Daily Archives: October 18, 2020

2020-10-18: News Headlines

Linda Pierce, Santa Cruz News Group (2020-10-18). Manu Koenig and Trail Now PAC Apologize for Anti-Semitic Cartoons Featuring John Leopold. indybay.org Manu Koenig, candidate for Santa Cruz County Supervisor in District 1, has apologized to the Jewish community following the public outcry over the publication of a series of cartoon caricatures considered to be anti-Semitic of his opponent incumbent Supervisor John Leopold, who is Jewish. In an email interview conducted on October 16, Manu Koenig stated: "I was so horrified to realize that the cartoon we had used in our campaign ad about the rail corridor could be considered anti-Semitic. That was not our intention but I now understand how it could be perceived that way given the catalogue of the artists' work. W…

Mehr News Agency (2020-10-17). VIDEO: Gaza fires rocket to Zionist town. en.mehrnews.com TEHRAN, Oct. 17 (MNA) — The Palestinian Information Center (PIC), on Twitter, released footage illustrating the moment when a rocket was fired from Gaza to the adjacent Zionists town.

MEE staff (2020-10-16). Israel bans Palestinian singer Mohammed Assaf from entering Jerusalem, Gaza. middleeasteye.net Israel bans Palestinian singer Mohammed Assaf from entering Jerusalem, Gaza | Israel has imposed a travel ban on Assaf, revoking his entry permit, which he earned as an UNRWA ambassador | Fri, 10/16/2020 – 12: 12 | Palestinian "Arab Idol" winner Mohammed Assaf described the Israeli travel ban as "a continuation of the policies of oppression" (AFP/file photo) | Israel has imposed an entry ban on Mohammed Assaf,…

sputniknews (2020-10-16). Israeli Forces Launch Retaliatory Strikes on Gaza Strip – Reports. sputniknews.com Explosions were reported in the Gaza Strip early Saturday morning local time, hours after a rocket was launched from the Palestinian territory into Israel.

MEE staff (2020-10-16). Informal Arab delegation visits Al-Aqsa with Israeli protection: Report. middleeasteye.net Informal Arab delegation visits Al-Aqsa with Israeli protection: Report | The visit was reportedly the first of its kind to the holy site since Bahrain and the UAE signed a normalisation deal with Israel last month | Fri, 10/16/2020 – 15: 00 | The delegation reportedly performed prayers inside the 7th century Dome of the Rock Mosque (Screengrab) | An informal Arab delegation reportedly visited the Al-Aqsa Mosq…

MEE and agencies (2020-10-16). European countries 'deeply concerned' over Israeli settlement construction. middleeasteye.net European countries 'deeply concerned' over Israeli settlement construction | Israel approved the construction of more than 2,000 new illegal West Bank settlement homes on Wednesday | Fri, 10/16/2020 – 14: 13 | A Palestinian man confronts a member of the Israeli security forces as Palestinian farmers trying to access their lands to harvest olives in the West Bank village of Burqah were prev…

Miko Peled (2020-10-16). A Historical Reckoning: Oxford Study Challenges Israel's Claims Concerning Palestinian Refugees. mintpressnews.com Pro-Israel institutions and spokespeople like to claim that the Palestinian refugee issue has passed some imaginary statute of limitations, but as a comprehensive new Oxford study shows, it "has since become even stronger."

MEE staff (2020-10-16). Bloomberg donates $250,000 to boost Jewish support for Biden in Florida. middleeasteye.net Bloomberg donates $250,000 to boost Jewish support for Biden in Florida | Donation to Jewish Democratic Council of America's Super PAC seeks to reinforce American Jews' support for Biden and fellow Democrats | Fri, 10/16/2020 – 20: 52 | Michael Bloomberg's $250,000 donation to go toward Jewish Democratic Council of America's digital outreach campaign targeting Florida (AFP/File photo) | Billionaire businessman…

Romana Rubeo and Ramzy Baroud (2020-10-16). Zionist War on Palestinian Festival in Rome is Ominous Sign of Things to Come. dissidentvoice.org A Zionist-led war on a Palestinian cultural festival in Rome has exposed the fragility of the Italian political system when it comes to the conversation on Palestine and Israel. The sad truth is that, although Italy is not often associated with a 'powerful' pro-Israel lobby as is the case in Washington, the pro-Israel influence in …

Stephen Lendman (2020-10-16). Turkish and Israeli Weapons Fueling Conflict in Nagorno-Karabakh. globalresearch.ca Weapons-makers — aka merchants of death and mass destruction — fuel conflicts when occur. | The US by far dominates the global arms trade. | According to the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute (SIPRI), the US accounted for 36% of major conventional …

Lawrence Davidson (2020-10-16). American Jewish Progressives Declared Irrelevant. counterpunch.org The Dangers of Ideological Boundaries Ha'aretz is an Israeli newspaper and news outlet. It is considered to be the country's most liberal paper and, at least in its English presentation, often reflects "liberal Zionist" sentiments, such as questioning Israeli settlement and occupation policies. Still, the paper can get things seriously wrong, because Zionism, Israel's official ideology,

Peoples Dispatch (2020-10-16). Palestinian administrative detainee on 'verge of death' as his hunger strike nears 90 days. peoplesdispatch.org Israeli human rights group B'Tselem says more than 350 Palestinians are currently being held under the illegal colonial-era policy of administrative detention adopted by the state of Israel…

Joe Dyke (2020-10-16). Israel Stops Granting Visas to UN Human Rights Employees. globalresearch.ca Israel has stopped granting any visas to employees at the United Nations' human rights agency, effectively forcing the body's top staff to leave, Middle East Eye can reveal. | In February, Israel announced it was suspending ties with the United Nations …

Mehr News Agency (2020-10-16). VIDEO: Israeli police raid in a wedding ceremony sparks anger. en.mehrnews.com TEHRAN, Oct. 16 (MNA) — Zionist police brutally attacked an Orthodox wedding ceremony for breaking the lockdown rules, injuring several people in front of children and arresting several others including the groom.

Mehr News Agency (2020-10-16). Five EU states urge a halt to settlements in occupied lands. en.mehrnews.com TEHRAN, Oct. 16 (MNA) — After the United Nations and European Union, France, Germany, Britain, Italy and Spain are deeply concerned about the Israeli regime's plans to build new settler homes in the occupied West Bank.

MEE staff (2020-10-15). Middle East Eye Palestine reporter Maha Hussaini nominated for Rory Peck award. middleeasteye.net Middle East Eye Palestine reporter Maha Hussaini nominated for Rory Peck award | Hussaini, who has been covering Gaza for MEE since 2018, is among the finalists for the Martin Adler Prize | Thu, 10/15/2020 – 15: 26 | Maha Hussaini reporting on the ground in besieged Gaza (Supplied) | Middle East Eye freelance correspondent Maha Hussaini on Thursday was named among the finalists for a top journalism award, the…

MEE correspondent (2020-10-15). Iranian press review: Conservatives hail new North Korea ballistic missile as 'role model'. middleeasteye.net Iranian press review: Conservatives hail new North Korea ballistic missile as 'role model' | Meanwhile, senior IRGC commander 'confirms' Israeli former minister's 'collaboration' with Tehran, and political rivalries deepen amid new wave of coronavirus | Thu, 10/15/2020 – 12: 52 | A screen grab taken from a KCNA broadcast on 10 October 2020 shows what appears to be a new North Korean int…

MEE staff (2020-10-15). Israel's Knesset approves UAE normalisation deal despite opposition from Arab Joint List. middleeasteye.net Israel's Knesset approves UAE normalisation deal despite opposition from Arab Joint List | Lawmakers overwhelmingly supported the deal despite opposition from the third largest political bloc in Israel's parliament | Thu, 10/15/2020 – 10: 39 | In a statement, the Joint Arab List said 'This approach ensures the continuation of the conflict, suffering and bloodshed' (AFP) | The Arab Joint List, the third largest…

MEE staff (2020-10-15). Sudan moves to normalise relations with Israel under US pressure, says report. middleeasteye.net Sudan moves to normalise relations with Israel under US pressure, says report | The Trump administration allegedly told Khartoum that Sudan would be removed from the state sponsors of terrorism list in exchange | Thu, 10/15/2020 – 15: 22 | Chairman of Sudan's Transitional Sovereign Council General Abdel Fattah al-Burhan (L) speaks with Prime Minister Abdalla Hamdok during a reception ceremony in the capital Kh…

RT (2020-10-15). Arab League head DENOUNCES Israel's approval of over 2,000 new settlement units in occupied West Bank. rt.com Secretary-General of the Arab League Ahmed Aboul Gheit has condemned Israel's move to approve the construction of around 2,000 new housing units in the settlements of the occupied West Bank. | In comments released on Thursday, Aboul Gheit

Pablo Guisado-Vasco, Sofia Valderas-Ortega, Maria Maravillas Carralón-González, Ana Roda-Santacruz, Lucia González-Cortijo, Gabriel Sotres-Fernández, Eva María Martí-Ballesteros, José Manuel Luque-Pinilla, Elena Almagro-Casado, Félix J. La Coma-Lanuza, Ruth Barrena-Puertas, Esteban Javier Malo-Benages, María José Monforte-Gómez, Rocío Diez-Munar, Esther Merino-Lanza, Lorena Comeche-Casanova, Margarita Remirez-de-Esparza-Otero, María Correyero-Plaza, Manuel Recio-Rodríguez, Margarita Rodríguez-López, María Dolores Sánchez-Manzano, Cristina Andreu-Vázquez, Israel John Thuissard-Vasallo, José María Echave-Sustaeta María-Tomé, Daniel Carnevali-Ruiz (2020-10-15). Clinical characteristics and outcomes among hospitalized adults with severe COVID-19 admitted to a tertiary medical center and receiving antiviral, antimalarials, glucocorticoids, or immunomodulation with tocilizumab or cyclosporine: A retrospective observational study (COQUIMA cohort). thelancet.com In a real-clinical setting, inhibition of the calcineurin inflammatory pathway, NF-Œ∫Œí, could reduce the hyperinflammatory phase in COVID-19. Our findings might entail relevant implications for the therapy of this disease and could boost the design of new clinical trials among subjects affected by severe COVID-19.

sputniknews (2020-10-15). Mural Discovered in Egyptian Temple Sheds Light on 'One of Israel's Greatest Enemies'. sputniknews.com The Medinet Habu temple was built in honour of pharaoh Ramses III, considered to be the last great monarch of the Egyptian Empire. Ramses III played a key role in Egypt's victory over invaders known as the Sea Peoples.

Ross Perlin (2020-10-15). A Red Zone Grows in Brooklyn. thenation.com A Red Zone Grows in Brooklyn…

Joe Dyke (2020-10-14). EXCLUSIVE: Israel stops granting visas to UN human rights workers. middleeasteye.net EXCLUSIVE: Israel stops granting visas to UN human rights workers | OHCHR foreign employees left in limbo amid Israeli crackdown on rights monitors | Wed, 10/14/2020 – 14: 00 | The UN's OHCHR writes regular reports highlighting alleged Israeli rights abuses in the occupied West Bank, East Jerusalem and the besieged Gaza Strip (Reuters/File) | Israel has stopped granting any visas to employees at the United Nation…

Ramzy Baroud (2020-10-14). Despite Ambiguity in International Law, Palestinians are Winning the 'Legitimacy War'. counterpunch.org 'International law' remains one of the most discussed terms in the context of the Israeli occupation of Palestine. It is almost always present, whether the discussion pertains to the Israeli wars and siege on Gaza, the expansion of illegal Jewish settlements in the West Bank or the encroaching apartheid throughout Israel and the Occupied Territories.

MEE and agencies (2020-10-14). Israel approves new West Bank housing, just weeks after 'peace' deals with UAE, Bahrain. middleeasteye.net Israel approves new West Bank housing, just weeks after 'peace' deals with UAE, Bahrain | Gulf normalisation agreements were initially advertised as hinging on a freeze in settlement construction | Wed, 10/14/2020 – 12: 40 | New apartments buildings under construction in the Beit El settlement in the occupied the West Bank (AFP) | Israel has approved the construction of new homes in its il…

MEE staff (2020-10-14). Pompeo encourages Saudi Arabia to normalise ties with Israel. middleeasteye.net Pompeo encourages Saudi Arabia to normalise ties with Israel | US Secretary of State thanks kingdom for assisting in normalisation deals between two Gulf Arab countries and Israel | Wed, 10/14/2020 – 17: 50 | Saudi Foreign Minister Prince Faisal bin Farhan al-Saud and US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo deliver remarks at State Department (AFP) | US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo urged Saudi Arabia to normalise…

Hajira Asghar (2020-10-14). 81 Days on hunger strike: Movement grows to free Palestinian political prisoner Maher al-Akhras. liberationnews.org A rally gathered in Ramallah this week in solidarity with Maher al-Akhras, a Palestinian political prisoner who after 81 days on hunger strike is now feared to be near death. The 49-year-old father of six was arrested by Israeli forces in July. Al-Akhras' lawyers have put forth several appeals to Israel's High Court for his …

Askiah Adam (2020-10-14). The Palestinian Struggle Betrayed. globalresearch.ca The Abraham Accord signed recently between Israel on the one hand and the United Arab Emirates (UAE) and Bahrain on the other, is touted as a peace deal. They were not at war. There was peace between them and much …

news.un (2020-10-14). Talks begin to resolve disputed Lebanon-Israel maritime border. news.un.org The UN Secretary-General has welcomed the launch of ground-breaking discussions on Wednesday, over the disputed maritime border between Lebanon and Israel in the eastern Mediterranean, following a framework agreement between the two nations at the beginning of the month.