Israel calls demolition report 'incorrect'
BETHLEHEM (Ma‘an) 23 June -- Israel's Civil Administration lashed out Wednesday night, calling a rights group report "incorrect and misleading," in its claim that home demolitions had spiked alarmingly in 2011. Israeli rights group B'Tselem had published a document saying more homes had been demolished in the first six months of 2011 than in the 12 months of the year before.http://www.maannews.net/eng/ViewDetails.aspx?ID=399120
IOA orders destruction of Jerusalem home
OCCUPIED JERUSALEM (PIC) 23 June -- An Israeli court issued a ruling Wednesday in favor of destroying the home of Wael al-Razem in the Wadi Yasul neighborhood of Jerusalem’s Silwan district, claiming the home was built without license. The family of eight, most of whom are children, was given until the middle of July to evacuate.
http://www.palestine-info.co.uk/En/default.aspx?xyz=U6Qq7k%2bcIsraeli soldiers shoot, severely beat Palestinian
JERUSALEM (WAFA) 23 June -- Israeli police are detaining Palestinian man Ahmed Ali Mahmoud, 36, in Shaare Zedek hospital west of Jerusalem, despite his injury with live bullets and bruises to his head after an assault by Israeli soldiers yesterday in Al-Issawiya town in Jerusalem. Mahmoud’s family said his condition is stable after he was shot with a live bullet in his leg, and that he is suffering from wounds and bruises to his face, yet Israeli police continue to bind his hands and feet. http://english.wafa.ps/index.php?action=detail&id=16523
Jerusalem Arab housing plan blocked by political right
IMEMC 23 June -- A plan to build 2,500 Arab housing units in East Jerusalem was stopped by right-wing pressure groups and Haredi city council members on the grounds that it was "politically dangerous" and "poorly conceived." Jerusalem Mayor Nir Barkat had proposed a construction plan for 2,500 houses on private land in southern East Jerusalem. The vote was canceled on Monday because it was clear that it had no chance of passing. http://www.imemc.org/article/61529
High Court rules Be'er Sheva mosque to be used as Islamic museum
Haaretz 23 June -- Court rules that the mosque won't be able to be used for prayer, but rejects Be'er Sheva municipality request to turn it into a [general] museum. A petition on the issue was submitted to the court by the Adalah Legal Center for Arab Minority Rights in Israel in 2002. The petition requests that the mosque be once again used as a house of worship, which it was until the War of Independence in 1948 ... The struggle to have the mosque used for prayer has been going on since the '70s, but the municipality has continuously refused the request -- announcing instead their intention to turn it into a museum. Muslim residents of Be'er Sheva as well as Bedouin living nearby have been prevented from praying in the mosque, despite repeated requests to do so.http://www.haaretz.com/news/national/high-court-rules-be-er-sheva-mosque-to-be-used-as-islamic-museum-1.369278
Jordan Valley families left homeless
JERICHO (Ma‘an) 23 June -- "The big soldier wouldn’t speak to me. He just said ‘This is my job, sit down and shut up’," the newly homeless Ralia Darraghmeh, a diabetes sufferer in her sixties, said of the one of the crew who had come to demolish her home Tuesday morning. She was sitting alone, crying, in Khirbet Yarza, a tiny Bedouin hamlet, as her tin home was taken down by order of Israel's Civil Administration, which governs planning and permit issuing in the 60 percent of the West Bank categorized as Area C under the 1993 Oslo Accords. http://www.maannews.net/eng/ViewDetails.aspx?ID=399134
Activism / Solidarity
IDF takes down Bil‘in fence
Ynet 22 June -- Three and a half years after Supreme Court ruled fence was illegal, IDF begins to take down controversial barrier ... The length of fence set to be removed from Bil‘in is 2.7 kilometers long. The new route which is set to replace the existing fence is 3.2 kilometers long, mostly a cement wall, due to the proximity to Modiin Elite and fears of gunfire from the Palestinian side at Israel. The new route will mean that 700 dunums of land will be given back to the Palestinians, but the fact that 60% of the lands were expropriated to begin with means that the conflict still stands.http://www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7340,L-4085986,00.html
Video: Israeli army begins dismantling the Wall in Bil‘in
http://www.bilin-village.org/english/videos/8654-Israeli-army-begins-dismantling-the-Wall-in-Bilin
Israeli court sentences Palestinian teen to 6 months
WAFA 23 June -- An Israeli court in Ofer military camp near Ramallah Monday sentenced Amjad Abu Rahmeh, 15, from the village of Bil‘in to six months in prison after it found him guilty of participation in the weekly village demonstration. Abu Rahmeh had been in detention for four months before the court had passed its sentence.http://www.bilin-village.org/english/articles/press-and-independent-media/Israeli-Court-Sentences-Palestinian-Teen-to-6-Months
Soldiers attack nonviolent protest near Ramallah
Ramallah - Ghassan Bannoura - PNN Exclusive 22 June -- Israeli soldiers attacked on Wednesday a non-violent protest organized by the villagers of Deir Qadis, west of the central West Bank city of Ramallah ... Nilli settlement was constructed in 1984 by the State of Israel, on land that belongs to local farmers from Deir Qadis. Recently, the Israeli state decided to confiscate 125 acres of land from local farmers to expand Nilli. Today, protesters managed to stop bulldozers from working, at which point a private security guard fired live rounds at them while Israeli soldiers fired tear gas. Many were treated for the effects of tear gas inhalation, while tear gas bombs caused a fire that damaged nearby olive crops and farmlands ... Yesterday, villagers of Deir Qadis held a similar protest at the same location which the Israeli troops attacked with tear gas, causing fires that almost reached people's homes.http://english.pnn.ps/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=10300&Itemid=56
Detention
Netanyahu: Israel to toughen conditions of Palestinian prisoners
Haaretz 23 June -- Prime minister announces that Israel will stop giving benefits to terrorists such as enrollment in academic studies, says 'the celebration is over.'
http://www.haaretz.com/news/diplomacy-defense/netanyahu-israel-to-toughen-conditions-of-palestinian-prisoners-1.369269
Rights group: Israel's minor prisoners must be given broader attention
RAMALLAH, (PIC) 23 June -- The inhumane conditions of Palestinian minors held in Israeli prisons must be given broader attention, said the Center for Defense of Liberties and Civil Rights. This came in a report the rights center issued on Wednesday after it dispatched its legal expert for a visit to Israel’s Rimonim prison where she met with several minors. During the interview, the minors expressed strong discontent of the length of delays in court hearings, particularly those who expected to receive light sentences.http://www.palestine-info.co.uk/En/default.aspx?xyz=U6Qq7k%2bcO
8 detained by Israeli in overnight raids
NABLUS (Ma‘an) 23 June -- A young Palestinian from Madama village south of Nablus was one of eight detained during overnight raids Thursday morning, the Israeli military said. Head of the Madama village council Ihab Al-Qit said soldiers detained Asadallah Wajih Al-Qit, 21, after raiding his house in the village. The other seven have not yet been identified. http://www.maannews.net/eng/ViewDetails.aspx?ID=399162
Red lights across district in memory of prisoners
GAZA CITY (Ma‘an) 23 June -- Traffic will grind to a halt as traffic lights switch to red for five minutes at noon on Thursday across the West Bank and Gaza Strip, according to a call by the Prisoners Center for Studies. The action is in support of all ill and aging Palestinian detainees in Israeli jails, and is part of an effort to promote the issue among leaders from a popular level. Center director Ra‘fat Hamdoona said more creativity must be channeled to raising awareness of the situation of prisoners, as weekly protests in front of the Red Cross headquarters have become a "routine that needs to be changed."http://www.maannews.net/eng/ViewDetails.aspx?ID=399133
Hamas rejects Red Cross demand to prove Shalit is alive
Reuters 23 June -- Hamas spokesman says the aid group should focus on ending the suffering of Palestinian prisoners instead of getting 'involved in Israeli security games' to reach the captured IDF soldier.http://www.haaretz.com/news/diplomacy-defense/hamas-rejects-red-cross-demand-to-prove-shalit-is-alive-1.369250
Gaza
Gaza's children march against child labour
[photos] MEMO 23 June -- On Wednesday, children marched in the streets of Gaza to draw attention to their internationally recognised rights which are being violated with the on-going siege. They demanded recognition of their right to education, to live without fear for their lives and to have a decent standard of living enjoyed by children elsewhere. A large number of Palestinian children in Gaza drop out of school due to hardships brought on by the five-year blockade of the territory. Many have been forced to enter the job market in factories because of the high cost of living and loss of family members who had been the main breadwinners.
http://www.middleeastmonitor.org.uk/news/middle-east/2504-gazas-children-march-against-child-labour
Israeli navy targets Gazan fishing boats
Gaza Strip, (Pal Telegraph) 23 June -Israeli occupation navy opened massive fire yesterday at Palestinian fishing boats off the shore of Rafah city in the south of Gaza Strip. No casualties were reported. Local sources said that Israeli navy opened fire at Palestinian boats near Rafah shore forcing many fishermen to leave the sea. There are nearly 3500 Palestinian fishermen who are exposed to daily attacks and harassments from Israeli gunboatshttp://www.paltelegraph.com/palestine/gaza-strip/9481-israeli-navy-targets-gazan-fishing-boats.html
The first government school for the deaf opens in Palestine
Gaza – Osama Awad – PNN Exclusive 22 June -- The first government school for deaf people was opened in Gaza today ... In a phone call with PNN Abu Shaqer said that the ministry has been looking for years to build this school, adding that this is the first high school that will enable deaf people to finish their basic education rather than leaving school after the 9th grade, as conditions were previously.http://english.pnn.ps/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=10301&Itemid=63
300 loads of goods set to enter Gaza via Israel
GAZA CITY (Ma‘an) 23 June -- Israeli crossings officials said they would permit 300 truckloads of commercial goods, humanitarian aid and limited construction materials into the Gaza Strip on Thursday. http://www.maannews.net/eng/ViewDetails.aspx?ID=399085
Flotilla
Hamas: Israel will not end siege; flotilla should sail
GAZA CITY (Ma‘an) 23 June -- Hamas urged organizers of the Freedom Flotilla II to push ahead with plans to sail to Gaza and break Israel's siege "despite threats," a statement from the party's spokesman said Thursday. The party gave its endorsement to the convoy of 10 international ships, saying it considered them as acting within the law in their attempt to break a siege that international rights groups and UN missions have called illegal. Speaking for the party, spokesman Sami Abu Zuhri said the flotilla - which plans to sail during the last week of June with a cargo of aid and activists - was essential, since Israel had demonstrated that "it never keeps its promises regarding the lifting or easing of the blockade" on Gaza. http://www.maannews.net/eng/ViewDetails.aspx?ID=399193
US: Don't go to Gaza by sea
Ynet 23 June -- The United States updated a travel warning urging Americans to refrain from traveling to the Gaza Strip by sea and emphasizing risks, including a possible 10-year travel ban to Israel. http://www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7340,L-4086021,00.html
UN envoy says Israel ready to intercept Gaza-bound flotilla
UNITED NATIONS (AFP) 23 June -- Israel is prepared to intercept a flotilla seeking to breach Israel's naval blockade of the Gaza Strip, the country's UN ambassador warned Thursday. "Israel is determined to stop the flotilla," UN envoy Ron Prosor said, as preparations were underway for about 10 ships to embark later this month to Gaza to protest the longstanding Israeli blockade on the Palestinian territory.http://www.maannews.net/eng/ViewDetails.aspx?ID=399388
Author Alice Walker to take part in Gaza flotilla despite US warning
Haaretz 23 June -- The celebrated poet and novelist wrote a special piece for CNN, outlining her intention to bring letters to the people of Gaza 'expressing solidarity and love.' ... Her letter goes on to talk about the brave "followers of Gandhi," and the "Jewish civil rights activists" who stood side by side with blacks in America's South and places her current "mission" within this context. .
http://www.haaretz.com/news/diplomacy-defense/author-alice-walker-to-take-part-in-gaza-flotilla-despite-u-s-warning-1.369262
German Left Party bars MPs from joining Gaza flotilla
BERLIN (JPost) 23 June -- The German Left Party earlier this month issued a resolution prohibiting its Bundestag deputies from participating in the Gaza Flotilla slated for late June and intended to break Israel’s blockade of the Hamas-controlled Gaza Strip. Billed as a resolution that would end the criticism that the Left Party is fundamentally anti-Israel and anti-Semitic, the resolution failed to impress the head of Germany’s Jewish communityhttp://www.jpost.com/International/Article.aspx?id=226170
Knesset: Zoabi sanctions proportional
Ynet 22 June -- Measures aim to stop Arab MK from participating in 'illegitimate' activities, Knesset legal advisor says ... The Knesset decided in July to take away Zoabi's diplomatic passport, restrict her travel abroad and stop covering her legal fees. The measures came in response to the Knesset member's participation in the Gaza-bound flotilla in May of last year, and her trip to Libya.http://www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7340,L-4085918,00.html
Racism / Discrimination
TA kindergarten to reject migrant kids
Ynet 23 June -- A new kindergarten in Hatikva neighborhood in Tel Aviv has declared that it will have at least one classroom that will not accept foreign workers' children, municipality sources said. The move is unprecedented in Israel. Residents were pleased, as was Gal Sharabi, chairman of the neighborhood committee.http://www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7340,L-4086242,00.html
Israel policy myth #2: Separation between Arabs and Jews is not racist / Roi Maor
972mag 23 June -- ...Outright racism against Palestinians and Arabs is quite common and widespread in Israel, and it goes beyond animosity generated by the century-long conflict between the two groups. Three-quarters of Israeli Jewish high school students believe that Arabs are not cultured, uneducated, unclean and violent. 69 percent believe they are not smart. Sadly, these beliefs are at least tolerated by the Israeli Jewish establishment. Racist comments by public officials may be condemned by prominent figures, but the racists remain on the state payroll. These attitudes have not resulted in separate lunch counters or water fountains ... Nonetheless, Palestinians and Jews in the territories under Israel’s control live largely separate lives, this separation is maintained through official polices, it is invariably discriminatory towards Palestinians (usually grossly so) and in many cases, feeble excuses notwithstanding, their motivation and intent is clearly racist.http://972mag.com/israel-policy-myth-2-separation-is-not-racist/
Jerusalem mayor's choice of woman deputy could mean clash with Orthodox coalition
Haaretz 22 June -- ...Over the last few days, the threats and counter-threats being hurled by both sides have been escalating. According to city council members, Barkat said he would fire any existing deputy mayor who votes against the appointment. The Haredim, for their part, have threatened to dismantle the municipal coalition. http://www.haaretz.com/print-edition/news/jerusalem-mayor-s-choice-of-woman-deputy-could-mean-clash-with-orthodox-coalition-1.368975
International abduction
Wife of kidnapped Palestinian sues Ukrainian president
KIEV (MEO) 23 June -- The wife of a Palestinian who mysteriously vanished from a Ukrainian night train and resurfaced in an Israeli jail has begun legal action against the Ukrainian president, her lawyer said Thursday. Veronika Abu Sisi filed a suit at a Kiev court on Wednesday accusing President Viktor Yanukovych of inaction in the case of her husband, Gazan engineer Dirar Abu Sisi, who is accused of terrorism in Israel, her lawyer saidhttp://www.middle-east-online.com/english/?id=46905
Political / Diplomatic / International news
Israel PM agrees to return to 1967 borders
BETHLEHEM (Ma‘an) 23 June -- Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has reportedly agreed to peace talks based on 1967 borders on the condition that the Palestinians recognize Israel as a Jewish state and solve the Palestinian refugee issue outside of Israel's borders, Israeli daily Maariv reported today. Netanyahu announced the position to US presidential Middle East adviser Dennis Ross, and acting envoy for the Middle East David Hale, both of whom Netanyahu met with last week, the Israeli paper said.
http://www.maannews.net/eng/ViewDetails.aspx?ID=399393
Israel surveys support for Palestinian state
JERUSALEM (Ma‘an) 23 June -- Israel's foreign ministry estimates under two-thirds of UN member states will recognize a Palestinian state declared in September, and is launching a campaign to keep the number down, Israel Radio reported Thursday. Israeli Foreign Minister Avigdor Lieberman instructed his department to survey the 192 countries in the United Nations, and send Israeli parliamentarians to nations who are yet undecided, the broadcast noted. The study said 118 nations would support the bid. On Wednesday, Israel's Deputy Foreign Minister Danny Ayalon denied that there was any Israeli move to undermine Palestinian diplomatic efforts to gain recognition, in an interview with Ma'an television. However, Ayalon told Israel Radio on Wednesday that trends of mass diplomatic recognition of a Palestinian state had been stemmed. http://www.maannews.net/eng/ViewDetails.aspx?ID=399098
Ashton: Lieberman not able to undo Oslo Accords
BETHLEHEM (Ma‘an) 23 June -- EU foreign affairs chief Catherine Ashton said Israel's foreign minister could not undo the Oslo Accords in response to a Palestinian statehood bid at the UN, in an interview with Israeli daily Haaretz published Thursday. "I'm not sure that it's up to him to declare that Oslo is void really," Ashton said, adding, "I don't accept that Oslo is void, [if] so, it would be a different world." ... Referring to the Palestinian UN bid for statehood, she mentioned in [the interview] that "it will depend very much on what the resolution says as to how the international community in general, and the EU in particular, votes..."http://www.maannews.net/eng/ViewDetails.aspx?ID=399119
Palestinians easing demands for settlement freeze
(AP) 23 June -- A senior Palestinian official said the Palestinians [the PA?] are ready to drop their demand for a complete settlement freeze to get peace talks with Israel back on track ... He spoke on condition of anonymity because no final decisions have been made.http://www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7340,L-4086331,00.html
Hamas candidate: Palestine more important than PM
GAZA CITY (Ma‘an) 23 June -- Independent lawmaker in the Palestinian Legislative Council Jamal Khudari, told Ma‘an Thursday that he is not seeking a political post and will be the first one to congratulate any Palestinian prime minister chosen by consensus ... "Personification of the Prime Minister issue is a dangerous matter and is rejected and harms the national conciliation" he told Ma‘an.http://www.maannews.net/eng/ViewDetails.aspx?ID=399399
Fatah: Hamas violating unity deal
RAMALLAH (Ma‘an) 23 June -- A Fatah spokesman accused Hamas Thursday of being responsible for the current stall in the unity agreement process, and said the Islamist party's preferred candidate was chosen for "factional reasons." Speaking for Fatah, Ahmad Assaf said the candidate Hamas was supporting for the role of prime minister in the new unity government was "away from the interests of the Palestinian people." ... "Jamal Al-Khudari is from Gaza and part of the Muslim Brotherhood which means he is with Hamas" and not an independent candidate as mandated under the Egyptian brokered deal.http://www.maannews.net/eng/ViewDetails.aspx?ID=399264
Council of Europe Assembly head: Palestine may be partner
STRASBOURG, France (AFP) 22 June -- The Palestinian National Council could this year gain "partner for democracy" status at the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe, the Strasbourg-based body said Wednesday. The assembly's Turkish head, Mevlüt Çavuşoğlu, speaking as Morocco gained the same status, said he hoped that "during our next session (in October) we shall also be able to grant the Partner for Democracy status to Palestine and that other countries will soon apply". The Council introduced the new status last year to strengthen cooperation with parliaments of non-member states that wish to participate in debates that transcend European borders.http://www.maannews.net/eng/ViewDetails.aspx?ID=399062
Sha‘ath: Armenia supports Palestinian state
RAMALLAH (Ma‘an) 22 June -- Armenia will be supportive to the Palestinian people’s demands of freedom, independence and statehood, says Nabil Sha‘ath, member of Fatah's central committee. In a statement following a three-day visit to Armenia where he met with the Caucasian country’s minister of defense Edward Nalbandian and other officials, Sha‘ath said he discussed the Palestinian plan to gain UN support for statehood. http://www.maannews.net/eng/ViewDetails.aspx?ID=398974
Sources claim Hezbollah prepared to open front with Israel to relieve pressure on Syrian president
IMEMC 23 June -- Israeli newspapers Haaretz and JPost are claiming that the Lebanese resistance group Hezbollah are gearing up for possible action against Israel in the case that Syrian leader Bashar al Assad's position comes under significant threat, according to sources close to the movement. http://www.imemc.org/article/61533
Other news
Apple pulls '3rd Intifada' app
Ynet 23 June -- Apple Inc announced that it has removed an application called the "The Third Intifada" from its iPads and iPhones App Store. "We removed this app from the App Store because it violates the developer guidelines by being offensive to large groups of people," an Apple spokesman said in a statement. http://www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7340,L-4086049,00.html
Palestine one goal away from making history
JERUSALEM (WAFA) 23 June -- The Palestinian Olympic Team hosts its Bahraini counterpart Thursday in a first ever World Cup qualifying match on Palestinian land, in Faisal al-Husseini stadium in Jerusalem. The game comes in the second leg qualifications for the 2012 London Olympic cup. The match is a historic one for Palestinians as it is the first to be held in Palestine after its recognition by FIFA as a home state. The Palestinian Olympic team has worked hard to secure a win which would enable it to qualify for the third leg of the Olympic cup.http://english.wafa.ps/index.php?action=detail&id=16519
US Consulate General welcomes Al Kamandjati's 'Orchestra Ramallah' for Jerusalem concert
JERUSALEM (WAFA) 23 June - Forty young musicians from refugee camps, villages, and cities throughout the West Bank traveled to Jerusalem on June 22, 2011, for a special concert performance sponsored by the U.S. Consulate General in Jerusalem. Al Kamandjati Association’s “Orchestra Ramallah” performed at Al Hakawati Theater in East Jerusalem as a part of its annual Music Days Festival. The youth orchestra consists of young Palestinians whose love of music inspires them to participate in Al Kamandjati’s rigorous after-school and intensive summer musical training program in Ramallah and throughout the West Bank.http://english.wafa.ps/index.php?action=detail&id=16520
'Traitor' sprayed on left-wing activist's car
Ynet 23 June -- Unknown elements vandalized a car belonging to Hadar Alexander, 31, a left wing activist, in Jerusalem on Thursday. The car's windows were smashed, its tires punctured and the word "traitor" was sprayed on the hood. http://www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7340,L-4086466,00.html
Minister Dan Meridor, why are you appealing a bill to include protest activity in the definition of terror?
Haaretz 23 June -- 'We in Israel have created many beautiful things, but one of the most successful systems, in the face of which most of the world stands dumbfounded, is the Israeli judicial system.'http://www.haaretz.com/print-edition/features/minister-dan-meridor-why-are-you-appealing-a-bill-to-include-protest-activity-in-the-definition-of-terror-1.369185
-- www.TheHeadlines.org
River to Sea
Uprooted Palestinian
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