Shadi Fadda brings us todays headlines and other news from around the internet. Land Theft and Destruction
Begin: We'll continue building in Land of Israel
Minister inaugurates new Jewish neighborhood in South Mount Hebron, says settlements to get tens of thousands new residents.
http://www.ynetnews.com/
More Homes For Settlers In Hebron
Saed Bannoura - IMEMC & Agencies - "Israeli Minister without portfolio, Benni Begin, placed on Sunday the corner stone of ten new homes for Jewish settlers in the illegal Jewish settlement of Beit Hagai, south of Hebron in the southern part of the occupied West Bank"
http://www.kibush.co.il/show_
Israel army to reoccupy base near Bethlehem
Bethlehem – Ma'an – Israel's army plans to reoccupy an abandoned military base near Bethlehem, security sources said on Sunday, in a move certain to please settlers seeking to establish themselves in the district. An Israeli military spokeswoman told Ma'an that the army will rebuild parts of a base in Beit Sahour known as Oush Al-Ghrab "in order to ensure security in the area, according to all of the estimates of officials in the IDF [Israel Defense Forces]."
http://www.maannews.net/eng/
Kharsina settlers seize Palestinian lands in Al-Khalil
A large number of Israeli settlers from Kharsina settlement, east of Al-Khalil took over Palestinian citizens’ lands and planted some saplings under military protection.
http://www.palestine-info.co.
Soldiers prevent farmers from planting olive trees near Bethlehem
The Israeli military prevented, on Monday, Palestinian farmers and their international supporters from planting olive trees near the southern West Bank city of Bethlehem.
http://www.imemc.org/index.
VIDEO: Behind the Scenes of the Settlement Policy
The Real News Network goes on the ground to see how Israeli governments have aided and abetted settlement expansion, while maintaining a false facade of being in conflict with settler activists. Hat-tip to Rupa Shah for the story.
http://therealnews.com/t2/
"Redeeming" the land: from kibbutzniks to Hilltop Youth
After the 1967 war the value of the kibbutz -- instrumental in defining territory for the Jewish State of Israel -- as a frontline force had become obsolete. The then burgeoning settler movement soon came to replace the kibbutz as a central colonizing body. Occupying Palestinian land and cultivating it to be inhabited by exclusively Jewish communities, the strategies of settlers are not much different than early kibbutzniks. Carmelle Wolfson writes.
http://electronicintifada.net/
Activism/Solidarity/Boycott, Sanctions and Divestment
One arrested during Ni'lin protest
January 31st, 2010-- Occupation forces continued to employ the same tactics in Ni'lin, firing on and arresting demonstrators this Friday. Media outlets were barred from reporting on the demonstration, as Occupation forces closed off the village on Friday. Live fire and tear gas were used on protestors, one of whom was arrested after two soldiers chased him down.
http://stopthewall.org/
Several injured by tear gas grenades in Bil’in weekly demonstration
During today’s weekly demonstration, Iyad Burnat, the head of the Popular Committee Against the Wall and Settlements, was directly hit in his hand by a tear-gas canister, which caused major burns. Palestine TV correspondent, Haroon Amayreh, as well as a member of the Central Committee of Fatah, Sultan Aboul-Enein, and dozens of Palestinian, Israeli, and international peace activists, who had joined the demonstration in solidarity, suffered from tear-gas inhalation including fainting as the Israeli occupying forces violently suppressed today’s protest against the apartheid wall and settlements in the village of Bil’in.
http://palsolidarity.org/2010/
Thieves go home - Sheikh Jarrah is Palestine!
Gush Shalom - This was the largest demonstration yet in Sheikh Jarakh, where for some time now a demo is taking place every Friday, much like the demos in Bil’in, Nilin and other places. The Friday before, the police had brutally squashed the protest and arrested 11 demonstrators, among them the director of the Association for Human Rights.
http://www.kibush.co.il/show_
Burin residents mobilize against demolitions
January 30th, 2010-- Hundreds of Palestinians participated in a crowded demonstration in Burin yesterday. The march was organized in protest of the Occupation forces’ decision to demolish a village mosque. Hundreds held Friday prayers at the threatened mosque, where Occupation forces fired tear gas at the crowd.
http://stopthewall.org/
Al Ma’sara to PNA: First the Wall must fall
January 29th, 2010-- The weekly Friday demonstration in al Ma’sara was marked by a call to the Palestinian Authority not to resume any negotiations while Israel until they agree to dismantle the Wall and end settlement construction.
http://stopthewall.org/
SAIA to Carleton: Divest from the occupation!
This week, Students Against Israeli Apartheid (SAIA) Carleton launched a divestment campaign targeting firms supporting the Israeli military and settlement operations. The Carleton University Pension Fund is invested in five companies that are complicit in human rights violations and crimes under international law in the West Bank and Gaza - Motorola, BAE Systems, Northrop Grumman, L-3 Communications, and Tesco supermarkets. As such, SAIA is calling upon Carleton University to divest from these companies, and implement a Socially Responsible Investment (SRI) policy.
http://stopthewall.org/
Flash Mob Boycot Israeli Apartheid
Freeze Flash Mob in supermarket in Holland to promote boycot of Israeli products. 'We will not do business as usual with Israel as long as it commits war crimes and doesnt comply with international law.'
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZoLuicl3UF0&feature=player_embedded
Dutch pro-Palestinian socialite: Jewish lobby plays on Holocaust
"Holland's powerful Jewish lobby is playing on the country's sense of guilt over the Holocaust," a prominent Dutch activist said last week, triggering angry reactions and accusation of anti-Semitism from pro-Israel Dutch Jews.
http://www.haaretz.com/hasen/spages/1146333.html
"Together we can end this occupation", Jody McIntyre
The Israeli military recently dropped hundreds of leaflets warning Palestinian residents from the village of Beit Hanoun in the northern Gaza Strip not to travel within 300 meters of the border -- the distance of Israel's so-called "buffer zone." In response, local activists marched to and nonviolently demonstrated inside the "buffer zone" against the illegal action. The Electronic Intifada contributor Jody McIntyre recently spoke with demonstration organizer Saber Zanin.
http://electronicintifada.net/v2/article11041.shtml
You are invited to submit short videos [less than 5 minutes] on the theme of Israeli Apartheid
http://www.itisapartheid.tv/
Santana calls off Israel gig
Legendary guitarist, who was scheduled to perform in Jaffa in June, postpones concert to unknown date. Ticket buyers to get their money back.
http://www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7340,L-3841494,00.html
Aggression/Violence
Report: Killers injected Hamas leader with heart attack drug
A hit squad that killed a top Hamas commander in his Dubai hotel room injected him with a drug that induced a heart attack, London newspaper The Times reported on Sunday.
http://www.haaretz.com/hasen/spages/1146385.html
The Israeli Military Raid Palestinian Owned Homes & Shops in East Jerusalem
Israeli troops and workers for the Jerusalem municipality raided, on Monday at midday, Palestinian owned homes and shops located at the Wadi al-Jouz neighborhood near Jerusalem’s old city.
http://www.imemc.org/index.php?obj_id=53&story_id=57833
Settler Attack in Sheikh Jarrah with M-16
After verbal taunting, a settler in the East Jerusalem neighborhood of Sheikh Jarrah left the Gawi house which he and other settlers have occupied since August 2009. He descended the stairs with an M-16 and pushed a teenage boy. When neighborhood adults stepped in to protect the teenager, he pushed Nasser Gawi and then punched him. Seconds later the settler cocked his M-16 and pointed it wildly at the crowd that had gathered. In this video you can clearly see the first punch thrown by the settler and clearly hear the cock of his gun.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_noYAfW7dm4
Settlers target Palestinian car in arson attack for the second time
Settlers torched a car in the northern West Bank village of Asira Al-Qabliya in the early hours of Thursday morning, January 28. The attack was launched from the notorious Shalhevit Yam outpost of Yitzhar settlement, that lies a short distance from the village and has been waging a continuous campaign of intimidation on the village. Residents of Asira Al-Qabliya reported a car from the outpost approaching the village at approximately 1:30am on Thursday morning. An Israeli military jeep was then sighted pulling up alongside the car, at which point soldiers were witnessed conversing with the settlers, although making no effort to force the settlers to retreat to the outpost. The jeep departed towards the settlement, leaving the settlers to linger on the edge of the village.
http://palsolidarity.org/2010/01/11075?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+palsolidarity+%28International+Solidarity+Movement%29
Breaking the Silence publishes shocking testimonies from women who served Occupation, Philip Weiss
There’s a new and shocking booklet of testimonies out from Breaking the Silence, this one from anonymous female soldiers who served in the Occupied Territories and routinely abused the "Arabs" or "illegal aliens." Because they could, or needed to. Ynet has published many of the testimonies, and they’re horrifying/nightmarish, all about the kind of warped psychological/gender power abuse that people talk about in David Hare plays or in Eastern European memoirs. What if these stories of sexualized humiliation were published in the U.S.? (Noam Sheizaf asks). Don’t worry, they won’t be. And they won’t be acted out in Jewish Community Centers, not for another ten years, till the kids take over.
http://mondoweiss.net/2010/01/breaking-the-silence-publishes-shocking-testimonies-from-women-who-served-occupation.html
Retired IDF officials: Abuse of Palestinians rare
Former army seniors admit cases of abuse against Palestinians described by female soldiers as part of Breaking the Silence report occur but are rare. Former IDF chief of staff Amnon-Lipkin Shahak says incidents cannot be completely avoided.
http://www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7340,L-3842364,00.html
http://www.youtube.com/watch?
Dutch pro-Palestinian socialite: Jewish lobby plays on Holocaust
"Holland's powerful Jewish lobby is playing on the country's sense of guilt over the Holocaust," a prominent Dutch activist said last week, triggering angry reactions and accusation of anti-Semitism from pro-Israel Dutch Jews.
http://www.haaretz.com/hasen/
"Together we can end this occupation", Jody McIntyre
The Israeli military recently dropped hundreds of leaflets warning Palestinian residents from the village of Beit Hanoun in the northern Gaza Strip not to travel within 300 meters of the border -- the distance of Israel's so-called "buffer zone." In response, local activists marched to and nonviolently demonstrated inside the "buffer zone" against the illegal action. The Electronic Intifada contributor Jody McIntyre recently spoke with demonstration organizer Saber Zanin.
http://electronicintifada.net/
You are invited to submit short videos [less than 5 minutes] on the theme of Israeli Apartheid
http://www.itisapartheid.tv/
Santana calls off Israel gig
Legendary guitarist, who was scheduled to perform in Jaffa in June, postpones concert to unknown date. Ticket buyers to get their money back.
http://www.ynetnews.com/
Aggression/Violence
Report: Killers injected Hamas leader with heart attack drug
A hit squad that killed a top Hamas commander in his Dubai hotel room injected him with a drug that induced a heart attack, London newspaper The Times reported on Sunday.
http://www.haaretz.com/hasen/
The Israeli Military Raid Palestinian Owned Homes & Shops in East Jerusalem
Israeli troops and workers for the Jerusalem municipality raided, on Monday at midday, Palestinian owned homes and shops located at the Wadi al-Jouz neighborhood near Jerusalem’s old city.
http://www.imemc.org/index.
Settler Attack in Sheikh Jarrah with M-16
After verbal taunting, a settler in the East Jerusalem neighborhood of Sheikh Jarrah left the Gawi house which he and other settlers have occupied since August 2009. He descended the stairs with an M-16 and pushed a teenage boy. When neighborhood adults stepped in to protect the teenager, he pushed Nasser Gawi and then punched him. Seconds later the settler cocked his M-16 and pointed it wildly at the crowd that had gathered. In this video you can clearly see the first punch thrown by the settler and clearly hear the cock of his gun.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?
Settlers target Palestinian car in arson attack for the second time
Settlers torched a car in the northern West Bank village of Asira Al-Qabliya in the early hours of Thursday morning, January 28. The attack was launched from the notorious Shalhevit Yam outpost of Yitzhar settlement, that lies a short distance from the village and has been waging a continuous campaign of intimidation on the village. Residents of Asira Al-Qabliya reported a car from the outpost approaching the village at approximately 1:30am on Thursday morning. An Israeli military jeep was then sighted pulling up alongside the car, at which point soldiers were witnessed conversing with the settlers, although making no effort to force the settlers to retreat to the outpost. The jeep departed towards the settlement, leaving the settlers to linger on the edge of the village.
http://palsolidarity.org/2010/
Breaking the Silence publishes shocking testimonies from women who served Occupation, Philip Weiss
There’s a new and shocking booklet of testimonies out from Breaking the Silence, this one from anonymous female soldiers who served in the Occupied Territories and routinely abused the "Arabs" or "illegal aliens." Because they could, or needed to. Ynet has published many of the testimonies, and they’re horrifying/nightmarish, all about the kind of warped psychological/gender power abuse that people talk about in David Hare plays or in Eastern European memoirs. What if these stories of sexualized humiliation were published in the U.S.? (Noam Sheizaf asks). Don’t worry, they won’t be. And they won’t be acted out in Jewish Community Centers, not for another ten years, till the kids take over.
http://mondoweiss.net/2010/01/
Retired IDF officials: Abuse of Palestinians rare
Former army seniors admit cases of abuse against Palestinians described by female soldiers as part of Breaking the Silence report occur but are rare. Former IDF chief of staff Amnon-Lipkin Shahak says incidents cannot be completely avoided.
http://www.ynetnews.com/
Renowned Israeli author and peace activist David Grossman accused settlers and the political right of abusing Palestinians and destroying the chance for a peace agreement while participating in a protest in East Jerusalem on Friday.
http://www.haaretz.com/hasen/
Israel's history of state-sponsored assassination
Israel’s spy agency Mossad and the country's special forces have carried out a number of assassinations of Palestinian militants in the past and have also been blamed for killings which the Jewish state has never publicly taken responsibility for.
http://www.timesonline.co.uk/
Al-Tal’a, Um Zaituna
“The most desperate fights are often the most hopeful,” Istvan says to me as we stand on the hill looking down at the shepherds and their sheep. You can always rely on Istvan for the surprising Hungarian perspective on things—not usually an optimistic one, but humane and morally acute in a dark, perhaps ironic way. This is his fourth trip with us to South Hebron. He likes the Ta’ayush mode, which he thinks exemplifies the central Gandhian principle: what is inside shapes what is outside; if you can overcome your own weaknesses and fear, you will have an incalculable effect on the most recalcitrant situation. Besides, there’s another consideration of a totally non-instrumental nature. He cites an extreme example. Those Germans and Poles and others who saved the lives of Jews during the Nazi period didn’t do it to defeat Nazism; they did it because it was right, a moral act in need of no justification or corroboration outside itself.
http://josephdana.com/2010/01/
Detentions
Israeli forces detain two Palestinians near Nablus
Nablus – Ma'an – Israeli forces detained two Palestinians early Monday morning from the northern West Bank village of Awarta, south of Nablus, after raiding the family's homes, locals said.
http://www.maannews.net/eng/
Newspaper: Palestine’s embassy in Cairo behind the arrest of Ma’rouf
An Egyptian newspaper revealed that Fatah-affiliated officials in the Embassy of Palestine in Cairo were behind the arrest of chief of police patrols in Khan Younis Ibrahim Ma’rouf.
http://www.palestine-info.co.
Egypt detains chief of police patrols in Khan Younis upon his return to Gaza
The Egyptian authorities detained the chief of police patrols in the city of Khan Younis Ibrahim Maarouf upon his return along with ill father from a medical treatment trip abroad.
http://www.palestine-info.co.
Israel to file another indictment against sheikh Salah
After he was sentenced nine months in jail by the magistrate’s court in Jerusalem, the Israeli prosecution intends to file on Tuesday another indictment against sheikh Ra’ed Salah.
http://www.palestine-info.co.
Refugees
Jordan: Stop Withdrawing Nationality from Palestinian-Origin Citizens
http://www.alertnet.org/
Humanitarian Issues/Human Rights Abuses/Discrimination
Israel closes key checkpoint for second time in 24 hours
Bethlehem – Ma'an – Israeli forces closed the container road checkpoint on Monday for the second time in 24 hours. Ibrahim, an employee from Bethlehem, told Ma'an that he and others may not arrive to their workplaces in Ramallah as a result of the checkpoint's closure.
http://www.maannews.net/eng/
Gaza residents denied eye treatment by Israel
Aid agencies have warned that Israel's blockade of Gaza is putting the health of many Palestinians at risk. Last week, Israeli authorities have prevented 19 patients from crossing over to Ramallah in the West Bank, which is Palestinian territory, for cornea implants that could save their sight. Ayman Mohyeldin reports from Gaza on the harmful effects of a blockade that has no end in sight.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=asCoNLkAEfc&feature=youtube_gdata
Arab student council head says ousted for refusing to stand for Hatikvah
Representative of Arab sector files petition against Education Ministry demanding to be reinstated. 'Anthem doesn't represent me,' he says.
http://www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7340,L-3842332,00.html
Collective punishment continues in Khirbet Tana
Israeli occupation forces confiscated a fifth tractor from the endangered village of Khirbet Tana in the northern West Bank yesterday, January 27. The confiscation was justified by Israeli military personnel as punishment for farmers attempted to rebuild shelters on land that was razed by the occupation forces two weeks prior.
http://palsolidarity.org/2010/01/11096?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+palsolidarity+%28International+Solidarity+Movement%29
Gaza, One Year Later
One year after Israel's ferocious assault, Dr. Mustafa El-Hawi, a professor at Al-Aqsa University, traveled by bus to attend a protest against the continuing Israeli siege of Gaza. As the bus passed by still-devastated areas of Beit Hanoun, in the northeast of the 25-mile-long coastal strip, the U.S.- and British-educated El-Hawi reflected on those terrifying days.
http://palestinechronicle.com/view_article_details.php?id=15715
AISHEEN (Still alive in Gaza) FILM TRAILER 2009 [HQ]
AISHEEN (Still alive in Gaza): Feature Documentary, 84' Minutes- A film by Nicolas Wadimoff, in collaboration with Béatrice Guelpa. Produced by: Al Jazeera Children's Channel and Akka Films. Film music by DARG TEAM. AISHEEN (Still alive in Gaza) tells the story about the wait after the disaster. The wait for a better future inside the biggest prison in the world. Where is the ghost town?, asked the little boy to the theme park attendant. "It's there, right there. But it has been bombed Do you want to see it? It is with these words that the film, Aisheen, begins - an impressionist journey through a devastated Gaza after the war. And the ghost town? Gaza is the ghost town.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uYIxkVaSuMY&feature=player_embedded
The Gaza dam of shame
http://jewssansfrontieres.blogspot.com/2010/01/gaza-dam-of-shame.html
Arab student council head says ousted for refusing to stand for Hatikvah
Representative of Arab sector files petition against Education Ministry demanding to be reinstated. 'Anthem doesn't represent me,' he says.
http://www.ynetnews.com/
Collective punishment continues in Khirbet Tana
Israeli occupation forces confiscated a fifth tractor from the endangered village of Khirbet Tana in the northern West Bank yesterday, January 27. The confiscation was justified by Israeli military personnel as punishment for farmers attempted to rebuild shelters on land that was razed by the occupation forces two weeks prior.
http://palsolidarity.org/2010/
Gaza, One Year Later
One year after Israel's ferocious assault, Dr. Mustafa El-Hawi, a professor at Al-Aqsa University, traveled by bus to attend a protest against the continuing Israeli siege of Gaza. As the bus passed by still-devastated areas of Beit Hanoun, in the northeast of the 25-mile-long coastal strip, the U.S.- and British-educated El-Hawi reflected on those terrifying days.
http://palestinechronicle.com/
AISHEEN (Still alive in Gaza) FILM TRAILER 2009 [HQ]
AISHEEN (Still alive in Gaza): Feature Documentary, 84' Minutes- A film by Nicolas Wadimoff, in collaboration with Béatrice Guelpa. Produced by: Al Jazeera Children's Channel and Akka Films. Film music by DARG TEAM. AISHEEN (Still alive in Gaza) tells the story about the wait after the disaster. The wait for a better future inside the biggest prison in the world. Where is the ghost town?, asked the little boy to the theme park attendant. "It's there, right there. But it has been bombed Do you want to see it? It is with these words that the film, Aisheen, begins - an impressionist journey through a devastated Gaza after the war. And the ghost town? Gaza is the ghost town.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?
The Gaza dam of shame
http://jewssansfrontieres.
War Criminals
'Cast Lead' leaves legacy of birth defects
Gaza, February 1, 2010 (Pal Telegraph) - Although Israel's "Operation Cast Lead" technically ended in January of 2009, its effects are still emerging, and will be felt for decades to come. Doctors in Gaza City are reporting an alarming increase in birth defects among women exposed to white phosphorous and other chemicals used in Israeli weapons.
http://www.paltelegraph.com/
Cover-up of phosphorus shelling proves army cannot investigate itself
B'Tselem has written urgently to the judge advocate general demanding that he immediately order a Military Police investigation into the circumstances of the firing of phosphorus shells at the UNWRA compound in Gaza during Operation Cast Lead.
http://www.btselem.org/
Israel admits Gaza war violations
Israel has admitted that it violated its own rules of engagement during the war on Gaza last year. Two senior army officers have been reprimanded for firing artillery towards a heavily populated area. In the attack, a United Nations compound, where hundreds of civilians were sheltering, was set ablaze by white phosphorus shells. Al Jazeera's Jacky Rowland reports.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?
White phosphorus reprimands are highly selective
If you read the Goldstone report (Chapter XII, paragraphs 887 on..) Israel used white phosphorus on countless occasions during the ground phase of the operation: against Beit Lahiya, a crowded urban area in the north, with the result that several members of a huddled family, the Abu Halimas, were burned alive; in Khuza’a, a more rural area at the east of the Gaza Strip, in amongst many homes; and in the attack on Al-Quds Hospital. So why only cop to it with respect to the U.N. facilities? In the Abu Halima case, Goldstone said an exploding shell was used. Completely indiscriminate.
http://mondoweiss.net/2010/02/
Star of David in Gaza field causes stir
A satellite photograph showing a 60-meter Star of David carved into a Palestinian field during the offensive against Hamas in Gaza last winter, slid under the army’s radar screen when it examined the Goldstone Report’s allegations of misconduct against the IDF.
When quizzed by The Jerusalem Post, the IDF said it was unfamiliar with the incident and said the Foreign Ministry should be contacted for an official comment. The star can be seen in a satellite photograph provided to South African jurist Richard Goldstone by the United Nations last July. According to a report by the UN Institute for Training and Research that accompanied the photograph, the satellite image was shot some time between January 3 and 10, 2009.
http://www.jpost.com/Israel/
Israel suspects two IDF officers guilty of Gaza war crimes
An Israel Defense Forces brigadier general and another officer with the rank of colonel endangered human life during last year's military campaign in the Gaza Strip by firing white phosphorous munitions in the direction of a compound run by UNRWA, the United Nations Relief and Works Agency, the Israeli government says. The finding aknowledges, at least in part, allegations by international organizations. It was contained in a report that the government provided to the United Nations over the weekend in response to last September's Goldstone Commission report.
http://www.haaretz.com/hasen/
Israeli NGO: IDF combat doctrine in Gaza ’caused intentional and large-scale damage to civilian infrastructure’
We all know the extent of the destruction in Gaza: homes, mosques, schools, as well as infrastructure like chicken coops, flour mill, sewage treatment. B’Tselem has documented this – as well as the now most urgent problem that the siege still prevents rebuilding all that was destroyed. The more complicated issue is whether this destruction was systematic – i.e. willful, premeditated destruction of civilian targets with no military justification. Building this case depends not only on the extent of the damage and suffering, but on the motivations and objectives of the Israeli military.
http://mondoweiss.net/2010/01/
Goldstone explains why Israel is being singled out (after South Africa and Serbia), Philip Weiss
The other night I came home from Judge Goldstone’s speech at Yale and, sensing that it was important, posted a quick report. In days since I’ve relistened to the speech and seen its depths. Though it was not about Gaza per se, nearly everything the judge said was a logical and quietly-impassioned response to the critics of his Gaza report to the U.N. Human Rights Council. Richard Goldstone is a sober jurist, a man of the law, but his speech was a spiritual/political discussion of racism and inequality, with a backdrop of the Holocaust and apartheid South Africa.
http://mondoweiss.net/2010/01/The other night I came home from Judge Goldstone’s speech at Yale and, sensing that it was important, posted a quick report. In days since I’ve relistened to the speech and seen its depths. Though it was not about Gaza per se, nearly everything the judge said was a logical and quietly-impassioned response to the critics of his Gaza report to the U.N. Human Rights Council. Richard Goldstone is a sober jurist, a man of the law, but his speech was a spiritual/political discussion of racism and inequality, with a backdrop of the Holocaust and apartheid South Africa.
Their Enablers
Israelis disciplined in Gaza white phosphorus use (AP)
AP - An Israeli newspaper says the military has disciplined two high-ranking officers for approving the use of white phosphorus shells at the end of the Gaza war last year.
http://us.rd.yahoo.com/
Barak: Don't involve IDF in Goldstone probe
In face of international pressure to appoint independent commission of inquiry into Operation Cast Lead, defense minister wants team of senior Israeli and foreign legal experts to examine government's instructions to IDF during operation, investigation of incidents by judge advocate general.
http://www.ynetnews.com/
Dershowitz: Goldstone is a traitor to the Jewish people
Prominent political commentator Professor Alan Dershowitz slammed jurist Richard Goldstone, the architect of a UN report which accuses Israel of Gaza war crimes, saying he is a traitor to the Jewish people, Army Radio reported Sunday.
http://www.haaretz.com/hasen/
Israeli media goes after New Israel Fund: “Responsible for Goldstone Report”
The New Israel Fund (NIF), the American based progressive organization that sponsors social justice projects in Israel, is the victim of a new smear campaign launched by the right-wing movement “Im Tirzu” (אם תרצו) and picked up by Israeli media. Im Tirzu, together with right-wing MK’s and even IDF and Shin Beit seniors, are demanding Knesset and government actions that will prevent the NIF from transferring funds to Israeli human rights and peace organizations – and possibly even ban the organization altogether.
http://coteret.com/2010/02/01/
Political Developments/Diplomacy
Mahmoud Abbas: Israel's West Bank occupation leading to one-state solution
Exclusive interview: Palestinian president hints at mediated talks to restart moribund peace process. Israel's continuing colonisation of the West Bank is leading to a "one-state solution", the Palestinian president, Mahmoud Abbas, has told the Guardian, while indicating that he may be poised this week to accept a US proposal for "proximity talks" with Israel through American mediators.
http://www.guardian.co.uk/
'PA funds, endorses anti-fence protests'
The Palestinian Authority is funding and even participating in violent demonstrations against the construction of the West Bank security barrier, defense officials said on Thursday, warning that if not controlled the protests could escalate into a new wave of a Palestinian resistance. The IDF has noted a growing presence of PA government officials at the weekly demonstrations north of Modi’in Illit, in Bil’in, Na’alin and near the settlement of Neveh Tzuf (Halamish), where a top PA official was spotted two weeks ago.
http://www.jpost.com/Israel/
Deputy FM: Israel-U.S. relations have never been better
Deputy Foreign Minister Danny Ayalon declared Monday that Israel's relations with the United States have "never been better", telling delegates to the Herzliya Conference that the allies' ties go well beyond dealing with the Middle East conflict.
http://www.haaretz.com/hasen/
PRC: Dubai assassination sign of Arab-Israel normalization
Bethlehem – Ma'an – The Palestinian Resistance Committees described the recent death of Hamas-Iran liaison Mohammad Al-Mabhouh in Dubai as a sign of a normalization in relations between Arab states and Israel. "The assassination comes at a time when Israel is increasing their opposition to resistance and the result of Arab states normalizing with Israel," said Sheikh Zuheir Al-Keisy, member of PRC's political leadership, in a statement.
http://www.maannews.net/eng/
Other News
Israel’s voice on Britain's Iraq Inquiry accuses critics of “anti-Semitism”
Britain inquiry into the Iraq war has been dealt a severe blow by a pro-Israel activist on the inquiry committee who has given an interview to a Jewish settlers’ radio accusing his critics of “anti-Semitism."
http://www.redress.cc/stooges/
Haredi entertainer accused of molestation released to house arrest
Prosecutor argues David Bruckner a danger to society because he is frequently visited by children.
http://www.ynetnews.com/
Analysis/Op-ed/Human Interest
False hopes for Palestine | Ben White
Over the last six months, there have been numerous reports on the apparent signs of hope in West Bank cities such as Ramallah, Nablus, and Jenin. The Palestinian prime minister, Salam Fayyad, has also enjoyed flattering coverage in the likes of Newsweek and the New York Times, with his unilateral state-building strategy praised by a variety of commentators. The Israeli government, for its part, has trumpeted improvements in Palestinians' daily lives – from the easing of restrictions on movement, to a boosted economy. Yet as I discovered during a visit at the beginning of this year, these sunny reports bear no relation to Israel's colonisation of East Jerusalem and West Bank, where the permanently-temporary occupation continues to defy state-building efforts.
http://www.guardian.co.uk/
This is kind of amazing. You’ve seen the story about James O’Keefe, the 24-year-old young Republican prankster who got pinched trying to tamper with Mary Landrieu’s phone system, right? So here’s the first issue of the alternative conservative paper he started when he was at Rutgers back in ‘04.
http://mondoweiss.net/2010/01/
Israel and Haiti, Mohsin Drabu
Following the devastating earthquake in Haiti, which may have wiped out up to 3% of the population, one of the most publicised national aid and rescue efforts was provided by Israel. The day following the quake, a delegation including Ministry of Foreign Affairs, IDF Home Front Command and IDF Medical Corp Personnel left immediately to see how they could assist, and between then and the 27th January, the 218 IDF soldiers and officers, and 18 civilians treated more than 1,110 patients, conducted 319 successful surgeries, and delivered 16 births. The IDF Search and Rescue force also rescued or assisted in the rescue of 4 individuals.During that same time period, the same army shot 11 Palestinian civilians, including 2 children, overwhelming during peaceful demonstrations; conducted 41 military raids into Palestinian communities, arrested 63 Palestinian civilians, including 5 children, as well as continuing the annexation of Palestinian land and destruction of homes in the West Bank, and the suffocation of Gaza.
Neocon junket: ‘live penetration raids in Arab territory’
Below is an ad that was in Haaretz lately for the Ultimate Mission to Israel. The trip is a red-meat propaganda trip of a retro-masculine character–"live exhibition of penetration raids in Arab territory"– pitched to American professionals, accountants, doctors, lawyers. The fascination is not just the disgusting events–"observe a trial of Hamas terrorists in an IDF military court"–but that the ad is pitched to wealthy American Jews, and also apparently, the Modern Orthodox. Those groups overlap in the Status Quo Lobby, as it’s called, AIPAC. These are Jews who are deeply enmeshed in the American political process: note the meetings with senior Cabinet officials and the emphasis on Israel’s "struggle for survival." The ad follows the jump.
http://mondoweiss.net/2010/01/
HAITI AND THE JEWS: FORGOTTEN HISTORY, Nirit Ben-Ari, Ha'aretz
A field hospital established by the Israeli mission to Haiti treats dozens of earthquake victims every day, and is the only hospital prepared to perform complex surgeries and treatments in field conditions. But this delegation, which landed in Haiti following the recent earthquake, is not the first time the Jewish presence has been felt in the island. In 1492, when Christopher Columbus landed on the Caribbean island of Hispaniola—where Haiti lies today—he was accompanied by Torres, a Jew from Spain who was forced to convert to Christianity, and served as an interpreter. Following European settlement in the New World, Jews who fled the terror of the Spanish Inquisition also found refuge in Haiti. Jews who came to Haiti were merchants, plantation owners and slave-owners, and settled all over the island. In the 17th century the French came, bringing with them African slaves, who took the place of the natives whose culture was largely annihilated by the Spanish conquest.
http://www.ww4report.com/
Drones and Death: The Israeli Connection
Drones are remote-controlled airborne robots. They come in all shapes and sizes. These unmanned high-tech weapons are remarkably versatile. From thousands of feet in the air some reportedly have heat-detecting and surveillance instrumentation that can distinguish between an automatic weapon that has been recently fired and one that hasn’t.
http://dissidentvoice.org/
Israeli feminism
One of the domains in which Israel is certainly a light onto the nations is the department of twisting words. Israeli culture's greatest contribution to humanity is in the perfection of the oxymoron: "purity of arms", "present absentees," "a Jewish and democratic state," and so forth. Another contribution is in linguistics. Usually, we call adjectives qualifiers because they slightly qualify the meaning of the noun. A tawny dog is still a dog, and a tall building is no less of a building for being tall. But not all adjectives are like that. The adjective 'Israeli' is one of the exceptions. Israeli socialism, Israeli justice, Israeli citizenship are examples of noun phrases in which the adjective doesn't qualify the noun but perverts it. Israeli socialism is the doctrine that Jews must drive Palestinians out of the job market, and then out of their country, in order not to oppress them as wage workers. Israeli citizenship does not make one an Israeli national, because there is no such thing as Israeli nationality according to Israeli law. Israeli law is another such noun phrase, because the law is usually understood as setting limits to the arbitrariness of power. But under 'Israeli law', the commander of an area in the Occupied Territories can make his every whim 'the law' simply by writing down an order. A 'law' was even issued once forbidding Palestinians from collecting the thyme that grows on the sides of the roads.
http://jewssansfrontieres.
Israeli Confessions
If one wants to know why and how the conflict started in Palestine more than 60 years ago, the "confessions" of Israeli and Zionist leaders should make it very clear.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?
Iraq
Female suicide bomber kills 41 in Baghdad (AFP)
AFP - A female suicide bomber blew herself up among a crowd of Shiite pilgrims on their way by foot to a shrine city in central Iraq on Monday, killing 41 people including women and children.
http://us.rd.yahoo.com/
Sunday: 6 Iraqis Killed, 17 Wounded
Attacks continued against Shi'ite pilgrims walking to Karbala for Arbaeen observances. Southern Baghdad seemed especially dangerous for the pilgrims who are often traveling on foot. Overall, at least six Iraqis were killed and 17 more were wounded across the country.
http://original.antiwar.com/
Iraq: Civilian shot down by gunmen fire near Kirkuk
A civilian man was shot dead by gunmen fire northwest of Kirkuk on Friday, according to the Kirkuk Districts’ Police Department (KDPD) chief.
http://en.aswataliraq.info/?p=
Iraq inquiry is being ‘gagged’ after secret documents withheld
Crucial evidence about the reasons Britain went to war against Saddam Hussein is being kept secret it has emerged – leading to accusations that the Iraq inquiry has been “gagged."
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/
'You're a liar and murderer': Blair booed after telling Iraq inquiry he has no regrets.
http://snipurl.com/u836a
Lebanon
Hizbullah 'ready' for another war with Israel
Celebrating the 31st anniversary of the Iranian Revolution on Sunday, Hizbullah said it was "ready" for a war with Israel. Festivities in Baalbek were attended by several political figures and included a speech by Hizbullah's Shura member in the Bekaa, Sheikh Mohammad Yazbek. He asked the international community why it has ignored Israel's violations of Lebanese sovereignty.
http://www.dailystar.com.lb/
US to name veteran diplomat as Syria envoy: report
The United States will name Robert Stephen Ford as its first ambassador to Syria after a five-year absence, a Lebanese daily reported Sunday.Quoting US officials, the An-Nahar newspaper reported that the US special envoy to the Middle East, George Mitchell, had recently informed Syrian President Bashar Assad that Ford would be the new ambassador to Damascus.
http://www.dailystar.com.lb/
Israel urged to widen any future Lebanon conflict to Syria
“The logic of confrontation in Lebanon suggests that Syria may find it hard to avoid direct engagement in a future Israel-Hizbullah clash,” Spyer said.
http://www.dailystar.com.lb/
U.S. and Other World News
America's Secret Afghan Prisons
In its attempt to stamp out the growing Taliban insurgency and Al Qaeda, the US military has been arresting suspects and sending them to one of a number of secret detention areas on military bases, often on the slightest suspicion and without the knowledge of their families. These night raids have become even more feared and hated in Afghanistan than coalition airstrikes.
http://www.thenation.com/doc/
10 Americans Arrested Taking 33 Children Out Of Haiti
Haitian police have arrested 10 U.S. citizens caught trying to take 33 children out of the earthquake-stricken country in a suspected illicit adoption scheme, authorities said on Saturday.
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/
Occupation force soldiers kill baby, 4 others in Afghan attack
Nato has said a baby was killed during a night raid targeting militants in central Afghanistan. It said four suspected insurgents were also killed.
http://www.goreyguardian.ie/
Nato force blamed for 4 Afghan deaths
Four Afghan soldiers have been killed and another six wounded after Nato troops clashed with them and called in air attacks, Afghan provincial officials say.
http://english.aljazeera.net/
Afghanistan's hospitals ravaged by constant war
Despite years of international military operations, hospitals in Afghanistan remain in a state of complete decay and are struggling to cope with a growing number of war victims. Facilities are inadequate and in some areas, there are no hospitals or clinics at all. The situation is particularly bad in the southern part of the country where fighting is the heaviest. Al Jazeera's David Chater reports. Disclaimer: Viewers may find some of the following images graphic and disturbing. Discretion is advised.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?
Saudi couple forced to divorce can stay married
A Saudi couple forced to divorce on the grounds they were not from equal tribal backgrounds has been reunited by a new court created as part of judicial reforms.
http://www.independent.co.uk/
Tarif Khalidi's translation of the Qur'an
Books, books, and more books. You thought that I busy with my jet lag, as I have been updating you on Facebook, but not too busy for book news. I have been reading and enjoying Tarif Khalidi's translation of the Qur'an. This is a major achievement. A landmark in Middle East studies that has barely gotten any attention at all. You are busy with news about lousy and silly books that are written by non-specialists and such. I am an Orientalist at heart (in my belief in real training in Middle East studies and not in the publication of books based on a few stopovers in Arab capitals). And this endeavor is quite something. The field of Middle East studies, especially in American popular culture, has been invaded by non-specialists to the point that there are no lines between specialists and invaders, or Middle East studies intruders, I call them.
http://angryarab.blogspot.com/
For all the latest and past headlines with access to the full story visit a great site www.TheHeadlines.org
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