Settlers set wheat fields on
fire WAFA - In the latest
of numerous such incidents, a group of settlers set fire to wheat
fields in the town of Beit Furik, east of Nablus, and prevented
Palestinians from putting down the fire. Earlier, settlers set fire
to another wheat field in the same area - in this case in the
village of Qaryut. ak
Marwan Barghouthi from
prison: any talk of modifications on the 1967 borders must be
rejectedSaed Bannoura -
IMEMC - While calling on the Palestinian people to unite, Barghouti
said that the Palestinians must reject all attempts that aim at
forcing them to abandon their legitimate rights, to insist on a full
and comprehensive Israeli withdrawal from all of the Palestinian
territories Israel occupied in 1967, including Jerusalem, to ensure
the full implementation of resolution 194, and the liberation of all
detainees. bz
Noa, Jerusalem Day and a
life of hatred inside a bunkerAdam Keller - Gush Shalom - Last week, we called upon
the singer Ahinoam �Noa� Nini to cancel her performance in the
"Jerusalem Day" ceremonies. Nini did not react to our request, but
we did get a reply from her manager, Ofer Pesenzon - to which we
replied, see the whole correspondence.
PA to stop paying Israeli
prisoner fines in JuneMa`an
- Issa Qaraqe, Minister of Prisoners` Affairs, said that on June 1
The Palestinian Authority will stop paying fines imposed by Israel
on Palestinian detainees, since "Paying the fines is theft and
illegal economic plunder, which funds the Israeli occupation".
However, relatives of prisoners criticized the move. "This decision
is disastrous," said the wife of prisoner Ahmad al-Mughrabi, from
Duheisha refugee camp in Bethlehem. ak
Norman Finkelstein bids
farewell to Israel bashingNatasha Mozgovaya - Haaretz - "If you go on college
campuses, there are some Hillel faithfuls who are bringing an IDF
soldier to try to explain that not all IDF soldiers are war
criminals. And when the soldier starts to speak, many people stand
up and walk out. "They`ve lost the battle for public opinion," he
says. "They claim it`s because American Jews know too little - I
claim it`s because they know too much about the conflict, and young
liberal Jews have difficulty defending the use of cluster bombs in
Lebanon or supporting the Israeli settlements. I was bashing Israel
in the past because nobody else was exposing its true record. Many
people are doing it now, so I switched hats from a critic of Israel
to a diplomat who wants to resolve the conflict. bz
`A status quo of occupation,
violence, and paralyzing fear is not what we want to live
with`One Voice Movement -
Some of Malaka Samara�s family members were jailed, others killed,
during both of the Palestinian intifadas. Elanit Green�s mother was
very near the site of a suicide attack in southern Israel and
survived by a very narrow chance. Now, the two women toured New York
City and Southern California, telling packed audiences that .the
status quo � occupation, violence, and paralyzing fear � is not what
they want to live with. ak
Israel, Assad, and the
worldYacov Ben Efrat -
Challenge - The Israeli bombardment does not contribute to regional
stability, nor even to the security of Israel itself. It is the
latest chapter in a lengthy process, which began when Israel stuck
its hand into strife-ridden Lebanon in the early 1980`s, supporting
the Maronites, an act that would spawn the Hezbollah and years of
bloodshed. bz
`E. J`lem building plan
delayed for sensitivity`Jpost.com - Tenders to build 1,500 units in the Ramat
Shlomo neighborhood of east Jerusalem have been delayed by at least
three weeks. Senior officials said that the Interior Ministry
supervisor responsible for the process received instruction from the
Prime Minister`s Office not the approve the plan due to "political
sensitivity," according to Army Radio. Ramat Shlomo is one of five
Jerusalem ring neighborhoods, along with Gilo, Ramot, Pisgat Zev,
and East Talpiyot, which are located across the 1967 Green Line.
bz
State to court: IDF to halt
use of phosphorous shellsAviel Magnezi - Ynet - In response to petition filed by
human rights group, army says will use incendiary munitions in urban
areas only in `extreme cases.` Yesh Gvul: IDF`s position proves use
of phosphorous shells during 2009 Gaza op was `illegal, immoral`
bz
Selection from earlier
days
Missing from the Arab peace
plan: an Israeli partner Jonathan Cook - UAE The Nation - Already in 1973, a few
weeks after the end of the Yom Kippur War, the Arab League quietly
offered Israel a regional peace agreement that would recognise its
pre-1967 borders. But the Arab states were rebuffed. Israel`s
obduracy was confirmed in last month`s disclosure by WikiLeaks of
classified US diplomatic cables from that period. The cables
describe Israel as hellbent on self-destruction, suffering, in the
words of US officials, from a "Masada or Samson complex".
VIDEO: Jerusalem day
clashes: chasing away reality Lea Frehse, Johanna Wagman - AIC - This year�s major
Palestinian counter-demonstration in front of the Old City`s
Damascus Gate was violently dispersed by police before thousands of
Israeli religious nationalists paraded also this year through the
area [see for yourself on the video]. 21 Palestinians were arrested,
amongst them minors. Police barriers shut the area off to residents.
bz
The Government Approves 296 Units in Beit El.
The so-called restrain on settlements was only in
tenders.Hagit Ofran - Peace
Now Settlement Watch - It is true that since the establishment of
the Government there were no new tenders published, but tenders are
only a small part of the approvals of the construction. Only part of
the construction in settlements needs to go through tenders, in most
of the settlements, usually the smaller ones, such as Beit El, the
construction may start directly after the approval of the plan with
no need for a tender. bz
Israel Demolishes Al-Araqeeb Village In The
Negev Saed Bannoura - IMEMC "Thursday May
9 2013, for the fiftieth time in two years, the Israeli Authorities
demolished the Bedouin Arab village of Al-Araqeeb, in the Negev,
displacing dozens of families as part of the so-called �Negev
Development Plan� that aims at building shopping centers and Jewish
communities." ca
Palestinians struggle to remain in
`unified` Jerusalem Mya Guarnieri - +972
"Residents pay taxes to the Jerusalem Municipality but receive far
fewer services than the neighboring Jewish districts of Jerusalem.
While Palestinians constitute approximately 35 percent of the city�s
population, only eight to ten percent of the municipal budget is
allocated to their communities. �We have to hire someone to come and
take [the garbage] because the city won�t come,� Amira says. �They
will pick up everything on the main street but not behind it.�
ca
Stephen Hawking`s message to Israeli
elites: The occupation has a price Noam
Sheizaf - +972 "By choosing to avoid the Presidential Conference �
an annual meeting of Israeli generals, politicians and business
elites with their international fans, Prof. Hawking reminds that the
occupation cannot be forgotten or avoided. A response to Haaretz�s
Carlo Strenger." ca By Noam Sheizaf
Israel okays new settler homes near
Ramallah Al-Jazeera - AFP "Israel has
given the go-ahead to build nearly 300 houses in a settlement near
the occupied West Bank city of Ramallah, an army spokesman has said,
in a move likely to spark tensions as Washington seeks to restart
peace talks.The announcement comes just two days after a report said
Binyamin Netanyahu, Israel`s prime minister, had quietly ordered a
freeze on tenders for new settler homes in a bid to give a chance to
US-led efforts to revive stalled peace talks with the Palestinians."
ca
Israel`s Syria Strategy to
Weaken Hezbollah and Profit from Chaos Shir Hever - The Real News - The Israeli government is
in a tight position at the moment, because John Kerry, secretary of
state for the U.S., had some visits to the region, tried to restart
the peace negotiations. And in so doing, he mentioned and tried to
revive the Arab peace initiative. And that puts Israel in a very
difficult position, because the Arab peace initiative is a very
reasonable offer. Israel has no intentions of accepting it. And if
this sort of pressure continues, Israel will be exposed as unwilling
to work with the United States and unwilling to negotiate with the
Palestinians.-rh
Palestinians March In
Jerusalem To Counter Provocative Settler
ProcessionIMEMC &
Agencies - Hundreds of Palestinians marched Wednesday in occupied
Jerusalem, carrying Palestinians flags and chanting slogans for the
liberation of Palestine and Jerusalem, to counter a provocative
procession by extremist settlers who marched in the city chanting
�Death to Arabs�. The Police attacked protesters and reporters, and
kidnapped 21 Palestinians.-rh
REPORT ON HUMAN RIGHTS VIOLATIONS IN THE SOUTHERN
HEBRON HILLSThe Alternative
Information Center - Intense, coordinated activity of Israeli army,
police and settlers prevented local Palestinians from accessing
their grazing and farm land situated near the settlements and
outposts of the area. Nineteen such cases were recorded this
month.-rh
Ofer`s stainsAya Kaniuk and Tamar Goldschmidt - Mahsanmilim - Indeed
he confessed all that was attributed to him, be it as it may. And
who knows what the truth is, did he really put together those
rifles, and what does that mean, and did they hand out three bullets
or five or any at all, after all this is a plea bargain. Meaning
that if he admits guilt, he will be doing less prison time than if
he does not.-rh
Israel Forces Palestinian To Demolish His
Home In JerusalemSaed Bannoura - IMEMC -
"Resident Azzam Al-Afeefy, said that he was forced to demolish his
home in the Old City, after an Israeli Court in Jerusalem informed
him that should the City Council demolish his home, he will face
huge fines, including the large bill for the cost of demolishing his
property, and for removing the rubble." - id
--
Crazy
Country
The Shamasnah
family in the Sheikh Jarrah Neighborhood of East Jerusalem is far
from sure that next year they will have even the option of closing
themselves up in their home while the settlers and their flags come
flooding the street. Settler associations have marked the family
home as next in line to be taken
over.
---
TOI-Billboard -
the 'ezine' of THE OTHER ISRAEL, a peace-oriented news service
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