World Palestine Newswire Archive

letter sent to journalists by Israel's General Press office

Israel’s announcement of authorization for construction materials for 1,200 homes and 18 schools in Gaza is the latest achievement by the Freedom Flotilla, scheduled to sail next week.

In the weeks leading up to the flotilla, Israel has taken a number of steps to try to address the concerns raised in the public eye by the Freedom Flotilla 2 – Stay Human initiative. However organizers say that these steps are symbolic at best, fall far short of Israel’s obligations under international law, are insufficient to meet the needs of Palestinians in Gaza, and are fundamentally designed to maintain the occupation and system of control that Israel exerts over Palestinian lives. Ultimately, these measures fall short of the greatest test – that of freedom for Palestinians.

In addition to the authorization of a limited amount of construction materials, Israel has also recently permitted 19 trucks of medicine to be delivered by Palestinian sources from the West Bank to Gaza. This was in response to an emergency announcement from health authorities in Gaza that crucial medicines had run out due to Israel's illegal blockade. Prior to that, Israel increased the number of aid trucks entering Gaza to between 210 and 220 per day. However, this still falls 35% short of what is required by Gaza Strip residents.

I am proud to call Ray McGovern a friend. He is a retired senior member of the CIA, and was so valued as an analyst that he used to give the US President his daily intelligence briefing. Ray and I both had senior government service careers, in the course of which you make personal friendships that last, hopefully as long as you do. So sometimes we both get told things from the inside of government.

Welcome to this Week in Palestine, a service of the International Middle East Media Center, www.imemc.org, for June 6 to the 24th, 2011.

Welcome to Palestine Today a service of the International Middle East Media Centre www.imemc.org, for Thursday June 23rd, 2011

Welcome to Palestine Today a service of the International Middle East Media Centre www.imemc.org, for Wednesday June 22, 2011

Welcome to Palestine Today a service of the International Middle East Media Centre www.imemc.org, for Tuesday June 21, 2011

PRESS RELEASE: JORDAN VALLEY SOLIDARITY

21/6/2011 FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

For further information and pictures contact:
 contact@jordanvalleysolidarity.org or Emma Potter 00972 (0)595510814
www.jordanvalleysolidarity.org

Welcome to Palestine Today a service of the International Middle East Media Centre www.imemc.org, for Monday June 20th , 2011

Welcome to Palestine Today a service of the International Middle East Media Centre www.imemc.org, for Thursday June 16th, 2011

Welcome to Palestine Today a service of the International Middle East Media Centre www.imemc.org, for Wednesday June 15th, 2011

This past weekend in the Montpellier, France, over 100 activists from 9 countries gathered for the first ever European Forum Against Agrexco. Delegates from Italy, UK, Switzerland, Belgium, Netherlands, Spain, Germany and Palestine joined the French organizers for two full days of workshops aimed at strengthening the boycott campaign against the Israeli agricultural export giant.

Agrexco is Israel's largest fresh produce exporter and European markets account for the vast majority of their sales under the brand Carmel. The Israeli government's 50% stake in the company as well as their marketing of 60-70% of the fruit and vegetables grown in illegal Israeli settlements in the West Bank have made Agrexco a prime strategic target for the Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions (BDS) campaign.

Welcome to Palestine Today a service of the International Middle East Media Centre www.imemc.org, for Tuesday June 14th, 2011

It was a simple question.

On 27 March I wrote to my Member of Parliament asking: "What is the British government planning to do, please, to safeguard British subjects (and indeed the other humanitarians) sailing with the flotilla on its peaceful mission to Gaza?"

The government had been only too happy, I said, to dispatch the warships Cumberland and York to help civilians of all nationalities caught up in the Libyan trouble and deliver aid to the Benghazi medical centre.

Welcome to Palestine Today a service of the International Middle East Media Centre www.imemc.org, for Monday June 13th, 2011

Welcome to this Week in Palestine, a service of the International Middle East Media Center, www.imemc.org, for June 4th to the 10th, 2011.

Welcome to Palestine Today a service of the International Middle East Media Centre www.imemc.org, for Thursday June 9th, 2011

Welcome to Palestine Today a service of the International Middle East Media Centre www.imemc.org, for Wednesday June 8, 2011

DOWNLOAD THE SHOW HERE:

 http://www.archive.org/details/DissidentIslandRadio-3June2011-Episode83

Welcome to Palestine Today a service of the International Middle East Media Centre www.imemc.org, for Tuesday June 7th, 2011