Research group: 'Natural' settlement growth a myth
BETHLEHEM
(Ma‘an) 31 Oct -- Israel has already built over three times more
settlement buildings this year than the state's own population growth
figures would require, a Palestinian research group said Wednesday.
Israel's
justification for settlement expansion based on natural population
growth is a myth, the director of the Applied Research Institute -
Jerusalem, Jad Isaac, told EU and international representatives at a
briefing in Bethlehem. According to Israel's Central Bureau of
Statistics, Israel's natural population growth rate is 1.7 percent,
meaning the 628,000 settlers would need 2,541 new houses each year,
Isaac said. To date this year, Israel has built 9,799 settler homes,
which is more than 3.5 times natural population growth, according to
ARIJ's figures. In 2011, Israel added 11,526 buildings to its
settlements, more than 4.5 times growth figures, the ARIJ briefing
explained.
http://www.maannews.net/eng/ViewDetails.aspx?ID=532810
Israeli group: 2 new outposts established in West Bank
BETHLEHEM (Ma‘an) 31 Oct -- Two illegal settler outposts have been recently
established in the West Bank, representing the first such developments
since 2005, Peace Now announced Wednesday. Foundations for
Nahalei Tal, north of Ramallah, and Tzofim North, in Qalqiliya, have
been built over the last few months and the outposts now contain mobile
homes, electricity, water, roads and infrastructure, the Israeli peace
group said. "As opposed to the sporadic outposts that are created
by the hill-top youth and evacuated every few weeks by the security
forces, it is evident that the two new outposts are highly supported by
the authorities," Peace Now said.
http://www.maannews.net/eng/ViewDetails.aspx?ID=532622
Fresh off the plane, Ethiopian Jews find a home away from home
Haaretz 29 Oct -- Wendem Guade, his wife and their six young children were among 250
Ethiopian Jews on the charter flight marking the launch of an operation
to bring the last remaining Falashmura to Israel. Operation Dove's
Wings, as the program has been dubbed, is a joint effort by the
government and the Jewish Agency, which plan to complete it by October
2013.
http://www.haaretz.com/news/national/fresh-off-the-plane-ethiopian-jews-find-a-home-away-from-home.premium-1.473070
MKs: Demolish illegal construction in e. Jerusalem
JPost
30 Oct -- National Union MKs Uri Ariel and Arieh Eldad slammed Prime
Minister Binyamin Netanyahu for allowing illegal building to continue
unabated, during a tour of east Jerusalem on Tuesday. Ariel is the
chairman of the Knesset State Control Committee, which has focused on
illegal building in the Arab sector, especially in east Jerusalem’s
Silwan neighborhood, in a series of meetings over the past year. [note
the small 'e' in the title - this is not a typo.]
http://www.jpost.com/NationalNews/Article.aspx?id=289818&R=R2
IOA serves 10 demolition notices in Silwan
OCCUPIED
JERUSALEM (PIC) 31 Oct -- The Israeli occupation authorities (IOA)
served ten demolition notices on Wednesday to Palestinian families in
Silwan town in occupied Jerusalem. Eyewitnesses told the PIC reporter
that Israeli occupation forces escorted municipality staffers who
distributed the notices in Bustan suburb and in a number of other nearby
suburbs.
http://www.palestine-info.co.uk
Israeli bulldozers demolish sheds near Jerusalem
JERUSALEM
(WAFA) 31 Oct -- Bulldozers of the Israeli
municipality of West Jerusalem Wednesday demolished sheds used as animal
barns belonging to a Palestinian family in the village of Nabi Samuel,
northwest of Jerusalem, according to one of the family members. The
family member told WAFA that Israeli bulldozers of the municipality,
protected by soldiers, demolished the sheds, causing severe financial
loss to the family.
http://english.wafa.ps/index.php?action=detail&id=20959
Israeli forces demolish 2 homes in Jericho
JERICHO (Ma‘an) 31 Oct -- Israeli forces on Wednesday demolished two
Palestinian homes north of Jericho in the central West Bank, the
governor said. Forces demolished the homes of Zaher al-Kalouti
and Tayel Afaneh and damaged the electricity network in al-Stieh, locals
told Ma‘an. Jericho governor Majed al-Fatyani said the
demolitions were part of an Israeli policy to suppress Palestinian life
in the Jordan Valley.
http://www.maannews.net/eng/ViewDetails.aspx?ID=532710
Israeli forces 'destroy crops' east of Hebron
HEBRON (Ma‘an) 30 Oct -- Israeli forces destroyed four dunams of crops
east of Hebron early Tuesday morning, locals said. Ghassan
Baser told Ma‘an he awoke to find Israeli soldiers destroying his
turnip and cauliflower crops as well as his irrigation system in
al-Baqqar, causing 50,000 shekels ($12,840) worth of damage. Baser says
Israeli authorities have been pressuring him to leave his
land. He says he will replant the land and will never leave. Al-Baqqar
borders the illegal Israeli settlement Karmi Zur.
http://www.maannews.net/eng/ViewDetails.aspx?ID=532514
Israeli Violence / Raids / Illegal arrests
Medics: Teenager hit by settler car
HEBRON
(Ma‘an) 31 Oct -- A 13-year-old girl was knocked down by a settler car
near Hebron on Wednesday, medics said. Alif
Abu Ayyash was hit by the car in Beit Ummar and taken to hospital with
serious injuries, Red Crescent official Nasser Qabaja told Ma‘an. Locals
said that Israeli army and police vehicles arrived at the scene.
http://www.maannews.net/eng/ViewDetails.aspx?ID=532766
Report: 'Soldiers kidnapped 292 Palestinians in October'
IMEMC
1 Nov -- The Ahrar Center for Detainees’ Studies and Human Rights
reported that
Israeli soldiers kidnapped in October 292 Palestinians in different
parts of the West Bank, and the Gaza Strip, adding that among the
kidnapped are 26 children ... The report indicated that most of the
arrests took place in Jerusalem,
as the army kidnapped 103 Palestinians, including 17 children, 5 women
and 5 cameramen, in October. Hebron comes next in the highest number of
arrests, as the soldiers
kidnapped 70 residents, including 9 children and three women, including
the Noura Al-Ja’bary, the wife of detainee Mohammad Abu Warda.
Al-Khuffash stated that, comparing to September, October witnessed an
increase in the number of arrests carried out by the Israeli army
http://www.imemc.org/article/64488
Israeli forces arrest 24 across the West Bank
NABLUS
(Ma‘an) 31 Oct -- Israeli forces detained 24 people across the West
Bank overnight Tuesday, Israel's army said. Seven
people were arrested in Nablus, five in Ramallah, three in Jenin, three
in Hebron, two in the south Hebron hills, two in Tuqu‘, one in Anata
and
one in Yatta, an Israeli army spokeswoman said. They were detained "on
suspicion of illegal activities", the spokeswoman added ... Around 40
percent of Palestinian men living in the occupied territories
have been detained by Israel at some point in their lives.
http://www.maannews.net/eng/ViewDetails.aspx?ID=532579
IOF carry out night raids on homes in W. Bank, kidnap citizens
JENIN
(PIC) 31 Oct -- The Israeli occupation forces (IOF) carried out at dawn
Wednesday violent raids on homes in Jenin city and its refugee camp,
kidnapped a citizen and established temporary checkpoints. Eyewitnesses
told a reporter for the Palestinian information center (PIC) that a
dozen Israeli military vehicles stormed Jenin refugee camp at two
o'clock in the morning and ransacked the house of Abdulfadel Jad'awn
before kidnapping him to an unknown destination. They added that the
troops also raided homes in the areas of Hadaf and Wadi Burkin in the
refugee camp and patrolled neighborhoods. The IOF also invaded the
neighborhoods of Marah and Jaberiyat in Jenin city and stayed combing
them until six o'clock in the morning.
http://www.palestine-info.co.uk
Israeli forces arrest 11 Palestinians in West Bank
WEST
BANK (WAFA) 31 Oct -- Israeli forces Wednesday arrested 11
Palestinians from across the West Bank, according to security sources.
They told WAFA that Israeli soldiers stormed the Hebron area at dawn and
arrested four Palestinians, including an elderly and a 20-year-old ...
In the northern east area of Jerusalem, forces stormed the house of
journalist Eyad al-Rifaee, searching and destroying his house contents,
before arresting him.In the Nablus area, forces arrested five
Palestinians, age 19, 22, 23, in addition to two aged 20.
http://english.wafa.ps/index.php?action=detail&id=20958
Israeli forces storm village, arrest Palestinians in Hebron hills, says group
AT-TUWANI,
SOUTH HEBRON HILLS (WAFA) 31 Oct - The Israeli army
and police Wednesday stormed Ar-Rakeez village, south of the Hebron
hills, stopped the works on a new water cistern, attacked and arrested
the owner, according a press release by the rights group Operation Dove.
It said the soldiers ordered the workers to stop working on the water
cistern, but the owner, Said Raba', refused, as he has not received any
prior orders by the DCO ... Three soldiers and a policeman early morning
were beating the Palestinian
man while other soldiers and policemen were holding him down, kneeled
and handcuffed, said the release. The beaten Palestinian was brought to
Kiryat Arba Police Station and
charged of aggression to soldiers and is currently in prison awaiting
his trial. It said that Raba’s 21-year-old daughter also received a hit
during the
military aggression on her father and was transferred to hospital for
treatment. She didn't suffer any internal damage, but she continues to
have abdominal pain. Once the Israeli army left, about fifty
Palestinians started working on the water cistern, which is now
completed, it said.
http://english.wafa.ps/index.php?action=detail&id=20957
Video: Woman, 50, arrested in Hebron raid
BETHLEHEM
(Ma‘an) 31 Oct -- Activists have released a video showing Israeli
soldiers handcuffing a 50-year-old woman to a chair and arresting her in
Hebron city center early Tuesday morning. The video shows
Gamila Hassan al-Shalaldeh protesting the arrest of her 20-year-old son
Ragheb al-Salaymeh as he is taken, blindfolded and handcuffed, from
their home in Shuhada street. The woman collapses and is surrounded by
around nine heavily armed soldiers, who then seat her in a chair. Later,
they handcuff her to the chair and at 5:20 she is heard crying and
shouting "Leave me alone, I want to go home." A soldier tells the
cameraman to stop recording. He continues to film from inside a home,
and the woman is seen being taken away in a police van.
http://www.maannews.net/eng/ViewDetails.aspx?ID=532756
Jewish settlers throw rocks on Palestinian cars
RAMALLAH
(PIC) 31 Oct -- Jewish settlers attacked Palestinian vehicles
travelling along the road from Ramallah to Nablus damaging a number of
cars, local sources said. They said that the attack on Tuesday night
took place near the settlement of Shilo located to the east of Ramallah.
The sources said that one car was completely damaged while a big rock
smashed the window of another car and settled inside it. Jewish settlers
frequently attack Palestinian cars travelling near their settlements.
http://www.palestine-info.co.uk
Court actions
Israeli guard cleared in Palestinian boy's death
AP
31 Oct -- An Israeli court cleared a border policeman Wednesday in the
shooting
the death of a 10-year-old Palestinian boy in July 2008 during a
demonstration where youths were hurling rocks at security forces. Judge
Liora Frenkel said the Israeli officer, Omri Abu, violated rules
of engagement by opening fire at protesters in the West Bank village of
Naalin even though he was not in danger. But she said the prosecution
did not prove beyond a reasonable doubt
that a bullet from Abu's rifle struck Ahmed Moussa in the forehead,
killing him.
http://abcnews.go.com/International/wireStory/israeli-guard-cleared-palestinian-boys-death-17605869#.UJIE-oaAaSo
Israeli man acquitted of attacking Palestinian over police failures
Haaretz
31 Oct -- Once again a court has acquitted due to the mistakes of the
Judea and
Samaria District police. The Jerusalem Magistrate's Court last month
acquitted a resident of Ma'ale Adumim who was accused of attacking a
Palestinian, after investigative mistakes by the police prevented the
truth from being determined ... In the present case, the man from Ma'ale
Adumim, who worked in
maintenance at one of the beaches on the Dead Sea, was indicted for an
event that took place in June 2008. While he was working at the beach,
he noticed seven Palestinians who snuck into the beach without passing
through the entrance.
The indictment stated that he identified himself as a police
officer and
then beat three of them. He even threatened: "I will bury you here." He
denied all the charges and said the event never happened in that manner
- and that he was the one who was actually attacked ... the police did
not properly document the physical injuries and presented no evidence on
the matter.
http://www.haaretz.com/news/national/israeli-man-acquitted-of-attacking-palestinians-over-police-failures.premium-1.473569?localLinksEnabled=false
Gaza
IOF troops shell southern Gaza
KHAN
YOUNIS (PIC) 31 Oct -- Israeli occupation forces (IOF) shelled areas to
the north east of Khan Younis, south of the Gaza Strip, on Wednesday
morning, local sources said. They said that Israeli artillery fired two
shells at a deserted land lot to the east of Qarara town, north of Khan
Younis, with no casualties reported. The sources pointed out that the
IOF troops also opened machinegun fire at Palestinian houses to the east
of Rafah and Khan Younis.
http://www.palestine-info.co.uk
Bahraini delegation to visit Gaza
EL-ARISH,
Egypt (Ma‘an) 31 Oct -- A Bahraini delegation is due to visit the Gaza
Strip on Thursday, Egyptian security officials said. Egyptian
authorities and security services are preparing for the visit. The
delegation will arrive in Sinai's el-Arish airport and enter Gaza via
the Rafah crossing. Adnan Abu Hasna, an UNRWA spokesman, said
that contrary to reports the son of Bahraini leader Hamad bin Isa bin
Salman Al Khalifa was not among the visitors.
http://www.maannews.net/eng/ViewDetails.aspx?ID=532718
Israel reckons with unraveling Gaza policy
WaPo 30 Oct -- JERUSALEM — When the emir of Qatar paid the first visit by a head of state to the Hamas-ruled Gaza Strip
last week, there were two different reactions from the Israeli Foreign
Ministry. In one statement, Yigal Palmor, a spokesman for the ministry,
accused the emir, Sheik Hamad Bin Khalifa al-Thani, of backing a
terrorist organization and having "thrown peace under the bus." But an
Arabic-language spokesman for the ministry, Lior Ben Dor, told
Radio Sawa, a U.S.- funded station heard across the Middle East, that
Israel welcomed the visit of the emir, who pledged generous financial aid. "Since
our withdrawal from Gaza, the goal has been that Arab states come and
help the residents of Gaza," Ben Dor said, referring to the Israeli
pullout in 2005. The double message was a symptom of the
unraveling of an Israeli policy toward Gaza that was put in place after
Hamas, which is considered a terrorist organization by Israel and the
United States, seized control of the territory in June 2007.
http://www.washingtonpost.com/world/middle_east/israel-reckons-with-unraveling-gaza-policy/2012/10/30/668ccf5c-21f4-11e2-ac85-e669876c6a24_story.html
How to get from counting calories to adding jobs
Gaza Gateway 31 Oct -- We and many others have publicized information and analysis over the last week about the Red Lines presentation
revealed to Gisha after a 3.5-year Freedom of Information battle with
the Ministry of Defense. Red lines understandably focused people’s
attention on what was
banned from entering Gaza as a result of Israel’s restrictions. This
week, we want to draw your attention to what and who are being prevented
from exiting Gaza under the current policy, in place since 2010.
http://www.gazagateway.org/2012/10/how-to-get-from-counting-calories-to-adding-jobs/
Gaza lawmaker dies from medical complications
GAZA CITY (Ma‘an) 31 Oct -- Hussam al-Tawil, a member of the
Palestinian
Legislative Council in the Gaza Strip, died Wednesday from medical
complications, officials said. Al-Tawil passed away in Egypt
after seeking medical treatment in the country. He was elected to the
PLC in 2005 as an independent candidate, but with the support of Hamas.
Al-Tawil was also the secretary-general of the council of Arab Orthodox
Churches.
http://www.maannews.net/eng/ViewDetails.aspx?ID=532670
Political and other news
PA summons Palestinian columnist for interrogation
RAMALLAH (Ma‘an) 31 Oct -- The Palestinian Authority on Wednesday summoned a
Palestinian columnist to answer charges of libel and slander, a media
rights group reported. Jihad Harb was summoned by the public
prosecutor after a complaint was filed by the president's office, said
Mada, the Palestinian Center for Development and Media Freedoms. Harb
is accused of a "direct insult to the employees in the Office of the
President, through an article was written about two months ago," Mada
said in a statement.
http://www.maannews.net/eng/ViewDetails.aspx?ID=532780
PLO: "Heading to UN aims at ending the idleness of the peace process"
IMEMC/Agencies 31 Oct -- The Executive Committee of the Palestinian Liberation Organization (PLO)
held a meeting led by President Mahmoud Abbas, and said that heading to
the United Nations in November aims at boosting the chances for
restarting the political process. The Committee discussed the arrangements for submitting the UN
membership application, and the ongoing related talks with different
countries, especially Arab states, to garner international support.
http://www.imemc.org/article/64486
Palestinians deny putting conditions on new talks
RAMALLAH,
Palestinian Territories (AFP) 31 Oct -- The Palestinians said on
Wednesday a
settlement freeze was an Israeli obligation not a condition set by them
after French President Francois Hollande called for a resumption of
peace talks without preconditions ... "We are not placing any conditions
on the resumption of negotiations," Palestinian negotiator Saeb Erakat
told AFP. Israeli
"Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and President Francois Hollande both
know perfectly well that a settlement freeze is not a Palestinian
condition but an Israeli commitment," he added.
http://www.google.com/hostednews/afp/article/ALeqM5j_uRfTE6aZ3Kx_aAXCmyMv862k0w?docId=CNG.4636dd056c9d8d0503ef2fb2b2ed0fe4.81
PLO leader calls for 'return' of W. Bank to Jordan
JPost 31 Oct -- Farouk Kaddoumi, a veteran PLO official, dropped a political
bombshell Wednesday with a call for “returning” the West Bank to Jordan. Kaddoumi, who is
based in Tunisia, said he supported the idea of a federation or confederation
between the West Bank and Jordan. His remarks, which came during an interview
with the London-based Al- Quds Al-Arabi newspaper, are the first of their kind
to be voiced by a senior PLO figure in decades.
http://www.jpost.com/MiddleEast/Article.aspx?id=289948
PLO sources: Fayyad proposes new government
RAMALLAH (Ma‘an) 31 Oct -- Prime Minister Salam Fayyad has presented a plan to
the PLO leadership to form a more inclusive factional government,
officials in Ramallah said Wednesday. Two PLO executive
committee members, denying reports that Fayyad had offered his
resignation, said he presented a political vision to encourage a more
inclusive government. Ahmad Majdalani told Ma‘an that Fayyad
suggested forming a government including officials from every faction so
as to evenly distribute responsibility before President Mahmoud Abbas
returns to the UN in November. Majdalani said the proposal was not met with applause during the most recent meeting.
http://www.maannews.net/eng/ViewDetails.aspx?ID=532778
Fuel, gas prices reduced in West Bank
RAMALLAH
(Ma‘an) 31 Oct -- Fuel and gas prices in the West Bank will be reduced
from Thursday, the Palestinian Authority Finance Ministry said
Wednesday. The ministry issued new, lower prices for petrol, kerosene
and domestic-use gas in a statement ... The price cuts follow similar
measures introduced during October. Those
reductions were part of a package to alleviate the economic crisis
which had pushed Palestinians to the streets to protest the rising cost
of living.
http://www.maannews.net/eng/ViewDetails.aspx?ID=532826
Syrian rebels arm Palestinians against Assad
BEIRUT
(Reuters) 31 Oct -- Syrian rebels said on Wednesday they had begun
arming sympathetic Palestinians to fight a pro-Assad faction in a
Palestinian enclave in Damascus - a move which could fuel spiraling
intra-Palestinian violence. Two rebel commanders told Reuters they
expected their Palestinian allies to fight the Popular Front for the
Liberation of Palestine General Command (PFLP-GC) which dominates the
Yarmouk enclave - a one-time refugee camp turned sprawl of apartment
blocks which is run by the Palestinians themselves.
http://www.reuters.com/article/2012/11/01/us-syria-crisis-palestinians-idUSBRE89U1I320121101
FIFA joins in Palestinian commemorations
fifa.com
31 Oct -- Palestine has been ravaged by internal and external conflict
throughout the 21st century. Yet, through FIFA’s aid, football has made
significant progress there in recent years. This week, a FIFA delegation
led by FIFA Executive committee member Lydia Nsekera was in Ramallah to
celebrate the three-year anniversary of the first women’s international
played on home soil. Palestine joined FIFA in 1998 but had been unable
to play internationals within their borders until funding from world
football’s governing body helped them build a stadium up to
international standards in 2008
http://www.fifa.com/aboutfifa/footballdevelopment/technicalsupport/women/news/newsid=1804699/index.html
Deport the African refugees to Egypt? Not so fast
972mag
31 Oct -- Refugees in Egypt face regular threat of arrest, torture, and
deportation to their countries of origin. The revolution has not
changed that reality. On the life of one Darfuri refugee in search of
protection.
http://972mag.com/deport-the-african-refugees-to-egypt-not-so-fast/58795/
Israel to limit cluster bombs in possible war with Hezbollah
TEL
AVIV (Reuters) 29 Oct - Israel would use a lot fewer cluster munitions
in any future war with Hezbollah than it did in their 2006 conflict,
even though it would go into southern Lebanon earlier and harder, a
senior Israeli military officer said on Monday. The disclosure confirms
Israel already has detailed planning for an offensive aiming to avoid
some controversial tactics used in the 34-day push against the
Iranian-backed guerrillas. Israel has not signed the Convention on
Cluster Munitions, whose adoption in 2008 was spurred partly by Lebanese
casualties of the bomblets, some of which lay scattered and unexploded
until they were accidentally detonated by civilian passersby.
http://news.yahoo.com/israel-limit-cluster-bombs-possible-war-hezbollah-172009495.html
Guantánamo: 10 years of human wrongs
Amnesty
International 1 Nov -- Musa‘ab Omar Al Madhwani has spent almost a
third of his life in US custody. Now 32-years-old, the Yemeni national
has been held at the US detention in Guantánamo Bay, Cuba, for more than
a decade. The story began on 11 September 2002, when he was arrested in
an apartment in Karachi by the Pakistani security forces. He said he
was tied up, blindfolded, beaten with a rifle and threatened with death.
Around
five days later he was handed over to US forces and flown to
Afghanistan, where he spent about a month in a secret US-operated
facility in or near Kabul ... In late October 2002, Musa‘ab Omar Al
Madhwani was sent to Guantánamo
from the US air base at Bagram, where he had been subjected to more
abuse and endured a further five days of illegal detention. It would be
another two years before he would get access to a lawyer,
and nearly six before the US Supreme Court was to rule that he and
others held at Guantánamo had the right to challenge in court the
lawfulness of their detention.Musa‘ab Al Madhwani’s habeas corpus
petition was finally considered in 2010. More
than 10 years after being taken into custody, he has not been charged
with any crime by the USA, which claims the right to hold him
indefinitely in the name of its "global war" against al-Qa‘ida and
associated groups.
http://www.amnesty.org/en/news/guant-namo-10-years-human-wrongs-2012-11-01
Is the Dead Sea dying? Water loss continues at record rate
Independent 28 Oct -- The Dead Sea is shrinking at a record rate, prompting calls for
Israel and Jordan to stop fertilizer makers from siphoning so much of
the water whose restorative powers have attracted visitors since
biblical times.
The salty inland lake bordering the nations dropped a record 1.5
meters (4.9 feet) over the last 12 months because of industry use and
evaporation, the Hydrological Service of Israel said. That's the
steepest Dead Sea decline since data-keeping started in the 1950s. Half
the drop was caused by Israel Chemicals Ltd. and Jordan's Arab Potash
Co.,
http://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/middle-east/is-the-dead-sea-dying-water-loss-continues-at-record-rate-8229546.html
Israeli Racism / Discrimination / Sectarianism
Study: Arab sector sees no point in voting
JPost
28 Oct -- Arabs who stay home on election day will do so not out of
ideological concerns but because they don't think their vote counts.
http://www.jpost.com/NationalNews/Article.aspx?id=289555&R=R2
Violence, racism on board school bus
Ynet 31 Oct -- Father angered over his son's suspension assaults school bus escort, calling her 'stinking Ethiopian'
http://www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7340,L-4299590,00.html
For first time, Israeli association allows basketball teams made up of migrants' kids
Haaretz
30 Oct -- Under the new rules, approved last week, Israel Basketball
Association youth leagues won't limit number of non-citizens as long as
they're under 18 and have completed at least two years in an Israeli
school.
http://www.haaretz.com/news/national/for-first-time-israeli-association-allows-basketball-teams-made-up-of-migrants-kids.premium-1.473084?localLinksEnabled=false
Jewish agency calls for rethink on ban on women praying at Western Wall
Haaretz 31 Oct -- The Jewish Agency passed a resolution on Tuesday calling on Israel
to revisit its position on women praying at the Western Wall but stopped
short of demanding that it wrest control of the issue from the Orthodox
establishment. The resolution did not make explicit mention of Women of the Wall,
whose leader Anat Hoffman was arrested two weeks ago while conducting a
service at the wall and who later reported being roughed up by police.
Hoffman's arrest sparked an outcry among members of the non-Orthodox
Jewish world.
http://www.haaretz.com/jewish-world/jewish-world-news/jewish-agency-calls-for-rethink-on-ban-on-women-praying-at-western-wall.premium-1.473352
Soldier: Haredi man spat on me and my mother
Ynet
31 Oct -- Female soldier says man spat on her and her mother while two
were sitting inside their car in Jerusalem. Police scanning area
http://www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7340,L-4299680,00.html
Number of ultra-Orthodox men exempted from IDF service reaches all-time high
Haaretz
31 Oct --IDF says it expects number of exemptions for ultra-Orthodox to
continue rising, unless government decides to draft them; in 2011, a
quarter of all draft-eligible Israeli males received exemptions from
military service for various reasons.
http://www.haaretz.com/news/diplomacy-defense/number-of-ultra-orthodox-men-exempted-from-idf-service-reaches-all-time-high.premium-1.473349
Analysis / Opinion / Human interest
VIDEO: Normalize this! / Remi Kanazi
Remi Kanazi is a poet, writer, and activist based in New York City. He
is the author of Poetic Injustice: Writings on Resistance and Palestine
(RoR Publishing, 2011) and the editor of Poets For Palestine (Al Jisser
Group, 2008).
http://mondoweiss.net/2012/10/video-normalize-this.html
Our greatest strength is when we come together
End the Occupation 31 Oct -- The
African Heritage Delegation to Palestine/Israel, organized by our
member group Interfaith Peace-Builders, arrived in Jerusalem last week.
Below are some early impressions from participants. Initial
Welcome, Lasting Impressions by Dr. Gilo Kwesi Cornell Logan: My
initial welcome to Israel was being detained and interrogated for nearly
3 hours at the airport; the psychological and spiritual harassment was
interspersed with questioning and waiting, waiting and questioning;
condescending tones non-rhythmically thrown at me that I was expected to
dance to, private questions piercing the peace of my heart, as
intimidation attempted to suppress something from deep within. But it
is from this very same place within that this experience thus far has
validated an essential part of my being as an African American; it has
since shown me that it does not define the totality of the experience
participating on this African Heritage Delegation to Israel.... The
Struggle Continues for the Sacred Homelands of Palestine by Aaron Dixon:
...Our delegation had an opportunity to meet with a Palestinian family
and observe firsthand the struggle between them and racist Zionist
Jewish settlers. Most striking was the Palestinian family’s
determination and strength, which was embodied in their 90-year-old
grandmother who had been beaten and hospitalized on five different
occasions by Jewish settlers who currently occupy a section of their
home and the violent Israeli Defense Forces (IDF).
http://blog.endtheoccupation.org/2012/10/our-greatest-strength-is-when-we-come.html
Christian leaders cannot be cowed into silence over Israel's abuses of human rights / Rabbi Brian Walt
Haaretz
31 Oct --Eric Yoffie's criticism of the Protestant churches' letter to
Congress is misplaced: The price of 'interfaith dialogue' cannot be
silenced by Christian leaders on Israel’s human rights violations,
evidence of which I saw firsthand in a recent visit to the West Bank ...
Over the past two weeks, I had the privilege of leading an interfaith delegation
including several leaders of the civil rights movement, younger civil
and human rights leaders, Christian clergy, academics, and several Jews,
on a two-week trip to the West Bank.
We were all shocked by the widespread human rights violations that we
saw with our own eyes and that we heard about from both Palestinians and
Israelis. Several black members of our group, including those who
participated actively in the civil rights movement, remarked that what
they saw on the West Bank was "frighteningly familiar" to their own
experience, a systemic pattern of discrimination that privileged one
group (in this case, Jews) and denigrated another (Palestinians).
http://www.haaretz.com/opinion/christian-leaders-cannot-be-cowed-into-silence-over-israel-s-abuses-of-human-rights.premium-1.473556
Palestinian businesswomen finding their own solutions
Daily Star 1 Nov -- Abeer Abu Ghaith, a poised young woman overflowing with optimism, works
tirelessly to help Palestinian women achieve their dreams and improve
their lives. She is just one of many women who are finding creative ways
to overcome the restrictions Palestinians face in finding work and
starting a business. Abu Ghaith, herself Palestinian, knows first hand
how hard it is for women to succeed in the job market. Even with a
degree in computer systems engineering, she had difficulty breaking into
the overwhelmingly male field, and therefore turned her attention to
empowering women and youth through information and communications
technology and social media.
http://www.dailystar.com.lb/Opinion/Commentary/2012/Nov-01/193467-palestinian-businesswomen-finding-their-own-solutions.ashx
When 972's privileged journalism belittles the Palestinian struggle / Sami Kishawi
16 Minutes to Palestine 31 Oct -- Effort can be appreciated. But when the effort is spent on lazy,
privileged journalism that belittles a struggle and an entire
population, that is when the effort needs to be stopped in its tracks
and addressed. +972 Magazine co-founder and contributor Yuval Ben-Ami recently published a piece recounting an evening he spent watching over Gaza’s skies
as Israel shelled the territory from above and as Palestinian fighters
returned fire, arguably in response to the four Gazans that had been
killed earlier in the day.
http://smpalestine.com/2012/10/31/when-972s-privileged-journalism-belittles-the-palestinian-struggle/
Palestinian theatre: Can it help foster peace?
Radio National 1 Nov -- The ongoing search for peace in the Middle East has eluded the warring
factions, but at a community level, other efforts are being made,
especially in the arts. The links between social change and theatre is
the focus of The Zarakat Conference on Theatre, Cultural Diversity and
Inclusion at La Trobe University.
http://www.abc.net.au/radionational/programs/booksandartsdaily/palestinian-theatre/4345588
It's easy to forget the past if you don't bear the scars from it / Melkam Lidet
Miftah 31 Oct -- It is so easy to forget and to live in oblivion in Israel. It’s easy not
to know or care about the history of injustice from which the state of
Israel was born while the-would- be Palestinian state is yet to come
into being ... What made me realize how everything in Israel is “built to forget” was a
drive from Jerusalem to the south, to the Negev and Eilat. On the
highway at the western exit of the city, just a few kilometers away from
Jerusalem, you can see patches of trees in what would look like forest
reserves. The sides of the road are also lined with rows of trees and
green bushes. If you don’t know the history of injustice in this land,
it’s easy to just drive by, impressed with the greenery in the rather
dry “Middle East”. You might even give Israel a pat on the back to
acknowledge a job well done. But the truth is that many of the nice
neighborhoods standing today are built on the ruins of Palestinian
cities and villages. The forests were planted on confiscated private
Palestinian land and the trees by the road side are there to “to cover
up the crimes” committed by the Palmach, Haganah and other Jewish forces
in the wake of the Nakba in 1948.
http://www.miftah.org/Display.cfm?DocId=25412&CategoryId=13
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