Friday, December 18

Today in Palestine! ~ December 17, 2009 ~


Shadi Fadda brings us today's headlines relating to Palestine and other news from around the internet.


Land Theft and Destruction/Settlements
Settlement works threaten Burin
December 16th, 2009-- On Tuesday morning, residents of Burin village reported that Occupation forces had begun creating a new settler road on their land. Work continued today on the road, which residents fear is a step toward expanding the settlement and permanently annexing more land from the besieged village.
http://stopthewall.org/latestnews/2136.shtml

Israeli deputy Prime Minister emphasizes “right” of Israelis to live in settlements
In a talk to the Zionist Organization of America on Sunday, Israeli Deputy Prime Minister Moshe Yaalon told the crowd that Jews should be able to live anywhere in what he called ‘Eretz Israel’, including the West Bank and Gaza. He said Israel will "not compromise on the right of Jews to live in any part of Eretz Yisrael."
http://www.imemc.org/index.php?obj_id=53&story_id=57405

Jewish settlers erect new settlement, assault farmers

Jewish settlers laid down the foundation stone of a new random settlement in the West Bank despite the government's decision to freeze settlement construction for ten months.
http://www.palestine-info.co.uk/En/default.aspx?xyz=U6Qq7k%2bcOd87MDI46m9rUxJEpMO%2bi1s7a3ECBd1wlR1QbvrIHHHXixARo%2bdy6pz%2bMqKvgmUgLzECAkFXcRA%2bwFQWdyyZCYJpZqlPrjzMlkupbMhPi%2fxLiMsvrttdzIRZIkwuLYm61H0%3d

Hardline Israeli settlers start building West Bank outpost (AFP)
AFP - Hardline Jewish settlers on Wednesday started rebuilding an outpost in the occupied West Bank in an act of defiance against Israel's partial moratorium on settlement construction.
http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/mideast/*http://news.yahoo.com/s/afp/20091216/wl_mideast_afp/mideastconflictsettlers


Palestinian village caught amid Israel settlements
QARIOUT, West Bank -- The head of this Palestinian village can't scan the horizon without being reminded of everything his people have lost. From the roof of the village council building, Abdelnasser Bedawi can see six of the nine Israeli settlements and outposts that have sprung up on the surrounding hills in the last three decades, fencing in the village and keeping it from two-thirds of its land.
http://www.seattlepi.com/national/1107ap_ml_in_the_shadow_of_settlements.html

As settlements grow, so too does Palestinian anger
The Obama administration was very quick to announce its appreciation of the Israeli right-wing government's decision recently to temporarily and partially halt settlement construction in the occupied Palestinian territories. In doing so, Washington only displayed its weakness. If the United States cannot even convince Israel to properly freeze settlement construction in occupied territory.
http://www.dailystar.com.lb/article.asp?edition_id=10&categ_id=5&article_id=109856

Feature - Die On My Palestine Land
Fatima Mohammed Yassen, aged 49, is a farmer from Bil’in. Despite the crippling Israeli occupation of her village, she continues to work her land, along with her husband, on a daily basis. Jody McIntyre spoke to Im Khamis, as she is known to local villagers, in her home in Bil’in.
http://www.ctrlaltshift.co.uk/article/feature-die-my-palestine-land

Activism/Solidarity/Boycott, Sanctions and Divestment
Nine rounded up in Jayyus raid
December 16th, 2009-- Jayyus was the latest target in the ongoing campaign of night raids directed against villages resisting the Wall. Over the period of several nights, Occupation forces arrested 9 from the village, among them two 11-year-old and 12-year-old boys. Recently Jayyus has been subject to ongoing raids and attacks; these arrests are coming during a time of heightened escalation against activists and villages struggling against the Wall.
http://stopthewall.org/latestnews/2135.shtml

Why Occupation forces raided the Kan’an home
December 17th, 2009-- In the early hours of Wednesday morning, masked soldiers entered Ni’lin and made their way to the Kan’an house. They did not announce their intentions, but instead began wrecking the property. Windows were broken with stones, the family car was smashed, and furnishings were turned upside down. According to witnesses, the raid was an attempt to locate a video tape which captures an Israeli soldier shooting a bound and blindfolded Ashraf Abu Rahmah in the foot during a demonstration in the Ni'lin last year.
http://stopthewall.org/latestnews/2137.shtml

Family tells details of Israeli raid on Ni'lin
Ramallah - Ma’an - Israeli troops entered the village of Ni’lin at 3am Wednesday morning, one of five villages that were raided overnight. They entered the home of the Kan'an family, beat their daughter and destroyed parts of the home.
http://www.maannews.net/eng/ViewDetails.aspx?ID=247482

Mohammad Othman update - Addameer appeal rejected [no link provided]
Unfortunately, Addameer’s appeal against Mohammad’s administrative detention order was rejected on 15 December. During the appeal, which was heard before the Military Court of Appeals of Administrative Detainees Mohammad’s counsel, Addameer attorney Mahmoud Hassan argued that Mohammad was arrested because of his human rights activities and his involvement with the “Stop the Wall Campaign”. He also reminded that during sixty days of his interrogation no external evidence was brought to the attention of the court and the military prosecution was unable to formulate substantiated allegations or charges against him. Most importantly, he also stated that on 22 November 2009, the Military Court of Appeals decided to release Mohammad as no progress had been made during the two months of interrogation. The judge of the Military Court of Appeals of Administrative Detainees rejected Adv Mahmoud Hassan’s arguments and stated that based on the ‘secret information’, there is no space to now take into consideration the decision of the Military Court of Appeals to release Mohammad. He then upheld Mohammad’s administrative detention order until 22 December 2009.

Rally: Solidarity with Bil’in!
Free Palestinian political prisoner Abdallah Abu Rahmah! Friday, December 18th 12h00 Indigo Bookstore corner of St. Catherine & McGill college (metro McGill) Montreal, Canada A call for a solidarity rally with Bil’in village in Palestine to all in Montreal; an appeal to free Palestinian political prisoner Abdallah Abu Rahmah.
http://www.tadamon.ca/post/4123


Palestinians: IDF nabs brother of girl who videoed Naalin incident
Palestinian sources reported that the IDF arrests Arafat Cnana Amirah, the brother of Salam Amira who videoed a solider firing at a bound Palestinian detainee in the town of Naalin, near the West Bank city of Ramallah. The family told Ynet that an IDF force raided their house overnight and served the girl's brother and father with subpoenas.
http://www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7340,L-3821030,00.html


Victory - Credo Mobile Hangs Up On Moto!
Last week we found out that Credo Mobile, a telephone service provider that claims to be guided by progressive values, stopped offering Motorola phones to their customers after complaints from our supporters. This is a major victory in our campaign to boycott Motorola for profiting from Israeli occupation and apartheid against Palestinians! Please take a moment to thank Credo for this decision.
http://www.endtheoccupation.org/article.php?id=2463


Palestinians destroy settler-made Dead Sea cosmetics (AFP)
AFP - Palestinian customs officials on Wednesday dumped tens of thousands of dollars worth of Dead Sea beauty products into dumpsters as part of a boycott of goods made in Israeli settlements.
http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/mideast/*http://news.yahoo.com/s/afp/20091216/wl_mideast_afp/mideastconflictpalestinianeconomysettler

Steel walls cannot contain the struggle for freedom
As if the siege of Gaza were not already bad enough, Israel and Egypt are working even harder to tighten the prison which holds Gaza's 1.5 million people. Egypt is building a steel wall along its 10-kilometer-long border with the Gaza Strip, according to recent media reports. This wall apparently extends not only above ground, but deep into the ground in an attempt to prevent Palestinians digging the tunnels that have become a lifeline for the territory. Hasan Abu Nimah comments.
http://electronicintifada.net/v2/article10948.shtml?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+electronicIntifadaPalestine+(Electronic+Intifada+%3A+Palestine+News)

Two Candles in Congress Against the Siege of Gaza
Many Americans don't realize that although it might be true that the American Israel Public Affairs Committee can get seventy Senators to sign a napkin, that doesn't mean AIPAC can stop Members of Congress from taking actions to improve U.S. policy towards the Palestinians - actions that could have a real impact in improving living conditions for Palestinians on the ground. This week two such measures are being considered by Members of the House. Representatives Jim McDermott [D-WA-7] and Keith Ellison [D-MN-5] are circulating a letter that calls on President Obama to press for an easing in the Israeli blockade of Gaza by making it easier for Palestinians, aid workers, and journalists to enter and leave Gaza and by improving the access of Palestinian civilians to necessities such as clean water, food, fuel and medicine.
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/robert-naiman/two-candles-in-congress-a_b_394267.html

Sheikh Jarrah, Jerusalem- What Can Be Done From Abroad
Amos Goldberg and David Shulman - If you would like to help, please consider sending an email or fax (the latter is said to be more effective in winning attention) to one of the Israeli diplomatic representatives close to your place of residence (see list below) or to the Mayor of Jerusalem, Mr. Nir Barakat, (lishka@jerusalem.muni.il Fax: 972-2-6296014) protesting Israel`s policy in East Jerusalem. Even a note of a few short lines can make a difference. You might ask them: Why are discriminatory policies the norm in Jerusalem? Why are only Jews allowed to reclaim their pre-1948 property? Why is the right to protest being suppressed in Jerusalem? Is Israel still a democratic state?
http://www.kibush.co.il/show_file.asp?num=37267

Lily Sussman says her famous computer is ‘kind of symbolic of Israeli aggression’
Here’s an interview by Daily News Egypt with Lily Sussman, the American student whose Mac book was shot three times by Israeli security at Taba border crossing two weeks back. They could have asked for the password, but didn’t, she says. "There are so many other issues and so many other grievances that I’m kind of shocked that this has become such a big deal." Now to the important questions. Sussman says that she’s partly-Jewish, was quizzed about her religion and her knowledge of Jewish holidays (lacking) and then began to smirk. But it was evidently her time in Cairo that got the Israelis’ suspicions up.
http://mondoweiss.net/2009/12/lily-sussman-says-her-famous-computer-is-kind-of-symbolic-of-israeli-aggression.html


Max Ajl, "Palestinian Non-violence and International Solidarity"
I'm going to discuss the utility of non-violent resistance as it applies to resolving the Israel-Palestine conflict and, specifically, the occupation and blockade of the Gaza strip. Even more specifically, I'm going to discuss the Gaza Freedom March (GFM), of which I'm one of the organizers. But before discussing Palestinian non-violence, several things must be clarified. One is that no one -- least of all me, a Jewish kid from Brooklyn -- has the slightest right to dictate to the Palestinians how to end the blockade or resist the occupation. Another is the need to avoid the nearly inevitable antiseptic air to talk by Westerners discussing Palestinian non-violence. Antiseptic, because it is cleansed of the complicating grit of the occupation within which non-violence must take place. There's also usually a tacit subtext, usually a four-word question: Where Is Their Gandhi? That question could not be more in error. I hope to show why.
http://mrzine.monthlyreview.org/ajl161209.html


New Profile response to the Minister of Education`s directive banning New Profile speakers from high school debates on civil rights
New Profile - Press Release - New Profile wrote the minister that his act had exposed the government`s true stand on civil rights and freedom of expression, also belying the Education Ministry`s professed respect for tolerance. “The minister`s step was taken in tandem with the decision he took to send yet more military personnel into schools—a move designed to increase enthusiasm for fighting,” New Profile advised in its letter. “For over a decade now, our movement has been cautioning of the danger of ignoring the wishes of students, parents, and teachers to freely and openly discuss these subjects prior to the students` induction into the military at age 18. The Minister’s present steps increase the repression of voices seeking to frame and examine social responsibility in non-militarized terms.”
http://www.kibush.co.il/show_file.asp?num=37268


French delegation to Gaza pledges support for Palestinians
Gaza – Ma’an – The European Union is essential in the resolution of Middle East turmoil, and its support for a Palestinian state, without settlements on the 1967 borders is key to peace, DFLP leader Ramzi Rabbah said on Thursday.
http://www.maannews.net/eng/ViewDetails.aspx?ID=247607


Poet Saul Williams in Bil’in, Palestine
Celebrated US poet and performer Saul Williams visited Bilin, Palestine in November 2009, expressing solidarity with the Palestinian struggle against Israeli apartheid while touring near the apartheid wall build on Bil’in village lands and visiting with the residences in Bil’in about life under the Israeli occupation.
http://www.tadamon.ca/post/4016


Israeli feminists decry militarization of Israeli education system
New Profile, the feminist movement to civilize Israeli society, wrote Minister of Education Gideon Saar strongly condemning his recent instructions to prohibit its members' participation in high school debates convened by the Association for Civil Rights in Israel on questions of human rights and freedom of expression.
http://electronicintifada.net/v2/article10949.shtml?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+electronicIntifadaPalestine+(Electronic+Intifada+%3A+Palestine+News)

Israeli MPs threaten boycott of British products (AFP)
AFP - Israeli MPs on Thursday threatened to call a boycott of British products unless London withdraws an advisory allowing retailers to state whether West Bank products were made by Palestinians or Jewish settlers.
http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/mideast/*http://news.yahoo.com/s/afp/20091217/wl_afp
/mideastbritainpoliticssettlersboycott

Violence and Aggression
J'lem culture event shut down by Israeli forces
Bethlehem - Ma'an - Israeli forces arrested several and scuffled with Palestinians while shutting down a cultural festival meant to proclaim attachment to Jerusalem on Thursday. Organizers, including Prisoners' Club President Nasser Kaws, were hustled out of the Damascus Gate area of the Old City of Jerusalem and detained by Israeli border police, prompting scuffles at the main entrance into the ancient streets.
http://www.maannews.net/eng/ViewDetails.aspx?ID=247624

Stand-off over Palestinian demo in Jerusalem (AFP)
AFP - Israeli police surrounded the French cultural centre in mostly Arab east Jerusalem on Thursday, apparently to detain the organiser of a Palestinian cultural event, a French diplomat said.
http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/mideast/*http://news.yahoo.com/s/afp/20091217/wl_mideast_afp/mideastconflictdemojerusalemfrance

Detainees
Ministry of detainees: Israel kidnapped more than 57 Palestinians in two days
The Palestinian ministry of prisoners’ affairs reported that the IOA kidnapped more than 57 Palestinians including eight children under age 18 during the last two days in different West Bank areas.
http://www.palestine-info.co.uk/En/default.aspx?xyz=U6Qq7k%2bcOd87MDI46m9rUxJEpMO%2bi1s7yNJWI0c2Mt%2fx7m%2f%2biCJS%2fWrN3pCKXq4cqFbYZqsMa5G7n5UpjHU8qOWKhfngK5ezaV7a6Wdjm0plsEeCzse6gsarexNbjPMzyJF5sTH6bRs%3d


PCHR slams political arrests against Hamas cadres in W. Bank
The Palestinian center for human rights strongly denounced the political arrest campaigns carried out by Abbas’s militias against Hamas cadres in the West Bank.
http://www.palestine-info.co.uk/En/default.aspx?xyz=U6Qq7k%2bcOd87MDI46m9rUxJEpMO%2bi1s72gSf3iWL7c7nHfJO%2bJ4AB%2fNaOf1MnNUbVWXT9Ii3B%2fNEqNUfd4XPk%2fsrhafGpEUH9NLLCL3hEI7aA2KwLkmOvx3HuAE8vWPg6Reh0pgxaqI%3d

IOA retaining Gazan prisoner in custody after completion of his sentence
The popular movement in support of Palestinian prisoners and rights said that the Israeli occupation authority (IOA) was still retaining a Gazan prisoner behind bars despite end of his sentence.
http://www.palestine-info.co.uk/En/default.aspx?xyz=U6Qq7k%2bcOd87MDI46m9rUxJEpMO%2bi1s7BHviV447EPNWjT7sDPtRtPEQDjFoX5UaobDipbBOKkdzMWX2C6bXxCZJUSalDUmbfOXEpNjVBsv4I%2fIC7u%2bdEaX2cz%2fUnx3CB5JMps2jU18%3d

Human Rights/Humanitarian Issues
Association for Civil Rights in Israel State of Human Rights Report 2009: Rights on Condition
In its annual survey of the protection of human rights in Israel and the Occupied Territories, ACRI reveals an alarming trend: the conditioning of rights. The complete report is now available.
http://alternativenews.org/english/2325-association-for-civil-rights-in-israel-state-of-human-rights-report-2009-rights-on-condition.html

Palestinians vs. Settlers at High Court
Settlers illegal using attack dogs, fence to prevent Palestinian access to land, petition charges.
http://www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7340,L-3821044,00.html


B'Tselem: Settlers pour their sewerage water into the West Bank
B'Tselem said in a report on Wednesday that the Israeli settlements discharge their sewage water into West Bank valleys and villages.
http://www.palestine-info.co.uk/En/default.aspx?xyz=U6Qq7k%2bcOd87MDI46m9rUxJEpMO%2bi1s7Zcc1k0AlL39Z7rJr%2fosUcqbqyR463RgZ4VGXjCcvIhVQNG%2bTPULusRN0NBVMo4S0CtdE31ZqPfxikBD8m1FoRjL43nWJ9Ia7nLjZzjUSdcs%3d

Israel's Arab Helpers
Gaza barrier a 'sovereign right': Egyptian daily (AFP)
AFP - A state-owned Cairo daily confirmed on Thursday that Egypt is building an underground barrier with Gaza and said it was a "sovereign right" that would increase pressure on the enclave's Hamas rulers.
http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/mideast/*http://news.yahoo.com/s/afp/20091217/wl_mideast_afp/mideastconflictgazaegyptsmuggling


Refugees
Palestinians slam 'unfair' donation distribution
Palestinian refugees from the southern refugee camp of Rashidiyeh in Tyre protested in front of a United Nations Relief and Works Agency (UNRWA) center Wednesday condemning the unjust distribution of monetary donations.The refugees burned rubber tires and blocked the entrance to the center because they believed the donation presented to UNRWA by the European Commission.
http://www.dailystar.com.lb/article.asp?edition_id=1&categ_id=1&article_id=109876

War Criminals
Inside Story - War criminal? - 16 Dec 09
Will that latest revoked arrest warrant for Tzipi Livni affect the justice system in the UK.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KaII-bGrkOQ&feature=youtube_gdata


Palestinians to continue hunt for Israeli leaders
JERUSALEM, Dec. 16 (Xinhua) -- Had Tzipi Livni, the Israeli opposition leader, gone ahead with a planned visit to Britain this coming weekend, she could well have found herself arrested and facing court proceedings. This is the latest in a series of high-profile attempts by Palestinians and their supporters to bring leading Israelis to trial for alleged war crimes, particularly in the wake of last winter's Israeli military operation in and around the Gaza Strip.
http://news.xinhuanet.com/english/2009-12/17/content_12658629.htm


Arrest warrants: Short arm of international law

In trying to assuage Israel's fury, the government has done the reputation of our courts no favours. Gordon Brown telephoned Ms Livni, and the foreign secretary, David Miliband, telephoned his counterpart, Avigdor Lieberman, to apologise for the court's action in initially issuing an arrest warrant. Who is a prime minister, foreign secretary, or any other member of the executive to apologise for the actions of another organ of state over which they should have no control? The public interest test is more nuanced. One can argue that Britain has a public interest in pursuing contacts with a former Israeli foreign minister who, if returned to power, could pursue peace talks more convincingly than the current Israeli premier. Britain can not engage with Israeli leaders if they are arrested when they step off the plane. But Britain also has a public interest in upholding its treaty obligations under the fourth Geneva convention, if the evidence exists. According to Justice Richard Goldstone, it does, and his report into Gaza was adopted by the UN Human Rights Council and further endorsed at the general assembly. Israel could obviate the need for this debate by holding an independent judicial investigation into its operation in Gaza.
http://www.guardian.co.uk/commentisfree/2009/dec/17/tzipi-livni-miliband-gaza-law


The impunity of Israel and its allies will carry a price | Seumas Milne
When evidence of war crimes is produced, you might expect states that claim to defend the rule of law to want those crimes investigated and the perpetrators held to account. Not a bit of it. The decision by a London judge to issue a warrant for the arrest of Israel's former foreign minister Tzipi Livni over evidence of serious breaches of the laws of war in Gaza has sparked official outrage in Britain.
http://www.guardian.co.uk/commentisfree/2009/dec/17/tzipi-livni-arrest-warrant-israel-gaza

Childhood in ruins
The 23-day war in numbers
Statistics from the Gaza Community Mental Health Programme

• 1,420 Palestinians killed, 446 of them children
• 5,320 injured, 1,855 of them children
• 4,000 houses destroyed
• 16,000 houses damaged
• 94.6% of children aged six-17 heard the sound of sonic jetfighters
• 91.7% of them heard shelling by artillery
• 92% saw mutilated bodies on TV
• 80% were deprived of water or electricity
• 50.7% left home for a safer place
• 25.9% report one symptom of PTSD
• 39.3% report more than one symptom
• 9.8% report full criteria of PTSD
Statistics from the Palestinian Centre for Human Rights
• 1,414 Palestinians killed during the conflict, including 313 children, of which: – 31% girls, 69% boys
– 15% under 5; 23.3% 5-10; 62% 11-17
–73% died from bombs; 19.8% from artillery shells; 5.4% shot; 1.5% from white phosphorous
• 5,300 Palestinians injured, including 1,606 children
• 36 UN schools damaged
• Approximately 20,000 homes completely or partially destroyed
http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2009/dec/17/gaza-israel-invasion-children-traumatised

Prisoner Exchange
Report: Israel refusing to release senior Hamas prisoners
Palestinian sources close to Shalit prisoner swap negotiations report to newspaper al-Sharq al-Awsat that 'Hamas organization inclined to agree to deal.' Disputes within Hamas remain unchanged over release of prominent prisoners.


Political Developments
Talk to al Jazeera - Ismail Haniyeh - 16 Dec 09 - Pt 1
Hamas Prime Minister, Ismail Haniyeh, in conversation with Al Jazeera.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KKAgefmKSQo

Talk to al Jazeera - Ismail Haniyeh - 16 Dec 09 - Pt 2
Hamas Prime Minister, Ismail Haniyeh, in conversation with Al Jazeera.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oEzl6FlAZO4&feature=player_embedded

Analysis - Talks at a standstill, Abbas hits dead end
RAMALLAH, West Bank, Dec 16 (Reuters) - Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas has little to show for his years of talking peace with Israel, and with talks now in deep freeze he seems to have hit a dead-end. His strategy of negotiating the creation of a Palestinian state alongside Israel is more discredited than ever among Palestinians outraged at unending Israeli settlement building on occupied land.
http://www.reliefweb.int/rw/rwb.nsf/db900SID/VVOS-7YSMEJ?OpenDocument&RSS20=02-P

Abbas appoints Fatah leader representative to Arab League
Cairo – Ma’an – President Mahmoud Abbas issued a presidential decree appointing Dr Barakat Al-Farra, current Palestinian ambassador to Cairo, the permanent Palestinian delegate to the Arab League on Wednesday.
http://www.maannews.net/eng/ViewDetails.aspx?ID=247511


Barghouti urges both talks and resistance
Imprisoned Palestinian leader Marwan Barghouti believes a Palestinian state will only be brought about through a combination of talks with Israel and popular "resistance."In written responses sent to AFP from the Israeli jail where he is serving five life sentences, Barghouti, who ranks higher in opinion polls than any other Palestinian leader, laid out his strategy for ending the Middle East conflict.
http://www.dailystar.com.lb/article.asp?edition_id=10&categ_id=2&article_id=109870


New EU foreign policy chief lambastes 'Israeli occupation'
Catherine Ashton on Tuesday leveled scathing criticism at the "Israeli occupation," in her first speech as the European Union's first high representative for foreign affairs and security policy.
http://www.haaretz.com/hasen/spages/1135787.html


Other News
Olmert offered Abbas land near Gaza as swap for settlements
Former prime minister Ehud Olmert proposed giving the Palestinians land from communities bordering the Gaza Strip and from the Judean Desert nature reserve in exchange for Jewish settlement blocs in the West Bank.
http://www.haaretz.com/hasen/spages/1135699.html


Olmert’s Plan Excluded Jerusalem, Offered Limited ‘Land Swap’

Israeli online daily, Haaretz, published the “map for a permanent solution with the Palestinians” that was previously proposed by the former Israeli Prime Minister, Ehud Olmert, to the Palestinian President, Mahmoud Abbas.
http://www.imemc.org/index.php?obj_id=53&story_id=57407

Journalists held, harassed in West Bank, Gaza
New York, December 16, 2009—The Committee to Protect Journalists urges the West Bank-based Palestinian Authorities to release a journalist detained since Monday and the Hamas-led government in Gaza to end harassment of journalists. Mohamed Eshtewi, Al-Aqsa television bureau chief in the West Bank, was arrested on Monday near a supermarket in the city of Tulkarem following two days of intermittent police interrogation, his wife and brother told CPJ.
http://cpj.org/2009/12/journalists-held-harassed-in-west-bank-and-gaza.php

Fatah secretary general's home attacked
Bethlehem – Ma’an – Fatah's secretary-general of the movement's Bethlehem branch Mohammad Shukri had his home attacked with two Molotov cocktails on Wednesday evening, Ma'an's reporter at the scene said. Palestinian Authority police rushed to the scene, according to PA security sources, and have opened an investigation into the incident. The assailant remains unknown.
http://www.maannews.net/eng/ViewDetails.aspx?ID=247507

Salfit village upset over alleged slander of imam

Bethlehem - Ma'an - Officials in Yasouf village were upset over a misprint in Ma'an's Arabic edition Tuesday, which mistakenly labeled a Jerusalem official the Imam of the village. Chairman of the Yasuf village committee Abdel-Rahim Saleh Musleh, "Abu An-Nour," telephoned the Ma'an offices Wednesday, saying the council "rejected" the MaanImage that described the man wearing a red kuffeieh as the imam of the village, receiving a Qur'an from a settler rabbi.
http://www.maannews.net/eng/ViewDetails.aspx?ID=247533


Israeli Shamelessness/Hasbara
Minister Shalom: Palestinians looking for excuses to evade talks
Vice Premier Silvan Shalom said that Israel is interested in returning to the negotiating table, but that the Palestinians "are finding excuses" to evade doing so.
http://www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7340,L-3820793,00.html


Yaalon: Arabs resorting to propaganda after losing wars
"The success of Israel's de-legitimization stems from several elements, such as the new anti-Semitism, which at this time is manifested through anti-Israel sentiments in practice," he said. "There is another group, the liberals, some of whom are radicals while others are naïve. People who compare our security fence to the Berlin Wall, for example, are naïve."
http://www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7340,L-3821178,00.html

Analysis/Op-ed/Human Interest
Israeli-style 'Justice' for Berlanty: Official Version
The dragged-out scandal of final-year Bethlehem student Berlanty Azzam's arrest and abduction - handcuffed and blindfolded – and subsequent dumping in Gaza in the middle of the night just weeks before she was due to complete her degree, has horrified the Christian world far beyond the walled-in, imprisoned city of modern-day Bethlehem.
http://jnoubiyeh.blogspot.com/2009/12/israeli-style-justice-for-berlanty.html

In NYT portrait of ‘Netanyahu the peace maker,’ there’s room for just one dissent
How do we define hasbara? A day or so after a fine Isabel Kershner piece in the Times talked about extremism on the West Bank, her colleague Ethan Bronner produces an article portraying Netanyahu as a peacemaker: Netanyahu is following in the footsteps of Sharon, being extremely conciliatory, risking political danger, isn’t this remarkable, and every quote in there supports the idea, except for a one-sentence critique from Palestinian negotiator Saeb Erekat. But everyone else in the article goes along with the interpretation. Peres, Labor, a senior anonymous official, etc. A virtual repeat of this Bronner portrait of Netanyahu the pragmatist from last February!
http://mondoweiss.net/2009/12/in-nyt-portrait-of-netanyahu-the-peace-maker-theres-room-for-just-one-dissent.html

Liberal Zionism and self-determination are on a collision course
Anyone who believes in a just solution to the Palestinian-Israeli conflict must address the principle of national self-determination. First endorsed by President Woodrow Wilson, this principle more than any other has animated the history of the twentieth century. National self-determination flows from nationalism, defined by Ernest Gellner as being “primarily a political principle, which holds that the political and national unit should be congruent.” Israel today, in many ways, embodies this principle for Jewish nationalists. To many Jewish nationalists, or Zionists, Israel’s existence is the just correction of Jewish statelessness. Some Jewish nationalists may express regret over the way their movement played out in Palestine. They may also claim to adhere to human rights principles and struggle alongside Palestinians in the West Bank; these are the ‘liberal Zionists.’ Yet, I would argue that the Jewish nationalist movement, in attempting to secure Jewish national rights at the expense of the indigenous Palestinian community, has shown itself to be doctrinally racist. The incongruence between liberalism and racism is obvious to many, but liberal Zionists deserve the benefit of the doubt. It is my contention that Zionism is antithetical to principles of self-determination despite the superficial agreement I outlined above. Furthermore, anyone who hews to liberal principles faces a contradiction between those beliefs and those of Zionism. For many this is leading to a break from Zionism, and I believe more ‘liberal Zionists’ are coming to this conclusion every day.
http://mondoweiss.net/2009/12/liberal-zionism-and-self-determination-are-on-a-collision-course.html

Get the war criminals arrested now
The recent arrest warrant issued in London for former Israeli Foreign Minister Tzipi Livni is more than justified. This woman, along with two other Israeli leaders, Ehud Olmert and Ehud Barak, stood at the helm of the Israeli government that ordered, supervised and charted the genocidal onslaught against the Gaza Strip this time last year.
http://palestinethinktank.com/2009/12/16/get-the-war-criminals-arrested-now/?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+PalestineThinkTank+(Palestine+Think+Tank)

Chronicles of rejectionism (and Oxford American English)

Norman Finkelstein frequently mentions in his discussions on Israel/Palestine the fact that Israel and the United States are largely alone (with the exception of a couple of Pacific island nations, plus recently either Canada or Australia) in standing against what he calls an international "consensus" to solving the conflict. That consensus is demonstrated by an annually-passed (since 1975, I believe) UN General Assembly resolution, typically titled “Peaceful Settlement to the Palestine Question,” which calls for Israeli withdrawal to pre-1967 borders, creation of a Palestinian state in the West Bank and Gaza Strip with East Jerusalem as its capital, and a just resolution of the refugee problem in accordance with Resolution 194 (those refugees wishing to return to their homes and live in peace with their neighbors must be allowed to do so; the rest are entitled to compensation).
http://mondoweiss.net/2009/12/chronicles-of-rejectionism-and-oxford-american-english.html

Ramzy Baroud – Obama's Block to Middle East Peace
A just and peaceful solution to the protracted Palestinian-Israeli conflict is only possible when the US ceases to block every attempt made towards it. The long-held assumption is that a just resolution is one that would be consistent with international and humanitarian laws and which would enjoy the largest possible consensus worldwide.
http://palestinethinktank.com/2009/12/16/ramzy-baroud-obamas-block-to-middle-east-peace/?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+PalestineThinkTank+(Palestine+Think+Tank)


Expiration Date: The Visa Dilemma
Britan Eakin - Miftah - Every exit and entry from an Israeli border brings the stress of wondering whether or not you will be found out. And if so, what will they do to you? Strip-search you? Destroy your laptop, as recently happened to a young American woman as she crossed the Taba border from Egypt into Israel? Or will they deny you entry or even worse, black list you in which case they can deny you entry for however long they see fit? This is the very worst-case scenario that plagues the minds of those of us who wish to work for justice in Palestine every time we have to cross an Israeli border.
http://www.kibush.co.il/show_file.asp?num=37269


Dangers of the Two States Solution, Dr. Elias Akleh
The Two States Solution (Israeli and Palestinian states) to the Zionist-Arab conflict has been, lately, revived as the only practical solution to the conflict. This solution, with all its embedded dangers, had been unjustly and illegally imposed by the UN in 1948 giving the Zionists a foot hold in the Arab World. It was, then, welcomed by the Zionists but rejected by the Arabs. Ironically, after 61 years and due to the changing balance of power, reviving this solution, now-a-days, is welcomed and sought for by the Arabs, but is rejected by Zionist Israel.
http://jnoubiyeh.blogspot.com/2009/12/dangers-of-two-states-solution.html


Iraq
Wednesday: 7 Iraqis Killed, 27 Wounded
At least seven Iraqis were killed and 27 more were wounded in the latest violence. Prime Minister Maliki came out against Ba’athists again as he spoke about new security implementations.
http://original.antiwar.com/updates/2009/12/16/wednesday-7-iraqis-killed-27-wounded/?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+antiwar-original+(Antiwar.com+Original+Articles)


Iraq to relaunch air force nearly 20 years after Kuwait war (AFP)
AFP - Iraq is to relaunch its air force which was decimated in the 1991 Gulf War and to train pilots for a squadron of 18-24 fighter planes, Defence Minister Abdel Qadr Obeidi announced on Wednesday.
http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/iraq/*http://news.yahoo.com/s/afp/20091216/wl_mideast_afp/iraqmilitaryairforceus


U.S.-Allied Sunni Groups Struggle Under Iraqi Control
The Sunni militias known as the Sons of Iraq, or Sahwa movement, were credited with helping to defeat al-Qaida in Iraq during the U.S. surge that began in 2007. They have fallen on hard times since coming under Iraqi government control a year ago, facing arrest and other troubles.
http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=121516208&ft=1&f=1010

Cheap software 'helps Iraqi militants track US drones' (AFP)
AFP - Iraqi militants have regularly used cheap and widely-available software to intercept the feeds of US-operated drones, the Wall Street Journal reported on Thursday.
http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/iraq/*http://news.yahoo.com/s/afp/20091217/wl_mideast_afp/iraqunrestusweaponsiran


Attacks on Iraqi Christians are politically motivated
The surge in attacks on Iraqi Christians is due to political motives rather than religious beliefs, a senior Iraqi Christian politician said. Yonadam Kanna, the Christian representative in the Iraqi parliament, made the remarks in the aftermath of the latest violent events targeting Iraqi Christians particularly in the restive city of Mosul. The targets have included churches, shops owned by Christians and the blowing up of houses whose Christian owners have fled the city for safety.
http://www.azzaman.com/english/index.asp?fname=news\2009-12-17\kurd.htm

Lebanon
Saudi Hasbara: Saudi FM: Lebanon Denied Sovereignty Due to Hezbollah Arms
16/12/2009 Saudi Foreign Minister Prince Saud al-Faisal claimed on Wednesday that Lebanon would be denied true sovereignty as long as Hezbollah "owns more arms than the military forces of the country." Speaking in an interview with the International Herald Tribune, Faisal also said he was "suspicious" of Iranian claims its nuclear program is peaceful. He pointed out that Tehran should never be allowed to obtain nuclear weapons.
http://almanar.com.lb/NewsSite/NewsDetails.aspx?id=115621&language=en

Raad: We Will Not Judge Saudi FM's Statement as Negative
17/12/2009 The head of the Loyalty to Resistance parliamentary bloc MP Mohamad Raad said on Thursday that US Deputy Assistant Secretary of State for Near Eastern Affairs Jeffrey Feltman was promoting "American tyranny which implicates the United States in further crises and creates problems across the world." "This policy has proved to be fruitless," Raad said in an interview with al-Nour radio station. "Feltman leads a bad propaganda to an unsuccessful US policy which is causing only more trouble and crisis to the world," he explained.
http://almanar.com.lb/NewsSite/NewsDetails.aspx?id=115787&language=en


Aoun Says US Proved to Be Against Lebanon

17/12/2009 The head of the Change and Reform parliamentary bloc MP Michel Aoun said on Wednesday that the policy of the United States has sacrificed Lebanon many times throughout history. "We are not against it, but it is against us through supporting Israel and the naturalization of Palestinians," Aoud said during an interview with his Orange Television. The General stressed that "the US administration is interfering in Lebanon's internal affairs," and asked if it cares about Lebanon or if it knows the result of naturalizing the Palestinians on its soil.
http://almanar.com.lb/NewsSite/NewsDetails.aspx?id=115797&language=en


Insolence and hasbara are the soundtrack to these images in my head
So sick and tired of the b.s. from this administration: Feltman says Hezbollah endangers Lebanese people. Hezbollah doesn’t kill Lebanese civilians, Israel does. Americans and Israelis seem to think that Arabs have very short memories when it comes to the slaughter of our people. We don’t. The 2006 war on Lebanon where Israel implemented its barbaric Dahiya Doctrine–which Dan Halutz, Israel’s chief of staff said would "turn back the clock in Lebanon 20 years"– is still painfully fresh in my mind.
http://mondoweiss.net/2009/12/insolence-and-hasbara-are-the-soundtrack-to-these-images-in-my-head.html

Other Arab News
Jordan's women in no man's land
Jordan has stood at the front-line of the Arab-Israeli conflict since 1948, and in the six decades since has been de-mining battlefields where opposing armies once roamed. Many of the country's land mines date back to the 1948 partition of Palestine, the 1967 Six Day War, and hostilities with Syria in the 1970's. A peace treaty with Israel in 1994 allowed Jordan to speed up its de-mining efforts; 73,000 Israeli mines have been removed from the Wadi Araba border area. In 1999, Jordan ratified the Mine Ban Treaty, which prohibits the use, stockpiling, production and transfer of anti-personnel mines.
http://english.aljazeera.net/focus/2009/11/2009113061357176721.html

Trial of Kurds in Syria likely to be a 'parody of justice'
Amnesty International called for Syria's Supreme State Security Court (SSSC) to be abolished as the trial of five members of the Kurdish minority resumed on Tuesday. "The trial is likely to be a parody of justice as the SSSC has shown itself to be grossly unsatisfactory as a court of law," said Malcolm Smart, Director of Amnesty International's Middle East and North Africa Programme. "It is neither independent nor impartial and it does not operate in accordance with international standards of fair trial. It should be abolished without further ado."
http://www.amnesty.org/en/news-and-updates/news/trial-kurds-syria-likely-parody-justice-20091215

U.S. and other world news
Obama told China: I can't stop Israel strike on Iran indefinitely
U.S. President Barack Obama has warned his Chinese counterpart that the United States would not be able to keep Israel from attacking Iranian nuclear installations for much longer, senior officials in Jerusalem told Haaretz.
http://www.haaretz.com/hasen/spages/1135730.html


Bolivian President Evo Morales on Climate Debt, Capitalism, Why He Wants a Tribunal For Climate Justice and Much More
Bolivian President Evo Morales joins us in Copenhagen to talk about the UN climate talks, capitalism, climate debt and much more. “Policies of unlimited industrialization are what destroys the environment,” Morales says. “And that irrational industrialization is capitalism.”
http://www.democracynow.org/2009/12/17/bolivian_president_evo_morales_on_climate


www.TheHeadlines.org
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