Israel’s War Against Palestine: Documenting the Military Occupation of Palestinian and Arab Lands

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Samieh Jabbarin released from house-arrest

18 November 2009

“I was just one among thousands of Palestinians who more often than not, are prosecuted and harassed for no crime but claiming their natural right to practice protest against occupation, racism and
discrimination.”

Police probing MK over fraudulent West Bank outpost deal

18 November 2009

Police are investigating suspicions of document fraud involving the chairman of the Knesset Constitution, Law and Justice Committee, MK David Rotem (Yisrael Beiteinu), secretary general of the Amana settlement housing group, Ze’ev “Zambish” Hever, and prominent settlement leader Yoel Tzur.

IOA Editor: Historically, fraud has had a key role in the process of Zionist acquisition of Palestinian lands – predating statehood. It continues today, where Israel deceives the world community and international institutions; settlers and their support organizations deceive the Israeli government and public – with the support of Israeli officials and IDF officers who help from within; and, finally, Israel along with the US – its financial partner and the enabler of the Occupation, and the EU, in the guise of the “peace process,” together deceive the Palestinian people – robbing them of their land, resources, and national future.

Akiva Eldar: Netanyahu senses Obama’s weakness on Jerusalem

18 November 2009

If to Israelis, “what goes for East Jerusalem goes for Tel Aviv,” as Netanyahu says, then as far as the Palestinians are concerned, “what goes for East Jerusalem goes for Ramallah,” as Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas says. A freeze on Jewish construction in East Jerusalem therefore was and remains the key to the peace process.

Study finds Arabic textbooks are riddled with errors, typos

18 November 2009

The results of the study show the textbooks are full of spelling and grammatical errors, and that a direct link can be demonstrated between the poor quality of the books and the poor level of Arabic among first and second graders.

‘Egyptians should read in Hebrew, to know what the enemy is plotting’

18 November 2009

An Israeli commentator writing on an Egyptian commentator’s position on cultural normalization – the opposite of a Boycott – between Egypt and Israel. Simple it is not: “We have to get to know the enemy, to understand his strengths and weaknesses, so that I can know how he thinks and what he is plotting against us,” he explained, offering an excuse for translations into Arabic.

IOA Editor: Egyptians who read English are welcome to read what Israelis say right here, on the pages of the IOA.

Israel’s Brutal Violation of Palestinian Right to Education

17 November 2009

The outrageous treatment of the 21-year-old Bethlehem University student, Berlanty Azzam by the Israeli military is the latest incident in a long list of brutalities carried out by one of the longest and most brutal military occupations in history. Returning to Bethlehem in the West Bank, after a job interview in Ramallah, Berlanty… was detained at a military checkpoint, blindfolded, handcuffed, loaded into a military jeep and deported to Gaza.

NY Mets/Hebron Funds Citi Field Dinner

17 November 2009

Brooklyn-based Hebron Fund supports violent, racist Israeli settlers in Israeli-occupied Hebron who are taking over Hebron’s Old City in violation of international law, and driving out the Palestinian residents. The NY Mets are aiding the Hebron Fund by allowing it to hold a fundraiser at Citi Field.

US ‘dismayed’ at Gilo expansion approval

17 November 2009

White House press secretary responds to plan to build 900 new housing units in Jerusalem neighborhood, says ‘neither party should engage in efforts or take actions that could unilaterally preempt, or appear to preempt, negotiations’

Gilo neighborhood reaction: “Who are they to decide for us where to build?” And “[t]his is a neighborhood within Israel and it hurts me to see that the Americans, who are operating in Iraq without blinking, tell us what to do inside Israel.” More: Ynetnews story

IOA Editor: And Occupations will be had by all.

Palestinians to Arab states: You can stop Jerusalem light rail

17 November 2009

The chairman of Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas’ office, Dr. Rafiq Husseini, on Monday urges all Arab countries to cancel their business ties with two French companies – Veolia and Alstom – involved in the construction of a Jerusalem-based light railway which passes through the West Bank.

Poll: Nearly 50% of Israelis fear state pushing them into poverty

17 November 2009

About half of the public is concerned that government policies will force them into poverty while only a quarter of the population expresses a sense of security about their economic situation

US politician promotes home ownership in settlements

17 November 2009

An influential Jewish community leader and Democratic state assemblyman from New York is currently heading a mission of about 50 Americans through the West Bank and East Jerusalem to promote home purchases in the area and to protest U.S. President Barack Obama’s Middle East policy.

Who is funding the rabbi who endorses killing gentile babies?

17 November 2009

[U]nlike the Hamas government, our government does not pay the salaries of rabbis who advocate the killing of babies. Is that so? Not really. For example, government ministries regularly transfer support and funding to a yeshiva whose rabbi determined that it is permissible to kill gentile babies “because their presence assists murder, and there is reason to harm children if it is clear that they will grow up to harm us … it is permissible to harm the children of a leader in order to stop him from acting evilly…”

Jaffa residents ired over lack of Arab street names

17 November 2009

[Jaffa,] a part of [Tel Aviv] where half of the population is Arab, and which has some 400 streets, only five are named after Arabs.

Jerusalem Arabs blame kids’ fire deaths on IDF checkpoint

17 November 2009

Residents of Ras Hamis, an East Jerusalem neighborhood east of the separation fence, say two children died in a house fire two weeks ago while a fire crew had to wait 200 meters away at a checkpoint for lack of Border Police or army escort.

Argentina protesters to Peres: You deserve Nobel for murder

16 November 2009

The banner referred to 1994 Nobel Peace Prize, which Peres won together with former prime minister Yitzhak Rabin and Palestinian leader Yasser Arafat for the peace talks that resulted in the Oslo Accords.

Protesters: IDF used .22-caliber ammo at West Bank fence

16 November 2009

Protesters say the Israel Defense Forces used live ammunition from Ruger rifles last Friday to disperse a demonstration near the separation fence at the West Bank town of Na’alin. In 2001, the military advocate general ordered a halt to the use of such rifles for crowd control.

Survey: 90% of Ethiopian Israelis resist interracial marriage

16 November 2009

[[M]ost Israeli respondents were not comfortable with the prospect of one of their own children marrying an Ethiopian. Fifty-seven percent said it would be entirely unacceptable for their daughters to marry an Ethiopian, and 39 percent said so regarding their sons.

Turkey, Israel, Jordan hold search and rescue maneuvers

16 November 2009

This signals an improvement in the currently strained Turkish-Israeli relations, as Ankara excluded Israel at the last minute from the Anatolian Eagle international maneuvers

Another Jewish town adds ‘Zionist loyalty’ to bylaws

16 November 2009

“[W]e must strengthen the community and character of every town that sees Zionist values and the heritage of Israel as the heart of its existence and way of life and seeks to bring in people who view these values as dear to their hearts. We don’t see this as racism, just as we don’t see Zionism as a racist movement.

Akiva Eldar: Would Israel accept a state-and-a-half solution?

16 November 2009

For 21 years and a day, since the Palestine Liberation Organization declared independence in Algiers, its leaders have not lowered their price: recognition of Israel and an end to hostilities in exchange for a Palestinian state within the June 4, 1967 borders with East Jerusalem the capital.

Gideon Levy: Peres, not Goldstone, is the small man

16 November 2009

Peres is our beautiful and misleading face. Equipped with the ability to delude, one of the founders of the settlement movement has turned into Israel’s Mr. Peace.

Palestinian PM: Declaration of statehood just a formality

15 November 2009

Palestinian officials have said they are preparing to ask the United Nations to endorse an independent state without Israel’s consent because they are losing hope they can achieve their aspirations through peace talks. The announcement drew a harsh rebuke from Israeli officials.

TAU historian accused of anti-Semitism

15 November 2009

Prof. Shlomo Sand: “I don’t define myself as an anti-Zionist… but I’m not a Zionist… I don’t put into question the existence of Israel… I compare when I am speaking before Arab students the birth of the Israeli state to an act of rape. But even the son that was born of the act of rape… you have to recognize him… the existence of Israel I don’t put in question today.”

PLO official: Abbas mandate as president could be extended

15 November 2009

“The PLO central committee will discuss the options to avoid a constitutional vacuum” at its meeting due to take place on December 15, Mohammed Dahlan told reporters in the West Bank town of Ramallah.

NYC: Jews Say No! – Planned Protests

15 November 2009

Next Event:
Standing in front of the 92nd Street Y (92nd/Lex), 7:00 – 8:00pm, Nov 21 when Alan Dershowitz comes to the Y.
Please sign the open letter in support of the Goldstone report

IDF Chief Rabbi: Troops who show mercy to enemy will be ‘damned’

15 November 2009

Quoting from the Book of Jeremiah: “Cursed be he that doeth the work of the Lord with a slack hand, and cursed be he that keepeth back his sword from blood.”

On Gaza attack : “We all remember the beginning of the war, with a major attack of 80 planes bombing various places, and then artillery, mortar and tank fire and so forth, as in war… Everyone fought with all their heart and soul, and that includes bravery of course, but also fighting with all the resources one has – to fight as if to truly determine the mission.”

Street in Palestinian refugee camp named after Twitter account

14 November 2009

Arjan El Fassed: “Twitter is a great place to connect people with issues. But it’s also good at bridging cultural gaps. For most people, it’s difficult to identify with life in a refugee camp, but by linking it to a global network that resonates with millions, I was aiming to promote a sense of connectedness.”

Immortalize your name on a street: www.jouwstraatnaam.nl

Arjan El Fassed’s Twitter page: http://twitter.com/arjanelfassed

IOA Twitter page: http://twitter.com/IsOccupation

The US Jew whose Iran views rile Israel intelligence officials

14 November 2009

In a NY Times op-ed… condemning the Obama administration… argu[ing] that the lofty talk of “openness” and the promise of “dialogue” with the Iranians are just empty rhetoric… [C]ritical of the U.S. support of Israel’s nuclear ambiguity and… horrified by the possibility of Israel attacking Iran’s nuclear installations.

Gilbert Achcar: Why Holocaust denial is on the rise in the Arab world

14 November 2009

The PLO, ever since the armed Palestinian organizations got the upper hand within it after 1967, very quickly came to understand that anti-Semitic discourse is bad in itself and altogether contrary to the interests of the struggle of the Palestinian people. Hence the insistence on the distinction to be made between anti-Semitism and anti-Zionism, which was the issue in a political battle within the Palestinian movement.

Top US official: We won’t accept partial settlement freeze

13 November 2009

The United States does not accept continued Israeli settlement construction in the West Bank, a senior U.S. state department official has said, adding that Jerusalem’s commitment to restrain settlement activity is not enough.

IOA Editor: Flip-flop, flip-flop, flip-flop… Words we’ve heard before, followed by no action.

Goldstone to Haaretz: US does not have to protect Israel blindly

13 November 2009

“I would suggest that time has come for Israel to look at the allegations not only of the killing and injuring of so many civilians but also the collective punishment meted out to the people of Gaza by the substantial destruction of the infrastructure, and particularly the food infrastructure of Gaza. The debate should continue, not attempt to be silenced.”

Israel ‘personally attacking human rights group’ after Gaza war criticism

13 November 2009

“We have been under enormous pressure and tremendous attacks, some of them very personal, as have been the attacks against Richard Goldstone with really vituperative language used to describe him: obsequious Jew, self-loathing Jew and all the rest of it.”

Poll: 57% of Israelis support plan to talk to Hamas

13 November 2009

[T]he majority of the public – 57% – supports the view of MK Shaul Mofaz of Kadima, who published a plan earlier this week, in which he called for dialogue with Hamas under certain conditions. Inside Kadima the idea has tremendous support by some 72 percent of the party’s voters.

Yossi Sarid: Abbas must unilaterally declare Palestinian state

13 November 2009

[B]efore Abu Mazen quits… He must declare, unilaterally, the establishment of an independent Palestinian state. Palestine now… Netanyahu finds this possibility very scary, and he expects the Americans to nip it in the bud. But his nightmare is our only chance for an end to the occupation in our time.

Daoud Kuttab: Abbas’ move signals end of Oslo phase

12 November 2009

The flurry of US officials’ visits to Ramallah is likely to stop unless a major and important change takes place in Washington. In the meantime, Abbas will pay more attention to the home front, trying to stitch together some type of agreement with Hamas.

Ben White: Fragmenting Palestinian land

12 November 2009

A young student deported from the West Bank to Gaza is just the latest victim of Israeli efforts to sever ties between the territories.

UPDATE: New York Times (12 Nov 2009): Expelled West Bank Student Petitions Israel Court. The court… remanded the case to a military hearing to be held at the Gaza border next week, where Azzam can attend. ”My priority, what’s most important, is to get back to my studies,” Azzam said, speaking by phone from Gaza. ”I was so close to finishing, I just want to get back to Bethlehem and finish.”