Land and Property Theft and Destruction
Palestinian herders fined for trespassing West Bank nature preserve
Yuval Azoulay - Haaretz - Late last year, three Palestinian brothers who own a small herd from which they earn a living received the fine from an inspector visiting the Jordan Valley. Each brother - from the Daraghma family - was required to pay NIS 660. Advertisement The incident occurred in the Um Zuka nature preserve in the West Bank near Route 90 and the Jordan Valley settlement of Mehola. For years, Palestinian shepherds, including those from the Daraghma family, have marched their herds on their lands next to the road. Before the fining incident, no one had interrupted their routine.
http://www.haaretz.com/hasen/
Inside Story - tensions rise over holy sites
Palestinians are angered by Israel's plan to restore two sites in the West Bank.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?
Settlers want more sites added to Israeli heritage list
Bethlehem – Ma'an – Israeli settlers have called on their prime minister, Benyamin Netanyahu, to add more religious sites in the occupied West Bank to a list of Israeli heritage sites. The Hebrew-language daily Ma'ariv reported Wednesday that two members of the Kiryat Arba council sent a letter to Netanyahu calling on him to nationalize two holy shrines in Hebron.
http://www.maannews.net/eng/
Silwan families: Israel serves 8 new demolition orders
Jerusalem - Ma'an - Eight families in the East Jerusalem neighborhood of Silwan were handed orders announcing their homes were slated for demolition, as Israeli municipality workers entered the area accompanied by military guards on Wednesday.
http://www.maannews.net/eng/
Activism/Solidarity/Boycott, Sanctions and Divestment
Hebron protest sparks clashes
Tensions increase as Israel declares site of Hebron mosque Israeli heritage location.
http://english.aljazeera.net/
EU court: West Bank goods not Israeli
Products made in settlements subject to import duties because they are not produced in Israel proper, European Union's high court rules Thursday.
http://www.ynetnews.com/
Irish Foreign Minister first to enter Gaza Strip
Irish Foreign Minister Micheal Martin has arrived in the Gaza Strip in the first ever visit to the Hamas-ruled enclave by a top Western government official. No American or European leader or senior figure has visited since Gaza was taken over by Hamas in June, 2007. The EU and the U.S. declared a boycott of Hamas at the time because of its refusal to recognize Israel and renounce violence. Escorted by United Nations vehicles, Martin entered through the Rafah border crossing with Egypt. Israel had turned down his request last year to enter Gaza. He does not intend to met with Hamas. Martin's visit to comes after widespread anger in Ireland over the use of Irish passports by an alleged Israeli hit squad that killed a Hamas militant in Dubai recently. As many as ten legitimate Irish passports may have been used in the assassination.
http://www.irishcentral.com/
Vanunu: Take me off list of Nobel peace prize nominees
Israeli nuclear whistleblower says he does not want to be associated with Nobel winner Shimon Peres.
http://www.haaretz.com/hasen/
Israel Ballet Protest: University at Buffalo 2/23
A performance of the Israel Ballet at the University at Buffalo last night was protested by UB Students for Justice in Palestine and the Palestine-Israel Committee of the Western New York Peace Center. Reports Jim Holstun, Professor of English, SUNY Buffalo: "One of our members (a member of both groups), Irene Morrison, was ejected from the pre-dance Q&A by, evidently, a university official who pronounced political free speech out of bounds for the evening. "It’s funny: Israelis come over here, and suddenly, everyone wants to start acting like they’re at a checkpoint."
http://www.youtube.com/watch?
Viva Palestina To Send Convoy To Gaza
British Legislator, George Galloway, stated that Viva Palestina is preparing to send another convoy filled with humanitarian aid to the impoverished Gaza Strip. Convoy members from different countries around the world, will be sailing in June.
http://www.imemc.org/index.
'Chicago Hearing' on Israel and U.S. values, April 18
The Chicago office of the American Friends Service Committee and various allies are organizing a public hearing on on April 18, on the important question, Does U.S. Policy on Israel and Palestine Uphold Our Values?. Giving testimony will be ICAHD's Jeff Halper on "Property Rights", Jad Issac on "Freedom of Movement", and Cindy Corrie and Amer Shurrab on "Military Aid". I am very honored that I'll be moderating the event. The front-table "listeners" will be: John J. Mearsheimer of the University of Chicago, Barbara Ransby of the University of Illinois at Chicago, Rabbi Brant Rosen of Ta'anit Tzedek (Jewish Fast for Gaza), Dr. Zaher Sahloul of the Council of Islamic Organizations of Greater Chicago, and Ghada Talhami, professor emerita at Lake Forest College.
http://justworldnews.org/
Judith Butler: As a Jew, I was taught it was ethically imperative to speak up
Philosopher, professor and author Judith Butler talks about the dehumanization of Gazans, and how Jewish values drove her to criticize the actions of the State of Israel.
http://haaretz.com/hasen/
Recovering from Starbucks coffee memories
I'm recovering from my trip to the US. I spent more days at the airports than in the US. Out of everything I disliked there, the most annoying memory was meeting two students and a lecturer, from Kuwait and Egypt, at Georgetown University who were well known protagonists of the Palestinian cause who asked me to meet up with them outside... Starbucks! No, really. It seems Starbucks has become the meeting place of activists for justice in Palestine. Not only that, but one of the students came out walking (after I refused to enter) with a Starbucks coffee cup! After I bashed at him, the lecturer said I was bossy and rude. Maybe he's right, mind you, we'll have to ask the surviving relatives of the second Qana massacre whether the Starbucks funded missiles that killed their babies were also bossy and rude. But, then again, ignore the roots of my Muslim rage and despair, to borrow the term from modern day, celebrity Bernard Lewis, Mr Bono. (One of my anthropology professors at SOAS once came into class with a Coca Cola... I tried explaining to him where his money just went to, but shouldn't he already know that?)
http://gaza08.blogspot.com/
Violence/Aggression
Medics: Man shot by Israeli forces east of Gaza City
Gaza – Ma'an – Israeli forces operating east of the Ash-Shuja'iyeh neighborhood of Gaza City shot and wounded a Palestinian man, medics in the Ash-Shifa Hospital said.
http://www.maannews.net/eng/
Settler and IOF violence at Sheikh Jarrah erupts into riot
One Palestinian man arrested, one woman and child pepper sprayed and two children injured as settler provocation turns into a riot.
Spirits were high in the protest camp outside the Gawi and Al-Kurd families’ houses. Each Wednesday the community gathers for a meal, bridging the gap between the Palestinian, Israeli and international activists bringing a sense of unity crucial for an effective movement. But things change quickly in the holy land.
http://palsolidarity.org/2010/
Union: Farmer beaten by Israeli forces at Jubarah checkpoint
Tulkarem – Ma'an – A farmer on his way to agricultural lands near Tulkarem was told to lie on the floor of the Jubara checkpoint and was subsequently beaten while on the floor, the Agricultural Union said in a report released hours after the alleged event Thursday.
http://www.maannews.net/eng/
500 Jewish settlers storm Nabi Yousef tomb
Tens of Israeli military vehicles escorted 500 Jewish settlers on an unwelcome visit to the Nabi Yousef or Joseph tomb in Nablus city at dawn Thursday.
http://www.palestine-info.co.
CPT: Israeli soldiers arrest Palestinian shepherd, assault Palestinian youth
On Tuesday afternoon, February 23, 2010, Israeli soldiers arrested a Palestinian shepherd, Khalil Ibrahim Abu Jundiyye, from the village of Tuba. Abu Jundiyye, 19, was grazing his flock near Tuba when four Israeli soldiers, coming from the nearby Ma’on settlement, chased him and another shepherd back to Tuba. The soldiers aggressively pursued the two shepherds while Tuba families attempted to keep the soldiers away from them. One soldier head-butted a Palestinian youth who was pleading for an explanation why his brother was being arrested. Another soldier loaded his rifle and pointed it in the air, threatening to shoot, forcing the families to quell their protest.
http://palsolidarity.org/2010/
Detainees, Illegal Arrests
IDF nabs 20 Palestinians in Hebron
IDF forces operating in the West Bank overnight apprehended 20 wanted Palestinians. Eight of the Palestinians were apprehended in Hebron, while the rest were detained near Bethlehem.
http://www.ynetnews.com/articl
What's been happening in Shu'afat Refugee Camp?
Shu'afat Refugee Camp has the dubious privilege of being the only UN-run Palestinian refugee camp that lies within the boundaries that the Israeli occupation authorities unilaterally drew inside the West Bank, in 1968, for an expanded Municipality of Jerusalem. It is home to some 22,000 Palestinians. Over the past two weeks, the camp has been the scene of repeated raids by the Israeli security forces, who over this period have reportedly arrested some 92 camp residents.
http://justworldnews.org/
Siege/Humanitarian/Human Rights/Abuse
Israeli Denial: Suppressing the Practice of Torture
The Public Committee Against Torture in Israel (PACTI - stoptorture.org) "believes that torture and ill-treatment of any kind and under all circumstances is incompatible with the moral values of democracy and the rule of law." Yet it's systematically practiced by the Israeli Police, General Security Service (GSS), Israeli Prison Service (IPS), and Israeli Defense Forces (IDF).
http://palestinechronicle.com/
The Silent War: Israel's Blockade of Gaza
Israels blockade of Gaza has been in place for almost three years. Building on existing closures and restrictions, the blockade means the delay or denial of a broad range of items food, industrial, educational, medical deemed "non-essential" for a population largely unable to be self-sufficient at the end of decades of occupation. The blockade prevents access by sea, land and air, effectively closing off a population of 1.5 million Palestinians from the outside world. This short film examines what the blockade means for the people of Gaza, as they struggle to rebuild their lives over a year after Operation Cast Lead.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?
The Gaza Ghetto At 2010
Growing up in Israel, one of the most striking things I learned about the Holocaust was that the Nazis were not just content to kill Jews. They wanted to rob them of their human dignity, to dehumanise them. This policy was particularly evident in the way the Nazis created and ran their infamous ghettos. One of the most well-known of those was the Warsaw ghetto.
http://www.countercurrents.
Occupational Hazards
In Gaza, even scrap metal collection has its hazards. OCHA reminds us this week in its monitor of the “buffer zone” in place inside Gaza, an area in which the Israeli military prevents Gaza residents from getting within 300 meters of the border between Israel and Gaza – even those trying to earn an unlikely livelihood. This week, OCHA reports, Israeli soldiers entered Gaza and arrested 10 Palestinian civilians who were collecting scrap metal near the border; they were later released. Arrests in this area and sporadic incursions are of course a clear reminder to Gaza residents that Israel still exercises control over their lives, even if control over the movement of goods and people, felt via an invisible hand, has a greater effect on their lives.
http://www.gazagateway.org/
Industrial Fuel – Needs Vs. Supply – Jan 24 – Feb 20
http://www.gazagateway.org/
Goods – Needs Vs. Supply – Jan 24 – Feb 20
http://www.gazagateway.org/
War Criminals
UN human rights chief defends Goldstone report findings
United Nations human rights chief Navi Pillay defended on Wednesday the controversial Goldstone report on last year's winter conflict between Israel and Hamas in Gaza, saying both its methods and conclusions were sound.
http://www.haaretz.com/hasen/
Expert: UN could 'bury' Goldstone report
Chicago – Ma’an Exclusive – A year after Israel's assault on Gaza, bureaucratic wrangling is threatening to "bury" a UN report that accuses Israel and Palestinian militias of committing war crimes, a UN expert on the issue said on Wednesday.
http://www.maannews.net/eng/
Israel's Arab Helpers (more under extra-judicial assasination)
Egypt arrests Chinese nationals en route to Israel
Al-Arish - Ma'an - Egyptian authorities arrested three Chinese nationals in central Sinai on Wednesday, security sources said. The three unidentified detainees were en route to Israel, Egyptian security sources told Ma'an. The men surrendered after Egyptian forces opened fire in the air, the sources said. Under questioning, the men said they were attempting to enter Israel to search for jobs, the sources said, adding that they had paid 1,000 US dollars to international smugglers.
http://www.maannews.net/eng/
Egypt building military towers on border with Gaza
Egyptian authorities began on Wednesday evening to build fortified military towers along the border with the Gaza Strip. It was reported that the Egyptian army, before the middle of the night, brought in military iron towers into Al-Salam and Yebna areas, south of Rafah. Huge machines were brought to the area, and a number of Egyptian soldiers were seen working on erecting these military towers. Last year, Egypt started building an underground steel wall along the border with the Gaza Strip, in order to cut off smuggling tunnels used by Gazans to transfer food and other necessary commodities.
http://www.paltelegraph.com/
Lebanon Says It Arrested Man Who Confessed to Spying for Mossad
Feb. 25 (Bloomberg) -- Lebanon arrested a man who has confessed to being a Mossad agent, extending a crackdown on an alleged Israeli spy ring, the head of Lebanon’s internal security forces said. “We arrested him just over two weeks ago, and he confessed to working for the Israeli Mossad,” Major General Ashraf Reefi said in a telephone interview today. “We were pursuing him for a few months and he had traveled abroad when we began to crack down on a cell of collaborators with Israel last year, and he then came back to the country thinking we had forgotten about him.”
http://www.businessweek.com/
The PA doesn’t seem to care who they meet or where, Antony Loewenstein
This is truly absurd. Palestinian Authority Prime Minister Salam Fayyad meets with some of America’s most right-wing Jewish leaders who don’t believe in ending the occupation or ceasing settlement building.
http://antonyloewenstein.com/
Zionism
Tel Aviv municipality supports racist 'chastity' patrols
Tel Aviv is often portrayed by Israeli hasbaristas as a hip, modern, and very liberal kind of place. So why do we learn now, from Dimi Reider, that the city is putting money into a program to "treat" young Jewish women who date and/or marry Arab men? Petty apartheid, anyone?
http://justworldnews.org/
Political Developments and Diplomacy
Israeli defense minister meets UN chief (AP)
AP - Israeli Defense Minister Ehud Barak and Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon spent about an hour Wednesday discussing peace prospects with the Palestinians and broader Mideast issues.
http://us.rd.yahoo.com/
Clinton hopes Mideast peace talks will resume soon (Reuters)
Reuters - Secretary of State Hillary Clinton said on Wednesday she hoped Israeli-Palestinian peace talks will resume soon, taking a more upbeat tone about efforts to end the conflict than typical for U.S. officials.
http://us.rd.yahoo.com/
US slams Israel over designating heritage sites (AP)
AP - The Obama administration criticized Israel Wednesday for designating two shrines on Palestinian territory as national heritage sites.
http://us.rd.yahoo.com/
UN chief raises concern over Palestinian talks (AP)
AP - Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon raised concern at a meeting Wednesday with Israel's defense chief that Israel's recent designation of holy sites in the West Bank as heritage sites and demolitions in East Jerusalem could hinder a resumption of stalled peace talks with the Palestinians, a U.N. spokesman said.
http://us.rd.yahoo.com/
PLO: If Netanyahu wants our holy sites, he can't have peace talks
Ramallah – Ma'an - The Executive Committee of the PLO will not support talks with Israel's Benjamin Netanyahu government in light of its decision to declare sites in Palestinian areas "Israeli heritage sites," the body announced after a meeting Wednesday. "We will reject any kind of negotiations, even indirect talks," Secretary General of the PLO body Yasser Abed Rabbo said after the meeting in Ramallah.
http://www.maannews.net/eng/
Islamic conf. calls on Palestinians to unite before aggression
CAIRO, Feb 25 (KUNA) -- The Palestinian people with all their factions are required to unite in the face of the unjust aggression that targets their own existence, the 22nd General Congress of the Supreme Councils for Islamic Affairs made this call here Thursday.
The Islamic conference urged the Palestinians to put an end to their inner conflicts and shift to the conflict with their archenemy, namely the worldwide zionism and the state of Isreal. Further, the four-day conference that ended today called on, in its final recommendations, the Islamic world with all its states, peoples and organizations to take necessary measures that may strengthen the Palestinian society and brace them for a long drawn-out conflict with their foe that makes use of all mechanisms and tools of the conflict.
http://www.kuna.net.kw/
Obama needs to get his poll numbers up -- in Israel (Reuters)
Reuters - U.S. President Barack Obama needs to get his poll numbers up -- in Israel -- if he hopes to make peace between Israelis and Palestinians, a senior Israeli official said Wednesday.
http://us.rd.yahoo.com/
Extra-Judicial Assassination
Assassins caught on video reveals possible Mossad-Fatah link
There is speculation he met Iranian officials to arrange another shipment of the missiles that Hamas regularly fires into Israel's towns and cities. And then there's the matter of two Palestinians associated with the intelligence and security operation of Fatah, Hamas' rival for political control of the Palestinians in the West Bank and Gaza. Ahmad Hasnin and Anwar Shekhaiber are reported by the Dubai police to have arranged hired cars and hotel rooms in Dubai for the Mossad hit squad. And one of them met chief assassin Elvinger.
http://www.vancouversun.com/
Pictures of 26 'agents' sought over Hamas killing
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/in_
At least 10 Israelis share names of new Dubai hit squad suspects
Video of Suspects: : 10 of those suspects share the names of Israelis who hold dual citizenship, Haaretz has learned.
http://haaretz.com/hasen/
Australia calls in Israel envoy over forged passports in Dubai hit
The Canberra government has called in Israel's ambassador after three Australians were named as suspects in the assassination of a Hamas.
http://www.haaretz.com/hasen/
Israel's friends in Dubai
"Now back in Israel, Dovik Peer, Shahar's father, told Army Radio a bit about what it was like. The organizers' efforts to ensure that Shahar participate and make it home in one piece entailed extremely high security. They took up the whole floor of a hotel, a different one from where the rest of the players were staying. An extensive security detail kept a watchful eye on them in a way "I think is very similar to the prime minister's security in Israel," he said: First, second and third circles of security meticulously scoured the vicinity before allowing them out of the room. The closest routes between hotel and car, car and private dressing room, dressing room and court were chosen, to minimize Peer's exposure. Most meals were ordered in, the few taken outside were done with bodyguards. Needless to say, they didn't see much of Dubai. Work with us here, the guards told them. Things are tense. Asked whether he was scared, Dovik said, "Not for a second." Peer herself told the press upon her return that everyone in Dubai took good care of her and tried to make her feel as comfortable as possible. It was a difficult week but an important one, she said, at the end of which she felt she had friends in Dubai."
http://angryarab.blogspot.com/
NYT's Watch
NYT, Ethan Bronner and Conflicts of Interest
A recent assignment of mine covering Israel's presumed links to the assassination of Hamas leader Mahmoud al-Mabhouh provoked some more thoughts about the New York Times reporter Ethan Bronner. He is the Jerusalem bureau chief who has been at the centre of a controversy since it was revealed last month that his son is serving in the Israeli army. Despite mounting pressure to replace Bronner, the NYT’s editors have so far refused to consider that he might be facing a conflict of interest or that it would be wiser to post him elsewhere.
http://palestinechronicle.com/
Factchecking Kershner, Seham
Check out Isabel Kershner in the Times, on a clash in Hebron over two "hotly contested" sites in occupied territories that Israel is claiming as national heritage sites.
http://mondoweiss.net/2010/02/
Analysis/Opinion
Dissent Of The Day, Andrew Sullivan
Yes, that's an unofficial t-shirt, popular among some IDF soldiers, celebrating the notion that by shooting an armed pregnant Palestinian woman, you can also kill her unborn child. They were particularly popular after the Gaza assault.
http://andrewsullivan.
MJ Rosenberg: Yes, Kramer Did Advocate Palestinian Genocide
The other day I happened upon a speech delivered by a professor affiliated with Harvard in which he seemed to advocate reducing the Palestinian population through means akin to genocide (and which match the legal definition of genocide). The speech was delivered at the prestigious Herzliyah conference in Israel earlier this month. The Herzliyah conference, which has a focus on Israel's foreign policy and strategy, is a Middle East version of the Aspen Institute. Everybody who is anybody wants to be seen there.
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/
Rosen–DoD contractor, Kramer’s patron, and dominant male–epitomizes Harvard’s reigning ideology, neoconservatism
Martin Kramer’s patron at Harvard is Stephen Peter Rosen, a neocon and professor of national security. Rosen also helps run “Long Term Strategy Group”, a consulting company, along with Jacqueline Newmyer. They had a lucrative DOD gig providing bland “strategic” planning guidelines and the odd slide show in DC. It seems they pulled in a mere $2 million in the last few years from Defense.
http://mondoweiss.net/2010/02/
A Palestinian reflects on the lifelong experience of Israeli viciousness, Anees of Jerusalem
Anees in an email: I am still wondering about the criticism of the use of the term genocide by EI in the Martin Kramer flap. I cannot decide if it is unwarranted or hyperbolic. After all, Israel’s blockade of Gaza is in fact directly responsible for the deaths of hundreds (or more?) of Palestinians, and Kramer is adamantly supportive of it in the context of ‘limiting birth rates’. (See Sara Roy’s very recent detailing of such things as Gaza’s infant mortality rate post-blockade.)
http://mondoweiss.net/2010/02/
In new ads that try to change the subject, Israel reveals racism
What is so amazing about these three new government-sponsored ads urging ordinary Israelis to go forth and change Israel’s image is that it is precisely when Israel tries to change the subject that it is most overtly racist. The conceit of the ads is that they pretend to show how ignorant foreigners portray Israel in their news reports: the English speaker says Israelis ride around on camels, the French broadcaster confuses a party and fireworks with a bombing campaign, the Spanish reporter says Israelis only eat kabobs cooked over primitive fires — "primitive and delicious" she says after taking a bite. And then in Hebrew, at the end of each fake report, the voice says something like: "if you don’t like the picture, change it" [commenters, please help] — and then invites viewers to submit their own spots that show the real Israel (which would presumably be fast cars, Thai food and endless beach parties). I think that’s what the Hebrew is saying. We don’t ride camels or eat kabobs — in other words, we’re not Arabs, we’re white Europeans, love us!
http://mondoweiss.net/2010/02/
Listen to the Heroes of Israel, John Pilger
I phoned Rami Elhanan the other day. We had not spoken for six years and much has happened in Israel and Palestine. Rami is an Israeli graphic designer who lives with his family in Jerusalem. His father survived Auschwitz. His grandparents and six aunts and uncles perished in the Holocaust. Whenever I am asked about heroes, I say Rami and his wife Nurit without hesitation. Soon after when we met, Rami gave me a home videotape that was difficult to watch. It shows his daughter Smadar, aged 14, throwing her head back, laughing and playing the piano. "She loved to dance," he said. On the afternoon of 4 September, 1997, Smadar and her best friend, Sivane, had auditions for admission to a dance school. She had argued that morning with her mother, who was anxious about her going to the centre of Jerusalem. "I didn’t want to row," said Nurit, "so I let her go."
http://original.antiwar.com/
Israel intends to provoke a reaction
Some might consider it an insensitive move on the part of the Israeli government to add two holy sites situated in the West Bank to a list of their own heritage sites; others may simply call it cynical. The nature and timing of the move, however, reveals the motives to be much more disturbing.Over the past weeks, both Israeli and Palestinian officials have hinted at the possibility of indirect talks taking place through a US mediator.
http://www.dailystar.com.lb/
What’s In a Name?, Philip Giraldi
The public has become so accustomed to extrajudicial killings and kidnappings by the United States and Israel that such activities most often receive little media coverage and are hardly noticed. The recent massive assassination operation carried out by Israel’s Mossad in Dubai has been an exception, however. It has attracted considerable media attention in Europe though relatively little in the United States, possibly because any American outcry would be the pot calling the kettle black. Europeans have mostly been outraged by the Israeli cloning of genuine European passports to carry out their dirty work, less so by the killing itself.
http://original.antiwar.com/
Lebanon
British Daily Reveals Mossad Behind Moghniyyeh Assassination
24/02/2010 While media outlets are preoccupied these days with publishing details of the assassination of Hamas leader Mahmoud Mabhouh in Dubai, and the time Dubai police is accusing the Israeli Mossad of standing behind the crime, British Daily 'The Independent' confirmed the responsibility of the mentioned Mossad in the assassination of Hezbollah top military commander Imad Moghniyyeh (Hajj Redwan) in Syria two years ago. The daily said that in just 60 years, Israel's secret service has become a byword for ruthlessness and audacity. Yet, and as the storm surrounding its Dubai operation intensifies, Gordon Thomas, author of the definitive history of Mossad, reveals the inside story of its most daring hit in a book to be published within days.
http://almanar.com.lb/
Poll: 84% of Lebanese Trust Resistance Capabilities
25/02/2010 Beirut Center for Research and Information conducted an opinion poll on the repercussions of the latest speech delivered by Hezbollah Secretary General Sayyed Hasan Nasrallah in the occasion of the Martyr Leaders' day and whether this speech removed the possibility of an imminent war or increased it. The poll was conducted between February 19 and 22, 2010, included a sample of 200 surveyed people from different Lebanese factions, religions, sects, ages, genders, and regions. The poll showed that 84% of Lebanese believe in the capabilities of the Resistance in confronting any Israeli aggression. Furthermore, 74% of Lebanese believe that the Resistance capabilities can deter Israel from starting an aggression. 60% of Lebanese think that Sayyed Nasrallah's latest speech made the possibility of a war far according to the poll.
http://almanar.com.lb/
Top Muslim clerics urge unity to mark Prophet’s birthday
BEIRUT: Sectarian strife benefits the destructive goals of Israel, warned Senior Shiite cleric Sayyed Mohammad Hussein Fadlallah Wednesday during a speech to mark Prophet Mohammad's birthday celebrated on February 26 this year. Fadlallah said the occasion should remind Muslims that they follow the Prophet's message of unity. "Muslims might disagree on the date of birth of the Prophet.
http://www.dailystar.com.lb/
Committee demands boycott of Arab League summit in Libya
BEIRUT: Lebanon should boycott the Arab League summit in Libya and should assume its responsibilities, demanded the Higher National Committee to follow up on the case of Imam Musa Sadr on Wednesday. The committee held a meeting presided over by vice president of the Higher Shiite Council, Sheikh Abdel-Amir Qabalan, after which it concluded that Lebanon should not participate in the summit that will be held in Libya.
http://www.dailystar.com.lb/
Palestinian principles committee launched in Beirut
BEIRUT: The establishment of the "National Palestinian Committee for Defending Principles" (NPCDP) was announced Wednesday at the Bristol Hotel in Beirut during a gathering of Palestinian and Lebanese figures, and the NPCDP founding members. "The Arabs' right to resist Israel, and the right of return are not based on international law or UN decisions but stem from history.
http://www.dailystar.com.lb/
Iraq
Four policemen killed, five injured in separate incidents in Mosul
Four Iraqi policemen were killed and five others were injured Tuesday in separate violent incidents in the city of Mosul northern Iraq.
http://www.kuna.net.kw/
At least three dead, five injured in Baghdad suicide bombing
A suicide bomber killed at least three people, including himself, and wounded at least five in central Baghdad Tuesday.
http://www.monstersandcritics.
Wednesday: 1 Iraqi Killed, 5 Wounded
Violence was light today, but several stories that are all possibly election related made the headlines. The most important ones are the creation of a new Ba'athist blacklist, attacks against Christians, and the strange story about 67 unidentified bodies that a candidate told at a press conference. Unless those 67 corpses turn up, only one Iraqi was killed today and five more were wounded.
http://original.antiwar.com/
Iraqi parliamentarian denies U.S. charges of terrorism (McClatchy Newspapers)
McClatchy Newspapers - BAGHDAD — Abu Mahdi al Mohandas is one of more than 6,000 candidates who are running in the Iraqi parliamentary elections next month, but he's probably the only contender who won't set foot on the campaign trail for fear of a U.S. assassination attempt.
http://us.rd.yahoo.com/
In an Iraqi City, the Real Ballot Contest Is for Shiite Leadership
As the March 7 parliamentary election approaches, Nasiriya, where two coalitions of religious parties are vying for votes, offers a glimpse at Iraqi sectarian politics.
http://www.nytimes.com/2010/
Sistani Call Likely to Boost Shia Turnout
Top Shia cleric urges citizens to vote but refuses to endorse parties. By an IWPR-trained journalist in Najaf (ICR No. 325, 24-Feb-10)
http://www.iwpr.net/EN-icr-f-
Allawi warns Iraq of return to sectarianism
The former prime minister says the government is risking a return to widespread violence by stirring tensions, such as excluding candidates and intimidating opponents, in the run-up to next week's general election.
http://www.ft.com/cms/s/0/
Sunni leader decides to take part in Iraq election (AP)
AP - A top Sunni lawmaker, who less than a week ago said he was pulling his party out of the election after he was banned from the race, reversed course on Thursday, saying that his party is back in the race.
http://us.rd.yahoo.com/
Women Call for More Political Power
Conference delegates say greater parliamentary representation has helped, but isn’t enough. By Mariwan Hama-Saeed in Sulaimaniyah (ICR No. 325, 25-Feb-10)
http://www.iwpr.net/EN-icr-f-
Iraq's cell phone operators must improve service or pay up (AFP)
AFP - Iraqi mobile phone operators Zain and Asiacell must improve their service or pay their full license fees in advance, government spokesman Ali al-Dabbagh said on Wednesday.
http://us.rd.yahoo.com/
US war embezzlement visualized: 4-minute video banned from Congress testimony: “Iraq for Sale”
http://www.examiner.com/x-
A Scorpion From Iraq Trying to Sting in America
The Iraqi metal band Acrassicauda, named after a black scorpion, looked at cross-purposes before it started to play on Tuesday night: both hesitant and ready to rip. But the singer and rhythm guitarist Faisal Talal Mustafa pushed ahead, beginning the ceremony. “This song’s called ... ” he barked, “ ‘Message! From! Baghdad!’
http://www.nytimes.com/2010/
U.S. and other world news
Marjah: ‘This is not Fallujah’
Marjah also represents the US project of replacing the UN with NATO as the world’s peacekeeper. The coalition of almost 60 nations is pursuing an illegal war launched by the US , with the UN -- the only legitimate forum for world peacekeeping -- now in tow solely as window dressing.
http://www.
33 Civilians Killed by NATO Airstrike in Afghanistan
At least we said we're sorry. I know an "aw, shucks" statement would calm my rage if those had been my kids. Yup. Like a charm.
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/
In war, casualties are more than numbers; they have names
Let's relate those numbers to people - people dying one at a time, or in groups of three, or in a house of 12.Innocent people. Slain civilians caught up in a war that is far from being over.
http://www.etaiwannews.com/
Civilian body counts 28 civilian deaths in Marjah
The Afghan human rights commission reported Wednesday that 28 civilians have been killed so far in NATO's offensive on the Taliban stronghold of Marjah, and urged pro-government forces to take greater care in distinguishing between noncombatants and militants.
http://www.newsday.com/news/
U.S.: CIA Briefed Congress on Renditions
The U.S. Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) briefed members of Congress from both political parties numerous times about the agency's interrogation and detention programmes, several prominent human rights groups said.
http://www.
US demands Syria distance itself from Iran
Secretary of State Hillary Clinton said that Syria must stop intervening in Lebanon's affairs, stop providing weapons to Hezbollah, and promote renewed peace talks with Israel.
http://www.ynetnews.com/
Muslim woman files complaint over head-scarf firing
A Muslim college student has lodged a complaint with federal officials after she said she was fired from her job at a San Mateo clothing store for refusing to remove her hijab, or head scarf. Hani Khan, 19, of Foster City said was terminated from her job.
http://feeds.sfgate.com/click.
This tide of anti-Muslim hatred is a threat to us all | Seumas Milne
If young British Muslims had any doubts that they are singled out for special treatment in the land of their birth, the punishments being meted out to those who took part in last year's London demonstrations against Israel's war on Gaza will have dispelled them. The protests near the Israeli embassy at the height of the onslaught were angry: bottles and stones were thrown, a Starbucks was trashed and the police employed unusually violent tactics, even by the standards of other recent confrontations, such as the G20 protests.
http://www.guardian.co.uk/
www.TheHeadlines.org
Palestinian herders fined for trespassing West Bank nature preserve
Yuval Azoulay - Haaretz - Late last year, three Palestinian brothers who own a small herd from which they earn a living received the fine from an inspector visiting the Jordan Valley. Each brother - from the Daraghma family - was required to pay NIS 660. Advertisement The incident occurred in the Um Zuka nature preserve in the West Bank near Route 90 and the Jordan Valley settlement of Mehola. For years, Palestinian shepherds, including those from the Daraghma family, have marched their herds on their lands next to the road. Before the fining incident, no one had interrupted their routine.
http://www.haaretz.com/hasen/
Inside Story - tensions rise over holy sites
Palestinians are angered by Israel's plan to restore two sites in the West Bank.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?
Settlers want more sites added to Israeli heritage list
Bethlehem – Ma'an – Israeli settlers have called on their prime minister, Benyamin Netanyahu, to add more religious sites in the occupied West Bank to a list of Israeli heritage sites. The Hebrew-language daily Ma'ariv reported Wednesday that two members of the Kiryat Arba council sent a letter to Netanyahu calling on him to nationalize two holy shrines in Hebron.
http://www.maannews.net/eng/
Silwan families: Israel serves 8 new demolition orders
Jerusalem - Ma'an - Eight families in the East Jerusalem neighborhood of Silwan were handed orders announcing their homes were slated for demolition, as Israeli municipality workers entered the area accompanied by military guards on Wednesday.
http://www.maannews.net/eng/
Activism/Solidarity/Boycott, Sanctions and Divestment
Hebron protest sparks clashes
Tensions increase as Israel declares site of Hebron mosque Israeli heritage location.
http://english.aljazeera.net/
EU court: West Bank goods not Israeli
Products made in settlements subject to import duties because they are not produced in Israel proper, European Union's high court rules Thursday.
http://www.ynetnews.com/
Irish Foreign Minister first to enter Gaza Strip
Irish Foreign Minister Micheal Martin has arrived in the Gaza Strip in the first ever visit to the Hamas-ruled enclave by a top Western government official. No American or European leader or senior figure has visited since Gaza was taken over by Hamas in June, 2007. The EU and the U.S. declared a boycott of Hamas at the time because of its refusal to recognize Israel and renounce violence. Escorted by United Nations vehicles, Martin entered through the Rafah border crossing with Egypt. Israel had turned down his request last year to enter Gaza. He does not intend to met with Hamas. Martin's visit to comes after widespread anger in Ireland over the use of Irish passports by an alleged Israeli hit squad that killed a Hamas militant in Dubai recently. As many as ten legitimate Irish passports may have been used in the assassination.
http://www.irishcentral.com/
Vanunu: Take me off list of Nobel peace prize nominees
Israeli nuclear whistleblower says he does not want to be associated with Nobel winner Shimon Peres.
http://www.haaretz.com/hasen/
Israel Ballet Protest: University at Buffalo 2/23
A performance of the Israel Ballet at the University at Buffalo last night was protested by UB Students for Justice in Palestine and the Palestine-Israel Committee of the Western New York Peace Center. Reports Jim Holstun, Professor of English, SUNY Buffalo: "One of our members (a member of both groups), Irene Morrison, was ejected from the pre-dance Q&A by, evidently, a university official who pronounced political free speech out of bounds for the evening. "It’s funny: Israelis come over here, and suddenly, everyone wants to start acting like they’re at a checkpoint."
http://www.youtube.com/watch?
Viva Palestina To Send Convoy To Gaza
British Legislator, George Galloway, stated that Viva Palestina is preparing to send another convoy filled with humanitarian aid to the impoverished Gaza Strip. Convoy members from different countries around the world, will be sailing in June.
http://www.imemc.org/index.
'Chicago Hearing' on Israel and U.S. values, April 18
The Chicago office of the American Friends Service Committee and various allies are organizing a public hearing on on April 18, on the important question, Does U.S. Policy on Israel and Palestine Uphold Our Values?. Giving testimony will be ICAHD's Jeff Halper on "Property Rights", Jad Issac on "Freedom of Movement", and Cindy Corrie and Amer Shurrab on "Military Aid". I am very honored that I'll be moderating the event. The front-table "listeners" will be: John J. Mearsheimer of the University of Chicago, Barbara Ransby of the University of Illinois at Chicago, Rabbi Brant Rosen of Ta'anit Tzedek (Jewish Fast for Gaza), Dr. Zaher Sahloul of the Council of Islamic Organizations of Greater Chicago, and Ghada Talhami, professor emerita at Lake Forest College.
http://justworldnews.org/
Judith Butler: As a Jew, I was taught it was ethically imperative to speak up
Philosopher, professor and author Judith Butler talks about the dehumanization of Gazans, and how Jewish values drove her to criticize the actions of the State of Israel.
http://haaretz.com/hasen/
Recovering from Starbucks coffee memories
I'm recovering from my trip to the US. I spent more days at the airports than in the US. Out of everything I disliked there, the most annoying memory was meeting two students and a lecturer, from Kuwait and Egypt, at Georgetown University who were well known protagonists of the Palestinian cause who asked me to meet up with them outside... Starbucks! No, really. It seems Starbucks has become the meeting place of activists for justice in Palestine. Not only that, but one of the students came out walking (after I refused to enter) with a Starbucks coffee cup! After I bashed at him, the lecturer said I was bossy and rude. Maybe he's right, mind you, we'll have to ask the surviving relatives of the second Qana massacre whether the Starbucks funded missiles that killed their babies were also bossy and rude. But, then again, ignore the roots of my Muslim rage and despair, to borrow the term from modern day, celebrity Bernard Lewis, Mr Bono. (One of my anthropology professors at SOAS once came into class with a Coca Cola... I tried explaining to him where his money just went to, but shouldn't he already know that?)
http://gaza08.blogspot.com/
Violence/Aggression
Medics: Man shot by Israeli forces east of Gaza City
Gaza – Ma'an – Israeli forces operating east of the Ash-Shuja'iyeh neighborhood of Gaza City shot and wounded a Palestinian man, medics in the Ash-Shifa Hospital said.
http://www.maannews.net/eng/
Settler and IOF violence at Sheikh Jarrah erupts into riot
One Palestinian man arrested, one woman and child pepper sprayed and two children injured as settler provocation turns into a riot.
Spirits were high in the protest camp outside the Gawi and Al-Kurd families’ houses. Each Wednesday the community gathers for a meal, bridging the gap between the Palestinian, Israeli and international activists bringing a sense of unity crucial for an effective movement. But things change quickly in the holy land.
http://palsolidarity.org/2010/
Union: Farmer beaten by Israeli forces at Jubarah checkpoint
Tulkarem – Ma'an – A farmer on his way to agricultural lands near Tulkarem was told to lie on the floor of the Jubara checkpoint and was subsequently beaten while on the floor, the Agricultural Union said in a report released hours after the alleged event Thursday.
http://www.maannews.net/eng/
500 Jewish settlers storm Nabi Yousef tomb
Tens of Israeli military vehicles escorted 500 Jewish settlers on an unwelcome visit to the Nabi Yousef or Joseph tomb in Nablus city at dawn Thursday.
http://www.palestine-info.co.
CPT: Israeli soldiers arrest Palestinian shepherd, assault Palestinian youth
On Tuesday afternoon, February 23, 2010, Israeli soldiers arrested a Palestinian shepherd, Khalil Ibrahim Abu Jundiyye, from the village of Tuba. Abu Jundiyye, 19, was grazing his flock near Tuba when four Israeli soldiers, coming from the nearby Ma’on settlement, chased him and another shepherd back to Tuba. The soldiers aggressively pursued the two shepherds while Tuba families attempted to keep the soldiers away from them. One soldier head-butted a Palestinian youth who was pleading for an explanation why his brother was being arrested. Another soldier loaded his rifle and pointed it in the air, threatening to shoot, forcing the families to quell their protest.
http://palsolidarity.org/2010/
Detainees, Illegal Arrests
IDF nabs 20 Palestinians in Hebron
IDF forces operating in the West Bank overnight apprehended 20 wanted Palestinians. Eight of the Palestinians were apprehended in Hebron, while the rest were detained near Bethlehem.
http://www.ynetnews.com/articl
What's been happening in Shu'afat Refugee Camp?
Shu'afat Refugee Camp has the dubious privilege of being the only UN-run Palestinian refugee camp that lies within the boundaries that the Israeli occupation authorities unilaterally drew inside the West Bank, in 1968, for an expanded Municipality of Jerusalem. It is home to some 22,000 Palestinians. Over the past two weeks, the camp has been the scene of repeated raids by the Israeli security forces, who over this period have reportedly arrested some 92 camp residents.
http://justworldnews.org/
Siege/Humanitarian/Human Rights/Abuse
Israeli Denial: Suppressing the Practice of Torture
The Public Committee Against Torture in Israel (PACTI - stoptorture.org) "believes that torture and ill-treatment of any kind and under all circumstances is incompatible with the moral values of democracy and the rule of law." Yet it's systematically practiced by the Israeli Police, General Security Service (GSS), Israeli Prison Service (IPS), and Israeli Defense Forces (IDF).
http://palestinechronicle.com/
The Silent War: Israel's Blockade of Gaza
Israels blockade of Gaza has been in place for almost three years. Building on existing closures and restrictions, the blockade means the delay or denial of a broad range of items food, industrial, educational, medical deemed "non-essential" for a population largely unable to be self-sufficient at the end of decades of occupation. The blockade prevents access by sea, land and air, effectively closing off a population of 1.5 million Palestinians from the outside world. This short film examines what the blockade means for the people of Gaza, as they struggle to rebuild their lives over a year after Operation Cast Lead.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?
The Gaza Ghetto At 2010
Growing up in Israel, one of the most striking things I learned about the Holocaust was that the Nazis were not just content to kill Jews. They wanted to rob them of their human dignity, to dehumanise them. This policy was particularly evident in the way the Nazis created and ran their infamous ghettos. One of the most well-known of those was the Warsaw ghetto.
http://www.countercurrents.
Occupational Hazards
In Gaza, even scrap metal collection has its hazards. OCHA reminds us this week in its monitor of the “buffer zone” in place inside Gaza, an area in which the Israeli military prevents Gaza residents from getting within 300 meters of the border between Israel and Gaza – even those trying to earn an unlikely livelihood. This week, OCHA reports, Israeli soldiers entered Gaza and arrested 10 Palestinian civilians who were collecting scrap metal near the border; they were later released. Arrests in this area and sporadic incursions are of course a clear reminder to Gaza residents that Israel still exercises control over their lives, even if control over the movement of goods and people, felt via an invisible hand, has a greater effect on their lives.
http://www.gazagateway.org/
Industrial Fuel – Needs Vs. Supply – Jan 24 – Feb 20
http://www.gazagateway.org/
Goods – Needs Vs. Supply – Jan 24 – Feb 20
http://www.gazagateway.org/
War Criminals
UN human rights chief defends Goldstone report findings
United Nations human rights chief Navi Pillay defended on Wednesday the controversial Goldstone report on last year's winter conflict between Israel and Hamas in Gaza, saying both its methods and conclusions were sound.
http://www.haaretz.com/hasen/
Expert: UN could 'bury' Goldstone report
Chicago – Ma’an Exclusive – A year after Israel's assault on Gaza, bureaucratic wrangling is threatening to "bury" a UN report that accuses Israel and Palestinian militias of committing war crimes, a UN expert on the issue said on Wednesday.
http://www.maannews.net/eng/
Israel's Arab Helpers (more under extra-judicial assasination)
Egypt arrests Chinese nationals en route to Israel
Al-Arish - Ma'an - Egyptian authorities arrested three Chinese nationals in central Sinai on Wednesday, security sources said. The three unidentified detainees were en route to Israel, Egyptian security sources told Ma'an. The men surrendered after Egyptian forces opened fire in the air, the sources said. Under questioning, the men said they were attempting to enter Israel to search for jobs, the sources said, adding that they had paid 1,000 US dollars to international smugglers.
http://www.maannews.net/eng/
Egypt building military towers on border with Gaza
Egyptian authorities began on Wednesday evening to build fortified military towers along the border with the Gaza Strip. It was reported that the Egyptian army, before the middle of the night, brought in military iron towers into Al-Salam and Yebna areas, south of Rafah. Huge machines were brought to the area, and a number of Egyptian soldiers were seen working on erecting these military towers. Last year, Egypt started building an underground steel wall along the border with the Gaza Strip, in order to cut off smuggling tunnels used by Gazans to transfer food and other necessary commodities.
http://www.paltelegraph.com/
Lebanon Says It Arrested Man Who Confessed to Spying for Mossad
Feb. 25 (Bloomberg) -- Lebanon arrested a man who has confessed to being a Mossad agent, extending a crackdown on an alleged Israeli spy ring, the head of Lebanon’s internal security forces said. “We arrested him just over two weeks ago, and he confessed to working for the Israeli Mossad,” Major General Ashraf Reefi said in a telephone interview today. “We were pursuing him for a few months and he had traveled abroad when we began to crack down on a cell of collaborators with Israel last year, and he then came back to the country thinking we had forgotten about him.”
http://www.businessweek.com/
The PA doesn’t seem to care who they meet or where, Antony Loewenstein
This is truly absurd. Palestinian Authority Prime Minister Salam Fayyad meets with some of America’s most right-wing Jewish leaders who don’t believe in ending the occupation or ceasing settlement building.
http://antonyloewenstein.com/
Zionism
Tel Aviv municipality supports racist 'chastity' patrols
Tel Aviv is often portrayed by Israeli hasbaristas as a hip, modern, and very liberal kind of place. So why do we learn now, from Dimi Reider, that the city is putting money into a program to "treat" young Jewish women who date and/or marry Arab men? Petty apartheid, anyone?
http://justworldnews.org/
Political Developments and Diplomacy
Israeli defense minister meets UN chief (AP)
AP - Israeli Defense Minister Ehud Barak and Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon spent about an hour Wednesday discussing peace prospects with the Palestinians and broader Mideast issues.
http://us.rd.yahoo.com/
Clinton hopes Mideast peace talks will resume soon (Reuters)
Reuters - Secretary of State Hillary Clinton said on Wednesday she hoped Israeli-Palestinian peace talks will resume soon, taking a more upbeat tone about efforts to end the conflict than typical for U.S. officials.
http://us.rd.yahoo.com/
US slams Israel over designating heritage sites (AP)
AP - The Obama administration criticized Israel Wednesday for designating two shrines on Palestinian territory as national heritage sites.
http://us.rd.yahoo.com/
UN chief raises concern over Palestinian talks (AP)
AP - Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon raised concern at a meeting Wednesday with Israel's defense chief that Israel's recent designation of holy sites in the West Bank as heritage sites and demolitions in East Jerusalem could hinder a resumption of stalled peace talks with the Palestinians, a U.N. spokesman said.
http://us.rd.yahoo.com/
PLO: If Netanyahu wants our holy sites, he can't have peace talks
Ramallah – Ma'an - The Executive Committee of the PLO will not support talks with Israel's Benjamin Netanyahu government in light of its decision to declare sites in Palestinian areas "Israeli heritage sites," the body announced after a meeting Wednesday. "We will reject any kind of negotiations, even indirect talks," Secretary General of the PLO body Yasser Abed Rabbo said after the meeting in Ramallah.
http://www.maannews.net/eng/
Islamic conf. calls on Palestinians to unite before aggression
CAIRO, Feb 25 (KUNA) -- The Palestinian people with all their factions are required to unite in the face of the unjust aggression that targets their own existence, the 22nd General Congress of the Supreme Councils for Islamic Affairs made this call here Thursday.
The Islamic conference urged the Palestinians to put an end to their inner conflicts and shift to the conflict with their archenemy, namely the worldwide zionism and the state of Isreal. Further, the four-day conference that ended today called on, in its final recommendations, the Islamic world with all its states, peoples and organizations to take necessary measures that may strengthen the Palestinian society and brace them for a long drawn-out conflict with their foe that makes use of all mechanisms and tools of the conflict.
http://www.kuna.net.kw/
Obama needs to get his poll numbers up -- in Israel (Reuters)
Reuters - U.S. President Barack Obama needs to get his poll numbers up -- in Israel -- if he hopes to make peace between Israelis and Palestinians, a senior Israeli official said Wednesday.
http://us.rd.yahoo.com/
Extra-Judicial Assassination
Assassins caught on video reveals possible Mossad-Fatah link
There is speculation he met Iranian officials to arrange another shipment of the missiles that Hamas regularly fires into Israel's towns and cities. And then there's the matter of two Palestinians associated with the intelligence and security operation of Fatah, Hamas' rival for political control of the Palestinians in the West Bank and Gaza. Ahmad Hasnin and Anwar Shekhaiber are reported by the Dubai police to have arranged hired cars and hotel rooms in Dubai for the Mossad hit squad. And one of them met chief assassin Elvinger.
http://www.vancouversun.com/
Pictures of 26 'agents' sought over Hamas killing
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/in_
Dubai murder suspects: flight movements into and out of Dubai
The Dubai police have released flight information for 22 of the suspects in the Mabhouh murder last month. See the data as a spreadsheet:
• Get the data
• Interactive guide to the flight patterns
http://www.guardian.co.uk/The Dubai police have released flight information for 22 of the suspects in the Mabhouh murder last month. See the data as a spreadsheet:
• Get the data
• Interactive guide to the flight patterns
At least 10 Israelis share names of new Dubai hit squad suspects
Video of Suspects: : 10 of those suspects share the names of Israelis who hold dual citizenship, Haaretz has learned.
http://haaretz.com/hasen/
Australia calls in Israel envoy over forged passports in Dubai hit
The Canberra government has called in Israel's ambassador after three Australians were named as suspects in the assassination of a Hamas.
http://www.haaretz.com/hasen/
Israel's friends in Dubai
"Now back in Israel, Dovik Peer, Shahar's father, told Army Radio a bit about what it was like. The organizers' efforts to ensure that Shahar participate and make it home in one piece entailed extremely high security. They took up the whole floor of a hotel, a different one from where the rest of the players were staying. An extensive security detail kept a watchful eye on them in a way "I think is very similar to the prime minister's security in Israel," he said: First, second and third circles of security meticulously scoured the vicinity before allowing them out of the room. The closest routes between hotel and car, car and private dressing room, dressing room and court were chosen, to minimize Peer's exposure. Most meals were ordered in, the few taken outside were done with bodyguards. Needless to say, they didn't see much of Dubai. Work with us here, the guards told them. Things are tense. Asked whether he was scared, Dovik said, "Not for a second." Peer herself told the press upon her return that everyone in Dubai took good care of her and tried to make her feel as comfortable as possible. It was a difficult week but an important one, she said, at the end of which she felt she had friends in Dubai."
http://angryarab.blogspot.com/
NYT's Watch
NYT, Ethan Bronner and Conflicts of Interest
A recent assignment of mine covering Israel's presumed links to the assassination of Hamas leader Mahmoud al-Mabhouh provoked some more thoughts about the New York Times reporter Ethan Bronner. He is the Jerusalem bureau chief who has been at the centre of a controversy since it was revealed last month that his son is serving in the Israeli army. Despite mounting pressure to replace Bronner, the NYT’s editors have so far refused to consider that he might be facing a conflict of interest or that it would be wiser to post him elsewhere.
http://palestinechronicle.com/
Factchecking Kershner, Seham
Check out Isabel Kershner in the Times, on a clash in Hebron over two "hotly contested" sites in occupied territories that Israel is claiming as national heritage sites.
http://mondoweiss.net/2010/02/
Analysis/Opinion
Dissent Of The Day, Andrew Sullivan
Yes, that's an unofficial t-shirt, popular among some IDF soldiers, celebrating the notion that by shooting an armed pregnant Palestinian woman, you can also kill her unborn child. They were particularly popular after the Gaza assault.
http://andrewsullivan.
MJ Rosenberg: Yes, Kramer Did Advocate Palestinian Genocide
The other day I happened upon a speech delivered by a professor affiliated with Harvard in which he seemed to advocate reducing the Palestinian population through means akin to genocide (and which match the legal definition of genocide). The speech was delivered at the prestigious Herzliyah conference in Israel earlier this month. The Herzliyah conference, which has a focus on Israel's foreign policy and strategy, is a Middle East version of the Aspen Institute. Everybody who is anybody wants to be seen there.
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/
Rosen–DoD contractor, Kramer’s patron, and dominant male–epitomizes Harvard’s reigning ideology, neoconservatism
Martin Kramer’s patron at Harvard is Stephen Peter Rosen, a neocon and professor of national security. Rosen also helps run “Long Term Strategy Group”, a consulting company, along with Jacqueline Newmyer. They had a lucrative DOD gig providing bland “strategic” planning guidelines and the odd slide show in DC. It seems they pulled in a mere $2 million in the last few years from Defense.
http://mondoweiss.net/2010/02/
A Palestinian reflects on the lifelong experience of Israeli viciousness, Anees of Jerusalem
Anees in an email: I am still wondering about the criticism of the use of the term genocide by EI in the Martin Kramer flap. I cannot decide if it is unwarranted or hyperbolic. After all, Israel’s blockade of Gaza is in fact directly responsible for the deaths of hundreds (or more?) of Palestinians, and Kramer is adamantly supportive of it in the context of ‘limiting birth rates’. (See Sara Roy’s very recent detailing of such things as Gaza’s infant mortality rate post-blockade.)
http://mondoweiss.net/2010/02/
In new ads that try to change the subject, Israel reveals racism
What is so amazing about these three new government-sponsored ads urging ordinary Israelis to go forth and change Israel’s image is that it is precisely when Israel tries to change the subject that it is most overtly racist. The conceit of the ads is that they pretend to show how ignorant foreigners portray Israel in their news reports: the English speaker says Israelis ride around on camels, the French broadcaster confuses a party and fireworks with a bombing campaign, the Spanish reporter says Israelis only eat kabobs cooked over primitive fires — "primitive and delicious" she says after taking a bite. And then in Hebrew, at the end of each fake report, the voice says something like: "if you don’t like the picture, change it" [commenters, please help] — and then invites viewers to submit their own spots that show the real Israel (which would presumably be fast cars, Thai food and endless beach parties). I think that’s what the Hebrew is saying. We don’t ride camels or eat kabobs — in other words, we’re not Arabs, we’re white Europeans, love us!
http://mondoweiss.net/2010/02/
Listen to the Heroes of Israel, John Pilger
I phoned Rami Elhanan the other day. We had not spoken for six years and much has happened in Israel and Palestine. Rami is an Israeli graphic designer who lives with his family in Jerusalem. His father survived Auschwitz. His grandparents and six aunts and uncles perished in the Holocaust. Whenever I am asked about heroes, I say Rami and his wife Nurit without hesitation. Soon after when we met, Rami gave me a home videotape that was difficult to watch. It shows his daughter Smadar, aged 14, throwing her head back, laughing and playing the piano. "She loved to dance," he said. On the afternoon of 4 September, 1997, Smadar and her best friend, Sivane, had auditions for admission to a dance school. She had argued that morning with her mother, who was anxious about her going to the centre of Jerusalem. "I didn’t want to row," said Nurit, "so I let her go."
http://original.antiwar.com/
Israel intends to provoke a reaction
Some might consider it an insensitive move on the part of the Israeli government to add two holy sites situated in the West Bank to a list of their own heritage sites; others may simply call it cynical. The nature and timing of the move, however, reveals the motives to be much more disturbing.Over the past weeks, both Israeli and Palestinian officials have hinted at the possibility of indirect talks taking place through a US mediator.
http://www.dailystar.com.lb/
What’s In a Name?, Philip Giraldi
The public has become so accustomed to extrajudicial killings and kidnappings by the United States and Israel that such activities most often receive little media coverage and are hardly noticed. The recent massive assassination operation carried out by Israel’s Mossad in Dubai has been an exception, however. It has attracted considerable media attention in Europe though relatively little in the United States, possibly because any American outcry would be the pot calling the kettle black. Europeans have mostly been outraged by the Israeli cloning of genuine European passports to carry out their dirty work, less so by the killing itself.
http://original.antiwar.com/
Lebanon
British Daily Reveals Mossad Behind Moghniyyeh Assassination
24/02/2010 While media outlets are preoccupied these days with publishing details of the assassination of Hamas leader Mahmoud Mabhouh in Dubai, and the time Dubai police is accusing the Israeli Mossad of standing behind the crime, British Daily 'The Independent' confirmed the responsibility of the mentioned Mossad in the assassination of Hezbollah top military commander Imad Moghniyyeh (Hajj Redwan) in Syria two years ago. The daily said that in just 60 years, Israel's secret service has become a byword for ruthlessness and audacity. Yet, and as the storm surrounding its Dubai operation intensifies, Gordon Thomas, author of the definitive history of Mossad, reveals the inside story of its most daring hit in a book to be published within days.
http://almanar.com.lb/
Poll: 84% of Lebanese Trust Resistance Capabilities
25/02/2010 Beirut Center for Research and Information conducted an opinion poll on the repercussions of the latest speech delivered by Hezbollah Secretary General Sayyed Hasan Nasrallah in the occasion of the Martyr Leaders' day and whether this speech removed the possibility of an imminent war or increased it. The poll was conducted between February 19 and 22, 2010, included a sample of 200 surveyed people from different Lebanese factions, religions, sects, ages, genders, and regions. The poll showed that 84% of Lebanese believe in the capabilities of the Resistance in confronting any Israeli aggression. Furthermore, 74% of Lebanese believe that the Resistance capabilities can deter Israel from starting an aggression. 60% of Lebanese think that Sayyed Nasrallah's latest speech made the possibility of a war far according to the poll.
http://almanar.com.lb/
Top Muslim clerics urge unity to mark Prophet’s birthday
BEIRUT: Sectarian strife benefits the destructive goals of Israel, warned Senior Shiite cleric Sayyed Mohammad Hussein Fadlallah Wednesday during a speech to mark Prophet Mohammad's birthday celebrated on February 26 this year. Fadlallah said the occasion should remind Muslims that they follow the Prophet's message of unity. "Muslims might disagree on the date of birth of the Prophet.
http://www.dailystar.com.lb/
Committee demands boycott of Arab League summit in Libya
BEIRUT: Lebanon should boycott the Arab League summit in Libya and should assume its responsibilities, demanded the Higher National Committee to follow up on the case of Imam Musa Sadr on Wednesday. The committee held a meeting presided over by vice president of the Higher Shiite Council, Sheikh Abdel-Amir Qabalan, after which it concluded that Lebanon should not participate in the summit that will be held in Libya.
http://www.dailystar.com.lb/
Palestinian principles committee launched in Beirut
BEIRUT: The establishment of the "National Palestinian Committee for Defending Principles" (NPCDP) was announced Wednesday at the Bristol Hotel in Beirut during a gathering of Palestinian and Lebanese figures, and the NPCDP founding members. "The Arabs' right to resist Israel, and the right of return are not based on international law or UN decisions but stem from history.
http://www.dailystar.com.lb/
Iraq
Four policemen killed, five injured in separate incidents in Mosul
Four Iraqi policemen were killed and five others were injured Tuesday in separate violent incidents in the city of Mosul northern Iraq.
http://www.kuna.net.kw/
At least three dead, five injured in Baghdad suicide bombing
A suicide bomber killed at least three people, including himself, and wounded at least five in central Baghdad Tuesday.
http://www.monstersandcritics.
Wednesday: 1 Iraqi Killed, 5 Wounded
Violence was light today, but several stories that are all possibly election related made the headlines. The most important ones are the creation of a new Ba'athist blacklist, attacks against Christians, and the strange story about 67 unidentified bodies that a candidate told at a press conference. Unless those 67 corpses turn up, only one Iraqi was killed today and five more were wounded.
http://original.antiwar.com/
Iraqi parliamentarian denies U.S. charges of terrorism (McClatchy Newspapers)
McClatchy Newspapers - BAGHDAD — Abu Mahdi al Mohandas is one of more than 6,000 candidates who are running in the Iraqi parliamentary elections next month, but he's probably the only contender who won't set foot on the campaign trail for fear of a U.S. assassination attempt.
http://us.rd.yahoo.com/
In an Iraqi City, the Real Ballot Contest Is for Shiite Leadership
As the March 7 parliamentary election approaches, Nasiriya, where two coalitions of religious parties are vying for votes, offers a glimpse at Iraqi sectarian politics.
http://www.nytimes.com/2010/
Sistani Call Likely to Boost Shia Turnout
Top Shia cleric urges citizens to vote but refuses to endorse parties. By an IWPR-trained journalist in Najaf (ICR No. 325, 24-Feb-10)
http://www.iwpr.net/EN-icr-f-
Allawi warns Iraq of return to sectarianism
The former prime minister says the government is risking a return to widespread violence by stirring tensions, such as excluding candidates and intimidating opponents, in the run-up to next week's general election.
http://www.ft.com/cms/s/0/
Sunni leader decides to take part in Iraq election (AP)
AP - A top Sunni lawmaker, who less than a week ago said he was pulling his party out of the election after he was banned from the race, reversed course on Thursday, saying that his party is back in the race.
http://us.rd.yahoo.com/
Women Call for More Political Power
Conference delegates say greater parliamentary representation has helped, but isn’t enough. By Mariwan Hama-Saeed in Sulaimaniyah (ICR No. 325, 25-Feb-10)
http://www.iwpr.net/EN-icr-f-
Iraq's cell phone operators must improve service or pay up (AFP)
AFP - Iraqi mobile phone operators Zain and Asiacell must improve their service or pay their full license fees in advance, government spokesman Ali al-Dabbagh said on Wednesday.
http://us.rd.yahoo.com/
US war embezzlement visualized: 4-minute video banned from Congress testimony: “Iraq for Sale”
http://www.examiner.com/x-
A Scorpion From Iraq Trying to Sting in America
The Iraqi metal band Acrassicauda, named after a black scorpion, looked at cross-purposes before it started to play on Tuesday night: both hesitant and ready to rip. But the singer and rhythm guitarist Faisal Talal Mustafa pushed ahead, beginning the ceremony. “This song’s called ... ” he barked, “ ‘Message! From! Baghdad!’
http://www.nytimes.com/2010/
U.S. and other world news
Marjah: ‘This is not Fallujah’
Marjah also represents the US project of replacing the UN with NATO as the world’s peacekeeper. The coalition of almost 60 nations is pursuing an illegal war launched by the US , with the UN -- the only legitimate forum for world peacekeeping -- now in tow solely as window dressing.
http://www.
33 Civilians Killed by NATO Airstrike in Afghanistan
At least we said we're sorry. I know an "aw, shucks" statement would calm my rage if those had been my kids. Yup. Like a charm.
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/
In war, casualties are more than numbers; they have names
Let's relate those numbers to people - people dying one at a time, or in groups of three, or in a house of 12.Innocent people. Slain civilians caught up in a war that is far from being over.
http://www.etaiwannews.com/
Civilian body counts 28 civilian deaths in Marjah
The Afghan human rights commission reported Wednesday that 28 civilians have been killed so far in NATO's offensive on the Taliban stronghold of Marjah, and urged pro-government forces to take greater care in distinguishing between noncombatants and militants.
http://www.newsday.com/news/
U.S.: CIA Briefed Congress on Renditions
The U.S. Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) briefed members of Congress from both political parties numerous times about the agency's interrogation and detention programmes, several prominent human rights groups said.
http://www.
US demands Syria distance itself from Iran
Secretary of State Hillary Clinton said that Syria must stop intervening in Lebanon's affairs, stop providing weapons to Hezbollah, and promote renewed peace talks with Israel.
http://www.ynetnews.com/
Muslim woman files complaint over head-scarf firing
A Muslim college student has lodged a complaint with federal officials after she said she was fired from her job at a San Mateo clothing store for refusing to remove her hijab, or head scarf. Hani Khan, 19, of Foster City said was terminated from her job.
http://feeds.sfgate.com/click.
This tide of anti-Muslim hatred is a threat to us all | Seumas Milne
If young British Muslims had any doubts that they are singled out for special treatment in the land of their birth, the punishments being meted out to those who took part in last year's London demonstrations against Israel's war on Gaza will have dispelled them. The protests near the Israeli embassy at the height of the onslaught were angry: bottles and stones were thrown, a Starbucks was trashed and the police employed unusually violent tactics, even by the standards of other recent confrontations, such as the G20 protests.
http://www.guardian.co.uk/
www.TheHeadlines.org
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