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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
The Match That Will Ignite a Third Intifada in Israel Is Already Lit David Rosenberg - Haaretz "Israel probably came closer to a third intifada this week than any time since the second one wound down 12 years ago – and not because of the role of religion in sparking the violence. It’s because of the dangerous economic backdrop.Religion and economics are two factors in the Israeli-Palestinian conflict that routinely get short shrift." ca 28/7/2017
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Attorney indicts embassy killer, urges trial under int’l lawThe Jordan Times - "Attorney General Judge Akram Masaadeh on Thursday announced the end of the investigation in the killings of the two Jordanian citizens Mohammad Jawawdeh and Bashar Kamel Hamarneh, which took place at the Israeli embassy in Amman, according to the Jordan News Agency, Petra. Masaadeh said that the Public Prosecution indicted the murderer, named Ziv, with both the murder of more than one person in violation of Article 27/3 of the Jordanian Penal Code, and the possession of a firearm without a licence contrary to Articles 3, 4 and 11/D of the Firearms and Ammunition Law No. 54 of 1952 after the investigations clarified that Ziv is the murderer." ca 28/7/2017
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Forget Al Jazeera — Bibi should halt his own government`s incitementEdo Konrad - +972 "Netanyahu is calling to shut down Al Jazeera’s Jerusalem bureau, accusing the station of incitement to violence amid tensions over the Temple Mount. Has he heard what his own ministers have been saying recently?" ca28/7/2017
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Why Israel censored reporting on the Jordan embassy shootingDeutsche Welle - According to Israel`s government, an Israeli security guard opened fire after a 17-year-old Jordanian, who had entered the embassy complex to replace furniture, attacked him with a screwdriver. Israeli embassy compound in Jordan hit by deadly attack But reports on Jordanian media suggest that it wasn`t the Jordanian workman who attacked the guard, but that he himself was shot by the guard during an argument between the two. Although there was no official gag order issued by the court, the Israeli Military Censor did not allow the incident to be published on local media - a rule all media outlets in the county are bound to when reporting about security issues.-rh26/7/2017
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Netanyahu`s dangerous delusionAkiva Eldar - Al-Monitor - "Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and the right remain under the delusion that they can sustain the occupation at no cost to Israel." - id 26/7/2017
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Amman embassy shooting was just what Netanyahu needed Nahum Barnea - Ynet - "While the incident at the Israeli embassy compound cost two Jordanian citizens their lives, it provided the prime minister with a way out of the metal detector fiasco. Instead of strengthening Israeli sovereignty at the Temple Mount, the government demonstrated to the entire world that Israel is not the landlord there." - id 26/7/2017
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How the world missed a week of Palestinian civil disobedienceEdo Konrad - +972 - "“The decision to boycott the metal detectors and refrain from going up to Al-Aqsa, the continuous stream of people to the gates of the compound, the mass prayers, all of these are a form of civil disobedience. And as such, it is a legitimate form of protest — whether or not we agree with it.”" - id 26/7/2017
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Senior Israeli gov’t minister warns Palestinians of ‘third Nakba’Michael Schaeffer Omer-Man - +972 - "Tzachi Hanegbi, a close ally of Netanyahu, threatens Palestinians with mass expulsion and ethnic cleansing in response to the latest round of violence." - id 26/7/2017
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Official Jordanian Account of Killings by Shin Bet Agent Dramatically Contradicts Israel’sRichard Silverstein - Tikun Olam - "Given the outrageous abuse of truth and facts of Israeli officials and security personnel in past instances, it’s highly likely that the Jordanian account is, if not fully accurate, closer to what actually happened." -id26/7/2017
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Playing with fire: Israel’s sweeping disregard for the wellbeing and security of East Jerusalem residents has led to four fatalities and dozens of injuries, and disrupted the lives of tens of thousands of residentsB`tselem press release - The harsh measures following the 14 July killing of two Border Police officers by three Israeli citizens led to harsh consequences: four Palestinians were killed and over one hundred demonstrators were injured by police. A few hours after the incidents of 21 July in Jerusalem, a Palestinian perpetrated a stabbing attack in the settlement of Halamish, killing three Israeli civilians and injuring another. [bz]25/7/2017
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Why the metal detectors at Al-Aqsa are such a big dealNoa Levy - +972 - Palestinians aren’t against security measures at the Al-Aqsa compound — they are against changing the delicate status quo at one of Islam’s holiest sites [ry]24/7/2017
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The Story Behind the Jerusalem Attack: How Trump and Netanyahu Pushed Palestinians to A CornerRamzy Baroud - CounterPunch - “Not only is the US abandoning its self-tailored role as a ‘peace broker’ between Israel and the Palestinian leadership, but it is sending a clear signal to Israel that there can be no pressure on Israel regarding the status of Jerusalem” [ry]24/7/2017
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PFLP slams Hamas, Fatah for putting politics over lives of Palestinians in GazaMa`an News Agency - "The Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine (PFLP) a left- wing Palestinian political faction, released statements on Thursday, criticizing both the Hamas and Fatah movements for the ongoing punitive measures that the two factions have taken against each other in recent weeks amidst a deepening political crisis." ca21/7/2017
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Abe, Izzy & Bibi Uri Avnery - The holy church in Nazareth is located in Israel, but it does not "belong" to Israel. The graves of holy Jewish rabbis in Russia or Egypt do not belong to Israel. UNESCO did not say that the Machpelah-al-Haram al-Ibrahim site belongs to the Palestinians. It said that it is located in Palestine.[bz]15/7/2017
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Al-Jazeera journalists: `This isn`t the first time we`ve come under threat`Emma Graham-Harrison and Graham Ruddick - The Guadian - Over two decades, the Doha-based channel has transformed the media environment in the Gulf, at some point angering almost every power in a region with very few democracies and no tradition of independent media. “We are used to being under the cosh, because of the unique nature of al- Jazeera as the first independent media organisation in a region filled with propaganda channels,” said Elshayyal. His channel, award-winning and internationally recognised, is not the main target of the blockade. Its sister channel, al-Jazeera Arabic, which reaches far wider audiences and has more controversial coverage, is widely believed to be the real focus.-rh12/7/2017
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Israeli Court in Abu Khdeir Case: “Jewish terrorism is different from Arab terrorism”IMEMC news - The Israeli High Court ruled Tuesday that three Jewish Israelis convicted of kidnapping, torturing and brutally murdering a Palestinian teenager by setting him on fire should not have their homes demolished. The Court noted that “Jewish terrorism is different from Arab terrorism”, and the collective punishment measures used against the families of Palestinians who commit violence should not be used against Jewish Israelis who commit acts of political violence.-rh12/7/2017
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Israel should stop trying to wall out its criticsEditorial - Los Angeles Times - here are many reasons people may be barred from entering the state of Israel. If they present a risk of criminal or terrorist activity, for instance. If they tell lies at the border or don’t cooperate with border officials. If they’re suspected of trying to immigrate illegally. But now Israel has added a new rule — to implement a noxious law passed by the Knesset in March — requiring border authorities to refuse entry also to people who have publicly supported a boycott of the country. These visitors would be turned away not because they are suspected of a crime or pose a security risk, but because they have expressed an opinion in favor of a nonviolent protest movement that is unpopular in the country.-rh12/7/2017
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Palestinians hope UN ruling will improve life in Hebron : West Bank residents welcome decision to recognise Hebron`s Old City as World Heritage Site.Nigel Wilson - Aljazeera - Twelve states on UNESCO`s World Heritage committee voted in favour of the Palestinian proposal to name the city a heritage site, while three countries voted against the move and six abstained. The proposal was accepted despite intense lobbying from Israel and the United States to prevent the resolution from passing. Israel reacted furiously to the decision and announced it would cut $1m in funding to the UN that would be diverted to Israeli cultural projects in Hebron. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu called it "another delusional decision by UNESCO" and charged that by naming it a Palestinian heritage site, UNESCO had denied Jewish ties to the site.-rh 12/7/2017
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Why Palestine is Still the IssueJohn Pilger - CounterPunch - "What enrages those who colonise and occupy, steal and oppress, vandalise and defile is the victims’ refusal to comply. And this is the tribute we all should pay the Palestinians. They refuse to comply. They go on. They wait – until they fight again. And they do so even when those governing them collaborate with their oppressors." - id 12/7/2017
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Israel-Hamas prisoner exchange deal `closer than ever`Shlomi Eldar - Al-Monitor - "According to the source, now that Dahlan has become Gaza and Hamas’ possible savior through his attempts to save the Strip from total collapse, an Egyptian effort is also underway to seal an overall deal that both Israel and Hamas can accept." - id 12/7/2017
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Israeli Minister Calls UNESCO Recognition of Hebron as World Heritage Site, “Holocaust Denial”Richard Silverstein - Tikun Olam - "Not to be outdone, Naftali Bennett, whose political brand should be, “The Settlers’ Friend,” likened the UNESCO decision to false statements attributed to Iran’s Grand Ayatollah Khamenei: “It’s disappointing and embarrassing to see UNESCO denying history and distorting reality time after time to knowingly serve those who try to wipe the Jewish state off the map.“" - id12/7/2017
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Eyeless in Gaza Uri Avnery - Gush Shalom - "I couldn`t stop thinking about them during last week`s terrible heat wave, about the people languishing in awful conditions, without electricity and air conditioning, without clean water, without medicines for the sick." - id12/7/2017
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The Price of the Occupation (2)Amos Gvirtz - Classic Zionism (also: "Existential Zionism") established the state, through a combination of the immense efforts of its followers and the understanding that the support of the superpowers was crucial both for the establishment of the state and for its continued existence. Zealous Zionism overwhelmingly believes in the existence of an omnipotent God on whom the existence of the state is based. (...) We see how a small minority has begun a process of imposing its ideology and turning existential Zionism into Zealous Zionism thereby preventing any possibility of peace and placing the existence of Israel and the Jewish people at risk. [bz]11/7/2017
Hebron is not on the Moon (re the UNESCO resolution)Odeh Bisharat - Haaretz - Israeli leaders rage against `anti- Semitic` UNESCO resolution on Hebron. I am grateful to blogger Idan Landau. He simply devoted a few minutes to reading a text a few lines long, rather than rely on the government or the mainstream Israeli media to tell him what UNESCO decided. UNESCO’s decision simply recognized the Old City of Hebron (Al-Khalil) and the Ibrahimi Mosque (Tomb of the Patriarchs) as a world heritage site holy to three faiths. Since this new world heritage site is not located on the moon, but in the State of Palestine (which has already been recognized by the world), the location noted in parentheses is - Palestine. And that’s what all the fuss is about. [ak] 11/7/2017
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Soros, Bannon, and the anti-Semitism of Israel`s prime ministerEdo Konrad - +972 - Instead of defending George Soros from Hungary’s anti-Semitism, Benjamin Netanyahu, the self-appointed protector of world Jewry, has taken to joining the attack and ignoring calls by Hungarian Jews to cancel his visit to Hungary next week. [bz] 11/7/2017
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If I won’t toe the line of supremacist ideology, I can be no part of Israeli society.Ofer Neiman - Mondoweiss - A few years ago I taught a course at an engineering college in central Israel. The content was entirely technical, so of course politics never came up. But one week, I noticed that very few students showed up. And one who did come was flaunting an army beret—unusual for someone out of uniform. When my student feedback came in after the term, one student was bold enough to write “This guy is against Israel, so I stopped going to class.” I realized the students probably learned about me from Facebook pages that post photos of “traitors.” This kind of ostracism is standard for Israeli citizens who realize that our regime practices colonialism, apartheid and even a slow genocide (Gaza). [bz] 11/7/2017
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There`s nothing anti-Semitic about UNESCO`s Hebron voteOrly Noy - +972 - Israel’s leaders are essentially trying to convince the world that anyone who recognizes Palestine is anti-Semitic [ry]10/7/2017
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The myth of a `Palestinian economy` Nur Arafeh - Al Jazeera "viewing economic development as the horse and a just peace as the cart only exacerbates the political deadlock, since the symptom - economic deprivation - is mistaken for the cause: Israel`s occupation and military rule.Moreover, this approach disconnects the economy from its historical context and obscures the fact that the "Palestinian economy" is a political construct embedded in Israel`s occupation policies, which aim to expropriate Palestinian land and expand a Jewish state - while dominating the "Palestinian economy" in the process." ca 7/7/2017
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Hamas turns to IranShlomi Eldar - Al-Monitor "An Israeli security source who listened closely to Haniyeh’s speech told Al-Monitor that the Hamas leader — formerly viewed as pragmatic — now embraces the most radical policies of the movement. Even more than that: Haniyeh has fallen captive to Hamas’ military wing only so that he can survive as the movement’s leader." ca 7/7/2017
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The real reason Hamas is flirting with dismissed Fatah leader Adnan Abu Amer - Al-Monitor - Although Hamas is aware of Dahlan’s regional and international relations and regardless of the political rivalry between the two, the aggravating humanitarian disaster in Gaza may prompt the movement to turn a blind eye to the negative aspects of the rapprochement in order to overcome this harsh phase with as little damage as possible. Today, Hamas’ most important mission is to positively promote its connection with Dahlan within the movement as it believes he may use UAE funding to help improve the living situation in Gaza and ease the Israeli blockade on Gaza thanks to his close relations with Egypt and Israel.-rh 5/7/2017
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Bonanza for Palestinian businesses as Ramadan travel permits canceled Daoud Kuttab - Al-Monitor - Although not expected or planned, the change in Palestinian plans due to the Israeli cancellation of the travel permits reveals a long-standing claim that the permits are issued during holidays to benefit Israeli businesses and resorts.-rh 5/7/2017
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Why it is critical to focus on AljazeeraRami G. Khouri - Agence Global - Aljazeera gained immense, instant popularity across the region because it responded to a very basic human instinct that Arab governments had denied three generations of their citizens: the capacity to live as a full human being, able to speak one’s mind, hear a variety of other people’s views, learn about the real world as it actually is, debate ideas, experience new cultural expressions, and question in public how one’s society was developing and being managed. A foundational element of human dignity is to be treated with respect as a rational, thinking, feeling individual — rather than as cattle to be herded, or a robot to be programmed.-rh5/7/2017
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How Israel’s education minister inserts ideology into schoolsAkiva Eldar - Al-Monitor - "The country’s children are under his control as minister of education. When those children who prayed for the coming of a third temple are old enough to vote, Bennett will only be in his early 50s. With the help of wealthy Uncle Shel (Adelson) from Las Vegas, money will be no object, either." - id 5/7/2017
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Abbas Incensed With Kushner, After He Fully Adopts Israeli Talking PointsRichard Silverstein - Tikun Olam - "Bibi Netanyahu has proven himself masterful at drowning every U.S. effort at brokering Israeli-Palestinian peace talks in minutiae.  Then, when he can’t manipulate matters any further and has derived maximum benefit for Israel’s negotiating position, as he did during John Kerry’s shuttle diplomacy, he simply says No and walks away." - id5/7/2017
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Israel `playing with fire` on Hamas prisoner issueShlomi Eldar - Al-Monitor - The freezing of family visits comes a month after prisoners halted a hunger strike among other things about the number of family visits. (...) the atmosphere in Gaza feels like war is imminent. It’s not just the prisoner issue. It’s a sense that residents mired in such shameful poverty and horrible suffering have nothing to lose. [bz] 4/7/2017
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Yakov Rabkin’s devastating critique of Zionism: it is opposed to Jewish tradition and liberalismPhilip Weiss - Mondoweiss - Jewish secular identity acquired a socio-cultural dimension: those who consciously rejected Judaism could preserve, at least for a while, a specific language (Yiddish), and a few cultural markers. This new identity was conjugated in a wide range of political options, often of socialist or nationalist inspiration. By consummating the break with tradition, the concept of the secular Jew, at variance with the traditional Jewish vision, made it possible to redefine the Jews as a “normal people” and thus became the cornerstone of Zionism. [ak]4/7/2017
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Israeli judiciary’s double standard on Jewish, Arab terroristsAkiva Eldar - Al-Monitor - "The latest attack is a warning that absent a fair arrangement with the Palestinians, the Temple Mount could erupt overnight, and its red-hot spewing lava will not stop at Umm al-Fahm." - id 19/7/2017
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BREAKING: Israeli Arrests United Nations Official in Gaza…AgainRichard Silverstein - Tikun Olam - "The news is under gag order in Israel and no media there may report the story.  This conveniently insulates the Israeli public from the news that their supposedly democratic nation has arrested human rights personnel from the most reputable NGO in the world." - id19/7/2017
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Essential for UNESCO to put Hebron on endangered heritage listRay Hanania - The Arab Daily News - "Israel’s fanatic settler movement and its extremist government continue to push Holy Land heritage sites to the edge of destruction through their racist policies that discriminate against Christians and Muslims. It is important that UNESCO has placed Hebron on its endangered heritage list, regardless of the political lies of Israel’s officials or America’s racist UN Ambassador Nikki Haley." - id 19/7/2017
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Our pal Mohammad Dahlan returns to the frayYacov Ben Efrat - Challenge - "Hope for peace lies in Palestinians who aspire to freedom and equality, and in those Israelis who understand that peace cannot be made between corrupt regimes, but only between Palestinians and Israelis sharing one common goal – a life of peace, democracy, and social justice." - id 19/7/2017
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Red Rag column - the blood bank overflowsGideon Spiro - Netanyahu’s blood-drenched government succeeded in provoking Palestinians by installing metal-detecting devices at the Mosques Compound in Jerusalem. It was clear that this provocation would lead to mass protest demonstrations, which would exact a high price in blood. gm31/7/2017
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