Wednesday, January 06, 2016

Mondoweiss:
"A federal lawsuit filed last week alleges that U.S.-based tax-exempt entities who raise money for Israeli settlements are engaged in money-laundering and other crimes, and seeks a Treasury Department investigation into those activities.

The suit, filed by the firm Martin McMahon and Associates on behalf of plaintiffs like Palestinian-American writer Susan Abulhawa, details a host of violations they say tax-exempt organizations commit. The suit alleges that the estimated 100 organizations are violating laws on money laundering that prohibit the transfer of money to assist illegal activities. In addition, the lawsuit says the organizations violate other U.S. laws that prohibit mail fraud, war crimes and the financing of terrorism.

Unlike past lawsuits on this issue, this one does not directly take aim at the entities themselves, though the suit is harshly critical of them and alleges they are engaged in the funding of crimes. Instead, it is asking a court to direct the Treasury Department to investigate whether the organizations, which include groups like the Hebron Fund and American Friends of Ariel, have violated federal regulations on the conduct of 501(c)(3)’s."

-->Tax breaks for Zionists in the US who contribute funds for the illegal settlements? Readers of the NYT haven't learned of this lawsuit. 

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Common Dreams:
"A treaty facilitating relationships between Vatican and Palestine – referred to as a “state” in the text – has entered full force, sealing de-facto recognition of Palestinian statehood by the Holy See.

The Vatican announced Saturday that its 'Comprehensive Agreement' with the 'State of Palestine' signed in June 2015 has come into full force, in which the Holy See bolstered support for the two-state solution of the long-standing Israeli-Palestinian conflict. Referring to Palestine as 'state' means Vatican has recognized it as an equal partner, thus sealing support for 2012 UN General Assembly resolution granting Palestine a non-member observer status. ...

The historic 2015 treaty is to secure rights and privileges of the Catholic Church on Palestinian territories in exchange for brokering two-state solution as well as giving more weight to Palestine’s political stance in the world."

-->More news about Palestine that got left out of our mainstream media, including the NYT.

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TimesWarp:
"As Jodi Rudoren exits the Jerusalem bureau of The New York Times, she leaves behind a series of gaping holes in coverage of Palestine-Israel, above all in her failure to expose the treatment of the most vulnerable, who suffer disproportionately under the constant brutality of the Israeli occupation.

Readers of the Times have never been told of the international outcry over the abuse of Palestinian children detained by Israeli security forces. They know nothing about the myriad Israeli breaches of the 2014 ceasefire with Gaza, especially the frequent attacks on fishermen and farmers; and they are uninformed of the cruel measures imposed on struggling Bedouin communities in the Jordan Valley and elsewhere.

Rudoren, who leaves her post as Jerusalem bureau chief at the end of this month, replaced Ethan Bronner nearly four years ago. She has written from inside a Israeli Jewish perspective, giving voice to official Israeli spin and omitting the stories that beg to be told."

-->Yes, our newspaper of record leaves a lot out about apartheid Israel, and has for the last several decades. All the news that Israel thinks is fit to print.