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Israelis Against Israeli Settlements

New York Times - 16 min 36 sec ago

Plans to move more Israelis into Arab neighborhoods of East Jerusalem have been met with opposition from Israelis who favor the establishment of a Palestinian state with its capital in that part of the city.

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Biden slams settlement move at Palestinian talks (AFP)

Yahoo/Mideast - 25 min 6 sec ago

AFP - US Vice President Joe Biden met Palestinian leaders on Wednesday, telling them Israel's decision to expand settlement activity in east Jerusalem is undermining the peace efforts he is promoting.

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Biden says Palestinians deserve 'viable' state (AP)

Yahoo/Mideast - 27 min 45 sec ago

AP - Vice President Joe Biden said Wednesday the Palestinians deserve a "viable" independent state with contiguous territory, seeking to reassure them of U.S. support after Israel announced plans to expand a Jewish neighborhood in disputed east Jerusalem.

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Biden scolds Israel over settlement plan (Reuters)

Yahoo/Mideast - 33 min 33 sec ago

Reuters - U.S. Vice President Joe Biden publicly scolded Israel Wednesday over a Jewish settlement plan, saying it was undermining peace efforts after Palestinians agreed to U.S.-mediated talks.

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With Biden in West Bank, Settlements Cloud Talks

New York Times - 1 hour 5 min ago

Vice President Joseph R. Biden Jr. arrived in Ramallah to meet with Palestinian leaders a day after Israel said it would build 1,600 new housing units in East Jerusalem.

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'Jihad Jane' and 7 others held in plot to kill Swedish cartoonist

Christian Science Monitor (Terrorism/Security) - 1 hour 44 min ago

'Jihad Jane,' as Pennsylvania woman Colleen LaRose dubbed herself, was indicted Tuesday for helping recruit a network for suicide attacks and plotting to kill a Swedish cartoonist. Seven Muslims were arrested in Ireland in connection with the alleged plot.

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Biden tells Abbas Israeli settlement move undermines trust (AFP)

Yahoo/Mideast - 1 hour 59 min ago

AFP - US Vice President Joe Biden told Palestinian president Mahmud Abbas on Wednesday Israel's decision to expand settlement activity in Jerusalem "undermines" the trust needed for peace talks.

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After Delay, Partial Iraq Vote Results Expected Thursday

New York Times - 1 hour 59 min ago

The incomplete results will offer an incomplete picture of the vote but will nevertheless provide the broad outlines of the country’s political landscape.

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(AP)

Yahoo/Mideast - 2 hours 9 min ago

AP - Biden: Palestinians deserve 'viable' independent state with contiguous territory.

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Gates in Saudi Arabia to Discuss Iran

New York Times - 2 hours 26 min ago

Defense Secretary Robert M. Gates will discuss military cooperation and Iran’s nuclear program, officials said.

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Arabs to respond to Israeli settlement move: Qatar (AFP)

Yahoo/Mideast - 2 hours 50 min ago

AFP - Arab states will respond to Israel's recent decision to expand an east Jerusalem settlement, Qatar's prime minister said on Wednesday.

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Bold new Gaza play skewers Fatah and Hamas (AFP)

Yahoo/Mideast - 3 hours 17 min ago

AFP - A new play has shocked audiences in the Gaza Strip by shouting out what many in the Hamas-ruled territory mutter behind closed doors -- that Palestinian politicians are a bunch of crooks.

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US family seeks Israeli damages

Al Jazeera English - 3 hours 30 min ago

Case concerns Rachel Corrie's death during protest against Palestinian home demolitions.

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Israel allows UN bomb squad into Gaza (AP)

Yahoo/Mideast - 3 hours 43 min ago

AP - Israel has allowed a U.N. bomb disposal unit into the Gaza Strip to defuse unexploded munitions left over from last year's fighting.

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Sheikh Jarrah Mass Rally

Palestine Monitor - 3 hours 58 min ago

Thousands of Israeli and Palestinian activists joined the rally last Saturday in Est Jerusalem to protest the eviction of Arab families from Sheikh Jarrah, where Jewish settlers continue to occupy Palestinian homes. The photos were taken by Brady Ng, FLV, Julian.

Photo: FLV

Photo: FLV

View from the stage

Photo: Brady Ng

Part of the 5000-strong crowd

Photo: Brady Ng

Photo: Julian

Photo: Julian

Photo: Julian

Nasser al-Ghawi: his family was evicted from their home in August 2009

Photo: Julian

Israeli border police in riot gear posted outside the event

Photo: Brady Ng

Photo: Julian

Photo: Julian

Jewish orthodox settlers showed up during the rally

Photo FLV

Photo FLV

During the demonstration, protesters carrying Israeli flags with the word "peace" on them were critised.

Despite the huge presence of Israeli border police in riot gear, the rally remained peaceful.

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Cash Before Conscience: Conclusions From The Russell Tribunal

Palestine Monitor - 4 hours 51 sec ago

The beginning of March saw the opening of the first session of the Russell Tribunal on Palestine in Barcelona. The question referred to by the Organising Committee in the first session of the RTP was whether the nature of relations between EU member states and Israel are unlawful within the framework of international law and, if so, what practical implications and means can be used to remedy them?

"We are outraged by how the Palestinians suffer such destruction, and that the countries which should uphold international law don't respect, for Palestine, the inalienable rights contained in international texts. We act on behalf of the individual's right to pressure the international instances to implement measures to enforce peace but also the penalties for not applying the law and violate the requirements of the UN. We can not leave unpunished those who violate those rights."

Stephane Hessel, Ambassador of France and co-editor of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, honorary chairman of the Russell Tribunal for Palestine.

Six main topics were brought before the court

1) The principle of respect for the right of the Palestinian people to self-determination

Majdi Benchikh (Professor Emeritus at the University of Cergy-Pontoise ((Paris Val d'Oise)) former Dean of the Law Faculty of Algiers) Explained that the right to self-determination would probably have known success if major powers, including the EU, had not chosen to support Israel and guarantee its impunity.

Daragh Murray (Ireland / Palestine- lawyer at the Palestinian Centre for Human Rights) Stated that the right to self-determination is violated by Israel in a consistent way; as the occupation continues human rights are routinely violated.

2) The annexation of East Jerusalem

Ghada Karmi (Author and physician) Explained the various facets of the annexation of the city through political and physical colonisation, as well as the Judaisation policies which limit the residency rights of Arab inhabitants. While it has recalled the law and repeatedly condemned those actions, the EU has never exercised any real pressure or sanctions against Israel and has never asked for compensation for the destruction of facilities that it financed but has strengthened its political, economic and scientific ties with that state, making themselves complicit in its violations of international law.

Meir Margalit (Israel) Spoke as a witness and as a member of the council of Jerusalem and the Israeli Committee against house demolitions (ICAHD) for which a large part of the budget comes from the European Union. "We would like to renounce this money if the EU would adopt in return a more radical policy, more clear vis-à-vis Israel, we feel that this money is used to wash the European conscience”.

3) Settlements and the plundering of natural resources

Michael Sfard (Israeli lawyer working in humanitarian law) Explained that there are 120 settlements in the West Bank. More than half of Jewish settlers moved into the West Bank after the Oslo agreements. Construction is one aspect of the development of settlements, but there is also the violence that the settlers exercise against Palestinians to continually reduce the boundaries of their land.

4) The European Union / Israel Association Agreement

Raül Romeva, (MEP) Explained that the association agreements generally include three parts: a free trade zone, institutional cooperation and cooperation. They all have a "democratic" clause, which obliges signatories to cancel the agreement if one party considers that the other does not meet its obligations or respect the human rights under the agreements. Nobody has mentioned this clause so far, neither Israel nor any other country. He spoke on the code of conduct in terms of arms exports in the EU based on eight criteria of which Israel was guilty of violating at least six.

Agnes Bertrand (Belgium, researcher and specialist in Middle East, APRODEV) Set out cases of passive complicity of the EU and Israel. She took the example of exports of settlement products in European markets but with certificate of Israeli origin. She continues by explaining that the member states of the EU and the EU know very well this is a problem but they do not want to react to it. These attitudes and silence can be attributed to the fact that European interests at stake. She ended by noting that the United States is the main actor and that EU policy is located in the interstices left by the U.S.

5) The blockade of Gaza and operation "Cast Lead"

The living conditions since the operation Cast Lead were recalled. The co-editor of the Goldstone report, Colonel Desmond Travers highlighted the use of certain weapons of war against the civilian population and the accompanying tolerance of the international community with these weapons. He articulated that white phosphorus, darts and heavy metal such as tungsten bullets and DIME (explosive mixture), should no longer be in a conventional arsenal and that producing countries have the responsibility to verify the use made by the belligerents of these toxic products.

6) The construction of the Wall in the Occupied Palestinian Territory

Luisa Morgantini (Italy, former MEP), recalled that Europe complains but does not apply any penalty and instead enhances its relations with Israel. Why then does this silence that discredits the EU exist? According to a jury member it is because the core of Europe is the economy and Israel is a kind of a European excrescence in the Middle East. This also clarifies the all too favourable attitude of Europe, explained François Dubuisson (Law Professor at the Free University of Brussels).

In October, the second court session Russell will be held in London. An appeal was launched for voluntary contributions to ensure the total independence of the court.

The full report, available in three languages, can be read here http://tribunalrussell.blog.pangea.org/

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US condemns Israeli expansion

Al Jazeera English - 4 hours 15 min ago

Biden denounces move to build 1,600 illegal homes that could derail talks with Palestinians.

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Trial begins over death of US activist in Gaza (AP)

Yahoo/Mideast - 4 hours 42 min ago

AP - The family of an American activist crushed to death by an Israeli bulldozer in Gaza is suing Israel.

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Al-Azhar head dies in Saudi Arabia

Al Jazeera English - 5 hours 3 min ago

Tantawi, Sunni Islam's most senior religious figure, stirred controversy with ban on niqab.

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In Nabi Saleh, Women Stand Up

Palestine Monitor - 5 hours 43 min ago

Last year, six housewives from the village launched “Budhur”. The women group is active on social, political and women's issues. Budhur, meaning “before blooming”, is an initiative that claims to be innovative. Written and photographed by Valentine Van Vyve.

Being a woman in Nebi Saleh might be different from being a woman in any other Palestinian village. Creating Budhur can be considered as a civic act: “Because we, women, are a part of the society, we want to play a role in our own community”, told Nareman Tamimi, the president of Budhur. “Through our actions, we are a strength for the community too and we should be considered as such”, she added.

Budhur does not have a regular agenda nor a fixed place to meet. From six core persons, they grew to one hundred, since every woman in the village has attended, now and then, the activities. “We organise workshops – the first one was on how to communicate, we have a greenhouse which we take care of, we also help the widows – two of them being part of the core. Finally, we work with the children and the elderly”, explained Nareman. “This is voluntary work. We don't make any money out of it”, she added.

Mentioning money, the main problem they face is funding. Up to now, they have been self-sufficient. “We are all relatives and we gather in each other's house”, hence no need to rent a local. Though, if they want to grow, they would need funding, which they have been trying to raise. “I know many people throughout the West Bank through which we have been trying to get some support”, told Nareman.

Despite their status as housewives, the initiative has been well accepted. “In our society, women don't usually go out. They stay at home and take care of the children”, said Ibrahim Tamimi. Budhur, though, has received the support of the men of the village. “At first, some of them said ‘What are you doing?'”, Nareman explained, “but then they understood that we play an important role as well”. “We have their full support”, added Manal Tamimi, Nareman's older cousin, also part of Budhur's core. “We are human and we have rights. The right don't discriminate between man and woman”, continued Ibrahim Tamimi.

Since January 5, the villages of Nebi Saleh and Dir-Nizam have been demonstrating together weekly against the extension of the Israeli Halamish settlement that has led, since its construction in 1979, the Palestinians to see parts of their land confiscated and olive trees destroyed. Moreover, they are no longer allowed access to one of their wells.

See the video of the arrests on January 22.

Some women used to take part in those demonstrations “because this is our land too”, said Nareman. But as both Nareman and Manal were arrested and detained, twice, they don't attend the marches the same way anymore. “They can go, but we have decided they have to stay at the back and don't get involved from close”, explained Ibrahim. “The front rows are for the men. They have to protect the women”. Two weeks ago, however, both were arrested by the IDF soldiers inside their own house.

Following the arrest, they spent one week in custody, locked in a cell, without being allowed to talk to their families or go outside. Released after having paid 10,000 NIS, they are still waiting for their trial. “If we are found guilty, we might serve seven months in jail”, told Manal. “I am not scared for my own sake but I am scared for my children”, said this mother of four, her youngest son sitting on her lap. “Every time he sees an ambulance, he asks when the teargas and the soldiers will come”, she told.

“Israelis try to shut down and silence any strength inside the Palestinian society”, told Manal. “But I don't think our involvement in women empowerment and in the community is the reason for us being arrested”, added Nareman.

Since Nareman and Manal's arrests, women watch the demonstrations from the back.

Photo: Valentine Van Vyve

The two women nourish the hope that Budhur will grow and spread in other villages. “This is my dream”, told Manal, smiling. “We are in contact with women in other villages. Most of them are very interested in what we do”, she added.

If Nareman still attends the Friday's demonstrations, from the back, Manal has decided to stay at home. “My kids are too scared”, she said.

Photo: Valentine Van Vyve

Despite that dream, Manal said she doesn't believe in the future. “I live day by day, wondering what will happen next”, she said. “The toughest is for the children. We can't make any plans for them. I don't even know what tomorrow will bring…”, she concluded.

ps. The on the homepage was taken by Brady Ng - Women' s Day Gathering in Al Manara, Ramallah

Read about the popular struggle in Nabi Saleh here www.popularstruggle.org

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