Headlines for March 24 - March 30

A Stand For Justice


Israeli air strike kills two militants in northern Gaza
In the past week at least 10 Palestinians, including several civilians and children, have been killed by Israeli attacks.


Dan Rather aide: Crew harassed by Israeli security
Andrew Glazer, an Emmy–award winning producer at Dan Rather Reports, wrote that the legendary anchorman came to do a story about improving Israeli–Palestinian relations pitched by Israel's Foreign Ministry.

Glazer said problems mounted after they arrived. He said they were held up for hours at security checks. Israeli soldiers barred the crew's veteran Palestinian cameramen – a Jerusalem resident – from accompanying Rather to a West Bank neighborhood. And then came the a strip search before an interview with Deputy Prime Minister Dan Meridor.


UN chief: Israel's occupation is 'morally, politically unsustainable'
United Nations Secretary General Ban Ki-moon called on Israel Wednesday to halt settlement building in the West Bank and put a stop to all forms of violence and incitement, the UN News Center reported.


Israel threatens unilateral steps if UN recognizes Palestinian state
European diplomats have confirmed to Haaretz that such a message was conveyed several days ago. One diplomat said his country did not receive a serious response when asked what unilateral steps Israel might take. Another diplomat, from a European country, said in light of the current deadlock in negotiations, international recognition of Palestinian statehood appeared unavoidable in September.


Drafting Palestinian constitution prepares for establishment of independent state



US casts only vote for Israel in UNHRC
The US was the only country to vote against all six United Nations Human Rights Council (UNHRC) resolutions on Israel, which were approved in Geneva this Thursday and Friday.


Obama telephones Netanyahu over terrorist bombing
Another stoolie for Israeli.


Israeli, Palestinian hurt amid rise in violence
A Palestinian was shot and wounded by Israeli police Friday after he injured a soldier in the West Bank, police said, the latest incident amid a spike in violence between Israelis and Palestinians.

Police spokesman Micky Rosenfeld said the Palestinian attacked an Israeli soldier with a stone at a bus stop early Friday, inflicting a serious head wound. Police who arrived at the scene shot and wounded the Palestinian. Notice how the AP in this article plants the seeds of blame implicating Palestinians for the recent bombing and the attack on the settlers. The Associated Press is the main newswire that feeds nearly all mainstream news media in the United States.


Village of At-Tuwani honors recent victim of stabbing
On March 19, a settler from Havat Ma'on attacked and stabbed Awad on
the outskirts of At-Tuwani. Awad was traveling by donkey to the city
of Yatta for a medical appointment. A resident of the village saw the
attack and ran towards the settler, who ran back into the outpost.
Awad was transported to Alia Hospital in Hebron, where he is
recovering from stab wounds to his head, arm and chest.


Diplomats: New European proposal on Mideast peace
Britain, France and Germany want the United Nations and the European Union to propose the outlines of a final settlement of the Israeli–Palestinian conflict that would lead to the establishment of a Palestinian state, U.N. diplomats said.


'Abbas would give up US aid to reconcile with Hamas'



European countries want UN, not U.S., to advance Mideast peace talks
The U.S. veto on February 18 of a Security Council resolution that would have condemned Israeli settlements as illegal and demanded an immediate halt to all settlement building spurred Britain, France and Germany, who supported the measure, to issue a joint statement expressing serious concern about the stalemate in the Middle East peace process.

Since the U.S. efforts have been unsuccessful, diplomats said the three European powers decided to try a new approach in hopes of breaking the deadlock.


Gaza militant groups agree Israel ceasefire, says Hamas
In the past week at least 10 Palestinians, including several civilians and children, have been killed by Israeli attacks.


US defense chief defends Israeli airstrikes
Israeli security officials have said little about the investigations into Wednesday's bus stop bombing and the knife killings of five members of a family in a Jewish settlement in the West Bank two weeks ago. No arrests yet made in the case of the murder of the settlers? Was it the work of Thai immigrants as has been suggested by locals in the area with knowledge of this case's background? Strange how it's still automatically assumed to be the work of Palestinians.


US defence chief arrives in Israel after bombing
US Defence Secretary Robert Gates arrived in Israel on Thursday to push for peace overtures with the Palestinians a day after a bombing in Jerusalem left one dead and more than 30 wounded. So let me get this straight: a bombing occurs for the first time in years just before Gates arrives to get the peace process going, and none of the Palestinian militant groups takes responsibility for said bombing? And this coming on the heels of the murder of settlers, for which no one has been arrested, and just after which - Israel announced plans to build MORE settlements. Sounds to me like somebody isn't interested in making any peace and is looking for any excuse not to do so.


Israel violence complicates Gates' call for peace
Gates agreed that no sovereign state can tolerate having rockets fired at its people. But, he added that "we don't want to do anything that allows extremists or others to divert the narrative of reform that's going on in virtually all the countries of the region."
You don't say?....


Gaza militants fire rockets deep into Israel › Japan Today Japan News and Discussion
Citing gag orders, Israeli security officials have said little about the investigations into Wednesday’s bus stop bombing or the knife killings two weeks ago. Strange that.


US foreign aid faces cuts as China's reach grows
The Obama administration has sought to step up its engagement in Asia, the Pacific, Africa, Central Asia and Latin America. Development aid is a key plank of its strategy. The State Department argues it is "as central to advancing America's interests as diplomacy and defense."

But that aid, like all federal spending, is under pressure as lawmakers debate how to reel in the government's deficit, forecast at $1.5 trillion this year. Much of the red ink is financed by China. The lion's share of foreign aid goes to Israel, despite the fact that Israel is not an impoverished nation. To the contrary, Israel's economy is flourishing. We're going broke to maintain that, to the detriment of our national interest - in more ways than one.


Israel considering annexing West Bank settlements
In a related development, the Israeli Transportation Ministry is working on a plan to build an island off the coast of Gaza, where an Palestinian–run airport and seaport would be located. Ministry spokesman Ilan Leizerovich said this would allow Israel to cut all ties with Hamas–ruled Gaza.


Neocon Foreign Policy by Philip Giraldi
Mike Huckabee, Haley Barbour, and Mitt Romney were all recently in Israel where they pledged undying affection for Bibi Netanyahu and all his political progeny while Sarah Palin is doing the same this week. Comments about facing down the Iranian nuclear threat are obligatory. Netanyahu himself recently upped the ante regarding Iran by declaring that military action will have to be taken against the country if sanctions do not end its nuclear program. As sanctions are unlikely to accomplish that, it amounted to a demand that war should be the next phase. Netanyahu even expressed a preference for who should do the attacking: the United States.


Student-teacher invention wins plaudits at home and abroad
For the last two years, Maysoon and Iman, from Aida camp’s school, grew increasingly concerned about the many accidents related to gas leaks in Bethlehem, some of which have proven fatal. Starting out, the teacher and student experimented with various different designs, including an electronic window and a special gas-leak alarm, before arriving at the perfect idea


The ‘A-Word’ in Hebron
after 14 years, the main street looks like a ghost town, its crumbling buildings scarred with Hebrew graffiti: “Jews Only Buy From Jews.” “No Arabs, No Mice.” “Death to the Arabs!” and worse. My stomach heaved at the hate-filled words but even more so at the sight of the street split by a physical divider, one side for Palestinians, the other for Jews — the larger side for Jews — with Israeli soldiers on guard over the scene. Ofran said some Palestinians, because they cannot use the streets, must reach their homes via their neighbors’ rooftops.

Thank you, brave soul Letty Pogrebin, for having the guts to speak the truth.


Israeli military demolishes village of Amniyr for second time in five weeks
The Israeli military demolished the village of Amniyr
early this morning, destroying seven tent dwellings and a sheep pen.
This is the second time in just over a month that the military has
demolished the village


Netanyahu plays up Iran threat in Russia
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Thursday played up the global danger of Iran as he sought to persuade Russia to scale down its cooperation with Israel's foes in the increasingly volatile region.


Palestinian president meets Hamas to talk unity



Obama Goes to War by Patrick J. Buchanan
Israeli Foreign Minister Avigdor Lieberman thinks so. As he said in Paris: “The same principles, activities, the Western world has taken in Libya … I hope to see those regarding the Iranian regime and the Syrian regime.”

Is Libya the dress rehearsal for Syria and Iran?

Neocons could not be giddier. Weekly Standard editor William Kristol is ebullient: “Despite his doubts and dithering, President Obama is taking us to war in another Muslim country. Good for him.”

Perhaps. But will bloodying another Muslim country be good for America?


Lieberman: ‘Precedent’ for Syrian intervention
“There is a precedent now … we’re not going to allow Assad to slaughter his own people.” Lieberman doesn't give a rat's ass about the Syrian people.


Carter says can't bring home jailed US contractor
Gross was arrested while working on a USAID–backed democracy–building project and convicted of crimes against state security earlier this month in a case that has blocked improved ties between the U.S. and Cuba.

Gross has said he was working to improve Internet communications for Cuba's tiny Jewish community.


Clinton rules out U.S. Syria involvement
Syria, if it chose, could cause trouble for the United States in many ways, increasing its support for Hezbollah in Lebanon, providing greater backing to anti–Israel Palestinian groups such as Hamas or possibly moving against Israel itself, the United States' closest ally in the Middle East.
To hell with freedom, if it endangers Israel.


Israel not eager to see Syria's Assad go
"That has been the working assumption in Israel for years: Better the devil you know than the devil you don't," said Eyal Zisser, director of the Middle East Studies department at Tel Aviv University. "(Syria) scrupulously maintained the quiet. And who knows what will happen now – Islamic terror, al–Qaida, chaos?"



81 Reasons Why Gaza Has The Right To Self-defense



Anti-Semitism Has No Place in Islam
The work we are doing is reinforced by our scriptures and by our American vision of pluralism and diversity. As Muslims, we must understand that there is absolutely no place for anti-Semitism in Islam, and we must speak out against all instances of anti-Semitism, wherever they may occur.

It also bears repeating that criticism of Israel is not anti-Semitism, no matter how hard pro-Israelis try to make it so.


Two dead, scores hurt in Jordanian clashes



Syria arrests US national 'for spying for Israel'



Impatient Palestinians eye Arab world in flux
Israel had previously dismissed the General Assembly as toothless, but that is starting to change.

In an interview with the Jerusalem Post Friday, former Israeli U.N. Ambassador Gabriela Shalev warned that a General Assembly resolution might be meaningful if passed under the auspices of so–called Resolution 377, a little–used device dating back to the Korean War that permits the body to recommend measures ranging from sanctions to the use of force in cases where the Security Council members cannot reach unanimity and peace is imperiled.


Is J Street a Threat? Not to Most Israelis
In polling commissioned by the Forward, only 14% of Jewish Israelis said they had heard of J Street. The remaining 86% had not.

The results call into question the stated rationale of politicians who initiated and supported a March 23 Knesset hearing to probe J Street’s activities and ideology. They claimed that public concern necessitated the hearing — especially since January, when the American group urged President Obama not to veto a United Nations resolution condemning Jewish settlements in the occupied West Bank.




Israel deploys system as shield from Gaza rockets
Israel deployed its newly developed "Iron Dome" rocket defense system for the first time Friday to defend its southern communities from attacks by Gaza militants after a bloody week of Palestinian strikes and Israeli reprisals.


Russians still intend to go through with Syria missile sale
The Russian sale of Yakhnot anti-ship cruise missiles to Syria is a "done deal," and Moscow has no intention of scuttling it, the Kremlin told Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu Thursday in Moscow Thursday, according to a senior Israeli diplomatic source.


Jimmy Carter to visit Jewish community in Cuba
Former U.S. President Jimmy Carter is scheduled to meet with Jewish leaders shortly after arriving in Cuba Monday, hinting that his visit will deal partly with the case of a U.S. contractor whose conviction has further dented relations between Havana and Washington.

An agenda released Saturday by Cuba's Foreign Relations Ministry says Carter is to visit a Jewish institution. The imprisoned contractor, Alan Gross, had said he was trying to improve internet access for the small Jewish community when he was arrested in December 2009.


On the Run, the Palestinian Youth Movement May Yet Get Its Way



State Police rabbi abruptly resigns
Freilich was appointed as a State Police liaison to the Jewish community by Gov. George Pataki in March 1995. The position, which pays $100,780, was created by Gov. Mario Cuomo.

Read more: http://www.timesunion.com/local/article/State-Police-rabbi-abruptly-resigns-1305023.php#ixzz1InJ5qZZT



Growing Disenchantment on a Global Scale
And then we arrive at the bottom four: Iran, 16% positive, 59% negative; North Korea, 16% to 55%; Pakistan, 17% to 56%; Israel, 21% to 49%. In all, the samples in 22 of the 27 countries polled saw Israel in an unfavorable light; two (Ghana and Russia) leaned positive, and three were divided. The American sample gives Israel 43% positive and 41% negative — an increase of 10 points in the negatives since 2010


Oh dear.


JCCs Are a New Front in the Culture War on Israel
A small window into the way it all works. Pressure is put on organizations (and governments) to be more pro-Israel, else the money is cut.


The Man Behind ‘Miral’ Defends His Work, and No One Stopped Him
In an interview conducted in a conference room of Palazzo Chupi — the hot-pink West Village, Manhattan apartment building that Schnabel developed and calls home — the filmmaker weighed in on what he thinks is behind the allegations that “Miral” is anti-Israel.

“Maybe it’s the simple fact that a high-profile film written by a Palestinian is cause enough for Jewish opprobrium,” said Schnabel, who arrived wearing what has become a signature uniform: plaid shirt, pajama bottoms and sunglasses. “Maybe it’s because the director of the film, Julian Schnabel, is Jewish, and his commitment to any perspective other than the Jewish paradigm is akin to tribal and national betrayal.”

Schnabel, another brave soul. Kudos.


Facebook drops uprising page after Israel protest
A Facebook page calling on Palestinians to take up arms against Israel has been removed from the social–networking site after a high–profile Israeli appeal.


Yale's Secret Society That's Hiding in Plain Sight
Past speakers have included: former Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Barak, Senator Joe Lieberman, comedian Charles Grodin, actor Elliott Gould, Muslim activists Tarek Fatah and Mona Eltahawy, Chief Justice Of Israel Aharon Barak, Nation columnist Eric Alterman, talk show host Jerry Springer, and the list goes on and on.

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