Popular Struggle- On November 28th, Adnan, a Silwan grassroots organizer, received written notification that Israel intends to issue an order expelling him for a four months period from his city - Jerusalem. Adnan is a resident of Silwan, and a member of the al-Bustan Neighborhood's committee, which was formed to oppose plans for massive house demolitions. In a reality where Palestinians' right for freedom of expression in not even lip service, organizing your community against its impending destruction is reason enough to be ripped from it.
The order against Adnan is not part of a legal process where suspicions, charges or evidence have any part. It is an administrative order that circumvents the rule of law, which forms the foundation of western democracy. In this harsh reality, a person's rights are taken without due process, with no charges, based on secret evidence and with no possibility to truly defend oneself. It is the essence of a Kafkaesque legal procedure in the taunting maze of the Occupation's bureaucracy and power.
But it is not too late to act up and make a difference. Adnan's expulsion from his city and family and life, can be prevented.
Adnan's story is the story of thousands of residents of East Jerusalem. In view of the brutal tactics of repression employed by police against the community in service of the settlers who have taken over the city, it is clear that Adnan Gheith’s expulsion constitutes an experimental exercise of power on part of the Israeli Police. The Shin Bet and the Israeli Army intended to prepare the ground for massive home demolitions in the al-Bustan neighborhood and for a deepening Jewish settlement in Silwan.
Please lend your voice to Adnan and the people of Silwan in their fight for their homes, their community and their dignity.
In an attempt to stop democratic and legitimate protest, Israel makes distorted and cynical use of the law. Despite months of repeated arrests, in which Adnan was led handcuffed to interrogation over and over again - and with judge after judge ordering his release from custody – not a shred of evidence was gathered against him. The State has now decided to no longer bother with the criminal procedure where evidence is required, but rather to circumvent it by using the security apparatus and emergency regulations.
The Israeli government is now turning to unconstitutional and undemocratic means in the face of Palestinian and international pressure to end settlement in East Jerusalem. Adnan’s expulsion from his city will not only exact an unbearable cost on him and his family, but also on the residents of Silwan. Read more
Friday, December 24, 2010
Gaza: Two years after the Horror!
Haidar Eid
This week marks the second anniversary of the horror inflicted on the people of the Gaza Strip. Nothing has changed! Gaza has returned to its pre-invasion state of siege, confronted with the usual international indifference. Two years after the Israeli assault that lasted 22 long days and dark nights, during which its brave people were left alone to face one of the strongest armies in the world, Gaza no longer makes the news. Its people die slowly, its children are malnourished, its water contaminated, and yet it is deprived even of a word of sympathy from the President the United States and the leaders of Europe.
This week marks the second anniversary of the horror inflicted on the people of the Gaza Strip. Nothing has changed! Gaza has returned to its pre-invasion state of siege, confronted with the usual international indifference. Two years after the Israeli assault that lasted 22 long days and dark nights, during which its brave people were left alone to face one of the strongest armies in the world, Gaza no longer makes the news. Its people die slowly, its children are malnourished, its water contaminated, and yet it is deprived even of a word of sympathy from the President the United States and the leaders of Europe.
Palestinians hold peaceful rally protesting Israeli practices
Ma’an– Palestinians and peace activists from Israel and abroad rallied Friday in the Silwan neighborhood of Jerusalem protesting settlements and other Israeli procedures there and in the Old City.
Demonstrators denounced practices of the Israeli government and settlers against Palestinians. Participants marched in the neighborhood reaching a protest tent in the Al-Bustan neighborhood where they held speeches. Read more
Demonstrators denounced practices of the Israeli government and settlers against Palestinians. Participants marched in the neighborhood reaching a protest tent in the Al-Bustan neighborhood where they held speeches. Read more
Wave of ethnic rage sparks concern in Israel
Ma'an- A wave of protests and discriminatory acts by Jewish Israelis against Palestinians and Africans is worrying rights activists and has prompted an unprecedented appeal for calm from Israel's prime minister.
The past week alone has seen a string of passionate protests targeting "fraternisation" between Palestinian men and Jewish women and criticizing the rising number of African migrants.
Also this week, Israeli police said they had arrested a gang of young Jews accused of multiple hate crime attacks against residents of Jerusalem, shortly after the publication of a letter signed by dozens of Israeli rabbis, many of them state employees, calling on Jews not to rent or sell property to non-Jews. Read more
The past week alone has seen a string of passionate protests targeting "fraternisation" between Palestinian men and Jewish women and criticizing the rising number of African migrants.
Also this week, Israeli police said they had arrested a gang of young Jews accused of multiple hate crime attacks against residents of Jerusalem, shortly after the publication of a letter signed by dozens of Israeli rabbis, many of them state employees, calling on Jews not to rent or sell property to non-Jews. Read more
Thursday, December 23, 2010
Israeli troops kill Palestinian shepherd; injure 3 in northern Gaza
IMEMC- The Israeli army fired at four Palestinian farmers and shepherds in the northern part of the Gaza Strip on Thursday, killing one and wounding three, local sources reported.
Troops opened fire on a number of Palestinians, leaving four of them wounded. After being brought to the hospital, 22-year old Salamah Abu Hashish succumbed to his wounds. He had been shot in the back by Israeli troops stationed at the border.
Another of the victims was a 14-year old boy who was critically injured when he was shot in the head while collecting rubble near where Abu Hashish was tending his sheep. Read more
Troops opened fire on a number of Palestinians, leaving four of them wounded. After being brought to the hospital, 22-year old Salamah Abu Hashish succumbed to his wounds. He had been shot in the back by Israeli troops stationed at the border.
Another of the victims was a 14-year old boy who was critically injured when he was shot in the head while collecting rubble near where Abu Hashish was tending his sheep. Read more
Syria sends relief aid to Gaza
IMEMC- A Syrian popular committee has sent a new humanitarian aid convoy of food and medicines to the Gaza Strip, according to local sources.
According to the Palestine Information Centre (PIC), the new aid convoy of foodstuffs and medical material is heading to Gaza, under the initiative of the Syrian Arab popular committee for the support of the Palestinian people.
Ahmed Abdulkarim, head of the committee, was quoted as saying that four truckloads containing 80 tons of food, medicine, and clothes were sent to the coastal enclave via Jordan to help relieve the Gazans' suffering, especially with the upcoming Christmas and New Year's festivities. Read more
According to the Palestine Information Centre (PIC), the new aid convoy of foodstuffs and medical material is heading to Gaza, under the initiative of the Syrian Arab popular committee for the support of the Palestinian people.
Ahmed Abdulkarim, head of the committee, was quoted as saying that four truckloads containing 80 tons of food, medicine, and clothes were sent to the coastal enclave via Jordan to help relieve the Gazans' suffering, especially with the upcoming Christmas and New Year's festivities. Read more
Israeli soldiers shoot 2 Palestinians in Hebron
PNN- Two Palestinians were wounded in the southern West Bank city of Hebron on Thursday morning when Israeli troops opened fire on them in the region of Wadi al-Gharous, on a road leading to the Kiryat Arba settlement.
Local sources said live bullets wounded Isma’il Salah Ali al-Jabari, 20, in his chest and legs and Muhammad Amer Sabahi al-Jabari, also 20, in his head. They were traveling in a car at the time of the shooting. Read more
Local sources said live bullets wounded Isma’il Salah Ali al-Jabari, 20, in his chest and legs and Muhammad Amer Sabahi al-Jabari, also 20, in his head. They were traveling in a car at the time of the shooting. Read more
3 Palestinians arrested near Jenin, Israeli troops close off city
PNN- Israeli raids near the northern West Bank city of Jenin on Thursday morning resulted in three arrested in the village of Kafr Ra’i and a blockade of the road from Jenin to its western neighbor Tulkarm.
Local sources said “special units” entered the village and arrested Mu’tasim Wa’il Malham and his brothers Muhammad and Muntasir after raiding their home and searching their belongings.
In related news, seven military vehicles entered the nearby village of Qabatiya and conducted a “wide-reaching” search operation that targeted several houses but resulted in no arrests.
Troops closed the gates on the road from Jenin to Tulkarm on Thursday morning as well, near an Israeli settlement, and patrols walked up and down the road. The cause of the closure was unknown at press time. It was closed last year for more than nine months.
More than 30% of land in the Jenin area falls behind the Israeli wall, not including a further 25% that is being used for settler roads. Read more
Local sources said “special units” entered the village and arrested Mu’tasim Wa’il Malham and his brothers Muhammad and Muntasir after raiding their home and searching their belongings.
In related news, seven military vehicles entered the nearby village of Qabatiya and conducted a “wide-reaching” search operation that targeted several houses but resulted in no arrests.
Troops closed the gates on the road from Jenin to Tulkarm on Thursday morning as well, near an Israeli settlement, and patrols walked up and down the road. The cause of the closure was unknown at press time. It was closed last year for more than nine months.
More than 30% of land in the Jenin area falls behind the Israeli wall, not including a further 25% that is being used for settler roads. Read more
Palestinian resolution condemning Israeli settlement expansion to be presented to UN Security Council
IMEMC- ...Saeb Erakat, the chief Palestinian negotiator in the peace talks, asserted that a draft resolution condemning Israel's settlement activity is set to be presented to the UN Security Council in February, after the US ends its presidency of the Council.
Erakat also warned to resort to the International Court of Justice should the resolution not be voted at the Security Council, hoping the US would not use its veto. He stated: "We are not condemning Israel. We are condemning settlement activities and we hope the resolution will pass." Read more
Erakat also warned to resort to the International Court of Justice should the resolution not be voted at the Security Council, hoping the US would not use its veto. He stated: "We are not condemning Israel. We are condemning settlement activities and we hope the resolution will pass." Read more
Nonviolent protest coordinator Mazin Qumsiyeh and 2 others arrested, 3 wounded
Stop The Wall- This morning, May 6, Israeli occupation forces arrested the coordinator of the Popular Committee against the Apartheid Wall and Settlements in Beit Sahour, Dr. Mazin Qumsiyeh. Dr. Qumsiyeh teaches and does research at Bethlehem and Birzeit Universities. They also arrested the brothers Zia (33 years)and Nafiz Hamdan (23 years)and an international activist. The military handcuffed them and took them to an unknown destination.
...Three protesters were severely injured. Occupation forces sprayed a new kind of gas, never before used in al-Walaja, directly into the eyes of one of the protesters so that he was unable to open his eyes in order to see. They then beat him with batons and rifle butts until they broke a rib in his chest. A second protester had this same new type of gas sprayed directly into his ear and developed such a severe reaction to it that he had to be brought to Beit Jala hospital for treatment. The third was injured in his foot while trying to escape arrest. Eyewitnesses reported that a number of Israeli soldiers beat him and tried to arrest him but demonstrators were able to free him and prevent his arrest. However, while freeing him he sustained a major injury in his foot and was bleeding heavily.
This all happened during a protest called for this morning, aimed at stopping the work of the bulldozers, which are currently destroying al-Walaja’s farmland, in order to prepare the ground for the Apartheid Wall. At 8 am people from al-Walaja and international solidarity activists gathered in the village center and then marched towards the land on which the bulldozers operate. They sat down in front of a bulldozer in order to prevent it from destroying the land. A large force of Israeli military then cracked down on the demonstrators with batons and rifle butts and kicked and beat the protester, spraying the new gas into the eyes of the demonstrators. Read more
...Three protesters were severely injured. Occupation forces sprayed a new kind of gas, never before used in al-Walaja, directly into the eyes of one of the protesters so that he was unable to open his eyes in order to see. They then beat him with batons and rifle butts until they broke a rib in his chest. A second protester had this same new type of gas sprayed directly into his ear and developed such a severe reaction to it that he had to be brought to Beit Jala hospital for treatment. The third was injured in his foot while trying to escape arrest. Eyewitnesses reported that a number of Israeli soldiers beat him and tried to arrest him but demonstrators were able to free him and prevent his arrest. However, while freeing him he sustained a major injury in his foot and was bleeding heavily.
This all happened during a protest called for this morning, aimed at stopping the work of the bulldozers, which are currently destroying al-Walaja’s farmland, in order to prepare the ground for the Apartheid Wall. At 8 am people from al-Walaja and international solidarity activists gathered in the village center and then marched towards the land on which the bulldozers operate. They sat down in front of a bulldozer in order to prevent it from destroying the land. A large force of Israeli military then cracked down on the demonstrators with batons and rifle butts and kicked and beat the protester, spraying the new gas into the eyes of the demonstrators. Read more
New Gaza war 'only a question of time'
Common Dreams- A senior Israeli army officer has told the BBC that as long as Hamas remains in control of the Gaza Strip, another war is "only a question of time".
...Palestinian negotiator Saeb Erekat also warned that tensions were escalating in the region, and that any Israeli attack on Gaza would only lead to further bloodshed.
"Military solutions such as these won't achieve anything and will only complicate the situation," Mr Erekat said.
...However, Israel has said it will increase attacks on Hamas facilities even if the movement is not directly responsible.
...The UN has said at least 62 Palestinians have been killed by Israeli action in Gaza so far this year. Over the same period, one Thai farm worker has been killed by rockets fired from the coastal territory into Israel.Read more
...Palestinian negotiator Saeb Erekat also warned that tensions were escalating in the region, and that any Israeli attack on Gaza would only lead to further bloodshed.
"Military solutions such as these won't achieve anything and will only complicate the situation," Mr Erekat said.
...However, Israel has said it will increase attacks on Hamas facilities even if the movement is not directly responsible.
...The UN has said at least 62 Palestinians have been killed by Israeli action in Gaza so far this year. Over the same period, one Thai farm worker has been killed by rockets fired from the coastal territory into Israel.Read more
Israel offers limited permits to Gaza's Christians to spend Christmas in Bethlehem
Xinhua News- Nabil Tarazi, a 50-year-old Christian who lives with his family in the Gaza Strip, said he would spare no efforts to gain a chance to go to the holy city of Bethlehem for Christmas on Friday.
Tarazi, who is a civil servant in the Palestinian National Authority (PNA), told Xinhua he is still waiting for an Israeli response to his application for the pass permit to go with his family from Gaza to Bethlehem for the forthcoming Christmas.
"I applied to the Israeli side three weeks ago, and have so far received no reply," he said.
Local media reported that Israel will only offer pass permits to around 300 Christians this year, out of a total of 3,000 Christians in Gaza among the 1.8 million population, to go to Bethlehem during the Christmas.
Israel decided this year that Christians below the age of 35 years old won't be able to obtain a permission to go to Bethlehem for Christmas, Tarazi said. Read more
Tarazi, who is a civil servant in the Palestinian National Authority (PNA), told Xinhua he is still waiting for an Israeli response to his application for the pass permit to go with his family from Gaza to Bethlehem for the forthcoming Christmas.
"I applied to the Israeli side three weeks ago, and have so far received no reply," he said.
Local media reported that Israel will only offer pass permits to around 300 Christians this year, out of a total of 3,000 Christians in Gaza among the 1.8 million population, to go to Bethlehem during the Christmas.
Israel decided this year that Christians below the age of 35 years old won't be able to obtain a permission to go to Bethlehem for Christmas, Tarazi said. Read more
Community response to Seattle Metro buses carrying ads critical of Israeli war crimes
The Seattle Times- Editor, The Times:
I was disappointed to see [president and CEO of the Jewish Federation of Greater Seattle] Richard Fruchter’s rejection of the exposure of the well-known and ongoing crimes against humanity perpetrated by the Israeli government against not only the Palestinian people but against its own citizens, such as Vanunu and including the murder of U.S. citizen Rachel Corrie [“Metro bus ad buy triggers backlash, debate,” page one, Dec. 21].
...Israeli war crimes deserve American public’s attention
We support the ads that will appear on a few city buses exposing how our tax dollars are enabling Israel to commit war crimes.
The adherents of the Israeli military occupation and its expansive policies in the West Bank and Gaza have been controlling the narrative in the U.S. media, in Congress and diplomatic circles far too long. The ads are a tiny effort to rouse our consciousness in defense of human rights and against war crimes being committed by Israel with our tax dollars!
If the adherents of Israeli policies can carry full page ads in The New York Times and in The Nation, then the tiny effort on behalf of those fighting for human rights is not to be denied.
— Barbara and J. Glenn Evans, Seattle
...Fighting for an oppressed people consistent with Jewish heritage, not anti-semitism
As a writer, educator and an individual of Jewish heritage for more than 75 years, I take exception to the actions of a handful of members of the Jewish community who have taken on themselves the right to censor that with which they disagree. Worse yet, they pretend to speak for the Jewish community. They do not speak for me.
Social justice, peace and compassion are all threads that run through the teachings of Judaism. Protesting military occupation; calling for the halt of taxpayers’ dollars to subsidize the continuing enslavement of a people; and insisting that real steps be taken toward peace in the Middle East are all actions consistent with the Jewish heritage that I know and live by.
Holding Israel and the United States to account does not make me or those like me anti-Semites.
— Lawrence Paros, Kirkland Read more
I was disappointed to see [president and CEO of the Jewish Federation of Greater Seattle] Richard Fruchter’s rejection of the exposure of the well-known and ongoing crimes against humanity perpetrated by the Israeli government against not only the Palestinian people but against its own citizens, such as Vanunu and including the murder of U.S. citizen Rachel Corrie [“Metro bus ad buy triggers backlash, debate,” page one, Dec. 21].
...Israeli war crimes deserve American public’s attention
We support the ads that will appear on a few city buses exposing how our tax dollars are enabling Israel to commit war crimes.
The adherents of the Israeli military occupation and its expansive policies in the West Bank and Gaza have been controlling the narrative in the U.S. media, in Congress and diplomatic circles far too long. The ads are a tiny effort to rouse our consciousness in defense of human rights and against war crimes being committed by Israel with our tax dollars!
If the adherents of Israeli policies can carry full page ads in The New York Times and in The Nation, then the tiny effort on behalf of those fighting for human rights is not to be denied.
— Barbara and J. Glenn Evans, Seattle
...Fighting for an oppressed people consistent with Jewish heritage, not anti-semitism
As a writer, educator and an individual of Jewish heritage for more than 75 years, I take exception to the actions of a handful of members of the Jewish community who have taken on themselves the right to censor that with which they disagree. Worse yet, they pretend to speak for the Jewish community. They do not speak for me.
Social justice, peace and compassion are all threads that run through the teachings of Judaism. Protesting military occupation; calling for the halt of taxpayers’ dollars to subsidize the continuing enslavement of a people; and insisting that real steps be taken toward peace in the Middle East are all actions consistent with the Jewish heritage that I know and live by.
Holding Israel and the United States to account does not make me or those like me anti-Semites.
— Lawrence Paros, Kirkland Read more
PCHR weekly report: Israeli Human Rights violations in the Occupied Palestinian Territory
Palestinian Centre for Human Rights report: December 16 – December 22, 2010
Israeli Occupation Forces (IOF) Continue Systematic Attacks against Palestinian Civilians and Property in the Occupied Palestinian Territory (OPT)
· 5 activist of the Palestinian resistance were killed by IOF in the Gaza Strip.
· Another 4 activists were wounded by Israeli air strikes.
· IOF continued to fire at Palestinian workers, farmers and fishermen in border areas in the Gaza Strip.
- Two Palestinian workers, including a child, and one shepherd were wounded.
· Israeli warplanes attacked a number of targets in the Gaza Strip.
· A factory of dairy products was destroyed in the southern Gaza Strip.
· A house and a grocery were destroyed and another two houses were damaged in Rafah.
· A bird farm was damaged and 1,800 chickens were killed.
· Two sites of the 'Izziddin al-Qassam Brigades (the armed wing of Hamas) were destroyed.
· IOF continued to use force against peaceful protests in the West Bank.
- 5 Palestinian civilians were wounded.
- IOF arrested 5 human rights defenders.
·IOF conducted 34 incursions into Palestinian communities in the West Bank.
-IOF arrested 22 Palestinian civilians, including two children.
·Israel has continued to impose a total siege on the OPT and has isolated the Gaza Strip from the outside world.
·Israel has continued to take measures aimed at creating a Jewish demographic majority in Jerusalem.
- IOF demolished a houses and forced two Palestinian civilians to demolish their houses in Jerusalem.
· IOF have continued settlement activities in the West Bank and Israeli settlers have continued to attack Palestinian civilians and property.
- Israeli settlers attacked two children in Jenin and burnt a cattle of sheep in Nablus.
- IOF demolished a house in Bethlehem and 4 stores in Hebron.
- IOF confiscated 50 donums[1] of land in Beit Eksa village near Jerusalem.
Summary
Israeli violations of international law and humanitarian law in the OPT continued during the reporting period (16 – 22 December 2010):
Shooting:
During the reporting period, IOF killed 5 activists of the Palestinian resistance and wound 4 others in the Gaza Strip. They also wounded 8 Palestinian civilians, including a child in the Gaza Strip and the West Bank.
On 18 December 2010, an IOF drone fired a missile at a number of activists of the Palestinian resistance in the central Gaza Strip who were attempting to fire home-made rockets into Israel. As a result, 5 activists were killed.
Israeli Occupation Forces (IOF) Continue Systematic Attacks against Palestinian Civilians and Property in the Occupied Palestinian Territory (OPT)
· 5 activist of the Palestinian resistance were killed by IOF in the Gaza Strip.
· Another 4 activists were wounded by Israeli air strikes.
· IOF continued to fire at Palestinian workers, farmers and fishermen in border areas in the Gaza Strip.
- Two Palestinian workers, including a child, and one shepherd were wounded.
· Israeli warplanes attacked a number of targets in the Gaza Strip.
· A factory of dairy products was destroyed in the southern Gaza Strip.
· A house and a grocery were destroyed and another two houses were damaged in Rafah.
· A bird farm was damaged and 1,800 chickens were killed.
· Two sites of the 'Izziddin al-Qassam Brigades (the armed wing of Hamas) were destroyed.
· IOF continued to use force against peaceful protests in the West Bank.
- 5 Palestinian civilians were wounded.
- IOF arrested 5 human rights defenders.
·IOF conducted 34 incursions into Palestinian communities in the West Bank.
-IOF arrested 22 Palestinian civilians, including two children.
·Israel has continued to impose a total siege on the OPT and has isolated the Gaza Strip from the outside world.
·Israel has continued to take measures aimed at creating a Jewish demographic majority in Jerusalem.
- IOF demolished a houses and forced two Palestinian civilians to demolish their houses in Jerusalem.
· IOF have continued settlement activities in the West Bank and Israeli settlers have continued to attack Palestinian civilians and property.
- Israeli settlers attacked two children in Jenin and burnt a cattle of sheep in Nablus.
- IOF demolished a house in Bethlehem and 4 stores in Hebron.
- IOF confiscated 50 donums[1] of land in Beit Eksa village near Jerusalem.
Summary
Israeli violations of international law and humanitarian law in the OPT continued during the reporting period (16 – 22 December 2010):
Shooting:
During the reporting period, IOF killed 5 activists of the Palestinian resistance and wound 4 others in the Gaza Strip. They also wounded 8 Palestinian civilians, including a child in the Gaza Strip and the West Bank.
On 18 December 2010, an IOF drone fired a missile at a number of activists of the Palestinian resistance in the central Gaza Strip who were attempting to fire home-made rockets into Israel. As a result, 5 activists were killed.
Opinion: Israel, the last bastion of colonialism
The Jerusalem Post- In the democratic world, Israel’s armed domination of the Palestinians is unique. It didn’t used to be, but now it is one-of-a-kind.
This week, Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu declared: “We must expose the hypocrisy of human rights organizations that turn a blind eye to the most repressive regimes in the world, regimes that stone women and hang gays, and instead target the only liberal democracy in the Middle East.”
He was reacting to the publication of a pair of long, comprehensive reports on the occupation, one by the IDF reservists’ organization Breaking the Silence, the other by Human Rights Watch.
Netanyahu’s statement, however, contained two lies. First, organizations such as Human Rights Watch, Amnesty International and Oxfam don’t turn a blind eye to the world’s most repressive regimes; just the opposite. They report continually on dictatorships across Asia and Africa, documenting persecution of women, gays, dissidents, minorities and other victims. In fact, it’s largely because of human rights reports about such persecution that Netanyahu and the rest of us are aware of it.
Second, while Israel is a democracy at home (though not a liberal one, certainly not with the political atmosphere of the last decade), it isn’t anyone’s idea of a democracy in the West Bank and Arab east Jerusalem (nor on the border, seacoast and in the airspace of Gaza).
In the democratic world, Israel’s armed domination of the Palestinians is unique. It didn’t used to be, but now it is one-of-a-kind. This country’s occupation of Palestinian territory is the last bastion of colonialism in the free world. Read more
This week, Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu declared: “We must expose the hypocrisy of human rights organizations that turn a blind eye to the most repressive regimes in the world, regimes that stone women and hang gays, and instead target the only liberal democracy in the Middle East.”
He was reacting to the publication of a pair of long, comprehensive reports on the occupation, one by the IDF reservists’ organization Breaking the Silence, the other by Human Rights Watch.
Netanyahu’s statement, however, contained two lies. First, organizations such as Human Rights Watch, Amnesty International and Oxfam don’t turn a blind eye to the world’s most repressive regimes; just the opposite. They report continually on dictatorships across Asia and Africa, documenting persecution of women, gays, dissidents, minorities and other victims. In fact, it’s largely because of human rights reports about such persecution that Netanyahu and the rest of us are aware of it.
Second, while Israel is a democracy at home (though not a liberal one, certainly not with the political atmosphere of the last decade), it isn’t anyone’s idea of a democracy in the West Bank and Arab east Jerusalem (nor on the border, seacoast and in the airspace of Gaza).
In the democratic world, Israel’s armed domination of the Palestinians is unique. It didn’t used to be, but now it is one-of-a-kind. This country’s occupation of Palestinian territory is the last bastion of colonialism in the free world. Read more
'WikiLeaks to publish Israel cables on Second Lebanon War, Dubai assassination'
Haaretz- Julian Assange, founder of whistle-blowing website, says thousands of documents related to Israel are due to be released over next six months.
WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange said Wednesday that his website is due to release thousands of documents related to Israel, particularly dealing with the Mabhouh assassination in Dubai and the Second Lebanon War, Channel 10 reported Thursday.
In an interview with Al Jazeera, Assange said that only very few files related to Israel were published so far and that WikiLeaks intends on releasing many more documents over the next six months. Read more
WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange said Wednesday that his website is due to release thousands of documents related to Israel, particularly dealing with the Mabhouh assassination in Dubai and the Second Lebanon War, Channel 10 reported Thursday.
In an interview with Al Jazeera, Assange said that only very few files related to Israel were published so far and that WikiLeaks intends on releasing many more documents over the next six months. Read more
Opinion: 'Mr. President, you must fight Israel's mounting racism'
Haaretz- As head of state, Shimon Peres must express that which unites and consolidates us and loudly and clearly take a stand against hatred, racism and violence between ethnic groups and communities.
The fire of hatred and racism is ablaze in Israel. Signs of loathing toward Arab citizens and African migrants are cropping up every day; examples include the municipal rabbis' letter that called for a ban on renting or selling homes to non-Jews, the protest rally for "Jewish Bat Yam" and the call to deport foreigners from neighborhoods in south Tel Aviv. Hatred leads to violence. A gang of teens was arrested in Jerusalem on suspicion of attacks on Arabs for nationalist reasons. Read more
The fire of hatred and racism is ablaze in Israel. Signs of loathing toward Arab citizens and African migrants are cropping up every day; examples include the municipal rabbis' letter that called for a ban on renting or selling homes to non-Jews, the protest rally for "Jewish Bat Yam" and the call to deport foreigners from neighborhoods in south Tel Aviv. Hatred leads to violence. A gang of teens was arrested in Jerusalem on suspicion of attacks on Arabs for nationalist reasons. Read more
Arabs flee home due to racist threats
Ynet News- Four Muslims, Druze forced out of rented flat in Tel Aviv after neighbors, who say rabbi told them Arabs must leave, vandalize their home and threaten to attach explosives to their car. 'I felt humiliated by hatred,' says Abbas, who served in IDF. But residents claim Arabs were less than neighborly: 'At night we are afraid to walk around neighborhood,' says one woman.
Five residents of the north, four Muslims and a Druze, were forced to leave their apartment in southern Tel Aviv due to threats and persecution by their Jewish neighbors, Ynet learned Thursday.
"I felt humiliated by the hatred," said Ganem Abbas, the young Druze man, who has served in the IDF. Read more
Five residents of the north, four Muslims and a Druze, were forced to leave their apartment in southern Tel Aviv due to threats and persecution by their Jewish neighbors, Ynet learned Thursday.
"I felt humiliated by the hatred," said Ganem Abbas, the young Druze man, who has served in the IDF. Read more
Video: Rediscovering hidden Holy Land
Palestinian tour operators defy Israeli monopoly by taking pilgrims to once forgotten churches.
A number of churches in the West Bank have remained hidden from view, which Palestinians blame on Israel's monopoly over tourism.
Called the forgotten churches, the Christian sites are not found on most operated tours of the Holy Land. But some operators are trying to change that.
Christian pilgrims are now able to get a look at some of the previously hidden historical sites.
Al Jazeera's Nour Odeh reports.
Israel stalls on promised Gaza exports
Ma'an- Two days after Israeli authorities approved the transport of Gaza strawberries into the West Bank, Dutch officials behind the project said foot dragging had delayed the first delivery.
The PA Ministry of Agriculture said that it expected to receive a full list of items to be permitted out of Gaza on 30 December, with a wider scale export expected in the new year.
Organizers of a Dutch government program said they had already received approval for the transfer of Gaza strawberries and carnations into the West Bank for Christmas. Read more
The PA Ministry of Agriculture said that it expected to receive a full list of items to be permitted out of Gaza on 30 December, with a wider scale export expected in the new year.
Organizers of a Dutch government program said they had already received approval for the transfer of Gaza strawberries and carnations into the West Bank for Christmas. Read more
Greek Orthodox parish in Palestinian village boycotts controversial patriarch
Ma’an- The Greek Orthodox parish in Beit Jala refused to welcome Patriarch Theophilos III of Jerusalem on Sunday, when he entered Bethlehem for the feat of St. Nicholas and the lighting parish Christmas tree.
Beit Jala's Greek Orthodox community was protesting the participation of church patriarchs and officials in a ceremony organized by Israel's Ministry of Tourism, which marked the re-paving and renovations to religious sites in the occupied West Bank. Church communities saw the move as a sign of continued cooperation between the patriarchy and Israel. One year ago, the Greek Orthodox Church leased land to Israeli developers for the expansion of Israeli-only settlements on lands occupied by Israel in 1967. Read more
Beit Jala's Greek Orthodox community was protesting the participation of church patriarchs and officials in a ceremony organized by Israel's Ministry of Tourism, which marked the re-paving and renovations to religious sites in the occupied West Bank. Church communities saw the move as a sign of continued cooperation between the patriarchy and Israel. One year ago, the Greek Orthodox Church leased land to Israeli developers for the expansion of Israeli-only settlements on lands occupied by Israel in 1967. Read more
Equal opportunity bill shut down in 'most racist Knesset ever'
Ynet News- MK Levin proud of success at preventing Arab MK's equal opportunities bill from being discussed, but following Ynet report decides to allow debate
The chairman of the Knesset's House Committee, MK Yariv Levin (Likud), has been preventing an equal opportunity bill proposed by MK Ahmad Tibi (United Arab List-Ta'al) from being voted on for almost six months, Tibi said Thursday, adding the current Knesset is "the most racist that ever existed". Read more
The chairman of the Knesset's House Committee, MK Yariv Levin (Likud), has been preventing an equal opportunity bill proposed by MK Ahmad Tibi (United Arab List-Ta'al) from being voted on for almost six months, Tibi said Thursday, adding the current Knesset is "the most racist that ever existed". Read more
Palestinian villagers watch Jewish settlement homes multiply
Ma’an- West Bank monitors said settlers in the northern region set up 20 new mobile units on the outskirts of the illegal settlements of Eli and Shilo, across from the village of Qaryut.
The report came from PA officials as Israeli newspapers announced the number of new homes approved for construction on occupied lands reached 13,000 since the end of the building freeze on September 26. Read more
The report came from PA officials as Israeli newspapers announced the number of new homes approved for construction on occupied lands reached 13,000 since the end of the building freeze on September 26. Read more
Haaretz journalist doubles as anti-"delegitimization" operative
EI-Ali Abunimah – Haaretz has an international reputation as Israel's most liberal and reliable newspaper. But The Electronic Intifada has discovered that one of the newspaper's regularly-featured reporters, Cnaan Liphshiz, used his news reports for the publication to promote the agenda of an extreme pro-Israel group with which he was also employed.
At the same time, Liphshiz appears to have made efforts to conceal his work with the Dutch Zionist group CIDI (Centre for Documentation and Information on Israel), an undisclosed conflict of interest which calls into question the reliability of his reports and the editorial standards of Haaretz. Read more
At the same time, Liphshiz appears to have made efforts to conceal his work with the Dutch Zionist group CIDI (Centre for Documentation and Information on Israel), an undisclosed conflict of interest which calls into question the reliability of his reports and the editorial standards of Haaretz. Read more
Opinion: Standing together against US government witch hunt - FBI subpoenas for grand jury
EI – ...Since 24 September, two dozen activists in Minneapolis, Chicago and other cities across the country have been handed subpoenas by the FBI to appear before a grand jury.
Yesterday, Maureen Clare Murphy, an organizer with the Palestine Solidarity Group in Chicago, and managing editor of The Electronic Intifada, became one of the latest to be subpoenaed by the federal government...
So far, all those who have previously been summoned have refused to appear before the grand jury. No one has been arrested or charged with any crime, nor has the government specified any alleged crimes that it might be investigating.
....A grand jury, no longer in use anywhere outside the US, is an investigative tool that allows the government to compel citizens to testify even if they are not suspected of any crime...
In June, an American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) report documented 100 recent reported incidents in 33 states where "Americans have been put under surveillance or harassed" by federal and local law enforcement agencies "just for deciding to organize, march, protest, espouse unusual viewpoints and engage in normal, innocuous behaviors such as writing notes or taking photographs in public" ("Policing Free Speech: Police Surveillance and Obstruction of First Amendment-Protected Activity," 29 June 2010 [PDF]). Read more
Yesterday, Maureen Clare Murphy, an organizer with the Palestine Solidarity Group in Chicago, and managing editor of The Electronic Intifada, became one of the latest to be subpoenaed by the federal government...
So far, all those who have previously been summoned have refused to appear before the grand jury. No one has been arrested or charged with any crime, nor has the government specified any alleged crimes that it might be investigating.
....A grand jury, no longer in use anywhere outside the US, is an investigative tool that allows the government to compel citizens to testify even if they are not suspected of any crime...
In June, an American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) report documented 100 recent reported incidents in 33 states where "Americans have been put under surveillance or harassed" by federal and local law enforcement agencies "just for deciding to organize, march, protest, espouse unusual viewpoints and engage in normal, innocuous behaviors such as writing notes or taking photographs in public" ("Policing Free Speech: Police Surveillance and Obstruction of First Amendment-Protected Activity," 29 June 2010 [PDF]). Read more
HR 1765 - another AIPAC resolution passes - media cover it up
Antiwar.com-Philip Giraldi "Stealth Resolutions by Congress" -- Most Americans have a negative perception of Congress. It is not hard to figure out why when one learns that most congressmen spend much of their time raising money so they can be reelected. I for one am not bothered by that aspect of the legislative experience because I believe that if they are out pursuing money they are keeping out of trouble, except when they are simultaneously raising the cash illegally and concealing large packages of it in their freezers.
When Congress actually sits down and does something, hold on to your hat and wallet. Last week the House passed "unanimously" what might be described as a stealth resolution in that the document was only made public a day before being voted on, allowing no time for genuine debate or review by legislators and voters. When it was finally tabled, it received a voice vote, in which those present say aye or nay, with the speaker declaring whether the resolution passes or not. Unlike a "record" vote, there is no easy way to determine who voted which way or, indeed, who was present when the vote was taken. It is the ultimate democracy in action cop out, enabling congressmen to behave completely irresponsibly.
The resolution in question was – surprise, surprise – on the Middle East, another expression of the will of Congress and the American people that Israel should be able to do anything it wants and the Palestinians should be grateful that they have not been completely exterminated. House Resolution 1765 "Supporting a negotiated solution to the Israel-Palestinian conflict and condemning unilateral measures to declare or recognize a Palestinian state, and for other purposes." The resolution was drafted by the American Israel Public Affairs Committee (AIPAC) and sponsored by Congressman Howard Berman, currently Chairman of the House Foreign Affairs Committee. There were 53 co-sponsors.
When Congress actually sits down and does something, hold on to your hat and wallet. Last week the House passed "unanimously" what might be described as a stealth resolution in that the document was only made public a day before being voted on, allowing no time for genuine debate or review by legislators and voters. When it was finally tabled, it received a voice vote, in which those present say aye or nay, with the speaker declaring whether the resolution passes or not. Unlike a "record" vote, there is no easy way to determine who voted which way or, indeed, who was present when the vote was taken. It is the ultimate democracy in action cop out, enabling congressmen to behave completely irresponsibly.
The resolution in question was – surprise, surprise – on the Middle East, another expression of the will of Congress and the American people that Israel should be able to do anything it wants and the Palestinians should be grateful that they have not been completely exterminated. House Resolution 1765 "Supporting a negotiated solution to the Israel-Palestinian conflict and condemning unilateral measures to declare or recognize a Palestinian state, and for other purposes." The resolution was drafted by the American Israel Public Affairs Committee (AIPAC) and sponsored by Congressman Howard Berman, currently Chairman of the House Foreign Affairs Committee. There were 53 co-sponsors.
Wednesday, December 22, 2010
Israel claims national heritage sites in Occupied Palestinian Territories
Ma'an- Israel approved funding on Tuesday for renovations at 16 historical and cultural sites, including three in the occupied West Bank and the Golan Heights, the government said.
...They are some of more than 150 sites on Israel's national heritage list, a scheme announced earlier in the year that sparked widespread international condemnation when it was discovered that the list included two West Bank shrines.
The flashpoint Tomb of the Patriarchs in Hebron, locally known as the Ibrahimi Mosque, and Rachel's Tomb in Bethlehem - both on the Israel's National Heritage List - were not on the list approved on Tuesday, which included Herod's Tomb in the West Bank and two sites in the Golan Heights. Read more
...They are some of more than 150 sites on Israel's national heritage list, a scheme announced earlier in the year that sparked widespread international condemnation when it was discovered that the list included two West Bank shrines.
The flashpoint Tomb of the Patriarchs in Hebron, locally known as the Ibrahimi Mosque, and Rachel's Tomb in Bethlehem - both on the Israel's National Heritage List - were not on the list approved on Tuesday, which included Herod's Tomb in the West Bank and two sites in the Golan Heights. Read more
Analysis: The pro-Palestinian NGO or the pro-Israel lobby; who funds congressional campaigns?
Ma'an - Sama Adnan- ...Almost all existing organizations focused on a just resolution to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict are registered (501(c)(3)) educational organizations. Many of these organizations address congressional representatives by asking their members to sign petitions or letters to Congress. However, what is lost on, or neglected by, these organizations is the fact that members of Congress are almost entirely beholden to a powerful pro-Israel lobby whose fabled success stems primarily from its ability to fund congressional campaigns.
When the time for a vote comes, whether it is a symbolic nonbinding resolution such as H. Res. 1765 or a crucial bill funding Israel’s occupation, the vast majority of members of Congress will invariably vote on the side of Israel. The reason is quite simple: a member of Congress cannot listen to pro-peace organizations as hard-line pro-Israel political action committees fund their campaigns, no matter how sympathetic the member is to the Palestinian cause.
The exception to this scenario would be a broadly mobilized campaign of pro-Palestinian activists. However, if financial regulation and healthcare reform, which impact every American citizen, cannot garner enough public support to thwart opposing lobbies, the Palestinian cause will not mobilize a broad national movement in the foreseeable future. To most Americans uninformed on the issue, it is seemingly too remote, too inconsequential, and too tangential to American interests, although the realty couldn’t be further from the truth. Read more
When the time for a vote comes, whether it is a symbolic nonbinding resolution such as H. Res. 1765 or a crucial bill funding Israel’s occupation, the vast majority of members of Congress will invariably vote on the side of Israel. The reason is quite simple: a member of Congress cannot listen to pro-peace organizations as hard-line pro-Israel political action committees fund their campaigns, no matter how sympathetic the member is to the Palestinian cause.
The exception to this scenario would be a broadly mobilized campaign of pro-Palestinian activists. However, if financial regulation and healthcare reform, which impact every American citizen, cannot garner enough public support to thwart opposing lobbies, the Palestinian cause will not mobilize a broad national movement in the foreseeable future. To most Americans uninformed on the issue, it is seemingly too remote, too inconsequential, and too tangential to American interests, although the realty couldn’t be further from the truth. Read more
UN has 'serious concerns' over home demolitions
Ma'an- The UN's Humanitarian Coordinator in Jerusalem told reporters Wednesday that the displacement of a Jerusalem family whose home was demolished the day before "raises serious concerns with regard to Israel’s obligations under international law.” Read more
Palestinian officials appeal for hold on Israel's attacks on civilians
IMEMC- The deposed government of Gaza has addressed the world community asking to restrain Israel's escalation of unjustified aggression on civilians in the Strip, The Palestinian Information Centre announced on Tuesday.
A press release issued by the deposed government of Gaza, on Tuesday, denounced a series of overnight Israeli force air strikes on different targets in the coastal enclave, without any consideration for civilians or their properties.
The Israeli warplanes launched a round of raids on various areas in the Gaza Strip injuring three Palestinians and provoking severe material damage.
The aerial raids result in diffusing panic amongst the civilian population, particularly women and children, other than damaging property and causing casualties. Read more
A press release issued by the deposed government of Gaza, on Tuesday, denounced a series of overnight Israeli force air strikes on different targets in the coastal enclave, without any consideration for civilians or their properties.
The Israeli warplanes launched a round of raids on various areas in the Gaza Strip injuring three Palestinians and provoking severe material damage.
The aerial raids result in diffusing panic amongst the civilian population, particularly women and children, other than damaging property and causing casualties. Read more
Video: 'Pollard's release, a political gain'
Press TV Interview with former CIA officer Philip Giraldi
The Victimhood of the Powerful: White Jews, Zionism and the Racism of Hegemonic Holocaust Education, Master's Thesis by Jennifer Peto
Scribd
Department of Sociology and Equity Studies in Education
University of Toronto
This paper focuses on issues of Jewish identity, whiteness and victimhood within hegemonic Holocaust education. I argue that today, Jewish people of European descent enjoy white privilege and are among the most socio-economically advantaged groups in the West. Despite this privilege, the organized Jewish community makes claims about Jewish victimhood that are widely accepted within that community and within popular discourse in the West. I propose that these claims to victimhood are no longer based in a reality of oppression, but continue to be propagated because a victimized Jewish identity can produce certain effects that are beneficial to the organized Jewish community and the Israeli nation-state. I focus on two related Holocaust education projects – the March of the Living and the March of Remembrance and Hope – to show how Jewish victimhood is instrumentalized in ways that obscure Jewish privilege, deny Jewish racism and promote the interests of the Israeli nation-state. Read more
Department of Sociology and Equity Studies in Education
University of Toronto
Abstract
This paper focuses on issues of Jewish identity, whiteness and victimhood within hegemonic Holocaust education. I argue that today, Jewish people of European descent enjoy white privilege and are among the most socio-economically advantaged groups in the West. Despite this privilege, the organized Jewish community makes claims about Jewish victimhood that are widely accepted within that community and within popular discourse in the West. I propose that these claims to victimhood are no longer based in a reality of oppression, but continue to be propagated because a victimized Jewish identity can produce certain effects that are beneficial to the organized Jewish community and the Israeli nation-state. I focus on two related Holocaust education projects – the March of the Living and the March of Remembrance and Hope – to show how Jewish victimhood is instrumentalized in ways that obscure Jewish privilege, deny Jewish racism and promote the interests of the Israeli nation-state. Read more
French essayist attacks Palestinian novel as next wave of antisemitism
The Huffington Post - Susan Abulhawa- Bernard-Henri Levy, the French pop star of philosophy and intellectual elitism, authored an essay that featured my novel, Mornings in Jenin, as one of three distressing developments that led him to ask "is there no end to the demonization of Israel?" It was titled: "The Antisemitism to Come." The other two happenings that concern him, he says, are the growing boycott of Israel and an acclaimed documentary film called Tears of Gaza.
First, a look at Mr Levy's targets:
1) Mornings in Jenin is a work of historic fiction, where fictional characters live through real history; and I encourage anyone to do their own research to verify the accuracy of the historic events that form the backdrop for the novel. 2) Tears of Gaza is a documentary film by Vibeke Lokkeberg, in which she reveals the horrific impact of Israel's bombing of Gaza in 2008 to 2009, especially on children and women. 3) The activists participating in and encouraging an economic boycott of Israel are ordinary citizens all over the world who are heeding the call of their conscience to take a moral stand against a grave injustice that has gone on far too long against the indigenous population of Israel and Palestine; namely, the Palestinian people.
Rather than offer an intelligent analysis of any one of these three things that trouble him, Levy essentially resorts to name-calling. He simply slaps on the word "antisemitism" to discredit any negative portrayal of Israel. This word -- with its profound gravity of marginalization, humiliation, dispossession, oppression, and ultimately, genocide of human beings for no other reason but their religion -- is so irresponsibly used by the likes of Levy that it truly besmirches the memory of those who were murdered in death camps solely for being Jewish. And I thank Kurt Brainin, a Holocaust survivor who wrote a touching letter expressing exactly that in response to Levy.
Nowhere in Levy's essay does he identify anything truly antisemitic in any of the three elements to which he refers. Because he cannot. If he could, I think he would. In fact, the people who today are being marginalized, humiliated, dispossessed, and oppressed for the sole reason of their religion are Palestinian Christians and Muslims. That is the real antisemitism of today.
...Mr. Levy accuses us of "demonizing Israel", when in fact, all we do is pull back the curtain, however slightly, to show a dark truth he wishes to keep hidden. I suspect that Mr Levy feels, as most Jewish supporters of Israel do, that he is more entitled to my grandfather's farms than I am. After all, that is really the foundation of Israel, isn't it? The question that should be asked is "why?" and "how?" Why should Jews from all over the world be entitled to enjoy dual citizenship, both in their own homeland and in mine, while we, the natives of Palestine, languish in refugee camps, a diaspora, or patrolled ghettos and bantustans? How is it that a country with one of the most powerful militaries in the world, that has been committing well-documented war crimes against a principally unarmed civilian native population for six decades now, is depicted as the victim? And worse, the real victims, who are trying to resist their own extinction, are depicted as the aggressors? Read more
First, a look at Mr Levy's targets:
1) Mornings in Jenin is a work of historic fiction, where fictional characters live through real history; and I encourage anyone to do their own research to verify the accuracy of the historic events that form the backdrop for the novel. 2) Tears of Gaza is a documentary film by Vibeke Lokkeberg, in which she reveals the horrific impact of Israel's bombing of Gaza in 2008 to 2009, especially on children and women. 3) The activists participating in and encouraging an economic boycott of Israel are ordinary citizens all over the world who are heeding the call of their conscience to take a moral stand against a grave injustice that has gone on far too long against the indigenous population of Israel and Palestine; namely, the Palestinian people.
Rather than offer an intelligent analysis of any one of these three things that trouble him, Levy essentially resorts to name-calling. He simply slaps on the word "antisemitism" to discredit any negative portrayal of Israel. This word -- with its profound gravity of marginalization, humiliation, dispossession, oppression, and ultimately, genocide of human beings for no other reason but their religion -- is so irresponsibly used by the likes of Levy that it truly besmirches the memory of those who were murdered in death camps solely for being Jewish. And I thank Kurt Brainin, a Holocaust survivor who wrote a touching letter expressing exactly that in response to Levy.
Nowhere in Levy's essay does he identify anything truly antisemitic in any of the three elements to which he refers. Because he cannot. If he could, I think he would. In fact, the people who today are being marginalized, humiliated, dispossessed, and oppressed for the sole reason of their religion are Palestinian Christians and Muslims. That is the real antisemitism of today.
...Mr. Levy accuses us of "demonizing Israel", when in fact, all we do is pull back the curtain, however slightly, to show a dark truth he wishes to keep hidden. I suspect that Mr Levy feels, as most Jewish supporters of Israel do, that he is more entitled to my grandfather's farms than I am. After all, that is really the foundation of Israel, isn't it? The question that should be asked is "why?" and "how?" Why should Jews from all over the world be entitled to enjoy dual citizenship, both in their own homeland and in mine, while we, the natives of Palestine, languish in refugee camps, a diaspora, or patrolled ghettos and bantustans? How is it that a country with one of the most powerful militaries in the world, that has been committing well-documented war crimes against a principally unarmed civilian native population for six decades now, is depicted as the victim? And worse, the real victims, who are trying to resist their own extinction, are depicted as the aggressors? Read more
Obama asked to delay award over investigation of nuclear weapons material diversions to Israel
Business Wire- The Obama administration has been asked to delay a 2010 National Medal of Technology and Innovation award to Zalman Shapiro over lingering questions about the theft and diversion of US weapons grade uranium to Israel. Shapiro, a talented inventor, was the former president of the Nuclear Materials and Equipment Corporation. Shapiro and NUMEC were investigated over the diversion of weapons grade uranium to Israel from the plant at Apollo, Pennsylvania. A March/April 2010 Bulletin of Atomic Scientists analysis estimates that 741 pounds of highly enriched uranium suitable for weapons production disappeared from NUMEC while Shapiro was president and was likely diverted into the Israeli nuclear weapons program.
Israel's top economic espionage case officer Rafael Eitan, who handled spy Jonathan Pollard in the 1980s, infiltrated NUMEC to meet with Shapiro in 1968. According to Anthony Cordesman, “there is no conceivable reason for Eitan to have gone [to the Apollo plant] but for the nuclear material.” Former Deputy of the CIA’s Directorate of Science and Technology Carl Duckett went on record verifying the agency came to the conclusion by 1968 that “NUMEC material had been diverted by the Israelis and used in fabricating weapons.” NUMEC’s venture capitalist had close ties to Israeli intelligence. CIA Tel Aviv station chief John Hadden went on record calling NUMEC "an Israeli operation from the beginning."
An 80 page filing submitted by the IRmep Center for Policy and Law Enforcement argues that until all classified government files on NUMEC are released, honoring the plant’s former president with the nation’s highest honor to scientists, engineers, and inventors could be tantamount to rewarding theft and nuclear proliferation. According to Council on Foreign Relations scholar Sasha Polakow-Suransky, Israel attempted to sell nuclear-tipped Jericho missiles to South Africa. This occurred after the NUMEC incident but before the Apartheid regime left power.
Both the CIA and FBI have refused to release all unredacted NUMEC case files. NUMEC is now undergoing a $170 million taxpayer funded toxic cleanup. According to the recently declassified GAO report “Nuclear Diversion in the US? Thirteen Years of Contradiction and Confusion” responsible US agencies failed to properly investigate the NUMEC diversion as required by the Atomic Energy Act. Read more
******Related Article******
Senator Pressures NRC to Clear NUMEC President of Illegal Uranium Diversions to Israel
Institute for Research: Middle Eastern Policy- The office of Senator Arlen Specter of Pennsylvania attempted to obtain a statement from the Nuclear Regulatory Commission according to documents released under the Freedom of Information Act. On August 27, 2009, Arlen Specter wrote to Rebecca Schmidt asking that the NRC "issue a formal public statement confirming that he [constituent Zalman Shapiro] was not involved in any activities related to the diversion of uranium to Israel."
Zalman Shapiro was formerly president of the Nuclear Materials and Equipment Corporation at Apollo, PA. According to a secret GAO report "Nuclear Diversion in the US?" partially declassified on May 6, 2010 NUMEC received over 22 tons of uranium-235, the key material used to fabricate nuclear weapons.
Israel's top economic espionage case officer Rafael Eitan, who handled spy Jonathan Pollard in the 1980s, infiltrated NUMEC under false pretenses in 1968. According to Anthony Cordesman, "there is no conceivable reason for Eitan to have gone [to the Apollo plant] but for the nuclear material." CIA Tel Aviv station chief John Hadden called NUMEC "an Israeli operation from the beginning." NUMEC's venture capital came from David Lowenthal, who had close ties to Israeli intelligence and David Ben-Gurion,who spearheaded Israel's nuclear weapons program. Read more
Israel's top economic espionage case officer Rafael Eitan, who handled spy Jonathan Pollard in the 1980s, infiltrated NUMEC to meet with Shapiro in 1968. According to Anthony Cordesman, “there is no conceivable reason for Eitan to have gone [to the Apollo plant] but for the nuclear material.” Former Deputy of the CIA’s Directorate of Science and Technology Carl Duckett went on record verifying the agency came to the conclusion by 1968 that “NUMEC material had been diverted by the Israelis and used in fabricating weapons.” NUMEC’s venture capitalist had close ties to Israeli intelligence. CIA Tel Aviv station chief John Hadden went on record calling NUMEC "an Israeli operation from the beginning."
An 80 page filing submitted by the IRmep Center for Policy and Law Enforcement argues that until all classified government files on NUMEC are released, honoring the plant’s former president with the nation’s highest honor to scientists, engineers, and inventors could be tantamount to rewarding theft and nuclear proliferation. According to Council on Foreign Relations scholar Sasha Polakow-Suransky, Israel attempted to sell nuclear-tipped Jericho missiles to South Africa. This occurred after the NUMEC incident but before the Apartheid regime left power.
Both the CIA and FBI have refused to release all unredacted NUMEC case files. NUMEC is now undergoing a $170 million taxpayer funded toxic cleanup. According to the recently declassified GAO report “Nuclear Diversion in the US? Thirteen Years of Contradiction and Confusion” responsible US agencies failed to properly investigate the NUMEC diversion as required by the Atomic Energy Act. Read more
******Related Article******
Senator Pressures NRC to Clear NUMEC President of Illegal Uranium Diversions to Israel
Institute for Research: Middle Eastern Policy- The office of Senator Arlen Specter of Pennsylvania attempted to obtain a statement from the Nuclear Regulatory Commission according to documents released under the Freedom of Information Act. On August 27, 2009, Arlen Specter wrote to Rebecca Schmidt asking that the NRC "issue a formal public statement confirming that he [constituent Zalman Shapiro] was not involved in any activities related to the diversion of uranium to Israel."
Zalman Shapiro was formerly president of the Nuclear Materials and Equipment Corporation at Apollo, PA. According to a secret GAO report "Nuclear Diversion in the US?" partially declassified on May 6, 2010 NUMEC received over 22 tons of uranium-235, the key material used to fabricate nuclear weapons.
Israel's top economic espionage case officer Rafael Eitan, who handled spy Jonathan Pollard in the 1980s, infiltrated NUMEC under false pretenses in 1968. According to Anthony Cordesman, "there is no conceivable reason for Eitan to have gone [to the Apollo plant] but for the nuclear material." CIA Tel Aviv station chief John Hadden called NUMEC "an Israeli operation from the beginning." NUMEC's venture capital came from David Lowenthal, who had close ties to Israeli intelligence and David Ben-Gurion,who spearheaded Israel's nuclear weapons program. Read more
FBI delivers subpoenas to four more Palestine solidarity activists
Committee to Stop FBI Repression- The FBI came unannounced to knock on doors in Chicago this morning. FBI agent Robert Parker, under orders from U.S. Attorney Patrick Fitzgerald’s office, delivered a subpoena to Maureen Murphy. Murphy, like several other individuals served subpoenas, is an organizer with the Palestine Solidarity Group-Chicago. In total, four new subpoenas were handed out in the Chicago area.
This continues the repression unleashed by Fitzgerald on the anti-war movement since September 24th, when fourteen subpoenas were delivered to anti-war, labor, and solidarity activists in coordinated raids involving more than 70 federal agents. Armed FBI agents raided homes, taking computers, phones, passports, documents, notebooks, and even children’s artwork. A total of 23 subpoenas have been served to activists around the country. Read more
This continues the repression unleashed by Fitzgerald on the anti-war movement since September 24th, when fourteen subpoenas were delivered to anti-war, labor, and solidarity activists in coordinated raids involving more than 70 federal agents. Armed FBI agents raided homes, taking computers, phones, passports, documents, notebooks, and even children’s artwork. A total of 23 subpoenas have been served to activists around the country. Read more
Analysis: Spying between allies
Middle East Monitor- Reports from the United States say that Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is to ask for the release of convicted spy Jonathan Jay Pollard. A report in the New York Times claims that Pollard's release will be the subject of a "public request" to President Barack Obama; he was convicted in 1987 of spying for Israel and received a life sentence.
...Moreover, Pollard is not the only person convicted of spying for Israel in the US; around the same time, another US citizen, Ben-Ami Kadish was doing the same thing; he wasn't charged until 2008 but due to his advanced age by then (eighty-four years old) he was fined instead of being sent to prison. A former chief of the US Justice Department's internal security section claims that between 1950 and 1980, "the Israeli intelligence service... was the second most active in the United States"; the Soviet Union was in number one spot.
There may well still be spies working in the US and passing secrets to Israel; the Zionist state's spy agency, Mossad, used forged passports of European allies in its assassination of Mahmoud al-Mabhouh almost a year ago. Clearly, Israel has no qualms about treating its friends with contempt if it serves its own interests to do so. In fact, Israel has a history of this, sometimes with very bloody consequences. Read more
...Moreover, Pollard is not the only person convicted of spying for Israel in the US; around the same time, another US citizen, Ben-Ami Kadish was doing the same thing; he wasn't charged until 2008 but due to his advanced age by then (eighty-four years old) he was fined instead of being sent to prison. A former chief of the US Justice Department's internal security section claims that between 1950 and 1980, "the Israeli intelligence service... was the second most active in the United States"; the Soviet Union was in number one spot.
There may well still be spies working in the US and passing secrets to Israel; the Zionist state's spy agency, Mossad, used forged passports of European allies in its assassination of Mahmoud al-Mabhouh almost a year ago. Clearly, Israel has no qualms about treating its friends with contempt if it serves its own interests to do so. In fact, Israel has a history of this, sometimes with very bloody consequences. Read more
Analysis: Palestine fits the international law criteria for statehood; a comparison to the statehood process of Kosovo
Counterpunch - John V. Whitbeck - ...While still under foreign belligerent occupation, the State of Palestine possesses all the customary international law criteria for sovereign statehood, no portion of its territory is recognized by any other country (other than Israel) as any other country's sovereign territory and, indeed, Israel has only asserted sovereignty over a small portion of its territory, expanded East Jerusalem.
...By contrast, the 72 UN member states which currently recognize the Republic of Kosovo as an independent state include only one of the nine most populous states (the United States) and only four of the 20 most populous states (the United States, Japan, Germany and Turkey). When, in July, the International Court of Justice held that Kosovo's unilateral declaration of independence did not violate international law because international law is silent on the subject of the legality of declarations of independence (meaning that no declarations of independence, even of someone's vacation home, violate international law and all are "legal", albeit subject to the political decisions of sovereign states to recognize or not the independence declared), the United States responded by calling on all countries which had not already recognized Kosovo to do so promptly. Five months later, only three more have seen fit to do so -- Honduras, Kiribati and Tuvalu.
...As in most aspects of international relations, it is not the nature of the act (or crime) which matters but, rather, who is doing it to whom. Palestine was conquered and is still occupied by the military forces of Israel. What most of the world (including the UN and even five EU member states) still regards as the southern Serbian province of Kosovo was conquered and is still occupied by the military forces of NATO, the American flag is flown there at least as widely as the Kosovo flag and the capital, Pristina, boasts a Bill Clinton Boulevard and a larger-than-life-size statue of the former American president.
Might makes right, at least in the hearts and minds of the mighty, including most Western decision-makers and opinion-formers.
Meanwhile, the U.S. House of Representatives, yet again giving prostitution a bad name, has adopted by a unanimous voice vote a resolution drafted by the American Israel Public Affairs Committee (AIPAC) calling on President Obama not to recognize the State of Palestine and to veto any effort by Palestine to obtain UN membership.
Western politicians and the Western media customarily apply the term "international community" to the United States and whatever countries are willing to publicly support it on a given issue and apply the term "rogue state" to any country which actively resists Israeli-American global domination. By its slavish subservience to Israel, as reflected yet again both in the absence of a single brave voice raised against this new House resolution and in the Obama administration's recently abandoned offer of a huge military and diplomatic bribe to Israel as an inducement for a very temporary suspension of its illegal colonization enterprise, the United States has effectively excluded itself from the true international community (redefined to refer to the great majority of mankind) and become a true rogue state acting in consistent and flagrant contempt of both international law and fundamental human rights. Read more
...By contrast, the 72 UN member states which currently recognize the Republic of Kosovo as an independent state include only one of the nine most populous states (the United States) and only four of the 20 most populous states (the United States, Japan, Germany and Turkey). When, in July, the International Court of Justice held that Kosovo's unilateral declaration of independence did not violate international law because international law is silent on the subject of the legality of declarations of independence (meaning that no declarations of independence, even of someone's vacation home, violate international law and all are "legal", albeit subject to the political decisions of sovereign states to recognize or not the independence declared), the United States responded by calling on all countries which had not already recognized Kosovo to do so promptly. Five months later, only three more have seen fit to do so -- Honduras, Kiribati and Tuvalu.
...As in most aspects of international relations, it is not the nature of the act (or crime) which matters but, rather, who is doing it to whom. Palestine was conquered and is still occupied by the military forces of Israel. What most of the world (including the UN and even five EU member states) still regards as the southern Serbian province of Kosovo was conquered and is still occupied by the military forces of NATO, the American flag is flown there at least as widely as the Kosovo flag and the capital, Pristina, boasts a Bill Clinton Boulevard and a larger-than-life-size statue of the former American president.
Might makes right, at least in the hearts and minds of the mighty, including most Western decision-makers and opinion-formers.
Meanwhile, the U.S. House of Representatives, yet again giving prostitution a bad name, has adopted by a unanimous voice vote a resolution drafted by the American Israel Public Affairs Committee (AIPAC) calling on President Obama not to recognize the State of Palestine and to veto any effort by Palestine to obtain UN membership.
Western politicians and the Western media customarily apply the term "international community" to the United States and whatever countries are willing to publicly support it on a given issue and apply the term "rogue state" to any country which actively resists Israeli-American global domination. By its slavish subservience to Israel, as reflected yet again both in the absence of a single brave voice raised against this new House resolution and in the Obama administration's recently abandoned offer of a huge military and diplomatic bribe to Israel as an inducement for a very temporary suspension of its illegal colonization enterprise, the United States has effectively excluded itself from the true international community (redefined to refer to the great majority of mankind) and become a true rogue state acting in consistent and flagrant contempt of both international law and fundamental human rights. Read more
Opinion: The US needs to get tough with Israel
Los Angeles Times- The recent settlement freeze debacle shows the U.S. cannot proceed with its all-carrot, no-stick policy toward Israel if it wants to see a change in its behavior.
When diplomatic sources revealed that the United States was abandoning efforts for an Israeli settlement freeze, many surely did not know whether to laugh or cry. The first two years of U.S.-Israeli relations under the Obama administration has been a debacle. For the next two, what is learned from that failure, and how it's applied, will be of utmost importance.
...No legitimate Palestinian leader can negotiate with Israel while it continues to colonize Palestinian land.
The U.S. strategy began to fail when it expected the Israelis to freeze settlements upon request. What the Obama administration apparently didn't realize was that Israel would not change its behavior without an incentive. When that finally became clear, Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton made an offer that amounted to a bribe.
Generally, the incentive to rectify bad behavior in the international community — behavior like expanding settlements despite road map obligations and international law — is delivered by sticks, not carrots. But the deal offered to Israel, which included billions of dollars' worth of advanced F-35s in exchange for a 90-day freeze, was all carrot and no stick.
...At a moment when the world needed to hear a change in direction, we instead were told that the United States is committed to repeating the same failed policies of the past. This is precisely why Argentina, Bolivia and Brazil recently determined they wouldn't wait for the bankrupt American-led process and recognized the state of Palestine.
America's political response? Rep. Howard L. Berman (D-Valley Village) rushed a resolution to the House floor expressing opposition to such declarations of Palestinian statehood. The resolution, which passed, is a timely reminder of the increasing gap between Washington and the international community on this issue.
If there is no change in the U.S. approach to Israeli violations, no one will take this administration seriously: not the Israelis, certainly not the Palestinians, and presumably not the international community. Who can blame them? Read more
When diplomatic sources revealed that the United States was abandoning efforts for an Israeli settlement freeze, many surely did not know whether to laugh or cry. The first two years of U.S.-Israeli relations under the Obama administration has been a debacle. For the next two, what is learned from that failure, and how it's applied, will be of utmost importance.
...No legitimate Palestinian leader can negotiate with Israel while it continues to colonize Palestinian land.
The U.S. strategy began to fail when it expected the Israelis to freeze settlements upon request. What the Obama administration apparently didn't realize was that Israel would not change its behavior without an incentive. When that finally became clear, Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton made an offer that amounted to a bribe.
Generally, the incentive to rectify bad behavior in the international community — behavior like expanding settlements despite road map obligations and international law — is delivered by sticks, not carrots. But the deal offered to Israel, which included billions of dollars' worth of advanced F-35s in exchange for a 90-day freeze, was all carrot and no stick.
...At a moment when the world needed to hear a change in direction, we instead were told that the United States is committed to repeating the same failed policies of the past. This is precisely why Argentina, Bolivia and Brazil recently determined they wouldn't wait for the bankrupt American-led process and recognized the state of Palestine.
America's political response? Rep. Howard L. Berman (D-Valley Village) rushed a resolution to the House floor expressing opposition to such declarations of Palestinian statehood. The resolution, which passed, is a timely reminder of the increasing gap between Washington and the international community on this issue.
If there is no change in the U.S. approach to Israeli violations, no one will take this administration seriously: not the Israelis, certainly not the Palestinians, and presumably not the international community. Who can blame them? Read more
Human rights group pushes action to free imprisoned Palestinian children
Al-Awda Action Alert:
Free the Children of Palestine!According to Israeli police, 1200 Palestinian children have been arrested, interrogated and imprisoned in the occupied city of Jerusalem alone this year. The youngest of these children was seven-years old.
Children and teenagers were often dragged out of their beds in the middle of the night, taken in handcuffs for questioning, threatened, humiliated and many were subjected to physical violence while under arrest as part of an ongoing campaign against the children of Palestine. Since the year 2000, more than 8000 have been arrested by Israel, and reports of mistreatment are commonplace.
Further, based on sworn affidavits collected in 2009 from 100 of these children, lawyers working in the occupied West Bank found that 69% were beaten and kicked, 49% were threatened, 14% were held in solitary confinement, 12% were threatened with sexual assault, including rape, and 32% were forced to sign confessions written in Hebrew, a language they do not understand. Minors were often asked to give names and incriminate friends and relatives as a condition of their release.
Such institutionalized and systematic mistreatment of Palestinian children by the state of Israel is a violation international law and specifically contravenes the Convention on the Rights of the Child to which Israel is supposedly a signatory.
Free the Children of Palestine!According to Israeli police, 1200 Palestinian children have been arrested, interrogated and imprisoned in the occupied city of Jerusalem alone this year. The youngest of these children was seven-years old.
Children and teenagers were often dragged out of their beds in the middle of the night, taken in handcuffs for questioning, threatened, humiliated and many were subjected to physical violence while under arrest as part of an ongoing campaign against the children of Palestine. Since the year 2000, more than 8000 have been arrested by Israel, and reports of mistreatment are commonplace.
Further, based on sworn affidavits collected in 2009 from 100 of these children, lawyers working in the occupied West Bank found that 69% were beaten and kicked, 49% were threatened, 14% were held in solitary confinement, 12% were threatened with sexual assault, including rape, and 32% were forced to sign confessions written in Hebrew, a language they do not understand. Minors were often asked to give names and incriminate friends and relatives as a condition of their release.
Such institutionalized and systematic mistreatment of Palestinian children by the state of Israel is a violation international law and specifically contravenes the Convention on the Rights of the Child to which Israel is supposedly a signatory.
Israel temporarily opens only one border crossing to Gaza
IMEMC- On Tuesday, Israeli officials opened Kerem Shalom crossing point in southern Gaza, for the import of commercial goods, fuel and humanitarian aid. Since the blockade began, in 2007, the crossing is usually opened twice per week. Read more
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
Posts
