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The world is a dangerous place to live; not because of the people who are evil,    but because of the people who don't do anything about it    
Commentary

TitleDescriptionDate
In the Israeli media, a soldier trying to arrest a minor is the victimLeehee Rothschild - +972 - After viral video emerged of a soldier attempting to arrest a Palestinian boy, the Israeli press presents the official army version rather than the accounts of the villagers who saw it all happen [ry]31/8/2015
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AIPAC And The Treaty; An Illustration Of The Demise of DemocracyJoe Clifford - Information Clearing House "August 25, 2015 "Information Clearing House" - The great issue of the day, the approval or rejection of the nuclear treaty with Iran, illustrates the demise of democracy and just how far “democracy” has fallen. The treaty issue can also be used to demonstrate the death of the US Congress as a representative body, as a result of having sold their collective soul to a special interest group, while forsaking the American people." ca for id26/8/2015
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Natalie Portman interviewKaleem Aftab--Black Swan actress talks anti-semitism, learning Hebrew and directorial debut A Tale of Love and Darkness dn23/8/2015
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It`s Time to Admit It. Israeli Policy Is What It Is: Apartheid Bradley Burston--I used to be one of those people who took issue with the label of apartheid as applied to Israel. I was one of those people who could be counted on to argue that, while the country`s settlement and occupation policies were anti-democratic and brutal and slow-dose suicidal, the word apartheid did not apply. I`m not one of those people any more. Not after the last few weeks.dn 23/8/2015
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Wartime Journalism: Mohammed Omer on Gaza Richard Falk--I visited North Vietnam in 1968, and had meetings with its leaders in the midst of the ongoing war, which resulted in receiving the outlines of a proposal for ending the conflict on a basis more favorable to the United States than what was finally negotiated by Henry Kissinger seven years and many deaths later. Because I was among the early anti-war visitors to Hanoi and may have been the first with a combination of academic credentials and some access to American decision-makers there was great journalistic interest inmy experience. I was approached on my return by mainstream journalists from major newspapers and TV networks, especially those who harbored growing doubts about the war, resulting in a series of interviews given prominent media attention for several days.dn22/8/2015
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The right-wing group trying to keep downtown Jerusalem Arab-freeOssnat Sharon--They roam the streets looking for either mixed Jewish-Palestinian couples or lone Arabs, protest at mixed weddings, and hand out racist leaflets. Their leaders are militant and well-organized, exploiting disaffected youth to do the dirty work. An inside look at the far-right group, Lehava, and the Jerusalem activists who are trying to put an end to its violence.dn22/8/2015
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The UnconvertedJudy Maltz--Many are children of Jewish fathers and non-Jewish mothers, largely Russian-speaking immigrants. Some are Jews of choice whose conversions are unrecognized by Israel’s supreme religious authority because the rabbis who signed their certificates either do not measure up to the strict standards of the Chief Rabbinate or operate outside its state-sanctioned system. Others belong to emerging Jewish communities in remote parts of the world that have yet to be recognized by Israel’s gatekeepers, the bureaucrats at the Ministry of Interior. Still others are born Jews with no affiliation who, therefore, have no hometown rabbi to vouch for their lineage. Whatever the case may be, they all consider themselves Jewish.dn22/8/2015
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Israel’s Other Existential Threat Comes From WithinHilik Bar - New York Times - Mr. Netanyahu was right to call for Palestinian recognition of Israel as a Jewish state, but his insistence on such recognition as a precondition was both a ploy and an error. Both states should recognize each other in their sovereign borders — when an agreement is finalized. [bz]22/8/2015
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Gaza, Gulag on the MediterraneanMohammed Omer - New York Times - Radical groups like the Islamic State target the vulnerable and alienated. While some in Gaza are attracted to the jihadist ideology, their numbers are extremely low. The failure of the Islamic State to take root here is partly because of nationalist sentiment and the focus of Palestinian demands for freedom from this remote-control occupation and endless siege. [bz]25/8/2015
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Israeli arms exports under scrutiny amid claims they are `helping to fuel conflict in South Sudan` despite EU embargo Ben Lynfield - The Independent - He and Yair Oron, an Israeli academic, are currently fighting a court battle to obtain the release of all documentation related to what Mr Mack is certain was weapons provision to Rwanda during the genocide from April-July 1994 and to the Serbs in Bosnia from 1991 to 1995.-rh19/8/2015
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Israel’s Torture Method: Force-feedingNeve Gordon - Information Clearing House - By torture, I am referring specifically to the recently passed law legalising force-feeding, which according to the World Medical Association, the Red Cross, and the United Nations, is considered a cruel, inhuman, and degrading treatment or punishment, and a flagrant violation of international law.-rh 19/8/2015
US `concerned` over Israel`s treatment of Arab-Americans at Ben-GurionJPOST.COM STAFF - The Jerusalem Post - According to the US State Department`s website, "many Palestinian nationals or dual nationals seeking to enter via Ben-Gurion have been sent back to the United States upon arrival."-rh 19/8/2015
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Administrative detention being used to push controversial `terror law`Sawsan Khalife’ - +972 - A new bill that paves the way for putting Israeli citizens in administrative detention could one day affect activists, human rights workers, and Palestinian citizens of Israel [ry]17/8/2015
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AIPAC: Headed for Defeat (But That’s Not Why It’s Bad for the Jews)Andrew Levine - CounterPunch - “Zionists, in and out of Israel, have always labored hard to identify anti-Zionism with anti-Semitism. They have so far been unable to make the charge stick; the claim is too much of a howler to survive even casual scrutiny. But with Netanyahu and his lobbies now making full use of all the financial and political resources they can muster, they just might finally make inroads” [ry]17/8/2015
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On the edge of the abyssNahum Barnea--Analysis: Israel is willing to do anything to thwart the nuclear deal with Iran, including publicly threatening Iranian scientists, interfering with the internal affairs of the US, and dividing US Jews; meanwhile, Netanyahu`s mistaken 2002 assessment of Iraq is coming back to haunt him in his battle against Tehran. dn16/8/2015
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Israel’s Arrogance Will Be Its Comeuppance Asher Schechter--The Jewish State has always been somewhat condescending toward Diaspora Jewry, but its recent retreat into itself has become a destructive, dangerous solipsism. dn16/8/2015
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Administrative detention: `Because I said so` rulingTalal Jabari--Administrative detention does not allow the accused to learn the charges against him, and therefore cannot defend himself against it. It’s a sort of parallel universe where due process doesn’t exist, and you go to jail simply because someone said so. dn15/8/2015
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I Stand With Israel`s Threatened President Rivlin. Where Does Netanyahu Stand? Bradley Burston - Haaretz "This is one of the nightmare times. A time when a monster in the West Bank can approach the members of a beautiful family asleep in their beds, and incinerate them. A time when a monster in Jerusalem can encounter a wonderful, hopeful, inspiring, adored young person honoring friends on a Jewish holiday which celebrates love, and slash her to death.A time when Israel`s president can issue a statement of conciliation and consolation to grieving Palestinians in their own language – and be swamped with death threats from Jews." ca 14/8/2015
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Sources: Netanyahu Seeks Gains From Iran Deal Battle He Knows Is LostChemi Shalev - Haaretz "Netanyahu has surrounded himself with likeminded conservatives to the extent that he is blind to the rest of America, one source told me. He is increasingly out of touch with minorities, millennials and liberals, Jewish and otherwise, the source added, which is why it’s so easy for him to discount their influence and to write them off, with potentially disastrous results." ca 14/8/2015
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 What a Week of Extremist Violence Reveals About IsraelJen Marlowe - The Nation -  Duma, West Bank–Eman and Mamoun Dawabsheh’s five children might have burned to death in the early morning hours of July 31, when Israeli settlers snuck into Duma, the West Bank village where they live, and tossed firebombs into their home. Fire entirely decimated the room where the boys usually sleep. The heat of the blaze melted the television that 17-year-old Moatasem sometimes falls asleep watching. Fortunately, the family was in Nablus.-rh12/8/2015
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Israelis lean right toward one-state solutionDaoud Kuttab - Al-Monitor - For years, Palestinians and the international community have been calling for a two-state solution for Israel and Palestine as the most acceptable compromise for the conflict. With the Israelis’ continued rejection of the two-state solution, more and more Palestinians are calling for one secular state in which all citizens have equal rights. But while the Palestinians’ call for a secular state seems to be totally rejected by Israelis, more and more right-wing Israelis are adopting their own version of the one Jewish state.-rh 12/8/2015
A vote for the Iran deal is a vote against warMichael Schaeffer Omer-Man - +972 - One of the strongest arguments against an Israeli attack against Iran, aside from the guaranteed regional war that would follow, was that a preemptive strike could only ever set back Iran’s nuclear program a few years.-rh12/8/2015
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Former Shin Bet head: Jewish terror slow-growing `cancer` in IsraelAkiva Eldar - Al Monitor - "According to Diskin, instead of establishing a Palestinian state in the territories conquered in 1967, “A ’state of Judea’ has been established there, controlled by anarchist ideologies opposed to the state, violent and racist.”" - id 12/8/2015
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Occupation is the real `Jewish terrorism`Samah Salaime - +972 - "I see no difference between the soldiers who remove Palestinians from a pool in order to allow settlers to swim there comfortably, and the settlers who burn and uproot olive trees during harvest time under the supervision of the army, or the settler woman who spits and yells “whore” because she knows that there will be no price to be paid." - id 11/8/2015
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How Israel and Saudi Arabia lost their standing in WashingtonYacov Ben Efrat - Challenge - "He who called on his supporters to go to the polls because "the Arabs are voting in droves," he who promised that no Palestinian state would be established during his term, has contributed significantly to the regional chaos and bears direct responsibility for the warming relations between the US and Iran." - id 11/8/2015
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The Hilltop: A ‘Comic’ Zionist Lie Vacy Vlazna--“To be honest, you know all Israelis are settlers, you know all of Israel is occupied Palestine and every single Israeli city is a settlement.” — Israeli dissident, Miko Peled9/8/2015
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Israel`s culpability in settler violenceSharif Nashashibi--The Israeli government has shed crocodile tears over Friday`s killing by settlers of Palestinian toddler Ali Saad Dawabsheh. dn Much media attention was given to Israeli officials` description of the attack as terrorism, which must be fought "regardless of which side it comes from". That is exactly what the government wanted - its reaction was a PR ploy to portray Israel as the good guy, one that fights terrorism and is a victim of it. 9/8/2015
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Jailing Palestinians for decades won`t stop stone throwingEmily Schaeffer Omer-Man--Instead of imprisoning stone throwers for 20 years, Israelis should push to end the policies that sow despair among Palestinians.dn8/8/2015
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The forgotten massacre of German citizens in GazaEmran Feroz--Germany’s Chancellor Angela Merkel promised to “stand by the side of Israel” as it attacked Gaza during the summer of 2014. Her solidarity with the aggressor included remaining silent as a family of her fellow citizens were massacred. dn8/8/2015
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Israel’s foreign ministry director Dore Gold gets grilled in Los AngelesDanielle Berrin - Jewish Journal if Gold expected this crowd to nod in agreement, he miscalculated. The diversity of opinion quickly became evident in a lively back-and-forth. Why is it, one guest wondered, that the P5+1 sees things so differently from Israel? How could the U.S. and some of our closest allies be so blind?" ca "...7/8/2015
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Hillary Clinton has the answer to BDSDavid Suissa - Jewish Journal "er powerful moral insight couched inside her letter to Saban is that BDS is bad for the Palestinians. That’s right — it’s bad for the very people BDS claims to represent.It’s bad for the Palestinians, and it’s bad for peace. When Clinton says BDS is “not the path to peace,” she is driving a stake through the heart of the movement." ca7/8/2015
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Red Rag column: Krystallnacht Judaism; the Iran agreement; letter to Judge Esther ChayutGideon Spiro - The murder of the baby Ali Dawabshe in the village of Douma, and the danger of death that threatens the rest of the family due to deep burns, as well as the stabbings at the Pride Parade in Jerusalem are the rotten fruit of the Occupation. Based on previous statements from rabbis in the Occupied Territories and right-wing ministers and Knesset Members, I believe that the murderers at Douma received at least implicit blessing in advance from some rabbinical authority. 7/8/2015
Israel jails suspected Jewish extremist without trial following attacksAssociated Press - Israel has jailed a suspected Jewish extremist for six months without trial, expanding a crackdown on militant Jews and deploying a contentious measure typically used for Palestinians suspected of staging attacks.-rh 6/8/2015
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Why the nuclear deal is good for IsraelAvishay Ben Sasson-Gordis - Molad - The agreement between Iran and the P5+1 will determine the future of Iran’s nuclear program for the next few decades. While negotiations were still under way, Netanyahu declared that the deal as it was taking shape spelled an end to the State of Israel. More than a few in the opposition joined in the doomsday predictions. However, senior officials in Israel’s defense establishment hold that the deal would actually reduce the threat posed by Iran, freeing resources to deal with other threats. Conversations with senior security experts indicate that many of them share the view that given the realistic alternatives, the deal is in fact good for Israel’s security.-rh5/8/2015
President Reuven Rivlin address at solidarity rally in Jerusalem`s Zion Square against violence, and promoting toleranceGovernment Press Office News - "These flames cannot be extinguished with posts on Facebook and statements in the media. These flames cannot be extinguished with repression, denial and disregard. Incitement, ridicule, frivolity, laxity and arrogance of the heart, cannot extinguish the fire, but only allow it to burn stronger, with fervor, to spread in all directions, and permeate all walks of life. A blatant disregard for the rule of law, for human dignity, for a love of mankind, for a love of Israel, and freedom of opinion, has spread within us and is wreaking havoc.-rh5/8/2015
Does Netanyahu`s `Terror is terror` comment really mean anything?Akiva Eldar - Al Monitor - "Though Israeli politicians condemned the murder of a Palestinian toddler, tomorrow they will put this terrorist act behind them and continue to support the Israeli settlers." - id 5/8/2015
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Hatred is killing the foundation of Israel`s existenceNahum Barnea - Ynet - "Freedom of expression is a noble value, the air democracy breathes; but the court has failed to equip democracy with tools to defend itself against those who are using freedom of expression to recruit hate criminals." - id 5/8/2015
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Israel’s Pride Parade Stabbings And The Gay-Rights IntifadaEliora Katz - The Daily Beast - "Last summer it was a war with Gaza; this summer, one glance at the headlines suggests that Israel is at war with herself." - id 5/8/2015
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Do Israelis Still Care About Justice?ETGAR KERET - NYT - "Because the embarrassing truth is that a demonstration against two hate crimes did not get many people out of their homes, definitely not in this especially hot, humid August." - id5/8/2015
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Incinerating Palestinian ChildrenAHMAD MOUSSA - Counterpunch - "...the politics of ‘othering’ will continue to burn us all; making racism and hate crime a floating signifier in permanent continuum; be it the African Americans, the Jews, and now the incremental burning of Palestine and the Palestinians today." - id 4/8/2015
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Israel faces a rise in Jewish terrorismBen Caspit - Al Monitor - "The Douma incident has thoroughly shaken Israel`s society, media, and leadership. Finally, after a long delay, we are calling the enemy by its name — terror, perpetrated by terrorists. Jewish terrorists." - id 4/8/2015
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We`re no better than our enemiesSima Kadmon - Ynet - "We are, we can and we do. Burn children alive, execute murderous, inhuman, incomprehensible terror. And no, we`re no better than them." - id 4/8/2015
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No way to defeat Jewish terrorism without ending the occupationNoam Sheizaf - +972 - For the extreme right, violence against Palestinian civilians is not solely a result of racism — it is, first and foremost, a form of control [ry]3/8/2015
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Why Israel is suddenly owning up to its terrorismDaoud Kuttab - AlJazeera - By calling Friday`s arson attack a terrorist act, the Israelis are hoping to avoid the full force of international law [ry]3/8/2015
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Israeli lawyer: Palestinians `have the right to fight`Al Jazeera--Lea Tsemel discusses the deportation and detention of Palestinians, torture, and discriminatory laws in Israel.dn2/8/2015
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All Talk, No Action Nahum Barnea--Op-ed: The two hate crimes which shocked Israelis over the weekend drew condemnations from all parts of the political spectrum, but it`s unlikely there will be any action to prevent the next attacks.dn2/8/2015
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How the killing of an 18-month-old boy in the West Bank exposed the Israeli authorities failure to stem tide of Jewish extremistsBen Lynfield--Hours after Jewish extremist settlers burned alive Ali Dawabsha, an 18-month-old Palestinian, some in the poor West Bank village of Duma, where some Arabs make a living by working on nearby Israeli settlements, took refuge in their religion.dn2/8/2015
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West Bank murder: Leaders fail to address nature of settler violenceNatasha Roth--The murder of a Palestinian baby has provoked condemnation from Israeli leaders across the political spectrum. Yet the harsh rhetoric masks a consistent failure by the Israeli establishment to understand the endemic nature of this kind of violence.dn2/8/2015
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If the ICC Is to Regain Credibility, It Must Investigate Israeli War Crimes in GazaAudrey Bomse and Azadeh Shahshahani--[To be clear, Israel is not the only liable party. Any investigation into war crimes and crimes against humanity committed by Israeli officials should also look into whether U.S. officials aided and abetted these crimes. The U.S. Congress, Presidents George W. Bush and Barack Obama and key members of their administrations — who provided financial assistance, weapons and other military support to Israel — were all aiders and abettors of Israel’s crimes in the Gaza Strip. For example, on July 20, 2014, in the midst of its offensive in Gaza, Israel, apparently running short on military supplies, requested additional ammunition, including 140-mm tank rounds and 40-mm illumination grenades from the United States. Three days later, the U.S. Defense Department authorized the transfer of munitions stored in Israel to the Israeli authorities. In early August, Congress passed an appropriation of $225 million for Israel’s Iron Dome missile defense system without a debate; Obama immediately signed the bill. Greta Berlin]1/8/2015
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Israel’s hawks can`t dodge blame for this day of violenceJonathan Freedland--Two bloody attacks in 24 hours have laid bare a culture of impunity – and deep internal divisions. dn1/8/2015
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Setting the region on fireEli Aminov - AIC - The current situation is reminiscent of Israeli and American actions on the eve of the 1973 Middle East war [ry]31/8/2015
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Israel’s destruction of Mamilla cemetery part of effort to remove Palestine from Jerusalem Pablo Castellani and Chiara Cruciati--Mamilla cemetery does not exist anymore. What exists now is a hotel, a school, a parking lot, a public garden, a nightclub and the US consulate. Also a museum to celebrate tolerance. But the meaning of tolerance in West Jerusalem, a few steps away from the Old City, is surreal — to build the story of a new Jerusalem, the Israeli authorities are erasing its past. Mamilla cemetery is a prominent cornerstone of the Arab, Islamic and Palestinian identity of the city. But today it’s a forgotten place. dn30/8/2015
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Why a pro-settler group wants to talk about ISISYonathan Mizrahi--An Israeli group working in the East Jerusalem neighborhood of Silwan is presenting ISIS destruction of antiquities as a cautionary tale for its own struggle with Palestinians.dn30/8/2015
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Israel to Remove Jordan Valley Settlers Farming Private Palestinian Land Chaim Levinson--The Defense Ministry’s Civil Administration is planning to evacuate settlers from more than 5,000 dunams (1,250 acres) of private Palestinian farmlands in the Jordan Valley, Haaretz has learned. In recent weeks a Civil Administration team has begun negotiating with the settlers on the compensation they would be paid for their evacuation. [Palestinians receive no compensation for their stolen lands. dn]30/8/2015
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The Molten Three: Israel’s Aborted Strike on IranUri Avnery--Now I admire all three. More than that, I am deeply grateful to all three. What has brought about such a profound change? It was caused by another former army Chief of Staff, Ehud Barak. dn 30/8/2015
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The Problem With Netanyahu`s Response to Jewish TerrorJJ Goldberg--There were 12 of them: nine members of the Irgun and three from the Stern Group, or Lehi. Two were hanged for assassinating the British minister Lord Moyne in Cairo in 1945. One unsuccessfully attacked an Arab civilian bus in the Galilee in 1938. Three participated in the 1947 Acre prison break. The rest attacked British security personnel.dn9/8/2015
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Signs of Regression: Canada’s NDP and Palestine Dan Freeman-Maloy--A friend recently expressed his confusion about the outrage over the death of Ali Dawabsheh, the 18-month-old Palestinian toddler who was killed last month when Jewish settlers firebombed his home in the occupied West Bank. (The child’s father was also badly burned in the attack, and eight days later died from his injuries.) An attack that kills a sleeping toddler is surely horrific. But Israeli violence against Palestinian children is an aspect of the Palestine conflict almost as central as the perpetuation of historical lies through the force of repetition. What is it then, in the Israeli and Western public arena, that makes the assault on Palestinian life sometimes seem outrageous, and at other times acceptable? dn30/8/2015
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Bedouin Town Rewrites the Rules by Developing Infrastructure and Business Meirav Arlosoroff--Led by a dynamic PhD chemist, the Negev town of Hura scores high on the socioeconomic scale. `Instead of whining, we need to see how we change the facts,` he says. dn29/8/2015
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Hiroshima and MoreMazin Qumsiyeh--Kumbunwa and thank you for this invitation. It is a special honor for me to visit Japan. Here in Hiroshima we are most reminded of the horrors of war. Here we have a chance to reflect on the fact that there is no “good war”. We are reminded that nations do not win or lose wars. Wars cause the suffering of common people and makes rich people richer. Money wins wars, people lose wars. That is why President Eisenhauer warned about the power of the military-industrial complex. dn9/8/2015
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