Headlines for February 4 - February 10

A Stand For Justice


Iran nuclear issue the 'top global security threat'
Iran's defiance over its nuclear programme poses the greatest threat to international security, US National Security Advisor James Jones warned on Saturday. Because my Israeli masters tell me so!


US accelerating missile defenses in Gulf report
The US administration is speeding up deployment of defenses against potential Iranian missile attacks in the Gulf to heed off any possible retaliation, The New York Times reported Saturday. ....."Our first goal is to deter the Iranians," a senior administration official told the newspaper. "A second is to reassure the Arab states, so they don't feel they have to go nuclear themselves. But there is certainly an element of calming the Israelis as well."



At-Tuwani Release: Israeli settlers invade At-Tuwani village, enter
On Tuesday, 26 January 2010 approximately fifteen Israeli
settlers from the Israeli settlement of Ma’on and the Israeli outpost of
Havat Ma’on attacked Palestinians in the village of At-Tuwani. The
settlers were accompanied by Israeli soldiers in three army jeeps and the
settlement security agent of Ma’on. Villagers


Israel closes case on US man wounded in protest
Israel's Justice Ministry declared Sunday that no indictments will be filed against police in the case of an American activist who was hit by a tear gas canister and left comatose during a violent demonstration in the West Bank last year.


Israeli forces detain pro-Palestinian activists
In recent months, Israel has intensified its crackdown on those involved in the barrier protests, arresting dozens of Palestinians.


Israel: Attacks on New Israel Fund, Critical Groups, Threaten Civil Society
The growing harshness of attacks by Israeli government officials on nongovernmental organizations poses a real threat to civil society in Israel, Human Rights Watch said today......"What we're seeing in Israel is a greater official intolerance of dissent,"


Abbas give in to U.S. pressure for indirect Mideast talks
Senior Palestinian sources confirmed Sunday that Abbas has agreed in principle to the U.S. proposal for indirect talks. According to the same sources, Abbas intends to ask for a number of clarifications with the U.S. administration and will consult with Arab leaders prior to giving Washington his final response.



Lebanon warns of dangerous situation with Israel
"We see what's happening on the ground and in our air space and what's happening all the time during the past two months –– every day we have Israeli war planes entering Lebanese air space," he said. "This is something that has been escalating, and this is something that is really dangerous,"


UN likely to refer Goldstone findings to The Hague
The United Nations is likely to refer the findings of the Goldstone report to the International Court of Justice in The Hague, diplomatic sources in New York said on Saturday. Israel would probably ignore any guilty verdict by the ICJ much like it did in 2004 when the ICJ ruled illegal Israel's wall and settlements. International law doesn't seem to apply to Israel, only to Israel's enemies.


Obama turns up the heat on Iran
He indicated that his administration had made headway in persuading Russia to overcome its traditional resistance to imposing new sanctions on Iran, even if there was still some opposition from China. ....The loudest call for sanctions came from Israel where Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu called for "crippling" measures against Tehran during a gathering of European Union ambassadors in Jerusalem.



Dubai could seek Netanyahu arrest over Hamas murder
Dubai will issue an arrest warrant for Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu if Israel is found to be implicated in the murder of a top militant Palestinian in the emirate, The National newspaper reported on Friday


U.S. Senator Lieberman: Impose sanctions on Iran or attack it
The world faces a stark choice between imposing tough sanctions on Iran to stop its nuclear program, or attacking it, United States Senator Joe Lieberman said Saturday. Lieberman is the influential chairman of the Senate committee on homeland security.


Israel Slain Hamas leader key arms smuggler
Israeli officials said Sunday that a Hamas commander assassinated in Dubai played a central role in smuggling weapons from Iran to Gaza militants. But they refused to say whether Israel was responsible for killing the man it had sought for two decades.


Syria: We're ready for peace, but also for war
Lieberman on Thursday said "Assad should know that if he attacks, he will not only lose the war. Neither he nor his family will remain in power." His remarks came after Syrian President Bashar Assad on Wednesday told Spanish Foreign Minister Miguel Angel Moratinos that Israel was pushing the Middle East toward a new war.



Wars sending U.S. into ruin
Obama’s total military budget is nearly $1 trillion. This includes Pentagon spending of $880 billion. Add secret black programs (about $70 billion); military aid to foreign nations like Egypt, Israel and Pakistan; 225,000 military “contractors” (mercenaries and workers); and veterans’ costs. Add $75 billion (nearly four times Canada’s total defence budget) for 16 intelligence agencies with 200,000 employees. Much of that money - and that includes aid to Egypt and Jordan to buy peace with Israel - is for the protection of Israel.


Four things Netanyahu needs for an Israeli strike on Iran
Four-star General Kevin Chilton was in Israel last week. He is head of the U.S. Strategic Command, whose sphere of operations includes responsibility for missiles on submarines and in underground silos, as well as bombers and satellites, and computer-network warfare. If American forces were to take part in an offensive campaign against Iran, Chilton would play a significant part in preparing them for battle and in long-distance missile launches......The crushing blow that comes after the [US] pressure will not be dealt before next year. It's coming, folks. Round 2.


Iran's leader predicts Israel's destruction
"Definitely, the day will come when nations of the region will witness the destruction of the Zionist regime," Khamenei was quoted as saying. "How soon or late (Israel's demise) will happen depends on how Islamic countries and Muslim nations approach the issue." He did not elaborate.


U.S. missile test mimicking Iran strike fails
The abortive test over the Pacific Ocean coincided with a Pentagon report that Iran had expanded its ballistic missile capabilities and posed a "significant" threat to U.S. and allied forces in the Middle East region.


Palestinians question US on reviving peace talks
The Palestinians insist first on a full freeze of Israeli settlement building in the West Bank. They rejected a partial 10–month freeze imposed in late November as insufficient because it does not include east Jerusalem, where Palestinians hope to establish a capital


Palin: Obama Will Win Again If He Backs Israel and Bombs Iran
Speaking on Fox News, Palin stated, “Say he decided to declare war on Iran or decide to really come out and do whatever he could to support Israel–which I would like him to do. That changes the dynamics of what we can assume will happen between now and three years. Because I think if the election were today, Obama would not be elected.” Yes, she really did say this.


Rights group faults Israel's Gaza war crimes probe
"Israel claims it is conducting credible and impartial investigations, but it has so far failed to make that case," said Joe Stork, deputy Middle East director for Human Rights Watch. "An independent investigation is crucial to understand why so many civilians died and to bring justice for the victims of unlawful attacks."


Congressional Letter To End Gaza Blockade Splits Activists
The administration has not responded so far to the congressional letter.


Do Israelis and Their Politicians Disagree on the 'Bi-National' Issue
The belief across the center of Knesset is that Israel needs a peace deal that will take it out of the West Bank, otherwise the only option left will be a single bi-national state in which, as demography runs its course, Jews will be outnumbered (it was this consideration that drove the disengagement from Gaza).


Dershowitz Explains Critical Goldstone Remark
After calling Goldstone “an evil, evil man” and “an absolute traitor” for his role in a United Nations report charging that Israel’s military deliberately targeted civilians, Dershowitz now claims to have stepped back from some of those comments.


Israel Moves To Shut Down Demonstrations Against Security Barrier
In related news, Jerusalem police said Thursday that it plans on forcibly shutting down weekly demonstrations taking place in the East Jerusalem neighborhood of Sheikh Jarrah.


'U.S. Jews concerned over state of pluralism in Israel'
Ben-Ami added, saying that in that way "perhaps, he will come to see that our purpose is not to represent the government of Israel, our purpose is to represent moderate Jewish Americans in the construction of American foreign policy who believe, as Defense Minister Ehud Barak said in Herzliya this week, that Israel's very future is at risk without a peaceful resolution to the Palestinian-Israeli conflict.


AT-TUWANI RELEASE Palestinians plant 450 almond trees in Umm Mraiga, near Jinba village
At the end of the 90's, a wide portion of this area was declared by the
Israeli Army a “closed military area” and used for military training.
Since then, the Palestinians of Jinba, despite being the owners of the
land, have not been able to access and to cultivate the fields in
proximity of the firing area.



Text and signers of Ellison McDermott “Dear Colleague” Letter on Gaza



Mondrowitz Escapes Another Trial
The saga of Mondrowitz’s escape from extradition began when he was indicted in Brooklyn on multiple counts of sodomy and sexual abuse of five children.
He fled to Israel, where courts ruled that because Israel’s definition of rape did not include sodomy, Mondrowitz had not broken Israeli law and could not be extradited.



Israelis disciplined in attack on UN warehouse
Israel is trying to stave off the report's central threat of launching war crimes proceedings if it does not carry out an independent investigation into the military's conduct during the fighting.


Video: Crocodile Tears
Dr. Norman Finkelstein at the University of Waterloo A participant tries to play the Holocaust card on Norm Finkelstein. Think he allowed it?


Israel Rewrote the Rules of War for Gaza



West Bank Rabbi, Author of Terror Text, Arrested for Mosque Torching
Just a week after the Forward published a feature about a book by two West Bank settler rabbis discussing scenarios for Jews to kill non-Jewish babies and innocents with the supposed blessing of Jewish law, one of the rabbi-authors has been arrested in connection with the recent torching of a nearby mosque.


Video: Gaza - Did You Know?
On December 27, 2008, Israel launched an Assault on the Gaza Strip. The attack of Dec. 27 caused the deadliest one-day death toll in 60 years of conflict between Israel and the Palestinians. Over 3 weeks, 1,417 Palestinians and 13 Israelis were killed


UN chief can't judge if Gaza probes are 'credible'
U.N. Secretary–General Ban Ki–moon said he could not determine whether the Israelis or Palestinians had conducted credible investigations into allegations of war crimes during last year's Gaza conflict, as required under a U.N. resolution


Shaking the Pillars of Israeli Democracy
There’s another reason for Israel’s current mood of impatience and intolerance. Netanyahu is under enormous international pressure to resume negotiations toward permanent peace agreement with the Palestinians. If and when talks get serious, it’s clear that the Palestinians will insist on a sharing or division of Jerusalem. That’s a red line for many Israelis. In anticipation, groups on the right are racing to solidify Israeli residential presence in Arab neighborhoods in East Jerusalem, in hopes of making partition impossible.


Report: Assassins of Hamas official used Irish passports
Up to seven people were said to have been involved in Mabhouh's killing, four of whom used Irish passports to enter Dubai and who later fled to a "European country" after the killing, police sources in Dubai told the newspaper.....
However, both Hamas and Dubai police have said that Mabhouh had enemies across the Middle East, any of whom may have had a motive for his murder.


Congresswoman Rues Signing Gaza Letter
Clarke’s retraction of her support for the Gaza letters echoes similar pressure put on lawmakers in the run-up to J Street’s first national conference, in October 2009. Then, too, some members of Congress from strongly Jewish districts came under constituent pressure to withdraw from a list of sponsors for the event.


Palin Misreads Pat
Say he decided to declare war on Iran, or decided to really come out and do whatever he could to support Israel, which I would like him to do


The Truth About the US - Israel Relationship as told by former CIA
Anyone that tells us Americans that we are attacked for our freedoms is either grossly misinformed, or a liar.


Immigration Debate Prompts Growing Jewish-Latino Ties
Jewish activists also see the joint work as an opening for cooperation with the Hispanic community on other issues, such as Israel. I've read similar articles in the past which basically state as this one does that pro-Israel groups (which historically are very powerful) are the ones behind the push for amnesty for illegals. Why? Because they see it as a way to get more support for Israel. Let's not forget, it's the Latino community that is expected to become the majority in America in the years to come.


Wiesel: If Ahmadinejad were assassinated, I wouldn't shed a tear
"We all know that Ahmadinejad - an open anti-Semite and the world's biggest Holocaust denier - intends to destroy Israel and bring disaster to the entire world," Wiesel told Army Radio commentator Razi Barkai.


Netanyahu calls for 'crippling' Iran sanctions
Israeli Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu has called for “crippling sanctions” against Iran in a meeting with European ambassadors in Israel.


Time for an American Intifada?
Republican George W. Bush, another Christian-Zionist president, was induced with phony intelligence to wage war in Iraq. The false intelligence was traceable to Israelis, pro-Israelis or assets developed for that purpose. That invasion had long been a priority goal of those who believe-truly believe-in their right to an expansionist Greater Israel. Intifada literally means to shake off. Yes, it is time for Americans to shake off Israel like a bad set of fleas. It's the reason I have owned and operated the website with the aforementioned name for as long as I've known the true nature of Israel. Read further into the article to find out what went on behind the scenes in the Truman administration when it came time to ponder recognizing the newly-created state of Israel.


I don't mean to say I told you so, but...
In his testimony to the Iraq war commission in the U.K., former Prime Minister Tony Blair offered the following account of his discussions with Bush in Crawford, Texas in April 2002. Blair reveals that concerns about Israel were part of the equation and that Israel officials were involved in those discussions. Israel is pushing us to attack another country - this time, Iran.


Video: Rep. Mike Pence: Israel Should Dictate U.S. Policy
Pence is literally saying, Israeli officials should tell us what they want us to do, and we'll support it. That's an insane premise, and if you replace "Israel" with any other country, no U.S. politician would accept it.


Senate Passes AIPAC's Iran Sanctions Bill in Five Minutes
just last week the Senate passed comprehensive sanctions on Iran -- a bill being pushed by AIPAC neocons and the other "usual suspects" -- in record time. It was brought up with only three senators on the floor; there was a five minute debate and it passed by voice vote. Just like that.


Tories would back war with Iran
The Tory policy on Iran differs from the Government's stated position that military action was "inconceivable". ....He said that while for the west Iran was a major diplomatic challenge, for Israel it remained an "existential threat". Oh Canada, you too have been sucked into Israel's problems.


Goldstone co-author: Hamas fired 'something like two' rockets before Gaza war
Travers rejects the idea that Israel launched the offensive in Gaza on December 27, 2008, as an act of self-defense in response to Hamas rockets. ....Travers also rejects Israel Defense Forces photographs as proof that Hamas hid weapons in mosques during the conflict.


UN prepares to intervene as Iran declares new nuclear plans
"This is additional proof that Iran is ridiculing the world," Barak told members of his Labor party at a faction meeting. "The correct response is to impose decisive and permanent sanctions. I hope that the international community will not turn a blind eye to Iran's declaration."


Embattled New Israel Fund Fights Back
Adopting a notably combative tone under new leadership, the American- based charity is depicting an accusatory report by a new Israeli organization — trumpeted in a front-page story in Maariv, a major Israeli daily — as the last straw in a series of attacks against likeminded groups.


Rabbinic Text or Call to Terror
“The prohibition ‘Thou Shalt Not Murder’” applies only “to a Jew who kills a Jew,” write Rabbis Yitzhak Shapira and Yosef Elitzur of the West Bank settlement of Yitzhar. Non-Jews are “uncompassionate by nature” and attacks on them “curb their evil inclination,” while babies and children of Israel’s enemies may be killed since “it is clear that they will grow to harm us.”.... the book’s wide dissemination and the enthusiastic endorsements of prominent rabbis have spotlighted what might have otherwise remained an isolated commentary. I'm sorry, but which side was it that I was supposed to believe preaches hatred in their religion?


Netanyahu Israel open to peace talks with Syria



Israel warns Syria it would lose future war
Israel's outspoken foreign minister harshly warned Syria Thursday against drawing the Jewish state into another war, saying the Syrian army would be defeated and its regime would collapse in a future conflict.


U.S. Jew indicted as possible Israel spy
The FBI searched Nozette's home and computer and found additional proof of his connection to Israel. He visited here several times, but did not report this - as is required by his high security clearance.


Settler house to be evacuated in Jerusalem
The Jerusalem mayor has agreed to evacuate a Jewish settlers' house built illegally in the heart of a predominantly Palestinian neighborhood – but also plans to demolish dozens of Palestinian buildings erected without permission in the area, his spokesman said Thursday.


Israelis To Move Security Barrier At Site of Palestinian Protests
Khatib told the Forward that the tactics reflect “civilian people asking for justice and looking for peace.” When those in attendance approach the barrier and try to open a gate, it is a symbolic act of trying to reach villagers’ farmland, he said. He condemned the IDF’s response as heavy-handed and unnecessary.


Palestinians irate over new Jerusalem tram
"The purpose of this project is to make a bridge between the settlements ... and west Jerusalem and they use our land, Palestinian land," said Ahmed Rweidi, an adviser to Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas. "The train is illegal and the settlements are illegal."


A Tale of Two Articles
Two articles in the Forward demonstrate the influence of the Israeli lobby on American foreign pollicy.


Hamas wants ICC to judge 'Zionist war criminals'
However, he also said he expected that the United States would block any such move.


From Russia, With No Love
he escaped the country in 2003 and emigrated to Israel he was charged for ordering contract killings of Yukos’ enemies (for which he was tried and found guilty in absentia in 2008). In Israel, Nevzlin has rebranded himself, becoming a prominent Israeli philanthropist through his foundation, NADAV, and its many charitable projects to promote with Nevzlin calls “Jewish peoplehood.”
Israel seems to give shelter for criminals.


Arab media: 2 Israeli Navy ships passed through Suez Canal
The sources did not provide the exact ultimate destination of the missile boats. However, Egyptian maritime sources quoted in the Arab media estimated that both ships were headed to the Persian Gulf and may reach it within four days. The veracity of these estimates is unclear. The sail through the Suez Canal was coordinated with Egyptian authorities, which reportedly adopted strict security arrangements to ensure the safe passage of the two Israeli ships


11 arrested for disrupting Israeli ambassador
Eleven people were arrested Monday evening during a raucous lecture at UC Irvine where Israeli Ambassador Michael Oren came to talk about U.S.-Israel relations. (UCI earlier said that 12 were arrested.)


The Wiesenthal Center Digs Itself Deeper
Building on this cemetery denies Palestinian history and humanity — it will leave an irreversible scar on Jerusalem. The museum will never be an “embodiment of human respect and compassion” at this location.

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