U . S . C O N S U L A T E G E N E R A L J E R U S A L E M – W E E K L Y M A I L I N G

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American Journalist Engages Local Palestinian Journalists and

Bloggers

On January 5, the U.S. Consulate General in Jerusalem organized two roundtable discussions with Jackie Spinner, an American freelance reporter and assistant professor of journalism at Columbia College Chicago. Ms. Spinner spoke about her experiences as an embedded journalist covering wars in Iraq and Afghanistan. Twenty influential Palestinian journalists, bloggers, and journalism professors took part in the two sessions in Ramallah. Ms. Spinner discussed a number of themes with the groups, including conflict zone reporting, fact checking, ethics and objectivity, and using free-use software and programs. She also shared her vast experience producing videos, photography, and on using Twitter and other social media tools to enhance professional reporting and citizen journalism.

January 13, 2012

Page 2 – America House Upcoming Events

Page 3 – State Department on Mosque Attack in West Bank

Page 4 – Ghaneeha! Season 3 - Coming Soon!

Page 5 – Commemorating Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.

Page 6 – Elections in The USA

Page 7 – Educational and Cultural Exchange Opportunities

Page 8 – International and Regional News

Official Websites:

http://jerusalem.usconsulate.gov

http://arabic.jerusalem.usconsulate.gov

http://gaza.usvpp.gov

http://arabic.gaza.usvpp.gov

Social Media:

www.facebook.com/UsConGenJerusalem

www.twitter.com/USCGJerusalem

www.youtube.com/UsConGenJerusalem

To subscribe to this Weekly Mailing list, please send an email to UsConGenJerusalem@state.gov

Thank You!

U . S . C O N S U L A T E G E N E R A L J E R U S A L E M – W E E K L Y M A I L I N G

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America House in Jerusalem

is pleased to invite you to the following upcoming programs in Jerusalem

Focus on the U.S. Presidential Election System:

U.S. Elections: Primary Elections and Political Party Caucuses

January 20, 2012, 10:30 A.M.

America House, Al Zahara Street (across from Rockefeller Park)

U.S. presidential elections will be held in 2012, but the election process has already begun!

In the presidential election year, from January through June, candidates participate in primary elections and political party caucuses trying to gain their political party’s nomination long before the November general election. During this program, participants will learn how the primary system works, and how

Americans choose candidates from the major political parties.

This lecture and Q&A will be delivered in English with Arabic interpretation

Coming up in February!

Focus on the U.S. Presidential Election System:

Digital Video Conference on Arab-American Participation in the Election Process

If your organization is interested in receiving either of these programs at your location in Jerusalem, please contact us at America House! We would be happy to arrange it with you.

To be added to America House’s mailing list, please e-mail JerusalemAmericaHouse@state.gov

America House is the U.S. Consulate General in Jerusalem’s cultural center In East Jerusalem and was established in 2010.

U . S . C O N S U L A T E G E N E R A L J E R U S A L E M – W E E K L Y M A I L I N G

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State Department on Mosque Attack in West Bank

STATEMENT BY VICTORIA NULAND, SPOKESPERSON

Mosque Attack in the West Bank

The United States condemns in the strongest possible terms today’s most recent vandalizing of a mosque, as well as the

burning of three cars, in the West Bank village of Deir Istiya. Hateful, dangerous, and provocative actions such as these are

never justified.

We note that the Israeli Government has pledged to capture those responsible for these reprehensible attacks and to bring

the perpetrators to justice. We encourage law enforcement officials to do so expeditiously and we encourage local

authorities to work together with the community to reduce tension and to defend religious freedom.

We again call for calm on the part of all parties and urge them to avoid any actions that could lead to an escalation of

violence. Violence only serves to impede the search for peace between Israelis and Palestinians based on acceptance and

respect.

U . S . C O N S U L A T E G E N E R A L J E R U S A L E M – W E E K L Y M A I L I N G

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Ghaneeha! Season 3 Coming Soon!

The U.S. Consulate General in Jerusalem is proud to sponsor season 3 of the popular singing competition Ghaneeha!

Visit Ghaneeha! Season 3’s new and improved Facebook page and subscribe to their YouTube Channel for updates and news on auditions, concerts, and more!

!انىسى انثانث، قريبا! غيها

بشػا٠خا امص١ت األش٠ى١ت اؼات ف امذطحفخش

!"غ١ا"ع ازاذ غابمت اغاء

اخاصت باع ازاذ "غ١ا"صفغت ض٠اسة لا ب

ػ اف١غبن اشخشوا بلغ غ١ا ػ ا١ ح١ب الطالع ػ االخباس اخاصت بخضاسب االداء

!اغفالث اض٠ذ

U . S . C O N S U L A T E G E N E R A L J E R U S A L E M – W E E K L Y M A I L I N G

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Reverend Martin Luther King Jr. is remembered in the United States on the third Monday of January each year, and is perhaps best known as America’s chief spokesman for nonviolent activism, as a result of his leadership role in the U.S. civil rights movement.

Born on January 15, 1929, King, a Baptist minister, devoted his life to ensuring equal rights for African Americans and all minorities who suffered discrimination and marginalization in U.S. society.

King’s life and work is remembered in the United States each year with a federal holiday that calls upon Americans not to take a day of rest, but to devote their time and effort to community service. King once said: “Life’s most persistent and urgent question is: ‘What are you doing for others?’”

In March 2011, the U.S. Consulate General in Jerusalem sponsored the

Palestinian-American theatrical production, “Passages of Martin Luther

King," performed for audiences throughout Jerusalem and the West Bank.

The Palestinian National Theater, Al Hakawati, directed and produced the

play, featuring a cast of Palestinian and American performing artists who

utilized the medium of theater to explore some of the key influences in the

life of American civil rights leader Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.

إحياء يىو يارت نىثر كيغ

ؼ أوزش ا ٠شخش ب امظ اسح رش و١غ ص١س، از ٠غخف بزوشا ف اال٠اث اخغذة ف

٠ا٠ش، و أوبش خغذد ف أ١شوا باع اشاط االػف /و راذ ار١ شش وا ازا

١شو١تظشا ذس ام١اد ف عشوت اغمق اذ١ت األ .

، لغا ؼذا١ا وشط ع١اح أص ضا ٠1121ا٠ش، /وا ازا 11وا و١غ، از ذ ٠

اغااة ف اغمق ب١ األ١شو١١ أصي أفش٠م١ت ص١غ األل١اث ػاا اخ١١ض

.اخ١ش ف اضخغ األ١شو

ا ل١ا خذت داػ١ا وافت األ١شو١١ ص١غ أػ اىغشط ٠ روش اسح رش و١غ ٠

ضخغ "األط١اف اششائظ أل ٠خطػا بلخ ضد غاػذة ف حغم١ك سؤ٠ا و١غ بم١ا

ا از حم ب : إ اغؤاي األوزش دأبا أوزش إغاعا : "وا و١غ لذ لاي راث شة"اغب١٠غاي أ١شو١ اشد ػ ره اخغاؤي بخطػ بشاطاث ز صغ ف و ػا" أص ا٢خش٠؟

األاي ضؼ١اث اخ١ش٠ت صغ اغزاء حص٠ؼ ػ اغخاص١

غطاث اسح "بذػ اؼ اغشع امص١ت األش٠ى١ت اؼات ف امذطلاج 2011ف أراس

غشط اغىاح بشاسوت لذ أخشس اخش اؼ . ره ف امذط اضفت اغشب١ت "رش و١ش

از٠ اعخغا اغشط ؼشض اؤرشاث االعاع١ت االش٠ى١١ ضػت از١ افغط١١١

.اسح رش و١ش ف ع١اة لائذ عشوت اغمق اذ١ت االش٠ى

Commemorating Martin Luther King Jr. Day

U . S . C O N S U L A T E G E N E R A L J E R U S A L E M – W E E K L Y M A I L I N G

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U.S. Elections In Brief

Elections in the United States

Free and fair elections are the keystone of any democracy. They are essential for the peaceful transfer of power.

The Role of Political Parties

The United States in 1800 became the first nation to develop nascent political parties organized on a national basis to accomplish the

transfer of executive power from one faction to another via an election.

Presidential Nominations

Candidates and their supporters have been quick to adopt the Internet as a campaign tool. It has proved to be an effective and

efficient way to solicit funds from potential supporters and to promote one’s policies and experience.

Congressional Elections

Presidents and legislators are elected separately. Although a sitting president may propose laws to Congress, they have to be drafted in Congress by his allies within that institution, and must be passed by the Congress before being sent back to the president for his signature.

Polls and Pundits

Polling informs political candidates of how well they are being perceived in relation to their competitors, and what issues are

uppermost in the minds of the voters.

Financing Campaigns

In the American system, presidential candidates raise hundreds of millions of dollars for a campaign directed at a nation of more than

100 million voters. Though in many cases the fundraising is from private sources, the process by which they raise and spend the

money is highly regulated.

U.S. Election Procedures

Registration systems were designed to eliminate fraud, but the procedures for registering voters vary from state to state.

انقال يترجى نهعربيت

U . S . C O N S U L A T E G E N E R A L J E R U S A L E M – W E E K L Y M A I L I N G

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The 2012 NESA Undergraduate Exchange Program The U.S. Consulate General in Jerusalem is pleased to announce the annual competition of the 2012 NESA Undergraduate Exchange Program that will provide fully sponsored scholarships for one full academic year (approximately 10 months) of non-degree undergraduate study at accredited two and four-year institutions. The goal of the program is to provide a substantive exchange experience at a U.S. college or university to a diverse group of emerging student leaders from the Middle East, North Africa and South Asia. All academic fields of study are eligible. Deadline: January 16, 2012 The 2012 Youth Summer Leadership Institute Program: The U.S. Consulate General in Jerusalem is pleased to announce the Youth Summer Leadership Program: a fully-funded five-week intensive leadership training program in the U.S. for undergraduate students. The program will take place June 26 - August 7, 2012. Participants will develop leadership and collective problem-solving skills, while exploring U.S. history and culture. The Institute consists of hands-on leadership training workshops, academic sessions, site visits, community service projects, optional home stays and other opportunities for interaction with Americans peers. Deadline: January 23, 2012 2012 TechWomen Program The US Consulate General in Jerusalem and Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs (ECA) is pleased to announce the TechWomen program for 2012, a professional exchange program to support women from the Middle East and North Africa engaged in technology. TechWomen is a high profile program for ECA, and Secretary Clinton herself not only launched the program, but also met with the first group of participants at the Department of State last summer. Deadline: February 15, 2012 2012 TechGirls Program The US Consulate General in Jerusalem is pleased to announce The inaugural TechGirls program is an educational exchange initiative for approximately 25 teenage girls from select countries and territories in the Middle East and North Africa that complements the TechWomen program. The eligible countries are Algeria, Egypt, Jordan, Lebanon, Morocco, Palestinian territories, Tunisia, and Yemen. Deadline: March 6, 2012 "Doors to Diplomacy" 2012 International Web Project Competition for Middle and High School Students: The Department of State and the Global SchoolNet Foundation announce the 2012 "Doors to Diplomacy" award competition, recognizing the student-created Global SchoolNet Web projects from around the globe that best teach others about the importance of international affairs and diplomacy. To qualify, middle school and high school students will work in small teams with teacher-coaches. Projects must be completed by March 15, 2012, and winners will be announced in May 2012. Every team that enters a project will receive a special "Doors to Diplomacy" certificate recognizing their achievement. Each student member of the two winning teams – one American and one international – will also receive a $2,000 scholarship and the winning coaches’ schools will each receive a $500 cash award. Deadline: March 15, 2012. For a complete description of the competition and information about eligibility and judging criteria, please visit http://globalschoolnet.org/gsndoors/. For more information, contact Dr. Yvonne Marie Andres of Global SchoolNet by phone at (760) 635-0001 or by e-mail at diplomacy@globalschoolnet.org or Wanda Ramsey of the Department of State by e-mail at RamseyWC@state.gov.

MEPI Information Technology (IT) Partnership Program The Middle East Partnership Initiative (MEPT) announces the launch of the first-ever Information Technology (IT) Program that seeks to link MEPI grantees with major IT corporations. Through this new partnership, local NGOs will be able to access the latest computer software, hardware, and related training to improve the effectiveness of their projects, build organizational capacity, and assist with cementing the long-term sustainability of their work. For more information, please contact us at mepi-it-partnerships@state.gov

U . S . C O N S U L A T E G E N E R A L J E R U S A L E M – W E E K L Y M A I L I N G

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International and Regional News

Summary of President Obama’s Call with Israeli Prime Minister Netanyahu

Summary of President Obama’s Meeting with Saudi Foreign Minister Al-Faisal

Summary of President Obama’s Call with King Abdullah of Jordan

Remarks by Secretary Clinton and Qatari Prime Minister Al Thani After Their Meeting

Secretary Clinton on Iran’s Announcement on Qom Facility

U.S. Welcomes Expanded Arab League Mission in Syria

Ambassador Rice on Situation in Syria

يهخص نفحىي يكانت انرئيس أوبايا يع رئيس انىزراء

اإلسرائيهي بيايي تياهى

فحىي اجتاع انرئيس أوبايا يع وزير انخارجيت انسعىدي

األيير سعىد انفيصم

فحىي يكانت انرئيس أوبايا يع انهك عبذ اهلل انثاي

عاهم األرد

تصريحاث انىزيرة كهيتى ورئيس وزراء قطر عقب

اجتاعها

بيا نهىزيرة كهيتى حىل إعال إيرا األخير ع يشأة

قى

انىالياث انتحذة ترحب بتىسيع يهت بعثت جايعت انذول

انعربيت في سىريا