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| | | RAMADAN MUBARAK | | You are the readers who keep the Palestine Chronicle afloat As the month of Ramadan approaches, Palestinian lands become a hub of activity. However, for all Palestinians, this is also a time of grief, as they remember the Gaza War of 2014 and the untold suffering and deaths it caused. The Palestine Chronicle remained at the helm and heart of situations such as these. While this war marked the intensity of Israeli occupation, news of a colonized Palestine is told daily by the Chronicle to you, our faithful and supportive readers. Indeed, for over 15 years, the Palestine Chronicle has remained a fervent, faithful and tireless voice of the Palestinian people. During this time, this non-profit organization has raised awareness around the Israeli occupation and annexation of Palestine, in the form of news, commentaries, articles, reviews and much more. Our small staff which has only recently been upgraded to a mere five members, is committed to bringing you the most up-to-date news from Palestine, as it labours on for the course of justice, defying oppression and colonization. This small group of committed members have assisted in raising the readership of the Chronicle to an online ranking of fourth on a very competitive scale. Our readership has increased dramatically, in keeping with an increase in articles which are particularly varied, covering numerous facets of Palestinian existence. Furthermore, the Chronicle is translated into French, Arabic, Hebrew, Portuguese, and other languages, making our readership even wider, and the level of news featured is both professional and relevant. Without the commitment of our readers, the Palestine Chronicle would not be able to keep you updated with ground-breaking news and views from Palestine. Without your efforts and contributions, the ceaseless efforts of Palestine Chronicle would be thwarted. It is your donations and contributions that keep the Chronicle motivated and ceaseless in its mission. You make the Chronicle a reality.
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| FEATURED | Israel Wants a Peace Process - But Only If It's Doomed to Fail Netanyahu, it seems, is keen on any peace process, just so long as it's not the current one launched in Paris. (Photo: File) By Jonathan Cook - Nazareth In a familiar muddying of the waters, Israeli prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu has spent the past week talking up peace while fiercely criticizing Friday's summit in France - the only diplomatic initiative on the horizon. As foreign ministers from 29 nations arrived for a one-day meeting in Paris, Netanyahu dusted off the tired argument that any sign of diplomatic support for Palestinians would encourage from them "extreme demands". France hopes the meeting will serve as a prelude to launching a peace process later in the year. French president Francois Hollande said he hoped to achieve a "peace [that] will be solid, sustainable and under international supervision". With astounding chutzpah, Israeli official Dore Gold compared the summit to the "height of colonialism" a century ago, when Britain and France carved up the Middle East between them. He conveniently overlooked the fact that it was the same British colonialism that promised a Jewish "homeland" in place of the native Palestinian population. Earlier, Netanyahu and his new defense minister, the far-right Avigdor Lieberman, had publicly committed themselves to an "unceasing search for a path to peace". In a two-minute interview on CNN, spokesman David Keyes managed to mention the formula "two states for two peoples" no less than five times. Rather than the French initiative, Netanyahu averred, Israelis and Palestinians should be left to engage in the kind of face-to-face talks "without preconditions" that have repeatedly failed. That is because Israel, as the much stronger party, has been able to void them by imposing its own conditions. Netanyahu, it seems, is keen on any peace process, just so long as it's not the current one launched in Paris. Part of the reason for bringing Lieberman into the government was to provide more diplomatic wriggle room. With Lieberman cementing Netanyahu's credentials with the far-right, he is now free to spout vague platitudes about peace knowing that his coalition partners are unlikely to take him at his word and bolt the government. But while the domestic front has been secured, rumbles of dissent reverberate abroad. Europe is increasingly fearful that an emboldened Israeli government may soon annex all or major parts of the West Bank, stymying any hope of creating even a severely truncated Palestinian state. The Paris conference is a sign of the mounting desperation in Europe to restrain Israel. While France is not about to engineer a breakthrough, Netanyahu is nonetheless worried. It is the first time Israel has faced being dragged into talks not presided over by its Washington patron. That risks setting a dangerous precedent. Although US secretary of state John Kerry attended, he was decidedly cool towards the summit. Yet Netanyahu worries that this time Washington may not be able - or willing - to watch his back. If the conference leads to talks later in the year, that will be when Barack Obama is preparing to bow out as president. Netanyahu is afraid of surprises. Israeli officials have been in near-panic that Obama may seek payback for the years of humiliation he endured from Netanyahu. One way might be for Washington to agree to French oversight of the talks, following a tight timetable and establishing diplomatic "teams" to solve final-status issues. Even if negotiations fail, as seems inevitable, parameters for future talks might be established. Netanyahu also knows that the wider atmosphere is likely to leave him singled out as the intransigent party. A report by the Quartet, due soon, is expected to criticise Israel for its past failure to take steps towards peace. And a report last week by a joint team of US and Israeli defense experts suggested Israel's "security concerns" about Palestinian statehood are not as intractable as claimed. Netanyahu wants instead to deflect attention to a "regional peace summit". The key has been Egypt's support for a revival of direct negotiations between Israel and the Palestinians, based on the Arab Peace Plan of 2002. It promised Israel normal relations with the Arab world in return for ending the occupation. Israel's sudden interest in the plan is odd, given that it has not been discussed in cabinet since the Saudis unveiled it 14 years ago. In truth, Netanyahu backs the idea because he knows reaching a region-wide agreement would be impossible with the Middle East in turmoil. Israeli officials have already insisted that parts of the 2002 plan need "updating". Israel, for example, wants sovereignty over the Golan, Syrian territory it seized in 1967, and which currently promises newfound oil riches. At the summit, the Saudi foreign minister said Israeli efforts to "water down" the plan would be opposed. Egyptian officials have hurried to distance themselves from the Netanyahu proposal and throw their weight behind the Paris process. Still, Israel will try to ride out the French initiative until Obama's successor is installed next year. Then, Netanyahu hopes, he can forget about the threat of two states once and for all. - Jonathan Cook won the Martha Gellhorn Special Prize for Journalism. His latest books are "Israel and the Clash of Civilisations: Iraq, Iran and the Plan to Remake the Middle East" (Pluto Press) and "Disappearing Palestine: Israel's Experiments in Human Despair" (Zed Books). He contributed this article to PalestineChronicle.com. Visit: www.jonathan-cook.net. |
| SELECTED |  "I took my inspiration from photographs of the Nakba in 1948. My own grandmother was there with seven of her children, trudging through the desert. "My uncle told me that my grandfather had been captured by the Zionists and placed in a prison camp. He escaped after 6 months but later died in Ramallah upon [...]  Reviewed by Jim Miles (America's War for the Greater Middle East - A military history. Andrew J. Bacevich. Random House, New York, 2016.) Andrew Bacevich has written a series of books on the topic of U.S. imperialism and U.S. military power. His latest work, America's War for the Greater Middle East [the GME War] is [...]  Desmond Tutu, South African archbishop and 1984 Nobel Peace winner, on Monday nominated Marwan Barghouti for the Nobel Peace Prize. This is the sixth nomination for the imprisoned Palestinian parliamentary member. Ma'an reported that Tutu wrote in a letter shared by the Palestinian Liberation Organization on Tuesday, "The nomination of Marwan Barghouti, a symbol of [...]  Human rights organization, B'Tselem, released a video that sparked outrage over the execution-style killing of a Palestinian by an Israeli soldier in March. However, witnesses claim that a second Palestinian killed in the case was also shot in the head. Abd al-Fattah al-Sharif, 21, and Ramzi Aziz al-Qasrawi, 21, were shot and killed after the [...]  By Jonathan Cook - Nazareth In a familiar muddying of the waters, Israeli prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu has spent the past week talking up peace while fiercely criticizing Friday's summit in France - the only diplomatic initiative on the horizon. As foreign ministers from 29 nations arrived for a one-day meeting in Paris, Netanyahu dusted [...]  14-year-old Muawiya Alqam, a Palestinian minor accused of carrying a stab attack in Jerusalem in November, will likely be sentenced to six and a half years in prison, Ma'an reported. A plea bargain was reached by Alqam's lawyer, with the Israeli military prosecutor, according to which the boy will be jailed for six and a [...]  By Yousef M. Aljamal - Gaza A group of female graduates at the Islamic University of Gaza, in collaboration with the American Consulate in Jerusalem, organized American Literature Day on May 5, 2016, at Gaza's Roots Restaurant. The event, attended by hundreds of graduates and students, highlighted the works of American authors such as Hemingway, [...]  By Yousef M. Aljamal - Gaza The Science and Culture Centre in Al-Nusierat Refugee Camp in the Gaza Strip acknowledged the anniversary of the passing of William Shakespeare through a display of his play, King Lear, which was adapted into an animated film by high school students. Dr. Kamal Ghunaim, Head of the Board of [...]  By Mahmoud Zidan In case you are not familiar with Harambe the gorilla, although I doubt it, I am going to briefly tell you his/its story. Harambe is a gorilla that was shot dead last week to rescue a four-year-old child who fell in the gorilla's moat-like enclosure. The event was captured on tape, showing [...]  The French-led Israeli-Palestinian peace initiative was on Friday rejected by various Palestinian factions, calling it a dangerous violation of national rights. An international conference began in Paris on Friday to set the framework for upcoming peace negotiations. Representatives of nearly 30 countries, including from the UN, European Union, and the Arab League attended the meeting [...]  Muhamed Ali, boxing legend and voice for oppressed and humanitarian courses died on Friday, aged 74. Ali was known for his 'float like a butterfly, sting like a bee' rhetoric which dominated his life outside the ring as well. He became a symbol for black liberation during the 1960s by standing up to the U.S. [...]  Palestinian parliament member Khalida Jarrar was released on Friday by Israeli authorities, after being imprisoned for 14 months in an Israeli prison. Jarrar is an executive committee member of the PLO and leading member of the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine (PFLP), was detained on April 2, 2015, from her home in Ramallah [...]  By Hasan Afif El-Hasan Vladimir Jabotinsky, a devoted Zionist leader and the spiritual father of the "Israeli right" was born in Lvov, Poland, and immigrated to Palestine in 1935. He wrote an article in 1923 in which he asked the question whether one could always achieve peaceful aims by peaceful means. His answer to his [...]  To all football teams, clubs, and leagues around the world Friends, We are asking for your voice of support for an important football tournament taking place June 15 -July 1 in Rafah city, in the Gaza Strip, Palestine. The annual Rachel Corrie Ramadan Football Tournament for Young Men is now in its 9th year. The [...]  Vivien Sansour, an agronomist from Beit Jala, is collecting seed varieties handed down by Palestinian farmers for generations with the aim of developing a seed library which aims to preserve seeds of crops that once grew across historic Palestine. The Palestinian Heirloom Seed Library will be unveiled today in Battir, a West Bank village. Eventually, [...]  The Rafah crossing was closed by Egyptian authorities on Thursday evening despite an announcement of Wednesday that it would be open for four days. Nine buses left Gaza on Thursday, according to the Palestinian borders and crossing committee, after which Egyptian authorities closed the border. Earlier in May, the Rafah border was briefly opened and [...]  Domenico Maurizio Loi, an Italian Pizza chef arrived in the Gaza Strip on May 31, at the invitation of local restaurants, to give Palestinian chefs training on how to make original Italian pizza, according to the Palestinian Press Agency, Safa. The trip was organized by the Italian Center for Cultural Exchange, VIK, in Gaza, named [...]  Acclaimed Palestinian photo-journalist, Hamde Abu Rahma has been denied a visa to the UK to tour Scotland, for the second time in a year, under the assumption by authorities that he might carry out 'prohibited activities'. 28-year-old photographer, Hamde Abu Rahma was meant to tour Britain in June, where he was to exhibit his work [...]  Following the latest attacks by Apartheid Israel against BDS activists and threatening them with "civic assassination" and imposing a travel ban of some of them, PSCABI, as part of the boader Palestinian BDS campaign, has conducted an interview with Haidar Eid to introduce the movement to those who are not familiar with it, especially students. [...]  By Susan A. Resheq Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions' (BDS) advocates believe that the best strategy to end Israel's occupation is for Israel to become the target of a global movement - the kind that put an end to apartheid in South Africa. Everyday that Israel violates Palestinian human rights and International Law; the BDS gets [...]  By Palestine Chronicle Staff Youngest Palestinian child prisoner, Shadi Farah, 12, from Jerusalem, sent a letter to his mother on her birthday. Shadi's letter read: " I want to tell you to keep your head high in the sky just like palm trees, never shaken by winds nor earthquakes, and I want you, my mother, to [...]  By Ramzy Baroud Israeli society is constantly swerving to the Right and, by doing so, the country's entire political paradigm is redefined regularly. Israel is now 'ruled by the most extreme rightwing government in its history' has grown from being an informed assessment to a dull cliché over the course of only a few years. [...]  Ahmed Dawabsheh, the sole survivor of an arson attack is healing physically, but remains traumatized, months later, and his family's killers have still not been prosecuted. Last summer, an arson attack by extremist Jewish settlers in Duma claimed the lives of 3 members of the Dawabsheh family. Today, the sole survivor of the attack, 5-year-old [...]  The Israeli citizenship of a Palestinian charged with involvement in an attack in October that left four Israelis wounded has been revoked. A motion was submitted to the Haifa district court on Sunday. Interior Minister, Aryeh Dery, announced the submission of the motion to the district court, stating that he had begun the process of [...]  Three Palestinians from the Gaza Strip were executed by Hamas authorities after being convicted of murder, after dawn prayers on Tuesday. This, despite an international outcry for the decision to be revoked. Muhammad Otham, Yousif Abu Shamla, and Ahmad Sharab, were executed at the police headquarters in Gaza City. In attendance were family members of [...]  The youngest amateur journalist in the Palestinian territories, Jana Jihad, tells her story from the perspective of a Palestinian child - that of a childhood interrupted by dramatic events in the village of Nabi Saleh, north of the West Bank city of Ramallah. According to Jana's mother, Nawal Tamimi, Jana was traumatized after a young [...]  Two Gaza runners, Nader Al Massri and Sami Nateel have been denied a visa by the British Immigration authorities to attend a Derry Marathon, the Palestine Solidarity Campaign has revealed. The Irish Palestine Solidarity Campaign (I.P.S.C.) has branded the decision "inexplicable". "We are hugely disappointed and angered at this decision. There was a large group [...]
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| LATEST | Gaza Welcomes Ramadan Amidst a Dwindling Economy Jun 7 2016 / 6:51 pm The Gazan economy has slumped under Israeli siege. (Photo: Via Facebook) For the tenth year under Israeli siege, Palestinians in the Gaza Strip acknowledge the holy month of Ramadan. The entire Palestinian economy has taken a dip as markets have suffered an unprecedented drop in sales and commodities. This because most families lack money to buy food and other necessary items. Middle East Monitor reported that soaring summer temperatures compound the suffering of Palestinians who also face an ongoing electricity crisis with blackouts occurring for more than a third of the day. Around 40,000 Palestinian civil servants in Gaza receive only 45 per cent of their salaries. Additionally, more than 10,000 homes destroyed in the 2014 Israeli offensive on Gaza have not been rebuilt; leaving 10,000 families displaced. (MEMO, PC) |
| ROUNDUP |  For the tenth year under Israeli siege, Palestinians in the Gaza Strip acknowledge the holy month of Ramadan. The entire Palestinian economy has taken a dip as markets have suffered an unprecedented drop in sales and commodities. This because most families lack money to buy food and other necessary items. Middle East Monitor reported that [...] Desmond Tutu, South African archbishop and 1984 Nobel Peace winner, on Monday nominated Marwan Barghouti for the Nobel Peace Prize. This is the sixth nomination for the imprisoned Palestinian parliamentary member. Ma'an reported that Tutu wrote in a letter shared by the Palestinian Liberation Organization on Tuesday, "The nomination of Marwan Barghouti, a symbol of [...] Human rights organization, B'Tselem, released a video that sparked outrage over the execution-style killing of a Palestinian by an Israeli soldier in March. However, witnesses claim that a second Palestinian killed in the case was also shot in the head. Abd al-Fattah al-Sharif, 21, and Ramzi Aziz al-Qasrawi, 21, were shot and killed after the [...]  Israel's Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has today arrived in Russia to meet with President Vladimir Putin for talks. The leaders reportedly aim to discuss the conflict in Syria and the possibility of settling the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. Netanyahu was accompanied by his wife, Immigrant Absorption Minister Zeev Elkin, and Agriculture Minister Uri Ariel. Netanyahu Arrives In [...]  Naftali Bennett, head of Israel's Jewish Home Party, told Channel 2 that his party would leave the government if it recognized a Palestinian state, Quds Press reported yesterday. Bennett said he believes in "Palestinian autonomy" which would be achieved by Israel imposing full sovereignty over 61 per cent of the occupied West Bank, Area C. [...]  The third European Conference to advocate for prisoners of Palestine yesterday stated that the plight of Palestinian prisoners must be internationalized until Israel is forced to abide by human rights law and put an end to violations against prisoners. The meeting held in Brussels, Belgium, was attended by the Mission of Palestine to the European [...]  Abdelilah Benkirane, head of the Moroccan government stated on Sunday that defending Palestine and Islamic holy sites is the "responsibility of all Arabs and Muslims, not only the Palestinians alone". Benkirane told Quds Press: "I feel shameful whenever I speak about Palestine because they alone are paying the cost of existing around the oppressive entity [...] 14-year-old Muawiya Alqam, a Palestinian minor accused of carrying a stab attack in Jerusalem in November, will likely be sentenced to six and a half years in prison, Ma'an reported. A plea bargain was reached by Alqam's lawyer, with the Israeli military prosecutor, according to which the boy will be jailed for six and a [...]  Turkish taekwondo champion, Bahri Tanrikulu, hopes to represent Palestine in the 2016 Olympics in the Brazilian city of Rio de Janeiro. Tanrikulu, who is a former world champion and 2004 Olympics silver medallist told Anadalou: "I have not participated in any international competition for Turkey since the 2012 London Olympics, which allowed me to compete [...] Hundreds of Palestinian farmers in the Gaza Strip have been granted access to about 250 hectares of land which they hope to rehabilitate and mainly cultivated with wheat. The International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) managed to secure land for farming, for the first time in over a decade. However, in order for the [...] By Yousef M. Aljamal - Gaza A group of female graduates at the Islamic University of Gaza, in collaboration with the American Consulate in Jerusalem, organized American Literature Day on May 5, 2016, at Gaza's Roots Restaurant. The event, attended by hundreds of graduates and students, highlighted the works of American authors such as Hemingway, [...] By Yousef M. Aljamal - Gaza The Science and Culture Centre in Al-Nusierat Refugee Camp in the Gaza Strip acknowledged the anniversary of the passing of William Shakespeare through a display of his play, King Lear, which was adapted into an animated film by high school students. Dr. Kamal Ghunaim, Head of the Board of [...]  Palestinians living in Jerusalem are routinely deported to the West Bank, Al Jazeera reported. According to the report, in March, Yisrael Katz, an Israeli member of the Knesset, submitted a bill to allow the state to deport family members of Palestinian attackers to Gaza. The bill has not been voted on yet, but is pending, [...] The French-led Israeli-Palestinian peace initiative was on Friday rejected by various Palestinian factions, calling it a dangerous violation of national rights. An international conference began in Paris on Friday to set the framework for upcoming peace negotiations. Representatives of nearly 30 countries, including from the UN, European Union, and the Arab League attended the meeting [...] Muhamed Ali, boxing legend and voice for oppressed and humanitarian courses died on Friday, aged 74. Ali was known for his 'float like a butterfly, sting like a bee' rhetoric which dominated his life outside the ring as well. He became a symbol for black liberation during the 1960s by standing up to the U.S. [...] Palestinian parliament member Khalida Jarrar was released on Friday by Israeli authorities, after being imprisoned for 14 months in an Israeli prison. Jarrar is an executive committee member of the PLO and leading member of the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine (PFLP), was detained on April 2, 2015, from her home in Ramallah [...] Vivien Sansour, an agronomist from Beit Jala, is collecting seed varieties handed down by Palestinian farmers for generations with the aim of developing a seed library which aims to preserve seeds of crops that once grew across historic Palestine. The Palestinian Heirloom Seed Library will be unveiled today in Battir, a West Bank village. Eventually, [...] The Rafah crossing was closed by Egyptian authorities on Thursday evening despite an announcement of Wednesday that it would be open for four days. Nine buses left Gaza on Thursday, according to the Palestinian borders and crossing committee, after which Egyptian authorities closed the border. Earlier in May, the Rafah border was briefly opened and [...] Domenico Maurizio Loi, an Italian Pizza chef arrived in the Gaza Strip on May 31, at the invitation of local restaurants, to give Palestinian chefs training on how to make original Italian pizza, according to the Palestinian Press Agency, Safa. The trip was organized by the Italian Center for Cultural Exchange, VIK, in Gaza, named [...] Acclaimed Palestinian photo-journalist, Hamde Abu Rahma has been denied a visa to the UK to tour Scotland, for the second time in a year, under the assumption by authorities that he might carry out 'prohibited activities'. 28-year-old photographer, Hamde Abu Rahma was meant to tour Britain in June, where he was to exhibit his work [...]  Footage obtained by Israel's Channel Two seems to shed light on what happened shortly before an Israeli soldier shot a Palestinian man in the head in March. The video apparently shows a knife being kicked in the direction of a Palestinian man lying on the ground after being shot in the head by an Israeli [...] By Palestine Chronicle Staff Youngest Palestinian child prisoner, Shadi Farah, 12, from Jerusalem, sent a letter to his mother on her birthday. Shadi's letter read: " I want to tell you to keep your head high in the sky just like palm trees, never shaken by winds nor earthquakes, and I want you, my mother, to [...] The Israeli citizenship of a Palestinian charged with involvement in an attack in October that left four Israelis wounded has been revoked. A motion was submitted to the Haifa district court on Sunday. Interior Minister, Aryeh Dery, announced the submission of the motion to the district court, stating that he had begun the process of [...] Three Palestinians from the Gaza Strip were executed by Hamas authorities after being convicted of murder, after dawn prayers on Tuesday. This, despite an international outcry for the decision to be revoked. Muhammad Otham, Yousif Abu Shamla, and Ahmad Sharab, were executed at the police headquarters in Gaza City. In attendance were family members of [...] The youngest amateur journalist in the Palestinian territories, Jana Jihad, tells her story from the perspective of a Palestinian child - that of a childhood interrupted by dramatic events in the village of Nabi Saleh, north of the West Bank city of Ramallah. According to Jana's mother, Nawal Tamimi, Jana was traumatized after a young [...] Two Gaza runners, Nader Al Massri and Sami Nateel have been denied a visa by the British Immigration authorities to attend a Derry Marathon, the Palestine Solidarity Campaign has revealed. The Irish Palestine Solidarity Campaign (I.P.S.C.) has branded the decision "inexplicable". "We are hugely disappointed and angered at this decision. There was a large group [...]
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The Palestine Chronicle is an independent online newspaper that provides daily news, commentary, features, book reviews, photos, art, etc, on a variety of subjects. However, it's largely focused on Palestine, Israel, and the Middle East region. The Palestine Chronicle is a non-profit 501(c)3 organization. To contact the editor, submit an article or any other material, please write to: editor@palestinechronicle.com. For other inquiries write to: info@palestinechronicle.com. |
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