Land theft and destruction/Ethnic cleansing
Netanyahu: “Settlement Activities To Resume By The End Of September”
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, stated that he will not renew the so-called settlement freeze in the occupied West Bank after it expires at the end of September.
http://www.imemc.org/article/
Netanyahu hints he won't extend temporary settlement freeze
Speaking at Council of Foreign Relations in New York, PM says 'I'm prepared to take risks.'
http://www.haaretz.com/news/
Palestinians face being walled by Israeli security barrier
Al Walaja in the West Bank turned into an enclave despite residents' protests.
http://www.guardian.co.uk/
Call to end settlement tax breaks
The Palestinian Authority calls on President Obama to end tax breaks on American donations to Jewish settlements in the West Bank.
http://news.bbc.co.uk/go/rss/-
Exposed: The Truth About Israel's Land Grab In The West Bank
Jewish settlers, who claim a divine right to the whole of Israel, now control more than 42 per cent of the occupied West Bank, representing a powerful obstacle to the creation of a Palestinian state, a new report has revealed.
http://www.independent.co.uk/
Solidarity/Activism/Boycott, Sanctions and Divestment
Anti-fence protestor: Palestinians' rights ignored
Weekly rallies in West Bank villages mark sixth anniversary of Hague court ruling which stated separation fence illegal.
http://www.ynetnews.com/
Palestinian activist detained for daring to appeal his arrest.
Approximately a week ago, Adeeb Abu-Rahme was convicted in the military court for “incitement” and more. Yesterday, July 7, the military court sentenced Adeeb for a year in prison, and a year on parole. As already in custody for a year – he was supposed to be released yesterday. The military prosecution appealed against the “lenience” of the sentence and asked to keep Adeeb in custody till the appeal is over. The military appeals court accepted today, July 8, the prosecution’s request – Adeeb will remain in custody.
http://theonlydemocracy.org/
Israeli Government Officials Rebuffed At ILWU Local 10 In San Francisco
A delegation of representatives and supporters of Israel on July 6, 2010 including the Deputy Israeli Consul for the Pacifica Northwest Gideon Lustig failed in their efforts to pressure San Francisco ILWU Local 10 to reject their positions in protest of the attack on the Gaza aid flotilla, against the blockade of Gaza and the apartheid wall that Israel has constructed placing the Palestinians in a ghetto. The Israeli government and its supporters around the world have been shaken at the growing support for a labor blockade of Israel. Dockers in South Africa, Sweden and India have taken direct labor action to stop the movement of Israeli ships and cargo. The Palestinian General Federation of Trade Unions PGFTU had initially called for the world labor boycott of Israeli’s apartheid and criminal policies in an appeal to international labor.
http://www.labournet.net/
IKEA furnishing the occupation
Swedish Radio reported on June 23 that home furnishings retail giant IKEA in Israel discriminately ships to Israel's illegal settlements but not Palestinian cities in the occupied West Bank.
http://www.arabamericannews.
Investigation: Who was aboard the Mavi Marmara?
Two Turkish-speaking Israelis who were asked to interpret after the Israeli naval assault at sea on the Freedom Flotilla on 31 May, and the subsequent processing of some 700 passengers and crew in Ashdod port and beyond, wrote about their experience and their views of who was on board in a piece published on Zeek.Forward.com.
http://un-truth.com/israel/
Presbyterian Peace Fellowship To Partner With "Jewish-Ship-To-Gaza"
Washington – PNN – this week it was announced that the Presbyterian Peace Fellowship would partner with a number of European Jewish groups who are planning to sail to Gaza to break the Israeli blockade. The vessels are scheduled to launch within the next few weeks from an undisclosed location. A press release issued by the Presbyterian Peace Fellowship detailed that the ship would be carrying “medicines, baby food, children’s clothing, outboard motors for fishermen, school supplies, art supplies, and musical instruments.”
http://english.pnn.ps/index.
Gaddafi charity to send Gaza aid boat
Ma'an/Agencies - A charity headed by the son of Libyan leader Moamar Gaddafi is sending an aid boat from Greece to Gaza to break Israel's blockaded of the coastal enclave, organizers told Agence France-Presse on Friday., The cargo ship Hope will depart from Lavrio, 60 kilometers southeast of Athens, the Libyan embassy reportedly said. "This is a humanitarian mission expected to sail later on Friday," an embassy official told AFP.
http://www.maannews.net/eng/
Violence and Aggression
Israeli Injustice System: Case against soldier who fired shots in Silwan closed
After 13 witnesses subpoenaed, State Prosecutor's Office decides not to try haredi Nahal soldier who wounded two Palestinians in east Jerusalem. Left-wing organizations petition ruling, say 'it was point-blank shooting at unarmed civilians'.
Jericho – Ma’an – An Israeli army patrol launched a series of raids in Jericho at noon Thursday, onlookers said. Four military vehicles entered the West Bank city and patrolled the central vegetable market, the city center and the Ein As-Sultan refugee camp, witnesses said. Palestinian Authority commander Khalid Abu Kamel condemned the incursion, which he said was a provocative measure that showed the Israeli army does not respect the agreements signed with the PA. A spokesman for the Israeli military said he was not familiar with the incident.
http://www.maannews.net/eng/
Palestinian liaison office raided near Erez
Gaza – Ma'an – The Gaza crossings and coordination office near the northern Erez terminal was raided by a group of unknown assailants on Friday, officials said. Liaison chief Maher Abu Al-Auf said the office, which specializes in coordinating the travel of patients and Gaza residents in and out of the Strip, was broken into at dawn. "All documents and all the contents of the rooms were stolen. This act obstructs the interests of Palestinians, including the coordination of patients, Gaza residents, and international parties," the official added.
http://www.maannews.net/eng/
Detainees
Israel arrests 2 fishermen off Gaza shore
Gaza – Ma’an – Israeli forces arrested two fishermen off Gaza's shore Thursday, witnesses said. Tamer Mohammad Zayed, 17, and Ammar As'ad As-Sultan, 18, were detained by Israeli naval forces while they were fishing off the coast of Beit Lahia, onlookers said. An Israeli military spokesman said the boat was operating beyond the permitted area, and Israeli forces ordered the boat to stop before detaining the teenagers, who were taken to Ashdod for southern Israel for questioning.
http://www.maannews.net/eng/
Israeli Troops Arrest Seven Civilians From The West Bank
Bethlehem - PNN - Seven Palestinians civilians were arrested by Israeli soldiers on Thursday during morning invasions targeting a number of West Bank communities. Local sources reported army raids and home searches in the city of Bethlehem, southern West Bank, and nearby villages. In addition troops searched and ransacked homes in the city of Nablus, northern West Bank, and nearby refugee camps. The Israeli army radio announced that all seven men were moved to detention camps for questioning, the army gave no reason for the arrests.
http://english.pnn.ps/index.
Hamas: PA forces detain 15 affiliated students
Jerusalem – Ma’an – Hamas accused Palestinian Authority forces of detaining 15 students last week, as well as four party members over the past two days, a statement read Friday. The Islamist movement said the students were enrolled in the An-Najah University in Nablus and were detained by PA Preventative Security forces during separate campaigns. A Qalqiliya student was also detained, the Hamas statement read, adding that the four party members were detained in Nablus as well as Qalqiliya.
http://www.maannews.net/eng/
Women's Organization for Political Prisoners (WOFPP)
There are, at present, 34 women political prisoners in the Israeli jails: 18 in Hasharon Prison (Tel Mond), 15 in Damoon Prison (Carmel Mountain), one in Neve Tirza Prison (Ramle).
http://www.wofpp.org/english/
The Siege (Gaza & West Bank)/Humanitarian and Human Rights
PCHR Weekly Report: 7 civilians injured, including 2 children, by Israeli troops this week
In its Weekly Report On Israeli Human Rights Violations in the Occupied Palestinian Territory for the week of 01-06 July 2010, seven civilians, including two children and a journalist, were injured.
http://www.imemc.org/article/
Palestinian healthcare paralysed by separation wall
Palestinians in the West Bank are not allowed into Israel for treatment unless they have a permit. The process of getting one is lengthy and complex. With males often denied permits on security grounds. The UN office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs and the World Health Organisation has issued a report expressing grave concern about Palestinians' access to healthcare due to the barrier. Nisreen El-Shamayleh reports from the West bank on the healthcare implications of the wall.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?
Transport ministry: No cars entering Gaza
Gaza – Ma’an – Gaza’s transport ministry has denied recent speculation that Israel will allow cars into Gaza. The ministry’s Hassen U’kasha said in a statement Thursday that despite rumors to the contrary, he had no information to suggest Israel would be allowing cars into the Strip. He added that the rumors, sparked by media reports of an ease to Israel’s siege on Gaza, have caused car prices to drop significantly as sellers fear prices will collapse if cars, and car parts, are allowed to enter. U’kasha explained that if and when vehicles can enter Gaza, entry will be controlled to guarantee the stability of the local car industry.
http://www.maannews.net/eng/
48 New Cars Make It Into Gaza Via Special Tunnel
Egyptian smugglers managed to smuggle nearly 48 new cars into the Gaza Strip via a tunnel specially made for smuggling vehicles.
http://www.imemc.org/article/
Greek, Sudanese delegations Gaza via Rafah
Gaza – Ma’an – Delegations from Greece and Sudan arrived in Gaza via the Rafah crossing on the Egyptian border Thursday. Crossings officials said that six people were due to enter the Strip with the Greek delegation, headed by George Kalmetros, but Egyptian authorities only allowed in two, and sent back four others. The delegation brought medicine for a health care society in Gaza. Meanwhile two Sudanese doctors arrived in Gaza via the same crossing, bringing a truckload of medicine and medical equipment for eyes.
http://www.maannews.net/eng/
Cherries, lychees sell for NIS 25 a kilo in Gaza
Gaza fruit dealers have given their Israeli suppliers a long list of goods they want now the blockade has been eased. It includes expensive specialty fruits as cherries and lychees., Gaza fruit dealers told representatives of the Israel Fruit Growers Association that they have many well-off customers willing to pay the NIS 20-NIS 25 per kilo that such luxury items go for. They also asked for larger quantities of summer fruits such as peaches, nectarines and plums. The Israeli farmers said they would have a problem meeting demand due to a sharp drop in crop yields as a result from a warmer than usual winter.
http://www.haaretz.com/print-
Flotilla Fallout
Riz Khan - How do allies become enemies?
A look at the state of US-Turkish-Israeli relations in the wake of the flotilla raid.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?
Turkey 'entitled' to act over flotilla raid
LONDON: Turkey would be entitled to take any measure to protect its citizens' rights if Israel fails to apologize or accept an international inquiry into its raid on a Gaza-bound aid ship, Turkey's foreign minister said on Thursday. “If Israel wants to improve relations with us, then they should accept their accountability and do all the necessary actions to prevent deterioration of our relations,” Foreign Minister Ahmet Davutoglu told a news conference in London.
http://www.dailystar.com.lb/article.asp?edition_id=10&categ_id=2&article_id=116863#ixzz0t7rHGv19
Haifa Mayor Calls For Turning Seized Turkish Ship Into Floating Hotel
After Israel attacked the Turkish “Marmara” solidarity ship trying to send humanitarian and medical supplies to Gaza, and killed nine nonviolent activists before towing the ship to Haifa, Haifa mayor, Yona Yahav, presented a plan that aims at turning the ship into a floating hotel.
http://www.imemc.org/article/59095
Haifa Mayor Calls For Turning Seized Turkish Ship Into Floating Hotel
After Israel attacked the Turkish “Marmara” solidarity ship trying to send humanitarian and medical supplies to Gaza, and killed nine nonviolent activists before towing the ship to Haifa, Haifa mayor, Yona Yahav, presented a plan that aims at turning the ship into a floating hotel.
http://www.imemc.org/article/
Behind Turkey and Israel's Not-So-Secret Meeting, RANNIE AMIRI
Recriminatory words exchanged between Turkey and Israel over the latter’s May 31 assault on the Gaza-bound Freedom Flotilla have given way to the pragmatism of national self-interest. On June 30, ministers from the two countries “secretly” met in Brussels to attempt to smooth over differences and repair bilateral ties marred in the wake of the attack.
http://www.counterpunch.com/
Political Developments/American Support of Apartheid
Erekat: Time to reverse damage caused by wall
Bethlehem - Ma'an - Chief PLO negotiator Saeb Erekat said “It is time for the international community to assist in reversing the damage caused by the Wall and its regime,” as he marked the sixth anniversary of an advisory opinion on the wall's illegality on Friday. The International Court of Justice opinion issued six years ago held that Israel "cannot oppress the rights of Palestinian people in order to satisfy its own interests," Erekat said in a statement.
http://www.maannews.net/eng/
Hamas official denies Egypt ban on traveling via Rafah
Gaza – Ma'an – Cairo has not banned Hamas officials from traveling through the Rafah crossing, senior party leader Salah Al-Bardawil said Thursday. Rebuffing reports on the travel ban, Al-Bardawil said such a move "would not serve conciliation nor push [Hamas] to change their stance on the Egyptian proposal," a statement read. The senior official said that while "Egyptian authorities deal with Palestinians traveling through Rafah with discrimination, even with patients, it is not an official stance from Cairo targeting Hamas," but added that Hamas affiliated patients have been prevented from crossing into Egypt.
http://www.maannews.net/eng/
Palestinians brace for US pressure after Netanyahu's White House visit
After Netanyahu's visit to Washington on Tuesday, the US may pressure Palestinian leader Mahmoud Abbas to drop his precondition for face-to-face talks with the Israelis: a permanent settlement freeze.
http://rss.csmonitor.com/%7Er/
Arab League chief: no progress in indirect talks (AP)
AP - The head of the Arab League says indirect talks between Israel and the Palestinians are failing and sees no chance for a shift to direct negotiations.
http://us.rd.yahoo.com/
US, Jordan hopeful for Mideast talks soon (AFP)
AFP - The United States and Jordan voiced hope Thursday that Israelis and Palestinians would start direct negotiations soon, but Amman warned against any "provocations" to slow the momentum.
http://us.rd.yahoo.com/
While ignoring Hamas Netanyahu says he needs a peace partner: Netanyahu: I'll confound critics and make peace (AP)
AP - Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu say he intends to confound critics and skeptics and make peace with the Palestinians — but he says he needs a partner.
http://us.rd.yahoo.com/
Obama: Israelis suspicious of me because my middle name is Hussein
U.S. president tells Channel 2 Israel is unlikely to attack Iran without coordinating with the U.S.
http://www.haaretz.com/news/
Other News
Dancing soldiers to make educational sequel
Speaking to Israeli daily Haaretz, former soldier and founder of Israeli organization Breaking The Silence Yehuda Shaul said of the video, "I see it mainly as a reflection of your loss of sensitivity as a soldier, of boredom, of the nothingness in which you find yourself. It's an entertaining way of reducing the boredom. But what mainly drives me crazy is that it's causing such an uproar in the media. "In Hebron there are Palestinian families who have to climb a ladder in order to leave the house, because their street has been defined as a sterile street, and the story we see is soldiers dancing in the street for a video clip. Mainly it seems absurd to me."
http://www.maannews.net/eng/
Leftists 'assaulted' on way to Shalit rally
According to Wolf, the officer grabbed his hand firmly, twisted it and then pushed him. "They told us it was their right to search, take our cell phones and interrogate us. I asked them 'Why are you arresting me,' and they replied 'because we hate Arabs, but we hate people like you even more'."
http://www.ynetnews.com/
City cancels Shalit rally, fearing 'slander of PM'
Or Yehuda Municipality cancels local activist's event because of suspected political subtext.
http://www.ynetnews.com/
Haredim push trash bin onto highway, 2 bikers hurt
East Jerusalem motorcyclists crash into trash bin pushed onto Highway 1 by haredim. Paramedics say rioters disrupted efforts to treat wounded men.
http://www.ynetnews.com/
Israelis arrest Greenpeace activists at sea
OCCUPIED JERUSALEM: Israeli police Thursday briefly detained three activists who boarded a cargo ship transporting coal to a power station in southern Israel."Three Greenpeace activists illegally boarded a South African boat at sea which was bringing coal to Israel," Israeli police spokesman Mickey Rosenfeld said.
http://www.dailystar.com.lb/
Analysis/Opinion/Human Interest
'Mediterranean Intifada' Helping Hamas, Adam Morrow and Khaled Moussa Al-Omrani
CAIRO, Jul 9, 2010 (IPS) - Israel's deadly assault on a Gaza-bound aid flotilla last month has led to mounting international pressure to end the ongoing Israeli and Egyptian blockade of the Gaza Strip. The incident, say local analysts, has also served to bolster the position of Palestinian resistance group Hamas, which has governed the strip since 2007.
http://ipsnews.net/news.asp?
The Arabs and Turkey
What Arabs who look admiringly to Ankara do not understand is that Turkey's leaders act in concordance with Turkish public sentiment, not to save Arab dignity, writes Azmi Bishara
http://weekly.ahram.org.eg/
King for a day
After 18 wasted months during which Obama was the president who exerted pressure, he has become the president who embraces. Obama is embracing the State of Israel and the prime minister of Israel. What happened?
Three things have happened. On one level, Netanyahu waged a struggle. And the statesman who is depicted as susceptible to pressure did not succumb to the American pressure of this past spring. He fought back. The price for what Netanyahu did was felt by Obama in Chicago. The Israeli leader applied hidden pressure to the American leader, which made it perfectly clear to him: No more...
http://mondoweiss.net/2010/07/
An excellent meeting, Gideon Levy
Two statesmen met in Washington on Tuesday who are looking smaller and smaller, who are taking smaller and smaller steps.
http://www.haaretz.com/print-
Peace bullish or 'bullshit', Marwan Bishara
The good news: "Netanyahu to give peace process a 'robust push". The bad news, any rational person privy to the ideology and makeup of the Israeli government knows this not serious. And yet, after their meeting, Barak Obama, the US president, has publically supported his Israeli interlocutor, saying he believed Binyamin Netanyahu would take "risks for peace" and praised the Israeli prime minister for easing the blockade on the Gaza Strip. Obama also called for "direct talks" between Israelis and Palestinians irrespective of the continued illegal settlements. All of which begs two questions: How does a defunct and discredited diplomatic process continue to masquerade as a success despite its utter failures? And why the US and its Western allies continue to finance and pamper it when it creates more instability and conflict than peace and progress? The short answer is bullshit.
http://blogs.aljazeera.net/
Israel’s Nukes Harm US National Interests, John Mearsheimer
What I want to do was ask four questions, and then answer them. The first is, "why did Israel develop nuclear weapons to begin within the 1950s and 1960s?" Second, "does it make sense today for Israel to have a nuclear deterrent?" Third, "does opacity make good strategic sense for Israel?" "Does it matter for the United States?" And four, "is it in America’s interest for Israel to have nuclear weapons?" Those are the four questions I want to answer. You want to remember, when I answer those first two questions about why Israel developed nuclear weapons I’m going to approach it from Israel’s point of view. This will become clear as I go along, but Israel and the United States are separate countries. And sometimes what’s good for Israel is not good for the United States.
http://original.antiwar.com/
Ex-CIA chief: Secrecy after attack on Syrian nuclear plant unjustified
Hayden's comments, published in a journal on intelligence published by the CIA, reflect a view different from that of Israel, which has not commented on the attack, widely attributed to its air force. The secrecy surrounding the attack on the nuclear plant in eastern Syria in September 2007 was justified only for the period immediately after the operation, according to the CIA head at the time, Gen. Michael Hayden. That secrecy had been meant to save President Bashar Assad from embarrassment that could have provoked him to retaliate.
http://www.haaretz.com/news/
MJ Rosenbert: Netanyahu & AIPAC: Still Reigning Champs!
Israeli Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu said it best at his joint press conference with President Barack Obama on Tuesday. Speaking of the urgency of beginning talks with the Palestinians, he said "we need to begin negotiations in order to end them." One has to wonder if it will even get that far. After Tuesday's meeting of the Obama-Netanyahu Mutual Admiration Society, it does not appear that the Israeli leader is under any pressure to begin serious negotiations anytime soon. Or freeze settlements. Or do much of anything except express dedication to the concept of peace.
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/
Canard alert: Obama “propelled” to Senate by Jews?, Adam Horowitz
Here's a thought experiment: What would the reaction be if a journalist (or god forbid a CNN editor!) were to say that Barack Obama was elected to the Senate or White House because of his closeness to Jews? Anyone care to ask Helen Thomas?
http://mondoweiss.net/2010/07/
NYT can’t find a Palestinian for forum on US-Israel relationship, Philip Weiss
The New York Times has a forum on the question, "Do U.S. Donors Drive Israeli Politics?" following the investigation of tax deductions for the settler enterprise that it published yesterday. Sadly none of the 8 experts is a Palestinian. Two are Israeli. Looks like most are Jews. One contributor, Benjamin Schiff, calls for divestment! One commenter asks, Where are Walt and Mearsheimer?
http://mondoweiss.net/2010/07/
Norman Finkelstein: Results, Not Rhetoric
Barack Obama and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu discussing their countries' foreign relations resembles two lovers discussing their future together.
http://www.freespeech.org/
U.S. ignorance about Palestinian conditions is very, very dangerous, Philip Weiss
The other day I was talking to an Arab-American friend who is incensed by Israel's conduct and I said that the fact that half of greater Israel's population is not politically represented (the Palestinians) means that there could be a civil war in that place; and he nodded and said, Right, as if it were a good thing. The comment resonates in my mind because it demonstrates how volatile are the political materials that Israel and the lobby and the U.S. are playing with. If you study history, you recognize that the injustice being perpetrated in Israel/Palestine is of such a profound character as to be of the type that people historically have made violent revolutions over.
http://mondoweiss.net/2010/07/
[Video] Birthright group visits (Jewish Settlement of) Hebron?!
The “Hebron” account at WeJew.com (a kind of Jewish YouTube wannabe) has just (July 5 2010) uploaded a video purportedly documenting a visit this month of an Australian Birthright group to the Cave of the Patriarchs in Hebron. This site is the stated raison d’être of the extremist Jewish Settlement in the the West Bank city and its cultural center. Watch the video (if it’s been taken down, I’ve embedded a recording of the video playing on WeJew at the bottom of this post): At 01:46, “Daniel”, the apparent trip leader, is interviewed. He seems to know exactly what he’s doing.
http://coteret.com/2010/07/05/
“Today they expel you, tomorrow they’ll expel us!”
“Today they expel Hamas members, tomorrow they’ll expel Fatah people, then they’ll expel all the Arabs from East Jerusalem, and in the end they’ll revoke the citizenship of Israeli peace activists and expel us too,” Uri Avnery said today (July 7, 2010) in a meeting with members of the Palestinian Parliament who have found refuge in the International Red Cross building in East Jerusalem. Avnery came with a delegation of “Gush Shalom”, “Anarchists Against the Wall” and other Israeli peace organizations, who came to protests against the attempt to expel from East Jerusalem four Palestinian members of parliament from Hamas, whose only sin is that they were elected in democratic elections monitored by ex-President Jimmy Carter and his team. The four have been released from prison only a few weeks ago.
http://zope.gush-shalom.org/
Christian Zionism in the UK, Christians must love and defend Israelis, preaches church mission, Stuart Littlewood
Ever heard of the CMJ (the Church’s Ministry among Jewish People)? Neither had I until I saw a parish magazine recently announcing a talk by the CMJ’s Director of Advocacy to a local Church of England study group about “God’s purpose for the Jewish people and Great Britain’s involvement in the formation of modern Israel”.
http://dissidentvoice.org/
Gaza-Strophic, The Day After
http://www.gaza-strophe.com/
Learn About Israeli Terrorism in this Video
Breaking YOU – a common saying which can be heard when somebody attacks a defenseless person. “Breaking YOU” were the only words uttered by dozens of defenseless women who were crying and screaming in their homes in Hebron, when dozens of IDF soldiers terrorized them in their houses. The inhuman scene was followed by the sound of bombs exploding. Then, the smoke was rising and citizens running. This was a simple ethnic cleansing operation of the IDF soldiers, who went to the Al Baqa'a Valley and terrorized people, most of them were women and children. The IDF continued firing bombs.
http://palestinethinktank.com/
Defenseless minister
by Yossi Sarid - Haaretz "But Ehud Barak is a bad defense minister - a defenseless minister. He is avoiding any serious investigative committee because he is protecting our soldiers with his own body. But that`s too transparent: He knows only how to protect himself. "
http://www.haaretz.com/print-
Hard Facts About Israeli/Palestinian Peace Peace Possibilities, JFFERSON CHASE
Now that all the accusations and insults about the Gaza Flotilla and Helen Thomas incidents have been hurled from both sides, it is time to look at the often-ignored facts underlying the Israel-Palestine conflict. Because while it is very hard to believe in the present atmosphere, peace and justice for both Palestinians and Jews is possible – extremely difficult to achieve to be sure, but possible nevertheless.
http://www.counterpunch.com/
Israel: a Failing Colonial Project?, M. SHAHID ALAM
Increasingly, despite its early military and political successes, Israel cannot for long endure as a colonial project. It must choose between wars – and destruction – or transition to a state for all its peoples. In order to firmly secure its existence – as firmly as that is possible for any state – a settler state has to overcome three challenges. It has to solve the native problem; break away from its mother country; and gain the recognition of neighboring states and peoples. It can be shown that Israel has not met any of these conditions.
http://www.counterpunch.com/
Twilight Zone / One World Cup for two peoples
Germany-Argentina in Ramallah; Spain-Paraguay in Tel Aviv. A diary of two soccer games in two cities.
http://www.haaretz.com/
Cluster Bombs and Civilian Lives, RAMZY BAROUD
Cluster bombs are in the news again, thanks to a recent report from Amnesty International. The human rights agency has confirmed that 35 women and children were killed following the latest US attacks on an alleged al-Qaeda hideout in Yemen. Initially, there were attempts to bury the story, and Yemen officially denied that civilians were killed as a result of the December 17 attack on al-Majala in southern Yemen. However, it has been simply impossible to conceal what is now considered the largest loss of life in one single US attack in the country.
http://www.counterpunch.com/
Iraq
Iraq: Suicide bomber kills 6 in Baghdad (AP)
AP - A suicide bomber drove an explosives-laden car into an Iraqi army check point in western Baghdad, killing six people and injuring 20 on Friday morning, officials said.
http://us.rd.yahoo.com/
Thursday: 33 Iraqis Killed, 119 Wounded
Solemn observances at the Imam Kadhim shrine in Baghdad culminated today. Although pilgrims began to return to their homes, they remain vulnerable to attacks. At least 33 Iraqis were killed and 119 more were wounded, mostly in the capital. Due to the nature of these reports an exact count is difficult at best: The confusion of numerous or larger attacks can lead to wildly conflicting numbers and vague locations. Meanwhile, the Iraqi Parliament is to meet next Tuesday, just ahead of a constitutional deadline.
http://original.antiwar.com/
Hezbollah Condemns Criminal Attacks on Holy Sites in Baghdad
09/07/2010 Hezbollah condemned the attacks that targeted the pilgrims visiting the Holy Shrine of Imam Kazim (a.s.) in Baghdad, considering its executors as heartless and inhumane criminals who seek to sabotage Iraq, targeting its security and stability. In a statement it released, Hezbollah emphasized that such acts are in service of the US occupation and its devilish schemes as Iraq had turned into a scene of genocides since the US soldiers set foot in the country, targeting those believers, the holy shrines and the mosques. Hezbollah concluded its statement by expressing its sincere feelings of sympathy and support to the families of the victims, calling upon the sons of Iraq to uncover the murderers and sanctioning them.
http://almanar.com.lb/
Iraq parliament to reconvene July 13: FM (AFP)
AFP - Iraq's parliament will reconvene on July 13, the last day before a constitutional deadline, the country's foreign minister said on Thursday, in a rare sign of forward political momentum.
http://us.rd.yahoo.com/
Lebanon
Lebanese Army to boost troop numbers in south
BEIRUT: Lebanon will send 3,000 to 5,000 army soldiers to boost its forces in south Lebanon after two incidents pitted peacekeeping forces against residents, a well-informed source told The Daily Star. The source said Defense Minister Elias Murr informed the Cabinet of his decision during Thursday's session at Baabda Presidential palace.
http://www.dailystar.com.lb/
Sfeir: Lebanon 'small and weak,' Israeli enemy 'huge'
BEIRUT: Lebanon is a small and weak state compared to Israeli military capabilities, said Maronite Patriarch Nasrallah Butros Sfeir on Thursday. Speaking to members of the media working from the patriarchate's summer residence in the village of Diman, Sfeir called for overcoming recent clashes between the United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL) and southerners.
MESS Report / Has the enemy's technology become hard for Israeli spies to surmount?
Recent reports indicate that a large-scale espionage ring, one of whose members was a senior Lebanese telephone company official, has been exposed.
http://www.haaretz.com/blogs/
In Memory of Mohammad Hussein Fadlallah, 1935-2010 by Carlos Latuff
http://mrzine.monthlyreview.
Hezbollah denounces sacking of CNN Mideast editor (AFP)
AFP - Hezbollah denounced CNN on Thursday for forcing out senior Middle East editor Octavia Nasr after she sent a Twitter message praising the late Shiite cleric Mohammed Hussein Fadlallah.
http://us.rd.yahoo.com/
Octavia Nasr's firing and what the liberal media allows, Glenn Greenwald
What makes Nasr's summary firing even more astonishing is that Nasr herself was an unremarkable journalist who rarely if ever provoked controversy, had no history of anti-Israel or pro-Terrorist sentiments, and blended perfectly into the American corporate media woodwork. Indeed, Middle East expert and neocon critic Nir Rosen ironically noted yesterday that -- as almost happened to Michael Steele -- "Octavia Nasr got fired for the one smart thing she ever said."
http://www.salon.com/news/
CNN’s Objectivity Questioned in Sacking of Mideast Reporter
CNN’s firing of Octavia Nasr, the editor responsible for the network’s Middle East coverage, over a Twitter post in which she expressed her sadness over the death of a Lebanese cleric has set off a firestorm of debate about what the decision says about CNN’s fairness in reporting on the region.
http://original.antiwar.com/
UK removes blog post praising late Lebanese cleric (AP)
AP - Britain's ambassador to Beirut angered Israelis and embarrassed officials in London after writing a blog post praising the late Grand Ayatollah Mohammed Hussein Fadlallah, Lebanon's top Shiite cleric, who supported Hezbollah's and other militants' attacks on Israel.
http://us.rd.yahoo.com/
Nasr firing is yet another shameful capitulation to the lobby, Scott McConnell
In the summer heat, America’s demonstrations of subservience to the Israel lobby are bidding to reach the parody level. First we have General David Petraeus writing panicked emails to neocon war promoter Max Boot to explain that he didn’t actually say that Israel-Palestine conflict caused strategic difficulties for the United States, and then adding, in an grovel so abject as to cause wonder how the guy got to be a general, would it help to know that he’s recently had the Elie Wiesels over as dinner guests. (Boot calmly replied that the grovel wasn’t necessary, the worry wasn’t over “anti-semitism” but the lobby’s concern, boiled down to its essence, that Petraeus might not be absolutely and completely willing to recognize that America’s national interest and Israel’s are identical.
http://mondoweiss.net/2010/07/
Iran
Iran buys gasoline from Turkey, Chinese sellers
Iran is buying around half of its gasoline imports from Turkey and the rest from Chinese sellers, oil traders said on Thursday, as most other suppliers have stopped selling due to U.S. sanctions.
http://uk.reuters.com/article/
Iran's president: US a global 'dictatorship'
Ahmadinejad made the comments Wednesday night during a speech at the Iranian Embassy in Abuja, Nigeria's capital. He is in Nigeria for a summit of an organization known as the D-8, or the Developing Eight nations.
http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/
Making friends
Iranian diplomatic successes help avoid isolation.
http://news.bbc.co.uk/go/rss/-
Tensions between the UAE and Iran
The United Arab Emirates says reports it would be willing to back military action against Iran are "inaccurate". Its ambassador in the U.S. said earlier this week that the Emirates would support military action against Iran. And as Dan Nolan reports, those remarks are heightening tensions over three disputed islands in the Gulf.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?
Iran mulls cancelling tours to UAE over "humiliation": report
TEHRAN, July 8 (Xinhua) -- Iran is mulling to cancel tours to the United Arab Emirates (UAE) due to its "humiliating behavior" towards Iranian tourists, local satellite Press TV reported on Thursday. Representatives from the ministries of interior, foreign affairs and health as well as the Iranian police are scheduled to hold a meeting to discuss cancelling tours to the UAE, Reza Mousavi, an official of Iran's Cultural Heritage and Tourism Organization, was quoted as saying.
http://news.xinhuanet.com/
Iran Sanctions May Target Iran’s Middle Class
Although the United States and its allies insist that the latest round of U.N. sanctions against Iran targets high-level government officials rather than the general population, interviews with a number of analysts, activists and journalists in Tehran reveal a growing concern over the impact on the country’s middle class.
http://original.antiwar.com/
U.S. and other World News
New CENTCOM commander once called shooting Arab men ‘a hell of a lot of fun’
The naming of Mattis was unlikely to skirt the issue, however, with Gates having to immediately defend an on-camera 2005 interview in which the general said: "Actually, it's a lot of fun to fight. You know, it's a hell of a hoot. "You go into Afghanistan; you've got guys who slap around women for five years because they didn't wear a veil. You know, guys like that ain't got no manhood left anyway, so it's a hell of a lot of fun to shoot them." Gates dismissed the criticism, however, maintaining that appropriate action was taken at the time and that he thought the "subsequent five years have demonstrated that the lesson was learned."
http://rawstory.com/rs/2010/
The War On Terror's Forgotten Victim Speaks
In March 2009, he was awarded £60,000 in compensation after an admission by the UK's anti-terrorist police that they subjected him to 'grave abuse, tantamount to torture' during his first arrest in December 2003. Corresponding via email from a secure isolation unit at Long Lartin prison, he calls on the Government to charge him or release him
http://www.independent.co.uk/
42 percent: U.S. safer without Saddam
One-third, 33 percent, say the seven-year war in Iraq has been a success, 36 percent say it is a failure and 31 percent are unsure.
http://www.upi.com/Top_News/
Alleged U.S.-Russia spy swap completed, as planes depart Austria airport
Planes parked nose-to-tail at a remote section on the Vienna tarmac, spending about an hour and a half there before quickly departing.
http://www.haaretz.com/news/
East Afghanistan Sees Taliban as ‘Morally Superior’ to Karzai
According to a just-departed U.S. commander in charge of a big chunk of the area, locals in four critical provinces believe that the Taliban have greater religious legitimacy and a stronger commitment to justice than Hamid Karzai’s government.
http://www.wired.com/
Tunisia 'dangerous' for journalists - watchdog
from The Daily Star > News Feed by Agence France Presse (AFP)
VIENNA: Media watchdog IPI denounced Thursday Tunisia's treatment of journalists saying reporters were harassed or jailed if they exposed corruption. "The environment for all critical journalists, including those reporting on corruption, in Tunisia is oppressive and dangerous," IPI director David Dadge said in a statement.
http://www.dailystar.com.lb/
Photos: Egypt: No to Torture, No to Police Brutality!, Hossam el-Hamalawy
Protest against torture and police brutality, galvanized by the murder of Khaled Said, Lazoghly Square, Cairo, Egypt, 13 June 2010.
http://mrzine.monthlyreview.
Arab art sweeps into Liverpool
Arabicity, a new show at the city's Bluecoat gallery, sees contemporary Egyptian, Palestinian and Lebanese artists explore the Middle East's cultural and political heritage.
http://www.guardian.co.uk/
Cuba's reported political prisoner release lauded
Hillary Clinton, the US secretary of state, has welcomed the news of Cuba's possible release of 52 political prisoners a day after the country's Catholic Church made the announcement. The Cuban government has not made an official statement on the reported move but jailed Cuban dissident Guillermo Farinas, who demanded the release of dozens of political prisoners, ended his 135-day hunger strike on Thursday following the church's announcement. And Spain, which brokered the reported release agreement, is now asking the European Union to rethink its position on Cuba. Human rights activists, however, are questioning whether there has been any improvement in the communist state's rights record. Al Jazeera's Teresa Bo reports. (July 09, 2010)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?
www.theheadlines.org
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