Land theft / Ethnic cleansing / Intolerance of religions other than Judaism

Occupation starts Judaizing names of Jerusalem’s streets

OCCUPIED JERUSALEM (PIC) 4 Oct — The Zionist municipality controlling Jerusalem decided to start changing the names of the streets in the occupied holy city to Hebrew names, to tighten the occupation’s grip on the city. The financial committee at the municipality said that it has allocated about $255,000 as a starting budget for the project of Judaizing the names of the streets in east Jerusalem with a clear message to the Palestinian side that Jerusalem is part of the Zionist entity. The project of changing the names of streets and numbering houses, which was initiated by the occupation’s mayor of Jerusalem, the extremist right winger, Nir Barakat, is going to include all streets and alleyways and houses, even those which were built without a permit. The project is to be carried out with the assistance of aerial pictures and maps and is planned to be completed by the end of this year.

http://www.palestine-info.co.uk/En/default.aspx?xyz=U6Qq7k%2bcOd87MDI46m9rUxJEpMO%2bi1s7DSUL8K0VQ141H3hM%2bGi9yeeYBOnIyfkWABWdxiJsvdCMrkPFgq1TXNcgLVJwewLb8XWH8kiEGSNNbCI%2fBdu99Onsfe%2bWAtQpiPSNVyG9VeQ%3d

Video interview: Mohammed El Kurd, a Palestinian boy forced to live cheek by jowl with Israeli settlers

Slate 5 Oct by Robert Wright

http://www.slate.com/blogs/the_wright_show/2012/10/05/mohammed_el_kurd_a_palestinian_boy_forced_to_live_cheek_by_jowl_with_israeli_settlers.html

Israel closes al-Aqsa Mosque fearing confrontations with Palestinian worshipers

PNN — On Friday 5th October, Israeli occupation forces closed al-Aqsa mosque, intensified its security procedures and prevented Palestinian worshipers from entering to the mosque on fears of expected confrontations between Palestinian worshipers and Jewish who came to pray in the mosque. Israeli police said that the closure of al-Aqsa mosque is because on Thursday, they arrested a Palestinian on claims he had a knife and because confrontations would launch between Palestinian worshipers and Jewish settlers.

http://english.pnn.ps/index.php/national/2825-israel-closes-al-aqsa-mosque-fearing-confrontations-with-palestinian-worshipers

VIDEO: Israeli forces smash Palestinian child’s head on ground near Jerusalem’s al-Aqsa

Electronic Intifada 5 Oct — A video shows Israeli occupation forces in Jerusalem smashing the head of a Palestinian boy on the ground during a violent arrest, after Israeli troops stormed the Al-Aqsa mosque compound in eastern occupied Jerusalem this morning. The brief clip shows a boy being dragged by black-clad occupation soldiers. As the boy screams “khalas” – “enough” or “stop” – the soldiers throw him to the ground. One soldier punches the boy in the side of the head, smashing his head into the stone floor. The video was posted on the YouTube account of QNN, a Palestinian news group that operates on Facebook. QNN identified the child as Hasan al-Afifi of the Bab al-Hadid area of the Old City of Jerusalem. The videographer is identified as Amjad Arafa.

http://electronicintifada.net/blogs/ali-abunimah/video-israeli-forces-smash-palestinian-childs-head-ground-near-jerusalems-al-aqsa

Israelis celebrating Sukkot beat Palestinian worshipers / Allison Deger

Mondoweiss 5 Oct — On Friday in Jerusalem on the Muslim day of prayer Israeli tourists celebrating the Jewish fall harvest, Sukkot, attacked Muslims congregating at al-Asqa Mosque for Friday prayers. A large mob beat a group of Palestinians, resulting in the detainment of five Palestinians. Ma‘an News Agency reported on October 5, 2012: The Al-Aqsa Foundation for the Islamic Waqf and Heritage said around 140 Israelis toured the mosque, sparking physical and verbal scuffles with Muslims praying at the compound.

http://mondoweiss.net/2012/10/israelis-celebrating-sukkot-beat-palestinians-worshipers.html

Events of Al-Aqsa in pictures

Silwan, Jerusalem (SILWANIC) 5 Oct — Israeli undercover forces in Al-Aqsa

http://silwanic.net/?p=29451

Palestinians stand against settlers’ chaos in Jerusalem

PNN — On Thursday 4th October, Palestinians from Jabal al-Mukabber neighborhood in Jerusalem stood against settlers from Nof Zion settlement who tried to close the main road by placing trash containers in the middle of the street, following scuffles between settlers and Palestinians due to a provocative march made by settlers in the Jewish holidays. Eyewitnesses said that the attempt to close the main street in the neighborhood failed because Palestinians stood against settlers’ chaos and deliberate provocation.

http://english.pnn.ps/index.php/national/2820-jerusalemites-stand-against-settlers-chaos-in-jerusalem

Arson attack on Al-Bustan protest tent

[photos] Silwan, Jerusalem (SILWANIC) 2 Oct – Vandals set fire to the Al-Bustan protest tent on Sunday night, 30 September. The attack occurred between the hours of midnight and 1am, with fire causing damage to the tent itself, carpets and signs within before local youth managed to put out the flames. The Wadi Hilweh Information Center stated that the attack is an attempt to set back the achievements of Silwan’s grassroots campaign to resist the Israeli takeover of the neighborhood and displace its residents.

http://silwanic.net/?p=29316

Settlers to appeal decision on Hebron building

JPost 4 Oct — Settlers plan to legally appeal the refusal of the Civil Administration of Judea and Samaria to certify their purchase of a three-family building, known as Beit Hamachpela, located in Hebron. Settlers moved into the building at the end of March after buying it from its Palestinian owners. Security forces forcibly evicted them within a week, in early April … On Tuesday, the civil administration sent a letter to the settlers’ attorney, Doron Nir Tzvi, informing him that a number of technical discrepancies prevented legalization of the sale. The letter explained that the three apartments the settlers purchased were only a portion of a larger structure, which had been left to a number of heirs in 1984.

http://www.jpost.com/DiplomacyAndPolitics/Article.aspx?id=286626

Israeli violence / Raids / Illegal arrests / Provocations

PCHR Weekly Report: 1 killed, 2 wounded by Israeli forces this week [27 Sept – 3 Oct]

IMEMC 5 Oct — …a Palestinian fisherman was killed, and his brother was wounded, while they were fishing in the northern Gaza Strip. In the West Bank, a child was shot in the foot by Israeli troops … Israeli forces conducted 42 incursions into Palestinian communities in the West Bank, during which they abducted 14 Palestinians, 3 of them children, in the West Bank. Full report

http://www.imemc.org/article/64349

OCHA Protection of Civilians Weekly Report [26 Sept – 2 Oct]

Key issues: *Israeli forces kill one Palestinian and injure another, while they were fishing offshore next to the perimeter

fence in the northwestern corner of Gaza. *Authorities in Gaza demolish 12 residential structures built on state-owned land, displacing around 60 residents. *Two children die in Gaza in accidents related to the power cuts implemented due to the fuel and electricity shortages — This week saw a decline in the number of Palestinian injuries (16) compared to the weekly average of 60 injuries recorded since the beginning of 2012.

http://www.ochaopt.org/documents/ocha_opt_protection_of_civilians_weekly_report_2012_10_05_english.pdf

This week in Palestine – Week 40 2012

Click on Link to download or play MP3 file || 11 m 14s || 10.2 MB || Welcome to this Week in Palestine, a service of the International Middle East Media Center, www.imemc.org, for September 29th, to October 5th 2012. Amidst ongoing Israeli military attacks against Palestinian civilians in the West Bank and the Gaza Strip, Palestinians attempt to seek UN recognition of a non-member state with no answer, these stories and more, coming up, stay tuned.

The Nonviolent Report — Let’s us begin our weekly report with nonviolent activities organized in the West Bank. Protests this week were organized in Kufer Kadum village, the northern West Bank and the central West Bank villages of Bil‘in, Ni‘lin and Nabi Saleh, as well as the village of AL Ma‘ssara, in the southern West Bank. IMEMC’s Ghassan Bannoura with the story:

http://www.imemc.org/article/64350

VIDEO: Night raid in Beit Ommar Oct 3 2012

PSP 4 Oct — This is a video from the night raid where the Israeli occupation forces arrested Hamza Ahmed Khalil Abu Hashem(14). The video shows the violent nature of the Israeli night raids and child arrests.

http://palestinesolidarityproject.org/2012/10/04/video-night-raid-in-beit-ommar-october-3-2012/

Masked right-wing extremists attack police in West Bank

JPost 5 Oct — Masked far-right extremists attacked undercover YASSAM police officers in the West Bank on Thursday, leaving one cop lightly hurt, Judea and Samaria police reported on Thursday evening. The attack reportedly happened while the YASSAM officers were taking part in an undercover operation against far-right extremists suspected of carrying out attacks on Palestinians. Police arrested three suspects following the incident, all of them over the age of 18, and said they expect more arrests to follow in the coming days.

http://www.jpost.com/Headlines/Article.aspx?id=286728

The documentary that should make every decent Israeli ashamed / Gideon Levy

Haaretz 5 Oct — No moments of reprieve in the probing documentary by Emad Burnat and Guy Davidi, “5 Broken Cameras,” which chronicles the struggle in the West Bank Palestinian village of Bil‘in — The soldiers arrive in the dead of night. They kick, they smash, they destroy. They break in, rudely awakening an entire house and its inhabitants, including children and babies. One officer pulls out a detailed document and declares: “This house is declared a ‘closed military zone.'” He reads the order – in Hebrew and in a loud voice – to the sleep-dazed, pajama-clad family.

http://www.haaretz.com/weekend/twilight-zone/the-documentary-that-should-make-every-decent-israeli-ashamed.premium-1.468409

Army kidnaps two Palestinians in Hebron

IMEMC 5 Oct — Israeli soldiers kidnapped, on Thursday afternoon, two Palestinian teenagers near the Ibrahimi Mosque in Hebron, in the southern part of the West Bank. The army claimed that the two carried “a sharp object”; they were cuffed and blindfolded, and were moved to the Ofer Interrogation center. Fathi Awad, spokesperson of the Popular Committee Against Settlements in Beit Ummar town, near Hebron, stated that the two were identified as Ali Sami Aadi, 16, and Mofleh Raed Aadi, 17.

http://www.imemc.org/article/64348

Israeli police shut down, attempt to raid Palestinian school in East Jerusalem

972mag 5 Oct by Aziz Abu Sarah — The Israel Police yesterday shut down a Palestinian school in East Jerusalem for a period of a week. The school has over 1,200 students between the ages of 12 and 18 years old. The police justified their actions to the students and teachers by voicing suspicion that stones were thrown at settlers by students from the school. +972 magazine learned from students and teachers that the school doesn’t allow students to throw stones from the school, but they cannot monitor students outside the school … +972 magazine talked with some of the parents who refused to identify themselves or their children because of fear of retaliation from the police. One of the parents described a phone call he received from his son: ”I received a horrifying call from my son whose voice was shaking, he said he can’t leave the school and it is besieged by police. My son was terrified that he would be arrested or killed. He was begging me to get him out of school.”

http://972mag.com/israeli-police-shut-down-attempt-to-raid-palestinian-school-in-east-jerusalem/57132/

IOF imposes a comprehensive cordon around a school in Tur

OCCUPIED JERUSALEM (PIC) 5 Oct — In a provocative step Israeli Occupation Forces (IOF) imposed on Thursday afternoon a comprehensive security cordon around Tur school, located in Tur neighborhood on the ‘Mount of Olives’ in the occupied city of Jerusalem … Local sources said that the Israeli police imposed a security cordon on the school, preventing the citizens from entering or leaving. The sources pointed out that the Israeli police who were deployed in the holy city neighborhoods because of Jewish holidays claimed that a stone was thrown on them from inside the school, what led them to besiege the school. A large force of Israeli police gathered in front of the school, while families of students came to protect their children for being arrested or injured.

http://www.palestine-info.co.uk/En/default.aspx?xyz=U6Qq7k%2bcOd87MDI46m9rUxJEpMO%2bi1s7I1toTOB1W12etTepXaQidGne2j7aWGfjESEpo6PR9H1NIwESPJq0c%2fpbsCeMPakw%2bKmOoWtPsqSFammbWyCexoxQOoTNWaDu7o8XpR1vi5c%3d

Israeli occupation arrests Palestinians, raids several villages in Jenin

PNN — On Thursday 4th October, Hebrew language sources said that Israeli army forces arrested two Palestinians and transferred them to interrogation centers on claims they are “wanted” for Israeli authority.

Palestinian sources said that the occupation forces raided at dawn, the villages of Araba, Fahma and Aqaba in Jenin, and handed two young Palestinians two notices to interview with the intelligence service. Palestinian sources also said that Israeli forces raided Aqaba village, broke into the house of Ahmad Salim Ghanem, searched it and rummaged with the contents and then interrogated the family.

In al-Arqa village, Israeli forces handed Awad Nasri Nayef Yahya, 25, and Alaa Tawfiq Mustafa Yahya, 27, two notices to meet with Israeli intelligence in Salim military center.

http://english.pnn.ps/index.php/politics/2814-israeli-occupation-arrests-palestinians-raid-several-villages-in-jenin

Israeli forces arrest young Palestinian from Jerusalem

PNN — On Friday 5th October, Israeli occupation forces arrested Ihab Badr al-Zghair, 30, from al-Wad neighborhood in the old city of Jerusalem. Palestinian media source said that Israeli intelligence service, accompanied by soldiers from Israeli army, broke into the house of al-Zghair, arrested Ihab and took him to al-Maskobiya interrogation center.

http://english.pnn.ps/index.php/politics/2827-israeli-forces-arrest-young-palestinian-from-jerusalem

1200 settlers break into Joseph tomb, confrontations launched with young Palestinians

PNN — On Thursday 4th October, Hebrew language sources said that 1200 settlers broke into Joseph tomb at dawn, to perform their religious rituals and confrontations launched between Palestinians and Israeli soldiers. Israeli newspaper Yediot Ahranot reported that dozens of young Palestinians threw stones and empty bottles toward Israeli soldiers who accompanied the settlers and provided them with protection, the confrontations lasted for several hours. The newspaper also reported that Israeli Occupation forces (IOF) spokesperson said that no causalities were reported.

http://english.pnn.ps/index.php/politics/2813-1200-settlers-break-into-joseph-tomb-confrontations-launched-with-young-palestinians

Collective punishment in Awarta continues

Awarta (Palestine Monitor) 5 Oct by James Knoop — The Awwad family have been through a lot since March 2011, from multiple house raids by the Israeli occupation soldiers, harassment, witnessing wild pigs ruin their crops, to interrogation summonings for the father, heart disease and various illnesses for the mother, and a whole lot of trauma for the young children. Last month on September 4th, at approximately 10 pm, the family’s home was raided again. The soldiers came at night and sawed the front door open, even though the mother, Nouf, tried to explain to them that they didn’t have to do that as she could just open the door. She was ignored and her words fell on deaf ears as the soldiers forced their way in.

http://www.palestinemonitor.org/?p=7665



Prisoners

Israeli policy of storming, searching prisoners’ rooms at Israeli jails is permanent

PNN — On Thursday 4th October, a report issued by the ministry of Detainees and Ex-Detainees affairs revealed that the Israeli policy of storming and searching the prisoners’ rooms and sections in Israeli jails has become permanent and provocative punishment practiced by Israeli Prisons service on prisoners. Prisoners in Shata Israeli prison reported that Israeli prisons’ administration has been searching their rooms for the past week, rummaged with the prisoners’ properties and belongings. Shata prisoners said in a statement that during the incursions, the prisoners were assaulted, strip-searched and put in solitary confinements as a punishment.

http://english.pnn.ps/index.php/prisoners/2816-israeli-policy-of-storming-searching-prisoners-rooms-at-israeli-jails-is-continued

Kidnapped engineer facing deteriorating health condition

IMEMC 5 Oct — Palestinian sources reported the health condition of isolated detainee, Engineer Dirar Abu Sisi, 43, has sharply deteriorated at the Asqalan (Ashkelon) Israel prison, and added that he currently suffers from anemia but is not receiving the urgently needed medical treatment … It is worth mentioning that an Israeli court refused to remove Sisi from solitary confinement, ordered him to remain in solitary confinement until October 11, and will likely renew the order against him soon … Abu Sisi, 42, is from the Gaza Strip; Israel kidnapped him in Romania [? Ukraine] on February 19, 2011; he is a married father of six children. He has a PHD in Electrical Engineering.

http://www.imemc.org/article/64346

PA security continue detaining journalist Mona for the 13th day

NABLUS (PIC) 5 Oct — PA security services continued detaining Quds Press Agency’s correspondent in the city of Nablus Mohammad Anwar Mona, 30, for the thirteenth day, as he was arrested September 23. The Magistrate’s Court in the city of Nablus has extended, on 26th of last month, the detention of Mohammed Mona for fifteen additional days, as it prevented his family from attending the court hearing during which the resolution was taken within minutes.

http://www.palestine-info.co.uk/En/default.aspx?xyz=U6Qq7k%2bcOd87MDI46m9rUxJEpMO%2bi1s7ZWGw9EVRDRbdfxJShA9klIcFsrbxbYkUrs%2fz1q7tzYoalEOtph5i5E21FmpvJ34Zkn59b7EYL0Df0twuyGQD41JLvgMf57wPSzogR5sZUuA%3d

Gaza

Egypt crossing to Gaza remains open on Friday

GAZA CITY (Ma‘an) 5 Oct — Egypt’s Rafah crossing into the Gaza Strip will remain open on Friday for travelers in both directions, a Palestinian official said. Crossings director Maher Abu Sabha told Ma‘an the step comes as Egypt promises to provide more facilities to Gaza. Abu Sabha said last week he expects the terminal to be open on Fridays, the weekend day it is usually shut, and its capacity to be expanded. The crossing will be closed on Saturday due to Egypt’s celebration of armed forces day.

http://www.maannews.net/eng/ViewDetails.aspx?ID=526297

Gaza crossing closed as workers protest treatment

GAZA CITY (Ma‘an) 4 Oct — The Erez crossing crossing into the Gaza Strip was closed Thursday as Palestinian transport workers went on strike in protest of mistreatment by Gaza security forces. Merchants and patients were stranded at the crossing from early in the morning, a Ma‘an reporter said. The striking workers, members of the Palestinian transport sector, said they were protesting the Gaza security forces’ apparent decision to begin searching workers in the area.

http://www.maannews.net/eng/ViewDetails.aspx?ID=525973

Army: Gaza rocket hits south Israel, no injuries

BETHLEHEM (Ma‘an) 4 Oct — A rocket fired from the Gaza Strip hit southern Israel on Thursday evening, an Israeli army spokesman said. The projectile landed in Hosh Ashkelon Regional Council without causing damage or injuries, he said.

http://www.maannews.net/eng/ViewDetails.aspx?ID=526231

Solidarity ship sailing to Gaza

IMEMC 6 Oct — The Helsingin Sanomat Swedish paper reported that Estelle, a Swedish-owned ship sailing under a Finnish flag, is on en route to the besieged Gaza Strip carrying tons of aid supplies to the besieged coastal region … 17 persons, including Swedish and Norwegian nationals, will be trying to reach Gaza to deliver construction materials in addition to humanitarian and medical supplies. The solidarity activists said that they are well aware of the fact that Israel’s Navy will likely attack them and prevent them from reaching Gaza, but said that the main aim of this trip is to raise awareness to the fact that the coastal region is still under Israeli siege. The ship will likely arrive close to the Gaza shore, an area Israel considers as restricted, by October 20.

http://www.imemc.org/article/64351

Families of Mavi Marmara victims file lawsuit for compensation

ISTANBUL- Hürriyet Daily News — Some 33 relatives of the Turkish citizens who were killed in an Israeli raid on the Mavi Marmara aid ship off Gaza in 2010 filed a lawsuit against Israel on Oct. 5, seeking compensation for their losses. The families of Furkan Doğan, Cevdet Kılıçlar and Necdet Yıldırım, who were killed in the attack, filed a petition against Israel seeking financial and moral compensation, along with 30 other people who have suffered due to the attack, said the attorney for the families, Uğur Yıldırım.

http://www.hurriyetdailynews.com/families-of-mavi-marmara-victims-file-lawsuit-for-compensation.aspx?pageID=238&nid=31751

Qatari development in Gaza boosts Hamas rule

GAZA (Eastday) Oct. 5 — A group of curious young passersby stood at a crossroad of the overcrowded Gaza city’s main street of Omer al-Mukhtar, watching a huge truck with a hoist holding a huge colorful placard to be erected on the side of the road with the help of three local workers. “Thanks Qatar … You fulfilled your Promise,” said the placard, which included two large colorful Qatari and Palestinian flags above a building which is under construction and an old woman sitting near her destroyed house, in reference to the start of the Qatari finance development in the Hamas-ruled Gaza Strip. “Gaza Strip populations don’t only want Qatar to finance development projects, they want an end to the ongoing division between Hamas and Fatah, they need to lift the Israeli siege, end poverty and minimize the rates of unemployment,” said Husam Hijazi, a 22-year-old student who studies economics in a Gaza University and will graduate later in summer.

http://english.eastday.com/e/121006/u1a6902698.html

Solidarity

UK may support labeling West Bank products in the EU

Jewish Chronicle 4 Oct — The Israeli government is concerned that Britain is planning to support a move to have West Bank settlement products labeled in the European Union.

http://www.thejc.com/news/uk-news/84655/uk-may-support-labelling-west-bank-products-eu

Take action — join Palestinian olive harvest

AIC 5 Oct — The annual olive harvest in the West Bank has begun, and numerous opportunities exist to join the harvest, demonstrate solidarity with the Palestinians and provide much needed assistance. The presence of internationals and Israelis during the harvest further has a demonstrated impact in lessening the settler violence directed at Palestinian farmers.

Contact the International Solidarity Movement (ISM) for information about joining the olive harvest. The Olive Harvest Coalition, a group of Israeli activists who accompany Palestinian farmers each year during the harvest, have a month-long schedule of opportunities to join the harvest. Contact:

http://www.alternativenews.org/english/index.php/news/news/5405-take-action-join-palestinian-olive-harvest-.html



Political and economic developments

Graphic ‘map’ reveals wealth and economic disparities between Israel and Israel-occupied Palestine

16 Minutes to Palestine 4 Oct by Sami Kishawi — …Because the data considers Israel and Palestine along 1967 borders, this map presents a very stark reality … Some points of interest: The mapped income per person in Palestine is just under $2,800 in US dollars. The mapped income per person in Israel is over $26,000 in US dollars … The mapped life expectancy in Palestine is just under 75 years. The mapped life expectant in Israel stands at about 83 years.

http://smpalestine.com/2012/10/04/graphic-map-reveals-wealth-and-economic-disparities-between-israel-and-israel-occupied-palestine/

March against price hikes and PA in West Bank

AL-KHALIL (PIC) 5 Oct — A protest march was launched on Thursday in the city of al-Khalil (southern West Bank) to demand the halt to PA’s economic policy and the resignation of Salam Fayyad’s government. Eyewitnesses told “PIC” that hundreds of citizens drove their cars and trucks from the southern region in al-Khalil and headed to Ibn Rushd Square, where the march was scheduled to take place, but security apparatuses prevented them from entering to the city center.

http://www.palestine-info.co.uk/En/default.aspx?xyz=U6Qq7k%2bcOd87MDI46m9rUxJEpMO%2bi1s7flqmHUTgNuUHlloanzfQcEClBB888o3Hwra546CEGDVaN8IA3KaG2CaywPcNmY5UUU6MoYr82wt5AKAxqroqOm40CGPa7ZI5yOletYkaiGk%3d

Qaraqe: Israel proposes release of prisoners if negotiations resumed

PNN — On Friday 5th October, the Minister of Prisoners’ Affairs, Issa Qaraqe, revealed that Israel proposed to Palestinians the decision to release Palestinian prisoners who were detained before the Oslo agreement if the Palestinian Authority agreed on the resumption of negotiations. He also said that the ‘release process’, according to the Israeli proposal, will be conditional and will be done on phases. Qaraqe didn’t explain the attitude of the PA to this proposal.

http://english.pnn.ps/index.php/prisoners/2826-qaraqe-israel-suggests-release-of-prisoners-if-negotiations-resumed

Jordanian premier signs trade deal in Ramallah

RAMALLAH (Ma‘an) 4 Oct — Jordanian Prime Minister Fayez Tarawneh signed a number of trade deals with the Palestinian Authority on Thursday, during a brief trip to the West Bank, official media reported. The most important is a free trade agreement between the countries, Palestinian Authority premier Salam Fayyad told reporters after the signing ceremony in Ramallah.

http://www.maannews.net/eng/ViewDetails.aspx?ID=526080

Transport union says PA excluded them from dialogue

BETHLEHEM (Ma‘an) 5 Oct — The public transport union said Friday that they have been deliberately excluded by the Palestinian Authority from dialogues to solve a wave of transport strikes in the West Bank. The head of the union in Tulkarem, Muhammad Yassin, said the PA transportation ministry had invited taxi and truck company chiefs to a series of meetings, while failing to respond to the union.

http://www.maannews.net/eng/ViewDetails.aspx?ID=526313

Belgium, EU contribute $12.2 million to PA welfare program

BETHLEHEM (Ma‘an) 5 Oct — Belgium and the European Union have contributed 9.8 million euros ($12.7 million) to the Palestinian Authority’s welfare scheme for families living in extreme poverty in the West Bank and Gaza Strip. The donation is made through the PEGASE system, and includes 9 million euros from the Belgium government, according to a press statement released Friday. The support will go to cash payments for 59,599 Palestinian families in need, it said.

http://www.maannews.net/eng/ViewDetails.aspx?ID=526264

Mashaal: Region has entered ‘new era’

GAZA CITY (Ma‘an) 4 Oct — Hamas chief Khalid Mashaal on Wednesday called for an end to negotiations with Israel and said the region had entered a “new era.” “It’s time to turn the table on those who wanted us as slaves,” Mashaal said during a speech at a festival in Cairo marking the Saladin capture of Jerusalem. The Hamas leader, who lives in exile in Qatar, said Israel wanted “to make a new reality in Jerusalem, as it did in the Ibrahimi Mosque in Hebron.”

http://www.maannews.net/eng/ViewDetails.aspx?ID=525971

Other news

Palestinian hit-and-run driver turns himself in

Ynet 4 Oct — A Palestinian driver who injured four IDF troops with his cab earlier this week turned himself in to the police on Wednesday, and admitted to fleeing the scene of the accident because he “got scared.” The 52-year-old resident of the West Bank village of Yetta has been questioned by the police and was let go. The officers ruled out the possibility that the crash was nationalistically motivated. Traffic police are now dealing with the case.

http://www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7340,L-4288692,00.html

Prominent Ramle figure found murdered in mosque

Ynet 5 Oct — The body of a prominent member of Ramla’s Muslim community was found Friday inside the city’s Great Mosque. The victim was identified as Muhammad Taji Abu Jamil, an official who oversaw the affairs of the Waqf in the city … Ramla Mayor Yoel Lavie, who knew the victim, told Ynet: “We’re in absolute shock. He was a beloved figure who worked tirelessly to bring the local Muslin and Jewish communities together.”

http://www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7340,L-4288962,00.html

Thousands of Christians march in Jerusalem in show of support for Israel

JERUSALEM (AP) 4 Oct — Waving blue and white Israeli flags, thousands of evangelical Christians from around the world filled streets of downtown Jerusalem on Thursday in a show of support for the Jewish state. The annual march during the weeklong Jewish Sukkot holiday brings together Christians from dozens of countries. Evangelical Christians are known as strong supporters of Israel, providing financial help and political backing, especially in the U.S. Even so, their hard-line views toward Palestinians and suspect religious motivations make some moderate Israelis and Jews abroad uncomfortable.

http://www.washingtonpost.com/world/middle_east/thousands-of-christians-march-in-jerusalem-in-show-of-support-for-israel/2012/10/04/23f60a4e-0e50-11e2-ba6c-07bd866eb71a_story.html

Analysis / Opinion

Inside Israel’s Green Line: Neither Free nor Fair / Patrick O. Strickland

Palestine Chronicle 5 Oct — …Even among many “pro-Palestinian” figures, particularly proponents of the moribund two-state solution, there is a curious consensus that within the Green Line, Israel is a genuinely democratic state that ensures equality among all of its citizens. The state’s failure to secure justice for the families of the October 2000 victims is one of many examples that illustrate how this notion is both unfounded and inaccurate. Indeed, even a brief glance at Israel’s treatment of its largest national minority, 1.5 million Palestinian Israelis, destroys the myth that it is “the Middle East’s only democracy.” Palestinian Israelis, to be sure, are the descendants of the Arabs who accepted Israeli citizenship after the 1948 war, and generally live in Arab majority areas inside Israel as well as in mixed cities like Haifa and Acre. The Israeli government refers to them as “Arab Israelis,” which the majority of Palestinians understand as a politicized attempt to deny their cultural heritage.

http://palestinechronicle.com/view_article_details.php?id=19620

Who will follow Meshaal?

Al-Ahram 4-10 Oct issue — Who will replace Khaled Meshaal as head of Hamas appears to have instigated a behind-the-scenes tug-of-war within the movement, writes Saleh Al-Naami

http://weekly.ahram.org.eg/2012/1117/re3.htm

groups.yahoo.com/group/f_shadi (listserv)

www.theheadlines.org (archive)