Land Theft and Destruction
Israeli authorities demolish Palestinian home in Jerusalem
Jerusalem
– Ma’an – Israeli bulldozers on Monday morning demolished a Palestinian
home in the Beit Hanina neighborhood of northern Jerusalem. Ma’an’s
correspondent at the scene said the demolished home belonged to Alaa
Shweiki, was 120 square meters in size and was inhabited by eight
members of the Shweiki family.
http://www.maannews.net/en/index.php?opr=ShowDetails&ID=39204

PA: Settlers burned 1,200 dunums of West Bank land
Ramallah
– Ma’an – Israeli settlers residing illegally in the West Bank have set
fire to more than 1,200 dunums (1.2 million square meters) of
Palestinian land in a series of recent attacks, the Palestinian
Ministry of Agriculture said on Sunday.
http://www.maannews.net/en/index.php?opr=ShowDetails&ID=39197

Settlers torch Palestinian farmland in Safa
Hebron
– Ma’an – Israeli settlers from the colony of Bat Ayin set fire to
Palestinian farmland in the West Bank village of Safa, north of Hebron,
on Monday morning, the second such attack in two days.
http://www.maannews.net/en/index.php?opr=ShowDetails&ID=39215

Jewish settlers burn Palestinian olive groves
Jewish
settlers from the Beit Ayin settlement on Sunday burnt large areas of
Palestinian cultivated lands planted with olives, almonds and grapes in
Beit Ummar village, Al-Khalil district.
http://www.palestine-info.co.uk/En/

Israeli occupation hands demolition orders to Aisawiye residents
Municipality
workers of the Israeli-controlled Jerusalem municipality on Sunday
distributed demolition notifications to residents of Aisawiye village,
northeast of occupied Jerusalem.
http://www.palestine-info.co.uk/En/

Home demolitions in Beit Hanina, Silwan and Old City part of policy to change
demographic makeup
Jerusalem
/ Maisa Abu Ghazaleh for PNN – Bulldozers from the Israeli-controlled
Jerusalem Municipality demolished two houses in Beit Hanina and
Silwan. Monday morning’s destruction comes as part of a larger policy
aimed at shifting the demography of East Jerusalem.
http://english.pnn.ps/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=6132

Ni’lin demonstrates against the Apartheid Wall
Although there are weekly demonstrations every Friday in Ni’lin, on
Wednesday, around 40 Palestinians, Israelis and internationals
activists went out to protest against construction of the Apartheid
Wall that Israel is building on Ni’lin village lands. The protesters
managed to reach the Wall and cut a part of the razor wire. The Israeli
forces shot tear gas and 0.22 calibre live ammunition at demonstrators
but no one was seriously injured.
http://palsolidarity.org/2009/07/7563

Court criticizes State over illegal outposts
Supreme Court president, two other judges give State four months to set
timetable for evacuation of 18 buildings in two West Bank outposts.
'It's the State's basic duty to uphold the law and enforce it,' court
says.
http://www.ynetnews..com/articles/0,7340,L-3745627,00.html

Aggression and Violence
Israeli soldiers raid Nablus Shopping Festival headquarters
Nablus – Ma’an – Israeli soldiers raided the headquarters of the Nablus
Shopping Festival in the West Bank village of Huwwara on Monday
afternoon. Festival spokesperson Ali Daraghmeh told Ma’an that Israeli
military patrols overran the area of the Huwwara municipality square,
and ordered participants to remove banners and wall posters, and told
organizers to cancel parts of the event.
http://www.maannews.net/en/index..php?opr=ShowDetails&ID=39212

Detainees
Disguised Israeli forces arrest two Palestinians during Ni’lin demonstration
Around 80 Palestinian residents, alongside Israeli and international
solidarity activists, gathered to demonstrate against construction of
the Apartheid Wall in Ni’lin on Friday. After the weekly prayer,
demonstrators marched to the Wall, chanting slogans against the
Occupation and theft of their land. Upon arriving at the site,
protesters cut the illegal fence with cutters.
http://palsolidarity.org/2009/07/7574

Former PA minister held at Israeli military checkpoint
Bethlehem – Ma’an – Former Palestinian Minister of Prisoners Ashraf
Al-Ajrami said that Israeli soldiers detained him at a West Bank
military checkpoint for more than three hours on Sunday.
http://www.maannews.net/en/index.php?opr=ShowDetails&ID=39196

Israeli soldiers arrest Palestinian in Old City Hebron
Hebron
– Ma’an – Israeli soldiers detained a young Palestinian man near the
Ibrahimi Mosque in the West Bank city of Hebron on the charge of
possessing a knife. Local Palestinian sources told Ma’an that the
soldiers assaulted the man, Anas An-Natsha, before arresting him and
taking him to an unknown location.
http://www.maannews.net/en/index.php?opr=ShowDetails&ID=39209

Samieh returns to Yaffa
Dear
friends, This time we are happy to share some good news: five months
after his arrest for participating in a political demonstration in Umm
al Fahm, theatre director Samieh Jabbarin returns to his place of
residence, Yafa, the conditions of his house-arrest significantly
improved, while he is still bound by them until the next proceeding of
his trial, set for the coming September.
http://www.kibush.co.il/show_file.asp?num=34488

PCHR denied access to clients detained in ISS prisons in Gaza
The
Palestinian Center for Human Rights (PCHR) has been denied access to
clients detained by the Internal Security Service (ISS) of the
Government in Gaza. PCHR affirm that such measures violate Palestinian
law and relevant international standards, including the detainees'
right to have access to legal counsel. PCHR is further concerned that
access restrictions may be motivated by the desire to hide illegal
practices against detainees, including torture and other forms of cruel
treatment.
http://www.reliefweb.int/rw/rwb.nsf/db900SID/ASHU-7TW2PZ?OpenDocument&RSS20=02-P

Humanitarian Issues
Palestinian human rights lawyer faces jail for alleged assault of soldier
Bethlehem
– Ma’an – An Israeli military court in the settlement of Ofer has
charged Palestinian human rights lawyer Farid Al-Atrash with assaulting
a soldier, sources said.
http://www.maannews.net/en/index.php?opr=ShowDetails&ID=39213

Sewage water taints Gaza's beaches
Going to the beach in the Gaza Strip is the
only recreational area available for local inhabitants, but most of the
beaches are severely polluted with sewage water. People in Gaza largely
blame the problem on Israel's crippling two-year embargo of the Strip.
But they continue to brave the poisoned stretch of coastline for some
"fun in the sun". Al Jazeera's Ashraf Al-Amritti reports.
http://imeu.net/news/article0016925.shtml

Negev's Bedouins tired of empty promises
Residents of dozens of unrecognized Bedouin villages in southern Israel
unimpressed by government's repeated promises to amend infrastructural
neglect plaguing their communities.
http://www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7340,L-3745519,00.html

The families driven apart by Israel's red tape
New regulations are making it increasingly difficult for Palestinians from Gaza
to see their relatives in the West Bank.
http://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/middle-east/the-families-driven-apart-by\
-israels-red-tape-1740233.html

Racism/Discrimination
Israel to keep only Hebrew names on road signs (AFP)
AFP - The Israeli transport ministry said on Monday that it will get
rid of Arabic and English names for cities and towns on road signs,
keeping only the Hebrew terms.
http://news.yahoo.com/s/afp/20090713/wl_mideast_afp/mideastconflicttransportisra\
el

Arad residents don't want refugees
Southern
city's hospitality replaced by fear, aversion and loathing towards
African infiltrators, with residents setting up committee to thin out
their presence in area. 'The future is black,' one resident says.
http://www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7340,L-3745675,00.html

Feeling The Hate In Tel Aviv — The Sequel To The Censored Video, by Max
Blumenthal
On May 27, journalist Jesse Rosenfeld and I set out on the streets of
Tel Aviv to probe the political opinions of young local residents. We
started the day filming at Tel Aviv University, where a group of Jewish
and Palestinian Israeli students gathered to protest a proposed law
that would criminalize public observance of the Nakba, or the mass
expulsion and killing of Palestinians by Zionist militias in 1948.
There, we interviewed Palestinian Israeli students about the rising
climate of repression, then spoke to another group of students who
gathered nearby to heckle their Arab classmates and demand their
deportation. A few hundred meters away, two genial business students
expressed support for the so-called Nakba law, remarking to us, “If you
want to keep democracy, you can’t let people protest against the
independence of the country.”
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ze5dbxPO8cU
http://maxblumenthal.com/2009/07/feeling-the-hate-in-tel-aviv-the-sequel-to-the-\
censored-video/

MK Tibi joins calls to scrap ad 'making light' of Palestinian plight
Israeli
Arab MK Ahmed Tibi on Monday joined calls to scrap a television
commercial depicting Israeli soldiers playing soccer at the West Bank
separation fence, which many have found offensive.
http://www.haaretz.com/hasen/spages/1099857.html

How people 'see' Israel's Apartheid Wall (contd.)
The indefatigable Adam Horowitz published a post at Mondoweiss yesterday drawing
attention to the sick ad an Israeli cellphone company
is running that makes the Apartheid Wall seem like just a harmless (or
even 'fun') natural feature of the landscape. Maariv's Noam Sheizaf also blogged
about the ad yesterday.
http://justworldnews.org/archives/003670.html

Cellcom Commercials, by Joharah Baker for MIFTAH
'Preposterous'
is almost too mild a word to describe the new Cellcom commercial that
many Palestinians and Israelis alike are calling for to be pulled. The
advert portrays an Israeli army jeep patrolling near the West Bank
separation wall when a soccer ball suddenly flies over from the other
"Palestinian side", hitting the hood of the jeep. For the first brief
moment after the boom of the ball-on-jeep impact, the soldiers go into
combat-mode, a hint of fear sweeping over their faces, fingers on
triggers. Jumping out of the vehicle, the soldiers first hold still in
caution, not knowing what to expect from the "other side," the
commander clearly waving his hand to stay his troops. The final
decision is to kick the ball over the wall to the other side (the
players who, of course, are never shown). A "game of soccer" ensues
between the two sides after one Israeli soldier calls some of his army
buddies (on his Cellcom cell phone obviously) to join the game. The
catchphrase of the commercial? "After all, what are we all after? Just
a little fun."
http://www.miftah.org/Display.cfm?DocId=20055&CategoryId=3

Egyptian Collaboration
International activists continue protests at Rafah border
We
are actually 16 people in our camp with mainly Egyptian activists.
Yesterday afternoon, the Egyptian authorities put barbed wire at the
door of the bathroom and cut the water, so now, we have no more access
to the bathroom. Chris says : “Fortunately, I managed yesterday
morning to take a shower, after climbing over the bathroom iron gate,
so now we will keep dirty. I’m happy to be here again, because this is,
may be, the lonely place in the world where you can feel free. We are
moving freely, we are challenging the Egyptian authorities, Israel and
the worldwide community and we ask them to lift this infamous siege.”
http://palsolidarity.org/2009/07/7588

Palestinian children rally against siege on Gaza-Egypt borders
GAZA,
July 13 (Xinhua) -- Islamic Hamas movement Monday sent children
participating in its summer camps to demonstrate in front of Rafah
crossing point in southern Gaza Strip, calling on Egypt to open the
border terminal.
http://news.xinhuanet.com/english/2009-07/13/content_11702162.htm

Fatah Collaboration
PNA discovers, dismantles Hamas cells in West Bank
RAMALLAH, July 5 (Xinhua) -- The Palestinian National Authority (PNA)
discovered and dismantled cells for Islamic Hamas movement in the West
Bank, a spokesman for the Palestinian security services said Sunday.
http://news.xinhuanet.com/english/2009-07/05/content_11657483.htm

Political Developments
Hamas Haneya ready to quit, if his resignation helps achieve reconciliation deal
GAZA,
July 13 (Xinhua) -- Deposed Prime Minister of Hamas government in Gaza
Ismail Haneya stated on Monday that he is ready to leave his post if
this would help in reaching an inter-reconciliation agreement with
rival President Mahmoud Abbas's Fatah party in Cairo on July 28.
http://news.xinhuanet.com/english/2009-07/13/content_11702955.htm

PNA accuses Israel of exporting crisis with Washington to Palestinians
RAMALLAH,
July 13 (Xinhua) -- The Palestinian National Authority (PNA) Monday
accused Israel of exporting its crisis with Washington to the
Palestinians. "The Israeli government tries to export its crisis with
the United States over the two-state solution and freezing the
settlement to the PNA," said Nabil Abu Rdineh, a spokesman to
Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas.
http://news.xinhuanet.com/english/2009-07/13/content_11702570.htm

Netanyahu offers key aide post to Jewish settler
JERUSALEM,
July 13 (Reuters) - Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has offered an
advisory post to a Jewish settler leader involved in a 1988 killing of
a Palestinian youth during an anti-Israeli protest, a settler
spokeswoman said on Monday.
http://www.alertnet.org/thenews/newsdesk/LD606526.htm

Lieberman: Abbas ups demands as his legitimacy wanes
Foreign Minister Avigdor Lieberman said Monday that Palestinian
President Mahmoud Abbas was upping his demands of Israel as his
legitimacy as the leader of the Palestinians waned.
http://www.haaretz.com/hasen/spages/1099802.html

Israeli minister dismisses Solana's peace ideas (Reuters)
Reuters
- Israel on Monday dismissed and the Palestinians welcomed a call by
the European Union's foreign policy chief for U.N. recognition of a
Palestinian state if negotiators fail to achieve a peace agreement.
http://news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20090713/wl_nm/us_palestinians_israel_eu

Internal Foreign Ministry memo slams Lieberman's Egypt envoy pick
The possible posting of Col. (res.) Shaul Kamisa as ambassador to Egypt
could damage Israel-Egypt relations, according to an internal memo sent
to Foreign Ministry director-general Yossi Gal on Sunday.
http://www.haaretz.com/hasen/spages/1099687.html

U.K.: We revoked Israel arms licenses, but it's no embargo
The
British Embassy in Tel Aviv confirmed Monday that the United Kingdom
has revoked a number of arms export licenses to Israel following the
Gaza war, but insisted that the move did not constitute a partial
embargo.
http://www.haaretz.com/hasen/spages/1099701.html

U.K. hits Israel with partial arms embargo over Gaza war
Britain
has slapped a partial arms embargo on Israel, refusing to supply
replacement parts and other equipment for Sa'ar 4.5 gunships because
they participated in Operation Cast Lead in the Gaza Strip earlier this
year.
http://www.haaretz.com/hasen/spages/1099701.html

UK bans transfer of certain weapons to Israel
Bethlehem - Ma'an/Agencies - The United Kingdom has decided to ban
certain military supplies to Israel, its Foreign Ministry announced on
Monday. Following an internal investigation announced by Foreign
Minister David Milliband in April, the UK determined that it could no
longer sell Israel certain parts for naval vessels, the Israeli daily
newspaper Haaretz reported on Monday.
http://www.maannews.net/en/index.php?opr=ShowDetails&ID=39208

Other News
Solidarity tent in Silwan becomes center of reconciliation after last week's
fighting
Jerusalem / Maisa Abu Ghazaleh – For 21 weeks dozens of Palestinians have
gathered on Fridays at the Silwan solidarity tent.
The Al Bustan area of the East Jerusalem neighborhood is under serious
threat of destruction with nine more demolition orders received this
week.
http://english.pnn.ps/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=6119

Israel tests putrid spray on Palestinians
Bilin,
West Bank: Israeli troops seeking to quell protests over Israel's West
Bank wall on Friday sprayed a foul-smelling substance code-named
"skunk" and sent in undercover troops posing as Palestinians.
http://archive.gulfnews.com/region/Middle_East/10330592.html

Palestinians to get snail mail via Jordan
Israel,
Palestinian Authority exploring ways to allow West Bank residents to
receive regional, international postal services through Amman.
Communications Ministry says agreement in close.
http://www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7340,L-3745748,00.html

Lawyers, rights advocates rally for judicial independence in Bethlehem
Bethlehem
– Ma’an – Members of the Bethlehem lawyers union, police, human rights
activists, and university students rallied in the city on Monday to
show support for the independent Palestinian judiciary.
http://www.maannews.net/en/index.php?opr=ShowDetails&ID=39211

Dust storm could postpone second Iraq-Palestine football match
Bethlehem
– Ma’an – The Palestinian national football team’s flight from Irbil,
in northern Iraq, to Baghdad was postponed for three hours on Monday
due to a massive dust storm that has blanketed much of the country.
http://www.maannews.net/en/index.php?opr=ShowDetails&ID=39210

Maccabiah bans athletes from wearing Shalit solidarity ribbons
A
last-minute effort to show solidarity with Gilad Shalit at the
Maccabiah's opening ceremony Monday ended in disappointment for the
British and American delegations, after organizers forbade them from
wearing yellow ribbons.
http://www.haaretz.com/hasen/spages/1099690.html

Activism/Solidarity/Boycott, Sanctions and Divestment
Tents springing up throughout US and EU in support of Palestinians under threat
of home demolition
Jerusalem
/ PNN – On World Day in Solidarity with the Palestinian people foreign
supporters are joining solidarity tents throughout Jerusalem
neighborhoods. The neighborhood gathering places are becoming a common
sight in East Jerusalem as home demolitions rise and the collective
community fights back through public campaigns and sit-ins.
http://english.pnn.ps/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=6134

MP Galloway to bring Hugo Chavez on next Gaza visit
Gaza
– Ma’an – Member of the British House of Commons George Galloway told
the press Monday he was planning to organize a new solidarity convoy to
Gaza that would include Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez.
http://www.maannews.net/en/index.php?opr=ShowDetails&ID=39200

Cover Story: Fighting the Palestinian cause
P.
SELVARANI speaks to Free Gaza Movement chairperson Huwaida Arraf to
discover a woman determined to see an end to violence. SHE could have
lived a blissful life as a successful lawyer, raising a nice, happy
family in the Land of the Free.. But social activist Huwaida Arraf, a
first generation Palestinian-American, instead found her calling
helping free her people.
http://www.nst..com.my/Current_News/NST/articles/20090713082012/Article/index_ht\
ml

Barghouthi in Bil'in condems the use of noxious smell water
Ramallah, 12-07-09: At Bil'in's weekly nonviolent protest against the
Separation Wall this Friday, the Israeli military shot teargas, sound
bombs, rubber coated steel bullets, and a water cannon that shot darban
(“bad smell water”) on the protestors.
http://www.palestinemonitor.org/spip/spip.php?article1012

HeidelbergCement tries to sell West Bank mines as legal, boycott pressures grow
HeidelbergCement,
one of the world's largest manufacturers of building materials, is
reportedly trying to sell its Israeli investments as it has become the
target of legal action because of its activities in the Occupied
Palestinian Territories (OPT). Adri Nieuwhof reports for EI that the
move comes amid growing pressure by the boycott, divestment and
sanctions movement on transnational companies profiting from Israeli
occupation.
http://electronicintifada.net/v2/article10656.shtml

Demonstration to end Israel's Siege on Gaza
A recent Youtube interview with Norman Finkelstein outlines plans for a
demonstration involving 5000 internationals and 500,000 Palestinians
marching on an Israeli checkpoint to impose International Law.
Finkelstein suggests that honorary grand marshals for the event could
be people like Nelson Mandela, Jimmy Carter, and Noam Chomsky.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ClAHlumNO6I&NR=1

In Ramallah, Naomi Klein apologized to Palestinians for not joining cause
earlier, saying 'Nothing but cowardice' stopped her
Rebecca Vilkomerson at Jewish Peace News reports that Naomi Klein's June visit
to the West Bank and Israel had a
"galvanizing effect" on the boycott movement, including the movement
within Palestine. And that Klein called for "the
right of return for Palestinian refugees [to be] fully realized under
international law."
http://www.philipweiss.org/mondoweiss/2009/07/rebecca-vilkomerson-at-jewish-peac\
e-news-reports-that-naomi-kleins
-recent-visit-to-the-west-bank-and-israel-had-a-galvanizing.html

What does a blockade feel like? Video depicts last night of 'Spirit of
Humanity''s attempted passage to Gaza
Amazing video, apparently smuggled out of you-know-where, captures the
mood of the "Spirit of Humanity" as it grinds from Cyprus toward Gaza
and is intercepted by several Israeli ships nearly two weeks ago.
Note the warnings in English that the Israelis might open fire. Note
the Spirit's captain's statement that the Israeli navy wouldn't have
stood on ceremony with ordinary Palestinians. Note Cynthia McKinney and
Huwaida Arraf, cool under pressure. And note the repetition of the
order, Go back to Larnaca-- in Cyprus. Reminds me of the important
place Larnaca had in Exodus And really brings the blockade home. Reminds me that
Egypt's blockade
of one port of entry to Israel, the straits of Tiran, brought on a
devastating war in 1967. Gazans suffer complete blockade.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=65UW1E_ebQM
http://www.philipweiss.org/mondoweiss/2009/07/what-does-a-blockade-feel-like-vid\
eo-depicts-last-night-of-spirit-of-
humanitys-attempted-passage-to-.html

Activist tells of her gunpoint arrest while breaking Gaza siege
ON
A Friday she hung up her bag after a quiet shift as an Edinburgh
postie. The following Tuesday afternoon she was paraded on TV following
a gunpoint capture by one of the most notorious security services in
the Middle East. Theresa McDermott, a 42-year-old Scottish peace
activist, was arrested by Israeli authorities last month when she tried
to run supplies through the blockade that cuts off the devastated Gaza
Strip from the rest of the world.
http://www.sundayherald.com/news/heraldnews/display.var.2519477.0.0.php

Bay
area Jews say they've experienced professional and personal 'sanctions'
for expressing pro-Palestinian views at gay pride parade:
From the progressive site, JVoices, a report on pro-Palestinian queers'
marching in the gay pride parade in San Francisco, partly to counter
the message brought by the Israeli consulate:Prior to the Parade day,
we were not
sure that we would be allowed to march at all. We arrived holding signs
such as “No Pride in Occupation,” and “Feygele for Free Palestine,” and
to our surprise, we did not get kicked out. We were met with a positive
reception from many participants and observers of the parade, and a few
hostile reactions. But the real consequences of our action have
occurred in the days and weeks following the parade. Many of us have
faced social sanctions in our personal and professional
lives. Those of us who work in Jewish organizations have been “outed”
and even harshly shamed in our workplaces and our political views have
become a topic of discussion amongst our peers and supervisors. We feel
vulnerable in the very community that had supposedly organized to
support us as Queer Jews.
http://www.philipweiss.org/mondoweiss/2009/07/bay-area-jews-say-theyve-experienc\
ed-professional-and-personal-
sanctions-for-expressing-propalestini.html

Activists stage picnic to show Israeli military's double standard when it comes
to West Bank settlers
Yesterday, members of Ta’ayush set out to have a picnic at an illegal outpost
built on Palestinian
land next to the settlement of Susya in the southern West Bank. We are
always thinking of new and different ways to expose the insanity of the
outpost expansion project. A picnic seemed like a beautiful form of
protest to show the IDF's double standard in the West Bank - they
protect Israeli settlers taking Palestinian land, while arresting
others with more peaceful pursuits.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pb1YsMsr-ns
http://www.philipweiss.org/mondoweiss/2009/07/taayush-picnic.html

Analysis/Op-ed
dirty couches, dogs without water, synagogue seats, and teenage boys with light
mustaches (Loewenstein visits an outpost)
Antony Loewenstein writes:
Dining at a hamburger joint on the weekend in Jerusalem with a few members of
Israeli peace group Ta’ayush,including Joseph Dana,
we were struck by the people eating around us. They were mostly young,
American Jews laughing and enjoying the atmosphere. They were living
the dream. A short stay in Israel for them is a blast. Parties, some
history, Zionist indoctrination and mission accomplished. Palestine and
Palestinians don’t exist. The occupation is invisible. The West Bank is
“dangerous”, their parents and guides tell them. It is a false Israel,
an illusion that is carefully crafted and maintained. Without it, the
Zionist entity would collapse but there’s no evidence that’s happening
any time soon.
http://www.philipweiss.org/mondoweiss/2009/07/dirty-couches-dogs-without-water-s\
ynagogue-seats-and-teenage-boys
-with-light-mustaches-loewenstein-v.html

Akiva Eldar / Abbas should be insulted by Obama's settlement talks
If
I were Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas I would be deeply insulted
by the negotiations U.S. President Barack Obama is conducting with
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu over building permits in the
settlements. Who authorized the Americans - this administration or the
previous one - to do business with Palestinian land?
http://www.haaretz.com/hasen/spages/1099714.html

The Settlements and the Quartet
When
President Barak Obama said in his Cairo speech that “The United States
does not accept the legitimacy of continued Israeli settlements,” he
cut to the heart of the four decade old conflict in the Occupied
Territories, slicing through the thicket of “confidence building,”
“security walls,” and “road maps” that have derailed one peace attempt
after another.
http://www.counterpunch.com/hallinan07102009.html

Amira Hass / Israeli Jewish worldview sanctifies West Bank inequality
The
Jahalin tribe sends happy tidings from the West Bank to their brethren
in Gaza: The effects of the Israeli siege can be overcome by building
homes from used tires filled and covered with mud. This way refuse can
be recycled, construction costs minimized and structures insulated from
the cold and heat, something concrete buildings cannot do.
http://www.haaretz.com/hasen/spages/1099712.html

Bill Robinson vs. the ADL Thought Police
When
sociology Professor Bill Robinson stared down the Anti-Defamation
League, it looked like a victory for academic freedom. Yet was it?
Robinson was portrayed as an anti-Semite because he sent an email to
students featuring a photo essay critical of Israel that had circulated
online for weeks. While University of California administrators
dallied, the ADL and its international network turned up the
heat—signaling academics worldwide they could be next.
http://intifada-palestine.com/2009/07/12/bill-robinson-vs-the-adl-thought-police\
/

Not Willing to Wait
Palestinians and Israelis hold their collective breath as EU's Solana
calls for a deadline for Palestinian Statehood. Speaking Saturday at a
lecture in London, Solana said the UN Security Council should recognize
a Palestinian state even if no peace accord had been reached between
Israel and the Palestinians by a predetermined deadline.
http://www.palestinemonitor.org/spip/spip.php?article1013

Defending the indefensible settlements | Richard Silverstein
A former insider at Aipac has spilled the beans on a major secret initiative by
The Israel Project (TIP) designed to counter opposition in the US to Israeli
settlements
in the occupied territories. Douglas Bloomfield, former chief lobbyist
for Aipac, writes that TIP, a group dedicated to promoting Israel's
positive image among the US media and policymakers, has circulated a
140-page primer designed to prompt supporters in their exchanges with
US journalists and key decision-makers when they are arguing in favour
of the settlements.
http://www.guardian.co.uk/commentisfree/cifamerica/2009/jul/13/israel-west-bank-\
settlements-obama

A Palestinian Technocrat Rises Steadily, but Questions Persist
RAMALLAH,
West Bank -- Palestinian Authority Prime Minister Salam Fayyad is not a
fighter by trade, but when control of the Gaza Strip fell to the
Islamist Hamas movement two years ago, he sensed the need to learn
fast.
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2009/07/12/AR2009071202080.\
html

In Ramallah, art imitates men’s minds
RAMALLAH // Noor Abed no longer walks down the streets of Ramallah
without her iPod. She simply does not want to hear the comments from
the men on the street. “It could be anything. Some comment on my body
or my eyes. Some just shout out their phone number. Every time I walk
in Ramallah I feel I am being raped by men’s eyes. It’s shameful and
it’s demeaning.”
http://www.thenational.ae/article/20090712/FOREIGN/707119936/1011/NEWS

Plastic, video and paint on canvas illustrate one artist's view of the siege on
Gaza
Nablus
/ PNN – Mohammad Harb has his work on display at the French Cultural
Center. “Closed means Closed” is a five minute video installation that
comes as part of his exhibit entitled, “Four Walls.” The Palestinian
artist also uses plastic along with strong colors glaring through
spaces that bully with black stripes.
http://english.pnn.ps/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=6120

Promoting Palestinian culture presents challenge to occupation and celebrates
heritage
Beit Anan / PNN – Four nights of joy and singing in Jerusalem
culminated tonight with the Dabkeh People. Poetry and children's
programs were integral to the Summer Nights Festival that brought
15,000 people to the streets of East Jerusalem for the events.
http://english.pnn.ps/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=6124

Will Israel grant asylum to fascism?
One
of the great strengths of fascism is its ability to persuade a society
to simply invite it in. So what sound does fascism make when it tries
to get you to open the door? Sometimes it sounds like a headline. A
drumbeat of shrewd fear-mongering, a little something to set the stage.
http://www.haaretz.com/hasen/spages/1099848.html

Palestinian Political Prisoners by Carlos Latuff
http://palestinianpundit.blogspot.com/2009/07/palestinianpolitical-prisoners-by.\
html

Lebanon
Jordan 'understands' Lebanese move to release Shaaban
The Jordanian administration "understands" a Lebanese decision to
release Youssef Mahmoud Shaaban, An-Nahar newspaper reported on Sunday.
"Public uproar over the release of Shaaban eased on Saturday after a
government statement said the released prisoner was not wanted by the
Jordanian judiciary," the daily's correspondent in Amman reported.
http://www.dailystar.com.lb/article..asp?edition_id=1&categ_id=2&article_id=1041\
27

1982 memo shows Israel learned little from first Lebanon War
Sunday
is the third anniversary of the start of the Second Lebanon War. When
you go into a second war, it is tempting to believe that something has
been learned from the first, and you try to avoid the same mistakes. A
document from 1982, of which large portions have not been published
until now, confirms the suspicion that this is an illusion. The date at
the top, July 12, is the same date the war began three years ago. In
1982, however, the war began on June 6 and was followed by more than a
month of very murderous stomping around. The Israel Defense Forces
imposed a siege on Beirut, waiting for a policy decision.
http://www.haaretz.com/hasen/spages/1099433.html

Iraq
US ambassador escapes Iraq bomb attack (AFP)
AFP
- A small roadside bomb narrowly missed a vehicle carrying the US
ambassador to Iraq in the south of the country, the US embassy in
Baghdad said on Monday.
http://news.yahoo.com/s/afp/20090713/pl_afp/usiraqunrestambassador

Iraq increases security in Christian areas after church attacks
Iraqi
authorities have imposed vehicle bans in two mostly Christian towns and
are increasing security around churches in Baghdad after attacks
targeting the Christian minority.
http://archive.gulfnews.com/region/Iraq/10331110.html

Iraqi ethnic leader’s call to arms
A leader of Iraqi Turkmen has made an appeal to the Iraqi authorities
to let members of his community take up arms to protect themselves
against “genocide.” Sawash Auji, who oversees human rights violations
in Turkmen-dominated areas in Iraq, made the cal following an upsurge
in attacks against ethnic Turks, particularly in the northern parts of
the country. Iraqi Turkmen are predominantly Muslim Shiites. Fanatic
Sunni Muslims are alleged to have mounted numerous car bomb and suicide
attacks against them in the past few weeks.
http://www.azzaman.com/english/index.asp?fname=news\2009-07-11\kurd.htm

Iraq catches it from all sides
As
Iraqi Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki walks the tightrope between Sunnis
and Shi'ites, the United States and Iran are breathing down his neck.
Turkey, Syria and Iran, meanwhile, are not pleased at the revival of
Kurdish ambitions in Kirkuk, while the Kurds in turn are alarmed by
calls for a stronger central government in Baghdad. - Sami Moubayed
(Jul 13,'09)
http://www.atimes.com/atimes/Middle_East/KG14Ak03.html

Robert Fisk: The story of Baha Mousa
I first heard about Baha Mousa from his family. He was working as a
hotel receptionist in Basra when British troops surrounded the building
and arrested seven men. They were taken to a British barracks, hooded
and beaten. Two days later, as his weeping father recalled for me,
Mousa was dead. His family was given $3,000 in compensation and
rejected a further $5,000. What they wanted was justice. His father had
been appointed a police officer by the British authorities themselves.
He was wearing two pistols on his hips. He was "our man", and we killed
his son.
http://www.independent.co.uk/opinion/commentators/fisk/robert-fisk-the-story-of-\
baha-mousa-1742762.html

Iraqi inquiry sees video of abuse
A British public inquiry into the death of Iraqi civilian Baha Mousa in US
military custody six years ago opens.
http://news.bbc.co.uk/go/rss/-/2/hi/uk_news/8146614.stm

Fallujans' Faith in Justice Renewed
Residents
pleased to see restoration of local court after putting up with years
of so-called tribal justice. By Uthman al-Mukhtar in Fallujah (ICR No.
296, 13-July-09)
http://www.iwpr.net/EN-icr-f-354323
U.S. and other world news
Clamor grows over CIA secrets
Democrats
renew their calls for some kind of investigation and criticize former
Vice President Dick Cheney. Democratic lawmakers criticized former
Vice President Dick Cheney on Sunday for allegedly ordering that a CIA
counter-terrorism program be kept secret from congressional leaders,
with two senators questioning the legality of such concealment.
http://www.latimes.com/news/nationworld/world/middleeast/la-na-cia-cheney13-2009\
jul13,0,3814890.story?track=rss

Inspectors General Confirm Bush Admin Carried Out Massive Illegal Surveillance,
More Than Previously Known
A congressionally-mandated report by Inspectors General of five
separate intelligence agencies confirms that the Bush administration
carried out “unprecedented,” massive surveillance activities beyond the
warrantless wirteapping program that had previously been revealed.
http://thinkprogress.org/2009/07/11/igs-massive-spying-program/

Bush Personally Ordered Visit to Ashcroft’s Hospital Bed
George
W. Bush personally ordered White House Counsel Alberto Gonzales and
Chief of Staff Andy Card to visit an ailing Attorney General John
Ashcroft in the hospital in March 2004 after Ashcroft’s deputy Jim
Comey refused to certify the warrantless surveillance program. Just
look at this profile in courage.
http://washingtonindependent.com/50466/bush-personally-ordered-visit-to-ashcroft\
s-hospital-bed

Young People of Color Are Rising Up Against Military Recruiters
Military recruiters have unprecedented access to youth of color in America's
neighborhoods. Some are fighting back.
http://www.alternet.org/rights/141153

Latin América’s Neda: The Killing of Isis Oved Murillo
The
differences between coverage and official treatment here in the U.S. of
the situation in Iran and the situation in Honduras couldn’t be
starker. Check out this video and see for yourself what most U.S.
media and many elected officials in the U.S. are mum about. Warning:
this video is extremely graphic, gut wrenchingly so.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2LBeBHqqoUk

Podcast: Josh Stacher on Gamal Mubarak
Here it is — the second in what we will try to keep a regular series of
podcasts. In this one, an interview with Joshua Stacher,
an Assistant Professor of Political Science at Kent State University
and an expert on presidential succession in Egypt and Syria. Josh, a
former contributor to this site, spent much of this decade learning the
arcana of the National Democratic Party and tracking the rise of Gamal Mubarak
as Egypt’s most important public figure bar his father. At least that’s what
he was doing when he wasn’t following the Muslim Brothers.
Due to scheduling conflicts and my voice being damaged by a nasty cold,
Ursula Lindsey interviewed Josh — who is convinced Gamal is the next
president of Egypt — about how his prophecy might come true.
http://arabist.net/archives/2009/07/13/podcast-josh-stacher-on-gamal-mubarak/

Hubble bubble means forest trouble
Years
of drought are forcing Syria's farmers to look to other sources of
income, among them charcoal to fuel the ever-popular nargile, or
hubble-bubble pipe. That is leading to growing concern as forests are
increasingly plundered, with related environmental damage.
http://www.atimes.com/atimes/Middle_East/KG14Ak01.html


--
www.TheHeadlines.org

[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]