Grand Mufti of Jerusalem advises community to keep property cases out of Israeli courts
(24 Oct) The Grand Mufti of Jerusalem Sheikh Ekrima Sabri warned East Jerusalem
residents to beware of the Absentee Property law of Israel, which gave
the state the right to confiscate the land or buildings of any person
who no longer resides in the city. The warning came after an East Jerusalemite brought an unrelated
property case before the Israeli courts, and information submitted for
this case was then used as justification for Israel to confiscate the
building of a Palestinian in East Jerusalem, the Sheikh said in his
Friday sermon at Al-Aqsa.
http://www.maannews
World Bank assails Israeli chokehold on West Bank
(24 Oct) by Abid Aslam -- WASHINGTON (IPS) - The West
Bank's economy continues to gasp for air despite increased
international aid mainly because Israel keeps the Palestinian territory
in a stranglehold, says the World Bank. Israel's illegal settlements, security cordons, and hundreds of
roadblocks pose the most significant obstacle to the movement of people
and goods, the Washington-based bank says in a new assessment. Violence
and vandalism by Israeli settlers further deters investment, it adds. Palestinians' per capita gross domestic product (GDP, a measure of economic output) fell by 40 percent between 1999 and 2007.
http://electronicin
Swedes relocate West Bank [settlement] firm
(23 Oct) In an unusual situation for the West Bank's Barkan
Industrial Park, which so far has largely escaped the pressure of
international boycotts, a Swedish-based locksmith company that operates
a factory there announced this week that it was relocating to within
the Green Line for political reasons. "We're leaving because [the industrial park] is in the West Bank," Ann Holmberg, spokeswoman for the Assa Abloy company, told The Jerusalem Post by phone from Sweden on Thursday.
http://www.jpost.
Two Palestinian youth wounded as Israeli troops invade Nablus
(25 Oct) Two Palestinian youth were wounded in an Israeli military assault in
Al-Far'aa refugee camp near the West Bank city of Nablus in the early
hours of Saturday morning. Eyewitnesses reported that at least seven Israeli military vehicles
invaded the camp around 1:30 am and opened fire at some civilians
gathering in the camp, moderately wounding two of them. Palestinian medical sources reported that the two wounded are Imad
Tayah, 17, who was wounded in the thigh and chest, and Thabet Raja, 23, in
the foot. Israeli military assaults in Al-Far'aa refugee camp has increased in
the past few days during which troops break into some houses looking
for claimed wanted Palestinians, believed to be active in the Islamic
Jihad movement in the camp.
http://www.imemc.
Former Al-Aqsa Brigades activist shot by unidentified gunmen in Nablus
(25 Oct) Unidentified gunmen shot 30-year-old Mansour Hijab, a former
Al-Aqsa
Brigades activist on Saturday in the West Bank city of Nablus.
Eyewitnesses reported that a gunman shot Hijab six times in his torso
and legs. Throughout the attack the shooter remained in a car with
Palestinian license plates. Palestinian security sources have opened an
investigation into the incident.
http://www.maannews
Three nonviolent protestors wounded near Bethlehem
(24 Oct) Dozens of nonviolent protestors took to the streets of Al-Masara
village south of Bethlehem to protest the construction of the wall on
their land.
http://www.imemc.
Israeli forces arrest Palestinian harvesting olives north of Nablus
(24 Oct) Israeli forces arrested a Palestinian man harvesting his olive
trees in
the village of Talluza north of the West Bank city of Nablus on Friday.
Palestinian sources told Ma'an reporter that "a number of Israeli
soldiers stormed the village and arrested 26-year-old Mohammad Jihad."
The man was taken into Israeli custody after being detailed and
questioned for several hours. [End]
http://www.maannews
200 participate in Bil'in's weekly protest
(24 Oct) In the village of Bil'in, around two hundred Palestinian, Israeli and
International peace activists marched towards the confiscated land
behind the fence. Protesters managed to reach the fence and remove
parts of it.
http://www.imemc.
ISM: Dozens of people suffer from tear gas inhalation in Bil'in
(24 Oct) Report by Bil'in Popular Committee Against the Apartheid Wall
and Settlements -- A week ago, the protesters succeeded in removing a
gate in the wall and
are now using it in a parking lot for cars in the village. The Popular
Committee said about this incident "Any tool that the occupation uses
to oppress us, we will use it for our own services." Palestinians have
the determination and the belief that this wall will be removed.
http://www.palsolid
Mayor of Ni'lin: No Molotov cocktails thrown at Israeli troops in the village
(24 Oct) The residents of the village of Ni'lin, located west of Ramallah, held
their weekly march against the construction of the apartheid wall on
their village's land. The Israeli online newspaper, Ynet News, reported that some Israeli
peace activists participating in the demonstration threw a Molotov
cocktail bottle at soldiers who were attacking the protesters. The
mayor of Ni'lim, Ayman Nafe' who participated in the protest told IMEMC
over the phone, that demonstrators did not throw Molotov cocktails or
stones. Refuting the Ynet News story, Mayor Nafe' emphasized that the Israeli
soldiers began firing tear gas on the demonstrators without
provocation, even before the prayers were finished.
http://www.imemc.
Israeli forces raid town of Azzun near Qalqilia
(25 Oct) Israeli forces on Friday evening raided the northern
West Bank town of Azzun, east of Qalqilia, imposing a curfew,
eyewitnesses told Ma'an. Forces blocked the western entrance to the town, called Al-Izba. Last
week, the northern entrance was blocked by Israeli forces. Witnesses
confirmed that they saw infantry troops deployed around the town.
ttp://www.maannews.
ISM: Palestinian farmers and international activists pushed off land in Kufr Qeddum attempting to harvest olives
(24 Oct; photos) Israeli military forces evicted Palestinian farmers and over 100
international activists from olive groves near the illegal Israeli
settlement of Qedumim on 24th October. Farmers and accompanying
activists attempted to enter the lands of Kufr Qeddum farmer, Faruq
Abdl Karim Barhum, early on Friday morning, to harvest olives, but were
denied entry to the lands when Israeli authorities declared the area a
closed military zone.
http://www.palsolid
Follow the olive oil trail at harvest time
[The Israeli olive harvest, that is] Thousands of ancient olive trees are planted in the area; their
sculpted trunks and branches testify to their age. No one knows for
sure whether the trees on the terraces of the wadi at the base of the
Church of St. Anne, a Crusader church dedicated to Jesus' grandmother,
were planted by the monks of the monastery in the 13th century, cared
for by the subjects of Zahir al-Amr, the Bedouin ruler of the Galilee
in the 18th century, or were the property of the residents of the Arab
village of Saffurieh.
http://www.haaretz.
American doctors' delegation visits government hospitals
(25 Oct) Tulkarem – An American delegation of dental specialists
performed 22 oral operations on children at the Ash-Shahid Thabet
Thabet government hospital in Tulkarem on Saturday. The hospital official who coordinated the delegation, Maha Al-Madany,
told Ma'an that the doctors examined about 80 children, 22 of whom were
taken for surgery. The doctors specialize in tooth and root decay and
palate problems, the official said. Al-Madany also mentioned that other delegations would soon travel to
several government hospitals in the West Bank, where they plan to treat
diseases of the spine, nervous system, bones, jaws and plastic surgery,
she said. [End]
http://www.maannews
Hundreds of PA security forces deploy in Hebron
(25 Oct) According to one source the new security forces will help impose the PA
"law and order" campaign in Hebron, though they have not been
authorized to work in areas near the Jewish settlements in and around
the city. The security campaign, according to As-Seifi, will target all illegal
practices, beginning with the seizure of fugitives and confiscation of
illegal weapons. He called on all fugitives to turn themselves in
before being seized by force. Commenting on the deployment of Palestinian forces in Hebron, Hamas
accused the PA of planning to "terminate" the political movement in the
West Bank.
http://www.maannews
Palestinian Authority security forces deploy in Hebron
(25 Oct) Palestinian security forces deployed in Hebron early
Saturday as part of Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas's
program to strengthen his control over the West Bank. Around 550 officers were taking up positions in the
city, the third in the West bank to be reinforced with forces loyal to
Abbas.
http://www.jpost.
Machsom Watch: A little episode from Hebron on Simhat Tora
(21 Oct) ...A notorious member of the Hebron Jewish community, Baruch Marzel, saw
the officer who was talking with us. He came over, impatiently caught
hold of the officer`s arm to drag him to the other side of the street:
`Now you have to take care of this TV team. They want to film us!` The
officer, without excusing himself interrupted his conversation and
immediately attended to Baruch Marzel`s orders. He ran over to the
other side of the street and stopped the filming. Watching this episode
we received a small glimpse into the inner affairs of the city: who is
giving the orders in Hebron and who is the real lord of the town.
http://www.kibush.
Water shortage forces Hebron residents to think about relocating
(24 Oct) Two areas in the city of Hebron situated next to Israeli settlements
have faced a chronic water shortage for so long that residents feel
they face no other option but to leave the areas and relocate. The issue is twofold; first the water systems of the Hebron
municipality have deteriorated and lack of funds and inability to get
permits from Israel for construction prevent their rehabilitation.
Second, private citizens living near the illegal Israeli settlements of
Kiryat Arba' and Khrsina, or any one of their outposts around the city,
are prevented from purchasing water supplies from local companies since
delivery is restricted near their homes.
http://www.maannews
Israeli forces turn Palestinian home into military post
(25
Oct) A Palestinian man, 47-year-old Bassam Za'ul from the southern West
Bank
village of Husan was awoken at 3:30 am on Saturday when more than a
dozen Israeli military vehicles stormed his house. Za'ul told Ma'an
that Israeli soldiers treated his family harshly and
beat his sons, 22-year-old Basil and 21-year-old Ahmad when they
refused to leave the house. "We were forced to leave at gunpoint," he
said. "My family consists of eight, including a 4-month-old baby girl,
and
all of the sudden we found ourselves in the street, shivering," Za'ul
said. Neighbors told Ma'an via telephone that Israeli soldiers had
turned the
house into a military base and watchtower. They erected a fence around
the house and raised Israeli flags on the roof. Soldiers removed
windows and replaced them with sandbags. The house is strategically
located on a bypass road leading to an illegal Israeli settlement,
Betar Ellite.
http://www.maannews
Israeli forces close Huwwara checkpoint, arrest boy 'with explosives'
(25
Oct) Israeli forces closed Huwwara, a major Israeli military checkpoint
south of Nablus, after they arrested one boy who was alleged to have
been
carrying explosives. Local witnesses said Israeli soldiers fired
several rounds of live
bullets at the crowd of waiting Palestinian civilians randomly then
closed the checkpoint to traffic in both directions. The boy, who has
not been identified, was arrested and taken to a military facility near
the checkpoint. He remains in custody.
http://www.maannews
Pipe bomb exposed at Hawara checkpoint
(25 Oct) IDF troops apprehend Palestinian youth arriving from Nablus after discovering explosive device hidden in his bag -- The youth arrived from the direction of Nablus on Saturday, and roused the suspicion of the soldiers. During the search a number of Palestinians
at the checkpoint advanced towards the soldiers, and warning shots were
fired into the air as a response. The checkpoint was closed following
the incident.
http://www.ynetnews
Three smugglers die inside Gaza smuggling tunnel Saturday
GAZA, Oct. 25 (Xinhua) -- Three Palestinians were
killed on Saturday when an underground smuggling tunnel that under
Egypt border collapsed. Palestinian sources said the dead were smugglers
who were working in the tunnel. The collapse occurred near the end of
the tunnel at the Egyptian side and that the fatalities were evacuated
to Egyptian hospitals in northern Sinai city of al-Arish. The latest deaths bring to 43 the number of Palestinians killed inside the tunnels.
http://news.
Egypt intensifies crackdown on Gaza smuggling tunnels
GAZA, Oct. 25 (Xinhua) -- Egypt reinforced its
forces on the border with Gaza Strip after two days of cracking down on
underground smuggling tunnels, local residents and Palestinian sources
said on Saturday. Egyptian troops, backed with
military vehicles and armored personnel carrier, deployed heavily on
the Egyptian side of the borders, according to residents of Rafah, the
Palestinian city the shares the borders with Egypt.The Egyptian forces also placed
snipers and soldiers on relatively high buildings that overlook the
border area. At night, they light up the area, the sources added.
http://news.
Gaza's flourishing tunnel trade
(24 Oct) Rami Almeghari writing from the occupied Gaza Strip -- Since Israel's total closure
of Gaza began over 16 months ago, the Palestinian residents of the tiny
coastal strip have relied on smuggling to meet their basic subsistence
needs. A recent United Nations report stated that Gaza's local market
is beholden to the tunnel trade or "death trade," which has so far
claimed the lives of 40 people. Known locally as "grave diggers," a few
thousand men earn their living by digging tunnels where they transport
essential goods from Egypt like food, cooking gas, petrol, live stock
and even electric devices.
http://electronicin
My descent into Gaza's smuggling underworld
(25 Oct) The tunnels under the Egypt border have become an economic
lifeline, as Donald Macintyre discovered -- Crawling south in the dank
metre-high passage, you have to hope the
crude wooden supports will keep the thick layers of clay and sand above
your head from crashing down on to you. Anyone who has been in a
narrow-seam coal mine can relate to the mild sense of claustrophobia
induced by a visit to Gaza's smugglers' tunnels, in which workers were
killed at roughly the rate of three a week last month.
http://www.independ
Palestinian football players stuck in Gaza ahead of historic match
(25 Oct) The Palestinian national football team will play its first home game tomorrow
after years of matches hosted by other Arab states, but with up to half the
players stuck in Gaza the historic match in the West Bank may only
underscore bitter divisions in the territories.
http://www.timesonl
Jordan blasts Israel for banning national team from Gaza City
(24 Oct) Amman - Jordan on Friday criticized Israeli authorities for their
failure to allow the country's national football team to travel to the
Palestinian Territories on Thursday for an international match.
Palestine is to play their first international on home soil against
Jordan on Sunday, but their opponents were denied permission to travel
to Ram on Thursday. The game will be played in the first
international-
http://www.earthtim
For Palestinians, home soccer game is symbol of ultimate goal
(24 Oct) RAMALLAH , West Bank
— Millions of Palestinians around the world are still waiting for the
day that they can celebrate the birth of an independent homeland. This
weekend, they'll at least be able to celebrate their first home soccer
game. In an historic event, the Palestinian national soccer team will
take to
the field Sunday to host its first internationally blessed home game at
a refurbished stadium near Jerusalem. "We don't need a state to show that we represent Palestine," goalkeeper
Fahed Fakhoury said Thursday as his teammates wrapped up practice on a
soggy field. "Palestine is in our heart. We're not going to wait for a
state to represent Palestine."
http://news.
ISM: Israeli forces shoot at farmers' 'buffer zone' in Gaza
(24 Oct) This is a compilation report of various times ISM Gaza Strip
volunteers have spent with farmers in Al-Faraheen Abasan Al-Kabeera,
near Khan Younis, Gaza Strip.
http://www.palsolid
Israeli warships fire on Gaza fishermen
(25
Oct) Israeli warships on Saturday opened fire at Gazan fishermen in
their boats at Tel Sultan near Rafah in the southern Gaza Strip.
Palestinian sources told Ma'an that the shooting took place at 8am. No
casualties have been reported. [End]
http://www.maannews
Health professionals denied entry into Gaza for WHO conference
(25 Oct) After being denied entry into Gaza, 120 health professionals from
Canada, the United States, Holland, Italy and the United Kingdom will
hold a protest at the Erez crossing between Israel and the Gaza Strip
to draw attention to what they call "a deliberate attempt to stop
professional communication and exchange between the international
medical community and Gaza medical professionals." The doctors, nurses and researchers had applied for special permits to
enter Gaza for the fifth international Gaza Community Mental Health
Program Conference titled "Siege and Mental Health, Walls vs. Bridges,"
scheduled to take place in Gaza City between the 27th and the 28th of
October.
http://www.maannews
Activists to launch Aloha Palestine, provide regular ferry service to Gaza
(24 Oct) Bethlehem – Ma'an – Members of the original Free Gaza ships have
announced the establishment of Aloha Palestine, a passenger shipping
service running between Palestine and Cyprus on a regularly scheduled
route. Original crew members Lauren Booth and Ken O'Keefe have spearheaded the
project. Designed as a not-for-profit company, Aloha Palestine will
seek to repeat and build upon the success of the Free Gaza campaign,
which landed the first international vessels in the Gaza City port in
41 years.
http://www.maannews
More Arab and international MPs join the trip to besieged Gaza Strip
(24 Oct) BRUSSELS, (PIC)-- More Arab and foreign
lawmakers have expressed their willingness to join the scheduled trip
to the besieged Gaza Strip which the European campaign for lifting the
Gaza siege is preparing for. In
a press statement he made in the Swiss city of Geneva, co-founder of the
campaign and chairman of the Swiss Rights for All society Anwar
Al-Gharbi asserted that MPs from Algeria, Kuwait, Yemen, Jordan, Sudan,
and other Arab countries have expressed their willingness to join the
multi-national parliamentary delegation visiting the Strip. Lawmakers
from Britain, Ireland, Greece, Italy, Switzerland, Scotland, in
addition to legislators from Asian and Latin American countries had
already registered to join the trip.
http://www.palestin
Freed Palestinian captive calls for a deal that guarantees release of all female prisoners
(24 Oct) RAMALLAH, (PIC)-- Freed Palestinian
captive Etaf Elayyan called on the captors of Israeli occupation
soldier Gilad Shalit to insist on a deal that guarantees the release of
all Palestinian female captives. Elayyan,
who was released on Thursday, said in a press statement that
Palestinian female captives are served with long sentences on trivial
charges, as in her case where she was imprisoned for visiting the
family of another Palestinian female captive.
http://www.palestin
Palestinian Journalists Forum calls for release of journalists
(24 Oct) GAZA, (PIC)-- The Palestinian Journalists
Forum (PJF) condemned, in a statement on Friday, the arrest, by the PA
security, of Muhammad Eshtewi, correspondent of the Aqsa Satellite
Channel in the northern West Bank town of Tulkarem. The
PJF held on Thursday a picket opposite the Legislative Council in Gaza
to demand the release of eight journalists held in West Bank jails and
three journalists held in Gaza jails.
http://www.palestin
British Council holds workshop on investigative journalism in Ramallah
(25 Oct) The workshop, titled "Investigative Reporting Skills for the Print and
Photographical Media," was taught by volunteers from the Thomson
Foundation, which awards investigative journalists for excellence each
year. British Consul General Richard Makepeace hosted journalists from
Al-Quds, Al-Ayam and Al-Hayah newspapers, as well as Ma'an and Wafa
news agencies and Pialara and Pal Media. Additionally, attendees from
the media sections of Birzeit University and An-Najah University joined
in, as well. The consul general spoke at the event, encouraging more media workshops
in Palestine in order to counter those who oppose journalism and
freedom of speech.
http://www.maannews
Gaza school fall: Union leader calls for student strike, rights organization for investigation
(24 Oct) Gaza City / PNN – Head of the Civil Service Union
Bassam Zakarneh called today for a full strike of students in the wake
of an altercation at a Gaza City school where a 16 year old fell from a
third floor window and ended up in a coma. Arafat
Al Sawaf was reportedly trying to escape a teacher at Al Shafia School
in Gaza City's Al Zeitoun neighborhood on Saturday. The Palestinian
Centre for Human Rights is calling for a full investigation.
http://english.
Ceasefire between Gaza and Israel has not eased conditions in Gaza: UN expert
(24 Oct) 24 October 2008 – The
ceasefire between Gaza and Israel that was reached in June has been
"generally effective in reducing the level of political violence," but
has not delivered on Israeli assurances to ease entry and exit of goods
and people, an independent United Nations human rights expert has told
Member States. "If anything, existing evidence discloses a harsher regime of confinement and siege imposed on the Gazan population."
http://www.un.
Islamic Jihad: Ceasefire with Israel damaging Palestinian unity
(24
Oct) Islamic Jihad said on Friday in Gaza that the four-month truce
with
Israel has gone on too long, harms the national liberation movement and
serves as a mechanism to divide Palestinians. Sheikh Nafeth Azzam, a
leader within Islamic Jihad, made the comments
in Khan Younis during a ceremony commemorating the assassination of
Islamic Jihad leader Al-Shaqaqi. Azzam still praised Egypt's "mediation
in support of a national dialogue," saying their role is "welcomed" by
Palestinians.
http://www.maannews
PFLP leader explains party's take on Abbas' legitimacy past 9 January
(25
Oct) Hamas' stance on leadership legitimacy will lead to two
Palestinian
presidents and two governments, said Member of the Palestinian
Legislative Council (PLC) and politburo of the Popular Front for the
Liberation of Palestine (PFLP) Jamil Al-Majdalawi, on Saturday.
Addressing those assembled for the workshop Al-Majdalawi endeavored to
explain the legal stances of the Palestinian rival parties on the
legality of the president's term....
http://www.maannews
Gaza Guantanamo
(24 Oct) GAZA CITY — He shudders whenever he hears the name of Al-Mashtal prison in western Gaza. "You can't believe the scale of physical
and psychological torture inside," a recently-released Fatah prisoner
told IslamOnline.
http://www.islamonl
The latest tactics in the Hamas-Fatah security debate: the ousting of At-Tirwani
(24 Oct) Hours of confusion prevailed in the Palestinian security departments
across the West Bank following the sudden decree of Palestinian
president Mahmoud Abbas which reassigned infamous head of Palestinian
public intelligence Tawfiq At-Tirawi to the position of head of the new
Academy of Security Sciences in Jericho and special security advisor to
Abbas.
http://www.maannews
At-Tirwani: My removal from post was 'a natural thing'
(24 Oct) General Tawfiq At-Tirawi also said that his removal from the
intelligence services was "a natural thing," playing down rumors that
he was fired under pressure from Hamas. "I told the president that I no longer wanted the responsibility," he said.
http://www.maannews
Peres demands normal economic relations with the Arab world
(25
Oct) Israeli President, Shimon Peres, met on Thursday with the Egyptian
president, Hosny Mubarak, and informed him that Israel is interested in
establishing normal economic relations with the Arab world, and that
these relations would parallel peace talks with the Palestinians. Peres
said that these normal relations should be achieved before a
final peace deal is reached with the Palestinians and before a peace
deal is reached with Syria.
http://www.imemc.
Abbas postpones meeting with Olmert
(25 Oct) Abbas delays
meeting scheduled for Monday due to Israel's internal political
situation. 'If leaders meet, it might look like we're intervening in
Israeli internal affairs,' says aide -- The two leaders were due to meet on Monday
to discuss the peace negotiations, but the Palestinians said they
delayed the talks because Israel was preoccupied with internal
politics.
http://www.ynetnews
Abducted soldier Gilad Shalit receives letter from family, says France
(24 Oct) Some two months ago, the elder Shalit had asked for
French president Nicolas Sarkozy's assistance in delivering a letter to
Gilad, who was kidnapped by Gaza militants in a cross-border raid in
June 2006 and holds French citizenship. "This is very exciting," Shalit said after being notified by
Sarkozy's senior advisor. "This is the first time he has received a
message from outside."
http://www.haaretz.
Extremist Jewish residents of Akka attack pregnant Arab teacher
(25 Oct) The teacher, Wisal Namarna, 22, gave the Arabs48
news website details about the attack which left her with an injury in
her left arm as she placed it on her abdomen in order to protect her
fetus. "I never expected to be attacked like this, I
was on my way to school on Tuesday morning", Namarna stated, "Two young
religious Jews attacked me with stones and injured me in my left arm as
I placed it on my abdomen to protect my fetus".
http://www.imemc.
Jerusalem stabbing: terrorist's family affiliated with Islamic Jihad
(24 Oct) Police said Friday that the interrogation
of the Palestinian terrorist who killed an 86-year-old Israeli civilian
and wounded an officer during a stabbing attack in
Jerusalem's Gilo neighborhood Thursday morning revealed that he had
apparently acted alone despite the fact that his family is affiliated
with Islamic Jihad.
It was further revealed that the terrorist, 21-year-old Muhammad al-
Badan, bought the knife he used to stab the Israelis on the morning of
the attack.
http://www.ynetnews
Deputy Abu Zneid calls on Jerusalemites to boycott elections
(25 Oct) Jerusalem – Ma'an – A member of the Palestinian Legislative Council
(PLC) on Saturday called for Palestinians in Jerusalem to boycott
upcoming Israeli municipality elections. The PLC member, Fatah-affiliated Jihad Abu Zneid, called for all
Jerusalemites to boycott the Israeli municipality, as she considers
such elections "illegitimate." Her remarks came in response to a decision that bars Jerusalemites
living east of the Israeli-built separation wall to participate in the
elections. The Israeli municipality issued that resolution on Saturday,
as well.
http://www.maannews
Officer who smuggled Palestinians into Israel gets community service
(24 Oct) The Jerusalem Magistrates' Court on
Friday sentenced a 24-year-old Border Guard officer to 350 hours of
community service for allowing Palestinians to pass through a security
checkpoint without the proper permits. The officer, who was convicted of fraud and breach of trust,
was caught when he agreed to let an undercover cop pass through a
checkpoint in exchange for two canaries and a cage.
http://www.ynetnews
Twilight Zone / Night of prayer - by Gideon Levy
(23 Oct) When Palestinian Ali Jabarin objected to the curses of Border Police, he ended up with torn eardrums -- The highway to Jerusalem (Road 443) is like another separation
barrier. The next time you drive on this road, remember that, because
of it, Ali Jabarin cannot pray in the place that is sacred to him. Aged 35 and the father of two daughters, with twin
girls on the way, Jabarin works for a charity organization for orphans
in Azzariyeh. This week, at his home in Beit Hanina, he told us the
story of what happened to him, lingering over the details of every
punch and every curse to which he was subjected.
http://www.haaretz.
Khalid Amayreh: Re-instate the fired teachers...now
(25 Oct) I have no doubt that the Palestinian
judicial system, if allowed to function properly, will nullify and
reverse the recent decision by the Palestinian Authority (PA)
Mukhabarat (General Intelligence) to fire hundreds of highly-qualified
school teachers because of their suspected Islamic political
orientations. Similarly, I have no doubt that the Palestinian
Teachers' Union, if allowed to function properly, will identify with
these wronged teachers who continued to carry out their required tasks
rather assiduously until the day of their dismissal despite the
disrespectful treatment they were receiving from the American-backed
regime in Ramallah, including the unlawful freezing of their salaries.
(The teachers have not received their full salaries despite their
dismissal).
http://www.palestin
Isles of the West Bank -- Their Shoafat outshines her Paris
(25 Oct) Security projects have changed Palestinian urban living -- The refugee camps in East Jerusalem and Gaza that
Bulle has studied are the distilled essence of what she calls
"bricolage cities" - sites that result from a process of accumulation,
with buildings added in a haphazard, unplanned way. The camps have their own urban language, she writes,
a language of economy and population explosion. Temporary, spontaneous
architecture has become permanent. The camps are not officially
recognized and yet are well organized, invisible cities "that swallow
up the landmarks of the original city. They are a prelude to a city,
the promise of a city that is unclaimed and unrecognized."
http://www.haaretz.
Rami G. Khoury: Do we react to Israeli actions or words?
(25 Oct) It's
hard to know whether the most appropriate reply to the sudden Israeli
expressions of interest in the 2002 Arab peace plan should be
"hallelujah" or "who are they kidding?" There
are good reasons to read only massive insincerity in the Israeli
position, but also room to ask if this is an opening the Arabs and all
peace-loving people should explore with more vigor than doubt.
http://www.dailysta
[The 1967] War from the bottom up
The principal insight that can be gleaned from
discussions held by a small group - including Lt. Gen. Yitzhak Rabin;
the head of the General Staff Branch, Maj. Gen. Ezer Weizman; and the
head of the Operations Department, Colonel Yitzhak Hofi - is how little
thinking ahead took place. Until the end of the second week of the
crisis with Egypt, the high command did not discuss seriously the
conquest (or "liberation," to use a less military term) of Jerusalem,
the West Bank, the Golan Heights and western Sinai as far as the Suez
Canal. The recommendation was to mount a limited action in the south in
order to restore the status quo ante....
http://www.haaretz.
Toward a winning Palestinian strategy
(24 Oct) by Daoud Kuttab -- A study by the Palestine Strategy Study group calls for a serious
change of discourse. It notes that terms like peacemaking and state
building have become code words for the continuation of the status quo
in which Palestinians react, not act. This must be replaced, they
argue, by "smart resistance" and self-determination". The Palestinian strategy, they say, might have to resort to the
decolonisation strategy rather than waste time and effort on useless
nation building and peace making discourse.
http://usa.mediamon
Effort aims to counter Christian Zionism
(24 Oct) Before the year is up, nearly 45 million people will get more than a
sermon at their churches -- they'll get a brochure titled "Why We
Should Be Concerned About Christian Zionism." The brochure says Christian Zionism "fosters fear and hatred of Muslims
and non-Western Christians" and "can lead to the dehumanization of
Israelis and Palestinians." Its distribution reflects the concerns of
Christians who are trying to combat what they call the growing
influence of Christian Zionism in the U.S. ... About 20 million to 40 million people in the U.S. are Christian
Zionists, according to the Pew Forum on Religion and Public Life.
http://www.latimes.
Israel to become ultimate swing state
(22 Oct) Approximately half of some 42,000 registered US
voters living in Israel are voting in swing states such as Florida,
Ohio and Pennsylvania, and could have an effect on the turnouts of
those elections, according to Shimon Greenspan, director of the
nonpartisan Vote From Israel organization, which helps Americans living
in Israel to register and cast their absentee ballots. "If the election is close, as it was in the past two
[presidential] elections, then the deciding votes could be coming from
Israel," he said.
http://www.jpost.
New Gallup poll shows 75% of US Jews plan to vote Obama
(25 Oct) A new poll released by the Gallup organization on Thursday shows Jewish voters favor Barack Obama over John McCain by more than 3 to 1, with 74% saying they will vote for Obama over 22% for McCain.
http://www.haaretz.
Muslims in US praise Powell's remarks
(24 Oct) For many Muslim- and Arab-Americans, comments former Secretary of State Colin Powell made over the weekend about what in their view is the Islamophobia surrounding Sen. Barack Obama's candidacy were a much-needed salve on a festering sore. On Meet the Press
Sunday, Powell said what many Muslims and Arabs said they have waited
to hear from a prominent figure like Powell throughout the 2008
presidential campaign.
http://www.sun-
LAPD Chief Bratton believes Bin Laden pre-election attack possible
(23 Oct) Los Angeles Police Chief William J. Bratton said Wednesday he believes
that Al Qaeda leader Osama bin Laden might try to influence next
month's U.S. presidential election through a terrorist attack or some
less dramatic tactic. Bratton and Eddy speculated that Bin Laden is looking to sway the
election in favor of Republican Party candidate John McCain, since
McCain "is more likely to engender Muslim anger and resentment than
would his opponent. "Put simply: Bin Laden probably realizes it could become markedly more
difficult to paint the United States as the 'Great Satan' with a new
president who is admired internationally," they wrote.
http://www.latimes.
Five-star refugees
(22 Oct) When the IDF withdrew from the security zone on May
22, 2000, approximately 6,000 members of the South Lebanese Army and
their families were also brought to Israel. Boutros is one of the 2,600
members of that community who still reside in Israel - scattered in
northern Israeli communities such as Carmiel, Hadera, Kiryat Shmona and
other towns - with the majority, approximately 1,000 people, living in
Nahariya.
But eight years after they fled their country, many
in this Lebanese community - unlike Boutros and Maggie - have yet to
put down roots.
http://www.jpost.
Nasrallah: Rumors I was poisoned are 'psychological warfare'
(25 Oct) Hezbollah Secretary General Hassan Nasrallah dispelled as 'psychological warfare' reports that he had been poisoned last week and was saved by a team of Iranian doctors, during an interview he gave Friday night to Hezbollah television station Al-Manar.
Nasrallah, who rarely makes public appearances, added
that recently there has been a flurry of negative reports slamming the
organization, including that the Lebanese terrorist organization is
involved in drug trafficking in South America and that they are riven
by internal disputes.
http://www.haaretz.
Abu Nidal, notorious Palestinian mercenary, 'was a US spy"
(25 Oct) Secret papers claim the feared assassin was hired to find
links between Saddam and al-Qa'ida. Robert Fisk reports. Iraqi secret
police believed that the notorious Palestinian assassin Abu Nidal was
working for the Americans as well as Egypt and Kuwait when they
interrogated him in Baghdad only months before the Anglo-American
invasion of Iraq. Hitherto secret documents which are now in the hands
of The Independent – written by Saddam Hussein's brutal security
services for Saddam's eyes only – state that he had been "colluding"
with the Americans.
http://www.independ
Friday: 5 Iraqis killed, 2 wounded
(24 Oct) Excerpt: At least five Iraqis were killed and two more were injured
during light prayer day violence. No Coalition deaths were reported.
Meanwhile, Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice said that Iraq can make
decisions without Iranian input over a controversial U.S.-Iraqi
security pact.
http://www.antiwar.
Iraq environment scarred by deadly waste of war
BAGHDAD, Oct 24 (Reuters) - Long after the shooting and bombing stops,
Iraqis will still be dying from the war.Destroyed factories have become
untended hazardous waste sites,
leaking poison into the water and the soil. Forests in the north and
palm groves in the south have been obliterated to remove the enemy's
hiding places.Rivers are salted, water is contaminated with sewage, and
land
is strewn with mines, unexploded bombs, chemical waste, rubble and
trash.
http://www.reliefwe
Killings force 13,000 Christians to flee Mosul
(25
Oct) UN agency sends aid to beleaguered community - Sunni Arabs and
Kurds blamed for violence -- The full scale of the persecution of
Christians in the northern Iraqi
city of Mosul became apparent last night when the UN's refugee agency
said about 13,000 had been hounded from their homes this month - more
than half of the city's Christian community.
http://www.guardian
Iraq and the arrogance of Washington
(24-26 Oct) I should be used to it by now, but I'm not. When I read statements
from US policymakers telling the world that Iraq is still not capable
of defending itself without US help, I am still angered and amazed at
the bold-faced arrogance. Most recently, several US political leaders
and generals have told the Iraqi and American people that only they
know when it is time for US troops to leave Iraq. Furthermore, while
Iraqis from virtually every segment of that nation's political sphere
demand changes in the US-imposed agreement to keep US forces there,
Secretary of State Condoleeza Rice vocalizes Washington's response: we
decide what we want to do in Iraq and we decide how long we will stay,
so take it or leave it. If you leave it, then we will find another way
to stay, and if we do, we will make your lives more miserable than we
already have.
http://www.counterp
(24 Oct) Fearing political division in the parliament and the country at large, Iraqi Prime Minister Nouri al Maliki won't sign the just-completed agreement on the status of U.S. troops in Iraq, a leading lawmaker said on Friday.
http://us.rd.
On the status of forces agreement
(24 Oct) The leaking of the SOFA (Status of Forces Agreement) and the more general strategical framework deal between the United States and Iraq has been so gradual that few surprises remained by the time most details were finally considered to be in the public domain last week. Perhaps the most interesting way of looking at the proposed deal is to study it from the point of view of the Iraqi government.
http://electronicir
Making melodies amid Iraq's staccato blasts
(25 Oct) Baghdad: I first noticed the shop nearly two years ago, because of the guitar and the spray of pink plastic flowers hanging on the wall outside. A yellow and red stairway led to the door. It was a defiant display of colour in a tense city of grays, blacks and browns. More remarkably, the store appeared to be selling musical instruments at a time when religious extremists were attacking anything that hinted at Western decadence.
http://archive.
Book Review: My Father's Paradise: A son's search for his Jewish past in Kurdish Iraq
(26 Oct) If Ariel Sabar's My Father's Paradise were only about his father's life, it would be a remarkable enough story about the psychic costs of immigration. But Sabar's family history turns out to be more than the chronicle of one man's efforts to retain something of his homeland in new surroundings. It's also a moving story about the near-death of an ancient language and the tiny flicker of life that remains in it.
http://www.washingt
Guantanamo tribunals overseer under investigation
(25 Oct) Reporting from Washington -- A Pentagon official overseeing the Guantanamo war crimes tribunals is the subject of two investigations into his conduct, including one wide-ranging ethics examination into whether he abused his power and improperly influenced the prosecutions of enemy combatants.
http://www.latimes.
---
www.theheadlines.
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