Today in Palestine !

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Land Theft and destruction

Fayyad: Our priority is to stop settlement activity
Ramallah - Ma’an - De facto Prime Minister Dr Salam Fayyad a 60-member French delegation of Palestinian peace workers and solidarity activists visiting the West Bank to participate in the Fourth International popular resistance conference in Bil’in.
Fayyad first condemned the killing of Basem Abu Rahmeh, who was shot in the chest with a tear-gas canister by Israeli troops during the Bil’in demonstration on Friday.
http://www.maannews.net/en/index.php?opr=ShowDetails&ID=37276

Ethnic cleansing, one home at a time

In the Sadiyya neighborhood inside the Muslim quarter of Jerusalem’s Old City is the Jaber family home. There, three members of the Jaber family, as well as the Karaki family, have lived with their parents, and later spouses and children, since the 1930s. Six years ago Israeli police came to the house and told Nasser Jaber that his house no longer belonged to his family. Marcy Newman writes from occupied Jerusalem.
http://electronicintifada.net/v2/article10477.shtml

Israeli Authorities demolish home in Jerusalem
The Israeli police on Wednesday demolished a Palestinian-owned home in the Jabbal Al Mukaber neighborhood just outside Jerusalem’s old city.
http://www.imemc.org/article/60058

16 April 2009: Security forces demolish house of family of perpetrator of attack in Jerusalem
On 7 April, security forces demolished the apartment, in Zur Baher, East Jerusalem, of the family of Husam Dwiyat, who carried out a bulldozer attack in the center of Jerusalem in July of last year. The demolition took place after the High Court of Justice denied, on 18 March, the family’s petition opposing the action.
http://www.btselem.org/English/Punitive_Demolitions/20090416_House_Demolition_in_East_Jerusalem.asp

Israeli military demolishes four homes near Nablus and damage property
On Wednesday the Israeli army demolished four homes belonging to Palestinian farmers in the village Akraba, near the northern West Bank city of Nablus.
http://www.imemc.org/article/60057

Israeli Aggression

Israeli ordinance explodes in Gaza, injuring four
Gaza – Ma’an – Four Palestinians were injured when an ordinance left by the Israeli military exploded in Gaza City on Wednesday.
Palestinian medical sources said the device exploded in the Zaytoun neighborhood of Gaza City, and that ambulances evacuated four injured people.
http://www.maannews.net/en/index.php?opr=ShowDetails&ID=37289

Detentions

Israeli forces seize PA security officer from Jenin-area home
Jenin – Ma’an – Israeli soldiers seized a Palestinian Authority (PA) security officer during a raid on his home near the West Bank city of Jenin early on Wednesday morning. Israeli forces raided several houses in the village of Khirbet Maraka, southwest of Jenin, and detained Nasser Ahmad Mustafa Musa, an officer in the Palestinian National Security Service.
http://www.maannews.net/en/index.php?opr=ShowDetails&ID=37286

IOF arrests 7 Palestinians in WB and Gaza
Ramallah, April 22, 2009, (Ramattan)- The Israeli Occupation Forces (IOF) arrested on Wednesday in different cities in the West Bank, Palestinian security sources said.
http://english.ramattan.net/newsdetails.aspx?news_id=40253

Israeli army kidnaps eight civilians West Bank
The Israeli military invaded a number of West Bank communities on Wednesday and kidnapped eight civilians.
http://www.imemc.org/article/60059

Army claims detaining two Palestinian after attempting to infiltrate into Israel
Israeli Army sources reported Tuesday that soldiers detained two Palestinians after they allegedly attempted to infiltrate into Israel from the Central Gaza Strip.
http://www.imemc.org/article/60051

PA security kidnaps Dr. Qassem professor of political sciences
The Fatah-affiliated preventive security in Nablus kidnapped Dr. Abdelsattar Qassem, a professor of political sciences at Al-Najah university after summoning him on Tuesday.
http://www.palestine-info.co.uk/En/default.aspx?xyz=U6Qq7k%2bcOd87MDI46m9rUxJEpMO%2bi1s74HdQLlEstL%2bJKTkXluFwvNsqv6PGwpt9BBCQObpWfDtovt2Cu3S5a53u4KnhTd%2bLslr4GskeKNaAC19JJ3O%2flW4t2VxFT4GRRAFeLl%2bu5VU%3d

IOA intensifies repressive measures against Palestinian female captives
The PA ministry of prisoners and ex-prisoners’ affairs in Gaza has asserted Tuesday that the Israeli repressive measures against the Palestinian female captives in Israeli jails had increased.
http://www.palestine-info.co.uk/En/default.aspx?xyz=U6Qq7k%2bcOd87MDI46m9rUxJEpMO%2bi1s71MkKNgNWBT2GM0fvZfqSnkOJoJKDWR1Hb%2fJTbT2O%2fwC5Z8HSTI9sXtA3Jaf6yhOfjMBwdv0HhCKyaMLCzZSOuhiAzn5O6%2bPXJBo4mQ%2fmQzI%3d

Palestinian prisoners beaten inside military transport
Ramallah – Ma’an – Israeli prison guards assaulted a group of Palestinian prisoners while they were chained inside a military transport on Wednesday, according to attorney Jawad Al-Amawi, the director of legal affairs in the Palestinian Ministry of Prisoners Affairs.
http://www.maannews.net/en/index.php?opr=ShowDetails&Do=&ID=37294

Palestinian detainees to resist orange uniforms
The Palestinian Ministry of Detainees reported that Palestinian detainees imprisoned by Israel are planning several measures in protest against a decision by the Israeli Prison Administration (IPS) which would force them to wear orange uniforms.
http://www.imemc.org/article/60056

Hamas denies ’arrest campaign’ against Fatah
Gaza – Ma’an – The Interior Ministry of the Hamas-run de facto government in Gaza denied accusations that it launched a mass campaign of arrests against Fatah members this week. Interior Ministry spokesperson Ihab Al-Ghussein said that “all practices performed by the security service are regular; nothing has changed recently, nor did they detain any Fatah members.”
http://www.maannews.net/en/index.php?opr=ShowDetails&ID=37291

War Crimes
Norwegian lawyers to accuse Israeli leaders of war crimes
Israel’s former prime minister Ehud Olmert and other top officials could face legal action in Norway over the Gaza offensive after six Norwegian lawyers said Tuesday they would accuse them of war crimes.
http://uk.news.yahoo.com/18/20090421/twl-norwegian-lawyers-to-accuse-israeli-3cd7efd.html

Norway: 10 Israelis named in war crimes complaint (AP)
AP - A group of Norwegian lawyers filed a complaint Wednesday accusing 10 Israelis of war crimes in Gaza under the country’s new universal jurisdiction law, officials said.
http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/mideast/*http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20090422/ap_on_re_eu/eu_norway_israel_gaza_complaint

Report: Olmert, Livni may face war crimes charges in Norway
Former prime minister Ehud Olmert and opposition leader Tzipi Livni may face war crimes charges in Norway over their role in Israel’s offensive against Hamas in Gaza, AFP reported Tuesday.
http://www.haaretz.com/hasen/spages/1080189.html

Norwegian attorneys seeking extradition of Olmert for war crimes in Gaza
Bethlehem – Ma’an/Agencies – A team of Norwegian attorneys are seeking the arrest and extradition of Israel’s former Prime Minister, Ehud Olmert, for alleged war crimes committed during in Gaza in December and January. The lawyers told AFP that they plan to file a complaint with Norway’s chief prosecutor on Wednesday. They are also seeking the extradition of former Foreign Minister Tzipi Livni, Defence Minister Ehud Barak and seven senior Israeli army officers.
http://www.maannews.net/en/index.php?opr=ShowDetails&ID=37290

Hamas calls for justice in Gaza case
Hamas Prime Minister Ismail Haniya has called for instant prosecution of Israeli officials over war crimes committed in the Gaza Strip. During an international conference of prosecutors from Islamic nations held in Tehran, Haniya expressed hope that Tehran’s attempts would prepare the ground for bringing Israeli leaders to justice for their crimes in Palestinian territories. Speaking via video conference, the Prime Minister called on the International Criminal Court to immediately prosecute Israeli political and military officials over committing ’genocide’ against the Gazan people.
http://www.presstv.ir/detail.aspx?id=92119§ionid=351020202

IDF: Operational mishaps in Gaza resulted in civilian deaths
Deputy Chief of Staff Maj-Gen Dan Harel presents media with initial results of military’s probe into civilian death cases during Operation Cast Lead, says no Israeli soldier ever deliberately targeted Palestinian civilians.
http://www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7340,L-3705081,00.html

American Hypocrisy

US court: Ex-Israeli cabinet member cannot be sued
A federal appeals court says a former Israeli security chief cannot be sued in the United States for 15 deaths in a Gaza City bombing.
http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20090416/ap_on_re_us/bombing_lawsuit

In case you missed it: U.S. judge awards $156M to parents of American teen killed in Israel
A U.S. jury on Wednesday ordered three Islamic charities and an alleged fund-raiser for the Palestinian terror group Hamas to pay $156 million to the parents of an American teenager shot and killed by terrorists on Israel’s West Bank.
http://web.israelinsider.com/Articles/Diplomacy/4544.htm

In case you missed it: US Judge Orders Iran to Pay $25M for Family of Israeli Soldier Killed by Hamas
A federal judge is ordering Iran to pay $25 million plus interest to the family of an Israeli soldier kidnapped and executed by Hamas in 1994.
http://www.vosizneias.com/29532/2009/03/27/washington-us-judge-orders-iran-to-pay-25m-for-family-of-israeli-soldier-killed-by-hamas/

U.S. Might Not Try Pro-Israel Lobbyists

The U.S. government may abandon espionage-law charges against two former lobbyists for a pro-Israel advocacy group, officials said yesterday, as a prominent House lawmaker denied new allegations that she offered to use her influence on their behalf. Rep. Jane Harman (D-Calif.) accused the government of an "abuse of power" in wiretapping her conversations, following news reports that she had been recorded in 2006 on FBI wiretaps that officials at the time said raised questions of possible illegal conduct.
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2009/04/21/AR2009042102602_pf.html

Arab Collaborators

Fatah demands Egypt of more influence in Gaza
Gaza, April 21, 2009 (RAMATTAN) – A Fatah official said they demanded Egypt to amend the proposal of forming a national committee to liaise between the West Bank government and Hamas’ administration in the Gaza Strip by giving Abbas more influence in the Gaza Strip.
http://english.ramattan.net/newsdetails.aspx?news_id=40252

Egypt reports links between alleged Hizbullah cell, Lebanese government
Egyptian investigators have reportedly uncovered links between an alleged Hizbullah cell operating in Egypt and Lebanese government officials. Citing an informed source, the pan-Arab daily Al-Hayat reported Tuesday that Cairo has information that Lebanese authorities provided a member of the alleged cell with forged documents.
http://www.dailystar.com.lb/article.asp?edition_id=1&categ_id=2&article_id=101222

Egypt protests at Iran’s response to Hezbollah arrests
The Egyptian Foreign Ministry yesterday summoned the head of the Iranian Interest Section in Cairo to convey the country’s "strong protest" at recent statements made by Iranian officials on the arrest of Arab nationals with alleged links to the Iran-backed Lebanese group Hezbollah.
http://archive.gulfnews.com/region/Egypt/10306598.html

Egypt negotiator to visit Israel, may avoid meeting Lieberman
Egypt’s chief negotiator is expected to visit Israel on Wednesday for talks with senior officials, but has thus far made no plans to meet with Foreign Minister Avigdor Lieberman.
http://www.haaretz.com/hasen/spages/1079967.html

P.A. Corruption

Firms run by President Abbas’s sons get U.S. contracts
RAMALLAH, West Bank (Reuters) - Firms run by sons of President Mahmoud Abbas won U.S. government aid contracts to repair roads — and America’s image — in the Palestinian territories, previously undisclosed documents show. A review by Reuters of internal U.S. government records about aid programmes in the West Bank and Gaza Strip found that construction and public relations firms managed by Tarek Abbas and Yasser Mahmoud Abbas received over $2 million in contracts and subcontracts since 2005, when their father became president.
http://uk.reuters.com/article/worldNews/idUKTRE53L2R020090422

PA Official: Fayyad government in financial crisis
Ramallah – Ma’an – The Palestinian Authority (PA) has been facing a serious financial crisis for months, sending top leaders on a search for international funds, a senior PA official said on Tuesday.
http://www.maannews.net/en/index.php?opr=ShowDetails&Do=&ID=37281

Watchdog group cites corruption in Palestinian areas
RAMALLAH, West Bank (Reuters) - The Palestinian territories saw some improvement in public finance management in 2008 but corruption in other areas was still high, a Palestinian transparency group said in its annual report on Wednesday. The Coalition for Accountability and Integrity said that while there was more transparency in disclosing the finances of the Palestinian Authority, there was still a "general weakness in the system of combating corruption."
http://uk.reuters.com/article/worldNews/idUKTRE53L20N20090422

Other News

Obama to invite Middle East leaders
Move to call Netanyahu, Abbas and Mubarak comes as US president meets Jordan’s king.
http://english.aljazeera.net//news/americas/2009/04/200942119054779430.html

Obama nudges Israel on Palestinian statehood
* Obama committed to two-state solution
* Obama invites Middle East leaders for separate talks
* Middle East peace a U.S. priority
* Support for 2002 Arab initiative
http://www.alertnet.org/thenews/newsdesk/N21492153.htm

Lieberman: U.S. accepts all Israeli decisions
The Obama Administration will put forth new peace initiatives only if Israel wants it to, said Foreign Minister Avigdor Lieberman in his first comprehensive interview on foreign policy since taking office.
http://www.haaretz.com/hasen/spages/1080097.html

Lieberman: Right of return makes Arab plan unacceptable
Foreign Minister Avigdor Lieberman said Wednesday his opposition to an Arab peace initiative stemmed from its demand for a "right of return" for Palestinian refugees to Israel proper.
http://www.haaretz.com/hasen/spages/1080199.html

Obama: We can’t talk forever
Calling for action: US president says he hopes to ’start seeing gestures of good faith’ as part of peace process; American administration will do everything it can to encourage Israeli-Palestinian confidence-building measures, he says.
http://www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7340,L-3704601,00.html

Israel Puts Iran Issue Ahead of Palestinians
JERUSALEM — The new Israeli government will not move ahead on the core issues of peace talks with the Palestinians until it sees progress in U.S. efforts to stop Iran’s suspected pursuit of a nuclear weapon and limit Tehran’s rising influence in the region, according to top government officials familiar with Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu’s developing policy on the issue.
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2009/04/21/AR2009042103998.html

U.K. to review arms exports to Israel in wake of Gaza war
Britain Foreign Secretary David Miliband said Tuesday that the U.K. would review all its weapons exports to Israel, in the wake of the Israel Defense Forces’ recent offensive on the Gaza Strip.
http://www.haaretz.com/hasen/spages/1079961.html

London hall cancels Independence Day show over Gaza op
Reputable theater in UK refuses to host Israeli show celebrating nation’s 61st birthday due to pressure by rights groups following Israeli offensive in Strip.
http://www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7340,L-3704480,00.html

Hamas leader’s invitation to address MPs provokes fury
The former Labour minister Clare Short has been embroiled in a row after inviting senior Hamas leader Khaled Meshal to address MPs in Parliament.
http://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/politics/hamas-leaders-invitation-to-address-mps-provokes-fury-1672107.html

International conference on nonviolent resistance underway in Bil’in: schedule of events included
Ramallah / PNN – The international nonviolent resistance conference is underway Wednesday in Bil’in. For three days hundreds of people are gathering to discuss history and strategy in the struggle against occupation.
http://english.pnn.ps/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=5093

No computerized card for a one-handed reporter
The so-called Civil Administration Office, which is part of Israel’s military control over the Palestinian territories, refused to grant a Palestinian reporter and cameraman a special magnetic computerized card because he only has one arm.
http://www.imemc.org/article/60049

Hadash: Exempt Arabs from Jewish studies
Knesset Member Afu Aghbaria sends Education Minister Sa’ar enraged letter slamming new curriculum focused on Jewish heritage.
http://www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7340,L-3704614,00.html

Netanyahu accepts Shalit negotiator’s request to quit
Israel’s special negotiator for prisoner affairs Ofer Dekel has officially stepped down from his position, the Prime Minister’s Office announced late Tuesday.
http://www.haaretz.com/hasen/spages/1079976.html

Pope to drive past separation wall and visit refugee camp while in Bethlehem
Bethlehem - Ma’an - In addition to his visit to the holy sites of Palestine, Pope Benedict XVI will visit sites in Palestinian East Jerusalem, and drive to Bethlehem along the route of the separation wall. He will also visit families in the nearby A`ydah Refugee Camp.
http://www.maannews.net/en/index.php?opr=ShowDetails&ID=37278

Palestine National Football Team to play in Brussels
Bethlehem – Ma’an – Palestine’s national football team will play a friendly match with FC Molenbeek Brussels in Belgium on six may in an event celebrating the 60th anniversary of the founding of the UN Agency for Palestinian refugees, UNRWA. The match, which will take place under the banner of “A Goal for Peace” on 6 May will also be a fund raising event for the benefit of Palestine refugees. It will be played in the Edmond Machtens Stadium in Brussels and will be preceded by a musical from the Palestinian musical group Sabreen.
http://www.maannews.net/en/index.php?opr=ShowDetails&ID=37296

Solidarity/Boycott, Sanctions and Divestment
South Africa anti-Apartheid leader forges ties with Palestinians
Bethlehem – Ma’an – By Deema Dabis – A South African anti-Apartheid leader and union official is in the West Bank this week to share ideas and create stronger links for solidarity work with Palestinians. “In South Africa we are familiar with the struggle of the people of Palestine for freedom and self determination,” said Zeko Tamela, the Head of External Relations of the South African Transport and Communications Workers Union. “As a previously oppressed people ourselves we forged alliances with freedom fighters around the world.”
http://www.maannews.net/en/index.php?opr=ShowDetails&ID=37288

Store facing bid to boycott Israeli products
One of Canada’s iconic retailers is facing a politically charged debate at its annual general meeting, where it expects a motion to boycott Israeli products will be introduced. Mountain Equipment Co-op, a Canadian outdoor clothing and gear store, allows any member to introduce an “ordinary resolution” at its meetings, in keeping with its co-operative ethos. The store has more than three million members, but few attend the regular meetings.
http://www.theglobeandmail.com/servlet/story/RTGAM.20090422.wmec22/BNStory/National/home

Nobel laureate accuses Israel of ’ethnic cleansing’
AFP - Nobel peace laureate Mairead Maguire on Tuesday accused Israel of "ethnic cleansing" policies in annexed east Jerusalem, where the municipality plans to tear down almost 90 Arab homes.
http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/mideast/*http://news.yahoo.com/s/afp/20090421/wl_mideast_afp/mideastconflictjerusalem

Speech at the Durban Review Conference on Racism
The following is the speech of the Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad at the Durban Review Conference on racism in Geneva on April 20, 2009.
http://palestinechronicle.com/view_article_details.php?id=15040

Video: Palestinians hail Ahmadinejad Durban Review speech
mms://217.218.67.244/presstv/20090421/OUTPUT_23-35-00-SNG-ASHRAF-GAZA.wmv

Birmingham donates four trucks of medical supplies for Al-Amal Gaza convoy
Bethlehem - Ma’an - The British city of Birmingham donated four trucks loaded with medical equipment and humanitarian aid to the European convoy Al-Amal scheduled to depart for the Gaza Strip in mid-May.
http://www.maannews.net/en/index.php?opr=ShowDetails&ID=37277

Anti-Solidarity/Pro-Apartheid
Rachel Maddow is PEP
Rachel Maddow appears to justify the U.S. boycott of the U.N.’s racism conference in Geneva. Disappointed. Maddow comes out of my world: alt-privileged lefties in the northeast who don’t go in for Establishment values. Feels sellout-ish. Rachel, spend some political capital on this. There’s daylight.
http://www.philipweiss.org/mondoweiss/2009/04/rachel-maddow-is-pep.html

Analysis/Op-ed

Stein calls Harman’s phone-mate ’suspected Israeli double agent’ (No wonder he wants to sell movie rights)
On antiwar.com, there is a fine interview by Scott Horton of Jeff Stein of CQ, regarding his blockbuster story, in which Stein describes Harman’s phone-mate of 2005 as a "suspected Israeli double agent" and suggests that the agent was not Haim Saban.
http://www.philipweiss.org/mondoweiss/2009/04/stein-calls-harmans-phonemate-suspected-israeli-double-agent-no-wonder-he-wants-to-sell-movie-rights.html

Harman can’t remember any phone call. And then she can...
Boy does Jane Harman sound evasive and sketchy, in a superb interview by Robert Siegel...
http://www.philipweiss.org/mondoweiss/2009/04/harman-cant-remember-any-phone-call-and-then-she-can.html#comments

Harmanic Convergence: Jane Harman, AIPAC, and the Rosen-Weissman spy case
Quite aside from the wonderful irony of Jane Harman’s transformation from prominent Democratic defender of the Bush administration’s warrantless wiretapping into a civil libertarian par excellence – which has been definitively celebrated by Glenn Greenwald over at Salon – the story of how this leading "national security Democrat" sold out her nation’s security on behalf of a foreign power underscores the all-pervasive and corrupting influence of Israel’s lobby in the U.S. Harman was caught on tape with a "suspected Israeli agent," according to Congressional Quarterly, agreeing to intervene with the U.S. Justice Department and the White House to get the espionage charges against two AIPAC employees reduced. In return, the Israeli agent promised AIPAC would put pressure on House Speaker Nancy Pelosi to get Harman appointed head of the House intelligence committee. This pressure included having Haim Saban – whose largesse underwrites the Saban Center at Brookings, as well as a number of Democratic Party organizations – threatening to cut off the funding unless Pelosi caved.
http://original.antiwar.com/justin/2009/04/21/harmanic-convergence/

Piracy off the Promised Land: The Ramming of the Dignity with Clear Lethal Intent
The British have affection for Gilbert and Sullivan’s operetta The Pirates of Penzance. These pirates are jolly rascals. No such description can be applied to the pirates of Somalia and even less to the Pirates of the Levant, the Israeli navy.
http://dissidentvoice.org/2009/04/piracy-off-the-promised-land-the-ramming-of-the-dignity-with-clear-lethal-intent/

Israel’s Message to Hamas: Accept Dictates or Stay "Hostile"
Following the Hamas electoral victory in 2006, headed by Ismail Haniyeh, Israel and the United States placed intense pressure on many Western governments to boycott Hamas and deprive it of aid it otherwise would have received.
After over three months of calm on Israel’s frontier with the besieged Gaza Strip, the Israeli forces have again resorted to military incursions. The question is: why now?
http://alternativenews.org/english/1765.html

A Tribute to Bil’in
The following is a written account of the death of Basem Ibrahim Abu Rahmeh, killed during a popular protest against the separation wall north of Ramallah; it is also a commentary on the ongoing popular struggle in villages such as Bil’in. The article was written by Sayed Mohamed Dhansay, a South African volunteering with the International Solidarity Movement (ISM).
http://www.maannews.net/en/index.php?opr=ShowDetails&ID=37274

Another muted scream
And so the occupied people of Palestine sacrifice yet another one of their young men. Another one. Again. Just like that. In an instant. Caught live on camera for the world to see. Twenty-nine-year-old Basem Ibrahim Abu Rahme was later pronounced dead at Ramallah hospital on Friday 17 April 2009 after being shot in the chest with a high-velocity tear gas canister by an Israeli soldier. Sayed Mohamed Dhansay comments.
http://electronicintifada.net/v2/article10476.shtml

Killing Bassem: Just Like That
He stands on a small sandy hilltop wearing a bright yellow t-shirt, cigarette in hand. He is calling out to the soldiers on the other side of the fence “Do not shoot, do not shoot. There are children and internationals here, do not shoot.” Thin white wisps of teargas linger in the gentle breeze, a moment of calm in the confrontation.
http://palestinechronicle.com/view_article_details.php?id=15043

BDS: Thinking Outside the PLO Box
Three months ago, the world stood still for one rare moment of absolute clarity as it grasped the implication of Israel’s imprisonment of a civilian population and its use of aid and medicine as a political bargaining chip and a means of collective punishment. That moment of clarity and world sympathy was what the Palestinians needed to break the siege of Gaza. That moment was squandered by a Palestinian leadership still chasing its own tail much to the amusement of its enemies, frustration of its friends and utter disappointment of the people it claims to represent.
http://palestinechronicle.com/view_article_details.php?id=15042

Stupid Stunt to Silence Meaningful Debate
The truth never suits Israel’s flag-wavers and stooges. They have to twist it or strangulate it. When Mr. Ahmadjinedad got up to speak at the UN racism conference the British Ambassador, Peter Gooderham, was among those who walked out in the worst show of diplomatic bad manners this century. Gooderham is reported to have said that "such inflammatory rhetoric has no place whatsoever in a United Nations conference addressing the whole issue of racism and how to address it.
http://palestinechronicle.com/view_article_details.php?id=15041

Who is the bigger obstacle to peace, Netanyahu or Ahmadinejad?
Those of us wanting to prevent a looming military conflict with Iran are scratching our heads today, wondering who is the biggest obstacle to peace we face, Binyamin Netanyahu or Mahmoud Ahmadinejad. The only Head of State willing to accept the UN’s invitation to attend the Durban Review Conference on Racism, Ahmadinejad was given the introductory speaking slot as protocol dictates. By the time he left the platform, you have to wonder, is this guy a Mossad agent? The Israelis themselves could not have written the role of arch fiend better.
http://www.philipweiss.org/mondoweiss/2009/04/who-is-the-bigger-obstacle-to-peace-netanyahu-or-ahmadinejad.html

Israeli left opts for silence on troops’ atrocities in Gaza
Even though atrocities committed by Israeli soldiers have surfaced and the appointment of a right-wing government diminishes the chances for peace in the Middle East, few left-wing Israelis are taking to the streets. During the war in Gaza, modest peace manifestations brought together a few thousand protesters at a time.
http://www.dailystar.com.lb/article.asp?edition_id=10&categ_id=2&article_id=101217

Let Vanunu go
Like a modern-day Cain, Mordechai Vanunu walks the streets of East Jerusalem in search of a place to spend the night. He has no permanent address, and because of a cash shortage he moves from one cheap hostel to the next. He is forbidden to talk with foreigners. With Israelis he does not wish to speak. The Arabs in East Jerusalem do not try to befriend him, fearing trouble. He is a difficult and complicated man. His belief in his principles is stern and dogmatic, but is also cause for bewilderment. Even his family and most of his few supporters abroad have cut off contact.
http://www.haaretz.com/hasen/spages/1080104.html

Word games
Gideon Levy - Haaretz - "To paraphrase David Ben-Gurion, it is necessary to tell the president of the United States now that it doesn`t matter what the Jews say, it matters what they do."
http://www.haaretz.com/hasen/spages/1080106.html

Naboth of Bil’in
On Friday evening, television news viewers witnessed the ultimate reality show - the murder of a human being on camera. The site of the killing was next to the West Bank village of Bil’in, 80 kilometers south of the ancient city of Jezreel, where a murder was committed under similar circumstances some 2,800 years ago. Bil’in is located 10 kilometers south of the village of Qibya, itself a notorious locale in Israel’s history for the 1953 IDF raid in which 69 Palestinian civilians, some of them children, were killed by troops commanded by a young Ariel Sharon.
http://www.haaretz.com/hasen/spages/1080103.html

A solution in Palestine may be closer than we imagine
The world will be enveloped in a heavy cloud of gloom and doom this year. Economies will sputter, governments will fall, and companies will fail. But the biggest danger of all is a sense of hopelessness. Preventing this requires resolving some large and apparently intractable problem. Closing the Doha Round of world trade talks provides one such opportunity.
http://www.dailystar.com.lb/article.asp?edition_id=10&categ_id=5&article_id=101194

Both Lebanon and Jordan need a solution to the Palestine-Israel conflict
The region’s diplomatic agenda for this week contains an intriguing juxtaposition of state visits, for those interested in monitoring the developments under way in political realignments and efforts to solve long-standing disputes. Lebanon’s President Michel Sleiman is in Ankara to meet top Turkish officials.
http://www.dailystar.com.lb/article.asp?edition_id=10&categ_id=17&article_id=101193

Gaza artists deliver hope out of the womb of destruction
Israel should realize by now that the Palestinian nation is indestructible. A nation that was born from the womb of a great civilization is hard to defeat regardless of the methods or the variety of arms used to attack them. Nothing ever will break their spirit. Israel keeps destroying and Palestinians keep rising up from the ashes, green and willing to rebuild.
http://palestinethinktank.com/2009/04/21/iqbal-tamimi-gaza-artists-deliver-hope-out-of-the-womb-of-destruction/

Saving Lives in Gaza
On US tour, Norwegian Dr. Mads Fredrik Gilbert talked about his recent work saving peoples’ lives in Al-Shifa Hospital, located in Gaza City, Gaza, during Israel’s Operation Cast Lead. The bombardment began December 27, 2008 and continued throughout most of January 2009. His first lecture was at the University of Chicago’s Rockefeller Chapel in Hyde Park; and it was sponsored by: Amnesty International, Global Health Initiative; Committee on International Affairs in Public Policy; Students for Justice in Palestine; American Friends Service Committee – Chicago; and American Muslims for Palestine-National.
http://www.counterpunch.com/nettnin04212009.html

New wave of Palestinian filmmakers emerges against the odds
LONDON, England (CNN) — When the 10th London Palestine Film Festival opens this week, Londoners will have greater access to films made in the Palestinian territories than many people living in the region. Today, there is only one movie theater operating in the West Bank. Gaza has none. The "Al Kasaba" theater in Ramallah is the only formal film venue for a population of nearly 2.5 million in the West Bank. Due to travel restrictions it is virtually inaccessible to the one and one half million Palestinians residing in Gaza.
http://www.cnn.com/2009/SHOWBIZ/Movies/04/22/palestinian.territories.cinema.challenges/

A Basic History of Zionism and its Relation to Judaism
Zionism has now assumed the all-embracing mantle of righteousness. It claims to represent and to speak for all Jews and has adopted the slogan of "my country right or wrong." The West tolerates Israel’s continuous breaches of human rights—violations that it would not tolerate if perpetrated by any other country.
http://www.informationclearinghouse.info/article4549.htm

The Holocaust Industry: Video
Norman Finkelstein talks about his book, The Holocaust Industry, and on the on the Israel Palestine Conflict on CSpan.
http://www.informationclearinghouse.info/article19996.htm