2020-02-23: News Headlines

sputniknews (2020-02-23). Netanyahu's a Magician but His Magic Not Enough to Keep Foreign Ministry Afloat – Diplomat. sputniknews.com It's been a year since Yisrael Katz took over Israel's foreign ministry, replacing Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, who has held this position for four consecutive years but decided to let it go after he was indicted in a series of graft probes that included buying positive press and receiving expensive gifts from a rich donor.

yenisafak (2020-02-23). 2 Palestinians injured by Israeli fire near Gaza fence. yenisafak.com Two Palestinians were injured by Israeli gunfire on Sunday near border of the Gaza Strip, according to the Health Ministry.In a statement, the Israeli army said it fired at two Palestinians allegedly planting an explosive device next to Gaza's security fence.The Health Ministry said the two Palestinians were injured in their legs, without giving further details.

yenisafak (2020-02-23). Israel may quarantine 200 South Korean visitors in army base. yenisafak.com Israel may quarantine some 200 visitors from South Korea in a military base south of Jerusalem over coronavirus worries, Israel's Ynet news site reported on Sunday.Israeli officials had no immediate comment on the report. Interior Minister Aryeh Deri said separately on Sunday that he had ordered South Korea and Japan added to a list of Asian countries to which travel to and from Israel was being barred.

IMEMC & Agencies (2020-02-22). Palestinian Journalist and Child Injured by Israeli Bulldozer Attack. imemc.org Two Palestinians were injured on Friday as Israeli forces attacked dozens of protesters taking part in the weekly anti-settlements protest in the village of Kufur Qaddoum, near Qalqilia in the central occupied West Bank, said Mourad Shtewi, coordinator of the popular resistance in the village. An Israeli army bulldozer was …

IMEMC News (2020-02-22). Israeli Soldiers Injure Many Palestinians In Bil'in. imemc.org Israeli soldiers attacked, Friday, the weekly nonviolent procession against the Annexation Wall and Colonies in Bil'in village, west of the central West Bank city of Ramallah, causing many Palestinians to suffer the effects of teargas inhalation. The procession started from the center of the village with the participation of Israeli …

Miko Peled (2020-02-21). The Government of Israel Has A Very Serious Antisemitism Problem. mintpressnews.com The government of Israel is engaged in what is perhaps the worst example of antisemitism in the world today, writes Miko Peled, and its aimed at its very own Orthodox Jewish community.

Staff (2020-02-21). Five Palestinian Detainees' Homes to be Demolished. imemc.org The Israeli Supreme Court today gave the go-ahead on Wednesday for the military to demolish the family homes of five Palestinian detainees allegedly involved in the killing of a settler in late August 2019. All five are from the Ramallah area, and are serving long terms in Israeli prison camps. …

IMEMC & Agencies (2020-02-21). Thousands of Israeli Settlers Storm two Jordan Valley Villages. imemc.org Thousands of Israeli settlers on Friday stormed the Palestinian villages of al-Burj and Umm al-Qaba in the northern Jordan Valley, northern occupied West Bank. Aref Daraghmeh, a local activist, confirmed to the Palestinian News and Info Agency (WAFA) that Israeli forces escorted a convoy of buses packed with some 4,000 …

Staff (2020-02-21). Israel Delivers Demolition Orders for Four Palestinian Structures. imemc.org The Israeli army today issued demolition orders against four Palestinian residential structures in Masafer Yatta in the south of the occupied West Bank, according to Fouad al-Amoor, a local activist. Al-Amoor told the Palestinian news agency WAFA that Israeli forces raided Masafer Yatta and delivered the demolition notices to the …

IMEMC & Agencies (2020-02-21). 2 Palestinians Injured by Israeli Settlers North of Jericho. imemc.org At least two Palestinians were injured on Friday when a group of extremist Israeli settlers invaded the Bedouin village of Ein el-Auja, north of Jericho, in the central occupied West Bank, local sources said. Mahmoud Ghawanmeh, a local rights activist, told the Palestinian News and Info Agency (WAFA) that dozens …

If Americans Knew (2020-02-21). Trump-Kushner "Peace" Plan ignores elephants in the room: Israel created this mess. imemc.org The Trump-Kushner "Peace" Plan is slick and businesslike, with an aura of objectivity and balance — but it is exactly the opposite, and something about it stinks. by Kathryn Shihadah There is a giant herd of elephants circling the Trump-Kushner Peace Plan, and they're not going away. The fragrance of …

Stephen Lendman (2020-02-21). Russia and Turkey, "Allies" Fighting One Another: On Opposite Sides of the War on Syria. globalresearch.ca US forever war in Syria shows no signs of ending because restoration of peace and stability to the country would be a major strategic blow to Washington's aim for controlling the Middle East — NATO and Israel serving as junior …

Jonathan Cook (2020-02-21). UN List of Firms Aiding Israel's Settlements was Dead on Arrival. counterpunch.org Nazareth. After lengthy delays, the United Nations finally published a database last week of businesses that have been profiting from Israel's illegal settlement activity in the West Bank. The UN High Commissioner for Human Rights, Michelle Bachelet, announced that 112 major companies had been identified as operating in Israeli settlements in ways that violate human

Ramzy Baroud (2020-02-21). The Donald Trump I Know: Abbas' UN Speech and the Breakdown of Palestinian Politics. mintpressnews.com The real danger of Trump's 'Deal of the Century' is not the actual stipulations of the sinister plan, but the fact that Mahmoud Abbas will find a way to co-exist with them, writes Ramzy Baroud.

Ramzy Baroud (2020-02-21). 'The Donald Trump I know': Abbas' UN Speech and the Breakdown of Palestinian Politics. counterpunch.org A precious moment has been squandered, as Palestinian Authority President, Mahmoud Abbas, had the chance to right a historical wrong, by reinstating Palestinian national priorities at the United Nations Security Council on February 11, through a political discourse that is completely independent from Washington and its allies. For a long time, Abbas has been a

IMEMC News (2020-02-21). Israeli Troops Shoot at Palestinian Vehicle, Wounding 16-year Old Palestinian. imemc.org A car filled with Palestinian teens was attacked by Israeli forces on Thursday evening. The car was driving near the Palestinian town of Beitin, east of Ramallah, when Israeli forces stationed at a checkpoint targeted the vehicle and began shooting. According to local sources, the Israeli occupation forces wounded a …

IMEMC & Agencies (2020-02-21). EU Reaffirms its Support for Palestinian State. imemc.org Josep Borrell, the High Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy of the European Union/Vice-President of the European Commission, on Thursday, met with the Palestinian Minister of Foreign Affairs and Expatriates, Dr. Riyad Al-Malki. Borrell stressed the EU's continued commitment to a negotiated two-state solution, and welcomed the Palestinian commitment …

IMEMC News (2020-02-21). Soldiers Abduct A Child And A Wounded Young Man, In Qalqilia And Hebron. imemc.org Israeli soldiers abducted, on Friday evening, a Palestinian child and a wounded young man, in Qalqilia and Hebron, in the northern and southern parts of the occupied West Bank. Media sources said the soldiers abducted a child, identified as Mohammad Ibrahim Jo'eidi, 12, at the southern entrance of Qalqilia city. …

Elijah J. Magnier (2020-02-21). Is Iran Ill-advised to Finance Its Regional Allies While Under Sanctions? globalresearch.ca Many Iranians question the benefits of arming and financing Iran's many allies in the Middle East while Iran is suffering the harshest ever US "maximum pressure". Iran's allies are spread over Afghanistan, Yemen, Iraq, Syria, Lebanon and Palestine. Is Iranian …

Andre Vltchek (2020-02-19). Could the Latest Outburst of Ankara's Temper lead to Escalation in Syria? dissidentvoice.org So far Turkey, militarily the second mightiest NATO country, has been able to get away with virtually anything it has chosen to brew in the Middle East. The reason why is simple: to confront Turkey's bullying and expansionism militarily would be like confronting the United States or Israel; thousands of innocent people would die as …

Whitney Webb (2020-02-19). Netanyahu "Optimistic" Israel Can Use Political Pressure To Shut Down ICC War Crimes Probe. mintpressnews.com Netanyahu's frenzied lobbying efforts to halt the ICC probe suggests that the probe greatly worries him, particularly as he has linked his current reelection bid to illegal acts like his planned annexation of the West Bank.

Alon Ben-Meir (2020-02-19). The Moral Devastation of the Continued Occupation. dissidentvoice.org I have long maintained that Israel's occupation of the West Bank defies the moral principle behind the creation of the state. Contrary to Prime Minister Netanyahu's assertion, the occupation erodes rather than buttresses Israel's national security and cannot be justified on either security or moral grounds. Trump's "deal of the century" is tantamount to perpetuating …

Jonathan Cook (2020-02-18). Profiting from Loss: How Business in Illegal Israeli Settlements Continues Unchecked. dissidentvoice.org After lengthy delays, the United Nations finally published a database last week of businesses that have been profiting from Israel's illegal annexation and settlement activity in the West Bank. The UN High Commissioner for Human Rights, Michelle Bachelet, announced that 112 major companies had been identified as operating in Israeli settlements in ways that violate …

Staff (2020-02-14). Rep. Rashida Tlaib: Trump's "Racist" Plan Would Legalize the Theft of Palestinian Land. democracynow.org We continue our conversation with Congressmember Rashida Tlaib of Michigan, the first Palestinian-American woman elected to Congress. She responds to President Trump's Middle East plan, under which Israel would gain sovereignty over large areas of the occupied West Bank, Jerusalem would be under total Israeli control, and all Jewish settlers in the occupied territory would be allowed to remain in their homes. Tlaib says the plan was formulated with a "racist lens" that ignores Palestinian lives and aspirations. Tlaib says she wants people "to know what the human impact is of taking people's land, taking people's…

Middle East Eye (2020-02-07). Russia Says Israel Used Civilian Plane as Human Shield During Syria Strikes. theantimedia.com Russia accused Israel of "making a total mockery of the lives of hundreds of innocent civilians."

Ramzy Baroud (2020-02-02). On the Road to Gaza: The Freedom Flotilla Will Sail Again. zcomm.org True solidarity should aim at forcing Israel to end the protracted occupation and siege on the Palestinian people…

CounterSpin (2020-01-31). Omar Baddar on Israel/Palestine 'Peace' Plan, Rainey Reitman on Greenwald Persecution. fair.org MP3 Link This week on CounterSpin: It is strange to think that you could create a plan to shape the relationship between two entities, in consultation with one but not the other, and then not just declare it, yourself, a "win-win," but also say to the unconsulted party, "You better take it, or else." Yet …