Shadi Fadda brings us all the headlines related to Palestine and more news from around the internet.Land Theft and Destruction And The So Called "Freeze"
FEATURE-Palestinians struggle to build in West Bank
* Bedouin, developers, government face same problem
* Palestinian "natural growth" curbed - former negotiator
* Israel blocks Palestinian projects - minister
http://www.alertnet.org/
Peace Now: West Bank building 'more than in Israel' [for Isrealis]
More homes are under construction per inhabitant in the occupied West Bank than inside Israel despite recent curbs on construction, says Peace Now.
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/
Peace Now opens 'snitches' hotline to battle freeze violations
Leftist organization says informant hotline will help public report construction violations, claims building rate in West Bank higher than in other areas of country.
http://www.ynetnews.com/
IOF demolish eight homes, number of tents in Negev region
The Israeli occupation forces (IOF) on Monday demolished eight Palestinian homes as well as tents and uprooted dozens of olive saplings in different areas of the occupied Negev region.
http://www.palestine-info.co.
Israel's "settlement freeze"
Haddad: Negotiations because of Israel's partial settlement "freeze" would be political suicide for PA.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?
2 Ramla residents arrested for stoning cars
Police say Juarish neighborhood residents throwing stones at vehicles travelling along Highway 431 are protesting demolition of illegal structures.
http://www.ynetnews.com/
Activism/Solidarity/Boycott, Sanctions and Divestment
Sign A Petition To Ask For the Implementation Of the Goldstone Report
One year since Israel launched Operation Cast Lead, raining bombs on 1.5 million Palestinians, killing over 1400 and wounding over 5,000, the Israeli government has tightened its blockade on Gaza, creating a dire humanitarian disaster. Appallingly, the British government abstained on the votes at the UN on the Goldstone Report, which called for an end to the blockade, and for war criminals to be brought to justice.
http://www.palestinemonitor.
Reservist who refused to serve in West Bank to sit 14 days in jail
An artillery reservist soldier, 26, was sentenced to 14 days in military jail after he refused to perform operational duty in the West Bank. The soldier, a member in the movement "Combatants for Peace," expressed his reservations about the operation even before arriving for reserve duty. When it was made clear to him that he would not be assigned to another mission, he refused to join his fellow reservists.
http://www.ynetnews.com/
Berkeley Daily Planet’s free speech battle goes national
Since March of this year, The Berkeley Daily Planet (BDP) has been struggling against a campaign by three long-time critics to scare away advertisers and shut the paper down, based on accusations that its publication of letters to the editor and op-eds critical of Israel constitute an anti-semitic bias. On November 27th, the local controversy came to national attention when the New York Times published an article in its Business Section – “In a Home to Free Speech, a Paper is Accused of Anti-Semitism”
http://www.muzzlewatch.com/
Palestinians in Europe conference to partake in massive march from Cairo to Gaza
The conference of Palestinians in Europe said it will actively participate in the massive Gaza freedom march which will set off from Egypt towards the besieged Gaza Strip.
http://www.palestine-info.co.
Galloway Urges Muslims to Help Lift Gaza Blockade
A British lawmaker has called on Muslims and all freedom-seeking people across the world to make efforts to lift blockades on the Gaza Strip and help the oppressed Palestinians. People in Gaza are in dire need of food, medicine and fuel, the British Member of Parliament George Galloway told state-run Islamic Republic News Agency (IRNA) on Sunday.
http://jnoubiyeh.blogspot.com/
Safe Journey, Viva Palestina
The great Viva Palestina convoy is on its way. It left London on Sunday, with the media doing their best not to notice despite photo opportunities and a press event laid on in front of the Houses of Parliament. The hundred or so vehicles, carrying humanitarian aid, are expected to arrive in Gaza on 27 December – the anniversary of the launch of Israel’s murderous blitzkrieg.
http://palestinechronicle.com/
In Support of Apartheid
Boston-area church cancelled Chomsky speech at last minute
On Sunday, the last day of his 81st year, Noam Chomsky gave a speech on Gaza in Watertown, Mass., at the behest of Newton Dialogues on Peace and War. They raised alot of money for the Gaza Freedom March. I heard a rumor that the original venue for the speech, Eliot Church in Newton, had dropped the speech under pressure, saying that the speech was "controversial" and had not gone through the appropriate processes for church events. I emailed Newton Dialogues. Dave Ascher responded. If you read between the lines of his response below, it is clear that the Eliot Church came under pressure because of the political nature of the Chomsky speech.
http://mondoweiss.net/2009/12/
Protest outside Palestinian carol concert
More than 60 protesters demonstrated outside a church which held a carol service with alternative songs condemning Israel.
http://www.thejc.com/news/uk-
Violence and Aggression
IOF invade East Khan Younis
December 9, 2009 (Pal Telegraph) - Israeli military vehicles invaded East Khan Younis Wednesday for a limited distance south Kisofeem, in Gaza Strip. Eyewitnesses confirmed that 4 Israeli tanks and 2 bulldozers invaded 200m across the lands alongside the borders.
http://www.paltelegraph.com/
Palestinians face West Bank settler rage
* Villagers say settlers aim to drive them off land
* Jewish settlers say violence not one-way
* Police reject accusations of leniency towards settlers
http://www.alertnet.org/
Detainees
IOF troops arrest 18 Palestinians including prominent Jihad activist
Israeli occupation forces (IOF) rounded up 18 Palestinians on Wednesday and Tuesday including a prominent commander of the Quds Brigades, the armed wing of the Islamic Jihad Movement, in Nablus city.
http://www.palestine-info.co.
Hamas: PA detained 15 members
Bethlehem – Ma’an – The Hamas movement said on Wednesday that Fatah-allied Palestinian security forces detained 15 members of the Islamic faction in the West Bank during the past two days.
http://www.maannews.net/eng/
Refugees
21 Palestinian refugees fled to Finland
December 9, 2009 (Pal Telegraph) - 21 Palestinian refugees fled to Finland on Tuesday morning after the Arab states refused to host them. They stayed in Iraqi-Syrian border since 2006 after they had displaced from Iraq, Palestinian agencies reported.
http://www.paltelegraph.com/
Humanitarian Issues
Al-Dameer Association for Human Rights; Al Mezan Center for Human Rights; Palestinian Centre for Human Rights (PCHR): Israel continues to deny Palestinians’ fundamental human rights
On 10 December, the world observes the 61st International Human Rights Day, commemorating the adoption of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights (UDHR) by the United Nations General Assembly. This year, International Human Rights Day will focus on non-discrimination, a right enshrined in, inter alia, Article 1 of the UDHR.
http://www.reliefweb.int/rw/
Who will save Gaza's children?
Never mind Copenhagen, an environmental catastrophe is going on right now – contaminated water is poisoning babies in Gaza
http://www.guardian.co.uk/
Gaza battles swine flu with folk remedy
H1N1 virus claims first victim in Strip; doctors call on public to drink tea with cinnamon to fight flu. Some say piligrims returning from hajj brought virus into Gaza.
http://www.ynetnews.com/
Targeting Civilians in Gaza
The Palestinian Centre for Human Rights (PCHR) is an "independent legal body dedicated to the protection of human rights, the promotion of the rule of law, and the upholding of democratic principles in the Occupied Territories." It issues frequent press releases, statistics, fact sheets, documents, and reports like its October 22, 2009 English version of "Targeted Civilians: A PCHR Report on the Israeli Offensive against the Gaza Strip (27 December 2008 - 18 January 2009)."
http://www.palestinechronicle.
Arabs in the Service of Israel
Egypt building iron wall on Gaza border to stop tunnel smuggling
Egypt has begun the construction of a massive iron wall along its border with the Gaza Strip, in a bid to shut down smuggling tunnels into the territory. The wall will be nine to 10 kilometers long, and will go 20 to 30 meters into the ground, Egyptian sources said. It will be impossible to cut or melt.
http://www.haaretz.com/hasen/
Prisoner Deal
Meshal: Shalit deal hindered by Israel's 'obstinacy'
The deal to exchange hundreds of Palestinian prisoners for captured Israel Defense Forces soldier Gilad Shalit is facing obstacles caused by "Israeli obstinacy," Khaled Meshal, the political leader of the Palestinian Islamist movement Hamas, said on Tuesday.
http://www.haaretz.com/hasen/
Jailed Fatah leader says prisoners swap in final phase
RAMALLAH, Dec. 9 (Xinhua) -- A Fatah leader in prison said the prisoners exchange negotiations between Hamas and Israel reached final and critical point, the Jerusalem-based al-Quds newspaper reported Wednesday.
http://news.xinhuanet.com/
Political Developments
No elections in W.Bank if vote rejected in Gaza: Abbas
BEIRUT — Palestinian elections will not take place in the West Bank if Hamas refuses to allow voters to take part in the Gaza Strip, Palestinian president Mahmud Abbas said on a visit to Beirut on Tuesday. "If Hamas persists in its refusal to allow the (presidential and parliamentary) elections to take place in Gaza, I will not agree to the vote in the West Bank," Abbas told reporters.
http://www.google.com/
Fayyad: EU decision – first step towards statehood
PA, Israel welcome European Union foreign ministers' decision stating any decision regarding Jerusalem's status must follow talks.
http://www.ynetnews.com/
PA: Kouchner weakened EU declaration on Jerusalem
Ramallah – Ma’an – A top Palestinian Authority (PA) official criticized French Foreign Minister Bernard Kouchner on Tuesday evening for weakening a Swedish proposal on the status of Jerusalem during the EU foreign ministers’ meeting in Brussels.
http://www.maannews.net/eng/
Europe softens Middle East statement after condemnation from Israel
European foreign ministers today agreed a watered-down statement on the Middle East so that it now stops short of an explicit call for east Jerusalem to be the capital of a Palestinian state but still contains strong criticism of Israel.
http://www.guardian.co.uk/
Israeli officials to Sweden: Middle East peace is not IKEA furniture
Foreign Ministry officials responded with harsh criticism on Tuesday to a call by European Union ministers for negotiations over the status of Jerusalem, saying that Sweden, which holds the EU's rotating presidency, had failed. Last week, Sweden presented a draft document supporting the division of Jerusalem and the recognition of East Jerusalem as the capital of a future Palestinian state.
http://www.haaretz.com/hasen/
Israel bans foreign dignitaries not to visit Gaza
The Jerusalem Post daily said the government of hardline Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, since taking office in March, had imposed a de-facto ban on the entry of foreign diplomats into Gaza.
http://www.monstersandcritics.
Netanyahu: PA has made strategic choice to delay peace talks
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu accused the Palestinian Authority on Wednesday of having chosen to postpone peace negotiations with Israel indefinitely as a "strategy."
http://www.haaretz.com/hasen/
Israel gives initial OK to Jerusalem referendum (AP)
AP - Israel's parliament has given preliminary approval to a piece of legislation that would require a national referendum on any peace deal that gives up control of east Jerusalem or the Golan Heights.
http://us.rd.yahoo.com/
Same old Amreeka
MJ Rosenberg: TONIGHT: Senate Will Pass AIPAC's Iran Sanctions Bill To Undercut Obama
It appears that the 800 pound gorilla that is AIPAC has been eating regular. The Senate is prepared to vote tonight -- under super expedited procedure -- on AIPAC's legislation that would impose onerous sanction on Iran, cutting the legs out of the President's diplomatic strategy.
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/
Status of Jerusalem should be negotiated by parties: US (AFP)
AFP - The United States Tuesday noted an EU statement welcoming the idea of Jerusalem becoming the future capital of two states, saying the US view was that the parties should decide that in final status negotiations.
http://us.rd.yahoo.com/
Israel bans EU MPs from Gaza
Ma’an - "“Israel had yesterday afternoon granted final permission for all members of our delegation to travel.” “However, some three hours later entry for all members of the delegation was rescinded ’on security grounds,’ without further explanation,”"
Other News
PA officer sentenced to death for collaboration
Ramallah – Ma’an – A Palestinian military court in Ramallah sentenced a security officer to death by firing squad on Wednesday after he was found guilty of collaboration with Israel, Palestinian judicial sources said.
http://www.maannews.net/eng/
US-born Israeli settler on trial for murders (AFP)
US-born Jewish settler Jack Teitel flashes a victory sign before the start of his murder trial at the Jerusalem District Court. Teitel -- who is suspected of having murdered two Palestinians and carrying out a string of hate attacks against missionaries and gays -- has gone on trial in Jerusalem.(AFP/Gali Tibbon)AFP - A US-born Jewish settler suspected of having murdered two Palestinians and carrying out a string of hate attacks against missionaries and gays went on trial Wednesday.
http://us.rd.yahoo.com/
PFLP: Hamas prevented celebration of 42nd anniversary
Bethlehem – Ma’an – The Hamas movement in Gaza intends to prevent a celebration marking the 42nd anniversary in Gaza of the founding of the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine (PFLP), according to a member of the leftist’s faction, Rabah Muhana, during a Ma’an radio interview on Wednesday.
http://www.maannews.net/eng/
Israel to Vatican: We won't return room of Last Supper
Israeli delegation leaves for Rome in bid to resolve decade-long conflict over holy sites Catholic Church is asking be transferred to its propriety. Jewish state is prepared to compromise on taxes, expropriations, but says 'Last Supper room' on Mount Zion not up for discussion.
http://www.ynetnews.com/
Zionist Wahabbis
Haredim asked to report yeshiva students with internet connection
Posters displayed throughout ultra-Orthodox neighborhoods in Jerusalem are calling on residents to report yeshiva students who own computers and are connected to the internet for fear of "to'eva (abomination)." The posters are signed by the "Committee for Preserving Our Camp's Purity," one of the so-called "modesty squads" operating in Jerusalem. Some yeshiva students who cannot find rooms in the overcrowded haredi dormitories in the capital rent their own flats. Rabbis who have forbidden the use of computers are demanding greater supervision over tenants and landlords.
http://www.ynetnews.com/
Haredi man delays bus after refusing to sit next to woman
Bus from Kiryat Gat to Kiryat Malachi forced to wait at station for long time when passenger refuses to have a woman sit next to him, shoving her with his elbow. Man refuses to switch seats, despite other available ones.
http://www.ynetnews.com/
Analysis/Op-ed/Human Interest
Through the State Department Looking Glass
Leave it to the State Department to soft-pedal religious extremism in the Middle East. Oh not in, say, Iran or Saudi Arabia. In the most recent edition of the department’s annual Report on International Religious Freedom,both are designated “Countries of Particular Concern,” members of a select group chastised for their extreme intolerance. Which is as it should be.
http://www.counterpunch.com/
EU: "Jerusalem's status must be negotiated". Dr Mustafa Barghouthi replied: “What is left to negotiate?”
EU Foreign Ministers watered down the original Swedish draft proposal, issuing a statement which calls for finding a solution through peace negotiations to resolve the status of Jerusalem. The vote came after Sweden, current holder of the EU presidency, has presented last week a draft document giving support for the division of Jerusalem and the recognition of East Jerusalem as the capital of a future Palestinian state. The earlier draft angered Israel by explicitly recognising East Jerusalem as the future capital of a Palestinian State.
http://www.palestinemonitor.
Avishai warns that ‘terrible violence’ is coming
I heard a similar view from another friend, that East Jerusalem will be the tinder point for the third intifadah. Bernard Avishai is pushing the European Union resolution that recognizes East Jerusalem as the capital of the future Palestinian state, and he wants Obama to begin a crusade against the colonies.
http://mondoweiss.net/2009/12/
One Night in Palestine
Travel Stories: Cory Eldridge only smokes when he's drunk or in the West Bank. During one tense night in Jenin, he goes through a whole pack.
http://www.worldhum.com/
I’m reading Shlomo Sand’s book, The Invention of the Jewish People, and am thrilled by it, by Sand’s moral engagement with Zionist foundational myths, and his brilliant, incisive effort to unravel the questionable historical sources of a Jewish identity rooted in fables of exile and nationhood rather than in a long "religious civilization." If some of the scholarship is synthesized from others’ groundbreaking academic studies, big deal. It’s news to me. Isn’t that just what Elaine Pagels did with gospels research, got it to a wider audience? (Without getting slammed in the Times by the usually-superb and dispassionate Patricia Cohen).
I’m accused of anti-semitism, Philip Weiss
Israeli freelance writer Lisa Goldman is accusing me, at her Twitter feed here, of fueling antisemitism for pointing out that both NY Times reporters in Israel are Jewish, one of them is Israeli, and both are married to Israelis.
http://mondoweiss.net/2009/12/
A timely wake-up call - Mahdi Abdul Hadi
Mahdi Abdul Hadi heads the Palestinian Academic Society for the Study of International Affairs (PASSIA) in Jerusalem. In an interview with bitterlemons, Abdul Hadi comments on the possibility the European Union will soon recognize East Jerusalem as the capital of Palestine.
http://www.maannews.net/eng/
The Great Wall of Israel
Try to imagine this: An American president visits Israel and in a speech given close to the vast "separation wall" Israel continues to build in part through Palestinian territory, says: "Mr. Netanyahu, if you seek peace, if you seek prosperity for Israel and the region, if you seek liberalization: Come here to this gate! Mr. Netanyahu, open this gate! Mr. Netanyahu, tear down this wall!"
http://original.antiwar.com/
Exacting a Price
Enabus. I was there two years ago, to help with the olive harvest. A Palestinian village south of Nablus. Industrious, lively and hospitable inhabitants. A very steep mountain terrain. Not the most ideal of agricultural lands, but the people of Enabus do their best. They build terraces on the mountainside, plant olive trees even on the most tiny plot available.
http://adam-keller2.blogspot.
Iraq
Tuesday: 133 Iraqis Killed, 460 Wounded
Updated at 3:19 p.m. EST, Dec. 8, 2009 An attack on government buildings in Baghdad left hundreds dead or injured even as the presidential council set March 7 for the next national election. Overall, at least 133 people were killed and another 460 were wounded across Iraq. Increased violence is expected before those elections. Meanwhile, a British intelligence official admitted at an inquiry that before the2003 invasion the UK believed Saddam had dismantled Iraq's biological and chemical weapons. Former Joint Intelligence Committee head, John Scarlett, added there was fear they could be reassembled.
http://original.antiwar.com/
Indiscriminate Baghdad attacks are a war crime
Amnesty International has condemned the indiscriminate bomb attacks in Baghdad that killed at least 120 people, many of them civilians, and injured 400 other people on Tuesday. It is not known who carried out the bomb explosions in the Iraqi capital. “There can be absolutely no justification whatsoever for indiscriminate attacks or attacks which target civilians, as these seem to have done. Such attacks are war crimes. They must be investigated thoroughly by the authorities and those responsible must be identified and brought to justice.” said Malcolm Smart, Amnesty International’s director for the Middle East and North Africa.
http://www.amnesty.org/en/
Arab League strongly condemns Baghdad bombings
CAIRO, Dec. 8 (Xinhua) -- Arab League (AL) condemned on Tuesday the massive car bombings which rocked Baghdad earlier in the day, leaving 127 people dead and 448 others injured. The AL strongly condemns the bombings in Baghdad on Tuesday, it said in a statement, adding that such acts are jeopardizing the unity and stability of Iraq at a time the war-torn country is badly in need of its people's efforts to hold elections and to continue building their country.
http://news.xinhuanet.com/
Iraq security forces face criticism - 08 Dec 09
A wave of bombings in the Iraqi capital of Baghdad has left at least 112 people dead and many more wounded. The blasts happened within minutes of each other, signalling a co-ordinated attack with high-profile government ministries among the targets. The attacks follow bombings of ministry buildings in August and October, prompting some to suggest that the security forces have been infiltrated by anti-government groups. Al Jazeera's Tarek Bazley reports.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?
Baghdad attacks put Iraq security back in spotlight - 09 Dec 09
With the US ramping up its war in Afghanistan, the Obama administration has pledged to get its combat troops out of Iraq by the deadline in under nine months. But Tuesday's string of attacks has underlined concerns over shortcomings in Iraqi security ahead of the planned withdrawal. The US condemned the attacks in Baghdad but maintained that - despite the violence - Iraqi leaders who passed an election law earlier this week are moving the country in the right direction. Al Jazeera's Sebastian Walker reports.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?
Al-Maliki urges unity after attacks
Iraqi PM calls for help from international community in wake of deadly bombings.
http://english.aljazeera.net//
Iraqis top of EU list for asylum
The EU granted asylum to 16,600 Iraqis last year - by far the largest group, forming 22% of the total, official figures show.
http://news.bbc.co.uk/go/rss/-
Iraq sets March 7 for poll after political wrangling (Reuters)
Reuters - Iraq on Tuesday set a long awaited date for a general election next year, but later pushed it back by one day to March 7, amid political wrangling typical of the squabbles which have already delayed the vote.
http://us.rd.yahoo.com/
Iraq to auction 10 oilfields
Oil-dependent Iraq bids to become one of world's biggest crude producers despite fragile security.
http://www.middle-east-online.
Ex-spy chief admits regret over Saddam 45 minutes claim
The former chairman of the Joint Intelligence Committee said today that it would have been better to have made clear that the claim that Saddam Hussein had weapons that could be deployed within 45 minutes did not refer to ballistic missiles.
http://www.guardian.co.uk/
School textbook highlights Iraq's Sunni-Shiite divide (AFP)
AFP - As Suhair Abdul Khaaliq shelters from a rare Baghdad cloudburst, waiting for her seven-year-old daughter Rana to emerge from primary school, it's obvious she's angry about a new textbook.
http://us.rd.yahoo.com/
Lebanon
Hezbollah 'more than resistance'
Sheikh Maher Hammoud is an influential Sunni Muslim cleric based in Sidon, Lebanon. He is one of a handful of senior Sunni clerics who has defied the prevailing political current and sided firmly with Hezbollah, an Iranian-backed Islamist movement that draws most of its members and supporters from Lebanon's Shi'ite community.
http://www.atimes.com/atimes/
Hizballah's call for legitimacy
Last week Hassan Nasrallah delivered a speech over video link from an unknown location, as he frequently does. The leader of the Lebanese Shia Islamic resistance and political group Hizballah addressed the audience in Beirut to present the group's new manifesto, their first since 1985 when the group unveiled its initial open letter.
http://electronicintifada.net/
UNIFIL candid about Ghajar withdrawal hopes
The United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL) held a tripartite meeting with representatives from the Lebanese and Israeli Armies Tuesday amid a flurry of media reports concerning the fate of the occupied northern part of the village of Ghajar.UNIFIL deputy spokesperson Andrea Tenenti confirmed that the meeting had taken place near the Blue Line checkpoint at Naqoura.
http://www.dailystar.com.lb/
Aoun Pays Sudden Visit to Damascus, Meets President Assad
09/12/2009 Suddenly, and without prior notice, the head of the Change and Reform parliamentary bloc MP Michel Aoun paid on Wednesday a visit to the Syrian capital Damascus where he held talks with Syrian President Bachar Assad. According to the Syrian Arab News Agency (SANA), Aoun met with Assad at the People's palace and discussed with him the latest developments in Lebanon, mainly the formation of the national-unity government and the development of the Lebanese-Syrian relations.
http://almanar.com.lb/
March 14 MPs Assail Resistance; Hezbollah MPs Respond
09/12/2009 For the second consecutive day, the Lebanese Parliament convened on Wednesday to discuss the cabinet's policy statement in order to pave the way for the vote of confidence session scheduled on Thursday. Just like in the first day of the discussions, March 14 MPs dedicated the biggest parts of their speeches to assail the Resistance and reject its clause from the policy statement without offering any "alternative". However, Hezbollah MPs decided to respond to all claims and accusations with MP Nawwaf Moussawi speaking on behalf of all martyrs and MP Ali Ammar calling on Speaker Nabih Berri to delete any mention to Hezbollah from the minutes of the sessions.
http://almanar.com.lb/
U.S. and Other World News
White House wants suit against Yoo dismissed
The Obama administration has asked an appeals court to dismiss a lawsuit accusing former Bush administration attorney John Yoo of authorizing the torture of a terrorism suspect, saying federal law does not allow damage claims against lawyers who advise the president on national security issues.
http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/
Court rebuffs Gitmo prisoner review
The U.S. Supreme Court Monday refused to take charge of the case of a Guantanamo prisoner still held after apparently being cleared for release.
http://www.upi.com/Top_News/
Afghans protest after civilian killed in US-led raid
Hundreds of Afghans have held anti-US and anti-government demonstrations against a recent US-led attack which reportedly claimed the lives of 15 non-combatants.
http://presstv.ir/detail.aspx?
Jewish teens charged with hate crime
NY1: Five Jewish teenagers are expected to appear in court Friday in connection with the beating of a Muslim man in Brooklyn. The suspects were arrested Sunday after police say they shouted racial slurs before punching Shahid Amber with brass knuckles and breaking his nose outside an area Dunkin' Donuts. According to a court document obtained by NY1, the teens also shouted "...terrorist mother-[expletive,] you [expletive] our country. Why are you here? Go back to your country and never [expletive] with the Jews."
http://www.youtube.com/watch?
Afghan government says occupation force killed six civilians
NATO officials on Tuesday disputed a report by the Afghan government that a NATO raid in eastern Afghanistan earlier in the day had killed six civilians, saying only seven militants died in the operation.
http://www.monstersandcritics.
Orwell Would Be Proud: Obama to mention Afghan war in peace prize speech
U.S. President Barack Obama will not shirk from mentioning Afghanistan and his decision to send more troops to the war zone when he accepts the Nobel Peace Prize this week, the White House said on Monday.
http://www.alertnet.org/
US Congress frets over anti-Americanism on TV in Mideast
In decisive 395-3 vote, House of Representatives adopts bill asking US president to report to Congress on incitement to anti-American violence on television networks in Middle East.
http://www.ynetnews.com/
Erdogan resists US calls for Iran sanctions, urges diplomacy after meeting with Obama
President Barack Obama failed to win immediate new pledges of support from Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan on Monday for U.S. goals toward Iran and Afghanistan.
http://www.latimes.com/news/
Cairo human rights group attacks Arab states
Respected body's second annual report condemns Arab League for remaining silent on grave human rights violations. Human rights in the Arab world have deteriorated over the last year as governments flaunt progress on women's issues while evading and actively blocking broader reforms that guarantee dignity for all, says a report.
http://www.guardian.co.uk/
Saudi Arabian man beheaded and crucified
Amnesty International has condemned an execution in Saudi Arabia that saw a 22-year-old man beheaded and then crucified. Muhammad Basheer bin Sa’oud al-Ramaly al-Shammari was convicted of kidnapping and raping four people in February 2009. He was beheaded in the Saudi Arabian city of Hail on Monday. His severed head was then sewn back on to his body, which was later hung from a pole in a public place, an act known in Saudi Arabia as a crucifixion.
http://www.amnesty.org/en/
Turning trash into treasure in the slums of Cairo
In an attempt to help curb the city's stifling pollution and meet their energy needs too, a few Cairo families have begun to recycle waste - now that the nation's pigs are gone - by generating biogas from rubbish.It is an ambitious project that is still in its infancy but may just catch on in this teeming city of 18 million people, often obscured in a grey veil of haze produced mainly by the fumes from millions of car exhausts.
http://www.dailystar.com.lb/
Jordan's King appoints new PM
Palace aide Nasser Lozi to form a new cabinet, after resignation of former government.
http://english.aljazeera.net/
Syrian farmers battle drought - 09 Dec 09
Climate Change has left farmers in Syria doing something they have never done before - relying on food hand-outs. Three years of consecutive drought has led to the country producing less than half of its food needs. According to the UN World Food Programme [WFP], about 1.3 million people are severely affected, and 300,000 are in urgent need of help. Hoda Abdel-Hamid reports on the people who are losing hope that things will ever return to how they once were.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?
Dubai: The political model, As'ad AbuKhalil
The emirate of Dubai has in the past few decades been more than a shiny example of glitzy capitalism and the insulation from the repercussions (and responsibilities) of the Arab-Israeli conflict. It has represented the type of political model which has been promoted to the Arabs, by their rulers and by the West.
http://english.aljazeera.net/
Covering Hajj 2009
A behind the scenes look at Al Jazeera's coverage of the Muslim pilgrimage to Saudi Arabia with AJE correspondent Ayman Mohyeldin.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?
Saudi Arabia Hands Missing Iran Nuclear Scientist to US
An Iranian nuclear scientist who went missing in Saudi Arabia has been "handed over by Riyadh to Washington," Mehr news agency reported on Tuesday, quoting Tehran's foreign ministry spokesman. "Shahram Amiri, Iran's nuclear scientist who had gone to hajj in Saudi Arabia, was handed over by Riyadh to Washington," Ramin Mehmanparast told Mehr, referring to the Umra. The spokesman said Amiri was one of 11 Iranian detainees currently held in US jails. His statement was the first acknowledgement by Tehran that Amiri was a nuclear scientist. Iranian officials have previously said Amiri went missing in Saudi Arabia soon after he landed there as a pilgrim earlier this year.
http://www.almanar.com.lb/
Hajj pilgrims visit sacred Zam zam well - 28 Nov 09
The well of Zam zam is believed to be from the time of Abraham. Its water is considered holy, it has never dried up, and demand for it continues to increase. The well supplies thousands of taps across the Holy Mosque in Mecca. It is bottled and sent across the world. Mohammed Adow visited the well.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?
Scouts on hand to help worshippers at Hajj - 29 Nov 09
Around 4,000 scouts participate in the Hajj to assist pilgrims with special needs or emergencies - 3,000 of them stay in Mina, where pilgrims spend three nights as part of their hajj rituals. Mohammed Adow looks at their daily duties and how essential they are to the smooth running of the Hajj rituals.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?
Is Angelina Jolie sponsoring Jordanian orphans?
Famous actress and philanthropist Angelina Jolie has apparently been secretly supporting seven Jordanian children and is currently considering to by them a house, Contact music website reported on Wednesday.
http://www.haaretz.com/hasen/
www.TheHeadlines.org
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