Middle East

NOVANEWS THE JERUSALEM POST By GIL HOFFMAN   12/19/2010 PA leader also tells left-wing politicians and activists that he wanted to keep negotiating during Cast Lead, but Israel refused.   RAMALLAH – Israel and the Palestinians came closer to reaching an agreement when Ehud Olmert was prime minister than had previously been thought, Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas revealed on Sunday. He was speaking to a delegation of more than 60 left-wing politicians and activists at the Mukata compound in Ramallah that was organized by the Geneva Initiative. RELATED: Abbas says UNSC recognition only one of many options Yalla Peace: A life with no shame Abbas disclosed that he and Olmert had finalized an agreement on security issues, which was approved by the Bush administration, Olmert him...

NOVANEWS 12/19/2010 Brooklyn-Jenin: Why didn’t the judges prevent the demolition in Lod? What slapdash H.R. 1765 reveals about the lobby and public awareness Gaza’s Social Network: Gazan bloggers share the reality of the siege with the world Red carpet is rolled out for the Spine-weary How does it feel for a Jewish reporter to do a spirit of Christmas story? quick sermon on irreligion Hollywood dramatized ethnic cleansing in India and Pakistan, why not the other I/P? Obama’s failure has served to expose Israeli intransigence here and abroad Palestinian farmer watches settlers burn 19 of his sheep, killing 12 Drumroll please Brooklyn-Jenin: Why didn’t the judges prevent the demolition in Lod? Dec 19, 2010 Udi Aloni   As fifty children lose their homes under ...

NOVANEWS News flash to hookers; Washington won’t give you anything you haven’t paid dearly for Alliances in the name of fighting a bigger enemy US elites don’t want to hear about failings of US elites Rove and Sweden make sweet passionate love Wikileaks; don’t shoot the messenger Leaking is a noble profession Zionist separation is in the state’s bloodstream China’s black sites used and abused by private firms Shut down the web or face a Wikileaks inspired future Finding ways to dismiss leakers in the US   News flash to hookers; Washington won’t give you anything you haven’t paid dearly for Posted: 19 Dec 2010 03:41 PM PST Kenneth Davidson in the Age gets it right: As former Liberal prime minister John Gorton said in the 1960s, too many Australian politicians and burea...

NOVANEWS http://www.hrw.org/en/news/2010/12/18/israelwest-bank-separate-and-unequal   Israel/West Bank: Separate and Unequal   Under Discriminatory Policies, Settlers Flourish, Palestinians Suffer   December 19, 2010 ( Jerusalem ) - Israeli policies in the West Bank harshly discriminate against Palestinian residents, depriving them of basic necessities while providing lavish amenities for Jewish settlements, Human Rights Watch said in a report released today. The report identifies discriminatory practices that have no legitimate security or other justification and calls on Israel , in addition to abiding by its international legal obligation to withdraw the settlements, to end these violations of Palestinians' rights. Palestinian Bedouin school children walk towards their tents on Septemb...

NOVANEWS 17/12/2010   TEL AVIV (Ma'an) -- Former Fatah top man in Gaza Mohammad Dahlan reportedly recruited, paid and intended to command a new militia in the West Bank, a report in Israel's daily newspaper Haaretz said on Friday. According to the report, the plan was uncovered by Palestinian Authority security agents who questioned men suspected of being contacted by Dahlan for recruitment into the armed group. Sources within the leading West Bank party Fatah, which President Mahmoud Abbas heads, told the paper that those recruited were given cash to buy weapons, and instructions on their purchase. The report comes amid increased tensions between Dahlan, a member of the Fatah Central Committee, the parties top ruling body, and Abbas. In December, a television station said to be affiliated...

NOVANEWS Knesset members call for the assassination of Bishara 15 December 2010 Calls for the assassination of the former Arab MK A number of Israeli Knesset members have called for the assassination of the former Arab MK, Azmi Bishara, on the grounds that "he is a terrorist". The call was made during the first reading of the "Azmi Bishara Bill", which seeks to approve the stripping of Dr Bishara of his parliamentary pension. Bishara had, in April 2007, resigned from the Knesset after the launch of an investigation against him by the Israeli authorities, who accused him of passing information to Lebanon's Hizbullah. The parliamentary session was marked by a heated exchange between Arab and Jewish Knesset members when Jewish MKs called for the killing of Bishara. MK Michael Ben Ari said t...

NOVANEWS   19 December 2010 By Fahmi Howeidi It seems that we have come to the moment of truth in the Palestinian conflict, where all the signs indicate that the future of the issue, and the entire region, is now determined by Avigdor Lieberman, a far-right racist in Israel, in league with other extremists and fanatics in the Knesset. Some may say that Israel's Prime Minister, Benjamin Netanyahu, is the most powerful man in the arena. After all, he's the one who has humiliated the Palestinians, insulted all the Arabs and challenged President Obama personally, beating them all in the process. This is true because it depicts the reality as recorded by the headlines. But it does not convey the whole message; it makes no mention of the forces which drive and guide Netanyahu. According to L...

NOVANEWS 16 December 2010 Michael Warschawski, Alternative Information Center (AIC)   A ceremony honouring the Palestinian firefighters who assisted in putting out last week’s Carmel Forest fire was cancelled, as several of the firefighters did not receive entry permits from the Israeli military.  In response, the Civil Administration noted that this was due to a technical error, and even expressed sorrow about what the press is dubbing an “incident”. “How is it that we had permission to come help put out the fire, but none for a ceremony honouring this work?” asked those the Palestinian Authority. Despite over 40 years of occupation, it appears that in Ramallah there are still those who don’t understand what a colonial occupation is. The surprise is not being prevented from enteri...

NOVANEWS December 19, 2010 by Chuck Palazzo  Agent Orange continues to create health problems for children and adults in Vietnam To learn more about Ly and Ed Kashi, visit www.childrenofvietnam.org (WINSTON-SALEM, N.C.; via Salem News) – A young Danang girl is receiving international attention and bringing awareness to the lingering effects of Agent Orange after she was featured in the 2010 UNICEF Photo of the Year. Nine-year-old Ly is pictured in a portrait taken by Ed Kashi, with VII Photos, who lives in New Jersey. Kashi photographed Ly and other children helped by Children of Vietnam in July 2010. Children of Vietnam is a charity that provides care to children with disabilities, including those who may have been negatively affected by Agent Orange. Nine-year-old Ly is pictured in a...

NOVANEWS   Haaretz is the most left-wing Israeli paper, and publishes Yitzhak Laor, Amira Hass, and Gideon Levy, but it is not a leftist paper. Haaretz occasionally manages to combine the most bizarre sentiments in one editorial page, and even in one article. Here’s one writer quoting the racist prescriptions of the most blithely racist writer in the American commentariat: "Shame on them.... The people running Israel and Palestine have other priorities. It is time we left them alone to pursue them - and to live with the consequences." That is the advice of influential New York Times columnist Thomas Friedman in an article published last week. The article also stated: "It is long past time that we stop being their crack dealers." Friedman proposes that the United States stop giving Israel a...