Today in Palestine!

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Subject: [PACUSA] March 17, 2010 

Settlements/Land Theft and Destruction

New housing units in occupied Jerusalem
The planning and construction committee in the Israeli controlled municipality of Jerusalem has endorsed new building plans in a number of suburbs in eastern Jerusalem.
http://www.palestine-info.co.uk/En/default.aspx?xyz=U6Qq7k%2bcOd87MDI46m9rUxJEpMO%2bi1s7II%2bchtXzt5cVXiyUZ572N%2f6DWNcLZg3Hf%2fvFjyOraPeQNrAmEu6hTcC59LIeORhzSupeT5u5Iw1F3ZTIenyKs8bfDmWRJOFtHUGleoiQ7DM%3d

Israel Approves Two Bids To Build 426 Units For Settlers
Israel’s TV, Channel 10, reported that Israel announced bids for the construction of 26 additional units for Jewish settlers in East Jerusalem, especially in Abu Ghneim, and east of the Green Line inside the occupied West Bank and occupied East Jerusalem.
http://www.imemc.org/index.php?obj_id=53&story_id=58227

Jerusalem: A City Under Siege
For five days and in the context of the opening of the Hurva Synagogue in the Jewish quarter, the Old City has been turned into a city under siege. Israeli authorities have maintained a heavy military and police presence. Since Friday, a closure was imposed on the West Bank, banning the entry of West Bank permit holders into occupied East Jerusalem. Men under 50 years of age have also been prohibited from entering Al Aqsa Mosque compound.
http://www.palestinemonitor.org/spip/spip.php?article1302

Activism/Solidarity/Boycott,Sanctions and Divestment

Ni’lin: Israeli forces injure 8 protesters and arrest 17-year old boy
March 16th, 2010— This morning, the Israeli occupation forces have attacked residents of Ni’lin who were gathered in a march to protest the military orders against their village and the provocative Israeli construction close to the Palestinian holy places.
http://stopthewall.org/latestnews/2202.shtml

Grassroots activist Wa’el Al-Faqeeh faces military court, still without charge
Palestinian activist Wa’el Al-Faqeeh faced his third hearing in Salim military court on 11 March. His detention period was extended until 24 April when the next hearing will take place. Al-Faqeeh remains imprisoned without charge since his arrest from his Nablus home on 9 December 2009. It is expected that Al-Faqeeh will be charged with aiding an illegal organization, a common pretext employed by the Israeli military to imprison politically active Palestinians, and faces a minimum of 12 months behind bars.
http://palsolidarity.org/2010/03/11807?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+palsolidarity+%28International+Solidarity+Movement%29

Dr. Barghouthi Pledges Support To Beleaguered Jerusalemites
“I do not have any permission issued by the Israeli authorities to enter Jerusalem, and I do not recognise the fact that Israel has the power to issue permits to Palestinians to enter their city. We are here on the day in which Israel is establishing facts on the ground, to show that we will never give up Jerusalem.” Dr Barghouthi delivered this message during a press conference held yesterday in front Damascus gate. His speech emphasised the importance of solidarity with Palestinians in the Holy City, who have been affected by the closures and restrictions imposed by Israeli authorities.
http://www.palestinemonitor.org/spip/spip.php?article1303

Palestinians demonstrate near Israel-Gaza borders
GAZA, March 17 (Xinhua) — Hundreds of Palestinians demonstrated on Wednesday near Gaza-Israel borders, protesting against Israeli measures in East Jerusalem and the no-go zone Israel declared along Gaza borders. Leftists parties called for the peaceful demonstration, which inspired similar demonstrations in the West Bank as part of the peaceful public resistance.
http://news.xinhuanet.com/english2010/world/2010-03/17/c_13215032.htm

Photos of the Start of the Third Intifada!
http://palestinianpundit.blogspot.com/2010/03/blog-post_7599.html

West Bank street named for dead US activist (AP)
AP - Palestinians in the West Bank city of Ramallah on Tuesday named a street after a U.S. activist who was crushed to death by an Israeli army bulldozer in a 2003 protest against house demolitions in Gaza.
http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/mideast/*http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20100316/ap_on_re_mi_ea/ml_palestinians_us_activist

Tulkarem and Ramallah mark the seventh anniversary of the death of Rachel Corrie
On March 16th 2003, an Israeli bulldozer killed the American activist Rachel Corrie in Rafah, Gaza. Today, in Kafr Sur, near Tulkarem, and in Ramallah, family, friends and supporters gathered together to commemorate the anniversary of her murder. Students of Kafr Sur Secondary School, who have been working on a research project about Rachel’s life and death, today marked the anniversary with a march to a memorial stone at the entrance to the village. The students were joined by children from the nearby primary school, as the stone was unveiled and speeches were delivered by the headmaster, one of the students, and an ISM activist.
http://palsolidarity.org/2010/03/11801?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+palsolidarity+%28International+Solidarity+Movement%29

Qalandiya: Checkpoint closure anger surfaces
Approximately 200 residents of Qalandiya gathered today to protest the continued closure of the checkpoint in their city, allowing them access to Israel. Israeli military attempted to suppress the protest by invading and occupying a Palestinian home, and firing tear gas and rubber bullets down a roof into rush hour traffic below. In the densely packed street, several demonstrators were hit with tear gas canisters that were fired directly at them, as well as numerous passing vehicles. One driver suffered from tear gas inhalation after a canister smashed through the back windscreen their car.
http://palsolidarity.org/2010/03/11811?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+palsolidarity+%28International+Solidarity+Movement%29

Rachel Corrie’s Memory, Israel’s Image, Neve Gordon
Seven years ago, Rachel Corrie was crushed to death by a Caterpillar D9R Israeli bulldozer while nonviolently protesting the demolition of Palestinian homes in Rafah, Gaza Strip, along with other members of the International Solidarity Movement (ISM). Now her parents, sister and brother are suing the State of Israel and the defense minister, claiming wrongful death.
http://palestinechronicle.com/view_article_details.php?id=15813

Palestine Today
http://friday-lunch-club.blogspot.com/2010/03/palestine-today.html

Pictures

Today, the latest in growing demonstrations in the Israeli-imposed “buffer zone”, demonstrators again protested this lethal Israeli ban (shoot to kill threat) which renders roughly 30% of Gaza’s best agricultural land off-limits and under which in August 2009 the UN’s OCHA reported 33 Palestinian civilians (among them 11 children) had been killed and another 61 civilians (among them 13 children) injured. From January 18 2009 to September 15 2009 alone, ISM reported 7 civilians (among them 4 children) killed and 28 (among them 8 children and 2 women) injured by Israeli soldiers in the border regions.
http://ingaza.wordpress.com/2010/03/16/psst-voices-calling-loud/

Can President Obama Mobilize His Inner Rachel Corrie?
Today is the seventh anniversary of the death of Rachel Corrie in Gaza by an Israeli government bulldozer, and the anniversary this year comes at an unusually bad time in US-Israel relations — by which I mean, of course, that it comes at an unusually wonderful time in US-Israel relations, one of those rare times in which the US appears to put some real effort into establishing narrower boundaries for Israel’s behavior towards the Palestinians.
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/robert-naiman/can-president-obama-mobil_b_500736.html

Great Conspiracies of the BDS Movement
The IAW debate on Al-Jazeera pointed to accusation of an anti-Semitic plot as a conspiracy theory hurled at the ethnically, religiously, and generationally diverse group of broke solidarity activists who came together to organize the BDS (Boycott, Divestment, and Sanctions against Israel) movement with the goal of achieving equal rights for the Palestinians people.

http://www.kabobfest.com/2010/03/great-conspiracies-of-the-bds-movement.html?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+kabobfest%2FGrillMe+%28KABOBfest%29

Provocation/Violence and Aggression

Settlers attack village near Nablus
West Bank, March 17, 2010 (Pal Telegraph)- Extremist settlers attacked on Wednesday a number of the people of Deir Al-Hatab village east of Nablus, in the northern West Bank. Ghassan Douglas, an official at the Nablus office of the Palestinian Authority, said: "a number of villagers went to a water spring-the village’s major source of water, when groups of settlers attacked them and denied them access to the spring."
http://www.paltelegraph.com/palestine/west-bank/4882-settlers-attack-village-near-nablus

Israel provokes more violence in WB
West Bank, March 17, 2010 (Pal Telegraph)-Israeli occupation forces stepped up military actions on Wednesday morning in and around Hebron in the West Bank, while in Bethlehem there were several demonstrations and stone-throwing. It was reported that occupation forces set up a number of checkpoints in many parts of Bethlehem, stopped dozens of vehicles, detained citizens and abused them.
http://www.paltelegraph.com/palestine/west-bank/4880-israel-provokes-more-violence-in-wb

Protesters say Israel fired on Gaza demonstration
Gaza – Ma’an – Israeli forces opened fire during a demonstration in the northern Gaza Strip on Wednesday afternoon, protesters said. An Israeli military spokeswoman confirmed that soldiers opened fire, but said the reports were still being investigated.
http://www.maannews.net/eng/ViewDetails.aspx?ID=269437

Israeli Troops Injury Two Journalists During Clashes With Local Youth, Southern West Bank
Two journalists were reported injured on Wednesday during clashes between Israeli troops and local youth in deferent parts of southern West Bank.

http://www.imemc.org/index.php?obj_id=53&story_id=58229

Jerusalem’s flickering tinder-box
"They are igniting the whole situation," says Amran Dari, 55, as he cranes his neck to see past the line of Israeli soldiers to the clashes beyond. "Will there be a third intifada [uprising]? This is the start of it," the unemployed Palestinian said as young men from his Jerusalem neighbourhood, Issawiya, pelted armed Israeli riot police with stones and fireworks.
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/middle_east/8571399.stm

Palestinian anger spills onto East Jerusalem streets
Palestinian protesters have flooded into East Jerusalem and other parts of the West Bank to vent their anger over the restoration of a historic synagogue. They claim Israel’s work is endangering the al-Aqsa mosque - one of their most important sites. Israel’s annexing of two other holy sites last month plans to build more Jewish settlement homes have further angered Palestinians. Sherine Tadros reports from occupied East Jerusalem.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=go7V8FX4_Uw&feature=youtube_gdata

150 wounded in the day of rage
IOF used rubber bullets and teargas on Tuesday to disperse Palestinian demonstrations protesting the opening of the ruins synagogue near the Aqsa Mosque in occupied Jerusalem wounding 150 citizens.
http://www.palestine-info.co.uk/En/default.aspx?xyz=U6Qq7k%2bcOd87MDI46m9rUxJEpMO%2bi1s7BKCdG4360b6Y%2fjhyfxebLnyP%2fWusuHvt1hrgKkmpn3MA3gSo7hL1s7F3lK16yThLaB%2fFG4jNogVAon1xbospuHZLqMjZXWFJrRljFHQ89uQ%3d

Detainees

IOF arrests 3 Palestinians in Hebron
West Bank, March 17, 2010 (Pal Telegraph)- Israeli occupation forces arrested three young men early Wednesday after raiding their houses in Bait Amr town, in the northern Hebron. Mohammed Ayad Awad, Palestinian Solidarity Project spokesman, said: "Israeli occupation forces arrested Ibrahim Said Mahmoud Awad, 17; Eyad Omar Khalil Sabarna, 16; Amir Ibrahim Khaled Sabarna, 20, and took them to an unknown destination."
http://www.paltelegraph.com/palestine/west-bank/4878-iof-arrests-3-palestinians-in-hebron

Israel arrests 5 Palestinians in West Bank
West Bank, March 17, 2010 (Pal Telegraph)- Israeli occupation forces arrested early Wednesday five Palestinians during raid and search campaigns carried out in different areas of the West Bank. Security sources said that a large force of Israeli army raided Nablus, Bethlehem and Jenin, and launched a thorough search campaign and ransacked many of the citizens’ houses, arresting five of them.
http://www.paltelegraph.com/palestine/west-bank/4870-israel-arrests-5-palestinians-in-west-bank

Israeli raids targeting children
Silwan, Occupied East Jerusalem (IPS) - Three thousand heavily armed Israeli security service forces locked down large parts of the Old City of Jerusalem on Tuesday, as battalions of police fired rounds of tear gas and rubber-coated steel bullets at Palestinian protesters in the occupied eastern part of the city. Nearly 40 Palestinians were wounded and treated at nearby hospitals, as 25 were arrested during intense clashes.
http://electronicintifada.net/v2/article11140.shtml?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+electronicIntifadaPalestine+%28Electronic+Intifada+%3A+Palestine+News%29

Young men disappearing from the Old City
I am most concerned these recent weeks in Hebron. Young teens and even smaller children are disappearing from our neighborhood in the Old City of Hebron. It’s not by kidnapping. It’s not by trafficking. It’s not an unknown person with a criminal record perpetrating the crimes. Rather, the Israeli military is again pressing its boots down harder on the heads of the Palestinian people. If restrictions on travel and commerce, land confiscations, home invasions, and forced business closures have not succeeded in convincing Palestinian families to leave their land, then MAYBE taking their children will.
http://groups.google.com/group/newprofile/browse_thread/thread/21a46c2a975e1c7?hide_quotes=no#msg_8d74c4fafbb23153

Jailed Fatah leader gets doctorate
RAMALLAH: The Palestinian Minister of Detainees and Ex-detainees Issa Qaraqi’ on Tuesday said that the jailed Fatah leader Marwan Al-Barghouthi received on Tuesday his doctorate in political science.
http://arabnews.com/world/article30947.ece

Released prisoner says detainees feel ignored by PA
Tulkarem – Ma’an – A recently released detainee said Wednesday the Palestinian Authority and political parties have neglected Palestinian prisoners in Israeli jails. Muhammad Dahbour, from Tulkarem refugee camp, said "detainees in Israeli prisons are incensed at the Palestinian leadership and parties, particularly those serving over 30 years in detention who believe they have been ignored for a long time."
http://www.maannews.net/eng/ViewDetails.aspx?ID=269362

Humanitarian Issues/Human Rights/Restriction of Movement
Ashton in Gaza on Thursday to Look Closely at Daily Life
RAMALLAH, March 16, 2010 (WAFA) - The EU Representative in the West Bank, the Gaza Strip and UNRWA, Christian Berger said Tuesday, “Catherine Ashton will visit Gaza Strip next Thursday to look closely at the daily life there.” Burger said, in a briefing to Journalists in Ramallah that the EU High Representative of the Union for Foreign and Security Policy and Vice-President of the European Commission Affairs Catherine Ashton visit to the Middle East is to confirm support to the peace process and the Palestinian Authority’s decision to declare a Palestinian state with its capital in East Jerusalem, and supports the policy of Prime Minister Salam Fayyad plan to build a the state.
http://english.wafa.ps/?action=detail&id=13891

OPT: Why violence against women is widespread
Source: IRIN Nahla*, aged 30, from Bureij refugee camp in central Gaza, said she was physically and mentally abused for more than 10 years by her husband before being granted a divorce three months ago.
http://www.alertnet.org/thenews/newsdesk/IRIN/5388c80a0ea6a90926a7ae6de59abaa1.htm

Al Mezan Condemns Internal Attacks in Gaza; Gaza Government Obligated to Investigate, Prosecute Perpetrators
At approximately 7:45pm on Monday 16 March 2010, unknown persons detonated an explosive device near the eastern wall of the Al Sheikh Redwan Police Station in the al Sheikh Redwan neighborhood. The glass windows s of the surrounding houses were smashed. No causalities or injured were reported. The perpetrators and reasons behind the incident are unknown.
http://www.reliefweb.int/rw/rwb.nsf/db900SID/SKEA-83MH7A?OpenDocument&RSS20=02-P

In pictures: Gaza power shortages
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/middle_east/8562513.stm

Ewa Jasiewicz and Frank Barat Russell Tribunal on Palestine
Palestine, March 16, 2010 (Pal Telegraph)The first session of the Russell Tribunal on Palestine (RTP) was heard in Barcelona, Spain earlier this month. The RTP is a peoples’ legal initiative designed to systematically try key actors responsible for the perpetuation of human rights violations in Palestine.
http://www.paltelegraph.com/world/world-news/4858-ewa-jasiewicz-and-frank-barat-russell-tribunal-on-palestine

Israel’s Arab Helpers
Egyptian forces thwart fuel smuggling into Gaza
Al-Arish – Ma’an – Egyptian authorities thwarted a fuel smuggling operation through Rafah tunnels into the Gaza Strip on Monday. Four trucks carrying 20,000 liters of fuel were seized by Egyptian security forces, Ma’an’s Egypt correspondent said. Forces apprehended one suspect, while three escaped, he added.
http://www.maannews.net/eng/ViewDetails.aspx?ID=269186

Egyptian forces discover 2 smuggling tunnels
Al-Arish – Ma’an – Egyptian forces on Tuesday discovered two tunnels used for smuggling goods into the Gaza Strip. Ma’an’s correspondent said both tunnels were taken over in the Salah Ad-Din area along the Gaza-Egypt border. Egyptian forces found 150 bags of charcoal ready to be smuggled into Gaza. The smugglers fled before security forces arrived. Egypt will close the tunnels with stones as they are near houses and cannot be demolished with explosives, the correspondent added.
http://www.maannews.net/eng/ViewDetails.aspx?ID=269401

Egypt says underground wall almost finished
Cairo, March 16, 2010 (Pal Telegraph) - The reinforced underground steel wall that Egypt is building along its border with Gaza is nearly completed, Egyptian daily Al-Shorouq reported Monday. "Work on the main wall is in its fourth and final stage," the paper reported. Once that is complete, cameras and detection devices will be installed. The process will take "a few weeks," followed by a testing period overseen by Egyptian and international experts.
http://www.paltelegraph.com/palestine/gaza-strip/4857-egypt-says-underground-wall-almost-finished

PA politicians choose state building over struggle, for now
West Bank streets quiet as Gaza rallies in support of Jerusalem riots. In light of deadlock in peace talks, return to terrorism not on table as upper echelons in Palestinian Authority focus on Fayyad-model state building over path of intifada. Third option of supporting bi-national state small, but gaining momentum.
http://www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7340,L-3863714,00.html

Fatah leader: Intifada only bring about "disasters"
Tayseer Nasrallah, a Fatah leader, has criticized calls for igniting a third intifada against the Israeli violations in occupied Jerusalem and the opening of the ruins synagogue near the Aqsa Mosque.
http://www.palestine-info.co.uk/En/default.aspx?xyz=U6Qq7k%2bcOd87MDI46m9rUxJEpMO%2bi1s7ZZ3GS8lRh6xQruOrl9%2bi72DHN6PzmY3UNG6hi6g3Rn%2fRGWzIZbRbG2SATmoru4T2KZ8vGJ3LUSifc%2b8jXpgSl%2b%2bsMlfCIc4stkH59TkAE94%3d

Politics and Diplomacy

Al-Aqsa Brigades: Give us weapons to defend Jerusalem
Fatah’s military wing, the al-Aqsa Martyrs’ Brigades, has demanded that the Palestinian Authority return its weapons in order to defend Jerusalem, after most of the organization members turned over their weapons to the PA as part of an amnesty agreement signed with Israel about two years ago. The Brigades said in a statement that the security forces in the West Bank were asked to release all detained fighers in order to let them join "the resistance against the occupation and the Zionist offensive."
http://www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7340,L-3863697,00.html

Fatah’s armed wing wants to resume struggle against Israel
While riots in Jerusalem continue, Palestinian groups threaten to escalate clashes. ’We will react in a way which will hurt the enemy,’ Hamas official says. Defense minister notes Palestinian riots will only boost radicalism.
http://www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7340,L-3863723,00.html

U.S. says ties with Israel still strong (Reuters)
Reuters - White House spokesman Robert Gibbs said on Tuesday a U.S.-Israeli dispute over Jewish settlement plans does not alter the United States’ long-standing commitment to Israel’s security.
http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/mideast/*http://news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20100316/pl_nm/us_palestinians_israel_obama

US moves to calm spat with Israel over settlements
Hillary Clinton, the US secretary of state, has moved to soften the Washington’s tough rhetoric over Israel’s announcement that it will build 1,600 new settler homes. At home, the White House has been criticised by US legislators and pro-Israel lobby groups for its harsh stance towards Israel. And abroad, the Obama administration wants to avoid being seen to favour Israel, for fear of possible international backlash that could hurt its foreign policy agenda. Al Jazeera’s Patty Culhane reports.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xtwiB85FRjM&feature=youtube_gdata

Israel preparing response to U.S. demands
Tensions ran high in Jerusalem on Tuesday while Washington waits for Israel’s response to demands raised by Secretary of State Hillary Clinton that could help defuse the diplomatic crisis with the United States.
http://www.haaretz.com/hasen/spages/1157020.html

Clinton: Israel must prove commitment to peace
US secretary of state says Obama administration awaiting response from Israel to suggestions on how to repair damage caused by last week’s announcement of new housing in east Jerusalem, but pledges ’unshakable bond’ with Jewish state.
http://www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7340,L-3863731,00.html

Is this the showdown?, Bruce Wolman
Someone has leaked to Haaretz "at least four steps the United States expects Netanyahu to carry out to restore confidence in bilateral relations and permit the resumption of peace talks with the Palestinians." The steps were on a list that Secretary of State Clinton read to Prime Minister Netanyahu last Friday.
http://mondoweiss.net/2010/03/is-this-the-showdown.html

Petraeus says lack of progress for Palestinians is ‘root cause’ of Arab anger
These factors can serve as root causes of instability or as obstacles to security. Insufficient progress toward a comprehensive Middle East peace. The enduring hostilities between Israel and some of its neighbors present distinct challenges to our ability to advance our interests in the AOR [Area of Responsibility of Centcom] Israeli-Palestinian tensions often flare into violence and large-scale armed confrontations. The conflict foments anti-American sentiment, due to a perception of U.S. favoritism for Israel. Arab anger over the Palestinian question limits the strength and depth of U.S. partnerships with governments and peoples in the AOR and weakens the legitimacy of moderate regimes in the Arab world. Meanwhile, al-Qaeda and other militant groups exploit that anger to mobilize support. The conflict also gives Iran influence in the Arab world through its clients, Lebanese Hizballah and Hamas.
http://armed-services.senate.gov/statemnt/2010/03%20March/Petraeus%2003-16-10.pdf

Netanyahu to meet Jewish Congress members
Jewish members of Congress are invited to meet with him Tuesday, as they often are when he and other Israeli prime ministers are in town. Invites went out this morning from Rep. Henry Waxman (D-Ca.) and Sen. Carl Levin (D-Mich.). Privately, several pro-Israel Congressional Democrats and their staffs have expressed sympathy for the administration’s sense of betrayal that the Israeli government made a provocative housing announcement regarding East Jerusalem just two days after the Palestinians finally agreed to go into U.S.-mediated proximity talks with the Israelis, even short of a full Israeli settlement halt, after months of American diplomatic heavy lifting.
http://www.politico.com/blogs/laurarozen/0310/Netanyahu_to_meet_Jewish_Congress_members.html?showall

UN chief: Jerusalem subject of final negotiation
On backdrop of violent clashes in capital, Ban Ki-moon urged Israelis, Palestinians to practice restraint but condemns east Jerusalem construction, saying ’ settlements are illegal under international law’.
http://www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7340,L-3863774,00.html

Quartet condemns Israeli settlement plans
Bethlehem - Ma’an - The Middle East diplomatic Quartet has condemned Israel’s plans to build new settler homes, vowing not to recognize unilateral actions, Agence France-Presse reported Friday. The Quartet "condemns Israel’s decision to advance planning for new housing units in East Jerusalem," AFP reported.
http://www.maannews.net/eng/ViewDetails.aspx?ID=268586

Canada concerned by Jerusalem settlement expansion
Bethlehem - Ma’an - Lawrence Cannon, Canadian minister of foreign affairs, has expressed Canada’s concern regarding the planned expansion of Israeli settlements in East Jerusalem, and encouraged Israelis and Palestinians to move ahead with indirect peace talks.
http://www.maannews.net/eng/ViewDetails.aspx?ID=269063

Spain presses ’two-state’ solution in talks with Barak (AFP)
AFP - Spanish Foreign Minister Miguel Angel Moratinos insisted Tuesday on the need for a two-state solution to the Middle East conflict during a meeting with Israel’s Defense Minister Ehud Barak.
http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/mideast/*http://news.yahoo.com/s/afp/20100316/wl_mideast_afp/mideastconflictspainisraeleudiplomacy

Brazilian president places wreath on Arafat’s tomb; calls for end to Gaza siege
Silva tells reporters in Ramallah ’brave steps needed to leave behind 50 years of pain’; calls to dismantle West Bank security barrier. Abbas urges on Israel to live up to Roadmap obligations.
http://www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7340,L-3864150,00.html

Other News
’Softened’ Nakba law passes 1st reading
Knesset votes in favor of controversial bill proposed by Yisrael Beiteinu. ’This is how we will take care of enemy,’ MK Miller says. MK Tibi: Another black day for Knesset.
http://www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7340,L-3863825,00.html

Rightists prepare banner declaring Obama as ’PLO agent’
"Obama is anti-Semitic, pro-Arab, an agent of the PLO and we stand behind what the poster says."
http://haaretz.com/hasen/spages/1156844.html

Netanyahu’s brother-in-law: Obama is an anti-Semite
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s brother-in-law Dr. Hagai Ben-Artzi on Wednesday called U.S. President Barack Obama an anti-Semite in an interview with Army Radio.
http://www.haaretz.com/hasen/spages/1157061.html

An Israeli academic with a plan
Or how to trick the Palestinians to abandon the right of return: "(b) "Atomization" of the implementation by making the offer of compensation and relocation directly to the heads of families and not through any Palestinian organizational entity that may well have a vested interest in foiling the scheme."
http://angryarab.blogspot.com/2010/03/israeli-academic-with-plan.html

Carly Fiorina criticizes White House’s objection to Israeli construction in East Jerusalem
Republican U.S. Senate candidate Carly Fiorina on Tuesday rebuked White House officials for their critical stance toward Israeli construction in East Jerusalem, joining a largely GOP chorus that has admonished the Democratic administration. Fiorina, appearing at the Sacramento Press Club, used the episode to demand that Democratic incumbent Sen. Barbara Boxer confront President Barack Obama.
http://www.sacbee.com/2010/03/17/2612438/carly-fiorina-criticizes-white.html#ixzz0iRYgAld4

’Government knew of Jewish terrorist’s plan to open fire on Shfaram bus’
Newly discovered footage of a terrorist attack perpetrated by an Israel Defense Forces soldier in the Arab town of Shfaram five years ago indicates that authorities were aware of plans to commit the attack.
http://www.haaretz.com/hasen/spages/1156771.html

Gazans find glimmer of luxury in thriving gold bazaar
GAZA CITY — Gaza’s borders are closed and its economy in shambles, but the glittering alleys of the territory’s centuries-old gold bazaar are packed with young brides to be. The market has experienced an unlikely renaissance in recent years as Gaza’s Islamist Hamas rulers have championed weddings and Israeli closures have crippled the local economy, making gold an attractive investment.
http://www.google.com/hostednews/afp/article/ALeqM5gcIQ-Mvg84LCZ31DN9-XrbtPd5pA

Ruins of 7th century Arab palace identified in Israel
JERUSALEM — Ruins in northern Israel previously thought to have been a synagogue have now been identified as a 7th century palace used by the Umayyad caliph who started construction of Jerusalem’s Dome of the Rock, archaeologists said on Tuesday. The site on the shores of the Sea of Galilee is that of the Al-Sinnabra palace, which was described by early Arab historians but whose precise location had long been unknown, according to Tel Aviv University, whose Institute of Archaeology led the recent excavations.
http://www.google.com/hostednews/afp/article/ALeqM5hsVoZIz-JveAUCtSgUUwbtSDAX4w

Ghassan Ali, a libertarian communist in the PFLP
Ghassan Ali is a 3rd-generation Palestinian refugee. His grandparents were driven from their village in present-day Israel. He and his parents were born in refugee camps in the Gaza Strip. As a child, he threw stones in the First Intifada (1987-1993). He recounts his journey to Alternative Libertaire and explains his position as a libertarian communist in the PFLP [1] and the path he sees for the Resistance.
http://www.anarkismo.net/article/16137

Media Watch

NPR interviews two Israel lobbyists for story on settlement squabble, Philip Weiss
Should NPR have disclosed this fact? Especially at a time when Gen’l Petraeus is saying that the Arab world regards the US as incapable of being tough with Israel? Also, just to get on my sociological hobbyhorse, Is it really fair that NPR is interviewing two American Jews on this subject? Are there any other Americans who have expert opinions? What about Steve Walt, who knows this issue backward and forward? Or Helena Cobban, who is as sharp as they come? Or Ali Abunimah, who has followed the peace process forever and is funny? They all have less personal identification with Israel than Kurtzer and Makovsky. Can Americans learn their views? Thanks to Bob Feldman for the NJ connection…
http://mondoweiss.net/2010/03/npr-interviews-two-israel-lobbyists-for-story-on-settlement-squabble.html

Ethan Bronner gives a label
This is how Ethan Bronner labels the Israeli illegal settlement plan: "An ill-timed municipal housing announcement..." So it is just ill-timed. Also, notice that the Western press and the Saudi Arab press now talk about pressures on Netanyahu from his "right-wing coalition partners." So Likud is not right-wing anymore? And the right-wing Kadima (founded by Sharon) is now referred to as centrist. Pretty soon, the US media will be referring to Netanyahu as the far-left Israeli leader.
http://angryarab.blogspot.com/2010/03/ethan-bronner-gives-label.html

Serving Israeli wars, proudly
Look at this headline of the New York Times: "Israel Seals Off West Bank to Prevent Unrest." So the New York Times does not even wait to provide justification for Israeli actions. It does so in the headlines now.
http://angryarab.blogspot.com/2010/03/serving-israeli-wars-proudly.html

Analysis/Opinion/Human Interest

For Israeli leaders, snubbing the U.S. may not be a political win
The jury is out. But a look a history suggests that the politics of snubbing the United States is not as politically beneficial to Israeli leaders as some of the pundits here have suggested. Israel’s ambassador to the United States, Michael Oren, reportedly told his consuls general this week that U.S.-Israeli relations were at their lowest point since 1975.
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2010/03/16/AR2010031602078.html?wprss=rss_world/mideast

Jeopardizing U.S. Standing: The Petraeus Controversy
Leaks from a recent top level briefing by General David Petraeus are causing quite a controversy. The general pointed out that, “Israeli intransigence on the Israeli-Palestinian conflict was jeopardizing U.S. standing in the region.” Mark Perry reported this on March 13 in Foreign Policy. Perry said, “No previous CENTCOM commander had ever expressed himself on what is essentially a political issue… ”
http://dissidentvoice.org/2010/03/jeopardizing-u-s-standing-the-petraeus-controversy/

Political umbrage in Washington?
Robert Grenier - Al Jazeera - The Americans are denied even the illusion of progress. Consider that in the aftermath of such a clear, unequivocal statement of US policy as came in Cairo, the best they could do was to negotiate a temporary – and only partial – pause in settlement construction, with East Jerusalem exempted completely.
http://english.aljazeera.net/focus/2010/03/201031654729763691.html

Analysts: US may be seeking Israel ‘regime change’
The Obama administration’s row with Israel over settlements has prompted some analysts to wonder whether it seeks "regime change," a new government that can make peace with the Palestinians. However, the analysts doubt that President Barack Obama’s administration, which has made Arab-Israeli peace a national security priority, will achieve anything if it has indeed adopted such a strategy.
http://rawstory.com/2010/03/analysts-seeking-israel-regime-change/

MJ Rosenberg: AIPAC Pressures Congress: Back Netanyahu, not the President
The diplomatic crisis over Israeli settlements is going into its second week and there is no sign that either side is backing down. It started when the Israeli government announced that it would expand settlements in East Jerusalem while Vice President Joseph Biden was visiting Israel.
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/mj-rosenberg/aipac-pressures-congress_b_501536.html

On the current tipping point, Helena Cobban
AIPAC and its allies have really gotten their undies in a twist over last week’s confrontation between Netanyahu and Biden (and Sec. Clinton, too.) Next week, AIPAC has its big, power-demonstrating policy conference in Washington.The list of confirmed speakers is topped by Clinton and Netanyahu. How will that go? Will it be a love-fest or some discreet form of a continued confrontation? Will one or the other find a reason not to attend? Whatever happens, it’s going to be important.
http://justworldnews.org/archives/003927.html

Does anyone else find it odd that Israel is the most visited foreign country by US politicians?
Our trade with Israel is minor, compared to our trade with many other countries. Israel is not nearby. It’s not part of NATO. Etc, etc, etc. We’re stuck in no-win wars in the Middle East, but Israel can’t help us there.
http://investmentwatchblog.com/does-anyone-else-find-it-odd-that-israel-is-the-most-visited-foreign-country-by-us-politicians/

The Break on Palestine, David Bromwich
In Boston, on March 5, 1770, a crowd of Americans threw rocks at British soldiers and were answered by disorderly gunfire. Five Americans were killed, and we call it the Boston Massacre. What was Gaza? Look again at the numbers. [...] Many witnesses who know both countries will tell you conditions are worse today in the West Bank and Gaza than apartheid was in South Africa. But that analogy surely will not be discussed, not even to be violently rebutted, at the AIPAC convention next week. [...] The truth is that whatever the wild men say, no country of that region threatens any other with extinction; but one country is widely believed to be well equipped for nuclear war, and that country is Israel.
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/david-bromwich/the-break-on-palestine_b_501630.html

Who are Israel’s true friends? (Hint: it’s not AIPAC)
I’ve been fighting the temptation to weigh in on the current "crisis" between the United States and Israel — Lord knows I’ve already said a lot on this issue over the past few years — but a few comments are in order. As one would expect, hard-line groups in the Israel lobby like AIPAC, the Conference of Presidents, JINSA and WINEP are now trying to pin the blame for the rift on the Obama administration. They want to portray Obama as insufficiently supportive of the Jewish state, in order to force him to back off the same way he did during last summer’s confrontation with Netanyahu over a settlement freeze.
http://walt.foreignpolicy.com/posts/2010/03/16/who_are_israels_true_friends_hint_its_not_aipac

Israel slapped America – and may have jolted Obama awake | Jonathan Freedland
Why would the Obama team have chosen to escalate a row they could easily have let fade away? "They weren’t exactly looking for a fight," says Daniel Levy, Middle East analyst of Washington’s New America Foundation, whose ear is close to the administration ground. He notes that Obama is on the brink of passing healthcare reform – and hardly needs to distract attention from that most perilous of battles. The danger will be more acute if pro-Israel Democrats make a "linkage" between the two issues, demanding that Obama lower the pressure on Israel in return for their votes on the health bill.
http://www.guardian.co.uk/commentisfree/cifamerica/2010/mar/16/israel-slapped-america-bibi-hillary

Crisis in US-Israeli relations: Barack Obama must not back down | Editorial
He blinked once and he can not afford to blink again. The most serious crisis in US-Israeli relations in 35 years was not of President Obama’s making. He had already climbed down a fair way from his original demand for a total halt on settlement construction. And leading administration officials had already talked up a counter-offer from Binyamin Netanyahu that would impose a 10-month moratorium but would allow the construction of nearly 3,000 housing units (which is the number that would have been completed in that period). The folly of backing down on the first US demand is only illustrated by what happened next: the Israeli government approved another 1,600 homes on occupied Palestinian land in East Jerusalem during the visit in which vice-president Joe Biden announced the resumption of indirect talks with the Palestinians.
http://www.guardian.co.uk/commentisfree/2010/mar/17/crisis-us-israeli-relations-barack-obama

Israel’s Titanic moment: Does Obama want Bibi’s head?
JERUSALEM - Hamas has designated this day, in this place, its Day of Rage. Why, then, the smiles on the faces of Mahmoud Zahar and Mahmoud Ahmadinejad? Perhaps it’s because after more than 22 years of costly trial and error, Hamas has finally come upon the secret of how to bring down the Jewish state: Let the ship sink itself
http://www.haaretz.com/hasen/spages/1156827.html

Jerome Slater: The Israeli-Palestinian Conflict and the Failure of the U.S. Peace Organizations, Jerome Slater
The prospects for a settlement of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict have never been worse, primarily because of the rightward shift of the Israeli government and public opinion and, secondarily, because of the end of any expectations that the United States would help "save Israel from itself."
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/jerome-slater/the-israeli-palestinian-c_b_499010.html

Naomi Klein: Arguing for justice is not a call for revolution, Philip Weiss
Is that really the best an entire think tank can come up with to support the claim that I am out to destroy Israel and should be stripped of my free speech rights? First, I have to say that I find it hilarious that in points one and three, Eran Shayshon resorts to quoting an article I wrote for my student newspaper when I was 19. I’m almost 40 so it’s oddly flattering. As I said the last time this article was dug up, I don’t respond to this kind of slime: "The article in question was written when I was in first year university. I look forward to the follow up exposé revealing that, in that very same year, I wrote college essays about books I had not actually read.”
http://mondoweiss.net/2010/03/naomi-klein-arguing-for-justice-is-not-a-call-for-revolution.html

US heartland wakes to ‘colonial project’, Philip Weiss
March madness. Indiana University is promoting a prof’s statement that in Israel, US is funding "colonialism… rejected everywhere in the world." Amazing that this is on the Indiana University website. Note that Rafael Reuveny is former IDF and came here years ago (university bio – includes: Technion, Israel Institute of Technology B Aeronautical Engineering, six years in IDF). I wonder what Shaul Magid, the Brit Tzedek guy/Kabbalah scholar who is the usual IU expert, has to say about this?
http://mondoweiss.net/2010/03/us-heartland-wakes-to-colonial-project.html

Despite Lobby Pressure, Obama Still Can, George S. Hishmeh – Washington, D.C.
The pro-Israel lobby and its supporters elsewhere in the U.S. are unashamedly turning their guns on Barack Obama in the wake of the U.S.-Israeli clash over the construction of 1600 new housing units for Jews in occupied Arab East Jerusalem on the eve of “proximity talks” between Israel and the Palestinian National Authority.
http://palestinechronicle.com/view_article_details.php?id=15811

Jonathan Cook discusses increasingly repressive nature of Israel
Ramallah, March 16, 2010 (Pal Telegraph) - In a wide-ranging interview conducted by the New Left Project, journalist Jonathan Cook describes the increasingly repressive nature of Israeli society and the prospects for a solution to the Israel-Palestine conflict.
http://www.paltelegraph.com/palestine/west-bank/4860-jonathan-cook-discusses-increasingly-repressive-nature-of-israel

Israel’s actions on the ground proving difficult to spin, Mel Frykberg
JERSUSALEM (IPS) - Israeli riot police and soldiers have, since Friday, sealed off the al-Aqsa mosque, Islam’s third holiest shrine, restricting entry to women and Palestinian men over 50. Outside the walled Old City, where the al-Aqsa mosque is situated, and in several West Bank villages, clashes were reported.
http://electronicintifada.net/v2/article11136.shtml?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+electronicIntifadaPalestine+%28Electronic+Intifada+%3A+Palestine+News%29

Simon Wiesenthal Center launches PR campaign to whitewash Jerusalem desecration, Philip Weiss
More grotesque news. At a time when Israel has declared two sites in the Occupied Palestinian Territories to be Jewish heritage sites, showing that it has no sign of creating any kind of viable Palestinian state, grim tidings from Haaretz: A rabbi declares that work is going to begin on the Simon Wiesenthal Museum of Tolerance atop a historic Muslim cemetery in Jerusalem, despite international protest of the desecration.
http://mondoweiss.net/2010/03/simon-wiesenthal-center-launches-pr-campaign-to-whitewash-jerusalem-desecration.html

What is Israel afraid of?
The program of the 13th Palestinian government, commonly referred to as the Fayyad Plan, called for all Palestinian institutions, and Palestinian society as a whole, to unite behind a state-building effort. The program embodies an authentically Palestinian initiative to work pro-actively and constructively toward establishing the state of Palestine through non-violent means over a two-year timeframe, despite the lack of progress in negotiations and continued military occupation. The program and its ongoing implementation have demonstrated that there is a positive and engaged partner on the Palestinian side who is committed to the two-state solution. The stark contrast with decisions to further expand settlements beyond the green line is beginning to unmask Israel as the unwilling partner.
http://palestinenote.com/cs/blogs/blogs/archive/2010/03/15/what-is-israel-afraid-of.aspx

Rectifying asymmetrical warfare, a modest proposal
The other day, my daughter called from college. She’s taking an international human rights course, and had been assigned to read the Executive Summary of the Goldstone Report, as well as criticism and defense of the report, including the attack by Moshe Halbertal in The New Republic. (Jerry Slater has done a masterful job picking apart Halbertal). My daughter was astonished to see that Halbertal had complained about "asymmetric warfare" on behalf of Israel.
http://mondoweiss.net/2010/03/rectifying-asymmetrical-warfare-a-modest-proposal.html

we have power, Philip Weiss
All six commentators quoted by the BBC, representing American views of the US-Israel impasse, are Jewish. This reflects many factors, culture, wealth, interest, but it’s also about a remarkable historical moment, of Jewish power.
http://mondoweiss.net/2010/03/we-have-power.html

Peace Process Hypocrisy: Stillborn from Inception, Stephen Lendman
Journalist Henry Siegman titled his August 2007 London Review of Books article, “The Great Middle East Peace Process Scam,” calling it likely “the most spectacular deception in modern diplomatic history.” This writer omits most likely calling it the no-peace peace process, stillborn from inception, while Haaretz writer Gideon Levy, on March 7, 2010, wrote, “There has never been an Israeli peace camp,” saying “let’s call the child by its real name: The Israeli peace camp is still an unborn baby,” the mother yet to become pregnant given decades of Israeli-Washington rejectionism.
http://dissidentvoice.org/2010/03/peace-process-hypocrisy-stillborn-from-inception/

Holocaust porn is serious subject
Eran Shayshon found Naomi Klein’s mention of Holocaust pornography "extraordinarily amusing." Amusing? What’s that about? Does he think it’s not real? An event on this very topic was just held in San Francisco a few days ago: the screening of a film on this pornography, called Stalags (and a discussion afterwards). The announcement is below. Here’s a Wikipedia on Stalag porn. The announcement: Congregation Beth Israel Judea Film Series "Coming Reel Soon" Presents: "Stalags: Holocaust and Pornography in Israel"
http://mondoweiss.net/2010/03/holocaust-porn-is-serious-subject.html

Barenboim-Said Foundation does not promote normalization
On 28 January 2010 the Palestinian Campaign for the Academic and Cultural Boycott of Israel (PACBI) issued a statement to the Qatari government calling for a boycott of Daniel Barenboim and the West-Eastern Divan Orchestra (WEDO) and condemning the Qatari Ministry of Culture for hosting the orchestra in Doha. The statement goes so far as to accuse Daniel Barenboim of being an ardent Zionist. Mariam Said comments for The Electronic Intifada.
http://electronicintifada.net/v2/article11138.shtml?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+electronicIntifadaPalestine+%28Electronic+Intifada+%3A+Palestine+News%29

Film review: Choreographed struggle in "Pomegranates and Myrrh"
Pomegranates and Myrrh is a solid exploration of the walls — internal and external — built up under conditions of extraordinary stress. It’s also about struggle and liberation, both on the personal and political levels. Director Najwa Najjar is a growing talent with her third feature being her strongest to date. Jimmy Johnson reviews for The Electronic Intifada.
http://electronicintifada.net/v2/article11139.shtml?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+electronicIntifadaPalestine+%28Electronic+Intifada+%3A+Palestine+News%29