Shadi Fadda brings us today's headlines relating to Palestine and other news from around the internet.
Land and Property Theft and Destruction
Night raid sees 5 Jenin families served with demolition papers
Jenin – Ma'an – Israeli forces entered Barta'a Ash-Sharqiya village Thursday before sunrise and handed five families demolition orders for their homes and agricultural buildings in area west of Jenin. Member at the Barta’a village council Tawfiq Qabha said that the forces overran the village and woke five families in the middle of the night, pounding on doors and handing over warnings that homes would soon be demolished.
http://www.maannews.net/eng/
Jerusalem: Demolition orders for Arab homes within days
Jerusalem mayor raises stakes in Beit Yonatan affair, plans to issue demolition orders for illegal Arab homes in east Jerusalem within days. Opposition slams decision.
http://www.ynetnews.com/
Israel bulldozes area around Beit Sahour family park
Bethlehem – Ma'an – Israeli bulldozers prepared for the military take-over of a family recreation park in the town of Beit Sahour on Wednesday afternoon, preventing local journalists from accessing the area. The park compound, in the map pictured, was a Jordanian army base taken over by Israel during the 1967 war and abandoned in 2006. Grants from governments including the United States helped turn the area into a family picnic area including a modest climbing wall and playbround for local residents.
http://www.maannews.net/eng/
IOA to demolish home of Khatib
The IOF on Wednesday night informed the family of Mohammed Al-Khatib, who attacked and killed an Israeli soldier south of Nablus on Wednesday, that their home would be razed.
http://www.palestine-info.co.
Israeli Military Destroy Five Water Cisterns And Three Farming Huts In Southern West Bank
Israeli military bulldozers demolished five water cisterns and three farming huts owned by farmers from Ithna village, southern West Bank, on Thursday.
http://www.imemc.org/index.
Israeli forces demolish wells, sheds near Hebron
Hebron – Ma'an – Israeli bulldozers demolished five water wells and three small storerooms, confiscated electric generators and water pumps in Idhna, a town west of Hebron. Abdullah Al-Asoud, whose irrigation systems were destroyed in the demolition raid, said the area affected was in agricultural lands near the separation wall.
http://www.maannews.net/eng/
Activism/Solidarity/Boycott, Sanctions and Divestment
'One Small Step': Lionhearts of Bilin Push Back The Apartheid Wall
Work began today on re-routing the separation wall in Bilin. More than two years after a supreme court ruling that the barrier be moved, new tracks were being laid down this morning. The new route will return around 1,000 dunums (250 acres) of farmland to the village. The move is long overdue, as the Popular Struggle's case was ratified by an Israeli court in September 2007. The army have until this point failed to comply with the order, instead policing protestors with increased severity. 36 activists have been arrested in Bilin over the past seven months.
http://www.palestinemonitor.
Israel Raids ISM Media Office for the Second Time in Three Nights
Nine Israeli soldiers kicked in the door of the ISM media office and demanded the passports of the internationals present. The soldiers confiscated a desktop computer used by ISM volunteers. Two internationals, Ryan Olander of the U.S. and Nick Bryer of the U..K., were awoken from their night’s rest as nine Israeli soldiers barged through the door at 4am brandishing M16 fully-automatic assault rifles. Luckily, the door had not yet been repaired from a previous raid on Sunday morning. This facilitated their entry and reduced the damaged they inflicted upon the apartment.
http://palsolidarity.org/2010/
Tree planters say soldiers used riot dispersal methods on volunteers
Hebron - Ma'an - International and Palestinian tree planters were dispersed with tear gas and sound bombs as they attempted to work land belonging to local farmers on Wednesday, the Palestinian solidarity project said.
http://www.maannews.net/eng/
Report on Israeli suppression of Palestinian human rights activism against the Wall for UN investigation
Addameer - A joint report submitted by Addameer, The Grassroots Anti-Apartheid Wall Campaign (Stop the Wall) and the National Lawyers Guild (NLG) to Special Rapporteurs of the UN Human Rights Council examines the ongoing, systematic campaign of repression levied by Israel against Palestinian human rights defenders active against the Annexation Wall. Since June 2009, Israeli authorities have arrested nearly three dozen villagers involved in anti-Wall protests from Bil’in, where weekly protests have been held every Friday since 2005, and more than 38 from Ni’lin, including 20 in the last month. At present, Addameer estimates that there are at least 56 Palestinian human rights defenders held in Israeli custody. Based on evidence collected in the villages of Ni’lin, Bil’in, Al-Ma’sara, Beit Duqqu and Jayyus, the report concludes that charges levied against Palestinian human rights defenders and repressive policies are designed to criminalize legitimate human rights activities.
http://addameer.info/wp-
Oxford students: Our protest of Ayalon was a massive success, Philip Weiss
Danny Ayalon, Israel’s Deputy Foreign Minister and member of the far-right Yisrael Beitenu party, came to the Oxford Union on 8 February, on a desperate PR mission to resuscitate Israel’s image after global public condemnation for its war crimes in Gaza last year. The Oxford Students’ Palestine Society, together with other student groups and members of the public, organised a protest, both on the street outside the Union and within the debating chamber itself.
http://mondoweiss.net/2010/02/
Protestors hit Beirut Starbucks
Customers flee as demonstrators express displeasure with coffee chain's pro-Israel CEO.
http://www.ynetnews.com/
30 hours in Gaza
One of my first glimpses of the Gaza Strip was a youth on a motorcycle who threw me his red kuffiyeh. "Remember me!" he shouted, before disappearing in a sea of flags. With a certain irony, it was the members of the Viva Palestina aid convoy who ended up playing the role of war victims as we finally rolled into Gaza on 6 January. We were still reeling from a clash with Egyptian police that left 60 injured the night before. Mohamed Madi writes from the Gaza Strip.
http://electronicintifada.net/
Palestinians rally against settlers at Mount of Olives
Jerusalem – Ma'an – Jerusalem residents and Fatah official Hatem Abdul Qader interfered with a group of Israeli settlers as they attempted to claim lands on the Mount of Olives on Thursday morning. The leaders of Beit Orot, an illegal Israeli settlement on the hill north of the Old City of Jerusalem, are aggressively expansionist. According to their website, "Beit Orot is at once defending the sacred traditions of our nation, the physical security of Eretz Yisrael and the integrity of Yerushalayim as the undivided capital of Israel and the Jewish people."
http://www.maannews.net/eng/
Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine, "Report on the Arab International Forum to Support the Resistance"
One of the largest delegations came from Venezuela, consisting of 30 members including MPs. MP Victor Chirinos brought message of support from Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez.
http://mrzine.monthlyreview.
Violence and Aggression
'10, including 3 women, took part in Dubai Hamas assassination'
Ten agents, including three women, participated in the assassination of senior Hamas official Mahmoud al-Mabhouh in Dubai in January, according to Intelligence Online, a Paris-based journal dedicated to tracking intelligence activity worldwide.
http://www.haaretz.com/hasen/
Israeli fire kills 1 in central Gaza
Gaza – Ma'an – An Israeli airstrike at midday killed one and injured a second, hours after Israeli artillery fire injured three children on Thursday in Johur Ad-Dik, central Gaza. An Israeli military spokesman confirmed the strike, saying it was in retaliation against militants who had fired on Israeli patrol jeeps earlier that morning. He said the Israeli patrol had been operating on the east side of the Gaza border, and that soldiers returned fire in the direction of the attack.
http://www.maannews.net/eng/
Two Children Wounded By Israeli Shells In Gaza
Palestinian medical sources reported that two sisters, aged 13 and 5, were wounded when the Israeli army bombarded Juhr Ed Deek area, east of al-Boreij refugee camp, in the central Gaza Strip.
http://www.imemc.org/index.
Settlers assault old farmer, Palestinian attacks soldier in same district
Jewish settlers savagely assaulted the 75-year-old Palestinian farmer Khader Mansour while tending to his land west of Deir Estiya village, Salfit district, on Wednesday, locals reported.
http://www.palestine-info.co.
IOF disguised soldiers break foot of Palestinian teen
Israeli occupation forces (IOF) wearing plain clothes beat up a 17-year-old Palestinian teen a few days ago and broke his foot, the Palestinian prisoners' society said on Thursday.
http://www.palestine-info.co.
More Attacks Against Reporters In The West Bank
Palestinian reporters, either working for local or international agencies, were repeatedly subjected to attacks by the Israeli army, but recently such attacks witnessed a sharp increase leading to injuries, damage to equipment, and to preventing them from performing their duty. Over the past two days, three Palestinian reporters were attacked and wounded while reporting from the Shu’fat refugee camp, in Jerusalem, as the army invaded it. The three were identified as Ata Oweisat and Mahmoud Oleyyan – both working with the Al Quds newspaper, and Ahmad Gharabely of the French Press Agency. The soldiers also tried to destroys their cameras.
http://www.imemc.org/index.
SHUAFAT: Three Days Of Repression
Since Monday, ongoing harassment and repression have been carried out by the Israeli Police and Border Police in the Shuafat Camp, the only Palestinian refugee camp in Jerusalem. According to local sources and to the Italian association Vento di Terra, which has a permanent presence in the camp, dozens of Israeli police and police border forces in jeeps entered Shuafat on Monday and Wednesday, damaging Palestinian residents' properties and conducting door-to-door searches. A heavy military presence was deployed at all entrances to the camp. Israeli authorities claimed the raids were aimed to arrest people who had not paid taxes. As police started to use rubber bullets and sound grenades to disperse people, violent clashes between young residents and Israeli soldiers erupted. Around 80 Palestinians were arrested.
http://www.palestinemonitor.
Hundreds of settlers storm Nabi Yusuf tomb with IOF escort
Hundreds of Jewish settlers stormed the Nabi Yusuf tomb in Nablus city on Wednesday night under the protection of Israeli occupation forces (IOF), local sources said.
http://www.palestine-info.co.
Detainees
Israel arrests 10 Palestinians in north Gaza.
February 11, 2010 (Pal Telegraph)- Israeli occupation forces have arrested on Thursday morning ten young men from the liberated zone "Dugit" in the northern Gaza Strip, claiming that they were approaching the separation barrier. An infantry unit of the Israeli army ambushed these young men and arrested them while they were collecting pebbles from the area, except that some others succeeded in breaking away. As part of its ongoing hostile policy, Israeli occupation forces constantly carry out unwarranted arrest campaigns against citizens who live in border areas.
http://www.paltelegraph.com/
Following the killing of an Israeli soldier, Troops Kidnap Six Palestinians In Jenin
The Israeli army invaded Al Khiljan village, near the northern West Bank city of Jenin, and kidnapped six members of the Al Khatib family, including four brothers. The invasion came after Mahmoud Al Khatib reportedly killed an Israeli soldier on Wednesday.
http://www.imemc.org/index.
Troops Detain Two Civilians, Attack And Search Homes in Hebron City
Two Palestinian civilians were detained by Israeli troops, on Wednesday, during house search targeting the city of Hebron and nearby town. Local sources said that two young men were taken by troops when they searched their home at the town of Yatta near Hebron city. Meanwhile Israeli forces invaded attacked al-Arop collage near Hebron and searched the dormitory of the students. Later in the day, troops opened fire at Palestinian workers while they were going to their home. The attack took place near a military checkpoint outside the city of Hebron. No injuries were reported.
http://www.imemc.org/index.
PA detains 6 al-Qaeda men
For first time, Palestinian Authority forces arrest six al-Qaeda activists in West Bank, security official says; source in Jenin tells Ynet group planned to hit PA targets, some suspects known as Hamas members in past.
http://www.ynetnews.com/
Palestinian gets 3 years for threatening Netanyahu
Hebron man who sent threatening fax to prime minister going to jail; defense attorney: My client wanted to be arrested because of family dispute.
http://www.ynetnews.com/
Human Rights, Racism and Discrimination/Humanitarian Issues/Siege
Weekly report on Israeli human rights violations in the occupied Palestinian territory 04 - 10 Feb 2010
http://www.reliefweb.int/rw/
Blackouts turn off life in Gaza
Gaza – Ma'an – As Israel, the Palestinian Authority, the Gaza Power Authority, the EU and international donors point fingers over the failure to provide adequate fuel for electricity generation in the Strip, the lives of residents again turned upside down as they faced life without power.
http://www.maannews.net/eng/
Rights group targeted over Goldstone report
WASHINGTON (IPS) - A campaign of attacks against the New Israel Fund (NIF), a US-based progressive organization that supports human rights groups in Israel, has gained attention in both the Israeli and US media, raising questions about the role played by foreign non-profits and nongovernmental organizations in influencing Israeli government policy.
http://electronicintifada.net/
'Jews only' building authorized in Jaffa
After court rejects their request to block building of 'Jews only' residential building in Ajami quarter, residents promise to fight decision, threaten to go to High Court. 'Apartments should be built for young people, not settlers,' says neighborhood council chairman, Kemal Agbaria.
http://www.ynetnews.com/
11 Feb. 2010: Following request of B'Tselem and Yesh Din, Palestinian witnesses will no longer be brought to military courts in a detainee-transport vehicle
Brig. Gen. Meir Ohana, Chief Military Police Officer (CMPO), recently informed the Yesh Din and B'Tselem human rights organizations that the Military Police will improve the treatment of Palestinians brought to military courts in Israel to testify in the trials of members of the security forces charged with committing offenses.
http://www.btselem.org/
Israel makes life miserable for Palestinians west of the Apartheid Wall
West Bank, February 11, 2010 (Pal Telegraph; by Amira Hass) - About eight of the 40 families from Dhaher al-Maleh have left their tiny village and have gone to live on the eastern side of the separation wall. They could no longer bear the Israeli ban on building houses. Neither could they bear the other restrictions and prohibitions that the fence and its planners have imposed on them: They were forbidden to have relatives and friends visit; forbidden to get ill or have babies at night, when the gate is closed; forbidden to bring large quantities of food home, as big families require; forbidden to link their homes up with the electricity grid; and they were forbidden to build a clinic - restrictions and prohibitions to the point of suffocation.
http://www.paltelegraph.com/
Blackouts turn off life in Gaza
Gaza – Ma'an – As Israel, the Palestinian Authority, the Gaza Power Authority, the EU and international donors point fingers over the failure to provide adequate fuel for electricity generation in the Strip, the lives of residents again turned upside down as they faced life without power.
http://www.maannews.net/eng/
War Criminals
Goldstone Facts-The Real Story Behind Israel's Invasion of Gaza-Part 1
In this video, we distill out the findings of the Chapter 11("Deliberate Attacks against the Civilian Population") of the Goldstone Report to make it accessible to the lay public. The factual and legal findings are narrated by Noam Chomsky. The video also contains live testimonies of Khalid, Kawthar and Samar Abd Rabbo before the UN Fact Finding Mission headed by Justice Richard Goldstone. For more information on this video, please go to goldstonefacts.org
http://www.youtube.com/watch?
Collaborators
Fayyad condemns West Bank attack
PA prime minister says murder of IDF soldier goes against Palestinian interests.
http://www.ynetnews.com/
Political Developments/Diplomacy
Inside Story - Russia's role in the Middle East
With Khaled Meshaal's visit to Moscow we discuss Russia's increased influence in the region.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?
Barhoum: Honoring killers official patronage of terrorism
Fawzi Barhoum lashed out at the Israeli government for honoring the killers of Palestinian leaders within and outside occupied Palestine in addition to committing crimes in other areas.
http://www.palestine-info.co.
Hamas said that Israeli media reports that Ramallah and Fatah officials were involved n financial and moral scandals were not new, recalling that it has documents proving those officials' corruption.
http://www.palestine-info.co.
The Netanyahu-Fayyad "economic peace" one year on
The results of the first year of Netanyahu's economic peace are visible. While there has been no progress on the political front, security and economic cooperation with the PA has never been better. The American-trained security forces have kept a tight grip over West Bank towns squashing dissent and keeping "order." Ziyaad Lunat comments for The Electronic Intifada.
http://electronicintifada.net/
US' Expanded Weapons Stockpiling in Israel
World, February 11, 2010 (Pal Telegraph) -Sameh Habeeb, a young, independent, Palestinian journalist, lived in a modest house in the middle of Gaza City in December 2008. From his bedroom window, Habeeb reported to international news outlets exactly what he saw night after night during Israel's lethal 22-day assault. On one occasion, Habeeb told Truthout, "the Apache helicopter gunship hovered less than 200 meters away from us. The children, my brothers and sisters, were hiding in the corners of the house, taking shelter. It was horrendous. The sky was dark; there was nothing but the sound and the red lights of the Apache, the screams of the children, and the sound of the bombings close by. The house shook like an earthquake every time there was a bombing. I thought I was going to be the next victim. We smelled the gun powder everywhere."
http://www.paltelegraph.com/
Israel 'rejects' Mideast peace: Syria FM (AFP)
AFP - Syria fired a new round in its war of words with Israel on Thursday, saying the Jewish state did not want Middle East peace and offering as evidence proposed tax breaks for Israelis living in the Golan Heights, captured from Syria.
http://us.rd.yahoo.com/
Other News
Palestinian Families Appeal to UN Over Israeli Construction of "Museum of Tolerance" on Jerusalem's Historic Mamilla Cemetery
Palestinian families have filed a petition with the United Nations over the Simon Wiesenthal Center’s plans to build a “Museum of Tolerance” over the historic Muslim cemetery in Jerusalem. Opponents of the project have long questioned how a monument to tolerance can be built on the remains of the graves of generations of Palestinian Muslims. We speak to Columbia University professor and author Rashid Khalidi, a petitioner whose ancestors were buried at the Mamilla Cemetery; and Michael Ratner of the Center for Constitutional Rights, which is representing the families in their petition. [includes rush transcript].
http://www.democracynow.org/
Jerusalem community centers shut down for `affiliation with Hamas`
Jerusalem- Ma'an – The Israeli police department ordered the closure of the Sur Baher Cultural Forum and a kindergarten housed in the former Dar Al-Hadith Society buidling, saying they were affiliated with Hamas, community leaders said.
http://www.maannews.net/eng/
Judges nullify clause in Criminal Procedure Law
In rare move, nine Supreme Court judges annul section permitting remand hearings in absence of detainees suspected of security offences. Argument: Clause violates Human Dignity and Liberty Basic Law.
http://www.ynetnews.com/
Silver clue to Gaza’s rich history
GAZA CITY // It was perhaps fitting that when workmen came across a haul of 1,400 ancient Greek silver coins, some 2,500 years old, they should do so in Rafah, Gaza’s southern border town. Rafah, after all, is the only place in the territory where international trade still takes place, albeit illicitly through hundreds of smuggling tunnels, the result of Israel’s crippling siege on Gaza’s 1.5 million people to which the international community has acquiesced.
http://www.thenational.ae/
Palestinians aim to push tourism beyond Bethlehem (AFP)
AFP - For your next getaway, you might consider this: four nights and five days in sunny "Palestine: land of miracles".
http://us.rd.yahoo.com/
If He Were Muslim
Jerusalem man who killed daughter 'not responsible for his actions'
Psychiatric evaluation submitted to court determines Nachman Inshin was in psychotic state when he bashed his daughter against apartment floor.
http://www.ynetnews.com/
Bronner Watch
The New York Times Company Code of Ethics
100. Staff members must be sensitive that direct political activity by their spouses, family or household members, such as running for office or managing a campaign – even while proper – may well create conflicts of interest or the appearance of conflicts. Even limited participation, like giving money or ringing doorbells, may stir suspicions of political bias if it becomes conspicuous. Staff members and their families should be wary of ambiguity. A bumper sticker on the family car or a campaign sign on the lawn may be misread as the journalist's, no manner who in the household actually placed it. When a spouse or companion makes a campaign contribution, it is wise to avoid writing the check on a joint account. 101. To avoid conflicts, staff members may not furnish, prepare or supervise news content about relatives, spouses or others with whom they have close personal relationships. For the same reasons, staff members should not recruit or directly supervise family members or close friends. Some exceptions are permissible – in a foreign bureau, for instance, where a married couple form a team, or in a small news department, with the approval of top newsroom management." I mean, this code of ethics should have a disclaimer: that it does not apply to anything relating to Israel and its occupation army.
http://angryarab.blogspot.com/
My contribution to the BBC News program
So I was invited to speak by the BBC on a program dealing with the New York Times' controversy regarding Ethan Bronner, along with David Shipler, Rami Khuri, and Clark Hoyt (the public editor of the Times). After being allowed to speak for a few minutes, I was dismissed, having learned of the BBC's standards what I knew not before. Here is a link.
http://angryarab.blogspot.com/
L'affaire Ethan Bronner
EI’s demand for Bronner’s removal was seconded by the Angry Arab News Service, which called Bronner a “propagandist for Israel, ”After appearing on the BBC program yesterday, I thought about this. I think in principle a person should not be faulted for the stances of his/her parents's views or roles or the views and roles of his/her children. But the objection here is about the inconsistent standards of the Times. I mean, if Nazila Fathi (who covers Iran from Toronto) has a son and if he were to volunteer for the Revolutionary Guards, and if the Times had no objection to that, then I would buy that the policies of the Times apply across the board, without any regard to nationality, ethnicity, or religion. But that is not the case. continued.
Analysis/Op-ed/Human Interest
State of denial: Robert Fisk searches for peace in Israel
There are no armed guards on the gate of Number 17 Ben-Gurion Boulevard in Tel Aviv, just a tired, two-storey villa set back from the street and an open door that leads to a dark kitchen and a little room with a cot on the floor.
http://www.independent.co.uk/
An Unheard Voice in the Holy Land, Interview With Patriach Twal of Jerusalem
JERUSALEM, FEB. 7, 2010 (Zenit.org).- Although Christian Arabs make up a small minority in the Holy Land, they could be an important bridge in the conflict that has divided the region for too long, says Patriarch Fouad Twal. The Latin Patriarch in Jerusalem laments, however, that as the international community is slow to take them into consideration, the numbers of Christians are dwindling. Part of the problem, he notes, is that Israel's 20-foot-high wall around the Palestinian territories has made daily life for many almost impossible. There are approximately 50,000 Christians living in the Gaza Strip, East Jerusalem and the West Bank, with a further 200,000 in Israel.
http://www.zenit.org/article-
American Jews launch campaign to ‘break the law of return’, Philip Weiss
A new campaign has been announced on Facebook by American Jews rejecting the "Law of Return," which allows me to move to Israel tomorrow, while a Palestinian who was born in the ‘48 territories/Israel can’t go near his or her ancestral village. Writes one of the organizers, Amy Kaplan, an English prof at U of Pennsylvania: "Given that Israel sees itself as the Jewish homeland, which it claims to defend on the part of Jewish people everywhere, I feel personally implicated in the violence it perpetrates in our name."
http://mondoweiss.net/2010/02/
# of New Yorkers opposing ’special relationship’ with you-know-who jumps from 1/3 to 1/2 after just 90 minutes of exposure to facts, Philip Weiss
I missed the debate at NYU last night over a Resolution to end the special relationship with Israel. Rashid Khalidi and Roger Cohen for, Stu Eizenstat and Israeli Itamar Rabinovich agin. Praise the lord, Tablet was there, and has a typically Israel-lobbyish report, which includes a great anecdote in which Cohen said that a Florida congressman was holding out his vote on health care till Obama took his foot off the gas on Israel/Palestine. I figured. And the piece buries the lead: In the final vote, the yeas had it: 49% for, 47% against, 4% undecided (before the debate, it was 33% for, 42% against).
http://mondoweiss.net/2010/02/
‘A disaster! Right in New York!’, Max Blumenthal
On February 9, Intelligence Squared sponsored a debate on the resolution: "The US should step back from its special relationship with Israel." Debating in favor of the resolution were Roger Cohen and Rashid Khalidi; against it were former US Ambassador to the European Union Stuart Eizenstat and former Israeli Ambassador to the US and ex Tel Aviv University President Itamar Rabinovich. I was among the overflow crowd of several hundred people that packed New York University’s student union for the event.
http://mondoweiss.net/2010/02/
Jew-haters of the week: Van Jones, Andrew Sullivan
One wonders when the Anti-Defamation League or the Simon Wiesenthal Center will start a commission to investigate why in some progressive quarters, being called a self-hating Jew has started to become a point of pride. And why, worse, others simply shrug off charges of Jew-hater. Perhaps it is because the wielders of such venomous charges are so ridiculous, such caricatures in their reflexive protection of an Israel that has no accountability, that any thinking person immediately knows the wackos are at it again. This shift in the culture is nothing to rejoice about. In fact, it’s something of a worst-case-scenario for those of us truly concerned about the fate of Jews.
http://www.muzzlewatch.com/
Knocked for his Goldstone slanders, Dershowitz blames others for inciting violence, Philip Weiss
On Israeli radio Dershowitz called Richard Goldstone an "evil evil man" and when the host said, "Do you hint, Professor, that he is a moser, someone who betrays his own people?," Dersh said Absolutely. A storm of criticism ensued, and now instead of a simple apology, Dersh claims in the Jerusalem Post that he misunderstood, and others are twisting his words to incite violence!
http://mondoweiss.net/2010/02/
Gaza the world is creating
Israeli officials say crossings into Gaza for goods and trade will remain closed for as long as Hamas remains in power in the Strip. Such words clearly constitute blackmail of the worst kind, but are not in essence that different from the position of the international community, which has acquiesced in Israel’s siege of the Gaza Strip even though Hamas has demonstrably ended its rocket fire.
Israel’s unashamed admission that it is willfully and deliberately starving 1.5 million people for political ends shows two things. First, it shows that the international community is as guilty as Israel in prolonging the suffering of Palestinians in Gaza and, second, it serves as a reminder to Palestinians themselves that never before has the need for a united front been stronger or more urgent.
http://www.jordantimes.com/?
Brilliant Video on Why Israel's Propaganda Efforts Fail
This video is brilliant: In it, David Sable, one of the top marketing and "branding" professionals explains why Israel cannot (and does not) win the hasbara (propaganda) war with the Palestinians.
Sable, an Israeli-American, who is emphatically pro-Israel explains that you cannot market a bad product and that Israel's most controversial policies (Gaza, etc) are simply indefensible, no matter how you frame them.
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/
Is Abbas in a Corner?, George S. Hishmeh
Inch by inch, the Palestinian president has apparently once again succumbed to American pressure. He is about to allow his junior officials to start so-called “proximity talks” with their Israeli counterparts to pave the ground for the resumption of peace negotiations, which broke down after Israel’s invasion of Gaza in December 2008.
http://palestinechronicle.com/
Israel Gets Away with Murder .. Again, Tammy Obeidallah
Amid the glamour of the world's tallest building, gold bars, man-made islands, casinos and fashion, a man lay dead in his hotel room. Preliminary reports would say he had been suffocated with a pillow; further investigation would determine that he was injected with poison. Post-mortem photos of Mahmoud Al-Mabhouh, age 50, told a story the media would not tell: the tip of his nose blackened, red blotches covering his cheeks and jaw and a horrific indentation on one side of his nose testified of torture and a cruel execution.
http://palestinechronicle.com/
Iraq
Wednesday: 5 Iraqis Killed, 28 Wounded
Numerous small attacks left at least five Iraqis killed and 28 more wounded. Meanwhile, an Iraqi journalist detained for 17 months on "classified" information has been released.
http://original.antiwar.com/
Iraq orders former Blackwater security guards out (AP)
AP - Iraq has ordered hundreds of private security guards linked to Blackwater Worldwide to leave the country within seven days or face possible arrest on visa violations, the interior minister said Wednesday.
http://us.rd.yahoo.com/
Questions on Rule of Law Raised by Iraqi Leader’s Use of Army
The prime minister sent the military to press a provincial council on the appointment of a governor, raising doubts about Iraq’s democratic institutions.
http://www.nytimes.com/2010/02
Impoverished Women Vulnerable to Extremists
Campaigners fear poor women in Anbar could be recruited by insurgent groups. By Uthman al-Mukhtar in Fallujah (ICR No. 323, 10-Feb-10)
http://www.iwpr.net/EN-icr-f-
Baghdad Cabbies’ Survival Tips
Driving the capital’s roads has long been akin to negotiating a deadly obstacle course. By Mohammed Furat in Baghdad (ICR No. 323, 11-Feb-10)
http://www.iwpr.net/EN-icr-f-
Lawlessness Sweeps Kurdish Town
Security forces deployed to end “out of control” crime wave in Chamchamal. By Charles McDermid and Hemin H Lihony in Chamchamal (ICR No. 323, 10-Feb-10)
http://www.iwpr.net/EN-icr-f-
The Battle for Marjah, PATRICK COCKBURN
American and Afghan forces are poised to attack the town of Marjah, the largest Taliban stronghold in Afghanistan, in the first major US military offensive since President Barack Obama announced that he was sending 30,000 reinforcements. The US strategy is to expel, kill or capture the Taliban, prevent their return, and then provide aid and services to a grateful populace. Described as a sophisticated attempt “to win the hearts and minds of Afghans”, its covert and more realistic aim is to win the hearts and minds of the American press, particularly those back in the US who direct the efforts of reporters on the ground. The message the US military wants to send is that in Afghanistan it is fighting a winnable war and not blundering deeper into a quagmire.
http://www.counterpunch.com/
Lebanon
Hariri: Unity best defense against Israel
Prime Minister Saad Hariri said late Wednesday Lebanon will stand united against ongoing Israeli threats.Addressing delegations of Beiruti families at the Beirut International Exhibition and Leisure Center (BIEL), Hariri also urged massive participation in the February 14 rally to mark five years since the assassination, in 2005, of his father former Prime Minister Rafik Hariri.
http://www.dailystar.com.lb/
Who Wants to Bomb Iran?
They're back! The "Bomb Iran" crowd is making a big return to the political center stage after months of puzzlement over what to do about developments in the Islamic Republic. Hawks such as Daniel Pipes and John Bolton are arguing that Iran is dead-set on its pursuit of a nuclear arsenal -- and point to developments such as President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad's announcement this weekend that Iran would enrich its uranium stocks to 20 percent to argue that diplomatic avenues have reached a dead end. The would-be bombers fear that the mullahs will leverage their nuclear capability to expand Persian influence through the Arab world and beyond -- and argue that the United States must do anything in its power, including the use of force, to stop them.
http://www.foreignpolicy.com/
Hariri's support of resistance during BBC interview draws slurs from Lieberman
Israeli Foreign Minister Avigdor Lieberman said Wednesday Premier Saad Hariri has placed himself "hostage to [the group] that murdered his father," in reference to Hizbullah.Lieberman was responding to Hariri, who told BBC that his government would support the resistance in case a new war breaks out.
http://www.dailystar.com.lb/
The end of sectarianism?
Fifteen years of civil war followed by 20 years of civil strife have cemented the role of Lebanon's leaders as bulwarks of their communities. If any serious sectarian reform begins to occur, hereditary inheritance and the defense of the tribe will cease to be sufficient reasons for these figures to retain their statuses. That is a prospect Lebanon's politicians can hardly be expected to accept. Sami Halabi comments for Electronic Lebanon.
http://electronicintifada.net/
U.S. and Other World News
Arabic flashcards land student in U.S. detention
PHILADELPHIA (Reuters) - Federal agents detained and interrogated a U.S. college student at the Philadelphia airport simply because we was carrying a set of English-Arabic flashcards, a lawsuit alleged on Wednesday.
http://www.reuters.com/
Binyam Mohamed: text of letter which reveals court's criticism of 'deliberately misleading' security service
Here we publish a lawyer's letter detailing how the Master of the Rolls condemned MI5 for withholding intelligence from the foreign secretary and the courts over complicity in torture.
http://www.guardian.co.uk/
Binyam Mohamed torture evidence must be revealed, judges rule
Court of appeal ruling compels British government to disclose what MI5 knew of refugee's treatment in Guantánamo Bay. Read the secret torture evidence.
http://www.guardian.co.uk/
Foreign Office releases Binyam Mohamed torture notes
The Foreign Office was forced to publicly admit today that the former Guantánamo Bay detainee Binyam Mohamed was effectively tortured while he was being held by the CIA in Pakistan. In the latest judicial setback for the Government, the Foreign Secretary David Miliband today lost an appeal court bid to prevent senior judges disclosing secret information relating to torture allegations in the case of Mr Mohamed.
http://www.timesonline.co.uk/
When Israel joins NATO
If Israel succeeds in joining NATO, its regional belligerency would be backed by the collective strength of the entire alliance. Before that happens, will the Arabs react, asks Galal Nassar
http://weekly.ahram.org.eg/
Saudis carry out 33 airstrikes on northern Yemen
Saudi fighter jets have launched a new round of airstrikes on Houthi positions in northern Yemen despite a truce offer put forward by the Shia fighters.
http://www.presstv.ir/detail.
Jordan's orphanages under spotlight
In Jordan, numerous employees of government-run orphanages have been accused by orphans of committing physical, psychological and sexual abuse. The National Centre for Human Rights has said it received 16 complaints of alleged abuse with a total of 25 children involved. But only four of the complaints have been passed on to courts because of a lack of evidence. But the ministery of social development has assured that every confirmed case will be taken to court. Al Jazeera's Nisreen El Shamayleh reports from Madaba, Jordan.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?
Arab youths face a somber Middle Eastern predicament
When the public policy institute that I work for, the Issam Fares Institute at the American University of Beirut, organized a regional seminar this week on "youth identity and values" in the Arab world, we decided to hold it in the United Arab Emirates (UAE), in a Gulf region where "identity issues" are widely debated because nationals tend to account for less than 20 percent of total populations.
http://www.dailystar.com.lb/
www.TheHeadlines.org
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