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Post by ninathedog on Mar 30, 2011 0:08:07 GMT 4
UNRWA student to compete in
world science fairPublished 29/03/2011 09:54
Ma'an News AgencyBETHLEHEM (Ma'an) -- After learning about a series of deaths from carbon monoxide poisoning, 14-year-old Iman Qraqa'a put herself to work designing a solution, which won first place last week in the Palestinian Science Fair. Alongside her teacher Maysoon at the UNRWA school in the Aiyda Refugee Camp, Iman laid out several possible ways to prevent carbon monoxide deaths, settling on an alarm installed in a kitchen ventilation system that would not only warn residents of dangerous carbon monoxide levels, but also work to clear the air.  As the project progressed, Maysoon and Iman got in touch with engineers at a Bethlehem-area company, Ibtiker, which provided the student and her teacher with parts and advice. The device connects to any home ventilation system, from oven hoods to windows, drawing air out of the home, while the indicator tests for carbon monoxide. When levels get too high, the alarm system is activated. Iman's project won her school fair, then the regional exhibition, and last week, was selected to be shown with the 40 best projects from a West Bank-wide competition, which include schools in both the public, private and UNRWA systems. After being selected as the top of three entries at the Science Fair, Iman will travel to the United States to represent Palestine with two other projects at the world's largest pre-college science and engineering exhibition, the Intel International Science and Engineering Fair. The competition will be held on 12 May, in the Los Angeles Convention Center, where an estimated 1,500 students from around the world will compete for $4 million in scholarships. Iman will travel to the event with her teacher and hopes to win the fair's top prize, the Gordon E Moore Award for best in category, with a $75,000 prize. "'I can not express my happiness to have achieved this success so far, I've shed tears of happiness, and owe so much thanks to my teacher Maysoon for all the help and encouragement she has given me," Iman said. Maysoon was equally excited, saying the success of Iman had already motivated other students in her class to develop ideas of their own for the 2012 science fair season. www.maannews.net/eng/ViewDetails.aspx?ID=370766
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Post by ninathedog on Mar 30, 2011 1:14:39 GMT 4
TO GAZA WITH LOVEThe U.S. Boat to Gaza, THE AUDACITY OF HOPE, is committed to breaking the siege of Gaza. [/color] Around the U.S. thousands of people have been contributing. Not everyone can sail on the boat but you all are just as much a part of the campaign as the passengers and the crew. We are happy to announce the launch of an exciting new effort — To Gaza with Love — which will collect letters from people in the U.S. for the people of Gaza. Your letters will be precious cargo on the ship.Already mothers, farmers, teachers, students, cab drivers and artists are writing. Whether it’s a letter from a U.S. mother to a mother in Gaza, a child in the U.S. to a child in Gaza, or letters from students, teachers, business people, religious leaders to their counterparts in Gaza, the siege cannot withstand the power of our words to break through. WE WILL NOT BE SILENT, WE WILL BE HEARD Please write your letter today. To participate in To Gaza with Love:
* Write a letter and then encourage your friends and family to join this collective action of friendship and solidarity with the Palestinian people.
* Organize letter-writing parties in your home, school or place of worship.
* You can simply write a few lines on a postcard, a few paragraphs on paper or a card, or film a short video clip.
* Be creative. The only restriction is we need to be able to get it to Gaza. If you do a sculpture or a wall mural, you will have to send us a picture, not the real thing.
Send Letters To:
Letters To Gaza
119 West 72nd Street
#158
New York, New York 10023 How We Will Share These Letters?When THE AUDACITY OF HOPE sails, your letters and messages will be part of its cargo. Meanwhile, we will send some of these messages right away and make them public through Twitter, Facebook, on our website, and in statements to the press. We’d also like to archive them and create an exhibit or book. Click on the flyers below to download printable versions.  ustogaza.org/take-action/to-gaza-with-love/(many thanks to US Boat to Gaza)Gaza on the Ground —
Letters, Packages en Route to
Gaza via Israel Go "Missing"By Mohammed Omer
Washington Report on Middle East Affairs
March 2011, Pages 26-27
Washington Report Archives (2011-2015) - 2011 March Hani Abu Helal (l) checks a mailbox at the Rafah Post Service office in
the southern Gaza Strip. (Photo M. Omer)>> edited for lengthSince June 2007, however, when Hamas thwarted an attempted coup and took control of the Gaza Strip—and 17 months before the leaked cable was written— among the items Israel has denied Palestinians living in Gaza is their daily mail. All mail to and from Palestine now goes through the Israeli Postal Service, where mail is sorted for the West Bank, Gaza Strip and East Jerusalem. (Arab states that do not have diplomatic relations with Israel previously sent mail to Gaza via Egypt. This channel, too, has been closed since 2007.) The result has been severe restrictions and delays in delivering letters and packages, including government mail. >> edited for length"It takes a very long time for mail to come, if it arrives at all," explains university professor Mohammed Meqdad. "Otherwise we must depend on travelers to bring books and magazines with them."www.washington-report.org/component/content/article/364/10308-letters-packages-en-route-to-gaza-via-israel-go-qmissingq-.html
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Post by ninathedog on Mar 30, 2011 2:26:41 GMT 4
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Post by ninathedog on Mar 30, 2011 2:57:36 GMT 4
Gaza family mourns
boy killed by Israeli shellRami Almeghari writing from the occupied Gaza Strip,
Live from Palestine, 29 March 2011
Electronic IntifadaSome playing cards and other small items were all that Mahmoud Jalal al-Hilu, 10, left behind when he was killed by an Israeli tank shell on 22 March as he played near his home in the Shujaiya neighborhood east of Gaza City. "As I was heading to the mosque for afternoon prayers, Mahmoud was just coming back from school, and said, 'Dad, classes are canceled today because there was Israeli shelling,'" Abu Hamad al-Hilu, 48, told The Electronic Intifada as he received visitors who had come to offer condolences on the death of his son. Al-Hilu, a father of six daughters and four sons, began to cry and attempted a smile as he remembered Mahmoud: "He is the youngest. Myself, his mother and all other family members all liked and pampered him, but now he is lost and now his smile is no longer with us." Abu Hamad al-Hilu stands on the spot where his son Mahmoud
was killed (Rami Almeghari)"One of Mahmoud's favorite things was watching wrestling on TV and he was a fan of the wrestler John Cena, to the extent that he used to imitate him often by wrestling with his brothers and sisters and even with myself," al-Hilu recalled. Mahmoud's father described to The Electronic Intifada how his son was hit. "After I came back from afternoon prayer, I saw my uncle Yasser Hamad and his grandson Yasser Ahed bleeding in front of this door," he said outside of the family's home. "I tried to aid them and I was shocked to see my son Mahmoud laying near that fence bleeding and his abdomen had been ripped open," al-Hilu said as he gestured toward the locations where the three Israeli tank shells landed. In addition to Mahmoud, three other persons were killed in the attack: Muhammad Saber Harara, 19, according to the Palestinian Centre for Human Rights, as well as Yaser Hamad al-Hilu, 51, and his grandchild Yasser Ahed al-Hilu, 15. Another 11 civilians, including eight children, were injured, three seriously.At Mahmoud al-Hilu's home, his mother Umm Hamad welcomed relatives and friends who came to pay condolences to his gathered family, including his grandmothers, brothers and sisters. "Just two hours before he was killed, Mahmoud argued happily with his brother Ahmad ... Afterwards, he asked me for one shekel, the fifth that day! Mahmoud used to like money and I never said no to him," Umm Hamad remembered as she and her husband sat in the boy's bedroom. "Since Mahmoud was killed, I began to sleep on his bed," Ahmad, Mahmoud's 15-year-old brother, said tearfully. "Maybe the bed would console me or would remind me with Mahmoud."
"Where is the world to protect us from such killing, where is the world?" Mahmoud's grandmother, Umm Muhammad al-Hatto, 72, asked. "Are we destined to inherit suffering from one generation to another?"According to the Israeli daily Haaretz, the Israeli military spokesperson claimed that Palestinian militants had fired mortars at Israel and that the army had fired back at the source of the fire and that it did not know civilians were in the area. There are olive groves located three hundred meters away from the al-Hilu home. In response to the killings of the four persons, including Mahmoud, the Israeli army issued a statement regretting the deaths of civilians and accusing Hamas, the ruling party in Gaza, of using Palestinian civilians as "human shields" for firing rockets. Israel has frequently made such claims to justify deaths of Palestinian and Lebanese civilians, although human rights groups and UN investigators have seldom found evidence to substantiate such accusations. In recent days, Israel stepped up attacks on the Gaza Strip, claiming they were in retaliation for a barrage of rockets fired from Gaza into Israel. The new spate of violence in the occupied coastal region began the previous week, when Israeli warplanes killed two Hamas operatives in southern Gaza. "One day before he was killed," Mahmoud's mother remembered of her son, "he came to me to apologize for not buying me a gift for Mothers' Day. May God give me more patience and strength to overcome." Rami Almeghari is a journalist and university lecturer based in the Gaza Strip.Latest articles on EI:Palestine : Human Rights: Israel criminalizes commemoration of the Nakba (29 March 2011) Palestine : Diaries: Live from Palestine: Gaza family mourns boy killed by Israeli shell (29 March 2011) Palestine : Opinion/Editorial: The foolish side of the cultural boycott line (29 March 2011) Palestine : Human Rights: Court orders Jerusalem family to share home with settlers (28 March 2011) Palestine : Art, Music & Culture: Interview: Mapping the disappearance of a nation (28 March 2011) Palestine : Opinion/Editorial: Palestinian rights don't factor into Israel-Azerbaijan relations (28 March 2011) Palestine : Art, Music & Culture: Interview: Sharif Kanaana on Palestinian folklore and identity (25 March 2011) Palestine : Human Rights: Suspended in time, Lifta under threat (25 March 2011) Palestine : Opinion/Editorial: March 15 and the roots of our struggle (24 March 2011) Palestine : Human Rights: Legal expert warns of "ethnic cleansing" in Jerusalem (24 March 2011) electronicintifada.net/v2/article11886.shtml(many thanks to electronic intifada)Children die in Israeli
attack on Gaza, say doctors22 March 2011 Last updated at 12:09 ET
BBC.comFour Palestinian family members have died in Gaza, doctors say, in an apparent Israeli artillery strike. Locals said four Israeli tank shells hit a home east of Gaza City; doctors said three children were killed.The Israeli military said in a statement: "Regrettably non-combatants were hurt, this is because Hamas attacks from civilian areas." Palestinian militants on Saturday fired a barrage of rockets over the frontier, prompting Israeli retaliation. The militants launched more mortars against Israeli troops on Tuesday, the Israeli military said. The latest deaths came a day after Palestinian doctors said at least 17 people were injured in Israeli air strikes in Gaza.The BBC's Jon Donnison in Gaza City says the exchanges are among the most serious since Israel's major offensive between December 2008 and January 2009. www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-middle-east-12822493...... Five Gazans killed by Israeli fire:
medicsAFP March 22, 2011
africasia.com
The killings follow days of rising cross-border violence Five Palestinians, most of them minors, were killed on Tuesday when Israeli artillery fired on a house in Gaza City, an emergency services spokesman said. "At least five people died when Israel opened fire on young people who were playing football in Shejaiya" near the Israeli border, Adham Abu Selmiya told AFP, saying "most of them were children." The ages of the victims were not immediately clear.The army had no immediate comment on the shooting, which occurred shortly after four Qassam rockets were fired into southern Israel and which was the third such attack on Shejaiya on Tuesday. "Four rockets were fired into Israel from Gaza, three to the north and one in the south," an Israeli military spokeswoman said. They caused no damage or injuries. The killings follow days of rising cross-border violence, which has ramped up tensions between Israel and Gaza's Islamist Hamas rulers and once again raised fears of a large-scale Israeli military invasion to stamp out rocket fire. www.africasia.com/services/news_mideast/article.php?ID=CNG.ca4ef3740984bd0adb97605d282ed0ca.fa1........... IDF: Condolences for
fire at innocent bystandersPublished: 03.22.11, 17:31 / Israel News
Ynetnews.comThe IDF opened fire in the Gaza Strip Tuesday killing four family members and wounding others after days of rocket fire toward Israel. An IDF official offered condolences for the incident and began investigation, stressing that the IDF is not interested in escalating the situation. An Hamas official said in response: "Israel won't feel secure as long at the Palestinian people don't feel secure." (Yoav Zitun and Elior Levy) www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7340,L-4046214,00.html ....... condolence |kənˈdōləns|
noun (usu. condolences)
an expression of sympathy, esp. on the occasion of a death
THIS IS NOT THE SAME AS AN APOLOGY. ........... Israel attacks GazaFrom: Washington Report on Middle East Affairs <info@wrmea.com>Washington Report
1902 18th St NW • Washington, DC 20009 | (800) 368-5788 • Fax: (202) 265-4574 ACTION ALERTMarch 22, 2011 Contact: news_editor@wrmea.com As the World Looks Elsewhere,
Israel Attacks GazaLast night Israel launched airstrikes on six targets in Gaza, wounding at least 19 people, including seven children and two women. According to Washington Report Gaza correspondent Mohammed Omer, the Israeli army was calling families in Khan Younis telling them to flee their homes and tanks and bulldozers were gathering around Zaytoun, east of Gaza City.  photo source: xinhuanet.com Is Israel preparing “Operation Cast Lead Two” while the world’s attention is diverted elsewhere? Will it yet again use American weapons for illegal acts of aggression, in violation of the Arms Export Control Act? Will more innocent civilians be killed and wounded? Take action now: Call the White House, State Department and your elected representatives to
demand that Israel not attack Gaza and that the U.S. end its unconditional support of Israel.White House comment line: (202) 456-1111
State Department public information line: (202) 647-6575
Any Senator: (202) 224-3121
Any Representative (202) 225-3121wrmea.org/component/content/article/233-action-alerts/10475-israel-attacks-gaza.html 5 dead, others injured as
Israel shells GazaMa'an News Agency
Published today (updated) 22/03/2011 20:05GAZA CITY (Ma'an) -- A child, teenager and three adults were killed and others injured by Israeli artillery fire which hit a home east of Gaza City on Tuesday afternoon, the second shelling and third hit of the day. Earlier, two were injured in the same area in separate incidents involving artillery fire and a drone strike. An Israeli military spokeswoman confirmed the involvement of civilians, in a strike she said was directed toward militants. Medics collected bodies from a home on An-Nazzaz Street in the eastern part of the Ash-Shaja’iya neighborhood in Gaza City. Adham Abu Salmiya, spokesman of the higher committee of ambulance and emergency services, said members of the Al-Hilu family were playing football outside of their home when the shell hit. Eyewitnesses said ambulances took the injured to Ash-Shifa hospital in Gaza city. Medics identified the dead as:Muhammad Jihad Al-Hilu, 11 (sic)
Yasser Ahed Al-Hilu, 16
Muhammad Saber Harara, 20
Yasser Hamer Al-Hilu, 50
A fifth remains unidentified.>>edited in order to leave out traumatizing photographs(many thanks to Tom V)
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Post by ninathedog on Mar 31, 2011 2:16:51 GMT 4
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Post by ninathedog on Mar 31, 2011 3:04:27 GMT 4
Defense Ministry ordered to
release internal documents on Gaza policiesThe ministry has been ordered to release information regarding the
minimum nutritional requirements needed to sustain Gaza residents, names of
officials responsible for policy of limiting the entry of goods into the strip.By Amira Hass
Published 03:31 30.03.11The Tel Aviv District Court last week ordered the office of the Coordinator of Government Activities in the Territories to release internal documents that detail the minimum nutritional requirements and calorie calculations needed to sustain the residents of the Gaza Strip.
In addition, the court ordered the agency, also called COGAT and which operates under the auspices of the Defense Ministry, to reveal the names of the officials who helped implement the policy of limiting the entry of goods and foodstuffs into the Gaza Strip. The documents still have not been uncovered while the Defense Ministry decides whether it will appeal the decision to the Supreme Court. Tel Aviv District Court Judge Ruth Ronnen's directive represents the latest stage in a legal battle being waged by the non-government organization Gisha, a group dedicated to advancing freedom of movement for Palestinians. In October 2009, Gisha filed a petition under the Freedom of Information Act, requesting that the state release documents related to its closure policy in the Gaza Strip. The group turned to the court after it directly requested the data from the Defense Ministry, which refused to provide it. One year after the petition was filed, the state agreed to release three documents related to its Gaza policy. According to these documents, COGAT officers relied on mathematic formulas which computed minimum nutritional requirements that would meet the basic needs of Gaza residents.
Based on these formulas, the state determined the amount and volume of goods that were permitted to enter the Strip.This policy was first instituted by Defense Minister Ehud Barak, his deputy, Matan Vilnai, and the acting head of COGAT at the time, Amos Gilad, in June 2007, shortly after Hamas' takeover of the Gaza Strip. COGAT, however, refused to publicize the names and job titles of those who implemented the policy. In addition, it balked at requests to hand over the "Red Lines" document, a position paper whose existence was first discovered by Haaretz reporters Uri Blau and Yotam Feldman in June 2009. The Defense Ministry claimed that the document was drawn up for internal use only and that it did not serve as the basis for forming policy. Ministry officials also claimed that the documents that were unveiled were handed over after the policy was altered. But the court disagreed.Israel lifted numerous restrictions on the entry of goods into Gaza following last year's raid on the Gaza-bound flotilla. According to the ministry, as long as the policy in question was in force, the release of the documents would constitute harming national security and Israel's foreign relations. The ministry also refused to release the "Red Lines" paper, claiming that the law grants immunity to officials in sensitive positions.
In her decision to have the information finally let into the light, Ronnen rejected the state's assertion that it could not hand over the documents since they were in draft form.
The judge also determined that the Defense Ministry did not adequately explain why the information contained in the documents was of a sensitive nature."The obligation to explain is one of the duties to which the authorities are bound when they refuse a request to reveal information," the judge wrote. "If the state would have made clear the reasons for the sensitivity of the information, which data are sensitive, the court would have taken this explanation into consideration."  Judge Ruth Ronnen — Photo by Moti KimcheRonnen said that the Freedom of Information Act explicitly states that the public has an interest in obtaining information that bears a direct impact on its safety. The judge did agree with the Defense Ministry's position that it is not obligated to reveal documents pertaining to its present-day policies. On Monday, COGAT officials requested against an injunction of the court's order to release the Red Lines presentation pending a decision on whether to appeal. www.haaretz.com/print-edition/news/defense-ministry-ordered-to-release-internal-documents-on-gaza-policies-1.352768(many thanks to Gaza TV News)What Is Not Allowedby Richard Tillinghast
The Irish Times - Saturday, June 5, 2010POEM: No tinned meat is allowed, no tomato paste,
no clothing, no shoes, no notebooks.
These will be stored in our warehouses at Kerem Shalom
until further notice.
Bananas, apples, and persimmons are allowed into Gaza,
peaches and dates, and now macaroni
(after the American Senator’s visit).
These are vital for daily sustenance.
But no apricots, no plums, no grapes, no avocados*, no jam.
These are luxuries and are not allowed.
Paper for textbooks is not allowed.
The terrorists could use it to print seditious material.
And why do you need textbooks
now that your schools are rubble?
No steel is allowed, no building supplies, no plastic pipe.
These the terrorists could use to launch rockets
against us.
Pumpkins and carrots you may have,
but no delicacies,
no cherries, no pomegranates, no watermelon, no onions,
no chocolate.
We have a list of three dozen items that are allowed,
but we are not obliged to disclose its contents.
This is the decision arrived at
by Colonel Levi, Colonel Rosenzweig, and Colonel Segal.
Our motto:
‘No prosperity, no development, no humanitarian crisis.’
You may fish in the Mediterranean,
but only as far as three km from shore.
Beyond that and we open fire.
It is a great pity the waters are polluted –
twenty million gallons of raw sewage dumped into the sea every day
is the figure given.
Our rockets struck the sewage treatments plants,
and at this point spare parts to repair them are not allowed.
As long as Hamas threatens us,
no cement is allowed, no glass, no medical equipment.
We are watching you from our pilotless drones
as you cook your sparse meals over open fires
and bed down
in the ruins of houses destroyed by tank shells.
And if your children can’t sleep,
missing the ones who were killed in our incursion,
or cry out in the night, or wet their beds
in your makeshift refugee tents,
or scream, feeling pain in their amputated limbs –
that’s the price you pay for harbouring terrorists.
God gave us this land.
A land without a people for a people without a land.
Richard Tillinghast is an American poet who lives in Co Tipperary. He is the author of eight books of poetry, the latest of which is Selected Poems (Dedalus Press, 2010 ), as well as several works of non-fiction*edit >> actually avocados are on the list of allowable items, for what it's worth.www.irishtimes.com/newspaper/opinion/2010/0605/1224271903842.html
(many, many thanks to FreeGaza.org)
Documenting Gaza StrangulationRichard Silverstein
Tikun Olam: Make the World a Better Place
Sunday, October 24th, 2010 While Wikileaks may have the biggest national security expose of the moment, the one I’m going to report tonight on one that in the Israeli context is a close second. Thanks immensely to Ed Mad X for alerting me to the IDF’s release of a much sought after April, 2009 memo (23 pages linked here, with the original Hebrew document here) (posted following this article in its entirety: Hebrew and English) which served as the rationale and underpinning of the Gaza siege and explained how it was interpreted and enforced. It was in effect before the Mavi Marmara massacre (after which the siege was loosened). Immense thanks to the unrelenting effort of the Israeli NGO, Gisha, to bring this report to the light of day. As far as I know, this is likely its first publication in English. Frankly, when Ed first sent me the link to his translation I thought it might be a joke, especially when I read the mathematical equations used to determine how much basic foodstuffs should be allowed into Gaza. I had to query him a few times before I assured myself it was legit. It’s just that crazy a document.  'Mathematical calculations' govern import of basic human necessitiesThe IDF report is a wonder of almost Eichmanesque military-speak, obfuscation and self-justification. If any future historian of the Occupation wishes to study how the IDF got the Occupation’s “trains” to run on time in Gaza (much like Raul Hilberg did in his study of the mundane bureaucracy of the Holocaust), they will only have to look here and study. Here, for example, is the “mission” described: MISSION:
# Supervision of basic products from the variety of those imported into the ‘Strip,ʼ including basic food stuffs, fuels, maintaining oversight of the quantity of these products, identifying shortage, surplus, and establishing levels of warning (ʻred-linesʼ e.m.x), dealing with the issues caused and providing concurrent information and realtime alerts to decision makers. Gisha’s website notes that when it first sued the state in order to expose this 2009 memo the latter denied it existed. When that didn’t work, it conceded the memo existed but that releasing it would endanger “national security” (now, you have a chance to judge for yourself the probity of this claim). The government has now conceded that it must release them under an FOIA legal proceeding. However, the government continues to refuse to release the current rules governing the siege which are supposedly more lenient than the pre-Marmara rules. Gisha notes the bizarre logic of the memo which called for a “deliberate reduction” in the level of basic necessities like fuel used to power the only operating power plant. This in turn caused regular electrical and water outages. Though the IDF created a “red-line warning” that would notify that a necessity was becoming inaccessible, it also permitted itself to ignore the warning. Though international law permits goods to be restricted under siege conditions only if the specific item poses a security threat, the IDF prohibited items based on whether their public perception within Gaza was as a luxury. This is how chocolate and paper came to be prohibited. Though the Israeli government has indicated it would permit the rebuilding of Gaza (and the world community has insisted on this), the 2009 rules tell a wholly different story. Building materials were only permitted by special permission, and attempts to rebuild within Gaza were viewed as a decided negative. Israel refused transfer of goods from international relief agencies and western governments to Gaza for rebuilding schools and homes.  What can one say after reading this? (&$!!)$%The rules also indicate that they could not be released in any form to anyone unless specified. This served the function of leaving Gaza merchants in the dark about what was on or off the list. Thus, they would never know whether they could import an item into Gaza or not, until it was impounded at the border or permitted through. Items like cumin which were not on the permitted goods list could only be approved by special permission despite the fact that there was no security consideration in banning it. Gisha’s director notes more oddities of the rules and their logic: "Israel banned glucose for biscuits and the fuel needed for regular supply of electricity – paralyzing normal life in Gaza and impairing the moral character of the State of Israel. I am sorry to say that major elements of this policy are still in place“. It’s truly worthwhile reading extended passages of the document to understand the true nature of the ghoulishness of Israel’s siege and the way it is imposed and enforced. Here the memo describes monitoring imported items in order to determine their levels of availability: The data will be collected in the economy division, once a week, on Tuesday, and a calculation compiled of products transferred, then added to existing inventories, and then consumed amounts will be deducted according to the models.
F.# After the calculation is performed, a draft of inventory estimates will be prepared…[and] the following data will be checked:
# 1. Upper level warning – in case inventory of one of the short shelf life products is over 21 days or long shelf life product inventory is over 80 days.
# 2. Lower level warning – in case inventory of one of the short shelf life products is under 4 days or long shelf life product inventory is under 20 days.
# 3. Shortage - in case inventory of one of the short shelf life products is under 2 days or long shelf life product inventory is under 5 days.
H. In case inventory of one or more products reached a ‘level of warning,’ the following actions will be taken:
1. Xxxx will verify the information with leading Palestinian merchants.
2. Xxxx will perform mathematical evaluation of the model to verify the data.
3. In case of an upper level warning, the issue will be brought up for discussion and update for a decision on policy of entering the # relevant product.
4.! In case of a lower level warning an update will be transferred, and Gaza DCO will take action to facilitate transferring the relevant product, unless it is an intentional policy of reduction. [ed., italics mine]
5. In case of shortage, the same actions as of ʻlower level warningʻ will be taken. In case it is an intentional policy of reduction, decision makers will be presented with the consequences of shortage of the relevant product. One wonders what warning the decision makers would be presented with: would they be warned that preventing entrance of a piece of medical equipment would cause the death of children? Or that the categorization of milk, or hummus or any number of staples of the Palestinian diet as “superfluous” might exacerbate the already existent malnutrition among children? Or that a shortage of fuel and hence water outages would cause women not to be able to cook properly or families to observe hygienic practices. What type of discussion do you think happened among the decision makers when they were ‘warned’ about these red lines? The report notes that “need” can be determined from a variety of sources but that need as defined by military headquarters supersedes them: According to an internal procedure which incorporates headquarters work in relation to relevant security needs and demands. In other words, the need for rice or flour or any item whatsoever can be changed according to an artificial determination by the IDF that this item corresponded to some imagined security interest. In a section of the memo devoted to how an item is determined to be necessary or superfluous–keeping in mind that international law says the only criteria is security–this is one of the criteria: Implications of the product’s uses (is it used for preservation, rehabilitation or development?) with emphasis of the effect its entry has on the status of the Hamas regime. In other words, if an item may be used for preservation, rehabilitation of development of infrastructure that could benefit Hamas in any way in the eyes of the people, it will be prohibited. In reviewing the list of permitted items for import, you come to realize that these are the only items allowed. In other words, if an item is not on the list, it’s prohibited. So, for example, here is the list of permitted spices: Black pepper, soup powder, hyssop, sesame. cinnamon, anise, babuna (chamomile), sage Sorry, cumin, basil, bay leaf, allspice, carraway, cardamon, chiles, chives, cilantro, cloves, garlic, sesame, tamarind, thyme, oregano, cayenne ([urlhttp://rassudrsinai.blogspot.com/2010/02/z-of-spices-used-in-arabic-cooking.html] here’s a list I consulted of popular Arab spices[/url]). Not on the list. You’re not a spice Palestinians need according to some IDF dunderhead. And tomatoes, potatoes, cucumbers, lettuce, toys, glassware, paint, and shoes? You can forget about them too. Luxuries all, or else security threats. I’m displaying here the “mathematical model” by which the IDF determined whether it was allowing in too much of any particular item. The very notion that not one, but hundreds of IDF soldiers occupied all (or even part) of their waking hours implementing this insane policy adds another nail to the coffin of the Occupation. Can there be any doubt that not only is the siege immoral and illegal, but borderline insane. Grown men actually sat in office cubicles and used calculators to determine the answers to these absurd questions. It comes close to leaving one speechless. www.richardsilverstein.com/tikun_olam/2010/10/24/ngo-forces-idf-to-release-infamous-memo-documenting-gaza-strangulation/                   ..........                       (many, many thanks to Tali S.)[/quote]
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Post by ninathedog on Mar 31, 2011 3:10:30 GMT 4
Early morning airstrike kills 1Published 30/03/2011 18:19
Ma'an News AgencyGAZA CITY (Ma'an) -- Israeli forces launched an air strike on the southern Gaza Strip shortly after the dawn prayer on Wednesday, killing one militant and injuring a second. In a statement from the Al-Quds Brigades, the armed wing of Islamic Jihad, officials identified the slain man as Mohammad Abu Mu'ammer, killed by an Israeli air strike near a mosque in the An-Nasser neighborhood in northeastern Rafah, near the refugee camp. Spokesman of the higher committee of ambulance and emergency services Adham Abu Salmiya said the 24-year-old man died shortly after being taken to hospital. He confirmed that a second was being treated for critical injuries as a result of the strike. Officials said a drone had carried out the attack.Mu'ammer is the sixth member of the Al-Quds Brigades to be killed in the last ten days, as border violence increased following a March 16 airstrike which killed two Hamas members in the central Strip. Up to that point, Israeli strikes had targeted areas on the border. An Israeli military statement said "aircraft targeted and hit a terrorist squad in the Southern Gaza Strip, which had launched rockets towards Israeli communities yesterday." The statement said strikes also targeted a smuggling tunnel near Rafah, where goods are brought into the coastal enclave from Egypt. Israel's military said it would "continue to respond with determination to any attempt to use terror against the citizens of Israel," and added that it "holds the Hamas terrorist organization solely responsible for any terrorist activity emanating from the Gaza Strip." Since a barrage of nearly 50 shells toward four Israeli military targets on March 19, which Hamas claimed as a response to the death of its two fighters days earlier, the military groups of Islamic Jihad, the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine, the Democratic Front for the Liberation of Palestine and the Popular Resistance Committees have claimed the majority of projectile fire. maannews.net/eng/ViewDetails.aspx?ID=373657
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Post by ninathedog on Mar 31, 2011 3:34:27 GMT 4
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Post by ninathedog on Mar 31, 2011 4:05:47 GMT 4
UPDATE on the condition of Ugur Suleyman Söylemez —Ugur Suleyman Söylemez remains in a coma. It has been over 300 days since he was shot in the head by Israeli soldiers aboard the humanitarian aid vessel, the Mavi Marmara, which was in international waters at the time of the attack by Israeli forces.   Information gleaned from this source: www.ozgundurus.com/Haber/Guncel/28032011/Gaziler-Gazisi-Ugur-Suleyman-soylemez.php(click here for translation into English) A/HRC/15/21Advance Unedited Version Dist: General 22 September 2010 Original: English Human Rights Council Fifteenth session
Agenda item 7 Human Rights situation in Palestine and
other Occupied Arab territories Report of the international fact-finding mission to investigate violations of
international law, including international humanitarian and human rights law, resulting from
the Israeli attacks on the flotilla of ships carrying humanitarian assistance Contents I. IntroductionA. Mandate B. Methodology ....... II. BackgroundA. Context B. Applicable law ....... III. Interception of the flotilla by the Israeli navy and its aftermathA. Organisation of the Gaza flotilla and the response of the Israeli government B. The interception of the Gaza flotilla by the Israeli Navy on 31 May 2010 C. Detention of flotilla passengers in Israel and deportation D. Confiscation and Return of Property by the Israeli authorities E. Consequences for Israeli Citizens of participation in the Flotilla ....... IV. Accountability and effective remedy....... V. Conclusions ....... AnnexesI. HRC Resolution 14/1
II. TOR’s of the fact-finding mission
III. Correspondence between the fact-finding mission and the Permanent
Mission of Israel before the United Nations and Specialized in Geneva
IV. Table of ships in the flotilla
A. Organisation of the Gaza flotilla and the response of the Israeli government Factual Description and Findings 75. The Mission found the following facts to have been established to its satisfaction. (a) The aims of the Free Gaza Movement and the Gaza flotilla of May 201076. The Free Gaza Movement, a human rights organization registered as a charity in Cyprus, organized five successful boat voyages to Gaza between August 2008 and December 2008 using on each occasion one or two small boats. The self-declared purpose of the voyages was to break the blockade on Gaza. The boats were not intercepted by the Israeli authorities at the time, although some threatening messages were received by the organizers from the Israeli authorities. A sixth mission in December 2008 was obliged to divert to Lebanon after the boat was rammed and severely damaged by the Israeli Navy and a seventh mission in January 2009 was aborted after fears it too would be rammed. 77. On 29 June 2009, approximately 20 nautical miles from the coast of Gaza, the Israeli Navy intercepted a boat called the “Spirit of Humanity” owned by the Free Gaza Movement, carrying 21 passengers and a cargo of humanitarian aid to Gaza. After Israeli requests to turn around were refused, the boat was boarded and taken to Ashdod where the passengers were arrested and detained. 78. After these unsuccessful attempts, the Free Gaza Movement sought wider collaboration with other organizations with a view to increasing the number of boats on future missions. The Movement established contact with a number of organizations including a Turkish humanitarian organization called the Foundation for Human Rights and Freedoms and Humanitarian Relief (IHH) which enjoys consultative status with the Economic and Social Council. IHH, which has been active in over 120 countries and territories including the Gaza Strip, had been planning its own mission to Gaza and committed to joining the flotilla with two cargo vessels and a newly-purchased passenger boat with a total carrying capacity of over six hundred passengers. A number of other organizations, including the Ship to Gaza (Sweden), the Ship to Gaza (Greece) and the European Campaign to Break the Siege on Gaza, also agreed to join what became known as the “Gaza Freedom Flotilla”. 79. The stated aims of the Flotilla, as testified by the leaders of the Free Gaza Movement and IHH, were threefold: (1) to draw international public attention to the situation in the Gaza Strip and the effect the blockade; (2) to break the blockade; and (3) to deliver humanitarian assistance and supplies to Gaza. All participants interviewed by the Mission shared their aims, although most placed emphasis on the delivery of humanitarian aid. 80. The Mission notes a certain tension between the political objectives of the flotilla and its humanitarian objectives. This comes to light the moment that the Israeli Government made offers to allow the humanitarian aid to be delivered via Israeli ports but under the supervision of a neutral organization. The Mission also notes that the Gaza Strip does not possess a deep sea port designed to receive the kind of cargo vessels included in the flotilla, raising practical logistical questions about the plan to deliver large quantities of aid by the route chosen. Whilst the Mission is satisfied that the flotilla constituted a serious attempt to bring essential humanitarian supplies into Gaza, it seems clear that the primary objective was political, as indeed demonstrated by the decision of those on board the Rachel Corrie to reject an Irish Government sponsored proposal that the cargo in that ship to be allowed through Ashdod intact. (b) Composition of the Flotilla 81. The flotilla was composed initially of eight vessels carrying a total of 748 persons (see table in annexes): • M.V. Mavi Marmara – a passenger ship registered in the Comoros64 and owned by IHH; • M.V. Defne Y – a cargo boat registered in Kiribati and owned by IHH; • M.V. Gazze 1 – a cargo boat registered in Turkey and owned by IHH; • M.V. Sfendoni or Sfendonh – a passenger boat registered in Togo and owned by Sfendonh S.A. based in the Marshall Islands. The boat was given an alternative name, “Boat 8000”, just before it joined the flotilla which was used in official Israeli accounts; • M.V. Eleftheri Mesogios or Sofia – a cargo boat registered in Greece and owned by the Eleftheri Mesogios Marine Company based in Athens. The Greek name of the ship translates as “Free Mediterranean” and an alternative name “Sofia” is also used in some accounts; • Challenger 1 – a pleasure boat registered in the United States of America and owned by the Free Gaza Movement; • Challenger 2 – a pleasure boat registered in the United States of America and owned by Free Gaza Movement; and • M.V. Rachel Corrie – a cargo ship registered in Cambodia and owned by the Free Gaza Movement. The participating organizations were obliged to purchase their own vessels since commercial shipping companies were reluctant to allow their vessels to be chartered for the planned flotilla. The services of the crew of the IHH-owned cargo ships were procured through an agency in Istanbul. 82. The Challenger 2 withdrew from the flotilla when it developed engine problems. Its passengers were transferred to the Challenger 1 and the Mavi Marmara in international waters. The departure of the Rachel Corrie from Ireland was delayed and it therefore was unable to join the flotilla on 31 May. Since it was intercepted by the Israeli Navy on 6 June in international waters and its passengers went through the same detention and deportation process, the Mission has included this vessel in its investigation. 83. In line with practice during previous trips, some passengers planned to board certain ships in international waters after being ferried from Cyprus. However, at the last moment, the Cypriot authorities refused to allow these passengers to embark. After a series of failed attempts to embark from ports in the south of the island, some passengers were able to embark from the port of Famagusta. (c) Preparation of the Flotilla 84. The participating organizations in the flotilla were loosely bound together by a nine-point agreement, entitled “Points of Unity”, delineating the points of common purpose shared by all participants including their commitment to resist interception only through the use of non-violent means. According to the Free Gaza Movement, a steering committee, made of representatives of the participant organizations, was set up in each vessel. 85. Individuals with some forty different nationalities joined the flotilla. Each organization applied its own criteria in selecting who should join the various vessels. There was no unified protocol across all participating organizations to register prospective passengers using a single signed form, although individual organizations did require applications to be filled out and a screening and selection process took place. Many of the participants interviewed did not have specific skills or qualifications for humanitarian work. Some organizations said that they selected participants on the basis of their qualifications (for example, medical doctors), status as people of influence (parliamentarians, authors) as well as their ability to resist provocation. Some organizers expressed a preference for people who were known to them. 86. The mission’s attention was drawn to allegations that one of the passengers on the ship, who had logistical responsibilities with regard to the cargo on the Mavi Marmara, was convicted and served a term of imprisonment for his involvement in the 1996 hijacking of a Russian ferry boat. The hijackers were demanding the release of Chechen prisoners at the time. (65) 87. Participants raised money within their communities for the trip and also solicited cash donations which would be given directly to the population of Gaza. 88. There was stringent security surrounding the Mavi Mamara in the port of Antalya and all items taken on board were checked. Passengers and their luggage were subjected to security checks similar to those found in airports before boarding, including body searches The passengers who were transferred from the Challenger 1 onto the Mavi Marmara on the ocean were subjected to the same security checks. 89. Similar meticulous security checks were carried out on passengers onboard the Eleftheri Mesogios at the port in Greece. The Svendoni was primarily carrying passengers but also had on board a few medical items, including an ultra-sound machine, which had been donated. The boat’s captain personally checked the machine and the boat to confirm that there were no weapons or similar items on board. Witnesses also said that the cargo onboard the Rachel Corrie was checked by three independent authorities and sealed before it left Ireland. The seals remained intact when the ship was boarded by the Israelis. 90. Testimony did not show a clear logistical plan on how the large amounts of humanitarian aid being carried by the cargo ships in the flotilla would be unloaded in Gaza given the limited port facilities in Gaza. One witness said that he understood that IHH workers already in Gaza were preparing cranes to off-load the cargo into smaller boats. Another witness confirmed this plan and said that the Eleftheri Mesogios itself had a crane. (d) Planned course and destination of the Flotilla 91. The vessels participating in the flotilla to Gaza departed from different ports at different dates, as shown below and made for an agreed rendezvous point in international waters, approximately 40 nautical miles south of Cyprus. The following vessels proceeded to the rendezvous as follows: 14 May 2010 Gazze 1 departs from Istanbul to Iskenderun 18 May 2010 Rachel Corrie departs Greenore Port, Ireland bound for Malta. It had initially left Dundalk on 14 May but stopped for repairs. 22 May 2010 Mavi Marmara, departs from Istanbul to Antalya, Turkey 22 May 2010 Gazze 1 departs Iskenderun towards Gaza 24 May 2010 Defne Y departs from Istanbul 24 May 2010 Elftheri Mesogios departs Piraeus, Greece 25 May 2010 Mavi Marmara arrives in Antalya, Turkey 25 May 2010 Sfendoni departs Piraeus, Greece (then makes an intermediary stop in Rhodes). 28 May 2010 Mavi Marmara departs Antalya, Turkey. 29 May 2010 Challenger I and Challenger II, depart from Crete; Rachel Corrie arrives in Malta. 30 May 2010 The six vessels congregate at a meeting point to the south of Cyprus; Rachel Corrie departs Malta. 92. Embarkation documents for the vessels leaving Turkey gave Gaza as the official destination, although customs documents stated the destination as Lebanon since the computer system did not include Gaza as a designated port of entry. Some crew members interviewed from certain boats said that they understood the intention to be to sail first to Egypt and then enter Gaza waters from the west. 93. The flotilla commenced its journey towards Gaza at 1554 hours on 30 May 2010 from the position approximately sixty-five nautical miles west of the coast of Lebanon. (e) Israeli advance plans to intercept the Flotilla 94. According to the Israel Chief of Defence Staff, the Israeli authorities leaned of planned flotilla in early February 2010 and understood that its intention was to break the blockade. Diplomatic efforts began immediately to prevent the flotilla from sailing and contingency plans began to be formulated. Formal initial orders to undertake preparations to intercept the flotilla were issued in mid-April and by 12 May a mission plan had been developed which was approved by the Israeli Chief of General Staff on 13 May 2010. 95. On 13 May 2010, the Israeli Chief of General Staff sent a letter to the Defence Minister and Prime Minister setting out options for dealing with the flotilla, including the military option of commandeering and impounding the ships and detaining the passengers. A further evaluation was made on 26 May and the Defence Minister formally authorised the operation. Extensive training and planning was undertaken, including the setting up of a processing centre for detainees at the Port of Ashdod. 96. According to information available to the Mission, the Israeli forces deployed to intercept the flotilla included a number of corvettes and missile boats, helicopters, zodiacs, surveillance aircraft and possibly two submarines. Soldiers from the “Shayetet 13” special naval forces unit took part in the operation. The operation was given the code name “Operation Sea Breeze” or “Operation Sky Winds”. 97. Advanced identification and surveillance of specific passengers by Israeli intelligence forces took place, as indicated by a laminated booklet, recovered from the possessions of one of the captured Israeli soldiers which contained the names and photographs of specific high profile individuals on each of the six vessels as well as photographs of each vessel. One passenger was able to confirm that the photograph of her included in the booklet was taken just a few days before the flotilla sailed. Advance surveillance is confirmed by evidence attributed to Defence Minister Ehud Barak before the Turkel Committee which indicated that specific orders were taken “to continue intelligence tracking of the flotilla organizers, with an emphasis on the possibility that amongst the passengers in the flotilla there would be terror elements who would attempt to harm Israeli forces.” (66) (f) Preparations to defend the vessels in the event of an attempt to board 98. It is clear to the Mission that, as the flotilla was assembling off Cyprus, participants became aware of the full extent of Israeli plans to intercept, board and commandeer the ships. Details of the Israeli plans had been published in an Israeli newspaper. Many passengers said that, prior to this point, they believed that the Israelis would try to block the path of the flotilla and force it to divert, but they did not imagine that they would seek to board the vessels by force. This belief persisted with many less-experienced passengers right up to the moment of the interception, notwithstanding the precedent of the “Spirit of Humanity” in 2009. Many passengers told the Mission that they did not really believe that the Israelis would attempt to board until the first boats approached the Mavi Marmara on the morning of 31 May. Preparation and planning on the Mavi Marmara 99. The full realisation that the Israelis were serious about commandeering the flotilla spread through the passengers on the Mavi Marmara during the course of 30 May. There is clear evidence that some people on board the Mavi Marmara, including senior IHH leaders, were prepared actively to defend the ship against any boarding attempt. Video evidence shows a meeting of about fifty to a hundred passengers on the ship on 30 May at which the IHH President and a number of other prominent passengers spoke with some bravado about preventing an Israeli takeover of the ship. The pressure of the water hoses was seen being tested on the decks the day before the interception. 100. Following radio communication with the Israeli Navy and the sightings of the Israeli vessels, it became apparent that a boarding of the ship was an imminent reality. Passengers were instructed to put on their life jackets. Although there does not seem to have been a coordinated plan involving all passengers, some individuals grouped together with the intention to defend the ship. There is little evidence of any unified command to coordinate the defence of the ship. 101. During the night of 30 to 31 May, some passengers took electric tools from the ship’s workshop, which was not kept locked and sawed sections of railings into lengths of approximately one and a half metres, apparently for use as weapons. Lengths of metal chains from between the railings were also removed. When the ship’s crew discovered this, the tools were confiscated and locked in the radio room on the bridge. A number of the passengers were also provided with gas masks to counter the effects of tear gas. However, the Mission notes that the ship’s standard fire-fighting equipment would have included breathing apparatus. Furthermore, the fact that some passengers engaged in last minute efforts to fashion rudimentary weapons shortly prior to the interception confirms the findings of the Mission that no weapons were brought on board the ship. Preparation and planning on the Challenger 1, Sfendoni, Eleftheri Mesogios and Rachel Corrie 102. Passengers and crew on the Challenger 1 underwent training in passive resistance techniques, non-violence and what to do if detained in Israel (including contacting a lawyer before embarkation). Witnesses said discussions took place in advance amongst the passengers on how to respond to an Israeli attempt to board the ship during which the crew had insisted that there should be no attempts to repel boarders with physical force. The captain and crew opposed a suggestion that access to the bridge should be blocked, as it was feared this would incense the soldiers. The intention, according to witnesses, was to show a symbolic resistance to the soldiers sufficient to demonstrate that the boarding was unwanted. The planned response to a boarding of the Challenger 1 was in part informed by the experience of some of the passengers on previous boats which had been intercepted by the Israelis. 103. Witnesses aboard the Svendoni and the Eleftheri Mesogios confirmed similar discussions aboard their vessels. On the Eleftheri Mesogios, it was also decided that water hoses could be misconstrued as weapons and hence should not be used. On the Svendoni, passengers intended to sit on the decks and slow down any attempt to take control of the bridge through passive resistance. 104. The passengers on board the Rachel Corrie agreed and notified the Israelis before boarding that no resistance would be offered to the Israeli forces. Preparation and planning on the Gazze 1 and Defne Y 105. There is no information to suggest that any specific preparations were made by the crew or passengers of Gazze1 and Defne Y to defend against a possible boarding. B. The interception of the Gaza flotilla by the Israeli Navy on 31 May 2010 1. Factual Description and Findings 106. The Mission found the following facts to have been established to its satisfaction. (a) Contacts between the Israeli Navy and the vessels of the flotilla 107. The flotilla left the rendezvous point at 1554 hours on 30 May 2010 and proceeded in a south-westerly direction on course 222 degrees. This course was altered to 185 degrees, approximately due south, at 2330 hours upon drawing level with the coast of Israel and in order to maintain a course roughly parallel to the coast. The flotilla maintained a distance of 70 nautical miles from the coast since a NAVTEX (Navigational Telex) advisory had warned that the Israeli military were conducting exercises up to 68 nautical miles from the coast. 108. The first radio contact with the Israeli Navy was at approximately 2230 hours. Each vessel was contacted by the Israeli Navy, one after the other, on Channel 16 and requested to switch to an alternative channel. Each vessel refused to switch in order that the conversation could be monitored by all shipping. The Israeli Navy requested each vessel to identify itself and state its destination. It then warned each vessel, with some variations, it was approaching an area of hostilities which is under a naval blockade, that the Gaza maritime area is closed to all vessels and that they must change course to deliver their supplies to the Port of Ashdod in Israel. In some of the messages, the captain of each vessel was warned that he would be held personally responsible for any consequences of a failure to comply with the Israeli request. The Israeli Navy’s contacts were similar to those in relation to previous Free Gaza Movement efforts to enter Gaza by sea. 109. In response, the captains of the various vessels stated that their destination was Gaza and the purpose was to deliver humanitarian aid. They also asserted that the Israeli forces did not have the right to order the vessels to change course and that the blockade referred to was illegal. A representative of the Free Gaza Movement spoke to the Israelis on behalf of the whole flotilla, reiterating that the passengers were unarmed civilians delivering humanitarian aid and that none of the ships that should be considered as any form of threat to Israel. At no stage was a request made by the Israeli Navy for the cargo to be inspected. Contacts with the Israeli Navy continued until around 0200 hours when communication equipment was jammed by the Israeli forces, cutting them off to all external communications. However, the vessels in the flotilla were able to maintain contact with one another via handheld two-way radios. 110. In early June 2010, audio recordings were released by the Israeli authorities of apparent exchanges between the Israeli Navy and the Defne Y which included insulting references by unknown persons referring to ‘Auschwitz’ and the 11 September 2001 attack on the World Trade Centre in New York. However, the Mission is not satisfied that these recordings are authentic, nor has the Israeli government made this material available to the Mission for appropriate examination. The Mission was given positive evidence that no such statements were made by anyone involved in communications on the flotilla. 111. The crew and passengers of the six vessels became visually aware of the presence of Israeli naval vessels some time after the initial communications, between 2300 hours and midnight, both through sightings and two-way radio communication between the vessels. The larger Israeli ships and helicopters came into view of the crew of the vessels at approximately 0100 hours on 31 May. Similar sightings were made by other vessels in the flotilla at around the same time. (b) Events on board the M.V. Mavi Marmara(67) (i) Initial attempt to board the Mavi Marmara from the sea 112. Israeli zodiac boats made a first attempt to board the Mavi Marmara from the sea shortly before 0430 hours. Several zodiac boats approached the ship at the stern from both the port and starboard sides. The approach was accompanied by the firing of non-lethal weaponry onto the ship, including smoke and stun grenades, tear-gas and paintballs. Plastic bullets may also have been used at this stage: however, despite some claims that live ammunition was also fired from the zodiac boats, the Mission is not satisfied that this was the case. The smoke and tear gas were not effective due to the strong sea breeze and later due to the downdraft from helicopters. 113. The Israeli forces attempted to board the ship through attaching ladders to the hull. Passengers engaged in efforts to repel the attempted boarding using the ship’s water hoses (68) and the throwing of various items at the boats including chairs, sticks, a box of plates and other objects that were readily to hand. This initial attempt to board the ship proved unsuccessful. It is the view of the Mission that the Israeli forces should have re-evaluated their plans when it became obvious that putting their soldiers on board the ship may lead to civilian casualties. (ii) Landing of soldiers from helicopters onto the Mavi Marmara 114. Just minutes after soldiers from the zodiac boats had made initial unsuccessful attempts to board, the first helicopter approached the ship at approximately 0430 hours, hovering above the top deck. At this point between 10 and 20 passengers were located in the central area of the top deck, although this number increased as other passengers learned of events on the top deck. The Israeli forces used smoke and stun grenades in an attempt to clear an area for the landing of soldiers. The first rope that was let down from the helicopter was taken by passengers and tied it to a part of the top deck and thereby rendered ineffective for the purpose of soldiers’ descent. A second rope was then let down from the helicopter and the first group of soldiers descended. The Mission does not find it plausible that soldiers were holding their weapons and firing as they descended on the rope. However, it has concluded that live ammunition was used from the helicopter onto the top deck prior to the descent of the soldiers. 115. With the available evidence it is difficult to delineate the exact course of events on the top deck between the time of the first soldier descending and the Israeli forces securing control of the deck. A fight ensued between passengers and the first soldiers to descend onto the top deck that resulted in at least two soldiers being pushed down onto the bridge deck below, where they were involved in struggles with groups of passengers who attempted to take their weapons. The equipment jacket of at least one soldier was removed as he was pushed over the side of the deck. A number of weapons were taken from the soldiers by passengers and thrown into the sea: one weapon, a 9mm pistol was unloaded by a passenger, a former US Marine, in front of witnesses and then hidden in another part of the ship in an attempt to retain evidence. 116. A number of the passengers on the top deck fought with the soldiers using their fists, sticks, metal rods and knives. (69) At least one of the soldiers was stabbed with a knife or other sharp object. Witnesses informed the Mission that their objective was to subdue and disarm the soldiers so that they could not harm anyone. The Mission is satisfied on the evidence that at least two passengers on the bridge deck also used handheld catapults to propel small projectiles at the helicopters. The Mission has found no evidence to suggest that any of the passengers used firearms or that any firearms were taken on board the ship. Despite requests, the Mission has not received any medical records or other substantiated information from the Israeli authorities regarding any firearm injuries sustained by soldiers participating in the raid. Doctors examined the three soldiers taken below decks and no firearm injuries were noted. Further, the Mission finds that the Israeli accounts so inconsistent and contradictory with regard to evidence of alleged firearms injuries to Israeli soldiers that it has to reject it. (70) (iii) Deaths of nine passengers and wounding of at least 50 other passengers 117. During the operation to secure control of the top deck, the Israeli forces landed soldiers from three helicopters over a fifteen-minute period. (71) The Israeli forces used paintballs, plastic bullets and live ammunition, fired by soldiers from the helicopter above and soldiers who had landed on the top deck. The use of live ammunition during this period resulted in fatal injuries to four passengers, (72) and injuries to at least nineteen others, fourteen with gunshot wounds. Escape points to the bridge deck from the top deck were narrow and restricted and as such it was very difficult for passengers in this area to avoid being hit by live rounds. At least one of those killed was using a video camera and not involved in any of the fighting with the soldiers. The majority of gunshot wounds received by passengers were to their upper torsos in the head, thorax, abdomen and back. Given the relatively small number of passengers on the top deck during the incident, the Mission is driven to the conclusion that the vast majority were in receipt of gunshot wounds. 118. Israeli soldiers continued shooting at passengers who had already been wounded, with live ammunition, soft baton charges (beanbags) and plastic bullets. Forensic analysis demonstrates that two of the passengers killed on the top deck received wounds compatible with being shot at close range while lying on the ground: Furkan Dogan received a bullet in the face and Ibrahim Bilgen received a fatal wound from a soft baton round (beanbag) fired at such close proximity to his head that parts such as wadding penetrated his skull entered his brain. Furthermore, some of the wounded were subjected to further violence including being hit with the butt of a weapon, being kicked in the head, chest and back and being verbally abused. A number of the wounded passengers were handcuffed and then left unattended for some time before being dragged to the front of the deck by their arms or legs. 119. Once the Israeli forces had secured control of the top deck they undertook measures to move down to the bridge deck below in order to take over the ship’s bridge and thus take control of the ship. In relation to this operation, a series of shooting incidents occurred centred on the portside doorway which gives access to the main stairwell on the bridge deck. This door is near to the hatch and ladder, which allows access from the top deck to the bridge deck. 120. Israeli soldiers fired live ammunition both from the top deck at passengers on the bridge deck below and after they had moved down to the bridge deck. At least four passengers were killed, (73) and at least nine injured (five with firearms injuries) during this phase. None of the four passengers who were killed, including a photographer who at the time of being shot was engaged in taking photographs and was shot by an Israeli soldier positioned on the top deck above, posed any threat to the Israeli forces. There was considerable live fire from Israeli soldiers on the top deck and a number of passengers were injured or killed whilst trying to take refuge inside the door or assisting other to do so. Wounded passengers were brought into the ship through the stairwell and through the ship’s bridge room and were helped downstairs where they could be given some form of medical treatment by doctors and others on board. 121. One witness described the circumstances in which one passenger was killed on the bridge deck:
I saw two soldiers on top of the roof standing there holding their guns down at something on the roof that I couldn’t see. There were two guys hidden underneath a walkway of the ship to the right hand side and I was screaming at them not to move. The two passengers were below the soldiers. They could not see the soldiers and the soldiers could not see them while they were hidden under the walkway. Then the guys moved out making themselves visible as they tried to run towards the metal door. One man made it to open the door and got inside. The other man must have been shot. I think he was shot in the head from the way he looked, he wasn’t moving at all. He was twenty or thirty metres away from me. When the second man got shot, the first man opened the door and using it as a shield tried to reach out for the second man. He managed to reach him and was pulling him by his right arm. I couldn’t see any blood, but he wasn’t moving at all.
122. A group of up to twenty passengers, some holding sticks and rods and wearing gas masks, were located on or around the stairwell inside the ship. One passenger standing just inside the door was shot through the broken porthole in the door by a soldier standing a few metres away on the bridge deck outside. 123. During the shootings on the bridge deck and as it became apparent that a large number of passengers had become injured, Bulent Yildirim, the President of IHH and one of principal organisers of the flotilla, removed his white shirt which was then used as a white flag to indicate a surrender. This does not appear to have had any effect and live firing continued on the ship. 124. Israeli forces moved down to the bridge deck and moved rapidly to take over the bridge room towards the front of the ship. The doorway and windows of the bridge room came under fire and the ship’s captain ordered the ship’s engines to be cut. Israeli soldiers entered the bridge room through the door and broken window. The crew were made to lie on the ground at gunpoint. The captain remained standing but was held at gunpoint. (iv) Shootings at the bow deck, the release of the Israeli soldiers and end of the operation 125. During the initial fighting on the top deck three Israeli soldiers were taken under control and brought inside the ship. While some passengers wished to harm the soldiers, other passengers ensured that they were protected and able to receive rudimentary medical treatment from doctors on board. Two of the soldiers had received wounds to the abdomen. One of the soldiers had a superficial wound to the abdomen, caused by a sharp object, which penetrated to the subcutaneous tissue. None of the three soldiers had received gunshot injuries, according to doctors who examined them. All three soldiers were in a state of shock and were suffering from cuts, bruises and blunt force trauma. 126. As the seriousness of incidents on the outer decks became apparent, there was growing concern among some of the flotilla organisers that holding the captured Israeli soldiers may have serious implications for the security of all passengers on board. (74) It was decided that the soldiers should be released and they were taken to the bow of the lower deck. Once on the bow deck two of the soldiers jumped into the sea and were picked up by Israeli boats. The third soldier did not jump and was rapidly joined by Israeli soldiers who came down from the top deck. 127. At least four passengers were injured on the bow of the ship, both before and around the time that the Israeli soldiers were released. At least two passengers received wounds from live ammunition, while others received injuries from soft baton charges, including one doctor who was tending to injured passengers. 128. The Israeli forces stated that the active phase of the Israeli forces operation concluded at 0517 hours, (75) once the ship was under their control and the three soldiers were released. During the 45-50 minute operation, nine passengers were killed, more than 24 passengers had received serious injuries caused by live ammunition and a large number of other passengers had received injuries caused by plastic rounds, soft baton charges (beanbags) and other means. Deaths occurring on the Top Deck (roof) Furkan Dogan  Furkan Dogan, a nineteen-year old with dual Turkish and United States citizenship, was on the central area of the top deck filming with a small video camera when he was first hit with live fire. It appears that he was lying on the deck in a conscious, or semi-conscious, state for some time. It total Furkan received five bullet wounds, to the face, head, back thorax, left leg and foot. All of the entry wounds were on the back of his body, except for the face wound which entered to the right of his nose. According to forensic analysis, tattooing around the wound in his face indicates that the shot was delivered at point blank range. Furthermore, the trajectory of the wound, from bottom to top, together with a vital abrasion to the left shoulder that could be consistent with the bullet exit point, is compatible with the shot being received while he was lying on the ground on his back. The other wounds were not the result of firing in contact, near contact or close range, but it is not otherwise possible to determine the exact firing range. The wounds to the leg and foot were most likely received in a standing position. Ibrahim Bilgen  Ibrahim Bilgen, a 60 year old Turkish citizen, from Siirt in Turkey, was on the top deck and was one of the first passengers to be shot. He received a bullet wound to the chest, the trajectory of which was from above and not at close range. He had a further two bullet wounds to the right side of the back and right buttock, both back to front. These wounds would not have caused instant death, but he would have bled to death within a short time without medical attention. Forensic evidence shows that he was shot in the side of the head with a soft baton round at such close proximity and that an entire bean bag and its wadding penetrated the skull and lodged in the brain. He had a further bruise on the right flank consistent with another beanbag wound. The wounds are consistent with the deceased initially being shot from soldiers on board the helicopter above and receiving a further wound to the head while lying on the ground, already wounded. Fahri Yaldiz  Fahri Yaldiz, a 42 year old Turkish citizen from Adiyaman, received five bullet wounds, one to the chest, one to the left leg and three to the right leg. The chest wound was caused by a bullet that entered near the left nipple and hit the heart and lungs before exiting from the shoulder. This injury would have caused rapid death. Ali Heyder Bengi  According to the pathology report, Ali Heyder Bengi, a 38 year old Turkish citizen from Diyarbakir, received six bullet wounds (one in the chest, one in the abdomen, one in the right arm, one in the right thigh and two in the left hand). One bullet lodged in the chest area. None of the wounds would have been instantly fatal, but damage to the liver caused bleeding which would have been fatal if not stemmed. There are several witness accounts which suggest that Israeli soldiers shot the deceased in the back and chest at close range while he was lying on the deck as a consequence of initial bullet wounds. Deaths occurring on the Bridge Deck, portside Cevdet Kiliçlar  Cevdet Kiliçlar, a 38 year old Turkish citizen from Istanbul, was on the Mavi Marmara, in his capacity as a photographer employed by IHH. At the moment he was shot he was standing on the bridge deck on the port side of the ship near to the door leading to the main stairwell and was attempting to photograph Israeli soldiers on the top deck. According to the pathology reports, he received a single bullet to his forehead between the eyes. The bullet followed a horizontal trajectory which crossed the middle of the brain from front to back. He would have died instantly. Cengiz Akyüz  (with his daughter in this photo)Cengiz Songür  41 year old Cengiz Akyüz from Hatay and 46 year old Cengiz Songür from Izmir, both Turkish citizens, were injured on the bridge deck in close succession by live fire from above. They had been sheltering and were shot as they attempted to move inside the door leading to the stairwell. Cengiz Akyüz received a shot to the head and it is probable that he died instantly. The pathology report shows four wounds: to the neck, face, chest and thigh. Cengiz Songür received a single bullet to the upper central thorax below the neck, shot from a high angle, which lodged in the right thoracic cavity injuring the heart and aorta. Unsuccessful efforts were made by doctors inside the ship to resuscitate him through heart massage. Çetin Topçuoglu  Çetin Topçuoglu, a 54 year old Turkish citizen from Adana had been involved in helping to bring injured passengers inside the ship to be treated. He was also shot close to the door on the bridge deck. He did not die instantly and his wife, who was also on board the ship, was with him when he died. He was shot by three bullets. One bullet entered from the top the soft tissues of the right side of the back of the head, exited from the neck and then re-entered into the thorax. Another bullet entered the left buttock and lodged in the right pelvis. The third entered the right groin and exited from the lower back. There are indications that the victim may have been in a crouching or bending position when this wound was sustained. Deaths and seriously wounded occurring in unknown locations Necdet Yildirim  The location and circumstances of the shooting and death of Necdet Yildirim, a 31 year old Turkish citizen from Istanbul, remain unclear. He was shot twice in the thorax, once from the front and once from the back. The trajectory of both bullets was from top to bottom. He also received bruises consistent with plastic bullet impact Wounding of Ugur Suleyman Söylemez (in a coma) The serious nature of wounds to Ugur Suleyman Söylemez, a 46 year old Turkish citizen from Ankara, which include at least one bullet wound to the head, have left the victim in a coma in an Ankara hospital. He remains in a critical condition with a serious head injury. (v) Treatment of injured on the Mavi Marmara 129. Whilst the Israeli operation was still under way, efforts were made to tend to wounded passengers inside the ship by other passengers, amongst whom were around 15 doctors, nurses and others with medical training, including an ophthalmologist and orthopaedic specialist. Prior to the attack the doctors had met and agreed to use the ship’s small medical room, but there was no anticipated or preparation for the nature of injuries that transpired. The limited medicines and lack of appropriate equipment made it very difficult to properly treat wounded persons, particularly those who had received live fire injuries and required immediate surgery. By the end of the Israeli operation more than thirty persons were being treated inside the cabins, primarily in the lower deck in makeshift surgery areas, twenty of whom were in a critical condition. 130. The flotilla organisers and other passengers engaged in efforts to request the Israeli forces to provide the necessary treatment to the wounded persons. One organiser used the ship’s intercom to request assistance in Hebrew and persons also communicated directly through the cabin windows or by placing signs, written in English and Hebrew, in the ship’s windows. These attempts proved unsuccessful and it was up to two hours before the Israeli forces took out the wounded persons. However, the wounded were required to leave the cabins themselves, or taken outside in a rough manner, without apparent concern for the nature of their injuries and the discomfort that this would cause. 131. The wounded passengers were taken to the front of the top deck where they joined other passengers injured during the operation on the top deck and where the bodies of persons killed during the operation had been left. Wounded passengers, including persons seriously injured with live fire wounds, were handcuffed with plastic cord handcuffs, which were often tied very tightly causing some of the injured to lose sensitivity in their hands. These plastic handcuffs cannot be loosened without being cut off, but can be tightened. Many were also stripped naked and then had to wait some time, possibly as long as two-three hours, before receiving medical treatment. Medical treatment was given to a number of wounded persons on the top deck by the Israeli forces. (76) 132. Over several hours the wounded passengers were then airlifted by Israeli forces helicopters from the ship to hospitals in Israel. (77) However, some of the wounded remained on board the Mavi Marmara, at least one of whom had injuries caused by live ammunition and did not receive appropriate medical treatment until after the ship’s arrival at the port of Ashdod in Israel many hours later. (vi) Search and initial detention of Mavi Marmara passengers 133. All other passengers on the Mavi Marmara were taken one-by-one from the cabin areas and onto the external deck areas and were searched. The vast majority of passengers, including the ship’s captain and crew, were then handcuffed with plastic handcuffs and forced to kneel on the various decks for some hours. Some women, elderly men and persons from western countries were not handcuffed, or were temporarily handcuffed and then uncuffed after a relatively short period of time and were then permitted to sit on the benches. Most of those kneeling were drenched by water from the blades of the helicopter and were thus also in wet clothing throughout this period and were very cold. Other passengers exposed on open decks received serious sun-burn to their skin as a result of many hours exposure: medical reports show that at least thirteen passengers received first-degree burns as a consequence. During the course of the twelve-hour journey to the port of Ashdod in Israel the passengers were brought inside the ship and allowed to sit on the available seating. 134. In the process of being detained, or while kneeling on the outer decks for several hours, there was physical abuse of passengers by the Israeli forces, including kicking and punching and being hit with the butts of rifles. One foreign correspondent, on board in his professional capacity, was thrown on the ground and kicked and beaten before being handcuffed. The passengers were not allowed to speak or to move and there were frequent instances of verbal abuse, including derogatory sexual remarks about the female passengers. Passengers were denied access to toilet facilities or made to wait for lengthy periods before being escorted to the toilet and then forced to use the toilet with Israeli soldiers watching and while handcuffed. Some passengers were in serious discomfort as a result, while others used makeshift receptacles, such as plastic bottles and others still were forced to urinate on themselves. The Israeli forces also employed dogs and some passengers received dog bite wounds. Some witnesses who suffer from chronic medical conditions, such as diabetes or heart conditions, were not provided access to their required medicines which were taken by Israeli soldiers. 135. The manner in which plastic handcuffs were attached to the wrists of passengers caused severe pain and discomfort. There was widespread misuse of the handcuffs by the Israeli soldiers who tightened the plastic handcuffs to an extent that caused pain, swelling, a loss of blood circulation in the hands and the loss of sensitivity in their hands and fingers. Most passengers who requested that the handcuffs be loosened were ignored or it resulted in the handcuffs being further tightened. A number of passengers are still experiencing medical problems related to the handcuffing three months later and forensic reports confirm that at least fifty-four passengers had received injuries, transversal abrasions and bruises, as a result of handcuffing on board the Mavi Mamara. (c) Events aboard the Challenger 1 To Be Continued.download document with footnotes — bit.ly/FlotillaReport
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Post by cosmicstar on Mar 31, 2011 8:36:06 GMT 4
emotopeaceproject.blogspot.com/2011/03/to-our-friends-around-world.htmlEmoto Peace Project
To All People Around the WorldPlease send your prayers of love and gratitude to water at the nuclear plants in Fukushima, Japan! By the massive earthquakes of Magnitude 9 and surreal massive tsunamis, more than 10,000 people are still missing…even now… It has been 16 days already since the disaster happened. What makes it worse is that water at the reactors of Fukushima Nuclear Plants started to leak, and it’s contaminating the ocean, air and water molecule of surrounding areas. Human wisdom has not been able to do much to solve the problem, but we are only trying to cool down the anger of radioactive materials in the reactors by discharging water to them. Is there really nothing else to do? I think there is. During over twenty year research of hado measuring and water crystal photographic technology, I have been witnessing that water can turn positive when it receives pure vibration of human prayer no matter how far away it is. Energy formula of Albert Einstein, E=MC2 really means that Energy = number of people and the square of people’s consciousness. Now is the time to understand the true meaning. Let us all join the prayer ceremony as fellow citizens of the planet earth. I would like to ask all people, not just in Japan, but all around the world to please help us to find a way out the crisis of this planet!! The prayer procedure is as follows. Name of ceremony:
“Let’s send our thoughts of love and gratitude to all water in the nuclear plants in Fukushima”
[/color][/size] Day and Time:
March 31st, 2011 (Thursday)
12:00 noon in each time zonePlease say the following phrase: “The water of Fukushima Nuclear Plant, we are sorry to make you suffer. Please forgive us. We thank you, and we love you.” Please say it aloud or in your mind. Repeat it three times as you put your hands together in a prayer position. Please offer your sincere prayer. Thank you very much from my heart. With love and gratitude, Masaru Emoto Messenger of Water
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Post by satchmo on Mar 31, 2011 19:05:29 GMT 4
Facebook shuts pro-Palestinian pageUS-based social networking website Facebook has obliterated a page that advocated a 'third Intifada (uprising)' in reaction to Israel's persisting measures to trample on the rights of the Palestinian people. The Tuesday move came after 350,000 people endorsed the campaign by 'liking' the page and many of its entries received thousands of comments, reported Ynetnews, the website for the Israeli daily Yedioth Ahronoth. The move came after Israel's Minister of Diplomacy and Diaspora Affairs Yuli Edelstein addressed Facebook's creator Mark Zuckerberg in a letter, pleading with him to remove the page. The Facebook campaign had stated that "Palestine will be freed and we will free it," advocating the uprising against Tel Aviv's occupation of the Palestinian lands and its continued suppression of the Palestinian population. A total of 6,200 Palestinians died during their first Intifada between 1987 and 1993 and the second one in the 2000s -- both fiercely confronted by Israel. The page had also called for a march towards Palestine on May 15, which marks the anniversary of Israel's occupation of the Palestinian homelands in 1948. The year witnessed the Israeli regime fabricating its existence, mainly backed by the US, Britain and France, in a full-scale military offensives against Arab nations in the region. The operations forced over 711,000 Palestinians out of their homeland. A 2008 report estimates the number of Palestinian refugees at over 4.6 million. www.presstv.ir/detail/172313.html
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Post by ninathedog on Apr 1, 2011 3:38:51 GMT 4
[OccupationNews] Digest Number 1337
Wed Mar 30, 2011 6:15 pm (PDT)
***Occupied Palestine and Israel: News and Articles*
*News*
------------ --------- --------- --------- --------- --------- -
*International Middle East Media Center* <http://imemc. org/>
*Peres' London Visit Protested* <http://www.imemc. org/article/ 60968>
IMEMC - Thursday March 31, 2011 - 04:00, Dozens of Protesters gathered
Wednesday in front of the Chatham House research institute in London to
protest allowing Israeli President, Shimon Peres, to visit the institute
and giving him the podium.
*Israeli Bank Which Profited From Holocaust Forced To Settle With
Survivors* <http://www.imemc. org/article/ 60967>
IMEMC - Thursday March 31, 2011 - 02:11, One of Israel's largest banks,
Bank Leumi, has agreed to an out-of-court settlement after being sued by
the descendents of victims of the Holocaust. The Bank kept money
deposited by over 3500 European Jews who were later killed in the
Holocaust, and profited from those funds rather than returning them to
surviving family members.
*Thousands Mark Land Day In The Negev* <http://www.imemc. org/article/ 60966>
IMEMC - Wednesday March 30, 2011 - 22:54, Thousands of residents and
university students marched on Wednesday Marking March 30, the
Palestinian Land day, and chanted slogans against the illegal Israeli
policies of land theft, and the ongoing attempts to remove the Arab
residents from their lands in the Negev, and in different parts of
Palestine.
*Searching For Its Director, Army Breaks Into Wadi Hiweh Information
Center* <http://www.imemc. org/article/ 60965>
IMEMC - Wednesday March 30, 2011 - 22:04, Israeli Policemen broke on
Wednesday into the Wadi Hilweh Information Center, In Silwan, in
occupied East Jerusalem, searching for its director, Jawad Siyam.
*Fighter Assassinated In Rafah* <http://www.imemc. org/article/ 60962>
IMEMC - Wednesday March 30, 2011 - 09:10, Palestinian sources reported
on Wednesday at dawn that a member of the Al Quds Brigades, the armed
wing of the Islamic Jihad, was killed, while another Palestinian was
seriously injured after an Israeli drone fired a missile at them in
Rafah, in the southern part of the Gaza Strip.
*Ma'an News* <http://maannews. net/en/>
*Early morning airstrike kills 1*
<http://www.maannews .net/eng/ ViewDetails. aspx?ID=373657>
3/30/2011 - GAZA CITY (Ma'an) -- Israeli forces launched an air strike
on the southern Gaza Strip shortly after the dawn prayer on Wednesday,
killing one militant and injuring a second. In a statement from the
Al-Quds Brigades, the armed wing of Islamic Jihad, officials identified
the slain man as Mohammad Abu Mu'ammer, killed....
*Settlement building increased fourfold in 2010*
<http://www.maannews .net/eng/ ViewDetails. aspx?ID=373357>
3/30/2011 - RAMALLAH (Ma'an) -- As Palestinians commemorate Land Day,
the anniversary of an uprising against Israel's land confiscation, a
report from the Palestinian Central Bureau of Statistics released a
report showing Israel's settlement project is rapidly escalating.
Thirty-five years on from the uprising, in which six young protesters
were killed by....
*Child exiled from home for stone throwing*
<http://www.maannews .net/eng/ ViewDetails. aspx?ID=373697>
3/30/2011 - JERUSALEM (Ma'an) --A 14-year-old Jerusalem boy was banned
from his neighborhood by a district court, his family said Wednesday.
The child is prohibited from entering his home district for 60 days,
after being convicted of stone throwing, relatives said. Salim Bader
Ash-Sha'ar will have to live with relatives and stop....
*Report: Israel studies plan to build island off Gaza Strip*
<http://www.maannews .net/eng/ ViewDetails. aspx?ID=373740>
3/30/2011 - JERUSALEM (AFP) -- Israel is studying plans to create an
artificial island along the Gaza Strip with sea and air ports to be
controlled by the Palestinian Authority, an Israeli television channel
reported Tuesday. The project, under development for three months by
Transport Minister Yaakov Katz, proposes building a man-made island four
kilometers long and two....
*Rawabi remains settler-colonial sub-contractor*
<http://www.maannews .net/eng/ ViewDetails. aspx?ID=373702>
3/30/2011 - On 30 March, Palestinians will celebrate the 35th
anniversary of Land Day, commemorating the death of six Palestinian
Arabs (five of whom were citizens of Israel) who actively resisted the
decision of the Israeli Government in the 1970s to intensify the
confiscationof Arab lands for settlements designated for "Jews" only.
Also in March, the 81st....
*Awarta police officer detained in night raid*
<http://www.maannews .net/eng/ ViewDetails. aspx?ID=373762>
3/30/2011 - NABLUS (Ma'an) -- A 40-year-old policeman was detained by
Israeli forces from the village of Awarta overnight Tuesday, a day after
dozens were rounded up in connection to a murder investigation involving
a settler family from the adjacent Itamar settlement. In the early days
of the investigation, two security officers living in the....
*Israeli police raid info center in Jerusalem*
<http://www.maannews .net/eng/ ViewDetails. aspx?ID=373988>
3/30/2011 - JERUSALEM (Ma'an) - Israeli police on Wednesday raided the
Wadi Hilweh information center in Jerusalem searching for its manager.
Israeli police were searching for Jawad Siyam, the East Jerusalem
center's director, a Ma'an correspondent said. Siyam had been placed
under house arrest and was at court when police arrived at....
Related:Wadi Hilweh information center <http://silwanic. net/>
*UN chief: Occupation, settlements must end*
<http://www.maannews .net/eng/ ViewDetails. aspx?ID=373714>
3/30/2011 - BETHLEHEM (Ma'an) -- UN chief Ban Ki-moon called Tuesday for
an end to settlement construction, saying the occupation of the West
Bank and Gaza is "morally and politically unsustainable, and must end."
In an opening address to a UN meeting in support of Middle East peace in
Uruguay, the secretary-general called on Israel to....
*Report: Palestinians cleared in Israel rape case*
<http://www.maannews .net/eng/ ViewDetails. aspx?ID=373938>
3/31/2011 - TEL AVIV, Israel (Ma'an) -- Israeli police have released
four Palestinians in Israel who were arrested Tuesday on suspicion that
they had raped an Israeli boy, reports said. The Israeli news site Ynet
reported Wednesday that the Palestinian men, who were not identified,
were released when it turned out the 11-year old boy....
*Israel delays Gaza prisoners release*
<http://www.maannews .net/eng/ ViewDetails. aspx?ID=373709>
3/30/2011 - GAZA (Ma'an) -- Five Gaza prisoners are expected to be
released by Israeli authorities Wednesday, with two others' release
delayed for several days, having all finished Israeli jail terms. Gaza
government Minister of Prisoners Affairs, Riyad Al-Ashqar, said the two
"were supposed to be released last week, but the Israeli authorities
have delayed....
*UNRWA workers announce hunger strike*
<http://www.maannews .net/eng/ ViewDetails. aspx?ID=373749>
3/30/2011 - JERUSALEM (Ma'an) -- A group of UNRWA warehouse workers
began a demonstration in the refugee agency's Sheikh Jarrah headquarters
on Wednesday, saying a hunger strike had been initiated. Spokesman for
the workers, Jamal Jaber, told Ma'an that 22 men had started a hunger
strike demanding better wages. Jaber said the....
*Several detained by Israeli forces overnight*
<http://www.maannews .net/eng/ ViewDetails. aspx?ID=373668>
3/30/2011 - BETHLEHEM (Ma'an) -- Israeli military officials confirmed
the detention of five Palestinians overnight Tuesday, while Palestinian
sources reported arrest raids in three locations across the West Bank.
West Bank police said one was detained in Awarta, a second 16-year-old
boy in the village of Azun, and 23-year-old Marwan Hassen Hamamreh from
a....
*Palestinians commemorate Land Day*
<http://www.maannews .net/eng/ ViewDetails. aspx?ID=373712>
3/30/2011 - JERUSALEM (Ma'an) -- Five hundred students were chased and
beaten by government security forces during a Land Day protest in Gaza
City on Wednesday, an organizer affiliated with the March 15 coalition
told Ma'an. Officers were said to have dispersed the gathered young
people, who were calling for unity and a return....
*Bahar marks Land Day*
<http://www.maannews .net/eng/ ViewDetails. aspx?ID=373964>
3/30/2011 - GAZA CITY (Ma'an) -- Ahmad Bahar, former parliament speaker,
said Wednesday that Palestinians were committed to their lands and their
dignity, as he marked Land Day. Saying Israel maintains a discriminatory
policy of trying to force its minorities off their land, Bahar stressed
that Palestinians should reconcile in order to reunite the West Bank....
*Power cable equipment to enter via sole crossing*
<http://www.maannews .net/eng/ ViewDetails. aspx?ID=373653>
3/30/2011 - GAZA CITY (Ma'an) -- Three truckloads of goods for the Gaza
Power Authority will be permitted to enter the Gaza Strip on Wednesday,
Palestinian liaison officer Raed Fattouh said he was informed by his
Israeli counterpart. In addition, eight truckloads of iron and cement
will be permitted to enter for UNRWA construction projects, he....
*US consulate closes due to suspicious mailing*
<http://www.maannews .net/eng/ ViewDetails. aspx?ID=374014>
3/31/2011 - JERUSALEM (Ma'an) -- The US Consulate in Jerusalem will
close Thursday due to a suspicious package, officials said. The citizen
services office will be available to handle emergency situations only.
American citizens and visa applicants with scheduled appointments will
be contacted directly to reschedule their appointments, a statement from
the US mission in Jerusalem... .
*Gaza court sentences man to death*
<http://www.maannews .net/eng/ ViewDetails. aspx?ID=373658>
3/30/2011 - GAZA CITY (Ma'an) -- A military court in the central Gaza
Strip sentenced a man to death by hanging on Wednesday, after a judge
found him guilty of treason contributing to the death of a Palestinian.
A second man was found guilty of treason and sentenced to 15 years of
hard labor. Both sentences... .
*Hamas says 2 detained by PA*
<http://www.maannews .net/eng/ ViewDetails. aspx?ID=373728>
3/30/2011 - BETHLEHEM (Ma'an) --Hamas officials in the West Bank said
Wednesday that Palestinian security forces detained two of its members
from the Tulkarem district for political reasons. The allegations were
made in a statement, which called for their release....
*Israeli PM sues over claims trips privately financed*
<http://www.maannews .net/eng/ ViewDetails. aspx?ID=373961>
3/30/2011 - JERUSALEM (AFP) -- Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu
has filed suit against a television channel and a newspaper for accusing
him of taking trips at the expense of private businessmen, aides said on
Wednesday. The libel suit against private Channel 10 and the Maariv
daily is seeking damages of one million shekels ($282,000) from each,
saying....
*Israeli premier embraces new media*
<http://www.maannews .net/eng/ ViewDetails. aspx?ID=374036>
3/30/2011 - JERUSALEM (AFP) -- Israeli Prime Minister Benyamin Netanyahu
held an electronic forum on Wednesday, taking questions from the public
through the Internet while local TV and YouTube screened his answers.
His office said the event, open to participants at home and around the
world, was a first for the premier. The questions from Israelis were
mainly....
*PCBS: 13.8 percent export rise*
<http://www.maannews .net/eng/ ViewDetails. aspx?ID=373915>
3/30/2011 - RAMALLAH (Ma'an) -- Palestinian exports rose 13. 8 percent
in January 2011 compared to the prior month, Palestinian officals said
Wednesday. Exports to Israel increased 26. 1 percent on December 2010,
the Palestinian Central Bureau of Statistics said, while exports to
other countries decreased by 53. 2 percent in the same period.
Palestinian imports....
*Thousands stranded in 'appalling' conditions on Italian island*
<http://www.maannews .net/eng/ ViewDetails. aspx?ID=374022>
3/31/2011 - BETHLEHEM (Ma'an) -- Thousands of people, many who left
North Africa following recent unrest, are stranded on the Italian island
of Lampedusa in appalling conditions, Amnesty International said
Wednesday. The unequivocal assessment by Amnesty International' s
delegation came as Italy's Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi pledged "to
clear Lampedusa within 48-60....
*Jordan govt bans supporters from Amman demos*
<http://www.maannews .net/eng/ ViewDetails. aspx?ID=373816>
3/30/2011 - AMMAN (AFP) -- Jordan will ban government supporters from
demonstrating in the capital, a top official said Tuesday as King
Abdullah II vowed to fight attempts to "sabotage" the country's reform
drive. The measures will be implemented after last week's clashes, in
which one protester died and 160 were injured, as demonstrators. ...
*Egypt antiquities chief becomes minister*
<http://www.maannews .net/eng/ ViewDetails. aspx?ID=373874>
3/30/2011 - CAIRO (AFP) -- Egypt's chief archaeologist Zahi Hawass, the
guardian of some of the world's most important treasures, was on
Wednesday named minister of antiquities, the official MENA news agency
reported. Hawass had served as head of the Supreme Council of
Antiquities and later became minister of state under ousted president
Hosni....
*Libyan rebels scatter, world mulls sending arms*
<http://www.maannews .net/eng/ ViewDetails. aspx?ID=373892>
3/30/2011 - UQAYLA, Libya (AFP) -- Loyalist forces overran the Libyan
oil town of Ras Lanuf on Wednesday, scattering outgunned rebels as world
powers debated arming the rag-tag band of fighters seeking to oust
Moammar Gadhafi. AFP reporters, quoting rebel fighters, said Gadhafi's
troops swept through Ras Lanuf, strategic for its oil refinery, blazing
away with....
*Syria's Assad warns of 'conspiracy' *
<http://www.maannews .net/eng/ ViewDetails. aspx?ID=373959>
3/30/2011 - DAMASCUS (AFP) -- President Bashar al-Assad on Wednesday
blamed conspirators for unrest sweeping Syria but failed to lift
emergency rule or offer other concessions in his first speech since
pro-reform protests erupted two weeks ago. In a highly anticipated
address to parliament that lasted almost one hour, Assad warned Syria's
"enemies" were targeting its....
*Report: Radioactive waste from Japan reaches Israel*
<http://www.maannews .net/eng/ ViewDetails. aspx?ID=374029>
3/30/2011 - TEL AVIV, Israel (Ma'an) -- A minuscule amount of
radioactive gas and particles from Japan have been detected in Israel,
Israel's Atomic Energy Commission reportedly announced Wednesday. The
Israeli daily Haaretz reported that the particles were from a nuclear
reactor at the Fukushima facility in Japan which leaked after the
devastating earthquake.. ..
*Bullish forecasts for Dubai on back of Asia growth*
<http://www.maannews .net/eng/ ViewDetails. aspx?ID=374037>
3/30/2011 - DUBAI (AFP) -- The economy of Dubai, whose financial woes
rattled world markets in late 2009, is tipped to grow over the next two
years on the back of robust economic activity in Asia, economists said
on Wednesday." We're quite bullish" about economic growth in the Gulf
emirate, a big-spending boomtown before its debt....
*Qatar in spotlight in absence of Arab heavies*
<http://www.maannews .net/eng/ ViewDetails. aspx?ID=374038>
3/30/2011 - DUBAI (AFP) -- The conflict in Libya has swept small but
wealthy Qatar into the diplomatic and military spotlight in the absence
of traditional Arab heavyweights Saudi Arabia and Egypt, analysts said
on Wednesday. Qatar last week became the first Arab state to take part
in Western-led military operations against the regime of Libyan leader
Moammar....
*Libya rebels downplay Al-Qaeda charges*
<http://www.maannews .net/eng/ ViewDetails. aspx?ID=374040>
3/30/2011 - BENGHAZI, Libya (AFP) -- A spokesman for Libyan rebels
fighting Moammar Gadhafi's regime on Wednesday played down allegations
by a top NATO commander that there may be Al-Qaeda fighters in their
ranks." We don't have this organisation in Libya because their culture
is different from ours," Colonel Ahmed Bani told reporters in....
*Libyan foreign minister arrives in London and quits post*
<http://www.maannews .net/eng/ ViewDetails. aspx?ID=374050>
3/30/2011 - LONDON (AFP) -- Libyan Foreign Minister Mussa Kussa arrived
in Britain on Wednesday, telling the British government that he was
resigning from his post, Britain's Foreign Office said....
*Palestine Note* <http://palestinenot e.com/cs/>
*Israeli and Palestinian victims break cycle of violence*
<http://palestinenot e.com/blogs/ blogs/archive/ 2011/03/30/ israeli-and- palestinian- victims-break- cycle-of- violence. aspx>
Palestine Note 30 Mar 2011 - Robi Damelin - The recent violence in
Israel and Gaza is threatening to spiral into yet another cycle of
reprisals and counter-reprisals in this long and intractable conflict.
This ceaseless reality of violence, which has engulfed Israelis and
Palestinians for...
*Israeli minister proposes Gaza artificial island*
<http://palestinenot e.com/blogs/ news/archive/ 2011/03/30/ israeli-minister -proposes- gaza-artificial- island.aspx>
Palestine Note 30 Mar 2011 - Reuters- Israel is considering building an
artificial island with sea and air ports off blockaded Gaza, as a
long-term solution to shipping goods into the Hamas-run Palestinian
enclave, the transport minister said. Yisrael Katz told Army Radio on
Wednesday he...
*How Comic-Con Fans Can Help Solve The Palestine/Israel Conflict*
<http://palestinenot e.com/blogs/ blogs/archive/ 2011/03/30/ how-comic- con-fans- can-help- solve-the- palestine- israel-conflict. aspx>
Palestine Note 30 Mar 2011 - The "Soup Nazi" from the television show
"Seinfeld" is famous for two reasons: He makes inexpensive tasty soups
and he offers a side order of customer insults for those unfortunate
souls who take too long to order or are dumb...
*Assad Makes No Concessions*
<http://palestinenot e.com/blogs/ topnews/archive/ 2011/03/30/ assad-makes- no-concessions. aspx>
Palestine Note 30 Mar 2011 - Palestinian leaders continue to make plans
for unity talks AP - Syrian President Bashar Assad blamed "conspirators"
Wednesday for an extraordinary wave of dissent against his authoritarian
rule, but he failed to lift the country's despised emergency law or offer...
*Aljazeera* <http://english. aljazeera. net/news/ middleeast/>
*Libya's foreign minister defects*
<http://english. aljazeera. net/news/ africa/2011/ 03/2011330151017 941970.html>
AlJazeera 30 Mar 2011 - Senior official arrives in the UK as Britain
gives marching orders to five Libyan diplomats citing national security.
*Syria's Assad warns of 'conspiracy' *
<http://english. aljazeera. net/news/ middleeast/ 2011/03/20113301 35615434966. html>
AlJazeera 30 Mar 2011 - Syrian president fails to lift emergency laws in
his first speech since security forces curbed anti-government protests.
*Gaddafi's forces recapture Ras Lanuf*
<http://english. aljazeera. net/news/ africa/2011/ 03/2011330612491 71629.html>
AlJazeera 30 Mar 2011 - Without coalition air strikes, outgunned rebels
fall back through Ras Lanuf and complain about lack of support.
*Yemen's Saleh 'makes new offer to protesters'*
<http://english. aljazeera. net//news/ middleeast/ 2011/03/20113301 4584368624. html>
AlJazeera 30 Mar 2011 - President reportedly offers to transfer powers
to caretaker government till next elections.
*Egypt to vote on president by end of year*
<http://english. aljazeera. net//news/ middleeast/ 2011/03/20113301 5465861266. html>
AlJazeera 30 Mar 2011 - Military council to act as head of state until
elections planned "a month or two" after parliamentary vote in September.
*Italy to shift migrants from Lampedusa*
<http://english. aljazeera. net/news/ europe/2011/ 03/2011330145231 780261.html>
AlJazeera 30 Mar 2011 - Berlusconi says about 6,000 people on tiny
Mediterranean island, mainly from Tunisia, will be removed in next few days.
*Bahrain Shia leader says Saudi force must go*
<http://english. aljazeera. net//news/ middleeast/ 2011/03/20113301 394489875. html>
AlJazeera 30 Mar 2011 - Ali Salman says he does not want Bahrain to
"turn into a conflict zone" between Saudi Arabia and Iran.
**
<http://english. aljazeera. net/news/ africa/2011/ 03/2011330102626 14616.html>*Israeli
air strike kills Palestinian fighter*
<http://english. aljazeera. net//news/ middleeast/ 2011/03/20113305 5941687286. html>
AlJazeera 30 Mar 2011 - Israel targets members of Islamic Jihad's armed
wing in Gaza, blaming them for firing a rocket into Israel.
*US honours Lebanese author*
<http://english. aljazeera. net//news/ americas/ 2011/03/20113304 1654803563. html>
AlJazeera 30 Mar 2011 - Ameen Rihani, the first Arab-American to have an
English-language book published in the US, is remembered.
*Palestine News Network* <http://english. pnn.ps/>
*Land Day: Marches Reported in Galilee and Negev, Knesset Members Decry
Occupation*
<http://english. pnn.ps/index. php?option= com_content& task=view& id=9804&Itemid= 56>
PNN - Fadi Ya'coub -- Bethlehem -- PNN/Exclusive - Today Palestinians
inside Israel marked the 35th anniversary of Land Day, which
commemorates the effort to defend Palestinian land through wide public
participation in non-violent. ..
*Israeli Airstrike in Gaza Kills One; Five Arrested in West Bank Raids*
<http://english. pnn.ps/index. php?option= com_content& task=view& id=9803&Itemid= 64>
PNN - Gaza City -- PNN - An Israeli airstrike in Rafah in the southern
Gaza Strip killed one Palestinian and injured another critically, while
military raids in the West Bank concluded with the...
*Ban Ki-moon: "The Occupation that Started in 1967 is Morally and
Politically ...*
<http://english. pnn.ps/index. php?option= com_content& task=view& id=9802&Itemid= 56>
PNN - Uruguay -- PNN/UN Media Center -- UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon
called for a halt to Israel's settlement building in the Palestinian
territories, an end to all expressions of violence and the punishment.. .
*Twana Village: Living in Settler Hell*
<http://english. pnn.ps/index. php?option= com_content& task=view& id=9801&Itemid= 56>
PNN - Muhannad al-Adm -- Hebron -- PNN/Exclusive - The al-Ra'bi family
lives in the village of Twana, south of Hebron in the southern West
Bank, in a lasting state of panic induced by...
*Palestinian Center for Human Rights* <http://pchrgaza. org/>
*Unknown Persons Blow Women's Beauty Salon in Rafah and Car of The
Assistant Comptroller General of the Security Services in Gaza*
<http://www.pchrgaza .org/portal/ en/index. php?option= com_content& view=article& id=7307:unknown- persons-blow- womens-beauty- salon-in- rafah-and- car-of-the- assistant- comptroller- general-of- the-security- services- in-gaza-& catid=61: field-update- security- chaos-&Itemid= 211>
Palestinian Center for Human Rights Sunday, 20 March 2011
*Weekly Report On Israeli Human Rights Violations in the Occupied
Palestinian Territory (17-23 March 2011)*
<http://www.pchrgaza .org/portal/ en/index. php?option= com_content& view=article& id=7321:weekly- report-on- israeli-human- rights-violation s-in-the- occupied- palestinian- territory- 17-23-march- 2011&catid= 84:weekly- 2009&Itemid= 183>
Palestinian Center for Human Rights
*International Solidarity Movement* <http://palsolidarit y.org/>
*Ban Ki-moon: 'The occupation that started in 1967 is morally and
politically unsustainable' * <http://palsolidarit y.org/2011/ 03/17284/>
3/30/2011 - International Solidarity Movement - Palestine News Network -
UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon called for a halt to Israel's
settlement building in the Palestinian territories, an end to all
expressions of violence and the punishment of those perpetrating it,
adding that Israel's occupation is morally and politically
unsustainable. "Time is of the essence in realizing the two-state... .
Related:Source
<http://english. pnn.ps/index. php?option= com_content& task=view& id=9802&Itemid= 56>
*Palestinians commemorate Land Day*
<http://palsolidarit y.org/2011/ 03/17287/>
3/30/2011 - International Solidarity Movement - Today Palestinians in
Israel, West Bank and Gaza commemorated Land Day with demonstrations and
strikes. The 30th March marks the date when in 1976 the Israeli
government announced plans to expropriate thousands of dunums of land
for 'security and settlement purposes', sparking strikes and marches in
Arab towns from the Galilee to the....
*Relief Web*
<http://reliefweb. int/rw/rwb. nsf/doc106? OpenForm& emid=ACOS- 635PFR&rc= 3>
*European Union and Palestinian Authority Sub-Committee Meeting on Human
Rights, Good Governance and Rule of Law*
<http://www.reliefwe b.int/rw/ rwb.nsf/db900SID /MCOI-8FFGE2? OpenDocument& RSS20=02- P>
Relief Web 30 Mar 2011 - Source: European Union
*USAID West Bank/Gaza Report on Mission Program Achievements - Week of
March 15, 2011*
<http://www.reliefwe b.int/rw/ rwb.nsf/db900SID /MUMA-8FF43J? OpenDocument& RSS20=02- P>
Relief Web 29 Mar 2011 - Source: US Agency for International Development
*Palestine Telegraph* <http://paltelegraph .com/>
*Israeli Maniacs "Settlers" Raze agricultural Lands in West Bank*
<http://www.palteleg raph.com/ palestine/ west-bank/ 8803-israeli- maniacs-qsettler sq-raze-agricult ural-lands- in-west-bank. html>
30 Mar 2011 - Gaza, (Pal Telegraph) - Israeli bulldozers razed large
areas of agricultural lands Wednesday in al-Khader village, south of
Bethlehem in the West Bank.
*Education Crisis in East Jerusalem*
<http://www.palteleg raph.com/ palestine/ west-bank/ 8801-education- crisis-in- east-jerusalem. html>
30 Mar 2011 - According to a recent report by the Association for Civil
Rights in Israel and Ir Amim, over five thousand Palestinian children in
East Jerusalem are completely outside the education system. Last year,
only half went to schools run by the Jerusalem Education Administration
(Manhi), the rest attending schools set up by UNRWA and Islamic
organisations schools. "Failed Grade," published in...
*Israeli forces raid Hebron, detain 5*
<http://www.palteleg raph.com/ palestine/ west-bank/ 8800-israeli- forces-raid- hebron-detain- 5.html>
30 Mar 2011 - West Bank, (Pal Telegrap)- Israeli occupation forces
raided Wednesday at dawn several neighborhoods in Hebron city and
detained one Palestinian.
*Israel bulldozes farmlands south Bethlehem*
<http://www.palteleg raph.com/ palestine/ west-bank/ 8799-israeli- bulldozes- farmlands- south-bethlehem. html>
30 Mar 2011 - West Bank, (Pal Telegraph)-Israeli bulldozers started
Wednesday razing operations to several agricultural lands of Al-Khader
town in the south part of Bethlehem.
*Israeli attack on Gaza kills one*
<http://www.palteleg raph.com/ palestine/ gaza-strip/ 8798-israeli- attack-on- gaza-kills- one.html>
30 Mar 2011 - Gaza Strip, (Pal Telegraph)- One Palestinian militants
was killed and another injured in Israeli bombing targeting Al-Bayuk
area in Rafah city, southern Gaza Strip.
*The National* <http://thenational. ae/section/ FOREIGN?profile= 1011>
*Syrian president Bashar al Assad dashes expectations of political
reforms*
<http://www.thenatio nal.ae/news/ worldwide/ middle-east/ syrian-president -bashar-al- assad-dashes- expectations- of-political- reforms>
The National 30 Mar 2011 - 'Syria is different: we face a conspiracy,'
Assad tells country as he refuses to repeal emergency laws and says
planned reforms will not be accelerated in response to growing protests.
*Fed-up Palestinians turn from US to find other providers of answers*
<http://www.thenatio nal.ae/news/ worldwide/ middle-east/ fed-up-palestini ans-turn- from-us-to- find-other- providers- of-answers>
The National 30 Mar 2011 - With the United States distracted by events
elsewhere in the Middle East, Palestinians, despondent at Washington's
efforts in the peace process with Israel, are in turn trying to energise
their pursuit of alternatives to their over-reliance on US meditation.
*Islamic group drops demand that UN support 'religious defamation'*
<http://www.thenatio nal.ae/news/ worldwide/ middle-east/ islamic-group- drops-demand- that-un-support- religious- defamation>
The National 30 Mar 2011 - The UN Human Rights Council recently adopted
a resolution to promote religious tolerance. The decision marked the end
of a long and bitter dispute between Muslim nations and the West over
freedom of speech.
*Both sides caution Iran not to meddle in Bahrain*
<http://www.thenatio nal.ae/news/ worldwide/ middle-east/ both-sides- caution-iran- not-to-meddle- in-bahrain>
The National 30 Mar 2011 - Bahrain's foreign minister warned yesterday
of sectarian strife spreading through the region while a Shiite
opposition leader urged Iran to keep out of the country's internal
affairs. The Bahraini opposition also warned that Bahrain should not be
used as a proxy for war between Iran and Saudi Arabia.
*Israel planning to build island off Gaza Strip for port*
<http://www.thenatio nal.ae/news/ worldwide/ middle-east/ israel-planning- to-build- island-off- gaza-strip- for-port>
The National 30 Mar 2011 - Israel is planning to build an island off the
Gaza Strip that would feature a seaport and airport. The facility would
free Israel of responsibility for controlling commerce in Gaza and the
Palestinian Authority would play a part in managing it.
*Ha'aretz* <http://haaretz. com/>
*Palestinians to ask for UN recognition if peace talks fail, says Abbas*
<http://www.haaretz. com/print- edition/news/ palestinians- to-ask-for- un-recognition- if-peace- talks-fail- says-abbas- 1.353178>
Ha'aretz - PA President threatens to quit in September if peace talks
with Israel don't move forward, urges Israel to 'take advantage' of the
current 'order' in the West Bank.
*Netanyahu: Allegations of improper funding are 'baseless slander'*
<http://www.haaretz. com/news/ national/ netanyahu- allegations- of-improper- funding-are- baseless- slander-1. 353109>
Ha'aretz - PM responds publicly for the first time to allegations
against him; State Comptroller asks to be instilled with authority of
panel of inquiry, to be able to call witnesses and request relevant
documents.
*'Israel releases map detailing hundreds of Hezbollah sites in Lebanon'*
<http://www.haaretz. com/news/ diplomacy- defense/israel- releases- map-detailing- hundreds- of-hezbollah- sites-in- lebanon-1. 353095>
Ha'aretz - Map obtained by the Washington Post reveals that Israeli
intelligence officials believe that the 550 underground bunkers
identified have been stocked with weapons transferred from Syria since
the 2006 Second Lebanon War.
*Libya FM defects from government, seeks refuge in Britain*
<http://www.haaretz. com/news/ international/ libya-fm- defects-from- government- seeks-refuge- in-britain- 1.353153>
Ha'aretz - Moussa Koussa quit to protest government attacks on
civilians, says friend; Koussa was instrumental in bring Libya back to
international community after years of sanctions.
*U.S. official: Obama authorized covert support for Libya rebels*
<http://www.haaretz. com/news/ international/ u-s-official- obama-authorized -covert-support- for-libya- rebels-1. 353122>
Ha'aretz - Report of presidential 'finding' order comes after U.S.
lawmaker says administration has not yet decided whether to arm rebels
against Gadhafi.
*Thousands return to Syria streets after Assad blames unrest on Israeli
'plot'*
<http://www.haaretz. com/news/ international/ thousands- return-to- syria-streets- after-assad- blames-unrest- on-israeli- plot-1.353049>
Ha'aretz - Assad declared in a speech in Damascus on Wednesday that the
people and government of Syria would withstand the foreign conspiracy
and plots through national unity.
*British FM: Israel's right to exist not up for discussion or
compromise*
<http://www.haaretz. com/news/ diplomacy- defense/british- fm-israel- s-right-to- exist-not- up-for-discussio n-or-compromise- 1.353068>
Ha'aretz - The British government is 'firmly opposed' to any body that
seeks to delegitimize or Israel or boycott it, Hague tells conference
marking 60 years of diplomatic ties.
*Israeli Arabs decry state 'regression' as thousands march on Land Day*
<http://www.haaretz. com/news/ national/ israeli-arabs- decry-state- regression- as-thousands- march-on- land-day- 1.353039>
Ha'aretz - The sector traditionally protests every March 30 against the
expropriation of their lands by the Israeli government.
*Live on YouTube: Netanyahu fields questions from 90 countries around
the world*
<http://www.haaretz. com/news/ national/ live-on-youtube- netanyahu- fields-questions -from-90- countries- around-the- world-1.353083>
Ha'aretz - Netanyahu is the third world leader to appear on YouTube's
World View Project, following President Barack Obama and British Prime
Minister David Cameron.
*Minuscule traces of radioactive waste from Japan detected in Israel*
<http://www.haaretz. com/news/ national/ minuscule- traces-of- radioactive- waste-from- japan-detected- in-israel- 1.353076>
Ha'aretz - Atomic Energy Commission says traces measure in at 0.0005 bq
per cubic meter, a minimal amount which it says poses no danger to
health or environment.
*Court asked to intervene after 21 Israeli Arabs laid off without
warning*
<http://www.haaretz. com/news/ national/ court-asked- to-intervene- after-21- israeli-arabs- laid-off- without-warning- 1.353045>
Ha'aretz - A state official petitioned the court on behalf of the
dismissed employees, citing fears that the decision was made through
discriminatory procedure; company: Employees in question demonstrated
violent behavior.
*Israeli court rules against night take-offs from Ben Gurion Airport*
<http://www.haaretz. com/news/ national/ israeli-court- rules-against- night-take- offs-from- ben-gurion- airport-1. 352936>
Ha'aretz - High Court accepts appeal by municipalities surrounding
airport, claims El Al has taken commercial advantage of special
authority to take off by 03:50 A.M. during holiday season.
*State Comptroller: Public officials cannot accept private travel funds*
<http://www.haaretz. com/news/ national/ state-comptrolle r-public- officials- cannot-accept- private-travel- funds-1.352927>
Ha'aretz - Comment regarding 'inappropriate' nature of such funding
comes following a Channel 10 report alleging that PM Netanyahu, his wife
accepted sponsorship for flights after returning to politics in 2003.
*Nine settlers arrested after clashing with police in West Bank*
<http://www.haaretz. com/news/ national/ nine-settlers- arrested- after-clashing- with-police- in-west-bank- 1.352821>
Ha'aretz - Violence erupts as police attempt to conduct arrests in
illegal outpost of Givat Ronen, during which police car windows were
smashed and their tires slashed, Army Radio reports.
*Israel air strike kills Gaza militant linked to rocket attack near
border*
<http://www.haaretz. com/news/ diplomacy- defense/israel- air-strike- kills-gaza- militant- linked-to- rocket-attack- near-border- 1.352893>
Ha'aretz - Islamic Jihad, a Palestinian faction that has played a
leading role in the violence and is an occasional ally of Hamas claimed
the dead man as its own.
*'Gaza official reportedly abducted by Israel may have Gilad Shalit
intel'*
<http://www.haaretz. com/news/ diplomacy- defense/gaza- official- reportedly- abducted- by-israel- may-have- gilad-shalit- intel-1.352884>
Ha'aretz - Speaking with German magazine Der Spiegel, anonymous
intelligence source says Dirar Abu Sisi, a Palestinian engineer held in
Israel, is a high-ranking Hamas official.
*Jerusalem Post* <http://jpost. com/>
*Palestinians to Arab leaders: Stop blaming us for unrest*
<http://www.jpost. com/MiddleEast/ Article.aspx? id=214514& R=R3>
Jeruslalem Post 30 Mar 2011 - As Palestinians accused of being behind
Arab unrest, they express fear that charges would be used to justify
harsh measures against them.
*Thousands demonstrate to mark 35th Land Day*
<http://www.jpost. com/NationalNews /Article. aspx?id=214513& R=R2>
Jeruslalem Post 30 Mar 2011 - Largest demonstration held in Arraba; over
a thousand take part in separate rally at unrecognized Beduin village of
Al-Araqib in Negev.
*Fayyad: Peaceful resistance advancing Palestinian state*
<http://www.jpost. com/NationalNews /Article. aspx?id=214512& R=R2>
Jeruslalem Post 30 Mar 2011 - During Land Day speech, PA prime minister
says "land remains core of Palestinians' national cause and essence,
future of their existence."
*Settlers from Givat Ronen clash with police*
<http://www.jpost. com/NationalNews /Article. aspx?id=214510& R=R2>
Jeruslalem Post 30 Mar 2011 - Police carrying out arrest in W. Bank
outpost allegedly attacked by settlers, use pepper spray.
*Analysis: Sound of a dictator preparing for a long battle*
<http://www.jpost. com/MiddleEast/ Article.aspx? id=214509& R=R3>
Jeruslalem Post 30 Mar 2011 - Assad wants to keep his job - his speech
indicated he will use all the violence and subterfuge he deems necessary
to do.
*Defiant Assad blames country's turmoil on 'Israeli plot'*
<http://www.jpost. com/MiddleEast/ Article.aspx? id=214507& R=R3>
Jeruslalem Post 30 Mar 2011 - Syrian ruler fails to announce reforms or
lift emergency law; analysts: Opponents of regime should be careful what
they wish for.
*Libyan foreign minister quits gov't, arrives in Britain*
<http://www.jpost. com/MiddleEast/ Article.aspx? id=214505& R=R3>
Jeruslalem Post 30 Mar 2011 - British government confirms that Moussa
Koussa, a senior figure in Gaddafi's gov't, arrived under his own free
will from Tunisia.
*Bahraini FM accuses Hezbollah of training Shi'ite protester*
<http://www.jpost. com/MiddleEast/ Article.aspx? id=214500& R=R3>
Jeruslalem Post 30 Mar 2011 - In mid-February Bahrain first used deadly
force against peaceful protesters, 2 weeks ago invited in Gulf
Cooperation Council forces.
*Not on the fence: Druse in Majdal Shams*
<http://www.jpost. com/NationalNews /Article. aspx?id=214497& R=R2>
Jeruslalem Post 30 Mar 2011 - Golan Heights residents say they would
prefer to live in Syria, even under a dictatorship, rather than in a
democratic Israel.
*PM warns of Arab unrest resulting in theocratic regimes*
<http://www.jpost. com/NationalNews /Article. aspx?id=214474& R=R2>
Jeruslalem Post 30 Mar 2011 - In rare interview, Netanyahu answers
questions submitted on YouTube; addresses Channel 10 investigation into
travel funding, unrest in Syria, Gazan engineer snatched in Ukraine,
bringing Gilad Schalit home.
*Minute radiation measured in Israel; harmless to humans*
<http://www.jpost. com/NationalNews /Article. aspx?id=214468& R=R2>
Jeruslalem Post 30 Mar 2011 - Atomic energy experts at the Sorek Nuclear
Center analyze radioactive particles, say even prolonged exposure will
not become harmful.
*Gaddafi forces kill 18 civilians in Misrata; blockade ends*
<http://www.jpost. com/MiddleEast/ Article.aspx? id=214467& R=R3>
Jeruslalem Post 30 Mar 2011 - Port opens for aid shipments; rebels begin
fighting government forces in Brega, spokesman says; Gaddafi forces
shell Misrata, killing civilians.
*Knesset approves Sheshinski bill on oil and gas taxation*
<http://www.jpost. com/NationalNews /Article. aspx?id=214465& R=R2>
Jeruslalem Post 30 Mar 2011 - Steinitz: This law means we will all
benefit from our natural resources. That is just and right; law raises
state's take from 30 to 50%.
*Protests in Syrian city Latakia after Assad speech*
<http://www.jpost. com/MiddleEast/ Article.aspx? id=214458& R=R3>
Jeruslalem Post 30 Mar 2011 - Hundreds take to the streets as security
forces confront demonstrators; Assad claims Syria has become the target
of an external plot.
*Analysis: Assad the intimidator*
<http://www.jpost. com/MiddleEast/ Article.aspx? id=214449& R=R3>
Jeruslalem Post 30 Mar 2011 - We're reforming all the time, smiled
Syria's tyrant. So anyone demanding more must be an enemy. And we all
know how our enemies are treated.
*Knesset bill cracks down on asylum seekers, infiltrators*
<http://www.jpost. com/NationalNews /Article. aspx?id=214447& R=R2>
Jeruslalem Post 30 Mar 2011 - "Prevention of Infiltration" bill allows
gov't to hold infiltrators for 3 years; prevents release of asylum
seekers state can't deport.
*Analysis: Syria status quo serves Israelis and Palestinians*
<http://www.jpost. com/MiddleEast/ Article.aspx? id=214442& R=R3>
Jeruslalem Post 30 Mar 2011 - The fate of Syrian President Assad is one
of those rare subjects where Israelis and Palestinians largely see eye
to eye. They want him to survive.
*In Egypt's transition, 1 step forward and 2 steps back*
<http://www.jpost. com/MiddleEast/ Article.aspx? id=214437& R=R3>
Jeruslalem Post 30 Mar 2011 - Analysis: US must come through on $150 m.
commitment and press the Egyptian military to ensure that a genuine
democratic transition occurs.
*Assad clings to power; blames enemies for 'plot'*
<http://www.jpost. com/MiddleEast/ Article.aspx? id=214433& R=R3>
Jeruslalem Post 30 Mar 2011 - Syrian president says Deraa "is in
forefront in confronting Israeli enemy," mentions "internal and foreign"
factors in demonstrations.
*New bill allows gov't to hold 'infiltrators' for three years*
<http://www.jpost. com/NationalNews /Article. aspx?id=214415& R=R2>
Jeruslalem Post 30 Mar 2011 - Drafters of bill seek to replace existent
1954 law; those caught crossing into Israel can be held without
appearing before judge 14 days.
*'Burning Lieberman photos on Land Day is legitimate'*
<http://www.jpost. com/NationalNews /Article. aspx?id=214412& R=R2>
Jeruslalem Post 30 Mar 2011 - MK Barakeh says FM's party "challenges
existence of Arabs;" police on high alert; Tibi: Israelis have complex,
think we want to kill them.
*State Comptroller set to begin 'Bibi-tours' hearings*
<http://www.jpost. com/NationalNews /Article. aspx?id=214409& R=R2>
Jeruslalem Post 30 Mar 2011 - Lindenstrauss says "it is improper that a
public figure's travel should be paid by donors;" hearings on PM's
travels to begin on Friday.
*Gaddafi forces bombard rebels, take Ras Lanuf*
<http://www.jpost. com/MiddleEast/ Article.aspx? id=214402& R=R3>
Jeruslalem Post 30 Mar 2011 - Libyan rebels say their forces are pulling
out of eastern oil town Ras Lanud; Gaddafi hits anti-gov't forces with
"huge rockets."
*Al Qaeda: Arab revolts herald 'great leap forward'*
<http://www.jpost. com/MiddleEast/ Article.aspx? ID=214401& R=R1>
Jeruslalem Post 30 Mar 2011 - Al-Awlaki says rebels in Tunisia, Egypt,
Libya and "mujahideen brothers," calls on Muslims in West to kill "Jews
and Christians."
*Al Qaida: Arab revolts herald 'great leap forward'*
<http://www.jpost. com/MiddleEast/ Article.aspx? id=214401& R=R3>
Jeruslalem Post 30 Mar 2011 - Al-Awlaki says rebels in Tunisia, Egypt,
Libya and "mujahideen brothers," calls on Muslims in West to kill "Jews
and Christians."
*CITYsights: Mythical water pipe discovered*
<http://www.jpost. com/VideoArticle s/Video/Article. aspx?ID=214399& R=R1>
Jeruslalem Post 30 Mar 2011 - Piece by piece, the ancient water system
leading to Jerusalem is being revealed in the City of David.
*Amos Oz: Israel will surely speak with Barghouti*
<http://www.jpost. com/NationalNews /Article. aspx?id=214392& R=R2>
Jeruslalem Post 30 Mar 2011 - Author defends decision to send book to
"instigator of 2nd intifada," saying "we make peace with enemies, not
friends," to Italian press.
*Lawyer denies Abu Sisi connection to Gilad Schalit*
<http://www.jpost. com/DiplomacyAnd Politics/ Article.aspx? ID=214388& R=R1>
Jeruslalem Post 30 Mar 2011 - Lawyer says reports that Palestinian
engineer captured by Mossad in Ukraine is Hamas member with secret
information is "one big farce."
*IAF kills Islamic Jihad militant, strikes tunnel*
<http://www.jpost. com/VideoArticle s/Video/Article. aspx?ID=214375& R=R1>
Jeruslalem Post 30 Mar 2011 - Israeli Air Force responds to Kassam with
multiple attacks in southern Gaza Strip; Islamic Jihad says one member
killed, another wounded.
*Conference calls on religious leaders to pursue peace*
<http://www.jpost. com/JewishWorld/ JewishNews/ Article.aspx? ID=214368& R=R1>
Jeruslalem Post 30 Mar 2011 - "God survived nationalism, socialism,
communism, Nazism and secularism. Now He's back!"
*Uruknet* <http://uruknet. info/>
*Libya's foreign minister defects, arrives in Britain*
<http://uruknet. info/?p=m76380& hd=&size= 1&l=e>
Uruknet March 30, 2011 - Libyan Foreign Minister Moussa Koussa, one of
Muammar Gaddafi's closest advisers and a former spy chief, flew to
Britain on Wednesday and a close friend said he defected because of
attacks by Gaddafi forces on civilians. The move was "a significant
blow" to Gaddafi, a British government source told Reuters. Koussa is
one of the...
*C.I.A. Agents in Libya Aid Airstrikes and Meet Rebels*
<http://uruknet. info/?p=m76379& hd=&size= 1&l=e>
Uruknet March 30, 2011 --- The Central Intelligence Agency has inserted
clandestine operatives into Libya to gather intelligence for military
airstrikes and contact rebels battling Col. Muammar el-Qaddafi's forces,
according to American officials. While President Obama has insisted that
no American military ground troops participate in the Libyan campaign,
small groups of C.I.A. operatives have been working in Libya for...
*Settlement building increased fourfold in 2010*
<http://uruknet. info/?p=m76378& hd=&size= 1&l=e>
Uruknet March 30, 2011 - -- As Palestinians commemorate Land Day, the
anniversary of an uprising against Israel's land confiscation, a report
from the Palestinian Central Bureau of Statistics released a report
showing Israel's settlement project is rapidly escalating. Thirty-five
years on from the uprising, in which six young protesters were killed by
Israeli forces, Palestinians constitute almost half of...
*London conference plots imperialist carve-up of Libya*
<http://uruknet. info/?p=m76377& hd=&size= 1&l=e>
Uruknet March 30, 2011 - The conference on Libya held Tuesday at
London's Lancaster House was a repulsive exercise in hypocrisy and
cynicism. In the name of liberating the Libyan people, the United States
and Britain brought together foreign ministers from 40 countries and
dignitaries from international organizations such as the United Nations,
NATO and the Arab League to sanction...
*NATO uses depleted uranium bombs against Libya*
<http://uruknet. info/?p=m76375& hd=&size= 1&l=e>
Uruknet March 30, 2011 - "An unacceptable threat to life and a violation
of international law" -- that's how the United States' former Justice
Secretary Ramsey Clark slammed the use of depleted uranium weapons. The
United States first used depleted uranium bombs during the military
invasion of Iraq in 1991. Apparently pleased with the debut, the
Americans pounded them on...
*OPT: UNRWA hobbled by unwieldy customs procedures on Gaza border*
<http://uruknet. info/?p=m76374& hd=&size= 1&l=e>
Uruknet March 30, 2011- Israeli trucker Nazar Zarro hoists himself up
into the cab of his articulated lorry loaded with emergency flour
supplies bound for UN Relief and Works Agency (UNRWA) food distribution
centres in the Gaza Strip. Zarro makes the 100km trip from Israel's
Ashdod port to Kerem Shalom crossing - where the borders of Gaza, Israel
and Egypt...
*Obama on Libya: Defending the Indefensible*
<http://uruknet. info/?p=m76373& hd=&size= 1&l=e>
Uruknet March 30, 2011 - Obama's March 28 television address wreaked of
hypocrisy, lies and disdain for basic democratic values, making an
indefensible case for naked aggression against a non-belligerent
country. America's media approved. On March 28, New Times writer Helene
Cooper headlined, "Obama Cites Limits of US Role in Libya," saying;
Obama "defended the American-led military assault in Libya...
*Assad blames 'conspirators' for Syria unrest*
<http://uruknet. info/?p=m76372& hd=&size= 1&l=e>
Uruknet
*Home Gaddafi offensive pushes rebels back further east*
<http://uruknet. info/?p=m76371& hd=&size= 1&l=e>
Uruknet March 30, 2011 - Forces loyal to Libyan leader Muammar Gaddafi
pressed further east with an artillery offensive against rebels on
Wednesday, and rebel fighters said Western warplanes launched air
strikes near Ras Lanuf, site of a major oil terminal. Since they charged
toward Gaddafi's stronghold of Sirte on Monday, rebels have been pushed
back more than 150 km (...
*Report: Israel studies plan to build island off Gaza Strip*
<http://uruknet. info/?p=m76370& hd=&size= 1&l=e>
Uruknet March 30, 2011 -- Israel is studying plans to create an
artificial island along the Gaza Strip with sea and air ports to be
controlled by the Palestinian Authority, an Israeli television channel
reported Tuesday. The project, under development for three months by
Transport Minister Yaakov Katz, proposes building a man-made island four
kilometers long and two kilometers wide,...
*Israeli air strike kills Palestinian fighter*
<http://uruknet. info/?p=m76369& hd=&size= 1&l=e>
Uruknet March 30, 2011 - Israeli aircraft have killed a Palestinian and
wounded another as they rode a motorcycle in the southern Gaza Strip,
medical officials have said. Israel's military confirmed carrying out
Wednesday's dawn strike, saying it targeted Palestinians who had
launched a short-range rocket across the border on Tuesday. No one was
hurt in that attack, which followed...
*American media silent on CIA ties to Libya rebel commander*
<http://uruknet. info/?p=m76368& hd=&size= 1&l=e>
Uruknet March 30, 2011 - It has been six days since Khalifa Hifter was
appointed the top military commander for the Libyan rebel forces
fighting the regime of Muammar Gaddafi. His appointment was noted by
reporter Nancy Youssef of McClatchy Newspapers, a US regional chain that
includes the Sacramento Bee and the Kansas City Star. Two days later,
another McClatchy...
*Regime Change Libya: Privatization of their Central Bank and the Theft
of their Nationalized Oil Profits*
<http://uruknet. info/?p=m76367& hd=&size= 1&l=e>
Uruknet March 29, 2011 - There is no question anymore as to why the
Obama administration is attempting to impose a change of the regime of
Libya. On March 17th I wrote about the invasion of Libya being about two
main objectives: privatizing the national oil company and the
state-owned central banking system. I pointed out that the US and...
*UW faculty member Ali Tarhouni named finance minister by Libyan
opposition* <http://uruknet. info/?p=m76366& hd=&size= 1&l=e>
Uruknet March 29, 2011 - Ali A. Tarhouni, a senior lecturer in the
Foster School of Business at the University of Washington, has been
named finance minister by the Libyan opposition national council. The
group is arranging a transitional government in the event Moammar
Gadhafi is ousted from power. "Tarhouni understands the Western
mentality," opposition spokeswoman Iman Bugaighis told Reuters....
*Military Resistance 9C 18: True Heroism*
<http://uruknet. info/?p=m76365& hd=&size= 1&l=e>
Uruknet March 29, 2011 - I am incredibly disturbed after the president's
comments regarding theconfinement of Army Pfc. Bradley Manning.The whole
thing is indicative of the military's sadistic underbelly. I reviewed
the Army Regulation on its corrections system to see whether terms ofhis
confinement are appropriate and are meeting our basic standards.Sadly,
much of what is happening seems to be...
*Iraq snapshot - March 29, 2011*
<http://uruknet. info/?p=m76364& hd=&size= 1&l=e>
Uruknet March 29, 2011. Chaos and violence continue, the US and UNAMI
seem intent on sending the message to Iraqis that written and agreed
upon law is just tossed aside when you don't get your way, the political
process in Iraq continues to grind slowly, a spectacular attack in
Tikrit leaves many dead and more injured, Barack Obama tries to...
*Reality vs Propaganda: the truth about the An Nabi Saleh protests*
<http://uruknet. info/?p=m76362& hd=&size= 1&l=e>
Uruknet March 29, 2011 - On 26 March, a piece of Israeli Occupation
Forces propaganda masquerading as journalism was published by YNet, an
Israeli news website, which publishes in both Hebrew and English. The
Ynet article, headlined "Secrets of Nabi Saleh protests" purported to
offer a "behind-scenes look at [the] most violent protests around" [1].
However, the article by Yair...
*Obama Expands Bush Doctrine* <http://uruknet. info/?p=m76361& hd=&size= 1&l=e>
Uruknet March 29, 2011 - ....Obama has made clear that the pretext for
invasion of sovereign nations will not be limited to protecting
Americans from "terrorism" and "weapons of mass destruction" as after
9/11 under Bush. Pre-emptive action will also be taken against threats
to "values" and commerce. That is, Obama has expanded the Bush doctrine
to include cases wherein...
*Israeli Troops Reinvade Awarta and Arrest 60 Civilians*
<http://uruknet. info/?p=m76360& hd=&size= 1&l=e>
Uruknet March 29, 2011 - the Israeli army invaded the village of Awarta
in northern West Bank and arrested 60 villagers on Tuesday. Israeli
armored vehicles and troops stormed the village shortly after midnight
and started a house to house search campaign that lasted until 5:00 am
on Tuesday, local sources told PNN. During the home raids soldiers
rounded up...
*British officials 'working with rebels in East'*
<http://uruknet. info/?p=m76359& hd=&size= 1&l=e>
Uruknet March 29, 2011 - A team of British officials is in face-to-face
contact with rebel forces on the ground in Libya for the first time, as
foreign ministers from more than 40 countries gather in London for a
conference on the country's future. The meeting will include Arab and
North African nations including the United Arab Emirates, Morocco and...
*Youth movement to settle in Jordan Valley*
<http://uruknet. info/?p=m76358& hd=&size= 1&l=e>
Uruknet March 29, 2011 - The Jordan Valley Regional Council, a
settler-run body, recently stated that it is offering the abandoned Gadi
military base, in the Jiftlick area of the Jordan Valley, to the Bnei
Hamoshavim youth movement. Leaders of the movement say they intend to
use the base as accommodation for its graduates. For Jordan Valley
Solidarity, this is...
*Video: Uranium bombs in Libya? US, UK 'habit of deploying radioactive
arms'* <http://uruknet. info/?p=m76357& hd=&size= 1&l=e>
Uruknet March 29, 2011 - There's a suspicion that armour-piercing,
radioactive weapons are being deployed by foreign forces on Libya. The
U.S. says 'it's not aware' depleted uranium's being used, while the UK's
flatly denying it. Political observer Christoph Hoerstel says NATO's
chief members have a habit of using uranium weapons - and it's likely
Libya's in line.
*Clegg admits Libya could become a hardline Islamist state if Gaddafi is
toppled* <http://uruknet. info/?p=m76356& hd=&size= 1&l=e>
Uruknet March 29, 2011 - Libya could become an Iranian-style Islamic
state after Colonel Gaddafi is toppled, Nick Clegg said yesterday. In
his first major speech on foreign policy since the military intervention
in Libya began, the Deputy Prime Minister ruled out any form of 'mission
creep' that would involve the West attempting to influence the way the
country is...
*New Libya contact group to meet in Qatar*
<http://uruknet. info/?p=m76355& hd=&size= 1&l=e>
Uruknet March 29, 2011 - World powers meeting in London have agreed to
set up a contact group to lead international efforts to map out Libya's
future, with the first meeting to take place in Qatar, Britain has said.
"Participants of the conference agreed to establish the Libya Contact
Group," said a statement issued by William Hague, the British foreign...
*AFRICOM and the Libya War* <http://uruknet. info/?p=m76345& hd=&size= 1&l=e>
Uruknet March 29, 2011 - U.S. participation in the war in Libya appears
to be coordinated out of a former French Foreign Legion base in
Djibouti, a tiny country of a half million souls at the very tip of the
Horn of Africa. This is the forward base of AFRICOM, the unified command
for African action set up in 2007...
(continues in following post)
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Post by ninathedog on Apr 1, 2011 20:15:45 GMT 4
(deleted this but I'm putting it back)
(continues from preceding post)
[OccupationNews] Digest Number 1337
Wed Mar 30, 2011 6:15 pm (PDT)
*Daily Star* <http://dailystar. com.lb/>
**
<http://www.dailysta r.com.lb/ article.asp? edition_id= 1&categ_id= 1&article_ id=126610>*Jamhour
highway lane to close for road works*
<http://www.dailysta r.com.lb/ article.asp? edition_id= 1&categ_id= 1&article_ id=126618>
Daily Star 30 Mar 2011 BEIRUT: Road works will close a lane of the
international highway to Syria in Jamhour, the Internal Security Forces
announced Wednesday. A statement by the ISF said the Hazmieh-Sofar
stretch of the road works project will...
*Local magazine fined over defamation of BLC Bank*
<http://www.dailysta r.com.lb/ article.asp? edition_id= 1&categ_id= 1&article_ id=126617>
Daily Star 30 Mar 2011 BEIRUT: The Court of Publications fined Wednesday
the publisher of a Lebanese magazine over a lawsuit filed by the BLC
Bank and its chairman that accused him of "defamation, intimidation and
blackmail." Head of the Court,...
*Austria donates $500,000 for mine clearing efforts*
<http://www.dailysta r.com.lb/ article.asp? edition_id= 1&categ_id= 1&article_ id=126616>
Daily Star 30 Mar 2011 BEIRUT: Australia donated $500,000 to mine
clearing operations in Lebanon Wednesday, matching a grant given last
year to demining NGOs. Australia's Ambassador to Lebanon Lex Bartlem,
visited a Lebanese Army barracks in Nabatieh to announce the...
*UNIFIL gives Lebanese Army 54 computers*
<http://www.dailysta r.com.lb/ article.asp? edition_id= 1&categ_id= 1&article_ id=126615>
Daily Star 30 Mar 2011 BEIRUT: The United Nations Interim Force in
Lebanon (UNIFIL) provided the Lebanese Army Wednesday with 54 sets of
computers and accessories. Speaking at the presentation ceremony in his
organization' s Naqoura headquarters, UNIFIL Force Commander Major General...
*Three gunmen abduct man in Ouzai*
<http://www.dailysta r.com.lb/ article.asp? edition_id= 1&categ_id= 1&article_ id=126614>
Daily Star 30 Mar 2011 BEIRUT: Three people abducted a 28-year-old man
at gunpoint in the area of Ouzai, security sources told The Daily Star
Wednesday. The three kidnappers, who were driving a black Jeep Grand
Cherokee, stormed an Internet shop...
*Drug arrests in south rise rapidly since 2000, figures show*
<http://www.dailysta r.com.lb/ article.asp? edition_id= 1&categ_id= 1&article_ id=126613>
Daily Star 30 Mar 2011 SIDON: Seventy-one individuals have been arrested
so far this year in south Lebanon for drug-related crimes, and arrests
have seen a drastic increase since 2000, according to figures from the
Anti-Drug Office in south Lebanon. During...
*Wahhab faces lawsuit for comments about Saudi women's veils*
<http://www.dailysta r.com.lb/ article.asp? edition_id= 1&categ_id= 1&article_ id=126612>
Daily Star 30 Mar 2011 BEIRUT: Over 70 Lebanese and Saudi women have
filed a lawsuit against Tawhid Party leader Wiam Wahhab for comparing
Muslim women's veils to black trash bags, despite Wahhab having
apologized for his statements. The lawsuit was...
*Government takes step toward maritime safety*
<http://www.dailysta r.com.lb/ article.asp? edition_id= 1&categ_id= 1&article_ id=126611>
Daily Star 30 Mar 2011 BEIRUT: Lebanon has taken an important first step
to bring its shipping fleet in line with international standards on
pollution and safety, two maritime experts have told The Daily Star.
Jonathan Pace and Albert Bergonzo, project...
*Reforms in Syria on back burner*
<http://www.dailysta r.com.lb/ article.asp? edition_id= 10&categ_ id=2&article_ id=126629>
Daily Star 30 Mar 2011 DAMASCUS: President Bashar Assad defied calls
Wednesday to lift a decades-old emergency law and said Syria was the
target of a foreign conspiracy to stir up protests. Angry that their
demands were not met, hundreds of...
*Turkish scholars targeted in coup probe, lead prosecutor removed*
<http://www.dailysta r.com.lb/ article.asp? edition_id= 10&categ_ id=2&article_ id=126634>
Daily Star 30 Mar 2011 ISTANBUL, Turkey: Turkish police Wednesday raided
the homes of several scholars and seized documents, in the latest
episode in an increasingly controversial coup probe. In a surprise
development, the lead prosecutor of the sprawling probe received...
*Israeli Arabs, bedouin protest discrimination*
<http://www.dailysta r.com.lb/ article.asp? edition_id= 10&categ_ id=2&article_ id=126633>
Daily Star 30 Mar 2011 AL-ARAQIB, Israel: Arab Israelis and bedouin
marked "Land Day" Wednesday, saying the Jewish state still maintains a
discriminatory policy of trying to force its minorities off their land.
Rallies were held in Israel and the Palestinian. ..
*Israel's transport minister pitches artificial island off Gaza*
<http://www.dailysta r.com.lb/ article.asp? edition_id= 10&categ_ id=2&article_ id=126632>
Daily Star 30 Mar 2011 OCCUPIED JERUSALEM: Israel is considering
building an artificial island with sea and air ports off blockaded Gaza,
as a long-term solution to shipping goods into the Hamas-run Palestinian
enclave, the transport minister said. Yisrael Katz told...
*Egypt set to elect new president by year-end*
<http://www.dailysta r.com.lb/ article.asp? edition_id= 10&categ_ id=2&article_ id=126631>
Daily Star 30 Mar 2011 CAIRO: Egypt will elect a new president by the
end of the year, the ruling military council said Wednesday, unveiling a
"constitutional declaration" - a set of principles that will guide the
nation through a transitional. ..
*Libyan foreign minister defects to Britain*
<http://www.dailysta r.com.lb/ article.asp? edition_id= 10&categ_ id=2&article_ id=126630>
Daily Star 30 Mar 2011 LONDON/AJDABIYA, Libya: Libya's foreign minister
Moussa Koussa reportedly defected to Britain Wednesday, as Moammar
Gadhafi's troops forced Libyan rebels into retreat and world powers
mulled arming the embattled freedom fighters. Koussa arrived in Britain
to seek...
*Some Arab states shy away from London conference on Libya*
<http://www.dailysta r.com.lb/ article.asp? edition_id= 10&categ_ id=2&article_ id=126601>
Daily Star 30 Mar 2011 LONDON: Some Arab countries appeared to distance
themselves from Tuesday's London conference, held to plot a course for
Libya's political transition, damping French and British hopes of
building a consensus. Several Arab states did not attend...
*Yemen's Saleh offers transfer of his powers*
<http://www.dailysta r.com.lb/ article.asp? edition_id= 10&categ_ id=2&article_ id=126600>
Daily Star 30 Mar 2011 SANAA: Yemen's president has made a new offer to
protesters demanding his ouster, proposing he stays in office until
elections are held but transferring his powers to a caretaker
government, an opposition source said Wednesday. Ali...
*Assad's speech dashes Syrian people's hopes*
<http://www.dailysta r.com.lb/ article.asp? edition_id= 10&categ_ id=2&article_ id=126599>
Daily Star 30 Mar 2011 NICOSIA: Syrian President Bashar Assad dashed the
hopes of his people Wednesday with a speech which failed to unveil the
major reforms expected and left the country in a state of uncertainty,
analysts said. Syrian human...
*Bahraini opposition leaders urge against Saudi-Iranian proxy war*
<http://www.dailysta r.com.lb/ article.asp? edition_id= 10&categ_ id=2&article_ id=126598>
Daily Star 30 Mar 2011 MANAMA: Bahrain's Shiite opposition head Ali
Salman warned Iran and Saudi Arabia Wednesday against using his country
as a "battlefield" in a proxy war. Salman urged Iran to keep out of the
Sunni-ruled state's affairs and...
*Davutoglu: No foreign elements behind pro-democracy protests*
<http://www.dailysta r.com.lb/ article.asp? edition_id= 10&categ_ id=2&article_ id=126597>
Daily Star 30 Mar 2011 LONDON: Turkish Foreign Minister Ahmet Davutoglu
said Wednesday a new era was sweeping the Middle East and it was up to
its leaders to embrace change or risk being cast away. He dismissed
allegations by many...
*The Guardian* <http://guardian. co.uk/world/ palestinian- territories>
*Israel may build artificial island off Gaza Strip coast*
<http://www.guardian .co.uk/world/ 2011/mar/ 30/israel- artificial- island-gaza- coast>
The Guardian 30 Mar 2011 - Environmentalists says plans, which also
include hotels and a marina, are 'complete madness' and warn public to
be sceptical Israel is considering plans to build an artificial island
off the coast of the Gaza Strip to...
*Inter Press Service* <http://ipsnews. net/middle. asp>
*MIDEAST: Washington's Patchwork Policy on Democracy*
<http://ipsnews. net/news. asp?idnews= 55072>
IPS While a NATO-led coalition continues to enforce a no-fly zone in a
Libya that seems to be on the brink of catastrophe, the Barack Obama
administration has yet to formulate a set of guiding principles in
dealing with ongoing protests throughout the region in countries like
Bahrain.
*CORRUPTION: Post-Mubarak Egypt Probes Public Land Contracts*
<http://ipsnews. net/news. asp?idnews= 55069>
IPS Egyptian authorities have opened dozens of criminal investigations
into hundreds of millions of dollars worth of public land contracts that
were awarded illegally to real estate developers associated with former
President Hosni Mubarak without proper procedures at below market rates.
*Libya Uprising Hits West's Dinner Tables*
<http://ipsnews. net/news. asp?idnews= 55066>
IPS Linkages between the Libyan uprising and shelling out more money
than usual at a local market in the West may not at first seem apparent
but the common denominator is oil.
*SYRIA: The Second "Damascus Spring" a Long Way Off*
<http://ipsnews. net/news. asp?idnews= 55062>
IPS Caught in a wave of pro-democracy and pro-government protests, the
Syrian political landscape seems far more complex than its Tunisian and
Egyptian counterparts, where demonstrations ousted decades' old regimes.
President Bashar al-Assad's speech today may however give new momentum
to pro-democracy protests.
*Assad Blames "Conspirators" for Syria Unrest*
<http://ipsnews. net/news. asp?idnews= 55061>
IPS Bashar al-Assad, the Syrian president, has blamed "conspirators" for
two weeks of anti-government protests that have rocked the nation.
*Stop The Wall* <http://stopthewall. org/>
*New Stop the Wall report: Brazil's Military Relations with Israel
(English version)*
<http://stopthewall. org/enginefileup loads/content/ brazilian_ military_ ties_with_ israel.pdf>
Stop The Wall - Mar 30, 2011-- On the occasion of the 3rd global
Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions (BDS) Action Day on March 30
(Palestinian Land Day), we release Stop the Wall's disconcerting and
potentially explosive report on growing and strategic military relations
between Brazil and Israel. [
*New Stop the Wall report: Brazil's Military Relations with Israel
(Portuguese version)*
<http://stopthewall. org/enginefileup loads/content/ rela__es_ militares_ entre_brasil_ e_israel. pdf>
Stop The Wall - Mar 30, 2011-- On the occasion of the 3rd global
Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions (BDS) Action Day on March 30
(Palestinian Land Day), we release Stop the Wall's disconcerting and
potentially explosive report on growing and strategic military relations
between Brazil and Israel. (Portuguese version) [
*YNet News* <http://ynetnews. com/>
*Gaza kids visit Turkey, tour 'Marmara' ship*
<http://www.ynetnews .com/articles/ 0,7340,L- 4050088,00. html>
YNet News, 30 Mar 2011 - Extremist group behind last year's flotilla
gives children from Hamas-ruled. ...
*Peres greeted by protesters in London*
<http://www.ynetnews .com/articles/ 0,7340,L- 4050054,00. html>
YNet News, 30 Mar 2011 - During visit to prestigious research institute,
president accuses British press....
*Thousands mark Land Day: 'Israel humiliating Arabs'*
<http://www.ynetnews .com/articles/ 0,7340,L- 4050046,00. html>
YNet News, 30 Mar 2011 - Arab sector leaders, leftists protest against
'continued expropriation of Arab....
*Ethiopia: 80 Falashmura injured during protest outside Israeli embassy*
<http://www.ynetnews .com/articles/ 0,7340,L- 4050023,00. html>
YNet News, 30 Mar 2011 - Some 2,000 Ethiopian Jews demonstrate in front
of embassy in Addis Ababa; demand....
*Bill: Ban money transfers from Israel to Gaza*
<http://www.ynetnews .com/articles/ 0,7340,L- 4050021,00. html>
YNet News, 30 Mar 2011 - Rightist MKs say funds allocated to Strip, West
Bank are used to support....
*Bereaved families: Revoke terror abettor's citizenship*
<http://www.ynetnews .com/articles/ 0,7340,L- 4049935,00. html>
YNet News, 30 Mar 2011 - Parents of victims of Haifa suicide bombing
want Arab's rights revoked according... .
*Assad decries 'conspiracy' in Syria*
<http://www.ynetnews .com/articles/ 0,7340,L- 4049886,00. html>
YNet News, 30 Mar 2011 - In first address to nation since wave of
anti-government protests broke out,....
*Boy found to have lied about rape*
<http://www.ynetnews .com/articles/ 0,7340,L- 4049847,00. html>
YNet News, 30 Mar 2011 - Police release four Palestinian rape suspects
after learning that 11-year old....
*Comptroller: PM flights funding improper*
<http://www.ynetnews .com/articles/ 0,7340,L- 4049760,00. html>
YNet News, 30 Mar 2011 - Lindenstrauss expected to approve probe on
Netanyahu's travels at donors'....
*Report: Abducted Gazan may have info on Shalit*
<http://www.ynetnews .com/articles/ 0,7340,L- 4049655,00. html>
YNet News, 30 Mar 2011 - Der Spiegel says Ukrainian agents kidnapped
Gaza power plant engineer at....
*Egypt's new FM wants ties with Iran*
<http://www.ynetnews .com/articles/ 0,7340,L- 4049695,00. html>
YNet News, 30 Mar 2011 - Long-term enmity between states may come to end
as Nabil al-Arabi offers to....
*Settlers stone police in nightly clash*
<http://www.ynetnews .com/articles/ 0,7340,L- 4049649,00. html>
YNet News, 30 Mar 2011 - Police arriving at Givat Ronen to arrest
resident of West Bank outpost greeted....
*Peres attends Gorbachev's birthday bash in London*
<http://www.ynetnews .com/articles/ 0,7340,L- 4050192,00. html>
YNet News, 30 Mar 2011 - LONDON - A host of stars from the world of
politics, music and film gathered to celebrate former Soviet leader
Mikhail Gorbachev's 80th birthday at a charity gala event ... ....
*Olmert: State hasn't moved forward in 2 years*
<http://www.ynetnews .com/articles/ 0,7340,L- 4050180,00. html>
YNet News, 30 Mar 2011 - Kadima party members on Wednesday gathered at
the Menachem Begin heritage center in Jerusalem to mark the launching of
a new book about Ariel Sharon, the founder of the ... ....
*Libyan FM resigns, arrives in Britain*
<http://www.ynetnews .com/articles/ 0,7340,L- 4050179,00. html>
YNet News, 30 Mar 2011 - Libyan Foreign Minister Moussa Koussa arrived
in Britain on Wednesday and has resigned from Muammar Gaddafi's
government, the British government said. "We can ... ....
*PM: Improper funding allegations 'baseless'*
<http://www.ynetnews .com/articles/ 0,7340,L- 4050152,00. html>
YNet News, 30 Mar 2011 - State Comptroller Micha Lindenstrauss is
expected to announce Thursday the launching of an investigation into the
overseas trips by Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and ... ....
*Israel releases map of Hezbollah bunkers in Lebanon*
<http://www.ynetnews .com/articles/ 0,7340,L- 4050124,00. html>
YNet News, 30 Mar 2011 - An Israeli security official provided the
Washington Post with a map detailing no less than 550 bunkers, 300
surveillance sites and 100 other facilities the Jewish state ... ....
*Abu Sisi's wife: He never spoke about Shalit*
<http://www.ynetnews .com/articles/ 0,7340,L- 4049937,00. html>
YNet News, 30 Mar 2011 - Veronica Abu Sisi, the wife of the Gaza
engineer Dirar Abu Sisi, who was allegedly kidnapped in Ukraine upon
orders from Israel, denied on Wednesday the German newspaper ... ....
*Palestinian Information Center* <http://palestine- info.co.uk/ en/>
*Resheq: Hamas ties with Egypt good, continuously developing*
<http://www.palestin e-info.co. uk/En/default. aspx?xyz= U6Qq7k%2bcOd87MD I46m9rUxJEpMO% 2bi1s72%2bUjTkD1 8KyS9lf6BDe4LINF w3LqVyE1HF57lISS sIDtkrBIG7uwJUTk JFkTQ2EQcZp3t8is 1LJdwOifnTWxKPx5 %2bdYNx%2fCcy% 2fHThU%2fL2VE% 3d>
PIC 30 Mar 2011 - Hamas politburo member Izzat al-Resheq has announced
that his party's ties with Egypt are good and developing continuously
following political tours in Egypt.
*Scores of Brits protest as Peres tours in England*
<http://www.palestin e-info.co. uk/En/default. aspx?xyz= U6Qq7k%2bcOd87MD I46m9rUxJEpMO% 2bi1s7zLIWL% 2bYshZGAcRJ1jAl0 %2fWeYzfb1INTzsL %2beZ5iuZgfinVxN iuh2ZwZEIp68e5Lp 3Va3UReero6nbOy1 7nhaLeRA% 2bWj1Vh6E16aVmzI aYlQ%3d>
PIC 30 Mar 2011 - Scores of Brits gathered outside of the Chatham House
in London to protest the institute's reception of Israeli President
Shimon Peres to mark 60 years of Israeli-British diplomatic ties.
*Israel earmarks financial allocations for building hotels in OJ*
<http://www.palestin e-info.co. uk/En/default. aspx?xyz= U6Qq7k%2bcOd87MD I46m9rUxJEpMO% 2bi1s70tVdP2pXVP i4spxaxT5dQgC50i F%2bbOggCH8LITsI NwdjMTBFxTEa4Dkq hqAkxqyUeHt3Ht6E gIpxPnI54hI% 2fhXoBiv4k1t2kW7 jEPVRl7TA% 3d>
PIC 30 Mar 2011 - The Israeli ministry of tourism announced its
intention to allocate huge financial sums of money for the sake of
constructing new hotels in occupied Jerusalem.
*Removed third intifada page regains 27,000 fans in first day*
<http://www.palestin e-info.co. uk/En/default. aspx?xyz= U6Qq7k%2bcOd87MD I46m9rUxJEpMO% 2bi1s7xILir04VTE qVQVoVTbaM9AiAZE DVQ%2fgTfp23Seai vqEPEevgt2Wpqztq Aoi4VdpPsQCSCskv tnLHGD9cffNoiSZm c4zXNijrJ8cX9vtF cxU%3d>
PIC 30 Mar 2011 - The organizers of the third Palestinian intifada page
on Facebook have gained over 27,000 fans in one day after the Facebook
administration removed the page in response to official calls in Israel.
*Prisoner Salhiya facing slow death in jail*
<http://www.palestin e-info.co. uk/En/default. aspx?xyz= U6Qq7k%2bcOd87MD I46m9rUxJEpMO% 2bi1s7gZwFPeD7lP ggg3mdyCJL3JwXgv 6Rr8bUFY% 2bzICWVggMyNozxq FrNjZRIFGmwBdF% 2bbojhjnUrivX00x rpqQXyiGs3hoP4tf 3rietl5G0hnls% 3d>
PIC 29 Mar 2011 - The health status of prisoner Haitham Salhiya has
deteriorated very badly and reached a serious level after a Shin Bet
undercover agent three months ago spiked his drink in jail.
*IOF troops arrest five Palestinians*
<http://www.palestin e-info.co. uk/En/default. aspx?xyz= U6Qq7k%2bcOd87MD I46m9rUxJEpMO% 2bi1s7JnHn7vz9Qq 4ChE600h5XQuya2D uX96NthrgrA31yd3 hdn%2fUEXa07wEzv Ow0I0m01ZaR5wSCO ldF5r7HnBWWHBmiR 9Pywf6M5NsqqRBUa EKc%3d>
PIC 29 Mar 2011 - Israeli occupation forces (IOF) rounded up five
Palestinians in various West Bank areas at dawn Wednesday after breaking
into many homes, Israeli military sources said.
*Haneyya affirms solidarity with all prisoners*
<http://www.palestin e-info.co. uk/En/default. aspx?xyz= U6Qq7k%2bcOd87MD I46m9rUxJEpMO% 2bi1s7xJZ% 2b7Hy6pgu0JydAEf 8rTKdc6NqVUWnA6W X%2bDtTeaNoTHJwS ZZnxtE3ZgsH4QLt8 OelHuzdTJgT2yyaV %2fjCyfo78gChxxx SpQRNBKX43Amg% 3d>
PIC 29 Mar 2011 - Palestinian premier in Gaza Ismail Haneyya affirmed
his government's support for all demands of Palestinian prisoners in
Israeli occupation jails and its commitment to their issue.
*On land day anniversary, Hamas renews its oath to defend land and
rights*
<http://www.palestin e-info.co. uk/En/default. aspx?xyz= U6Qq7k%2bcOd87MD I46m9rUxJEpMO% 2bi1s7U5DSios9% 2fuvXf42lG7mV% 2fB3IGkWs2g20vo5 h8RDsVIZou9ogtdy %2beJ%2fPNILq1CS GQtVqxqnkCuaosdn 09D4uXcOLThzSljM yXEcnrdxn9oM% 3d>
PIC 29 Mar 2011 - The Hamas Movement renewed its oath to uphold the
resistance option and defend the land, the honor, the holy sites, and
the national rights and constants.
*Hamas: Knesset's citizenship revocation law targets the Palestinian
presence*
<http://www.palestin e-info.co. uk/En/default. aspx?xyz= U6Qq7k%2bcOd87MD I46m9rUxJEpMO% 2bi1s7MJ3PVKUPOG fkYv%2fcVXNrzcf6 HlQfdqu1POD2Ra5X ZgkBkVn4AKbhwyxq hFqbGVMwldX7% 2bc%2faMuscm6fhs zeOhmVZbmpCMMiTo Hy1a5R%2b% 2f3c%3d>
PIC 29 Mar 2011 - The Hamas Movement strongly denounced the Israeli
Knesset for approving a draft law enabling the government to revoke the
citizenship of any Palestinian living inside the 1948 occupied lands.
*Der Spiegel: Israel kidnapped Abu Sisi to question him on Shalit*
<http://www.palestin e-info.co. uk/En/default. aspx?xyz= U6Qq7k%2bcOd87MD I46m9rUxJEpMO% 2bi1s7buGMGehraf 9tN%2fNt2g6uvonb TGu%2bXifiyKWOBT H0U8vCHSsj3n8lwl QQQB6pj7vH7mG6e% 2fbXwp15RJc1lVnu 4JZ5c%2b9nyT8fTy 6URzUFZFg% 3d>
PIC 29 Mar 2011 - A German newspaper said that the Israeli intelligence
kidnapped Palestinian engineer Dirar Abu Sisi believing that he has
information on the whereabouts of captured Israeli soldier Shalit.
*PRESIDENT ASSAD: LATEST PLOT AGAINST SYRIA AIMS AT ENDING SYRIAN
LEADERSHIP, ANTI-''ISRAEL' ' RESISTANCE*
<http://feedproxy. google.com/ %7Er/intifada- palestine/ QuVY/%7E3/ qc2OR8SJb94/>
Intifada-Palestine: 30 Mar 2011 - Pro-Syrian President Bashar Assad
protesters, shout pro-Assad slogans as they demonstrate to show their
support for him, in Damascus, Syria, on Tuesday March 29, 2011 (Image:
Muzaffar Salman) english.moqawama. org The latest developments in the
region, one country at a time, reached...more
<http://feedproxy. google.com/ %7Er/intifada- palestine/ QuVY/%7E3/ qc2OR8SJb94/>
*THE ENDURING PALESTINE LAND DAY*
<http://feedproxy. google.com/ %7Er/intifada- palestine/ QuVY/%7E3/ hFDIy8lJAPE/>
Intifada-Palestine: 30 Mar 2011 - March 30th demonstration to mark
Palestinian Land Day By: Brenda Heard - english.moqawama. org For
nearly three decades the Palestinian people had been brutalised and
belittled. Then on 30 March 1976 they took a collective stand. They
were not the nomadic nuisance...more
<http://feedproxy. google.com/ %7Er/intifada- palestine/ QuVY/%7E3/ hFDIy8lJAPE/>
*LIBYA AND THE HOLY TRIUMVIRATE*
<http://feedproxy. google.com/ %7Er/intifada- palestine/ QuVY/%7E3/ sEv-WMlRZG0/>
Intifada-Palestine: 30 Mar 2011 - US President Barack Obama, right, and
Libyan leader Muammar Qaddafi pictured during the G8/G5 summit in
L'Aquila, Italy Thursday July 9, 2009. (AP Photo/ Michael
Gottschalk/Pool) By: WILLIAM BLUM - Counterpunch T he words they find
it very difficult to say...more
<http://feedproxy. google.com/ %7Er/intifada- palestine/ QuVY/%7E3/ sEv-WMlRZG0/>
*Los Angeles Times* <http://latimes. com/news/ nationworld/ world/middleeast />
*President Bashar Assad blames conspiracies for Syria unrest*
<http://feeds. latimes.com/ %7Er/latimes/ middleeast/ %7E3/wu_VIAcH2As /la-fg-syria- assad-20110331, 0,1503872. story>
LA Times 30 Mar 2011 - Foreign conspiracies, media distortions and the
hand of Israel are to blame for uprisings in Syria, President Bashar
Assad insists in a speech to the nation. Invoking the steely
determination of his brutal father, President Bashar Assad blamed
foreign conspiracies for Syria's unrest in a...
*Israel fears the alternative if Syria's Assad falls*
<http://feeds. latimes.com/ %7Er/latimes/ middleeast/ %7E3/CV8ujFh22RA /la-fg-israel- syria-20110331, 0,4850812. story>
LA Times 30 Mar 2011 - Syria is one of Israel's strongest enemies, but
it has been predictable and relatively stable. As popular unrest
threatens to topple another Arab neighbor, Israel finds itself again
quietly rooting for the survival of an autocratic yet predictable
regime, rather than face an untested new...
*Syrian Cabinet quits as Assad promises reform*
<http://feeds. latimes.com/ %7Er/latimes/ middleeast/ %7E3/TUiqVQyCBhk /la-fg-syria- protests- 20110330, 0,4954311. story>
LA Times 29 Mar 2011 - Responding to continued protests, President
Bashar Assad dissolves his government. An announcement is expected soon
that a decades-old emergency law will be lifted and other restrictions
loosened. The Syrian government resigned Tuesday as President Bashar
Assad sought to stem a widening rebellion by promising to...
*Kadafi's troops defending Surt force rebels to retreat 100 miles*
<http://feeds. latimes.com/ %7Er/latimes/ middleeast/ %7E3/O2CmT5NvhWk /la-fg-libya- counterattack- 20110330, 0,5614079. story>
LA Times 29 Mar 2011 - Without the support of allied airstrikes,
hundreds of rebels flee east in the face of rocket attacks, reversing
much of their advance over the weekend. A sustained counterattack by
Libyan government troops Tuesday sent overmatched rebel fighters fleeing
eastward for almost 100 miles, erasing much...
*International conference in London plots Libya future*
<http://feeds. latimes.com/ %7Er/latimes/ middleeast/ %7E3/abQOn4HPQBg /la-fg-libya- europe-20110330, 0,5908582. story>
LA Times 29 Mar 2011 - A few representatives of the rebels fighting
Libyan leader Moammar Kadafi hovered on the fringes of the talks. Their
absence from the meetings reflected how politically delicate the crisis
remains. With the U.S. handing off responsibility for military action in
Libya, scores of diplomats and...
*New York Times* <http://nytimes. com/pages/ world/middleeast />
*Retreat for Rebels; Libyan Foreign Minister Quits*
<http://feeds. nytimes.com/ click.phdo? i=4b9cd5a73393d0 d63824d29017ed7b e0>
New York Times 30 Mar 2011 - Forces loyal to Col. Muammar el-Qaddafi
advanced as Foreign Minister Moussa Koussa quit and flew to London, the
government there said.
*Syrian Leader Blames 'Conspiracy' for Turmoil*
<http://feeds. nytimes.com/ click.phdo? i=05e96b5d6a8fb9 e253ee74460bcc51 3c>
New York Times 30 Mar 2011 - President Bashar al-Assad on Wednesday
offered no concessions to ease the grip on public life exercised by his
authoritarian regime.
*Middle East: Bahrain Losing Its Edge as Finance Hub*
<http://feeds. nytimes.com/ click.phdo? i=0a1c83c0dc5010 b167e89a335f5963 28>
New York Times 30 Mar 2011 - After protests in Bahrain, and their brutal
repression, banks are acting to relocate employees and capital elsewhere
in the region in case conditions worsen.
*Militants Put Gazans In Danger, Group Says*
<http://feeds. nytimes.com/ click.phdo? i=c1bf1a5860ce5e 2484bc1f8b83e90e 41>
New York Times 30 Mar 2011 - A Palestinian human rights group in Gaza
took the unusual step this week of condemning the building and storage
of anti-Israel rockets in densely populated areas.
*Middle East: A Culture's History Written in Thread*
<http://feeds. nytimes.com/ click.phdo? i=a779a9b3210e7a aca5e6ed17a80ff3 31>
New York Times 30 Mar 2011 - Two American researchers have conducted the
first detailed study of rarely seen sacred treasures belonging to the
Armenian Patriarchate of Istanbul.
*Middle East: Revolution's Long Shadow Over the Tehran Art Scene*
<http://feeds. nytimes.com/ click.phdo? i=7e95f658d84ecf 44faed5c38ce4b76 9e>
New York Times 30 Mar 2011 - The Ministry of Islamic Culture and
Guidance keeps a tight rein on what can and cannot be displayed.
*Middle East: Court Case Could Slow Turkish Dam Project*
<http://feeds. nytimes.com/ click.phdo? i=e2efd792be910a cc538ddbff43e14b d9>
New York Times 30 Mar 2011 - The fate of Hasankeyf, an Anatolian town
that is the proposed site of one of Turkey's most controversial
hydroelectric power projects, now hangs on an experts' report.
*Allies Count on Defiant Streak in Libya to Drive Out Qaddafi*
<http://feeds. nytimes.com/ click.phdo? i=78f8b1e71c2fa1 5ba49af024697b9a 65>
New York Times 30 Mar 2011 - Coalition forces are banking on a challenge
to official authority from the people and tribes of western Libya to
drive Col. Muammar el-Qaddafi from power.
*Misc* <http://vtjp. org/aboutus/ aboutus.htm>
*SOUTH HEBRON HILLS: Israeli military demolishes village of Amniyr for
second time in five weeks*
<http://www.cpt. org/cptnet/ 2011/03/29/ south-hebron- hills-israeli- military- demolishes- village-amniyr- second-time- five-wee>
Christian Peacemaker Teams - Palestine -
*PALESTINE BLOG: Obama's speech on Libya*
<http://www.cpt. org/cptnet/ 2011/03/30/ palestine- blog-obama% E2%80%99s- speech-libya>
Christian Peacemaker Teams - Palestine -
*Nearly 1/3 of Brandeis Student Body Supports Jewish Peace Group's
Inclusion in Hillel*
<http://jewishvoicef orpeace.org/ blog/nearly- 13-of-brandeis- student-body- supports- jewish-peace- groups-inclusion -in-hillel>
Jewish Voice for Peace - Statements signed by 50 rabbis, 1003 Brandeis
students and more did not succeed in getting Hillel to reconsider ban of
Jewish Voice for Peace chapter for being insufficiently pro-Israel
*Brandeis professor calls upon Hillel to reverse its decision on JVP*
<http://jewishvoicef orpeace.org/ blog/brandeis- professor- calls-upon- hillel-to- reverse-its- decision- on-jvp>
Jewish Voice for Peace -
*Jewish Telegraph Agency on JVP-Brandeis continuing campaign*
<http://jewishvoicef orpeace.org/ blog/jewish- telegraph- agency-on- jvp-brandeis- continuing- campaign>
Jewish Voice for Peace -
*Brandeis' The Justice on campus support for JVP chapter*
<http://jewishvoicef orpeace.org/ blog/brandeis- the-justice- on-campus- support-for- jvp-chapter>
Jewish Voice for Peace -
*Civilian casualties mount in US-led air war against Libya*
<http://www.wsws. org/articles/ 2011/mar2011/ liby-m29. shtml>
WSWS - As delegates from 40 countries and international organizations
gather in London today to coordinate the US-NATO war against Libya,
carried out in the name of protecting civilians, the toll of Libyans
killed and injured by US, British and French bombs continues to mount.
*The war in Libya and the new scramble for Africa*
<http://www.wsws. org/articles/ 2011/mar2011/ pers-m29. shtml>
WSWS - Today's international conference on Libya in London will be
dutifully reported in the media as a gathering of concerned parties
determined to honour their pledge to safeguard civilians from reprisals
by Colonel Muammar Gaddafi's regime.
*London conference plots imperialist carve-up of Libya*
<http://www.wsws. org/articles/ 2011/mar2011/ liby-m30. shtml>
WSWS - The conference on Libya held Tuesday at London's Lancaster House
was a repulsive exercise in hypocrisy and cynicism.
*Tunisian Reform Commission defends capitalist regime*
<http://www.wsws. org/articles/ 2011/mar2011/ tuni-m30. shtml>
WSWS - On March 26 Tunisia's Commission for the Achievement of the
Objectives of the Revolution and the Democratic Transition was enlarged
from 70 to 130 members in a closed-door session.
*Misc 2* <http://vtjp. org/news/ news.php>
*Gaza truck drivers strike to protest Karni Closure*
<http://www.gisha. org/index. php?intLanguage= 2&intItemId= 1978&intSiteSN= 113>
Gisha 30 Mar 2011 - Bread prices expected to rise, [2011-03-06]
*Gisha response to closing of Karni Crossing: Gaza's Crossings Squeezed
Shut*
<http://www.gisha. org/index. php?intLanguage= 2&intItemId= 1975&intSiteSN= 113>
Gisha 30 Mar 2011 - , [2011-03-03]
*Syria vows to defeat 'plotters'*
<http://www.bbc. co.uk/go/ rss/int/news/ -/news/world- middle-east- 12904156>
BBC 30 Mar 2011 - Syria's president vows to defeat those behind a "plot"
against his country, but does not lift the state of emergency as
expected, in his first speech since the unrest began.
*March 15 and the roots of our struggle*
<http://feedproxy. google.com/ %7Er/SabbahsBlog /%7E3/Ffn6az0kLo c/>
Sabbah report 29 Mar 2011 - A mass mobilization of Palestinians to
pressure Hamas and Fatah to end the four-year-long division. Rather than
topple the governments, as was the goal with the uprisings in
neighboring countries, demonstrators hope to be able to bring them together.
*MEMO To The Brave Nations Uniting To Defend Civilians In Libya...*
<http://feedproxy. google.com/ %7Er/SabbahsBlog /%7E3/1jALghLmFk Q/>
Sabbah report 29 Mar 2011 - Are any of you willing to protect the
unarmed humanitarians sailing with latest freedom flotilla to Gaza? The
European Campaign to End the Siege on Gaza - largest flotilla yet - is
due to sail for Gaza in late May.
*Articles*
------------ --------- --------- --------- --------- --------- -
*No-Fly Zone Over Palestine: Ban Israeli Bombardments of Gaza, End US,
EU Support for Israeli War Crimes*
<http://www.alternat ivenews.org/ english/index. php/topics/ israeli-society/ 3469-no-fly- zone-over- palestine- ban-israeli- bombardments- of-gaza-end- us-eu-support- for-israeli- war-crimes->
REURFU$E -- Western Supported Occupation & Apartheid, Alternative
Information Center 3/30/2011
/Press Release and Poster/
We invite all organisations which are active in the struggle to
join us this coming Sunday, April 3rd 2011 at 19:30, for a loud protest
in front of the US Embassy in Tel Aviv.
We will join Palestinians in calling for a No-Fly Zone over Palestine.
Together we will call upon the world: Ban Israeli planes from
bombarding the besieged Gaza Strip.
Together we will demand: US and EU -- end your support of Israeli
crimes
A couple of weeks ago, the UN Security Council decided to
implement a no-fly zone over Libya, aimed at protecting its citizens.
Last week Israeli fighter jets bombed the besieged Gaza several times,
killing helpless civilians and children. Israeli jets also invaded the
sovereign skies of Lebanon, as has routinely been done before, in
violation of international law.
Palestinian civil society organizations are calling upon the
Security Council and the international community to protect the
Palestinian people and prohibit these deadly jets from flying over
Palestine, as is being enforced over Libya. Similar calls were also
voiced by Ismail Haniyeh and Salam Fayyad.
The different factions in Gaza have agreed to a ceasefire, given
that Israel stops its aggression. Israeli authorities have also
confirmed that Hamas is interested in a ceasefire. Nevertheless, Israeli
forces continue in bombing civilians while the heads of the state
prepare us for a weeks-long confrontation, stating that "Hamas no longer
remembers Cast Lead". While Hamas and Fatah are discussing unity, the
Israeli prime minister warns us that such a unity will put an end to
negotiations. more..
<http://www.alternat ivenews.org/ english/index. php/topics/ israeli-society/ 3469-no-fly- zone-over- palestine- ban-israeli- bombardments- of-gaza-end- us-eu-support- for-israeli- war-crimes->e-mail
<mailto:?subject= No-Fly%20Zone% 20Over%20Palesti ne:%20Ban% 20Israeli% 20Bombardments% 20of%20Gaza, %20End%20US, %20EU%20Support% 20for%20Israeli% 20War%20Crimes% 20&body=No- Fly%20Zone% 20Over%20Palesti ne:%20Ban% 20Israeli% 20Bombardments% 20of%20Gaza, %20End%20US, %20EU%20Support% 20for%20Israeli% 20War%20Crimes% 20--%20http://www.alternat ivenews.org/ english/index. php/topics/ israeli-society/ 3469-no-fly- zone-over- palestine- ban-israeli- bombardments- of-gaza-end- us-eu-support- for-israeli- war-crimes- %20--%20link% 20courtesy% 20www.vtjp. org>
*Palestinian Refugees Act to Save Jerusalem's Lifta Village from
Destruction*
<http://www.alternat ivenews.org/ english/index. php/topics/ jerusalem/ 3468-palestinian -refugees- act-to-save- jerusalems- lifta-village- from-destruction>
Shadi Rohana, Alternative Information Center 3/29/2011
"This is not just a construction plan- they want to erase our
memory," architect and Lifta refugee Nasser Abu-Lel told local and
international media today [29 March] in East Jerusalem regarding the
Israel Land Administration' s plan to build a luxurious residential and
commercial zone on the remains of his village in West Jerusalem.
"The Israeli plan targets what remains of the houses we were
forced to leave in the Nakba of 1948; the stones and walls that echo the
daily life of our own parents, before the Zionist gangs forced them to
leave."
The proposed decade-long project, which the Israeli Land
Administration now wishes to implement (plan number 6036), was issued
following Jerusalem Municipal approval of the construction of 268
housing units, one hotel and a number of community institutions on the
site of the Palestinian village of Lifta. Following the court petition
to save Lifta that was submitted by various organizations Lifta refugees
on 6 March, the Israeli court issued a temporary injunction on selling
lots on the site.
The press conference this morning to protest the plan was
organized by the Sons of Lifta Society, an organization that gathers
refugees from Lifta and their descendents in the West Bank and East
Jerusalem. Speakers at the conference included the Mufti of Jerusalem
Muhammad Hussein, Fatah's Jerusalem Affairs Liaison Hatim abd al-Qader,
representatives from the Sons of Lifta Society and refugees from the
village, as well as Attorney Sami Arshid, who represented Lifta refugees
and other organizations at court.
Arshid told reporters that his petition to the court was the
culmination of work done on the ground by various Palestinian and
Israeli organizations, architects, planners and other individuals since
approval of the plan by the Jerusalem Municipality. ...more..
<http://www.alternat ivenews.org/ english/index. php/topics/ jerusalem/ 3468-palestinian -refugees- act-to-save- jerusalems- lifta-village- from-destruction>e-mail
<mailto:?subject= Palestinian% 20Refugees% 20Act%20to% 20Save%20Jerusal em%E2%80% 99s%20Lifta% 20Village% 20from%20Destruc tion%20&body= Palestinian% 20Refugees% 20Act%20to% 20Save%20Jerusal em%E2%80% 99s%20Lifta% 20Village% 20from%20Destruc tion%20-- %20http://www.alternat ivenews.org/ english/index. php/topics/ jerusalem/ 3468-palestinian -refugees- act-to-save- jerusalems- lifta-village- from-destruction %20--%20link% 20courtesy% 20www.vtjp. org>
*Week 1: Nael Al-Barghouthi - Dean of the Palestinian prisoners*
<http://www.middleea stmonitor. org.uk/resources /reports- and-publications /2170-week- 1-nael-al- barghouthi- dean-of-the- palestinian- prisoners>
Middle East Monitor (MEMO) 3/28/2011
Born on 23 October 1957, Nael Al Barghouthi has spent 33 years in
prison. He was arrested on 4 April 1978 after carrying out a commando
operation in which one Israeli was killed. Al Barghouthi was subjected
to extreme torture and has survived at least one attempt on his life
during interrogation.
Throughout his long years of incarceration, he has faced his
interrogators and jailers with incredible strength and determination, as
they moved him from one prison to another.
Inside the prison, he has been a source of inspiration, knowledge
and training. He has raised generations of prisoners, some have left and
others are still behind bars.
Nael Al Barghouthi likes to be called "Abu An Nur" (the father of
light). He has witnessed a number of prisoner exchange deals; but on
every occasion he has been exempted because his Israeli jailers regard
him as a high security risk.
Nael Al Barghouthi's years of imprisonment impacted considerably
on his family. Often denied visits, they heard of his illness from
secondary sources. For years his mother conducted a vigil in front of
the offices of human rights organizations, which were unable to assist.
Nael's father, Hajj Saleh, passed away aged 88; he was followed shortly
thereafter by his mother, Hajja Farha. His dream of freedom and the
ability to embrace his parents has now been reduced to a desire to visit
their graves and pray for them. He now hides his sadness over their loss
with stoic resolve.
Nael is not the only member of his family to serve over two
decades in Israeli jails. His brother, Omar Barghouti - Abu Asif - spent
more than 23 years moving between prisons. His colleague, Abu Shadi -
Fakhri Barghouthi - is the second longest serving Palestinian prisoner
in the occupation's prisons. -- See also:MEMO: It's time to end the
anonymity of Palestinian political prisoners
<http://www.middleea stmonitor. org.uk/resources /reports- and-publications /2167-its- time-to-end- the-anonymity- of-palestinian- political- prisoners>more..
<http://www.middleea stmonitor. org.uk/resources /reports- and-publications /2170-week- 1-nael-al- barghouthi- dean-of-the- palestinian- prisoners>e-mail
<mailto:?subject= Week%201: %20Nael%20Al- Barghouthi% 20-%20Dean% 20of%20the% 20Palestinian% 20prisoners% 20&body=Week% 201:%20Nael% 20Al-Barghouthi% 20-%20Dean% 20of%20the% 20Palestinian% 20prisoners% 20--%20http://www.middleea stmonitor. org.uk/resources /reports- and-publications /2170-week- 1-nael-al- barghouthi- dean-of-the- palestinian- prisoners% 20--%20link% 20courtesy% 20www.vtjp. org>
*The language of liberal war*
<http://feedproxy. google.com/ %7Er/electronicI ntifada/% 7E3/Qko-sXu1LoE/ article11888. shtml>
Electronic Intifada: 30 Mar 2011 - Phantasms from the 1990s are upon us:
no-fly zones; the rhetoric of humanitarian war in Washington, Europe and
the UN; guarantees that no US ground troops will be deployed; an air war
which alone cannot decisively affect earthbound events. Tarak Barkawi
comments.more
<http://feedproxy. google.com/ %7Er/electronicI ntifada/% 7E3/Qko-sXu1LoE/ article11888. shtml>
*Book review: Waiting for redemption in "The Hour of Sunlight"*
<http://feedproxy. google.com/ %7Er/electronicI ntifada/% 7E3/fGRQzAfU_ _U/article11887. shtml>
Electronic Intifada: 30 Mar 2011 - The Hour of Sunlight chronicles the
life of Sami Al Jundi, former supervisor of the Seeds of Peace Center in
Jerusalem. But the book doesn't deliver on its promise to show readers
"the path to a resolution" of the conflict.more
<http://feedproxy. google.com/ %7Er/electronicI ntifada/% 7E3/fGRQzAfU_ _U/article11887. shtml>
*Israel hampers aid agencies at Gaza crossings*
<http://feedproxy. google.com/ %7Er/electronicI ntifada/% 7E3/DXxZMB21Bj0/ article11883. shtml>
Electronic Intifada: 30 Mar 2011 - RAMALLAH, occupied West Bank (IRIN) -
Israel's restrictions on commercial crossings to Gaza and its checkpoint
regime cost nongovernmental organizations millions each year.more
<http://feedproxy. google.com/ %7Er/electronicI ntifada/% 7E3/DXxZMB21Bj0/ article11883. shtml>
*American settler tycoon persecutes East Jerusalem family*
<http://www.palestin emonitor. org/spip/ spip.php? article1736>
Palestine Monitor: 30 Mar 2011 - The judge's ruling, while seeming
equivocal, will most likely lead to the ultimate evacuation of the
Hamdallah family. The struggle of American millionaire and settler
patron, Irving Moskowitz, to expel the Hamdallah family from their
house, has culminated with the probable expulsion of the family from a
bedroom and the front yard to make way for a right-wing, religious
Jewish family. Moskowitz's decade-long legal attack on the Hamdallahs in
Ras al-Amud, East Jerusalem, is emblematic of the unswerving fortitude
exhibited by ideologically motivated Jews bent on settling the 'historic
basin' of the Old City. The Hamdallah household, comprising three
families, is positioned on the verge of Ma'ale Zeitim, the biggest
settlement in a Palestinian neighbourhood in East Jerusalem. The
presence of the house is preventing the expansion of the settlement on
its western border. This fact has fuelled Mr. Moskowitz for the past
sixteen years in pursuing four claims simultaneously. ..more
<http://www.palestin emonitor. org/spip/ spip.php? article1736>
*Existence is Resistance*
<http://www.palestin emonitor. org/spip/ spip.php? article1735>
Palestine Monitor: 30 Mar 2011 - A new documentary chronicling a musical
tour to Palestinians teaching resistance through the arts. Featuring M1
of Dead Prez, Lowkey, Shadia Mansour, Marcel Cartier, Mazzi of S.O.U.L.
Purpose, DJ Vega Benetton, SWYC, University of Hip Hop, Jody McIntyre
and many more. Produced by Nana Dankwa and Existence is Resistance.
questions @ existenceisresistan ce.orgmore
<http://www.palestin emonitor. org/spip/ spip.php? article1735>
*Netanyahu Digging His Own Grave*
<http://palestinechr onicle.com/ view_article_ details.php? id=16761>
Palestine Chronicle: 30 Mar 2011 - By George S. Hishmeh -- Washington,
D.C. The Arab tsunami that has come in the wake of the Arab Spring that
saw the celebrated downfall of two autocratic Arab regimes, in Tunisia
and Egypt, is still blowing harder in other Arab countries, especially
Libya where the days of its hallucinating ruler, Muammar al-Qaddafi, are
believed numbered. And this is not all. More Arab regimes may still find
themselves to be in precarious, if not more serious, situations, as is
the case at present in Yemen, Syria and Bahrain, where the leaders are
fighting a life-and-death battle. The solution is not in staging once
again another military coup, as first happened in Syria 62 years ago
this week, since all the military uprisings in several Arab states have
not fared well. Likewise the monarchies did not do much better
considering their unbelievable oil wealth which has covered up some of
their...more
<http://palestinechr onicle.com/ view_article_ details.php? id=16761>
*Euro-US War on Libya: Lies and Misconceptions*
<http://palestinechr onicle.com/ view_article_ details.php? id=16760>
Palestine Chronicle: 30 Mar 2011 - By James Petras and Robin E. Abaya
Many critics of the ongoing Euro-US wars in the Middle East and, now,
North Africa, have based their arguments on clichés and generalizations
devoid of fact. The most common line heard in regard to the current
US-Euro war on Libya is that it's 'all about oil' -- the goal is the
seizure of Libya's oil wells. On the other hand Euro --U.S, government
spokespeople defend the war by claiming it's "all about saving civilian
lives in the face of genocide", calling it "humanitarian intervention" .
Following the lead of their imperial powers, most of what passes for the
Left in the US and Europe, ranging from Social Democrats, Marxists,
Trotskyites, Greens and other assorted progressives claim they see and
support a revolutionary mass uprising of the Libyan people, and not a
few have called for military intervention by the imperial powers, or the
same...more
<http://palestinechr onicle.com/ view_article_ details.php? id=16760>
*Where Are the Israeli Poets? -- A Poem*
<http://palestinechr onicle.com/ view_article_ details.php? id=16759>
Palestine Chronicle: 30 Mar 2011 - By William James Martin Where are the
Israeli poets? Those who would search their dreams For memories lost or
Denied Those who would look inward To see the archetypes of shadows
Fleeing In the night Or who would search the rocky landscape of the mind
To see those whom they have chased away Where are those who would survey
the scrubgrass And the pales horse And the winter moon And the olive
trees Planted a thousand new suns ago By those who are no longer But
whose sweat lingers in the soil Are there no Israeli poets? Are they
afraid? Of looking inward On a barren moonlit landscape While wandering
the winding paths Stepping on rubble on ancient villages Which are no
longer But villages whose souls still weep For the familiar voices They
may sometimes hear In the distance When the wind is right - William
James Martin contributed. ..more
<http://palestinechr onicle.com/ view_article_ details.php? id=16759>
More material available from Vermonters for a Just Peace in
Palestine/Israel -www.vtjp.org <http://www.vtjp. org/>
To subscribe, please write toOccupationNews- subscribe@ yahoogroups. com
<mailto:OccupationNews- subscribe@ yahoogroups. com>or
visithttp:// groups.yahoo. com/group/ OccupationNews/ join
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Post by ninathedog on Apr 1, 2011 20:45:09 GMT 4
Israel asks U.N. to help block
planned Gaza flotillaFri Apr 1, 2011 9:13am EDTJERUSALEM (Reuters) - Israel asked the United Nations on Friday to help prevent activists sailing to Gaza on the first anniversary of the bloody Israeli seizure of a Turkish ship that tried to reach the blockaded Palestinian enclave.Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's office quoted him telling U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon that a mission of around 15 ships expected in late May "was being organised by Islamic extremist elements, among others, with the goal of creating a provocation and bringing about a flare-up." The Free Gaza Movement, a pro-Palestinian activist umbrella group, said the May flotilla would comprise 15 ships with international passengers including Europeans and Americans. "We sail not just for Gaza," the group said in a March 31 posting on its Website. "We sail to confront an entire apartheid regime that must be dismantled through citizen action." Citing security needs, the Israeli navy stopped a six-vessel flotilla in international waters on May 31, 2010 as it tried to reach Gaza, which is ruled by the Hamas Islamist group. Marines killed nine Turkish activists in melees aboard the lead ship, fraying Israel's once-strong ties to Ankara. Israel has since eased commercial traffic over its land crossings with Gaza, many of whose 1.5 million Palestinians are aid-dependant, but still keeps close control of the sea access. Regarding the new sailing, Netanyahu said Israel was "committed to acting firmly against the flotilla," according to the statement. It did not say what the prime minister expected the United Nations to do.Israel last month caught what it called an Iranian-sponsored shipment of advanced missiles intended for Gaza. Iran denied it. The United Nations has welcomed measures to relax some trade barriers with Gaza, but wants the blockade, supported by neighboring Egypt, to be removed entirely. Gaza was devastated by a 2008-2009 war between Israel and Hamas, which rejects Palestinian peacemaking with the Jewish state. The territory has since seen spikes in violence such as last month, when Hamas and other factions fired dozens of rockets at Israel and Israeli forces killed 14 Palestinians. The Free Gaza Movement has called the blockade illegal and flagged persistent Palestinian poverty in the territory. It has championed non-violent political action in a comprehensive challenge to Israel. (Writing by Dan Williams; Editing by Michael Roddy)ca.reuters.com/article/topNews/idCATRE73030G20110401........ Information about
The Free Gaza Movement:The Free Gaza movement is a human rights group that, since August 2008, has traveled nine times to Gaza by sea to break Israel's illegal stranglehold on 1.5 million Palestinian civilians. We entered Gaza successfully five times in 2008; however, we have been violently intercepted on the past four voyages, including Israel's MAY 31, 2010 lethal attack on our Freedom Flotilla, when nine of our colleagues were killed and many more injured by Israeli commandos. The Free Gaza movement and its coalition partners, the European Campaign to End the Siege on Gaza; IHH -- the Turkish Foundation for Human Rights, Freedoms and Humanitarian Relief; the International Committee to End the Siege on Gaza; Ship to Gaza Sweden and Ship to Gaza Greece are the only organizations that have sent boats directly to Gaza in defiance of Israel's criminal closure of the Gaza Strip. We sail as an expression of citizen nonviolent, direct action, confronting Israel's ongoing abuses of Palestinian human and political rights. ....... We Sail Again:
The History of the Free Gaza movementWritten by Free Gaza Movement | 31 March 2011 March 31, 2011If Israeli authorities thought that their attack on Freedom Flotilla 1 last year would break our momentum and scare us away from sailing to Gaza again, they were wrong. The brutality of the assault on our flotilla has led to an increase of support for our kind of nonviolent, direct action. We are now organising Freedom Flotilla 2, scheduled to set sail in late May 2011, with twice as many vessels as we had last year. We are bigger and stronger now as dozens of new organisations and thousands more people have joined our efforts. We sail not just for Gaza, as what’s happening in Gaza is not separate from the human rights abuses, racist laws, and oppressive policies perpetrated by Israel in the West Bank, Jerusalem, and even inside the 1948 borders. We sail to confront and challenge an entire apartheid regime that must be dismantled through citizen action. We have proven that civil society's non-violent actions against Israel can be as powerful as the governments who refuse to hold the state accountable for its crimes against the Palestinians. This article traces the history of the Free Gaza movement and our efforts to open Israel's illegal blockade on 1.5 million Palestinians in Gaza. www.thisweekinpalestine.com/details.php?id=3382&ed=193&edid=193....... Calls to protect upcoming Gaza aid Flotilla as
Israel hints to attackWritten by Free Gaza Team | 26 March 2011London - Despite the Israeli government’s escalating threats of violence and attempts at diplomatic strong-arming, the organizers of a new international “Freedom Flotilla” – more than 15 ships that will set sail in late May to force an end to the blockade of the Gaza Strip – says it is proceeding as planned. To assure that its passengers are unharmed, the European Campaign to End the Siege on Gaza (ECESG), one of the flotilla organizers, is calling on all governments representing participating citizens to take concrete steps to protect their safety"There is nothing Israel – or our own governments -- can do to frighten us into abandoning the 1.6 million ‘prisoners’ of Gaza,” said Rami Abdo, spokesperson for the ECESG. “Throughout the past – in the United States during its fight for equal rights for blacks, and in South Africa during the campaign against apartheid – it is only civil actions like this that eventually forced an end to government-imposed oppression. We stand on the right side of history. If they continue their campaign of tyranny, however, we will only become more determined.” Abdo added that the flotilla is particularly urgently needed at this time due to Israel’s escalating military attacks on Gaza, leading some to fear that another invasion – similar to the deadly war on the Strip that left more than 1,400 Palestinians dead in early 2009 – is planned. Israel has controlled the Palestinian people for 63 years, since more than 750,000 Palestinians were expelled from their homes or fled out of fear following the creation of Israel in 1948. That control intensified in 1967, when Israel occupied the West Bank, East Jerusalem and Gaza Strip. Although Israel withdrew its settlers from Gaza in 2005, it has continued to control the inhabitants’ lives; since 2007, it has prevented most human traffic in and out of the densely populated Strip, while restricting imports and banning virtually all exports. The impact: More than 75 percent of Palestinians in Gaza live under the poverty line. The Freedom flotilla, of which Free Gaza and ECESG are founding members, is a human rights coalition that was organized after the 8th voyage by the Free Gaza movement. Free Gaza has sailed since August 2008 to break Israel's illegal stranglehold, successfully arriving in Gaza five times: however, the past four voyages were violently intercepted, and on May 31, 2010, the Israeli military killed nine of the passengers during the first Freedom Flotilla. A 10th flotilla – promising to be the largest, with 15 ships carrying passengers from 12 European states as well as Latin America, Africa, Asia, Canada and the United States – is now being organized for a late May departure for Gaza. The passengers will include hundreds of peace advocates from around the world, including parliamentarians and human rights activists, and representatives of more than 40 media institutions.Israel has responded by threatening to once again use deadly force to stop the new flotilla, including snipers and attack dogs. According to the Israeli newspaper Ha’aretz, Israeli Defense Forces chief of staff Gabi Ashkenazi is on record as threatening that “if the IDF is faced with a similar situation in the future, there may be no alternative to deploying snipers to minimize troop casualties.” Likewise, the Jerusalem Post has reported that the IDF will deploy attack dogs from its Oketz canine units.Meanwhile, Israel’s deputy foreign minister, Danny Ayalon, is summoning foreign diplomats to Jerusalem to urge them to work with Israel to stop the flotilla from taking place. According to the Irish Times, he justified his call for cooperation by claiming the flotilla would violate international law, and that “if anyone of goodwill would like to send anything to Gaza, he has ample ways to do it through our ports or Egyptian ports.” Abdo, however, described the Israeli government’s claims as “total fabrication.” “There is nothing in international law that supports Israel’s four-year-long blockade of Gaza, or its attacks on humanitarian shipments in international waters,” he said. “In fact, as stated last year by the normally neutral International Committee of the Red Cross, Israel’s collective punishment of the residents of Gaza is itself a clear violation of international humanitarian law, including the Fourth Geneva Convention.”For more details:
E-mail: friends@freegaza.org This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it for more informationwww.freegaza.org/............ UPDATE on the condition of Ugur Suleyman Söylemez —Ugur Suleyman Söylemez remains in a coma. It has been over 300 days since he was shot in the head by Israeli soldiers aboard the humanitarian aid vessel, the Mavi Marmara, which was in international waters at the time of the attack by Israeli forces. Information gleaned from this source: www.ozgundurus.com/Haber/Guncel/28032011/Gaziler-Gazisi-Ugur-Suleyman-soylemez.php(click here for translation into English)Continued:III. Interception of the flotilla by the Israeli navy and its aftermath
A. Organisation of the Gaza flotilla and the response of the Israeli government Factual Description and Findings 75. The Mission found the following facts to have been established to its satisfaction. (a) The aims of the Free Gaza Movement and the Gaza flotilla of May 201076. The Free Gaza Movement, a human rights organization registered as a charity in Cyprus, organized five successful boat voyages to Gaza between August 2008 and December 2008 using on each occasion one or two small boats. The self-declared purpose of the voyages was to break the blockade on Gaza. The boats were not intercepted by the Israeli authorities at the time, although some threatening messages were received by the organizers from the Israeli authorities. A sixth mission in December 2008 was obliged to divert to Lebanon after the boat was rammed and severely damaged by the Israeli Navy and a seventh mission in January 2009 was aborted after fears it too would be rammed. 77. On 29 June 2009, approximately 20 nautical miles from the coast of Gaza, the Israeli Navy intercepted a boat called the “Spirit of Humanity” owned by the Free Gaza Movement, carrying 21 passengers and a cargo of humanitarian aid to Gaza. After Israeli requests to turn around were refused, the boat was boarded and taken to Ashdod where the passengers were arrested and detained. 78. After these unsuccessful attempts, the Free Gaza Movement sought wider collaboration with other organizations with a view to increasing the number of boats on future missions. The Movement established contact with a number of organizations including a Turkish humanitarian organization called the Foundation for Human Rights and Freedoms and Humanitarian Relief (IHH) which enjoys consultative status with the Economic and Social Council. IHH, which has been active in over 120 countries and territories including the Gaza Strip, had been planning its own mission to Gaza and committed to joining the flotilla with two cargo vessels and a newly-purchased passenger boat with a total carrying capacity of over six hundred passengers. A number of other organizations, including the Ship to Gaza (Sweden), the Ship to Gaza (Greece) and the European Campaign to Break the Siege on Gaza, also agreed to join what became known as the “Gaza Freedom Flotilla”. 79. The stated aims of the Flotilla, as testified by the leaders of the Free Gaza Movement and IHH, were threefold: (1) to draw international public attention to the situation in the Gaza Strip and the effect the blockade; (2) to break the blockade; and (3) to deliver humanitarian assistance and supplies to Gaza. All participants interviewed by the Mission shared their aims, although most placed emphasis on the delivery of humanitarian aid. >>edited for length Deaths occurring on the Top Deck (roof) Furkan Dogan Furkan Dogan, a nineteen-year old with dual Turkish and United States citizenship, was on the central area of the top deck filming with a small video camera when he was first hit with live fire. It appears that he was lying on the deck in a conscious, or semi-conscious, state for some time. It total Furkan received five bullet wounds, to the face, head, back thorax, left leg and foot. All of the entry wounds were on the back of his body, except for the face wound which entered to the right of his nose. According to forensic analysis, tattooing around the wound in his face indicates that the shot was delivered at point blank range. Furthermore, the trajectory of the wound, from bottom to top, together with a vital abrasion to the left shoulder that could be consistent with the bullet exit point, is compatible with the shot being received while he was lying on the ground on his back. The other wounds were not the result of firing in contact, near contact or close range, but it is not otherwise possible to determine the exact firing range. The wounds to the leg and foot were most likely received in a standing position. Ibrahim Bilgen Ibrahim Bilgen, a 60 year old Turkish citizen, from Siirt in Turkey, was on the top deck and was one of the first passengers to be shot. He received a bullet wound to the chest, the trajectory of which was from above and not at close range. He had a further two bullet wounds to the right side of the back and right buttock, both back to front. These wounds would not have caused instant death, but he would have bled to death within a short time without medical attention. Forensic evidence shows that he was shot in the side of the head with a soft baton round at such close proximity and that an entire bean bag and its wadding penetrated the skull and lodged in the brain. He had a further bruise on the right flank consistent with another beanbag wound. The wounds are consistent with the deceased initially being shot from soldiers on board the helicopter above and receiving a further wound to the head while lying on the ground, already wounded. Fahri Yaldiz Fahri Yaldiz, a 42 year old Turkish citizen from Adiyaman, received five bullet wounds, one to the chest, one to the left leg and three to the right leg. The chest wound was caused by a bullet that entered near the left nipple and hit the heart and lungs before exiting from the shoulder. This injury would have caused rapid death. Ali Heyder Bengi According to the pathology report, Ali Heyder Bengi, a 38 year old Turkish citizen from Diyarbakir, received six bullet wounds (one in the chest, one in the abdomen, one in the right arm, one in the right thigh and two in the left hand). One bullet lodged in the chest area. None of the wounds would have been instantly fatal, but damage to the liver caused bleeding which would have been fatal if not stemmed. There are several witness accounts which suggest that Israeli soldiers shot the deceased in the back and chest at close range while he was lying on the deck as a consequence of initial bullet wounds. Deaths occurring on the Bridge Deck, portside Cevdet Kiliçlar Cevdet Kiliçlar, a 38 year old Turkish citizen from Istanbul, was on the Mavi Marmara, in his capacity as a photographer employed by IHH. At the moment he was shot he was standing on the bridge deck on the port side of the ship near to the door leading to the main stairwell and was attempting to photograph Israeli soldiers on the top deck. According to the pathology reports, he received a single bullet to his forehead between the eyes. The bullet followed a horizontal trajectory which crossed the middle of the brain from front to back. He would have died instantly. Cengiz Akyüz (with his daughter in this photo)Cengiz Songür 41 year old Cengiz Akyüz from Hatay and 46 year old Cengiz Songür from Izmir, both Turkish citizens, were injured on the bridge deck in close succession by live fire from above. They had been sheltering and were shot as they attempted to move inside the door leading to the stairwell. Cengiz Akyüz received a shot to the head and it is probable that he died instantly. The pathology report shows four wounds: to the neck, face, chest and thigh. Cengiz Songür received a single bullet to the upper central thorax below the neck, shot from a high angle, which lodged in the right thoracic cavity injuring the heart and aorta. Unsuccessful efforts were made by doctors inside the ship to resuscitate him through heart massage. Çetin Topçuoglu Çetin Topçuoglu, a 54 year old Turkish citizen from Adana had been involved in helping to bring injured passengers inside the ship to be treated. He was also shot close to the door on the bridge deck. He did not die instantly and his wife, who was also on board the ship, was with him when he died. He was shot by three bullets. One bullet entered from the top the soft tissues of the right side of the back of the head, exited from the neck and then re-entered into the thorax. Another bullet entered the left buttock and lodged in the right pelvis. The third entered the right groin and exited from the lower back. There are indications that the victim may have been in a crouching or bending position when this wound was sustained. Deaths and seriously wounded occurring in unknown locations Necdet Yildirim The location and circumstances of the shooting and death of Necdet Yildirim, a 31 year old Turkish citizen from Istanbul, remain unclear. He was shot twice in the thorax, once from the front and once from the back. The trajectory of both bullets was from top to bottom. He also received bruises consistent with plastic bullet impact Wounding of Ugur Suleyman Söylemez (in a coma) The serious nature of wounds to Ugur Suleyman Söylemez, a 46 year old Turkish citizen from Ankara, which include at least one bullet wound to the head, have left the victim in a coma in an Ankara hospital. He remains in a critical condition with a serious head injury. >> edited for length download document with footnotes — bit.ly/FlotillaReport
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Post by ninathedog on Apr 1, 2011 22:28:20 GMT 4
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