Israel-Palestine Dance-Off Video: Tik-Tok Soldiers & a Palestinian Response

In response to footage of six Israeli Defense Forces soldiers stopping patrol to dance to American electro-pop singer Kesha's hit Tik Tok in the West Bank city of Hebron, Palestinians shot a video showing two kaffiyeh-clad men searched, handcuffed and arrested as Lady Gaga's Poker Face plays in the background.

Gaza Latest: Amalthia to Break the Siege?, Ireland's "Revenge", Mavi Marmara Becomes a Hotel?

Amalthia to Break the Siege?: Having Youssef Sawani, executive director of the Gaddafi International Charity and Development Foundation, said Sunday in an interview with Army Radio that the vessel was heading for Gaza; Foreign Minister Avigdor Lieberman told Army Radio that “no ship of any kind will be allowed to arrive at Gaza.”

The ship is still in high waters and Israeli defense officials stated that they were tracking the vessel and would make contact with the ship and request that it follow naval vessels either into Ashdod Port or into Egypt's port of El-Arish. A government official said: “This exercise is both a superfluous and unnecessary gesture.”

Ireland's "Revenge"?: It is reported that Ireland is trying to block a European Union initiative that would enable Israeli companies and European companies to exchange information about customers. The European Commission wanted European governments to approve a declaration that the EU recognises Israeli data protection standards as being sufficient to allow member states to transfer personal data.

UPDATED Gaza Latest: Ship Sent by Gadhafi’s Son Breaking Israeli Blockade?
Gaza Special: UN Cancels Middle East Session But Begins Freedom Flotilla Enquiry

However, Ireland's Justice Minister Dermott Ahern said that since Israel allegedly used forged Irish passports to carry out the assassination of Hamas official Mohammed al-Mabhouh in Dubai, Israel should not be allowed access to this data.

Although Israel denied any link with the Dubai assassination, Ireland expelled one Israeli official from Dublin.

Mavi Marmara Waiting Its Fate: Israeli city Haifa's Mayor Yona Yahav wrote a letter to the Defense Minister Ehud Barak requesting that the Mavi Marmara ship be turned into a floating hotel off the coast of Haifa. Yahav wrote: "I feel that Haifa, a symbol of coexistence and cooperation between all religions, would be the appropriate home for this ship, which will turn into an international symbol of reconciliation and hope."

Iran's Haircuts Special: The Revenge of the Mullets

There has been tremendous interest in our coverage of Iran's new guidelines for appropriate haircuts for men, identifying transgressors such as Imam Ali, Shi'a Islam's first Imam.

Well, our EA hair correspondents --- always a cut above the rest --- have this update. It appears that a Million Mullet Army (mullet: a hairstyle that is short at the front and sides and long behind) is being formed to put the case for the men's look that is "business in the front, party in the back".



There are some powerful backers of this hirsute challenge. It's high times again for US musical icon ("Achy Breaky Heart") Billy Ray Cyrus, a.k.a. Hannah Montana's Dad:

Proving that England footballers still have some purpose in life, Mr Chris Waddle is on-board:


But the heartbeat (hair-pulse?) of this movement is, of course, Mr and Mrs America (joined by Little Androgynous Child America):

The Latest from Iran (11 July): Feeling Hot, Hot, Hot

1940 GMT: The Bazaar Strikes. The "Babylon & Beyond" blog of the Los Angeles Times posts an update on the state of the bazaar protests over proposed increases in business taxes:

Authorities have...shut down the bazaar, declaring Sunday, ordinarily a bustling work day, an impromptu holiday because of the hot weather in an attempt to mask over the strike.

On Sunday, subways heading to the bazaar were relatively empty...."I am still continuing my strike," said Ali, a cloth merchant. "I may keep shut on Monday too."

NEW Iran Special: A Response to “The Plot Against Ahmadinejad” (Verde)
Iran Exclusive: The Plot to Remove Ahmadinejad, Act II
The Latest from Iran (10 July): The Plot Against the President

1930 GMT: Political Prisoner Watch. Mission" Free Iran publishes a letter which it has received from the mother and younger brother of detained activist Behnam Ebrahimzadeh, asking for the support of the international community to protest his imprisonment.

1855 GMT: Execution Watch. Radio Farda reports that the head of Iran's judiciary, Sadegh Larijani, has suspended --- for now --- the death sentence against Sakineh Mohammadi Ashtiani for adultery.

Ashtiani's case has attracted international attention because of the possibility that she might be stoned to death.

1625 GMT: Political Prisoner Watch. Activists are paying close attention to the case of 45-year-old Zahra Bahrami,  arrested and taken to Evin Prison during the Ashura protests of 27 December. Bahrami, an Iranian-Dutch dual national, has been charged with "mohareb" (war against God), and it is believed she will be tried soon.

RAHANA wrote in April that Bahrami had been held in solitary confinement and interrogated numerous times during her detention. Activists also claim she is being forced into a false confession.
Bahrami has not been allowed any prison visits, and the occasional phone calls she makes to her family are monitored and controlled by the interrogators.

1600 GMT: Coming to a Classroom Near You. Mohammed Boniadi, deputy director of the Tehran education department, says 1000 clerics will be sent into schools this fall to fight Western influence and domestic opposition, making students aware of "opposition plots and arrogance."

1545 GMT: Political Prisoner Watch. HRANA profiles Parvin Javad Zandeh, a 22-year-old woman arrested on Ashura (27 December) who is serving an 8 1/2-year prison sentence.

The brother of Mahboumeh Karimi, an activist of the One Million Signatures campaign, says she is suffering from poor physical and psychological health.

1420 GMT: Graphic Rumour of Day. Human Rights Activists News Agency is reporting that a 26-year-old woman from Tabriz, Elnaz Babazadeh, was beaten, raped, and killed by three Basij militiamen who had detained her for inappropriate hijab.

HRANA has proven a reliable source of information in the past; however, we are treating this story as unconfirmed, given the seriousness of the allegations, and will be monitoring developments.

1405 GMT: More on the Karroubi Statement (see 0935 GMT). Green Voice of Freedom gives a fuller English summary of Mehdi Karroubi's comments today to families of political prisoners who visited his home.

Beyond his criticism of sanctions on Iran, linked to his claims of the mismanagement and abuses of the Ahmadinejad Government, Karroubi declared, “Unfortunately, today the establishment is neither a republic nor Islamic. And this is an alarm bell for those who care about the country, the establishment and this land. As always, we are seeking to revive the true definition of the Islamic Republic, which was approved by Imam [Khomeini] and the wise people of Iran in April 1979.”

In affirming the legitimacy of the Republic, Karroubi said, “The Constitution is not like a revelation, and at time it needs to change”. This political consideration of reform was impossible, however:

Despotism has brought us to the point where the country’s highest executive power has no regard for the Parliament and its laws....This, is disrespecting the Iranian people....We seek a republic that is based on the people’s vote and on engineering the people’s votes.

1140 GMT: Cartoon Politics --- From Paul the Octopus to Khamenei. Never say that Iran's cartoonists are out-of-touch with the latest cultural moments. Soon after posting our special World Cup item on Germany's psychic Paul the Octopus, who has chosen both Spain and Mir Hossein Mousavi, we notice this:



1000 GMT: Political Prisoner Watch. The International Campaign for Human Rights in Iran, from a source, claims that Mohammad Davari, the chief editor of Mehdi Karroubi's website Saham News, remains in Evin Prison’s Security Ward after several months. The source claimed that Davari has been under intense pressure to "confess" in a television interview.

0935 GMT: The Opposition and Sanctions. Mehdi Karroubi has followed up Mir Hossein Mousavi's linkage of regressive UN sanctions to the inept foreign policy of the Ahmadinejad Government and Iran's economic woes.

Karroubi said, "I believe that part of the Iranian rule as well as the Revolutionary Guards are in favour of sanctions as they make gigantic and astronomical profits from them."

The cleric then targeted President Ahmadinejad:

Imprudence in foreign policy and the lack of political sanity in the actions and political and diplomatic words of the man in charge of the government have imposed high costs on the country," the reformist cleric said in a direct attack on Ahmadinejad. We should not give an excuse through shallow words and bungling actions and allow others to easily impose sanctions against Iran.

0715 GMT: On a slow Sunday --- it's hot in Iran, after all --- we have posted a World Cup special, "The Ultimate Triumph of Paul the Octopus". There's a special treat at the end of the story for Iran-watchers.

0630 GMT: We begin this morning with an evaluation of Mr Verde of our exclusive report and analysis on Saturday, "The Plot Against Ahmadinejad, Part II".

Meanwhile on the hot front, the questions persist about the Government's holidays for Sunday and Monday because of "extreme heat". Reformist member of Parliament Dariush Ghanbari has suggested the weather cannot be the real reason for the sudden announcement, given the effect on business and services.

Broadcasting Resumed

A bit of relief for the head of the Islamic Republic of Iran Broadcasting, Ezzatollah Zarghami, from both the Tehran heat and international pressure....

After Dutch counterparts withdrew their invitation for Zarghami and his colleagues to visit them, Zarghami was welcomed by Germany's broadcast directors, ARD chairman Peter Boudgoust and ZDF director-general Markus Schächter, in Mainz on Friday. IRIB made sure it filmed the occasion.

UPDATED Gaza Latest: Ship Sent by Gadhafi's Son Breaking Israeli Blockade?

UPDATE 1315 GMT: Yousseuf Sawani, a director of the Gaddafi International Charity and Development Foundation, says there are no plans for the aid ship to dock at the Egyptian port of El-Arish.

"This is definitely a part of the campaign against the ship, a campaign of distortion, but we are definitely heading towards Gaza, because that is where aid should be heading to," he told Al Jazeera.
"This is a purely humane mission, it is neither provocative nor hostile," he said.

Israeli Foreign Minister Avigdor Lieberman maintained that West Jerusalem will not compromise: "I say very clearly, no ship will arrive in Gaza. We will not permit our sovereignty to be harmed," Lieberman said on Army Radio.

Gaza Special: UN Cancels Middle East Session But Begins Freedom Flotilla Enquiry

UPDATE 1030 GMT: The Libyan Government has told Greece that the aid ship will dock in el-Arish on the coast of Egypt's Sinai Peninsula.

"We confirmed their destination in talks with the Libyan ambassador and the ship's agent," Greek foreign ministry spokesman Grigoris Delavekouras told the Associated Press.

A Moldavan-flagged ship named "Amalthia", carrying aid from Libya, is departing from the Greek port of Lavrio, with 12 crew, 15 activists and supporters, and about 2,000 tons of humanitarian aid. The goods are supplied by the Gadhafi International Charity and Development Association, which is headed by Saif Al-Islam Gaddafi, the second-born son of the Libyan leader Muammar Gadhafi.

On Friday, Israeli ambassador to the UN Gabriela Shalev wrote to UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon:

Israel calls upon the international community to exert its influence on the government of Libya to demonstrate responsibility and prevent the ship from departing to the Gaza Strip.

Israel reserves the right under international law to prevent this ship from violating the existing naval blockade on the Gaza Strip.

Reportedly having reached an agreement with both Greece and Moldova, Israeli Foreign Ministry announced on Saturday that the captain of the ship changed the destination to Egypt's el-Arish port.

Later Saturday, Palestinian Legislative Council member Jamal Al-Khudari and Israeli Arab MK Ahmed Tibi (Ra'am Ta'al) told the Palestinian news agency Ma'an that the aid ship will head to Gaza's port in the coming hours and will not be diverted.