Land, property, resources theft & destruction / Ethnic cleansing / Apartheid

IOF levels homes, structures in Al-Khalil
The
Israeli occupation forces were deployed heavily in Al-Khalil governorate
  in the West Bank on Tuesday morning in an apparent demolition spree.
link to Palestine Information Center

The tunnel-settlement labyrinth
The authority wielded by Elad settler association impacts increasingly
on the lives of Palestinian residents of Silwan and other districts of
East Jerusalem. Some residents have likened Elad to a “kingdom within a
state”, given its labyrinthine network of control over infrastructure
and funds in Jerusalem. The jewel in Elad’s crown is the exclusive power
it holds over Silwan’s historical sites, the chief earner in the mammoth
  revenue it gains in Jerusalem. Elad’s privately-hired, publicly-funded
settler security militia command a conspicuous presence on the streets
of Silwan, where they are engaged in continual violent harassment and
provocation of Palestinian residents. Waleed, a resident of Silwan,
states that “Elad reaps its revenue from stolen Palestinian land,
largely through the Absentee Property Law.
http://silwanic.net/?p=20041

Elad double tunnel officially openeded in Wadi Hilweh under huge military
protection
As part of its City of David project, Elad settler association has dug
two major tunnels underneath the Silwan region, compromising the
structural integrity of the buildings above-ground and endangering the
lives of residents as a result. The first tunnel stretches underneath
Silwan from Wadi Hilweh to al-Ein Mosque and the Orthodox Church. The
second burrows under the ground beneath the Old City’s Dung Gate to
al-Aqsa Mosque. Elad has attempted to prevent the media from
investigating and publicising the extent of their tunnelling. One
reporter to date has managed to gain entry and photograph the tunnels,
however. Elad retains exclusive control over the entirety of Silwan’s
ruins and historical sites, in addition to many others throughout the
Old City and the rest of Jerusalem.
http://silwanic.net/?p=20049

Conference told that water situation in Palestine is "catastrophic"
A conference in Jericho and the Jordan Valley has been told that the
water situation in Palestine is "catastrophic". Delegates at the "Water
is a Human Right" conference include Palestinian and international
organisations, individuals and activists. They heard the head of the
Palestinian Water Authority accuse the Israelis of destroying wells and
water conduits which have supplied Palestinians since the Roman era,
citing in particular three wells in Nasseriya and Jiftlik at the Jordan
Valley. "This is a violation of all conventions to preserve our
heritage," said Shaddad Atilli. "Where is UNESCO?". He called on
European activists to let the public across the EU know about this
"tragic situation".
http://www.middleeastmonitor.org.uk/news/middle-east/2813


Settlers

PA's UN bid may lead to ICC action against settlers
ACRI
warns that successful Palestinian bid in UN will subject settlements to
international criminal code, allow lawsuits against settlers.
http://www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7340,L-4121579,00.html

Shin Bet: Israel's extreme rightists organizing into terror groups
Peace
Now activist targeted with threatening graffiti in latest settler 'price
  tag' attack. Extreme right-wing Jewish activists in the West Bank
have moved from spontaneous acts against Arabs - following the
demolition of Jewish homes by Israeli authorities, or terror attacks
against Jews - to organized planning that includes use of a database of
potential targets,
according to new analysis by the Shin Bet security service.
http://www.haaretz.com/print-edition/news/
shin-bet-israel-s-extreme-rightists-organizing-into-terror-groups-1.384099

Village forms night watch to prevent 'Price Tag' attacks
Palestinian village where mosque was torched forms group to patrol the town at
night in search of settlers.
http://www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7340,L-4121779,00.html

Witnesses: Settler mob attacks Palestinian vehicles near Nablus
BETHLEHEM
(Ma’an)
  -- Hundreds of settlers rallied at a main road near the illegal
settlement of Yitzhar in Nablus on Monday night, closing the road and
pelting Palestinian vehicles with stones, witnesses said. Ultra-orthodox
settlers also chanted slogans against Arabs and Palestinians, according
to witnesses. There has been as escalation in settler attacks over the
past few weeks, with the Nablus district particularly affected by the
violence.
http://www.maannews.net/eng/ViewDetails.aspx?ID=419682

Jewish settlers attack Palestinian workers, Israeli forces arrest minor in OJ
Jewish settlers sprayed a number of Palestinian workers in occupied
Jerusalem's Deir Yassin suburb with tear gas on Sunday, local sources
reported.
link to Palestinian Information Center

Settlers destroy Beit Ommar farmer’s crops
This
morning,
  Beit Ommar farmers arrived at their lands to discover that large areas
of grape vines had been attacked by settlers from the illegal settlement
  of Karmei Tsur. The farmers immediately notified Mahmoud Ahmad Coql,
who owns the destroyed fields. In total, the settlers severed two dunums
  (two thousand square meters) of Mahmoud’s grape vines in fields near
the illegal Karmei Tsur settlement.
http://mondoweiss.net/2011/09/settlers-destroy-beit-ommar-farmer%e2%80%99s-crops\
.html

Jewish settlers cut off Palestinian grapevines
Jewish settlers attacked Palestinian grapevines in Halhul village, north
of Al-Khalil, and cut off dozens of them on Monday, local sources said.
link to Palestinian Information Center

Islamic-Christian Front: Israel to blame over West Bank settler attacks
The secretary-general of the Islamic-Christian Front accused Jewish
settlers in the occupied Palestinian territories of organizing a long
running campaign of terror against Palestinian natives.
link to Palestinian Information Center

Protest against settler conference met with huge Israeli armed forces presence
Elad
settler
  association is holding a City of David conference to discuss plans for
the envisaged “biblical city” to be established in Wadi Hilweh
district of Silwan. With the announcement/opening of the conference,
Elad has also officially opened the Wadi Hilweh tunnel, a tunnel that
burrows underneath Wadi Hilweh as part of the archaeological site, and
the Giva’ti Parking Lot. A large crowd of Palestinians and Israeli and
international solidarity activists staged a protest outside the City of
David visitors centre. A heavy presence of Israeli forces surrounded the
demonstration, and the neighborhood of Wadi Hilweh is currently
witnessing a heightened state of tension as Israeli intelligence units
are deployed throughout the district.
http://silwanic.net/?p=20046

Siege on Gaza

One Palestinian Romeo's journey to reunite with his Gaza Strip Juliet
For one young groom, getting married entailed traveling through the Gaza
tunnels and 23 days in detention - and he is still parted from his bride.
http://www.haaretz.com/print-edition/news/
one-palestinian-romeo-s-journey-to-reunite-with-his-gaza-strip-juliet-1.384115

Hamas donates $140,000 to Somalia
GAZA
CITY
  (Ma'an) -- The Hamas ministry of religious endowments in the Gaza Strip
  has donated $140,000 to the people of Somalia through the emergency and
  relief committee of Arab doctors. The donation was announced during a
ceremony on Tuesday at the ministry's office, which was attended by the
chair of the Arab doctors committee Muhammad Aklouk and minister of
endowments Salih Ar-Ruqab.
http://www.maannews.net/eng/ViewDetails.aspx?ID=419787

Four workers injured in tunnel collapse in Rafah
Four
Palestinian workers were injured Monday evening in the collapse of an
underground tunnel on the Egypt-Gaza border, medics told the Palestinian
information center.
link to Palestine Information Center

Palestinian Activism / Israeli Regime Against Protesters
Israeli Army Raid Beit Ommar, Arrest Three
Sunday 11th September: In the early hours of Sunday morning, at around
2am, Isreali military forces raided several houses in Beit Ommar, firing
teargas and throwing concussion grenades. Three houses were surrounded
by dozens of soldiers, who arrested Munib Jahed, 17, university student
Nadim Khalil, 21, and Fares Al-Owewy, 25. All three are being held in
Gush Etzion prison, where lawyers were able to visit them yesterday
afternoon (Sunday).
http://palestinesolidarityproject.org/2011/09/12/israeli-army-raid-beit-ommar-ar\
rest-three/

Israeli Army Occupy Homes in al-Nabi Saleh After Demonstration
9th
September:
  PSP joined residents of al-Nabi Saleh for their weekly demonstration.
Around sixty protesters – comprising local residents, Israelis, and
international activists – marched towards the area of several local
springs which have been stolen by the nearby illegal settlement of
Halamish.
http://palestinesolidarityproject.org/2011/09/12/
israeli-army-occupy-homes-in-al-nabi-saleh-after-demonstration/

Other Israeli Regime Violence

Violent clashes erupt across Silwan
Violent sporadic clashes erupted in Jerusalem's Silwan district between locals
and Israeli occupation forces on Tuesday morning.
link to Palestine Information Center

Broken wrists and arrests by Israeli military as farmers cultivate Beit Ummar
Supporting Palestinian farmers in Beit Ummar, international activists
joined the weekly Saturday activities–clearing the land for cultivation
despite the harrassment of Israeli military and illegal settlers, which
resulted in the injury of a Palestinian man and the arrest of a British
national, Jude Wells.
http://palsolidarity.org/2011/09/20130/

Detainees

The perpetual threat of arrest Silwan’s children face: anytime, anywhere
The
children
  of Silwan are like any others in the world: they wish to have fun, and
spend their leisure time playing. The Israeli forces that dominate
Silwan, however, make this impossible: the children of Silwan face the
threat of daily kidnappings from their own streets – the only place
available for them to play. While the Jerusalem Municipality extorts
taxes from the Palestinian residents of Silwan, they do not re-invest
any of that money back into the community, such as the construction of
play grounds for children. Settlers, meanwhile, control vast areas of
land in Silwan and physically prevent Palestinian residents from
reaching them. The Palestinian child is cornered into her
or his own Bantustan, exposed to arrest and kidnapping. Images
documenting the kidnapping of a local child by undercover units, as he
played neighborhood in Ras al-Amoud district of Silwan on 22 July 2011:
Islam Jaber, 13, appears in the video after being brutally beaten by
Israeli Forces. Malek Issam Da’na, 8, together with his father holds the
medical report issued after he was beaten severely by Israeli forces.   
http://silwanic.net/?p=20054

Family: Israeli forces detain 14-year-old boy at checkpoint
BETHLEHEM (Ma'an) -- Israeli soldiers detained a 14-year-old child at
Beit Jala checkpoint, near Bethlehem on Sunday, the boy's family told
Ma'an. Mahmoud Marzouq Zawahreh said that his son, Mazin, was accused by
Israeli forces of trying to stab a soldier. Zawahreh denied the claims,
saying that his son was not capable of the accused crime.
http://www.maannews.net/eng/ViewDetails.aspx?ID=419429

MP Abu Tir sentenced to administrative detention
Banished
Jerusalem MP Muhammad Abu Tir has been sentenced Monday to six months in
  administrative detention in a ruling by an Israeli military court.
link to Palestine Information Center

Palestinian detainees in Etzion jail go on hunger strike
Palestinian detainees in Etzion detention center have gone on a single
day hunger strike on Sunday to protest their bad incarceration
conditions.
link to Palestinian Information Center

Reprisals

Israel: “Shots Fired At Army Vehicle In Eilat
Israeli
sources
  reported that a number of live rounds were fired Sunday from Egypt into
  Eilat, close to the site were eight Israeli soldiers were killed last
month after gunmen opened fire at a military bus driving on a
highway close to the border.
http://www.imemc.org/article/62002

Boycott, Sanctions & Divestment / Solidarity

BDS: Update on MECA's 'A Child's View from Gaza' Exibit canceled by MOCHA
SAVE
THE
  DATE: September 24, 2011/ TIME: 1:00-3:00PM/ LOCATION: Either Inside or
  Outside of MOCHA, 538 Ninth Street, Suite 210 Oakland, CA 94607.
Courtesy of MECA:  Despite
our disappointment in MOCHA’s decision to cancel the venue, the  Middle
East Children’s Alliance is committed to presenting “A Child’s View From
Gaza,” a Palestinian children’s exhibit of art to the Bay Area on the
scheduled opening date, September 24, 2011. Since news of the censorship broke,
we have received an outpouring of support from concerned
individuals, groups, local schools and churches, and supporters of human rights,
who have offered to help MECA secure an alternative venue. We
are now more than ever determined to share the stories, creativity, and
artwork of the children of Gaza, and hope the museum will reverse its
decision and do the right thing! We will post an
update on this page as soon as we are notified of any change in MOCHA’s
position. We have sent a letter to the museum asking the board to
reverse its decision by Thursday, September 15. Your voice counts! Please sign
the action alert within 72
hours and tell MOCHA there is no benefit to succumbing to pressure from
pro-Israel groups and censoring Palestinian children’s art! The exhibit
will be shown either inside or outside of MOCHA. We look forward to seeing you
all there—old friends and new!
http://youthanormalization.blogspot.com/2011/09/bds-update-on-mecas-childs-view-\
from.html

Divesting from Israel's Occupation: Petition at University of Colorado, Ida
Audeh
In
September, the University of Colorado Board of Regents will be presented
  with a petition urging it to remove from the university's stock
portfolio all companies that profit from Israel's occupation of the West
  Bank (including East Jerusalem) and the Gaza Strip. Launched by
CU-Divest and signed by nearly 2,000 students and human rights
activists, the petition states that the university's $1.7 billion
investments "may violate the University's commitment to human rights and
social justice."
http://blog.endtheoccupation.org/2011/09/divesting-from-israels-occupation.html

Israeli actor refuses to perform in West Bank theater
Israeli actor Rami Baruch said he will not perform at a new cultural
center in Kiryat Arba, a Jewish suburb of Hebron. Baruch, who was
scheduled to perform his play “Pollard” at the cultural center’s opening
Sept. 19, announced his decision Sunday, saying that according to his
contract with the Cameri Theater he does not have to perform in the West
Bank. “I made a decision, understanding that it could lead to financial
ramifications and counter-boycotts,” Baruch said. “Kiryat Arba is where
Baruch Goldstein and Kahane came from, and I asked myself what is my
place in this whole story.”
http://www.jewishjournal.com/israel/article/israeli_actor_refuses_to_perform_in_\
west_bank_theater_20110912/

Another one bites the dust (Agresco liquidated)
Campaigners
for
  Palestinian rights are celebrating after the primary Israeli
agricultural produce export company Agrexco, which has been a key target
of the boycott, divestment and sanctions (BDS) movement in support of
Palestinian rights, has been ordered into liquidation after being unable
to pay its creditors.
http://jewssansfrontieres.blogspot.com/2011/09/another-one-bites-dust.html

Resistance and Revolution as Lived Daily Experience: An Interview with Leila
Khaled (Intro)
The protests and uprisings that have taken hold across the Arab world
have given new contours to processes of politicization, as well as the
use of the term “revolution.” Before 2011, references to “the
revolution” around the Arab World would conjure images of Gamal Abdul
Nasser, Abdul-Karim Qassim, Mu’ammar al-Qaddafi, George Habash, and
Yasser Arafat, among others. Put differently, “the revolution”—and all
that the term entailed in terms of hopes, dreams, belonging,
solidarities, and conflicts—had for many of my generation felt like a
distant past, one whose possibilities were foreclosed by a variety of
forces; some structural and others contingent. Even those of us that
self-identified as leftists, progressives, activists, and/or organizers
understood ourselves to be working in a period and context far removed
from that described by our parents, mentors, inspirations, and
interviewees. As a historian of the second half of the twentieth
century, I am often struck by how mobilized the average person was
between the 1940s and 1960s, through a combination of political party
affiliation, protest participation, and boycott action, to say nothing
of simply bearing witness to all that defined those decades. Such
degrees of politicization provided a sharp contrast to the effects of
post-1970s depoliticization and demobilization across the Arab world as
various regimes consolidated their rule and the regional and
international order was institutionalized.
http://www.jadaliyya.com/pages/index/2586/resistance-and-revolution-as-lived-dai\
ly-experienc

Resistance and Revolution as Lived Daily Experience: An Interview with Leila
Khaled (Part 1)
[This is Part 1 of a translated transcription of a series of interviews
conducted by the author with Leila Khaled during the summer of 2007.
Click here to read the Introduction to the interview.]  As the question
of the “statehood bid”—or rather UN membership—dominates discussions of
Palestinian politics, Leila Khaled’s recollection of her experience of
the nakba and its aftermath highlight how the deeply rooted questions of
destitution, salvation, and return are central to the Question of
Palestine. Palestinian refugees throughout the Arab world are six
decades after the event still mired in a state of exception. On the one
hand, the Israeli government has sought to consolidate its denial of
Palestinian return by shifting the goal posts of negotiations from a
recognition of “Israel’s right to exist” to one of “Israel as a Jewish
state.” On the other, Arab regimes persist in their denial of equal
rights for Palestinian refugees residing within their borders, allegedly
for the sake of preserving their right of return while at the same time
normalizing the condition of their exile. What the statehood discussion
completely misses is that the bid itself perpetuates the decades-long
Palestinian Liberation Organization’s (PLO) abandonment of Palestinian
refugees and Palestinian citizens of Israel.
http://www.jadaliyya.com/pages/index/2587/resistance-and-revolution-as-lived-dai\
ly-experienc

Racism / Discrimination

Kangaroo court won't deliver justice over Itamar killings
The
gross display of collective punishment following the murder of a settler
  family in Itamar caused the investigation to lose legitimacy in the
eyes of Palestinians and legal and human rights organizations. And
Israel’s military court system guarantees that the victims and the
accused will not see justice.
http://electronicintifada.net/content/kangaroo-court-wont-deliver-justice-over-i\
tamar-killings/10371

Rights Violations

MADA: Increase in violations against Palestinian journalists
BETHLEHEM
(Ma'an)
  -- Violations against journalists in the West Bank and Gaza by
Palestinian security forces and Israeli authorities increased in August,
a Palestinian press freedom watchdog reported Monday. In its monthly
report MADA, the Palestinian Center for Development and Media Freedoms,
said the violations were also more varied, threatening both freedom of
expression and the right to access information.
http://www.maannews.net/eng/ViewDetails.aspx?ID=419566

Political / Diplomatic / International

Jordan protest threatens to emulate embassy storming
Facebook page calls Jordanians to attend 'million-man rally' outside
Israeli embassy in Amman on Thursday; organizers announce masses will
attempt to break through building, take down Israeli flag.
http://www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7340,L-4121004,00.html


Jordan's king says Arab Spring bad for Israel
AMMAN, Jordan (AP) — Jordan's King Abdullah II, one of Israel's few
remaining close allies in the Muslim world, said in remarks obtained
Monday that the uprisings sweeping Arab nations have put the Jewish
state in a difficult position. He also hotly rejected the notion that
his country should take in Palestinians as a substitute for the creation
of a state for
them.http://www.google.com/hostednews/ap/article/ALeqM5gT4cB-o9gvzGp8w161I3GljIT\
PPQ

Netanyahu compares Arab Spring to earthquake, says Israel must tighten security
measures
Israeli
Prime
  Minister, Benjamin Netanyahu, said that the ongoing turmoil in the Arab
  World and the region is an earthquake at the international level, one
that must be addressed by tightening Israeli security measures.
http://www.imemc.org/article/61999

U.S.: Attack on Israeli embassy in Egypt mustn't spread to rest of Mideast
States Department official says Washington believes Israel, Egypt have shown
their commitment to calmin
http://www.haaretz.com/news/diplomacy-defense/
u-s-attack-on-israeli-embassy-in-egypt-mustn-t-spread-to-rest-of-mideast-1.38406\
0

US nervous as ties fray between Israel, neighbors (AP)
AP
-
  The Obama administration is watching warily as relations among its
allies Israel, Egypt and Turkey deteriorate, threatening Mideast
stability and U.S. goals for the region.
http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20110912/ap_on_go_ca_st_pe/us_us_mideast

Israel Navy ship accidentally enters waters of neighboring Arab nation
Commander sent to jail after a navigational error caused his
reconnaissance vessel to cross several hundred meters into neighboring
waters before being ordered back by Israeli radar station.
http://www.haaretz.com/news/diplomacy-defense/
israel-navy-ship-accidentally-enters-waters-of-neighboring-arab-nation-1.384070


Statehood Bid
Israel's new tactic: Use Cairo embassy attack to argue against Palestinian
statehood
Foreign Ministry says Palestinians may finish draft of resolution they hope to
advance at UN General Assembly by week's end.
http://www.haaretz.com/print-edition/news/
israel-s-new-tactic-use-cairo-embassy-attack-to-argue-against-palestinian-stateh\
ood-1.384108

Fatah: PLO to seek full recognition at UN
Palestinian Authority will ask UN Security Council for recognition next week,
Fatah official Mohammed Shtayyeh says.
http://english.aljazeera.net/news/middleeast/2011/09/20119121463224416.html

Ambassador Rice: Palestinian U.N. Bid ‘Not Symbolic, It Is Consequential’
The U.S. stepped up its rhetoric against a Palestinian bid to gain United
Nations membership during this month’s General Assembly
meeting. U.S. ambassador to the U.N. Susan Rice told a gathered group of
journalists that the bid is “not symbolic, it is consequential”
because,
if accepted, it would give Palestinians access to treaties and
inter-governmental bodies like the International Criminal Court. She
said the “dangerous diversion” would hurt Palestinian interests in the
long run because the bid would imperil the future of the already-stalled
peace process between Israel and Palestine. “The reality is, the
absolute only way to achieve our goal [of] two states living side by
side…is through direct negotiations,” said Rice, according to the Christian
Science Monitor. “There is no short cut.”
http://thinkprogress.org/security/2011/09/12/317024/rice-palestinian-un-bid/

Russia to support Palestinian UN bid
Russia's ambassador to UN says Moscow 'will vote for any of the Palestinians'
proposals' next week.
http://www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7340,L-4121381,00.html

Saudi prince calls on U.S. to back Palestinian U.N. status (Reuters)
Reuters - Saudi Arabia's former top U.S. diplomat pressed the United
States to support a Palestinian bid to upgrade its U.N. status, saying
that its longtime ally would "risk losing the little credibility it has
in the Arab world" if it failed to do so.
http://news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20110912/pl_nm/us_saudi_palestinians

NYT criticizes Israel, US ahead of 'ruinous' UN vote
New
York
  Times editorial describes Obama's attempt to convince Abbas to drop
statehood bid in favor of talks as 'listless, unpersuasive'; slams
Netanyahu for evading negotiations at every turn. PA leadership dubbed
'most moderate Palestinians have ever had'.
http://www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7340,L-4121048,00.html


Egypt/Israel

Israel seeking new location for its Cairo embassy

The Israeli foreign ministry is planning to relocate its embassy in
Cairo and is currently looking for a new site, Hebrew press sources
said.
link to Palestine Information Center

Report: Israeli ambassador was advised to stay home on eve of Cairo embassy
attack
Senior Egyptian source says despite warning, Israeli government insisted
on sending the ambassador back to Cairo as soon as possible.
http://www.haaretz.com/print-edition/news/report-
israeli-ambassador-was-advised-to-stay-home-on-eve-of-cairo-embassy-attack-1.383\
847

Egypt fears Turkey's Erdogan will use visit to stir up anti-Israel sentiment
Turkey PM accompanied by a particularly large military and commercial
delegation in Cairo, is due to sign a number of accords with Egypt.
http://www.haaretz.com/print-edition/news/
egypt-fears-turkey-s-erdogan-will-use-visit-to-stir-up-anti-israel-sentiment-1.3\
84096

Embassy Leaks: Israel’s Fallen Egyptian Friends
Cairo - Documents flew in the air, appearing like stars
falling from the sky. A 20-year-old protester watched in disbelief as
one by one they fell to the ground. The look of astonishment was even
greater among the faces of Egyptian protesters who broke into the
Israeli embassy in Cairo on Friday September 9. Egyptian security are
still at a loss as to how such a breakdown could occur. Amid the
confusion, police took out their frustration on protesters, running them
over with armored vehicles and chasing them down the street.
http://english.al-akhbar.com/content/embassy-leaks-israel%E2%80%99s-fallen-egypt\
ian-friends

Turkey/Israel

Erdogan: Turkey ready for all scenarios
Turkish prime minister rejects option of military confrontation with
Israel, but stresses Ankara is prepared for worst case scenario; says
Israel 'a spoiled child that accuses anyone who dares criticize it of
anti-Semitism'.
http://www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7340,L-4121445,00.html

Turkey's Erdogan heads to Egypt, unnerving an embattled Israel
Turkish Prime Minister Erdogan's North Africa tour comes at a critical
time for Israel, whose diplomats were forced to flee Cairo this weekend
after protesters attacked the Israeli embassy.
http://rss.csmonitor.com/%7Er/feeds/world/%7E3/t1CHCl_7JZw/
Turkey-s-Erdogan-heads-to-Egypt-unnerving-an-embattled-Israel

Report: Turkish warplanes now able to fire at Israeli targets
Ankara's
Star
  Gazete says country's new F-16 radar system modified to recategorize
Israeli targets as hostile. Order said to come directly from PM
Erdogan's office; naval, submarine radar systems to be changed next.
http://www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7340,L-4121642,00.html

Turkey vows response to Israel PKK support threat
Turkish
Foreign Minister Ahmet Davutoglu vowed to respond to threats by Israel
to offer military support to the PKK to punish Turkey over reducing
diplomatic ties with it.
link to Palestine Information Center

Turkey PM tells Arabs: Israel has isolated itself (AP)
AP
-
  Turkey's prime minister has told Arab foreign ministers that Israel has
  isolated itself and must "pay the price" after refusing to apologize
for its raid on a Gaza-bound aid flotilla last year.
http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20110913/ap_on_re_mi_ea/ml_arabs_turkey

Report: Turkey no longer averting attacks on Israeli targets
Turkish
newspaper reports that due to new technology, Turkey's U.S.-made F-16
jets are now able to identify Israeli targets as 'foe' as opposed to
'friend.'
http://www.haaretz.com/news/diplomacy-defense/report-turkey-no-longer-averting-a\
ttacks-on-israeli-targets-1.384198

After Turkey, PKK now also demanding apology from Israel
PKK
leader
  says Israel must apologize for capture of imprisoned leader in 1999;
demand comes after Lieberman reportedly recommends that Israel cooperate
  with the Kurdish party and even consider supplying it with weapons.
http://www.haaretz.com/news/diplomacy-defense/after-turkey-pkk-now-also-demandin\
g-apology-from-israel-1.384197

Other News

Another failed endeavor to win the hearts and minds of those that that they
treat as second class citizens: Mabrouk! Israel to launch its first Arab
satellite TV station
Pilots have also been shot for a current events program, a children's
show, and series for young people that will begin with a competition to
choose young hosts for the shows.
http://www.haaretz.com/print-edition/news/mabrouk-israel-to-launch-its-first-ara\
b-satellite-tv-station-1.384111

Analysis/Op-ed

Meet New York City's Terror-Linked Political Kingmaker, Max Blumenthal
Bob
Turner, the Republican candidate campaigning to replace disgraced
Democratic Rep. Anthony Weiner, picked up a crucial endorsement last
week when Democratic Assemblyman Dov Hikind threw his support to him.
Hikind is the former leader of the the Jewish Defense League (JDL),
which the FBI lists as a terror organization. He was also a confidant of
the fanatical Israeli settler leader Meir Kahane, who called for the
"slaughter" of Palestinians. Under Kahane's direction, Hikind operated a
front group with the JDL cadre Victor Vancier (aka Chaim Ben Pesach),
who served 10 years in prison for carrying out numerous firebomb attacks
on innocent people, and openly contemplated killing the renowned
Palestinian professor Edward Said. According to journalists Michael
Karpin and Ina Friedman, "Hikind had been suspected [by the FBI] of
similar activities" including a string of six bombings against
Arab-American targets across the United States.
http://english.al-akhbar.com/blogs/gadfly/meet-new-york-citys-terror-linked-poli\
tical-kingmaker

Palestinians: The Usual Terror Suspects
Palestinians were not immune from the fallout of the 9/11 attacks in New
York. They were among those who paid a high price and continue to do so,
  even though they had no direct involvement in the attacks.
http://english.al-akhbar.com/content/palestinians-usual-terror-suspects

‘Arab Sources’ on Mondoweiss, Simone Daud
Arab Sources is a place where I translate into English various Arabic sources
and opinion. Arab Sources is also a place where I publish my own analysis. My
broad aim is for the Arab Sources series to be an invitation to the full Zellij
of Arab cultures. Arab Sources until recently was published in the Democratic
party's community blog
DailyKos. It was shut down by DailyKos a week ago
in a broad purge that seems to have targeted  a number of African
American series and Arab Sources.  I think that Mondoweiss is perhaps a
more suitable outlet for Arab Sources and my work. 
http://mondoweiss.net/2011/09/arab-sources-on-mondowiess.html

Storming the Israeli Occupation Embassy, As'ad AbuKhalil
It will be a definitive moment—or one of the definitive moments in the
on-going history of the Egyptian uprising. People may be compelled to
distinguish between the history before the storming of the Israeli
embassy in Cairo and the history after it. The media of the Arab
counter-revolution (primarily Saudi and Qatari) were very nervous and
awkward in covering the story. It happened on a Friday when all the
propaganda outlets should be focused exclusively on Syria (because the
rest of the Arab world has become democratic, thanks to efforts of Gulf
Cooperatoin Council (GCC) in the region.
http://english.al-akhbar.com/blogs/angry-corner/storming-israeli-occupation-emba\
ssy

Storming the Embassy: 'Peace without Justice is Tyranny', Nath Aldalala'a
What
was
  built on feeble foundations is feeble. The Egypt-Israeli Peace Treaty
(EIPT) was signed at a time characterised by a very different domestic
and regional political climate.  The most notable aspect of that period
was the lack of voice from within the ranks of the Egyptian people. 
Commonly, legitimate governments act on behalf of their citizens to
produce rightful, and thus, enduring agreements.  Yet this has not been
the case with the EIPT.  It was signed during a period of acute tension
and latent aggression in the region, and this overshadowed
any desires for peace. That is, simply, why both the treaty itself and
the peace it imposed remained fragile and vulnerable.  After the treaty
was signed, the Arab world placed a boycott on Egypt and a particularly
punitive decision was taken to move the headquarters of the Arab League
from Cairo to Tunis. This measure was taken to strip Egypt of its
leading role in regional politics and its leadership in Arab policy.
http://palestinechronicle.com/view_article_details.php?id=17103

The Egyptian People Want Israel Out, Julie Webb-Pullman - Gaza
The hasty and undignified departure of Israeli embassy staff from Cairo
following popular protests on Friday (September 09) underscores the
highly-tenuous state of Israeli-Egyptian relations, as well as the
strength and determination of the Egyptian people. Since the overthrow
of Israeli-US stalwart Mubarak, there have been increasing demands to
revise Israeli-Egyptian relations, based on the perception that Israel
has never honored the 1978 Camp David accords which govern them.
http://palestinechronicle.com/view_article_details.php?id=17098

At the UN, the funeral of the two-state solution, Ilan Pappe
We are all going to be invited to the funeral of the two-state solution
if and when the UN General Assembly announces the acceptance of
Palestine as a member state.
http://electronicintifada.net/content/un-funeral-two-state-solution/10370

Preparations for the statehood bid ignoring Palestinians, Joseph Dana
Despite its power and reach, the Palestinian Authority (PA) have made
little effort to explain their controversial statehood bid in the United
Nations to the rank and file living in the occupied West Bank. The
plethora of opinion pieces, news articles and speeches by Palestinian
Authority officials on the statehood attempt have not largely been
directed at Palestinians and most have not appeared in Arabic.
Conversations in Ramallah cafes over the past months have invariably
drifted to the statehood discussion and the vacuum of factual
information surrounding it. The PA’s lack of transparency has compounded
an already mistrusted institution after Al Jazeera revealed, in the
Palestine Papers, that the PA was negotiating away core rights,
including as the right of return, in secret negotiations with Israel
from 2007 to 2009.
http://josephdana.com/preparations-for-the-statehood-bid-ignoring-palestinians/3\
881

Diplomatic disasters incline Israel towards belligerence, Joseph Dana
During his press conference on Saturday evening, Israeli Prime Minister
Benjamin Netanyahu compared developments in the Middle East to the
events of the First World War. He was speaking just hours after the
dramatic removal of Israeli embassy staff in Cairo following riots by
Egyptian protesters. According to news reports from the scene,
protesters managed to enter the embassy after a day of increasing anger,
including destruction of a security barrier and removal of the embassy’s
  Israeli flag. In a post-Mubarak Egypt, protesters had tapped into deep
and growing discontent regarding Egypt’s relationship with Israel.
http://josephdana.com/diplomatic-disasters-incline-israel-towards-belligerence/3\
879

Israel must come to terms with its changing neighbours
Netanyahu's
regime
  needs to grasp how the Arab spring has changed all Middle East
dynamics. Take two countries in profound transition. One is Turkey, with an army
numerically stronger than Britain, France and Germany rolled together. Another
is Egypt, which a dominant army rules pro tem. And then, trailing far behind,
comes Israel,
a land where transition – indeed, anything close to a second thought –
never happens. What? Surely we're not talking war after a few skirmishes
and a lot of angry rhetoric? No. But we are talking reality.
http://www.guardian.co.uk/commentisfree/2011/sep/11/israel-neighbours-arab-chang\
es

Palestine's Students Must Be Set Free, Stuart Littlewood
The
last
  thing Israel wants is masses of bright and clever young Palestinians
nextdoor in the shredded remains of the Occupied Territories. But that's
  exactly what Palestinian youngsters are... bright and clever, given
half a chance. So they need repressing. They need humiliating
constantly. They need to be discouraged. They need to have their
education disrupted big-time, so that they become a broken, dispirited,
docile mass without ambition, utterly dependent on a few crumbs of
comfort and easy to control.
http://palestinechronicle.com/view_article_details.php?id=17097

Other News

Real News Video: Evidence that Al-Qaeda Killed Hariri
Gareth Porter​: UN inquiry ignored confessions and other facts in-order to pin
assassination on Hezbollah
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=i-qaoNJ7U4E&feature=player_embedded

Iran 'to free' US spy-case hikers
Two
Americans
  jailed for spying in Iran will be released in two days, Iranian
President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad tells US news network NBC.
http://www.bbc.co.uk/go/rss/int/news/-/news/world-middle-east-14897868

Jordan's PM approved controversial casino
Documents obtained by Al Jazeera reveal that Marouf al-Bakhit personally
authorised a now-cancelled casino deal in 2007.
http://english.aljazeera.net/news/middleeast/2011/07/2011724125647625781.html

Taxi drivers found in mass grave in Iraq
A gang of car thieves is suspected of kidnapping and killing 40 taxi drivers and
burying their bodies in a mass grave.
http://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/middle-east/taxi-drivers-found-in-mass-g\
rave-in-iraq-2353696.html


www.TheHeadlines.org

[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]

Land, property, resources theft & destruction / Ethnic cleansing / Deportation /
Restriction of Movement

Hebron road renamed "Apartheid Street"
HEBRON (Reuters) -- Palestinians changed the name of Hebron's Shuhada
street to Apartheid Street on Wednesday, to protest the prevailing
conditions in areas of the West Bank town which are controlled by
Israeli troops. Aide to Hebron's Governor, Rafiq al-Jabari, said the
name change would remain in effect until what he described as
apartheid-like conditions had been eradicated in Hebron.
http://www.maannews.net/eng/ViewDetails.aspx?ID=420542


Israel Plans to Demolish School, Houses in Hebron Area
HEBRON, September 14, 2011 (WAFA) – The Israeli military authorities
informed a number of Palestinians that it plans to demolish their houses
  and a local school in Arroub refugee camp, north of Hebron, Wednesday
said security sources. They told WAFA that Israeli military raided
Arroub camp Tuesday night and handed number of residents notices to
demolish their houses and another notice to demolish Arroub camp
school. Israeli soldiers, meanwhile, raided Hebron and nearby Dora,
southwest of Hebron, erected two checkpoint and inspected vehicles and
passengers personal documents, said the sources.
http://english.wafa.ps/index.php?action=detail&id=17343

Israeli Military Carries Out Demolitions in Jordan Valley; Further Orders
Presented in Hebron
The Israeli military has carried out demolitions and handed out five new
demolition orders, on Thursday, Ma’an News reports.
http://www.imemc.org/article/62032

Palestinian statehood: The olive tree of al-Walaja - video
Farmer Salah Abu Ali tells how his village has lost land and people since the
foundation of the state of Israel in 1948

http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/video/2011/sep/15/palestinian-statehood-al-walaj\
a-video


Wadi Fuqeen: Palestine’s Valley of Hope and Despair
The film
Valley of Hope and Despair, by Joshka Wessels, Jakob Schiller and Lubna
Sharief, illustrates how the Israeli occupation deprives Palestinians of their
water resources and how illegal settlements continue to pour raw
sewage into the many valleys of the occupied West Bank. Villages are
being imprisoned by an eight-metre-high wall, causing severe
environmental and human impact.
http://www.redress.cc/palestine/jwessels20110915

Israel prevents Palestinians from free movement (AP)
AP - Ahmad Ayyash once had a construction job in Israel, earning good
money. Now he is a goat herder struggling to eke out a living, barred
from working in Israel and restricted from entering his olive grove next
  to this West Bank village.

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20110915/ap_on_bi_ge/ml_palestinians_stuck_in_place


Settlers

Jewish settlers attack Palestinian citizens, burn cars
Jewish settlers attacked Palestinian citizens and their cars in Nablus
province before dawn Thursday and Wednesday morning wounding three
civilians and burning four cars, local sources reported.
http://goo.gl/THp8V

Settlers Attack Palestinians Near Nablus; Arson and Assaults Reported
Israeli settlers from Itamar, near Nablus, have carried out two attacks against
Palestinians on Thursday.
http://www.imemc.org/article/62031

Settler Rally Closes West Bank Road; Cars Pelted with Stones
The Ma’an News Agency are reporting that hundreds of settlers from the
illegal settlement of Yitzhar, near Nablus held a rally, Monday night,
leading to the closure of a West Bank road.
http://www.imemc.org/article/62010

Settlers attempt to raid Jenin village, 2 Palestinians detained
JENIN (Ma'an) -- Dozens of settlers tried to raid the village of Arraba
in Jenin overnight Wednesday, Palestinian security sources said. Israeli
  forces were stationed on the western side of the village to prevent
dozens of settlers from the adjacent Mevo Dotan settlement from
entering, Palestinian security sources told Ma'an.

http://www.maannews.net/eng/ViewDetails.aspx?ID=420411

Israeli forces - checkpoints, raids, arrests

Israeli tanks deployed near Jenin, the West Bank
Israeli bulldozers are expanding the Hawara military base and are
apparently bracing for clashes as Palestinians plan on asking the United Nations
for statehood status this month.
link to Palestine Information Center

Siege on Gaza / Attacks on Gaza

IOF incursion in central Gaza damages land
Israeli occupation forces mounting three army tanks escorted military
bulldozers and advanced 300 meters east of Breij refugee camp in central
  Gaza Strip on Tuesday, eyewitnesses said.
http://goo.gl/4sPt6
PCHR Condemns Israeli Escalation against Fishermen in the Gaza Strip
The
  Palestinian Centre for Human Rights (PCHR) condemns ongoing Israeli
attacks targeting Palestinian fishermen in the Gaza Strip, and expresses
  grave concern regarding the escalation of these attacks in recent days.
http://www.imemc.org/article/62024

Israeli navy detains five Palestinian fishermen at sea
Five Palestinian fishermen were detained at sea off the coast of the
southern Gaza Strip city of Rafah at dawn Thursday at the hands of
Israeli navy forces.

http://goo.gl/tOlCc


Egypt approves entry of World Food Programme aid to Gaza
EL-ARISH, Egypt (Ma’an) -- Egyptian authorities on Wednesday approved
the entry of aid from the World Food Programme to Gaza, a PA crossing
official said.  PA official Amr Hadhud told Ma'an that the WFP had
donated 55 tons of biscuits to Gaza. The aid was unloaded at al-Oja
crossing in Egypt and the goods will be allowed into the Gaza Strip via
the Kerem Shalom crossing. 
http://www.maannews.net/eng/ViewDetails.aspx?ID=420250

Egyptian authorities detain 19 Palestinians
EL-ARISH, Egypt (Ma’an) -- Egyptian authorities detained 19
Palestinians on Wednesday, security sources said. Five people were
detained at the entrance to El-Arish, north Sinai. They were reportedly
on route to Cairo, Egyptian security sources told Ma'an. Police also
arrested 12 Palestinians 100 kilometers from the city of El-Arish. Four
had expired visas. 
A woman and her seven children were among the group. A Palestinian
man working for Hamas security forces in Gaza was also detained in
El-Arish for having an expired visa, and security forces arrested
another man who had entered Egypt via a Gaza tunnel, security forces
said.
http://www.maannews.net/eng/ViewDetails.aspx?ID=420261
Four Jordanians Arrested In Sinai
Egyptian security sources reported Wednesday that four Jordanians were
arrested in north Sinai for illegally entering the country, and
illegally entering the Gaza Strip, the Maan News Agency reported.
http://www.imemc.org/article/62022

Haneyya: We are still waiting for Egypt to break siege
Gaza Prime Minister Ismail Haneyya said he is still waiting for a bold
decision by Egypt to break the siege on the Gaza Strip and open up the
Rafah border crossing.

http://goo.gl/9Ntse


Detainees

Israel plans to evacuate criminals from prisons to make room for Palestinians
The Israeli occupation authorities are planning on allowing the
criminal population of the Israeli prisons to serve their sentences in
their homes to make room for Palestinians..
http://goo.gl/zNYo1

IOF troops round up minors in Silwan, others in Nablus
Israeli occupation forces (IOF) arrested a 15-year-old boy in Silwan
town in occupied Jerusalem on Thursday less than three months after his
release from Israeli custody, local sources reported.

http://goo.gl/mwu5B

Local youth, Ameer Qaraeen, targeted again by Israeli forces
Israeli
  forces arrested local youth Ameer Qaraeen yesterday, Tuesday 13
September. Qaraeen, 15, was taken from Wadi Hilweh district of Silwan on
  the pretext of being absent at a scheduled court appearance. Qaraeen
has been subject to an ongoing targeting by Israeli authorities,
including a series of arrests, interrogations and house arrest
sentences.

http://silwanic.net/?p=20121
Exiled activist Adnan Ghiath returns to Silwan
Tuesday
  13 September marked the final day of local activist Adnan Ghaith’s
four-month sentenced exile from his home village of Silwan. Ghaith,
secretary-general of Fatah in Jerusalem and local popular committee
member, spent the four-month sentence in Ramallah, separated from his
family. The sentence was imposed by the Israeli Ministry of Defence, who
  based the decision on information it refused to release to the public
or Ghaith’s legal team. Yesterday saw Ghaith’s return to Silwan amidst a
  large crowd of friends, family and supporters. Residents gathered at
the local protest tent for a series of celebrations and ceremonies to
welcome him home. The celebrations were overshadowed by a heavy presence
  of Israeli forces and settler security squads, who spread throughout
the streets from Bir Ayyub district, harassing residents without reason.
  Although clashes managed to be avoided, local youth Moayed Sulaiman
Froukh was arrested by Israeli forces as he awaited the arrival of
Ghaith.
http://silwanic.net/?p=20129

The Israeli Authority calls for Adnan Ghaith after few hours of his return to
Jerusalem
The Israeli security departments  called for  the secretary of Fateh
Party in Silwan  Adnan Ghaith after few hours of his  return to
Jerusalem  from his eight months deportation in  Ramallah This was due
to Israeli Military decision adopting the emergency law which has been
practiced since the British Mandate . According to Silwanic site phone
call with Adnan he said “ they threatened me  of  being dragged by
Israeli forces  if I don’t go to the Interrogation center  in Al
Masqobeia tomorrow morning “ worth mentioning that Adnan Ghaith suffers
severe pains and can’t move.
http://silwanic.net/?p=20117

Multiple Arrests by Israeli Military Across the West Bank
Several Palestinian residents have been arrested in raids in numerous locations
accross the West Bank on Thursday.
http://www.imemc.org/article/62030

Hamas detainee in PA security prison taken to hospital
Nader Sawafta, a detainee in the prison of PA preventive security in
Tobas, was carried to hospital at a late hour on Wednesday night after
his condition worsened.
http://goo.gl/dZTMo

Israeli Regime Attacks on Palestinian Activists

Army Attacks Protest In Hebron, Injuries reported
Israeli soldiers attacked on Thursday a nonviolent protest in the Al
Arroub refugee camp, in the southern West Bank city of Hebron, and
injured several residents, including one child.
http://www.imemc.org/article/62028


BDS

Ground rules went too far, free speech expert says at Irvine 11 trial
A UC Irvine professor overstepped his boundaries when he told students
no disruptions were allowed during the Israeli ambassador's visit to
campus last year, another professor testifies. A UC Irvine professor
overstepped his boundaries when he told students that no disruptions
were allowed during the Israeli ambassador's visit on campus last year,
according to testimony given Wednesday in the so-called Irvine 11 trial
in Santa Ana.

http://feeds.latimes.com/%7Er/latimes/middleeast/%7E3/pKPTGVcPD08/
la-me-irvine-eleven-20110915,0,389763.story


NEW! BBC Proms Protest: peaceful disruption versus Israeli destruction
The IPO proudly celebrates its long-standing relationship with the
Israeli military and proclaims the fact that plays special concerts for
the army in the Occupied Palestinian Territories on its website. It
describes itself as Israel's "cultural ambassador". The protest inside
the hall started during the orchestra's first piece, when a choir,
seated behind the stage, stood up and displayed letters that spelt out
"Free Palestine". They then sang a version of "Ode to Joy" that started
with the words "Israel, end your Occupation". Before the second piece
began, and again after the interval, protesters waved Palestinian flags
and shouted slogans. This is the first time that a political protest has halted
the live broadcast of a BBC Prom.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dzkRCGj-ays&feature=player_embedded
TUC Votes For Palestine And Review Links With Organisations Complicit With
Israel's Occupation
The Trades Union Congress, representing 6.5 million workers in the UK,
voted overwhelmingly today (14 September 2011) to deplore the
'anti-democratic law' passed by the Israeli Knesset banning individuals
and organisations in Israel from calling for the boycott of Israel.
http://www.imemc.org/article/62021
WE ARE NOT TIRED! WEEK AGAINST THE APARTHEID WALL, NOV 9 - 16
Sep 14, 2011-- Together we will tear down the Apartheid Wall!
-Join the 9th-annual International Week against the Apartheid Wall: November
9-16, 2011
-Stand with the Palestinian popular resistance.
-Show Israel that no Walls can stop our pursuit of justice and
self-determination.
-Pressure your governments, institutions, and corporations to stop their support
of Israeli apartheid!
-Mobilize and organize events in your community:
-Awareness-raising campaigns on the Wall and settlements
-Awareness-raising campaigns on Israel's repression of Palestinian popular
resistance
-Boycott and divestment campaigns against companies building the Wall
-Support the Palestinian call for a comprehensive and mandatory military embargo
on Israel
http://stopthewall.org/latestnews/2598.shtml
Presbyterian Church committee recommends church divest from Caterpillar, HP and
Motorola over Israeli human rights abuses
The Presbyterian Church (USA)'s Committee on Mission Responsibility
Through Investment has recommended that the church divest from
Caterpillar, Hewlett-Packard, and Motorola Solutions due to their
relationship to Israeli human rights abuses in the occupied territories.
  This decision comes as the result of a corporate engagement process
which began in 2004 and sought to influence corporate policy vis-a-vis
the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. 
http://mondoweiss.net/2011/09/presbyterian-committee-recommends-
church-divest-from-caterpillar-hp-and-motorola-over-israeli-human-rights-abuses.\
html


Zionist lobby says Nazi comparisons wrong and yet rather loves calling enemies
anti-Semitic, Antony Loewenstein
Where to begin with this confused statement? The Executive Council of Australian
Jewry, a key Zionist lobby group
who rather loves defending the war crimes of Israel, release this today
about BDS, Israel, Nazis, Palestine, Nazis, Jews, Nazis and you guessed
it, Nazis. You can almost see feel the tension in the statement, essentially
saying,
“we aren’t saying you BDS backers are anti-Semitic but really you are
actually anti-Semitic”. No mention of the occupation, of course. Nor why BDS
is thriving globally. BDS isn’t about Jewish businesses because
they’re Jewish, you dishonest Zionist lobby. It’s called targeting the
unaccountable Zionist state,  an increasingly anti-democratic entity, and
those associated with it. 
http://antonyloewenstein.com/2011/09/15/zionist-
lobby-says-nazi-comparisons-wrong-and-yet-rather-loves-calling-enemies-anti-semi\
tic/

Global 'boycott Israel' campaign grows
"Despite
  widespread condemnation of Israeli policies by the United Nations,
other international bodies, human rights organisations and
internationally respected lawyers Israel continues to deprive
Palestinians of their rights of freedom, equality, and
self-determination.
Israel’s ethnic cleansing, racial discrimination and aggressive expansion
through colonisation are well documented.
As
  the global community has repAeatedly failed to hold Israel accountable
for its actions, on July 9, 2005, a large section of Palestinian civil
society called upon their counterparts and people of conscience the
world over to launch a campaign of boycott, divestment and sanctions
(BDS) against the Israeli state until it adheres to international law
and the universal principles of human rights."
http://youthanormalization.blogspot.com/2011/09/bds-global-boycott-israel-campai\
gn.html

“A world party and we are all invited”: #BDS by Omar Barghouti
Among
  the books we read, some go farther than others toward informing our
thinking, opinions and actions in the world. These invariably become the
  books we read and refer to over and over again, the pages dog-eared,
passages underlined, margins filled with notes.
http://youthanormalization.blogspot.com/2011/09/world-party-and-we-are-all-invit\
ed-bds.html

Statehood Bid (TIP coverage of statehood bid should not be viewed as
endorsement)


EU seeks limited upgrade of Palestinians' UN status
Ashton
  proposal includes specific mention of talks, does not rule out full UN
membership for Palestinian state in future, say diplomats.
http://www.haaretz.com/news/diplomacy-defense/
eu-seeks-limited-upgrade-of-palestinians-un-status-1.384672


Zionists are afraid of losing their collaborators: J Street lobbies Congress to
ensure U.S. won’t cut off aid to Palestinian Authority
Move comes as leftist pro-Israel lobby recently announces its opposition to
Palestinian UN bid. After J Street announced its opposition to the
Palestinian statehood bid at the United Nations, the leaders of the
leftist pro-Israel group recently launched a new campaign lobbying
members of Congress to support a new Congressional letter urging
President Barack Obama to ensure that the U.S. will not cut off aid to
the Palestinian Authority.
http://www.haaretz.com/jewish-world/j-street-lobbies-
congress-to-ensure-u-s-won-t-cut-off-aid-to-palestinian-authority-1.384501
Israeli Committee Against House Demolitions, "Salvaging September: An ICAHD
Statement regarding the Palestinian Statehood Initiative at the UN"
Now, just two or three weeks before the approach to the UN, a fierce
debate has erupted within the Palestinian community around a number of
key questions: Will the September initiative be based on the recognition
  of a Palestinian state within the 1967 borders? If so, then what does
Abbas want to negotiate with Israel? Minor territorial adjustments or a
return to the fruitless trap of negotiations of the past 20 years which
render the 1967 borders irrelevant? Who, in the absence of elections to
the PNC or a referendum, has authorized Abbas to pursue a two-state
solution? Even if he does approach the UN in his capacity as the head of
  the PLO and with the backing of its Executive Committee, will the
Palestinian Authority, on becoming the recognized Government of the
State of Palestine, replace the PLO and thus disenfranchise half the
Palestinian people? In particular, would the establishment of a
Palestinian state within the 1967 borders compromise the refugees' right
  of return and the national rights of Palestinians within Israel? Does
recognition of a Palestinian state within the 1967 borders foreclose
forever the emergence of a single state in historic Palestine, be it
democratic or bi-national, or will it permit further political efforts
and evolution in that direction? Until these questions are answered, it
would be difficult for ICAHD to support the September initiative.
http://mrzine.monthlyreview.org/2011/icahd140911.html

Fatah official: Any new US proposal will have to wait
BETHLEHEM (Ma'an) -- The Palestinian leadership will not discuss
any last-minute proposals from the US or Europe until after the upcoming bid for
full UN membership, senior Fatah official Mohammad Shtayyeh
said Tuesday. Shtayyeh told Ma'an the Palestinian Authority expected the US and
Europe to put forward a proposal to try and convince the
Palestinians to stop their UN bid for statehood. 
http://www.maannews.net/eng/ViewDetails.aspx?ID=419975

Congresswoman Ros-Lehtinen tells Haaretz: We must stop Palestinians'
‘dangerous scheme’
Ileana Ros-Lehtinen is behind a bill that would cut U.S. funding
for UN organizations who support recognition of Palestine as state.
http://www.haaretz.com/blogs/focus-u-s-a/congresswoman-
ros-lehtinen-tells-haaretz-we-must-stop-palestinians-dangerous-scheme-1.384332

Road to Palestine does not run through U.N.-Clinton
WASHINGTON, Sept 13 (Reuters) - U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton said on
Tuesday that the path to a two-state solution creating a Palestinian
state beside Israel runs through Jerusalem and Ramallah, not through New
York. Speaking at a news conference, Clinton repeated the U.S. view
that the Palestinians should not seek full membership in the United
Nations later this month and instead should resume direct talks with the
Israelis. She said she is sending two U.S. envoys, David Hale and
Dennis Ross, to Israel and the Palestinian territories to try to find a
way to revive talks.
http://www.trust.org/alertnet/news/road-to-palestine-does-not-run-through-un-cli\
nton

US ready to fight UN bid to bitter end
WASHINGTON (AFP) -- The United States has decided to fight to the bitter end to
convince the Palestinians to abandon their bid for UN membership,
despite the rather small chance that the battle will succeed. "We want
to leave no stone unturned in our effort to get these parties back to
the table," State Department spokeswoman Victoria Nuland said Tuesday as two US
envoys headed to the Middle East for talks with Israel and the
Palestinians.
http://www.maannews.net/eng/ViewDetails.aspx?ID=420220

Israel warns of 'harsh' consequences of UN bid
JERUSALEM (AFP) -- Hardline Israeli Foreign Minister Avigdor
Lieberman warned Wednesday there will be "harsh and grave consequences"
if the Palestinians persist with their plan to seek UN membership as a
state. Speaking shortly before a scheduled meeting with EU foreign
policy chief Catherine Ashton, Lieberman did not elaborate on the
possible consequences.
http://www.maannews.net/eng/ViewDetails.aspx?ID=420153

Elders support Palestinian UN appeal
BETHLEHEM (Ma'an) -- The Elders group says it warmly welcomes
Palestinian efforts to seek support for statehood by the UN and believes such a
move is capable of changing the dynamics in the peace
process. In a statement Tuesday, the group of world leaders said they
wrote to the foreign ministers of the 27 member states of the EU urging
them to adopt a strong common position on the initiative.  Such a move
would be in line with European Council conclusions of December 2009
which called for a two-state solution with Israel and Palestine living
site by side in peace, the Elders statement pointed out. 
http://www.maannews.net/eng/ViewDetails.aspx?ID=419891

UN official: Future Palestinian state may falter without Mideast peace
State-building efforts could be undone by continued occupation,
peace process stall, says Robert Seryy; IMF: Palestinian Authority may
suffer blow from lack of donor money.
http://www.haaretz.com/news/diplomacy-defense/
un-official-future-palestinian-state-may-falter-without-mideast-peace-1.384508
Amid Palestinian statehood push, a grim World Bank report on the West Bank, Gaza
The World Bank report underscores the extreme dependence of the
Palestinian Authority on foreign aid. It is now facing a fiscal crisis
due to unmet aid promises.
http://rss.csmonitor.com/~r/feeds/world/~3/DrvrTw-tWsk/Amid-
Palestinian-statehood-push-a-grim-World-Bank-report-on-the-West-Bank-Gaza

Fayyad: PA reducing foreign aid dependency
RAMALLAH (Ma'an) -- Palestinian Authority Prime Minister Salam Fayyad said
Wednesday that the PA is succeeding in reducing its dependency on
foreign aid, the official news agency in Ramallah reported. In his
weekly radio address, Fayyad said the PA is formulating measures to
overcome the financial deficit by 2012. The process will not affect
essential services, and measures should be approved within the next few
weeks, he was quoted as saying by WAFA.
http://www.maannews.net/eng/ViewDetails.aspx?ID=420201
Hamas: “Abbas’ U.N Move, Uncalculated Leap”
Dr. Salah Bardaweel, one of the senior political leaders of the Hamas
movement, warned of what he called “the dangers of the Palestinian-UN
bid” asking the UN to recognize a Palestinian State in the 1967 border,
adding that this move is an “uncalculated leap into the air”, and a
“move that leads to recognizing the Zionist entity”.
http://www.imemc.org/article/62023
Palestinian villagers sceptical about bid for UN statehood – in pictures
Perched between Jerusalem and Bethlehem, the village of al-Walaja has
long found itself caught between the two sides of the
Palestinian-Israeli conflict, and residents are sceptical that the bid
for statehood at the UN will improve their lives.
http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/gallery/2011/sep/14/israel-palestinian-territori\
es
Noam Chomsky: U.S. to Veto Palestinian Statehood Bid Despite "Overwhelming
International Consensus"
President Obama publicly confirmed Monday that the United States will
oppose any attempt by the Palestinians to achieve statehood at the
United Nations, but Palestinians leaders are still vowing to move ahead
with their bid for statehood this week. What will the ramifications of a
  U.S. veto be? For more, we speak with Massachusetts Institute of
Technology Professor Emeritus Noam Chomsky. "If the Palestinians do
bring the issue to the Security Council and the U.S. vetoes it, it will
be just another indication of the real unwillingness to permit a
settlement of this issue, in terms of what has been for a long time an
overwhelming international consensus," Chomsky says. [includes rush
transcript]
http://www.democracynow.org/2011/9/13/noam_chomsky_us_to_veto_palestinian

The west will not prevent a Palestinian state's eventual birth, Pankaj Mishra
Next week the Palestinian Authority, stepping away from years of a fruitless
"peace process" with Israel, will ask the UN to recognise Palestine as an
independent state. It is very likely to be obstructed in the security council by
the US,
Israel's long-suffering but faithful friend. There is no question,
however, that an overwhelming majority in the general assembly will back the
Palestinians. The birth of Israel had an anti-imperialist pedigree. And
Palestine is the unfinished business of that process of
self-determination.

http://www.guardian.co.uk/commentisfree/2011/sep/14/west-palestinian-state-israe\
l-self-determination


Media Bias / Incitement


WAFA Monitors Incitement and Racism in Israeli Media Date
RAMALLAH, September 14, 2011(WAFA) - Palestine News and Information Agency
(WAFA) Wednesday monitored incitement and racism against the
Palestinians and Arabs published by the Israeli media between August 28
and September 9. Host of “the Last Word” show on Gale Tsahal Israeli
radio station, Avery Gilad, who’s known for his racist opinions, called
to withdraw Israeli citizenship from Arabs living in the Triangle,
saying “we don’t have to ask Palestinians to recognize Israel as a
Jewish state, because there will come a day when we’ll draw completely
different borders that will change Israel into a Jewish state, as much
as possible.”
http://english.wafa.ps/index.php?action=detail&id=17355

Blumenthal: NYT’s Bronner is stabled at speakers bureau headed by settler
dedicated ‘first and foremost’ to ‘Zionist mission’
At CJR, Max Blumenthal has published an incisive piece of reporting showing
that Times Jerusalem
bureau chief Ethan Bronner is represented by an Israeli speakers bureau
called Lone Star Communications that has rightwing bonafides, and that
Bronner has several times reported on Lone Star's clients. The Times
issued a pro forma defense of Bronner, that it respects his
professionalism and impartiality. Say, remember when the Times publicly rebuked
contributor Daniel Ming for going to pro-Palestinian rallies when he was
writing about Jewish Voice for Peace for the newspaper? Bronner had a son in the
Israeli army,
too. Does his enmeshment in Israeli society ever cross a line for the
Times?
http://mondoweiss.net/2011/09/blumenthal-nyts-bronner-is-stabled-at-
speakers-bureau-headed-by-settler-dedicated-first-and-foremost-to-zionist-missio\
n.html

Israeli PR firm scrubs Bronner from website as investigative report
appears, Adam Horowitz
Max Blumenthal's investigative report into Ethan Bronner's relationship with
the Israeli PR firm Lone Star Communications references a photo of Bronner
"arm-in-arm" with Charley Levine, the West Bank settler who founded the firm.
When I went to the Lone Star website I couldn't find it. Blumenthal sent me
the following screen shot and said this page appeared here as late as last
week:
http://mondoweiss.net/2011/09/israeli-
pr-firm-scrubs-bronner-from-website-as-investigative-expose-appears.html

Turkey / Israel


Erdogan warns Israel: Turkey can send warships to east Mediterranean at any time
Turkish PM says Israel could not do whatever it wants in the eastern
Mediterranean.
http://www.haaretz.com/news/diplomacy-defense/erdogan-
warns-israel-turkey-can-send-warships-to-east-mediterranean-at-any-time-1.384657


Israel decides not to respond to Erdogan rhetoric
Having discussed Turkey crisis Turkey, eight-minister forum decides to
let PM Erdogan 'to continue to lash out.' Meanwhile, Turkish leader
meets PA's Mahmoud Abbas, representatives of Egypt's Muslim Brotherhood.
http://www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7340,L-4122526,00.html

Netanyahu to convene senior ministers to discuss Israel-Turkey crisis
The prime minister wants to calm the situation as much as possible
but also to make preparations in case the situation deteriorates.
http://www.haaretz.com/print-edition/news/
netanyahu-to-convene-senior-ministers-to-discuss-israel-turkey-crisis-1.384292
Turkish PM throws weight behind Arab cause
Reuters
  - Turkish Prime Minister Tayyip Erdogan told Arab states on Tuesday it
was time to raise the Palestinian flag at the United Nations and accused
  Israel of obstructing peace in the Middle East.
http://news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20110913/wl_nm/us_egypt_turkey

The real reason why Erdogan did not go ahead with Gaza visit
Egyptians amassed outside the Cairo Opera House on Tuesday calling on
visiting Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan to show support for
  the besieged Gaza Strip.
http://goo.gl/UkrkB

Why the Palmer Report Deserves No Deference, Audrey Bomse
Almost all the factual findings, as well as the legal analysis and conclusions
of the recently leaked UN Secretary General’s Panel of Inquiry into the
“Flotilla Incident” on May 31, 2010 (Palmer/Uribe Panel) directly
contradict those of an earlier UN report of the Human Rights Council
Fact-Finding Mission (FFM, whose conclusion that Israel’s blockade of
Gaza, including the naval blockade is illegal, was just reaffirmed on
September 13, 2011 by five independent UN rights Special Rapporteurs. In line
with all statements Secretary- General Ban Ki-moon has made about
Gaza, the Goldstone report, and statements by other international
agencies, including the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC), these
UN international law experts rejected the Palmer/Uribe
conclusions and demanded that “[t]he Israeli blockade of Gaza must end
immediately and the people of Gaza must be afforded protection in line
with international law.”
http://www.counterpunch.org/2011/09/14/why-the-palmer-report-deserves-no-deferen\
ce/

Egypt / Israel

Egypt's military rulers ignored pleas from US as mob attacked Israeli embassy
With six Israeli security guards fending off an angry mob rampaging
through the mission, Leon Panetta, the US defence secretary, tried for
two hours to get hold of Field Marshal Hussein Tantawi, Egypt's de facto head of
state, to demand an immediate rescue operation.  Aides told Mr
Panetta that the general could not be found, Israeli officials were
quoted as saying. The response prompted fury in Washington, and threats
of US retribution. Field Marshal Tantawi's mysterious disappearance
intensified speculation that Egypt's generals had deliberately failed to protect
the embassy for political gain.
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/africaandindianocean/egypt/8756111/
Egypts-military-rulers-ignored-pleas-from-US-as-mob-attacked-Israeli-embassy.htm\
l

Israeli workers flee Egypt, Max Ajl
Israeli managers at the Delta Galil textile factory also fled Egypt in the midst
of the recent citizen diplomacy against the Israeli
embassy there. In fact they fled on the same plane as the diplomats.
Under current trilateral trade regulations – the Free-Trade Zones Accord the
United States, Israel, and Egypt signed in 2005 – Israeli companies (meaning
Israeli-American companies) and Egyptian companies that
purchase Israeli (meaning Israeli-American) goods get to enter US
markets duty-free. The upshot is that the Egyptian working class becomes a
half-in half-out part of the American working class, except they work for much
lower wages, and their exploitation gets blamed on Israel and
Israeli capitalists and capitalism (as though there are such things).

http://www.maxajl.com/israeli-workers-flee-egypt/


The Egyptians want to expel the Israelis,Abdel Bari Atwan
There are many attitudes and ideologies which divide the
Egyptians; nationals, leftists, the Muslim Brotherhood, the Salafis,
Muslims and Copts, moderate and extreme. However, the common uniting
factor is an absolute hatred of Israel. This suggests a sense of
nationalism and nobility, because Israel - with all of its crimes
against Egypt, the Arabs and the Muslims   has not left them with any
option other than hatred for being the main source of wrongdoing in the
region.
http://www.middleeastmonitor.org.uk/articles/middle-east/2820
Israel: using Egyptians as human shield, As'ad AbuKhalil
Think
  about it: the Israeli occupation embassy in Cairo deliberately chose to
  have its embassy (on three floors) in a residential apartment building.
   It is very clear what they did.  The residents of the building were
pressured by the government to accept the new "tenants" without
complaint.  The Israeli occupiers basically wanted to keep the embassy
in a residential building to hold the Egyptian residents as human shield
  in case someone considered bombing the Israeli occupation embassy.  The
  embassy, of course, should be closed for good but the least that people
  can ask, is that it should be relocated somewhere else, just in case
someone thought about...protesting the embassy.  Egyptians should not be
  held as human shields by Israeli terrorists.  Not only are Israeli
years numbered, but their best days are long behind it.
http://angryarab.blogspot.com/2011/09/israel-using-egyptians-as-human-shield.htm\
l

Other News
Report Of Palestinian State Free of Jews Was Misinterpretation, Official Says
A firestorm over remarks by a senior Palestinian diplomat about the
future Palestinian state was the result of misquoting and
misinterpretation, the diplomat told The Huffington Post Wednesday
night.  Maen Rashid Areikat, the Palestine Liberation Organization's ambassador
to the U.S., was described in a USA Today report early in the day as saying
that the future Palestine should be free of Jews.

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2011/09/14/report-palestinian-state-free-of-jews_n\
_962906.html

PLO ambassador Maen Areikat offers tacit support for Israeli ethnic cleansing,
apartheid, Ali Abunimeh
In a shocking statement, Maen Areikat, the “ambassador” of the
unelected, unrepresentative Palestinian Authority/PLO leadership, has
reportedly espoused Israel’s brutal vision of apartheid and racial
segregation. Even worse, his comments provide support for Israeli
leaders who advocate expulsion of Palestinian citizens of
Israel.http://electronicintifada.net/blog/ali-abunimah/
plo-ambassador-maen-areikat-offers-tacit-support-israeli-ethnic-cleansing

Hamas calls for overthrow of Israeli-Palestinian Oslo peace accords
Statement released on 18th anniversary of the signing of the
accords, Islamist movement says Palestinians should 'build up a unified
Palestinian front.'
http://www.haaretz.com/news/diplomacy-defense/
hamas-calls-for-overthrow-of-israeli-palestinian-oslo-peace-accords-1.384237

Fate of U.S. Jewish vote in question following surprise Republican win
A Republican victory in the special elections to replace disgraced
Rep. Anthony Weiner has caused some to ponder whether or not American
Jews are deserting Obama and the Democratic party over its Israeli
policy.
http://www.haaretz.com/jewish-world/
fate-of-u-s-jewish-vote-in-question-following-surprise-republican-win-1.384510


U.S. drops Israel's Ofer Brothers company from Iran sanctions list
Move comes as Yuli Ofer, Israel's richest man, is laid to rest;
company was cleared of selling Iran a tanker for millions of dollars.
http://www.haaretz.com/news/diplomacy-defense/
u-s-drops-israel-s-ofer-brothers-company-from-iran-sanctions-list-1.384252

Israeli surveillance camera puts Lebanon army on highest alert
Lebanese security source says Israel Defense Forces soldiers seen
installing surveillance camera near Fatima Gate, along Israel border in
southern Lebanon.
http://www.haaretz.com/news/diplomacy-defense/
israeli-surveillance-camera-puts-lebanon-army-on-highest-alert-1.384246

Bahrain man dies after inhaling tear gas (AP)
AP
  - Relatives of a man in Bahrain say he has died after inhaling tear gas
  fired by security forces trying to disperse anti-government protesters
in the Gulf kingdom.
http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20110915/ap_on_re_mi_ea/ml_bahrain

Bloody Day For Iraq As 33 Are Killed
A
  series of bombings mostly in and around Baghdad left dozens dead or
wounded. The most significant of the blasts occurred at a busy
restaurant near Hilla. To the north, Iranian artillery attacks
continued. One civilian was injured in them. Overall, at least 33 Iraqis
  were killed and 64 more were wounded in those attacks.
http://original.antiwar.com/updates/2011/09/14/bloody-day-for-iraq-as-33-are-kil\
led/


U.S. to sell 18 F-16 fighter jets to Iraq: Pentagon
The United States is "very close" to sealing a deal to sell 18 F-16 fighter jets
to Iraq, a top Pentagon official announced Wednesday. Iraq had frozen the $4.2
billion deal earlier this year amid the Arab Spring pro-democracy uprisings, but
the prospects were "promising" for the
contract to now move ahead, said General Russ Handy, head of the US air
forces in Iraq.
http://www.rawstory.com/rs/2011/09/14/u-s-to-sell-18-f-16-fighter-jets-to-iraq-p\
entagon/

Syrian protesters mark six months of revolt
Deaths and arrests reported as activists call for mass protests to mark six
months since start of uprising.

http://english.aljazeera.net//news/middleeast/2011/09/201191510549594242.html

Defected Syrian officer to 'confess' to collaborating with Israel
Syrian state television announces plans to broadcast live interview with
  former army officer, suspected of aiding assassination of Hezbollah
official.
http://www.haaretz.com/news/middle-east/
defected-syrian-officer-to-confess-to-collaborating-with-israel-1.384651


Analysis / Op-ed

In Tel Aviv, an Arab Spring that ignores the Arabs
How do the ongoing protests in Tel Aviv relate to the larger
regional turmoil? What do the protests say about the current state of
Zionism, and what do they mean for the occupation of Palestine?
http://electronicintifada.net/content/tel-aviv-arab-spring-ignores-arabs/10374

Why Israelis are feeling isolated
This post originally appeared on Notes from a Medinah. According to Benny
Morris, Israel is under internal and external existential threats. From
the inside, Israel is facing the growth of religious and nationalist
settlers and ultra orthodox conservatism combined with an
ever-increasing polarization in wealth distribution and a troublesome
Arab minority that wants silly things like minority rights. Externally,
Morris sees a region that is collapsing in on Israel. Resurgent
political Islam in Turkey and Egypt has resulted in clear anti-Zionist
rhetoric and the continued occupation of Palestine is threatening
Israel’s democratic character. Israel is clearly facing a troubling
time, but are these really the reasons for the Israeli malaise?
http://mondoweiss.net/2011/09/why-israelis-are-feeling-isolated.html

The Israeli Litmus Test, Alison Weir
While many Americans may believe that US policies are designed to
address American needs, America’s new Ambassador to Israel explains that this
is far from the
case.http://www.counterpunch.org/2011/09/14/the-israeli-litmus-test/

Can you imagine if a US ambassador is caught paying tributes to Nasser or
Habash?, As'ad AbuKhalil
US Ambassador in Israel:  "And my profound respect for the State of
Israel and its remarkable achievements stems from a lifetime of exposure
  to the extraordinary people who brought Theodore Herzl’s Zionist dream
to life...But it’s not just Jewish Americans who care deeply about
Israel, of course.  It’s Americans across the board.  That is why
President Truman is roundly praised for making the United States the
first nation to recognize the Jewish State 11 minutes after the
proclamation.   And it’s also why when Soviet Premier Kosygin asked
President Johnson why the United States supports Israel, when there are
80 million Arabs and only three million Israelis, President Johnson
replied simply: "Because it is right."  Americans look at Israel and see
  a country much like their own, which struggled to survive from its very
  founding, and not only succeeded against all odds, but thrived.  
America and Israel are unique in the world, in that our founding fathers
  and mothers made a conscious decision to leave their place of birth in
search of a better future, in the case of Israel, to rebuild the ancient
  homeland of their ancestors." 
http://angryarab.blogspot.com/2011/09/can-you-imagine-if-us-ambassador-is.html


New Texts Out Now: Steven Salaita, "Israel's Dead Soul"
Steven Salaita, Israel’s Dead Soul. Philadelphia: Temple University Press,
2011. Jadaliyya: What made you write this book? Steven Salaita:
I'd been wanting for a long time to systematically explore the idea of
Israel's soul being in some sort of crisis. The decline of Israel's soul is a
notion much ridiculed by those opposed to Zionism, and I thought
it would be fun and illuminating to articulate why such ridicule
exists—and why it is completely justified.
http://www.jadaliyya.com/pages/index/2608/new-texts-out-now_steven-salaita-israe\
ls-dead-soul

Hadi al-Mahdi: Under the Tombstone of Freedom
On the eve of the ‘Friday of Rage’ last week, another Iraqi intellectual
  was killed by a silenced gun at his home in central Baghdad. An
organizer of the Friday event, Hadi al-Mahdi fell to the same savagery
that took Kamil Shiya three years before. The notorious cycle of
violence, produced by a rotting political structure in a wounded Iraq,
has left the country torn apart and ruled by mini-tyrants and
collaborators backed by over-provoked groups, sectarian gangs, and
mafias. These players have skillfully presided over the game of
violence, corruption, repression, and ignorance.
http://english.al-akhbar.com/content/hadi-al-mahdi-under-tombstone-freedom
Bahrain and Libya expose the two faces of Britain's foreign policy
We
  bombed Gaddafi, but now we court Bahrain. Is our foreign policy based
on ethics, or commerce? The air in Tripoli is heady with optimism. After
  42 years of repressive and rapacious rule by Muammar Gaddafi, there is a
  mood of exhilaration despite the water shortages and power cuts that
have plagued the city since the collapse of the dictator's regime.
http://www.guardian.co.uk/commentisfree/2011/sep/13/bahrain-libya-britain-foreig\
n-policy
Why many Syrians still support Assad
The Arab League yesterday called on Syria's Assad to stop his 'killing
machine' as the uprising enters its seventh month. But Assad, still
backed by key groups, is unlikely to bow to such calls.
http://rss.csmonitor.com/~r/feeds/world/~3/GHcxAP86CHY/Why-many-Syrians-still-su\
pport-Assad
KPOO's "Arab Talk" Interview with Jadaliyya Co-Editor on Bagram, Obama's Other
Gitmo, and US Detention Policy
This interview was conducted with Jadaliyya Co-EditorLisa Hajjar during the
week marking the ten year anniversary of the September 11 attack in the United
States. Conducted by Jess Ghannam, of KPOO's "Arab Talk,"
the interview begins with a survey of the landscape of US detention
policy of the last ten years. While some aspects of torture and abuse
have changed under the Obama Administration, more has stayed the same,
including indefinite detention, denial of habeas, use of military
commissions, and the fact that there has not yet been a definitive end
to US torture. Following this is a more in depth discussion of  Bagram
and detention operations in Afghanistan. The interview ends with a
sociological reflection on why the US public has failed to demand legal
accountability for those responsible for torture and other crimes of
state in the context of the war on terror.
http://www.jadaliyya.com/pages/index/2635/kpoos-arab-talk-interview-with-jadaliy\
ya-co-editor
Statesman, As'ad AbuKhalil
Do
  you notice that all US puppets are referred to by US media and
government officials as "statesmen"?  King Husayn (or Khoooseeen, as
Shimon Peres pronounces it)? Statesman.  Fu'ad Sanyurah? Statesman.
 Hamid Karzai?  Statesman.  Iyad `Allawi?  Statesman.  Usamah bin Laden
in the 1980s?  Statesman.  Illiterate Saudi King? Statesman.  Mustafa
Abd-un-NATO? Stateman.  It is a trend.  You serve the US obediently, and
  you watch your status shoot up from thug or nobody to "statesman".
http://angryarab.blogspot.com/2011/09/statesman.html

www.TheHeadlines.org

[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]

Land, property, resources theft & destruction / Ethnic cleansing / Deportation /
Restriction of Movement


Israeli occupation to raze kindergarten in Jerusalem district
IOF troops accompanied by staff from Israel’s Civil Administration
raided Friday Tuyour al-Jannah kindergarten at the Bedouin complex of
the Anata village in the Jerusalem district.
link to Palestine Information Center

Occupation authorities confiscate land in the W.B. for settlement expansion
Peace Now movement announced on Friday that the occupation authorities
confiscated more than 100 hectares in the northern West Bank for the
benefit of two settlements.
link to Palestine Information Center

Israeli Army Obstructs Entry to East Jerusalem
JERUSALEM, September 17, 2011 (WAFA) – Israeli forces Saturday obstructed
entry
to East Jerusalem on checkpoints between the city and the West Bank in
attempt to isolate the city and in anticipation of public demonstrations
following President Mahmoud Abbas’ address to the Palestinians on
Friday, according to witnesses. Israeli soldiers restricted movement at
Qalandia checkpoint between Ramallah and Jerusalem by placing cement
blocks resulting in mass traffic congestion during a women demonstration in
support of the Palestinian bid to gain full United Nations
membership. Several checkpoints around Jerusalem also witnessed traffic
jams and wide-range inspections of seeking to cross them into Jerusalem,
obstructing Palestinian mobility and preventing them from pursuing
their daily activities.
http://english.wafa.ps/index.php?action=detail&id=17376
Army Tightens Measures At Two Main Roadblocks
Israeli soldiers tightened on Saturday the security measures at the
Container Roadblock, 10 Km northeast of Bethlehem, in "Wadi El Nar road"
  (The Valley of Fire Road) and the Qalandia Terminal, north of
Jerusalem.
http://www.imemc.org/article/62049


Attacks on Palestinian Non Violent Protest
Dozens injured in IOF crackdowns on West Bank rallies
Dozens of Palestinians and foreign supporters suffered the effects of
breathing teargas after the IOF cracked down Friday afternoon on weekly
anti-barrier rallies across the West Bank.
link to Palestine Information Center

Military whistleblower tells of 'indiscriminate' Israeli attacks
Israeli troops fired tear gas indiscriminately and sometimes
dangerously to enforce a daytime curfew inside a West Bank village to
stop Palestinians holding a peaceful demonstration on their own land, a
military whistle blower has told The Independent.
http://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/middle-east/
military-whistleblower-tells-of-indiscriminate-israeli-attacks-2355436.html

Settler Threats Against Palestinians

French branch of Jewish terror group coming to Israel 'to defend settlements'
Jewish Defense League spokesperson says plan is to be on
hand in case settlements need 'our help with defense if the Arabs attack at this
precarious time.'
http://www.haaretz.com/print-edition/news/french-
branch-of-jewish-terror-group-coming-to-israel-to-defend-settlements-1.384723
Settlers threaten to march into PA territory
West
  Bank settlers, radical rightists, prepare for 'sovereignty marches'
into PA land to protest against UN bid, saying they 'won't hesitate to
use live ammunition.' Police, IDF gear for expected riots.
http://www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7340,L-4123495,00.html

Settler & Israeli Regime Violence Against Palestinians

Undercover units continue their brutal campaign against Silwan’s children
While
  Silwan has experienced a period of relative calm in recent months,
Israeli forces have continued their campaign of child arrests in the
region. Children, deemed easier targets than adults, have been taken in
their dozens by undercover agents. Undercover Israeli units fired a
sound bomb (when? Please specify) in Bir Ayyub neighborhood, spreading
panic amongst the community. The situation escalated to clashes between
local youth and Israeli forces, who then broke into several local
Palestinian homes in search of wanted people.   Undercover units in
Silwan use Israeli settlements as strategic bases for intelligence and
the launching of such operations. The occupied home of local resident
Dawood Hussein in Wadi Hilweh is a well-known such base. 
http://silwanic.net/?p=20171

Israel's Mayhem Must Grind to a Halt - Attacks on Children Unprecedented
Levels of violence against children employed by
Israel are escalating dramatically, and Israel's leaders refuse to
vacate the gutter of inhumanity, even refusing to even talk in realistic terms
about the targeting of non-combatant children - instead relying
on their "everyone in Gaza has a rocket" theory to justify illegal and
immoral acts.
http://www.salem-news.com/articles/september152011/israel-attacks-tk.php

Jewish settler wound a Palestinian man near NablusAttacks by extremist Jewish
settlers in the West Bank
against Palestinians have been on the rise lately, the latest of which
was an attack on Friday against the village of Qusra.
link to Palestine Information Center

Settlers attack PA employee, family near Bethlehem
BETHLEHEM (Ma’an) – A group of Israeli settlers on Saturday
morning attacked a Palestinian family in their car after they picked grapes from
their
field near Efrat settlement south of Bethlehem.  The deputy director of
the Bethlehem office of the Palestinian Authority’s ministry of
education, Bassam Jabir, from Al-Khader, told Ma’an he and his family
were attacked on the bypass road known as Route 60. 
http://www.maannews.net/eng/ViewDetails.aspx?ID=420886

Jewish Settlers Set Fire to Palestinian Farms
JENIN, September 17, 2011 (WAFA) – Extremist Jewish settlers
Saturday set fire to Palestinian farms adjacent to the evacuated Homesh
settlement, south of Jenin, said security sources. They said 15 settlers broke
into the area under Israeli army protection, verbally assaulting
local residents and setting fire to fields near the settlement. Homesh
was evacuated in 2005 as part of Israel’s plan to remove few
settlements in the West Bank, but settlers often return to the
settlements in an attempt to rebuild it. Sources said Israel intensified its
military presence around Arrabah and Sanour, villages south of
Jenin.
http://english.wafa.ps/index.php?action=detail&id=17379

Violence erupts as traffic blockaded in Ras al-Amoud
Israeli forces erected barriers in Ras al-Amoud district last
night, distributing traffic tickets to Palestinian drivers. Violent
confrontations erupted as a result, with residents taking offense to the
discriminatory practices.
http://silwanic.net/?p=20208
Israeli forces carry out unprecedented drills near Al-Aqsa Mosque
Israeli military forces carried out unprecedented drills on Friday in
East Jerusalem’s Arab Silwan district, south of Al-Aqsa Mosque.
link to Palestine Information Center

Reprisals

Molotov in Bir Ayyub sparks clashes
A group of Palestinian youth threw a Molotov cocktail at a settler
security squad jeep as it drove along Bir Ayyub’s central street. The
arrival of Israeli forces on the scene immediately after saw the
eruption of violent clashes with young Palestinian residents. Israeli
forces fired tear gas and sound grenades in the densely populated area.
http://silwanic.net/?p=20206

Political Arrests / Detainees


Israeli forces arrest five children
Israeli forces arrested five children from throughout Silwan (when?
Please give a date/time – this is very important). The five accused
face charges of throwing stones, Molotov cocktails and paint at Israeli
forces and settler security jeeps.  
http://silwanic.net/?p=20210
Israeli Forces Assaulted a Palestinian and Arrested Him
While the Israeli forces were building up torture barriers for traffic
tickets , confrontations sparked  between both Israeli forces and
Palestinian youth .A passing by Palestinian was arrested and physically
assaulted by the Israeli troops.
http://silwanic.net/?p=20218

Ghaith denies Israeli authorities’ allegations
Silwan Secretary-General of Fatah Adnan Ghaith has denied claims made by
  Israeli authorities that he was involved in stone-throwing and
incitement of local youth to engage in illegal activities. Ghaith, in an
  interview with Silwanic, stated that the claims lodged against him
during interrogation are false, and that investigators had tried to
force him to agree to a 3-month banishment sentence from Silwan at a
bail of 20,000 NIS in cash. Ghaith was arrested in the Intifada and has
spent years behind bars in Israeli prisons, in addition to a 6-month
sentence in administrative detention. This year, the Israeli military
invoked an emergency law from the British Mandate period to pass a
sentence exiling Ghaith from his native Jerusalem. Then, mere hours
after his return from Ramallah, he was arrested again and a new sentence
  of exile passed.                     Ghaith with his children An
Israeli military jeep tries to provoke Ghaith’s supporters Ghaith
holding his son after 8 months of exile Ghaith speaks to his supporters
that turned out to welcome him in al-Bustan protest tent
http://silwanic.net/?p=20212
Gaza Siege

Olivia Boat Repaired, To Accompany Fishing Boats Soon
Mahfouth Al Kabarty, head of the Palestinian Committee for Fishing and
Maritime Sports in the Gaza Strip, reported that the Olivia boat,
operated by international activists who accompany Palestinian fishing
boat and document Israeli attacks against them, was rehabilitated and
prepared to, once again, accompany Palestinian fishermen.
http://www.imemc.org/article/62050
Protests in Northern Gaza
The Palmer Report, recently released by the United Nations, was a moral
travesty. It asserted that the naval blockade of Gaza was somehow
separate from the land siege of Gaza.  The Palmer Report was an attempt
to break up the oppression of Gaza into bite size morsels so that it
could be consumed without causing one to choke on the injustice of the
occupation, of the siege.
http://palsolidarity.org/2011/09/20165/
Weddings without a groom; only in Gaza, Rana Baker
The outside world, the checkpoint-less expanse, doesn’t know why
wrinkles map our faces so early. Our tears are different, and so is
their cause. So, too, are the causes of our moments of happiness.
link to Electronic Intifada
Time for People Power to Open Rafah Crossing, Haidar Eid
Writing
  about the Rafah crossing, after the spectacular success of the Egyptian
  revolution in ousting Hosni Mubarak, brings back the horrific memory of
  the deposed dictator’s regime. There were high expectations amongst
the 1.5 million Palestinians in Gaza earlier this year after former
Egyptian Foreign Minister Nabil el-Arabi described the Mubarak
government’s complicity with Israel in besieging Gaza as
“disgraceful.â€
http://palestinechronicle.com/view_article_details.php?id=17110
The 'Opening' of the Rafah Crossing, Lo Yuk Fai
Below is my personal observation and experience as a foreigner who have
tried entering the Gaza Strip through the official Rafah crossing, but
had to go through one of the tunnels in the end. With an election coming
  and Mubarak on trial, the curtain is seemingly being drawn for the
Tahrir Revolution, and the Egyptians are cautiously looking forward to a
  new page in their history. At the same time, some Egyptians have hoped
that there would be a change of wind for the people in Gaza as well. The
  Egyptian government announced in May that the Rafah crossing would be
“permanently openedâ€, and some people thought that, the siege had
finally come to an end. Unfortunately, little seems to have changed in
reality.
http://palestinechronicle.com/view_article_details.php?id=17109

BDS / Activism
Stop the Wall Campaign Announces This Year's Olive Harvesting Program,
Palestinian Grassroots Anti-Apartheid Wall Campaign
This
  year, the olive harvest season comes with a great increase in the
number of attacks by settlers on Palestinian farmers and villagers. We
expect that violence will continue to escalate over the next two months.
  Israel feels more isolated than ever before – in the region and
internationally; in response it is militarily training settlers and
shoring up their supplies of weaponry of repression. We expect that
revenge from the Israeli occupation and from settlers will be directed
towards vulnerable farmers by preventing them from reaching their lands,
  burning and uprooting olive trees, and escalating the number of
organized aggressive attacks.
http://stopthewall.org/latestnews/2600.shtml

Defense rests in Irvine 11 trial
The university students are accused of illegally disrupting a speech by
Israel's ambassador at UC Irvine last year. The defense rested Thursday
in the case against 10 university students accused of illegally
disrupting a speech by Israeli Ambassador Michael Oren at UC Irvine last
  year.
http://feeds.latimes.com/~r/latimes/middleeast/~3/NcvExgsrO64/
la-me-irvine-eleven-20110916,0,455300.story

Statehood Bid (TIP coverage is not endorsement)
US Says State Veto In 'Interests' of Palestinians
The United States said Thursday it would block a Palestinian drive for
recognition in the United Nations Security Council because it was the
only way to help Palestinians frame a genuine state.
http://ca.news.yahoo.com/us-says-state-veto-interests-palestinians-214239914.htm\
l
Netanyahu: "Palestinian-UN Bid, A Foolish Move"
In
  response to the Palestinian President’s speech, delivered Friday
evening, in which he confirmed the Palestinians will go ahead with the
statehood bid at the United Nations, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin
Netanyahu described the statehood bid as a "foolish step", the Maan News
  Agency reported. 
http://www.imemc.org/article/62048

Britain prepared to back UN vote calling Palestinian Authority a state
Britain is keen to help Mahmoud Abbas but wants to avoid a damaging
confrontation with US and Israel. Diplomats often get a little carried
away and assume that negotiations on intricate details can change the
world. But diplomats have every right to think they will take part in
dramatic events next week as Mahmoud Abbas, the Palestinian president,
prepares to request recognition of statehood at the UN.
http://www.guardian.co.uk/politics/wintour-and-watt/2011/sep/16/unitednations-pa\
lestinian-territories
Mideast Quartet to meet in NY
Envoys
  to meet Sunday in last-ditch push to relaunch Israeli-Palestinian peace
  talks, avert showdown over Palestinian statehood at UN.   
http://www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7340,L-4123336,00.html

AP Interview: Romania to abstain on Palestinians (AP)
AP - Romania's foreign minister says his country will abstain on voting
on Palestinian statehood if the issue arises at a U.N. General Assembly
session next week.
http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20110916/ap_on_re_eu/eu_romania_un_palestinians
Analysis: Palestinian U.N. bid puts Obama on defensive (Reuters)
Reuters - When President Barack Obama brokered the relaunch of
Israeli-Palestinian peace talks last September and set a one-year goal
for reaching a deal, few thought he would succeed where so many others
had failed.
http://news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20110915/wl_nm/us_palestinians_israel_obama


Haniyeh aide: Abbas speech offered nothing new
GAZA CITY (Ma'an) -- An advisor to the Gaza-based prime minister, Ismail
Haniyeh, said Friday that President Mahmoud Abbas' televised address
offered nothing new and failed to address key legal concerns. Soon after Abbas
concluded his remarks, Yousef Rezqa said the speech did not offer anything new,
while ambiguous legal questions remained
unanswered. Rezqa told Ma’an that Abbas did not explain how this step
would affect refugees and the PLO, particularly after a leading expert
in Britain warned that it could have a negative effect on both
issues. He added that Abbas responded to some accusations that the UN
bid was a unilateral step, but pointed out that his arguments were
typical and similar to those of most of his speeches.
http://www.maannews.net/eng/ViewDetails.aspx?ID=420782
Hamas, Islamic Jihad dismiss Abbas speech
GAZA CITY (Ma’an) -- Hamas and Islamic Jihad late Friday dismissed
President Mahmoud Abbas' UN membership initiative and criticized a
speech in which he expressed hope that peace talks would resume
soon. Hamas spokesman Fawzi Barhoum said Abbas’ speech was an effort
in marketing for a return to peace talks with Israel, while going to the
  UN to seek membership served the same goal. 
http://www.maannews.net/eng/ViewDetails.aspx?ID=420813

Israel minister: Palestinian state serves to perpetuate Mideast conflict
Education Minister Gideon Sa'ar criticizes Palestinian Authority
for turning to UN for recognition despite repeatedly rejecting Israel's
peace offers, negotiations.
http://www.haaretz.com/news/diplomacy-defense/
israel-minister-palestinian-state-serves-to-perpetuate-mideast-conflict-1.384876

IDF bracing for worst case scenario ahead of Palestinian statehood bid
The IDF and police are taking the side of caution in preparing for
possible unrest following this month's UN vote on Palestinian statehood.
http://www.haaretz.com/print-edition/features/
idf-bracing-for-worst-case-scenario-ahead-of-palestinian-statehood-bid-1.385081

Irish leaders urge government to support Palestine
DUBLIN (Ma'an) -- Irish politicians, trade unionists, academics and civil
society representatives are among 150 signatories to a statement calling on the
Irish government to support Palestine's bid for full UN
membership. The statement was published as a half-page advertisement in
The Irish Times on Saturday, signed by Trade Union chief David Begg,
Sinn Féin leader Gerry Adams, singer Christy Moore, MEP Prionsiais de
Rossa and film director Ken Loach, many Irish parliamentarians and over
100 others. 
http://www.maannews.net/eng/ViewDetails.aspx?ID=420982
Special report: Palestinian bid for statehood divides a people
Both men had watched the live TV broadcast in which Palestinian
President Mahmoud Abbas explained on Friday evening why he is defying
the wishes of Israel and the US by taking his case for statehood
recognition to the UN this week. But it was rapidly apparent from the
vigorous argument yesterday between Subha Mahmoud Abu Hashi, 65, and
Mahmoud Abu Rizel, 29, in the narrow main shopping street of the Balata
refugee camp, how different their takes on it had been.
http://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/middle-east/
special-report-palestinian-bid-for-statehood-divides-a-people-2356505.html
Israel/Palestine: Washington is the problem, Issandr El Amrani
Please
  take 15m of your time and watch this excruciating video of last
Thursday's State Dept. briefing. It shows journalists ask the tough
questions about the coming fiasco of a US veto at the UN when Mahmoud
Abbas asks for recognition of Palestine as a state. My favorite bit is
when the AP's Matt Lee asks (in bold):
http://www.arabist.net/blog/2011/9/17/israelpalestine-washington-is-the-problem.\
html


Egypt / Jordan / Turkey and Israel

Turkey: We don't need U.S. mediation to end crisis with Israel
Turkish Foreign Minister Ahmet Davutoglu says Ankara's demands from Israel are
clear, adding: 'No one should test our resolve on this
matter'.
http://www.haaretz.com/news/diplomacy-defense/
turkey-we-don-t-need-u-s-mediation-to-end-crisis-with-israel-1.385040

Egypt PM says peace deal with Israel not sacredCAIRO (Reuters) - Egypt's Prime
Minister Essam Sharaf said a peace deal with
Israel was not "sacred" and could be changed for the benefit of peace or the
region. His comments, made in an interview with a Turkish
television channel and broadcast on state television, were the strongest yet by
the new government which took over after president Hosni Mubarak was overthrown
in February.
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2011/09/15/egypt-pm-says-peace-deal-_n_964679.html

Israel calls in Egypt envoy, says peace deal vital
JERUSALEM (Reuters) -- Israel's foreign ministry called in the Egyptian
ambassador on Friday to stress the importance of the two countries'
historic 1979 peace treaty, an Israeli official said, after Egypt's
prime minister said the accord was not "sacred". Relations between Egypt and
Israel, strained since President Hosni Mubarak was ousted in
February, spiralled into crisis last Saturday when protesters in Cairo
stormed a building where the Jewish state's embassy is based, forcing
most of its diplomats to flee Egypt. An Israeli official, speaking on
condition of anonymity, said Foreign Ministry Director General Rafi
Barak told Egyptian envoy Yasser Reda that treaties must be honoured to
the letter.
http://www.maannews.net/eng/ViewDetails.aspx?ID=420844

How civil society pushed Turkey to ditch Israel's war industry, Jamal
Juma' and Maren Mantovani
Backed by civil society movements, the Turkish government sends a
message to the UN: the international community must not guarantee Israel
  of impunity for its crimes against international law.
link to Electronic Intifada

Three Israeli ambassadors return to Tel Aviv in two weeks
A report in the Hebrew daily Maariv has pointed out that Israel is
in the midst of a diplomatic crisis, with three ambassadors leaving
their posts in Muslim countries in the past two weeks. The departure of
the Israeli ambassador from Jordan follows the expulsion of the
ambassador from Turkey and the evacuation of their colleague from Cairo
last weekend. This, said Maariv, has got to be cause for concern.
http://www.middleeastmonitor.org.uk/news/middle-east/2828


Who stormed the Israeli occupation embassy in Cairo?, As'ad AbuKhalil
Well, we now know.  It was not the "football hooligans" scenario that was
favored in Zionist media to downplay Egyptian popular anger against
Israel.  Yesterday, 21 political party and organizations in Egypt came
forward and took responsibility for the attack on the Israeli occupation
embassy.  The radical communist groups were in the forefront.  
http://angryarab.blogspot.com/2011/09/who-stormed-israeli-occupation-embassy.htm\
l

Other News

U.S. think-tank: Obama should rethink military aid to Israel
Influential CSIS says current spat between leaders is more than a clash
of personalities. WASHINGTON - Given the United States' current
financial straits, aid for Israel cannot be taken for granted in the
future, according to a new report published by the Washington-based
Center for Strategic and International Studies.
http://www.haaretz.com/print-edition/news/u-s-think-tank-obama-should-rethink-mi\
litary-aid-to-israel-1.385072


U.S. Republicans aim for Jewish votes as loyalty to Obama wanes
Obama's Israeli policies raise doubts among some Jews; Jewish vote
could be swing bloc in battleground states; Obama re-election team
appoints Jewish outreach director.
http://www.haaretz.com/jewish-world/u-s-republicans-aim-for-jewish-votes-as-loya\
lty-to-obama-wanes-1.384969

Major Israeli banks embroiled in U.S. tax evasion probe
Investigation of Swiss outposts of Bank Hapoalim, Bank Leumi, and
Mizrahi-Tefahot may press potential
sore spot in the historically close relationship between Washington and
Jerusalem.
http://english.themarker.com/major-israeli-banks-embroiled-in-u-s-tax-evasion-pr\
obe-1.384812
'Israeli spy' says he aided Hezbollah killing
Ayad
  Youssef Nueim, who is held in a Syrian prison for allegedly spying for
Israel, says he was recruited by Mossad in 2006 to gather information
about vehicle in which Imad Mughniyeh was
assassinated.http://www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7340,L-4123439,00.html
Israel violates UNSC resolutions: UNIFIL
UNIFIL's political director, said on Friday that the Israeli army
violates Lebanon's sovereignty and territorial integrity on an almost
daily basis which is against the UNSC Resolution 1701.
http://presstv.com/detail/199461.html
Bahrain forces fire tear gas at funeral
Security forces use tear gas and rubber bullets on procession of a man who died
after he himself was tear-gassed.
http://english.aljazeera.net/news/middleeast/2011/09/201191620513595969.html
TIMESCAST: TimesCast | Police Apartheid in Bahrain
September 15, 2011 - Six months after Bahrain's brutal crackdown on democratic
protests, sectarian tension is brewing.
http://feeds.nytimes.com/click.phdo?i=1c2b06713b9baf147dd70afeb18cc278

AP Exclusive: Iraqi girl recounts bus massacre (AP)
AP - The trip was intended to give Tabarak Thaer a glimpse of the world
beyond Iraq's violence and misery. Instead, it brought the 10-year-old
face to face with terror when insurgents boarded the bus she was riding,
  forced the male passengers off, and killed them.
http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20110916/ap_on_re_mi_ea/ml_iraq_bus_massacre

Saudis 'eye Pakistani nukes' to face Iran
Saudi Arabia has been beefing up its military links with Pakistan to counter
Iran's expansionist plans and this reportedly includes acquiring atomic
arms from the only Muslim nuclear power or its pledge of nuclear cover.
http://www.upi.com/Top_News/Special/2011/09/15/
Saudis-eye-Pakistani-nukes-to-face-Iran/UPI-15881316101921/

FBI Teaches Agents: ‘Mainstream’ Muslims Are ‘Violent,
Radical’
The FBI is teaching its counterterrorism agents that “main streamâ€
[sic] American Muslims are likely to be terrorist sympathizers; that the Prophet
Mohammed was a “cult leaderâ€; and that the Islamic practice of giving
charity is no more than a “funding mechanism for combat.† At the
Bureau’s training ground in Quantico, Virginia, agents are
shown a chart contending that the more “devout†a Muslim, the more
likely he is to be “violent.†Those destructive tendencies cannot be
reversed, an FBI instructional presentation adds: “Any war against
non-believers is justified†under Muslim law; a “moderating process
cannot happen if the Koran continues to be regarded as the unalterable
word of Allah.â€
http://www.wired.com/dangerroom/2011/09/fbi-muslims-radical/

This is hilarious. The New York Times refers to bigotry against Islam as
"critique" of Islam, As'ad Abukhalil
This
  is not the first time that the New York Times does this.  It is
establishing a pattern in which they refer to hatred and bigotry of
Islam and Muslims as mere "critique".  Look at this headline:  "F.B.I. Chided
for Training That Was Critical of Islam".  It makes you wonder.  Does that
mean that the New York Times considers anti-Semitic trash as mere "critique" of
Jews and Judaism?  Were Nazis
merely "critical" of Jews and Judaism?  I don't exaggerate when I say
that US Zionists publications' rhetorical bigotry against Islam is now
on the same level of Nazi rhetorical bigotry against Jews.  
http://angryarab.blogspot.com/2011/09/this-is-hilarious-new-york-times-refers.ht\
ml

Analysis / Op-ed

Social Origins of Israeli Unrest, Max Ajl
Dafni Leef has been at both bookends of the recent protests in Israel. They
started in mid-July, when Leef, a Tel Aviv filmmaker, was met with a
hike in her rent that she could not afford to pay. Instead of moving to a new
apartment, she moved to a tent on Rothschild Boulevard, the city's
sleekest thoroughfare, and set up a Facebook event calling on her
compatriots to join her. The spark of dissent hit tinder, and then the
flames alit on a social landscape desiccated by decades of relentless
neo-liberal adjustment. Seven weeks of fiery protest followed, reaching
an apex on 3 September, as over 450,000 people – six percent of the
“official†population – gathered in demonstrations in Tel Aviv,
Haifa, Jerusalem, across the length and breadth of Israel.
http://www.jadaliyya.com/pages/index/2648/social-origins-of-israeli-unrest-

“shared strategic interestsâ€, Max Ajl
To the people with political disabilities blathering about whether or not
Israel is a "strategic asset," I have not noticed you commenting on this
piece chock-full of quotations from US officialdom. "I have talked directly
with the
leadership of Saudi Arabia... and I think the relationship is in very
good shape. Why? I think because it is based in shared strategic
interests...We have had a relationship for 70 years based on a set of
shared strategic interests. " So says US National Security Adviser Tom
Donilon. The context is Prince Turki al-Faisal's op-ed in the NYT a couple
days ago in which he perorated about how if the US does not
support the Palestinian state, "Saudi Arabia would no longer be able to
cooperate with America in the same way it historically has." What
changes does Faisal have in mind? An oil embargo? Except they pretended
to do that in 1973 except no production was actually cut off. Will they
stop buying American weapons? Or is Faisal just posturing for his people and the
surrounding Arab populations? I go with the
latter.http://www.maxajl.com/shared-strategic-interests/

"Hire an Arab": The casual racism of Ethan Bronner's business partner, Ali
Abunimah
A revealing comment lays bare the casual racism of Charley Levine, the
business partner of New York Times Jerusalem bureau chief Ethan Bronner.
http://electronicintifada.net/blog/ali-abunimah/
hire-arab-casual-racism-ethan-bronners-business-partner

Israel's missed opportunities, Anwar Ibrahim
Netanyahu's refusal to apologise over the Gaza flotilla killings shows that
Israel is misreading the new Middle East.
http://english.aljazeera.net/indepth/opinion/2011/09/201191571633356469.html
Israel’s advocates in the UK cosy up to Christian Right, Ben White
Faced with the increasingly difficult task of ‘selling’ Israeli
policies to the UK public, Israel’s supporters in this country are
cementing relationships with some strange bed-fellows. Israeli embassy
officials are happy working with groups like ‘Mordechai Voice’, a
new addition to the Christian Zionist scene in the UK. 
http://pulsemedia.org/2011/09/15/israels-advocates-in-the-uk-cosy-up-to-christia\
n-right/

Yasmine’s Home: Putting Foreign Funding in Palestine on Trial
Inspired by the Theater of the Oppressed movement, artistic
director of Ramallah’s Ashtar Theater Iman Aoun places the question of
foreign funding in Palestine center stage in her new play Yasmine’s
Home.
link to Al-Akhbar

Three Big Challenges Threatening the Arab Uprisings, Esam Al-Amin
With the fall of Muammar Qaddafi’s headquarters in Bab Al-Aziziyyah in
Tripoli on August 23, Libya became the third country to oust its
long-serving dictator after the fall of Tunisia’s Zein-al-bedin Ben
Ali and Egypt’s Hosni Mubarak earlier this year. The failed
assassination attempt on Yemen’s Ali Abdullah Saleh on June 3, has
kept him outside the country, recovering from his injuries in Saudi
Arabia. Meanwhile, the large daily peaceful protests of tens of
thousands of Yemenis in many of the country’s cities and provinces
have expanded, demanding the ouster of Saleh’s relatives and cronies
from power.
http://www.counterpunch.org/2011/09/16/three-big-challenges-threatening-the-arab\
-uprisings/


--
www.TheHeadlines.Org


[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]

Land, property, resources theft & destruction / Ethnic cleansing / Deportation /
Restriction of Movement

Jewish Settlers Build New Road South of Hebron, Seizing Palestinian Land
HEBRON, September 19, 2011 (WAFA) – Jewish settlers Monday built a
new dirt road and surrounded it with barbered wires, adjacent to the
Israeli settlement of Sosiya, which was built illegally on Palestinians’ land
south of the town of Yatta, in southern Hebron, according to
witnesses. The Popular Committee Coordinator in Yatta, Rateb al-Jabour
told WAFA that the new road’s length reached almost 2.5 Kilometers which took
about 10 dunums of Palestinian land. He said that settlers also
destroyed a number of olive trees, while they were opening the road,
adjacent to Khirbet Um Nir, in Hebron governorate, south of the West
Bank.
http://english.wafa.ps/index.php?action=detail&id=17408

Israeli settlers said to cut Palestinians' trees (AP)
AP
  - Palestinian villagers say Israeli settlers in the West Bank have set
fire to dozens of acres of agricultural land and cut down about 500
olive, fig and almond trees.
http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20110920/ap_on_re_mi_ea/ml_israel_palestinians


Settler & Israeli Regime Violence

Palestinian child succumbs to wounds sustained in Israeli shelling
A
  Palestinian child was pronounced dead on Monday night in hospital after
  suffering serious injuries a month ago in an Israeli shelling of a
group of children east of Gaza.
link to Palestine Information Center

Settlers 'pelt Palestinian car with stones'
A group of Israeli settlers from the Bet El settlement near Ramallah
hurled stones at a Palestinian truck on Monday, causing damage to the
vehicle., The driver of the vehicle, Zahir Daana, told Ma'an that he was
  traveling to Tulkarem when the settlers attacked him. He was not hurt
in the attack.

http://www.maannews.net/eng/ViewDetails.aspx?ID=421802

State rejects B'Tselem’s appeal against closing the settler assault file
On 31 March 2011, the State Attorney's Office informed B'Tselem that it
rejected B'Tselem’s appeal against closing the file on the assault of
members of the Nawaja family, near the Susiya settlement in June 2008.
The file was closed in June 2009, a year after the incident, on grounds
of “offender unknown.” In explaining its decision, the State Attorney's
Office stated that, “Study of the investigative material showed that the
  persons against whom the complaint was filed denied, under police
questioning, any connection to the incident. There is insufficient
evidence to indicate who committed the offense. 
http://www.btselem.org/settler_violence/20110918_susiya_appeal_rejected

Settlers attack Palestinians on a daily basis without a word of condemnation
from Israeli regime forces: Court remands Israeli settler suspected of
vandalizing IDF West Bank base
Police say there is evidence linking Alex Ostrovsky, 27, to an attack on
  an Israeli military base following the destruction of 3 illegal homes
in the Migron outpost.
http://www.haaretz.com/news/diplomacy-defense/
court-remands-israeli-settler-suspected-of-vandalizing-idf-west-bank-base-1.3855\
66


Attacks & Suppression of Palestinian Non Violent Protest

PA security blocks anti wall march
Palestinian Authority security
  forces blocked on Sunday a weekly anti-wall march in Nazlat Issa
village, north of Tulkarem city, organizers of the march said.
link to Palestine Information Center

Repression and resistance sharpening in Beit Ommar, David Warren
The West Bank village of Beit Ommar is encircled by no less than
five illegal settlements. Water is regularly cut off and private wells
are illegal. Meanwhile, in the settlements, swimming pools and fountains are de
rigeur.
http://electronicintifada.net/content/repression-and-resistance-sharpening-beit-\
ommar/10393

Trial of top anti-Israel activist Bassem Tamimi set to open
RAMALLAH: The trial of West Bank protest organizer Bassem Tamimi is likely to
open on Wednesday when prosecution witnesses take the stand for the
first time. Tamimi has been incarcerated since March and this hearing
will be the first in which the allegations are actually
discussed. Proceedings in the case have been prolonged as hearings were
canceled due to prosecution witnesses not showing up, technical issues
and postponement by the prosecution.
http://arabnews.com/middleeast/article503870.ece


Political Arrests / Detainees


500 Palestinians in Israeli jails denied family visits
RAMALLAH: The Israeli Prison Service (IPS) has denied 500
Palestinian prisoners family visits, according to the Palestinian
Minister of Detainees and Ex-detainees Issa Qaraqi’.
http://arabnews.com/middleeast/article503877.ece

Jordanian prisoner in Israeli jail goes on hunger strike
Ala’a
  Hammad, a Jordanian prisoner in Israeli occupation jails, has gone on
hunger strike to protest the Israeli authorities repeated refusal to
allow his wife and children visit him.
link to Palestine Information Center
The story of the watermelon and the forty prisoners, Ameer Makhoul
Palestinian political prisoner Ameer Makhoul writes about a recent
“watermelon party” amongst fellow prisoners, and the struggle for
liberation that continues.
http://electronicintifada.net/content/story-watermelon-and-forty-prisoners/10392

Gaza

2 teens die from injuries after Gaza tunnel collapse
GAZA CITY (Ma'an) -- Two Palestinian teenagers have died from injuries
sustained when a smuggling tunnel under Gaza's border with Egypt
collapsed on Monday, medics said. Ashraf Al-Qarra, 17, died on Monday
afternoon and Haytham Abu Radwan, also 17, died on Tuesday morning, the
ambulance and emergencies committee in Gaza said in a statement.
http://www.maannews.net/eng/ViewDetails.aspx?ID=421824

IOF troops raid eastern Gaza
Israeli
  occupation forces (IOF) advanced 300 meters into eastern Gaza on Monday
  night after claiming that a locally made rocket was fired from Gaza at
the western Negev.

link to Palestine Information Center

Arab parliament discusses breaking Gaza siege
Ali Salem Al-Dakbasi, the chairman of the Arab parliamentary union, has
said that the parliament’s session in the period September 18-21 would
deliberate means of busting the Gaza blockade.
link to Palestine Information Center
'We have no idea what's going to happen to Gaza'
A
  cool breeze blows in from the sea across scrub-covered sand as we
encounter a procession of two dozen porter-pushed wheelchairs carrying
Palestinian women, children and a few men blessed with Israeli permits
to seek medical treatment in hospitals in Jerusalem and abroad.  Several
  clutch large envelopes containing medical records; a boy wears a
surgical mask over his nose and mouth. Hundreds more sick and dying
Palestinians await permission in besieged and blockaded Gaza where
specialist care is not available.
http://www.irishtimes.com/newspaper/world/2011/0920/1224304411687.html


BDS / Activism
Palestinians to boycott Israeli products in national campaign
Ramallah: The Palestinian National Initiative said on Monday that 85 per
  cent of the world recognises the Palestinian national rights, calling
for an immediate boycott of Israeli products. Addressing a press
conference here, Dr Mustafa Al Barghouti, Secretary-General of the
Initiative, said that Israeli products worth $3 billion are sold in the
Palestinian Territories.
http://gulfnews.com/news/region/palestinian-territories/
palestinians-to-boycott-israeli-products-in-national-campaign-1.869785

Israeli artists seek boycott of new West Bank theatre
MORE THAN 500 Israeli artists have signed a petition to boycott a new
cultural centre which opened last night in the West Bank settlement of
Kiryat Arba, next to Hebron.
http://www.irishtimes.com/newspaper/world/2011/0920/1224304411710.html

Today’s “Run for Silwan” marathon highlights oppression in Jerusalem
 The Wadi Hilweh Information Center “Run for Silwan” marathon is set to
start today at 5:30pm. Is this correct? Or do you mean 5:30am? The
marathon, organized as a joint effort between the Center and
international solidarity groups, will run from Abu Dis University to
Wadi Hilweh in Silwan. The marathon is open to anyone who wishes to
enter, with international activists running alongside the youth of
Silwan. The Information Center cites its hope to highlight the suffering
  of youth in East Jerusalem in general and Silwan in particular, in
organizing this marathon. The event places the spotlight on such issues
as Israel’s separation Wall, that cuts through East Jerusalem and
separates it from villages in the West Bank. The Wall has created
extreme social isolation between communities and contributed to the
cultural and economic damage waged on the Palestinian public.
http://silwanic.net/?p=20347


The Time is Right for Strengthening Our Movement: Students for Justice in
Palestine’s first national conference
Please support the first Students for Justice in Palestine national
conference. This kind of campus organizing is vital, and these students
need your financial support to make the conference a reality.
http://mondoweiss.net/2011/09/the-time-is-right-for-strengthening-
our-movement-students-for-justice-in-palestine%e2%80%99s-first-national-conferen\
ce.html

Closing arguments expected in Irvine 11 case
But
  at UC Irvine, the case of student protesters who disrupted a speech on
campus by the Israeli ambassador last year appears to not have
resonated. In a Santa Ana courtroom Monday, closing arguments will be
heard in a case involving Muslim students and the right to free speech.
But the so-called Irvine 11 trial, the issues of which are deeply rooted
  at UC Irvine, has not quite resonated on campus — yet.
http://feeds.latimes.com/~r/latimes/middleeast/~3/FI8KA6TMMhs/
la-me-irvine-eleven-20110919,0,651911.story

Statehood Bid (TIP coverage is not endorsement)
Is Tea Party Congressman Joe Walsh supporting a one-state solution for
Palestine?, Ali Abunimah
Illinois Republican Congressman Joe Walsh has introduced a
resolution in the US House of Representatives that seems to support
formal Israeli apartheid. Or does it in fact support a one-state
solution with equal voting rights for Israelis and Palestinians alike?
http://electronicintifada.net/blog/ali-abunimah/tea-party-congressman-joe-walsh-\
supporting-one-state-solution-palestine


With Obama in NYC for U.N. speech, Perry to hold own event there, hitting Obama
on Israel
Gov. Rick Perry will hold an open press media event with Israeli and
American leaders tomorrow morning in New York City pegged to United
Nations negotiations around Palestinian statehood, NBC News confirms.
The Jerusalem Post first reported the news. Perry, a fierce critic of
the Obama administration's policy toward Israel, wrote in a Friday Wall
Street Journal op-ed that the United States should use its veto to nix
the United Nation's recognition of a Palestinian state.

http://firstread.msnbc.msn.com/_news/2011/09/19/7842474-
with-obama-in-nyc-for-un-speech-perry-to-hold-own-event-there-hitting-obama-on-i\
srael

'Palestinians need just two more Security Council votes in bid for statehood'
Palestinian Foreign Minister says attempts underway to win over Gabon,
Nigeria and Bosnia-Herzegovina, in quest for UNSC majority; U.S. has
vowed to veto the proposal if it cannot garner a blocking majority.
http://www.haaretz.com/news/diplomacy-defense/
palestinians-need-just-two-more-security-council-votes-in-bid-for-statehood-1.38\
5604

Report; “Israeli-Palestinian Team Prepares For Coordinated Activities”
Israeli
  sources reported that a Palestinian-Israeli team was formed to
coordinate the activities of the Israeli Army and the Palestinian
Security Forces in the event of clashes following the declaration of the
  Palestinian State at the UN.
http://www.imemc.org/article/62065

Palestinians insist on terms for Israel talks
Foregin minister says Israel must accept terms of reference before negotiations
can resume, as suggested by Netanyahu.

http://english.aljazeera.net//news/middleeast/2011/09/201192072347528476.html

Palestinians will submit UN membership letter (AP)
AP - The Palestinians brushed aside heated Israeli objections and a
promised U.S. veto Monday, vowing to submit a letter formally requesting
  full U.N. membership when Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas addresses
  the General Assembly.
http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20110920/ap_on_re_us/un_mideast

Obama arrives at UN as pressure grows on Palestinians over statehood bid
Diplomatic
  quartet meets to try to kickstart negotiations, as France admits
showdown with US will damage Palestinian cause. Barack Obama arrived at
the United Nations on Monday evening as pressure intensified on the
Palestinian leadership to abandon its plan to ask the UN security
council to declare the occupied territories a Palestinian state.
http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2011/sep/20/obama-un-palestinian-statehood-bid

Netanyahu calls for talks with Palestinians
Israeli PM requests meeting in New York to relaunch "direct negotiations" as
Palestinians prepare for UN membership bid.
http://english.aljazeera.net/news/middleeast/2011/09/2011919214510459817.html

Diplomats: Israel failed to prepare for Palestinian statehood bid
It would have been impossible to divert the Palestinian initiative
from the diplomatic center stage, said diplomatic sources who asked not
to be identified.
http://www.haaretz.com/print-edition/news/diplomats-
israel-failed-to-prepare-for-palestinian-statehood-bid-1.385407

U.S. to Netanyahu: Don't sanction Palestinians following statehood bid at UN
Under pressure from within his government, Netanyahu decides to
hold off on Palestinian sanctions, until implications of UN vote are
clearer.
http://www.haaretz.com/print-edition/news/
u-s-to-netanyahu-don-t-sanction-palestinians-following-statehood-bid-at-un-1.385\
233

Israel may tone down emergency laws drafted ahead of Palestinian move at UN
Faced with harsh criticism, government agencies to scrutinize emergency
measures, rethinking more controversial changes.
http://www.haaretz.com/print-edition/news/israel-may-tone-down-emergency-laws-dr\
afted-ahead-of-palestinian-move-at-un-1.385234?localLinksEnabled=false

Bill Clinton: Palestinian statehood bid won't change Mideast realities
Speaking to NBC's 'Meet the Press,' former U.S. President says U.S. must veto PA
statehood bid at Security Council, but should try and
'contain negative fallout.'
http://www.haaretz.com/news/diplomacy-defense/
bill-clinton-palestinian-statehood-bid-won-t-change-mideast-realities-1.385196

French FM: Status quo between Israel and Palestinians risks 'explosion of
violence'
In remarks before the Council on Foreign Relations in New York,
Alain Juppe also says scheduled to meet Palestinian President Abbas
later on Monday.
http://www.haaretz.com/news/diplomacy-defense/french-
fm-status-quo-between-israel-and-palestinians-risks-explosion-of-violence-1.3853\
80
The U.N.'s 'momentous' Palestinian statehood dilemma (The Week)
The Week - World leaders are gathering in New York for what could be the most
dramatic showdown since Israel was created in 1947
http://news.yahoo.com/s/theweek/20110919/cm_theweek/219418

Jordan's King says Israel must choose if it is fortress or part of Mideast
As UN vote on Palestinian statehood looms, Jordan King warns of possible
  'negative impact' from ongoing negotiations stalemate; says U.S. veto
against Palestinian statehood at UN Security Council would only further
isolate Israel.

http://www.haaretz.com/news/diplomacy-defense/
jordan-s-king-says-israel-must-choose-if-it-is-fortress-or-part-of-mideast-1.385\
491

  In UN week, Saudi says to ease Palestinian crisis (Reuters)
Reuters - Saudi Arabia will pay $200 million to the Palestinian
Authority, the official Palestinian news agency said on Monday, funds
that will ease a financial crisis faced by the authority as it prepares
to apply for full U.N. membership this week.
http://news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20110919/wl_nm/us_palestinians_funds_saudi

Saudi Arabian stability, Max Ajl
Saudi Arabia continues to spend the money it bilks from Western taxpayers
under the political
cover of Middle Eastern "instability" created by Israeli war-mongering
and regional chaos-sowing to stabilize the oppression of Palestinians
and to indirectly fund the occupation-administering PA: "Palestinian
Prime Minister, Dr. Salaam Fayyad, stated that he received a phone call
on Monday evening from the Saudi Finance Minister, Dr. Ibrahim Al Assaf,
informing him that the Saudi king, Abdullah bin Abdul-Aziz Al Saud,
issued orders to transfer $200 Million to the P.A.....Riyadh is the
biggest financial supporter to the P.A. and the Palestinian Liberation
Organization, and
even to nongovernmental charity organizations in Palestine." Maxime
Rodinson writes: "The constant factors in Saudi politics are a vigilant
conservatism more or less aware of the necessity for a minimum of
reforms, the American alliance, and hostility to the revolutionary
movements gaining ground elsewhere in the Arab world...Israel is only of
secondary interest to the Saudi monarchs...Their heart is Arab, no
doubt; but their purse is American."
http://www.maxajl.com/saudi-arabian-stability/
Statehood must mean liquidation of the occupation
PA Chairman Mahmoud Abbas has assured the Palestinian masses that a
possible recognition of statehood by the UN won't be at the expense of
other fundamental Palestinian rights.
link to Palestine Information Center
Palestinian refugees in Lebanon eye statehood bid with skepticism, Moe Ali
Nayel
Palestinian refugees in Lebanon aren’t exactly holding their breath over
  the upcoming bid to have an independent Palestinian state voted into
the United Nations.
http://electronicintifada.net/content/palestinian-refugees-lebanon-eye-statehood\
-bid-skepticism/10398
Europe Divided Over Palestinian State
BERLIN
  — Divisions that have surfaced within the European Union over
recognition of the Palestinian Authority as an independent and sovereign
  state are unlikely to be resolved ahead of a crucial vote in the United
  Nations next week. A two-state settlement is part of the long-term
official EU line on the Palestinian-Israeli conflict.
http://original.antiwar.com/julio-godoy/2011/09/18/europe-divided-over-palestini\
an-state/
Noam Chomsky: The U.S. & Israel Strongly Oppose "Rise of Any Meaningful
Democracy" in Middle East
Earlier this month, Turkey expelled Israel’s ambassador and other senior
  diplomats after the release of a United Nations report on Israel’s
attack on the Gaza-bound aid flotilla in 2010. The report accused Israel
  of "excessive and unreasonable force" in its attacks on the Gaza aid
ship, Mavi Marmara, which killed nine people. But it also called on
Israel to issue a statement of regret and compensate the families of the
  dead, as well as the wounded passengers. The Israeli prime minister,
Benjamin Netanyahu, refused to apologize. We talk to MIT Professor
Emeritus Noam Chomsky about the relationship between Turkey and Egypt,
long key allies for Israel, and how the deterioration of their relations
  "contributes very substantially to Israel’s isolation in the region."
[includes rush transcript]
http://www.democracynow.org/2011/9/19/noam_chomsky_the_us_israel_strongly

Guardian Focus podcast: What will UN recognition of a Palestinian state mean?
The UN is gathering in New York where it will shortly be approached by
the Palestinian Authority to ask for recognition of statehood. Barack
Obama has already said this will be rebuffed by the US, which will
exercise its veto if it comes before the security council, but the
Palestinians are sure to get a majority vote in the general assembly,
meaning they will be upgraded to 'member status'.
http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/audio/2011/sep/19/middleeast-palestinian-territo\
ries-un
As Palestinians Push for Statehood, Israel Finds Itself Isolated, Karl Vick
There
  are links between nations, cordial relations, firm bonds, alliances and
  strategic partnerships. But what Turkey and Israel had in mind just
four years ago was something akin to being joined at the hip. 
http://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,2093351-1,00.html
Palestine’s UN Initiatives: Questions and Answers on the Representation of the
Rights of the Palestinian People
As an organisation dedicated to the protection and promotion of human
rights in the Occupied Palestinian Territory (OPT), Al-Haq analysed the
legal and political implications of the upcoming Palestinian UN
initiatives on the protection of the rights of the Palestinian people
under international law. By adhering to a strict application of
international law and contemporary legal practice, Al-Haq’s legal briefs
  on the UN initiatives seek to bring some clarity to the questions and
concerns raised in the public debate and highlight, where appropriate,
potential threats to the full exercise of all the Palestinian people’s
rights. 
http://www.alhaq.org/etemplate.php?id=619

Which countries recognise Palestine already? - interactive
Palestinian
  leader Mahmoud Abbas is to this week make a bid for UN membership.
Click below to see the countries that already recognise Palestine as a
nation, and the proportion of the world's population and economy they
account for.

http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/interactive/2011/sep/20/palestinain-state-israel\
-un-interactive


Egypt / Jordan / Turkey and Israel
Turkey Predicts Alliance With Egypt as Regional Anchors, Anthony Shadid
A newly assertive Turkey offered on Sunday a vision of a starkly
realigned Middle East, where the country’s former allies in Syria and
Israel fall into deeper isolation, and a burgeoning alliance with Egypt
underpins a new order in a region roiled by revolt and revolution. 
http://www.nytimes.com/2011/09/19/world/middleeast/
turkey-predicts-partnership-with-egypt-as-regional-anchors.html


Germany's Merkel presses Turkey President to end rift with Israel
President Abdullah Gul meets German Chancellor during four-day visit to
Germany; Germany's interests in Middle East hurt by Israel-Turkey
diplomatic crisis.
http://www.haaretz.com/news/diplomacy-defense/
germany-s-merkel-presses-turkey-president-to-end-rift-with-israel-1.385578


Other News


U.S., Israeli military chiefs meet
Israeli Defense Minister Ehud Barak and his US counterpart Leon Panetta
met Monday at the Pentagon to discuss political changes in the region
ahead of the Palestinian bid for statehood at the United Nations. At the
  second Pentagon meeting for the two defense leaders since Panetta
became Defense Secretary in July "Panetta and Barak each stressed the
importance of the close security ties that bind the two nations,
including America's continued commitment to ensuring Israel's
qualitative military edge," Douglas Wilson, a Pentagon spokesman, said
in a statement.
http://www.rawstory.com/rs/2011/09/20/u-s-israeli-military-chiefs-meet/


'Obama is the best thing Israel has going for it'
New York Magazine dubs US President Barack Obama 'first Jewish
president'; says Jewish community's perception of the president is
warped.
http://www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7340,L-4124518,00.html

'Jonathan Pollard tried to spy for Australia'
New
  revelations in Jonathan Pollard's suggest he first approached Australia
  with information, was rejected, turned to Israel by default
http://www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7340,L-4124514,00.html

Official sources in Israel claim that the regime in Jordan is close to collapse
Political sources in Israel, described as "high-level", have
claimed that the government in Jordan is now very weak and is close to
collapse. While the United States is trying to dissuade the Palestinians from
making a unilateral bid for UN recognition of an independent
state, the authorities in Tel Aviv are, it seems, equally concerned
about their neighbour to the east. Hebrew daily Yedioth Ahronoth has
cited the same sources about the lack of stability in Amman.
http://www.middleeastmonitor.org.uk/articles/middle-east/2834

Yet they just made it easier for Israeli regime war criminals to travel to the
UK: Theresa May defends decision to exclude Palestinian activist from UK
As
  high court decides upon legality of Sheikh Raed Salah's detention, home
  secretary admits tougher line on extremism. The home secretary, Theresa
  May, has defended her decision to exclude the Palestinian political
activist Sheikh Raed Salah from Britain, insisting that she will take
pre-emptive action against those who encourage extremism.
http://www.guardian.co.uk/politics/2011/sep/20/theresa-may-sheikh-raed-salah

"They Just Started Shooting Us from Everywhere": Scores of Protesters Killed in
Yemen
In
  Yemen, the government’s violent crackdown on protesters has
intensified, leading to the bloodiest two days in several months. At
least 21 protesters have been killed today in the capital of Sana’a. On
Sunday, 26 demonstrators were gunned down, and hundreds were injured.
Demonstrators are calling for an end to President Ali Abdullah Saleh’s
33-year rule as he has repeatedly broken promises to step down. Last
week, Saleh authorized his vice president to negotiate a transfer of
power with the opposition. The initiative was proposed by the six-nation
  Gulf Cooperation Council and sets the path for a peaceful transition of
  power from Saleh, who has ruled Yemen since 1978. We go to Yemen for an
  update from Abdul-Ghani al-Iryani, a political analyst based in Sana’a
and co-founder of the Democratic Awakening Movement. [includes rush
transcript]
http://www.democracynow.org/2011/9/19/they_just_started_shooting_us_from

Xinhua, "Syrian Opposition in Damascus: 'No to International Intervention, No to
Sectarianism, and No to Violence'"
The meeting, which aimed to discuss the country's six-month crisis and
coordinate the opposition figures' stances, brought forward a "three
nos" principle for dealing with the crisis: "No to international
intervention, no sectarianism, and no violence." At the meeting, the
participants warned that unless the government works for ending the
crisis and convenes a national dialogue conference, they would escalate
the situation in all peaceful diplomatic, legal and political ways,
including announcing a general strike and overall civil rebellion. Samir
  Aita, a member of activist network Local Coordination Committees (LCC)
who attended the meeting, warned Sunday against calls for foreign
intervention in Syria. He announced the opposition's acceptance to
dialogue, "but after the withdrawal of the Syrian army" from all restive
  areas and the cessation of killings. He said the LCC would hold a
parallel meeting in Berlin, Germany, on Sept. 28 while insisting that
the opposition hold meetings inside Syria.
http://mrzine.monthlyreview.org/2011/syria180911.html
Study: Invasion led to spike in Iraq widows (AP)
AP - A study released Sunday by a global humanitarian aid organization
concluded that three out of every five widows in Iraq lost their
husbands in the years of violence that followed the 2003 invasion.
http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20110918/ap_on_re_mi_ea/ml_iraq

Analysis / Op-ed

Meet Ethan Bronner's Turkey "Specialist", Max Blumenthal
The New York Times' ethically challenged Jerusalem Bureau Chief Ethan Bronner
just won't quit. Today, in an article on the deteriorating relations between
Israel and Turkey, Bronner cited a
professor from Bar Ilan University named Efraim Inbar as "a specialist
on Turkish politics."
http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/AlAkhbarEnglish/~3/IChT2Xnf_-Q/meet-ethan-bronner\
s-turkey-specialist
Shin Bet - An ingrained culture of torture and deceits, Dr. Hanan Chehata
Known at different times by various names (the General Security Service
[GSS], the Israeli Security Agency [ISA], Shabak], Shin Bet is Israel's
internal security  and counter-intelligence service. Its role includes
the interrogation of "suspects"; exposing "terrorist" rings;
counter-espionage; the protection of the state president and so on. It
is one of three branches of the Israeli intelligence community.
http://www.middleeastmonitor.org.uk/resources/briefing-papers/2838
'An Important Irritant': The Attack on the Mavi Marmara, Jeremy Salt
In
  September, 2010, the UN General Assembly's Human Rights Council issued a
  report on the Israeli attack on the Mavi Marmara. It concluded that the
  blockade of the Gaza Strip was unlawful; that the blockade constituted
collective punishment of the civilian population of Gaza; that the
interception of the Mavi Marmara 'cannot be justified even under Article
  51 [self defence] of the UN Charter'; that the attack involved
violations of human rights law and international humanitarian law, and
that the flotilla posed no threat to Israeli security.
http://palestinechronicle.com/view_article_details.php?id=17116

Zionist propaganda on Syria
The same Zionist propagandists who had falsely claimed that three
Iranian soldiers were found in South Lebanon fighting in 2006 during the
  July Israeli war on Lebanon are now peddling the stupid story that
Iranian and Hizbullah soldiers are helping the Syrian regime.  As if the
  lousy Syrian regime needs help in shooting at demonstrators, and as if
this requires some extra military skill.  
http://angryarab.blogspot.com/2011/09/zionist-propaganda-on-syria.html

--
www.TheHeadlines.org

[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]

Land theft / Ethnic cleansing

IOA forces Jerusalemite to demolish part of home with his own hands
The
  Israeli occupation authority has forced Basem Hizaji to demolish part
of his home in Abbasiya suburb in Silwan town to the south of the Aqsa
Mosque.
link to Palestine Information Center


Settler violence

Report: Israeli settlers give women weapons training
JERUSALEM (Ma'an) -- Israeli settlers began a weapons training program
for women in the settlements on Wednesday, Israeli media said. The
training started with a five hour course on the use of guns and M16
rifles for six women from Pnei Kedem, a Jewish-only settlement in the
West Bank district of Hebron, according to Hebrew language daily Maariv.
http://www.maannews.net/eng/ViewDetails.aspx?ID=422472

Settler attack on activist
Hebrew with English towards the end
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bF5CYgQXPBw&feature=share


Settlers pelt homes in outbreak of attacks ahead of UN bid
Jewish settlers pelted homes in the West Bank village of Asira
al-Qibliyya in a dangerous outbreak of racial attacks coinciding with a
bid by Palestinian politicians to get full membership in the UN.
link to Palestine Information Center

Popular Committees to Launch a Documenting and Intervention Campaign Against
Settler Attacks
[Popular Struggle] The popular committees will inaugurate the Refusing
to Die in Silence project to allow for quick intervention in cases of
settler attacks on Palestinians. In light of the recent augmentation in
settler attacks on Palestinian body and property, the popular committees
  will initiate a volunteer-based campaign, in which several cars will
patrol the West Bank to quickly respond to cases of settler attacks.
http://www.bilin-village.org/english/articles/testimonies/Popular-Committees-
to-Launch-a-Documenting-and-Intervention-Campaign-Against-Settler-Attacks

Violence by Israeli forces

PRC fighter shot by Israeli naval forces
A fighter from the Popular Resistance Committees’ military wing
Al-Nasser Salaheddin Brigades was shot and injured Wednesday morning in
an attack by Israel naval forces.
link to Palestine Information Center

Israeli Army Raids Villages around Jenin
JENIN,
  September 22, 2011 (WAFA) – The Israeli army at dawn Thursday raided
Arqa village and Borqeen town west of Jenin, in the northern West Bank,
as well as spreading a unit of soldiers in the olive groves in Jenin.
Security sources said the Israeli army raided Arqa and Borqeen and moved
  its army vehicles in the streets and alleyways in a provocative manner.
  The army also spread its soldiers on foot among olive groves in various
  areas of Jenin and intensified its presence in residential areas of
Jenin governorate. In addition, Jewish settlers from Mevo Dotan
settlement were heavily present in the surroundings of Yabad town and
the village of Bartaa al-Sharqiyya, both in Jenin governorate.
http://english.wafa.ps/index.php?action=detail&id=17463


Suppression & Attacks of Non-Violent Palestinian Activism & Media

Help Release Ni'ilin's Ibrahim Srour from Israeli Prison
[Popular Struggle] Ibrahim Srour, a resident of Nil’in, has been
imprisoned by Israel for nearly two years for participating in local
protests. He will be released from prison on October 2nd, if the immense
  12,000 NIS (3,250 USD) fine placed by a military court judge is raised
in time.
http://www.bilin-village.org/english/activities-and-support/
Help-Release-Niilin-s-Ibrahim-Srour-from-Israeli-Prison

Israel cracks down on Palestinian journalists "to hide the truth"
A human rights researcher has claimed that the Israeli authorities have
escalated their crackdown on Palestinian journalists order to "hide the
truth about Israel's crimes". Abdel Nasser Ferwana said that the
crackdown includes "assaults on journalists, arrests and
detentions". Mr. Ferwana is a researcher specialising in prisoners'
issues. He has accused the Israelis of detaining a number of journalists
  without charge or any form of due process. He cited as evidence the
arrests of Al Jazeera television's Afghanistan bureau director Samer
Allaw, who is a Palestinian; Al Quds TV programme coordinator Nawwaf
Amer; Shehab news agency's correspondent Amr Abu Arafa; Al Aqsa TV's
Asid Amarna; and Mohamed Bosharat from the governorate of Tobas.
http://www.middleeastmonitor.org.uk/news/middle-east/2842


Gaza

‘Tears of Gaza’, The Movie, ‘Tears of Gaza’A documentary film that
should be watched by every American, to see how Israel spends our taxes. Every
European should watch it, to see the true face of Israel.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=U0WKVhIpgr4&feature=player_embedded

Detention

PA: Israeli protesters block relatives prison visit
JENIN
  (Ma'an) -- Israeli protesters prevented Palestinian families from
visiting their relatives in an Israeli prison on Thursday, Palestinian
Authority officials said. The PA Ministry of Detainees said that a group
  of Israelis chanted slogans and halted the passage of buses to the
Negev prison. Israeli forces in the area did not intervene to prevent
the assault on the visiting families, who had traveled from the the
northern West Bank city of Jenin to see their imprisoned relatives.
http://www.maannews.net/eng/ViewDetails.aspx?ID=422491


Activism / Solidarity / BDS


Post-September International Solidarity 
Many international activists, organizations and movements are faced with
  doubts regarding the current debate regarding the initiative for
membership of a Palestinian state at the UN and ways forward. Stop the
Wall gives answers to some of the most asked questions.
http://stopthewall.org/analysisandfeatures/2601.shtml

Zionist bullying "doesn't work"; Students for Justice in Palestine interviewed
Three campus activists talk to The Electronic Intifada about the
upcoming national Students for Justice in Palestine meeting, the
boycott, divestment and sanctions movement on US campuses and the
challenges activists face from Zionist groups and
school administrations.
http://electronicintifada.net/content/
zionist-bullying-doesnt-work-students-justice-palestine-interviewed/10408

Netanyahu Protester Sues Security Guards For Injuring Her
A
  Jewish human rights activist who stood up to challenge the Israeli
Prime Minister's address to the US Congress this spring and call for
equal rights for Palestinians has filed charges against four security
officers who she says tackled and injured her.
http://www.imemc.org/article/62068

Two Opportunities to Learn about Palestine UN Membership Bid
Join the US Campaign this week for two opportunities to learn more about
  Palestine's UN membership bid. Tonight, Wednesday, September 21, 8-9pm
join us at Georgetown University for a panel discussion with National
Advocacy Director Josh Ruebner, Noura Erakat, and Mouin Rabbani,
sponsored by Students for Justice in Palestine and the Lecture Fund.
http://blog.endtheoccupation.org/2011/09/two-opportunities-to-learn-about.html

AHAVA closes London store over threats
The company's link to Israel, however, became the greatest difficulty
AHAVA has been forced to deal with in the past two years. Dozens of
pro-Palestinian activists have been gathering outside the London
flagship store every Saturday in the past few months, calling on British
  residents to boycott the company's products.  The shop's location – at
Covent Garden, one of the British capital's most popular shopping
districts – has exposed the organized protest against AHAVA to masses of
  British residents and tourists. The reason for the uproar is that the
company's headquarters are in Mitzpe Shalem, which is defined by the
pro-Palestinian organizations as "an illegal and criminal settlement in
the occupied territories." The fact that AHAVA's product originate in
the Dead Sea, which is also considered a disputed area among the
activists, has caused even greater anger among the boycotters. The
protestors have reportedly been stopping shoppers outside the store and
handing out leaflets explaining that the occupation is a "human crime".
Some have even clashed with the shop's employees.
http://www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7340,L-4125530,00.html


Statehood bid (TIP coverage is not endorsement)

Obama courts Jewish vote with UN speech
US
  president's aides advise Jewish leaders on his pro-Israel address prior
  to General Assembly speech in order to ensure 'message is received'.
http://www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7340,L-4125962,00.html

Obama gets a kosher seal of approval
In the eyes of his Israeli audience, including Netanyahu and Lieberman,
Obama’s speech was nearly faultless, an assessment subsequently
confirmed by the harsh criticism leveled at it by Arab and Palestinian
officials.
http://www.haaretz.com/news/diplomacy-defense/
obama-gets-a-kosher-seal-of-approval-1.385896#.TnrAJrQWPj1.twitter


Obama to Abbas: U.S. will veto Palestinians at UN
U.S. President Obama appeals to Palestinian President Abbas at meeting
on sidelines of UN General Assembly; Palestinian envoy says Obama
'reiterated commitment' to Palestinian state during meeting.
http://www.haaretz.com/news/diplomacy-defense/
obama-to-abbas-u-s-will-veto-palestinians-at-un-1.385932

Palestinian Authority Will Not Push For Immediate Security Council Vote
Although
  the Palestinian Authority of Mahmoud Abbas in the West Bank said it is
determined to go ahead with its full UN Membership Bid, it has decided
not to push for an immediate Security Council vote on the issue.
http://www.imemc.org/article/62082


Palestinians to push U.N. bid despite Obama (Reuters)
Reuters - U.S. President Barack Obama told the United Nations on
Wednesday there was no short cut to Middle East peace but Palestinians
said they would press on with a request for U.N. recognition of their
nascent state.Palestinians protest Obama UN speech 
Tens of thousands of Palestinians have joined rallies in support of the
bid for full UN membership. Al Jazeera's Cal Perry reports from
Ramallah.
http://news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20110922/wl_nm/us_palestinians_israel_un
Obama Rebuffed as Palestinians Pursue U.N. Seat
The
  extraordinary tableau Wednesday at the United Nations underscored a
stark new reality: the United States is facing the prospect of having to
  share, or even cede, its decades-long role as the architect of Middle
East peacemaking.
http://www.nytimes.com/2011/09/22/world/obama-rebuffed-as-palestinians-pursue-un\
-seat.html

'Gabon will abstain from UN vote'
Son of former ambassador to Israel believes Gabon 'will abstain from
voting' on PA'a statehood bid. African nation at center of Israeli
efforts to prevent UN recognition of Palestine.

http://www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7340,L-4126069,00.html


EU: Watering Down the Bid for Palestinian Statehood
The European Union (EU) is struggling to come up with a clear and
unified position regarding the Palestinian bid for statehood at the UN.
But the likely outcome is an appeal to Palestinians that they accept a
token recognition at the General Assembly.
http://english.al-akhbar.com/content/eu-watering-down-bid-palestinian-statehood

Bardawil: Demonstration limitations in Gaza made on mutual understanding
Senior Hamas official Salah al-Bardawil has revealed that the step to
limit demonstrations both for and against the UN bid in the Gaza Strip
was done in agreement by leaders of both Hamas and Fatah.
link to Palestine Information Center

Obama, Europeans press Palestinians to drop UN bid
AP
  - Furiously scrambling to head off a U.N. showdown, the United States
warned world leaders Wednesday that trying to create a Palestinian
nation by simple decree instead of through hard negotiations was bound
to fail as a shortcut to peace with Israel. Europeans worked to defuse
the dispute, too, France urging new talks within a
month.http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20110922/ap_on_re_us/un_mideast
Obama calls for peace talks but reaffirms US support for Israel
Warning that there was "no shortcut" to a Middle East peace settlement,
President Barack Obama sought yesterday to persuade Israeli and
Palestinian leaders to re-start direct negotiations – and thus blunt the
  Palestinian bid for full United Nations membership that Washington has
vowed to veto.
http://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/middle-east/
obama-calls-for-peace-talks-but-reaffirms-us-support-for-israel-2358756.html

Israel's FM tells Canadians: Palestinians not ready for statehood
In West Coast leg of a three-day tour to Canada, Avigdor
Lieberman says a Palestinian state would resemble Arab countries
currently experiencing tumultuous changes and lack of security.
http://www.haaretz.com/print-edition/news/
israel-s-fm-tells-canadians-palestinians-not-ready-for-statehood-1.385665

Lieberman Welcomes Obama’s Statements
Israeli Foreign Minister, Avigdor Lieberman, welcomed the statements of U.S.
President, Barack Obama, in front of the General Assembly in New York,
and described them as “encouraging”.
http://www.imemc.org/article/62079

Israel says may hold Palestinian taxes on U.N. bid
NEW
  YORK (Reuters) - Israeli Finance Minister Yuval Steinitz on Tuesday
threatened severe financial ramifications if Palestinian President
Mahmoud Abbas makes good on a plan to request U.N. membership for a
Palestinian state this week. Steinitz, a close ally of Israeli Prime
Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, said his government could stop collecting
the 40 percent of the Palestinian Authority's budget through value
added, excise and customs taxes.
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2011/09/20/israel-says-may-hold-pale_n_972928.html

Bolivian president: Israel took Palestinians' lands
Bolivian President Evo Morales said during his speech at the UN Security Council
Wednesday night that Israel "bombs and kills" the Palestinians and
takes their lands. Waving a Palestinian flag, he said that Bolivia
endorses the Palestinian UN membership bid
http://www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7340,L-4125860,00.html

Peru Supports Palestinian Bid to UN
LIMA, September 22, 2011 (WAFA) – Peru supports Palestine and the
Palestinian bid to the United Nations Security Council, said President 
of Peruvian Parliament, Daniel Aboughattas, in a festival held in the
Peruvian parliament headquarters on Thursday. During the festival,
Second Peruvian Deputy, Omar Shihadeh, said Palestine has the right to
be state number 194 in the UN council. Other Peruvian officials
expressed their support for an independent Palestinian state based on
1967 borders and East Jerusalem as its capital.
http://english.wafa.ps/index.php?action=detail&id=17466

Around 2,000 rally in Beirut for Palestinian statehood
An elderly Palestinian refugee wearing a traditional outfit takes part in the
Beirut rally.
http://www.topix.net/world/lebanon/2011/09/
around-2-000-rally-in-beirut-for-palestinian-statehood?fromrss=1

Demonstration in Denmark in Support of UN Bid
COPENHAGEN,
  September 22, 2011 (WAFA) – Hundreds of Arab and Danish activists
Thursday demonstrated in front of the Danish Parliament building in
Copenhagen in support of a Palestinian state membership in the United
Nations. A number of Danish lawmakers and senior members in their
parties participated in the demonstration calling for an end to Israeli
occupation and recognition of a Palestinian state in the UN.
Participants flew 194 balloons with the colors of the Palestinian flag
marking Palestine as state number 194 in the UN. Palestine ambassador to
  Denmark, Amr al-Hourani, said the Palestinians are expecting Denmark to
  recognize the Palestinian state. “This recognition will enhance
Danish-Arab relations and will reflect support of the Danish people for
the Palestinian bid to UN,” he said.
http://english.wafa.ps/index.php?action=detail&id=17471

French Jewish Leaders Support Bid to UN
RAMALLAH, September 22, 2011 (WAFA) – Two leaders of the Jewish
community in France expressed their support of the Palestinian bid to
the United Nations and President Mahmoud Abbas’ strategy to achieve
freedom and independence. European Parliament Member, Daniel
Cohen-Bandit, said during a press conference that he will visit
Palestine to support the Palestinian Authority’s efforts to get full
recognition of a Palestinian state in the UN. Cohen-Bandit said that the
  Palestinian bid is a great step, and declining it will lead to a
catastrophe in the Middle East. 
http://english.wafa.ps/index.php?action=detail&id=17468

Other news
Obama urges Erdogan to resolve crisis with Israel
US
  president meets with Turkish PM on sidelines of UN General Assembly,
asks him to find a way to end crisis with Israel for sake of regional
stability.
http://www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7340,L-4125187,00.html

Israel embassy officials leave Cairo again
CAIRO: Four officials from the Israeli embassy in Cairo returned to
Israel on Thursday, after a short trip to assess damage at the mission
headquarters after it was attacked by protesters, a report said. The
consul and three other officials have left Cairo for Tel Aviv "after a
three-day visit to assess the premises of the embassy following the
events that took place around two weeks ago," the official MENA news
agency reported. The Sept. 9-10 attack on the Israeli embassy in Cairo
forced the evacuation of staff including ambassador Yitzhak Levanon.
Crowds smashed through an external security wall, tossed embassy papers
from balconies and tore down the Israeli flag. It was the worst incident
  since Israel set up its mission in Egypt, the first Arab country to
sign a peace treaty with the Jewish state in 1979. It was also the
latest episode in worsening relations between Egypt and Israel since the
  killing of six Egyptian policemen on their common border as Israel
hunted militants after a deadly attack last month. Three people were
killed and more than 1,000 wounded, including 300 policemen, during
clashes between protesters and the security forces outside the embassy
and the nearby security directorate.

http://www.thedailynewsegypt.com/egypt/israel-embassy-officials-leave-cairo-agai\
n.html


PLO official: Rick Perry is a "racist"
A top Palestine Liberation Organization official responded to Texas
Gov. Rick Perry's scathing criticisms of the PLO on Tuesday by
telling The Cable that Perry's comments were "discriminatory and
racist."  Perry hosted a pro-Israel rally in New York on Tuesday
morning, during which he repeatedly accused President Barack Obama of
"appeasement" of the Palestinians and of bungling three years of Middle
East diplomacy. He also called for the closing of the PLO mission in
Washington, and the cutting off of U.S. aid to the Palestinian
leadership as punishment for their drive to seek member-state status at
the United Nations.
http://thecable.foreignpolicy.com/posts/2011/09/20/plo_official_rick_perry_is_a_\
racist

How much of Susan Rice’s job is about Israel?
At the United Nations, where Israel has become the favorite target
of condemnatory resolutions, committees and debates, the United States
remains Israel's most steadfast and dependable ally. So when I sat down
last week with Susan E. Rice, the U.S. ambassador to the United Nations, there
was one question on my mind: How much of your job is spent on
Israel? "This week?" she said. "A hundred percent." She laughed, saying
she was only being a little bit facetious. Then she turned
serious. "It's a significant part of my job. It's not the majority of my time,
because I am the U.S. permanent representative," Rice said. "But
it is never the smallest piece. It is always there." One week it might
be the Goldstone report on the Gaza War, another week it might be the
report on the Turkish flotilla to Gaza or Israel's Operation Cast Lead
or the Durban review conference, she said. "It's a lot." That's fodder
for detractors who accuse the United States of doing Israel's bidding,
or worse. But Rice says it's nothing of the kind. "We're doing what we
think is right," she told me.
http://blogs.jta.org/politics/article/2011/09/20/3089493/how-much-of-susan-rices\
-job-is-about-israel

Syria accuses Israel of posing 'nuclear threat' to the worldThe exchange between
the two adversaries
at UN nuclear agency underlines deep divisions between Arab states and
Israel ahead of rare talks to rid the world of atomic bombs.
http://www.haaretz.com/news/diplomacy-defense/
syria-accuses-israel-of-posing-nuclear-threat-to-the-world-1.385872

Iran Won’t Retaliate for Israeli Assassinations of ScientistsArguing this case
Tuesday to reporters at an event featuring family members of
the assassinated victims, Iranian IAEA envoy Ali Asghar Soltanieh said
his country would not retaliate against the "ugly phenomenon of
assassinating ... nuclear scientists to stop Iran's nuclear progress." Blaming
Israel for assassinating its nuclear scientists, Iran said Tuesday it
would not retaliate for the "ugly phenomenon" but would seek more
international support against such killings. Instead, he said, Tehran
will push for greater international condemnation of such practices,
adding he is "very sure about the support of almost all member states"
of the 151-nation IAEA. Mansoureh Karami, the widow of assassinated
scientist Masoud Ali Mohammadi, blamed the "Zionist regime" for the
killings. In an indirect poke at the United States and its allies, she
said nations who "falsely claim human rights share these crimes." The
Iranian delegation also showed a film featuring Majid Jamali Fashi – who Iran
says is the killer of one of the scientists – asserting that he
was recruited by the Zionist entity.
http://www.almanar.com.lb/english/adetails.php?fromval=1&cid=23&frid=23&eid=2856\
6


Lebanese - Zionist Maritime Conflict EvolvesThat fact poses serious challenges
to be faced by the Lebanese cabinet and
Parliament, responsible for ensuring an internal consensus as soon as
possible to prevent any foreign attack against the country’s
resources. Lebanon stands today in the middle of the dispute over maritime
resources,
where Lebanese waters contain the largest oil reserves compared to the
neighboring countries. Cyprus announced Monday that it has commenced oil and
gas exploration in the Mediterranean, an announcement that pushed
Turkey to start exploration in the Turkish-Cypriot waters next week.
http://www.almanar.com.lb/english/adetails.php?eid=28466&frid=23&seccatid=14&cid\
=23&fromval=1

Bahrain protesters hold traffic demonstration
Demonstrators block traffic in centre of capital Manama in bid to pressure
government ahead of weekend by-elections.
http://english.aljazeera.net/news/middleeast/2011/09/2011921144840464951.html

Yemen: Protester Killings Show Perils of Immunity Deal
(New York) – Yemeni security forces used excessive force when they
opened fire on anti-government protesters in Sanaa on September 18,
2011, and in Taizz on September 19, killing at least 27 and wounding
hundreds, Human Rights Watch said today.
http://www.hrw.org/news/2011/09/20/yemen-protester-killings-show-perils-immunity\
-deal

Venezuela, Cuba defend Iran (AP)
AP - Iran was praised and Israel criticized Wednesday at a 151-nation
meeting, with Cuba and Venezuela defending Tehran's right to run a
nuclear program and Syria saying the Jewish state's undeclared nuclear
arsenal is a threat to world peace.
http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20110921/ap_on_re_eu/eu_nuclear_agency_mideast

Study: US Night Raids Aimed at Afghan Civilians
U.S.
  Special Operations Forces have been increasingly aiming their nighttime
  raids, which have been the primary cause of Afghan anger at the U.S.
military presence, at civilian noncombatants in order to exploit their
possible intelligence value, according to a new study published by the
Open Society Foundation and the Liaison Office.
http://original.antiwar.com/porter/2011/09/20/study-us-night-raids-aimed-at-afgh\
an-civilians/
US executes death row prisoner Troy Davis
Death
  row prisoner Troy Davis has been executed in the state of Georgia
despite serious doubts surrounding his conviction. Amnesty International
  has condemned the decision by authorities in the state of Georgia to
execute death row prisoner Troy Davis. Troy Davis, 42, who had been on
death row since 1991, was executed by lethal injection at the Georgia
state prison in Jackson on Wednesday, despite serious doubts surrounding
  his conviction.
http://www.amnesty.org/en/news-and-updates/us-executes-death-row-prisoner-troy-d\
avis-2011-09-21


Troy Davis willing to take polygraph test, lawyers say
Troy Anthony
Davis is willing to take a polygraph test before he is scheduled to be
executed Wednesday night to show he is not a cop killer, his lawyer said late
Tuesday evening.
http://www.ajc.com/news/atlanta/troy-davis-willing-to-1185439.html?cxntlid=brkng\
_nws_bnr

Troy Davis issues parting cry before execution
Troy Davis, an American convicted two decades ago of killing an
off-duty policeman, has urged opponents of the death penalty to fight on after
he is executed Wednesday following a failed bid for clemency.
http://www.google.com/hostednews/afp/article/ALeqM5huOpfYjRsckK48ogcPODT1oABHvA

Saudi Arabia executes man convicted of "sorcery"
Government
  urged to establish an immediate moratorium on executions in the kingdom
  after a Sudanese national was put to death this week. Saudi Arabia's
government should establish an immediate moratorium on executions in the
  kingdom, Amnesty International said today after a Sudanese man
convicted of "sorcery" was put to death.
http://www.amnesty.org/en/news-and-updates/
saudi-arabia-executes-man-convicted-sorcery-2011-09-20

First French fines for veiled women a ‘travesty of justice’
A
  court in Meaux near Paris fined Hind Ahmas €120 and Najate Naït Ali €80
  for wearing the niqab, a full face veil, in public. The first fines
issued in France today against two Muslim women wearing full-face veils
in public are a violation of their rights to freedom of expression and
religion, Amnesty International said today. 
http://www.amnesty.org/en/news-and-updates/
first-french-fines-veiled-women-'travesty-justice'-2011-09-22


Analysis / Opinion

'Israel losing asymmetric war to Palestine'
As Palestine's bid for statehood at the UN looms closer, the world is
waiting for Israel’s next move. Former Israeli intelligence head Ami
Ayalon believes the solution to peace in the region is creating a new
reality – of two states. Ami Ayalon believes that the recognition of
Palestine in the UN would not necessarily be a “step forward on the road
  to state solution,” but definitely will change perception of the
situation by the international community, which may lead to some
economic and diplomatic sanctions. 
http://rt.com/news/israel-palestine-existential-conflict-997/
Jewish neo-con joins Palestinian neo-con to expose those pesky Arabs
Let’s be clear. Here we have a fusion between a Zionist
fundamentalist, Pipes, and a Palestinian journalist with the
pro-settler Jerusalem Post, Abu Toameh, helping to “expose” the
supposedly existential threat of Arabs inside Israel. Abu Toameh was recently
in Australia as a guest of the Zionist lobby.
http://antonyloewenstein.com/2011/09/21/
jewish-neo-con-joins-palestinian-neo-con-to-expose-those-pesky-arabs/
Harper's undermining of UN bid goes against Canadian public opinion
Canada is so pro-Israel that it will vote in the United Nations against
recognizing a Palestinian state on only half the land that Canadian
diplomats promised Palestine sixty years ago.
http://electronicintifada.net/content/
harpers-undermining-un-bid-goes-against-canadian-public-opinion/10411

Interview with Jadaliyya Co-Editor Mouin Rabbani on Palestinian Statehood
With the United Nations set to debate Palestinian statehood on 20
September, Jadaliyya Co-EditorMouin Rabbani, a Middle East-based expert on
Palestine and Visiting Senior Fellow at
the Institute for Palestine Studies, discusses the background to and
implications of this development. He will be in the U.S. 15 September through
10 October for media appearances and public events.
http://www.jadaliyya.com/pages/index/2675/interview-with-jadaliyya-co-editor-mou\
in-rabbani-o

Al-Jazeera Interview with Jadaliyya Co-Editor Noura Erakat on PLO/PA Strategy at
the UN
The following interview aired live on Al Jazeera English's The Stream
with Jadaliyya Co-Editor Noura Erakat on 20 September 2011. Erakat argues
that if the PLO is serious about
changing its strategy vis-a-vis Israel post-statehood bid, it should
commit to shifting from bilateralism to multilateralism and look to its
base for leadership. She counters the claim, advanced by co-guest Husam
Zomlot, that the issue of the legitimacy of Palestinian representation
is an "internal" issue that can be separated from the decision to pursue the
statehood bid. Instead, Erakat argues that Palestinian leadership
at the UN is purporting to speak on behalf of all Palestinians and is
therefore afforded deference by other diplomatic missions despite the
fact that those Palestinian representatives lack the mandate to do so.
http://www.jadaliyya.com/pages/index/2680/al-jazeera-interview-with-jadaliyya-co\
-editor-nour

Palestinians Skeptical over UN Statehood Bid
Disagreement among Palestinians over Palestinian Authority head Mahmoud
Abbas’s
decision to seek UN recognition for Palestine is not restricted to
political factions. Political analysts and the public at large question
the merits of such a move.
http://english.al-akhbar.com/content/palestinians-skeptical-over-un-statehood-bi\
d

UN Bid for Palestinian Statehood: A Fruitless Gamble?
New York - Palestinian Authority head Mahmoud Abbas (Abu-Mazen) and the
sizeable delegation accompanying him to New York have yet to decide on
how to proceed with the Palestinian application for admission as a UN
member-state. The bid is to be submitted to UN Secretary-General Ban
Ki-moon after Abbas addresses the General Assembly on Friday. During a
meeting on Monday between Palestinian Authority Prime Minister Salam
Fayyad and representatives of Western donor states, also attended by
Danny Ayalon, Israel’s deputy foreign minister, Ayalon made clear that
Israel would exact economic retribution if the Palestinians went ahead
with their UN membership bid. Ayalon warned that “future assistance and
cooperation could be severely and irreparably compromised.” The chairman of
the meeting, Norwegian Foreign Minister Jonas Gare Store, for his
part emerged with the message “that there is an urgent need, as we
donors see it, that political negotiations resume.” This was read as a
sign that the European donors, while committed in theory to a
Palestinian state, are searching for justifications to defer to Israel
and the US over the UN bid.
http://english.al-akhbar.com/content/un-bid-palestinian-statehood-fruitless-gamb\
le
Biggest Losers in Palestine Veto? The American People, Philip Giraldi
If
  the Palestinian application for United Nations full membership actually
  takes place Friday and the United States uses its Security Council veto
  to stop the process, it will be the final step in a predictable and
preventable tragedy playing out.
http://original.antiwar.com/giraldi/2011/09/21/biggest-losers-in-palestine-veto-\
the-american-people/

Paradigm Shift: One-sided US Veto, Neve Gordon and Yinon Cohen
US
  President Barack Obama's decision to use the US' veto prerogative if
the United Nations votes to recognise a Palestinian state will
constitute a blow to those seeking peace in the Middle East. His
administration's claim that peace can only be achieved through dialogue
and consent rather than through unilateral moves ignores the complex
power relations that constitute peace-making between Israelis and
Palestinians. History teaches that peace is achieved only when the
conflicting sides believe that they have too much to lose by sustaining
the conflict. And, at this point in history, the price Israel is paying
for continuing the occupation is extremely small.
http://palestinechronicle.com/view_article_details.php?id=17119

Perry’s Faith-Based Foreign Policy Directive, Justin Raimondo
If Rick Perry makes it to the White House, what will American foreign
policy in the Middle East look like? We got a clear indication of that,
recently, when he stated: “As a Christian I have a clear directive to
support Israel, from my perspective its pretty easy both as an American
and a Christian.
http://original.antiwar.com/justin/2011/09/20/perrys-faith-based-foreign-policy-\
directive/

What Exactly Do Israeli Leaders Want?, Ahmed E. Souaiaia
A
  year ago, President Obama addressed the UNGA where he told world
leaders that "when we come back here next year, we can have an agreement
  that will lead to a new member of the United Nations - an independent,
sovereign state of Palestine, living in peace with Israel." He was back
today but there was no agreement. The Palestinians and the Israelis have
  signed an interim agreement on September 13, 1993 in Washington DC
known as the Oslo Accords. The document stipulated that this arrangement
  is temporary, and that the two parties should negotiate and produce a
permanent agreement and that the negotiations must start no later than
May 1996. It is now September 21, 2012. Nearly 20 years since signing
that accord and there is no permanent agreement, no negotiations.
Consequently, the head of the Palestinian Authority decided to ask the
world community to end the deadlock by recognizing a Palestinians state
over the 1967 borders. The Israelis are opposed and they are asking the
US to use its veto to deny the Palestinians statehood.
http://palestinechronicle.com/view_article_details.php?id=17127

Unconditional Support for Israel Encourages Bad Behavior
Surprisingly, as the U.S. threatens to veto in the U.N. Security Council
  a resolution for Palestinian statehood, President Barack Obama faces
plunging poll numbers with Jewish Americans. Obama’s sinking poll
numbers in the Jewish community (dropping from 80 percent in 2008 to 60
percent in July 2011), usually an extremely loyal bedrock of support for
  [...]
http://original.antiwar.com/eland/2011/09/20/unconditional-support-for-israel-en\
courages-bad-behavior/

Interview with Hosam El-Hamalawy on Counter-Revolution in Egypt
Seven
  months after the fall of Hosni Mubarak, the popular debate on what
constitutes a genuine change and revolution in Egypt rages on. The
decapitated hydra of Mubarak's regime lives on under a different guise,
but average citizens seem more determined than ever to not let any
special interests steal their hard-won revolution: not the military, not
  the neo-liberals, and not  Islamists. Khalil Bendib spoke with 
activist and blogger Hossam el-Hamlawy in Cairo.
http://www.jadaliyya.com/pages/index/2677/interview-with-hosam-el-hamalawy-on-co\
unter-revolu

Maximilian C. Forte, "Al Jazeera and U.S. Foreign Policy: What WikiLeaks' U.S.
Embassy Cables Reveal about U.S. Pressure and Propaganda"
The U.S. Embassy cables published by WikiLeaks present numerous very
interesting stories about how Al Jazeera was brought to heel by the U.S.
  Government. The U.S. Embassy in Doha, and officials from Washington,
used a variety of direct and indirect methods of ensuring a greater
degree of compliance on the part of Al Jazeera. These methods included
placing speakers on Al Jazeera news programs; supplying information
approved by the U.S. Government; providing U.S. training for Al
Jazeera's journalists; demanding editorial distortion of aired programs;
  securing Al Jazeera's agreement to check first with U.S. officials
before airing "sensitive" programs; monitoring of Al Jazeera in minute
detail, ranging from its news coverage to its internal structure and
policies; lodging complaints with Qatari government ministers; constant,
  personal visits to Al Jazeera's headquarters; developing familiarity
and close personal contacts with Al Jazeera staff; and going over the
head of the Managing Director of Al Jazeera to ensure that
"objectionable content" was removed and never repeated. Mainstreaming,
professionalism, balance, and objectivity emerge as the chosen tropes
for a journalism that favors U.S. foreign policy.

http://mrzine.monthlyreview.org/2011/forte220911.html


The Arab Revolts: Neoliberalism not Primary Target
Many pundits argue that the Arab revolts are a belated response against
neoliberalism; often defined as free trade, reduced social spending and
cuts in taxes and regulation, most prominently voiced in Walter
Armbrust's The Revolution against Neo-Liberalism. In Egypt, it is true that
antipathy exists toward one of the leading
symbols of neo-liberalism, the International Monetary Fund (IMF); The
IMF is blamed for Mubarak era crony capitalism. The recent decision by
the Egyptian cabinet to rescind an IMF loan due to popular opposition
gave voice to this resentment. In the birthplace of the Arab Spring,
Tunisia, the revolt was also fueled by growing anger over a sense of
pauperization.
http://english.al-akhbar.com/content/arab-revolts-neoliberalism-not-primary-targ\
et

[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]

Land, property, resources theft & destruction / Ethnic cleansing / Deportation /
Restriction of Movement

"SPIEGEL DATABASE" OF WEST BANK SETTLEMENTS AND OUTPOSTS
link to google maps
Israeli Army Create Late-Night Checkpoint at Entrance to Beit Ommar, Fire Tear
Gas Into Town
Saturday 24 September 2011: Late on Friday night the Israeli army once
again entered Beit Ommar. Two military jeeps positioned themselves
inside the town – one near the route 60 highway, and another across the
entrance to the town. From these positions, Israeli soldiers
sporadically fired tear gas into residential areas of the town, with
several cannisters landing in gardens and next to homes. These attacks
came without any provocation, or any response from Beit Ommar residents. In
addition to the tear gas fired into empty gardens, soldiers also
fired several rounds along an entirely deserted main street. In addition to the
tear gas, the army also began stopping and searching cars
entering and leaving the village, and questioning their drivers and
passengers.
http://palestinesolidarityproject.org/2011/09/24/
israeli-army-create-late-night-checkpoint-at-entrance-to-beit-ommar-fire-tear-ga\
s-into-town/

Settler Violence Against Palestinians

Man Wounded After Settlers Hurled Stones At His VehicleEyewitnesses reported
that a Palestinian man from Nahhalin town,
west of Bethlehem, was injured on Saturday evening when a group of
extremist Israeli settlers hurled stones at his vehicle causing it to
crash on the main road between Nahhalin and Husan villages.
http://www.imemc.org/article/62108


Israeli Settlers Attack Palestinian Villages Near Nablus
NABLUS, September 24, 2011 (WAFA) – Armed groups of Israeli
settlers from Yitzhar and Bracha Saturday attacked the village of Burin, south
of Nablus, setting fire to olive trees and cutting some down,
according to village residents. They said the settlers have escalated
their attacks on area villages, destroying agricultural land, cutting
down or burning trees and throwing rocks at cars traveling the West Bank roads
that pass near the settlements.
http://english.wafa.ps/index.php?action=detail&id=17492

Settlers, Palestinians clash near Nablus
NABLUS (Ma'an) -- Clashes erupted Saturday between Israeli settlers and
Palestinian residents of the Burin village near Nablus in the
northern West Bank, witnesses and the Israeli army said. Locals told a
Ma'an correspondent that residents of the illegal Yitzhar settlement
stormed the entrance to Burin, threw rocks at villagers and smashed the
windscreen of a car. Israeli soldiers arrived to the scene and fired
tear gas and stun grenades, locals said.
http://www.maannews.net/eng/ViewDetails.aspx?ID=423233

Settlers Fire on Shepherds near Bethlehem
Israeli troops arrested two Palestinians after shooting their car
on Saturday morning at Tekoa junction near Bethlehem, while Israeli
settlers opened fire on Palestinian shepherds. 
Eyewitnesses
told the Palestinian state news wire Wafa that Israeli soldiers manning
the Tekoa checkpoint east of Bethlehem shot at a car approaching the
checkpoint, then arrested 41-year-old Mohammed Ghanam and his
17-year-old son Qamr. Both were from the village of Dura in Hebron
governorate.
http://english.pnn.ps/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=10701

Settlers parade Hebron
Today at 4 p.m. the settlers paraded as usual around the Old
City of Al Khalil, or Hebron,  from  4 to about 5 p.m. About 5
 international observers, as well as members of Christian Peacemakers
Team and World Council Church volunteers witnessed the pompous parade.
 Over 15 soldiers protected settlers during their weekly walk around the
market. â€œThey came into my shop and started to question me about the
Palestinian map I have on the wall,†said Nawal, a local merchant as she
pointed to a textile map of Palestine she had on the wall.â€This woman
said that the map was wrong and that this area was all of Israel,   I
told her that it was correct and if she didn’t like it she could go
elsewhere.â€
http://palsolidarity.org/2011/09/20266/

Villagers v settlers, Life in the rural West Bank is a far cry from diplomacy in
New York
In response to the UN bid, Jewish settlers are mobilising too. By day they march
about, brandishing large Israeli flags. By night, activists exact what they call
“price-tagsâ€, for instance by defiling mosques, in the
hope of provoking a conflict which the well-armed settlers feel sure
they could win. They have also used their formidable presence in
Israel’s combat units and supporters in Mr Netanyahu’s ruling
coalition
to press home their advantage. To ward off anticipated Palestinian
demonstrations in the wake of the UN vote in New York, Israeli soldiers
armed with stun-grenades, tear-gas and a foul-smelling liquid known as
skunk have moved into settlements near Palestinian towns. If hordes try
to enter, says a settler security officer, the settlers are licensed to
shoot.
http://www.economist.com/node/21530175

While the diplomats haggle, deadly tensions are mounting in the nascent
Palestine
The settlers come down the hill from the outpost, mostly on foot, but
occasionally on horseback or in tractors or 4x4s. They carry Israeli
flags, and sometimes bring guns, shovels and dogs. There may be as few
as three or as many as 40. They taunt the local villagers and sometimes
attack them. Often the Israeli army arrives and trains its weapons on
the villagers. In Qusra, deep among the terraced hills of the West Bank, fear
is on the rise. "The settlers are provoking us continuously," said Hani Abu
Reidi, head of the village council. "They uproot olive trees,
kill our sheep, burn our mosques and curse our prophet. They want to
drag us into the sphere of violence. We do not want to go there."
http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2011/sep/24/palestinian-statehood-tension-settle\
rs


Conspiracy between Israel and its settlers
The Zionist state of Israel has always worked hard to put a
spin on events which falsifies reality and covers-up the facts. An
objective observer, however, can discern the truth and find
contradictions between Israeli propaganda and the real facts on the
ground. One such contradiction is the official claim that the Israeli
government and the actions of the illegal settlers it allows to colonise the
occupied West Bank are not linked. That claim is a lie; there is
full coordination and cooperation between the government and settlers'
groups. The plan to train West Bank settlers to use new weapons
including tear gas and stun grenades, which settlers' leaders and rabbis say
will help them to prevent the establishment of a Palestinian state, has been
followed by the Israeli occupation army standing aside while
settlers have attacked mosques, educational institutions and Palestinian homes
across the West Bank. Tear gas has been fired by the army, not at the settlers
committing these crimes, but at the victims as they
protest.
http://www.middleeastmonitor.org.uk/articles/middle-east/2849

Israeli Regime Violence Against Palestinians and Internationals


Essam Aoudhi: Martyred in defense of Qusra
Today Essam Kamal Abed Aoudhi, a 35 year old father of 8 children
from the village of Qusra, was murdered by the Israeli army as they
fired live ammunition indiscriminately into a crowd of villagers
gathered in their village. From the nearby outpost of Esh Kodesh (“Holy
Headâ€) built entirely on stolen Qusra land, a large group of settlers
left the settlement and entered the village just after 1pm and began
attacking villagers and burning olive groves. As the villagers gathered
to protect themselves and their land, the soldiers arrived and stood
between the settlers and villagers, protecting the settlers who
retreated. Soldiers instantly began to fire tear gas canisters, rubber
bullets and live ammunition directly at villagers, making no attempt to
disperse but intending solely to injure.
http://palsolidarity.org/2011/09/20254/

Israeli Soldiers Shoot at Palestinian Vehicle, Arrest Passengers
BETHLEHEM, September 24, 2011 (WAFA) – Israeli soldiers Saturday opened
fire at a
Palestinian vehicle east of Bethlehem and arrested its two passengers,
according to local sources. Witnesses said the civilian car overturned
after the soldiers shot at it. Mohammad Ghannam, 41, and his 17-year-old
daughter, from Dura, a town southwest of Hebron, were in the car and
were arrested by the army.
http://english.wafa.ps/index.php?action=detail&id=17484
Survivor of Israeli forces’ brutal attack recalls experience
33-year old Palestinian man was arrested and brutally assaulted by
Israeli Border Police and undercover units on 15 September  in Silwan.
Waheed Rwaidi was accosted by Israeli units, while driving from his home
  in Bir Ayyub to his sister’s home in Abu Tur just outside Silwan, in
his car with his mother, wife and two children, aged 3 years and 9
months. Rwaidi was randomly stopped by Israeli forces at a mobile check
point as he and his family attempted to leave Bir Ayyub. “When I was
stopped by soldiers beside the brick factory in Bir Ayyub on the night
of September 15, everything seemed quiet,†Rwaidi told Silwanic. “Then
all of a sudden, kids on the street began throwing stones at the troops.
  To move my family out of danger, I moved the car about ten metres,
which drew the soldiers’ attention. The soldiers asked me, my mother and
  my wife for our ID cards, but my mother and wife didn’t have them. The
soldiers responded with dirty language, and started to search our car.
“It was at that point that I was attacked by a unit of undercover
agents. They used wooden sticks to beat me, and kicked me all over my
body – focusing on my face. I was sprayed with pepper spray. My family
was also threatened with pepper spray.
http://silwanic.net/?p=20488

French Photographer Injured in Nabi Saleh Demonstration 
RAMALLAH, September 24, 2011 (WAFA) – Chris Hoby, a French
photographer for the French news agency “Le Desk,†was shot on Friday
by an Israeli soldier's tear gas bomb while covering the Nabi Saleh
demonstration, said a medical source. Hoby, who was photographing the
peaceful demonstrations for three weeks in a row, said that he was
standing 50 meters away from the soldiers when one of them pointed his
gun at him and fired. He said that usually the soldiers shoot in the air to
break up the demonstration, yet this time they shot at the ground
which resulted in injuring a number of protesters.
http://english.wafa.ps/index.php?action=detail&id=17495

Detainees


Israeli Troops Arrest Two Palestinians
Israeli troops arrested two Palestinians after shooting their car on Saturday
morning at Tekoa junction near Bethlehem, while Israeli settlers opened
fire on Palestinian shepherds. 
Eyewitnesses told the Palestinian state news wire Wafa that Israeli soldiers
manning the Tekoa checkpoint east of Bethlehem shot at a car
approaching the checkpoint, then arrested 41-year-old Mohammed Ghanam
and his 17-year-old son Qamr. Both were from the village of Dura in
Hebron governorate.
http://english.pnn.ps/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=10701
At the pretext of searching for mobile phones, police raid Askalan prison
Nachshon prison police raided the Askalan prison on the pretext that
they were looking for smuggled mobile phones, causing extensive damage
to prisoners' property.
link to Palestine Information Center

Gaza
Two Tunnel Workers Killed, Five Injured
Palestinian
  medical sources reported that two tunnel workers died of wounds
sustained due to a gas leak that led to an explosion inside as
siege-busting tunnel, in Rafah, in the southern part of the Gaza Strip.
http://www.imemc.org/article/62107


Medics: 2 killed in Gaza tunnel collapse
GAZA CITY (Ma'an) -- Two Palestinians were killed and three others
injured on Saturday after a gas canister exploded in a smuggling tunnel
in the southern Gaza Strip, medics said., Nine people were in the tunnel at the
time of the explosion and four were rescued unharmed, medical
officials told Ma'an., Five Palestinians have been killed in tunnel
collapses in the last week.
http://www.maannews.net/eng/ViewDetails.aspx?ID=423237


Three new tunnels found on the border with Gaza
Egyptian police on Friday discovered three new tunnels on the
border with Gaza, two at Sahah El-Din, and a big tunnel for smuggling
fuel, diesel and gasoline in the Brahmins area.
Police raided
the tunnels and seized some goods and food items, but nobody was
arrested. Currently, both police and army forces are controlling the
border with Gaza and have appointed high security forces at the tunnel
openings. The issue of tunnels on the border with Gaza created a lot of
debate both during and after the Mubarak era. The majority of Egyptians
were expecting better relations and more support for the Palestinians
after the January 25 revolution.
http://english.ahram.org.eg/~/NewsContent/1/64/22210/Egypt/Politics-/
Three-new-tunnels-found-on-the-border-with-Gaza.aspx
Tunisian aid convoy lands in Gaza on solidarity visit
The Tunisian Karame (Dignity) aid convoy arrived in Gaza on Saturday via
  the Rafah border crossing with Egypt on a few days visit.
link to Palestine Information Center

Gaza students suffer under Israel siege
Gaza,(Alresalah.ps)-- School this year in the Gaza Strip opens with a severe
shortage of
space and material due to the continuation of the Israeli blockade of
the region, Press TV reports. Most of Gaza's government and UN-run
schools are operating two shifts every day to deal with the shortage of
classrooms. More than 50 students try to concentrate in each classroom,
with three children seated at a desk designed for two. The United
Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees (UNRWA) uses
metal shipping containers as classrooms in some schools to accommodate
the large 
http://english.alresalah.ps/?action=showdetail&seid=768

Gaza court questions accused in death of Italian
GAZA CITY, Palestinian Territories — A Gaza military court on Thursday
played the alleged confessions of four men accused in the April kidnap
and murder of Italian peace activist Vittorio Arrigoni. Of the four men,
  all from Gaza, two are accused of murder, a third of having helped in
the kidnap and killing, and a fourth of providing the house where the
body of Arrigoni was found hanging, hours after he was snatched. The
defendants appeared in Gaza City courtroom unshackled and in civilian
clothes, all four sporting beards. They appeared calm and responded to
questions from the court’s three judges.
http://palsolidarity.org/2011/09/20246/


'Hamas not interested in escalation'Foreign Ministry assessment suggest Gaza's
rules will not overtly try to
undermine Abbas' historic statehood bid; will wage battle over
Palestinian public's opinion against move.
http://www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7340,L-4126411,00.html

Boycott / Divestment/ Sanctions & Solidarity

Police to apologise after Gaza protester wins complaint
A PROTESTER who was unlawfully arrested and handcuffed in Edinburgh has
said he is "delighted" after police were ordered to apologise to
him. University lecturer Mick Napier, now 64, was detained during a
protest in St Mary's Street, just off the Royal Mile, in May
2008. Several other protesters had unfurled a banner reading "End the
Seige of Gaza" from the top of an open-topped tourist bus when the
arrest took place. Mr Napier had been driving in a car behind the bus
and stepped out onto the pavement when it pulled over and the police
were called. When asked by an officer for his details, he declined to
provide them, and was arrested and handcuffed. 
http://www.scotsman.com/news/Police-to-apologise-after-Gaza.6841340.jp

Harvard students: ‘The decision to criminalize the Irvine 11 for their
courageous action is an attack on all people who seek peace and justice
in Israel/Palestine.’ 
The Harvard College Palestine Solidarity Committee and the GSAS Alliance for
Justice in the Middle East have issued a statement on the 'Irvine 11' case.
It reads in part:  The Irvine 11 should be commended for confronting
Oren’s propaganda effort
to whitewash Israel’s criminal actions and policies in front of college
audiences. Instead, they have been unjustly punished for
constitutionally-protected dissent that is a routine part of student
activism, including here at Harvard.
link to Mondoweiss
BDS update: Buttressing an independent Palestine
A
  new Boycott, Divest and Sanctions (BDS) campaign was launched this
summer by the United Church of Canada, which will try to persuade six
companies operating in Canada — Caterpillar, Motorola, Ahava, Veolia,
Elbit Systems and Chapters/Indigo — to stop supporting the Israeli
occupation. “The Campaign follows similar campaigns launched some time
ago by the US Presbyterian Church and the New England Conference of the
United Methodist Church. We have launched ‘Occupied with Peace’
after
almost two years of discernment and information gathering,†says
spokesperson Jean Lee.
http://dissidentvoice.org/2011/09/bds-update-buttressing-an-independent-palestin\
e/

Israeli Racism & Discrimination

Israel Bans Males under 50 from Praying at Al-Aqsa Mosque
JERUSALEM, September 23, 2011 (WAFA) – Israeli police Friday banned
Palestinian
males who are under 50 years of age from entering Al-Aqsa Mosque as the
Palestinians get ready to ask for United Nations membership. No
restrictions were imposed on females. Police increased its presence in
and around East Jerusalem in anticipation of possible outbreak of
violence as a result of the UN bid.
http://english.wafa.ps/index.php?action=detail&id=17479

Knesset moves forward on bill granting Israel unchecked, draconian powers
Israel’s use of administrative detention, expulsion and
widespread closure of Palestinian cultural institutions will be
fortified and backed by a bill that threatens to turn law-abiding
citizens and organizations into “terrorists.â€
http://electronicintifada.net/content/
knesset-moves-forward-bill-granting-israel-unchecked-draconian-powers/10409

Photo Essay: A Middle Eastern Turning Point
This week, the
world’s attention centers on the United Nations in New York where,
following months of build-up, the Palestinians have brought their case
for statehood to the U.N. Security Council. Given the certainty of a
U.S. veto, the Palestinian bid for U.N. recognition will be stillborn.
What follows after this high-profile diplomatic “showdown†is
anybody’s
guess, but there’s little cause for optimism. Co-existence between
Israelis and Palestinians in the bitterly contested Holy Land grows ever more
fraught. Seeking to break through barriers, Israeli photographer
Natan Dvir decided to cast his lens on the others in his midst — the
largely marginalized Israeli Arabs, who comprise nearly a fifth of
Israel’s total population. Dvir sums up their plight:  â€œThey are
living
as a minority in a Jewish country at war with people [the Palestinians
of the West Bank and Gaza] they see as allies or even brothers… Many see
themselves as being discriminated against and are hoping for a change
that would allow them and the rest of the Arab population in Israel an
equal position in society.â€
http://lightbox.time.com/2011/09/22/eighteen-natan-dvir/#1

Israel's Dead Sea to get its first gender-divided beach
The section of beach in question had been set aside for separate
bathing of men and women, to serve the ultra-Orthodox, years ago. But it
deteriorated over the years because of the rising sea water and salt
dama
http://www.haaretz.com/print-edition/news/israel-s-
dead-sea-to-get-its-first-gender-divided-beach-1.386157?localLinksEnabled=false

Statehood Bid
Palestinians give 'two weeks' for UNSC action
Leading Fatah official gives deadline for Security Council decision on statehood
bid, ahead of Monday meeting.
http://english.aljazeera.net/news/middleeast/2011/09/201192413247435312.html


Abbas: Next step is serious talks with Hamas
LONDON (Ma'an) -- After filing his request that Palestine join the UN,
President Mahmoud Abbas said Saturday in London he would initiate deep
discussions with Hamas about the state of disunity.
http://www.maannews.net/eng/ViewDetails.aspx?ID=423243

Egypt FM: Israel wants endless negotiations
Ali Amr calls for the recognition of the Palestinian state, says
'the establishment of a Palestinian state is the only way to achieve a
just peace based on two states'.
http://www.haaretz.com/news/diplomacy-defense/egypt-fm-israel-wants-endless-nego\
tiations-1.386566
Cracks appear between Britain and France as Palestine vote looms
A Franco-British rift was looming last night after David Cameron failed
to line up behind President Nicolas Sarkozy's plan to give the
Palestinians enhanced status at the United Nations.
http://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/politics/
cracks-appear-between-britain-and-france-as-palestine-vote-looms-2359432.html

Tony Blair warns over Palestinian statehood bid
Tony
  Blair warned today that the Palestinian bid for statehood at the United
  Nations would be "deeply confrontational" without a return to peace
talks with the Israelis.
http://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/politics/
tony-blair-warns-over-palestinian-statehood-bid-2359786.html

Italian FM: Palestinian state can only be achieved through talks
UNITED NATIONS (Reuters) -- Foreign Minister Franco Frattini said Saturday
that Italy supported US-brokered negotiations between Israel and
Palestine in his speech to the United Nations General Assembly.
http://www.maannews.net/eng/ViewDetails.aspx?ID=423345
Analysis: Peace no closer as Palestinians ask U.N. for state (Reuters)
Reuters - A hasty attempt by big powers to refloat Middle East talks --
and spare the United States the embarrassment of vetoing a Palestinian
demand for United Nations recognition of a state -- looks doomed.
http://news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20110923/wl_nm/us_un_assembly_peace

IDF: Relative calm in West Bank during Palestinian statehood bid
Despite rise in incidents of rock-throwing at Israeli vehicles and
at Jewish settlements in West Bank, as well as a few confrontations,
officers in Central Command say large-scale unrest they had feared
failed to materialize.
http://www.haaretz.com/print-edition/news/
idf-relative-calm-in-west-bank-during-palestinian-statehood-bid-1.386542
In Pictures: The day of the UN bid
September 23 was a historical day for Palestinians worldwide and within
the territories, as the Palestinian Authority submitted a bid to the UN
to be recognized as the 194th nation of the world. While diplomats and
political discussions ensued, a typical dialogue between Palestinians
continued in the face of constant illegal Israeli oppression.
http://palsolidarity.org/2011/09/20263/

Egyptian Writers Support Palestinian Bid
CAIRO, September 24, 2011 (WAFA) – A number of senior writers in Egyptian
newspapers Saturday expressed their full support for the Palestinian
application to gain full United Nations membership of a Palestinian
state based on 1967 borders and East Jerusalem as its capital, while
criticizing US bias toward the Israeli occupation.
http://english.wafa.ps/index.php?action=detail&id=17489

Palestinians Praise Argentina’s Support for UN Bid
BUENOS AIRES, September 24, 2011 (WAFA) -  Palestine’s ambassador
to Argentina, Walid al-Muaqqat, Saturday praised Argentinean President
Cristina Fernandez de Kirchner’s speech at the United Nations General
Assembly, where she renewed her desire to see Palestine become a member
of the United Nations organization with full rights. Al-Muaqqat, along
with the Argentine Confederation of Arab Entities (Fearab), the Islamic
Center and the Palestinian-Argentinean Federation, said they highly
appreciate Kirchner’s speech when she said that “I wish Palestine
will
have the 194th seat in the United Nations.â€
http://english.wafa.ps/index.php?action=detail&id=17490

World Trade Union Supports Palestinian UN Bid 
ATHENS, September 24, 2011 (WAFA) - A delegation from the World
Federation of Trade Unions (WFTU) Friday handed the Israeli embassy in
Athens a letter that supports the recognition of an independent
Palestinian state on the 1967 borders with East Jerusalem as its
capital, according to a press release. The delegation was headed by WFTU
General Secretary, George Mavrikos, along with members of the General
Union of Palestinian Workers in Athens and All-Workers Militant Front
(PAME).
http://english.wafa.ps/index.php?action=detail&id=17488

Other News
'Obama sold special bombs to Israel'
New
  report claims US secretly approved transfer of 'bunker buster' bombs
that could be used in attack against Iran just months after Barack Obama
  took office, even though Bush administration had previously blocked
deal.
http://www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7340,L-4126503,00.html

'US budget cuts won't affect military aid to Israel'
Senior US officials clarified during a series of meetings with
Finance Minister Yuval Steinitz Washington has no intention of
downsizing military aid to Israel, despite the drastic cuts in the US
budget, according to a Finance Ministry statement Friday.
http://www.jpost.com/DiplomacyAndPolitics/Article.aspx?id=239174

Abbas to demand changes to Oslo peace accords
Returning home from UN General Assembly, PA president says that
terms of Paris Agreement prevent Palestinian economy from prospering.
http://www.haaretz.com/news/diplomacy-defense/abbas-to-demand-changes-to-oslo-pe\
ace-accords-1.386520
Abbas to soon launch ‘in-depth’ talks with Hamas
De facto Palestinian president Mahmoud Abbas said he would launch
“in-depth talks†with Palestinian resistance group Hamas on issues
pertaining to the government and “Palestinian horizonsâ€.
link to Palestine Information Center

Mideast Quartet sets timetable for renewed Israeli-Palestinian talks
Timetable aims to reach peace agreement before end of 2012;
brief Quartet statement makes no proposals to bridge core issues
dividing Israelis and Palestinians.
http://www.haaretz.com/news/diplomacy-defense/
mideast-quartet-sets-timetable-for-renewed-israeli-palestinian-talks-1.386434

Palestinian FM rejects Quartet proposal for not addressing settlements, Israeli
withdrawal
Proposal calls for setting agenda for new peace talks with a goal
of a deal by the end of 2012; U.S. says timeline is 'realistic and
serious.'
http://www.haaretz.com/news/diplomacy-defense/palestinian-
fm-rejects-quartet-proposal-for-not-addressing-settlements-israeli-withdrawal-1.\
386482

Egypt says Quartet proposal 'another failure'
UNITED NATIONS (Reuters) -- Egyptian interim Foreign Minister Mohamed Kamel
Amr on Saturday said the Middle East Quartet had failed to make progress to end
Israel's occupation of Palestine. In his address to the UN
General Assembly in New York, Amr said Egypt "was, and will remain,
committed to the goal of achieving just and comprehensive peace that it
had initiated in the Middle East and will continue to actively support
it. 
http://www.maannews.net/eng/ViewDetails.aspx?ID=423352

Bill Clinton: Netanyahu to blame for failure of peace process
Yearning for leaders of the past, former US President says 'two great
tragedies in modern Middle Eastern politics were Rabin's assassination
and Sharon's stroke'.
http://www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7340,L-4126490,00.html
Bill Clinton: Rick Perry's like Israeli 'militants'
Former President Bill Clinton suggested Thursday that Texas Gov. Rick Perry
was ideologically in line with “militant subgroups in Israel†and was
too willing to let the Jewish state do whatever it wants.
http://www.politico.com/news/stories/0911/64134.html

Erdogan: Israel cannot be trusted
In interview with CNN Turkish PM continues with belligerent rhetoric
towards Israel, questions the number of Israeli fatalities from
Palestinian terror groups' rocket fire 'compared to thousands of dead
Palestinians'.
http://www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7340,L-4126832,00.html
Erdogan assaulted in UN building
Unidentified man tries to attack Turkish PM during Abbas' speech, stopped by
bodyguards.
http://www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7340,L-4126682,00.html

Lebanon speaker responds to Netanyahu speech
BEIRUT (Ma'an) -- The speaker of the Lebanese parliament on Saturday
criticized Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's address to the UN General
Assembly in New York on Friday. Netanyahu told world leaders
that the UN had become a "theater of the absurd" as
"Hezbollah-controlled Lebanon" held presidency of the UN Security
Council.  "This means, in effect, that a terror organization presides
over the body entrusted with guaranteeing the world's security," he
added.
http://www.maannews.net/eng/ViewDetails.aspx?ID=423216

Berri Slams Netanyahu… Hezbollah Condemns Obama
Lebanon’s Parliament Speaker Nabih Berri on Saturday lashed out at a
speech given by Israeli Minister Benjamin Netanyahu at the United
Nations General Assembly, saying it was filled with “contempt†and
“grudge.† In a statement he released, Berri stressed that Hezbollah
doesn’t preside over the UN Security Council nor do President Michel
Sleiman and Prime Minister Najib Miqati. He noted that “it’s a
matter of time that the world realizes that the organization might have the time
to avenge its dignity and understand that Israel can’t stay above the
law and above accountability.â€
http://www.almanar.com.lb/english/adetails.php?fromval=1&cid=23&eid=28956&frid=2\
3


Israeli law lecturer calls Jordan a "puppet state"
An
  Israeli law lecturer has called the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan a
"puppet state" which had never existed in reality or on a map and whose
people are "a combination of tribes recently settled" there. In his
Op-Ed piece in Yedioth Ahronoth headed "Jordan is Palestine", Dr. Haim
Misgav was also critical of King Abdullah II for claiming that he will
protect his country, "militarily if necessary", against any attempts to
"transfer" Palestinians to Jordan. Misgav believes that the King will
soon see a Palestinian state in Jordan.
http://www.middleeastmonitor.org.uk/news/middle-east/2852

Muslim nations criticize Israel over nukes (AP)
AP - Muslim countries at a 151-nation conference demanded Friday that
Israel open its nuclear program to international purview, asserting that its
undeclared arsenal is a threat to Mideast peace.
http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20110923/ap_on_re_eu/eu_nuclear_agency_mideast


US: Stop Proposed Arms Sales to Bahrain
(Washington,
  DC) – The United States should delay a proposed arms sale to Bahrain
until it ends abuses against peaceful critics of the ruling family and
takes meaningful steps toward accountability for serious human rights
violations, Human Rights Watch said today. The US Defense Department
notified Congress on September 14, 2011, of a proposed sale of armored
Humvees and missiles to Bahrain worth US$53 million. The sale would
appear to be the first since the start of Bahrain’s crackdown on
protests earlier this year.
http://www.hrw.org/news/2011/09/22/us-stop-proposed-arms-sales-bahrain

City Councilman Defends Naming His Dog ‘Muhammad’
A city councilman in San Juan Capistrano, California, has come under fire by
Muslims and
local council members alike for naming his dog Muhammad and later
announcing it during a city council meeting.
http://www.theblaze.com/stories/city-councilman-defends-naming-his-dog-muhammad/

More cases of NYPD ethnic spying exposed
The New York Police Department put American citizens under
surveillance and scrutinized where they ate, prayed and worked, not
because of charges of wrongdoing but because of their ethnicity,
according to interviews and documents obtained by The Associated Press.
http://www.cbsnews.com/2102-201_162-20109986.html?tag=contentMain;contentBody

Morocco university holds first Holocaust conference in Arab world
Only prior meeting held in Muslim world was a 2006 Iranian
conference, widely denounced by Jewish leaders as an attempt to
discredit the Holocaust.
http://www.haaretz.com/weekend/anglo-file/
morocco-university-holds-first-holocaust-conference-in-arab-world-1.386173
Women's rights advocates gather to ensure they aren't sidelined in 'Arab Spring'
Leading women's rights activists from around the world convened in
Washington, D.C., this week to discuss how to ensure they aren't
excluded from the democratization sweeping the region.
http://rss.csmonitor.com/~r/feeds/world/~3/DbWpNpNcBQg/
Women-s-rights-advocates-gather-to-ensure-they-aren-t-sidelined-in-Arab-Spring

Analysis/Op-ed


Israeli press wary over Obama's 'Zionist' UN speech
JERUSALEM (AFP) -- Israeli newspapers were unanimous Thursday in
characterizing US President Barack Obama's UN speech as hugely
supportive of Israel, but some argued it was perhaps too much of a good
thing. "The American embrace" was the front-page headline of the Maariv
daily, while the top-selling Yedioth Aharonoth took a similar line,
summing up the impact of Obama's remarks for Israel and the Palestinians as "The
hug and the snub."
http://www.maannews.net/eng/ViewDetails.aspx?ID=422664

Analysis: US elections and pandering to Israel
WASHINGTON (Reuters) - So much for charges from conservative
contenders for the 2012 US presidential elections that Barack Obama is
not pro-Israel enough -- the president just won seals of approval from
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, his far-right foreign minister,
Avigdor Lieberman, and the US lobby that usually reflects their views.
http://www.maannews.net/eng/ViewDetails.aspx?ID=423136
LEADERSHIP FAILURE: HILLARY MANN LEVERETT ON OBAMA’S HISTORIC BLUNDER ON
PALESTINIAN STATEHOOD
Today, Hillary went on Al Jazeera to critique President Obama’s speech
to the United Nations General Assembly; see video embedded above (click
on picture to play).  The segment focuses on Obama’s remarks about the
Palestinian issue, but the speech, see here, virtually in its entirety,
is a testament to Obama’s failure as a foreign policy President. 
http://www.raceforiran.com/leadership-failure-hillary-mann-leverett-on-obama%E2%\
80%99s-historic-blunder-on-palestinian-statehood
As If There Is No Occupation; The Limits of Palestinian Authority
Strategy, Nu'man Kanafani
For
  many months, the streets of downtown Ramallah, seat of the Palestinian
Authority (PA), have literally been heaps of earth. Workers have labored
  intensively to replace water and sewage pipes, repave roads, lay
beautiful carved stones at roadsides and install thick chains along the
edges of sidewalks in order to better separate pedestrian and automotive
  traffic. Shopkeepers have been told to reduce the size of their
storefront signs; specially designed electricity poles jut skyward. Not
every town resident is impressed. As they navigate the mounds of dirt,
cynics joke: “The PA is covering the road to self-determination in
asphalt.†“We have the sewers; all that’s left is the
sovereignty.†“The
  streets of Ramallah are paved with white stones -- who needs
Jerusalem?â€
http://www.merip.org/mero/mero092211

A token state of Palestine is a compromise too far
The Palestinian statehood show at the UN is finally on the road. With
his application this week to the UN secretary general and address to the general
assembly, the Palestinian president formally launched the
statehood process. In so doing Mahmoud Abbas has shown astonishing
resolve against a formidable array of Israeli, US and European pressures to
force him into retracting his position. Whatever else, this newfound
determination will ensure a fresh lease of life for a leadership
considered by many Palestinians, still shocked by the Palestine papers'
revelations of subservience to Israel, to be unrepresentative,
discredited and illegitimate. Israeli-US threats and frantic last-minute
manoeuvring by the Quartet powers to halt the statehood process have
only lent further credence to the Palestinian position.
http://www.guardian.co.uk/commentisfree/2011/sep/23/token-state-palestine-compro\
mise
Palestinians: The Search for Statehood
The Palestinian struggle for statehood and the right to
self-determination predates the recent attempt to gain recognition at
the UN by decades and will not cease should the latest bid fail. Despite
  being repeatedly shunned by the International Community, Palestinians
continue to express their desire for liberation in a myriad ways.
http://english.al-akhbar.com/photoblogs/palestinians-search-statehood

Netanyahu proved Israel doesn't want peace, Gideon Levy
Netanyahu shows to the world that Israel wants neither an agreement nor a
Palestinian state, and for that matter not peace, either.
http://www.haaretz.com/print-edition/opinion/netanyahu-proved-israel-doesn-t-wan\
t-peace-1.386558

Palestine at the U.N. . . . Again
Just about ninety minutes ago Mahmoud Abbas, president of the Palestine
Liberation Organization and the Palestinian Authority, posed the
perennial Palestinian question to the delegations assembled in New York: Is
there one people too many or one state too few?  For the past two decades,
bilateral negotiations have quarantined a matter
of broad international concern and consequence. Under the veneer of the
“peace process,†Israel has consolidated its occupation and escalated
its colonial settlement expansion. The forced population-transfer of
Palestinian civilians has continued unabated under the weight of the
Israeli imperative of creating facts on the ground. Rather than
challenge those policies on behalf of the Palestinians it purports to
represent, for the past twenty years the Palestinian leadership has
succumbed to U.S. pressure. The PA has muted its public protest and
international advocacy against Israeli policies in exchange for the
promise of a better negotiation position. 
http://www.jadaliyya.com/pages/index/2725/palestine-at-the-u.n.-.-.-.-again
Why Palestinians have a right to return home
A thorough examination of the legal rights of all those displaced by the
creation of the state of Israel in 1948.
http://english.aljazeera.net/indepth/opinion/2011/09/2011922135540203743.html

No Peace or Justice in Our Time with Netanyahu, Steve Lendman
Like his Washington paymaster/partner, Netanyahu deplores peace.
Initiating talks never worked before and won't now. Speaking privately
at the Clinton Global Initiative conference in New York, Bill Clinton
said Netanyahu lost interest because Palestine has a president he
controls, and normalizing relations with the Arab world is within reach.
http://sjlendman.blogspot.com/2011/09/no-peace-or-justice-in-our-time-with_24.ht\
ml

Congress Moves To Punish Palestinians, But Even Israel Objects
WASHINGTON — A congressional drive to punish the
Palestinian Authority for its statehood bid by cutting American aid is
being greeted with enthusiasm by lawmakers of both parties.  But the
White House is giving the move a cold shoulder, and even Israel itself
and its strongest supporters have serious reservations.
The legislation being discussed in Congress would cut all or part
of the nearly $600 million annual aid package if Palestinians move ahead with
their plan to seek statehood at the United Nations.
http://www.forward.com/articles/143299/#ixzz1YwbFQm1F

It’s the Occupation, Stupid, Sandy Tolan and Tom Engelhardt
I’m reminded of how Chinese premier Zhou EnLai supposedly answered a
question in 1972 about the significance of the French Revolution. “Too
early to tell,†was his reputed reply; and though he may never have said it,
how true it is that the major events of our world carom through
history in ways that remain unpredictable even hundreds of years later.
 How then to arrive at an assessment of the Arab Spring — and now far
harsher Summer and Fall — of 2011, other than to say that it has proven
monumental?
http://original.antiwar.com/engelhardt/2011/09/22/its-the-occupation-stupid/

It is only cool when American diplomats do itYears ago, in the good old days
when Arab diplomats used to walk out when
Israeli speakers approach the podium at international events and
meetings, US officials and journalists used to mock Arab diplomats and
complain about their undemocratic behavior and their unwillingness to
listen to the other side.  Now, US diplomats walk out when Iranian
officials speak.  But American diplomats are cute when they do it, I
guess.
http://angryarab.blogspot.com/2011/09/it-is-only-cool-when-american-diplomats.ht\
ml

Change at Al Jazeera, Asad AbuKhalil
The Western and Arabic press is full of stories about Al Jazeera and the
  new direction it will inevitably follow with the selection of a new
director-general for its operating networks. The ouster (the official
statement did not mention resignation) of Waddah Khanfar has opened
doors for speculation. No one really knows what goes on behind the scene
  and it is no secret that the Emir of Qatar really runs the networks and
  is fully aware of its powers, as far as Qatar is concerned. More than
gas, Al Jazeera put Qatar on the regional and global map.
http://english.al-akhbar.com/blogs/angry-corner/change-al-jazeera
The Middle East’s New Geopolitical Map, PATRICK SEALE
The
  Arab Spring is not the only revolution in town. The toppling of
dictators in Tunisia, Egypt and Libya; the mounting death toll in Syria
and Yemen, where the outcome is still undecided; the revival of
long-suppressed Islamic movements demanding a share of power; the
struggle by young revolutionaries to re-invent the Arab state — all
these dramatic developments have distracted attention from another
revolution of equal significance.
http://www.counterpunch.org/2011/09/22/the-middle-east%E2%80%99s-new-geopolitica\
l-map/

[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]

Land, property, resources theft & destruction / Ethnic cleansing / Deportation /
Restriction of Movement

US against Israeli settlement halt as condition for talks
JERUSALEM, Sept 27 (Reuters) - The U.S. ambassador to Israel reaffirmed
on Tuesday Washington's opposition to a Palestinian call to halt Israeli
  settlement building before peace negotiations can resume. Facing
renewed urging from international mediators to return to negotiations
and defuse a row over his bid for a full seat at the United Nations,
Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas has repeated his demand for a
settlement freeze first. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu
indicated on Tuesday that he was not about to offer one. U.S. envoy Dan
Shapiro said Washington had never favoured making a freeze a condition
for negotiations: "We've never set that, in this administration or any
other, as a precondition for talks," he told Israeli Army Radio, in
response to a question on whether he favoured the Palestinian demand.
http://www.trust.org/alertnet/news/us-against-israeli-settlement-halt-as-conditi\
on-for-talks

Israel approves 1,100 new homes in east Jerusalem (AP)
AP - Israel's government has given the final go-ahead for the construction of
1,100 new housing units in east Jerusalem.
http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20110927/ap_on_re_mi_ea/ml_israel_palestinians

Netanyahu suggests new settlement freeze unlikely
Israeli
  Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu suggested in an interview published
Tuesday that he would not seek to lure the Palestinians back to peace
talks by renewing a freeze on settlement building. "We already gave at
the office," Netanyahu told The Jerusalem Post, referring to a 10-month
partial settlement freeze that expired in late September 2010.

http://www.rawstory.com/rs/2011/09/27/netanyahu-suggests-new-settlement-freeze-u\
nlikely/

Israel must annex West Bank settlements, right-wing MKs tell Netanyahu
In letter to premier, leaders of several Knesset factions say Israel
must retaliate against the Palestinians' 'unilateral' statehood bid at
the UN, or risk losing its deterrence.
http://www.haaretz.com/news/diplomacy-defense/
israel-must-annex-west-bank-settlements-right-wing-mks-tell-netanyahu-1.387018


Israeli Bulldozers Raze Palestinian Land in Salfit
SALFIT, September 26, 2011 (WAFA) _ Israeli bulldozers Monday razed large areas
of land in the village of Burqin, in the northern West bank city of Salfit,
under the pretext of erecting electricity polls for the benefit of settlements,
according to Burqin Mayor I'krimah Samara. He
said that Israeli bulldozers, under the protection of Israeli soldiers,
razed large areas of land in various locations and uprooted olive trees
in order to build a road that connects those areas to each other. He
pointed out that  Burqin land  is targeted for the benefit of settlement
expansion, while the occupation authorities prevent the village from
expanding its built up area as well as prevent Palestinians from
building on their land.
http://english.wafa.ps/index.php?action=detail&id=17532
Silwan Committee says Israel Steals Palestinian Water
JERUSALEM, September 25, 2011 (WAFA) – The committee for the defense of
Silwan revealed on Sunday that Israeli forces are stealing Silwan’s
water reserves, according to the committee’s statement. The committee
stated that the occupation authorities set huge water pumps and prepared
  enormous tanks to speed up the steeling from Ayoub’s well (Job’s well)
in Silwan, a town south of Jerusalem. It indicated that the occupation
forces set huge pumps in Wadi al-Rababah area, near al-Bustan
neighborhood in Silwan, to draw water from the historical Ayoub ‘s well,
  which lies to the south of al-Aqsa mosque, which is 130 meters deep and
  is considered the underground water reserves for the area.
http://english.wafa.ps/index.php?action=detail&id=17513

Israel sanctions East Jerusalem family for straddling Palestinian border
According to government mapping agency the building in question is
located is 65 percent in the PA and only 35 percent in Israel. A
Jerusalem court says the family has not proved that most of its
apartment building is in Israel.
http://www.haaretz.com/print-edition/news/
israel-sanctions-east-jerusalem-family-for-straddling-palestinian-border-1.38689\
7
Blaming or inciting in Hebron
Access to the H2 area of Hebron (Al Khalil) is being denied to
Palestinians this evening for the funeral of an Israeli settler and his
daughter who died in a car accident near Kiryat Arba. Despite the fact
that an investigation into the deaths is yet to reach a conclusion about
  the cause of the crash, it has been speculated that it may have been
caused by a Palestinian throwing stones. Soldiers on the scene echoed
the proclamations of Israeli media sources labelling the incident ‘a
terrorist attack.’
http://palsolidarity.org/?p=20321

Wikileaks leaks information about Ras al Amood Police
Wikileaks leaked
  information about suspicious bargains made with the Israeli police to
build a new police station on Palestinian lands close to the Settlement
of Ma’ale Adumim, the biggest settlement in theWest Bank. Ilan Baz the
former head of the Civil Administration in the West Bank disclosed
information about his meeting with officials from the American Embassy
in Tel Aviv during which he told the officials that former Prime
Minister Ariel Sharon and Shaul Mofaz  former defense Minister attempted
  to interfere personally to convince Baz to approve the building of a
police station in the E1 area, on the lands of the Red Khan- but he
refused. Baz added that at that time, Sharon and Mofaz claimed that
their  requests to build the police station there was for security
reasons.  The plans of the project included building conjunctions  which
  belong to the Palestinians. The project was approved after Baz left his
  position. The police station was built on the lands of the Red Khan as
an alternative to the one which was inside the neighbourhood of Ras Al
Amood.  This was done through a suspicious bargain which was funded by
Elad. The bargain included transferring ownership of the building in Ras
  Al Amood to Elad in exchange for Elad funding the  construction of the
new police station on thelandofRed Khannear Ma’ale Adumim. When the
American Ambassador asked about the funding of the project, Baz answered
  that there were rumours the settlers will be given the Ras al Amood
building as soon as they finish building the new station at the Red
Khan.   Jewish extremists harassing   Arabs in front of the Ras Almoud
Settlement. Elad’s Chairman David Bairy (white shirt) watching
protesters demonstrating  against the settelment policy of his
institution. 
http://silwanic.net/?p=20651

Israeli Aggression & Violence Against Palestinians
Settler kills Palestinian boy in hit-and-run incident
An
  eight-year-old Palestinian boy died on Monday after he was critically
injured in a hit-and-run incident involving a Jewish settler on Friday
in the southern West Bank city of Al-Khalil.
link to Palestine Information Center


Heavy presence of Israeli military in Wadi Hilweh
An
  intense build-up of Israeli military was observed in Silwan on Saturday
  night, 24 September, after a Molotov cocktail was reported to have been
  thrown at the Israeli settlement block between Wadi Hilweh Street and
Ein Silwan Street. Israeli forces are a regular fixture on the streets
of Silwan, often coordinating their operations with armed settlers and
their security guards.
http://silwanic.net/?p=20634

Foreign fighters support Israel's settlements
The Jewish Defence League has dispatched French "militants" for a "show of
solidarity" in illegal West Bank settlements.
http://english.aljazeera.net/indepth/features/2011/09/201192343750232386.html

Shin Bet urges state to stop funding of West Bank yeshiva
Shin Bet says it has accumulated information on the involvement of
Yitzhar's yeshiva students in illegal, subversive and violent activities against
Arabs and the security forces.
http://www.haaretz.com/print-edition/news/
shin-bet-urges-state-to-stop-funding-of-west-bank-yeshiva-1.386892

no Palestinian involvement in the Eilat attacks, Max Ajl
The IDF revealed several days ago that not one of the Eilat attackers were
Palestinian. Not one was from Gaza. Take note. Not only does Israel carry out
belligerent reprisals -- reprisals
against attacks that it provokes by its occupation which is constant
terror -- its leadership self-consciously acts as thought it is at war
with the Arabs as a collective group.
http://www.maxajl.com/no-palestinian-involvement-in-the-eilat-attacks/
The summary of the anniversary of martyring Samer Sarhan
The day started with confusion for the residents of Silwan. Some heard
that there was going to be a march to commemorate the anniversary of the
  Martyr Samer Sarhan. Others didn’t hear about the march at all, and
according to one religious personality’s analysis, “the confusion is in
the interest of the settlers and biased people, so don’t be taken by
rumours.”  At noon the situation became clear when separate clashes took
  place in many neighbourhoods where stones were thrown. At the first
hours of sunset, the first Molotov cocktail was thrown at the ‘House of
Yonothan’ settlement block in the neighbourhood of Batn Alhawa.  Then,
three more Molotov cocktails were thrown at a settlement block which
lies between the Spring of Silwan Streetand the neighbourhood of Wadi
Hilweh.  A few seconds later, a mass of armed Israeli forces headed
toward the neighbourhood of Ein Alouzeh and the Protest Tent in Al
Bustan neighbourhood. The Israeli forces kidnapped one child, Wajdi
Qaqoor, 15, while he was standing at the bus station.   The Israeli
Forces solidified their presence in many neighbourhoods, for instance,
at the junction of the Martyr’s street, at the same spot where Sarhan
was killed. The atmosphere is still tense with the potential for further
  confrontations. Violent confrontations in front of City of David
settlement which was built on the land of the Qaraean and Sumrain
Families. The land was confiscated by the Absentee Custody Law (
archive). Numerous Israeli forces are protecting the City of David
SettlementonWadi Hilweh Street A windshield of an Israeli settler’s
vehicle as broken by angry crowds reacting to the illegal settlement and
  the martyrdom of Samer Sarhan)
http://silwanic.net/?p=20646

Newly released papers reveal extent of Israeli Bus 300 cover-up attempt
Newly released transcripts reveal how Shin Bet agents blew the whistle
on agency chief Avraham Shalom in the 1984 Bus 300 affair.  According to
transcripts recently released and being published here for the first
time, on that night, Hazak and two former Shin Bet department heads,
Rafi Malka and Peleg Radai, gave evidence that led Zamir to launch a
criminal probe against senior Shin Bet officials, who were accused of
covering up the killing of two Palestinian terrorists who had been
captured alive after attacking Bus 300 on April 13, 1984. The order to
kill the two had come from Shin Bet head Avraham Shalom.
http://www.haaretz.com/print-edition/news/
newly-released-papers-reveal-extent-of-israeli-bus-300-cover-up-attempt-1.386889

Detainees

Palestinian Youth Arrested, 4 Children Called for Interrogation in Jerusalem
JERUSALEM, September 26, 2011 (WAFA) – Israeli forces arrested on
Monday a Palestinian youth and summoned four children in Jerusalem,
according to the committee for the defense of Silwan. Israeli forces
arrested Muhammad Al-qawasmi, 18, after raiding and searching his home
in al-Bustan, a neighborhood in Silwan, a town south of al-Aqsa Mosque,
said the committee. It stated that Israeli intelligence called four
Palestinian children from Wadi Rabah in Silawn, for interrogation at the center
of detention and interrogation, the ‘Russian Compound’, west of
Jerusalem. Two of them were Mahmoud Abu Sneineh, 8, and Laith Samreen,
11; the other two are still unknown.
http://english.wafa.ps/index.php?action=detail&id=17533

Israeli Court Extends House Arrest of 2 Teenagers 3 Months
JERUSALEM, September 26, 2011 (WAFA) – An Israeli court Monday
extended house arrest sentence of two Palestinian teenagers from
al-Issawiya, a town east of Jerusalem, for three months until their
trial in December, 2011., The Israeli authorities arrested Ali Abu
Ghosh, 15, and Ahmad Muheisen, 16, under the pretext of ‘throwing stones at
the Israeli army.’, To be noted, the Israeli military court
sentenced a week ago Ali’s father, Awny abu Ghosh, to 30 days under
house arrest.
http://english.wafa.ps/index.php?action=detail&id=17529

Israeli Court Sentences Palestinian Teenager 17 Months
RAMALLAH, September 26, 2011 (WAFA) – Israeli military
court Ofer Monday sentenced Mustafa Jaffal, 16, from Abu Dis, a town
east of Jerusalem, to 17 months in jail and over a $1000 fine, said
Palestinian Prisoner’s Club (PPC). Jaffal’s father told PPC that his
son’s trial was postponed 50 times, considering such practices to
humiliate the Palestinians, and describing them as “criminal and
barbaric.” Jaffal was arrested in September 2010.
http://english.wafa.ps/index.php?action=detail&id=17528

Israeli Police Arrests Hotel Manager Over Conference  
JERUSALEM, September 25, 2011 (WAFA) – Israeli police Sunday raided the
National Hotel in East Jerusalem and arrested its manager, Mohammad Qarain,
because his hotel held a conference on Palestinian curricula,
according to witnesses. A reinforced Israeli force of police, border
police and intelligence raided the National Hotel and arrested its
manager for not complying with the decision preventing holding the
Palestinian curricula conference, which was called for by the civil
committee to preserve the Palestinian curricula, witnesses
said. Jerusalemite institutions along with the civil committee to
preserve the Palestinian curricula called for this important meeting, to discuss
ways to deal with and respond to the Israeli municipality of
Jerusalem to distort the Palestinian curricula, which is taught in
different Jerusalemite schools.
http://english.wafa.ps/index.php?action=detail&id=17512

Palestinians detained in Israel start hunger striked in Israeli jails
RAMALLAH
  (Ma'an) -- Palestinian detainees in Israeli jails have started a hunger
  strike to protest their treatment by the Israeli prison services,
Palestinian Authority Minister of Detainee Affairs Issa Qaraqe said
Tuesday. Detainees are threatening to disobey all prison rules if their
demands are not met, Qaraqe said, adding that the move would be
unprecedented.

http://www.maannews.net/eng/ViewDetails.aspx?ID=424063


Police arrest 13 over unpaid debts
JENIN (Ma'an) -- Police launched a crackdown on Monday on residents of
Jenin with unpaid debts, a police statement said. Police said 13 men
were arrested in Jenin and al-Yamon village in the northern West Bank.
http://www.maannews.net/eng/ViewDetails.aspx?ID=423884

Gaza

Gaza health ministry: 120 medicines out of stock
The health ministry in the Gaza Strip has said that the shortage in
medicine and medical supplies was still plaguing hospitals and primary
care clinics in the coastal enclave.
link to Palestine Information Center

Hamas calls Netanyahu's defense of Gaza blockade 'criminal'
Hamas Prime Minister Ismail Haniyeh slams PM over UN address in
which he said militant Islam has taken over Gaza, and that Hamas kicked
the PA out of the Strip.
http://www.haaretz.com/news/diplomacy-defense/
hamas-calls-netanyahu-s-defense-of-gaza-blockade-criminal-1.386602

Al-Jazeera Video: Gaza shipbuilders adapt to blockade
Gaza
  was home to a strong shipbuilding industry before Israel imposed its
land and sea blockade on the territory. But with fishermen prevented
from sailing beyond three nautical miles, there is no longer any demand
for large boats. In a bid to stay afloat, a donor-funded project is
teaching fishermen how to repair and build small boats using fibre
glass. Al Jazeera's Nicole Johnston reports from Gaza.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BergEre4vSU&feature=player_embedded


Women athletes break barriers inside and outside Gaza
A women’s tennis table team is set to leave Gaza for Jordan to
participate in an international Arab table tennis tournament in October.
  The four-strong team is traveling for the first time since Israel
imposed tightened closure measures on Gaza in 2007.
http://electronicintifada.net/content/women-athletes-break-barriers-inside-and-o\
utside-gaza/10427

International activists in Gaza defiant despite repeated attacks
The Civil Peace Service (CPS) Gaza human rights observation boat has
returned to the waters off the Gazan coast after being grounded for two
months due to Israeli naval attacks. CPS Gaza aims to monitor human
rights violations committed off the coast of Gaza, in which Gazan
fishermen are invariably the victims.  However in July, the CPS boat,
Oliva, was attacked three times, with the final attack forcing the boat
to retire to shore after the engine was rammed beyond repair. On
September 25th, the boat made her first trip at sea, in which she was
not attacked by the Israeli Navy.
http://www.islamonline.net/cs/ContentServer/IslamOnline/IslamOnline/en/
IOLArticle_C/1278409045889/1278406708816/IOLArticle_C

Boycott, Divestment & Sanctions / Solidarity and Activism


Irvine 11: Muslim students Vow Appeal In Free Speech Conviction (UPDATE)
LOS ANGELES (RNS) A group of Muslim students who were convicted Friday (Sept.
23) of disrupting a speech by the Israeli ambassador plan to appeal as Muslim
community leaders call the high-profile free speech case a civil rights moment.
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2011/09/26/irvine-11-vow-appeal_n_981988.html
Why the Irvine 11 are true American heroes, Nora Barrows Friedman
The conviction of the Irvine 11 is a testament to the degree that
Islamophobia has grown in the West. Moreover, it is a testament to how
unwilling the United States has become to question its relationship
with Israel.
http://electronicintifada.net/content/why-irvine-11-are-true-american-heroes/104\
28

The Irvine 11: Giving voice to the voiceless
The sentencing of the Irvine 11 demonstrates how voicing Palestinian solidarity
is becoming more risky for activists.
http://english.aljazeera.net/indepth/opinion/2011/09/2011926103946574233.html

A Child’s View from Gaza. 917 Washington Street, Oakland, CA. Currently on
view
A Child’s View from Gaza, a traveling exhibit of the artwork of Palestinian
children living in
the Gaza Strip, opened in downtown Oakland, California this week as
scheduled, despite the fact that the Museum of Children’s Art in Oakland
(MOCHA) canceled their agreement to house the project this Fall. After
the news on September 8 that Zionist groups had successfully pressured
MOCHA’s Board of Directors to cancel their commitment to host the
exhibit, local sponsor Middle East Children’s Alliance (MECA) rallied the Bay
Area and online community to stand together and “Say No to Censorship!” 
http://www.jadaliyya.com/pages/index/2762/witnessing-the-censored-exhibit_a-chil\
ds-view-from

Australian activists put Palestine travel ban on trial, Sarah Irving
How two 69-year-old women challenged Israel’s restrictions on Welcome to
Palestine protest.
http://electronicintifada.net/content/australian-activists-put-palestine-travel-\
ban-trial/10402

Jen Chapin Trio concert in Oakland will benefit Jenin Freedom Theatre
The critically acclaimed Jen Chapin Trio will appear in Oakland, CA, this
coming Friday, September 30, in a benefit house concert for the Jenin
Freedom Theatre, the West Bank cultural center under attack by Israeli
occupation forces since one of its founders, Julian Mer Khamis, was
assassinated in April. The event, which is sponsored by  the International
Solidarity
Movement, the Free Palestine Movement, the Middle East Children's
Alliance, and Jewish Voice for Peace as well as The Friends of the Jenin
Freedom Theatre, will begin at 7 p.m. at a private home in the Oakland
hills; the address will be provided upon purchase of tickets, which are
available here at $20 each. 
http://mondoweiss.net/2011/09/
jen-chapin-trio-concert-in-oakland-will-benefit-jenin-freedom-theatre.html
Berlin Demonstrates in Support of the Palestinian Struggle
Berlin,
  Germany, 22nd September 2011: Palestinian residents of Berlin,
alongside German solidarity activists and Members of Parliament,
demonstrated in the center of the German capital in support of the
Palestinian struggle. Demonstrators gathered outside the German
parliament to hear speeches in support of the Palestinian bid for
statehood at the UN. Speakers also called for a campaign of boycott,
disinvestment and sanctions (BDS) against Israel, for an end to the
occupation and the seige on Gaza, and in support of the Palestinian
popular struggle.
http://palestinesolidarityproject.org/2011/09/25/
berlin-demonstrates-in-support-of-the-palestinian-struggle/

Too bad these hypocrites stopped the flotillas earlier this year: Greece
Supports Unequivocally Palestine’s Right to Statehood
NEW YORK, September 25, 2011 (WAFA) - Greek Foreign Minister
Stavros Lambrinidis said on Friday that ‘Greece supports unequivocally
Palestine’s right to statehood,’ in his speech at the 66th United
Nations General Assembly’s session. Stavros Lambrinidis said, “It is now
our responsibility, the responsibility of every member-state of the UN, to
respect the Palestinian decision to request membership and more
importantly to turn this into an opportunity that will jumpstart anew
direct negotiations.” He added, “Palestine has a right finally to exist
as an independent state just as Israel let us not forget has an equal
right to exist in full and uncompromised security. The EU, on its own
accord and within the Quartet, has a crucial role to play in this
effort.”  He said that “Greece will continue to engage in dialogue with
both sides and support Cathy Ashton’s and the European Union’s efforts
within the Quartet and with the parties.” “Nowhere is the lack of peace
and security more pronounced and more chronic than in the Palestinian
question,” he said.
http://english.wafa.ps/index.php?action=detail&id=17509

Italians Raise Palestinian Flags in Peace March
PERUGIA, ITALY, September 25, 2011 (WAFA) – More than 50,000
Italians and foreigners participated on Sunday in the ‘Perugia-Assisi
Peace March', which started from Assisi city to reach city center of
Perugia, in Italy, raising Palestinian flags in solidarity with the
Palestinian people and their just cause, demanding the recognition of a
Palestinian state.
http://english.wafa.ps/index.php?action=detail&id=17510
A request
Dear all, Edward C. Corrigan has been accused of being an anti-Semite
because of his criticism of Israeli policies. If you can help him in any
  way, either with a letter or with money, or both--please do. He is no
more an anti-Semite than I am. To oppose Israel’s policies and conduct
is no more anti-Semetic than opposing America’s war in Vietnam or Iraq
or Afghanistan is anti-Christian. To oppose injustice, criminal
activities, ethnic cleansing, land theft, and the like is never
anti-Semitic.
http://groups.google.com/group/newprofile/browse_thread/thread/2f8dec833d3f9d88/\
8c5238d948feadc6

Behind the scenes with Israel's campus lobby
University administrators squash pro-Palestinian actions to avoid negative
publicity and to keep alumni funding.
http://english.aljazeera.net/indepth/opinion/2011/09/201192384847314840.html

Egypt / Turkey / Israel
Blast hits Egyptian gas pipeline to Israel
The incident happened in the region near the town of el-Arish in the north of
the Sinai peninsula.
http://english.aljazeera.net/news/middleeast/2011/09/201192712291841.html


Israel’s regional unpopularity?, Max Ajl
Gazan-based militants from the Popular Resistance Committees infiltrated through
to Egyptian territory and... That was Barak Ravid's script actually. Sorry!
Resistance forces operating
in the wonderfully lawless Sinai peninsula have just bombed the
Egypt-Israel-Jordan oil pipeline for the 6th time. As Al Jazeera (which when
it can also reads from Ravid's script) chastely puts it, the
attackers are "believed to be against the sale of Egyptian gas to
Israel." Of that I have no doubt.
http://www.maxajl.com/israels-regional-unpopularity/
Taba hotel area closed to Israelis
Security establishment restricts passage of Israelis to hotel, casino
area near southern border due to imminent terror threats. Foreigners
allowed to cross as usual.
http://www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7340,L-4127451,00.html

Erdogan urges UN sanctions on Israel
In
  interview with Time magazine Turkish PM says Israeli-Palestinian
conflict would have been resolved long ago if UN had imposed sanctions
on Israel; says Israeli gov't not honest about flotilla.

http://www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7340,L-4128605,00.html


PM sees further isolation for Israel, vows closer ties with US 
Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdoğan has vowed that Turkey’s relations
with Israel will not normalize unless the current atmosphere
changes considerably, but has also promised deepening cooperation with
the US, despite that country’s concern at the growing antagonism between its
two most important strategic allies in the Middle
East. “Turkish-Israeli relations can never normalize, unless Israel
apologizes, pays compensation [for the loss of life in the Gaza flotilla raid of
2010] and lifts its blockade of Gaza,” Erdoğan said,
reiterating the same demands Turkey has been making of Israel for many
months, in a CNN International interview aired on Sunday. The prime
minister said he considers relations between the countries broken, and
lays the responsibility for finding a solution at the feet of Israeli
officials.
http://www.todayszaman.com/news-258060-
pm-sees-further-isolation-for-israel-vows-closer-ties-with-us.html
Lieberman: Erdogan is excellent for Israeli PR
Toasting
  the Jewish New Year, Foreign Minister Avigdor Lieberman took
opportunity to criticize Abbas' UN speech, said statements made by
Erdogan in CNN interview 'excellent for Israel'.
http://www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7340,L-4128192,00.html

Statehood Bid

US seeks to slow UN action on Palestinian state
AP - The Obama administration pressed other members of the U.N. Security
  Council to take their time in considering the Palestinians' bid for
statehood, arguing on Monday that going slow may allow
Israeli-Palestinian peace talks to resume without a confrontation at the
  world body.
http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20110926/ap_on_go_ca_st_pe/us_us_mideast
UN debates Palestine statehood bid
Security Council holds closed-door negotiations as world powers press for direct
Israeli-Palestinian talks.
http://english.aljazeera.net/news/middleeast/2011/09/201192615542764330.html

After his stint at UN, Abbas is politically stronger than ever
All leaders of PLO and Fatah greet the new-old Palestinian 'hero'
upon his return to Ramallah, shake his hand; many embrace him amid hopes for a
Palestinian state.
http://www.haaretz.com/print-edition/news/
after-his-stint-at-un-abbas-is-politically-stronger-than-ever-1.386682

Hamas to Abbas: UN Bid Another Illusion of Statehood
Hamas officials say that Palestinian Authority (PA) President
Mahmoud Abbas’s speech at the UN was emotional and reflected despair
over the failed progress of negotiations with the US and Israel. Hamas
views the UN speech as Abbas’s political farewell from Palestinian
politics.
http://english.al-akhbar.com/content/hamas-abbas-un-bid-another-illusion-stateho\
od

Coptic Pope urges US to pursue balanced policy towards Palestinians
CAIRO, Sept 26 (KUNA) -- Pope Shenouda III, Pope of Alexandria and
Patriarch of Saint Mark Episcopate, on Monday urged the United States to pursue
a balanced policy in dealing with the Palestinian cause and to
support the peace process. The remarks were made by the Pope during his
meeting with U.S. Ambassador to Cairo Anne Patterson. Shenouda expressed hope
the United States would not impede the fulfillment of the
Palestinian dream to have an independent state recognized by the
international community. Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas on Friday
presented to the United Nations a request for full membership to the
Palestinian state. On the Egyptian issue, the pope expressed his
rejection to any interference in the internal affairs of Egypt,
especially with regard to religious freedom and the status of the
Egyptian Christians. For her part, Petterson hailed the Coptic Church's
constructive role in interfaith dialogue and rapprochement and the
Pope's keenness on Egyptian national unity and social peace. The US
diplomat also lauded the dialogue between the Coptic Church and
Al-Azhar.
http://www.kuna.net.kw/NewsAgenciesPublicSite/ArticleDetails.aspx?id=2192772&Lan\
guage=en

Venezuela Endorses Sovereignty of Palestinian State, Hugo Chavez
I
  want to make myself clear: It is one thing to denounce anti-Semitism,
and an entirely different thing to passively accept that Zionistic
barbarism enforces an apartheid regime against the Palestinian people.
From an ethical standpoint those who denounce the first, must condemn
the second.
http://www.informationclearinghouse.info/article29214.htm

Other News

PA says Funds it Gets from Israel are Palestinian   
RAMALLAH, September 26, 2011 (WAFA) - Palestinian government spokesman, Ghassan
Khatib, Monday denied Israeli finance minister’s allegations that the
money which the Palestinian Authority gets from the Israeli government
is part of Israeli financial aid to the PA, saying that this money is
comprised of Palestinian tax revenues. He considered the minister’s
allegations as lies and deception. Israeli Finance Minister Yuval
Steinitz had previously threatened to cut off Israeli aid to the PA and
to consider it a ‘hostile entity’ if it refuses the proposed solutions
and refuses to recognize the Jewishness of the state of Israel.
http://english.wafa.ps/index.php?action=detail&id=17522
Report: Tony Blair romantically linked to Ofra Strauss
Britain's Daily Mail reports former British prime minister closely
associated with one of Israel's richest women. Ofra Strauss's spokesman
denies affair rumors.
http://www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7340,L-4127145,00.html

Blair uses envoy post to support billionaire life-style, TV doc claims, Ira
Glunts
A forthcoming British TV documentary claims that Tony Blair is making
tens of millions of pounds a year by exploiting his position as the
Quartet’s envoy to the Middle East. According to a report on the
documentary in the British newspaper, The Telegraph, Blair’s Middle East
financial activities apparently represent a glaring conflict of interest with
his responsibilities as Quartet envoy.  This conflict would not be tolerated
if Blair were a British, IMF or World Bank official, according to the newspaper.
http://mondoweiss.net/2011/09/blair-uses-envoy-post-to-support-billionaire-life-\
style-tv-doc-claims.html

How Rick Perry courts the Zionist vote
Appearing with Jewish extremists is designed to win over apocalyptic Christians.
http://www.salon.com/news/2012_elections/index.html?
story=/politics/feature/2011/09/22/christianzionists

Humor: Rick Perry Dancing With The Rabbis : Video
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IYYtE42bddQ&feature=player_embedded#!

Bahrain's besieged protesters keep campaign alive
AP - Hand signals are passed from the rooftop spotters to the street
protesters below: Another group of riot police are moving in their
direction.
http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20110926/ap_on_re_mi_ea/ml_bahrain_fight_on443_lane

Power struggle deepens divisions among Bahraini royal family
Senior Bahraini police officers suspended for torturing detainees are
being swiftly reinstated in a sign of a growing struggle for power
within the al-Khalifa royal family over the extent of the repression to
be used against pro-democracy protesters.
http://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/middle-east/
power-struggle-deepens-divisions-among-bahraini-royal-family-2361462.html
Syrian unrest blamed on foreign intervention
Foreign minister tells UN that President Assad had to shift priorities from
reforms to containing external conspiracies.
http://english.aljazeera.net/news/middleeast/2011/09/201192619251897941.html


Arrests and death threats silence Syrian activists
A
  Syrian activist tells of the recent arrest of his father and brother,
after the brother filmed pro-reform protests in a Damascus suburb.
http://www.amnesty.org/en/news-and-updates/arrests-and-death-threats-silence-syr\
ian-activists-2011-09-27

Saudi women given voting rights
King Abdullah says women will be allowed to run as candidates in municipal polls
and will even have a right to vote.
http://english.aljazeera.net//news/middleeast/2011/09/2011925124652136164.html

Saudi woman faces driving lashing
A Saudi woman is sentenced to 10 lashes for breaking the country's ban on female
drivers.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/go/rss/int/news/-/news/world-middle-east-15079620

Canada: Human rights group urges Ottawa to investigate Cheney over torture
A human rights group is urging the federal government to bring
criminal charges against former U.S. vice-president Dick Cheney,
accusing him of playing a role in the torture of detainees during the
years of the Bush administration.
http://www.thestar.com/news/canada/article/1059191--
human-rights-group-urges-ottawa-to-investigate-cheney-over-torture

Analysis / Op-ed
The Storming of the Embassy in the Building, As'ad AbuKhalil
To Habib Shartuni, wherever you are, On your anniversary. Make no qualms
  about it. We hate Israel (while disliking Amr Moussa and Husni
Mubarak). We hate it immensely. No shame in admitting to that. Political
  spite is not only justified; it fuels fundamental change. Would the
apartheid regime in South Africa have collapsed had Blacks not abhorred
it? Zionist propaganda not only wants to crush armed resistance, but it
depicts our hatred of it as a kind of racism per se, because racism is
reserved for the white man (and the Israeli – the latter strives to
model himself after the white man, ignoring Israel’s non-European
population). The storming of the embassy was a television and internet
moment.
http://angryarab.blogspot.com/2011/09/storming-of-israeli-occupation-embassy_25.\
html


In the Shadow of the Wall, the West Bank is Burning, Mats Svensson
Today's wall is longer, higher and it does not stop terrorist activities inside
the West Bank. Houses are demolished, land is destroyed and people are
dying. It is night. He is dark and it is dark. The fear comes out of his eyes.
He is being chased by dogs and behind the dogs are some jeeps and the men are
shouting to the dog drivers to accelerate, it is going too
slowly. Yes, that is how I remember the beginning of the movie, the
movie I actually did not want to see, and that I still wish I had not
seen. The movie “Mississippi Burning” remained within me and hit me in a way
that I would have preferred to avoid. It is the movie I once again
began to think about when I read about one of the many terrorist
attacks.
http://www.palestinechronicle.com/view_article_details.php?id=17143

Resistance and Revolution as Lived Daily Experience: An Interview with Leila
Khaled (Part 3)
[This is Part 3 of a translated transcription of a series of interviews
conducted by the author with Leila Khaled during the summer of 2007.
Click here to read the Introduction to the interview, here to read Part 1,
and here to read Part 2.]
http://www.jadaliyya.com/pages/index/2720/resistance-and-revolution-as-lived-dai\
ly-experienc
Disowning Palestine: Canada Took Wrong Side, Paul Heinbecker
'To see ourselves as others see us, would from many a blunder free us,'
advice as sound and pertinent today as when first offered the world by
Robbie Burns a couple of centuries ago. Our government's opposition to
the Palestinians' application to join the UN may be such a blunder; it
will in any case likely burden Canadian foreign policy for years to
come.
http://palestinechronicle.com/view_article_details.php?id=17135

“Attacks on [the tycoons] endanger the economy”, Max Ajl
That's what Bank of Israel governor Stanley Fischer said last week. "I hope
the tycoons will continue to be rich even after the
recommendations are carried out...So far, they have done nothing
criminal. Attacks on them endanger the economy." (Bracket the fact that
everything the Israeli rich have done in their entire history of beinghas been
criminal). Such attacks would be "populist." When queried on the
possibility of slicing into the defense budget to fund the Trajtenberg
recommendations, Fischer said: "We are not a normal country and this
prevents giving citizens what they get in other countries." (We have
taken note that you are not in many ways a "normal" country, although
since in the US the income share of the top 1 percent is now the highest it
has been in about 75 years, maybe you are not so different).
http://www.maxajl.com/attacks-on-the-tycoons-endanger-the-economy/

Gilad Atzmon, antisemitism and the left | Andy Newman
The Palestinian cause is hindered, not helped, when the left fails to notice or
confront anti-semitism. Gilad Atzmon is a world renowned jazz musician, and a
former soldier in the Israeli army, so his advocacy of the
Palestinian cause is guaranteed to draw attention. Indeed, a small
leftwing publisher, Zero Books, has commissioned Atzmon to write a book
on the Jews as part of an otherwise entirely credible series by
respected left figures such as Richard Seymour, Nina Power and Laurie
Penny. The trouble is that Atzmon has often argued that the Zionist oppression
of
the Palestinians is attributable not to the bellicose politics of the
Israeli state, but to Jewish lobbies and Jewish power. Atzmon's
antisemitic writings include, for example, a 2009 article – Tribal Marxism
for Dummies – in which he explains that while "Marxism is a universal
paradigm, its
Jewish version is very different. It is there to mould Marxist dialectic into a
Jewish subservient precept". Atzmon argues that it is merely a
"Judeo-centric pseudo intellectual setting which aims at political
power" and that "Jewish Marxism is there to … stop scrutiny of Jewish
power and Jewish lobbying".
http://www.guardian.co.uk/commentisfree/2011/sep/25/gilad-atzmon-antisemitism-th\
e-left

Palestinian Moves Reshape Attitudes
RAMALLAH,
  West Bank—The Palestinian bid for United Nations statehood, whatever
its outcome, is already helping reshape Palestinian attitudes to expect
less of negotiations—which most feel have failed to deliver after nearly
  two decades—and embrace a more confrontational stance toward Israel.
That could mean challenging Israel using boycotts, demonstrations and
international diplomatic forums more aggressively—ideas that are gaining
  currency among young Palestinians. In a year when peaceful
demonstrations have radically altered the political landscape of the
Arab world, they increasingly embrace notions of nonviolent resistance.

http://palestinesolidarityproject.org/2011/09/27/palestinian-moves-reshape-attit\
udes/


Palestine: Between Resolution 194 and the 194th State
The Palestinians’ current recourse to the UN to acquire statehood is a move
which is counter intuitive in view of recent developments in the Arab
world. The Arab Spring has imposed a new reality and political culture,
both of which have been absent from the region since the revolutions of
the middle of the 20th century. This new politic places the region’s
people at the forefront, ahead of political organizations and regimes.
The people are imposing their own agendas: policies and alliances are
made according to popular positions. The Egyptian people were able to
ouster Hosni Mubarak and force the US to take a critical distance from
the regime.
http://english.al-akhbar.com/content/palestine-between-resolution-194-and-194th-\
state

Palestine Meets All Statehood Criteria
A UN denial of Palestinian statehood would be scandalous. Not only are
Palestinians’ rights to their land self-evident, but the international
community and its institutions have effectively recognized a Palestinian state
long before Israel was created. And Palestine today meets all the international
criteria for such a recognition.
http://english.al-akhbar.com/content/palestine-meets-all-statehood-criteria
Palestine, yes, but Israelis draw the line at Jerusalem, Robert Fisk
They wear their wounds well, the buildings of the old "green line".
Forget the new Jerusalem hotels across the road, the state-of-the-art
tramway that glistens down the highway; just take a look at the bullet
holes on the walls to the left, the shell gashes in the preserved façade
  of what was once an Israeli army bunker and is now Raphie Etgar's
little art gallery.
http://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/middle-east/
palestine-yes-but-israelis-draw-the-line-at-jerusalem-2361466.html
Obama Throws Palestine Under the Bus, Jim Lobe
The
  right-wing government of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu
could not be more pleased. Not only did the allegedly most “anti-Israel”
  president ever repeat, for the nth time, that “America’s commitment to
Israel’s security is unshakeable,” he also made it crystal clear that
Washington will veto any Palestinian application to the U.N. Security
Council for [...]
http://original.antiwar.com/lobe/2011/09/25/obama-throws-palestine-under-the-bus\
/

Obama Paraded on Netanyahu’s Leash, Ahmed Amr
The
  sight of Netanyahu parading Obama on a leash at the United Nations must
  gratify the egomaniacs lounging around the Israeli Lobby; it certainly
ranks as one of the greatest stunts ever pulled by the American wing of
the Likud party. But for many Americans, it was humiliating – even
degrading. Watching Obama mouthing his Netanyahu scripted lines left
little doubt as to who was the Alpha Dog in the American-Israeli
‘strategic’ relationship.
http://dissidentvoice.org/2011/09/obama-paraded-on-netanyahu%e2%80%99s-leash/

Does UN Bid Herald Death of Old Guard?, JONATHAN COOK
Amid the enthusiastic applause in New York and the celebrations in
Ramallah, it was easy to believe — if only a for minute — that, after
decades of obstruction by Israel and the United States, a Palestinian
state might finally be pulled out of the United Nations hat. Will the
world’s conscience be midwife to a new era ending Israel’s occupation of the
Palestinians?
http://www.counterpunch.org/2011/09/26/does-un-bid-herald-death-of-old-guard/

Mahmoud Abbas: The Second Coming, Linah Alsaafin
Nelson Mandela once said that “only free men can negotiate” and these
failed talks between the PA and Israel which have come at the expense of
  Palestinians and the increasing loss of their rights only give the
illusion to the outside world that the relationship is between two
partners, two equals, not the occupier and the occupied.
http://electronicintifada.net/blog/linah-alsaafin/mahmoud-abbas-second-coming
The Third Intifada, RAMI G. KHOURI
It
  remains to be seen what actually changes on the ground in the months
ahead following the Palestinian initiative to ask the United Nations to
recognize a Palestinian state in the 1967 Israeli-occupied territories
as a UN member or observer state. The move could be a substantive gain
for the Palestinian people, a symbolic victory only, or a measurable
setback if the United States and Israel translate their vindictive
rhetoric into hard policies. While we wait for the impact of the UN move
  to become clearer, we should acknowledge nevertheless that this has
been a historic week in several ways.

http://www.counterpunch.org/2011/09/26/the-third-intifada/

The Hollywood Big Shot and Israel’s Nuclear Triggers, 
Israel
  has a good friend in Rupert Murdoch. Here in the UK, I’m still not sure
  which is worse – to see a mob of MPs suddenly united against the
police, press and seemingly themselves or a mob cowering before Rupert
Murdoch and his empire. But aside from the cesspit that is civil life in
  Britain being exposed via the murder of a teenage girl, there are many
revelations to come, decades of them. Some even connect up with the head
  of the Palestinian Authority’s curious application for UN statehood.
http://www.counterpunch.org/2011/09/26/the-hollywood-big-shot-and-israels-nuclea\
r-triggers/

[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]

Land, property, resources theft & destruction / Ethnic cleansing / Deportation /
Restriction of Movement

Committee: Israel to build new bypass road south of Bethlehem
HEBRON (Ma’an) -- Israeli authorities notified the municipality of Beit
Ummar on Wednesday of plans to build a bypass road which will annex over
  800 dunams of village land, a local committee spokesman said. Mohammed
Awad, spokesman of the national committee against the wall, said the
military order entails a bypass road starting from the junction of Kefar
  Etzion settlement and passing through Al-Arrub refugee camp and Beit
Ummar village, south of Bethlehem.
http://www.maannews.net/eng/ViewDetails.aspx?ID=424522

Army Bulldozes Lands in Hebron
Israeli
  Army kidnapped a Palestinian inhabitant from the village of Dora in
Hebron and bulldozed lands in the middle of the city, Palestine News and
  Info Agency reported on Thursday.
http://www.imemc.org/article/62137

Basim Hjazee Demolished His House with His Own Hands
Basim Hjazee was forced to demolish his own house which lies in the
neighbourhood of al Abaseya in Silwan. Hjazee received a demolition
order from the Jerusalem Municipality as well as a fine 15,000 NIS (
$1=3.70 NIS)  before Jerusalem Municipality  bulldozers reached the
house to demolish an added room.  His house is 54 square meters and
houses 5 family members. It is worth mentioning that it is not the first
  time the Jerusalem Municipality obliged Hjazee to remove the roof of
the same room and made him pay 7500NIS.
http://silwanic.net/?p=20685

Al-Bustan demolition court session delayed
The
  Central Court session scheduled for today regarding the Jerusalem
Municipality’s plans to demolish most of Al-Bustan neighborhood of
Silwan has been delayed. The lawyer for Al-Bustan was informed by the
Court today that the critical session has been delayed to an unknown
date at the Municipality’s request.
http://silwanic.net/?p=20706

AIC Video: Home Takeover - Stern 61
On
  1 September 2011 homeless families and activists took over an abandoned
  building owned by the Hebrew University on Stern Street in Jerusalem.
http://www.alternativenews.org/english/index.php/topics/jerusalem/3832

Turkey: Gilo housing plan 'unacceptable'
Ankara's
  Foreign Ministry issues statement criticizing Israel's decision to
permit construction of new homes in east Jerusalem's Gilo neighborhood.
'It raises serious suspicions about its sincerity, true intentions,'
claims announcement.
http://www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7340,L-4129055,00.html

Japan: Israeli settlement plan goes against world efforts for peace
BETHLEHEM (Ma'an) -- Japan said on Thursday that Israel's building of
new settler homes threatened to undermine a return to negotiations with
Palestinians. Japan "does not recognize any act that prejudges the final
  status of the territories in the pre-1967 borders" a statement from the
  Japanese Ministry of Foreign Affairs said, adding that the government
"deeply deplores" Israel's move. An Israeli ministry announced on
Tuesday its approval of 1,100 new units in East Jerusalem settlement
Gilo.
http://www.maannews.net/eng/ViewDetails.aspx?ID=424578

Serry Slams Israel’s Decision To Build 1100 Units
United
  Nations Envoy, Robert Serry, stated that with its new decision to build
  1100 new settlement units in occupied East Jerusalem, Israel sends a
wrong signal amidst the international efforts to ensure the resumption
of the stalled peace talks.
http://www.imemc.org/article/62129

Amr: Quartet’s position on UN bid to blame for new settlement plans
Egyptian
  Foreign Minister Mohamed Kamel Amr said members of the international
community were responsible for addressing Israel’s recent approval of
1,100 settlement units in east Jerusalem.
link to Palestine Information Center

Settler population on the rise: Israeli government
JERUSALEM
  — Settlements in the occupied West Bank gained 3,500 residents last
year and settlers had the largest families of any Israeli community,
with an average of 4.6 persons, a government survey said. It said about
four percent of all Israelis, equivalent to about 312,000 people, live
in Jewish settlements in the West Bank. The Central Bureau of Statistics
  report released ahead of the Jewish New Year, which begins at sunset on
  Wednesday, said the average birth rate for all Jewish Israeli mothers
was 2.97 each, the highest since 1977. The average Muslim mother gave
birth to 3.75 babies in 2010, with her Christian counterpart bearing
2.14 offspring.
http://www.google.com/hostednews/afp/article/ALeqM5gII4ecqtYyzyjiBL2TYWm8i5niwQ

Israeli Aggression & Violence Against Palestinians


In Photos: Funeral in Kusra
On 24 Saturday, Issam Kamel Abid Badran Odeh received a martyr’s funeral
in his hometown of Kusra, near Nablus. Odeh was shot and killed by
Israeli soldiers last week. Watch a slideshow of the funeral procession
below and read our accompanying story, here.
http://www.palestinemonitor.org/?p=2384
Pro-Israel whitewash of 10-year-old's killing unravels in court, Max Blumenthal
One day in 2007, Israeli Border Police officers swept into the in the
village of Anata just north of Jerusalem and began firing rubber bullets
  at a group of children who had thrown rocks at them. One Israeli bullet
  landed in the skull of a 10-year-old Palestinian girl named Abir
Aramin, tearing the back of her head off and killing her. Aramin was the
  daughter of a prominent Palestinian activist named Bassam Aramin, who
helped lead the group Combatants for Peace, a group that fosters
dialogue between former combatants on both sides of the conflict. The
little girl's death sent sparked international outrage, generating
headlines around the world. The Israeli government went into damage
control mode, denying any wrongdoing in connection with Aramin's death
and insisting without evidence that she had been struck in the head with
  a rock.
http://english.al-akhbar.com/blogs/gadfly/pro-israel-whitewash-10-year-olds-kill\
ing-unravels-court

Military raid in Bir Ayyub
Israeli
  troops and intelligence agents raided a Palestinian home in Bir Ayyub
district of Silwan this morning at 2:30am. The home was broken into by
troops, terrifying the sleeping children in the house. Home contents
were smashed by raiding officers, who continued the search of the house
until dawn. Troops then moved to Baten al-Hawa and Wadi Hilweh, where
two children 7 years of age were summoned for investigation.
http://silwanic.net/?p=20700

Provocative acts by Israeli Forces cause and outbreak of confrontations
Confrontations broke out as worshippers left the mosques after Friday
afternoon prayers due to the concentration of, and provocations by,
Israeli troops in the Palestinian neighbourhoods and streets.
http://silwanic.net/?p=20719

Information Center director faces new allegations in on-going trial
A session was held today in Jerusalem’s Central Court in the assault
case lodged against Wadi Hilweh Information Center director Jawad Siyam.
  The session follows an appearance in the Magistrates Court two days
previously, when the judge heard the Israeli prosecution’s allegations
against Siyam, of alleged involvement with the Palestinian Authority and
  of continuously preventing Israeli settlers from buying property in
Silwan. The main witness, an Arab resident of East Jerusalem whose
identity has not been disclosed to the public but claims to be head of
the Jerusalem Merchants Committee, claims that Siyam physically
assaulted him threatened to kidnap him and take him to the city of
Jericho. The witness also alleged that Siyam introduced himself to him
on behalf of the Palestinian Authority and as head of the Silwan
Committee. Siyam states that the witness is an employee of David Beiry,
the director of Elad Settlement Association, and of aiding settlers in
land appropriation by purchasing property himself to then in turn sell
to settlers. Siyam claims that he himself was physically assaulted by
the man in question, as were as many as 20 other residents of Silwan.
Siyam has been arrested numerous times by Israeli officials for his
community activism in Silwan, and has served 4 months under house
arrest. A smear campaign has been run against him by right-wing Israeli
newspapers, while he and his family continue to suffer harassment and
intimidation by Israeli authorities. His family home has been raided
multiple times by Israeli forces. Today’s session was requested to be
closed to the public by the Palestinian witness, while Siyam’s lawyer
insisted that it be open to the public. 
http://silwanic.net/?p=20703

Settler Aggression & Violence Against Palestinians

'Price Tag': Olive trees uprooted near Hebron
Anonymous
  vandals mutilate Palestinian olive trees in West Bank, spray paint
'Halhul Price Tag,' Star of David. Incident occurs near location of last
  Friday's terror attack in Kiryat Arba.
http://www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7340,L-4129084,00.html

Tension at the Wailing Wall and Wadi Hilweh
 Throngs of Israeli right-wing extremists in their thousands occupied
the Wailing Wall plaza in the Old City and Wadi Hilweh district of
Silwan today. Multiple reports of aggressive behavior towards
Palestinian residents were received, with the extremists staging
dramatic acts of wailing and crying at the Wall, continuing throughout
last night and past dawn.
http://silwanic.net/?p=20698

Settlers gather south of Bethlehem, block cars
BETHLEHEM
  (Ma’an) -- Israeli settlers gathered on Tuesday at the junction between
  the Tuqu village southeast of Bethlehem and prevented some cars from
passing through, witnesses said. Onlookers told Ma’an that dozens of
settlers went out in a march near Tuqu junction and forbade the
Palestinian cars from passing by throwing stones toward them. In Jurat
Ash-Sham'a village south of Bethlehem, settler security guards detained
Salem Ali Hussein, 65, while he was on his way to pick grapes, said
anti-wall activist Hassan Barjyeh.
http://www.maannews.net/eng/ViewDetails.aspx?ID=424195


Detainees

Arresting minors in the neighbourhood of Ras Al amoud
Last
  night the Israeli forces arrested Yaseen Abu Madi, 16, in the
neighbourhood of Ras Al Amoud. Yaseen has previously been arrested and
was under house arrest. 
http://silwanic.net/?p=20688

Israeli Army kidnapped a Palestinian inhabitant from the village of Dora in
Hebron
Israeli
  Army kidnapped a Palestinian inhabitant from the village of Dora in
Hebron and bulldozed lands in the middle of the city, Palestine News and
  Info Agency reported on Thursday.
http://www.imemc.org/article/62137

Hamas: PA security arrest 2 members from Nablus
NABLUS
  (Ma'an) -- Hamas on Thursday accused Palestinian Authority security
forces of detaining two party affiliates in the northern West Bank. A
statement from the ruling party in Gaza said the Hamas members, who were
  not named, were taken from their villages of Tell and Asira al-Qibliya
on Wednesday night.
http://www.maannews.net/eng/ViewDetails.aspx?ID=424642

Reports reveal Attoun abduction happened on Red Cross premises
Condemnation has abounded after undercover Israeli policemen abducted
Monday Palestinian lawmaker Mohammed Attoun as Israeli reports are
rebutted that the abduction took place outside the ICRC.
link to Palestine Information Center

MP Attoun suffered heart failure in abduction
Palestinian
  MP Ahmed Attoun said he suffered “severe trauma” when he was abducted
Monday by Israeli occupation undercover soldiers as medics in Bikur
Holim hospital have discovered.
link to Palestine Information Center

Sheikh Abul-Heija declares open-ended hunger strike
Hamas leader Jamal Abul-Heija, 52, began an open-ended hunger strike on
Monday in protest of being isolated for the past eight years.
link to Palestine Information Center

Prisoners declare hunger strike after conditions turn for worst
Palestinian prisoners in the Israeli Nafha prison have declared a
prison-wide hunger and tensions have run high in Ofer and Shata prisons
after the approval of a set of stricter punitive measures.
link to Palestine Information Center

Ahmad Qatamesh: Israeli Prisoner of Conscience, Stephen Lendman
On
  April 21, 2011 at 2:00AM, Israeli soldiers arrested Qatamesh at his
brother's Ramallah home. An hour earlier, his wife (Suha), daughter
(Hanin), and two female relatives were held hostage to force his
surrender. At gunpoint, they forced Hanin to call him. When connected, a
  soldier threatened to hold his family hostage and destroy his house if
he didn't surrender.
http://sjlendman.blogspot.com/2011/09/ahmad-qatamesh-israeli-prisoner-of.html

Change and Reform deputies hold solidarity vigil for Palestinian representatives
abducted by Israel
The
  President of the Palestinian Legislative Council, Dr Aziz Duwaik, along
  with other deputies from the Change and Reform bloc held a sit-in on
Wednesday afternoon in solidarity with Palestinian representatives,
prisoners and those on hunger strike currently being held in Israeli
prisons. The sit-in took place in Manara Square in the central West Bank
  City of Ramallah.
http://www.middleeastmonitor.org.uk/news/middle-east/2875

Committee for Defending Arab Prisoners in Israeli Jails is launched in Cairo
A joint Egyptian-Palestinian Committee for Supporting Arab Prisoners in
Israeli Jails has been launched at a ceremony in Cairo. The new group
will be active in defending the rights of all Palestinian and Arab
prisoners being held by the Israeli occupation authorities and exposing
the crimes of the prison system. According to the Waed Society for
Palestinian Prisoners in Israeli Jails, the committee will include
representatives of all Egyptian political bodies, revolutionary youth
and independent figures as well as Palestinians.
http://www.middleeastmonitor.org.uk/news/middle-east/2869

Gaza

Strike closes all UNRWA schools in Gaza Strip
A strike by the Arab staff union has closed down all UN Relief Works Agency
schools across the Gaza Strip on Thursday.
link to Palestine Information Center

Miles Of Smiles 6 Heading To Gaza Soon
The Miles of Smiles 6 solidarity convoy will be heading to the Gaza
Strip in the coming days by sailing to Al Arish Egyptian port before
heading to the besieged coastal region by land.
http://www.imemc.org/article/62130

Boycott, Divestment & Sanctions / Solidarity and Activism
In Oakland, a chance to hear Alice Walker (and me) speak about Palestine, Ali
Abunimah
I’m very excited and honored to be sharing the podium with Alice Walker
at a Middle East Children’s Alliance (MECA) event in Oakland California
next week. You’re invited!
http://electronicintifada.net/blog/ali-abunimah/
oakland-chance-hear-alice-walker-and-me-speak-about-palestine

Protest Video and Petitions Delivered! Thousands tell National Building Museum:
No Award to Caterpillar Inc.!
US
  Campaign member group, the Rachel Corrie Foundation for Peace and
Justice, along with the US Campaign to End the Israeli Occupation,
Jewish Voice for Peace, CODEPINK, and the Washington Interfaith Alliance
  for Middle East Peace, celebrated a victory earlier this month when the
  National Building Museum announced its cancellation of the ceremony to
award Caterpillar, Inc. with an award for "innovation in building
technology" and "exceptional leadership," following a campaign which
gathered more than 7,000 signatures. However, the National Building
Museum did not rescind the award itself, prompting protesters to
demonstrate outside the museum when Cindy and Craig Corrie delivered the
  petition, as described below in an account from the Rachel Corrie
Foundation... Make sure to check out the video!
http://blog.endtheoccupation.org/2011/09/protest-video-and-petitions-delivered.h\
tml

Flash mob in El Cerrito, CA Bed Bath & Beyond protests Soda Stream
A
  flash mob in an El Cerrito, CA branch of Bed Bath & Beyond this
month protested the store's sales of Soda Stream, a soft drink product
made in an illegal settlement with exploited Palestinian labor. The
approximately two dozen protesters wore shirts emblazoned with ""Boycott
  Israel 'til Palestine is Free," and sang and chanted in the Bed Bath
& Beyond before moving outside to march and hand out fliers.  The
store called the police, who declined to interfere, saying the
p-rotesters would leave soon without causing harm.  The flash mob
included several members of US Campaign ember groups such as NorCal
Friends of Sabeel, Bay Area Jewish Voice for Peace and CODEPINK.
http://blog.endtheoccupation.org/2011/09/flash-mob-in-el-cerrito-ca-bed-bath.htm\
l

CU-Divest! delivers 2000+ signature to CU Regents!
US
  Campaign member group CU-Divest! presented a petition with over two
thousand signatures asking the university to divest.  Read more about
the group's efforts here, or visit the group's website: CU-Divest!A week ago
on September 12th, CU-Divest! at the Regents’ meeting at UC Denver, delivered
our petition asking the University of Colorado to divest from Israeli
Apartheid.  I
count this action as one of our major successes.  Thanks to Beth Daud
and her determined group of campus activists and the folks who drove
down from Boulder, we had “good” showing with signs and flyers and this
time I think we had the Regents’ attention.  We handed out our flyer
requesting the Regents to support our campaign and sign our
petition.  The flyer highlights a campaign that was successful in the
1980s in compelling CU to divest from South African apartheid. 
http://blog.endtheoccupation.org/2011/09/cu-divest-delivers-2000-signature-to-cu\
.html

International star Natacha Atlas announces Israel boycott, Ali Abunimah
International
  singer and songwriter Natacha Atlas has announced publicly that she is
canceling a planned concert in Israel and will boycott the country
“until this systemised apartheid is abolished once and for all.”
http://electronicintifada.net/blog/ali-abunimah/international-star-natacha-atlas\
-announces-israel-boycott

BDS: DONATE NOW! SJP's first national conference
Students for Justice in Palestine (SJP) needs your help hosting the
first ever national conference at Columbia University this fall.
Hundreds of SJP students from chapters across the country – and students
  who want to form SJP chapters -will meet Oct. 14-16 to begin a national
  discussion about making student Palestine solidarity work more
effective.
http://youthanormalization.blogspot.com/2011/09/bds-donate-now-sjps-first-nation\
al.html

Cultural BDS against Israel exploding everywhere
"Film directors Mike Leigh and Ken Loach, theatre director Michael
Attenborough and actress Dame Harriet Walter are among the 117
signatories to a letter of protest over the “harsh” punishment. They
claim that artists should be allowed to express themselves freely
“without fear of financial or professional retribution”.
http://youthanormalization.blogspot.com/2011/09/cultural-bds-against-israel-expl\
oding.html

BDS Update: An Eventful Summer
"Festival season is winding down in Israel, as it is most other places.
There's certainly no denying that the Israeli concert industry was able
to dodge the slew of cancellations that it experienced the previous
summer. There weren't the large groups of acts and artists backing out
of fests in protest. In fact, with the concerts by Dylan, Paul Simon,
Moby, Justin Bieber and others, it's safe to say that there were some
real boons for Israel's summer concerts.
http://youthanormalization.blogspot.com/2011/09/bds-update-eventful-summer.html

BDS ALERT: Don't buy Agrexco - Don't support Occupation
"Last month, Israel exporter company Agrexco has gone bankrupt because
of the world wide BDS campaign for the company's long and deep
involvement with the illegal settlements in the Occupied Palestine. But
now a Japanese company are going to buy the fallen Agrexco with two
other Israeli company for 40 million NIS, to make the Apartheid business
  survive. We ask you urgently to sign the petition below to put pressure
  on the company to divest from the Apartheid business."
http://youthanormalization.blogspot.com/2011/09/bds-alert-dont-buy-agrexco-dont-\
support.html

Rewarding Alstom: Arab Partnership in Occupation
Alstom, a French corporation, has received global condemnation for
aiding Israel’s colonization of the Occupied Palestinian Territories.
Yet Alstom’s business ventures continue to thrive in the Arab world, and
  the corporation appears set to win more multi-million dollar contracts
in the near future. Boycott Divestment and Sanctions(BDS) campaigners in
  Beirut warned Wednesday in a press conference that French construction
giant Alstom Group may be awarded major new contracts in several Arab
countries, notably Saudi Arabia and Iraq. The activists appealed to Arab
  governments to stop dealing with the firm, which is complicit in
Israel’s ongoing theft of Palestinian land.
http://english.al-akhbar.com/content/rewarding-alstom-arab-partnership-occupatio\
n

Could censorship of children’s art prove a turning point?, Henry Norr
If
  I were one of the Zionist operatives who pressured the Museum of
Children's Art in Oakland to cancel the exhibit of Gaza children's
drawings, I'd be kicking myself right now. If they'd simply ignored the
whole thing and let its scheduled two-month run proceed, probably no
more than a few hundred people, most of them school children, would have
  seen the show. It's not as if MOCHA is a major attraction. But thanks
to the ham-handed censorship engineered by the Jewish establishment -
and the determined fight-back of the Middle East Children's Alliance and
  others opposed to such bullying - thousands of people around the world
have seen the kids' pictures.

http://mondoweiss.net/2011/09/could-censorship-of-childrens-art-prove-a-turning-\
point.html


Racism & Discrimination

MK: Israel must change attitude toward Arab population
Ibrahim Sarsur says rise in racism toward Arab minority due to
'government's failure to uphold human rights or its blatant infringement of
them'
http://www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7340,L-3481668,00.html

Statehood Bid

Palestinian FM: Eight UN Security Council members support statehood bid
Palestinians are focusing efforts on convincing Bosnia to become the decisive
ninth supporter of statehood application.
http://www.haaretz.com/news/diplomacy-defense/
palestinian-fm-eight-un-security-council-members-support-statehood-bid-1.387311

Poll: Obama popularity in Israel surges after UN
JERUSALEM (Reuters) -- US President Barack Obama's popularity has risen
sharply in Israel after he spoke out forcibly against a Palestinian
statehood bid at the United Nations last week, according to an Israeli
newspaper poll published Wednesday. The poll by The Jerusalem Post found
  54 percent of Jewish Israelis thought Obama's policy was favorable to
Israel, while 19 percent said it was pro-Palestinian. A survey in May
showed 12 percent thought US policy was pro-Israel and 40 percent saw it
  as pro-Palestinian.
http://www.maannews.net/eng/ViewDetails.aspx?ID=424386

PA: Nigeria to support Palestine statehood bid
RAMALLAH (Ma'an) -- Nigeria will vote in favor of the application for
full UN membership in the Security Council, foreign minister Riyad Malki
  said Tuesday after meeting with his Nigerian counterpart.
http://www.maannews.net/eng/ViewDetails.aspx?ID=424184

Abbas: Don't budge to American pressure
In a new brazen provocation that flies in the face of everyone and
anyone wishing to retain a glimmer of hope for peace, Israel has
announced plans to build more than a thousand settler units.
link to Palestine Information Center

Gaza government backs Palestinian state but not at cost of recognising Israel or
relinquishing historic Palestine
The Prime Minister of the Palestinian government in Gaza has said that
he and his colleagues back the establishment of a Palestinian state on
"liberated land". However, said Ismail Haniyeh, this should not be at
the cost of recognising the state of Israel or relinquishing lawful
rights over any part of historic Palestine. Mr Haniyeh told a conference
  in Gaza that his government is not against a state per se. "The people
have been getting killed for more than 60 years in the cause of
liberation," he told delegates. "We say liberation should come first and
  then the state, because states are not created through UN resolutions
or political manoeuvres and compromises, but through steadfastness and
resistance."
http://www.middleeastmonitor.org.uk/news/middle-east/2868

Israeli finance minister calls for elimination of Palestinian Authority if it
becomes "anti-Israel state"
Israel's Minister of Finance has called for the elimination of the
Palestinian Authority headed by Mahmoud Abbas in response to the bid for
  full membership of the United Nations before reaching a peace agreement
  with the Zionist state. According to Radio Israel, Yuval Steinitz said
that he is ready to bear the repercussions of the closure of the
Palestinian Authority if it turns into an anti-Israel state which
refuses to end the conflict or to recognise Israel as a distinctly
Jewish state.
http://www.middleeastmonitor.org.uk/news/middle-east/2866

Egypt / Turkey / Israel

'Sinai terror threat disconcerting'
PM Netanyahu, Defense Minister Barak express concerns over terror threat lurking
in Sinai Peninsula.
http://www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7340,L-4128966,00.html

Ilan Grapel, accused of spying for Israel, held in undisclosed location in Egypt
Grapel was arrested three months ago; U.S. Embassy in Cairo attempts to
secure his release on bail, denied on flight risk grounds.
http://www.haaretz.com/print-edition/news/
ilan-grapel-accused-of-spying-for-israel-held-in-undisclosed-location-in-egypt-1\
.387093?

Turkey rejects "mutual apology" proposal
Sources in Israel have revealed that Turkey's Prime Minister has
rejected an American proposal for solving the diplomatic crisis between
Tel Aviv and Ankara. The initiative produced by the Ambassador to Tel
Aviv would require a mutual apology to be made by the two sides over the
  Israeli attack on the Gaza-bound Freedom Flotilla in May 2010.
According to a report on Radio Israel, Ambassador Dan Shapiro said that
Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan and Israel's President Shimon Peres
could speak to each other by telephone and apologise. The initiative was
  approved by the Israel Forum of the Eight Senior Ministers more than
two weeks ago.
http://www.middleeastmonitor.org.uk/news/europe/2871-turkey-rejects-qmutual-apol\
ogyq-proposal

Other Palestine / Israel News

Abbas wishes Peres a happy new year while occupation seals West Bank
PA president Mahmoud Abbas phoned the Israeli occupation president Simon
  Peres to wish him a happy new year, while the occupation sealed the
West Bank for four days starting Wednesday. 
link to Palestine Information Center

Blair's envoy role at risk as Palestinians reject 'Israeli bias'
Just days after being declared persona non grata at the Labour
Party conference, Tony Blair looks set to receive similar treatment in
the Middle East. The Palestinians have lost trust in the former prime
minister as envoy for the Quartet on the Middle East peacemakers,
claiming he is biased towards Israel. Palestinian youth wings of the
main political parties have informally declared Mr Blair persona non
grata in the occupied West Bank and would not meet him there, a
Palestine Liberation Organisation (PLO) official said. If, as expected,
the youth wings make a formal declaration about Mr Blair, it is likely
to be adopted by senior politicians.
http://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/middle-east/
blairs-envoy-role-at-risk-as-palestinians-reject-israeli-bias-2362638.html

WATCH: Obama stresses U.S. commitment to Israel in Rosh Hashanah message
In short and low-key video message, U.S. President Barack Obama extends
greetings to Jews everywhere.
http://www.haaretz.com/news/diplomacy-defense/
watch-obama-stresses-u-s-commitment-to-israel-in-rosh-hashanah-message-1.387067

Watch: Perry does hora around menorah
(Video)
  Youtube clip from 2010 shows US Republican Party presidential hopeful
dancing with rabbis around menorah at Hanukkah candle lighting ceremony.
http://www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7340,L-4128876,00.html

European Union approves trade agreement with Palestine
BRUSSELS (BNO NEWS) -- The European Union (EU) on Tuesday announced that
  its Parliament has approved a trade agreement to help boost the
Palestinian economy by enabling the West Bank and Gaza to export farm
and fisheries products directly to the EU. According to the agreement,
agricultural and fisheries products from the West Bank and Gaza Strip
will have direct duty-free and mostly quota-free access to the European
market. It also provides European produce access to Palestinian markets.
http://channel6newsonline.com/2011/09/european-union-approves-trade-agreement-wi\
th-palestine/

Other Mideast News

Bahrain court upholds sentences for activists
Appeals denied to 21 opposition activists held in June after Gulf state crushed
an uprising by majority Shia Muslims.
http://english.aljazeera.net//news/middleeast/2011/09/2011928111821273875.html

Bahrain military court finds medics guilty
A
  military court in Bahrain has sentenced 20 medics to long prison
sentences on charges of attempting to topple the government during
protests.
http://www.amnesty.org/en/news-and-updates/bahrain-military-court-finds-medics-g\
uilty-2011-09-29

Flogging sentence for Saudi Arabian woman after driving 'beggars belief'
A Saudi Arabian woman has been sentenced to flogging merely for driving a
  car, highlighting the country's ongoing repression against women.
http://www.amnesty.org/en/news-and-updates/flogging-sentence-
saudi-arabian-woman-after-driving-beggars-belief-2011-09-27-0

Saudi Arabia: Woman Driver Verdict Reportedly Overturned By King
RIYADH,
  Saudi Arab — A Saudi government official says King Abdullah has
overturned a court verdict that sentenced a Saudi woman to be lashed 10
times for defying the kingdom's ban on women driving. The official
declined to elaborate. He spoke Wednesday on condition of anonymity
because he was not authorized to brief the media.
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2011/09/28/saudi-arabia-woman-driver-verdict_n_985\
857.html

Fearing Change, Syria’s Christians Back Assad
With chaos growing, many Syrian Christians said they feared a change of
power could deprive them of the semblance of protection the Assad family
  has provided.
http://feeds.nytimes.com/click.phdo?i=45b81d3d39c8280f6ba0f6ce7bc99700

Analysis / Op-ed

Perfect match: Bob Bernstein uses settler sources for racist anti-Arab
‘WaPo’ Op-Ed, Adam Horowitz
Robert Berstein has an Op-Ed in today's Washington Post that shows just how
truly desperate Israel's cheerleaders have become.
Bernstein, a founder of Human Rights Watch who now seems to hate human
rights, responds to the push for Palestinian statehood by recycling the
tired argument that it is Palestinian words that are driving the conflict, not
the Israeli boot on their necks
http://mondoweiss.net/2011/09/perfect-match-
bob-bernstein-uses-settler-sources-for-racist-anti-arab-wapo-op-ed.html

Abbas's Next Move, Mouin Rabbani
Mahmoud Abbas’s address to the United Nations General Assembly on 23
September fell considerably short of Yasir Arafat’s electrifying 1974
speech from the same podium. Nor did it compare with Haidar Abdul
Shafi’s dignified – and unanswerable – call for justice at the 1991
Madrid Peace Conference. Yet it may come to be seen as a historic
turning point in the fortunes of the Palestinian people. Abbas’s agenda
was transparent. He was sending the Americans a message: grow a spine,
stop appeasing Israel and launch credible negotiations – because if you
don’t, my next failure will be my last. There are several problems with
his approach. For one, the so-called peace process is working precisely
as designed, to give political cover to Israeli colonisation and
maintain America’s diplomatic monopoly. Second, the US has become even
more extreme than Israel. Obama’s speech delighted Avigdor Lieberman but
  was denounced by American politicians as a betrayal of Israel. Third,
there is nothing to negotiate about with Israel’s current rulers, who
refuse even to acknowledge the occupation, let alone commit to ending
it.
http://www.jadaliyya.com/pages/index/2771/abbass-next-move

The (unplanned) victory of the UN statehood bid
There was one significant victory at the United Nations for Mahmoud Abbas, even
if it was not the one he sought.
http://electronicintifada.net/content/unplanned-victory-un-statehood-bid/10432

PA astroturf effort to build campus momentum for statehood falls flat
Visit the Students for Statehood (SFS) website powered by WordPress, to view
pixilated flyers for some twelve
calendared rallies in support of the PA statehood bid to the UN.  They
look as though designed by students.  They use basic logos, and there is an
embedded hip-hop video.
http://mondoweiss.net/2011/09/pa-astroturf-effort-to-build-campus-momentum-for-s\
tatehood-falls-flat.html

The Occupied Turn Occupiers
In
  a recent debate Congressman Ron Paul claimed the United States military
  had troops in 130 countries.  The St. Petersburg Times looked into
whether such an outrage could actually be true and was obliged to report
  that the number was actually 148 countries.  However, if you watch NFL
football games, you hear the announcers thank members of the U.S.
military for watching from 177 countries.  The proud public claim is
worse than the scandalous claim or the “investigative” report.  What
gives?
http://dissidentvoice.org/2011/09/the-occupied-turn-occupiers/

Money for nothing and occupation for free: The 1994 Paris protocols on
economic relations between Israel and the PLO, Simone Daud
I’m
  familiar with Stanley Fischer's research before he became a central
banker. I also know his books with Dornbusch and Blanchard very
well. Fischer is a Rhodesian born economist who has been the governor of
  Israel’s central bank since 2005. Last year Fischer was declared Central
Banker of the Year by Euromoney magazine. This is not surprising because Israel
has almost entirely
avoided the effects of the financial collapses that have occurred in
Europe and the US. Indeed, most Israelis trying to find a job in
Tel-Aviv or in Haifa or in Jerusalem will probably have a much easier
time than most unemployed Americans.
http://mondoweiss.net/2011/09/money-for-nothing-and-occupation-for-free-
the-1994-paris-protocols-on-economic-relations-between-israel-and-the-plo.html

Why Fewer Young American Jews Share Their Parents' View of Israel
"I'm trembling," my mother says, when I tell her I'm working on an
article about how younger and older American Jews are reacting
differently to the Palestinians' bid for statehood at the United
Nations. I understand the frustrations of the Palestinians dealing with
ongoing settlements construction and sympathize with their decision to
approach the U.N., but my mom supports President Obama's promise to
wield the U.S. veto, sharing his view that a two-state solution can be
achieved only through negotiations with Israel. "This is so emotional," she says
as we cautiously
discuss our difference of opinion. "It makes me feel absolutely terrible
  when you stridently voice criticisms of Israel." (See photos inside the West
Bank settlements.)
http://old.news.yahoo.com/s/time/20110929/wl_time/08599209550500

Loving Judaism but questioning Israel
Only these days, I’m not so crazy about Israel – the nation-state,
that is. I don’t like that on the eve of these holidays and at the
moment when Mahmoud Abbas was making his bid at the United Nations for
Palestinian statehood, Israel announced the approval of 1,100 new
housing units in East Jerusalem. I’m ashamed that Israel continues to
draw criticism from human rights groups for the demolition of  homes in
the West Bank and, sharing blame with the Palestinians, for waging a
conflict over land with the lives of innocent people. Intellectually, I
see that Israel the nation-state and Israel the historical-theological
concept are separate things, but when I pray, the two ideas reverberate
together, and the conflation troubles me. In the practice of Judaism, we
  petition God to protect “Israel;” I hesitate before I voice this plea.
http://www.washingtonpost.com/national/on-faith/
loving-judaism-but-questioning-israel/2011/09/28/gIQA1cbs5K_story.html

Obama’s Badge of Shame
The
  portion of Obama’s speech in the United Nations that referred to the
Palestinian bid for membership in the UN earned for him a “badge of
honor” from Israeli prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu (those are the
very words used by Netanyahu when he congratulated Obama on his
speech!). But, in the eyes of most of the world, it brought shame and
disgrace on Obama and the US and made a laughing stock of both.
http://dissidentvoice.org/2011/09/obamas-badge-of-shame/

Leila Khaled in Lipstick: Palestinian Women Out of Frame
Acre - Leila Khaled hijacked an American airplane on 29 August 1969. After the
operation, the photograph of the famous revolutionary taken by Eddie
Adams turned Khaled into an icon. Khaled, a young brunette carrying a
Kalashnikov with a kuffiyeharound her neck, became a symbol of an era. Images
of Khaled and other icons
of the seventies are reproduced at Framed-Unramed, an exhibition at the
Ethnographic and Art Museum, in partnership with the Institute of
Women’s Studies at Birzeit University.
http://english.al-akhbar.com/content/leila-khaled-lipstick-palestinian-women-out\
-frame

Palestine's Tashweesh: Performing the Intifada in Beirut
An unconventional mix of music and artistry, Tashweesh will recreate the
  daily lived language of the intifada as performance in their Beirut
debut. Unlike traditional music bands that include a singer and
musicians, Tashweesh (Arabic word for jamming or static) is a
Palestinian performance collective that engages the audience by joining
audio and visual techniques on stage. In their work, space, sound, and
time come together unapologetically. The group debuts in Beirut with
three shows, including a public concert in Shatila refugee camp next
Sunday.
http://english.al-akhbar.com/content/palestines-tashweesh-performing-intifada-be\
irut

A few points for the occasion of the Atzmon saga going mainstream
Of
  course Atzmon is antisemitic. I think a lot of people who steered clear
  of him, including yours truly, have been loath to say that because of
the way this accusation has been weaponized by Zionists, and the desire
not to give them any credibility. But that kind of circumlocution quite
often has a price. Had people been less circumspect, the implosion of
Mearsheimer might not have happened. It takes a unique kind of genius to
  cede the moral high ground to the denizens of Harry’s sewer, where
every kind of bigotry is acceptable except antisemitism, or the
concentration camp volunteer guard Jeffrey Goldberg.
http://jewssansfrontieres.blogspot.com/2011/09/few-point-for-occasion-of-atzmon-\
saga.html


--
www.TheHeadlines.org

[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]

Land theft / Ethnic cleansing / Apartheid / Exile

Attoun's detention extended, court hearing delayed
Silwan,
  Jerusalem (SILWANIC) 29 Sept -- The detention of Palestinian
parliamentarian Ahmad Attoun was extended until 3 October by the
Jerusalem Magistrates Court today, with the session delayed for Attoun’s
  defence team to prepare its case. Attoun’s lawyer Fadi Qawasmeh stated
that the state prosecution presented a list of charges against his
client at today’s session, including allegations of having entered the
Occupied Territories. The prosecution also requested an extension of
Attoun’s detention until all legal proceedings are concluded. Attoun is
reported to remain in high spirit, though he continues to suffer
physical pain from injuries sustained during his arrest.
http://silwanic.net/?p=20758

Human rights group warns of Israel revenge against Jerusalem residents for UN
move
MEMO 30 Sept -- A Palestinian human rights group has warned the residents of
occupied
East Jerusalem about "retaliatory procedures" by the Israeli occupation
authorities in response to the Palestinian Authority application for
recognition by the UN of an independent state of Palestine. According to
  the Jerusalem Centre for Social and Economic Rights, such measures
include the abduction of elected parliamentarian Ahmed Attoun from
outside the headquarters of the International Red Cross last Monday.
http://www.middleeastmonitor.org.uk/news/middle-east/2884

Occupation forces hand demolition notices to residents of ‘Ezbet Shufa
TULKAREM (PIC) 29 Sept -- IOF troops handed on Thursday eight residents of
the village of Izbet Shufeh, to the south of the northern West Bank city
  of Tulkarem, demolition notices within a week because it lies in area
(C) ... Hasan Shaar, a resident of the village told PIC correspondent that
the demolition notices were issued despite the facts that the owners of
newly built homes have planning permissions and ownership deeds for the
land and that the homes are already built, but waiting for the doors and
  windows to be installed. He also said that the village, which lies south of
Tulkarem, is
surrounded from all sides by settlements: Avni Hefits from the west,
Ennab from the east, a settlement block connected to Avni Hefets from
the north and a settlement bypass road from the south. He also pointed out that
residents are not allowed to reach their
fields using any form of transportation, so they have to walk on foot to
  reach their fields and tend their plants.
http://occupiedpalestine.wordpress.com/2011/09/29/
occupation-forces-hand-demolition-notices-to-residents-of-ezbet-shufa/

Photostream: Building of the Wall in al-Walajah 28.09.2011
5 photos -- Foundation of a tunnel is seen next to the house of Al-Hajajleh
family
on the route of the Wall in Al Walaja village, 28.09.2011. The tunnel,
which costs around 32 million dollars,  will soon be the only way for
the family to access the outside world.
http://www.flickr.com/photos/activestills/6194170147/

Future of West Bank school under threat
JORDAN VALLEY (Reuters) 29 Sept -- At the Kaabna Bedouin primary school in the
Jordan Valley area of the West Bank, Palestinian Bedouin students
prepare for a day full of classes. But their school may not be around
for much longer. Israeli authorities say the school in the Israeli-occupied West
Bank is
illegal as it is in ''Area C'', the 60 percent of the West Bank where
Israel exercises total control.
http://www.maannews.net/eng/ViewDetails.aspx?ID=424716

Condemnation grows against Israel's settlement plans
BETHLEHEM
  (Ma‘an/AFP) -- Pressure is growing against Israel as Russia and
Turkey added their voices to the international condemnation against the
recent approval of 1,100 housing units in East Jerusalem ... Europeans
nations Britain, France and Italy also condemned the move, with China,
Japan and Egypt also issuing statements.
http://www.maannews.net/eng/ViewDetails.aspx?ID=424611

Merkel questions E. Jerusalem housing plan
AP
  30 Sept -- German chancellor tells Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu in
  phone call that decision to approve new housing units in east Jerusalem
  has 'raised doubts that Israeli government is interested in starting
serious negotiations'
http://www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7340,L-4129300,00.html

Arab League: Israeli construction in Jerusalem is violation of international law
DPA 29 Sept -- Secretary General Nabil al-Arabi says Israeli plans to
build new homes in neighborhood of Gilo is proof Israel does not desire
peace.
http://www.haaretz.com/news/diplomacy-defense/arab-league-
israeli-construction-in-jerusalem-is-violation-of-international-law-1.387349

Israeli diplomat says Jerusalem was the Jewish capital when 'London was a swamp'
MEMO 29 Sept -- One day after Britain condemned Israel's latest plans to build
new
illegal settlements in the occupied Palestinian territories, including
Jerusalem, the former Israeli ambassador to the UK said defiantly that
Jerusalem was the capital of the Jewish people "when London was still a
swamp". Ron Prosor is the current Israeli ambassador to the United
Nations.
http://www.middleeastmonitor.org.uk/news/middle-east/2880

Waters for life in Palestine / Dr. Mazin Qumsiyeh
(BETHLEHEM)
  Salem-News 29 Sept -- From its founding Israel as an apartheid colonial
  power has appropriated natural resources from native people to use for
immigrants imported from around the world. Before 1967, Israel diverted
waters that normally flowed into the Jordan river basin and also
restricted water usage by the Palestinians who remained in what became
the state of Israel in 1948. After 1967, Palestinians in the West Bank
and Gaza were denied access to most of their water resources in a
calculated process to impoverish the population and destroy the economy
in the occupied Palestinian territories. Today, Palestinian are allowed
to use an average of 72 liters per capita per day versus Israeli average
  of 280 liters versus settlers in the West Bank average of 400 liters
daily
http://salem-news.com/articles/september292011/palestine-waters-mq.php

Settlers

Dozens of settlers attack village in Salfit
SALFIT (WAFA) 29 Sept – Dozens of armed settlers, under the
protection of the Israeli soldiers, Thursday attacked the village of
Yasouf, east of Salfit in the northern West Bank, firing their weapons
into the air in an attempt to terrorize the Palestinian residents,
according to WAFA’s correspondent.Witnesses said that dozens of Settlers
headed from the settlement of
Taffuh [Tapuah?] towards the north side of the village and fired automatic
weapons
  into the air in order to terrorize the Palestinian farmers to force
them to leave their lands, leading to confrontations between the village
  residents and the settlers, no injuries were reported. The attack took place
while the soldiers were watching, who did not
intervene to stop the settlers and simply surrounded the village and
sealed it off ...
In a related matter, a number of settlers from the
settlement of Yitzhar,
  near Nablus, vandalized water pipelines in Madama, a village south of
Nablus, according to the village council, Ihab Al Qut. He said that
almost 30 settlers gathered near the village’s water spring
and destroyed the water pipelines that provide water to the agricultural
  lands.
http://english.wafa.ps/index.php?action=detail&id=17592

In Pictures: Israel arms and trains illegal settlers for rampage in occupied
Palestine
dog pix are particularly frightening
http://occupiedpalestine.wordpress.com/2011/09/18/
israel-arms-trains-illegal-settlers-for-rampage-in-occupied-palestine-in-picture\
s/

Israeli forces

3 Palestinians suffer suffocation in confrontations in Yasuf
SALFIT (WAFA) 29 Sept -- Three Palestinians suffered on
Thursday from suffocation cases cased by Israeli tear gas in
confrontations that erupted between the Palestinians and the Israeli
soldiers in the village of Yasuf, east of Salfit in the northern West
Bank, according to local sources. hey said that that Israeli soldiers
raided the village after the
settlers attacked it tonight, and started firing tear gas bombs heavily
against the village’s residents ,injuring three Palestinians; Mazen
Yaseen,18, Alaa’ Azzam, 18, and Osama Abdul Raziq, 21. he sources said
that the injured were transferred to Yasser Arafat Hospital in Salfi
http://english.wafa.ps/index.php?action=detail&id=17597

PCHR weekly report: Palestinian civilian killed, 26 civilians injured by Israel
forces this week [22-28 September]
IMEMC
  30 Sept -- Israeli forces conducted 36 incursions into Palestinian
communities in
the West Bank, during which they arrested 4 Palestinians, including a
member of the Palestinian Legislative Council. On Friday, 23 September
2011, Israeli forces killed a Palestinian
civilian and wounded another 7, including a child, when they moved into
Qasra village, southeast of Nablus, to provide protection to a group of
Israeli settlers who raided Palestinian lands in the village ...  On
Thursday September 22nd, at approximately 07:45, Israeli gunboats
stationed opposite to Beit Lahia beach in the northern Gaza Strip opened
  fire at Palestinian fishing boats which were near the shore. At
approximately 08:00, Israeli forces boats approached the shore and
destroyed fishing nets owned by Palestinian fishermen and pulled some
fishing nets into the sea.
http://www.imemc.org/article/62150

Army invades Jenin and other villages
IMEMC 30 Sept -- ...The Palestine News and Information Agency (WAFA) reported
that a
large military force invaded the city and Jenin refugee camp in addition
  to some other surrounding villages in the early hours of Friday
morning. Eyewitness reported that twelve military vehicles swept most of their
neighborhoods and streets for five hours and fired grenades and machine
gun fire, however no injuries were reported. The Israeli military has also
invaded many other nearby cities
accompanied by military vehicles touring the streets and neighborhoods
for several hours, no detentions were reported. [According to PNN, the villages
invaded were  Kufrdan, Yamoun, Zbuba,
  Alsila Alharithiya, Burqin, Qabatya, Zbabdeh, Musliyeh, and Sanour.]
http://www.imemc.org/article/62146

Gaza / Sinai

Israeli warplanes blast central Gaza
GAZA (PIC) 30 Sept -- Israeli warplanes blasted targets in the central
Gaza Strip in a pre-dawn raid on Friday causing only material damage,
medical sources said. They said that the bombing targeted a training
ground for the Qassam Brigades, the armed wing of Hamas, at the entrance
  to Maghazi refugee camp in central Gaza...
Israeli army tanks and huge bulldozers had infiltrated 300 meters into
central Gaza and bulldozed cultivated land east of Deir Al-Balah amidst
random firing at a late hour on Wednesday night, local sources told the
PIC reporter.
Link to Palestinian Information Center

Envoy: Israel plans to take control of Egypt's Sinai
BETHLEHEM
  (Ma‘an) 30 Sept -- The Egyptian ambassador to the Palestinian
Authority warned Friday that Israel planned to take control of Egypt's
Sinai. Yasser Othman told Ma‘an that the tone of recent remarks
by Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and other high-level
ministers indicated "the presence of an Israeli plan aimed at
controlling Sinai." Israeli leaders were trying to show the world that
Egypt could not control its borders with Israel, Othman said
http://www.maannews.net/eng/ViewDetails.aspx?ID=424877

Egyptian forces detain 5 Palestinians
EL-ARISH,
  Egypt (Ma‘an) 29 Sept -- Egyptian security forces detained five
Palestinians during a security campaign in Al-Arish on Thursday,
Egyptian security officials said. Egyptian police and the army have
launched a security crackdown and
detained Palestinian smugglers who entered through the tunnels,
according to security sources. The sources added that they seized five
Palestinians in one of the houses on the coast. The campaign is ongoing,
  they say. Earlier, security uncovered a warehouse in the Sinai
containing explosives and missiles, security officials said. Egyptian
forces received information about smugglers storing explosives
in the Sinai warehouse for export outside of Egypt, security officials
told Ma‘an.
http://www.maannews.net/eng/ViewDetails.aspx?ID=424802

Video: In Gaza, fishermen are under constant attack for trying to make a living
/ Sasha Gelzin
Mondoweiss -- Today [28 Sept], the Oliva, a monitoring boat manned by the Civil
Peace Service Gaza project, accompanied three hasaka boats (the size of small
rowboats) and one
trawler as they attempted to fish. The Israeli naval boats relentlessly
pursued the Oliva, until the crew decided to retreat back to shore only
three hours after they launched. The Oliva's previous engine was destroyed by
the Israeli navy in July and replacing the engine again is not an option given
financial limitations.
http://mondoweiss.net/2011/09/in-gaza-fishermen-are-under-constant-attack-for-tr\
ying-to-make-a-living.html

Medical staff in Gaza protest over shortages
[photos] MEMO -- The Medical Trade Union has organised a sit-in outside the Dr
Abdel-Aziz
  Al-Rantisi children's hospital to protest over severe shortages in
medical supplies; in over 100 classes of medicine, Ministry of Health
warehouse stores and reserves have dwindled to zero ... The Ministry of Health
continues to deliver warnings about this crisis
which is the result of both the siege, and the fact that the Ministry of
  Health in the West Bank has not sent Gaza its share of medicine.
http://www.middleeastmonitor.org.uk/news/middle-east/2879

GCC allocates $24.5 million to rebuild Gaza homes
GAZA CITY (Ma‘an) 28 Sept -- The Gulf Cooperation Council will allocate
$24.5
million to reconstruct homes in Gaza destroyed during Israel's last
military offensive on the coastal enclave, a council official said
Monday.
http://www.maannews.net/eng/ViewDetails.aspx?ID=424060

PRC celebrates 11th anniversary in Gaza City
GAZA CITY (Ma‘an) 30 Sept -- The Popular Resistance Committees on Thursday
held a
  festival in Gaza City to mark the group's 11th anniversary. The
event, entitled "Return and liberation," took place at the Rashad
al-Shawa cultural center and was attended by representatives of national
  and Islamic factions, ministers and supporters, a Ma'an correspondent
reported.
http://www.maannews.net/eng/ViewDetails.aspx?ID=424901

The story of a forgotten borderline, declared open but hardly crossable / Gitta
Rasmussen & Nanna Sejabo
Bikyamasr
  29 Sept -- ...This is the first day of my attempt to return to Egypt. I
  made a
short visit to Gaza to see old friends and do some research. It was my
first time back in years. As I arrive at the border, a couple hundred
individuals are already
waiting by the fences. Their posture tells me that they have been
waiting for long already. This is certainly not their first day here.
This crowd, Palestinians, foreigners and those in between, have
waited for days in the sun, the heat, and the dust for 10-12 hours
daily. They are waiting for their lucky number to be chosen, if ever it
happens ... It does not feel like the rest of the world is feeling the
despair of
  this place with us, but what can we do? Never go here, never visit our
friends and forget that a place called Gaza exists? Children are overly
tired and sobbing. There is pleading, negotiation
  and begging. The uniformed officers are strained and nervous, with
sweat springing from their foreheads. As night falls, resignation
arrives, and people give up to find shelter for the night.
http://bikyamasr.com/43936/the-story-of-a-forgotten-borderline-declared-open-but\
-hardly-crossable/

Activism / Solidarity

Video: Bil‘in takes art as a means of resistance

ISM 30 Sept -- ...The march began from the center of
the village after Friday prayers, as participants marched through
village lands liberated in June, waving Palestinian flags and banners of
imprisoned leader Marwan Barghouti. They chanted patriotic slogans
calling for the end of the Israeli Occupation, the destruction of the
Apartheid wall, and the upholding of Palestinian rights. Upon the arrival of
participants to the al-Thahar area, where Bassem
Abu-Rahma was shot and killed in 2009, the Advisory Council for a Green
Palestine announced the start of a new green project in the village of
Bil‘in, which will involve olive tree-planting and the installation of
solar-powered street lamps.http://palsolidarity.org/2011/09/20364/

Demonstration against land confiscation for new bypass road in Beit Ommar
PSP 30 Sept -- Residents of Beit Ommar demonstrated against recent received land
confiscation orders. 800 dunums of Beit Ommar and Shwoukh land will be
taken by the Israelis for a 8km bypass road, starting from Gush Etzion.
  The settlers have already built a watch tower on a hill top in the area
  -- the first step to establish a new settlement. The road to the planned
  settlement on Halhoul land will go through Beit Ommar and Shwoukh land
and join in on the route 60 by Halhoul.
The demonstrators in Beit Ommar marched from the centre of town
towards the already closed down fruit marked and to one of the
roadblocks close to Route 60
http://palestinesolidarityproject.org/2011/09/30/
demonstration-against-land-confiscation-for-new-bypass-road-in-beit-ommar/

Kufr Qaddoum demands access
ISM 30 Sept -- Israeli military forces mounted an aggressive incursion into the
centre of Kufr Qaddum today, in response to the weekly demonstration
against the closure of the main road linking the village to the nearby
city of Nablus, in the North of the West Bank.  The Israeli military
fired tear gas canisters directly into streets crowded with villagers
and international observers, causing many to suffer from severe gas
inhalation. Murad Shttaiwi, spokesman of the demonstrations, confirmed that this
was the furthest that the Israeli military had entered into the village
since the weekly protests began on 1 July 2011.  He also claimed that
after the protest in Kufr Qaddum on Friday 23 September 2011, fires
caused by Israeli military tear gas canisters burned nearly 200 olives
trees.
http://palsolidarity.org/2011/09/20359/

Video: Land demonstration in Yatta
Occ. Pal. 30 Sept -- PSP joined residents in Yatta in a land demonstration
http://occupiedpalestine.wordpress.com/2011/09/30/land-demonstration-in-yatta-se\
pt-30-2011-video/

In Pictures: Israeli settler terror in Anata
Occ. Pal. 30 Sept -- Jewish settlers clash with some 20 left-wing
pro-Palestinian Israeli
activists in the Anatot settlement in the occupied West Bank northeast
of Jerusalem on September 30, 2011, after about 20 leftist Israeli
pro-Palestinians arrived at the settlement waving Palestinian flags in
support of an Arab who had put up a tent on land he claims is his. A
Palestinian source said the Palestinian was from east Jerusalem, which
was conquered by Israel in the 1967 Six Day war and later annexed.
http://occupiedpalestine.wordpress.com/2011/09/30/israeli-settler-terror-in-anat\
a-sept-30-2011-in-pictures/

Photos of the crowd at the opening of MECA's 'A Child's View from Gaza' exhibit
Mondoweiss 30 Sept -- I didn't hear about this exhibit until it was canceled,
most likely many
  of the people that attended the opening didn't either.  I suspect that
the Middle East Children's Alliance and many Palestinian activists are
secretly happy about the publicity generated by MOCHA's decision to
cancel the event. All  photos taken by Youth Against Normalization.  This
exhibit will be at 917 Washington Street, Oakland for the next two months.
http://mondoweiss.net/2011/09/photos-of-
the-crowd-at-the-opening-of-mecas-a-childs-view-from-gaza-exhibit.html

Detention / Court actions

High Court rules Raed Salah is entitled to damages for wrongful detention
MEMO 30 Sept -- Press Release -- [UK] High Court rules Raed Salah is
'entitled to damages for wrongful detention' ... Sheikh Salah's
solicitor Tayab Ali said 'We welcome the Court's finding
that Sheikh Salah was wrongfully detained and that he should be
compensated for that. We are however disappointed that the Judge refused
  the judicial review in respect of the statutory purpose and policy.
This is a worrying first step towards a policy of preventative detention
  for acts that have not even been contemplated yet'.
http://www.middleeastmonitor.org.uk/news/press-release/2885

Salah appeal postponed until Tuesday
LONDON (PIC) 29 Sept -- A High Court in the UK held two prolonged
sessions on Tuesday and Wednesday over an appeal against the deportation
  of Palestinian political leader Raed Salah. It was ruled that further
hearings would be postponed until Tuesday to finish presenting witnesses
  and evidence. According to the British media, UK Home Secretary Theresa
  May sent emails in search of a reason to exclude Salah from the country
  ahead of his expected visit to participate in conferences.
Link to Palestinian Information Center

UK government conflates criticism of Israel and anti-Semitism in Salah trial /
Asa Winstanley
EI 30 Sept -- Renowned Palestinian activist and religious leader Sheikh Raed
Salah was at the UK’s Sheldon immigration court in Birmingham this week
... For the first
time, the government named as a 'principle source' in its case against
Salah the Community Security Trust (CST), a registered British charity with a
record of smearing critics of
Israel as anti-Semitic, and the only non-government source named in
court. A day-one promise to check on further sources was not fulfilled
on the second day.
http://electronicintifada.net/content/uk-government-conflates-criticism-israel-a\
nti-semitism-salah-trial/10441

Abu al-Subuh: Captives are forced to go through daily humiliating strip searches
GAZA (PIC) 29 Sept -- Dr. Attallah Abu al-Subuh, Minister of Captives and
Ex-captives, said that Palestinian captives in Israeli occupation jails
started their escalatory hunger strike on Wednesday and Thursday and
will continue until Saturday, to protest the measures of the occupation
authorities against them ... He also pointed out that the occupation insists on
denying the captives
education, medical treatment, sleep and visitation by family and
lawyers.
http://occupiedpalestine.wordpress.com/2011/09/30/
abu-al-subuh-captives-are-forced-to-go-through-daily-humiliating-strip-searches/

PA Security arrest two Hamas supporters and continue to detain journalists
Nablus (PIC) 29 Sept -- PA security continue with its excesses in the West Bank
arresting two Hamas supporters, raided the home of a Palestinian captive
  in occupation jails and continue to detain the two journalists Sayeh
and Bisharat ... PA preventive security men also arrested Muhammad Aseeda
outside Najah
University in Nablus. Aseeda hails from the village of Tal and is a
former captive in occupation jails.
http://occupiedpalestine.wordpress.com/2011/09/29/
pa-security-arrest-two-hamas-supporters-and-continue-to-detain-journalists/

PA Security arrest three Hamas supporters including leader Dirar Hamadneh
WEST BANK (PIC) 30 Sept – The PA security is continuing with its campaign
against the opposition in the West Bank arresting three Hamas supporters
  in the districts of Nablus and al-Khalil. They also continue to harass
journalist Mu‘ath Mishaal. In al-Khalil district, the PA preventive
security arrested Nasim Abu
al-Jadayel, the brother of the Mayor of Sammu‘ from inside the
Magistrates court in the city of Dura.
In the Nablus district, the PA preventive security arrested Sheikh
Durar Hamadneh and his son Usama after raiding their home in the Aseera
al-Shamaleyya.
http://occupiedpalestine.wordpress.com/2011/09/30/
pa-security-arrest-three-hamas-supporters-including-leader-dirar-hamadneh/

Refugees

The psychology and coping of Balata refugee camp
ISM
  30 Sept -- Balata refugee camp, 2km east outside of Nablus, in the
north of the
West Bank, is a densely packed grid of permanent buildings and tight
streets, many narrower than shoulder-width.   Buildings rise higher each
  year as residents add extra storeys to cope with chronic overcrowding
and lack of space.  Having been founded in 1950, Balata was initially
designed to house 5000 refugees forced from their homes during the 1948
Nakba [Catastrophe].  There are now more than 25,000 people crammed into
  the 1km2 camp and many residents live in extreme hardship with poverty,
  limited educational opportunities, poor health and mass unemployment
added to overcrowded housing conditions. The Yafa Cultural Centre was
founded in 1996 to address many of the problems faced by Balata’s
inhabitants.
http://palsolidarity.org/2011/09/20361/

Statehood bid

VIDEO: Israelis mock Palestinian bid for statehood / Dr. Ashraf Ezzat
From the group that brought you We Con the World, Latma proudly presents
  an ode to the Jewish state by the UN Choir singing Somebody to Hate.
http://salem-news.com/articles/september292011/israelis-laugh-ae.php

WATCH: Security Council discusses UN statehood bid
UNITED NATIONS (Ma‘an) 30 Sept -- The UN Security Council's admissions
committee
  holds its first meeting to review and assess the PLO's application for
full UN membership.
The standing committee on the admission of
new members to the world body is comprised of all 15 Security Council
members, who are being represented by their UN ambassadors.
http://www.maannews.net/eng/ViewDetails.aspx?ID=424924

Fight for votes as UN meets on Palestine / Jared Malsin
UNITED NATIONS (Ma‘an) 30 Sept -- Officials and experts say the United
States is using diplomatic pressure
  to convince Security Council member states to vote no or abstain, with
the aim of preventing the PLO from securing a majority in the 15-member
council. “This is a huge diplomatic battle. It will be continued
  with massive pressure in the capitals of the countries in the Security
Council,†said Riyad Mansour, the PLO’s ambassador to the UN ... With
diplomatic wrangling underway, particular attention from both sides
  has focused on three countries perceived to be swing votes: Nigeria,
Gabon, and Bosnia-Herzegovina, all of which have recognized Palestine
bilaterally but have not declared which way they will vote ... To pass
the Security Council all resolutions need nine votes and no
vetoes from any of the body’s five permanent members: Britain, China,
France, Russia and the United States.
http://www.maannews.net/eng/ViewDetails.aspx?ID=424939

PLO effectively rejects Quartet proposal to resume talks
RAMALLAH (Reuters) 29 Sept -- ...The PLO executive committee, meeting in
Ramallah, noted the proposal but
  said, as expected, that Israel must halt all settlement building in the
  occupied West Bank before they will restart talks, as President Mahmoud
  Abbas has insisted. "The Palestinian leadership stresses clearly
  that it cannot accept holding negotiations that lack the minimum limits
  of responsibility and seriousness amid the continuation of settlements
and stealing of land," said PLO official Yasser Abed Rabbo.
http://www.maannews.net/eng/ViewDetails.aspx?ID=424776

Palestinians say committed to talks
Ynet 29 Sept -- After Palestinian officials spoke out against the Quartet's plan
for renewing peace talks last week, senior officials in Ramallah
changed their tone Thursday, lauding the proposal and saying they are
committed to negotiations with Israel ... In a statement issued following the
meeting,
officials in Ramallah said they examined the Quartet plan in detail and
found several encouraging elements in it, such as a defined timetable
that will not exceed three months for coming up with a detailed plan on
the issues of borders and security.
http://www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7340,L-4129118,00.html

Vice PM Moshe Ya'alon: Regime change in Ramallah will ultimately be necessary
for peace talks to progres / Paul Mutter
Mondoweiss 30 Sept -- Vice Prime Minister and Minister of Strategic Affairs
Moshe "Boogie" Ya'alon (Likud), former head of Israeli Intelligence in the West
Bank and the IDF Chief of Staff during the Second Intifada, told Arutz Sheva
that he does not believe that peace talks will be possible with the
current Palestinian leadership. He insists that Abbas is not someone
Israel can deal with in good faith because he refuses to accept the
existence of a "Jewish state,"
http://mondoweiss.net/2011/09/vice-pm-moshe-ya'alon-
regime-change-in-ramallah-will-ultimately-be-necessary-for-peace-talks-to-progre\
ss.html

EU parliament: Palestinian bid 'legitimate'
BETHLEHEM (Ma‘an) 29 Sept -- The European Parliament has called
Palestine's bid
for statehood "legitimate" in a resolution passed Thursday, and said
that a solution should be found within a year. MEPs believe,
however, that Palestinian statehood should result from negotiations,
during the current UN General Assembly session, a statement posted
Thursday said. "The right of Palestinians to self-determination
and to have their own state is unquestionable, as is the right of Israel
  to exist within safe borders", said the resolution, which was adopted
by a show of hands.
http://www.maannews.net/eng/ViewDetails.aspx?ID=424748

Egypt / Turkey - Israel

Report: Israel scrambles IAF warplanes toward Turkish ship
Haaretz 30 Sept -- Israel Defense Forces jet fighters were scrambled toward a
Turkish
seismic research ship in the Eastern Mediterranean, Turkish media
reported on Friday, in what seemed to be a further escalation in the
already fraying ties between the once longtime allies.
						     According to the report, cited by the Turkish daily Today's Zaman and
based on a report by the Turkish Vatan daily, two Israel Air Force F-15s
  took off to face the Turkish vessel on Thursday night, flying through
the airspace of both Cyprus and Turkish Cyprus.
http://www.haaretz.com/news/diplomacy-defense/
report-israel-scrambles-iaf-warplanes-toward-turkish-ship-1.387407

Erdogan extends special Rosh Hashanah greeting to Jews
Haaretz
  29 Sept -- Turkish PM wishes a happy new year to Jewish Turks, says the
  holidays and feasts of different faiths and cultures add color to
Turkish society.
http://www.haaretz.com/news/middle-east/
erdogan-extends-special-rosh-hashanah-greeting-to-jews-1.387344

Political / Diplomatic / International

Hamas official: Abbas comments on unity 'positive'
GAZA CITY (Ma‘an) 29 Sept -- Hamas leader Mousa Abu Marzouq on Wednesday
gave a
guarded welcome to President Mahmoud Abbas' stated commitment to unity
talks between his Fatah party and rival faction Hamas.
http://www.maannews.net/eng/ViewDetails.aspx?ID=424594

PFLP: Fatah, Hamas 'deception' unacceptable
GAZA CITY (Ma‘an) -- Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine
leader Jamil Mizher said Friday the "deception and stalling" of Hamas

and Fatah to reconcile was no longer acceptable ... He stressed the
necessity of building a united strategy in order to address the serious
risks facing the Palestinian cause.
http://www.maannews.net/eng/ViewDetails.aspx?ID=424952

Egypt warns US not to link military aid to democratic transition
Haaretz/Reuters 30 Sept -- Egypt has warned the U.S. not to pass a new Senate
bill that aims to
suspend military aid until Egypt certifies its full functions as a
democracy, the Washington Post reported on Friday. According to the report, 1.3
billion dollars in aid for 2012 will be suspended until Egypt holds democratic
elections and guarantees civil liberties.
http://www.haaretz.com/news/middle-east/
egypt-warns-u-s-not-to-link-military-aid-to-democratic-transition-1.387408

Jordan allows Hamas leader to visit ailing mother
DPA 29 Sept -- It will be Khaled Meshal's second visit to Jordan since
the closure of the Hamas bureau in Amman and the expulsion of its
officials from Jordan in 1999 ... Meshal was permitted to visit Amman in
  2009 to visit his dying father....
http://www.haaretz.com/news/diplomacy-defense/jordan-allows-hamas-leader-to-visi\
t-ailing-mother-1.387327

Other news

Elderly represent 4.4% of Palestinian population
RAMALLAH (WAFA) 29 Sept -- Elderly people of 60 years of age
and over in the Palestinian Territory represent 4.4% of the total
population in mid-2011, said the Palestinian Central Bureau of
Statistics (PCBS) in a press release on the Eve of World Elderly Day
on October 1st ... Life expectancy has  increased about 4-7 years during the
last decade as
well as during the last five years. In particular, life expectancy
increased for both males and females from 67.0 years in 1992 to 71.0
years for males and 73.9 years for females in mid-2011 ... The Palestinian
society is considered a young society where the
percentage of youth is about half of society and the percentage of the
elderly is relatively small.
http://english.wafa.ps/index.php?action=detail&id=17584

Occupation nearly halves Palestinian GDP
Bus. Recorder 29 Sept -- RAMALLAH: Israel's occupation of the Palestinian
territories cost the Palestinian economy
an estimated $6.9 billion in 2010, around 85 percent of GDP, a report
published on Thursday said.Produced jointly by the Palestinian economy ministry
and the Applied Research
Institute-Jerusalem think tank, the study said a slew of Israeli
policies kept the Palestinians dependent on foreign aid by stifling
economic growth.
http://www.brecorder.com/world/global-business-a-economy/29845

PA minister's corruption trial postponed again
RAMALLAH
  (Ma‘an) 29 Sept -- ...Minister Ismail Daiq faces charges of corruption
in public office at the newly instituted anti-corruption court in
Ramallah. His
  defense lawyer has requested several delays of the hearing in order to
give more time for preparation of the case, a Ma‘an correspondent said.
http://www.maannews.net/eng/ViewDetails.aspx?ID=424712

English classes at the Center for Freedom and Justice in Beit Ommar
PSP 30 Sept -- Lessons in English are now given at the Center for Freedom and
Justice in Beit Ommar four days a week, Monday-Thursday. At the moment there
are classes on three different levels -- beginners, intermediate and
more advanced.
http://palestinesolidarityproject.org/2011/09/30/
english-classes-at-the-center-for-freedom-and-justice-in-beit-ommar/

Analysis / Opinion

Palestinian officials who decry Gilo colony in public offered it to Israel in
negotiations / Ali Abunimah
EI
  blog 29 Sept -- Palestinian officials in Ramallah have condemned
Israel’s recently
announced decision to expand by 1,100 Jewish-only housing units the
illegal settlement of Gilo built on land stolen from the occupied West
Bank villages of Beit Jala, Beit Safafa and Sharafat. But what they say
in public is at odds with their private willingness to hand the
settlement over to Israel in its entirety.
http://electronicintifada.net/blog/ali-abunimah/
palestinian-officials-who-decry-gilo-colony-public-offered-it-israel-negotiation\
s

Why should Israeli settlers influence an Irish election? / David Cronin
EI blog 29 Sept -- Today, David Norris is a candidate for the post of
Ireland’s
president ... Norris has
tirelessly championed human rights at home and abroad. Together with a
retired bus driver Tom Hyland, he made the situation in East Timor a
priority issue for Irish foreign policy in the 1990s. And while the
Dublin government accommodated the invasion of Iraq by allowing Shannon
Airport become a de facto US military base, Norris called for George W Bush and
Dick Cheney to be tried for war crimes. Yet it is his support for the
Palestinians that has landed Norris in the most trouble. As I wrote last month,
Norris withdrew from the presidential race because of a
smear campaign undertaken by Zionist blogger John Connolly. (Happily,
Norris has now returned to the contest and has been formally nominated
as a candidate)..
http://electronicintifada.net/blog/david/why-should-israeli-settlers-influence-i\
rish-election

Video: Young Jewish declaration
30
  Sept -- Following is a great new video by Young Jewish and Proud, the
youth wing of Jewish Voice for Peace.  The video also includes members
of Earlham BDS and CODEPINK. “How do we reach Jewish young people?â€
has
long been one of the central mantras of the organized Jewish community –
  as those of us who work as Jewish professionals can surely attest. But
while we wring our hands over the state of the Jewish future, a
remarkable new generation of Jews has been knocking insistently at our
door.
http://blog.endtheoccupation.org/2011/09/young-jewish-declaration.html

Palestine, the UN, and lies at Rosh Hashanah / Bradley Burston
Haaretz 25 Sept -- This year, in Jerusalem, show us what a New Year
actually looks like. Avinu Malkeinu, hoshiyeinu. Rescue us from
ourselves... because Palestine has been left
undone, the same could be said of Israel. Left undone. Like all of us.
We pray to the same God - all of us, we
and the Palestinians who are our cousins and neighbors, we pray to the
lord of the second chance - but our belief is flagging. We are undone
and unmoving. We cannot shake our grief and our failure and our guilt
and our instinct for blame. We are undone by politics and by bad
politicians. We are undone by warped religion and bad clerics. We are
undone by our belief that only from our side do people see clearly and
speak the whole truth. ..
http://www.haaretz.com/blogs/a-special-place-in-hell/palestine-the-un-and-lies-a\
t-rosh-hashanah-1.386627

Bibi: Israel will raise David's sword against Iran / Richard Silverstein
Tikun
  Olam 29 Sept -- While Yisrael HaYom may be the best paper Sheldon
Adelson’s money can buy on behalf of his political fixer, Bibi Netanyahu
  (and Bibi may be the best Israeli politician Adelson’s money can buy),
there are sometimes benefits to reading it.  You do get to read the
unfiltered Bibi, unfettered by concerns for the sensitivities of his
western audience. For example, after his UN speech he gave an exclusive
interview [Hebrew] to the newspaper in which he waxed eloquent on the imagined
accomplishments of his UN speech.  First, he (almost single-handedly to
hear him tell it) stopped Palestinian statehood.  Second, the rest of
the world now "understands" Israel’s views on these matters.
http://www.richardsilverstein.com/tikun_olam/2011/09/28/bibi-israel-will-raise-d\
avids-sword-against-iran/

Let Palestine be Palestine - open letter to President Obama from US Ambassador
Charles Cecil
17
  Sept -- Just think for a minute -- what would happen if the United
States abstained when the Palestinian question comes before the UN
Security Council in the next week or two? The resolution would pass. The
  world would be stunned. The United States would enter an entirely new
era in our relations with the Muslim countries of the world ... On the
other hand, if the United States vetoes the Palestinian request
for statehood, we will damage our position in the Islamic world -- not
merely the Arab World -- for untold years to come. We will become the
object of retribution throughout the Muslim world, and will give new
energy to the lagging efforts of al-Qaida to retaliate against us. I
served my country 36 years in the Foreign Service of the United States,
ten assignments in ten Muslim countries. I know the power of this issue.
http://www.veteranstoday.com/2011/09/23/letter-to-president-obama-u-s-ambasador-\
charles-cecil/

The dangerous cult of The Guardian / Jonathan Cook
A
  Thought Police for the Internet Age -- Counterpunch 28 Sept -- ...A
good case study is the Guardian, considered the most leftwing newspaper
in Britain and rapidly acquiring cult status in the United States, where
  many readers tend to assume they are getting access through its pages
to unvarnished truth and the full range of critical thinking on the left
  ... Nonetheless, it would be unwise to believe that the Guardian is
therefore a free market in progressive or dissident ideas on the left.
In fact, quite the contrary: the paper strictly polices what can be said
  and who can say it in its pages, for cynical reasons we shall come to.
http://www.counterpunch.org/2011/09/28/the-dangerous-cult-of-the-guardian/

Palestine is but one of many aspiring to the United Nations - James Langton
The
  National 1 Oct -- ...The Palestinians are not the only people caught in
  this diplomatic
limbo. Around the world, there are at least 11 other nations seeking UN
membership, many with just as little chance as the Palestinians, which
at least has membership of the Arab League and a long list of
supporters.Some are almost unknown outside their immediate borders.
[Somaliland, Kosovo, Taiwan, Transnistria, Abkhazia, Western Sahara and
so forth -- and of course those nations sprawled across several borders
like Kurdistan, the Tuareg people, etc.]
http://www.thenational.ae/news/worldwide/africa/palestine-is-but-one-of-many-asp\
iring-to-the-united-nations

[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]

Settlers/ Land, Property, Resource Theft & Destruction/Ethnic Cleansing
E.Jerusalem home demolitions up: rights group (AFP)
AFP
- The final months of 2010 saw a sharp rise in the number of Israeli
demolitions of Palestinian homes in east Jerusalem, an Israeli civil
rights group said on Tuesday.
http://news.yahoo.com/s/afp/20110104/wl_mideast_afp/
israelpalestiniansconflicthousedemolitions

PLO Report Documents Palestinian Deaths, Home Demolitions and Settlement
Expansion in 2010
The
Palestine
  Liberation organization (PLO) issued a report this week documenting
Israeli human rights violations against Palestinians during 2010.
http://www.imemc.org/article/60341

Israeli authorities demolish Beit Hanina home
JERUSALEM
(Ma’an) -- Israeli officials in Jerusalem carried out the area's second
demolition in as many days early on Tuesday morning, in the Beit Hanina
neighborhood, north of the Old City.  Witnesses said that bulldozers
arrived in the residential area at 4:30 a.m. and demolished a
125-square-meter house, which owner Nayif Uweida said was built in 2000.
http://www.maannews.net/eng/ViewDetails.aspx?ID=348039

Palestinian property demolished in French Hill
The Jerusalem Municipality demolished a Palestinian property today in
the French Hill area, north Jerusalem. 100 sq meters of the 125 sq meter
home were bulldozed, leaving a single bedroom and adjoining bathroom
standing. The original home built in the 1950s, with an extension built
in 2004 after a long battle by the owner to obtain a permit from the
Municipality to construct the addition. After his applications were
rebuffed by officials, he decided to build the extension anyway, which
the Municipality now exploited as grounds for demolition.       
http://silwanic.net/?p=9974

Israeli forces demolish East Jerusalem home
JERUSALEM (Ma’an) -- Israeli authorities on Monday demolished part of a
Palestinian home in occupied East Jerusalem.  Forces bulldozed nearly 90
square meters of Nasser Yousif Seyam's home in Lafta village north of
Sheikh Jarrah, leaving around 35 square meters standing, witnesses
said.  The family of nine must now live in one bedroom, one lounge and a
corridor.
http://www.maannews.net/eng/ViewDetails.aspx?ID=347696

IOF distributes demolition notices against 15 installations in JV
IOF served 15 notices to Palestinian citizens in Nuwaima, north of
Jericho, in the Jordan Valley on Monday ordering them to tear down their
homes, the village's mosque, and a lamppost.
http://www.palestine-info.co.uk/En/default.aspx?xyz=U6Qq7k%2

Israel issues 17 demolition orders in Jericho
JERICHO
(Ma'an)
  -- Israel's Civil Administration patrols on Sunday delivered 17
demolition orders to an extended family near the West Bank city of
Jericho, residents said.  Members of the Az-Zayed family received orders
to demolish a mosque, electricity infrastructure and tents north of
An-Nuwei'ma village.  The electricity structures slated for demolition
were recently installed by the Palestinian Authority at a cost of 79,000
shekels ($22,225).
http://www.maannews.net/eng/ViewDetails.aspx?ID=347557

Palestinian petitions high court over seized land
TEL AVIV, Israsel (Ma'an) -- A Palestinian from a Ramallah village
petitioned Israel's High Court on Wednesday over construction on his
land by Israeli settlers, a rights group said.  The Israeli organization
Yesh Din is supporting Abed Ar-Rahman Kassem, whose land in Dura Al-Qara
  was seized by the Israeli army in the 1970s for military needs.
http://www.maannews.net/eng/ViewDetails.aspx?ID=347809

Northern villagers report new settler vandalism
NABLUS (Ma’an) -- Residents of Qusra village in the northern West Bank
said settlers were behind a series of car-tire slashings and the
slaughter of two sheep in their barn overnight.  Locals told head of the
village council Hani Ismail they saw at least ten settlers enter a barn
in the Nabuh neighborhood early on Monday morning, and when they entered
  to survey the damage, two of the animals were killed.
http://www.maannews.net/eng/ViewDetails.aspx?ID=347706

Murder of Non Violent Activist Jawaher Abu Rahmah
Criminals White Washing Their Crimes: IDF: Medical report on Bil'in protester
death contains significant inconsistencies
Defense sources say there is no evidence that Jawaher Abu Rahma was even
present at the demonstration against the security barrier in Bil'in on
Friday; lawyer for Abu Rahma family denies military's claims.
http://www.haaretz.com/news/diplomacy-defense/
idf-medical-report-on-bil-in-protester-death-contains-significant-inconsistencie\
s-1.335043

Eyewitnesses Describe Death of Palestinian Woman in Israeli Tear Gas Attack
A
Palestinian woman died Friday after Israeli forces shot her with tear
gas during a peaceful protest against the West Bank separation wall in
the village of Bil’in. Israeli and Palestinian eyewitnesses, as well as
staff at a hospital in Ramallah, say that Jawaher Abu Rahma died after
inhaling massive amounts of tear gas fired by the Israeli military at
the demonstration. She was 36 years old. We speak with an Israeli
activist and an Israeli doctor who were at the protest.
http://www.democracynow.org/2011/1/4/
eyewitnesses_describe_death_of_palestinian_woman

Israeli Army’s anonymous version of Jawaher’s death contradicted by
everyone, Jesse Bacon
One
of the proudest moments on this blog for me came when we were among the
people covering the Rachel Corrie’s attempt to bring desperately needed
supplies to Gaza in the aftermath of the 9 killings aboard the Mavi
Marmara. Covering the event live on twitter as the Israeli army jammed
all communications gave me a clear sense of who was trying to get the
truth out as best we could,  and who wanted it stifled. I felt the army
censorship personally in a way that had only been abstract for me
before. Israel was able to suppress the story that night, but of course
the people aboard the Rachel Corrie, as well as the Mavi Marmara
continued to speak out. The short term victory was completely offset by
the steady deterioration of Israeli crediblity.
http://theonlydemocracy.org/2011/01/israeli-armys-anonymous-version/

Substantial evidence contradicts the IDF’s version of the events surrounding
the death of Jawaher Abu Rahmah, Joseph Dana
The evidence surrounding the events leading to thedeath of Bil’in resident
Jawaher Abu Rahmahdisproves completely the army spokesperson’s version, to the
point of
putting the army in a ridiculous light. The army’s version is based on
claims made anonymously, without any supporting evidence – unךike the
version of the Abu Rahmah family and the Popular Coordinating Committee
of Bil’in, which is detailed below.
http://josephdana.com/2011/01/substantial-evidence-contradicts-the-idfs-version

Judge releases activists connected with the US ambassador protest; US State
Department unaware of protest, Joseph Dana
The twelve Israeli activists arrested in connection to the protest at US
ambassador’s home on Saturday nighthave
been released from jail on no bail. The charges included illegal weapons
possession and distributing public order were not dropped but the judge
argued that there was no evidence for the charges to hold up in a trial. The
state requested that the activists pay 3000 NIS as well as serve a
ten day house arrest sentence. However, the judge released the activists on a
condition that they stay 200 meters away from an US institution
for the next thirty days. The state could push for a trial against the
activists but that seems highly unlikely at this point.
http://josephdana.com/2011/01/judge-throws-out-all-activist-charges-from-us-

Two experts weigh in on Israeli killing of Jawaher Abu Rahma at the wall, Philip
Weiss
Norman Finkelstein's lecture of two years ago on Resolving the
Israeli-Palestinian Conflict: What We Can Learn From Gandhi.
http://mondoweiss.net/2011/01/
two-experts-weigh-in-on-israeli-killing-of-jawaher-abu-rahma-at-the-wall.html

Combined Systems Inc., stop providing equipment that Israel misuses to kill and
maim unarmed protesters
Dear Combined Systems Inc.,  As US groups committed to justice and
peace, we are writing to ask that Combined Systems Inc. cease providing
CSI equipment to the Israeli government in response to the Israeli
military’s ongoing and foreseeable misuse of CSI crowd control equipment
to kill and maim protesters in the Occupied Palestinian Territories. The
  Israeli military has demonstrated a pattern of misuse of your
equipment, directly leading to the death and injury of unarmed
demonstrators in the Occupied Palestinian Territories. Over the last two
years alone, the Israeli military has used your products to kill two
peaceful protesters from one family in the West Bank village of Bil’in,
to severely injure two peaceful protesters from the US, and to seriously
injure many more. According to the the Israeli human rights group
B’Tselem, two other Palestinians were killed by Israeli tear gas in
2002.
http://palsolidarity.org/2011/01/16340/

Signposting the occupation
On
  Friday 31 December – the day Jawaher Abu Rahmah was murdered by the
Israeli army – I thought I smelt manure in the village of Bil’in, but it
was the skunk truck (The Boesh), used by the Israeli military to crush
peaceful protest. Back in 1994 I thought I lived in one nation called
Israel, with an Arab minority – no one had told me about the military
occupation and I failed to see it. That year I witnessed one minor and
one major event: on a Saturday morning near the Damascus Gate (Bab
al-Amoud) in East Jerusalem, a jeep brakes abruptly as a young Arab man
jumps out of the back; two soldiers give chase, hit him with a blunt
weapon and drag him back into the vehicle, which then drives on. I
watched it happen and I didn’t like it, but I didn’t know what it meant.
On 25 February that year, newspaper vendors near and within the Old City
  thrust images of a massacre into my face; I learn that a Jewish settler
  and medical doctor Baruch Goldstein has entered the Ibrahim mosque in
Hebron and opened fire on worshippers before being beaten to death. I
looked at the gruesome photos and winced, feeling sorry for the
Arabs, but I still didn’t understand. What I could not see with my own
eyes did not occur to me at 18 years old: that I was witnessing a brutal
occupation of an indigenous people called the Palestinians.
http://mondoweiss.net/2011/01/signposting-the-occupation.html

Palestinian's Death Reveals Alliance with Israeli Leftists, Tony Karon
Time.com
-
  Noisy demonstrations over the death of Jawaher Abu Rahmah, a protester
in the West Bank village of Bil'in, show the growing confidence of a
cadre of activist Israelis calling on the international community for
action against their own government.
http://news.yahoo.com/s/time/20110104/wl_time/08599204066100

Activism/Solidarity/Boycott, Divestment &Sanctions
Military Court Acquits Prominent Anti-Wall Activist
Mohammed
Khatib, the coordinator of the Popular Struggle Coordination Committee,
was acquitted of all charges today at the Ofer Military Court for lack of
sufficient evidence.
http://www.popularstruggle.org/content/military-court-acquits-prominent-anti-wal\
l-activist

More than 100 Muslim activists enter Gaza after docking aid ship in Egypt
Most
of the activists flew in from Damascus and were not permitted to bring
the aid with them into Gaza; seven Iranian activists forbidden entry.
http://www.haaretz.com/news/diplomacy-defense/
more-than-100-muslim-activists-enter-gaza-after-docking-aid-ship-in-egypt-1.3351\
84

#BDS: Open Letter from U.S. Trade Unionists to AFL-CIO President Richard Trumka:
Boycott Apartheid Israel
Dear Brother Trumka:  As labor and anti-apartheid activists, we strongly
disagree with your October 27 speech denouncing the movement for
Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions (BDS) against Israel. The BDS campaign
was initiated in 2005 by Palestinian civil society — including its
entire labor movement. Inspired by the international boycott that helped
topple apartheid South Africa, it demands Palestinian
self-determination, including an end to Israeli military occupation, the
right of refugees to return to the land from which they have been
ethnically cleansed since the Nakba of 1947-1948, and equal rights for
all throughout historic Palestine.
http://youthanormalization.blogspot.com/2011/01/
bds-open-letter-from-us-trade-unionists.html

#BDS: Petition to the Board of Directors of the Ontario Teachers Pension Plan
Board
http://youthanormalization.blogspot.com/2011/01/
bds-petition-to-board-of-directors-of.html

Tears and gas: a call to mobilise, Jesse Rosenfeld and Joseph Dana
As 2010 came to a close in the West Bank under the regular, weekly cloud
of teargas experienced among the villages bordering Israel's 1967 Green
Line, 2011 started with the death of Palestinian woman from the village
of Bi'lin and the arrest of 19 Israeli activists in the Tel Aviv area.
http://english.aljazeera.net/indepth/features/2011/01/201113870502192.html

'Israel right or wrong' crowd advocates censorship in Seattle
By rallying pressure to prevent the placement or ads critical to
Israel's treatment of Palestinians, writes guest writer Ed Mast, the
"Israel right or wrong" supporters advocated censorship in Seattle.
http://endtheoccupationblog.blogspot.com/2011/01/
israel-right-or-wrong-crowd-advocates.html

Initiative: Probe funding of extreme Left in Israel
Yisrael
Beiteinu
  says has majority to establish parliamentary inquiry commission to
investigate cooperation between international 'anti-Zionist' groups and
local organizations.
http://www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7340,L-4008684,00.html

Human Rights/Humanitarian Issues/Siege
Court: Don't reveal number of Shin Bet detainees who did not see lawyer
High
Court
  justices deny petition requesting Shin Bet statistics about extent of
regulation, agree with State saying: Might give an opening to harm
State.
http://www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7340,L-4008800,00.html

Official report: 90% of Gaza water polluted
The water quality control authority in Gaza Strip said that more than
90% of Gaza Strip's potable water was contaminated, warning of a serious
threat to lives of the Strip's inhabitants.
http://www.palestine-info.co.uk/En/default.aspx?xyz=U6Q

Industrial Fuel – Needs Vs. Supply – Dec 5 – Jan 1
http://www.gazagateway.org/2011/01/industrial-fuel-%e2%80%93-
needs-vs-supply-%e2%80%93-dec-5-jan-1/

Goods – Needs Vs. Supply – Dec 5 – Jan 1
http://www.gazagateway.org/2011/01/goods-%e2%80%93-
needs-vs-supply-%e2%80%93-dec-5-%e2%80%93-jan-1/

Single Gaza crossing opened
GAZA
CITY
  (Ma’an) -- Aid and commercial goods were set to enter Gaza on Tuesday
via the southernmost goods terminal, Kerem Shalom, between Israel and
the coastal enclave, crossings officials were informed by their Israeli
counterparts.  Palestinian liaison official Raed Fattouh said he was
told to expect 140 to 150 truckloads of commercial goods and
humanitarian aid to enter via the crossing, while six truckloads of
flowers and strawberries were scheduled to leave Gaza for Europe. 

Exports to the West Bank remain barred.
http://www.maannews.net/eng/ViewDetails.aspx?ID=347934

Racism & Discrimination
Settlers protest opening of road to Palestinians
Dozens of settlers from Dolev and Talmonim drove between to Arab
villages in Area B as an act of protest against the army's decision to
open a road in the northern West Bank to Palestinian traffic.
http://www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7340,L-4008805,00.html

Poll: Foreigners jeopardize Israel's Jewish character
Survey
reveals
  majority of Jewish Israelis believe influx of immigrants, foreign
workers greatly endangers Jewish character of State; 43% oppose having
church, mosque built next to their homes.
http://www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7340,L-4008290,00.html

Despite government pledge, asylum seekers to be housed in closed compound
Government
planning new facility in the south to house asylum seekers which will be
  run by country's Prison Service; had previously resolved to set up an
open facility.
http://www.haaretz.com/print-edition/news/
despite-government-pledge-asylum-seekers-to-be-housed-in-closed-compound-1.33505\
1

A Short Anthology of Racism in Israel
"Get out of here, you sluts," the students shouted at them. "This place is ours,
and there is no room for Arabs."
http://www.haaretz.com/print-edition/opinion/a-short-anthology-of-racism-in-isra\
el-1.334878

Violence/Aggression/War Crimes
Askool: IOF troops killed 176 students, teachers in Gaza war
Dr.
Mohammed Askool, the minister of education in Gaza Strip, said that the
Israeli occupation forces (IOF) killed 164 students during their bloody
war on the Strip two years ago.
http://www.palestine-info.co.uk/En/default.aspx?xyz=U6Qq7k%2

Palestinian youth seriously wounded in blast of ordnance
A Palestinian young man was hospitalized in serious condition on Monday
after Israeli army ordnance exploded near him in the northern Gaza Strip
town of Beit Lahia.
http://www.palestine-info.co.uk/En/default.aspx?xyz=U6Qq7k%

Overnight clashes reported at Sinjil village
RAMALLAH
(Ma’an)
  -- Israeli military jeeps entering the village of Sinjil northwest
Ramallah on Tuesday morning sparked clashes with local residents,
witnesses said.  According to one bystander, troops were stoned by
Palestinian teens and a military jeep broke down near the village,
prompting calls for backup and repair crews.  The stationed jeeps became
  targets for stone throwing, and the soldiers responded using tear-gas
canisters and sound grenades. No injuries were reported and no
detentions made.
http://www.maannews.net/eng/ViewDetails.aspx?ID=347962

Israeli forces raid Jenin university dorms
JENIN
(Ma'an)
  -- Israeli forces briefly detained one man after they entered the a
university residence in Jenin, telling students they were searching for
wanted Palestinians.  Soldiers also erected checkpoints around the city,
  targeting three Jenin-area villages.  Eight military units entered a
dorm housing students from the Arab American University,
onlookers estimated, but a security guard said he would not allow
soldiers to enter rooms in the female dormitory.
http://www.maannews.net/eng/ViewDetails.aspx?ID=347790

Detainees
URGENT APPEAL - Administrative Detention
Imad
al-Ashhab
  (17) has been held for over 10 months without charge or trial. On 4
February 2011, he will either be released, or given a fifth
administrative detention order.
http://www.dci-pal.org/english/doc/press/UA_1_11_ADMINISTRATIVE_DETENTION.pdf

Army Kidnaps Eight Palestinians In Nablus
Israeli
soldiers kidnapped, on Tuesday at dawn, eight Palestinians, including a
security officer, in the northern West Bank district of Nablus, local sources
reported.
http://www.imemc.org/article/60336

Gaza fishermen detained from local waters
GAZA
CITY
  (Ma’an) -- An unknown number of Gaza fishermen were detained Tuesday
morning after being apprehended by Israeli warships off the coast of
Gaza City.  Gaza's Ministry of Agriculture said in a statement that
fellow fishermen reported the detention, after seeing the boat of the
men approached by Israeli vessels maintaining the sea blockade on Gaza.
http://www.maannews.net/eng/ViewDetails.aspx?ID=348051

Political Persecution in Silwan continues
 Today
at 14:00 Police and plainclothes raid Madaa community in Silwan Wadi
Hilwah and detain Center Director Jawad Siam.  Mr. Siam is a community
activist and a social worker for the Jerusalem municipality. The
aggressive arrest was made in front of dozens of children who were
taking part in the center afternoon activities creating much fear and
panic. Police refused to give any information on the reasons for arrest
or where Mr. Siam was being taken to.
http://silwanic.net/?p=9993

The Israeli Intelligence attacked and arrested Jawad Siyam
The
Israeli intelligence forces attacked Mada Center and arrested the
General Manager of the Information Center , we’ll inform you the updates
later .
http://silwanic.net/?p=9988

IOF bulldozes land in southern Gaza, rounds up 12 West Bankers
Israeli
occupation forces (IOF) advanced into cultivated fields southeast of
Rafah, southernmost tip of Gaza Strip, on Tuesday morning and damaged
crops, locals reported.
http://www.palestine-info.co.uk/En/default.aspx?xyz=U6Qq7k%2b

  Report: More than 1,000 Palestinians detained last year in Al-Khalil
The Palestinian prisoner society reported that the Israeli occupation
forces (IOF) detained more than 1,000 Palestinian citizens in Al-Khalil
city last year, including women and children.
http://www.palestine-info.co.uk/En/default.aspx?xyz=U6Qq7k%

Disabled prisoner appeals for providing him with wheelchair
A Palestinian prisoner suffering disability in his feet has appealed to
the Red Cross, prisoners' ministry, and all human rights groups to
urgently provide him with a new wheelchair.
http://www.palestine-info.co.uk/En/default.aspx?xyz=U6Qq7k%2bcOd87

Four of the five hunger strikers transferred to Al-Khalil
Four of the five PA prisoners who went on hunger strike 45 days ago have
been transferred to Al-Khalil, while the fifth remains in Bethlehem.
http://www.palestine-info.co.uk/En/default.aspx?xyz=U6Qq7k%2bcO

Global silence over 7000 Palestinian prisoners, Antony Loewenstein
http://antonyloewenstein.com/2011/01/04/global-silence-over-7000-palestinian-pri\
soners/

Israel's Arab Helpers
Addamiri: Hizb Attahrir is banned in W. Bank
Spokesman for the PA security militias Adnan Addamiri said that the
Palestinian organisation of Hizb Attahrir is banned and not allowed to
get involved in any activity in the West Bank.
http://www.palestine-info.co.uk/En/default.aspx?xyz=U6Qq7k%2

Political Developments
'Dahlan planned coup against Abbas'
Senior
Fatah
  official Mohammed Dahlan in hot seat: Former members accuse him of
conspiring to topple PA president. Dahlan denies charges.
http://www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7340,L-4008560,00.html

PA security questions Fatah strongman Dahlan for attempted coup
Fatah activists were recently investigated on suspicion they had been
recruited by Dahlan to form an armed militia to overthrow Abbas.
http://www.haaretz.com/news/diplomacy-defense/
pa-security-questions-fatah-strongman-dahlan-for-attempted-coup-1.335028

Abbas says 'always ready' for talks after settlement freeze (AFP)
AFP - Palestinian president Mahmud Abbas said Monday that he was "always
ready" to continue peace talks with Israel as soon as the Jewish state freezes
settlement building.
http://news.yahoo.com/s/afp/20110103/wl_mideast_afp/israelpalestinianspeacetunis\
ia

Report: U.S. Jewish leader met Assad with message from Netanyahu
Malcolm Hoenlein denies Channel 10 report that he delivered a message
from Netanyahu to Syrian president during recent trip to Damascus.
http://www.haaretz.com/news/diplomacy-defense/
report-u-s-jewish-leader-met-assad-with-message-from-netanyahu-1.335030

Netanyahu says to visit Egypt on peace mission (AFP)
AFP - Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said on Monday he would
visit Egypt on January 6 in an effort to revitalise stalled peace talks
with the Palestinians.
http://news.yahoo.com/s/afp/20110103/wl_mideast_afp/israelpalestinianspeaceegypt

Other News
Saudi Arabia 'nabbed Israeli-tagged vulture for being Mossad spy'
Vulture used as part of bird migration research was reportedly captured in rural
area of Saudi Arabia.
http://www.haaretz.com/news/international/
saudi-arabia-nabbed-israeli-tagged-vulture-for-being-mossad-spy-1.335171

Israel arrests 2 UK consulate workers in Jerusalem (AP)
AP - Two local staff members at the U.K. consulate in Jerusalem have
been arrested by Israeli authorities on suspicion of selling weapons to
Hamas militants, officials said Monday.
http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20110103/ap_on_re_eu/eu_britain_israel_arrests

Brother of Palestinian President Abbas dies in Damascus
Mahmoud
Abbas
  cuts trip to Tunisia short after death of his brother Atta Rida Shehada
  Abbas; he will receive mourners at his Ramallah office on Wednesday.
http://www.haaretz.com/news/international/
brother-of-palestinian-president-abbas-dies-in-damascus-1.335026

Marble pillars discovered in Gaza port
GAZA
CITY
  (Ma’an) -- Around 15 marble pillars have been discovered underwater at
Gaza port, the Gaza government Tourism and Antiquities Ministry said
Monday.  The ministry said four pillars have been retrieved from the
water so far, and that the 4-meter columns date back to the Constantine
Empire.  Ministry official Muhammad Khillah said the significance of the
  port lay in its underwater Roman history.  Many fishermen have reported
  seeing crowns, pottery and the foundations of buildings when the sea is
  calm.  The ministry would continue to examine the pillars, Khillah
said, and remove them all from the water.
http://www.maannews.net/eng/ViewDetails.aspx?ID=347876

Sexual harassment cases in Israel's civil service rose 40% in 2010
Over the year, 125 sexual harassment files were opened compared with 90
the year before. As recently as three years ago, the annual figure was
65.
http://www.haaretz.com/print-edition/news/
sexual-harassment-cases-in-israel-s-civil-service-rose-40-in-2010-1.335064

Israeli neo-Nazi leader detained
Dmitri Bogotich, who is believed to have led his friends in
perpetrating a series of vandalistic acts and attacks against various
minorities in Petach Tikva and Tel Aviv, fled Israel in 2007.
http://www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7340,L-4008464,00.html

Analysis/Op-ed
Gaza Two Years Later: The roof of my house, Sarah Ali
I
used to love the roof of my house. Well, not anymore.  There is a bunch
of kids in the middle, all gazing at some round glittering objects.
Appointing himself as the referee of the game, my little cousin declares
the beginning of the match. A young boy starts. His pupils start to get
bigger and sharper as he measures the angle. His looks are focused on
his target. He professionally flicks the little marble out of his fist
with the tip of his tiny thumb. "YES," he shouts. And the scuffle
commences. His competitor, making an oath of divorce, claims that he who
won had cheated. Then trying to accept the fact that he lost, he swears
it was noting but a fluke by an amateur. Enraged, he quits the game and
promises he would be taking revenge the next time they assemble to play.
http://mondoweiss.net/2011/01/gaza-two-years-later-the-roof-of-my-house.html

Breaking the Israel-Palestine Deadlock, Noam Chomsky, Op-Ed
While
  intensively engaged in illegal settlement expansion, the government of
Israel is also seeking to deal with two problems: a global campaign of
what it perceives as “delegitimation” – that is, objections to its
crimes and withdrawal of participation in them – and a parallel campaign
  of legitimation of Palestine.  The “delegitimation,” which is
progressing rapidly, was carried forward in December by a Human Rights
Watch call on the U.S.
“to suspend financing to Israel in an amount equivalent to the costs of
Israel’s spending in support of settlements,” and to monitor
contributions to Israel from tax-exempt U.S. organizations that violate
international law, “including prohibitions against discrimination” –
which would cast a wide net. Amnesty International had already called
for an arms embargo on Israel. The legitimation process also took a long
step forward in December, when Argentina, Bolivia and Brazil recognized
the State of Palestine (Gaza and the West Bank), bringing the number of
supporting nations to more than 100.
http://www.truth-out.org/breaking-israel-palestine-deadlock66511

Israel: The Next War, Alain Gresh
Netanyahu, like his predecessors, claims to want peace but he wants the
humiliating peace imposed by conquest and based on denial of Palestinian
rights.
http://mondediplo.com/2011/01/03israel

Arendt and Einstein warned of ‘fascism’ rising in Israel 60 years ago,
Philip Weiss
Peter Belmont republishes this letter to the NYT in December 1948,
in the midst of the Nakba, and referring to the massacre at Deir Yassin
and the rise of Menachem Begin, penned by Hannah Arendt, Albert Einstein and
Herman Eisen among others.
http://mondoweiss.net/2011/01/
arendt-and-einstein-warned-of-fascism-rising-in-israel-60-years-ago.html

‘I’ve always been mortified by what’s happening to Palestinians’ –US
street
An event in Boston by Palestinian solidarity activists demonstrates the
shift that is taking place in the American discourse. December 31: They
set up a blockade on a city street. A simple demonstration of the
inability of Palestinians to get basic goods. A man makes the statement
in my headline. Note the little kid in the New England Patriots hat who
asks, "Is that real? That sign-- Israel bombed my house?!" Yes. And note
the pure pathos, at 4:30 or so, of a few American youths trying to mime
the inhumanity of the Gazan situation...
http://mondoweiss.net/2011/01/
ive-always-been-mortified-by-whats-happening-to-palestinians-us-street.html

Courts of Racial Rule: The Imprisonment of Nuri al-'Oqbi, Nasser Rego
'I
think
  the fact that the defendant is an activist for Bedouin 'diaspora'
rights only makes it harder for his situation. Because he cannot on one
hand argue that there are rights violations or non-preservation of
rights for a group that he belongs to, while on the other hand he
crudely violates the law time after time.'
http://palestinechronicle.com/view_article_details.php?id=16526

A young Israeli Jew says, ‘My identity is the Nakba’, Alice Rothchild
Past the growing city of Modi’in, nestled in the hills over a charming
landscape of olive trees, black grape vines march in undulating lines
and yellow/green barley and wheat sprout in neat rows from the nearby
moshavs. With the orange roofed Trapp Monastery topping a rolling hill,
surrounded by Jewish National Fund forests and clusters of saber cactus
marking the destroyed Palestinian villages of Beit Jiz and Beit Susin, a
fascinating experiment in coexistence continues its work and struggle.
Noam, a dynamic and outspoken student at Brandeis, invites us to visit
her home in Neve Shalom, Wahat al Salam, Oasis of Peace and to see this
work in action.
http://mondoweiss.net/2011/01/a-young-israeli-jew-says-my-identity-is-the-nakba.\
html

Now it is Palestine's turn to create facts on the ground, Simon Tisdall
As unfulfilled hopes of peace in the Middle East in 2010 fade from
memory, the spectre of war in 2011 looms large. The collapse of Barack
Obama's attempt to broker direct negotiations between Israelis and
Palestinians has created a dangerous vacuum. Men of violence vie to fill
it.
http://www.guardian.co.uk/commentisfree/cifamerica/2011/jan/03/
palestine-create-facts-on-ground

Palestinians won't get fooled again
Despite
the
  Palestinian people's rapturous reception of the defiant declaration
of independence spurred by the first Intifada of 1987, all it delivered
was pockets of dubious autonomy and a chance for the United States to
co-opt and divide. With international solidarity again on the rise, this
time the people know how to avoid the US's vice-like grip and instead
embrace the partners of old.
http://atimes.com/atimes/Middle_East/MA05Ak03.html

Israeli humor - Hope kindergarten
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=M9Sdkps0Quo&feature=player_embedded

Middle East expertise in the US press: this reporter confuses Libya and Lebanon
(or thinks they are the same)
"It
is highly unlikely, according to the report, that al-Megrahi was
released, as was claimed, on “compassionate grounds” because of medical
reports that showed he had three months to live. The Lebanese terrorist,
  who is still alive 16 months later, was, according to this report,
rather set free..."
http://angryarab.blogspot.com/2011/01/middle-east-expertise-in-us-press-this.htm\
l

New York Times standards of Abraham Foxman's definition of anti-Semitism
"Some
of
  the evening’s awkwardness could be chalked up to a mild controversy
about Godard’s attitudes toward Jews: he is a longtime supporter of the
cause of the Palestinians..."
http://angryarab.blogspot.com/2011/01/new-york-times-standards-of-abraham.html

Career of Judith Miller
"Since
her early days at the Times, when she inserted CIA misinformation into a
  piece on Libya, she's always been a tool of power. She was the voice of
  the Defense Department, embedded at the Times. She was hyping bullshit
stories about Iraq's WMD capabilities as far back as 1998,
and in the run-up to the war, her front-page scoops were cited by the
Bush administration as evidence that Saddam needed to be taken out,
right away.  Lying exile grifter Ahmad Chalabi fed her the worst of the
nonsense designed to push America into toppling Saddam Hussein (and
giving Iraq to him), and she pushed that nonsense into the newspaper of
record. She got everything wrong, and for some insane reason, she remained
employed at the Times until
2005, when she negotiated her separation from her longtime professional home."
http://angryarab.blogspot.com/2011/01/career-of-judith-miller.html

Lebanon
Death sentence requested for retired army general arrested over spying for
Mossad
BEIRUT:
First
  Military Investigative Magistrate Riad Abu Ghayda requested the death
sentence against retired army Brig. Gen. Antoine Abu Jawdeh Monday
on charges of spying for Israel, a judicial report said. Judge Abu
Ghayda demanded the death sentence for Abu Jawdeh, who was arrested
August 2010 for "collaboration with the Israeli enemy.
http://www.dailystar.com.lb/article.asp?edition_id=1&categ_id=2&article_id=12321\
3

UNIFIL finds several cluster bombs near Tyre
TYRE: Several cluster bombs were uncovered at the outskirts of the town
of Hinnieh near the southern port city of Tyre Monday by a patrol of the
Italian contingent serving as part of the United Nations Interim Force
in Lebanon (UNIFIL). Hundreds of southerners have fallen victim to
cluster bombs dropped by Israel in the last 72 hours of its 2006 summer
war against Lebanon.
http://www.dailystar.com.lb/article.asp?edition_id=1&categ_id=1&article_id=12322\
4

Iraq
Monday: 2 US Soldiers, 13 Iraqis Killed; 32 Iraqis Wounded
The first two American deaths of 2011 occurred during combat in just one
of several attacks on American targets in the last 24 hours. Although
the circumstances of the attack were not revealed, their deaths
coincided with several assassinations in the capital. One of today's
victims had survived a deadly siege at a Christian church last year. The
only other reported attack resulting in casualties occurred just
northeast of Baghdad in Baquba. Altogether, at least 13 Iraqis were
killed and 32 more were wounded.
http://original.antiwar.com/updates/2011/01/03/
monday-2-us-soldiers-13-iraqis-killed-32-iraqis-wounded/

Why millions in US aid may help few Iraqi refugees in the end
New Jordanian schools, built in part with US aid for Iraqi refugees, may
end up serving few Iraqis. But some say that's OK – Jordanians often needed
more help.
http://rss.csmonitor.com/%7Er/feeds/world/%7E3/K-dpY4UZOcA/
Why-millions-in-US-aid-may-help-few-Iraqi-refugees-in-the-end

Denmark to host seminar on Iraqi religious dialogue (AFP)
AFP
-
  Denmark will next week host a seminar aiming to promote dialogue
between different religious groups in Iraq, the foreign Minister said
Monday.
http://news.yahoo.com/s/afp/20110103/wl_mideast_afp/denmarkreligionislam

Spanish court open probe into killings in Iraq (AP)
AP
- A Spanish judge has opened a probe into a melee in which Iraqi
security forces are accused of killing 11 members of an Iranian exile
group in a camp in Iraq in 2009.
http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20110104/ap_on_re_eu/eu_spain_iranian_exiles

How The Media Inflated The Toppling Of The Saddam Statue
Propaganda
has
  been a staple of warfare for ages, but the notion of creating events on
  the battlefield, as opposed to repackaging real ones after the
fact, is a modern development.
http://www.newyorker.com/reporting/2011/01/10/110110fa_fact_maass?currentPage=al\
l

In case you missed it:The photographs tell the story...
Is This Media manipulation on a grand scale? How Information Clearing House
reported the Saddam statue propaganda event.
http://www.informationclearinghouse.info/article2842.htm

In case you missed it: Army Stage-Managed Fall of Hussein Statue
The
colonel
  — selected the statue as a "target of opportunity," the psychological
team used loudspeakers to encourage Iraqi civilians to assist, according
  to an account by a unit member.
http://www.informationclearinghouse.info/article6424.htm

U.S. and other world news
‘We can see everything’
USAF launches ‘airborne surveillance system’.
http://www.rawstory.com/rs/2011/01/we-everything-usaf-launches-airborne-surveill\
ance-system/

US Killed 2,043 People, Mostly Civilians, in Pakistan: Report
Regarding
civilian
  causalities and attacks on women and children, the report said: "People
  in the tribal belt usually carry guns and ammunition as a tradition. US
  drone will identify anyone carrying a gun as a militant and
subsequently he will be killed."
http://www.newkerala.com/news/world/fullnews-116913.html

US Kills 8 People in Pakistan
US
missile strikes targeting the same building killed eight people in a
region near Afghanistan today, including at least two people who were
retrieving bodies from the first attack, Pakistani intelligence
officials said.
http://www.uzbekistannews.net/story.php?rid=41698217&ht=Eight-killed-in-US-missi\
le-strikes

US Senator Wants US Military in Afghanistan Forever
A
senior Republican senator has said a plan should be devised for American
  troops to remain permanently in war-ravaged Afghanistan.
http://story.irishsun.com/index.php/ct/9/cid/2411cd3571b4f088/id/726692/cs/1/

Iran invites EU, Russia and China to tour its nuclear sites
Move comes ahead of new round of nuclear talks in Turkey with six major world
powers; U.S. not on the invite list.
http://www.haaretz.com/news/international/
iran-invites-eu-russia-and-china-to-tour-its-nuclear-sites-1.335046

India to drop US dollar in Iran oil dealing
India may drop the US dollar as payment for oil from Iran. The replacement would
be the Japanese yen and the Emirates dirham.
http://english.ruvr.ru/2011/01/01/38523281.html

Iran, India working out mechanism to continue trade
A
week after the Reserve Bank of India barred dollar and euro trade
transactions with Iran, the central banks of the two countries on Friday
discussed new mechanisms for two-way trade but the talks remained
inconclusive.
http://www.tradingmarkets.com/news/stock-alert/bkiaf_
india-iran-working-out-mechanism-to-continue-trade-1396704.html

Christian Copts' anger escalates in wake of Egypt attacks
Many
believe
  the New Year's Day killings in Alexandria are yet another example of
their marginalization and oppression at the hands of the Muslim
majority.  The New Year's Day bombing of an Alexandria church that left
25 Christians dead and scores more injured has unleashed a wave of anger
  among Egypt's minority Copts directed at their government and Muslim
countrymen.
http://feeds.latimes.com/%7Er/latimes/middleeast/%7E3/bZI7RER2y0I/
la-fg-egypt-copts-20110104,0,5662654.story

Egypt on high alert for more attacks on Copts
CAIRO:
Egypt
  is screening people who arrived recently from countries where Al-Qaeda
is known to recruit after early findings suggested the network was
behind a New Year's church bombing, security sources said Monday as the
country went on high alert ahead of the Coptic Christmas.
http://www.dailystar.com.lb/article.asp?edition_id=10&categ_id=2&article_id=1232\
03

Hackers hit Tunisian websites
Amid anti-government protests, attack blocks access to stock exchange and
ministry of foreign relations.
http://english.aljazeera.net/news/africa/2011/01/201113111059792596.html

The Tunisian Intifada, Robin Yassin-Kassab
The
dictatorship
  of Zine el-Abdine Ben Ali, a Western client, is in serious
trouble. A full-scale intifada is raging. It began in Sidi Bouzid as a
protest against unemployment, corruption and police brutality. Then it
spread to Sousse, Sfax, Meknassi, and the capital, inflated by
long-simmering resentment at Tunisia’s lack of civil liberties.
http://pulsemedia.org/2011/01/03/the-tunisian-intifada/

Syria's debate over face veil ban
Syria's ban on the face veil has sparked debate within the country about
whether the government should have the right to enforce what many believe is a
personal decision.
http://www.bbc.co.uk/go/rss/int/news/-/news/world-middle-east-12108643

An independent Egyptian Web site gives women a voice
All
too
  often, it seems that we are living in a man's world, especially when it
  comes to the countries of the Middle East. And even in the world
of media, men continue to push the agenda in the directions that they
see fit. But it doesn't necessarily have to be that way.
http://www.dailystar.com.lb/article.asp?edition_id=10&categ_id=5&article_id=1232\
02

UK: Number of Muslim converts doubled in 10 years
New
study
  reveals some 5,000 Britons covert to Islam each year despite growing
criticism of Muslim community. Group: People are interested in finding
out what Islam is all about.
http://www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7340,L-4008864,00.html

Wiki
Bradley Manning– in song and story
David
Rovics
  put up this song-- "Song for Bradley Manning"-- in a great American
tradition of the folk-hero ballad... Some lyrics below.
http://mondoweiss.net/2011/01/bradley-manning-in-song-and-story.html

Saudi Arabia and Wikileaks
Of
course, Zionist media are now totally obsessed with protecting the
interests of House of Saudi given their services to Israel.  So the New
York Times--not known for caring to represent an Arab point of
view--went the extra length to publish an op-ed piece by a Saudi writer in House
of Saud publications (he writes for the
mouthpiece of Prince Khalid Al-Faysal, Al-Watan) in which he bizarrely
but unsurprisingly argued that Saudi people don't care about the
embarrassing revelations of Wikileaks.  Well, a few days later the Saudi
government bans the Arab website of Wikileaks.  Not caring about Wikileaks
revelations, you propagandists of House Saudi, huh?

http://angryarab.blogspot.com/2011/01/saudi-arabia-and-wikileaks.html

Queen Youtube talks politics in Wikileaks
d"Queen
Rania
  chimed in on the issue as well, saying that success for moderate Arab
states was critically important in order to defeat Iran's agenda. She
said that Jordan was trying to become a model, a place where people say,
  "this is the kind of country we want to live in." The Queen said this
is the only strategy that will ultimately work in countering Iranian
influence - "this is what they're afraid of." Jordan's economic reforms
and support for education are part of that overall effort, but the going
  is tough - the Queen said that "sometimes it feels like we're swimming
against the current."".
 Personally, I don't want to live in the same country with you, o most boring
and
dull queen (married to a most boring and dull king--what a couple).
http://angryarab.blogspot.com/2011/01/queen-youtube-talks-politics-in.html

[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]

Settlers / Land, Property, Resource Theft & Destruction / Ethnic Cleansing

Thousands protest Israel plan to uproot Negev Bedouins
BEERSHEBA, Israel (AFP) -- Thousands of Bedouins demonstrated in the
southern city of Beersheba on Thursday to protest against a government
project they say will displace tens of thousands of people from their
land. The demonstrators rallied in the city center shouting: "This land
  is ours, we are staying here!" and holding up signs reading: "No to the
   Praver plan" and "Social justice for all!" an AFP correspondent said.
link to www.maannews.net

Jaffa family to sue for excessive force in house eviction
Video taken at scene shows YASSAM police kicking, punching father  of
squatter family as he lays on ground; family do not appear to
resist. An Israeli-Arab family from Jaffa said Thursday they plan to
file a lawsuit against the police, after officers used what appears to
be excessive force to evict them from a south Tel Aviv house they were
squatting in on Tuesday. In an amateur video taken at the scene, a group
   of YASSAM riot police can be seen wrestling with Sameer Kassem, 34, as
   he holds his four-year-old daughter in his hands.
link to www.jpost.com
Israeli Police Captured On Video Violently Attacking Arab Family in Jaffa
Two days ago, the Israeli Police violently attacked and evicted an
Arab  family, pushing and chasing the mother and her children, living in
  a  vacant home in Salma Street in Haifa, the Arabs48 news website
reported.  Video included.
link to www.imemc.org


Israel Demolishes Palestinian Properties in Jordan Valley
WEST BANK, October 6, 2011 (WAFA) – Israeli forces early Thursday
demolished houses, barns and barracks belonging to Palestinian shepherds
   in Wadi Al-Maleh and Al-Hamma areas north of the Jordan Valley,
according to head of Al-Maleh village council, Aref Daraghmeh. He said
Israeli bulldozers, under the protection of Israeli soldiers, demolished
   houses and barns built of canvas and tin in several areas in the
Jordon  Valley, pointing out this happened suddenly as shepherds were
preparing  to head towards the fields. In a related matter, Israeli
soldiers  stormed the town of Beit Kahil northwest of Hebron in the
southern West  Bank, imposed a tight military cordon on the area and
surrounded a  Palestinian house before demolishing it, firing tear gas
bombs at  residents who tried to stop them, according to witnesses. The
owner of  the house told WAFA he was handed a demolition notice several
months ago  by Israeli soldiers which he appealed at Israeli court that
was still  looking into the matter. Soldiers, during the house
demolition,  destroyed a number of olive trees, the nearby road and a
number of  adjacent walls.
link to english.wafa.ps
Jerusalem mayor slams Gilo construction critics
Nir Barkat defends plan to build 1,100 housing units in Gilo, claims government
motivated by international pressure.
link to www.ynetnews.com

Restriction of Movement

Army Closes West Bank And Border Crossings, Halts Public Transport And Aviation
For  the Israeli “Yom Kippur†holiday, the Israeli military fully
closed
  the  West Bank for 48 hours., from midnight Thursday till midnight
Saturday.  Arabs48 News Agency reported.
link to www.imemc.org

IOF impose restrictions on W.B. worshippers’ entry to the Aqsa Mosque
Israel  Occupation Forces imposed restrictions on the entry of
Palestinian  worshipers from the West Bank to the Aqsa Mosque on Friday.
link to Palestine Information Center

High Court rejects Vanunu's petition
Judges  rule convicted spy cannot enter West Bank; say 'petitioner
proved  repeatedly he cannot be trusted and does not respect letter of
the law'.
link to www.ynetnews.com

Israeli Regime Violence

The Israeli government is directly responsible for the ongoing harm inflicted on
the residents of Qusra
This morning (6.10.2011), Palestinian farmers from the village of Qusra,
   south of Nablus, discovered that approximately 200 of their olive and
  fig trees were completely destroyed or uprooted. The vandalism occurred
   south of the village, in an area adjacent to the location of several
outposts of the Shilo settlement. Some of the olive trees bore fruit,
which the owners intended to pick in the coming days. Residents told
B'Tselem that they tended their land yesterday, so the damage was
clearly done last night. There were no witnesses but past experience
raises well-grounded suspicions that the act was carried out by
settlers. The attack occurred in an open area with excellent visibility.
   Last month, the army established a military post on a hill overlooking
   the valley between the Esh-Kodesh outpost and Qusra. Even if soldiers
  aren't present there at all times, the security forces maintain an
ongoing presence in the area. In spite of this, it is suspected that
settlers managed to vandalize 200 trees unhindered by the soldiers.
Regardless of whether the soldiers noticed the settlers and chose to
ignore them or whether they weren’t present in the area, this is a
particularly severe case where the security forces violated their
obligation to protect the Palestinian residents and their property. In
spite of repeated complaints by the residents of Qusra and other
villages in the area – Duma, Qaryut and Jalud – and by human
rights
organizations, the law enforcement authorities routinely violate their
obligation to protect local residents from settler attacks. B'Tselem
demands that the authorities put a stop to these attacks and take all
necessary measures to hold the perpetrators accountable, while
guaranteeing their rights to due process. The Israeli authorities must
stop abandoning Palestinian residents in this area and in other flash
points of settler violence the West Bank.
link to www.btselem.org

PCHR Weekly Report: 4 civilians, including a child, wounded by Israeli troops
this week
In  its Weekly Report On Israeli Human Rights Violations in the Occupied
   Palestinian Territories for the week of 29 Sep. – 05 Oct. 2011, 3
Palestinians, including a child, were wounded by Israeli forces in the
Gaza Strip. A Palestinian was wounded when Israeli forces attacked a
non-violent protest in the West Bank.
link to www.imemc.org

Injuries and Threats to Close Access to Nabi Saleh Weekly Protest
Occupation forces suppressed the weekly protest in Nabi Saleh village,
which came under the title of “Loyalty for Our Prisoners†in
solidarity
  with the Palestinian prisoners strike currently being held in
occupation  prisons. Many of these prisoners were incarcerated
arbitrarily for  their political actions against the occupation.
Protesters were shot by  metal bullets covered with rubber, which
injured 4 protesters. They were  also shot by tear gas canisters,
causing dozens of suffocation cases  among the protesters. The
occupation forces shot tear gas bombs and  rubber bullets towards houses
  in the village and announced that Nabi  Saleh and surrounding villages
are now closed military areas. This  closing will prevent outsiders such
  as Palestinians, international  activists, journalists, and medical
staff from reaching Nabi Saleh's  weekly protest.
link to www.stopthewall.org

Settler Terrorism and Violence

Settlers Burn Dozens of Olive Trees North Of Jerusalem
A  group of armed extremist Israeli settlers of the Ramat Shlomo illegal
   settlement installed on lands that belong to residents of Shu’fat,
north  of Jerusalem, set ablaze dozens of olive trees that belong to two
   Palestinian families, the Palestine News Network reported.
link to www.imemc.org

Kristallnacht=Price Tag
“In 1930s Germany when they burned synagogues they called it
‘Kristallnacht.’ Here [in Israel] we’ve moved to the
language of
capitalism: ‘price tag.’â€
link to www.richardsilverstein.com


Settlers vow to resist future evictions
As State gears to execute High Court order, raze West Bank outposts, settlers
pledge to mount 'tsunami of resistance'.
link to www.ynetnews.com


Gaza

Smuggling tunnel collapses in Rafah
EL-ARISH,  Egypt (Ma'an) -- A smuggling tunnel under the border of Egypt
  and the  Gaza Strip collapsed on Friday, Egyptian security sources
said. Security  officials told Ma'an that a truck was unloading
construction materials  near the site of the collapse and overturned
into the tunnel, in the  cross-border town of Rafah. Police attended the
  scene but the smugglers  escaped, Egyptian sources said.
link to www.maannews.net


Hamas grants Gaza invitation to Turkish PM
Hamas’  deputy prime minister has expressed expectations that
Turkish Prime  Minister Recep Tayyip ErdoÄŸan will soon visit the
blockaded Gaza Strip  following previously abandoned attempts to travel
to the Palestinian  territory. â€œThe media has twice announced that
Erdoğan was going to  visit Gaza, but then we didn’t see anything on
the ground. Turkey is a  great country, and I think Turkish people can find a
way to go to Gaza  if they want to,†Deputy Prime Minister Mohammed
Awad told the Hürriyet  Daily News in an interview yesterday. “We would
like Prime Minister  ErdoÄŸan not only to visit Gaza, but also to discuss
every kind of  political and humanitarian issue with us. It would be
very good to  discuss the matters with Mr. Erdoğan face to face,†Awad
said.
link to www.hurriyetdailynews.com
 Haniyya Meets Former Netherlands Prime Minister
Prime  Minister of the Hamas-led government in Gaza, Ismail Haniyya, met
  with  the Netherlands Prime Minister, Andries van Agt, and a number of
former  ministers, ambassadors, and officials.
link to www.imemc.org
 Energy authority: Egypt to increase Gaza electricity
GAZA CITY (Ma’an) -- The Egyptian energy minister has approved a request
   from authorities in Gaza to increase the amount of electricity to meet
   the needs of villages near the border. Hassan Younes will allow an
increase from 17 to 22 megawatts, according to to the energy authority
in Gaza, which praised the initiative as a first step in solving the
energy crisis. The authority also warned that shortages of up to 70
megawatts have occurred in the past, so there is more work to be done.
But it thanked the Egyptian government and people for the increase.
link to www.maannews.net

Kuwaiti activists in Gaza for aid distribution, siege-breaking 
GAZA, Oct 6 (KUNA) -- A number of Kuwaiti activists have entered the
Israeli-besieged Gaza Strip to distribute aid and help break the Israeli
   siege on the populous Palestinian territory. "This new convoy has come
   to deliver a message of solidarity to Palestinians and to confirm we
have not forgotten our people in Gaza," Kuwaiti activist Mubarak
Al-Mutawa said in a press conference upon arrival.
Al-Mutawa stressed the need for more "work to lift Israeli blockade on
the Gaza Strip and open crossings permanently and without any obstacles
  to enable the Palestinians to get their needs." Palestinian security
source at Rafah border terminal told KUNA that the Kuwaitis were among
more than 78 international activities who participate in the "Miles Of
Smiles 6" aid convoy which arrived here Thursday.
link to www.kuna.net.kw

Political Arrests & Detainees

PA Prisoners' Family Committee Chairman Arrested in Jerusalem
On Friday Israeli forces arrested Amjad Abu Asab, head of the PA
Prisoners’ Families Committee, at his house in al-Suwaneh neighborhood
of Jerusalem. The police also issued a signed order from the Israeli
Interior Minister Eli Yishai to Abu Asab’s brother, Yacoub Abu Asab,
forbidding him from travel abroad within the period of September 4, 2011
   to May 4, 2012, under the pretext of danger on the Israeli security.
Yacoub Abu Asab told PNN that Israeli Special Forces and Shin Bet
security service teams attacked their house “viciously.â€
link to english.pnn.ps

Three Palestinians Detained in Beit Omar
The Israeli army arrested three Palestinian youths from Beit Omar north
  of Hebron after a series of home invasions and searches. Mohammed
Ayyad,  spokesman of the Beit Omar Popular Committee Against the Wall
and  Settlements, reported that the Israeli army invaded the town at 3
a.m.  and arrested 17-year-old Allan Awad, 15-year-old Sabri Awad, and
16-year-old Malek Sleibi. The Israeli army posts soldiers at the
entrances of Beit Omar and the nearby al-Aroub refugee camp, as well as
  at the Nabi Younes junction at near the Halhoul bridge north of the
city.
link to english.pnn.ps

Israeli Army Kidnaps Five Residents in Qalqilia
On Wednesday morning the Israeli army kidnapped five residents from
Kufor Qaddom village in the eastern part of the West Bank city of
Qalqilia, moving them to an unknown destination , Ma’an News Agency
reported.
link to www.imemc.org

Continuing Detention In Tuba Zingerah, Upper Galilee
Israeli  police continue to detain citizens of the village of Tuba
Zingerah in  the Upper Galilee, Israel, who were arrested during
demonstrations  protesting the burning of the village mosque several
days ago, the  Palestinian News Agency (WAFA) reported.
link to www.imemc.org

Israeli court extends remand of 15 citizens for protesting mosque burning
An Israeli court in Safad on Wednesday evening extended the remand of 15
   Arab citizens charged with involvement in protest incidents that
followed the burning of a mosque in Tuba village.
link to Palestine Information Center

Prisoners' Strike

Israeli Soldiers Repress Peaceful Sit-in Supporting Prisoners
RAMALLAH,  October 5, 2011 (WAFA) – A number of Palestinians suffered
Wednesday  severe suffocation cases, including two reporters due to
Israeli  repression of the peaceful sit-in in solidarity with the
Palestinian  prisoners in Ofer prison, west of Ramallah, according to
WAFA’s  correspondent.  Witnesses  said that Israeli soldiers fired
tear
  gas and  stun grenades at the participants, injuring a number of them,
among  them two journalists. Palestinians held a sit-in today close to
Ofer  prison in solidarity with the prisoners, who are on a hunger
strike for  the ninth day in a row, protesting the arbitrary Israeli
measures  against them and calling to meet their rightful demands.
link to english.wafa.ps

PFLP Urges European Council To Save Lives Of Striking Prisoners
The Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine urged the European
Council to send legal, medical, and media missions to help the prisoners
   on hunger strike, and to monitor closely the conditions of the
prisoners and their families, Arabs48 News Agency reported.
link to www.imemc.org

Doyen of Palestinian prisoners says strike will continue until "demands or
martyrdom" are achieved
As Palestinian prisoners held in Israeli jails approach the second week
  of their hunger strike, the doyen of the detainees has said that they
will continue with the strike "until we achieve our demands or
martyrdom". Nael Barghouti, 54, said that the prisoners are insisting on
   their "rights, not favours", from the Zionist authorities. He is the
world's longest-serving political prisoner, having been sentenced in
April 1978.
link to www.middleeastmonitor.org.uk

PCHR Condemns Collective Penalties against Palestinian Prisoners in Israeli
Jails
The Palestinian Center for Human Rights (PCHR) strongly condemns
collective punishment measures being taken by the Israeli prison
authorities against Palestinian prisoners in Israeli jails who have
organized a hunger strike in protest to their deteriorating detention
conditions.
link to www.imemc.org

A Palestinian political prisoner's take on Israel's protest movement, Ameer
Makhoul
By not dealing with the root causes of the unjust system in Israel, the
  Israeli social movement wishes to make things less unjust rather than
to  change the system and the regime.
link to electronicintifada.net

Yom Kippur fast in solidarity with political prisoners to take place at Occupy
Wall Street this Friday
As we welcome the Jewish new year, we look back at the year behind us to
   address our complicity in the many injustices of our time by
recommitting to our collective responsibility for justice and humanity.
  In particular, we reflect on the common plight and struggle of
political  prisoners and the many people across the world whose dignity
is denied  and liberty is threatened by mass incarceration and military
blockades.
http://mondoweiss.net

In solidarity with the Palestinian prisoners, Shahd Abusalama
I  haven’t been getting enough sleep lately. Last night I was exhausted,
   in body and mind, but tried to keep my eyes open to follow updates on
  the Palestinian prisoners’ conditions. My heart and mind were with them
   completely, in every corner of the horrible Israeli prisons where our
  heroes continue with persistence, steadfastness, and struggle. Deciding
   to rebel against the torturous conditions they could no longer endure,
   the prisoners started a hunger strike on 27 September. [Ed: For more
on the hunger strike see here, here and here.]
http://mondoweiss.net/

Threat: Palestinian Prisoners in Israel, Laleh Khalili
There are many harrowing passages in the excellent new edited volume by
  Abeer Baker and Anat Matar on the processes of administrative detention
   and imprisonment of Palestinians in Israel; some of them are even in
the  book’s academic chapters. But the most harrowing, and paradoxically
  the  most hopeful, is the account Osama Barham gives of his endless
arrests,  detentions, and interrogations. These began in 1979—when he
was  detained for flying the colors of Palestine in a flag partially
made of  his mother’s blouse—and ended in 2008, when he was
released
after a  five-year sentence. In the interim, he has been held in
detention or in  prison (and the distinction is important, as I will
describe below) for  anything from eighteen days to seven years on
separate occasions.
link to www.jadaliyya.com
 
Palestinian Hunger Strike Gathers Momentum

Thousands of Palestinian Prisoners on hunger strike are unfazed as  their action
demanding human and dignified treatment enters its tenth
day. Friday marks the tenth day of a hunger strike by thousands of
Palestinians in Israeli occupation prisons. These prisoners prefer empty
stomachs to daily indignity and humiliation at the hands of the
Israeli  prison administration. Doaa al-Jayyousi, from Tulkarm, is
serving three  life sentences in prison. Her sentence is the longest
among 38 female  prisoners in Israeli occupation prisons. When Doaa’s
mother, Umm Jamil,  went to visit her in Damon Prison before the hunger
strike, she  collapsed after seeing her daughter in chains. Umm Jamil
was taken to  the hospital in critical condition.
link to english.al-akhbar.com
 Racism and Discrimination


Israeli Arab village left without water as water company demands payment
Residents accuse Mekorot of penalizing entire community for the debts of certain
people refusing to pay their water bills.
link to www.haaretz.com
 "Our identity is under attack;" Palestinian youth activist interviewed
Sawsan Khalife’ is a young woman activist and a Palestinian citizen of
Israel. The daily discrimination she encounters in Jerusalem and the
tragic killing by Israeli forces of a school friend have been
determining factors for her work.
link to electronicintifada.net
 
Same-sex funerals in Israel fall outside scope of general activism
For  Israel’s gay and lesbian citizens, the passing of a partner
can expose  existing limitations on rights and an entirely new set of
frustrations  with the status quo. A while ago, I was in the US
switching through the  channels when I saw comedian-turned-daytime talk
show personality Ellen  DeGeneres hosting Dolly Parton. The former is
(among many things) a  prominent lesbian; the latter is a legendary
country singer. Naturally,  DeGeneres – the activist that she is –
asked the famous vocal belle if  she supports gay marriage. There was a brief
moment of anxiety: would  Parton espouse “traditional†southern
“family values†while on-set with  such a recognizable homosexual
icon? Parton
answered quickly and, in my  opinion, classically.link to 972mag.com

Activism / Solidarity / Boycott, Divestment & Sanctions

Week against the Apartheid Wall, November 9 - 16
At the beginning of this year the people in the Arab world rose up, took
   to the streets and squares and made crucial steps on the long road
towards a just and free Middle East. The Palestinian Intifada has become
   Arab; the walls of fear from dictatorship have been torn down. People
  in Egypt, Tunisia, Yemen, Syria, and beyond have inspired the world
with  their courage. They have shown that people, determined and united,
  can  make a difference. Spring turned into summer, summer to fall, and
as we  look still ahead to winter, the world witnesses the uprisings
continuing  in full force. We are not tired! Prolonged, popular
struggle, however,  comes at a high cost. Mass killings, large scale
arrests, and torture  have been used by the regimes to protect their
power. Now it is time for  the world, the movements, organizations and
people of conscience to  stand up and support the Arab and Palestinian
people by pressuring their  governments, institutions, and corporations
to withdraw their  protection and support of Israeli apartheid,
colonialism, and occupation  because Palestine is the heart of the Arab
world and without a solution  to the Palestinian issue there will be no
lasting peace and justice!
link to www.stopthewall.org

Why I am Donating to the National SJP Conference, Max Ajl
This October 14th through 16th, hundreds of students from around the
nation – including me – will meet in New York for the first
National
Students for Justice in Palestine Conference. This conference will be
dedicated to building our movement in two ways. Student activists will
learn from each other, gain skills, and coordinate strategies so that we
   can return to our campuses more informed and ready to do better work.
  In addition, we will work to create a national SJP structure to
coordinate strategy and actions across SJP chapters.
link to www.maxajl.com

French Group visited Beit Ommar
This week a group of visitors from a catholic organization in France
visited Beit Ommar and Center for Freedom and Justice. PSP arranged a
guided tour and showed their interessted guests all the illegal
settlements that surround the beautiful city of Beit Ommar.
link to palestinesolidarityproject.org

Anti-BDS

Pro-Israel Civil Rights Complaint Filed Against Columbia University, Richard
Silverstein
Kenneth Marcus, the pro-Israel scourge of U.S. academia, has just filed a
complaint with the U.S. Department of Education’s Office of Civil Rights
against Columbia University.  Electronic Intifada reports on the story.
 Though I  haven’t read the complaint yet, I have read EI’s
portrayal of it and I  have to say it’s been a long time since
I’ve seen such
nonsense on a  university campus.
link to www.richardsilverstein.com

US launches "civil rights" probe at Columbia University as Zionist censorship,
smears intensify, Ali Abunimah
A complaint by a professor at Columbia University who co-founded the
anti-Palestinian Zionist group “Scholars for Peace  in the Middle
East†has resulted in the US Department of Education’s
Office for Civil Rights (OCR) opening an investigation into the
university.
link to electronicintifada.net

Political Developments & Other News


Abbas calls on European countries to recognize Palestine
Palestinian President addresses parliamentary assembly of the
47-member Council of Europe Thursday, two weeks after applying for
United Nations recognition.
link to www.haaretz.com
 Experts to meet Friday on Palestinian UN bid (AP)
AP - The Security Council is moving ahead with its review of the
Palestinian bid for U.N. membership while Mideast mediators are
preparing a fresh attempt to bring Israelis and Palestinians back to the
   negotiating table.
link to us.rd.yahoo.com

Quartet to meet in Brussels in bid to restart Israeli-Palestinian talks
EU spokesman Michael Mann says focus of talks will be to maintain momentum in
encouraging the parties to return to negotiations.
link to www.haaretz.com

Palestinian anger at US rising over UN veto threat (AP)
AP  - Palestinians have long been skeptical of America's ability to help
   them win independence. But low expectations have turned into
frustration  and in some cases outright anger after the U.S. threatened
to derail a  bid for U.N. recognition of an independent state and
Congress put a hold  on $200 million in badly needed aid.
link to us.rd.yahoo.com

PLO leader denies talks without settlement freeze
RAMALLAH (Ma'an) -- The PLO secretary-general denied on Thursday reports
   that Palestinian leaders would hold talks with Israel without a freeze
   on illegal settlement building. Yasser Abed Rabbo told Ma'an that
President Mahmoud Abbas's conditions for negotiations -- a halt to
settlement expansion on Palestinian lands, and a clear time frame for
ending Israel's occupation -- had not wavered.
link to www.maannews.net

Israel lashes out at Palestinian UNESCO bid
Israel  lashed out at the Palestinians and UNESCO on Wednesday after the
  U.N.  cultural organization’s executive committee recommended the
acceptance  of Palestine as a full member with state rights. “The
Palestinians’  actions at UNESCO negate both the bilateral negotiations.
link to www.alarabiya.net

USAID Freezes Construction Projects in Palestinian Territories
Official Palestinian sources confirmed in Thursday’s al-Quds al-Arabi
newspaper that the American development agency USAID froze its
construction projects in Palestinian territory, following a decision by
  the US Congress to halt aid to the Palestinian Authority as it
continues  its bid for full recognition at the United Nations.
link to english.pnn.ps

Biden denies saying Jonathan Pollard would be released 'over his dead body'
U.S. Vice President tells American Jewish leaders that while the
sentiment expressed in his quoted rejection was correct, his words were
  taken out of context.
link to www.haaretz.com

ADL chief to Abbas: Stop demonizing Israel, resume direct peace talks
In open letter to the Palestinian President, Abraham H. Foxman says only
   way in which Abbas could quell Israeli fears as to the sincerity of
his  desire for peace is to resume stalled peace negotiations.
link to www.haaretz.com

Sarkozy: It is silly to talk about a Jewish state
French leader quoted as saying 'Abbas is a statesman. Netanyahu, on the other
hand, never fails to disappoint us'.
link to www.ynetnews.com

Israeli commentators mention Hosni Mubarak as ‘personality of the
year’
Israel nominated Egypt’s toppled president, Hosni Mubarak, for the
country’s personality of the year award, making him the first Arab and
non-Israeli figure nominated for the title.
link to www.alarabiya.net

Egypt plans big rise in price of gas to Israel
Egypt will substantially raise the price of its gas exports to Israel,
which have stopped after militants blew up a Sinai desert pipeline, an
Egyptian newspaper reported on Tuesday. Oil minister Abdullah
Ghurab said there would be “a large increase in the price†after the
revision which would be announced soon, the state-owned Al-Ahram
newspaper reported. The sale of gas to Israel, which signed a peace
treaty with Egypt in 1979, has always been controversial in the most
populous Arab country. Former president Hosni Mubarak, on trial for
allegedly ordering the shootings of protesters during a revolt that
ousted him in February, also faces charges of exporting the gas at cheap
   prices.
link to www.rawstory.com

Palestinians celebrate life through beer
West Bank's tiny Christian town of Taybeh welcomes thousands of visitors to its
seventh annual Oktoberfest beer festival.
link to www.ynetnews.com

Other Mideast News

29 Jordanians to be beheaded in Saudi Arabia
Can  you imagine if the executing state is not Saudi
Arabia?  Can you  imagine the uproar?  A decision to behead 29
Jordanians for different convictions.  Will silly King PlayStation and wife
Youtube tweet on that?

link to angryarab.blogspot.com

Bahrain youth dies after clash with police (Reuters)
Reuters  - A Bahraini teenager was killed during clashes with police on
Thursday  night, opposition activists said, and the government of the
restive  Gulf Arab state said it was investigating the cause of death.
link to us.rd.yahoo.com

Bahrain sentences 33 more for protest violence (AP)
AP  - A defense lawyer says Bahrain's security court has convicted 33
more  activists on charges that include violence and attempted murder
during  anti-government protests and sentenced them to prison terms.
link to us.rd.yahoo.com

Bahrain medics to face civilian court retrial
The verdict of the special security court, which sentenced medics to jail over
protests, could be overturned.
link to english.aljazeera.net

Saudi Arabia blames riots on 'outside forces'
Fourteen hurt in Gulf city, officials say, as Saudis vow to come down on
"division instigators" with an "iron fist".
link to english.aljazeera.net

Michel Suleiman wants Iran to arm Lebanese armed forces
Suleiman  made the remarks upon his arrival in Beirut from New York
where he  attended the 66th UN General Assembly meeting, according to
IRNA news  agency.
link to www.tehrantimes.com

Israeli violation of ceasefire in Lebanon
BEIRUT, August 21.-The Israeli army has carried out another incursion
into Lebanese territory, thus violating the ceasefire, with the toll of
  three Lebanese and four Israeli soldiers injured in the Bekaa Valley,
according to ANSA.
link to www.granma.cu

Thousands take to streets in Kabul to protest U.S. occupation of Afghanistan
Thousands of people took to the streets of Kabul on Thursday to protest
  against the decade-long U.S. occupation of Afghanistan and in support
of  the immediate withdrawal of U.S. and NATO troops.
link to english.ruvr.ru

Iraq NATO deal may let U.S. troops stay on
lawmakers:  Iraqi lawmakers on Wednesday said they were discussing a
deal to extend  a NATO training mission that could allow U.S. troops to
stay as  trainers beyond the year-end deadline for withdrawal, with the
type of  legal protections demanded by Washington.
link to www.reuters.com

Exclusive: Nobel Peace winner Tawakul Karman talks to Al Jazeera
Tawakul Karman talks exclusively to Al Jazeera about her Nobel Peace Prize win.
link to www.youtube.com

Ahmad Chalabi: humiliated in Beirut
So  a group, most probably close to Hizbullah in Lebanon from what I
heard,  decided to hold a one day conference on repression in Bahrain.
 Many  progressives were in attendance, including former prime minister
Salim  Huss.  The event was being carried live by Al-Manar TV (which
confirms  that Hizbullah had a role in the event).  And then, a panel
started and  there appeared at the podium none other than Ahmad Chalabi.
   Chalabi  started to talk and blasted foreign powers and foreign
occupation.  An  Egyptian in the audience started yelling at him: others
  joined in  telling him that he was brought in to Iraq in US tanks.
 There was chaos  and uproar in the room. People started leaving saying
that they did not  know that Chalabi was a guest--Salim Huss also left
the room.  People  were chanting against Chalabi and against foreign
occupation.   Chalabi--thuggish himself--started chanting from the
podium: Down with  ignorance. Down with the ignorant.  Down with agents
of Saddam.  Here is  a view.
link to angryarab.blogspot.com

Amreeka

AFL-CIO President Trumka announces support for ‘Occupy Wall Street’
The head of the largest federation of unions in the United States
released a video on Wednesday in which he announced his support for the
  “Occupy Wall Street†movement. “Occupy Wall Street has captured
the
imagination and passion of millions of Americans who have lost hope that
   our nation’s policymakers are speaking for them,†AFL-CIO President
Richard Trumka said. “We support the protesters in their determination
to hold Wall Street accountable and create good jobs.â€
link to www.rawstory.com

Ron Paul calls Occupy Wall Street a ‘legitimate effort’
Republican  presidential candidate Ron Paul said Wednesday that the
Occupy Wall  Street protests were a “legitimate effort,†but he
wasn’t
exactly sure  what they are outraged about. “I can’t speak for the
people out there  because I don’t know who they are or exactly what they
  are demonstrating  against,†Paul told the Nation Press Club. “I can
argue the case for  their right to express their outright frustration
with what is going on.  Some are liberals and some are conservatives and
  some are libertarians  and some are strict constitutionalists. And if
you read carefully over  what I’ve written over the past 10 or 15 years,
  I talk a lot about this,  that eventually we will go bankrupt.â€
link to www.rawstory.com

Eleven arrested as Los Angeles protests swell
LOS  ANGELES — Eleven protestors were arrested Thursday in the
biggest anti  Wall Street-style demonstration yet in Los Angeles, with
some 500 people  rallying in the city’s downtown district, police
said. Six men and five  women were detained for trespassing by sitting
down in the lobby of the  Bank of America, said an LA Police Department
(LAPD) spokesman. Crowds —  including some from the “Occupy
L.A.†group
which began protests at  City Hall last weekend — looked on as those
arrested were escorted out  the front door. They were bailed for $5,000
each. 
link to www.rawstory.com
      
Occupy Wall Street March Gets Massive Turnout; 28 Arrested in Police Crackdown
Labor unions and students joined the growing Occupy Wall Street movement
   in New York City on Wednesday in the largest march since the protest
began 20 days ago. Tens of thousands marched from Foley Square to
Zuccotti Park, renamed “Liberty Plaza,†the site of the protest
encampment where hundreds have been sleeping since Sept. 17. The march
was peaceful ,but police later beat a handful of protesters with batons
  after they toppled a police barricade in an attempt to march down Wall
  Street. Police say a total of 28 people were arrested. We hear from
eyewitnesses to an altercation between police and protesters at Wall
Street.
link to www.democracynow.org
 
Hundreds join SF protest of Wall Street
Hundreds of people marched through downtown San Francisco on Wednesday,
  joining a growing movement whose followers believe the nation's
financial system is broken and its distribution of wealth unfair.
link to www.sfgate.com
‘Occupy Chicago’ joins anti-war protesters at Obama 2012
headquarters
Some  “Occupy Chicago†protesters joined up with anti-war
protesters on
  Thursday outside President Barack Obama’s 2012 campaign headquarters at
   Chicago’s Prudential Plaza. â€œOccupy Chicago†began on
September 23,
when  around 20 people gathered at Willis Tower, formerly known as the
Sears  Tower, and then marched to the Federal Reserve Bank to show their
   solidarity with the “Occupy Wall Street†protesters in lower
Manhattan.
link to www.rawstory.com

PHOTOS: Inside Occupy Wall Street at Liberty Square
October  5, 2011 marked the 18th day of Occupy Wall Street, a protest
that has  filled a small park in downtown Manhattan for weeks and
sparked copycat  protests across the country and abroad. Hundreds have
been arrested over  the past few weeks — at least 20 were arrested last
night — and the world has its eyes on Liberty Square, where the
protesters have made their encampment.
link to www.rawstory.com

Getting Ready for Occupy Austin
My Tuesday evening walk to the General Assembly of Occupy Austin begins
  near 5th St. and Colorado as I enter the fashionable warehouse district
   occupied by restaurants where I cannot afford to eat. Signs on the
sidewalk offer valet parking. A rooftop club shares music that puts you
  in the mood to party. By the time I get to 2nd St, better known these
days as Willie Nelson Blvd, sidewalk dining is in full buzz. At 6:30 pm
  the temperature is sliding down into the 70’s, and the atmosphere could
   not be more perfect for a gourmet pizza with salad, wine, and
schmooze.  This newly-developed high-rise section of downtown Austin has
  got to be  one of the more fortunate neighborhoods in the history of
the world.
link to dissidentvoice.org
 
Occupy Wall Street Protesters Fed Up With Both Parties
NEW YORK — Their chief target is Wall Street, but many of the
demonstrators in New York and across the U.S. are also thoroughly
disgusted with Washington, blaming politicians of both parties for
policies they say protect corporate America at the expense of the middle
   class. "At this point I don't see any difference between George Bush
and Obama. The middle class is a lot worse than when Obama was elected,"
   said John Penley, an unemployed legal worker from Brooklyn.
link to www.huffingtonpost.com

Chomsky on “Occupy Wall Street†and Israel's Collapse
Pinning its hopes on the sole support of the US, Israel risks a collapse
   if it is ever withdrawn - much like apartheid-era South Africa,
prominent scholar Professor Noam Chomsky warns. ­He recalls how South
Africans felt safe to ignore a UN embargo and corporations pulling out
of their country throughout the 1980s, as long as the Reagan
administration continued to support them. As soon as the US withdrew its
   support, the apartheid regime collapsed.  "For 35 years, the US and
Israel have been rejecting a political settlement that is supported
virtually by the entire world. A couple of months ago, there was a
meeting of the oligarchs -- people who pretty much run the economy [of
Israel]," Chomsky says, "and they warned the government that it better
accept something like this resolution, because otherwise, Israel will
be, as they put it, South Africanized: even more isolated, with
boycotts, refusal to load ships, and their economy will collapse."
link to www.youtube.com

Secret panel can put Americans on ‘kill list’ without any oversight
WASHINGTON (Reuters) – American militants like Anwar al-Awlaki are
placed on a kill or capture list by a secretive panel of senior
government officials, which then informs the president of its decisions,
   according to officials. There is no public record of the operations or
   decisions of the panel, which is a subset of the White House’s
National  Security Council, several current and former officials said.
Neither is  there any law establishing its existence or setting out the
rules by  which it is supposed to operate.
link to www.rawstory.com
 Irum Abassi, Muslim Woman Removed From Southwest Plane, To Sue
SAN  DIEGO -- A Muslim-American woman is suing Southwest Airlines for
discrimination because she was removed from a plane by federal security
  agents. Irum Abbasi of San Diego plans to announce the lawsuit
Thursday.
link to www.huffingtonpost.com

Analysis / Op-ed

Rambunctious reporters question US State Dept’s double standard on
Syrian/Palestinian aspirations, Philip Weiss
Below is a long excerpt from yesterday's press briefing at the State
Department. Victoria Nuland of State takes on a bunch of rowdy questions
   on Palestinian aspirations and why the U.S. has opposed Palestine's
bid  to join UNESCO. The exchange is noteworthy for Nuland's laughable
claim  that the U.S. is "absolutely" opposed to Israeli settlement
expansion,  despite its continual collapse on the issue; for the
reporters' lack of  interest in the unending Quartet negotiation drama
-- they seem to sense  another sham in the making--; and for a
reporter's statement that the  U.S. will do nothing that "gets Israel
upset" (Nuland: "I didn't say  that."). The cat is out of the bag; will
American public opinion begin  to reflect the reporters' awareness? The
interchange begins with the  matter of the Security Council resolution
calling for an end to the  Syrian crackdown, which was vetoed by Russia
and China. Several other  nations, including India, abstained.
http://mondoweiss.net

One-state solution goes mainstream? CBC interviews Ali Abunimah and Daniel
Gavron
In a sign of changing times, the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation (CBC)
   carried a 30 minute interview with Ali Abunimah and Daniel Gavron,
both  supporting a one-state solution, on its flagship radio news
program The  Current with Anna Maria Tremonti.
link to electronicintifada.net

Romney and Perry get chummy with the anti-Muslim, anti-Palestinian crowd, Alex
Kane
The news that the family of Republican presidential candidate Rick Perry owned a
ranch known by the name "Niggerhead" has sparked outrage.  But both Perry--and
Mitt Romney, who is leading the Republican presidential pack for now--have no
shame and have faced little scrutiny when it comes to their courting of
anti-Muslim and anti-Palestinian activists and
advisers.
http://mondoweiss.net

Mosque Torching: When Extremist Attacks Against Arabs Cross the Green Line
Benjamin Netanyahu, Israel’s prime minister, was reportedly
“outragedâ€
on Monday by images of the gutted mosque in the Bedouin village of Tuba
  Zangariya, close to the Galilee’s Jewish towns of Rosh Pina and Safed.
  The mosque was torched by right-wing Jewish extremists. Netanyahu
warned  that the attack violated Israel’s “supreme values†of
freedom of
   religion and worship and called on the security services to swiftly
catch the perpetrators.
link to english.al-akhbar.com

Israeli International Festivals: Whitewashing Oppression or Resisting it?
Once again, the Israeli cultural establishment is attempting to put
itself on the global cultural map by mounting another extravaganza, this
   time the 27th Haifa International Film Festival to be held between
13-22 October 2011. The Festival is sponsored by Israel’s political
establishment, from the Minister of Culture and Sport to the Mayor of
the city of Haifa. The Israeli Haifa elite celebrates Haifa as “a city
that has become a symbol of co-existence, tolerance and peace,†in
flagrant contradiction to the realities of segregation, discrimination,
  and racism suffered by the native Palestinian residents of Haifa, and
in  denial of Israel’s violent history of ethnic cleansing in that city.
link to english.al-akhbar.com
 
Lizzy Ratner on the New York Time's Twisted Obituary for an Israeli Colonist
My  first reaction was disgust followed by a strong desire to register
my  protest by refusing to read. What was the Times doing running an
obituary of a settlement leader, a founder of the extremist movement
responsible for gobbling up dunam upon dunam of Palestinian land, for
dispossession, violence, apartheid, and an ultra-nationalism so toxic it
   approaches fascism? If a leader of Hamas died, would the Times
eulogize  him too? It goes without saying that it would never grant a
human  rights leader like Michel Warshawski or Raji Sourani an inch of
its  death-page real estate. 
http://mondoweiss.net/2011/10/54093.html
 
Israel’s Jewishness: Precondition for Palestinian Statehood
Nazareth - Israel’s relentless efforts to foil a Palestinian bid for
statehood at the United Nations are linked to its increasingly
intransigent demand that it be recognised as a Jewish state. By denying
  the Palestinians the UN route while at the same time insisting as part
  of peace talks that they acknowledge Israel’s Jewish character, Israeli
   prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu is driving the final nail into the
coffin of the peace process and the pursuit of the two-state solution.
link to english.al-akhbar.com

America couldn't veto Palestinian admission to the UN
The  United States of America is preparing to use its veto in order to
block  Palestine's admission to the United Nations as an independent
state.  However, it is doubtful if this vote will have the effect
desired by the  US State Department because the Americans have renounced
  using the veto  in this way. Not only that, but the vote for membership
  is based on  conditions which don't allow for such a prohibitive move.
link to www.middleeastmonitor.org.uk

Why Kosovo but not Palestine?
Serbia was historically more aligned with Russia, while Israel serves US foreign
policy interests in the Middle East.
link to english.aljazeera.net

Israeli Foreign Ministry Fires Deputy Ambassador to U.S. Over Iran Leak,
Original Haaretz Story Exposed for First Time, Richard Silverstein
Two  days ago, with the help of an Israeli source I broke a gag order
concerning the arrest of a dubious suspect in the mosque burning in
northern Israel, naming him as Yisrael Katz.  Today, various Israeli
media published portions of what I wrote (though only Yediot mentioned
his name, and then strangely only his last name).  Of course, none of
these sources mentioned that the story broke here first, probably
because they can’t conceive of an American blogger breaking stories
before them.  They’d do well to pay closer attention to what’s
published
   here.
link to www.richardsilverstein.com

Arab Art as an Early Indicator of Revolution
An  art fair in Marrakesh showcased many Arab artists who visualized the
   revolutions in their countries long before they happened.
link to www.nytimes.com

[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]

Settlers / Land, Property, Resource Theft & Destruction / Ethnic Cleansing
 
Bill proposed to compensate W. Bank Palestinian land owners
Likud  MK Yariv Levin says his bill will ‘break the cycle of house 
destruction’; Rights groups call proposal ‘racist’ and
‘unconstitutional. 
MK Yariv Levin (Likud) plans to propose a bill that would
compensate West Bank Palestinian land owners for their property in an
effort to stop the state demolishing settler homes built on that
land. The bill comes as an effort to stop the pending demolition this
year of an unauthorized neighborhood in the Beit El settlement of Ulpana and
homes on two outposts, Migron and Givat Assaf. It is part of an
effort by Likud lawmakers to find an alternative solution to
unauthorized Jewish structures on private Palestinian property in the
West Bank. “The current situation in Judea and Samaria is intolerable,” 
Levin told The Jerusalem Post. “The judiciary is being used as a tool
to  promote the extreme Left’s political goals, such as harming
settlers.”
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
 
Israeli Forces Prevent Palestinian Fire Crew from Putting Out Fire in Jenin

JENIN,  October 10, 2011 (WAFA) – The Israeli Authorities prevented on Monday 
Palestinian firemen from putting out the fire, which erupted in olive  trees,
behind the Apartheid Wall, in the village of Anin,
west of Jenin,  according to civil defense report. The Department of
humanitarian and  public relations in the civil defense said in a report that
the civil  defense in Jenin, received a call informing them of the fire. Sami 
Hamdan, head of the civil defense directorate in Jenin said that the  fire crew
headed to the location, after a prior coordination
with the  Israeli side, where they were informed that the Israeli side
extinguished the fire to find out later on that the fire was still
burning.
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
 
Military Court Sentences Palestinian to Death
JENIN, October 10, 2011 (WAFA) – A Jenin military court Monday
sentenced a Palestinian convicted of murder to death by a firing squad.    The
Palestinian, a 22 year old member of the security forces from
Jenin who was identified only by his initials, W.A.E., was found guilty  of
premeditated killing of a shopkeeper from Nablus in his shop in
March  2011, illegal possession of a weapon and resisting an officer of
the  law. The court found W.A.E. guilty of all counts and sentenced him
to  death. However, the sentence cannot be commuted before it is
approved by  President Mahmoud Abbas. The convicted Palestinian can
appeal the  verdict at the Supreme Court.
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
 
Prisoner Brutally Beaten by Israeli Interrogator to Admit Charges
RAMALLAH, October 10, 2011 (WAFA) – Palestinian prisoner Tareq
Al-Amouri, 20, Monday was brutally beaten by an Israeli Interrogator, at Atzion
Israeli prison, to force him to admit the charges against him,  according to the
Palestinian prisoner’s club (PPC). In a press release, PPC said that one of
the interrogators slammed Al-Amouri’s head
against  the wall and tried to strangle him to force him to admit that
he threw  stones at Israeli soldiers. Prior to the interrogation, the
prison’s  administration put Al-Amouri in solitary confinement since
seven in the  morning until nine at night, where they had an air
condition blow very  cold air at him for 10 hours. Al-Amouri said that
this attack against  him is not the first, pointing that prisoners are
constantly subjected  to brutal attacks by the Israeli jailors and
interrogators.
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
 
Voices from the Occupation: Ahmad F. - Detention
Name:  Ahmad F / Date of arrest: 6 July 2011 / Age: 15 / Location:
Burin  village, occupied West Bank / Accusation: Throwing stones
On 6 July 2011, a 15-year-old boy from Burin village, near Nablus,  in the
occupied West Bank, is arrested by Israeli soldiers from the
family home at 2:00 am. At around 2:00 am, on 6 July, 15-year-old Ahmad  was up
late socialising with family members who had just arrived from
Jordan. “We were all sitting on the balcony […] when we heard people
climbing up the stairs,” recalls Ahmad. “Suddenly, many soldiers stormed the
house. We were surprised to see them. They started shouting at us  and ordering
us into the living room.” Some soldiers started searching  the house causing a
big mess. Ahmad’s two-year-old nephew started
crying, and this “annoyed the soldiers who started shouting and asking
his mother to shut him up.”
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
 
Israeli Administrations, Prisoners’ Meeting Failed, Says Official

RAMALLAH,  October 10, 2011 (WAFA) –The meeting between
representatives of the  Palestinian prisoners’ movement in prisons and
the Israeli prisons’  administrations failed due to the administrations’
insistence on their  solitary confinement policy and prevention of
education rights, Monday  said Minister of Prisoners Affairs, Issa
Qaraqi. He told voice of  Palestine that all members of the prisoners’
movement will join the  hunger strike during the next two days, warning
that prisoners will  widen their strike by abstaining from drinking
water.
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
The  end of the school day at the Orot Girl's Elementary ought to
be an  oasis of peace in the family day - a chance for mothers and
daughters to  chat over teachers and lessons and
who-said-what-to-whom. But from the  beginning of the current term a
grim and disturbing drama has been  played out instead in the busy
street outside the school gates in the  Israeli town of Beit Shemesh. As the
children and their mothers make  their way home, intimidating
pickets of ultra-orthodox Jewish men have  been waiting for them a
little way up the street - some, say the  families, have thrown stones
and tomatoes and faeces as they have tried  to pass.
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"
When U.S. Congress confirmed last week that it was blocking the
transfer of $200 million in aid to the Palestinian territories,
accusations of the U.S. resorting to “aid blackmail” and “collective
punishment” quickly followed. The administration of President Barak
Obama has been clear about its opposition to the Palestinians’ request
for statehood recognition by the U.N. But Palestinian President Mahmoud  Abbas
defied the admonishment and submitted his formal application for  full U.N.
membership despite Washington’s pleas.
link to www.voanews.com
 
Palestinian leader in Latin America to advance statehood cause
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.
http://feeds.latimes.com/~r/latimes/middleeast/
 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.
link to www.alarabiya.net
 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.
link to www.ynetnews.com
 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.
http://feeds.latimes.com/~r/latimes/middleeast/
 
Other Mideast News
 
"Chaos and Bloodshed": 25 Die in Cairo as Egyptian Military Attacks Coptic
Christian Protesters
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."
link to www.democracynow.org
 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.
link to english.aljazeera.net

Hopes dim to change Iraq laws to protect women (AP)
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.
link to us.rd.yahoo.com
 40 Yemeni women wounded celebrating Nobel win
Forty women were wounded in Yemen’s second largest city when regime
supporters attacked an all-female street celebration of the Nobel Peace
  prize win of Tawakkul Karman, medical officials said Monday.
link to www.alarabiya.net
Nobel Peace Winner Tawakkul Karman on Yemen and the U.S. War on Terror
Yemeni  activist and journalist, Tawakkul Karman, was one of the
recipients of  the 2011 Nobel Peace Prize awarded Friday. Karman spoke
in New York City  at the Brecht Forum in September 2010 about state
violence, targeted  killings and human rights abuses enabled by the
so-called "war on  terror." Democracy Now! was there and brings you part
  of her address.  Karman notes that by cooperating with the Yemeni
government’s repression  of its opponents, the United States "has
transitioned from being the  leader of the free world to a watch dog for
  tyrant regimes." 
link to www.democracynow.org
 
READ THIS NOW: A 'worthy' invasion of Iraq is the model for Syria!
Yup, the crescendo is half way! But Diehl & his ilk should factor in
   this & well: this is not gonna happen; not under Obama's watch
nor,  and most importantly, under Bashar's watch!
link to www.washingtonpost.com
 
Tarek Abd al-Hayy, "Bahrain, Where Every Day Is a Friday"
Many  Arabs hold their largest protests on Fridays, but the people
of Bahrain  come out in force every day of the week and at any time of
day. . . .  The roundabout has become a focal point for the regime's
security  forces. If two cars stop at the same time, officers become
nervous and  aggressively ask the drivers why they have stopped. But
from the ruins  of Pearl Square, it appears that the revolution is about to rise
again,  despite the frenzied proliferation of Gulf security
forces. Something  about people's movements suggests a return to the
vigorous activity of  the first days of the revolution.
link to mrzine.monthlyreview.org

Iranian president criticizes student’s flogging
Iranian  President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad spoke out Tuesday against the
weekend  flogging of a student convicted of insulting him, saying other,
  more  powerful people criticized him with impunity, the presidency
website  said. “Since influential people can freely defame us, I
disapprove.
link to www.alarabiya.net
 
Amreeka
 
Cornel West: Herman Cain ‘needs to get off the symbolic crack pipe’
Princeton University professor Cornel West thinks Republican
presidential candidate Herman Cain is wrong to suggest that racism no
longer matters in this country. Cain had told CNN’s Candy Crowley Sunday
   that some simply used racism as an excuse when they failed to achieve
  their goals. “I have seen blacks in middle management move up to top
management in some of the biggest corporations in America,” the
candidate explained. “They weren’t held back because of racism. No,
people sometimes hold themselves back because they want to use racism as
   excuse for them not being able to achieve what they want to achieve.”
link to www.rawstory.com
 The Occupy movement comes to Oakland
from SFGate: Bay Area News Stories by jtucker@... (Matthai
Kuruvila,Jill Tucker, Chronicle Staff Writers) Hundreds  of
protesters poured into Oakland's Frank Ogawa Plaza this afternoon,
joining a multi-city movement taking aim at economic inequality and
corporate excess.
link to www.sfgate.com
 Occupy San Francisco Camp Grows Again: 120 Protesters Sleep On Market Street
(PHOTOS)
What started as a modest protest at the Bank of America building
has swelled to near-daily Occupy San Francisco marches in the financial 
district, populated by families, businesses and union groups including  National
Nurses United and the labor union. On Monday, similar protests launched in
Berkeley and Oakland. "This is the right thing to do,"
said  local architect Danny Jackson at a recent San Francisco march,
holding a  homemade sign. The protests have officially become a
movement.
link to www.huffingtonpost.com
 Cain calls Occupy Wall Street protesters ‘anti-American’
Republican presidential candidate Herman Cain claimed Sunday that the
Occupy Wall Street protests going on in New York City and across the
country were a conspiracy designed to help President Barack Obama. “The
  proof is quite simply the bankers and the people on Wall Street didn’t
  write these failed policies of the Obama administration,” Cain told
CBS’  Bob Schieffer. “So it’s a distraction. So many people won’t focus
on  the failed policies of this administration.”
link to www.rawstory.com
 
Occupy Des Moines: Dozens Arrested In Iowa, Including A 14-Year-Old
Dozens  were arrested at the first Occupy Des Moines event Sunday
night,  including a former Iowa state representative and a 14-year-old
girl. All  but one of them have pleaded not guilty, and some are now asking how
much the state's governor knew
beforehand. Video  from the event shows police officers dragging or
carrying away some  protesters. Others were escorted away with their
hands zip-cuffed.  According to some who were arrested or witnessed the
arrests and later  spoke with The Huffington Post, many had bruises,
cuts and scrapes from  the arrests -- and they believed police had used
excessive force. Police  arrested the protesters remaining on the Iowa
statehouse's west lawn  Sunday night for "trespassing" because they said the
area closes to the  public at 11 p.m.
link to www.huffingtonpost.com
 
Editor admits to ‘infiltrating’ D.C. protest to undermine ‘Occupy’
movement
An assistant editor for the conservative magazine The American
Spectator admitted in print Saturday to infiltrating an antiwar protest in
Washington,
D.C. in hopes of undermining the “Occupy” movement. Patrick Howley —
“for journalistic purposes” — was one of the antiwar protesters who
clashed with security staff at The Smithsonian’s National Air and Space
Museum on Saturday,
leading  to one arrest and numerous people being pepper-sprayed. The
progressive blog Firedoglake has condemned the editor as an agent
provocateur, but it is unclear if Howley actually incited the clash with
security guards.
link to www.rawstory.com
 Slavoj Zizek Joins Occupy Wall Street
Occupy Wall Street got some Slovenian philosopher star power on Sunday,
as Marxist academic Slavoj Zizek joined the movement. "We are not
destroying anything," he said. "We are only witnessing how  the system
is destroying itself." Using the "Human Microphone" system,  where
protestors repeat back the words of the speaker so that others can
hear, Zizek spoke for over an hour to the enthusiastic crowd, who
whooped and cheered as he went on.
link to www.huffingtonpost.com
 Occupy Wall Street Emerges as "First Populist Movement" on the Left Since the
1930s
As the "Occupy" movement expands from the "Occupy Wall Street" protest
in New York City throughout the United States, we look at its historical
   significance. "This is an incredibly significant moment in U.S.
history," says Dorian Warren of Columbia University. "It might be a
turning point, because this is the first time we’ve seen an emergence of
   a populist movement on the left since the 1930s." We also speak to
Firedoglake blogger Kevin Gosztola, who has been reporting from the
occupations in Chicago, Philadelphia and Washington, D.C.
link to www.democracynow.org


Analysis / Op-ed

Stop Lying To America: “We Will Not Recognize Israel”
This  photo will upset the likes of Ziad Asali, Hussein Ibish, Ray
Hanania,  and James Zogby and it will infuriate Mona Eltahawy.  It
represents  99.9% of Arab public opinion and exposes the lies the House
Arabs tell  in America.  The Washington Arabs can recognize Israel and
collaborate  with the Zionist lobby because garnering support among the
mainstream  media and the exigencies of life on the margins of US
officialdom  require them to do so, but they do not speak for the
Arab-American  community and they do not speak for the Arab world. Its
time they stop  lying to the country they decided to make their home.
The Arab world and  all freedom loving people everywhere will never
recognize the usurping  Zionist entity in Palestine. There will never be
  any recognition of  Israel and there will never be any peace with
Zionism.  Peace comes  after Zionism.
link to ikhras.com

The Real Story of How Israel Was Created, Alison Weir
To better understand the Palestinian bid for membership in the United
Nations, it is important to understand the original 1947 U.N. action on
  Israel-Palestine. The common representation of Israel’s birth is that
the U.N. created Israel, that the world was in favor of this move, and
that the U.S. governmental establishment supported it. All these
assumptions are demonstrably incorrect. In reality, while the U.N.
General Assembly recommended the creation of a Jewish state in part of
Palestine, that recommendation was non-binding and never implemented by
  the Security Council. Second, the General Assembly passed that
recommendation only after Israel proponents threatened and bribed
numerous countries in order to gain a required two-thirds of votes.
Third, the U.S. administration supported the recommendation out of
domestic electoral considerations and took this position over the
strenuous objections of the State Department, the CIA, and the Pentagon.
link to original.antiwar.com
 
Israel is destroying America, period
There is no doubt that one of the main reasons for America's phenomenal
  economic and financial problems, which affect America's overall global
  standing, has to do with the so-called Israeli factor.
link to www.palestine-info.co.uk
 
A drinker's guide to Islam, Khaled Diab
 A Palestinian beerfest is not as bizarre as it seems. Alcohol has
long been a tolerated aspect of Muslim culture. If I said that we went
to an Oktoberfest last weekend, readers may wonder why I am writing about it.
If I added that the beer festival in question was in the West Bank and there we
encountered a couple of self-deprecating young Germans dressed in
lederhosen, some may start asking themselves what I've been drinking, or perhaps
smoking.
link to www.guardian.co.uk
 Peres Offers Condolences on Erdogan’s Mother’s Death, Won’t Offer
Condolences for Mavi Marmara Dead
The Israeli president’s offer is not “noteworthy,” other than a
hypocritical attempt to substitute empathy for one individual for
actually showing remorse for the suffering of nine murdered Turks and
the anger of the rest of the nation at their treatment. If Peres wanted
to express condolences he might’ve tried doing so  to the entire Turkish
people for the Mavi Marmara massacre.  As for  Peres’ effort, it’s pure
hypocrisy.
link to www.richardsilverstein.com
 
Discussing Palestine at Occupy Boston, Ahmed Moor
I  spent my day in downtown Boston in and around the Occupy Boston
encampment. Appropriately, the protesters bivouacked across the street
from The Federal Reserve Bank here; the image they’ve conjured is a
symbolically potent one. My main task for the day was to lead a
Palestine teach-in. About twenty people – from a variety of backgrounds –
   sat in a circle to offer comments and ask questions. Significantly,
the  teach-in was organized at the request of the Occupy Boston
leadership.
http://mondoweiss.net/
 
Obama at the General Assembly: Sacrificing Palestine for Zionist Campaign
Funds, James Petras
In a tight presidential election this 2012 we can expect Obama to
trade on Pollard’s release, in exchange for a big cash injection by
Zionist contributors to fund his last-minute media blitz.
link to www.informationclearinghouse.info
 


--
www.TheHeadlines.org

[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]

Land, property theft & destruction / Ethnic cleansing / Apartheid / Restriction
of Movement

The Jerusalem Observer organizes a seminar entitled “the right of
prohibition in Jerusalem and C areas
The
  Jerusalem observer for Human rights in cooperation with Beit E’nan
forum organized a legal seminar entitled with the right to prohibition
right in Jerusalem and the C area. under the international conventions’
Umbrella. Mr. Zaid Tubassi al Ayoubi the head of Jerusalem Observer for
human rights  spoke and addressed the significance of the prohibition
rights in the international treaties within occupation. The head of the
observer presented the responsibilities of the Israeli occupation in
Jerusalem and the West Bank  as an occupied territory, especially
according to the fourth Geneva Convention, and Lahay treaty in 1967
which banded Israel as an occupation state to harm civilians and their
homes and properties , insuring that all the occupation procedures
particularly, evacuation and demolish ones that are carried out in
Jerusalem and the C  areas , all these are considered flagrant
violations for the Human International law. He also stressed at the end
of the seminar -which has the   University students participants and a
number of locals from Biet E’nan – on the necessity to activate
the
tools of the International law specifically , on the level of the
international criminal court according to   its basic system  for the
year 1988 which says  all of what the Israeli Authority does , are
considered crimes against humanity, and war crimes ,especially , the
operations of evacuation, the compulsory  immigration and house
demolishing. The head of Jerusalem observer demanded at the end of his
seminar the international organizations to hold their responsibilities
concerning the Palestinians  protection from the scheduled and mannered 

  violations , in addition to bringing the Israeli leaders  who  are
responsible for such crimes to the International Justice.
http://silwanic.net/?p=21200

UN: New e. Jerusalem construction plans 'unacceptable'
Israel's plan to build 2,600 housing units in Givat HaMatos detrimental
to Quartet's efforts to restart peace talks, UN chief says.
http://www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7340,L-4135117,00.html

Erekat slams Israeli plans for new east J'lem neighborhood
Givat Hamatos project for 2,610 apartments passes major hurdle in approval
process; PA chief negotiator says plan "makes a mockery of ... efforts
to bring about a just and lasting peace."
http://www.jpost.com/DiplomacyAndPolitics/Article.aspx?id=241777

Don't forget the Palestine Papers, where Erekat offered Jerusalem on a platter
to Israel: "The biggest Yerushalayim"
PA offered to concede almost all of East Jerusalem, an historic concession for
which Israel offered nothing in return.
http://english.aljazeera.net/palestinepapers/2011/01/2011122112512844113.html

IOF troops close all entrances to Al-Khalil village for second day
The Israeli occupation forces (IOF) have closed all entrances to the
Beit Ummar village to the north of Al-Khalil on Saturday for the second
day running.
http://www.palestine-info.co.uk/En/default.aspx?xyz=U6Qq7k

Israeli Army Fire Tear Gas Into Town and Create Checkpoint at Entrance to Beit
Ommar
September 14th October: Israeli soldiers fired tear gas into residential
  areas of Beit Ommar. In addition to the tear gas, the army stopped and
searched cars entering and leaving the village. Due to the ongoing
Palestinian solidarity and support of the prisoners` hunger strike the
army do not want the residents of Beit Ommar to leave their town or to
use Route 60. The main entrance to the town was closed for several hours
  in the night, and a road block were put up by the entrance to the fruit
  market.
http://palestinesolidarityproject.org/2011/10/14/
israeli-army-fire-tear-gas-into-town-and-create-checkpoint-at-entrance-to-beit-o\
mmar/

Flying checkpoint in Wadi Rababa causes traffic jam
Israeli
  forces imposed a check point on the western entrance to Silwan through
Wadi Rababa neighborhood on Tuesday, 11 October evening, causing a
traffic jam of Palestinian vehicles. Flying checkpoints are a fact of
life in Silwan, with Israeli forces erecting them regularly and without
warning, tightening their grip on movement of Palestinian residents.  
http://silwanic.net/?p=21171

Qalqilya Farmers Struggle to Cultivate Land, Navigate Separation Wall
Laila Taher Qadumi hides her 57 years and her fatigue with a shy and
kind smile. For the last two years she has worked all alone in her
family’s two greenhouses and four dunams of cultivated land, situated on
  the other side of the Separation Wall, in the outskirts of the city of
Qalqilya.
http://www.alternativenews.org/english/index.php/topics/jerusalem/3844

There is no east: Olive harvest in Gaza
Gaza doesn’t have very much farmland left.  The expanding no go
zone imposed by Israeli bullets and bulldozers constantly erode the
amount of land left for Palestinians to farm in Gaza.  Mohamed Ashure
Shimbari lives on the edge of the no-go zone.  If you look east from his land
you see the no go zone, what Israel euphemistically refers to as
“the buffer zone.† Little grows there.  Israeli bulldozers
regularly
come to kill anything which has managed to find a life there.  You can
see the destroyed well which once provided water for the orchards that
used to cover the no-go zone.  Now, there is no water, and no life, only a zone
of death. Israel claims that the buffer zone is “only†300
meters wide, but Mohamed’s land is about 800 meters from the border, and
still he is afraid.
http://palsolidarity.org/2011/10/there-is-no-east-olive-harvest-in-gaza/

The lonely olive tree of Bil’in
Near the concrete wall which separates Bil’in from Modiin Illit
colony, occupied by ultra-Orthodox Jews, there is an olive tree.  It is
impossible to know how it survived the construction of the wall and how
it continues to resist to the lack of a few cares that the specie
demands – a lack caused by the Israeli barbed wire fence that prevents
the access of the residents to the point where it is, in the buffer
zone.  This survivor came to the attention of the villagers since some
time ago. Today they finally managed to breach the fence and to go to
the lonely olive tree for harvest.
http://palsolidarity.org/2011/10/the-lonely-olive-tree-of-bilin/

Israeli Violence Against Palestinians

Special forces storm Adeeleh neighborhood
Eyewitnesses reported that a team of Israeli special forces stormed
Adeeleh district of Ras al-Amoud neighborhood in Silwan, on Wednesday 12
  October. No reason for the attack is known.
http://silwanic.net/?p=21176

Tear Gas Fired and Israeli Army Followed Residents of Beit Ula into their fields
Beit Ula 14.th October 2011: For the Friday prayer a large number of people
gathered by the demolished house and fields of Abdul Jabar Ahtal.After the
prayer the crowd walked about and looked at the damage. A military
jeep appeared on the patrol road connected to the apartheid fence built
on Beit Ula land. After some time more jeeps turned up and soldiers
appeared in the distance on foot. The soldiers started to shoot tear
gas, and the whole situation escalated. The main part of the crowd
withdrew and left in cars and by foot. The soldiers followed all the way back to
the cars.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=2TzmBHmYToU


Settler Terrorist Violence Against Palestinians
Religious settlers assault Palestinian minor
A group of religious settlers assaulted a Palestinian minor whose
identity remains unknown, on Thursday 13 October. The attack occured
after a Jewish prayer meeting in Al-Mosrarah district, under the
observation of Israeli troops. The child was reportedly apprehended and
dragged by soldiers to the area where the assault then took place. One
witness stated that the events, though tragic and reprehensible, are not
  unusual, and in fact take place on a near-daily basis as more
Palestinians fall victim to Israeli suspicion and violence.
http://silwanic.net/?p=21178
Israeli Settlers Invade Neighborhoods in Ertas Village
Hundreds of Israeli settlers invaded Sha’ab Salman and al-Nahleh
neighborhoods in the village of Ertas just south of the West Bank city
of Bethlehem, to establish a base, the Palestinian News & Info
Agency (WAFA) reported on Friday.
http://www.imemc.org/article/62282


Israeli government blamed for surge in racist attacks
Netanyahu has condemned attacks on mosques and cemeteries by
Israeli extremists but his government is facilitating such violence.
http://electronicintifada.net/content/israeli-government-blamed-surge-racist-att\
acks/10488

Child Abductions

Childhood Remnants a Film produced by Wadi Hilweh Information Center
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=36hLSj5RQEE&feature=player_embedded

Youth abducted from Al-Ein al-Foaka
Israeli
  forces abducted Muhammad Abbasi, 11, from Al-Ein al-Foaka neighborhood
in Silwan on Thursday, 13 October. The neighborhood is notorious for its
  settler and military presence, who often target Palestinian residents
and make clear their agenda of Judaisation of the neighborhood.
http://silwanic.net/?p=21180
From the clothesline to her son, Hebron mother copes
On Thursday 13th October Mohammed Maher Abu Rumaila was arrested by the
Israeli Army as he was returning to his home in Hebron’s Old City. The
Israeli army allege that Mohammed had been throwing stones in the Old
City earlier that day, and he is now being held in Asion Prison.  In an
interview today with ISM volunteers Mohammed’s mother, Fatihia Abu
Rumaila,explained. Mohammed was arrested in the street. The Israeli’s
said he had thrown stones,
but he didn’t. He was working in Israel at the time they say he was
throwing stones.†The 21 year old’s family believes he will appear
in
Court on Sunday 16th October 2011. Fatihia explained that the family
cannot afford to pay for a lawyer, and therefore Mohammed will be
represented by a lawyer from the Prisoners Club. She feels “heartbroken,
sad and scared,†and all she can do is hope for justice. Fatihia and
her family live in the heart of the Old City, an area known for it’s
confrontational and violent Zionist settlers, she says. â€œWe are
suffering from the Jewish settlers. They throw stones at us about twice a month,
and they steal our clothes from our clothes lines.â€
http://palsolidarity.org/2011/10/from-the-clothesline-to-her-son-hebron-mother-c\
opes/


Political Detainees

Red Cross slammed for silence over arrest of Palestinian lawmaker
Undercover Israeli forces arrested Palestinian lawmaker Ahmad Attoun in
late September from the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC)
compound in occupied East Jerusalem, where he had taken refuge with two
colleagues to avoid deportation from the city of his birth.
 Palestinians and their supporters have largely condemned the arrest,
viewing it as just another example of Israeli intransigence and of the
country’s complete disregard for Palestinian rights and freedoms.
http://electronicintifada.net/content/red-cross-slammed-silence-over-arrest-pale\
stinian-lawmaker/10485
Military court rejects motion to release Bassem Tamimi
A judge at the Ofer Military Court ruled yesterday that Palestinian
protest organizer, Bassem Tamimi, will remain in prison indefinitely,
until the end of his trial. The judge denied a motion filed by Tamimi’s
defense lawyer, adv. Labib Habib, to revisit a prior decision to hold
Tamimi until the end of legal proceedings. The motion to release Tamimi
was filed nearly seven months after his arrest, and while only one
witness was heard by the court in his case during that period. The
defense argued that with the trial being conducted at such a slow pace,
Tamimi will not receive a fair trial or a chance to fight for his
innocence. With only one of 24 prosecution witnesses heard in seven
months, the duration Tamimi’s trial is expected to exceed the
anticipated sentence, even in case Tamimi will be convicted by the
court.
http://palsolidarity.org/2011/10/military-court-rejects-motion-to-release-bassem\
-tamimi/
Three Arrested in another Late-Night Army Raid in Beit Ommar
Beit Ommar 14.th October 2011. At about three o’clock in the morning
three persons were arrested in a late night millitary raid in Beit Ommar; Abed
Helail aged 41,
Mohammad Yousef Bahar 17 years old, and Ahmad Mahmoud Sohaibe 20 years
old. No reason was given for the arrests.
http://palestinesolidarityproject.org/2011/10/14/three-arrested-in-another-late-\
night-army-raid-in-beit-ommar/

Adnan Ghaith returns to Silwan
Exiled activist Adnan Ghaith returned to Silwan on Wednesday 12 October after
serving a 9 month ban sentence from his home town. Ghaith’s exile was
extended by one month after serving the original 8 month sentence, when
he was arrested and removed from Jerusalem the day that he finally
returned home last month. The order was enabled on the strength of an
old military order from the Mandate era in Palestine. Ghaith has
frequently been targeted by Israeli officials for what they deem
“illegal activities†– Ghaith’s role as a local activist
in the Popular
Committee and his position as Secretary-General for Fatah in Silwan.
Ghaith has been arrested and detained many times in recent years,
including a 6-month administrative detention sentence.
http://silwanic.net/?p=21173

Prisoner Exchange

Hamas: Hezbollah taught us to deal with Israel
Hezbollah is credited with teaching Hamas how to secure release of
prisoners; Hezbollah kidnapped 6 Israeli soldiers in past
decade. Shortly after kidnapping Gilad Schalit in 2006, Hezbollah sent
Hamas a report detailing how to successfully broker a prisoner swap deal with
Israel, Hamas said on Saturday. Hamas' political bureau and
negotiating team said they studied the report thoroughly, and credited
it with helping them successfully secure the release of 1,027 prisoners
from Israeli prisons in exchange for the captive soldier. 
http://www.jpost.com/Defense/Article.aspx?id=241807
Egypt says 550 Fatah prisoners in Shalit deal; Israeli victims appeal to court
on pact
Egypt has secured the release of 550 members of Palestinian
President Mahmoud Abbas’s Fatah party in a prisoners swap it mediated
between Israel and Hamas, an Egyptian diplomat said on Friday, as an
Israeli group representing victims of Palestinian attacks petitioned a
court to delay the deal.
http://www.alarabiya.net/articles/2011/10/14/171804.html

Al-Zahar: We Will Release Shalit When The Ex-detainees Reach The West Bank And
Egypt
The leading figure of Hamas, Dr. Mahmoud Al-Zahar, stated that the
moment the ex-detainees enter the West Bank and the Egyptian
territories, Hamas will immediately release Gilad Shalit, the Ma’an News
agency reported
http://www.imemc.org/article/62292
Radwan: Deported captives will return Gaza at a later date
Hamas senior official Ismail Radwan said on Friday that Palestinian
captives who will be deported upon their release from Israeli occupation
  jails will be able to return to Gaza at a later stage.
http://www.palestine-info.co.uk/En/default.aspx?xyz=U6Qq7k
Haneyya: Our joy will not be complete until all captives are released
The Palestinian Prime Minister in Gaza, Ismail Haneyya, said that
feelings of joy over the release of captives will not be complete until
all captives are released from Israeli occupation jails.
http://www.palestine-info.co.uk/En/default.aspx?xyz=U6Qq7k

Israel prolongs Barghouthi's solitary confinement
RAMALLAH: The Israeli Prisons Service (IPS) will not ease restrictions imposed
on jailed Fatah leader Marwan Barghouthi, a senior Palestinian official
said on Saturday. Issa Qaraqi’, the Palestinian Minister of Detainees
and Ex-detainees, said that the IPS decided to prolong the solitary
confinement of Barghouthi until further notice “after recommendations
from Shin Bet (Israel’s internal intelligence
agency).†Al-Barghouthi
was placed in solitary confinement in the Hadarim prison last July after he
urged the Palestinians to took to the streets in September to
support the Palestinian leadership in its bid obtain recognition of an
independent state from the United Nations.
http://arabnews.com/middleeast/article518606.ece
Palestinian Prisoners: The Names Behind the Numbers
While Israeli soldiers like Gilad Shalit become household names the
moment they are captured, the names of thousands of Palestinian
prisoners remain largely unknown during captivity and after they are
freed. Al-Akhbar translated the names of Palestinians slated for release
  as part of the prisoner exchange deal struck between Israel and Hamas
in October. The list of Arabic names was published by the Palestinian
news agency Sama.
http://english.al-akhbar.com/content/palestinian-prisoners-names-behind-numbers
Gaza families wait for release of prisoners in Hamas-Israel deal
Families in Gaza wait to hear if their loved ones, imprisoned in Israeli
  jail cells, will be on the list as part of a prisoner swap deal that
includes the release of more than 1,000 Palestinian prisoners.
http://electronicintifada.net/content/gaza-families-wait-release-prisoners-hamas\
-israel-deal/10490

Right-wing Israelis break into home of justice minister to protest Shalit deal
The protesters bypassed Yaakov Neeman’s guards, knocked on the
front door and chanted slogans against the justice minister's decision
to release Palestinian prisoners.
http://www.haaretz.com/news/national/right-wing-israelis-break-into-home-of-just\
ice-minister-to-protest-shalit-deal-1.390131

Prisoners' Strike

Palestinian hunger strike continues despite Israeli prisoner swap
Click here to view the embedded video. Thousands are demanding better
treatment of Palestinian prisoners in Israeli jails and the release of
prominent activists.
http://palsolidarity.org/2011/10/palestinian-hunger-strike-continues-despite-isr\
aeli-prisoner-swap/


Solidarity with Prisoners
Beit Ummar collectively punished for peaceful demonstration
October 14th was the seventeenth day of the hunger strike of Palestinian
  prisoners in Israeli jails. People took to the streets for a solidarity
  demonstration in the village of Beit Ummar, Hebron. This is the second
such demonstration in this village, a similar march last week led to
several arrests in a dawn raid on Thursday 13th October. There have been
  numerous demonstrations across the West Bank since the Palestinian
prisoners’ hunger strike began. These are in support of the 9 demands of
  Palestinian prisoners, which include the right to family visits, end to
  the use of isolation as a punishment, and an end to the profiteering of
  Israeli prisons from financial penalties charged against prisoners.
http://palsolidarity.org/2011/10/beit-ummar-collectively-punished-for-peaceful-d\
emonstration/


The anthem of Nabi Saleh: “Release our prisoners or arrest us allâ€
The Friday demonstration in Nabi Saleh celebrated the release of
three long term prisoners but protested the continued imprisonment of
the remaining 5,000. A demonstrator stands his ground as the Israeli
military fires tear gas canisters. The demonstration started out by
visiting the house of prisoner Said Tamimi.  Tamimi has been in prison
since 1993, but his fellow prisoners who were arrested with him, Nizar
Samir Tamimi and Ahmad Tamimi, will be released on Tuesday.
http://palsolidarity.org/2011/10/the-anthem-of-nabi-saleh-"Crelease-our-prisoner\
s-or-arrest-us-all"

Haifa Youth Support Striking Palestinian Prisoners Date
HAIFA, October 15, 2011 (WAFA) – An Arab youth group based in Haifa,
north of
Israel, said on Friday that the number of people who had joined the open hunger
strike declared last Saturday in support of Palestinian
prisoners on hunger strike has increased to 10. The Hungry for Freedom
Arab youth group said on its Face book page that they are committed to
supporting the hunger strike of the prisoners started September 27. The
Palestinian prisoners in Israeli jails went on hunger strike to demand
an end to solitary confinement policy imposed against the top leaders
and to improve conditions inside the prisons.
http://english.wafa.ps/index.php?action=detail&id=17767

Pro-Palestinian activists in Manchester hold sit-in to support captives
The Palestinian Forum in Britain (PFB) is holding a sit in, on Friday
outside the BBC offices in the city of Manchester, to support
Palestinian hunger-strikers in Israeli occupation jails.
http://www.palestine-info.co.uk/En/default.aspx?xyz=U6Qq7k

Racism and Discrimination

Ignoring UN guidelines, Israel refuses asylum to four Somalis
UNHCR recommends granting collective protection for Somali citizens originating
in south and central parts of Somalia. In Israel, the
ministry’s decision to reject the application was based on out-of-date
information.
http://www.haaretz.com/print-edition/news/
ignoring-un-guidelines-israel-refuses-asylum-to-four-somalis-1.390164

Boycott. Divestment & Solidarity / Activism / Solidarity

Fund Community Needs or Israel's Misdeeds?
Hey everyone! My name is Ramah Kudaimi and I am pursuing my MA in
Conflict Resolution at Georgetown University. I am spending this
semester interning at the US Campaign to better understand how
grassroots organizing can lead to high-level policy change. Last week we decided
to head down to Freedom Plaza here in DC to ask people who were occupying the
square in protest of our government’s policies what they
thought about U.S. aid to Israel. While talking to people, I was
encouraged that almost everyone understood how the United States helps
sustain the Israeli occupation and that it was time we supported human
rights and justice. Check out the video below as well as our
website http://aidtoisrael.org/ to see how much of your tax dollars go to
Israel and what that money can
instead provide for us at home. And make sure to share!
http://blog.endtheoccupation.org/2011/10/fund-community-needs-or-israels.html

Diplomatic / Political Developments
EU 'regrets' Israeli mosque demolition
BETHLEHEM
  (Ma'an) -- EU representatives said on Thursday they "regret" Israel's
demolition of a mosque in northern West Bank village Khirbet Yarza, a
statement said. On Tuesday, 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,
and several Bedouin structures.  This is the third time in seven months
that the mosque has been demolished, Daraghma said.
http://www.maannews.net/eng/ViewDetails.aspx?ID=429153

IDF commander opposes cutting PA funds
In rare interview to NYT, Brig.-Gen. Nitzan Alon warns against freezing
financial aid to Palestinians over push for statehood. 'If there is no
political horizon, cooperation is endangered,' he claims.
http://www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7340,L-4134816,00.html

Mideast News & World News

US kills 15 Somali civilians
A US drone strike has killed at least 15 civilians and injured dozens of others
in the
southern region of war-torn Somalia,. This recent strike follows a
similar strike in the same region on Friday, which killed at least 70
people.
http://www.presstv.ir/detail/204715.html

Twelve killed by security forces in Yemen
Security forces
shot dead at least 12 people protesting against the rule of Yemeni
president Ali Abdullah Saleh in the capital Sanaa today and al-Qaeda
insurgents blew up a pipeline, halting the nation's gas exports.
http://www.irishtimes.com/newspaper/breaking/2011/1015/breaking6.html

US Kills7 People In Yemen
A US air strike
has killed the media chief for al-Qaida's Yemeni branch along with six
other militants, the Ministry of Defence said on Saturday, in the second
high-profile American missile attack in as many weeks to target the
terror group in the country.
http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2011/oct/15/al-qaida-yemen-media-chief-killed

US Kills 6 More People In Pakistan
Six more killed
in drone attack: The American planes in yet another missile hit in North
Waziristan agency Friday killed at least six more people. The drone
attack was carried on second consecutive day and was third within 48
hours.
http://pakobserver.net/detailnews.asp?id=119779

U.S. deaths in drone strike due to miscommunication, report says
A Marine and a Navy medic killed by a U.S. drone airstrike were
targeted when Marine commanders in Afghanistan mistook them for Taliban
fighters, even though analysts watching the Predator's video feed were
uncertain whether the men were part of an enemy force.
http://www.latimes.com/news/nationworld/world/afghanistan/la-fg-pentagon-drone-2\
0111014,0,5628010.story
Cost of "Arab Spring" more than $55 billion: report (Reuters)
Reuters - The uprisings that swept the Middle East this year have cost
the most affected countries more than $55 billion, a new report says,
but the resulting high oil prices have strengthened other producing
countries.
http://news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20111014/wl_nm/us_mideast_unrest_cost

Jordan's Muslim Brotherhood accuses government of attacking pro-reform rally
Attack on a tribal pro-reform rally north of Amman leaves several
injured; activists say injuries occurred when unknown assailants
dispersed rally with firearms, stones and sticks.
http://www.haaretz.com/news/middle-east/
jordan-s-muslim-brotherhood-accuses-government-of-attacking-pro-reform-rally-1.3\
90118

3 killed Syria moves towards new constitution
Syrian President Bashar al-Assad on Saturday formed a committee to draft a new
constitution within fours months, as activists reported more killings,
arrests and gunfire in several cities.
http://www.muscatdaily.com/Archive/Gcc/Syria-moves-towards-new-constitution-3-ki\
lled


US drops plans to keep troops in Iraq
AP
  - The U.S. is abandoning plans to keep U.S. troops in Iraq past a
year-end withdrawal deadline, The Associated Press has learned. The
decision to pull out fully by January will effectively end more than
eight years of U.S. involvement in the Iraq war, despite ongoing
concerns about its security forces and the potential for instability.
http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20111015/ap_on_re_mi_ea/ml_iraq_us_troops

Opposition mounts to Bahrain arms sale
Five
  Democratic senators wrote to Secretary of State Hillary Clinton on
Wednesday to ask her to delay a planned $53 million arms sale to Bahrain
  because of the island kingdom's continued violence against
protesters. "We recognize the administration's commitment to the United
States' strategic relationship with Bahrain... However, the Bahrain
government's repressive treatment of peaceful protesters during the past
  several months is unacceptable," the senators wrote in their Oct. 12
letter, obtained byThe Cable.
http://thecable.foreignpolicy.com/posts/2011/10/13/opposition_mounts_to_bahrain_\
arms_sale
Family: Jailed Bahrain Shiite leader gravely ill
AP
  - A Shiite opposition leader jailed in Bahrain is gravely ill and
prison authorities have not provided him with proper treatment,
relatives said on Friday.
http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20111014/ap_on_re_mi_ea/ml_bahrain

Norway killer says 80 militant cells in Europe-police
OSLO, Oct 13 (Reuters) - Anders Behring Breivik, who has confessed to the
bomb and shooting attacks that killed 77 people in Norway in July, says
there are up to 80 cells in Europe with militant anti-Islamic ideals
like his own, Norwegian investigators said on Thursday.
http://www.trust.org/alertnet/news/norway-killer-says-80-militant-cells-in-europ\
e-police
U.S. / Saudi Fabrications on Iran
White House Says Data Shows Iran Push on Nuclear Arms
President Obama wants United Nations inspectors to release intelligence
showing that Iran’s nuclear program is designing and experimenting with
weapons technology.
http://feeds.nytimes.com/click.phdo?i=ec48e67433562f6c7c9bd50fac8f43b4
'Iran-backed plot' accused seen as shambolic
Friends say Mansoor Arbabsiar is the most unlikely lynchpin of the alleged plot
to murder Saudi envoy to US.
http://english.aljazeera.net//video/americas/2011/10/20111015115514112836.html
U.S. considers sanctions on Iran's central bank
Such a move, in response to the alleged assassination plot on a Saudi
envoy, could severely damage Iran's economy. Some Iranian officials have
  said they would consider it an act of war. The Obama administration
said it was "actively" considering sanctioning Iran's central bank in
retaliation for an alleged Iranian assassination plot, a move that could
  severely damage Iran's economy and potentially provoke a strong
response from Tehran.
http://feeds.latimes.com/~r/latimes/middleeast/~3/0U1RE8s5H3k/
la-fg-iran-banking-20111014,0,7499821.story

Obama wants all countries to reject visits by Iranian officials
The Obama administration has been in intensive discussions with
foreign leaders about the alleged Iran-sponsored assassination plot and, among
other steps, is asking countries around the world to stop letting Iranian
leaders stop by for official visits.
http://thecable.foreignpolicy.com/posts/2011/10/13/
obama_wants_all_countries_to_reject_visits_by_iranian_officials
Targeting Iran: US Playing the Saudi Envoy Game
In
  a 'united against Iran campaign,' the US government has accused Tehran
of orchestrating an assassination plot against the Saudi envoy in
Washington, a move which is to be seen as part of a US stratagem to
carry on with its plan of demonizing and isolating the Islamic Republic
of Iran.
http://palestinechronicle.com/view_article_details.php?id=17179

Saudi Arabia and Iran: Beyond the Propaganda War, As'ad AbuKhalil
There is no question that there is a regional cold war heating up
in the Middle East pitting Saudi Arabia against Iran. But the
confrontation is only regional as far as Iran is concerned. Saudi Arabia is
acting on behalf of the US and Israel, and not on its own behalf.
Iran occupied UAE islands and yet the latter is less aggressive in its
regional posture than Saudi Arabia. It is not the first time that the
House of Saud has imposed its hegemony on behalf of the American patron: that
was the Saudi role during the Cold War although Nasser (until
1967) frustrated these efforts.
http://english.al-akhbar.com/blogs/angry-corner/saudi-arabia-and-iran-beyond-pro\
paganda-war

Wagging the Dog with Iran’s Maxwell Smart
I personally do not understand how the corporate media in the US can
report the following things about Manssor Arbabsiar and then go on to
repeat with a straight face the US government charges that he was part
of a high-level Iranian government assassination plot. It seems pretty
obvious that Arbabsiar is very possibly clinically insane. Here are the
top 10 reasons that he cannot be Iran’s answer to 007:
http://www.juancole.com/2011/10/wagging-the-dog-with-irans-maxwell-smart.html

Iranian Terror Mastermind Likely Wanted Drug Deal, Not Murder, Richard
Silverstein
Gareth Porter published an important story about the alleged Iran terror plot.
 In it he notes that nowhere in the
Justice Department criminal complaint does it say that Arbabsiar ever
agreed to assassinate anyone.  In fact, it is the DEA agent who repeatedly
attempts to introduce and re-introduce the notion of
perpetrating an act of terror.  At no point do the charges say the
Iranian ever suggested this or agreed to it.
http://www.richardsilverstein.com/tikun_olam/2011/10/13/
iranian-terror-mastermind-likely-wanted-drug-deal-not-murder/
Former Iran assassin says alleged plot 'makes no sense'
Dawud Salahuddin, an American fugitive in Tehran who carried out 1980
hit near Washington, argues that Iran would not try to kill the Saudi
ambassador to the US for fear of provoking war.
http://rss.csmonitor.com/~r/feeds/world/~3/Tpm7uc_3Cq0/
Former-Iran-assassin-says-alleged-plot-makes-no-sense
Iranian Plot More Fantastical Than Real
The
  alleged Iranian assassination plot against the Saudi ambassador to the
United States, Adil Al Jubiar can be described as the dumbest covert
operation in the history of intelligence. The plot outline as reported
by the American media included shooting inside a popular American
restaurant that Mr. Al Jubair normally frequents while filled with
innocent diners in the heart of the capital of the United States. The
Washington Post, NY Times and other US outlets reported that American
intelligence officials investigating the case, met the reported plot
with skepticism giving how obvious and crude the plot appears to be.
http://palestinechronicle.com/view_article_details.php?id=17177

The "Very Scary" Iranian Terror Plot, Glenn Greenwald
The most difficult challenge in writing about the Iranian Terror
Plot unveiled yesterday is to take it seriously enough to analyze it.
Iranian Muslims in the Quds Force sending marauding bands of Mexican
drug cartel assassins onto sacred American soil to commit
Terrorism—against Saudi Arabia and possibly Israel—is what Bill
Kristol
and John Bolton would feverishly dream up while dropping acid and madly
cackling at the possibility that they could get someone to believe it.
But since the US Government rolled out its "most serious officials" with "very
serious faces" to make these accusations, many people (therefore) do believe it.
After all, US government accusations = Truth. All
serious people know that. And in the ensuing reaction one finds
virtually every dynamic typically shaping discussions of terrorism and
US foreign policy.
http://www.jadaliyya.com/pages/index/2871/the-very-scary-iranian-terror-plot
Patrick Cockburn: Iran had better watch its step now Obama's chasing votes
The plot in which an Iranian-American from Corpus Christi, Texas,
notorious locally for his Clouseau-like dimwittedness, tries to hire a
Mexican gangster to assassinate the Saudi ambassador in Washington at
the behest of the Iranian authorities has been greeted with incredulous
hilarity across much of the world.
http://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/politics/patrick-
cockburn-iran-had-better-watch-its-step-now-obamas-chasing-votes-2371379.html

Occupy Wall Street


Watch: Riots break out at Occupy Rome protests
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1HgjUr0cY3M&feature=player_embedded
http://www.rawstory.com/rs/2011/10/15/watch-riots-break-out-at-occupy-rome-prote\
sts/

Protesters in Lisbon surround parliament
LISBON,
  Oct 15 (Reuters) - About 40,000 people marched in Portugal on Saturday
as part of a global day of protest against the financial elite and
hundreds broke through a police cordon around the parliament in Lisbon
to occupy its broad marble staircase. It was one of the biggest
turn-outs in any country and followed the centre-right government's
announcement on Thursday of a new batch of austerity measures.
http://www.trust.org/alertnet/news/protesters-in-lisbon-surround-parliament

‘Indignant’ protests to sweep across world
MADRID — “Indignant†activists, angered by a biting economic
crisis they
  blame on politicians and bankers, vow to take to the streets worldwide
on Saturday in a protest spanning 71 nations. It is the first global
show of power by the movement, born May 15 when a rally in Madrid’s
central square of Puerta del Sol sparked a protest that spread
nationwide, then to other countries. As governments cut deep into
welfare spending to try to trim huge sovereign debts, the protests have
grown and this weekend’s demonstrations are being organised in Madrid,
New York and around the world.
http://www.rawstory.com/rs/2011/10/13/indignant-protests-to-sweep-across-world/

Bringing the Cost of Israeli Occupation to the Occupy Movement
In this exclusive article for the US Campaign’s blog, Steering Committee
member Peter Miller shares his thoughts on organizing to end military
aid to Israel at Occupy Portland.  Download the template flyer that
Peter mentions in his article for the Occupy events in your city. Sign
up to get an organizing packet to end military aid to Israel from the US
Campaign.
http://blog.endtheoccupation.org/2011/10/bringing-cost-of-israeli-occupation-to.\
html
Neocon orgs seek to paint Wall St protests as anti-semitic, Phil Weiss
The
  Occupy Wall Street movement is aimed at the American Establishment, so
it is little wonder that it is having resonance in terms of the Jewish
presence in the Establishment. Two neoconservative media orgs are trying
  to smear the movement as anti-Semitic.
http://mondoweiss.net/2011/10/neocon-orgs-seek-to-paint-wall-st-protests-as-anti\
-semitic.html
Dozens arrested in anti-Wall Street protests
Arrests come after protesters in New York celebrated cancellation of flashpoint
park clean-up.
http://english.aljazeera.net//news/americas/2011/10/20111014235345801963.html
Occupy Times Square: Occupy Wall Street Protesters Swarm Midtown (PHOTOS)
NEW YORK, Oct 15 (Reuters) - Thousands of anti-Wall Street protesters
rallied in New York's Times Square on Saturday, buoyed by a global day
of demonstrations in support of their monthlong campaign against
corporate greed. Inspired by the Occupy Wall Street movement, protests
on Saturday started in Asia and rippled through Europe back to the
United States and Canada. Protesters fed up with economic inequality
took to the streets in cities from Washington, Boston and Chicago to Los
  Angeles, Miami and Toronto.
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2011/10/15/occupy-times-square-wall-street_n_10129\
42.html
NYPD arrests Occupy protesters, non-protester at Citibank branch
Video
  has surfaced of NYPD police arresting Occupy Wall Street protesters for
  allegedly removing their money out of a Citibank branch. In addition,
an arrest of a non-protester is shown in the video yelling, “What are
you doing, what are you doing†as police took her into custody. WATCH:
Video from Youtube, which appeared on October 15, 2011.
http://www.rawstory.com/rs/2011/10/15/nypd-arrests-occupy-protesters-non-protest\
er-at-citibank-branch/

‘Occupy Wall Street’ protesters march on Chase Bank in NYC
Thousands
  of protesters marched in New York and Washington on Saturday as part of
  a global day of “outrage†against corporate greed that has seen rowdy
demonstrations in dozens of countries. In New York, the protesters
headed to Chase Bank in support of around 14,000 workers sacked by the
lender in the wake of cutbacks made after a government bailout totaling
$94.7 billion. Students, families with strollers and trade unionists,
minded by a large police presence, then walked towards Wall Street
carrying placards, stating: “We are the 99 percent,†“We are the
peopleâ€
  and “Mr Obama we need you support.â€
http://www.rawstory.com/rs/2011/10/15/occupy-wall-street-protesters-march-on-cha\
se-bank-in-nyc/
Chicago protesters hold ‘die-in’ at Bank of America
Approximately
  30 protesters affiliated with Stand Up Chicago staged a “die-in†at
a
Bank of America on Thursday before complying with police orders to
leave. â€œWe are told in our baptismal vows and our ordination vows to
resist evil,†one protester said before the event. “And I think the
corruption and special interests that are going on in our country are
evil. I’ve meet several dozens of people out here who have been
foreclosed upon, dozens and dozens — hundreds perhaps — who are
unemployed. And I think it’s quite evil when they sit in their homes,
and their about to lose their homes, and while other people have many
homes.â€
http://www.rawstory.com/rs/2011/10/13/chicago-protesters-hold-die-in-at-bank-of-\
america/

'Occupy' Protest Moves To Walnut Creek
With
  protest signs and chants ringing through downtown Walnut Creek, an
"Occupy" group Wednesday evening expressed its frustration with
inequities and corporate ties to the country's political elite. Clyde
Rich of Rossmoor decried "a toxic politics that is not only destroying
the economy but the government and the American dream."
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2011/10/13/occupy-walnut-creek_n_1009975.html
Occupy Wall Street Protest Lands In Palo Alto
The Peninsula Peace and Justice Center organized a protest in front of a
  Bank of America on El Camino Real in solidarity with the Occupy Wall
Street protests.
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2011/10/13/occupy-wall-street-palo-alto_n_1009963.\
html

Protesters disrupt hearing on U.S. defense spending
WASHINGTON
  — Protesters disrupted a congressional hearing Thursday on US defense
spending, with one demonstrator shouting “You are murdering people!â€
as
police dragged him out of the room. Eight people were arrested, said
Capitol Police spokeswoman Kimberly Schneider, including seven for
disruption of Congress and one for simple assault. Stop the Machine, an
anti-war coalition occupying Freedom Plaza in downtown Washington since
last Thursday, said seven had been arrested, including Leah Bolger, vice
  president of the Veterans for Peace organization.
http://www.rawstory.com/rs/2011/10/13/protesters-disrupt-hearing-on-u-s-defense-\
spending/

Protesters disrupt hearing on U.S. defense spending
WASHINGTON
  — Protesters disrupted a congressional hearing Thursday on US defense
spending, with one demonstrator shouting “You are murdering people!â€
as
police dragged him out of the room. Eight people were arrested, said
Capitol Police spokeswoman Kimberly Schneider, including seven for
disruption of Congress and one for simple assault. Stop the Machine, an
anti-war coalition occupying Freedom Plaza in downtown Washington since
last Thursday, said seven had been arrested, including Leah Bolger, vice
  president of the Veterans for Peace organization.
http://www.rawstory.com/rs/2011/10/13/protesters-disrupt-hearing-on-u-s-defense-\
spending/

Occupy Redding: Ralliers decry greed; Marchers focus anger on JP Morgan Chase
bank this time
Some 200 people lined Cypress Avenue from Safeway to Premier
West Bank on Saturday in the third, and so far largest, Redding rally
opposing corporate greed in the country. Led by chants of "Banks got
bailed out, we got sold out" and "We are the 99 percent," the group
marched from Chase bank to City Hall and back.
http://www.redding.com/news/2011/oct/15/occupy-redding-ralliers-decry-greed-marc\
hers-on/

Poll: ‘Occupy Wall St.’ much more popular than Obama, tea party
A poll by Time released Thursday, which asked participants’ opinions on
President Barack Obama’s job performance, the impact of the tea party
and views of “Occupy Wall Street,†contains a startling revelation
that
the national press hasn’t quite pieced together yet: the “Occupy
Wall
Street†protesters have a higher approval rating than President Obama.
http://www.rawstory.com/rs/2011/10/13/poll-occupy-wall-st-much-more-popular-than\
-obama-tea-party/

[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]

Land, property theft & destruction / Ethnic cleansing / Apartheid / Restriction
of Movement


New Israeli-Palestinian land dispute rises as Dead Sea water levels drop
The retreat of the Dead Sea is a problem not only for
environmentalists, but for the Civil Administration's legal experts who  must
establish who owns the land uncovered by the receding coastline.
link to www.haaretz.com
 
Israel postpones demolition of illegal outpost, as settlers score major victory
At first the state argued that it was conducting negotiations with
the residents of the outposts to evacuate them willingly, which never
happened.
link to www.haaretz.com
 
French document: Ma'ale Adumim part of 'Occupied Palestine'
Resident  of city near Jerusalem finds 'Occupied Palestinian
Territory' listed  under state of residence on his temporary French
passport; FM to demand  French gov't to revise wording.
link to www.ynetnews.com

Rabbi Yosef to Netanyahu: Don't raze outposts
Shas' spiritual leader meets settler leaders, promises to support their efforts
to prevent outpost evictions.
link to www.ynetnews.com


Cartographer claims that Israel plans a Jewish majority in occupied East
Jerusalem
The head cartographer at the Arab Studies Association has told
Palestine Radio that Israel's occupation authorities are working to a
strategy that will give occupied Jerusalem a Jewish majority. Khalil Al
Tafkaji, the head of maps at the Association, said that this is being
done to make it impossible for East Jerusalem to be the capital of an
independent state of Palestine.
link to www.middleeastmonitor.org.uk

Israel's vandalism of Palestinian heritage, Abe Hayeem
Amongst the fallout of Palestine’s admission as a member state, Israel’s
   warning that it “will now reconsider its cooperation with UNESCO” is
the biggest irony.
link to electronicintifada.net
 
Mordechai Vanunu deserves freedom from Israel 
Israel  has until Sunday to respond on the nuclear whistleblower's bid
to leave  the country. It's time to stop punishing him. Mordechai
Vanunu, the  Israeli whistleblower who served 18 years in prison for
revealing  details of Israel's nuclear weapons programme, should find
out whether  or not he has been – as he hopes – stripped of his
citizenship. As part  of his bid to be allowed to leave Israel, he has
applied to have his  citizenship revoked as should, by law, happen to
anyone convicted of  treason, as he has been. He would then seek to be
allowed finally to  leave the country. 
link to www.guardian.co.uk
 
Israeli Violence Against Palestinians
 IOF troops try to storm Eisaweyyah in Jerusalem
IOF troops tried on Wednesday evening to storm the Eisaweyyah suburb in
  occupied Jerusalem, but local youth confronted the invading troops by
throwing stones.
link to www.palestine-info.co.uk

Political Detainees / Interrogation & Harassment of Activists


Child Prisoners
The imprisonment of Palestinian children is a common feature of
Israel's  occupation of the West Bank. Defence for Children
International (DCI)  estimates that since 2000 around 7,500 Palestinian
children have been  prosecuted by Israeli military courts. Many expected the 164
children  (aged 12-17) being held by Israel to be among the
1,000+ Palestinians  released in exchange for Gilad Shalit; they
weren't. Most (62%) have  been detained for "stone throwing". The UN
Convention on the Rights of  the Child: "In all actions concerning
children, whether undertaken by  public or private social welfare
institutions, courts of law,  administrative authorities or legislative
bodies, the best interests of  the child shall be a primary
consideration."
link to www.middleeastmonitor.org.uk

Israeli Navy Kidnaps Three Fishermen
The  Israeli Navy arrested, on Thursday at dawn, three Palestinian
fishermen, from the same family, west of the Fishermen Port, in Gaza.
link to www.imemc.org
 
DFLP leaders stopped at Allenby Bridge
RAMALLAH (Ma’an) -- The Democratic Front for the Liberation of
Palestine says three of its leaders were prevented from crossing into
Jordan from the West Bank over the holiday. Ramzi Rabbah, Ibrahim Abu
Hajla, and Muhammad Salameh were prevented from crossing the Allenby
Bridge with no explanation, the DFLP said in a statement condemning the 
measures as "collective punishment." 
link to www.maannews.net


Israeli Army Sets Checkpoints Surrounding Nablus, Arrests Young Man
The Israeli Army kidnapped a 25-year-old Palestinian resident, on
Tuesday morning, en-route to Nablus, in the northern part of the West
Bank, after having searched him, the Ma’an News Agency reported.
Soldiers installs several roadblocks around the Nablus district.
link to www.imemc.org
Interrogation on way back
Mazin  Qumsiyeh - popular-resistance.blog - After several body and
personal  belonging searches and hours of waiting, I was sent to speak
with a guy  who was drinking tea with lemon. Shahar (his name) spoke
Arabic and we  spent about an hour together (last time there was the
good cop-bad cop,  this time it was just one investigator).
link to popular-resistance.blogspot.com

18 Palestinian MPs out of 21 in Israeli jails are administratively detained
The  Palestinian centre for the defence of captives said that the
Israeli  occupation still holds 21 Palestinian lawmakers, 18 of them
under  administrative detention, without charge or trial.
link to www.palestine-info.co.uk

Free Barghouti!
The call to free Barghouti does not necessarily have to come from
leftist circles...Canceling the option of attacking Iran and freeing
Barghouti are only part of the strategy that the moderate bourgeoisie
should adopt in order to prevent endless war and to save the
democratic-liberal regime in Israel.
link to www.alternativenews.orgPA Minister condemns Israeli plans to build a new
prison to hold Palestinians
The  Palestinian Authority's Minister of Prisoners' Affairs has
condemned  Israeli plans to build a new prison just to hold
Palestinians. Mr Issa  Qaraqe said that the occupation authority's
announcement "proves its  determination to continue the arrest policy"
which has seen thousands of  Palestinians detained by Israel, some of
them indefinitely and without  charge.
link to www.middleeastmonitor.org.uk
 
Prisoner release: Palestinian narratives
Below is an abridged transcript of a talk given at PASSIA (Palestinian
Academic Society for the Study of International Affairs ) Round table on
   ‘Prisoner Release – Palestinian Narratives’ on 31 October 2011 by Fadi
   Kawasmi, a lawyer who specializes in working with Palestinian
prisoners.
link to palsolidarity.org

Gaza

Food shortages make Gaza residents rely on aid at Eid
International aid organizations donate fresh meat, clothing, and
assistance to thousands of families in the Gaza Strip for the Eid
holiday, as child malnutrition and deep poverty levels rise due to
Israel’s strict blockade.
link to electronicintifada.net
 
Four things Israel doesn't want you to know about the Gaza blockade
Israel relies on collective amnesia to justify its blockade of
Hamas-ruled Gaza Strip. Here's four facts that the Israeli government
would rather you forget.
link to www.alternativenews.org

The positive power of me (that the siege cannot kill), Fidaa Abuassi
Life  in Gaza seems to many somehow disappointing. This is what most
people  think, but this is not what I do think. Gaza taught me that I
have to  work for everything I want and need. Gaza taught me how to
appreciate  everything I have and don’t. Gaza offered me the very
opposite of what  life shouldn’t be to enjoy how life has to be. Gaza
showed me the beauty  of simplicity through its complexities. Gaza is
just a great school  which voluntarily offers gratuitous lessons for
those ready to stop  whining and moaning.
http://mondoweiss.net
 
A visual journey through Gaza refugee camps
DOHA:  A visual journey through the refugee camps of Gaza opened
yesterday    at The Gallery at Virginia Commonwealth University in
Qatar, to raise  funds to support and rebuild lives of children in Gaza.
link to www.thepeninsulaqatar.com
 
Racism / Discrimination / Profiling

'Death to Arabs' scrawled across Muslim gravestones in Jerusalem
Assailants  desecrate some 15 Muslim headstones in what is suspected to
be the  latest 'price tag' attack by right-wing extremists.
link to www.haaretz.com


Israel cuts number of Ethiopian immigrants citing overpopulated absorption
centers
There are currently more than 4,500 Falashmura that have registered to immigrate
to Israel and are waiting in a refugee camp in Ethiopia's Gondar province.
link to www.haaretz.com
 Likud Wants Tougher Restriction On Arab, Leftist Organizations
The  Likud Party, headed by Israeli Prime Minister, Benjamin Netanyahu,
  filed a draft for a new law that calls for enforcing more restrictions
  on foreign funding to Arab organizations and leftists groups in the
country.
link to www.imemc.org

Zoabi attacks Israel's racist policies in Cape Town
Arab Knesset member Hanin Zoabi stated that Israel's racist and ethnic
cleansing policies against the Palestinians are much worse than it was
in South Africa during the apartheid time.
link to www.palestine-info.co.uk

Race to a million "mixed" couples
Jewish  Israelis who advocate for separation between Jews and Arabs feel
   threatened by mixed couples, like the one on the Israeli reality show
  "Race for the Million." How might romantic connections and chance
encounters between Jews and Palestinians happen in Israel, which is
increasingly becoming openly racist?
link to www.alternativenews.org

Israeli intelligence to establish social network in Russia for Muslims
The  PIC has learnt from special well informed sources in Russia that
Israeli intelligence agencies have been working for some time on a huge
  internet project directed at Muslims.
link to www.palestine-info.co.uk

Media Bias

Pro-Israeli Lobby Group Made BBC, Sky News ‘Change Narrative’ On Stories
Ahead of a widely-expected Israeli-led attack on Iran, Britain Israel
Communications and Research Centre, an elitist pro-Israeli lobbying
firm, has been caught “briefing” the British mainstream media on how to
  present news items relating to Israel, bragging in a leaked email of
how  BBC and Sky News editors “changed their narrative” on stories after
   meeting with BICOM representatives.
link to www.prisonplanet.com

The Guardian Newspaper surrenders to Zionism
Enjoy  those changes in the Guardian:  "These included references to
Israel/US  "global domination" and the term "slavish" to describe the US
   relationship with Israel..."  So we should say that US seeks global
domination but that it would be anti-Semitic to refer to the strong
alliance between US and Israel in the Middle East and beyond?  And tell
  us what else would constitute anti-Semitism?  Look how he concluded his
   silly column:  "They need to ask themselves, for example, if the word
  Zionist is being used as a synonym for Jew."  Basically, if I read this column
correctly, he is suggesting that
unless you have a good word to say about Israel, just avoid mentioning
Israel and Zionism, just to be on the safe side. 
link to angryarab.blogspot.com

Solidarity / Activism / Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions

Report: Brazil's military ties with Israel (English and Portuguese)
This  31 pages report details the active support of the Brazilian state
for  the Israeli arms industry as well as the Israeli interests in and
profits from Brazil’s military and defense industry.  It finally
confronts these realities with the framework of economic, legal and
political interests and obligations of Brazil.
link to www.stopthewall.org

Ireland calls on Israel to free activists (AP)
AP  - Ireland is urging Israel to quickly release international
activists  who were captured while attempting to breach Israel's
blockade of the  Gaza Strip.
link to us.rd.yahoo.com

Israel to deport EU lawmaker detained in Gaza flotilla
BRUSSELS  (AFP) -- Israel will deport to Ireland on Friday an Irish EU
MP who was  among more than 20 people detained for trying to break a
naval blockade  by sailing to Gaza, Israel's mission to the EU said
Wednesday. European  parliament president Jerzy Buzek had earlier called
  on Israel to  "quickly" release Paul Murphy, an Irish Socialist Party
member, and  other Europeans detained with him near Tel Aviv.
link to www.maannews.net

Boycott campaign takes to streets of Jenin
JENIN  (Ma'an) -- Students and volunteers on Sunday campaigned on the
streets  of Jenin to encourage residents to boycott Israeli products.
Activists  distributed flyers encouraging people not to buy Israeli
produce as part  of a nationwide campaign organized by the Palestinian
National  Initiative. Launched during the Muslim holiday Eid al-Adha,
organizers  say the campaign is in response to Israel's escalation in
violence and  the increase in settler attacks.
link to www.maannews.net


Palestinian 'freedom riders' to board Israeli buses
BETHLEHEM (Ma'an) -- Palestinian activists will attempt to board
Israeli buses in the occupied West Bank on Tuesday in an action inspired by the
American civil rights movement. "Palestinian activists will
reenact the US Civil Rights Movement's Freedom Rides to the American
South by boarding segregated Israeli public transportation in the West
Bank to travel to occupied East Jerusalem," organizers said in a
statement.
link to www.maannews.net
 Palestinian Students Call on their European Peers to Boycott Israeli Apartheid
The  Palestinian Students' Campaign for the Academic Boycott of Israel
has  written an open letter calling on their European peers to intensify
   boycott, divestment and sanctions campaigns against Israel on
university  campuses
link to blog.endtheoccupation.org
 
Police forcibly prevent public from attending SJP event at University of
Pittsburgh, Ali Abunimah
Officials  at the University of Pittsburgh attempted to shut down a Students for
Justice in Palestine (SJP) event featuring slam poet Remi Kanazi and
journalist Joseph Dana on 2 November, according to student organizers. The
university police
also  forcibly prevented members of the public who had taken part in an  Occupy
Pittsburgh march from attending the event.
link to electronicintifada.net

Video: Mass walkout at Wayne State leaves "IDF" spokesman lecturing to empty
room, Ali Abunimah
Students at Wayne State University in Detroit staged a silent protest
and mass walk-out that left Israel Army reserve spokesman and Jerusalem
  Post correspondent Gil Hoffman lecturing to a virtually empty
auditorium  on November 1.
link to electronicintifada.net
 
Rally: Solidarity for Palestine at Occupy Montreal!
[  November 13th, 2011; 1:00 pm to 3:00 pm. ] Emergency Palestine
solidarity rally in collaboration with Occupy Montreal/Occupons Montréal
   to denounce Israeli military raid on Freedom Waves flotilla to Gaza.
Sunday, November 13, 13h La Place du Peuple Métro Square-Victoria
Montreal, Quebec bring Palestinian flags, protest banners & chanting
   voices!  
link to www.tadamon.ca

US Campaign Member Groups Picket for Peace at the Jewish Federation's General
Assembly
Earlier this week US Campaign coalition member groups Front Range Jewish Voice
for Peace, Sabeel Colorado, CU-Divest! and the Rocky Mountian Peace and Justice
Center braved the Denver cold to picket for peace outside the Jewish
Federations of North America (JFNA) General Assembly (GA). Israeli Prime
Minister Benjamin Netanyahu had originally been slated to speak at the GA, but
was forced to cancel due to scheduling conflicts.  You may
recall that Netanyahu's speech last year before the GA in New Orleans
attracted widespread news media attention when activists from the Young 
Leadership Institute of Jewish Voice for Peace interrupted the speech to protest
Israel's occupation, the ongoing siege of Gaza and the silencing of dissent.
link to blog.endtheoccupation.org


Palestine takes its place in the global farmers' struggle
With the "Farmers, rural workers and fishermen's conference: Building
Via Campesina in Palestine," Palestinians look towards the global
farmers' struggle as a bridge to the international community and another
   means to resist Israel's colonial policies. Internationals also learn
  about the non-violent strategies Palestinians use on the ground in the
  West Bank.
link to www.alternativenews.org

The international appeal of the Palestinian struggle
Palestine  is becoming an increasingly popular cause with
internationals. Why is  the Palestinian struggle for human rights so
appealing? What moves  internationals to answer the Palestinian call for
  freedom and dignity  and to stand with the Palestinian people?
link to www.alternativenews.org

Ben Gurion University Punishes Professor for Resisting Military Service in
Territories, Death Threats Against Peace Now Activist Paece, Richard
Silverstein
Ben Gurion University professor Idan Landau, author  of the important
Israeli blog, Not to Die a Fool, protested a decision  by University
President Rivka Carmi to punish Landau for refusing to perform his
reserve military service in the Occupied Territories. For  the week he
spent in military prison, the University has docked 50% of  his salary.
link to www.richardsilverstein.com
 
Remembrance in Beit Hanoun
It is Tuesday, the third day of Eid, the Eid of the Sacrifice.  We, the
  Beit Hanoun Local Initiative and the International Solidarity Movement,
   have gathered near the bombed remains of the Beit Hanoun Agricultural
  College like we do every Tuesday in preparation for our march into the
  no go zone.  This Tuesday is different though, we are not gathered on
the road that leads into the no go zone, but behind the bombed buildings
   of the College.  Like much of Palestine, history is densely packed,
every place has a story, today, we would learn the story of this small
area.   Today marks the five year anniversary of the Beit Hanoun
massacre.  Before us, lie the graves of its victims. 
link to palsolidarity.org

Developments / Diplomacy

Blast hits Israel-Egypt gas pipeline for 7th time
Saboteurs  blew up gas pipeline running between Egypt, Israel and Jordan
  on  northern Sinai using remote controlled explosives, forcing it to
shut  down once more
link to www.ynetnews.com

Palestinians deny reports they abandoned UN membership bid
15-member  UN Security Council expected to vote on Palestinian statehood
  motion  next week; Palestinians one vote short of nine votes needed to
pass  motion.
link to www.haaretz.com

Fight over aid to Palestinian Authority heating up
A group of House lawmakers is making the case for continuing U.S.
support to the Palestinian Authority (PA), despite the Palestinian bid
to seek full membership in the United Nations. "Maintaining U.S.
assistance to the Palestinian Authority is in the essential strategic
interest of Israel and the United States," wrote 44 lawmakers, all
Democrats, in a letter today to House Appropriations State and Foreign
Ops subcommittee heads Kay Granger (R-TX) and Nita Lowey (D-NY). The
letter was spearheaded by Reps. David Price (D-NC) and Peter Welch
(D-VT).
link to thecable.foreignpolicy.com

Tories warn of 'severe' consequences if UK abstains in Palestinian UN vote
Nicholas  Soames, grandson of Winston Churchill, says UK wrong to deny
self-determination to Palestinians.  So when Soames speaks out, as
he did on the Middle East on Tuesday night, the Conservative party takes
   note.
link to www.guardian.co.uk
 
Quartet to meet with Israelis, Palestinians in order to jump-start negotiations
Announcement comes weeks after Palestinians agreed to resume talks with
  Israel on the condition that it freezes all settlement activity and
accepts clear frames of reference for the talks.
link to www.haaretz.com

 Palestinians: Not enough UN support for state (AP)
AP - The Palestinian foreign minister admits for the first time there is
   not enough support in the U.N. Security Council for recognition of a
Palestinian state.
link to us.rd.yahoo.com

Report says no consensus on Palestinian UN bid (AP)
AP  - There is no consensus among the 15 Security Council nations on the
   Palestinian application for U.N. membership, diplomats said Tuesday,
citing a draft report summing up members' views.
link to us.rd.yahoo.com

Daoud Kuttab: Palestinians Mulling Post UN Vote Strategies
Going  to the UN marked the total failure of the negotiating process
that  began two decades earlier in Madrid and was followed by the Oslo
Accords. The failure at the Security Council exposes the impotence of
the international community.
link to www.huffingtonpost.com

Report: Palestinian President to press Hamas to hold elections in May
Abbas apparently told Fatah to prepare for poll, though he reportedly
won't be contending; U.S. renews $200m aid package to Palestinians.
link to www.haaretz.com

Fundamentalist Coalition Members Threaten To Quit Netanyahu Government
The  fundamentalist National Union Party in Israel threatened to quit
the  coalition with the Likud party, led by Prime Minister Benjamin
Netanyahu, should the P.M. demolish random settlement outposts in the
occupied West Bank. Israeli Police demolished three structures on
Tuesday, in an illegal outpost in the West Bank.
link to www.imemc.org

Israeli ex-president's rape conviction upheld
Supreme court unanimously rules that Moshe Katsav was guilty of rape, rejecting
his appeal of "alternative scenarios".
link to english.aljazeera.net

Iran

Top Israeli firm: World more likely to accept nuclear Iran than pay high cost of
war
Report  by one of Israel's largest brokerage houses, Clal Finance, says
  military action against Iran nuclear sites will be deterred by forecast
   of rising oil prices and damage to global trade.
link to www.haaretz.com

'Israel may strike Iran as soon as next month'
UK's  Daily Mail cites 'unnamed London sources' as saying strike on
Tehran's  nuclear facility closer than ever. Report's validity
questionable.
link to www.ynetnews.com

Iran hits back over nuclear report
President Ahmadinejad says Iran "will not retreat" from its atomic programme,
after critical report from UN agency.
link to english.aljazeera.net

Iran rejects IAEA report as 'politically motivated'
Iranian envoy to IAEA says report on Tehran nuclear program is
unbalanced and unprofessional and does not contain 'any new issue.'
link to www.haaretz.com

Iran: "Israel Owns 300 Nuclear Missiles"
Iranian  President, Ahmadinejad, stated during an interview with an
Egyptian  newspaper on Sunday, that Israel owns 300 nuclear missiles,
the Maan  News Agency reported.
link to www.imemc.org
 
Israeli officials: ElBaradei an Iranian agent
Senior state officials accuse former IAEA chairman of covering up for
Islamic Republic during his term, allowing Iranians to move ahead with
nuclear program while playing for time. 'He is a despicable person,' one
   of them says. El Baradei calls accusations 'false'; Iranian Foreign
Ministry says Tehran ready to resume nuke talks 'with respect for our
nation's rights'.
link to www.ynetnews.com

Ron Paul: Offer Iran friendship, not sanctions
Republican presidential candidate says fears over Tehran's nuclear
ambition have 'been blown out of proportion'; claims penalties may pave
  path to war.
link to www.ynetnews.com

Iran pressures highlight rare Mideast common ground: Israel and Gulf Arabs
The Gulf states — a cornerstone for U.S. diplomatic and military
pressure on Iran — are indispensable parts of any effort to confront
Tehran’s nuclear ambitions. And even Israel, which has no direct
diplomatic outreach to the Gulf, is likely brought into the Gulf-centric
   policymaking with U.S. envoys acting as go-betweens, experts say. “I
would be surprised if there is no knowledge about the Saudi  positions
(in Israel) or knowledge in Saudi of the Israeli positions,”  said David
  Menashri, director of the Center for Iranian Studies at Tel  Aviv
University. It’s part of a complicated mix of mutual worries  and
divergent risks — the Gulf, unlike Israel, has critical commercial  and
diplomatic ties with Iran — that puts Washington in the middle as  the
common ally and chief Western architect of pressure tactics on Iran.
link to www.washingtonpost.com

Analysis of article preceding this one by Max Ajl: Alliance of Convenience
This  recent article talks about the “alliances of convenience” in the
Middle  East between the Gulf Arab states and Israel. All alliances are
  “alliances of convenience,” but what the author of the article does not
   understand is that the Gulf Arab States would be relatively happy to
normalize with Israel. That was one of the points of the 2002 Arab Peace
   Initative. Normalization with Israel would mean the end of primary,
secondary, and tertiary boycotts – which are not necessarily observed
these days anyway – and since Saudi Arabia and its Gulf satellites are
the major holders of capital in the region, with far larger holdings
than Israel, normalization would mean sales of petrochemical products
and also metal to Israel, and less chicanery needed to circumvent the
various boycotts. In the Middle East, Israel would take on the role of a
   high-tech manufacturing platform. The “resolution” of the Palestinian
  issue would allow these things to take place openly, without, they
hope,  stirring up a sense of Gulf betrayal of the most potent symbolic
  grievance against Western colonialism.
link to www.maxajl.com

Remnick favors containment of Iran, calling war plans ‘a heedless attack that
risks the whirlwind’, Philip Weiss
David Remnick has published a great piece at the New Yorker throwing cold water
all over the idea of an attack on Iran as "a
heedless attack that risks the whirlwind." The piece is notable for
beginning squarely in Jeffrey Goldberg's psycho-historical territory--
Israeli planes over Auschwitz-- and ending in a good American space: the idea of
containment after World War II that was pushed by wise man
George Kenna
http://mondoweiss.net

Vicious Triangle Forming against Iran, Ismail Salami – Tehran
In  recent days, there has been a vociferous interest in Israel, the US
and  the UK in fanning the flames of Iranophobia in what observers see
as a  political red herring to engage in a catastrophic war in the
Middle  East. The trio, which constitute a vicious triangle in their
roguishly  Iranophobic endeavors, have manifestly held secret meetings
among the  top security officials and formed a united front against
Iran.
link to palestinechronicle.com

Warmongering Jeffrey Goldberg calls on Obama to use missile strikes against
Iran, Philip Weiss
We  can now say for sure that after Jeffrey Goldberg smashed the New
Yorker's credibility to bits by publishing a bogus story about Saddam
Hussein getting nuclear weapons, paving the liberals' path to that
disastrous war, he smashed the Atlantic Magazine's credibility to bits
last year by using the magazine to hysterically push an American attack on
Iran-- "The point of no
return... who if anyone will stop Iran?" We can say as much because
Goldberg is now plain about his agenda at Bloomberg News.
http://mondoweiss.net

Iran Plot: A Pretext for War
For  many Iran observers, Washington’s latest accusations against Iran —
   implicating members of Iran’s Revolutionary Guard in an alleged plot
to  assassinate the Saudi ambassador to the United States — come off as
  surreal, if not wholly bizarre.
link to original.antiwar.com

Warmongers Eager for More Blood-letting, Stuart Littlewood
You can read about it on a British government website. 'The UK and many
  other countries have serious concerns about the Iranian Government’s
policies,' says the Foreign Office, 'its failure to address serious
international concerns about its nuclear programme; its support for
terrorism and promotion of instability in its region; and its continued
  denial of human rights...' I really thought they were talking about
Israel and had got the names muddled up. But no... "On Iran’s nuclear
programme, we are actively seeking a solution through diplomatic
engagement and sanctions to encourage compliance by Iran with the
requirements of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) and six UN
   Security Council resolutions."
link to palestinechronicle.com

This is not what containment looks like, Paul Mutter
"To  strengthen Iran sanctions laws for the purpose of compelling Iran
to  abandon its pursuit of nuclear weapons and other threatening
activities,  and for other purposes," begins HR1905, aka the 2011 "Iran Threat
Reduction Act" passed by the House of Representatives this week. It will
increase
sanctions on Iran and limit U.S. contact with Iranian citizens, and
pressure to enact it will be strengthened by the release of an IAEA report today
asserting that Iran has been secretly developing nuclear weapons (and a delivery
system for them) since 2003.
http://mondoweiss.net

Other Mideast News

Hezbollah can hit Israeli drones: report
The  Lebanese resistance movement Hezbollah has reportedly found a
way to  electronically jam and disable Israeli unmanned reconnaissance
drones. The speculation was raised after a suspected Israeli
reconnaissance plane disappeared from the radar screen of the French
United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL) battalion in south
Lebanon, Lebanese newspaper The Daily Star said on Wednesday. 
link to www.presstv.ir


Lebanon Shiite leader was 'liquidated' in Libya
BENGHAZI, Libya — Revered Lebanese spiritual leader Musa Sadr, who  went
missing in Libya in 1978, was "liquidated" at the time, a former
aide to Moamer Kadhafi said Wednesday. The fate of the Iranian-born
Shiite cleric has been unknown since he vanished during a trip to Libya  aimed
at negotiating an end to Lebanon's 1975-1990 civil war. Ahmed
Ramadan, one of the most influential people in Kadhafi's  entourage,
said Wednesday on Al-Aan television that Sadr disappeared  following a
meeting with the late Libyan dictator soon after arriving in  Tripoli.
link to www.google.com

Egypt: Military ‘Virginity Test’ Investigation a Sham
The  Egyptian military has not investigated or prosecuted anyone for the
   sexual assault of seven women by military officers on March 10, 2011,
in  the military prison in Hikestep under the guise of “virginity
tests."  More than seven months later, military prosecutors also have
failed to  investigate adequately the other documented incidents of
torture of  those women and 13 others and of up to 170 men on March 9 on
  the grounds  of the Egyptian Museum.
link to www.hrw.org
 Egypt's Military Widens Crackdown as Prominent Blogger Alaa Abdel Fattah
Remains Imprisoned
The  mother of prominent Egyptian political activist and blogger Alaa
Abdel  Fattah began a hunger strike yesterday protesting her son’s
detention by  the country’s military council. Abdel Fattah was arrested
last week  after being accused of instigating clashes between military
forces and  Coptic Christians nearly a month ago at the state television
  building,  Maspero. At least 28 people were killed in the incident. As
calls among  activists grow for limiting U.S. military assistance to
Egypt, Secretary  of State Hillary Clinton said that the United States
is not in favor of  imposing any conditions on American aid. Democracy
Now! correspondent  Anjali Kamat is in Cairo and filed this report.
Special thanks to  Jacquie Soohen of Big Noise Films and Mosireen and Sarah Carr
for footage.
link to www.democracynow.org
 
The daily struggle of Iraq's widows of war (Reuters)
Reuters  - Halima Dakhil lost her husband in the sectarian slaughter
that  engulfed Iraq after the U.S. invasion in 2003 and now spends her
days  tearful and scared, knowing her $250 monthly wage won't pay the
rent and  feed five children. 
link to us.rd.yahoo.com

Iraq urged to halt imminent execution of 15 men
The  Iraqi authorities must halt the imminent execution of 15 men,
Amnesty  International said today, following reports that their death
sentences  had been ratified by the Iraqi presidency on Tuesday.
According to media  reports, the Iraqi presidency said that the 15 would
  be executed after  the Muslim holiday of Eid al-Adha, which takes place
  on Sunday. All 15  are said to be members of armed groups and were
convicted of murdering  dozens of people and raping women and girls at a
  wedding party in a  village near al-Taji, north of Baghdad, in June
2006. They were  sentenced to death on 16 June 2011 by the Central
Criminal Court of Iraq  after "confessions" by several of them were
shown on the Iraqi TV  channel Al Iraqiya.
link to www.amnesty.org

Luxury Hajj: Iraqis Stew As Officials Make Pilgrimage In Style
MINA,  Saudi Arabia -- The Muslim pilgrimage of hajj is a moment of
equality  before God, with millions massed at Islam's most revered sites
  asking  for forgiveness of sins. Of course, some are more equal than
others. At  VIP tents, Iraqi lawmakers and politicians in their white
pilgrim robes  enjoyed the luxury of soft red carpets and air
conditioning, fruit  baskets set up on long tables and two refrigerators
  with cold water and  soft drinks. It's conveniently right next to the
Jamarat, the site of  three walls symbolizing the devil that pilgrims
lined up to pelt with  stones on Monday.
link to www.huffingtonpost.com
 Syrian opposition remains divided 
The  Arab League is holding talks with Syrian opposition figures ahead
of an  emergency meeting Saturday, to discuss Syria's failure to comply
with a  plan to end the violence in the eight-month-long uprising. While
  all  everyone agrees the violence needs to stop, the opposition is
deeply  divided over how to do it. Al Jazeera's Jane Arraf reports from
Cairo.
link to www.youtube.com
 
Egg attack disrupts Syrian opposition talks
Leading opposition figures pelted with eggs by protesters as they arrive for
talks with Arab League in Cairo. 
link to english.aljazeera.net
 Defected Syrian soldiers side with protesters 
The Syrian government has been using its military to crush an uprising
that began in March. However, Al Jazeera has evidence the army itself is
   split over the tactics being used against civilians. The defected
soldiers say they are now trying to protect peaceful protesters from the
   government forces and that they are determined to bring down the rule
  of President Bashar Al Assad. Al Jazeera's Zeina Khodr reports.
link to www.youtube.com


Why is no one protecting Saudi Arabia's child brides?, Ali al-Ahmed
The  support of the Saudi monarchy and its apologists in the west means
the  barbaric practice of child marriage is unchallenged. Atgaa, 10, and
  her  sister Reemya, 8, are about to be married to men in their 60s.
Atgaa  will be her husband's fourth wife. Their wedding celebrations are
   scheduled for this week and will take place in the town of Fayaadah
Abban in Qasim, Saudi Arabia. The girls are getting married because
their financially struggling father needs the money that their dowries
will provide: young girls of this age can fetch as much as $40,000 each.
link to www.guardian.co.uk

Analysis / Op-ed

Why is an Israeli soldier worth more than a Palestinian child?, Dana Halawa
While  the world focused on one freed Israeli soldier, no one considered
  the  suffering of more than 160 Palestinian children who remain in
Israeli detention.oldier, no one considered  the suffering of more than
160 Palestinian children who remain in  Israeli detention.
link to electronicintifada.net

Former corporate execs Leader (AOL) and Cooperman (Goldman Sachs) back online
‘Jerusalem U’ that does ‘Israel advocacy’, Philip Weiss
Fabulous reporting by the Forward's Naomi Zeveloff on Jerusalem Online U., a
website offering academic credits that good  schools like George Washington are
accepting, that is all about
recruiting American students into Israel "advocacy." The course
offerings feature Benjamin Netanyahu and Alan Dershowitz. And notice the
delicious reporting re Rashid Khalidi. Zeveloff's revelations about
the  American corporate leaders' support for this propaganda is deep in
the  story, but it is of course essential to an understanding of the
lobby in  motion.
link to http://mondoweiss.net

From Balfour to Obama: Colonial Thinking on Palestine, Roger Sheety
The  phrase “British Mandate of Palestine” is as commonplace in Western
and  Zionist scholarship on Palestine as to be inoffensive and therefore
   barely given a second thought.  Indeed, a quick internet search of
this  seemingly innocuous term reveals some two million results of
wildly  varying quality and usefulness. There was, however, no such
thing as “British Mandate” of Palestine; it was and remains a purely
European/Western colonial construct, an abstraction with real and
disastrous consequences.  In reality, the Palestinian people never
consented to be occupied by British colonials, never agreed to have
their ancestral land partitioned and given away to other Europeans, and
  never asked to be “civilized” by an imperial government which was
completely ignorant of their language, culture and history.  The same
could be said of “French Mandate” Syria and Lebanon or “British Mandate”
   Iraq.
link to palestinechronicle.com

Balfour's Apartheid Legacy, Stuart Littlewood
Arthur Balfour's infamous 'Declaration' was written 94 years ago this
week. Palestinians, of course, don't need reminding. And to mark the
anniversary Israel ordered its warships to carry out yet another act of
  piracy on peaceful, innocent shipping carrying humanitarian relief to
the imprisoned people of Gaza. Let's cast out minds back.... Stephen
Ostrander's simple verse cuts through all the rhetoric to the root cause
   of the Arab-Israeli conflict.
link to palestinechronicle.com

Palestine 1948 at the University of Virginia, Helena Cobban
On Saturday, I was delighted to attend the first two sessions of a half-day
conference held at the University of Virginia on the topic '1948 in Palestine.'
The main speakers at those sessions were Susan Akram of Boston
University Law School and Rochelle Davis of Georgetown University. Both  those
sessions were really thought-provoking. Susan Akram  presented a
smart and thoughtful set of comments based on the recent essay in Jadaliyya in
which she compared the international-law strategy pursued by the
PLO  over the years highly unfavorably with that pursued by SWAPO and
its  allies in an earlier era. Bill the spouse was the commentator for
that.   Rochelle Davis then gave a lovely presentation based on her
recent book  about "Palestinian Village Histories", and someone from UVA Jewish
Studies called Gabriel Finder was the commentator for that one.
link to justworldnews.org

Palestine at the United Nations: A Jewish Reaction, Edward S. Goldstein
As an American Jew with lifelong involvement in Jewish cultural and
religious life, I watched the unfolding of the Palestinian application
for UN membership with both admiration and a sense of scandal.
Concerning the future, I feel only sadness. An objective person must
admire the Palestinian decision  to make explicit to the world what
close observers have known for years, that the Oslo “peace process”
amounts to peace talks to nowhere except a Greater Israel.  President
Abbas’ move drops Palestine into the center of international law and
dialogue once again after being sidetracked for17 years by the Oslo
process.  The statehood application did not preclude further
negotiations, it merely promised Palestinians increased diplomatic
leverage at the negotiating table in the face of overwhelming Israeli
power and American bias.
link to palestinechronicle.com

The Citizenship of Grief, A Dialogue Between Naomi Shihab Nye and Robert Bonazzi
Naomi Shihab Nye’s latest book of poems, Transfer (BOA Editions),
focuses on her loving relationship with her late father, Aziz Shihab.
She has written or edited 32 books in various genres, including 19
Varieties of Gazelle: Poems from the Middle East, a finalist for the
National Book Award. Aziz Shihab’s memoir of Palestine, Does the Land
Remember Me?, was published in 2007. Shihab Nye is poetry editor at the
Observer.
link to www.texasobserver.org

US aid for Egypt: between American vision and Egyptian pressure
It is believed widely in Egypt that US aid to the country is a sign of
Egyptian weakness, but the Americans see it differently. If Egypt wasn't
   important strategically, a world superpower wouldn't have given
massive  aid to Cairo for 30 years; the second highest levels of US aid
to any  country after Israel. Despite claims that the US only aids
Egyptians to  boost US imports and recruit US employees through the aid
programme,  this is not enough to explain the flow of around $65 billion
  of American  taxpayers' money to Egypt annually.
link to www.middleeastmonitor.org.uk
 
Netanyahu is a liar... but so are the leaders of America and the West
A media frenzy followed the publication of French President Nicolas Sarkozy's
description of Benjamin Netanyahu as "a liar" during a
private discussion with US President Barack Obama. The exchange took
place shortly before a press conference with the two leaders on the
sidelines of the G20 summit.
link to www.middleeastmonitor.org.uk
 
Obama Doctrine: Making Virtue of Necessity, James Petras
After  nearly 3 years in deep pursuit of the colonial wars initiated by
  ex-President Bush, the Obama regime has finally recognized the
catastrophic domestic and foreign consequences. As a result the “reality
   principle” has taken hold; the maintenance of the US Empire requires
modification of tactics and strategies, to cut political, military and
diplomatic losses (1).link to palestinechronicle.com
 
Occupy Wall Street

Occupy the Occupiers: A Jewish call to action, Young, Jewish, and Proud
We call for young Jews and allies nationwide to join in solidarity with
  Occupy Wall Street and with our Palestinian siblings living under their
   own form of occupation. Let us stand up to the 1% in our own community
  –  the powerful institutions that support Israel’s corporate-backed
military control of the Palestinian people and act as the gatekeepers
for our community.
link to http://mondoweiss.net

Video of police attack on peaceful protesters at Occupy Berkeley
This  video is difficult to watch and some viewers may find the footage
from  Berkeley, California disturbing. In it, a line of police in riot
gear  attempt to surge into a line of peaceful protesters, jabbing with
  night-sticks. Cries of pain and alarm are heard as the protesters are
jabbed in the gut, punched, and knocked to the ground. In spite of what
  is apparently a police effort to scatter them, however, the protesters
  stand firm. They lock arms and chant “Stop beating students!” in unison
   and the video ends in a tense standoff.
link to www.rawstory.com

Occupy Oakland's new target - foreclosed buildings
Now that their general strike is over, Occupy Oakland activists are
looking for a new initiative to keep the momentum rolling - and their
gaze is turning toward taking over foreclosed or abandoned buildings.
link to www.sfgate.com
 
Sheriff confirms ‘Occupy San Diego’ protesters forced to urinate, defecate
in bus
The San Diego County Sheriff’s Department has acknowledged that “Occupy
  San Diego” protesters who were arrested in late October had no choice
but to relieve themselves while detained in buses and vans. Police in
riot gear arrested protesters at downtown encampments in Civic Center
Plaza and Children’s Park on October 28. The 36 men were placed in a
Sheriff’s bus and the 14 women were put in Sheriff’s vans. 
link to www.rawstory.com
 
For ‘Occupy Fresno,’ First Amendment trumped by county ordinance
For  the third night in a row, protesters with “Occupy Fresno” were
arrested  for gathering in a public park, apparently in violation of a
county  ordinance that labeled them trespassers. At least 20 were
arrested over  the weekend. Nine more were led away in handcuffs on
Monday night.
link to www.rawstory.com

NYCLU: ‘Occupy Rochester’ protesters arrested for breaking
‘unconstitutional ordinance’
The New York Civil Liberties Union (NYCLU) called Monday on Rochester
mayor Thomas Richards to immediately halt the enforcement of a city
ordinance that is being used to restrict “Occupy Rochester”
demonstrations in Washington Square Park. “The city’s crackdown on
‘Occupy Rochester’ demonstrations shows a disturbing disregard for the
constitutionally protected right to protest,” said KaeLyn Rich, director
   of the NYCLU’s Genesee Valley Chapter. “Mayor Richards must use his
authority to accommodate peaceful protest and stop enforcing local
ordinances that violate people’s First Amendment rights.”
link to www.rawstory.com

Occupy Wall Street to march on most of Manhattan
The  annual New York City marathon is over for another year, but Occupy
Wall  Street will continue the Big Apple’s marathon fest with one of
their  own. Protesters have planned an 11 mile march from upper
Manhattan  neighborhood Washington Heights all the way to Occupy’s
homebase  Zuccotti Park, according to New York One news. The march,
intended to be  lead by community leaders, elected officials and
grassroots organizers,  will look to connect all of Manhattan’s
communities to the  demonstrations.
link to www.rawstory.com

Occupy Atlanta: Police Arrest 5 People Following Protest
ATLANTA - Atlanta protesters aren't going quietly, despite warnings from
  police and the mayor. In the latest act of defiance, five people were
arrested early Monday at or near a downtown park that has been an
off-and-on site of Wall Street protests similar to the ones being held
in other U.S. cities.
link to www.huffingtonpost.com

Occupy Iowa Caucus: Anonymous Hacker Group Claims Responsibility For Web Video
(VIDEO)
A new web video comes as evidence the hacker group Anonymous is getting involved
in the 2012 election. The Des Moines Register reports that Anonymous has claimed
responsibility for a clip encouraging
viewers to disrupt January's Iowa caucuses. The Hawkeye State-based
outlet notes that local authorities are not taking the news lightly.
link to www.huffingtonpost.com

Occupy movement reaches tiny rural communities
The  protest movement which began in New York with Occupy Wall Street
and  has since spread out to most of the nation’s large cities is now
trickling down into tiny rural towns like Mosier, Oregon.
link to www.rawstory.com

[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]

Land, property theft & destruction / Ethnic cleansing 
 “Jewish Terrorism” pays – illegal outpost evacuation postponed
Haaretz reports today that the state will postpone the dismantling of
the West Bank settlement outpost known as Givat Assaf, close to Beit El
– never mind that the government has yet to bother cooking up any new
excuses for doing so. Haaretz explains that following a 2007 petition
to the High Court of Justice by Peace Now against six settlements in
the area, the state has been evading dismantling the outposts with
various claims (‘wait! we’re negotiating with them’). After a Court
injunction, the outposts were supposed to have been either legalized or
evacuated by the end of the year. Failing to do the former, Givat Assaf
was to have been dismantled.
http://972mag.com/jewish-terrorism-pays-illegal-outpost-evacuation-postponed/274\
03/

Israeli Violence / Aggression / Threats

Large numbers participate in the funeral of man killed by settler
Palestinian residents from the district of Salfit and the village
of Deir Estia participated in large numbers in the funeral of a
Palestinian farmer who was run-over on Tuesday by a Jewish settler.
link to www.palestine-info.co.uk


Settlers Spray 10-year-old with Gas
Israeli forces arrested three Palestinians from the town of
Qabatya, south of Jenin, on Wednesday morning, while Israeli settlers
in the southern West Bank sprayed a family of Palestinians, including a
10-year-old boy, with gas.  In Jenin refugee camp, local sources
reporting to Palestinian government news wire Wafa said that “a huge
number” of forces accompanied by a low-flying helicopter conducted a
four hour raid in which troops searched all the neighborhoods in the
camp. By dawn soldiers had arrested Anas Atta Kamil, 27, Ahmed Hisham
Kamil, 26—a student in the American University in Jenin and released
prisoner—and 24-year-old Yazan Ateb Obaideh.
link to english.pnn.ps

Likud MK Danon: Destroy Gaza neighborhoods for every rocket fired, Alex Kane
I am currently in Ashkelon to witness the security problem facing
the city specifically in neighborhoods with new Olim and have come to
two main conclusions. Firstly, we must do everything we can to ensure
the safety of all residents with an emphasis on areas with new
immigrants who greatly lack protection, and more importantly, to deal
with Hamas leaders in Gaza, and for every missile that falls in our
southern towns, we retaliate by deleting a neighborhood in Gaza.
link to mondoweiss.net

IDF kills Israeli, wounds two others in accidental West Bank shooting
IDF forces, who believed the incident to be a terrorist attack,
opened fire on the vehicle, killing a 60-year-old man, and wounding two
other passengers.
link to www.haaretz.com

Political Detainees & Activists 
Israel still detaining 21 foreign solidarity activists
Israel is still holding 21 solidarity activists who were taken by
Israeli navy vessels along with their two boats into Asdod port for
trying to sail into Gaza, Hebrew press said on Thursday.
link to www.palestine-info.co.uk

Israeli Forces Arrest Three near Jenin
Israeli forces arrested three Palestinians from the town of
Qabatya, south of Jenin, on Wednesday morning, while Israeli settlers
in the southern West Bank sprayed a family of Palestinians, including a
10-year-old boy, with gas.  In Jenin refugee camp, local sources
reporting to Palestinian government news wire Wafa said that “a huge
number” of forces accompanied by a low-flying helicopter conducted a
four hour raid in which troops searched all the neighborhoods in the
camp. By dawn soldiers had arrested Anas Atta Kamil, 27, Ahmed Hisham
Kamil, 26—a student in the American University in Jenin and released
prisoner—and 24-year-old Yazan Ateb Obaideh. 
link to english.pnn.ps

Hamas: Israel to release remaining Palestinian female prisoners after Shalit
deal
Report by Palestinian Ma'an news agency claims Egypt mediating talks
geared at finalizing demands over first stage of last month's prisoner
exchange deal.
link to www.haaretz.com

Veteran Shalit swap prisoner detained for questioning
Sami Younis, 82, who is oldest prisoner to be freed in exchange deal,
detained for questioning near Ramallah. He was later released.
link to www.ynetnews.com

Gaza
Campaign: Parliamentarians set to visit Gaza
GAZA CITY (Ma'an) -- A delegation of 200 international
parliamentarians and political leaders are preparing to visit the Gaza
Strip at the end of November, Palestinian activists said Thursday.
 Rami Abdo of the European Campaign to End the Siege on Gaza said the
delegation's objective was to issue a universal declaration that
rejects imposing sieges on a civilian population.  The delegation will
include lawmakers from several continents as well as leaders of the
recent revolutions in the Arab world, he said. A parliamentary session
will be held between the West Bank and Gaza.  The three-day trip will
include visits to refugee camps and other sites, he said.
link to www.maannews.net

Israeli Criminal Injustice System 
Border Guard officer gets 3 months in jail for abusing Palestinian minor
Jerusalem District Court convicts Shani Sevilya of abuse, intimidation,
after she aims gun at Palestinian detainee, squeezes trigger while
saying 'death to Arabs'.
link to www.ynetnews.com

Activism / Solidarity / Boycott, Divestment & Sanctions
Irish Gaza activists stranded in airport in Tel Aviv after flight is
‘delayed’
Foreign Affairs officials are to lodge a protest with the Israeli
government after seven Irish activists detained on an aid convoy
to Gaza missed a deportation flight home. Seven of the 14 Irish human
rights activists were detained by Israeli authorities as they tried to
break the naval blockade onGaza. Irish consular officials have met the
seven at Ben Gurion Airport and a complaint is being made over the
delay. The seven were expected to arrive in Dublin this afternoon, with
the final seven expected home tomorrow -- a week after their vessel the
MV Saoirse was intercepted by Israeli military in international waters.
link to www.independent.ie

VIDEO: Free Michael Coleman! Free Gaza!
Supporters of Palestinian human rights gathered in Sydney on
November 10 to protest the Australian government's silence on the
arrest by Israeli authorities of Australian Michael Coleman, who took
part in the recent Freedom Waves to Gaza attempt to sail humanitarian
aid to Gaza.
link to www.greenleft.org.au

Video: Jewish activists disrupt and "occupy" Birthright Israel event, Ali
Abunimah
Members of the youth wing of Jewish Voice for Peace disrupted a Birthright
Israel event on 7 November.
link to electronicintifada.net

Young U.S. Jews aim 'occupy' movement at Birthright Israel
Members of youth section of Jewish Voice for Peace disrupt New York
event sponsored by Birthright, say program 'free propaganda trips for
predominantly middle and upper class American Jews.
link to www.haaretz.com

Solidarity with the Palestinian Freedom Riders
On November 15th, Palestinian activists will attempt to board
segregated Israeli settler public transport headed to occupied East
Jerusalem in an act of civil disobedience inspired by the Freedom
Riders of the U.S. Civil Rights Movement. Fifty years after the U.S.
Freedom Riders staged mixed-race bus rides through the roads of the
segregated American South, Palestinian Freedom Riders will be asserting
their right for liberty and dignity by disrupting the military regime
of the Occupation through peaceful civil disobedience. Organizers say
that this ride to demand liberty, equality, and access to Jerusalem is
the first of many to come. The Freedom Riders will be riding Egged and
Veolia buses. Veolia runs many transportation services in local US
communities, and is the target of many BDS campaigns. This provides a
great opportunity for local Boycott or Dump Veolia campaigns to have a
creative action that ties directly to Palestinian-led direct action.
link to jewishvoiceforpeace.org

‘International week against the Apartheid Wall’ seeks to rally the ‘global
99%’, Anna Baltzer
US Campaign National Organizer Anna Baltzer with #Occupy protesters. On
October 25th at Oakland City Hall, barricades and riot police had
replaced the hundreds of committed activists who had inhabited Oscar
Grant Plaza since Occupy Oakland began. Helicopters swarmed above. The
atmosphere was tense and thick with teargas. Earlier that day, Scott
Olsen, a member of Iraq Veterans Against the War, had been shot in the
head with a tear gas canister and hospitalized.
link to mondoweiss.net

Leeds Student TV- Interview with Dr. Norman Finkelstein
Renowned Jewish-American political scientist and author, Professor
Norman Finkelstein, interviewed by Leeds Student TV during his tour of
UK campuses entitled 'How to solve the Israel -- Palestine
conflict'. The tour is sponsored by The Palestinian Return Centre (prc.org.uk)
and Jews for Boycotting Israeli Goods.
link to www.youtube.com

Placebo Effect: Lawsuit Might Boost BDS Campaign in Lebanon
A lawsuit against BDS activists in Beirut has ignited a debate about
freedom of expression and is shaping up to be a landmark case in
Lebanese courts. The editor of Al Adab magazine, Samah Idriss, the
Campaign to Boycott Israel Supporters in Lebanon, the Center for the
Rights of Refuges-Aidoun, and the International Campaign for Boycott,
Divestment, and Sanctions Against Israel (BDS) are being sued by the
head of the event management company 2U2C, Jihad Murr. Perhaps
unintentionally, Murr has breathed new life into the BDS campaign in
Lebanon. The court case is no longer just a local concern;
international campaigners are pledging to appear before the Lebanese
court in support of their comrades.
link to english.al-akhbar.com

Political Developments / Diplomacy 
Al-Maliki : American Intervention Kept Us From Getting Nine Votes in Security
Council
Palestinian Foreign Minister Dr. Riyad al-Maliki said on Thurdsday
that American intervention had stopped the Palestinian application for
statehood from getting nine votes in the UN Security Council and that
he would not pursue a vote on Friday. 
link to english.pnn.ps

Obama Middle East envoy Ross to step down: White House (Reuters)
Reuters - Dennis Ross, a senior aide to President Barack Obama on the
Middle East, has decided to step down from his post, the White House
said on Thursday.
http://news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20111110/pl_nm/us_mideast_usa_envoy

UNESCO files complaint against Israeli delegation over Haaretz cartoon
A cartoon published in Haaretz causes a riff between Israel's
ambassador to UNESCO and the UN Educational, Scientific and Cultural
Organization.
link to www.haaretz.com

UNESCO suspends new programs after U.S. funding cut (Reuters)
Reuters - The United Nations' cultural agency has temporarily suspended
new programs in response to the United States' decision to cut off
funding after UNESCO granted the Palestinians membership, the agency
said on Thursday.
http://news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20111110/wl_nm/us_unesco_palestine_funding

Family: Platelet disorder killed Arafat
RAMALLAH (Ma'an) -- A nephew of the late Palestinian leader Yasser
Arafat says the family will soon release a French medical report
revealing Arafat's cause of death. Naser al-Qudwa says the document is
being translated from French before it is released. Al-Qudwa says the
report will answer "many questions," as it is the Palestinian people's
right to get a clear answer about how Arafat died. The document has not
previously been seen in Arabic. 
link to www.maannews.net

Family says to release Arafat medical docs
RAMALLAH (Ma'an) -- A nephew of the late Palestinian leader Yasser
Arafat says the family will soon release a French medical report
revealing Arafat's cause of death.  Naser al-Qudwa says the document is
being translated from French before it is released.  Arafat died on
Nov. 11, 2004 in Paris. Medical records have been closely guarded amid
speculation on the cause of a sudden illness that struck the
Palestinian leader shortly before his death.
link to www.maannews.net

'Katsav should have gotten harsher sentence'
Woman who blew lid off of rape case against former president says he
would have gotten longer prison term if more victims were included in
suit. State Prosecutor's Office: Ruling sends unequivocal message to
those in positions of power.
link to www.ynetnews.com


Iran
U.S.: Strike of Iran's nuclear facilities may have unintended consequences
Defense Secretary Leon Panetta says attack on Iran enrichment
centers ought to be 'last resort', and may only delay nuclear program
by a few years.
link to www.haaretz.com


Romney says ‘prepare for war’ against Iran
WASHINGTON — Accusing President Barack Obama of naivete on Iran,
Republican presidential challenger Mitt Romney promised Thursday that
if elected president he would “prepare for war” with the Islamic
republic. In a commentary published in the Wall Street Journal, Romney
said he would back up US diplomacy “with a very real and very credible
military option,” deploying carrier battle groups to the Gulf and
boosting military aid to Israel.
link to www.rawstory.com

Wexler on the warpath: Opening volleys of major push for Iran war by liberal
Zionists and hawks?, Scott McConnell
Robert Wexler, former Florida congressman and a key Obama ally on
Israel/Palestine issues, was one of the speakers at a Churches for
Middle East Peace dinner last night. Wexler is a liberal Zionist, who
(correctly) sees Israel's long term interest in a two state solution,
and has taken a lot of flack for defending Obama from attack by the
Zionist right. But last night he was terrifying.
link to mondoweiss.net

IAEA report is a dud, and ‘Moon of Alabama’ busted it wide open with
“Nanodiamonds”
Anybody else notice the big sucking sound in reaction to the
endlessly uber hyped IAEA report? I knew it, I just knew it. Humping
their fear mongering and
cramming it down our collective throats the week before the report was
due was because they had nothing. Because the only time they'd get away
with it was before the report came out, so they ran with it hook line
and sinker.  Russia and China immediately said 'No' to more sanctions,
and virtually nothing 'diplomats' and western 'officials' (Elliott and Ross?)
said panned out in the report, which was basically old nothing news.  The IAEA
report was a Dud With Little Consequences For Iran and everybody knows it too.
Here's CSM being somewhat polite about it.
link to mondoweiss.net

Nuclear Israel revisited, Joseph Massad
To have or not to have nuclear weapons is a question of human security and not
European privilege.
link to www.aljazeera.com

Other Mideast News
Memo From Baghdad: Iraqi Shiite Anger at U.S. Remains Strong
The United States ambassador has apologized to Shiite leaders in Iraq
for the United States’ inaction during the 1991 popular uprising.
link to feeds.nytimes.com


Soldier found guilty of murdering Afghans, collecting body parts
JOINT BASE LEWIS-MCCHORD, Washington — The ringleader of a rogue US
army unit responsible for “thrill kills” of Afghan civilians was
sentenced to life behind bars. But a five-person military panel said
Staff Sergeant Calvin Gibbs — who was found guilty at the end of a
week-long court martial — would be eligible for parole after serving at
least 10 years. Gibbs was found guilty of 15 counts in all, including
three charges of premeditated murder for his role in three so-called
“thrill kills” in southern Afghanistan between January and May last
year.
link to www.rawstory.com

UK backs bid to overturn ban on cluster bombs
Britain is backing a US-led plan to torpedo the global ban on cluster
bombs, in what MPs and arms campaigners fear is an attempt to
legitimise the use of weapons that are widely deemed to be inherently
indiscriminate.
link to www.independent.co.uk

For Bahrain's soccer team, shades of Saddam Hussein's Iraq
A short ESPN documentary focuses on the torture of soccer-team athletes
in Bahrain, home to the US Navy's 5th Fleet, for their faith and
political beliefs.
link to rss.csmonitor.com

Bahrain’s Courageous Doctors, Adil E. Shamoo The United States continues to
ignore the thwarted Arab Spring in
Bahrain. Recently, a quasi-military court in the small Gulf state
sentenced 20 doctors and nurses to up to 15 years in jail. The charge
against them? Treating injured demonstrators opposing the
regime. Doctors and nurses in the Middle East have a long and proud
tradition of treating the ill, regardless of the situation. In
ninth-century Baghdad, for example, Hunayn ibn Ishaq was the Caliph’s
physician. The Caliph asked this physician to prepare a poison to kill
his enemies. The physician refused, risking his life, and was
eventually jailed for one year. After serving his sentence, the Caliph
inquired as to why he refused. The physician replied, “My profession is
instituted for the benefit of humanity and limited to their relief and
cure.”
link to original.antiwar.com

Tunisia: Ennahda Islamist Party Promises Open Society
TUNIS, Tunisia — The new Tunisia will welcome people of all faiths and
carry on the tradition of moderation for which it has always been
known, the leader of the Islamist party that won the country's first
free elections promised Thursday. Secretary-General Hammadi Jebali's
pledge was aimed at countering concerns voiced both in Tunisia and
abroad that the Ennahdha party might put the country on a path of
extremism.
link to www.huffingtonpost.com

Fate of 'flower of Syria' offers cautionary tale
Relatives are convinced they buried Zaynab Hosni — who has become a
rallying symbol for the Syrian opposition — in September. But she
turned up last month on Syrian TV, sparking conspiracy theories. Fatat
Malouk said she has no doubt: The burned, mutilated and seemingly
unrecognizable body parts that she viewed in a Syrian military hospital
in September were the remains of her child — the victim, she said, of
government thugs who snatched the teenager off the street.
link to feeds.latimes.com

Ancient Sana may be casualty of Yemen's violent unrest
Much is at stake in the old city, its buildings covered in geometric
designs of white gypsum and glimmers of stained glass, a place so
striking that it was named a UNESCO World Heritage Site.
link to feeds.latimes.com

Hariri’s Twitter Comeback
This suggests that Hariri decided to go public on Twitter after he partly of
fully resolved his financial crisis.
http://english.al-akhbar.com/content/hariri%E2%80%99s-twitter-comeback

Arab Christians, minorities, reshaping US enclaves (AP)
AP - Jordanian immigrants take Communion at an Arabic-language Mass in
Albuquerque. Lebanese-Americans help raise nearly $2 million for major
improvements to a West Virginia church. Iraqi refugees who practice an
ancient religion that views John the Baptist as their teacher hold
baptisms in a Massachusetts pond popular for rowing regattas.
http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20111111/ap_on_re_us/us_fea_arab_christians

Analysis / Op-ed
Ex-Mossad chief's testimony reveals bloody past
An Israeli court has given the go-ahead for the publication of
ex-Mossad Chief Meir Dagan's testimony in a murder trial. The accused
has claimed that he killed a British tourist in cold blood in part due
to the psychological effects of his service in an elite Special Forces
unit once commanded by Dagan. Sayeret Rimon unit operated on the
southern front, including Gaza, and is held responsible for killing 290
Palestinians on a wanted list of 300. Dagan told the court that he
didn't count the Palestinians who were killed and that for every one
who was killed there were hundreds who were arrested. Reports in Israel
claim that the Israeli Army's Southern Command is reviving the Sayeret
Rimon unit to work undercover in the Gaza Strip. Recruits, it is said,
must be fearless and experienced soldiers. Several dozen have been
recruited for the unit, whose targets include the leaders of the
Palestinian resistance in Gaza.
link to www.middleeastmonitor.org.uk

The Russell Tribunal on Palestine, Cape Town session
The Russell Tribunal on Palestine (RToP) is an international people's
tribunal set up with the intention of seeking justice for the
Palestinian people where governments and international institutions
have failed to do so. By raising global levels of awareness it is hoped
to put pressure on decision-makers to look at the facts surrounding
Israel's oppression of Palestinians. Following two successful sessions
in Barcelona and London, the third session was held in Cape Town. The
tribunal considered the question, "Are Israel's practices against the
Palestinian people in breach of the prohibition on Apartheid under
International Law?"
link to www.middleeastmonitor.org.uk

Are We about to Betray the Palestinians, Again?, Stuart Littlewood
Media reports suggest that Britain will again betray the Palestinian
people in the UN vote tomorrow on whether to recognise the Palestinian
territories as an independent state. The Guardian, for example, says
that Britain will join forces with two other EU allies on the Security
Council, France and Portugal, to abstain. Germany, the third EU member
of the Council, is also likely to abstain. "The UK had considered
voting in favour of statehood but is planning to abstain because it
wants to forge a common front with its EU partners. Government sources
say the EU – the single biggest donor to the Palestinian authority – is
playing an increasingly influential role in the Middle East. It is
feared this could be put at risk if the EU fails to act collectively.”
link to palestinechronicle.com

Israel vs. Free Press: Uri Blau Faces Seven Years in Prison for Practicing
Investigative Journalism, Richard Silverstein
Haaretz’ Uri Blau, one of Israel’s finest investigative journalists, faces
seven years in prison for
doing nothing more than practicing his craft in a country that upholds
the values of a national security state above those of press freedom.
 Blau has published some of the most hard-hitting exposes involving the
IDF and human rights violations over the past few years.  Among them
was the two reports he wrote based on top-secret documents leaked to
him by Anat Kamm.  These were memos from the headquarters of IDF
general Yair Naveh, revealing that he approved assassinations of
unarmed Palestinian suspects in contravention of Israeli Supreme Court
rulings.  Of course, when given a chance to support these ruling in
practice, the Court refused to do so as is often the case with security
matters in which it is loath to second guess the military-intelligence
apparatus.
link to www.richardsilverstein.com

Rabin's murderers are still free and happy
Instead of lighting candles and singing we should protest against
the fact that those responsible for Rabin's murder are walking around
free.
link to www.haaretz.com

Occupy Wall Street
Occupy Cal Berkeley Protest Draws Thousands, As Two Years Of Occupation Come
Home
Facing some of the steepest budget cuts and tuition hikes in the
country, thousands college students across California staged
a mass walkout on Wednesday and set up camp to form the latest Occupy
site. But unlike many others around the country, who have only started
to get involved in the protests, California students are continuing a
movement they've been pursuing for two years.
link to www.huffingtonpost.com

[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]

Land theft and destruction / Ethnic cleansing / Palestinian culture & history

Israel to invite bids for 800 East Jerusalem homes
JERUSALEM (AFP) -- Israel is to invite tenders for the construction of
more than 800 new homes in two settlement neighborhoods of annexed East
  Jerusalem, a housing ministry spokesman said on Tuesday. Ariel
Rosenberg  told AFP the ministry had published formal notice of its
intention to  invite tenders to build 749 housing units in the southern
Har Homa  neighborhood, and another 65 in Pisgat Zeev in the north.
link to www.maannews.net
 
Palestinian family given two weeks to vacate East Jerusalem home
Himnuta, a subsidiary of the Jewish National Fund to evict longtime residents,
transfer house to settlers.
link to www.haaretz.com
 
Palestinian family to be evicted within two weeks
Silwanic  has learnt that Israeli authorities plan to evict a
Palestinian family  living in Wadi Hilweh within the next two weeks. The
  family received a  court order notifying them of the eviction expected
to take place any  time before 28 November 2011. The threatened family
owns the house, and  have been engaged in a long legal battle for it
with Israeli authorities  since the first half of last decade. The
family has already lost a plot  of  land to the Elad settlement
association. Should they succeed in  appropriating the house, Israeli
authorities seek to turn it over to  settlers. The Israeli Department of
  Procedures has demanded that the  family pay 2 million NIS as the only
means to keeping the property.  Under Israeli law, however, this is
impossible. Over the decades,  authorities have used the same tactics to
  appropriate many other  Palestinian homes and properties in Silwan,
claiming that the land  belonged  to Jewish people. On occasion when
defendants have proved this  to be incorrect, the nominated Absentee
Property guardian orders the  threatened family to leave their house
complaining the real owner live  out of the country. Through a
persistent limiting of defendant families’  legal options, the houses
are then acquisitioned by the state who turn  them over to Elad and
other settlement organisations.
link to silwanic.net
Al Hadidiye to be demolished once again: Halt this new wave of ethnic cleansing!
Immediately contact your consulate and embassy through our email
action! While the international community discusses Palestinian
statehood, on the ground Israel is continuing the ethnic cleansing and
colonization of Palestine with a further displacement push in the Jordan
Valley. Al Hadidiye is a Bedouin community of some 112 permanent
inhabitants and some 130 further inhabitants that during the two cold
winter months return back to villages near Tobas as Israeli forces have 
destroyed their homes already and they have not found the necessary
means to build shelters that can protect them from the winter cold. On
Thursday November 10, the Israeli authorities served the community nine  new
demolition orders that target 17 structures and will affect 72
people , including women and children.
link to www.stopthewall.org
 
Israel to Resume Digs in Mamilla Cemetery
JERUSALEM,  November 14, 2011 (WAFA) – The Israel Antiquities
Authority Monday  approved the resumption of digs at the site of a
Muslim cemetery in  Jerusalem for the construction of the ‘Museum of
Tolerance’ despite the  discovery of ancient skeletons at the site, said a
Fatah leader in  Jerusalem. Member of the Revolutionary Council of
the Palestinian  National Liberation Movement (Fatah), Dimitri Diliani,
said in a press  conference that “the Antiquities Authority has approved digs
of 1000  graves in Mamilla, which comes as part of the offensive
project called  ‘Museum of Tolerance.’” He said the digging process is
being resumed  extensively under a huge media blackout to hide any
discoveries, despite  the evident proof of ancient skeletons found in
the historical  cemetery. Diliani said that desecration of the Mamilla
cemetery, which  holds unique religious and historical value, is part of Israeli
historical and cultural forgery and ethnic cleansing against
Palestinians, which affects the dead also.link to english.wafa.ps

Israeli army steps up attacks on Palestinian water
Speaking  to the American Congress in May, Israeli Prime Minister
Benjamin  Netanyahu remarked that Israel would maintain a long-term
presence in  the West Bank's Jordan Valley. In the months that followed,
  the Israeli  army stepped up its attacks on the water wells of the
Palestinians who  live there.
link to www.alternativenews.org

Pathology of a Checkpoint in Service of Settlers
Tamar Fleishman - The Palestine Chronicle - "In order to give this
prohibition validity, a special decree […] signed by the commander in
charge of the Central Command, Yaeir Nave, had been issued in 2006. The
  procedure was called ‘regulatory selection’ and as the commander of the
   checkpoint explained: ‘during the regulatory selection we stop the
car,  check whether it’s a Jew or an Arab, if it`s a Jew - check to see
if he  is disoriented and warn him from heading on to Ramallah’. When I
  mentioned the bad historic connotation of the expression, he
laconically  replied: ‘the army has enough to deal with. It can`t be
bothered with  every single word…’"
link to palestinechronicle.com
 
Five Republican congressmen take Christian Zionist solidarity tour of
settlements, Philip Weiss and Adam Horowitz
From the Arutz Sheva article "Congressmen with 'Judeo-Christian
Spirit'  Tour Heartland": On November 9, five US Congressmen ventured
into  otherwise uncharted territory, at least by the standards of
traditional  diplomatic delegations to Israel. A strong affinity to
Israel and  genuine frustration with repeated fatal failures of "peace
processes"  drove these American leaders to take a fresh look at
Israel's  heartland...
http://mondoweiss.net
 
It's not that Israel is finding new ways to expel Palestinians, it's that no one
cares, Amira Hass
Israel routinely produces new ploys to counter Palestinian pleas for justice.
But is anybody interested?
link to www.haaretz.com
 
Israeli Violence & Warmongering

Israeli tanks bomb east of Gaza
Israeli tanks on Tuesday morning fired a barrage of artillery shells at the
eastern part of Gaza city.
link to www.palestine-info.co.uk

Media: Israel military chief favors Gaza offensive (AP)
AP  - Israeli media report the nation's top military commander as saying
  he  favors a major offensive in Gaza because of rocket attacks.
link to us.rd.yahoo.com
 Settler threatens resident with gun in Ras al-Amoud
Eyewitnesses  report seeing an Israeli settler point a gun at a
Palestinian resident  in Ras al-Amoud district of Silwan on Friday
night, 10 November. The  incident followed confrontations between
Palestinian residents and  Israeli forces in Al-Hara al-Wasta district,
which lies next to Ras  al-Amoud. The settler involved was not
questioned or charged by police.  Settler violence has long been an
unfortunate fact of life for  Palestinian inhabitants of Silwan. Last
year Samer Sarhan, 36, was shot  dead by a settler guard, and this year
Milad Ayyash, 16, met the same  fate. Many others have been grievously
injured, including Mazen Audeh,  23, who was shot in the leg by a
settler; Ameer Froukh, 13, shot; and  Ahmad Qaraeen, 39, who was shot in
  both legs with an M-16 rifle by a  settler on leave from his
military service. 
link to silwanic.net

Report: Settlers vandalize Palestinian home in Jerusalem
JERUSALEM  (Ma'an) -- Settlers wrote graffiti on a Palestinian owned
apartment in  Jerusalem on Tuesday in a suspected "price tag" attack.
Israeli police  arrested two suspects who confessed to the vandalism
charges, the  official news agency Wafa said. The family had received
death threats in  the past from Jewish extremists, Wafa added. Hardline
Jewish settlers  have adopted what they call a "price tag" policy under
which they have  attacked Palestinians and their property in response to
  Israeli  government measures against settlements.
link to www.maannews.net


Gaza

The tax system
Israel continues to control taxation in the Gaza Strip, which forms part
    of a single customs envelope along with Israel and the West Bank.
This   means that Israel sets the customs and Value Added Tax rates
collected   for goods and in so doing influences product prices as well
as   Palestinian fiscal policy. To illustrate: a merchant in Gaza who
purchases clothes from an Israeli manufacturer pays VAT at a rate
determined by Israel, and Israel is responsible for transferring this
amount to the Palestinian Authority. If the merchandise is imported,
Israel sets and collects the customs for it and is responsible for
transferring the amount to the Palestinian Authority. The VAT and
customs rates set by Israel then affect the price the consumer pays for
   clothes in Gaza.
link to www.gazagateway.org
 Physical control of the Gaza Strip
Following “disengagement” in 2005, Israel continued to control the area
   adjacent to its border with the Gaza Strip on the Palestinian side. In
    2008, Israel expanded this area, referred to as the “no-go” zone, and
    today it covers a distance ranging from 300 to 1,500 meters from the
   border1.  The area which is restricted in practice includes both areas
    which have officially been declared off-limits and areas where one
risks   being shot at. It amounts to some 17% of the entire territory of
  the   Gaza Strip and a third of its agricultural lands.
link to www.gazagateway.org
 The land crossing between the Gaza Strip and Egypt
The 2005 Agreement on Movement and Access marked the end of Israel’s
military presence at the Rafah Crossing on the border between Egypt and
   the Gaza Strip, yet allowed Israel to maintain substantial control
over   the terminal. This control was exercised via Israel’s continued
control  of the Palestinian population registry, which determines who
may travel  through Rafah, the ability to monitor individuals traveling
  through the  crossing, and the power to decide when and if to close
Rafah. The  crossing operated routinely as per the Agreement on Movement
   and Access  until June 2006. The circumstances that led to the end of
  this  arrangement are detailed in a report published by Gisha and
Physicians  for Human Rights-Israel in 2009, entitled “Rafah Crossing:
Who Holds the  Keys?” The report also presents our position on the
responsibility of  each of the parties – Israel, Egypt, the Palestinian
  Authority, Hamas  and external players – as a result of their influence
   on the ability to  open the crossing.
link to www.gazagateway.org
 Territorial waters Israel has complete control over Gaza’s territorial
waters and
prevents movement of people and goods by sea. It also limits fishing to a
distance of three nautical miles from Gaza’s coastline. In 2008,
Israel  made an exception and allowed six ships to reach Gaza, but has
since  prevented the arrival of any vessels.  Israel has cited various
legal  sources as the basis for the ban on maritime travel off the Gaza  coast: 
until 2005 it maintained the ban was imposed pursuant to the
laws of  occupation; beginning in 2005, it justified its control of
Gaza’s  territorial waters as “security restrictions on fishing areas
off the  Gaza Strip coast” , and, at times, as an exclusion zone or a
combat  zone.  On January 3, 2009, in the midst of the large scale
military  operation “Cast Lead”, Israel declared a maritime blockade off
Gaza’s  coast, and though the operation ended that same month, the
blockade has  remained in force.  In 2001, despite its commitment to
allow the  construction of a seaport in the Gaza Strip, Israel destroyed the
site  facilities belonging to the foreign company which was about  to begin 
construction of a port and has since prevented construction
by  failing  to provide donors with assurances that such port would not
be  destroyed.
link to www.gazagateway.org
 Airspace
Israel maintains complete control over Gaza’s airspace and prevents
movement of people and commercial goods by air. Gaza’s airport, built in
    1998, was closed in October 2000, following the outbreak of the
Second   Intifada, and bombed by Israel in 2001. Since then, there has
been no   air traffic into and out of the Strip. The only exception is
Israeli   aircrafts, manned and unmanned, which fly over the Gaza Strip
to carry   out observations, collect information and bomb targets
including in   “targeted killings”, that is to say the assassination
from the air of   individuals defined by Israel as wanted.
link to www.gazagateway.org
 Control of civilian infrastructure
Israel controls the supply of infrastructure upon which the Gaza Strip
  is reliant. Gaza’s electricity system, as developed since 1967, is
largely based on power supplied from Israel through 11 high voltage
transmission lines1.  A power station was built in Gaza in 1998, but its
    capacity has been limited since it was bombed by Israel in 2006. The
   station has never been fully repaired. Restrictions on the transfer of
    equipment and the entrance of trained professionals, as well as on
the   shipping of equipment for repairs outside Gaza, have also impaired
  the   ability to upgrade the electricity system. Another factor that
interfered with the operation of the power station was the restrictions
   Israel imposed on the transfer of industrial diesel into Gaza
beginning   in October 2007 as part of its policy of “economic warfare”,
  designed  to  undermine Gaza’s economy. A dispute over finances between
  the   Palestinian Authority and the Hamas regime in the Gaza Strip
further   decreased industrial diesel supply to Gaza in 2010. In early
2011, the   shortage was partially resolved by the purchase and
transport of diesel   for the power station through the tunnels. As a
result, the power   station’s dependence on Israel has decreased, though
  it still relies on   Israel, to a degree, for shipping equipment for
repairs, importing   parts, bringing in expert engineers and sending
engineers from Gaza for   professional training and business meetings.
Additionally,   Israeli-supplied electricity still makes up the lion’s
share of Gaza’s   electricity, and there is no plan for an alternative
in sight.
link to www.gazagateway.org
 Strip and the West Bank
Following Hamas’ takeover of internal control in Gaza in June 2007, the
   Palestinian Authority’s influence over Gaza has significantly
diminished, and most of the routine administration of the government and
    public services, such as the education system, policing, sanitation
and  hospitals, is carried out by the Hamas regime. However, the
Palestinian  Authority still maintains significant responsibilities,
particularly  the financing of major public services such as the
healthcare system and  the supply of electricity. The Palestinian
Authority continues to  coordinate the passage of people and goods with
  Israel, and taxes levied  on goods transported from Israel through the
  crossings are collected by  Israel on behalf of the PA. Additionally,
Palestinian Authority  officials remain responsible for transferring
applications for changes  in the population registry to Israeli
authorities, including for the  purpose of issuing passports. For this
reason, Israel’s control over the  Palestinian Authority, which operates
   both in the Gaza Strip and the  West Bank, influences the latter’s
ability to make independent decisions  related to Palestinian residents,
   govern them and fund public services.
link to www.gazagateway.org
 The population registry
Israel  continues to control the Palestinian population registry which
is  common to the Gaza Strip and the West Bank. Any change made in these
    records requires Israel’s approval, including the registration of
births, marriages, divorces, deaths or address changes. The Palestinian
   Authority may amend or issue an ID card only after Israeli approval is
    granted. Israel updates all the changes in its copy of the population
    registry, which determines who is recognized as a Palestinian
resident   for the purpose of travel permits. Palestinian passports are
issued by   the Palestinian Authority only to residents who are listed
in the   Israeli-administered population registry. Physically,
coordination on   issues pertaining to the population registry for Gaza
is done through   meetings between representatives from Israel and the
Palestinian   Authority in Gaza which are held at Erez Crossing.
link to www.gazagateway.org
 
B'tselem: The Israeli gov't speeds wall construction on its borders with Egypt
B'Tselem  center for human rights said the Israeli government
accelerated the  building of the huge iron wall on its borders with
Egypt in the Sinai  and finished about 70 kilometers of it.

link to www.palestine-info.co.uk
Aid convoy "Arab Spring" to arrive in Gaza soon
The European campaign to end the siege on Gaza said it is making
preparations in cooperation with the European commission for
humanitarian aid to send an aid convoy to Gaza later this month.
link to www.palestine-info.co.uk
Nida’ Mohammed (Mohammed’s Cry): Help Kickstart a Gaza Video Documentary
link to sabbah.biz

Political Detainees / Other Prisoner News
 Confrontations throughout Silwan, one arrested
Clashes erupted in Bir Ayyub district of Silwan on Saturday night,  12 November,
when Israeli forces provoked confrontations with local
residents. Clashes quickly spread to other neighborhoods, with Israeli
forces firing tear gas and rubber bullets on residents. A 16-year old
boy, Mahmoud Atyeh, was arrested and beaten by Israeli officers.
Eyewitnesses state that violence erupted when a number of Israeli forces chased
a group of local youth who had been standing in the street.
link to silwanic.net

PA security kidnaps four Hamas members in W. Bank areas
The  Palestinian authority security forces detained in recent raids four
   Palestinian citizens affiliated with Hamas Movement in the West Bank.
link to www.palestine-info.co.uk

IOF soldiers round up six West Bankers
Israeli  occupation forces (IOF) rounded up six Palestinians in
different West  Bank areas at dawn Tuesday including three young men in
Doheisha refugee  camp south of Bethlehem.
link to www.palestine-info.co.uk

Al-Shuntee: Israel's installation of surveillance cameras in the rooms of female
prisoners is immoral
The minister of women's affairs in Gaza, Jameela al-Shuntee, has
denounced a decision by the Israeli Prison Authorities to install
surveillance cameras in female common areas inside the Hasharon Prison. 
Al-Shuntee asserted that this arbitrary measure which violated their
rights was immoral, and that its goal was to harm and provoke the
prisoners. In a written statement from Al-Shuntee, she stated that the
surveillance of female prisoners was a violation of the legal and human  rights
laws which the Israeli occupation and international
organizations  trumpet, and which call for the safeguarding of human
rights. She  asserted that, "What the occupational army does
consistently confirms  that it is bereft of every moral value."
link to www.middleeastmonitor.org.uk
 
Freed prisoner, Amal Jumaah, struggles with death
The freed prisoner, Amal Fayez Jumaah, has languished in the Nablus Specialist
Hospital in the northern West Bank for more than two weeks  following a serious
deterioration in her health subsequent to her
release from Israeli prison. She was released from prison as part of the recent
prisoner exchange deal between Israel and Hamas. Jumaah has
suffered from cancer for many years alongside a range of other diseases  and
conditions resulting from her captivity including back and stomach  problems.
The visages of extreme fatigue are apparent on her as a
result  of the Israeli policy of serious medical neglect suffered by
Palestinian prisoners and which results in a multitude of accumulated
diseases and conditions. 
link to www.middleeastmonitor.org.uk

Other Human Rights Violations / Racism
 
Al-Maqdese Condemns Israeli Bills Hindering Human Rights Work in OPT
JERUSALEM, November 14, 2011 (WAFA) - Moaz Za’tari, General Manager of
Al-Maqdese for Society Development (MSD), strongly condemned the
decision of Israeli Ministerial Committee for legislation to pass
discriminatory laws, hindering the civil work and human rights
organizations in the Occupied Palestinian Territory, according to a
press release published by MSD on Monday. These discriminatory Israeli
bills will hinder the work of human rights organizations and CSOs
registered in Israel and the occupied Palestinian Territory, including
East Jerusalem. This includes the Israeli left wing and Palestinian
organizations, he said.
link to english.wafa.ps

More racist laws are on the way in Israel
Israel's  Knesset (parliament) is set to discuss a number of bills in
its winter  session which Palestinians regard as racist, continuing a
policy of  "unprecedented racist legislation in 1948 Palestine" aimed at
   undermining the very existence of Palestinians in their own land. As
part of the "Judaisation" process, a proposed law calls for the end of
Arabic as an official language of the state of Israel, a move which
would marginalise ever further one-fifth of the population for whom
Arabic is the mother-tongue. Indeed, Arabic was the official language of
   Palestine during the British Mandate period before the 1948 Nakba
(Catastrophe). The former head of Israel's internal security agency,
Shin Bet, has drafted the proposed law. Avi Dichter, MK for the Kadima
Party, has included the language stipulation in a bill headed "Israel as
   the national state of the Jewish people" in collaboration with the
Strategic Institute for Zionism, and supported by one-third of the
Jewish members of the Knesset.
link to www.middleeastmonitor.org.uk
 
Solidarity/ Activism/ Boycott, Divestment & Sanctions
 
Watch Follow the Freedom Rides, by Adam Horowitz
live streaming video from freedomriders at livestream.com The following
statement was made at the start of the
Freedom Ride protest this morning: My  name is Hurriyeh Ziadah. I am the media
spokeswomen for the  Palestinian Freedom Rides campaign. Thank
you all for being here today.  Fifty years ago brave African American
civil rights activists  challenged the racist and unjust laws of Jim
Crow by boarding buses to  the segregated South, thereby embarking on a
campaign of civil  disobedience and direct action.
link to mondoweiss.net

Statement of the Palestinian Freedom Riders, Jesse Bacon
As  of now, 6 Palestinian Freedom Riders are about to be arrested just
inside Jerusalem. Read why the Palestinian human rights activists
boarded segregated buses below. My name is Hurriyeh Ziadah. I am the
media spokeswomen for the Palestinian Freedom Rides campaign. Thank you
  all for being here today. Fifty years ago brave African American  civil
  rights activists challenged the racist and unjust laws of Jim Crow  by
boarding buses to the segregated South, thereby embarking on a  campaign
  of civil disobedience and direct action.
link to theonlydemocracy.org
 For today’s Freedom Riders– an old letter from a Birmingham Jail
Because  he is arguably the most beloved, esteemed American not
only of my  generation but for all time, revered and loved
internationally, neither  this letter nor its author require further
introduction. May these  timely excerpts serve to open and expand hearts and
minds not only for  our current tribulations but for stressful
passages inflicting future  generations. The full text can be found here.
http://mondoweiss.net
 Freedom Riders on the West Bank?
In May 1961, 13 Freedom Riders left Washington DC on Greyhound and
Trailways buses headed to New Orleans in order to directly challenge
segregation in the Jim Crow South by staging mixed-race bus rides.
 Inspired by this action 50 years later, this Tuesday, November
15th, Palestinian Freedom Riders will be challenging the Israeli
military occupation through nonviolent civil disobedience by boarding
segregated Israeli public transportation headed from the West Bank to
Occupied East Jerusalem.
link to blog.endtheoccupation.org
 Separate Is Not Equal: Standing in solidarity with the Palestinian Freedom
Riders, Adam Horowitz
The  above image is part of a protest Jewish Voice for Peace is
planning  tomorrow in solidarity with the Palestinian Freedom Rides. The artist,
Ethan Heitner, explains in a post on the Just Seeds Artists Cooperative
website how the images fit into the protest...
http://mondoweiss.net
 US Freedom Riders woke a nation. Palestinian Freedom Riders must wake the
world, Clarence B. Jones
Last month I was invited as a guest to a reunion of former Assistant and
   Deputy Attorneys General from the Civil Rights Division of the Justice
   Department during the presidencies of John F. Kennedy and Lyndon B.
Johnson. Pulitzer-Prize-winning civil rights historian Taylor Branch and
   civil rights activists Julian Bond and Robert Moses also attended.
Moses had been Mississippi Field Director of Voter Registration for the
  Student Non-Violent Coordinating Committee during the 1960s. The
reunion  was also the occasion for the celebration of the 90th birthday
of John  Doer, the former Civil Rights Division's Deputy Attorney
General.
http://mondoweiss.net
 
Freedom Waves: Another Challenge to the Israeli Naval Blockade of Gaza and the
U.S. Congress, Kit Kittredge
Why I wanted to Challenge the Israeli Naval Blockade of Gaza. In  the
overland five trips I have made to Gaza since March, 2009, I have  seen
the disastrous effect of the brutal Israeli land and sea blockade  has
had on the Palestinian people.  I have seen the terrible level of
destruction that the 2008-2009 Israeli attack wrecked on Gaza, in which
  1,400 Palestinians were killed in the 22 day attack, 5,000 were wounded
   and 50,000 were made homeless.  I was on the Gaza Freedom March in
2009  and I was a passenger on the US Boat to Gaza, the “Audacity of Hope”
that was forbidden from sailing June, 2011 by the Greek government on behalf of
the Israeli government.
link to dissidentvoice.org

Palestinians express solidarity to NYC ‘Occupy’ camp before raid; Activist
in tweet controversy linked to Israel PR groups, Abraham Greenhouse
Sieradski has also provided professional services to groups whose  core
mission is to influence public opinion in support of the Israeli  state
by whitewashing its crimes against Palestinians. His LinkedIn profile notes his
work with Israel21c, a hasbara organization which “redefines the
conversation about Israel” by diverting media and public attention away from
Israel’s treatment
of  Palestinians and instead toward it’s “vibrant diversity, humanity,
creativity, innovative spirit, and responsiveness”. The organization,
which has also “trained more than 1,500 Israel activists in seven
US cities,” is currently headed by former AIPAC President Amy Friedkin. It
should be no surprise that an “anarchist” who not only supports the concept
of states, but believes “strongly” in the “need”
for an ethnocratic  state, in which the domination of one ethnic group
over another is  enshrined in law, sees no problem in aligning himself
with  far-right individuals and institutions when its suits
his purposes.
link to electronicintifada.net
 Occupy movement cannot be silent on Israel/Palestine, say 3 Jewish groups
This is a statement from Jewish Voice for Peace-NY, Jews for Racial and
  Economic Justice, and Jews Say No! As Jewish-American organizations, we
   regret that right wing media outlets, organizations, and individuals
have tried to undermine the Occupy Movement with unfounded accusations
of anti-Semitism. We have been particularly concerned to see the
conflation of anti-Semitism with criticism of Israel. Anti-Semitism is
an expression of bigotry while criticism of Israel, just like an
anti-capitalist or an anti-war statement, is an expression of a
political position. It is important to maintain this distinction between
   bigotry against an ethnic or religious group and criticism of a state
  or its policies and actions. The Occupy space has been a consistent
venue for expressions of non-violent resistance to economic injustice
and other forms of government oppression, including solidarity for the
occupied people of Palestine. As Jewish-Americans who endorse the goals
  of OWS and are committed to the struggle for justice in
Israel-Palestine, we believe it would be an egregious double standard to
   ask the Occupy movement, which has so admirably raised the call for
justice and freedom around the world, to silence itself when it comes to
   Israel-Palestine. Instead, we seek to ensure that space is created at
  OWS to speak about Israel-Palestine when appropriate and that this
space  is a welcoming, safe space for all people.
http://mondoweiss.net
 Finkelstein says international law is powerful weapon for boycott
Jews  for Boycotting Israel Goods - The public will want to know, you
are  asking us to boycott until when? Until the Occupation ends, as
defined  in international law, or until Israel ends? If the latter, you
will have  no possibility of reaching beyond the people in this room."
link to jews4big.wordpress.com

 Israel trip divides Chicago Jewish group
Josh  Nathan-Kazis - The Forward - A social service trip to Israel may
seem  like an innocuous program for a Jewish social service
organization. But  Avodah, a Chicago-based Jewish anti-poverty group,
has become deeply  divided by controversy over just such a trip, with
some members  demanding that the itinerary include the Palestinian
territories and  that otherwise the trip would become an act of
whitewashing Israeli  occupation and oppression of the Palestinians.
link to www.forward.com


Political News

Ben-Eliezer: Israel, Egypt on collision course
Labor MK and close friend of former Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak warns of
Muslim Brotherhood's growing influence.
link to www.ynetnews.com
 
Freezing PA’s Taxes a Denial to International Conventions, Says Minister
RAMALLAH, November 14, 2011 (WAFA) - Minister of Economy, Hassan
Abu Libdeh told Voice of Palestine Monday that “Israel’s decision to
freeze Palestinian Authority’s tax revenues is a denial to the
international conventions.”  He added, “These revenues are not a grant
from Israel; they are Palestinian money that Israel collects in exchange of 3%
of the value.” He expressed hope that the United States of
America will be able to put pressure on Israel to retract this decision.
link to english.wafa.ps
 Reintegrating Jordan and West Bank
Jordanian officials, including King Abdullah II, have repeatedly voiced
  of late their frustration and despair with regard to Israel's
intransigence and anti-peace policies.
link to www.palestine-info.co.uk
 
Israeli official: military could topple Hamas (AP)
AP - Weeks after a new round of fighting with Gaza militants subsided, a senior
Israeli military official said Sunday that Israel is ready and  able to topple
the territory's Hamas government, though it has no
immediate plans to do so.
link to us.rd.yahoo.com
 
IDF conducts drill simulating soldier abduction, following security threats
Drill conducted amid severe threats of abductions following the completion of
the Shalit prisoner swap.
link to www.haaretz.com
 Sarkozy pledges ‘friendship’ to Netanyahu after gaffe
French  President Nicolas Sarkozy has written to Israeli Prime Minister
  Benjamin Netanyahu to reaffirm friendship despite what he refers to as
  their “differing views on the Middle East,” Israeli officials said on
Monday.
link to www.alarabiya.net
 
U.S. & Other Mideast News
 FBI: Anti-Muslim ‘hate crimes’ up 50 percent in U.S.
WASHINGTON  — So-called “hate crimes” against Muslims rose nearly 50
percent in the  United States in 2010, according to FBI statistics
released Monday. The  figures, part of a report on hate crimes, showed
actions motivated by  anti-Muslim prejudice rose to 160 in 2010 from 107
  the prior  year. Anti-Jewish crimes were down from the previous year at
  887  incidents from 931 the previous year. The number of crimes
motivated by  anti-Catholic sentiment rose to 58 last year, from 51 in
2009. The total  number of incidents classified as hate crimes rose
marginally in 2010  to 6,628. Of the total, 47.3 percent were motivated
by race and 20  percent by religion, the FBI statistics showed.
link to www.rawstory.com
 
Bachmann Wants Iraqis To Pay ‘Several Million Dollars Per Life’ For Every
American Who Died In Iraq, Ian Millhiser
In  an interview this morning with Meet the Press’ David Gregory,
Rep.  Michele Bachmann (R-MN) repeated her claim that the Iraq should pay
America for the privilege of having their nation invaded and occupied for most
of the last decade — and then doubled down by calling for Iraq to pay millions
of dollars
for  each American killed in that country...
link to thinkprogress.org
 Malaysia hosts symbolic trial against Bush, Blair (AP)
AP - Malaysian-led activists plan to hold a symbolic trial this month
against former President George W. Bush and British ex-leader Tony Blair
   on charges of committing crimes against peace in the Iraq war.
link to us.rd.yahoo.com


Syria calls for Arab League meeting
President Assad requests summit of regional bloc a day after the body votes to
suspend Damascus over bloody crackdown.
link to english.aljazeera.net
 Iraq official slams Arab League's Syria suspension (AP)
AP  - An Iraqi government spokesman says a decision by the Arab League
to  suspend Syria over the country's bloody crackdown of an eight-month
  uprising may make matters worse.
link to us.rd.yahoo.com
 Jailed UAE activists begin hunger strike
Move aimed at pressuring authorities to release activists unconditionally and
halt judicial proceedings against them.
link to english.aljazeera.net
 
Iran

US expert: We must wage all-out financial war on Iran
Former  Treasury official Avi Jorisch talks to Ynet about US' efforts to
  stifle  Iran's economy and what is stopping Obama administration from
taking  more drastic measures.
link to www.ynetnews.com
 
Germany, France, Turkey join chorus of countries opposing Israeli attack on Iran
United States also does not seem thrilled at the prospect of launching another
war in the region.
link to www.haaretz.com
 Iran dismisses IAEA report as 'meaningless'
Parliament speaker likens UN agency's assessment of atomic programme to "a copy
of orders" issued by US and Israel.
link to english.aljazeera.net


'Don't believe Iran blast was an accident'
Western intelligence source tells Time magazine Mossad was behind Saturday's
blast in Iranian missile base.
link to www.ynetnews.com
 Iran arrests Kuwaiti spy suspects
Two Kuwaiti citizens detained in southwest Iran for "entering the country
illegally and suspected espionage activities".
link to english.aljazeera.net
 Iran media cast doubt on reported suicide in Dubai
Police in Dubai, United Arab Emirates, say the death of Ahmed Rezai, son
   of Iranian politician Mohsen Rezai, was a suicide. News agencies in
Iran say it's suspicious. Iranian media are raising questions about the
  reported suicide in a Dubai, United Arab Emirates, hotel room of the
son  of a prominent Iranian politician and former Revolutionary Guard
commander.
http://feeds.latimes.com/

 Lieberman: Leave Iran to international community
Speaking at Knesset committee meeting foreign minister discusses
conditions for lifting Gaza blockade, relationship with Jordan. 'Iran a
  challenge for international community, not just Israel,' he says.
link to www.ynetnews.com
 US speeds up militarization of Iran's neighbors
American  officials are finalizing a deal that would send advanced 
“bunker-buster” bombs to the United Arab Emirates in the Persian Gulf. 
Separated by just a small strait, the UAE has strong ties with American
authorities and could help launch an attack on nearby Iran in a
moment’s  notice should a strike be ordered by Obama.
link to rt.com
 
Was Israel Behind a Deadly Explosion at an Iranian Missile Base?, Karl Vick
Israeli  newspapers on Sunday were thick with innuendo, the front
pages of the  three largest dailies dominated by variations on the
headline  "Mysterious Explosion in Iranian Missile Base." Turn the page, and the
mystery is answered with a wink. "Who Is Responsible for
Attacks on the  Iranian Army?" asks Maariv,  and the paper lists without
further comment a half-dozen other violent  setbacks to Iran's nuclear
and military nexus. For Israeli readers, the  coy implication is that
their own government was behind Saturday's  massive blast just outside
Tehran. It is an assumption a Western  intelligence source insists is
correct: the Mossad — the Israeli agency  charged with covert operations —
did it. "Don't believe the Iranians  that it was an accident," the
official tells TIME, adding that other  sabotage is being planned to
impede the Iranian ability to develop and  deliver a nuclear weapon.
"There are more bullets in the magazine," the  official says
link to www.time.com

Former Iranian Official Confirms Mossad Sabotage Behind Missile Blast, Richard
Silverstein
TheGuardian’s Julian Borger quotes a former Iranian government official as
conceding that the explosion
at  an Iranian missile base was the work of the Mossad, news I was the first to
report here based on a confidential authoritative Israeli source...
link to www.richardsilverstein.com
 
Matthew Gould and the Plot to Attack Iran
This is Matthew Gould, second from right, British Ambassador to  Israel, who was
pictured speaking at a meeting of the Leeds Zionist
Federation that was also the opening of the Leeds Hasbarah Centre. The
Leeds Zionist Federation is part of the Zionist Federation of Great
Britain and Ireland, motto “Speaking Up for Israel.” A collection was
made at the meeting to send packages to members of the Israeli Defence
Force.
link to www.craigmurray.org.uk
 
Stephen Zunes: Iran Threat Reduction Act Actually Enhances Threat of War
Never in the history of this country has Congress ever restricted the
right of the White House or State Department to meet with
representatives of a foreign state, even in wartime. If this measure
passes, it will establish a dangerous precedent.
link to www.huffingtonpost.com
 Israel’s threat to attack Iran– will Obama capitulate to that as
well?, Jerome Slater
Avner Cohen is an Israeli political scientist, currently at the Monterey
   Institute of International Affairs.   He is considered to be the
world's foremost expert on the Israeli nuclear program.  His work is so
  accurate and authoritative, in fact, that he has come close to being
arrested when returning to Israel.
http://mondoweiss.net
 Propaganda Revisited:Iraq, Iran, and the Rhyming of History, Nima Shirazi
Last night's GOP debate in South Carolina proved a few things (beyond
revealing widespread Republican support for torture and the permanent military
occupation of Middle Eastern countries):
Republican candidates - with the notable exception of Ron Paul - are really
scared of an Iranian nuclear weapons program that doesn't exist. In fact, some
of them - not Herman Cain - would really like to see the Islamic Republic bombed
by the United States or Israel or both as soon as possible.
link to www.wideasleepinamerica.com

Diplomatic showdown set for IAEA talks on Iran
Western  powers are set for a diplomatic showdown against Russia and
China at  the IAEA this week, as tension mounts over the UN watchdog's
explosive  report on Iran's nuclear program. "This will be a tough one,"
  one senior  Western official in Vienna said. "We can all see from the
statements  coming out of various capitals, including Moscow, that there
  are strong  views on this issue." The IAEA report, released last
Tuesday, cited  "credible" information in determining that Iran appears
to have "carried  out activities relevant to the development of a
nuclear explosive  device."

link to english.al-akhbar.com


Analysis / Op-ed
 Don`t tell me Israeli apartheid doesn`t exist. My father implemented agrarian
apartheid
Udi  Aloni--Richard Goldstone on Israel and apartheid (Credit:
Reuters/Denis  Balibouse/AP) I write as an Israeli Jew who was brought
up and molded  at the very center of secular, Zionist Israel. My
parents, Reuven and  Shulamit Aloni, exemplify everything that is good
and just about Israel  for humanistic Jews like Judge Richard Goldstone,
  the noted South  African jurist, who in a recent New York Times Op-Ed,
denied the  practice of apartheid in Israel.
link to www.salon.com
 
‘Washington Post’ touts that ‘weird wonderful Israeli democracy’,Philip
Weiss
Last week Andrew Sullivan described Washington Post columnist Jackson Diehl as
a "spokesman" for Netanyahu. The job description is intact in Diehl's latest
column, which states the case for attacking Iran "with the Holocaust in mind,"
which is to say, it portrays Iranians as Nazis: "The religious
motivations of Iranian rulers.... mean Tehran might be willing to accept even
devastating civilian casualties in exchange for wiping out the
Jewish state."
link to http://mondoweiss.net
 Playground Bullying of Palestine, Iran Must Stop, Stuart Littlewood - UK
Last Friday I had a 2-hour meeting with my MP Henry Bellingham, who is a
   minister in the Foreign Office. We spent much of the time discussing
the Palestinian statehood question and the absurd sabre-rattling against
   Iran. Mr. Bellingham listened politely, saying he was more sympathetic
   to the Palestinian cause than some within the Government. He also
agreed  that the best way to influence Iran was to resume trade.
link to palestinechronicle.com

Dennis Ross: The Undiplomatic History, Max Blumenthal
The  Friday resignation of chief White House adviser on the Middle East
  Dennis Ross drew sharply contrasting reactions that reflected the
sectarian, pro-Israel agenda his presence in government represented.
AIPAC, the key arm of the Israel lobby, issued a rare statement hailing
  Ross’s legacy. “In his tireless pursuit of Middle East peace,
Ambassador  Ross has maintained a deep understanding of the strategic
value of the  US-Israel relationship and has worked vigorously to
prevent Iran from  acquiring nuclear weapons.” Rashid Khalidi, a former
negotiator for the  PLO who now directs the Middle East Institute of
Columbia's School of  International and Public Affairs, had a less
positive take on Ross's  legacy.
link to english.al-akhbar.com

Unsettled, with Amira Hass
An  excerpt from my interview with Israeli journalist, Amira Hass for
Guernica Magazine: When it comes to her coverage of Palestinians,
Israeli journalist Amira Hass is one of a kind. Yet she blends right in
  at the Canadian bus station where I pick her up.
link to pulsemedia.org
 
Palestine – What Next?, Alan Hart
In advance of the formal burial of the Palestinian Authority's bid for state
recognition at the UN, BBC Radio 4's
flagship Today programme  was on the right track. In his introduction to a
quite revealing  report, presenter John Humphrys said reporter Kevin
Connolly had gone to  Israel to find out "what hopes there are, if any,
for the establishment of a Palestinian state."
link to sabbah.biz
 Qatar Presses Decisive Shift in Arab Politics, ANTHONY SHADID
The tiny emirate’s intentions remain murky to its neighbors and even
allies — some see a Napoleon complex, others an Islamist agenda.
link to feeds.nytimes.com
 
No, that wasn’t an al-Qaeda Flag over Benghazi,, Juan Cole
I asked a Libyan scholar about the silly urban legend going around that an
“al-Qaeda” flag flew from a government building in Benghazi recently.
link to www.juancole.com
 Lebanese Political Talk Show Rumbles: A Tentative Top Five
As  regular readers will attest, I’m something of a Lebanese political
talk  show junkie. Shows like Kalam al-Nas, Bi-Mawdu`iyyeh, al-Fasad,
and  others, in my view, do a much better job of derailing politicians
off  their talking points than most of their counterparts in the
West. In a  country where the print media is largely ignored and has a
marginal  influence on  politics, getting your message across on these
weekly TV  programs is a vital piece of every political party’s
strategy. As a  result, what one usually gets  is a very lively debate
between two  politicians from rival parties. Occasionally, it gets ugly.
  The clips  below are some of my favorite rumbles from the past few
years, in no  particular order.
link to qifanabki.com

[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]

Land theft and destruction / Ethnic cleansing / Palestinian culture & history

Lawmakers to debate bill forcing Israeli government to approve settlement
construction
Under the proposal, Israel's construction and housing minister
would be obligated to publish annual tenders for construction in West
Bank and East Jerusalem.
link to www.haaretz.com
 
Israeli housing ministry to build 5000 new housing units in OJ
The Israeli housing and construction ministry has published tenders
inviting those interested to bid for the construction of 5000 new
housing units in occupied Jerusalem.
link to www.palestine-info.co.uk
 
Israel to build 2,000 West Bank apartments
Move  seen as latest Israeli retaliation for Palestinian Authority's
UNESCO  bid; construction plans condemned by US, Europe in past.
link to www.ynetnews.com

Palestinian land in Wadi Hilweh to be converted to Municipal park
Jerusalem  Municipality officers and Israeli troops raided a plot of
Palestinian  land in Wadi Hilweh yesterday morning, 16 November. Troops
removed the  iron gate to the land, which belongs to the Al-Helaisi
family of Wadi  Hilweh. Several olive trees were destroyed by troops,
the Municipality  later claiming that they had been planted there
“without permission”.
link to silwanic.net

Municipality earmarks Palestinian land for park in Silwan
Jerusalem  Municipality officers officially surveyed a piece of land in
Silwan on  15 November, claiming that the land has been earmarked for
construction  of a public park. The land in question belongs to two
Palestinian and  lies between Abbasiyeh, Abu Tur and Rababeh Valley
neighborhoods, and  next door to an elementary school for girls. There
is fear that the land  could be the next Israeli appropriation of
Palestinian land under the  auspices of the Nature Authority.
Municipality officers conducted the  visit in conjunction with
representatives of the Mount of Olives  Development Center, an
organization linked to the Municipality.  Palestinian residents of
Silwan have expressed fear that the land will  be taken over by the
Israeli Nature Authority for conversion to a  protected green space,
completing the Israeli-controlled encirclement of  Al-Bustan and Wadi
Hilweh districts. The adjacent school had requested  permission to
expand on to the land but was refused by the Municipality.  Municipal
officers stated that the park project will commence  implementation in
the coming week. 
link to silwanic.net
 Urgent: Stop Home Demolitions in Al Hadidiye
Stop the Wall has issued an urgent call to action to stop nine fresh
demolition orders issued by the Israeli authorities in the Palestinian
Bedouin community of Al Hadidiye. The destruction of Palestinian homes
and the ongoing colonization of Palestinian land is being carried out
under the cover of US acquiescence and with the assistance of US
companies like Caterpillarand Motorola. Stand in solidarity with the
Palestinian families facing demolition and heed Stop the Wall's call to
  action!
link to blog.endtheoccupation.org
 Haaretz: The Israeli gov't hid a report against illegal Derech Ha'avot outpost
The Israeli occupation authority (IOA) has withheld a report prepared
about one year ago on Derech Ha'avot outpost, so as it would not be used
   in a court of law, Haaretz newspaper said on Monday.
link to www.palestine-info.co.uk
 Israel stalling release of report proving West Bank outpost built on
Palestinian land
Chaim Levinson - Haaretz "The Military Advocate General (MAG ) is
delaying the publication of an internal report from a year ago which
shows that most of the West Bank outpost of Derekh Ha`avot is on private
   Palestinian land. The report, a copy of which was obtained by Haaretz,
   indicates that 60 percent of the Etzion Bloc community is on
Palestinian  farmland.
link to www.haaretz.com
 
"The Independent: Jewish settlements are encroaching on Palestinian territory
The Independent newspaper said Monday that the Jewish settlers are
expanding their presence in the occupied city of Jerusalem as the number
   of Palestinian natives continues to shrink.
link to www.palestine-info.co.uk

AFEH documents the digging of more graves at Ma'manullah cemetery
AFEH  revealed that dozens of Zionist workers have been engaged in
digging up  Muslim graves at the historic Ma’manullah cemetery in
occupied  Jerusalem.
link to www.palestine-info.co.uk

Russia and France slam Israel's settlement expansion in O. Jerusalem
Russia and France denounced Israel's declared intention to build 800 settlement
units in the occupied city of Jerusalem.
link to www.palestine-info.co.uk

The Bedouin struggle for water in the Jordan Valley, Ben Lorber
Speaking  to the Congress in May, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin
Netanyahu  remarked that Israel would maintain a long-term presence in
the West  Bank’s Jordan Valley. In the months that followed, the Israeli army 
stepped up its attacks on the water wells of the Palestinians who live  there.
 On November 14th, two water wells were demolished in Baqa’a, east of
Tammun, robbing hundreds of families of the ability to irrigate their land. On
October 13, farmers received demolition orders on several water wells in Kufr
al-Deek, a village in the town of Salfit
near Nablus. In September, Israeli military forces demolished 6 water
wells belonging to Palestinian Bedouin communities in the Jordan Valley, and
have threatened to demolish six more. In all these cases, the
unilateral actions are explicitly illegal because these wells were built with
full permission from the Palestinian Authority, in areas of the
Valley supposedly under exclusive Palestinian civil and military
control.
http://mondoweiss.net
 AICafe 19.11.11: discussion with Dr. Adnan Musallam, Bethlehem University
history professor
Please join us at the AICafe on Saturday, 19 November 2011 at 8:00 p.m.
  as Dr Adnan Musallam, professor of history at Bethlehem University,
discusses the Balfour Declaration and Jewish attempts to establish a
national homeland before the Holocaust
link to www.alternativenews.org
 AICafe 15.11.11: Palestinian independence from 1988-2011, a discussion with
Dr. Mohammed Naem Ferhat
Please join us at the AICafe on Tuesday, 15 November 2011 at 8:00 p.m.
as Dr Mohammad Na‘em Ferhat, Professor of Sociology at the Bethlehem
University and Al Quds Open University, discusses Palestinian attempts
to secure independence between 1988-2011.
link to www.alternativenews.org

Include Silwan settlements in visiting dignitaries’ tours, says minister
Silwan’s  settlements should be included in the official tours conducted
  for  visiting diplomats, said Israeli deputy foreign minister
Dani Ayaloun on  Tuesday, 15 November. The statement was made despite
evidence that all  settlements in Silwan, such as the best-known City of
  David settlement,  is constructed on confiscated Palestinian land. The
City of David was  visited recently by Dani Ayaloun, accompanied by Elad
  settlement group  head David Beiry. Ayaloun visited one of the tunnels
in the  archaeological site, which Elad claims to be the remains of King
  David’s  biblical palace. The visit was made with the agenda of
promoting Silwan  as a site of Jewish heritage – a claim that excludes a
  long Palestinian  history in the area. Excavations at the City of David
  site have yet to  produce any evidence that the site is in fact what
Elad claims.  Residents of Silwan have pursued court cases against Elad
in an attempt  to halt the dangerous tunnel-digging. While partially
successful, the  digging has now recommenced after a 14 month pause.
Elad conducts the  excavations in cooperation with the Israeli
Antiquities Authority.
link to silwanic.net


Israeli Violence / Abuse
 West Bank: Jewish teens hurl stones at cars
Yeshiva students aim to pelt Palestinian cars with stones but accidentally hit
Israeli vehicle.
link to www.ynetnews.com

Summary of the Judgment Concerning the Legality of the GSS' Interrogation
Methods
The  Court has held this day that the General Security Service (“GSS”)
is  not authorized, according to the present state of the law, to employ
   certain investigation methods that involve the use of physical
pressure  against a suspect. Several applications were brought before
the Supreme  Court (sitting as the High Court of Justice), in which it
was argued  that certain methods used by the GSS (for instance, the
shaking of a  suspect, holding him in particular positions for a lengthy
  period and  sleep deprivation) are not legal. This, among other
reasons, is due to  the lack of authority permitting the use of these
interrogation methods.
link to www.btselem.org
 
Political Detainees / Former Prisoners

Army Arrests Seven Palestinians in Hebron and Qalqilia including 4 children
Saed  Bannoura - IMEMC - army invaded Azzoun town, east of the northern
West  Bank city of Qalqilia, and arrested four children identified as
Qusai  Shaher Salim, Rashad Raed Shbeita, Ehab Taleb Mashal, and Ibrahim
  Ahmad  Enaya, all 17 years old.
link to www.imemc.org
 Army Kidnaps Palestinian Journalist In Jerusalem
Israeli  soldiers kidnapped on Wednesday evening a Palestinian
journalist in  Jerusalem after she was ordered to head to a security
center for  questioning.
link to www.imemc.org
 
Qaraq’e: “Long-Term Detainees Must Be Released”
The  Minister of Palestinian Detainees and Ex-detainees Affairs, Issa
Qaraq’e, has urged Egypt to exert pressure on Israel to free long-term
prisoners, the Palestinian news agency, Ma’an reported on Thursday.
link to www.imemc.org
 
Israel denies travel of liberated prisoner to Jordan for cancer treatment
The Israeli occupation authority (IOA) on Tuesday refused to allow
travel of liberated prisoner Amal Juma to Jordan for medical treatment,  her
brother Jamil told the PIC reporter.
link to www.palestine-info.co.uk

Israel forces 'ransack home' of freed prisoner
TULKAREM  (Ma'an) -- A recently-released prisoner said Israeli forces
ransacked  her home and threatened her on Thursday. Duaa al-Jayousi told
  Ma'an  Israeli troops raided her home in Tulkarem in the northern West
Bank,  searched her and told her she was "being watched." The soldiers
warned  her that she could return to prison, she added. Al-Jayousi's
mother  witnessed the raid. "It was brutal," she said, adding that she
couldn't  cope if her daughter was imprisoned again. A prisoner affairs'
  center  described the raid as "barbaric." Al-Jayousi was released in
October in a  prisoner swap deal between Israel and Hamas. She had spent
  10 years in  an Israeli jail. She was sentenced to three life terms and
  32 years.
link to www.maannews.net
 
Palestinian Prisoners: In the Shadows of Ramallah’s Nationalist Narrative
The  West Bank’s de-facto financial and political capital,
Ramallah, is  abuzz with the spectacle of prosperity and statehood.
Enormous portraits  of Palestinian Authority president Mahmoud Abbas
holding his  government’s statehood application at the United Nations
bedeck multiple  billboards about town. Construction on government
ministries, hotels,  and large-scale commercial real estate projects
continues around the  clock.
link to english.al-akhbar.com
 
Gaza

Gaza: Residents deprived of critical medications and medical care
By  late September, 36% of necessary supplies were lacking, compared to
25%  in 2010. The Israeli embargo of the Gaza Strip, which began in
2007,  together with years of financial crisis within the Palestinian
Authority  in Ramallah and the chronic lack of cooperation between the
Palestinian  Authority and Gaza authorities, have caused harm and
threaten Gaza's  health system and its patients.  Last spring, drug
companies stopped  supplying the Palestinian Authority. The situation,
which had been  worsening steadily for several years, deteriorated
further in 2011 and  has reached an alarming level. As Israeli bombs
struck the Gaza Strip in  mid-August, local health authorities called on
  international aid actors  working in the area for help. Since that
time, they have asked for  donations on a regular, long-term basis.
However, no humanitarian actor –  including Médecins Sans Frontières
(MSF) – has the financial and/or  logistical resources to provide the
drugs and medical supplies needed by  the Territory's health facilities.
link to www.msf.org

Over 26% of Palestinian Children Live in Poverty, says PCBS
RAMALLAH,  November 17, 2011 (WAFA) – Over 26% of Palestinian children
in the West  Bank and Gaza Strip lived below the poverty level in 2010,
according to  a new release by the Palestinian Central Bureau of
Statistics (PCBS)  published Thursday marking the International Child
Day. It said poverty  average among Palestinian households according to
patterns of  consumption was 21.4% in 2010, divided into 16% in the West
  Bank and  31.9% in Gaza Strip. Children who are suffering from poverty
form the  proportion of 26.9% out of all children, divided into 19% in
the West  Bank and 38.4% in Gaza Strip. Poverty among Gaza households
who have  children was 53.8% of the total poor households who have
children  compared to 46.2% in the West Bank.
link to english.wafa.ps
 
Gaza's Suffocating Siege, Stephen Lendman
In early November, the Gisha Legal Center for Freedom of Movement
published a report titled, "Scale of Control: Israel's Continued
Responsibility in the Gaza Strip." It explained little changed after its
alleged 2005 "disengagement." A 2007 Gisha report titled, "Disengaged 
Occupiers: The Legal Status of Gaza" argued that as an occupying power, Israel's
obligations continue. Its new publication updates it. Despite Israel claiming
no further responsibility, it exercises full control
of  Gaza's airspace, waters, borders, territory, infrastructure, power,
and  more. It collects customs and value added taxes for imported goods,
conducts regular incursions, excludes most exports, and maintains a
physical presence.
link to sjlendman.blogspot.com
 
Activism / Solidarity / Boycott, Divestment & Sanctions
 
Palestinian Youth Stand In Solidarity With Occupy Protesters
Dear  Brothers and Sisters, We, Herak Al-Shebabi Al-Mustaqil, an
independent  Palestinian youth movement working for the liberation of
Palestine, are  proud to stand in solidarity with those fighting global
injustice,  environmental degradation, and inequality.. We are proud to
stand  alongside those fighting corporate greed, military occupations
that are  profiting from wars. We are proud to be united with the Occupy Wall 
Street movement that began on September 17, 2011 in New York and
has  recently spread worldwide.
link to www.stopthewall.org
 Interview: Hunger strikes created "new sense of solidarity", Maureen Clare
Murphy
In an interview with The Electronic Intifada, activist Janan Abdu
describes how Israeli prison authorities tried to break the spirits of
political prisoner who recently went on hunger strike, including her
husband Ameer Makhoul.
link to electronicintifada.net
 Palestinians protest 'racist' bus policy
Israeli  authorities accused of operating a policy of racial segregation
  similar  to that in the American south in the 1960s. Six Palestinian
activists  calling themselves "freedom riders" after the campaigners of
the  American civil rights movement have been arrested while attempting
to  enter Jerusalem on an Israeli bus carrying settlers through the
occupied  West Bank. The activists said they aimed to demonstrate that
Israel's  occupation of the West Bank had resulted in a community
segregated on  racial lines, comparable to those of the American south
in the 1960s,  where African Americans defied segregation by using buses
  reserved for  "whites only".
link to www.guardian.co.uk
 ‘If Rosa Parks could have called a press conference it would have looked
like this’
Today  I appreciate the Jerusalem Post's Benjamin Spier for his
video coverage  (above) that begins with his saying, "If Rosa Parks
could have called a  press conference, it would have looked something
like this," as well  as  referencing the Freedom Riders as "Freedom
Riders" and interviewing stellar and brave Huwaida Arraf and Badee' Dwaik.
It thrills me to no end to hear their voices. I love hearing Palestinian voices,
the universal voice of sumud against  the oppressor, a voice they own like none
other in our time.
http://mondoweiss.net
 
Hollywood groups visit Israel and PA to learn about conflict
CCH Pounder ("Avatar" ) was the only member of the group who said she
encountered opposition to her visit here - in her case, from South
African friends. Schiff, for his part, was upset upon leaving the hotel  to
encounter a small group of demonstrators holding signs telling the
actors they should be ashamed of themselves and denouncing Israel's
"apartheid" policies.
link to www.haaretz.com
 
Anti
 
Poland's growing Palestine movement faces anti-Semitism smears, Ewa Jasiewicz
Despite attacks and slander, the Palestine solidarity movement in
Poland is pushing ahead and is able to influence media coverage and
popular education on Palestine.
link to electronicintifada.net
 ADL promotes conspiracy theories to undermine support for Palestine at Occupy
Wall Street, Ali Abunimah
In an move reminiscent of anti-Semitic attacks on Jews in America’s
past, the ADL is seeking to isolate and cast suspicion on supporters of
  Palestinian rights at Occupy Wall Street.
link to electronicintifada.net

Israel seeks minorities, gays for propaganda effortsby communications
The  Israeli government hopes to draw attention away from its illegal
occupation of Palestinian lands and ongoing human rights abuses by
recruiting minorities and members of the lesbian, gay, transgender,
bisexual (LGBT) community to conduct "public diplomacy" and to "sell
Israel as a democracy"
link to www.alternativenews.org
Heritage / Culture
 
Fair trade for Palestinians
A local Palestinian businessman has brought fair trade to the West Bank,
   buying olive oil and other produce from more than 1,500 West Bank
farmers and guaranteeing them a higher price.
http://rss.csmonitor.com
 Hani Almadhoun: From Resistance to Pop: Liberating Palestine with an Auto Tune
Thanks  to social media and talent competition shows like Super
Star, Star  Academy and now, Arabs' Got Talent, many young Palestinians
are getting  prime time exposure and introducing the Arab world to their
  voices and  their art.
link to www.huffingtonpost.com
 
Israeli Racism / Discrimination
 
Tibi: 'Death to Arabs' law is next
Israeli-Arab MK tells Arafat memorial ceremony in  Ramallah
'Lieberman a fascist settler living in my homeland.' Abbas:  Peace,
settlements don't mix.
link to www.ynetnews.com
 Why is this not made famous?
Khelil  sent me this:  "I'm reading a book on surfing by Michael Scott
Moore,  Sweetness and Blood, and came across this passage in the chapter
  on  surfing in Gaza and "Israel": "Tel Aviv has a 'separate beach,'
were a  high concrete wall runs from the sand into the water. Orthodox
Jews  avail themselves of the beach to swim without breaking mitzvahs
against  mixing without the opposite sex. On certain days only women can
  swim  there; on certain other days, only men."pg. 184. "
link to angryarab.blogspot.com
 Israeli reactions to Freedom Riders
Mya Guarnieri - +972 "The reaction of Israeli onlookers was
overwhelmingly negative, with bystanders making racist remarks; after
Israeli forces arrested the six activists, a Palestinian journalist was
  also detained."
link to 972mag.com
 
Repression of Israelis
 
Anat Kam appeals 4.5-year sentence
Former  IDF soldier convicted of passing thousands of classified
documents to  journalist petitions Supreme Court, saying sentence 'too
harsh'.
link to www.ynetnews.com

Israel’s Supreme Court rejects Anat Kamm’s request to delay prison sentence
Kamm, who as an IDF soldier gathered, held and passed on classified
information without authorization, will begin serving a prison sentence
  of four and a half years on Sunday.
link to www.haaretz.com
 
Academics rally behind Ben-Gurion University prof. fined for refusing IDF duty
Prof. Idan Landau has refused reserve duty for past 11 years, has
been imprisoned three times; first time university has taken steps
against him.
link to www.haaretz.com

Bibi Threatens Licenses of Israeli Media Which Publish List of Wealthiest
Israeli Politicians, Richard Silverstein
Tonight another major breaking story fresh from the Land of Milk,
Honey  and the Filthy Rich as reported by a confidential authoritative
Israeli  source.  A few days ago, Forbes Israel published a list of the 
wealthiest members of the Knesset.  No sooner was the article published than
Shargel reports it disappeared, as tends to happen when there are powerful
interests opposed to revelation of such information.  I’ll
unravel this mystery further on.
link to www.richardsilverstein.com
 
Political Developments / Diplomacy
 
PA seeks cash payoff from U.S., Israel for not pressing for UN recognition
Palestinians are prepared to suspend their efforts to achieve full  membership
in such agencies as the World Health Organization and the
World Trade Organization.
link to www.haaretz.com
 
PLO to Take Withheld Funds to Security Council, Ashrawi Condemns “Superiority
Complex”
On Wednesday, the PLO Executive Committee condemned Israel’s
continued withholding of the more than $100 million in Palestinian tax
revenues and said it would protest the move at the UN Security Council.
link to english.pnn.ps

PLO says Palestinian reconciliation will hit those opposed to UN membership
The  Executive Committee of the Palestine Liberation Organization (PLO)
has  said that national reconciliation will remove one of the excuses
used by  opponents of Palestine's membership of the UN. "Some parties
questioned  Palestine's eligibility for membership as long as the
division  remained," said a statement from the Committee. At a meeting
on Tuesday  in Ramallah, in the presence of PA President Mahmoud Abbas,
the  Executive Committee called for "real progress towards national
reconciliation and comprehensive elections". With presidential,
legislative and National Council elections, the PLO believes that
Palestinians will be able to develop a unified political vision, vital
in the face of regional political events.
link to www.middleeastmonitor.org.uk
 
France Says Israel Doesn’t Have to Apologize for Missile Strike that Wounded
French Consul
According to Israeli intelligence, Israeli warplanes struck and
destroyed a Hamas surveillance site on Monday night. The house 200
meters away, however, housed 44-year-old French consul in the Gaza Strip Majdi
Shakoura, his wife, and 13-year-old daughter.  Even after
Shakoura’s wife lost the baby she was carrying due to the trauma, the
French government said it had not asked Israel to apologize. 
link to english.pnn.ps
 
Mofaz: Israel has an intel problem in Gaza, Sinai
MK Shaul Mofaz (Kadima) said that Israel has had an intelligence
problem in the Gaza Strip and Sinai Peninsula in recent years, speaking  in the
Knesset Foreign Affairs and Defense Committee Tuesday. Mofaz, a  former IDF
chief, said that regarding those to "In that regard, the
Shin  Bet (Israel Security Agency) and Military Intelligence need to put their
house in order." Addressing the budget battle between the
Finance  and Defense Ministries, Mofaz said that ways to reduce the
budget must  be found without hurting the IDF's capabilities. The IDF
budget, he  added, "is only one part of the wider defense budget."
link to www.jpost.com

'Ireland most hostile country in Europe'
Foreign Ministry accuses Irish government of inciting against Israel.
Dublin City Council sponsors display presenting IDF soldiers as 'Nazi
troops' abusing Palestinians.
link to www.ynetnews.com

Suha Arafat: I never took money from Palestine
Yasser Arafat's widow denies corruption allegations, says she refused many
offers by Leah Rabin to visit Israel.
link to www.ynetnews.com


U.S.
 
Weighing in at 30,000 pounds, U.S. unveils new bomb
WASHINGTON
  — The US Air Force has a new 30,000-pound  bomb in its arsenal designed
  to penetrate targets buried deep  underground, a spokesman said
Tuesday. The Air Force started taking  delivery of the giant bomb, the
“Massive Ordnance Penetrator,” in  September, said Lieutenant Colonel
Jack Miller. Under an August 2  contract worth $32 million, the
aerospace firm Boeing is due to produce  eight of the giant MOP bombs to
  fulfil the Air Force’s “operational  needs,” according to Miller.
http://www.rawstory.com
Study: Execution capital of Texas mostly kills black prisoners
An  examination of records in one Texas county shows that 92 percent of
the  men recently condemned to die have been African Americans. A report
published Monday by The Houston Chronicle found that of the last 13 men
sentenced to death in Harris County, 12 have been black.

link to www.rawstory.com
 
Herman Cain’s Islamophobia Re-Emerges, Claims ‘A Majority Of Muslims Share
The Extremist Views’
Before being was known for his “999″ tax plan and sexual
harassment of women, Herman Cain garnered a reputation as the
Islamophobia Candidate in the Republican presidential race. In a
March interview with ThinkProgress, Cain declared that he “will not”
appoint any Muslims in his cabinet if he were elected president. Cain went on to
qualify this position over the ensuing weeks, bouncing from a blanket ban on
Muslims  to no restrictions at all to only allowing Muslims if they took
a special loyalty oath. Four months later, Cain relented and issued an apology
to Muslim Americans after meeting with a group of Muslim leaders.
link to thinkprogress.org
 
Other Mideast
 ICRC repatriates body of Lebanese from Israel
BEIRUT: The body of a Lebanese civilian was repatriated from Israel Wednesday,
facilitated by the International Committee of the Red Cross in Ras Naqoura on
the Israeli-Lebanese border. 
link to www.topix.net
 Arab League gives Syria 3 days to end 'bloody repression'
If the Assad government fails to stop the violence, the league says it
will impose economic sanctions. Arab foreign ministers Wednesday gave
Syria three days to cease what one league official called its "bloody
repression" against its people or face economic sanctions, the latest
sign of President Bashar Assad's growing isolation.
http://feeds.latimes.com


Turkish PM says Syria on 'knife edge'
Scores of people reported killed over the past 24 hours in one of the country's
bloodiest days of violence.
link to english.aljazeera.net
 Eric Bruneau, "Kurdish Leader: We Oppose Foreign Intervention in Syria"
It is surprising to see that, while the rest of Syria is torn by
violence, the Kurdish populated provinces remain quiet. "It's a tactical
   choice," say politicians from the Syrian Democratic Union Party, a
Kurdish opposition party. "There is a de facto truce between the Kurds
and the government. The security forces are overstretched over Syria's
Arab provinces to face demonstrators, and cannot afford the opening of a
   second front in Syrian Kurdistan. On our side, we need the army to
stay  away. Our party is busy establishing organizations, committees,
able to  take over from the Baath administration the moment the regime
collapses," said one PYD leader. To enforce this truce, their cells in
Afrin and Kobane stopped some Kurdish activists from organizing
demonstrations. They claim that all their efforts are about maintaining
  calm to avoid a bloodbath. . . . Syrian Kurdish leaders are skeptical
about the Syrian opposition that met several times since the unrest
started in Syria in March. The Kurds say the Arab parties do not
recognize the rights of the Kurdish population of Syria. . . .
Meanwhile, the Syrian Kurdish opposition is skeptical of Turkey’s
intimate involvement with the Syrian Arab opposition. A high-ranking PYD
   leader said, "We want change. But it must come from the Syrians, and
be  for the Syrians. It must not come from any external power willing to
   make Syria a satellite state. The PYD so opposes any foreign
intervention in Syria."
link to bit.ly
 Protesters storm Kuwaiti parliament 
Dozens of Kuwaitis demanding the prime minister's resignation have
briefly stormed parliamentary buildings as hundreds demonstrated
outside. The protesters had earlier on Wednesday marched to Prime
Minister Sheikh Nasser Mohammad al-Ahmad Al-Sabah's home to demand his
resignation, an opposition MP said, but police used batons to prevent
them. Al Jazeera's Will Jordan reports.
link to www.youtube.com
 Analysis: U.S. arms deal for Bahrain hinges on rights report (Reuters)
Reuters - The future of U.S. military support for Bahrain, starting with
   a $53 million arms deal now on the line, hinges on the findings of a
human rights investigation into the Gulf kingdom's handling of popular
protests earlier this year.
link to us.rd.yahoo.com
 Iraqi women 'afraid for country'
Three women tell how their lives have changed in the new Iraq.
link to www.bbc.co.uk
 Did U.S. troops bring democracy? Iraqis have doubts (Reuters)
Reuters  - Sitting in a barber shop in Baghdad's Shi'ite Sadr City slum,
  three  friends agreed after a long and hard argument that U.S. forces
brought  democracy to Iraq.
link to us.rd.yahoo.com
 Sami Moubayed: Preparing for a Sunni Arab Spring in Baghdad
The uprisings in Tunisia, Egypt, Yemen, Libya and now Syria have undoubtedly
awakened a Sunni appetite for change in Iraq. 
link to www.huffingtonpost.com
 Saudi moral committee threatens to cover “tempting” women’s eyes
Women  with sexy eyes in Saudi Arabia may be forced to cover them up,
according to the spokesperson of the Committee for the Promotion of
Virtue and the Prevention of Vice (CPVPV) in the conservative Gulf
kingdom. Spokesman of the Ha’eal district, Sheikh Motlab al-Nabet said
the committee has the right to stop a women whose eyes seem “tempting”
and order her to cover them immediately.
link to bikyamasr.com


Iran
 
Europe to Israel: Military strike on Iran nuclear program not an option
Iran and Israel are still issuing incendiary comments in response to the
   release of the Iran nuclear report. European leaders are pushing for
harsher sanctions instead of a military strike. 
http://rss.csmonitor.com
 Powers close to deal on IAEA Iran resolution (Reuters)
Reuters  - World powers look set to overcome their differences and agree
  on a  U.N. atomic agency resolution aimed at putting diplomatic
pressure on  Iran to address mounting fears about its nuclear program,
Western  diplomats said on Wednesday.
link to us.rd.yahoo.com
 Barak: I'd want nukes if I were Iranian
(Video)  Defense minister tells PBS' Charlie Rose should Iran obtain
nuclear  capabilities there would be no way to stop Saudi Arabia, Turkey
  or Egypt  from following suit. 'Israel allegedly has nukes,' he says.
link to www.ynetnews.com


Republicans Tell Israel: U.S. Will Back Strike Against Iran, Richard
Silverstein
Yisrael HaYom, Israel’s bought and paid for (by Sheldon Adelson, to the tune
of $3-million in losses monthly) propaganda sheet on behalf
of  Bibi Netanyahu, writes (Hebrew) that U.S. Republicans have been
reassuring Israel that if the latter attacks Iran, the U.S. will stand
behind it 100%.  The article claims that Congressional Republicans are
attempting to “pre-empt” Obama administration opposition to such a
strike with legislation that will obligate the government to stand
behind Israel as it defends itself against the Iranian nuclear threat,
up to, and including an Israeli attack.
link to www.richardsilverstein.com
 
Cult Killers of Iranian civilians & American officials are guests on Capitol
Hill
The US overlooks the history of the Mujahideen-e-Khalq because they
could be of service against Tehran. That would not be the first time:
From assisting anti-Shah forces, through assisting Saddam Hussein
against Tehran, the MEK's history of cult-for-hire is rich!
link to friday-lunch-club.blogspot.com

Missile Blast Disrupted Research on New Iranian Weapon Designed to Counter
Israel, Richard Silverstein
Earlier today, Iranian officials made two contradictory sets of statements about
the blast at the missile base two days ago, which killed 17 IRG  soldiers
including the “father of the Iranian missile program.  Majlis  speaker
Lariani denied any Israeli involvement in the incident saying
it  was a “fiction” not even worth wasting time discussing
link to www.richardsilverstein.com
 
Analysis / Op-ed
 Israeli-Palestinian jolt? Why some want to dismantle PA
Their UN membership bid failed. They don't want to resume
Israeli-Palestinian talks without a settlement freeze. Now some
Palestinian officials have a new idea: dismantle the Palestinian
Authority.
http://rss.csmonitor.com
 Israel blames Abbas for choosing Hamas over peace. Is he?
Palestinian  Authority President Mahmoud Abbas vowed today to accelerate
   reconciliation with Hamas, a sworn enemy of Israel, with elections to
be  held in May.
http://rss.csmonitor.com
 
Thank God Amira Hass never became a fashion writer
Great  interview of Israeli journalist Amira Hass by Jasmin Ramsey
at  Guernica. Read the whole piece for Hass's analysis of Jewish
Communists'  accommodation of Zionism. Guernica: How often do you go to
Israel to visit family? Amira  Hass: It’s not about [real] distances.
The distance is psychological.  It’s social. The distance is not in
kilometers. I can go to Jerusalem, I  have my privileges. That’s one
thing you have to understand. When I  lived in Gaza it was more
difficult because of the closure policy,  because of this restriction of
movement so you had to be checked. But I  have the privilege that I am
not restricted. As a Jew and a journalist I  have my privileges, and if
one doesn’t work I use the other one.  Israelis are not allowed to be in
Palestinian cities. But I am allowed  as a journalist. I never asked
permission to live there. I just moved  there. Now after seventeen years nobody
can tell me it’s forbidden. I  have privileges even in
comparison to a Palestinian Israeli because  Palestinian Israelis who
live permanently in Ramallah risk their status,  not as citizens but as
residents. They might lose their social rights  if they move to
Ramallah. But I won’t, so I live with privileges. That  notion is very
difficult for me as a child who was raised in a left-wing  family, a
family of people who suffered discrimination as Jews abroad.  The notion that I
am so privileged is disgusting. But this is what it  means to
live in a white society. You are white, so you are privileged.
http://mondoweiss.net
 Dubious Charlie Rose asks Ehud Barak why not one state?, Philip Weiss
Last night, Charlie Rose asked Israeli Defense Minister Ehud Barak what would
be so bad about a one-state solution. 34:00 or so. The dialogue  (partial
transcript below) is not in itself that remarkable, but it
followed on Rose expressing great discomfort with the Gaza onslaught of 
2008-2009-- "was it the appropriate response in your judgment?" Barak
came off as rigid and a bit high-handed. I sense Rose is reflecting
growing establishment impatience with Israel's actions, cf. David Remnick
saying, "I can't take the occupation any more." 
http://mondoweiss.net
 A Whiff of Egyptian Freedom for Gaza, Eric Walberg
The ongoing Freedom Waves campaign to break the siege of Gaza hit the
world headlines last week with the attempt by the Canadian Tahrir and
the Irish Saoirse -- Arab and Irish for freedom -- to bring aid to
Gazans directly. This time the boats left from Turkey, not Greece, where
   last June authorities refused to let the Freedom Flotilla depart. “Our
   efforts in Greece only fuelled our determination to challenge the
imprisonment of the people of Gaza. We said we would continue to sail
and so we are,” according to a Freedom Waves press statement.
link to palestinechronicle.com
 
Romney and Obama battle it out in the primary for the Israel lobby,  Philip
Weiss
In Saturday night's Republican debate, Mitt Romney gave a defiant
statement about Iran: he will stop it from getting nukes by any means,
Obama won't. Yesterday Obama sought to parry Romney, saying that he is
taking no option off the table. Are we witnessing a primary between
Romney and Obama right now, for the support of the Israel lobby?
http://mondoweiss.net
 Just When You Thought Hussein Ibish Couldnt Sink Any Lower
With his pretentious, not to mention disingenuous, erudition the
“pragmatic”, peace-loving, peace-processing Hussein Ibish has become the
intellectual godfather of the establishment Arabs in this
country. We don’t expect the unreasonably reasonable “realist” to
condemn the Zionist colonial project, call for the liberation of
Palestine, or take any principled and moral stance against the usurping  entity
in Palestine.  Such language, of course, would fall outside the  strictly
defined parameters of acceptable public discourse in
Washington  and render him a shunned miscreant cast out with the rest of us 
“fanatics” and “extremists.”
link to ikhras.com


Syria Uprising Falls Victim to Power Plays, Ramzy Baroud
Syrians continue to be victimized, not only in violent clashes with the  Syrian
military, but also by regional and international players with
various agendas. Protests in Syria began on January 26, and a more
inclusive uprising was set in motion on March 15. The initial demand was for
serious political reforms, but this was eventually raised to a
demand for full regime change, encompassing the unconditional departure  of
President Bashar al-Assad and his Ba'ath Party, which has ruled
Syria  for decades.
link to palestinechronicle.com
 The election monitors gaffe, Max Ajl
First  rule of solidarity: ask what the people under the gun want.
They speak!  “There is also the issue of substantial American debt that
was accrued  by an unjust dictatorial regime without the consent of the
people, that  still hangs over our head,” Ranya adds. “Working to help
us get this  debt dropped would be a powerful show of solidarity.” One
thing  Allesandrini notes, that is also worth highlighting, is the
sheer politeness and the tone of camaraderie in the letter from Cairo to the
comrades in Occupy Wall Street.link to www.maxajl.com

[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]

[Please read, respond and forward widely!]


ACTION ALERT: : PALESTINIAN CHILDREN HELD IN SOLITARY CONFINEMENT
December 14, 2011

According to Defense Children International, in October and November 2011,
at least four Palestinian children were held in solitary confinement by the
Israeli occupation army for between 3 and 24 days.

To read the story of Rasheed J. who was held in solitary confinement, go
here:
http://www.dci-palestine.org/documents/voices-occupation-rasheed-j-detention

On 18 October 2011, the UN Special Rapporteur on Torture called for an end
to the practice of solitary  confinement as well as a complete ban on its
use for juveniles.

"Considering the severe mental pain or suffering solitary
confinement may cause," Mr. M�ndez warned, "it can amount to torture or
cruel, inhuman or degrading treatment or punishment when used as a
punishment, during pretrial detention, indefinitely or for a prolonged
period, for persons with mental disabilities or juveniles." (See report to
the General Assembly
http://daccess-dds-ny.un.org/doc/UNDOC/GEN/N11/445/70/PDF/N1144570.pdf?OpenEleme\
nt)


ACTION

Al-Awda, the Palestine Right to Return Coalition calls on its members,
supporters and all people of conscience to write to President Barack Obama
and Secretary of State Hilary Clinton to protest and demand that they direct
the state of Israel to immediately cease all targeted arrests of Palestinian
children, and to release all Palestinian children from its prisons including
those held in solitary confinement. The US administration must demand an
immediate end to all forms of institutionalized and systematic abuse of
Palestinian children by the state of Israel. The US government, which
supports Israel to the tune of billions of taxpayer dollars a year while
most ordinary Americans are suffering in a very bad economy, is bound by its
laws and international conventions to cut off all aid to Israel until it
ends all of its violations of human rights and basic freedoms in a
verifiable manner.

To contact the White House, please use http://www.whitehouse.gov/contact/

Alternatively, write to:
President Barack Obama
The White House
1600 Pennsylvania Avenue NW
Washington, DC 20500

Call: 202-456-1414
Fax: 202-456-2461

To contact the Secretary of State:

Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton
U.S. Department of State
2201 C Street NW
Washington, DC 20520
Main Switchboard: 202-647-4000
Secretary Hillary Clinton Office: 202-647-5291
Fax: 202-261-8577

Please cc your correspondence to child.rights@...

Al-Awda, The Palestine Right to Return Coalition
PO Box 131352
Carlsbad, CA 92013, USA
Tel: 760-918-9441
Fax: 760-918-9442
Fax Toll Free: 866-619-2090
E-mail: info@...
WWW: http://al-awda.org

[Please Forward Widely!]

ACTION: SUPPORT AL-AWDA, A GREAT ORGANIZATION AND CAUSE!

Dear Friends and Supporters,

Al-Awda, The Palestine Right to Return Coalition needs your support! We call on
you to help implement the right of Palestinians to return to their homes and
land of origin.

The revelations of betrayal in the Palestine Papers reported by Al-Jazeera and
the Guardian make the work of Al-Awda even more necessary now. There is a
significantly heightened urgency to struggle and demand our right to return to
our homes and lands in historic Palestine.


The sacrifices of our sisters and brothers in the homeland are now greater than
ever:

1. Israel carried out a 22-day massacre in 2008-2009 that claimed the lives of
nearly 1500 Palestinians, permanently injured more than 5300, and destroyed
homes, health care facilities, schools, and farms. Palestinians in the Gaza
strip continue to live under a suffocating siege that denies their basic rights
as human beings and the fundamental right to return to their original homes.

2. The attacks on our people in the West Bank have continued unabated. In
al-Khalil (Hebron) the state-armed colonial settler movement has escalated its
attacks against the unarmed Palestinian population. Jerusalem is becoming
further fractured by plans to build even more 'Jewish only' enclaves and
Palestinian residents of Silwan have been a target for expulsion.

3. The Zionist state also continues its colonial project to ethnically cleanse
Akka and Yaffa of its Palestinian residents. Additionally, Palestinian villages
in the Naqab region are being systematically destroyed.

4. The situation of Palestinians in the refugee camps in Lebanon has continued
to deteriorate and funding for the work of The United Nations Relief and Works
Agency for Palestine Refugees (UNRWA) has been cut back. Nahr El-Bared refugee
camp, home to more than 30,000 Palestinians in Lebanon, has yet to be fully
rebuilt.

5. Nineteen thousand Palestinians left Iraq as a direct consequence of
harassment, intimidation, torture, and murder soon after the US occupation began
in 2003. Several hundred families are now here in the US struggling to make ends
meet in a very bad economy.


Work Al-Awda Accomplished
   a.. Maintained a program to provide humanitarian aid to Palestinian refugees
   b.. Recently launched a Palestine Child Rights Campaign that struggles and
advocates for the human rights of Palestinian children who are subjected to
systematic Israeli terrorism, detention, torture and violence.
   c.. Maintained a Palestine National Center with the goal of institutionalizing
our work and a view to professionalize, promote and facilitate activism related
to Al-Awda's mission and goals.
   d.. Established an Educational Resource Center which continues to grow
extending its collection of over three hundred books, a documentary film archive
and journals.
   e.. Increased local organizing for the return with the establishment of new
and the growth of existing chapters and action committees
   f.. Actively participated in Boycott, Divestment, and Sanctions (BDS)
campaigns, and will continue to do so until Palestinian rights are restored in
full.
The Challenges Ahead ...

We are committed to our founding principles but the challenges to those of us
living in forced exile from our homeland, and to those who support us, are
greater than they have ever been. Our task continues to be to provide
comprehensive public education on the rights of all Palestinian refugees to
return to their homes and lands of origin, and to full restitution of all their
confiscated and destroyed property in accordance with the Universal Declaration
of Human Rights, International law and United Nations Resolutions upholding such
rights. We are all called upon to make greater efforts than ever before. We
depend on your support to continue our work!

Here's How You Can Help Us Continue and Spread the Reach of Al-Awda's Work:

1. Join Al-Awda's monthly or annual sustainer program:
   To become a Monthly Sustainer, go to: http://www.al-awda.org/sustainers.html
   To become an Annual Sustainer, go to: http://www.al-awda.org/sustainers2.html
2. Make a one-time contribution:
   To make a One-Time Contribution, click on the PayPal Donate button at:
http://www.al-awda.org/donate.html. Alternatively, you can address your check or
money order to PRRC, PO Box 131352, Carlsbad CA 92013, USA
3. You can also help by Shopping for a Donation at our website. We offer a
variety of educational materials including interesting and unique books,
historical maps of Palestine (in Arabic and English), educational films, flags
of various sizes, and colorful greeting cards created by Palestinian children.
We also offer great looking T-shirts and caps. To view our entire selection, see
http://al-awdacal.org/shop.html

Thank you for your support.

We depend on it!

Al-Awda, The Palestine Right to Return Coalition
PO Box 131352
Carlsbad, CA 92013, USA
Tel: 760-918-9441
Fax: 760-918-9442
E-mail: info@...
WWW: http://al-awda.org

Al-Awda, The Palestine Right to Return Coalition (PRRC) is the largest network
of grassroots activists and students dedicated to Palestinian human rights. We
are a not for profit tax-exempt educational and charitable 501(c)(3)
organization as defined by the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) of the United
States of America. Under IRS guidelines, your donations to PRRC are
tax-deductible.

[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]

-Please Read, Respond and Forward-

Al-Awda: Urgent Action for Hana Yahya Al-Shalabi

Al-Awda, The Palestine Right To Return Coalition calls on all people of
conscience to take immediate action to help save the life of
Palestinian female political prisoner Hana Yahya Al-Shalabi who has
been illegally detained by Israeli authorities under the guise of
"administrative detention" without any charge or trial whatsoever.

Hana was an "administrative detainee" with NO charge for over 2 years
before she was released in October last year as a part of the
Shalit prisoner swap. She has been refusing food since her recapture
and is on day 9 of her hunger strike against her renewed
"administrative detention" again with NO charge.

This has been a common practice by the Israeli court system for
Palestinians who courageously challenge Israel's brutal and illegal
occupation of Palestine. Most recently was the case of Khader Adnan who
was also detained on a similar premise of "administrative detention"
without charges or trial. Due to his ill-treatment in jail he held an
unprecedented hunger strike of 67 days before the Israeli occupation
authorities were finally pressured by worldwide support for Khader Adnan. He
is now due to be released on April 17, 2012.

Please join the voices and support around the world to save Hana
Al-Shalabi's life and demand her immediate release from prison! Take
action now!

Please write to President Obama and voice your concern and demand that
the US administration intervene for the immediate release of Hana
Al-Shalabi from administrative detention. You can use the online form at:
http://www.whitehouse.gov/contact/submit-questions-and-comments

Call US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton: (202) 647-4000 or Office of
Near East Affairs: (202) 647-7209. Demand that the Secretary intervene
for the immediate release of Hana Al-Shalabi from administrative
detention.

Organize Rallies at your local Israeli Embassies.

Help spread awareness through social media and to all your contacts as
you deem fit after you take action!

Al-Awda, The Palestine Right to Return Coalition
PO Box 131352
Carlsbad, CA 92013, USA
Tel: 760-918-9441
Fax: 760-918-9442
Fax Toll Free: 866-619-2090
E-mail: info@...
WWW: http://al-awda.org

Al-Awda, The Palestine Right to Return Coalition (PRRC) is the largest
network of grassroots activists and students dedicated to Palestinian
human rights. We are a not for profit tax-exempt educational and
charitable 501(c)(3) organization as defined by the Internal Revenue
Service (IRS) of the United States of America. Under IRS guidelines,
your donations to PRRC are tax-deductible. To donate, please go to
http://www.al-awda.org/donate.html and follow the instructions. To
become a member, go to http://al-awda.org/membership.html

[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]

Palestinian Refugees Right to Return - Al-Awda

JOIN US ... on Facebook!

More than 98,800 members and growing!


Our mission is to support Palestinian refugees and their right to return to
their homes and lands of origin in Palestine.


   1.. The right of Palestinian refugees to return to their homes and lands is a
natural, fundamental, inalienable, legal and historical right.
   2.. The Right to Return is enshrined in the Universal Declaration of Human
Rights and International Law.
   3.. The right of Palestinian refugees to return to their homes and lands of
origin was affirmed by UNGA resolution 194 in 1948, and 135 times since.
   4.. The Right to Return is an individual right that cannot be delegated,
diminished, reduced or forfeited.
   5.. For a factsheet on the Palestinian Right to Return, see
http://www.al-awda.org/facts.html

Support Al-Awda, a Great Organization and Cause!

   Become a member: http://al-awda.org/membership.html
   Become a Sustainer:
   Monthly: http://al-awda.org/sustainers.html
   Annually: http://al-awda.org/sustainers2.html
   Donate: http://www.al-awda.org/donate.html

Until Return,

Al-Awda, The Palestine Right to Return Coalition
PO Box 131352
Carlsbad, CA 92013, USA
Tel: 760-918-9441
Fax: 760-918-9442
E-mail: info@...
WWW: http://al-awda.org

Al-Awda, The Palestine Right to Return Coalition (PRRC) is dedicated to
education and advocacy for the restoration in full of Palestinian human,
national, legal, political and historical rights with particular emphasis on the
right of Palestinians to return to their homes and lands of origin from which
they have been dispossessed since 1948. PRRC is a not for profit tax-exempt
educational and charitable 501(c)(3) organization as defined by the Internal
Revenue Service (IRS) of the United States of America. Under IRS guidelines,
your donations to PRRC are tax-deductible. To donate, please go to
http://www.al-awda.org/donate.html and follow the instructions. To become a
member, go to http://al-awda.org/membership.html


[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]

[If you are having trouble viewing this message in its proper format, please go
to http://www.al-awda.org/alert-shop2.html ]

Action: Shop for a Donation at Al-Awda!


Interested in furthering your knowledge about Palestine and its people?

Want to help make the Palestinian Right to Return a reality?

Looking for ways to show your support for Palestine and Palestinian refugees?

Why not shop for a donation at Al-Awda ( http://al-awda.org/shop.html ) and help
support a great organization and cause!!







Al-Awda offers a variety of educational materials including interesting and
unique books on everything from oral histories, Atlas, photo books on
Palestinian refugees, to autobiographies, narratives, political analysis, and
culture.

We also have historical maps of Palestine (in English), educational videos,
flags of various sizes, and colorful greeting cards created by Palestinian
children.

You can also show your support for a Free Palestine, and wear with pride, great
looking T-shirts, and caps.

Shop for a Donation at Al-Awda!

Visit http://al-awda.org/shop.html for these great items and more!

Al-Awda, The Palestine Right to Return Coalition
PO Box 131352
Carlsbad, CA 92013, USA
Tel: 760-918-9441
Fax: 760-918-9442
E-mail: info@...
WWW: http://al-awda.org

Al-Awda, The Palestine Right to Return Coalition (PRRC) is the largest network
of grassroots activists and students dedicated to Palestinian human rights. We
are a not for profit tax-exempt educational and charitable 501(c)(3)
organization as defined by the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) of the United
States of America. Under IRS guidelines, your donations to PRRC are
tax-deductible. To donate, please go to http://www.al-awda.org/donate.html and
follow the instructions. To become a member, go to
http://al-awda.org/membership.html

To join more than 98,000 members on our cause on facebook, please go to this
page.



[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]

[Please Post Widely!]

March 26, 2012

DAY 40 URGENT ACTION: FREE HANAA' SHALABI NOW!

Al-Awda, The Palestine Right To Return Coalition again appeals to all people
of conscience to take immediate action to help save the life of Palestinian
female political prisoner Hanaa' Al-Shalabi who has been detained by Israeli
authorities without any charge whatsoever. Hanaa' Al-Shalabi lies critically
ill in Israeli detention on day 40 of her hunger strike at the point where
death could come at any moment.

Hanaa' was an "administrative detainee" with NO charge for over 2 years
before she was released in October last year as a part of the Shalit
prisoner swap. She has been refusing food since her recapture on Thursday 16
February 2012 and is now on day 40 of her hunger strike against her renewed
"administrative detention" again with NO charge. Shalabi refused to appear
before the Israeli military court after she was transferred to hasharon
prison . The court sentenced her to administrative detention and has
rejected an appeal for her immediate release.

The Israeli occupation authorities and courts continue to detain
Palestinians under the Emergency Law of 1945, which was in force during the
British Mandate of Palestine.  This law allows the Zionist authorities to
detain Palestinians without trial or providing reason, and to repeatedly
extend the term of detention.  The Israeli authorities have also ratified
the Unlawful Combatant Law of 2000, which allows the occupation state to
detain Palestinians without charge or disclosure of the term of detention.
There are currently about 290 Palestinian administrative detainees, among
them the chairman of the Palestinian Legislative Council (PLC), a number of
other PLC members, Sheikh Khader Adnan, who recently ended his hunger strike
after 66 days, and Hanaa' Al-Shalabi. Sheikh Khader Adnan is due to be
released on April 17, 2012.

TAKE ACTION NOW!

Please join the voices and support around the world to save Hanaa'
Al-Shalabi's life and demand her immediate release from prison!

Write to President Obama and voice your concern and demand that the US
administration intervene for the immediate release of Hanaa' Al-Shalabi from
administrative detention and save her life. You can use the online form at:
http://www.whitehouse.gov/contact/submit-questions-and-comments

Call US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton: (202) 647-4000 or Office of Near
East Affairs: (202) 647-7209. Demand that the Secretary intervene for the
immediate release of Hanaa' Al-Shalabi from administrative detention.

Organize rallies.

Help spread awareness through social media and to all your contacts after
you take action!

Al-Awda, The Palestine Right to Return Coalition
PO Box 131352
Carlsbad, CA 92013, USA
Tel: 760-918-9441
Fax: 760-918-9442
E-mail: info@...
WWW: http://al-awda.org

Al-Awda, The Palestine Right to Return Coalition (PRRC) is the largest
network of grassroots activists and students dedicated to Palestinian human
rights. We are a not for profit tax-exempt educational and charitable
501(c)(3) organization as defined by the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) of
the United States of America. Under IRS guidelines, your donations to PRRC
are tax-deductible. To donate, please go to
http://www.al-awda.org/donate.html and follow the instructions. To become a
member, go to http://al-awda.org/membership.html

[Please Read, Respond and Forward Widely!]

URGENT:

DEMAND THE IMMEDIATE RELEASE OF ALL PALESTINIAN POLITICAL
DETAINEES!


Al-Awda, The Palestine Right To Return Coalition calls on all people of
conscience to take immediate action to help save the lives of Palestinian
political prisoners who have been detained by Israeli authorities without
any charge whatsoever, and eight of whom are on open ended hunger strike,
some at the point where death could come at any moment. The Israeli
occupation continue to detain Palestinians under the Emergency Law of 1945,
which was in force during the British Mandate of Palestine and allows
the Zionist authorities to detain Palestinians without trial or providing
reason, and to repeatedly extend the term of detention. The Israeli
authorities have also ratified the Unlawful Combatant Law of 2000, which
allows the occupation state to detain Palestinians without charge or
disclosure of the term of detention.

There are currently 320 Palestinian administrative detainees of whom eight
are on open-ended hunger strike, and have been identified by Addameer, the
Palestinian Prisoners Association and Al-Mezan as follows:

1. Mahmoud Kamel Mohammed As-Sersik, 25, from the Ash-Shaboura neighborhood
in Rafah, was arrested by the IOF on 22 July 2009 while on his way to join
the Balatta Youth Sports Club. As-Sersik is a member of the Palestinian
national soccer team. On 23 August 2009, the IOF extended his detention
under Israel's Unlawful Combatant Law. No evidence was provided in
justification of his detention, and the term of detention was not specified.
He has been on hunger strike for 21 consecutive days in protest against the
continuation of his detention without charge or trial. On 8 April 2012, he
was transferred from Negev prison to solitary confinement in Eshel prison in
Beer Sheva.

2. Thaer 'Aziz Mahmoud Halahla, 33, from Kharas village in Hebron district
in the West Bank, was arrested in his home on 27 June 2010. On 5 March 2012,
his term of administrative detention was extended for six months. He has now
been on hunger strike for 44 consecutive days in protest against his
detention without trial. On 28 March 2012, he was referred to the Ar-Ramla
prison hospital due to the deterioration of his health.

3. Belal Nabil Sa'eed Diyab, 27, from Kafer Ra'i village in Jenin district
in the West Bank, was arrested on 17 August 2011. On 14 February 2012, his
term of administrative detention was extended for six months. He has now
been on hunger strike for 45 consecutive days in protest against his
detention without trial. On 28 March 2012, he was referred to the Ar-Ramla
prison hospital due to his deteriorating state of health.

4. Ja'far Ibrahim Mohammed Eiz Ad-Din, 41, from 'Arraba village in Jenin,
was arrested by the IOF on 21 March 2012. On the same day, he was placed
under an order of administrative detention for a term of six months. He is
now on hunger strike for the 22nd consecutive day in protest against his
detention without charge. On 28 March 2012, he was transferred from Megiddo
prison to solitary confinement in Al Jalama prison. His family reports that
they have received information that he has since been transferred to
Ar-Ramla prison hospital.

5. Ahmed Nabhan Da'san Saqer, 48, from 'Asskar refugee camp in Nablus, was
arrested on 20 November 2008. On 24 January 2012, his term of administrative
detention was again extended for a period of four months. He is now on
hunger strike for the 31st consecutive day in protest against his detention
without charge. He is being held in Shata prison.

6. Mohammed Rafeq Kamel At-Taj, 40, from Toubas in Nablus district, was
arrested in his home on 19 November 2003. He was sentenced to 16 years'
imprisonment. He has now been on hunger strike for 29 consecutive days.

7. Hasan Zahi As-Safadi, 34, from Ein Al Maa' refugee camp in Nablus, was
detained on 29 June 2011. On 29 January 2012, his term of administrative
detention was extended for another four months. He is now on hunger strike
for the 39th consecutive day. On 6 April 2012, he was referred to the prison
hospital in Ar-Ramla due to the deterioration of his health.

8. Omar Mousa Mesleh Shalaeil, 45, from Nablus, was detained on 15 August
2011 while he was on his way to perform the 'Umrah, a pilgrimage to Mecca.
On 15 February 2012, his administrative detention was extended for another
six months. He is now on hunger strike for the 41st consecutive day. On 4
April 2012, he was referred to the prison hospital in Ar-Ramla due to his
deteriorating state of health.

ACT NOW!

Please join the voices around the world to help save the lives of the eight
political detainees on hunger strike and demand the immediate release of
all the 320 administrative detainees!

Write to President Obama to demand that the US
administration intervene for the immediate release of all 320 Palestinian
administrative detainees and to save the lives of the eight on open ended
hunger strike. You can use the online form at:
http://www.whitehouse.gov/contact/submit-questions-and-comments

Call US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton: (202) 647-4000 or Office of Near
East Affairs: (202) 647-7209. Demand that the Secretary intervene for the
immediate release of all 320 administrative detainees and save the lives of
the eight who are on open ended hunger strike.

Organize rallies. Palestinian Political Prisones Day is April 17.

Help spread awareness through social media and call all your contacts to act
after you take action yourself!

Until Return,

Al-Awda, The Palestine Right to Return Coalition
PO Box 131352
Carlsbad, CA 92013, USA
Tel: 760-918-9441
Fax: 760-918-9442
E-mail: info@...
WWW: http://al-awda.org

Al-Awda, The Palestine Right to Return Coalition (PRRC) is the largest
network of grassroots activists and students dedicated to Palestinian human
rights. We are a not for profit tax-exempt educational and charitable
501(c)(3) organization as defined by the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) of
the United States of America. Under IRS guidelines, your donations to PRRC
are tax-deductible. To donate, please go to
http://www.al-awda.org/donate.html and follow the instructions. To become a
member, go to http://al-awda.org/membership.html


[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]

[Please read, respond and forward widely!]



Dear Friends and Supporters,

Al-Awda, The Palestine Right to Return Coalition needs your support! We call on
you to help implement the right of Palestinians to return to their homes and
land of origin.

The outbreak of the Arab Spring and the calls for freedom in the Arab World make
the work of Al-Awda even more important and necessary. There is a significantly
heightened urgency to demand our right to return to our homes and lands in
historic Palestine.

Some work Al-Awda accomplished in 2011 and 2012 to keep the right to return
cause alive:
   a.. Maintained a humanitarian aid program to Palestinian refugees.
   b.. Launched a Palestine Children's Rights Campaign to advocate for the
release of all Palestinian children from Israeli prisons and to end the
systematic Israeli terrorism, detention, torture and violence the children are
subjected to.
   c.. Held Al-Awda's Ninth Annual International Convention in Garden Grove,
California with hundreds of activists, speakers and supporters. Preparations for
the tenth convention are well under way.
   d.. Organized speaking tours, lectures and discussions with a number of
renowned experts including: Dr. Salman Abu Sitta, Tariq Ali, artist Samia
Halabi, authors Susan Abulhawa, Ibtisam Barakat, and Mark Gonzales, and held
community discussions about the meaning of the right  to return from personal
perspectives.
   e.. The Southern California chapters held their Fifth Annual Palestine Picnic
Day drawing hundreds of community members and supporters to the event. The
Houston chapter held its first Palestine picnic drawing hundreds.
   f.. Organized film showings including the Nakba documentaries produced by
Aljazeera.
   g.. Organized a number of protests around the US for ending the siege of Gaza,
in support of the Arab Spring, for the right to return and calling for the
release of all Palestinian political prisoners.
   h.. Recruited over 100,000 members to Al-Awda's cause on Facebook.
   i.. Maintained a Palestine National Center with the goal of institutionalizing
and professionalizing our work.
   j.. Established an Educational Resource Center which continues to grow
extending its collection of over three hundred books, a documentary film archive
and journals.
   k.. Increased local organizing for the return with the growth of existing
chapters and establishment of new ones including Al-Awda Washington DC and
Al-Awda Conejo in California.
   l.. Actively participated in boycott, divestment, and sanction (BDS) actions,
and will continue to do so until Palestinian rights are restored in full.
   m.. Held Yom El-Ard commemorations around the US
   n.. Al-Awda Cleveland participated in the Occupy AIPAC summit and protest in
Washington, DC, in the Global March to Jerusalem and co-sponsored The Political
Economy of Palestine lecture at Cleveland State University;  The chapter also
held a rally to mark the 54th annual commemoration of the Deir Yassin massacre.
The Challenges Ahead:

Al-Awda, The Palestine Right to Return Coalition, is committed to its founding
principles. The challenges to those of us living in forced exile from our
homeland, and to those who support us, are greater than they have ever been! Our
task continues to be to organize and educate on the rights of all Palestinian
refugees to return to their homes and lands of origin, and to full restitution
of all confiscated and destroyed property in accordance with the Universal
Declaration of Human Rights, International law and United Nations Resolutions
upholding such rights. We are all called upon to make greater efforts than ever
before.

Here's How You Can Help Us Continue and Spread the Reach of Al-Awda's Work:

Join Al-Awda's Monthly or Annual Sustainer Program:
   To become a Monthly Sustainer, go to: http://www.al-awda.org/sustainers.htm
   To become an Annual Sustainer, go to: http://www.al-awda.org/sustainers2.htm
Make a Contribution:

To contribute at any time, click on the PayPal Donate button at:
http://www.al-awda.org/donate.html  Alternatively, you can address your check or
money order to PRRC, PO Box 131352, Carlsbad CA 92013, USA

You can also Shop for a Donation at our website. We offer a variety of
educational materials including interesting and unique books, historical maps of
Palestine (in Arabic and English), educational films, flags of various sizes,
and colorful greeting cards created by Palestinian children. We also offer great
looking T-shirts and caps. To view our entire selection, see
http://al-awda.org/shop.html

Thank you for your support. We depend on it.

Unyil Return,

Al-Awda, The Palestine Right to Return Coalition
PO Box 131352
Carlsbad, CA 92013, USA
Tel: 760-918-9441
Fax: 760-918-9442
E-mail: info@...
WWW: http://al-awda.org

Al-Awda, The Palestine Right to Return Coalition (PRRC) is the largest network
of grassroots activists and students dedicated to Palestinian human rights. We
are a not for profit tax-exempt educational and charitable 501(c)(3)
organization as defined by the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) of the United
States of America. Under IRS guidelines, your donations to PRRC are
tax-deductible. To donate, please go to http://www.al-awda.org/donate.html and
follow the instructions. To become a member, go to
http://al-awda.org/membership.html

[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]

[Please read, respond and forward widely!]


Dear Friends and Supporters,

Al-Awda, The Palestine Right to Return Coalition needs your support! We call on
you to help implement the right of Palestinians to return to their homes and
land of origin.

The outbreak of the Arab Spring and the calls for freedom in the Arab World make
the work of Al-Awda even more important and necessary. There is a significantly
heightened urgency to demand our right to return to our homes and lands in
historic Palestine.

Some work Al-Awda accomplished in 2011 and 2012 to keep the right to return
cause alive:
   a.. Maintained a humanitarian aid program to Palestinian refugees.
   b.. Launched a Palestine Children's Rights Campaign to advocate for the
release of all Palestinian children from Israeli prisons and to end the
systematic Israeli terrorism, detention, torture and violence the children are
subjected to.
   c.. Held Al-Awda's Ninth Annual International Convention in Garden Grove,
California with hundreds of activists, speakers and supporters. Preparations for
the tenth convention are well under way.
   d.. Organized speaking tours, lectures and discussions with a number of
renowned experts including: Dr. Salman Abu Sitta, Tariq Ali, artist Samia
Halabi, authors Susan Abulhawa, Ibtisam Barakat, and Mark Gonzales, and held
community discussions about the meaning of the right  to return from personal
perspectives.
   e.. The Southern California chapters held their Fifth Annual Palestine Picnic
Day drawing hundreds of community members and supporters to the event. The
Houston chapter held its first Palestine picnic drawing hundreds.
   f.. Organized film showings including the Nakba documentaries produced by
Aljazeera.
   g.. Organized a number of protests around the US for ending the siege of Gaza,
in support of the Arab Spring, for the right to return and calling for the
release of all Palestinian political prisoners.
   h.. Recruited over 100,000 members to Al-Awda's cause on Facebook.
   i.. Maintained a Palestine National Center with the goal of institutionalizing
and professionalizing our work.
   j.. Established an Educational Resource Center which continues to grow
extending its collection of over three hundred books, a documentary film archive
and journals.
   k.. Increased local organizing for the return with the growth of existing
chapters and establishment of new ones including Al-Awda Washington DC and
Al-Awda Conejo Valley in California.
   l.. Actively participated in boycott, divestment, and sanction (BDS) actions,
and will continue to do so until Palestinian rights are restored in full.
   m.. Held Yom El-Ard commemorations around the US
   n.. Al-Awda Cleveland participated in the Occupy AIPAC summit and protest in
Washington, DC, in the Global March to Jerusalem and co-sponsored The Political
Economy of Palestine lecture at Cleveland State University;  The chapter also
held a rally to mark the 64th annual commemoration of the Deir Yassin massacre.
The Challenges Ahead:

Al-Awda, The Palestine Right to Return Coalition, is committed to its founding
principles. The challenges to those of us living in forced exile from our
homeland, and to those who support us, are greater than they have ever been! Our
task continues to be to organize and educate on the rights of all Palestinian
refugees to return to their homes and lands of origin, and to full restitution
of all confiscated and destroyed property in accordance with the Universal
Declaration of Human Rights, International law and United Nations Resolutions
upholding such rights. We are all called upon to make greater efforts than ever
before.

Here's How You Can Help Us Continue and Spread the Reach of Al-Awda's Work:

Join Al-Awda's Monthly or Annual Sustainer Program:
   To become a Monthly Sustainer, go to: http://www.al-awda.org/sustainers.htm
   To become an Annual Sustainer, go to: http://www.al-awda.org/sustainers2.htm
Make a Contribution:

To contribute at any time, click on the PayPal Donate button at:
http://www.al-awda.org/donate.html  Alternatively, you can address your check or
money order to PRRC, PO Box 131352, Carlsbad CA 92013, USA

You can also Shop for a Donation at our website. We offer a variety of
educational materials including interesting and unique books, historical maps of
Palestine (in Arabic and English), educational films, flags of various sizes,
and colorful greeting cards created by Palestinian children. We also offer great
looking T-shirts and caps. To view our entire selection, see
http://al-awda.org/shop.html

Thank you for your support. We depend on it.

Until Return,

Al-Awda, The Palestine Right to Return Coalition
PO Box 131352
Carlsbad, CA 92013, USA
Tel: 760-918-9441
Fax: 760-918-9442
E-mail: info@...
WWW: http://al-awda.org

Al-Awda, The Palestine Right to Return Coalition (PRRC) is the largest network
of grassroots activists and students dedicated to Palestinian human rights. We
are a not for profit tax-exempt educational and charitable 501(c)(3)
organization as defined by the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) of the United
States of America. Under IRS guidelines, your donations to PRRC are
tax-deductible. To donate, please go to http://www.al-awda.org/donate.html and
follow the instructions. To become a member, go to
http://al-awda.org/membership.html

[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]

[Please forward widely!]

JOIN THE ARAB COMMUNITY OF SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA

For The Sixth Annual
PALESTINE PICNIC DAY!!

SUNDAY July 15, 2012, 11:00 am
Food: 1:00 pm - 3:30 pm

Location: El Dorado East Regional Park - Golden Grove
7550 East Spring Street, Long Beach, CA 90815

ALL WELCOME!

Picnic Menu
hot off-the-grill beef and chicken kebab, hummus, falafel, salad,
beverages, coffee, fruit, soft drinks, water and more!

Games for Adults and Children
Volleyball, Soccer, Backgammon, Prizes,
Fun and Free Face Painting for the Kids, and more!!!

Arabic Music! Dabke! And More!
Musicians, DJ's, Dabke groups etc who would like to perform during the Sixth
Annual Palestine Picnic Day, please contact info@....

Displays
Also any  organization wishing to have displays at the event, please write to
info@... to secure your spot.

Come spend a nice summer afternoon and evening with the Arab community and our
friends!

Suggested donation:
$10 per each adult plate, $5 per each child plate (child is 12 and under)

Sponsorship:
We welcome sponsorship to help underwrite costs associated with the picnic.
Sponsors will be recognized at the picnic unless requested otherwise. To
submit your sponsorship donation, please go to
http://al-awdacal.org/pic5sponsor.html

Directions:
Exit from 605 at Spring St; Take Park entrance on right side off Spring St;
Follow main road toward Train Ride; Go Under Wardlow Bridge and take left at
fork in road (away from Train Ride); Enter Parking at 1st picnic area on
right.

Parking:
City of Long Beach $7 per car all day parking at the park. Street parking is
free.

The list of supporting organizations for this year's Palestine Picnic Day is
in formation. Current sponsors include: Al-Awda, The Palestine Right to
Return Coalition, Palestinian American Women's Association (PAWA), Union of
Palestinian American Women, Almoubadara (USA), Palestine Children Relief
Fund, and others.

Yalla Truck is a Sponsor of The Sixth Annual Palestine Picnic Day! Yalla
Truck provides some of the most Delicious Falafel in the Los Angeles area.
Come, Check it out!

On facebook: http://www.facebook.com/events/387731434612707/

[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]

[Please forward widely!]

JOIN THE ARAB COMMUNITY OF SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA

For The Sixth Annual
PALESTINE PICNIC DAY!!

SUNDAY July 15, 2012, 11:00 am
Food: 1:00 pm - 3:30 pm

Location: El Dorado East Regional Park - Golden Grove
7550 East Spring Street, Long Beach, CA 90815

ALL WELCOME!

Picnic Menu
hot off-the-grill beef and chicken kebab, hummus, falafel, salad,
beverages, coffee, fruit, soft drinks, water and more!

Games for Adults and Children
Volleyball, Soccer, Backgammon, Prizes,
Fun and Free Face Painting for the Kids, and more!!!

Arabic Music! Dabke! And More!
Musicians, DJ's, Dabke groups etc who would like to perform during the Sixth
Annual Palestine Picnic Day, please contact info@....

Displays
Any organization wishing to have displays at the event, please write to
info@... to secure your spot.

Come spend a nice summer afternoon and evening with the Arab community and our
friends!

Suggested donation:
$10 per each adult plate, $5 per each child plate (child is 12 and under)

Sponsorship:
We welcome sponsorship to help underwrite costs associated with the picnic.
Sponsors will be recognized at the picnic unless requested otherwise. To
submit your sponsorship donation, please go to
http://al-awdacal.org/pic5sponsor.html

Directions:
Exit from 605 at Spring St; Take Park entrance on right side off Spring St;
Follow main road toward Train Ride; Go Under Wardlow Bridge and take left at
fork in road (away from Train Ride); Enter Parking at 1st picnic area on
right.

Parking:
City of Long Beach $7 per car all day parking at the park. Street parking is
free.

The list of supporting organizations currently include: Al-Awda, The Palestine
Right to Return Coalition, Palestinian American Women's Association (PAWA),
Union of
Palestinian American Women, Almoubadara (USA) and Palestine Children Relief
Fund. If your organization is taking part and wishes to be included email
info@...

Yalla Truck and Sahara Falafel in Anaheim are Sponsors of The Sixth Annual
Palestine Picnic Day! Yalla Truck provides some of the most Delicious Falafel in
the Los Angeles area. Come, Check it out!  Sahara Falafel is donating Arabic
bread, Hummus and Rice!

Our Event on facebook: http://www.facebook.com/events/387731434612707/


[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]

Last push! Last Update!

Everyone please invite any friends and family that you may not have as yet. Its
going to be great!  See you tomorrow!!


[Please forward widely!]

JOIN THE ARAB COMMUNITY OF SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA

For The Sixth Annual
PALESTINE PICNIC DAY!!

SUNDAY July 15, 2012, 11:00 am
Food: 1:00 pm - 3:30 pm

Location: El Dorado East Regional Park - Golden Grove
7550 East Spring Street, Long Beach, CA 90815

ALL WELCOME!

Picnic Menu
hot off-the-grill beef and chicken kebab, hummus, falafel, salad,
beverages, coffee, fruit, soft drinks, water and more!

Games for Adults and Children
Volleyball, Soccer, Backgammon, Prizes,
Fun and Free Face Painting for the Kids, and more!!!

Arabic Music! Dabke! And More!
Musicians, DJ's, Dabke groups etc who would like to perform during the Sixth
Annual Palestine Picnic Day, please contact info@....

Displays
Any organization wishing to have displays at the event, please write to
info@... to secure your spot.

Come spend a nice summer afternoon and evening with the Arab community and our
friends!

Suggested donation:
$10 per each adult plate, $5 per each child plate (child is 12 and under)

Sponsorship:
We welcome sponsorship to help underwrite costs associated with the picnic.
Sponsors will be recognized at the picnic unless requested otherwise. To
submit your sponsorship donation, please go to
http://al-awdacal.org/pic5sponsor.html

Directions:
Exit from 605 at Spring St; Take Park entrance on right side off Spring St;
Follow main road toward Train Ride; Go Under Wardlow Bridge and take left at
fork in road (away from Train Ride); Enter Parking at 1st picnic area on
right.

Parking:
City of Long Beach $7 per car all day parking at the park. Street parking is
free.

The list of supporting organizations currently include: Al-Awda, The Palestine
Right to Return Coalition, Palestinian American Women's Association (PAWA),
Union of Palestinian American Women, Almoubadara (USA), Palestine Children
Relief
Fund, Southern California Syrian Coordination Committee(SCSCC)/Syrian American
Council(SAC), SJP UC Irvine, KinderUSA, Israel Divestment Campaign and Dump
Veolia - Los Angeles, and others. If your organization is taking part and wishes
to be included email info@...

Yalla Truck (Los Angeles) and Sahara Falafel (Anaheim) are Sponsors of The Sixth
Annual Palestine Picnic Day! Yalla Truck provides some of the most Delicious
Falafel in the Los Angeles area. Come, Check it out!  Sahara Falafel is donating
Arabic bread, Hummus and Rice!

Our Event on facebook: http://www.facebook.com/events/387731434612707/

[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]

Together with our families in the homeland, we are planning our return to a Free
Palestine!

Help design and energize the work for the coming year along with our
expanding network of grassroots, student, and solidarity activists.

JOIN US at one of the largest annual gathering of Palestinians and their
supporters to address critical issues that our cause is facing.

Grassroots planning discussions and activist workshops will include:  Boycotts
and
Divestment For The Return; Palestinian Children's Rights Campaign; Student
Summit with Community; and Educating Congress!

Plus come take part in a debate on the proposed Palestine National Council
Direct Election Campaign.

We have a list of exciting speakers that include Palestinian
photojournalist Nayef Hashlamoun from Al-Watan Center in Nablus, Palestine;
Dr. As'ad Daoud Hess-Linckost from University of the District of Columbia who
will discuss the contamination of Gaza and West Bank water and how it is
severely affecting the Palestinian population in those areas; and Dr. Jess
Ghannam who will
discuss the Popular Uprisings in the Arab World and their impact on
Palestine and Refugees.

Plus . . .
Cultural presentations, books and solidarity items, network with friends and
fellow activists & lunch presentations & evening banquet with live music!

PROGRAM LOCATIONS
   a.. Friday 7 September 2012 Opening and Meet and Greet at Al-Awda Palestine
   National Center, 2720 Loker Avenue West Suite J, Carlsbad CA 92010
   b.. Saturday 8 September 2012 all day including Banquet at Torrey Pines
Christian
   Church, 8320 La Jolla Scenic Drive North, La Jolla, CA 92037
   c.. Sunday 9 September 2012 morning Business Meeting for members and national
coordinators
   at Al-Awda Palestine National Center, 2720 Loker Avenue West Suite J,
   Carlsbad CA 92010
INVITATION

We invite all Palestinians, Al-Awda members, and all groups and individuals who
support the
implementation of the rights of all Palestinians to return to their
homes of origin, and to reclaim their land, to join us in this Landmark
Tenth Annual International Al-Awda Convention. Mobilizing our efforts now is
crucial!
This is your chance to get involved!

Tickets $55 standard; Student $40

Tickets are for entire convention and include refreshments and finger food
Friday, lunch and dinner Banquet Saturday, and refreshments Sunday morning.

To reserve online go to: http://www.al-awda.org/convention10/

Additional Information:

Program: http://www.al-awda.org/convention10/program.html
Sponsorship: http://www.al-awda.org/convention10/sponsor.html
Advertising: http://www.al-awda.org/convention10/ads.html
Exhibitor reservations: http://www.al-awda.org/convention10/exhibitors.html

Media: Special arrangement available for media reporters who will cover the
convention including interviews with guest speakers and panelists and
organizers. If you are with the media, please see
http://www.al-awda.org/convention10/media.html or contact us at
info@...

Convention website: http://www.al-awda.org/convention10/

Convention on Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/events/386520834734691/

Don't miss this Palestinian Convention. There will be none like it in the United
States this year!

JOIN US to work together to bring the days of RETURN closer!


Al-Awda, The Palestine Right to Return Coalition
PO Box 131352
Carlsbad, CA 92013, USA
Tel: 760-918-9441
Fax: 760-918-9442
E-mail: info@...
WWW: http://al-awda.org

Please Note: The content and any views expressed in this event announcement
are solely those of the Palestine Right to Return Coalition and are not
intended to reflect the views of Torrey Pines Christian Church in any way.

Al-Awda, The Palestine Right to Return Coalition (PRRC) is a not for profit
tax-exempt educational and charitable 501(c)(3) organization as defined by
the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) of the United States of America. Under
IRS guidelines, your donations to PRRC are tax-deductible. To donate, please
go to http://www.al-awda.org/donate.html and follow the instructions. To
become a member, http://www.al-awda.org/membership.html


[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]