High Court bars Gazan students from studying in West Bank
Ha'aretz 8/12/2007
The High Court of Justice on Tuesday rejected a petition by a group of Palestinian students from Gaza against Israel's policy of barring students from the Gaza Strip from studying in the West Bank, even when there is no evidence that they pose a security threat to the state. The decision was made by a panel of judges chaired by Justice Elyakim Rubinstein. The petition was submitted in 2005 by a group of occupational therapy students from Gaza who had enrolled at Bethlehem University because the university of Gaza did not have an occupational therapy program. The Israel Defense Forces and the state claim that the students belong to a 'risk group,' and that the decision to collectively bar them from studying in the West Bank is part of the broader government policy regarding the Palestinian Authority since Hamas' ascension to power in Gaza.
Erekat: Olmert promised removal of roadblocks
Associated Press, YNetNews 8/11/2007
Chief Palestinian negotiator Saeb Erekat says Israel promised Palestinian president to remove major West Bank roadblocks, while Israeli cabinet minister hints no far-reaching changes will take place - Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert has promised Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas to release in coming days a list of major West Bank roadblocks that will be removed, Chief Palestinian negotiator Saeb Erekat said Saturday. An Israeli Cabinet minister confirmed that Israeli Defense Minister Ehud Barak is considering a removal of some roadblocks, but suggested there would not be far-reaching changes. The safety of Israelis takes precedent, said the Cabinet minister, Binyamin Ben-Eliezer. On Friday an Israeli newspaper portrayed Barak as being dismissive of Olmert's recent efforts to revive peace talks with the Palestinians.
President Abbas mandates electoral system of proportional representation
Ma'an News Agency 8/11/2007
Bethlehem – Ma'an – Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas has issued a presidential decree mandating the adoption of a full proportional representation system of "lists" in any forthcoming elections. This presidential decree came in the context of calls for PLO elections, the elections for popular organizations and in the forthcoming elections of the Palestinian National Council. [end]
Palestinian cameraman badly injured by Israeli gunfire unable to leave Gaza Strip to get artificial legs in Egypt
Ma'an News Agency 8/11/2007
Bethlehem – Ma'an - One month after asking Israeli Defense Minister Ehud Barak to investigate the circumstances in which Israeli soldiers fired on Palestinian cameraman Imad Ghanem on 5th July in the Gaza Strip, Reporters Without Borders today called for the results of the investigation to be published. Ghanem, who lost both legs as a result of the shooting, is meanwhile waiting to be allowed to leave the Gaza Strip and go to Egypt to be fitted with artificial legs. "The only reaction from the Israeli authorities to our initial request for information, the day after the shooting, was to say that the origin of the shots could not be identified in the footage available, and to claim that Ghanem was 'working among the terrorists'," the organisation for press freedom said.
Arafat's doctor: His blood had HIV, but poison killed him
Ha'aretz 8/12/2007
Late Palestinian Authority chairman Yasser Arafat's blood contained the deadly HIV virus, Arafat's personal physician told Jordanian media over the weekend. Dr. Ashraf al-Kurdi stressed, however, that Arafat did not die of AIDS - which is caused by the virus. Jordanian news site Amman quoted al-Kurdi - a former Jordanian health ministry official - as saying that the virus had been injected into Arafat's bloodstream close to his death, and that the real cause of the chairman's death was poison. Hours earlier, al-Kurdi was interviewed on television news station Al-Jazeera. However, the network cut short the live interview with al-Kurdi as soon as he mentioned that the former chairman had contracted HIV. To Amman, al-Kurdi said that Arafat's death was suspicious in several other respects.
Israel collaborator appears after Hamas claims Fatah killed him
Ha'aretz 8/12/2007
Palestinian legislator Khaleda Jarrar said she had been misled about Bani Odeh by Tawfiq Tirawi, head of the PA General Intelligence Service. -- Palestine TV on Saturday broadcast footage of the interrogation of Muayad Bani Odeh, a prisoner held for collaborating with Israel, who Hamas claimed was tortured to death by Palestinian Authority Chairman Mahmoud Abbas' security forces. Bani Odeh, 25, told interrogators he had been a member of Hamas since 2002 but had collaborated with Israeli security forces. Odeh said that in 2003 he gave Israel information that led to the killing of five fugitives, including three from Hamas, in his home village of Tamoun in the West Bank. The video was marked with Friday's date, the same day deposed PA prime minister Ismail Haniyeh announced Bani Odeh was tortured to death in a West Bank prison.
Statement from the Bani Odeh family
Palestinian Information Center 8/11/2007
"We and the entire village were subjected to a nerve-twisting game by the security agencies." - Translated by Khalid Amayreh - "The Palestinian (Authority) security agencies arrested our son Mo'ayad nearly 20 days ago at our home in the village of Tammoun. The arrest occurred specifically on 22 July, 2007. When we visited him at the Jenin Prison, where he was transferred, he told us that he was subjected to severe and harsh torture. Other inmates, who were later released, gave us the same account. Mo'yad was coerced (via torture) to give false confessions which he vehemently denied later when he was brought before the court and confronted with other inmates who had given incriminating confessions against him. Mo'yad was transferred to the (notorious) Juneid prison on Thursday, 2 August, 2007...."
Hamas detains Fatah men in Gaza
BBC Online 8/11/2007
Hamas militiamen have detained at least 15 members of their rival Palestinianfaction, Fatah, during raids in Gaza, officials and witnesses say. Scuffles broke out in Beit Hanoun when the Hamas men moved in. Fatah members are reported to have been injured. Television footage showed Hamas militiamen raiding a wedding party. It was one of the biggest sweeps targeting Fatah since Hamas took control of Gaza in June. Hamas says the detainees had violated public security. A Fatah spokesman described the raids as criminal acts. The detentions followed a report, denied by Fatah, that it had sent undercover forces to Gaza in an attempt to overthrow Hamas. The Islamist group's takeover in Gaza has left the Palestinian territories under the control of rival factions.
Another new security plan launches in Nablus, amid gunfire
Ma'an News Agency 8/11/2007
Nablus – Ma'an – For the fourth time in the last few months, the Palestinian security services have announced the launch of a new security campaign, to impose law and order. Hundreds of members of the security services and police were deployed in the streets, while shots were heard in the city of Nablus. The Mayor of Nablus, Jamal Muheisen, said that "this campaign comes on the orders of Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas". Muheisen stated that each stolen car will be removed during this campaign, which will focus on imposing traffic law. [end]
Hamas accuses Abbas security of waging war against it in collaboration with IOF
Palestinian Information Center 8/11/2007
NABLUS, (PIC)-- Hamas accused PA chief Mahmoud Abbas's security apparatuses of waging war against the Movement in partnership with the IOF troops in different parts of the West Bank. The Hamas official spokesman in the West Bank stated that Hamas members are kidnapped by the IOF troops shortly after their release by Abbas's security apparatuses. Similarly Islamic institutions and societies are stormed and ransacked by Fatah-affiliated vandals soon after being stormed and closed by the IOA troops, he pointed out. Hamas listed the names of some detainees whom the IOF and Abbas's militia alternated their kidnapping, the last of them were kidnapped on Friday in Qalqilya city, as well as the names of some associations and institutions.
Left-wing activists, Palestinians cut hole in separation fence
Ha'aretz 8/12/2007
Left-wing activists and Palestinians cut a 30-meter hole in the security fence south of Mount Hebron on Saturday in a demonstration against its construction and route, which they said deviates from the Green Line. The activists said it took Israel Defense Forces at least an hour to reach the site of the incident. There were no clashes between the activists and IDF troops. Jonathan Pollack, one of the protesters, told Haaretz the group had arrived at the site at around 1:30 PM, and had joined forces with a group of Palestinians from a village near Dahariya. The demonstrators even succeeded in disarming the electronic wiring and posts that reinforce the fence. Pollack stressed that the part of the fence that was destroyed deviates from the Green Line set out in the ceasefire agreement following the 1948 War of Independence.
Leftists, Palestinians damage separation fence
Anat Shalev, YNetNews 8/11/2007
Anarchists Against the Wall activists, local residents of Hebron vicinity village cut 30 meters of barbed wire, electric fence - Thirty Palestinian and Anarchists Against the Wall activists damaged the separation fence near Hebron Saturday afternoon. The activists managed to cut 30 meters of the barbed wire and electric fence before security forces arrived at the scene. The activists ceased their activity, and no arrests were carried out. Activists cut separation fence - A source in the left-wing organization said that similar incidents have occurred many times over the years. "We will continue to do this, and join the Palestinian resistance to the occupation," he said. "The fence is a political tool designed to steal as much land from the Palestinians as possible, and to ensure the Israel has strategic control over the Palestinians.
Palestinian women in Israeli jails risk rape, says director of research institute
Ma'an News Agency 8/11/2007
Gaza – Ma'an – Director of the Prisoners Center for Studies and Research, Rifat Hamdona, said on Saturday that female Palestinian prisoners in Israeli jails are at risk of rape. Hamdona said that the Israeli prisons' officers are threatening to rape women during interrogation in order to force them to confess to crimes. However, Hamdona said that there have been no documented cases of rape in the prisons and expressed doubt that such cases exist. He said that the threat of rape is only used in order to exert pressure on female detainees to obtain a confession." Many Palestinians in Israeli jails have died to preserve their dignity and are regularly on hunger strikes, but I have not heard of any case of rape," said Hamdona. [end]
Palestinian security forces detain a Cameraman and release him after several hours
Ghassan Bannoura, International Middle East Media Center 8/11/2007
Palestinian security forces arrested a Palestinian Camera man from his home in Beit Hannon town in the northern part of the Gaza strip on Saturday morning; the man is working for Ramatan News Agency, a local Palestinian agency working in the Gaza strip and the West Bank. The executive force of Hamas, who did the arrest, was involved in stopping a Fatah supporters rally organized in Beit Hannon lat Friday night, the Camera man Ra'ed Kafarnah, told IMEMC that he was covering the incident, later his footage was aired in several international and local TV stations. Kafarnah added that on Saturday morning members of the executive force came to his home and took him to a nearby interrogation center, after several hours he was released. Kafarnah stated clearly that during the questioning he was not assaulted or tortured.
Addamir condemns Hamas' Executive Force over wedding invasion
Ma'an News Agency 8/11/2007
Gaza – Ma'an – The humanitarian organization Addamir on Saturday condemned the Executive Force, for breaking into a wedding party in Beit Hanoun in the northern Gaza Strip and allegedly beating the celebrators indiscriminately. The organization also called on the Executive Force to stop arresting leading Fatah figures. In a statement received by Ma'an, Addamir said that the assault marked a violation of human rights. They also slammed the apprehension of a photojournalist from the Ramatan news agency. [end]
IDF "humiliates" peace activists
Ali Waked, YNetNews 8/11/2007
Peace activists claim soldiers behaved 'shamefully' during security check of clothing donations for Palestinian children. 'The soldiers made us empty bags of clothing on the ground,' activist says - Peace activists claimed they were humiliated by IDF soldiers during a security check Friday, when they arrived at a checkpoint near Nablus with bags of clothing for Palestinian children. Windows, a joint organization of Jews and Palestinians from both sides of the Green Line, occasionally sends aide packages to Palestinians, mainly donated clothing. Israeli members of the organization arrived at an IDF checkpoint Friday, and began transferring the bags of clothing to a Palestinian truck. IDF troops supervised part of the transfer.
IOA extends detention of chairmen of legal society, chairperson of Huda society
Palestinian Information Center 8/11/2007
NABLUS, (PIC)-- The Israeli military court has extended the detention of Mohammed Basharat, the chairman of the Nafha legal society catering for prisoners and human rights for 11 days without leveling any charge against him. Basharat was kidnapped more ten days ago at the hands of IOF troops and is currently held in the Hawara army detention center south of Nablus without trial. The court also extended the detention of Nada Al-Jaysui for 11 days for further interrogation. Jayusi, the chairperson of Huda charitable society for women has been held for more than 35 days without any indictment list being leveled against her. Abu Obaida, the husband of Jayusi, said that the Huda society was licensed by the PA interior ministry, and appealed to PA chief Mahmoud Abbas to step in and save her life in view of the tragic incarceration conditions she is suffering in Maskobeh detention center...
Palestinian report: The IOA buries radioactive waste in the West Bank
Palestinian Information Center 8/11/2007
RAMALLAH, (PIC)-- An official report issued by the General Directorate for Information in the PA revealed that the IOA have been burying thousands of tons of radioactive waste produced by Israeli nuclear reactors as well as other waste from the Israeli settlements in the West Bank for many years. The report charged that the Israeli act conflicts with international laws and covenants, because of the fatal cancerous diseases it has caused to many Palestinian citizens, and appealed to UN to intervene to stop this action "because of its danger to human life, animal, plant and water in the Palestinian land." Palestinian doctors had uncovered recently a serious increase in the incidence of cancer in the villages located in the southern mountains of Al-Khalil in the southern West Bank, and amongst Palestinians in the Negev...
Anti-wall rally in Walaja village
Palestinian Information Center 8/11/2007
BETHLEHEM, (PIC)-- The popular committee in defense of lands in Bethlehem district on Friday organized a protest march against the Israeli-built wall on the village of Walaja. The march was held in the village to the south of occupied Jerusalem where preparatory construction works are currently underway that will end up with annexing most of the village lands. Khaled Al-Eza, head of the committee, in a statement in the rally focused on the importance of spurring Palestinians to confront the growing Israeli annexation of their lands. He called for cultivating and living in those lands, threatened with confiscation, in addition to organizing summer camps in them as part of the campaign against their usurpation. [end]
Palestinian police fight with a Palestinian civilian in Nablus
Ghassan Bannoura, International Middle East Media Center 8/11/2007
A short hand fight took place between Palestinian police officers and a local driver in the northern West Bank city of Nablus on Saturday afternoon. The fight took place during a police campaign to enforce law and order in the city, Palestinian sources reported. During the short fight witnesses said that police officers fired rounds in the air in order to force bystanders to leave the area. No injuries or arrests were reported. Palestinian police source in the city of Nablus said that the city suffers from the stat of lawlessness and lake of security therefore the police did this campaign to restore law and order in the city. [end]
Al Quds Brigades launch homemade projectile at Sderot
Ma'an News Agency 8/11/2007
Bethlehem – Ma'an – The Al Quds Brigades, the military wing of the Islamic Jihad, movement, have claimed responsibility for Friday's launching of a homemade projectile at the Israeli town of Sderot. Israeli sources stated that a Palestinian homemade shell landed in Sderot, causing material damage only. [end]
Palestinian militant wings claim responsibility for Friday's "operation" in Jerusalem
Ma'an News Agency 8/11/2007
Nablus – Ma'an – Three Palestinian military wings on Saturday claimed responsibility for the operation conducted in Jerusalem on Friday. It has been reported that, during the operation, a young Palestinian man grabbed the gun of a security guard and shot him in the shoulder. Other guards returned fire, killing the man and injuring 11 others. In a joint statement, the Abu Ali Mustafa Brigades, the armed wing of the PFLP, the Al-Quds Brigades of the Islamic Jihad and the Al-Aqsa Brigades of Fatah all claimed responsibility for the operation. The name of the deceased man has now been revealed; he was identified by the Arab48 website as Ahmad Mahmoud Al-Khateeb, 27, from the village of Kfar Manda in the Galilee region. He is survived by a wife and young daughter. [end]
J'lem shooter: Israeli Arab from Galilee
Ahiya Raved, YNetNews 8/11/2007
Ahmad Mahmoud Khatib, 29, of Kfar Manda killed by security guard Friday after attempting to snatch another guard's weapon. His relatives, acquaintances claim he did not attempt to carry out terror attack: 'The guards are the only ones who say that he tried to snatch the weapon' - Cleared for publication: The terrorist shot to death Friday after an exchange of fire with a security guard in Jerusalem's Old City has been identified as Ahmad Mahmoud Khatib, 29, of Kfar Manda in the western Galilee. Khatib was survived by his pregnant wife and baby daughter. Shin Bet investigators raided Khatib's village on Friday and arrested a number of residents in order to check whether he had operated on his own or had been sent by an organization. Over the weekend, three Palestinian organizations - the military wings of Fatah,.
Idreis Ja'bary, director of Halhoul police, shot by unidentified gunmen
Ma'an News Agency 8/11/2007
Hebron – Ma'an – A Palestinian security source has revealed that shots have been fired at the director of Halhoul police, north of Hebron. Idreis Ja'bary was shot by unidentified gunmen, injuring him in his feet. Security sources stated that Ja'bary was transferred to the Israeli Hadassah hospital in Jerusalem, after receiving emergency treatment at the Al-Ahli hospital in Hebron. The director of the Hebron governorate police service, Brigadier Majid Hawari, told Ma'an that the Palestinian police have begun investigations in order to catch the shooters, and confirmed that no suspects have yet been arrested. [end]
Abu Ar Rish Brigades launch projectiles at Kissofim
Ma'an News Agency 8/11/2007
Bethlehem – Ma'an – The Abu Ar Rish Brigades, an armed group affiliated to the Fatah movement claimed responsibility on Saturday for launching a homemade projectile and two mortar shells at an Israeli military position near Kissofim. [end]
Abu Ali Mustafa Brigades launch a projectile from Gaza
Ma'an News Agency 8/11/2007
Gaza – Ma'an – The Abu Ali Mustafa Brigades, the armed wing of the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine (PFLP), have claimed responsibility for launching a homemade projectile at Natiev Ha'etsareh and the Erez industrial zone, north of Beit Hanoun. In statement received by Ma'an, the Brigades delcared, "This operation comes in response to Israeli attacks on Palestinians in West Bank and Gaza Strip". [end]
Over 10,000 attend global Islamic movement's West Bank rally
Ha'aretz 8/12/2007
A global Islamic movement called the Liberation Party that aims to bring Muslims back to their religion drew a crowd of more than 10,000 at a rally Saturday, and speakers denounced Palestinian Authority leaders in the West Bank as infidels. However, the Liberation Party espouses non-violent change, and Palestinian security officials said they would not restrict the movement's activities as long as it does not resort to violence. The Liberation Party, founded in 1953 by a Palestinian cleric in Jerusalem, calls for re-establishing the caliphate, or Islamic state, across the Muslim world. Saturday's rally was held on the sports field of the Quaker-run Friends School, a private English-speaking school. "The caliphate is coming," read a large poster on the wall of the field.
Massive rallies protest violations by Abbas's security apparatuses in WB
Palestinian Information Center 8/11/2007
GAZA, (PIC)-- Hamas organized on Friday evening massive public rallies in the Gaza Strip in protest at the continuing violations practiced by PA chief Mahmoud Abbas'a security apparatuses against Hamas members and sympathizers in the West Bank the latest of which was preliminary reports on the clinical death of Mu'ayyad Bani Odeh after being subjected to severe torture. The participants chanted slogans deploring the brutal attacks of Abbas's militia in the West Bank against Hamas members and sympathizers, saying that such practices serve only the "Zionist enemy" which also persists in killing Palestinian citizens in the West Bank. For his part, Hamas spokesman, Ayman Taha held the PA chief fully responsible for the life of Bani Odeh... The spokesman called on the Palestinian factions and human rights organizations to assume their responsibilities...
Thousands participate in 'Caliphate: The Incoming Force' conference in Ramallah
Ma'an News Agency 8/11/2007
Ramallah – Ma'an – Pan-Islamic, Sunni party, Hizb Ut Tahrir (Party of Liberation), held an inauguration conference for the Palestinian section of the movement in Ramallah on Saturday. Tens of thousands participated in the conference entitled 'Caliphate: The Incoming Force'. The conference delegates stressed the importance of supporting Islam and the creation of a caliphate state; an Islamic form of government representing political unity and leadership in the Muslim world. The movement said that a caliphate state is the only way to liberate Muslims from racism and degrading policies, and Palestinians from occupation. The proposal for the composition of the caliphate includes thirteen departments, for example; a military, a judiciary, media and foreign affairs.
Health sector in Gaza strikes in protest against "Hamas activity"
Ma'an News Agency 8/11/2007
Gaza – Ma'an – The Palestinian local health unions in Gaza on Saturday called for two hours suspension of work on Sunday, Monday and Tuesday next week in protest against what they described as "Hamas activity in Gaza". The union appealed for an end to all forms of threats, abductions and violence against medical workers. The strike will exclude emergency cases. [end]
Security services in Hebron disperse a protest rally
Ma'an News Agency 8/11/2007
Hebron - Ma'an - Security services have detained ten citizens after they organized a demonstration in the Haras Street in downtown Hebron. Hebron police commander, Samih Al Sefi, told our correspondent that those arrested "had organized a march, against the law. They were informed of having infringed the law, but they persisted in organizing the march, which prompted us to detain ten of them." He added that the protestors had been informed that they needed a license for the demonstration to be legal. [end]
Palestinian security services confiscate car of Islamic Jihad militant
Ma'an News Agency 8/11/2007
Jenin – Ma'an – A statement from the Al Quds Brigades received by Ma'an has declared that Palestinian security services in the northern West Bank city of Jenin held a local leader of the Al-Quds Brigades, "before confiscating the car under the guise that it was illegal." The spokesman of the Al Quds Brigades, the armed wing of the Islamic Jihad movement, dubbed the incident as "a threat to the lives of the Palestinian resistance fighters." He stated that "once a resistance fighter is left in the street without a car, he is an easy target for Israelis, who might arrest, or even assassinate, him". Concluding, the spokesman called on the Palestinian security services to facilitate the movement of the members of the armed brigades. He said, "Members of some Palestinian factions use illegal cars, and the security.
Gaza municipality employees go on strike
Ghassan Bannoura, International Middle East Media Center 8/11/2007
The employees of Gaza City municipality announced on Saturday an open ended strike for not receiving their salaries since December 2006, the employees said that this strike has no political or factional orientation. The strikers called upon all factions not to force any political or factional conflict on their strike, adding that the strike will be finished as soon as they get their salaries. The 1000 municipality employees are part of the 64, 000 public sector employees that are not paid by the Palestinian government. The EU USA and Israeli has forced a crippling financial siege on the Palestinian Authority shortly after Hamas won the Palestinian democratic elections in 2006. The employees expressed their deep sorrow for being forced to go on strike, but the strikers say that they always made the city as their first priority, but now most of them can't feed their families.
Al Sa'di: postponing the internal negotiations leads to more division among Palestinians
Ali Samoudi, International Middle East Media Center 8/11/2007
Bassam Al Sa'di one of the Islamic Jihad movement leaders, called upon Fatah and Hamas leaders and the Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas to immediately start internal deluge that includes all the Palestinian factions to being unity in order to stand to the changes that the Palestinian cause in facing. In an interview with IMEMC from the Israeli detention center of Askalan, Al Sa'di expressed his sadness to the current Palestinian situation adding that it's important for Fatah and Hamas to bring back unity to the Palestinians by negotiations to continue the unified resistance against the Israeli occupation, he said. Al Sa'di, who is serving five years sentence, said" in the name of all those serve the Palestinian cause I call upon our brothers in Fatah and Hamas to overcome there differences and let go of.
Two Israeli soldiers injured in weekly Bil'in demonstration
Ma'an News Agency 8/11/2007
Ramallah – Ma'an – Two Israeli soldiers were lightly injured on Friday when children threw rocks at them during the weekly protest against the separation wall in the village of Bil'in, west of Ramallah city in the central West Bank. Some 150 Palestinians and foreign peace activists participated in the demonstration on Friday afternoon, shouting slogans against the establishment of the separation wall. [end]
Sudanese refugees wait to find out who can stay, who can go
Ha'aretz 8/11/2007
More than a month has passed since Prime Minister Ehud Olmert announced that the interior and defense ministries would collect the names of African refugees in Israel to determine who may stay and who must return to Egypt. Meanwhile, the temporary solutions found for the asylum seekers are beginning to crumble. The refugees will evidently be divided into three groups. Refugees from Darfur will be absorbed by Israel, migrant workers will be sent back to Egypt, and non-Darfur Sudanese and people from other African countries also will be deported to Egypt. For the time being, however, no long-term plan exists for the 1,200 Sudanese refugees dispersed throughout the country, cared for by charitable organizations and housed in kibbutzim, private homes or Ketziot Prison.
African refugees refused lodging in Ktsiot prison
Anat Bereshovsky, YNetNews
Despite Internal Security Ministry decision to allow dozens of African refugees to lodge in southern prison, 70 Africans were refused entrance due to lack of room; sent to Beit Hachayal in Beersheba - Seventy African refugees who crossed into Israel from Egypt will be taken to Beit Hachayal hostel in Beersheba after being refused entrance to Kstiot prison despite being promised lodging there according to a Internal Security Ministry decision. The Israel Prison Service argued that there was no more room to hold the refugees in Ktsiot. The Internal Security Ministry recently decided to set up a camping site for the refugees after weeks of transferring them from place to place, without the state consolidating an official plan on how to deal with the problem. [end]
Jerusalem source: Syria worried by Iran's bear hug
Yoav Stern, Ha'aretz 8/12/2007
A government official in Jerusalem said Saturday that although Damascus believes Tehran is the 'best thing they have at the moment,' Syria is not yet a satellite of Iran and can still be extricated from an Iranian "bear-hug." The official told Haaretz that Syria believes that Iran provides it with security but is being careful not to become a client state. Syria is said to be particularly worried that the International Court of Justice (ICJ) in The Hague will find it responsible for the murder of former Lebanese prime minister Rafik Hariri. Jerusalem reportedly believes Syria was behind the murder, and if the ICJ rules as such, Syria's diplomatic isolation will increase. Damascus is also concerned over a possible Israeli attack, and Israel has therefore signaled to the Syrians a number of times that it does not have any belligerent intentions.
ANALYSIS / Israel fears possible 'miscalculation' regarding Syria
Amos Harel, Ha'aretz 8/12/2007
One year ago this week, the cabinet experienced one of the lowest points in its history: The nine-hour meeting at the end of which the ministers voted, against their better judgment and the original intent of Prime Minister Ehud Olmert, in favor of the Israel Defense Forces' recommendation to initiate an extensive ground operation "to the Litani River" and end the Second Lebanon War. Two days later, with the United Nations Security Council poised to ratify a cease-fire agreement, Olmert and his defense minister, Amir Peretz, gave the IDF the go-ahead for that last, desperate and unnecessary action. The 33 casualties of those last two days eventually led to Peretz's resignation and before him, of chief of staff Dan Halutz. Perhaps this backdrop can explain the frequent meetings of the "special ministerial.
Erekat: Olmert release list of 'major' roadblocks slated for removal
Ha'aretz 8/11/2007
Prime Minister Ehud Olmert promised Palestinian Authority Chairman Mahmoud Abbas that he would release in the coming days a list of "major" West Bank roadblocks to be removed, top Palestine Liberation Organization negotiator Saeb Erekat said yesterday. Erekat said Olmert gave specific assurances to Abbas during their meeting last week in the West Bank town of Jericho." Olmert told Abbas that... the defense minister will submit a whole list of major checkpoints to be removed in the West Bank, to enable the mobility of the Palestinians," Erekat said. National Infrastructures Minister Benjamin Ben-Eliezer confirmed that Defense Minister Ehud Barak is considering a removal of some roadblocks, but suggested there would not be far-reaching changes.
Gov't campaign in works to block "anti-Israel" seminar in Brussels
Barak Ravid, Ha'aretz 8/11/2007
Israel is about to launch a public campaign to call off an "anti-Israeli" seminar scheduled to take place at the European Parliament in Brussels later this month, Foreign Ministry sources told Haaretz. The ministry is enlisting the support of parliament members and Zionist leaders in Europe. The seminar is being organized by the United Nations Committee on the Exercise of the Inalienable Rights of the Palestinian People, established in 1975. Since Jerusalem learned of the seminar two weeks ago, diplomats have been trying to persuade the European Parliament to ban the event, which Israeli sources described as geared toward "passing unilateral condemnations against Israel." Government sources said they intend to launch a public campaign to win the support of pro-Israeli European organizations.
Barghouthi hosts European delegations
Ma'an News Agency 8/11/2007
Ramallah – Ma'an – Palestinian Legislative Council (PLC) member, Mustafa Barghouthi, also the secretary general of the Palestinian National Initiative party met on Saturday with Spanish, Italian and Austrian delegations in his Ramallah office. Barghouthi reviewed the dire conditions in the Palestinian arena with his guests and spoke about the dangerous divisions following the separation of the West Bank and the Gaza Strip. He also updated the visitors with reports of the active extension of Israeli settlements, "which threaten the future of the Palestinian people and prevents the establishment of an independent Palestinian state." Dr Barghouthi highlighted the absence of international efforts to solve the Palestinian question, during this political impasse. [end]
Palestinian youth football team encounters barriers to UK tour
Ma'an News Agency 8/11/2007
Bethlehem – Ma'an – The Palestinian under-19s football club was set to visit Britain for a series of matches against British youth sides. However, their tour has been jeopardized by new British visa rules, reported British newspaper, The Independent, on Friday. The team were to tour Britain from the 21st of August to the 10th of September. But, The Independent revealed, the team have experienced difficulties obtaining visas to the UK. The Palestinian club includes refugee players currently residing in Syria, as well as players from the West Bank and Gaza. The disparate locations of the team's players means that they are unable to train together. Syrian players are hoping that their refugee status will not prevent them from travelling. The team have flights booked from Amman, in Jordan, and are hoping to secure passage through Israel.
Saudi Arabia donates student travel grants to Palestinians
Ma'an News Agency 8/11/2007
Bethlehem – Ma'an – The Saudi committee for Palestinian relief has on Saturday delivered a $731,625 grant, to enable 129 Palestinian students to pursue their study abroad. Dr Sa'id Al-Urabi, the advisor to the Saudi foreign minister emphasized that Saudi Arabia "has always supported the Palestinian people, and will continue to do so, in cooperation with international organizations". [end]
Naim: We will use all means available to free prisoners
Palestinian Information Center 8/11/2007
GAZA, (PIC)-- Dr. Basem Naim, the minister of prisoners' affairs in the PA caretaker government of Ismail Haneyya, has affirmed that all means would be used to free Palestinian prisoners in Israeli occupation jails. In a statement on Thursday evening, Dr. Naim denounced the Israeli maltreatment of Palestinian prisoners that led to the death of a number of them due to medical neglect. He called on international, legal organizations to immediately and seriously act for the release of those prisoners who numbered more than 11,000, affirming that the question of prisoners would remain the central concern of his government. The minister, in conclusion, refused the "suspicious" attempts to differentiate between prisoners, referring to the Israeli release of 250 prisoners affiliated with Fatah. [end]
Public hearing today to address Dead Sea-Red Sea canal project
Zafrir Rinat, Ha'aretz 8/11/2007
Environmental groups were busy last week mobilizing their forces. The World Bank and the Israeli government are sponsoring a meeting today that will discuss the future of the Dead Sea. The meeting, which will be held at the Shalom Plaza Neveh Ilan Hotel outside Jerusalem, is open to the public. World Bank representatives and Israel Water Commissioner Dr. Uri Shani will present the intended viability studies for building a canal from Gulf of Eilat to the Dead Sea. The bank has already held public hearings on the matter in Amman, Ramallah and Jericho. Advocacy groups like Friends of the Earth Middle East, which includes Israelis, Jordanians and Palestinians, along with representatives of communities in the Dead Sea region, are worried about the environmental impact of a Dead Sea-Red Sea canal.
Israelis buy rescue insurance for their globetrotting young
Conal Urquhart in Jerusalem, The Guardian 8/12/2007
It should be the trip of a lifetime, but for many young Israelis their travels in the Far East and South America end up in drug-induced or spiritual collapse. Now an Israeli insurance company is offering a unique policy to parents to cover a professional search team, repatriation and psychiatric rehabilitation for their missing children. About 50,000 Israelis a year go trekking after their military service and before university or work. The Israeli charity War on Drugs estimates that 90 per cent take drugs at least once on their travels. Some two-thirds go to the Far East and about a third to South America. The charity estimates that each year 2,000 travellers suffer mental illness brought on by drug abuse or spiritual confusion and between 600 and 800 are admitted to psychiatric wards.
Proposed laws:Reservists deserve more
Ha'aretz 8/11/2007
The Knesset is considering two bills on the rights of reservists. One of the bills, which was initiated by the reservists' organizations and Knesset lobby, proposes solutions to the problems raised in the article. Here are a number of the proposals: - Let reservists choose which three months will be used to determine their pay while in the reserves. - Payment will be calculated by dividing the three months' salary by 65 working days, and not the 90 days used now. - Reservists will receive payment based on their current salary, even if they made less in the months before their service. - The minimum salary paid to reservists will be the average wage. - Anyone making less than NIS 10,000 a month will receive an income tax exemption for the salary earned during reserve duty.
Electricity rates up 5%
Ha'aretz 8/11/2007
Electricity prices are due to rise by 5 percent on September 8, after the Public Services Authority - Electricity approved the increase. The additional revenues will be used to cover the Israel Electric Corporation's (IEC) development budget for at most a year, after which the price will fall back to its prior level. The authority said that it will make sure the funds are used only for this purpose. The rate hike is conditional on the IEC submitting an efficiency plan by November 1. IEC management thinks this increase is not enough. In addition, the IEC board appointed deputy CEO Moshe Bachar as acting CEO in place of outgoing CEO Uri Ben-Noon. Candidates for the permanent post have until August 26 to submit their applications.
Oracle CEO Ellison in Israel: Think innovation and go global
Ha'aretz 8/11/2007
Oracle CEO Larry Ellison - the man Forbes Magazine ranks the 11th wealthiest in the world - today ends his first visit to Israel, a country he says benefits from its people's willingness to ask questions and criticize. He also emphasized the need for innovation and to think globally. The Jewish high-tech mogul landed here Wednesday, and by Thursday had visited Sderot with Foreign Minister Tzipi Livni, pledging $500,000 to reinforce the local community center. He said the money would arrive the next day. After a military briefing on a hill overlooking Gaza, he was taken by helicopter to the North where he visited an Israel Air Force base and saw a film of an IAF flyover above Auschwitz. He met that evening with Prime Minister Ehud Olmert.
First arrest madein Heftsiba collapse
Ha'aretz 8/11/2007
Ze'ev Tanenbaum, the chief financial officer (CFO) for the Heftsiba group, was arrested on Friday. This is the first arrest to be made following the collapse of the real estate developer two weeks ago, during which hundreds of buyers lost homes they had purchased. Tanenbaum is suspected of aggravated fraud, conspiracy to defraud, forging company documents, theft, money laundering, securities violations, and violations of laws on housing sales. His remand was extended through this Thursday by Judge Dorit Kovarsky of the Tel Aviv Magistrate's Court. The police stated in the remand request that Tanenbaum, along with others, acted to defraud customers, banks and other institutions. During the hearing, the police said that based on Tanenbaum's statements, the fraud methods were clear and the sums involved were huge.
Els van der Plas interviewed
Interviewed by Mamoon Alabbasi, Middle East Online 8/11/2007
I don't think civilisations clash. The word even contains the root 'civil' or civilized. To be civilized means, amongst others, the ability to live in harmony and peace with those around you. - Els van der Plas is an Art Historian. She was born in the Dutch town of Leiden in 1960. In 1987 she founded the Gate Foundation in Amsterdam, an international organization that promotes intercultural exchange in contemporary art. As Director, she set up a gallery, library and the office and was responsible for content, programming, the selection of art and artists, catalogue production, exhibitions, lectures, etc. In 1997 she became the first Director of the newly established Prince Claus Fund for Culture and Development. Together with the Board of Advisors and the honorary Chairman, Prince Claus of The Netherlands, she determined the direction and scope of the Foundation.
Israeli website sends US media into frenzy
Yitzhak Benhorin, YNetNews 8/11/2007
High alert declared by New York Police following DEBKAfile report that al-Qaeda might be plotting to detonate a dirty bomb in city makes headlines in US media. 'Dirty bomb scare rocks city,' Daily News' main headline reads - WASHINGTON - The high alert declared by the New York Police on Friday night following a report on the Israeli website DEBKAfile that al-Qaeda might be plotting to detonate a dirty bomb in the city, made headline in the US media Saturday morning. "Vague threat prompts steps by NY Police," the New York Times headline read. According to the NY Times, the police learned about the threat through an item on the website debka. com "" a site they believed to have Israeli intelligence and military sources "" that said al-Qaeda operatives were planning to detonate a truck filled with radiological material in New York, Los Angeles or Miami.
US marine in Iraq murder freed
Al Jazeera 8/11/2007
A US Marine, sentenced to eight years in military prison for killing an Iraqi civilian last year, has been released after being granted clemency. - A statement released by the US Marines from Camp Pendleton in southern California said Robert Pennington was released on Friday after meeting with Lieutenant General James Mattis, the base's commander. Pennington was sentenced in February in a plea deal that included demotion from the rank of lance corporal to private and a dishonourable discharge. He pleaded guilty to kidnapping and conspiracy, murder and other charges were dismissed. The statement said the decision to grant him clemency had been made after considering Pennington's age, military experience, relative rank and level of involvement in the incident.
Bomb kills southern Iraq governor
BBC Online 8/11/2007
A powerful roadside bomb has killed the governor and police chief of the southern Iraqi province of Diwaniya. The governor was a key figure in the Badr Organisation, the military wing of the largest Shia Muslim party, the Supreme Islamic Iraqi Council (SIIC). Khalil Jalil Hamza and police chief Maj-Gen Khaled Hassan were returning to Diwaniya city after a funeral when a bomb exploded beside their convoy. The area has seen clashes between Shia militias and security forces. The bomb blew the vehicle off the road into a water-channel as the officials returned from a tribal leader's funeral. The governor died instantly, while the police chief died in hospital. Indefinite curfew - It is believed to be the first time since the US-led invasion four years ago that the two most important officials of any province in Iraq have been assassinated.
Bush's Iraq troop surge garners surge in polls
Shmuel Rosner, Ha'aretz 8/11/2007
WASHINGTON - This may be the sign of a new trend, or simply a summer illusion, but the growing accumulation of evidence can no longer be ignored: Could U.S. President George W. Bush's new strategy in Iraq be working? There are signs that the American public is seeing positive results. Otherwise, it is difficult to explain the results of a Gallup poll, which showed that 31 percent of those asked felt that the infusion of additional troops in Iraq "has improved the situation." This constituted a nearly 10-percent increase. At the same time, there is a drop of nearly 10 percent, from 51 percent to 41 percent, among those who believe that the extra soldiers either have not changed the situation or they have made it worse. This would also explain a New York Times poll that indicated a rise - a rise! - in the number.
Beirut discovers depression
BBC Online 8/11/2007
Julie Flint returns home to Beirut and reports that, despite a love of life, the Lebanese are suffering from terrible uncertainty and insecurity. - Much of Lebanon's 3. 8 million population is concentrated in BeirutSomething strange happens to me whenever I fly into Beirut airport, which I have been doing many times a year for the past 26 years. My heart beats a little faster and I get butterflies in my stomach. It could, I suppose, be a subconscious reaction to the memory of my first arrival in Beirut in December 1982 when our plane was seized by armed men who threatened to kill one of us every five minutes unless their demands were met. But I do not think that is it. It is more of an expectation, like a first date, a reunion with a partner unseen for some time.
Articles
Ramzy Baroud: A Palestinian Miracle at the UN?
Ramzy Baroud, Palestine Chronicle 8/11/2007
A few months ago, one would have thought such an event to be simply impossible: A Palestinian delegation, lobbying tirelessly at the UN to block a UN call for helping half of the Palestinian population living in complete isolation.
For 62 years since the foundation of the United Nations' Security Council, the Palestinians did not manage to have any kind of sway that would allow them to block or amend a proposed resolution in any meaningful way.
But miracles do indeed happen, as, for the first time, and after days of intense lobbying, a Palestinian delegation recently killed a draft resolution. Not only this, it also managed to block a presidential statement which is usually made when a resolution is buried, by way of explaining the circumstances behind its rejection.
But this 'miracle' has a bizarre twist. The resolution, drafted by Qatar and seconded by Indonesia, was merely expressing concern over the humanitarian disaster intensifying in the Gaza Strip and the deteriorating plight of one and a half million Palestinians dwelling, or more accurately, imprisoned there, lacking all imaginable necessities — electricity, fuel, clean water, food and medicine.
Lebanese strike a blow at US-backed government
Robert Fisk, The Independent 8/7/2007
They've done it again. The Arabs have, once more, followed democracy and voted for the wrong man.
Just as the Palestinians voted for Hamas when they were supposed to vote for the Palestinian Authority of Mahmoud Abbas, so the Christian Maronites of Lebanon appear to have voted for a man opposed to the majority government of Fouad Siniora in Beirut. Camille Khoury - with a strong vote from the Armenian Tashnak party - won by 418 votes the seat that belonged to Pierre Gemayel, murdered last November by gunmen supposedly working for the Syrian security services.
While the Maronite vote had increased against Gemayel's showing in 2005 elections, the result was a stunning blow to the American-backed government - how devastating that phrase "American-backed" has now become in the Middle East - in Lebanon and allowed Hizbollah's ally, ex-General Michel Aoun to claim that "they cannot beat me". Mr Aoun is a candidate in presidential elections later this year.
True, the voting figures showed huge support for Pierre Gemayel's father Amin - himself an ex-president- who was standing for the parliamentary seat of his murdered son. Although he was a weak and fractious leader - Amin paid a state visit to Damascus to re-cement "fraternal" ties after the Israeli withdrawal from Lebanon - he proved himself a brave man in the aftermath of his son's murder, calling upon Lebanese to support the government rather than submit once more to the domination of Syria.
Settlers launch first drive in U.S. to sell homes
Daphna Berman, Ha'aretz 3/3/2007
A campaign launched this week to convince American Jews to buy homes in the West Bank is the first organized sales effort of its kind, activists from both sides of the political spectrum said.
Amana, the settlement arm of Gush Emunim, hosted housing fairs in New York and New Jersey this week and plans are underway for similar events in Miami and Chicago.
Never before have Diaspora Jews been asked to directly underwrite settlement expansion by either buying or financing the building of West Bank homes. But spurred by what they have termed a successful start, Amana has set its sights on Jewish communities throughout the U.S., with hopes of expanding the new and somewhat surprising trend.
About eight homes in settlements, including Kiryat Arba and Karnei Shomron, were sold this week and dozens of American buyers are "seriously considering" purchasing in the coming weeks, representatives of Amana told AngloFile.
Ranging in price from $93,000 to $165,000, the homes are to be rented to settlers for $250 to $400 a month and are as being marketed as a way to "leave your thumbprint on the destiny of Israel." The campaign essentially allows Israeli settlers, who will pay the American owners monthly rent, the opportunity to live in homes they would not have been able to afford to buy.
The Resort to Indiscriminate Killings
Ghali Hassan, Middle East Online 8/11/2007
The indiscriminate killings of Iraqi civilians have increased during US massive military assaults in 2006 and 2007, including the recent US 'surge', a euphemism for increase in armours and troop numbers. Before each military assault, towns and villages were cut-off, bombed and besieged, and civilians were prevented from leaving their homes.
"Many Iraqis can hear me tonight in a translated radio broadcast, and I have a message for them: If we must begin a military campaign, it will be directed against the lawless men who rule your country and not against you." - US President George W. Bush [1].
To prove the sincerity of his message to the Iraqi people, Bush indiscriminately bombed the al-Nasser market in the al-Shu'la [al-Sholeh] residential area in Baghdad on the morning of March 28, 2003, killing more than 60 innocent civilians and injuring many more. This followed by the "Shock and Awe", the most murderous form of barbaric terrorism. Thousands of innocent Iraqi civilians were killed every day in one of the most premeditated and unprovoked acts of aggression in history. Why the US is resorting to indiscriminate killings of Iraqi civilians?
Professor Marc Herold of the University of New Hampshire in the US documents in details the March 2003 wanton destruction of Iraq, mass murder of innocent civilians and acts of terrorism committed by the Anglo-American fascist forces against the Iraqi population [2]. Except for the building of the Iraqi Oil Ministry, the Iraqi State was destroyed and the complete looting and burning of the capital Baghdad was rightly described by many people as an "Iraqi Holocaust".
The atrocity in Iraq exposed the reality of Western "progressives" and their "anti-war" movements. Once the atrocity began, Western moral conscience evaporated. The so-called "Second Superpower" to counter US terror, fell silent and melted away like snow under the summer sun. The new fabricated pretext to justify the silence is Saddam Hussein (and his alleged crimes). Saddam provides a "compass" to normalise and justify greater and more horrendous crimes by the invading forces.
No to evacuation
Gideon Levy, Ha'aretz 8/11/2007
The Yahalom and Bar Kochba families must be returned without delay to their homes in the wholesale marketplace from which they were expelled. The Israel Defense Forces must immediately reconnect their electricity and water and ensure their safety, day and night, as it does for all the settlers in the city. In return the Yahaloms and Bar Kochbas will serve the soldiers coffee and cookies, and kugel for Shabbat, as they always do.
We must also apologize to the families for expelling them: They should not have been discriminated against in comparison with the city's other settlers. There is no difference between their act of robbery and the other acts of robbery in the city. Bar Kochba and Yahalom stole property that was stolen long ago; the store owners on whose property they squatted have not seen their shops for years and will not get them back now, so there is no reason to complain about the squatters' behavior. That's what everyone does in Hebron.
It would also have been better had the self-righteous evacuation performance, which incorporated a very large force, 3,000 soldiers and policemen, never taken place - including the staged acts of refusal and violence that are a hallmark of the well-timed show. These absurd acts of evacuation don't help anyone, they only cause damage. In Hebron there should be one rule: all or nothing. Either the government has the courage to uproot the entire abscess, or it should allow it to grow unabated.
Even the spin has become tired
Doron Rosenblum, Ha'aretz 8/11/2007
In one of Federico Fellini's films, the young hero falls ill and, hallucinating and feverish, begins to speak dramatically, swearing and promising great things. His good mother sits next to him, nursing him and calming him with nods of agreement, without taking a single word of his seriously: "Yes, yes," she repeats.
That is more or less how the public has been receiving Ehud Olmert's words. After his meeting with Abbas, he said he is ready - only ready? really yearning! - to establish a Palestinian state as quickly as possible. The promises of his interlocutor are not even worth mentioning. Yes, yes: There will be peace, there will be a Palestinian state soon, the Palestinian gangs will be dismantled, the settlements will be removed, there are agreements and there will be meetings. Yeah, sure: The same government that cannot move a stone in an outpost will give the Palestinians "100 percent of the area of the West Bank." Even 200 percent. Yes, yes.
A long time ago - last year - those same declarations, which are now being received with a weary nod and half a yawn, could make the public jump, send it into the streets, and ignite debates. But now? Nobody would care if Olmert and Abbas were to announce that they had given birth to twins and were handing over Jerusalem to the Pope.
No laughing matter
Ray Hanania, Middle East Online 8/11/2007
We went on with our shows reminding audiences that the terrorists and extremists do not speak for the majority of Palestinians or Israelis. We can have compromise and peace if we stop demonising each other; the best way to do that is through humour. And that's no joke.
CHICAGO – In the post Sept. 11th world, I learned several things.
It is easier to hate a stranger than to hate someone you know. And, anger often appears as "hate" when coupled with excessive fear and lack of knowledge.
There is a rising sense of hatred, of "anger gone wild" in America against Arabs and Muslims because of Sept. 11. And there seems to be a growing resignation among Palestinians and Israelis that peace and compromise are no longer possible.
Peace and compromise are always possible. What has changed, though, is attitude. People are discouraged by the unending violence, the failure of the peace process, and the increased negative rhetoric and speech.
Do we just stand by and allow extremists to control us? Or do we take unorthodox steps to remind everyone that we are both human beings and that peace and compromise are in fact the only alternatives to the conflict and violence?
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