Major New Palestinian State and Institution Building Document Issued

Major New Palestinian State and Institution Building Document Issued


Press Release

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Contact Information: Hussein Ibish

January 26, 2010 - 12:00am

The Ministries of Finance and Planning and Administrative Development of the Palestinian National Authority (PA) have issued a major new document pertaining to the state and institution building program of the Thirteenth Palestinian Government that was adopted in August, 2009. The document, “Palestine: Moving Forward, Priority Interventions for 2010,” spells out priority interventions for the Palestinian government in the coming year, and includes cost estimates and funding status. Building on the August cabinet document, this detailed financial agenda will be an invaluable guide to what the Palestinian government seeks to accomplish in the coming months and how this can be supported financially, technically and politically by all those seeking to promote peace based on the creation of a Palestinian state alongside Israel.

Click below to download the documents

Palestine:

Moving Forward,

Priority Interventions for 2010 Palestine:

Ending the Occupation,

Establishing the State

HTML (ENGLISH)

PDF (ARABIC)

American Journalist Jared Malsin detained one week and deported

20 January 2010
For immediate release

For the first time in a week, journalist Jared Malsin was allowed to use his mobile phone on Wednesday morning to inform Ma'an that he was being placed onto an El Al flight to New York.

He sounded shaken and confused. He said he did not know why he was not being flown to Prague, where he was expected to be sent, saying only that flying there "would create problems." He said he was in an armored vehicle that was transporting him to the airport gate.

On Tuesday, Tel Aviv District Judge Kobi Vardi ordered that a hearing be scheduled to consider the Israeli Ministry of the Interior's decision to deport the journalist. Following the call, lawyer Castro Daoud went to the airport detention facility where Malsin has been kept for the past week to deliver the news.

At about 2:30 pm, Daoud left the detention center and filed a motion requesting that Jared be permitted to leave the country while the hearing and case proceed in his absence. As the Attorney General's Office insisted that Malsin not be permitted to attend his hearing, Daoud argued that it was no longer necessary to keep him confined to his cell in the detention center.

At about 4:30pm, staff from the US Embassy in Tel Aviv notified Malsin’s parents in the US state of New Hampshire that he would be on the next flight to Prague, even though Justice Vardi had not ruled on Daoud’s motion to let Malsin travel and still pursue the case.

At about 7:30pm, Daoud expressed shock after he received notification that a motion was signed by Malsin requesting his deportation challenge be annulled. Justice Vardi has closed the case on Malsin’s deportation order one week after it was filed.

Ma’an is deeply concerned that there was no lawyer present when Malsin apparently filed this independent motion, which was sent from the Ministry of the Interior and not his legal representative, who had just left. It is inexplicable that Malsin would knowingly drop the legal challenge after his first major success.

Without jumping to conclusions, Ma’an wants to be sure these events did not take place under duress, and is consequently concerned that Malsin’s lawyer and parents were prevented from reaching him during the 24 hours before the deportation to clarify what happened between 2:30 and 4:30pm on Tuesday afternoon.

See the following for more information:

On the reaction of international press associations:
http://www.maannews.net/eng/ViewDetails.aspx?ID=254583
On Jared’s fight to overturn the deportation order:
http://www.maannews.net/eng/ViewDetails.aspx?ID=254021
On the timeline of Jared’s detention and questioning:
http://www.maannews.net/eng/ViewDetails.aspx?ID=254589

For further inquiries, please contact:

George Hale (English)
              +972(0)52.785-4907         +972(0)52.785-4907
Raed Othman (Arabic)
              +972(0)59.925-8705         +972(0)59.925-8705
Nasser Lahham (Hebrew)
              +972(0)59.925-8704         +972(0)59.925-8704

For the most updated version of this news release, click here:
http://www.maannews.net/eng/ViewDetails.aspx?ID=253864

NAAJA protests detention of Bethlehem based Maan News Agency editor

The National Arab American Journalists Association, which is partnered with the Society of Professional Journalists and the Asian American Journalists Association, tonight issued a protest to the Government of Israel demanding the release of journalist Jared Malsin.

Malsin was detained and interrogated for more than 8 hours and continues to be in custody on charges of criticizing Israel in articles and columns published by the Ma’an News Agency based in Bethlehem, Palestine.

“Journalism freedoms are essential to Democracy and building of peace. Any action to censor or restrict or threaten or intimidate journalists for the sole ‘crime’ of expressing an opinion or covering stories frowned on by the occupation government is a violation not only of international law but a violation of Israel’s claim to be Democratic and fair,” said Ray Hanania, NAAJA coordinator based in Chicago.

“NAAJA is not only calling on Israel to immediately release Jaslin, but also urging Israeli journalists who claim to be objective and concerned about free speech, Democracy and the accuracy in reporting to also publicly protest the arrest.”

Hanania, a Chicago morning radio host and syndicated opinion columnist whose commentary appears in publications such as the Arab News, the Jerusalem Post and in many newspapers across the United States, said that NAAJA has issued formal letters to Israel’s embassy in Washington D.C., to Secretary of State Hillary Clinton,  and to Israel’s Ministry of Information in Jerusalem.

“When the government of Israel detains journalists on trumped up charges and on censorship, then Israel is basically admitting that they do abuse citizen rights, they do violate international law and they do not respect the fundamental basics that will one day usher in an era of peace,” Hanania said.

NAAJA calls on journalists around the world to speak out against this detention and demand Jared Malsin’s immediate release.

NAAJA has more than 250 members in the United States. The web page is www.NAAJA-US.com.

British officials to visit Gaza Strip, press conference

Invitation for Press Conference: 50 MPs/MEPs leave to Gaza

The European Campaign to End the Siege on Gaza (ECESG) will hold a press conference tomorrow Wednesday, in which it will announce the launch of a parliamentarian trip to Gaza that includes tens of MPs/MEPs from across Europe. The press conference will be conducted at 12 PM, at M ROOM Portcullis house in the British Parliament in london.

The delegation trip to Gaza is part of a series of actions carried out by ECESG and the Palestinian Return Center in the UK and Europe. For an entire week, actions and events for Palestinian victims will be carried in remembrance of the victims killed in the past 60 years especially Gaza.

Gerald Kaufmann, MP would be chairing the conference which will state the aim of the visit. Other participating MPs will speak as well.

The largest Parliamentarian Delegation from across Europe is preparing to leave to the besieged Gaza Strip within 2 days.  The delegation will aim at looking at the realty and the humanitarian conditions resulted in the Israeli war and a 4-year siege.

In press statement, The European Campaign to End the Siege on Gaza (ECESG) said it has finalized all needed arrangements and fully coordinated with the Egyptian Foreign Ministry concerning the visit of the MEPs and MPs delegation to Gaza via Rafah crossing between Egypt and Gaza."

ECESG pointed out that the delegation consists of 50 MPs/MEPs. The parliamentarians represent twelve European countries whom of which will be members of the European Parliament and former ministers. They will investigate and see the ramifications of last onslaught perpetrated against the Gaza civilians.

The delegation will meet with Egyptian officials and the Secretary General of the Arab League, Amr Moussa, to discuss the humanitarian condition in Gaza Strip, especially in light of the continued siege which Israel has been imposed for years.

The European Campaign to End the Siege on Gaza organized various Parliamentarian delegations that visited Gaza however this one is considered to be the largest delegation visiting Gaza.

 For more information:
The European Campaign to End the Siege on Gaza
info@freedomforpalestine.org
Contact: 00447908200559
               00447728021097

Palestine Memorial Week starts on Wednesday, 13th January

In commemoration of the victims of Gaza and also in remembrance of six decades of brutality against the Palestinians, The Palestinian Return Centre (PRC), Palestinian Forum in the UK, European Campaign to End Siege on Gaza, Islamic forum of Europe (IFE), Federation of Student Islamic Societies (FOSIS), Muslim Association of Britain (MAB), Islamic Human Rights Commission in Britain (IHRC), Russell Tribunal, Student Council Goldsmith University and Action Palestine will be holding a number of events between 13th to 19th of January 2010.

The key event within the week will be  on Wednesday, 13th January at Friends House, London Euston from 6:30 to 9:30. The initiative will  focus on the suffering endured by Palestinians  over the past 60 years especially during the recent war in Gaza war.
Jeremy Corbyn MP, Baroness Jenny Tonge and Lord Nazir Ahmad Ahmed will be part of the event where they will speak about the disaster in Gaza and Palestine.

Palestinian Ambassador in the UK, Manuel Hasasian and General Director of the Palestinian Return Centre (PRC), Majed Al-Zeer will also share their thoughts during the conference. Representatives of participating organizations will also take part and provide their support and solidarity for the Palestinian people .

Ken Loach, famous British Film Director who has many extensive and fascinating cinema productions like  Poor Cow, Family Life, Looking for Eric,  It's a Free World...,  Tickets  and many more, will join the speakers where he will express his view on the suffering of Palestinians.

A detailed presentation on the conditions in Gaza by Middle East Expert Peter Eyre will highlight the violations committed by Israel. Frank Barat, Russell Tribunal Palestine coordinator in London will speak about the many progressive steps taken towards prosecuting Israeli war criminals.

A  Palestinian survivor from Gaza, Rawad Hamad and Ewa Jasiewicz Free Gaza Coordinator who worked and lived in Gaza for some time will take part in the activities.
A Palestinian woman, Om Kamel, whose house was destroyed many times over in Occupied Jerusalem, is expected to be among the key speakers. A gallery on Gaza's recent conditions and the last onslaught will be placed in the venue.

PRC and the participating organizations placed a half page in the guardian Monday 11, Jan 2010. On Tuesday, 12 Jan 2010, another add will be placed in the independent. The ads include pictures and information about the dilemmas in the Gaza Strip and what happened last year.

Endorsed by, Palestine Solidarity Campaign (PSC), Friends of Al Aqsa, Labour Friends Of Palestine and the Middle East (LFPME), Free Palestine Movement (FPM) and International Solidarity Movement (ISM).

The ad can be seen in the link below: http://www.prc.org.uk/newsite/en/centre-activities/94-lobbying-a-delegations/418-palestine-memorial-week-qhalf-page-in-thegurdianq  

Ray Hanania interviewed by satire web site criticizing fanatics

Here's the link to Ray Hanania's interview on the satire site taking on extremists and fanatics in the American Arab community at "KabobFest."

Click here to read story?

www.RadioChicagoland.com