Land and Property Theft and Destruction
Students find school vandalized after nearby settler visit
No author Nablus - Ma`an - "Students at the Ma`zuz Al-Masri Girls School, ten meters away from Josephs Tomb, found the building vandalized by what officials say was settler mischief during a military-organized visit to the nearby religious site on Thursday morning. "
http://www.maannews.net/eng/ViewDetails.aspx?ID=260836
A Museum of Tolerance we don't need, Saree Makdisi
The Simon Wiesenthal Center's plan to construct an outpost of Los Angeles' Museum of Tolerance atop the most important Muslim cemetery in Jerusalem is temporarily in disarray. This presents an opportunity to call on the center to abandon this outrageous project once and for all. The site in question is Ma'man Allah, or the Mamilla Cemetery, which had been in continuous use for centuries until 1948, when hundreds of thousands of Palestinians were expelled or driven into flight and their private property, including Ma'man Allah, was handed over to Jewish users.
http://www.latimes.com/news/opinion/la-oe-makdisi12-2010feb12,0,1055476.story
PSL condemns new Israeli museum on Islamic graveyard
The Palestinian Scholars League (PSL) has strongly deprecated Thursday the Israeli occupation government plans to build new museum on the ruins of an Islamic cemetery in occupied Jerusalem.
http://www.palestine-info.co.uk/En/default.aspx?xyz=U6Qq7k%2bcOd87MDI46m9rUxJEpMO%2bi1s7ulK9oloKHT%2bayAPm8OZUbAqelDmiEoFe5Ao7HICTAXlWWr714c2Pyk1VVQnhl9NJxSfSL6TwJDimKu4blJsUVARWuxMsyhxP3sZ4%2fos%2bDdw%3d
Jerusalem women call for protection of the holy city from Judaization schemes
Palestinian women in Jerusalem called on the international community to afford them protection in the face of Israeli occupation schemes that target the Palestinian presence in the holy city.
Activism/Solidarity/Boycott, Sanctions and Divestment
Leftists, Palestinians Protest in 3 Locations near Ramallah
Left-wing activists, Palestinians, and foreigners protested on Friday against the construction of the West Bank security barrier at three difference locations near Ramallah. Near Dir Nizaf, northwest of Ramallah, some 50 Palestinians threw stones at the Israeli security forces, which returned fire and used crowd dispersal methods. During one of the rallies the army arrested left-wing activist Jonathan Pollak for entering Area A in violation of a military order. Some 100 Palestinians, left-wing activists, and foreigners held a similar demonstration near the Palestinian village of Na'alin, west of Ramallah, while another 100 or so people protested in Bilin. No injuries were reported in any of the incidents. Mohammed Khatib of the Bilin Popular Committee against the Wall told Ynet that some protesters inhaled tear gas and that the army chased them into the village. On Thursday Ynet reported that measurements have commenced ahead of the anticipated changes in the route of a 1.7 kilometer section of the West Bank security barrier, which was built on land belonging to Bilin. It is estimated that it will be some time before the actual paving of the new route begins.
http://almanar.com.lb/NewsSite/NewsDetails.aspx?id=124231&language=en
Palestinians dressed as the Na'vi from the film Avatar stage a protest against Israel's separation barrier
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/picturegalleries/worldnews/7222508/Palestinians-dressed-as-the-Navi-from-the-film-Avatar-stage-a-protest-against-Israels-separation-barrier.html
The Nonviolent Resistance is winning: Iyad Burnat
Head of Popular Committee in Bilin "we see today Bil`in`s victory; bulldozers have begun the removal of the wall"
http://www.kibush.co.il/show_file.asp?num=38261
Israel acts on West Bank wall order
Israel has begun rerouting a section of its controversial separation barrier near the West Bank village of Bilin following a two-and-a-half-year-old court ruling. But activists and Bilin residents continued to hold protests against the barrier on Friday, despite the concession, which returns only about a third of the area claimed by the Palestinians. "It's a small victory," Mohammad Khatip, an anti-wall activist, told Al Jazeera. "We win a round of the game but we didn't win the game yet so we will continue in our struggle ... to dismantle this wall and this settlement," he said, referring to the Jewish settlement of Modiin Ilit which lies on the other side of the barrier.
http://english.aljazeera.net//news/middleeast/2010/02/201021274955378758.html
250 Olive Trees Planted By Volunteers Near Osh Graib
Following the beginning of construction of a new watchtower at the site of the former military base, this week, residents of Beit Sahour and international volunteers gathered at the surrounding farmlands, on Friday, to cultivate the land, planting 250 olive trees.
http://www.imemc.org/index.php?obj_id=53&story_id=57946
US Store discontinues Ahava dead sea products after boycott call
The ‘Stolen Beauty’ campaign has declared a small victory, after Costco stores agreed to stop carrying Dead Sea Salt from the Ahava corporation.
http://www.imemc.org/index.php?obj_id=53&story_id=57941
Pro-boycott protesters: Don't help 'occupier's economy'
Nablus – Ma'an – Thirty young men and women and number of members of the Palestine People’s Party took to the streets of Nablus on Thursday, marching through the city center while carrying banners calling for boycotting Israeli goods. The protesters were urging locals not to help "the occupier's economy."
http://www.maannews.net/eng/ViewDetails.aspx?ID=260819
Student disruptions of Israeli officials continue to make waves, Alex Kane
Of course, what these media reports don’t mention is the irony that as Ayalon is denouncing “hatred and racism,” he is a member of a political party whose leader, Avigdor Lieberman, is on record saying numerous racist remarks against Palestinians. For instance, Lieberman called for the execution of Arab members of the Knesset who met with Hamas, and ran a campaign centered around the slogan, “no citizenship without loyalty,” wanting Palestinians living inside Israel to be forced to sign a “loyalty” oath to the Jewish State. And Yisrael Beiteinu has introduced legislation that would ban commemoration of the Nakba.
http://mondoweiss.net/2010/02/student-disruptions-of-israeli-officials-continue-to-make-waves.html
Help Israeli Human Rights Activist Ezra Nawi Without international intervention Israeli human rights activist Ezra Nawi will most likely be sent to jail.
Ezra Nawi has been active for years in the area known as South Mt. Hebron. The Palestinians in this small desolate area in the very south of the West Bank have been under Israeli occupation for almost 42 years; they still live without electricity, running water and other basic services, and are continuously harassed by the Jewish settlers who constantly violate both Israeli and International law, and are backed by a variety of Israeli military occupation forces, all of which operate in an effort to cleanse the area from its Palestinian inhabitants and create a new demographic reality in it.
http://www.supportezra.net/
An unacceptable fight against protest
Israeli security forces have recently intensified their fight against peace activists from here and abroad who seek to protest against the occupation and identify with the Palestinian inhabitants. This week, Israeli soldiers raided the Ramallah offices of the International Solidarity Movement a number of times. They arrested two activists - one a Spanish citizen and the other an Australian. They confiscated office equipment, T-shirts and bracelets bearing the word "Palestine." They also raided the offices of Stop the Wall and the Palestinian Communist Party in Ramallah.
http://www.haaretz.com/hasen/spages/1149374.html
The "Knock on the Door" in the middle of the night - IDF detains West Bank Palestinians + foreigners
It was a busy night for IDF forces operating in the West Bank overnight on Wednesday: they conducted a number of raids, including the home of the Palestinian Authority (PA) security officer who stabbed and killed an IDF soldier at the Tapuah junction south of Nablus. Two brothers of the attacker were taken away for questioning (though the IDF has suggested that the PA might be allowed to do its own investigation, but it is not clear if the PA will have access to these two suspects...)
http://www.americanchronicle.com/articles/view/141288
Tariq Shadid – Empowering the Palestinian popular voice: the first step towards unity and liberation
The struggle for Palestinian liberation has reached one of its most difficult phases so far. The current complex situation is showing positive changes as well as negative ones, which should all be weighed on their own merit. One thing, however, has not changed: the absence of a clear and unambiguous recognition for the Palestinian popular voice. Unfortunately this is not only the case at the level of governments, official media, and international politics – but seems to be a stubborn phenomenon that continues to affect all levels of involvement, from the grassroots up to the higher echelons.
http://palestinethinktank.com/2010/02/12/tariq-shadid-empowering-the-palestinian-popular-voice-the-first-step-towards-unity-and-liberation/?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+PalestineThinkTank+%28Palestine+Think+Tank%29
Violence
Reports: 2 dead after Israeli shelling in Gaza
Gaza – Ma'an – Israeli forces shelled an area east of the Al-Maghazi Refugee Camp on Monday, hitting the central Gaza Strip region with several artillery shells in at least three barrages, witnesses said. Unconfirmed Israeli media reports said two Palestinians were killed. Camp residents said the shells were mostly landing in the Abu Hamam area, and said the hits began at approximately 9am.
http://www.maannews.net/eng/ViewDetails.aspx?ID=260884
Army Bombards Al Maghazi Refugee Camp in Gaza
Palestinian sources reported that the Israeli army bombarded on Friday morning an area east of the Al Maghazi refugee camp, in the central district of the Gaza Strip.
http://www.imemc.org/index.php?obj_id=53&story_id=57945
Detainees, Gilad who?....
IOA kidnaps 150 Palestinians in two days
The PA ministry of prisoners and ex-prisoners affairs in Gaza said on Thursday that the IOA kidnapped 150 Palestinian citizens over the past two days, most of them from Jerusalem.
http://www.palestine-info.co.uk/En/default.aspx?xyz=U6Qq7k%2bcOd87MDI46m9rUxJEpMO%2bi1s7nh2snqBvufbTdn5rsgsS23cGSar0vSDHs5e%2b0eAjJ%2bEOy5vauhrNyHKc9o9GG%2bo2QlPzuPzc8ixgEouOJE8jQw2wYKlD5E6URL5PbzR48ZQ%3d
Humanitarian Issues/Siege
Gaza Power blames Ramallah for fuel crisis
Gaza - Ma'an - Gaza's Energy Authority publicly blamed the Ramallah-based Petroleum Authority of limiting the supply of industrial fuel transferred into Gaza and causing the energy crisis that continues to plague the Strip. The UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs said of the crisis, "power supply has been reduced and remains precarious due to a shortage of funds allocated for the purchase of fuel from Israel and, recently, recurrent technical failures," in a Protection of Civilians report, noting up to 12 hours of rolling blackouts.
http://www.maannews.net/eng/ViewDetails.aspx?ID=260756
Political Developments/Diplomacy
Egypt seizes goods bound for Gaza
Al-A'rish – Ma'an – Egyptian forces raided the border with Gaza and commandeered seven smuggling tunnels on Thursday, security sources said, the same day Cairo allowed medical and food aid into the besieged coastal enclave. Egyptian security sources told Ma'an that troops foiled an attempt to smuggle spare motorcycle parts into Gaza at the Salah Ad-Din area during raids in which troops discovered warehouse for smuggling fuel intended for markets the Strip.
http://www.maannews.net/eng/ViewDetails.aspx?ID=260802
Men with no dignity
But Fayyad apparently realizes that to maintain his extraordinary cooperation with the Israel Defense Forces in the West Bank, he needs to compromise on his dignity, even if at a hefty political price.
http://angryarab.blogspot.com/2010/02/men-with-no-dignity.html
Program of PA-backed conference aimed at creating pro-Abbas "Clubs" among diaspora Palestinians, Ali Abunimah
Figures working for the Palestinian Authority (PA) have recently been approaching Palestinian activists in several countries to invite them to something called the "Palestine Network Founding Conference" in Israeli-occupied Bethlehem in late February. The conference has the aim of creating "Clubs" loyal to the Ramallah Palestinian Authority and its leaders. This initiative is organized and funded directly out of Mahmoud Abbas' office and is directed by Abbas adviser Ramzi Khouri and chief of staff Rafiq al-Husseini (who has recently been embroiled in a controversy over corruption and a scandalous video tape which allegedly shows him).
http://aliabunimah.posterous.com/program-of-pa-backed-conference-aimed-at-crea
Channel 10 invites Abbas to address corruption allegations
Jerusalem – Ma'an – President Mahmoud Abbas has a standing invitation to appear on Israel's Channel 10 to challenge allegations several of his senior aides have for years fleeced international aid to the Palestinian Authority, a top Israeli journalist said on Wednesday. "We have been trying to interview you onscreen, yet you refuse," said Zvi Yehezkeli, the head of Channel 10's Arabic desk. "You should have agreed, because Israeli audiences don't know who Abu Mazen is, whether he fights corruption or not."
http://www.maannews.net/eng/ViewDetails.aspx?ID=260429
PA issues arrest warrant for Shabaneh
Shabaneh, who was in charge of the anti-corruption unit in the Palestinian General Intelligence Service, was forced to quit his job after revealing dozens of cases of financial, administrative and sexual corruption among PA President Mahmoud Abbas’s inner circle.
http://www.jpost.com/MiddleEast/Article.aspx?id=168375
Abbas tried to stop Israeli channel 10 corruption reportStudents find school vandalized after nearby settler visit
No author Nablus - Ma`an - "Students at the Ma`zuz Al-Masri Girls School, ten meters away from Josephs Tomb, found the building vandalized by what officials say was settler mischief during a military-organized visit to the nearby religious site on Thursday morning. "
http://www.maannews.net/eng/
A Museum of Tolerance we don't need, Saree Makdisi
The Simon Wiesenthal Center's plan to construct an outpost of Los Angeles' Museum of Tolerance atop the most important Muslim cemetery in Jerusalem is temporarily in disarray. This presents an opportunity to call on the center to abandon this outrageous project once and for all. The site in question is Ma'man Allah, or the Mamilla Cemetery, which had been in continuous use for centuries until 1948, when hundreds of thousands of Palestinians were expelled or driven into flight and their private property, including Ma'man Allah, was handed over to Jewish users.
http://www.latimes.com/news/
PSL condemns new Israeli museum on Islamic graveyard
The Palestinian Scholars League (PSL) has strongly deprecated Thursday the Israeli occupation government plans to build new museum on the ruins of an Islamic cemetery in occupied Jerusalem.
http://www.palestine-info.co.
Jerusalem women call for protection of the holy city from Judaization schemes
Palestinian women in Jerusalem called on the international community to afford them protection in the face of Israeli occupation schemes that target the Palestinian presence in the holy city.
Activism/Solidarity/Boycott, Sanctions and Divestment
Leftists, Palestinians Protest in 3 Locations near Ramallah
Left-wing activists, Palestinians, and foreigners protested on Friday against the construction of the West Bank security barrier at three difference locations near Ramallah. Near Dir Nizaf, northwest of Ramallah, some 50 Palestinians threw stones at the Israeli security forces, which returned fire and used crowd dispersal methods. During one of the rallies the army arrested left-wing activist Jonathan Pollak for entering Area A in violation of a military order. Some 100 Palestinians, left-wing activists, and foreigners held a similar demonstration near the Palestinian village of Na'alin, west of Ramallah, while another 100 or so people protested in Bilin. No injuries were reported in any of the incidents. Mohammed Khatib of the Bilin Popular Committee against the Wall told Ynet that some protesters inhaled tear gas and that the army chased them into the village. On Thursday Ynet reported that measurements have commenced ahead of the anticipated changes in the route of a 1.7 kilometer section of the West Bank security barrier, which was built on land belonging to Bilin. It is estimated that it will be some time before the actual paving of the new route begins.
http://almanar.com.lb/
Palestinians dressed as the Na'vi from the film Avatar stage a protest against Israel's separation barrier
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/
The Nonviolent Resistance is winning: Iyad Burnat
Head of Popular Committee in Bilin "we see today Bil`in`s victory; bulldozers have begun the removal of the wall"
http://www.kibush.co.il/show_
Israel acts on West Bank wall order
Israel has begun rerouting a section of its controversial separation barrier near the West Bank village of Bilin following a two-and-a-half-year-old court ruling. But activists and Bilin residents continued to hold protests against the barrier on Friday, despite the concession, which returns only about a third of the area claimed by the Palestinians. "It's a small victory," Mohammad Khatip, an anti-wall activist, told Al Jazeera. "We win a round of the game but we didn't win the game yet so we will continue in our struggle ... to dismantle this wall and this settlement," he said, referring to the Jewish settlement of Modiin Ilit which lies on the other side of the barrier.
http://english.aljazeera.net//
250 Olive Trees Planted By Volunteers Near Osh Graib
Following the beginning of construction of a new watchtower at the site of the former military base, this week, residents of Beit Sahour and international volunteers gathered at the surrounding farmlands, on Friday, to cultivate the land, planting 250 olive trees.
http://www.imemc.org/index.
US Store discontinues Ahava dead sea products after boycott call
The ‘Stolen Beauty’ campaign has declared a small victory, after Costco stores agreed to stop carrying Dead Sea Salt from the Ahava corporation.
http://www.imemc.org/index.
Pro-boycott protesters: Don't help 'occupier's economy'
Nablus – Ma'an – Thirty young men and women and number of members of the Palestine People’s Party took to the streets of Nablus on Thursday, marching through the city center while carrying banners calling for boycotting Israeli goods. The protesters were urging locals not to help "the occupier's economy."
http://www.maannews.net/eng/
Student disruptions of Israeli officials continue to make waves, Alex Kane
Of course, what these media reports don’t mention is the irony that as Ayalon is denouncing “hatred and racism,” he is a member of a political party whose leader, Avigdor Lieberman, is on record saying numerous racist remarks against Palestinians. For instance, Lieberman called for the execution of Arab members of the Knesset who met with Hamas, and ran a campaign centered around the slogan, “no citizenship without loyalty,” wanting Palestinians living inside Israel to be forced to sign a “loyalty” oath to the Jewish State. And Yisrael Beiteinu has introduced legislation that would ban commemoration of the Nakba.
http://mondoweiss.net/2010/02/
Help Israeli Human Rights Activist Ezra Nawi Without international intervention Israeli human rights activist Ezra Nawi will most likely be sent to jail.
Ezra Nawi has been active for years in the area known as South Mt. Hebron. The Palestinians in this small desolate area in the very south of the West Bank have been under Israeli occupation for almost 42 years; they still live without electricity, running water and other basic services, and are continuously harassed by the Jewish settlers who constantly violate both Israeli and International law, and are backed by a variety of Israeli military occupation forces, all of which operate in an effort to cleanse the area from its Palestinian inhabitants and create a new demographic reality in it.
http://www.supportezra.net/
An unacceptable fight against protest
Israeli security forces have recently intensified their fight against peace activists from here and abroad who seek to protest against the occupation and identify with the Palestinian inhabitants. This week, Israeli soldiers raided the Ramallah offices of the International Solidarity Movement a number of times. They arrested two activists - one a Spanish citizen and the other an Australian. They confiscated office equipment, T-shirts and bracelets bearing the word "Palestine." They also raided the offices of Stop the Wall and the Palestinian Communist Party in Ramallah.
http://www.haaretz.com/hasen/
The "Knock on the Door" in the middle of the night - IDF detains West Bank Palestinians + foreigners
It was a busy night for IDF forces operating in the West Bank overnight on Wednesday: they conducted a number of raids, including the home of the Palestinian Authority (PA) security officer who stabbed and killed an IDF soldier at the Tapuah junction south of Nablus. Two brothers of the attacker were taken away for questioning (though the IDF has suggested that the PA might be allowed to do its own investigation, but it is not clear if the PA will have access to these two suspects...)
http://www.americanchronicle.
Tariq Shadid – Empowering the Palestinian popular voice: the first step towards unity and liberation
The struggle for Palestinian liberation has reached one of its most difficult phases so far. The current complex situation is showing positive changes as well as negative ones, which should all be weighed on their own merit. One thing, however, has not changed: the absence of a clear and unambiguous recognition for the Palestinian popular voice. Unfortunately this is not only the case at the level of governments, official media, and international politics – but seems to be a stubborn phenomenon that continues to affect all levels of involvement, from the grassroots up to the higher echelons.
http://palestinethinktank.com/
Violence
Reports: 2 dead after Israeli shelling in Gaza
Gaza – Ma'an – Israeli forces shelled an area east of the Al-Maghazi Refugee Camp on Monday, hitting the central Gaza Strip region with several artillery shells in at least three barrages, witnesses said. Unconfirmed Israeli media reports said two Palestinians were killed. Camp residents said the shells were mostly landing in the Abu Hamam area, and said the hits began at approximately 9am.
http://www.maannews.net/eng/
Army Bombards Al Maghazi Refugee Camp in Gaza
Palestinian sources reported that the Israeli army bombarded on Friday morning an area east of the Al Maghazi refugee camp, in the central district of the Gaza Strip.
http://www.imemc.org/index.
Detainees, Gilad who?....
IOA kidnaps 150 Palestinians in two days
The PA ministry of prisoners and ex-prisoners affairs in Gaza said on Thursday that the IOA kidnapped 150 Palestinian citizens over the past two days, most of them from Jerusalem.
http://www.palestine-info.co.
Humanitarian Issues/Siege
Gaza Power blames Ramallah for fuel crisis
Gaza - Ma'an - Gaza's Energy Authority publicly blamed the Ramallah-based Petroleum Authority of limiting the supply of industrial fuel transferred into Gaza and causing the energy crisis that continues to plague the Strip. The UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs said of the crisis, "power supply has been reduced and remains precarious due to a shortage of funds allocated for the purchase of fuel from Israel and, recently, recurrent technical failures," in a Protection of Civilians report, noting up to 12 hours of rolling blackouts.
http://www.maannews.net/eng/
Political Developments/Diplomacy
Egypt seizes goods bound for Gaza
Al-A'rish – Ma'an – Egyptian forces raided the border with Gaza and commandeered seven smuggling tunnels on Thursday, security sources said, the same day Cairo allowed medical and food aid into the besieged coastal enclave. Egyptian security sources told Ma'an that troops foiled an attempt to smuggle spare motorcycle parts into Gaza at the Salah Ad-Din area during raids in which troops discovered warehouse for smuggling fuel intended for markets the Strip.
http://www.maannews.net/eng/
Men with no dignity
But Fayyad apparently realizes that to maintain his extraordinary cooperation with the Israel Defense Forces in the West Bank, he needs to compromise on his dignity, even if at a hefty political price.
http://angryarab.blogspot.com/
Program of PA-backed conference aimed at creating pro-Abbas "Clubs" among diaspora Palestinians, Ali Abunimah
Figures working for the Palestinian Authority (PA) have recently been approaching Palestinian activists in several countries to invite them to something called the "Palestine Network Founding Conference" in Israeli-occupied Bethlehem in late February. The conference has the aim of creating "Clubs" loyal to the Ramallah Palestinian Authority and its leaders. This initiative is organized and funded directly out of Mahmoud Abbas' office and is directed by Abbas adviser Ramzi Khouri and chief of staff Rafiq al-Husseini (who has recently been embroiled in a controversy over corruption and a scandalous video tape which allegedly shows him).
http://aliabunimah.posterous.
Channel 10 invites Abbas to address corruption allegations
Jerusalem – Ma'an – President Mahmoud Abbas has a standing invitation to appear on Israel's Channel 10 to challenge allegations several of his senior aides have for years fleeced international aid to the Palestinian Authority, a top Israeli journalist said on Wednesday. "We have been trying to interview you onscreen, yet you refuse," said Zvi Yehezkeli, the head of Channel 10's Arabic desk. "You should have agreed, because Israeli audiences don't know who Abu Mazen is, whether he fights corruption or not."
http://www.maannews.net/eng/
PA issues arrest warrant for Shabaneh
Shabaneh, who was in charge of the anti-corruption unit in the Palestinian General Intelligence Service, was forced to quit his job after revealing dozens of cases of financial, administrative and sexual corruption among PA President Mahmoud Abbas’s inner circle.
http://www.jpost.com/
Israel's Channel 10 has broadcast details of corruption at the highest levels of the PA, including millions of dollars stolen from public monies (shelled out by the US) and a sex scandal involving a top Abbas aide. The whistleblower, Fathi Shabaneh, was actually hired to root out corruption in the PA. In a recent interview with The Jerusalem Post: Some of the most senior Palestinian officials didn't have even $3,000 in their pocket when they arrived [after the signing of the Oslo Accords]," Shabaneh said. "Yet we discovered that some of them had tens, if not hundreds, of millions of dollars in their bank accounts.
http://palestinenote.com/cs/
Fatah Gate shakes the PA; Abbas threatens to resign if more scandals exposed
A high-ranking official in the office of Mahmoud Abbas revealed Thursday that Abbas sent a message to Israeli premier that he will resign if more scandals of his associates are revealed.
http://www.palestine-info.co.
Candid camera sex scandal shocks Palestinians (AFP)
AFP - Palestinians were shocked on Thursday after Israeli TV aired a graphic video showing a senior official caught on a hidden camera soliciting sex from a job applicant.
http://us.rd.yahoo.com/
Hamas boycotts meeting over municipal elections
Ramallah – Ma'an – No members of the Hamas party attended the Thursday meeting of PLO factions alongside the elections committee to prepare for a June municipal vote across the West Bank and Gaza, Fatah General Elections Commissioner Muhammad Al-Madani said.
http://www.maannews.net/eng/
Syrian official: Golan benefits proves Israel doesn't want peace
A Syrian Foreign Ministry official said Thursday that the bill which provides Golan Heights residents with tax benefits proves that Israel does not want peace, Israel Radio reported.
http://www.haaretz.com/hasen/
Other News
Think tank: Israel faces global delegitimization campaign
Israel is facing a global campaign of delegitimization, according to a report by the Reut Institute, made available to the cabinet on Thursday. The Tel Aviv-based security and socioeconomic think tank called on ministers to treat the matter as a strategic threat.
http://www.haaretz.com/hasen/
Palestinian witnesses won't be driven like detainees
Rights groups turn to IDF, request that Palestinians testifying in Israeli courts not be transported in vehicles intended for prisoners. Military police chief: Respect rights, dignity of witnesses.
http://www.ynetnews.com/
If they were Muslim they would be dead
Haredim riot in Jerusalem over man's arrest
Residents of Mea Shearim neighborhood hurl stones at buses, set fire to dumpsters following court's decision to extend remand of haredi arrested over disturbances. No injuries reported; roads closed to traffic.
http://www.ynetnews.com/
Bronner Watch
Some thoughts on Ethan Bronner at the New York Times, Jonathan Cook
The revelation that the son of Ethan Bronner, the New York Times’ Jerusalem bureau chief, is serving in the Israeli military has highlighted an issue that should have been in the spotlight long ago. Ali Abunimah makes some important points about the NYT’s coverage of the Middle East on the Mondoweiss site. Although the paper has a Palestinian reporter in Gaza, Abunimah notes: “[Taghreed] Khodary is allowed to report only on Palestinians. Neither she nor any other Arab reporter is allowed to report on Israeli Jews. While Jews/Americans may report on Palestinians, the converse is not true. Why is this? It must be – I assume – because there is an inherent, perhaps unacknowledged assumption that an Arab/Palestinian is or will be automatically biased against Israelis/Jews. Whereas, we are supposed to accept that in no case is a Jewish reporter who identifies with Israel biased even when his son has joined an occupation army that is raiding Palestinian refugee camps and communities dozens of times per week.” Abunimah is right: there is a very strong assumption among editors in the Western media about who should be allowed to cover the Israeli-Palestinian conflict and in what ways. But actually the bias in the Western media runs much deeper than Abunimah allows.
http://www.jkcook.net/
L'affaire Ethan Bronner, As`ad Abukhalil
"Keller writes that Bronner’s family ties to Israel “supply a measure of sophistication about Israel and its adversaries that someone with noconnections would lack." Yes, Keller. Ask your foreign correspondents to have members of their families join the armed forces of the countries they cover for that "measure of sophistication".
http://angryarab.blogspot.com/
Analysis/Op-ed/Human Interest
"Who is This Angry Arab?" Or so asks Jeffrey Goldberg, the Jailer of Palestinians
Goldberg asked this question on his blog yesterday, but I don't have to ask who this Jeffrey Goldberg is. I mean, this is a man who relocated to Israel to serve in its occupation army and to serve as a jailer of the Palestinians--the natives to the land. This American took it upon himself to go and live in Israel to lock Palestinians up, in their own land, in their own homeland. But this is a man who is so hostile to the truth, that he can't even quote anything accurately, not even something I wrote only the other day. Look how he summarizes my points: he claims that I said that he is the worst Middle East reporter. I never said such a thing. I said that he is the worst writer on the Middle East. The difference is rather huge. In fact, a writer is a title that Goldberg does not even deserve: he is a babbler and propagandist, whose own trail of babble is the best refutation of his own work. Reporter? And what qualifies you to write on the Middle East, anyway? continued.
http://angryarab.blogspot.com/
Hard Mideast Truths, ROGER COHEN
NEW YORK — For over a century now, Zionism and Arab nationalism have failed to find an accommodation in the Holy Land. Both movements attempted to fill the space left by collapsed empire, and it has been left to the quasi-empire, the United States, to try to coax them to peaceful coexistence. The attempt has failed. President Barack Obama came to office more than a year ago promising new thinking, outreach to the Muslim world, and relentless focus on Israel-Palestine. But nice speeches have given way to sullen stalemate. I am told Obama and the Israeli prime minister, Benjamin Netanyahu, have a zero-chemistry relationship.
http://www.nytimes.com/2010/
Clean-shaven partners for peace
The west's endless attempt to find someone it can 'work with' leaves Palestinians without strong leadership.
http://www.guardian.co.uk/
Understanding Lieberman
Jerusalem-– During last year's Israeli elections, far-right candidate Avigdor Lieberman suggested that Arab members of the Knesset should be put to death for talking to Hamas. "Maybe this gives you shivers," said one of Lierbman's political strategists in an interview with the daily newspaper Haaretz, "but it is very good for our voters."
http://www.almasryalyoum.com/
The transformation of ‘anti-Semitism’, Paul Woodward
In recent years, right-wing Israeli political leaders and their supporters have warned of the rise of a “new anti-Semitism”, rife across Europe and in left-wing political circles. The new anti-Semites are critics of Israel. They don’t target Jews; they target the Jewish state. (I say “they” but of course I should say “we” because I too would surely be branded as being among the ranks of this hateful group.)
http://mondoweiss.net/2010/02/
Notes from Area C / A parked 'Peace Park', Amira Hass
People in Beit Sahur believe the Jewish settlers who claim that the Israel Defense Forces was responding to the settlers' pressure when it started erecting a new guard tower last week in the eastern part of this largely Christian West Bank town. Locals do not, however, accept the army's claim that the tower was added for professional, military reasons. The settlers vow to keep up the pressure - and Beit Sahur residents know all too well what they mean. In the last 18 months, settlers from the Gush Etzion area have been holding increasingly frequent protests against the "Arab construction" in Beit Sahur.
http://www.haaretz.com/hasen/
The Palestinian Ben-Gurion, Akiva Eldar
There are tens of millions of people in the world who glory in the title "public servant," but Dr. Salam Fayyad is apparently the only one who wakes up in the morning and goes to work to build a state for his people. Fayyad, the prime minister of the Palestinian Authority, is not calling for peace talks, for violent resistance to the occupation or even for civil disobedience. That's the department of PA President Mahmoud Abbas. The most violent protest in which Fayyad participated was a ceremonial bonfire of goods produced in Jewish West Bank settlements. His weapons are responsibility, efficiency, transparency - and above all, patience. Lots of patience.
www.haaretz.com/hasen/spages/
Open Letter to President Obama from the Diplomatic Corps in Gaza
http://www.paltelegraph.com/
Zionism Unmasked: A Fairy Tale That's Become A Terrifying Nightmare, Alan Hart
Most Jews of the world (and probably many Gentiles) believe that Zionism is the return of Jews to the land promised to them by God. At the risk of offending some readers of all faiths for saying so, I must confess, and do so cheerfully, that I don’t buy this concept because the Gentile me does not believe in the God of organized, institutional religions. So, I say to myself, no God, no promise to Jews (or anybody else). In my perception of the scheme of things, God is the potential for good inside each and every one of us. God so defined is a prisoner within each of us and our prime task is to liberate this prisoner. But let’s put that to one side
http://www.countercurrents.
Iraq
Five killed as US, Iraqi troops raid border village
BASRA, Iraq, Feb 12 (Reuters) - Iraqi security forces backed by U.S. troops killed at least five people on Friday in a raid on suspected members of what Washington calls an Iranian-backed terrorist group, the U.S. military said. Provincial Iraqi officials said many of the dead were innocent bystanders, and demanded compensation. They said eight people were killed.
http://www.alertnet.org/
Thursday: 1 US Soldier, 3 Iraqis Killed; 7 Iraqis Wounded
Hundreds of former Blackwater security guards have until Sunday to leave Iraq in a clear act of retribution for the dismissal of a U.S. court case against the company. The Iraqi government, meanwhile, also complained about former PM Allawi's "dangerous" statements about civil war. At least three Iraqis were killed and seven were wounded in light violence, while a U.S. soldier died of injuries received in a non-combat incident.
http://original.antiwar.com/
Iraq moves to blacklist 'Baathist' election candidates
Campaigning is underway in Iraq, ahead of next month's general election. But moves to blacklist hundreds of candidates with ties to Saddam Hussein's former Baathist regime are threatening to marr the balloting process. Zeina Awad reports. February 12 2010
http://www.youtube.com/watch?
Saddam shadow darkens Iraq elections
The legacy of Saddam Hussein continues to divide Iraq. Preparations for the country's parliamentary election have been thrown into chaos by a row over a decision to ban hundreds of candidates because of alleged links to the former president's now outlawed Baath Party.
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/
Female Circumcision Ban Urged
New survey reveals that majority of women in Kurdistan have undergone genital mutilation. By Qassim Khidhir in Erbil (ICR No. 323, 11-Feb-10)
http://www.iwpr.net/EN-icr-f-
Lebanon
PM Hariri: Lieberman Threatening Me… I Feel Honored!
This is how Lebanon's Prime Minister Saad Hariri responded to Liberman's latest comments during the session held by the Council of the Ministers at the Grand Serail. Speaking later ahead of delegates representing Beirut families at the Beirut International Exhibition and Leisure Center (BIEL), Hariri said that national unity was the "most powerful weapon in our hands to face up to Israeli threats." "There is a stream of Israeli threats facing Lebanon today and those threats should not be handled as mere media messages," Hariri pointed. "Those threats are the equivalent of daily violations to Resolution 1701 and a clear announcement of Israeli intentions toward Lebanon," he added. Hariri stressed that Israel was betting on instigating splits among the Lebanese. "Losing national unity would lead to a loss of Lebanon's peace and stability," he said. The premier said Lebanon won't take chances with its stability and national unity. "Lebanon refuses to be an easy target."
http://almanar.com.lb/
Jeffrey Feltman's knowledge of the Middle East: Lee Smith, As`ad Abukhalil
All that Jeffrey Feltman knows about the Middle East, he read in Lee Smith's writings on the subject. And the latter writes on Arab culture although he does not know Arabic. But Feltman is a step ahead: when he served as ambassador in Lebanon, and while the Russian, Chines, French, and British ambassadors all spoke fluent Arabic, Feltman was known for being able to say "shukran" on occasion. He was known to be so proud of himself when he would say it to Arab journalists. David sent me this on Lee Smith: "Also, would you please note on your blog that Lee Smith also does/did work for the Jerusalem Center for Public Affairs, Dore Gold's little information shop that tasks itself with "presenting Israel's case to the world." The JCPA is leading the charge against the Goldstone report, and is behind the odious NGO Monitor. I bring this up because during the book launch at Hudson, Feltman had a curious line: "It was always extremely important to know that the message of hope – what was actually happening in Lebanon – was getting out accurately, which Lee Smith always did." (see: ). That strikes me as a curious thing for a government official to say about a "journalist." continued.
http://angryarab.blogspot.com/
U.S. and Other World News
British spy chief denies collusion in torture
LONDON, Feb 12 (Reuters) - The head of Britain's MI5 security service denied on Friday that his agency colluded in torture, after a court ruling showed it knew that a detained British resident had been abused by U.S. intelligence officers.
http://www.alertnet.org/
Jordan activists risk jail after calling for end to CIA ties
A prominent writer and a political activist have been charged with insulting the state after criticizing Jordan's cooperation with the United States in the war against terror, a judicial official said on Thursday.Columnist Muwafaq Mahadin, who writes for the independent daily Al-Arab Al-Yawm, and Sufian Tel were detained on Wednesday after a military prosecutor.
http://www.dailystar.com.lb/
Anwar Sadat's Political Rhetoric, As'ad Abukhalil
There is a new dissertation on the political rhetoric of Anwar Sadat. I happen to believe that the political rhetoric of Answar Sadat (as annoying as he was, and as despicable as he was at all levels) was far more important--or effective--than that of Nasser. Of course, Nasser was the charismatic and charming one: while Sadat had none. But Sadat was extremely skilled and effective in changing and shifting the Egyptian political culture toward chauvinism, sectarianism, and conservative religiosity. I remember that I knew people around me were always mocking him and making fun of his affected manner of speech, but I always believed that he was effective. I felt that he knew how to talk to the ordinary Egyptian better than Nasser. His command of Arabic was outstanding (better than Nasser) and that enabled him to coin slogans and expressions. Judge the result: the horrible ideology that that this lousy Nazi (who is adored by Zionists worldwide) planted in Egypt, has born fruits. We all underestimated this lousy clown. [end]
http://angryarab.blogspot.com/
www.TheHeadlines.org
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