The United States has announced a donation of $123 million to the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees (UNRWA). The UN agency said on Tuesday that the US donation "will enable UNRWA to continue its work serving a population of some five million registered Palestine refugees in the region." This brings the total US contribution to UNRWA in 2013 to $244.5 million. Read more
An Israeli Magistrate Court on Monday extended the detention of chief guard of al-Aqsa Mosque, Sheikh Najeh Bkeerat, for the second time. The court said that more time is needed to investigate Bkeerat on the grounds of allegations that he belongs to the Palestinian Islamic movement, Hamas. Read more
South Africa's Ambassador to Israel, Ismail Coovadia, has rejected a 'gift' from the Israeli Ministry of Foreign Affairs. The 'gift' came in the form of a certificate [click to view] indicating that 18 trees be planted in honour of the South African Ambassador and came with the backing of the Jewish National Fund (JNF). The move by Coovadia is set to add to the already tense relations between Pret... Read more
PICTURES Long queues of vehicles are lining the streets in front of gas stations up and down the Gaza Strip in the latest gasoline crisis to have hit the Sector as a result of an increasing security crackdown over the underground tunnel system with Egypt. Cheese factory owner, Abu-Haroun, who recently imported a shipment of raw material through the tunnels, said he has faced several difficulties... Read more
EXCLUSIVE PICTURES As summer arrived, Gaza residents rushed to the sea to enjoy the sunny beaches, the only free amusement in their besieged enclave. Crowded with thousands of young children, adults and carts pulled by animals or pushed by children, the beach reflects the nature of their lives. Read more
18 Jun 2013 | Lifestyle
Ramona Wadi
Former IDF commander, brigadier general of the Givati Brigade and Israeli ambassador to Tanzania, Yitzhak Pundak, expressed no remorse about the destr... Read more
13 Jun 2013 | Politics
Ramona Wadi
Richard Falk has long been deemed controversial in circles conforming to imperialist policies. Vilified for contradicting mainstream propaganda emanat... Read more
10 Jun 2013 | Lifestyle
Ahmad Abu R'tema
One of the most spectacular gifts that any of us may be granted by God during our lives is that you become acquainted with a brother not born of your ... Read more
The United States has announced a donation of $123 million to the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees (UNRWA). The UN agency said on Tuesday that the US donation "will enable UNRWA to continue its work serving a population of some five million registered Palestine refugees in the region." This brings the total US contribution to UNRWA in 2013 to $244.5 million.
Author: Louisa B. Waugh
Paperback: 304 pages
Publisher: The Westbourne Press
Language: English
ISBN: 978-1-908906-20-5
Book Review by Amelia Smith
It's hard to imagine anybody living a normal life in Gaza. Frequently labeled the world's largest open-air prison, the Strip makes an appearance fleetingly on news reports around the time Israel launches military operations on the population there. From TV sets thousands of miles away this tiny area of land has been reduced to an image of violence, chaos and destruction. So what then do the people look like? Do they dance and sing with their friends? Do they sit and drink coffee and talk about love, films and music?
An Israeli Magistrate Court on Monday extended the detention of chief guard of al-Aqsa Mosque, Sheikh Najeh Bkeerat, for the second time.
The court said that more time is needed to investigate Bkeerat on the grounds of allegations that he belongs to the Palestinian Islamic movement, Hamas.
South Africa's Ambassador to Israel, Ismail Coovadia, has rejected a 'gift' from the Israeli Ministry of Foreign Affairs. The 'gift' came in the form of a certificate [click to view] indicating that 18 trees be planted in honour of the South African Ambassador and came with the backing of the Jewish National Fund (JNF). The move by Coovadia is set to add to the already tense relations between Pretoria and Tel Aviv. In a hard hitting letter, Coovadia explains the reasoning for his actions:
PICTURES
Long queues of vehicles are lining the streets in front of gas stations up and down the Gaza Strip in the latest gasoline crisis to have hit the Sector as a result of an increasing security crackdown over the underground tunnel system with Egypt.
Cheese factory owner, Abu-Haroun, who recently imported a shipment of raw material through the tunnels, said he has faced several difficulties in receiving the materials. He also said that he might be obliged to suspend production if other raw materials do not arrive in the next two days.
The Jerusalem District Court has sentenced four former Israeli soldiers to only four months of community service after they were indicted for abusing a disabled Palestinian detainee in 2009, the Israeli newspaper Yedioth Ahronoth said on Tuesday.
The newspaper said that the indictment was filed against the former soldiers when a video documenting the incident was submitted to the Internal Affairs Division at the Israeli Justice Ministry. The footage helped investigators from the human rights group B'Tselem track down the victim, whose identity was not known up until that point.
EXCLUSIVE PICTURES
As summer arrived, Gaza residents rushed to the sea to enjoy the sunny beaches, the only free amusement in their besieged enclave. Crowded with thousands of young children, adults and carts pulled by animals or pushed by children, the beach reflects the nature of their lives.
The protests in Turkey have dominated international media coverage for several weeks now. Starting with a local protest over plans to bulldoze a park to make way for a shopping mall, overly harsh policing caused the unrest to spread. The backlash has spread across the country, with people from different socio-economic groups and different areas coming out to protest. From the specific issue of green public spaces, the protesters' concerns have broadened to include freedom of assembly, freedom of expression, and the move towards authoritarianism and away from secular democracy.
Egypt and Ethiopia have reached an agreement to halt their propaganda campaign and to dedicate themselves to political discussions toward resolving the crisis of the Renaissance Dam.
Egyptian Foreign Minister Mohamed Kamel Amr said that discussions with his Ethiopian counterpart regarding the dam were constructive. The two parties have also agreed to go down a political path to resolving the outstanding issues.
The protests in Turkey have dominated international media coverage for several weeks now. Starting with a local protest over plans to bulldoze a park to make way for a shopping mall, overly harsh poli... Read more
King Abdullah has chosen to speak about two of the most important "domestic challenges" faced by Jordan today: the future of the political reform process and democratic transformation, and the disorde... Read more
There are many reasons why the Syrian regime is still in control after more than two years of revolution. At the forefront is its reliance on a minority to control the military and security agencies a... Read more
However well intentioned, the gathering of a number of Islamic scholars and preachers at a conference in Cairo which addressed the conflict in Syria between 13-15 June ended up as an exercise in irres... Read more
Reports that the Emir of Qatar, Shaikh Hamad bin Khalifa Al-Thani, will shortly hand-over power to his son and heir, Shaikh Tamim, are no surprise. Sources close to the family confirmed that this has ... Read more
There are no short cuts to freedom, justice and dignity
Palestine was shaken by a number of diplomatic tremors this week. The aftershocks were felt as far away as Washington, forcing US Secretary of State John Kerry to postpone his next visit to the region indefinitely. The epicentre was the public declaration by Israel's deputy defence minister, Danny Danon, that his government is "staunchly opposed to a two-state solution and would block the creation of a Palestinian state if such a proposal ever came to a vote." In the real world, this remark would be enough to put an immediate end to the fraudulent peace process and its "two-state solution", which Danon concedes is an illusion. Read More
Palestinian refugees fleeing Syria find hope in Gaza
Solar powered wheelchair project to improve quality of life for Gaza's disabled
No remorse for destruction of Palestinian villages
I the Palestinian and my friend the Turk
Arab Idol is about much more than just music
![certificate [click to view]](/images/article_images/news/middle-east/Israel-SA-CertificatetoIsmailCoovadia.jpg){kind=link}