Israeli forces withdraw from Gaza as death toll rises to 6
Ma'an News Agency 8/14/2007
Khan Younis – Ma'an – Israeli forces have withdrawn from the Gaza Strip as the number of Palestinians killed in Tuesday's attack rose to six. Israeli helicopters fired missiles on the Abasan area, east of Khan Younis, in the Gaza Strip. The bodies of eighteen-year-old Ahmad Kamal Al Karra and twenty-year-old Abu Musab Al Jama were found on Tuesday evening. They had been shot by Israeli soldiers. The victims of the earlier Israeli helicopter bombardment were named as Qassam Brigades activist Omar Al Qarra, his mother Sabha Al Qarra, 40-year-old Ibrahim Al Sami, and Muhammad Abu Sameh, aged 24, also a member of Hamas' Qassam Brigades. According to medical sources from Nasser Hospital in Khan Younis, in the southern Gaza Strip, "the bodies arrived at hospital torn to pieces due to a direct hit from a missile.
Gaza could become completely reliant on aid, warns UN
World Vision, ReliefWeb 8/14/2007
The Gazan economy continues to deteriorate, as border crossings remain closed. Israel tightened control of Gaza's borders nearly two months ago after the Islamist group Hamas seized control of the Gaza Strip from ruling party Fatah in fierce clashes in mid-June. The United Nations has warned that Gaza risks becoming entirely dependent upon aid within a matter of months or even weeks if the present border closures remain in place. "People fear an even sharper economic decline and a possible worsening in the security situation," said Charles Clayton, World Vision Jerusalem's National Director. "World Vision continues to keep a close watch on the situation in Gaza and is prepared to respond if conditions deteriorate further". "Our work in Gaza is continuing, but the border closures are straining both our...
The dissolved Ministry Of Interior slams Executive Force attacks against reporters in Gaza
International Middle East Media Center 8/14/2007
The Hamas-controlled Ministry of Interior in the Gaza Strip, which was dissolved by president Mahmoud Abbas when he declared emergency law, and formed a new emergency government, slammed attacks carried by the Hamas-formed Executive Force against reporters in Gaza on Monday. Several groups in Gaza also slammed the attack which was carried against a peaceful protest in Gaza city. Ehab Al Ghsein, spokesperson of the Ministry of Interior, and Taher Al Nunu, head of the Governmental Committee for Protecting the Reporters, stated that these attacks were carried "by individuals of the force", and stated that all reporters must be protected and unharmed. The statements of Al Nunu and Al Ghsein came as they met with delegates of the Executive Force along with reporters who were abused by members of the force on Monday.
Israeli forces frequently invading prisons; forcing Palestinian families to revoke visitation rights
Ma'an News Agency 8/14/2007
Ramallah – Ma'an – The Israeli forces raided the Nafha prison, in the Israeli Negev, at 3am on Tuesday morning in search of mobile phones. Palestinian inmates reported awaking to the sounds of shouting coming from soldiers of the Israeli Special Forces. The Israeli authorities alleged that Palestinian detainees were smuggling mobile phones into their cells in order to communicate with the outside world. The prisoners told lawyers that the Israeli accusations were untrue and that the prison's authority has been using the claims as an excuse to humiliate and oppress the Palestinian inmates. Collective punishment - The Israeli forces used police dogs to search the prisoners. They also used specialised equipment to raze the floors and demolish the walls of the cells.
Hamas clashes with Shalit abductors, 2 gunmen dead
YNetNews 8/15/2007
More than 20 Palestinians wounded as Hamas forces raid compound of powerful Doghmush clan - who are responsible for kidnapping of BBC reporter Alan Johnston, involved in the abduction of Israeli soldier Gilad Shalit -- Two Hamas security men were killed on Tuesday evening in heavy clashes with members of the Dogmush clan in Gaza. Palestinian sources reported 20 more men had been wounded in the exchanges of fire as Hamas lay siege to a house west of Gaza City which several clansmen have barricaded themselves in. Hamas said in a cryptic statement that its forces came under fire while on a mission in the area. The Doghmushes said the fighting began after Hamas came to arrest a clansman and confiscate his car. The clan, one of the largest and most powerful in the Strip, is responsible for the March kidnapping of BBC reporter Alan Johnston...
Livni calls int'l attempts to mend Hamas-Fatah rift 'huge mistake'
Ha'aretz 8/14/2007
Israel said on Tuesday it would be a "big mistake" for the international community to try to bridge differences between Hamas Islamists and Palestinian Authority Chairman Mahmoud Abbas' secular Fatah faction. Foreign Minister Tzipi Livni was responding to calls from Italian Prime Minister Romano Prodi and British parliamentarians for dialogue with Hamas, whose fighters routed Fatah and seized control of the Gaza Strip in June." I know that it looks tempting and I know that the international community is eager to see a kind of an understanding between Hamas and Fatah," Livni told a news conference with visiting Japanese Foreign Minister Taro Aso." This is wrong. This is a mistake. Big mistake. Huge," Livni said, tapping the table for emphasis.
Abbas: The Israeli peace is just a public relations maneuver
Rashid Hilal, International Middle East Media Center 8/14/2007
The Palestinian president Mahmoud Abbas highly condemned on Tuesday the continuous Israeli army attack on the Gaza strip by saying that this attack is against all Palestinians and is harming the peace process. For his part, Ahmad Abd Al Rahman, one of Abbas' aides and spokesman of Fateh, said that what Israeli is doing is another massacre committed against the Palestinians in the Gaza Strip. The Fateh spokesman added that it's because of Hamas that the Gaza strip is now targeted heavily. He continued to say that the situation in Gaza is very critical and that international community has to move to change it. Talking to IMEC, Ahad Abd Al Rahman said that if Israel wants peace, it should stop its daily attacks, end settlement activities, and open all border crossings.
Deposed Prime Ministry alleges that US and Israel are blocking Hamas - Fatah negotiations
Ma'an News Agency 8/14/2007
Gaza – Ma'an – The Prime Ministry of the deposed Palestinian government on Tuesday accused Israel and the United States of prohibiting Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas from entering into negotiations with Hamas. Director of the office of the deposed Prime Minister, Mohammad Al Madhoun, said "it is obvious that America is putting a red line in front of negotiations with Hamas." Letters are officially received from the White House by Abu Mazen [President Abbas], the closer Hamas and Fatah come to negotiations, the more difficult the US and Israel make things for Abbas." [end]
U.N. Warns on Gaza Economy and Blockade
Ibrahim Barzak, MIFTAH 8/14/2007
Gaza City, Gaza Strip -- The Gaza Strip will soon become entirely dependent on foreign aid and face "disastrous consequences" if the Hamas-run territory remains sealed off, the U. N. warned on Thursday. A Palestinian business group, meanwhile, estimated that at least 120,000 Gazans could lose their jobs if the closure continues. Israel and Egypt closed their crossings with Gaza to all but humanitarian aid after the Islamic militant group Hamas violently seized power in the coastal strip in June, exacerbating the poverty among the 1. 4 million residents. However in a special case, Israel on Thursday allowed the last of more than 6,300 Palestinians stranded in Egypt since the closure to return home to Gaza. The military said the last 475 crossed the Egypt-Israel border at Nitzana in the Negev desert, and were...
IDF questions more than 50 Palestinians
YNetNews 8/14/2007
Army reports five gunmen hit during southern Strip raid; forces also uncover explosive belt, explosive device. Palestinians report four killed, 14 injured in operation -- IDF soldiers on Tuesday afternoon uncovered an explosive belt and explosive device ready for activation during an operation east of the southern Gaza Strip town of Khan Younis. More than 50 Palestinian men were questioned by the army, which is later expected to decide whether to arrest some of them and take them into Israel for questioning by the Shin Bet. During the raid, which began early Tuesday, the forces hit five gunmen. According to the army, the operatives showed some resistance and tried to hurt the forces. Forces from Golani's 51st Battalion are taking part in the operation, and have managed to hit about 25 gunmen since arriving in the Gaza Strip about a month ago.
Israeli army invades Sa'er village near Hebron and clashes with local youths
Ghassan Bannoura, International Middle East Media Center 8/14/2007
A massive Israeli army force invaded the village of Sa'er, located east of the southern West Bank city of Hebron on Tuesday morning. Soldiers searched and ransacked homes then clashed with local stone-throwing youths. Israeli soldiers responded with rubber-coated steel bullets and tear gas. Sources in the village indicated that clashes remain ongoing. No injuries or kidnappings have been reported. [end]
Homes attacked as Israeli army invades Jenin
Ghassan Bannoura, International Middle East Media Center 8/14/2007
An Israeli force invaded the northern West Bank city of Jenin and Jenin refugee camp in the early hours of Tuesday morning. Witnesses said that soldiers searched and ransacked scores of homes, forcing families to leave. No kidnappings were reported. [end]
Scores of homes searched as Israeli army invades Tulkarem city
Ghassan Bannoura, International Middle East Media Center 8/14/2007
Israeli forces invaded the northern West Bank city of Tulkarem on Tuesday at dawn, storming homes and forcing residents to leave. Local sources stated that the army left the city after three hours, with no kidnappings reported. [end]
One Palestinian civilian kidnapped by invading Israeli forces in Nablus
Ghassan Bannoura, International Middle East Media Center 8/14/2007
One Palestinian civilian was kidnapped on Tuesday morning by Israeli forces that invaded the northern West Bank city of Nablus. Witnesses said that soldiers opened fire randomly at residents' homes, causing some damage but no injuries. The kidnapped man was later identified as Ashraf Aslan. [end]
Masked gunmen attack Palestinian man at wedding party in Nablus
Ma'an News Agency 8/14/2007
Nablus – Ma'an – Anonymous gunmen on Monday night shot Palestinian citizen Jamal Houseny Hazeim Dwekat, aged 23, during a wedding party in Balata refugee camp, east of Nablus, in the northern West Bank. Eyewitnesses informed Ma'an's reporter that two armed assailants on motorbikes shot Dwekat at close range and he was hit in the leg. He has been transferred to hospital. [end]
Palestinian fighters launch 10 projectiles at Israeli targets
Ma'an News Agency 8/14/2007
Gaza – Ma'an – The Abu Ali Mustafa Brigades of the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine (PFLP) and the Al Quds Brigades of Islamic Jihad on Monday night claimed joint responsibility for launching a homemade projectile at the Israeli town of Sderot, near the border of the Gaza Strip. The military wing of Hamas, the Qassam Brigades, announced that they launched nine homemade projectiles at Israeli military vehicles near Kisufim Crossing between Israel and Gaza. The brigades issued statements declaring the operations retaliatory acts for Israeli crimes against Palestinians. A group of the Abu Ali Mustafa Brigades also claimed responsibility for launching a homemade projectile at the Israeli-controlled Erez Crossing in the northern Gaza Strip.
Israeli forces arrest Hamas member near Nablus
Ma'an News Agency 8/14/2007
Nablus – Ma'an – Israeli forces on Tuesday morning seized a Hamas member from Ein Beit el Ma refugee camp, north of Nablus, in the occupied Palestinian West Bank. The detainee is 33-year-old Ayman Saeed Moussa. [end]
Nasrallah vows 'colossal surprise' if Israel attacks
Mirella Hodeib, Daily Star 8/15/2007
BEIRUT: Hizbullah leader Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah warned Israel on Tuesday against launching another war on Lebanon, saying any attempt to attack the country "will be faced with a colossal surprise likely to change the fate of the war and the region." "You might say I am exercising a war of nerves... This is true yet my war of nerves is based on truthful facts and aims at avoiding any war," Nasrallah told a massive rally in a televised address. Tens of thousands of Hizbullah supporters flocked to the Raya pitch in the southern suburbs of Beirut to celebrate the "divine victory" over Israel during the 34-day war last year. Final preparations for the event continued until late Monday night when thousands of chairs were being spread across the field.
Hizbullah's motivation low – IDF
YNetNews 8/14/2007
Northern Command officers tell Olmert, Barak, and Ashkenazi smuggling of arms from Syria to Lebanon continuing, but Hizbullah's ability to act limited; say Damascus' military deployment 'defensive in nature' - Hizbullah's motivation to act is not high these days, senior IDF Northern Command officers told Prime Minister Ehud Olmert, Defense Minister Ehud Barak and Chief of Staff Gabi Ashkenazi during their routine tour of army bases in the area on Tuesday. The PM's Office stressed that the visit had nothing to do with any developments along the northern front, this in order to make certain that it would not lead to any misunderstandings with the Syrians or prompt a military confrontation in the region. To this end, following their visit to the North, Olmert and Barak issued a reassuring statement saying there was no change in the military deployment on the Syrian side...
Nasrallah: Hezbollah doesn't want another war with Israel
Yoav Stern, Ha'aretz 8/14/2007
Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah said Tuesday that his organization is not interested in another war in the region, and expressed hope that such a scenario would be avoided. Addressing a rally that marked the end of the Second Lebanon War, Nasrallah said Hezbollah was nonetheless continuing to prepare for the possibility of a war, and added his organization would not "rest on its laurels." "If you the Zionists are thinking of attacking Lebanon... I promise great surprises that could alter the fate of the war and the region, G-d willing," he said. Nasrallah said he is interested in achieving a balance of power with Israel, and therefore decided to declare that Hezbollah has the capability to strike anywhere in Israel." I said that in order to prevent a war," he said, adding that Israel must "understand that any war on Lebanon will have a very high price.
Palestinian Ministry of Health slams Israeli assaults
Saed Bannoura, International Middle East Media Center 8/14/2007
The Palestinian Ministry of Health slammed on Tuesday the Israeli invasion into the Gaza Strip earlier in the day which left six residents, including a mother and her son, dead and dozens of residents injured in an area close to Khan Younis, in the southern part of the Gaza Strip. The ministry stated that the army barred ambulances and medical teams from reaching the injured residents, and fired at them which obstructed their humanitarian worked. A statement released by the Ministry stated that several injured residents are in critical conditions and that at least 15 were admitted to Nasser Hospital, in Khan Younis. The Ministry called on the international community to intervene and stop the ongoing military assaults and violations to the international law and the basic principles of human rights.
Hamas hails British, Prodi comments on dialogue
Middle East Online 8/14/2007
GAZA CITY - Hamas on Tuesday welcomed comments by Italian Prime Minister Romano Prodi and a British parliamentary committee that urged a rethink of the West's boycott of the democratically elected movement ruling the Gaza Strip. "The government of (premier Ismail) Haniya appreciates the statement from Italian Prime Minister Romano Prodi calling for dialogue between the West and Hamas," Haniya's office said in a statement. It also "appreciates the statement from the foreign affairs committee of the British parliament which condemned the British government opposition to Hamas." Two months ago Hamas routed forces loyal to president Mahmud Abbas from Gaza. Prodi told reporters late Sunday while on holiday in Tuscany that was "impossible to have peace in the Middle East if the Palestinians are divided.
Bush Pins his Hopes on Camp David II
Uzi Mahnaimi, MIFTAH 8/14/2007
Israeli and Palestinian leaders are under growing pressure to agree on common ground ahead of a Middle East peace conference in Washington later this year. The talks, expected in November and billed as the most significant on American soil since the Camp David meeting of 2000, are viewed as an attempt by President George W Bush to build a lasting peace in the region before he leaves office in 18 months' time. America is trying to draw on support from the six countries of the Gulf Cooperation Council,as well as Jordan and Egypt. The backing of countries such as Saudi Arabia and the oil-rich states in the Gulf will be vital for the talks' success. Condoleezza Rice, the US secretary of state who is expected to chair the talks, is putting pressure on Mahmoud Abbas, the Palestinian president, and Ehud Olmert,...
Prisoners' rights organization condemns continuing prisoner abuse in Israeli jails
Ma'an News Agency 8/14/2007
Nablus - Ma'an – The Nafha organization for prisoners' rights on Tuesday condemned the ongoing abuse of the rights of prisoners in two Israeli prisons. They named the Israeli Nafha prison and Ramon prisons, located south of Beersheva, as places where prisoners had been abused. Nafha are an organization that work for the rights of prisoners held in Israeli jails. [end]
Evidence seized by IDF barred from charity trial
Jerusalem Post 8/14/2007
Lawyers for Muslim charity leaders accused of aiding Middle East terrorists scored a rare win in court Tuesday when a federal judge blocked some evidence seized by Israeli soldiers during raids of Palestinian organizations. Defense lawyers had objected that some of the documents were not signed or dated, and they cast doubt on Israel's handling of the evidence. [end]
Israeli military court extends remand of a Fateh legislator
International Middle East Media Center 8/14/2007
The Salem Israeli military court extended the remand of Jamal Al Tirawy, a legislator of the Fateh parliamentarian bloc, for additional two months after the prosecution presented its "case" against him which included 17 charges. The charges include "murder, membership of the Al Aqsa brigades, participating in armed attacks, and armed clashes with the army when he was wanted by the security services". Fares Abu Hasan, the attorney representing Al Tirawi, stated that the prosecution asked the court to extend the remand of Al Tirawi in order to resume "legal proceedings against him" and the court agreed, and set the trial for October 28, 2007. Abu Hasan added that the indictment will fully be presented against his client in the upcoming court session.
Palestinian high cleric condemns the closing of the Abrahamic mosque
Myssa Abu Ghazalah, International Middle East Media Center 8/14/2007
Sheik Mohamed Hussin, the high Muslim cleric of Jerusalem, condemned the Israeli army's decision to close the Abrahamic Mosque (Tomb of the Patriarchs) located in the southernmost West Bank city of Hebron on Tuesday. The Israeli army announced that the mosque will be closed for Muslim worshippers due to a Jewish holiday. Sheik Hussin said that this illegal act by the Israeli army contradicts all rules known to humankind, since international and humanitarian law gives people the right to practice their religion and access to their holy places. In the same statement issued by Sheik Hussin, he also condemned the Israeli army's continuous procedure of not giving the bodies of Palestinians killed in military combat back to their families, and instead burying the bodies in the "Numbers Cemetery.
IOF troops close down Ibrahimi Mosque before Muslim worshippers
Palestinian Information Center 8/14/2007
AL-KHALIL [Hebron], (PIC)-- IOF troops announced closure of the Ibrahimi Mosque in Al-Khalil city before Muslim worshippers as of Monday and opened it for Jews only to offer their rituals on the occasion of one of their feasts. Mosque sources affirmed that the IOF command also banned the Azan (call for prayers) and blocked passage of Muslim worshippers. The IOF command closes the Ibrahimi Mosque ten days each year before Muslims and allows only Jews to enter while the rest of the year Muslims have access to only quarter its area and the rest left to the Jews. Meanwhile, IOF troops stormed the Nablus city in a pre-dawn raid on Tuesday and broke into many homes. The soldiers' raid ended with the kidnap of one Palestinian. In the nearby Ein Beit Al-Ma refugee camp the IOF troops were met with resistance fire where the armed wings of Hamas and the PFLP...
Hamas affirms IOF troops executed Palestinian old woman in cold blood
Palestinian Information Center 8/14/2007
KHAN YOUNIS, (PIC)-- The Hamas Movement on Tuesday affirmed that the IOF troops in Khan Younis, south of Gaza Strip, had executed the 70-year-old woman Subha Al-Farra in cold blood. Hammad Al-Rukub, the Hamas spokesman in Khan Younis, told PIC that the IOF soldiers committed a "cowardly and brutal crime" when it deliberately killed the old woman for the simple act of getting out of her home to inquire about her son who was martyred shortly before her while confronting the IOF invasion. Rukub affirmed that many citizens testified before Hamas after witnessing the crime, which reflected the "Zionist soldiers' bloodthirsty nature when it comes to Palestinian blood". The witnesses said that the soldiers fired at Subha from one to two meters distance, he said, adding that she bled to death after the IOF soldiers blocked ambulance vehicles from reaching her.
LIFE builds medical clinics in the Palestinian territories
Mohammed Alomari, ReliefWeb 8/14/2007
In its ongoing efforts to alleviate human suffering, Life for Relief and Development (LIFE), and in cooperation with the American Near East Refugee Aid (ANERA) and the Palestinian Red Crescent Society (PRCS), has inaugurated two state-of-the-art medical centers within the Palestinian Territories. The medical centers, built in Jaba village in southwestern Jenin in the West Bank and in Jabaliya, which is in the northern area of the Gaza Strip, will provide general and emergency related care in addition to social services that will further contribute to the development of the area. This includes a Primary Health Care Center for therapeutic care, emergency care, laboratory services, health education, safe motherhood programs, school health programs and home-based care.
Four Palestinians killed by IOF; Al Mezan calls for protection of civilians in Gaza
Al Mezan Center for Human Rights, ReliefWeb 8/14/2007
Today, 14 August 2007, the Israeli Occupation Forces (IOF) escalated its attacks on the Gaza Strip. Four Palestinians have been killed by IOF, thus raising the toll of deaths since the start of July 2007 to 32 (one in an Israeli prison). Additionally, 67 have been injured from IOF fire in Gaza. According to information available to Al Mezan, at approximately 12. 30am today Israeli Special Forces entered about a kilometer into Abassan Al Jadida town, east of Khan Younis. Soldiers broke into houses and stationed inside and on the roofs of some of them. At approximately 1. 30am, an IOF helicopter gunship lunched a missile at a crowd in the town killing 24-year-old Muhammad Yousif Abu Msameh, and injuring many others. An Israeli armored force stormed into the town and reached Al Farahin neighborhood, about two kilometers deep, where they opened fire intensively.
Israel: Refugees should not be locked up, say rights groups
IRIN, ReliefWeb 8/14/2007
KTSIYOT, 14 August 2007 (IRIN) - After an unprecedented influx of asylum seekers illegally crossing the border from Egypt, the Israeli government in June ordered the establishment of a "refugee camp" for the new arrivals. Recently, the first residents were brought in. Israeli Interior Security Minister Avi Dichter called the compound "accommodation prior to deportation", a reference to recent policy to deport to Egypt nearly all who cross the porous border. Experts on refugee affairs say some 1,800 Sudanese have entered Israel in the past 18 months, with the overwhelming majority having arrived in the last six. Of these, several hundred are from the devastated Darfur region. Several hundred more escapees, mostly from Africa, have also entered the country.
Isolated Gaza a Jail for its People
Matthew Price, MIFTAH 8/14/2007
Gaza - Passing from Israel to Gaza is like passing into another world. The drive from Jerusalem to the crossing point takes just over an hour. You can stop at a service station to grab a cafe latte. Then it is time to leave the modernity of Israel behind. Your passport is stamped by soldiers in a smart gleaming departure hall. The metal blast doors in the huge concrete wall slide open remotely. Israel's security services control who gets in - and out - of Gaza. And then, past the walls and the watchtowers, you enter a place of destruction and hopelessness which is sealed off from the rest of the world. In Gaza City, a policeman in a fluorescent yellow jacket was directing traffic. Cars were actually stopping at red lights - a rare sight before now.
A Segregated Road in an Already Divided Land
Steven Erlanger, New York Times, MIFTAH 8/14/2007
Jerusalem — Israel is constructing a road through the West Bank, east of Jerusalem, that will allow both Israelis and Palestinians to travel along it — separately. There are two pairs of lanes, one for each tribe, separated by a tall wall of concrete patterned to look like Jerusalem stones, an effort at beautification indicating that the road is meant to be permanent. The Israeli side has various exits; the Palestinian side has few. The point of the road, according to those who planned it under former Prime Minister Ariel Sharon, is to permit Israel to build more settlements around East Jerusalem, cutting the city off from the West Bank, but allowing Palestinians to travel unimpeded north and south through Israeli-held land. "The Americans demanded from Sharon contiguity for a Palestinian state,"said Shaul...
Ethiopian kids refused schooling
YNetNews 8/14/2007
Eighty children of Ethiopian descent refused admission to Petah Tikvah elementary schools following parent board's objection. Municipality says matter being treated, Education Ministry deputy general says situation 'unacceptable' -- Less than three weeks before the school year begins, 80 children of Ethiopian descent residing in Petah Tikvah find themselves with no place to carry out their first year of elementary school. An inquiry revealed that at least eight of the children were refused admission due to racist reasons. The families of eight of the children said they discovered a few days ago that their children were not assigned to the first grade of their neighborhood school because parents of other children objected to having Ethiopian students study there.
Released female detainee develops tumour after three years of torture
Ma'an News Agency 8/14/2007
Tulkarem – Ma'an – Released Palestinian female prisoner, Faten Daraghmeh, from Tulkarem in the occupied Palestinian West Bank, on Tuesday went into the operation room at Al Araby Hospital in Nablus, for the removal of a tumour from her neck. Local sources have speculated that the tumour was caused by the daily torture which Daraghmeh suffered at the hands of the Israeli prison personnel. Siima Anbas, another released prisoner, told Ma'an that Daraghmeh was brutally beaten by the Israeli soldiers from the day she was arrested until she was released." Daraghmeh, who was one of 256 prisoners recently released in an agreement between the PA and Israel, served three years of her five-year sentence and is suffering from terrible health. The type of tumour she has in her neck is unknown," said Anbas.
UNRWA urges better refugee conditions
Hesham Shawish, Daily Star 8/15/2007
BEIRUT: The United Nations Relief & Works Agency (UNRWA) for Palestinian Refugees' director in Lebanon Richard Cook said that improving the living conditions of Palestinian refugees does not jeopardize their right of return. "The continuation of appalling conditions in refugee camps would radicalize many Palestinians and any backlash could cause problems for the Lebanese state in the longer term," he said. Cook was speaking to The Daily Star at the UNRWA's Field Office in Bir Hassan about the conditions of Palestinian refugee camps in Lebanon, and the need to help many refugees about their legal status. He said he had suggested to Prime Minister Fouad Siniora that non-IDs refugees - those lacking any official identification - in Lebanon should be registered within the Interior Ministry and registration offices, emphasizing the need for these people to be recognized.
Hamas: We ran out of patience
Palestinian Information Center 8/14/2007
NABLUS, (PIC)-- The Hamas Movement on Tuesday strongly condemned the unceasing PA security apparatuses' attacks in the West Bank targeting Hamas supporters especially in Qalqilia that reached the extent of desecrating mosques. The Movement in a statement to the PIC in the West Bank said that desecrating mosques, violating sanctity of civilian homes and kidnapping scholars, old men and even children had infuriated all Hamas supporters and the Palestinian people in general. It held each and every single person that contributed in those attacks fully responsible for the consequences of such violations. Within three months more than 150 Hamas leaders and supporters were kidnapped at the hands of PA security and Israeli forces in Qalqilia alone, the statement underlined, adding that charitable societies and other institutions were closed down by Israelis and Palestinians.
Palestinian security services seize 18 Hamas members in Qalqilia
Ma'an News Agency 8/14/2007
Qalqilia – Ma'an – The Hamas movement on Tuesday said that the Palestinian security services in Qalqilia governorate, in the northern West Bank, launched a huge arrest campaign and seized eighteen of its members. The Hamas detainees have been named as: vice-mufti of Qalqilia, Yasser Hammad; journalist, Mustafa Sabri; member of Qalqilia municipality and Palestinian News Network reporter, Sheikh Farah Samhan, in addition to his three sons; Ahmad, Anas and Nour; Osama Adl; Muhammad Khalaf; Sameer Athba; Luai Athba; Mahmoud Jaber; Nidal Jaber; Muhammad Shihadah; Amjd Oeinat; Ala' Sabri; Mu'tasem Al Baz; Ahmad Al Shanti and Omar Al Shanti. The security services issued a statement claiming that "this campaign is just a precaution due the problems in the city on Monday when a group put pictures and logos on one of the mosque's walls.
EF summons vice-president of the Islamic Bank after he was accused of freezing accounts
Ma'an News Agency 8/14/2007
Gaza – Ma'an – Hamas' Executive Force in the Gaza Strip said on Tuesday that it sent for the vice-president of the Islamic Bank, Saeb Sammor, in order to maintain his personal safety after he was accused of freezing the bank accounts of EF members. The EF said it will address the issue legally to avoid the possibility that Sammor is attacked. The case will be investigated until the truth of the situation is revealed, said the EF, and then Sammor will be sentenced in accordance with the law. The vice-president of the Islamic Bank has been charged with three offences. The EF said these are "freezing the bank balances of personal accounts with no legal justification, withdrawing the balances without a court order, or a decision from the Palestinian Monetary Authority, and returning the bank accounts of some, but not others.
EF leader: "we intend to impose law and order in the Gaza Strip, no matter what the cost"
Ma'an News Agency 8/14/2007
Gaza – Ma'an – General leader of the Hamas' Executive Force, Abu Obeideh Al Jarrah, said on Tuesday "the power my government [the deposed Hamas government] obtained is security power, something that our people have wanted for many years." With this power we intend to impose law and order in the Gaza Strip, no matter what the cost." In a press statement published on the website of the Palestinian Media Centre, Al Jarrah said "what took place in Gaza was the right, correct and necessary step which should have been achieved years ago because we are not weak." Al Jarrah added, "The EF was formed to serve the people and help them, and they will not recoil from the role. The military, financial and media war against us will only serve to make us stronger.
Legislator Muna Mansour: without dialogue, national projects will fail
Nisreen Qumsieh, International Middle East Media Center 8/14/2007
The Palestinian Legislator Muna Mansour, of the change and reform bloc of Hamas, praised the British Parliamentary Committee which recommended dialogue with Hamas movement. The recommendation of the British House of Commons coincided with similar comments from the Italian Prime Minister Romano Prodi. For her part, Legislator Mansour welcomed any international endeavors that would help the Palestinians end their current dreadful crisis. Legislator Mansour reported that a solution to the current crisis required an accord between the Fatah and Hamas movements and reiterated the importance of ceasing violent attacks, security disorder and human rights abuses throughout the Palestinian territories. [end]
Palestinian Security forces arrest Hamas members in Qalqilia
Ameen Abu Warda, International Middle East Media Center 8/14/2007
Several days after the Israeli army abducted several Hamas members in the northern West Bank city of Qalqilia, Palestinian security forces on Monday night and Tuesday morning, carried out a similar operation in which scors of Hamas members and supporters were arrested. The operation began after the evening prayers when security force members invaded a mosque and attacked the worshipers, arresting three of them. Several hours later, the Security force confirmed that they had arrested more than 20 Hamas members. Of those taken, the following have been identified: 1. Yasser Hammad / 2. Mustafa Sabri / 3. Shiekh Farah Samhan / 4. Ahmad Samhan / 5. Anas Samhan / 6. Noor Samhan / 7. Osama Adel / 8. Mohamad Khalaf / 9. Sameer Athbah / 10.
Initial results: Netanyahu gets 73% of vote in Likud race
Mazal Mualem and The Associated Press, Ha'aretz 8/14/2007
Likud Chairman Benjamin Netanyahu appeared to have won an overwhelming victory in the Likud primary elections Tuesday, as a partial count put him far ahead of his opponents. With 80 percent of the votes counted - some 15,000 ballots - Netanyahu received 75 percent of the vote. The other two candidates in the leadership race - Moshe Feiglin and Danny Danon - received 23 percent and 4 percent respectively. Only 39 percent of Likud voters cast their ballots in the party's primaries, Israel Radio reported. While Netanyahu was expected to win the race by a large majority, according to the polls, his rival far-rightist Moshe Feiglin, who heads Likud's religious faction, had expected a high voter turnout from his supporters. The low voter turnout was therefore expected to work in Feiglin's favor.
Israeli incursion in southern Gaza Strip leaves six dead, 28 wounded
Agence France Presse - AFP, Daily Star 8/15/2007
Six Palestinians were killed in the Gaza Strip on Tuesday as the Israeli military carried out its latest incursion into the territory controlled by Hamas, sources said. The Israeli Army claimed four of those killed were Hamas fighters. Overall 28 people were wounded as a result of the fighting in the area, medics said. In an operation that began early on Tuesday and was continuing more than 12 hours later, Israeli tanks backed by helicopters rolled into Gaza near the southern town of Khan Yunis, witnesses and the army said. The troops were operating "against terror threats in the area, including tunnels and rockets," and engaged in gunfights with militants on the ground, said an army spokesman. A Hamas gunman, 24-year-old Mohammad Abu Musameh, was killed in an early morning air strike.
IDF leaves south Gaza, says Hamas operated like Hizbullah
YNetNews 8/14/2007
Israeli forces begin withdrawal from Khan Younis, at least 11 terrorists killed during raid. Hamas cells were equipped with advanced weapons and transmitters, IDF officials say -- IDF forces have begun withdrawing from the Khan Younis area in south Gaza after operating there since Monday night. At least 11 terrorists were killed during the activity, according to reports. Sources in Khan Younis said the bodies of two more Palestinians were found after the Israeli army began to pull out of the area. One of those killed was identified as the grandson of a woman who was killed Tuesday morning, while the other was apparently a member of Hamas. According to the Palestinians, 25 people were injured during the IDF's raid, several homes were demolished and 120 people were taken to Israel for questioning.
Six killed in Israeli raid on Gaza
Fred Attewill and agencies, The Guardian 8/14/2007
Israel launched military strikes against Hamas in Gaza today as the country's foreign minister warned that it would be a "huge" mistake to talk to the Islamist group. Tzipi Livni was speaking after six Palestinians - including two civilians - were killed when Israeli troops and aircraft struck suspected militants. Responding to calls from the Italian prime minister, Romano Prodi, for efforts to bridge the divide between Hamas and Fatah - which was defeated in the battle for Gaza in June - Ms Livni ruled out a change in Israel's stance." I know that it looks tempting and I know that the international community is eager to see a kind of an understanding between Hamas and Fatah," she told a press conference. "This is wrong. This is a mistake.
Israeli military operation in Gaza leaves at least six killed and 33 wounded
Ghassan Bannoura - IMEMC & Agencies, International Middle East Media Center 8/14/2007
The Israeli army has ended the military operation that started on Tuesday at dawn targeting the city of Khan Younis and nearby Abassan village, Palestinian sources reported that at least six residents were killed and another 33 were wounded. 100 other Palestinian civilians were kidnapped by the Israeli soldiers during the operation. Four Palestinian residents of Gaza, including a mother and two resistance fighters, were killed early on Tuesday morning after Israeli forces invaded Abbassan town, east of Khan Younis city. Medical sources confirmed that Omar Alfarra, a member of the 'Ezzieldin Elqassam brigades', Hamas' armed wing, and his mother Sobha Alfarra, were killed after they were both shot by Israeli army gunfire. Ibrahim Alshami, 40, was also shot dead by the Israeli army in the nearby Faraheen neighborhood of Khan Younis.
Troops withdraw from Khan Younis, seven residents killed and dozens injured
Wisam Afifa, International Middle East Media Center 8/14/2007
The Israeli army withdrew from Abasan area, east of Khan Younis, in the southern part of the Gaza Strip and invading it earlier on Tuesday. Seven residents, including four fighters, were killed and at least 15 were officially reported injured; the army also uprooted and bulldozed agricultural lands, and some homes. Medical sources in Khan Younis reported that after the army withdrew from Abasan on Tuesday evening, medics found three bodies of residents who were shot and killed during the invasion. Two of the killed are members of the Al Qassam Brigades, the armed wing of Hamas, they were identified as Ahmad Kamal Al Qarra and Mos'ab Abu Jame'. The invasion in Abasan was carried out after the Israeli air force fired a missile at fighters of the Al Quds brigades, the armed wing of the Islamic Jihad.
Palestine Today 081407
Ghassan Bannoura - IMEMC - Audio Dept, International Middle East Media Center 8/14/2007
Click on Link to download or play MP3 file - || File 3. 66 MB || Time 4m 0s || - Welcome to Palestine Today, a service of the International Middle East Media Centre, www. imemc. org, for Tuesday August 14th, 2007. The Israeli army kills four in Gaza and injures at least 12 others In the meantime, Palestinian security forces arrest 20 Hamas supporters in the northern part of the West Bank, these stories and more coming up stay tuned. - The Gaza strip - Four Palestinian residents of Gaza, including a mother and two resistance fighters, were killed early on Tuesday morning after Israeli forces invaded Abbassan town, east of Khan Younis city, in the Gaza Strip. One of those killed was shot dead by the Israeli army in the nearby Faraheen neighborhood of Khan Younis.
Ban Ki-moon: Kidnapped soldiers top priority
YNetNews 8/15/2007
UN secretary general meets with Israeli Knesset speaker in New York, says much is being done towards release of abducted Israeli soldiers -- Knesset Speaker Dalia Itzik met late Tuesday night with UN Secretary General Ban Ki-Moon in New York City and the two discussed the efforts being made to release the Israeli soldiers kidnapped by Hizbullah and Hamas. Ban told reporters before the meeting that the issue of the MIA Israeli soldiers topped his daily agenda and that he is working hard to resolve the matter. Israeli ambassador to the UN, Danny Gillerman, and chief political counsel to the Israeli UN delegation, Gilad Cohen, also attended the half-hour meeting. Ban said he was concerned that the matter had yet to be resolved and reminded the assembled reporters of Israel's goodwill gesture towards the Palestinian government in the release of 250 Palestinian prisoners.
Japan urges Israel to ease restrictions in West Bank
Daily Star 8/15/2007
Japanese Foreign Minister Taro Aso on Tuesday pledged his country' support for Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas, a day after Japan said it would resume direct aid to the moderate Palestinian government, and urged Israel to ease the severe restrictions on Palestinian freedom of movement in the Occupied West Bank in order to promote regional peace efforts. Speaking alongside Israeli Foreign Minister Tzipi Livni, Aso said Japan would "support President Abbas in a visible manner." Aso was holding talks with senior Israeli officials on Tuesday as he continued a regional tour in which the world's second-largest economic power is seeking to promote Israeli-Palestinian peace through economic development. Japan has avoided providing direct financial assistance to the Palestinians since the Islamic group Hamas won an election and came to power in March 2006.
Israel to open classrooms for Sudanese refugee children
Or Kashti, Ha'aretz 8/14/2007
The Education Ministry will open six educational programs for 74 Sudanese refugees between the ages of three and 12 at the beginning of the upcoming school year. According to Israeli law, the Education Ministry is obligated to care for the education of every child living in the state for at least three consecutive months. During the previous school year, only a small number of the Sudanese children were placed in educational programs, but following the increase in the number of Sudanese refugees entering Israel the Education Ministry decided to conduct a census of all the Sudanese refugee children eligible for state-sponsored education. The census revealed that there are 74 such children; 35 in Eilat, 23 in the Eilot Regional Council, and 16 in Arad.
Middle East Already Planning for Bush's Departure
Mark Seibel, MIFTAH 8/14/2007
Gaza City, Gaza Strip — One recent Friday morning, Dr. Eyad Sarraj, a Palestinian human-rights activist, offered this assessment of what the future holds for the Gaza Strip now that the Islamist group Hamas has taken control: "For two years, Gaza will suffer even more," said Sarraj, a British-trained psychiatrist who founded Gaza's mental-health system. Then, he said, President Bush and his advisers will be gone. A new U.S. administration will talk to Hamas, and so will the Israelis. "They'll have to," he said, "because they'll have seen that Hamas can deliver." That calculus — that the end of the Bush administration is approaching and things will be different afterward — now underpins political thought throughout much of the Middle East. With 17 months to go in Bush's second term, political leaders in the region are anticipating his departure and preparing for change.
World Vision: Country of Lebanon - Humanitarian and Emergency Assessment Report
Maya Assaf, ERDM/Refugees Program Officer, WVL, ReliefWeb 8/6/2007
Palestinian Crisis Response - I. Introduction and Background - At least 80 people have been killed since the 20th of May, 2007 in a fierce battle in the Nahr El Bared camp and in the nearby streets of Tripoli in the North of Lebanon between the Lebanese Army and members of Fateh Al Islam, an extreme Islamist group. Camp residents and doctors say there are dozens of dead civilians from this war. (1) The heavy shelling towards the camp destroyed many houses, centers for NGOs, clinics, schools and others. (2) The war forced around 5000 families from the Nahr El Bared camp to seek refuge in relatively safer areas namely the nearby Beddawi camp while some also fled to the Burj El Barajni and Shatila camps. The Nahr El Bared camp is situated 16 km north of Tripoli near the coast (refer to annex 1).
Tibi refused entry to PMO meeting
Jerusalem Post 8/14/2007
MK Ahmed Tibi (UAL) was prevented from entering the Prime Minister's Office on Tuesday after he refused to undergo a security check. Tibi arrived for a meeting with cabinet secretary Oved Yehezkel and was asked to open the trunk of his car, as is security procedure. However, Tibi refused, saying that security personnel were treating him more stringently because he was an Arab. When Tibi was told it was merely a routine check, the UAL MK decided against attending the meeting and went home. [end]
IDF investigates officers' embezzlement
YNetNews 8/14/2007
Army suspects career officers received grants by producing illegal certificates -- The IDF is investigating allegations that career officer attempted to embezzle monies from the defense establishment. The military police is investigating a number of officers believed to have produced illegal certificates to apply for grants given to soldiers who attend special courses. "We will work towards firing these people from the army. There is no place for people who act like this in the IDF," a military police official told Ynet. The scandal broke out last year when rumors surfaced that officials at the Kidma college in Beersheba received bribes from IDF officers in return for certificates for courses they never attended. An indictment was filed recently at the Military Court in Jaffa against a sergeant major who serves at the Hatzerim air base.
Acre, Carmiel and Tiberias petition court for frontline benefts
Jack Khoury, Ha'aretz 8/14/2007
The northern towns of Acre, Carmiel and Tiberias petitioned the High Court of Justice on Tuesday demanding the government and Finance Ministry grant their local authorities and residents the benefits given to residents in frontline communities in Israel's north. A government decision classified towns within nine kilometers of the northern border "frontline communities." The classification makes them eligible for benefits in order to alleviate the security onus caused by their proximity to the border. The petitioners claim that last summer's Second Lebanon War, which found all of Israel's north under fire from Katyusha rocket attacks fired by Hezbollah militants, proved "undoubtedly" that the security onus placed on Acre, Carmiel and Tiberias is identical to that on the communities close to the border.
Top two deciles earn 50% of all income
Zeev Klein, Globes Online 8/14/2007
Central Bureau of Statistics: Men earn 37% more than women. - The average gross household income in Israel was NIS 12,345 a month in 2006, up 3. 5% over 2005, the Central Bureau of Statistics reports. The average gross monthly household income in which the head of the household was self-employed was NIS 17,687, up 10% in real terms, and 22% more than the NIS 14,468 average gross monthly household income in which the head of the household was a salaried employee. The average monthly household income in which the head of the household was unemployed was NIS 5. 121. Households in the top two deciles earned half of total gross household income, and households in the bottom two deciles earned 6% of total income. The annual income survey also reveals the salary differences between men and women: the average gross...
Along Green Line, Both Sides Try to Work it Out
Matthew Gutman, MIFTAH 8/14/2007
Jenin, West Bank - Just outside this northern West Bank city, the groundwork is being laid for the first Israeli-Palestinian free-trade zone along the route of the security barrier separating Israel from the West Bank. The Israeli and Palestinian officials behind the project say that with enough foreign aid, the industrial zone could generate 10,000 jobs for Palestinians and millions in revenue for investors. Both sides hope it could economically rehabilitate Jenin, one of the hardest-hit areas in the West Bank, and serve as a model for other Israeli-Palestinian industrial zones. The economy in Jenin has been decimated since construction began on the security barrier fiveyears ago this month. But as the effort to open a free-trade zone indicates, for all itscontentious political implications the security...
A third of new expatriates – immigrants from former Soviet Union
YNetNews 8/15/2007
Central Bureau of Statistics says negative balance of immigration continues. Study says that 58% of 21,500 Israelis who left country in 2005 were born abroad, of these 78% in the former Soviet Union -- According to a study released by the Israeli Central Bureau of Statistics on Tuesday 21,500 Israeli residents left the country in 2005 compared to 10,500 Israeli citizens who returned. The immigration rate in 2005 stood at 1. 6 immigrants for every 1,000 Israelis, the lowest rate since 1983. According to the statistics, 55% of the new expatriates are single, 54% are male and 46% are female. Fifty-eight percent of those who left the country were born abroad, a staggering majority of whom – 78% - came to Israel from the former Soviet Union. The Bureau noted the significant number of returning Israelis in 2005, 55% of which are Israeli-born compared to 45% who were born abroad.
Iraqi military says 175 killed, 200 wounded in four suicide attacks
Ha'aretz 8/14/2007
BAGHDAD - Four suicide bombers hit a Yazidi community in northwest Iraq on Tuesday, killing at least 175 people and wounding 200 others, the Iraqi military said. The bombs tore through communities near Qahataniya, 120 kilometerswest of Mosul, Iraq's third-largest city, said Abdul-Rahman al-Shimiri, the top government official in the area, and Iraq Army Capt. Mohammed Ahmed. The attack was the deadliest in Iraq since 215 people were killed Nov. 23 when mortar rounds and five car bombs killed 215 people in the Shiite neighborhood of Sadr City. Dhakil Qassim, mayor of Sinjar, a town near where the attacks occurred, said al-Qaida in Iraq was behind the attack, citing what he said were Kurdish government intelligence reports. [end]
5 US troops killed in Baghdad helicopter crash
Jerusalem Post 8/14/2007
A US transport helicopter crashed Tuesday near an air base west of Baghdad, killing five troops, the military said. The CH-47 Chinook helicopter was conducting a routine post-maintenance test flight when it went down near Taqaddum air base, said 1st Lt. Shawn Mercer, a Marine spokesman. He said emergency response crews had sealed off the site and the cause was still under investigation. [end]
Army tells militants that staying in camp is 'suicidal decision'
Michael Bluhm, Daily Star 8/15/2007
BEIRUT: The Lebanese Army said on Tuesday that anyone choosing to remain in the Nahr al-Bared refugee camp was making a "suicidal decision," as Gazelle light attack helicopters bombed suspected underground bunkers housing Fatah al-Islam militants. "The militants' refusal to surrender is a suicidal decision, for which they bear responsibility," said the army statement. The statement pointed out that the militants and civilians remaining with them in the camp had rejected repeated calls give themselves up in order to spare the lives of the women and children. The army's mention of suicide, however, should be not be read as a signal that troops are planning a major assault to finish off the Islamist gunmen, an army source told The Daily Star on condition of anonymity.
Hezbollah rally draws thousands
Al Jazeera 8/14/2007
Nasrallah's victory speech comes a year after the end of a 34-day war between Hezbollah and Israel [AFP] Hezbollah's leader has marked the first anniversary of the group's war with Israel by saying the group had won "divine victory", in comments broadcast on screens to a large rally. Rally organisers said about 50,000 people gathered in Beirut's Dahiya suburb on Tuesday to hear Hassan Nasrallah's video address. "Today is the anniversary of the divine victory," he told those gathered in the Hezbollah-controlled district. He said he was grateful "to those who stood by us against Israel and the United States... and helped rebuild the country". Nasrallah's speech was the third public address he has made in recent weeks to mark the August 14 anniversary of a UN-backed ceasefire that 34-days of war with Israel.
Jumblatt rules out reconciliation with opposition
Daily Star 8/15/2007
BEIRUT: Head of the Progressive Socialist Party MP Walid Jumblatt reiterated on Tuesday his refusal to forge a compromise or settlement with the opposition, saying "contradictory political currents cannot reach a common agreement." "I don't see any sort of settlement possible before the opposition cut off all sorts of ties with Syria," Jumblatt told Kuwaiti Al- Siyyasa newspaper. In an interview to survey escalating political developments on the Lebanese political scene, Jumblatt said he was against making any compromises concerning presidential elections, "personally, I am against reconciliation." "The ruling coalition has to assume its responsibilities at one point or the other... and constitutional articles are clear concerning presidential elections," Jumblatt said.
Ethiopian soldiers kill 12 Somali civilians
Middle East Online 8/14/2007
93 Somali civilians suffer from bullet wounds after Ethiopian forces opened fire on passenger bus. - MOGADISHU - Six more Somali civilians died Tuesday after being seriously wounded when Ethiopian forces opened fire on a passenger bus the previous day, medical officials said. The soldiers had fired on the bus suspecting it was ferrying insurgents. "So far six people have died since last night of critical injuries they suffered yesterday," said Dahir Dhere, the director of Mogadishu's Medina hospital. "We have 93 more injuries in (the) hospital. All of them have bullet wounds." The latest fatalities raise the death toll from the bus attack to 12. The shooting erupted after a Somali soldier manning a road block accidentally fired a rocket, narrowly missing the bus and prompting the Ethiopian troops who were nearby to open fire.
Jordan gets a mixed report card on domestic reform
Rami G. Khouri, Daily Star 8/15/2007
The "reform" industry in the Arab world has been on a roller-coaster for the past 15 years or so, soaring high at moments of exhilaration and ambitious expectations, then plummeting to earth in gut-wrenching disappointment. Reforming prevailing political, economic, security and administrative systems in the Arab world is a critical prerequisite for any hopes for stability, prosperity and a normal life for a majority of citizens. A new report by the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace captures accurately and fairly the important experience of one country - Jordan - where the reform agenda has been simultaneously dramatic and erratic. Jordan's track record is important because its leadership has trumpeted reform as a major goal and achievement, it has make impressive progress in some areas, yet it has suffered serious shortcomings in others.
THE WORLD WATER BUSINESS
Inter Press Service 8/14/2007
AUGUST 2007 (IPS) - It is well known that even in countries where mineral water is public property, it is private companies that are making major and easy profits from selling it, writes Riccardo Petrella, founder member and secretary-general of the International Committee for the World Water Contract, and professor at the Catholic University of Louvain. In this article, the author writes that the "business" of bottled mineral water has become one of the most lucrative and fast-growing sectors around the world. The Swiss private bank Pictet forecasts that by 2015 private companies will supply water to almost 1. 75 billion "consumers". In this context, it is not surprising to learn that water management companies are among the most hotly bought and sold businesses, much the way shoes or refrigerators are.
Articles
Israel's ethnic cleansing and apartheid in Palestine
Mazin B. Qumsiyeh, Ph.D, Palestine Chronicle 8/14/2007
Palestinians and many Israelis are encouraged that civil society in Europe and North America has now engaged in other forms of struggle for peace with justice, including the growing movement of boycotts.
I just returned from my latest trip to Palestine, or at least to the part of Palestine I still have access to as a Palestinian Christian. You see, we Palestinians from the Bethlehem area (the birthplace of Jesus) are now denied entry to over 90 percent of Palestine and even to our capital and major economic center, Jerusalem (which is merely 7 miles from Bethlehem).
Israeli colonies dot the landscape from the Mediterranean to the River Jordan on land stolen from the native people. Six of the 10 million Palestinians in the world are now refugees or displaced people and the remaining Palestinians live in increasingly shrinking and impoverished ghettos (Ã la South African Bantustans at the time of Apartheid).
In all areas we visited the trend is the same: maximizing geography (under Israeli control) and minimizing demography (Palestinians on their land). Israeli authorities have evolved ingenious ways of ethnic cleansing since the more direct uprooting practiced in 1947-1949, when 850,000 Palestinians were driven out. The details of how this is done differ from area to area. A few examples may illustrate this.
What Role for Palestinian Supporters Today?
Agustin Velloso, Palestine Chronicle 8/14/2007
Before asking Palestinians to close ranks, it would be much more useful if Western leftists made public whether they plan to continue offering Palestinians empty ethical principles or whether they plan solid support for the resistance.
1. Supporting Palestinian resistance: today as in 1947
After receiving from Chilean e-journal www.hojaderuta.org ("hoja de ruta" means "roadmap") the question "What does it mean today to engage in political action for the Palestinians?" the first thing I thought was : the same thing it meant forty years ago (in 1967) and sixty years ago (in 1947). That is to say, to support Palestinian resistance, which amounts to fighting the Zionist project in Palestine . The reason is that the problem has not changed: a colonialist enterprise is in motion of a scope that threatens the very existence of Palestinians as a people.
Israel's colonialism is the most extreme kind, since its aim is to expel Palestine 's original inhabitants and appropriate their land to make room for Jews from all over the world who want to settle in the whole of Palestine . Since 1947, the way to achieve this aim has been through violence: combining the expulsion of as many persons as possible with repression of the ones who stay put and resist.
Saying No to the Hunters of Goliath
Gilad Atzmon, Palestine Chronicle 8/14/2007
The Israeli army had become used to smashing Palestinian civilians in their homes, to murdering their emerging leadership, to terrorising pregnant women in roadblocks, and to shelling young kids in their school classes.
"A few reasons help to create the Nasrallah obsession ('dibuk'), that influenced decision makers along the (Second Lebanon) war. Primarily, Israel always perceived the Arab (leaders) as (private) people rather than representatives of political systems. Even amongst media analysts and politicians the references were pointing at "Assad", "Arafat" or "Nasrallah" rather than the states and organisations they represent. In the eyes of the (Israeli) decision-makers, as well as the media and public, the Arab world was led by individuals rather than by governmental systems and the best way to influence it was in most cases to drop a bomb in the right place." ("Captives in Lebanon", Ofer Shelah and Yaov Limor)[1]
The Israelis tend to personalise conflicts. Yet, by doing this, they are neither original nor innovative. They in fact follow a Biblical lesson. Within the Judaic worldview, history and ethics are often reduced into a banal single binary opposition principle. For instance, the deadly battle between the 'righteous' David and the 'evil' Goliath personalises the struggle between the 'good' Israelites and the 'bad' Philistines. Though the Biblical specific tale could be understood in a mere literary terms, the similarities to the Israelite of our time are rather concerning. In Israel, there is a direct express path that leads from the 'role of the assassin' to the Government seat. Time after time our contemporary Israelite supplicate their highly decorated assassins to become their kings, to lead their army and then to integrate into the cabinet. This obviously happened to Sharon, Barak, Mofaz, Halutz, Dichter and many more.
Another Inconvenient Truth
Caelum Moffatt, MIFTAH 8/14/2007
My walk to work in the morning normally involves a brief 'sabaah ilkheer' to around five soldiers in recognition of their presence, as they contribute to the protection of the 'Muqata'. On August 2, however, I found myself saying 'good morning' to a soldier every couple of paces.
It took a couple of seconds for my drowsiness to escape me before I realized that Thursday was the day US Secretary of State, Condoleezza Rice was visiting Ramallah to offer America's support, in person, to Prime Minister Salam Fayyad and President Mahmoud Abbas.
Probably unknown to Ms. Rice, many of the employees at the office faced a two hour commute into Ramallah from Jerusalem on Thursday on account of the Israeli-commanded Qalandia checkpoint being temporarily closed for security reasons. On that Thursday I watched in amazement as soldiers cut access to the road from both sides and then suddenly, at least five smart, black, four by fours came speeding down the road accompanied by sirens and escorted by Palestinian troops in their vans.
Soon, if they haven't already, Palestinians are going to start associating such visits as problematic rather than positive.
Audio: Crossing the Line interviews author Ramzy Baroud
Podcast, Crossing the Line, Electronic Intifada 8/14/2007
This week on Crossing the Line: Independent journalist Ben White joins host Christopher Brown to discuss the Israeli Ministry of Education's "inclusion" of the Palestinian Nakba into students' textbooks. White points out a number of concerns regarding the supposed enlightenment of the Israeli school system and its broader implications.
Next Brown speaks with author, editor and activist Ramzy Baroud on the notion of "peace talks" between Ehud Olmert and Mahmoud Abbas, the continued exclusion of Hamas from talks with Israel and Fatah, and the neo-cons and AIPAC's attempts to get Bush to go to war with Iran.
As always, Crossing the Line begins with "This week in Palestine," a service provided by The International Middle East Media Center.
Listen Now - [MP3 - 51.4 MB, 56:07 min]
Courting and Countering the Christian Zionists
Nadia Hijab, Institute for Palestine Studies, ZNet 8/15/2007
Notwithstanding its apocalyptic agenda, Christians United For Israel, the newest pro-Israel group on the Washington block, is courted by serious presidential candidates like Senator John McCain. Pro-peace evangelical Christians and Jews are seeking to counter its fundamentalist agenda. How close is it to Israel and AIPAC? And what are the consequences for the Middle East?
Pastor John Hagee's Christians United for Israel (CUFI) attracted over 4,000 participants at its second annual convention held in Washington DC 16 - 19 July 2007, nearly a thousand more than in 2006. The self-described "one-issue organization" is a recent offspring of a relationship between the US Christian Zionists, who are believed to account for some 20% of US evangelicals, and the Israeli right that dates back to the 1970s. The relationship began as a response to the growing criticism of Israel's human rights policies by mainstream Protestant churches as well as to former president Jimmy Carter's 1977 statement that the Palestinians need a homeland.1 The late Israeli Prime Minister Menachem Begin was one of the first Israelis to reach out to the US Christian Zionists, and former premier and current Likud leader Benjamin Netanyahu has assiduously cultivated these ties.
How Close is the CUFI Agenda to AIPAC and the Israeli Right?
CUFI says it is not a political action committee but a "non-profit association" whose funds are used to educate "the Christian Community ... on the biblical reasons why Christians should support Israel." CUFI-watchers believe that its appearance on an already crowded pro-Israeli stage owes much to the American Israel Public Affairs Committee (AIPAC), whose support included printing materials for CUFI's 2006 conference.2 CUFI's lobbying agenda closely mirrors that of AIPAC and the Israeli right. The printed handouts given to participants in the 2007 conference set out these issues for discussion during visits to their members of Congress...
Get to Work
Kathy Kelly in Amman, Jordan, Palestine Chronicle 8/14/2007
We can't just blame it on Bush, as though he will somehow turn around and suddenly become a responsible leader. We must hold accountable those who bear responsibility in the Senate and the House of Representatives.
"GET A JOB!" These three words are very familiar to activists bearing signs calling for an end to war, whether standing on street corners, walking along highways, holding vigils, or nonviolently occupying the offices of elected representatives. Listen to the activists, and you'll often hear, "We're doing our job. We're trying."
I'm convinced that our work must always have one foot placed in nonviolent resistance to the forces that design and wage wars, with the other foot standing among people who bear the physical and mental affliction caused by these forces. Today, I'm thinking especially about two young women who found themselves in nightmare circumstances because, in their view, they simply wanted to have a job.
Israeli soldiers express pain of war
Colin Hinshelwood, Asia Times 8/15/2007
"One day I saw an elderly Palestinian. Really old. With a long white beard, his face all wrinkles, carrying two shopping bags, passing by a small religious Jewish boy, probably a first-grader, six to seven years old, maximum nine. The child came up, looked at the Arab in the eye - mind you, this is a street that both Jews and Arabs are allowed to use - and said to him: 'You filthy Arab!' spat in his face and ran off. Far away, he climbed some roof and threw stones at him. I was shocked."
This is just one excerpt from a catalogue of testimonies from Israeli soldiers who have recently come forward and spoken out for the first time about the mind-numbing situation they find themselves in while on duty in the Palestinian occupied territories. Many of the accounts make for macabre reading.
The soldier in the testimony above goes on to say that when he approached the child's parents to tell them what their son had done, he was rebuked by the parents for siding with a Palestinian and told that their son had acted legitimately. Time and again, the collected testimonies bear witness to crimes of hate and racism carried out by either Israeli soldiers or by the Jewish "settlers" within the occupied territories on unarmed Palestinian civilians, including women and children.
After finishing high school, most Israeli teenagers are expected to serve in the Israel Defense Forces (IDF). Boys will serve a minimum of three years, while girls are required to put in two years' service. Young, impressionable and taught by a hawkish society that it is their divine duty to protect the State of Israel, these young people become the front line in the streets, commanding absolute power over Arab residents and often abusing that power with impunity.
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