2021-02-12: News Headlines

Ramzy Baroud (2021-02-12). The Russian Alternative: How Moscow is Capitalizing on US Retreat in Palestine, Israel. counterpunch.org Israeli anxiety was palpable when it was reported that Israel's Prime Minister, Benjamin Netanyahu, was not contacted by the new American President, Joe Biden, for days after the latter's inauguration. While much is being read into Biden's decision, including Washington's lack of enthusiasm to return to the 'peace process', Moscow is generating much attention as

Adam Khalil (2021-02-12). As Israel decries ICC investigation, Hamas readies its defence. middleeasteye.net As Israel decries ICC investigation, Hamas readies its defence | International Criminal Court's prosecutor has warned that Palestinian factions will be probed for war crimes and abuses | Fri, 02/12/2021 – 11: 30 | The Iron Dome anti-missile system fires an interceptor missile as rockets are launched from Gaza towards Israel near the southern city of Sderot (Reuters) | In stark contrast to Israel, the Pal…

Mohammad Ayesh (2021-02-12). Arabic press review: Egypt's opposition establishes new coalition. middleeasteye.net Arabic press review: Egypt's opposition establishes new coalition | Also threats against Hezbollah's opponents in Lebanon have been escalating and a Palestinian man was forced to demolish his own home in Jerusalem | Fri, 02/12/2021 – 11: 33 | A new opposition coalition has been launched 10 years after Egyptians launched their uprising on 25 January 2011 and ousted President Hosni Mubarak (AFP)…

MEE staff (2021-02-12). Palestinian citizens of Israel protest against police failure to tackle gun violence. middleeasteye.net Palestinian citizens of Israel protest against police failure to tackle gun violence | Protests broke out across Israel as Palestinians decried the lack of action on the spread of illegal weapons and gang crime in Arab communities | Fri, 02/12/2021 – 12: 31 | Palestinian citizens of Israel protested in Umm al-Fahm against Israel Police inaction to tackle crime for the fifth consecutive week, 5 February (Social…

Philip Weiss (2021-02-12). If Navalny deserves support, why not Issa Amro? zcomm.org Where is the U.S. government on a Palestinian activist at a time when it has highlighted the freedom of other groups to protest (notably the imprisoned opposition leader Alexei Navalny in Russia)…

Jonathan Cook (2021-02-12). The Guardian Revealed Its True Face in Sacking a Columnist for Criticising US Military Aid to Israel. counterpunch.org The revelation that a leftwing journalist, Nathan J Robinson, has been sacked as a Guardian US columnist for criticising Israel on Twitter — and that he was pressured to keep quiet about it by Guardian editors — should come as no surprise. He is only the latest in a long line of journalists, myself included,

MEE staff (2021-02-12). Biden's refusal to call Israeli PM Netanyahu sparks questions over leaders' relationship. middleeasteye.net Biden's refusal to call Israeli PM Netanyahu sparks questions over leaders' relationship | In a break from past presidential procedures, Joe Biden has yet to reach out to Israel's prime minister, more than three weeks into his presidency | Fri, 02/12/2021 – 19: 04 | Then-Vice President Joe Biden next to Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu during joint statements in the prime minister's office in Jerusale…

Jonathan Cook (2021-02-12). The Guardian revealed its true face in sacking a columnist for criticizing US military aid to Israel. zcomm.org We must fight back. We need to understand that old corporate media like the Guardian are not an ally to the left, they are the enemy…

Tom Anderson (2021-02-12). Israeli army repeatedly destroys Palestinian Bedouin village. thecanary.co On This was the third time in just one week that soldiers had come to demolish homes in Humsa. The de…

MEE and agencies (2021-02-12). Oman content with current Israel relationship, foreign minister says. middleeasteye.net Oman content with current Israel relationship, foreign minister says | Badr al-Busaidi also says Muscat is ready to help with rescuing Iran's 2015 nuclear deal | Fri, 02/12/2021 – 08: 24 | Busaidi was appointed as foreign minister in August after Oman's new Sultan Haitham delegated the position away from his own portfolio (AFP) | Oman is satisfied with its current relationship with Israel,…

Medea Benjamin, Ariel Gold (2021-02-12). Biden Should Stop Payment on U.S. Funds to Sisi's Egypt. counterpunch.org Under Donald Trump's presidency, Egypt, as well as Saudi Arabia, Israel, the UAE, and other repressive regimes, had virtually free reign to commit unchecked human rights abuses without worry that they might be chastised or lose U.S. diplomatic and financial support. But when Joe Biden won the 2020 election, President Sisi of Egypt started to

Staff (2021-02-12). Where Are the Witnesses? Ralph Nader Says Democrats' Impeachment Case Is "Prescription for Defeat" democracynow.org As the historic Senate impeachment trial of Donald Trump continues, we speak with longtime consumer advocate, corporate critic and former presidential candidate Ralph Nader, who says Democrats have set themselves up for defeat by rushing proceedings and failing to call witnesses — including Trump himself. "The narrow approach of the articles of impeachment keep the Democrats from having a full hand," says Nader. "They have like 10 arrows in their quiver and they're using one or two."

Staff (2021-02-12). Ralph Nader on Corporate Crime, Holding Boeing Accountable for 737 MAX Deaths & Biden's First Weeks. democracynow.org Legendary consumer advocate Ralph Nader says the U.S. is experiencing a "corporate crime wave," and that the Trump administration's $2.5 billion settlement with Boeing over the manufacturer's faulty 737 MAX jets amounts to a "slap on the wrist." Boeing's faulty planes were involved in two fatal crashes that killed 346 people in 2018 and 2019, including Nader's 24-year-old grandniece Samya Stumo. Nader says the Biden Justice Department should reopen the previous administration's settlement and hold Boeing fully accountable. "This is just another example of giant companies getting away with their corporate criminal…

Staff (2021-02-12). Ralph Nader: Biden Must Hold Boeing Accountable for Deaths Due to Faulty Planes. truthout.org Legendary consumer advocate Ralph Nader says the U.S. is experiencing a "corporate crime wave," and that the Trump administration's $2.5 billion settlement with Boeing over the manufacturer's faulty 737 MAX jets amounts to a "slap on the wrist." Boeing's faulty planes were involved in two fatal crashes that killed 346 people in 2018 and 2019, including Nader's 24-year-old grandniece Samya Stumo. Nader says the Biden Justice Department should reopen the previous administration's settlement and…

RT (2021-02-12). Bon App-retreat: Magazine bows to woke mob and says sorry for 6-year-old 'disgusting' article about Jewish cookies. rt.com Love them or hate them, Hamantaschen are a staple of the Jewish holiday of Purim. But when a non-Jew said that these cookies left her unimpressed, a woke war of biblical scale broke out, and her magazine apologized to the mob.

Jonathan Cook (2021-02-11). How Israel's Netanyahu helped break apart the Joint List. dissidentvoice.org For six years the Joint List had served as a beacon of political hope. Not just for the large Palestinian minority in Israel it represented, but also for a global Palestinian audience disillusioned by years of infighting between Fatah and Hamas that has sidelined the national cause. But last week, the Joint List's coalition of …

Abdul Rahman (2021-02-11). Amid delay and denial of access by Israel, COVID-19 vaccination finally starts in Palestine. peoplesdispatch.org Israel's deliberate denial of access to vaccines to the Palestinians, a violation of its obligations under the Fourth Geneva Convention, has been criticized by the WHO and other human rights groups with some calling it "vaccine apartheid"

Peoples Dispatch (2021-02-11). Egypt reopens its Rafah border with besieged Gaza. peoplesdispatch.org Egypt announced that it has reopened its Rafah border with the blockaded Gaza strip, following the agreement reached between the Palestinian factions during talks being held in Egyptian capital Cairo. The Palestinian embassy in Cairo welcomed the decision, calling it a "result of intensive bilateral discussions and contacts between the Egyptian and Palestinian leaderships." The border was reportedly reopened on Monday. Travel between Gaza and Egypt has already begun with buses carrying Palestinian passengers seen crossing the border on Tuesday morning. Palestinians stuck in Egypt are able to go back to Gaza follo…

Liaquat Ali Khan (2021-02-11). Fatou Bensouda: A Daring Prosecutor Who Challenged the US, Israeli Impunity. counterpunch.org Fatou Bensouda, the Prosecutor of the International Criminal Court (ICC), has dared to take on the US, Israeli impunity and opened investigations in Afghanistan and the Israeli-occupied territories of Gaza and the West Bank. In March 2020, the ICC authorized the Prosecutor to investigate whether the US troops and contractors committed war crimes and crimes

RT (2021-02-11). With Biden policy moves looming, Jewish National Fund to openly buy West Bank land, ACCELERATE EXPANSION of settlements — report. rt.com The Jewish National Fund (JNF) is reportedly poised to resume buying land in the West Bank after a five-decade hiatus, clearing the way to speed settlement developments amid the threat of US opposition under President Joe Biden. | JNF's board is expected to approve the new policy on Sunday, according to a

Juan Cole (2021-02-11). Top 5 Reasons for Biden to snub Israel's Netanyahu, whom he still hasn't Called. juancole.com Ann Arbor (Informed Comment) — Danny Danon, Israel's former ambassador to the United Nations, impatiently tweeted a list of all the foreign leaders that President Joe Biden has already called in his one month in office, and suggesting it was time he called Binyamin Netanyahu. Biden is close to the Israel lobbies and had been …

Online News Editor (2021-02-11). Israel relaxes lockdown restrictions to partially reopen schools. laprensalatina.com Jerusalem, Feb 11 (efe-epa).- Hundreds of thousands of kindergarten and elementary school students returned to in-person learning for the first time in a month on Thursday as Israel continued easing its lockdown restrictions despite climbing daily coronavirus cases. The partial school reopening only affects 20 percent of the students in Israel, while the remaining 80 …

MEE staff (2021-02-11). Top Iranian nuclear scientist 'killed by one-tonne Mossad gun'. middleeasteye.net Top Iranian nuclear scientist 'killed by one-tonne Mossad gun' | Intelligence sources tell the Jewish Chronicle Mohsen Fakhrizadeh was killed in a solo Israeli operation with a deconstructed weapon | Thu, 02/11/2021 – 15: 54 | The damaged car of Iranian nuclear scientist Mohsen Fakhrizadeh after it was attacked near the capital Tehran (AFP) | Israel's Mossad intelligence service killed a top Iranian nuclear sc…

Mustafa Abu Sneineh (2021-02-11). Sale of 'anti-Arab' Israeli football club Beitar Jerusalem to UAE royal frozen. middleeasteye.net Sale of 'anti-Arab' Israeli football club Beitar Jerusalem to UAE royal frozen | Future of $92m deal up in the air after questions raised over Hamad bin Khalifa's true wealth | Thu, 02/11/2021 – 16: 08 | Moshe Hogeg, Beitar Jerusalem's CEO, standing between Hamad bin Khalifa Al Nayhan, and his son Mohammed, after signing the sale deal in Dubai in December (Twitter) | Israel's Foot…

MEE staff (2021-02-10). Egypt reopens Gaza's Rafah crossing following Hamas and Fatah election deal. middleeasteye.net Egypt reopens Gaza's Rafah crossing following Hamas and Fatah election deal | Egyptian authorities allowed travellers in Egypt and Gaza to cross after the two Palestinian parties agreed to respect upcoming election results | Wed, 02/10/2021 – 14: 17 | Palestinians at the reopened Rafah border crossing travel from the Gaza Strip into Egypt on 9 February 2021 (AFP) | Egyptian authorities on Monday reopened the R…

Peoples Dispatch (2021-02-10). Palestinian factions finalize mechanism for upcoming elections. peoplesdispatch.org The elections in the occupied Palestinian territories, if conducted as scheduled, would be the first to be held in 15 years. All groups in the country including Hamas and Fatah have agreed to respect and accept the results…

Gideon Polya (2021-02-10). Letter to the Australian Taxpayer-funded ABC and SBS Media re Anti-Arab & Anti-Jewish Anti-Semitism and False Reportage about Occupied Palestine. dissidentvoice.org Dear ABC & SBS management and staff, I am an anti-racist Jewish-Celtic scientist, humanitarian, artist and writer from one of Hungary's most famous Jewish families (ask any mathematician or surgeon). Only about a dozen of my wider family survived the Jewish Holocaust in Hungary in 1944-1945. For all decent people and in particular anti-racist Jewish …

Raji Sourani (2021-02-10). ICC's "Landmark Decision" Could Open Door to Prosecuting Israel for War Crimes. zcomm.org The International Criminal Court has ruled it has the authority to investigate alleged Israeli war crimes in the Palestinian territories…

Ali Harb (2021-02-10). Here's my number: Netanyahu still waiting for Biden phone call. middleeasteye.net Here's my number: Netanyahu still waiting for Biden phone call | Israeli envoy to the UN sent a phone number purporting to be Netanyahu's office line to the US president on Twitter | Wed, 02/10/2021 – 20: 43 | Then-Vice President Biden and Israel's Netanyahu give joint statements in Jerusalem, 9 March 2016 (AFP/File photo) | We've all had friends who don't call. Sometimes they are busy. Sometimes they are avoidin…

WSWS (2021-02-10). International Criminal Court ruling paves way for legal proceedings against Israel for war crimes. wsws.org This ruling has infuriated Israel and its patron in Washington, which rejects any constraints on its geostrategic interests and plans for a new imperialist carve-up of the world in which Israel plays a central role in carrying out this agenda and suppressing the working class in the region.

RT (2021-02-10). Israel finally begins vaccinating Palestinians, but only those with Israeli work permits. rt.com After facing a backlash for its reluctance to extend coronavirus vaccinations to the Palestinian territories, Israel has finally started administering Covid-19 jabs to Palestinians, but only if they legally work in Israel. | The vaccination of Palestinians was launched on Wednesday at a medical station of Israeli Red Cross affiliate Magen David Adom in Qalandiya village, near the main checkpoint between Jerusalem and the West Bank. | "Palestinians can come and be vaccinated, including those who have Palestinian Authority identity cards and work permits," a Magen David Adom spokesperson said. "This initiative r…

Tom Anderson (2021-02-10). Palestinians accuse JCB of complicity, as Israeli army demolishes homes for the third time in one week. thecanary.co On Monday 8 February, heavily armed Israeli soldiers entered the Palestinian Bedouin village of Humsa, and forced people to leave their homes. | They The Canary has also been shown photographs showing that JCB equipment was used to destroy houses in the nearby village of Yarza on the same day. The use of JCB's equipment has led to Palestinians accusing JCB of complicity in the dem…

RT (2021-02-10). 'You say the wrong thing, you lose your position': Guardian columnist reveals he was fired over tweets criticizing Israel. rt.com Columnist Nathan J. Robinson has revealed that the Guardian fired him over a sarcastic tweet about US aid to Israel, even though he deleted it and agreed to never bring up the issue in hopes of keeping the job. | "The moment I irritated defenders of Israel on social media, I was summarily fired from my job as a newspaper columnist," Robinson wrote on Wednesday in His columns had appeared in the Guardian since 2017, and Robinson says he had only…

Online News Editor (2021-02-10). Tree House Cafe in Nablus, West Bank. laprensalatina.com People enjoy beverages at the Tree House Cafe in the old city of Nablus, in the Israeli occupied West Bank, 10 February 2021. With wood and root-like decoration, the cafe is designed to look like a tree house. A visual story by EFE/EPA photographer ALAA BADARNEH…

Areeb Ullah (2021-02-10). UN urged to question Bangladesh over Israeli tech bought for peacekeeping. middleeasteye.net UN urged to question Bangladesh over Israeli tech bought for peacekeeping | The UN has denied claims that it required Bangladesh to buy Israeli surveillance equipment for its peacekeeping operations
| Wed, 02/10/2021 – 14: 37 | Bangladesh is the largest contributor of uniformed personnel to UN peacekeeping missions in the world (AFP) | Several rights groups have called on the United Nations to quest…