Five Palestinians wounded in IAF strike in central Gaza Strip
Amos Harel, Ha'aretz 7/30/2007
Israel Air Force craft struck a car in the central Gaza Strip on Monday, wounding five people, including three militants. Among the wounded were three militants - two from Islamic Jihad and a third from the Al-Aqsa Martyrs Brigades, the military wing of Palestinian Authority Chairman Mahmoud Abbas' Fatah faction. Two passers-by were also hurt in the strike, which ambulance staff said occurred about 10 kilometers south of Gaza City. Islamic Jihad said that the Al-Aqsa member wounded in the attack was the group's commander in Gaza. Two other militants in the vehicle, one from Islamic Jihad and the other from Al-Aqsa, escaped unscathed. The Israel Defense Forces confirmed carrying out a strike but did not give details of the target, other than to say the attack was part of operations against terrorist activity.
Olmert considers sending Jordanian troops into the West Bank
Ma'an News Agency 7/30/2007
Bethlehem – Ma'an – Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert is exploring the idea of allowing Jordanian forces into the West Bank instead of NATO forces, in order to help the Palestinian Authority suppress Palestinian military operations against Israel. According to the Jerusalem Post, Olmert wants regular Jordanian army troops and Bedouin fighters, but not the Badr Brigade – a group of Palestinians affiliated to Fatah and loyal to the Palestinian presidency. Discussions about introducing the Badr Brigade, whose members are paid by the Palestine Liberation Organisation (PLO) and which consists of about 1,500 to 2,000 soldiers, into the Gaza Strip and the West Bank to support President Abbas failed. In recent meetings with Jordan's King Abdullah II, Olmert raised the possibility of introducing regular Jordanian...
Second batch of stranded Palestinians relocated
Xinhua News Agency, ReliefWeb 7/30/2007
CAIRO, Jul 30, 2007 (Xinhua via COMTEX) -- The second batch of 527 Palestinians stranded in Egypt near the border with the Gaza Strip were relocated Monday to an Egyptian-Israeli border terminal en route to Gaza, Egypt's official MENA news agency reported. Hani al-Jabbour, the first secretary of the Palestinian embassy and a liaison officer in Cairo, confirmed that the new batch of the stranded Palestinians were sent to Aloja checkpoint one day after the first 101-member batch entered Gaza in conformity with an agreement reached between Egypt and Israel. More coordination is under way to send some 6,000 stranded Palestinians in batches to Israel via Aloja and then back to the Gaza Strip in a few days, according to MENA. Thousands of Palestinians, who left the Gaza Strip through Rafah crossing before Hamas...
Hamas Executive Forces condemned for "inhibiting press freedom"
Ma'an News Agency 7/30/2007
Khan Younis - Ma'an – The chairperson of the oversight and human rights committee in the Palestinian Legislative Council, Dr. Faisal Abu Shahla, condemned Hamas' Executive Forces for attacking press freedom in the Gaza Strip Monday. He said the Executive Forces had detained workers from three newspapers, Al Ayyam, Al Quds, and Al Hayyat Al Jadeedah, for three hours, describing the incident as "a dangerous act." Earlier Monday, the Executive Force froze imports of newspapers in the Gaza Strip for an hour as a warning to end defamatory reports against Hamas in the press. In a press statement, Abu Shahla said, "The incident was a serious blow to press freedom and a dangerous sign for the local media, especially since those newspapers are considered to be independent ones.
Joint call by Israeli, Palestinian and European human rights organizations: The Rafah border crossing must be opened
Israeli Information Center for Human Rights in the Occupied Territories, ReliefWeb 7/30/2007
Gaza Residents Are Not Pawns in the Struggle for Control of the Strip - Israeli, Palestinian and European human rights organizations today issued a joint declaration calling on Israel , the Palestinian Authority, the European Union, and Egypt , to immediately open Gaza 's borders to passenger traffic, irrespective of their political agenda concerning Hamas. The organizations jointly stated that residents of the Strip must not be used as pawns in the struggle for control in Gaza. The continuous closure of the border crossing for more than six weeks is causing severe harm to hundreds of thousands of Gaza residents who cannot leave the Strip or return to it, impairing their ability to earn a living, receive medical treatment, or pursue education abroad.
"We were only following orders"
Hanan Greenberg, YNetNews 7/30/2007
IDF soldiers shake responsibility for incident in which Palestinian civilian critically wounded, say commander gave orders to carry out operation, keep secret afterwards - The five IDF soldiers involved in critically wounding a Palestinian civilian last Thursday have testified that they were only carrying out orders. "We followed our commander with our eyes closed, we trusted him, and we didn't think at any moment that what he was telling us to do was illegal," the soldiers said. The military court rejected the prosecution's appeal to remand into custody four of the soldiers who were released on Friday, and ruled that their testimony was believable. Presiding over the case was Judge David Rosen, who instructed the four soldiers to return to regular activity in their units.
Russian FM tells visiting Abbas he has Moscow's firm support
News Agencies, Ha'aretz 7/30/2007
Abbas: "The most important thing that I will raise and discuss with President Putin and Foreign Minister Lavrov is the bloody overthrow that happened in Gaza." - Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov told Palestinian Authority Chairman Mahmoud Abbas on Monday that Moscow supports him in his conflict with Hamas. "We firmly support you as leader of the entire Palestinian people," Lavrov told Abbas, making his first trip to Russia since Hamas took over the Gaza Strip. Abbas, who arrived Sunday in Moscow, was also slated to meet with Russian President Vladimir Putin during his three-day trip. The daily newspaper Kommersant reported that Abbas hoped to persuade Putin to give full support to his Fatah movement. The PA chairman told Lavrov via an interpreter: "We have a lot to talk about.
US military aid for Middle East
BBC Online 7/30/2007
The US is to spend billions of dollars on military assistance for allies in the Middle East, Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice has confirmed. Israel is to receive $30bn (£15bn) in aid over the next 10 years, and Egypt $13bn (£6. 5). Deals are being discussed with Saudi Arabia and more Gulf states. Ms Rice said the assistance was needed to counter influences from Iran, Syria, and regional militant groups. She is embarking a tour of the region with Defence Secretary Robert Gates. They will visit Saudi Arabia and Egypt together and other countries separately. Opposition - Ms Rice said the US administration was starting discussions with Egypt about the $13bn military assistance deal. She said it would strengthen Egypt's ability to "address shared strategic goals".
Palestinian intelligence officer 'tortured and killed'
Ma'an News Agency 7/30/2007
Rafah - Ma'an – An officer in the Palestinian intelligence services was killed Monday in the southern Gaza Strip city of Rafah. Eyewitnesses and medical sources said Ismail Mashoukhi, 35, appeared to have been tortured. Mashoukhi's family, who live in Tal As Sultan, to the west of Rafah, said that he left home Sunday afternoon, to visit a relative, but he disappeared before he arrived. His body was found Monday. Hamas' Executive Forces arrested three people who they suspect were involved in the killing. An Executive Force spokesperson declined to give more information about the investigation but he assured that the organization is working to find the perpetrators. [end]
Israeli army invades Beit Omer town near Hebron and kidnaps three civilians
Ghassan Bannoura, International Middle East Media Center 7/30/2007
A massive Israeli force invaded the town of Beit Omer located north of Hebron city in the southern part of the West Bank and kidnapped three civilians form the twon on Monday. Troops searched homes and ransacked them then took Mohamed Bahar, 25, Izaldeen Mikbel, 16, and Mohamed Salaebi, to unknown locations. [end]
Israeli army storm Qalndyia refugee camp near Jerusalem and search homes there
Ghassan Bannoura, International Middle East Media Center 7/30/2007
Palestinian sources reported that Israeli forces stormed Qalndyia refugee to the north of Jerusalem city in the West Bank searched homes there on mondya morning. Troops opened fire randomly at residents homes causing damage but no injures, the army left the camp after some time, no kidnappings were reported. [end]
Israeli forces detain five Palestinians from the West Bank
Ma'an News Agency 7/30/2007
Bethlehem – Ma'an – The Israeli forces detained four Palestinian citizens from the West Bank on Monday morning. Israeli sources said that "three of them [the Palestinians] are from villages around Bethlehem and the fourth is from the Al Ram district to the north of Jerusalem." According to the Israeli forces, the men were 'wanted. 'Israeli forces also arrested another Palestinian citizen at the Huwwara checkpoint, to the south of the West Bank city of Nablus, on Sunday night. According to Israeli officials, the arrestee was carrying a gun. [end]
Hamas shows Gaza to foreign reporters
Steven Gutkin, Yahoo! News 7/30/2007
Associated Press - GAZA CITY, Gaza Strip - Never mind the international isolation, growing poverty and reports of violent retribution against its defeated Fatah rivals. In Hamas' own eyes, its takeover of Gaza has made the coastal strip "safe, clean and green." In an attempt to get that message across, Hamas took two busloads of foreign journalists on an air conditioned tour of Gaza on Monday — including a stop in a refugee camp where the deposed prime minister waved from his balcony and a prison visit hosted by one of Hamas' most powerful military men. Hamas officials said they were worried about the negative publicity they have received since taking over Gaza in June. Journalists walked 500 yards into Gaza across a mortar-pocked no man's land from Israel and boarded the buses, accompanied by a convoy of security vehicles...
Al Aqsa Brigades launch projectile at Sufa crossing
Ma'an News Agency 7/30/2007
Gaza - Ma'an – The Al Aqsa Brigades, Fatah's main military wing, claimed responsibility Monday for launching a homemade projectile at Sufa border crossing on the Gaza Strip's border with Israel. The Brigades said that the bombing was a response for the Israeli assassination of Yahya Barakat and Tamer Al-Khatib. The group caked for a preliminary response to another assassination attempt against the Al Aqsa leaders in the Gaza Strip Monday. [end]
Israeli soldiers arrest two Palestinians at Huwwara checkpoint
Ma'an News Agency 7/30/2007
Bethlehem - Ma'an – Israeli border guards arrested two Palestinians at Huwwara checkpoint, near the West Bank city of Nablus Monday. The soldiers claimed to have found a gun in their car. The Israeli military detained the two men for questioning. [end]
Arab League maneuvers to gather steam for renewed peace initiative
Compiled by Daily Star staff, Daily Star 7/31/2007
The Arab League met in Cairo Monday to discuss recent efforts by its representatives to rally support for an Arab initiative for a peace deal with Israel, the group said in a draft statement. Meanwhile, Russia on Monday called for dialogue between Fatah and Hamas as the two warring Palestinian factions separately sought Moscow's help in resolving their stand-off. The Arab foreign ministers that make up the 22-member group were also expected to formulate a response to US President George W. Bush's recent call for an international Mideast peace conference to be held later this year. During Monday's meeting, Arab League chief Amr Moussa reported on the outcome of the group's efforts over the past two months to promote the Arab peace plan. The statement did not provide details of the report.
Arab League welcomes 'positive elements' of Bush plan for Mideast
News Agencies, Ha'aretz 7/31/2007
Arab League Secretary-General Amr Moussa said Monday that members of the body welcomed the "positive elements" of a new Middle East initiative by U.S. President George W. Bush, especially those related to "founding an independent Palestine state, his call for ending the Israeli settlements and ending the Israeli occupation." In a statement issued after the talks, the League said it "supports convening a meeting or a conference with the participation of all parties concerned with the peace process, in order to launch talks on all tracks." "Peace cannot be completed without withdrawal from Syrian territory, so all the parties have to be there," Moussa told a press conference in Egypt after the talks. During the Six-Day War of 1967, Israel captured the West Bank and East Jerusalem from Jordan, the Gaza Strip from Egypt and the Golan Heights from Syria.
Lebanon's Siniora slams hike in U.S. military assistance to Israel
Shmuel Rosner, Ha'aretz 7/31/2007
Lebanese Prime Minister Fuad Siniora criticized a proposed U.S. arms deal Monday that offers a sharp increase in defense aid to Israel, a rare rebuke against Washington by the Western-backed premier. A statement issued by Siniora's office said he expressed displeasure, surprise and astonishment when he learned of United States plans to increase military aid to Israel by 25 percent, from $2. 4 billion to $3 billion per year, guaranteed for 10 years. Prime Minister Ehud Olmert has said the increase in military aid would guarantee the country's strategic superiority over its neighbors, irrespective of upgrades to Arab forces in the region. Also Monday, the U.S. announced a proposed $13 billion military aid package for Egypt along with plans to provide such aid to Saudi Arabia and Gulf states.
Golan residents call for talks with Syria
Attila Somfalvi, YNetNews 7/31/2007
Peace with Syria movement conference urges Israeli government to hold negotiations with Damascus with American presence or Quartet representation. Local Arabs: Golan must be returned to Syria - The Peace with Syria movement held a conference Monday evening at Kibbutz Gadot with the participation of hundreds of Golan Heights residents. During the rally, former Foreign Ministry Director General Alon Liel, who heads the movement, called on Israel's government to launch negotiations with Syrian President Bashar Assad and urged US President George W. Bush to allow such a move. Labor Knesset Member Ami Ayalon echoed Liel's call, but said Israel should first focus on advancing talks with the Palestinian Authority "now that President Mahmoud Abbas and Prime Minister Salam Fayyad have abandoned the path of violence".
Syrian diplomat scorns Bush Mideast proposal
Associated Press, YNetNews 7/31/2007
Other Arab League representatives reluctant to support Bush's call for international conference on Palestinian-Israeli conflict - Arab League governments were reluctant Monday to support US President Bush's call for an international conference to resolve the Palestinian-Israeli conflict, with top diplomats stressing the importance of making the Arab peace initiative key to any talks. Meeting in Cairo to build a response to the US proposal to hold an international conflict to restart Israeli-Palestinian talks, the Arab League released a statement saying it "supports convening a meeting or a conference with the participation of all parties concerned with the peace process, in order to launch talks on all tracks." But while it welcomed what it called "the positive elements" in the proposed peace conference,...
Rights groups: Rafah border crossing must be opened
Statement, Various undersigned, 30 July 2007, Electronic Intifada 7/30/2007
Israeli, Palestinian and European human rights organizations today issued a joint declaration calling on Israel, the Palestinian Authority, the European Union, and Egypt, to immediately open Gaza's borders to passenger traffic, irrespective of their political agenda concerning Hamas. The organizations jointly stated that residents of the Strip must not be used as pawns in the struggle for control in Gaza. The continuous closure of the border crossing for more than six weeks is causing severe harm to hundreds of thousands of Gaza residents who cannot leave the Strip or return to it, impairing their ability to earn a living, receive medical treatment, or pursue education abroad. Various reports indicate that more than 20 people have already died while waiting to return to Gaza from Egypt.
Palestinian Human Rights Center issues report about medical conditions in the coastal region
IMEMC Staff, International Middle East Media Center 7/30/2007
The Palestinian Center of Al Mizan for Human Rights issued a report on Monday about medical and medicine supply conditions in the Gaza Strip. The report stated that Palestinians living in the Gaza Strip are not getting safe or effective medicine, adding that governmental and non-governmental health care societies lack the majority of the needed medicine in the coastal region. According to the center's report, out of 468 standard types of medicine, the health services in Gaza are missing 120 to 150 varieties, which means 32 percent of the needed medicine is missing in the coastal region. The Palestinian Ministry of Health has stated that this shortage of supply is the biggest since the starting of the second intifada six years ago. The report said that the international siege -- imposed upon the Palestinian...
Fayad says Palestinians have the right to resist Israel
Reuters, Ha'aretz 7/30/2007
Palestinian Prime Minister Salam Fayad said Monday that Palestinians have a legitimate right to resist Israel, even if the phrase does not appear in his government's new platform." We are certainly an occupied people and resistance is a legitimate right for the Palestinian people as an occupied people," Fayad told reporters in Cairo, where he is leading the Palestinian delegation to an Arab League meeting on Monday. Palestinian officials confirmed on Friday that the platform of the new government omits the phrases "armed struggle" and "resistance" against Israel. This was a change from the platforms of the previous two Palestinian governments led by Hamas, which has rebuffed U.S. and European demands that it recognize Israel and renounce violence.
The governmental employees union takes the government to court
Ameen Abu Wardeh, International Middle East Media Center 7/30/2007
The Palestinian governmental employees union decided on Monday to take the Palestinian government and Palestinian banks to court because of government failure to deliver the employees' salaries according to the agreed-upon timetable. In addition, the court action was prompted by the government decision of not allowing banks to channel funds from donor countries to go through the banks to get to employees. Magad Abu Raed, the director of the employees union, said that due to the delay in delivering the salaries, the percentage of interest which employees owe to the banks due to taking loans to survive was doubled. That figure is reaching 50 percent of the employees' salaries, leaving 65,000 governmental employees unable to pay their debts that accumulated to the banks during the past one year and a half.
Al Massar National Islamic Movement urges Hamas and Fatah back to the negotiating table to challenge Israeli occupation
Ma'an News Agency 7/30/2007
Gaza – Ma'an – The Al Massar National Islamic Movement, one of the smaller Palestinian political movements, on Monday urged both Hamas and Fatah to respond to Palestinian and Arab invitations for dialogue. The Secretary-General of the movement, Dr. Ramadan Tanbourah, said in a statement to Ma'an on Monday that Hamas and Fatah are complicating the situation by their continued attacks on each other through the media. He called on both parties to stop escalating the conflict by use of the press, instead underlining the importance of "national benefit." Tanbourah added that engaging in national invitations to dialogue would represent "an attack on the Israeli occupation; a challenge to its plans to enlarge the gap between Palestinian movements.
Caretaker government cannot abolish the right to resist the occupation, says DFLP spokesperson
Ma'an News Agency 7/30/2007
Gaza – Ma'an – A source from the Democratic Front for the Liberation of Palestine (DFLP) on Monday criticised the caretaker government's removal of armed resistance against the Israeli occupation from the government programme. The source stated that "the government should have cooperated with the resistance movement and provided it with the needed material for its survival. No one has the right to attack the basic existence of national Palestinian society, and resistance is a nationally agreed right." The spokesman also called for a national dialogue involving all the military wings of the factions in order to form a united front with a shared policy to fight the occupation. [end]
Masharawi blames Abbas for "mistakes" leading to Hamas takeover in Gaza Strip
Ma'an News Agency 7/30/2007
Bethlehem – Ma'an - Samir Masharawi, the Fatah official formerly in charge of negotiations with Hamas in the Gaza Strip, blamed Palestinian Authority Chairman Mahmoud Abbas for contributing to his party's military defeat to Hamas in the Gaza Strip in June. Masharawi told the Israeli Newspaper Ha'aretz Monday that Abbas was at fault for compromising too much with Hamas, and was also more personally responsible for the Fatah's collapse in the Gaza Strip than was previously known. Abbas "made a big mistake," Masharawi told Ha'aretz, "He opted to compromise with Hamas over and over because he thought they were partners." Ha'aretz reported that Masharawi said Abbas called a meeting of the Fatah Central Committee prior to the Hamas takeover, and authorized several committee members to go to Gaza in order to take...
Israeli military court frees soldiers charged with kidnapping taxi driver
Ma'an News Agency 7/30/2007
Bethlehem - Ma'an – An Israeli military court in Tel Aviv released four soldiers who were under investigation for kidnapping, assault, unauthorized use of weapons, among other charges in the case involving abducting a taxi driver in the southern West Bank village of Adh Dhahiriya. Five soldiers and a first lieutenant were arrested Friday as a result of a military investigation. According to the military police investigation, the soldiers, acting on orders from their commander, stole a taxi, blindfolded the driver, and drove through the village, at one point shooting an unarmed Palestinian man. The soldiers left the wounded man in the street. According to Israeli Ynet news, the victim is currently in critical condition in Soroka Hospital in Be'er Sheva.
Al Mezan issues a report on the availability of medicines in Gaza
Al Mezan Center for Human Rights, ReliefWeb 7/30/2007
Al Mezan Center issued today, 30 July 2007, a report on the availability of medicines in the Gaza Strip and the policies and conditions that influence citizens' access to good quality and adequate medicines. The report investigates the capacity of government and non-government providers of medicines and their efforts to ensure their availability in the Strip. It found that the capacity of the providers has been seriously hindered under continued international and Israeli sanctions and Israeli closure of the Gaza Strip. The report looked into the medicines situation in the Palestinian Ministry of Health (MoH), UNRWA, NGOs and the private sector. The report found that the MoH suffers a shortage in the List of Essential Medicines(LEM), which includes 468 items.
MIDEAST: A Divisive Word Surfaces
Peter Hirschberg, Inter Press Service 7/30/2007
JERUSALEM, Jul 30(IPS) - Right-wing lawmakers in Israel are fuming over a decision by Israel's education minister to permit use of a textbook in state-run Arab schools that includes the word "nakba" -- Arabic for "catastrophe", the term Palestinians use to describe the founding of the Jewish state. "The Arabs call the war the nakba, a war of catastrophe, loss and humiliation, and the Jews call it the Independence War," reads the passage that includes the controversial phrase used by Arabs to describe the creation of Israel in 1948, which sparked a war that left 700,000 Arabs displaced, some having fled and others having been expelled from their homes. The book will be used by third-grade (8 to 9-year-old) Arab students. Incensed right-wing lawmakers, who fear the use of the "nakba" term in a state-approved...
Israel preparing plan to ease West Bank travel restrictions
Reuters, Ha'aretz 7/30/2007
Israel is preparing to remove some of the roadblocks and checkpoints that restrict Palestinian travel in the West Bank as a gesture to Palestinian Authority Mahmoud Abbas, officials said on Monday. Security sources said a list of barriers and restrictions was being compiled to be presented to Prime Minister Ehud Olmert and Defense Minister Ehud Barak for final approval. "The urgency is clear to everybody. These measures should be taken soon," a senior source said on condition of anonymity. After removing some of the travel restrictions, Israel would then consider transferring responsibility for some West Bank enclaves to Abbas and his security forces, officials said. It is unclear how many of the estimated 500 West Bank roadblocks, checkpoints and other barriers would be removed or relocated under the plan being drawn up.
PLC member condemns Israeli trial of secretary-general of the PFLP
Ma'an News Agency 7/30/2007
Gaza – Ma'an – A member of the Palestinian Legislative Council, Hussam Attaweil, on Monday condemned the trial of Secretary-General of the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine (PFLP), Ahmad Sa'adat, at the Israeli military court of Ofer. Attaweil described the trial as illegal and appealed to Palestinians to initiate dialogue instead of continued in-fighting in order to achieve national aims and free prisoners. He also said that the court trial contravenes international law and represents "an attack", following Sa'adat's kidnapping by Israeli soldiers. [end]
DFLP appeals to Arab League to urge Hamas to restore Gaza to pre-takeover state
Ma'an News Agency 7/30/2007
Bethlehem – Ma'an – The Democratic Front for the Liberation of Palestine (DFLP) on Monday implored the foreign ministers of the Arab League to follow up on the decision they made on the 19th of June, calling on Hamas to restore the situation in the Gaza Strip to pre-June 14 conditions. A reliable source within the DFLP expressed the need to return and adhere to the Palestinian National Agreement of June 2006 and the Cairo Agreement of March 2005. Also, "we should apply [ourselves] to reaching a fulfilling Palestinian democratic rehabilitation and protect the multi-political factions, so the Palestinians can survive the current situation and unify their efforts to fight the occupation, stop the assassination campaigns and start to lay down the way for a Palestinian state.
Israeli and Palestinian police commanders discuss cooperation
Ma'an News Agency 7/30/2007
Bethlehem - Ma'an – Israeli media are reporting the Israeli police commander, Shlomi Ka'atabi, met with Palestinian Police director Kamal Sheikh in an effort to enhance cooperation between the two countries in fighting crime. The sources didn't mention the place of the meeting. [end]
Jordan backs PA efforts to restore security in Palestine
Source: Government of Jordan, ReliefWeb 7/30/2007
FM to brief Arab peers on outcome of Israel visit; Abbas in Moscow for talks with Putin - AMMAN, July 30 - Jordan on Sunday said it backs the caretaker government of Prime Minister Salam Fayyad to bring the security situation in the Palestinian lands under control. During talks Prime Minister Marouf Bakhit held in Amman with Fayyad, he reiterated the country's support for the Palestinian Authority (PA) and its institutions, the Jordan News Agency, Petra, reported. The two premiers reviewed regional and international efforts to revive the peace process, especially in light of the recent visit of the Jordanian and Egyptian foreign ministers to Israel and US President George W. Bush's call for an international peace conference. Fayyad, in his capacity as the foreign minister, will leave for Cairo to participate...
144 Settlements in the West Bank are housing 476,000 Israel settlers
Ghassan Bannoura, International Middle East Media Center 7/30/2007
The Palestinian Census Bureau issued a report stating that there are 144 Israeli settlements, housing 476,000 Israeli settlers, spread all over the West Bank, including the occupied city of Jerusalem. The report, which is for the year 2006, states that 26 of those settlements are in the occupied city of Jerusalem, 16 of them already annexed to Jerusalem. 259,000 settlers live in settlements in and around the occupied city of Jerusalem, while 77,000 settlers live in settlements around the central West Bank city of Ramallah. In addition, 46,000 live in settlements around the southern West Bank city of Bethlehem, 29,000 located near Salfit City in the northern part of the West Bank, and 1,300 settlers live in settlements near the northern West Bank city of Tubas.
An Nasser Salah Addin Brigades fire projectiles at Israeli military post
Ma'an News Agency 7/30/2007
Gaza – Ma'an – The An Nasser Salah Addin Brigades, the armed wing of Popular Resistance Committees, on Monday claimed responsibility for firing three homemade projectiles at an Israeli military post to the east of Juhor Ad Dik, in the central Gaza Strip. The brigades said in a statement that the operation "is a response to Israeli crimes against Palestinians." The brigades vowed to undertake more military operations against Israel. [end]
Remembering Qana
The Daily Star, Daily Star 7/31/2007
Dignitaries attend a ceremony to commemorate the 27 civilians killed by an Israeli air strike on the southern city in last summer's war - Former Prime Minister Salim Hoss and an array of political as well as religious figures attended a ceremony on Monday at the UNESCO Palace to commemorate the 2006 Qana bombing, under the auspices of President Emile Lahoud. On July 30 last year the Israeli Army targeted the southern village with an air strike that left 27 people dead, including 13 children. In commemoration of the attack, Lahoud on Monday saluted the martyrs of the summer 2006 war and hailed the perseverance of the South's residents, saying it was the motivation and solidarity of southerners "that contributed to the downfall of Israel during last summer's war.
IDF preparing to evacuate protesting settlers from West Bank market
Yuval Azoulay and Haaretz Service, Ha'aretz 7/31/2007
The Israel Defense Forces is preparing to evacuate next week settlers who have broken into the wholesale market in the West Bank city of Hebron. The IDF recently sent a letter to the settlers' attorney, Haim Cohen, saying it would charge settlers the cost of evacuating them if they did not leave of their own accord. The letter, sent by the legal advisor of the Judea and Samaria Division, said that the settlers' window of opportunity to leave freely has closed, and that the IDF will forcibly evacuate them at a time it deems appropriate. The army said in the letter to Cohen that it would use "reasonable force" during the evacuation, and raised the possibility of placing the entire cost of the exercise the shoulders of Cohen's clients, the settlers.
Several injured in an Israeli air strike targeting a Palestinian car in Gaza City
Ghassan Bannoura, International Middle East Media Center 7/30/2007
An Israeli spy plane fired several missiles at a Palestinian car driving on the main highway in Gaza City on Monday in mid-day. Medical sources reported a number of injuries. Sources close to Islamic Jihad said that the car belongs to resistance fighters from the movement. Witnesses said that three young Palestinian men were driving their car on the highway when an unmanned Israeli plane fired several missiles at the car, totally destroying the car and injuring the passengers. The three fighters managed to escape the attack from the missile because it hit the front of the car, allowing a window of a few seconds that permitted the fighters to escape. [end]
Corpse of Qassam fighter discovered after twelve-year inquiry
Ma'an News Agency 7/30/2007
Khan Younis – Ma'an – The military wing of the Hamas movement, the Qassam Brigades, on Monday announced the death of one of its members, Nidal Dabbash, who had been missing for twelve years. Dabbash was from the Sheikh Radwan neighbourhood in Gaza City. Spokesperson of the Qassam Brigades, Abu Obeideh, told Ma'an, "We have found, through numerous investigations, the body of Dabbash in the same area as where a former leader, Kahil, was found in 1995." Abu Obeideh said that the Palestinian security services declared that they arrested Dabbash and handed him over to the Israelis. However, the Qassam Brigades claim that this was not entirely true. Following investigations, the Qassam Brigades found that Dabbash had never been detained or held by Israel and his corpse has now finally been discovered.
Army warns Hebron settlers to evacuate market willingly
Efrat Weiss, YNetNews 7/30/2007
Military Advocate General's office says Jewish families residing in West Bank city's market will be held financially responsible should IDF be instructed to forcefully evacuate them from the site - The Military Advocate General's office on Monday warned Jewish families residing in Hebron's old market that should the IDF be instructed to forcefully evacuate them from the site, they would be held financially responsible. "The deadline for a voluntary evacuation (from the market) has passed, and the authorities in the area plan to work toward removing you from the property with the use of reasonable force," the office said in a letter addressed to the families. The council of the Jewish settlement in Hebron said, "The chutzpah and obstinacy have reached a new high.
Amana investigated for illegal construction in West Bank
Efrat Weiss, YNetNews 7/30/2007
Judea and Samaria district police investigate settler movement for illegal construction of outposts following request by Peace Now - The Amana movement, headed by Ze'ev Haver, has been under investigation by the Judea and Samaria district police under suspicion of illegal construction of outposts. In November 2005, the Peace Now movement sent a letter to Attorney General Menachem Mazuz, asking him to investigate the actions of Amana regarding the continued building and marketing of homes in illegal outposts throughout the West Bank. The letter claimed that Amana's website was advertising a lot of information indicating intensive activity in illegal outposts. According to a report by Attorney Talia Sason, Amana continues to market permanent homes and temporary dwellings to a large number of illegal outposts.
Palestine Today 073007
Ghassan Bannoura - IMEMC - Audio dept, International Middle East Media Center 7/30/2007
Click on Link to download or play MP3 file - || File 3. 32 MB || Time 3m38s|| - Welcome to Palestine Today, a service of the International Middle East Media Centre, www. imemc. org, for Monday July, 30th, 2007. Israeli army plane attacks a car in Gaza and Palestinian employees take the government to court, these stories and more coming up stay tuned. The Gaza strip - An Israeli spy plane fired several missiles at a Palestinian car driving on the main highway in Gaza City on Monday in mid-day. Medical sources reported a number of injuries. Sources close to Islamic Jihad said that the car belongs to resistance fighters from the movement. Witnesses said that three young Palestinian men were driving their car on the highway when an unmanned Israeli plane fired several missiles at the car, totally destroying the car and injuring the passengers.
French FM Kouchner plans first visit to Israel, PA in two months time
Barak Ravid and News Agencies, Ha'aretz 7/30/2007
French Foreign Minister Bernard Kouchner is planning his first visit to Israel and the Palestinian Authority in two months time, a French diplomat told Haaretz Monday. This will be Kouchner's first trip to Israel since his appointment as foreign minister in May. The diplomatic source told Haaretz that "the details of the trip are yet to be finalized, and it is dependent mainly on the Palestinian and Israeli timetable - which will become very cramped at that period with the Jewish holidays and Ramadan. Kouchner's primary aim is expected to be meeting the key figures in the region and being updated on developments in contacts between Israel and the Palestinians, as well as on the situation in the PA. Kouchner has already met Foreign Minister Tzipi Livni, when she visited Paris a month and half ago.
Leading US Evangelicals for Palestine
Palestine Chronicle 7/30/2007
A letter marks a clear departure from the usual position reiterated by top Evangelical leaders that they have a biblical and moral obligation to support and protect Israel. CAIRO - A group of evangelical leaders have signaled a rare support for the creation of a Palestinian state, drawing immediate reprimands from fellow evangelical figures, The New York Times reported on Sunday, July 29. Both Israelis and Palestinians have "legitimate rights stretching back for millennia to the lands of Israel/Palestine," some 34 evangelical leaders wrote in a letter to President George Bush on Friday, July 27. They signaled support for the creation of a Palestinian state "that includes the vast majority of the West Bank. ". Palestinians want an independent state on lands occupied by Israel after the 1967 which includes...
U.S. Christians voice support for Palestinian state
Laurie Goodstein, MIFTAH 7/30/2007
NEW YORK: In recent years, conservative evangelicals who claimed a biblical mandate to protect Israel have built a bulwark of support for the Jewish state - sending donations, denouncing its critics and urging it not to evacuate settlements or forfeit territory. Now more than 30 evangelical leaders have stepped forward to say these efforts have given the wrong impression about the stance of many, if not most, U.S. Christians. On Friday, these leaders sent a letter to President George W. Bush saying that both Israelis and Palestinians had "legitimate rights stretching back for millennia to the lands of Israel/Palestine," and that they supported the creation of a Palestinian state "that includes the vast majority of the West Bank." They said that being a friend to Jews and to Israel "does not mean withholding criticism when it is warranted.
Peres says Ahmadinejad worships bomb over God
Reuters, Ha'aretz 7/31/2007
President Shimon Peres, in a radio interview on Monday, called Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad a "joke" and said he appeared to worship "the bomb more than he's worshipping the God in heaven." Peres told U.S. National Public Radio in Jerusalem that a united front by the international community could stop Iran from obtaining nuclear weapons. Ahmadinejad has said Israel should be "wiped off the map" and recently forecast its destruction. Peres said Ahmadinejad was "an unbelievable joke," adding the Iranian president "claims he's religious." "My impression is that in his eyes the nuclear bomb is higher than Allah, than the God in heaven. He's worshipping the bomb more than he's worshipping the God in heaven," Peres said. Tehran, which insists its nuclear program is peaceful, has defied a United Nations...
Russia pledges support to Abbas
Al Jazeera 7/30/2007
Moscow's official contacts with Hamas have riled Abbas, who will likely press Putin to sever links, analysts said. - Russia's foreign minister has pledged his country's support to Mahmud Abbas, the Palestinian president. Sergei Lavrov, during talks in Moscow on Monday, said: "We firmly support you as the lawful leader of all Palestinians and support all your efforts directed at... the achievement of unity among Palestinians." "We are discussing the question of providing support to the Palestinian people and to your administration," he said. Abbas arrived on Sunday for three days of negotiations to win Russia's support in the power struggle between his Fatah party and its rival faction, Hamas. He is due to meet Vladimir Putin, the Russian president, on Tuesday for their first talks since Hamas seized control of Gaza on June 14.
Abbas open to Russian mediation
BBC Online 7/30/2007
Palestinian leader Mahmoud Abbas has said he would welcome Russian mediation in attempts to heal the rift between the rival Fatah and Hamas movements. Mr Abbas is in Moscow to urge Russian involvement in Middle East diplomacy. Russia is the only member of the Quartet group of negotiators that maintains contact with Hamas, which took control of Gaza in June. But, at the start of bilateral talks, Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov gave his full backing to Mr Abbas. "We firmly support you as leader of the entire Palestinian people," he said. Correspondents say Moscow's willingness to continues ties with Hamas has annoyed Mr Abbas, who leads Fatah. The Palestinian leader is expected to meet President Vladimir Putin on Tuesday.
Academics oppose Israel boycott
BBC Online 7/30/2007
Thousands of academics from around the world have condemned plans for a UK boycott of Israeli institutions over its treatment of the Palestinians. More than 10,000 academics have signed a declaration saying they would not join any project which barred Israelis. The group, Scholars for Peace in the Middle East (SPME), said the boycott plans attacked academic freedoms. The UK's University and College Union voted in May to debate a boycott, and suspects this has been misunderstood. 'Moral implications' - Thirty-two Nobel prize winners were among the thousands who signed the condemnation of the UCU boycott plan. Harvard law professor Alan Dershowitz, who drafted the statement for SPME, said the signatories represented a cross-section of academics from around the world.
European Union assistance to the Palestinian people in 2007 tops $1 billion
European Union - EU, ReliefWeb 7/30/2007
At a meeting between the Prime Minister, Salam Fayyad, members of the Government and the Representatives of donor Governments and international organisations in Ramallah on Tuesday 24 July, the European Commission announced a decision taken in Brussels the same day to allocate a further $123 million for assistance to the Palestinian people. Together with generous allocations by its different member countries, this decision brings total European Union assistance so far in 2007 to over $1 billion, which is more than the assistance that was given in the whole of 2006. Just over half of the funds for 2007 have been donated by the European Union through the European Commission, with the rest being donated bilaterally by the individual countries which make up the EU.
Israeli tourists may enter US without visa
Yitzhak Benhorin, YNetNews 7/30/2007
New US legislation will eliminate need for visa for Israeli tourists wishing to enter US for three months or less. Israel to join 38 other countries with same prerogative - WASHINGTON - Israeli tourists traveling to the United States for a period of three months or less may soon be able to do so without an entry visa. The US is currently working on an amendment to its visa protocol which would allow for 12 states to be added to the 27 whose citizens do not need visas to enter the US. So far, all of Israel's efforts to exempt Israeli tourists from the lengthy process of obtaining a US visa have failed, due to the US criteria saying that only countries which had less than a third of their applications denied may be included on the list. The US Congress is said to vote on new security legislation, which allows...
Proposal: Cancel visa requirement for Russians
Ronny Sofer, YNetNews 7/30/2007
Tourism minister wants to increase Russian tourism to Israel by annulling visa requirement for Russians. Internal security minister opposes initiative, says it will make it easier for 'criminal elements' to enter country - The Internal Security Ministry warned Monday that "tens of thousands of prostitutes" may enter Israel if the country cancels the visa requirement for Russian tourists. Tourism Minster Yitzhak Aharonovitch, who proposed annulling the need for a visa, said that "the prostitutes come here with or without a visa. Because of bureaucracy we are missing out on hundreds of thousands of tourists." The government will discuss the proposal Monday. Aharonovitch claimed that if the requirement for visas, which take some four months to be issued, is lifted, 250-300,000 Russian tourists...
Barak: Draft dodgers must face public scorn, carry 'mark of Cain'
Haaretz Service, Ha'aretz 7/31/2007
Defense Minister Ehud Barak said Monday Israel must return to the days when draft dodgers were publicly scorned as carrying "the mark of Cain." The defense minister's remarks followed the Israel Defense Forces' release of data two weeks ago showing that a quarter of all draft-age men who are obligated to serve are not enlisted. Barak was speaking at a memorial assembly for Haaretz defense editor Ze'ev Schiff, who was also head of the Institute for National Security Studies at Tel Aviv University. "The Israel Defense Forces are turning gradually into an army of only half the people," Barak said. He was referring to the once common description of the IDF as "the people's army." Barak continued: "Israeli society does not support reservists - employers fire them and university lecturers do not let them take exams at alternative dates.
IDF soldiers Israel's true heroes, Barak says
Yoav Kapshuk, YNetNews 7/30/2007
Defense minister slams 'legitimization of draft-dodging', says 'a society that is under an existential threat will survive only if it respects those who defend it' - "We must return to the days in which evading the IDF draft was akin to wearing a Mark of Cain on your forehead," Defense Minister Ehud Barak said Monday amid recent reports of a rise in the phenomenon. Speaking at a Tel Aviv University conference held in memory of Ha'aretz reporter Ze'ev Schiff, Barak criticized what he called the "legitimization of draft-dodging in all sectors of society, from university professors who do not allow students (who are called up for army reserve duty) to take their exams on alternate dates, to public opinion leaders who endorse and advertise cultural heroes who shirk the draft".
Gov't draws fire over grant of NIS 83 per month for Holocaust survivors
Barak Ravid, Ha'aretz 7/31/2007
Support groups for Holocaust survivors on Monday slammed a government decision for a new stipend that would grant 120,000 survivors living in Israel less than NIS 100 per month in 2008. "It is saddening and insulting to discover that Israel prefers a biological solution for the plight of the Holocaust survivors," said Noah Plug, who heads an umbrella organization of survivors' advocacy groups. The decision is applicable to survivors over the age of 70 who receive old age allowances. Each person can expect to receive NIS 83 per month (approximately $20) in the first year, a sum which will increase gradually until 2011. While the government promised that the amount would increase in upcoming years, Plug noted that statistics show that ten percent of Holocaust survivors die in Israel each year.
Israel had 186,00 foreign workers at the end of 2006
Zeev Klein, Globes Online 7/30/2007
102,000 foreign workers entered Israel legally - Israel had 186,00 foreign workers at the end of 2006, including 102,000 with work visas and 84,000 who had entered the country on tourist visas, the Central Bureau of Statistics reports. 33,000 new foreign workers entered Israel legally during 2006, 46% of them women. The foreign workers came from 100 countries, with 12 countries providing 96% of the total. The breakdown of foreign workers by country of origin in 2006 included 9,000 Ghanaians, 6,400 Philippinos, 3,500 from Russia and other CIS states, 3,000 Chinese, 2,800 Nepalese, 2,600 Romanians, 1,500 Turks, 1,000 Indians, and 400 Bulgarians. 300 foreign workers with work visas came from the US, Germany, the UK , and other developed countries. [end]
Agriculture minister meets with World Bank to discuss funding for rural development
Ma'an News Agency 7/30/2007
Ramallah - Ma'an – The Palestinian agriculture minister, Ziad Abdullah Al-Bandak received a delegation from the World Bank Monday in order to discuss development projects in the occupied territories. Meeting in Bandak's office in the West Bank town of Al Bireh, the minister stressed the importance of developing the service sector in rural areas to reduce migration from the countryside to Palestinian cities. The World Bank representative said that the multilateral organization would continue development projects in the Palestinian territories, including those dedicated to rural development. The two sides agreed to hold future meetings to discuss the details of the projects and to select of local beneficiaries. Overall the world bank is contributing 10 million dollars for projects in Palestine.
Women`s group: Katsav to keep benefits despite Knesset ruling
Zvi Zrahiya, Ha'aretz 7/30/2007
A women's rights group expressed doubt Monday that a Knesset decision to revoke state benefits for former presidents and prime ministers who have been convicted of a crime of moral turpitude will actually affect former president Moshe Katsav. The Knesset Finance Committee's vote earlier Monday, also relevant to former ministers and judges, was aimed at Katsav, whose benefits will be revoked should he be convicted of a crime of moral turpitude in accordance with a plea bargain struck in June. Katsav agreed to plea guilty to sexual harassment, forcible indecent assault and harassing a witness, as part of a plea bargain that struck rape charges from the indictment and handed him only a suspended jail sentence. The plea bargain is awaiting High Court of Justice approval.
Katsav may lose all benefits but pension
Zvi Lavi, YNetNews 7/30/2007
Knesset Finance Committee decides to revoke benefits from ex PMs and presidents who committed offenses that carry moral turpitude - The Knesset Finance Committee unanimously decided Monday to revoke all benefits given to former presidents and prime ministers convicted of an offense that carries moral turpitude, but agreed not to touch their pensions. The proposal was submitted by Meretz MK Chaim Oron. The benefits in question for ex-presidents include an official residency in Jerusalem for seven years after the president's tenure has ended, or funding of the expenses of his private home for the same period of time, as well as an office, two personal assistants and a car with a chauffeur during these seven years. All the benefits are tax free.
MK Yachimovich blasts government economic plan for 2008
Shahar Ilan, Ha'aretz 7/30/2007
Several clauses in the government's economic policy document for 2008 are generating harsh criticism in the Knesset. Some MKs strongly oppose clauses calling for slashes to disability allowances and privatization of police units. MK Shelly Yachimovich on Sunday voiced her concerns regarding the process through which the document is approved by the cabinet. Some of the concerns stem from the fact that several ministries have yet to receive the government's full annual economic policy document, and are therefore unable to fully review the government's fiscal plans. The ministries complain that they have so far received only the sections pertaining to each of them individually, which in effect turns the decision-making process into a secret procedure.
Court rejects Metzger's petition against A-G
Aviram Zino, YNetNews 7/30/2007
High Court says Mazuz should not be reprimanded for not allowing Metzger defend himself against allegations of misconduct - The High Court of Justice rejected on Monday a petition by Ashkenazi Chief Rabbi Yona Metzger that demanded Attorney General Menachem Mazuz be reprimanded for not allowing the rabbi to defend himself against an A-G report linking him to a number of allegations of misconduct. Metzger decided to go ahead with the petition despite Mazuz's decision to adopt a past recommendation by the court that bribery allegations against Metzger be dropped from his report for lack of evidence and that the report be rewritten. The legal saga kicked off last April when Mazuz recommended that Metzger resign from his post for using his position to earn free stays at luxury hotels in Jerusalem while shunning a state-funded residence in the capital.
Committee appoints Yoram Danziger to the Supreme Court
Jonathan Lis, Ha'aretz 7/31/2007
The Judicial Appointments Committee on Monday selected Yoram Danziger to serve as a justice in the Supreme Court. Danziger is the second consecutive lawyer from the private sector to be chosen to sit on the Supreme Court. This marks a major departure from past appointments, and is considered a part of Justice Minister Daniel Friemann's vision for the future of the court. The last appointment to the court was Hanan Melcer one month ago, who beat Danziger for the slot by one vote. Even after the two appointments, three seats on the court remain empty. However, disagreements within the Judicial Appointments Committee make filling them difficult. Seven out of nine panel members voted for Danziger. Supreme Court Justice Ayala Procaccia abstained, Yuri Guy-Ron recused himself due to his friendship with Danziger.
West Bank's own slice of America
Martin Patience, BBC Online 7/30/2007
BBC News, West Bank - Opulent houses in Marzaa Sharqiya bear witness to high salaries - Mazraa Sharqiya is not your average Palestinian village. Expensive jeeps and cars line the pristine streets. Expensive villas nestle behind high stone walls. Whereas many modern Palestinian homes are built from cinderblocks, here there are opulent four-storey residences, many of them clad in marble. With about a third of Palestinian households in the West Bank living in poverty according to the United Nations, Mazraa Sharqiya is an obvious exception to the rule. Some Palestinians even refer to the village as the Miami of the West Bank on account of the wealth and the seemingly endless summer partying. But the wealth found in Mazraa Sharqiya is not produced locally - it comes from the Palestinian diaspora, people who have left their homes in search of a better life.
Mon: Stocks recover slightly in volatile trading
Roy Meltzer, Globes Online 7/30/2007
As the main indices moved back up from recent falls, Teva, Israel Chemicals, Elbit Systems, and Super-Sol stood out with strong rises. The Tel Aviv Stock Exchange rose today. The Tel Aviv 25 index rose 1. 45%, to 1,105. 01 points; the Tel Aviv 100 index rose 1. 46%, to 1,083. 61 points; and the Tel-Tech index rose 0. 86%, to 410. 42 points. Turnover was NIS 2. 64 billion. The TASE may have halted the slide of the last two sessions today, but it continued to suffer from pretty volatile trading, after a hesitant start to the week on world markets. Tel Aviv opened trading with rises of up to 1. 5% in the Tel Aviv 25 index, but when investors saw that other markets were not rising in line, the momentum in Tel Aviv weakened as well. In the afternoon the indices actually entered negative territory, and then moved up and...
Chemi Peres likely to win Israel iPhone franchise
Guy Hadass, Globes Online 7/30/2007
Chemi Peres is the son of President Shimon Peres. He is a co-founder of Pitango Venture Capital, Israel's largest venture capital fund, according to IVC Online. - Peres is reportedly negotiating with the current Apple franchisee Yeda Computers to buy the franchise for several million dollars. Nehemia (Chemi) Peres is likely to get the Israel marketing franchise for Apple Inc. (Nasdaq:AAPL) products within a few months, predict sources in the communications and computing market. There have been reports that Peres would import Apple's new iPhone cellular device, but it now seems that he will be the exclusive franchisee for all Apple products. Apple makes desktop and laptop computers, the iPod video music player, operating systems, software, cellular devices, and other products.
First "Israel Today" edition published today
Adi Dovrat and Yael Gaoni, Globes Online 7/30/2007
The newspaper asks for triple the ad prices asked by Israel's other free newspaper, "Israeli". - "Israel Today" published its first edition today, after months of secrecy. The free newspaper is owned by Sheldon Adelson. The paper's staff say that 150,000 copies were distributed this morning. The paper has 32 pages of current affairs, opinions, sports, business, and recreation. "Israel Today" announced that it would give NPOs and welfare organizations free advertising during its first month. It added that, except for these free ads, it would not publish ads by companies. Sources inform "Globes" that the newspaper is negotiating with other media companies to advertise in the paper. A senior source at a media company told "Globes" that ""Israel Today" sought to open negotiations with his company about possible...
Ruth Tenne: The First Six Days - Book Review
Review by Ruth Tenne, Palestine Chronicle 7/30/2007
The story of the Palestinian village of Abu Dis is a microcosm of the collective Palestinian experience; this book, is an attempt to retell the story from the viewpoint of that small place near East Jerusalem. - The First Six Days: Nandita Dowson and Abdul Wahab Sabbah(Eds)- Published by Camden-Abu-Dis Friendship Association, CADFA, 2007 - The First Six Days is a tale of the dispossessed, humiliated, andbeaten but not defeated. To the readers it may sound as a forgotten history butfor the Palestinians, whose stories are told in this moving book, it was the beginning of an oppressive occupation which became part of their everyday reality. The plainspoken narratives of 21 Palestinians from the village of Abu-Dis near East Jerusalem represent the oral history of a nation which has been crushed and trampled upon by a superior military power thatstruck at dawn on the 5th June 1967. -- See also: http://www.camdenabudis.org
Army advances on militants in Nahr al-Bared, predicts quick end to battle
Nour Samaha and Mohammed Zaatari, Daily Star 7/31/2007
BEIRUT: The army stepped up its offensive on the northern refugee camp of Nahr al-Bared on Monday, moving in closer to the base of the Fatah al-Islam militants still holed up inside the camp. In addition, mainstream Fatah commander Sultan Abu al-Aynan voiced his optimism for a quick end to the battle. Army troops are "moving forward. We are controlling more buildings by the day, after clearing them of unexploded ordnance and booby-traps," an army official said on Monday. "The gunmen now only control about 15,000 square meters," compared to 22,500 square meters last Friday and 45,000 square meters a week before then, he added. In a statement issued for the 62nd anniversary of the founding of the Lebanese Army, commander General Michel Suleiman praised his troops for their efforts.
Jumblatt blasts recent Nasrallah speeches
Rym Ghazal, Daily Star 7/31/2007
Siniora takes less polemic stance - BEIRUT: Progressive Socialist Party leader MP Walid Jumblatt on Monday ripped Hizbullah chief Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah's recent speeches, while Parliament Speaker Nabih Berri's spokesman said Berri might call for a national dialogue on his own if feuding politicians fail to reconcile before August 15. "Would you call 'a detail' the closing down of hundreds of business in Downtown due to the anti-government sit-in? " asked Jumblatt in an interview with the newspaper al-Anbaa to be published on Tuesday. During an interview with Al-Jazeera last week, Nasrallah called the eight-month-old sit-in to topple the government of Premier Fouad Siniora a "detail." "Is it a detail to say that dialogue and discussing the international court [to try those behind the killing of former Prime Minister Rafik Hariri are] a waste of time? " asked Jumblatt.
Visiting Spanish minister sees 'will to end crisis' in Lebanon
Rym Ghazal, Daily Star 7/31/2007
BEIRUT: Spanish Foreign Minister Miguel Angel Moratinos ended his two-day visit to Lebanon and traveled to Damascus on Monday, as Spain added its efforts to those of the French in trying to resolve Lebanon's nine-month-old political deadlock. "There is a Lebanese will to end the crisis," Moratinos told reporters on Monday after his meeting with Parliament Speaker Nabih Berri. Following in the footsteps of French Foreign Minister Bernard Kouchner, Moratinos met with leading Lebanese politicians before heading to Syria later in the day on Monday. "Syria is part of the solution and is part of the problem" in Lebanon, Moratinos said. Moratinos is expected to meet with Syrian President Bashar Assad and other senior Syrian officials after pledging in Lebanon to "help the Lebanese bring an end to the crisis.
US: Saudi Arabia destabilising Iraq
Al Jazeera 7/29/2007
The US ambassador to the United Nations has accused Saudi Arabia and other US allies in the Middle East of undermining efforts to curb violence in Iraq. Zalmay Khalilzad's comments, during a CNN interview on Sunday, follow reports that the US is set to announce the proposed sale of $20bn in weapons to Saudi Arabia and other Gulf states. Khalilzad said he was also referring to Saudi Arabia when he wrote in an opinion piece in the New York Times last week that "several of Iraq's neighbours - not only Syria and Iran but also some friends of the US - are pursuing destabilising policies". "Yes, well, there is no question that... Saudi Arabia and a number of other countries are not doing all they can to help us in Iraq," Khalilzad, the former US ambassador to Iraq, said.
US says arms pact aims to counter Iran, Syria
Compiled by Daily Star staff, Daily Star 7/31/2007
Rice hypes deal as part of 'quest for peace' - The US is forging new military aid pacts with regional allies to counter "negative" influences by Al-Qaeda and Hizbullah, as well as Syria and Iran, and to help "ensure Lebanon's independence" Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice said Monday. Ahead of her trip to the Middle East with Defense Secretary Robert Gates, Rice confirmed US plans to offer a $13 billion package for Egypt over 10 years and a $30 billion package for Israel over the same period, increases over previous military funding, as well as unspecified defense aid to Saudi Arabia and Gulf states. "In advance of my trip to the Middle East with Secretary Gates, I am pleased to announce a renewed commitment to the security of our key strategic partners in the region," Rice said in a statement before her trip beginning Monday.
US funds allies against Iran
Al Jazeera 7/30/2007
The US has announced military aid worth more than $43bn to Egypt, Israel, Saudi Arabia and other Gulf states in an effort to boost its Middle East allies against Iran. Egypt will receive $13bn in aid over 10 years while $30bn will go to Israel over the same period, Condoleezza Rice, the US secretary of state, said on Monday. She also said that an unspecified defence aid package was allocated for Saudi Arabia and the Gulf states. The Saudi package is expected to upgrade the country's missile defences and air force and increase its naval capabilities, a defence official said on Saturday. Saudi Arabia and the other Gulf countries are likely to receive as much as $20bn over 10 years, he said. Rice made the announcement hours before leaving with Robert Gates, the US defence secretary, for a joint...
Iraqi Christians flee ancient roots for uncertain future in Beirut suburbs
Haro Chakmakjian, Daily Star 7/31/2007
JDEIDEH: Reduced to sneaking in the night across borders to escape and then moonlighting to survive, most Iraqi Christian families are resigned to never returning to the land of their ancestors." Under Saddam we lived in safety. At least we had our dignity and a decent life," said Duleir Nuri Sleiman, father of three girls, referring to Iraq's executed dictator Saddam Hussein, who ruled with an iron fist. With his eyes on Europe or the United States for resettlement, Sleiman has reached the transit stop of Lebanon, filled with worries about health care, schooling and avoiding detention by immigration authorities. The Chaldean family of five lives in a Spartan room above a barber's shop in the Christian suburb of Jdeideh, relying on his modest income as a painter and decorator.
IRAQ: Families in south displaced as former Baathists targeted
Afif Sarhan/IRIN, IRIN - UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs 7/31/2007
Former Ba'athist official Mustafa Bakri has lost his family, house and friends and now begs in the streets - BASRA, 30 July 2007 (IRIN) - Militants in southern areas of Iraq are reportedly targeting former members of the Baath Party in a bid to exterminate them, causing new displacements, according to local non-governmental organisations (NGOs). At least 200 ex-members of the Baath Party of former Iraqi leader Saddam Hussein have been killed so far. According to local police, hundreds of families have been forced to flee their homes. "Militias are conducting a campaign to exterminate over 4,000 members of the Baath Party," said Hassan Dureid, spokesperson for Iraqi Brothers Relief, a local NGO working in southern Iraq. "Most of these people didn't have a choice and were obliged to join the party during the ex-regime.
SYRIA: Minister criticises lack of international support for refugee health
Julien Lennert/IRIN, IRIN - UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs 7/31/2007
Iraq's victory in the Asian Cup final gave refugees in Damascus a rare moment of joy - DAMASCUS, 30 July 2007 (IRIN) - Syria's minister of health said providing free medical care to the over 1. 5 million Iraqi refugees in Syria is costing the country around US$60 million a year, a burden he criticised the international community for failing to take responsibility for. "It was the duty of the international community to take the initiative long before now to stop the suffering of our Iraqi brothers," said Maher Housami, speaking on 30 July at the end of a two-day conference in Damascus organised by the World Health Organization (WHO) to address the health crisis among Iraqi refugees' displaced by the four-year-old US-led invasion. The WHO conference, attended by the health ministers of Syria, Jordan, Iraq and...
US defense, diplomacy chiefs make key Mideast trip
Middle East Online 7/30/2007
Khalilzad: The Saudis 'are not doing all they can to help us in Iraq' - Rice, Gates to address security issues in region as Khalilzad slams Saudi role in Iraq. - WASHINGTON - US President George W. Bush's defense chief and top diplomat head Monday on a vital mission to the Middle East to seek Arab support for Iraqi government and discuss weapons sales to regional allies. Amid growing calls at home to withdraw US forces in Iraq, Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice and defense chief Robert Gates were also expected to reaffirm US position regarding Iran. In addition, Washington is expected to underline concerns that some Sunni Arab nations are offering financial aid to foreign fighters fueling the insurgency against the fragile Shiite-led, US-backed government in Baghdad.
Environment Ministry outlines oil-spill clean-up efforts, defends response to crisis
Nafez Zouk, Daily Star 7/31/2007
BATROUN: Environment Ministry director general Berge Hadjian guaranteed on Monday that there was "no problem at all with swimming in the sea" and "60 to 70 percent of the oil spilled has been cleaned up." Hadjian's remarks were made at a news conference in Batroun held by the ministry at the National Center for Marine Sciences to outline the status and progress of cleaning the oil spill that fouled some 120 kilometers of Lebanon's coast during last summer's war with Israel. About 15,000 tons of crude oil poured into the Mediterranean Sea last July when Israel bombed the Jiyyeh power plant south of Beirut. The conference, called One Year On - The Oil Spill Crisis in Lebanon, also included a panel discussion with Hadjian, ministry press officer and development specialist Ghada Mitri and Gaby Khalaf, director of the National Marine Center.
UAE refurbishes schools in Lebanon
Government of the United Arab Emirates, ReliefWeb 7/30/2007
Beirut - Two schools in Lebanon have been refurbished, thanks to the continuous good works of the UAE Project for the Support and Rebuilding of Lebanon, a body set up by the UAE to assist in the reconstruction efforts of Lebanon in the aftermath of last year's Israeli aggression against that country. The organisation has announced that, for the second time, repair and refurbishment works had been completed on the Ain El Helwa Primary School and Sidon Government Girls Primary School. The two schools were seriously damaged following the recent armed clashes between the Lebanese Armed Forces and Islamic militants, Jund el Sham, in the area where the two schools are located. The organisation had earlier this year repaired the two schools and handed them over to the Lebanese authority before the armed clashes occurred...
Articles
Reclaiming Palestine
Osamah Khalil, Electronic Intifada 7/30/2007
In Gaza City, a member of Hamas' Executive Forces stands in front of a mural of the late leader of the Palestinian Liberation Organization (PLO), Yasser Arafat. In 1993 Arafat signed the Oslo Accords that created the Palestinian Authority (PA). Now, especially after Fatah's deposing of the democratically elected Hamas government, the PA is said to no longer be a body that represents the Palestinian people and only through a reviving of the PLO will Palestinians around the world once again have a sole representative organization to speak on their behalf.
Today, Palestine and the Palestinians are divided as never before.The West Bank and Gaza are geographically and politically separated, and Israel's Apartheid Wall is carving the West Bank into isolated cantons. These divisions are exacerbated by the political rift between Fatah and Hamas and the specter of civil war.Meanwhile, stateless Palestinian refugees are largely disconnected from their brethren in Palestine and the Diaspora, as well as from any semblance of a representative national movement.Another far more intangible factor, has been the impact on the Palestinian psyche not just of 41 years of a brutal occupation, but of assisting in their own oppression since the Oslo Accords were signed. This environment does not create states or peace, it perpetuates personal and societal devastation.Thus begging the question: what can be done to reverse this trend toward permanent dislocation?By concentrating on dissolving the Palestinian Authority (PA) and reviving the Palestine Liberation Organization (PLO), Palestinians, and all those sympathetic to their cause, can take advantage of a window of opportunity that currently exists to reclaim their national movement.
Letter to President Bush From Evangelical Leaders
New York Times 7/29/2007
Dear Mr. President:
We write as evangelical Christian leaders in the United States to thank you for your efforts (including the major address on July 16) to reinvigorate the Israeli-Palestinian negotiations to achieve a lasting peace in the region. We affirm your clear call for a two-state solution. We urge that your administration not grow weary in the time it has left in office to utilize the vast influence of America to demonstrate creative, consistent and determined U.S. leadership to create a new future for Israelis and Palestinians. We pray to that end, Mr. President.
We also write to correct a serious misperception among some people including some U.S. policymakers that all American evangelicals are opposed to a two-state solution and creation of a new Palestinian state that includes the vast majority of the West Bank. Nothing could be further from the truth. We, who sign this letter, represent large numbers of evangelicals throughout the U.S. who support justice for both Israelis and Palestinians. We hope this support will embolden you and your administration to proceed confidently and forthrightly in negotiations with both sides in the region.
As evangelical Christians, we embrace the biblical promise to Abraham: "I will bless those who bless you." (Genesis 12:3). And precisely as evangelical Christians committed to the full teaching of the Scriptures, we know that blessing and loving people (including Jews and the present State of Israel) does not mean withholding criticism when it is warranted. Genuine love and genuine blessing means acting in ways that promote the genuine and long-term well being of our neighbors. Perhaps the best way we can bless Israel is to encourage her to remember, as she deals with her neighbor Palestinians, the profound teaching on justice that the Hebrew prophets proclaimed so forcefully as an inestimably precious gift to the whole world.
Iraq withdrawal follies
Tom Engelhardt, Asia Times 7/28/2007
Withdrawal is now so mainstream. Last week, debate about it led to a sleep-in protest in the US Senate and, this week, it has hit the cover of Time magazine, of which there's no more mainstream publication around. The Time cover couldn't be more graphic. The word "Iraq" is in all-capitals giant type, the "I", "R" and "Q" all black, and a helicopter is carting off a Stars and Stripes "A" to reveal the phrase, "What will happen when we leave." (Some military weblogs now claim that the helicopter in silhouette is actually an old Soviet Mi-24 Hind; if so, maybe the designer had the embattled Russian withdrawal from Afghanistan in mind.)
Still, is there anyplace in the news where you can't find the word "withdrawal", or its pals "exit", "pull out", and "leaving", right now? Here are just a few recent headlines featuring the word that has come in from the cold: "Most Americans want Congress to make withdrawal decision, according to poll"; "The logistics of exiting Iraq"; "US withdrawal from Iraq would be a massive undertaking"; "Americans want withdrawal, deadline in Iraq"; "Washington's House Democrats join in calling for Iraq troop withdrawal"; "Withdrawal fallout could lead to chaos"; "Exit strategies"; "Iraq warns against early US withdrawal"; and so on ad infinitum.
Think of that as "progress" - as in Baghdad commander General David Petraeus' upcoming mid-September "Progress Report" to Congress. After all, it wasn't so long ago that no one (except obscure sites on the Internet) was talking about withdrawing US forces from Iraq.
Here's the odd thing, though: "withdrawal", as an idea, has been undergoing a transformation in full public view. In the world of the Washington consensus and in the mainstream press, it has been edging ever closer to what normally might be thought of as "non-withdrawal" (just as happened in the Vietnam era). In fact, you can search far and wide for reports on "withdrawal" plans that suggest a full-scale US withdrawal from Iraq and, most of the time, find nothing amid the pelting rain of withdrawal words.
The blurred line between war news, propaganda
Khody Akhavi, Asia Times 7/31/2007
WASHINGTON - A shocking thing happens midway through Norman Solomon's documentary film, War Made Easy. While analyzing the George W Bush administration's lead-up to the Iraq invasion, Solomon, a longtime anti-war activist and media critic, plays a news clip of Eason Jordan, a CNN News chief executive who, in an interview with CNN, boasts of the network's cadre of professional "military experts". In fact, CNN's retired military generals turned war analysts were so good, Eason said, that they had all been vetted and approved by the US government.
"I went to the Pentagon myself several times before the war started and met with important people," he said. "We got a big thumbs-up on all of [the generals]."
In a country revered for its freedom of speech and unfettered press, Eason's comments would infuriate any veteran reporter who upholds the most basic and important tenet of the journalistic profession: independence.
But the relationship between the press and government in the United States during times of war is changing. In Solomon's film, it is just one example of the collusion between the government and the mainstream news media.
Sonja Karkar: Israel's Human Rights Violations
Sonja Karkar, Palestine Chronicle 7/30/2007
By following Western media, one could be excused for thinking that Israel's human rights violations against the Palestinians stopped since the Palestinian factions began fighting each other.
Just about every report and article written in the Western media these past weeks have focused on the rift between Fatah and Hamas and US overtures to broker a peace deal that may finally allow the Palestinians a state of sorts. Any mention of Israel is in the light of urbane diplomatic discussions between it and the other main players minus, of course, Hamas with Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert showing a most remarkable willingness to agree to a peace settlement that would see the Palestinians getting back around 90 per cent of the West Bank. If only there was reason to believe that the leopard has changed its spots.
The truth of the matter is that nothing has changed on the ground for the Palestinians. Israel is rolling into the occupied Palestinian territories with its tanks and armoured vehicles and using its war plan
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