And other news from Today in Palestine:

Land theft and destruction/Ethnic cleansing

Barghouthi: 100 Settlement Units Underway in Beit Jala

Israel recently began construction on 100 new settlement units in the southern West Bank district of Bethlehem, Palestinian lawmaker Mustafa Barghouthi announced Sunday. The latest settlement construction is underway on Palestinian land in the towns of Beit Jala and Al-Walaja, as US Middle East envoy visits the region for the latest round of indirect talks with Israeli and Palestinian leaders, Barghouthi said.

http://www.palestinemonitor.org/spip/spip.php?article1486

IOA planning to demolish 40 houses in Jordan Valley

Israeli occupation forces handed ten new demolition notices to citizens in Bardala village in the Jordan Valley on Sunday bringing the total number of similar notices to 40 since the start of July.

http://www.palestine-info.co.uk/En/default.aspx?xyz=U6



Israeli occupation government to increase structure demolitions

The Israeli government has ordered the Civil Administration to increase enforcement against what it believes to be illegal construction in area C of the West Bank.

http://www.imemc.org/article/59155

State eyes ‘legal’ takeover of abandoned East Jerusalem properties, Akiva Eldar

Pending court approval, government could assume control over properties of people who moved to enemy states during the War of Independence, as well as structures that belong to people now residing in the territories.

http://www.haaretz.com/print-edition/news/state-eyes-legal-takeover-of-abandoned-east-jerusalem-properties-1.302694

Israeli minister to lay West Bank foundation stone

JERUSALEM (AFP) – Israel’s interior minister and deputy prime minister, Elie Yishai, is to lay the foundation stone of a new administrative centre for Jewish settlements in the West Bank, his office announced on Sunday. It said the ceremony would take place on Thursday, at a time when the international community has called on Israelis and Palestinians to abstain from any action which could hamper peace efforts.

http://news.yahoo.com/s/afp/20100718/wl_mideast_afp/mideastconflictsettlerwestbank_20100718161338;_ylc=X3oDMTEwbjhsc3FlBF9TAzIwMjM4Mjc1MjQEZW1haWxJZAMxMjc5NDg3MTgx



The brain tumor method of leaving Gaza, Amira Hass

There are about 35,000 Palestinians who live in the West Bank but are registered as Gazans. Due to Israel’s successful 20-year-old policy of isolating the population of the Strip, they are in permanent danger of deportation.

http://www.haaretz.com/print-edition/features/the-brain-tumor-method-of-leaving-gaza-1.302722



Solidarity/Activism/Boycott, Sanctions & Divestment

Bloggers get Palestinian village water

Israeli activists hold online campaign to convince authorities to connect village to water supply.

http://www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7340,L-3921620,00.html

Pictures from Beit Ummar: One Journalist Arrested, Two Injured

Israeli soldiers arrested one journalist and injured two others at Beit Ummar’s Saturday protest calling for access to village land and the dismantling of nearby settlements. Beit Ummar is a Palestinian town located 11 kilometers northwest of Hebron. In the last years, the local Popular Commitee has organised weekly protests against the Israeli occupation and the theft of the agricultural land.

http://www.palestinemonitor.org/spip/spip.php?article1487



Several wounded in anti-wall protest in Bil’in

Two Palestinian citizens were injured and dozens of suffocations occurred due to the attacks of the Israeli military forces to the participants in the weekly anti-wall protest in the town of Bil’in west of Ramallah on Friday.

http://www.imemc.org/article/59142

The resistance continues in protests across Palestine

(ISM Palestine), Al Ma’sara (Friday 16 July), On the anniversary of the French Revolution, the theme of the protest in Al Ma’sara on Friday was the destruction of the prison in which Israel holds Palestinians captive, redolent of the French storming of the Bastille in 1789. Around 50 demonstrators, both Palestinians and internationals, marched towards the main entrance of the village to call for an end to the construction of the illegal Apartheid Wall and the illegal settlement of Efrat, which surrounds the village and severs the inhabitants from their land. The Israeli army, without any provocation, responded viciously to the non-violent protest.

http://palsolidarity.org/2010/07/13041/?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+palsolidarity+%28International+Solidarity+Movement%29

Nabi Saleh demands access to water

July 18th, 2010– Israeli Occupation Forces suppress the march condemning the stealing of Palestinian water. This summer, Nabi Saleh, like a lot of other Palestinian communities has perpetually endured hardships as they have often been cut off from water for days at a time.

http://stopthewall.org/latestnews/2322.shtml



Bil’in: protest commemorates activist in the popular resistance

July 18th, 2010– The protest was dedicated to the memory of Khaled al-Azzeh. Al-Azzeh was a member of the Popular Struggle Front politburo and part of the popular committee against the Wall and the settlements in Bethlehem. He was killed in a car accident 40 days ago.

http://stopthewall.org/latestnews/2321.shtml

Israel imprisoned my father for nonviolently resisting the occupation

On 12 January 2010 my father Ibrahim was arrested by the Israeli army and sentenced to two years in prison for organizing and participating in nonviolent protests against the Israel’s wall in the occupied West Bank. The wall cuts us off from our land and our olive groves, robbing our family of its livelihood. Saeed Amireh writes from Nilin, occupied West Bank.

http://electronicintifada.net/v2/article11399.shtml?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+electronicIntifadaPalestine+%28Electronic+Intifada+%3A+Palestine+News%29



Open Letter to John Lydon: ‘Rise’ against Racism

Dear John Lydon, We are academics and students from Gaza representing more than 10 academic institutions therein. Our parents and grandparents are refugees who were expelled from their homes by the nascent Israeli army in the 1948 Nakba. We have since lived in the ghetto of the Gaza Strip refugee camps, like the more than 6 million Palestinian refugees all round the world. They still have their keys locked up in their closets and will pass them on to their children. UN resolution 194 guarantees our right to return our villages. Many of us have lost our fathers, some of us have lost our mothers, and some of us lost both in the last Israeli aggression against civilians in Gaza.

http://palestinechronicle.com/view_article_details.php?id=16146

Siege Related Deaths/Violence/Aggression

Rafah tunnel worker killed by electric shock

Gaza – Ma’an – A tunnel worker was killed Sunday night after he was electrocuted while working in the tunnel complex along the Gaza-Egypt border in Rafah, medics said. Chief of ambulance and emergency services in Gaza Muawiya Hassanein identified the worker as as 22-year-old Imad Assaf from Jabaliya in the northern Gaza Strip. Assaf’s body was taken to the Abu Yousef An-Najjar Hospital in Rafah, Hassanein added.

http://www.maannews.net/eng/ViewDetails.aspx?ID=300620



Report: “Soldiers Killed 5 Palestinians In Gaza in June”

The Al Mezan Center for Human Rights, based in Gaza, issued a report on the Israeli violations in the Gaza Strip in June and stated that Israeli soldiers continued their attacks and killed five Palestinians in different part of the Gaza Strip.

http://www.imemc.org/article/59149

Israeli flees scene of car crash in Hebron

Hebron – Ma’an – Palestinian Authority security sources said an Israeli driver, believed to be a resident of an illegal West Bank settlement, fled the scene of a crash Monday after colliding with a Palestinian car on a bypass road near Hebron. Palestine Red Crescent Society paramedics said Mustafa Daraghma, from Jenin in the northern West Bank, was injured in the crash and was evacuated to Hebron’s Al-Ahli Hospital for treatment of extensive bruising. A hospital representative described Daraghma’s injuries as ranging from moderate to light. On Sunday, an 11-year-old boy was struck down by an Israeli settler driving a motorcycle in Hebron’s Old City.

http://www.maannews.net/eng/ViewDetails.aspx?ID=300662

Child Wounded In Hebron

Palestinian medical sources in Hebron, in the southern part of the West Bank, reported on Sunday evening that a Palestinian child was wounded after a settler rammed him with his speeding motorcycle in the Al Sahla Street, in the Old City.

http://www.imemc.org/article/59147

Medics prevented from treating dying Palestinian mother

A MOTHER of five was killed by Israeli artillery fire when she went to fetch her two-year-old son from outside her village home close to the “buffer zone” created by Israel along its border with Gaza.

http://www.irishtimes.com/newspaper/world/2010/0717/1224274901113.html

IOF raids Bethlehem, no detentions were reported

Bethlehem, July 19, 2010 (Pal Telegraph) – Israeli occupation forces raided today number of neighborhoods in the city of Bethlehem in the south of the occupied West Bank, no detentions were reported. Israeli occupation forces raided the area of Berak Soliman and prevented the Palestinian police from moving in the area to do its duties, local sources said. Israeli occupation forces obstructed the citizens’ movement at the entrance of Bait Tamor village near Bethlehm where an accident took place between two settlers’ cars.

http://www.paltelegraph.com/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=6743:iof-raids-bethlehem-no-detentions-were-reported&catid=59:west-bank&Itemid=135



IOF raids Balata camp in Nablus

Nablus, July 18, 2010 (Pal Telegraph) – Israeli occupation forces raided Sunday Balata refugee camp in the city of Nablus in the north of the occupied West Bank, no detentions were reported. Witnesses said that nine military troops of Israeli occupation forces raided Balata refugee camp at 2 a.m. The occupation forces withdrew after two hours of raiding the, the witnesses added. Israeli forces raids the West Bank on a daily basis under the pretext of searching for what they call “wanted Palestinians”.

http://www.paltelegraph.com/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=6737:iof-raids-balata-camp-in-nablus&catid=59:west-bank&Itemid=135

Israeli forces invade Nablus and nearby villages

In the pre-dawn hours on Saturday, Israeli forces invaded the northern West Bank city of Nablus, as well as the nearby villages of Zawata and Asira, raiding several homes and interrogating residents, then returning to the military base with no arrests.

http://www.imemc.org/article/59144

Israeli Injustice System: IDF soldier who shot British peace activist to be released from jail

IDF committee cuts sentence of former soldier Taysir-al-Heib who was found guilty of manslaughter in the 2003 death of British peace activist Thomas Hurndall in the Gaza Strip.

http://www.haaretz.com/news/diplomacy-defense/idf-soldier-who-shot-british-peace-activist-to-be-released-from-jail-1.302839?localLinksEnabled=false

Detainees

Israel detains 2 Palestinians in WB

West Bank, July 19, 2010 (Pal Telegraph) – Israeli occupation forces detained today two Palestinians after raiding their houses in the West Bank. Israeli occupation forces raided the house of Sofian Baher, 34, in Bait Omar village in north of Hebron city, and then detained him. Baher was released 4o days ago after spending 2 and a half years in the Israeli jails. Israeli occupation forces raided neighborhoods of Hebron at the early hours of today, local sources reported. In Bethlehem, Israeli forces detained Nedal Abu Jlighaf, 30, after raiding his house. Israeli forces raid the West Bank on a daily basis under the pretext of searching for what they call “wanted Palestinians”.

http://www.paltelegraph.com/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=6744:israel-detains-2-palestinians-in-wb&catid=59:west-bank&Itemid=135

Abbas’s militias kidnap senior Hamas official in W. Bank

Abbas’s militias kidnapped senior Hamas official Abdullah Yassin and a university student in the West Bank, and issued dismissal orders against a number of Hamas supporters in Al-Khalil city.

http://www.palestine-info.co.uk/En/de

PNA aided Israel in arresting Hamas militants: Hamas

GAZA, July 19 (Xinhua) — Gaza-ruling Hamas movement on Monday accused the Palestinian National Authority (PNA) of aiding Israel in arresting Hamas militants who had reportedly killed an Israeli policeman in the West Bank last month. The Palestinian security services in the West Bank "are no more than a wing of the Zionist security services," Hamas spokesman Salah Al-Bardaweel said.

http://news.xinhuanet.com/english2010/world/2010-07/19/c_13405036.htm



Palestinian Women Political Prisoners

Since 1967, approximately 700,000 Palestinians have been arrested and detained under Israeli military orders. This number accounts for close to 20 percent of the population in the occupied Palestinian territories. Today, 7,000 Palestinians — including over 300 children and 34 women — remain in Israeli prisons. The AIC explored the stories of two Palestinian women, both former prisoners, and looked at how Israel uses imprisonment to stifle popular resistance against the occupation.

http://www.jnoubiyeh.com/2010/07/palestinian-women-political-prisoners.html

Detained PFLP Secretary-General Remains In Solitary Confinement

The Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine (PFLP) warned that its secretary-general, Ahmad Saadat, is facing what is called “slow death” in Israeli prisons and that he remains in solitary confinement since more than 18 months.

http://www.imemc.org/article/59148

The Siege (Gaza & West Bank)/Humanitarian and Human Rights

Former EU chief says Gaza siege immoral, ineffective

Bethlehem – Ma’an/Agencies – Former EU commissioner Chris Patten, currently visiting Gaza, said Monday the EU must act independently of the US and slammed Israel’s “medieval siege” on the Strip. “The default European position should not be to wait to find out what the Americans are going to do, and if the Americans don’t do anything to wring our hands," Patten said in an interview with the British daily The Guardian.

http://www.maannews.net/eng/ViewDetails.aspx?ID=300797

Physicians for Human Rights – Israel: A Situation Report on the Access to Health of Gaza Residents. July 6, 2010

Following the Israeli Cabinet’s decision to ease the closure on the Gaza Strip, Physicians for Human Rights – Israel (PHR-Israel) releases an updated situation report on the access to health of Gaza residents. This report presents information gathered in recent months by PHR-Israel as part of its casework from Gaza patients, as well as an analysis of the obstacles patients face in accessing adequate medical treatment. The information includes detailed updates on the situation of the local healthcare system, the process of patients exiting Gaza for medical treatment (including the Shin Bet policy to interrogate and detain patients on their way to treatment), and the extraneous considerations that Israel often applies when reviewing the applications of Gaza residents.

http://phr.org.il/default.asp?PageID=190&ItemID=768

Egypt Decides To Deny Entry To Jordanian Aid Convoy

The Egyptian Authorities prevented the “Ansar 1” Jordanian aid convoy from entering Egypt while ion their way to deliver humanitarian supplies to the Gaza Strip.

http://www.imemc.org/article/59152

Israel’s economic warfare still keenly felt in Gaza

RAMALLAH, occupied West Bank (IPS) — Israel has received international praise for its decision to ease its crippling blockade on Gaza following the country’s deadly assault on a humanitarian flotilla trying to bring desperately needed humanitarian aid to the coastal territory. But according to the UN and human rights organizations, the easing of the blockade is insufficient in meeting Gaza’s needs.

http://electronicintifada.net/v2/article11397.shtml?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+electronicIntifadaPalestine+%28Electronic+Intifada+%3A+Palestine+News%29

UN Report: Severe water crisis in West Bank

According to the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs, Israeli control of water supplies in the West Bank has led to a severe water crisis for Palestinian residents. The situation is worst in the Israeli-controlled stretch of land known as Area C, where the Palestinian Authority (PA) is technically responsible for water services, but simply unable to deliver.

http://www.imemc.org/article/59145



Gaza’s Electricity Crisis, Stephen Lendman

Under siege for over three years, Gaza’s humanitarian crisis continues unabated, Israel’s bogus easing doing little to relieve it, including a serious electricity shortage, what the Gisha Legal Center for Freedom of Movement addressed in a May report titled, "Electricity Shortage in Gaza: Who Turned Out the Lights?" Besides earlier attacks, Cast Lead severely damaged Gaza’s sole power plant, putting it on the verge of collapse, exacerbated by inadequate industrial diesel supplies and the destruction of power lines supplying electricity from Israel and Egypt.

http://palestinechronicle.com/view_article_details.php?id=16142

Gaza family struggles to survive in a tent

The few dozen yards (meters) of fraying blue tarpaulin and dirt-stained canvas that define the Awaja family’s living space can’t keep out the cold in winter, or the dust and heat in summer. And when a strong wind blows at night, the shelter caves in on the six children sleeping inside. The Awajas are among thousands whose houses were destroyed during Israel’s three-week military offensive against Hamas-ruled Gaza, launched in December 2008 with the aim of halting Palestinian rocket attacks. More than 18 months later, most displaced families have found apartments or moved in with relatives. But about 225 families remain homeless, according to U.N. figures, caught in a mix of poverty, bureaucracy, and a border blockade that has left them in limbo.

http://www.google.com/hostednews/ap/article/ALeqM5j25m-gXtQzWrFYnN9dHT8xrhIShwD9H1SRM81

Fatah says Gaza forces banning officials from travel

Gaza – Ma’an – Gaza security forces have restricted the movement of Fatah Revolutionary Council members across the Strip and barred them traveling to a scheduled meeting, the party said Monday. In a statement, the faction said deputy Secretary-General Amal Hamad received phone calls from Hamas-affiliated forces informing her and other council members not to leave the Strip on Tuesday.

http://www.maannews.net/eng/ViewDetails.aspx?ID=300799

Political/Other Developments

Palestinians, Israelis set to start secret direct talks: analysts

CAIRO, July 18 (Xinhua) — The Middle East region on Sunday witnessed unprecedented meetings focused on promoting the direct Palestinian-Israeli negotiations as Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak held separate talks with Israeli, Palestinian leaders and U.S. Middle East peace envoy George Mitchell. Analysts believe that through these extensive meetings, the two sides will be set to start direct talks, maybe secretly, although the indirect negotiations have not been so fruitful.

http://news.xinhuanet.com/english2010/world/2010-07/19/c_13403549.htm

Protest Against Suspension Of Elections

Ramallah – PNN – Palestinian lawmakers and party officials gathered in front of the Legislative Council in Ramallah yesterday, objecting the suspension of Palestinian municipal elections which were scheduled for July 17th.

ImageThe elections were suspended after a meeting of the Palestinian Authorities on June 10th. A vague explanation stated that the suspension took place due to the demands of some Arab nations and other “friends in the world”. The calls from abroad apparently urged to postpone the elections in order to reach an end of the Gaza siege and Palestinian unity.

http://english.pnn.ps/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=8522&Itemid=56

Arabs reject unconditional talks

Arab League chief says written guarantees needed before direct negotiations can start.

http://english.aljazeera.net/news/middleeast/2010/07/201071814158908126.html

Obama official guarantees levels of "defense" funding

Andrew Shapiro, the assistant secretary of state for political-military affairs, said in a rare speech on Friday that the Obama administration has since its outset been committed to maintaining Israel’s qualitative military edge over its neighbors.

http://www.jta.org/news/article/2010/07/16/2740086/obama-official-guarantees-levels-of-defense-funding

Netanyahu: US easily manipulated

A recently-revealed tape has shown Binyamin Netanyahu, the Israeli prime minister, discussing ways to undermine the Oslo Accords and calling the United States "easy" to manipulate. The video was filmed in 2001, apparently without Netanyahu’s knowledge, during a meeting with Israeli settlers in the occupied West Bank. It aired on Friday night on Israel’s Channel 10, and several translations have been posted online. At one point on the tape, Netanyahu threatens a "broad attack" against the Palestinian Authority. "The main thing, first of all, is to hit them. Not just one blow, but blows that are so painful that the price will be too heavy to be borne," Netanyahu said. "A broad attack on the Palestinian Authority."

http://english.aljazeera.net/news/middleeast/2010/07/201071834019513292.html

Ya’alon: ‘No chance’ of agreement with Palestinians

Strategic Affairs Minister Moshe Ya’alon said there was "no chance of a settlement in the foreseeable future" with the Palestinians, speaking in an interview with Channel 2 Saturday. Ya’alon said the best option was to "manage the crisis," since there was no chance of reaching an agreement.

http://www.jpost.com/Headlines/Article.aspx?id=181715



IDF mulls lifting ban on Israelis entering Palestinian-controlled West Bank

The Palestinian Authority is interested in having Israelis visit Area A, because it could signal the resumption of trade and tourism, which would boost the Palestinian economy.

http://www.haaretz.com/print-edition/news/idf-mulls-lifting-ban-on-israelis-entering-palestinian-controlled-west-bank-1.302689?localLinksEnabled=false



Other News

Bombshell Report: 550 IDF Officers And Soldiers Interrogated About Possible War Crimes In Gaza, Max Blumenthal

On July 18, a bombshell report appeared in the Israeli daily Yediot Aharanot. The article, which has only been published in Hebrew and was buried on page 8 as a small news item, stated that 550 officers and soldiers who participated in Israel’s assault on the Gaza Strip in late 2008 and early 2009 have been investigated by IDF military police for possible war crimes. Among them is the former commander of the Givati Brigade, Ilan Malka, who was interrogated for an air strike that resulted in the killing of 21 members of one family in Gaza City. At least one other soldier is accused of using human shields, or “use of neighbor” tactics. In fact, nearly all battalion commanders who participated in Cast Lead have been interrogated regarding their conduct. Maybe Judge Goldstone wasn’t so crazy after all.

http://maxblumenthal.com/2010/07/bombshell-report-550-idf-officers-and-soldiers-interrogated-for-possible-war-crimes-in-gaza/

Israeli ‘loyalty oath’ approved

Cabinet okays proposal requiring all citizens to swear allegiance to a "Jewish state".

http://english.aljazeera.net/news/middleeast/2010/07/20107199346452716.html

Silwan children live in fear

Arab parents tell Knesset committee their children fear their houses will be demolished. They tell of small classrooms, difficult situation that leads to disturbances. Jewish parents say their children travel to classes in armored vehicles, suggest joint summer camp.

http://www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7340,L-3921968,00.html

‘Israeli agent’ appeals extradition from Poland (AFP)

AFP – An Israeli man held in Poland for suspected involvement in the killing of a Hamas chief has appealed against his planned extradition to Germany, his lawyer said on Monday.

http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/mideast/*http://news.yahoo.com/s/afp/20100719/wl_mideast_afp/mideastconflictisraelhamasgermanypolandcourt



Netanyahu: Illegal African immigrants – a threat to Israel’s Jewish character

Prime Minister urges construction of fence along border with Egypt to prevent infiltrators from entering Israel.

http://www.haaretz.com/news/national/netanyahu-illegal-african-immigrants-a-threat-to-israel-s-jewish-character-1.302653?localLinksEnabled=false

Liberal PR firm drops Gaza advocacy group under pressure

Fenton Communications is a well-known liberal, Democratic public relations firm that caught the “adoring” eye of the Israeli Likudnik crowd because liberal Zionist lobby group J Street founder Jeremy Ben Ami is a former Senior Vice President. Back in March, 2009 Fenton signed a contract with the Qatar based Fakhoora campaign to advocate for accountability over Israel’s attacks on Gaza. Accountability and Israel-now that’s a no-no for the pro-settler lobby. But back then, the right wing echo chamber couldn’t do anything with that information, Ben-Ami had left the year before and denied any connection.

http://www.muzzlewatch.com/2010/07/16/liberal-pr-firm-drops-gaza-advocacy-group-under-pressure/?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+Muzzlewatch+%28MuzzleWatch%29

Yeshiva students expelled over driver’s licenses

Jerusalem’s Darchei Torah Yeshiva expels three students after they obtain driver licenses without permission from their rabbis. ‘Prohibition meant to prevent students from neglecting Torah studies and focusing on cars instead’,

http://www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7340,L-3918761,00.html

British Jews Support Israeli War Crimes

At least 77% of British Jews believe that millions of dispossessed Palestinians should continue to dwell in refugee camps and never be allowed to their homes, cities, and villages.

http://www.gilad.co.uk/writings/gilad-atzmon-british-jews-support-israeli-war-crimes.html



Turkish PM’s wife: Peres’ lies made me cry

Wife of Turkish Prime Minister Erdogan slams Israeli president over verbal clash in Davos.

http://www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7340,L-3921028,00.html

Turkish hackers steal personal details of tens of thousands of Israeli web surfers

In the wake the Gaza flotilla raid, hackers in Turkey have uncovered the e-mail addresses, passwords and personal details of tens of thousands of Israeli web users, an Israeli blogger has uncovered.

http://www.haaretz.com/news/diplomacy-defense/turkish-hackers-steal-personal-details-of-tens-of-thousands-of-israeli-web-surfers-1.302494?localLinksEnabled=false



Palestinians build solar car from scratch

Students overcome scant resources to put green prototype on Hebron’s diesel and donkey polluted roads

http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2010/jul/18/palestinian-territories-solar-power-car

Cheaper Internet: Next Stop, ‘Palestine’

Within weeks, the Palestinian Authority will be taking action which is expected to end the virtual monopoly held by the Palestinian Telecommunication Group PalTel over Internet services in its territory. Palestinian Authority Minister of Telecom and Information Mashhour Abu Daka told The Media Line he will be issuing certificates shortly for telecommunications companies wishing to provide Internet services to the Palestinian market. “I hope to finish the qualification of companies that will be able to offer such services next week,” Minister Abu Daka told The Media Line. “This will create competition, so we expect Internet prices to come down within a few weeks time.” The Palestinian Telecommunication Group owns almost all telephone and Internet services infrastructure in the West Bank and Gaza. The company includes PalTel, which owns the land line telephone infrastructure; Hadara, the only Internet services provider; and Jawwal, the leading cellular company…

http://themedialine.org/news/news_detail.asp?NewsID=29432

Analysis/Opinion

I am not declaring loyalty, Akiva Eldar

The time has come that all of us, irrespective of whether we are Jews or Muslims, ultra-Orthodox or secular, declare our loyalty to the only Jewish democracy in the world. On one condition: the declaration ceremony would take place in the courtyard of the Tomb of the Patriarchs, following a tour of the center of Hebron

http://www.haaretz.com/print-edition/opinion/i-am-not-declaring-loyalty-1.302727



MJ Rosenberg: Pre-Election White House Suckup to Israel Fails

According to the Jerusalem Post, the endless flattery of Israel, a virtual full-court suck-up, has produced nothing. Israelis do not trust Obama, meaning they suspect that, in his heart, he may not adore everything about Binyamin Netanyahu and his policies. (One can only hope). Here is the latest poll.

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/mj-rosenberg/pre-election-white-house_b_650322.html

ICAHD: US cannot, or will not, deliver peace

Bethlehem – Ma’an – The Israeli government has “returned with a vengeance” to its policy of demolishing Palestinian homes, the Israeli Committee Against House Demolitions said Wednesday. Detailing Tuesday’s demolition of six homes in East Jerusalem, the demolition of a Palestinian reservoir in the West Bank Wednesday, and the municipal approval to demolish 22 homes in East Jerusalem’s Silwan neighborhood, ICHAD said the current wave of demolitions can only be explained in light of Israeli Prime Minister Netanyahu’s recent visit to Washington.

http://www.maannews.net/eng/ViewDetails.aspx?ID=299925



PAUL BALLES: The Israeli-US love affair

Occasionally someone asks why I often carry on about Israel and America. My response: Israel continues to break all the rules of respectable national behaviour with unabashed US support. The only way to stop that? Have truth reach enough people about American support for Israel’s treatment of the Palestinians and using American warmongers to advance Israel’s destructive goals.

The relationship between Israel and the US becomes more disgusting every day. That’s an opinion shared by scholars and commentators who are often ignored by the mainstream media.

http://mycatbirdseat.com/2010/07/paul-balles-the-israeli-us-love-affair/

Obama aide dodges Syrian ambassador on Israeli nukes and Medea Benjamin on ’special relationship’, Philip Weiss

As we noted, Ass’t Sec’y of State for Political-Military Affairs Andrew Shapiro appeared at Saban Center on Friday (on C-Span). And if you go to minute 46, not long after Shapiro is going on about a nuclear Iran, you will see Syrian Ambassador to the U.S., Imad Moustapha, confront Shapiro on two important issues: U.S. hypocrisy about Israel’s nuclear weapons, and the use by Israel of American weapons to kill civilians in Palestine.

http://mondoweiss.net/2010/07/obama-aide-dodges-syrian-ambassador-on-israeli-nukes-and-medea-benjamin-on-special-relationship.html

ANALYSIS / Lieberman won’t give anyone the pleasure of seeing him resign

He is a loyal partner. His party is the largest in the coalition, with 15 MKs who vote as one, who follow orders. And Netanyahu seems to challenge Lieberman’s party a lot more than he does smaller, less reliable, less united ones.

http://www.haaretz.com/print-edition/news/analysis-lieberman-won-t-give-anyone-the-pleasure-of-seeing-him-resign-1.302691?localLinksEnabled=false

Johann Hari: The Enduring Truth-Telling of Noam Chomsky

Noam Chomsky is one of the most hysterically abused figures in the world today. Even his critics have to concede that his work inventing the field of linguistics — and so beginning to decode the structure of how language is formed in the human brain — makes him one of the most important intellectuals alive. But when he applies the same rigorous scientific method to figuring out the structure of how power — especially the American government’s – works, he is pepper-sprayed with smears. He is a self-hating Holocaust denier, a jihad-loving traitor, a Pol Pot-licking communist, and on and on.

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/johann-hari/the-enduring-truth-tellin_b_650579.html

Is the U.S. making sure Israel doesn’t attack Iran?

Andrew Shapiro, Hillary’s Clinton’s assistant secretary for political-military affairs at the Department of State, speaks to Haaretz about Mideast policy.

http://www.haaretz.com/print-edition/features/is-the-u-s-making-sure-israel-doesn-t-attack-iran-1.302723?localLinksEnabled=false

Birthright Israel’s Hill of Shame, Max Blumenthal

Last week I toured the Israeli communities surrounding the Gaza perimeter with the Holy Land Trust, a Palestinian non-profit founded by Sami Awad, the nephew of non-violent resistance guru Mubarak Awad, whose Gandhian tactics were rewarded by the Israeli government in 1988 with an expulsion order. Our guide for part of the day was Eric Yellin, an Israeli-American resident of a community near Sderot, the Israeli city that has borne the brunt of rocket attacks from Gaza. Since the conflict escalated, Yellin has organized dialogue groups between residents of his city and Gazans through the group Other Voice. Despite his good works, Yellin is not likely to win Sderot’s next mayoral election. His neighbors were furious with him, he recalled, when he attempted to convince them that carpet bombing the Gaza Strip would not have a positive outcome for either side.

http://maxblumenthal.com/2010/07/birthright-israels-hill-of-shame/



Selling False Hope, NICOLA NASSER

Palestine Liberation Organisation (PLO) officials in the government of Mohamed Abbas often complain they spend more time negotiating with American rather than Israeli governments. This has been particularly true of late. Since Israel’s all-out assault on Gaza nearly a year and half ago, Palestinian officials have discontinued all direct talks with the Israelis and have been talking to the Americans. US presidential envoy George Mitchell has been closely engaged in the region since May 2010, but his efforts have not proved fruitful.

http://www.counterpunch.com/nasser07192010.html



The Bibi & Obama Show, SHELDON RICHMAN

I presume Barack Obama’s Likud membership card is in the mail. No doubt Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin "Bibi" Netanyahu has seen to it. After all, Obama has now paid his dues. After a few idle negative statements about expansion of Jewish settlements in the West Bank/East Jerusalem, Obama caved at the slightest push-back from the Israel lobby — election year, you know — and now he’s apparently fine with them. He went from saying the settlement expansion "could end up being dangerous [!]" to saying, "I think that he [Netanyahu] is dealing with a very complex situation in a very tough neighborhood." We can be sure that Netanyahu will not permanently stop the expansion and Obama will not take any action — such as cutting off the money — to bring that about. (Even Gen. David Petraeus fears the lobby.) "[T]he pace of settlement building in the West Bank has been barely affected by the 10-month freeze, due to end in September," Jonathan Cook of The National writes.

http://www.counterpunch.com/richman07192010.html

Iraq

Attack on British security firm in Iraq kills 4 (Reuters)

Reuters – A suicide car bomber plowed into a convoy of a British security company in northern Iraq on Monday, killing four foreigners and wounding five Iraqi civilians, Iraqi security officials said.

http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/iraq/*http://news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20100719/wl_nm/us_iraq_violence_britons



Iraqi cleric Sadr visits Syria from exile in Iran (AFP)

AFP – Self-exiled Iraqi radical Shiite cleric Moqtada al-Sadr visited Damascus on Saturday from his base in Iran for talks with Syrian President Bashar al-Assad on Iraqi affairs.

http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/iraq/*http://news.yahoo.com/s/afp/20100717/wl_afp/syriairaqshiitediplomacy



Saddam minister back in Iraqi court

Tariq Aziz, ex-foreign minister, summoned on new charges after handover from US custody.

http://english.aljazeera.net/news/middleeast/2010/07/2010718194535925679.html

The Ruin They’ll Leave Behind, PATRICK COCKBURN

On June 14, this year, an interpreter for the US army called Hameed al-Daraji was shot dead as he was sleeping in his house in Samarra, a city 60 miles north of Baghdad. In some respects there was nothing strange about the killing, since 26 Iraqi civilians were murdered in different parts of the country on the same day. As well as working periodically for the Americans since 2003, Mr Daraji may have recently converted to Christianity and unwisely taken to wearing a crucifix around his neck – a gesture quite enough to make him a target in the Sunni Arab heartlands.

http://www.counterpunch.com/patrick07192010.html

Lebanon

Full Speech of H. E. Sayyed Nasrallah on The Resistances Wounded Day

http://vineyardsaker.blogspot.com/2010/07/full-speech-of-h-e-sayyed-nasrallah-on.html

UN: No evidence to support Israeli claims over Hezbollah arms

U.N. Special Coordinator for Lebanon said UNIFIL has found no evidence to support Israeli allegations about Hezbollah weapons cache south of Lebanon’s Litani River.

http://www.yalibnan.com/2010/07/15/un-no-evidence-to-support-israeli-claims-over-hezbollah-arms/

Sayyed Nasrallah: May 5 Decision, STL Israeli Projects

16/07/2010 Hezbollah Secretary General Sayyed Hasan Nasrallah called on Friday to execute the death sentences against the spies without delay, praising in this context the stance of President Michel Sleiman who expressed readiness to sign any death sentence verdict, noting that spies were direct contributors in all crimes committed during the war. While warning that the Israeli enemy was completely controling all telecommunication networks in Lebanon, Sayyed Nasrallah said that the greatest strength during the war was Hezbollah’s military telecommunications network, noting in this context that the May 5 decision against the network was not innocent, calling on the government to launch an investigation over what happened and find that the mastermind behind this action is in Israel.

http://almanar.com.lb/NewsSite/NewsDetails.aspx?id=146628&language=en

Nasrallah calls Tribunal ‘Israeli project’

BEIRUT: Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah on Friday issued a blanket condemnation of the Special Tribunal for Lebanon, calling it an "Israeli project" that aimed to exploit Israel’s penetration of Lebanon’s telecommunications network to manufacture strife.

http://www.dailystar.com.lb/article.asp?edition_id=1&categ_id=2&article_id=117146

Aoun Advises Sayyed Nasrallah to Change Game Rules: Report

17/07/2010 The head of the Change and Reform parliamentary bloc MP Michel Aoun has reportedly informed Syrian President Bashar Assad and Hezbollah Secretary General Sayyed Hasaan Nasrallah that the international tribunal’s pending indictment would be followed by an Israeli attack on Lebanon with the aim of creating tension and seeking sedition in the country. Lebanese daily As-Safir that Western diplomatic sources have given the information to Aoun, who in his turn, told President Assad and Sayyed Nasrallah that the alleged indictment of the so-called "uncontrolled" Hezbollah members would be accompanied by a Lebanese-Lebanese and Lebanese-Palestinian tension.

http://almanar.com.lb/NewsSite/NewsDetails.aspx?id=146745&language=en

Jumblatt lauds Turkey’s stance on Gaza Strip

BEIRUT: Progressive Socialist Party leader Walid Jumblatt has returned to Lebanon after visiting Turkey, and praised recent positions taken by Ankara. The Chouf MP met top Turkish officials including Premier Recep Tayyip Erdogan.

http://www.dailystar.com.lb/article.asp?edition_id=1&categ_id=1&article_id=117140

Jumblatt to Al-Manar: Thank God I Left March 14 Bloc!

17/07/2010 The head of the Democratic Gathering MP Walid Jumblatt said on Friday that the Resistance should remain ready to face all challenges, renewing commitment to the State, People and Resistance’s balance, adding that the July 2006 war against Lebanon proved the capacities of the Resistance in the face of the Israeli enemy. Speaking to Al-Manar Television, Jumblatt said that Lebanese division regarding wars with Israel is historical "since in 1982 there had been division and also in 1978." He thanked God for leaving the March 14 camp, calling on his one-time allies to benefit from the resistance against Israel – "from those who volunteer to defend Lebanon for nothing in return." "Some still long for the neutrality theory and they adopt the theory that says that the Resistance’s arms give Israel an alibi," Jumblatt pointed out, stressing that neutrality won’t come for free but would link Lebanon to the Zionist entity.

http://almanar.com.lb/NewsSite/NewsDetails.aspx?id=146731&language=en

Legal changes needed to deal with espionage

BEIRUT: The issue of Israeli agents has returned to the fore, as political parties make their pronouncements on national security and urge the harshest possible punishment for collaborators, in the wake of the latest discoveries of a spy network at mobile phone company Alfa.

http://www.dailystar.com.lb/article.asp?edition_id=1&categ_id=2&article_id=117148

Children horrified by appalling state of Sidon’s notorious dump

SIDON: More than 50 children were shocked by the horrible condition of the Sidon garbage dump on Friday, when they visited the location as part of efforts by Le Mouvement Social. The children, aged between 7 and 12, were participating in a two-week summer day course run by the NGO.

http://www.dailystar.com.lb/article.asp?edition_id=1&categ_id=1&article_id=117138



An insightful tribute: On the Death of the Grand Ayatollah Fadlallah "Religion Serves the People"

The most senior Shiite cleric in Lebanon, Grand Ayatollah Fadlallah, has died. The intellectual guiding force of the Shiite Hezbollah movement in Lebanon, Fadlallah supported the armed fight against Israel but condemned Islamic terrorism. He also worked for the peaceful coexistence of the different denominations in Lebanon. This portrait by Stephan Rosiny

http://www.normanfinkelstein.com/an-insightful-tribute/

Fawwaz Traboulsi Interviewed by Paul Jay, "A Defining Moment of the 2006 Israeli War on Lebanon"

Paul Jay: Now, in the last couple of days we’ve been here, we’ve talked to various people, including some people in the military, who talk about expecting another attack on Hezbollah from Israel. In fact, they thought it was going to come imminently. Now, they’re saying maybe not right now, because there’s so much going on between the US and Israel. Why are they expecting another one? Fawwaz Traboulsi: Well, I don’t share that expectation, to start with. I think that the level of armament that Hezbollah brought after the war, or through the war — if the statistics of the Israeli intelligence is correct that it has some 40,000 missiles — I think that in itself is a good warning against any Israeli adventures. . . . Having said that, I mean, the only likelihood of a war involving Lebanon, to my mind, would be if there were an Israeli attack against Iran: they would definitely at the same time try and destroy the missile weaponry of Hezbollah, which is very well guarded. But, anyway, the only likelihood, to my mind at least, would be not a direct adventure against Lebanon, as such, and Hezbollah, but one in which there is a clear American green light for attack against Iran.

http://mrzine.monthlyreview.org/2010/traboulsi180710.html

Iran

US told to review terrorist list

THE State Department must review its designation of the People’s Mujahedin Organisation of Iran, or PMOI, as a foreign terrorist organisation, a US appeals court ruled on Friday. The US Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia said the State Department failed to give the group a fair chance to overturn the listing.

http://www.straitstimes.com/BreakingNews/World/Story/STIStory_554687.html

Kidnapped Iranian Scholar Interrogated by Israeli Agents

Shahram Amiri, an Iranian scholar who returned home after being kidnapped by CIA in Saudi Arabia last year, said that Israeli agents interrogated him while he was in the US.

http://english.farsnews.com/newstext.php?nn=8904240595

Iran Scientist: U.S. Wanted To Swap Me For Hikers

Mr. Amiri accused American agents of trying to coerce him to confess to being a spy so they could try to exchange him for three young hikers from the United States who have been held by Iran since they wandered over the border from Iraq in July 2009.

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2010/07/19/iran-scientist-us-wanted_n_650930.html

Standardized English Tests Are Halted in Iran

WASHINGTON — The Educational Testing Service has announced that it is temporarily suspending registration for its tests in Iran, including the popular Test of English as a Foreign Language, in what may be one of the first tangible effects of the new sanctions levied against the country by the international community. Experts and Iranian expatriates were appalled, saying that if the sanctions prohibited Iranians from studying abroad, they would hurt precisely the kind of outward-looking young Iranians the West would like to help.

http://www.nytimes.com/2010/07/18/world/middleeast/18tehran.html?_r=1

Bin Laden’s son: Iran wants non-Saudi mediation to release al-Qaida leader family

CAIRO, July 18 (Xinhua) — A son of the leader of al-Qaida terrorist network, Osama bin Laden, said that Iran has voiced readiness to set free about 20 members of his family it has held for over eight years, on condition that it mediates their release with a country other than Saudi Arabia. "I think the time has come for my family members to leave Iran but their lack of identification papers and passports made us in need of another third-party country willing to receive them after Iran refused to hand them over to Saudi Arabia," Omar bin Laden, Osama’s fourth-born son, said in an interview with Saudi-owned Al Arabiya TV channel.

http://news.xinhuanet.com/english2010/world/2010-07/19/c_13403544.htm



The Iranian Scientist Who Would Not Play Curveball, RAY McGOVERN

Useful insights often must be seen through a glass darkly. But some can be pulled through the smoke and mirrors shrouding the wanderings of Iranian scientist Shahram Amiri, who is now back home in Iran after 14 months in the U.S. as guest of the CIA. The confusing/amusing spin applied by both countries to L’ Affaire Amiri can detract from the real issues. The facts beneath the competing narratives permit a key conclusion; namely, that U.S. intelligence has learned nothing to change its assessment that Iran halted work on the nuclear-weapons related part of its nuclear development program in the fall of 2003 and has not restarted that work.

http://www.counterpunch.com/mcgovern07192010.html



U.S. and other World News

Report: Western officials believe Mubarak is terminally ill

Washington Times reports U.S. and European intelligence agencies are keeping close watch of developments in Egypt in order to assess possible succession scenarios.

http://www.haaretz.com/news/international/report-western-officials-believe-mubarak-is-terminally-ill-1.302787?localLinksEnabled=false



Australian Labor Party loathes Arabs and nothing has really changed

Former Australian Prime Minister Bob Hawke is currently being lionised in the Australian media for a recently released biography (by his adoring wife). A friend sends along a story from Sydney’s Daily Telegraph on October 10, 1984 that proves the Labor Party’s loyalty to Israel goes way back and current leader Julia Gillard is cut from the same cloth. Gillard said last week that Hawke remains her role model. The headline and story below does not appear in the new book about Hawke, I’m reliably informed.

http://antonyloewenstein.com/2010/07/20/australian-labor-party-loathes-arabs-and-nothing-has-really-changed/?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+antonyloewenstein%2Ffeed+%28Antony+Loewenstein%29

Judge Rules CIA Can Suppress Information About Torture Tapes and Memos

A federal judge today ruled that the government can withhold information from the public about intelligence sources and methods, even if those sources and methods were illegal.

http://www.aclu.org/national-security/judge-rules-cia-can-suppress-information-about-torture-tapes-and-memos



CIA exceeded interrogation limits, former Justice Dept. official says

The former Justice Department official who cowrote the so-called torture memos testified that the department did not sanction some of the harsh methods the CIA used against detainees during the George W. Bush administration, including the repeated waterboarding of two suspected terrorists.

http://www.mercurynews.com/news/ci_15527755?source=rss&nclick_check=1

Army ‘involved in torture mission with US troops’

Claims that British soldiers used water torture on a badly beaten Iraqi man before unlawfully handing him over to US interrogators are being investigated by the Ministry of Defence.

http://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/home-news/army-involved-in-torture-mission-with-us-troops-2027698.html



Torture and the UK: 2002-10

As evidence emerges that MI5 was complicit in the torture of some Britons overseas, see their cases and what is known of UK government or intelligence activities at the time.

http://www.guardian.co.uk/uk/interactive/2009/jun/18/torture-uk-interactive

Tony Blair knew of secret policy on terror interrogations

Letter reveals former PM was aware of guidance to UK agents which effectively led to torture.

http://www.guardian.co.uk/politics/2009/jun/18/tony-blair-secret-torture-policy

UK: The torture files: key passages

We highlight the key passages from the classified documents disclosed in high court proceedings – and what they show.

http://www.guardian.co.uk/law/interactive/2010/jul/14/toture-files-key-passages

Paper trail points to Blair

Former PM ‘sanctioned the abuse of UK citizens’.

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-1294868/TORTURE-INQUIRY-Former-PM-Tony-Blair-sanctioned-abuse-UK-citizens.html



Poll: Most Brits back face veil ban

Two-thirds of British public say they want to follow in France, Belgium’s footsteps, outlaw burqas.

http://www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7340,L-3920871,00.html

World celebrates Mandela Day

Celebrations planned in South Africa and abroad as Nelson Mandela turns 92.

http://english.aljazeera.net//news/africa/2010/07/201071853612813416.html

The Listening Post – US media double standard

This week on the Listening Post’s radar: the tweet that ended the 20-year career of a CNN journalist and a Russian social networking site that is not for the masses but strictly for those of class.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YmCIOXY26NA&feature=youtube_gdata

The White Man tells Arabs what they need

"Elections, though vital in the end, are not an early panacea. What the Arabs need most, in a hurry, is the rule of law, independent courts, freeish media, women’s and workers’ rights, a market that is not confined to the ruler’s friends, and a professional civil service and education system that are not in hock to the government, whether under a king or a republic. In other words, they need to nurture civil society and robust institutions. The first task of a new Saudi king should be to enact a proper criminal code."

http://angryarab.blogspot.com/2010/07/white-man-tells-arabs-what-they-need.html

Susan Muaddi Darraj, "Jordan Crossings" (Review of Joseph A. Massad, Colonial Effects: The Making of National Identity in Jordan)

Massad’s unrelenting portrayal of the Jordanian government’s and military’s involvement in the Palestinian plight is enlightening. He argues that while Jordanian nationalism (which took many forms) was initially established with colonialism and imperialism as the "other" against which it defined itself, nationalism after the flow of Palestinians into the country became more exclusivist, and came to define the Palestinian identity as its "other." He argues that, in an act of self-protection and political survival, the government sought to "Jordanize" the Palestinians while still enacting legal measures to ensure that a social and cultural gap between them and Jordanians was never breached: "The state’s attempt to Jordanize Palestinians was always in contradiction to its express policy at many moments since 1948 to foster divisions between Transjordanians and Palestinians . . . in order to prevent any class alliances between the two groups that might turn against the monarchy itself" (274).

http://mrzine.monthlyreview.org/2010/darraj160710.html

Egypt’s spinsters turn to suicide

As more women are becoming financially independent, they are also missing out on marriage with increasingly fatal consequences.

http://www.thenational.ae/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20100718/FOREIGN/707179837/1042/rss

I say you want a revolution, Egypt | Osama Diab

Activists in Egypt should look to the hippy movement of the 60s for a successful model in bringing about long-term social change. Since the establishment of the Kifaya (Enough) movement in 2004, the Egyptian political scene has changed dramatically. If this continues, political resistance in Egypt is likely to become much more dynamic than it has been since the 1952 revolution, which overthrew the monarchy and established a republic in Egypt.

http://www.guardian.co.uk/commentisfree/2010/jul/17/revolution-egypt-hippy-movement

Online shopping threatens Syria’s outdoor markets

Online food shopping made its debut in Syria this spring, already drawing 2,000 customers.

http://rss.csmonitor.com/%7Er/feeds/world/%7E3/xrPqMITK68o/Online-shopping-threatens-Syria-s-outdoor-markets



www.TheHeadlines.org