Today in Palestine !

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Land left and destructions

The Israeli military destroy five Acers of Palestinian owned lands in southern West Bank
The Israeli military destroyed, on Monday, five Acers of lands owned by villagers form Al Towani village in the southern West Bank.
http://www.imemc.org/article/61047

Israeli settlers set fire of Palestinian owned lands in northern West Bank
A groups of Israeli settlers set fire on Monday afternoon to Palestinian owned farm lands in northern West Bank.
http://www.imemc.org/article/61048

Settlers set fire to lands south of Nablus
Nablus – Ma’an – A number of Israeli settlers burnt more than 10 donums of land south of the northern West Bank city of Nablus on Monday, an official said. Palestinian Authority settlers affairs director Ghassan Doughlas told Ma’an that the destroyed lands included olive crops in the Al-Wama’a area of the Iraq Bourin village.
http://www.maannews.net/en/index.php?opr=ShowDetails&ID=39058

A crowd of 100 Palestinian and foreign activists attempted to chase Israeli forces out of town
Ramallah / PNN - The town known specifically for its nonviolent resistance to the Wall was attacked again last night making it five days running with nine people arrested in two weeks. At three o’clock this morning some 100 Israeli soldiers and border police invaded western Ramallah’s Bil’in Village. Eyewitnesses report several homes being attacked, including those of Basim Yassin, Ahmed Yassin, Shauket Khatib, and Abed Al Muamen Abu Rahma.
http://english.pnn.ps/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=6044

`ANA ATLAB EL HAQ` - an in-depth article on what is going on in the Sheikh Jarrah Jerusalem neighborhood
On a hot afternoon in June a bearded ultra-orthodox Jew clad in black, the fringes of his ritual garment blowing in the wind makes haste down Abu Bakr Street in the populous Arab East Jerusalem neighborhood of Sheikh Jarrah on his way to pray at the Tomb of Shimon HaTzaddik, Simon the Righteous, who was the last High Priest of the Sanhedrin and whose great piety supposedly dissuaded Alexander the Great from conquering Jerusalem.
http://www.kibush.co.il/show_file.asp?num=34387

Minister calls for Jewish takeover of Palestinian areas in Israel
Israel’s housing minister called for strict segregation between the country’s Jewish and Arab populations last week as he unveiled plans to move large numbers of fundamentalist religious Jews to Israel’s north to prevent what he described as an "Arab takeover" of the region. Jonathan Cook reports.
http://electronicintifada.net/v2/article10645.shtml

Aggression and Violence

Soldiers invade Bil’in
Israeli soldiers invaded Bil’in village on Tuesday at dawn, near the Central West Bank city of Ramallah, and broke into several homes with the intent to kidnap ten residents. The soldiers violently assaulted international peace activists who nonviolently attempted to stop the attack.
http://www.imemc.org/article/61058

This is what occupation looks like: Israeli military raids Bil’in at 3 a.m. with batons and grenades
Two weeks ago I did a post about the Israeli military raiding the village of Bil’in in the middle of the night. In addition to sharing the horrifying news, it was also an example of what life under occupation looks like. Residents of Bil’in are reporting another similar raid this morning. Bil’in does receive extra attention from the Israelis because it has been at the forefront of resisting the occupation, but this treatment is not reserved for them. This is life under occupation. Imagine yourself living under these conditions. Imagine how you would respond. From the Friends of Freedom and Justice in Bil’in.
http://www.philipweiss.org/mondoweiss/2009/07/israeli-forces-raid-bilin-at-3-am-.html

More pictures and video from the invasion of Bilin
http://www.bilin-ffj.org/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=162&Itemid=1
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ko9uoacB3YE

Qassam Fighter killed during training in Gaza
A fighter of the Al Qassam brigades the armed wing of the Hamas movement was killed on Monday during training in the Gaza Strip.
http://www.imemc.org/article/61045

Detainees

The Israeli military kidnaps 11 civilians from the West Bank
Eleven Palestinians were kidnapped on Tuesday during Israeli military invasions targeting a number of West Bank communities.
http://www.imemc.org/article/61063

Israeli army kidnaps two Palestinian men from northern West Bank
Israeli forces invaded the northern West Bank villages of Atil and Ilar on Tuesday morning, detaining two young men after having raided their houses.
http://www.imemc.org/article/61062

Hamas MPs discuss issue of detained colleagues in Swiss mission
A delegation of the Hamas lawmakers on Monday called on the Swiss diplomatic representation office in Ramallah for a discussion on the issue of their colleagues detained in IOA jails.
http://www.palestine-info.co.uk/En/default.aspx?xyz=U6Qq7k%2bcOd87MDI46m9rUxJEpMO%2bi1s7sP93mvI2d%2bBaTo1NfXNyFAIKlsv8xuYHs4g8YnbjBTRUWNU%2byX3Gkfb%2b8PzWU%2bjs4MPZA373xXdC6zICEZeLiTzZqgukCUde4uwsSqaC%2bBU%3d

RPT-Israel releases former U.S. congresswoman - group
WASHINGTON, July 6 (Reuters) - Israel has allowed a former U.S. congresswoman to return home days after detaining her and other activists on board a ship carrying relief supplies for Gaza, a pro-Palestinian group said on Monday. Israeli authorities intercepted the vessel, which had 21 activists on board, on June 30 and said it would not be permitted to enter Gaza’s coastal waters because of security risks in the area and an existing naval blockade.
http://www.alertnet.org/thenews/newsdesk/N06287461.htm

Prisoner No. 88794 - Message from Israeli Jail
This is Cynthia McKinney and I’m speaking from an Israeli prison cellblock in Ramle. [I am one of] the Free Gaza 21, human rights activists currently imprisoned for trying to take medical supplies to Gaza, building supplies - and even crayons for children, I had a suitcase full of crayons for children. While we were on our way to Gaza the Israelis threatened to fire on our boat, but we did not turn around. The Israelis high-jacked and arrested us because we wanted to give crayons to the children in Gaza. We have been detained, and we want the people of the world to see how we have been treated just because we wanted to deliver humanitarian assistance to the people of Gaza.
http://palestinechronicle.com/view_article_details.php?id=15264

Israel frees Hamas MP after three years (AFP)
AFP - Israel on Monday released a Palestinian MP with the Islamist movement Hamas, Ibrahim Abu Salem, who was held behind bars since the capture of an Israeli soldier in Gaza, Hamas said.
http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/mideast/*http://news.yahoo.com/s/afp/20090706/wl_mideast_afp/mideastconflicthamasjustice

Palestinian convicted of attacking police officer gets 15 years
Ramallah resident Asrar Barghouti found guilty of attempted murder for 2008 stabbing attack on Border Guard patrol off Jerusalem. Court says harsh punishment a must as means of deterrence.
http://www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7340,L-3742759,00.html

Humanitarian Issues

Gaza’s 1.5 million people in trapped in despair - Red Cross
Six months after the end of Israel’s military operation in Gaza, the people living there find themselves unable to rebuild their lives and are sliding ever deeper into despair, the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) said today. A new ICRC report on the situation in Gaza.

http://www.dailystar.com.lb/article.asp?edition_id=10&categ_id=2&article_id=103884

Israeli blockade brings Gaza trade to standstill - 06 July 09
Once wealthy business owners, the Shamaly family of Gaza now farms smuggled livestock to survive a crippling Israeli blockade on the Gaza Strip. The Palestinian family says it has no other options for work, since the two-year-old blockade put an end to its bustling construction business. But as Al Jazeera’s Sherine Tadros reports, the blockade is also affecting Israelis who once relied on Gaza for trade.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8qljuAzhn9c

Israel refuses to let 5-month old baby from Gaza leave the Strip with his mother and sister
Israeli forces at the Erez crossing stopped a 5-month old baby from crossing into Israel. His mother and five-year old sister both had a permission to leave the Strip, so the 5-year old girl could receive medical treatment in Israel.
http://www.imemc.org/article/61061

IOF troops prevent French medical team from entering Gaza
The Israeli occupation forces (IOF) on Monday blocked the entry of a French medical team into the Gaza Strip for the second consecutive day via the Beit Hanun (Erez) crossing in northern Gaza Strip.
http://www.palestine-info.co.uk/En/default.aspx?xyz=U6Qq7k%2bcOd87MDI46m9rUxJEpMO%2bi1s7jiNQwjLqAoC71A3QzSsYxtrXwvLD1Wfu2eez8teOiypouAPattyXBgI5W%2bF%2fHW5cgzBzh8ErWpNh1SKcZwRPi61Dm9jMhgjFr%2be0hdZD6WU%3d

US activists at Rafah, request to cross into Gaza with 1 million in supplies
Bethlehem - Ma’an - At least 100 Americans arrived in Egypt Sunday and made their way up to the Egypt-Gaza border at Rafah with a rumored 1 million US dollars in medical supplies for the besieged Strip.
http://www.maannews.net/en/index.php?opr=ShowDetails&ID=39066

Palestinian children rally against Israeli blockade
GAZA, July 7 (Xinhua) — Hundreds of Palestinian children participated in a Hamas-organized rally in the Gaza Strip Tuesday, calling for lifting the blockade Israel has imposed on the territory since 2007. The Islamic movement, which controls Gaza, organized the demonstration in front of the UN Relief and Works Agency (UNRWA)’s mission headquarters in the city.
http://news.xinhuanet.com/english/2009-07/07/content_11669374.htm

http://news.xinhuanet.com/english/2009-07/07/content_11669374.htmGAZA, July 7 (Xinhua) — Hundreds of Palestinian children participated in a Hamas-organized rally in the Gaza Strip Tuesday, calling for lifting the blockade Israel has imposed on the territory since 2007. The Islamic movement, which controls Gaza, organized the demonstration in front of the UN Relief and Works Agency (UNRWA)’s mission headquarters in the city.
http://news.xinhuanet.com/english/2009-07/07/content_11669374.htm

Fatah Collaboration with Israel

Abu Zuhri: Fatah exploits PLO factions to evade national dialog
Dr. Sami Abu Zuhri, a Hamas spokesman, on Monday said that statements by certain PLO factions on the forthcoming national dialog session in Cairo were meant to provide a cover for Fatah’s absence.
http://www.palestine-info.co.uk/En/default.aspx?xyz=U6Qq7k%2bcOd87MDI46m9rUxJEpMO%2bi1s7EWqXvZgFbxWET%2b07qbBAFFsluODwYPjwfWA9pc3NNNjZf7UKgx5ozpuC4Z%2bkor3Yuq6XUy16qKogACA9LlA4i%2b5jrPqWNttOSGdBetgA%2b1I%3d

Hamas castigates PA for holding woman hostage in return for her husband
Hamas on Monday castigated the PA security apparatuses for kidnapping the wife of prisoner Omar Al-Hanbali one day before his release from Israeli jails in order to pressure him to turn himself in.
http://www.palestine-info.co.uk/En/default.aspx?xyz=U6Qq7k%2bcOd87MDI46m9rUxJEpMO%2bi1s7OPbXomWGahMWDXlQLlaYzF7msDlfLqv57LIOYZamkABOM0SmHpBLtFJDyn37VFhLZrZ2o1hhrmxSfqt0X9dvzPZDTjjXkD6HbJuOqlIwKQA%3d

Hypocrisy: Fateh accuses Hamas forces of arresting members, leaders in Gaza
Sources within the Fateh movement accused the Internal Security Forces of Hamas in Gaza of arresting a group of Fateh members and leaders of the movement in Gaza City on Monday.
http://www.imemc.org/article/61054

Qassem: Kidnappings in West Bank linked to PA agreements with Israel
Professor Abdelsattar Qassem stated Monday that the kidnappings taking place in the West Bank are related to the agreements signed by the PA with Israel especially the Oslo agreements.
http://www.palestine-info.co.uk/En/default.aspx?xyz=U6Qq7k%2bcOd87MDI46m9rUxJEpMO%2bi1s7UEPuWvoRFzhRrdZghaXzGVK18rJfIsUgb5PBkXiV6ZSdO3KO4OSj7%2fcRvFjFlmov%2fZF385evwtfLwXBm9yhMFD0zMOs7PegreSUzq1CCwHg%3d

Egyptian Collaboration with Israel

Egyptian Authorities Punish Two Activists for their Pro-Palestinian Solidarity Work
Natalie Abou Shakra and Jenny Linnell, both British nationals, have been prevented from leaving the Gaza Strip after visiting on a humanitarian mission. The two International Solidarity Movement activists, part of the Free Gaza Movement voyages, were prevented from exiting the Gaza Strip via the Rafah Crossing on the 28th of June, 2009 by the Egyptian border authorities.
http://www.paltelegraph.com/palestine/gaza-strip/1263-egyptian-authorities-punish-two-activists-for-their-pro-palestinian-solidarity-work-

The starvers of Gaza meet
...And assure the world the Gilad Shalit is in good health, as was widely reported. About the health crisis that is imposed on the other million and a half residents of Gaza they had nothing to say, most probably, to be fair to our two grandfatherly vampires, Peres and Mubarak, because none of the journalists attending the press conference asked about it, and if any of them did, none of the editors of the Western media thought the question was fit to print. After all, unlike Gilad Shalit, they are merely Arabs.
P.S. isn’t Mubarak’s petit salon tastefully decorated? The warm tones in the carpet are made with blood (and did you notice there are no mirrors?).
http://jewssansfrontieres.blogspot.com/2009/07/starvers-of-gaza-meet.html

Political Developments

Sources: Hamas studies Abbas’s unity government offer
RAMALLAH, July 6 (Xinhua) — The Palestinian Islamic Hamas movement is studying a proposal by Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas calling for forming a Palestinian unity government, sources said on Monday.
http://news.xinhuanet.com/english/2009-07/06/content_11663445.htm

PFLP: Hamas and Fatah do not want unity
Gaza – Ma’an – Hamas and Fatah are not serious about reconciliation and the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine (PFLP) will not accept any agreement that fails to deal with central issues, party central committee member Jamil Mizher said Monday.
http://www.maannews.net/en/index.php?opr=ShowDetails&ID=39064

Gaza: Fatah, PFLP, DFLP, PPP meet to discuss unity without Hamas
Gaza – Ma’an – Four political factions met in Gaza City Monday to go over positions on the national dialogue ahead of the 27 July date for the next Cairo meetings mediated by Egypt.
http://www.maannews.net/en/index.php?opr=ShowDetails&ID=39062

Hamas’ Choice: Recognition or Resistance in the Age of Obama, By Ali Abunimah
In a major policy speech on 25 June 2009, Khaled Meshaal, the head of Hamas’ political bureau, tried to do what may be impossible: present the Islamist Palestinian resistance organization as a willing partner in a U.S.-led peace process, while holding on to his movement’s political principles and base. This is the dilemma that every Palestinian leadership, and perhaps almost every liberation movement, has eventually had to confront. It is a choice, as political scientist Tamim Barghouti has pointed out, between recognition and legitimacy.
http://www.thejerusalemfund.org/ht/d/ContentDetails/i/6251/pid/223

Israeli foreign minister: I’m not being sidelined (AP)
AP - Israel’s ultranationalist foreign minister said Monday that he voluntarily removed himself from crucial talks with the United States because he lives in a West Bank settlement, denying speculation that he’s being sidelined by an image-conscious government troubled by growing friction with the Obama administration.
http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/mideast/*http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20090706/ap_on_re_mi_ea/ml_israel_palestinians

Barak: Gaps with U.S. remain over West Bank settlements
In an attempt to bridge the divide between Jerusalem and Washington over the issue of West Bank settlement construction, Defense Minister Ehud Barak met with U.S. Mideast envoy George Mitchell in London for over three hours on Monday.
http://www.haaretz.com/hasen/spages/1098201.html

Barak says Israel would dismantle 23 illegal outposts
During his meeting with the US Middle East envoy, George Mitchell, Israeli Defense Minister, Ehud Barak, stated that Israel would dismantle 23 illegal settlement outposts in the occupied West Bank in the coming weeks or months.
http://www.imemc.org/article/61052

Israel summons EU envoy over settlements criticism
The Foreign Ministry on Monday said the EU ambassador to Israel was called in for explanations after the European Commission said Israel’s settlement policy helps strangle the Palestinian economy and makes the Palestinian government more dependent on foreign aid.
http://www.haaretz.com/hasen/spages/1098299.html

Llieberman says Palestinians don’t want real negotiations
Foreign Minister Avigdor Lieberman said during a joint conference with German counterpart Frank Walter-Steinmeier that the Palestinians refuse to begin negotiations with Israel without preconditions. "All the rest provides them with excuses, because the Palestinians don’t want to hold real, constructive negotiations," he said.
http://www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7340,L-3742443,00.html

Other News

Israeli security preventing Jerusalem performance of “Fire of Anatolia” by Turkish dance troupe
Ramallah / PNN – On the fifth day of the Palestine International festival, a performance of "Fire of Anatolia" leaves a distinct impression on the audience at the Ramallah Cultural Palace., The Turkish production represents a mix of beautiful art accompanied by bitter reality, establishing through music and movement deep meanings ripe with hope. The performance expresses the need to reach out in the world to give another human being comfort and reassurance.
http://english.pnn.ps/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=6059

In Palestinian town, business booms after Israel relaxes checkpoints
Nablus residents wonder whether the change means Israel is serious about peace or is simply an effort to placate the Obama administration.
http://www.csmonitor.com/2009/0706/p06s19-wome.html

Jerusalem Municipality ’at war’ with Islamic summer camps
Funds for children’s camps in east Jerusalem tripled as part of education battle against Hamas, Fatah.
http://www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7340,L-3742455,00.html

Palestinian youngsters make music in former prison
NABLUS, West Bank (Reuters) - Ramzi Abu Redwan says he remembers waiting in the halls of Al-Fara’a prison as a boy, holding his grandfather’s hand and staring up at the walls as he waited to see his father, jailed by Israel. Now, those same walls echo, not with the footsteps of Palestinian prisoners, but with music and children’s laughter. The prison, just outside the West Bank city of Nablus, was used in turn by the British, Jordanians and Israelis.
http://in.reuters.com/article/lifestyleMolt/idINTRE5653NK20090706

Hamas taunts Israel with Gilad Shalit cartoon
The film depicts the 22-year-old Israel Defense Forces Sgt. chained to a jail cell wall, pleading with a Palestinian boy to be set free. The boy refuses, saying he has relatives in Israeli prisons. Gaza militants captured the soldier in June 2006 after tunneling into Israel. Two other soldiers were killed in the attack.Shalit has not been seen since, and Hamas has prevented the Red Cross from visiting him.
http://www.haaretz.com/hasen/spages/1098409.html

Mubarak: Gilad Shalit is in good condition
Israel Defense Forces soldier Gilad Shalit, who is being held captive in Gaza by Hamas militants, is in good condition, Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak said on Tuesday.
http://www.haaretz.com/hasen/spages/1098427.html

Poll: Majority of Israelis in favor of ’natural growth’
War and Peace Index says 61% of public agrees with Prime Minister Netanyahu’s settlement expansion policies, but percentages drop if they prove to risk Israel-US relations; 59% say government mishandles Shalit case.
http://www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7340,L-3742558,00.html

Activism/Solidarity/Boycott, Sanctions and Divestment
Jordanian protests against Israeli products
http://www.arabiatube.com/video/5108/5-7-2009

Clashes in Jordan over Israeli imports
Some 45 protesters clashed with Jordanian police outside the country’s agricultural ministry in the capital of Amman on Sunday, demanding an end to the import of Israeli fruits and vegetables. Jordanian riot police grab a protester during a protest demanding an end to the import of Israeli fruit and vegetables in Amman, Jordan, Sunday. Police wielded batons against some of the demonstrators, who chanted slogans that imports support West Bank settlements.
http://www.jpost.com/servlet/Satellite?cid=1246443724130&pagename=JPost%2FJPArticle%2FShowFull

Efforts to break siege on Gaza unceasing despite deportation of boat crew and confiscation of aid
Brussels / PNN – The European campaign to lift the siege on Gaza said in a statement that a second convoy of aid was launched Sunday afternoon from JFK Airport in New York. It is being led by American activist Ron Kovic, and includes British MP George Galloway and activist Kevin Aovindn along with the support of more than 46 institutions organization in America.
http://english.pnn.ps/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=6047

Viva Palestina to break Gaza siege again
About 100 US activists with tons of medical supplies arrived in Egypt on Sunday on their way to Gaza, hoping to break the deadly Israeli-Egyptian blockade of the territory —home to 1.5 million Palestinians.
http://www.presstv.ir/detail.aspx?id=99912§ionid=351020202

Watching Israeli Amiel Vardi confront a stonefaced commander, I want to do klezmer all night long
The video is also inspiring. First, because you see an American volunteer from Christian Peacemakers Teams trying to protect the right of the villagers to graze their sheep on the land. And then—when the Israeli soldiers arrive to declare the lands a military zone— for the appearance of a wiry middle-aged Israeli activist. This Israeli gets in the Israeli commander’s face. He badgers him in Hebrew to state the reason why he is pushing the Palestinians off their land.
http://www.philipweiss.org/mondoweiss/2009/07/joseph-dana-shot-this-video-yesterday-in-tuba-a-village-near-a-settlement-called-maon-in-the-occupied-west-bank-it-is-a-gri.html
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lSTeAwy9acs

The battle for the soul of Israel is taking place on Israeli TV, not ours
Real journalism. A stunning report from Channel 2 in Israel on a confrontation between Peace Now activists and settlers in the West Bank. The activists are traveling into the West Bank to check the status of the "freeze" on settlements. There ain’t no freeze. This should be on American television. Why isn’t it?
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=q0zw72XTUpo
http://www.philipweiss.org/mondoweiss/2009/07/o-.html

Analysis/Op-ed

Gaza: A Story
They lived in a place called Peace. But then came the tanks and the guns. So they left, the white flag waving in the air. Nestled in the north of Gaza, close to the Israeli border, Hay As-salaam (Peace Neighborhood) was in nature as in name: A quiet area outside the city. The land owned by a wealthy Palestinian (extended) family, the Abu Eida family. Their 10 family houses gave life to the neighborhood. All were new and large and beautiful, the oldest only built in the early 2000‘s.
http://dissidentvoice.org/2009/07/gaza-a-story/

Zionist Fanatics Practice Serial Vandalism in Paris
Thousands of books drenched in cooking oil – that is the latest exploit of the Zionist fanatics who regularly attack property and people in Paris and get away with it. In the early afternoon of Friday, July 3, five men, mostly masked, stormed into the “Resistances” bookstore located in a quiet residential neighborhood of the 17th arrondissement in northwest Paris. To the startled women working in the shop, as well as two customers, they announcing that they were from the Jewish Defense League and began ripping books off shelves and tables, dousing them heavily with cooking oil, and then smashing four computers before leaving rapidly in a waiting vehicle.
http://www.counterpunch.org/johnstone07062009.html

Women in the war zone: Gaza, by Helena Cobban
Kudos to the BBC for publishing an agonizing (and agonized) short interview with Tihani Abed Rabbu, described as "bereaved mother’ in Gaza. Scroll down here to find it. (But can anyone at the BBC tell me on what basis they placed her interview last and lowest on the page beneath two that seemed far less interesting to me— but that were conducted with, you guessed it, men... And guess what, the first of the of the men was an outspoken critic of Hamas. I wonder why that placed that one at the top??)
http://justworldnews.org/archives/003656.html

Daoud Kuttab: Suffering the King Hussein Bridge
This is a story about one fleet of vans, two companies and three governments. The van is a 9 seat Hyundai which travels a three kilometer route joining the passport terminal on both sides of the King Hussein Bridge. The companies are a Jordanian one and an Israeli. The Jordanian company: the Golden Arrow is a company officially registered in the name of Abu Khaled Hanania but it is known by many that there is a certain amount of investment in this company by one of Jordan’s security branches. The Israeli company is called Laufer Aviation it recently won a concession from the Israeli Airport Authority replacing Qumran VIP. The three relevant governments are the Israelis (which includes here both the civilian and military) the Palestinian Authority and the Jordanian government.
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/daoud-kuttab/suffering-the-king-hussei_b_225390.html

Cynthia McKinney and the Kidnapping of the Spirit of Humanity, By FRANKLIN LAMB
Former Congresswoman Cynthia McKinney returned home today after 6 days being held by the government of Israel while attempting with 21 colleagues to deliver humanitarian aid to Gaza on the vessel, the Spirit of Humanity. “Don’t sign Miss Cynthia don’t sign!” So chanted a boisterous group of Palestinian teens and pre-teens in Beirut’s Shatila Refugee Camp demonstrating support for the Freegaza Humanity boat abductees on the 4th of July.
http://www.counterpunch.org/lamb07062009.html

Israel’s Piracy’s Sequel: The Silence of The Sheep
(JACKSON, Miss.) - Israel’s hijacking last week of The Spirit of Humanity on the international high seas was a simple act of piracy. We have seen different reactions elsewhere to piracy, most notably off the coast of Somalia, or even to the kidnapping of embassy staff and humanitarian aid personnel. In this case, as in previous instances of Israeli violations of international law, nothing has been done. Indeed, there has been almost no coverage of the incident anywhere in the mainstream media, and a shameless silence from sheep-like political leaders almost everywhere – a silence that needs to be examined carefully.
http://salem-news.com/articles/july062009/israel_pirates_7-6-09.php

Hagai El-Ad: From Ni’ilin to Chernobyl and Back, in Under a Week
An IDF officer allegedly orders one of his soldiers to shoot a bound, blind-folded Palestinian detainee at close range. The soldier then fires a rubber bullet at point-blank range at Mr. Ashraf Abu Rahma. The incident is caught on-camera by a B’Tselem video, taken by a 17-year-old girl from the village of Ni’ilin. The IDF investigates and finds that allegedly it was just a misunderstanding: the officer simply wanted to intimidate Mr. Abu Rahma to think that he is about to be shot. The command he gave to his soldier was only meant to be heard by Mr. Abu Rahma, not for the soldier to act upon. Both officer and soldier are charged by the IDF’s Judge Advocate General with "unbecoming conduct," a lightweight offense which does not even appear on criminal records.
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/hagai-elad/from-niilin-to-chernobyl_b_225736.html

Absurdity Is the Norm For the Gaza Strip
Upon returning home from Gaza, a friend commented, "It must have been horrifying seeing all the destruction." And it was. The 22-day Israeli assault on the Gaza Strip laid waste to an already ravaged territory. The landscape is dotted with piles of rubble of bombed out buildings, the twisted iron and aluminum of destroyed factories, once green fields reduced to sand and dirt by Israeli tanks, apartments with 2 meter holes in the walls and toppled minarets of mosques turned to ruins.
http://www.coastalpost.com/09/07/01.html

This is what is wrong with a "Jewish state"
It’s up to a Jewish state to find a way to oppose a Hamas government without resorting to blocking shipments of humanitarian supplies to more than a million innocent people, or arresting peace activists - among them a former U.S. congresswoman and a Nobel Peace Prize laureate trying to bring those supplies to Gaza.
http://www.haaretz.com/hasen/spages/1098187.html

Forbidden Israel: Sex and the Settlers
If the Israeli government and courts were adhering strictly to the law, the settlers would have been gone long ago.
http://www.alternet.org/world/141123/forbidden_israel:_sex_and_the_settlers_/?utm_source=feedblitz&utm_medium=FeedBlitzRss&utm_campaign=alternet

THE ROVING EYE : Go ahead, Bibi - drop the bomb
As unclenched fists go, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin "Bibi" Netanyahu’s government and that of the newly empowered administration of the "mullahtariat" in Iran now seem to be locked in a free-for-all cage match - regardless of United States President Barack Obama’s self-styled "refereeing" positioning. - Pepe Escobar (Jul 7,’09)
http://www.atimes.com