Mondoweiss Online Newsletter

NOVANEWS

Israel building walls on its borders with Egypt, Jordan and Lebanon

Jan 02, 2012

Kate

Israel to build new wall on Lebanon frontier
TEL AVIV, Israel (Ma‘an) 2 Jan — Israeli military officials plan to build a new wall on the country’s northern ceasefire line with Lebanon, Israeli media reported on Monday. An official in Israel’s northern command told Hebrew daily Yedioth Ahronoth that the 5-meter high and 1-kilometer long wall will be equipped with alarms and separate Israeli kibbutz al-Matala and Lebanese village Kafr Kala which lie near to each other. The wall, the first of its kind along the frontier with Lebanon, will be planned in the coming days and building will start in a few weeks, the newspaper said.
link to www.maannews.net
PM: Security fence to be built along Jordan border
1 Jan — When the security fence along the border with Egypt is complete, a fence will also be built along the border with Jordan, Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu announced Sunday in a Likud ministerial meeting. The move is intended to curb migrant workers and refugees from Africa from arriving in Israel.
link to www.jpost.com
Jordan denies Israeli decision to construct security fence on Israeli-Jordan borders
PNN 2 Jan — On Monday, Jordanian Foreign Minister said that Jordan hasn’t received any official information about what has been published in the media, about the Israeli private decision of constructing a security fence on the borders between Jordan and Israel, in order  to prevent the African migrants from sneaking into Israel.
link to english.pnn.ps
Israel to resolve Palestinian house demolition orders by summer / Amira Hass
1 Jan — If the demolition process is indeed accelerated, around 1,000 Palestinian children in particularly deprived communities stand to lose their schools.
link to www.haaretz.com
Israel bill to force Palestinians to prove ownership over land used for West Bank outposts
1 Jan 03:27 — Cabinet members are facing pressure to approve proposed legislation that would curtail the eviction of Jewish settlers from land that is purportedly owned by individual Palestinians by requiring a court ruling based on specific evidence of land ownership … Peace Now director Yariv Oppenheimer said the proposed law would allow anyone to grab land for a permanent settlement and bar an immediate eviction.
link to www.haaretz.com
Ministers delay discussion of outpost bill
1 Jan 16:34 — At Netanyahu’s request, Committee on Legislative Affairs postpones debate on outpost evacuation bill by three months
link to www.ynetnews.com
State asks court for delay in razing W. Bank homes
2 Jan — The state asked the High Court of Justice over the weekend for a three-month delay in demolishing illegal structures in the Ramat Gilad outpost, on the outskirts of the West Bank Karnei Shomron settlement. It had initially promised the court it would remove nine outpost structures, all built on private Palestinian land, by the end of 2011. The pledge came in response to a petition first filed by Peace Now in 2006, and refiled in 2008.
link to www.jpost.com
Israel to take over land near Salfit for wall
SALFIT (WAFA) 31 Dec – Israeli authorities Saturday issued several notices to take over land in Az-Zawiya and Masha, towns west of Salfit, for the expansion of the Apartheid Wall, according to Az-Zawiya mayor Khader Shuqir. He said that Israeli authorities issued notices to take over more than 50 dunums in both towns and decided to build a new checkpoint in the buffer zone. The notices were not dated and were neither handed to Palestinian landowners, which makes it difficult for them to file objections, added the mayor.
link to english.wafa.ps
Who profits – special update
1 Jan — 2011 will go down in memory as the year in which the Israeli Knesset has intensified its anti-democratic legislation, while the Israeli High Court of Justice validated once again the structural economic exploitation in the occupied Palestinian territories. On Monday, December 26 the Israeli High Court of Justice rejected a petition filed by the organization Yesh Din, which challenged the legality of the use of natural resources extracted by 11 companies quarrying and mining in the occupied West Bank. This validation adds to the stamp of approval the High Court of Justice already gave to the Israeli settlements and the Separation Wall. Whoprofits.org’s findings, providing evidence for the case against the activities of the companies in the OPT, established that 94% of the materials extracted by quarrying and mining companies active in Area C under Israeli control are used for sale in Israel. The companies transfer some of their profits to the Israeli civil administration in the OPT, which in turn facilitates their activities. Only a fraction of the material is sold to Palestinians.
link to groups.google.com
In Photos: Palestinian village squeezed by an Israeli settlement
AIC 1 Jan — The Bedouin community of Umm Al Khair is located in the West Bank’s South Hebron Hills. Because Umm Al Khair falls into Area C, which is under Israeli control, residents face restricted water access, no public services, little freedom of movement, and severe building limitations. In general, the Israeli Civil Administration does not issue construction permits for Palestinians. Villages are unable to expand and Israeli forces frequently demolish existing structures. This photo essay tells the story of one Palestinian village that has been squeezed by Israeli policies.
link to www.alternativenews.org
Settlers
WATCH: Hilltop youth: “Burn down Al-Aqsa Mosque? Of course!” / Ami Kaufman
972mag 30 Dec — The hilltop youth, those wacky young settlers, have been in the news quite a bit of late – the number of price tag actions is on a constant rise. Yet, we rarely get to see who these “kids” really are. Last week, Channel 2 gave us a rare glimpse into the minds of some of the hilltop youth leaders. I just couldn’t miss the opportunity to bring it to you. This translation goes out to my homies in AIPAC, and to the national religious rabbis of the world. Without you, these racists would not be possible. [Transcript here under ‘WATCH Hilltop youth”]
link to 972mag.com
Armed settlers ‘help’ soldiers man roadblocks
Armed Israeli settlers, in civilian clothes, were seen helping Israeli soldiers in searching Palestinian vehicles and checking ID numbers of Palestinians at a number of military roadblocks leading to the Ramallah district, in the central West Bank. The Ma‘an News Agency reported that dozens of settlers in civilian clothes, carrying automatic rifles, stood next to the Israeli soldiers at the Bet El Roadblock, northeast of Ramallah, and even searched Palestinian vehicles and examined the ID cards of the passengers. Israel settlers usually conduct “patrols” on several roads in the occupied West Bank, but are always accompanied by Israeli soldiers. This is the first time that some of the settlers actually participate in tasks that are the sole responsibility of the army.
link to www.imemc.org
Settlers furious over ‘reconnaissance arrests’
2 Jan — The continued custody of six right-wing activists arrested last week on suspicion of monitoring the movements of security forces in the West Bank is creating a firestorm of controversy within the settler community — Police said the suspects, five adults and a minor from West Bank settlements and Jerusalem, regularly carried out reconnaissance on army and Border Police movements, in order to thwart demolitions of outposts and direct fellow activists to scenes of clashes.
link to www.jpost.com
Jewish settlers assault Palestinian teen in Hebron
HEBRON (WAFA) 31 Dec – Extremist settlers Saturday physically assaulted a Palestinian teen from the city of Hebron, according to activists. According to Issa Amro, member of Youth against Settlements, a number of settlers from Tel Rumeida settlement sprayed Arafat al-Bayid, 14, with tear gas and physically assaulted him. Medical sources said that Bayid was transferred to hospital after he was sprayed with gas that irritates nerves and burns the face and eyes.
Amro said Israeli soldiers arrested Mahmoud Abu Hadid, 21, at a checkpoint near Hebron and confiscated his personal identity card and driving license.
link to english.wafa.ps
Sheikh Jarrah settlers let attack dogs loose against protesters / Richard Silverstein
2 Jan — In a scene reminiscent of other times of historic Jewish tragedy in the last century, at last Friday’s weekly Sheikh Jarrah protest against Palestinian home theft, one of the most radical of the settlers,  the Israeli-American Fauci, let loose a vicious attack dog (rather humorously named, if you’re a settler, Shiksa) against the Israeli and Palestinian demonstrators at the scene (be sure to check out the Jerusalem Post video featuring Fauci training the dog to attack the Muslim enemy).  They were protesting Fauci’s occupation (cf. theft) of the Al-Kurd home in the East Jerusalem neighborhood.
link to www.richardsilverstein.com
Israeli forces
Border Police train Israeli teens to detain illegal Palestinian workers
2 Jan — “I consider it a form of pleasure. It simply provides me with values, and I love the action.” This is how Reut, a high school senior from the Modi’in area, describes her experience as part of the “No’ar Magav” Border Police Youth … Approximately 36 teenagers between the ages of 16-18 take part in the project. In their spare time, they help catch “illegal residents”, or stand at checkpoints and help guard the neighboring settlements. According to the regional council, the teenagers have been able to catch dozens of illegal aliens, mostly Palestinian workers who lack Israeli work permits, in the past couple weeks. “I like catching the Palestinian workers,” says Reut. “Generally we look for them because they scare children. The point is to catch them and return them back where they belong.” … According to the Ministry of Education, the project is “not recognized”, and will be investigated.
link to www.haaretz.com
PCHR Weekly Report: One Palestinian killed, 11 wounded by Israeli forces this week [22-28 Dec]
IMEMC 30 Dec — In its Weekly Report On Israeli Human Rights Violations in the Occupied Palestinian Territories for the week of 22- 28 December 2011, the Palestinian Center for Human Rights (PCHR) found that a Palestinian resistance fighter was killed and 5 others were wounded in two extra-judicial execution attempts by Israeli forces in the Gaza Strip. 6 additional Palestinian civilians, including two children, were wounded by Israeli forces … During the last week, Israeli forces conducted 32 incursions into Palestinian communities in the West Bank, during which they abducted 28 Palestinians, including 4 children and a university professor. In addition, Israeli soldiers abducted two Palestinian civilians at various checkpoints in the West Bank. Full text of the report
link to www.imemc.org
Gaza
Palestinian injured by army fire in northern Gaza
IMEMC 1 Jan — Palestinian medical sources reported Saturday that a Palestinian man was shot and wounded by Israeli military fire, north of Beit Hanoun, in the northern part of the Gaza Strip, the Arabs48 news website reported. The sources stated that medics transferred the wounded 32-year-old man to Kamal Odwan Hospital after he was shot in the leg. Israel imposes an illegal buffer-zone along the border, preventing the Palestinians from entering their own lands that are close to the border fence. Dozens of casualties, including several fatalities were reported in similar attacks.
link to www.imemc.org
Lawmaker condemns Israeli decision to demolish crossing in Gaza
GAZA (WAFA) 2 Jan — Chairman of the Popular Committee against the Siege on Gaza, lawmaker Jamal al Khudari, Monday condemned the Israeli authorities’ decision to demolish Karni (al-Mintar) commercial crossing, east of Gaza … The Israeli authorities Monday decided to demolish Karni crossing and move all commercial traffic to Kerem Shalom between Israel and Egypt. It claimed that armed Palestinian groups were targeting the crossing by digging tunnels under it, reported Israel radio … The crossing has been closed for about a year now by the Israeli army. Khudari called on the international community to pressure Israel to cancel its decision, appealing to the European parties, which funded the construction of the crossing, to stop Israel from carrying out its plans to separate Gaza from the rest of the world
link to english.wafa.ps
Video: Gaza — A ticking demographic time bomb
Press TV 31 Dec — Following new figures about global population growth, Gaza has been flagged as being in a “dangerous situation.”  Gaza is home to 1.7 million people, almost three-quarters of them UN registered refugees, who are crammed into a living space with a total area of 360 square kilometres (140 sq miles).  The Head of the Palestinian Central Bureau of Statistics Ola Awad warns that the population in Gaza will exceed two million by 2020. The annual growth rate of 3.3 percent is higher than the world’s average rate of 1.4 percent. Children up to the age of 14 make up 44 percent of the population of the strip.
link to presstv.com
2011 ‘toughest year yet’ for Gaza medics
GAZA CITY (Ma‘an) 31 Dec — As 2011 draws to an end, medical shortages in the Gaza Strip have reached their highest levels, a spokesman for Gaza’s Health Ministry said Saturday. Ashraf al-Qidra told Ma‘an that medics in the besieged coastal enclave had to cope with shortages of medicine and medical equipment on a daily basis, affecting over one-third of patients. Patients with chronic diseases such as cancer, kidney failure and neuritis were the worst affected, al-Qidra said. Hospitals and health centers have totally run out of 145 basic medicines and 150 types of medical equipment, he added.
link to www.maannews.net
One of Israel’s war crimes coming back to bite it…
White phosphorus found in mortar shells fired from Gaza
1 Jan — The two mortar shells fired Sunday morning from the Gaza Strip at the Eshkol Regional Council contained while phosphorous, an examination revealed. The shells landed in an open field and caused no injuries or damage. The Negev District Police bomb squad unit examined the shells and determined that they contained the substance, which is banned by international law for use inside dense population concentrations.
link to www.ynetnews.com
PRC claims mortars fired into Israel
BETHLEHEM (Ma‘an) 1 Jan — The military wing of the Popular Resistance Committees in the Gaza Strip said it fired two mortars into southern Israel on Sunday morning. The Nasser Saladin Brigades said in a statement they launched the projectiles “in response to the crimes of the occupation.”
link to www.maannews.net
4 more Israeli soldiers linked to Turkish ship looting
Four former IDF soldiers were charged last week with involvement in the theft of laptop computers from the Mavi Marmara – a Turkish vessel which was seized by Israeli commandos on May 31, 2010 as it was making its way to Gaza along with five other vessels in an attempt to breach a naval blockade of the Hamas-ruled territory. Nine of the ship’s passengers were killed and a number of IDF soldiers were wounded during the raid.
link to www.ynetnews.com
EU launches €10M desalination project in Gaza
2 Jan — European Union, Palestinian Water Authority sign memorandum of understanding regarding construction of low-volume desalination plant in Khan Younis; project to be completed by 2015
link to www.ynetnews.com
Hamas cracks down on fortune-tellers, mannequins
GAZA CITY (Ma‘an) 31 Dec — The Hamas-run government has launched a series of campaigns targeting fortune-tellers, mannequins and cigarette vendors in the Gaza Strip. Police sources told Ma‘an that 142 fortune tellers were forced to sign an agreement at the Ministry of Interior pledging that they would not practice their craft.  As well as predicting the future, fortune tellers sell amulets for protection and are sometimes called on to solve personal or family problems. Another campaign targets boutiques displaying lingerie on mannequins. Police officials told Ma‘an that security forces inspected clothes shops across the Gaza Strip and warned owners not to display naked mannequins, lingerie or “indecent advertisements.”
link to www.maannews.net
Palestinians told to dance to shake off Gaza stress
DPA 31 Dec — Some 45,000 Gazans have participated in program brought by U.S. psychiatrist that teaches techniques to deal with anger, stress, anxiety and family tension.
link to www.haaretz.com
Remembering the Israeli war on Gaza
Slideshow: 2008-2009 Israeli massacre of Gaza, not forgotten
In Gaza 31 Dec
link to ingaza.wordpress.com
31 December 2008: The Abu Areeda family
PCHR — “Before my mother’s death we used to be very happy on 1 January, have celebrations and visit people. Now we are all silent in the last hour of each year and on 1 January we don’t celebrate the new year. We visit our mohter’s grave. We remember.” … It was about half an hour before midnight on 31 December when electricity in the area was cut. Iman went to cover her youngest son, Mohammed, who was sleeping in his room. As she was leaning over him, the missile hit a few dozen meters away from their family home. The shrapnel that came through the outer wall killed her.
link to palsolidarity.org
1 January 2009: The Nasla family
PCHR — “I wish that if our fate is to die, that we die together, I wouldn’t want anybody left to have to bear this sort of pain” On 1 January 2009 at around 15:00, Israeli military planes targeted a water tower across from the home of the Nasla family in North Beit Lahiya. The family were making lunch when the first bomb hit. As the family were trying to escape the smoke filled house, a second and third bomb struck the area, killing Ayoun Nasla, 6, and M’uz Nasla, 2.
link to palsolidarity.org
2 January 2009: Eyad al-Astal
PCHR — “The second of January is no different from any other day. Every day and every minute feels like the moment when I lost my sons. In everything there is a memory of them. I miss them all the time.” On 2 January 2009 at around 14:30 an Israeli drone fired a missile at an open area in Qarara village, close to Khan Yunis. The missile struck and killed two brothers, Mohammed (12) and Abed Rabbo (9) al-Astal, and their cousin, Abdul Sattar Walid al-Astal (11) while they were playing and eating sugar canes in the land.
link to palsolidarity.org
Memories of Gaza: When the victim is called the terrorist / Sarah Ali
I am a terrorist. At least that is what they call me. I grew up hearing the same word being repeated all the time that I thought terrorists were the good guys for a second … It was December the 27th, 2008 when the Israeli warplanes started dropping bombs on every place in Gaza, killing anything or anybody getting — or not getting — in their way. The war left lots of people dead. More than 1450 Palestinians were killed, 5600 injured. There were people dying every day. Then there was Anwar… Just when we began to hear the news of Israel’s intentions to end the war,  Anwar Shehada was killed.  Anwar was a 13 year old neighbor of mine who lived a few meters away from where I live. It was the last day of the war when Anwar told her younger sister she was going up to get the laundry from the roof. Her sister asked her not to go; Anwar told her sister not to worry because the war was almost ‘over’. Before her parents could see her going up to the roof, Anwar was already gone. She probably thought that Israel would not kill a beautiful 13 year old girl. Israel proved her wrong.
link to mondoweiss.net
On anniversary of Gaza war we will remember IDF soldiers who destroyed Palestinian families / Amira Hass
2 Jan — While Yoav Galant’s name is most prominently mentioned in the context of the third anniversary of Operation Cast Lead, we must recall the other, nameless soldiers, guided by the spirit of the army’s top brass. — On the third anniversary of the Cast Lead onslaught, we remember the anonymous soldiers who fired on a red car, in which a father, Mohammed Shurrab, and his two sons were returning home from their farm lands … We will remember the pilot who delivered the bomb that killed Mahmoud al-Ghoul, a high-school student, and his uncle Akram, an attorney, at the family’s home in northern Gaza … We will remember the soldiers who turned the Abu Eida family home in eastern Jabalya into a base and place from which to shoot, and confined in one room an elderly invalid, a blind woman and two older women. We will remember how these soldiers did not allow these four persons to go to the restroom for nine days. We will remember the soldiers who herded members of the Samouni family into one house and were themselves positioned 80 meters from it when it was shelled, with all its residents inside, under orders from brigade commander Ilan Malka – someone else whom we will remember, of course. The list goes on and on, and we ask forgiveness from those we haven’t cited due to lack of space. But on this occasion we shall especially remember the soldiers at a certain post in the eastern part of Khan Yunis.
link to www.haaretz.com
Political detention
Troops kidnap several Palestinians in West Bank
IMEMC 2 Jan — Local sources reported that Israeli soldiers invaded Hebron, in the southern part of the West Bank, broke into and searched several homes, and kidnapped six residents. Two of them are from Al Arroub Refugee camp. Soldiers also invaded Salem village, near the northern West Bank city of Nablus, broke into and searched several homes, and kidnapped two brothers after sabotaging the property of their home. Two more residents were kidnapped in At-Taybeh, west of Jenin, in the northern part of the West Bank. Clashes were reported as local youths hurled stones and empty bottles at the invading military vehicles; soldiers fired several rounds of live ammunition.  Soldiers also installed a number of roadblocks in the West Bank, and kidnapped 3 residents, local sources reported.
In related news, clashes were reported between local residents in Rommana village, west of Jenin, and Israeli soldiers who invaded the village using armored vehicles. Soldiers fired gas bombs, rubber-coated bullets and rounds of live ammunition; no injuries were reported.
link to www.imemc.org
Israeli army arrests 2 minors near Qalqilia
QALQILIA (WAFA) 1 Jan – Israeli army units Sunday arrested two Palestinian minors in Azzoun, a town east of Qalqilia, according to local sources. They said that Mahmoud Radwan, 14, and Abdullah Hawari, 16, were arrested after more than 20 Israeli military vehicles raided the town at dawn and searched several houses.
link to english.wafa.ps
Haniyeh meets exiled prisoners in Turkey
GAZA CITY (Ma‘an) 2 Jan — Gaza Prime Minister Ismail Haniyeh on Sunday met with detainees sent to Turkey as part of a prisoner exchange deal with Israel, during the Hamas premier’s first international tour since 2007. Sounding a note of hope to the 11 freed prisoners who were blocked by Israel from returning to their homes, Haniyeh told them: “It is inevitable the occupation will end and the resolution (of the conflict) will benefit the Palestinian people.” He thanked Turkey for hosting the prisoners … Some 40 freed prisoners were exiled to Turkey, Qatar and Syria, and 166 others were deported to Gaza and prevented from returning to their West Bank homes.
link to www.maannews.net
Freed Palestinian prisoner to wed in Turkey
IMEMC 30 Dec — One of the Palestinian detainees freed in the latest prisoner exchange-deal with Israel, is scheduled to marry in the capital of Turkey, Ankara, the Turkish daily Vatan reported on Friday. Ayman Abu Khalil, aged 39, was one of eleven Palestinians exiled to Turkey … Vatan claims that Khalil has invited the Turkish Prime Minister, Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, to his wedding at the Buyukhanli Park Hotel. The Turkish daily added that the other ten Palestinians exiled to Turkey will also be among the 200 guests at the wedding. Palestinian Ambassador to Ankara, Nabil Maruf, is also expected to attend the wedding.
link to www.imemc.org
Liberated prisoner in coma
BETHLEHEM (PIC) 2 Jan — Liberated Palestinian prisoner Zakaria Issa has been in coma since Monday morning due to deterioration of his cancer condition after he lost his eyesight, speech and ability to move his right arm and leg. Family members said that Issa, 43, was dying after treatment attempts in the West Bank and Jordan failed to cure him. The Israeli occupation authority released Issa almost four months ago after his brain cancer condition greatly worsened. Issa served 10 years of his 16-year sentence on the charge of affiliation to the Qassam Brigades, the armed wing of Hamas.
Link to www.palestine-info.co.uk
Israel to close Naqab prison, says official
JENIN (WAFA) 31 Dec — Minister of Prisoners Issa Qaraqe‘ Saturday said the Israeli authorities have decided to close Naqab prison in southern Israel. He told WAFA that the Israeli authorities plan to distribute the prisoners across several jails, take over their personal belongings, and empty the prison. He said the prisoners are on alert as the Israeli administration has called up large military reinforcements to the prison amid wide opposition from the prisoners.
link to english.wafa.ps
Prisoners; Negev jail facility to close for immigrant detention
JERUSALEM (Ma‘an) 2 Jan — Palestinians jailed in southern Israel said Monday that authorities will move hundreds of prisoners from a tented facility to other jails, to make space for holding illegal immigrants. Officials at the Negev jail have officially notified 730 prisoners living in tents that they will be evacuated and distributed between other Israeli facilities, the detainees told Ma’an.
link to www.maannews.net
Ministers: 200 attacks on prisoners in 2011
BETHLEHEM (Ma‘an) 31 Dec — There were 200 attacks on Palestinian prisoners by Israeli special forces during 2011, Palestinian Authority Minister of Detainee Affairs Issa Qaraqe said Saturday. The attacks usually happened during the night and aimed to humiliate and provoke detainees, Qaraqe said in a statement.
link to www.maannews.net
Imprisoned Palestinian sheikh enters third week of hunger strike
2 Jan — 36-year old Sheikh Khader Adnan, a spokesman for the Islamic Jihad resistance movement, entered the third week of a hunger strike on Sunday, in protest of the conditions in the Israeli prison where he is being held. After being abducted by Israeli troops on December 17th from his home in Arrabah village south of Jenin, Adnan has been held in an Israeli detention center without charges … Adnan told his lawyer that he was interrogated in a harsh manner for at least 2 – 3 hours a day since his abduction. In one instance, he said the Israeli interrogator dragged him across the floor by his beard, and that the interrogator then used Adnan’s beard to polish his boots.
link to www.imemc.org
Detained Islamic Jihad leader rushed to hospital
JENIN (PIC) 2 Jan — The Israeli occupation authority transferred detained Islamic Jihad leader Khader Adnan, 33, to hospital after his health deteriorated due to cruel investigation means and two weeks of hunger strike. Relatives of Adnan told the PIC on Monday that he was rushed from Jalama detention center to the Ramle prison hospital on Friday
Link to www.palestine-info.co.uk
Palestinian detainees might launch Irish-style hunger strike
31 Dec — Leaders of the Palestinian prisoners’ movement in Israeli prisons and detention facilities stated that the situation all political detainees are facing is at its worst, adding that, right now, detainees sentenced to life-terms are thinking about launching an Irish-Style Hunger-Strike, while the rest of the detainees likely to follow their lead.
link to www.imemc.org
Official statistics record 4,500 Palestinian prisoners in Israeli prisons
MEMO 2 Jan — Data issued by the Statistics Department of the Palestinian Authority’s Ministry of Prisoners and Ex-Prisoners show that 4,500 Palestinians, including six women, are being held in Israeli jails at the beginning of 2012. The figure takes into account the release of 1,027 men and women as part of the exchange deal agreed between Hamas and Israel in October 2011. In addition to the 4,500 Palestinian prisoners in Israeli jails and detention camps, there are dozens of Arabs of various nationalities, especially from Jordan, Syria and Egypt. The ministry explained that these figures are not static due to the daily arrests of Palestinians by the Israeli occupation forces; more than 3,300 people were arrested in the past twelve months, with an average of nine arrests a day.
link to www.middleeastmonitor.org.uk
PA Intelligence kidnaps senior Hamas figure in Qalqiliya
QALQILIYA (PIC) 1 Jan — The Palestinian authority intelligence apparatus kidnapped on Saturday evening senior Hamas official and noted reformer Riyadh Walweel, 57, from his home in Qalqiliya city, north of the occupied West Bank. Local sources told the Palestinian information center (PIC) that PA intelligence agents kidnapped Walweel after he refused to receive and sign on a summons for interrogation issued against him by the intelligence service in Qalqiliya. Walweel is a noted religious figure and reformer in the city and has been locked in Israeli and PA jails many times before.
Link to www.palestine-info.co.uk
Activism / Solidarity / BDS
Israel treats Europeans with unwarranted arrests in Nabi Saleh
2 Jan — In the morning of the 30th of December three members of the International Solidarity Movement and one other international were walking the streets of Nabi Saleh when two military jeeps drew up and stopped next to them. A group of approximately ten soldiers jumped out of the jeeps grabbing two of the international volunteers, forcing them into the jeeps as they drew away. Inside the car they were told they were under arrest for disobeying orders, stating that when they had instructed the internationals to stop, the internationals had fled and disobeyed.  The ISM volunteers found this strange as they were the ones who actually stopped, and those who ran away were not arrested. The arrested were taken to a military-base where all their belongings were taken from them.
link to palsolidarity.org
Photos — 31 December 2011: Chicago honors Gaza’s children
To mark the third anniversary of Israel’s winter 2008-09 attacks on the Gaza Strip, one balloon was released for each of the more than 300 children who were killed during the massacres. The event was organized by the youth-led Chicago Movement for Palestinian Rights and attended by more than a hundred members of the community. From the event organizers: “There will be a card tied to every balloon with each child’s name and description. The balloons are 100% biodegradable and the cards will be made from flowerseed paper. So wherever they land, these cards will plant seeds in the ground that will bloom into beautiful flowers in the spring. This is our way of paying tribute to the memory of each child.”
link to www.flickr.com
Activists campaign against sale of Israeli drones to France
IMEMC 31 Dec — A group of activists involved in the Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions Campaign in France have launched a campaign calling on the French government to call off a deal to purchase five hundred million dollars worth of Heron TP Predator drones manufactured by the Israeli company IAI. The campaign in France follows a similar action by activists in Finland that was successful in stopping the Finnish government from purchasing military drones from an Israeli company.
link to www.imemc.org
Political developments
Senior Fatah official visits Gaza
GAZA CITY (Ma‘an) 2 Jan — Senior Fatah official Nabil Shaath arrived in Gaza on Sunday evening, in a visit to support the reconciliation deal between his party and Gaza rulers Hamas. Shaath had been due to visit the coastal strip last week, but the trip was postponed for unstated reasons. The Fatah leader, who is also commissioner for the party’s international relations, will meet with all political factions in Gaza, officials said.
link to www.maannews.net
Elections commission meets after restructure
NABLUS (Ma‘an) 2 Jan — The new group of commissioners in Palestine’s official elections agency met in Ramallah on Monday, for the first time since a presidential decree ordered the restructure. Reform of the Central Elections Commission was a key term of the unity deal signed by Hamas and Fatah in May 2011.
link to www.maannews.net
Reconciliation committee meets in Gaza
GAZA CITY (Ma‘an) 2 Jan — The cross-party committee overseeing national reconciliation met in the Gaza Strip for the first time on Monday, after the meeting was postponed days earlier. The “public freedoms committee” is tasked with hammering out a number of tenets of the unity deal signed in May, including political prisoners, passports, closure of institutions, travel bans and freedom of political expression, committee member Hani Abu Amra told Ma‘an.
link to www.maannews.net
Abbas: All options open if nothing comes out of Quartet
RAMALLAH (WAFA) 1 Jan – President Mahmoud Abbas said Saturday that if the Quartet was unable to revive Palestinian-Israeli negotiations by January 26, then its mission will be considered a failure and all options will be open. Speaking to Palestine TV and Voice of Palestine radio on the occasion of 47 years since the launching of the Palestinian revolution, Abbas ruled out the possibility of a third Intifada, stressing his opposition to it. He said Jordan is trying to help the Quartet, which is composed of the United States, European Union, Russia and United Nations, to bring the parties involved together, stressing that the Palestinians are ready to resume negotiations with Israel if it agrees on the 1967 borders and stop all settlements.
link to english.wafa.ps
Palestinians to seek UN talks on settlements
AFP 31 Dec — Executive committee of PLO says will request sessions with Security Council, Arab League to discuss halting construction in West Bank, east Jerusalem.
link to www.ynetnews.com
Quartet, parties to meet in Jordan on Tuesday
RAMALLAH (WAFA) 1 Jan – Quartet representatives will meet with Palestinian and Israeli negotiators in the Jordanian capital Amman on Tuesday, according to Mohammad al-Kayed, spokesman for the Jordanian foreign ministry. The Jordanian news agency Petra Sunday quoted Kayed as saying that the aim of the meeting is “to reach common ground to resume direct negotiations between the two sides.” Chief Palestinian negotiator Saeb Erekat confirmed the meeting will take place … Kayed said the Israelis and Palestinians would meet bilaterally as well as with the Quartet … If the talks do take place, it will be the first time the two sides sit on the same table since the negotiations reached a deadlock in over a year.
link to english.wafa.ps
Palestinian factions denounce participation in Quartet meeting
RAMALLAH (WAFA) 2 Jan …Sami Abu Zuhri, Hamas spokesman in the Gaza Strip, called on the Palestinian Authority (PA) to boycott the meeting and considered any further political meetings between PA and Israel a “reproduction of the failed policy.” … The Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine (PFLP) considered holding direct talks with Israel immediately after re-directing the Palestinian-Israeli conflict to the United Nations a “severe political mistake” and a setback to Palestinian policy. FIDA [the Palestinian Democratic Union] also denounced holding the meeting while Israel was proceeding with its intensive settlement expansion in East Jerusalem and the West Bank … the factions said the Israeli occupation is the only beneficiary of the meeting in an attempt to polish Israel’s image and break its international isolation.
link to english.wafa.ps
Erekat: No negotiations yet
2 Jan — Amid reports about renewal of peace talks, chief Palestinian negotiator says Quartet meeting in Jordan doesn’t signal resumption of negotiations. Sources in Jerusalem: Israel, Jordan share common interests against Hamas, Iran
link to www.ynetnews.com
Erdogan to Haniyeh: talks must include Hamas
1 Jan — Turkish prime minister hosts Hamas leader in Istanbul, says conflict cannot be resolved as long as Palestinian faction excluded from negotiations
link to www.ynetnews.com
Gaza’s Hamas PM visits Turkish aid ship, Mavi Marmara
BBC 2 Jan — The prime minister of the Hamas-controlled Gaza Strip has continued his tour of Turkey with a visit to an aid ship that was stormed by Israeli troops in 2010. Ismail Haniya paid tribute to the nine activists who were killed during the May raid on the Gaza-bound Mavi Marmara.
link to www.bbc.co.uk
Report: Jordan takes in families of Hamas leaders from Damascus
1 Jan –Jordan has taken in families of Hamas leaders from Damascus, including the family of the Palestinian organization’s politburo chief Khaled Mashaal, the London-based Arabic-language newspaper al-Sharq al-Awsat reported Sunday … According to the source, Jordan took the families in under the condition that the Hamas members would not engage in political activity in the country. He added that relations between Hamas and Jordan have been normalized following meetings held in the country between government officials and group leaders. “Jordan’s agreements with Israel do not allow it to be entirely open to Hamas, and the Hashemite Kingdom will not let the movement reopen offices there,” the source added.
link to www.ynetnews.com
Jordan ‘not offered benefits’ to host Hamas
AMMAN, Jordan (Ma‘an) 31 Dec — Jordan on Saturday denied reports that Qatar offered Amman incentives to host Hamas, the Jordanian daily Al-Ghad reported. Israeli media reported Thursday that Qatar had offered Jordan financial incentives and natural gas in exchange for allowing Hamas to reopen its offices in Amman.
link to www.maannews.net
Report: Hamas mulls joining Muslim Brotherhood
LONDON (Ma‘an) 31 Dec — Hamas leaders are holding meetings in Sudan to discuss joining the Muslim Brotherhood, the London-based Ash-Sharq Al-Awsat newspaper reported Saturday. Some 59 members of Hamas’ Shura Council met in Khartoum to discuss creating a separate branch of the Muslim Brotherhood in Palestine, the report said.
link to www.maannews.net
Racism / Discrimination
‘Bills limiting settlers, Arabs as justices valid’
2 Jan — Two controversial bills on Supreme Court justice selection – one that would disqualify settlers, and another that would not allow most Israeli-Arabs to be considered for the judiciary – were declared valid for a plenum vote by Knesset Legal Adviser Eyal Yinon on Sunday … The first bill, proposed by MK Ahmed Tibi (United Arab List-Ta’al) declares that a judge may not be appointed to the Supreme Court if he does not live “within the borders of the State of Israel, or if he lives in a place that violates international law.” MK Michael Ben-Ari (National Union) drafted the second bill, which would only allow judges who served in the IDF or National Service to be selected for the Supreme Court. In addition, any current Supreme Court judges that did not do military or civilian service may not be chosen as Supreme Court president, according to Ben-Ari’s proposal. Yinon wrote t

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