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Israel says it will allow some concrete into Gaza to build hospital

Sarkozy got a thank you from Netanyahu for his hardline stance on Iran when Israel announced that a French company would be allowed into the besieged strip to construct a new hospital. Assuming the Israelis don't go back on their promise, it should herald the first time that any construction materials have been allowed into Gaza since the recent war. Let's hope the Israelis don't destroy it a some point in the future with any more of their war crimes. For the first time since Operation Cast Lead Israel will allow the transfer of construction materials into the Gaza Strip for the purpose of setting up a new hospital, Yedioth Ahronoth reported on Wednesday. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu decided to approve the transfer of materials following his meeting with French President Nicolas Sarkozy last week. During the meeting, which was held amidst the UN General Assembly session, Sarkozy asked Netanyahu to allow the Palestinians to build the medical facility after securing pr

Netanyahu to release 20 Palestinian women in return for Shalit video

Israel has said it will release 20 Palestinian women from detention in return for proof that captured soldier Gilad Shalit is still alive. A statement from Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's office said it was waiting to receive video taken recently by his militant captors in Gaza. Israel holds about 10,000 Palestinians, including dozens of women. more Israel also holds hundreds of children - GS

UK lawyers push for arrest of Israeli defence minister Ehud Barak

So it's not just the 'military echelon' in Israel that needs to worry about where its personnel travel in case are arrested. Unfortunately there's not much chance the UK police will actually carry out their responsibilities under the Hague convention but who knows? And why the hell is the British Labour Party inviting this architect of war criminality to speak at its conference this week in the first place? British lawyers for several Palestinian families are seeking to obtain an international arrest warrant for the Israeli defence minister, Ehud Barak, in a London court over alleged war crimes in the Gaza Strip. Barak, who was in overall charge of Israeli's offensive in Gaza earlier this year, is due to speak at a fringe meeting at the Labour party conference in Brighton today. Barak is due to meet Gordon Brown today and David Miliband, the foreign secretary, tomorrow. more

Israeli violence escalates as warning Al-Aqsa violation could spark third intifada

Israel shelled central Gaza today, injuring two - a teenage brother and sister, according to Ma'an . It follows air attacks on Friday which led to the death of three people. The Al-Aqsa Brigade armed resitance group, affiliated to Fatah, is said to be planning its response, according to the Palestine News Network . Meanwhile Muhammad Dahlan, a member of Fatah's recently elected central committee, is warning that a third intifada could follow Al-Aqsa violence and recent reports say 17 Israeli police have been injured as Palestinians fightback against the latest Al-Aqsa outrage. In a statement, Dahlan said he considered "the violation of the sanctity of Al-Aqsa playing with fire and crossing red lines." He said Israeli authorities permitted groups to enter the area to "attack worshipers inside." Palestinians would not stand idly by, he warned, holding the Israeli government responsible for repercussions of what he called a dangerous attack that was carried out

Arab league denounces brutal aggression at Al-Aqsa

Israeli police allowed Jewish extremists to enter the grounds of the mosque and then shielded them from attack by Palestinians defending the mosque. After the eviction of the settlers by Muslim worshipers, the occupation forces turned on the crowds. Arab League Denounces the Israeli Aggression, Seeks to Form an International Investigation Committee Arab League denounced on Sunday the brutal aggression on Al-Aqsa Mosque by the Israeli settlers, calling on the International Security Council and UN Secretary-General to immediately intervene to stop the dangerous violation committed by the Israeli occupation forces. A statement by Palestine and the Occupied Arab lands Section at the Arab League stressed that the Israeli security forces facilitated the arrival of many of the Zionist extremists to Al-Aqsa Mosque courtyards, particularly Bab of al-Maghariba. more The attack on al-Aqsa follows an attack last week on the Ibrahimi mosque in Hebron: Ma’an – At least 140 Israeli settlers, protect

Erdogan hits out at western silence on Israel's nukes and Gaza

The Turkish president has condemned Western countries' focus on Iran's nuclear program, stressing that the world should deal with Israel's nuclear weapons instead. Turkey's "Radikal" newspaper on Sunday reported that Recep Tayyip Erdogan's strong comments against Israel's nuclear program was similar to his "one minute" stance in Davos in January when he walked out of a televised debate with his Israeli counterpart Shimon Peres. Erdogan told reporters in New York that Iran's nuclear program is not aimed at "military ends". The Turkish president noted that Israel has "nuclear weapons" and has used "phosphorous bombs" against Palestinians in the Gaza Strip. "Why these are not on the agenda? It is always Iran…" Erdogan told reporters in New York. "If only Iran is put on the world agenda, then we may neglect other issues such as the Gaza [conflict] that should be addressed," he said. more

Israel violates al-Aqsa mosque, injures many worshippers, Jerusalem tense

Israel is playing with fire - perhaps emboldened by the west's 'discovery' of an Iranian nuclear facility - with its storming of the al-Aqsa mosque yesterday. Jordan has condemned the open violation of the sanctity of the mosque, the third holiest in Islam, but when is the western-installed monarchy going to break off diplomatic relations with the Zionist state? AMMAN, Sept. 27 ( Xinhua ) -- The Jordanian government on Sunday strongly denounced the breaking into the Muslims sacred shrine al-Aqsa mosque by Israeli soldiers along with a group of Jewish radicals, which resulted in injury of some Palestinians, the Jordan News Agency Petra reported. "Jordan condemns breaking into the mosque by Israeli troops as this is a provocative act that is likely to increase tensions," Jordan's Minister of State for Media Affairs and Communications Nabil Sharif said in a statement. He said breaking into the holy mosque is likely to lead to more violence and threatens the

Free Mohammad Othman from Israel's prisons

Israeli occupation forces detained Mohammad Othman on the 22nd of September, 2009. Mohammad was detained while trying to return to the West Bank over the border from Jordan. Mohammad has spent the summer touring Europe, and was returning from his latest trip to Norway. Mohammad is 33 years old, and has dedicated the past ten years of his life to human rights causes, particularily the non-violent struggle against the Apartheid Wall in the West Bank. Mohammad is from the village of Jayyous in the occupied West Bank, and the village has lost most of its privately owned land due to the Apartheid Wall. The land is now confiscated by Israeli settlements, which are deemed illegal under international law. Mohammad has an extensive network in the international solidarity movement, and plays an important role as the youth co-ordinator for the non-violent Palestinian Stop the Wall campaign. Mohammad has dedicated his life to tell the world about the war crimes and crimes against humanity that is

Abbas - no common ground for negotiations with Netanyahu

Bethlehem - Ma’an/Agencies - Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas told the Palestinian paper Al-Hayyat there is “no common ground for negotiations” with the Netanyahu government, in an interview published Thursday. Abbas expressed his skepticism over the outcome of talks, saying “Netanyahu is declaring Jerusalem and refugees topics not up for negotiations, so what is there to talk about?" Abbas reconfirmed his stance on requiring a settlement construction freeze before sitting down for peace talks, a stance which Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu rejected, while his foreign minister Avigdor Lieberman bragged to the press Wednesday that the trilateral meetings in New York were proof Israel would not let the US pressure them into halting construction. The closest US Special Envoy to the Middle East George Mitchell got to a deal was the Israeli offer to pause construction in the West Bank - not East Jerusalem - for nine months, not including the almost 1,000 settlement units

Israel tightens its stranglehold on supplies into Gaza

Obama, Netanyahu and Abbas may have enjoyed their meeting in the US but in the Strip the suffering gets worse. Israel's stranglehold on life in Gaza has been tightening. Traffic of goods into Gaza is now at its lowest point since the Cast Lead war crimes. Meanwhile another 37 settlement units have been approved as the US half-heartedly urges 'restraint'. Gaza – Ma’an – The Kerem Shalom border crossing between Israel and the Gaza Strip will be the only crossing open for the second day in a row, marking the steepest decline in goods deliveries into the Strip since Israel launched its war on the area in December 2008. Palestinian crossings official Raed Fattouh said that Israel will allow 55 to 65 trucks loaded with aid through the Kerem Shalom crossing, and that all other border terminals will be shut. Only 60 truckloads of goods were allowed through on Tuesday, and the crossings were totally shut Thursday through to Monday for the Israeli celebration of the Jewish New Year

Five Palestinian fishermen arrested as Israel sets out to destroy an industry

Official sources reported that five Palestinian fishermen have been arrested today on Wednesday morning and seized their boats near the coast of Gaza City. The sources added that the fishing boats have been surrounded by Israeli gunboats, questioned the fishermen, and then took them and their boats to an unknown destination. It is noteworthy that the Israeli boat set only a distance of 3 miles access for the fishermen to sail and get their livelihood. This very limited area of fishing has been gravely affecting the fishermen to fish good quality of fishing. One boat which was confiscated, was related to the family of Zaki Abu Oa'dwa. He lives in the north of Gaza, Al Swdania district. Eyewitnesses reported that the boat of Zaki Abu Oa'dwa was in the allowed area of fishing and the Israelis forced him and arrested his boat. more

Report damns Israel's suppression of Gaza anti-war protests

Apologists for Israel are fond of describing the settler state as the 'only democracy in the Middle East', but the repression meted out against anti-war protesters during Israel's 22-day war on the Gazan population, should help to put that lie to rest. There's no democracy in Israel if you are an Arab 'citizen'. 'The only apartheid state in the Middle East' would be a more accurate description of Israel. A new report from Adalah shows how the courts and police attempted to stamp out opposition to Operation Cast Lead. "This is a time of war, and every incident harms the people's morale." This was not a sentence in a right-wing journal, but rather a statement by an Israel Police representative during Operation Cast Lead seeking to persuade the Tel Aviv District Court to block anti-war protesters from the city... ...Here are some of the pearls in Adalah's new report: "Prohibited protest - how the law enforcement authorities limit t

Israeli racists speak out against 'Arab' Obama

On display in all its inglorious colour are some Israeli racists responding to questions about Obama and the 'peace process' by an Al Jazeera correspondent. Barack Obama, the US president, is getting ready to host Israeli and Palestinian leaders for a meeting he hopes might get peace talks started again. But Binyamin Netanyahu, the Israeli prime minister, has made his position clear, saying he will defend settlement expansion, which is the big sticking point. Al Jazeera's Clayton Swisher has been out on the streets of Jerusalem to find out what Israelis think about Obama and his plans.

Nil'in protesters pull down apartheid wall section

March to freedom – Ni’lin village takes down the Wall Latest News, Palestinian Grassroots Anti-Apartheid Wall Campaign , September 19th, 2009 After the people had concluded their Friday prayer in the fields near the village, more than 100 farmers, youth, international and Israeli peace activists marched towards the Apartheid Wall and their confiscated lands. Participants brought car tires and a big home made ladder to climb the high wall. Right at the beginning of the protest, the youth had prepared a surprise for the Occupation forces: by using home made equipment one of the youth climbed the concrete wall and tied a chain at the holes in the upper part of the Wall’s cement components. Pulling this rope, the people managed to take down three concrete blocks of the Wall. This is the first time something like this has happened, and the people were happy to have such a success. This was the first message: one day the wall will fall and Ni’lin will be the start. more

International Criminal Court considers war crime charges against IDF officer

Hot on the heels of the Goldstone report, which recommends the ICC take a look at Israel's crimes in Gaza, the court's chief prosecutor has taken up the challenge by considering the case of one IDF officer, Lt Col Benjamin. Israel has not signed up to the ICC but South Africa, of which Benjamin is also a citizen, has. Unfortunately, the US is likely to pressure the court not to go ahead with a prosecution given the implications for all the officers and soldiers of the Israeli armed forces. As it is IDF personnel likely won't be taking many foreign holidays as they may be seen as wanted criminals in many jurisdictions. As chief prosecutor of the International Criminal Court, Luis Moreno-Ocampo has so far steered clear of controversial cases. In doing so, he hoped to allay U.S. fears that the ICC would become a politicized tool for settling scores. Which is why it's so surprising that Moreno-Ocampo is now considering an investigation into whether Reserve Lt. Col. David Be

Brzezinski warns US may shoot down Israeli jet fighters heading for Iran nuclear sites

Zbigniew Brzezinski, the former US national security adviser, has suggested that the US might shoot down Israeli fighters crossing 'our' airspace to attack Iranian nuclear sites - he was referring to Iraq's airspace of course. It is difficult to envisage such a scenario given that Israel is the US's watchdog in the Middle East, kept armed to the teeth precisely in order to do this sort of dirty work for the Americans. This news comes after the announcement of joint Israel/US military exercises in the Mediterranean aimed at countering imagined missile strikes on Israel. Zbigniew Brzezinski, the former national security adviser to U.S. President Jimmy Carter, said on Sunday that U.S. forces should forcibly prevent the Israel Air Force from reaching Iran to strike its nuclear facilities. In an interview with news Web site the Daily Beast, Brzezinski said that the U.S. forces were "not exactly impotent little babies," saying that Israel forces have "to fly o

IDF chief Ashkenazi tries to justify Israel's Gaza war crimes as its isolation grows

Israel is whingeing again about UN 'bias' but no one is listening anymore. The Israel Defense Forces chief of staff, Lt. Gen. Gabi Ashkenazi, said on Monday that a damning United Nations report on Israel's winter offense against Hamas in Gaza was "biased," and that the IDF was a moral army. "I read the report, it is biased and unbalanced," Ashkenazi told Army Radio, in his first public response to the report. Referring to Richard Goldston, the South African prosecutor who wrote the report, the IDF chief said: "From his mandate, he was already unbalanced. He ignored Hamas [rocket] fire. As the one who planned the operation, I say that we have a moral army; we did everything we could to lessen the harm to noncombatants." Though the 547-page document, which was released on Thursday, accuses both Israel and Hamas of carrying out war crimes during the three-week campaign in Gaza, it focuses primarily on Israel's actions during the hostilities. m

Atomic Energy Agency attacks Israel over secret nuke programme

The general conference of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) has passed a resolution condemning Israel over its secretive nuclear weapons programme for the first time since 1991. The IAEA called on Tel Aviv to accede to the nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT) and to put its entire nuclear programme under IAEA inspections. Israel is the only country in the Middle East that is not a signatory to the NPT and therefore accepts only limited IAEA inspections. more

Mashaal thanks Sudan for solidarity efforts

An old story but worthy of comment is Khaled Mashaal's recent statement in Sudan that the resistance forces are still able to get weapons into Gaza, despite the blockade. Israel earlier this year launched an air strike in Sudan against what it claimed was a weapons convoy en route to Gaza through Egypt. By DAVID BEDEIN Jerusalem – Hamas political chief Khalid Mash'al said on Wednesday that Palestinians in Gaza are able to buy, smuggle and manufacture weapons in spite of Israel's severe restrictions on the imports of any potential lethal substance into Gaza, ever since the Hamas' takeover of the Gaza regime in June 2007. This was confirmed by the Palestinian news agency, Ma'an . "You did miracles in Sudan and thank God, your brothers in Palestine, despite the siege, closure, harassment, the large conspiracy and fleets of the East and West, which prevent us from bringing weapons, we were able to buy, manufacture and smuggle weapons, thank God," said Mash

Art for Gaza to be projected at Tate Modern

Former ITN reporter Sam Hall's painting marking the Israeli bombardment and invasion of Gaza in 2008/9 is to be the subject of projection near the Tate Modern art gallery, the most popular modern art gallery in the world. Speaking about the forthcoming projection Sam commented: "When statesmen and dignitaries visit Israel, they are often taken to the Holocaust Museum, which is right because we should not forget that. "But by the same token, nor should we forget what happened in the Gaza Strip," said Mr Hall." More at Sam's website: www.samhallart.com

No Shalit release until Palestinians freed say Gaza protesters

GAZA ( PIC ) Hundreds of Palestinian citizens participated in a protest organized by the popular committee against the siege on the Palestinian side of Al-Shujaiya (Nahal Oz) crossing, east of Gaza city, to demand the release of Palestinian prisoners and the opening of crossings. The Palestinian protest (17/9/09) coincided with another one organised by Israelis on their side of the crossing to call for tighter blockade on Gaza and the release of Israeli captive soldier Gilad Shalit. Spokesman for the popular committee Ali Al-Nazli said, addressing the Israeli protesters, that their demonstrations would not solve the problem and would not get Shalit released, calling on them to pressure their government to abandon its intransigent attitude in this regard. Spokesman Nazli called on the international community to save the situation in Gaza and renounce its timid attitudes through imposing sanctions on Israel for its crimes against the Palestinian people. The spokesman also stressed that

Hamas and PFLP fighters killed by Israel at border

Al-Jazzera reports on the death of two resistance fighters yesterday. According to the Israelis they were planting IEDs. Hamas and the PFLP have confirmed that their fighters were involved. Interesting to see this level of co-operation between the secular and religious wings of the resistance movement. Two Palestinian fighters have been killed after the Israeli military fired tank shells and mortars near the Gaza border. The Israeli army said that the two men were planting explosive devices along the fence which separates the territory from Israel on Sunday. "The two men, both in their early twenties, Abed al-haft Chalil al-Silawai and Machmud Achmed Muhammed Nazir, are known for recently planting explosive devices along the Gaza security fence and are responsible for firing mortar shells into Israeli territory," it said in a statement. It also said that they fired three rockets into Israeli territory on August 24 and injured a soldier. The military wing of Hamas said that 21

British unions to build mass movement to boycott Israeli goods

Press release – FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE 17 September 2009 Britain’s unions commit to a mass boycott movement of Israeli goods In a landmark decision, Britain’s trade unions have voted overwhelmingly to commit to build a mass boycott movement, disinvestment and sanctions on Israel for a negotiated settlement based on justice for Palestinians. The motion was passed at the 2009 TUC Annual Congress in Liverpool today (17 September), by unions representing 6.5 million workers across the UK. Hugh Lanning, chair of the Palestine Solidarity Campaign, said: ‘This motion is the culmination of a wave of motions passed at union conferences this year, following outrage at Israel’s brutal war on Gaza, and reflects the massive growth in support for Palestinian rights. We will be working with the TUC to develop a mass campaign to boycott Israeli goods, especially agricultural products that have been produced in illegal Israeli settlements in the Palestinian West Bank.’ The motion additionally called for

Scottish MP demands release of Palestinian parliamentarians

EDINBURGH, ( PIC )-- Scottish lawmaker HughO'Donnell, the spokesman for the liberal democratic party, strongly denounced the arbitrary policy of kidnapping Palestinian lawmakers and their detention in Israeli jails for more than three years. O'Donnell,in a letter addressed to the Israeli ambassador in Britain on Tuesday, expressed his strong condemnation of Israel’s clear violation of international law and the fourth Geneva convention through detaining Palestinian lawmakers in its jails. He stressed in the letter that the kidnapping of lawmakers is not only a violation of democracy, but also a contempt for the will of the Palestinian people and their voice. The letter demanded the Israeli ambassador to answer a number of questions about the reasons behind the detention of lawmakers, and the charges leveled against them as well as the expected time of their release.

Palestinians in Israel call general strike against racism

By Jonathan Cook - Nazareth The increasingly harsh political climate in Israel under Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's right-wing government has prompted the leadership of the country’s 1.3 million Arab citizens to call the first general strike in several years. The one-day stoppage is due to take place on October 1, a date heavy with symbolism because it marks the anniversary of another general strike, in 2000 at the start of the second intifada, when 13 Arab demonstrators were shot dead by Israeli police. The Arab leadership said it was responding to a string of what it called “racist” government measures that cast the Arab minority, a fifth of the population, as enemies of the state. “In recent months, there has been a parallel situation of racist policies in the parliament and greater condoning of violence towards Arab citizens by the police and courts,” said Jafar Farah, the head of Mossawa, an Arab advocacy group in Israel. “This attitude is feeding down to the streets.

Breaking news: Israel used disproportionate force during war on Gaza says UN report

Israel used disproportionate force during Gaza war, UN report finds. More as it comes in. Unfortunately the UN's perverse notion of 'balance' has also led Goldstone to conclude that Palestinians fighting back with a fraction of the firepower of Israel also committed war crimes by firing unguided rockets at civilian areas. But that means that every western power that has been engaged in modern warfare is also guilty of committing war crimes. Leaving this nonsense aside, the 600-page reports central finding against Israel is going to make it harder for the Israelis to keep trumpeting the humanitarian virtues of the 'most moral army in the world' as they like to refer to the murderers on land, sea and air that are the misnamed Israel Defence Forces. Latest from AP: The United Nations says the investigation led by former South African judge Richard Goldstone (pictured above) concluded that "Israel committed actions amounting to war crimes, possibly crimes against h

Shoe thrower against western imperialism al-Zaidi released after being tortured

Muntazer continues to live in fear of his life after his release by the Iraqi puppet government. He is now a national and international hero. Among the many well-wishers and gift-givers, Chavez has offered him $100,000. May George Bush (both of them) rot in hell. Link to video here The Iraqi journalist who threw his shoes at George Bush has marked his release from jail by angrily defending his action and claiming he was tortured after his arrest. Muntazer al-Zaidi's supporters and family gave him a rapturous welcome, sacrificing six sheep to mark his release and hanging laurels of flowers around his neck. Wearing an Iraqi flag, Zaidi gave a detailed account of being tortured after his arrest, and vowed to reveal the names of senior officials in the Iraqi government and army who he said had been involved in his mistreatment. Iraqi shoe-thrower released in Baghdad Link to this audio Appearing with a missing front tooth, he told of beatings, whippings and electric shocks after his arr

Woman tells of torture at hands of Israeli occupiers

NABLUS, ( PIC )-- Ghufran Zamel has been subjected to 12 days of continued violent interrogation in an Israeli occupation authority (IOA) jail, the international Tadamun (solidarity) society for human rights said on Sunday. The society's lawyer, who managed to meet her, said that Zamel was subjected to cruel torture as soon as she was arrested and was denied visitation. He quoted Zamel as saying that interrogation rounds continued day and night without stop and that she was deprived of sleep for three days. Interrogators employed various means during those rounds including threats, continued shouting, psychological pressures and others, the lawyer underlined. Zamel, 27, was taken from her home in Ein refugee camp in Nablus on 29/8/2009 and was held in Petah Tikwa detention center without anyone allowed to see her until the Tadamun lawyer managed to visit her last Thursday 10/9/2009.

Coventry family released after Egyptian detention

The Egyptian dictatorship is increasingly paranoid which explains why it continues to detain, arrest and torture so many Egyptian citizens, but now they are increasingly in the habit of detaining foreign nationals that dare to raise their voice for Gaza. US citizen Travis Randall, who lived in Egypt and was involved in solidarity activity for Gaza, was recently deported from the country A COVENTRY family are on their way home after being detained in Egypt for a week. Diplomats in Cairo have successfully negotiated for Manal Timraz and her two sons to return home after border control refused to let them leave at the end of their two-week holiday, claiming it was a “matter of national security”. Ms Timraz, who says she was humiliated, insulted and treated like a terrorist, says the Egyptian authorities now claim it was a case of mistaken identity. They are due back in Coventry today. Speaking from Cairo yesterday, Ms Timraz said: “The Egyptian authorities didn’t want to give any explanat

al-Quds day for Palestine, London 2009

Thousands gathered in central London on Sunday for al-Quds day in solidarity with the Palestinians and all other oppressed peoples. A tiny grpop of nazis/BNP members 'protesting against Islam' tried to disrupt the march but luckily for them they were protected by the police.

Israel prevents aid getting to disabled Palestinians

By Jonathan Cook Yunis al Masri was luckier than his two brothers from Gaza. Although the truck that ploughed into their car as they traveled to work in Israel 24 years ago killed Jaber and Kamal instantly, al Masri survived with shattered bones, internal bleeding and brain damage. Today, aged 49 and after many operations, he has difficulty walking and problems remembering to do things. Any hope of working again was crushed in 1985 amid the car wreckage. Like tens of thousands of other Palestinian manual laborers who worked inside Israel before Gaza was progressively sealed off to the outside world from the early 1990s, Al Masri had paid regularly into Israel's social security fund from his salary. Certified as disabled by an Israeli medical committee, he is entitled to a monthly allowance of $800 from Israel's National Insurance Institute, out of which he has supported his wife and 10 children in their home in Beit Hanoun, in northern Gaza. In early January, however, the trans

Palestinian Authority sacks 40 teachers for 'crime' of supporting Hamas

AL-KHALIL, ( PIC )-- The ministry of education in the illegitimate government of Salam Fayyad in Ramallah has sacked 40 teachers from Al-Khalil district, mostly newly appointed, for their affiliation with Hamas. Ministry sources told PIC on Wednesday that 29 teachers were sacked over the past few days in southern Al-Khalil some of whom had been appointed only for a few days but the security apparatuses refused to endorse their appointment. The sources added that the same militias, loyal to former PA chief and Fatah leader Mahmoud Abbas, recommended the dismissal of 11 other teachers in northern Al-Khalil for the same reason. Most of those have been appointed in the past three years. The ministry had fired hundreds of teachers over the past three months after they were summoned and interrogated by Abbas's militias over their political affiliation.

Resistance continues fghtback against IDF border probes

The Jerusalem Post reports on renewed attacks by resistance fighters against the IDF. Unfortunately no injuries reported on the Israeli side: IDF troops came under fire near the security fence on Thursday, in the second such incident in one day. An army unit was fired upon in the afternoon while performing reinforcement work on an electronic security fence next to Kibbutz Ein Hashlosha. In the earlier incident, an IDF unit was fired upon at the Gaza perimeter fence on Thursday morning, and returned fire with mortar rounds. No injuries were reported.

Chavez denounces Israels 'genocidal' attack on Gaza

Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez has described Israel's deadly offensive on the Gaza Strip as an attempt to exterminate the Palestinians. Describing the offensive as an unprovoked attack on Wednesday, the Venezuelan President accused the Israeli government of trying to hide the genocidal nature of its assault behind the pretext for stopping rocket fires from the beleaguered strip. "What was it if not a genocide? ... The Israelis were looking for an excuse to exterminate the Palestinians," Chavez told the French newspaper, Le Figaro. Chavez, who expelled the Israeli ambassador to Venezuelan over Tel Aviv's war crimes in Gaza, also called for international sanctions against Tel Aviv over its crimes against humanity. He also advised the Israeli government to respect the Palestinian people's right to self-determination. more

Why is the Israeli army carrying out unnecessary autopsies on Palestinians?

By Jonathan Cook - Nazareth The hyperventilating by Israel's leaders [1] over a story published in a Swedish newspaper last month [2] suggesting that the Israeli army assisted in organ theft from Palestinians has distracted attention from the disturbing allegations made by Palestinian families that were the basis of the article’s central claim. The families’ fears that relatives, killed by the Israeli army, had body parts removed during unauthorised autopsies performed in Israel have been overshadowed by accusations of a “blood libel” directed against the reporter, Donald Bostrom, and the Aftonbladet newspaper, as well as the Swedish government and people. I have no idea whether the story is true. Like most journalists working in Israel and Palestine, I have heard such rumours before.. Until Bostrom wrote his piece, no Western journalist, as far as I know, had investigated them. After so many years, the assumption by journalists was that there was little hope of finding evidence

Resistance claims direct hit on Israeli unit near Beir Lahia

Resistance fighters claim they have prevented a further infiltration by IDF special forces near the border town of Beit Lahia. Fighters claim direct hits on the IDF unit but there have been no reports so far to confirm this from the Israelis. The action follows the kidnapping of five children by Israeli from the same area earlier this week GAZA, Sept 9 (KUNA) -- A Palestiniam militant group clashed early Wednesday with a special Israeli force in the town of Beit Lahya north of Gaza. The Al-Nasser Salahuddin Brigades, the military wing of the Popular Resistance Committees, said in a statement that their elements scored direct hits within the Israeli force which tried to advance into the Borat Abu Samra area. Israeli forces entered Beit Lahya a few days back and abducted five young Palestinians. Thanks to the Kuwait News Agency

Siege prevents repair of sanitation system as thousands denied access to clean water

10,000 people in Gaza have no access to water and an additional 60 per cent of the population have only limited access. As a result of the near complete closure of Gaza's crossings since June 2007, equipment and supplies needed for the construction, maintenance and operation of water and sanitation facilities have been denied entry to Gaza. This has lead to the gradual deterioration of these essential services. Merlin is highlighting the need for urgent action to address this growing water and sanitation crisis in Gaza, and has signed up to a joint United Nations statement with other humanitarian organisations to draw attention to the situation. Laurent Viot, Merlin's Programme Manager for Asia and the Middle East, said: Severe damage to water and sanitation structures is increasing the threat of waterborne disease, and the lack of construction materials means these structures cannot be repaired. The United Nations has called for full and unrestricted access for spare parts and

Israeli rights group says IDF lied - killed 252 children

The lies of the Israeli military are too much to stomach for increasing numbers of Israelis. A report out today from the Israeli B'Tselem human rights group admits that the IDF killed at least 252 children. This is still an underestimate by the way. Theal Mezan centre puts the figure at 355 (see chart above). An Israeli human rights group says many more Palestinian civilians were killed in the Israeli military's campaign in Gaza than the army admits. B'Tselem said detailed research with careful cross-checking showed 1,387 Palestinians died, over half of them civilians and 252 of them children. This contradicts an Israeli army report stating fewer than 300 civilians died in fighting in December and January. more

Israeli soldiers kidnap five children from Beit Lahia

The Al Mezan Center for Human Rights reports that undercover forces of the Israeli army kidnapped on Sunday five Palestinian children in an invasion to Beit Lahia town, in the northern part of the Gaza Strip. The kidnapped children are; 1. Mohammed Arafat Abu Khusa, 17. 2. Ibrahim Shehda Abu Jarad, 16. 3. Sameh Abdul Qader Abu Hashish, 15. 4. Freeh Qasem Abu Hashish, 13. 5. 'A'ed Hazaa' Abu Hashish, 16. more

Egypt deports US citizen for showing solidarity with people of Gaza

US citizen Travis Randall of Denver, Colorado, has been deported from Egypt. Although no official reason has been given by the Mubarak dictatorship for its actions, Travis was one of a group of international protesters who took part in a march to condemn Israel and Egypt for their continuing siege of Gaza. Earlier this year a German national, Philip Rizk, was imprisoned by Egyptian authorities for having taken part in the march. There seem to be no limits on how low the dictatorship will go to keep the Zionist regime happy. Hundreds of Egyptians are still in prison following the round-ups that took place during Israel's recent war on Gaza, as the dictatorship struggled to keep a lid on the anger directed both at Israel and the corrupt Mubarak regime.

Toronto Film Festival boycott call over Israeli film screenings

The Arab-Israeli question is at the centre of a fierce row overshadowing next week's Toronto Film Festival, with a group of prominent artists and celebrities accusing the festival organisers of sponsoring "the Israeli propaganda machine." Fifty actors, writers and directors – including Jane Fonda, Danny Glover, Naomi Klein and Ken Loach – signed a letter urging fans to boycott the prestigious festival over its plans to screen a series of films from Tel Aviv. Ten movies were selected for the "city-to-city" programme but not one of them was made by, or features, a Palestinian. As a result, critics have likened the imitative to a celebration of apartheid-era South Africa. "This programme ignores the suffering of thousands of former residents and descendants of the [Tel Aviv] area who currently live in refugee camps in the Occupied Territories," reads their letter. "We object to the use of such an important international festival in staging a propagan

Finkelstein pulls out of Gaza march initiative

Norman Finkelstein has pulled out of the coalition that has come together for a peaceful international march on Gaza due to what he sees as a new 'sectarian' agenda that has been 'foisted' on the initiative under the guise of a 'political context'. Not sure what exactly is going on here but Finkelstein's statement on thr matter is reproduced below: Why I resigned from the Gaza Freedom March coalition The original consensus of the International Coalition to End the Illegal Siege of Gaza was that we would limit our statement to a pair of uncontroversial, basic and complementary principles that would have the broadest possible appeal: the march to break the siege would be nonviolent and anchored in international law. I agreed with this approach and consequent statement and decided to remove myself from the steering committee in order to invest my full energies in mobilizing for the march. During the week beginning August 30, 2009 and in a matter of days an ent

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Boycott of New York diamond dealer launched to protest settlement construction

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Support striking Palestinian quarry workers demanding their rights from Israeli employer

On 16 June, 35 Palestinian workers at Salit Quarries in Mishor Adumim (in area C, east of Jerusalem, in the Occupied West Bank) began a strike. The workers, organized with the independent union WAC-Ma'an, are demanding an end to exploitation and humiliation, and insist on signing a first collective agreement. Salit Quarries’ main customer is Readymix Industries (Israel). The total reliance of Salit Quarry on Readymix as their biggest and by far the most important customer puts responsibility on Readymix to make sure that their clients abides by labour laws and safeguards elementary rights for the workers of Salit. We call upon Readymix to urge the Salit management to terminate this unnecessary strike by signing the collective agreement with the workers and WAC-Ma’an. Click this protest link to send your message. The text of the message is as follows: I write to you to express my grave concern about the failure of Salit management to sign a collective agreement with the workers of