Democrazy Now 19 augusti

"Obama “Encouraged” on Mideast Peace

President Obama hosted Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak at the White House Tuesday. Much of the meeting focused on Israel and the Occupied Territories. Obama praised Israel for moving “in the right direction” on freezing settlement activity.

President Obama: “If all sides are willing to move off of the rut that we’re in currently, then I think there is an extraordinary opportunity to make real progress. But we’re not there yet. I’m encouraged by some of the things that I’m seeing on the ground.”

The Israeli government claims it hasn’t issued any new settlement housing tenders since March. But the Israeli group Peace Now says Israel is still building around 1,000 new homes in the occupied West Bank.

Israel Imposes New Curbs on West Bank Entry

The Israeli government meanwhile is coming under criticism for a new set of restrictions on movement in the West Bank. Israel has quietly introduced a regulation barring movement between Israel and the West Bank for those holding a foreign passport. Israel has already banned most Palestinians from entering Israel except a small number holding special permits. But the new restrictions now affect thousands of additional people, including humanitarian workers and Palestinians with passports from foreign countries.

Israel Declares Shooting of Unarmed American Activist an “Act of War”

In other Mideast news, the Israeli military has declared the shooting of an unarmed American peace activist “an act of war.” The activist, Tristan Anderson, was critically injured when Israeli soldiers fired a tear gas canister directly at his head in March. Anderson was taking part in a weekly nonviolent protest against Israel’s separation wall in the West Bank village of Ni’lin. The Israeli military says Anderson was involved in a hostile act, which would absolve the military of any liability for his injuries. Michael Sfard, an attorney for Anderson’s family, said, “If [an] unarmed civilian demonstration is classified by Israel as an ‘act of war,’ then clearly Israel admits that it is at war with civilians.” The Anderson family has filed a criminal complaint with the Israeli government and also plans a civil suit."

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