And other news from Today in Palestine:

Settlers/ Land, Property, Resource Theft & Destruction/Ethnic Cleansing

Abbas seeks urgent Security Council meeting over East Jerusalem construction

Israel vows to continue East Jerusalem construction, despite row with U.S.; Netanyahu says Israel has ‘never accepted restrictions’ on building in Jerusalem, adding that there is ‘no connection’ between peace process and development in the capital.

http://www.haaretz.com/news/diplomacy-defense/abbas-seeks-urgent-security-council-meeting-over-east-jerusalem-construction-1.324007

U.S. responds to Netanyahu: Settlements clearly linked to peace process

Netanyahu says building in Jerusalem hasn’t affected the peace process in 40 years in response to U.S. disappointment with Israel’s plan to build 1,300 homes in E. Jerusalem.

http://www.haaretz.com/news/diplomacy-defense/u-s-responds-to-netanyahu-settlements-clearly-linked-to-peace-process-1.323844?localLinksEnabled=false

Netanyahu to Obama: Jerusalem is not a settlement

PM says building in Jerusalem hasn’t affected the peace process in 40 years; Obama calls Israel’s East Jerusalem building plans ‘unhelpful’ to peace efforts.

http://www.haaretz.com/news/diplomacy-defense/netanyahu-to-obama-jerusalem-is-not-a-settlement-1.323825?localLinksEnabled=false

Netanyahu: Row over settlement construction ‘overblown’

U.S. anger over latest East Jerusalem building plan is misplaced and Palestinian foot-dragging is still the main obstacle to peace, insists PM in interview with Fox.

http://www.haaretz.com/news/diplomacy-defense/netanyahu-row-over-settlement-construction-overblown-1.323956?localLinksEnabled=false

Israel rejects world’s criticism over Jerusalem building

JERUSALEM (AFP) — Israel on Tuesday rejected global criticism of moves to build 1,300 new homes in occupied East Jerusalem, insisting it would never limit construction in its “capital,” the premier’s office said. “Israel sees no connection between the peace process and the planning and building policies in Jerusalem that have not changed for the last 40 years,” said a statement from the office of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.

http://www.maannews.net/eng/ViewDetails.aspx?ID=332420

Israeli Court Issues 45-day Extension for Wall Encircling al-Walajeh

Al-Walajeh – PNN – Residents of al-Walajeh, northwest of Bethlehem, witnessed what appeared to be a near-fatal setback when the Israeli High Court of Justice ordered a 45-day grace period in which the Israeli army may continue building the wall that will completely encircle the village. Seen through the broken window of one family’s future home, the village of al-Walajeh will likely be surrounded on all sides by the Israeli wall. The court ruling, delivered on Monday, effectively halves the current land area of the already winnowed village. Al-Walajeh has lost 13,000 of its original 17,000 dunums of land since 1948, or about 75% (a dunum is about a quarter of an acre). Once the wall is complete, a development many say they can expect within the mandated 45 days, villagers will be cut off from another 1,800 dunums.

http://english.pnn.ps/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=9118&Itemid=60

Settlers Open New Settlers Only Road in Hebron

Hebron – PNN – A group of extremist settlers opened a new settlers-only road in the old city of Hebron today. Reports from the Palestinian Information Center indicate that the group attacked two Palestinian families, including one worker employed in building Israeli settlements. In this particular project, the role of the Israeli military in this heavily Palestinian southern West Bank city is unclear. The story is developing.

http://english.pnn.ps/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=9117&Itemid=64

Netanyahu Strikes Again in Har Homa

Hagit Ofran – Eyes on the Ground in East Jerusalem – Har Homa has become a symbol of Netanyahu’s refusal of peace, since as Prime Minister in 1998 he established this settlement. The plan for further extending Har Homa had been in existence for years. Pushuing it forward at this timing is not accidental. This is a huge provocation, a calculated attempt by Netanyahu to torpedo peace talks and also avoid blame, by forcing the Palestinians to be the ones to walk away from the negotiation table.

http://settlementwatcheastjerusalem.wordpress.com/

Settlers target Palestinian olive trees

During the last few years, Palestinian olive trees – a universal symbol of life and peace- have been systematically destroyed by Israeli settlers. “It has reached a crescendo. What might look like ad hoc violence is actually a tool the settlers are using to push back Palestinian farmers from their own land,” stated a spokeswoman for Yesh Din, an Israeli human rights organisation monitoring incidents in the West Bank. The tree and its oil have a special significance throughout the Middle East. It is an essential aspect of Palestinian culture, heritage and identity, and has been mentioned in the Bible, the Qur’an, and the Torah. Many families depend on the olive trees for their livelihood.

http://www.gulf-times.com/site/topics/article.asp?cu_no=2&item_no=397349&version=1&template_id=46&parent_id=26

The great book robbery of 1948

A new documentary reveals a hidden chapter in the history of the Nakba — the Palestinian expulsion and flight at the hands of Zionist militias as Israel was established in 1948 — which saw the systematic looting of more than 60,000 Palestinian books by Israeli forces and the attempted destruction of Palestinian culture.

http://electronicintifada.net/v2/article11617.shtml?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+electronicIntifadaPalestine+%28Electronic+Intifada+%3A+Palestine+News%29

Activism/Solidarity/Boycott, Divestment & Sanctions

Six International volunteers Arrested for helping replant farmland in Saffa

Six international volunteers were arrested on Sunday while accompanying Palestinian farmers to their land to prepare it for crop planting in Safa village, north of Hebron, in the southern part of the West Bank.

http://www.imemc.org/article/59859

Demonstrators wave Palestinian flag for first time on Beit Hanoun crossing

Dozens of Palestinians and foreigners demonstrated Tuesday near the Beit Hanoun border crossing in the northern Gaza Strip, for the first time ever waving the Palestinian flag on the crossing gate

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

Anarchists Against the Wall

Founded in 2003, Anarchists Against the Wall (AATW) is a direct-action group that was established to resist the construction of the wall Israel is building on Palestinian land. The group works in cooperation with the Palestinians in a joint popular struggle against the occupation. Since then, Anarchists Against the Wall has been on the forefront of the Israeli solidarity movement, participating in thousands of demonstrations and direct-actions- against the wall specifically and the occupation more generally- all over the West Bank.

http://www.tadamon.ca/post/8333

Young, Jewish, Proud: Netanyahu’s Speech Disrupted, Max Ajl

Click here to view the embedded video. The video above is of a number of young people working with Jewish Voice for Peace disrupting Netanyahu’s speech at Florida. They have started a campaign called Young, Jewish, and Proud as part of this initiative; I was proud to see my friends Matan Cohen, Emily Ratner, and Rae Abileah among those who stood up and screamed at Netanyahu. I was scared to see the audience’s reaction: the boos, the cheering, the ripping-apart of the posters. They made it very clear what was going on there. It was a hate rally.

http://www.maxajl.com/?p=4409&utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+http%2Fwwwmaxajlcom%2Ffeedrss2+%28Jewbonics%29

Wait– Zionist uses choke-hold on Netanyahu protester… a woman… in the USA?, Philip Weiss

Remember how that female protester being stomped became a giant issue in the Rand Paul campaign for Senate in Kentucky? Why isn’t the chokehold applied to Rae Abileah, a young woman protesting Netanyahu at the Federations General Assembly in New Orleans, a bigger story? Here is JTA’s Jacob Berkman, the Fundermentalist.

http://mondoweiss.net/2010/11/huh-zionist-uses-choke-hold-on-netanyahu-protester-a-woman-in-the-usa.html

Jewish Values vs. Israeli Policies: Why five young Jews disrupted PM Netanyahu in New Orleans, Rae Abileah

On Monday morning, the GA plenary began with Oscar the Grouch — seriously, the Sesame Street puppet opened the plenary with a satire about how gross it was that Israelis were so friendly, always sharing, caring and helping each other out. Next, New Orleans Mayor Landrieu stressed a belief in tikkun olam, the Jewish principle of “repairing the world”, and almost in the same breath, an unending support for Israel. Contradiction? We think so. Our well-orchestrated protest began with the bold voice of local New Orleans resident Emily Ratner, who stood up after applause for Netanyahu and proclaimed, “The Loyalty Oath delegitimizes Israel!” as she unfurled a banner with the same message. (The protest was captured on video by AP here) As Emily was removed from the room she continued shouting, and Netanyahu commented from the podium, “If they came to delegitimize Israel, they came to the wrong address.” We believe we were knocking on exactly the right door, with a message to the Jews in attendance: Israel’s occupation and oppressive policies delegitimize Israel in the eyes of the world.

http://mondoweiss.net/2010/11/jewish-values-vs-israeli-policies-why-five-young-jews-disrupted-pm-netanyahu-in-new-orleans.html

The Young Jewish Declaration

A vision of collective identity, purpose and values written by and for young Jews committed to justice in Israel and Palestine. It is an invitation and call to action for both our peers and our elders, launched as a counter-protest at the 2010 Jewish Federation General Assembly in New Orleans.

http://www.youngjewishproud.org/

#BDS: Students push for divestment at university

USC’s campus has recently become the scene of a growing movement by pro-Palestine supporters speaking out against what they see as illegal occupation of territory and discriminatory practices by the Israeli government. The movement, known internationally as the “Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions” movement, aims to achieve sanctions or other official action against Israel. Activists hope to achieve this by means of boycotting certain Israeli institutions and stopping business in — or divesting from — companies that are involved in the occupation of what BDS supporters say is Palestinian territory. The movement has been spearheaded on campus by Students for Justice in Palestine, a pro-Palestine student group that has attempted to raise awareness for the movement by hosting events and collecting petition signatures.

http://youthanormalization.blogspot.com/2010/11/bds-students-push-for-divestment-at.html

“My position has not changed regarding normalisation with Israel. I reject it completely”

“Although Al Aswany’s book has been translated into 19 languages, the author has, until now, refused to permit its translation into Hebrew. Needless to say, he was not impressed with the actions of the IPCRI. “What the centre and the translator did is piracy and theft,” he told news agency AFP , “I will be complaining to the International Publishers’ Association.”…On this point, at least, both parties are in agreement. Al Aswany is equally emphatic on this point: “My position has not changed regarding normalisation with Israel. I reject it completely,” he told AFP.”

http://angryarab.blogspot.com/2010/11/my-position-has-not-changed-regarding.html

Anti

Canada Stands by Israel, Jim Miles

A couple weeks after being rejected by the General Assembly for a position on the Security Council, Canada’s Prime Minister Stephen Harper has expressed his sour grapes at the rejection stating that Canada will not ‘pretend’ to be an ‘honest broker.’ The other option then is dishonesty.

http://palestinechronicle.com/view_article_details.php?id=16403

Israeli Abuse of Palestinian Children

IOA rounded up 33 children in Silwan last month

The Israeli occupation authority (IOA) has detained 33 Palestinian children in the Silwan town, in occupied Jerusalem, a report by the Wadi Hilwa information center said.

http://www.palestine-info.co.uk/En/default.aspx?xyz=U6Qq7k%

Israeli occupation police round up more children in Silwan

A joint Israeli security force of the police and intelligence stormed houses of Jerusalemites in Silwan town, occupied Jerusalem, and took away a number of children.

http://www.palestine-info.co.uk/En/default.aspx?xyz=U6Qq7k%2bc

Statistics Show 6700 Prisoners Including 283 Children, 35 Women

Bethlehem – PNN – Abdul Nasir Farwaneh, director of the statistics department of the Palestinian Ministry of Prisoners’ Affairs, said 6700 Palestinians are in Israeli prison, including 283 children and 35 women. About 70,000 have been jailed since the 2000 al-Aqsa Intifada.

http://english.pnn.ps/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=9123&Itemid=68

Siege/Rights Violations/Restriction of Movement

The Archbishop and the Siege

Dr Barry Morgan – The Church in Wales – The Archbishop of Wales, has been at the center of a comntroversy since Spetember, when in a sermon he strongly denounced the the Siege of Gaza and the occupation of the West Bank.

http://www.kibush.co.il/show_file.asp?num=43300

Gaza’s hospitals: Bring your own medicine, Hani Almadhoun

In the summer of 2005 when I was visiting my family in Gaza, my 3 year old niece, Roa, had an incident and I took her to the local hospital. The doctor told us he could not see Roa, who was bleeding from her head, because it was a non-life-threatening case and he sent us home. As we needed to get medical attention to Roa, I remembered the local mosque had a clinic and since it was few blocks away from the PA-run hospital, we went there. This Doctor was professional, gracious and upbeat. He took care of Roa in a minute and treat her injuries and we’ve paid about a dollar for his services. The clinic was run by a Hamas group that was then not part of the government. I was pleasantly surprised with the service and care we received at this medical clinic.

http://mondoweiss.net/2010/11/gaza%e2%80%99s-hospitals-bring-your-own-medicine.html

How Israel’s easing of Gaza blockade has hurt Gaza business

Israel’s lifting of the Gaza blockade allows Israeli goods into Gaza, but has not allowed Gazan manufacturers to import raw materials or export goods.

http://rss.csmonitor.com/%7Er/feeds/world/%7E3/20so-v9bzPo/How-Israel-s-easing-of-Gaza-blockade-has-hurt-Gaza-business

PA wants Israel to expand Gaza crossing

GAZA CITY (Ma’an) — Wheat and animal feed importers in Gaza have warned of a coming crisis because of Israeli measures to reduce the quantities that enter the enclave to half or less. Israeli forces have refused a request from the Palestinian Authority to return the Karni crossing, which was used to transport such items, to normal operations. The crossing is open twice weekly, and one of those days is reserved for international organizations.

http://www.maannews.net/eng/ViewDetails.aspx?ID=332424

Gaza: 1 terminal partly open

GAZA CITY (Ma’an) — Israeli authorities partially opened the Kerem Shalom crossing on Wednesday between Israeli and Gaza for the limited transfer of goods and fuel, a Palestinian crossing official said. Raed Fattouh, charged with the coordination of goods into the Strip, said 240-250 trucks of humanitarian aid and commercial merchandise would be allowed into Gaza through Kerem Shalom terminal. Limited quantities of domestic-use gas and industrial diesel were also scheduled to enter through the same terminal in southern Gaza, according to Fattouh.

http://www.maannews.net/eng/ViewDetails.aspx?ID=332484

Tourism Initiative to Regenerate Neglected Areas, Palestine Monitor

Since the 1990’s, efforts to awaken tourism in Palestine have taken slow steps towards creating a vibrant and productive industry. Last week, the mission made an ambitious leap with the launch of the Sustainable Rural Tourism initiative. Organised by the Palestinian Ministry of Tourism, the Rozana Institute, and a network of other organisations, the Sustainable Rural Tourism workshop at Bir Zeit University marked the launch of a project that aims to tap into an under-used resource for economic development in Palestine: rural tourism.

http://www.palestinemonitor.org/spip/spip.php?article1606

Racism and Discrimination

Israel needs a Leftist revolution to stop the fascism

A social-democratic revolution on the left is the necessary condition to stop the time of fascism exemplified by a loyalty oath to a ‘Jewish and democratic state.’

http://www.haaretz.com/print-edition/opinion/israel-needs-a-leftist-revolution-to-stop-the-fascism-1.323717

Violence & Aggression

LRC: “Israel Carried Out 35 Attacks Against The Palestinians In East Jerusalem In October”

The Land Research Center (LRC) reported that the Israeli Authorities, the police and the army carried out 35 attacks against the residents and their property in occupied East Jerusalem in October.

http://www.imemc.org/article/59864

New Incursion By Israeli Troops Into Gaza

Israel has launched a ground incursion into the Gaza Strip with its forces advancing hundreds of meters into the east of the southern city of Khan Younis, Press TV reported on Wednesday.

http://www.imemc.org/article/59875

Worker shot by Israeli force in northern Gaza

GAZA CITY (Ma’an) — A Palestinian man was injured by Israeli fire on Wednesday while he collected scrap construction materials in northern Gaza near the Erez crossing. Gaza medical services spokesman Adham Abu Salmiya said a 28-year-old identified only by his initials YG was lightly injured and transferred to the Kamal Udwan Hospital for treatment.

http://www.maannews.net/eng/ViewDetails.aspx?ID=332543

Clashes Reported in East Jerusalem Neighborhood

Palestinian sources reported Tuesday that clashes took place between dozens of Palestinian residents and Israeli policemen in the eastern side of Al Esawiyya town, in occupied East Jerusalem. The town and nearby areas have been surrounded since three days.

http://www.imemc.org/article/59863

Two Palestinian workers wounded in IOF shelling

Two Palestinian workers were wounded on Tuesday when the Israeli occupation forces (IOF) fired an artillery shell at a group of workers collecting gravel south of Gaza Strip.

http://www.palestine-info.co.uk/En/default.aspx?x

Violent clashes between OJ citizens and Israeli security

Israeli occupation policemen stormed the Isawiye suburb in central occupied Jerusalem on Tuesday and provided protection for workers who were using cement cubes to close one of its entrances.

http://www.palestine-info.co.uk/En/default.aspx?xyz=U6Q

Israeli forces raid Jerusalem community center

JERUSALEM (Ma’an) — Israeli forces raided the Wadi Hilwa information center Tuesday in the flashpoint neighborhood of Silwan in occupied East Jerusalem. The forces claimed that the raid was due to illegal buildings linked to the center, Ma’an’s correspondent reported. Center director Jawad Siam said the forces took photographs, but did not mention the extensions to the building.

http://www.maannews.net/eng/ViewDetails.aspx?ID=332272

Detainees

IDF arrests Hamas lawmaker from the West Bank in pre-dawn raid

Mahmoud Ramahi had been previously arrested by Israel in 2006 after the capture of Gilad Shalit and released in 2009.

Police arrest seven in sweep of East Jerusalem neighborhood

Law enforcement operation in Issawiya follows a series of recent incidents in which Israeli vehicles were stoned in the neighborhood.

http://www.haaretz.com/news/national/police-arrest-seven-in-sweep-of-east-jerusalem-neighborhood-1.323965?localLinksEnabled=false

Arrests Campaign in Silwan and New Excavation in Hilweh Valley in East Jerusalem

Palestinian sources reported on Wednesday that Israeli soldiers abducted, after midnight, Muhammad Odeh, an owner of construction materials store, and requested Hammudeh Siyam, a shopkeeper to head to the nearest police station for questioning. Both are residents from the village of Silwan in the old city of Jerusalem.

http://www.imemc.org/article/59874

Soldiers Abduct Twelve Palestinians, Including PLC official, In The West Bank

Israeli soldiers abducted, on Wednesday at dawn, twelve Palestinians, including the assistant secretary-general of the Palestinian Legislative Council (PLC), in the occupied West Bank.

http://www.imemc.org/article/59869

Jaffa imam detained on security charges

Petah Tikva court extends remand of Mohammad Ayash, 30, by eight days.

http://www.haaretz.com/news/national/jaffa-imam-detained-on-security-charges-1.323981?localLinksEnabled=false

Israeli police interfere in repairs at Aqsa Mosque, detain three of its guards

The Israeli police detained three guards of the Aqsa Mosque after they prevented a group of settlers from making what they called repairs in the Islamic Khatuniya School at the Aqsa Mosque.

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

IOF soldiers detain eldest son of MP Halaika

Israeli occupation forces (IOF) broke into the house of MP Samira Al-Halaika and took away her eldest son Anas in a pre dawn raid on Wednesday, the MP said in a press release.

http://www.palestine-info.co.uk/En/default.aspx?xyz=U6Qq7k

They can’t stop them

No matter what they do, Israeli terrorists can’t stop Palestinian strugglers.

http://angryarab.blogspot.com/2010/11/they-cant-stop-them.html

Palestinian prisoners in Ramon jail on hunger strike after repressive acts

Ahrar center said the Palestinian prisoners in Ramon jail went on hunger strike after the prison administration sent military units to storm some sections and took punitive measures against detainees.

http://www.palestine-info.co.uk/En/default.aspx?xyz=U6Qq7

Shin Bet Mistreatment of Palestinian Detainees, Steve Lendman

An October B’Tselem/HaMoked, Center of the Defence of the Individual report, titled “Kept in the Dark: Treatment of Palestinian Detainees in the Petach-Tikva Interrogation Facility of the Israel Security Agency (Shin Bet)” is discussed below. Though, in some respects, treatment over the years has changed, it remains harsh, abusive, and in violation of international law, prohibiting all forms of torture and mistreatment at all times, under all conditions, with no allowed exceptions.

http://sjlendman.blogspot.com/2010/11/shin-bet-mistreatment-of-palestinian.html

Reprisals

Gaza militants launch bomb attack against IDF patrol

Two bombs explode as army convoy passes along Gaza border – no casualties reported.

http://www.haaretz.com/news/diplomacy-defense/gaza-militants-launch-bomb-attack-against-idf-patrol-1.323974?localLinksEnabled=false

Armed group says targeted Israeli bulldozer

GAZA CITY (Ma’an) — The armed wing of Islamic Jihad said its forces planted a landmine which exploded under an Israeli vehicle in the southern Gaza Strip on Wednesday. The Al-Quds Brigades said the operation, at 8:15 a.m., targeted a military bulldozer in Al-Qaraqa, east of Khan Younis, “to affirm the right of resistance to any Israeli aggression.”

http://www.maannews.net/eng/ViewDetails.aspx?ID=332639

Fatah

Fatah: Hamas security services are nothing more than ‘militias’

Senior Fatah official Azzam el-Ahmed lashes out at Hamas ahead of Fatah-Hamas reconciliation talks in Damascus this week.

http://www.haaretz.com/news/diplomacy-defense/fatah-hamas-security-services-are-nothing-more-than-militias-1.323834?localLinksEnabled=false

PA military court sentences two Hamas members to actual imprisonment

The Palestinian authority’s military court in Ariha (Jericho) city issued actual prison sentences against two Palestinian citizens affiliated with Hamas Movement.

http://www.palestine-info.co.uk/En/default.aspx?xyz=U6Qq7

Exclusive: IDF revives liaison position for peace talks

YAAKOV KATZ – J-Post – “Ahead of the prospect of peace talks with the Palestinian Authority picking up speed in the near future, Maj.-Gen. Eitan Dangot, Coordinator of Government Activities in the Territories (COGAT), has appointed a senior officer to serve as the military-civil body’s liaison to the negotiations.”

http://www.kibush.co.il/show_file.asp?num=43304

Hamas

Hamas bans Fatah event in Gaza

GAZA CITY (Ma’an) — Local authorities in the Gaza Strip banned the Fatah movement from holding a festival commemorating the death of Yasser Arafat, a senior party leader said Wednesday. Zakarya Al-Aga said Hamas police refused to approve a request for the event. Major Ayman Al-Batneejy, a police spokesman, said permission was denied on “security” grounds. Hamas “cherishes the memory of the late president as a great national figure,” he said, but the movement is afraid that “collaborators will take advantage of the event causing problems for both governments.”

http://www.maannews.net/eng/ViewDetails.aspx?ID=332722

Hamas visits families of Fatah affiliates killed in Gaza

GAZA CITY (Ma’an) — A delegation of Hamas leaders headed by Gaza’s Minister of Interior Fathi Abu Hammad visited families of slain members of Fatah’s military wing in the northern Strip on Wednesday.

http://www.maannews.net/eng/ViewDetails.aspx?ID=332635

Hamas Militia Blockades al-Aqsa University in Gaza, Kidnaps Students

Khan Yunes – PNN – On Wednesday afternoon a Hamas militia surrounded al-Aqsa University in the southern Gaza Strip city of Khan Yunes and kidnapped a number of students. Local source explained that militia brigades inspected students, circulated pictures of Yasser Arafat, and moved a number of students to an undisclosed location. This comes after Hamas blocked entrance to a number of Gaza Strip neighborhoods for the sixth anniversary of Arafat’s death. Hamas has ruled the coastal enclave since 2006. The story is developing.

http://english.pnn.ps/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=9125&Itemid=73

Targeting Fun in the Gaza Strip

For the few with money in the Gaza Strip, a new water park provided relief from monotony and widespread misery. Hamas, though, has now burned it down — and sent a message that even the elite must conform to the Islamists’ restrictive rules.

http://www.spiegel.de/international/world/0,1518,728138,00.html

Other Political “Developments”

Hamas, Fatah differ on obstacle to unity

Fatah and Hamas officials will meet Tuesday in Damascus for what observers say could be a landmark unity discussion, as delegates tackle the remaining obstacle to reconciliation, the re-forming of national security services. While parties appeared optimistic, statements differed over what remained to be resolved in talks.

http://www.maannews.net/eng/ViewDetails.aspx?ID=332139

Palestinian groups hold more reconciliation talks (Reuters)

Reuters – Representatives of the rival Hamas and Fatah groups met in the Syrian capital Damascus on Tuesday in a second round of talks designed to try and narrow divisions that have damaged the Palestinian cause.

http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/mideast/*http://news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20101110/wl_nm/us_palestinians_hamas_fatah

PIC: Abu Mujahid Says Israel’s Propaganda on Resistance is Addressed to the West

The spokesman for the popular resistance committees, Abu Mujahid, told the Palestinian Information Centre, on Tuesday night, that recent claims by the Israeli authorities about new attempts by the Palestinian resistance to capture more soldiers were directed at western countries.

http://www.imemc.org/article/59879

Obama sees “enormous obstacles” for Mideast peace (Reuters)

Reuters – The Middle East peace process faces “enormous obstacles” but the United States will do all it can to achieve a “just” outcome in talks between Israelis and Palestinians, President Barack Obama said on Wednesday.

http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/mideast/*http://news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20101110/pl_nm/us_mideast_obama

Livni: Two-state solution only way to keep Israel Jewish and democratic

In speech to General Assembly of Jewish Federations of North America, Kadima chief Tzipi Livni calls on world Jewry to support Israel in the fight against anti-Semitism and Iran.

http://www.haaretz.com/news/diplomacy-defense/livni-two-state-solution-only-way-to-keep-israel-jewish-and-democratic-1.323838?localLinksEnabled=false

Other News

Erdogan: Israel must apologize

In interview with France 24 Turkish prime minister calls on Israel to apologize, pay compensation for IDF flotilla raid before countries can begin to renegotiate ties. ‘Israel responsible for current state of relations,’ he says

http://www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7340,L-3982560,00.html

Ashkenazi: In a future war we’ll need to evacuate civilians

IDF Chief of General Staff says IDF is already working on target banks for future conflicts with Hamas, Hizbullah. Israel will have to evacuate civilian populations during a future conflict with Hamas in the Gaza Strip or Hizbullah in Lebanon, IDF Chief of General Staff Lt.-Gen. Gabi Ashkenazi said on Tuesday. “In the future, we will not meet the enemy on the traditional battlefield,” Ashkenazi said. “Hamas chooses to fight within an urban setting. It could have alternatively chosen to fight in the open areas.”

http://www.jpost.com/Israel/Article.aspx?id=194587&R=R2

IDF fears kidnapping attempt

Commanders brief soldiers on security protocols following recent military intelligence on intention to carry out soldier abductions.

http://www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7340,L-3982210,00.html

Kristallnacht anniversary: Controversial Jewish speaker sparks Jewish ire in Germany

Kristallnacht commemorations in Germany tonight will include a speech in Frankfurt by Alfred Grosser, a prominent Franco-German intellectual who escaped the Nazi regime in 1933 and has become a critic of Israel.

http://rss.csmonitor.com/%7Er/feeds/world/%7E3/7q5klOXUEuM/Kristallnacht-anniversary-Controversial-Jewish-speaker-sparks-Jewish-ire-in-Germany

17 arrested for stealing $42.5 million meant for Holocaust survivors

Individuals participated in fraud against the Claims Conference, which issues payments to Jewish Holocaust victims, by falsifying documents attesting to eligibility for Holocaust-related compensation.

http://www.haaretz.com/jewish-world/17-arrested-for-stealing-42-5-million-meant-for-holocaust-survivors-1.323840?localLinksEnabled=false

Treasury adviser: It’s irresponsible to have too many kids

Avi Simhon aroused firestorm at Sderot Conference on Social Issues by suggesting that main reason for poverty in Israel was irresponsible procreation.

http://www.haaretz.com/themarker/treasury-adviser-it-s-irresponsible-to-have-too-many-kids-1.323880?localLinksEnabled=false

Israeli cheaters

“But Israel’s biggest-selling daily, Yediot Ahronot, ran a large story on Friday, alleged the ICF failed to meet the requirement that all opponents be registered as chess federation members and have collected a minimum of 1,200 points. It said many of the opponents were pupils from a Tel Aviv junior high school, bussed to Tel Aviv’s Rabin Square, and quoted some of them as saying they knew little or close to nothing of chess.“

http://angryarab.blogspot.com/2010/11/israeli-cheaters.html

Headdress, radio, holy book help tell Arafat story (AP)

AP – Yasser Arafat had a knack for turning ordinary objects into symbols, including the black-and-white checkered headdress that came to represent the Palestinian quest for a homeland.

http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/mideast/*http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20101109/ap_on_re_mi_ea/ml_arafat_s_artifacts

Analysis/Op-ed/Human Interest

Is Palestine America’s Next Vietnam?, Ira Chernus and Tom Engelhardt

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu hasn’t been alone in playing for time when it comes to American policy, that’s for sure. (Think, for instance, of our Afghan War commander Gen. David Petraeus.) But Netanyahu played out the pre-election months with some skill and much shuffling of feet, as he officially pondered Obama administration proposals to reinstitute a settlements freeze in return for copious concessions. All the while, of course, West Bank building has been ramping up, as the 2010 elections crept ever closer. Now, it’s happened and let’s be blunt: it’s a good moment for him and his policies – in Washington. The new crew of Republicans who were swept into Congress seem to consider fealty to him and his right-wing government the sine qua non of political life.

http://original.antiwar.com/engelhardt/2010/11/09/is-palestine-americas-next-vietnam/

Biden is Not Taking It Personally, Belen Fernandez

I sometimes worry about Philip J. Crowley, assistant secretary for the U.S. State Department’s Bureau of Public Affairs and emcee of the department’s Daily Press Briefings. Do his work habits adversely affect his behavior outside the office? For example, when asked at the supermarket whether he would prefer paper or plastic, does he say it’s too early to tell and revert to a discussion of U.S. commitment to direct negotiations between Israelis and Palestinians?

http://palestinechronicle.com/view_article_details.php?id=16401

De Gaulle/Arafat, Philip Weiss

The latest London Review of Books has a wonderful piece by Jeremy Harding reviewing two biographies of Charles De Gaulle. It is easy to admire De Gaulle now as a great leader and supporter of decolonization; what I never knew was how difficult was De Gaulle’s rise. The Allied powers looked on the French resistance with great suspicion, and on De Gaulle as a headstrong nationalist believer with too much charisma. Roosevelt and Churchill sought to displace him with more pliable types. And De Gaulle struggled to unify the resistance– indeed to build an idea of French identity.

http://mondoweiss.net/2010/11/de-gaullearafat.html

My meeting with Henry Waxman, Brian Van Slyke

Disclaimer: I wrote the following a couple of hours after my encounter with Congressman Henry Waxman today. This is not verbatim, it is not a transcript, but it is my recollection of the conversation. I’ve kept in everything from our discussion as I remembered it – including the things I said that could have been much better.

http://mondoweiss.net/2010/11/my-meeting-with-henry-waxman.html

The internet broke the third rail for Walt and Mearsheimer, Philip Weiss

It is testament to the strength of the U.S. discourse that nearly 5 years on, Walt and Mearsheimer keep on tickin. I know I say our politics are broken all the time, and they are broken, but as Mearsheimer himself has said, the internet has been a game-changer, and these men have been given oxygen by the internet. Given international oxygen, actually; though it has served the American discourse.

http://mondoweiss.net/2010/11/the-internet-broke-the-third-rail-for-walt-and-mearsheimer.html

The Weight of a City, Michael Khaled

When I decided years ago to leave my home in America after graduating to come to Palestine and start my career here, my family was less than thrilled. Not only was I moving too far away, but to a place torn apart by generations of conflict. When one of my uncles heard the news, he asked me where I wanted to live, and I have to admit, I hadn’t given it much thought at the time so I just blurted the first city that came to mind: Jerusalem.

http://www.miftah.org/Display.cfm?DocId=22805&CategoryId=13

The fight has broken out inside the Jewish family, Philip Weiss

The news from the Jewish Federations’ General Assembly in New Orleans is important. I announce landmarks every 100 yards, but this is a big one. The significance of the event is that several young Jews calling themselves proud Jews took Palestinian solidarity into the Jewish family and made trouble with an explosive disruption of rightwinger Netanyahu’s speech. These Jews were brave and surely inspired by the countless brave Palestinians who have taken far greater risks in the occupied territories. But they said, this is our place to voice our anger, an official Jewish space. We are part of the Jewish community. Deal. And the official community responded with rage and violence.

http://mondoweiss.net/2010/11/the-fight-has-broken-out-inside-the-jewish-family.html

Speaking out on Kashmir and Palestine in the US

The United States has become a battleground for both the struggles of the peoples of Palestine and Kashmir, for freedom from military occupation and for justice. Awareness amongst the US public is broadened as the repression of both struggles grows ever more violent, and meanwhile those wishing to stifle debate on these issues in the US resort to harassment and intimidation.

http://electronicintifada.net/v2/article11615.shtml?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+electronicIntifadaPalestine+%28Electronic+Intifada+%3A+Palestine+News%29

Netanyahu: Intellectual Father of the ‘War on Terror’, Thomas Harrington

“The Israel connection is significant because Israel has long been at the heart of America’s foreign policy woes. America’s misguided war on terror is in fact a complete adoption of Israeli security paradigms without any regard for the actual threats that confront the U.S., making Israel’s many enemies also the foes of Washington. The Israeli Lobby might not have singlehandedly brought about the disastrous Iraq war, but it certainly was a major factor in the push to invade, taking its cues from the Israeli Foreign Ministry.”

http://original.antiwar.com/thomas-harrington/2010/11/09/netanyahu-intellectual-father/

Sisyphus in the South Hebron hills, David Shulman

Another good day, as good days go in south Hebron. This means two relatively hopeful reports in a row; my readers may begin to lose interest, or to suspect my judgment has somehow become impaired. Certainly, the objective situation, including much violence and terror on the ground in south Hebron, is worse than ever, given this settlers’ government that is contemptuous of Palestinians, blind to the catastrophe that it itself is creating, and utterly unwilling to make even the slightest move toward peace. Then there’s the virulently anti-democratic right, well represented in the government by the Foreign Minister and others of his ilk from the Israel Beitenu party; they, together with other members of the Knesset from the far and not-so-far right, have initiated an unprecedented wave of racist and chauvinist legislation (you can find the whole list in Neve Gordon’s recent essay on “Thought Crimes” in the London Review of Books). If you want to know what it feels like to see the country you live in slide, day by day, toward a rabid, ruthless authoritarianism, or worse—invidious comparisons are ready at hand– all you have to do is read the Israeli newspapers. Nearly every day we wake to another new and terrible surprise.

http://mondoweiss.net/2010/11/sisyphus-in-the-south-hebron-hills.html

The Oslo Virus and the Struggle for Bantustans, Haidar Eid – Gaza

In ‘The Music of the Violin,’ a short story by South African writer Njabulo Ndebele, one of the characters comments on the ‘concessions’ made by the apartheid regime to the indigenous people: “That’s how it is planned. That we be given a little of everything, and so prize the little we have that we forget about freedom.” This is what the endless “peace process” looks like seen from Gaza, where we live under a four-year-old Israeli siege. We pass the time struggling to survive, wondering if this is the day an air strike will take away our life, our loved ones or our home.

http://palestinechronicle.com/view_article_details.php?id=16404

Heads Or Tails, One Or Two-State Solution, Mitri I. Musleh

Now that the US midterm election has passed, President Obama may have a chance to pay more attention to the Palestinian/Israeli problem. The challenges facing President Obama have not changed. The Palestinian leadership remains divided, unproductive and out of touch with the facts on the grounds and the Palestinian populace. The Israeli leadership remains committed to the Zionist plan of establishing the Greater Israel and has turned a deaf ear to any country in the world that opposes this vision. Further, the Israeli leadership is going ahead with its plan regardless whether the Palestinians decide to continue or discontinue the direct talks.

http://english.pnn.ps/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=9114&Itemid=58

Waiting for Godot in Palestine, NICOLA NASSER

The statement by former U.S. President George W. Bush in his 497 – page memoir of “Decision Points” that a secret peace deal was worked out between the then-prime minister of Israel, Ehud Olmert, and Palestinian President, Mahmoud Abbas, which “we devised a process to turn .. into a public agreement” had not Olmert been ousted by a scandal to be replaced in the following elections by Binyamin Netanyahu, who reneged on his predecessor’s commitments, is a piece of history which highlights the fact that peace making in the Arab – Israeli conflict and the peace process have been hostages to the rotating U.S. and Israeli elections since the Madrid peace conference of 1991.

http://www.counterpunch.com/nasser11102010.html

Separation Without Separating — A Friendly Divorce for Palestine and Israel

On the Palestinian side, leaders over the last couple of decades, explicitly or inadvertently, made Israelis and Americans believe that they can negotiate away the Palestinian right of return, in return for financial compensation and concessions over Jerusalem. While some Palestinian leaders might believe they can do so (and Israelis and others could not be happier about that), political realities suggests otherwise. The Palestinian people, especially those living in refugee camps, as well as others in the diaspora, are not likely to accept such a concession on their behalf, by leaders who do not represent them and do not have the authority to strip away their rights.

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/amjad-atallah/separation-without-separa_b_781097.html

How to Anger the Pro-Israel Lobby, Stuart Littlewood

To their eternal shame, Western churchmen seem to care little about the plight of their brothers and sisters in the Holy Land or the fate of the holy places where Christianity was born. There are, of course, honourable exceptions. One such is the Archbishop of Wales, the Most Rev Dr Barry Morgan, whose church has provided Palestinians in Gaza with a mobile dental unit. He is not best pleased that the Israelis make it difficult to obtain fuel and medical supplies for it, and he didn’t mince his words when recently reporting to the Church’s governing body how things really are in Gaza.

http://palestinechronicle.com/view_article_details.php?id=16402

The mighty march of progress: British war graves in Gaza, Jared Malsin

ZAWAYDA, Gaza (Ma’an) — The Gaza War Cemetery is a slightly parched but still green oasis in an otherwise run-down neighborhood on the eastern edge of Gaza City. Inside a leafy compound, underneath rows of white marble gravestones, lie more than 3,500 mainly British and Commonwealth soldiers killed in two world wars. Aside from the British there are Australians, Poles, Canadians, Greeks, two dozen Indian Muslim soldiers, and some 700 Turks.

http://www.maannews.net/eng/ViewDetails.aspx?ID=332413

Outrage, Misguided, Noam Chomsky

People rightly want answers, and they are not getting them except from voices that tell tales that have some internal coherence—if you suspend disbelief. The U.S. midterm elections register a level of anger, fear and disillusionment in the country like nothing I can recall in my lifetime. Since the Democrats are in power, they bear the brunt of the revulsion over our current socioeconomic and political situation. More than half the “mainstream Americans” in a Rasmussen poll last month said they view the Tea Party movement favorably—a reflection of the spirit of disenchantment.

http://www.inthesetimes.com/article/6615/outrage_misguided/

Nir Rosen on “Aftermath: Following the Bloodshed of America’s Wars in the Muslim World”

Independent journalist Nir Rosen has been covering the Middle East since the US invasion of Iraq in 2003. In his new book, Aftermath: Following the Bloodshed of America’s Wars in the Muslim World, Rosen writes in length about Iraq, the US occupation, the civil war, and how the war affected the broader Middle East, from Jordan to Syria to Lebanon. Rosen also write about Afghanistan, and his time unembedded with the Taliban, as well as the role of independent media and the failures of the US press.

http://www.democracynow.org/2010/11/10/nir_rosen_on_aftermath_following_the

Take note of Arab youth activism, Rami G. Khouri

In the past few weeks I have had the pleasant and instructive experience of mixing with hundreds of mostly young Arabs at events in Doha, Dubai and Beirut that were related in one way or another to a fascinating new wave that seems to be gaining momentum as it moves across the region: entrepreneurship. This is a reason for both hope and concern, because entrepreneurship could either turn out to be a great boost that shatters old ways and propels a tired Arab world forward, or it could be another false hope that is unrealistically burdened with more expectations than it can handle.

http://www.dailystar.com.lb/article.asp?edition_id=10&categ_id=5&article_id=121385#axzz14qYq1AsL

Multi-Billion-Dollar Arms Deals Could Haunt U.S., Thalif Deen

UNITED NATIONS, Nov 9, 2010 (IPS) – When the Shah of Iran, a strongly pro-U.S. ally, was ousted from power after the Islamic Revolution in 1979, the stridently anti-U.S. regime of Ayatollah Khomeini that captured power also inherited a military bonanza: billions of dollars worth of state-of-the-art weapons provided by the United States.

http://ipsnews.net/news.asp?idnews=53502

What Laila Sees, David Smith-Ferri

Kabul, Afghanistan – “We live in constant fear of suicide attacks,” said Laila, an Afghan woman who lives in Kandahar city and who visited with us yesterday. “When will the next one strike and where?” “Twelve days ago,” she continued, “a good friend was walking home from the mosque. A four-minute walk. An IED was detonated, and my friend lost half his face. Another man lost his leg, and his son lost his leg, too. We live with that kind of uncertainty, when you don’t know what is going to happen from one moment to the next.”

http://original.antiwar.com/david-smith-ferri/2010/11/09/what-laila-sees/

Obama’s Fake Muslim Outreach, Stephen Lendman

While slaughtering Muslims abroad, supporting Israeli’s illegal occupation and genocidal Gaza siege, as well as waging domestic war on Islam, Reuters, on November 9, headlined, “Obama says US earnest, reaching out to Muslim world,” saying: From Indonesia, the world’s largest Muslim country, “President Barack Obama said Tuesday that Washington’s effort to reach out to the Muslim world was earnest and would help improve security, although he acknowledged that there was still more work to do.”

http://sjlendman.blogspot.com/2010/11/obamas-fake-muslim-outreach.html

George Bush’s “all-time low”

He’s got to be joking, right? No, he isn’t. It’s been nearly two years since he left the White House with the lowest domestic and global approval ratings of any US president in living memory. But, it seems, we still can’t get enough of George W. Bush. This morning’s papers lead with extracts, snippets and lines from Bush’s new memoir, Decision Points. The Times (£) is serialising the book and has an exclusive interview with “The Decider” himself. The Guardian’s front page focuses on how Bush instructed the Pentagon “to draw up plans to attack Iran”. The Indy, oddly, leads with a review of the book from the New York Times’s chief literary critic, Michiko Kakutani.

http://www.newstatesman.com/blogs/mehdi-hasan/2010/11/george-bush-iraq-low

You’d have to give Chris Matthews sodium pentathol to find out why we invaded Iraq, Philip Weiss

This is mind-numbing. Last night on Hardball, Chris Matthews interviewed Joseph Wilson, Michael Isikoff, David Corn and Thomas DeFrank about Bush’s memoir. They harped on a lie in the book: Bush’s claim that he was upset when he learned that there were no WMDs in Iraq. As if he were surprised. But as Matthews pointed out, and the guests agreed, that’s not why we went to war. WMD was merely how the project was sold. And for 15 minutes or so Matthews railed about wanting to know the reasons that we went to war. He walked up to the edge. He mentioned neoconservatives, and he mentioned all the Middle East experts who surrounded Bush when he himself knew nothing about the Middle East. But as to the reasons why, he left a complete blank, and it was left to Joseph Wilson to offer his own estimate of why: because we wanted to change the politics of the Middle East, we wanted to bring democracy to the Middle East. The neoconservative lines. Yes and why did they undertake this project?

http://mondoweiss.net/2010/11/youd-have-to-give-chris-matthews-sodium-pentathol-to-find-out-why-we-invaded-iraq.html

Lebanon

Yes, you can rely on Israeli military propagandists to learn about private deliberations between Hizbullah and Hamas: how dumb those Israeli propagandists are

“Hamas asked Hezbollah to fire rockets on northern Israel during Operation Cast Lead, but the Lebanese militant group refused, Maj. Gen. (res. ) Dan Harel said on Tuesday.”

http://angryarab.blogspot.com/2010/11/yes-you-can-rely-on-israeli-military.html

Israel: Hezbollah, Syria, Iran Likely Involved in Hariri’s Murder

09/11/2010 As the countdown has started before the “politicized” final indictment in the assassination of former Prime Minister Rafiq Hariri be released, Israeli media is insisting to “uncover” the “secret” details of the indictment. On Tuesday, Israeli daily Yedihot Ahronot reported that the indictment would include Hezbollah as well as a number of Syrian and Iranian officials. The Israeli daily quoted experts inside and outside the occupied territories who are following up on the Hariri murder case as saying that Syrian President Bashar Assad’s son-in-law Assef Shawkat is reportedly involved in Hariri’s 2005 assassination and that he would likely to be summoned for trial by the Special Tribunal for Lebanon.

http://almanar.com.lb/NewsSite/NewsDetails.aspx?id=161648&language=en

Iraq

Bombs kill 4, wound 19 in Baghdad’s Christian areas

The 11 roadside explosives are detonated less than two weeks after an attack on a church. A string of bombings targeting Baghdad’s Christian community killed at least four people and wounded 19 others Wednesday, officials said, less than two weeks after a bloody siege at a Baghdad church left scores dead.

http://feeds.latimes.com/%7Er/latimes/middleeast/%7E3/0P7BtLYtAT4/la-fgw-iraq-christian-20101110,0,7073426.story

Iraq bombings target Christian houses

A series of attacks targeted on Wednesday morning houses of Christians in different regions of the capital Baghdad. Two roadside bombs near the house of two Christians in Zayouna, eastern Baghdad, detonated causing damages to the targeted house, a security source told Alsumaria News.

http://www.alsumaria.tv/en/Iraq-News/1-56258-Iraq-bombings-target-Christian-houses.html

Tuesday: 4 Iraqis Killed, 18 Wounded

At least six Iraqis were killed and 18 more were wounded in light violence. Security was tightened around some locations following a particularly bloody day in southern Iraq yesterday. Meanwhile, U.S. Defense Secretary Robert Gates said the United States could keep troops in Iraq beyond a 2011 deadline if Iraqis make the request. Also, Three British soldiers were referred to a prosecutor and could face a war crimes trial over allegations they abused Iraqi detainees.

http://original.antiwar.com/updates/2010/11/09/tuesday-4-iraqis-killed-18-wounded/

NCCI Exclusive Interview at the Center for Victims of Torture: Providing Mental Health Services and Support to Iraqi Refugees

While human rights groups draw attention to torture and other violations in Iraqi prisons, the necessity of providing mental health services and other resources for victims of torture is generally overlooked. The NGO Coordination Committee for Iraq (NCCI) spoke with representatives at the Amman branch of the Center for Victims of Torture (http//www.cvt.org) about its role as a non-profit, mental health services provider for Iraqi survivors of torture and trauma who currently live in Jordan as refugees.

http://www.reliefweb.int/rw/rwb.nsf/db900SID/MDCS-8B3HYT?OpenDocument&RSS20=02-P

Iraq PM Maliki likely to win support for second term

BAGHDAD (Reuters) – Iraqi Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki appeared likely to win a second term, breaking an eight-month deadlock over a new government, after winning support on Wednesday from members of the main factions.

http://www.reuters.com/article/idUSTRE6A92ZS20101110

U.S. calls for Iraqi president to step down

“We’ve been under tremendous pressure by the Americans in … clearly asking President Talabani to step down,” said a Kurdish source close to the talks. He said both President Obama and Vice President Joe Biden have asked Talabani to step aside in recent phone calls.

http://www.mcclatchydc.com/2010/11/08/103383/us-calls-for-iraqi-president-to.html

Iraqi reconstruction a sham – former contractor

O’Brien worked as a US Department of Defense contractor in Iraq as an advisor to the Iraqi Ministry of Defense, advising on infrastructure issues.

http://rt.com/usa/news/iraq-reconstruction-failure-usa/

Iraqis decry soaring deadlock costs

Iraqis frustrated by party leaders’ failure to form a unity government after eight months of political deadlock, have staged a massive rally in Baghdad, calling on officials to speed up the process of reaching a power-sharing deal. Much of the public anger stems from soaring economic costs the country accrued since March’s general elections failed to yield a leadership because not a single bloc won enough seats. Many complain that the impasse has caused a standstill in the country, freezing job growth and public services. They also say officials’ salaries, which are many times more than the average Iraqi’s pay, are a major waste of money. Rawya Rageh reports from Baghdad. [November 9, 2010]

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

PM cautions against open door to Iraq Christian immigration

BAGHDAD — Iraq’s prime minister on Tuesday cautioned other countries not to encourage Christians to abandon their homeland, after France took in dozens of people wounded in a bloodbath at a Baghdad church. In the latest attacks on the minority community, meanwhile, three homes in the Mansur district of western Baghdad belonging to Christians were firebombed without causing any casualties, an interior ministry source said.

http://www.google.com/hostednews/afp/article/ALeqM5i7UnCGkDgkqskzrvZ5cS9HO5oy4A?docId=CNG.484ab5331fa20716a96f97d055e68940.531

How an Iraqi Christian school became 82 percent Muslim

Sectarian violence and a Christian exodus has left Baghdad’s St. Elia Catholic school largely surrounded by Muslims, who were drawn to the school’s no-hitting rule.

http://rss.csmonitor.com/%7Er/feeds/world/%7E3/JAeOv9Dse6k/How-an-Iraqi-Christian-school-became-82-percent-Muslim

The Ancient World | Mesopotamia

We look to Greece and Rome for the roots of the modern world. But, as Michael Wood reminds us, civilised life in Iraq began 4,000 years earlier. Driving north out of Samawa towards Baghdad, a short way beyond the Euphrates bridge, a tarmac track leaves the main road, heading eastwards into a scarred, dun-coloured wasteland. Soon you enter the real desert, swept by sandstorms. Then, after 60km or so, a haunting scene unfolds.

http://www.guardian.co.uk/culture/2010/nov/10/ancient-world-mesopotamia

U.S. & Other World News

“War Torn: 1861 – 2010” – New Doc Chronicles Post Traumatic Stress Disorder From Civil War to Iraq & Afghanistan

A new documentary, “War Torn: 1861–2010,” airing on HBO on Veterans Day chronicles the lingering effects of war on military veterans throughout American history, from the Civil War through today’s conflicts in Iraq and Afghanistan. We speak with the filmmakers, Jon Alpert and Matt O’Neil and with the parents of two soldiers who committed suicide after coming home from Iraq.

http://www.democracynow.org/2010/11/10/war_torn_1861_2010_new_doc

US says it has legal authority to kill American-born Anwar al-Awlaki

An ACLU lawsuit is challenging the legality of including Anwar al-Awlaki on a secret ‘kill list.’ The US says killing the cleric, an Al Qaeda member, would safeguard national security.

http://www.csmonitor.com/USA/Justice/2010/1108/US-says-it-has-legal-authority-to-kill-American-born-Anwar-al-Awlaki

Iran hawks step up pressure on Obama — some see echoes of Iraq

Emboldened by President Obama’s political struggles, foreign-policy hard-liners are stepping up efforts to press the administration to take a tougher stance — and perhaps even launch an attack — on Iran.

http://news.yahoo.com/s/yblog_upshot/iran-hawks-step-up-pressure-on-obama-some-see-echoes-of-iraq/print

Human Rights Watch US: Torture Should Not Go Unpunished

(New York) – The US government is wrong to not criminally prosecute CIA officials who destroyed evidence of torture, Human Rights Watch said today. The televised statements of former President George W. Bush acknowledging his personal responsibility for ordering torture demonstrate the need for the Obama administration to pursue prosecutions of senior US officials responsible for planning and authorizing the torture and ill-treatment of detainees, Human Rights Watch said.

Acting US Attorney John Durham, who is also in charge of an ongoing investigation into improper interrogations of detainees, announced today that he would not pursue criminal charges for the destruction of CIA videotapes showing interrogations of terrorism suspects.

http://www.alertnet.org/thenews/newsdesk/HRW/272c90cd5cd23ef6a39c4c033697cfa6.htm

Waterboarding is torture, Downing Street confirms

No 10 dismisses George Bush’s claim in his memoirs that interrogation technique is legal and helped foil attacks on Heathrow and Canary Wharf.

http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2010/nov/09/george-bush-memoirs-waterboarding

Waterboarding Is No Basis for Truth

George W Bush has resorted to the most obvious and, he apparently believes, convincing, defence of torture – namely, that it has saved lives.

http://www.guardian.co.uk/commentisfree/libertycentral/2010/nov/09/george-bush-waterboarding-torture

Bush book defends waterboarding

George Bush, the former US president, has reopened the debate on the legality of the use of torture in his newly published book Decision Points, in which he defends his “war on terror” in Afghanistan and the decision to invade Iraq. Bush says interrogation techniques like waterboarding have helped save lives in the US and UK by exposing leading members of al-Qaeda. In response, the British government, a key US ally in the wars, has reinforced its position against any form or use of torture. Laurence Lee reports from London. [November 9, 2010]

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

George W. Bush praises President Obama’s Afghanistan surge

He expresses gratitude that Obama “stood up to critics by deploying more troops, announcing a new commitment to counterinsurgency in Afghanistan, and increasing the pressure on Pakistan to fight the extremists in the tribal areas.”

http://www.politico.com/news/stories/1110/44783.html

Obama Lawyers Defend ‘Kill Lists’, William Fisher

Lawyers for the Barack Obama administration told a federal judge Monday that the U.S. government has authority to kill U.S. citizens whom the executive branch has unilaterally determined pose a threat to national security. That claim came in federal court in Washington, D.C., in response to a lawsuit brought by the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) and the Center for Constitutional Rights (CCR). The two human rights legal advocacy organizations contend that the administration’s so-called “targeted killing authority” violates the constitution and international law.

http://original.antiwar.com/fisher/2010/11/09/obama-lawyers-defend-kill-lists/

Bush book sheds light on Israeli strike on Syria (AP)

AP – Former President George W. Bush confirms in his memoir that the target of a 2007 Israeli airstrike was a Syrian nuclear reactor and suggests he quietly approved — a revelation with special relevance at a time when Israel is calling for a “military option” against Iran’s nuclear program.

http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/mideast/*http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20101109/ap_on_re_mi_ea/ml_israel_bush_memoir

Muslims say Obama failing to keep Cairo promises (Reuters)

Reuters – President Barack Obama’s pledge on Wednesday to strive for better relations with the Muslim world drew skepticism in Cairo, where last year he called for a new beginning in the Middle East after years of mistrust.

http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/mideast/*http://news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20101110/wl_nm/us_indonesia_obama_mideast

Muslim Americans Foil Terror Threats, William Fisher

A new report on violent extremists in the United States finds that terrorism plots by non-Muslims greatly outnumber those attempted by Muslims, and that Muslim-American communities helped foil close to a third of al-Qaeda-related terror plots threatening the country since Sept. 11, 2001. The report comes from the Muslim Public Affairs Council (MPAC), a not-for-profit organization advocating for the civil rights of American Muslims. It consists largely of MPAC’s “Post-9/11 Terrorism Incident Database.”

http://original.antiwar.com/fisher/2010/11/09/muslim-americans-foil-terror-threats/

Jordanians vote in polls boycotted by Islamic opposition

AMMAN, Jordan (AFP) — Jordanians turned out in force on Tuesday for an election likely to produce MPs with tribal links and loyal to a government that faces little challenge after opposition Islamists pulled out. Polls closed at 7:00 p.m., and senior election official Saad Shehab announced that turnout had reached 53 percent. The vote came as Jordan faces an economic crisis with a record budget deficit of $2 billion (€1.44 billion) and a foreign debt of $11 billion, or nearly 60 percent of GDP.

http://www.maannews.net/eng/ViewDetails.aspx?ID=332436

Egypt rights groups say fair November election unlikely

CAIRO (AFP) — A coalition of Egyptian rights groups said Tuesday that a government crackdown on opposition candidates will prevent a fair parliamentary election later this month. The Forum of Independent Human Rights Organisations charged in a press conference that violations in the poll, which will be held on 28 November, “started early for these elections.” Gamal Eid, the director of the Arab Network for Human Rights Information, noted in particular the broad powers granted to the interior ministry and “restrictions on independent candidates belonging to the Muslim Brotherhood and those who splintered from the National Democratic Party.”

http://www.maannews.net/eng/ViewDetails.aspx?ID=332414

Bahraini Blogger Ali Abdelemam

Rasha sent me this: I cite with her permission): ”I just wanted to bring to your attention the case of Ali Abdelemam. He is a bahraini blogger and the moderator of the now banned Bahrain Online which is a chat room which is viewed by the Bahraini government as being anti-government. Nothing on Bahrain Online is censored and it became so important in bahrain that many ministers and government officials would get their news from there. Ali Abdelemam is now being charged under the Bahraini governments “anti-terrorism” laws. Before the trial, he was detained without access to counsel. There is also evidence that he has been tortured by bahraini authorities. The trial is closed to all the media. No one has any idea what’s going on. The bahraini government has basically gone crazy. Of course this isn’t unexpected. After nearly a decade of liberalization, they are arresting people left and right and accusing prominent opposition figures of terrorism. 22 have been arrested so far and we expect many more. Bahrain is definitely regressing. Before no one was scared of the government and we said whatever we wanted. Now my parents refuse to talk about the situation on the phone. My friends on facebook are silent about the situation. My mother who was visiting me in the US warned me about posting any anti-government articles on facebook. People are scared.” Here’s a link to a blog about Ali Abdelemam as well as a wall street journal article on him.”

http://angryarab.blogspot.com/2010/11/bahraini-blogger-ali-abdelemam.html

‘Gay’ Saudi prison video on YouTube gets man extra five years

RIYADH: A Saudi man already jailed for alleged homosexuality was sentenced to five more years after appearing in a YouTube video of allegedly gay men inside a Saudi prison, a newspaper said Tuesday.The unidentified 27-year-old man was convicted by a Jeddah judge “for crimes including homosexuality, imitating women, and possessing pornographic video clips.

http://www.dailystar.com.lb/article.asp?edition_id=10&categ_id=2&article_id=121358

www.TheHeadlines.org