guardian.co.uk, Tuesday 15 September 2009.

Photo: Wissam Nassar. White phosphorus over the Gaza Strip.

Israel’s offensive against Gaza last January was “a deliberately disproportionate attack designed to punish, humiliate and terrorise a civilian population”, for which some Israelis should face “individual criminal responsibility”, a UN investigation has found.

The inquiry, led by the former South African judge Richard Goldstone, concluded that both the Israeli military and Hamas committed war crimes and possible crimes against humanity during the three-week conflict, but singled out Israel and its policy towards the Palestinians of Gaza for the most serious condemnation. The inquiry rejected Israel’s argument that the war was a response to Palestinian rocket fire and therefore an act of self-defence.

In a 575-page report (pdf), released tonight, the inquiry said Israel should be required to investigate the allegations raised and if it fails to do so the case should be passed to the prosecutor of the international criminal court. It accused Israel of “grave breaches” of the fourth Geneva convention and of a war crime for using Palestinians as human shields during the fighting.

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Mohammed Khatib – The Nation – September 11 2009.

Photo: Valerian Mazataud. Palestinian Mohammed Khatib.

A few weeks ago, in the dead of night, dozens of Israeli soldiers with painted faces burst violently into my home. If only they had knocked, I would have opened the door. They arrested me. My wife, Lamia, was left alone with our four children. My youngest, 3-year-old Khaled, woke up to the image of Israeli soldiers with painted faces who were taking his father away. He has not stopped crying since. A few nights ago he woke up in terror, sobbing: “Daddy, why did you let the soldiers take me?” That’s the way our children sleep–in a constant state of fear.

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For Immediate Release, International Solidarity Movement, September 16, 2009.

Photo: Valerian Mazataud. Palestinian Mohammed Khatib.

16 September 2009: Israeli forces raid Bil’in, beat Popular Committee member.

Around 1:30am, the Israeli army invaded Bil’in. Soldiers came to the home of Abdullah Mahmoud Abu Rahme, coordinator of the Bil’in Popular Committee Against the Wall and Settlements, to arrest him. view video

Abu Rahme was not at home at the time and soldiers proceeded to destroy belongings in his house.

When another member of the Popular Committee, Mohammad Khatib, arrived to check on Abu Rahme’s wife and 3 small children, Israeli forces severely beat him. Khatib was taken to Ramallah hospital for medical treatment.

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Daily Star by Omar Katerji, Wednesday, September 16, 2009

Photo: Apartment building in Beirut, Lebanon.

BEIRUT: Saad Hariri’s resignation has once again drawn attention to the state of Lebanese politics. For many, the Future Movement leader’s resignation is a gesture designed to draw attention to the failure of the main political players’ ability to form a unity government within Lebanon. Hariri stepped down as prime minister-designate on Thursday after the Hizbullah-led opposition rejected his latest attempt at forming a unity government.

This move was seen by many as a response to the recent deadlock between the various political groups.

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Human Rights Watch, September 10, 2009.

Photo: Palestinian killed by Israeli military forces, December 2008.

(Jerusalem) The Israeli military police decision to interview Palestinian witnesses to a case where an Israeli soldier allegedly shot three young girls and their grandmother holding white flags during the fighting in Gaza marks a positive development, Human Rights Watch said today. Two of the girls died.

Human Rights Watch called on Israel to conduct thorough and impartial investigations into all allegations of serious laws-of-war violations by its forces during the December-January conflict in Gaza.

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Beirut Diaries is a documentary film by celebrated filmmaker Mai Masri.

SATURDAY SEPTEMBER 19 20h00
Bar Populaire
6584 boul. St-Laurent
entrance: free!
(metro Beaubien)
Montreal, Quebec.

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14 September 2009, San Francisco Chronicle

Photo: ActiveStills. Nil’in protesters block road from Israeli occupation forces.

An Oakland man who was seriously wounded by a tear gas projectile fired by Israeli police during a West Bank protest will file suit despite a military report concluding that he was engaged in an “act of war,” his lawyers said Sunday.

The case of Tristan Anderson, who remains hospitalized with brain damage and a fractured skull six months after he was injured, may test Israel’s efforts to shield itself from lawsuits for harm it causes during wartime, said attorney Michael Sfard.

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Daily Star, Tuesday, September 15, 2009

Photo Abu Dhabi skyline.

ABU DHABI: A United States citizen of Lebanese origin facing trial on terrorism charges in the United Arab Emirates confessed under torture, and his case should not be heard in a UAE court, his lawyer told a court on Monday. Naji Hamdan, who has been in custody in the UAE, is charged with “supporting terrorism” and being a member of Iraqi militant group Ansar al-Sunna because he entered an Islamist website and donated money to an Islamic charity.

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Defense for Children International DCI – Palestine, September 14, 2009.

Photo: Palestinian children within an Israeli military check-point, West Bank, Palestine.

According to the latest figures compiled by DCI-Palestine from sources including the Israeli Prison Service (IPS) and temporary Israeli army detention, the number of Palestinian children detained in Israeli prisons and detention centres inside Israel and the Occupied Palestinian Territory at the end of August, was 339.

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Ahmed Moor, Electronic Intifada, 11 September 2009.

Photo: Masser Palestinian community in the West Bank, Palestine.

The occupation looms large over everything in Palestine. Men with guns patrol your neighborhoods, detain your family and neighbors and dictate exactly when you can leave your house. There are days when you can’t get to school or go to the beach on your rutted roads, and most of the people you know are poor. You learn before long that the men with guns are Jews — and the people living in the beautiful homes on the hills behind barbed wire are Jews. The language on your milk carton is Hebrew. Not long after that, you begin to ask why things are the way they are.

The Merriam-Webster dictionary defines “Zionism” as “an international movement originally for the establishment of a Jewish national or religious community in Palestine and later for the support of modern Israel.” While the word “Palestine” appears in that definition, the word “Palestinian” is noticeably absent. Zionists will argue that there were no Palestinians, as such and that the Merriam-Webster dictionary is not guilty of any omission or historical elision. Zionists miss the point.

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