NOVANEWS
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Some preliminary questions about the alleged Iranian terror plot
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Afternoon headlines
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Irvine 11 conviction reveals double standard and bias
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Creeping halacha?
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Palestinian school girls hospitalized after Israeli attack and Jordan Valley mosque demolished for the 3rd time this year
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Palestinian bloggers called to join prisoner hunger strike
Some preliminary questions about the alleged Iranian terror plot
Oct 11, 2011
Jasmin Ramsey
Earlier today the FBI issued a press release stating that two Iranian men have been criminally charged in a New York court for allegedly plotting to assassinate Saudi Arabia’s ambassador to the United States, Adel al-Jubeir. Here are some examples of how the U.S. mainstream media initially headlined the story:
ABC News: Iran ‘Directed’ Washington, D.C., Terror Plot, U.S. Says
New York Times: U.S. Accuses Iranians of Plotting to Kill Saudi Envoy
Washington Post: Iran behind alleged terrorist plot, U.S. says
So from the looks of things, Iran has been planning a terrorist plot on U.S. soil, right? Wrong, at least for now that is. There are many holes in this story that need to be filled before the government of Iran can be credibly accused of committing what could be interpreted as an act of war. For a summary of related events so far, read Jim Lobe’s report, and following are some preliminary questions that need answering:
1) Who has the authority to operate on behalf of the Iranian government?
If a relative of a member of the U.S. military or CIA plans a murder on foreign soil and claims he was ordered to even though the U.S. denies it, would we consider that a terrorist plot by the U.S.?
The accused named in the FBI press release are Manssor Arbabsiar, a 56-year-old Iranian-American from Texas with dual citizenship, and Gholam Shakuri, an alleged Iran-based member of Iran’s secretive Quds Force. What does the U.S. have that proves they were acting on behalf of the Iranian government, which, by the way, quickly denied the charges?
2) Who approached who first?
If Arbabsiar approached the agent first, how did he find them? If the FBI put Arbabsiar under surveillance for suspicious activities and then lured him into direct communication (which could have been the initial point of contact), was the FBI involved in other persuasive activities as well? Considering the loony aspects of this story which even Hillary Clinton has alluded to, is it wrong to question the sanity of Arbabsiar? Is it unfathomable that the FBI could have found a crazy and/or impressionable person who was acting on his own accord but was in some way related to elements of the Iranian government?
Update: A report in the Washington Post by Greg Miller and Julie Tate sheds some light on who Arbabsiar really is. According to House intelligence Chairman Mike Rogers (R-Mich.):
It is my belief he was recruited for this particular operation
3) What are the exact details of Arbabsiar’s confession and under what conditions was it made?
4) While in FBI custody, Arbabsiar made calls to his “cousin” in Iran who is allegedly a “big general” in the Iranian army and a “senior member of the Qods Force”. How did the FBI verify his cousin’s identity?
Did the cousin verify his identity on the phone? If yes, why would he do that if they knew one another? Would the alleged cousin really have been that imprudent while speaking to someone that he was planning an assassination plot with?
5) Why is the “cousin” unnamed?
6) Why would a government that is constantly accused of conniving to build nuclear weapons so that it can allegedly wreak destruction upon its adversaries attempt to assassinate someone as insignificant as the Saudi ambassador to the U.S. in such a poorly conducted plot and with the use of such low-level assailants?
While nothing is impossible, Iran has shown its capabilities in Lebanon and Iraq and this plot is not its style. You would think that after surviving for 32 years with the most powerful countries in the world against it, the leaders of the Islamic Republic would have learned a few things about carrying out high-risk operations with diligence and maximum impact — clearly not the case here.
7) What could Iran gain from this plot?
Certainly tensions have increased between Iran and Saudi Arabia over the past year, but Iran has been battling the Saudis in other ways, by exerting influence over Iraq’s government, for example. As Jim Lobe points out, if this plot is really Iran’s doing, it will only lead to more strangling sanctions and bring the threat of war closer. Unless you are among the misguided group of people who think that Iran’s current government is suicidal, taking part in an event like this is simply not in Iran’s interest.
8) What can Iran lose from this plot?
As Lobe and Josh Rogin have pointed out, anti-Iran, pro-Israel advocates and hawks are having a field day with this story. Senator Mark Kirk (R-IL) immediately called for the U.S. to collapse Iran’s central bank and unsigned opinion pieces are urging further action (what comes after sanctions?) against the Iranian “threat.” This story was also broken on the same day that further OFAC sanctions were announced, with more on the way.
I am not doubting that suspicious and worrisome events took place with regard to Arbabsiar or that Iran has animosity towards Saudi Arabia and the U.S. and vice versa (recall Saudi Arabia urging the U.S. to bomb Iran), but do we really have enough evidence to claim that the government of Iran directly attempted to carry out an assassination plot on U.S. soil? That’s a serious, game-changing charge. Even if you don’t want to accept Iran’s official denial, you need to produce more facts before you can make the case. It remains to be seen whether the mainstream media will do its job and provide us with them.
This post originally appeared on Lobelog.
Afternoon headlines
Oct 11, 2011
Adam Horowitz
Haaretz: Israel, Hamas reach Gilad Shalit prisoner exchange deal, officials say
Israel and Hamas have reached a prisoner exchange deal that will secure the release of abducted Israel Defense Forces soldier Gilad Shalit, officials at Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s office said on Tuesday.
Al Jazeera English: Hamas ‘close’ to prisoner-Shalit swap deal
Hamas is “close” to reaching a deal with the Israeli government on swapping Palestinian prisoners for the release of Gilad Shalit, an Israeli soldier held in the Gaza Strip, an official said.
“We are close to a deal,” a Hamas official confirmed to Al Jazeera.
The details are not fully negotiated but Hamas is “close to receiving 100 per cent” of its demands, the official said.
Reports say the swap will be 1,000 Palestinian prisoners for Gilad Shalit.
ABC News: U.S. Says Iran-Tied Terror Plot in Washington, D.C. Disrupted
FBI and DEA agents have disrupted a plot to commit a “significant terrorist act in the United States” tied to Iran, federal officials told ABC News today.
The officials said the plot included the assassination of the Saudi Arabian ambassador to the United States, Adel Al-Jubeir, with a bomb and subsequent bomb attacks on the Saudi and Israeli embassies in Washington, D.C.
Bombings of the Saudi and Israeli embassies in Buenos Aires, Argentina, were also discussed, according to the U.S. officials. . .
The new case, called Operation Red Coalition, began in May when an Iranian-American from Corpus Christi, Texas, approached a DEA informant seeking the help of a Mexican drug cartel to assassinate the Saudi ambassador, according to counter-terrorism officials.
Not everyone seems to be buying it.
Other than that not much going on.
Irvine 11 conviction reveals double standard and bias
Oct 11, 2011
Amirah Mizrahi, Antonia House and Emily Ratner
When we disrupted Israeli Prime Minister Benyamin Netanyahu’s keynote speech at the Jewish Federations of North America’s annual general meeting last November in New Orleans, we were met with hisses, boos, verbal harassment and even physical attacks from other members of the audience. But criminal charges were never so much as mentioned. Yet, on September 23rd, ten students who interrupted Israeli Ambassador Michael Oren’s speech at UC Irvine in February 2010 were convicted of two misdemeanors for their participation in that protest. Today, October 11, 2011, is a national day of action to protest those unjust convictions. We think it’s a perfect opportunity to look at the similarities and differences in these two actions.
In both protests, each person who stood up to bring attention to crimes committed by the Israeli government acted non-violently, and cooperated fully with security personnel and the police. So what was the difference? Why were we not arrested, charged and tried while the Irvine 11 were? Logically, the opposite should have been true: our target was bigger – the Prime Minister of Israel; our venue was bigger – the largest Jewish event in North America; and our protest came later – inspired in part by the brave actions of the Irvine 11. But there is one more difference, and it proved to be the crucial one: we are Jews and the Irvine 11 are Muslims.
The Irvine 11 inspired us to openly challenge propaganda that whitewashes military occupation and grave violations of human rights and international law. The Irvine 11 pushed us to name these crimes that are all but silenced in mainstream American media and discourse, and to demand that Israel’s representatives address them. The Irvine 11 reminded us of our moral responsibility to protest the Israeli military aggression that led to the deaths of over 1,400 Gazans during Operation Cast Lead in 2008-9, the humiliation and human rights abuses suffered by Palestinians on a daily basis, the illegal wall and settlements that separate Palestinians from their families and their livelihoods, and the second-class citizenship of Palestinian-Israelis.
But now, Orange County’s criminal justice system has sent a message that the Israeli ambassador’s right to speak without interruption is more worthy of protection than the right of American citizens to protest the illegal and unconscionable actions of Israel’s government, a government that is given access to countless forums in the United States – from New York Times op-eds, to CNN, to college campuses, to Congress – to perpetuate propaganda that whitewashes its crimes. Even more disturbing, the fact that the Irvine 11 were charged and tried while we were let off without a mark (as were other non-Muslim protesters in Orange County who later interrupted Dick Cheney and George W. Bush) is testament to the influence of Islamophobia, anti-Arab racism and blind support for Israel on contemporary American society and political discourse.
The day the Irvine 11 were convicted was a shameful day for the American legal system. The principle of free expression is fundamental to democracy, and the Irvine 11’s conviction constitutes a chilling attack on all Americans’ right to free speech. Moreover, this clear targeting of a minority group should set off alarm bells for those who abhor racism and strive for the protection of equal rights for all citizens, regardless of religion or ethnicity. We fear for those whom our justice system would silence in order to protect the powerful.
We join the administration of UC Irvine and the dean of UC Irvine’s law school, along with proponents of free speech and human rights throughout the country, in condemning the targeting of Muslim students by the Orange County District Attorney’s office. We take heart in the bravery of people just like us who are occupying cities across the United States, demanding an end to a system that privileges the voices and values of the powerful over the needs and rights of the many. We stand with the Irvine 11 as they move forward with their appeal, as we stand with all those who refuse to be cowed by state repression in the struggle for social justice. Join us today.
Creeping halacha?
Oct 11, 2011
Adam Horowitz
From Haaretz:
The ultra-Orthodox community in Mea She’arim is planning to impose gender segregation in the Jerusalem neighborhood’s streets on Sukkot, despite a High Court order forbidding it. Women’s rights and other watchdog groups intend to fight against the segregation, which excludes women from certain streets in the neighborhood during the intermediate days of Sukkot. . .
Large billboards posted throughout the capital’s ultra-Orthodox neighborhoods this week forbade women to enter Mea She’arim Street during the celebration.
“Women … are requested to use alternative streets on their way home and to synagogues … to help prevent mingling,” the posters say.
Last year community leaders put up tarpaulin partitions along the sidewalks on Strauss and Mea She’arim streets, creating a narrow path on one side for women to walk on. The other sidewalk and the center of the street were reserved for men. A group calling itself “the neighborhood committee” operated “ushers” to make sure the women were keeping to the narrow path.
From the New York Daily News:
City workers have removed signs warning women in a Hasidic neighborhood in Brooklyn to step aside for men. But the Parks Department says the teardowns in South Williamsburg had nothing to do with the message itself; it’s just illegal to post signs on street trees.
“We do not know who put up the signs,” said Parks spokeswoman Trish Bertuccio.
The large signs started popping up in the neighborhood more than a week ago. They had a Yiddish message that translates as: “Precious Jewish daughter, please move to the side when a man approaches.”
Neighborhood residents were annoyed the plastic signs, which were bolted into the wood, were taken away.
“The signs don’t bother anybody,” said Abraham Klein, 18. “Men and ladies don’t go together. It’s just our religion.”
The Daily News quotes Deborah Feldman, an ex-Hasid, who explains the signs were posted “as part of a crackdown on rebellious behavior by women,” she continues, “It’s a way of the community reminding people to stay in line, so to speak.”
Palestinian school girls hospitalized after Israeli attack and Jordan Valley mosque demolished for the 3rd time this year
Oct 11, 2011
Seham
Ten Palestinian female students hospitalized after IOF assault
Ten Palestinian female students were hospitalized in Al-Khalil on Tuesday morning after Israeli occupation forces assaulted and beat them up for refusing to pass through metal detectors.
CPT-Hebron: Seven children injured at Cortuba School checkpoint
Khalil Team – The refusal by the teachers to pass through the checkpoint container was an act of resistance because no justification for the new order prohibiting teachers to enter through the gate was given.
Local official: Israel demolishes Tubas mosque for third time
TUBAS (Ma’an) — Israeli forces on Tuesday demolished a mosque in the village of Khirbet Yarza in the northern West Bank, a local official said. Head of Al-Malha village council Aref Daraghma told Ma’an that Israeli bulldozers and civil administration officials demolished the mosque, which is less than 60 square meters. This is the third time in seven months that the mosque has been demolished, Daraghma said.
And more news from Today in Palestine:
Settlers / Land, Property, Resource Theft & Destruction / Ethnic Cleansing
link to www.jpost.com
Netanyahu seeks to legalize outposts built on private Palestinian land
Instruction issued under pressure from the right in response to the state’s decision to demolish several outposts built on private Palestinian land.
link to www.haaretz.com
IOF demolishes mosque in Jordan Valley for the third time this year
Israeli occupation forces (IOF) razed Khirbat Yirza mosque near Tobas city in the Jordan Valley on Tuesday for the third time this year, local sources said.
link to www.palestine-info.co.uk
Locals: Israeli forces demolish home near Hebron
HEBRON (Ma’an) — Israeli forces on Monday demolished a house in the village of al-Jabaa, northwest Hebron, locals said. Villagers told Ma’an that soldiers entered the village at dawn, before bulldozers demolished the home of Nasri al-Tous for not having a permit. A spokesperson for the Israeli Civil Administration could not be reached for comment.
link to www.maannews.net
Israeli Army Demolishes Tents, Barns of Palestinian Farmers in Jordan Valley
The Israeli army and civil administration destroyed tents and barns of Palestinian farmers living in the Jordan Valley community of Malha on Thursday 6 October.
link to www.alternativenews.org
link to english.wafa.ps
Olive harvest reaps animosity in West Bank
Palestinian farmers say settler violence has led to a rushed harvest, while Israelis say they fear “terrorist activity”.
link to english.aljazeera.net
Farmers harvest olives as wall cuts through village
AL-WALAJA (Reuters) — It is olive picking season in the Palestinian territories, an important harvest as the fruit represents an integral part of the agricultural livelihood of many. But, the farmers in the West Bank village of Al-Walaja say the construction of an Israeli barrier is threatening this activity. This small community of 2,300 people located on the edge of Jerusalem’s southwest is almost entirely surrounded by Jewish settlements.
link to www.maannews.net
Top archaeologist decries Jerusalem dig as unscientific ‘tourist gimmick’
Dr. Eilat Mazar, who worked in close cooperation with the group – which promotes the ‘Judaization’ of East Jerusalem – says excavations carried out in violation of accepted procedures.
link to www.haaretz.com
Restriction of Movement
The letter that was sent to the ICRC
Wednesday, 5/10/2011 Mr. Jacob Clainmberg President International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) Geneva Dear Mr. Clainmberg: Greetings, We are three legislatures, Ahmed Attoun, Mohammad Totah, and Khaled Abu Arafeh, who are members of the Palestinian Legislative Council (PLC). Mr. Abu Arafeh is also the former minister in the tenth Palestinian government. We took refuge at the headquarters of the International Red Cross in occupied Jerusalem on July 1, 2010, the day following the occupying Israeli authority’s arrest of a fourth Jerusalem-based member of the PLC, Mr. Mohammad Abu Teir. One month earlier, the Israeli authorities issued a decision to revoke our Jerusalem residency status and expel us from Jerusalem. This happened despite our possession of valid Jerusalem identity cards (blue IDs) and despite the fact that we, our parents, and grandparents were born in the city.
link to silwanic.net
Israeli Regime Violence
Ten Palestinian female students hospitalized after IOF assault
Ten Palestinian female students were hospitalized in Al-Khalil on Tuesday morning after Israeli occupation forces assaulted and beat them up for refusing to pass through metal detectors.
link to www.palestine-info.co.uk
IOF troops advance south, north of Gaza
Israeli occupation forces (IOF) opened indiscriminate firing at Palestinian residential quarters on Monday night as they infiltrated into southern and northern Gaza Strip areas.
link to www.palestine-info.co.uk
Confrontations in Al-Hara al-Wasta (middle town)
Confrontations erupted in Al-Hara al-Wasta district at approximately 8:30pm on Friday evening, 7 October. Israeli forces guarding the Israeli settlement in Ras al-Amoud sparked clashes with local Palestinian youth. Clashes are common in the area, with Israeli forces commonly citing the pretext of youth throwing stones as reason for the violence.
link to silwanic.net
link to english.wafa.ps
Settler Terrorism
UN urges Israel to stop settler attacks
Spokesman for UN High Commissioner for Human Rights says Israel must protect Palestinian civilians, claims authorities tend to side with settlers in cases of violence.
link to www.ynetnews.com
Political Detainees
Arrest Of Ahmad Abu Hasham In Early Dawn Raid, Beit Ummar
Israeli forces arrested Abu Hasham, secretary of the Popular Committee Against the Wall and Settlements, along with his son Yousef, age 18, in Beit Ummar early Tuesday morning, the Palestinian News Agency (WAFA) reported.
link to www.imemc.org
IOF arrest seven Palestinians, including four minors in the northern West Bank
Israeli occupation forces arrested on at dawn Tuesday seven Palestinians, including four minors in the northern West Bank cities of Jenin and Qalqilya.
link to www.palestine-info.co.uk
Army Arrests A University Student, Takes Two Youth For Interrogation, Invades Villages In Jenin
On Tuesday morning, the Israeli army arrested a Palestinian university student, took two youth for interrogation, and invaded several villages in the southern part of the West Bank city of Jenin, Palestine news & info agency (WAFA) reported.
link to www.imemc.org
link to english.wafa.ps
Occupation forces arrest three Palestinians in the southern West Bank
Israeli occupation forces arrested on Monday three Palestinians, including two minors, from al-Khalil and Bethlehem in the southern Gaza Strip.
link to www.palestine-info.co.uk
Israeli troops ‘briefly detain’ local official in Hebron
HEBRON (Ma’an) — Israeli forces briefly detained the secretary general of a popular committee and one of his sons in Hebron early Tuesday morning, a committee spokesman said. Soldiers raided the north Hebron home of Ahmad Abu Hashem at dawn, spokesman for the popular committee against settlements in Beit Ummar Muhammad Ayyad Awad said. Troops detained Abu Hasham and his son Yousef, 18, for several hours before releasing them. Soldiers clashed with village residents, Awad said, with no injuries reported. An Israeli army spokeswoman was not aware of the incident.
link to www.maannews.net
DCI submits complaint on behalf of child detainee
[19 September 2011] – On 7 September 2011, DCI submitted a complaint to the Israeli authorities on behalf 17-year-old Ahmad R. The complaint requests that the Judge Advocate General opens an investigation into allegations that Ahmad was mistreated by Israeli soldiers in May 2011. At around 1:30 am, on 20 May 2011, Ahmad was asleep at the family home in Azzun, in the occupied West Bank, when he was woken by a sound bomb. Ahmad was ordered out of the house with the rest of his family and made to strip naked in front of everybody. After being permitted to re-dress, Ahmad was tied and blindfolded, before being placed in a military vehicle and transferred to the nearby settlement of Zufin. Ahmad reports that he was beaten by soldiers whilst inside the vehicle. On arrival at the settlement, Ahmad was dragged out of the vehicle and fell down on his face, causing both his mouth and nose to bleed. Four days after being arrested, Ahmad was transferred to Petah Tikva interrogation centre, near Ben Gurion airport inside Israel, in violation of Article 76 of the Fourth Geneva Convention which expressly prohibits such transfers.
link to palestinianprisoners.blogspot.com
link to palestinianprisoners.blogspot.com
Prisoners’ Strike
Israeli Soldiers Repress Peaceful Protest in Solidarity with Prisoners
RAMALLAH, October 11, 2011 (WAFA) – Israeli soldiers Tuesday broke with force a peaceful protest in solidarity with the Palestinian prisoners in Israeli prisons in front of Ofer prison, west of Ramallah, according to witnesses. They said that the soldiers heavily used tear gas bombs and stun grenades to break up the protesters, which led to several suffocation cases among the protestors. The protestors called to release the prisoners and treat them as war prisoners. They chanted slogans supporting the strike. A mass strike in solidarity with the Palestinian prisoners will take place on Wednesday from 8:00AM till 10:00AM.
link to english.wafa.ps
link to english.wafa.ps
Palestinian captives on hunger strike accuse PA of ignoring their suffering
Palestinian captives on hunger strike in Israeli occupation jails accused the Palestinian Authority under the leadership of Mahmoud Abbas of reneging on its responsibilities towards them.
link to www.palestine-info.co.uk
Support grows for Palestinian’s prison strike
Activists start open-ended hunger strike in support of prisoners in Israel fasting against “worsening jail conditions”
link to english.aljazeera.net
Naim warns of imminent danger threatening Palestinians in Israeli captivity
Dr. Basem Naim, the health minister in Gaza, has warned of imminent danger threatening the lives of Palestinian captives in Israeli occupation jails as a result of deliberate medical neglect.
link to www.palestine-info.co.uk
Beit Sahour Holds “Freedom Race” for Hunger-Striking Prisoners
Hundreds of Palestinians gathered on Sunday to watch and partake in the inaugural “Freedom Race” taking place in Beit Sahour, south of the West Bank city of Bethlehem.
link to www.imemc.org
#TweepStrike: A Call from Gaza to Support Palestinian Prisoners
In solidarity with Palestinian prisoners held under harsh conditions in Israel’s jails, a new twitter trend emerged today from Gaza. The trend is #TweepStrike and is an open invitation to everyone across the globe to go on a hunger strike on Wednesday Oct. 12th. A few months ago, I was on visit to one of the prisoners’ families. With moist eyes and a shaky voice the prisoner’s mother told me that she had, for many times, tried to visit her son but “Mr. Kalb,” Mr. dog, had always been there to turn her back home. My instinct told me then that Mr. Kalb must be a nickname of a cruel Israeli officer. I was wrong. “Mr. Kalb is a huge police dog and he is responsible for the prison’s visits.” She had told me. “According to his mood, we’re either allowed to see our loved ones or ordered to escort ourselves back home. If Mr. Kalb is in a bad mood and barks a lot, we have to understand that visits are not allowed, if he is friendly, officers will let us in” her explanation followed.
link to electronicintifada.net
Palestinian bloggers called to join prisoner hunger strike, Joseph Dana
On 27 September 2011, activists with the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine (PFLP) launched a prisoner hunger strike in protest of Israel’s treatment of Palestinians prisoners in Israeli jails. Rallies have been held throughout the West Bank in support of the hunger strike and now activists are calling on bloggers throughout the world to join.
link to Mondoweiss
Palestinians on 24 Hour Hunger Strike to Support Prisoners
JENIN, October 11, 2011 (WAFA) – Several Palestinians Tuesday went on hunger strike for 24 hours in a tent set up in the city of Jenin, north of the West Bank, in solidarity with the Palestinian prisoners who have been in an open hunger strike for 15 days, said a local official. Director of the Palestinian Prisoner’s Club in Jenin, Ragheb Abu Diak, said the 24-hour hunger strike is part of the official and popular movement in Jenin to support the prisoners. Abdullah Zakarneh, coordinator of the Popular Committee in Jenin, said that the supporting activities may include an open hunger strike in the set up tent. He further called on prisoners’ families, institutions and rights organizations to engage in the solidarity movement.
link to english.wafa.ps
Gaza
Gaza represents the ultimate failure of politics, David Miliband
My visit to Gaza with Save the Children gave me a sense of life beyond the statistics. The international community must do more.
link to www.guardian.co.uk
Israeli Racism, Sexism and Discrimination
Intimidating protest highlight Israeli religious divide
link to www.bbc.co.uk
Mea She’arim to ban women from certain Jerusalem streets during Sukkot
Large billboards posted throughout capital’s ultra-Orthodox neighborhoods this week forbade women during the celebration, despite court order.
link to www.haaretz.com
BDS & Anti BDS
ABC interview on BDS, Palestine and far-right love affair with Zionism
The ongoing blind establishment embrace of Israel and condemnation of BDS as akin to Nazi Germany shows no sign of abating in Australia. Yesterday’s ABC Radio National Breakfast featured a story on the issue and included a brief interview with me explaining the growing alliances between the fascist right and Israel; a mutual hatred of Islam is joining these forces. Note the comments by Zionist lobbyist Danny Lamm, President of the Executive Council of Australian Jewry, who denies there is even an occupation of Palestinian lands and demands Palestinians be grateful for Israel bringing universities to the occupied Arabs. Such is warped Zionist “logic”:
link to antonyloewenstein.com
Riyadh bans Jordanian company for sending Israeli goods to Saudi (Saudi Arabia does business with Israel, this is political theater)
A news report has revealed that the authorities in Riyadh have slapped a ban on any dealings with a Jordanian company which has, it is claimed, exported Israeli produce to Saudi Arabia. The company involved manufactures fertilizers and industrial chemicals and apparently used phosphoric acid from Israel in the materials it then exported to Saudi. According to the Saudi newspaper Okaz, a source at the Ministry of Trade and Industry in Riyadh said that the decision to ban this Jordanian company came after the Israeli material was discovered during routine inspections by customs officers. The matter was referred to higher authorities for a banning order against the Jordanian company responsible on the grounds that it had “clearly violated the instructions and regulations banning the entry of Israeli products into Saudi markets”. Amman and Tel Aviv have had normal economic and diplomatic relations since the 1994 signing of the controversial Wadi Araba Peace Treaty between Israel and Jordan.
link to www.middleeastmonitor.org.uk
Irvine 11 conviction reveals double standard and bias, Amirah Mizrahi, Antonia House and Emily Ratner
When we disrupted Israeli Prime Minister Benyamin Netanyahu’s keynote speech at the Jewish Federations of North America’s annual general meeting last November in New Orleans, we were met with hisses, boos, verbal harassment and even physical attacks from other members of the audience. But criminal charges were never so much as mentioned. Yet, on September 23rd, ten students who interrupted Israeli Ambassador Michael Oren’s speech at UC Irvine in February 2010 were convicted of two misdemeanors for their participation in that protest. Today, October 11, 2011, is a national day of action to protest those unjust convictions. We think it’s a perfect opportunity to look at the similarities and differences in these two actions.
link to mondoweiss.net
Jewish Community Heroes Competition Violates Own Rules in Barring Surasky, Richard Silverstein
Several days ago, the Jewish Federations of North America unceremoniously and without explanation dumped Cecilie Surasky from it’s Jewish Heroes competition, where she was running neck and neck with Chabad Rabbi Manis Friedman, whose claim to fame is that he told Moment Magazine he supported the killing of Palestinian civilians in war.
link to www.richardsilverstein.com
Diplomatic / Political News
Shaath: Palestine has 9 votes in Security Council
BETHLEHEM (Ma’an) — Fatah central committee member Nabil Shaath said Monday that nine countries in the Security Council were committed to supporting Palestine’s bid for membership in the UN. Shaath told Ma’an “the nine states that have confirmed voting to us, and we do not question their stance, are the following: Gabon, Bosnia, Brazil, India, Lebanon, Nigeria, South Africa, China and Russia.”
link to www.maannews.net
Envoy: Abbas, Sarkozy to meet in Paris
BOGOTA (AFP) — President Mahmoud Abbas and French President Nicolas Sarkozy will meet in Paris in the coming days to discuss the Palestinian bid for UN recognition, Abbas’s envoy said. Foreign minister in the West Bank government Riyad al-Malki said Abbas would depart for France after meeting Tuesday with Colombia’s President Juan Manuel Santos on the request for UN Security Council recognition of a Palestinian state.
link to www.maannews.net
The Foreign Minister Of Tanzania Affirms His Country’s Support For The Palestinian People
The Foreign Minister of Tanzania, Bernard Membe, affirms his country’s continuous and concrete support for Palestine, and its legitimate rights to achieve national independence, the Palestinian News Agency (WAFA) reported.
link to www.imemc.org
Palestinians: US Aid Freeze For Statehood Bid Amounts to “Blackmail”
Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas visits Colombia a day after announcing plans to establish ties with El Salvador. His trip is aimed at gaining recognition for a Palestinian state. Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas was touring Latin America this week, his second visit to the region in less than a year as part of a worldwide lobbying effort to gain recognition for a Palestinian state.
Israeli prime minister accepts EU invitation to meet Palestinians
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Monday accepted a European Union invitation to meet Palestinian leaders in an effort to restart peace talks, his office said in a statement.
Romney vows to increase defense aid to Israel
Republican presidential candidate Mitt Romney says that if elected he would ‘bolster and repair alliance’ with Israel; enhance US deterrent against Iranian regime. ‘Our friends should never fear that we will not stand by them in an hour of need’ he says.
Turkish Prime Minister Erdogan poses challenge for Obama
Many advisors to the president see Erdogan’s government as a possible model for others in the Middle East. But the Turkish premier’s feud with Israel and a tendency to make threats are problematic. In the space of a few weeks this summer, Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan slammed President Obama’s approach to Mideast peacemaking, threatened to block U.S. business from drilling for oil and gas in the Mediterranean, and warned he might mobilize Turkish warships to protect activists sailing to Gaza against America’s chief regional ally, Israel.
In Egypt, at least two dozen people died on Sunday when the Egyptian military attacked a large gathering of Coptic Christian protesters. The violence broke out after a protest in Cairo against an attack on a church in Aswan province last week. Democracy Now! correspondent Sharif Abdel Kouddous was in Cairo and witnessed the killings. “Then the military attacked. They came rushing forward, beating anyone in their path. Then they started opening fire. The sound of gunfire filled the air,” said Kouddous. “It was really a scene of chaos, a scene of bloodshed, the likes of which I have not seen since the revolution here in Cairo. And the reaction of the army does not bode well for the future.”
String of deadly explosions hit Baghdad
At least 10 people killed and 21 others wounded as three blasts rock mainly Shia neighbourhood of Iraqi capital.
AP – Salma Jassim was beaten, kicked out of her marital home with her newborn daughter on her shoulder and then deserted by her husband. But she says the threat she faces from her own family, who feel shamed because of her divorce, is just as bad as the abuse.