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Second édition

TO DAY in PALESTINE

Lundi, 18 juin - 9h31 AM

Monday 18 June 2012

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Land theft / Ethnic cleansing / Suppression of Palestinian culture and history

Israeli authorities force Palestinian to demolish his house
JERUSALEM (WAFA) 17 June — Israeli authorities Sunday forced a Palestinian man to demolish with his own hands his house and farm in Beit Iksa, a village northwest of East Jerusalem, according to local sources. Sharif Liqyanieh, the house owner, said the Israeli municipality of Jerusalem issued about a week ago a self-demolition order of his house and farm under the pretext of building them without permit, despite the fact that he obtained a perfectly legal permit from the Ministry of Local Government. The Israeli authorities handed Laqyanieh the notice and gave him a three-day deadline to demolish his property, or else the municipality will demolish it and obligate him to pay the costs, which would amount to thousands of dollars.
http://english.wafa.ps/index.php?action=detail&id=20071

Occupation forces conduct a survey of water wells west of Jenin
JENIN (PIC) 17 June — The Israeli occupation forces have stormed, on Sunday afternoon, Marj Bin Amer Plain west of Jenin and launched combing operations in search of water wells, investigating a number of farmers. Local sources pointed out that several equipped vehicles accompanied by white military jeeps belong to the Israel Water Authority have entered to the plains of Silat Harithiya, Ta‘anak [Ti‘inik], and Yamoun towns and conducted a survey of private drinking water wells, an act which has been repeated in the recent times. The occupation forces have interrogated the farmers in that region, and asked them about the water wells which they used in light of an extensive campaign aimed at targeting water resources in the occupied West Bank. The occupation forces had demolished, last week, six wells east of Jenin, in addition to dozens [of] wells that were filled [in] during the past year.
http://www.palestine-info.co.uk

Shops bulldozed in Beit Hanina
Jerusalem (Silwanic) 17 June — Israeli bulldozers demolished several shops in the Palestinian district of Beit Hanina in East Jerusalem on Thursday 14 June. The shops, belonging to the Edris family of Jannet Adan neighborhood of Beit Hanina were demolished by Municipality bulldozers, were the second site of destruction that day. 700 square meters of retail buildings belonging to Sal’a neighborhood resident Aziz Ja‘aibes were also demolished, leaving the five families the businesses it supported with no income.
http://silwanic.net/?p=27237

New settler tourism and sewage facilities to be built in Ein al Daraj
Jerusalem (Silwanic) 17 June — The Jerusalem City Planning Committee announced this week that a new tourism centre and sewage facilities servicing Israeli settlers in the Ein al Daraj neighborhood of Silwan are scheduled for construction ... Land seizure began in Ein al-Daraj in 1995, when settlers successfully had the area closed off for archaeological excavation and development. Local residents’ lives were thrown into disarray as the excavations blocked their access to the primary water source in the area, land used for agriculture and recreational areas for children. The area is now the exclusive domain of Israeli settlers and Zionist tourists.
http://silwanic.net/?p=27234

Israeli Supreme Court orders return of land stolen from Dura al Qare‘ farmer
Stop the Wall 17 June — "The only alternative that would be acceptable to me would be your complete withdrawal from all Palestinian land." The case of Khalid Abdullah Yassin. Thus spoke Khalid Abdullah Yassin, a farmer from the small village of Dura, near Ramallah, when the Israeli government offered him a huge sum of money to lease from him the land upon which Israeli settlers had illegally built. Though comprising no more than 11 acres of land, this small patch of Palestine, and what happens to it over the coming weeks, could become a litmus test for Israel’s further spiral into outright contempt and blatant disregard for not only international law, but also Israeli. The story of Khalid and the villagers began in 1995, when, living in the shadow of the Israeli settlement of Beit El, they began to notice that settlers were regularly encroaching upon their land.
http://stopthewall.org/2012/06/17/israeli-supreme-court-orders-return-land-stolen-dura-al-qare-farmer

Israel cabinet approves committee to oversee West Bank settlement construction
Haaretz 17 June — Defense Minister Ehud Barak votes against decision, arguing that the makeup of the committee veered to far to the right and did not include and ministers from the ’moderate camp.’
http://www.haaretz.com/news/diplomacy-defense/israel-cabinet-approves-committee-to-oversee-west-bank-settlement-construction-1.436927?localLinksEnabled=false

Extremists’ guide to ’struggle against Ulpana evacuation’
Ynet 18 June — Booklet distributed in Beit El settlement instructs right-wingers to block roads, infiltrate IDF bases and commit ’price tag’ acts to prevent imminent evacuation of five homes, turn area into ’one of most turbulent in West Bank ... The booklet has been distributed in Beit El over the past couple of days as part of the extreme right efforts to prevent the evacuation of five homes in the West Bank settlement.
http://www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7340,L-4243686,00.html

Revised ’Nakba Bill’ to be submitted despite Knesset legal advisor’s objection
Haaretz 17 June — A revised bill, aimed at withholding state funding from academic institutions that commemorate the Palestinian Nakba, will be submitted on Monday to the Knesset ... An earlier version of the controversial "Nakba Bill" authorized the finance minister to withhold government funds from any state-supported organization or institution that commemorates Independence Day as a day of mourning. The new bill is specifically aimed at academic institutions, and hands the authority to withhold budgets to the education minister.
http://www.haaretz.com/news/national/revised-nakba-bill-to-be-submitted-despite-knesset-legal-advisor-s-objection-1.436999?localLinksEnabled=false

Arab educators in uproar over plan to study Begin and Ben Gurion
Haaretz 18 June — Education Minister Gideon Sa’ar announced several weeks ago that the curriculum for the next school year will focus on the leadership of the late prime ministers David Ben-Gurion and Menachem Begin. Students will be visiting Ben-Gurion’s home in the Negev and the Etzel Museum, which commemorates the pre-state underground militia [terrorist group] led by Begin. The Arab education committee is considering creating an alternative curriculum that addresses the way many Arabs think of Ben-Gurion and Begin, and focuses on two Arab figures as a counterweight to the Jewish ones.
http://www.haaretz.com/news/national/arab-educators-in-uproar-over-plan-to-study-begin-and-ben-gurion-1.436991?localLinksEnabled=false

Violence / Raids / Attacks on demonstrations / Arrests

Witnesses: Settlers crash cars into Hebron mourners
HEBRON (Ma‘an) 17 June — Settlers deliberately crashed several cars into a crowd of Palestinian mourners in Hebron on Saturday evening, witnesses said. Several people sustained bruises when settler cars collided into mourners in the al-Ras area of Hebron, a Ma‘an correspondent said. People had gathered for the funeral of three people killed earlier in a car accident in Wadi al-Houz, east of Hebron. "While we were escorting three members of the family who were killed in a traffic accident, three settler vehicles traveling on the main road deliberately crashed into the crowd injuring a number of mourners," Fawwaz Rajabi, a family member at the funeral, said. Mourners tried to stop the settlers but Israeli soldiers deployed in the area, preventing people from taking part in the funeral procession, Rajabi added.
http://www.maannews.net/eng/ViewDetails.aspx?ID=495920

Israeli kills 2 Palestinians near Hebron
HEBRON (Ma‘an) 17 June — An Israeli civilian shot and killed two Palestinians on Sunday in the Hebron village of al-Samu‘, Palestinian medics and Israeli officials said. Anwar Abed Rabbo, 27, from Yatta, and Naeem al-Najjar, 32, from nearby Idhna, were killed, and a third unidentified man was injured when an Israeli opened fire on them, Palestinian medics said. Israeli police spokesman Mickey Rosenfeld told Ma‘an that a tow truck driver was attacked by two Palestinians in the south Hebron hills. The driver "drew his weapon and fired a number of shots at the suspects," he said, in what was thought to have been an attempted robbery ... Head of Yatta municipality Zahran Abu Qbetta told Ma‘an that the two men were on their way to work at the time of the shooting. Israeli forces prevented ambulances from accessing the scene, claiming that it was a closed military zone, Red Crescent official Nasser Kabaja told Ma‘an. Settlers and other Israelis who travel regularly in the occupied West Bank are licensed to carry guns.
http://www.maannews.net/eng/ViewDetails.aspx?ID=495993

Medics: Israeli airstrikes injure 5 in Gaza
GAZA CITY (Ma‘an) 18 June — Five Palestinians, including a woman and a child, were injured in Israeli airstrikes on southern Gaza overnight Sunday, medics said. Emergency services spokesman Adham Abu Salmiya said Israeli warplanes fired missiles at a blacksmith’s workshop in Rafah. The victims were taken to the Abu Yousif al-Najjar Hospital in Rafah. Earlier Sunday evening, Israel bombed a military site south of Gaza City used by the al-Qassam Brigades, the military wing of Hamas. That attack caused no injuries, Abu Salmita said. The Israeli military said it hit "a weapon manufacturing facility in the southern Gaza Strip and a terror activity site in the central Gaza Strip." The attacks were in response to rocket fire from the Gaza Strip, the army said in a statement.
http://www.maannews.net/eng/ViewDetails.aspx?ID=496192

Israeli navy gunboats detain 3 Palestinian fishermen
GAZA (PIC) 16 June — Israeli navy gunboats chased a small Palestinian fishing boat off the coast of Gaza at a late hour on Thursday night and arrested three fishermen. Sources in the Palestinian fishermen syndicate in Gaza described the detention in a statement to the PIC reporter on Friday as "sheer piracy". They said that the Israeli gunboat fired at the small fishing boat before arresting the three fishermen and confiscating their boat.
http://www.palestine-info.co.uk

Israeli navy opens fire at fishermen boats
GAZA (WAFA) 17 June — Israeli navy boats Sunday fired its heavy machinegun at Palestinian fishermen off the coast of Gaza, according to local sources. They said Israeli gunboats targeted fishermen boats in al-Sodanya area, northwest of Gaza. No injuries were reported...
Forces also stormed east of Johr a-Deek area, [in the] southeast of Gaza, conducted combing operations and razed land in the area amid heavy gunfire at Palestinian land and homes.
http://english.wafa.ps/index.php?action=detail&id=20070

Medics: Palestinian injured by tank fire on central Gaza
GAZA CITY (Ma‘an) 17 June — A Palestinian man was injured by Israeli tank fire near the borders of the Gaza Strip on Sunday, medics said. The man suffered moderate wounds east of Deir al-Balah and was transferred to Al-Aqsa Martyrs hospital, Palestinian medics told Ma‘an. Witnesses said that 10 Israeli military vehicles entered the Gaza Strip by approximately 300 meters earlier Sunday, and opened fire without prior warning. An Israeli army spokeswoman said eight mortars were fired at soldiers "during routine activity adjacent to the security fence ... in response forces fired towards suspicious areas." The Jihad Jibril brigades of the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine - General Command claimed responsibility for firing five mortar shells at Israeli forces in the area.
http://www.maannews.net/eng/ViewDetails.aspx?ID=496115

Israeli occupation police round up Jerusalemite youths
OCCUPIED JERUSALEM (PIC) 17 June — Israeli occupation policemen nabbed a number of Palestinian Jerusalemites in Silwan town to the south of the Aqsa mosque. Local sources said that a big number of policemen raided the town at dawn Sunday and searched homes before taking away the young men. They said that the detainees were taken to Maskobeh detention center for interrogation but could only identify one of them. The sources pointed out that 15 young men were arrested since the beginning of June in Silwan in an increasing number of raids on the town.
http://www.palestine-info.co.uk

IOF soldiers beat up workers for refusing strip search
JENIN (PIC) 16 June — Israeli occupation forces (IOF) beat up a group of Palestinian workers for refusing to be strip searched at Jalama roadblock, north of Jenin, on Friday night, eyewitnesses said. They said that the soldiers told the eight workers, who had work permits, to take off their clothes for search but the workers refused. They added that the soldiers tore those workers’ permits and detained them for an hour at the barrier. The witnesses said that when the workers tried to protest such unwarranted humiliation the soldiers beat and insulted them.
http://www.palestine-info.co.uk

Clashes between Palestinian youth and IOF soldiers in Deheisha refugee camp
BETHLEHEM (PIC) 15 June — IOF soldiers, on Friday morning, entered the Deheisha refugee camp near Bethlehem and raided a number of homes, prompting the camp’s youth to clash with the soldiers. Local sources told PIC correspondent that the youth threw stones and bottles at the occupation soldiers who responded by firing teargas, stun grenades and rubber-coated bullets. Some of the teargas canisters fell inside homes causing nausea and fainting to some residents. A group of soldiers raided the home of Muhammad Al-Zaghari, 20 , who is a student at Quds University, and searched it. They also searched a number of his relatives’ homes but could not find him.
http://www.palestine-info.co.uk

Kufr Qaddoum: Two boys arrested and beaten before weekly demonstration
ISM 17 June by ’Tete Telsen’ — Prior to the weekly demonstration in Kufr Qaddoum last Friday, June 15, two young Palestinian boys were detained and beaten by Israeli soldiers. At least three others were injured by tear gas canisters during the peaceful protest that ensued. Shortly after noon on Friday, Israeli soldiers kidnapped two 10 year old Palestinian boys. While being held by the Israeli military, the two boys were repeatedly kicked in their backs by soldiers. They were then released and taken home by adults from the village. The weekly occurring demonstration began following the Friday noon prayer with speeches and music. The Israeli military immediately began shooting sound bombs and tear gas. Some protesters replied with stone-throwing. At around 2:30 p.m., Israeli soldiers began illegally shooting tear gas canisters at head level and lower. Three men were shot by the canisters. The military evacuated Kufr Qaddoum around 3 p.m.
http://palsolidarity.org/2012/06/kufr-qaddoum-two-boys-arrested-and-beaten-before-weekly-demonstration/

At least 10 injured in Nabi Saleh weekly protest
IMEMC 16 June — Palestinian medical sources reported Friday that at least ten protesters were wounded in Nabi Saleh village, near the central West Bank city of Ramallah, after Israeli soldiers attacked the weekly nonviolent protest against the Wall and settlements in the village. Ramallah and Al-Biereh Governor, Laila Ghannam, and representatives of the Palestinian Journalists Syndicate participated in the protest, along with Israeli and international peace activists.
The soldiers fired gas bombs and rubber-coated metal bullets at the protesters, and also sprayed them with waste-water, leading to at least ten injuries.
The army prevented the protesters from reaching the main entrance of the village that has been closed for more than two weeks now, denying the residents the right to enter and leave their village. The army keeps closing the entrances of the village as an act of punishment carried out against the residents for holding nonviolent protests against the illegal Annexation Wall and Israel’s illegal settlements.
http://www.imemc.org/article/63741

Beit Ommar activist arrested at weekly demonstration
PSP 17 June — On 16th June 2012 Beit Ommar residents and international activists joined the weekly demonstration against the illegal Karmei Tsur settlement, a settlement which was built on stolen Palestinian land. The demonstration occurred in solidarity with the Palestinian footballer, Mahmoud Sarsak, who is now on an unprecedented 90th day of his hunger strike. Sarsak is protesting the use of administrative detention by the Israeli state under its 2002 "Unlawful Combatants Law", under which Palestinians can be imprisoned indefinitely without formal charge or trial. Activists made their way towards the settlement but were blocked by soldiers while still on Palestinian land. The protesters, wearing blindfolds and cloth handcuffs, attempted to play football in front of the soldier in support of Mahmoud Sarsak’s struggle ... The soldiers confiscated the football, however, and subsequently began kicking and hitting the activists with shields in order to force them to leave Palestinian land near the settlement. Beit Ommar resident and activist Sagar Abu Maria (42 years old) was injured by the soldiers as he peacefully protested.
http://palestinesolidarityproject.org/2012/06/17/beit-ommar-activist-arrested-at-weekly-demonstration/

Resident injured in Bil‘in weekly protest
IMEMC 15 June — The Friends of Freedom and Justice in Bil‘in village, near the central West Bank city of Ramallah, reported Friday that one resident was shot and wounded in his left forearm and his abdomen, while dozens were treated for the effects of teargas inhalation after Israeli soldiers attacked the weekly nonviolent protest against the Annexation Wall and Settlements, and fired rubber-coated metal bullets and gas bombs. The wounded resident was identified as Mousa Husam Al-Khateeb, 19
http://www.imemc.org/article/63739

Soldiers attack weekly protest in Al-Ma‘sara
IMEMC 16 June — Media sources reported that Israeli soldiers attacked the weekly nonviolent protest against the Annexation Wall in Al-Ma‘sara village, near Bethlehem. The protest started from the center of the village before the local protesters, accompanied by Israeli and international peace activists, headed towards the Annexation Wall isolating the residents and preventing them from entering their own lands.
http://www.imemc.org/article/63740

Gaza blockade

Gaza passengers stranded as Egypt closes crossing
GAZA CITY (Ma’an) updated 17 June — Palestinians from the Gaza Strip told Ma‘an on Sunday they are stranded abroad as Egypt refuses to admit them while it votes in the final stage of its presidential election. Thousands of families from Gaza who live in neighboring countries usually return to the coastal enclave during the summer. They have to enter via Egypt’s Rafah crossing in the south of Gaza, which has been closed since Thursday until after voting closes overnight Sunday in the presidential election run-off, a Ma‘an correspondent said. Gaza residents told Ma‘an neighboring countries refuse to allow them to fly to Cairo airport en route to Rafah, saying they are following Egypt’s instructions because of overcrowding at the terminal. One man from Gaza told Ma‘an he was being held in a waiting room in the Cairo terminal along with 45 other Palestinians. Palestinians who use Cairo airport to travel on to the Gaza Strip are usually not allowed to leave the airport without a special permit, and are transferred to the border on official transport.
http://www.maannews.net/eng/ViewDetails.aspx?ID=496150

As Gaza siege enters sixth year, harm will be felt for years to come
EI 16 June by Maureen Clare Murphy — Photo: Palestinians inspect a boat after it was destroyed by Israeli shelling off the coast of Gaza, August 2009. As Israel’s blockade on Gaza enters its sixth year, warnings about the increasingly dire conditions in Gaza grow louder. Reports by international agencies on the impact of five years of siege paint a grim picture showing how Israel’s blockade is not just a policy of collective punishment imposed after the elected Hamas government began its rule, but also a policy of de-developing Gaza. Israel’s siege impacts every aspect of life in Gaza. An entire generation of children suffer from malnutrition-related deficiencies such as stunted growth and anemia — in addition to the psychological trauma incurred as a result of Israel’s military attacks on the Gaza Strip. University-age young people are severely limited in their higher education options, further contributing to the de-development of Gaza’s economy. The siege on Gaza will have an impact for years to come.
http://electronicintifada.net/blogs/maureen-clare-murphy/gaza-siege-enters-sixth-year-harm-will-be-felt-years-come

Vancouver delegation arrives in Gaza
16 June — A delegation from Vancouver, Canada has arrived in Gaza, Palestine on Saturday, June 16. The delegation has a busy schedule of meetings and activities, including sailing with Gaza fishermen whose livelihoods are under attack by Israeli naval guns, sharing experiences - including the massive student movement in Quebec - with Palestinian student organizers, visiting Palestinian libraries, and meeting with former political prisoners and prisoners’ families, including participants in the recent hunger strikes organized by Palestinian prisoners in Israeli jails. "We also are here to challenge Canada’s complicity in the ongoing occupation and oppression of the Palestinian people and Palestinian land," said delegate Aiyanas Ormond, an organizer with the Alliance for People’s Health. "Canada itself is also guilty of colonialism and genocide against indigenous peoples, and Harper’s government has become one of the biggest boosters of Israeli apartheid in the world. This is something that must change."

http://vancouver.mediacoop.ca/story/vancouver-delegation-arrives-gaza/11385

The curse of the Mavi Marmara / Gideon Levy
Haaretz 17 June — If we aren’t sorry and don’t apologize, the curse of the Mavi Marmara will keep on haunting us — Some affairs never let go; this happens when the whole truth does not come out. The attempts at whitewashing are ineffective and the subject keeps cropping up. Something is apparently bothering Israel regarding the Turkish flotilla incident, but three committees of inquiry and the state comptroller’s report haven’t helped. That’s because they dealt with marginal issues and covered up the truth. That’s why the curse of the Mavi Marmara will continue to disturb Israel ... Worst of all, the whitewashing by the investigators ensures one thing: Israel will learn nothing. Next time, too, force will be the first method, the concept that Israel is allowed to do anything won’t change, and not a soul will ask what’s legal, what’s moral, what’s appropriate and what serves Israel’s interests. ...
http://www.haaretz.com/opinion/the-curse-of-the-mavi-marmara.premium-1.436818

Sinai

Rocket fire on southern Israel ’linked to Egypt vote’
JERUSALEM (AFP) 17 June — The two rockets, apparently fired from Sinai, which landed near towns in the deep south of Israel were linked to the Egyptian presidential election, a senior Israeli security source told AFP on Sunday. "The rockets fired at Israel over the weekend were a one-off and carried out by those who wanted to influence the Egyptian presidential election," he said referring to militant groups in the Sinai. Israeli sappers on Saturday recovered the debris of two rockets, both of which landed near towns and villages in the far south of the country, police and the army said. Police said they responded to two reports of explosions at around 1:00 am on Saturday (2200 GMT on Friday), one in the Negev desert and the second in the Arava desert not far from the Red Sea resort town of Eilat.
http://www.thesundaily.my/news/409667

Israel media: Militants cross border, kill Israeli
JERUSALEM (AP) 18 June — Israeli radio and TV stations say militants have infiltrated southern Israel along the border with Egypt, setting off an explosive device and opening fire. They say an Israeli civilian who was helping to build a security fence along the border with Egypt has been killed and that soldiers in the area opened fire on the attackers. The Israeli military confirmed an exchange of fire in the area
http://news.yahoo.com/israel-media-militants-cross-border-kill-israeli-051334239.html

Hamas denies reports of members entering Egypt to sow chaos
Egypt Independent 16 June — The Islamic movement of Hamas denied on Saturday that some of its members illegally entered Egypt in order to spread violence during the runoff elections. A spokesman of the Hamas Movement’s military wing, al-Qassam Brigades, expressed in a press statement "surprise and puzzlement" about these reports.
http://www.egyptindependent.com/news/hamas-denies-reports-members-entering-egypt-sow-chaos

With new fence, Navy readying for sea-terror swell
JPost 17 June — Navy fears Sinai terror groups will try infiltrating Israel by sea after construction of border fence is completed by year’s end ... The Defense Ministry has so far completed the construction of a fence along 170 km. of the border and plans to complete the project by the end of the year.
http://www.jpost.com/Defense/Article.aspx?ID=274173&R=R1

Hunger strikers / Detainees / Court actions

"In the name of sporting solidarity": Top European athletes call for Israel to release Mahmoud Sarsak
EI 16 June by Ali Abunimah — "In the name of sporting solidarity, justice and human rights, we declare our support for Palestinian footballer Mahmoud Sarsak. As European sportsmen, we believe that every person has the right to a fair and independent trial." This call from two dozen top European athletes, including Seville striker Frédéric Kanouté, came as international concern continued to mount over the life of Sarsak, 25, who began a hunger strike in March against his prolonged detention without charge or trial by Israel.
http://electronicintifada.net/blogs/ali-abunimah/name-sporting-solidarity-top-european-athletes-call-israel-release-mahmoud-sarsak

The football player who wouldn’t play ball with Israeli injustice
Amnesty Int’l 15 June — Amnesty International delegates met family of Palestinian on hunger strike against his detention without trial in Israel ... We approached the family and arranged to speak with them at the nearby office of the Al-Mezan Center for Human Rights. On the way we asked Mahmoud’s brother Imad about the last time he had heard from his sibling, and he told us about a letter he’d received. "It was devastating,” he said, “I could not finish reading it. My young brother was describing his death to me; he was asking me to do certain things when we receive him back as a dead body. I could not finish reading it, and I promised myself not to talk about it to anyone. You are the first one I mention this to. I am not sure why I am doing this now." The family has had no direct contact with Mahmoud since he began his hunger strike on 16 March. They, as other families from Gaza, are prohibited from visiting their son in the Israeli prison. Since his arrest in 2009, the family have been able to speak with him only a few times over the phone.
http://livewire.amnesty.org/2012/06/15/the-football-player-who-wouldn%E2%80%99t-play-ball-with-israeli-injustice/langswitch_lang/es/

Five youngsters released after 18 long months behind bars
Jerusalem (Silwanic) 17 June — Court rulings saw five Palestinian children from Silwan released from Israeli detention on Thursday, 14 July. Muaz al-Shyukhi, Suhaib al-Rajabi, Hani Shweki, Luai al-Rajabi and Muhammad Nasser Abu Nab (aged 16) were released after a year and a half of imprisonment on charges that remain unclarified and unproven. The Central Court of Jerusalem judge criticized Israeli police for the conduct throughout the boys’ legal processes ... The five boys faced charges of throwing stones and Molotov cocktails at a police car, a settlers’ building and were blamed for burn wounds suffered by an Israeli soldier. Most of the boys were aged 13 or 14 when they were originally arrested, and held for two months without charge before the trial commenced
http://silwanic.net/?p=27239

Israeli reservist goes on hunger strike in solidarity with Palestinian prisoner / Amira Hass
Haaretz 17 June — An Israel Defense Forces reserves soldier, who has refused to partake in army duty to protest Israel’s occupation of the Palestinian territories, has gone on hunger strike in military prison, in what he said was a show of solidarity with Palestinian administrative detainees. Yaniv Mazor, a 31-year-old Jerusalem resident, was sentenced last week to 20 days in jail over his refusal to fill any position, be it combat or otherwise, in what he said was the occupying army. He was transferred to the IDF’s Tzrifin prison on Monday, launching his hunger strike the following day.
http://www.haaretz.com/news/diplomacy-defense/israeli-reservist-goes-on-hunger-strike-in-solidarity-with-palestinian-prisoner.premium-1.436912?localLinksEnabled=false

IOA refuses to release an elderly PFLP leader
JENIN (PIC) 16 June — The Israeli occupation authorities (IOA) refused to release the 69-year-old member of the Palestinian National Council, Ahmed Saleh Musleh Abu Hassan, who is suffering from several diseases. The Palestinian Prisoner’s Committee in Jenin said in a press statement on Saturday that Abu Hassan is considered one of the prominent national figures, and one of the founders and leaders of the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine (PFLP). The committee pointed out that the Israeli military court refused the lawyer’s request for the release of Abu Hassan and refused to promise him not to renew Abu Hassan’s administrative detention.
http://www.palestine-info.co.uk

Nativity church deportees call for Abbas to secure return
GAZA CITY (Ma‘an) 17 June - A group of Palestinians exiled to the Gaza Strip after the siege on Bethlehem’s Nativity Church called on Sunday for President Mahmoud Abbas to put their return as a condition for meeting with Israeli deputy premier Shaul Mofaz. On May 10, 2002, Israeli forces ended a 39-day siege on the church after striking a deal with Palestinian leaders to send 39 people given sanctuary in the church to Gaza and Europe ... Kanan stressed that the exiles are suffering greatly as Israeli authorities have prevented their families from traveling to visit them.
http://www.maannews.net/eng/ViewDetails.aspx?ID=496069

Ministry of Prisoners receives award from OPEC agency
RAMALLAH (Ma‘an) 16 June — The Palestinian Authority minister of prisoners affairs on Thursday received an award from OPEC’s international development arm. "The award is more of a stance and a message telling the world that people’s right to live in dignity and freedom is a sacred one," Issa Qaraqe‘ said in a statement. The PA minister also received $100,000, which will be spent on rehabilitating former detainees, as well as supporting the families of prisoners
http://www.maannews.net/eng/ViewDetails.aspx?ID=495754

PA security

PA security seeks to license weapons amid crackdown
BETHLEHEM (Ma‘an) 16 June — The spokesman of the Palestinian Authority security forces said Saturday that all weapons-holders in the West Bank are required to re-license arms as part of the authorities’ recent security crackdown. Adnan Dmeiri said laws to regulate weapons possession had not efficiently restricted usage, and all arms must be newly registered with the PA for a one-year period. Armed resistance activities must come in the framework of a national decision, as groups launching their own actions will end up harming the national cause, he said.
The spokesman, in remarks broadcast on Ma‘an TV, assured that a mass arrest campaign, first sparked by a shooting on the Jenin governor’s home in May causing his fatal heart attack, did not target any one group ... Families of some detainees criticize the PA for holding their kin without charge or trial. Dmeiri insisted that due process is being respected.
http://www.maannews.net/eng/ViewDetails.aspx?ID=495893

PA security arrests five supporters of Hamas, summons four others
AL-KHALIL (PIC) 16 June — PA security apparatuses arrested five supporters of Hamas in Al-Khalil and summoned four others in Tulkarem over the past 24 hours for investigation as part of the ongoing arrest campaigns against Hamas activists in the West Bank. The PA intelligence service in Tulkarem summoned four citizens affiliated with Hamas who were previously held in Israeli and PA prisons. Meanwhile, the preventive security apparatus arrested five citizens in Al-Khalil including three from Halhoul town, bringing the number of the detainees from the town to 25 citizens, during the last week. They include 10 ex-prisoners in Israeli jails and former political detainees in PA jails.
http://www.palestine-info.co.uk

PA security forces arrest two Birzeit University students
RAMALLAH (PIC) 17 June — The PA security forces surrounded and arrested, on Saturday night, dozens of students from the Islamic bloc at Birzeit University during their trip in the area of Ain Arik, west of Ramallah. Imran Madhloum, a leader in the Islamic bloc, told the PIC that the General Intelligence Service and other members stormed the entrance to swimming pool in Ein Arik, during the outing and arrested two students Tariq Tallahma and Muhammad Aruri, and tried to arrest the remaining students, about 40 members at gunpoint.
http://www.palestine-info.co.uk

Aker stops his hunger strike after his release was promised
RAMALLAH (PIC) 15 June — Palestinian sources said that political prisoner Abdullah al-Aker announced late Thursday evening that he was ending his hunger strike after receiving promises that he will be released in the coming few days. The sources said that during meeting between Aker and officers from the PA General Intelligence and Preventive Security, in the presence of Khalil Assaf, the coordinator of the Public Freedoms Committee in the West Bank, Aker was told that there was a decision of his release a few days after he ends his hunger strike.
http://www.palestine-info.co.uk

Solidarity / BDS

No to the silent transfer of the Palestinian population out of Area C!
17 June — Israeli army forces threaten to demolish the entire Palestinian village of Susya ... The demolition orders cover the most of Palestinian Susya. Not only dwelling structures but also animal pens, water cisterns, the solar-powered electricity system — everything. Unlike Givat HaUlpana, This is not a case of building on lands privately owned by others. The rights of Susya’s Palestinian residents over the land in which they reside has been legally demonstrated and acknowledged by the Israeli authorities. The occupation authorities deliberately refrain from approving a master plan for Susya in order to deny its residents (like those of many Palestinian villages in area C) any possibility to build in a manner the Israeli authorities will consider legal.
Unlike the settlers form Givat HaUlpana, no one will offer the residents of Susya any reimbursement. They will receive no alternative housing. No one will speak of a housing arrangement of the interim period. Netanyahu will not offer to relocate their homes. After their village will be demolished, the residents of Palestinian Susya will simply be tossed into the desert ... On Friday, June 22 we will stand side by side with the residents of Palestinian Susya in a protest and support vigil ... For transportation from Jerusalem call ... For transportation from Tel Aviv call ....
http://www.kibush.co.il/show_file.asp?num=53456

Faced with boycott campaigns, Israel organizes legal seminar in London
LONDON (Haaretz) 17 June - One hundred and fifty lawyers from around Europe have gathered in London on Sunday for a two-day seminar, organized by the Israeli embassy in Britain, to discuss the various legal aspects of pro-Israel advocacy. The seminar is taking place amid growing concern regarding boycott campaigns and as part of the emphasis Israel’s foreign service is recently putting on legal activism and the attempt of Israel’s critics to employ what is dubbed as "lawfare."
http://www.haaretz.com/news/diplomacy-defense/faced-with-boycott-campaigns-israel-organizes-legal-seminar-in-london-1.436960?localLinksEnabled=false

Arab council cancels award after intended recipient visits Jerusalem
Haaretz 18 June — The Council of Arab Ambassadors in France revoked its decision to award Algerian writer Boualem Sansal a prize for best Arab novel, shortly after Sansal took part in the International Writers Festival in Jerusalem last month. Sansal, who writes in French, was due to receive the prize for his novel, "Rue Darwin," on June 6 at the Arab World Institute in Paris. http://www.haaretz.com/news/national/arab-council-cancels-award-after-intended-recipient-visits-jerusalem-1.437000?localLinksEnabled=false

Political news

PLO official: No Israeli peace partner
RAMALLAH (WAFA) 16 June – ...Speaking to a delegation from Brazil, member of the PLO Executive Committee Ahmad Majdalani, who is also minister of labor, said the Israeli community has not matured enough to have a credible peace process.
http://english.wafa.ps/index.php?action=detail&id=20068

’Peace process clinically dead, Israel responsible’
JPost 17 June — Abbas says PA fulfilled all obligations, accuses Israel of working to destroy 2-state solution through settlement policy.
http://www.jpost.com/MiddleEast/Article.aspx?ID=274161&R=R1

Presidency: Abbas to meet Israeli deputy premier in July
BETHLEHEM (Ma‘an) -17 June - President Mahmoud Abbas will not meet Israeli deputy Prime Minister Shaul Mofaz until next month, and the time has yet to be arranged, the presidential spokesman said Sunday. Nabil Abu Rudaineh told Ma‘an that Mofaz asked for the meeting, which is now being prepared
http://www.maannews.net/eng/ViewDetails.aspx?ID=496055

Israeli Racism / Sexism / Discrimination

Tel Aviv: Firecracker hurled at Eritrean pub
Ynet 17 June — Unknown assailants hurled a firecracker at a pub owned by Eritreans in south Tel Aviv’s Hatikva neighborhood and injured one person. The pub’s owner said that severe damage was caused to the building. "I live in fear," he said. "I want to leave Israel." This is not the first time the pub has been vandalized. Last month, assailants smashed its windows and looted it after a violent protest. This is not the first time the pub has been vandalized. Last month, assailants smashed its windows and looted it after a violent protest. Related Stories:
http://www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7340,L-4243216,00.html

Yishai: I’ll work to deport all Sudanese, Eritreans
JPost 17 June — The deportation of the 700-1,500 South Sudanese in Israel barely scratches the surface of solving the migrant problem facing the country, Interior Minister Eli Yishai said Sunday evening, as a group of 123 South Sudanese prepared to board a midnight flight home to Juba. Yishai said the real problem "is with Eritrea that has 30,000 people [in Israel] and north Sudan with 15,000" adding that he hopes "that the legal obstacles to this will be lifted soon and we can expel them as well." ... One South Sudanese man facing eviction next week came to bid farewell to some of his friends, and sounded a far more bitter tone towards the deportations. "I need to say to Israel thank you, you don’t want any black people only whites. When I go back to there, maybe I’ll work in the Interior Ministry and I will remember well what was done to us." He added "I remember growing up reading the bible thinking Israel is people who help each other… we ran to Israel and we realized that it’s not Israel any longer, it’s just like Russia, Iraq, Egypt."
http://www.jpost.com/NationalNews/Article.aspx?ID=274147&R=R1

Eli Yishai’s hidden agenda: Sudanese out, Chinese in / Assaf Adiv
Haaretz Opinion 17 June — Behind the interior minister’s demagoguery lies an attempt to help building contractors by replacing Africans with more profitable labor — Interior Minister Eli Yishai has made himself out to be the chief spokesman of the nationwide campaign to expel foreigners from Israel. Yet at the same time he approved amendments to agreements with China, Moldova and Sri Lanka, thereby giving the green light for thousands more foreign workers in Israel, according to a report written by Ofer Petersburg in the daily newspaper Yedioth Ahronoth. -
http://www.haaretz.com/opinion/eli-yishai-s-hidden-agenda-sudanese-out-chinese-in.premium-1.436917

Israel’s hotel association asks for thousands of more workers
Haaretz 18 June — The Eilat and Dead Sea areas are in a particular bind — The summer tourist season has just begun, but the hotel association is already warning that Israel’s hotels need more staff - 4,000 people ... A third of the open positions are cleaning jobs, with the rest positions such as reception staff, security work and kitchen help.
http://www.haaretz.com/business/israel-s-hotel-association-asks-for-thousands-of-more-workers-1.437044?localLinksEnabled=false

IDF’s weekly publication gives male soldiers sexist advice
Haaretz 17 June — The Israeli Defense Force is an interesting army. On the one hand, it allows male soldiers not to participate in a social event if women’s singing offends them. On the other, in light of the Gay Pride Parade, Its spokesman publishes a picture sending a message of peace, love and pinkwash. At the same time, its weekly Bamahane is sent to print with an article titled "Targeted Wooing", which gives male soldiers the sexist advice of a seduction workshop. An interesting army with a golden-touch, when relates to gender. The latest fiasco took place last week. The article was published in the official army weekly and was posted on the IDF’s Facebook page.
http://www.haaretz.com/news/national/idf-s-weekly-publication-gives-male-soldiers-sexist-advice-1.436951?localLinksEnabled=false

Israel mulls annulment of law requiring parents, adopted kids to share same religion
Haaretz 17 June — A bill that would scrap the requirement that parents be the same religion as the child they adopt will be debated Sunday by the Ministerial Committee for Legislation. The proposed law, submitted by MK Nitzan Horowitz (Meretz ), would end the de facto discrimination between secular and religious Jews who adopt children. Every year, hundreds of Israelis adopt non-Jewish children from abroad. Under the current law, Jewish parents are supposed to convert the adopted child to Judaism through a special Orthodox rabbinical court
http://www.haaretz.com/news/national/israel-mulls-annulment-of-law-requiring-parents-adopted-kids-to-share-same-religion.premium-1.436796?localLinksEnabled=false

Other news

Palestinian teens suspected as 12 IDF soldiers injured in brush fire
Haaretz 18 June — Twelve Israel Defense Forces soldiers from the Home Front Command were lightly injured and one suffered moderate injuries from smoke inhalation during a brush fire that broke out on Sunday near the Ofrit Base on Jerusalem’s Mount Scopus. Police suspect Palestinian youths set the fire alight by throwing firecrackers at the base. The firecrackers fell into a thicket around the base’s perimeter fence and - given Sunday’s heat in Jerusalem, where temperatures peaked at 38 degrees Celsius [100 degrees Fahrenheit] - a fire started almost immediately.
http://www.haaretz.com/news/diplomacy-defense/palestinian-teens-suspected-as-12-idf-soldiers-injured-in-brush-fire-1.436996?localLinksEnabled=false

Video: Thousands flock to West Bank for Apricot Festival
PressTV 17 June — Thousands of people flocked from around the world and the occupied Palestinian territories to the west bank town of Jifna to celebrate the local mishmish festival ... The Jifna festival attracts businesses from all over the West Bank to sell everything from local traditional handicrafts, traditional sewing to newly harvested products such as olives and figs ... Many advocates of the boycott campaign against Israel can show people the importance of eating local products rather than Israeli products that are now flooding the market.
http://www.presstv.ir/detail/2012/06/17/246698/thousand-flock-west-bank-apricot-festival/

Hizb al-Tahrir holds West Bank festival
HEBRON (Ma‘an) 17 June — Thousands gathered for the annual festival of Hizb al-Tahrir in the southern West Bank on Sunday, a press statement said. The festival commemorates the 91st anniversary of the fall of the Islamic Caliphate ... The conference called for support to the Syrian revolution and urged revolutionaries to continue the effort to establish an Islamic Caliphate. In 2011, Palestinian Authority forces shut down the anniversary events in the West Bank and launched a campaign to detain supporters.
http://www.maannews.net/eng/ViewDetails.aspx?ID=496157

Heat wave causes fires across West Bank
SALFIT (WAFA) 17 June — Fires Sunday engulfed several forest areas across the West Bank, including a house in the town of Kufl Haris, east of Salfit, due to the heat wave affecting the Palestinian Territory in the meantime, said a statement issued by Palestinian Civil Defense. The fires also engulfed tens of olive trees, agricultural crops and forest trees, before the civil defense crews managed to put it out.
http://english.wafa.ps/index.php?action=detail&id=20075

Investigation called after Lebanese army kills Palestinian
Al Akhbar 16 June — Palestinian leaders have demanded an investigation after a man was allegedly shot dead by the Lebanese army in a northern refugee camp that has previously been the scene of fierce violence. At least one man was killed, while a number of others were injured when the military opened fire at the Nahr al-Bared camp near Tripoli. The violence began after a Palestinian was stopped at a military checkpoint, state media said, claiming that he did not have the appropriate papers. Local sources said the military had attacked the man after he resisted, with one hitting him with the butt of his gun. Residents then began a protest against their treatment by security forces, with some throwing rocks. Police fired on protesters, with at least one man killed.
http://english.al-akhbar.com/content/one-dead-after-lebanese-army-clash-palestinians

Iran: About 20 arrested for nuclear scientist hits
TEHRAN (Daily Star) 17 June — Iran says about 20 suspects have been arrested for alleged links to assassinations of Iranian nuclear experts that Tehran claims is part of covert operations led by Israel ... Moslehi claims the suspects moved between Iran and Israel through a neighboring country. He did not name the country, but Iran has accused Azerbaijan of harboring terrorists linked to Israel. At least five Iranian nuclear experts have been killed since 2010. The U.S. and Britain have denied any roles, but Israel has remained silent on Iran’s accusations.
http://www.dailystar.com.lb/News/Middle-East/2012/Jun-17/177162-iran-about-20-arrested-for-nuclear-scientist-hits.ashx

US: Our government is failing to protect our rights / James Zogby, president of the Arab-American Institute
HuffPost 16 June — Since the 1970’s, we have logged with the State Department the complaints of hundreds of American citizens of Arab descent traveling to or within Israel and the Occupied Territories who were: detained for hours of humiliating questioning; denied entry, turned away at airports and made to buy tickets to return home; forced to surrender their American passports and to secure, against their will, a Palestinian ID document; denied permission to exit; strip searched; or had property stolen or deliberately destroyed by airport inspectors. The stories are hurtful and have caused great distress to many. There are many Palestinian Americans who, because of their concern with this treatment, have simply stopped going to visit their families ... Sadly, instead of protecting its citizens, the U.S. has all too often feigned powerlessness, thus enabling Israel to continue to violate the rights of Arab Americans with impunity. This is unconscionable since it relegates Arab Americans to the status of second class citizens. Does the U.S. "special relationship" with Israel cancel out the right of American citizens of Arab descent to equal protection by their own government?
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/james-zogby/our-government-is-failing_b_1602502.html
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