TODAY in PALESTINE

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Restriction of movement / Interference with non-Jewish religious obligations

Prisoner families barred from leaving West Bank

BETHLEHEM (Ma‘an) 18 Oct — Israel has barred the families of 14 Palestinian detainees from departing for a Muslim pilgrimage to Mecca in Saudi Arabia, released prisoner Khader Adnan said Wednesday. Khader Adnan, a former administrative detainee who was released after a 66-day hunger strike, said the families were prevented from exiting the West Bank via the Allenby Bridge crossing to Jordan. The ex-prisoners and their families were invited by Saudi Arabia’s king following their release from Israeli custody in the spring, Adnan explained. According to Adnan, the Israeli authorities forced the travelers to wait for hours. Elderly people became ill while waiting for the Israeli side to let them pass, he said.
http://www.maannews.net/eng/ViewDetails.aspx?ID=529981

Son of assassinated fighter says Israel blocked hajj trip

BETHLEHEM (Ma‘an) 19 Oct — The son of one of the last fighters to be assassinated by Israel in the city of Bethlehem says he has been banned from leaving the West Bank in order to perform the Muslim pilgrimage, or hajj. Shehadeh Mohammad Shehadeh 23, said he was banned on Thursday from leaving the Israeli-controlled crossing between the West Bank and Jordan, from where he intended to continue his journey to Mecca, Saudi Arabia. Israeli authorities told him he is considered a threat to Israeli security, but he says he will refuse a summons from Israeli intelligence. Shehadeh’s mother was also barred from leaving ... Israeli forces raided the Shehadeh home in Bethlehem early Wednesday, smashing windows and doors, Shehadeh said. He told Ma‘an the forces promised to return and demolish their house.
http://www.maannews.net/eng/ViewDetails.aspx?ID=530282

Al-Khalil (Hebron) reflection : Living with absurdity

Christian Peacemaker Teams 17 Oct — Climbing two ladders to a rooftop and then passing through a hole in a wall to gain entry to their house is a daily experience of one Palestinian family living in Hebron. Others are subject to similar absurdities with minor variations, such as a rope replacing the ladder. Why is this ? Their homes happen to face Shuhada Street, where only Israeli settlers are allowed to walk. The Israeli military closed this street to Palestinians in 2000. In the name settler security, it chooses to ignore a 2003 Israeli Supreme Court decision that deemed the closing invalid and ordered the street’s reopening to Palestinians. One Palestinian resident related how he had to carry his wife, who was in labor, on his shoulders down the wall in his backyard to gain access to the road to the hospital. Why ? The occupying Israeli authority does not permit him to use the road that leads to his house.
Schoolchildren have to pass through military checkpoints consisting of turnstiles and containers fitted with metal detectors and electric doors that heavily armed soldiers can close at will, trapping children and teachers inside. Despite international law safeguarding children’s rights to education, they face this frightening scene daily. On occasion, soldiers search their school bags or conduct body searches of teachers, humiliating them in front of their students.
http://cpt.org/cptnet/2012/10/17/al-khalil-hebron-reflection-living-absurdity

Olive harvest obstructed by roadblocks and checkpoints

PSP 18 Oct — Olive harvest is upon us. Many Palestinians, as well as internationals, have been looking forward to this season. All family members, including small children and grandparents, gather to pick olives in the beautiful fields throughout the West Bank.
Every autumn PSP participate in the olive harvest in solidarity with Palestinian farmers that experience harassment and attacks from either colonists or the Israeli occupation forces. Presence of internationals are also sometimes helpful in preventing or documenting such harassment. PSP contributes to the olive harvest in area C, close to either the segregation wall or Israeli colonies and the purpose of this work is to support and encourage farmers to continue to cultivate their land. It is important not to give up cultivating area C because if the farmers leave their land it will be easier for Israel to confiscate even more of the Palestinian land.
This week PSP and international activists joined two local families in their olive fields in area C close to the green line. On Sunday 14th of October the activists went to Surif, a neighboring village of Beit Ommar. Surif is partly surrounded by the segregation wall
http://palestinesolidarityproject.org/2012/10/18/olive-harvest-obstructed-by-road-blocks-and-checkpoints/

Land, property theft & destruction / Ethnic cleansing

Israeli forces demolish Negev Bedouin village

BETHLEHEM (Ma‘an) 19 Oct — Israeli forces demolished the Bedouin village of al-Araqib in the Negev for the 43rd time on Thursday, residents told Ma‘an. A large police force entered the village on Thursday afternoon and tore down 23 structures, Aziz Sayah al-Turi told Ma‘an. Al-Turi said the village would begin re-building immediately and would never respond to force with force.
The government classifies approximately 40 villages in the Negev, including al-Araqib, as unrecognized, arguing that the 53,000 Palestinian Bedouins living there cannot prove land ownership. The Bedouin communities say the land is their ancestral home.
http://www.maannews.net/eng/ViewDetails.aspx?ID=530326

Negev Bedouins protest demolition orders for ’recognized’ village

TEL AVIV (Ma‘an) 19 Oct — Around 2,000 Bedouin citizens of Israel protested in the southern city of Beersheba on Thursday after their village received demolition orders from the authorities, Israeli press reported. The Palestinian residents of Bir Hajaj chanted « Yes to recognition ! No to destruction ! » outside the court and government offices, Haaretz newspaper said ... Bir Hajaj is among the Bedouin communities that have been formally « recognized » by the Israeli government.
http://www.maannews.net/eng/ViewDetails.aspx?ID=530239

Israeli occupation hands Palestinian demolition notice

PNN — On Thursday 18th October, Israeli occupation authorities handed a Palestinian from Ein al-Hilweh area in the northern valleys, a notice to demolish his house and to leave the area within three days. Head of Al-Malih local council [Tubas governorate], Aref Daraghmeh, said that Sati Zamel has been warned by the Israeli « Nature and Parks Authority » that his house would be demolished and that he must leave the area within three days. He also said that several families who were living in the northern valleys have been forced to leave their houses.
http://english.pnn.ps/index.php/politics/2910-israeli-occupation-hands-palestinian-demolition-notice

Egyptian Awkaf organizes huge Quds conference

CAIRO (PIC) 18 Oct — The higher council for Islamic affairs, affiliated with the Egyptian Awkaf ministry, is to organize a huge conference on Jerusalem next January. The conference, under the theme of Jerusalem in the past and present, would focus on the Israeli violations and the Judaization attempts in occupied Jerusalem and the Aqsa mosque. Dr. Salah Sultan, secretary general of the council, met with Sheikh Ahmed al-Tayeb of Al-Azhar and prepared final arrangements for the conference. Sultan said in a press release that an agreement was reached during the meeting that Sheikh Tayeb would be the honorary chairman of the conference which would be held under the patronage of Egyptian president Mohammed Morsi.
http://www.palestine-info.co.uk/

EU, Britain condemn plans to expand Gilo settlement

BETHLEHEM (Ma‘an) 19 Oct — The EU foreign policy chief « deeply regrets » Israel’s plans to approve some 800 housing units in the illegal West Bank settlement of Gilo, a representative said Friday ... Along with the recent expansion of the nearby Har Homa settlement, « these developments continue the process of separating East Jerusalem from the rest of the occupied Palestinian territory, » the representative said ... « Despite (Bir Hajaj) being a recognized village, none of the residents have received permits to build new houses, » the director of the Adalah Legal Center for Minority Rights, Thabet Abu Rass, told Haaretz. « While the media is busy with the (Israeli) elections, the state has opened a war of destruction against the Bedouin villages. »
http://www.maannews.net/eng/ViewDetails.aspx?ID=530400

Israeli terrorism

PCHR Weekly Report : 5 Palestinians killed, 7 wounded by Israeli forces this week [11-17 Oct]
IMEMC 19 Oct — ... 5 Palestinians were killed by Israeli missiles in the Gaza Strip. 2 of the Palestinians killed were extra-judicially executed by Israeli forces. 5 Palestinians, including 2 children, were wounded in the Gaza Strip, while 1 Palestinian man and 1 Palestinian child sustained bruises in the West Bank ... In the West Bank, on 11 October 2012, Hatem Najeh Da’na, 14, sustained bruises and fractures, when he was run over by a vehicle belonging to the Israeli Civil Administration. Da’na was in the yard of the Ibrahimi mosque, in the center of the Old City in Hebron ... During the reporting period, Israeli forces conducted at least 40 military incursions into Palestinian communities in the West Bank. During these incursions, Israeli forces abducted at least 18 Palestinians, including 3 children. Full Report
http://www.imemc.org/article/64423

Army opens fire at fishermen in Gaza

IMEMC 19 Oct — Israeli soldiers attacked , Friday, several Palestinian fishing boats in As-Sudaniyy area and the coastal area west of Gaza City. Local sources said that the attack did not lead to damages or injuries, but the fishermen were forced back to the shore after the army prevented them from fishing. The army also opened fire at fishermen west of Gaza.
http://www.imemc.org/article/64426

Several injuries reported as army attacks weekly protests against the Wall

IMEMC 20 Oct — At least two Palestinians were wounded by rubber-coated bullets fired by the army against the weekly nonviolent protests against the Annexation Wall and Settlements in different parts of the West Bank ; dozens of protesters received treatment for the effects of tear gas inhalation ... Several injuries were also reported in Nabi Saleh village, near Ramallah, as the army attacked dozens of local, Israeli and international peace activists who marched and held their protest that was titled « We Have A Dream ». Members of the Black Liberation Front and the Martin Luther King Center participated in the nonviolent protest.
http://www.imemc.org/article/64428

Couple assaulted by settlers in Nablus olive grove

NABLUS (Ma‘an) 19 Oct — A Palestinian couple were moderately wounded on Friday morning after settlers assaulted them in an olive grove south of Nablus. Muhammad Rashed Ghazal, 47, told Ma‘an he and his wife Hanan Eghbareh, 43, headed to their lands in Ein Makhna, near the Huwwara checkpoint, after prior coordination with Israeli forces. They found a group of settlers from neighboring Yitzhar harvesting their olives, Ghazal said. The settlers threw stones and attacked the couple, he said.
http://www.maannews.net/eng/ViewDetails.aspx?ID=530312

Settlers attack Palestinian farmers near Nablus

PNN 19th Oct — Jewish settlers attacked this morning, Palestinian farmers from Qaryout village in Nablus Governarates and began shooting live bullets directly at the farmers to force them leave their agricultural lands. Eyewitnesses told Safa news agency that a group of settlers from a nearby settlement that was built on the lands of the village, chased several Palestinian farmers who came to harvest their olive trees and forced them to leave. Settlers uprooted dozens of olive trees in the village and burned others in the season of olive harvest.
http://english.pnn.ps/index.php/politics/2916-settlers-attack-palestinian-farmers-near-nablus

Farmers attacked by soldiers in Hebron

IMEMC 20 Oct — ...In Ithna town, near Hebron, five Palestinians, including four family members, were injured after Israeli soldiers attacked them as they were picking olive trees in their orchard. Medical sources reported that resident Mohammad Bashir Sleimiyya suffocated after inhaling gas fired by the army at dozens of Palestinians picking olives in Wad Reesha area, at the western entrance of Ithna, west of Hebron. Also, four members of the same family were injured after being violently beaten by Israeli soldiers in the same area.
http://www.imemc.org/article/64432

Twelve-year-old arrested 10 times by Israel in three years / Jillian Kestler-D’Amours

EI 19 Oct — In an unwavering voice, Muslim Odeh recounted how Israeli riot police took him from his bed earlier this week, blindfolded him, subjected him to hours of intense interrogation and held him overnight in a Jerusalem prison compound. Odeh vomited after Israeli police punched him four times in the stomach on his way to his prison cell. Odeh’s calm demeanor, only days after his ordeal, was evidence of how this was his tenth arrest in three years. More shocking, however, is the fact that this resident of Silwan in East Jerusalem is only 12 years old. « I miss my house, » Odeh told The Electronic Intifada, as he stared longingly from the balcony of his uncle’s home — where he is under house arrest until next Wednesday, 24 October — onto his family’s house below. « I don’t feel comfortable. I miss my friends, my grandmother, my mother, » he said. « I don’t know if they will arrest me again. »
http://electronicintifada.net/content/twelve-year-old-arrested-10-times-israel-three-years/11791

Hebron youth given jail term, says fending off settlers
HEBRON (Ma‘an) 19 Oct — A 22-year-old man was given a five month jail term by Israel’s Ofer military court on Friday, relatives told Ma‘an. Thaer Nidal al-Owewi was detained four months ago when a group of settlers attacked his family home in Hebron’s Old City, his father Nidal said. He tried to block the settlers from attacking the house, which is adjacent to the Avraham Avinu settlement, he said. Nidal al-Owewi noted that while his son is being jailed and has to pay a 1,500 shekel ($400) fine, none of the settlers have been detained.
http://www.maannews.net/eng/ViewDetails.aspx?ID=530379

Gaza blockade

Gaza health minister in Cairo to address medical crisis
GAZA CITY (Ma‘an) 19 Oct — Gaza’s minister of health said the blockaded coastal strip has run out of 63 percent of medicines, as he visited Egypt for talks with relief organizations on Thursday. Mufeed al-Mukhalalati told reporters in Cairo that 174 types of basic drugs have not been available in Gaza for three months. The deficit in medical supplies amounts to $4 million, he said. Gaza hospitals will not be able to cope with any Israeli military attacks on the strip, or other medical emergencies, he warned.
http://www.maannews.net/eng/ViewDetails.aspx?ID=530306

Bardawil : No information on Qatari Emir or Mishaal visit to Gaza
GAZA (PIC) 18 Oct — Dr. Salah Al-Bardawil, a senior Hamas official, has denied press speculations that Emir of Qatar Sheikh Khalifa Bin Hamad or Hamas supreme leader Khaled Mishaal would visit Gaza. He told Quds Press on Thursday that the rumors followed Gaza premier Ismail Haenyya’s recent speech about expecting « sweet surprises » next week ... Mishaal will not visit Gaza next week nor will the Emir of Qatar and no senior Arab delegation will visit Gaza, Bardawil emphatically said, adding, « These are rumors that we in Hamas did not hear about ».
http://www.palestine-info.co.uk/

Noam Chomsky : My visit to Gaza contributes in ending the Gaza blockade
GAZA (PIC) 19 Oct — American scholar and activist Noam Chomsky expressed delight for finally being able to visit Gaza after many attempts to enter it by land and through Solidarity ships. On Thursday, Chomsky arrived in Gaza where he was scheduled to attend the International English Language conference, at Gaza’s Islamic University ... The head of the university’s administrative board and head of the Popular Committee against the Siege, MP Jamal al-Khudari, stressed that the arrival of the delegation proves to the occupation that the Palestinian people is being supported by all the free world ... The American professor entered Gaza through the Rafah crossing in coordination with Egyptian authorities and he is scheduled to tour refugee camps during his visit.
http://www.palestine-info.co.uk

Rafah crossing to open throughout Eid al-Adha
GAZA CITY (Ma‘an) 19 Oct — The Rafah crossing on Gaza’s border with Egypt will open throughout Eid al-Adha for the first time, the Interior Ministry in Gaza City said Friday. The terminal will open in both directions and travelers do not need to register in advance to cross during the Muslim holiday, which begins Oct. 26, ministry spokesman Islam Shahwan told Ma‘an.
http://www.maannews.net/eng/ViewDetails.aspx?ID=530317

Australian aid projects in Gaza under threat
Sydney MH 20 Oct — Four sheep, eight goats and 20 chickens. Along with her small vegetable garden, this modest menagerie helps keep Najah Ghanim’s family of nine from going hungry when times get tough. Her well-tended backyard garden in Gaza’s northern suburbs is one of the many aid projects supported by World Vision Australia via AusAID funding and delivered by the Palestinian not-for-profit organisation, the Union of Agricultural Work Committees. But if the Israel Law Centre has its way, this project and dozens more like it would close, as it pursues a campaign against World Vision Australia for working with the Union of Agricultural Work Committees, which it alleges has links to the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine ... UAWC denies it has links with the PFLP and an AusAID investigation into the allegations found them to be baseless.
http://www.smh.com.au/world/australian-aid-projects-in-gaza-under-threat-20121019-27vo1.html

Egyptians demand revoking ’Camp David’ in response to any aggression on Gaza
CAIRO (PIC) 19 Oct — The General Coordinator of the Egyptian-International Coalition for Ending the Blockade and Rebuilding Gaza, Ahmad al-‘Asi, stated that the political changes, that have taken place recently on the Egyptian arena after the January 25th revolution, would qualify the new Egyptian leadership to adopt a more active role to prevent any possible Israeli military aggression against the Gaza Strip.
http://www.palestine-info.co.uk/

Gaza siege : A bomb waiting to explode
Gulf News 19 Oct by Patrick Seale — ...A French scholar, Jean-Pierre Filiu, a professor at the prestigious Institute of Political Science in Paris, has published an important 400-page history of Gaza, from ancient times to the disturbed present. His Histoire de Gaza is the most comprehensive book ever written on the subject and should be read by all those concerned with the long agony of the Palestinians in their struggle for statehood. It is impossible in a short article to do justice to Filiu’s sweeping narrative, meticulous research and detailed findings, but it is perhaps worth pointing out that he lays blame for the as yet unresolved and indeed worsening crisis on three main actors....
http://gulfnews.com/opinions/columnists/gaza-siege-a-bomb-waiting-to-explode-1.1091213

Life behind barbed wire in Gaza
Deutsche Welle 19 Oct — Between piles of used spare parts and a container of motor oil, Munzer Al Dayya is working on a generator. The mechanic is a popular man in Gaza City, where power can go out for as long as eight hours a day, and he said he’s earning a decent living thanks to the blackouts. « Every day that we get through is good, but no one knows what’s coming, » he said. « The only thing that’s clear is that the next day will be worse than the previous day. Why, how, and for what ? Who knows ? No one can explain what’s going on here. »
http://www.dw.de/life-behind-barbed-wire-in-gaza/a-16318900

Explosive device damages army vehicle on Gaza border
GAZA CITY (Ma‘an) 19 Oct — An explosive device damaged an Israeli military vehicle near the border in the central Gaza Strip on Friday morning, witnesses and the army said. There was also damage to the border fence from the explosion, which took place east of Deir al-Balah, an Israeli military spokeswoman said.
Israeli forces stationed at the border opened fire towards al-Qarara village after the explosion. Local coordinator Saber Zaanin told Ma‘an that troops also shot at farmers and volunteers harvesting olives in al-Tartori in the same area.
No injuries have been reported from the explosion or gunfire.
http://www.maannews.net/eng/ViewDetails.aspx?ID=530322

Youths in Gaza complain of curbs against saggy pants, haircuts
Al Arabiya 19 Oct — Young people in Gaza Strip are complaining that their freedom to wear saggy pants and have haircuts of their choice is hampered by security officers as they might be arrested. Both Khaled and his brother were arrested by a security officer for wearing saggy pants and for him wearing a silver chain around his neck. Initially Khaled and his brother did not know the reason of their detention until one security man said to his boss « look at his outfit. »
http://english.alarabiya.net/articles/2012/10/19/244663.html

Hamas celebrates year since Shalit deal
GAZA CITY (Ma‘an) 18 Oct — Hamas militants led a mass march in the Gaza Strip on Thursday to mark the anniversary of a prisoner exchange for a captured Israeli soldier. Tawfiq Abu Naim, the chair of a group representing released prisoners, told Ma‘an that Palestinians call on Hamas and other factions to capture more soldiers to secure the release of more prisoners. http://www.maannews.net/eng/ViewDetails.aspx?ID=530063

Gilad Shalit’s five years in Gaza
Daily Beast 19 Oct — His captors treated him reasonably well. They played chess and checkers with him, let him watch soccer matches on TV and eventually gave him a radio. On occasion, he and the men from the Islamic group, Hamas, with their beards and their AK-47s, even enjoyed a laugh together. That’s how Gilad Shalit described to an Israeli reporter this week the ordeal of his five years in captivity in the Gaza Strip.
http://www.thedailybeast.com/articles/2012/10/19/gilad-shalit-s-five-years-in-gaza.html

The Estelle

Israel threatens to board the Estelle, with former Canadian MP aboard, in international waters
19 Oct — We received a message from the Finnish foreign department (the Estelle is sailing under a Finnish flag), that their Israeli counterpart informed them that the Estelle will be boarded on international water, and its passengers brought to the Israeli port of Ashdod. « If the Israelis carry out their threat this would be another act of piracy and kidnapping to enforce the illegal and inhuman blockade of Gaza, » said Irene MacInnes of the Canadian Boat to Gaza. « The world should not remain silent anymore, » she added.
The Estelle is currently in international waters approx. 120 NM (Nautical Miles) from the shores of Gaza. Jim Manly, retired Canadian MP, is on board. See our previous releases on the Estelle and Jim Manly here and here. For more information, visit GazaArk.org [see also https://www.facebook.com/CanadaBoatGaza ]
http://rabble.ca/blogs/bloggers/canadianboattogaza/2012/10/israel-threatens-board-estelle-former-canadian-mp-board-in

Let the Estelle pass
Gush Shalom 19 Oct — Gush Shalom to Israeli decision makers : Avoid another show of brute force in international waters and let the Estelle dock at the Port of Gaza — while implementing a UN inspection of her cargo, to which the activists specifically consent.
Israeli peace activist Yonatan Shapira, who had been a combat pilot in the Israeli Air Force and refused to take part in the bombing of Palestinian cities, has arrived on board the Swedish boat « Estelle » which is making her way towards the coast of Gaza. When the Estelle passed near the shores of Greece, Shapira and other activists made their way in a motor boat, evading vessels of the Greek Coast Guard which sought to bar their way. « Along with the Greek Coast Guard we saw a ship which seemed very much like an Israeli Navy vessel, though it did not fly a flag, » said Shapira. He was received with cheers by activists already on board.
Meanwhile, Israel’s Ambassador to the UN Ron Prosor has sent a letter calling on the United Nations to stop the Estelle from reaching her destination. To this activists on board of the Estelle respond : « If this means that Israel has decided to cede control over Palestinian territorial waters to the UN, this would actually be a step forward. »
http://zope.gush-shalom.org/home/en/events/1350653478

Israel deploys Saar 4 ships in the Mediterranean
IMEMC 20 Oct — The Israeli Navy revealed that it deployed several Saar 4 war ships, equipped with cameras, radars and advanced surveillance equipment, in large areas of the Mediterranean, to monitor and stop ships that sail to what it called « Israeli territorial waters », the Quds Net News Agency reported ... Israel’s Navy concluded its training on the new Saar ship, while part of the drill was a simulation on how to intercept the Estelle solidarity ship that is approaching Gaza. Israel said it will not allow the ship to reach the Gaza shore, and will stop and board it.
http://www.imemc.org/article/64431

Arrests / Detention

IOF soldiers round up three Palestinians in al-Khalil operation
AL-KHALIL (PIC) 18 Oct — Israeli occupation forces (IOF) rounded up three Palestinians in the Al-Khalil village of Dura at dawn Thursday, local sources said. They said that the soldiers burst into three suburbs in the village and took away the three citizens to an undisclosed location. Locals reported a number of similar IOF incursions in two other villages south of Al-Khalil on Thursday during which houses were searched but no arrests were reported.
http://www.palestine-info.co.uk/

IPS transfers prisoner Sharawna to solitary confinement
PNN — On Thursday 18th October, Tadamun Foundation for Human Rights said that Israeli Prisons’ Administration had recently transferred the hunger striking prisoner Ayman Sharawna to a solitary confinement equipped with surveillance cameras. A researched at Tadamun Foundation, Ahmad al-Beitawi, said that the foundation’s lawyer visited on Wednesday, a number of sick prisoners in al-Ramleh medical centre, including Ayman Sharawna who entered his 110 days of hunger strike ...
Al-Beitawi revealed that Sharawna lost 80 percent of his vision in his right eye, which means that Ayman has become almost totally blind. He suffers from severe kidney problems and has begun to suffer from partial memory loss. Ayman also suffers from pain in his back, which remains untreated as the Israeli Prison Service (IPS) has said it will only give him pain relieving medication if he ends his strike.
http://english.pnn.ps/index.php/prisoners/2912-ips-transfers-prisoner-sharawna-to-solitary-confinement

IOA postpones trial hearing of MP Mubarak
RAMALLAH (PIC) 18 Oct — The Israeli occupation authority (IOA) on Thursday postponed the trial hearing of MP Ahmed Mubarak from Ramallah. A spokesman for the Islamic MPs in Ramallah told the PIC that the hearing was adjourned till next Wednesday 24/10, recalling that Mubarak was taken from his home in mid July.
http://www.palestine-info.co.uk

Political and Economic News

Push for Palestinian UN upgrade ’likely to succeed’
UNITED NATIONS (Reuters) 19 Oct — The Palestinian push for upgraded status at the United Nations is likely to succeed, the president of the UN General Assembly said Friday, while warning the United States against cutting UN funding over the issue. Having failed last year to secure full UN membership due to US opposition, President Mahmoud Abbas said last month he would ask the 193-nation General Assembly to approve a less ambitious promotion of the Palestinian observer status to « non-member state, » like the Vatican. It is currently considered an « entity. »
http://www.maannews.net/eng/ViewDetails.aspx?ID=530426

West Bank’s all-female ticket runs for change
Saffa, West Bank (Al Jazeera) 19 Oct — At Ibtisam Mansour’s traditional stone home, enveloped in grape vines, olive trees and cacti, five women sat every night for the past month, planning, scheming and writing. For weeks, they’ve been working on their election campaign, going as far as to draw most of their propaganda materials by hand, in anticipation of the elections taking place on October 20 ... The five-woman bloc- dubbed « Women of the Town » - is one of two all-female lists running for the upcoming local elections taking place in the West Bank.
http://www.aljazeera.com/indepth/features/2012/10/20121019121116190333.html

Palestinian women hope to sweep local elections in West Bank / Amira Hass
Haaretz 19 Oct — A record number of women are running in Saturday’s election for local councils in the Palestinian Authority. Their goal : an end to patriarchy — The rivals of the El Bireh for Everyone list circulate among the cafes and grocery stores in the town, pointing at election posters and whispering : Look, its three female candidates are without a mandeel (head covering). A number of townspeople told this to Thuraya A’lyan Aliyan, one of the three women on the list. And indeed, a 2009 study found that the female candidates of the left and the liberal wing were especially exposed to all kinds of slander (worse than comments on the absence of head coverings), which played on traditional preconceptions, especially in small locales. The list vying against El Bireh for Everyone is Independence and Development, the Fatah list. It too has three female candidates, out of a total of 15.
http://www.haaretz.com/weekend/week-s-end/palestinian-women-hope-to-sweep-local-elections-in-west-bank.premium-1.470997

Commission says 515,000 registered to vote Saturday
RAMALLAH (Ma‘an) 18 Oct — Some 515,000 Palestinians have registered to vote in Saturday’s municipal elections in the West Bank, Central Elections Commission director Hisham Khahil said Thursday ... Political campaigning officially ended on Thursday as polling stations prepare for elections in 92 of the 353 municipalities in the West Bank. In 78 districts, no candidates stood for election and in other districts only one list ran uncontested.
http://www.maannews.net/eng/ViewDetails.aspx?ID=530144

PCHR rejects holding elections in West Bank due to human rights violations
GAZA (PIC) 19 Oct — The Palestinian Centre for Human Rights expressed its deep concern over the elections of local councils in West Bank cities and villages, to be held on Saturday, October 20, under the deterioration of public freedoms and the widespread violations of human rights by PA. The human rights center said in a statement that before holding any election in the West Bank some conditions must be provided as allowing an atmosphere of objectivity for holding transparent and fair elections that reflect the will of the voters.
http://www.palestine-info.co.uk/

New report deconstructs World Bank’s recommendations for Palestinian economy
EI 17 Oct — A new report by Alaa Tartir and Jeremy Wildeman for the Palestinian Policy Network al-Shabaka takes a deep look at the role that the World Bank and international donors have had in the de-development of the Palestinian economy. As the Ramallah-based Palestinian Authority (PA) continues to press for international donor aid due to a skyrocketing funding crisis, while Israel maintains its military occupation and economic control of the West Bank and Gaza Strip, many Palestinian economists are warning of a disastrous economic collapse.
http://electronicintifada.net/blogs/nora/new-report-deconstructs-world-banks-recommendations-palestinian-economy

Podcast : Alaa Tartir on building a sustainable Palestinian ’resistance economy’
EI 19 Oct — « What Palestinians need under occupation is a resistance economy. They need an economy that can support them in order to face the occupation, and eventually to end the occupation. » — Alaa Tartir, on this week’s podcast
http://electronicintifada.net/blogs/nora/podcast-alaa-tartir-building-sustainable-palestinian-resistance-economy

Report : Israel transfers PA tax revenue 2 weeks early
TEL AVIV, Israel (Ma‘an) 19 Oct — Israel has transferred tax revenues to the Palestinian Authority two weeks ahead of schedule in consideration of the economic crisis, reports said Thursday. The Israel Broadcasting Authority reported that the transfer of 300 million shekels was also in deference to the Muslim holiday of Eid al-Adha, which begins next week. The decision came at the recommendation of the defense establishment and the Israeli army’s civilian affairs unit, according to IBA. Israel collects customs and other taxes on behalf of the Palestinian Authority as part of economic agreements signed during the Oslo process. The transfers are usually made monthly.
http://www.maannews.net/eng/ViewDetails.aspx?ID=530430

PMA condemns Israeli report accusation on money-laundering operations
PNN 18 Oct — Palestine Monetary Authority (PMA) condemned on Wednesday Israeli reports on alleged accusations of money laundering executed on behalf of Arabs living in Israel. PMA issued a statement to condemn such unfounded allegations in which it described it as null and void. PMA also reiterated it strictly implements international Anti Money Laundering (AML) standards. The World Bank latest reports said Palestine oversight systems for combating money laundering were one of the best in the Middle East.
http://english.pnn.ps/index.php/national/2906-pma-condemns-israeli-report-accusation-on-money-laundering-operations

Rights group : 6 former PA security officers detained in Gaza
BETHLEHEM (Ma‘an) 19 Oct — Hamas authorities in Gaza last week detained six former security officials of their rivals, the Fatah-led Palestinian Authority, a rights group said Thursday ... All were detained between Oct. 6 and Oct. 16, and are being held at Hamas’ internal security force headquarters in Deir al-Balah, al-Mezan said. They were all previously employed as security agents of the PA before 2007, when Hamas split from the West Bank-based government.
Meanwhile, a Hamas-affiliated news site said on Thursday that four Hamas activists were detained in the northern West Bank by PA preventive security services.
Fatah and Hamas pledged to end political arrests in the May 2011 reconciliation agreement but the treaty has yet to be implemented.
http://www.maannews.net/eng/ViewDetails.aspx?ID=530281

Detention of journalist Walid Khalid extended for 15 more days
NABLUS, (PIC)— The Magistrate’s Court in Nablus extended on Thursday the detention of journalist Walid Khaled, 40, for an additional 15 days, after a month of detention in PA prisons for his affiliation with Hamas movement. Sources close to Walid’s family told PIC’s reporter : « The family was surprised that the judge in the Magistrate’s Court extended for another 15 days the detention of Walid, after leading figures in PA security services promised to release him as soon as his second extension ends, in exchange that the family halts its sit-in outside the Junaid Prison which had started on October 14 ».
http://www.palestine-info.co.uk/

Other news

Syrian rebels ’killed Palestinian leader’
BETHLEHEM (Ma‘an) 19 Oct — Gunmen from the Free Syrian Army on Friday assassinated a Palestinian leader in Deraa refugee camp, the Palestinian Front for the Liberation of Palestine - General Command said. Free Syrian Army rebels shot dead PFLP-GC leader Adel Hasan in the southern Syrian city, PFLP-GC said in a statement. PFLP-GC added that Palestinians would continue to support the Syrian people and resist « terrorists » trying to overthrow President Bashar Assad. Hossam Arafat, a member of the PFLP-GC politburo, said Ihsan had been active in trying to stop FSA rebels from using Deraa camp as a base. Arafat said rebel forces were attacking Palestinians in refugee camps in Syria.
http://www.maannews.net/eng/ViewDetails.aspx?ID=530358

US counter-terror experts visit Israel
Ynet 18 Oct — A delegation of 10 senior counter-terrorism experts from the police departments of New York City, Los Angeles, Houston, Austin, Oakland and Montgomery County (MD) are visiting Israel (Oct 13-20, 2012) through Project Interchange, an educational institute of AJC. The week-long educational program will showcase Israeli technological and operational advances in counter-terrorism tactics. Additionally, it will offer the group of assistant chiefs, commanders, captains, and senior analysts an opportunity to exchange information on best practices with their Israeli counterparts.
http://www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7340,L-4293802,00.html

Caught between settlers and Palestinians, IDF commanders discuss difficult choices / Amos Harel
Haaretz 19 Oct — In new academic study examining complex relations between IDF and Jewish settlers in the West Bank, soldiers speak with unusual candor about the dilemmas they face while serving — « One day the soldiers are saints and the people give them Hanukkah donuts, and the next day we are Jew-haters, » says the commander of a territorial brigade in the West Bank, describing the army’s relations with settlers. The quote is from a Ph.D. dissertation completed last year by Hadas Minka-Brand.
http://www.haaretz.com/weekend/week-s-end/caught-between-settlers-and-palestinians-idf-commanders-discuss-difficult-choices.premium-1.470996
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www.TheHeadlines.org