Daily Archives: October 3, 2020

2020-10-03: News Headlines

Iyad Khamaysi, Raphi Walden (2020-10-03). [Correspondence] Essential medical equipment for Gaza. thelancet.com In June, 2018, The Lancet published our Correspondence about a cross-border collaboration that led to the acquisition of an advanced gastrointestinal endoscopic unit for the European Gaza Hospital.1…

yenisafak (2020-10-03). Hamas calls for accelerated talks to achieve unity. yenisafak.com Palestinian group Hamas on Saturday called for accelerating inter-Palestinian talks with a view to reaching a national roadmap for achieving reconciliation.Hamas held talks with its rival Fatah group in Istanbul last month to discuss ways of achieving a partnership between the two movements.The talks came almost three weeks after secretaries-general of the Palestinian factions agreed during meetings in Ramallah and Beirut to hold free and transparent elections.In a statement, Hamas said the meetings constituted a prelude to a comprehensive Palestinian dialogue."Partnership can be materialized in the rebuilding of…

Anya Parampil (2020-10-02). US military seeks to "create new base in Syria" — Syrian journalist. thegrayzone.com Red Lines host Anya Parampil speaks with Syrian journalist Bashar Barazi, the correspondent for HispanTV in Damascus, about recent developments in the country. By Anya Parampil They discuss the impact of the new "Cesar sanctions" on the Syrian public, US and Turkish maneuvers within Syria, Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov's recent visit to the country, as well as the average Syrian's response to efforts from Gulf countries to normalize relations with Israel. Barazi explains why he believes the US is …

yenisafak (2020-10-02). Israel detained 15 Gazans in September. yenisafak.com The Israeli forces arrested 15 Palestinians during September in the Gaza Strip.The head of Detainees and Ex-Detainees Affairs at Studies and Documentation Unit, Abdel-Nasser Farawana, told Anadolu Agency on Friday: "The occupation authorities [Israel] arrested 14 Palestinians as they crossed the Gaza Strip borders into the occupied territories, and a cancer patient was arrested while passing through the Erez checkpoint in the north of Gaza Strip last September.""The number of arrests increased in September. In August this year, one Palestinian was arrested in Gaza," he said.Farawana said: "Most of those detainees…

MEE staff (2020-10-02). Armenia withdraws ambassador to Israel over Azerbaijan arms sales. middleeasteye.net Armenia withdraws ambassador to Israel over Azerbaijan arms sales | Armenia said it was 'unacceptable' for Israel to continue providing weaponry as Nagorno-Karabakh conflict continues | Fri, 10/02/2020 – 09: 45 | People demonstrate in support of Armenia and against the war in Nagorno Karabach during the Special European Summit in Brussels (AFP) | Armenia has recalled its ambassador to Israel over the country's…

Zarefah Baroud (2020-10-02). The Leahy Laws: Why Biden's Promise to Israel is Illegal. counterpunch.org While co-hosting an interview on the Palestine Chronicle, I asked Dr. Richard Falk, former UN Special Rapporteur on Palestinian human rights, about his thoughts on Kamala Harris' promise to maintain unconditional aid to Israel. "I am disappointed of course by the Harris-Biden positions on Israel. I would have hoped for something closer to what Bernie

Mohammad Ayesh (2020-10-02). Arabic press review: Plans for Israel-UAE canal enrage Egypt. middleeasteye.net Arabic press review: Plans for Israel-UAE canal enrage Egypt | Meanwhile, Jordan expels former Palestinian prisoner Nizar al-Tamimi, and three ministers of Arab origin join new Belgian government | Fri, 10/02/2020 – 15: 14 | Egypt is reportedly worried that a new canal between Israel and the UAE might threaten its crucial income from the Suez Canal (AFP/file photo, November 2019) | Canal tri…

Rayhan Uddin (2020-10-02). Israel-UAE musical collaborations spark social media debate. middleeasteye.net Israel-UAE musical collaborations spark social media debate | An instrumental cover and a Hebrew-English-Arabic mashup have caused a stir online, as cultural ties between Israel and the UAE strengthen | Fri, 10/02/2020 – 15: 45 | Two collaborations between Israeli and UAE musicians celebrating normalisation have received mixed reactions online (Screengrabs) | Less than two months since Israel and the…

Ramzy Baroud (2020-10-02). In Lieu of a Liberation Strategy: Palestinian Elections Are Designed to Buy Time. dissidentvoice.org It is abundantly clear that Palestinian Authority President, Mahmoud Abbas, has underestimated the seriousness of the challenges facing Palestine and the Palestinians. The rushed agreement between his party, Fatah and Hamas in Istanbul on September 24, and the Palestinian leader's speech at the 75th session of the UN General Assembly the following day, indicate that …

MEE and agencies (2020-10-02). Mossad chief holds talks with Bahrain as ties with Israel deepen. middleeasteye.net Mossad chief holds talks with Bahrain as ties with Israel deepen | Yossi Cohen reported to have discussed 'mutual interests' with his Bahraini counterparts during visit | Fri, 10/02/2020 – 11: 16 | Mossad chief Yossi Cohen pictured in 2017 (AFP) | Israel's top spy chief Yossi Cohen has held talks with Bahrain's intelligence services following the two countries recent normalisation of relat…

RT (2020-10-02). Arrest of Hamas co-founder by Israeli security forces denounced as attempt to undermine Palestinian reconciliation. rt.com Israeli security forces have arrested senior Hamas leader Hassan Youssef. The two rival Palestinian groups, Hamas and Fatah, have both condemned the move as being politically-charged and a bid to ruin their reconciliation talks. | Youssef was taken at his home in Ramallah in the occupied West Bank on Friday morning. While Israeli authorities have not provided any official information about the move, local media

MEE and agencies (2020-10-02). Israeli minister quits Netanyahu's cabinet over protest curbs. middleeasteye.net Israeli minister quits Netanyahu's cabinet over protest curbs | Emergency laws limit Israelis to protesting only 1km outside of their homes | Fri, 10/02/2020 – 15: 24 | Asaf Zamir who belongs to Gantz's Blue and White Party said Netanyahu was prioritising his interest over the country's (Facebook) | An Israeli minister on Friday resigned because of a new law that limits protests against Be…

Yossi Melman (2020-10-02). Big Brother Israel has become Netanyahu's personal playground. middleeasteye.net Big Brother Israel has become Netanyahu's personal playground | The prime minister is using coronavirus measures as a pretext to push a self-serving agenda | Fri, 10/02/2020 – 11: 29 | Draconian measures have become a daily reality in Israel (Reuters) | In today's Israel, in the time of

Miko Peled (2020-10-02). Civil Rights Groups Are Finally Waking Up to the ADL's Right Wing Agenda. mintpressnews.com From its National Counter Terrorism Seminars, its mapping of pro-Palestinians activists, and its silence over Israeli human rights violations, the ADL's thin veneer of civil rights advocacy is quickly wearing.

Abdel Bari Atwan (2020-10-02). Dragging Lebanon toward normalisation. thealtworld.com Lebanese politicians browbeaten into agreeing a deal with Israel ahead of US elections | After the Beirut Port explosion destroyed half the Lebanese capital, killed and injured thousands of people and made 300,000 homeless; and after a contrived banking crisis caused the collapse of the Lebanon's currency and drove more than 60% of the population below the poverty line; Parliament Speaker Nabih Berri announced on Thursday that, as a result of US mediation, a 'framework agreement' had been reached with Israel to demarcate the maritime boundary. | Direct talks on delineation are to be conducted by Lebanese army chi…

Sondoss Al Assad (2020-10-02). Protest against the Bahrain's normalization with Israel. thealtworld.com Exclusive- Ever since the Sep 15th US-brokered normalization rapprochement, and defying Manama's trigger-ready security forces, defiant Bahrainis have taken to streets on masses to head off vociferous protest, waving Bahraini and Palestinian flags, as well as placards that condemn the deal. New massive protests are being held this Friday, this time under the title of "Friday of Collapse of the Betrayal Agreement", stressing they will never clinch any ties with the Zionists that might trample on the interests of their fellow Palestinians and their righteous cause. | According to Bahrain News Agency (BNA), Manama y…

yenisafak (2020-10-02). Israel detains senior Hamas leader in Ramallah. yenisafak.com Israel on Friday detained a senior leader of the Palestinian group Hamas in the central West Bank, according to local Palestinian media.Palestinian news website Donia al-Watan reported that Israeli forces detained Hasan Yousef, 64, in his home in the town of Beitunia to the west of Ramallah city.Israeli authorities released Yousef in July after he was jailed for 15 months.Yousef spent a total of 21 years in Israeli jails — mostly without trial under Tel Aviv's policy of administrative detention.He was actively involved in a recent rapprochement between the two Palestinian rival parties, Hamas and Fatah.* Ahmed A…

MEE and agencies (2020-10-01). Legal group demands Israel end impunity for killing of Palestinian citizens. middleeasteye.net Legal group demands Israel end impunity for killing of Palestinian citizens | Adalah says public perception of Palestinians as the 'enemy' encourages deadly police violence | Thu, 10/01/2020 – 14: 48 | Four Palestinians pray in front of Israeli police at a street in Jerusalem's old city after they were prevented from entering the Al-Aqsa mosque compound for Friday prayers in October 2000 (…

MEE and agencies (2020-10-01). Lebanon and Israel agree to hold UN-mediated talks on border dispute. middleeasteye.net Lebanon and Israel agree to hold UN-mediated talks on border dispute | United States, which has welcomed the framework agreement, will act as facilitator during the discussions | Thu, 10/01/2020 – 14: 37 | A file picture taken on 5 September 2018 near the Rosh Hanikra border crossing in northern Israel, shows the Naqura Bay south of the Lebanese city of Tyre as seen behind a new wall on th…

RT (2020-10-01). Lebanon agrees 'framework' to negotiate on disputed maritime border with Israel — senior official. rt.com Lebanon is ready for US-mediated talks with Israel to resolve a long-standing maritime border dispute, the speaker of Lebanon's parliament, Nabih Berri, said. The two nations are technically in a state of war. | The talks will be held under the auspices of the United Nations, at a base near the UN-monitored boundary with Israel, known as the Blue Line, Berri told reporters on Thursday. The Lebanese military will lead the rare direct negotiations between the two nations, which will be mediated by the US. | "This is a framework agreement, and not a final one," Berri noted. | Israel's Energy Minister Yuval Steini…

Mehr News Agency (2020-10-01). Damascus rules out any agreements Israeli regime. en.mehrnews.com TEHRAN, Oct. 01 (MNA) — Syria has underlined its rejection of any agreement with the Israeli regime, noting that the regime is harming the Arab cause and especially the Palestinian cause.

Mehr News Agency (2020-10-01). Kuwait will remain loyal to Palestinian cause: new Emir. en.mehrnews.com TEHRAN, Oct. 01 (MNA) — New Emir of Kuwait Sheikh Nawaf al-Ahmad al-Sabah said that the country will remain loyal to the Palestinian cause.

MEE staff (2020-09-30). Israel's West Bank annexation postponed for a year, not cancelled, says Friedman. middleeasteye.net Israel's West Bank annexation postponed for a year, not cancelled, says Friedman | US ambassador to Israel reiterates that controversial annexation plans have only been temporarily suspended | Wed, 09/30/2020 – 12: 04 | Archimandrite Abdullah Yulio, parish priest of the Melkite Greek Catholic church in Ramallah, joins other Palestinians as they gather to commemorate the second intifada and to protest against t…

Mehr News Agency (2020-09-30). Tehran hosts 4th Palestine Children, Youth Solidarity Summit. en.mehrnews.com TEHRAN, Oct. 01 (MNA) — The Fourth Palestine Children's and Youth Solidarity Summit was held at Khalij-e-Fars Amphitheater of Tehran's Sacred Defense Museum late on Wed.

_____ (2020-09-30). How Exceptional America Is. strategic-culture.org America is becoming exceptionally exceptional. In some votes at the UN General Assembly — the Assembly of nations — only Israel, or one or two other U.S. allies, vote along with it, and all others either vote against it, or else abstain in order to prevent U.S. retaliation against their own nation. No other nation is anything like that. In fact, on many occasions, the U.S. arm-twists other delegations in order to get them to abstain from voting so as to make less stark, and less embarrassing, America's international isolation. But America is also extraordinarily exceptional in other ways, which have n…

Mehr News Agency (2020-09-30). History not to forgive killers, traitors: Foreign Ministry. en.mehrnews.com TEHRAN, Sep. 30 (MNA) — On the occasion of the 20th anniversary of the martyrdom of Palestinian child Muhammad al-Durrah, Iranian Foreign Ministry in its Twitter account wrote that the history won't forgive killers and traitors.