel comments for EI.
http://electronicintifada.net/
A New Job for Zaydi
New TV announced in its newscast that it is extending an offer for Muntazir Az-Zaydi to become its correspondent, and that his salary is effective from the second the shoe was hurled at Bush--I am not making this up. [end]
http://angryarab.blogspot.com/
Muntadar al-Zaidi Did What We Journalists Should Have Done Long Ago
Al-Zaidi listened to Bush blather that the half-decade of war he had initiated with the illegal invasion of Iraq had been "necessary for US security, Iraqi stability (sic) and world peace" and something just snapped.
http://www.
IRAQ: Shoe tosser hits the big time
His Facebook fan club keeps on growing. Members of Iraq's parliament have taken up his cause. Activists are demanding his release from custody, and SMS jokes are flashing between mobile phones across the Middle East. Even comedian Jay Leno got in on the act, citing the bizarre case of Iraqi journalist Muntather Zaidi, better know as the "shoe thrower," on his latest show.
http://latimesblogs.latimes.
Dean Obeidallah: "Shoe Tossing" - An Arab perspective
When something big happens in the Arab world, all Arab-Americans suddenly become "experts" having to answer questions from our non-Arab friends about what is going on.. Consequently, since the news broke yesterday about Iraqi reporter Muntazer al-Zaidi throwing his shoes at President Bush during the press conference, I have been inundated with questions such as: "Why did he throw his shoes?" What does a shoe represent in Arab culture?" "Is a wing tip shoe more of a statement than a sandal?" "Did the reporter throw the shoes he was wearing or do Arabs carry spare shoes with them to throw when they are angry?"
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/
The Artless Dodger
It wasn't just a Size 10 shoe thrown at President Bush at his final press event in Baghdad, it was the coda to his presidency. An Iraqi television journalist insulted an American president with a pair of thrown shoes. Millions around the world cheered the humiliation. But for many more, the coda has a different meaning. We are used to incompetence and bad behavior from public officials in democracies, too. But this American president has been different. Those thrown shoes say, good riddance.
http://www.counterpunch.org/
Bush is stupid, dumb and ignorant
Two important events have captured my attention in President George W. Bush's last visit to Iraq. The first is the hurling of two shoes at him – a vivid example of the hostility Iraqis feel towards him and his occupation troops. The second is the attack by unidentified assailants on one of Iraq's top medical surgeons in the northern city of Mosul. Both incidents tell volumes of current conditions of a country which U.S. troops and their Iraqi lackeys have turned into a wild and violent land. Bush thought he could score a point by paying his last homage to a bunch of 'friends' he has put at the helm of power in Iraq and has committed his marauding troops to protect.
http://www.azzaman.com/
Pictures
http://angryarab.blogspot.com/
Cartoons
http://latuff2.deviantart.com/
http://www.kabobfest.com/2008/
http://palestinianpundit.
http://palestinianpundit.
http://us.rd.yahoo.com/
http://palestinianpundit.
Jordanians don't think Obama will change US policy
Most Jordanians believe Washington's foreign policy is not likely to change as a result of Barak Obama's election as US president, a poll showed on Monday. In a survey by the University of Jordan's Center of Strategic Studies, 57 percent of people questioned thought "Obama's election makes no difference" to his country's foreign policy.
http://www.dailystar.com.lb/
Unlikely union builds political win for Rashida Tlaib
When Rashida Tlaib declared her candidacy in May for state representative, she heard grumblings from opponents who said the heavily Latino and black district in southwest Detroit wouldn't vote for an Arab American with a name they couldn't pronounce.. But Tlaib, a Palestinian American, won the seat with the strong backing of the district's term-limited incumbent, who happens to be Jewish. And on Jan. 1, she will become the first Muslim woman to serve in the Michigan Legislature.
http://www.freep.com/article/
Watchdog says 'even we're shocked' by Bush's failures
http://www.youtube.com/watch?
Does the Middle East Need a Good Divorce Lawyer?
The Council for the National Interest Foundation recently sent a team of 15 citizen diplomats to a number of countries in the Middle East. Ambassador Edward Peck -- the former head of President Reagan's Terrorism Task Force -- led the delegation. The Political Pilgrimage was titled, "What does the Middle East want from President Elect Barack Obama the first 100 days." They recorded a number of sound bites that are reflective of some of the concurrent opinions about and expectations from the Obama Administration. The people in the videos included Israeli and Palestinian residents, politicians, and religious leaders in the region. The CNI team also met with Grand Ayatollah Mohammad Hussein Fadlallah and Khaled Meshal (Founding Leader of HAMAS).
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/
Cheney defends waterboarding use
Dick Cheney, the US vice-president, has defended the use of waterboarding on prisoners at Guantanamo Bay and said the prison should remain open until the "war on terror" ends.. In an interview with US broadcaster ABC News on Monday, Cheney admitted he was aware that waterboarding was used on Khalid Sheikh Mohammed, the alleged planner of the September 11, 2001 attacks on the US.
http://english.aljazeera.net//
The US must change its approach toward interrogations of al-Qaida prisoners
Matthew Alexander: Interrogations of al-Qaida prisoners should be based on negotiation and compromise, not fear and control.
http://www.guardian.co.uk/
www.TheHeadlines.org
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