Rassegna stampa in inglese.

New Israeli Settlement Planned in East Jerusalem
The Palestinian village of Anata. Behind the village is the Jordan Rift valley with the northern shores of the Dead Sea and the mountains of Jordan in the background. Independent Jerusalem mayoral candidate, Nir Barkat, who enjoys widespread support amongst the city’s secular and business communities, recently announced his support for the building of a new Jewish settlement in occupied East Jerusalem.
http://www.alternativenews.org/content/view/1382/494/

Weekly report on Israeli human rights violations in the occupied Palestinian territory 16 – 22 Oct 2008
http://www.reliefweb.int/rw/rwb.nsf/db900SID/FBUO-7KPFJX?OpenDocument&RSS20=02-P

Death of patient increases siege victims to 254 Palestinians

Palestinian medical sources reported that the victims of the Israeli siege on the Gaza Strip rose to 254 Palestinians after the death of a 34-year-old patient called Rizq Khweiter.
http://www.palestine-info.co.uk/En/default.aspx?xyz=U6Qq7k%2bcOd87MDI46m9rUxJEpMO%2bi1s71rw9M4sfxOz086Ll0LQwAS7HamhuUwWJ6cu1hVGx1t%2b6tVNLMl4Jj1Gm2D28CxyJKWeEVLzWV%2f4RSLsRnRx6JABbDYvITuTOorjPCvoDc14%3d

Gaza: Disruption of medical services hampers treatment

International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) – Switzerland Geneva/Jerusalem (ICRC) – The situation of several hundred seriously ill patients in the Gaza Strip who cannot obtain urgently needed medical treatment is extremely worrying, the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) said today.
http://www.alertnet.org/thenews/fromthefield/220224/9e1b488c9357947169e046991783ce26.htm

Seven injured at Ni’lin demonstration
In the continued spirit of resistance, 100 Palestinians along with several International and Israeli activists marched to demonstrate against the construction of the Apartheid Wall in the West Bank village of Ni’lin.  The demonstrators met around 15.30 and moved close to the construction site when Israeli soldiers began to scream at them to go back while throwing sound grenades. The demonstrators spread throughout the olive groves while the Israeli soldiers shot tear gas canisters directly at the people.
http://www.palsolidarity.org/main/2008/10/22/seven-injured-at-nilin-demonstration/

Israeli army detains 12 Palestinians in West Bank
The Israeli forces arrested early Thursday 12 Palestinians in the West Bank claiming they were wanted by Israel, Israeli and Palestinian sources said.  Israel Radio, in its Arabic service, reported that the Israeli army forces stormed overnight and early Thursday morning several West Bank towns and arrested 12 wanted Palestinians.
http://news.xinhuanet.com/english/2008-10/23/content_10240265.htm

Israeli military sweeps into two refugee camps, detains 12 people
The Israeli military swept early on Thursday morning into the West Bank refugee camps of Askar and Balata and detained 12 Palestinians from different parts of the West Bank.
http://www.imemc.org/article/57406

A Palestinian resident of Bethlehem killed after stabbing an Israeli settler
A Palestinian resident of the West Bank city of Bethlehem, was shot dead on Thursday after attempting to stab an Israeli settler and a policeman in the occupied West Bank-based Israeli settlement of Gilo nearby.
http://www.imemc.org/article/57410

Israeli forces invade Tuqu, threaten to demolish house of man involved in fatal Gilo stabbing

Israeli forces have invaded the West Bank town of Tuqu on Thursday afternoon and threatened to demolish the house of a young Palestinian man who fatally stabbed an Israeli man earlier in the Gilo settlement.
http://www.maannews.net/en/index.php?opr=ShowDetails&ID=32722

Fourth day of intimidation in Azmut by illegal Israeli settlers
On Monday 20 October farmers in Azmut were subject to a fourth day running of intimidation and intrusion onto their land as they harvested their olives near the illegal settlement of Elon Moreh.
http://www.palsolidarity.org/main/2008/10/22/fourth-day-of-intimidation-in-azmut-by-illegal-israeli-settlers/

Two hurt as Israeli troops, settlers clash in West Bank

JERUSALEM (AFP) — Clashes between Israeli troops who intervened as Jewish settlers hurled rocks at Palestinian farmers in the West Bank left a soldier and a settler injured on Wednesday, the military said. "About 10 masked settlers armed with bats hurled rocks at Palestinians who were picking olives," a military spokewoman said.
http://afp.google.com/article/ALeqM5imk4q8_ITVyOIWT6Xt8RdHkBeQdg

29 settlers arrested at protest outside general’s home
Settlers stage demonstration near home of IDF commander in protest of order forbidding right-wing activists from entering Palestinian territory; most of those detained are youths.
http://www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7340,L-3611770,00.html

Chutzpah: West Bank Settlers Complain That Checkpoints Make Them Late For Work
Thank you, Mitch Plitnick, who represents B’tselem, the Israeli human right organization in Washington for bringing this insanity to my attention.  A group of Israeli settlers have filed a suit against Israeli authorities because the so-called security checkpoints — designed to prevent terrorists from getting into Jerusalem — are making them late for work, school, the gym, whatever.
http://tpmcafe.talkingpointsmemo.com/2008/10/21/more_chutzpha_west_bank_settle/

The Settlers’ War against Palestinian Farmers During Olive Harvest

Palestinian farmers sifting through harvested olives. Several days ago, Israeli Defense Minister Ehud Barak condemned as "rabble," recent Israeli settler attacks during the olive harvest, against Palestinians farmers across the West Bank. One important factor Barak failed to mention, however, is that most of the settler attacks have been taking place within sight of Israeli soldiers, and in many cases these aggressions have occured with cooperation and coordination between the soldiers and settlers.
http://www.alternativenews.org/content/view/1383/494/

A bitter harvest
The West Bank’s olive harvest is in full swing, and so are the settlers’ clubs and the soldiers’ batons. The West Bank version of the adage "Give a man a fish …" appears to have been remodelled along far more sinister lines of late. Instead, the prevalent attitude is to not only snatch the lion’s share for the benefit of the settlers, but also to kick the Palestinians while they’re down on their knees scrabbling to glean whatever morsels they can from what’s left.
http://www.guardian.co.uk/commentisfree/2008/oct/23/israelandthepalestinians-middleeast

Barak asks AG to bar visitations for Hamas detainees

Israeli Defense Minister, Ehud Barak, sent a letter to the Israeli Attorney-General, Menachem Mazuz, requesting him to examine the "legal aspects" of barring visitations to Hamas detainees imprisoned by Israel as a means of pressure on Hamas to release the captured Israeli soldier, Gilad Shalit.
http://www.imemc.org/article/57404

Barak plays hardball with Hamas, wants to limit prisoner visitations
Defense minister proposes more restrictions on terrorists being held in Israeli jails in bid to pressure Hamas into moving forward with negotiations for Gilad Shalit.
http://www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7340,L-3611858,00.html

PA Prisoners Ministry says new Israeli law prevents family visits

The Palestinian Authority (PA) Ministry of Prisoners’ Affairs warned on Thursday that Israel plans to approve new legal procedures that could deprive Palestinian prisoners of access to their families.  The head of the Statistics Department within the ministry said that the new law would "deprive thousands of Palestinian prisoners of visits from their families while incarcerated in Israeli jails."
http://www.maannews.net/en/index.php?opr=ShowDetails&ID=32726

High Court orders JAG to reconsider punishment in Ni’lin incident

On 28 Sept. ’08, the Israeli High Court held a hearing on the petition of Ashraf Abu Rahma and human rights organizations demanding amendment of the indictment against the battalion commander and soldier involved in the shooting of Abu Rahma in Ni’lin.
http://www.btselem.org/English/Firearms/2008106_Nilin_HCJ_Hearing.asp

Israel again delays sentencing for Hamas-affiliated PLC deputy
An Israeli military court again delayed the sentencing of a Hamas-affiliated Palestinian Legislative Council (PLC) member and Deputy Jamal At-Tirawi, this time until 26 October.  The latest rescheduling is the tenth such delay since an Israeli military court ruled that more witnesses, over a span of four days, should be given the opportunity to testify first.
http://www.maannews.net/en/index.php?opr=ShowDetails&ID=32723

Palestinian political prisoners represented in Paris

An official delegation returned after a week of French events in solidarity with Palestinian political prisoners.  The delegation included several West Bank heavy hitters on the prisoners’ rights scene. Greeting them in Paris was the French Foreign Ministry and Dr. Hind Khoury, former Jerusalem Affairs Minister and Bethlehem resident whose home was swallowed behind the Wall before she relocated. She is the current Ambassador of Palestine in France.
http://english.pnn.ps/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=3812&Itemid=1

West Bank hit hard by Israeli restrictions: World Bank

The West Bank’s economy is suffering from precarious lack of investment, largely because of Israeli restrictions on movement and despite increased international aid, the World Bank said on Thurday.  The 48-page report comes nearly a year after Israel and the Palestinians formally relaunched peace talks at a conference in the United States with the goal of resolving their decades-old conflict by the end of 2008.
http://afp.google.com/article/ALeqM5jMdUTIbI96rzqEJSrKb1v7usu5dw

Barakeh to PNN: 42 patients and 6 pilgrims to enter Gaza

Six hundred Palestinians are trapped on the Egyptian side of the Rafah Crossing. On Thursday 42 medical patients are returning along with six pilgrims from the haj.  Director of Coordination on the Rafah Crossing, Salameh Barakeh, told PNN today that negotiations with the Egyptians have garnered the passage of 48 Palestinians only. Those who remain, he says, are praying to return home within the next few days.  Palestinian Legislative Council member and Director of the People’s Committee against the Siege, Jamal Al Khudari told PNN today that the partial crossing is too little under the complete Israeli siege.
http://english.pnn.ps/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=3818&Itemid=49

Lavrov: The Israeli siege on Gaza is counterproductive

Russian foreign minister Sergei Lavrov severely criticized Wednesday the Israeli siege on the Gaza Strip, saying that the blockade is counterproductive and brings misery to innocent civilians.
http://www.palestine-info.co.uk/En/default.aspx?xyz=U6Qq7k%2bcOd87MDI46m9rUxJEpMO%2bi1s765TH1oOfxNAtthz8vaJ0PCbsu9PvhvGK3t3Xg1XKx2Pvv7TMLni1Qv0NzCZaNWUbO0mZedoBiqzgiy3ggaeEl8UjUhYNCVENtUsR1htnpHM%3d

Al Walajeh farmer suing British government: appeal to be heard next week

Director General of Al Haq, Shawan Jabarin, has announced that the appeal in the case of Saleh Hasan will be heard in a British court 21-22 October. Last November the UK High Court of Justice denied the claim of Hasan requesting the UK government clarify its position on arms-related licensing agreements with Israel. Sixty year old Saleh Hasan is a resident of northwestern Bethlehem’s Al Walajeh Village.
http://english.pnn.ps/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=3779&Itemid=1

Palestine’s mission at the UN files a complaint against Israeli settlers

The Palestine mission at the United Nations, filed on Wednesday a complaint to the UN’s security council against the Israeli armed settlers in the occupied West Bank.
http://www.imemc.org/article/57408

ISRAEL-OPT: Restricted land access harming economy – World Bank

Palestinians’ restricted access to land in the West Bank, due to Israeli administration of the area, has adversely affected the local economy: In the past eight years per capita gross domestic product (GDP) has fallen 40 percent, the World Bank said in a new report.
The Israeli-imposed restrictions, combined with registration issues and other technical and bureaucratic problems within the Palestinian Authority, have created an artificial scarcity of land, drained resources and limited development in the territory, the report entitled The Economic Effects of Restricted Access to Land in the West Bank said.
http://www.irinnews.org/Report.aspx?ReportId=81085

Fayyadh’s gov’t dismisses more Palestinian teachers in West Bank
The PA government of Salam Fayyadh has dismissed 15 Palestinian teachers in the West Bank on recommendation from the PA general intelligence.
http://www.palestine-info.co.uk/En/default.aspx?xyz=U6Qq7k%2bcOd87MDI46m9rUxJEpMO%2bi1s728Qqteq9oM0V66pkXWXZvucBziR4vNsgX%2b1EtHgFx2tZxwXTeOzTlgNAu3sX4yxY2wgE%2bHhEt5weOXR8RzqkHlmPZ7TaqeH7QIAYhvw8GjE%3d

Media forum and journalist bloc slam PA and Israel for arresting journalists
The Palestinian media forum and the Palestinian journalist bloc strongly denounced the PA security apparatuses and the IOF troops for kidnapping Palestinian journalists.

http://www.palestine-info.co.uk/En/default.aspx?xyz=U6Qq7k%2bcOd87MDI46m9rUxJEpMO%2bi1s7yxjJJRgMiQ2DMPcmz2X5jTNS4vcIg5g5NWNrnouJBadhXtNgu8ma1Q1zJAcOY6vYt1Tb02ecFmW2DoeX%2fc%2f8r9Xn4rWAIcH3GqWxxJbkavM%3d

Hamas lawmakers call for executing security chiefs for liaison with Israel

Hamas lawmakers on Thursday called for executing security chiefs loyal to rival Fatah movement for making security liaison with Israel in West Bank. The Hamas lawmakers considered the security liaison as "high treason that requires death penalty." Forces of Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas of Fatah control West Bank where Hamas accuses them of cracking down against the Islamic movement supporters.
http://news.xinhuanet.com/english/2008-10/23/content_10240918.htm

PLO official: elections to prevent Hamas from boosting power
A Palestinian official Thursday said comprehensive elections would be the best way to prevent Hamas from boosting its de-facto power.
"Elections are the solution that will not give the coup rights it doesn’t entitled to get," said Yasser Abed Rabbo, a member of the executive committee of the Palestinian Liberation Organization (PLO).
http://news.xinhuanet.com/english/2008-10/23/content_10240606.htm

Hamas committed to reconciliation, but will object to timing of elections in Egyptian plan
The Hamas movement agrees with the fundamentals of an Egyptian draft plan to restore Palestinian political unity, but has reservations about some of the specifics of the newly-announced plan, well-informed sources told Ma’an on Wednesday.  The main point of contention is the timing of presidential elections. The Egyptian proposal calls for presidential elections to be held simultaneously with parliamentary elections, while Hamas wants new elections at the end of Presdient Mahmoud Abbas’ term in January 2009.
http://www.maannews.net/en/index.php?opr=ShowDetails&ID=32721

Israel okays more Palestinian police in Hebron: report
AFP – Israel has approved deploying several hundred additional Palestinian police in the West Bank town of Hebron as part of an operation to restore order, Israeli public radio reported Wednesday.
http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/mideast/*http://news.yahoo.com/s/afp/20081023/wl_mideast_afp/mideastconflictwestbank

US denies sending message to Hamas
The US state department has denied that Condoleezza Rice, the country’s secretary of state, sent a message to  Hamas’ senior political adviser praising the Palestinian movement for its halt in firing rockets into Israel.  The so-called "verbal communication" between the US and Khaled Meshaal is said to have been received this month through mediators visiting the Gaza Strip.  Moussa Abu Marzouk, a Hamas spokesman, told Al Jazeera on Wednesday that the message also stated US support for the inter-Palestinian dialogue mediated by Egypt.
http://english.aljazeera.net/news/middleeast/2008/10/20081022141048836750.html

Mubarak, Peres to discuss Hamas prisoner deal

Israeli President Shimon Peres is to meet his Egyptian counterpart Hosni Mubarak in Egypt on Thursday to discuss Middle East peace efforts and Cairo’s bid to broker a prisoner swap with Hamas. The two heads of state are to meet in the Red Sea resort town of Sharm el-Sheikh, where Peres, who unlike Mubarak holds a mainly ceremonial post, will be given a state welcome with full pomp and ceremony.
http://afp.google.com/article/ALeqM5iZHGDFcMfkiP4RHo7-yJwyuqP3Tw

Mubarak to Peres: Don’t blame Egypt for failures in Shalit deal
Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak told visiting President Shimon Peres on Thursday not to blame Egypt for the failures thus far in securing the release of captured Israeli soldier Gilad Shalit.
http://www.haaretz.com/hasen/spages/1030858.html

Peres in Egypt on Thursday for talks on reviving Arab Initiative
In an official visit, described as the first for an Israeli president since 1996, Shimon Peres will be heading to Cairo on Thursday for talks with the Egyptian President Hosny Mobarak, on reviving that Arab Peace Initiative.
http://www.imemc.org/article/57401

Majdalawi: Egyptian initiative to end internal divisions, a historic opportunity
Member of the Political Bureau of the leftist Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine (PFLP), Palestinian Legislator, Jamil Majdalawi, stated on Wednesday that the Egyptian initiative for ending the internal Palestinian conflict is a historic opportunity and its success depends of commitment from Fateh and Hamas.
http://www.imemc.org/article/57402

Egyptian authorities reopen Rafah crossing terminal exceptionally
The Egyptian authorities announced on Thursday they would reopen the Rafah crossing terminal in southern Gaza exceptionally today, to allow some hundred stranded Palestinians to return back to Gaza.
http://www.imemc.org/article/57411

Israel rethinks policy stance

Israel is going through a period of major reassessment of its regional foreign policy as a post-Ehud Olmert government will eventually take over, Murhaf Jouejati, a political analyst and professor at the National Defence University in Washington, DC, told Gulf News.
http://archive.gulfnews.com/region/Middle_East/10253805.html

Women play a vital role in food security in the West Bank

Women play a vital role in helping to maintain and increase the food security of rural households in the West Bank. From crop cultivation to sheep-herding, female family members are centrally involved in most livelihood subsistence activities. With the support of the European Commission’s Humanitarian Aid Office, ACTED works to target and involve women within the frame of its current programme supporting the livelihoods of small-scale herders in the West Bank.
http://www.reliefweb.int/rw/rwb.nsf/db900SID/FBUO-7KPDQ4?OpenDocument&RSS20=02-P

Islamic Movement compensates Akko residents

Leaders of movement’s northern branch divide $77,000 among 17 families whose homes were damaged during Yom Kippur riots, but say they don’t believe this should exempt State from its ‘moral obligations towards citizens’.
http://www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7340,L-3611755,00.html

Blind woman sent to jail for harboring Palestinian

Handicapped, diabetic single mother convicted of aiding illegal resident receives six months community service, but after finding her unfit, judge sentences her to prison.
http://www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7340,L-3611727,00.html

New plan: Youth club near Muslim grave
Ahead of municipal elections, deputy Tel Aviv mayor suggests reopening cultural center near sheikh’s grave in southern neighborhood. Arab council member: This won’t pass peacefully.
http://www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7340,L-3611932,00.html

Uncertainty clouds Nahr al-Bared’s future
One year has passed since the first Palestinians were allowed to return to the outskirts of the Nahr al-Bared refugee camp, destroyed by the Lebanese army during three months of fighting in the summer of 2007 with Fatah al-Islam, a small Islamist militant group. Meanwhile, up to 15,000 people have resettled in the camp. Ray Smith reports on their situation from Nahr al-Bared.
http://electronicintifada.net/v2/article9910.shtml

PCBS releases 2007 finance and insurance survey findings
The Palestinian Central Bureau of Statistics (PCBS) on Wednesday released the findings of its Finance and Insurance survey for 2007 in a statement sent to Ma’an. The PCBS surveyed the Palestinian Authority (PA)’s monetary authority, banks and other credit unions, the Palestine Securities Exchange, stock market brokers and insurance corporations.
http://www.maannews.net/en/index.php?opr=ShowDetails&ID=32711

French Consul: Financial crisis will not affect EU aid to Palestinians
The European Union (EU) has no plans to cut aid to Palestinians in light of the world financial crisis, according to the French consul general. Consul General Alain Remy said on Wednesday in a visit to the West Bank city of Bethlehem that the EU is working "in such a way that the level of aid will not be affected by the crisis."  "This is not a promise, not a guarantee, but believe me; we are doing everything we can to ensure the level of aid will not be affected," he told reporters during a press conference held at Bethlehem University.
http://www.maannews.net/en/index.php?opr=ShowDetails&ID=32716

Germany provides grant for Jenin industrial zone

The Palestinian Authority (PA) public works’ ministry signed an agreement in Ramallah on Thursday for the construction of a new industrial zone in the West Bank city of Jenin.  Minister Kamal Hassounah signed the €13 million German proposal at the ministry’s office in Ramallah, calling it a preliminary step in "implementing the regulations" for construction.  The industrial zone will "serve the northern areas, while encouraging the establishment of other investment projects and job opportunities" in Jenin, Hassounah said at the Ramallah news conference.
http://www.maannews.net/en/index.php?opr=ShowDetails&ID=32725

Palestine Conference with Salman Abu Sitta and Ilan Pappe

As part of a vision to actively engage in raising awareness amongst the British public about the history of Palestine and current issues surrounding it and its people, and to commemorate the 60th anniversary of the Palestinian Nakba (catastrophe), the Federation of Student Islamic Societies in the UK and Eire (FOSIS) is proud to announce its holding of the first of a series of annual academic conferences.
http://palestinethinktank.com/2008/10/22/palestine-conference-with-salman-abu-sitta-and-ilan-pappe/

Ran Greenstein, "The Israeli Regime between the Sea and the River"

Here is a key point of Ariella Azoulay and Adi Ophir’s book This Regime Which Is Not One: Occupation and Democracy between the Sea and the River (1967 – ). While in the OPTs the distinction between citizen (soldier, settler) and non-citizen is paramount, within pre-67 Israel the distinction between Jew and Arab is crucial. In the OPTs both distinctions overlap but not so in Israel. This tension between the citizenship and ethnic principles opens up opportunities for change. Israeli Palestinians are discriminated against but are not subject to the same system of domination as their OPTs counterparts. They CAN exercise their citizenship rights to struggle for greater and more meaningful political and social integration as equals. And, in their struggle, they can also open the way for changing the regime itself.
http://mrzine.monthlyreview.org/greenstein221008.html

Joel Beinin, "Three Months in the Wilderness"
In September the American Israel Public Affairs Committee (AIPAC) sustained two major defeats on Iran. AIPAC’s top legislative priority this year was H.CON.RES 362, a House of Representatives resolution calling for the president to impose a blockade on Iran. However, the leadership removed the measure from the agenda. . . . AIPAC was also defeated in the Senate in September.
http://mrzine.monthlyreview.org/beinin221008.html

Kadima supporters’ website brands Pope Benedict with Nazi swastika

A photograph of Pope Benedict XVI emblazoned with a superimposed Nazi swastika appeared on Monday on a website run by self-proclaimed supporters of the Kadima party. It was later removed, and replaced with a picture of a smiling Benedict overlooking a crowd-filled St. Peter’s Square in the Vatican, after what "the Yalla Kadima" site said was a request from Kadima’s leader, prime minister-designate Tzipi Livni.
http://palestinethinktank.com/2008/10/22/kadima-supporters-website-brands-pope-benedict-with-nazi-swastika/

Israel finally looking in the mirror

Things, and people change over time. As we grow older, we cling to the ‘glory days’ of our youth and our past self perceptions. In our minds we sometimes lock ourselves in at a certain age, usually our twenties, while our bodies and hearts continue to change with age. Then one day we look in the mirror and we can no longer recognize ourselves – our self-perception and reality have moved further and further apart. ‘Who am I? What have I become?’
http://www.palestinemonitor.org/spip/spip.php?article670

NEW BOOK: Palestinian Embroidery Motifs, A Treasury of Stitches 1850-1950
>From mother to daughter, each generation added new inspirations to the traditional designs. Women would meet on market days, for family celebrations and of course at the pilgrims’ meeting places and gain muse from each other. Margarita Skinner of Switzerland in collaboration with Widad Kawar of provides us with a glimpse into the history of embroidery, starting with the discovery of the needle some 20,000 years ago. Over 200 Palestinian motifs of the period 1850-1950 have been illustrated.
http://www.rimalbooks.com/palestinian-embroidery-motifs-p-445.html

Palestinians fight using hip-hop in Arab Film Festival pick
Hip-hop is political by birthright. So there is little surprise that it is a language of protest utilized across the globe, from the streets of Oakland to Berbers in Morocco. The same goes for Palestinians, whose absorption of rap as a political tool is documented in the film "Slingshot Hip Hop," showing Friday at the Arab Film Festival in Berkeley.
http://www.insidebayarea.com/oaklandtribune/localnews/ci_10785970

Wednesday: 44 Iraqis Killed, 14 Wounded; Mass Grave Found

Excerpt: Updated at 6:31 p.m. EDT, Oct. 22, 2008 For the fifth day in a row, a mass grave has been discovered. This one contained at least 34 victims. Overall, at least 44 Iraqis were killed and 14 more were wounded in violence across Iraq. No Coaltion deaths were reported. Meanwhile, a Shi’ite cleric has issued a fatwa against a controversial U.S.-Iraqi security pact.
http://www.antiwar.com/updates/?articleid=13630

Blast hits Iraqi minister’s convoy

Labour minister unhurt but suicide car bombing in central Baghdad claims at least nine lives.
http://english.aljazeera.net/news/middleeast/2008/10/2008102365653296474.html

34 decomposed bodies discovered in Iraq mass grave
The detainee told his interrogators that the victims were executed during 2006 and buried in a mass grave, when the area was under control of Al Qaeda militants, the source added.
http://story.irishsun.com/index.php/ct/9/cid/2411cd3571b4f088/id/421513/cs/1/

Iraqi officials blast US ‘bullying’ over proposed pact to keep troops in place

Iraq warned on Wednesday it would not be bullied into signing a security pact with the United States despite warnings by US leaders of potentially dire consequences if it failed to approve the deal. Government spokesman Ali al-Dabbagh lashed out at US military chief Admiral Michael Mullen for saying that Baghdad risked significant losses.
http://www.dailystar.com.lb/article.asp?edition_id=10&categ_id=2&article_id=97012

Iraq seeks changes to wording not backbone of pact
Reuters – Baghdad will demand changes to the wording of a pact allowing U.S. troops to stay in Iraq but will not seek to renegotiate the "backbone" of the agreement, Foreign Minister Hoshiyar Zebari said on Wednesday.
http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/iraq/*http://news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20081022/wl_nm/us_iraq

Iraqi security pact with U.S. "purely national issue"

Iraqi Interior Minister Jawad Bolani Thursday said here in Amman that the security pact under negotiation with the U.S. was a "purely national issue" and no external interference is allowed.  "The security agreement with the United States is a purely national issue and thus we cannot accept any meddling that injures Iraq’s interests," Bolani told reporters.
http://news.xinhuanet.com/english/2008-10/23/content_10241338.htm

Sadr Ally: US Military Pact Will Harm Iraq Sovereignty-Report

A senior Shiite religious figure said to be the mentor of fiercely anti-U.S. Iraqi cleric Moqtada al-Sadr has denounced as humiliating a draft U.S.-Iraq security accord, Iran’s state news agency IRNA reported Thursday. "We are aware of the pressures from the occupying forces on the Iraqi government to sign the humiliating security agreement," Grand Ayatollah Kazem al-Hosseini al-Haeri said in a statement.  "We know that this agreement will lead to loss of sovereignty and humiliation" for Iraqis," he said.  Iran-born Haeri moved to Iraq and became one of the leaders of the country’s Shiite Al-Dawa party before being forced into exile in the 1970s.
http://www.nasdaq.com/aspxcontent/NewsStory.aspx?cpath=20081023ACQDJON200810230836DOWJONESDJONLINE000647.htm&selected=9999&selecteddisplaysymbol=9999&StoryTargetFrame=_top&mkt=WORLD&chk=unchecked&lang=&link=&headlinereturnpage=http://www.international.na

Washington warns Iraq to accept security deal

AP – The Bush administration on Wednesday warned of "real consequences" for Iraq if it rejects a newly negotiated security pact.
http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/iraq/*http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20081022/ap_on_go_ca_st_pe/us_iraq

POLITICS: Final Text of Iraq Pact Reveals a U.S. Debacle

The final draft of the U.S.-Iraq Status of Forces agreement on the U.S. military presence represents an even more crushing defeat for the policy of the George W. Bush administration than previously thought, the final text reveals.
http://www.ipsnews.net/news.asp?idnews=44394

Prosecutors: Ex-soldier accused of killing Iraqi family, raping teen was ‘chatterbox’
Pfc. Steven D. Green, 22, told FBI agents that "George Bush and Dick Cheney ought to be the ones that are arrested," according to court documents. He also said "You probably think I’m a monster" and "Guess I’m looking at spending the rest of my life in jail," the documents said.
http://www.courant.com/news/nationworld/sns-ap-iraq-rape-slaying,0,6623125.story

Government fails to halt anti-Christian campaign in Mosul
The measures the government has taken so far have failed to put an end to the exodus of Christians from the northern city of Mosul.
Thousands of Christian families have fled the city following threats from unidentified groups. So far 14 Christians have been killed in the city.  Some Iraqi politicians and media have raised questions on the timing and scale of the anti-Christian campaign in a city traditionally known for its tolerance.
http://www.azzaman.com/english/index.asp?fname=news2008-10-22kurd.htm

In Sadr City, a Repressed but Growing Rage
Outside the tan, high-walled house, Shiite militiamen stood guard. Inside, men sat on a red carpet, their backs against a wall adorned with images of Shiite saints, their anger rising with each sentence. Hashim Naseer, a tribal leader, remembered how Iraqi soldiers arrested his brother early this month at a nearby park along with other Shiite fighters of cleric Moqtada al-Sadr’s Mahdi Army.
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2008/10/22/AR2008102203194.html?nav=rss_world/mideast

IRAQ: Health threat posed by aging water supply networks

IRIN At least 17 percent of piped water nationwide, and one-third of the water in Baghdad, is not potable, according to a survey by the Iraqi Health Ministry.
http://www.alertnet.org/thenews/newsdesk/IRIN/4bb76b5a88a3a222170a1948bee263d0.htm

Iraqis top asylum seekers in West, says UN report
If Nina Al Ghazali was asked before the 2003 war on Iraq whether she would ever think of living outside her country, her reply would have been "never".
http://archive.gulfnews.com/region/Iraq/10253738.html
    
Barzani: We will never allow any action against Iran from Iraq
Iraq Kurdish Regional Gov`t Prez Massoud Barzani in a meeting with FM Manouchehr Mottaki here on Wednesday said, `We will never allow any action to take place against Iran from Iraq territory. According to the report of Foreign Ministry Media Department, Barzani, by referring to the good relations between the two countries and Iran’s role in Iraqis’ campaign against Saddam regime, said Iran has always been with Iraqi people.
http://www.mathaba.net/rss/?x=609686

An expense account to envy: taxpayers foot the tab
Say you misplaced $185,481 somewhere? Just expense it — Iraq style! A U.S. contractor hired to teach Iraqis about good government physically lost that amount in cash, then claimed the loss as "an expense."
http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20081021/ap_on_go_ot/iraq_lost_cash

Simon Norfolk’s best shot
‘It looks like a painting – but this is a place in Iraq where people were slaughtered’.  This shows the north gate of Baghdad in 2003, about 10 days after the statue of Saddam came down. Saddam wanted to connect himself with the Babylonian kings, so he started building these fake Babylonian ruins on the main roads into town. The arch is tiled, but if you look under the tiles you can see it’s just concrete.  I’d gone to Baghdad on my own, in a cab from Jordan. I remember this was taken after a really early start – the earliest my driver could come, because there was a curfew. There had been shooting and explosions all night, a little like bonfire night over here. It was a really scary time.
http://www.guardian.co.uk/artanddesign/2008/oct/23/photography-iraq

On Al-Qaeda Web Sites, Joy Over U.S. Crisis, Support for McCain

Al-Qaeda is watching the U.S. stock market’s downward slide with something akin to jubilation, with its leaders hailing the financial crisis as a vindication of its strategy of crippling America’s economy through endless, costly foreign wars against Islamist insurgents. And at least some of its supporters think Sen. John McCain is the presidential candidate best suited to continue that trend.  "Al-Qaeda will have to support McCain in the coming election," said a commentary posted Monday on the extremist Web site al-Hesbah, which is closely linked to the terrorist group. It said the Arizona Republican would continue the "failing march of his predecessor," President Bush.
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2008/10/21/AR2008102102477_pf.html

VIDEO: Howard Zinn: Vote for Obama But Direct Action Needed

Howard Zinn says real change will come when people take direct action to stop house foreclosures.  Howard Zinn says vote against McCain, vote for Obama. Even though Obama does not represent any fundamental change, he creates an opening for a possibility of change. Obama will not fulfill that potential for change, unless he is enveloped by a social movement, which is angry enough, powerful enough, insistent enough, that he fills his abstract phrases about change with some content. We need direct action, because only that kind of indignation is going to have some affect on the people in Washington.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=v_M2W5SisPs

Protester in SF attempts to handcuff Karl Rove
An anti-war protester confronted former Bush administration aide Karl Rove while he spoke at a San Francisco mortgage bankers’ meeting.
http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20081022/ap_on_re_us/rove_accosted

www.TheHeadlines.org

Lascia un commento

Il tuo indirizzo email non sarà pubblicato. I campi obbligatori sono contrassegnati *

Questo sito usa Akismet per ridurre lo spam. Scopri come i tuoi dati vengono elaborati.