Daily Archives: August 5, 2020

2020-08-05: News Headlines

Ramzy Baroud (2020-08-05). Apartheid or One State: Has Jordan Broken a Political Taboo? zcomm.org Since the two-state solution is no longer workable, Palestine and Israel are now left with one of two options: a protracted, racist and violent apartheid or coexistence in a modern, democratic, and secular state, for all of its people…

Arabi Souri (2020-08-05). Massive Explosion Destroys Beirut Harbor, Hundreds of Casualties. globalresearch.ca A massive explosion rocked the Lebanese capital Beirut this afternoon Tuesday 04 August 2020, the center of the explosion was in the Beirut harbor. | The Lebanese people who lived through a lengthy civil war and several confrontations with Israel and …

MintPress News Desk (2020-08-04). Shadow Wars: Leaks by Mossad Point to Israeli Involvement in Deadly Attacks on Iran. mintpressnews.com The drumbeat for war with Iran seems to be intensifying as 2020 reaches its halfway point and the narrative that cyberattacks are to play an inciting role in the coming conflict is being drilled into the collective mind.

RT (2020-08-04). Both Israel AND Hezbollah deny devastating Lebanon blasts were a rocket attack. rt.com The Israeli Defense Force has denied responsibility for two massive explosions in Beirut that killed at least 10 people on Tuesday and injured hundreds more. Hezbollah has also denied the blasts were the result of a rocket attack. | The huge explosions took place shortly after 6pm local time in a port area of Beirut where highly explosive materials are stored, according to Lebanon's internal security chief. Local media have reported the explosion took place at a fireworks depot near the port, while Lebanese Health Minister Hamad Hassan initially said a ship carrying fireworks exploded in the port. | In a st…

RT (2020-08-04). Netanyahu calls anti-govt rallies 'BIZARRE' as he defends his son Yair's 'alien protesters' comment. rt.com Yair Netanyahu didn't mean to be offensive when he called anti-government protestors "aliens," Benjamin Netanyahu said, jumping to his son's defense. The Israeli PM added that some rallies against him have taken a "bizarre" form. | "There are also strange phenomena there, apart from on the political side, and, really, the relentless incitement against me, against my wife, against my family…" Netanyahu said of the ongoing demonstrations, which have been attended by thousands of people demanding his resignation. | I think [the protests are] a political thing which also has bizarre phenomena, and I think that's…

Ramzy Baroud (2020-08-04). 'Optimism of the Will': Palestinian Freedom is Possible Now. counterpunch.org In a recent TV discussion, a respected pro-Palestine journalist declared that if any positive change or transformation ever occurs in the tragic Palestinian saga, it would not happen now, but that it would take a whole new generation to bring about such a paradigm shift. As innocuous as the declaration may have seemed, it troubled

BIICFHRIOT (2020-08-04). B'Tselem: "If You Build It, They Will Come" imemc.org B'Tselem — The Israeli Information Center for Human Rights in the Occupied Territories: While the news is full of the plans to annex the West Bank and legalize construction in settlements — Israel is busy creating facts on the ground, as usual. Annexation or not, Israel has been demolishing homes in …

IMEMC News (2020-08-04). Updated: PPS: "Israeli Soldiers Abduct Fifteen Palestinians In West Bank" imemc.org Updated: The Palestinian Prisoners' Society (PPS) has reported that Israeli soldiers abducted, overnight until dawn hours Tuesday, fifteen Palestinians, including a young woman, during extensive and violent searches of homes across the occupied West Bank. The soldiers also shot two Palestinians in Jericho.

Peoples Dispatch (2020-08-04). Israeli warplanes bomb targets in Syria. peoplesdispatch.org Israeli air force fighter jets, attack helicopters and other attack aircraft conducted airstrikes in southern Syria late on August 3, Monday. Israel claimed that the airstrikes were in retaliation to an attempted attack on Sunday along the northern Israel-Syria border in the Israeli-occupied Golan Heights. | The Syrian government is yet to confirm the specific locations targeted by the Israeli bombings. The official Syrian SANA news agency stated that the airstrikes caused significant material damage to Syrian government property, adding that no Syrians, civilian or military, were injured. | Syrian state media la…

Raul Diego (2020-08-04). New Reports Suggest Libyan Warlord Khalifa Haftar Is Working with Mossad. globalresearch.ca Reports of Israeli support for the Libyan warlord Khalifa Haftar are nothing new, but as the apartheid state gains ground among Arab nations, the need to hide Mossad's role in the destabilizing of oil-rich Libya may be disappearing. | *** | The …

IMEMC News (2020-08-04). Israel Confiscates 200 Dunams Of Palestinian Lands Near Bethlehem. imemc.org The Israeli occupation authorities confiscated, Monday, 200 Dunams of Palestinian agricultural lands in Kisan village, east of Bethlehem, south of occupied Jerusalem in the West Bank, in addition to issuing an order for demolishing a barn. Ahmad Ghazal, the deputy-mayor of Kisan village, stated that a large military force invaded …

IMEMC News (2020-08-04). Soldiers Demolish Barns Near Bethlehem. imemc.org Israeli soldiers invaded, Tuesday, Kisan Palestinian village, east of Bethlehem south of occupied Jerusalem in the West Bank, and demolished several barns. The army also delivered orders for the demolition of residential sheds near Hebron. Ahmad Ghazal, the deputy mayor of Kisan, said several army vehicles and bulldozers invaded the …

Ali Salam (2020-08-04). Israeli Settlers Attack Palestinians, Soldiers Set Fire to Palestinian-owned Crops. imemc.org A large group of illegal Israeli settlers, on Saturday evening, assaulted Palestinian families, north of Ramallah, in central occupied West Bank, the Palestinian Information Center reported. According to local sources, a large number of armed illegal colonists with dogs, attacked Palestinian families, including Sheikh Mohamed al-Hajj and his family in …

Ali Salam (2020-08-04). Army Halts Construction Of Nine Palestinian Homes Near Salfit. imemc.org The Israeli occupation army issued, Sunday, orders halting the construction of nine Palestinian homes in Kafr ad-Deek town, west of Salfit, in central West Bank. Several army jeeps invaded the village and handed local residents the stop-work orders against the nine homes as a prelude to demolishing them, local sources …

IMEMC News (2020-08-04). Israeli Colonists Burn Two Palestinian Cars Near Nablus. imemc.org Several fanatic illegal Israeli colonists infiltrated, on Tuesday at dawn, into Far'ata Palestinian village, west of the northern West Bank city of Nablus, and burnt two cars in addition to writing racist graffiti. Ghassan Daghlas, a Palestinian Authority official who monitors Israel's illegal colonialist activities in northern West Bank, said …

IMEMC News (2020-08-04). Israel Confiscates 327 Dunams Near Bethlehem To Build Colonialist Units. imemc.org The Israeli occupation authorities have issued orders from the confiscation of 327 Dunams (80.8 Acres) of Palestinian lands to build hundreds of units in an illegal colony east of Bethlehem, south of occupied Jerusalem in the West Bank. Hasan Breijiyya, the head of the Bethlehem office of the Colonization & …

Jonathan Cook (2020-08-04). Can Israelis Broaden Their Protests Beyond Netanyahu? globalresearch.ca Israel is roiling with angry street protests that local observers have warned could erupt into open civil strife — a development Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu appears to be encouraging. | For weeks, Jerusalem and Tel Aviv have been the scene of …

Ali Salam (2020-08-03). Israeli Army Fires Missiles Into Khan Younis. imemc.org The Israeli Air Force fired, on Monday at dawn, several missiles into areas in Khan Younis and Rafah, in the southern part of the Gaza Strip, causing damage. The Palestinian News & Info Agency (WAFA) has reported that an Israeli drone fired at least two missiles into an area, west …

Miko Peled (2020-08-03). New Report Reveals Israel Demolishes Over 2,000 Palestinian Bedouin Homes per Year. mintpressnews.com Today Israel only allows indigenous Palestinian Bedouins to live on 12% of their ancestral homeland in the Naqab, transferring them to camps and crowded villages reminiscent of Native American reservations.

RT (2020-08-03). Israel strikes Syrian military targets near Damascus, IDF calls it 'response' to failed border attack. rt.com Israeli jets bombed several Syrian military sites south of Damascus late on Monday, the IDF has confirmed, saying that the attack had been launched in response to the attempted planting of a bomb in the Golan Heights. | The airstrike took place in the countryside southwest of Damascus, SANA news agency reported, describing explosions being heard in the city. | The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) then said in a statement the attack was a response to an attempted provocation on the Syrian-Israeli border, targeting a fence in the occupied Golan Heights. | The IDF said the strike targeted Syrian army's observation pos…

RT (2020-08-03). Netanyahu's son calls Israeli protesters 'aliens,' says daddy laughs at them. rt.com Thousands of Israelis who have been protesting against Benjamin Netanyahu are "aliens" who make the embattled prime minister laugh, his son, Yair Netanyahu, told a local radio station. | During his appearance on Galey Israel Radio on Monday, Netanyahu Jr was asked if he and his father had watched clips of the large-scale rallies demanding the PM's resignation. | "I let him see select parts," Yair

Ramzy Baroud (2020-08-03). Human Rights Defenders: Palestinian Eyewitness Testimony of the Execution of Abdul Fattah al-Sharif by Israeli Soldier, Elor Azaria. counterpunch.org As illegal Jewish settlers increase their attacks on Palestinian civilians in the occupied city of Al Khalil (Hebron), the people of the Palestinian city continue to mount a campaign of popular resistance. One of the channels of resistance is Human Rights Defenders, "a grass-roots, non-partisan Palestinian organization, working to support nonviolent popular resistance through popular

Peoples Dispatch (2020-08-03). BDS activist's detention extended for 15 days by military court in Israel. peoplesdispatch.org An Israeli military court approved a request by Israeli domestic intelligence agency Shin Bet to hold Mahmoud Nawajaa for 15 days. Nawajaa was illegally abducted from his home on July 30…

IMEMC News (2020-08-03). Army Abducts Five Palestinians In Nablus, One Near Jerusalem. imemc.org Israeli soldiers abducted, earlier Monday, five Palestinians near the northern West Bank city of Nablus, and one near Bethlehem, south of occupied Jerusalem. Several army jeeps invaded 'Aseera ash-Shamaliya town, north of Nablus, before the soldiers stormed and violently searched many homes. The soldiers then abducted five Palestinians, identified as …

Amira Hass (2020-08-03). A clear message from West Bank mosque burning: Palestinians must disappear. zcomm.org The arsonists' indirect message is: Look at us, we do whatever we like and will continue to do it, because the police won't bother to search for us and the army won't turn us in. And if they do catch us, they won't prosecute us, and if they do prosecute, the judges will find an excuse to acquit us.

_____ (2020-08-03). 15 Lessons From 15 Years Of BDS. popularresistance.org July marked the 15th anniversary of the launch of the boycott, divestment and sanctions (BDS) movement. | Much has happened over those years. Here are 15 lessons I've learned on the journey to dismantle Israeli apartheid. It is incredible how many cities and cultural spaces have declared themselves "apartheid free zones," how many companies have divested from Israeli apartheid, how many artists have decided not to play in Israel and how many academics have ended relationships with Israeli institutions as a result of BDS campaigns. | Yet it is often difficult to keep our hopes up while knowing that Israeli aparthe…

_____ (2020-08-03). Settlers Move In On Palestinian World Heritage Site. popularresistance.org This is not the first time settlers have tried to take over this area. In December 2018, hundreds of settlers arrived overnight with bulldozers and tractors, dug an access road through the mountain, and tried to establish an outpost. They failed: it rained, the vehicles got stuck, and in the morning the Civil Administration — the arm of Israel's military government that governs the 2.8 million Palestinians in the West Bank — evacuated them. | "The effort in 2018 was well-funded," Etkes adds. "Everything was done very professionally, with heavy vehicles. That's an investment of hundreds of thousands of…

Jonathan Cook (2020-08-03). Can the Anti-Netanyahu Protests grow into a Larger Movement? dissidentvoice.org Israel is roiling with angry street protests that local observers have warned could erupt into open civil strife — a development Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu appears to be encouraging. For weeks, Jerusalem and Tel Aviv have been the scene of large, noisy demonstrations outside the official residences of Mr Netanyahu and his public security minister, …

yenisafak (2020-08-02). Eid al-Adha: Turkey donates meat to needy Gazans. yenisafak.com Palestinian authorities on Sunday began distributing meat from livestock sacrificed with donations from Turkey on the Muslim Eid al-Adha festival to hundreds of families in need in the Gaza Strip.During the four-day holiday, the Ministry of Foundations and Religious Affairs aims to provide as many as 4,500 families with meat, Eshref Ismail, the director of the projects department at the ministry, told Anadolu Agency.The Turkiye Diyanet Foundation is financing the initiative.Most of the Muslim-majority countries around the world, including Turkey, are observing the four-day holiday that started on Friday.On Eid al…

RT (2020-08-02). 'North Korea TV can learn from them': Netanyahu lashes out at Israeli media over 'one-sided' coverage of protests. rt.com Israeli media is not reporting on the protests against him, but taking part in them, PM Benjamin Netanyahu said as he launched several attacks on the country's press, which he insisted was acting "North Korea-style." | The demonstrations, which have been underway for months in Israel, are "being fueled especially by the media who have enlisted themselves [to the protests] in a manner the like of which I can't remember," Netanyahu The…

IMEMC News (2020-08-02). Army Abducts A Mother, Her Son And Daughter, In Hebron, After Colonists Attempted to Kidnap A Child. imemc.org Israeli soldiers abducted, on Saturday evening, a Palestinian mother along with her son and daughter after they helped free a child after she was assaulted by illegal colonialist settlers who tried to kidnap her. According to human rights activist and a volunteer with the Israeli Information Center for Human Rights …

sputniknews (2020-08-02). Israel Thwarts 'Terrorist' Attempt to Place Explosives on Syria-Israeli Border, IDF Says. sputniknews.com The Israeli Defence Forces noted that it "considers [the] Syrian regime responsible for any action taken in its territory", adding that "it will not allow" any violation of the sovereignty of the state of Israel.

sputniknews (2020-08-02). Coalition Chair Zohar Talks Relations Between Israel's Likud and Blue and White Parties. sputniknews.com Israel's new unity government was sworn in on 17 May 2020, following a deal made by political rivals Benjamin Netanyahu, leader of the Likud party, and Benny Gantz, leader of the Blue and White Party. Under a power sharing agreement, Netanyahu will remain as Prime Minister for 18 months, before Gantz takes over in October 2021.

yenisafak (2020-08-01). Eid al-Adha: Aid distributed to 4,000 families in Gaza. yenisafak.com A Turkish charity on Saturday distributed meat to nearly 4,200 families in need in the Gaza Strip on the Muslim Eid al-Adha festival.Nearly 25,000 people will receive the meat distributed by Turkey's Humanitarian Relief Foundation (IHH) for the holiday, also known as the feast of sacrifice.A total of 37 cattle were slaughtered by the IHH in the Gaza Strip, media manager at IHH's Gaza Office, Muhammad es-Shurefa, told Anadolu Agency.Most Muslim-majority countries around the world are observing the four-day holiday starting on Friday.On Eid al-Adha, one of the two main yearly Muslim holidays, people who can afford…

RT (2020-08-01). Anti-Semitism payouts are an 'abuse of members money,' trade union warns Labour Party. rt.com Britain's Labour party is dishing out "substantial damages" to staffers who accused the party of anti-Semitism. However, new Labour leader Keir Starmer is facing backlash for this tactic of handling the issue. | Labour's opponents have long accused the party of anti-Semitism, and a BBC documentary last year promised to shed light on these accusations. In it, seven former party members and a host of Israel advocates claimed that the party had stymied investigations into anti-Jewish sentiment within its ranks. The party condemned the documentary as "biased," and accused the former members of having "personal and…

Ali Salam (2020-08-01). Israeli Forces Shoot, Injure 7 Palestinians at Weekly Kufur Qaddoum March. imemc.org Seven Palestinian young men were shot and injured by Israeli forces, on Friday, while dozens more suffocated on tear-gas at the weekly march in Kufur Qaddoum village, east of Qalqilia, in the northern occupied West Bank, the Palestinian WAFA News Agency reported. The coordinator of the Popular Resistance in the …

IMEMC News (2020-08-01). Soldiers Abduct A Palestinian In Nablus, Injure Many In Jenin. imemc.org Israeli soldiers abducted, on Saturday at dawn, one Palestinian in Nablus, and injured several others in Jenin, in northern West Bank. Media sources said the soldiers invaded Nablus city, stormed and searched homes, before abducting one Palestinian, identified as Islam al-Qadah. The soldiers also invaded Zabbouba village, west of Jenin, …

IMEMC News (2020-08-01). Israeli Soldiers Abduct Three Teenage Boys Near Jenin. imemc.org Israeli soldiers invaded, on Saturday evening, Ya'bad town, west of the northern West Bank city of Jenin, searched homes, and abducted three teenage boys. The soldiers also invaded Zabbouba nearby village. Media sources in Jenin said several army vehicles invaded Ya'bad, especially the al-Ba'ajwa neighborhood, before abducting three teenage boys …

yenisafak (2020-08-01). Israel's attacks violate UNSC resolution: Lebanon. yenisafak.com Lebanon is prepared to defend itself against Israel's attacks, which are in violation of the 2006 UN Security Council (UNSC) resolution, Lebanese President Michel Aoun said on Saturday.In a televised address, the president said Israel's attacks in southern Lebanon had once again flouted UNSC Resolution 1701, which calls for full cessation of hostilities and Israel's withdrawal from southern Lebanon.Aoun asserted that Lebanon remains willing to abide by the resolution and resolving all disputes under UN supervision."We are committed to defend ourselves, our land, our water, and our authority. We will not compromis…

Ramzy Baroud (2020-07-31). 'Feeding a Bedouin': Roy Oz and Israel's outrageous racism. peoplesworld.org asks his children, who were seated in the back seat of his car. Outside the vehicle, two Palestinian children were filmed as they stood waiting eagerly for the cookies promised to them by the Israeli driver. | Palestinian Bedouins are treated like "monkeys," Arab Member of the Israeli Parliament (Knesset), Ahmad Tibi,

_____ (2020-07-31). UK Students Fighting For Universities To Cut Ties With Israeli Apartheid. popularresistance.org Apartheid Off Campus is a newly-formed student network fighting to sever the ties between UK universities and the Israeli occupation. | "University students are in a powerful position to campaign in support of Palestinians and against the structures of racism by both challenging/exposing these links and forcing their universities to divest from complicit companies, as well as making their institutions commit to being APARTHEID FREE," reads the group's website. | Research recently released by the Palestinian Solidarity Campaign shows that UK universities continue to invest over $580 million in companies complicit…