Ashrawi calls Dutch firm Royal HaskoningDHV to disengage from Israeli project in East Jerusalem

Ashrawi calls Dutch firm to disengage from Israeli project in East Jerusalem

September 1, 2013 by occupiedpalestine 0 Comments

Al Ray Agencies | Aug 31, 2013

Gaza, Alray – PLO Executive Committee member Hanan Ashrawi called on the Dutch engineering firm, Royal HaskoningDHV, to end its involvement in the development of an Israeli project in occupied East Jerusalem.
“This project, allegedy a municipal wastewater treatment plant commissioned by Israeli authorities, will be built in occupied East Jerusalem. The primary objective of this plant is to serve and to strengthen Israel’s illegal settlements; to deepen its annexation of East Jerusalem; and to consolidate its occupation of the West Bank – not to provide clean water to Palestinians,” PNN reported Ashrawi.
“Contrary to what some may claim, the Palestinian National Authority (PNA) is not a partner in this project; the PNA has explicitly and repeatedly expressed its strong objection to the project, and such a position has been communicated to Royal HaskoningDHV, as well as to the Dutch government.” Ashrawi added.
Royal HaskoningDHV recently confirmed that it works with the highest regard for integrity and always follow (inter)national laws and regulations.
“We warmly welcome this clear commitment and call on Royal HaskoningDHV to act accordingly and to altogether end its involvement with this Israeli project that contravenes international law”, stressed Dr. Ashrawi.
“We would like to see Royal HaskoningDHV in Palestine and to invite the company to share its remarkable know-how and skills. However, its activities must adhere to international and humanitarian law and be commissioned by Palestinian authorities and contribute to an independent and sovereign Palestinian state on 1967 borders with East Jerusalem as its capital.”
“I commend the Dutch government for translating its opposition to Israel’s disastrous settlement policy into action, in line with EU policy, and for urging Royal HaskoningDHV to end its involvement in this illegal project,” concluded Dr. Ashrawi.

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More Dutch Complicity | Israel’s Facade at the Dutch Floriade WorldExpo

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June 2, 2012

During the World Expo Floriade 2012 which lasts from April 5 to October 7 2012, we will update this special topic with related news from Palestine

Without any shame Israel currently has erected a facade at World Expo Floriade 2012 and boasting about it’s ‘achievements’ in agricultural and water development. Not only this: It allows it’s visitors to design “imaginative fruit, vegetables and flowers” For each ‘creation’ Israel will donate 100 seeds “to end ‘hunger‘.
So it’s about time, the Dutch  who are apparently hosting apartheid and the visitors of this “fair” learn to know the real meaning of “fair” and “unfair“


According to the website of Floriade Israel is showing videos of the following:

“Around the pavilion’s entrances we will present 4 videos displaying Israel and its achievements in 4 different areas: Water (fighting desertification), Agriculture, Tel Aviv and History”

Israel showing off so called developments of horticultural and agricultural, environmental technologies, also aided by the Dutch government is far from developing other than it’s own ‘acquired’ by theft and looted lands, exploited and all, which is not exploitable or fit for annexation, pollute, burn down, uprooting or even worse. With no intention of developing or aiding this environment, nor this world, and least of all end famine or thirst but the opposite. It deploys all of these “policies” to develop new ways and methods to deploy them as tools of ethnic cleansing:

• Facts | Since 1967, Israel has destroyed 2,5 million trees (fruit and olive trees) | Report,  Page 31
• Facts | Only 5% of Gaza’s water is fit for human consumption due to Israeli policies and siege | Reports
• Facts | Dams are being flooded deliberately in Gaza to cause damage to the environment and harass the people of Gaza | Photos
• Facts | In the West Bank, illegal settlers deliberately flood their sewage on Palestinian lands | Report/a>
• Facts | These policies, or restrictions on allowing repair materials cause a health hazard for aquifiers do not work | Research EWash
• Facts | All continously up-to-date info about Palestine’s water crisis caused by Israel at EWash
• Facts | 85% of Palestine’s water has been stolen or demolished by Israeli occupation | Report
• Facts | 90% of West Bank’s water is under occupation control | Source
• Facts | A complete list of by Israel destroyed water structures since 2009 | List
• Facts | Israel is systematically depriving Palestine from water which is a human right | Website Right to Water
• Facts | Gaza’s water is too contaminated to drink | New Report by Medical Aid for Palestinians
• Facts | Hundreds of Palestine’s villages have been vanished from the earth to make the desert bloom, every red dot on this map is a village which has been eradicated to “develop” | Map
• Facts | Which is called: Greenwashing Apartheid . read it all in the Anti-Zionist Network’s ebook | PDF EBook
• Facts | To make “the desert bloom” currently almost 57.000 bedouin are being uprooted in Negev Desert and Jordan Valley | Facts & Documentary
• Facts | Hence development: Israel is even poisoning Palestinian grapevines | Report
• Facts | Aside from poisoning land Israel also damages land with nuclear and chemical weapons | Special Topic
• Facts | All the EU aid going to projects for Palestine: Those project are systematically being destroyed by Israel | Report by Daan Bouwens
• Related news updated below this blogpost

Dutch Complicity

Now the Dutch, hosting this UN”FAIR” are complicit in many aspects of these ongoing de-developing issues for Palestine. For as Minister Verhagen calling Israel a close ally in his latest speech in Israel,  has been granting technology to Israel as well as tax money and all assistance possible for the big Israeli gas looting in Palestine’s off shore waters, for placing electronic sensors on leaves of plants rooted in stolen soil, even supports Gaza with aid for exports which never leave the Gaza Strip.
Carnages, destined for exports are being eaten by donkeys and cows for Israel does not allow them out. But when Jewish holidays fear a lack of palm fronds, all of a sudden all borders can be opened to import them from Gaza.
So why you didn’t know all of this? Simply because Maxime Verhagen and Uri Rosenthal (#UriNeverLies!) maintain the Dutch motto “Ignorance is Bliss”:  “Wat niet weet wat niet deert”
By withholding facts, being a mouthpiece for israeli occupation and mainly by blocking any report about such violations and even using the Dutch veto to block a EU report exposing such.
The Netherlands blocked an EU Report about Israeli settler violence.  Former Prime Minister of the Netherlands Dries van Agt and his @TheRightsForum published it and broke the silence, although I doubt many of the Europeans comprehend the complicity and consequences of their ignorance, for aid goes on, silence too, enabling Israel to continue it’s deprivation and development of own serving techniques beyond any comprehension and surely not for the cause which is now again, showed off at the Floriade!
Update June 16, 2012 | Because of Holland blocking the report about Settler Violence in the West Bank, ‘Gentlemen’ Verhagen and Uri Rosenthal of course also ‘forgot’ to mention this article of NL-Aid, website states funded by Dutch Ministery of Foreign affairs: Plunder of Palestinian natural resources is “corporate war crime,” manual explains – Linking to a report by James G. Stewart of the Open Society Justice Initiative which has been public only since 2011.

Israel pretending to End Hunger…

The poster on the image depicting “Helping End Hunger” is quite appalling knowing these facts:

• Facts | Israel deliberately starves Gazans. It even tried to go to supreme court to prevent exposure  of documents which expose near starvation policies.
• Facts | Last night of the writing of this post, extremist settlers torched a 1000 year old olive tree | Resource
• Facts | Last week settlers were caught red handed on video torching olive fields | Video
• Facts | Recent report showed that infringement and deprivation of fuel also causes damage to Palestinian agriculture | Report 
• Facts | 35% of #Gaza’s farmland & 85% of its fishing waters are totally or partially inaccessible due to Israeli restrictions” | OCHA Report June 2012
• Facts | The whole collection of united deprivation methods developed by Israel are creating a true Warsaw ghetto version 2012 in Gaza | Report
• Facts | More and more infants are suffering mal nutrition in Gaza due to the siege imposed by Israel | Irin 2009 report | WHO report 2010 | Terre des Hommes Report 2012
• Related news updated below this blogpost

So this ”Small Touch” and “End Hunger” – hasbara campaign is far beyond realistic. It’s appalling. It’s policies not only cause daily suffering but permanent damage to environment and health as well. Already world’s NGO’s speak of health and environmental disasters while in all silence, it allows Israel to exhibit it’s propaganda totally ignoring the facts.
Already in 2008, guardian covered a leaked report of the Red Cross stating devastating chronic malnutrition in Gaza.
Not only settlers, also the army is structurally destroying agricultural developed lands of Palestinians in Gaza as well as in the West Bank, damaging not only environment but also the economy and food/trade supplies of Palestine, literally all means are deployed to make Palestinians tired and make or force them to leave.

A Final Word: Know your ‘ charitable friends’

“Innovation can be found in aspects such as a system that treats rainwater in an alternative way without using any artificial energy or chemicals. The Hidden Garden portrays the tranquility and special atmosphere of the country of Israel.” Web Floriade 2012

Hidden yes. Not the garden at the Floriade but the hidden lies.  A shameless and almost pornographic display of so called altruims at cost of the nation of Palestine, it’s heritage, culture, properties and health.  For sure, no portray of tranquility and the special atmosphere of ethnic cleansing in the “country of Israel” which is build on the ruins and blood of Palestine. The “hothouse” of genocide  displaying itself as is depicted below while daily shooting and even killing farmers.
A comprehensive overview of attacks on farmers being obstructed to do their work, get attacked or even killed can be seen at the website of Farming under Fire. Or watch and witness with your own eyes, Essam Aoudhi, farmer and father who was slayed by Israeli occupation while at work (Photos)

At the expo “A huge impressive globe displays information about Israel’s connection to different countries.” so you easily can recognize the countries, complicit in these lies and aiding Israel by practical means, your tax-money or their silence to sustain this Apartheid.

The lies even captured on video

“A small country, global touch”  Watch to believe it!

Act!

Boycott the Floriade.
Boycott Israeli Goods.
Do not support genocide nor apartheid.
Act against the destruction of Palestine’s water-resources, health hazards, environmental damage, uprooting of trees, demolitions of livelihoods and economical damage done to Palestinians. And most important: Share this information and end the ignorance and lies about Israel’s so called repairing of this world.


More information about Israel’s exploitation of Palestine and the boycott-movement against Israeli goods can be found here:

From Israel’s Floriade pavillion

Israeli seeds better for the planet? Not at all. Don’t aid the seed of Apartheid to flourish any more!

• BDS Manual | PDF
• Frequently Asked Questions about BDS | FAQ
• Factsheet| BDS
• BDS | on Youtube
• BDS | BDS Movement
• BDS | BDS Nederland
• BDS | Boycot Israel
• BDS | In Minds
• BDS | Mona Baker’s Page
• BDS | MyLinksPage
• BDS | The Big Campaign
• Campaign | Boycot 729

Captive Awab Mubarak subjected to Israel’s physical and psychological torture

September 1, 2013 by occupiedpalestine 0 Comments

[ PIC 31/08/2013 - 03:33 PM ]


NABLUS, (PIC)– Captive Awab Ahmed Mubarak, 20-year-old, has been and still is subjected to physical and psychological torture in the Israeli interrogation centers, Tadamun Foundation said.
The researcher at the foundation, Ahmad al-Beitawi, said on Saturday that Awab has been subjected to continuous interrogation for 20 hours per day, adding that he was forced to offer prayers while tied to a chair.
The foundation’s lawyer Mohammed Abed visited Mubarak three times during the past two weeks. Abed quoted Mubarak as saying that he was subjected to severe beating during his arrest on August 4, 2013, in addition to verbal and physical insults during interrogation.
He pointed out that the captive was exposed to cold air for long hours before being held in a hot cell causing him sharp bone and joint pains.
The Israeli interrogators have also threatened him of arresting his father, a deputy in the Palestinian Legislative Council, and claimed that the lawyers refused to defend him because of his difficult issue.
Al-Beitawi pointed out that the Israeli interrogators used to fabricate such lies in order to undermine the prisoner’s spirits. In one such incident, they claimed that his family was subjected to a car accident, he added.
The researcher affirmed that Awab’s health condition has dramatically deteriorated where he lost more than 7 Kg of his weight in less than two weeks.
The Israeli interrogators’ questions mainly focused on the funeral of Awab’s brother who died in America two months before Awab’s detention during an armed robbery.
Awab, a student at the Faculty of Law at Abu Dis University in Jerusalem, is supposed to stand trial in Ofer Court on Sunday.
Meanwhile, the Israeli authorities prevented on Saturday some prisoners detained in Jalama detention center from meeting with their lawyers.
The Israeli intelligence service deliberately prevent the prisoners from meeting with their lawyers during the interrogation period in order to extract forced confessions, the Palestinian Prisoners Society (PPS) said.
Preventing the prisoners from meeting their lawyers violates the international laws particularly the III and IV. Geneva Conventions, the PPS added.
The human rights center stressed that the Israeli judiciary gave a legal cover to the Shin Bet and Israeli intelligence’s violations to the international laws.

Abusisi Wins Round Against Israeli Prison Service

Posted: 31 Aug 2013 01:52 PM PDT

Veronika Abusisi speaks to supporters at recent press conference (Joe Catron)

Dirar Abusisi was kidnapped over two years ago by the Mossad in Ukraine.  His is one of many similar cases in which both Israeli officials and Israeli “enemies” have been kidnapped abroad and rendered back to Israel where they are imprisoned for “security offenses.”  Abusisi’s case is especially egregious because he was kidnapped on foreign soil with the connivance of Ukrainian security forces at the highest level.  Jordanian secret police were also involved.  He was charged with hysterically exaggerated security offenses, including being Hamas’ “chief rocket engineer.”  He has not been tried for this offense.  In prison, he’s been in solitary confinement the entire time, not allowed visits or phone calls with his family and entirely segregated from other Palestinian prisoners.
Abusisi’s real “crime” has been his refusal to cop a plea with the security services as 98% of such detainees do in order to defer far longer prison sentences should they go to trial.  That’s why such punitive measures have been taken against him.  These measures, by the way, are contrary to international law and agreements struck with the Palestinians during prior prisoner exchanges.
Claims that Abusisi was a senior Hamas official have been explicitly denied by senior operatives like Ghazi Hamid.  Clinching evidence can be found in the fact that there have been two major prisoner exchanges since Abusisi’s arrest and he was not included in either.  Hamas is simply not an organization that leaves its members behind in such deals.  If either the PA or Hamas had asked for him, he would’ve been included.  Despite this, Israeli media routinely falsely characterizes him as a Hamas member and senior military officer.
Despite the fact that Abusisi faces a series of serious health problems including painful kidney stones, high blood pressure, and severe weight loss, not to mention extremely poor medical care, he began a hunger strike to protest the conditions under which he was held.  The strike lasted 10 days.  His lawyer, Tal Linoy, announced his client was ending the strike in return for the prison service agreeing to place him in the regular prison population.  Abusisi will also receive phone calls from his family, have direct access to the prison warden, and be allowed to pray with the other Palestinian prisoners.  Another reason the prison service may’ve caved is this press conference held by Dirar’s wife, Veronika, at which she announced eight other prisoners were joining him in striking.
As a great Jewish rabbi and heretic once said: “there is no judge and there is no justice” as far as Israel’s national security is concerned.  That’s why individuals like Abusisi must further endanger their health in order to publicize their plight.  I should add that my attempts to get human rights groups like Amnesty and Human Rights Watch to adopt him as a prisoner of conscience or to take action on his behalf have fallen on deaf ears.  To this day, no one will explain why.

Abusisi Wins Round Against Israeli Prison Service

Abusisi Wins Round Against Israeli Prison Service

Posted: 31 Aug 2013 01:52 PM PDT

Veronika Abusisi speaks to supporters at recent press conference (Joe Catron)

Dirar Abusisi was kidnapped over two years ago by the Mossad in Ukraine.  His is one of many similar cases in which both Israeli officials and Israeli “enemies” have been kidnapped abroad and rendered back to Israel where they are imprisoned for “security offenses.”  Abusisi’s case is especially egregious because he was kidnapped on foreign soil with the connivance of Ukrainian security forces at the highest level.  Jordanian secret police were also involved.  He was charged with hysterically exaggerated security offenses, including being Hamas’ “chief rocket engineer.”  He has not been tried for this offense.  In prison, he’s been in solitary confinement the entire time, not allowed visits or phone calls with his family and entirely segregated from other Palestinian prisoners.
Abusisi’s real “crime” has been his refusal to cop a plea with the security services as 98% of such detainees do in order to defer far longer prison sentences should they go to trial.  That’s why such punitive measures have been taken against him.  These measures, by the way, are contrary to international law and agreements struck with the Palestinians during prior prisoner exchanges.
Claims that Abusisi was a senior Hamas official have been explicitly denied by senior operatives like Ghazi Hamid.  Clinching evidence can be found in the fact that there have been two major prisoner exchanges since Abusisi’s arrest and he was not included in either.  Hamas is simply not an organization that leaves its members behind in such deals.  If either the PA or Hamas had asked for him, he would’ve been included.  Despite this, Israeli media routinely falsely characterizes him as a Hamas member and senior military officer.
Despite the fact that Abusisi faces a series of serious health problems including painful kidney stones, high blood pressure, and severe weight loss, not to mention extremely poor medical care, he began a hunger strike to protest the conditions under which he was held.  The strike lasted 10 days.  His lawyer, Tal Linoy, announced his client was ending the strike in return for the prison service agreeing to place him in the regular prison population.  Abusisi will also receive phone calls from his family, have direct access to the prison warden, and be allowed to pray with the other Palestinian prisoners.  Another reason the prison service may’ve caved is this press conference held by Dirar’s wife, Veronika, at which she announced eight other prisoners were joining him in striking.
As a great Jewish rabbi and heretic once said: “there is no judge and there is no justice” as far as Israel’s national security is concerned.  That’s why individuals like Abusisi must further endanger their health in order to publicize their plight.  I should add that my attempts to get human rights groups like Amnesty and Human Rights Watch to adopt him as a prisoner of conscience or to take action on his behalf have fallen on deaf ears.  To this day, no one will explain why.

America’s Israel Lobby Demands “Direct Militery Strikes” Against Syria

America’s Israel Lobby Demands “Direct Militery Strikes” Against Syria

by aletho

"The objectives should be ... to ensure that Assad’s chemical weapons no longer threaten ... our allies in the region"

The names of the "experts" seeking a "decisive response" against Syria:

Karl Rove
Senator Joseph I. Lieberman
Ammar Abdulhamid
Ambassador Robert G. Joseph Elliott Abrams
Dr. Robert Kagan
Dr. Fouad Ajami
Lawrence F. Kaplan
Michael Allen
James Kirchick
Dr. Michael Auslin
Irina Krasovskaya
Gary Bauer
Dr. William Kristol
Paul Berman
Bernard-Henri Levy
Max Boot
Dr. Robert J. Lieber
Ellen Bork
Ambassador L. Paul Bremer
Tod Lindberg
Matthew R. J. Brodsky
Mary Beth Long
Dr. Eliot A. Cohen
Dr. Thomas G. Mahnken
Senator Norm Coleman
Dr. Michael Makovsky
Ambassador William Courtney
Ann Marlowe
Seth Cropsey
Clifford D. May
James S. Denton
Dr. Alan Mendoza
Paula A. DeSutter
David A. Merkel
Dr. Larry Diamond
Dr. Joshua Muravchik
Dr. Paula J. Dobriansky
Ambassador Andrew Natsios
Thomas Donnelly
Governor Tim Pawlenty
Dr. Michael Doran
Martin Peretz
Mark Dubowitz
Danielle Pletka
Dr. Colin Dueck
Dr. David Pollock
Dr. Nicholas Eberstadt
Arch Puddington
Ambassador Eric S. Edelman
Douglas J. Feith
Randy Scheunemann
Reuel Marc Gerecht
Dan Senor
Abe Greenwald
Ambassador John Shattuck
Christopher J. Griffin
Lee Smith
John P. Hannah
Henry D. Sokolski
Dr. Jeffrey Herf
James Traub
Peter R. Huessy
Ambassador Mark D. Wallace
Dr. William Inboden
Michael Weiss
Bruce Pitcairn Jackson
Leon Wieseltier
Ash JainKhawla
Yusuf Dr. Kenneth Jensen
Robert Zarate
Allison Johnson
Dr. Radwan Ziadeh

Source

The list above corresponds closely with the PNAC signatories whom demanded war on Iraq:

Persons associated with the PNAC

Project directors

[as listed on the PNAC website:]

William Kristol, Co-founder and Chairman[1] Robert Kagan, Co-founder[1] Bruce P. Jackson[1]

Mark Gerson[1] Randy Scheunemann[1]

Project staff

Ellen Bork, Deputy Director[1] Gary Schmitt, Senior Fellow[1][51] Thomas Donnelly, Senior Fellow[1] Reuel Marc Gerecht, Senior Fellow[1]

Mitch Jackson, Senior Fellow Timothy Lehmann, Assistant Director[1] Michael Goldfarb, Research Associate[1]

Former directors and staff

• Daniel McKivergan, Deputy Director^[52]

Signatories to Statement of Principles

Elliott Abrams[5] Gary Bauer[5] William J. Bennett[5] John Ellis "Jeb" Bush[5] Richard B. Cheney[5] Eliot A. Cohen[5] Midge Decter[5] Paula Dobriansky[5] Steve Forbes[5] Aaron Friedberg[5] Francis Fukuyama[5] Frank Gaffney[5] Fred C. Ikle[5]

Donald Kagan[5] Zalmay Khalilzad[5] I. Lewis "Scooter" Libby[5] Norman Podhoretz[5] J. Danforth Quayle[5] Peter W. Rodman[5] Stephen P. Rosen[5] Henry S. Rowen[5] Donald Rumsfeld[5] Vin Weber[5] George Weigel[5] Paul Wolfowitz[5]

Signatories or contributors to other significant letters or reports^[15]

Elliott Abrams[9][11] Kenneth Adelman[53] Richard V. Allen[19] Richard L. Armitage[11] Gary Bauer[19][53] Jeffrey Bell[19][53] William J. Bennett[9][11][19][53] Jeffrey Bergner[9][11][19] John Bolton[9][11] Ellen Bork[53] Rudy Boschwitz[19] Linda Chavez[53] Eliot Cohen[14][19][53] Seth Cropsey[19] Midge Decter[19][53] Paula Dobriansky[9][11] Thomas Donnelly[14][19][53] Nicholas Eberstadt,[19][53][54] Hillel Fradkin[19][53][55] Aaron Friedberg[19] Francis Fukuyama[9][11][19] Frank Gaffney[19][53] Jeffrey Gedmin[19][53] Reuel Marc Gerecht[19][53] Charles Hill[19][53] Bruce P. Jackson[19][53] Eli S. Jacobs[19] Michael Joyce[19] Donald Kagan[14][19][53] Robert Kagan[9][11][14][19][53] Stephen Kantany Zalmay Khalilzad[9][11]

Jeane Kirkpatrick[19] Charles Krauthammer[19] William Kristol[9][11][14][19] John Lehman[19][53] I. Lewis Libby[14] Tod Lindberg[53][56] Rich Lowry[53] Clifford May[19][53] John McCain[57] Joshua Muravchik[53] Michael O'Hanlon [58][59] Martin Peretz[19][53] Richard Perle[9][11][19][53] Daniel Pipes[53] Norman Podhoretz[19][53] Peter W. Rodman[9][11][19] Stephen P. Rosen[14][19][53] Donald Rumsfeld[9][11] Randy Scheunemann[19][53] Gary Schmitt[14][19][51][53] William Schneider, Jr.[9][11][19][53] Richard H. Shultz[19][60] Henry Sokolski[19] Stephen J. Solarz[19] Vin Weber[9][11][19] Leon Wieseltier[19] Marshall Wittmann[19][53] Paul Wolfowitz[9][11][14] R. James Woolsey[9][11][53] Dov Zakheim[14][61] Robert B. Zoellick[9][11]

Related articles

• Neocons Push Obama to Go Beyond a Punitive Strike in Syria (motherjones.com)
• The "Experts" Who Want a War With Syria (reason.com)

aletho

US to recognize all same-sex marriages for federal tax purposes

US to recognize all same-sex marriages for federal tax purposes
Addison Morris at 8:59 AM ET

[JURIST] The US Treasury Department [official website] announced [press release] Thursday that the Treasury, along with the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) [official website] will now recognize the marriages of all same-sex couples for federal tax purposes. This recognition is to take place for legally-married couples living in all states, including jurisdictions that do not recognize same-sex marriage [JURIST backgrounder]. The ruling, however, does not apply to registered domestic partnerships or civil unions. Thursday's decision has been met with both praise and criticism. Freedom to Marry [advocacy website] lauded the decision, calling it a victory [press release] for the rights of same-sex couples. Meanwhile, the National Organization of Marriage [advocacy website] criticized [press release] the Obama administration for overstepping its boundaries in a nation where "only Congress has the authority to change the law." Thursday's announcement follows the recent US Supreme Court decision in US v. Windsor [SCOTUSblog backgrounder; JURIST report] which overturned Section 3 of the Defense of Marriage Act (DOMA). The ruling did not create a constitutional right to same-sex marriage, but it entitles couples in lawfully recognized same-sex marriages to certain federal benefits. A judge for the Second Judicial District Court of New Mexico [official website] on Tuesday ordered [JURIST report] district court clerks to begin granting marriage licenses to same-sex couples. Last week the Texas Supreme Court [official website] announced that it will consider whether the state has jurisdiction [JURIST report] to grant divorces to two same-sex couples who were legally married in Massachusetts. In July the ACLU filed a federal lawsuit [JURIST report] in Pennsylvania on behalf of 21 residents who wish to marry their same-sex partner or who are seeking recognition by the state of their out-of-state same-sex marriage. In March Vermont's House of Representatives approved a bill [JURIST report] that would require out-of-state employers to provide the same health care coverage to same-sex couples as employees with an opposite-sex spouse. Also in March the Colorado House of Representative voted in favor of a bill [JURIST report] that would legalize civil unions in the state.

Federal judge grants partial victory to individuals on no-fly list

Federal judge grants partial victory to individuals on no-fly list
Peter Snyder at 1:29 PM ET

[JURIST] A judge for the US District Court for the District of Oregon [official website] ruled [opinion, PDF] Wednesday that those placed on the US government's no-fly list have "a constitutionally-protected liberty interest in traveling internationally by air, which is affected by being placed on the No Fly List." The plaintiffs in the case are 13 US citizens who were denied boarding on flights over US air space after January 2009. The plaintiffs have asserted that the current process available to the them through the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) [official website] does not provide a hearing at which an individual can present evidence to contest his or her inclusion on the no-fly list, and is therefore, unconstitutional. The government has contended that the DHS system in place is sufficient in light of the government's interest in national security. Judge Anna Brown has not concluded whether the government's use of the no-fly list violated the plaintiffss constitutional rights to due process, stating in her opinion that, "the court is not yet able to resolve on the current record whether the judicial-review process is a sufficient, post-deprivation process under the United States Constitution." Brown has given both parties till September 9 to file a joint status report setting out their recommendation as to the most effective process to ensure that the court may come to a conclusion on the remaining issues. The no-fly list was created by the Terrorist Screening Center (TSC), a branch of the FBI [official websites], in 2003. The TSC was established by Homeland Security Presidential Directive 6 [text] which, "directed that a center be established to consolidate the government's approach to terrorism screening and to provide for the appropriate and lawful use of terrorist information in screening processes." In 2012 the US Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit [official website] reinstated [JURIST report] a challenge brought by the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) [advocacy website] over the no-fly list maintained by the Transportation Safety Administration (TSA) [official website]. The Ninth Circuit ruled in 2008 that those placed on the government's no-fly list can challenge their inclusion on the list [JURIST report] in federal district courts. The court held that the TSC, which actually maintains the list, is a subsection of the FBI and is therefore subject to review by the district courts.

9-1-1 How to....... as some people mess it up.....