Israeli flag flies over Israeli settlements (Image: Al Jazeera)
Israel Independence Celebrations Start; Jerusalem Locked DownStarting Monday evening, Israel memorialized its fallen soldiers with air sirens and other ceremonies. After sundown today, Israel begins celebrations of its 61st Independence Day. The transition "is meant to underline the contribution made by the military in founding and protecting the Jewish state."
According to the International Middle East Media Center (IMEMC), Israel "imposed a strict siege on Jerusalem, the West Bank, and the already besieged and impoverished Gaza Strip" as it began weeks of celebrations. "Independence Day" itself is on May 15, the day in 1948 that Zionist fighters and settlers declared statehood in historic Palestine.
As Israel begins to celebrate, the government is deploying thousands of policemen and soldiers, installing dozens of roadblocks, and closing border terminals in and around Jerusalem.
Meanwhile, Palestinians fear that "extremist settlers are planning to march to the Al Aqsa mosque, and that the settlers are also planning to attack Palestinian residents and property in the Old City," the IMEMC reported.
HEADLINES
Visiting Daddy in Prison: A Palestinian Ordeal (TIME)
Obama's gutsy Mideast stance alarms Congress (Arab News)
Barak: Peace deal still possible (BBC News)
Israel says it shares water fairly with Palestinians (AFP)
Palestine and the Palestinians
Hamas and Fatah talk Palestinian unity in Egypt (The Australian)
Palestinians build stage for pope next to barrier (The Associated Press)
US plans to expand program for Abbas's forces (Reuters)
Meshal reelected Hamas political leader for 4 more years (Ha'aretz)
EXCLUSIVE-Debate over control of Palestinian investment fund (Reuters)
FACTBOX: Proposed changes at Palestinian investment fund (Reuters)
Sick Gazans victims of Hamas-Fatah power struggle (The Associated Press)
Situation of children in Gaza remains precarious (Al-Bawaba)
Palestinian police arrest Gaza drug traffickers (Ma'an News Agency)
Israel releases former Palestinian finance minister (Ma'an News Agency)
P.A., Venezuela establish diplomatic ties (JTA)
PA military court sentences man to death by hanging for selling land to Israelis (Ma'an)
Palestinian mother slams son's killers' sentence as 'pathetic' (Ynetnews)
Israeli government demolishes 30 new Palestinian homes (Al-Jazeerah.info)
Israel
Barak: Israel can and must make peace within three years (Haaretz)
The world according to Lieberman (The Jerusalem Post)
State to pay NIS 1.5M to family of Palestinian killed by troops (Ynetnews)
Israelis jailed over Hebron death (BBC News)
Israeli Use of Palestinians As Human Shields (Center for Research on Globalization)
The Neighbors
Mubarak Speaks Against Iran And Hezbollah (Philadelphia Bulletin)
EGYPT: Dubious Claims Spark Row With Hizbullah (Inter Press Service)
International Relations/Law
Clinton says US never will `sell out' Lebanon (The Associated Press)
West interested in Ahmadinejad stance on Palestine (PRESS TV)
China backs Syria's quest to recover Golan (AFP)
Arts and Activism
Palestinian theatre offers youths a breath of freedom (AFP)
Galloway tours U.S. for Palestine (The Socialist Worker)
Ibtisam Barakat- TASTING THE SKY: A PALESTINIAN CHILDHOOD, youth literature (The Brainpan)
Hip-Hop in Palestine Similar to South Bronx Birthplace (Hip-Hop Linguistics)
Commentary
Abe Hayeem: Boycott this Israeli settlement builder (Guardian)
Marcy Newman: Palestinian students push BDS in universities and cities (USACBI)
Mark Urban: Towards a common language (BBC)
Uri Dromi: Don't bet on a two-state solution (Baltimore Sun)
Analysis: Netanyahu bids to change 'diskette' (Jerusalem Post)
Ilan Berman, John B. Quigley: Should the U.S. send $900 million to rebuild Gaza? (Atlanta Journal-Constitution)
Jeffrey Goldberg: Ahmadinejad Sows Confusion on Israel (Again) (The Atlantic)
Damian Thompson: Benedict XVI's visit to Israel is turning into a diplomatic nightmare (Telegraph)
Jeff Blankfort: Will Obama get entrapped by the Masada complex? (Mondoweiss)
Uri Avnery: Living with the contradiction (Haaretz)
Ben White: Fatah is turning into a footnote (The Guardian UK)
Bruce Brill: The Three-state Solution (Truth and Survival)
Stars and Bucks Forever (The Palestine Monitor)
Views expressed on this post or on linked web pages do not represent the Palestine Center, the educational program of the Jerusalem Fund for Education and Community Development. All content is for educational purposes only.
