• Santa Chimes in at anti-apartheid vigil
• Press Conference: Seattle Mideast Awareness Campaign on King County Bus Ad
• Christmas in Bethlehem
• Beit Ommar Protest Against Karmei Tsur Settlement 12/18/10
• Settlers and IDF Attempt to Steal Old Village Mosque, Beit Ommar, West Bank, Palestine
• المعاقون في غزة ..يتحدون صعوبات الحياة والحروب
• Al Arakib [Araqib] citizens of Israel talk to Rabbis for Human Rights
• Bolivia Officially Recognizes Palestine as Independent State
• The First Asian Aid Convoy arrived in Syria and Lebanon
• Israel approves 13,000 new settlement units
• Fresh Gaza assault a prelude for another Cast Lead massacre?
• News Analysis - Israeli Settlements-12-23-2010
• Make a wish for Palestine - Génération Palestine

Santa Chimes in at anti-apartheid vigil Posted: 24 Dec 2010 08:41 PM PST

Press Conference: Seattle Mideast Awareness Campaign on King County Bus Ad Posted: 24 Dec 2010 08:35 PM PST

Christmas in Bethlehem Posted: 24 Dec 2010 07:48 PM PST

Beit Ommar Protest Against Karmei Tsur Settlement 12/18/10 Posted: 24 Dec 2010 04:36 PM PST

Settlers and IDF Attempt to Steal Old Village Mosque, Beit Ommar, West Bank, Palestine Posted: 24 Dec 2010 04:06 PM PST

المعاقون في غزة ..يتحدون صعوبات الحياة والحروب Posted: 24 Dec 2010 02:34 PM PST

Al Arakib [Araqib] citizens of Israel talk to Rabbis for Human Rights Posted: 24 Dec 2010 12:53 PM PST

Bolivia Officially Recognizes Palestine as Independent State Posted: 24 Dec 2010 12:24 PM PST

The First Asian Aid Convoy arrived in Syria and Lebanon Posted: 24 Dec 2010 12:10 PM PST

Israel approves 13,000 new settlement units Posted: 24 Dec 2010 12:06 PM PST

Fresh Gaza assault a prelude for another Cast Lead massacre? Posted: 24 Dec 2010 11:57 AM PST

News Analysis - Israeli Settlements-12-23-2010 Posted: 24 Dec 2010 11:44 AM PST

Make a wish for Palestine - Génération Palestine Posted: 24 Dec 2010 11:20 AM PST

Merry Christmas and happy holidays to all our readers

continua / continued    [73242] [ 24-dec-2010 23:51 ECT ]

2011: U.S. And NATO To Extend And Expand Afghan War Rick Rozoff December 24, 2010 - The war being waged by the United States and the Western military alliance it controls, the North Atlantic Treaty Organization, is well into its tenth year and is already the longest war in the history of the U.S., Afghanistan and NATO alike. In fact it is NATO’s first ground war and its first armed conflict in Asia. It has now graduated into a broader war, having engulfed neighboring Pakistan with a population of 170 million and a nuclear arsenal...   continua / continued    [73241] [ 24-dec-2010 22:45 ECT ]

Video: Bil'in - Christmas under the gas 24.12.2010 haithmkatib December 24, 2010 - To mark the International Week of Solidarity with the Palestinian people and the Christmas holiday the people of Bil'in remember their martyrs, prisoners and wounded and vow to continue their struggle against the occupation... with the aim of establishing an independent state with Jerusalem as capital. At today's demonstration, a number of Bil'in's citizens as well as a local journalist were wounded, in addition to the dozens of people who suffered choking from inhaling poison gas...   continua / continued    [73240] [ 24-dec-2010 22:24 ECT ]

Obama to the Corporate Powers: I Feel Your Pain by Jim Hightower December 24, 2010 - Guess who's whining the loudest these days, wailing that they're getting a raw deal from Barack Obama. Not the unemployed and barely employed - even though the White House has blithely ignored their critical need for a national jobs program. Not the poor, even though their ranks are swelling as millions of Americans fall out of the middle class. No, no, the most insistent demand for attention is coming from way above the poor and the middle class. Believe it or not, it's the CEOs of Americas biggest corporations and the top bankers of Wall Street who're stamping their little Gucci-clad feet, bawling that they should be getting more love and support from the president...   continua / continued    [73239] [ 24-dec-2010 22:16 ECT ]

Christian exodus from Iraq gathers pace Martin Chulov December 24, 2010 - ... "Now more than 80% of Christians are not going to the churches," said the head of Iraq's Christian Endowment group, Abdullah al-Noufali. "There is no more sunday school, no school for teaching Christianity. Yesterday we had a discussion about what we would do for Christmas. We took a decision just to do one mass. In years before we had many masses." Noufali's church was closed and barricaded in 2005 when violence was consuming Baghdad. Many others had stayed open since then. Until now. In the wake of the attack on the Our Lady of Salvation church, at least 10 churches are believed to have been closed. At others, congregations are down to a handful. Iraq's Christian population has halved since the ousting of Saddam Hussein...   continua / continued    [73238] [ 24-dec-2010 22:07 ECT ]

You Are Not Forgotten Reham Alhelsi December 24, 2010 - My Palestinian sister, my Palestinian brother; I write this letter today and I see your face in front of me, the face of Palestine. I see your smile; that of a poppy being kissed by the sun. I hear your whisper; that of an olive trees being hugged by the wind. I address this letter to you, for I know your name and you know mine: Palestinian. 2010 was declared the year of the Palestinian prisoners/detainees. Throughout the year, some local newspapers here in occupied Palestine published daily reports about you, your detention, your heroism, published interviews with your families, your loved ones telling of your detention, of the painful visits, of the Israeli oppression and harassment, and telling of how much you are loved, how much you are missed...   continua / continued    [73237] [ 24-dec-2010 21:54 ECT ]

PUDR Hails WikiLeaks, Says ‘Justice Elusive Entity in Kashmir’ Kashmir Observer December 24, 2010 - Hailing the WikiLeaks disclosures of the International Committee of Red Cross (ICRC) briefing to US diplomats that the Indian government condoned 'rampant use of torture’ in Kashmir, Peoples Union for Democratic Rights today said, the scale and extent of torture used in J&K shows how the Indian State and civil society have been complicit in allowing this practice to carry on unmindful of its consequence for India’s Constitutional democracy...   continua / continued    [73236] [ 24-dec-2010 21:36 ECT ]

Pakistani drone victim seeks to put US on trial Associated Press December 24, 2010 — Sadaullah Wazir says he was relaxing in his front yard when the missile struck, hurling him against the wall and mangling his legs so badly that they had to be amputated. Three of his relatives died. Now the 17-year-old and his family want justice from America, which they say was behind the attack. Detailed accounts by casualties such as Wazir rarely make it outside the tribal regions. He and other tribesmen recently traveled to Islamabad, the capital, to meet with lawyers who are planning to sue the CIA for damages, possibly adding a new layer of scrutiny to the agency's covert war inside Pakistan...   continua / continued    [73235] [ 24-dec-2010 21:17 ECT ]

Supporters Demand Justice for Aafia Siddiqui by Stephen Lendman December 24, 2010 - ...Wrongfully persecuted, she was sentenced to 86 years in prison on September 23, 2010, a gross miscarriage of justice since her March 30, 2003 abduction, imprisonment, torture and witch-hunt prosecution, providing no evidence whatever to convict. Supporters want her freed. The web site freeaafia.org posts updates on her case and status....   continua / continued    [73234] [ 24-dec-2010 21:09 ECT ]

Obama's Indecisiveness Defines His Presidency By Ramzy Baroud December 24, 2010 - Obama’s handling of the shortly-lived peace talks between the Palestinian Authority and Israel’s rightwing government is another example of a striking failure followed by whitewash. Although he adamantly demanded a halt to Israel’s construction of illegal settlements in East Jerusalem and the West Bank, Obama soon began capitulating before an obstinate Benjamin Netanyahu. The Israeli leader, supported by much of the US Congress and backed by a strong Israel lobby in Washington, finally forced Obama into a humiliating retreat. Even a generous bribe to win a limited Israeli moratorium on settlement construction failed. Obama administration officials finally declared that the US would abandon its efforts to halt Israeli settlement expansion, effectively signaling an American exit from the 'peace process.’   continua / continued    [73233] [ 24-dec-2010 21:05 ECT ]

Prisoners Group Brings Relief Behind Bars Palestine Monitor December 24, 2010 -Over 10,000 Palestinians are suffering human rights abuses in Israeli jails, many of whom have not been convicted of any crime. A grass-roots initiative is aiming to provide representation to forgotten detainees. The idea of the Palestinian Prisoners’ Club (PPC) was born in jail. One of the men that came up with it is Abderal Anabi, who now heads the PPC. Mr. Anabi was first arrested when he was 18 years old, in 1988 and spent a few months locked up. A short period of freedom ensued, before he was arrested again and sentenced to life. It was during his time in the Jnaid prison near Nablus - a prison reserved for those serving long sentences - that, together with a few other prisoners, they decided that they needed to come together to solve their problems.   continua / continued    [73232] [ 24-dec-2010 21:01 ECT ]

What the Wikileaks Cable Reveals Covering Up the Murder of Nicola Calipari By MICHAEL LEONARDI December 24, 2010 - In a cable that was released by Wikileaks, there is clear collusion between the Italian and the US governments to bury the story of Nicola Calipari's murder and to deter any future investigations into this case. This cable has unleashed an outcry for justice and chorus of calls for a reopening of the Calipari/Sgrena investigation. His wife Rosa Villecco Calipari now a deputy for the Democratic Party in Italy, called the revelations proof that her husband had been betrayed not just once, but two times by the Italian and American Governments and secret service agencies. Giuliana Sgrena has also called for a reopening of the case as have journalists and activists alike...   continua / continued    [73231] [ 24-dec-2010 20:57 ECT ]

The Palestinian 'legitimacy war' Richard Falk December 24, 2010 - ...The Palestinians have been victimized in these respects for more than 62 years, and their efforts to end this intolerable set of realities by an innovative reliance on nonviolent resistance and self-defense deserves the support of persons of conscience throughout the world. Whether this reliance on a Legitimacy War can finally achieve justice for the Palestinian people and peace for both peoples, only the future can tell, but there is no doubt that this struggle is the best contemporary instance of 'a just war'...   continua / continued    [73230] [ 24-dec-2010 20:49 ECT ]

Bradley Manning and GI Resistance to US War Crimes An interview with Dahr Jamail by Angola 3 News December 24, 2010 - ...A3N: How does the corporate media narrative contrast with what you have seen first-hand in Iraq? DJ: The difference is night and day. The whitewashing and outright lying by the corporate media is offensive to me. It is repulsive, in fact, when compared to what the reality on the ground is in Iraq. The brutality of the US military there against the civilian population would shock people. More than 1 million Iraqis have been slaughtered because of the US occupation. As you read this you can know that one in every ten Iraqis remains displaced from their homes. Can you imagine that? The US policy in Iraq has been so destructive, that one out of every ten Iraqis is currently displaced from their home, now at more than 7 years into the occupation?...   continua / continued    [73229] [ 24-dec-2010 20:41 ECT ]

Israeli soldiers kill Palestinian herdsman and wound three youths EXCLUSIVE PICTURES Middle East Monitor December 24, 2010 - Scenes of mourning returned to the streets of Gaza as Israel intensifies its attacks on the besieged population of the Gaza Strip. Israeli soldiers today opened fire on a Palestinian herdsman as he tended to his goats in the northern area of the Strip. Salama Abu Hashish, a 22 year old Palestinian man, died from gunshot wounds in the back. Another Palestinian teenager was injured and is in a serious condition, while two other Palestinian boys aged 17 and 18 were lightly hurt. Adham Abu Selmiya, government spokesperson for the Medical Services in Gaza, said that the three young men were shot at while they were collecting gravel for construction use...   continua / continued    [73228] [ 24-dec-2010 20:30 ECT ]

Pentagon’s Christmas Present: Largest Military Budget Since World War II Rick Rozoff December 24, 2010 - On December 22 both houses of the U.S. Congress unanimously passed a bill authorizing $725 billion for next year’s Defense Department budget. The bill, the National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2011, was approved by all 100 senators as required and by a voice vote in the House. The House had approved the bill, now sent to President Barack Obama to sign into law, five days earlier in a 341-48 roll call, but needed to vote on it again after the Senate altered it in the interim...   continua / continued    [73227] [ 24-dec-2010 20:12 ECT ]

The Bluster of a Zionist Thug By Nima Shirazi December 24, 2010 - Last week, Indypendent journalist and frequent Mondoweiss contributor Alex Kane noted: "As the boycott, divestment and sanctions (BDS) movement continues full-steam ahead in its efforts to force Israel to comply with international law, pro-Israel hawks are increasingly attempting to link the movement to anti-Semitism and Nazi Germany-era policies." The latest example of this disingenuous and intellectually dishonest smear campaign comes (unsurprisingly) from Jeffrey Goldberg, the former IDF prison guard, unabashed warmonger, and Zionist apologist and propagandist, who recently cheered the New Israel Fund for, in his words, leaving the "BDS swamp."...   continua / continued    [73226] [ 24-dec-2010 20:07 ECT ]

What WikiLeaks revealed to the world in 2010 By Glenn Greenwald December 24, 2010 - Throughout this year I've devoted substantial attention to WikiLeaks, particularly in the last four weeks as calls for its destruction intensified. To understand why I've done so, and to see what motivates the increasing devotion of the U.S. Government and those influenced by it to destroying that organization, it's well worth reviewing exactly what WikiLeaks exposed to the world just in the last year: the breadth of the corruption, deceit, brutality and criminality on the part of the world's most powerful factions. As revealing as the disclosures themselves are, the reactions to them have been equally revealing. The vast bulk of the outrage has been devoted not to the crimes that have been exposed but rather to those who exposed them: WikiLeaks and (allegedly) Bradley Manning...   continua / continued    [73225] [ 24-dec-2010 19:57 ECT ]

Help Silwan Resident Adnan Gheith Stay in Jerusalem From Mohammed Khatib, Director of Popular Struggle Coordination Committee December 24, 2010 - I know the Occupation in and out – I lived under it my entire life, but even I cannot imagine being in Adnan Gheith’s position. I don’t want to believe that something like this is possible, and I want to do all I can to stop what israel is trying to do to him. On November 28th, Adnan, a Silwan grassroots organizer, received written notification that Israel intends to issue an order expelling him for a four months period from his city – Jerusalem. Adnan is a resident of Silwan, and a member of the al-Bustan Neighborhood’s committee, which was formed to oppose plans for massive house demolitions. In a reality where Palestinians’ right for freedom of expression in not even lip service, organizing your community against its impending destruction is reason enough to be ripped from it...   continua / continued    [73224] [ 24-dec-2010 19:41 ECT ]

President Obama Loses the Plot on Guantánamo Andy Worthington December 24, 2010 - On December 22, during a largely self-congratulatory news conference by President Obama, dealing with a number of achievements notched up in the last session before the Democrats lose control of the House of Representatives (including the new START treaty, on arms control, and the repeal of "don’t ask, don’t tell"), one of the administration’s conspicuous failures — the failure to close Guantánamo — was only touched upon at the end of the news conference, when Mike Emanuel, the White House correspondent for Fox News, asked a question that followed up on a recent report in the Washington Post...   continua / continued    [73223] [ 24-dec-2010 19:29 ECT ]

Weekly anti-wall rally commemorates Christmas Ma'an News December 24, 2010 - Two Palestinians and an Israeli journalist were injured Friday as confrontations erupted after Friday prayer in Bil'in, west of Ramallah in the central West Bank. International activists suffocated tear gas as Israeli forces dispersed the weekly non-violent rally against the wall and settlement expansion. The rally commemorated Christmas this week. As protestors progressed toward the wall, an Israeli force behind cement barriers fired stun grenades, tear gas canisters, and rubber-coated bullets when the protestors attempted to cross behind the wall. The soldiers chased the protestors through the olive grove...   continua / continued    [73222] [ 24-dec-2010 19:24 ECT ]

WikiLeaks cables expose France’s collaboration with US imperialism By Kumaran Ira December 24, 2010 - Cables leaked to WikiLeaks expose how the French political establishment has moved to support the illegal US invasions of Iraq and Afghanistan. Under the guise of the "war on terrorism", the French ruling class supports Washington to secure its own imperialist interests, acting with contempt for public opinion. In particular, the US occupations of Iraq and Afghanistan are extremely unpopular. Over 65 percent of the French population opposes the war. Nonetheless, France’s major parties have committed to aggressive war, lining up with the US to defend French imperialist interests abroad, while destroying the living standards of the working class through a series of austerity measures at home...   continua / continued    [73221] [ 24-dec-2010 19:20 ECT ]

Resisting Tyranny: A Universal Right by Stephen Lendman December 24, 2010 - Israel's new referendum law defines Jerusalem as its "eternal and indivisible" capital, as well as requiring a two-thirds Knesset majority to cede East Jerusalem land to the Palestinians or in Golan to Syria. Failing that, either withdrawal would be subject to a national referendum. In other words, Jews alone will decide whether or not to return some stolen land. Those losing it have no say. Israeli Professor Galia Golan called it an obstacle to peace, saying: "It's another barrier towards any kind of an agreement. It's quite clear that any future deal has to deal with Jerusalem." While polls show Israelis favor an agreement, they'll vote otherwise about Jerusalem separately. "The good news," said Golan, "is that this is not a basic law and can be changed."...   continua / continued    [73220] [ 24-dec-2010 19:06 ECT ]

Christmas with Arafat in Bethlehem Nabil Sha'ath December 24, 2010 - ...From that day until Christmas of the year 2000, Arafat lived in the monastery of the Church of Holy Nativity from the 23rd of December to the 19th of January every year, attending Catholic, Protestant, Orthodox, and Armenian Christmas celebrations. I was with him most of the time. He loved it, and Bethlehem loved him. He worked so hard to rebuild and renovate Bethlehem for the celebrations of the third millennium of the birth of Jesus Christ. He invited world leaders to attend, and many of them came to participate. He used to tell me, "Palestine, Nabeel, is holy because of its Christian and Muslim holy places and citizens. Without Bethlehem, Jerusalem and Christians, Palestine would not be the holy land. We would be an ordinary occupied third world country." ..   continua / continued    [73217] [ 24-dec-2010 18:38 ECT ]

NATO Attacks Official Convoy, Killing Two Afghans Three Others Also Wounded in 'Inadvertent' Strike Jason Ditz December 23, 2010 - The latest in a growing deluge of NATO attacks killing allies and civilians in Afghanistan took place today in the Faryab Province, when a NATO helicopter inexplicably attacked an official convoy heading to an event hosted by the local provincial council. The attack targeted a number of vehicles, killing two people, reportedly a member of the Afghan police and the brother of a national MP. Three others, including two police and a civilian, were also wounded in the attack...   continua / continued    [73216] [ 24-dec-2010 18:23 ECT ]

Rediscovering Holy Land sites AlJazeeraEnglish December 23, 2010 - "A number of churches in the West Bank have remained hidden from view, which Palestinians blame on Israel's monopoly over tourism. Called the forgotten churches, the Christian sites are not found on most operated tours of the Holy Land. But some operators are trying to change that.Christian pilgrims are now able to get a look at some of the previously hidden historical sites...   continua / continued    [73215] [ 24-dec-2010 18:14 ECT ]

Spies and lies, especially against your allies Middle East Monitor December 23, 2010 - Reports from the United States say that Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is to ask for the release of convicted spy Jonathan Jay Pollard. A report in the New York Times claims that Pollard's release will be the subject of a "public request" to President Barack Obama; he was convicted in 1987 of spying for Israel and received a life sentence. Recent reports from Egypt speak of Israelis being charged in absentia of trying to recruit Syrian and Lebanese nationals for obvious purposes...   continua / continued    [73214] [ 24-dec-2010 18:11 ECT ]

In Baghdad, Christmas Canceled Jason Ditz Christmas in Baghdad hasn’t been a merry time in quite a number of years. Throughout the US occupation Iraqi Christians have been targeted regularly for having at least a nominally similar religious to the invading forces and most Christmas celebrations have been subdued, to say the least. This year however, Christmas is pretty much canceled. With violence against Baghdad’s Christian community soaring to new heights and large numbers of the community fleeing into refugee status in Europe and Syria, all but one church has canceled their celebrations, and plan to remain closed for Christmas..   continua / continued    [73213] [ 24-dec-2010 16:55 ECT ]

In Bethlehem, shepherds watching their flocks by night are a dying breed Ana Carbajosa in Bethlehem December 23, 2010 - If an "angel of the Lord" were to appear in the sky over Bethlehem today, there would be scarcely any shepherds keeping watch over their flocks to witness the scene. Spending nights and days in the fields herding sheep has become an almost impossible task for the fast-diminishing community of shepherds in this biblical Palestinian town. Jewish settlements, Israeli army checkpoints, closed military zones and the West Bank separation barrier have reduced the grazing area to such an extent that a growing number of Bethlehem shepherds have been forced to give up their traditional livelihoods. "I miss the freedom of the wilderness. Everything is different now. We can barely move," says Adel Alsir, a 35-year-old Palestinian who herds his flock less than 100 metres from a biblical site known as the shepherds' fields...   continua / continued    [73212] [ 24-dec-2010 16:47 ECT ]

Bradley Manning Speaks About His Conditions By: David House December 23, 2010 - Bradley Manning, the 23-year-old Army private accused of leaking classified information to Wikileaks, has been held in the brig at Quantico Marine Corp Base for five months in inhumane conditions, with severe restrictions on his ability to exercise, communicate, or even sleep. Manning has not been convicted of any crime. Nor is there a date certain for any court hearing. The conditions of Bradley Manning’s confinement became a top issue in the press last week as bloggers traded blows with US officials over allegations that Manning endures inhumane treatment at the Quantico, VA detainment facility. In the midst of this rush by the Defense Department to contextualize Manning’s confinement, I traveled to see the man himself at the Marine Corps detainment facility in Quantico, VA....   continua / continued    [73211] [ 24-dec-2010 14:14 ECT ]

Military sexual abuse 'staggering'
Dahr Jamail

December 23, 2010 - Every year, rape increases at an alarming rate within American military institutions – and even males are victims of the cycle. In fact, due to raw demographics, one can roughly surmise that most victims of sexual abuse in the military are male. Regardless of gender, reports of victims of military sexual assault have been increasing. In 2007, there were 2,200 reports of rape in the military, whilst in 2009 saw an increase up to 3,230 reports of sexual assault...   continua / continued    [73210] [ 24-dec-2010 14:06 ECT ]

Google Alert - Palestine news

Abbas: Mideast to remain "flaming" without peace in Palestine Xinhua BETHLEHEM, Dec. 24 (Xinhua) -- Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas on Friday said the Middle East will remain "flaming" if peace was not achieved between ... See all stories on this topic »

Ecuador recognizes Palestine state AFP QUITO — Ecuador formally recognized Palestine as an independent state on Friday, following the lead of its neighbors Bolivia, Brazil, Argentina and Uruguay ... See all stories on this topic »

A Stable Palestine is an Israeli Interest Jewish Times of Southern New Jersey Important countries in the world are beginning to recognize the state of Palestine in the 1967 borders even before its creation as an act of defying ... See all stories on this topic »

Ecuador recognizes state of Palestine Press TV President Rafael Correa on Friday signed "the Ecuadoran government's official recognition of Palestine as a free and independent state with 1967 borders. ... See all stories on this topic » Press TV

One More Country Recognizes the Sovereignty of Palestine Breaking Story Morales also called for other countries in the world who do not recognize the freedom and sovereignty of Palestine immediately following the step. ... See all stories on this topic » Breaking Story

Thanks to Putin, North Caucasus has Become 'Russia's Palestine,' Nemtsov Says Georgiandaily Staunton, December 23 – The North Caucasus at the present time is “our Palestine,” Russian opposition leader Boris Nemtsov says, the result of the deal ... See all stories on this topic »

Gaza: Two Years after the Horror Palestine Chronicle Today, there is a growing grassroots struggle inside Palestine, much as there was inside apartheid South Africa. An intensified international solidarity ... See all stories on this topic » Palestine Chronicle

WHS student named People to People ambassador for 2011 Palestine Herald Press By CHERIL VERNON Palestine Herald-Press PALESTINE — Westwood High School freshman Trista Fields has been nominated and accepted as a student ambassador, ... See all stories on this topic »

Woman shares challenges of being a soldier's spouse Palestine Herald Press By CHERIL VERNON Palestine Herald-Press PALESTINE — This is the first Christmas Stephanie Brown will spend without her husband of 2 1/2 years. ... See all stories on this topic »

• CRHistmas Carol - CRH 12 Days of Christmas Carol: Stop Cementing Israeli Apartheid
• Bil'in Santa Protests Israeli Occupation and Apartheid Wall - Christmas under the gas 24.12.2010
• FBI Expands Probe into Antiwar and Palestinian Solidarity Activists
• Philip Giraldi on 'Spying on Americans'
• Interview with Maya Wind, Activist & Former E. Jerusalem Coordinator for Rabbis for Human Rights
• Palestine suffering projected onto London landmarks
• FBI: Don't Spy on Us Say Minneapolis Activists
• Christmas in Bethlehem: business is slow despite increase in number of tourists
• Israeli Soldier detains Palestinian Children, assaults B'Tselem worker on latter's land
• مشاريعَ بناءٍ واسعةً في مستوطنات الضفة الغربية
• مأساة سكان قرية بيت أولا بعد مصادرة أراضيهم
• Rediscovering Holy Land sites
• Rattansi & Ridley - Holy Land of Palestine-12-21-2010
• Gaza Protest in Solidarity with Prisoners of the Palestinian Authority
• "I can't protect my children." Dr Mousa on the reality of Gaza
• New Settlement Outpost - Daylight assault on Palestinian Land - 21.12.10
• Adelaide Seacret Protest 18 12 10
• الغارات الجوية الإسرائيلية علي قطاع غزة
• معانأة اللاجئين الفلسطينيين في جنوب لبنان
• Max Blumenthal & Rebecca Vilkomerson debate for BDS at Princeton
• Jerusalem's controversial Western Wall
• TJP Liberty Report Gaza 'Collect Rocks Get Shot' - Ken O'Keefe Dec. 19, 2010
• CrossTalk: Mid East Broker Bias
• Greater Boston Code Pink Holiday AHAVA Boycott
• Boycott AHAVA Holiday Caroling in Los Angeles

CRHistmas Carol - CRH 12 Days of Christmas Carol: Stop Cementing Israeli Apartheid Posted: 24 Dec 2010 11:05 AM PST

Bil'in Santa Protests Israeli Occupation and Apartheid Wall - Christmas under the gas 24.12.2010 Posted: 24 Dec 2010 10:46 AM PST

FBI Expands Probe into Antiwar and Palestinian Solidarity Activists Posted: 23 Dec 2010 07:36 PM PST

Philip Giraldi on 'Spying on Americans' Posted: 23 Dec 2010 07:27 PM PST

Interview with Maya Wind, Activist & Former E. Jerusalem Coordinator for Rabbis for Human Rights Posted: 23 Dec 2010 07:24 PM PST

Palestine suffering projected onto London landmarks Posted: 23 Dec 2010 07:17 PM PST

FBI: Don't Spy on Us Say Minneapolis Activists Posted: 23 Dec 2010 07:00 PM PST

Christmas in Bethlehem: business is slow despite increase in number of tourists Posted: 23 Dec 2010 06:55 PM PST

Israeli Soldier detains Palestinian Children, assaults B'Tselem worker on latter's land Posted: 23 Dec 2010 06:49 PM PST

مشاريعَ بناءٍ واسعةً في مستوطنات الضفة الغربية Posted: 23 Dec 2010 06:38 PM PST

مأساة سكان قرية بيت أولا بعد مصادرة أراضيهم Posted: 23 Dec 2010 06:36 PM PST

Rediscovering Holy Land sites Posted: 23 Dec 2010 06:31 PM PST

Rattansi & Ridley - Holy Land of Palestine-12-21-2010 Posted: 23 Dec 2010 06:29 PM PST

Gaza Protest in Solidarity with Prisoners of the Palestinian Authority Posted: 23 Dec 2010 06:24 PM PST

"I can't protect my children." Dr Mousa on the reality of Gaza Posted: 23 Dec 2010 06:20 PM PST

New Settlement Outpost - Daylight assault on Palestinian Land - 21.12.10 Posted: 23 Dec 2010 06:01 PM PST

Adelaide Seacret Protest 18 12 10 Posted: 23 Dec 2010 03:08 PM PST

الغارات الجوية الإسرائيلية علي قطاع غزة Posted: 23 Dec 2010 02:10 AM PST

معانأة اللاجئين الفلسطينيين في جنوب لبنان Posted: 23 Dec 2010 01:21 AM PST

Max Blumenthal & Rebecca Vilkomerson debate for BDS at Princeton Posted: 22 Dec 2010 10:29 AM PST

Jerusalem's controversial Western Wall Posted: 22 Dec 2010 10:25 AM PST

TJP Liberty Report Gaza 'Collect Rocks Get Shot' - Ken O'Keefe Dec. 19, 2010 Posted: 22 Dec 2010 10:22 AM PST

CrossTalk: Mid East Broker Bias Posted: 22 Dec 2010 10:21 AM PST

Greater Boston Code Pink Holiday AHAVA Boycott Posted: 22 Dec 2010 10:16 AM PST

Boycott AHAVA Holiday Caroling in Los Angeles Posted: 22 Dec 2010 10:10 AM PST

U.N. to investigate treatment of Bradley Manning
By Glenn Greenwald

December 23, 2010 - Both The Guardian and the Associated Press are reporting that the U.N.'s top official in charge of torture is now formally investigating the conditions under which the U.S. is detaining accused WikiLeaks leaker Bradley Manning. Last week, I described the inhumane terms of his detention at a Marine brig in Quantico, Virginia, including being held 23 out of 24 hours a day in solitary confinement for seven straight months and counting as well as other punitive measures (such as strict prohibitions on any exercise inside his cell and the petty denial of pillows and sheets). Manning's lawyer, former U.S. Army Major and Iraq War veteran David Coombs, thereafter publicly confirmed those facts, and then announced two days ago that efforts to persuade brig officials to allow more human conditions have failed, meaning it is likely that Manning will languish under these repressive restraints for many more months to come, at least....   continua / continued    [73209] [ 24-dec-2010 05:32 ECT ]

Anger after Israeli mayor bars Christmas trees from suburb of Nazareth Ma'an News December 23, 2010 -- Christmas festivities in the Holy Land focus on the West Bank town of Bethlehem, where Christians believe Jesus was born and the Palestinian Authority hosts annual celebrations. Israel's government highlights events in Nazareth, a predominantly Palestinian city in Israel where Jesus is believed to have spent much of his life growing up with his mother Mary and her husband Joseph. But there will be no celebrations this year in a Jewish suburb of Nazareth, after its mayor sparked outrage by refusing to allow Christmas trees to be placed in town squares, calling them provocative...   continua / continued    [73208] [ 24-dec-2010 05:24 ECT ]

Video: Soldier violently arrests B'Tselem worker, Nasser a-Nawaj’ah, on his family’s land in southern Hebron Hills B'Tselem December 23, 2010 - On the morning of 18 November 2010, 'Aliaa a-Nawaj'ah, 12, and her brother Hamzah, 14, Palestinians from Susiya in the southern Hebron Hills, were grazing sheep on their family's land, near which the Susiya settlement was built. According to 'Aliaa's testimony, around 7:30 A.M., an army jeep pulled up and two soldiers got out. They cuffed the two children with plastic handcuffs and led them to the jeep. Later, the soldiers told the children's relatives that the two had thrown stones at them. They released 'Aliaa after about ten minutes, and Hamzah soon after...   continua / continued    [73207] [ 24-dec-2010 04:42 ECT ]

‘The Palestine Cables’: Gaza is a burning issue from Egypt to Latin America to Pakistan, to John Kerry being ’shocked by what I saw’ Alex Kane December 23, 2010 - Forsaken by the "peace process," ignored by mainstream media, denied justice two years after Israel committed what many rights groups called war crimes-- still, the plight of Palestinians in the blockaded Gaza Strip remains a burning issue around the world. Cables from the trove of State Department documents WikiLeaks has been releasing show that global civil society's outrage at the brutal 2008-09 Israeli assault on Gaza has resonated with governments everywhere, and that Gaza remains a symbol of everything that's wrong with the Israeli occupation...   continua / continued    [73206] [ 24-dec-2010 02:31 ECT ]

Shepherd killed by Israeli soldiers, Palestinian medical officials say Ma'an News December 23, 2010 - A Palestinian shepherd died Thursday hours after Israeli troops shot him and three others along the border with Israel inside northern Gaza, medics said. Salamah Abu Hashish, 22, sustained wounds to the back in the shooting, which occurred north of Beit Lahiya, Gaza medical services spokesman Adham Abu Salmiya told Ma'an. The official said Abu Hashish was the 13th Gazan to be killed since November and the 34th to suffer injuries near the border, which Israel considers a combat zone but residents call home. Two Palestinians were critically injured in Thursday's shooting, Abu Salmiya said. One of them, a 14-year-old boy, sustained wounds to the head while collecting stones, he added...   continua / continued    [73205] [ 24-dec-2010 02:23 ECT ]

IRAQ: Christian IDPs find refuge in Kurdish north IRIN News December 23, 2010 - Hundreds of Iraqi Christians are fleeing to the northern semi-autonomous Kurdish region and particularly the town of Ankawa, which has become a safe haven for the country’s Christians, thanks to its special status and privileges granted by the Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG). Ankawa, near Erbil, KRG’s capital, has a predominantly Christian population and administration, several churches and distinct Assyrian language. Melissa Fleming, chief spokeswoman for the UN Refugee Agency (UNHCR), said on 17 December that UNHCR offices in Iraq had seen a significant increase in Christians fleeing Baghdad and Mosul to the KRG Region and Nineveh plains in the north....   continua / continued    [73204] [ 23-dec-2010 19:04 ECT ]

US Stepping Up Pressure on Pakistan By Gareth Porter* December 23, 2010 - This week's leak to the New York Times of a proposal for U.S. Special Operations Forces (SOF) raids against Afghan insurgent sanctuaries in Pakistan may be intended to put more pressure on the Pakistani military to take action against those sanctuaries. But the proposal for such cross-border raids also reflects a real demand from the U.S.-NATO command in Afghanistan to target insurgent leaders inside Pakistan if the Pakistani military does not respond to the threat, according to a U.S. source familiar with discussions at the International Security Assistance Force (ISAF) headquarters in Kabul...   continua / continued    [73203] [ 23-dec-2010 19:01 ECT ]

Israeli and US Machinations to be Revealed Sooner or Later? Jinjirrie December 23, 2010 - In an Al Jazeera interview conducted in Arabic, Julian Assange has revealed that it will take Wikileaks six months to release documents on Israel. This is confirmed by a post on the WL Central blog. Here’s a translation of the Al Jazeera story accompanying the interview provided to me by a fluent friend: ...Assange said Wednesday evening in "Without Limits" on Al-Jazeera that he didn’t make any deal with israel and revealed that his site would publish hundreds of documents relating to israel in the coming months. He stated that he has 3700 documents and 2700 of these documents originated from israel alone...He stated that the secret classified documents include mention of the mossad, and high ranking communications regarding the assassination of a Syrian official by a sniper. He said that the publication of the documents relating to israel and some Arab states will continue for six months."   continua / continued    [73202] [ 23-dec-2010 18:46 ECT ]

Police State Injustice: Canada's Security Certificate Process by Stephen Lendman December 23, 2010 - In place since 1978, it lets authorities detain and/or deport foreign nationals and other non-citizens suspected of human rights violations, alleged threats to national security, or claimed affiliation with organized crime, using (usually bogus) secret evidence withheld from defense counsel. Since 1991, 27 residents have been affected. In February 2007, Canada's Supreme Court ruled it unconstitutional in Charkaoui v. Canada. However, eight months later in October, the Canadian House of Commons passed Bill C-3 (a so-called anti-terror measure), amending the 2001 Immigration and Refugee Protection Act by introducing a special advocate into the certificate process on the pretext of protecting subjects during secret proceedings...   continua / continued    [73200] [ 23-dec-2010 18:42 ECT ]

Britain assured US its interests would be protected in Iraq war inquiry By Robert Stevens December 23, 2010 - Among the first US State Department documents released by WikiLeaks were cables sent from the US Embassy in London and dated September 22, 2009. One of these reveals that the British government informed a US official it had "put measures in place" to protect American interests in advance of the Chilcot Inquiry into the 2003 Iraq war. The cables, marked secret and classified, were first reported by the Guardian newspaper...   continua / continued    [73199] [ 23-dec-2010 18:38 ECT ]

Village of El Araqib Demolished for the Eighth Time Today Recognition Forum December 23, 2010 - This morning (23 December) at 7.00, approximately 40 police officers, together with authorities from the land administration and their bulldozers, began to gather at the Bakama Junction in preparation for yet another demolition of the Bedouin village of El Araqib in the Negev. At 8.00 a.m. the destruction forces arrived to El Araqib, where they completely demolished the village. The Israeli authorities took vehicles that were in the village. Residents of El Araqib managed to save only some of the resident families’ personal effects; what they didn’t manage to save was buried under the destruction...   continua / continued    [73198] [ 23-dec-2010 18:26 ECT ]

The smoking cable: Israel said it had ’secret accord’ with U.S. over expanding settlements even as Obama said in Cairo they must stop! Philip Weiss December 23, 2010 - This is why Wikileaks is so crucial: A June 2009 cable from France, days after the great Cairo speech of Obama, in which the Israelis are said to claim a secret deal with the US for settlement growth. I'm running. More to say later. And note too where Sarkozy says, Israel, the horse of history is galloping past the window. Jump now or you are finished. The Palestinians are stronger than you think. Beautiful. Europe is taking Palestine's side now because of this understanding. Wow. Thank you, Mr. Assange...   continua / continued    [73197] [ 23-dec-2010 18:10 ECT ]

Mazin and Al-Walaja Update Mazin Qumsiyeh, PhD December 23, 2010 - The good news is that the bulldozers stopped working today thanks to the brave people of Al-Walaja but they still need our collective support. 100 internationls will be in Al-Walaja tomorrow morning (Friday at 9 AM). The video that I recorded and loaded this morning summarizes what happened to us after our arrest in Al-Walaja, a peaceful beautiful village that is slated for ethnic cleansing (for the second time). The beatings and pepper spray used on Sheerin and the young men of Al-Walaja was truly vicious. During the arrest, I managed to text message, take notes, and even take a couple of pictures from under the stairwell without the soldiers being aware (details maybe for my next book!)...   continua / continued    [73196] [ 23-dec-2010 17:59 ECT ]

Weekly Report On Israeli Human Rights Violations in the Occupied Palestinian Territory (16 – 22 December. 2010) PCHR - Palestinian Centre for Human Rights December 23, 2010 - Summary - Israeli violations of international law and humanitarian law in the OPT continued during the reporting period (16 – 22 December 2010): Shooting: During the reporting period, IOF killed 5 activists of the Palestinian resistance and wound 4 others in the Gaza Strip. They also wounded 8 Palestinian civilians, including a child in the Gaza Strip and the West Bank. On 18 December 2010, an IOF drone fired a missile at a number of activists of the Palestinian resistance in the central Gaza Strip who were attempting to fire home-made rockets into Israel. As a result, 5 activists were killed. On 20 December 2010, two activists of the Palestinian resistance were wounded when Israeli warplanes bombarded a site of the 'Izziddin al-Qassam Brigades (the armed wing of Hamas) in Khan Yunis. On 21 December 2010, another two activists were wounded when Israeli warplanes bombarded another site in Rafah...   continua / continued    [73195] [ 23-dec-2010 17:47 ECT ]

Afghan resistance statement Response of the Islamic Emirate in Reaction to the UNO Recent Report on Civilian Casualties. Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan December 23, 2010 - The United Nations Organization has claimed in its recent report that, the graph of civilian casualties in Afghanistan has spiraled up by 20% in the first ten months of the current year in comparison to the same period last year. The report is one among series of reports released in this regard. The UN has not given information about the credibility of the original sources of the data but added that in the current year, 2412 civilians have been killed in battles in Afghanistan, 76% by Mujahideen of the Islamic Emirate ( as per their claim). This partial and politically-motivated report of the United Nations has been published in a time that the UNO is yet to respond to the reservations and concerns raised by the Islamic Emirate regarding the UN reports on civilian casualties...   continua / continued    [73194] [ 23-dec-2010 17:34 ECT ]

Israeli officer claims Goldstone report will not restrict IDF in future war Middle East Monitor December 23, 2010 - A senior officer in the Israel Defence Forces (IDF) has claimed that the UN's Goldstone Report on Israel's invasion of the Gaza Strip two years ago is unlikely to affect the army's tactics in future wars. The officer in the Northern Command – speaking anonymously as is the norm – said, "It would be a serious mistake to believe that Israel will not respond because of the Goldstone report if, for example, the Lebanese border flares-up." Comments made by Judge Richard Goldstone about Operation Cast Lead would not, the officer boasted, restrict the army in the next round of hostilities...   continua / continued    [73193] [ 23-dec-2010 17:26 ECT ]

'WikiLeaks to publish Israel cables on Second Lebanon War, Dubai assassination' AFP December 23, 2010 — WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange has said his whistleblowing website plans to publish hundreds of "sensitive" US diplomatic cables on Israel, Al-Jazeera television reported on Thursday. "Sensitive and classified documents" on Israel's 2006 war on Lebanon and January's assassination in Dubai of Hamas militant Mahmud al-Mabhuh would be released, Assange told Al-Jazeera in an interview. Assange said WikiLeaks had 3,700 US documents on Israel, including 2,700 originating from the Jewish state...   continua / continued    [73192] [ 23-dec-2010 17:12 ECT ]

UN probes Manning's jail treatment AlJazeera December 23, 2010 - The United Nations is looking into a complaint on behalf of US army private Bradley Manning, who is said to have been mistreated while held since May in American army custody pending trial. Manning, an army private suspected of giving classified documents to WikiLeaks, the Whistleblowing website, is being held in solitary confinement at a Marine Corps base in Quantico, Virginia, and faces a court martial sometime in 2011...   continua / continued    [73191] [ 23-dec-2010 17:04 ECT ]

Secret cables reveal Washington intervened in Italy to defend CIA kidnappers By David Walsh December 23, 2010 - The German magazine Spiegel reported December 17 that secret US diplomatic dispatches, released by WikiLeaks, reveal how American authorities put pressure on the Italian government to protect CIA agents responsible for kidnapping and torture. US officials intervened aggressively with the government of Silvio Berlusconi, going so far as to threaten damaged relations between the two countries, to suppress the case against two dozen CIA agents who abducted Egyptian Islamist cleric Hassan Mustafa Osama Nasr, known as Abu Omar, in 2003...   continua / continued    [73190] [ 23-dec-2010 17:01 ECT ]

Haaretz journalist doubles as anti-"delegitimization" operative Ali Abunimah December 23, 2010 - Haaretz has an international reputation as Israel's most liberal and reliable newspaper. But The Electronic Intifada has discovered that one of the newspaper's regularly-featured reporters, Cnaan Liphshiz, used his news reports for the publication to promote the agenda of an extreme pro-Israel group with which he was also employed. At the same time, Liphshiz appears to have made efforts to conceal his work with the Dutch Zionist group CIDI (Centre for Documentation and Information on Israel), an undisclosed conflict of interest which calls into question the reliability of his reports and the editorial standards of Haaretz...   continua / continued    [73189] [ 23-dec-2010 16:56 ECT ]

Backed by Washington, South Korea stages further military provocations By John Chan December 23, 2010 - The South Korean military is today carrying out further provocative military exercises, just days after a tense standoff on Monday over its last live-fire military drill near its western maritime border with North Korea. The war games involve tanks, artillery, warplanes and 800 troops at Pocheon—only 20 kilometres south of the heavily militarised border with North Korea. This step further demonstrates the reckless determination of the South Korean regime and its chief backer, the Obama administration, to intensify the diplomatic, economic and military pressure on North Korea...   continua / continued    [73188] [ 23-dec-2010 16:52 ECT ]

Start Treaty Hypocrisy by Stephen Lendman December 23, 2010 - Hyped support reveals gross hypocrisy about a deeply flawed process and outrageous price for it. More on that below. Yet a September 14 New York Times editorial headlined, "Ratify the New Start Treaty," saying; "Failure to ratify this treaty would be hugely costly for American credibility and security....The Senate needs to ratify New Start now." In fact, endorsing ratification undermines The Times credibility. More why below...   continua / continued    [73187] [ 23-dec-2010 16:49 ECT ]

Solidarity with activists targeted by the government Max Ajl December 23, 2010 - As many of you may know, the FBI has lately been targeting Palestine solidarity activists. People call it a witch-hunt, and like the witches, these activists will be innocent of whatever the government charges them with, if it bothers to charge them with anything. They are guilty of something else that they should be proud to be guilty of: struggling against the neo-colonial wars in Iraq, Afghanistan, Palestine, and beyond. I had not mentioned this inquisition here before, but they have now delivered a subpoena to Maureen Murphy, my editor at Electronic Intifada, who is responsible for tamping down my verbosity and also helping to run the most important electronic newspaper serving the Palestine solidarity movement. This subpoena comes in the wake of house-raids and other subpoenas across the Midwest, through which some two dozen anti-war activists have been targeted...   continua / continued    [73186] [ 23-dec-2010 16:45 ECT ]

Right-wing Israelis rally to kick Arabs out of Bat Yam Saed Bannoura December 23, 2010 - Around 150 Israelis shouting "Death to Arabs and to Jews who date Arabs" gathered in the town of Bat Yam this week for a rally called "Keep Bat Yam Jewish". They referenced the edict recently signed by dozens of Israeli rabbis calling on Jews to refuse to rent to non-Jews. Rabbi Yosef Scheinen of the Ashdod Yeshiva stated, "Racism originated in the Torah. The land of Israel is designated for the people of Israel. This is what the Holy One Blessed Be He intended and that is what the [sage] Rashi interpreted."..   continua / continued    [73185] [ 23-dec-2010 16:40 ECT ]

Obama administration preparing executive order to authorize indefinite detentions By John Burton December 23, 2010 - The Obama administration is drafting an executive order, scheduled for release early in 2011, which authorizes indefinite detention without charge of prisoners currently held at Guantánamo Bay, Cuba. The new order means that the prison will remain open, or that these prisoners will be transferred to permanent locations in the US. The prisoners would be given a "periodic review" of their imprisonment in a procedure that makes a mockery of due process and basic democratic rights...   continua / continued    [73184] [ 23-dec-2010 16:37 ECT ]

Video: “Berkeley Says No to Torture” Week — Jason Leopold and Jeff Kaye Discuss Human Experimentation at Guantánamo Andy Worthington December 23, 2010 - Back in October, I traveled to the Bay Area for a fascinating week-long series of events, "Berkeley Says No to Torture" Week (covered in detail here), and I’m pleased to report that videos of one of the panel discussions that week, "Torture, Human Experimentation and the Department of Defense," have just been made available via YouTube, and can be seen below...   continua / continued    [73183] [ 23-dec-2010 16:30 ECT ]

In Baghdad, concrete walls for Christmas Shashank Bengali December 22, 2010 - It's not going to feel like much of a Christmas in Iraq this year. This morning, at Our Lady of Salvation church in Baghdad, the mood was somber. I counted three worshippers. One was a girl, a tiny brunette of no more than 10 years old, who walked to the front of the church clutching her school report card. She knelt at the altar in front of a picture of her cousin, who was inside the church during evening mass on Oct. 31, when terrorists stormed the building and took the worshippers hostage before detonating suicide vests...   continua / continued    [73182] [ 23-dec-2010 16:02 ECT ]

AI: Iraq must ensure release of police officer detained without charge Amnesty International December 22, 2010 - Amnesty International has called on the Iraqi authorities to free a police officer, initially detained because he was suspected of having links to armed groups, who has been held for over a month after an order for his release was made. Qusay 'Abdel-Razaq Zabib has been held for over two years apparently on suspicion of collaborating with armed groups opposed to the Iraqi government and the presence of US forces in Iraq although no charges have ever been brought against him. An order for his release was issued in November but he is still being held at a police station in Tikrit, where he is at risk of torture. It appears that those detaining him may be seeking to extract some sort of ransom payment from the family of Qusay 'Abdel-Razaq Zabib before releasing him...   continua / continued    [73181] [ 23-dec-2010 15:51 ECT ]

Supporters Call for End to Inhumane Treatment of Bradley Manning
Bradley Manning Support Network

December 22, 2010 - After trying other avenues of recourse, the Bradley Manning Support Network is urging supporters to engage in direct protest in order to halt the punitive conditions of the soldier’s detention. Bradley Manning, 23, has been held in solitary confinement in military jails since his arrest in late May on allegations that he passed classified material to WikiLeaks. In the wake of an investigative report last week by Glenn Greenwald of Salon.com giving evidence that Manning was subject to "detention conditions likely to create long-term psychological injuries", Manning’s attorney, David Coombs, published an article at his website on Saturday entitled "A Typical Day for PFC Bradley Manning"...   continua / continued    [73180] [ 23-dec-2010 15:45 ECT ]

 23 Dec 2010

By Ahmed Tibi, Haaretz – 22 Dec 2010
www.haaretz.com/opinion/jews-and-arabs-must-fight-israel-s-racism-together-1.332235

Ahmed Tibi

Something evil is occurring in Israeli society. Racism and xenophobia are consuming its enlightenment and tolerance, and democracy is becoming more and more endangered. Phenomena that had been on the sidelines are now moving to the forefront. Blatant racism against Israel’s Arab citizens, and hostility to foreigners in general, phenomena that are usually deeply repressed in the collective soul of people and which enlightened governments are careful to lock in a psychological basement are now being released in a murky thrust. Hatred and fear are being reinforced. This is a frightened and insecure society.

Between the rabbis’ letter, the growing public standing of Avigdor Lieberman, loyalty oaths, incitement against Arab officials and the flood of racist laws, the 18th Knesset is the most racist of all time. To the current parliament’s credit, it’s likely that the next one will be worse.

All of this is not happening in a vacuum. The public space and the social atmosphere have been ripening for this dark attack. The Democracy Index – the flagship project of the Israel Democracy Institute – shows that a majority of the Jewish public supports the stifling of minority voices.

Moshe Arens blamed the collapse of Israeli democracy on Arab Knesset members (Israeli Arab MKs don’t always represent Israeli Arabs, Haaretz, Dec. 14). Thus even a “liberal rightist” like Arens, when he came to analyze the society of which he was a leader for many years and investigate the sources of racism bubbling up in that society, ignored the truly damaging elements and preferred to revert to cheap attacks and incitement against elected representatives of the Arab public.

The prolonged occupation, the bloody struggle, the oppression and the contemptuous treatment of Arabs and their rights did not exist in Arens’ analysis. Nor did the continuing exclusion of Israel’s Arab citizens or the lack of Israeli Arab representation in the civil service (just 6.7 percent). Arens did not touch on the inherent discrimination or lack of planning for Arab towns nor the general distance of Arabs from benefits that only the majority enjoys. Arens takes none of these into account. He only repeats the mantras spoken by vegetable sellers in the market.

I am not a spokesman for all Arab lawmakers and I refuse to see us as one entity. There are 14 Arab Knesset members and each has his or her own color, character, style, agenda and emphases. There are some who have made achievements and some who have not; there are those who have earned the public trust and those who have yet to accomplish this. It is only the public that will judge us at the end of the day. But we are all elected public representatives who are no less legitimate than any Jewish MK.
Arens’ sweeping generalization was shameful and not befitting to his style.

I’m not saying that we’re completely perfect, but one must remember that political discourse is dynamic and symbiotic. Therefore a comment, even when it is harsh or in bad taste, is just a comment. We must not forget that we sit in the Knesset as a right not a privilege. Time and time again we’ve been elected by a general public Arens said we don’t represent. A contradiction, it seems to me, and not appropriate for an empirical rationalist like Arens. Some of us are very popular in our public.

Trends of alienation and despair are evident in Israel’s Arab population, and in this reality it is easy to foster separatism and segregation. Many of my colleagues and I try to be a responsible national leadership that grits its teeth and looks to both the near and far future. We cling to the word “democratic” of the phrase “Jewish and democratic”, even when from day to day it seems we have less to hold on to.

Israel’s government ministers are more dangerous, in my view, than the rabbis who cling to the idea of “Jewish”; and from that idea of “Jewish” allow the same dark halakhic ruling to rear its head.

The struggle against racism must be a joint Jewish-Arab effort, just as it was when thousands demonstrated in Tel Aviv on Human Rights Day. As Martin Luther King said, there is no path to peace and equality; peace and equality are the path.

Ahmed Tibi is the deputy speaker of the Knesset, and a member of the Ta’al party.

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Video: Sexual violence in the US military
AlJazeera

December 22, 2010 - Recent statistics and stories from soldiers in the US military reveal sexual assault is much more common in the defence forces that in the wider civilian population. And, as documented in a special Al Jazeera web report detailing a culture of cover-up fear and shame, assault is a crime perpetrated against both men and women. However, Susan Avila-Smith, the founder of the veteran's advocacy group VET-WOW in Seattle, Washington, told Al Jazeera that not enough is being done to hold the military accountable for assault...   continua / continued    [73179] [ 23-dec-2010 06:23 ECT ]

Sadrists in Iraqi government renew fears of violence BBC News December 22, 2010 - ...Though both sides deny there was a deal, members of the Mehdi Army have been released from jail in recent months, bringing back bad memories of sectarian violence, and spreading fear on the streets of Baghdad...As Moqtada al-Sadr's followers gain in strength and confidence, the fear is there could yet come a time when the Mehdi Army will take up its arms again in pursuit of its strict moral and political aims...   continua / continued    [73178] [ 23-dec-2010 05:50 ECT ]

Ameer Makhoul's perpetual trial Audrey Farber writing from Haifa December 22, 2010 - We arrive at the Haifa court building around 11am, half an hour after proceedings began in the ongoing trial of Ameer Makhoul, a leading Palestinian activist who holds Israeli citizenship and was arrested in his home in the middle of the night last May. After being held without charge, tortured and denied access to an attorney for three weeks, the State of Israel accused Ameer of trumped-up charges of espionage. As it frequently does in "security cases," the Israeli government based its accusation on "secret evidence" that Ameer and his legal defense had no access to. It became clear that Ameer's arrest and the charges against him was an attempt to scare Palestinian citizens of Israel into submission...   continua / continued    [73177] [ 23-dec-2010 05:30 ECT ]

Video: Julian Assange Interview MSNBC Ratigan Show Dec 22nd 2010 MSNBC December 22, 2010 - UYGUR: Well, Julian, I want to get to as much as possible here. So I want to give you a chance to respond one by one to your critics. First to Mitch McConnell, who is, of course, the leader of the Republicans in the Senate and to Joe Biden, who both said that -- called you a high tech terrorist. How do you respond to -- to Joe Biden, the Vice President of the United States, saying that to you? ASSANGE: Well, let's look at the definition of terrorism. The definition of terrorism is a group that uses violence or the threat of violence for political ends. Now, no one in our four year publishing country covering over 120 countries has ever been physically harmed as a result of what we have done. And that's not just us saying that. It's the Pentagon saying that. That's NATO in Kabul saying that. No one -- not a shred of evidence. There are -- believe me that if they could find or even easily manufacture a shred of evidence, they would be doing that immediately. So it's clear that whoever the terrorists are here, it's not us. But we see constant threats from people in the Re -- you know, Republicans in the Senate trying to make a -- a name for themselves, the people like Sarah Palin, top shock jocks on Fox and, unfortunately, some members, also, of the Democratic Party, calling for my assassination, calling for the illegal kidnapping of my staff...   continua / continued    [73176] [ 23-dec-2010 05:09 ECT ]

Al Jazeera Interview: Wikileaks to release Israel documents in six months The Peninsula December 22, 2010 - WikiLeaks will release top secret American files concerning Israel in the next six months, its founder Julian Assange disclosed yesterday. In an excusive interview with Al Jazeera, Assange said only a meagre number of files related to Israel had been published so far, because the newspapers in the West that were given exclusive rights to publish the secret documents were reluctant to publish many sensitive information about Israel... "We will publish 3700 files and the source is the American embassy in Tel Aviv. Prime Minister Netanyahu was traveling to Paris to talk to the US ambassador there. You will see more information about that in six months."...   continua / continued    [73175] [ 23-dec-2010 03:19 ECT ]

Video: Bleak Christmas under occupation AlJazeera December 22, 2010 - As millions around the world prepare to celebrate Christmas, a small Syrian Orthodox community in East Jerusalem is trying to survive against the odds. The community is shrinking amid Israel's occupation, which it says makes even the most basic tasks difficult...   continua / continued    [73174] [ 23-dec-2010 00:17 ECT ]

Afghan resistance statement Obama’s Annual Review of the Afghanistan Strategy Inflated and Wishful Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan December 22, 2010 - Last week, US president Obama tried to show the ground realities of the war in Afghanistan distortedly in the eyes of the people of the world, the Americans and the Afghans. This he did in an effort to produce an inflated review of the war in Afghanistan and the overall situation there. He manipulated his retreats, humiliation and failures in all parts of Afghanistan in a manner to appear as being gradual gains and advancement. Two American secretaries of State Department and the Defense, were standing besides him as false witnesses at a ceremony held at the White House to unveil the annual strategy review. He wanted to show that the current year was a period of hopes and gains in comparison with the last year, saying they had had spectacular achievements both at military and political fronts...   continua / continued    [73173] [ 23-dec-2010 00:13 ECT ]

The Palestinians have rights too Abdel-Qader Yassine* December 22, 2010 - If there is one thing a Palestinian cannot understand, or if he can understand cannot forgive, it is the apathy and hypocrisy with which governments in the "Free World", especially the United States, react towards issues of right and wrong in the Palestinian- Israeli conflict. Indeed, questions of morals and of justice seem to have no relevance, and policy appears in most cases to be determined solely by considerations of what one party only to the conflict might agree to, or at least not protest about...   continua / continued    [73172] [ 23-dec-2010 00:09 ECT ]

Post-U.S. invasion mass grave found in Iraq’s Mosul includes corpses of small children By Jareer Mohammed December 22, 2010 - Iraqi troops have uncovered a mass grave where the bodies of 11 Iraqis were buried among them small children. The victims were murdered and buried in the grave, close to a neighborhood in northern city of Mosul, said Major Iamd-el-deen Abdulkarim. The officer said ordinary people alerted his troops about the new mass grave. "Citizens informed the army about the mass grave. The corpses uncovered are decomposed. Only one corpse could be identified. There are corpses of children as young as fresh flowers," Abdulkarim aid...   continua / continued    [73171] [ 22-dec-2010 23:54 ECT ]

Mafia State: Kosovo's Prime Minister Accused of Running Human Organ, Drug Trafficking Cartel Tom Burghardt December 22, 2010 - In another grim milestone for the United States and NATO, the Council of Europe (COE) released an explosive report last week, "Inhuman treatment of people and illicit trafficking in human organs in Kosovo." The report charged that former Kosovo Liberation Army (KLA) boss and current Prime Minister, Hashim Thaçi, "is the head of a 'mafia-like' Albanian group responsible for smuggling weapons, drugs and human organs through eastern Europe," The Guardian disclosed. According to a draft resolution unanimously approved December 16 in Paris, the Committee on Legal Affairs and Human Rights found compelling evidence of forced disappearances, organ trafficking, corruption and collusion between criminal gangs and "political circles" in Kosovo who just happen to be close regional allies of the United States...   continua / continued    [73170] [ 22-dec-2010 23:50 ECT ]

The PATRIOT Act, Bradley Manning and Julian Assange Predicting Torture By JENNIFER VAN BERGEN December 22, 2010 - ...In "Enemy Aliens," constitutional lawyer and scholar David Cole shows that what we do to foreigners (aliens), we ultimately use as precedent for what we do to our own citizens. This is what is now happening with Bradley Manning, who has been held in solitary confinement for seven months. Manning is charged with leaking classified documents to Wikileaks and faces a court martial. The conditions of his confinement are extreme. While Manning is not apparently being subjected to the enhanced interrogation techniques, he is not allowed to exercise in his cell, where he is kept 23 hours a day and allowed out of the cell for only one hour of "exercise" (in an indoor room, by himself, where he is allowed to walk in figure eights), escorted with leg chains on, has contact only with the men guarding him, is allowed to read only one book at a time from a list of 15, permitted limited visitation with no physical contact, must surrender his clothes when he sleeps, is permitted only a blanket (no sheets or pillow), and is checked on every five minutes (to which he must respond, even at night)...   continua / continued    [73169] [ 22-dec-2010 23:46 ECT ]

Afghan army casualties increase by Muhammad Hassan Khitab December 22, 2010 - Sixty-three Afghan National Army (ANA) soldiers have been killed over the past one month, compared to 43 fatalities in November, a defence ministry spokesman said on Wednesday. Roadside bomb explosions were to blame for the increase in army casualties, General Zahir Azimi said, adding last Sunday's simultaneous attacks in Kabul and Kunduz provinces also increased the number of casualties. Over the past one year, 806 ANA soldiers were killed across the country. Azimi said the army had been able to seize 252 bombs, 230 kilograms of ammonium nitrate and 115 kilograms of explosives...   continua / continued    [73168] [ 22-dec-2010 23:30 ECT ]

Mazin Qumsiyeh and 7 Others Arrested Today at Al-Walaja J. Qumsiyeh December 22, 2010 - If you are currently in the Bethlehem area, please join us for a demo set for this Friday morning December 24, 2010 at 9 a.m. at Al-Walaja. Contact 0569956478 for information. This afternoon at around 2:30 Mazin said that we have to go to Al-Walaja immediately. He said he just got a call from the villagers that Israeli bulldozer was clearing an area in a different side of the village (the villagers were still trying to figure out the legal situation) than the familiar site where illegal Israel wall construction has been going on for t he past year. We were at his office at Bethlehem University at the time. We dropped everything we were doing and took off. When we arrived at the site, the bulldozer was idle with a dozen solders and private security personnel around. We found out from the 20 some villagers gathered there that they managed to asked the work to be stopped pending further instructions. Thirty minutes later, some military spokesperson came to talk to the villagers in Arabic (which I don't understand.)   continua / continued    [73167] [ 22-dec-2010 23:28 ECT ]

Israeli warplanes attack Gaza refuge Rami Almeghari December 22, 2010 - A heap of ruins and dust is all that remains of a dairy that Israeli warplanes destroyed yesterday in the central Gaza Strip city of Khan Younis. The ruins of the dairy are adjacent to an amusement park in the Asdaa grounds which serves as a refuge to residents of the besieged Gaza Strip. Adjacent to the amusement park in the Asdaa grounds in the central Gaza Strip city of Khan Younis stands a heap of ruins and dust. It is all that remains of a dairy that Israeli warplanes destroyed yesterday...   continua / continued    [73165] [ 22-dec-2010 23:12 ECT ]

Construction Returns to the Separation Wall in al-Walaja Popular Struggle Coordination Committee December 22, 2010 - Despite an ongoing trial in the Israeli high court over the legality of the placement of the Separation wall in al-Walaja, a small village just outside of Jerusalem, Israel doubled construction efforts this afternoon. Around 2pm bulldozers accompanied by armed guards started clearing trees, rocks, and shrubs. Three days ago, Israeli authorities marked the wall route with orange plastic straps which including a route which will swallow a natural spring and a Palestinian grave yard. Last August, a group of villagers, members of the Israeli nature preservation society and even settlers brought a case before the Israeli high court demanding that the route of the wall be changed. The court said that it would take time to deliberate the case and deliver a final verdict in January. The court, however, did not issue a stop work order on construction of the wall. Israeli authorities are now taking advantage of this loophole by doubling work on the construction of the wall in order to create facts on the ground...   continua / continued    [73163] [ 22-dec-2010 23:08 ECT ]

Gays, Lesbians Can Openly Slaughter Afghans: Quote of the Day Robert Dreyfuss December 22, 2010 - Quote of the Day: "As one special operations warfighter said during the Pentagon’s review—this was one of my favorites… "We have a gay guy in the unit. He’s big, he’s mean, he kills lots of bad guys." —President Obama, speaking at the signing ceremony for the law repealing "Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell." Obama cited gay military heroism from the past, though he didn’t mention if there were any gays or lesbian American soldiers at My Lai or the fire-bombing of Dresden...   continua / continued    [73162] [ 22-dec-2010 22:55 ECT ]

WTF? OMG, LOL! CIA gives WikiLeaks taskforce naughty name Adam Gabbatt December 22, 2010 - The CIA has launched a taskforce to assess the impact of 250,000 leaked US diplomatic cables. Its name? WikiLeaks Task Force, or WTF for short. The group will be charged with scouring the released documents to survey damage caused by the disclosures. One of the most embarrassing revelations was that the US state department had drawn up a list of information it would like on key UN figures – it later emerged the CIA had asked for the information...   continua / continued    [73161] [ 22-dec-2010 22:48 ECT ]

WikiLeaks cables reveal commercial motivations behind New Zealand troop deployment to Iraq By Tom Peters December 22, 2010 - A secret cable sent from the US embassy in Wellington sheds new light on the decision by New Zealand's former Labour government of Prime Minister Helen Clark to deploy 61 army engineers to Iraq in 2003. The document, one of 1,490 sent from the embassy and being released by WikiLeaks, shows that the troops were sent in order to protect New Zealand dairy giant Fonterra's lucrative United Nations contract to supply Iraq...   continua / continued    [73160] [ 22-dec-2010 22:45 ECT ]

Cast Lead two year anniversary [update] Max Ajl December 22, 2010 - Before I read this article, I was pretty sure that the Israeli leadership was shying away, for the moment, from anything like a reprise of the Cast Lead massacre, even though on the night of the 21 there were eight coordinated F-16 attacks on sites in Gaza. I'm a bit less sure now. Ashkenazi's job is to terrify Gaza's civilian population and instill in them constant and grinding terror. But it's also to prepare the ground for the next assault in the eyes of Israeli and especially world public opinion. He told a parliamentary panel that "The situation in the south is tense and fragile, and it could deteriorate if a rocket attack causes a large number of casualties."..   continua / continued    [73159] [ 22-dec-2010 22:39 ECT ]

Another Christmas under siege Fr. Faisal Hijazin December 22, 2010 - This Christmas, Christians around the world will be singing such Christmas Carols as "O Little Town of Bethlehem" without knowing that in truth, they could soon be singing of a town where you can no longer find the living presence of Christ, the community of those baptized into his body, the Church; "O Lost Town of Bethlehem" could be a more accurate sentiment when Christians awake to find that the Christian presence in this small holy city has, after 2,000 years, come to an end. The fact is that this is a community that has been suffocating under military occupation, and all the restriction of liberty – particularly separation from family living very short distances away due to the "Wall of Separation" - that this subjection to arbitrary regulations and threat of imminent violence carries with it. The prolongation, decade after decade, of these circumstances, means that Christians are leaving their beloved city to seek places where they can raise their families where they can live, work and pray with the dignity of human beings. This is perhaps an accusation of our failure to willingly suffer all things in Christ. Though our faith has sustained us for many years, yet, failing to see change coming, many, and ever more, opt for places that offer brighter futures...   continua / continued    [73157] [ 22-dec-2010 22:34 ECT ]

One third of working families in US struggling to meet basic needs By Jerry White December 22, 2010 - Nearly one in three working families in the United States are struggling to meet their most basic needs, according to a new analysis of US Census data by the Working Poor Families Project. Between 2007 and 2009, the share of working families that were low-income—earning less than 200 percent of the official threshold—increased from 28 percent to 30 percent. The new report was issued as the Obama administration and Congressional Republicans agreed to a range of tax cuts that will further enrich the wealthiest two percent of the American population. In the face of staggering levels of unemployment, poverty and social need, the politicians of both corporate-backed parties in Washington have pledged that 2011 will be the year for making "tough choices" to slash vitally necessary social programs...   continua / continued    [73156] [ 22-dec-2010 22:31 ECT ]

Obama Order to Formalize Permanent Detention Without Trial Jason Ditz December 22, 2010 - In the latest indication yet that the Obama Administration has no intention of ever allowing most of the detainees at Guantamao Bay to see the inside of a courtroom, the president is said to be preparing an executive order formalizing their permanent detention without trial. Even though the primary objection to the Guantamao Bay detention center was the administration’s insistance on holding people there without formal charges or actual trials, one official with the administration insisted that the move to continue doing so was "part of the plan" to close the facility...   continua / continued    [73155] [ 22-dec-2010 22:27 ECT ]

More Evidence of Medical Experimentation at Guantánamo Andy Worthington December 22, 2010 - In an investigative report for Truthout, my colleagues Jason Leopold and the psychologist and blogger Jeffrey Kaye have followed up on an important story they published three weeks ago, "Controversial Drug Given to All Guantánamo Detainees Akin to 'Pharmacologic Waterboarding’" (which I cross-posted here, with commentary). In that article, they revealed how, in the months following the opening of Guantánamo on January 11, 2002, every single prisoner was forced to "take a high dosage of a controversial antimalarial drug, mefloquine, an act that an Army public health physician called 'pharmacologic waterboarding.’"...   continua / continued    [73154] [ 22-dec-2010 22:19 ECT ]

Spoiling for a Fight? by Stephen Lendman December 22, 2010 - Washington is a world class menace, waging imperial wars for global dominance called peace, stability and democracy. In the run-up to the 1950 Korean War, Truman used South Korea to goad Pyongyang into a conflict it didn't want. Nor does it now, but events may spiral out of control unless cooler heads prevail. Last March, the latest confrontation began when North Korea was falsely blamed for sinking a South Korean ship. At the time, evidence suggested a false flag, manufactured to blame Pyongyang. Then on November 23, US media reports said North Korea incited the gravest incident since the July 1953 armistice. Analysts called it a deliberate provocation, even though South Korean forces fired first, goaded by the Obama administration for what Pyongyang, with good reason, called a rehearsal for invasion...   continua / continued    [73153] [ 22-dec-2010 22:12 ECT ]

Israeli to deploy new tanks to Gaza AlJazeera December 22, 2010 - The Israeli army has said it will deploy tanks equipped with a miniature missile defence system near the Gaza border, in response to the use of tank-piercing missiles by Palestinian fighters. Army officials alleged that Russian-made Kornet missiles are being fired on Israeli forces, and that they come from Iran, but provided no proof of these claims. The officials spoke to the AP news agency on condition of anonymity...   continua / continued    [73152] [ 22-dec-2010 18:29 ECT ]

The death of the peace process Osamah Khalil December 22, 2010 - This month marked a low point in the Obama administration's attempts to resolve the Palestinian-Israeli conflict. Following the administration's announcement on 7 December that it was ending efforts to secure a 90-day extension of Israel's limited moratorium on settlement building in the occupied West Bank and East Jerusalem, Secretary of State Hillary Clinton introduced "Plan B" for resolving the conflict three days later. Instead of emphasizing direct talks between the parties, Washington will now attempt to mediate between them to develop a framework agreement around the core issues of borders, refugees, and Jerusalem. Sound familiar? It should. The Obama administration is following the same failed path of its three predecessors to achieve peace. In other words, there is no Plan B...   continua / continued    [73151] [ 22-dec-2010 18:25 ECT ]

Wikileaks cable: Israeli intelligence chief encouraged Hamas takeover of Gaza Strip Saed Bannoura December 22, 2010 - In the latest revelation to come out of the hundreds of thousands of leaked diplomatic cables provided by the website 'Wikileaks', a diplomatic exchange between then Israeli Director of Military Intelligence, Major General Amos Yadlin, and US Ambassador to Israel Richard Jones showed Israeli support for a Hamas-ruled Gaza Strip which Israel could then declare Gaza to be a 'hostile entity'...   continua / continued    [73150] [ 22-dec-2010 18:20 ECT ]

New York Times reports US plans for military escalation in Pakistan By Barry Grey December 22, 2010 - In a front-page article citing unnamed US military and political officials, the New York Times reported Tuesday that the Obama administration is close to approving a major expansion of Special Operations ground raids into Pakistani regions bordering Afghanistan. The newspaper acknowledged that such a move "would amount to the opening of a new front in the nine-year-old war, which has grown increasingly unpopular among Americans." The article, carrying the bylines of Mark Mazzetti in Washington and Dexter Filkins in Kabul, states that "senior American military commanders in Afghanistan" are pushing for the Obama administration to approve frequent ground raids into Pakistani tribal areas, where, according to Washington, Al Qaeda leaders have sanctuaries...   continua / continued    [73149] [ 22-dec-2010 18:14 ECT ]

O Little Town of Bethlehem Today By Ron Forthofer December 21, 2010 - During Christmas time, the town of Bethlehem in the West Bank, the birthplace of Jesus, comes to mind. I wonder what Jesus would think were he to return to Bethlehem, to Jerusalem and to the rest of the West Bank today. Unfortunately, he would still see a foreign military force occupying the land. Since Jesus had experienced the Roman occupation when he was alive, he might not be too surprised about the occupation. However, Jesus would also see something he had not witnessed under the Romans. The current foreign power, Israel, has now colonized much of the West Bank (including East Jerusalem) and there are about 500,000 Israeli colonists living in over 200 illegal Jewish-only colonies and outposts on lands taken from the Palestinians...   continua / continued    [73148] [ 22-dec-2010 17:07 ECT ]

NATO Kills Five Civilians in Attack on Afghan Home Jason Ditz December 21, 2010 - NATO officials confirmed today that they are investigating the latest killing of Afghan civilians by coalition troops, after forces opened fire on a house in Sangin District, Helmand Province, killing at least five. Terming the killings a "tragedy," officials insisted that insurgents had tricked them into killing the civilians by shooting at troops from near the house, prompting a massive retaliation that killed the civilians. It is the latest in a growing number of cases of Afghan civilians slain in such attacks...   continua / continued    [73147] [ 22-dec-2010 17:01 ECT ]

I receive death threats from US soldiers: Assange
Indo-Asian News Service

December 21, 2010 - WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange has claimed that he receives death threats from US soldiers regularly, a media report said on Monday. He also said that a statement on the steps of the high court here last week after he was released on bail was cut short because police feared he would be assassinated, the Daily Telegraph reported. Australian-born Assange, 39, claimed his son Daniel, 20, and his lawyer have received similar chilling warnings.   continua / continued    [73146] [ 22-dec-2010 15:40 ECT ]

Daniel Domscheit-Berg Denies Rumor of Assange-Israeli Deals
Daniel Domscheit-Berg, Cryptome

December 21, 2010 - I have been notified about the general rumour a few weeks ago, and shortly after about the appearance of me as involved in those allegations. I have never spoken to anyone at syriatruth or that reporter that is making these claims, nor do I know anything about any deals JA has allegedly made with Israelis. I once received a test mail from a nizar.nayouf@syriatruth.net, and then a followup regarding OpenLeaks questions. A contact request to him after hearing of the allegations was not replied to. Why that rumour is circulated, I dont know. I have my feelings about that and think we should give it some more time to uncover itself...   continua / continued    [73145] [ 22-dec-2010 04:15 ECT ]

"Who Wrecked the Balkans": Holbrooke or Milosevic? by Diana Johnstone December 21, 2010 -...In his long career from Vietnam to Afghanistan, Holbrooke was active on many fronts. In 1977, after Indonesia invaded East Timor and set about massacring the people of that former Portuguese colony, Holbrooke was dispatched by the United States supposedly to promote "human rights" but in reality to help arm the Suharto dictatorship against the East Timorese. Sometimes the government is armed against rebels, sometimes rebels are armed against the government, but despite appearances of contradiction, what is consistent throughout is the cynical exploitation and exacerbation of tragic local conflicts to extend U.S. imperial power throughout the world. Holbrooke and Milosevic were born in the same year, 1941. When Milosevic died in 2006, Holbrooke gave a long statement to the BBC without a single syllable of human kindness. "This man wrecked the Balkans," said Holbrooke...There are many other instances of lies and deceptions in Holbrooke’s manipulation of Balkan woes, as well as his totally cynical exploitation of the tragedies of Vietnam, East Timor, Iraq and Afghanistan. But still, his importance should not be overstated...   continua / continued    [73144] [ 22-dec-2010 04:09 ECT ]

US drops demand for Israel to freeze settlement building By Jean Shaoul and Ann Talbot December 21, 2010 - The US government has dropped its demand that Israel halt the building of new Israeli settlements in the occupied Palestinian territories. An editorial in the British-based Guardian noted that the Middle East "peace process died a quiet, undramatic death" with this announcement. Some half-a-million Israeli settlers now live in the West Bank, including East Jerusalem, which Israel seized in the Six-day War in 1967. The figure has tripled since the Oslo Accord was signed in 1993. Settlements now control some 42 percent of the West Bank, according to the Israeli human rights group B’Tselem. All the settlements on occupied land are in violation of international law...   continua / continued    [73143] [ 22-dec-2010 04:04 ECT ]

Bat Yam rally: Death to Jewish women who date Arabs Yoav Zitun December 21, 2010 - Some 200 people held a demonstration in central Bat Yam Monday evening against relationships between local Jewish women and Arab men. One of the protestors called out, "Any Jewish woman who goes with an Arab should be killed; any Jew who sells his home to an Arab should be killed."..   continua / continued    [73142] [ 22-dec-2010 03:59 ECT ]

Please Mr. President! Some Truth About Afghanistan By Eric Margolis December 21, 2010 - ...The war's brutality and destruction are growing. US forces around Kandahar are blowing up or bulldozing houses, assassinating suspected Taliban sympathizers and using mass reprisals against the civilian population. Death squads are hard at work murdering those suspected of backing Taliban and opposing western occupation. Similar "pacification" tactics were used to break the resistance of the Iraqi city of Fallujah, a third of which was razed by US Marines. The Soviets employed similar tactics during their ten-year occupation of Afghanistan. The same tactics were developed by Israel during its occupation of the West Bank, including giant security walls chopping up the landscape, blowing up houses, and night raids against suspects...   continua / continued    [73141] [ 22-dec-2010 03:32 ECT ]

Invading Pakistan? The Worst Idea Yet Robert Dreyfuss December 21, 2010 - Two good reporters for the New York Times, Mark Maqzzetti and Dexter Filkins, write today that the United States is preparing for send troops across the border into Pakistan in pursuit of the Taliban, Al Qaeda, and any other bad guys they can find. If there’s a worse idea, I don't know what it is. But it’s at least consistent with Barack Obama’s 2008 campaign statements that he’d carry the war across the border to get Osama bin Laden, remarks that drew horrified opposition from Obama’s election rival, John McCain, the noted dove...   continua / continued    [73140] [ 22-dec-2010 03:29 ECT ]

Israeli fighter jets attack Gaza AlJazeera December 21, 2010 - Israel has bombarded the Gaza Strip with airstrikes in retaliation to rocket attacks launched from the territory. Up to seven different Gazan targets were hit overnight on Monday and on Tuesday, according to the Israeli military. Authorities in Gaza said that eight Palestinian fighters were wounded. Another rocket was subsequently fired from Gaza into Israel, injuring a 16-year-old girl...   continua / continued    [73139] [ 22-dec-2010 03:25 ECT ]

Guantánamo Prisoners Sacrificed in Political Horse-Trading Andy Worthington December 21, 2010 - How messed up is American politics? Well, here are a few clues. Two weeks ago, the House of Representatives passed a $1.1 trillion continuing resolution, which funds the government through to September 30 next year. As The Hill explained, the resolution was needed "because Congress failed to pass any of the 12 regular appropriations bills for 2011, in addition to failing to pass a budget resolution at all for the first time since 1974." How many people even knew that?...   continua / continued    [73138] [ 22-dec-2010 02:58 ECT ]

Iraqi Christians The Common Ills December 21, 2010 - ...Larger sects formed militias that sometimes attacked other groups, but also had defence forces to protect their own neighbourhoods. Christians, Yezidis and Shebeks remain the most targeted of Iraq's small religious groups, once a source of pride for many in the country who enjoyed diversity." Iraqi Christians have been targeted throughout the Iraq War and the latest wave of attacks began October 31st with the assault on Our Lady of Salvation Church in Baghdad. Rebecca Santana (AP) notes, "They have suffered repeated violence and harassment since 2003, when the interreligious peace rigidly enforced by Saddam Hussein fell apart. But the attack on Our Lady of Salvation in which 68 people died appears to have been a tipping point that has driven many to flee northeward to the Kurdish enclave while seeking asylum in the U.S. and elsewhere."...   continua / continued    [73137] [ 22-dec-2010 02:48 ECT ]

“Illegal Closure of the Gaza Strip: Collective Punishment of the Civilian Population”. In a new 100-page report PCHR details the collective punishment of the population of Gaza PCHR - Palestinian Centre for Human Rights December 21, 2010 - The Palestinian Centre for Human Rights (PCHR) releases today a new report on the "Illegal Closure of the Gaza Strip: Collective Punishment of the Civilian Population". The absolute closure of Gaza was imposed by Israel following the Hamas takeover in June 2007.For more than three years and a half, this most extreme form of closure has been continuously applied to the so-called "hostile entity" that is the Gaza Strip, cutting off 1.7 million individuals from the outside world. Gazans are not allowed to travel, with few exceptions mainly for humanitarian reasons. Imports to Gaza have been prohibited, with only limited quantities of basic goods, mainly food, allowed entry for 'humanitarian’ reasons. Israel has also imposed a total ban on the exports of the Gaza Strip's products. This 100-page report details the devastating impact of the current absolute closure of Gaza on the socio-economic level and the denial of the fundamental human rights of the entire population of Gaza...   continua / continued    [73136] [ 22-dec-2010 02:39 ECT ]

Israeli arms firm to benefit from EU-funded research By David Cronin December 21, 2010 - Arms traders are seeking to convince the European Union that publicly-funded scientific research grants should help develop weapons for future wars. In a series of secret discussions, Brussels officials and representatives of the arms industry are examining if the EU’s multi-billion euro "framework programme" for research can be used for projects of a military nature. Since the Sep. 11 attacks in Washington and New York, senior policy-makers in the European Commission, the EU’s executive wing, have been eager to ensure a greater involvement of arms manufacturers in the programme...   continua / continued    [73135] [ 22-dec-2010 02:07 ECT ]

WikiLeaks: US Ambassador Planned "Retaliation" Against France Over Ban on Monsanto Corn Mike Ludwig December 21, 2010 - The former United States ambassador to France suggested "moving to retaliation" against France and the European Union (EU) in late 2007 to fight a French ban on Monsanto's genetically modified (GM) corn and changes in European policy toward biotech crops, according to a cable released by WikiLeaks on Sunday. Former Ambassador Craig Stapleton was concerned about France's decision to suspend cultivation of Monsanto's MON-810 corn and warned that a new French environmental review standard could spread anti-biotech policy across the EU...   continua / continued    [73134] [ 22-dec-2010 01:58 ECT ]

The Assange case – what it means for socialists Alan Woods December 21, 2010 - ...It is the duty of every class conscious worker to study the leaked documents in order to gain an insight into the world of bourgeois diplomacy and the real interests that lie behind their own government’s foreign policy. And it is the elementary duty of every socialist to defend Julian Assange against the monstrous persecution to which he is being subjected for the "crime" of telling the truth....   continua / continued    [73133] [ 22-dec-2010 01:50 ECT ]

Tell that to the Liberty’s survivors, Mr. Lieberman Alan Hart December 21, 2010 - Question: Why is it that in this Christian season of "Peace on Earth and good will to all men (and women)" the name of Israel’s Soviet-born foreign minister, Avigdor Lieberman, described by some as Israel’s "Hitler in-the-making", should enter my mind? Answer: Because I’ve been thinking about a most extraordinary statement (extraordinary even by his own standards) he made on a recent visit to Australia. His Australian counterpart, Kevin Rudd, had apparently asked him if Israel would sign the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty to assist the cause of stopping the spread of nuclear weapons. Liberman said "No" because "Israel does not pose a threat to peace in the world." (My emphasis added)...   continua / continued    [73132] [ 22-dec-2010 01:42 ECT ]

Rape rampant in US military Dahr Jamail December 21, 2010 - Sexual assault within the ranks of the military is not a new problem. It is a systemic problem that has necessitated that the military conduct its own annual reporting on the crisis. A 2003 Air Force Academy sexual assault scandal prompted the department of defense to include a provision in the 2004 National Defense Authorization Act that required investigations and reports of sexual harassment and assaults within US military academies to be filed. The personal toll is, nevertheless, devastating...   continua / continued    [73130] [ 22-dec-2010 01:33 ECT ]

The Torture of Bradley Manning Ralph Lopez December 21, 2010 - One peculiar outcome of the new clampdown on whistleblowers is the spectacle of Americans cheering on the destruction of their own rights, as in the case of avowed tough guys commenting in blogs that people like Bradley Manning "did the crime and now does the time," deserve no sympathy and merit the clear torture he is now undergoing. The tough consistently miss the point that while Manning has been accused of leaking classified military and State Department files to WikiLeaks, he has been convicted of nothing. The treatment he is undergoing has become the new norm in the case of high-profile cases purportedly involving national security...   continua / continued    [73129] [ 22-dec-2010 01:23 ECT ]

Fatah asked Israel to help attack Hamas during Gaza coup, WikiLeaks cable shows By Barak Ravid and The Associated Press December 21, 2010 - Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas wanted unprecedented help from Israel in attacking Hamas during the clashes just prior to the militant group's bloody coup of the Gaza Strip, according to a classified cable leaked by WikiLeaks on Monday. In a cable dated June 13, 2007, U.S. Ambassador to Israel Richard Jones wrote that Shin Bet security chief Yuval Diskin had told him in a meeting that Abbas' Fatah movement was "desperate, disorganized and demoralized" over the situation in the Gaza Strip...   continua / continued    [73128] [ 22-dec-2010 01:14 ECT ]

WikiLeaks cables: Bangladeshi 'death squad' trained by UK government Fariha Karim and Ian Cobain December 21, 2010 - The British government has been training a Bangladeshi paramilitary force condemned by human rights organisations as a "government death squad", leaked US embassy cables have revealed. Members of the Rapid Action Battalion (RAB), which has been held responsible for hundreds of extra-judicial killings in recent years and is said to routinely use torture, have received British training in "investigative interviewing techniques" and "rules of engagement"...   continua / continued    [73127] [ 22-dec-2010 01:07 ECT ]

Wikileaks: Shabak Told U.S. Hamas Wouldn’t Take Over Gaza
Richard Silverstein

December 21, 2010 - There seems to be a meme among a certain conspiracy minded portion of the left that the Israeli government has colluded with Wikileaks to reveal information that casts Israel’s enemies in a derogatory light and casts no aspersions on Israel. According to this theory, Julian Assange is in the Mossad’s pocket and made a deal with them to go lightly on Israel. Frankly, I don’t buy it mainly because there IS damaging information among the Wikileaks cables about Israel. I’ve already written two posts detailing such material...   continua / continued    [73126] [ 22-dec-2010 01:01 ECT ]

Lawyers for Ahmed Belbacha, Guantánamo Prisoner and Former UK Resident, Sue UK Government Over Refusal to Disclose Evidence of His Abuse
Andy Worthington

December 21, 2010 - In an attempt to bring to an end a nearly four-year deadlock in the case of Ahmed Belbacha, an Algerian prisoner in Guantánamo, lawyers at the London-based legal action charity Reprieve have "started high court proceedings to force the British government to disclose information that they say could free him from Guantánamo Bay and save his life," as the Guardian explained in an article on Wednesday...   continua / continued    [73125] [ 21-dec-2010 19:49 ECT ]

Colombia cable: Army murder of civilians “widespread” By Bill Van Auken December 21, 2010 - A classified cable from the US embassy in Bogota confirms that Washington was told the Colombian army’s murder of civilians was "widespread," yet still approved military aid. The February 2009 message from the embassy to the US State Department recounts a meeting between American Ambassador William Brownfield and Major General Carlos Suarez, the Colombian army’s inspector general, who was charged with the investigation into the widespread extrajudicial murder of civilians by elements of the Colombian military...   continua / continued    [73124] [ 21-dec-2010 19:45 ECT ]

Israeli troops seriously wound Palestinian young man near Ramallah Palestinian Information Center December 21, 2010 - A Palestinian young man was seriously wounded on Monday near Ramallah city when Israeli troops opened fire at him. Eyewitnesses said that the young man, 23, was shot by Israeli troops during his participation in a protest against the apartheid wall in Badu area. They added that the troops detained the young man before taking him to Hadassah hospital. In a separate incident, the Israeli occupation forces (IOF) made a wide sweep Monday evening in the vicinity of Ramallah city looking for three Palestinians at the pretext they tried to capture an Israeli soldier near Pisgat Ze'ev, north of occupied Jerusalem...   continua / continued    [73123] [ 21-dec-2010 19:42 ECT ]

Gaza Officials Appeal for Hold on Israel's Attacks on Civilians Alessandra Bajec December 21, 2010 - The deposed government of Gaza has addressed the world community asking to restrain Israel's escalation of unjustified aggression on civilians in the Strip, The Palestinian Information Centre announced on Tuesday. A press release issued by the deposed government of Gaza, on Tuesday, denounced a series of overnight Israeli force air strikes on different targets in the coastal enclave, without any consideration for civilians or their properties...   continua / continued    [73122] [ 21-dec-2010 19:36 ECT ]

Israeli jets hit Gaza for 2nd time in day Ma'an News December 21, 2010 - Two were reported injured on Tuesday afternoon when Israeli warplanes dropped a single missile on an area used by members of Hamas' armed wing, the Al-Qassam Brigades, medics confirmed. The strike was the second round of the day, with jets striking eight sites across the Gaza Strip shortly before sunrise on Tuesday morning. The earlier strikes injured two fighters and one civilian, a security guard in a nearby dairy factory. The latest strike hit west of the southern Gaza Strip city of Khan Younis, where at least three of the strikes earlier in the day also targeted...   continua / continued    [73121] [ 21-dec-2010 19:33 ECT ]

More on Haiti's Raging Cholera, Electoral Fraud and Deportations by Stephen Lendman December 21, 2010 - Haitians remains plagued by a perfect storm combination of earthquake devastation, crushing poverty, raging cholera, electoral fraud, exploitation, persecution, Obama-ordered deportations, and world indifference to their plight, with few exceptions like Cuba and Venezuela. Post-quake, their aid was some of the first to arrive. After cholera struck, Chavez sent a Ministry of Health team with medications, intravenous drips and rehydration tablets. He promised more as needed for "our Haitian brothers and sisters (exploited) by savage capitalism and imperialism."...   continua / continued    [73118] [ 21-dec-2010 19:14 ECT ]

2011: Time for a Palestinian state? By Sherine Tadros December 21, 2010 - If you can’t beat them…try going it alone. That seems to be the new motto in the Palestinian camp. The idea is to get the United Nations to recognize a Palestinian state based on 1967 borders. Intense diplomacy is underway to get member states to onboard with the idea - so far a handful of Latin American countries (known to be sympathetic to the Palestinian cause) have lent their support. The Europeans, quelle surprise, are wavering. They’ve gone for the less controversial option of upgrading the Palestinian Authority diplomatic status. What does that mean?...   continua / continued    [73120] [ 21-dec-2010 19:21 ECT ]