28 july 2013
Israel Finkelstein, a noted Israeli archeologist and academic at Tel Aviv university, questioned the Jewish claims about the discovery of King David palace in Khirbet Qeiyafa, west of occupied Jerusalem, expressing his belief that the finds belong to an ancient Arab civilization. Finkelstein said that it could be true that the site discovered dates back to the eighth or tenth century BC, but it could be built in that period by the Palestinians, the Arab Canaanites or other peoples in the region.
He said he believes that the site was probably built by other ancient kingdoms in the region, especially since there is no conclusive physical evidence suggesting it is the palace of King David.
Israeli archeologists had claimed to have discovered the site of King David Palace in Khirbet Qeiyafa, according to Jerusalem Post newspaper.
They also said that the diggings have been going on for seven years at the site and revealed two huge Jewish buildings, a palace and a storehouse.
He said he believes that the site was probably built by other ancient kingdoms in the region, especially since there is no conclusive physical evidence suggesting it is the palace of King David.
Israeli archeologists had claimed to have discovered the site of King David Palace in Khirbet Qeiyafa, according to Jerusalem Post newspaper.
They also said that the diggings have been going on for seven years at the site and revealed two huge Jewish buildings, a palace and a storehouse.
The higher Islamic commission and the council of awqaf and Islamic affairs in occupied Jerusalem said that the Palestinian natives of Jerusalem are citizens and can never be residents. This came in a statement released on Saturday by the two Jerusalemite institutions in response to a recent Israeli measure classifying the Palestinian natives of Jerusalem as residents and not citizens in new IDs issued by the interior ministry.
The new Israeli IDs given to the Palestinians in Jerusalem do not only identify them as residents, but also they are provided with an expiry date for their residence in their holy city.
The higher Islamic commission and the council of awqaf and Islamic affairs condemned the Israeli measure as racist and urged the Palestinians in the holy city to uphold their legitimate rights, protect their homes and property and defend their holy sites.
They highlighted that the Palestinians in the holy city are its native citizens and their citizenship cannot be decided by the Israeli occupation regime, for they are deeply rooted in their city.
The new Israeli IDs given to the Palestinians in Jerusalem do not only identify them as residents, but also they are provided with an expiry date for their residence in their holy city.
The higher Islamic commission and the council of awqaf and Islamic affairs condemned the Israeli measure as racist and urged the Palestinians in the holy city to uphold their legitimate rights, protect their homes and property and defend their holy sites.
They highlighted that the Palestinians in the holy city are its native citizens and their citizenship cannot be decided by the Israeli occupation regime, for they are deeply rooted in their city.
27 july 2013
A teenage boy was found hanged in the basement of his home near Bethlehem on Saturday, security officials said.
Ibrahim Muhammad Rashayda, 17, was found dead by family members. Police have launched an investigation into the incident.
Ibrahim Muhammad Rashayda, 17, was found dead by family members. Police have launched an investigation into the incident.
A woman was killed late Friday in a hit-and-run accident south of Qalqiliya in the northern West Bank, medics said.
Mahdiyya Ahmad Qasim Radi, 55, was killed instantly after being hit by a vehicle on a main road. The driver fled the scene.
The victim's body was transferred to a local hospital and police officers are searching for the suspect.
Mahdiyya Ahmad Qasim Radi, 55, was killed instantly after being hit by a vehicle on a main road. The driver fled the scene.
The victim's body was transferred to a local hospital and police officers are searching for the suspect.
Palestinian Ambassador to Tehran Salah Zawawi
Palestinian Ambassador to Tehran Salah Zawawi says the fight to liberate Palestine will never stop.
Speaking in a press conference in Tehran on Saturday, the Palestinian diplomat added he is optimistic about the liberation of Palestine.
He pointed to an initiative by Imam Khomeini, the late founder of the Islamic Republic, to designate the last Friday of the lunar month of Ramadan as World Quds Day, which, Zawawi added, belongs to the entire Muslim world and the Muslim Ummah.
In 1979, Imam Khomeini designated the last Friday of the holy month of Ramadan as World Quds Day, when Muslims across the world hold rallies to show their solidarity with Palestinians.
The envoy emphasized that the Islamic Revolution of Iran is inextricably and historically intertwined with the Palestinian issue, saying this connection will last until the complete liberation of Palestine.
He further stated that the vote by the United Nations General Assembly to upgrade Palestine’s status at the world body was an important victory for Palestine and the Palestinian people.
That issue was a major stride toward the liberation of all Palestinian lands, Zawawi pointed out.
On November 29, 2012, the United Nations General Assembly voted to upgrade Palestine’s status at the UN from “observer entity” to “non-member observer state” despite strong opposition from Israel and the US.
The upgrade allows the Palestinians to participate in debates at the UN General Assembly and improve their chances of joining UN agencies and the International Criminal Court, where they could file complaints against Israel.
Palestinian Ambassador to Tehran Salah Zawawi says the fight to liberate Palestine will never stop.
Speaking in a press conference in Tehran on Saturday, the Palestinian diplomat added he is optimistic about the liberation of Palestine.
He pointed to an initiative by Imam Khomeini, the late founder of the Islamic Republic, to designate the last Friday of the lunar month of Ramadan as World Quds Day, which, Zawawi added, belongs to the entire Muslim world and the Muslim Ummah.
In 1979, Imam Khomeini designated the last Friday of the holy month of Ramadan as World Quds Day, when Muslims across the world hold rallies to show their solidarity with Palestinians.
The envoy emphasized that the Islamic Revolution of Iran is inextricably and historically intertwined with the Palestinian issue, saying this connection will last until the complete liberation of Palestine.
He further stated that the vote by the United Nations General Assembly to upgrade Palestine’s status at the world body was an important victory for Palestine and the Palestinian people.
That issue was a major stride toward the liberation of all Palestinian lands, Zawawi pointed out.
On November 29, 2012, the United Nations General Assembly voted to upgrade Palestine’s status at the UN from “observer entity” to “non-member observer state” despite strong opposition from Israel and the US.
The upgrade allows the Palestinians to participate in debates at the UN General Assembly and improve their chances of joining UN agencies and the International Criminal Court, where they could file complaints against Israel.
26 july 2013
A Palestinian woman waves a Hamas flag during a rally celebrating Hamas' self-declared victory over Israel in the Gaza conflict, in Ramallah, Nov. 23, 2012
By: Akram Atallah Translated from Al-Ayyam (P.A.).
I am not a fan of those Pan-Arab satellite channels that have perfected the art of groping for people’s pocketbooks and distracting them with superficial, profit-oriented programs in the mode of Arab Idol.
Still, the success of the Palestinian contestant in reaching the final round has raised the matter of Palestinians’ interaction with their native son [Mohammad Assaf] into an issue relevant to national identity, in all its innocence and purity. Palestinians dream of upholding the name “Palestine” forever; they feel pride when their homeland’s name is uttered on this, the most famous of pan-Arab television shows, watched by millions throughout the Arab world.
For this reason, the idea of attacking Assaf is simply out of the question; indeed, the streets of Gaza are empty whenever the program airs. The strange thing is that in some of the mosques [the imams’] sermons have focused on inciting people to bring down Assaf “as a religious necessity." As though the success of this up and coming young man would somehow delay the liberation of Palestine. Indeed, there are some reasonable men who have accurately read the movement of the street and hastened to save the faith by distancing it from this question. [They recognize that] the people have simply chosen to follow and support their “beloved” native son. This puts religion in the uncomfortable position of moving against the tide of public opinion and sentiment.
But the issue is not confined to such superficial matters alone. The question of this rising star is a cultural venture that stands in opposition to Hamas’ project of striving by all available means to “mold” Gaza — that is, to mold it in Hamas’ image. Moreover, it fights against everything that is different from itself, a pattern of behavior that it has routinely exhibited since it took control over the Gaza Strip. Moreover, that pattern has been confirmed by the intensification of Hamas’ recent campaign. Whether they are telling people how to express their feelings or whether they are defining the type of shirts that people may wear, they are effectively trying to force people in the Gaza Strip to conform to an external appearance dictated by Hamas.
The behavior of the Internal Security service in the Gaza Strip was not far removed from this notion when they summoned Ibrahim Abrash and questioned him concerning some opinions of his which had proved bothersome to the [Hamas] government. Namely, what he wrote concerning Qatar and Yusuf al-Qaradawi’s visit to Gaza. Matters reached the point where this august writer was asked to write an article in which he would repeat, parrot-like, the position of Hamas and its government. Such an action would represent the ultimate downfall of an author, yet just this represents the top priority for the process of a politics of “molding."
As long as the government inclines in Qatar’s direction, we must all lavish praise upon its Emir, Hamad bin Khalifa Al Thani. And if the government and its leadership is stingy with Qaradawi, then we must all line up in formation to receive him. We must repeat what the government states in its official statements, even though the man himself is controversial figure throughout the Arab world, and not a source of consensus. But in Gaza it is not permitted for people to say anything different.
To those observing the climate of public opinion in the Gaza Strip, this is not only the worst homogenization, but the most dismal failure as well. But the government does not want to pause and linger over any sign that might cause it to reflect upon this process, such as the festival that was held on the anniversary of the launching of the Fatah party, Hamas’ bitter rival. Hundreds of thousands gushed out into the streets — not out of love for Fatah so much as to carry a protest message to Hamas directed against its rule, its policies, and its administration of the Gaza Strip. It would suffice to visit any official of Gaza’s ruling party on a Friday evening to demonstrate also that the campaign of incitement waged by Hamas against Assaf and the views of the people are separated by a wide and gaping chasm.
It is the right of the ruling party to tend to its cultural enterprise. But it is not its right to use force in doing so; if it does employ force then this indicates a deficiency in its understanding of the nature of government. It must be brought to understand the role that it is playing, that government properly understood is the servant of the people, and not their sovereign.
Men in government are servants and employees, not masters. They are implementing the desires of the people, and not their own whims; they are to preserve the heritage, identity and culture of society and not replace it with their own culture. To any student of history, anyone who attempts to do the latter is doomed to failure.
Did not Hitler, Saddam Hussein, the Taliban and Gadhafi attempt to mold their societies after models they had chosen themselves? And what was the result? All of them have gone, but their societies have remained, preserving their authentic identities in all the variety endowed to them by the circumstances of their particular histories, geographies, climates and personal experiences. These have [all contributed to] imprinting an identity on every individual and group, distinguishing them from all other groups.
Gaza in particular was resistant to being brought to heel. This tiny, impoverished, rebellious and quarrelsome region has been characterized by pluralism since the dawn of history. It did not simply become Egyptian when it was governed by Egypt, nor did it become “Israelized” when it was occupied by Israel. Nay, it fought, resisted, and refused to be subservient to the occupation. It punished the Palestinian Authority at the ballot box when it felt that it was not governing in accord with popular wishes — that, rather than acting as a servant of the people in the true sense of the word, it was behaving as a domineering master. And so [the people of] Gaza ousted it.
Now it seems that Hamas has misunderstood its mandate. It was elected to be the servant of the people, not their master. It was elected to preserve and protect [Gaza’s] diverse culture, not to repress that diversity; it was elected so that its security services would protect the people, not become yet another source of anxiety, aggravation, intimidation, even extending so far as to question their manhood — as though the guardian of manhood is to be settled here in the Ministry of the Interior, formed only a few short years ago and not yet mature with experience.
People can safeguard their own manhood. They do not need the government to do this for them. During the years of the [Israeli] occupation, Palestinians undertook heroic feats of manhood — before Hamas’ Interior Ministry even existed.
But manhood has a different meaning here; here it is the external form of the Hamas-type personality, or at least what Hamas — which is ever so interested in external appearances — imagines it to be. Hamas also has a different concept of politics and writing: namely, that writers should write whatever Hamas wants them to. They also have a different concept of patriotism: To them, it means sidling up to the ruling party.
This is the status of Gaza and its rulers. It is a situation that resembles the Arab plight in both the concept and praxis of rule [elsewhere in the Middle East]. Out of fairness, we should note that the security detentions in Gaza are not terribly different from the political arrests in the West Bank. In the latter, the behavior of the security services that act as counterparts to those in Gaza has set off alarm bells warning that matters are heading in the direction of increased authoritarianism, if the trend is not reversed both here and there.
Yet the difference between the governments in the West Bank and Gaza is the difference between the nationalist governments and the Islamist governments in the region as a whole: The former deprive people of their freedom in public while the latter deprive them of their liberty in private.
By: Akram Atallah Translated from Al-Ayyam (P.A.).
I am not a fan of those Pan-Arab satellite channels that have perfected the art of groping for people’s pocketbooks and distracting them with superficial, profit-oriented programs in the mode of Arab Idol.
Still, the success of the Palestinian contestant in reaching the final round has raised the matter of Palestinians’ interaction with their native son [Mohammad Assaf] into an issue relevant to national identity, in all its innocence and purity. Palestinians dream of upholding the name “Palestine” forever; they feel pride when their homeland’s name is uttered on this, the most famous of pan-Arab television shows, watched by millions throughout the Arab world.
For this reason, the idea of attacking Assaf is simply out of the question; indeed, the streets of Gaza are empty whenever the program airs. The strange thing is that in some of the mosques [the imams’] sermons have focused on inciting people to bring down Assaf “as a religious necessity." As though the success of this up and coming young man would somehow delay the liberation of Palestine. Indeed, there are some reasonable men who have accurately read the movement of the street and hastened to save the faith by distancing it from this question. [They recognize that] the people have simply chosen to follow and support their “beloved” native son. This puts religion in the uncomfortable position of moving against the tide of public opinion and sentiment.
But the issue is not confined to such superficial matters alone. The question of this rising star is a cultural venture that stands in opposition to Hamas’ project of striving by all available means to “mold” Gaza — that is, to mold it in Hamas’ image. Moreover, it fights against everything that is different from itself, a pattern of behavior that it has routinely exhibited since it took control over the Gaza Strip. Moreover, that pattern has been confirmed by the intensification of Hamas’ recent campaign. Whether they are telling people how to express their feelings or whether they are defining the type of shirts that people may wear, they are effectively trying to force people in the Gaza Strip to conform to an external appearance dictated by Hamas.
The behavior of the Internal Security service in the Gaza Strip was not far removed from this notion when they summoned Ibrahim Abrash and questioned him concerning some opinions of his which had proved bothersome to the [Hamas] government. Namely, what he wrote concerning Qatar and Yusuf al-Qaradawi’s visit to Gaza. Matters reached the point where this august writer was asked to write an article in which he would repeat, parrot-like, the position of Hamas and its government. Such an action would represent the ultimate downfall of an author, yet just this represents the top priority for the process of a politics of “molding."
As long as the government inclines in Qatar’s direction, we must all lavish praise upon its Emir, Hamad bin Khalifa Al Thani. And if the government and its leadership is stingy with Qaradawi, then we must all line up in formation to receive him. We must repeat what the government states in its official statements, even though the man himself is controversial figure throughout the Arab world, and not a source of consensus. But in Gaza it is not permitted for people to say anything different.
To those observing the climate of public opinion in the Gaza Strip, this is not only the worst homogenization, but the most dismal failure as well. But the government does not want to pause and linger over any sign that might cause it to reflect upon this process, such as the festival that was held on the anniversary of the launching of the Fatah party, Hamas’ bitter rival. Hundreds of thousands gushed out into the streets — not out of love for Fatah so much as to carry a protest message to Hamas directed against its rule, its policies, and its administration of the Gaza Strip. It would suffice to visit any official of Gaza’s ruling party on a Friday evening to demonstrate also that the campaign of incitement waged by Hamas against Assaf and the views of the people are separated by a wide and gaping chasm.
It is the right of the ruling party to tend to its cultural enterprise. But it is not its right to use force in doing so; if it does employ force then this indicates a deficiency in its understanding of the nature of government. It must be brought to understand the role that it is playing, that government properly understood is the servant of the people, and not their sovereign.
Men in government are servants and employees, not masters. They are implementing the desires of the people, and not their own whims; they are to preserve the heritage, identity and culture of society and not replace it with their own culture. To any student of history, anyone who attempts to do the latter is doomed to failure.
Did not Hitler, Saddam Hussein, the Taliban and Gadhafi attempt to mold their societies after models they had chosen themselves? And what was the result? All of them have gone, but their societies have remained, preserving their authentic identities in all the variety endowed to them by the circumstances of their particular histories, geographies, climates and personal experiences. These have [all contributed to] imprinting an identity on every individual and group, distinguishing them from all other groups.
Gaza in particular was resistant to being brought to heel. This tiny, impoverished, rebellious and quarrelsome region has been characterized by pluralism since the dawn of history. It did not simply become Egyptian when it was governed by Egypt, nor did it become “Israelized” when it was occupied by Israel. Nay, it fought, resisted, and refused to be subservient to the occupation. It punished the Palestinian Authority at the ballot box when it felt that it was not governing in accord with popular wishes — that, rather than acting as a servant of the people in the true sense of the word, it was behaving as a domineering master. And so [the people of] Gaza ousted it.
Now it seems that Hamas has misunderstood its mandate. It was elected to be the servant of the people, not their master. It was elected to preserve and protect [Gaza’s] diverse culture, not to repress that diversity; it was elected so that its security services would protect the people, not become yet another source of anxiety, aggravation, intimidation, even extending so far as to question their manhood — as though the guardian of manhood is to be settled here in the Ministry of the Interior, formed only a few short years ago and not yet mature with experience.
People can safeguard their own manhood. They do not need the government to do this for them. During the years of the [Israeli] occupation, Palestinians undertook heroic feats of manhood — before Hamas’ Interior Ministry even existed.
But manhood has a different meaning here; here it is the external form of the Hamas-type personality, or at least what Hamas — which is ever so interested in external appearances — imagines it to be. Hamas also has a different concept of politics and writing: namely, that writers should write whatever Hamas wants them to. They also have a different concept of patriotism: To them, it means sidling up to the ruling party.
This is the status of Gaza and its rulers. It is a situation that resembles the Arab plight in both the concept and praxis of rule [elsewhere in the Middle East]. Out of fairness, we should note that the security detentions in Gaza are not terribly different from the political arrests in the West Bank. In the latter, the behavior of the security services that act as counterparts to those in Gaza has set off alarm bells warning that matters are heading in the direction of increased authoritarianism, if the trend is not reversed both here and there.
Yet the difference between the governments in the West Bank and Gaza is the difference between the nationalist governments and the Islamist governments in the region as a whole: The former deprive people of their freedom in public while the latter deprive them of their liberty in private.
In its report issued on Thursday, Bisan Center for Research and Development accused the PA of “laundering” settlement products after launching a joint industrial project. Bisan Center expressed its surprise towards statements made by Minister of State for Planning Affairs, Mohammed Abu Ramadan, that a meeting will be held at Inter Hotel in Jericho to discuss the establishment of Palestinian industrial projects.
Indeed, the project is neither a new approach nor a recent tactic. It is related to "peace dividends" according to the Japanese funder and not to Palestinian industrial zone, the center added.
The project, proposed and funded by Japan, is not an agro-industrial Palestinian zone. It is a joint project between Israel, Jordan, the Palestinian Authority and Japan, the statement said.
The project is "political par excellence", the center added, pointing out to the Jericho Agro-Industrial Park official website (JICA) that proves the political dimension of the project.
Israel and the rest parties are partners in JICA project, while the Palestinian party is not the powerful party. Thus, Israel will increase its investment profits.
Bisan has issued a series of studies, warning of the seriousness of this industrial project, including a study on laundering of settlement products in the Jordan Valley.
The Jericho Agro-Industrial Park entrenches and perpetuates the occupation and normalization, Bisan stresses.
Indeed, the project is neither a new approach nor a recent tactic. It is related to "peace dividends" according to the Japanese funder and not to Palestinian industrial zone, the center added.
The project, proposed and funded by Japan, is not an agro-industrial Palestinian zone. It is a joint project between Israel, Jordan, the Palestinian Authority and Japan, the statement said.
The project is "political par excellence", the center added, pointing out to the Jericho Agro-Industrial Park official website (JICA) that proves the political dimension of the project.
Israel and the rest parties are partners in JICA project, while the Palestinian party is not the powerful party. Thus, Israel will increase its investment profits.
Bisan has issued a series of studies, warning of the seriousness of this industrial project, including a study on laundering of settlement products in the Jordan Valley.
The Jericho Agro-Industrial Park entrenches and perpetuates the occupation and normalization, Bisan stresses.
25 july 2013
Hamas movement considered the escalating PA arrests against members of the Islamic movement in West Bank as a desperate attempt to eradicate the movement in occupied West Bank. The arrests against Hamas members in the West Bank prove the security coordination between Fatah movement and the occupation authorities, Abu Zuhri said, pointing out to Abbas's boasting of this achievement.
These crimes will not achieve their aims, he added, holding Fatah movement fully responsible for the consequences of its crimes.
These crimes will not achieve their aims, he added, holding Fatah movement fully responsible for the consequences of its crimes.
Archive photo of a man dousing himself with gasoline at a protest in Ramallah
Palestinian man tried to set himself on fire, inside the headquarters of Bethlehem Governorate south of the West Bank, in protest at economic hardships after government agencies refused to help him. Local sources told PIC's correspondent that the citizen Ahmed Ayesh from the village of Artas near Bethlehem entered on Wednesday the headquarters of Bethlehem governorate and doused himself in petrol. Ayesh tried to set himself alight but he was stopped by some citizens.
The sources pointed out that the young man demanded help from the Ministry of Social Affairs and other government agencies, but he received nothing. Thus he tried to immolate himself.
Ayesh is not the first one to try to burn himself in the West Bank, due to poverty and the economic hardships.
Bethlehem man wounded after self-immolation attempt
A 52-year-old man from Bethlehem threatened on Wednesday to set himself on fire due to his bad health and financial situation.
Ahmad Ayesh, from Irtas village, told Ma’an he suffers from bad health and serious financial problems.
Ayesh said he went to the Bethlehem Governorate's Office on Wednesday to request medical treatment and a job opportunity in order to live a decent life, carrying bottle of gasoline with him. He said intended to set himself on fire outside the governorate's office if officials did not offer him any solutions.
According to Ayesh, he was offered no resolutions, and planned to go forward with his plan of self immolation. However, security forces stopped him before he could begin his self immolation.
He suffered bruises to the head from the incident. The Palestinian Red Crescent ambulance transferred him to Beit Jala governmental hospital.
Farid al-Atrash, the director of the Palestinian Independent Commission for Human Rights in the southern West Bank, told Ma’an that Ahmed Ayesh filed a complaint about what happened to him, and said the commission will follow up with Ayesh and his case.
Palestinian man tried to set himself on fire, inside the headquarters of Bethlehem Governorate south of the West Bank, in protest at economic hardships after government agencies refused to help him. Local sources told PIC's correspondent that the citizen Ahmed Ayesh from the village of Artas near Bethlehem entered on Wednesday the headquarters of Bethlehem governorate and doused himself in petrol. Ayesh tried to set himself alight but he was stopped by some citizens.
The sources pointed out that the young man demanded help from the Ministry of Social Affairs and other government agencies, but he received nothing. Thus he tried to immolate himself.
Ayesh is not the first one to try to burn himself in the West Bank, due to poverty and the economic hardships.
Bethlehem man wounded after self-immolation attempt
A 52-year-old man from Bethlehem threatened on Wednesday to set himself on fire due to his bad health and financial situation.
Ahmad Ayesh, from Irtas village, told Ma’an he suffers from bad health and serious financial problems.
Ayesh said he went to the Bethlehem Governorate's Office on Wednesday to request medical treatment and a job opportunity in order to live a decent life, carrying bottle of gasoline with him. He said intended to set himself on fire outside the governorate's office if officials did not offer him any solutions.
According to Ayesh, he was offered no resolutions, and planned to go forward with his plan of self immolation. However, security forces stopped him before he could begin his self immolation.
He suffered bruises to the head from the incident. The Palestinian Red Crescent ambulance transferred him to Beit Jala governmental hospital.
Farid al-Atrash, the director of the Palestinian Independent Commission for Human Rights in the southern West Bank, told Ma’an that Ahmed Ayesh filed a complaint about what happened to him, and said the commission will follow up with Ayesh and his case.
Vandals broke into the playground of a sports club in the Nuseirat refugee camp in the central Gaza Strip on Wednesday.
The vandals tore down a map of Palestine, a photo of late President Yasser Arafat and another photo of a local leader who was killed by Israeli forces, the local popular committee in the Nuseirat refugee camp said in a statement.
The assailants also tore down soccer and handball nets and spilled paint on the ground of the playground. No suspects have been identified.
The vandals tore down a map of Palestine, a photo of late President Yasser Arafat and another photo of a local leader who was killed by Israeli forces, the local popular committee in the Nuseirat refugee camp said in a statement.
The assailants also tore down soccer and handball nets and spilled paint on the ground of the playground. No suspects have been identified.
Hamas movement has denied news alleging that some of the Muslim Brotherhood leaders moved to the Gaza Strip due to the ongoing political developments in Egypt. The movement considered in a statement on Wednesday that such allegations deliberately publish Israeli fabrications that aim to incite against the Palestinians and Gaza residents.
It called on Ma'an news agency to demonstrate professional and ethical responsibility towards the Palestinian people.
Hamas also called on the responsible authorities in the Palestinian government to take the necessary legal action towards this agency and all those who incite against the Palestinians.
It called on Ma'an news agency to demonstrate professional and ethical responsibility towards the Palestinian people.
Hamas also called on the responsible authorities in the Palestinian government to take the necessary legal action towards this agency and all those who incite against the Palestinians.
The Kuwaiti daily newspaper Al-Jarida reported that Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas is scheduled to visit Cairo on Sunday, to discuss the security situation in the Sinai Peninsula, the issue of cross-border smuggling tunnels, as well as the ongoing Palestinian reconciliation negotiations.
Abbas will meet with interim President Adly Mansour and other senior Egyptian officials. The trip would be the second made by a foreign leader since the military deposed Islamist president Mohammed Morsi earlier this month.
In recent weeks, Egypt's interim government has imposed the toughest border restrictions on the Hamas-run Gaza Strip in years, sealing smuggling tunnels, blocking most passenger traffic and causing millions of dollars in economic losses.
Abbas will meet with interim President Adly Mansour and other senior Egyptian officials. The trip would be the second made by a foreign leader since the military deposed Islamist president Mohammed Morsi earlier this month.
In recent weeks, Egypt's interim government has imposed the toughest border restrictions on the Hamas-run Gaza Strip in years, sealing smuggling tunnels, blocking most passenger traffic and causing millions of dollars in economic losses.
24 july 2013
Israeli, Arab teens meet in US, discuss harsh reality. 'If I were him I would also call it occupation,' Israeli says of encounter with Palestinian
Dozens of Israeli youths returned last week from a summer camp with fellow teenagers from the Middle East, including the Palestinian Authority.
They ate and slept together, weighed in on the Israeli-Palestinian conflict and discussed the feelings and difficulties they encounter due to their environment.
"In one of the dialogues I said the word 'occupation' in quotation marks. One of the Palestinian students got really mad and shouted at me," Michael, a participant, recounted.
"I didn't think at that moment about the repercussions of my actions, and then I understood that though I disagree, if I were at his place I would also have called it occupation."
He and his friends described the camp as a "once in a lifetime experience," and added that in the course of the project "we talked about historical events and shared our fears with them, and they described to us their way of life and their daily difficulties vis-à-vis the IDF .
"I've made five new friends, and what's sad is that they live 30 km away from us but we had to travel tens of thousands of kilometers to meet."
The Seeds of Peace NGO, the group behind the summer camp, was established in 1993 to encourage teenagers from the Middle East to meet in a neutral location and promote peace.
Every summer Israeli youth travel to camps in Maine, New England, where they meet with teens from neighboring countries.
This time, the Israelis met with teenagers from the Palestinian Authority, east Jerusalem, Gaza, Egypt, Jordan and the United States.
"The meaning is that our children are at the front," Iris Cohen, the Education Ministry appointed delegation head, explained.
"All the beliefs, opinions and sometimes facts that the others arrive with sound to their ears obtuse and unpleasant. The first meetings were very charged, they saw the enemy.
"But slowly they discover one another, learn to listen, and something is built."
Dozens of Israeli youths returned last week from a summer camp with fellow teenagers from the Middle East, including the Palestinian Authority.
They ate and slept together, weighed in on the Israeli-Palestinian conflict and discussed the feelings and difficulties they encounter due to their environment.
"In one of the dialogues I said the word 'occupation' in quotation marks. One of the Palestinian students got really mad and shouted at me," Michael, a participant, recounted.
"I didn't think at that moment about the repercussions of my actions, and then I understood that though I disagree, if I were at his place I would also have called it occupation."
He and his friends described the camp as a "once in a lifetime experience," and added that in the course of the project "we talked about historical events and shared our fears with them, and they described to us their way of life and their daily difficulties vis-à-vis the IDF .
"I've made five new friends, and what's sad is that they live 30 km away from us but we had to travel tens of thousands of kilometers to meet."
The Seeds of Peace NGO, the group behind the summer camp, was established in 1993 to encourage teenagers from the Middle East to meet in a neutral location and promote peace.
Every summer Israeli youth travel to camps in Maine, New England, where they meet with teens from neighboring countries.
This time, the Israelis met with teenagers from the Palestinian Authority, east Jerusalem, Gaza, Egypt, Jordan and the United States.
"The meaning is that our children are at the front," Iris Cohen, the Education Ministry appointed delegation head, explained.
"All the beliefs, opinions and sometimes facts that the others arrive with sound to their ears obtuse and unpleasant. The first meetings were very charged, they saw the enemy.
"But slowly they discover one another, learn to listen, and something is built."
Hamas movement has called on PA to choose between reconciliation with the occupation or the Palestinian people. Commenting on Fatah leader Amin Maqbul who said that 14 August would be a deadline for the relationship between Hamas and Fatah movement, Dr. Sami Abu Zuhri, a spokesman for the movement, said that such statements aim to cover the PA scandal with the resumption of talks amid wide popular rejection.
Fatah has to bear its responsibility for such hostile decisions before the Palestinian people, he added.
Saadat: Return to negotiations violation of national consensus
Secretary-General of the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine captive Ahmad Saadat said the return to negotiations represents violation of national consensus, and would undermine reconciliation efforts. Lawyer Buthaina Duqmaq, head of Mandela Foundation for human rights, quoted Saadat as saying: "It is wrong to return to negotiations under the initiative of Kerry. At least, Palestinian consensus should have been adhered to."
Saadat called on the leadership of the Palestinian Authority to stop negotiating with Israel, stressing that negotiation with the occupation forms a major threat to the cause and national reconciliation.
He said that the decision of Palestinian consensus was "not to return to the negotiations without the release of detainees and the stop of settlement activity," and that the negotiating team skipped these conditions and violated the national consensus depending on American guarantees which did not succeeded earlier in forcing Israel to abide by international law.
Palestinian leader Saadat demanded moving the file to the United Nations and called on the international community to shoulder its responsibilities to compel Israel to respect the resolutions of international legitimacy.
Speaker of the Palestinian Legislative Council Dr. Aziz Dweik denounced Fatah movement's decision to return to negotiations after twenty years of failure, at a time when Israel continues settlement activity in the Palestinian territories and continues to detain thousands of Palestinians.
Dweik told PIC that the Palestinian negotiator will be wasting time and not achieve any results in light of the occupation's repeated announcements to build new housing units in different areas in the West Bank.
Concerning the Palestinian reconciliation, Dweik said the return to negotiations with the occupation adds a new obstacle to the Palestinian reconciliation process.
Fatah has to bear its responsibility for such hostile decisions before the Palestinian people, he added.
Saadat: Return to negotiations violation of national consensus
Secretary-General of the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine captive Ahmad Saadat said the return to negotiations represents violation of national consensus, and would undermine reconciliation efforts. Lawyer Buthaina Duqmaq, head of Mandela Foundation for human rights, quoted Saadat as saying: "It is wrong to return to negotiations under the initiative of Kerry. At least, Palestinian consensus should have been adhered to."
Saadat called on the leadership of the Palestinian Authority to stop negotiating with Israel, stressing that negotiation with the occupation forms a major threat to the cause and national reconciliation.
He said that the decision of Palestinian consensus was "not to return to the negotiations without the release of detainees and the stop of settlement activity," and that the negotiating team skipped these conditions and violated the national consensus depending on American guarantees which did not succeeded earlier in forcing Israel to abide by international law.
Palestinian leader Saadat demanded moving the file to the United Nations and called on the international community to shoulder its responsibilities to compel Israel to respect the resolutions of international legitimacy.
Speaker of the Palestinian Legislative Council Dr. Aziz Dweik denounced Fatah movement's decision to return to negotiations after twenty years of failure, at a time when Israel continues settlement activity in the Palestinian territories and continues to detain thousands of Palestinians.
Dweik told PIC that the Palestinian negotiator will be wasting time and not achieve any results in light of the occupation's repeated announcements to build new housing units in different areas in the West Bank.
Concerning the Palestinian reconciliation, Dweik said the return to negotiations with the occupation adds a new obstacle to the Palestinian reconciliation process.
The Euro-mid observer for human rights demanded the Egyptian authorities to stop its media from persisting in their incitement campaigns against the Palestinians and making accusations against them without any evidence or legal basis. The Euro-mid observer stated on Tuesday that the Egyptian media campaigns against the Palestinians have serious repercussion threatening the security and safety of the Palestinian residents in Egypt and the citizens in Gaza.
The observer expressed its deep concern over the media incitement to hatred against the Palestinians in Egypt and the spread of arbitrary accusations against them without proof.
The observer called on the Egyptian media to adopt a balanced media language and be responsible and objective when dealing with such sensitive issues.
The observer also condemned the Egyptian leadership and its authorities for ignoring the systematic public incitement in the media against the Palestinians and the calls for killing and expelling the Palestinians in Egypt.
The observer expressed its deep concern over the media incitement to hatred against the Palestinians in Egypt and the spread of arbitrary accusations against them without proof.
The observer called on the Egyptian media to adopt a balanced media language and be responsible and objective when dealing with such sensitive issues.
The observer also condemned the Egyptian leadership and its authorities for ignoring the systematic public incitement in the media against the Palestinians and the calls for killing and expelling the Palestinians in Egypt.
Israeli authorities began implementing a new ethnic cleansing policy aims at evacuating East Jerusalem of its Palestinian residents by not recognizing the Palestinians as citizens but only as residents.
Khalil Tafakji, the settlement affairs expert in Jerusalem, told PNN that Palestinians who have recently renewed their Israeli-issued identity card have noticed that a new addition has been added on the it which says the holder of the ID card is a resident only and that his or her residency is valid for 10 years. Adding that, after the 10 years, Israel will decide whether to ask the Palestinians to submit new documents to the Israeli Ministry of Interior or they will cancel the IDs.
This policy proves that Israel does not recognize the Palestinians in East Jerusalem as citizens, yet temporary residents who have to constantly prove residency in the city by providing all needed documents to the Israeli Ministry of Interior, said Tafakji.
Tafakji also said that this policy along with the construction of apartheid wall and settlements, the demolishing of houses and other series of aggressive policies against the Palestinians and their properties aim to evacuate the city of its Palestinian residents and displace more than 300,000 Palestinians from the city.
It's worth mentioning that this policy is not new, as Israel started to apply this policy in 1994. More than 14,000 Jerusalem residents have lost their Identities since the applying of the policy.
Israel classifies Jerusalem natives as noncitizens
The Israeli ministry of interior has come up with a new plan to expel the Palestinian natives of occupied Jerusalem from their city through classifying them as "noncitizens," lawyer Ahmed Roweidi revealed. Roweidi stated on Tuesday that the Israeli interior ministry started to specify periods for the residence of the natives in Jerusalem and classified them as noncitizens who are susceptible to deportation anytime.
Roweidi described this new measure as a prelude to a new ethnic-cleansing campaign against the Palestinian natives in the holy city.
He affirmed that a number of Jerusalemite citizens went lately to the Israeli occupation authority to renew their IDs and noticed that the word "resident" was added into the new cards with an expiry date for their residence in the holy city.
Khalil Tafakji, the settlement affairs expert in Jerusalem, told PNN that Palestinians who have recently renewed their Israeli-issued identity card have noticed that a new addition has been added on the it which says the holder of the ID card is a resident only and that his or her residency is valid for 10 years. Adding that, after the 10 years, Israel will decide whether to ask the Palestinians to submit new documents to the Israeli Ministry of Interior or they will cancel the IDs.
This policy proves that Israel does not recognize the Palestinians in East Jerusalem as citizens, yet temporary residents who have to constantly prove residency in the city by providing all needed documents to the Israeli Ministry of Interior, said Tafakji.
Tafakji also said that this policy along with the construction of apartheid wall and settlements, the demolishing of houses and other series of aggressive policies against the Palestinians and their properties aim to evacuate the city of its Palestinian residents and displace more than 300,000 Palestinians from the city.
It's worth mentioning that this policy is not new, as Israel started to apply this policy in 1994. More than 14,000 Jerusalem residents have lost their Identities since the applying of the policy.
Israel classifies Jerusalem natives as noncitizens
The Israeli ministry of interior has come up with a new plan to expel the Palestinian natives of occupied Jerusalem from their city through classifying them as "noncitizens," lawyer Ahmed Roweidi revealed. Roweidi stated on Tuesday that the Israeli interior ministry started to specify periods for the residence of the natives in Jerusalem and classified them as noncitizens who are susceptible to deportation anytime.
Roweidi described this new measure as a prelude to a new ethnic-cleansing campaign against the Palestinian natives in the holy city.
He affirmed that a number of Jerusalemite citizens went lately to the Israeli occupation authority to renew their IDs and noticed that the word "resident" was added into the new cards with an expiry date for their residence in the holy city.
By Nicola Nasser
Gaza will remain a matter of national security for Egypt. And regardless of who is in charge in Gaza, Egypt will also remain a strategic asset for Gaza, a lifeline for its people, and a mainstay of its peace and stability.
These are the irreversible facts of the ties between Egypt and Gaza. In other words, when Egypt sneezes, Gaza catches a cold.
Now some people are trying to drive a wedge between Gaza and Egypt, but they will fail. Even at the lowest point of relations between Gaza and the ousted regime of Hosni Mubarak, few challenged the fact that Gaza and Egypt care for one another.
Today, we hear analysts in the West Bank and Israel predicting the end of Hamas rule in Gaza, just because the Muslim Brotherhood was ousted from power in Egypt.
To those, I wish to say that Hamas and the Muslim Brotherhood never hid their ties, were proud of their connections, and made no secret of their cooperation. But the political adversaries of both Hamas and the Muslim Brotherhood of Egypt would have us believe that anything that befalls the Muslim Brotherhood in Egypt will befall Hamas in Gaza, which is a massive exaggeration.
It is true that the recent events in Egypt have put an end to the high hopes Hamas had of strategic cooperation between Gaza and Egypt. It is also true that the image of Hamas as a resistance movement has been shaken. But let's not believe everything the political adversaries of Hamas say. Let's not believe their lies, for their only aim is to undermine the Palestinian resistance.
It has to be said, however, that Hamas was optimistic about the Arab Spring and was pleased to see like-minded governments take over in some Arab countries. It is also true that Hamas, perhaps too hastily, assumed that an alliance with Egypt's Muslim Brotherhood and its backers in Qatar would make up for the loss of its allies in Syria and Iran. Still, we must not forget that Hamas is a resistance movement first and foremost. Its connections with the Muslim Brotherhood of Egypt don't change this fact.
Hemmed in by the Israelis, Hamas was always hoping for Egypt to come to its rescue. But even during Mohamed Morsi's presidency, relations between Egypt and Hamas were not free from tensions and differences. Hamas also had problems with Qatar's view of the Arab peace plan.
Now the adversaries of Hamas would have us think that just as Egyptians brought down the Muslim Brotherhood, the Palestinians in Gaza should expel Hamas from government. It is quite telling that Mahmoud Abbas was one of the first Arab presidents to congratulate the Egyptian army on appointing Adli Mansour as president.
Now Hamas stands accused of interfering in Egypt's domestic affairs. This accusation was made when Morsi was in power and after he was removed from power. Hamas denied time and again that it interfered in Egypt or in any other Arab countries. And the Palestinian ambassador to Cairo, Barakat Al-Farra, said that no such accusation was ever made by Egyptian officials.
Those who make such allegations not only harm the Palestinians, but also may cause lasting damage to ties between Gaza and Egypt.
I recently heard someone claiming that the Muslim Brotherhood's fall from grace in Egypt will weaken Hamas to the point that makes it more amenable to Palestinian reconciliation. This is nonsense. For one thing, the Palestinian schism predates the Muslim Brotherhood's accession to power in Egypt, and it has nothing to do with Hamas-Muslim Brotherhood ties. In fact, the real reason for the delay in reconciliation is that Mahmoud Abbas is still hoping that US Secretary of State John Kerry will succeed in restarting peace talks with Israel.
Also, the Palestinian presidency continues to oppose any acts of resistance in which Hamas and other Palestinian factions living in Gaza choose to engage.
Implicating the Palestinians in Egypt's currently divisive scene is neither to the benefit of Palestinians nor Egyptians. But it is good news for Israel.
* This article was first published and translated from Arabic by the Al-Ahram Weekly.
** Nicola Nasser is a veteran Arab journalist based in Bir Zeit, West Bank of the Israeli-occupied Palestinian territories.
Gaza will remain a matter of national security for Egypt. And regardless of who is in charge in Gaza, Egypt will also remain a strategic asset for Gaza, a lifeline for its people, and a mainstay of its peace and stability.
These are the irreversible facts of the ties between Egypt and Gaza. In other words, when Egypt sneezes, Gaza catches a cold.
Now some people are trying to drive a wedge between Gaza and Egypt, but they will fail. Even at the lowest point of relations between Gaza and the ousted regime of Hosni Mubarak, few challenged the fact that Gaza and Egypt care for one another.
Today, we hear analysts in the West Bank and Israel predicting the end of Hamas rule in Gaza, just because the Muslim Brotherhood was ousted from power in Egypt.
To those, I wish to say that Hamas and the Muslim Brotherhood never hid their ties, were proud of their connections, and made no secret of their cooperation. But the political adversaries of both Hamas and the Muslim Brotherhood of Egypt would have us believe that anything that befalls the Muslim Brotherhood in Egypt will befall Hamas in Gaza, which is a massive exaggeration.
It is true that the recent events in Egypt have put an end to the high hopes Hamas had of strategic cooperation between Gaza and Egypt. It is also true that the image of Hamas as a resistance movement has been shaken. But let's not believe everything the political adversaries of Hamas say. Let's not believe their lies, for their only aim is to undermine the Palestinian resistance.
It has to be said, however, that Hamas was optimistic about the Arab Spring and was pleased to see like-minded governments take over in some Arab countries. It is also true that Hamas, perhaps too hastily, assumed that an alliance with Egypt's Muslim Brotherhood and its backers in Qatar would make up for the loss of its allies in Syria and Iran. Still, we must not forget that Hamas is a resistance movement first and foremost. Its connections with the Muslim Brotherhood of Egypt don't change this fact.
Hemmed in by the Israelis, Hamas was always hoping for Egypt to come to its rescue. But even during Mohamed Morsi's presidency, relations between Egypt and Hamas were not free from tensions and differences. Hamas also had problems with Qatar's view of the Arab peace plan.
Now the adversaries of Hamas would have us think that just as Egyptians brought down the Muslim Brotherhood, the Palestinians in Gaza should expel Hamas from government. It is quite telling that Mahmoud Abbas was one of the first Arab presidents to congratulate the Egyptian army on appointing Adli Mansour as president.
Now Hamas stands accused of interfering in Egypt's domestic affairs. This accusation was made when Morsi was in power and after he was removed from power. Hamas denied time and again that it interfered in Egypt or in any other Arab countries. And the Palestinian ambassador to Cairo, Barakat Al-Farra, said that no such accusation was ever made by Egyptian officials.
Those who make such allegations not only harm the Palestinians, but also may cause lasting damage to ties between Gaza and Egypt.
I recently heard someone claiming that the Muslim Brotherhood's fall from grace in Egypt will weaken Hamas to the point that makes it more amenable to Palestinian reconciliation. This is nonsense. For one thing, the Palestinian schism predates the Muslim Brotherhood's accession to power in Egypt, and it has nothing to do with Hamas-Muslim Brotherhood ties. In fact, the real reason for the delay in reconciliation is that Mahmoud Abbas is still hoping that US Secretary of State John Kerry will succeed in restarting peace talks with Israel.
Also, the Palestinian presidency continues to oppose any acts of resistance in which Hamas and other Palestinian factions living in Gaza choose to engage.
Implicating the Palestinians in Egypt's currently divisive scene is neither to the benefit of Palestinians nor Egyptians. But it is good news for Israel.
* This article was first published and translated from Arabic by the Al-Ahram Weekly.
** Nicola Nasser is a veteran Arab journalist based in Bir Zeit, West Bank of the Israeli-occupied Palestinian territories.
Fateh Supporters
The Hamas movement in the Gaza Strip accused the Fateh movement of President, Mahmoud Abbas, of acting on causing tension and chaos in the coastal region.
Hamas spokesperson, Sami Abu Zuhri, stated that Fateh Media Spokesperson in Gaza, Ibrahim Abu An-Naja, is implementing what he called “a plan to recreate chaos in Gaza”.
Abu Zuhri added that the statements of Abu An-Naja regarding restrictions imposed on his Freedom of Movement are mere lies, adding that Fateh held, on Monday, a massive commemoration for Ahmad Abu Al-Sokkar, a former political prisoner, senior Fateh leader.
“Fateh is spreading those lies to cover-up its crimes against Hamas in the West Bank”, Abu Zuhri claimed, “Fateh also wants to conceal its campaign meant to topple Hamas in Gaza, to bring the coastal region back into chaos and internal violence”.
Hamas movement warned Abu Al-Haija of the consequences of his alleged plan to “create tension and chaos in Gaza”.
The Hamas movement in the Gaza Strip accused the Fateh movement of President, Mahmoud Abbas, of acting on causing tension and chaos in the coastal region.
Hamas spokesperson, Sami Abu Zuhri, stated that Fateh Media Spokesperson in Gaza, Ibrahim Abu An-Naja, is implementing what he called “a plan to recreate chaos in Gaza”.
Abu Zuhri added that the statements of Abu An-Naja regarding restrictions imposed on his Freedom of Movement are mere lies, adding that Fateh held, on Monday, a massive commemoration for Ahmad Abu Al-Sokkar, a former political prisoner, senior Fateh leader.
“Fateh is spreading those lies to cover-up its crimes against Hamas in the West Bank”, Abu Zuhri claimed, “Fateh also wants to conceal its campaign meant to topple Hamas in Gaza, to bring the coastal region back into chaos and internal violence”.
Hamas movement warned Abu Al-Haija of the consequences of his alleged plan to “create tension and chaos in Gaza”.
22 july 2013
An Egyptian Apache helicopter flew over the Palestinian Rafah city, south of the Gaza Strip, for more than an hour on Sunday night. PIC reporter quoted eyewitnesses as saying that the helicopter flew over border suburbs for almost an hour and surveyed the tunnels area.
An Egyptian Apache copter had gone on a similar mission ten days ago over Rafah and Khan Younis for half an hour, which the Egyptian presidency spokesman described as a mission to protect Egyptian sovereignty.
Security chaos has been plaguing the Sinai Peninsula as of late due to the political turmoil in that Arab country after the army ousted elected president Mohammed Morsi more than two weeks ago.
An Egyptian Apache copter had gone on a similar mission ten days ago over Rafah and Khan Younis for half an hour, which the Egyptian presidency spokesman described as a mission to protect Egyptian sovereignty.
Security chaos has been plaguing the Sinai Peninsula as of late due to the political turmoil in that Arab country after the army ousted elected president Mohammed Morsi more than two weeks ago.
20 july 2013
By Khalid Amayreh in occupied Palestine
Much of the Egyptian media is having a free season on Palestinians these days. Calls for murdering Palestinians and Syrian refugees in Egypt are heavily permeating through Egyptian TV channels. It is widely believed that many of these outlets are funded by Coptic tycoons, such as billionaire Naguib Sawiris, and Arabian Gulf Sheikhdoms, especially the United Arab Emirates. Israeli and Zionist circles may very well be standing behind anti-Palestinian propaganda in Egypt.
Needless to say these media have been indulging in the most virulent and pornographic lies and hateful and, malicious propaganda against Palestinians as well the Islamists.
Of course, Egyptian government-run and other like-minded media is notoriously virulently mendacious. Unfortunately this has always been the case, at least since Jamal Abdul Nasser's era. We all remember Radio Cairo's infamous commentator Ahmed Said who told his listeners during the 1967 war with Israel that the Egyptian army was about to overrun Tel Aviv and that Israeli warplanes were falling down like flies!
We also remember how the same Egyptian media highlighted and kept regurgitating for many years the concocted and now-debunked Manshiya canard that the Muslim Brotherhood attempted to assassinate Nasser. As many of us know, the canard was used by the Nasser regime as an excuse to outlaw the MB, torture and liquidate their leaders and witch-hunt people even remotely associated with the largest Islamist movement in the Arab world.
Today, we are witnessing another wave of deliberate lies proliferated by the Egyptian media, aimed at vilifying the Islamists, especially the deposed democratically-elected President Muhammed Mursi. These lies are too many and too virulent to dignify by citing.
Unfortunately, some of these lies readily find acceptance by some mainstream media outlets, such as the BBC. For example, many media outlets sheepishly parroted the never-proven claim that many millions of Egyptians turned out against Mursi on 30 June, which the coup makers used to justify the seizure of power from the legitimate government. The truth of the matter, however is that no more than 800,000 Egyptians, probably including half a million Copts, rallied against Mursi. This is less than 2% of the 90 million people making up the population of Egypt. This was confirmed this week by Professor Bashir Nafi', a scholar of impeccable credentials.
Mursi is Palestinian!
Some of the lies being proliferated by the Egyptian media would have us believe that President Mursi is actually Palestinian and is at Hamas's beck and call.
“Deposed President Mohammed Mursi is originally Palestinian,” one "expert guest" appearing recently on a show aired on the Egyptian Al Kahera Wal Nas channel. In the video, which was disseminated on social media websites, the show’s host reportedly asked the guest to repeat the so called “important statement.” Activists commenting on the video noted that such statements are part of the wave of instigation that aims to punish the Syrians and Palestinians living in Egypt, especially those who support the Muslim Brotherhood.
Well, I don't think the so-called expert guest is ignorant of the facts. He knew he was lying. But this is not the question since lying, even in the most pornographic manner, has become the anti-Islamist Egyptian media's modus operandi, especially since the 25 January, 2011 revolution against the Mubarak regime..
Besides, what is wrong with being a Palestinian? The Palestinian people who have withstood a 100 years of American-European-Zionist holocaust ought to be a badge of honor on the forehead of every Arab and Muslim.
We Palestinians have remained implanted in our land, very much like the old olive trees covering the plains and hilltops of our country. We have survived despite history and despite the evil will of an evil and immoral international community.
Indeed, history showed repeatedly that when the Palestinian people raise their heads, the entire Muslim world raises its head, and vice versa.
Hence, those Egyptian haters who are inciting against the Palestinian people only deserve contempt and nothing but contempt. We congratulate them for groveling at the Mossad's shoes. There are animals and dirty animals. I have no doubt that those media thugs who are bad-mouthing our struggling people squarely belong to the later categories.
Incitement to murder
In another instance, another thug-guest of a show aired on Egyptian ONTV called for executing every Palestinian and Syrian intervening in Egyptian affairs. The well-known host, Youssef Hussein, said that the government was the one embracing the Palestinian and Syrian refugees. Those refugees are not allowed to intervene in Egyptian affairs or support Morsi, or else they will be responsible for what happens.
“If you intervene in Egyptian affairs, you’ll be beaten in public, even if this is outside the law.”
Well, it is amply clear that we are not talking here about professional journalists or even dignified commentators. We are rather talking about thugs and liars who are filled with hate, not only for Palestinians, but also for the truth itself. These thugs must be hating the Palestinians more than loving their own children.
Yes, people may thoughtfully and sincerely hold different ideas. However, when calls are made by TV outlets watched by millions, and incite hatred and murder against a specific ethnic or religious group, then it is clear that we have reached and surpassed the ultimate red line.
Indeed, if incitement to murder is not an ultimate red line, then where would such a line lie?
According to reliable reports from Cairo, examples of how media speech is slipping towards incitement are proliferating day after day, especially in the aftermath of the 4 July coup.
This has led several Egyptian human rights organizations to issue a statement on July 7, 2013, condemning “the false and venomous information some Egyptian journalists are resorting to, to instigate hatred against the Palestinian people,.
Journalists involved in this debauchery include Amro Adib, Lamis Hadidi and Ahmad Moussa on CBC and Tahrir channel, who disseminated on their shows false information that instigates hatred against Palestinians.
The organizations — including the Hisham Mubarak Law Center, the Arabic Network for Human Rights Information and the Center for Egyptian Women’s Legal Assistance — reiterated the need to recognize the thin line between the legal right to freedom of speech, and hate-speech and incendiary rhetoric.
A last word. Palestinians have lived to see many of their enemies find their ultimate and lasting place in the dust bin of history.
I have no doubt that the dust bin of history will be the ultimate and lasting place of Israel's poodles who grovel at Israel's shows for a few dollars or a certificate of good conduct.
Much of the Egyptian media is having a free season on Palestinians these days. Calls for murdering Palestinians and Syrian refugees in Egypt are heavily permeating through Egyptian TV channels. It is widely believed that many of these outlets are funded by Coptic tycoons, such as billionaire Naguib Sawiris, and Arabian Gulf Sheikhdoms, especially the United Arab Emirates. Israeli and Zionist circles may very well be standing behind anti-Palestinian propaganda in Egypt.
Needless to say these media have been indulging in the most virulent and pornographic lies and hateful and, malicious propaganda against Palestinians as well the Islamists.
Of course, Egyptian government-run and other like-minded media is notoriously virulently mendacious. Unfortunately this has always been the case, at least since Jamal Abdul Nasser's era. We all remember Radio Cairo's infamous commentator Ahmed Said who told his listeners during the 1967 war with Israel that the Egyptian army was about to overrun Tel Aviv and that Israeli warplanes were falling down like flies!
We also remember how the same Egyptian media highlighted and kept regurgitating for many years the concocted and now-debunked Manshiya canard that the Muslim Brotherhood attempted to assassinate Nasser. As many of us know, the canard was used by the Nasser regime as an excuse to outlaw the MB, torture and liquidate their leaders and witch-hunt people even remotely associated with the largest Islamist movement in the Arab world.
Today, we are witnessing another wave of deliberate lies proliferated by the Egyptian media, aimed at vilifying the Islamists, especially the deposed democratically-elected President Muhammed Mursi. These lies are too many and too virulent to dignify by citing.
Unfortunately, some of these lies readily find acceptance by some mainstream media outlets, such as the BBC. For example, many media outlets sheepishly parroted the never-proven claim that many millions of Egyptians turned out against Mursi on 30 June, which the coup makers used to justify the seizure of power from the legitimate government. The truth of the matter, however is that no more than 800,000 Egyptians, probably including half a million Copts, rallied against Mursi. This is less than 2% of the 90 million people making up the population of Egypt. This was confirmed this week by Professor Bashir Nafi', a scholar of impeccable credentials.
Mursi is Palestinian!
Some of the lies being proliferated by the Egyptian media would have us believe that President Mursi is actually Palestinian and is at Hamas's beck and call.
“Deposed President Mohammed Mursi is originally Palestinian,” one "expert guest" appearing recently on a show aired on the Egyptian Al Kahera Wal Nas channel. In the video, which was disseminated on social media websites, the show’s host reportedly asked the guest to repeat the so called “important statement.” Activists commenting on the video noted that such statements are part of the wave of instigation that aims to punish the Syrians and Palestinians living in Egypt, especially those who support the Muslim Brotherhood.
Well, I don't think the so-called expert guest is ignorant of the facts. He knew he was lying. But this is not the question since lying, even in the most pornographic manner, has become the anti-Islamist Egyptian media's modus operandi, especially since the 25 January, 2011 revolution against the Mubarak regime..
Besides, what is wrong with being a Palestinian? The Palestinian people who have withstood a 100 years of American-European-Zionist holocaust ought to be a badge of honor on the forehead of every Arab and Muslim.
We Palestinians have remained implanted in our land, very much like the old olive trees covering the plains and hilltops of our country. We have survived despite history and despite the evil will of an evil and immoral international community.
Indeed, history showed repeatedly that when the Palestinian people raise their heads, the entire Muslim world raises its head, and vice versa.
Hence, those Egyptian haters who are inciting against the Palestinian people only deserve contempt and nothing but contempt. We congratulate them for groveling at the Mossad's shoes. There are animals and dirty animals. I have no doubt that those media thugs who are bad-mouthing our struggling people squarely belong to the later categories.
Incitement to murder
In another instance, another thug-guest of a show aired on Egyptian ONTV called for executing every Palestinian and Syrian intervening in Egyptian affairs. The well-known host, Youssef Hussein, said that the government was the one embracing the Palestinian and Syrian refugees. Those refugees are not allowed to intervene in Egyptian affairs or support Morsi, or else they will be responsible for what happens.
“If you intervene in Egyptian affairs, you’ll be beaten in public, even if this is outside the law.”
Well, it is amply clear that we are not talking here about professional journalists or even dignified commentators. We are rather talking about thugs and liars who are filled with hate, not only for Palestinians, but also for the truth itself. These thugs must be hating the Palestinians more than loving their own children.
Yes, people may thoughtfully and sincerely hold different ideas. However, when calls are made by TV outlets watched by millions, and incite hatred and murder against a specific ethnic or religious group, then it is clear that we have reached and surpassed the ultimate red line.
Indeed, if incitement to murder is not an ultimate red line, then where would such a line lie?
According to reliable reports from Cairo, examples of how media speech is slipping towards incitement are proliferating day after day, especially in the aftermath of the 4 July coup.
This has led several Egyptian human rights organizations to issue a statement on July 7, 2013, condemning “the false and venomous information some Egyptian journalists are resorting to, to instigate hatred against the Palestinian people,.
Journalists involved in this debauchery include Amro Adib, Lamis Hadidi and Ahmad Moussa on CBC and Tahrir channel, who disseminated on their shows false information that instigates hatred against Palestinians.
The organizations — including the Hisham Mubarak Law Center, the Arabic Network for Human Rights Information and the Center for Egyptian Women’s Legal Assistance — reiterated the need to recognize the thin line between the legal right to freedom of speech, and hate-speech and incendiary rhetoric.
A last word. Palestinians have lived to see many of their enemies find their ultimate and lasting place in the dust bin of history.
I have no doubt that the dust bin of history will be the ultimate and lasting place of Israel's poodles who grovel at Israel's shows for a few dollars or a certificate of good conduct.
19 july 2013
PLO Executive Committee member, Dr. Hanan Ashrawi, addressed on Thursday, a Telos Group delegation led by former Congressman Geoffrey Davis of Kentucky, PLO Executive Committee said in a press release.
Ashrawi said, "With Israel's ongoing settlement activities, the rise of settler violence, the annexation and ethnic cleansing of Jerusalem, and the increase in home demolitions and the dispossession of Palestinians throughout Palestine, the United States and other members of the international community must hold Israel accountable and bring it to compliance with international law and with basic moral and human standards."
In the meeting, Dr. Ashrawi also stressed: "It is crucial for the U.S. public to understand the Palestinian people's reality as an oppressed nation under occupation, yearning for freedom and justice, and it is time for Americans to speak out and bring their own government to the recognition of the requirements of genuine peace."
Dr. Ashrawi answered questions regarding the latest political developments in Palestine, U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry's peace initiative, as well as issues of mutual concern.
Ashrawi said, "With Israel's ongoing settlement activities, the rise of settler violence, the annexation and ethnic cleansing of Jerusalem, and the increase in home demolitions and the dispossession of Palestinians throughout Palestine, the United States and other members of the international community must hold Israel accountable and bring it to compliance with international law and with basic moral and human standards."
In the meeting, Dr. Ashrawi also stressed: "It is crucial for the U.S. public to understand the Palestinian people's reality as an oppressed nation under occupation, yearning for freedom and justice, and it is time for Americans to speak out and bring their own government to the recognition of the requirements of genuine peace."
Dr. Ashrawi answered questions regarding the latest political developments in Palestine, U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry's peace initiative, as well as issues of mutual concern.
18 july 2013
Dr. Mousa Abu Marzouk, political bureau member of Hamas, charged Fatah faction with being responsible for the delay in national reconciliation. He charged in a statement on his Facebook page on Thursday that Fatah linked progress of reconciliation to US secretary of state John Kerry’s success in reactivating negotiations with Israel.
The recent delay in implementing the Egyptian-mediated reconciliation timetable was due to Kerry’s request until after the visit by president Barack Obama to the region then due to another request by Kerry to give him time to secure a breakthrough in the negotiations, Abu Marzouk said.
The Hamas leader said that ending division and national reconciliation is a target and elections then come as a result, affirming that Hamas was abiding by any document it signed.
The recent delay in implementing the Egyptian-mediated reconciliation timetable was due to Kerry’s request until after the visit by president Barack Obama to the region then due to another request by Kerry to give him time to secure a breakthrough in the negotiations, Abu Marzouk said.
The Hamas leader said that ending division and national reconciliation is a target and elections then come as a result, affirming that Hamas was abiding by any document it signed.
Hamas on Wednesday rejected Fatah's deadline for reconciliation and criticized its rival's "selectivity" in implementing national unity.
On Tuesday, Fatah official Mohammad Shtayyeh said Aug. 14 was Hamas' "last chance" for reconciliation. Fatah leader President Mahmoud Abbas is set to reform the Palestinian Authority government on Aug. 14, following the resignation of Prime Minister Rami Hamdallah in June.
Yousef Rizqa, the political adviser to Hamas Prime Minister Ismail Haniyeh, swiftly dismissed the deadline.
"Shtayyeh's statements on reconciliation are worthless," Rizqa told Ma'an.
Rizqa said there had been no communication between the leaders of Hamas and Fatah, noting that Abbas is "busy in meetings with US Secretary of State John Kerry" and has not been available to discuss national unity.
At a meeting in Cairo on May 14, Fatah and Hamas agreed on a three-month deadline for establishing a unity government of technocrats and setting an elections date.
Hamas spokesman Sami Abu Zuhri said that Fatah had not met its obligations in the latest reconciliation deal.
"August 14 is meaningless unless Fatah takes the initiative and really commits to doing its part in all the files," Abu Zuhri said.
Abbas dissolved the last unity government in June 2007. Since then, Fatah has dominated the Palestinian Authority in the West Bank and Hamas has led a separate government in Gaza.
Repeated rounds of talks and reconciliation agreements have failed to reunite the Palestinians under a single government.
On Tuesday, Fatah official Mohammad Shtayyeh said Aug. 14 was Hamas' "last chance" for reconciliation. Fatah leader President Mahmoud Abbas is set to reform the Palestinian Authority government on Aug. 14, following the resignation of Prime Minister Rami Hamdallah in June.
Yousef Rizqa, the political adviser to Hamas Prime Minister Ismail Haniyeh, swiftly dismissed the deadline.
"Shtayyeh's statements on reconciliation are worthless," Rizqa told Ma'an.
Rizqa said there had been no communication between the leaders of Hamas and Fatah, noting that Abbas is "busy in meetings with US Secretary of State John Kerry" and has not been available to discuss national unity.
At a meeting in Cairo on May 14, Fatah and Hamas agreed on a three-month deadline for establishing a unity government of technocrats and setting an elections date.
Hamas spokesman Sami Abu Zuhri said that Fatah had not met its obligations in the latest reconciliation deal.
"August 14 is meaningless unless Fatah takes the initiative and really commits to doing its part in all the files," Abu Zuhri said.
Abbas dissolved the last unity government in June 2007. Since then, Fatah has dominated the Palestinian Authority in the West Bank and Hamas has led a separate government in Gaza.
Repeated rounds of talks and reconciliation agreements have failed to reunite the Palestinians under a single government.
Azzam al-Ahmad, who heads Fatah delegation to the reconciliation talks with Hamas, Thursday called on Hamas to reach an understanding with Fatah regarding the formation of a new national reconciliation government before August 14. Ahmad told Mawtini radio that Hamas has proposed August 14 as the date to reach an agreement on the government.
He rejected claims by Hamas that the Palestinian leadership was postponing the reconciliation because of US Secretary of State John Kerry’s visits.
He said Hamas has been stalling all these years because “of a regional agenda that has in the end put it in the corner it has found itself in today.”
He said a meeting with Hamas was supposed to be held in Cairo on June 30 in order to follow up on what was agreed upon in previous meetings. However due to the latest internal developments in Egypt the meeting was postponed.
“We are waiting for the resumption of these efforts,” said Ahmad.
He rejected claims by Hamas that the Palestinian leadership was postponing the reconciliation because of US Secretary of State John Kerry’s visits.
He said Hamas has been stalling all these years because “of a regional agenda that has in the end put it in the corner it has found itself in today.”
He said a meeting with Hamas was supposed to be held in Cairo on June 30 in order to follow up on what was agreed upon in previous meetings. However due to the latest internal developments in Egypt the meeting was postponed.
“We are waiting for the resumption of these efforts,” said Ahmad.
An initiative by "The Popular Movement for One Democracy State on the Historic Land of Palestine" (which announced its launch in May 15, 2013), brought together some 25 of the activists of the "Jaffa Group for One Democratic State" came to Ramallah on Saturday, July 13, to a joint meeting.
It was the first meeting of this kind bringing together supporters of comprehensive democratic solution to the Palestinian cause from both sides of the Green Line.
Members of the constituent body of "the popular movement" hosted the meeting, while the visiting delegation included political and social activists, veterans and youth, artists, academics, Arab and Jewish opponents of Zionism.
After the participants introduced themselves, there was a short presentation of the objectives of the popular movement and the Jaffa group.
It was clear that they share the same goal: resisting the occupation, settlements, ethnic cleansing and racial discrimination; bringing an end to the Apartheid regime in all its forms and in all places where it is present; ensuring the right of return for all Palestinian refugees to their homes and property and the establishment of One Democratic State on the entire land of Palestine.
This state will be based on the implementation of the universal values of freedom, justice and human rights. It will be a civil state which rejects all forms of discrimination and guarantees full rights for all its citizens. It is worth mentioning that "The Popular Movement" and the "Jaffa Group" both embraced in their founding statements "The Munich Declaration for One Democratic State" as a common denominator for supporters of this solution.
The participants stressed that ODS is a strategic solution, providing for the needs of the masses and the aspirations of the progressive and democratic forces in Palestine and around the world. Promoting ODS is not a tactic to pressure Israel to comply with the two-state solution.
All also stressed that the two-state solution is unable to put an end to the bloody conflict in occupied Palestine as it can't provide for a fair solution for the right of return for Palestinian refugees and end apartheid which is applied in all parts of the country, nor does it provide a solution to the issues of Jerusalem, the borders, water and other contentious issues.
Many of the participated took active part in the dialogue, not as two sides but as partners in the same struggle for a common future.
Many of the participants stressed that the program of ODS is a program for struggle. It aims first to unify the ranks of the Palestinian people by adhering to a comprehensive and just solution and then to create the ground for real unity in opposing Zionism, unity in struggle toward a common goal among supporters of democracy between the Palestinian Arabs and the country's Jewish population.
Some participants explained that the popular struggle for ODS develops through current urgent struggles such as the struggle against the ongoing ethnic cleansing in Mount Hebron, the Jordan Valley and all over the Naqab (Negev).
Some recounted their experiences as participants in the social protest movement that swept the Jewish community since the summer of 2011 and confirmed that alliance in struggle with the Palestinians for democracy and justice for all is the only way to get rid of the existing system of exploitation, discrimination and repression.
Some also stressed that imperialism in interested to perpetuate the occupation, repression and constant state of war, as are local parties which benefit from this situation. Therefore, they emphasized, the solution will be achieved by the popular masses, which suffer most and pay the most expensive price.
At the end of the meeting, which lasted for more than three hours, it was agreed to form a joint coordination committee to develop a plan of action and joint activities to promote ODS. It was agreed to continue with joint meetings and closer cooperation between the two movements.
It was the first meeting of this kind bringing together supporters of comprehensive democratic solution to the Palestinian cause from both sides of the Green Line.
Members of the constituent body of "the popular movement" hosted the meeting, while the visiting delegation included political and social activists, veterans and youth, artists, academics, Arab and Jewish opponents of Zionism.
After the participants introduced themselves, there was a short presentation of the objectives of the popular movement and the Jaffa group.
It was clear that they share the same goal: resisting the occupation, settlements, ethnic cleansing and racial discrimination; bringing an end to the Apartheid regime in all its forms and in all places where it is present; ensuring the right of return for all Palestinian refugees to their homes and property and the establishment of One Democratic State on the entire land of Palestine.
This state will be based on the implementation of the universal values of freedom, justice and human rights. It will be a civil state which rejects all forms of discrimination and guarantees full rights for all its citizens. It is worth mentioning that "The Popular Movement" and the "Jaffa Group" both embraced in their founding statements "The Munich Declaration for One Democratic State" as a common denominator for supporters of this solution.
The participants stressed that ODS is a strategic solution, providing for the needs of the masses and the aspirations of the progressive and democratic forces in Palestine and around the world. Promoting ODS is not a tactic to pressure Israel to comply with the two-state solution.
All also stressed that the two-state solution is unable to put an end to the bloody conflict in occupied Palestine as it can't provide for a fair solution for the right of return for Palestinian refugees and end apartheid which is applied in all parts of the country, nor does it provide a solution to the issues of Jerusalem, the borders, water and other contentious issues.
Many of the participated took active part in the dialogue, not as two sides but as partners in the same struggle for a common future.
Many of the participants stressed that the program of ODS is a program for struggle. It aims first to unify the ranks of the Palestinian people by adhering to a comprehensive and just solution and then to create the ground for real unity in opposing Zionism, unity in struggle toward a common goal among supporters of democracy between the Palestinian Arabs and the country's Jewish population.
Some participants explained that the popular struggle for ODS develops through current urgent struggles such as the struggle against the ongoing ethnic cleansing in Mount Hebron, the Jordan Valley and all over the Naqab (Negev).
Some recounted their experiences as participants in the social protest movement that swept the Jewish community since the summer of 2011 and confirmed that alliance in struggle with the Palestinians for democracy and justice for all is the only way to get rid of the existing system of exploitation, discrimination and repression.
Some also stressed that imperialism in interested to perpetuate the occupation, repression and constant state of war, as are local parties which benefit from this situation. Therefore, they emphasized, the solution will be achieved by the popular masses, which suffer most and pay the most expensive price.
At the end of the meeting, which lasted for more than three hours, it was agreed to form a joint coordination committee to develop a plan of action and joint activities to promote ODS. It was agreed to continue with joint meetings and closer cooperation between the two movements.
P.A. Logo
Israeli Yedioth Aharonoth has reported that the Palestinian Authority in the West Bank presented four main requests to U.S. Secretary of State. John Kerry, to present to Israel for approval before direct peace talks between Ramallah and Tel Aviv can resume.
The paper said that President Mahmoud Abbas asked Kerry to inform Israel that the P.A. wants an airport for light planes and helicopters, near the central West Bank city of Ramallah, and significantly large tourism projects totally run by the Palestinians near the Dead Sea.
Granting the Palestinians access Dead Sea means that Israel will be required to reassign control of lands in area C, under full Israeli control, to become area B under Israeli military control and Palestinian civil control.
The Palestinians are not allowed to build in Area C in the occupied West Bank, and require prior Israeli military and civil approval.
The third demand presented to Kerry is allowing the Palestinians to search for Natural Gas, in Palestinian territorial waters, in front of the shores of the Gaza Strip.
The fourth demand is increasing the number of work permits in Israel to residents of the Gaza Strip and the West Bank.
The Ynet stated that Israel will likely reject the Palestinian demands, especially the request to build the light airport near Ramallah, and the tourism project near the Dead Sea as Israel rejects reassigning control in the Jordan Valley and Dead Sea.
The United States is trying to ensure the resumption of direct peace talks between Ramallah and Tel Aviv, is also evaluating the security situation in the region, and trying to find a solution to monetary and economic aid to the P.A.
Israel reportedly agreed to release detainees held since before the First Oslo Agreement of 1993. The release would be carried out on different stages, and allegedly accepted economic incentives presented by the United States to the Palestinians.
Talking on condition of anonymity, a senior Palestinian official stated that Kerry wants to declare the resumption of direct talks before he leaves the region this Friday.
Israeli Yedioth Aharonoth has reported that the Palestinian Authority in the West Bank presented four main requests to U.S. Secretary of State. John Kerry, to present to Israel for approval before direct peace talks between Ramallah and Tel Aviv can resume.
The paper said that President Mahmoud Abbas asked Kerry to inform Israel that the P.A. wants an airport for light planes and helicopters, near the central West Bank city of Ramallah, and significantly large tourism projects totally run by the Palestinians near the Dead Sea.
Granting the Palestinians access Dead Sea means that Israel will be required to reassign control of lands in area C, under full Israeli control, to become area B under Israeli military control and Palestinian civil control.
The Palestinians are not allowed to build in Area C in the occupied West Bank, and require prior Israeli military and civil approval.
The third demand presented to Kerry is allowing the Palestinians to search for Natural Gas, in Palestinian territorial waters, in front of the shores of the Gaza Strip.
The fourth demand is increasing the number of work permits in Israel to residents of the Gaza Strip and the West Bank.
The Ynet stated that Israel will likely reject the Palestinian demands, especially the request to build the light airport near Ramallah, and the tourism project near the Dead Sea as Israel rejects reassigning control in the Jordan Valley and Dead Sea.
The United States is trying to ensure the resumption of direct peace talks between Ramallah and Tel Aviv, is also evaluating the security situation in the region, and trying to find a solution to monetary and economic aid to the P.A.
Israel reportedly agreed to release detainees held since before the First Oslo Agreement of 1993. The release would be carried out on different stages, and allegedly accepted economic incentives presented by the United States to the Palestinians.
Talking on condition of anonymity, a senior Palestinian official stated that Kerry wants to declare the resumption of direct talks before he leaves the region this Friday.
17 july 2013
A decomposed body was found in an area east of the city of Nablus on Wednesday, police said.
Police in Nablus received a call from a member of the public about the body and headed to the scene, accompanied by a doctor.
THey are trying to establish the identity of the body, which was completely decomposed.
Police in Nablus received a call from a member of the public about the body and headed to the scene, accompanied by a doctor.
THey are trying to establish the identity of the body, which was completely decomposed.
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Hundreds of mourners attended the funeral procession of ex-Palestinian prisoner Ahmad Abu al-Sukkar in Ramallah on Wednesday.
Abu al-Sakkar, 78, died late Tuesday after suffering a heart attack. He had been imprisoned by Israel for 28 years and was released in 2003 after a request by late president Yasser Arafat. The military procession marched from the Palestine Medical Complex in Ramallah to al-Sukkar's hometown of Turmusayya, north of Ramallah. Al-Sakkar was responsible for a bomb in Jerusalem's Zion Square in 1975 which killed at least 10 people and injured over 70. |
16 july 2013
Hamas must end the national division by Aug. 14, when President Mahmoud Abbas will announce a new government, a senior Fatah official said Tuesday.
Mohammad Shtayyeh said the formation of the government was Hamas' "last chance" for national reconciliation.
"Hamas has to come and implement the terms of the reconciliation so we can end six years of division," Shtayyeh told reporters after a meeting with Carter Center director David Carroll.
Shtayyeh said Abbas will reform the government of caretaker Prime Minister Rami Hamdallah on Aug. 14 and call for presidential and parliamentary elections. Abbas accepted Hamdallah's resignation on June 23 after just over two weeks on the job.
Since 2007, Hamas has ruled Gaza, leading a rival government to Abbas' Palestinian Authority in the West Bank, which is dominated by Fatah.
At a meeting in Cairo on May 14, Fatah and Hamas agreed on a three-month deadline for establishing a unity government and setting an elections date.
Under the deal, the two sides were to have set up an interim cabinet of technocrats to prepare for elections, before establishing a unity government.
But the deal has stalled over persistent in-fighting over the make-up of the caretaker cabinet.
Mohammad Shtayyeh said the formation of the government was Hamas' "last chance" for national reconciliation.
"Hamas has to come and implement the terms of the reconciliation so we can end six years of division," Shtayyeh told reporters after a meeting with Carter Center director David Carroll.
Shtayyeh said Abbas will reform the government of caretaker Prime Minister Rami Hamdallah on Aug. 14 and call for presidential and parliamentary elections. Abbas accepted Hamdallah's resignation on June 23 after just over two weeks on the job.
Since 2007, Hamas has ruled Gaza, leading a rival government to Abbas' Palestinian Authority in the West Bank, which is dominated by Fatah.
At a meeting in Cairo on May 14, Fatah and Hamas agreed on a three-month deadline for establishing a unity government and setting an elections date.
Under the deal, the two sides were to have set up an interim cabinet of technocrats to prepare for elections, before establishing a unity government.
But the deal has stalled over persistent in-fighting over the make-up of the caretaker cabinet.
Dr. Youssef Rizqa, Political Adviser to the Palestinian Prime Minister, warned of Kerry's next visit to the region especially that it comes within an appropriate atmosphere for the US vision of the “peace process.” Kerry is expected to meet with PA president Mahmoud Abbas and Arab League delegation in Amman on Wednesday in order to discuss the US initiative.
Rizqa stated that Kerry's sixth visit to the region aims to take advantage of the recent Arab developments to promote and attract more support for the US initiative in light the Arab public opinion's concern for the Egyptian crisis.
He pointed out to the US and Israeli efforts to exploit these historical moments for their interests.
He confirmed that Kerry's initiative can never be accepted by the Palestinian side, but he warned of its timing and circumstances that could be exploited for the Israeli interests.
The Palestinian people, who refuse to give up the national constants, have to stand firmly against such schemes.
Rizqa stated that Kerry's sixth visit to the region aims to take advantage of the recent Arab developments to promote and attract more support for the US initiative in light the Arab public opinion's concern for the Egyptian crisis.
He pointed out to the US and Israeli efforts to exploit these historical moments for their interests.
He confirmed that Kerry's initiative can never be accepted by the Palestinian side, but he warned of its timing and circumstances that could be exploited for the Israeli interests.
The Palestinian people, who refuse to give up the national constants, have to stand firmly against such schemes.
Hundreds have protested outside the PLO headquarters Monday condemning the meeting held last week in Ramallah between Fatah and PA leaders and representatives of the Israeli Likud and Shas parties. Palestinian trade unions and national leaders have called earlier to protest against such meeting outside PLO headquarters in Ramallah.
The protesters have accused PLO secretary general, Yasser Abed Rabbo, and former prisoners minister Ashraf Ajrami of treason after attending a meeting in the presence of leaders of Israeli ruling parties.
For his part, Jamal al-Tawil, a leader in Hamas movement, said during the demonstration that last week meeting constitutes a violation of the Palestinian people's will and rights.
During the meeting Yasser Abed Rabbo wished a speedy recovery for Rabbi Ovadia Yosef, the spiritual leader of Israel's Shas party who has called more than once for killing Palestinian babies, al-Tawil said.
In a meeting last week set up by the Geneva Initiative, members of the ruling right-wing Likud Party and Shas party met with PLO Secretary-General Yasser Abed Rabbo and several other senior PA officials in Ramallah.
The protesters have accused PLO secretary general, Yasser Abed Rabbo, and former prisoners minister Ashraf Ajrami of treason after attending a meeting in the presence of leaders of Israeli ruling parties.
For his part, Jamal al-Tawil, a leader in Hamas movement, said during the demonstration that last week meeting constitutes a violation of the Palestinian people's will and rights.
During the meeting Yasser Abed Rabbo wished a speedy recovery for Rabbi Ovadia Yosef, the spiritual leader of Israel's Shas party who has called more than once for killing Palestinian babies, al-Tawil said.
In a meeting last week set up by the Geneva Initiative, members of the ruling right-wing Likud Party and Shas party met with PLO Secretary-General Yasser Abed Rabbo and several other senior PA officials in Ramallah.
An Israeli political source stated that, during his latest visit to the region, U.S. Secretary of State, John Kerry, told Palestinian President, Mahmoud Abbas, that the United States would cut all economic aid to the P.A. should the Palestinians insist on what he called “preconditions” for the resumption of direct peace talks.
Israeli Walla News Agency quoted the unnamed source stating that Kerry threatened Abbas during their Ramallah meeting, when he visited the region late last month, that the White House would cut all aid, and would hold Abbas responsible for the failure of peace talks.
Kerry claimed that Abbas insists on “preconditions” such as the release of Palestinian political prisoners, freezing Israeli settlement activities, and the Israeli withdrawal to the 1967 borders.
Just before leaving the region, Kerry told reporters “he is glad for achieving some progress”, and promised to continue close talks to ensure the resumption of negotiations.
The Israeli source told Walla that Israel is not willing to “continue to pay the price to convince Abbas to resume direct talks”, and claimed that Israel even offered to agree to a time frame for talks on vital issues such as borders, the refugees, Jerusalem and security arrangements.
However, he also reiterated Israel’s demand that the Palestinian must recognize Israel as a “Jewish State”, and added that Abbas rejected the “offer”.
Palestinian sources said that the Israeli statements are just test strips that carry no significance, as the Palestinian Authority cannot resume direct talks as long as Israeli continues its violations and its illegal settlement activities.
Abbas To Meet Kerry In Jordan
A Palestinian official told the France Press News Agency that President Mahmoud Abbas plans to meet U.S. Secretary of State, John Kerry, this coming Wednesday in Amman – Jordan.
Speaking on condition of anonymity, the official said that Kerry would be touring in the Middle East to meet Arab League Secretary-General, Nabil Al-Arabi, President Abbas, and a number of Arab Foreign Ministers.
Kerry also intends to head to occupied Jerusalem for a meeting with Israeli Prime Minister, Benjamin Netanyahu.
The Palestinian official said that the Palestinian Authority, and Arab countries, “plan to sit with Kerry and see if he carries any new initiatives or ideas”.
Kerry visited the region in last month and held talks with Israeli, Palestinian and Arab officials, but could not jumpstart direct peace talks between Israel and the Palestinians.
“Kerry repeatedly said that the United States is committed to the establishment of an independent Palestinian State in the occupied territories”, the official said, “But he was never able to convince Israel to recognize the Palestinian right to establish an independent state in the territories Israel occupied in 1967, including occupied East Jerusalem”.
He added that the Palestinian Authority is not placing preconditions, but is outlining the legitimate Palestinian rights of an independent Palestinian State, with East Jerusalem as its capital, the release of the detainees, especially those held before the First Oslo Agreement, the Right of Return of the Palestinian refugees, and halting all settlement activities.
Kerry and Abbas will possibly hold more than one meeting during the upcoming visit.
Israeli Walla News Agency quoted the unnamed source stating that Kerry threatened Abbas during their Ramallah meeting, when he visited the region late last month, that the White House would cut all aid, and would hold Abbas responsible for the failure of peace talks.
Kerry claimed that Abbas insists on “preconditions” such as the release of Palestinian political prisoners, freezing Israeli settlement activities, and the Israeli withdrawal to the 1967 borders.
Just before leaving the region, Kerry told reporters “he is glad for achieving some progress”, and promised to continue close talks to ensure the resumption of negotiations.
The Israeli source told Walla that Israel is not willing to “continue to pay the price to convince Abbas to resume direct talks”, and claimed that Israel even offered to agree to a time frame for talks on vital issues such as borders, the refugees, Jerusalem and security arrangements.
However, he also reiterated Israel’s demand that the Palestinian must recognize Israel as a “Jewish State”, and added that Abbas rejected the “offer”.
Palestinian sources said that the Israeli statements are just test strips that carry no significance, as the Palestinian Authority cannot resume direct talks as long as Israeli continues its violations and its illegal settlement activities.
Abbas To Meet Kerry In Jordan
A Palestinian official told the France Press News Agency that President Mahmoud Abbas plans to meet U.S. Secretary of State, John Kerry, this coming Wednesday in Amman – Jordan.
Speaking on condition of anonymity, the official said that Kerry would be touring in the Middle East to meet Arab League Secretary-General, Nabil Al-Arabi, President Abbas, and a number of Arab Foreign Ministers.
Kerry also intends to head to occupied Jerusalem for a meeting with Israeli Prime Minister, Benjamin Netanyahu.
The Palestinian official said that the Palestinian Authority, and Arab countries, “plan to sit with Kerry and see if he carries any new initiatives or ideas”.
Kerry visited the region in last month and held talks with Israeli, Palestinian and Arab officials, but could not jumpstart direct peace talks between Israel and the Palestinians.
“Kerry repeatedly said that the United States is committed to the establishment of an independent Palestinian State in the occupied territories”, the official said, “But he was never able to convince Israel to recognize the Palestinian right to establish an independent state in the territories Israel occupied in 1967, including occupied East Jerusalem”.
He added that the Palestinian Authority is not placing preconditions, but is outlining the legitimate Palestinian rights of an independent Palestinian State, with East Jerusalem as its capital, the release of the detainees, especially those held before the First Oslo Agreement, the Right of Return of the Palestinian refugees, and halting all settlement activities.
Kerry and Abbas will possibly hold more than one meeting during the upcoming visit.