Daily Archives: September 16, 2020

2020-09-16: News Headlines

Staff (2020-09-16). Noura Erakat: Trump's Bahrain-UAE-Israel Deal Won't Advance Palestinian Peace & Will Up Repression. democracynow.org As the Trump administration celebrates deals establishing diplomatic ties between Israel and the United Arab Emirates and Bahrain, we speak with Palestinian American legal scholar Noura Erakat, who says Trump's "peace" agreements are a sham. "This is not about advancing any kind of meaningful, enduring peace, but instead about entrenching a geopolitical alliance that would otherwise increase oppression for people of the Middle East," says Erakat, assistant professor at Rutgers University and author of "Justice for Some: Law and the Question of Palestine."

Andrew Korybko (2020-09-16). The US-Brokered Mideast 'Peace' Deals Aren't Really What They Seem. thealtworld.com The loud applause that followed the US-brokered Mideast "peace" deals between "Israel" on one hand and the UAE & Bahrain on the other is misplaced since there was never any real state of war between the "opposing" sides to begin with, but presenting these accords as a "breakthrough for peace" is meant to pressure those remaining countries that refuse to recognize the self-professed "Jewish State" by portraying them as "obstacles to peace" so that they too consider abandoning their principled support for Palestine in exchange for positive media coverage and other perks such as economic support. | There's No "Peace…

Kathryn Shihadah (2020-09-16). Life Under Seige: The Blockade on Gaza Turns Fourteen and Is Still as Illegal as Ever. mintpressnews.com With no foreseeable end in sight, Israel's blockade on Gaza not only runs afoul of international law, but it has also already been on the radar of the United Nations and human rights groups for well over a decade.

Mehr News Agency (2020-09-16). Zionist enemy to pay for aggression: al-Qassam Brigades. en.mehrnews.com TEHRAN, Sep. 16 (MNA) — Ezzedeen al-Qassam Brigades, the military wing of Hamas Movement, has issued a statement on Wednesday in reaction to the aggressions of the Israeli regime against the Gaza strip.

yenisafak (2020-09-16). Nearly 3,500 Palestinians killed during Netanyahu era. yenisafak.com During the prime ministry of Benjamin Netanyahu, who signed an agreement with the UAE and Bahrain to normalize relations, nearly 3,500 Palestinians, including many women and children, were martyred and thousands of others injured in the attacks of Israeli forces.Netanyahu, shown as one of the chief architects of Israel's oppression and violations against Palestine, served as the prime minister during the two bloody attacks on the Gaza Strip under the blockade by the Israeli army.According to the data of the Israeli rights group B'Tselem, nearly 3,500 Palestinian Palestinians have been martyred in the attacks of t…

yenisafak (2020-09-16). 1982 Beirut massacre still haunts survivors. yenisafak.com "We unwittingly came to Lebanon and we will return to our homeland Palestine whenever possible." | About one square kilometer (less than half a square mile) in size, the Sabra and Shatila camp, located west of Beirut, is home to 12,000 Palestinian refugees, according to unofficial data.

Eds. (2020-09-16). CBC doubles down on erasing Palestine. mronline.org Activists are determined to hold the broadcaster to account for minimizing Palestine's national identity…

Peoples Dispatch (2020-09-16). Palestinians protest against UAE and Bahrain signing "normalization" deals with Israel. peoplesdispatch.org Hundreds of protesters throughout the occupied territories denounced the US mediated deals as betrayal of the Palestinian cause, and vowed to continue their fight against the Israeli occupation…

Thomas Klikauer — Nadine Campbell (2020-09-16). The Anti-Racist Feminist and the Corporate CEO. counterpunch.org In 2016, the former corporate leader and TV show host Donald Trump became US president. In the night that his victory was announced, previous Ku Klux Klan (KKK) leader David Duke described the event as one of the most exciting nights of my life. A year later, the FBI revealed that hate crimes increased for a second consecutive year, with attacks targeting Muslim and Jewish people as well as the LGBTQ community.

Tom Anderson (2020-09-16). A new campaign is challenging UK complicity in Israeli apartheid, and it really means business. thecanary.co In the early hours of the morning of Monday 14 September, a group of Palestine solidarity organisers set up a blockade at the gates … | By | In the early hours of the morning of Monday 14 September, a group of Palestine solidarity organisers set up a

Ramzy Baroud (2020-09-16). The 'Desaparecidos' of Palestine: Gantz Escalates Israel's War on the Dead. mintpressnews.com Benny Gantz's latest 'achievement,' denying dead Palestinians a proper burial, is not entirely a novel idea. In fact, in Israel, bargaining with corpses has been the modus operandi for decades.

_____ (2020-09-16). 'Palestinian Self-Determination Not For Sale'. popularresistance.org As US President Donald Trump brought together leaders from Israel, Bahrain, and the United Arab Emirates to sign deals to establish diplomatic relations, just outside of the White House, hundreds of Palestinians, civil rights and advocacy groups gathered in protest of the occasion, accusing the leaders of ignoring the voices of Palestinians. | Coming together with waves of Palestinian flags, donning traditional keffiyehs, and some wearing masks with the words "Free Palestine", the demonstrators shouted slogans: "No hate, no fear, Bibi is not welcome here", and "Occupation is a crime, normalisation is a crime".

yenisafak (2020-09-16). US congresswoman honored for helping Palestine. yenisafak.com A US congresswoman has been honored for defending the rights of Palestinians in the face of Israeli human rights abuses."Honored to receive the Champion of Palestinian Rights Award from @AMPalestine today as part of Palestine Advocacy Day," US Democratic Representative Betty McCollum said Tuesday on Twitter, referring to the group American Muslims for Palestine (AMP)."Advancing peace human rights for Palestinian children all children should be a shared priority! #HR2407."House of Representatives Resolution 2407 is the Promoting Human Rights for Palestinian Children Living Under Israeli Military Occupation Act, a…

CJPME (2020-09-16). Regarding Possible ICC Investigation into Alleged Israeli War Crimes, Canadians Reject Double Standard for Israel. globalresearch.ca Amid growing controversy over a possible International Criminal Court (ICC) investigation into Israel, newly published results from a survey conducted by EKOS Research Associates show that Canadians do not want Israel to be treated differently than other countries when it …

Peoples Dispatch (2020-09-16). Palestinians protest normalization of ties with Israel. peoplesdispatch.org Hundreds of Palestinians across the occupied territories came out on the streets on September 15 protesting the "normalization" of ties with Israel by the United Arab Emirates and Bahrain.

Ted Snider (2020-09-16). Peace Plans that Have Nothing to Do with Peace. globalresearch.ca On September 11, 2020, Bahrain announced that it had agreed to normalize relations with Israel, following a similar agreement by the United Arab Emirate (UAE). Both agreements are being packaged and sold as historic peace plans. | They're Not Peace Plans…

Steven Sahiounie (2020-09-16). Israeli-Arab Re-election Gift to Trump. globalresearch.ca President Trump hosts a signing ceremony today in Washington which joins Bahrain, United Arab Emirates (UAE), and Israel in the 'Abraham Accord' which establishes full diplomatic relations between Israel and the Persian Gulf monarchies, and portends the possibility that other …

Philip Weiss (2020-09-16). U.S. Is in Middle East 'to Protect Israel' Not for Oil, Trump Says. globalresearch.ca Four days ago, Donald Trump said the U.S. isn't involved in the Middle East for oil, but because we "want to protect Israel." The comments have gone all but unreported in the mainstream press. | Trump made the comment during

Mehr News Agency (2020-09-16). VIDEO: Palestinians slam Bahrain's ties with Zionist Regime. en.mehrnews.com TEHRAN, Sep. 16 (MNA) — Palestinians held a rally in Ramallah against the normalization of relations between Bahrain and the Zionist Regime on Wednesday.

Staff (2020-09-16). Trump's "Peace" Deals Will Worsen Oppression in Middle East, Legal Scholar Says. truthout.org As the Trump administration celebrates deals establishing diplomatic ties between Israel and the United Arab Emirates and Bahrain, we speak with Palestinian American legal scholar Noura Erakat, who says Trump's "peace" agreements are a sham. "This is not about advancing any kind of meaningful, enduring peace, but instead about entrenching a geopolitical alliance that would otherwise increase oppression for people of the Middle East," says Erakat, assistant professor at Rutgers University and auth…

yenisafak (2020-09-16). Palestinian inmate contracts COVID-19 in Israeli prison. yenisafak.com Another Palestinian detainee has been infected with coronavirus in an Israeli prison, raising the total count to 31, according to a Palestinian commission on Wednesday. In a statement, the Commission of Detainees and Ex-detainees Affairs said Eyad Abu Hashhash, who is held at the prison of Ashkelon, tested positive for COVID-19.The prisoner was transferred to Remon prison in southern Israel for isolation, it said.Around 4,500 Palestinians, including 41 women and 140 minors, are currently held in Israeli prisons, according to Palestinian figures.

Nauman Sadiq (2020-09-16). Gulf-Israel Accord: The Kings Have No Clothes. globalresearch.ca In a solemn ceremony at the White House today, President Trump hosted Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and the foreign ministers of UAE and Bahrain for the signing of the accord establishing formal diplomatic relations between the three countries. | Oman …

Staff (2020-09-15). Headlines for September 15, 2020. democracynow.org Trump Doubles Down on Climate Crisis Denial as West Coast Burns, World's Largest Vaccine Maker Says It Could Take 5 Years for Universal COVID-19 Vaccination, Trump Calls COVID-19 "The Plague" in April Interview with Woodward as He Called for U.S. to Reopen, Nevada City Fines Venue That Hosted Trump Rally Which Violated State's Coronavirus Restrictions, Appeals Court Gives Trump Greenlight to End Immigration Protections for 400,000 TPS Holders, Whistleblowing Nurse Says Georgia Immigration Jail Performing Forced Hysterectomies, Palestinians Form Unified Front as Israel, UAE and Bahrain Sign Deal Normalizing Relati…

_____ (2020-09-15). To Succeed, Struggles Have To Be Connected, Not Localized. popularresistance.org In this video, Vijay Prashad, director of Tricontinental: Institute for Social Research, and Fayrouz Sharqawi, Global Mobilisation Coordinator of Grassroots Al-Quds discuss the situation in contemporary Palestine. What do the people of Palestine think in 2020? They talk about former chairman of Palestine Liberation Organization Yasser Arafat's numerous visits to India. They also talk about how Israeli army's recent airstrikes and healthcare crisis due to Covid-19 in the Gaza city are dismantling the life of the people there.

RT (2020-09-15). Injuries reported after rockets fired from Gaza, as Bahrain & UAE sign peace deal with Tel Aviv at the White House. rt.com Multiple rockets have been fired from Gaza towards Israeli cities during the UAE-Bahrain peace deal signing in Washington. Israeli anti-aircraft defenses have been activated, and at least six people were reportedly injured. | Rocket warning sirens were activated in southern Israeli cities late on Tuesday, as the ceremony to sign a US-brokered deal between Tel Aviv, Bahrain, and the UAE was underway in Washington. | The sirens were sounded in the coastal cities of Ashkelon and Ashdod. Footage from the scene shows damaged vehicles and shattered glass at the site of the rocket impact. | From the scene of the rock…

Brett Wilkins, staff writer (2020-09-15). For Palestinians and Their Supporters, Arab-Israeli Pacts Are 'A Stab in The Back' Amid Ongoing Oppression. commondreams.org From the West Bank and Gaza to Washington, D.C. and beyond, Palestinians and their allies stress that only an end to Israel's illegal occupation can bring peace to the Middle East. | www.commondreams.org/sites/default/files/styles/cd_special_coverage/public/headline/thumbs/demo.jpg

RT (2020-09-15). 'Humanitarian crisis' unfolds on Ukraine-Belarus border as Jewish pilgrims left stranded after Kiev tightens Covid-19 restrictions. rt.com Hundreds of Hasidim pilgrims, seeking to visit a venerated rabbi's grave in Ukraine's Uman to mark Jewish New Year, have reportedly become stuck between Belarus and Ukraine after Kiev tightened border controls over coronavirus. | Between 1,000 and 2,500 pilgrims are stranded at several border crossing points, according to media reports. Roughly a half of them crossed the Belarus frontier yet were unable to enter Ukraine, where they were met by a strong militarized border guard force. | –ù–∞ –≥—Ä–∞–Ω–∏—Ü–µ &nd…

RT (2020-09-15). Merkel 'ashamed' of persistent anti-Semitism in Germany, as she attends anniversary of country's largest Jewish group. rt.com On the anniversary of the founding of Germany's main Jewish group, Chancellor Angela Merkel slammed the increasingly "visible and uninhibited" racism and anti-Semitism in the country. | On Tuesday, Merkel attended celebrations for the 70th birthday of the Central Council of Jews. The organization was originally formed in 1950 to represent Jews who survived the Nazi regime but also to help mend the ties between Israel and Germany. | Speaking at the event, Merkel expressed her happiness at seeing the community "flourishing," but also used the platform to condemn the persistent anti-Semitism in Germany. She calle…

RT (2020-09-15). UAE hopes normalization deal dispels Israeli doubts over US F-35 sale, despite Netanyahu's open opposition. rt.com The United Arab Emirates has said a request to buy US F-35 warplanes has been on the table since before it agreed to normalize ties with Israel, despite Benjamin Netanyahu's vocal opposition to any such sales to the Gulf state. | The Abraham Accord agreement should dispel "any grain of doubt" over the UAE buying stealth F-35 fighter jets from the US, the Gulf state's minister of state for foreign affairs, Anwar Gargash, said on Tuesday. | The UAE seeks to modernize its military, and "our request for the F-35 and other systems pre-dates this [normalization] agreement," he said. The country's existing F-16 jets…

sputniknews (2020-09-15). Hezbollah Says Military Resistance Is Main Means for Liberating Palestine, Reports Claim. sputniknews.com The announcement followed the Abraham Accords signed by UAE and Bahrain with Israel at the White House, which were negatively met both by the Palestinian authorities and Iran.

Philip Giraldi (2020-09-15). Democrats Go All-Out for Israel. thealtworld.com Those of us who have longed for an end to America's military engagement in the Middle East have hoped for a candidate who was not tied hand and foot to Israel, which is the root cause of the badly-broken and essentially pointless U.S. foreign policy in the region. But the real tragedy is that in spite of Israel's near-constant interference in government process at all levels in the United States, no candidate will mention it except in the most laudatory fashion. It will be praised as America's best friend and closest ally, but the price the U.S. has paid for all that balderdash while it has simultaneously been tu…

Philip Giraldi (2020-09-15). 2020 Elections: Democrats Go All-Out for Israel. globalresearch.ca Those of us who have longed for an end to America's military engagement in the Middle East have hoped for a candidate who was not tied hand and foot to Israel, which is the root cause of the badly-broken and …

Stephen Lendman (2020-09-15). Three Life Sentences Plus 40 Years for Convicted Israeli Settler. globalresearch.ca Convictions of Israelis for crimes against Palestinians are rare exceptions, not the rule — almost never against soldiers and other security forces. | According to Yesh Din Volunteers for Human Rights, violence by Israeli forces and settlers occurs daily, nearly always …

_____ (2020-09-15). On Its 27th Anniversary: Defeat Oslo, Confront Normalization, Escalate BDS. popularresistance.org The agreement signed on the White House lawn and the famous handshake of Yitzhak Rabin and Yasser Arafat was falsely billed as a promise of peace and hope for Palestinians, denied both for decades upon decades, but was in reality a program for continued and intensified colonization and the suppression of the Palestinian liberation struggle. The entire project of Oslo was always intended to intensify the repression, division and fragmentation of the Palestinian people, while imposing a Palestinian "security" framework over the Palestinian people struggling for their rights, for return and liberation.

Peoples Dispatch (2020-09-15). Israeli terrorist gets three life terms for murdering Palestinian infant and his parents. peoplesdispatch.org Amiram Ben-Uliel firebombed the Dawabsheh family home in the occupied West Bank village of Duma wih Molotov cocktails on July 31, 2015, killing three people, including an 18-month-old infant…

WSWS (2020-09-15). Israel becomes first country to impose second national COVID-19 lockdown. wsws.org Israel now tops the world rankings in the number of new COVID-19 cases per capita.

Raul Diego (2020-09-15). In the Face of "Normalization" Congressional Dems Lobby to Protect Israel's "Qualitative Military Edge" mintpressnews.com A group of Congressional Dems are calling attention to a key pillar of US-Israeli policy in a futile effort to stall an arms deal as Israeli-UAE normalization takes effect.

Mehr News Agency (2020-09-15). More countries may normalize ties with Israeli Regime: Trump. en.mehrnews.com TEHRAN, Sep. 16 (MNA) — US President Donald Trump has claimed that five or six countries could reach similar diplomatic deals with the Zionist Regime in the future.

Ahmed AbdulKareem (2020-09-14). Israel and the UAE Hope to Turn Yemen's Remote Islands into an Intel Gathering Hub. globalresearch.ca Often a flashpoint for tensions between international rivals and a major chokepoint for much of the world's maritime transit, the waters surrounding Yemen have become a much-vaunted prize for regional intelligence services. | *** | In the wake of the recent

Staff (2020-09-14). Headlines for September 14, 2020. democracynow.org Historic Climate-Fueled Wildfires Kill 35 People, Burn 5 Million+ Acres Across West Coast, Trump Holds Packed Rally as U.S. Coronavirus Deaths Near 200,000 , ICE Flew Migrant Prisoners to Virginia, Fueling Outbreak, to Skirt Rules on Flying ICE Staff, WHO Says World Saw Biggest Daily Rise in Global Cases, Court Blocks Floridians with Unpaid Felony Conviction Fines from Voting, Trump Defends Police Killing of Portland Anti-Fascist Activist, Palestinians Decry Israeli Normalization Deals with UAE and Bahrain, Intra-Afghan Peace Talks Kick Off in Doha, Salvadoran Ex-Colonel Convicted for 1989 Murder of Jesuit Priest…

Kathryn Shihadah (2020-09-14). Israeli Human Rights Group Highlights How Israel Makes Fishing in Gaza Deadly. mintpressnews.com As is the reality with most elements of Palestinian life under Israeli occupation, the greatest challenge in Gaza's fishing industry is not the whether, or fluctuations in the market — it's simply living to fish another day.

Eds. (2020-09-14). CBC owes the people of Palestine an apology. mronline.org Over 2,000 people have written to the CBC to condemn its deletion of the word "Palestine" and its subsequent apology for uttering it. Still, the broadcaster insists the word falls outside its standards.

Peoples Dispatch (2020-09-14). Bahrainis oppose government move to normalize relations with Israel. peoplesdispatch.org On September 11, Bahrain became the second Gulf nation after the UAE to recognize Israel by signing a trilateral deal with the Zionist entity and the United States…

Abdel Bari Atwan (2020-09-14). UAE-Israel Deal: 'Peace-for-Protection'…? globalresearch.ca It was no surprise to hear US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo declare at the weekend that the UAE and Israel have agreed to form a security and military alliance against Iran to 'protect' US interests and the Middle East …

_____ (2020-09-14). September 14, 2001: The Day America Became Israel. popularresistance.org The rubble was still smoldering at Ground Zero when the U.S. House of Representatives voted to essentially transform itself into the Israeli Knesset, or parliament. It was 19 years ago, 11: 17pm Washington D.C. time on September 14, 2001 when the People's Chamber approved House Joint Resolution 64, the Authorization for the Use of Military Force (AUMF) "against those responsible for the recent attacks." Naturally, that was before the precise identities, and full scope, of "those responsible" were yet known – so the resolution's rubber-stamp was obscenely open-ended by necessity, but also by design.

Mehr News Agency (2020-09-14). WAIA to address UAE, Bahrain normalizations with Tel Aviv. en.mehrnews.com TEHRAN, Sep. 14 (MNA) — The World Assembly of Islamic Awakening (WAIA) will hold an extraordinary session on Wednesday to discuss the recent normalization of ties by some Arab states with the Israeli regime.

yenisafak (2020-09-14). Israel to demolish mosque in Jerusalem. yenisafak.com Israel on Monday issued a demolition order for a mosque in the town of Silwan in east Jerusalem for "lack of a construction permit," according to local residents.Israeli authorities gave the curators of the Qaqaa Bin Amr mosque 21 days to challenge the order.Built in 2012, the two-floor mosque accommodates hundreds of worshippers.A similar demolition order was issued in 2015, but was never enforced.In recent years, Israeli settlers have seized control of dozens of Palestinian homes in Silwan, which is close to the flashpoint Al-Aqsa Mosque compound.Israeli settlement organization Elad says it seeks to turn Silwan…

Jonathan Cook (2020-09-14). The Truth Behind Netanyahu's Admission that Police Killing was a Cover-up. dissidentvoice.org It is unprecedented. Three years after the Israeli government first began vilifying a Palestinian teacher to retrospectively justify his murder by Israel's security forces, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu issued a public apology to his family last week. Yacoub Abu al-Qiyan was not a "terrorist" after all, the Israeli prime minister conceded. And there was more. …

yenisafak (2020-09-13). Gaza records 2 deaths, 100 infections from coronavirus. yenisafak.com Palestinian health authorities registered two fatalities and 100 infections from the coronavirus outbreak in the Gaza Strip on Sunday.In a statement, the Health Ministry said the territory's tally rose to 1,819 confirmed cases, including 15 deaths, and 216 recoveries."The number of active cases in Gaza rose to 1,588," the ministry said.Reeling under a crippling Israeli blockade since 2007, the Gaza Strip suffers a severe shortage of medicines and medical supplies, in addition to daily electric outages.The Hamas-led government imposed a lockdown in Gaza on Aug. 24 to help curb the outbreak in the blockaded enclave…

RT (2020-09-13). Netanyahu puts Israel into 3-week lockdown, citing rapid spread of Covid-19. rt.com Israel will impose a three-week nationwide lockdown starting Friday, due to the dire situation with regard to the coronavirus outbreak in the country, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said in a televised address. | Addressing the nation on Sunday, Netanyahu promised that the restrictions would be accompanied by a new economic aid package, which the government is to announce on Thursday. | The anti-coronavirus measures will restrict gatherings to no more than 10 people indoors and 20 outdoors. They will also prevent the Israelis for getting more than 500 meters away from their homes. | Schools will be closed,…