Mondoweiss Online Newsletter

NOVANEWS

 

• Rep. Allen West says Obama is Neville Chamberlain (to Arab Nazis)

• Derfner wanted to shock a society wed to the occupation

• ‘Brand Israel’ has failed

• Where Israel is headed

• Derfner’s next assignment

• IDF training settlers for riot policing in anticipation of ‘mass disorder’ following Palestinian UN push

• ‘JPost’ publishes ultra-rightwingers, no problem

• British gov’t minister says ‘wall is a land grab’– and is censored by UK Israel lobby

• Derfner has gotten ‘amazing support’

• Life under closure in occupied Hebron

Rep. Allen West says Obama is Neville Chamberlain (to Arab Nazis)

Aug 30, 2011

Philip Weiss

Florida congressman Allen West just returned from a visit to Israel. He sent out a long letter to his constituents. These are extended excerpts, and boy are they wild. (Photos here. In the first one, titled The Wall, West is accompanied by a man I believe is Dan Senor.) Paragraphing below is mine. My headline comes from an insight the congressman conveys a few paragraphs from end of this note. 

Having just returned earlier today- Sunday, August 28th- I want to first extend my sincere thanks to all the great Americans and Israelis that I met on this trip who came up to meet me to personally shake my hand. This was my second visit to the modern State of Israel and it will certainly not be my last.

People always ask you, “What did it feel like to be in Israel?”

For me, the response is quite simple. America is my physical homeland. It is a Constitutional Republic in which my entire adult life has been spent under an oath to support and defend. It embodies the fundamental principles of liberty, freedom of will and conscience, and democracy. Israel, however, is my spiritual homeland. It is a place about which I have read and studied my entire life. It is the place where my Judeo-Christian faith heritage was born. Israel is the place that completes me as a person.

When you consider the shared values, culture, faith, and commitment to democratic principles, it is easy to understand why many believe America is not complete without Israel.

…Our delegation visited the so-called “settlements” and all we found were neighborhoods and suburbs. When we went to Bethlehem to visit the birthplace of Jesus- a Jew- our group was not allowed to have our regular Jewish guides or bus drivers because Israeli citizens are not allowed in Bethlehem or the ancient city of Jericho where the Bible teaches us that Joshua blew down the wall with trumpets….

I believe the most important question we must begin to ask ourselves is, “What is Palestine?”…

The Peel Commission, the British Mandate, and the United Nations Mandate all sought to create a region where both Jew and Arab could coexist, which the Jews accepted, but the Arabs rejected. Therefore, let us no longer operate under the misconceived notion that Palestine has anything to do with being Arab. For those who tout, “Free Palestine,” I agree, return it back to the inhabitants who had the land taken from them back in the early 1st Century AD by the Romans.

When we walked last week through a 2,000-year-old tunnel under the ancient City of David to the Western Wall, there can be no historical or archaeological argument to refute that there has always been a nation of Israel. It is a nation whose borders are clearly stated in the Bible, Numbers Chapter 34, a people who have a definitive bond to the land, their homeland.

So where does that take us today? As one sits back and assesses the strategic and operational environment across the Middle East and the Maghreb, one thing becomes quite apparent. This so-called “Arab Spring” is less about a democratic movement, than it is about the early phase of the restoration of an Islamic Caliphate, the last being the Ottoman Empire. We are witnessing secular Muslim leaders being deposed in very volatile and unstable nations. This growing Islamic Totalitarianism manifested in militant Islam has had a modus operand of capitalizing on unstable political situations (Iran, Afghanistan, Somalia). Now we see these same types of instances occurring in Egypt, Libya, and Syria and the rose-colored glasses of some seek to portray this as a great awakening of liberty. History does not support this in the Middle East.

We must evaluate these occurrences through the prism of keen strategic and operational insight which looks out 10, 20, or 30 years. If we had done so during the deposing of the Shah of Iran, we might have been able to prevent what arose. The Iran with which we must contend today is the major exporter of Islamic totalitarianism and state sponsored terrorism. In the midst of it all is Israel, that tiny defiant bastion of freedom, liberty, and democracy in an evolving storm.

One only needs to survey a map of the Middle East, and the immediate peripheral states to see the very threatening situation. And with that analysis, comes the resulting conclusion that Israel lacks one clear asset, and that is strategic depth for defense. This is why any intonation of reverting to pre-1967 lines for Israel is not just ludicrous, but insane, and clearly evidences a lack of strategic security intelligence.

Slowly Israel is being surrounded on all sides: Hamas in the Gaza Strip, Hezbollah in southern Lebanon, an unstable Egypt and Syria, and a theocratic regime in Iran led by a 21st century “Madman.” As well, Israel must contend with an internal infiltration. How many Americans would tolerate having some 50-100 rockets and missiles launched across its border? Then why should we expect Israel to tolerate the same? The objective could not be any clearer to a seasoned military strategist: isolate and eliminate the modern day Jewish state of Israel. And what is most appalling, western civilization is watching it happen, again.

It all comes back to visionary leadership. Israel has it with Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu, whom I had the distinguished honor of meeting. America is so severely lacking this type of leadership, which is why the enemy is making its move now. The enemy knows that America has a Chamberlain, not a Churchill at the helm.

During our trip, we met with Palestinian Authority Prime Minister Salaam Fayyad. He spoke of freedom and dignity — but what of recognition and respect of Israel? Let me be clear, I do not see a credible peace partner in the Palestinian Authority. While we were in Israel, the PA never denounced the most recent heinous terrorist attack….

If the United Nations really wanted to do what is right, they would settle the homeland situation for the world’s largest ethnic group without a homeland, our dear friends, the Kurdish people. In closing, let us realize that the Muslim Brotherhood is not a college fraternity but an organization with a well-developed strategic plan.

Let us no longer operate in the realm of irrational emotionalism, but rather study and come to learn true geopolitics based upon history and fact. There is an inextricable bond between America and Israel, and we must stop denying it or feeling ashamed about it. …

Derfner wanted to shock a society wed to the occupation

Aug 30, 2011

Philip Weiss

Larry Derfner grew up in the U.S. and was prompted by a spirit of idealism to move to Israel. That’s my sense. Gershom Gorenberg found American society too materialistic, wanted more meaning from life; he moved to Israel too. Joel Greenberg is also a liberal writer who was called by Israel. Bradley Burston too. Bernard Avishai went from Canada, another good guy. Now these guys are mature, at the height of their understanding, and maybe it’s their time now, maybe they need to rediscover their youthful idealism and, if not come home, make a declaration about their adopted society? Just a thought. I think it would be powerful.

Here’s Derfner, from Robert Mackey’s column, The Lede(thx, Voskamp):

In an e-mail to The Lede on Tuesday, Mr. Derfner reflected:

“I knew that what I was writing was shocking, I wanted it to be shocking — that was my whole point, I thought that shocking the Israeli public, not by my little blog alone, but as a strategy for the Left — might shake people out of their paralysis. It was sort of a reckless, blind conviction — now I see that that’s one of the dangers, if not THE danger of a personal blog: no editor.”

In response to a question about whether he still believes that columnists and bloggers from one side of Israel’s political divide can influence readers who start on the other side, Mr. Derfner replied:

“I think when you write about such a long-standing, polarized subject as this, you can provoke people who disagree with you to think, but you’re not going to change a right-winger into a left-winger or vice versa — if you’re lucky you can pull a centrist or two to your side. Mainly you buck up your own team. But it’s not why you write. You write because you can’t help thinking, you write because you find something interesting and true — you want to change things, but that’s not your first goal — if it is, you should go into politics. The sad thing in Israel today is that even the politicians who oppose the occupation can’t change things.”

‘Brand Israel’ has failed

Aug 30, 2011

Adam Horowitz

Gary Wexler, owner of Way Beyond Branding, writing in the Forward:

Yet, as strange as it may sound coming from a marketer with an advertising background, who has represented hundreds of Jewish organizations worldwide, I have arrived at the conclusion that the solution will not be found in branding, marketing, public relations or the writings of political pundits. The problem is that all their concepts, strategies, words and legitimate defenses – no matter how powerful and clever – are not going to elevate Israel’s plummeting image. Hundreds of thousands of dollars from donors and the Israeli government have been poured into this effort, yet the situation only worsens every month. I am as much to blame as anyone for being a supporter of these actions.

It has become clear that the world doesn’t care about Israel’s wines, its Bauhaus architecture, its fashion, its alluring women, its sexy gay men, its beaches, its ballet or its hummus. The world, its media and its university campuses are riveted upon Israel’s relationship with the Palestinians as well as the state of its democracy.

No, the answer to Israel’s image problems does not depend upon the marketing. It depends first upon the policies.

Something is proving wrong with several of the ingredients in Israel as a product. The policies – whether we argue they are right or wrong internally – are spoiling the taste for the world consumer as well as for many in a new generation of young Jews, even those who have been on Birthright. This is not a left- or a right-wing opinion. It is a fact. No matter how Israel markets or defends itself in the media, the policies seep into the equation and kill the success of the image.

Do I have the answer for how to fix the policies, or even which policies need fixing? No. But I’m not a politician. I’m an adman and a marketer. And I can tell you, from my years creating ads for products from Coca Cola to Apple Computer, if people keep reading about some bad ingredients in the ketchup, very few people will buy the bottle, no matter how much money and creativity you pack into the marketing. No amount of branding, slogans, viral ideas or clever engagement is going to lead towards the success that supporters of Israel need.

Read the whole article “Israel’s Image Won’t Improve Without Policy Changes” here.

Where Israel is headed

Aug 30, 2011

Philip Weiss

Where is Israel going? Two items from the Israeli Press Review, a daily email service with translations from the Israeli press, say–more right wing and more intolerant. The items:  Young Israelis hold ‘extremely rightwing’ positions, per poll; and women are tossed from artillery unit to make way for Orthodox men. (Where’s Yerushalmi, with his investigations of Sharia law?)

Item 1: Girls tossed from artillery battery because Yeshiva students join the battalion:

The Yeshiva Students are Coming, so the Girls Have To Leave?

Israel Hayom (p. 21) by Lilach Shoval —

The commander of an artillery battery in Battalion 55 of the Artillery Corps informed four women combatants serving in the battalion that they had to leave the battery because yeshiva students now completing their training would be assigned to the battalion. This was revealed yesterday by Israel Radio.

At issue are three women commanders and one woman combatant, all of whom volunteered to do three years of service instead of the usual two years that girls do. They were trained as combatants and have been serving for two years along with 80 men.

Recently the battery commander summoned each of the girls separately in order to put an end to the rumor mill of the last few days, and informed them that they had to leave the battery because yeshiva student soldiers who had enlisted in March would be assigned to the battalion. The battery commander offered the girls other positions, but they said they would prefer remaining as combatants in the battalion.

Item 2: Poll Finds Teenagers Hold Right Wing Positions

Walla.co.il (online service) by Boaz Wolinitz —

Lift the blockade on Gaza ? A withdrawal from East Jerusalem ? Concede the Golan Heights ? A comprehensive poll that was conducted among 12th grade students found that Israeli teenagers have clear right wing tendencies.

A new poll whose findings were published yesterday found that young Israeli men and women on the eve of their enlistment into the IDF hold extremely right wing positions. A poll that was conducted for the sixth annual City Education Conference in Haifa questioned 1,000 teenaged boys and girls who either are about to begin the 12th grade or who graduated at the end of the last school year. The poll was conducted among the participants of an i-panel, and its results were analyzed by Professor Camil Fuchs from Tel Aviv University ’s Statistics Department.

Q: If elections were held today, for whom would you vote? Avigdor Lieberman: 17% Yair Lapid: 13% Binyamin Netanyahu: 8% Tzippi Livni: 8% Rabbi Ovadia Yosef and other rabbis: 6% Shimon Peres: 5% Rabbi Ovadia Yosef: 5% Eli Yishai: 3% Kahane, Marzel, Michael Ben-Ari: 3% Gabi Ashkenazi: 3% Moshe Kahlon: 3% Aryeh Deri: 3% Others: 24%

*** The poll found that if elections were held today, 17% of the respondents would vote for Avigdor Lieberman as prime minister. The journalist Yair Lapid came in second place with 13% of the vote, whereas Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu received only 8%. …

  Q: If you were to vote for a party, which party would it be? Likud: 26% Kadima: 23% Yisrael Beiteinu: 22% Jewish Home and National Union Party: 14% Shas: 12% Labor Party: 5% Meretz: 4% United Torah Judaism: 3% Independence under Ehud Barak: 0% A new party headed by Aryeh Deri: 0% Don’t know/ refused to answer: 38% **** The poll also found that a majority of teenagers hold political positions that are clearly right wing in nature. Seventy-five percent said they were opposed to lifting the naval blockade on the Gaza Strip, and 60% said they believed Israel ought to pass on a peace agreement with the Palestinians if it included a return of Arab neighborhoods of Jerusalem…

Professor Fuchs discussed the results of the poll with Walla and said: “It is important to underscore that the poll was conducted before the current wave of protest, but even after taking that fact into account, the right wing trend is surprising. The findings of the poll prove that the positions maintained by teenagers are far more right wing and extremist than those maintained by Yisrael Beiteinu, for example.”

Professor Fuchs also said that “it is surprising to see that the political opinions held by teenagers are leaning only in one clear direction, to the right. The findings with respect to Netanyahu’s public standing among teens resemble those among the general public, and they don’t come as much of a surprise. Teenagers’ political positions tend to become more moderate with the passage of time.”

Update: On reflection I realize my original headline, which included the line (Or Why Larry Derfner is probably glad he has an American passport) was too flippant. Apologies, but we are talking about a society, and ideology, approaching crisis. It is time American Jews wake up and try to help Israel discover democracy.

Derfner’s next assignment

Aug 30, 2011

Eleanor Kilroy

I wonder if I am being uncharitable in thinking that Larry Derfner got himself into this predicament by failing to apply moral standards consistently. Any such ethical position would, of course, have got him fired from JPost, but at least he’d have fallen more firmly on the side of human rights and international law. Derfner’s starting point is an unquestioning defence of an ethnocracy in Israel; when he refers to his ‘countrymen’, the ‘Israeli public’, ‘our own people’ and ‘us’, the reader knows he means Jews only. His position is honourable in so far as he is calling for an end to the ‘terrible injustice’ of Israel’s military occupation. The argument for which he ostensibly lost his column is that Israelis/Jews need to stop hurting Palestinians, who have the right to resist and whose murderous reaction is understandable given the extreme provocation – this in spite of the fact that there are remarkably few terror attacks on Israeli civilians/non-combatants and 99.9% of Palestinians living under occupation and apartheid are daily waging a non-violent struggle, which is crushed with horrifying brutality.

‘We’ are, he writes, “driving them to try to kill us, that we are compelling them to engage in terrorism, that the blood of Israeli victims is ultimately on our hands, and that it’s up to us to stop provoking our own people’s murder by ending the occupation… by tacitly encouraging Israelis in their blindness, I think we endanger their lives and ours, their country and ours, much more than if we told the truth and got quoted on Hamas websites.”

With a future two-state solution in mind, Derfner is careful to draw a line between two ethnic groups: in one camp are the Jews in their ‘own country’, and in the other are the angry, oppressed Palestinians living under military occupation – in what he hopes will be ‘their country’, thereby resolving a historic grievance. What of the Palestinians living in ’48/Israel? They are absent from his discourse – neither Jews nor occupied Palestinians. As for Palestinian refugees, could any of them return to Derfner’s posited Jewish state?

As he concludes, “Writing this is not treason. It is an attempt at patriotism.”

Derfner’s position is unsustainable – based not on international law or human rights, but on some folkist insistence that Israel can be a Jewish, democratic state and yet one that acts humanely to a people it has dispossessed. Doesn’t he see that such an exclusionist Israel will never be able to forgive the Palestinians for not disappearing all together?

It seems that Derfner tripped himself up when as a self-confessed ‘liberal Zionist’ he expressed such an impassioned sympathy for Zionism’s victims; in order to be consistent, he must now get up, dust himself off and address the core assumptions of a racist ideology.

IDF training settlers for riot policing in anticipation of ‘mass disorder’ following Palestinian UN push

Aug 30, 2011

Paul Mutter

From Haaretz:

“According to a document acquired byHaaretz, the main working assumption of the defense establishment is that a Palestinian declaration of independence will cause a public uprising “which will mainly include mass disorder.”

“The document states the disorder will include “marches toward main junctions, Israeli communities, and education centers; efforts at damaging symbols of [Israeli] government.”

“Also, there may be more extreme cases like shooting from within the demonstrations or even terrorist incidents.”

Basically, any form of Palestinian organization is a form of disorganization from the Israeli POV (since there is no such thing as Palestine!). The use of the term is perhaps intended to signify the potential for disorganized violence, but it also suggests that the protests are not “legitimate” because they will be nothing more than an angry mob: that they are paroxysms of mob rule and Arab racism (And who decides what is legitimate? Why, Tel Aviv, of course!).

The outline for this policy was more or less annunciated back in June when new IDF Chief of Staff Benny Gantzhad this to say after the Nabka Day demonstrations on Israel’s borders:

“The spectrum of the threats, in light of the changes in the Middle East, has broadened significantly – from daggers to nuclear weapons. There is a focal player in the Middle East – the street – and it is clear to us that in the coming months we can find ourselves in broad popular demonstrations, which gain public resonance. The IDF is preparing for these demonstrations.”

Gantz optimistically noted at the time that the next “conflict” (perhaps be meant to say “intifada”?) “will be brief but intense.”

The Haaretz article even notes that the IDF will “help” the settlers establish red lines – actual, physical lines in the sand – to determine whether or not someone is close enough to be shot at as a potential threat. Presumably, the settlers will not be needing guns (they are being provisioned with tear gas and stun grenades by the IDF) because they’ll be bringing their own to the party.

One has to wonder if the IDF’s list of foreign “disorders” would include such actions as the US’s Million Man March and South Africa’s “June 16” demonstrations that resulted in the 1976 Soweto Uprising (which was prompted by a decision to enforce new language laws that disadvantged the non-white elite).

Nothing terrifies the Israeli government more than these two words: “public resonance.”

Accept the reality that you’ve helped craft, Netanyahu, Barak and Lieberman.

‘JPost’ publishes ultra-rightwingers, no problem

Aug 30, 2011

annie

Dimi Reider @+972 skewers JPost over Derfner firingstating “ultra-right writers enjoy complete unaccountability.” So the Post maintains an “egregious double-standard…in regard to conservative versus liberal opinion”.

By contrast, the writings of Jerusalem Post deputy-editor Caroline Glick were cited in the manic manifesto of Norwegian terrorist Anders Brevik in justification of the bloodbath he executed earlier this summer; unlike Derfner, Glick has yet to be shown the door.

Moreover, right after the Norway carnage the Jerusalem Post published an outlandish editorial suggesting the calculated, murderous rampage of a self-confessed xenophobe was an opportunity for Norway to revisit its immigration policy. The editorial was so beyond the pale the Post only put it up on the website with a disclaimer, and sparked such an outrage in Norway the newspaper had to spend another editorial on an apology; to my knowledge, all of those responsible for this serialised farce kept their jobs. Not so for Derfner.

……….There are many other reasons not to retain Glick’s services. Serious complaints of her conservative column’s ultra-liberal attitude to facts should be a warning sign for any reader; her suggestions regarding the possibility of an alliance between Israel and the Vatican, instead of fickle, fickle USA, are enough to give anybody pause; and as far as embarrassing appearances outside the Jpost go,her responsibility for a “satirical” clip showing a blackface minstrel Barack Obama singing to Israel’s destruction is hard to forget.

Yet Glick’s right to express even the strangest and most obsolete of opinion from the pages of what publication would have her remains in place and should not be infringed upon.

British gov’t minister says ‘wall is a land grab’– and is censored by UK Israel lobby

Aug 30, 2011

Ron Taylor

The Jewish Chronicle reported last week that a video made by Alan Duncan, UK minister for international development, infuriated the Israeli lobby so much that it was withdrawn from the ministry’s website.

In the video Duncan said that, “The wall is a land grab. It hasn’t just gone along the lines of the proper Israel boundary. It’s taken in open land which actually belongs to Palestine”. He added: “Israeli settlers can build what they want and then immediately get the infrastructure so that takes the water deliberately away from Palestinians here.”

Horrified that a government minister could say such things, the lobby went into action. The Board of Deputies of British Jews wrote to Duncan to demand the withdrawal of the video, copying in his boss, Development Secretary Andrew Mitchell, and Foreign Secretary William Hague. Board president Vivian Wineman commented: “Mr Duncan’s apparent disregard for Israel’s legitimate security concerns is of great concern.”

The episode seems to have caused a row between Duncan’s department (DFID) and the Foreign Office. According to the JC, “Civil servants at the FO made it clear that they did not believe Mr Duncan had struck the right diplomatic tone with the language he had used. However, they did not refer the matter to ministers when DfID and Mr Duncan defied the advice.”

But the FO has now prevailed. Duncan has been brought to heel and the video withdrawn. By way of explanation a spokesperson said, “The video was aimed at highlighting DfID’s work to alleviate poverty in the OPTs [Occupied Palestinian Territories], as well as some of the key challenges facing the Palestinian people. Unfortunately, some elements were misinterpreted and Mr Duncan has asked for it to be taken down”.

It is not clear whether Duncan believes his views were misinterpreted. But one thing is definitely clear – whilst the Israeli lobby in the UK is not visible as its US counterpart, it is still very effective.

Derfner has gotten ‘amazing support’

Aug 30, 2011

Philip Weiss

From Larry Derfner’s Facebook page this morning:

To everyone who’s sent me amazing support, I’m a little overwhelmed w/gratitude – I’m a little overwhelmed otherwise, too, but I’ll write more very soon. I can definitely say I’m having a better day than I was yesterday, tho that ain’t saying much. I appreciate your support more than I can say. Thanks again.

It’s amazing that Derfner has gotten amazing support. And why: Because he has told the truth, what everyone believes, about the inevitability of violent resistance, and even the right to violent resistance, when a people is occupied. Something Goldstone shied away from, but that other international legal experts have affirmed. And in writing as much, and so eloquently, and losing his job for it, he has set off a vital debate about the roots of terrorism.

I urge Derfner to repost his original post, that he censored. It is an important piece of writing.

Rightwinger Barry Rubin writes (h/t to Dimi Reider) that Derfner should not have been fired, he should be debated. I assume this is because Rubin lately wrote a column for the Jerusalem Post, for which he was not fired, in which he said that the child victims of Anders Breivik on the Norwegian island of Utoya were “pro-terrorism.”

The youth camp he attacked was engaged in what was essentially (though thecampers didn’t see it that way, no doubt) a pro-terrorist program.

The camp, run by Norway’s left-wing party, was lobbying for breaking the blockade of the terrorist Hamas regime in the Gaza Strip, and for immediate recognition of a Palestinian state, without that entity needing to do anything that would prevent it from being used as a terrorist base against Israel. They were justifying forces that had committed terrorism against Israelis, killing thousands of people like themselves.

And in offering to debate, Rubin puts forward this kind of argument in favor of the endless Israeli occupation, rubbishing the whole idea of human rights. This is going to be a helluva debate.

guess what? If they get independence they will still try to kill us because it will be Israel’s existence and the status of the “pre-1948″ Palestinians that is “so bad that it’s helping drive them to try to kill us.”…

If denying them independence is, “so bad that it’s helping drive them to try to kill us.”
Thus, if they obtained independence would they be so grateful, so happy, or so busy building up their country that they would stop trying to kill us?

No. We know–even many of the most dovish and leftist of us–that they will continue to try to kill us from a better strategic position that would make it more likely they would succeed. So what good would that step do? And that is precisely why Israelis are not eager to support independence without any preconditions.

Life under closure in occupied Hebron

Aug 30, 2011

Kate

Video: Daily life in Hebron: Lost two babies due to closure of Shuhada Street
Uploaded by HebronVoices on Aug 27, 2011 –This video is the second part of “Visiting Our Neighbours. We published the first part earlier this month. It is an interview of a Palestinian woman living at Shohada Street in Hebron. She explains how she lost two babies as a result of the closure and delays of ambulance services due to restrictions on movements. She talks about her life in Hebron.

And more news from Today in Palestine:

Land and resources theft & destruction

This Thursday, a protest against the illegal settlement of ‘City of David’ in Silwan obliges settlers to delay a concert planned there
[photos] Silwan, Jerusalem (SILWANIC) 28 Aug — Palestinian residents from Silwan and Solidarity activists conducted a protest in front of  the settler-center “City of David”, objecting to the concerts that have been held by the settlers for the past three weeks in Silwan. The timing of the concerts is considered suspicious according to the residents, for they take place at the time of  Ramadan Muslim prayer, “Taraweeh”. The loud concerts in the heart of Silwan are perceived as an attempt to domineer and confuse the prayers. In addition, at the time of the concert a military check-point is put up on the northern entrance of Wadi Hilweh  neighborhood, preventing worshipers to reach al Aqsa Mosque.
link to silwanic.net

Silwan group warns of Israeli plan to seize land
JERUSALEM (WAFA) 29 Aug —  Extremist Israeli settler groups are planning to seize Palestinian land in East Jerusalem neighborhoods in order to isolate them from the Old City, Monday said the Committee for the Defense of Silwan. It said that the takeover of land has reached its high point with plans to build Talmudic parks around Jerusalem’s Old City Wall, particularly the area near Al-Aqsa Mosque. The goal of these groups is to isolate Al-Aqsa Mosque from its surroundings in preparation for dividing it. Based on the plan, the settlers seize “abandoned” Palestinian land, plant it with trees, surround it with fences and close roads leading to it from neighboring areas to prevent Palestinians from reaching their land, it said.
link to english.wafa.ps

Palestinians thirsting for justice in water-starved occupied territories
STOCKHOLM, Aug 26 (IPS) – In the strife-stricken Middle East, oil has always been in the realm of politics. But in the Israeli-occupied territories of Gaza and the West Bank, oil has been supplanted by water. Shaddad Attili, head of the Palestinian Water Authority, told IPS that the Palestinians have not only been deprived of water as a basic human right but that water is also being used as a weapon of war by the Israelis. “Water is a humanitarian issue. It should be taken out of politics,” he said, pointing out that everyone in the region, including the Israelis, the Jordanians, the Lebanese and the Palestinians, should all be rightfully entitled to a basic human need. Expressing strong feelings of anger and frustration, he said the deliberate destruction of water cisterns, wells and other essential water infrastructure by Israel continues – and targets the most vulnerable Palestinian communities.
link to www.mecaforpeace.org

WikiLeaks: US Embassy officials got upclose view of marginalization and removal of Bedouins in Negev in ‘5 (and said nothing publicly) / Philip Weiss
Mondo 29 Aug — Once again, we see American Embassy officials in Israel learning intimately about an outrage back in 2005– the Judaization of the Negev, the Israeli program to move Bedouins into a few approved townships– and did we hear a word publicly about the outrage, no. Why do we have a State Department? Here is the State Department Human Rights report from 2005. Its description of Bedouin conditions lacks the understanding reflected in this cable: That Bedouins are being relocated, that Jewish settlement in the Negev is being encouraged, that there are no high schools in the unrecognized Bedouin villages. The Israeli side of the story is presented carefully in the report.
http://mondoweiss.net/2011/08/wikileaks-us-embassy-officials-got-upclose-view-of-marginalization-and-removal-of-bedouins-in-negev-in-05-and-said-nothing-publicly.html

Expansion of impoverished Israeli Arab town angers Jewish neighbors
Haaretz 29 Aug — Intense pressure and clashes of interest are apparently thwarting efforts to rescue the impoverished town of Jisr al-Zarqa. Local planning authorities have determined that the densely populated Arab town should be expanded to include hundreds of acres appropriated from neighboring well-established communities such as Ma’agan Michael, Beit Hanina and Caesarea. However, residents of these communities are threatening mass departure from the area should the plans go through.
link to www.haaretz.com

Settlers

Police: Palestinian run over by settler car
HEBRON (Ma‘an) 29 Aug — Omar Abdel Hadi Ismael, 18, was seriously injured on Monday after being run over by a settler car in the village of Halhul in Hebron, police said.  Police visited the victim in Al-Ahli hospital and have opened an investigation into the incident. Locals were advised to take extra precaution and avoid contact with settlers.
link to www.maannews.net

Video: Jewish colonists plant 200 vines on Palestinian land
Uploaded by HebronVoices on Aug 27, 2011 — Jewish colonists planted 200 grape vines on Abu Haikal land in Tel Rumeida, Hebron, Palestine on 11 Aug 2011. The operation was carefully planned. Large areas of grass were cleared 2 weeks beforehand. Police arrived too late to prevent the operation. The video shows colonists from the illegal colony across the road setting up a new irrigation system and digging holes. 15 colonists arrived in a co-ordinated operation and planted the vines in less than 10 minutes. Israeli soldiers made no move to stop them even though the land has been declared a Closed Military Zone.
link to www.youtube.com

IDF gears for outpost removals
Ynet Aug 28 — Military brief circulated among Judea and Samaria sector regiments outlines IDF planned course of action for soldiers taking part in removal, eviction of illegal outposts. IDF spokesman: Brief does not indicate eviction plans … The brief elicited an angry reaction among settlers who claim that at a time when security forces are busy managing the southern front, military officials still managed to find the time to distribute a brief dealing with the removal of illegal outposts.
link to www.ynetnews.com

Israeli forces

Israeli forces assault Palestinian, arrest five, and raid villages in West Bank
WEST BANK (WAFA) 28 Aug – Israeli occupation forces arrested on Sunday five Palestinians in Nablus, assaulted another on Qalandia checkpoint and raided Al-Yamoon, a village west of Jenin, according to local sources. Palestinian police said that Israeli forces arrested five Palestinians while passing Beit Furik checkpoint, east of Nablus…
The statement said that the Israeli forces severely beat Palestinian Ashraf Abu Rahmeh from Bil‘in, a village west of Ramallah, while he was at Qalandia checkpoint, north Jerusalem.
Local sources in Nablus city said that Israeli forces raided Alma‘ajeen, a neighborhood northwest of Nablus city, and arrested Adel Dwekat, 25, from one of the buildings.
In a related matter, the occupation forces raided Al-Yamoon village, west of Jenin, and took one of the newly built houses as a military base. The Israeli soldiers searched the area and retreated without any incidents.
link to english.wafa.ps

Israeli forces detain 3 in Jenin
JENIN (Ma‘an) 29 Aug — Clashes broke out early Monday in the northern West Bank city of Jenin as Israeli forces detained three at dawn. Palestinian security officials told Ma‘an Israeli forces entered a number of homes, and Palestinian youths gathered to threw stones at the soldiers. The army responded with tear gas, and Yousif Abu Saleim, 28 and Muhammad Abu Samara, 23, were transferred to Jenin public hospital for gas inhalation, the officials said. Israeli forces detained two men in Jenin’s old city, identified as 34-year-old Alaa Fathi Sadiq, and 22-year-old Muhin Abu Ubeid. An Israeli army spokeswoman said three people were detained in the area overnight, two from Jenin and another from southwest of the city. They were all taken for “security questioning,” she said.
link to www.maannews.net

Israeli Army reopens road near Ramallah, restricts entry into Nablus
Arab News 27 Aug — RAMALLAH: Israeli forces on Saturday opened a road near the West Bank city of Ramallah after nine years of closure, Palestinian and Israeli sources said. Ramallah Gov. Laila Ghannam said that the Israeli army opened road 466 near Ein Seinya, to the north of Ramallah. The Israeli army closed the road in 2002 under the pretext that Palestinian fighters used it to launch attacks against Jewish occupiers.
Meanwhile, Israeli forces placed military checkpoints at all entrances of Nablus. Palestinian witnesses said that the Israeli soldiers manning the checkpoints restricted the entry of Palestinians into the city. Nablus Gov. Jibrin Al-Bakri said that the Israeli measures will “badly affect Nablus’ economy.” The city is the “economic capital” of Palestinian territories. Al-Bakri said the restrictions will bar the Palestinian residents from entering the city to buy Eid Al-Fitr gifts, sweets and clothes.
link to arabnews.com

Blockades / Closures

New WikiLeaks cable shows Israel’s West Bank blockade / Noam Sheizaf
972mag 27 Aug — In a 2009 cable, American diplomats complain that Israel is not issuing work visas for Palestinian companies’ foreign employees — While most people who follow the news from Israel and the Palestinian territories know well enough that Israel blocks travel to and from Gaza, it is always surprising how few are aware that all exits and entries to the West Bank are also controlled by Israel. In fact, while Gaza has a land border with Egypt, which allows a certain flow of people and goods, the Israeli blockade on the West Bank is absolute. Palestinians who wish to travel outside the West Bank must obtain a special permit from the Israeli security authorities. Those wishing to travel to the United States must have two permits – one to visit the Jerusalem consulate to obtain a visa, and the other to leave Israel. The same goes for international visitors to the West Bank – every one of them has to be approved by Israel.
link to 972mag.com

News Video: ‘Gaza convoy foils Israeli blockade’
Press TV 29 Aug — In an exclusive interview with Press TV, Sheikh Walid El Saadi, leader of the Africa to Gaza Aid Convoy, tells us about his 60-day journey across rough African terrain to reach the impoverished Palestinians in Gaza. Press TV: You arrived in yet another difficult time for Gaza, but can you tell me the feeling for your African convoy about being there now? El Saadi: Indeed. Successfully yesterday, thanks God, we arrived in Gaza last night after a long journey. Sixty days driving from the city of Durban in South Africa right through Africa to Al Arish, to Egypt where we had a little bit of difficulty to cross last night because it was late and Gaza wasn’t safe – they said it was being bombed. But we insisted that we will come inside Gaza, yesterday, even if the Israelis are bombing … But the most important part of our trip was to conscientize Africa about what’s happening in Gaza, what’s happening in Palestine, the Holy Land.
link to www.presstv.ir

‘Miles of Smiles’ convoy arrives at Rafah border
EL-ARISH, Egypt (Ma‘an) 29 Aug — European aid convoy “Miles of Smiles” was poised to enter the Gaza Strip on Monday before Egyptian authorities close the southern Rafah crossing for four days during the Eid holiday. President of Egyptian Red Crescent, Major General Jabir Al-Arabi said 100 activists of different nationalities — including Britain, Jordan, Egypt and South Africa — accompanied 16 ambulances and five tons of medical supplies to the border port of El-Arish. In Cairo, Egyptian medics added 15 tons of medical supplies to the convoy, he said.
link to www.maannews.net

Violence

Gaza teen dies from injuries suffered in Gaza airstrikes
GAZA CITY (Ma‘an) 29 Aug — A teenager in Gaza died on Monday after being seriously injured in an Israeli airstrike on Beit Lahiya 10 days earlier, medics said. Haitham Marouf, 14, died in the intensive care unit of Ash-Shifa hospital in Gaza City, medical officials said.
link to www.maannews.net

Police brutality in Silwan: 16 years old and traumatized / Sophie Crowe
[photos] On 19 August, 16-year-old Yazen Abbasi was brutally beaten by a gang of soldiers after noon prayer outside the mosque in Ras al-Amud, a neighbourhood in Silwan in East Jerusalem. Yazen, waiting for his family outside the mosque, was startled by the loud bang of a firework set off. Unknown youths threw it in the direction of an assemblage of soldiers, his older brother, Hussein, tells The Palestine Monitor. Yazen was peering over a wall, looking for the source of the firework, when three soldiers attacked him from behind. “Witnesses told us the soldiers beat him with batons and the butts of their rifles,” Hussein notes, “before army commanders arrived and joined in until about ten soldiers were involved.” … He was released at 19:00 that evening and taken to hospital where doctors discovered severe damage to his left eye.
link to www.palestinemonitor.org

Nablus man wounds 8 in Tel Aviv
JERUSALEM (AFP) 29 Aug — Eight people were wounded early Monday when a Palestinian crashed a stolen taxi into a group of border guards outside a Tel Aviv nightclub, then attacked them with a knife, Israeli police and media said. Four border guards and two would-be club goers were hurt in the attack which took place outside HaOman 17 nightclub in south Tel Aviv, police spokeswoman Luba Samri told AFP, saying one was critically injured, two others were in serious condition, and the rest sustained light wounds. “At 1:40 am (2240 GMT) the attacker, a young man of 20 from (the northern West Bank city of) Nablus, stole a taxi in Tel Aviv,” Samri told AFP, saying the taxi driver had been lightly wounded in the hand when he was dragged out of his car.
link to www.maannews.net

PA condemns attacks against civilians
RAMALLAH (WAFA) 29 Aug — The Palestinian Authority Monday condemned attacks against all civilians, including the incident in Tel Aviv on Monday morning in which a Palestinian in his 20’s, from the northern West Bank city of Nablus, ran an Israeli policeman over and stabbed eight people late Sunday night near a nightclub south of Tel Aviv, according to Israeli police … The PA condemned this attack as well as the ongoing Israeli aggression against Palestinians in the West Bank, the Gaza Strip and East Jerusalem, and reaffirmed its intention to seek membership and recognition of a Palestinian state within 1967 borders and with Jerusalem as its capital in the United Nations. Tt said that “no attempts to divert attention will stop us from achieving our goal.”
link to english.wafa.ps

Cross-border tensions – Gaza/Egypt/Israel

Rocket fire on southern Israel continues
Ynet 29 Aug 19:17 — A Qassam rocket was fired from the Gaza Strip and exploded in an open area in the Eshkol Regional Council on Monday evening. No injuries or damages were reported … The last rocket to be fired from the Gaza Strip was fired at Israel’s south on Sunday night. It landed in an open area in the Shaar Hanegev Regional Council, no one was hurt and no damages were reported.  Also Sunday, a Grad missile landed in the Bnei Shimon Regional Council not far from Beersheba. Once again, no injuries or damages were reported. The radical Islamist Tawhid al-Jihad terror group took responsibility for the attacks.
link to www.ynetnews.com

Egypt reportedly mulling buffer zone on Israel border in wake of recent bloodshed
Haaretz 28 Aug — Egypt is considering setting up a buffer zone on its border with the Gaza Strip following recent bloodshed, the independent newspaper Al Masry Al Youm reported Sunday. The plan includes removing smuggling tunnels running across the 14 kilometer long border with Gaza. Security agencies are poised to start demolishing the tunnels used in smuggling arms and goods, said the report — citing heavy digging equipment spotted for removing the tunnels.
link to www.haaretz.com

High alert in Israel’s south; IDF and Egypt deploy reinforcements
Haaretz 29 Aug — IDF chief Benny Gantz ordered the deployment of reinforcements around both the southern Gaza Strip and the Egyptian border on Sunday night, due to intelligence reports suggesting an imminent attack by the Islamic Jihad. The reinforcements were coordinated with the Egyptian army. Although security sources estimate that the Islamic Jihad is planning the possible attack, a security official made clear that the IDF will hold Hamas responsible for any terrorist attack originating from the Gaza Strip.
link to www.haaretz.com

Report: Israel allows 1.500 Egyptian troops into Sinai
Ynet 29 Aug — 1,500 Egyptian soldiers deployed across the Sinai Peninsula on Monday following an agreement between Israel and Egypt to increase the number of Egyptian troops in the peninsula’s areas B and C, the London-based al Hayat newspaper reported on Monday.  According to the report, the sides are currently negotiating an agreement to deploy additional troops in the area.
link to www.ynetnews.com

Israeli officials: Palestinians in Gaza got anti-aircraft missiles from Libya
Haaretz 29 Aug — Palestinians in Gaza have acquired anti-aircraft and anti-tank rockets from Libya during its six-month civil war, enlarging but not significantly improving their arsenal, Israeli officials said on Monday.
link to www.haaretz.com

Detention – by Israel

PACE called to further support Palestine’s imprisoned legislators
OSLO (PIC) 29 Aug — The European network to support the Palestinian prisoners (UFree) has called on the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe (PACE) to take a “clear and firm stance” as Israel continues to hold 19 members of the Palestinian Legislative Council (PLC) prisoner.
link to www.palestine-info.co.uk

MADA demands freedom for Palestinian journalists
PNN 29 Aug — The Palestinian Centre for Development and Media Freedoms (MADA) has condemned the continued incarceration of five Palestinian journalists by Israeli authorities. The five journalists come from across the West Bank and work for a wide variety of Arab media agencies. Their names are: Walid Khalid (‘Palestine’ newspaper), Nawaf Al-Amer (‘Al-Quds’ television), Samer Allawi (‘Al-Jazeera’, a satellite news channel), Osaid Amarneh (‘Al-Aqsa’ television) and Amer Abu Arafeh (‘Shab’ news agency). Two of the men, Khalid and Al-Amer, have been sentenced to administrative detention whilst Allawi, who was the head of Al-Jazeera’s Afghanistan Bureau before his arrest on 9th August, has yet to be charged.
link to english.pnn.ps

Lawyer: Female detainee humiliated after surgery
RAMALLAH (Ma‘an) 27 Aug — Israeli prison guards humiliated a female detainee from the Gaza Strip who underwent hand surgery, the PA Ministry of Detainees’ Affairs reported Saturday. Prison guards tried to cuff Wafa Samir Al-Lubs, 26, to her hospital bed by her hands and legs, the ministry said in a statement.
link to www.maannews.net

Detention – by PA

Jailed professor released on bail
NABLUS (Ma‘an) 29 Aug — A political science professor imprisoned after a Nablus university accused him of incitement and defamation was released on bail on Monday. Lecturer and writer Dr Abdul-Sattar Qassim, 62, was detained on Thursday after a Nablus court charged him with incitement and defamation, following allegations by An-Najah University President Rami Al-Hamdallah … The Palestinian Authority Attorney General on Monday denied media reports that Qasim was freed by a presidential order, saying the judicial decision was made independently.
link to www.maannews.net

Detention – by Hamas

150 prisoners released in Gaza for Eid holiday
GAZA CITY (Ma‘an) 29 Aug  — The Hamas-run ministry of interior in the Gaza Strip released 150 detainees Monday morning for the Eid Al-Fitr holiday, a statement said. Nasser Suleiman, director of police rehabilitation centers, said that 87 convicts have been released permanently, six on probation and 55 temporarily to spend the Eid holiday with their families. Prisoners on temporary release will return to prison on September 3rd, he said. …
Ten Fatah affiliates are among those released, a statement from the Gaza interior ministry said. They were imprisoned on criminal charges, the Hamas ministry said, but Haniyeh ordered their release as a good will gesture to create a positive atmosphere for reconciliation between Hamas and Fatah. Hamas hopes that Fatah will reciprocate the gesture by stopping the political arrests of Hamas members in the West Bank, the ministry added.
link to www.maannews.net

Activism / Solidarity

Israeli police attack non-violent protest in Al-Walaja; five abducted
A group of several dozen residents of Al-Walaja village, near Bethlehem, held a march and rally on Saturday calling on Israel to end the takeover of their land for the construction of the Annexation Wall. They were joined by a number of Israeli peace activists, four of whom were abducted by Israeli troops along with one Palestinian. The rally in Al-Walaja was held just days after the Israeli High Court denied the villagers’ petition to re-route the Annexation Wall to prevent the takeover of half of the village land.
link to www.imemc.org

Vittorio Arrigoni murderers to be tried in September
by Michele Giorgio (translation by Daniela Loffreda) August 28, 2011 The trial for the two Palestinians implicated in the 15 April kidnapping and murder of the Italian journalist and activist should begin on 8 September 2011 — In recent days we have truly felt the loss of Vittorio Arrigoni. The man we loved to call ‘Vik’ spoiled us with accurate real time information on what was happening in Gaza, without neglecting the smallest of details … Did things really go as they seem? There are many unresolved mysteries and few certainties. In any case, the hypothesis that Vittorio’s murder was directed by external forces is not to be discarded. Perhaps we will finally know more on 8 September when the first hearing shall take place for at least one of the assassins … The government of Gaza has yet to make an official announcement about the inquiries made over the last months
link to www.foreignpolicyjournal.com

Japan, EU contribute to private sector project in Gaza
BETHLEHEM (Ma‘an) 29 Aug — The Japanese government and European Union have contributed over $2.5 million to the sixth payment of a private sector project in the Gaza Strip, an EU statement said Monday. The Palestinian Authority’s ‘Private Sector Reconstruction in Gaza,’ program is the first large-scale initiative supporting the private sector in Gaza, the statement said. Japanese and EU contributions are being channeled through the European Union’s mechanism for support to the Palestinians, PEGASE, and will support 32 Gaza businesses.
link to www.maannews.net

Gaza PM welcomes Turkey delegation
GAZA CITY (Ma‘an) 29 Aug — Gaza Prime Minister Ismail Haniyeh urged Turkey’s continued support for Palestinians during a meeting with a Turkish delegation to Gaza on Monday … Delegation head Mustafa Akh, the mayor of Keçiören Municipality in Turkey, lauded the warm welcome and pledged continued support. Keçiören, in Ankara province, is twinning with northern Gaza town Jabaliya, which will improve services on both sides, Haniyeh said. Haniyeh said the delegation’s arrival in the coastal strip, which comes amid a visit by South African and Sudanese groups, signified Gaza “as the meeting point of the fulcrum of the nation of Palestine.”
link to www.maannews.net

International assassinations

Man gets death in killing of Iran physicist
AP 28 Aug — A man was sentenced to death on Sunday in the killing last year of a Tehran physicist, an assassination that authorities blamed on Israel’s Mossad spy agency, the official IRNA news agency reported.
link to www.ynetnews.com

Israel: No plan to assassinate Gaza prime minister
Jerusalem (PNN) 29 Aug — The Israeli Minister for Education, Gideon Sa’ar, has denied claims made by an Egyptian newspaper that Israel planned to assassinate the Gazan Prime Minister, Ismail Haniyeh. The newspaper in question, Al-Ahram, had claimed that the assassination attempt was seen as a response to the deadly attacks last week near Eilat which Israel blamed on Hamas, of whom Haniyeh is a leader. The plan was only scrapped due to diplomatic pressure by Egypt, according to the newspaper. Sa’ar has since categorically denied the reports in an interview with the Israel-based Hebrew Radio. But according to the newspaper, the Palestinian Authority (PA) has informed the various factions in Gaza that it is ‘only a matter of time’ before Israel assassinates Haniyeh.
link to english.pnn.ps

UN statehood bid

Three-quarters of world recognizes Palestine
JERUSALEM (Ma‘an) 28 Aug — As Palestinian leaders prepare to seek membership of the United Nations, some 124 of the world body’s 193 member states have announced their recognition of Palestine as an independent state. A full list of the countries that have recognized Palestine can be viewed here. Their total population is over 5.2 billion people, equaling 75 percent of the world’s people.
link to www.maannews.net

UN chair for Palestine made in Jenin
JENIN (Ma‘an) 29 Aug — Thirty-five men from Jenin have made a chair to send to the United Nations in New York in hopeful anticipation of the state of Palestine gaining a seat in the world body … It was made in Jenin and two keys symbolizing refugees’ right to return were sent from Jerusalem, said Al-Qaqwasmi, who supervised the design of the chair … He said the olive-wood chair was made in 48 hours to represent 1948, the year of the Nakba when hundreds of thousands of Palestinians were forced to flee their homes as the state of Israel was established.   The chair was designed to fit into a suitcase, and will travel around the world before arriving at the United Nations headquarters in New York.
link to www.maannews.net

September report to remain secret
Ynet 28 Aug — Foreign Affairs and Defense Committee to keep controversial report criticizing Israel’s readiness for upcoming Palestinian statehood bid under wraps. Chairman Mofaz: This is a political outrage
link to www.ynetnews.com

Hasbara

Israeli diplomats train on ‘Twitter PR’
Ynet 29 Aug — Staff members in Israeli missions worldwide are learning how to bolster their messages on the internet and social networks in preparation for September’s UN vote on the Palestinian statehood bid.
link to www.ynetnews.com

Political / Diplomatic / International

PM: Cabinet will rule on changes in Egypt peace deal
Agencies 28 Aug — The cabinet will have to approve any changes in the deployment of forces around the Egyptian border and in the Sinai Peninsula, as well as any amendments to the Israel-Egypt peace deal — should they be required, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said on Sunday.  “Israel has to deal with complex security challenges that have to do with the changes the region is undergoing — and we are dealing with them,” he said.
link to www.ynetnews.com

Turkey denied Netanyahu effort to delay release of Gaza flotilla report
Haaretz 29 Aug — Turkey claims Netanyahu attempting to buy time, add that they prefer an unfavorable report over waiting another two fruitless months; Palmer Report due to be published on Friday September 2.
link to www.haaretz.com

UK gov’t removes minister’s ‘land grab’ claim
LONDON (JPost) 28 Aug — A British government minister has been forced to backtrack after referring to the West Bank security barrier as a “land grab” and claiming that Israel deprived the Palestinians of water. Alan Duncan, minister for international development and Conservative MP, made the comments in a video posted on the Department for International Development (DfID) website last month. The video highlighted how Britain plans to tackle poverty in the Palestinian territories over the next four years. The video was removed last week by the government department after the Israeli Embassy and community officials expressed concern.
link to www.jpost.com

Ashton lays first stone for West Bank Security Compound
New Europe 29 Aug — On 26 August, EU High Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security PolicyCatherine Ashton participated in the laying the ceremonial first stone for construction of a Security Compound in Jenin, West Bank, with Palestinian Prime Minister Salam Fayyad. The EU is co-financing €9.24 million to contribute to the security reform of the Palestinian Security Authority. The EU is currently supporting Palestine, including the improvement of the rule of law, infrastructure, capacity-building for different judicial institutions and is also providing support for the Palestinian Civil Police, along with the activities of civil society in the fields of human rights and security, to the tune of more than €40 million.
link to www.neurope.eu

Other news

Gaza, West Bank to live in different time zones
GAZA CITY (Ma‘an) 28 Aug — For the first time in history, Palestinians in the West Bank and Gaza Strip will live in different time zones. Clocks were pushed back an hour at the start of the Muslim holy month of Ramadan on August 1 in the West Bank and Gaza. The Palestinian Authority cabinet decided Tuesday to revert to summer time (+3 hours GMT) at the end of Ramadan. The cabinet announced that the Eid Al-Fitr holiday which marks the end of Ramadan would begin Tuesday. But the Hamas government’s civil services bureau in Gaza announced Saturday that the government would continue to work on winter time (+2 hours GMT) after Eid Al-Fitr.
link to www.maannews.net

Rio cartoonist inspires Arab rebellions from afar
RIO DE JANEIRO (Reuters) 29 Aug — His cartoons are edgy, bold, and a thorn in the side of the Arab world’s tottering authoritarians — a gift to protesters from the unlikely setting of an apartment in beach-side Rio de Janeiro. Carlos Latuff, a 42-year-old leftist whose only family link to the Middle East is a Lebanese grandfather he never knew, has become a hero of the tumultuous Arab Spring with rapid-fire satirical sketches that have helped inspire the uprisings.
link to www.maannews.net

WikiLeaks: US Embassy asked State Department to vet IDF chief Gantz in 2008
Haaretz 29 Aug — State Department told embassy they had ‘no credible information of gross violations of human rights’ by Benny Gantz, then the IDF attache in Washington.
link to www.haaretz.com

‘Israel major organ harvesting center’ 
RAMALLAH: The Palestinian Minister of Detainees and Ex-detainees Issa Qaraqi‘ on Sunday accused Israel of harvesting parts from the bodies of dead Palestinian martyrs without the consent of their families … The minister said that Israel holds the remains of Palestinian martyrs “to conceal the crimes it committed against the martyrs bodies and to punish their families.” … He added that “Israel is holding the remains of 338 Arab and Palestinian fighters in the secret Israeli cemeteries known as the Cemeteries of Numbers.” … On December 2009, the chief Israeli pathologist and the director of the Institute of Forensic Medicine at Abu Kabir, Professor Yehuda Hiss, admitted of harvesting parts from the bodies of dead Palestinians without the consent of their families.
link to arabnews.com

Parents clash with ultra-Orthodox who shut down Beit Shemesh girls’ school
Haaretz 28 Aug — Haredi residents of city determined to prevent girls’ school opening; parents: our mayor is scared to stand up for us — Violent confrontations erupted Monday afternoon between hundreds of parents of students at a religious school for girls in Beit Shemesh and a group of ultra-Orthodox protesters, who arrived at the school on Sunday night and who have refused to move. The protesters object to the presence of the girls in the area, although they themselves live in a different part of the city.
link to www.haaretz.com

Analysis / Opinion

It’s time for Israel to give ground to a Palestinian state / Sonja Karkar
Brisbane Times 29 Aug — …The statehood bid has jolted Israel out of its long-held dream. Hence the panic-stricken arguments against it. A comparison with Israel’s own unilateral move in declaring statehood after the UN’s intention to partition historic Palestine into a Jewish and an Arab state cannot be avoided. It underscores that Palestine was never a land without a people and that Israel’s existence was imposed on Palestinians, robbing them of their homes and land and destroying their proud and millenniums-old society.
link to www.brisbanetimes.com.au

Do Muslims and Jews have equal freedom of religion in Israel? / Aziz Abu Sarah
972mag 28 Aug — …Would Israel ever limit Jewish worshipers in high holidays period from entering the Western wall? I doubt it. It could be the start of a civil war. Jews around the world would be enraged by such a decision regardless of any security justification. It would be considered as a collective punishment and a non democratic action. But when it comes to Muslims, the standards in Israel are a little bit different.
link to 972mag.com

Whitey on the moon / Dina Omar
… Scott-Heron’s correlation between space adventures and structural racism or poverty in the US is comparable to the correlation between the examples of asymmetry between the Israelis and Palestinians. Historically, Israeli ‘social justice’ has been achieved at the expense of Palestinian social justice. The Whitey on the Moon structure is useful in this way: “can’t pay no doctors bills but whitey’s on the moon.” Palestine has a refugee population of over six million but Israelis want more affordable housing. Palestinians have a sixteen percent unemployment rate in the West Bank and an over forty percent unemployment rate in Gaza because of the occupation but Israelis rally for more jobs to remedy their five percent unemployment rate. There are over five thousand Palestinian political prisoners in Israeli jails but protesters demand the release of Gilad Shalit….
link to www.jadaliyya.com

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