Netanyahu's government has quietly doubled funding for settlements, says finance minister
Haaretz 12 Nov -- Benjamin Netanyahu's government has quietly doubled
the portion of Israel's national budget allocated to Jewish settlements
in the West Bank settlements, Finance Minister Yuval Steinitz said in an
interview on Monday. "During the current government's term, we doubled
the budgets [allocated] to Judea and Samaria. We did it with a low
profile, in agreement with the mayors," Steinitz told Galei Yisrael, a
regional radio station based in the West Bank. The government carried
out the moves quietly, so that "elements in Israel and abroad" would not
attempt to stymie them, he added.
link to www.haaretz.com
Right-wing group's theft of Palestinian heritage outlined in new study
EI 12 Nov by Charlotte Silver -- Yesterday, the alternative archaeology group Emek Shaveh published its most recent report on the extent to which Elad, the ultra-nationalist settler organization, has control over the presentation, excavation and development of archeology in Jerusalem, specifically in occupied East Jerusalem.
The report outlines each of Elad’s six sites, emphasizing that
"visitors are told an exclusive story of Jewish heritage and Israeli
connection to the site, whilst other periods and cultures are almost
entirely ignored." The report is welcome, as this time last month
Israeli and Zionist media spun itself into a frenzy when a French consul
general, Frédéric Desagneaux, dared to celebrate his consulate’s
150-year anniversary of work in Palestine, noting "the important
archaeological projects that French archaeologists had helped to uncover
in Palestine."
link to electronicintifada.net
Jerusalem plans to evict 120 Bedouin to make room for waste landfill
Haaretz 13 Nov -- The municipality says the 500-dunam dump is expected
to completely fill the wadi in about 20 years, after which the plan
calls for building a public park atop it -- The city says the 500-dunam
dump, which will be located in a wadi below a road leading east from the
city to the West Bank settlement of Ma'aleh Adumim, will handle
construction waste from the entire Jerusalem area ... But leftist and
human rights organizations such as Ir Amim, several of which sent
activists to the site this week, say the plan's real purpose is to
prevent the construction of housing for East Jerusalem's Palestinian
residents. "Parks have become another way to take over land in East Jerusalem," said Ir Amim's Ahmad Sub Laban.
link to www.haaretz.com
IOA confiscates 200 dunums of Bethlehem land
BETHLEHEM (PIC) 12 Nov -- The Israeli occupation authorities (IOA) confiscated 200 dunums of Palestinian land in Firdis
village near to the ancient Mount Herodian to the east of Bethlehem. A
number of farmers whose land lots were appropriated said that the IOA
claimed the confiscation was meant to transform the area into a military
zone. Farmers refused the compensation offered by the IOA, adding that
the confiscation did not include 16 dunums only as in the IOA decision,
but covered 200 dunums surrounding the mountain, which contain Roman
relics. They said that houses near to the confiscated land would be
encircled by an iron fence.
link to www.palestine-info.co.uk
Family forced to demolish own home in Jerusalem
JERUSALEM 12 Nov (WAFA) -- A family of seven, including five children, was forced Monday to demolish their own home in Beit Hanina,
north Jerusalem, under the pretext of building without permit,
according to the owner of the house Ali Adaydeh. He told WAFA that
Israeli forces ordered him two days ago to demolish his 70-square-meter
home, which was under construction. Adaydeh was building the new home
near a container where he has been living with his family for several
years after efforts to get a permit to build on his land had failed.
link to english.wafa.ps
Israeli forces destroy water spring near Hebron
HEBRON 12 Nov (WAFA) – Israeli forces Monday destroyed a water spring
used by Palestinian residents for agricultural purposes in Beit Anoun
area, north of Hebron, according to a local farmer. He said that that
an Israeli bulldozer, protected by soldiers, destroyed the water spring
which residents use to irrigate their crops.
link to english.wafa.ps
West Bank area in the line of Israeli fire
Ramallah, occupied Palestinian territories (Al Jazeera) 10 Nov by Dylan
Collins -- In July 2012, Israeli Defense Minister Ehud Barak ordered
the expulsion and demolition of eight villages in the South Hebron
Hills, claiming the zone to be vital for Israeli army training
exercises. The 3,000-hectare area of Masafar Yatta, in the arid hills
of the southern occupied West Bank, is home to about 2,000 people living
in traditional Palestinian herding communities. This 12-community area,
however, is also known by another name and dedicated to an entirely
different purpose. "Firing Zone 918" - as Israeli authorities call
Masafar Yatta - doubles as a live-fire training zone for the Israeli
military ... The number of Israeli firing zones in the West Bank, and
the frequency with which they are used, have steadily risen over the
last decade. Shooting ranges constitute about 18 per cent of the West
Bank - an area equal to the amount land the Palestinian Authority fully
controls.
link to www.aljazeera.com
Settlers raid evicted settlement near Jenin
JENIN 12 Nov (WAFA) – More than 50 Israeli settlers Monday raided the
location of the evicted settlement of Kadim east of Jenin, and set tents
in the area, according to security sources. They told WAFA that the
settlers, under Israeli army protection, blocked the main road
connecting Jenin and Arrana village, east of the city, and hung up
banners stating that the area is locked down. They also blocked a bypass
road and prevented Palestinians from entering the closed area.
link to english.wafa.ps
Palestinian spouses of Israeli citizens to be given work permits
Haaretz 12 Nov -- The Interior and Justice Ministries have decided to
grant work permits to Palestinians who are not entitled to Israeli
citizenship but have permits to stay here temporarily. The state
announced the change of policy in a court case filed by Hamoked - Center
for the Defense of the Individual on behalf of four temporary residents
of East Jerusalem. Lack of permission to work in Israel has affected
thousands of Palestinians who are married to Israeli citizens or to
permanent residents, mainly in East Jerusalem ... Until 2002, the state
allowed Palestinians from the West Bank or Gaza Strip to acquire legal
status in Israel through marriage to Israeli citizens or permanent
residents. But that year, the most violent of the Second Intifada, the
government halted this arrangement for Palestinian applicants on the
argument that it posed a security threat to Israel.
link to www.haaretz.com
Israeli terrorism
WATCH: Police fire teargas on Bedouin children; Israeli media is absent
972mag 12 Nov by Yuval Ben-Ami -- With all eyes on Gaza, Israeli police
forces shoot tear gas into an elementary school. 29 children were
hospitalized and 19 people were arrested after police attempted to place
eviction notices on several buildings in the Bir Hadaj village in the
Negev ... Nadia gave me some background. Unlike most Bedouin communities
around Be’er Sheva, Bir Hadaj is recognized by the state. It is nearly
impossible, however, for residents to receive building permits, and
natural growth of many families forces the residents to build illegally
... Abu-Hammed told me that early in the morning, a large number of
policemen surrounded the village, supported by two crowd dispersal
trucks, a helicopter and between 20 and 30 vehicles. He claimed that
eviction notices were posted at random, on houses built several decades
ago, and said he suspects the entire event to be a provocation. "They
came prepared to beat people up, to punish people for the previous
confrontations. They also brought mista’arvim [policemen disguised as
Bedouin] to cause provocation and stir the situation out of control."
link to 972mag.com
IOF breaks into Negev village, arrest dozens of its residents
BEERSHEBA, AL-KHALIL (PIC) 12 Nov -- Dozens of Palestinians were injured
and arrested on Monday where the Israeli occupation forces (IOF) had
stormed the village of Bir Hadaj in Negev, occupied in 1948, to
hand demolition orders. Local sources told PIC reporter that the Israeli
occupation forces and special units and a number of officers, stormed
the village to hand demolition orders to a number of Palestinian homes,
which led to the outbreak of violent clashes, where 30 people suffered
breathing difficulty, including school students, were reported, due to
the firing of tear gas canisters and using batons. The sources stated
that the Israeli soldiers arrested 13 Palestinians and transferred them
to detention centers for interrogation, adding that a state of anger
prevailed throughout the village because of the continued Israeli plans
to Judaize the city and expel its people.
link to www.palestine-info.co.uk
Israeli occupation raid Hebron, search stores and homes
PNN -- On Sunday evening 11th November, Israeli occupation forces raided
Hebron Governorate, south of the West Bank and searched several stores
and houses. Security sources and eyewitnesses said that Israeli forces
stormed as-Salam Street, middle of Hebron, and searched a house and
stores belonged to al-Natsha family. The sources said that Israeli
forces handed the Palestinian Amin Abdul Rahman al-Natsha a notice to
meet with the Israeli Intelligence.
link to english.pnn.ps
More settler violence
MEMO 12 Nov -- A Palestinian man had his arm broken by Jewish settlers
on Monday morning in the southern Hebron suburb of Jaber. Shadi Al-Zarou
was attacked by a group of illegal settlers when he was on his way to
work. Al-Zarou was left unable to move until bystanders came to his aid
and transferred him to hospital.
link to www.middleeastmonitor.com
Racist graffiti, arson by Israeli settlers in Bethlehem
IMEMC 14 Nov -- A group of right-wing Israeli settlers tried to set fire
to a Palestinian home near Bethlehem Sunday night, and spraypainted
racist graffiti on the home and nearby structures. The graffiti included
'Death to Arabs', which has become a rallying cry in recent years for
the right-wing settler movement, whose state objective is to rid the
West Bank of its indigenous Palestinian inhabitants and take over their
land to annex it to Israel. The incident took place at around 2:30 am,
Monday morning, in the village of al-Manshiya southeast of Bethlehem.
According to reports from local sources, the settlers poured gasoline on
the home of Younis Abu Dayyeh in the village, and spraypainted racist
slogans, then tried to light the gasoline on fire. They were chased out
by the villagers before they managed to carry out the arson attack.
link to www.imemc.org
Gaza
Israel launches multiple airstrikes on Gaza, no injuries
GAZA CITY (Ma‘an) 12 Nov -- Israel launched multiple airstrikes on the
Gaza Strip overnight Sunday, with no injuries reported, Ma'an's
correspondent and the Israeli army said. Fighter jets targeted two open
areas in the northern Gaza Strip and a third strike landed in another
open area near Rafah, Ma‘an's reporter said.
Israel's army said it targeted "a terror tunnel and a weapon storage
facility in the northern Gaza Strip, as well as a launching site in the
southern Gaza Strip," in response to rocket fire. An Israeli army
spokesman said 11 rockets had been fired from Gaza since Monday morning.
One rocket struck a home in the city of Netivot at around 7 a.m.,
causing material damage. Islamist militant faction the Shura Council of
Mujahideen claimed responsibility for the Netivot rocket, with Israeli
officials warning of a tough response.
link to www.maannews.net
Report: Egypt negotiating Gaza ceasefire
TEL AVIV, Israel (Ma‘an) updated 12 Nov -- Egypt is making efforts to
implement a ceasefire with Gaza factions to end the latest round of
cross border violence which has killed six Gazans and injured dozens
more since Saturday, Israeli media reported Sunday. Senior Egyptian
sources said that Hamas and Islamic Jihad have agreed to a ceasefire as
long as Israel halts airstrikes on the coastal enclave, Ynet news
reported. The sources said that on Saturday Hamas asked Egyptian
authorities to mediate a cessation to hostilities, the Israeli website
said...
Islamic Jihad, however, said in a statement that it had not agreed to a
truce and will "respond to Israeli aggression which targets civilians."
The Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine also denied agreeing
to a truce with Israel, calling on factions to respond strongly to
Israeli attacks against Palestinians.
link to www.maannews.net
Abbas to meet Morsi in light of escalation in the Gaza Strip
PNN -- On Tuesday 13th November, the London-based Al-Hayat newspaper
published that Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas will hold a meeting
with Egyptian President Mahammad Abbas. Palestinian officials told the
newspaper that the two will discuss recent escalation in the Gaza Strip
and south of Israel.
link to english.pnn.ps
Gaza factions meet over Israeli threats
GAZA CITY (Ma‘an) -- Palestinian factions met on Monday in Gaza City to
discuss Israeli attacks and threats of a wider operation in the enclave.
Hamas called the meeting to try and avoid further casualties after
Israeli forces killed six Palestinians in Gaza since Saturday, said
Democratic Front for the Liberation of Palestine leader Talal Abu
Tharefa.
Top-selling Israeli daily Yedioth Ahronoth said Monday that the United
States had given a green light for an Israeli operation in Gaza. Israeli
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu convened foreign ambassadors in what
appeared to be an attempt to pre-empt international censure should
Israel, whose 2008-2009 Gaza offensive exacted a costly civilian toll,
again go in hard...
Environment Minister Gilad Erdan, an influential member of Netanyahu's
Likud party, said the briefing was meant to prepare world opinion for
"what is about to happen," adding there might be a major Israeli
escalation within a few hours.
link to www.maannews.net
Israel will avoid Gaza war but may mull Hamas assassinations
Haaretz 12 Nov -- Amos Harel and Avi Issacharoff explain the pressure on
Netanyahu ahead of January's election to respond more forcefully to
rocket fire from Gaza, and Israel's desire to avoid a ground operation a
la Cast Lead -- One reason is that the diplomatic reality now is far
different than it was when that offensive was launched in 2008: Israel
fears a direct confrontation with the new regime in Egypt and it knows
that neither the United States nor Europe will be as tolerant of a
large-scale military operation this time around.
link to www.haaretz.com
Photos: Gazans mourn victims of latest Israeli strikes
972mag 12 Nov by Anne Paq -- ...On Saturday evening, Al Shifa hospital
struggled to cope with the number of injuries. Ambulances were coming
and going, people were screaming and crying, and blood was on the floor.
The local police had to push back the nervous crowd to let the
ambulances reach the gate of the hospital. Among the injured were many
children, women and elderly civilians. The fear was palpable, with F16s
flying overhead and news of more attacks continuing to come in. The next
day, a crowd waited in front of the morgue to accompany the victims to
their grave. Some Palestinian relatives collapsed in grief. The bodies
were taken first to their homes, for the women relatives say their last
goodbyes. The photo below depicts the relative of one victim,
19-year-old Matar Abu Al-Atta. Matar’s mother gave birth to the infant
in the photograph the night that Matar was killed.
link to 972mag.com
VIDEO:
Survivors of Israeli attack on Gaza say bombs continued to fall on the
al-Shoja‘iya neighborhood as civilians raised white flags
Mondoweiss 12 Nov by Adam Horowitz -- The video above interviews two
survivors of the Israeli attack on the al-Shoja‘iya neighborhood east of
Gaza City. Here is a summary published by the Palestinian Centre for Human Rights over the weekend on what took place in the neighborhood:
link to mondoweiss.net
Israel's latest assault on Gaza: the lie of who started it
Antiwar 11 Nov by John Glaser -- ...As in every vicious military
offensive Israel carries out in Gaza, the dominant narrative is that it
is a response to rocket fire from Gaza into
southern Israel. This is how it’s being reported in the US, and this is
how virtually every American understands it. And it’s a lie. It’s true
that on Saturday, prior to the expanded Israeli bombardment, the
military wing of the Popular Front For the Liberation of Palestine shot an anti-tank missile at an Israeli Defense Forces
vehicle near the Gaza border, wounding four Israeli soldiers. But what
prompted the firing of the anti-tank missile? First, on Monday, November
5th, Israeli forces shot and killed 23 year old Ahmad Nabhani when he “approached the border fence with Israel.” According to at least one account, Nabhani was mentally challenged.
link to antiwar.com
Medical official: 2-year-old killed in Gaza house fire
GAZA CITY (Ma‘an) 12 Nov -- A toddler was killed and two other people
wounded in a house fire on Sunday in the Sabra neighborhood of Gaza
City, a medical official said. Ashraf al-Qidra, spokesman of Gaza's
health ministry, told Ma‘an that Ashraf Shadi Kali, 2, died and his
father and one-year old brother Muhammad were injured in the blaze. The
fire was caused by candles the family had lit during an electricity
blackout in the neighborhood. The house was completely destroyed by the
fire ...
Three children were killed earlier in the year by similar fires during
an outage. Hamas blamed the electricity shortages on Egypt which it says
is restricting the flow of fuel, and on Israel, which imposed a
blockade on the coastal enclave in 2007 when Hamas seized control from
the Western-backed Fatah.
link to www.maannews.net
Kerem Shalom, Erez crossings to reopen Tuesday
Ynet 12 Nov -- The Defense Ministry has
ordered to reopen the Kerem Shalom and Erez crossings on Tuesday,
following a recent lull in the Gaza Strip.
link to www.ynetnews.com
Illegal arrests / Prisoners
Racist Russian doctor says prisoner Abu Sisi should be killed, not treated
RAMALLAH (PIC) 12 Nov -- A Russian doctor working for the Israeli Ramla
prison infirmary blatantly labeled ill prisoner Dirar Abu Sisi as "a
terrorist who should die", the Palestinian prisoner society (PPS) said
on Sunday. The PPS reported the incident after its lawyer recently
visited prisoner Abu Sisi in Ashkelon solitary prison. Abu Sisi, who
speaks the Russian language, told the lawyer that about three weeks ago,
he was taken to Ramla jail infirmary, particularly to the hematology
department where a doctor said loudly in Russian, "where is this
terrorist who should die and not be treated."...
link to www.palestine-info.co.uk
IOA cancels visit for Gaza prisoners
GAZA (PIC) 12 Nov -- The Israeli occupation authority (IOA) cancelled
Monday’s scheduled visit of relatives of Gaza prisoners without giving
any reason, the Red Cross said. Ayman Al-Shihabi, the spokesman for the
Red Cross, said in a press statement that Israel told the Red Cross at a
late hour on Sunday night that the scheduled visit for Gazans to their
detained relatives in Israel was called off.
link to www.palestine-info.co.uk
IOF soldiers storm house of MP
AL-KHALIL (PIC) 12 Nov -- Israeli occupation forces (IOF) stormed the
home of MP Mohammed Al-Tal in Al-Khalil before dawn Monday, the MP said.
He said that the soldiers also broke into the homes of his brothers
after midnight and other neighbors. Tal said that the soldiers summoned
his youngest brother Rami to Etzion intelligence headquarters next
Thursday.
link to www.palestine-info.co.uk
PA's apparatuses arrest 2 liberated captives
WEST BANK (PIC) 12 Nov -- The Palestinian Authority security arrested in
the occupied West Bank two liberated prisoners from the Israeli jails,
and Hamas movement supporters, while the Israeli occupation forces
arrested an ex-prisoner in PA jails in al-Khalil. The Preventive
Security arrested Abu Hassan Hamadna, a liberated captive from the
prisons of the occupation, from Asira Shamaliya near Nablus after
summoning him, he had been released only five days ago from the Israeli
jails.
Meanwhile, the occupation forces arrested yesterday morning a
21-year-old youth, a former political prisoner in PA jails, from
al-Khalil.
The people in the West Bank has been denouncing the policy of role
exchange between the PA security and the occupation forces, calling for
the protection of liberated captives from political arrests.
link to www.palestine-info.co.uk
Hunger striker Uday Zaid taken to Ramla prison infirmary in bad shape
NABLUS (PIC) 12 Nov -- The international Tadamun (solidarity) society
for human rights said the Israeli jailers on Sunday transferred hunger
striker Uday Zaid, 25, from his solitary confinement in Jalama prison to
Ramla prison infirmary after his health deteriorated very badly. Zaid
started his hunger strike on October 23 in protest at his detention
administratively without any guilt.
link to www.palestine-info.co.uk
Awawda and Sharabati continue their hunger strike for the 3rd day in PA jail
AL-KHALIL (PIC) 12 Nov -- The liberated captive, Ayoub Awawda, has
continued for the third day respectively his hunger strike in the
intelligence service's prison in al-Khalil, in a rejection of his
political detention, in light of the deterioration of his health
condition ... Ayoub Awawda was arrested by the intelligence service only
five days after his release from the Israeli jails, where he had served
two years ... Meanwhile, the family of the political detainee Raed
Sharabati from the city of al Khalil, reported that its son, who has
launched a hunger strike since three days in the prison of the
preventive security service, was also taken to the hospital this morning
due to the deterioration of his health condition ... Raed Sharbati is a
liberated prisoner from the jails of the Israeli occupation, and he had
been arrested several times by PA's preventive security service and
intelligence service.
link to www.palestine-info.co.uk
Longest administrative detainee released by Israel
TULKAREM (Ma‘an) 11 Nov -- Raafat Nasif, the longest serving
administrative detainee in Israeli jails, was released on Sunday, a
statement from Hamas said. Hamas leader Nasif, 45, had been held by
Israel for 44 months without charge or trial since his arrest in March
2009.
link to www.maannews.net
Upon his release, Nassif visits the solidarity tent for the captive Sharawna
AL-KHALIL (PIC) 12 Nov -- The liberated prisoner, Rafat Nasif, has
visited, after his release from the Israeli jails on Sunday, the protest
tent set up in solidarity with hunger striker Ayman Sharawna in the
town of Deir Samit west of Dora in the al-Khalil district. The
occupation authorities have released Nassif on Sunday afternoon after
spending 44 months in administrative detention in Negev prison in
southern occupied Palestine. He was greeted by a number of Islamist MPs
on the Dahriya checkpoint south of al-Khalil from where he went
immediately to the protest tent.
link to www.palestine-info.co.uk
Sheikh Raed Saleh: The prisoners' issue is an Islamic Waqf
TUNIS (PIC) 11 Nov -- Sheikh Raed Salah, the leader of the Islamic
Movement in 1948-occupied Palestine, stressed that the prisoners’
conference unites all the Palestinian parties, saying that "the
Palestinian prisoners’ issue is an Islamic Waqf". Sheikh Salah stated
that the prisoners’ issue is above all parties’ interests, "We will seek
to keep the prisoners’ issue a Palestinian constant that symbolizes the
Palestinian national unity," he added.
link to www.palestine-info.co.uk
PRC: The PA absence in the prisoners' conference is a fatal flaw
TUNIS (PIC) 12 Nov -- Majed Al-Zeer, Chairman of The Palestinian Return
Centre (PRC), has praised the efforts made during the Palestinian
prisoners' conference which ended in Sunday under the auspices of the
Tunisian President Moncef Marzouki ... Al-Zeer criticized the absence of
the Palestinian Authority in the conference, and described it as "a
fatal political flaw". When we talk about the prisoners' issue, we must
forget about all political interests," according to him.
link to www.palestine-info.co.uk
Refugees
Activists: 7 Palestinians killed in Damascus camp
GAZA CITY (Ma‘an) 12 Nov -- Seven Palestinian refugees were killed
Monday in a refugee camp in Damascus, the Yarmouk coordination committee
said. The committee said forces loyal to Syrian President Bashar Assad
shelled al-Tadamon neighborhood, causing a huge fire on Palestine
Street. Free Syrian Army rebels destroyed an army tank on the same
street, the group added.
link to www.maannews.net
Yasser Arafat
Arafat's tomb exhumation set to commence
Al Jazeera 12 Nov -- Palestinian leader Yasser Arafat's tomb has been
screened from public view in what a Palestinian official said was
preparation for forensic examination of his body. The entrance to the
presidential headquarters in the West Bank city of Ramallah was
surrounded on Monday by blue tarpaulins. "Since this morning, Arafat's
mausoleum was closed as a preliminary step in the investigation of his
death," Tawfiq Tirawi, head of the Palestinian investigative committee
on Arafat's death, told the AFP news agency.
link to www.aljazeera.com
PA's Abbas vows joint Arafat probe and UN bid
Al Jazeera 11 Nov -- Mahmoud Abbas, the Palestinian Authority president,
has said in a speech that he is co-ordinating with Russia, and with
Swiss and French experts, on the exhumation of late president Yasser
Arafat. "We are currently in co-ordination with the French
investigators, the Swiss experts, and also the Russian government to
open the tomb," he said in a speech on Sunday marking the eighth
anniversary of Arafat's death. The Palestinian Authority has vowed to
unearth Arafat's body partly because of an Al Jazeera documentary
that found elevated levels of polonium-210 on the late Palestinian
leader's personal effects. If tests on his remains reach the same
conclusion, it would offer more conclusive evidence that he was
poisoned.
link to www.aljazeera.com
Ma‘an to broadcast documentary series about Arafat
BETHLEHEM (Ma‘an) -- Ma‘an network and Mix satellite channel will
broadcast a series of documentary films on Sunday to commemorate the
anniversary of late president Yasser Arafat's death. Four films entitled
'Palestinian rebel','Commander-in-chief', 'Political fighter', and
'Besieged president' will be broadcast starting at 10 p.m. on Sunday.
The documentary series will continue on Monday at 1 p.m. and 7 p.m.
link to www.maannews.net
Employees union suspends work to mark Arafat death
RAMALLAH (Ma‘an) 11 Nov -- The public employees union suspended work
Sunday at 10:30 a.m. to mark the death of late Palestinian leader Yasser
Arafat, an official said. Moin Insawi said a festival honoring Arafat
would be held at Palestine Technical College for girls, and he called on
all nearby public sector employees to attend. Sunday was the eight
anniversary of Arafat's death from a mysterious illness.
link to www.maannews.net
Political and other news
Palestinian UN observer bid on 29 November
BBC 12 Nov -- The Palestinian Authority will present its bid for
Palestine to become a UN "non-member observer state" on 29 November,
President Mahmoud Abbas says. The request is being made despite US and
Israeli opposition. Mr Abbas said that if the bid were successful, he
would begin negotiations with Israel "the next day".
link to www.bbc.co.uk
Fatah leader discounts Israeli sanctions threat
RAMALLAH (Reuters) 12 Nov -- Israel will not carry out its threat of
financial sanctions if Palestinians achieve a statehood upgrade at the
United Nations, a Fatah leader predicted on Monday. Mohammad Shtayyeh
said Israel had no interest in bringing about the collapse of the
Western-backed Palestinian Authority, which administers parts of the
occupied West Bank.
link to www.maannews.net
Fatah: Gaza escalation aims to thwart UN bid
RAMALLAH (Ma‘an) 12 Nov -- Israel is using the escalation in Gaza to try
and thwart the PLO's bid for state membership of the UN, a senior Fatah
official said Monday. Jamal Nazzal, a member of Fatah's revolutionary
council, said Israel was trying to hold the Palestinian Authority
responsible for rockets fired from the Hamas-run Gaza Strip.
link to www.maannews.net
PA says to pay partial salaries Sunday
RAMALLAH (Ma‘an) updated 12 Nov -- The Palestinian Authority finance
ministry announced Sunday that it would pay part of salaries owed to
public sector employees by the end of the day. The salaries of
prisoners' families will be paid completely while public sector
employees will receive 52 percent of their salaries, the ministry said
in a statement.
link to www.maannews.net
EU, Netherlands, Sweden contribute €19 million to PA
JERUSALEM 12 Nov (WAFA) - The European Union, the Netherlands and Sweden
contributed €19 million to the payment of the October salaries and
pensions of around 84,200 Palestinian civil servants and pensioners in
the West Bank and the Gaza Strip, an EU press release said Monday. The
European Commission’s share was €13.8 million, Sweden contributed €4
million and the Netherlands €1.2 million earmarked specifically to the
PA salaries in the Justice sector.
link to english.wafa.ps
Japan funds handicapped project in Bethlehem and Jenin
RAMALLAH 11 Nov (WAFA) – Representative of Japan to the Palestinian
Authority, Matsuura Junya, Sunday attended the opening ceremony of the
project for "Enhancing the Communal Support for Physically Disabled
People in Bethlehem and Hebron Governorates", said a press release by
Representative Office of Japan to the PA.
link to english.wafa.ps
Abbas meets Russian patriarch in Bethlehem
BETHLEHEM (Ma‘an) 11 Nov -- President Mahmoud Abbas visited Bethlehem on
Saturday to welcome Patriarch of the Orthodox church of Moscow and
Russia Kirill I, who is in the holy land to pray for peace.
link to www.maannews.net
Patriot missiles fired as part of US-Israeli drill
Ynet 12 Nov -- The joint US-Israeli military drill reached its pinnacle on Monday with an air defense exercise that saw four Patriot
missiles launched from the central Israeli Palmachim Airbase towards
the sea. Some 2,500 American troops – 1,000 of whom arrived in Israel –
took part in the large-scale maneuver, which has entered its final week.
A similar number of Israeli soldiers took part in the event. The joint
drill aimed to prepare the armies for a possible massive missile attack
from multiple origins
link to www.ynetnews.com
Israel returns fire as Syria shell lands in Golan Heights
BETHLEHEM (Ma‘an) 12 Nov -- A Syrian mortar shell landed in the Golan
Heights on Monday as fighting from Syria spilled into the
Israeli-occupied territory for the third time in five days, Israel's
army said. An Israeli army spokesman said Israeli forces fired tank
shells after the mortar bomb exploded in a central area of the Golan
Heights. Israeli military sources said Syrian mobile artillery was
directly hit in the incident. Military sources would not say if the
mortar bomb was fired by Syrian army forces or by the rebels they are
battling in and around the UN-patrolled area of separation.
link to www.maannews.net
Netanyahu says Israel to determine if Syrian mortar fire was intentional
Haaretz 12 Nov -- Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu reacted to Syrian
mortar fire against Israeli targets on the Golan Heights on Monday,
saying Israel was weighing its steps. Netanyahu said Israel would have
to determine if the mortar fire from Syria was carried out by mistake or
if the Syrians intentionally fired on the Israeli territory on Sunday and Monday.
link to www.haaretz.com
Israeli Racism / Discrimination / Sectarianism
Tens of thousands 'like' idea of of throwing Palestinian MKs out of Knesset
AIC 12 Nov -- Tens of thousands of Israelis have “liked” the idea of
throwing Palestinian Knesset members Dr. Ahmad Tibi (Ra'am-Ta'al) and
Hanin Zoabi (National Democratic Assembly) out of the Knesset. The
Hebrew-language website Israel Now, which describes itself as a “counter
page to Peace Now,” aims to “fight the left in Israel through all legal
means.” These legal means include incitement against elected
Palestinian members of the Knesset and explicit calls for their
removal. Calling MK Tibi “anti-Semitic” and an “enemy” while
questioning whether MK Zoabi should be allowed to remain in Israel, the
official Facebook page text is carried further by racist readers’
comments. Racism is indeed legal in Israel. [End]
link to www.alternativenews.org
Museums may not have to provide Arabic explanations for short-term exhibits
Haaretz 13 Nov -- Changes mean museums won't have to translate Hebrew
text to get state funding...In January Haaretz reported that many
museums do not abide by the criteria under this regulation. Under the
proposed changes, they won't be forced to if the exhibit is up for less
than six months, though if the display is up for longer the information
provided in Arabic must be equivalent to that offered in Hebrew..
link to www.haaretz.com
Female soldier rebuked for 'offending' religious comrades
Ynet 12 Nov -- Female recruit ordered to hand in written apology for
offending ultra-Orthodox soldiers' sensitivities by braiding fellow
soldier's hair in public
link to www.ynetnews.com
Report: Every third Israeli woman falls victim to sexual assault
Haaretz 12 Nov -- Violence against single women rises nearly twenty-fold
since 2003, Public Security Ministry report finds ... The most alarming
statistic is that about one-half of all victims of sexual violence are
minors, while the proportion of girls and young women (up to the age of
24) is far greater than that of older women
link to www.haaretz.com
Analysis / Opinion / Reviews
Against forgetting: an interview with Eyal Sivan
Al Jazeera 12 Nov -- Filmmaker Eyal Sivan talks about his exhibit with
over 100 testimonies given by the perpetrators of the Nakba -- Last
month in Tel Aviv an exhibit with an unprecedented intention debuted.
Curated by two prominent anti-Zionist Israelis, filmmaker Eyal Sivan and
historian Ilan Pappe, "Towards a Common Archive"
presents over 100 testimonies given by the perpetrators of the Nakba,
the period between 1947 and 1949 when over 750,000 Palestinians were
expelled from their land to create the state of Israel. The exhibit is
hosted by Zochrot, the sole Israeli organisation dedicated to
remembering the Nakba. Sivan describes their project as racing against
time, as it collects testimonies from the ageing generation that fought
with the Zionists gangs. In the absence of a formal Truth and
Reconciliation Commission, Sivan envisages the perpetrators' historic
testimonies as forming a basis for truth without which a future
reconciliation could not occur. Yet despite the significance of the
undertaking - and to the surprise of Sivan - the Israeli press has
completely ignored the exhibit, save for one right-wing settler
newspaper which disparaged it.
link to www.aljazeera.com
Giving Palestine's palaces back to the people
Nablus (EI) 12 Nov -- During the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries, what is now the West Bank
was divided up and ruled by 27 wealthy sheikhs (elders or leaders) who
collected taxes from the surrounding peasant villages on behalf of the Ottoman
government. The sheikhs accumulated a huge power base and with this
they built remarkable palaces that reflected their lifestyles. Their
urban style houses towered over peasant lands, unique in their
spaciousness and extravagance. These villages, many of which have now
been abandoned, are known as the 'throne villages' or qura karasi in Arabic. The Palestinian organization Riwaq has begun a process of restoring the historic buildings for modern cultural use.
link to electronicintifada.net
The Israeli documentary putting military rule in Palestine on trial / Rachel Shabi
Guardian 12 Nov -- The Law In These Parts builds a strong case against the judges responsible for Israel's draconian occupation laws -- The Law In These Parts,
an Israeli documentary awarded this year's Sundance World Cinema Grand
Jury prize, examines how the country created a military-legal system to
control the Palestinians in the lands Israel occupied in 1967. And at
some point during the film, it becomes clear that it's the judges who
are on trial. The documentary, which just screened as part of the UK Jewish Film Festival,
features forceful archive footage, alongside a line-up of Israeli legal
experts, explaining how they made Israel's occupation laws.
link to www.guardian.co.uk
The strange case of the police writs served to Israeli activists / Yossi Gurvitz
972mag 12 Nov -- What we can learn from the weird orders served to
several leftist activists on Sunday. On police intimidation and the sham
of 'the only democracy in the Middle East' -- At least 11 leftist
activists were surprised on Sunday morning when they were woken up by
cops. The cops, all plainclothes and in groups of three, knocked on
their doors between 6 and 7 in the morning, and handed them what they claimed to be administrative restraining orders,
signed by the commanding general, prohibiting them from entering four
villages in the occupied West Bank: Bil‘in, Qaddum, Ni‘lin and Nabi
Saleh. Activist Alma Biblash reported that the policemen entered her
apartment without a warrant, taking care to video not just her but her
sister as well. The cops also waved in her face a file with her name on
it. In another case, the cops woke up the parents of an activist who had
moved out long ago. Activist Leehee Rothschild, also served with a
warrant, was told they were issued under the 1945 Emergency
Ordinances.Commanding general? What the hell, you say? Oh. Despite
Israeli propaganda claiming it is the only democracy in the Middle East,
the 1945 Emergency Ordinances -- defined by Menachem Begin, a noted
leftist radical, as worse than Nazi legislation -- are still in effect
in Israel. They allow the military commander (in the case of all
residents of Israel proper, that would be the Home Front Command) to do
basically what he damn well pleases, or, to be more precise, to do what
his ISA (AKA Shin Bet) handler damn well pleases he do.
link to 972mag.com
Who has a tighter iron fist, Hamas or Israel? It's hard to tell / Amira Hass
Haaretz 12 Nov -- In Hamas-ruled Gaza, violent dispersal of women
protesters inspires governmental qualms and leads to an inquest. In the
West Bank, however, under Israel's military rule, a violent break-up of
demonstrations ends in arbitrary arrest.
link to www.haaretz.com
MC Stormtrap Asifeh takes on liberation vs Fayyadism in new video "In This Prison"
EI 12 Nov by Maureen Clare Murphy -- Abboud Hashem, aka MC
Stormtrap Asifeh, a co-founder of the Ramallah Underground collective,
has released a new video for his track “In this Prison.” The track is
featured on Stormtrap Asifeh’s solo EP Iradeh that was released earlier this year (download the EP for free from Asifeh’s website).
In an email to The Electronic Intifada, Stormtrap Asifeh said that the
track "deals with life under occupation, the price of freedom and the
right to self-defense."
link to electronicintifada.net
Where are we headed? A reflection on the 73rd anniversary of Kristallnacht / Rabbi Lynn Gottlieb
Palestinian Talmud 10 Nov -- I grew up in Allentown, Pennsylvania, a
sixth generation North American Jew in the Reform tradition. I am still
amazed by the wisdom of my rabbinic teachers in response to the Shoah. I
learned from the rabbis of my youth not to barricade myself in layers
of fear and distrust; rather, they taught me to protest racism in all
its ugly manifestations in public because never again meant never again
for anyone. They taught me that when one of us suffers, all of us
suffer. They taught me that silence in the face of injustice is
complicity with injustice. They tied these lessons to their version of
Jewish religion. I never imagined that I would have to apply these
lessons to the actions of the Jewish community in relationship to
Israel. I incorrectly assumed that the Shoah had somehow immunized us
against harming others, that we had learned the Biblical lesson: do not
oppress others, for you were once oppressed.
link to palestiniantalmud.com