THE Middle East peace process was in tatters last night and Israel's coalition government faced crisis after it announced a huge new housing development in the Arab area of East Jerusalem.
The Israeli newspaper Yedioth Ahronoth reported Mr Biden had said privately Israel's decision to build in East Jerusalem was liable "to set the Middle East on fire".
It said Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu sent three officials to tell the US delegation he did not know the announcement was coming, but "US administration officials didn't buy the explanation" and "officials in both the White House and the State Department accused Israel of having set Biden up".
Haaretz quoted Israeli officials as saying 50,000 new housing units beyond Jerusalem's "Green Line"(the division between Jewish and Arab areas of the city) were ready for planning and approval.
Saturday, March 13, 2010
Friday, March 12, 2010
West Bank rises up in a new 'white' intifada
"For something is happening in these villages nestling among the rocky hills and olive groves between Ramallah and Nablus. The Israeli military does not accept the classification of the protests as non-violent; most usually end in confrontations between stone-throwing Palestinian youths and armed police and troops. But for the six years of such protests none of the Palestinians, in contrast to the security forces, have carried weapons. If these are the first tentative stirrings of a new uprising, and it is doubtful they can be described as that yet, then they are closer to the beginnings in 1987 of the first intifada, the so-called "war of stones", than the second, with its bloody record of suicide bombings between 2000 and around 2005. Some commentators have dubbed the protests – and the apparent endorsement of them by the internationally respected Palestinian Prime Minister Salam Fayyad – as the "white" intifada."
The independent
The independent
Jewish group urges supermodel not to marry Leonardo DiCaprio, because he's not Jewish
Israel- Supermodel Bar Refaeli is one of Israel's most successful "exports." But with fame comes responsibility -- and now an Israeli organization is beseeching Refaeli not to wed Leonardo DiCaprio -- out of a responsibility to future generations.
"It is not by chance that you were born Jewish," wrote Baruch Marzel in a letter he sent Refaeli through her mother (and that promptly appeared in the press). "Your grandmother and her grandmother did not dream that one of their descendants would one day remove the family's future generations from the Jewish people. Assimilation has forever been one of the enemies of the Jewish people."
Los Angeles Times
Sweden Recognizes Assyrian, Greek and Armenian Genocide
Stockholm (AINA) -- In a resolution adopted today, the Swedish parliament (the Riksdagen) referered to the World War I-era killings of 2.75 million Armenians, Assyrians (also known as Chaldeans and Syriacs) and Pontic Greeks by the Ottomans as a genocide. Turkey is regarded legally and politically as the successor state of the Ottoman Empire but vehemently rejects calling the killing genocide according to the U.N. definition adopted in 1948, insisting that those killed were victims of war and uprising.
Assyrian International News Agency
Assyrian International News Agency
Gideon Levy: Thank you, Eli Yishai, for exposing the peace process masquerade
Gideon Levy- Haaretz
The scoundrel appeared in the midst of the smile- and hug-fest with the vice president of the United States and disrupted the celebration. Joe Biden's white-toothed smiles froze abruptly, the great friendship was about to disintegrate, and even the dinner with the prime minister and his wife was almost canceled, along with the entire "peace process." And all because of Yishai.
Well, the interior minister does deserve our modest thanks. The move was perfect. The timing, which everyone is complaining about, was brilliant. It was exactly the time to call a spade a spade. As always, we need Yishai (and occasionally Avigdor Lieberman) to expose our true face, without the mask and lies, and play the enfant terrible who shouts that the emperor has no clothes.
The scoundrel appeared in the midst of the smile- and hug-fest with the vice president of the United States and disrupted the celebration. Joe Biden's white-toothed smiles froze abruptly, the great friendship was about to disintegrate, and even the dinner with the prime minister and his wife was almost canceled, along with the entire "peace process." And all because of Yishai.
Well, the interior minister does deserve our modest thanks. The move was perfect. The timing, which everyone is complaining about, was brilliant. It was exactly the time to call a spade a spade. As always, we need Yishai (and occasionally Avigdor Lieberman) to expose our true face, without the mask and lies, and play the enfant terrible who shouts that the emperor has no clothes.
Haniyeh (Hamas) to appoint female minister
Gaza – Ma’an – De facto Prime Minister Ismail Haniyeh announced Tuesday that his government intends to appoint a female minister to head a Women’s Affairs Ministry in the Gaza Strip.
“The government is planning to appoint a number of female ministers to better include them in the decision-making process,” Haniyeh told attendees at an event honoring women in the workforce in Gaza City.
“We are a national government, based on Islamic principles, and we call on women to be more involved in the parliament, municipalities, and ministries. We are proud of this for this is a woman’s right,” he added, speaking at the Palestinian Legislative Council building.
“The government is planning to appoint a number of female ministers to better include them in the decision-making process,” Haniyeh told attendees at an event honoring women in the workforce in Gaza City.
“We are a national government, based on Islamic principles, and we call on women to be more involved in the parliament, municipalities, and ministries. We are proud of this for this is a woman’s right,” he added, speaking at the Palestinian Legislative Council building.
" Why all American Jews should now work to close the Zionist chapter of our history"
By Philip Weiss
"When Shlomo Sand published a landmark book on the intolerant nationalism of Zionism earlier this year, and the urgency of Israel becoming a society of its citizens, the New York Times called him a crackpot. But Sand actually knows Israeli attitudes. As does Ynet, which characterizes a poll of Israeli high school students as reflecting "racism":
Nearly every second student would refuse orders to evacuate settlements.
"When Shlomo Sand published a landmark book on the intolerant nationalism of Zionism earlier this year, and the urgency of Israel becoming a society of its citizens, the New York Times called him a crackpot. But Sand actually knows Israeli attitudes. As does Ynet, which characterizes a poll of Israeli high school students as reflecting "racism":
"More than half of them believe that Arabs should not be allowed to vote in Knesset elections. One out of every six students would not want to study in the same class with an Ethiopian or an immigrant from the former Soviet Union, and 21% of them think that "Death to Arabs" is a legitimate expression."
Nearly every second student would refuse orders to evacuate settlements.
Thursday, March 11, 2010
What Biden told Netanyahu behind closed doors: "This is starting to get dangerous for us"
"People who heard what Biden said were stunned. “This is starting to get dangerous for us,” Biden castigated his interlocutors. “What you’re doing here undermines the security of our troops who are fighting in Iraq, Afghanistan and Pakistan. That endangers us and it endangers regional peace.”
The vice president told his Israeli hosts that since many people in the Muslim world perceived a connection between Israel’s actions and US policy, any decision about construction that undermines Palestinian rights in East Jerusalem could have an impact on the personal safety of American troops fighting against Islamic terrorism.
The vice president told his Israeli hosts that since many people in the Muslim world perceived a connection between Israel’s actions and US policy, any decision about construction that undermines Palestinian rights in East Jerusalem could have an impact on the personal safety of American troops fighting against Islamic terrorism.
Rachel corrie's case heard in court
The parents of a pro-Palestinian activist killed by an Israeli bulldozer have filed suit against the Defense Ministry. Arguments were heard Wednesday in a Haifa court over the death of Rachel Corrie.
How did U.S. groups react to Biden's condemnation of Israel?
U.S. Vice President Joe Biden's condemnation of Israel's plan to construct 1,600 new housing units in East Jerusalem was welcomed on Wednesday by advocacy groups and analysts who called for Israel to be held accountable for actions that undermine peace talks with the Palestinians.
The U.S. Campaign to End the Israeli Occupation (U.S. Campaign) lauded Biden's statement "condemning the decision by the government of Israel to advance planning for new housing units in East Jerusalem" and his promise that the United States will hold Israel "accountable for any statements or actions that inflame tensions or prejudice the outcome of talks."
The U.S. Campaign to End the Israeli Occupation (U.S. Campaign) lauded Biden's statement "condemning the decision by the government of Israel to advance planning for new housing units in East Jerusalem" and his promise that the United States will hold Israel "accountable for any statements or actions that inflame tensions or prejudice the outcome of talks."
Israel policy allows settlers to rampage unchecked
"In everything connected to the settlers and settlements, the government has a "ya'ani" policy. Enforcement of the law in the territories is "ya'ani," except when it comes to transforming the West Bank into a Garden of Eden for settler law-breakers. The hilltop youth can set fire to mosques, fields, homes and cars, beat up Palestinian farmers and damage property and people, all thanks to the "ya'ani" policy of the Israeli government."
Wake up the kids and call your grandma! "The U.S. will no longer turn a blind eye to Israeli settlements"
"Even Mahmoud Abbas would have been hard put to dream up a greater victory for Palestinian diplomacy than the one handed to him Tuesday on a silver platter by the Israeli Interior Ministry. The condemnations have been pouring in since the plan to build 1,600 homes in Jerusalem's Ramat Shlomo neighborhood was announced. Not only from U.S. Vice President Joe Biden, but from the United Nations, the European Union and world leaders, all of them slamming the decision.
While government officials were busy yesterday blaming each other for the bad timing, it seems they were missing the bigger picture: Washington and the international community will no longer accept, even by looking the other way, Israeli construction in East Jerusalem. The capital is now the focus of the cold (but slowly warming) war between Israel and the Palestinians.
The Palestinian Authority is exploiting this with weekly demonstrations, while Israel throws fuel on the fire by taking further unilateral steps. The situation is only likely to escalate this morning with the expected disclosure of full details of the city's building plans."
While government officials were busy yesterday blaming each other for the bad timing, it seems they were missing the bigger picture: Washington and the international community will no longer accept, even by looking the other way, Israeli construction in East Jerusalem. The capital is now the focus of the cold (but slowly warming) war between Israel and the Palestinians.
The Palestinian Authority is exploiting this with weekly demonstrations, while Israel throws fuel on the fire by taking further unilateral steps. The situation is only likely to escalate this morning with the expected disclosure of full details of the city's building plans."
Two IDF soldiers charged with using 9-year-old 'human shield' in the Gaza slaughter
"The soldiers, who served as staff sergeants in the Givati Brigade during Operation Cast Lead, allegedly forced a 9-year-old Palestinian boy to open a number of bags they thought might contain explosive materials. The bags turned out to be harmless."
Gush Shalom: Stop US tax money flowing to settlers
"Gush Shalom approached the National Lawyers' Guild in the US, requesting NLG members to act against American organizations supporting Israeli settlers in the Occupied Territories and get the tax authorities to remove the tax exempt status presently given to donations to the settlers. The National Lawyers' Guild broke away from the American Bar Association at a time when the ABA supported racial segregation. Members of the NLG have been involved in various campaigns for peace and human rights, and some of its members have already indicated their willingness to approach the US tax authorities in the present case.
The approach to the American lawyers is part of the campaign conducted by Gush Shalom in coordination with American peace activists – many of them Jewish – who are maintaining campaigns of their own of this kind. For example, activists in California have for years been campaigning against the support of Irving Moskowitz and his son David Moskowitz for settlers taking over Palestinian properties in East Jerusalem. As part of this campaign a considerable amount of information was collected in recent months about the American settler-support organizations."
The approach to the American lawyers is part of the campaign conducted by Gush Shalom in coordination with American peace activists – many of them Jewish – who are maintaining campaigns of their own of this kind. For example, activists in California have for years been campaigning against the support of Irving Moskowitz and his son David Moskowitz for settlers taking over Palestinian properties in East Jerusalem. As part of this campaign a considerable amount of information was collected in recent months about the American settler-support organizations."
“Thou Shalt Not Steal! Thou Shalt not Kill! Get Out Of Sheikh Jarrah!”
"This slogan coined by former Knesset Chairman Abraham Burg, a man with deep religious roots, well expresses the spirit of the demonstration that took place Saturday night (March 6) in East Jerusalem."
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I just wish those beautiful words were uttered, wide and loud in 1948 when the theft process was started...It's too late in the night, Avraham...
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I just wish those beautiful words were uttered, wide and loud in 1948 when the theft process was started...It's too late in the night, Avraham...
Deputy FM tells U.S.: Israel won't make any more concessions
Deputy Foreign Minister Danny Ayalon on Thursday defended Israel's decision to approve construction of 1,600 new housing units in East Jerusalem, saying sovereignty over the capital has never been negotiable and that Israel would not make any more concessions for peace.
According to Ayalon, the United States' condemnation on the matter was due to the timing of the announcement and not the content of the issue.
Israel declared its approval of the construction just 24 hours after U.S. envoy George Mitchell announced that Israelis and Palestinians had agreed to begin indirect peace talks and in the midst of a visit to the region by U.S. Vice President Joe Biden.
Haaretz
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Oh, how I wish those people could just die in their sleep...
According to Ayalon, the United States' condemnation on the matter was due to the timing of the announcement and not the content of the issue.
Israel declared its approval of the construction just 24 hours after U.S. envoy George Mitchell announced that Israelis and Palestinians had agreed to begin indirect peace talks and in the midst of a visit to the region by U.S. Vice President Joe Biden.
Haaretz
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Oh, how I wish those people could just die in their sleep...
Poll asked " whether Arab citizens should be granted rights equal to that of Jews in Israel" 49.5% of Israeli high school students answered NO.
"In response to the question of whether Arab citizens should be granted rights equal to that of Jews, 49.5 percent answered in the negative. The issue highlighted the deep fault lines separating religious and secular youths, with 82 percent of religious students saying they opposed equal rights for Arabs while just 39 percent of secular students echoed that sentiment."
Haaretz
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How do you say Apartheid Rocks in Hebrew?
Haaretz
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How do you say Apartheid Rocks in Hebrew?
Settlers, protected by soldiers, destroy a natural spring used by Palestinians by pouring in cement
A group of Israeli settlers today destroyed a spring by the village of Qarawat Bani Hassan in the Salfit district. The settlers poured sand and cement into the spring, guarded by five armed members of the Israeli military.
Palestinians from the village were forced to watch helplessly as events unfolded, prevented by the soldiers from moving close to the spring or from filming what was happening. International Solidarity Movement volunteers were able to secretly film for a short time before the soldiers noticed, and made both Palestinians and Internationals leave, saying that the area was now designated as a Closed Military Zone.
Last Friday, a large group of both Palestinians and internationals spent the day clearing the area around the spring to make it more accessible from the village. This followed previous attacks from settlers on nearby springs and farmland, during which a child suffered serious head wounds, from which he is still recovering in hospital, and an elderly man had his arm and leg broken.
Locals intend to continue their attempts to keep the spring open, and to turn the area around it into a park for the use of the village.
Under international law, the settlement next to Qarawat Bani Hassan is illegal, as are all other settlements in the occupied West Bank.
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Possibly the vilest, meanest and most nauseating brand of "humans" EVER! As for the soldiers remember that this is "the most moral army" in the world! VOMIT!
Wednesday, March 10, 2010
European Parliament endorses Goldstone Report..Jewish lobbying efforts failed!
STRASBOURG (EJP)---Despite intense lobbying efforts from Jewish groups and attempts by the Christian-Democrats to prevent a vote, the European Parliament adopted Wednesday in Strasbourg a joint resolution urging "both sides" to follow up the Goldstone Report’s conclusions by conducting "investigations within five months”.
(Thanks Katarzyna)
(Thanks Katarzyna)
Jewish lobbying sways EU against support of Goldstone Gaza report
Members of the European Parliament have backtracked from their plan to pass a resolution demanding implementation of the Goldstone report, in response to pressure from European Jewish leaders, Haaretz has learned.
After leaders of all the major EP parties had agreed on the wording of a draft demanding implementation of the controversial document - which accused Israel of war crimes in Gaza last year and proposed prosecuting Israeli officials in the International Criminal Court - the European Union's legislative body was scheduled to vote on the measure Wednesday.
But Tuesday, leaders of the parties backed away from the draft, after the president of the European Jewish Congress, Moshe Kantor, warned them that adopting it would seriously harm EU-Israel ties.
Haaretz
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Well then, the Jewish lobby is complicit in war crimes against humanity..As simple as that..
After leaders of all the major EP parties had agreed on the wording of a draft demanding implementation of the controversial document - which accused Israel of war crimes in Gaza last year and proposed prosecuting Israeli officials in the International Criminal Court - the European Union's legislative body was scheduled to vote on the measure Wednesday.
But Tuesday, leaders of the parties backed away from the draft, after the president of the European Jewish Congress, Moshe Kantor, warned them that adopting it would seriously harm EU-Israel ties.
Haaretz
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Well then, the Jewish lobby is complicit in war crimes against humanity..As simple as that..
Yishai (Interior Minister) : Sorry for distress over East Jerusalem plan
"Interior Minister Eli Yishai apologized on Wednesday for causing domestic and international distress as a result of Israel's recent decision to approve 1,600 more homes in East Jerusalem.
Yishai was responding to the recent wave of condemnations, particularly on the part of the United States and visiting Vice President Joe Biden, surrounding the recent plan to build 1,600 more housing units in an ultra-Orthodox neighborhood in East Jerusalem.
The Interior Minister said that he was uninformed of the district committee's plan, because the matter was simply a routine, technical authorization.(Obviously a big fat lie. My comment)
Yishai emphasized that even though he doesn't see a problem with the actual authorization of the East Jerusalem homes, if he knew about it, he would have delayed the move by a few weeks.
"If I'd have known, I would have postponed the authorization by a week or two since we had no intention of provoking anyone," Yishai said. "It is definitely unpleasant that this happened during Biden's visit. If the committee members would have known that the approval would have escalated to such a situation, they would have informed me," Yishai emphasized.
"I apologize for the distress this matter caused," he added.
On Tuesday, UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon condemned Israel's plan to build 1,600 in East Jerusalem, echoing comments made earlier by U.S. Vice President Joe Biden.
Yishai was responding to the recent wave of condemnations, particularly on the part of the United States and visiting Vice President Joe Biden, surrounding the recent plan to build 1,600 more housing units in an ultra-Orthodox neighborhood in East Jerusalem.
The Interior Minister said that he was uninformed of the district committee's plan, because the matter was simply a routine, technical authorization.(Obviously a big fat lie. My comment)
Yishai emphasized that even though he doesn't see a problem with the actual authorization of the East Jerusalem homes, if he knew about it, he would have delayed the move by a few weeks.
"If I'd have known, I would have postponed the authorization by a week or two since we had no intention of provoking anyone," Yishai said. "It is definitely unpleasant that this happened during Biden's visit. If the committee members would have known that the approval would have escalated to such a situation, they would have informed me," Yishai emphasized.
"I apologize for the distress this matter caused," he added.
On Tuesday, UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon condemned Israel's plan to build 1,600 in East Jerusalem, echoing comments made earlier by U.S. Vice President Joe Biden.
B'TSelem: Israel Police arrests children aged 12 to 15 in night raids in Silwan, East Jerusalem
In recent months there have been many cases in which minors aged 12-15 from Silwan, in East Jerusalem, were arrested in the middle of the night by police officers and Israel Security Agency agents accompanied by armed border policemen. The minors were taken out of their beds and brought to the police station in the Russian Compound, in West Jerusalem. Some of them were brought handcuffed, and none of the parents were allowed to accompany them. At the station, the minors were interrogated on suspicion of stone throwing. According to testimonies that some of them gave to B'Tselem, the interrogators beat and threatened them. ...
....These actions by the authorities severely violated the human rights of the minors, all of whom are Israeli residents. There is no logic to conducting a military-style arrest operation in the middle of the night, with the aim of interrogating children suspected of throwing stones, and this course of action cannot be justified on any grounds. It is hard to believe that the security forces would have acted similarly against Jewish minors.
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See some of the cases featured below..
....These actions by the authorities severely violated the human rights of the minors, all of whom are Israeli residents. There is no logic to conducting a military-style arrest operation in the middle of the night, with the aim of interrogating children suspected of throwing stones, and this course of action cannot be justified on any grounds. It is hard to believe that the security forces would have acted similarly against Jewish minors.
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See some of the cases featured below..
Mahmoud, 14, arrested , detained and ordered to stay away from his home for a month after release
Mahmoud Gheith, 14, was arrested under similar circumstances in November 2009. He told B'Tselem that he was released from detention with a restraining order requiring him to stay away from his house for one month.
"Since the arrest, I haven’t been able to sleep properly. I keep being afraid that they’ll arrest me again.
After they released me, I was under house arrest at my uncle’s house in Beit Hanina. They ordered me to stay away from home for a whole month. On the ‘Eid al-Adha festival, they let me go home to Silwan for four days. My uncle had to drive me to school in Silwan. On days when he couldn’t take me, I didn’t go to school."
Ahmed, 12, arrested, repeatedly beaten and detained
"We got to the Russian Compound. They put me in a room and told me to sit on my knees facing the wall. Whenever I moved, a bald guy in civilian clothes hit me on the back of the neck with the palm of his hand. We were the only ones in the room. Around 5:00 in the morning, I asked to go to the bathroom, but he didn't let me and told me to turn my head back to face the wall. I refused, and he pushed me to the wall. My nose hit the wall and began to bleed. I asked for paper to clean my nose, but he didn't want to give me any. Then he told me to bow down to him on the floor and ask for him to forgive me, but I refused to do it. I told him I don’t bow to anyone but Allah. While this was going on, my legs began to hurt a lot. I was really frightened and started to shake. After that, the bald guy made himself a toasted cheese sandwich. He threw a piece of cheese at me, but missed. From time to time, he pressed my shoulders, which really hurt."
Muhammad, 12, arrested in the middle of the nihght , beaten and detained
In his testimony to B'Tselem, Muhammad Dweik, 12, described his arrest in the middle of the night:
"Around 4:30-5:00 in the morning, I woke up from the sound of knocking at the door. Shabak [ISA] agents asked my father for the ID card of Muhammad Dweik. My father told them that I don’t have an ID card. When I went over to them, I got the feeling they were surprised by how young I am, but they had an arrest warrant. My father asked them to let me stay at home and said he would bring me to the police station in the morning, but they refused. They tied my hands behind me and took me. The policemen put me into a Border Police jeep. A friend of mine was also inside it. A policeman who sat next to me kept kicking me in the leg all the way.
Luai, 14, arrested, beaten, and detained for a week..
"During the interrogation, when I denied that I had thrown stones at the settlers’ house, the interrogator punched me in the nose. I was sitting on a chair, my hands and legs cuffed, my nose bleeding, and the interrogator was standing in front of me. He drew a bicycle on the board hanging on the wall and told me to get on it. I said, “How can I do that?” He said, “Everyone knows how to ride a bike!” When I refused to do it, he hit me on my head and face with his hands. I remember that, at some point, two men came into the room and said to me, “Don’t you want to confess?” I said, “Confess to what?” Then, while I was sitting on the chair with my hands cuffed, the three interrogators began to beat and kick me all over my body, and to swear at me and Allah. [...]
I asked to go to the bathroom and to get some food, but the interrogator refused. He told me to sign a paper written in Hebrew that says nobody beat me. I refused to sign. Then he began to slap me in the face."
The next day, a-Rajabi was brought before a Magistrates Court judge, who extended his detention to an entire week.
B'TSelem
Biden takes one on the chin: 1,600 more housing units to be built
(US/Israeli porn...Biden expresses America’s "absolute, total, unvarnished commitment to Israel’s security")
Having spent most of the day stressing "his personal love for the Jewish state as well as the ‘unshakable’ commitment of the United States to Israel’s security," Vice President Biden in return was granted a special surprise by Israel’s right-wing religious Interior Minister, Eli Yishai – the announcement of 1,600 more housing units to be built at the Ultra-Orthodox settlement of Ramat Shlomo in East Jerusalem.
...The White House, clearly upset, had press chief Robert Gibbs condemn the move.
Applying the usual diplomatic slap on the wrist for such actions, a spokesman for the American Embassy in Tel Aviv said "the United States opposed unilateral actions that prejudiced the outcome of negotiations between Israel and the Palestinian Authority aimed at creating two states, and this was such an action."
Gaby Ashkenazi is in town ( Manhattan) for dinner..Silent march protest
While the Friends of the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) were holding a $1,000 a plate fundraiser at the ritzy Waldorf Astoria hotel in Manhattan, hundreds of Palestine solidarity activists from a wide array of organizations took to the streets to protest Israeli war crimes, the blockade of Gaza, and the occupation of Palestine.
Dressed in black and carrying signs that read “Gaza Hungers for Justice,” and “Israeli War Criminals Feast at the Waldorf,” protesters circled the Waldorf Astoria in a somber, moving procession only punctuated by the sounds of drums and gongs. The demonstrators also held up signs highlighting the findings of the Goldstone report, which stated that Israeli forces bombed the Gaza Zoo, used white phosphorus against civilians in Gaza during “Operation Cast Lead,” and killed innocent Palestinians.
The Indypendent
Tuesday, March 9, 2010
Why Do Zionists Like Ajami?
'Now, consider some thoughts in a BBC review by Palestinian attorney Raja Shehadeh. Shehadeh is an Orwell Prize winner and founder of Al-Haq, a Palestinian human rights organization, he says:
[The world of Ajami is] a city of drive-by shootings, drugs, and racketeering, where men, young and old, are shot or stabbed to death on the slightest provocation and shady sheikhs in Arab dress sort out the blood money in what is supposed to pass as tribal justice. ... the unrelieved blood-letting punctuated only by moments of love and loyalty to family and friends leaves us in no doubt that the Jewish citizens of Israel exist in a jungle infested by bloodthirsty, uncivilized Arabs who live inside and outside its borders exactly as Israeli propagandists claim. If Israel is to make it, the story goes, this tiny bastion of civilization has no choice but to remain militarized and on full alert. What the film fails to open our eyes to is why life in Jaffa has come to this. After one of the senseless murders by Arab assailants, the Israeli television commentator explains that poverty and unemployment often lead to crime. But are these the only reasons that explain why things have become so bad in Ajami? The film makes no reference to what Jaffa has been and what it has gone through or the present threat of eviction facing many in its Ajami quarter. Before most of its inhabitants were forced out by Israel in the 1948 Nakba--the catastrophe--it was a prosperous city of over one hundred thousand citizens that was described as the "Bride of the Sea." After the establishment of Israel the city was left to rot. Nor does the film give any hint of the host of economic and travel restrictions imposed on the territories Israel occupied in 1967, restrictions which force another of its characters, Malik, a one-time resident of Nablus, to seek illegal employment in Jaffa and there, enduring daily hardships, he becomes involved in drug dealing and dies as a result. ... surely a film that wants us to open our eyes to reality should not serve ideology by compromising truth. In July 1936, Ben-Gurion, one of the founders of Israel, wrote, in his diary: "I would welcome the destruction of Jaffa, port and city. Let it come. It would be for the better. If Jaffa went to hell, I would not count myself among the mourners." ...
In short, Zionists like Ajami for the reasons pointed to by Raja Shehadeh. The film reinforces negative stereotypes about Arabs-Palestinians and decontextualizes life in Ajami from the socio-political reality of Jewish apartheid and the historical realities of the Nakba and the ongoing occupation of Palestine.
[The world of Ajami is] a city of drive-by shootings, drugs, and racketeering, where men, young and old, are shot or stabbed to death on the slightest provocation and shady sheikhs in Arab dress sort out the blood money in what is supposed to pass as tribal justice. ... the unrelieved blood-letting punctuated only by moments of love and loyalty to family and friends leaves us in no doubt that the Jewish citizens of Israel exist in a jungle infested by bloodthirsty, uncivilized Arabs who live inside and outside its borders exactly as Israeli propagandists claim. If Israel is to make it, the story goes, this tiny bastion of civilization has no choice but to remain militarized and on full alert. What the film fails to open our eyes to is why life in Jaffa has come to this. After one of the senseless murders by Arab assailants, the Israeli television commentator explains that poverty and unemployment often lead to crime. But are these the only reasons that explain why things have become so bad in Ajami? The film makes no reference to what Jaffa has been and what it has gone through or the present threat of eviction facing many in its Ajami quarter. Before most of its inhabitants were forced out by Israel in the 1948 Nakba--the catastrophe--it was a prosperous city of over one hundred thousand citizens that was described as the "Bride of the Sea." After the establishment of Israel the city was left to rot. Nor does the film give any hint of the host of economic and travel restrictions imposed on the territories Israel occupied in 1967, restrictions which force another of its characters, Malik, a one-time resident of Nablus, to seek illegal employment in Jaffa and there, enduring daily hardships, he becomes involved in drug dealing and dies as a result. ... surely a film that wants us to open our eyes to reality should not serve ideology by compromising truth. In July 1936, Ben-Gurion, one of the founders of Israel, wrote, in his diary: "I would welcome the destruction of Jaffa, port and city. Let it come. It would be for the better. If Jaffa went to hell, I would not count myself among the mourners." ...
In short, Zionists like Ajami for the reasons pointed to by Raja Shehadeh. The film reinforces negative stereotypes about Arabs-Palestinians and decontextualizes life in Ajami from the socio-political reality of Jewish apartheid and the historical realities of the Nakba and the ongoing occupation of Palestine.
Uri Avnery : The Harlot's Grave
(The Ibrahimi mosque in al-Khalil (Hebron). Now on Israel's list of "Jewish heritage")
During the first years of the state, an official of the Ministry of Religions (as it was then called), a certain Shmuel Zanwill Kahana, toured the country and discovered holy sites right and left. He found graves of Muslim sheikhs and announced that they were, actually, the tombs of our forefathers. They were declared holy places and taken over by his ministry.
That aggrandized the ministry and its budget, attracted tourists and “proved” that Jews had deep roots in the country. Secular Israelis smiled in derision, and some religious Jews, like Leibowitz, were furious.
But after the Six-day War and the beginning of the occupation, the worship of holy places assumed a much more sinister character. It became an instrument of the settlers.
The Russell Tribunal on Palestine - Barcelona Session
Established in 1967, the BRussell Tribunal investigated Vietnam war crimes, more recently Iraq war ones and Bush administration imperialism continued under Obama. RTP exposes decades of Israeli crimes against Palestinian civilians, calling for an end to colonialism, occupation and apartheid and for justice, equality, and peace.
The First Barcelona Session (March 1-3)
Hosted and endorsed by the Barcelona National Support Committee and Office of the Mayor of Barcelona, under the honorary presidency of Stephane Hessel, a jury of distinguished legal experts and human rights activists heard reports from authoritative experts on issues including:
-- the right to Palestinian self-determination;
-- illegal settlements and plundering Palestinian natural resources;
-- annexing East Jerusalem;
-- the Separation Wall; and
-- the EU/Israel Association Agreement
Is Europe Planning Seal of Approval for Israeli Settlers?
Israel has been lobbying for nearly 20 years to be admitted to the OECD.
By Jonathan Cook - Nazareth
An exclusive club of the world's most developed countries is poised to admit Israel as a member even though, a confidential internal document indicates, doing so will amount to endorsing Israel’s illegal occupation of Palestinian and Syrian territories.
Israel has been told that its accession to the Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) is all but assured when the 30 member states meet in May.
But a draft OECD report concedes that Israel has breached one of the organisation’s key requirements on providing accurate and transparent data on its economic activity.
The information supplied by Israel, the report notes, includes not only the economic activity of its citizens inside its recognised borders but also Jewish settlers who live in the occupied territories of East Jerusalem, the West Bank and the Golan in violation of international law.
Will Israel Spark New Wave of Suicide Bombing?
How much can a person take before snapping?
By Stuart Littlewood – London
'The suicide bomber wrote that he began to live the day he came to know he was to die. Where did he get this passion to kill?' -- Mahesh Bhatt
Here in the civilised West we hate suicide bombers with a passion.
We’re taught that the proper way to blow fellow humans to smithereens is to do it from 40,000 feet.
Or failing that, send Apache helicopter gun-ships at street level firing their laser-guided missiles and 30mm cannon.
Or failing that, turn loose our main battle tanks to shred and vaporize the “enemy”, reduce their homes to rubble with DU shells and spread birth defects for generations to come.
Nowadays we don’t even have to leave home to do it. We can train our really brainy chaps to steer armed drones to the target from the comfort of an armchair.
B-52s, F-16s, Apaches, drones and tanks… that’s the ticket. Awesome hardware gives any murky mission a moral superiority that gets nods of approval from the governing élite in the drawing rooms of London and Washington.
What is not acceptable is delivering the high explosive in person, all the way to the target, and looking your enemy in the eye as you push the detonator. That simply isn’t cricket.
French Protest Import of Israeli Settlement Goods
Thousands of French protesters have rallied against the import of Israeli goods produced in Palestinian territories.
Monday's demonstration comes less then a month after the European Union's Court of Justice ruled that Israeli goods made in Jewish settlements in the occupied West Bank cannot be considered Israeli.
This means that those products cannot benefit from a trade deal giving Israel preferential access to EU markets.
Monday's demonstration comes less then a month after the European Union's Court of Justice ruled that Israeli goods made in Jewish settlements in the occupied West Bank cannot be considered Israeli.
This means that those products cannot benefit from a trade deal giving Israel preferential access to EU markets.
US Wants Israel Military Dominant in Mideast: Biden
In a Monday interview with a leading Israeli newspaper Yedioth Ahronoth, Biden assured Tel Aviv it will always have the backing of the US government in the event of a military confrontation with Iran.
“I can promise the Israeli people that we will confront, as allies, any security challenge it will face. A nuclear-armed Iran would constitute a threat not only to Israel — it would also constitute a threat to the United States."
“I can promise the Israeli people that we will confront, as allies, any security challenge it will face. A nuclear-armed Iran would constitute a threat not only to Israel — it would also constitute a threat to the United States."
Netanyahu and Pastor Hagee’s Lovefest on Eve of Biden’s Arrival in Israel
Vice President Joe Biden was greeted in Jerusalem with the announcement that the Israeli Interior Ministry approved the construction of 1600 new homes in Occupied East Jerusalem contrary to U.S. wishes and complicating Biden’s mission to help jump start the peace process. But Biden should have known that Prime Minister Bibi Netanyahu intended to upset his plans by Netanyahu’s appearance with John Hagee.
Max Blumenthal
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Porn!..
Swedish novelist Henning Mankell :The fall of this disgraceful Apartheid system is the only thing conceivable, because it must be.
We stopped by Apartheid
Henning Mankell
What I saw during my trip was obvious: the state of Israel in its current form has no future. Moreover, those who advocate a two-state solution have not got it right.
In 1948, the year of my birth, the state of Israel proclaimed its independence on occupied land. There are no reasons whatsoever to call that a legitimate intervention according to international law. What happened was that Israel simply occupied Palestinian land. And the amount of land under possession is constantly growing, with in the war in 1967, and with the increasing number of settlements today. Once in a while, a settlement is torn down. But it is just for show. Soon enough, it pops up somewhere else. A two-state solution will not be the end of the historical occupation.
The same thing will happen in Israel that happened in South Africa during the Apartheid regime. The question is whether it will be possible to talk sense into the Israelis in order for them to willingly accept the end of their own Apartheid state. Or if it this has to take place against their own will. Nor can anyone tell us when this will happen. The final insurrection will of course start from within. But emergent political changes in Syria or Egypt will contribute. Equally important is that, probably sooner than later, the United States no longer will afford to pay up for this horrible military force that prevents stone throwing youths from having a normal life in freedom.
Henning Mankell
What I saw during my trip was obvious: the state of Israel in its current form has no future. Moreover, those who advocate a two-state solution have not got it right.
In 1948, the year of my birth, the state of Israel proclaimed its independence on occupied land. There are no reasons whatsoever to call that a legitimate intervention according to international law. What happened was that Israel simply occupied Palestinian land. And the amount of land under possession is constantly growing, with in the war in 1967, and with the increasing number of settlements today. Once in a while, a settlement is torn down. But it is just for show. Soon enough, it pops up somewhere else. A two-state solution will not be the end of the historical occupation.
The same thing will happen in Israel that happened in South Africa during the Apartheid regime. The question is whether it will be possible to talk sense into the Israelis in order for them to willingly accept the end of their own Apartheid state. Or if it this has to take place against their own will. Nor can anyone tell us when this will happen. The final insurrection will of course start from within. But emergent political changes in Syria or Egypt will contribute. Equally important is that, probably sooner than later, the United States no longer will afford to pay up for this horrible military force that prevents stone throwing youths from having a normal life in freedom.
Avraham Burg: Once justice dwelled in Jerusalem, now settlers do
"Yes, the capital of the Jewish people - the people that always swore not to do to others what it would not have done to it - has become a harlot. Morally wanton, emotionally sealed-off. It is manipulated by its shepherds for their benefit and is full of law - everyone is suing everyone else, hiding behind the laws of injustice. And the judges - as though forced - issue rulings in accordance with discriminatory laws, unique to the "chosen people." Once justice dwelled here. Now the settlers do, murderers of the nation's soul.
And no one utters a word, but for a few patriots. People of truth and morals who refuse to stand idly by while the state of Jewish refugees repeatedly throws Palestinian families into the street and hands their miserable homes over to bearded, blaspheming thugs."
....Jerusalem is emptying out faster than any city in the world. At first its wealthy residents left, then its moderates abandoned ship, followed by the secular and the young adults. Very soon there will be no one left to leave and the city will be completely alone. The sources of light are being extinguished, occluded by rays of darkness.
Haaretz
And no one utters a word, but for a few patriots. People of truth and morals who refuse to stand idly by while the state of Jewish refugees repeatedly throws Palestinian families into the street and hands their miserable homes over to bearded, blaspheming thugs."
....Jerusalem is emptying out faster than any city in the world. At first its wealthy residents left, then its moderates abandoned ship, followed by the secular and the young adults. Very soon there will be no one left to leave and the city will be completely alone. The sources of light are being extinguished, occluded by rays of darkness.
Haaretz
Monday, March 8, 2010
A CALL TO ACTION FROM RACHEL CORRIE’S PARENTS
Craig and Cindy Corrie
Call to Action: Corrie Trial in Israel, March 10-24, 2009
Friends
As many of you know, a civil lawsuit in the case of our daughter Rachel Corrie is scheduled for trial in the Haifa District Court beginning March 10, 2010. A human rights observer and activist, Rachel, 23, tried nonviolently to offer protection for a Palestinian family whose home was threatened with demolition by the Israeli military. On March 16, 2003, she was crushed to death by an Israel Defense Force (IDF) Caterpillar D9R bulldozer in Rafah, Gaza.
The lawsuit is one piece of our family’s seven-year effort to pursue justice for our daughter and sister. We hope this trial will illustrate the need for accountability for thousands of lives lost, or indelibly injured, by occupation—in a besieged and beleaguered Gaza and throughout Palestine/Israel; bring attention to the assault on nonviolent human rights activists (Palestinian, Israeli, and international); and underscore the fact that so many Palestinian families, harmed as deeply as ours, cannot access Israeli courts.
In order to deliver these interconnected messages as effectively as possible, we are asking for large-scale participation in the trial itself as well as in the events surrounding it. We hope you will join us for all or some of the events listed below and help us to put the call out to others.
The Siege of the Fictional City of Marja
By GARETH PORTER
For weeks, the U.S. public followed the biggest offensive of the Afghanistan War against what it was told was a "city of 80,000 people" as well as the logistical hub of the Taliban in that part of Helmand. That idea was a central element in the overall impression built up in February that Marja was a major strategic objective, more important than other district centres in Helmand.
It turns out, however, that the picture of Marja presented by military officials and obediently reported by major news media is one of the clearest and most dramatic pieces of misinformation of the entire war, apparently aimed at hyping the offensive as a historic turning point in the conflict.
Counterpunch
For weeks, the U.S. public followed the biggest offensive of the Afghanistan War against what it was told was a "city of 80,000 people" as well as the logistical hub of the Taliban in that part of Helmand. That idea was a central element in the overall impression built up in February that Marja was a major strategic objective, more important than other district centres in Helmand.
It turns out, however, that the picture of Marja presented by military officials and obediently reported by major news media is one of the clearest and most dramatic pieces of misinformation of the entire war, apparently aimed at hyping the offensive as a historic turning point in the conflict.
Counterpunch
How a New Jobless Era Will Transform America
"The Great Recession may be over, but this era of high joblessness is probably just beginning. Before it ends, it will likely change the life course and character of a generation of young adults. It will leave an indelible imprint on many blue-collar men. It could cripple marriage as an institution in many communities. It may already be plunging many inner cities into a despair not seen for decades. Ultimately, it is likely to warp our politics, our culture, and the character of our society for years to come."
The Atlantic
The Atlantic
Study: 935 False statements preceded Iraq war
Hundreds of false statements on WMDs, al-Qaida, used to justify Iraq war
WASHINGTON - A study by two nonprofit journalism organizations found that President Bush and top administration officials issued hundreds of false statements about the national security threat from Iraq in the two years following the 2001 terrorist attacks.
The study concluded that the statements "were part of an orchestrated campaign that effectively galvanized public opinion and, in the process, led the nation to war under decidedly false pretenses."
The study was posted Tuesday on the Web site of the Center for Public Integrity, which worked with the Fund for Independence in Journalism.
WASHINGTON - A study by two nonprofit journalism organizations found that President Bush and top administration officials issued hundreds of false statements about the national security threat from Iraq in the two years following the 2001 terrorist attacks.
The study concluded that the statements "were part of an orchestrated campaign that effectively galvanized public opinion and, in the process, led the nation to war under decidedly false pretenses."
The study was posted Tuesday on the Web site of the Center for Public Integrity, which worked with the Fund for Independence in Journalism.
International Women's Day..8th of March, today.
Started as a Socialist political event, the holiday blended in the culture of many countries, primarily Eastern Europe, Russia, and the former Soviet bloc. In many regions, the day lost its political flavour, and became simply an occasion for men to express their love for women in a way somewhat similar to a mixture of Mother's Day and St Valentine's Day. In other regions, however, the original political and human rights theme designated by the United Nations runs strong, and political and social awareness of the struggles of women worldwide are brought out and examined in a hopeful manner.
A tribe in India is going through similar oppression to the Na'vi in Avatar... and they've appealed to James Cameron for help because "he will underst
The Dongria Kondh say plot of James Cameron's blockbuster reflects their plight as they struggle to stop company from opening bauxite mine on sacred mountain.
The US sends two peace envoys, Israel sticks up two fingers. 112 housing units to be built..
Israel approves more construction in West Bank settlement
Approval to build 112 new flats in Beitar Illit comes despite Israeli government's partial curbs on settlement construction
Approval for 112 new flats in Beitar Illit, an ultra-Orthodox settlement near Bethlehem, was given despite a 10-month partial curb on settlement construction announced by the Israeli government under heavy US pressure in November.
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Not only buildings will be rising; the rate of the spitting business as well..
Approval to build 112 new flats in Beitar Illit comes despite Israeli government's partial curbs on settlement construction
Approval for 112 new flats in Beitar Illit, an ultra-Orthodox settlement near Bethlehem, was given despite a 10-month partial curb on settlement construction announced by the Israeli government under heavy US pressure in November.
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Not only buildings will be rising; the rate of the spitting business as well..
Five-Hundred People Slaughter in Religious Clashes in Nigeria
Nigeria ethnic violence 'leaves hundreds dead'
Hundreds of people, including many women and children, were killed in ethnic violence near the city of Jos in Nigeria at the weekend, officials say.
They said villages had been attacked by men with machetes who came from nearby hills.
Troops have now been deployed in the area and dozens of arrests are said to have been made.
Acting President Goodluck Jonathan has ordered security forces to prevent more weapons being brought into the area.
He has also sacked the country's national security adviser, Sarki Mukhtar.
Jos has been under a military curfew since January when at least 200 people died in clashes between Christians and Muslims.
BBC News
Hundreds of people, including many women and children, were killed in ethnic violence near the city of Jos in Nigeria at the weekend, officials say.
They said villages had been attacked by men with machetes who came from nearby hills.
Troops have now been deployed in the area and dozens of arrests are said to have been made.
Acting President Goodluck Jonathan has ordered security forces to prevent more weapons being brought into the area.
He has also sacked the country's national security adviser, Sarki Mukhtar.
Jos has been under a military curfew since January when at least 200 people died in clashes between Christians and Muslims.
BBC News
Vancouver man, Emil Malak, to sue makers of Academy Award-nominee Avatar
One day after Avatar was disappointed at the Oscars, a Vancouver restaurant owner plans to file a lawsuit in B.C. Supreme Court today claiming copyright infringement against director James Cameron and other makers of the highest-grossing film of all time.
Emil Malak, 57, says the similarities between his Terra Incognita and James Cameron's Avatar are too striking to simply be a coincidence.
Emil Malak, 57, says the similarities between his Terra Incognita and James Cameron's Avatar are too striking to simply be a coincidence.
Israel 'to unveil plans to build nuclear power plant'
Israel is expected to unveil plans this week to build a nuclear power plant, reports say.
They say an announcement will be made by Israeli Infrastructure Minister Uzi Landau at an energy forum in Paris.
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Not a problem! Iran is the problem! Bomb Iran!
They say an announcement will be made by Israeli Infrastructure Minister Uzi Landau at an energy forum in Paris.
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Not a problem! Iran is the problem! Bomb Iran!
Sunday, March 7, 2010
An Egyptian arrested in Saudi Arabia for celebrating the pregnancy of his wife
The religious Wahhabi police accused the Egyptian citizen of being a "Christian" and for celebrating x-mass.
The article is in Arabic (Via the Angry Arab)
The article is in Arabic (Via the Angry Arab)
Gideon Levy: There has never been an Israeli peace camp
The Israeli peace camp didn't die. It was never born in the first place. While it's true that since the summer of 1967, several radical and brave political groups have been working against the occupation - all worthy of recognition - a large, influential peace camp has never existed here.
It's true that after the Yom Kippur War, after the first Lebanon War and during the giddy days of Oslo (oh, how giddy those days were), citizens took to the streets, generally when the weather was nice and when the best of Israeli music was being performed at rallies, but few people really said anything decisive or courageous, and fewer still were willing to pay a personal price for their activities. After the assassination of Prime Minister Yitzhak Rabin, people lit candles in the square and sang Aviv Geffen songs, but this certainly isn't what one would call a peace camp.
It's true that after the Yom Kippur War, after the first Lebanon War and during the giddy days of Oslo (oh, how giddy those days were), citizens took to the streets, generally when the weather was nice and when the best of Israeli music was being performed at rallies, but few people really said anything decisive or courageous, and fewer still were willing to pay a personal price for their activities. After the assassination of Prime Minister Yitzhak Rabin, people lit candles in the square and sang Aviv Geffen songs, but this certainly isn't what one would call a peace camp.
How food and water are driving a 21st-century African land grab
An Observer investigation reveals how rich countries faced by a global food shortage now farm an area double the size of the UK to guarantee supplies for their citizens
An Observer investigation estimates that up to 50m hectares of land – an area more than double the size of the UK – has been acquired in the last few years or is in the process of being negotiated by governments and wealthy investors working with state subsidies. The data used was collected by Grain, the International Institute for Environment and Development, the International Land Coalition, ActionAid and other non-governmental groups.
An Observer investigation estimates that up to 50m hectares of land – an area more than double the size of the UK – has been acquired in the last few years or is in the process of being negotiated by governments and wealthy investors working with state subsidies. The data used was collected by Grain, the International Institute for Environment and Development, the International Land Coalition, ActionAid and other non-governmental groups.
A British soldier who refused to return to duty in Afghanistan sentenced to nine months'
"On the same day that Gordon Brown -- whose war polices have killed thousands -- insisted that the illegal Iraq war was the "right" thing to do, Lance Corporal Joe Glenton was sentenced to nine months imprisonment for refusing to return to Afghanistan to fight a war he believed to be unjustified and a sensless loss of life for Afghans and Iraqis alike."
Update: AP Wrong, Pakistani Official Says American-al-Qaida has not Been Arrested
A senior Pakistani government official said on Sunday that a Taliban leader who goes by the name of Abu Yahya has been arrested in Pakistan – and that person is not Adam Gadahn, the American born Al Qaida spokesman who the Associated Press said early on Sunday was caught by Pakistani security.
Israel to compensate West Bank settlers hurt ( poor things) by freeze
"The proposal would offer compensation to people who recently purchased homes in settlements, to contractors with building permits. Local authorities hurt by the building freeze will also receive a one-time compensation."
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You never lose if you're a colonist in the colonial state of Israel...
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You never lose if you're a colonist in the colonial state of Israel...
Ajami co-director ahead of the Oscars: I don't represent Israel
Ajami co-director Scandar Copti on Sunday said that he does not represent Israel, hours before his film competes for the best foreign film Oscar at the Academy Awards, Army Radio reported.
"I am not Israel's national team and do not represent her," Copti reportedly said. "It is an extremely technical thing and that's how it works at the Oscars - it says 'Israel' because that's where the money comes from."
He added that the film, which is co-directed by Copti and Israeli director Yaron Shani, features a mixed cast.
"There's a Palestinian director, an Israeli director, Palestinian actors and Israeli actors. The film technically represents Israel, but I don't represent Israel. I cannot represent a country that does not represent me," he said, according to Army Radio.
"I am not Israel's national team and do not represent her," Copti reportedly said. "It is an extremely technical thing and that's how it works at the Oscars - it says 'Israel' because that's where the money comes from."
He added that the film, which is co-directed by Copti and Israeli director Yaron Shani, features a mixed cast.
"There's a Palestinian director, an Israeli director, Palestinian actors and Israeli actors. The film technically represents Israel, but I don't represent Israel. I cannot represent a country that does not represent me," he said, according to Army Radio.
PA moves to ban Palestinians from working in settlements
"The Palestinian Authority is moving to prevent Palestinian workers from taking jobs in settlements, as officials Ramallah repeatedly declare their refusal to resume direct negotiations until all Israeli construction in the West Bank is halted.
Palestinians vehemently oppose the settlements Israel has built on land they want for a future state. But with unemployment high in the West Bank, thousands of Palestinians work in settlements.
Palestinians have been key to building homes for settlers and also work in factories.
Advertisement
Economics Minister Hassan Abu Libda says he is drafting a law that will ban Palestinians from taking such jobs, which he expects to take effect this month.
"My population, my society, is contributing to the lifeline of settlements, so I am targeting this contribution," he said."
Haaretz
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Just about time..
Palestinians vehemently oppose the settlements Israel has built on land they want for a future state. But with unemployment high in the West Bank, thousands of Palestinians work in settlements.
Palestinians have been key to building homes for settlers and also work in factories.
Advertisement
Economics Minister Hassan Abu Libda says he is drafting a law that will ban Palestinians from taking such jobs, which he expects to take effect this month.
"My population, my society, is contributing to the lifeline of settlements, so I am targeting this contribution," he said."
Haaretz
-------------------
Just about time..
Gideon Levy: Israel does not want peace with Syria so let's tell the truth already.
Peace not wanted
Gideon Levy- Haaretz
Israel does not want peace with Syria. Let's take off all the masks we've been hiding behind and tell the truth for a change. Let's admit that there's no formula that suits us, except the ludicrous "peace for peace." Let's admit it to ourselves, at least, that we do not want to leave the Golan Heights, no matter what. Forget about all the palaver, all the mediations, all the efforts.
Let's face it, we don't want peace, we want to run wild, to paraphrase an Israeli pop song from the '70s. Don't bother us with new Syrian proposals, like the one published in Haaretz this week that calls for a phased withdrawal and peace in stages; don't pester us with talk about peace as a way to break up the dangerous link between Syria and Iran; don't tell us peace with Syria is the key to forging peace with Lebanon and weakening Hezbollah. Turkey isn't an "honest" broker, the Syrians are part of the axis of evil, all is quiet on the Golan - you know how much we love the place, its mineral waters, its wines - so who needs all the commotion of demonstrations and evacuating settlements, just for peace?
Gideon Levy- Haaretz
Israel does not want peace with Syria. Let's take off all the masks we've been hiding behind and tell the truth for a change. Let's admit that there's no formula that suits us, except the ludicrous "peace for peace." Let's admit it to ourselves, at least, that we do not want to leave the Golan Heights, no matter what. Forget about all the palaver, all the mediations, all the efforts.
Let's face it, we don't want peace, we want to run wild, to paraphrase an Israeli pop song from the '70s. Don't bother us with new Syrian proposals, like the one published in Haaretz this week that calls for a phased withdrawal and peace in stages; don't pester us with talk about peace as a way to break up the dangerous link between Syria and Iran; don't tell us peace with Syria is the key to forging peace with Lebanon and weakening Hezbollah. Turkey isn't an "honest" broker, the Syrians are part of the axis of evil, all is quiet on the Golan - you know how much we love the place, its mineral waters, its wines - so who needs all the commotion of demonstrations and evacuating settlements, just for peace?
Ultra Orthodox Jews spitting at Christians must stop
"Shocked by growing reports about Ultra-Orthodox Jews spitting at Christians in Jerusalem's Old City, a group of Anglo residents is now mobilizing against this ugly practice. Although such incidents reportedly have decreased since a council of Haredi rabbis issued an official condemnation in January in response to the public outcry, Christian and Jewish activists agree the problem is unlikely to disappear anytime soon."
Haaretz
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You haven't seen anything yet..This spitting business is just the beginning!Tfouh!
Haaretz
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You haven't seen anything yet..This spitting business is just the beginning!Tfouh!
Friday, March 5, 2010
Colorful India..Holi 2010
Last Monday (March 1st), people in India and other countries with large Hindu populations celebrated Holi, the Festival of Colors. A welcoming of Spring, Holi is celebrated as the triumph of good over evil. Hindu devotees and others enthusiastically drop their inhibitions, and chase each other in temples and through the streets, playfully splashing colorful paint, powder and water on each other. People also attend bonfires to commemorate the story of Prahlada, a Hindu figure and devout follower of Lord Vishnu who prevailed over his father and the demoness Holika with the power of his devotion. Collected here are a handful of images from this year's Festival of Colors.
More here
The Big Picture. Boston.com
Irish foreign minister speaks out against Gaza blockade
"The tragedy of Gaza is that it is fast in danger of becoming a tolerated humanitarian crisis, a situation that most right-thinking people recognize as utterly unacceptable in this day and age but which is proving extremely difficult to remedy or ameliorate due to the blockade and the wider ramifications of efforts to try and achieve political progress in the Middle East."
Health is bad for tobacco companies
Tobacco giant, Philip Morris, files lawsuit against Uruguay, charging that new health measures involving cigarette packaging amount to unfair treatment of the company!
Settlers in East Jerusalem celebrate massacre of 29 Palestinians by Jewish terrorist
(Video) Residents of east Jerusalem neighborhood celebrate holiday with songs of praise for Cave of Patriarchs massacre. Left-wing activists plan protest
VIDEO - A video obtained by Ynet depicts Jewish residents of east Jerusalem's Sheikh Jarrah neighborhood during their Purim celebrations singing songs of praise for Baruch Goldstein, a Jewish terrorist who murdered 29 Palestinians 16 years ago at the Cave of the Patriarchs.
VIDEO - A video obtained by Ynet depicts Jewish residents of east Jerusalem's Sheikh Jarrah neighborhood during their Purim celebrations singing songs of praise for Baruch Goldstein, a Jewish terrorist who murdered 29 Palestinians 16 years ago at the Cave of the Patriarchs.
UK 'in no hurry' over risk of arrest for Tzipi Livni and other Israelis
Britain risks a showdown with Israel today when the Government signals it is in no hurry to ease the threat of arrest for visiting politicians and generals.
Ministers will announce a consultation on the principle of universal jurisdiction, under which private citizens can secure arrest warrants for offences such as war crimes committed abroad.
Times Online
Ministers will announce a consultation on the principle of universal jurisdiction, under which private citizens can secure arrest warrants for offences such as war crimes committed abroad.
Times Online
Thursday, March 4, 2010
Michael Moore: There's Going to Be a Second Crash (And Glenn Beck Can F--k Off)
"You know, I tell you, these Democrats are disgusting. Wimps and wusses and weasels. You know, get some spine. This is why I have to admire the Republicans. They at least stand for something. They at least have the courage of their convictions. They get elected to office, they come into town, and they go "Get outta my way, there's a new sheriff in town. This is the way we're doing things. Get outta here." And then they do it. You know. I mean what they do is crazy. But dammit, they are good at it. We should take a page out of their book."
Fragmentation of Iraq Was Israel’s Strategy
Stephen Sniegoski
Despite the alleged success of the surge, it is now apparent that sectarian hostility between Sunni and Shiite was not permanently reduced in Iraq but only temporarily quieted, and that once American troops leave, or are greatly reduced in number, extensive violence will breakout. This is brought out in the Washington Post article—“Just weeks before elections, specter of sectarian violence resurfaces in Iraq,” by Leila Fadel (February 17, 2010)
Such sectarian violence was the inevitable result of the American invasion and was fully recognized before the US invaded. As I point out in my book “The Transparent Cabal,” the neocons adopted a Middle East war strategy for the US that originated in Israel, which had as its deliberate goal the fragmentation of Israel’s adversaries. As Oded Yinon, the best articulator of this strategy, maintained in his 1982 article, the Arab states were fragile entities that were held together by an authoritarian central governments. A defeat in war would lead to the splintering of those states into conflicting ethnic and sectarian religious groups, which would facilitate Israeli regional hegemony. It should be added that Israel Shahak’s translation of Yinon’s article was entitled “The Zionist Plan for the Middle East.”
Despite the alleged success of the surge, it is now apparent that sectarian hostility between Sunni and Shiite was not permanently reduced in Iraq but only temporarily quieted, and that once American troops leave, or are greatly reduced in number, extensive violence will breakout. This is brought out in the Washington Post article—“Just weeks before elections, specter of sectarian violence resurfaces in Iraq,” by Leila Fadel (February 17, 2010)
Such sectarian violence was the inevitable result of the American invasion and was fully recognized before the US invaded. As I point out in my book “The Transparent Cabal,” the neocons adopted a Middle East war strategy for the US that originated in Israel, which had as its deliberate goal the fragmentation of Israel’s adversaries. As Oded Yinon, the best articulator of this strategy, maintained in his 1982 article, the Arab states were fragile entities that were held together by an authoritarian central governments. A defeat in war would lead to the splintering of those states into conflicting ethnic and sectarian religious groups, which would facilitate Israeli regional hegemony. It should be added that Israel Shahak’s translation of Yinon’s article was entitled “The Zionist Plan for the Middle East.”
In Response to the outrageous Ephraim Karsh in the New York Times
It's Not about Islam & Judaism, It's About Anti-Colonialism, Territory, Liberation, and Lives
By NIR ROSEN
Karsh describes the Israeli-Palestinian conflict as an urgent foreign policy matter for the United States.
It doesn't appear to be urgent. One more American administration has prostrated itself before Israeli arrogance and expansionism. Karsh mentions some sort of "100-year war between Arabs and Jews." There is no 100 year war between Arabs and Jews. There is a 100 year colonial struggle between Zionist Jews and the Palestinian people (and briefly the Lebanese as well).
He hopes that the "Islamic nation can make peace with the idea of Jewish statehood in the House of Islam." Its not about Jewish statehood in the house of Islam.
Its about Zionist Jewish settlers dispossessing the Palestinians and occupying Palestinian land. And killing Palestinians. Its not a religious conflict. Its a territorial one, an anti-colonial one, a national liberation struggle, even if the discourse used these days to describe it is often religious.
"Muslim states threaten Israel's existence not so much out of concern for the Palestinians, but rather as part of a holy war to prevent the loss of a part of the House of Islam," he says. He is lying. Who is he talking about? Iran?
Even if that was a real threat and not merely grandstanding, who else is there? the Saudis, the Turks, the Egyptians, the Jordanians and others all collaborate with Israel. Syria?
Hardly a threat and eager for peace as long as it can regain the occupied Golan heights. And the Israeli police force could conquer Syria in a few hours. Hizballah? Not a state and not trying to destroy Israel but merely protect Lebanese territory.
By NIR ROSEN
Karsh describes the Israeli-Palestinian conflict as an urgent foreign policy matter for the United States.
It doesn't appear to be urgent. One more American administration has prostrated itself before Israeli arrogance and expansionism. Karsh mentions some sort of "100-year war between Arabs and Jews." There is no 100 year war between Arabs and Jews. There is a 100 year colonial struggle between Zionist Jews and the Palestinian people (and briefly the Lebanese as well).
He hopes that the "Islamic nation can make peace with the idea of Jewish statehood in the House of Islam." Its not about Jewish statehood in the house of Islam.
Its about Zionist Jewish settlers dispossessing the Palestinians and occupying Palestinian land. And killing Palestinians. Its not a religious conflict. Its a territorial one, an anti-colonial one, a national liberation struggle, even if the discourse used these days to describe it is often religious.
"Muslim states threaten Israel's existence not so much out of concern for the Palestinians, but rather as part of a holy war to prevent the loss of a part of the House of Islam," he says. He is lying. Who is he talking about? Iran?
Even if that was a real threat and not merely grandstanding, who else is there? the Saudis, the Turks, the Egyptians, the Jordanians and others all collaborate with Israel. Syria?
Hardly a threat and eager for peace as long as it can regain the occupied Golan heights. And the Israeli police force could conquer Syria in a few hours. Hizballah? Not a state and not trying to destroy Israel but merely protect Lebanese territory.
Wednesday, March 3, 2010
The screening of an Israeli film in Australian Parliament House has been postponed amid heightened tensions between Australia and Israel.
"Israel's ambassador was summoned to Parliament House last week in a rare test of the usually solid bilateral relationship.
Now a screening of the Israeli film Noodle, scheduled to be shown in Parliament House on March 15, has been postponed.
The screening was arranged by the Israeli ambassador, Yuval Rotem, and by the Australia Israel Parliamentary Friendship Group. The evening was billed as "a celebration of Israeli culture" and was to include a reception.
Now a screening of the Israeli film Noodle, scheduled to be shown in Parliament House on March 15, has been postponed.
The screening was arranged by the Israeli ambassador, Yuval Rotem, and by the Australia Israel Parliamentary Friendship Group. The evening was billed as "a celebration of Israeli culture" and was to include a reception.
Ex U.S. army colonel to make anti-war speech at University of Toronto
TORONTO — A retired U.S. Army colonel who is now a peace activist is finally going to speak today at the University of Toronto's International Student Centre.
Ann Wright plans to talk about her stand against the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan.
Ann Wright plans to talk about her stand against the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan.
'Mossad agents fled to US' after killing in Dubai of Hamas leader
At least two suspected Israeli agents behind the murder of a senior Hamas official fled to the US during their escape, Dubai police now believe.
Police have now cast their net wider in their investigation of Mahmoud al-Mabhouh’s killing, which officials in the Gulf state are now certain was carried out by Israel’s intelligence agency Mossad.
TimesOnline
Police have now cast their net wider in their investigation of Mahmoud al-Mabhouh’s killing, which officials in the Gulf state are now certain was carried out by Israel’s intelligence agency Mossad.
TimesOnline
IDF calls off West Bank raid due to Facebook leak
The Israel Defense Forces called off a raid in Palestinian territory after a soldier posted details, including the time and place, on the social networking website Facebook, Army Radio reported on Wednesday.
The soldier - since relieved of combat duty - described in a status update how his unit planned a "clean-up" arrest raid in a West Bank area, Army Radio said.
The soldier - since relieved of combat duty - described in a status update how his unit planned a "clean-up" arrest raid in a West Bank area, Army Radio said.
Lieberman fraud probe throws spotlight on 'incompetent' envoy
Police investigate ambassador appointed by FM despite 'having no clue' how to run an embassy.
Ties between an until recently anonymous junior diplomat and Avigdor Lieberman came under the microscope this week as the foreign minister fought to avert impending corruption charges.
Ties between an until recently anonymous junior diplomat and Avigdor Lieberman came under the microscope this week as the foreign minister fought to avert impending corruption charges.
Israel is recording details of Israelis who protest with Palestinians rights activist in an effort to block these Israelis at checkpoints.
The Israel Defense Forces says it is using information on Israelis who demonstrate against the separation fence in a bid to deny them entry at nearby checkpoints. Israelis and others demonstrate every Friday at the villages of Bil'in and Na'alin.
Thinking About the Unthinkable: A U.S.-Iranian Deal
The United States apparently has reached the point where it must either accept that Iran will develop nuclear weapons at some point if it wishes, or take military action to prevent this. There is a third strategy, however: Washington can seek to redefine the Iranian question.
As we have no idea what leaders on either side are thinking, exploring this represents an exercise in geopolitical theory. Let’s begin with the two apparent stark choices.
As we have no idea what leaders on either side are thinking, exploring this represents an exercise in geopolitical theory. Let’s begin with the two apparent stark choices.
Goldman Sachs worried that lack of love for them will impact profits.
Company Sees Negative Media Coverage as a Potential Threat to Its Business; Aggressive Responses
In its annual report, the New York company said "adverse publicity" could have "a negative impact on our reputation and on the morale and performance of our employees, which could adversely affect our businesses and results of operations."
In its annual report, the New York company said "adverse publicity" could have "a negative impact on our reputation and on the morale and performance of our employees, which could adversely affect our businesses and results of operations."
IDF officer refuses to protect Palestinians from Jewish settlers
On 15 December 2009, settlers prevented Palestinian farmers from planting olive trees on the farmers land in Deir Nidham, north of Ramallah. Soldiers at the scene did nothing to prevent the harm to the Palestinians. Instead, they closed the area to all civilians, Palestinians and settlers.
Muslim scholar issues unequivocal condemnation of suicide bombers acting in the name of Islam
Suicide bombers have been described as the "heroes of hellfire" by a leading Muslim scholar in a fatwa issued in London which condemned terrorists as the enemies of Islam.
Pakistan-born Dr Muhammad Tahir-ul-Qadri said there were no "ifs or buts" about terrorism and such acts had no justification in the name of Islam.
In a news conference attended by MPs, representatives from the Metropolitan Police, charitable organisations, think-tanks and other groups, he called on Islamic leaders to convey the message that acts of terrorism cut people off as true followers of Islam.
"They can't claim that their suicide bombings are martyrdom operations and that they become the heroes of the Muslim Umma (the wider Muslim community), no, they become heroes of hellfire, and they are leading towards hellfire," he said.
Pakistan-born Dr Muhammad Tahir-ul-Qadri said there were no "ifs or buts" about terrorism and such acts had no justification in the name of Islam.
In a news conference attended by MPs, representatives from the Metropolitan Police, charitable organisations, think-tanks and other groups, he called on Islamic leaders to convey the message that acts of terrorism cut people off as true followers of Islam.
"They can't claim that their suicide bombings are martyrdom operations and that they become the heroes of the Muslim Umma (the wider Muslim community), no, they become heroes of hellfire, and they are leading towards hellfire," he said.
12-year-old Child To Be Prosecuted As An Adult By An Israeli Military Court
The Israeli Authorities decided to file charges against a 12-year-old Palestinian child from the southern West Bank city of Hebron after arresting him and charging him with throwing stones at the Israeli military.
The child was identified as al-Hasan al-Mohtasib, 12. His 7-year-old brother was also detained but was released later on.
Their father, Fadel, said that his sons were in al-Shallalah Street, in the center of Hebron. His 7-year-old son, al-Amir, was released ten hours after his was kidnapped by the army.
He added that local residents told him that soldiers kidnapped his two children and took them to the nearby al-Karaj military camp.
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If he were a settler, the soldiers would have given him more stones.
Tuesday, March 2, 2010
Crimean war blunders ended English oligarchy (and the Iraq war?)
By Philip Weiss
I like to collect examples of liberal western regimes that have been brought down by great errors. For instance, the third French republic, intimately tied into the Catholic church, collapsed after the Dreyfus case, in part because of the antisemitic accusation. And the blueblood WASP ruling class dissolved in our country in the 1970s, in part because it had made such a terrible mistake with Vietnam. An order of birth came to an end.
Of course I am building a case that the order that followed, the meritocracy–the neoliberal/neoconservative regime of globalist Rhodes scholars and testtakers–is going to implode because of Iraq. That’s why they’re hanging on to the war ideology so. That’s why the Washington Post publishes neocons and the Times publishes Zionist warrior Efraim Karsh; because even the liberals are implicated in the disaster and are trying to preserve their place.
I like to collect examples of liberal western regimes that have been brought down by great errors. For instance, the third French republic, intimately tied into the Catholic church, collapsed after the Dreyfus case, in part because of the antisemitic accusation. And the blueblood WASP ruling class dissolved in our country in the 1970s, in part because it had made such a terrible mistake with Vietnam. An order of birth came to an end.
Of course I am building a case that the order that followed, the meritocracy–the neoliberal/neoconservative regime of globalist Rhodes scholars and testtakers–is going to implode because of Iraq. That’s why they’re hanging on to the war ideology so. That’s why the Washington Post publishes neocons and the Times publishes Zionist warrior Efraim Karsh; because even the liberals are implicated in the disaster and are trying to preserve their place.
Blair Warned in 2000 Iraq War was Illegal
Secret papers withheld by Chilcot inquiry reveal Foreign Office fears over invasion
By Michael Savage
March 02, 2010 "The Independent" -- An invasion of Iraq was discussed within the Government more than two years before military action was taken – with Foreign Office mandarins warning that an invasion would be illegal, that it would claim "considerable casualties" and could lead to the breakdown of Iraq, The Independent can reveal.
The extent of Whitehall opposition to the policy eventually backed by Tony Blair emerges just three days before Gordon Brown will appear at the Iraq Inquiry, where he will be asked to explain his role in the Government's decision to invade.
Secret Foreign Office strategy papers drawn up by senior civil servants at the end of 2000 have been obtained by this newspaper and are published for the first time today. The Iraq: future strategy document considers options for dealing with the belligerent Iraqi leader Saddam Hussein. It is one of the key documents that Sir John Chilcot's Iraq Inquiry has declined to release.
InformationClearenceHouse
By Michael Savage
March 02, 2010 "The Independent" -- An invasion of Iraq was discussed within the Government more than two years before military action was taken – with Foreign Office mandarins warning that an invasion would be illegal, that it would claim "considerable casualties" and could lead to the breakdown of Iraq, The Independent can reveal.
The extent of Whitehall opposition to the policy eventually backed by Tony Blair emerges just three days before Gordon Brown will appear at the Iraq Inquiry, where he will be asked to explain his role in the Government's decision to invade.
Secret Foreign Office strategy papers drawn up by senior civil servants at the end of 2000 have been obtained by this newspaper and are published for the first time today. The Iraq: future strategy document considers options for dealing with the belligerent Iraqi leader Saddam Hussein. It is one of the key documents that Sir John Chilcot's Iraq Inquiry has declined to release.
InformationClearenceHouse
The ‘Times’ kennels the dogs of war
"How long does it take for a human body to bloat and burst in the Persian sun? How long after death until I can pull a corpse’s jaw off without too much trouble? What does polyester-cotton blend burka burning into female flesh actually smell like? What does a rancid gut wound smell like? And when American boys are blown to meaty, bloody, beefy chunks by IEDs, does shit fly everywhere?
These are the questions that ought to shatter the spleens of every warmonger, anywhere in the world."
Ahmed Moor
These are the questions that ought to shatter the spleens of every warmonger, anywhere in the world."
Ahmed Moor
NY Times' Jerusalem property makes it protagonist in Palestine conflict
(the (Ghada) Karmi family home, now a locale/office for the NYT)
Ali Abunimah
During an appearance at Vassar College in early February, controversial New York Times Jerusalem bureau chief Ethan Bronner was asked about the ongoing evictions of Palestinian families from homes in East Jerusalem which Israel occupied in 1967. Israeli courts have ruled that Jewish settlers could take over some Palestinian homes on the grounds that Jews held title to the properties before Israel was established in 1948.
Bronner was concerned, but not only about Palestinians being made homeless in Israel's relentless drive to Judaize their city; he was also worried about properties in his West Jerusalem neighborhood, including the building he lives in, partially owned by The New York Times, that was the home of Palestinians made refugees in 1948. Facts about The New York Times' acquisition of this property are revealed for the first time in this article.
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It's a poignant story in which Ghada Karmi who's family was/is the owner of the house (only one story in 1948) recounts her painful visit..
Jerusalem's mayor unveiled a plan Tuesday to demolish 88 Palestinian homes to make room for a tourist center
Moussa Owdeh, a 58-year-old Palestinian whose home is one of 88 slated for demolition, accused Barkat of fomenting "extremism and bloodshed."
"This is our land and home," he said, holding up a document he said was the title to the property. "Our house is a symbol of our dignity."
--------------
But what does an Israeli know about dignity?
"This is our land and home," he said, holding up a document he said was the title to the property. "Our house is a symbol of our dignity."
--------------
But what does an Israeli know about dignity?
A welcome change in Oz land..Tandberg cartoon in The Age
Tandberg is a prominent Australian cartoonist. His cartoons appear in The Age (Melbourne) and The Sydney Morning Herald both Fairfaix Newspapers. It's highly unlikely you'd see this type in the Daily Telegraph though. That's Murdoch's, a reserved territory from which I was kicked out for my inpardonnable fault of having been born in Lebanon..
Prominent Australian Jews reject the Israeli right of return
MEDIA RELEASE 3 MARCH, 2010
Today is the national launch of a prominent new Australian initiative that rejects Israel’s automatic right of return for Jews across the world.
Following a recent similar project in the US, 35 distinguished Australian Jews have signed a petition that indicates growing dissent from Zionist policies and dispossession of Palestinian land.
The ongoing occupation of Palestine, the siege on Gaza, the botched Mossad hit in Dubai and violence against Palestinians is encouraging a sea-change in global Jewish opinion towards the state of Israel.
Some of the key signatories include world-renowned ethicist Peter Singer, actor Miriam Margolyes, legendary feminist campaigner Eva Cox, La Trobe University’s Dennis Altman, Monash University’s Andrew Benjamin, Sydney University’s David Goodman and John Docker, legal scholar GJ Lindell, best-selling author and journalist Antony Loewenstein, writers Susan Varga and Sara Dowse, ANU’s Ned Curthoys and many others.
This statement is a direct challenge to the Rudd government’s closeness to Israel and plea for a more balanced approach to the Middle East question
Antony Loewenstein
Today is the national launch of a prominent new Australian initiative that rejects Israel’s automatic right of return for Jews across the world.
Following a recent similar project in the US, 35 distinguished Australian Jews have signed a petition that indicates growing dissent from Zionist policies and dispossession of Palestinian land.
The ongoing occupation of Palestine, the siege on Gaza, the botched Mossad hit in Dubai and violence against Palestinians is encouraging a sea-change in global Jewish opinion towards the state of Israel.
Some of the key signatories include world-renowned ethicist Peter Singer, actor Miriam Margolyes, legendary feminist campaigner Eva Cox, La Trobe University’s Dennis Altman, Monash University’s Andrew Benjamin, Sydney University’s David Goodman and John Docker, legal scholar GJ Lindell, best-selling author and journalist Antony Loewenstein, writers Susan Varga and Sara Dowse, ANU’s Ned Curthoys and many others.
This statement is a direct challenge to the Rudd government’s closeness to Israel and plea for a more balanced approach to the Middle East question
Antony Loewenstein
UAE seeks Israeli PM's arrest for murder
AFP
Dubai police say they are seeking the arrest of Israel's prime minister and the head of its spy agency over the murder of a top Hamas militant in a hotel room of the Gulf city-state.
Police chief Dahi Khalfan said on Tuesday he had issued the demand for the arrest warrants as he was now certain they ordered the Cold War-style hit on Mahmud al-Mabhuh.
"I have presented the (Dubai) prosecutor with a request for the arrest of (Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin) Netanyahu and the head of Mossad," Meir Dagan, said Khalfan.
"I am now completely sure that it was Mossad."
Dubai police say they are seeking the arrest of Israel's prime minister and the head of its spy agency over the murder of a top Hamas militant in a hotel room of the Gulf city-state.
Police chief Dahi Khalfan said on Tuesday he had issued the demand for the arrest warrants as he was now certain they ordered the Cold War-style hit on Mahmud al-Mabhuh.
"I have presented the (Dubai) prosecutor with a request for the arrest of (Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin) Netanyahu and the head of Mossad," Meir Dagan, said Khalfan.
"I am now completely sure that it was Mossad."
Father of Israeli soldier Shalit calls for the UN to implement Goldstone report.
Noam Shalit urges UN to implement Goldstone report
The father of captive Israel Defense Forces soldier Gilad Shalit demanded on Monday that the UN exert all possible efforts to implement the findings of the Goldstone report which call for the freeing of his son.
Noam Shalit met with met the UN Under-Secretary-General for Humanitarian Affairs, John Holmes, who is on an official Middle East visit, in Jerusalem.
The Goldstone report charged both Israel and Hamas with war crimes following Israel's Operation Cast Lead in December 2008, which was launched as an offensive measure to stop the heavy rocket fire from Gaza on its southern communities.
Haaretz
The father of captive Israel Defense Forces soldier Gilad Shalit demanded on Monday that the UN exert all possible efforts to implement the findings of the Goldstone report which call for the freeing of his son.
Noam Shalit met with met the UN Under-Secretary-General for Humanitarian Affairs, John Holmes, who is on an official Middle East visit, in Jerusalem.
The Goldstone report charged both Israel and Hamas with war crimes following Israel's Operation Cast Lead in December 2008, which was launched as an offensive measure to stop the heavy rocket fire from Gaza on its southern communities.
Haaretz
Starbucks's guns and lattes policy
Not just a shot of expresso? Starbucks says it's happy for customers to openly display their guns in its US outlets
Of the good reasons to avoid Starbucks – the over-priced, burned coffee or the crushing of independent competitors – here, in the US, is another: the danger of getting hit by bullets from customers' guns.
Of the good reasons to avoid Starbucks – the over-priced, burned coffee or the crushing of independent competitors – here, in the US, is another: the danger of getting hit by bullets from customers' guns.
Iraqi PM accused of handing out guns in bid to buy tribal votes
A senior Iraqi spy has accused the prime minister, Nour al-Maliki, of handing out thousands of guns to tribal leaders in a bid to win votes. The claim was made by Iraqi National Intelligence Service former spokesman, Saad al-Alusi, a week before Iraq's general election, in which allegations of vote buying and exorbitant handouts have become widespread.
Israelis to be denied UAE entry over assassination scandal.
Dubai's police chief says travellers, suspected of being Israeli will not be allowed into the United Arab Emirates even if they arrive with alternative passports.
Irish town representatives voted to remove a page signed by the Israeli ambassador from its guestbook in protest at Israel's diplomatic record.
"I think if a government is responsible for a wholesale disregard for international law then local authorities, as well as our own government, have a responsibility to tell them we expect a higher standard," Matt Carthy said.
NASA: Quake Shifted Earth's Axis, Shortened Day
Chile's massive earthquake has likely altered the distribution of the Earth's overall mass, scientists from NASA say. As a result, the length of a day is now a little shorter than it was before Saturday's magnitude 8.8 earthquake.
39 army raids, 28 arrests: Just another day in the West Bank
Amira Haas
“The year 2009 was the quietest for Israelis from the security point of view and the most violent for the Palestinians from the point of view of attacks by settlers in the West Bank.” Just as he was saying this – as an example of one of the absurdities that characterize the political situation – Palestinian Agriculture Minister Ismail Daiq received a phone call from the Jenin district to inform him that five artesian wells in the village of Daan had been destroyed that morning. One person was shot and wounded in the abdomen when he tried to lift the pump to save it from damage. This was not an attack by settlers but a raid by the army.
Israel's new war on Islamic sites
In a move that appears to be a celebration of the 16th anniversary of the massacre of 29 worshippers by the terrorist Baruch Goldstein, the Israeli government has proclaimed that the Ibrahimi Mosque in Khalil (Hebron) and Masjid Bilal ibn Rabah (mosque) in Bethlehem are "Jewish Heritage sites".
Goldstein, an American-born Israeli settler who served as a medic in the military, opened fire on worshippers at a mosque in Hebron on February 25, 1994, killing 29 and wounding more than 150, before being subdued and beaten to death.
"While the Israeli government was announcing the annexation of the Islamic sites, dozens of settlers attempted to storm into Jericho on the pretext that they were visiting an ancient synagogue.
Under the Gaza-Jericho Agreement of May 1994, Israel agreed to dissolve its civil administration and "transferred its powers and responsibilities to the Palestinian Authority".
Goldstein, an American-born Israeli settler who served as a medic in the military, opened fire on worshippers at a mosque in Hebron on February 25, 1994, killing 29 and wounding more than 150, before being subdued and beaten to death.
"While the Israeli government was announcing the annexation of the Islamic sites, dozens of settlers attempted to storm into Jericho on the pretext that they were visiting an ancient synagogue.
Under the Gaza-Jericho Agreement of May 1994, Israel agreed to dissolve its civil administration and "transferred its powers and responsibilities to the Palestinian Authority".
Monday, March 1, 2010
Global movement joins Hebron (Al Khalil) protest to ‘Open Shuhada Street’
Protest in Hebron February 25, 2010 from Open Shuhada Street on Vimeo.
The protest was held on February 25th to mark the 16th anniversary of the Ibrahimi Mosque massacre, when Israeli-American settler Baruch Goldstein shot and killed 29 Palestinians praying at the mosque and injured 150 more. Since the massacre, the IDF has instituted ever tightening restrictions on Palestinian movement throughout Hebron, and particularly on Shuhada Street where six settlement blocks were established. Today even Palestinian residents of Shuhada Street have to walk on complicated make-shift pathways on rooftops and climb over roadblocks to reach their home since walking or driving on the street is prohibited. (Read more on the “Open Shuhada Street” website.)
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