Sunday, December 21

Today in Palestine! ~ Headlines December 20, 2008 ~

PCHR Report: 2 Palestinians killed, 17 wounded in last two weeks
According to the Palestinian Center for Human Rights, over the last two weeks, from December 4th-17th, 2 Palestinians, including a civilian were killed by Israeli forces. 10 Palestinian civilians were wounded by Israeli gunfire and 3 others were wounded by Israeli settlers in the West Bank. 4 fighters with the Palestinian resistance, and an unarmed woman were wounded by Israeli forces in the Gaza Strip.
http://www.imemc.org/article/58075

After Ofar attacks Palestinian prisoners declare hunger strike
Private sources told PNN early Saturday afternoon that a number of tents were on fire in Ofar Prison. The fires started after Israeli guards attacked Palestinian political prisoners. Guards fired rubber bullets and gas. At least 12 Palestinians were injured while the Prisoner Society has issued a condemnation. After the attacks, Palestinian political prisoners declared an open hunger strike in protest.
http://english.pnn.ps/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=4257&Itemid=1

Clashes erupt in Israeli-run prison

Guards and Palestinian inmates reportedly injured in unrest at jail near Ramallah.
http://english.aljazeera.net/news/middleeast/2008/12/20081220151131380408.html

Ofer prison guards assault Palestinian prisoners, many injured
Tens of Palestinian prisoners in the Israeli Ofer prison west of Ramallah were injured or suffered suffocation on Saturday evening after Israeli jailors assaulted them.
http://www.palestine-info.co.uk/En/

Israeli forces hurl tear gas canisters at ambulances in Ni'lin

Israeli Forces hurled two tear gas canisters toward an ambulance belonging to the Palestinian Red Crescent Society on Friday during confrontations between Israeli forces and Palestinian youth in the central West Bank village of Ni'lin, west of Ramallah. Confrontations erupted as Palestinian youth rallied protesting the erection of the separation wall in Ni'lin.
http://www.maannews.net/en/index.php?opr=ShowDetails&ID=34103

Three Wounded in Nonviolent Demonstration in Bethlehem
Three Palestinian civilians were wounded in a nonviolent demonstration in Bethlehem, organized by the Popular Campaign Against the Wall and Settlements.
http://www.imemc.org/article/58069

Ten Wounded at Nilin's Anti-Wall Protest

At least ten civilians were wounded as hundreds of villagers from Ni'lin, located near the West Bank city of Ramallah, took to the streets Friday afternoon to protest the construction of the Israeli apartheid wall on their land.
http://www.imemc.org/article/58067

Palestinians say settlers beat mother and son

Palestinian sources claimed on Saturday that settlers from Havat Gilad beat a Palestinian woman and her son. The sources reported that the two are residents of the village of Til. IDF troops were alerted to the scene.
http://www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7340,L-3641442,00.html

Soldiers kidnap several residents in Nablus

Israeli soldiers invaded on Thursday the northern West Bank city of Nablus and kidnapped several members and leaders of the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine (PFLP). Soldiers also violently searched a number of homes causing damage to their properties.
http://www.imemc.org/article/58079

Israel examining possibility of purchasing a new Australian bomb

Israeli sources reported recently that Australian media agencies said that Israeli officials are interested in purchasing a bomb manufactured by Australian and can be used to hit Syrian and Lebanese targets without having to cross the borders, the Arabs48 news website reported.
http://www.imemc.org/article/58080

Palestinian fighter killed, two citizens wounded in IOF missile shelling
IOF fired a land-to-land missile on Saturday morning at a group of Palestinians in Beit Lahia north of the Gaza Strip killing Ali Hijazi and wounding two others.
http://www.palestine-info.co.uk/En/

Children among four injured in deadly Israeli shelling; factions retaliate
One Palestinian was killed and four injured including two children Saturday morning as Israeli artillery bombarded the northern Gaza Strip towns of Beit Lahiya and Beit Hanoun. Palestinian factions responded by firing several projectiles at Israeli targets. Sunday started with two ground-to-ground missiles fired by the Israeli army at a group of Palestinian fighters killing 25-year-old Ali Hijazi and injuring two others who have not been identified.
http://www.maannews.net/en/index.php?opr=ShowDetails&ID=34102

Israeli forces kill Palestinian in N Gaza, leftists say it was national decision to not renew calm

Israeli warplanes continued to bombard the northern Gaza Strip's Beit Lahia on Saturday killing one Palestinian, Ali Hijazi. The 25 year old was a member of the Fateh-affiliated Al Aqsa Brigades. Two other people were injured in the morning attack. Later on Saturday afternoon two more Palestinians were injured in an Israeli air attack on the northern Strip's Beit Hanoun.
http://english.pnn.ps/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=4259&Itemid=1

Armed groups launch projectiles toward Israeli towns
An armed group affiliated with Islamic Jihad fired a homemade projectile at the southern Israeli town of Sderot, according to a statement. The Al-Quds Brigades claimed responsibility for launching the projectile, which was launched "in retaliation for Israeli atrocities in the Gaza Strip."
http://www.maannews.net/en/index.php?opr=ShowDetails&ID=34118

Israeli settlers flee Sderot by end of truce
A state of fear engulfed residents of the settlement of Sderot as the truce between the Israeli occupation and Palestinian factions came to an end Friday morning according to a report in Haaretz.
http://www.palestine-info.co.uk/En/

Israel occupation troops around the Gaza Strip put on high alert
Israeli occupation forces around the Gaza Strip were put on high alert and cancelled all leave for its troops, according to Israeli military sources.
http://www.palestine-info.co.uk/En/

Islamic Jihad: Jihad, resistance the only way

Group's military wing claims responsibility for evening rockets, holds mass rally to protest any renewed ceasefire.
http://www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7340,L-3641364,00.html

Ben-Eliezer: truce is over; army will operate as hard as it can
Israeli Infrastructure Minister, Benjamin Ben-Eliezer, threatened on Friday that the Israeli army will operate as hard as it can in the Gaza Strip under the pretext of stopping the firing of homemade shells by resistance fighters in Gaza.
http://www.imemc.org/article/58081

Truce Expires Without Renewal [December 14 – December 20]

The Hamas – Israel ceasefire came to a categorical end on December 19, as Palestinian factions in Gaza agreed not to renew the ceasefire due to Israel's violations of the 6 month deal. This week has witnessed numerous violations of the ceasefire from both sides, with each side claiming it is retaliating against the other. Israel has continued with its closure of Gaza's borders, allowing in only a token number of deliveries. As a result, Gazans are living in darkness and running out of basic supplies such as baby diapers and grain for bakeries. UNRWA announced with dismay on December 18 that it would cease to operate as its warehouses are empty, with nothing left to distribute.
http://www.miftah.org/Display.cfm?DocId=18374&CategoryId=10

Unity, and peace, hinge on US

WASHINGTON (IPS)-Eighteen months after Hamas evicted Fatah forces from Gaza, the prospects for restoring Palestinian unity are more elusive than ever, with both factions believing that time is on their side, according to a new report by the Brussels-based International Crisis Group (ICG) released Wednesday. But changes in the regional and international landscape, particularly if United States President-elect Barack Obama follows through on his campaign pledges to engage with Iran and Syria, could spur a reconciliation, one which a growing number of experts here believe is essential for progress toward a Palestinian-Israeli peace accord.
http://electronicintifada.net/v2/article10041.shtml

Egypt truck explodes in Gaza smuggling bid

Fuel tanker explodes as it unloads 50,000 liter cargo meant for delivery to Hamas-controlled territory; no casualties, four homes destroyed.
http://www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7340,L-3641549,00.html

Khudari: Crossing points must be opened despite end of truce
MP Dr. Jamal Al-Khudari has asserted Friday that the issue of the crossing points was a humanitarian issue that shouldn't be linked to the truce with the Israeli occupation.
http://www.palestine-info.co.uk/En/

Pictures of Bahraini protest against the Gaza siege

http://bahrainonline.org/showthread.php?t=224386

East Jerusalem to the Gaza Strip: 217 Candles Lit in Solidarity

From Jerusalem to Gaza, residents are confronting the practices of Israeli occupation. The closure of the Gaza Strip, and the seizure of the holy city brought hundreds of people together last night.
http://www.imemc.org/article/58085

Free Gaza Movement: Dignity pulls into Gaza Port despite Israeli threats
(Gaza Port, Gaza, 20 December 2008) The DIGNITY pulled into Gaza Port at 8:00 am today after the Israeli Navy threatened to board them and take the two Israelis off the boat. "We know you have Israelis on board, so either turn back, or we will board and take them off," said the voice on the radio. "We are going to Gaza," Huwaida Arraf, the delegation leader, replied.
http://www.palsolidarity.org/main/2008/12/20/free-gaza-movement-dignity-pulls-into-gaza-port-despite-israeli-
threats/


First Arab Siege-Breaking Boat Arrives in Gaza

The first Arab ship to break the siege arrived in the Gaza Strip this morning. Numerous Arab attempts have been thwarted by Israeli forces, but Qatar has sailed into port after launching from Cyprus on Friday.
http://www.imemc.org/article/58088

El Khodary: Qatari ship to reach Gaza coast Saturday morning

Independent Palestinian Legislator, head of the Popular Committee Against the Siege, Jamal El Khodary, stated on Friday that a Qatari ship carrying humanitarian supplies has sailed from the Larnaka port in Cyprus, and is expected to arrive at the Gaza Coast on Saturday morning.
http://www.imemc.org/article/58078

15 activists sail from Cyprus to Gaza in effort to break siege

International activists delivering medical aid sailed from Cyprus to Gaza on Friday, in attempt to break the siege on the coastal territory.
http://www.haaretz.com/hasen/spages/1048280.html

Egyptian Red Crescent prepares for huge aid delivery to Gaza
The Egyptian Red Crescent will begin coordinating a huge convoy of humanitarian aid including food and medical supplies for delivery to the Gaza Strip Sunday. The announcement was made internally in the society, and has not yet been made public. Commenting on the imminent arrival of aid Palestinian Authority representative to Egypt, Nabil Amr praised the decision saying it would empower Gazans and lift some of the suffering.
http://www.maannews.net/en/index.php?opr=ShowDetails&ID=34123

Haneyya: Anti-siege demonstrations reflect Arab disgruntlement over the siege
Palestinian prime minister Ismael Haneyya has expressed gratitude tocalls made by leaders and officials of Arab and Islamic parties allover the Arab world to end the siege on Gaza Strip.
http://www.palestine-info.co.uk/En/

Abu Zuhri: Arab states could break the siege if they want to
Dr. Zuhri, said that lack of denial by certain Arab parties of claims that Israel has a green light from some Arab states to assassinate Hamas leaders is evidence that they are involved in the siege.
http://www.palestine-info.co.uk/En/

Stranded Palestinians demonstrate in front of Egyptian embassy

Dozens of Palestinians stranded in the Gaza Strip as a result of the Egyptian closure of the Rafah border terminal on Saturday demonstrated in front of the Egyptian embassy building in Gaza city.
http://www.palestine-info.co.uk/En/

Help us help the children of Gaza

Westport, Connecticut (December 19, 2008)-Concerned about the escalating humanitarian crisis in Gaza, in the Middle East, Save the Children is stepping up its efforts to assist children and families struggling to survive with little access to the basic necessities of life including food, clean water, health care, electricity and income.
http://www.reliefweb.int/rw/rwb.nsf/db900SID/MUMA-7MH6QF?OpenDocument&RSS20=02-P

All Quiet on the Gazan Shore

Gaza is an island. Although located in the middle of the Arab world and bordering one of its principal and most populous countries, it could very well be in the middle of the ocean, isolated and unbeknownst to anyone. Its residents, if given the choice, may actually prefer this setting than bear witness to the malignant neglect afforded them by their fellow Arabs as Gaza inexorably withers under the barbaric Israeli siege.
http://www.counterpunch.org/amiri12192008.html

Israel has turned West Bank town into prison

Qalqilya has been an encircled town since the Israeli West Bank barrier was built around it in 2003. Only one narrow gate guarded by Israeli soldiers allows access. The anger, disbelief and protests over this situation have become muted. The people of Qalqilya are waking up to the reality of near imprisonment.
http://www.dailystar.com.lb/article.asp?edition_id=10&categ_id=2&article_id=98586

Barghouthi: UNSC resolution on Annapolis meant to strangle Palestinian cause

Palestinian lawmaker and head of the Palestinian National Initiative MP Dr. Mustafa Al-Barghouthi has warned Friday of the adverse repercussions of the UNSC resolution.
http://www.palestine-info.co.uk/En/

Tony Blair: Israel's options are difficult, but Gaza is not staying still

There aren't many things as effective at spoiling Quartet envoy Tony Blair's mood and bursting optimism as the two words "Gaza Strip." Compared with the positive results his work has attained in the West Bank, it appears the situation is only deteriorating in Gaza. One thing is clear to Blair: Both the next Israeli and U.S. administrations will have to change their Gaza policies..
http://www.haaretz.com/hasen/spages/1048022.html

PENGO: democracy off the rails in Palestine, Abbas must ensure municipal elections held on time
Municipal elections must be held before the end of the four year term, especially in those cases where appointed representatives are governing Palestinians, said the Palestinian Network of Non-Governmental Organizations (PENGO) on Saturday. Several municipal councils have been dissolved since they were elected in 2004 and replaced with appointed representatives. Elections were held in shifts across West Bank starting on 25 December 2004; though in many cases elections were voided and cancelled before a municipal government could be elected.
http://www.maannews.net/en/index.php?opr=ShowDetails&ID=34121

Avraham Burg: Once a Political Riser, an Israeli Challenges His Country's Identity

Burg: "Israel should not be a Jewish state. Israeli Arabs were like German Jews during the Second Reich." But four years ago Mr. Burg not only walked away from politics, but also basically walked away from Zionism. In a book that came out last year and has just been translated and released in the United States, he said that Israel should not be a Jewish state, that its law of return granting citizenship to any Jew should be radically altered, that Israeli Arabs were like German Jews during the Second Reich and that the entire society felt eerily like Germany just before the rise of Hitler. In other words, rather than reconciling the country's complex tensions, Mr. Burg ended up imploding from them. "I realized something about myself and Israel that frightened me," he said recently, looking back over the past few years. "I realized that Israel had become an efficient kingdom with no prophecy. Where was it going?What is a Jewish democratic state?What does it mean that Jews define themselves by genetics 60 years after genetics were used against them?"
http://www.nytimes.com/2008/12/20/world/middleeast/20burg.html

Palestinian PM: World must hold Israel accountable
Fayyad says settlement construction has accelerated since peace talks resumed last year, disappointed with EU decision to upgrade ties with Israel.
http://www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7340,L-3641517,00.html

Robert Fisk's World: How the absence of one tiny word sowed the seeds of catastrophe

A nit-picker this week. And given the fact that we're all remembering human rights, the Palestinians come to mind since they have precious few of them, and the Israelis because they have the luxury of a lot of them. And Lord Blair, since he'll be communing with God next week, might also reflect that he still – to his shame – hasn't visited Gaza. But the nit-picking has got to be our old friend United Nations Security Council Resolution 242. This, you'll recall, was supposed to be the resolution that would guide all future peace efforts in the Middle East; Oslo was supposed to have been founded on it and all sorts of other processes and summits and road maps.
http://www.independent.co.uk/opinion/commentators/fisk/robert-fiskrsquos-world-how-the-absence-of-one-tin
y-word-sowed-the-seeds-of-catastrophe-1205017.html


Arab Town Blamed for Jewish Pride March's Cancellation
Jewish peace groups have accused the Israeli police of fuelling racism by cancelling a "Jewish Pride" march by a far-right group that was to have taken place through one of the largest Arab towns in Israel. The police postponed the march, due last Monday, claiming they had evidence extremist residents of Umm al Fahm in northern Israel would open fire on the marchers and police.
http://palestinechronicle.com/view_article_details.php?id=14508

Israel angered by UK settlements move warning FO warns not to buy in occupied zones

Britain has been accused of anti-Semitism by a hardline Israeli MP because Britons are to be warned against buying property in settlements in Israeli-occupied Palestinian territories. An advisory, to be posted on the Foreign Office website, is to refer to settlements in East Jerusalem, the West Bank and the Golan Heights, all areas occupied by Israel during the 1967 Middle East war. It will warn that future peace deals between Israel and the Palestinians and Israel and Syria could affect property purchases there.
http://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/middle-east/israel-angered-by-uk-settlements-move-warning-fo-warns
-not-to-buy-in-occupied-zones-1205008.html


Rumours or reality?Palestinian Christians in Gaza
Just over a week ago the Jerusalem Post published an article about the persecution of Palestinian Christians in Gaza, saying that a big proportion are trying to emigrate and leave the Hamas-controlled Palestinian territory. The newspaper said that the issue was underreported by the Western media, but some people in the Gaza Strip are saying that this so-called 'issue' is simply not true. MENASSAT spoke with Palestinians in Gaza to investigate this further.
http://www.menassat.com/?q=en/news-articles/5484-rumours-or-reality-palestinian-christians-gaza

Living under Occupation
This was Shea's fourth trip to the Holy Land since joining the staff of the Episcopal Church more than five years ago. On each trip, she has met with religious leaders, church and NGOs, government representatives of both Palestinians and Israelis, as well as the United States, and individuals who struggle daily with the many hardships and challenges of living under Occupation.
http://www.episcopal-life.org/80050_103910_ENG_HTM.htm

For West Bank women, intricate holiday cookies mean source of income

BEIT SAHOUR, West Bank (CNS)--When the Christmas season comes around, Nadia Bannourah pushes back the living room sofas, removes the coffee table and drags over the big kitchen table in its place. Then she sets her family to work making Christmas cookies. Mixing margarine, semolina, yeast and boiling water with her hand, she begins the process.
http://www.catholicnews.com/data/stories/cns/0806333.htm

Hundreds gather in the town of Beit Sahour to start the Christmas calibrations
On Saturday afternoon the residents of Beit Sahour along with Palestinians from Israel and internationals gathered in the town center.
http://www.imemc.org/article/58091

Eerie crossing into Gaza
The crossings from Israel into Gaza have been closed much more than they have been open recently. I managed to get in the other day. When I first came through the Erez crossing almost 18 years ago, there was a wooden hut where a bored Israeli soldier would glance at your passport and wave you through. A lot of people have been killed on both sides since then-more Palestinians than Israelis-and now Israel has a great, echoing terminal on the border. It echoes because it could handle thousands of people-but for what Israel says are pressing reasons of security, almost nobody is allowed to cross.
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/programmes/from_our_own_correspondent/7789726.stm

December 18th, what happened, Jewish Voice of Peace general mailing
It is hard to convey, and impossible to overstate, just how completely saturated Israeli culture is by the heroic image of the Israeli Army. In school, advertisements, marketing campaigns,store discounts, discussions with neighbors, every way you can imagine, the Army is portrayed as the ultimate form of service to the country. When I took my daughter, who is five, to the doctor recently, the doctor began her explanation of how vaccines worked in this way: `you know how Israel has an Army that protects us?Well the vaccines are your body`s army…`
http://www.kibush.co.il/show_file.asp?num=30634

Stars' Photos Removed from Leviev Website as Celebs Seek Distance from Rights Abuser
New York, NY, December 19, 2008-Following complaints by at least four major Hollywood stars whose photos were posted on Israel diamond mogul Lev Leviev's website, Leviev staff removed the entire celebrity photo section from his website www.leviev.com this week. The photos' removal came after Adalah-NY and Jews Against the Occupation-NYC sent letters to and spoke with representatives for Salma Hayek, Halle Berry, Drew Barrymore, Brooke Shields, Andie MacDowell, Lucy Liu, Whitney Houston and Sharon Stone, all of whose names and photos, apparently wearing Leviev jewelry, were featured in a Celebrity section of Leviev's website.
http://sabbah.biz/mt/archives/2008/12/19/stars-photos-removed-from-leviev-website-as-celebs-seek-distance
-from-rights-abuser/


This 1997 poster shows Ramzi Aburedwan
If no one had handed Ramzi Aburedwan a violin when he was a stone-throwing teenager in a refugee camp, he might've ended up languishing in an Israeli prison cell. He might've become little more than an obscure fatality lost amid the thousands of young Palestinians killed in the seemingly intractable conflict. However, music teachers from Ramallah to Boston saw something else in Aburedwan's arm: A natural, if unrefined, ability to play classical music.
http://www.mcclatchydc.com/homepage/story/58217.html

Erasing words, names and a way of life

Palm trees and stone cupolas, olive trees and cactus branches, crumbling stone terraces, an old fig tree that provides sweet fruit every summer, grapevines with their branches wrapped around rocks-and in the winter, those blossoming almond trees, which rise up amid the undulating stone like pinkish-white fluffy clouds. This is the ultimate Israeli landscape, the prettiest landscape there is here. The one that spurs people to go out to hike on the weekends. The one urban gardeners try to emulate using olive and date trees imported whole to the city, along with a few boulders and earthenware jugs.
http://www.haaretz.com/hasen/objects/pages/PrintArticleEn.jhtml?itemNo=1047897

Film on Palestinian refugees takes Best Documentary in Dubai

Dubai-Ramallah /PNN – The Palestinian film "Memory of the Cactus: the Story of Three Palestinian Villages" won Best Documentary at the Dubai International Film Festival. The film, produced by the Al Haq Center in Ramallah and directed by Hanna Musleh, tells the story of the original inhabitants of Imwas, Beit Nouba and Yalo in the Latroun district of the West Bank. Israeli forces razed the villages to the ground and placed "Canada Park" atop the ruins.
http://english.pnn.ps/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=4260&Itemid=1

Lebanon says Israeli soldiers capture two Lebanese men

AFP-Israeli soldiers captured two Lebanese civilians on a raid across the border into southern Lebanon on Friday, a Lebanese security official said.
http://news.yahoo.com/s/afp/20081219/wl_mideast_afp/lebanonisraelborderdiplomacy

Friday: 10 Iraqis Killed, 8 Wounded
Excerpt: At least 10 Iraqis were killed or found dead and another eight were wounded in today's attacks. A judge has admitted that the journalist shoe-lobber was beaten while in Iraqi custody. No Coalition deaths were reported.
http://www.antiwar.com/updates/?articleid=13928

2 missiles land on U.S. base in Salah al-Din

SALAH AL-DIN /Aswat al-Iraq: Two missiles landed on a U.S. military base south of Tikrit city on Friday, a police source in Salah al-Din province said, not indicating whether the attack left casualties. "Two missiles landed on the military base of Anaconda (formerly al-Bakr) in the area of Yathrib, Balad district, south of Tikrit," the [...]
http://en.aswataliraq.info/?p=104916

Iraqis will face war crimes trial
Two Iraqis accused of killing British soldiers can be lawfully handed over to the authorities in Baghdad to be tried for war crimes, the High Court has ruled. Faisal al-Saadoon, 56, and Khalaf Mufdhi, 58, who have been held by British forces in Basra for five years, have opposed the transfer on the grounds that they would be in danger of torture and the death penalty.
http://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/middle-east/iraqis-will-face-war-crimes-trial-1204996.html

The Baathist "Coup Plot"

Up to 25 officials are under arrest at the Iraqi Interior Ministry, some accused of plotting a coup and trying to bring back the Baath party of Saddam Hussein, Iraqi government sources said. Those detained over the past three days by a counter-terrorism unit which answers directly to the Prime Minister, Nouri al-Maliki, include a brigadier-general, though many of the others arrested are low-level officials.
http://www.counterpunch.org/patrick12192008.html

Iraq 'Baathist plotters' released
Interior ministry releases detainees accused of planning 'Baathist coup'.
http://english.aljazeera.net/news/middleeast/2008/12/2008121921582397154.html

Arrests at Iraqi Ministry Based on a 'Big Lie,' Interior Chief Says

BAGHDAD, Dec. 19--Iraq's interior minister on Friday angrily dismissed reports that a group of officials from his ministry was plotting to overthrow the government and said the arrests of the men were politically motivated.
http://feeds.washingtonpost.com/%7Er/wp-dyn/rss/world/mideast/index_xml/%7E3/Ac3Cl9N6KUo/AR2008
121903266.html


Iraq lawmakers reject law on British troops

Reuters-Iraq's parliament voted on Saturday to reject a draft law that allows troops from Britain, Australia and several other countries to remain beyond the end of this year, Iraqi parliamentarians said.
http://news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20081220/ts_nm/us_iraq_deal

Iraqi City a Caldron of Ethnic Tensions
KIRKUK, Iraq--Darawan Salahadin, dressed in a black shirt and blue jeans, strolled out of his home in the Kurdish part of his ethnically fragmented neighborhood, passing concrete barriers and a checkpoint guarded by a Kurdish fighter.
http://feeds.washingtonpost.com/%7Er/wp-dyn/rss/world/mideast/index_xml/%7E3/oHW2smAhBvU/AR200812
1903885.html


Nour Akkad: Iraqis Respond To House Of Saddam
For some, he was a national hero. For most, he was a terrifying tyrant. And for the past two Sundays, HBO gave us an inside look into the life of the brutal dictator Saddam Hussein and his family. House of Saddam is a four-part miniseries that can best be described as entertaining to say the least, and that's precisely the problem. Myself being Syrian-American, I was used to hearing the horrific and jaw-dropping stories of Insane Hussein from my Iraqi friends--and so I watched with the assumption that the movie documentary would leave me disturbed. Instead, I found myself at times sympathizing with the ruthless leader. I decided to venture out and see if I was the only one who felt this way. I thought it would be interesting to get a first-hand account and response to the documentary by Iraqi-Americans who will never forget the impacts of Saddam's rule on their lives. In an effort to be as objective in nature as possible, I spoke with Iraqi-Americans from different walks of life--Shiites & Sunnis, Young & Old--all of whom by the way wanted to remain anonymous.
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/nour-akkad/iraqis-respond-to-ihouse_b_152070.html

In pictures: 'Shoe-thrower' support
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/in_pictures/7792616.stm

Iraq shoe-thrower's family demonstrates for his release
AFP-The family of an Iraqi journalist who threw his shoes at US President George W. Bush demonstrated for a second day on Saturday to demand his release from custody.
http://news.yahoo.com/s/afp/20081220/wl_mideast_afp/iraqusmediabush

More Iraqis rally to cause of reporter who threw shoes at Bush

BAGHDAD — The Iraqi journalist who hurled his shoes at President George W. Bush intends to press charges against the people who he says beat him as he was taken into custody, said a member of the Iraqi parliament who's urging his release.
http://www.mcclatchydc.com/iraq/story/58223.html

Iraqi Sunnis embrace Shiite reporter who threw shoes at Bush (McClatchy Newspapers)
The Iraqi journalist who hurled his shoes at President George W. Bush intends to press charges against the people who he says beat him as he was taken into custody, said a member of the Iraqi parliament who's urging his release.
http://news.yahoo.com/s/mcclatchy/20081219/wl_mcclatchy/3127429

Hundreds in Jordan call for shoe-thrower's release
Hundreds of people on Saturday gathered in Jordan's capital of Amman, calling for the release of the Iraqi journalist who threw shoes at U.S. president George W. Bush. They chanted "Down, down with Bush," and praised Muntadhar al-Zaidi, the Iraqi journalist, as a "hero," calling for his release.
http://news.xinhuanet.com/english/2008-12/21/content_10531398.htm

Malaysian minister praises Iraqi shoe-thrower
KUALA LUMPUR, Malaysia: Malaysia's foreign minister has praised the Iraqi journalist who tossed his shoes at President George W. Bush, saying it was the "best show of retaliation" for the U.S. invasion of Iraq. Rais Yatim praised "the shoe-throwing act by that remarkable reporter who gave President Bush his final farewell last week."
http://www.iht.com/articles/ap/2008/12/20/asia/AS-Malaysia-Bush-Shoe-Tosser.php

Good news for the shoemaker, bad news for the shoes

Good day for: Turkish shoemakers, as the Istanbul-based company that made the shoes an Iraqi journalist threw at President Bush reported soaring demand. Baydan Ayakkabicilik San. & Tic. owner Ramazan Baydan said he might change the name of the shoe, now called Model 271, to The Bush Shoe or Bye-bye Bush. "Thanks to Bush, orders are flying in like crazy," he said.
http://www.theweek.com/article/index/91786/3/A_Turkish_shoemaker_thrives_some_of_his_shoes_in_
Iraq_dont


Terry Jones: How about a pardon for the shoe-thrower, President Bush?

Dear Mr Bush, Hey! Congratulations on the way you dodged those shoes! You made it look so easy – like you'd being dodging stuff all your life! And that smart remark likening the incident to "driving down the street and having people not gesturing with all five fingers" – whatever it meant it sounded cool, man! Fantastic!
http://www.guardian.co.uk/commentisfree/2008/dec/19/george-bush-shoe-thrower-zaidi

Ray Hanania: Shoe Throwing Incident Exposes Western Failure to Understand Arab World
Americans are the most educated people in the world but the least educated in the world. They can't tell the difference between a Palestinian and a Pakistani, and an Iranian and an Indian.That might explain why the West is so outraged that an Iraqi, who is a journalist, threw his shoes at President Bush, while people in the Arab World view it as a moment of pride.
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/ray-hanania/shoe-throwing-incident-ex_b_152394.html

Cheney's Unrepentent Confession
Dick Cheney has publicly confessed to ordering war crimes. Asked about waterboarding in an ABC News interview, Cheney replied, "I was aware of the program, certainly, and involved in helping get the process cleared." He also said he still believes waterboarding was an appropriate method to use on terrorism suspects. CIA Director Michael Hayden confirmed that the agency waterboarded three Al Qaeda suspects in 2002 and 2003.
http://www.counterpunch.org/cohn12192008.html

IRAQ: Once Arabs were his friends, but in Iraq they were enemies
Lance Cpl. Lance Hering was discharged from the Marine Corps on Friday just hours after pleading guilty to being AWOL for two years after returning from combat duty in Iraq. The hearing officer ordered no additional jail time beyond the 33 days Hering spent in the brig awaiting court-martial after being arrested. Nor did the hearing officer reduce Hering in rank.
http://latimesblogs.latimes.com/babylonbeyond/2008/12/post-4.html

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