Israeli forces arrest four prominent grassroots activists during Nablus night raid

9 December 2009

The Israeli military kidnapped nine Palestinians from the Nablus region in the early hours of Tuesday, 9 December 2009, including four leading civil society activists.

The Israeli army in the force of 200 armed soldiers invaded several districts of Nablus city, refugee camps and a nearby village in a coordinated operation last night, raiding houses of targeted grassroots activists and arrested nine. Eight of them are currently held at the Huwara military detention center, another one has been detained at the Hasharon prison.

Amongst the arrested are four leading grass roots organizers from Nablus, a fifth activist from Awarta village and four children from Al-Ein Refugee Camp. Their families remain in the dark as why these activists have been taken from their homes, though the targeting of active members of civil society is immediately apparent.

Wa’el Al Faqeeh Abu As Sabe, 45 years old, was taken from his home at 1am last night when 50 Israeli soldiers entered his house in the north of Nablus, aiming their weapons at Al Faqeeh and his family. He is renowned for his championing of non-violent struggle, and years of work in grassroots community activism, reaching out to all Palestinians across the political spectrum. The Israeli military District Co-ordination Office threatened Wa’el a month ago that if he continued organising protests over land theft by settlers in Iraq Burin village, he would be imprisoned.

Mayasar Itiany, 45, and her brother Abdul-Nasser Itiany, 38, were taken Tuesday night when their home was stormed by 20 Israeli soldiers and a further 100 surrounding the house. Mayasar is known for her work with the Nablus women’s union and campaigning for prisoners’ rights. Her brother is a well-known grassroots activist in the Nablus region.

Mussa Salama, 47 years old, who is active in the Labour Committee of Medical Relief for Workers was seized from his home in Nablus and Nabih Abdul-Aziz Awwas, 47 years, was taken from his home in Awarta village. Four young boys were also arrested in a raid on Al-Ein Refugee Camp outside Nablus: Mahmud Huleiman, Muhammad Ibrahim Dahbour, Yousef Raja, Rubi Abu Khalifa.





from redkimba:

Dear friends,
please find below a media release from the International Solidarity Movement (ISM) about the targeting and kidnapping of Palestinian non-violent civil society activists in Nablus and the surrounding region by the Israeli Occupation Forces.

In solidarity,
Kim
www.livefromoccupiedpalestine.blogspot.com
www.directaction.org.au

free fahad

http://www.freefahad.com/
sign the petition

How Should US Muslims Respond to the Ft. Hood and Major Hasan Media Blitz?

Assalaamu Alaikum (Greetings of Peace):

Dr. Kaukab Siddique and I have had some major disagreements over the past few years, and I have no reason to believe that this trend will not continue in the days ahead (unfortunately). But with that said, in a recent posting on the Fort Hood incident, KS raised a number of very important points worth repeating. In an article titled "How Should US Muslims Respond to the Ft. Hood and Major Hasan Media Blitz?," he noted the following (from the latest edition of the online New Trend Magazine):

1. Collective guilt is not acceptable under any law, be it Islamic Law or US law.
2. If you were not involved with Major Hasan, you don't have to be apologetic
just because you are a Muslim.
3. Did you persuade Major Hasan to attack US troops? Of course not. So, why are
you apologizing?
4. Has any impartial inquiry been carried out into the Ft. Hood attack? No! So
any positions based on the media reports are without foundation. If you live
in America, you should know that the media have many objectives, but the
search for truth is not one of them.
5. Were US Muslims asked for their advice when Bush clamped sanctions on Sudan
[which were continued by Obama]? Of course not.
6. Were US Muslims asked for advice on Somalia before the US decided to oppose
Islamic groups trying to implement Islam in Somalia? Of course not! As a
result, Somalia has the largest refugee population in Africa now but the US
media ignore it.
7. Did Bush ask US Muslims' for support before he invaded Iraq? You gotta be
kidding! No!
8. Did. Bush ask US Muslims whether he should smash Fallujah during the holy
nights of Laylatul Qadr? No
9. What about Afghanistan? The US has to destroy a whole country to "get" a few
hundred Al-Qaidah people? Any Islamic advice taken from US Muslims? Not a word!
10. Obama started bombing Pakistan without the slightest attempt to ask Pakistani-
Americans .
11. We all remember 9.11 but we forget that a MILLION Iraqis died slow deaths
under the Clinton regime's sanctions before 9.11. Can we even discuss 9.11
openly without risk to our jobs and lives?
12. Did US Muslims agree to the creation of Israel in occupied Palestine? Do we
support the terrorism Israel carries out every day? Did "our"
government express the slightest words of regret over the genocide in Gaza,
including hundreds of children killed by the Israeli air force?


I left out point # 13 because it went a little over the top (in my humble opinion) in the criticism leveled against a number of Muslim organizations by name; and while they do indeed warrant criticism, I subsrcibe to the view that we shouldn't throw the baby out with the dirty bath water - "argue in ways that are best" whenever possible (even when criticizing).

Excessive criticism aside, I want to thank KS for his hard-hitting commentary; it's an analysis that should give us all a little pause. There is one correction I would like to make, however. In the matter of Sudan, Muslims in America (which included organizations he criticized) were consulted for their support of what turned out to be a Zionist-Neocon-Fundamentalist agenda; and, unfortunately, a number of prominent "leaders" and organizations blindly signed on (while others remained painfully silent on the issue)!


El-Hajj Mauri' Saalakhan

isra e khudi

english translation of allama 'iqbal's israr e khudi' (secrets of the self) by Reynold A. Nicholson: "Iqbal is an Indian Muslim. During his stay in the West he studied modem philosophy, in which subjects he holds degrees from the Universities of Cambridge and Munich. His dissertation on the development of metaphysics in Persia-an illuminating sketch-appeared as a book in 1908. Since then he has developed a philosophy of his own, on which I am able to give some extremely interesting notes communicated by himself. ....continue

Martha's report from Palestine

I met Martha in Palestine last year. she is back in the west bank and filed this report: Notes from the Field: MPT in Palestine/Israel
The story of Izbat at Tabib began in 1948 when the residents of Tabur (now Israel) came under attack by Zionist extremists. As a result a number of families moved 20 miles west to settle in Palestine, forming a new village, Izbat at Tabib. ...

and this video

Riyadh 'offers airspace' for Israel attack on Iran

Riyadh 'offers airspace' for Israel attack on Iran
Mon, 28 Sep 2009 11:13:52 GMT
Font size : [Increase] [Normal] [Decrease]
Israeli fighter jets have been allowed to use Saudi airspace to launch go-it-alone air strikes on Iranian nuclear installations, says a recent report.

The issue ahs been discussed in a closed-door meeting in London, where British Intelligence Chief Sir John Scarlett his Israeli counterpart, Meir Dagan, and Saudi official have been present Daily Express.

According to the report Scarlett has been told that Saudi airspace would be at Israel's disposal should Tel Aviv decide to move forward with his military plans against Iran.

The British daily added the likelihood of an Israeli attack against Iran has increased significantly after the country announced plans to launch its second enrichment facility in the central city of Qom.

In line with its policy of nuclear transparency, Iran announced the construction of a second enrichment plant in a letter to the UN nuclear watchdog on September 21. The new plant is due to produce enriched uranium up to 5 percent.

The letter was sent 12 months before the agency's regulations oblige its members states to inform of new developments.

With eyes firmly fixed on Iran's nuclear progressions, the right-wing government of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has repeatedly threatened to bomb the country's enrichment facilities out of existence.

Tel Aviv accuses Tehran of nuclear weapons development - a charge rejected by both Iran and the UN nuclear watchdog, which has so far made "21 unannounced inspections" of the country's nuclear facilities.

The UN nuclear watchdog in its previous reports has confirmed that Iran only enriches uranium-235 to a level of "less than 5 percent."

Uranium, which fuels a nuclear power plant, can be used for military purposes only if enriched to high levels of above 90 percent.

Details of the controversial Israeli plans to attack Iran emerged after John Bolton, the former US ambassador to the United Nations, recently told a group of intelligence analysts that “Riyadh certainly approves” of Israel's use of Saudi airspace in the event of war with Iran.

Bolton, had previously said he had discussed the possibility with Saudi officials in closed-door meetings. “None of them would say anything about it publicly but they would certainly acquiesce in an overflight if the Israelis didn't trumpet it as a big success.”

The recent revelations follow a flurry of media reports in July, which suggested the Saudi government had approved the use of its airspace for an attack.

While Saudi officials deny having diplomatic ties with Tel Aviv, an Israeli defense source has confirmed that the Mossad spy agency maintained “working relations” with the kingdom.

According to a study published bythe Center for Strategic and International Studies, a military exchange between Iran and Israel could result in the death of as many as 6 million people.