Occupied Palestine: News and Articles
News
Israeli air strike kills one and injures two in Gaza
Ma'an News Agency 8/22/2007
Gaza - Ma'an- Palestinian medical sources have announced that one Palestinian was killed and two others injured in an Israeli air strike at dawn on Wednesday morning, east of Gaza City. Dr Muawiya Hasanein, Director of Emergency and First Aid at Ash Shifaa Hospital said that Yahya Habib of the Qassam brigades was dead on arrival at hospital. Two other men were seriously injured after a rocket attack by Israeli planes. Eyewitnesses said that Israeli war planes launched the dawn raid near the Israeli border with the Gaza Strip. This Palestinian death toll over the past 24 hours has now risen to 13, including two children. [end]
36 Palestinians arrested near Jerusalem
Ma'an News Agency 8/22/2007
Bethlehem - Ma'an - Israeli sources said on Wednesday that 36 Palestinians were arrested between Jerusalem and Mode'en. Israeli military sources claimed they were throw stones and rockets at Israeli cars. The sources added that the arrests occurred on Tuesday night and early on Wednesday morning. Those arrested were taken to interrogation centres. Israeli sources also said that Israeli forces arrested six Palestinians from various West Bank cities early on Wednesday. The sources added that three "wanted" Palestinians were arrested in Jenin, two in Hebron and another in Ramallah. [end]
Israel kills 12 Gazans, including two children, in 24 hours
Report, Al Mezan, Electronic Intifada 8/22/2007
The Israeli Occupation Force (IOF) has escalated its aggression in the Gaza Strip. Twelve Palestinians, including two minors, were killed in Gaza in the past 24 hours. In addition, the Israel's Naval Forces opened fire at fishermen and arrested eight of them in the town of Rafah today. According to Al Mezan's field investigations, at approximately 5pm on Monday 20 August 2007, an Israeli air raid targeted a car near the entrance of a former national security site in middle Gaza, killing six. At approximately 1:45pm on Tuesday 12 August 2007, an Israeli warplane fired a missile at a crowd about half a kilometer from the borderline east of al-Qarara area in the southern Gaza town of Khan Younis. Three Palestinians were killed in this attack.
Police break up Islamist meeting in Jerusalem
Reuters, YNetNews 8/23/2007
Officers throw stun grenades on rooftop where meeting between Hamas, Israeli Islamic group took place; Sheikh Raed Salah taken to hospital on stretcher but later released - Israeli police broke up what they said was a gathering of Hamas and an Israeli Islamic group in Arab East Jerusalem on Wednesday. Members of the paramilitary border police threw several stun grenades onto a rooftop where the meeting took place and one of the participants, Sheikh Raed Salah, a prominent Israeli-Arab Islamist leader was taken to hospital on a stretcher but was later released. Israel considers Hamas a terrorist organization and bans the group and the Palestinian Authority from conducting political activity in east Jerusalem. Police said in a statement that about 30 people, including Hamas members, took part in the gathering.
Israel proposes W. Bank-Gaza route in land swap
Ha'aretz 8/23/2007
Israel has proposed that safe passage for the Palestinians from the West Bank to the Gaza Strip be included in an exchange of territory with the Palestinians in the framework of the agreement of principles now being formulated ahead of the upcoming regional summit. The Palestinians will receive control of the route, but Israel will maintain sovereignty and it will only begin to operate after the Palestinian Authority, under its present leadership, reasserts control over the Gaza Strip. Jerusalem believes that the move will help PA Chairman Mahmoud Abbas and Prime Minister Salam Fayad garner public support in Gaza, which will see the Hamas government as an obstacle in renewing communication with the West Bank. A senior official involved in talks with the Palestinians said that the agreement of principles will not set out the details of the land to be transfered to the Palestinians...
IOF navy boats kidnap 8 Palestinian fishermen at sea
Palestinian Information Center 8/22/2007
RAFAH, (PIC)-- Israeli navy forces on Wednesday kidnapped 8 Palestinian fishermen and destroyed 7 fishing boats in a joint operation with the IOF choppers off the coast of Rafah, south of the Gaza Strip. Abdullah Al-Najjar, one of the fishermen, said that four IOF navy boats and two army choppers targeted a group of fishermen who were fishing at sea near to the Palestinian-Egyptian borders. Najjar said that the choppers opened heavy machinegun fire at the fishing boats, and added that seven fishing boats managed to return to shore but the choppers and the navy boats shelled and completely destroyed them. He affirmed that the navy boats kidnapped eight fishermen including his son and detained their boats. He denied that the fishermen were smuggling anything, noting that a small quantity of fish was present at time of the attack. [end]
Israeli army demolishes home in Salfit
Nisreen Qumsieh, International Middle East Media Center 8/22/2007
The Israeli army demolished an unfinished house belonging to Palestinian civilian from Qarrawa Bani Hassan village to the west of Salfit in the West Bank, on Wednesday morning, claiming that the man was not in possession of a valid construction license. Omar Rayyan, the Mayor of Qarrawa village, reported that a large force of Israeli army troops invaded the village in the early hours of Wednesday morning, imposing a firm military siege. Israeli bulldozers then began the razing of the house. The Mayor stated that Mahmoud Assy, the owner of house, presented the necessary documents to an Israeli court, but his house was demolished nonetheless. The Mayor directed a petition to the relevant International bodies and organizations to intervene and place pressure on the Israeli government to bring an end to their...
Palestinian mother and her two daughters kidnapped from Al Khadir village near Bethlehem
Najeeb Faraj, International Middle East Media Center 8/22/2007
An Israeli army force invaded the village of Al Khadir located to the west of Bethlehem city in the southern part of the West Bank on Wednesday at dawn and kidnapped three women there. Witnesses said that at least 40 Israeli soldiers surrounded the home of Ibraheem Atiat ; after forcing the family out troops searched and ransacked the home troops took his wife Aydah, 34, and his two daughters Arwa, 18, and Marwa, 17, to unknown detention camp. Maraw is married and has one child. The Israeli army gave no reasons for the kidnapping. [end
A Detainees Society calls for urgent medical attention to an ailing detainee
International Middle East Media Center 8/22/2007
The Waed Society Detainees and Freed Detainees issued an appeal for all medical and human rights institutions, headed by the Red Cross and Doctor Without Borders to intervene for the release of an ailing detainee imprisoned by Israel. The detainee was identified as Ribhi Suleiman Bsharat who is suffering from ulcer and internal bleeding while the Israeli prison authority is barring him from receiving the basic medical attention. Bsharat, 30, from Tammoun village near the West Bank city of Tubas, is currently imprisoned in Be'er Shiva prison and need urgent hospitalization. The Waed Society stated that the Israeli Authorities are still baring all sick detainees from receiving the needed medical attention and held Israel responsible for any further deterioration in their conditions.
Prisoners in Howara detention centre appeal to ICRC for medicines
Ma'an News Agency 8/22/2007
Nablus – Ma'an - Prisoners held in the Howara detention centre, south of Nablus, appealed to the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) on Wednesday to visit the centre and address the human rights abuses they are enduring. They called on the ICRC to put pressure on the detention centre's administration to allow medicines and clothes to be brought to the prisoners. They said that the administration currently do not allow the lawyers for the detainees to bring clothes to them. [end]
Palestinian detainees in Hawara asks Red Cross to inspect their conditions
Palestinian Information Center 8/22/2007
NABLUS, (PIC)-- Palestinian detainees in the Israeli Hawara military detention center near Nablus city have appealed to the Red Cross to visit them and inspect their harsh incarceration conditions. The detainees said that the Hawara authority refuses to allow access of medicine and clothes to them even through their lawyers. Mohammed Basharat, the director of the Nafha society for prisoners and human rights and who is one of those detainees, expressed utter dismay at the Hawara authority's violations of detainees' rights. He appealed to the human rights institutions to have a first hand look into the conditions of those detainees and to demand the dismantling of this detention center due to the absence of humanitarian detention conditions. The Nafha society said that complaints against the Hawara center had increased recently...
OPT: Life-saving medicine - The bird of mercy never dies
American Near East Refugee Aid - ANERA, ReliefWeb 8/17/2007
In the middle of Gaza stands the statue of a giant bird. A local legend says the bird rises to life again from its ashes soon after its death. While legends rarely come true, the shipment of medical supplies ANERA was able to send into Gaza in late June went a long way toward restoring life to Palestinians who needed care but were unable to leave and seek treatment abroad. Instead, they must rely on medicines from local clinics and hospitals but these have been difficult to deliver due to the restless political situation. However, following tremendous efforts and coordination with Israelis, ANERA was able to send an AmeriCares shipment into Gaza. Mostafa, ANERA's warehouse manager said: "We finally managed to receive the supplies. This shipment had been stuck at the border for 40 days.
Israel starts to construct a near military post near Bethlehem city
Najeeb Faraj, International Middle East Media Center 8/22/2007
The Israeli army bulldozers started on Wednesday to bulldoze Palestinian owned land that is located east of Bethlehem city in the southern part of the West Bank in order to build a new military post. According to the local governor of Bethlehem, Salah Al Ta'mari, the land destroyed is 10 dunoms ( 1000 meter per dunom). The Israeli military said that the military post is only for security reasons and will not be used as a checkpoint. Al Ta'mari, reported that with this military post the Israeli army will control all three entrances of the city, he also expressed fears that this post will be another checkpoint to harass the local residents. Governor added that this new military post contradicts with Israeli's statements that they want to easy restrictions of movement in the West Bank.
Al-Aqsa Brigades announce start of new operation
Ma'an News Agency 8/22/2007
Gaza - Ma'an - The Al-Aqsa Brigades announced on Wednesday the start of a new operation to "shower Israeli settlements with hundreds of projectiles and mortars"In a statement the Brigades added that the operation will be called "Punched Wall 2." The statement added that four projectiles were launched at Sderot on Wednesday morning as part of the operation. The statement claimed that the Israeli authorities had admitted that the projectiles landed in Sderot. The statement also said that today's operation as well as ongoing operations were in retaliation for the Israeli forces' "attacks, aggression and massacres against the Palestinian people." [end]
Israeli forces arrest 4 members of Islamic Jihad and a member of the PFLP
Ma'an News Agency 8/22/2007
Tulkarem - Ma'an – Four members of Islamic Jihad and a member of the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine (PFLP) were arrested by Israeli forces on Wednesday in Qaffin, a town north of Tulkarem. Local sources told Ma'an that a huge contingent of Israeli forces stormed the town at dawn and arrested sixteen-year-old Mohammad Sabah, Mo'ath Sadah, 17, Ahmad Qasim, 23, Rashid Amarna, 21, all members of Islamic Jihad and seventeen-year-old Suheil Amir from the PFLP. The sources confirmed that Israeli soldiers stormed many houses in the town, before arresting the five men. [end]
Brigades claim responsibility for attacks
Ma'an News Agency 8/22/2007
Gaza - Ma'an - The Al-Quds Brigades claimed responsibility for launching a homemade projectile at Sderot on Wednesday at dawn. In a statement they said the action was "retaliation for Israeli attacks, aggressions and crimes against Palestinians in the Gaza Strip and the West Bank." The Al-Buraq Brigades (one of the armed wings of Fatah), the National Resistance Brigades and Democratic Front for the Liberation of Palestine also said they launched two home made projectiles at Sderot on Wednesday at dawn. The Abu Ali Mustafa brigades and Al-Aqsa brigades also claimed responsibility for launching four mortars at an Israeli military post in Kissufim on Tuesday evening. [end]
Al-Aqsa Brigades say they shot at an Israeli patrol east of Ramallah
Ma'an News Agency 8/22/2007
Ramallah - Ma'an - The Al-Aqsa Brigades have claimed responsibility for shooting at an Israeli military patrol near Singil, east of Ramallah on Wednesday morning. The brigades issued a statement saying, "the resistance fighters clashed with the Israeli soldiers and exchanged fire with them." The statement also claimed that the resistance fighters scored a direct hit on an Israeli military jeep but said that no one was hurt. The statement also said that the brigades will "continue military operations and resistance against Israeli occupation in retaliation for the Israeli crimes against the Palestinian people in the occupied lands." Israeli forces have not released any information about the clashes. [end]
IOF soldiers demolish Palestinian home, round up dozens including children
Palestinian Information Center 8/22/2007
SALFIT, (PIC)-- IOF troops at an early hour on Wednesday demolished the home of Mahmoud Asi in Qarawat Bani Hassan village, north of Salfit district in the West Bank, for lack of building permit in spite being built 15 years ago!Witnesses reported that the soldiers cordoned off the entire suburb before forcing the evacuation of the house then leveling it to the ground. They said that the demolition fell in line with the IOA attempts to force the migration of Palestinians from their lands to facilitate their annexation by Jewish settlers. Meanwhile, IOF troops rounded up more than 50 Palestinian youth from Or Al-Tahta village, west of Ramallah city, including a big number of children less than 18 years old. The occupation forces accuse the villagers of throwing stones at settlers' vehicles. IOF soldiers kidnapped 36 Palestinians in occupied Jerusalem for the same allegation.
Female detainee release from Israeli prison after three years in detention
Amin Abuwarda, International Middle East Media Center 8/22/2007
The media department at the Nafha Society for Defending the Detainees Rights and Human Rights, reported on Wednesday that the Israeli authorities released detainee Rasha Khalid Al Azza, from Dehesiha refugee camp in Bethlehem after three years in detention. He family and several residents of the camp, in addition to representative of detainees and social societies travelled to Jabara military roadblock, south of Tulkarem, in the northern part of the West Bank, to welcome her and transport her back home. Al Azza was born in December 28, 1986; she was taken prisoner after the army broke into her home in summer 2004, and remained in detention for 37 months after the Israeli security claimed that she aided resistance fighters, and charged her of membership of the Al Aqsa Brigades, the armed wing of Fateh.
PPS lawyer visits Salim jail
Ma'an News Agency 8/22/2007
Ramallah - Ma'an – A lawyer from the Palestinian Prisoners' Society has visited prisoners the Israeli Salim jail in the northern West Bank. He said he talked to prisoners including two men who were arrested at an Israeli checkpoint, even though they thought they were no longer on Israel's "wanted" list. Iyad Bisharat from Tamoun, in Jenin and Ahmad Husni from Maraqa, also in Jenin told the lawyer that they were among the 180 "wanted" Palestinians who were "pardoned" by the Israelis in July this year. They both said they were surprised when Israeli forces arrested them as they tried to go through one of the checkpoints three days ago. They informed the lawyer that they had not yet been interrogated. The lawyer added that there are 31 Palestinian prisoners in Salim Jail.
Israeli forces block of village of Marda
Ma'an News Agency 8/22/2007
Salfit - Ma'an – Israel forces besieged the village of Marda, north of Salfit in the northern West Bank, on Wednesday, closing the only route into and out of the village. Local resident, Nisfat Khuffash, told Ma'an the Israeli forces had stopped him from entering the village to go to work. He added that the Israeli forces had erected two checkpoints at the entrance to the village. [end]
Peaceful demonstration against confiscation of Palestinian land by Israel near Ramallah
Ma'an News Agency 8/22/2007
Bethlehem – Ma'an – A peaceful demonstration against land confiscation took place on Wednesday, in an area north of Ramallah in the northern West Bank. The Israeli authorities intend to confiscate the land that belongs to the village of Al-Mazra'a Al-Qibliyya to extend the separation wall and to build a new settlement. Palestinian Legislative Council (PLC) member, Mustafa Barghouthi attended the demonstration along with the governor of Ramallah, Sa'id Ali, and several other local Palestinian dignitaries. Barghouthi said the demonstration was to protest the extension of Israeli settlements and try to prevent the confiscation of 500 dunoms [a dunom is equal to 1000 square metres. ]He added that there is an Israeli plan to use the land to establish a new settlement and to erect a part of the separation wall in the area.
Israeli military court orders imprisonment of mentally ill Palestinian
Ma'an News Agency 8/22/2007
Hebron – Ma'an – The Israeli military court at 'Ofer on Wednesday sentenced a Palestinian suffering from mentally illness to 101 days in prison. Muhammad Ja'bari, 38, from Hebron in the southern West Bank will accompany Nasim Al-Ja'bari, 33, and Muhammad Ja'bari, 37, all of which received their sentenced together. The three Palestinians were arrested on the 5th August 2007 on charges of participating in attempts to prevent Israeli settlers from Kiryat Arba', near Hebron, from taking control of a Palestinian home belonging to the Rajabi family. The fourth brother of the family, Bassam, stated that he held the Israeli authorities responsible for his brother's life. He also appealed to all humanitarian organizations to intervene to save his mentally ill brother.
Israeli court finds Israeli state guilty of death of Palestinian youth in 2002; family to recieve compensation
Ma'an News Agency 8/22/2007
The family of a Palestinian teenager killed in 2002 by Israeli military forces has won compensation following a rare decision by the Petah Tikva Magistrate Court, which squarely blamed the state military as a whole, and one officer in particular, for the death of Mohammad Ali Ziad, 16. The court was told that Israeli troops were inside occupied Palestinian territory, en-route to intercept a car "carrying suspected suicide bombers toward Israel" when they encountered a group of stone-throwing youths. In trying to disperse the crowd of youths, one soldier reportedly shot his rifle in the air, in violation of army regulations. The website of Israeli daily, Yedioth Ahranoth reports that "The bullet pierced the window of a room where Ziad was staying, fatally wounding the teenager.
Police investigate destruction of settlements' vines
Efrat Weiss, YNetNews 8/22/2007
Vineyard's owner says 4,500 seedlings destroyed by Palestinians, left-wing activists. 'It was like a pogrom,' he says - Police launched an investigation Wednesday into the uprooting of hundreds of vines in the West Bank settlements of Nachliel and Narya. The vines were supposedly destroyed by left-wing activists and Palestinians, who are also under investigation for damaging farm equipment at the site. Shlomi Cohen, the vineyard's owner, told Ynet, "A group of Palestinians and left-wing activists arrived in the afternoon hours. They uprooted and trampled over 4,500 seedlings and destroyed everything. "They carried out a pogrom here, but no one was arrested. They set the pipeline on fire and destroyed farm equipment," he said.
ANERA preschooler project continues despite challenges in Gaza
American Near East Refugee Aid - ANERA, ReliefWeb 8/17/2007
Due to new restrictions on entry points into Gaza imposed in June, ANERA has discovered greater challenges in working with Palestinians in need. Border closings mean supplies can't come in, which has a tremendous effect on the local economy. Contractors, for instance, can't work when construction materials aren't available. Families end up suffering the consequences, from the newly unemployed to the children who look to them for support. Despite these constraints, ANERA remains committed to providing as much relief to Palestinians as possible. One success has been the Milk for Preschoolers project. In partnership with Islamic Relief, an international relief and development non-governmental organization, ANERA alleviates alarming rates of malnutrition by delivering daily rations of milk and fortified biscuits to preschoolers in 250 centers.
Haifa 5th, 6th graders to be taught Arabic language, culture
Fadi Eyadat, Ha'aretz 8/22/2007
Fifth and sixth graders in all 52 Haifa elementary schools will take Arabic-language classes as well as study Arab and Islamic history, as part of their regular curriculum. The project will be funded by the Ministry of Education and the Haifa Municipality. Two years ago, Haifa municipality and the Abraham Fund Initiatives began a pilot project in 12 elementary schools called "Language as a Cultural Bridge." A year later the number of participating institutions doubled. The aim of the project, beyond teaching spoken and literary Arabic, is to "link Jewish pupils to the Arab population which is the second-largest [community] in the country," said Rachel Metuki, educational director at the municipality." The program is experiential, and in addition to the language lessons, there will be story tellers in Arabic, audio tapes and plays in Arabic," she explained.
Palestinian Security forces kidnap 9 Hamas members
Ameen Abu Warda, International Middle East Media Center 8/22/2007
Palestinian Security forces of Fatah kidnapped 9 Hamas members from different parts of the West Bank on Wednesday morning. In Tulkarem, the Security force kidnapped two members of Hamas, identified as Samer Saed and Maher Mohammad. In Jenin, the security force kidnapped Mohammad Abu 'Era after he was interviewed by a division of Fatah intelligence forces. In Nablus, the Security force kidnapped 6. Two were later identified as Nadeem Al Laham and Abed Al Hakeem Al Kadeh. In Al Nafoura village, to the north of Nablus city, Security forces Mohammad Muhsen for the second time. In Talooza village, to north of Nablus city, Fatah forces kidnapped the municipal member of the village Sheikh Mohammad Hanajra, and the mosque imam Shiekh Omar Darawousha.
Hamas members arrested by the Palestinian Authority
Ma'an News Agency 8/22/2007
Nablus - Ma'an- Hamas said on Wednesday that Palestinian Authority security forces have arrested nine of the movement's members in various cities across the West Bank, including a municipality council member and a mosque Imam. Hamas added that Samir Sa'ad and Nahir Hattab were arrested in the village of Far'oun near Tulkarem, and Mohammad Amin in Aqaba near Jenin. Palestinian intelligence services arrested Abdulhakim Qadah in the Al-Jabal Ash Shamali area of Nablus, and council member, Mohammad Janajra, from the village of Naqoura near Nablus, and the Imam of the mosque, Omar Darawsha. The movement also said that another member, Obada Mousa, was arrested in the village of Tamoun by the Palestinian security bodies. [end]
Hamas slams P.A security for barring it from carrying social activities
International Middle East Media Center 8/22/2007
The Islamic Resistance Movement, Hamas, stated on Wednesday that the Palestinian Security forces are barring it from carrying social activities in Jenin, in the northern part of the West Bank. The movement stated that the recent violation was carrying out when P. A security forces barred Hamas from holding an activity to honor high school graduate in the city. Hamas added that it holds these activities annually but recently Palestinian security forces loyal to Fateh movement started barring it from holding social activities or events, and warned that these security devices are carrying these acts in order to push the movement into carrying reactions that could inflame internal clashes. The movement added that such acts target it and that these attacks are illegal and harms the image of the Palestinian National Authority.
Palestinian government to approve law against money laundering
Ma'an News Agency 8/22/2007
Bethlehem – Ma'an – "The Palestinian government is to ratify a decision preventing money laundering," stated the Palestinian minister of economy in the caretaker government, Kamal Hassuna. The minister added that a legal committee has been composed to study the issue, and to propose it to the Palestinian cabinet next week for ratification. He explained that the issue was raised upon the recommendations of businessmen and legislators, "aiming to defend money from abroad and make sure deliveries are secured." Responding to a question over whether the decision was taken to damage the Hamas movement, the minister stated, "The law is meant to defend deliveries of money coming from abroad through the banks, and Hamas does not receive money through banks.
Hanegbi: Diplomatic gains in Second Lebanon War rival those of 1948
Yuval Azoulay, Ha'aretz 8/22/2007
Israel's diplomatic achievements in the Second Lebanon War are comparable only to similar accomplishments in the War of Independence, the chairman of the Knesset Foreign Affairs and Defense Committee recently told the Winograd Committee. In testimony released yesterday, Kadima MK Tzachi Hanegbi said the achievements were the deployment of the Lebanese Army in southern Lebanon and the stationing of a United Nations force there. He said two other accomplishments were the weakening of Hezbollah while reducing the threat to Israel's northern communities. Hanegbi told the committee, which was formed to examine the performance of Israel's decision-makers during the war, that going to war and sending ground troops into Lebanon was an appropriate response to Hezbollah's actions.
Abbas: IDF operations prevent progress in peace talks
Yuval Azoulay Yoav Stern and Mijal Grinbergs and News Agencies, Ha'aretz 8/22/2007
PA Chairman Mahmoud Abbas' office condemned Israel's military operations in the Gaza Strip and the West Bank on Wednesday, saying that the strikes make progress in peace talks impossible." It is impossible to conduct a peace process, to advance negotiations and to achieve results as long as Israel continues with its policy of military strikes," said Abbas' office in a statement. The statement said that the IDF operations, which have killed 13 Palestinians since Monday, cast strong doubt on Israel's desire to make peace. Abbas' office called on the international community and the Quartet of Middle East mediators to intervene regarding these incidents and to halt Israel's military activities. Earlier Wednesday, IDF troops killed a Hamas militant in an air strike in the Gaza Strip early Wednesday, a day...
Senior Israeli official: signing an agreement with Palestinians depend on Abbas
Rami Almeghari & Agencies, International Middle East Media Center 8/22/2007
A senior Israeli official said on Wednesday that signing peace agreement with the Palestinians depends on whether President Mahmoud Abbas enjoys legitimacy in the Palestinian street. The official, who spoke in a condition of anonymity to the Israeli daily Haartz, revealed that Israeli Prime Minister, Ehud Olmert and his aids held last week deliberations concerning a middle east peace conference, expected in fall. "Israel faces a key challenge, whether Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas is able to maintain a genuine control over the Palestinian people as well as over the bodies he is responsible for", the Israeli official stressed. "Abu Mazen, Abbas's nickname, who works on fighting terrorism, is viewed by the Palestinian people as a 'collaborator for the occupation', he maintained.
Palestinian President says Israeli attacks on Gaza harm the peace process
Rami Almeghari & Agencies, International Middle East Media Center 8/22/2007
Palestinian President, Mahmoud Abbas, said on Wednesday that the recent Israeli attacks on the Gaza Strip, that claimed the lives of several Palestinians, would harm the peace process. A statement issued by Abbas's office in Ramallah, stressed that Israel's actions on the ground in Gaza would make peace negotiations with Israel fruitless. Meanwhile, Palestinian prisoners' affairs minister, Ashraf Ajrami, accused Israel of undermining the Ramallah-based Palestinian government , due to its recent attacks on the Gaza Strip. Ajrami believed that these actions are intended at sabotaging efforts by Palestinian Prime Minister, Salam Fayyad, to maintain security in the Palestinian territories. Such remarks came in the wake of a series of Israeli killings of Palestinians over the past few days, in which two children were killed.
U.S. policing Israeli commitment to stop pursuing Fatah men
Ha'aretz 8/23/2007
The U.S. security coordinator for the Palestinian Authority is checking whether Israel is upholding its agreement to stop pursuing Fatah militants in the West Bank, Haaretz has learned. A senior Western diplomat said that officers from Keith W. Dayton's team have been meeting with Palestinian security officials in several West Bank cities." This is part of the activity to help the Palestinian security forces institute law and order," the diplomat said. On Tuesday, a group of Canadian officers visited Nablus, which is considered home to the largest concentration of wanted Fatah militants. The officers met with some Palestinian security officials there. Israel has agreed to stop pursuing 178 activists of Fatah's Al-Aqsa Martyrs' Brigades. Some of the activists are suspected of shooting attacks and working with Hezbollah to organize terror attacks on Israel.
EU resumes fuel payments for Gaza
Ma'an News Agency 8/22/2007
Gaza – Ma'an – The European Union resumed payments for the fuel supply to the Gaza Power Company on Wednesday after four days of blackout. Kan'an 'Ubeid, the vice president of Energy Authority, told Ma'an that the Israel had delivered 360,000 litres of fuel, paid for by the EU, which is enough to keep electricity supplies running till Friday. 'Ubeid has appealed to the Palestinian Authority to move quickly to ensure fuel supplies continue to be delivered to the Gaza Strip. A spokesman for the Palestinian Authority said they welcomed the EU's decision to resume funding the fuel supply. He said that his government was ready to receive an investigation committee to look into allegations of government corruption concerning the electricity company.
Hamas Forced to Commit to Electricity Revenue Checks
Donald Macintyre, MIFTAH 8/22/2007
The European Commission has demanded guarantees that Hamas would not " divert" electricity revenues before ending an increasingly critical shutdown, which has left hundreds of thousands of Gaza residents without power for four days. Now Hamas officials have accused the Ramallah-based emergency Palestinian government of fomenting the row as part of the tightening squeeze on what it regards as the illegitimate rival Hamas administration in Gaza. The EC said it had ceased to supply fuel because it had learnt Hamas was trying to "divert revenues from the production" of electricity in Gaza. Israeli officials said the freeze on payments had been requested by Salam Fayad, Prime Minister of the emergency administration set up by the Palestinian President, Mahmoud Abbas.
Caretaker government appreciates EU decision to resume financing fuel supplies
Palestinian Information Center 8/22/2007
GAZA, (PIC)-- The PA caretaker government headed by premier Ismail Haniya expressed its appreciation over the EU's decision to resume financing fuel supplies to the power station in the Gaza Strip after it received financial reports from the electricity company refuting the false allegations made by Fayyad's government. In a press release received by the PIC, Ghazi Hamad, the spokesman of the caretaker government, renewed the government's readiness to receive an EU commission to investigate this issue "in order to re-assure everyone and to refute the false allegations which led to days of power outage in Gaza." The spokesman also hailed the efforts exerted by some national personalities in the Strip in order to resume pumping fuel to the power station. The EU had suspended financing the fuel supplies to the only power station in Gaza, at the instigation of Fayyad's government...
Middle East: UN envoy holds talks with Israeli, Palestinian leaders
United Nations News Service, ReliefWeb 8/22/2007
The United Nations Middle East envoy is in Jerusalem today for talks with Israeli and Palestinian political leaders on the need for dialogue between the two sides and to help prepare for a future meeting of the Quartet, the international diplomatic grouping trying to resolve the conflict. Michael Williams, UN Special Coordinator for the Middle East Peace Process, met Israeli President Shimon Peres and Palestinian Prime Minister Salam Fayyad today, a day after holding discussions with Israeli Vice Premier Haim Ramon. Tomorrow he is scheduled to meet Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas, UN spokesperson Michele Montas told reporters. The Quartet - comprising the UN, the European Union, Russia and the United States - agreed at a summit in Lisbon, Portugal, last month to meet again in September as part of efforts...
UN urges more Israeli steps for peace
AFP, YNetNews 8/22/2007
Special Mideast envoy says Jerusalem must bolster Abbas, agree to release more prisoners and reopen Gaza crossings to prevent humanitarian crisis. 'I would hope something would be done with regard to the illegal West Bank outposts,' he adds - The UN special envoy to the Middle East urged Israel on Wednesday to take further measures to bolster Palestinian president Mahmud Abbas to sustain efforts to renew peace talks. Michael Williams also urged Israel to agree to reopen crossings into the Hamas-controlled Gaza Strip in order to prevent a humanitarian crisis in the overcrowded and impoverished territory. "I'm concerned we haven't seen further steps. I would like to see further steps," Williams told reporters after meeting senior Israeli and Palestinian officials in Jerusalem and Ramallah.
Abu Zuhri warns of PA and Arab attempts to undermine Hamas
Palestinian Information Center 8/22/2007
GAZA, (PIC)-- Hamas deplored the news about a secret meeting held in the Washington Institute for Middle East Studies and attended by delegates from America, Europe, Arab countries and PA, confirming that it will have to take necessary steps to pre-empt any plot and to protect the security and rights of the Palestinian people. This came in response to a Hebrew broadcast on Tuesday about a secret meeting attended by the aforementioned delegates to discuss a draft proposed by a senior Zionist adviser to undermine Hamas, which is entitled "the provision of safe economic and political net in the Gaza Strip under the supervision of the Fayyad government"." We in Hamas believe that such meetings are an indication of the continued schemes to undermine the Movement..."
Gaza Strip's sole power installation goes back online
Daily Star 8/23/2007
Gaza's only power plant powered back up on Wednesday after the European Union resumed paying for fuel supplies, ending days of blackouts blamed on concerns Hamas was profiting from the electricity taxes. The Palestinian government, based in the Occupied West Bank, took further measures against the Islamist organization on Wednesday by preparing money laundering legislation designed to cut off overseas funding for Hamas. The distribution of power in Gaza was gradually restored to full levels in areas that have received only intermittent supplies for days, resulting in blackouts in many areas of Gaza City. "We have started to partially distribute the electricity for the areas which were cut," Jamal al-Dadasawi, spokesman for the Gaza electricity distribution company, told AFP, adding: "By the end of the day most of Gaza City will be covered.
Masri: Hamas cannot be overridden
Palestinian Information Center 8/22/2007
KUALA LUMPUR, (PIC)-- MP Mushir Al-Masri, secretary of the change and reform parliamentary bloc affiliated with Hamas Movement, has affirmed failure of all pressures and schemes over the past year and a half aimed at foiling the Palestinian people's democratic choice. Masri, in an address before a carnival organized in the Malaysian capital in support of Palestine and its martyrs, stressed that such conspiracies led to the contrary, as Hamas's popularity grew even bigger. The oppressive siege and attempts to fragment the Palestinian lands would not impose any submission on Hamas, the lawmaker asserted, adding that no power on Earth could impose on the Palestinian people "foreign agendas and capitulatory settlements". He explained that the essence of differences in the Palestinian arena...
MIDEAST: Preparing for War, Talking Peace
Analysis by Peter Hirschberg, Inter Press Service 1/22/2007
JERUSALEM, Aug 22(IPS) - Israeli officials have used almost every public platform over the last week to declare that Israel has no war-like intentions toward Syria. Officials in Damascus have made similar soothing proclamations, insisting they have no belligerent intentions toward Jerusalem. And, recently, senior officials from two Arab states passed on messages to Israel that Syria is not planning an attack in the coming months. So why is there growing tension between Jerusalem and Damascus, and why are Israeli leaders so concerned about the possibility of war with their northern neighbour? What's got them worried is an extensive Syrian rearmament programme, Syrian military preparations on the border with Israel, and the concern that even if both sides don't have an appetite for war, a miscalculation could lead to one.
Salah warns: The Aqsa Mosque faces the most critical phase in its history
Palestinian Information Center 8/22/2007
UM AL-FAHEM, (PIC)-- Sheikh Raed Salah, head of the Islamic movement in the Palestinian land occupied in 1948, called for the urgent establishment of an international Islamic Arab fund to save the Aqsa Mosque and Jerusalem, warning that the Aqsa today faces the most critical phase in its history. Sheikh Salah underlined that the IOA seeks to achieve two strategic objectives, the first one is the Judaization of Jerusalem and the second one is the division of the Aqsa Mosque between Muslims and Jews in order to establish its alleged temple at the end." The IOA is trying to deal with its scheme to partition the Aqsa as a fait accompli without declaring it officially, for example, it prevents Muslims from praying in certain areas of the Mosque; besides, Palestinian prisoners revealed that the Israeli intelligence men...
OPT: Royal directives dispatch medical aid to Palestinian hospitals
Source: Government of Jordan, ReliefWeb 8/22/2007
AMMAN, August 22 (Petra) - His Majesty King Abdullah on Tuesday instructed the dispatch of urgent medical assistance to Al Maqased Hospital in Jerusalem and Gaza Strip hospitals, especially Al Shifaa Hospital, due to the shortage of necessary drugs and medical equipment. The Jordan Hashemite Charity Organization (JHCO) has taken steps to deliver the aid shipments within the next few days, JHCO Secretary General Abdul Salam Abbadi said. The assistance is part of King Abdullah's support for Palestinians to mitigate the shortage of medical equipment and drugs that Palestinian hospitals face. According to Abbadi, a total of 228 aid convoys were sent to the Palestinian territories upon Royal directives over the past three years at a total cost of JD50 million.
Tamir vs. the educators of a generation
Nehemiah Shtrasler, Ha'aretz 8/22/2007
The minister of construction and housing was fuming. No, not because of the collapse of the Heftsiba construction company which left thousands of buyers without apartments. That apparently is less interesting. Minister Ze'ev Boim was angry with the education minister, Yuli Tamir, who has reduced by half the number of young women teaching Judaism and Zionism in the state school network as part of their national service. Boim said that "handling of the core subjects of Zionism and nationalism should be taken away from the education minister," because Boim, after all, knows a lot about Zionism, whereas Tamir is merely a member of the Labor Party, which is - how unfortunate - "the left." At the same time as Boim's protests, there was a huge uproar in Judea and Samaria over the minister's decision.
MKs to initiate bill to evacuate area near Negev industrial zone
Shahar Ilan, Ha'aretz 8/22/2007
The Knesset Interior and Environment Committee intends to initiate a bill that, if passed, would bring about the evacuation of territory within a five-kilometer radius of the Ramat Hovav industrial zone in the Negev. Committee Chairman MK Ophir Pines-Paz announced during a tour of the zone for committee members on Wednesday that hazardous materials render the area unsafe. Should the initiative become law, it would mean that seven unrecognized Bedouin villages would need to be demolished. According to Pines-Paz, such an evacuation could only take place with the consent of the Bedouin residents. Members of the Interior and Environment Committee toured several sites in the south known for their environmental questionability. At Ramat Hovav, they were given an in-depth briefing on the toxic explosion that...
Voice of Palestine to resume broadcasting in Gaza Strip
Ma'an News Agency 8/22/2007
Ramallah – Ma'an – The Chairperson of the Palestinian Broadcasting Corporation (PBC), Basim Abu Sumayya, announced on Wednesday that the Sawt l'Filistine ["Voice of Palestine"] radio station will resume transmission in the Gaza Strip "as a sign of the return of Palestinian legitimacy to the Strip". He stated that Gazan citizens will be able to tune in to the Fatah-aligned station on 102. 2 FM. Abu Sumayya told Voice of Palestine Radio that transmission had been halted following "the bloody mutiny" in the Gaza Strip. [end]
State must do more to protect Gaza vicinity, says comptroller
Shmulik Hadad, YNetNews 8/22/2007
In visit to Negev communities Micha Lindenstrauss expresses concern over lack of fortification, says he is preparing another report on the matter - "We are worried about the fortification problem. The central government must do its job in a more significant manner. More should be done to spare human lives," said State Comptroller Micha Lindenstrauss on a tour of the Gaza vicinity communities on Wednesday. Lindenstrauss visited a high school in the Eshkol Regional Council in the northwestern Negev and was horrified at the sight of the unfortified building's ceiling. The comptroller also met with a group of Gush Katif evacuees who informed him about the delays they have faced in having plots of land allotted for their new homes and farms.
Decision on fortifying Sderot's schools postponed
Aviram Zino, YNetNews 8/22/2007
High Court postpones decision on fortification of schools pending beginning of school year. Parents Association: School year won't be opened on time - The High Court decided Wednesday to postpone its ruling on mandatory fortification for all schools in Sderot until after the school year starts. In doing so, the court would allow the state, which petitioned for the delay of the fortification by three years, a chance to rebut Sderot's Parents Association's petition for the immediate fortification of the city's schools. In response to the court's decision, the Parents Association threatened to prevent the start of the school year. "How are we supposed to send our children to unfortified classes?" Chairman Batya Katar said.
IDF, police to fight desertion
Hanan Greenberg, YNetNews 8/22/2007
IDF reveals 3,500 soldiers fail to report for duty every year. Military, civil police to share database in effort to apprehend deserters - The IDF is stepping up its fight against deserters: the military authorities announced Wednesday they intend to hand over the names of those who fail to report to the military induction center to the civil police. The data will be automatically updated in police computers every three hours, making every routine paper inspection, such as those performed by the highway police, possible grounds for arrest - should the papers belong to a deserter. Once the military and civil police create a shared database, any deserter arrested by the civil police will be automatically handed over to the military police for further processing.
Likudniks work to give Mofaz edge over PM in Kadima poll
Mazal Mualem, Ha'aretz 8/22/2007
Transportation Minister Shaul Mofaz's allies in his former party Likud are recruiting people to join rival party Kadima to help Mofaz win that party's upcoming primary elections, Likud activists recently told Haaretz. According to the sources, the Likud activists want to see Mofaz replace Kadima's leader, Prime Minister Ehud Olmert. The activists said Mofaz's supporters from Likud aimed to recruit several thousand people to join Kadima. The sources said that among those working to this end were prominent Likud members including several party-center activists. The new registered voters were not Likud members, the sources said. They said the Likudniks coordinating the effort did not regard their actions as problematic, even though they were adding new voters to the ranks of a rival party.
The sleeper cells of Shaul Mofaz
Mazal Mualem, Ha'aretz 8/22/2007
For now, Mofaz is still in Kadima, hoping to take over as party chair. The Likud muscle is there to help him register new party members for Kadima who will be able to help him when the time comes. - Two weeks ago Thursday, Transportation Minister Shaul Mofaz met with Kadima activists in Lod, rounding off a particularly hectic week of meetings with party members in Holon, Ramat Hasharon and Julis. Since Mofaz, who is gearing up for the party primary race, has markedly increased his activity within Kadima recently, the Lod event - which was covered by Channel 2 news - was pretty routine. Mofaz's most interesting meeting occurred several hours before, at the home of Juma Azbaraga, a well-known Likud Central Committee in Lod. Also in attendance were several dozen key figures from the region, including mayors and important Likud and Kadima activists.
New conversion recommendations slammed by Orthodox, Reform
Anshel Pfeffer, Ha'aretz 8/22/2007
The report submitted to the prime minister on Monday on the state of conversion in Israel managed for once to unite nearly all religious authorities - from the Reform movement to ultra-Orthodox rabbis - in opposition to its recommendations. The committee recommended setting up a new conversion administration that would include courses to prepare converts, and the special rabbinical courts that perform the conversion in practice. Israel's chief Sephardic rabbi, Shlomo Amar, would oversee the entire process. A long series of bureaucratic and halakhic (Jewish law) obstacles has brought conversion almost to a standstill, with fewer than 3,000 immigrants per year converting, out of an estimated 300,000 who are unrecognized as Jews by the rabbinate.
Teachers launch campaign to defend possible shutdown
Or Kashti, Ha'aretz 8/22/2007
Education Ministry officials are scheduled to meet with high school teachers today in Jerusalem to discuss their demands for a wage increase in an attempt to prevent a strike, parties involved in the negotiations told Haaretz yesterday. But recent developments suggest pupils may see their summer vacation extended indefinitely. The Secondary School Teachers' Association, chaired by Ran Erez, has in recent days launched a public campaign to explain the reasons for the impending strike." We've been engaged in negotiations for almost a year now, and have made no significant headway," Erez complains. "The treasury won't talk to us, and the Education Ministry is not really authorized to negotiate with us on our demands for a new wage agreement.
Nuclear Center exec avows safety of Dimona reactor
Ha'aretz 8/23/2007
The nuclear reactor at Dimona is not expected to be shut down in the next few years, despite its advanced age and the customary practice in other countries to decommission reactors after 40 years, according to the deputy CEO of the Negev Nuclear Research Center. Professor Elhanan Abramov's interview with journalist Miki Rosenthal, for the television program Bulldozer, is scheduled to be broadcast by Channel 2 tonight. The rare sit-down is part of an investigative report entitled "Expired," which looks into the safety of the 44-year-old nuclear reactor, which, according to foreign media reports, is used to manufacture nuclear weapons. Abramov assures the public that despite the reactor's age, it is safe according to Western standards and that every few years, work is halted for a comprehensive renovation.
Ministers, ex-Ministers, representatives of NGO's visit Bil'in village
Amin Abu Wardeh, International Middle East Media Center 8/23/2007
Several Ex-Ministers of the Palestinian government accompanied by several representatives of non-governmental organizations and current ministers, visited on Wednesday Bil'in village, west of Ramallah, which is affected by the Israeli Annexation Wall. The officials who visited the village are Dr. Mazin Sonnoqrot, the previous minister of economy, Dr. Sabri Saidam, the previous minister of communication, Jawad Naji, the current minister of National Economy, Khalil Sheeha, head of the Palestinian Agricultural Relief association, Dr. Abdul-Rahman Tamimi, head of the Hydrogen Group, Mohammad Elias Nazzal, coordinator of the National Committee Against the Wall and Moqbil Al Barghouthi. Head of the Bil'in village council, Ahmad Yassin, welcomed the delegates in the village and then they were handed by Mohammad Abu Rahma,...
A 'Better' West Bank Faces Roadblocks
Ilene R. Prusher, MIFTAH 8/22/2007
Even for those considered to be among the most successful Palestinian entrepreneurs, staying in business sometimes feels more like something you do on principle rather than for profit. - That's how it looks to Mazen Sinokrot, the chairman and CEO of a company that produces, among other consumer goods, cookies and candies. The state of conflict with Israel, particularly since the Al Asqa Intifada broke out seven years ago this September, has meant decreased access for goods and dwindling profit margins." We deserve to earn 10 percent a year," Mr. Sinokrot says. "But for what we are earning, if I just sell out my investment and put the money in the bank, I'd make more than I do maintaining the company." Convincing him to keep the doors open despite such calculations, he says, are the 360 workers who would otherwise be out of a job, and the 2,000 people they support.
Cattle vaccines sent to West Bank to prevent epidemic
Yuval Azoulay, Ha'aretz 8/22/2007
Israeli veterinary services on Tuesday transferred thousands of vaccines to the Palestinians amid growing concerns that isolated cases of cowpox and plague will spread through the West Bank. Israel sent 113,000 vaccine doses to the Palestinian Authority, and as many as 700,000 will be delivered in the coming days. The diseases, which sicken cattle and sheep, have so far affected herds south of Mount Hebron, near Ramallah, Nablus and Jenin. But there are concerns the problem could become an epidemic endangering all livestock in the PA." These diseases have killed animals in the West Bank, and even though at this stage the numbers have been limited, there could be a significant economic impact on the farms throughout the West Bank if this matter is not dealt with," said Dr.
Israel's economy grew at annual 6.6% in first half
Zeev Klein, Globes Online 8/22/2007
GDP growth is above the 5% predictions of both the Finance Ministry and the Bank of Israel. Israel's GDP rose by an annualized 6. 6% in the first half of the year, after rising by 3. 4% in the second half of 2006 and 6% in the first half, the Central Bureau of Statistics reports. The growth is above the 5% predictions of both the Ministry of Finance and the Bank of Israel. The present growth rate is higher than in 2003-06, and the highest since the 8. 7% growth rate in 2000. The economy has now recorded five years of continuous growth, the longest period in Israel's history. GDP has grown 21% since 2003, an increase of NIS 135 billion. GDP is now at an all-time high of NIS 660 billion, and GDP per capita is NIS 92,338, or $21,500. The rapid growth in the first half was driven by an 8.
Crematorium burned down after Haredi paper reveals site
Roni Singer-Heruti and Anshel Pfeffers, Ha'aretz 8/23/2007
The Alei Shalechet crematorium, located on Moshav Hibat Tzion in the Sharon region, sustained major damage Wednesdsay night in a fire that police and firefighters believe was caused by arson. Since its establishment two years ago, the crematorium has faced strong opposition, especially from ultra-Orthodox groups who are opposed to cremation. A call came in at about 8:30 P. M. to the Netanya fire department about a large brush fire on the moshav. "On the way to the scene, we were told to hurry because there were large gas canisters nearby," firefighter Naftali Rokah told Haaretz on Wednesday. Evidence of possible arson at the scene included signs of forced entry and tracks leading into the site. Firefighters extinguished the blaze within about an hour.
Leumi to expand into Bulgaria
Eran Peer, Globes Online 8/22/2007
Bank Leumi VP Daniel Tsiddon: We'll serve the large Israeli business community in Bulgaria. - Bank Leumi is expanding the business of its subsidiary Leumi Romania SA. Sources inform ''Globes'' that Leumi Romania will open a branch in the Bulgarian capital, Sofia, during the first quarter of 2008. Bulgaria and Romania joined the EU on January 1. Sources said that Bank Leumi decided to use Leumi Romania to expand into Bulgaria after deciding that it was not worthwhile acquiring a Bulgarian bank because of their high prices. Bank Leumi senior VP and head of capital markets division Prof. Daniel Tsiddon is responsible for activity in Romania. He said in response that the bank decided to expand into Bulgaria because of the large Israeli business community in the country.
IDF: Palestinians use kids to collect Qassam launchers
Yuval Azoulay Yoav Stern and Mijal Grinbergs and News Agencies, Ha'aretz 8/22/2007
The Israel Defense Forces killed six Palestinians in three separate incidents yesterday, including two children who were targeted as they tried to collect Qassam rocket launchers in the Gaza Strip. The children, aged nine and 12, were killed in the afternoon by an IDF tank in the northern Gaza Strip. The two were seen moving in a field near Beit Hanun toward rocket launchers immediately after Qassam rockets had been fired on towns in Israel. The rockets struck the area near Kibbutz Zikim, south of Ashkelon. There were no injuries or damage. Soon after the launch, an IDF force identified the source of the rocket fire, surveyed the area, and identified a number of suspicious images near the launchers. A tank in the area fired a round, which killed the two children.
Palestine Today 082207
Ghassan Bannoura - Audio Dept, International Middle East Media Center 8/22/2007
|| File 3. 66MB || Time 4m 0s || - Welcome to Palestine Today, a service of the International Middle East Media Centre, www. imemc. org, for Wednesday August 22nd, 2007. In the Gaza Strip, the Israeli army kills one Palestinian and injures one other. In the West Bank meanwhile, 8 members of Hamas are arrested by security forces loyal to Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas. These stories and more coming up. Stay tuned. The Gaza Strip - The Israeli air force continued its barrage of the Gaza strip on Wednesday, with the fourth attack in 24 hours being launched. In the early hours of Wednesday morning, Israeli jets targeted the Al Sahja'eya neighborhood, north of Gaza city, killing one Palestinian and injuring two. With this latest killing, the death toll in the Gaza strip since Monday has reached 12, two of whom were children. -- See also: Click on Link to download or play MP3 file
ISRAEL-AFRICA: Deportation of 50 Africans sparks concern
Shabtai Gold/IRIN, IRIN - UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs 8/23/2007
KADESH BARNEA, 22 August 2007 (IRIN) - Israel deported to Egypt on 19 August some 50 asylum seekers who had illegally crossed the border over the weekend. The move has been legalised by the state's attorney-general but criticised by rights groups. Most of the asylum seekers were from the war-torn Darfur region in Sudan. Dov Khanin, an opposition member of Israel's Knesset (parliament) told reporters: "This is against international law. Israel has no guarantee that Egypt will not deport these asylum seekers back to Sudan and other countries where their lives will be in great danger." Some 2,500 African refugees and asylum seekers have entered Israel in the past two years. About 1,800 are from Sudan, including some 500 from Darfur, government data indicated.
Public opinion poll gives Abbas slight popularity over Haniyeh
Ma'an News Agency 8/22/2007
Jerusalem - Ma'an - The results of a public opinion poll conducted by the Jerusalem Media & Communications Center have been revealed: * If elections were to happen today, 20. 6% would vote for President Abbas while 18. 8% would vote for Ismaeel Hanieh * As part of the final status solution, 93. 5% oppose giving Israel any jurisdiction over the area of al-Aqsa Mosque and 81. 9% oppose allowing Israel to keep the major settlement blocs in the West Bank, while 67. 2% oppose declaring parts of East Jerusalem as the capital of the Palestinian state * 68. 5% support the return of all refugees to their original homeland * Dialogue between the Palestinian factions is the most preferred solution to end the current internal crisis In the first public opinion poll conducted by the Jerusalem Media and Communications...
My crash course in Beltway politics
Michael Stephens, Ha'aretz 8/22/2007
"[University and Colleges Union] Congress condemns the complicity of Israeli academia in the occupation." Thus began my summer of Israel advocacy, in the knowledge that in London, my hometown, the march toward a heinously misplaced attempt to boycott Israel's most progressive sector was underway. It is a source of constant wonderment that individuals such as those in the UCU refuse to recognize that the conflict between Israel and the Palestinians is not one of angels and demons, but one in which all suffer. Is it not a fact that Qassam rockets continually fall from the sky in Sderot, turning a once-thriving cultural center into a ghost town? Is it not a fact that Israel and the Jewish people face repeated threats from hardliners within Hamas, Hezbollah and of course Iran? Step forward The Israel Project (TIP),...
Under pressure, ADL admits: Turks' Armenian massacre was genocide
Shmuel Rosner, Ha'aretz 8/22/2007
WASHINGTON - The mission statement for "No Place For Hate" says that it will build "bridges of understanding," but until yesterday it appeared that the bridge had collapsed. However, Abe Foxman, the national director of the Anti-Defamation League, which runs the Boston-area program, yesterday tried to repair the damage. In an effort to extricate himself from a scandal surrounding the ADL's refusal to support a bill calling on the Bush administration to recognize the 1915-17 Turkish massacre of its Armenian minority as genocide, Foxman did an abrupt about-face. After consulting with Nobel Prize-winning author and Holocaust survivor Elie Wiesel, Foxman referred to the Armenian massacre as a "genocide" for the first time. The uproar began two weeks ago, when Watertown, Massachusetts, a suburb of Boston which...
PPP condemns Israeli "massacres" of Palestinians
Ma'an News Agency 8/22/2007
Khan Younis- Ma'an- The Palestinian People's Party (PPP) has condemned the Israeli "massacres of the Palestinian people in which Palestinian women, children and the elderly are killed by Israeli forces in the West Bank and the Gaza Strip." In a statement issued by the PPP politburo, spokesman Walid Awad said "the continued Israeli aggression against the Gaza Strip in the last two days and in the northern provinces of the West Bank in which many Palestinians were killed, including two children is against international law." [end]
Illegal worker arrested on job in government office
Eli Senyor, YNetNews 8/22/2007
Government investigators detain Romanian man hired by government office in Rishon Lezion - The police arrested Wednesday an illegal Romanian worker who was employed by a contractor hired by the government for renovation works at its Rishon Lezion offices. Interior Ministry inspectors caught the man during a visit to a complex in the city that houses offices for a number of government ministries. The arrest is an embarrassment for the government as it comes at a time when it is intensifying its campaign against illegal workers in the country. The 40-year-old has been staying in Israel illegally since January 2007 after a work permit issued for him in 2001 expired. The police said the man will be expelled from Israel after a hearing on his case.
Unemployment down
Zeev Klein, Globes Online 8/22/2007
The unemployment rate fell to 7. 6% of the civilian labor force in the second quarter. The unemployment rate is continuing to fall, but more slowly than expected. The unemployment rate fell by a tenth of percentage point to 7. 6% of the civilian labor force during the second quarter of 2007 from 7. 7% during the first quarter, the Central Bureau of Statistics reports. The unemployment rate for men fell to 7% from 7. 2% and the unemployment rate for women fell to 8. 3% from 8. 4%. The monthly average number of unemployed was 220,000 during the second quarter, of whom 107,400 were men and 112,600 were women. 58% of the unemployed have not worked for over a year, and 29% have not worked for at least six months. The unemployment rate has fallen by 1.
Old stories maybe, but told with a fresh eye
Jim Quilty, Daily Star 8/23/2007
Preview - Ne a Beyrouth's Festival of Lebanese Film resurrects itself after a year's postponement - BEIRUT: The delightful heat and humidity weighing upon coastal Lebanon these days make it feel far from autumnal. Nevertheless, Beirut's fall film festival season is set to commence on Friday evening, with the opening of the sixth edition of Ne a Beyrouth's Festival of Lebanese Film. The sixth edition was meant to run in 2006 but, like so many of the country's cultural events, it became a casualty of last summer's 34-day Israeli assault on the country. During its six-day program, the festival will screen 66 films that were made either by Lebanese filmmakers (expatriate or otherwise) or by foreigners about Lebanon, all in the period from September 2005 to July 2007. The selection includes a range of short, medium- and feature-length films, a selection of animated shorts, a clutch of documentaries of various lengths and a 26-film bushel of experimental works.
Lebanese Army awaits reply from militants on arranging evacuation of civilians
Hani M. Bathish, Daily Star 8/23/2007
BEIRUT: No reply had come from militants in Nahr al-Bared on Wednesday over arrangements to evacuate their families from the camp, an army source told The Daily Star Wednesday, adding that it seems likely the evacuation would take place Thursday provided mediators can contact the militants again. The source said army helicopters carried out two sorties over the camp on Wednesday, each dropping a 400 kilogram bomb. The army focused its attacks on the Abu Ammar bunker, and the area around the Hawooz and Sheikh Ali mosques, using field artillery and tank guns to pummel these areas. Sheikh Mohammad al-Hajj, a member of the League of Palestinian Clerics, told The Daily Star that if contact is resumed with the militants inside the camp, arrangements could be made to evacuate their families as early as Thursday.
US Black Hawk crashes in Iraq
Al Jazeera 8/22/2007
A US helicopter has crashed in northern Iraq killing 14 soldiers on board. The UH-60 Black Hawk helicopter was carrying four crew and 10 passengers when it came down during a night operation on Wednesday, the US military said. A statement said the aircraft experienced mechanical problems and that there was no sign of hostile fire. The soldiers killed were with Task Force Lightning. Their names were being withheld until next of kin have been notified. The helicopter was one of two Black Hawks undertaking the operation. It is the deadliest crash for the US army since January 2005. Baiji attack In a separate development, a suicide bomber has killed at least 20 people and wounded 80 after ramming his explosives-laden truck into a police station in the northern town of Baiji.
IRAQ: Aid work becoming more risky in Baghdad
Afif Sarhan/IRIN, IRIN - UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs 8/23/2007
BAGHDAD, 22 August 2007 (IRIN) - Aid workers are struggling to find safer ways to deliver aid to displaced and vulnerable families in Baghdad. The city, which is now effectively divided along religious lines, is increasingly under the control of armed gangs and is seen by aid agencies as the most dangerous place in Iraq in which to operate. "We don't have freedom to deliver aid to displaced families," Fatah Ahmed, vice-president of the Iraqi Aid Association (IAA), said. "Unfortunately, we have to choose which families to help taking into account the safety of our volunteers." "Sunni volunteers are being sent to Sunni neighbourhoods and Shia to Shia areas," he added. Ahmed recently became vice-president of the IAA after Jamal Hussein, the former vice-president, was killed while delivering aid in a Baghdad suburb.
IRAQ: Another U.S. Military Operation, More Unrest
Ali al-Fadhily, Inter Press Service 1/22/2007
BAGHDAD, Aug 22(IPS) - New U.S. military operations across Iraq appear to be worsening the situation. On Aug. 13 about 16,000 U.S. and Iraqi troops began a massive new military operation north of Baghdad. According to the U.S. military, the goal of the operation, named Lightning Hammer, is to "target insurgents who have fled a crackdown in the restive city of Baquba." The operation is part of a larger military offensive, Operation Phantom Strike, whose goal is "to disrupt al-Qaeda in Iraq and Shia extremist operations in Iraq." Both operations have included extensive use of air strikes. Many residents speak with bitterness about the operations and the language used to describe tem. "This is not the first time that we have heard nice words about military operations that they say aim for our security and prosperity," 50-year-old teacher Kassim Hussein told IPS in Baghdad.
Saudi-Syria tensions seethe over Lebanon
Middle East Online 8/22/2007
By Ali Khalil – DUBAI - Tensions between regional powerhouse Saudi Arabia and Syria are running high because of sharp discord over Lebanon, as the country faces fresh turmoil over a divisive election and a high-profile court case. Relations have turned decidedly frosty, with Riyadh no longer endorsing a strong role for Damascus in Lebanon, where it held political and military sway for almost three decades, analysts said. "The Saudi-Syria conflict has already caused us problems, and since it has become an open dispute it will be worse for Lebanon," said Rafiq Khouri, editor-in-chief of the independent Al-Anwar newspaper in Lebanon. In a tit-for-tat tirade, Syrian Vice President Faruq al-Shara aroused Saudi Arabia's ire for suggesting that the oil-rich kingdom's regional influence was almost in a state of paralysis.
US presses for presidential polls free of interference
Hani M. Bathish, Daily Star 8/23/2007
BEIRUT: The United States wants to see presidential elections in Lebanon held on time in accordance with the Lebanese Constitution, but most importantly wants elections free of external interference, according to Deputy Chief of Mission at the US Embassy in Beirut William Grant, who spoke to the Lebanese Broadcasting Corporation on Wednesday. Grant said that the United States will not negotiate with Syria at Lebanon's expense, calling for relations between Lebanon and Syria to be based on mutual respect. "We are concerned over Syrian influence in Lebanon, directly or through proxy," Grant said. "We are concerned over threats to Lebanon's democracy and sovereignty, from the assassination of MP Walid Eido to terrorist attacks against Lebanon's army in the North and talk of a second government by Syria's allies in Lebanon.
Al-Hajj's health 'deteriorating'
Al Jazeera 8/22/2007
The health of Sami al-Hajj, an Al Jazeera cameraman being held in Guantanamo Bay, has deteriorated sharply in recent months according to notes previously censored by the US authorities. Al-Hajj has reportedly lost 18kg in weight since he began a hunger strike last year according to the notes from a meeting with his lawyer in July. "He's just losing it," Clive Stafford Smith, his lawyer, said in a telephone interview. "He's definitely deteriorating physically and mentally from the hunger strike." Al-Hajj,originally from Sudan, has been held at Guantanamo since June 2002 and according to the notes he seemed anxious and "even paranoid," and had difficulty concentrating or speaking his previously fluent English during a meeting with Stafford Smith, the notes said.
Mideast countries speed up nuclear development projects
Yoav Stern, Ha'aretz 8/22/2007
Several Arab countries in recent months have boosted their nuclear programs, in what experts believe is a response to Iran's aggressive drive to acquire nuclear weapons. All the countries concerned, including Egypt, Saudi Arabia, Jordan, the United Arab Emirates and Lybia, claim that they aim to develop nuclear technology for peaceful purposes. Analysts, however, point out that some of the nations in question are in possession of huge oil reserves, which can easily be used to produce cheap electricity, thereby eliminating the need for the costly development of nuclear facilities. Experts are particularly curious as to the nuclear programs in some states in the Persian Gulf - a region which holds approximately 25 percent of the Earth's oil reserve.
Abu Dhabi to host women's business forum
Middle East Online 8/22/2007
Conference aims to highlight role women can play as partners in economic development. - ABU DHABI - The United Arab Emirates Business Women's Council will hold The Women Global Economic Forum in Abu Dhabi from 18-20 November, the Emirates news agency WAM reports. The conference will highlight the role women can play as partners in economic development. Through a series of workshops, it will focus on the various sectors where women have proven effectiveness. The event will look at the ways women have contributed historically to economic and social development in different societies, beginning with the home and in modern times their role in the workplace and the national and international economy. On the forum's final day delegates will visit to the regional economic hub Dubai (photo).
New French initiative for Lebanon
Middle East Online 8/22/2007
BEIRUT - Top French envoy Jean-Claude Cousseran returns to Lebanon on Thursday on a new mission to try to break a nine-month deadlock among Lebanon's feuding political parties, a diplomatic source said. Cousseran's visit comes as the country prepares for a presidential election due to be held between September 25 and November 24, when the mandate of current pro-Syrian President Emile Lahoud ends. During his three-day mission that ends on Saturday Cousseran is due to meet Western-backed Lebanese Prime Minister Fouad Siniora and parliament speaker Nabih Berri, who is allied with the Hezbollah-led opposition. France's envoy is also due to hold talks with other Lebanese leaders. His visit comes amid efforts by Paris to broker an end to the political standoff in Lebanon that threatens to scuttle the upcoming...
Elie Wiesel attacker ordered to stand trial
Associated Press, YNetNews 8/22/2007
US man who accosted Holocaust survivor and Nobel laureate will be tried on six felony charges, each with a hate crime allegation - The man accused of stalking Nobel laureate Elie Wiesel and dragging the Holocaust scholar out of a hotel elevator earlier this year was ordered Tuesday to stand trial for hate crimes. A San Francisco Superior Court judge ruled there was enough evidence to try 23-year-old Eric Hunt on six felony charges including attempted battery, stalking, kidnapping, false imprisonment, elder abuse and false imprisonment of an elder. Each charge carries a hate crime allegation. Wiesel, 78, who chronicled his experiences as a Jewish teenager at two Nazi death camps in the book "Night," told authorities he was accosted by a young man who asked him for an interview at San Francisco's Argent Hotel, then dragged him off an elevator.
Iran develops 900-kg 'smart bomb' - official media
YNetNews 8/22/2007
Guided bomb developed by specialists within Islamic Republic's Defense Ministry and is now operational, IRNA news agency reports, adding it could be dropped from F-4 and F-5 jets -- Iran has developed a 2,000-pound (900 kg) "smart bomb", official media quoted a Defense Ministry statement as saying on Wednesday, in the latest announcement from Tehran about progress regarding military hardware. The guided bomb, named Qased (Messenger), was developed by specialists within the ministry and is now operational, IRNA news agency said, adding it could be dropped from F-4 and F-5 jets. Iran still uses planes, such as the F-5, supplied by the United States to the government of the former shah of Iran, who was a close US ally.
Articles
The Great Middle East Peace Process Scam
Henry Siegman, MIFTAH 8/22/2007
When Ehud Olmert and George W. Bush met at the White House in June, they concluded that Hamas's violent ousting of Fatah from Gaza – which brought down the Palestinian national unity government brokered by the Saudis in Mecca in March – had presented the world with a new 'window of opportunity'.[*] (Never has a failed peace process enjoyed so many windows of opportunity.) Hamas's isolation in Gaza, Olmert and Bush agreed, would allow them to grant generous concessions to the Palestinian president, Mahmoud Abbas, giving him the credibility he needed with the Palestinian people in order to prevail over Hamas.
Both Bush and Olmert have spoken endlessly of their commitment to a two-state solution to the Israel-Palestine conflict, but it is their determination to bring down Hamas rather than to build up a Palestinian state that animates their new-found enthusiasm for making Abbas look good. That is why their expectation that Hamas will be defeated is illusory. Palestinian moderates will never prevail over those considered extremists, since what defines moderation for Olmert is Palestinian acquiescence in Israel's dismemberment of Palestinian territory. In the end, what Olmert and his government are prepared to offer Palestinians will be rejected by Abbas no less than by Hamas, and will only confirm to Palestinians the futility of Abbas's moderation and justify its rejection by Hamas. Equally illusory are Bush's expectations of what will be achieved by the conference he recently announced would be held in the autumn (it has now been downgraded to a 'meeting'). In his view, all previous peace initiatives have failed largely, if not exclusively, because Palestinians were not ready for a state of their own. The meeting will therefore focus narrowly on Palestinian institution-building and reform, under the tutelage of Tony Blair, the Quartet's newly appointed envoy.
U.S.-Backed Campaign Against Hamas Expands to Charities
Adam Entous, MIFTAH 8/22/2007
A U.S.-backed campaign against Hamas is being expanded to include Islamic charities that helped propel it to power, Palestinian, Israeli and Western -
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