PALESTINA/IZRAEL:
IN PHOTOS: Israeli teenagers train with lethal weapons
SLIKE: Izraelski tinejdžeri vježbaju sa smrtonosnim oružjem (3. siječanj 2012.)
Nekoliko desetaka tinejdžerskih dobrovoljaca uvježbavano je i naoružano smrtonosnim oružjem, uključujući puške M16, kako bi pomagali izraelskoj pograničnoj policiji (Magav). Djeca i mladi u sklopu Noar Mogava (Mladeži pogranične policije) patroliraju kontrolnim točkama i privode palestinske radnike koji pokušavaju ući u Izrael bez dozvole.
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Hamas: Peaceful resistance not applicable to Gaza
Hamas: Nenasilan otpor nije primjenjiv u Gazi (3. siječanj 2012.)
Hamasov čelnik Mahmoud Zahhar je izrazio sumnju da će njegova stranka podržati nenasilan otpor Izraelu kako to zagovaraju u stranci Fatah. Prema dogovoru o pomirenju između ove dvije stranke, koji je potpisan u svibnju 2011. Fatahovi dužnosnici tvrde da se Hamasov čelnik u egzilu Khalid Mashaal složio da treba provoditi nenasilne narodne akcije umjesto oružane borbe. Međutim, Zahhar je u ponedjeljak (2. siječnja) ustvrdio da je situacija u Pojasu Gaze drugačija od one na okupiranoj Zapadnoj obali. Zahhar smatra da se u Pojasu Gaze nema protiv koga prosvjedovati, te je opovrgao tvrdnje da je s Fatahom dogovoren program nenasilnog otpora, iako je priznao da se o tome razgovaralo. Zahhar smatra da se masovni narodni prosvjedi kakvi se odvijaju u sklopu arapskog proljeća ne mogu koristiti za suprotstavljanje Palestinaca izraelskoj okupaciji. Fatahov dužnosnik Azzam al-Ahmad tvrdi da su Abbas i Mashaal na sastanku 24. studenog 2011. dogovorili provođenje nenasilnog otpora i njegovo jačanje u Pojasu Gaze i na Zapadnoj obali.
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Gaza Lives: Reflecting on 'Operation Cast Lead'
Some of the alleged Israeli investigations were reportedly said to be covering—as Col. Tamir Yadi put it—"claims regarding incidents in which many uninvolved civilians were harmed," but not mentioning a single word about Al Samouni massacre, the single most atrocious incident in the entire assault, where Israeli forces had ordered the entire Al Samouni family to gather in one house—of course, to ensure the highest ratio of casualties--before they premeditatedly bombed it, killing 21 persons and injuring 19 others. The incident, however, grabbed the world's attention as hundreds of media reports and firsthand witnesses amassed. Israel immediately pretended an investigation was under way. Despite the overwhelming evidence, including a bunch of air force officers' compatible testimony, that Ilan Malka, a senior brigade commander, was responsible for authorizing the strike while being aware of a civilian presence in the area. Later on, exactly three years after the massacre, Israel deliberately buried the case and didn't take any legal actions against him, but instead decided to promote him to the position of brigadier general.
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3 January 2009: Motee' and Isma'il as-Selawy
On 3 January 2009, at around 17:20, during prayer time, an Israeli drone fired a missile at the western entrance of al-Maqadma mosque in Jabaliya refugee camp. In the attack, 15 worshipers were killed and hundreds were injured.
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While America shuts down fire houses, cuts infant nutrition, US subsidizes Israel army sushi courses (video)
There's an astonishing piece of news in Israel's Haaretz today under the headine “Israel allocates funds to help former IDF soldiers become sushi chefs”: “Demobilized soldiers will be able to study Asian cooking this year at the government's expense, as part of an effort to reduce the number of foreign workers employed as cooks in Asian restaurants by training Israeli professionals to replace them.“ It's shocking for two reasons – one is the xenophobia that is rising to astonishing heights in Israel: not even the cooks of foreign cuisine can be foreign (I'll come back to this) – but because of what it says about how Israel is using US military aid at a time of drastic cuts and austerity for American citizens.
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Israeli government tells police, prisons to gear up for more migrant workers
"Once again the government is lying to the public. Even before the law has been passed, the government is proving its true intentions regarding the punishments set down," said Reut Michaeli, the director of the Hotline for Migrant Workers. "The result is that in Israel refugees can be punished with life imprisonment - which is disproportionate to the seriousness of their crime or the degree any other person in the same circumstances would be punished."
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Eyeing the primary, Likud lawmakers swing right
Nearly 10,000 of the 120,000 people with the right to vote in internal Likud elections come from the settlements. There are also many Likud members inside the Green Line who are ideological allies of the settlers.
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BAHREIN:
Appalling Bahraini Prison Conditions and Treatment
Since early 2011, Washington, Western governments, and major media scoundrels largely ignored outrageous Al Khalifa monarchy abuses. They include crackdowns on nonviolent protesters, mass arrests, torture, intimidation, and cold-blooded murder. The Bahrain Center for Human Rights (BCHR) and other NGOs documented:
46 killings;
1,500 arbitrary arrest cases;
1,866 torture and abuse cases;
500 prisoners of conscience;
destruction of over 40 mosques and other places of worship;
4.000 summary firings of workers suspected of having unsympathetic regime views;
500 individuals forced into exile for their safety;
three innocent men on death row;
477 students expelled for supporting democratic change;
and 96 targeted journalists.
Ruthless repression continues. In September, special military tribunals lawlessly sentenced 208 civilians to a combined 2,500 years in prison. Twenty doctors got up to 15 years for treating injured protesters. Arrests continue daily. Violence is extreme. ... "Bahrain is an example of news censorship that succeeded with the complicity of the international community, which said nothing." Appalling human rights violations continue daily, including at Jaw prison.
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