Ex-Israel PM: Netanyahu Not Fit To Remain Prime Minister
Middle East Monitor | iranian.com | 2018-12-25
Former Israeli prime minister Ehud Barak said yesterday that Benjamin Netanyahu is not fit to continue to serve in his position as prime minister, Quds Press reported. "Netanyahu cannot concentrate on anything and does not remember whether his wife was in Nicaragua or Guatemala," Barak said. "Netanyahu is no more trusted." He added: "Netanyahu's role is to […] | The post Ex-Israel PM: Netanyahu Not Fit To Remain Prime Minister appeared first on The Iranian.
iranian.com/2018/12/24/ex-israel-pm-netanyahu-not-fit-to-remain-prime-minister/

Israeli Soldiers Fire on Unknown Gunmen at Syria Border
teleSUR | telesurenglish.net | 2018-12-24
Israeli troops fired at alleged "gunmen" near the Syrian border without knowing exactly if they had intentions to enter their territory. | RELATED: | US: Trump's New Defense Secretary Patrick Shanahan A War Hawk | News agencies reported that Israeli soldiers have fired on "several gunmen" at the border with Syria in the Golan Heights. | The Israeli Defe…
telesurenglish.net/news/Israeli-Soldiers-Fire-on-Unknown-Gunmen-at-Syria-Border-20181224-0002.html

Honduras Aims to Move Embassy From Tel Aviv to Jerusalem
teleSUR | telesurenglish.net | 2018-12-24
Honduras is in the midst of negotiations with Israel over a possible move of its embassy to Jerusalem. | RELATED: | Colombia: President-Elect Duque Considers Embassy Move to Jerusalem in Support of Israel | The Central American country, who's neoliberal President Juan Orlando Hernandez (JOH) is known for often capitulating to theUnited States interests, has sent a delegation to meet Israeli officials Sunday to talk about the potential move of its embassy from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem…
telesurenglish.net/news/Honduras-Aims-to-Move-Embassy-From-Tel-Aviv-to-Jerusalem-20181224-0011.html

Israeli Government Falls, Early Elections Called for April
STAFF | truthdig.com | 2018-12-24
JERUSALEM — Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's government agreed Monday to hold early elections in April after the ruling coalition appeared to come up short on votes needed to pass a contentious piece of court-ordered legislation. | Netanyahu said his coalition "unanimously" agreed to disband the government and hold a new election. At a meeting of his Likud faction, he listed his accomplishments in office and said he hoped his current religious, nationalistic coalition would be the "core" of the next one as well. | "We will ask the voters for a clear mandate to continue leading the state of Israel…
truthdig.com/articles/israeli-government-falls-early-elections-called-for-april/

Israel tries to wreck Christmas for Palestinians
Fight Back | fightbacknews.org | 2018-12-24
Minneapolis, MN — The Ma'an press agency is reporting, December 23, that once again Israeli authorities are refusing to give Palestinian Christians in Gaza travel permits that would allow them to celebrate Christmas with loved ones in other parts of Palestine, or to visit Bethlehem. | The Ma'an article states "The Israeli occupation annually obstructs the travel of Palestinian Christians from Gaza to Bethlehem and Jerusalem to attend Christmas celebrations and be reunited with their families in the occupied West Bank." | In a related development, Israeli troops shot and killed four demonstrators in Gaza, Fr…
www.fightbacknews.org/2018/12/24/israel-tries-wreck-christmas-palestinians

Israel: Netanyahu's Coalition Collapses, Early Elections Called
teleSUR | telesurenglish.net | 2018-12-24
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's coalition collapsed Monday and an early general election was decided for April 9. The elections were supposed to be held in November. | RELATED | Israeli Soldiers Fire on Unknown Gunmen at Syria Border | A common refrain made by Netanyahu since the last elections in 2015 is that his coalition will last for four years, a fact that has not yet materialized. | "With God's help, we will win," said the prime minister who wants to form the same coa…
telesurenglish.net/news/Israel-Netanyahus-Coalition-Collapses-Early-Elections-Called-20181224-0014.html

Israel to hold early elections in April
aljazeera | aljazeera.com | 2018-12-24
Israeli parliament to be dissolved, elections held seven months before schedule.
aljazeera.com/news/2018/12/israel-hold-early-elections-april-181224122527714.html

The Pernicious Walls in Bethlehem, Palestine, and Around the World
Raouf Halaby | counterpunch.org | 2018-12-24
As the countdown for the 2018 Christmas festivities begins, the tiny Palestinian village of Beit Lahem (Arabic for Bethlehem/House of Bread), is in its 51st year of a brutal occupation. Not unlike previous occupiers, the Israelis, employing the most sophisticated surveillance technology, are ruling Palestine with the harshest, most hateful, and most egregiously atrocious laws…
counterpunch.org/2018/12/24/the-pernicious-walls-in-bethlehem-palestine-and-around-the-world/

Next year in Bethlehem: Gaza Christmas celebrated despite siege
aljazeera | aljazeera.com | 2018-12-24
For yet another year, Gaza's Christian minority celebrates Christmas under siege, unable to join family in West Bank.
aljazeera.com/news/2018/12/year-bethlehem-gaza-christmas-celebrated-siege-181224084336394.html

Dem. Rep. of Congo Postpones Election While US Props up President Kabila
Shared by Jocelyn Dombroski | therealnews.com | 2018-12-24
After 58 years of repression, the battle for democracy picks up in the DRC, while PResident Joseph Kabila continues to enjoy unquestioned support from the US and has an Israeli security company working for him. We speak to Maurice Carney | The post Dem. Rep. of Congo Postpones Election While US Props up President Kabila appeared first on The Real News Network.
therealnews.com/stories/dem-rep-of-congo-postpones-election-while-us-props-up-president-kabila

Congress Is Trying to Use the Spending Bill to Criminalize Boycotts of Israel
ACLU | indybay.org | 2018-12-24
According to recent reports, congressional leaders from both sides of the aisle are planning to sneak a bill criminalizing politically motivated boycotts of Israel into the end-of-the-year omnibus spending bill.
indybay.org/newsitems/2018/12/22/18819933.php

Turkish President Erdogan Slams Netanyahu On Twitter
The Iranian | iranian.com | 2018-12-24
Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu embarked on a new war of words, with the two heads trading insults again on Sunday. Erdogan slammed Netanyahu as an "oppressor", following the Israeli Prime Minister's claim that he had massacred Kurds. "You are an oppressor, cruel and at the head of state terror," […] | The post Turkish President Erdogan Slams Netanyahu On Twitter appeared first on The Iranian.
iranian.com/2018/12/23/turkish-president-erdogan-slams-netanyahu-on-twitter/

Airbnb Under Fire for Fueling Homelessness in Dublin
teleSUR | telesurenglish.net | 2018-12-23
Rocketing prices have impoverished renters and pushed families into homelessness, leading to weekly protests in the streets of Dublin by affordable housing campaigners. | RELATED: | Airbnb Will Continue to Profit in Israeli- Ocuppied West Bank | Dublin's increasing role as a tech hub is also bringing high-earners to the city, whilst Airbnb is capitalizin…
telesurenglish.net/news/Airbnb-Under-Fire-for-Fueling-Homelessness-in-Dublin-20181223-0022.html

Zarif Claims No One In Islamic Republic Has Ever Called For Israel's Destruction
RFE | iranian.com | 2018-12-23
While "Death to Israel" is globally recognized as one of the trademark slogans of the Islamic Republic, Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif insists that nobody in Tehran has ever threatened Israel with destruction. Speaking to the French weekly, Le Point, Zarif fires back at a question, demanding, "When did we say we want to […] | The post Zarif Claims No One In Islamic Republic Has Ever Called For Israel's Destruction appeared first on The Iranian.
iranian.com/2018/12/22/israels-destruction/

Gideon Levy has No Sympathy for Colonists as a Group
Shared by Jocelyn Dombroski | therealnews.com | 2018-12-22
Gideon Levy: all colonists and all Israelis share responsibility for the occupation and apartheid system in Palestine. There is sympathy for individuals, but there is no symmetry: the power is on the Israeli side | The post Gideon Levy has No Sympathy for Colonists as a Group appeared first on The Real News Network.
therealnews.com/stories/gideon-levy-has-no-sympathy-for-colonists-as-a-group

Donorbox Shutters BDS Fundraising After Complaint by Israeli-Government Linked Group
AP | mintpressnews.com | 2018-12-21
JERUSALEM (AP) — A U.S. software company said Friday it blocked the fundraising account of the Palestinian-led boycott movement against Israel following a complaint by a pro-Israel group that the campaign has links to militant organizations. | Donorbox, which makes fundraising management software, confirmed that the BDS campaign's account was temporarily blocked while it investigates the allegations. | The BDS movement called the Israeli move "McCarthyite." | The decision came in response to a complaint from Shurat HaDin, an Israeli advocacy group that files lawsuits around the world against Israel's foes,…
mintpressnews.com/donorbox-shutters-bds-fundraising-after-complaint-by-israeli-government-linked-group/253232/

States Are Cracking Down on the Movement for Palestinian Rights–but Cities Are Pushing Back
Alex Kane | thenation.com | 2018-12-21
States Are Cracking Down on the Movement for Palestinian Rights–but Cities Are Pushing Back…
thenation.com/article/jvp-cities-israel-bds-palestinian-human-rights/

Is There a Plot to Depopulate Palestinian Refugee Camps in Lebanon?
Ramzy Baroud | counterpunch.org | 2018-12-21
An eerie video composed of a recorded audio prayer and a photo of one 'Hajj Jamal Ghalaini' occasionally pops up on Facebook. The voice is that of an alleged religious sheikh, praying for the well-being of the man in the photo for saving the Palestinian refugee youth of Lebanon, by facilitating their departure to Europe.
counterpunch.org/2018/12/21/is-there-a-plot-to-depopulate-palestinian-refugee-camps-in-lebanon/

With Water Scarce & UN Food Aid Cut, Israeli Bev Co SodaStream Opens New Gaza Plant
Randi Nord | mintpressnews.com | 2018-12-20
Israeli company SodaStream announced it will open a new factory in besieged Gaza, where residents face a water shortage and UN aid cuts. | The post With Water Scarce & UN Food Aid Cut, Israeli Bev Co SodaStream Opens New Gaza Plant appeared first on MintPress News.
mintpressnews.com/with-water-scarce-un-food-aid-cut-israeli-bev-co-sodastream-opens-new-gaza-plant/253223/

Senators Sneak Amendment to Make Israel Boycott Illegal
Shared by Hezvo Mpunga | therealnews.com | 2018-12-20
While Senators Cardin and Portman are trying to sneak a last-minute amendment into the budget bill to make BDS illegal — violating free speech — 26 states are also moving to make boycotts of Israel illegal. We speak to IPS's Phyllis Bennis about the anti-BDS efforts in the US | The post Senators Sneak Amendment to Make Israel Boycott Illegal appeared first on The Real News Network.
therealnews.com/stories/senators-sneak-illegalization-of-israel-boycott-into-budget-bill

West Bank Uprising: Israel's Divide and Conquer Strategy Falls Apart
Shared by Hezvo Mpunga | therealnews.com | 2018-12-19
Shir Hever explains that the Israeli government's deal with the Hamas party undermined the incentive for Palestinian security coordination, as the Israeli military is dragged in to implement colonial policing. As a result, Hamas has never been stronger | The post West Bank Uprising: Israel's Divide and Conquer Strategy Falls Apart appeared first on The Real News Network.
therealnews.com/stories/west-bank-uprising-israels-divide-and-conquer-strategy-falls-apart

Glenn Greenwald: Congress Is Trying to Make It a Federal Crime to Participate in Boycott of Israel
Democracy Now! | democracynow.org | 2018-12-18
Twenty-six states have laws preventing state agencies from contracting with companies or individuals aligned with the Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions movement. BDS is an international campaign to pressure Israel to comply with international law and respect Palestinian rights. However, its opponents say BDS is a thinly disguised anti-Semitic attempt to debilitate or even destroy Israel. We speak with Glenn Greenwald, Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist and one of the founding editors of The Intercept. His latest piece is headlined "A Texas Elementary School Speech Pathologist Refused to Sign a Pro-Israel Oath, Now…
www.democracynow.org/2018/12/18/glenn_greenwald_congress_is_trying_to

Meet the Texas Speech Pathologist Who Lost School Job for Refusing to Sign Pro-Israel, Anti-BDS Oath
Democracy Now! | democracynow.org | 2018-12-18
A Palestinian-American speech pathologist in Austin, Texas, has filed a federal lawsuit for losing her job after refusing to sign a pro-Israel oath. Bahia Amawi is an Arabic-speaking child language specialist who had worked for nine years in the Pflugerville Independent School District. But she lost her job last year after she declined to sign a pledge that she would "not boycott Israel during the term of the contract" and that she would not take any action that is "intended to penalize, inflict economic harm on, or limit commercial relations with Israel." We speak with Bahia Amawi and Gadeir Abbas, senior litiga…
www.democracynow.org/2018/12/18/meet_the_texas_speech_pathologist_who

Marc Lamont Hill Speaks Out After CNN Fires Him for Pro-Palestine Speech at U.N
Democracy Now! | democracynow.org | 2018-12-18
Less than a month after CNN fired Temple University professor Marc Lamont Hill for giving a speech at the United Nations supporting Palestinian rights, we speak with him about the international attention his comments have received, academic freedom and why he feels it's more important than ever to speak out about Israeli human rights abuses. Marc Lamont Hill is a professor of media studies and urban education at Temple University. He is the author of several books, including "Nobody: Casualties of America's War on the Vulnerable, from Ferguson to Flint and Beyond." We also speak with Pulitzer Prize-winning journa…
www.democracynow.org/2018/12/18/marc_lamont_hill_speaks_out_after

Don't Punish US Companies That Help End Abuses in the West Bank
Human Rights Watch | hrw.org | 2018-12-18
Barkan, located in the occupied West Bank, is an Israeli residential settlement and industrial zone that houses around 120 factories that export around 80 percent of their goods abroad. In the background is the Palestinian village of Qarawat Bani Hassan. © 2004 David Silverman | Today the US Congress is weighing draft legislation based on problematic logic that conflates a call for businesses to stop operating in West Bank settlements, which are unlawful under the 1949 Geneva Conventions that prohibit transferring…
hrw.org/news/2018/12/18/dont-punish-us-companies-help-end-abuses-west-bank

German Court Confirms BDS Advocacy is Protected Freedom of Expression and Assembly
LEILI | bdsmovement.net | 2018-12-08
German Court Confirms BDS Advocacy is Protected Freedom of Expression and Assembly: In the NewsA German court confirms that advocating for BDS and Palestinian rights constitutes freedom of expression and assembly, rights that are protected by the German constitution and are essential for democracy. The court ruled that the German city of Oldenburg unlawfully violated these fundamental rights when it revoked a perm…
bdsmovement.net/news/german-court-confirms-bds-advocacy-protected-freedom-expression-and-assembly

Palestinians and Brazilians Call For Joint Struggle Against Israel-Bolsonaro Alliance
PEDRO | bdsmovement.net | 2018-12-06
Palestinians and Brazilians Call For Joint Struggle Against Israel-Bolsonaro Alliance: BNC StatementWhile Brazil's new president wants to follow in the footsteps of Donald Trump moving the Brazilian embassy to Jerusalem, and Rio de Janeiro's new governor wants to buy Israeli weaponized drones, Palestinian and Rio de Janeiro's favelas' social movements call for a joint and global struggle agains…
bdsmovement.net/news/palestinians-and-brazilians-call-joint-struggle-against-israel-bolsonaro-alliance

Palestinian Civil Society Urges World Governments to Impose a Military Embargo on Saudi Regime Over Khashoggi Murder and War Crimes in Yemen, On Israel for War Crimes and Apartheid Against Palestinians
LEILI | bdsmovement.net | 2018-11-26
Palestinian Civil Society Urges World Governments to Impose a Military Embargo on Saudi Regime Over Khashoggi Murder and War Crimes in Yemen, On Israel for War Crimes and Apartheid Against Palestinians: Update"We appeal to progressives and social movements everywhere to pressure their governments to impose strict military embargoes on all states that are perpetrating crimes against hu…
bdsmovement.net/news/palestinian-civil-society-urges-world-governments-impose-military-embargo-saudi-regime-over