Daily Archives: January 27, 2021

2021-01-27: News Headlines

Ramzy Baroud (2021-01-28). Beyond Slogans: Palestinians Need an Urgent, Centralized Strategy to Counter Israel in Africa. dissidentvoice.org Arab normalization with Israel is expected to have serious consequences that go well beyond the limited and self-serving agendas of a few Arab countries. Thanks to the Arab normalizers, the doors are now flung wide open for new political actors to extend or cement ties with Israel at the expense of Palestine, without fearing any …

Jonathan Cook (2021-01-28). Former Israeli army spy recruited by Labour should feel right at home. dissidentvoice.org The revelation this week that the British Labour Party recently appointed a former Israeli military spy to work in its headquarters, reporting to the office of leader Keir Starmer, is truly extraordinary in many different regards. It is hard to believe the Labour leadership did not know who Assaf Kaplan was or appreciate the likely …

_____ (2021-01-27). UK Turns To 'Counterterror' Law To Repress Palestine Action. popularresistance.org Solidarity campaigners shut down an Israeli drone parts factory in the UK for several hours last week. | Three activists from Palestine Action were arrested outside the Elbit Systems factory in Shenstone in the Midlands on 18 January. This is the third time the factory has been hit in five months. | Red paint symbolizing the deaths of Palestinians was also sprayed across the factory front yard. In a Palestine Action video, an unnamed activist said she was "here today because Britain has been complicit in the colonization of Palestine since over 100 years ago with the Balfour Declaration." | Elbit is Israel's larg…

Dove of Peace (2021-01-27). End of Anti-Russian Electioneering; Palestinian Funding Restored. indybay.org One week after the Inauguration, Pres. Biden called Pres. Putin to extend the START nuclear arms control treaty, due to expire 2/5/21. Pres. Biden's administration also announced restoration of relations with Palestine and aid to Palestinians.

RT (2021-01-27). Google ditching Apple tool to track iPhone users & dodge pop-up warning on data collection. rt.com New Apple rules that introduce an obligatory pop-up warning to users that their browsing data is being stored for advertising purposes has prompted Google to stop using the company's tracking tool in its iOS products. | Apple's new rules will see users asked to opt in if they want to allow advertisers to use their information through what's known as an 'identifier for advertisers' (IDFA). The IDFA is a unique code on each iPhone that essentially allows for the users to be tracked across multiple aps in order to determine which adverts should be shown to them. | Under the new rules, which Apple said will come i…

Ali Harb (2021-01-27). Incoming US envoy Thomas-Greenfield vows to 'stand with Israel' at UN. middleeasteye.net Incoming US envoy Thomas-Greenfield vows to 'stand with Israel' at UN | Linda Thomas-Greenfield said at confirmation hearing she would pressure normalising Arab countries to support Israel at UN | Wed, 01/27/2021 – 20: 14 | The nominee denounced BDS, saying the Palestinian-led movement 'verges on antisemitism' (AFP) | Incoming US envoy to the UN Linda Thomas-Greenfield has pledged to shield Israel from what she c…

Sheren Khalel (2021-01-27). NYC mayoral candidate Andrew Yang doubles down on anti-BDS remarks. middleeasteye.net NYC mayoral candidate Andrew Yang doubles down on anti-BDS remarks | After accusing BDS of 'unfair economic punishment', Yang asserts his opposition is based on the movement's 'refusal to condemn violence' | Wed, 01/27/2021 – 19: 18 | Andrew Yang, a NYC mayoral candidate, has drawn criticism for his stance against the Palestinian-led Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions (BDS) movement (AFP/File photo)…

yenisafak (2021-01-27). Israel worried by US plans to lift ICC sanctions. yenisafak.com Israel has voiced concern over US plans to lift sanctions imposed on the International Criminal Court (ICC) by the former administration of Donald Trump, according to local media on Wednesday. | The Jerusalem Post newspaper said Washington, by this move, would allow ICC's Chief Prosecutor Fatou Bensouda to open a full investigation into suspicions of Israeli war crimes against Palestinians. | The daily warned that the ICC investigation could "come with arrest warrants for prominent Israeli military and diplomatic officials, past and present". | "We would hope that we can find common ground with the incoming admin…

Mehr News Agency (2021-01-27). VIDEO: Clashes in occupied territories over COVID restriction. en.mehrnews.com TEHRAN, Jan. 27 (MNA) — Ultra-Orthodox Jewish demonstrators clashed with Israeli regime police as authorities faced new difficulties in enforcing coronavirus restrictions among the occupied land's religious communities.

Ramzy Baroud (2021-01-27). B'Tselem's historic declaration, "A Regime of Jewish Supremacy from the Jordan River to the Mediterranean Sea: This is Apartheid" juancole.com ( Middle East Monitor ) — "A Regime of Jewish Supremacy from the Jordan River to the Mediterranean Sea: This is Apartheid," was the title of a January 12 report by the Israeli rights group B'Tselem. No matter how one is to interpret B'Tselem's findings, the report is earth-shattering. The official Israeli response merely confirmed …

Yves Engler (2021-01-27). B'nai B'rith Smears Leading Palestine Solidarity Activist. dissidentvoice.org Recently Israel's largest human rights organization concluded the country was run based on a regime of Jewish supremacy. B'Tselem wasn't only referring to the occupied West Bank but an "apartheid" system in place from the Jordan River to the Mediterranean Sea. A week after B'Tselem's report was released, one of Canada's leading lobbyists for the …

Mehr News Agency (2021-01-27). Lavrov suggests Mideast ministerial peace conference. en.mehrnews.com TEHRAN, Jan. 28 (MNA) — Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov has backed a Palestinian proposal for a Middle East peace conference which can be held in the upcoming months.

news.un (2021-01-27). US witnessed 'echoes of the Holocaust' during breach of the Capitol, says concentration camp survivor. news.un.org Having grown up a Jewish child in Nazi-occupied Europe, Irene Butter said on Wednesday during a UN commemorative event online, that the United States had seen for itself "echoes of the Holocaust" on 6 January during what she described as an 'attempted coup' at the Capitol, in Washington DC. Some of the rioters that day, "wore Nazi symbols and used Nazi slogans", she attested.

sputniknews (2021-01-27). Israeli Army Chief Slams Iran Nuclear Deal as Operationally, Strategically Unacceptable. sputniknews.com TEL AVIV (Sputnik) – Chief of the General Staff of the Israeli Defence Forces Lt Gen Aviv Kohavi has described the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA) as a deal that is unacceptable to Israel both on the strategic and operational level.

Peoples Dispatch (2021-01-27). US to restore relations with Palestinians but will continue "steadfast support" to Israel. peoplesdispatch.org The Biden administration has also said it will support the two-state solution. However, it has already made clear it will not reverse its predecessor's shifting of the US embassy to Jerusalem in violation of international law…

Online News Editor (2021-01-27). Odegaard joins Arsenal on loan. laprensalatina.com London, Jan 27 (efe-epa).- Arsenal football club on Tuesday announced the signing on loan of Norwegian international Martin Odegaard from Real Madrid. The 22-year-old attacking midfielder will wear the No.11 shirt at the London club until the end of the season. "It's great that we've secured Martin to come to us until the end of …

Prof. Alon Ben-Meir (2021-01-27). As a Democracy, Israel Shows No Moral Tenet: El-Halabi's Outcry for Justice. globalresearch.ca All Global Research articles including the E-Book can be read in 27 languages by activating the "Translate Website" drop down menu on the top banner of our home page (Desktop version). | *** | Israel's continued treatment of Palestinian political prisoners is …

Contemporay Jewish Museum of SF (2021-01-27). Sunday 2/7: Black History Month: History of Anti-Lynching Poem & Song "Strange Fruit" indybay.org Online via livestream (FREE)…

Stephen Lendman (2021-01-26). Israel to Decide Fate of the JCPOA Nuclear Deal? globalresearch.ca According to Biden's secretary of state-designee Anthony Blinken, the new regime in town will keep much of its predecessor's geopolitical agenda in place. | Former usurper-in-waiting/self-designated interim Venezuelan president Guaido — no longer a National Assembly member — will still …

Andrea Germanos, staff writer (2021-01-26). More US Lawmakers Urged to Speak Out Against 'Vaccine Apartheid' for Palestinians. commondreams.org "This cruelty is another reminder of why the occupation must end," said Rep. Jamaal Bowman. | www.commondreams.org/sites/default/files/styles/cd_special_coverage/public/headline/thumbs/dems-urged-call-out-vaccine-apartheid.jpg

Heba Nasser (2021-01-26). Jerusalem's main Palestinian hospital shuts its doors as union strikes. middleeasteye.net Jerusalem's main Palestinian hospital shuts its doors as union strikes | Hospital staff accuse the charity hospital's board of avoiding its responsibilities to resolve its financial crisis, as it buckles under a debt of $47m
| Tue, 01/26/2021 – 14: 10 | Built in 1968, al-Makassed has long been known as the "hospital of the poor" (MEE/Aseel Jundi) | Jerusalem's largest Palestinian hospital, al-Makass…

Jonathan Cook (2021-01-26). The "humanitarian" left still ignores the lessons of Iraq, Libya and Syria to cheer on more war. mronline.org In fact, those weren't really separate horror shows: they were instalments of one long horror show.

MEE and agencies (2021-01-26). In a new first, Israel's intelligence minister visits Sudan to advance relations. middleeasteye.net In a new first, Israel's intelligence minister visits Sudan to advance relations | Weeks after Khartoum signed a normalisation deal with Tel Aviv, Eli Cohen becomes the first ever Israeli minister to visit the African country | Tue, 01/26/2021 – 11: 35 | Israeli Intelligence Minister Eli Cohen (L) elbow-bumping Sudanese Defence Minister Yassin Ibrahim in Sudan's capital Khartoum on 25 Janu…

Azad Essa (2021-01-26). Rights group slams Israel's praise for India as protests turn ugly in New Delhi. middleeasteye.net Rights group slams Israel's praise for India as protests turn ugly in New Delhi | Israel's government sent several messages of goodwill on India's Republic Day while thousands of farmers in New Delhi rallied for repeal of contentious legislation | Tue, 01/26/2021 – 17: 49 | An Indian farmer throws back a tear gas shell fired by police during a rally against the central government's recent agricultural reforms…

MEE staff (2021-01-26). Biden administration to restore aid to Palestinians, fix 'atrophied' relations. middleeasteye.net Biden administration to restore aid to Palestinians, fix 'atrophied' relations | Washington also plans to re-open shuttered Palestinian diplomatic missions, new US ambassador to UN tells Security Council | Tue, 01/26/2021 – 18: 14 | Palestinian children sit during a rally on 23 December to protest a reported reduction of food by UNRWA (AFP/File photo) | The Biden administration plans to re-open Palestinian dip…

RT (2021-01-26). Biden will support two-state solution where Israel lives 'peacefully' alongside Palestine, US envoy tells UN. rt.com New US President Joe Biden supports a two-state solution in an attempt to resolve the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, the acting US Ambassador to the UN, Richard Mills, told the Security Council on Tuesday. | "Under the new administration, the policy of the US will be to support a mutually agreed two-state solution in which Israel lives in peace and security alongside a viable Palestinian state," Mills said. | The acting UN envoy added that US policy remains the "best way" to ensure Israel's future as a democratic and Jewish state, while guaranteeing peace and security for Palestine, although success is dependen…

Ali Harb (2021-01-26). Malley as Iran envoy: Hawks and progressives spar over possible nomination. middleeasteye.net Malley as Iran envoy: Hawks and progressives spar over possible nomination | Reports that Robert Malley, lead Iran negotiator under Obama, is being considered for envoy position sparks outrage from conservatives | Tue, 01/26/2021 – 17: 53 | Rob Malley has been critical of Israeli policies against Palestinians (AFP/File photo) | Despite deep divisions plaguing American politics, the Republican pushback against Pre…

Mehr News Agency (2021-01-26). A Palestinian youth martyred at West Bank. en.mehrnews.com TEHRAN, Jan. 27 (MNA) — Palestinian sources reported the martyrdom of a Palestinian youth near the Zionist town of 'Ariel' in northern West Bank by Zionist forces.

news.un (2021-01-26). UN rights experts urge Israel to respect international obligations. news.un.org UN independent rights experts on Tuesday, described Israel's conviction of human rights defender Issa Amro earlier this month, as showing disdain for the country's international obligations.

news.un (2021-01-26). UN ready to support Palestinian elections, new envoy tells Security Council. news.un.org Palestinian elections scheduled for later this year will be a crucial step towards unity, the new UN envoy in the region, Tor Wennesland, said on Tuesday in his first briefing to the Security Council.

VINS (2021-01-26). Pro-BDS Activists Blacklisted and Labeled as Terrorist Supporters by Canary Mission. projectcensored.org Created in 2015, the anonymously-run, pro-Israel website CanaryMission.org aims to "document individuals and organizations that promote hatred of the USA, Israel and Jews on North American college campuses." The site is being used to…

yenisafak (2021-01-26). Jordan condemns Israel over Dome of the Rock repairs. yenisafak.com Jordan on Monday condemned Israel's stopping renovation works at the Dome of the Rock mosque at Al-Aqsa compound in East Jerusalem.On Sunday, Israeli police moved into the complex and prevented workers from the Jerusalem Islamic Waqf from carrying out renovation works at the mosque.In a statement, the Jordanian Foreign Ministry rejected the Israeli action, saying the Jerusalem Islamic Waqf "is the sole authority responsible for taking care and overseeing the compound".The Waqf is a Jordanian-run organization responsible for overseeing Islamic and Christian holy sites in Jerusalem.Israel occupied East Jerusalem, w…

Maha Hussaini (2021-01-25). 'Vaccination apartheid': Gaza struggling with Covid-19 infections while Israel rolls out jab. middleeasteye.net 'Vaccination apartheid': Gaza struggling with Covid-19 infections while Israel rolls out jab | Gaza braces for more avoidable deaths with delayed vaccination rollout and an overwhelmed health system | Mon, 01/25/2021 – 11: 08 | A hospital staff member gets tested for coronavirus in Rafah in the southern Gaza Strip on 31 August 2020 (AFP/file photo) | In the intensive care unit of the European Gaza…

Al-Shabaka (2021-01-25). Confronting Total Collapse in Israeli-Occupied Gaza: Division and COVID-19. juancole.com By Ali Abdel-Wahab | — ( Al-Shabaka ) — Gaza has always been unique among the different parts of Palestine. Its current particularity stems from being caught between three major variables exacerbating its collapse: the Israeli occupation, division in Palestinian leadership, and the COVID-19 pandemic. This reality raises socio-political questions about the role of these …

MEE and agencies (2021-01-25). Covid-19: Hundreds of ultra-Orthodox Israelis protest over lockdown rules. middleeasteye.net Covid-19: Hundreds of ultra-Orthodox Israelis protest over lockdown rules | Anger has mounted as the government has moved to close illegal religious schools and seminaries | Mon, 01/25/2021 – 10: 16 | Policemen detain an ultra-Orthodox Jew during a protest over coronavirus restrictions in Ashdod, Israel on 24 January 2021 (Reuters) | Hundreds of members of Israel's ultra-Orthodox community…

Mohammad Ayesh (2021-01-25). Arabic press review: Egypt army arrests officers suspected of embezzlement. middleeasteye.net Arabic press review: Egypt army arrests officers suspected of embezzlement | Meanwhile, Kuwait cancels 60,000 travel reservations over fears of new Covid-19 variant, and Palestinians call for release of relatives held in Saudi Arabia | Mon, 01/25/2021 – 17: 58 | Egyptian soldiers stand guard at Cairo University on 25 March 2018 in central Cairo, ahead of March presidential election (AFP/File pho…

Philip Weiss (2021-01-25). Biden's Secretary of State Praises Trump's Achievements on Israel. globalresearch.ca A new administration has taken over Washington with talk of justice, respect and diversity. However, when it comes to Israel-Palestine the news isn't so encouraging. | Joe Biden's foreign policy team says it wants to return to the Iran deal, but …

Ali Salam (2021-01-25). Israeli Forces Shoot & Injure Farmer in Northern Gaza. imemc.org Israeli forces stationed at the northern border of the Gaza Strip opened fire at a Palestinian farmer working on his land in Beit Lahia, in northern Gaza, on Sunday afternoon, resulting in a gunshot wound in his head. The injured farmer was taken to the Indonesian Hospital in northern Gaza, where his wound was described …

Eds. (2021-01-25). 'We're taking responsibility': Sixty teens announce refusal to serve in Israeli army. mronline.org Dozens of Israeli teens sign public letter objecting to military service over Israel's policies of apartheid, neoliberalism, and denial of the Nakba.

Staff (2021-01-25). Islamic Official Shot and Killed in Israel. imemc.org On Sunday afternoon, a Palestinian official identified as Sheikh Muhammad Abu Najem, was shot and killed in the city of Jaffa, in the western part of Israel. The Hamas party issued a statement blaming Israel for the murder. Israeli police in Jaffa say they opened an investigation into the shooting, but have not identified any …

RT (2021-01-25). Facebook BLOCKS Israeli PM Netanyahu's chatbot over 'offending post'. rt.com Facebook has suspended a chatbot used by Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, which asked unvaccinated seniors to give it their phone number for a potential 'surprise' call from the PM. | In a video posted to Twitter last week, Netanyahu encouraged Israeli seniors to get vaccinated, and told his followers: "If you know someone who is nervous about getting vaccinated, send me their name and phone number, maybe they'll get a surprise phone call from me and I'll convince them." | ◊ê◊ ◊ô ◊®◊ï◊¶◊î ◊ú◊¢◊ï◊ì&loz…

Shatha Hammad (2021-01-25). Masafer Yatta: A Palestinian community under pressure. middleeasteye.net Masafer Yatta: A Palestinian community under pressure | The Israeli army shooting that left Harun Abu Aram paralysed has once again brought to light the difficult living conditions in the West Bank hamlets | Mon, 01/25/2021 – 15: 50 | 'I keep having dreams that the [Israeli] army has come back and destroyed our house again,' Adham, eight, says (MEE/Shatha Hammad) | More than three weeks after he wa…

yenisafak (2021-01-25). 'Israel-centric security architecture will collapse'. yenisafak.com Speaking to Anadolu Agency, Berdal Aral, professor at Istanbul Medeniyet University said while he does not expect much, but Biden will endeavor to renegotiate the two-state solution between Israel and Palestine."He [Biden] also seems to be a little more critical when compared to Trump on illegal settlements," he said.Stating that one of the main pillars of US foreign policy has been to secure Israel, Aral said there may be some differences at the level of using the language."Relations with Israel could not be prevented even under Barack Obama, who did not have a good relation. Therefore, there is no point in havi…

MEE staff (2021-01-25). Trump administration eased sanctions against Israeli billionaire during final days. middleeasteye.net Trump administration eased sanctions against Israeli billionaire during final days | Sanctions were levied against Dan Gertler in 2017 for corrupt mining practices in DR Congo, which resulted in more than $1.36bn in lost revenue | Mon, 01/25/2021 – 17: 26 | US Treasury Department initially levied sanctions against Israeli mining tycoon Dan Gertler in 2017 (AFP/File photo) | Days before the Trump administration…

RT (2021-01-25). PSG's responsibility to convince Messi to join, says Argentine midfield star Paredes. rt.com It is up to Lionel Messi whether he joins Paris Saint-Germain at the end of the season and the responsibility lies with the French giants to try to convince him to make the switch, according to midfielder Leandro Paredes. | Messi's current Barcelona deal expires at the end of the season and the 33-year-old star could again look walk away from the club after his efforts to do so failed last summer. | PSG are among the clubs most strongly linked with a move for the six-time Ballon d'Or winner, and club director Leonardo recently admitted that players of Messi's caliber would "always be on their list." | Also on…

Gershon Baskin (2021-01-25). There is an opportunity for Palestinian democracy with elections. zcomm.org While there is a great deal of skepticism regarding whether or not the elections will actually take place, there is already a flurry of action on the ground of initiatives to launch new political parties and jockey for positions within the existing political frameworks…

yenisafak (2021-01-25). Ultra-Orthodox Jews clash with police in Israel. yenisafak.com Israeli police arrested four ultra-Orthodox Jews after violent riots late on Sunday over restrictions imposed to stem the spread of the coronavirus. | Police said in a statement that the four were arrested on "suspicion of endangering the lives and property of the residents". | The riots started last night in Bnei Brak city and extended until Monday dawn. | Police said the city mayor's car was pelted with stones while a bus was set on fire in the middle of a residential neighborhood. | "The lawbreakers attacked civilians and caused extensive damage to property," police said. | The Jerusalem Post newspaper said d…

_____ (2021-01-25). How The Israeli Flag Became A Symbol For White Nationalists. popularresistance.org As thousands gathered in Washington on Jan. 6 for the fateful Donald Trump rally that would end in the storming of the U.S. Capitol, an Israeli flag was spotted in the crowd, flying alongside flags championing the QAnon conspiracy, the III% militia movement, and other popular right-wing causes. "The Bible says, if you bless Israel, you should be blessed," explained the protestor waving the flag, repeating a Bible verse beloved by the Christian Zionist movement. "So, we're a nation that supports Israel." Later, the flag was spotted directly outside the Capitol building during the siege, while another masked protes…

Dr. Ludwig Watzal (2021-01-25). A Totalitarian Regime Is Coming to America? Or Is It Just an Old Ball Game? globalresearch.ca Dutch-Jewish historian Jacques Presser remarked as early as 1947: "Fascism, should it ever return, will undoubtedly present itself in the guise of anti-fascism." Having watched the surreal inauguration, the Green Zone in Baghdad popped up. The occupation in Washington was …