Egypt forbids Protests a Day after it was Shaken by Thousands of Demonstrators, 3 Killed, Juan Cole
Egypt was wracked by demonstrations on Tuesday’s “Day of Rage,” called for by the April 6 committee of youth activists on social media last week. The protesters were hoping to profit from the momentum for reform in the region created by the Tunisian revolution, which forced the Ben Ali regime from power nearly two weeks ago.
The First martyr in Egypt : Mustapha Rajab Mahmoud
Fourth Egyptian dies as a result of protests
CAIRO, Jan 26 (Reuters) - A fourth Egyptian died in hospital on Wednesday as a result of protests the previous day that were staged to call for an end to President Hosni Mubarak's 30-year rule, a medical source said.
Gamal Mubarak reportedly flees Egypt, Longtime president’s son once seen as likely successor
The son of Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak, Gamal Mubarak, has reportedly fled Egypt for the UK with his family. Unconfirmed reports out of Cairo say the younger Mubarak boarded a private jet bound for London with his family and nearly one hundred pieces of luggage. His departure, if confirmed, comes after a day of unprecedented mass protests in the streets of Cairo and other cities throughout Egypt. Over 30,000 people gathered in Cairo’s Tahrir Square to protest the Mubarak regime, which has run the country for 30 years under a state of emergency and with little tolerance for dissent. One riot police officer has been confirmed killed, and about 600 people were arrested in the Cairo protests. Gamal Mubarak’s departure from Egypt comes on the heels of Tunisian President Ben Ali’s flight from Tunisia following violent anti-government protests in Tunis.
Thousands Protest in Egypt in Largest Popular Challenge to Mubarak in 30 Years
Tens of thousands of people have taken to the streets across Egypt in the largest popular challenge to longtime President Hosni Mubarak since he came into office 30 years ago. Drawing inspiration from the recent uprising in Tunisia, an estimated crowd of 15,000 packed Cairo’s Tahrir Square. We go to Cairo to speak with independent journalist and blogger, Hossam Hamalawy.
Egypt protests: 'We ran a gauntlet of officers beating us with sticks'Jack Shenker, the Guardian's reporter in Cairo, was beaten and arrested alongside protesters in the capital last night. He made this remarkable recording while locked in the back of a security forces truck next to dozens of protesters.
Listen to the audio
Thousands join Cairo protestsThousands of protesters are marching in Cairo, the Egyptian capital, to demand that Hosni Mubarak, the president, step down. They clashed with riot police in a rare show of strength by the people. Many in the crowds called for a Tunisian style ousting of Mubarak. Rawya Rageh reports from Cairo.
'Remarkable scenes' at Cairo protestsAnti-government protests have broken out in Egypt after an internet campaign inspired by the uprising in Tunisia.
Cairo erupts as Egyptian protesters demand Mubarak resignTwitter reportedly inaccessible. Tens of thousands of demonstrators took to the streets across Egypt Tuesday, facing down a massive police presence to demand the ouster of President Hosni Mubarak in protests inspired by Tunisia's popular uprising. Gamal Mubarak, son of President Hosni Mubarak, had fled the country along with his family,
according to the Adnkronos International news service.
Two Egyptian protesters, one police officer killed in anti-govt. protests
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=maZOubw6HgcJournalist 'trapped and beaten' in Egypt
MB: We didn't participate in Tahrir Square demonstrations The Muslim Brotherhood (MB), Egypt's largest opposition group, says it did not take part in a demonstration held in Cairo's central Tahrir Square on Tuesday, one of several “Day of Rage” protests held in several cities throughout the country.
Twitter BLOCKED In Egypt As Demonstrations Turn ViolentAs protestors fill Egypt in rare public demonstrations against President Hosni Mubarak, Twitter has been blocked, according to reports.
Today in EgyptThis amazing video (h/t
Blake Hounshell) is from today in Cairo, where tens of thousands of Egyptians have taken to the streets in a
day of unprecedented protest. We hope to run an on the ground report later today, but in the meantime you can get news by following
#jan25 on Twitter.
PicturesPicture: The scene at the protest at the Lawyers Syndicate in Cairo
http://www.enduringamerica.com/home/2011/1/26/egypt-and-beyond-liveblog-the-day-after-the-day-of-revolutio.html
Must see picture: Tahrir square taken over by protesters
http://yfrog.com/h0nuipCairo ... tonight
http://friday-lunch-club.blogspot.com/2011/01/cairo-tonight.htmlAP: A demonstrator defaces a poster of Egyptian President Hosni
http://twitpic.com/3tfispDemonstrators calling on soldiers to join them. This is AMAZING.
http://twitpic.com/3t9mhgEgyptian demonstrators hold up placards
http://www.gettyimages.pt/detail/108308684/AFPEgyptian anti-government protests – in pictures
http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/gallery/2011/jan/25/egypt-protests-in-pictures?CMP=twt_gu#/?picture=371015878&index=0
VideoAnti-Govt Protesters Tearing Pictures of the Egyptian Dictator
Police attack @ 1:20am in cairo, egypt, downtown Tahrir.mp4
Check out all the women protesting
Tear Gas in Tahrir
Banner: "Down with the corrupt regime"
Chasing the Egyptian riot police
More protest videos
Egypt: The January 25 Demonstrations in Photographs
Egypt anti-govt protests escalate
Thousands call for Tunisia-style ouster of president Hosni Mubarak as US, an ally, says government there is "stable" .
Protests in Egypt and unrest in Middle East – as it happened
• Cairo a 'war zone' as demonstrators demand president quit
• Protests continue in Tunisia and Lebanon
• Click here for summary of key events so far
Thousands of Egyptian protesters clash with police
Protesters take to the streets of Cairo to demonstrate against political repression and unemployment under President Hosni Mubarak. It is unclear if the protests in Egypt will mimic those in Tunisia, leading to revolt against the government. Thousands of Egyptian protesters inspired by the revolt in Tunisia rushed police and battled tear gas Tuesday in demonstrations against the political repression and unemployment that have defined three decades of rule by President Hosni Mubarak.
Live updates: Opposition groups protest on Police Day
O Mubarak
Egyptians and Sudanese are the best people when it comes to slogans and chants. Today, in Egypt: demonstrators chanted:
يا مبارك, يا مبارك. السعوديّة بإتنظارك
O Mubarak. O Mubarak. Saudi Arabia is waiting for you.
Egypt's protests, told by #Jan25
Cairo's streets erupted in protest today and Twitter and other social media sites made it clear that today was a big day for Egypt's opposition.
Egypt's unstable regime
TENS OF thousands of Egyptians took to the streets of Cairo and other cities Tuesday in an unprecedented outburst of protest against the regime of Hosni Mubarak. Inspired by Tunisia's popular uprising, they demanded political concessions that Mr. Mubarak's rotting government should have made long ago: an end to emergency laws, freedom for political activity and a limit on the president's tenure in office. The United States has said that it favors such reforms. But when Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton was asked about the demonstrations, she foolishly threw the administration's weight behind the 82-year-old Mr. Mubarak.
Hisham Omar Abdel Halim, Maha Bahnasawy, Mohamed Ismail Ghaly, Nashwa el-Hofi, Mary Joseph, Adham Khorshed, and Mahmoud Metwally, "Egypt: The Day of Wrath" (Videos)
"When people see what happened today, more will join the protests -- especially now that Egypt has become a tinderbox waiting for a match to set it alight." -- Amar Ali Hassan
Will Egypt Be the Next Domino to Fall?, Ashraf Ezzat
Ever since the Tunisian uprising managed to topple the dictatorship of former president Zine al-Abidine Ben Ali and the people in the Arab world are wondering if the Tunisian scenario could be repeated in their countries. Egyptians responded to the news of the overthrow of the regime in Tunisia with great joy and astonishment at the same time. To most Arabs, Tunisia is another Arab country ruled by similar authoritarian regime such as theirs.
A dam breaking in Egypt
Today Egypt experienced the largest outpouring of public fury at the government since January 1977, when cuts in government food subsidies saw hundreds of thousands of Egyptians pour into the streets in an uprising that shook the government of then President Anwar Sadat. That ended three days later with dozens dead but the Egyptian poor who spearheaded the action triumphant: Sadat restored the subsidies.
Aljazeera and Egypt
Many Egyptians are furious that Aljazeera has not been covering the massive protests in Egypt today. Explanation? Mubarak visited Emir of Qatar last month and basically reached an agreement to reduce Aljazeera's critical coverage of Egypt and Mubarak's tyranny.
Arab world waking from 40-year sleep?, Helena Cobban
The Arab world has been in a state of increasing ossification ever since I started following its affairs closely in 1970. That was the year that King Hussein beat back the Palestinian-radical challenge to his regime in Jordan, and that Egypt's President Jamal Abdel-Nasser died. Also, the year that Hafez al-Asad's relatively conservative "Corrective movement" seized power from its more radical Baathist colleagues in Damascus.
Obama plays catch-up on popular movements in Egypt and Tunisia, Philip Weiss
There was no mention of Egypt in tonight's State of the Union Speech, though the State Department released a statement on Egypt (below) that was blandly supportive of the protests. Obama did mention Tunisia-- without any indication that the "dictator" he now denounces was "backed politically and militarily by the U.S. for more than two decades" (as Phyllis Bennis said on PBS).
This Time, Protestors Outnumber Police in Egypt
The days of a 5-to-1 ratio of police to demonstrators appears over. Will the Egyptian regime reform or respond with more deadly force and police state action as they have in the past?
The meaning of today’s events in Egypt, Issandr El Amrani
For the first time in recent memory, Egyptian security has also implemented a communications clampdown. Twitter, Bambuser, Ustream are all reported to have been shut down. Some ISPs, including Vodafone Egypt, say that the problem is not with them but with the national internet link. Communications may have also been disabled in specific areas. It's worth remembering that the US is said to have intervened forcefully against Tunisia's disruption of communications (which went beyond this to include hacking of major social media sites) and that Hillary Clinton launched an internet initiative last year — this gives her traction to act here (if the other reasons aren't enough). Mrs Clinton's initial statement was pretty weak, but also came early in the days' development. Personally, I think the US acted as well as can be reasonably expected in Tunisia and should do the same in Egypt, including reaching out to different elements of the regime to convey dissatisfaction (ahem — major euphemism here). But we'll see their fuller reaction tomorrow.
Egyptian Rap Against the Regimes
Palestine Papers & Cables
Palestine papers show Netanyahu vowed not to link Jerusalem and Ma'aleh Adumim
Claim made in leaked documents contradicts long-standing plan to build a neighborhood of 3,500 homes in area E1.
Erekat: "I can't stand Hamas"
For Fatah, the Annapolis process seems to have been as much about crushing Hamas as about ending Israel's occupation.
MI6 offered to detain Hamas figures
British government also provided financial support for two Fatah security forces linked to torture.
PA questions Tony Blair's role
Palestinian prime minister Salam Fayyad wondered whether Quartet envoy's initiatives were too small to be helpful.
Cutting off a vital connection
Palestinian officials were often more concerned with applying pressure to Hamas than easing the crisis in Gaza.
Demanding a demilitarized state
Israeli negotiators demanded to keep Israeli troops in the West Bank and to maintain control of Palestinian airspace.
Blair's counter-insurgency "surge"
Former British prime minister's support for Palestinian security forces contributed to decline of EU's influence.
The Palestine Papers: Secret talks over a Jewish state
One and a half million of Israel's citizens are Palestinian Arabs, that is roughly 20 per cent of the population. However, Israel still insists on calling the country a "Jewish state". And the Palestine Papers reveal the human price that they were willing to make that a reality. Al Jazeera's Barnaby Phillips reports from Baqah al Gharbiyyeh, Israel.
'Palestinian Authority closely coordinates security operations with Israel'
New 'Palestine papers' released Tuesday detail meetings discussing security measures, including instructions to kill Hamas militants.'Palestinian Authority closely coordinates security operations with Israel'
PLO urged Israel and Egypt to do more to prevent Gaza smuggling
Leaked documents underline hostility of PLO towards Hamas – but show Palestinian leadership willing to negotiate in long run
Palestinian refugees rule out compromise on return to homeland
Disclosure in Palestine papers that negotiators gave up fight over refugees is greeted with disgust in Bethlehem camp
Palestine papers: Mohammed Dahlan
Former Fatah security chief who had close links to the CIA and Israel's Shin Bet security service
Palestine papers: Shaul Mofaz
Former IDF chief of staff and defence minister who was a key figure in co-ordinating security with the Palestinian Authority
The Palestine papers: a blueprint for security
A British embassy official offers a detailed plan of action to reform and bolster Palestinian security forces, which have failed to stop terrorist attacks on Israel
Refugee rights of little concern to PA, documents reveal
Al Jazeera has released more leaked documents related to several "core issues," including the Palestinian refugees' right of return, as part of the Palestine Papers exposé.
US embassy cables: Israel discusses growing number of terrorist attacks
US embassy cables: Israel weighs up Palestinian aid
Rice: US Army Presence In Iraq Protects Israel
Former US secretary of state Condoleezza Rice reassured Israel that the US military presence in Iraq should calm any Israeli security concerns "from the east," minutes from a 2008 trilateral meeting between Rice and the Israeli and Palestinian negotiation teams reveal.
Pressman: One Leaked Document on the Annapolis Process, Juan Cole
As al-Jazeera continues to release more leaked documents from the negotiation office of the Palestine Authority, what do minutes of the back-and-forth negotiations reveal about the core issues? On April 8, 2008, Abu Ala and Tzipi Livni met in Jerusalem for a two-hour meeting on drawing the West Bank borders for a two-state solution. The document is entitled, “Meeting Minutes: On Borders,” April 8, 2008
‘The Palestine Cables’: WikiLeaks exposes Egypt, PA cooperation with Israel during Gaza assault, Alex Kane
This is the fifth installment of my column on WikiLeaks and Israel/Palestine at Mondoweiss. You can read all the installments here. The left-wing publication Counterpunch has obtained eleven U.S.-authored cables “accessed” from WikiLeaks that deal solely with “Operation Cast Lead,” the 2008-09 Israeli assault on Gaza. Kathleen Christison, a former CIA analyst and co-author of Palestine in Pieces, has the scoop.
Palestinian Zionist's Laughable (and treacherous) Response
Erekat: Al Jazeera's 'vicious smear campaign' puts my life in danger
Chief Palestinian negotiator says in interview that Palestine papers contain misrepresented and made-up quotes, says Al Jazeera is 'asking Palestinians to shoot me.'
Defiant Abbas says he's on 'right path'
Upon his return from Egypt, PA leader promises to weather storm over leaked peace process documents; hundreds gather outside Arab channel's downtown Ramallah office, chant 'Al-Jazeera, you whore'.
Al-Jazeera leaks part of plot to topple PA: Erakat (AFP)
AFP - Palestinian chief negotiator Saeb Erakat accused Al-Jazeera television on Tuesday of participating in a campaign aimed at overthrowing the Palestinian Authority.
Al-Jazeera leaks a 'boring soap opera': Abbas (AFP)
AFP - Palestinian president Mahmud Abbas on Tuesday dismissed the leak of hundreds of secret files on Israeli-Palestinian peace talks as nothing but a "boring soap opera."
The Lede: Police Reportedly Joined Jazeera Protest
An angry mob that attempted to storm the office of Al Jazeera in the West Bank city of Ramallah on Monday included Palestinian police officers in civilian clothes, a local journalist said.
Abbas welcomed home as hero while Qatar denounced
Reuters - President Mahmoud Abbas got a hero's welcome on Tuesday from thousands of Palestinians who denounced the Qatari regime and its Al Jazeera television channel for accusing their leader of selling out to Israel.
Nablus Governor Calls for Anti-Jazeera Protests on Thursday
Nablus – PNN - Major General Jibreen al-Bakri, governor of the northern West Bank city of Nablus, called for popular protests to be held on Thursday against the “slanders targeting Palestine” released by the Qatar-based Al Jazeera TV station.
This shocking "editorial" from PNN (Today is Palestine's Mon-Fri news aggregator will no longer be featuring any content from their site): Al Jazeera Directs another Bad Movie
By Fadi Abu Sada- PNN Editor in Chief- I can’t believe even for one minute that the so-called Al Jazeera TV “exposure” of Palestinian-Israeli negotiation documents came from the Qatar-based station alone—it was coordinated with the Qatari leadership and I am tempted to say that it was also coordinated with Syria and Iran. As a Palestinian, I do not care what those documents include because they’re only minutes of meetings and during those meetings, one says what one likes. The most important issue is the final deal and what will come out of it.
Gaza govt: PLO not authorized to negotiate for Palestinians
GAZA CITY (Ma'an) -- The government in Gaza on Tuesday said the Palestine Liberation Organization was not authorized and did not have the power to negotiate on behalf of the Palestinian people. The statement was issued in response to a series of leaked PLO documents related to talks with Israel, which reveal the PLO offered Israel huge concession on refugees' rights and Jerusalem.
Arab villagers 'don't want to live in Palestine'
Revelation of former FM Livni's proposal during peace talks to transfer some Arab-Israeli villages to future Palestinian state as part of land swap 'indicative of racism, discrimination against Israel's Arabs,' Barta'a resident says; another villager says 'it would be a good thing for us to unite with Palestinians'
Palestine Papers Analysis
Al-Jazeera becomes focus of leaked documents debate
BETHLEHEM (Ma'an) -- Conspiracy, a case of bad timing and a dis-service to the Palestinian people were some of the immediate reactions by Palestinian critics and media professionals, as Qatar-based satellite channel Al-Jazeera continued to release documents from over a decade of mediation efforts with Israel.
Possible source of Palestine papers leak
Israeli TV has reported that the Palestine papers were leaked by a former staffer of the Negotiations Support Unit, a foreign-funded NGO that advises Palestinian negotiators.
Clayton Swisher - Al Jazeera's Palestine Papers Specialist
Yasser Abed Rabbo, Senior Palestinian Official has given the fullest response on the Palestine Papers. He spoke for nearly an hour on the documents. Clayton Swisher, Al Jazeera's specialist on the Palestine Papers analysed Yasser Abed Rabbo's response.
Leaks claim Palestinian 'collusion'
Leaked US cables say Palestinian security forces engage in extensive co-operation with their Israeli counterparts.
Robert Fisk: A new truth dawns on the Arab world
The Palestine Papers are as damning as the Balfour Declaration. The Palestinian "Authority" – one has to put this word in quotation marks – was prepared, and is prepared to give up the "right of return" of perhaps seven million refugees to what is now Israel for a "state" that may be only 10 per cent (at most) of British mandate Palestine.
Palestine Papers: Israel's Peacemakers Unmasked, Jonathan Cook - Nazareth
For more than a decade, since the collapse of the Camp David talks in 2000, the mantra of Israeli politics has been the same: 'There is no Palestinian partner for peace.' This week, the first of hundreds of leaked confidential Palestinian documents confirmed the suspicions of a growing number of observers that the rejectionists in the peace process are to be found on the Israeli, not Palestinian, side. Some of the most revealing papers, jointly released by Al-Jazeera television and Britain’s Guardian newspaper, date from 2008, a relatively hopeful period in recent negotiations between Israel and the Palestinians.
The view on the ground of the Palestine papers | Laila El-Haddad
The Palestine papers may have sent shockwaves around the world, but they came as no surprise to most Palestinians, particularly those living out the horrific reality on the ground that has been "non-negotiated" over in the occupied territories, like my own family – or in refugee camps outside the occupied territories, like my husband's family in the sidelined camps of Lebanon.
The Palestinian cause has been betrayed. But no more | Osama Hamdan
These stooge negotiators have acted as tools for the repression of their people. We in Hamas must seize back the initiative. The revelations about the conduct of the Middle East peace process made by al-Jazeera and the Guardian over the past few days have shocked people around the world, but they did not surprise the membership of Hamas. They simply confirm what many of us have been warning against for nearly two decades.
Palestine papers: More nations floated for Palestinian resettlement
Al Jazeera's release this week of the so-called 'Palestine papers' – a collection of secret documents from the past decade of Israeli-Palestinian peace negotiations – revealed a US suggestion made in 2008 that Palestinian refugees be permanently resettled in Chile and Argentina. The disclosure was a slap in the face to the many Palestinian refugees and descendants – the UN Relief and Works Agency estimates at least 4.7 million worldwide – hoping to eventually return to what is now Israel. But it wasn't the first time the idea of permanent resettlement has been floated. Here are some of the countries proposed as permanent resettlement locations.
The Palestine Papers: Offering Palestine, Ramzy Baroud
The Palestine Papers had damaged whatever little credibility the Ramallah-based authority still enjoyed among Palestinians The Palestine Papers, the 1,300 leaked documents that Aljazeera began publishing starting January 23, are the Palestinian response to the Israeli ‘generous offer’, an Israeli diplomatic ruse that was aimed at discrediting Palestinian leader Yasser Arafat following the collapse of the Camp David talks of July 25, 2000. But unlike the fictitious Israeli ‘generous offer’, the Palestinian offer, as revealed by Aljazeera, was barely a testament to the spirit of the famed Arab generosity, but a series of decided and embarrassing concessions that, at times, took even the Israelis by surprise.
The truth that the ‘Palestine Papers’ has broken into the mainstream: Israel is the obstacle to peace, Alex Kane
The release of the "Palestine Papers," Al Jazeera's leak of thousands of documents relating to Israeli-Palestinian negotiations, is creating space in the American mainstream for this central truth: it is Israel's fault that there has not been a peace agreement with the Palestinians. Jonathan Cook, a journalist based in Nazareth, writes that "hundreds of leaked confidential Palestinian documents confirmed the suspicions of a growing number of observers that the rejectionists in the peace process are to be found on the Israeli, not Palestinian, side." This fact, which has been obscured by Israeli propaganda since the collapse of the Camp David talks, is pushing its way into U.S. media coverage as well as into the reactions of liberal American Jewish groups to the papers.
A letter to the Israeli people
The US president should write that the US "must withdraw from direct and active involvement in this process."
Palestine Papers confirm Israeli rejectionism
For more than a decade, since the collapse of the Camp David talks in 2000, the mantra of Israeli politics has been the same: "There is no Palestinian partner for peace." This week, the first of hundreds of leaked confidential Palestinian documents confirmed the suspicions of a growing number of observers that the rejectionists in the peace process are to be found on the Israeli, not Palestinian, side.
Diana Buttu on the Palestine Papers - Diana Buttu on the Palestine Papers
Settlers/ Land, Property, Resource Theft & Destruction/Ethnic Cleansing
Demolition orders in Khirbet al Tawil
Jan 26, 2011-- A week ago, Occupation forces delivered final warnings to four farmers from Khirbet al Tawil, east of Aqraba, for the destruction of their homes. The buildings, constructed from mud, have received seven consecutive demolition orders.
'Demolition of Palestinian homes in West Bank's Area C tripled in 2010'
A B'Tselem report reveals that as a result, 472 Palestinians, including 223 minors, lost their homes last year, up from 217 - including 60 minors - in 2009.
Palestinians say new Jerusalem tunnel will damage Temple Mount
Contrary to Israeli claims, parts of tunnel pass just meters from the Western Wall.
Ma'aleh Adumim mayor demands Netanyahu build West Bank corridor immediately
Mayor Benny Kasriel implores Netanyahu to explain latest Palestine papers revealing the premier had reportedly made a secret promise not to go forth with plans to link Jerusalem to nearby settlement.
Siege/Discrimination
Israel denies PLC official permission to travel
GAZA CITY (Ma'an) -- Hamas on Tuesday said Israeli border police at the Allenby crossing between the West Bank and Jordan denied a PLC member passage. In a statement, Hamas said Nasser Abdul Jawad was detained at the border for a number of hours and told he could not pass from the West Bank into Jordan. Jawad was elected to the Palestinian Legislative Council in 2006, He was given no reason for being denied passage, the statement said.
Industrial Fuel – Needs Vs. Supply – Dec 26 – Jan 22
Goods – Needs Vs. Supply – Dec 26 – Jan 22
New Campaign in Israel: "Kosher" Certificate to Businesses that Employ Only Jews
A new campaign has been launched in Israel to provide a “kosher certificate” to businesses that employ only Jews and do not employ “enemies”.
Violence & Detainees
An-Nabi Saleh Popular Committee Leader Beaten, Two Children Arrested
Following the arrests of Karim Saleh al-Tamimi and, his brother, Islam, the leader of the Popular Commitee Against The Wall & Settlements in Nabi Saleh, Bassam Tamimi has been arrested, on Wednesday, along with two fifteen year old boys.
Palestinian detainee in coma
GAZA CITY (Ma'an) -- A 45-year-old Palestinian jailed in Israel is in a coma, a detainees' center said Monday. Detainees in Be'er Sheva prison in the Israeli desert smuggled a letter to the center detailing Saed Fahmi Salah's condition, the group said. Israeli forces beat Salah when he was detained in March 2008, the letter said, adding that he bled for several days. Since then, he has fallen into a coma several times but doctors have failed to diagnose him, detainees told the center. He has 18 children, the letter added.
War Crimes
No more cancer: Israeli Army admits Jawaher killed by tear gas, Jesse Bacon
In a triumph of the obvious truth over incoherent lies, the Israeli Army now admits that Jawaher Abu Rahmah was indeed killed by tear gas at a demo, not as their anonymous speculation would have it by cancer or an honor killing. These tales violated basic plausibility, but they did provide animplausible denial, which is all Israeli government’s supporters need to fan out online with the narrative that there were “doubts about her death.” The new Army version still blames Palestinians for not treating her better. We know from the Republican Party’s tactics in the United States that such attempt to create doubts actually unfortunately work.
Knesset member calls Turkel Report "professional and moral scandal for Israeli judiciary"
A member of Israel's parliament, the Knesset, has called the Turkel Report "a professional and moral scandal for the Israeli judiciary". Taleb El-Sana MK, who heads the Arab Democratic Party, made his statement about the official Israeli report which exonerates Israel for its assault on the Freedom Flotilla in May 2010. Nine Turkish peace activists were killed by Israeli commandos as they stormed the Mavi Marmara and hundreds more from around the world were taken into custody. The flotilla was in international waters at the time of the murderous attack.
Turkey releases report on flotilla incident, accusing Israel
Turkey publicizes its internal report on the flotilla debacle in response to Israel's Turkel Commission investigation report on Sunday.
Begin: Don’t probe MK Zoabi over Gaza flotilla
Likud minister says Arab-Israeli lawmaker hurt Israeli-Arab relations by joining 'instigator' Raed Salah aboard Turkish vessel last May, but says Knesset should not be used as court.
Hamas denounces results of Israel`s investigation into flotilla raid
GAZA CITY (Ma’an) -- Hamas on Tuesday withdrew its authorization of President Mahmoud Abbas as the head of negotiations. Hamas official Khalil Al-Hayya said Abbas' mandate was not valid without the party's recognition. He also dismissed the PA's claim that it negotiated on behalf of Palestinians. Hamas does not participate in talks with Israel.
Other Political Developments
Israel worries over possible EU states' recognition of Palestinian state
JERUSALEM, Jan. 25 (Xinhua) -- Israel's efforts to stem a rising tide of recognition of a Palestinian state received a blow Tuesday afternoon, with Ireland's decision to upgrade the Palestinian diplomatic mission in Dublin to that of an embassy. The announcement, broadcast by Israel Army Radio, followed a symbolic gesture of recognition by Peru on Monday.
Other News
Peace activist's murderer released
Yona Avrushmi, who killed Emil Grunzweig during Jerusalem left-wing rally in 1983, freed after 27 years.
U.S. says U.N. expert should be fired for Sept 11 remarks (Reuters)
Reuters - A U.N. expert on Palestinian human rights who suggested there was a cover-up over the September 11 attacks should be fired, U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations Susan Rice said on Tuesday.
'Chastity Squad' member sent to prison for store attack
Shmuel Weisfish gets two year sentence for threatening to murder employees of Jerusalem computer store. 'Shame that leaders of this bunch of thugs couldn't make it clear there was line that shouldn't be crossed,' says Judge Bar-Or.
Analysis/Op-ed
Obama Is Looking for New Ideas in All the Old Places
Politico’s Laura Rozen reported earlier this month that the White House has convened two different task forces to provide the Obama Administration with new ideas for moving forward its efforts to achieve Israeli-Palestinian peace. At first glance, this would appear to be good news given the rut in which President Obama has got himself mired. An anonymous adviser to the White House stated the obvious: the Administration is “utterly stuck” on how to move forward with there being “no pretense of progress.”
Irish republican bent-knee episode of 1922 suggests that P.A.’s weakness could have virulent consequences, Ed Moloney
With its massive green, copper dome and neoclassical columns, the Four Courts is one of Dublin’s most distinctive landmarks. Situated on the quays by the River Liffey in the heart of the city, it is also Ireland’s most important legal building, housing the country’s Supreme Court, the High Court and the Dublin Circuit Court. Ninety years ago the Four Courts played a short, tragic and very symbolic part in the story of Ireland’s violent and tortured struggle for independence from Britain which left marks on the national psyche that are still visible to this day. Although the parallels are far from exact and there are countless differences between the two situations, Irish people will read the Palestine Papers leaked this week to Al Jazeera and The Guardian and know exactly the pain that many Palestinians must be feeling.
Ignorance is a blessing: UK Jewish leaders cancel trip to West Bank
The only way to continue supporting Israeli policies these days is to enter a state of denial regarding the occupation and its consequences. This is exactly what leaders of the Jewish community in the UK decided to do.
Lebanon
Sayyed Nasrallah: We are a Resistance Not Power Seekers, Don’t Backstab Us
Nasrallah: Naming of Mikati chance to unite
BEIRUT: The appointment of former Prime Minister Najib Mikati to form a new Cabinet provides "a real chance" for feuding Lebanese parties to close ranks and form a government of national salvation, Hezbollah leader Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah said Tuesday.
Lebanese IDIOT in Beirut ...earlier today
Protesters' assaults on media draw condemnation
BEIRUT: Media watchdogs and parties across the political spectrum condemned Tuesday assaults against the press as demonstrations erupted throughout Lebanon in support of caretaker Prime Minister Saad Hariri. The protests broke out after Tripoli MP Najib Mikati was designated to head the new Cabinet.
'Facebook Photoshop' by the Lebanese Forces & Phalangists ...
Mini-Hariri self-destructing before your eyes, As`ad Abukhalil
Of course, you can't dramatically announce the demise of leaders or sticks in Lebanon: the sectarian system (and billionaire's money) can always revive somebody's fortunes in a lousy country like Lebanon. But mini-Hariri sefl-destructed fast--before your eyes. When his father left government in 1998, he handled himself much differently: but Rafiq Hariri--as much as I detest him and never miss his destructive role in the region--was smart and very shrewd politically. Western media are not stressing that what happened in Lebanon is the result of a typical parliamentary maneuver in any political system: that one faction in the parliament, decided to shift its alliance. Walid Jumblat--that shifty opportunist--decided to throw his lot with the March 8 and to solidify his alliance with Hizbullah and Syria. Simple. People forgot that the last parliamentary election was "won" (if you can say that because the US and Saudi Arabia clearly manipulated the results and in one Wikileak that remained unexplained, Fu'ad Sanyurah, told David Petreus that his "security assistance" was crucial to winning the election against Hizbullah) by a difference of a handful of votes in parliament. So fortunes shifted and mini-Hariri instead of falsely posing as a statesperson decided to play it thuggishly and it seems to have backfired. They are clearly embarrassed as evidenced by the speech of mini-Hariri and they have scared off the Christian allies of Hariri Inc. Gen. `Awn (the Christian ally of Hizbullah) was beaming today and this is why. Christians still remember when the Hariri Inc sponsored a Salafi demonstration 4 years ago (?) against the Danish embassy in Beirut over the Danish cartoons and it went out of hand and the Salafite Harirites went wild attacking churches and residential buildings. But Najib Miqati may not stick: he has legs made of jello. But then again: it depends what Saudi Arabia decides: there may be sign that Miqati may not have agreed without Saudi consent. Also, this sleaze Saudi website sponsored a survey of Saudi writers, journalists, and "politicians"--there is no such category in the kingdom of horrors, and they agreed that mini-Hariri does not alone represent the Sunnis in Lebanon.
men in shirts
Last week, Hizbullah men gathered peacefully while wearing black t-shirts in various parts of Lebanon. They did not speak and stayed for an hour. The Western and Hariri press treated that as an assault on the city and its civility. Watch and see how the Western press will treat the thuggish and Salafaite protests of today in Lebanon.
Majority rule in Lebanon
Jeffrey Feltman and the various officials of the US government have been stressing since the last parliamentary election that Lebanon should be governed purely according to the majority rule principle (of course, they did not say that about the transition from apartheid in South Africa: there they worried about the rights of white supremacists). I doubt that now the powers in the Lebanese parliament has shifted that Feltman and his colleagues would invoke the principle of majority rule.
Day of Hypocrisy, Qifa Nabki
The political story in Lebanon is changing so quickly that I’m loathe to forecast how things are going to play out over the next couple of weeks. A few quick thoughts, though, on the calculations of the various players and the choices they face.
Dictionary definition of Chutzpah: from the State Department's spokesperson
"We continue to want to see a government that is serving the interests of the people of Lebanon and not the government of other countries. We want to see a government emerge in Lebanon that will continue to support the work of the tribunal and end the era of impunity in Lebanon." I almost want to tell him in colloquial Lebanese Arabic: Wlah. Wlah. You, you of all people the government that has sponsored and supported every Israeli killing spree in Lebanon, think that you are qualified more than the Lebanese themselves to decide what the interests of Lebanon are? You speak for the interests of Lebanon? How dare you, really. How dare you? You think that live in colonial times and you are speaking to the natives like they are children?
Iraq
Blackwater suit tossed 7 years after grisly deaths (AP)
AP - A federal judge has tossed a lawsuit that blamed the security company formerly known as Blackwater for the deaths of four contractors killed in a grisly 2004 ambush on the restive streets of Iraq.
Iraqi journalists face sacks of gold, fists of fire (Reuters)
Reuters - Iraqi journalists who have survived deadly threats through years of war and insurgency now face a new challenge -- whether to accept cash "bonuses" from the government, and even cheap flats and free land.
Tunisia
Hassan Nasrallah, "Feltman in Tunisia"
We heard that [US Assistant Secretary of State] Jeffrey Feltman visited Tunisia. This is a bad omen. The Tunisian people should be on guard: when Feltman wants to discuss processes and elections with the interim Tunisian government, it definitely means an American conspiracy in the making. Wherever this sorcerer Feltman appears, strife and ruin follow him.
Tunisia seeks arrest of ex-leader
Ousted President Ben Ali is wanted to stand trial for theft and currency offences, says the nation's justice minister.
Tunisia protests turn violent
Police clash with demonstrators who want interim-government reshuffle to exclude all members of former government.
Tunisia's military 'will protect revolution': army chief: Video report
The Tunisian people welcome Jeffrey Feltman
Tunisian politicians meet amid protests
Tunisian politicians are working out ways to end the crisis over the fate of interim government amid the protesters' demand for removal of ministers who were part of Ben Ali's government. Nazanine Moshiri reports from Tunis.
Juan Cole: The Corruption Game: What the Tunisian Revolution and WikiLeaks Tell Us about American Support for Corrupt Dictatorships in the Muslim World, Juan Cole
There should be a diplomatic middle path between overthrowing governments on the one hand, and backing odious dictatorships to the hilt on the other.
US: Tunisia example can spur reform
Envoy from US, which backed the deposed Ben Ali, says "example" of uprising can bring reform to other parts of region.
Other Arab Protests
Tunisia political turmoil inspires Jordan protesters
Yemen protests urge leader's exit
Thousands of students, activists and opposition groups stage anti-president protest at Sanaa University.
www.TheHeadlines.org
Protests in Egypt are 
