NOVANEWS
01/11/2011
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Mossad chief’s statement removes Iranian nuclear threat (Will the ‘Atlantic’ report it here?)
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‘He sleeps with a loaf of bread in his arms’
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‘What is this, delusional?’ (the west’s deafening silence on the Judaization of Jerusalem)
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Lerner points to anti-Semitic character of new hatred in America
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‘LA Times’ brands Manning’s jail conditions at Quantico ‘indefensible’
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The lobby has been broken because… Israel isn’t good for the Jews
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Why it will be said one day that anti-Zionists had a better grasp on 20th C history than Uri Avnery or Tom Friedman
Mossad chief’s statement removes Iranian nuclear threat (Will the ‘Atlantic’ report it here?)
Jan 10, 2011
Philip Weiss
I’ve missed this important story entirely. But last week Meir Dagan, the head of the Israeli Mossad, pooh-poohed the Iranian threat in a briefing with journalists by saying that the Iranians wouldn’t have a bomb for many years. The statement has pulled the rug out from under Netanyahu’s feet– and not just his. It has made Jeffrey Goldberg look even more like a pliant stenographer to Netanyahu (as Roger Cohen labelled him) in his willingness to pipe Netanyahu’s urgency about the alleged threat and urging to the U.S. to take action. Remember, The Atlantic ran Goldberg’s alarmist piece, “The Point of No Return,” last September.
Didi Remez reports that Dagan’s defection has enraged Netanyahu. He picks up Sever Plocker from Yediot:
Plocker, hardly a knee-jerk leftist… explains the drama:
‘[With] Dagan, a suspicious super-cautious individual who routinely prefers to err on the side of pessimism…The Iranian nuclear threat died. It keeled over. Because, if the director of the State of Israel’s Mossad is prepared to risk saying that Iran won’t have even a single nuclear bomb “at least until 2015,” that means that Iran is not going to have a nuclear bomb. Period.’
He also helps us understand Netanyahu’s fury:
‘For more than a decade, Israel has been living under the thickening cloud of the Iranian nuclear bomb. The military, economic and even the social agendas in Israel have been directly influenced by it. The election of Netanyahu as prime minister (and Barak’s joining the coalition) were explained by the need to place at the head of the state and the security establishment people who would be capable of leading the people and the army in this decisive year in dealing with Iran. From time to time, in light of the foolish things that the two of them have done, public opinion was asked to be forgiving of them because of the weight of the Iranian threat that lay on their shoulders.’
Recall that Goldberg’s piece was published in the U.S. but written from the heart of the Israeli security establishment (by a former Israeli soldier, now a U.S. journalist). And the demurrals had to published in Israel by the likes of Noam Sheizaf(an Israeli journalist who has refused to serve in the occupation)… Crazy world.
‘He sleeps with a loaf of bread in his arms’
Jan 10, 2011
Seham
and other news from Today in Palestine:
Settlers/ Land, Property, Resource Theft & Destruction/Ethnic Cleansing
OCHA: Israel razed 12 buildings in OJ within a week
The Israeli occupation authority (IOA) has destroyed 12 Palestinian buildings in occupied Jerusalem in the period December 29 to January 4, a report by OCHA said.
http://www.palestine-info.co.uk/En/default.aspx?xyz=U6Qq7k%
Irving Moskowitz demolishes part of Jerusalem hotel to build settler housing
US millionaire’s plans for 20 homes on historic Palestinian site will inflame already tense situation, say critics … Work began without warning in the early morning, and by 10am a wing of the hotel in the Palestinian neighbourhood of Sheikh Jarrah was reduced to rubble.
http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2011/jan/09/irving-moskowitz-east-jerusalem-settler
EU report on East Jerusalem reflects negative change in world attitude towards Israel
Document recommends that European Union begin to treat eastern part of city as the capital of Palestine.
http://www.haaretz.com/print-edition/news/eu-report-on-east-jerusalem-reflects-negative-change-in-world-attitude-towards-israel-1.336112?localLinksEnabled=false
Europe condemns Sheikh Jarrah construction
UK issues statement condemning demolition of Shepherd Hotel favor of Jewish housing units, while European Union’s foreign affairs chief Catherine Ashton says east Jerusalem part of occupied territory.
http://www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7340,L-4011225,00.html
Jordan condemns Israeli demolition of Shepherd Hotel in East Jerusalem
AMMAN, Jan. 9 (Xinhua) — Jordan on Sunday condemned Israel for demolishing a hotel in East Jerusalem to build homes for Jewish settlers. “The demolition seeks to alter the situation on the ground and hampers peacemaking efforts exerted by the international community, ” Jordan’s Minister of Foreign Affairs Nasser Judeh said in a statement Sunday.
http://news.xinhuanet.com/english2010/world/2011-01/10/c_13683081.htm
U.S. criticizes Israel over Jerusalem settlement (Reuters)
Reuters – Israeli bulldozers cleared the way for 20 new homes for Jews in East Jerusalem by demolishing a derelict hotel Sunday, in a settlement project that angered Palestinians and drew criticism from the United States.
http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/mideast/*http://news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20110110/wl_nm/us_palestinians_israel
UK ‘condemns’ Jerusalem demolition
LONDON (Ma’an) — UK Foreign Office Minister Alistair Burt condemned the demolition of a Palestinian landmark in Jerusalem on Sunday, saying in a statement that the British government “oppose[s] provocative unilateral actions such as this.”
http://www.maannews.net/eng/ViewDetails.aspx?ID=349785
EU considering east Jerusalem observers
In confidential report, consuls-general suggest having EU officials present at site of imminent house demolitions or evictions in capital and intervene if non-violent Palestinians face arrest. ‘Jewish settlement activity is making a two-state solution to the conflict increasingly difficult,’ they warn.
http://www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7340,L-4011289,00.html
Netanyahu: Building on site of East Jerusalem hotel corresponds with Israeli law
PMO issues statement saying government not involved in demolition of Shepherd Hotel, that Israel can’t forbid Jews from purchasing private property in Jerusalem.
http://www.haaretz.com/news/diplomacy-defense/netanyahu-building-on-site-of-east-jerusalem-hotel-corresponds-with-israeli-law-1.336221
The Police Attacks on Silwan
The Jerusalem police have been putting a lot of pressure on the Palestinian residents of Silwan in what seems to be an attempt to break the social and political leadership of the Palestinians in East Jerusalem. The recent wave of attacks started a few weeks ago when Adnan Ghaith, one of the local leaders of al-Bustan neighborhood, received an order of expulsion from Jerusalem for four months.
http://settlementwatcheastjerusalem.wordpress.com/2011/01/10/police-silwan
Israeli authorities raze structures in Jerusalem
JERUSALEM (Ma’an) — A horse and poultry barn were demolished in East Jerusalem’s Wadi Joz neighborhood on Monday, residents said, following orders issued by Israel’s Nature and Parks Authority. Abu Ahmad, the owner of the the properties, said he was informed that he could either demolish the buildings on his own or pay tens of thousands of shekels for Israeli forces to carry out the orders.
http://www.maannews.net/eng/ViewDetails.aspx?ID=349784
Settlers Uproot 100 Saplings Near Nablus
Israeli settlers uprooted on Friday at least 100 Olive saplings that belong to residents of Qasra village, southeast of the northern West Bank city of Nablus. The settlers collected the cut saplings and fled the scene.
http://www.imemc.org/article/60366
“Soldiers, settlers, and the police are the occupation”: Hani Abu Haikal’s life beside the Tel Rumeida settlement
Hani Abu Haikal and his family live in Hebron’s H2, which is under Israeli control. They are part of the 30,000 Palestinians that live among 500 settlers in this part of the city. Life for Palestinians inside H2 is extremely difficult, with many of them facing settler harassment, movement constraints, and a large military and police presence serving settlers’ interests, even if most attacks are directed at Palestinians.
http://palsolidarity.org/2011/01/16404/?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+palsolidarity+%28International+Solidarity+Movement%29
Activism/Solidarity/Boycott, Divestment & Sanctions
Military Court to Give Appeal Verdict in Bil’in’s Abdallah Abu Rahmah’s Case on Tuesday, Joseph Dana
The court will deliver a decision on the military prosecution’s appeal to harshen Abdallah Abu Rahmah’s sentence. Abu Rahmah was supposed to be released on November 18th 2010, but has been kept in detention on the military prosecution’s request.
What: Appeal Verdict in Abdallah Abu Rahmah’s case.
Where: Military Court of Appeals, Ofer compound.
When: 10:00 AM, Tuesday, January 11.
http://josephdana.com/2011/01/military-court-to-give-appeal-verdict-in-bilins-abdallah-abu-rahmahs-case-on-tuesday/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=military-court-to-give-appeal-verdict-in-bilins-abdallah-abu-rahmahs-case-on-tuesday
Israel intensifies campaign against Silwan popular committee members
Israeli forces arrested al-Bustan Popular Committee member Silwan Fakhri Abu Diab, 47, and his son Anas, 16, today. Fakhri was released after several hours of police investigation, during which time, Fakhri stated that an investigator threatened to “cut out my tongue.” Fakhri’s son currently remains in detention.
http://silwanic.net/?p=10339
Israel Cracks Down on Silwan Community Organizers
The past week has seen an increase in Israeli repression towards Palestinian community organizers in Silwan, East Jerusalem. Jawad Siyam has recently been targeted because of his involvement in directing the Wadih Hilweh Information Center as well as his membership in the Neighborhood Popular Committee. Today, for the second time this week, Siyam will stand trial at the Jerusalem Magistrates Court.
http://www.imemc.org/article/60376
Wadi Hilweh Information Center director Jawad Siyam’s hearing postponed
The hearing of Wadi Hilweh Information Center director Jawad Siyam has been postponed until 9:30am tomorrow, 11 January. Siyam will stand trial in the Jerusalem Magistrates Court for the charges of assault lodged against him as part of an Israeli police investigation, identified by many as a political witchhunt for Siyam’s activism within the Wadi Hilweh community.
http://silwanic.net/?p=10372
Protester Arrested as Soldiers Occupy Nabi Saleh
Dozens of soldiers brought the village of Nabi Saleh to a standstill today in yet another attempt to curb demonstrations in the village. One protester was arrested, and two required medical treatment for their injuries. Dozens of villagers, joined by Israeli and international supporters took part in the weekly demonstration in the village despite the siege laid on the village by the army, and the unusually large number of soldiers who occupied the village’s streets. Many hiked through the mountains the entire area was declared a closed military zone as early as 9 am and a gate that was installed at the entrance to the village earlier this week was shut closed.
http://palsolidarity.org/2011/01/16398/?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+palsolidarity+%28International+Solidarity+Movement%29
Catalan solidarity worker arrested by Occupation police
Jan 7, 2011– Catalan human rights worker Marcel Masferrer was detained and taken to Ben Gurion Airport in Tel Aviv, but will not be expelled until Sunday to Barcelona
http://stopthewall.org/latestnews/2439.shtml
Soldiers Attack Weekly West Bank Wall Protests, Number of Civilians Injured
Ramallah – PNN – Anti-wall protests were reported on Friday at the village of Bil’in, Nil’in and Nabi Saleh in central West Bank in addition to al Ma’ssara village in the south. Hundreds of protesters marched on Friday midday in the village of Bil’in, in addition to international and Israeli supporters this week locals and international politicians joined the villagers this week. People commemorated Jawaher Abu Rahma , 35 years old, who died from inhaling tear gas fired by Israeli troops at protesters last week.
http://english.pnn.ps/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=9367&Itemid=59
Weekly Anti-Wall Protest Update
Jan 8, 2011– Hundreds marched in Bi’lin in protest of the killing of Jawaher Abu Rahmah. Arrests and broken bones failed to quell the protest in al Nabi Saleh this week, and in al Ma’sara protestors succeeded in reclaiming land threatened with confiscation. In Ni’lin, villagers marked the anniversary of the deaths of ‘Arafat and Mohammed Khawaja, both shot dead two years ago by Occupation forces.
http://stopthewall.org/latestnews/2442.shtml
Hundreds march in memory of Jawaher
Jan 8, 2011– Hundreds of Palestinian and international activists, members of Palestinian women’s institutions and unions, and Palestinian political officials and leaders joined in the protest in Bil’in this week to honor Jawaher Abu Rahmah. Jawaher, a 34-year-old woman from Bil’in, died January 1st at a Ramallah hospital as a result of poisoning caused by tear gas inhalation.
http://stopthewall.org/photos/2440.shtml
‘This is Stolen Land’: Activists Confront Jerusalem City Council Member as Wing of Historic Hotel is Demolished, Alex Kane
Ramallah, West Bank–I was a witness to the destruction of a historic hotel in occupied East Jerusalem today, but activists bearing witness didn’t let the incident go on without making some noise. After meeting with members of the Rifka Al-Kurd family, who now live steps away from illegal settlers who evicted members of the family to take over their home in Sheikh Jarrah, the delegation I am with received news of the hotel demolition.
http://alexbkane.wordpress.com/2011/01/09/this-is-stolen-land-activists-confront-jerusalem-city-council-member-as-wing-of-historic-hotel-is-demolished/
Jawaher Abu Rahma inspires Boston protesters in snow
Dozens of American, Palestinian and Israeli activists gathered today (Friday) in front of the Israeli Consulate in Boston to commemorate the death of Jawaher Abu Rahma, a Bil’in resident who was killed as a result of tear gas inhalation during a demonstration in the village last Friday. The event opend with a candle light vigil, and continued as a march in the snow towards the Boston Common, carrying candles and pictures of Jawaher and of her brother, Bassem, who was killed by a gas canister thrown by an Israeli soldier during a demonstration in Bil’in in April 2009. The protestors chanted in support of the non-violent joint struggle, denouncing US military aid to Israel while calling for endorsement of the boycott, divestment and sanctions campaign.
http://mondoweiss.net/2011/01/jawaher-abu-rahma-inspires-boston-protesters-in-snow.html
Barghouti: Ariel U boycott is first step, Philip Weiss
More than 150 Israeli academics have now called for a boycott of Ariel University Center of Samaria in the occupied West Bank in part because it was built to prevent the establishment of a Palestinian state. (Yes and the colonization of East Jerusalem proceeds apace today, and how do people come to terms with that reality?) Omar Barghouti welcomes the action, and responds in part.
http://mondoweiss.net/2011/01/barghouti-ariel-u-boycott-is-first-step.html
#BDS: BDS to question ‘Made in Israel’
“The internationally-endorsed anti-Israeli Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions (BDS) campaign is to question the origin of Israel-sourced goods. The French branch of the pro-Palestinian campaign plans to file a fraud lawsuit against Agrexco, Israel’s largest agricultural exporter, a Press TV’s correspondent reported. Rights groups contend that fruit, flowers and other goods are being stamped ‘Made in Israel’ despite being produced in illegal Jewish settler units across the occupied Syrian and Palestinian territories of the West Bank and Golan Heights. The United Nations and European Union have condemned the settlements as illegal under international law. ”
http://youthanormalization.blogspot.com/2011/01/bds-bds-to-question-made-in-israel.html
Anti
#BDS: StandWithUs to place ads at BART stations saying ‘Stop Palestinian terrorism, teach peace’
“The pro-Israel national organization StandWithUs announced Jan. 6 that it is launching a new ad campaign, placing posters in six BART stations. The posters have received BART approval and will go up in the Berkeley, 12th Street/Oakland, MacArthur, Civic Center, Balboa Park and Embarcadero BART stations starting Jan. 17, a StandWitUs spokesperson said. Dubbed “Say Yes to Peace,” the campaign has been launched, organizers said, to counter a recent poster campaign co-sponsored by Jewish Voice for Peace, a group often critical of the government and military of Israel. Those posters, still on display at three BART stations (according to the StandWithUs release), depicted Palestinian and Israel fathers with their young children, along with the headings “Be on our side: We are on the side of peace and justice” and “End U.S. military aid to Israel.”
http://youthanormalization.blogspot.com/2011/01/bds-standwithus-to-place-ads-at-bart.html
Human Rights/Humanitarian Issues/Siege/Refugees
Industrial Fuel – Needs Vs. Supply – Dec 12 – Jan 8
http://www.gazagateway.org/2011/01/industrial-fuel-%e2%80%93-needs-vs-supply-%e2%80%93-dec-12-%e2%80%93-jan-8/
Gaza youth fire (words) in all directions
http://www.gazagateway.org/2011/01/gaza-youth-fire-words-in-all-directions/
Five Palestinians seriously wounded in tunnel explosion
Five Palestinians were seriously injured when an explosion ripped through the tunnel they were digging on the Egyptian-Palestinian borders in southern Gaza Strip on Sunday night.
http://www.palestine-info.co.uk/En/default.aspx?xyz=U6Qq7k%
Health Ministry: Gaza Strip will soon run out of dialysis solution, insulin
The Gaza Health Ministry warned Sunday that the Strip will run out of dialysis solution and insulin in days.
http://www.palestine-info.co.uk/En/default.aspx?xyz=U6Qq7k
Job ops in Gaza: None
Faced with a sluggish economy and scarce employment opportunities, the women of Gaza take on hard labor in an effort to earn a living and provide for their families. One group has signed up to work as ditch-diggers to help support their families. “The work is very hard,” says Umm Ahmed. “But life is even harder.” These women are their families’ breadwinners. And with two out of three people unemployed in Gaza the burden of responsibility on their shoulders is heavier than the shovels in their hands.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=t3gjDtBaYaI
“He sleeps with a loaf of bread in his arms”, Yaniv Reich
Watch this video and weep. . . . literally. The Israeli attacks on Gaza in winter ’08/09 unleashed such massive death and destruction that we far too frequently discuss the damage in terms of statistics, of large numbers alone. But put all of that aside and watch this short profile on the experience of just one family, which contains within it all that is horrific about “Cast Lead” while comprising only a tiny portion of Gaza’s terrible agony.
http://www.hybridstates.com/2011/01/he-sleeps-with-a-loaf-of-bread-in-his-arms/
Palestinian Refugees and Lebanon’s Disgrace, FRANKLIN LAMB
Maybe it was the really loud celebratory Ak-47 Kalashnikov and small arms gunfire and fireworks in my South Beirut neighborhood that triggered the intense New Years eve nightmare. Or I guess it could have been, just below my bedroom window, the seemingly launched RPG-7’s which followed minutes past midnight on January 1, 2011. Anyhow, in my News Years dream, I was back in my childhood home, Milwaukie, Oregon, nearly half a century ago. Our farming and lumber town on the Willamette River had a population of around 2000 in those much simpler and less crowded days. I dreamt it was Saturday afternoon and as we always did during our middle school years, my best friend and Lake Road neighbor, David Inabnit and I went to our town’s decaying WW II era movie theatre called the Victory, at exactly 1 p.m. We stood in line to watch the Saturday Matinee, paid the 20 cents for admission , used the dime his sainted mother Martha always gave us for spending money and bought either Milk Duds or Good ‘n Plenty candies and settled into the comfortable over stuffed seats.
http://www.counterpunch.com/lamb01072011.html
Humanitarian strangulation of Gaza with no possible security rationale,Yaniv Reich
A recently released Wikileaks cable confirmed something the world already knew: Israel’s policy of de-developing Gaza is deliberate and not based on any possible security rationale.
http://www.hybridstates.com/2011/01/humanitarian-strangulation-of-gaza-with-no-possible-security-rationale/
Violence/Aggression/War Crimes
Israel launches twin air strikes on Gaza (AFP)
AFP – Israeli warplanes launched twin air strikes on the Gaza Strip overnight in response to rocket and mortar fire from the Hamas-controlled territory, an army spokesman said on Monday.
http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/mideast/*http://news.yahoo.com/s/afp/20110110/wl_afp/israelpalestiniansconflictgaza
Farmer ‘killed by Israeli fire’ in Gaza
AFP – A 65-year-old Palestinian farmer was on Monday shot dead by Israeli troops in the northern Gaza Strip, Palestinian medical and security officials said.
http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/mideast/*http://news.yahoo.com/s/afp/20110110/wl_mideast_afp/israelpalestiniansconflictgazatoll
Israeli air strikes wound Palestinian, inflict big damage
Israeli warplanes blasted two positions in Gaza and Khan Younis, south of the Gaza Strip, in pre-dawn raids on Monday wounding a Palestinian and inflicting big damage.
http://www.palestine-info.co.uk/En/default.aspx?xyz=U6Qq7k%2bcOd87
Two men killed in northern Gaza Strip identified as Egyptians
Palestinian security agencies have identified two men killed in the northern Gaza Strip Wednesday night as Egyptians.
http://www.palestine-info.co.uk/En/default.aspx?xyz=U6Q
Israel raids Silwan using choppers in search of missing box of teargas grenades
An Israeli press report claimed Sunday that masked Palestinian youths got hold of a box of toxic tear gas after raiding a Border Guards site in Jerusalem’s Silwan district.
http://www.palestine-info.co.uk/En/default.aspx?xyz=U6
Israeli police assault Palestinian workers
The Israeli border guards physically assaulted Friday several Palestinian laborers in Tel Aviv for allegedly working under fraudulent work permits, the Union of Palestinian Workers said on Saturday.
http://www.palestine-info.co.uk/En/default.aspx?xyz=U6Qq7k%2b
Brutalized, Philip Weiss
This was just posted on Youtube, I don’t know where it’s from or when. But it’s eloquent in its way. These guys are out of control.
http://mondoweiss.net/2011/01/brutalized.html
Israeli Navy confiscates two boats of abducted fisherman
On Tuesday morning, January 4th, Mohammed ‘Abdul Qader Baker (54), Ziad Mohammed Baker (25), Mohammed Mahmoud Baker (28) and Ra’ef Nabeel Baker (25) were out fishing at approximately 2.5 nautical miles off the coast of Gaza City when they were intercepted by an Israeli gunboat. At gunpoint they were forced to hold their hands up for over an hour, while the gunboat awaited reinforcement of two zodiacs coming from Ashdod. The men were told to undress and swim towards the zodiacs, where they were cuffed, blindfolded and transferred to the gunboat.
http://palsolidarity.org/2011/01/16392/?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+palsolidarity+%28International+Solidarity+Movement%29
Detainees
Israeli Troops Abduct Teen in Hebron
The Israeli army abducted a 17-year old Palestinian boy in the Old City of Hebron late on Saturday night, according to local sources.
http://www.imemc.org/article/60371
Four Detained in Southern West Bank
Israeli troops arrested at least four Palestinians in an overnight raid targeting the town of Dura, south of the West Bank, Ma’an News reported.
http://www.imemc.org/article/60374
Wa’ed society: Israel kidnapped 200 Gazans during its last war
Wa’ed society for detainees and ex-detainees said the Israeli occupation forces kidnapped during its war on the Gaza Strip about 200 prisoners, 15 of them were classified as unlawful combatants.
http://www.palestine-info.co.uk/En/default.aspx?xyz=U6Qq7k%2b
Israeli sources: The PA helped us to detain Bitar and his fellow strikers
Israeli military sources revealed that the kidnapping of Wael Al-Bitar and his four fellow hunger strikers took place after the Israeli side received intelligence information from the PA.
http://www.palestine-info.co.uk/En/default.aspx?xyz=U6Qq7k
IOA holds MP Rabaei under administrative detention
The Israeli occupation authority (IOA) told Hamas lawmaker in Al-Khalil city Moussa Al-Rabaei that he would be transferred to administrative detention.
http://www.palestine-info.co.uk/En/default.aspx?xyz=U6Qq7k%2bcOd8
Palestinian father deprived of seeing his son in Israeli jails for 12 years
The father of prisoner Imad Abu Rayan from Gaza told the prisoners’ center for studies that he has not been able to see his son who was kidnapped in 1991, for the past 12 years.
http://www.palestine-info.co.uk/En/default.aspx?xyz=U6Qq7k%
Political Developments
Palestinians to seek UN recognition for independent state in September
Move part of Palestinians’ ‘Plan B’ of pursuing alternative to a negotiated peace deal while talks with Israel remain stalled.
http://www.haaretz.com/news/diplomacy-defense/palestinians-to-seek-un-recognition-for-independent-state-in-september-1.336215?localLinksEnabled=false
Most nations to recognise us in 2011: Palestinians
RAMALLAH, Palestinian Territories (AFP) – Most of the world’s nations will announce recognition of a Palestinian state by September 2011, Palestinian foreign minister Riyad al-Malki said on Sunday. “The majority of the international community will recognise an independent Palestinian state” by September, Malki told a group of Palestinian journalists in the West Bank city of Ramallah. Malki said the European Union had already expressed its intention to recognise a Palestinian state by September, which would mark one year since the restart of direct peace talks that have stalled over continued Israeli settlement construction.
http://news.yahoo.com/s/afp/20110109/wl_mideast_afp/israelpalestinianspeacediplomacymalki
Summit of South American-Arab countries to debate recognition of Palestinian state
The Summit of South American-Arab Countries (ASPA) meeting in Lima, Peru in February, will debate a proposal “to issue a final declaration recognizing a sovereign and independent Palestinian state in borders preceding 4 June 1967, with East Jerusalem as the Palestinian state’s capital.” Walid Muaqqat, Palestinian ambassador to Argentina, told the Miami Herald that this proposal would be discussed at the ASPA, a mechanism for bi-regional cooperation and a forum for political coordination between South American and Arab countries.
http://www.alternativenews.org/english/index.php/topics/news/3163-summit-of-south-american-arab-countries-to-debate-recognition-of-palestinian-state
Jordan evades Netanyahu’s request to meet King Abdullah
The intended message: in view of the stalemate in peace negotiations, there’s little reason for such a meeting at this time.
http://www.haaretz.com/print-edition/news/jordan-evades-netanyahu-s-request-to-meet-king-abdullah-1.336113?localLinksEnabled=false
Other News
Netanyahu outraged at outgoing Mossad chief’s assessment of Iran’s nuclear progress
JERUSALEM, Jan. 9 (Xinhua) — Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is reportedly fuming at ex-Mossad chief Meir Dagan’s latest assessment that Iran will not obtain a nuclear capability before 2015, Israeli media reported Sunday. Dagan, who handed over command of the Israeli spy agency to his successor Tamir Pardo last week, said Thursday that numerous malfunctions in the Islamic Republic’s nuclear program helped set it back by some four years. His comments suggested that a military assault would be premature before other measures are exhausted.
http://news.xinhuanet.com/english2010/world/2011-01/10/c_13683071.htm
Clinton dismisses outgoing Mossad chief’s assessment about Iran nuclear program
Visiting the Gulf region, the U.S. Secretary of State urges increased pressure on Iran.
http://www.haaretz.com/news/diplomacy-defense/clinton-dismisses-outgoing-mossad-chief-s-assessment-about-iran-nuclear-program-1.336173?localLinksEnabled=false
Shin Bet backtracks on support for bill to revoke citizenship for terrorists
Statement comes after the organization had originally backed a proposal to grant courts and administrative authorities the right to revoke citizenship in loyalty-related offenses.
http://www.haaretz.com/news/national/shin-bet-backtracks-on-support-for-bill-to-revoke-citizenship-for-terrorists-1.336211?localLinksEnabled=false
New video calls for murder of deputy AG over ‘persecution’ of Jews
Police investigating clip claiming Shai Nitzan was singling out Jewish groups for incitement while disregarding similar alleged offenses by Arabs.
http://www.haaretz.com/news/national/new-video-calls-for-murder-of-deputy-ag-over-persecution-of-jews-1.336204?localLinksEnabled=false
Lieberman: Leftist organizations support terror
Before probe has even begun, foreign minister already knows what outcome will be. At party factions meeting Lieberman defends decision to investigate leftist organizations, attacks right wing MKs who voted against decision: Some people are bleeding hearts, betraying national camp.
http://www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7340,L-4011610,00.html
Analysis/Op-ed
What Would Einstein Say?, Fidel Castro
Today the leaders of the State of Israel practice genocide and are associating themselves with the most reactionary forces on the planet.
http://www.informationclearinghouse.info/article27223.htm
‘What is this, delusional?’ (the west’s deafening silence on the Judaization of Jerusalem), Alice Rothchild
We were in the midst of a political tour of East Jerusalem with journalist and activist Abu Hassan, trying to comprehend the bizarre realities in the Sheikh Jarrah neighborhood. We stand in front of the house of the evicted al-Ghawi family who I met last year living in a tent outside their property. In 2009, 800 soldiers and police evicted 37 members of this family from their homes. We watch a man with a large black hat and long black coat rush, head tilted down, (is he feeling shame or fear?) into the apartment which is topped by a gigantic menorah. The Palestinian family still receives the water and electricity bills as they refuse to change the registration. What kind of insanity is this?
http://mondoweiss.net/2011/01/what-is-this-delusional-the-wests-deafening-silence-on-the-judaization-of-jerusalem.html
US Policy in the Middle East: it is racism, stupid (or the Jim Crow of US policies in the Middle East), As`ad Abukhalil
There is a Wikileaks document that shows top US diplomats discussing the status of an Israeli terrorist captured in Gaza. I will not mention his name and we should not: they make our victims nameless and faceless: and their victims are not really victims but killers and terrorists and we should only make them famous on a Wanted list of war criminals at large. But there is something to be said about top US officials discussing the plight of one captured Israeli terrorist who was captured while embarking on crimes spree in Gaza. I mean, those US officials–not even at the lowest rank–would never ever discuss the plight of more than 10,000 Palestinian prisoners in Israeli jails. For them, they all–men women and children–can be grouped as terrorists who deserve the worst punishment from Israel. And the system of thought behind such political and even human behavior is nothing less than unadulterated, old-style racism against a whole people. People ask them why I speak with such vehemence against, say, Jeffrey Feltman–the top Middle East man at the US Department of State. And my answer is that his racism is so blatant in everything he ever says about the Middle East (let alone his deep ignorance and his failures in learning Arabic over the years). Feltman–like many others–drips with racism in everything he says about Arabs and Palestinians in particular. It is the same white racism against blacks. US Middle East policy is still Jim Crow mentality. You may say: but Feltman is on friendly terms with some Arabs–Fayyad and other small puppets like that. My answer: of course. So was George Wallace at the hight of his white supremacist campaigns. There was never a shortage of individual blacks who made white racist comfortable with their racism. Those were the blacks that white supremacists held as models for black ideal behavior–defined always in terms of obedience and submissiveness. So the Arabs who serve as puppets for US foreign policy in the Middle East are unaware that they are peddling thought that holds them as inferior–as cheaper humans. And some Arabs–say Abu Mazen–know but don’t care because they deep down view themselves as inferior.[end]
http://angryarab.blogspot.com/2011/01/us-policy-in-middle-east-it-is-racism.html
English publications can speak frankly about the Israel lobby’s power over Obama, Philip Weiss
The Economist’s latest cover was Please Not Again and showed a contemplative Obama (that might be redundant). Other headlines, including “US, Israel and the Arabs,” warned of yet another war in the Middle East. The package included this piece called, “Great sacrifices, small rewards Has America’s obsession with this region been worth it?”
http://mondoweiss.net/2011/01/english-publications-can-speak-frankly-about-the-israel-lobbys-power-over-obama.html
Left is now driving the discourse on I/P– and causing some Dems to stop being ‘Israel lovers’, Philip Weiss
The head of the David Project writes in the JTA that the real danger of all the delegitimation isn’t the leftwing– no, it’s the fact that the left is driving the discourse, driving the pendulum, and thereby delegitimating the Israel lobby in the mainstream. Fascinating.
http://mondoweiss.net/2011/01/left-is-now-driving-the-discourse-on-ip-and-causing-some-dems-to-stop-being-israel-lovers.html
Today in Apartheid, Juan Cole
Israeli troops made an incursion into the Palestinian city of al-Khalil (which the Israelis call Hebron) and killed the wrong man, invading his apartment and riddling him with bullets. They then went on to their actual target, and just left. Most MSM lead the story with an Israeli acknowledgment of error (irrelevant) rather than with an innocent man’s brutal death (the actual point). Human Rights Watch is demanding an investigation into the death of Anas Salih, murdered by bureaucracy in Gaza by Israeli officials. The unconscious patient needed urgent medical care outside the Gaza Strip, which is under Israeli siege, and the Israelis demanded that he first appear for questioning. He died in the meantime. A number of Palestinians in Gaza have died in the same way in recent years. Israel is in serious violation of international law on this issue.
http://www.juancole.com/2011/01/today-in-apartheid.html?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+juancole%2Fymbn+%28Informed+Comment%29
reflections on the Gaza Youth Manifesto, Max Ajl
People have been asking me what I think of the Gaza Youth Breaks Out statement. Here are my thoughts, provisionally; I’m still asking around. The youth who wrote that document could face consequences, and they were brave to have written it. There is a lot in the document that anyone should agree with. It expresses certain shared frustrations here. There are also unfortunate equivalences accidentally implied that good people, including the manifesto’s authors, should reject, and have abjured. Fateh bureaucrats live luxuriously in Ramallah, while Bedouin in Gaza struggle for wells to draw undrinkable water from the Strip’s dying aquifer, and Israeli soldiers gun down sleeping Palestinian men in Hebron and Israeli snipers shoot shepherds in the back in Beit Lehiya. Those who make martyrs are not equivalent to the government that avenges them. Whatever problems—some understandable—people have with the Hamas government, it was Hamas militia who were murdered defending their country during the Cast Lead attack, and I am sure that the authors of the manifesto are aware of this. Their Palestinian critics certainly are. The statement has attracted attention both from eager progressives and leftists peering at Palestine, and from the Zionist media and Israeli youth who have fixated on the manifesto’s opening line and probably ignored too much of the rest of it, as they ignore students’ letters that lack that beguilingly profane beginning. As Israeli hasbaraistas know, wars are also mediatic, and they pay attention to the disgruntlement of the natives when it’s convenient, not because they care.
http://www.maxajl.com/?p=4719&utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+http%2Fwwwmaxajlcom%2Ffeedrss2+%28Jewbonics%29
Remnick takes another step– the occupation is ‘deeply wrong’, Philip Weiss
Eliot Spitzer is also on the panel. I believe he safely ducked this issue. And let me say one other thing. An all-star panel, as Zakaria advertises it, and three of the four panelists are Jews, and their opinions range from neoconservative to liberal Zionist. This is why I harp on the new quasi-Jewish establishment, because of our inevitable representation in such fora. Where are the realists? (Only Zakaria) Where are the Arab-Americans? Or the anti-Zionists? When Remnick says that what he thinks of the occupation is immaterial, he is wrong. He has the power to help shape American Jewish opinion. And that’s the ballgame.
http://mondoweiss.net/2011/01/remnick-takes-another-step-the-occupation-is-deeply-wrong.html
One-People, One-State for all, Mitri I. Musleh
Ignorance, belligerence, selfishness, power, control and injustice are a combined phenomenon that is clouding the skies of the so-called Palestinian/Israeli peace talks. In the midst of all this time wasting efforts being displayed by the various players as a result of the mind boggling political manoeuvring of the international community, Israel remains the only benefactor of this political game while the Palestinian people remain living in bondage under the brutality of Israeli occupation.
http://english.pnn.ps/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=9369&Itemid=58
Water Conservation in the West Bank
By : Clare Morgana Gillis – With an annual rainfall averaging only about 550mm – in the eastern regions as little as 150mm per year – the West Bank easily qualifies as a desert. Droughts make the situation even worse. This year, the rains which should have begun in October came only in December. The only other sources of water here are the underlying aquifers, which used to be recharged naturally by the Jordan River. However, in 1964 Israel and Jordan began diverting water from it for their own developments, and the population of the West Bank lost a major source of water for agriculture and habitation.
http://english.pnn.ps/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=9372&Itemid=74
Dissent Against Cinema Jenin Becomes Visible
By Ika Dano – Finally, the management board of Cinema Jenin has to recognize that the local public opinion does not agree with its policy. At 3 a.m. on January 5, unidentified attackers threw Molotov cocktails at Cinema Jenin’s Guesthouse, where international volunteers have been hosted since the beginning of the project two years ago. Lately administrative offices had moved into the building. The attack damaged one of the offices on the ground floor, but the Jenin civil defense unit managee to extinguish the fire. The police opened a judicial inquiry, but the perpetrators are still unknown.
http://english.pnn.ps/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=9371&Itemid=58
Lebanon
Lebanon’s Hariri urges more U.N. pressure on Israel (Reuters)
Reuters – Lebanon’s prime minister urged the U.N. chief on Sunday to increase pressure on Israel to end all violations of Lebanese borders, and to help prevent it from exploiting Lebanese oil and gas, a Lebanese official said.
http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/mideast/*http://news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20110110/wl_nm/us_lebanon_un
Jeffrey Feltman: the media critic (when lies are mixed with ignorance with a large chunk of Zionism), As’ad Abukhalil
So Jeffrey Feltman wrote a letter to the New York Times today to express his disapproval of a Lebanese newspaper and its editorial line. When I read that last night, I could not help but think of the degradation of Middle East expertise in the US government. It is fair to say that ever since Bill Clinton came to power, the Arabists were completely eliminated from policy making positions at the White House and State Department (although some remain at other branches of the US government). Of course, the war on Arabists began in earlier years: Henry Kissinger tried to marginalize them in earlier years too. Their obituary was written in the book on their record by Robert Kaplan. In the late 1990s, I spoke about the Arabists and made the point I am making now at a conference at Georgetown University. After my talk, I was approached by Robert Pelletreau–he was the last Arabist to serve as the Assistant Secretary of State for Near Eastern Affairs because the job went after him to ardent Zionists from outside the Foreign Service: people like Martin Indyk–and he pleaded with me to not use the word “Arabist” because it hurts the career and image of Middle East specialists at the US government. Feltman comes from the Foreign Service but does not dream of ever being considered an Arabist: not only because of his Likudnik politics but also because of his failure to achieve any of the knowledge or competence of Arabists in yester years. No one will ever compare Feltman to, say, Richard P. Parker (who in fact served as ambassador in Lebanon in the late 1970s and tried as much as he could to stand up to Israel and who refers to Bashir Gemayyel in private conversation (with me) as “the thug.”) or with Richard Murphy or speaks Arabic fluently and with a hint of a Syrian accent (I have appeared on BBC programs with Murphy and he spoke Arabic). Feltman, after years of study and service, is proud of himself when he says “Thanks you” to Arab journalists and he pronounces it as “Shuukkaaarriiiaan”. (continues, must read)
http://angryarab.blogspot.com/2011/01/jeffrey-feltman-media-critic-when-lies.html
Angry Arab says that after Bill Clinton got in, Arabists were ‘eliminated’ from State Dep’t, Philip Weiss
Angry Arab has a fascinating post on a letter written to the NYT by ass’t sec’y of state Jeffrey Feltman. Angry Arab– As’ad AbuKhalil– uses the letter as an opportunity to reflect on the elimination of Arabists from the State Department since the Clinton years. A few quick points before the excerpt: there were Arabists all over the State Department in the 1940s, 50s, and 60s; and they generally lost.
http://mondoweiss.net/2011/01/angry-arab-says-that-after-bill-clinton-got-in-arabists-were-eliminated-from-state-dept.html
Betrayal in Beirut, MIKE WHITNEY
When Israeli troops and armored units swept into Lebanon on July 12, 2006, not one soldier from the Lebanese Army was deployed to the South to defend the country. The army stayed safely tucked away in the North while Hezbollah militiamen engaged the IDF in ferocious combat for more than a month. 1,200 civilians were killed in the fighting and vast parts of the country’s vital infrastructure were destroyed before Hezbollah prevailed and sent the IDF fleeing back into Israel. Lebanon managed to avoid Israeli occupation because of the heroic efforts of Hezbollah.
http://www.counterpunch.com/whitney01072011.html
Nine Filipino women arrested while attempting to travel to Lebanon
BEIRUT: Nine Lebanon-bound Filipino women were arrested in Manila’s international airport over the weekend on suspicion of illegally accepting domestic work contracts in Beirut, media reports said. The incident comes less than a week after the Philippine government hinted that it was finally considering lifting a strict four-year work ban on Filipinos working in Lebanon.
http://www.dailystar.com.lb/article.asp?edition_id=1&categ_id=1&article_id=123434
Iraq
Sunday: 7 Iraqis Wounded
Only seven Iraqis were wounded in very light violence; however there are reports coming out of Camp Ashraf that claim 176 Iranians were wounded during a raid on Friday.
http://original.antiwar.com/updates/2011/01/09/sunday-7-iraqis-wounded/
The new and improved Muqtada As-Sadr, As`ad Abukhalil
I could not believe the sight of Muqtada As-Sadr today. The rally was massive: hundreds of thousands of people attended in a scene reminiscent of rallies of Party of God in Lebanon. But what was most astonishing was the performance of As-Sadr himself. Here was this petulant and ill-tempered man of 5 years ago who used to speak in short and hesitant sentences now appearing as a forceful and capable public speaker who knew who to handle a crowd. It was quite remarkable how much he has grown as a public speaker. This formerly consistently bad-tempered man now was able to sprinkle humor into the speech and to lead the crowd in a chant against the US and Israel. When I watched the hundreds of thousands chanting in unison against US and Israel, I remembered the promises made by the London-based Iraqi puppet opposition that the “new” US-occupied Iraq would lead the country toward peace with Israel. Fat chance. [end]
http://angryarab.blogspot.com/2011/01/new-and-improved-muqtada-as-sadr.html
Today’s Iraqi informers replicate the infamous role of their counterparts under Saddam Hussein
The Iraqi parliament is debating the role secret intelligence agents play in the current Iraqi political scene. These agents are euphemistically called informers, the appellation the former regime of Saddam Hussein also used. The issue of secret intelligence agents has become a stigma of disgrace in the forehead of the current political system in Iraq. The governments that have come to rule the country in the aftermath of the 2003-U.S. invasion have nurtured these informers and even bragged about their pervasive presence.
http://www.azzaman.com/english/index.asp?fname=news\2011-01-09\kurd.htm
Trashed in Iraq: ‘Look what they’ve done to us!’
The US is pumping billions of dollars into regenerating Iraq. But with thousands there still living below the poverty line, many have yet to see any improvement in living standards. As RT’s Sebastian Myer reports, some are forced to live in dumping grounds, scavenging through waste just to earn a few dollars.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pf5oRfXE07I
Going to school in Baghdad …
http://friday-lunch-club.blogspot.com/2011/01/going-to-school-in-baghdad.html
U.S. and other world news
Clinton presses Gulf states on Iran
US secretary of state says there must be continued international pressure on Iran over its nuclear programme.
http://english.aljazeera.net/news/middleeast/2011/01/201111001643752596.html
Obama, In Blow to Closing Guantanamo, Signs Law
President Barack Obama, in a setback to hopes for the quick closing of the Guantanamo Bay prison, reluctantly signed a bill on Friday barring suspects held there from being brought to the United States for trial.
http://www.nytimes.com/reuters/2011/01/07/us/politics/politics-us-obama-guantanamo-detainees.html?_r=2&ref=reuters
U.S. seeks life in prison for ex-Guantanamo detainee
A U.S. jury found Ahmed Khalfan Ghailani, 36, not guilty of all but one charge in November following a five-week trial in New York. He had been accused of conspiring in the 1998 al Qaeda bomb attacks on U.S. embassies in Kenya and Tanzania that killed 224 people.
http://www.reuters.com/article/idUSTRE70707Q20110108?feedType=RSS&feedName=domesticNews&rpc=76
Man admits he lied to FBI to frame associates as terrorists
He also admitted to misleading the FBI by telling agents that one of the associates had discussed attacking Times Square “since it would likely inflict the greatest number of casualties.”
http://www.nypost.com/p/news/local/man_admits_terrorists_lied_to_fbi_GIwvdEOg4PuOpIPREVa5BL
US buys right to kill Pakistani citizens: U.S. to offer more support to Pakistan
The Obama administration has decided to offer Pakistan more military, intelligence and economic support, and to intensify U.S. efforts to forge a regional peace, despite ongoing frustration that Pakistani officials are not doing enough to combat terrorist groups in the country’s tribal areas, officials said.
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2011/01/07/AR2011010706494.html?nav=rss_nation/special
‘US has right to interfere in Pakistan’s affairs’
The US has the right to interfere in Pakistan’s economic and governance affairs as Washington provides funds to it, the American envoy here has asserted.
http://story.irishsun.com/index.php/ct/9/cid/2411cd3571b4f088/id/728974/cs/1/
Islamic group is CIA front, ex-Turkish intel chief says
A memoir by a top former Turkish intelligence official claims that a worldwide moderate Islamic movement based in Pennsylvania has been providing cover for the CIA since the mid-1990s.
http://voices.washingtonpost.com/spy-talk/2011/01/islamic_group_is_cia_front_ex-.html?referrer=emaillink
Activists decry plans for ‘second class’ of US citizens
Human rights activists and some constitutional scholars are denouncing a proposal by a group of state lawmakers to create a “second class” of US citizenship that would apply to children of illegal immigrants.
http://www.rawstory.com/rs/2011/01/activists-decry-second-class-citizen/
Tunisia’s press blackout
In Tunisia, at least 14 people have been killed in protests against high unemployment and high prices. And after days of unrest in neighbouring Algeria, the government is promising to slash some food prices to try and defuse anger. As Al Jazeera’s Tarek Bazley reports, government censorship is making the story harder to report.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=l-WiBIBybKU&feature=youtube_gdata
Tunisian protests escalate, reflecting widespread discontent
Fourteen people were killed this weekend in protests that began last month and have broadened to include a wide cross-section of Tunisians upset about not only high unemployment, but inequality and autocratic leaders.
http://rss.csmonitor.com/%7Er/feeds/world/%7E3/w5q4Y-hQ9ao/Tunisian-protests-escalate-reflecting-widespread-discontent
Unemployed Saudi teachers stage rare Riyadh protest against lack of state jobs
RIYADH: A group of 250 unemployed Saudi university graduates staged a rare protest in the capital Riyadh, and the group’s spokesman vowed Sunday to keep up the demonstrations until the Gulf Arab state creates jobs for them.The U.S. ally and OPEC’s biggest oil exporter is an absolute monarchy and usually does not tolerate public displays of dissent.
http://www.dailystar.com.lb/article.asp?edition_id=10&categ_id=3&article_id=123416
www.TheHeadlines.org
‘What is this, delusional?’ (the west’s deafening silence on the Judaization of Jerusalem)
Jan 10, 2011
Alice Rothchild
January 9, East Jerusalem
We were in the midst of a political tour of East Jerusalem with journalist and activist Abu Hassan, trying to comprehend the bizarre realities in the Sheikh Jarrah neighborhood. We stand in front of the house of the evicted al-Ghawi family who I met last year living in a tent outside their property.
In 2009, 800 soldiers and police evicted 37 members of this family from their homes. We watch a man with a large black hat and long black coat rush, head tilted down, (is he feeling shame or fear?) into the apartment which is topped by a gigantic menorah. The Palestinian family still receives the water and electricity bills as they refuse to change the registration. What kind of insanity is this?
An elderly Palestinian woman has been evicted from her home where she lived for many decades with her family, extending the one story building to accommodate her children and grandchildren. During the recent eviction, Jewish settlers were moved into the front portion of her house, now draped with a large Israeli flag with Stars of David painted around the front window. This poor woman is now forced to live in the back portion of her house with her son and grandchildren.
They are watching cartoons when we arrive and a deadly depression weights the air. Their case is in the Israeli courts where there is little chance they will be treated favorably. At any time this family, like others in the neighborhood, can be evicted forcibly by Israeli military and put out on the street with their meager possessions. An International Solidarity Tent stands in the garden, so it seems they have some international support but the tent is empty.
A friend of Abu Hassan’s arrives and shows him a photo on his cell phone. A demolition is underway nearby at this very moment. Abu Hassan explains that the former house of the Grand Mufti of Jerusalem which then became a hotel and then a center for the Shin Bet and collaborators, is being demolished in order to build 500 homes for Jewish settlers. We hustle back into the bus and drive to the area which is crowded with cars and press. The scene is absolutely surreal.
A metal fence topped with barbwire partially hides the multi-story building, but the large yellow Volvo bulldozers can be seen smashing at the walls, creating clouds of debris. Peeking through metal bars in a gate, I see a crumbling old structure set back from the road. A crowd of reporters, cameramen, and angry protestors quickly gathers. An older woman with a purple hijab talks and gestures animatedly to a white haired man, Elisha Peleg, a member of the City Council. The general tone of the crowd is one of frustration and rage at yet another land grab in East Jerusalem, another violation of international law, another nail in the coffin of a Palestinian state. Elisha argues that this demolition is all totally legal, citing a variety of administrative procedures. “We have a right to have Jewish families in this unified city. I am very proud of what we are doing.”
He says Arabs can easily get permits to build in West Jerusalem (not) and then accuses the protestors of racism, of being paid to come, and angrily questions if any Arabs have papers to prove they were evicted from properties in Jerusalem, had gone through the proper channels, etc etc, very legalistic. (Does he actually believe himself?) This provokes hostile responses from a number of Arab men who clearly had personal experiences with dispossession and experience with the Israeli permitting and court systems. People start chanting, “Shame, shame” and I notice heavily armed security guards in civilian clothes (thugs?) moving closer. At one point a women yells,” You are delusional!” He looks at her and said, “What is this, delusional?”
Violations of international law or the Judaization of East Jerusalem are very intellectual concepts, but to see it happening in real time, surrounded by the people who are watching the Israeli government irreversibly colonize their land which the international community recognizes as occupied territory, is a sobering and emotional experience. The future will clearly be built by the steady march of Israeli construction. The silence of the international community is particularly deafening.
But let me take you back to the beginning of this extraordinary tour. Abu Hassan meets us in front the Jerusalem Hotel for a walking/bus tour. He notes that he has been trying unsuccessfully to get a tour license and his case is now almost at the Supreme Court. Consequently he operates his business under the aegis of the Hotel. Palestinians from East Jerusalem are residents of the city, not citizens of Israel, are allowed to vote in municipal elections only. In 1967 when they were occupied by Israeli forces, they refused to accept Israeli citizenship as that would have negated their political rights to the city.
Israeli law then became more restrictive and any Palestinian in East Jerusalem has to prove that he actually lives within the Jerusalem borders to retain his residency ID. In 2004, the Israeli government stopped all residency applications. This has caused a host of problems; for instance, if a man from East Jerusalem marries a woman from the West Bank, she cannot legally live with him in East Jerusalem and if he moves to the West Bank, he will not be able to return to East Jerusalem. Hundreds of Palestinian families have “weekend relationships” with each partner retaining residency in his or her place of origin, shuttling themselves and their growing families back and forth.
Abu Hassan’s family has lived in Jerusalem for generations, but an uncle of his lived in the neighborhood of Abu Dis and in 1967, the Israeli government declared his part of the neighborhood as part of the West Bank and he lost his East Jerusalem ID and is unable to return. The Palestinian towns of Aram and Deiht Albareid were among the five East Jerusalem towns that were declared part of the West Bank as well.
We are now on #1 Road (formerly Mandlebaum) which was the border between east and west. Since the Israeli government established East Jerusalem in 1967 as part of a “unified city,” 40% of the land has been confiscated as a military zone or as green space which is then developed as a Jewish settlement or colony. The disappearance of Palestinian visibility continued with the building of a bridge 13 years ago so that Jewish settlers could avoid traveling through a Palestinian area; a tram is now being built to shuttle settlers in East Jerusalem to West Jerusalem, ostensibly to “unite” the city, but in actuality to avoid contact with the Palestinian population.
Abu Hassan points out the settlement of Pisgat Ze’ev, established in the 1980s and now one of the biggest colonies in East Jerusalem with 34,000 Jewish settlers, built on land from the villages of Shu’fat and Beit Hanina. The separation wall near Pisgat surrounds villages and the refugee camp of Shu’fat; 60,000 people have one entrance and they need to have an East Jerusalem ID to pass. In this bizarre and complicated world, 20% of the inhabitants within this curve of the wall have West Bank IDs and are married to East Jerusalemites so they have two options: stay on that side of the wall or move to the West Bank. Passive transfer in action. Make life miserable.
I feel like this is some nefarious Alice in Wonderland world run by some crazed Queen of Hearts masquerading as a double headed Netanyahu- Lieberman monster. East Jerusalemites pay the same taxes as the West but receive 20% of the public services. The Jewish Quarter of the Old City is clean and well kept as opposed to the grime, garbage and disrepair in the Arab sector. Abu Hassan points out the roof tops: Jewish houses have a white water tower for hot water, Palestinian houses have the white tower, but also a black water tower because their water supply is not reliable. In addition, they pay five times as much and in the West Bank, Jewish settlers get more water for their animals than Palestinians get for themselves. Racism anyone?
We drive into the expanding Pisgat, rows of neat well groomed apartments, a mall and good transportation, modern local services, playground and swimming pool. On the contrary, Palestinians are faced with a severe shortage of schools and have applied to build another school. For the last 2 years, 150 Palestinian children have been unable to find schooling. The Catch 22 is that when the child is 16 and applies for an East Jerusalem residency ID, the parents have to prove that the child attended school within the Jerusalem borders by providing a yearly diploma and documentation that both parents are from East Jerusalem.
To bring this up close and personal, Abu Hassan explains that he is married to a German woman. He struggled for 12 years to get her a residency ID. For the first five years she was not allowed to leave the country or work and thus had no health insurance as well. After five years, the residency laws changed and he had to start the process all over again. The lawyer’s fees amounted to $15,000, but now he is assured his four children will be able to get their IDs. This feels like an attempt to wear people down by sheer aggravation.
On the other hand, if you are Jewish, the Israeli government encourages you to buy an apartment in the settlement at 1/3 the market value and collects no taxes for five years. A very strange democracy indeed, and an inherently unsustainable political situation.
On the right we pass a cascade of grey houses, the Shu’fat Refugee Camp, established in 1967 when families mostly of Moroccan descent who had lived in Jerusalem for generations, were removed from the area adjacent to the Western Wall. 17,000 people crowd into one square kilometer. They started with the UNRWA tents, then moved into concrete houses and are now expanding vertically. The refugees are surrounded by walls and can see the beautiful Jewish settlements, the land confiscation, the water.
Many of the citizens of Pisgat are from Brooklyn, Kahanists famous for their violent racism. Abu Hassan reports that there is now a Jewish Defense League that waits for Palestinian youth at the mall and attacks them. The police do nothing. When do we call this fascism? Jewish terrorists? How do you think this feels to the Palestinian children living under these devastating conditions? What is the message from the Israeli government? How long can this last? Obama are you listening?
Abu Hassan says, “Life here is impossible.” When he goes to work, “anything can happen.” The next settlement we see is Neve Ya’akov, established in 1969 and now actively building new apartments. This is the location of the Union of Shas Movement, a very fanatic segment of Israeli society and a danger to the unwelcomed Palestinian population.
Abu Hassan suspects that Netanyahu is trying to provoke another intifada with the rapid settlement growth and weekly killings. Then he will have an excuse to fight “the terrorists.” In this context, the word terrorism seems to lose its meaning. Abu Hassan mentions that he first went to jail at the age of 13 for the crime of throwing stones for which he was not guilty. He was released six months later, but by then he was severely traumatized and had “lost my childhood.” He said he became more and more hateful and was involved in physical attacks against Israeli soldiers. At 16, after his brother was killed by settlers, he joined the PLO and was arrested and sentenced to eight years.
He served four and was released in a prisoner exchange. Then at 22 when he was a student at Birzeit University and a member of the Student Council, he was arrested again and sentenced to 12 years, but released during the Oslo process in another prisoner exchange. He describes his imprisonment as very difficult, every six months he changed jails, he was tortured repeatedly and continues to have back problems. Now he channels his militancy and resistance into these tours, educating visitors to Jerusalem and opening minds and hearts to the Palestinian tragedy.
Last year his seven year old daughter asked him why there is a separation wall. “For me it was so painful, I tried to hide it but she is very smart.” He finally explained the realities to her, but hopes very deeply for a better future for his children. He explains that his conflict is not with Jews, in fact his family took care of an Iraqi Jewish woman in their own home for years. His conflict is with Zionists who clearly want to push the Palestinians out of the land they have called their own for generations.
East Jerusalem is clearly one of the battlegrounds and the Palestinians are losing in the face of byzantine administrative rules, outright lying, brutal violence, a society that has grown increasingly racist and supportive of right wing ideologies and an international community that has completely abdicated its responsibilities. As one Israeli said to me: “Save us from ourselves.”
Lerner points to anti-Semitic character of new hatred in America
Jan 10, 2011
Philip Weiss
Rabbi Michael Lerner insists on the Jewish angle in the Arizona shootings. Interesting. I don’t know, want more evidence. But hear him out.
[D]on’t think of this action as a mere “irrational event,” because it fits very well with the agenda of those who want to give the country back 100% to the corporate powers and their Republican agents in Congress while scaring those who might wish to participate in helping build any kind of progressive alternative.
And don’t underplay the anti-Semitic elements either.
According to Ha’aretz newspaper, the killer’s website had Hitler’s hate book Mein Kampf listed as one of his favorite books! When Jews are targeted, it’s rarely “by chance.” Right-wing haters particularly hate Jews, since Jews were the most consistent non-African American constituency for the Democratic Party , in 2010 voting 70% for Democrats. If the rest of the country voted like Jews we’d have a liberal Democratic Congress. And this is not lost on the right-wingers. Just listen to the tapes of Nixon and you see how extreme the hatred of Jews is revealed to be by the “moderate” Nixon, and now we have the more extreme elements of the Right coming to power.
Jews are, in the minds of these haters, the same as liberals or progressives–maybe even the worst of them. And then, the sexism of the right manifests dramatically in attempting to kill a woman–the perfect symbol of uppity feminists who dare to take power away from the male chauvinists who thought that “their” country was about white male Christian power. You won’t hear the media dealing with these dimensions of the reality–but they are central.
Most immediately, I invite you to join us in prayer for Representative Gabrielle Gifford and all those wounded and their families! May she receive a refu’ah shleymah, a healing of body and a healing of soul, and speedily return to our community fully healed.
(Thanks to Susie Kneedler. My feeling is that if you are going to bring in all the giant power issues that Lerner brings into this discussion of hatred– including blue staters allegedly wanting to put “restrictions on corporations”–then you must speak also of class-borne resentment against Jews as big winners; we are the richest group in the U.S. by religion; and Lerner’s claim to our righteous role re the corporations may in fact be seen by others as a mediators’ role that only empowers the corps. I don’t know; but I think these culture wars are very complicated by class.)
‘LA Times’ brands Manning’s jail conditions at Quantico ‘indefensible’
Jan 10, 2011
Philip Weiss
LA Times editorial focuses on the inhumane conditions of PFC Bradley Manning’s incarceration:
Manning is in “maximum custody.” Also, under a “Protection of Injury” order, he is confined to his cell for 23 hours a day, even though his lawyer says a psychologist has determined he isn’t a threat to himself. His lawyer also says that Manning is denied sheets and is unable to exercise in his cell, and that he is not allowed to sleep between 5 a.m. and 8 p.m. If he attempts to sleep during those hours, he is made to sit up or stand by his guards.
Some speculate that by treating Manning harshly, officials hope to induce him to implicate WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange (though Assange would be subject to civilian, not military, justice). But a desire to secure his cooperation isn’t a justification for protracted imprisonment under the conditions imposed on Manning.
The lobby has been broken because… Israel isn’t good for the Jews
Jan 10, 2011
Philip Weiss
A few months back, young Brandon Davis, writing thrillingly in the Daily Princetonian, blamed the American Jewish community en bloc for the crimes of Israel–
[J]ust as it is fair to criticize Israeli policies, it is fair to criticize its apologists — groups that claim to represent the entire American Jewish community. American Jews have traditionally been at the forefront of progressive movements. But in recent years, American Jewish institutions have trended toward the ugly side of Zionism, defending — or at least apologizing for — the Israeli hard right in its continuation of the occupation of the West Bank and repression of Palestinian identity. The undeniable injustices of the Israeli government and military warrant criticism; silence in the face of these injustices warrants criticism as well.
It is time for American Jews to stand up against oppression, violence and religious fundamentalism. The tribalism that has persuaded the Jewish people to categorically stand up for Israel for so many years is foolish and outdated. The occupation of the West Bank is wrong. The blockade of Gaza is wrong. The displacement of Palestinian villages is wrong. The continued construction of settlements is wrong. And American Jews have enabled all of it. It’s about time a Jew stood up and said so.
I wrote similar things over the years, and I want to announce now that Brandon Davis and I have won. We have helped to change the American Jewish community, and that community and its leaders are going to be distancing themselves more and more from the crimes of Israel in months to come.
A process that began very much in the margin 3 and 4 years ago, with the Progressive Anti-Zionists who were called anti-Semites by the American Jewish Committee’s Alvin Rosenfeld in a historic smear that will go into history books some day– we have won. The criticisms that we framed about Israel are entering the mainstream Jewish community. I’m not going to offer data right now, but the sense is everywhere around me.
And the bravery of Jews who said, I am finally speaking out against the atrocities– if you remember Naomi Klein asking Palestinians to forgive her cowardice on the issue back in 09, if you remember Medea Benjamin apologizing for not getting on the issue sooner when she began her countless trips to Gaza– well, we can look back now and see that those women were great leaders, and the mainstream Jews are going to be following down the same dusty road of broken dreams. Peter Beinart is on that road; and believe me, we are going to see franker and franker criticisms of Israel in the Jewish community.
Why? Because of what Brandon Davis saw. The plain black and white wrongness of the occupation, the atrocities of Gaza that turned Medea Benjamin, and add to all that, the awareness that these conditions were being blamed on Jews. The awareness that Israel was making Jews unsafe, the world around. I think this is implicit in General David Petraeus’s and Joe Biden’s comments about Israel being dangerous to America, implicit in David Remnick’s angry statement about the occupation and the passivity of the Israel lobby dining in the St Regis: you bastards, you are making us hold the bag on your crap. Yesterday on Fareed Zakaria’s show Remnick doubled down and said the occupation is “deeply wrong;” and you could see WSJ neocon Bret Stephens’s rage at the statement. But what did Stephens offer instead? When Zakaria said the plain truth, that Israel has denied half the population rights for 43 years, Stephens said that the situation must be maintained because what could take its place would be worse. This is the old ethnocentric neoconservative rationale for doling out violence to Arabs, which Remnick himself once endorsed when he published Jeffrey Goldberg’s anti-Saddam pieces, and it has now been publicly discredited. I can’t say enough about Remnick’s apostasy. Remnick is a very smart guy, and a careerist, and his shift means that the Jewish/mainstream world is shifting, and the argument I have long pressed for inside the Jewish community over the Iraq war, between the neoconservatives and the liberals who once harbored them, will at last begin. And isn’t it interesting that the Iraq war disaster and the public accusation in 2006 that the Israel lobby had fomented it did not break the lobby. No, Remnick defended against that charge. But Walt and Mearsheimer wounded the lobby; and what has broken it is a more ethnocentric concern that Walt and Mearsheimer also outlined and Beinart has picked up: You lost Israel!
What was the tipping point? I think this is easy. It was the deal Netanyahu wrung from Obama to extend the settlement freeze 3 months, which he couldn’t even sell to his own coalition. The naked exposure of Israeli power over the American political process, the ugliness of Netanyahu even as the rabbis were writing that letter saying Don’t rent to Arabs– hey, Jews may not be that smart, but we’re not that stupid either.
And when the deal failed, a terrible realization began dawning on sentient American Jews: Israel is not good for the Jews. No, its militarism and racism are damaging the Jewish brand for all to see…
It’s over. The deal that Israel cut with American Jews in ’67-’73, that you must be the guardians of the Jewish state in New York and Washington– it’s over. It’s been broken. Young Jews don’t feel it, young journalists don’t feel it much either. And part of the reason the lobby is broken is the ideology of anti-Zionism: the growing post-Holocaust awareness among American Jews that we don’t need a Jewish homeland, and you’ve done a lousy job of making a state, and we’re actually pretty safe in the west….
We’re in the long decline now.
It could take a while, I don’t know where it goes. Ali Abunimah has described the four phases of shifting consciousness better than anyone. And I would add that in the struggle that we are now entering, the apartheid struggle and the civil rights struggle in the occupation, American Jews are going to be following Brandon Davis’s path and not really caring if it’s one state or two states, and call it what you will, but let’s just end this horror show. Brandon Davis–
It is time for American Jews to stand up against oppression, violence and religious fundamentalism. The tribalism that has persuaded the Jewish people to categorically stand up for Israel for so many years is foolish and outdated.
