Daily Archives: October 27, 2020

2020-10-27: News Headlines

Paul Antonopoulos (2020-10-27). Israel Chooses to Normalize Relations with Countries Which Have Directly Supported Terrorism. globalresearch.ca A new agreement of enormous importance to the Middle East has followed Israel's peace deals with Bahrain and the United Arab Emirates — the normalization of relations between Israel and Sudan. The agreement marks a new direction in Israel's normalization …

yenisafak (2020-10-27). Israeli football fans share songs insulting Prophet Muhammad. yenisafak.com Israeli football fans shared songs containing insulting phrases of the Prophet Muhammad on YouTube, according to Arab member of Knesset (Israel's parliament) Ayman Odeh. | Odeh said, "Fans of the [Beitar Jerusalem] football club recently published on YouTube offensive songs of the Prophet Muhammad, peace be upon him." | He added the songs have recently begun to gain "popularity with the rise in Islamophobic incitement in the world." | He demanded internet giant Google, which owns YouTube, to delete the offensive songs. | The songs come in conjunction with increasing Islamophobia in France manifested in the public…

MEE and agencies (2020-10-27). Saudi Arabia condemns conflation of 'Islam with terrorism' amid regional anti-France protests. middleeasteye.net Saudi Arabia condemns conflation of 'Islam with terrorism' amid regional anti-France protests | Riyadh did not comment on growing calls for a boycott of French goods in the Middle East after Paris had defended caricatures of the Prophet Muhammad | Tue, 10/27/2020 – 10: 45 | Palestinians burn a picture of French President Emmanuel Macron in Gaza City during a protest on 27 October 2020 (Reu…

yenisafak (2020-10-27). Palestinians protest French insults against Islam. yenisafak.com Hundreds of Palestinians staged a protest in the town of al-Ram in Jerusalem on Tuesday against French President Emmanuel Macron's insulting statements of Islam and Prophet Muhammad. | Protesters waved banners and chanted slogans defending the Prophet against the French insults, according to eyewitnesses. | Macron has sparked outrage across the Muslim world by accusing Muslims of "separatism" and describing Islam as a "a religion in crisis all over the world". | This coincided with a provocative move by Charlie Hebdo, a left-wing French magazine infamous for publishing anti-Islamic caricatures, which have drawn w…

MEE and agencies (2020-10-27). Israeli rights group says shelving West Bank annexation plans mean little. middleeasteye.net Israeli rights group says shelving West Bank annexation plans mean little | B'tselem said continued construction and seizing of land meant 'de-facto' annexation already exists in West Bank | Tue, 10/27/2020 – 11: 57 | Palestinian villagers scuffle with Israeli security forces as an Israeli bulldozer demolishes a Palestinian farm in the village of al-Fikheet within area C in the occupied We…

yenisafak (2020-10-27). Israel eyes new normalization deals after US polls. yenisafak.com Israel will intensify normalization talks with five Arab countries after US presidential elections early November, an Israeli minister said on Tuesday. | "After signing the agreement with the United Arab Emirates, I said there will be other agreements with a country from the Gulf and a country from Africa and later Bahrain and Sudan joined the historical path," Intelligence Minister Eli Cohen said in a statement. | "There are five others, namely Saudi Arabia, the Sultanate of Oman, Qatar, Algeria and Morocco and negotiations with these countries will intensify after the US presidential elections," he added.US pre…

Raul Diego (2020-10-27). From a Wealthy Socialite to an Israeli Govt Censor, Facebook's New "Free Speech Court" Is Anything but Independent. mintpressnews.com Freedom of speech on the Internet is all but extinct, and on the eve of the 2020 US elections, a de facto "free speech court" is going to make sure it never comes back. On Facebook at least.

Peoples Dispatch (2020-10-27). UN envoy demands independent investigation into Palestinian teenager's death. peoplesdispatch.org UN special envoy to the Middle East, Nickolay Mladenov called for an investigation into the death of 18-year-old Amer Abdul-Rahim Snobar who was reportedly beaten heavily by Israeli soldiers, leading to his death…

MEE staff (2020-10-27). Israel arrests Palestinian journalist in West Bank. middleeasteye.net Israel arrests Palestinian journalist in West Bank | Filmmaker Abdelrahman al-Thaher one of more than 20 Palestinian journalists reportedly currently detained by Israel | Tue, 10/27/2020 – 12: 48 | Abdelrahman al-Thaher, 38, is Palestinian journalist and filmmaker from Nablus (Screengrab) | Israeli forces on Tuesday arrested Palestinian journalist and filmmaker Abdelrahman al-Thaher at his home in the city of…

Stephen Lendman (2020-10-27). US Sanctions: Shooting Blanks Against the Resiliency of Targeted Nations. globalresearch.ca As explained many times before, Security Council members alone may legally impose sanctions on nations, entities and individuals. | When used by countries against others, they breach the UN Charter, how the US, NATO and Israel operate time and again. | The …

yenisafak (2020-10-27). Sudan says legislature must OK normalization with Israel. yenisafak.com The head of Sudan's Transitional Sovereignty Council said Monday that full normalization with Israel would not be implemented until a legislative council is formed.Speaking in an interview on state television, Abdel Fattah Al-Burhan stressed that the deal was yet to be finalized and may be beneficial for the country as it grapples with a severe economic crisis."Let me call it reconciliation instead of normalization and let me also confirm that we didn't face any kind of blackmailing to normalize with Israel. But we all know that normalization with Israel is something that is motivated by the American administrati…

yenisafak (2020-10-27). UN urges Israel to allow staff to return to Palestine. yenisafak.com The UN's special coordinator for the Israeli-Palestinian conflict urged Israel on Monday to allow its international staffers to return to the occupied Palestinian territories.Nickolay Mladenov told the Security Council that Israel has not responded to visa renewal requests for international staffers with the UN's Human Rights Office "over the past months."It is unclear exactly how long Tel Aviv has been doing so, but Mladenov said the rights body is continuing to "deliver on its mandate" with most staffers working outside of the area."After the release of the report to the Human Rights Council on business activit…

Christian Noakes (2020-10-27). On prison hunger strike, Maher al-Akhras fights for all Palestinians. workers.org Maher al-Akhras, a 49-year-old Palestinian political prisoner and father of six from the Occupied West Bank, has been on hunger strike since his July 27 arrest by Israeli forces. He is under administrative detention — a practice both British and Israeli colonizers have long used to hold Palestinians captive indefinitely . . . |

news.un (2020-10-26). Coronavirus 'feeds off instability', disrupting Israel-Palestine peace efforts. news.un.org The UN Special Coordinator for the Middle East Peace Process reminded the Security Council on Monday of the Secretary-General's renewed appeal for a global ceasefire to respond to COVID-19, highlighting that the "the virus feeds off instability".

RT (2020-10-26). Mossad reportedly brought Chinese coronavirus vaccine to Israel for 'study'. rt.com Israel's secret service organization, Mossad, has obtained China's Covid-19 vaccine, taking the medicine for "study," local media reported. Israel has already developed a vaccine of its own, which is undergoing human trials. | Mossad brought the vaccine to Israel in recent weeks, Israel's Channel 12 reported on Monday. It was not immediately clear how exactly the agency obtained the medicine. | Multiple government sources have "indirectly" confirmed the report to local media. The goal of the procurement is said to be study of the Chinese compound and further exploring vaccination options. Apart from that, a se…

Stephen Lendman (2020-10-26). Azeris Using Banned Cluster Munitions in Nagorno-Karabakh. globalresearch.ca According to reports on the ground, Azeris are using Israeli-supplied cluster munitions in Nagorno-Karabakh. | More on this below. | *** | The 2008 Convention on Cluster Munitions (CCM) bans production use, transfer, and stockpiling of these terror weapons that scatter submunition bomblets …

MEE staff (2020-10-26). Pompeo under investigation for delivering RNC speech from Jerusalem. middleeasteye.net Pompeo under investigation for delivering RNC speech from Jerusalem | The Secretary of State defended his August address, saying it was performed in a personal capacity and did not use State Department resources | Mon, 10/26/2020 – 16: 54 | Pompeo praised Trump's foreign policy record in a speech recorded in Jerusalem on 26 August during a trip to Israel (AFP) | US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo is under inves…

Stephen Lendman (2020-10-26). Sudan "Normalizes" Relations with Israel? Trump "Arranged the Deal" globalresearch.ca On October 23, Sudan became the third Arab state to normalize relations with Israel. | The UAE in August and Bahrain last month took this step — what Hamas called "a stab in the back of the Palestinian cause…serv(ing) only the …

MEE staff (2020-10-26). Israeli bulldozers and settlers uproot Palestinian olive trees in West Bank. middleeasteye.net Israeli bulldozers and settlers uproot Palestinian olive trees in West Bank | Israeli forces razed almost 60 olive trees in the town of Salfit and also demolished a house in the village of Taybeh | Mon, 10/26/2020 – 10: 23 | Palestinians harvest olives from their land, which lies on the Israeli side of the separation wall in the West Bank, 30 October 2019 (AFP) | Israeli bulldozers demolished a Palestinian hou…

yenisafak (2020-10-26). Netanyahu's office secretary tests COVID-19 positive. yenisafak.com A secretary of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's office has tested positive for coronavirus, the Israeli Broadcasting Corporation said on Monday. | No information was disclosed regarding the secretary or other details of her health condition. | "It is being examined whether the prime minister and his staff should go into quarantine," the corporation added. | Netanyahu has previously undergone several tests for coronavirus, and has been quarantined at least twice. | *Writing by Mahmoud Barakat…

Staff (2020-10-26). Muslims in Trump Country: "Natours Grocery" Tells Story of Palestinian American Family in Virginia. democracynow.org As the presidential race enters its final full week, we speak with filmmaker Nadine Natour about "Natours Grocery," her new documentary short that tells the story of her Palestinian American family living in Trump's America. Natour's immigrant parents own a store in the highly conservative town of Appomattox, Virginia, which voted overwhelmingly for Donald Trump in 2016. The Natours say they don't talk about politics or religion with their customers to avoid confrontation, but as they strive to build bridges with their neighbors, President Trump's anti-immigrant, anti-Muslim rhetoric inspires a backlash in Appoma…

MEE and agencies (2020-10-26). Israeli museum postpones auction of rare Middle Eastern artifacts after outrage. middleeasteye.net Israeli museum postpones auction of rare Middle Eastern artifacts after outrage | The museum's primary donor said it hoped postponement will 'make it possible to reach agreements that will also be acceptable' to government officials | Mon, 10/26/2020 – 18: 19 | A pocket watch made for French Queen Marie Antoinette by famous watchmaker Abraham Louis Breguet at the Museum for Islamic Art in…

_____ (2020-10-26). Oxford Study Challenges Israel's Claims Concerning Palestinian Refugees. popularresistance.org There needs to be a fundamental change in the way Palestinian refugees are seen, no longer as victims but as people with rights who are entitled to shape their own destiny. This assertion is made in a new study whose importance cannot be overstated. | According to international law, Palestinian refugees have a right to return to their homes and land and receive restitution and compensation for their suffering and personal and communal losses. Furthermore, the State of Israel, which is responsible for Palestine's ethnic cleansing, must pay for the repatriation, the rehabilitation, and the rebuilding that the retur…

RT (2020-10-25). 'Rocks' & punches thrown as anti-Trump protesters CLASH with 'Jews for Trump' parade in NYC (VIDEOS). rt.com A massive car parade of Jewish Donald Trump supporters was met with violent resistance in New York City, with counter-protesters throwing projectiles at cars and trading punches with the conservative demonstrators. | The cars, many of which sported American, Israeli, and pro-Trump flags, all crossed the Brooklyn Bridge and, at one point, passed Trump Tower, honking repeatedly as they passed the building. | #JewsForTrump rally @realDonaldTrump #Trump2020

MEE and agencies (2020-10-25). Senior Labour frontbencher given 'dressing down' over criticism of Israel. middleeasteye.net Senior Labour frontbencher given 'dressing down' over criticism of Israel | Labour leader Keir Starmer reportedly angry with pro-Palestinian MP Stephen Kinnock for saying UK should ban products from illegal Israeli settlements | Sun, 10/25/2020 – 11: 28 | Keir Starmer has won praise from some UK Jewish groups since he became Labour party leader in April 2020 (AFP) | UK Labour leader Keir S…

MEE and agencies (2020-10-25). Israel accepts US sale of F-35 warplanes to Qatar could happen. middleeasteye.net Israel accepts US sale of F-35 warplanes to Qatar could happen | Speculation in Israeli media that Trump administration will hold out sale of stealth fighter as inducement for Qatar to normalise ties with Israel | Sun, 10/25/2020 – 16: 04 | An F-35 fighter jet. 'I have no doubt that if they [Qatar] want it and are willing to pay, sooner or later they will get it,' said Israel's Energy Mini…

Susan Price (2020-10-25). In a first, British trade unions commit to challenging Israeli apartheid. greenleft.org.au Bernard Regan reports that Britain's peak union body, representing 6 million workers, adopted a motion last month at its annual conference, reaffirming its solidarity with the Palestinian people's struggle for self-determination.

Grant Smith (2020-10-25). Thursday 10/29: Censorship, Entanglement & Corruption: The Israel Lobby 2021 Agenda. indybay.org Webinar with participation through Zoom and YouTube. 9AM California time, Noon EDT.

Akram Al-Waara (2020-10-25). Family of Palestinian teen accuses Israeli soldiers of beating him to death. middleeasteye.net Family of Palestinian teen accuses Israeli soldiers of beating him to death | Amer Snobar died on Sunday from blunt-force trauma to the neck, the Palestinian Ministry of Health said | Sun, 10/25/2020 – 14: 07 | Amer Snobar, 18, from the Nablus-area village of Yatma, was reported dead early Sunday morning (Supplied) | The death of a Palestinian teenager early on Sunday morning, allegedly at the h…

yenisafak (2020-10-25). Palestinian beaten to death by Israeli settlers. yenisafak.com A Palestinian teen was beaten to death early Sunday by Israeli settlers in the occupied West Bank, according to eyewitnesses and a medical source.Amer Snobar, 18, from the town of Yatma, south of Nablus city, was attacked by settlers guarding a Jewish settlement and died of his wounds, witnesses said.A medical source said the teen was admitted to hospital with signs of assault on his body.An Israeli military statement said a Palestinian fell while escaping and hit his head while being chased by army forces.According to the army, the chase came after settlers said that their cars were attacked by stone-throwing P…

Majd Kayyal (2020-10-25). Israel's Orr Commission: A colonial tool to maintain Palestinian division. middleeasteye.net Israel's Orr Commission: A colonial tool to maintain Palestinian division | Sun, 10/25/2020 – 17: 40 | Investigation into Israel's deadly crackdown during the Second Intifada ultimately led to the deepest rupture in the history of the Palestinian people | We know of no other historical moment since the Nakba that united Palestinians in the way that the start of the Second Intifada did. We witnessed event…

_____ (2020-10-25). Life Of Palestinian Hunger Striker In Immediate Danger. popularresistance.org Maher al-Akhras, who has been on a hunger strike since his administrative detention on July 27, is waging a battle against the mighty Israeli occupation apparatus. Every day brings him closer to death, as Israel seems to be trying to prove through his case that the life of Palestinians, like their freedom and human rights, are worth nothing. But the formidable insistence of his hunger strike against the principle of administrative detention, and his determination that the strike will end only once he is free or becomes a martyr, is mobilizing more and more people to his support.

yenisafak (2020-10-25). Israeli cabinet approves Bahrain normalisation deal, minister says. yenisafak.com Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's cabinet on Sunday unanimously approved Israel's normalisation deal with Bahrain, on…

_____ (2020-10-24). Israel Lobby Spreads More Lies About Palestine Groups At NYU. popularresistance.org New York University has agreed to settle with the US Department of Education over allegations that the university had not appropriately responded to claims of anti-Semitism. | Two attorneys filed the complaint last year on behalf of a student who alleged that she faced "two years of extreme anti-Semitism on the NYU campus which has created an intolerable and unlawful hostile atmosphere for Jewish students." | Echoing previous attempts by Israel advocates to silence Palestinian rights activists on campuses, the complaint accused Students for Justice in Palestine of creating the "hostile" climate due to the group's…

yenisafak (2020-10-24). UAE, Bahrain hail normalization of Sudan-Israel ties. yenisafak.com In a statement, the UAE Foreign Ministry described the announcement as "an important step toward enhancing security and prosperity in the region". | It said the move to normalize the Sudanese-Israeli relations "would expand the scope of economic, commercial, scientific and diplomatic cooperation". | The Bahraini Foreign Ministry, meanwhile, described the announcement as "an additional historical step on the path for achieving peace, stability and prosperity in the Middle East region". | It went on to hail US efforts for facilitating the normalization of the Sudanese-Israeli relations. | On Friday, Sudan's acti…

news.un (2020-10-24). UN expresses hope 'new opportunities' will arise from Sudan's recognition of Israel. news.un.org The UN chief on Saturday said he was taking note of the announcement that Sudan has agreed to normalize relations with Israel, expressing hope that further cooperation will advance international peace and prosperity.

sputniknews (2020-10-24). Demonstrators Protest Outside Prime Minister Netanyahu's Residence in Jerusalem – Video. sputniknews.com Anti-government protests have been held weekly for the past several months across the Jewish state, with many Israelis demanding the Israeli prime minister's resignation over his indictment on corruption charges, as well as widespread anger over the government's response to the COVID-19 pandemic.

Mohammed Amin (2020-10-24). Israel normalisation deal finds fury and favour in Sudan. middleeasteye.net Israel normalisation deal finds fury and favour in Sudan | Critics say US-backed deal 'humiliating', 'shameful' for Sudan; supporters welcome country's return to international fold | Sat, 10/24/2020 – 11: 14 | Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu (L) and Sudanese Prime Minister Abdalla Hamdok. Sudan normalised relations with Israel on Friday (AFP) | Sudan on Friday become the third Arab countr…

MEE and agencies (2020-10-24). Israel-Sudan normalisation: How the world reacted. middleeasteye.net Israel-Sudan normalisation: How the world reacted | While Palestinians categorically reject the deal, US allies welcome it as a boost to stability in the Middle East | Sat, 10/24/2020 – 11: 23 | Sudan, technically at war with Israel since 1948, has become the fifth Arab country to forge diplomatic relations with Tel Aviv (AFP) | US President Donald Trump said on Friday that Sudan has agree…

yenisafak (2020-10-24). Palestinian group praises Turkey for defending Muslims. yenisafak.com Palestinian Islamic Jihad group on Friday paid tribute to the Turkish Republic for defending Islam and Muslims."Turkey is the most courageous Muslim country in defending Islam and Muslims," said Daoud Shehab, spokesperson for the Islamic Jihad group.Shehab said that French President Emmanuel Macron shows clear enmity towards Islam and "this is derived from his racism."Over the past period, Macron attacked Islam and the Muslim community accusing Muslims of "separatism".Macron also said in a previous statement that "Islam is a religion in crisis all over the world."The Islamic Jihad group spokesperson also said: "F…

yenisafak (2020-10-24). Indonesia maintains both support for Palestine, ties with UAE. yenisafak.com An Indonesian expert on international relations has said despite its close relationship with the UAE, Indonesia, should not let this affect its unwavering support for Palestinian independence from Israeli occupation.Earlier this week, the UAE government inaugurated a street in the capital Jakarta dedicated to Indonesian President Joko Widodo as a symbol of bilateral ties between the two countries.Ramdhan Muhaimin, a lecturer at the Al-Azhar University in Jakarta, urged Indonesia to keep supporting the Palestinian cause, though several Arab countries, including UAE, have agreed to normalize relations with Israel."

RT (2020-10-24). New York town police accused of INVADING private home in crackdown on Jewish gathering after video of angry shouting match emerges. rt.com A video showing a police officer arguing with a group of Orthodox Jews in a New York town has drawn angry reactions from people online, who see it as evidence of persecution and harassment of the US Jewish community. | The confrontation apparently happened in Monsey, a place in Rockland County famous as a major center of Orthodox Judaism in the US. It shows a police officer standing on the doorstep of a house, engaged in a heated argument with a group of people, one of whom apparently owns the property. | Police officers enter PRIVATE HOMES to find Jewish gatherings in Monsey, New York: | "We came because we h…

Shatha Hammad (2020-10-24). Palestine Cinema Days film festival kicks off despite cash, pandemic challenges. middleeasteye.net Palestine Cinema Days film festival kicks off despite cash, pandemic challenges | Social distancing, international funding curbs on Palestinian cultural institutions fail to deter event's seventh edition | Sat, 10/24/2020 – 10: 23 | Seats sealed off in line with strict Covid-19 social-distancing measures at the Ramallah Cultural Palace on 20 October (MEE/Shatha Hammad) | In the main hall of the Ram…

WSWS (2020-10-23). Israel's growing anti-Netanyahu protests face increasing right-wing and police attacks. wsws.org The increasing violence in confrontations between anti- and pro-Netanyahu demonstrators have caused several commentators to warn of the descent into civil war.

RT (2020-10-23). Israel will not oppose US-UAE deal on 'specific weapons systems,' says Netanyahu, despite previous worry over F-35 jets. rt.com The Israeli government says it will not oppose the US selling "specific weapons systems" to the United Arab Emirates, in an apparent reference to F-35 fighter jets, despite Tel Aviv opposing such a deal less than a fortnight ago. | Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Defence Minister Benny Gantz This is despite Israeli Intelligence Minister Eli Cohen saying less than two weeks ago that the country would oppose the sale of the fifth-generat…

MEE staff (2020-10-23). Sudan agrees to normalise relations with Israel, Trump announces. middleeasteye.net Sudan agrees to normalise relations with Israel, Trump announces | Move comes hours after Washington removes Khartoum from State Sponsors of Terrorism list | Fri, 10/23/2020 – 15: 19 | US President Donald Trump speaks on phone with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu about normalisation of Sudan-Israel relations (AFP) | US President Donald Trump said on Friday that Sudan has agreed to normalise diplomati…

Steven Sahiounie (2020-10-23). Sudan Bends to Trump's Pressure to Normalize Relations with Israel. globalresearch.ca The US has taken Sudan off the list of state-sponsors of terrorism, and with UAE support to provide several billion dollars of aid, in exchange for normalization with Israel. | US President Donald Trump wrote on Twitter Monday: "GREAT news! New …

MEE staff (2020-10-23). MBS said he would be killed by his 'own people' if Riyadh normalised ties with Israel: Report. middleeasteye.net MBS said he would be killed by his 'own people' if Riyadh normalised ties with Israel: Report | Billionaire Haim Saban claims crown prince made remarks after UAE and Bahrain's deals with Israel, Haaretz reports | Fri, 10/23/2020 – 18: 16 | US President Donald Trump has suggested Saudi Arabia may recognise Israel (AFP/File photo) | Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman told Israeli-American billionaire Haim Sa…

Adam Khalil (2020-10-23). Egypt vents anger as Turkey takes centre stage in reconciliation of Palestinian factions. middleeasteye.net Egypt vents anger as Turkey takes centre stage in reconciliation of Palestinian factions | Cairo considers the success of talks held in Istanbul as a violation of its historical role in the Palestinian cause | Fri, 10/23/2020 – 12: 10 | Following the talks in Istanbul, Fatah and Hamas agreed to present a joint vision on legislative and presidential elections to be held in the West Bank, Gaza and Jerusale…

Ramzy Baroud (2020-10-23). European Hypocrisy: Empty Words for Palestine, Deadly Weapons for Israel. counterpunch.org In theory, Europe and the United States stand on completely opposite sides when it comes to the Israeli occupation of Palestine. While the US government has fully embraced the tragic status quo created by 53 years of Israeli military occupation, the EU continues to advocate a negotiated settlement that is predicated on respect for international