Daily Archives: September 26, 2020

2020-09-26: News Headlines

Zion Hagay (2020-09-26). [Correspondence] Israeli aid to the West Bank and the Gaza Strip during the COVID-19 pandemic. thelancet.com The claims asserted in David Mills and colleagues in their Correspondence1 were so egregious that we feel the need to respond, even though some time has passed since its publication and the Correspondence has since been removed from The Lancet's website.

Fareed Taamallah (2020-09-26). 'Cultivated with love': Palestinian farmers' markets flourish in the West Bank. middleeasteye.net 'Cultivated with love': Palestinian farmers' markets flourish in the West Bank | Souk el-fallaheen has offered Palestinian farmers a space to sell their products and build relationships with their communities

| Sat, 09/26/2020 – 10: 20 | The Palestinian farmers' market in al-Bireh has seen an unprecedented turnout from buyers and farmers this summer (MEE/Al-Bireh Municipality) | "

IRMEP (2020-09-26). Expropriate, Capture & Marginalize: the Energix business model from Palestine to the US. indybay.org Energix expropriated 24 acres from a Palestinian community in the Israeli-occupied West Bank to boost its bottom line. When residents in the Israeli-occupied Golan questioned Energix electricity exports from massive wind turbines built on occupied land, Energix sued them in Israeli court. | Now Energix has brought its business practices to America. But can Energix get away with expropriating $26,000 from each home within 100 feet of its utility scale energy generators in Virginia? Will county boards of supervisors accept quiet Energix payoffs of $50,000 in exchange for 35-year licenses? Will the officials and ass…

yenisafak (2020-09-26). Hamas deal to counter US-Israeli plots: Fatah. yenisafak.com Palestinian group Fatah said Saturday its deal with rival Hamas group aims to counter US-Israeli plots against the Palestinian cause."The agreement is part of efforts to unify the Palestinian position in order to abort the passage of US-Israeli plots," Fatah deputy leader Mahmoud al-Aloul told the official Voice of Palestine Radio.He said the Fatah-Hamas deal also aims to "confront moves by some Arab countries to normalize their relations with the [Israeli] occupation state".The United Arab Emirates (UAE) and Bahrain signed US-sponsored deals earlier this month to normalize their relations with Israel.Palestinia…

yenisafak (2020-09-26). Hamas chief hails Abbas' speech to UN. yenisafak.com Hamas chief Ismail Haniyeh on Saturday hailed President Mahmoud Abbas's speech to the UN General Assembly, according to the official Wafa news agency.This came during a phone call Abbas received from the Hamas leader.Abbas' speech "reflects the moment [the Palestinian people are going through] in this historic stage," Haniyeh said.In his speech on Friday, Abbas said the umbrella Palestine Liberation Organization (PLO) has not mandated any party to speak in its name."We will not bow or abandon our rights in spite of the unjust blockade targeting our national decision," Abbas said.The United Arab Emirates (UAE) and…

yenisafak (2020-09-26). Normalization deals 'tool' to undermine Islam: Scholar. yenisafak.com A top Muslim scholar has linked recent normalization deals between the United Arab Emirates (UAE), Bahrain and Israel to a campaign aimed at undermining Islam and monopolizing the Islamic countries.Ali al-Qaradaghi, the Secretary-General of the International Union for Muslim Scholars (IUMS), said there are many tools being used to "uproot Islam and reoccupy Muslims intellectually, socially, economically and politically"."One of these tools is through creating a new religion under the beautiful name of 'Abraham's faith'," al-Qaradaghi said in a Facebook post on Saturday. "[This claim] does not have anything to do…

teleSUR (2020-09-25). COVID 19 Updates: US Cases Surpass 7 Million. telesurenglish.net The following are the updates on the global fight against the COVID-19 pandemic. | – – – – | RABAT — Morocco announced on Friday 2,423 new COVID-19 cases, taking the total tally in the North African country since March 2 to 112,522. | The number of recoveries from coronavirus in Morocco increased to 91,932 after 1,746 more were added, while the death toll rose by 42 to 1,998, the ministry of health said in a statement. | – – – – | RAMALLAH — The Palestinian health ministry on Friday reported 452 new COVID-19 cases and five deaths from the virus in the West Bank, the Gaza Strip and East Jerusalem. | In a pres…

yenisafak (2020-09-25). Egyptian navy arrests 3 Palestinian fishermen. yenisafak.com The Egyptian navy on Friday arrested three Palestinian fishermen after they allegedly crossed into the Egyptian territorial waters, a local union said.According to Nizar Ayyash, head of Gaza's fishermen union, the Egyptian navy followed the fishermen's boat and opened fire on them after crossing into the Egyptian waters and arrested them.Ayyash added that the three fishermen are from the same family and live in Deir al-Balah, a city in central Gaza.He, however, said no information is available about their situation under custody.The authorities in Gaza and Egypt are yet to comment on the incident.According to the…

Susan Abulhawa (2020-09-25). Susan Abulhawa: 'Palestine is the test'. workers.org The following is a lightly edited transcript of a Sept. 19 talk by Palestinian novelist and Workers World Party member Susan Abulhawa during a "Free Palestine! No Normalization with Colonization or Occupation!' webinar sponsored by WWP. We've known for years that the United Arab Emirates (UAE), Saudi Arabia and other . . . |

MEE staff (2020-09-25). Ocasio-Cortez withdraws from participating in former Israeli PM's memorial: Report. middleeasteye.net Ocasio-Cortez withdraws from participating in former Israeli PM's memorial: Report | US congresswoman says event was promoted inaccurately, after backlash from Palestinians | Sat, 09/26/2020 – 00: 23 | Ocasio-Cortez is revered figure on US political left and vocal critic of Israeli government (AFP/File photo) | US Congresswoman Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez has withdrawn her scheduled participation in a memorial ev…

MEE staff (2020-09-25). Normalisation with Israel 'violates' any 'just and lasting solution,' warns Abbas. middleeasteye.net Normalisation with Israel 'violates' any 'just and lasting solution,' warns Abbas | Palestinian president's General Assembly address calls on UN secretary general to arrange international conference on peace process | Fri, 09/25/2020 – 19: 03 | Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas addresses the UN General Assembly on 25 September (screen shot) | Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas slammed the recent US-backed d…

Neve Gordon (2020-09-25). Redefining Anti-Semitism on Facebook. counterpunch.org The objective is to force Facebook to alter its hate speech definition so that its own "detection algorithm" will characterize any criticism of Israel as hate speech and automatically remove the pertinent content from the platform. Given that Facebook has 2.7 billion users and is the world's largest and arguably most influential media platform, it comes as

Ramzy Baroud (2020-09-25). Palestinians Are Not Numbers: On the Future of the Palestinian Discourse. counterpunch.org Palestine can never be truly understood through numbers, because numbers are dehumanizing, impersonal, and, when necessary, can also be contrived to mean something else entirely. Numbers are not meant to tell the story of the human condition, nor should they ever serve as a substitute for emotions. Indeed, the stories of life, death — and

A Guest Author (2020-09-25). Surviving a pandemic under siege. workers.org During a Sept. 18 "Free Palestine" webinar, Palestinian writers and activists Susan Abulhawa and Khaled Barakat were asked to comment on the spread of COVID-19 in occupied Palestine, and what it means to have access to healthcare under foreign occupation. The following is an edited version of their replies. Susan . . . |

Christian Noakes (2020-09-25). In Ireland / Palestinian and Irish prisoners go on hunger strike. workers.org Issam Hijjawi-Bassalat, a Palestinian doctor and dedicated ant-imperialist, was arrested on Aug. 24 along with nine members of the Irish Republican Party Saoradh, as a result of entrapment by the British police agency MI5. These arrests are part of the ongoing repression of the Irish Republican movement* by British military . . . |

Lily Galili (2020-09-25). Coronavirus: Israel turns to army as pandemic clampdown intensifies. middleeasteye.net Coronavirus: Israel turns to army as pandemic clampdown intensifies | As the Covid-19 crisis worsens, Israelis are seeing the army as a saviour – but the country is looking more and more like a military regime | Fri, 09/25/2020 – 12: 01 | Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu (R) and Armed Forces Chief of Staff Lieutenant General Aviv Kochavi, both clad in masks due to the COVID-19 coronavirus pandem…

news.un (2020-09-25). How long must we wait for a just solution, Palestinian President Abbas asks world leaders. news.un.org The President of the State of Palestine addressed, via a pre-recorded video, the United Nations General Assembly on Friday, highlighting the suffering of his people and the misery they experience every day "while the world stands by watching."

Peoples Dispatch (2020-09-25). Hamas and Fatah agree to hold elections in Palestine in six months. peoplesdispatch.org Representatives from both the groups met in Turkey and finalized the deal to hold the first Palestinian elections after 2006. The voting will take place in all occupied territories, including eastern Jerusalem.

Nora Barrows-friedman (2020-09-25). YouTube, Zoom and Facebook censor Leila Khaled for Israel. zcomm.org "They are bothered by the ways in which we are focusing on questions of Black liberation, Palestinian liberation and prison abolition, and the connections between these movements"

yenisafak (2020-09-25). Czechs plan to buy air defence from Israel's Rafael. yenisafak.com The Czech Defence Ministry will start talks with the Israeli government to buy a short and medium range air defence system made by Israeli state-owned supplier Rafael, the ministry said on Friday.The government has been raising defence spending to modernise its armed forces, but has admitted it would fall short of its pledge, as a member of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization, to spend 2% of gross domestic product on defence by 2024.The ministry said it expected a government-to-government contract to be signed in early 2021 and supplies from 2023 and had picked Rafael's SPYDER Short Range Air Defence/Medium Ra…

Michael Jansen (2020-09-24). Failing Palestinian Self-determination. globalresearch.ca The UN is marking its 75th birthday with a virtual opening of the 75th session of the General Assembly. While UN agencies have carried out successful humanitarian assistance and research programmes, peacekeeping missions and efforts to protect the rights of …

A. Majumdar (2020-09-24). PDF of September 24 issue. workers.org Download the 12-page PDF. Whistleblower: ICE abuses detainees ALSO: Migrant caravan for residency; Defend BLM activist lawyers; Trump, Biden, and U.S. decline; 'Free Palestine' webinar; U.S. Cold War vs TikTok; Is Marxism still relevant? WORKERS ORGANIZE: Illinois; North Carolina. WORLD: Editorial: Ginsburg & SCOTUS. WORLD: Belarus; Bolivia. TEAR DOWN THE . . . |

Fight Back (2020-09-24). Minneapolis calls for an end to aid to Israel, remembers Sabra and Shatila. fightbacknews.org Minneapolis, MN – On September 17, over 30 activists in Minneapolis bannered across Interstate 94 during rush hour to remember the Sabra and Shatila massacre and highlight the destructive role the U.S. plays in Lebanon. They waved Palestinian flags and dropped banners across eight lanes of traffic demanding an end to aid in Israel, demanding an end to apartheid, and expressing solidarity against state violence. The response from people passing by was overwhelmingly positive with a constant stream of honks from cars. | From September 16 to 18, 1982, pro-Israel militiamen murdered more than 1000 Palestinian and Leb…

Gordon Duff (2020-09-24). Feet First? Trump Says He Won't Leave White House When He Loses Election. thealtworld.com 'We're going to have to see what happens,' says US president, again raising concerns over integrity of mail-in-ballots despite no evidence of fraud | "Get rid of the ballots and you'll have a very peaceful — there won't be a transfer, frankly. There will be a continuation. The ballots are out of control. You know it. And you know who knows it better than anybody else? The Democrats know it better than anybody else.": | WASHINGTON (Times of Israel) — US President Donald Trump on Wednesday again declined to commit to a peaceful transfer of power if he loses the Nov. 3 presidential election. | "

Ali Harb (2020-09-24). Arab states are forging ties with Israel to please US, Ted Cruz says. middleeasteye.net Arab states are forging ties with Israel to please US, Ted Cruz says | US senator rejects criticism of Saudi Arabia's human rights record, says Riyadh played 'major role' in brokering Arab peace with Israel | Thu, 09/24/2020 – 18: 34 | Cruz says Donald Trump's 'clarity' in favouring Israel pushed Arab countries to embrace normalisation (AFP/File photo) | Ambassadors of the United Arab Emirates and Saudi Arabia in…

MEE and agencies (2020-09-24). Fatah and Hamas agree to first Palestinian elections in nearly 15 years. middleeasteye.net Fatah and Hamas agree to first Palestinian elections in nearly 15 years | Deal between the rival Palestinian factions follows normalisation agreements between Israel, the UAE and Bahrain | Thu, 09/24/2020 – 12: 01 | Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas, centre, recites a prayer as he arrives for a meeting in Ramallah on 3 September with representatives of Palestinian factions (AFP) | The Pa…

MEE staff (2020-09-24). Another Arab state to announce ties with Israel in 'next day or two', US official says. middleeasteye.net Another Arab state to announce ties with Israel in 'next day or two', US official says | UN ambassador Kelly Craft declined to name names, but recent moves indicate Sudan or Oman may be next on list of countries to move forward with normalisation deal | Thu, 09/24/2020 – 16: 34 | Foreign Ministers of the United Arab Emirates and Bahrain met with US President Donald Trump and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Net…

Ali Harb (2020-09-24). 'We are cheerleaders' for pro-US camp in Middle East, says UAE's Al-Otaiba. middleeasteye.net 'We are cheerleaders' for pro-US camp in Middle East, says UAE's Al-Otaiba | Abu Dhabi's ambassador to Washington says normalisation deal with Israel will give 'moral boost' to religious minorities in region | Thu, 09/24/2020 – 23: 00 | Flags of US, Israel, United Arab Emirates and Bahrain on ramparts of Jerusalem's Old City on 15 September (AFP/File photo) | The Emiratis are "cheerleaders" for the US role in the…

Nadda Osman (2020-09-24). Zoom criticised for cancelling webinar with Palestinian activist Leila Khaled. middleeasteye.net Zoom criticised for cancelling webinar with Palestinian activist Leila Khaled | The event was also later blocked by YouTube and Facebook for featuring the activist and former hijacker | Thu, 09/24/2020 – 15: 02 | The online event was cancelled by Zoom, and later blocked by Facebook and YouTube (Screengrab/ AFP) | Zoom, a video conferencing platform, is facing a barrage of criticism online after cancellin…

MEE and agencies (2020-09-24). 'Edge of the abyss': Israel tightens coronavirus lockdown as infections climb. middleeasteye.net 'Edge of the abyss': Israel tightens coronavirus lockdown as infections climb | Move comes after number of daily new cases has reached nearly 7,000 among a population of just nine million | Thu, 09/24/2020 – 08: 04 | Netanyahu has rejected allegations from protesters that a tougher lockdown was essentially aimed at quashing demonstrations against him (Reuters) | Prime Minister Benjamin Net…

MEE staff (2020-09-24). Another Arab state to announce ties with Israel in 'day or two', US official says. middleeasteye.net Another Arab state to announce ties with Israel in 'day or two', US official says | UN Ambassador Kelly Craft declines to identify, but recent moves indicate Sudan or Oman may be next on list of countries to move forward with normalisation deal | Thu, 09/24/2020 – 16: 34 | Foreign ministers of United Arab Emirates and Bahrain met with US President Donald Trump and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu last…

MEE and agencies (2020-09-24). Netanyahu brings dirty laundry to Washington for US staff to wash: Report. middleeasteye.net Netanyahu brings dirty laundry to Washington for US staff to wash: Report | For the first time, US officials have commented on the Israeli prime minister's behaviour, which has been reported on for years | Thu, 09/24/2020 – 11: 16 | One US official said that after multiple trips to Washington it became clear that the bringing of the dirty laundry was intentional (AFP) | Officials in the Un…

Peoples Dispatch (2020-09-24). Groups from across the world ask UN General Assembly to act against Israeli apartheid. peoplesdispatch.org More than 450 civil society and human rights groups from across the globe released a letter addressed to the ongoing 75th session of the UNGA asking it to revive its anti-apartheid bodies and take action to end Israeli occupation of Palestine…

commondreams (2020-09-24). Thousands Call on Facebook to Stop Censoring Palestine. commondreams.org ______________________________…

Julia Conley, staff writer (2020-09-24). Advocates Demand Facebook #StopCensoringPalestine After Platform Blocks Livestream Featuring Palestinian Rights Defenders. commondreams.org "When it comes to speech advocating for Palestinians. Facebook swiftly censors and removes content, often with no explanation." | www.commondreams.org/sites/default/files/styles/cd_special_coverage/public/headline/thumbs/facebook-censorship_petition.jpg

Philip Giraldi (2020-09-24). Are You Feeling Safer? 'War of the Worlds' Pits U.S. and Israel Against Everyone Else. thealtworld.com The media being focused on an upcoming election, coronavirus, fires on the West Coast and burgeoning BLM and Antifa unrest, it is perhaps no surprise that some stories are not exactly making it through to the evening news. Last week an important vote in the United Nations General Assembly went heavily against the United States. It was regarding

Marwa Osman (2020-09-24). Rejecting Normalization with Israel—MES EP.73. thealtworld.com The recent bilateral agreements simply formalized the normalization of Israel's already thawing relations with the United Arab Emirates and Bahrain. But the agreements do not address the decades-long conflict between Israel and the Arab population because of the Palestinian cause, who view the pacts as a stab in the back of their fellow Palestinians and a betrayal of their cause for a Palestinian state. To discuss this issue with us from London is Jawad Fairouz Former Bahraini MP. | It is not a secret that US President Donald Trump is obsessed with either voiding or emulating the legacy of his predecessor, Barack…

Kathryn Shihadah (2020-09-24). New Middle East Peace Plan Would Use Jobs to "Turn Palestinians Away from Violence" mintpressnews.com The Middle East Partnership for Peace Act relies heavily on the premise that the primary reasons that Israel and the Palestinians have not achieved peace are merely economic.

_____ (2020-09-24). The Man Who Inspired A Generation. popularresistance.org My encounter with the Al-Araj family began in 2009, the year I met Basil and Shireen and started joining them in demonstrations in Al-Walaja village. On 6 March 2017, Basil was murdered by the Israeli army. He was 31 years old. Others will speak of his martyrdom, I will speak of his life and what he told me. Basil would have wanted it told this way. I learned intimate details about Basil and his family life the third time we were detained together. He was 24 years old, I was twice his age. This was in what Basil accurately described as "a holding pin not fit for animals" which I and many Palestinian males shared…

news.un (2020-09-24). At UN Assembly, King Hamad affirms Bahrain's commitment for a just peace in Middle East. news.un.org Bahrain's establishment of relations with Israel is a "civilized message", affirming the country's commitment for a just and comprehensive peace for all peoples in the region, King Hamad bin Isa Al Khalifa told world leaders, gathered virtually at the United Nations General Assembly.

sputniknews (2020-09-24). Israeli Man Who Lost His Mother in Palestinian Suicide Attack Opens Up About His Loss, Anger & Pain. sputniknews.com It has been 20 years since the onset of the Second Palestinian uprising, during which Palestinian terrorists killed more than a thousand Israelis, many of whom were civilians. The IDF killed over 3,000 Palestinians throughout the 2nd intifada.

yenisafak (2020-09-24). Fatah: Intra-Palestinian talks in Turkey 'fruitful'. yenisafak.com A top member of Palestinian Fatah on Thursday said that ongoing talks in Turkey with its longtime rival Hamas are "positive, fruitful, and productive." | "The dialogue is an important step towards reconciliation and partnership, and unifying the Palestinian stance in the light of the consensus on rejecting all the liquidation projects against the Palestinian cause." Hussein al-Sheikh, a member of Fatah's Central Committee, wrote on Twitter. | Separately, Munir al-Jaghoub, who heads Fatah's information office, told Anadolu Agency that a senior Fatah delegation will head to the Qatari capital Doha and then to Cairo…

Ramzy Baroud (2020-09-23). Palestinians Are Not Numbers. dissidentvoice.org Palestine can never be truly understood through numbers, because numbers are dehumanizing, impersonal, and, when necessary, can also be contrived to mean something else entirely. Numbers are not meant to tell the story of the human condition, nor should they ever serve as a substitute for emotions. Indeed, the stories of life, death — and …

Melvin Goodman (2020-09-23). Arming the Planet: the USA as the World's Leading Weapons Dealer. counterpunch.org For the past several decades, the United States has been the world's leading producer of major weapons systems and the leader in global arms sales. More of these sales have taken place in the globe's most volatile region, the Middle East, than in any other region of the world. The so-called peace deals between Israel and the United Arab Emirates and Bahrein, which were brokered by the United States, were business deals designed to expand U.S. arms sales in the Persian Gulf.

MEE staff (2020-09-23). Saudi King Salman delivers scathing attack on Iran in UN speech. middleeasteye.net Saudi King Salman delivers scathing attack on Iran in UN speech | Saudi monarch suggests kingdom backs its Gulf neighbours' normalisation deals with Israel on second day of UN General Assembly | Wed, 09/23/2020 – 17: 09 | 'We support the efforts of the current US administration to achieve peace in the Middle East,' Saudi Arabia's Salman says (AFP/File photo) | Saudi Arabia's King Salman delivered a scathing at…

Workers World Party (2020-09-23). Workers World Party demands "Stop Censoring Palestinian Resistance!" workers.org Sept. 23 — Today, three media platforms, Facebook, Zoom and YouTube, collaborated to censor a Palestinian program featuring Palestinian revolutionary Leila Khaled and U.S. political prisoners. Workers World Party condemns this censorship and expresses its solidarity with the struggle of the Palestinian people for self-determination and freedom. The WWP Facebook . . . |

Yasmena al-Mulla (2020-09-23). 'Unaltered position': Kuwait denies Trump claim it will back Israel normalisation. middleeasteye.net 'Unaltered position': Kuwait denies Trump claim it will back Israel normalisation | Cabinet of ministers' statement reflects strong historical relations between the Gulf country and Palestine

| Wed, 09/23/2020 – 14: 21 | Sheikh Nasser Sabah al-Ahmad al-Sabah accepts the US Legion of Merit, Degree Chief Commander on behalf of his father the Kuwaiti emir during a ceremony at the…

Yves Engler (2020-09-23). Does Canadian Left Icon Stephen Lewis want Palestine to Disappear? dissidentvoice.org Stephen Lewis seems to want Palestine to disappear. The latest example in a long history of anti-Palestinian activism is his claim that Canada's anti-Palestinian voting record at the UN didn't contribute to its defeat for a seat on the Security Council. Recently I was forwarded an email that activist Elizabeth Block shared to Independent Jewish …

yenisafak (2020-09-23). Palestine hails Erdogan's speech to UN. yenisafak.com The Palestinian Foreign Ministry on Wednesday hailed Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan's speech to the United Nations General Assembly. | "We must thank the Turkish president for his insistence on reminding the world of the Palestinian people's suffering as well as their right to freedom and independence and his rejection of any initiative that the Palestinian rejects," the ministry said in a statement. | In his speech, Erdogan said: "Upon rejection of the document of surrender, which was tried to be imposed on Palestine under the name of 'Deal of the Century,' Israel this time accelerated its attempts to 'h…

yenisafak (2020-09-23). UAE signs contracts with Israeli firms on UN blacklist. yenisafak.com Emirati companies have signed contracts with Israeli firms and banks blacklisted by the United Nations for supporting illegal settlements in the occupied West Bank, an investigation by Anadolu Agency has revealed. | In February, the UN released a database of 112 companies on its blacklist for doing business inside Israeli settlements in the West Bank. | On Aug. 13, the United Arab Emirates (UAE) and Israel announced a US-brokered agreement to normalize their relations. The move was followed by a series of announcements on agreements and contracts between companies from both countries. | But Anadolu Agency found t…