Israeli police remove hundreds of protestors from ex-West Bank settlement
Police on Sunday afternoon removed hundreds of right-wing activists from a grove close to the ruins of the settlement of Homesh, one of four northern West Bank settlements evacuated when Israel pulled out of the Gaza Strip during the 2005 disengagement. Many of those planning to reach the location had purchased bricks, which they intend to carry with them for building a synagogue at the site.
Right-wing activists barred from ex-settlement hurl rocks at Palestinian homes in nearby villlage
The residents of the West Bank village of Burkah responded to the settlers' attack by hurling rocks back at them, as large police and army forces arrived to calm the situation. Border Police officers forcibly evacuated several dozen of the activists from the West Bank village. The hills surrounding Homesh were still occupied Sunday evening by hundreds of youths, who Dagan said would try again to reach the former settlement. He said that two more groups were expected overnight, and that they would try to march to Homesh.
Two Hamas members killed by invading Israeli forces in Gaza
Two fighters from Hamas' armed wing, the Qassam Brigades, were killed on Sunday morning in an armed confrontation with invading Israeli forces in Beit Lahiya, in the northern Gaza Strip. The Qassam Brigades confirmed that 19-year-old Muhammad Ma'roof and Mustafa Abbas, aged 20, were killed whilst attempting to ambush an Israeli undercover force.
Israel kills four Palestinian militants
Israel killed four Palestinian gunmen in the Gaza Strip overnight, two in a ground assault and two in an air strike against militants launching rockets at the Jewish state, Palestinian witnesses and medics said. Palestinian witnesses said an Israeli attack helicopter opened fire in northern Gaza, killing two militants. The Islamic Jihad group said both were members and that they had been firing rockets at Israel. An Israeli military spokesman said the air attack was launched after two rockets slammed into the southern town of Sderot, one striking a school and lightly injuring an Israeli woman. Israel launched a second air strike after dark in Gaza, shooting a missile at a vehicle carrying Hamas militants on a coastal road. But the militants went unscathed, witnesses and Hamas sources said.
PLC vote-of-confidence session fails
The Palestinian Legislative Council was scheduled to hold a session on Sunday to vote on confidence for the new Palestinian government headed by caretaker Prime Minister, Salam Fayyad. But for the third time in two weeks, the PLC failed to convene as a result of the boycott of factional blocs, and it remained bound by the Hamas-Fatah disagreement. The session was called by acting PLC speaker, Ahmad Bahar, from the Hamas bloc.
Blair mission will fail unless he talks to Hamas
Daniel Levy, 39, a former Israeli peace negotiator and the son of Blair's former Middle East envoy, Lord Levy, said the West's effort to bolster the Palestinian president, Mahmoud Abbas, could not work if it ignored Hamas's control of Gaza, part of the Palestinian territory. He claimed that Blair's record in Northern Ireland meant he understood the need to talk to extremists. Blair will today make his first trip to the region since he was appointed envoy by the quartet of powers
Chairman Abbas pledges to work for release of all 11.000 Palestinian prisoners – by Amira Hass
The reception Friday for the 255 Palestinian prisoners released from Israeli jails lasted for three hours, and not a single shot was fired. It may be assumed that the 255 released prisoners were not welcomed by celebratory gunfire because nobody was pretending that this was a political victory. . . Mohammad Jaradat, from Silat al Harithiya near Jenin, is the most veteran of the prisoners. He was sentenced to 20 years' imprisonment of which he served 18. "When I heard my name being read on the radio on Tuesday," he told Haaretz, "I was sure it was a mistake. After all, none of the prisoners jailed before the Oslo Accords was being released. I welcome this mistake, but my joy is only partial. I don't understand why Israel refuses to release my friends from Fatah and the other PLO organizations, who like me were sentenced before Oslo and have been in jail for 25 or 30 years. They are all elderly, some are very sick. This is vengeance and nothing more."
Machsom (Checkpoint) Watch summary for June 2007
The people from Salem, Deir Al Hatab, Azmut, Beit Dajan and Beit Furik have almost no water resources of their own. Most of their land and pastures are from the other side of the road that is called `Madison pivot`, which they are not allowed to cross. Their herds don`t know anything about bureaucracy or settlements, but they want to drink water. There is no dispute about the fact that these lands belong to the Palestinians, but the IDF, which works in service of the settlers in Elon Moreh, won`t allow them to cross the road that passes between the villages and the fields.
For first time, an Israeli textbook offers Palestinian narrative of the country's creation
A new third grade textbook for 'Israeli Arab' students acknowledges that Israel's creation was a tragedy for Palestinians, Israeli officials said Sunday — a rare statement that remains explosive six decades after the country was founded. The Education Ministry has no plans to introduce the Arab narrative into textbooks for Jewish students. Some hardline Israelis vowed to fight the decision by Education Minister Yuli Tamir, insisting it made Israel look like it was apologizing for its own existence.
Egyptians prepare to host those stranded at Rafah Crossing
The secretary general of the northern Sinai governorates, Ahmad Tawfeiq, said on Saturday that "coordination is ongoing with the Egyptian Red Cross and the directorate of social solidarity to construct three youth camps and three schools to host the Palestinians stranded at the Rafah crossing". He stated that the camps will be provided with beds, furniture and the basic requirements for daily life. [Looks all too permanent….
Egypt opens shelters in Sinai to house stranded Palestinians
Egypt opened shelters on Thursday to house hundreds of Palestinians stranded at the closed border with the Gaza Strip for fear that some could resort to sleeping on the streets, an Egyptian official said. Border guards and police patrolling the Egyptian border were put on alert over concern that Palestinians in Gaza would blow holes in a border wall to allow those stranded to return home. About 6,000 Palestinians are waiting on the Egyptian side of the crossing, according to the Palestinian Ministry of Information. Most are staying with relatives, in mosques, at an airport or in rented houses. Some 30,000 others are waiting elsewhere in Egypt, the ministry said.
Erekat: Explore all options for bringing home Palestinians stranded in Egypt
In an interview with the Palestinian news agency Ma'an, PLO chief negotiator Saeb Erekat said the Palestinians, who have been stuck in Egypt since the crossing was closed following Hamas' takeover of Gaza, could be allowed into the West Bank through the Amman airport or the Uja crossing in the Jordan Valley. Erekat said he personally asked Egypt's Assistant Intelligence Chief Mohammed Ibrahim to reopen the crossing, saying his request was denied on the grounds that Egypt cannot reopen the crossing without Israel's consent.
Egyptians protest Cairo plan to evict them from Gaza border area
Over 700 Egyptians protested Sunday a government plan to evict them from their homes in order to improve security along the border between Egypt and the Gaza Strip, police and demonstrators said. Egyptian authorities have previously evicted residents living within 50 meters of the border to prevent traffickers and militants from digging tunnels to covertly enter Gaza. Protesters on Sunday were demonstrating against a new plan that would evict people from homes within an additional 100 meters from the border.
Egyptian police kill Sudanese woman trying to enter Israel
Many refugees trying to enter Israel from Egypt have been arrested and some wounded by police, but Haja Abbas Haroun's death was the first of its kind. Haroun, 28, was killed instantly by police gunfire, while four others, including a woman and young girl, were critically wounded and taken to a local hospital. The border guards arrested 22 refugees with Haroun who were also seeking political asylum in Israel, Badr added. Eighteen from the group, including Haroun and three of the wounded, were from Darfur region.
Counter-Tourism: Young Jews tour the West Bank to see what life for Palestinians is really like
This is what Birthright Unplugged is all about. Founded two years ago, the tiny Boston-based tour of the West Bank was designed to give Jews and others an intimate look at Palestinian life on both sides of the wall. It was created by Mermelstein and Alwan as a sharp contrast to Birthright Israel, a free Zionist tour of Israel that has become the standard first exposure to the country for thousands of young Jews around the world. . . The women also run a tour called Re-Plugged, a two-day trip for Palestinian children who want to visit their grandparents' ancestral villages, the Mediterranean Sea, and Jerusalem before age 16, when Israel restricts their mobility.
Israel to EU: We oppose giving political role to PA donor states
Israel has sent a message to the European Union saying it opposes an initiative to form an umbrella group by countries who provide aid to the Palestinian Authority. Since the Oslo accords between Israel and the Palestinian Authority were signed in 1993, the said donor states have transferred billions of dollars in humanitarian aid to the Palestinians, and helped revive the ailing Palestinian economy. Livni said that Israel does not want the donor states to become a political body that deals with issues such as a final status solution between Israel and the Palestinians.
Palestinian ex-fugitives eager to live normal life
For Minwer al-Aqra, another pardoned militant who was on the run for about six years, going to cafes and restaurants or taking the children to playgrounds were almost taboo. The 32-year old had not seen his son and daughter for four years. "My kids were calling their uncle, 'Daddy,"' he said. "I was sneaking at night to see them, like a thief. Now I can see them, dine in a restaurant with family, friends and relatives.
PA security forces abduct 22 Hamas loyalists in the West Bank
Hamas said that the detainees include a local council member. Hamas issued a statement announcing that the security services apprehended Hamas loyalists in the West Bank towns of Salfit, Tubas, the Jenin districts of the northern West Bank, the area of Ramallah and Bethlehem. A Hamas spokesperson said that there have been 737 assaults on Hamas loyalists ranging from ransacking homes to shooting incidents and kidnappings.
Qassam Brigades leader Ibrahim Hamid is dismissed from his court hearing
Hamid was arrested a year-and-a-half ago. His defense attorneys said that they learned from the preliminary reading of his bill of indictment that he has been accused of murdering 40 Israelis and injuring hundreds. His advocates expect his trial will be postponed several times due to the extensive bill of indictment, which is estimated to comprise over 8,000 pages.
The threat of the 'demographic threat' – by Gideon Levy
There is no "demographic threat." There is a threat to society's values, which will be determined not by statistics but by the amount of social justice. Talk of a "demographic threat" is not legitimate. Imagine what would happen if a discussion were held in the United States or Europe on "the worrisome natural growth of the Jews."
A Trap for Fools – by Uri Avnery
In a classical American western, the difference is as glaring as the midday sun in Colorado: there are Good Guys and Bad Guys. The good ones are the settlers, who are making the prairie bloom. The bad ones are the Indians, who are blood-thirsty savages. The ultimate hero is the cowboy, tough, humane, with a big revolver or two, ready to defend himself at all times. This week George Bush presented the world with an up-to-date western. The classical western, of course, does not show us the heroic pioneers stealing the land from the Indians. Or the United States Cavalry attacking the camps of the Indians, burning down the tents and killing their inhabitants, men, women and children. How the US government, after signing formal treaties with the Indian nations, breaks them one after another. And how it drives the remnants into desolate regions, long before the term "ethnic cleansing" was first used. Denial runs through the classical western like a purple thread, as it does through this speech of Bush's.
Tony Karon: Bush's Palestinian fantasy
A the Europeans have surely noted, under President Bush and his top officials the U.S. has made itself part of the problem, not part of any prospective solution in the Middle East. That really is one great tragedy of the Bush administration, which essentially outsourced its policy on the Israeli-Palestinian conflict to Ariel Sharon. Sharon's ideas are now so deeply embedded in the mainstream of both parties on Capitol Hill that Congress is even more anti-Palestinian than the administration. As the presidential candidates of both parties fall over one another to take ever harder-line stances on the Palestinians, Iran, and any other subject of concern to Israel, it's an odds-on bet that the naked imperial fashion show will continue, no matter who replaces Bush on the imperial throne.
Martyr Abu Ammar Brigades fighters refuse to hand over weapons or renounce violence
The official spokesperson affirmed the brigades' loyalty to political leaders and Fatah decisions, but announced that the group refuses to handover its weapons or renounce violence against Israel. The announcement follows the declaration of the main military wing of Fatah, the Al Aqsa Brigades, last Sunday in which the fighters abandoned the armed struggle against Israel.
Temporary International Presence to open new office in heart of old city of Hebron
TIPH is a civilian observer mission in the West Bank city of Hebron consisting of personnel from Norway, Italy, Sweden, Denmark, Switzerland and Turkey. TIPH was founded during the Oslo peace talks in 1993 by the Palestinian Authority and the Israeli government to assist them in their efforts to restore normalcy to the city of Hebron.
Gaza medical staff rescue four citizens from drowning
on Sunday after they became in danger of drowning in the sea near Khan Younis. Palestinian medical sources said that rescue teams had been trained in life-saving and first aid after a series of drowning incidents off the Gaza coastline.
Three female corpses discovered in a deserted area of the Gaza Strip
The Hamas-affiliated Executive Force and medical staff discovered the bodies. According to Palestinian medical sources, there was evidence of knife wounds and suffocation on the corpses. A Palestinian security source informed Ma'an that the corpses were identified as three sisters aged between 17 and 22. Minister of women's affairs, Khouloud Daibes, called for an immediate investigation into the incident. She also appealed for efforts to end all killing "whether for honour, or any other cause."
Disgrace unto the nations – by Nurit Peled-Elbanan
Bassam and I are both victims of the cruel occupation that has been corrupting this country for forty years now. The two of us came this evening to lament the fate of this place that has buried our two daughters — Smadar, whose name means 'the bud of the fruit', and Abeer 'the perfume of the flower', who were murdered at an interval of ten years, ten years during which this country has filled with the blood of children and the underground kingdom of children on which we tread day by day and hour by hour has grown to overflowing.
Hate site's list of 'self-hating Jews' – future 'Righteous Jews' to the Palestinians?
Below is a Self-Hating Israel-Threatening List of nearly 8,000 Jews. Despite what they may or may not admit, they are NOT friends of Israel. Unfortunately, they are but the "tip of the iceberg" and so Masada2000.org will continue adding names and photos. If YOU know of other disgraceful Judenrats, feel free to pass on to us their names and information as to why they should be included on this list. (They don't even have to be famous!) You will remain anonymous.
Mideast policy in a fantasy world
During Ehud Olmert's visit to Washington last month, I asked a senior Israeli official to explain what the prime minister thought would be the result of his policy -- quickly embraced by the Bush administration -- of isolating the Hamas movement in the Gaza Strip. His answer: As conditions worsened, Palestinians in Gaza would grow steadily more disgruntled with Hamas. Eventually, they would turn on their rulers, and the rump Islamic state that threatens to take hold between Egypt and Israel would collapse. Fatah -- which Israel and the United States are supporting in the West Bank -- would regain control. In other words, Israeli policy is counting on Gaza's impoverished and largely uneducated population to stage the first popular revolution against a domestic government in the modern history of the Arab Middle East. It also assumes that people suffering from extreme privation will respond by demanding a more moderate government.
Time for a new Palestinian Liberation Movement – by Tony Sayegh
What is new is the formation of a Vichy, collaborationist "government" that is working openly with the occupier to formalize this liquidation of Palestinian rights. It is true that the main quislings in this open collaboration are old faces who have been preparing for this day for sometime. What is new is their emergence in the open as a tool of the occupation, with no apologies or shame. Some of the collaboration used to take place quietly, behind closed doors, and if found out, used to be denied; no more. When the "old man" Arafat was around, this vermin did not dare to go this far in their collaboration and treason, and that is why they conspired with the Mossad to poison him.
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