Israel launches air raid in northern Gaza
Middle East Online 8/27/2007
The Israeli soldiers did not find any explosive device - Israeli troops kill Palestinian farmer as Israeli minister accuses Egypt of letting arms into Gaza. - GAZA CITY - Israeli warplanes carried out an air raid near the northern town of Beit Hanun without causing casualties, the army and witnesses said. Meanwhile, Israeli troops shot dead a Palestinian on Monday in the central Gaza Strip near the border with the Jewish state, medics and witnesses said. The 40-something man, whose identity was not immediately known, was a farmer working his lands located near the barrier between Gaza and Israel when he was shot, they said. The army said it had shot at a man intending to place a bomb in the border area. "An army patrol identified a Palestinian suspected of deposing an explosive device.
Israeli forces kill Palestinian farmer while he tends his land in Gaza
Ma'an News Agency 8/27/2007
Gaza – Ma'an – A Palestinian citizen was killed by Israeli forces on Monday, east of Al Bureij refugee camp, in the central Gaza Strip. Palestinian medical sources informed Ma'an that 43-year-old Farid Abu Thahir died on the eastern border of the Gaza Strip. The Israeli forces opened fire at him while he was cultivating his land. Palestinian ambulance workers delivered the corpse to Al Aqsa Martyrs Hospital in the central Gaza Strip. Earlier, Israeli sources claimed that the military assassinated a Palestinian while he was attempting to plant a mine. Missile attack - Israeli fighter jets on Monday morning launched at least one missile at a Palestinian projectile launch-pad in the Gaza Strip. The Israeli missiles demolished a Palestinian launch-pad to the northeast of Gaza City.
Barak won't rule out huge Israeli military operation against Gaza if Palestinian 'rocket' attacks continue
Ma'an News Agency 8/27/2007
Bethlehem - Ma'an - Israeli radio has reported that Israeli Defence Minister Ehud Barak won't rule out launching a huge military operation if Palestinian factions continue launching "rockets" at Israeli towns near the Gaza Strip. Barak estimated that Israel will have the ability to stop the "rockets" in the next two and half years. Barak also believes that Hamas might carry out "terror operations" in order to disrupt the peace summit scheduled for this autumn. [end]
Israeli cabinet call for waging large-scale military attack on Gaza
Palestinian Information Center 8/27/2007
GAZA, (PIC)-- Israeli ministers called on Sunday for launching large-scale attacks on the Gaza Strip and for escalating assassinations, at the pretext of stopping the firing of resistance rockets, which pounded the Zionist settlement outposts, as well as the infiltration to the Palestinian lands occupied in 1948. During a routine cabinet meeting, Israeli minister of internal security Avi Dichter said that the IOF troops must take hold of rocket-launching areas in the north of the Gaza Strip and use them as bases to wage armed attacks on the Palestinians, not ruling out the full evacuation of those areas from their Palestinian residents. For his part, Israeli interior minister Meir Shitrit urged the government to enter Gaza militarily, instead of depending on retaliations, to eliminate the Palestinian resistance.
Abbas, Olmert to discuss principles ahead of conference
Ronny Sofer, YNetNews 8/28/2007
Palestinian president set to arrive at prime minister's Jerusalem residence in order to discuss preparations for US-sponsored Middle East conference scheduled to take place in Washington in November Prime Minister Ehud Olmert is scheduled to meet Tuesday with Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas at his Jerusalem residence. The two are expected to discuss the forming a document of principles ahead of the US-sponsored international conference scheduled to take place in November in Washington. In the first part of the meeting, the negotiating teams from both sides will meet with the two leaders. Later, Olmert and Abbas will move to the prime minister's private office where they will discuss issues related to the document of principles. The prime minister is expected to tell the Palestinian president...
Army invades Al Maghazi refugee camp in central Gaza strip
Ghassan Bannoura news, International Middle East Media Center 8/27/2007
An Israeli army force backed with tanks and bulldozers invaded the Al Maghazi refugee camp in central Gaza strip on Monday. Eyewitnesses said that tanks opened heavy fire at residents' homes, so far no injures has been reported. [end]
Two Palestinians kidnapped near Bethlehem
Ghassan Bannoura, International Middle East Media Center 8/27/2007
The Israeli army invaded the village of Artas, south of Bethlehem city in the southern part of the West Bank, and kidnapped one civilian and his father on Monday afternoon. Khaled Al Azza, the head of the popular land defense committee, said that soldiers invaded the village then surrounded the house of Awad Abu Soway, the coordinator of the committee in the village, and kidnapped him and his father. Soway's land was confiscated by the army several months ago to make way for a sewage system for a nearby Israeli settlement, after which he began to organize nonviolent protests against this practice. [end]
Israeli troops reinforce presence in northern Gaza
Rami Almeghari & Agencies, International Middle East Media Center 8/27/2007
Israeli army troops reinforced Sunday their presence in northern and eastern Gaza Strip by moving numerous tanks and armored vehicles into army posts in the areas, Palestinian media sources reported. Eyewitness said that the army reinforcement has been coincided with Israeli warplanes gunfire towards nearby Palestinian houses, causing a state of panic to residents. Israeli army has stepped up recently its attacks on targets in the costal region, killing several Palestinians including children, in what Israel called a crackdown on Palestinian homemade rockets attacks on nearby Israeli towns. Concurrently, some Israeli officials were reportedly calling for a massive Israeli offensive on the Gaza Strip, in a bid to undermine Palestinian resistance groups involving the deposed governing Hamas in Gaza.
Israeli missiles demolish Palestinian projectile launch-pad in Gaza
Ma'an News Agency 8/27/2007
Gaza – Ma'an – Israeli fighter jets on Monday morning launched at least one missile at a Palestinian projectile launch-pad in the Gaza Strip. The Israeli missiles demolished a Palestinian launch-pad to the northeast of Gaza City. Eyewitnesses said that the Israeli air strike began just after Palestinian resistance fighters launched homemade projectiles towards Israel from the launch-pad. No casualties were reported in the Gaza Strip or Israel. [end]
Palestinian fighters launch projectiles into Israel
Ma'an News Agency 8/27/2007
Gaza – Ma'an – The military wing of the Popular Resistance Committees, the An Nasser Salah Addin Brigades, claimed responsibility on Sunday evening for launching a homemade projectile at the Israeli Western Negev town of Sderot. The brigades also conducted a joint operation with the Al Quds Brigades of Islamic Jihad and launched a second projectile at Sderot on Sunday evening. Two further projectiles were claimed to have been launched into Israel on Sunday evening in a united operation of the Abu Ali Mustafa Brigades of the PFLP, the Al Aqsa Brigades of Fatah and the independent Army of Muhammad. The An Nasser Brigades also claimed responsibility for launching a homemade projectile at the Israeli military post of Nahal Oz, near the border of the Gaza Strip, on Monday morning.
Palestinian fighters force invading Israeli military in Gaza to retreat
Ma'an News Agency 8/27/2007
Gaza – Ma'an – The An Nasser Addin Brigades of the PRC and the Al Quds Brigades of Islamic Jihad claimed joint responsibility for an armed confrontation with Special Israeli Forces, east of Al Maghazi refugee camp in the central Gaza Strip, on Monday morning. The brigades issued a statement: "The Special Forces were driven back after 20 minutes of fierce clashes." The statement also affirmed that the brigades reject all Israeli plans and will continue resistance. [end]
Israeli soldiers create huge traffic jam at Huwwara checkpoint
Ma'an News Agency 8/27/2007
Nablus – Ma'an – Several Palestinian citizens collapsed on Monday as a result of an extensive traffic jam at Huwwara checkpoint, near the northern West Bank city of Nablus. Eyewitnesses at the checkpoint said that the Israeli soldiers deliberately inspected the Palestinian passengers slowly, resulting in a huge tail-backs in the extreme heat. As a result many citizens fainted. [end]
Brigades claim responsibility for attacks
Ma'an News Agency 8/27/2007
Gaza - Ma'an – The Abu Ali Mustafa brigades said that they launched two mortars at an Israeli military post in Nahal Oz on Monday afternoon. They issued a statement saying they had also launched two homemade projectiles at Sderot. The statement confirmed that both operations were in "retaliation for Israeli aggression and attacks against Palestinian people". [end]
Brigades say they clashed with Israeli unit near Nahal Oz
Ma'an News Agency 8/27/2007
Gaza - Ma'an - National Resistance Brigades (NRB) who are affiliated to the Democratic Front for the Liberation of Palestine (DFLP), and An Nasser Salah Al-Din brigades on Monday said they took part inn armed clashes with an Israeli engineering unit near the electronic fence opposite the Nahal Oz near the Gaza Strip. A statement issued by the brigades aid that the "fighters used machine guns and Rocket Propelled Grenades against the unit and managed to withdraw safely to their base." The statement added that the operation was in "retaliation for Israeli aggression against the Palestinian people." [end]
Palestine Today 082707
Ghassan Bannoura, International Middle East Media Center 8/27/2007
Click on Link below to download or play MP3 file - Welcome to Palestine Today, a service of the International Middle East Media Centre for Monday August 27th, 2007. In the West Bank, the Israeli army invades the city of Nablus and the nearby refugee camp of Askar. In the Gaza Strip meanwhile, a Palestinian man is killed after Israeli forces open fire on him near the Gaza-Israel border. These stories and more coming up. Stay tuned. The West Bank - The Israeli army invaded the northern West Bank city of Nablus and the nearby refugee camp of Askar in the early hours of Monday morning. Security sources reported that more than 20 Israeli military vehicles, backed by bulldozers, invaded the city from several directions and opened fire on residents. -- See also: || File 3.66MB || Time 4m 0s ||
Israeli soldier enter Jenin city, PA hands him back to the army
Ghassan Bannoura News, International Middle East Media Center 8/27/2007
An Israeli soldier mistakenly drove his car into the northern West Bank city of Jenin on Monday. Security forces of the Palestinian Authority detained the soldier before handing him to the Israeli army. Palestinian sources reported that one Israeli soldier entered the city in his car. Upon reaching the city center, residents gathered around the car and attacked the soldier, thinking that he had arrived to kill local resistance fighters. While the car was set on fire, the soldier was not harmed in any way. Entering the city in civilian cars and killing local youth and resistance fighters is a policy that is commonly used by the Israeli army. The city of Jenin is surrounded by Israeli settlements and checkpoints are present on all roads leading in and out of the city. [end]
Livni: Rescue of IDF major proves PA's strength
Avi Issacharoff, and Amos Harels, Haaretz Service and The Associated, Ha'aretz 8/27/2007
Foreign Minister Tzipi Livni on Monday praised the Palestinian Authority for rescuing an Israel Defense Forces officer who inadvertently entered the West Bank city of Jenin. "This operation proves that the Palestinian government and its forces are growing stronger in the field relative to the terrorist organizations," Livni said, during a meeting with Palestinian Prime Minister Salam Fayad. Livni stressed that the rescue of the IDF officer is an example of how security deterioration can be prevented, and how Israel and the Palestinians can avoid harm to both sides. Livni and Fayad also discussed regional developments, including the Middle East summit scheduled to take place in the fall. The pair agreed on renewing the activity of currently defunct joint Israeli-PA committees on economic and environmental issues.
PA forces rescue IDF officer in Jenin
Roee Nahmias, YNetNews 8/27/2007
IDF major en route to northern West Bank accidentally enters Jenin. Mob attacks his car, forces him out and beats him. Palestinian security officers save him from crowd moments before they torched his car. Islamic Jihad slam PA security for denying them opportunity to kidnap officer - An IDF officer was rescued Monday afternoon by Palestinian Authority police officers after he mistakenly entered Jenin. The officer, a major serving in the army's Central Command, was on his way to the Mevo Dotan settlement in the northern West Bank but accidentally drove into Jenin, located seven miles northeast of the settlement. Holiday Adventure Israeli vacationers take wrong turn, end up in Jericho/ Efrat Weiss Family gets lost on way to vacation resort in Tiberias, ends up in Jericho.
Al Quds Brigades slams P.A security forces for handing to Israel a soldier captured earlier Monday
Saed Bannoura, International Middle East Media Center 8/27/2007
The Al Quds Brigades, the armed wing of the Islamic Jihad, issued a press release on Monday slamming the Palestinian Preventive Security Force, loyal to Fateh movement, for handing to Israel a soldier who entered Jenin earlier in the day and was captured by members of the Brigades. One of the leaders of the Brigades stated that members of the brigades in Jenin, in the northern part of the West Bank, managed to capture an Israeli officer who infiltrated into the city. "But our fighters were surprised to see members of the Preventive Security Force surrounding them and taking the soldier away", the leader stated, "the soldier was wearing his military uniform, he was moved to the security headquarters in the city before four Israeli jeeps entered the city and the preventive security forces handed the soldier to them".
Lieberman: Not the time for military action against Iran
Ronny Sofer, YNetNews 8/28/2007
Strategic Affairs Minister, in an interview with Israel Radio's Persian language channel, says economic sanctions most effective way to deal with rogue Islamic republic - Economic sanctions, not military actions, are the right tools to deal with Iran right now, Strategic Affairs Minister Avigdor Lieberman said on Monday evening in an interview with Israel Radio's Persian language channel. "I don't think that a military solution is the right way to go at this point," Lieberman said in response to a question regarding Israeli action against Iran... The most effective way to stop the Iranian nuclear program is through economic sanctions. This was the case in Libya and Korea," he stated. "Unfortunately however, those who will pay the price (of sanctions) are the Iranian people.
Hamas sources differ on report of renewed attacks
Amos Harel Barak Ravid, Ha'aretz 8/27/2007
Hamas officials offered differing opinions Sunday on the question of renewing terrorist attacks in the West Bank and Israel. A political adviser to Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh, Ahmad Yousef, told Haaretz that the Shin Bet security service's assessments that the group is intensifying efforts to undermine diplomatic dialogue between Israel and the Palestinian Authority through a series of spectacular terrorist attacks are inaccurate. "There is no change in the Hamas position. Israel is threatening us and attacking us - we are only responding to provocations. But we do not intend to initiate any action, like the resumption of suicide bombings," Yousef said. However, Fawzi Barhum, spokesman for Hamas in Gaza, told Haaretz that the organization intends to use any means to achieve its aims.
Public Security Minister Dichter: Egypt wants Hamas to prosper
Haaretz Service, Ha'aretz 8/27/2007
Public Security Minister Avi Dichter said that Egypt's failure to prevent arms smuggling implies that the country wants Hamas to prosper, Army Radio reported Monday. In an interview with Army Radio, Dichter said that "any right thinking person who witnesses the Egyptians' failure to act against arms smuggling can all but infer that strengthening Hamas is their interest." "Egypt is capable of acting decisively against Hamas, but hasn't done that for more than seven years," Dichter added. "Their intelligence is as good as ours," he concluded. The deputy head of the Shin Bet security service told the cabinet at its weekly meeting on Sunday that 40 tons of explosives have been smuggled into the Strip since Hamas took over the coastal area in mid-June.
An Israeli document suggests prisoners swap deal between Israel and Palestinians
Rami Almeghari & Agencies, International Middle East Media Center 8/27/2007
The Israeli government might consider a prisoner swap deal for the release of captured Israeli soldier, Gil'ad Shalit, who has been held by Palestinian resistance groups in southern Gaza since June, 2006, Maan News Agency reported. According to a document, leaked from the Israeli Prime Minister's office, the Kadima party-led Israeli government is suggesting possible prisoners swap deal in the near future amidst internal security assessment in light of PM Olmert's 'failure' to secure security achievements as well as social and economic projects. Such a breakthrough is regarded as a crucial by the current Israeli government, so as it can gain confidence of the Israeli public, the document suggests. A likely prisoner swap, therefore, might involve a list of Hamas-linked prisoners, Israel had previously rejected,...
On the eve of Shalit's birthday, Haniyeh advisor appeals to Israel to show goodwill for a prisoners exchange
Ma'an News Agency 8/27/2007
Bethlehem – Ma'an – Political advisor of deposed Prime Minister Ismail Haniyeh, Ahmed Yousef, on Monday expressed the former government's willingness to exchange Palestinian prisoners for captured Israeli soldier Gilad Shalit. In a special interview with Ma'an, Ahmad Yousef appealed to the Israeli government to show goodwill on the issue, as he said Hamas did when it released an audio recording of Shalit in order to reassure his family. Yousef said "Israel must release the hostages in the Israeli prisons." Yousef also said that Israel failed to appreciate Hamas' gesture and did not release any prisoners as a result. Hamas is serious about an exchange of detainees, stated Yousef. The Hamas movement has presented everything that is required for completing the deal, said Yousef; such as a list of prisoners wanted in exchange for Shalit.
Three new police forces established in Gaza
Ma'an News Agency 8/27/2007
Bethlehem – Ma'an – Secretary-General of the deposed Palestinian government, Muhammad Awad, said on Monday that three new Palestinian police forces have been established in the Gaza Strip. The three forces are; interior security, beach police and female police. Awad said that the deposed government ratified the new services, which will begin work in the coming days. In a statement released by Awad, he said that the new police forces were established to impose law and order, and secure safety for Palestinian citizens." There is unacceptable blackmailing, and targeting of hundreds of employees and security services' members who continue to enact their duties on orders from Palestinian officials in Ramallah," said Awad. [end]
'Free women and children and we'll release Shalit video'
Roee Nahmias, YNetNews 8/27/2007
Ismail Haniye's diplomatic advisor conveys message to Israel, saying prisoner swap could be advanced - The Hamas government led by Ismail Haniyeh is interested in speeding up the prisoner swap deal for the release of kidnapped Israeli soldier Gilad Shalit, Haniyeh's diplomatic advisor said Monday. In interviews with Palestinian news agencies, Dr Ahmed Yusef called on the Israeli government to make a goodwill gesture "as the Hamas movement did when it released an audio tape of Shalit in order to calm his family down." As part of the gesture, Yusef said, Israel should release female Palestinian prisoners and prisoners under the age of 18. "Unfortunately, they had no appreciation for Hamas' move and did not make any goodwill gesture," Haniyeh's advisor said.
Barak: Hezbollah rocket arsenal bigger now than before the war
Shahar Ilan, Ha'aretz 8/27/2007
Defense Minister Ehud Barak on Monday told the Knesset Foreign Affairs and Defense Committee that Hezbollah has more rockets today than it did prior to the Second Lebanon War last summer. According to a source who was present at the meeting, Barak was referring to both long-range and short-range rockets, and said that the rockets are situated north of the Litani River, but within striking range of Israel. Hezbollah fired almost 4,000 rockets at northern Israel during the 34-day war in 2006, and Israeli land and air assaults caused heavy damage to Lebanese towns and neighborhoods. The war was sparked by a Hezbollah attack on an Israeli border patrol in which three soldiers were killed and two taken captive. The fate of the captured soldiers remains unknown.
EU Parliament to host panel meeting on Palestinians' rights
The Associated Press, Ha'aretz 8/27/2007
A United Nations panel meeting on the rights of Palestinians will take place at the premises of the European Parliament later this week, despite protests by Israel and some European Union parliamentarians, who claim the group organizing it has an anti-Israeli record, officials said Monday. The August 30-31 panel meeting, to be held under the auspices of the UN's Committee on the Exercise of the Inalienable Rights of the Palestinian People, will go ahead as scheduled, European Parliament spokesman Fearghas O'Beara said. Israel views the committee as a legacy of the 1975 UN General Assembly resolution - revoked in 1991 - that equated Zionism with racism. The committee, chaired by Senegal, has 22 members and 26 observers. Cyprus and Malta are the only members who are also EU member states, according to the UN Web site.
First group of stranded Palestinians allowed to cross Al Oja border terminal
Wisam Afifa, International Middle East Media Center 8/27/2007
About 100 Palestinians left the Gaza Strip through Beit Hanoun border Crossing (Erez), and then onto the Al Oja border crossing that separates Gaza and Egypt on Sunday. Those allowed to cross were Palestinians in possession of foreign residency papers and students. The event marks the first time that any Palestinian has been allowed to leave the Gaza Strip since the Israeli government closed the Rafah border crossing almost two months ago. Most of the Palestinian factions, Human Rights groups and civil Society organizations have criticized the closure of the Rafah crossing and its replacement with the Al Oja terminal. For its part, the deposed government of Ismail Haniyeh reiterated its opposition to the use of the Al Oja terminal, which falls under full Israeli control.
Ban on truckloads of paper set to hit Gaza schools
Report, The Electronic Intifada, Electronic Intifada 8/27/2007
Because of an Israeli ban on deliveries of paper to Gaza, some 200,000 children will begin the new school year on 1 September without the books they need, UNRWA said. - Israel is allowing in food, medicines and fuel, which it sees as essential aid, but not paper, even though many would see education as a vital sector in need of all the support it can get. "Some 200,000 children will go into our classrooms on 1 September, and won't have the books they need," John Ging, the Gaza director of UNRWA, the UN agency for Palestinian refugees, told IRIN. The shortage has emanated from Israel's refusal, so far, to allow five trucks of paper into the impoverished territory, needed to print the textbooks. Since the Hamas takeover of Gaza in June, Israel has clamped down on the borders, bringing imports and exports almost to a halt with the exception of basic humanitarian goods.
Journalists in Bethlehem protest against attacks targeting reporters in Gaza
International Middle East Media Center 8/27/2007
Dozens of reporters and representatives of media outlets in the West Bank city of Bethlehem protesting on Monday in front of the Church of Nativity against attacks carried by the Executive Force members against protesters in the Gaza Strip. The protesters stated that the Hamas-formed Executive Force attacks reporters during a protest carried by the residents in Gaza last Friday. The protesters carried signs slamming the attacks and calling on Hamas to respect the freedom of expression and the freedom of press in the Gaza Strip. Secretary-general of the reporters union, Sa'id Ayyad, stated during the protest that "it is unfortunate to see these attacks against the reporters especially since we as reporters are facing ongoing attacks by Israeli occupation forces against us".
PCHR Is Concerned Over the Detention and Torture of a Number of Fatah Supporters by the Executive Force
Palestinian Centre for Human Rights 8/27/2007
PCHR is deeply concerned over the arrest campaign waged by the Executive Force in the past two days against a number of supporters of Fatah movement in Gaza City and the central Gaza Strip. PCHR calls for an investigation into the torture and beating of a number of detainees during their detention by the Executive Force and to take legal action against the perpetrators. . According to investigations conducted by PCHR, on Saturday morning, 25 August 2007, the Executive Force arrested 15 residents of al-Daraj neighborhood in the east of Gaza City to interrogate them about their participation in the prayer conducted in the Unknown Soldier Yard in Gaza City on the preceding day, and the demonstration that followed. Fatah movement had called for doing the Friday Prayer in the Unknown Solider Yard, in protest to what it described...
Hamas' Executive Force says some Fateh members are planning to sabotage public places in Gaza
Saed Bannoura, International Middle East Media Center 8/27/2007
The Executive Force of Hamas issued a press release stating the senior sources stated that members of Fateh movement in Gaza are planning to hold demonstrations in specific places in Gaza City in order to undermine security in Gaza as the new school year approaches. The Force stated that the planned acts are intended to be carried out in the coming few days. According to the Executive Force statement, Fateh members are planning to undermine security and stability in Gaza, and claimed that some Fateh members attacked worshipers in Gaza last Friday, and hurled stones and empty bottles at public places. Furthermore, the Force stated the these attacks on the eve of the new school year are carried out in an attempt to disrupt the educational process after the government in Gaza, headed by Ismail Haniyya of Hamas,...
Hamas deplores rabid campaign aiming to eliminate it in WB
Palestinian Information Center 8/27/2007
GAZA, (PIC)-- Hamas deplored on Sunday the unprecedented rabid campaign waged by leaders of the PA security apparatuses affiliated with Fatah which aims to eliminate the movement's presence in the West Bank. In a statement received by the PIC, Hamas said that this campaign was represented in the pursuit and kidnapping of the Islamic bloc's leaders in the Palestinian universities in the West Bank, and in the marginalization of Palestinian professionals working in the government sector because of their political affiliations. Hamas also described the security apparatuses' exercises as more brutal than those practiced by the inquisition courts in the Middle Ages, and criticized the systematic inflammatory dictates practiced by the American administration on PA chief Mahmoud Abbas.
Haneyya government accuses Abbas, Fayyad of conspiring to retain terminal closed
Palestinian Information Center 8/27/2007
GAZA, (PIC)-- Taher Al-Nono, the spokesman of the caretaker government in Gaza, has accused PA chief Mahmoud Abbas and the illegitimate government of Salam Fayyad of conspiring to endorse Oja Egyptian-Israeli crossing as an alternative to the Rafah terminal between Gaza Strip and Egypt. He renewed his government's absolute rejection of replacing the Rafah terminal with that of Oja, adding in a press release that Oja would allow Israel to control the traffic of citizens in and of the Gaza Strip other than blackmailing them. Nono recalled that Fayyad's illegal government had previously tried to operate the Israeli-controlled Karm Abu Salem instead of Rafah. The spokesman noted that his caretaker government was maintaining contact with Egypt and the Arab League to transform Rafah terminal into a sole Egyptian-Palestinian affair according to international laws.
The deposed Hamas government installs its own police forces
Rami Almeghari & Agencies, International Middle East Media Center 8/27/2007
The deposed Hamas government in Gaza is prepared to launch three new security apparatuses in the costal region, secretary general of the Hamas cabinet, Mohamad Awad, confirmed. The newly-installed bodies are internal security, coastal guards and the woman police, will be entitled to maintaining order, protecting Gaza's shores and dealing with women-related issues in the conservative community of Gaza. According to the Hamas-linked Palestine Information Center, secretary of the Islamist government released a statement, making clear that all preparations have been made and that the new police forces will commence duties shortly. Awad renewed his government's respect of law and freedom of press, calling on all journalists to move freely for the best of conveying the truth in both Gaza and West Bank.
Hamas orders private clinics shut
Al Jazeera 8/27/2007
Hamas has ordered striking doctors to shut down their private clinics in Gaza, in a challenge to its rival, Fatah. Hospital doctors across Gaza launched a work slowdown earlier this month to protest against the arrest of a prominent physician allied with Fatah. Most hospital doctors are affiliated with Fatah. On orders from the West Bank-based Fatah government, which pays their salaries, most curtailed their daytime hospital schedule to three hours a day, receiving patients afterwards in relatively more expensive private clinics. Hamas struck back on Monday by ordering the immediate shutdown of the clinics. Comply or else Doctors who do not comply will be fired, and clinics will also be scrutinised to ensure they are properly registered and licensed, Hamas officials said.
Palestinian security men in Egyptian security camp to go on hunger strike
Ma'an News Agency 8/27/2007
Gaza - Ma'an - Palestinian security men, who fled to Egypt during the confrontations in the Gaza Strip following the Hamas takeover in June, on Tuesday announced that they are to go on hunger strike. The men are now in an Egyptian security camp in Rafah and are starting the hunger strike in protest at what they describe as the "Palestinian Authority (PA) leadership's ignoring their case." One of the security officers, Abu Muhannad told Ma'an via telephone, "we were waiting for the PA leaders to deal with our case positively and for them to solve it." He said that they are 175 soldiers and officers in camps, 105 in the Rafah camp and 70 in a military camp in Al Arish in the Gaza Strip. Abu Muhannad added that the Fatah movement has sent each of them only $200 in the last two months and that the Egyptian army has given them clothes.
Al Mezan calls neutralizing the health sector; calls for negotiating health workers and their quick return to work
Al Mezan Center for Human Rights, ReliefWeb 8/26/2007
Al Mezan Center observes with much concern the suffering of Gazans owing to the health workers' strikes. The already poor health services have worsened recently in the Gaza Strip and are expected to become worse soon. On 9 August 2007 the staff of the Shifa Hospital declared a one-day strike, which has developed into a daily partial strike since 20 August 2007 following calls from the Health Workers' Syndicates. A majority of health workers at Gaza's hospitals and a few Primary Care Centers have abided by the Syndicate's call in Gaza, Middle Gaza and Khan Younis districts. Under the partial strike workers attend to their jobs between 8am and 11am every day. The emergency and nighttime services are excluded. And so is the examinations and admission days at the Palestine Nursing College.
Israeli forces arrest a Palestinian man and his son
Ma'an News Agency 8/27/2007
Bethlehem – Ma'an – Israeli forces on Monday afternoon arrested a Palestinian citizen along with his son, in Artas village south west of Bethlehem in the southern West Bank. Chief of the local popular committee for defending land and confronting settlement in Bethlehem district, Khalid Al-'Azza told Ma'an via telephone that the Israeli soldiers stormed into Wadi Amayrah. These are fields which belong to the village, and are under threat of being confiscated by Israel for the establishment of the separation wall. The soldiers seized Awad Abu Sway and his son after they tried to enter the area. Meanwhile, Israeli forces arrested a Palestinian policeman on Monday at the Erez crossing when he attempted to return to the Gaza Strip. Mahir Younis, 28, who serves with the Palestinian Authority police force in the West Bank, had not seen his family for six years.
Israeli court extends detention of alleged Islamic Jihad members
Ma'an News Agency 8/27/2007
Jenin - Ma'an – An Israeli military court on Monday extended the detention of a number of Palestinian prisoners from the Jenin area, accusing them of being members of Islamic Jihad. Human Rights lawyer, Ahmad Shawahnah, said in a statement that the Israeli military court in Salim extended the detention of Ahmad Nazzal from Qabatia until the 19th of November for being a member of Islamic Jihad and possessing weapons. The court also extended the detention of Dergham Husni from Sailat Al-Harithyya until the 24th of October for being a member of the Al Quds Brigades, possessing weapons and planning a military operation against Israeli troops. [end]
Woman arrested en route to visit brother in jail
Ma'an News Agency 8/27/2007
Tulkarem - Ma'an – A Palestinian woman was arrested by Israeli forces on Monday as she was on her way to visit her brother in prison, near Tulkarem. Nadia Yousef Tabal, 38, from the Ain Shams refugee camp, east of Tulkarem was arrested at Teiba Crossing, south of the city, en route to Hadarim jail. The woman's brother told Ma'an that his sister "was accused by the Israeli soldiers at the crossing of having a visiting permit which was not her's and she was attempting to enter Israel illegally." She was taken to the Qadomim interrogation centre. She will be released after the family pays a fine. [end]
Fatah leader admitted to Israeli prison hospital
Ma'an News Agency 8/27/2007
Gaza – Ma'an – Sources close to imprisoned Fatah leader, Nahid Shiekh Khalil, aged 40, revealed on Monday that he was transferred from Ashkelon jail to a hospital at Ramla prison. Sheikh Khalil, who had been injured, was taken to hospital after his health deteriorated while he was being interrogated in Israeli prison cells. Sheikh Khalil's family said that the Israeli occupation is responsible for his life and demanded his immediate release, stating that he suffers from a serious injury. He sustained the injury during violent clashes between Fatah and Hamas in Jabalia refugee camp, in the northern Gaza Strip. Sheikh Khalil survived a targeted assassination attempt by Israeli forces that bombarded his car on 14th January 2002, following that, he was detained for five years.
Global inquiry concludes assessment of counter-terrorism laws, policies and practices in Israel and the oPt
International Commission of Jurists - ICJ, ReliefWeb 8/27/2007
Members of the Eminent Jurists Panel on Terrorism, Counter-terrorism and Human Rights concluded their visit to Israel and the occupied Palestinian Territories today. The Panel, an independent group of eight jurists appointed by the International Commission of Jurists (ICJ), is conducting a global inquiry on the impact of terrorism and counter-terrorism measures on the rule of law, human rights and humanitarian law. It was the sixteenth and final visit of the Panel, which will issue its global report in 2008. The visit was facilitated by the Association for the Civil Rights in Israel (ACRI), the Palestinian Centre for Human Rights (PCHR) and Al Haq. The panel members wish to express their sincere gratitude for their generous support.... many of the participants at the hearings expressed concerns that many measures...
IDF has held African refugees in soldiers' hostel for three weeks
Nurit Wurgaft, Ha'aretz 8/27/2007
The Israel Defense Forces has been holding some 20 refugees and migrant workers from Africa - including pregnant women and a 10-year-old boy who was separated from his parents while crossing into the country - at a soldiers' hostel in Be'er Sheva for the last three weeks, even though the police and Israel Prisons Service are supposed to deal with infiltrators once they cross the border. This is apparently the longest the army has ever held a group of infiltrators. The IDF said it is holding the Africans because the refugee camp at Ketziot Prison has no more room. But nongovernmental organizations active in the field, such as the Hotline for Migrant Workers, claim that the IDF has no authority to hold the infiltrators, and is also not prepared to care for them.
Haniyya welcomes the statements of the French President
Saed Bannoura - MEMC & Agencies, International Middle East Media Center 8/28/2007
The Prime Minister of the dissolved government in Gaza, Ismail Haniyya, from the Hamas party, welcomes on Monday the statements of the French President Nicolas Sarkozy, who stated that he is willing to hold talks with Hamas, the Maan news agency reported. In a statement issued by his office, Haniyya said that his government is willing to hold direct talks with France and the European Countries and stated that his government is committed to its agenda which was agreed upon by the Mecca Unity deal. Haniyya added that he believes in the importance of maintaining strong and solid relations with international countries in order to achieve peace and security, and to end the ongoing conflict by ending the Israeli occupation to Palestine. He expressed hopes that Sarkozy and France will hold a positive role in solving...
Rev. King's son: Mideast leaders could learn from my father
The Associated Press, Ha'aretz 8/27/2007
Today's Mideast leaders could learn from the nonviolent philosophy and practices of famed U.S. civil rights leader Rev. Martin Luther King Jr. , his son said Monday at a forum in Jerusalem. - Martin Luther King III addressed a conference at the Hebrew University in Jerusalem that centered on his father's teachings. After decades of armed conflict, he said Middle East peoples should adopt nonviolence to turn the dreams into action. At the conference, King told his listeners that "we are all interrelated, and now we are even more challenged for this interdependence." He said his father's message of love and peace could be applied in the Mideast. The conference, called Realizing the Dream in the Middle East, examined approaches to Mideast peacemaking.
Barak: Tensions with Syria easing
Amnon Meranda, YNetNews 8/27/2007
Defense minister tells Foreign Affairs, Defense Committee that he will allow IDF to operate freely in Gaza - Defense Minister Ehud Barak appeared before the Knesset's Foreign Affairs and Defense Committee Monday, for the first time since taking office. Barak shared the latest developments on both the northern and southern fronts and laid out his perspectives on the country's security situation and defense options. Israel, said Barak, must start using active anti-missile systems of all kinds, improve the IDF's maneuverability and logistic reserves, increase training and work on its deterrence. "Hizbullah continues its armament and has more rockets today than it did before the Second Lebanon War," said Barak, adding that neither Israel nor Syria....
Hamas hails Egyptian position towards next autumn conference
Palestinian Information Center 8/27/2007
GAZA, (PIC)-- Hamas praised Egyptian chief Hosni Mubarak's position towards the international conference scheduled to be held next autumn at the American president's call, confirming that it reflects a leading Arab realization that this conference will do nothing significant for the Palestinian cause. In a press interview on Sunday, the Egyptian president stated that this conference lacks a "practical framework." "The statements of Mubarak reflect growing Arab awareness of the nature of this conference, which will not achieve anything for the Palestinian cause, and Hamas appreciates such statements and calls for building on them and lobbying to prevent holding the conference," Sami Abu Zuhri, the Hamas spokesman stated. Abu Zuhri warned of the ramifications of holding this conference, saying: "Hamas considers the conference a big lie aimed at liquidating the Palestinian cause..."
Haneyya asks Abbas and entourage to get rid of US-Israel hegemony
Palestinian Information Center 8/27/2007
GAZA, (PIC)-- Ismail Haneyya, the premier of the PA caretaker government, has asked PA chief Mahmoud Abbas and his entourage in Ramallah to get rid of American and Zionist dictates and to initiate inter-Palestinian dialogue. Haneyya in a televised statement to Ramattan news agency on Sunday expressed hope that the Palestinian party in Ramallah was ready for dialogue but it should first rid itself of American-Zionist control. He highlighted that Hamas's supreme leader Khaled Mishaal's visit to Doha reflected the Movement's constant contact with Arabs in their capacity as the strategic depth to the Palestine cause. Asked on Zionist threats to launch a large-scale incursion into the Gaza Strip, Haneyya underlined that the threats revealed the Zionist scheme against the Palestinian people in general and against Gaza in particular.
Abbas and Olmert to meet on Tuesday in Jerusalem
Ma'an News Agency 8/27/2007
Bethlehem – Ma'an – Palestinian sources reported on Monday that President Mahmoud Abbas will meet Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert in Jerusalem on Tuesday. The meeting is to be dedicated to addressing bilateral cooperation in fighting what the West terms 'terror'. The sources expect that Olmert and Abbas may attempt to finalise the main points of the intended document of principles, in preparation for the international peace conference called for by US President Bush and to be held in November. Israeli army radio reported that the two leaders will seek to strengthen security and civil coordination between the Palestinian Authority and Israel. The last meeting of Abbas and Olmert was held on the 6th of August, in the eastern West Bank city of Jericho.
Palestinian President to meet with Israeli Prime Minister
Rami Almeghari & Agencies, International Middle East Media Center 8/27/2007
Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas is to meet Tuesday with Israeli Prime Minister, Ehud Olmert in Jerusalem, Palestinian sources confirmed. The meeting, which is a part of regular bi-weekly meetings, will deal with bilateral Israeli-Palestinian relations and will discuss common grounds concerning the Washington-proposed international conference on Middle East peace, due to be held this fall. Both leaders met in August6 in the West Bank city of Jericho, where they agreed to widen the circle of their talks so that to include core issues of the Palestinian-Israeli conflict. Despite a series of regular meetings over the past several months, things on the ground remain in place; the West Bank sees widespread presence of Israeli checkpoints, continued settlement activities, daily arrests of Palestinians,...
PM, Lieberman to promote bill to change system of government
Barak Ravid, Ha'aretz 8/27/2007
Prime Minister Ehud Olmert and Minister of Strategic Affairs Avigdor Lieberman have agreed to promote the bill to change the system of government during the Knesset's winter session with the intention of pushing it through the final round legislation. Cabinet Secretary Oved Yehezkel met with Lieberman on Monday to discuss the issue ahead of the discussion on the topic scheduled for Wednesday. In the meeting, it was decided that the wording of the legislation would be based on four principles - the stability of the government, the government's ability to administrate, the functional efficiency of the Knesset, and the responsibilities of MKs to their voters. It was also decided that an effort would be made to secure broad support for the 'Norwegian Law,' which stipulates that ministers must have temporary Knesset...
National Command bunker being built
Ofer Petersburg, YNetNews 8/27/2007
New government bunker designed to withstand nuclear attack will house Prime Minister's Office, military commands centers. Project to be completed by 2011 Construction on the new National Command Center, where the country's leaders would be rushed to, should Israel suffer a nuclear attack, is rapidly progressing, Yedioth Ahronoth reported Monday. The $240 million underground bunker is designed to withstand a nuclear bomb and will house the Prime Minister's Office, military commands centers and the necessary civil authorities. "It's like something out of a movie"¦ you walk around it in complete awe, knowing this is the place they'll be running the country from" a government source told Ynet. The bunker was carved into one of the Jerusalem's mountains.
Olmert to Sderot parents: Send your kids to school
Vered Luvitch, YNetNews 8/27/2007
As residents of rocket-battered town continue to protest partial fortification of classrooms in city and nearby communities, prime minister tells them 'the area has been under attack for years and everyone completed their studies safe and sound' - As the residents of the rocket-battered town of Sderot continued to protest the partial fortification of the classrooms in the city and in nearby communities and threatened to boycott the new school year, Prime Minister Ehud Olmert called on them to reconsider. During an conference on education held in the city of Holon on Monday evening, Olmert urged all parents in Sderot and the Gaza vicinity communities to send their children to school on September 2. Cabinet Meeting Stop sanctimonious ranting, says Olmert / Ronny Sofer With school year...
Labor court forbids teachers to strike on September 1st
Vered Luvitch, YNetNews 8/28/2007
Teacher's Association threatens to keep schools closed come September in protest over Finance Ministry's foot-dragging in pay negotiations but Labor Court blocks strike after Education Ministry files urgent petition. Court orders sides to hold intensive negotiations, says it will reconvene on matter during first week of September - The National Labor Court on Monday forbade the Middle and High School Teachers Association education to prevent the start of the school year by going on strike during the first week of September. The court issued a temporary injunction after an urgent petition was filed by the Education Ministry, Finance Ministry and the Union of Local Authorities in Israel and ordered the teachers and Finance Ministry to hold intensive and serious negotiations on the teachers' demands.
Beinisch: Friedmann's reforms are assault on Israeli democracy
Yuval Yoaz, Ha'aretz 8/27/2007
Chief Justice Dorit Beinisch Monday attacked Justice Minister Daniel Friedmann, calling the minister's proposals for curbs on the High Court constitued a direct assault on Israeli democracy. Friedmann has urged restrictions on the universal right to petition the High Court of Justice and on the constitutional validity of its rulings in matters of public affairs. Beinisch made the comments as she and Friedmann attended the swearing-in ceremony Monday for new High Court judges at the President's Residence. In her speech, Beinisch said that "judges can fulfill their role as the defenders of human rights if, and only if, the judicial system is accessible to everyone; only when judges face human suffering, or the distress of the unprivileged.
Tamir: Attempts to impose state education on Haredim will fail
Or Kashti, Ha'aretz 8/27/2007
Education Minister Yuli Tamir said Tuesday that attempts to impose educational criteria on the ultra-Orthodox (Haredim) would meet with certain failure. Tamir made the remarks in the keynote address at a conference on education in Holon. She was referring to the exemption of a section of ultra-Orthodox students from studying the Education Ministry core curriculum. The minister said: "Is there a single person in this hall who believes that if the core curriculum is imposed on the Haredi world, Haredi schools will close down and the children will come to state schools and center their happiness around Zionism?" "Is there anyone who thinks that if studying Judaism and Zionism studies is forced on Arabs they will join hands and dance in circles on independence day?" Tamir asked.
Likud sues Kadima for NIS 1.6 million
Aviram Zino, YNetNews 8/27/2007
Rival parties to go to court regarding dispute over NIS 1. 6 million in party financing funds - The Kadima party is being sued for NIS 1. 6 million ($385,000) by the Likud party, which filed a case against its rival in the Jerusalem District Court on Sunday. Likud party members claimed that MKs who left the Likud did not return funds they had received in accordance with the Party Financing Law despite pledging to do so. The suit was filed by the party's legal advisor Avi Halevi. According to the indictment, most Likud MKs signed a letter of commitment with Hapoalim Bank in 2003, in which they pledged to transfer party funds to a Likud bank account for the duration of the 16th Knesset. The letter emphasized that the commitment would apply even if the MKs left the Likud.
Rabbi Yosef: Secular IDF soldiers are killed because they aren't observant
Haaretz Service, Ha'aretz 8/27/2007
Shas party spiritual leader Rabbi Ovadia Yosef, a former Sephardi chief rabbi of Israel, told followers in remarks broadcast on Monday that Israel Defense Forces soldiers were killed in combat because they did not observe Jewish religious laws." Is it any wonder if, heaven forbid, soldiers are killed in a war? " Rabbi Yosef said during his weekly Saturday night sermon. "They don't observe the Sabbath, they don't observe [the laws of] the Torah, they don't pray, they don't put on phylacteries every day. Is it any wonder that they're killed? It's no wonder. May the Almighty have mercy on them and bring them back to religion. Israeli media accounts of the sermon also quoted Rabbi Yosef as saying that when soldiers "believe and pray, God helps them during the war" and that these troops "don't get killed.
OPT: Feature - After security, beleaguered Gazans want more
Xinhua News Agency, ReliefWeb 8/27/2007
GAZA, Aug 27, 2007 (Xinhua via COMTEX) -- The long expected safety and security returned to Gaza's streets eventually after Hamas took control of the enclave, however people living there began to come to their senses that it is not the only thing they want. "We were looking for an end of chaos, we wanted the security and we got it," said Ahmad al-Ifranji, a middle aged beans dealer whose face showed paradoxically anxiety rather than delight. "Now, the people look for food and dignity life as the first class aim," he turned his topic sharply, making his bewildering paradox clear. That's the reality in Gaza that though the current Gaza ruler the Islamic Hamas movement could provide a relative peace for impartial residents, people there recalculated and started to yearn for better economy and freedom.
Palestinian film 'The Last Call' nominated for short film festival
Ma'an News Agency 8/27/2007
Khan Younis – Ma'an – A Palestinian film called 'The Last Call' was nominated to compete at the international festival of short films in Italy. Fifty-two films were nominated from 2,000 applications. The eleven-minute film is about four Palestinians who receive a telephone call from the Israeli intelligence, ordering them to evacuate their home as it is to be bombarded by the Israeli forces within minutes. The film shows Palestinian citizens successfully encounter the Israeli policy of house demolitions and shows the psychological influence of Israeli conduct on Palestinians. [end]
Civil servants to be paid beginning of September
Ma'an News Agency 8/27/2007
Bethlehem – Ma'an – The Palestinian government decided at the end of its weekly cabinetmeeting in Ramallah on Monday that all civil servants will be paid at the beginning of September. This is contrary to Sunday's statement by the Minister of Economy saying salaries would be paid by the end of August. The Minister of Information and spokesman of the government business, Dr. Riad Malki, said that the government should pay the salaries in the date set by since its inception is the first week of the beginning of each month, following the receipt of taxes from the Israeli side. Al Malki reiterated the government's commitment to pay the salaries owed to the public sector. [end]
The Humanitarian Monitor occupied Palestinian territory No. 15, Jul 2007
United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs - OCHA, ReliefWeb 7/31/2007
Overview- Key Issues - Continued closure of Gaza crossings; impact on economy - Since Hamas took control of the Gaza Strip in mid-June, the main Gaza crossings have been closed due to the breakdown in previous coordination procedures between Israelis and Palestinians. The closures have further weakened the Gazan economy and exacerbated poverty in a population where 1. 1 million out of 1. 4 million were already receiving food assistance prior to mid-June. Karni, the only viable crossing for the passage of commercial and humanitarian goods, remains closed after ten weeks. Sufa and Kerem Shalom crossings, continue to function as the principal alternative entry points for commercial and humanitarian supplies, but lack sufficient infrastructure to be a viable alternative crossing.
Bank of Israel raises interest rate to 4%
Zeev Klein, Globes Online 8/27/2007
The interest rate gap with the dollar has narrowed to 125 basis points. - Governor of the Bank of Israel Prof. Stanley Fischer has raised the interest rate for September 2007 by 25 basis points to 4%. This is the second consecutive monthly hike. Fischer made the announcement by secure video conference from the US. The Bank of Israel said that the rate hike "is consistent with the policy of maintaining price stability, as expressed by the inflation target of 1-3% a year. " The central bank again gave no hint regarding its upcoming interest rate decisions. Many analysts believe that Fischer will now take a time-out of a month or two before raising the interest rate again. However, he will be closely watching market developments. The Bank of Israel said, "The decision to raise the interest rate by a relatively modest 0.
"We'll see many bankruptcies"
Dror Marmor, Globes Online 8/27/2007
Outgoing FAIRE Fund CEO Avi Tenne: Real estate companies are ignoring profit. - Israel's housing market is committing suicide. This is the basic message of outgoing First American-Israel Real Estate (FAIRE) Fund CEO Avi Tenne, just before he throws up his hands and joins the Israeli developers building overseas. After five years as CEO, and two years before the fund is due to expire, it was clear to him that he could not invest in new long-term deals, which persuaded him to hand over the keys to his successor, Shay Braverman. "I realized that the low supply of available projects in Israel and the growing competition among developers made it pointless to make deals now," Tenne told "Globes". "A look at the high land prices and construction costs versus the low sale price in the hundreds of deals I've been.
Proportion of older unemployed grows
Shay Niv, Globes Online 8/27/2007
Workers over the age of 45 have a harder time finding employment. The number of job seekers registered with the Israel National Employment Service (INES) in July totaled 204,500, representing a 1. 7% increase compared with June. INES figures published yesterday point to a further increase in the number of unemployed people aged 45 and upward, who accounted for 47. 1% of the total unemployment count. For the sake of comparison, the proportion of people aged 45 and upward accounted for 43% of the total unemployment count in 2005. INES recently acknowledged the difficulty that older people have finding work in Israel, where the rate of unemployment for older people is one of the highest among Western countries. According to INES sources, the problem stems from both the job seekers themselves, who are not always...
Airports Authority to hire temporary workers to battle airport delays
Zohar Blumenkrantz, Ha'aretz 8/27/2007
The Israel Airports Authority (IAA) promised on Monday to recruit 54 temporary baggage handlers to tackle the manpower shortage at Ben Gurion International Airport. Following the IAA announcement, baggage handlers decided Monday to end the disruptions they had begun the day before, in protest of a shortage of workers to handle the loading and offloading of baggage, which caused up to three-hour departure delays. 31 workers have been recruited to date, and an additional 23 are to follow in order to tackle high levels of passenger traffic during the summer season and the holidays. Meanwhile, the Israel Civil Aviation Authority (ICAA) went on strike Monday. The workers are protesting the allegedly unilateral implementation of a restructuring scheme.
Airports Authority, Ben Gurion workers strike deal
Eli Senyor, YNetNews 8/27/2007
54 additional employees will be hired to meet increased flight demands over the summer and High Holy days - The Israel Airports Authority and the Ben Gurion Airport workers' committee reached an agreement on Monday according to which 54 additional employees would be hired to meet the increased flight demands over the summer and High Holydays. All flights that were schedule to depart in the early hours of Monday morning were delayed by at least 2 hours due to the heavy traffic at the airport. Meanwhile, flight 794, which was scheduled to depart for Antalya, Turkey on Sunday at 3 pm, was delayed by 17 hours due to a strike by the Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) workers strike. Transportation Ministry officials said this strike would have a limited effect as only a few charter flights have not been approved.
Oil refineries' price increases spur fuel imports
Avi Bar-Eli, Ha'aretz 8/26/2007
The oil refineries' announcement late last week that they will lower wholesale prices does not seem to have impressed the Delek Israel fuel company, which has now decided to set out in a new strategic direction. TheMarker has learned that by the end of 2007 Delek is expected to import 70 percent of the fuel it sells, and will continue at the 60-70 percent level of overseas purchases through 2008. Today Delek imports only 40 percent of its fuel needs, which is higher than that of the other fuel companies. It buys the remainder in Israel, mostly from newly privatized Haifa Oil Refineries. Delek has already signed contracts enabling it to reach the 70-percent import level and should achieve it within a few months; thus, for the first time, it will import a majority of its fuel.
Nahr al-Bared fighting persist as authorities sort out evacuees
Michael Bluhm and Sereen Ajami, Daily Star 8/28/2007
BEIRUT: Steady battles ran throughout Monday between the Lebanese Army and Fatah al-Islam at the Nahr al-Bared Palestinian refugee camp in North Lebanon, as mediators continued attempts to allow for an evacuation of wounded Fatah al-Islam militants. Meanwhile, the gunmen's wives and children, including the family of Fatah al-Islam leader Shaker al-Abssi, were interrogated by Lebanese authorities, who charged 13 women and kept them in police custody. The Lebanese Army has not intensified its offensive against the remaining militants since the Friday evacuation of the women and children, an army source told The Daily Star on condition of anonymity. Monday's fighting saw no bombing runs by Lebanese helicopters and little heavy artillery. "It was simply infantry, without cannon," the source said.
Italian official says Lebanon's problems will be solved when its sovereignty is respected
Daily Star 8/28/2007
BEIRUT: Italian Deputy Foreign Minister Ugo Intini said Monday that Italy, in addition to other European countries were committed to helping Lebanon find solutions to the almost 10-month-old political impasse. "Italy is determined to help Lebanon come up with a comprehensive solution to put an end to all skirmishes happening on the Lebanese political scene," Intini said following an afternoon meeting with Prime Minister Fouad Siniora at the Grand Serail. Intini, along with Italian Ambassador to Lebanon Gabriel Checchia, had earlier met with Speaker Nabih Berri. Asked about his country's stance concerning the looming presidential election, Initini said Italy and other European countries refused to interfere in Lebanese domestic issues, adding that the Lebanese were fully capable of solving their own problems.
Sarkozy: Presidential poll Lebanon's only recourse
Daily Star 8/28/2007
French President Nicolas Sarkozy said Monday that the only efficient solution to Lebanon's nine-month-old political impasse was the election of a new president. "The presidential poll ought to proceed within deadlines set by the Constitution, while keeping in mind that Lebanon's next president should act as a representative of all the Lebanese," Sarkozy told an array of ambassadors at the Elysee Palace. Sarkozy said Lebanon's next president should be capable of dealing with everybody, "with all of Lebanon's groups as well as with all of Lebanon's external allies." Sarkozy urged all of the international and regional forces, including Syria, to gather efforts to help Lebanon overcome the continuing standoff. Breaking with the policy of his predecessor Jacques Chirac, Sarkozy said he was prepared to hold high-level...
Officials denounce threats against Saudi ambassador
Daily Star 8/28/2007
BEIRUT: Lebanese officials and religious figures denounced on Monday threats of attack addressed to Saudi Arabian ambassador to Lebanon, Abdel-Aziz Khoja. Former Prime Minister Najib Mikati made a telephone call to the Saudi ambassador and expressed his sympathy with him on the threats of attack he had received. Mikati said that it was shameful and denounced that the ambassador be target of threats in Lebanon. "This can not be seen but an attempt to sabotage the righteous efforts of Khoja in Lebanon, in accordance with Saudi Arabia's steady policy to bring together different Lebanese stand points," said Mikati. Former Premier Omar Karami also expressed his denunciation at the mention of the threats that ambassador Khoja had received. He praised the role of Khoja and his loyal efforts to resolve problems in Lebanon.
Iraq PM hits out at critics
Al Jazeera 8/26/2007
The Iraqi prime minister, has replied to his US and European critics, by making criticisms of his own, including the ongoing killing of Iraqis by US soldiers. At a news conference in Baghdad on Sunday, Nuri al-Maliki singled out Hillary Rodham Clinton and Carl Levin, both Democratic senators, saying they should "come to their senses". Al-Maliki said: "There are American officials who consider Iraq as if it were one of their villages, for example Hillary Clinton and Carl Levin." This is severe interference in our domestic affairs. Carl Levin and Hillary Clinton are from the Democratic party and they must demonstrate democracy. "I ask them to come to their senses and to talk in a respectful way about Iraq." He said it was not acceptable for the US military to kill civilians during raids, a complaint he has made before.
Playing politics with (and in) Iraq
Sami Moubayed, Asia Times 8/28/2007
DAMASCUS - The outpouring of praise shown for Iraq's former president Abdul-Rahman Aref, who died in Jordan this weekend, aged 91, is proof of just how deprived Iraq has become of identity. On the day of his toppling in 1966, Baghdad Radio accused him of being an agent of the US Central Intelligence Agency and a spy for Israel. Now, Baghdad Radio refers to him as a national hero, honored by President Jalal Talabani and Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki. Aref was buried in Amman because of the hopeless security conditions in Iraq, although Maliki had sent an official request to his family to hold a state funeral for him in Baghdad. Representing Maliki at the funeral were Interior Minister Jawad al-Boulani and members of the Iraqi Embassy in Jordan.
Violence stalks Iraq's minorities
Mohammed A Salih, Asia Times 8/28/2007
IRBIL - The deadly suicide attacks on the Yazidi minority in northern Iraq earlier this month are expected to worsen ethnic and sectarian tensions. The suicide bombings in Kahtaniya and al-Jazeera villages in northern Nineveh province on August 14 left more than 400 dead and at least 200 injured. These were the most lethal attacks since the US-led invasion of Iraq in March, 2003. The US military says al-Qaeda is attempting to pit local Yazidi Kurds against Muslim Arabs. Yazidis speak of their "pro- Kurdistan tendencies" as the major provocation for the attacks. They fear this will make them targets for more attacks. "Terrorists will attack every one who is not with them," Ido Babasheikh, advisor to the Iraqi president on Yazidi affairs told Inter Press Service (IPS).
Sarkozy calls for Iraq troop exit
Al Jazeera 8/27/2007
Nicolas Sarkozy, the French president, has called for a clear timetable for the pullout of foreign troops, as he outlined an assertive direction for French foreign diplomacy. "A clear horizon must be defined concerning the withdrawal of foreign troops," Sarkozy said in an address to French ambassadors from 180 countries in Paris on Monday. In his first major foreign policy speech since taking office in May, Sarkozy recalled that France had opposed the US-led invasion of Iraq in 2003, but that it was now ready to help find a political solution. "It is the expected decision on this issue that will force the players to weigh their responsibility and organise themselves accordingly," he said. Sarkozy stressed that "Iraqi extremists must be marginalised," that a "true process of national reconciliation" must...
Iran 'resolves' plutonium issue
BBC Online 8/27/2007
Iran has resolved questions posed by the UN's nuclear watchdog about its plutonium experiments, Tehran says. The claim was made in a text outlining a timetable for co-operation with the International Atomic Energy Agency, which was agreed at talks last week. It would be the first serious issue closed by the IAEA during its four-year inquiry into Iran's nuclear activities. Western powers suspect Iran of building a nuclear weapons capability. Tehran says its nuclear programme is peaceful. The UN Security Council has already imposed two rounds of sanctions against Iran for defying its calls to halt uranium enrichment and plutonium reprocessing, and answer IAEA questions. 'Real limitations'The five-page text of the Iran-IAEA accord was released in Vienna on Monday.
Articles
What do Palestinians really think?
Middle East Online 8/27/2007
The Israeli soldiers did not find any explosive device - Israeli troops kill Palestinian farmer as Israeli minister accuses Egypt of letting arms into Gaza. - GAZA CITY - Israeli warplanes carried out an air raid near the northern town of Beit Hanun without causing casualties, the army and witnesses said. Meanwhile, Israeli troops shot dead a Palestinian on Monday in the central Gaza Strip near the border with the Jewish state, medics and witnesses said. The 40-something man, whose identity was not immediately known, was a farmer working his lands located near the barrier between Gaza and Israel when he was shot, they said. The army said it had shot at a man intending to place a bomb in the border area. "An army patrol identified a Palestinian suspected of deposing an explosive device.
Israeli forces kill Palestinian farmer while he tends his land in Gaza
Ma'an News Agency 8/27/2007
Gaza – Ma'an – A Palestinian citizen was killed by Israeli forces on Monday, east of Al Bureij refugee camp, in the central Gaza Strip. Palestinian medical sources informed Ma'an that 43-year-old Farid Abu Thahir died on the eastern border of the Gaza Strip. The Israeli forces opened fire at him while he was cultivating his land. Palestinian ambulance workers delivered the corpse to Al Aqsa Martyrs Hospital in the central Gaza Strip. Earlier, Israeli sources claimed that the military assassinated a Palestinian while he was attempting to plant a mine. Missile attack - Israeli fighter jets on Monday morning launched at least one missile at a Palestinian projectile launch-pad in the Gaza Strip. The Israeli missiles demolished a Palestinian launch-pad to the northeast of Gaza City.
Barak won't rule out huge Israeli military operation against Gaza if Palestinian 'rocket' attacks continue
Ma'an News Agency 8/27/2007
Bethlehem - Ma'an - Israeli radio has reported that Israeli Defence Minister Ehud Barak won't rule out launching a huge military operation if Palestinian factions continue launching "rockets" at Israeli towns near the Gaza Strip. Barak estimated that Israel will have the ability to stop the "rockets" in the next two and half years. Barak also believes that Hamas might carry out "terror operations" in order to disrupt the peace summit scheduled for this autumn. [end]
Israeli cabinet call for waging large-scale military attack on Gaza
Palestinian Information Center 8/27/2007
GAZA, (PIC)-- Israeli ministers called on Sunday for launching large-scale attacks on the Gaza Strip and for escalating assassinations, at the pretext of stopping the firing of resistance rockets, which pounded the Zionist settlement outposts, as well as the infiltration to the Palestinian lands occupied in 1948. During a routine cabinet meeting, Israeli minister of internal security Avi Dichter said that the IOF troops must take hold of rocket-launching areas in the north of the Gaza Strip and use them as bases to wage armed attacks on the Palestinians, not ruling out the full evacuation of those areas from their Palestinian residents. For his part, Israeli interior minister Meir Shitrit urged the government to enter Gaza militarily, instead of depending on retaliations, to eliminate the Palestinian resistance.
Abbas, Olmert to discuss principles ahead of conference
Ronny Sofer, YNetNews 8/28/2007
Palestinian president set to arrive at prime minister's Jerusalem residence in order to discuss preparations for US-sponsored Middle East conference scheduled to take place in Washington in November Prime Minister Ehud Olmert is scheduled to meet Tuesday with Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas at his Jerusalem residence. The two are expected to discuss the forming a document of principles ahead of the US-sponsored international conference scheduled to take place in November in Washington. In the first part of the meeting, the negotiating teams from both sides will meet with the two leaders. Later, Olmert and Abbas will move to the prime minister's private office where they will discuss issues related to the document of principles. The prime minister is expected to tell the Palestinian president...
Army invades Al Maghazi refugee camp in central Gaza strip
Ghassan Bannoura news, International Middle East Media Center 8/27/2007
An Israeli army force backed with tanks and bulldozers invaded the Al Maghazi refugee camp in central Gaza strip on Monday. Eyewitnesses said that tanks opened heavy fire at residents' homes, so far no injures has been reported. [end]
Two Palestinians kidnapped near Bethlehem
Ghassan Bannoura, International Middle East Media Center 8/27/2007
The Israeli army invaded the village of Artas, south of Bethlehem city in the southern part of the West Bank, and kidnapped one civilian and his father on Monday afternoon. Khaled Al Azza, the head of the popular land defense committee, said that soldiers invaded the village then surrounded the house of Awad Abu Soway, the coordinator of the committee in the village, and kidnapped him and his father. Soway's land was confiscated by the army several months ago to make way for a sewage system for a nearby Israeli settlement, after which he began to organize nonviolent protests against this practice. [end]
Israeli troops reinforce presence in northern Gaza
Rami Almeghari & Agencies, International Middle East Media Center 8/27/2007
Israeli army troops reinforced Sunday their presence in northern and eastern Gaza Strip by moving numerous tanks and armored vehicles into army posts in the areas, Palestinian media sources reported. Eyewitness said that the army reinforcement has been coincided with Israeli warplanes gunfire towards nearby Palestinian houses, causing a state of panic to residents. Israeli army has stepped up recently its attacks on targets in the costal region, killing several Palestinians including children, in what Israel called a crackdown on Palestinian homemade rockets attacks on nearby Israeli towns. Concurrently, some Israeli officials were reportedly calling for a massive Israeli offensive on the Gaza Strip, in a bid to undermine Palestinian resistance groups involving the deposed governing Hamas in Gaza.
Israeli missiles demolish Palestinian projectile launch-pad in Gaza
Ma'an News Agency 8/27/2007
Gaza – Ma'an – Israeli fighter jets on Monday morning launched at least one missile at a Palestinian projectile launch-pad in the Gaza Strip. The Israeli missiles demolished a Palestinian launch-pad to the northeast of Gaza City. Eyewitnesses said that the Israeli air strike began just after Palestinian resistance fighters launched homemade projectiles towards Israel from the launch-pad. No casualties were reported in the Gaza Strip or Israel. [end]
Palestinian fighters launch projectiles into Israel
Ma'an News Agency 8/27/2007
Gaza – Ma'an – The military wing of the Popular Resistance Committees, the An Nasser Salah Addin Brigades, claimed responsibility on Sunday evening for launching a homemade projectile at the Israeli Western Negev town of Sderot. The brigades also conducted a joint operation with the Al Quds Brigades of Islamic Jihad and launched a second projectile at Sderot on Sunday evening. Two further projectiles were claimed to have been launched into Israel on Sunday evening in a united operation of the Abu Ali Mustafa Brigades of the PFLP, the Al Aqsa Brigades of Fatah and the independent Army of Muhammad. The An Nasser Brigades also claimed responsibility for launching a homemade projectile at the Israeli military post of Nahal Oz, near the border of the Gaza Strip, on Monday morning.
Palestinian fighters force invading Israeli military in Gaza to retreat
Ma'an News Agency 8/27/2007
Gaza – Ma'an – The An Nasser Addin Brigades of the PRC and the Al Quds Brigades of Islamic Jihad claimed joint responsibility for an armed confrontation with Special Israeli Forces, east of Al Maghazi refugee camp in the central Gaza Strip, on Monday morning. The brigades issued a statement: "The Special Forces were driven back after 20 minutes of fierce clashes." The statement also affirmed that the brigades reject all Israeli plans and will continue resistance. [end]
Israeli soldiers create huge traffic jam at Huwwara checkpoint
Ma'an News Agency 8/27/2007
Nablus – Ma'an – Several Palestinian citizens collapsed on Monday as a result of an extensive traffic jam at Huwwara checkpoint, near the northern West Bank city of Nablus. Eyewitnesses at the checkpoint said that the Israeli soldiers deliberately inspected the Palestinian passengers slowly, resulting in a huge tail-backs in the extreme heat. As a result many citizens fainted. [end]
Brigades claim responsibility for attacks
Ma'an News Agency 8/27/2007
Gaza - Ma'an – The Abu Ali Mustafa brigades said that they launched two mortars at an Israeli military post in Nahal Oz on Monday afternoon. They issued a statement saying they had also launched two homemade projectiles at Sderot. The statement confirmed that both operations were in "retaliation for Israeli aggression and attacks against Palestinian people". [end]
Brigades say they clashed with Israeli unit near Nahal Oz
Ma'an News Agency 8/27/2007
Gaza - Ma'an - National Resistance Brigades (NRB) who are affiliated to the Democratic Front for the Liberation of Palestine (DFLP), and An Nasser Salah Al-Din brigades on Monday said they took part inn armed clashes with an Israeli engineering unit near the electronic fence opposite the Nahal Oz near the Gaza Strip. A statement issued by the brigades aid that the "fighters used machine guns and Rocket Propelled Grenades against the unit and managed to withdraw safely to their base." The statement added that the operation was in "retaliation for Israeli aggression against the Palestinian people." [end]
Palestine Today 082707
Ghassan Bannoura, International Middle East Media Center 8/27/2007
Click on Link below to download or play MP3 file - Welcome to Palestine Today, a service of the International Middle East Media Centre for Monday August 27th, 2007. In the West Bank, the Israeli army invades the city of Nablus and the nearby refugee camp of Askar. In the Gaza Strip meanwhile, a Palestinian man is killed after Israeli forces open fire on him near the Gaza-Israel border. These stories and more coming up. Stay tuned. The West Bank - The Israeli army invaded the northern West Bank city of Nablus and the nearby refugee camp of Askar in the early hours of Monday morning. Security sources reported that more than 20 Israeli military vehicles, backed by bulldozers, invaded the city from several directions and opened fire on residents. -- See also: || File 3.66MB || Time 4m 0s ||
Israeli soldier enter Jenin city, PA hands him back to the army
Ghassan Bannoura News, International Middle East Media Center 8/27/2007
An Israeli soldier mistakenly drove his car into the northern West Bank city of Jenin on Monday. Security forces of the Palestinian Authority detained the soldier before handing him to the Israeli army. Palestinian sources reported that one Israeli soldier entered the city in his car. Upon reaching the city center, residents gathered around the car and attacked the soldier, thinking that he had arrived to kill local resistance fighters. While the car was set on fire, the soldier was not harmed in any way. Entering the city in civilian cars and killing local youth and resistance fighters is a policy that is commonly used by the Israeli army. The city of Jenin is surrounded by Israeli settlements and checkpoints are present on all roads leading in and out of the city. [end]
Livni: Rescue of IDF major proves PA's strength
Avi Issacharoff, and Amos Harels, Haaretz Service and The Associated, Ha'aretz 8/27/2007
Foreign Minister Tzipi Livni on Monday praised the Palestinian Authority for rescuing an Israel Defense Forces officer who inadvertently entered the West Bank city of Jenin. "This operation proves that the Palestinian government and its forces are growing stronger in the field relative to the terrorist organizations," Livni said, during a meeting with Palestinian Prime Minister Salam Fayad. Livni stressed that the rescue of the IDF officer is an example of how security deterioration can be prevented, and how Israel and the Palestinians can avoid harm to both sides. Livni and Fayad also discussed regional developments, including the Middle East summit scheduled to take place in the fall. The pair agreed on renewing the activity of currently defunct joint Israeli-PA committees on economic and environmental issues.
PA forces rescue IDF officer in Jenin
Roee Nahmias, YNetNews 8/27/2007
IDF major en route to northern West Bank accidentally enters Jenin. Mob attacks his car, forces him out and beats him. Palestinian security officers save him from crowd moments before they torched his car. Islamic Jihad slam PA security for denying them opportunity to kidnap officer - An IDF officer was rescued Monday afternoon by Palestinian Authority police officers after he mistakenly entered Jenin. The officer, a major serving in the army's Central Command, was on his way to the Mevo Dotan settlement in the northern West Bank but accidentally drove into Jenin, located seven miles northeast of the settlement. Holiday Adventure Israeli vacationers take wrong turn, end up in Jericho/ Efrat Weiss Family gets lost on way to vacation resort in Tiberias, ends up in Jericho.
Al Quds Brigades slams P.A security forces for handing to Israel a soldier captured earlier Monday
Saed Bannoura, International Middle East Media Center 8/27/2007
The Al Quds Brigades, the armed wing of the Islamic Jihad, issued a press release on Monday slamming the Palestinian Preventive Security Force, loyal to Fateh movement, for handing to Israel a soldier who entered Jenin earlier in the day and was captured by members of the Brigades. One of the leaders of the Brigades stated that members of the brigades in Jenin, in the northern part of the West Bank, managed to capture an Israeli officer who infiltrated into the city. "But our fighters were surprised to see members of the Preventive Security Force surrounding them and taking the soldier away", the leader stated, "the soldier was wearing his military uniform, he was moved to the security headquarters in the city before four Israeli jeeps entered the city and the preventive security forces handed the soldier to them".
Lieberman: Not the time for military action against Iran
Ronny Sofer, YNetNews 8/28/2007
Strategic Affairs Minister, in an interview with Israel Radio's Persian language channel, says economic sanctions most effective way to deal with rogue Islamic republic - Economic sanctions, not military actions, are the right tools to deal with Iran right now, Strategic Affairs Minister Avigdor Lieberman said on Monday evening in an interview with Israel Radio's Persian language channel. "I don't think that a military solution is the right way to go at this point," Lieberman said in response to a question regarding Israeli action against Iran... The most effective way to stop the Iranian nuclear program is through economic sanctions. This was the case in Libya and Korea," he stated. "Unfortunately however, those who will pay the price (of sanctions) are the Iranian people.
Hamas sources differ on report of renewed attacks
Amos Harel Barak Ravid, Ha'aretz 8/27/2007
Hamas officials offered differing opinions Sunday on the question of renewing terrorist attacks in the West Bank and Israel. A political adviser to Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh, Ahmad Yousef, told Haaretz that the Shin Bet security service's assessments that the group is intensifying efforts to undermine diplomatic dialogue between Israel and the Palestinian Authority through a series of spectacular terrorist attacks are inaccurate. "There is no change in the Hamas position. Israel is threatening us and attacking us - we are only responding to provocations. But we do not intend to initiate any action, like the resumption of suicide bombings," Yousef said. However, Fawzi Barhum, spokesman for Hamas in Gaza, told Haaretz that the organization intends to use any means to achieve its aims.
Public Security Minister Dichter: Egypt wants Hamas to prosper
Haaretz Service, Ha'aretz 8/27/2007
Public Security Minister Avi Dichter said that Egypt's failure to prevent arms smuggling implies that the country wants Hamas to prosper, Army Radio reported Monday. In an interview with Army Radio, Dichter said that "any right thinking person who witnesses the Egyptians' failure to act against arms smuggling can all but infer that strengthening Hamas is their interest." "Egypt is capable of acting decisively against Hamas, but hasn't done that for more than seven years," Dichter added. "Their intelligence is as good as ours," he concluded. The deputy head of the Shin Bet security service told the cabinet at its weekly meeting on Sunday that 40 tons of explosives have been smuggled into the Strip since Hamas took over the coastal area in mid-June.
An Israeli document suggests prisoners swap deal between Israel and Palestinians
Rami Almeghari & Agencies, International Middle East Media Center 8/27/2007
The Israeli government might consider a prisoner swap deal for the release of captured Israeli soldier, Gil'ad Shalit, who has been held by Palestinian resistance groups in southern Gaza since June, 2006, Maan News Agency reported. According to a document, leaked from the Israeli Prime Minister's office, the Kadima party-led Israeli government is suggesting possible prisoners swap deal in the near future amidst internal security assessment in light of PM Olmert's 'failure' to secure security achievements as well as social and economic projects. Such a breakthrough is regarded as a crucial by the current Israeli government, so as it can gain confidence of the Israeli public, the document suggests. A likely prisoner swap, therefore, might involve a list of Hamas-linked prisoners, Israel had previously rejected,...
On the eve of Shalit's birthday, Haniyeh advisor appeals to Israel to show goodwill for a prisoners exchange
Ma'an News Agency 8/27/2007
Bethlehem – Ma'an – Political advisor of deposed Prime Minister Ismail Haniyeh, Ahmed Yousef, on Monday expressed the former government's willingness to exchange Palestinian prisoners for captured Israeli soldier Gilad Shalit. In a special interview with Ma'an, Ahmad Yousef appealed to the Israeli government to show goodwill on the issue, as he said Hamas did when it released an audio recording of Shalit in order to reassure his family. Yousef said "Israel must release the hostages in the Israeli prisons." Yousef also said that Israel failed to appreciate Hamas' gesture and did not release any prisoners as a result. Hamas is serious about an exchange of detainees, stated Yousef. The Hamas movement has presented everything that is required for completing the deal, said Yousef; such as a list of prisoners wanted in exchange for Shalit.
Three new police forces established in Gaza
Ma'an News Agency 8/27/2007
Bethlehem – Ma'an – Secretary-General of the deposed Palestinian government, Muhammad Awad, said on Monday that three new Palestinian police forces have been established in the Gaza Strip. The three forces are; interior security, beach police and female police. Awad said that the deposed government ratified the new services, which will begin work in the coming days. In a statement released by Awad, he said that the new police forces were established to impose law and order, and secure safety for Palestinian citizens." There is unacceptable blackmailing, and targeting of hundreds of employees and security services' members who continue to enact their duties on orders from Palestinian officials in Ramallah," said Awad. [end]
'Free women and children and we'll release Shalit video'
Roee Nahmias, YNetNews 8/27/2007
Ismail Haniye's diplomatic advisor conveys message to Israel, saying prisoner swap could be advanced - The Hamas government led by Ismail Haniyeh is interested in speeding up the prisoner swap deal for the release of kidnapped Israeli soldier Gilad Shalit, Haniyeh's diplomatic advisor said Monday. In interviews with Palestinian news agencies, Dr Ahmed Yusef called on the Israeli government to make a goodwill gesture "as the Hamas movement did when it released an audio tape of Shalit in order to calm his family down." As part of the gesture, Yusef said, Israel should release female Palestinian prisoners and prisoners under the age of 18. "Unfortunately, they had no appreciation for Hamas' move and did not make any goodwill gesture," Haniyeh's advisor said.
Barak: Hezbollah rocket arsenal bigger now than before the war
Shahar Ilan, Ha'aretz 8/27/2007
Defense Minister Ehud Barak on Monday told the Knesset Foreign Affairs and Defense Committee that Hezbollah has more rockets today than it did prior to the Second Lebanon War last summer. According to a source who was present at the meeting, Barak was referring to both long-range and short-range rockets, and said that the rockets are situated north of the Litani River, but within striking range of Israel. Hezbollah fired almost 4,000 rockets at northern Israel during the 34-day war in 2006, and Israeli land and air assaults caused heavy damage to Lebanese towns and neighborhoods. The war was sparked by a Hezbollah attack on an Israeli border patrol in which three soldiers were killed and two taken captive. The fate of the captured soldiers remains unknown.
EU Parliament to host panel meeting on Palestinians' rights
The Associated Press, Ha'aretz 8/27/2007
A United Nations panel meeting on the rights of Palestinians will take place at the premises of the European Parliament later this week, despite protests by Israel and some European Union parliamentarians, who claim the group organizing it has an anti-Israeli record, officials said Monday. The August 30-31 panel meeting, to be held under the auspices of the UN's Committee on the Exercise of the Inalienable Rights of the Palestinian People, will go ahead as scheduled, European Parliament spokesman Fearghas O'Beara said. Israel views the committee as a legacy of the 1975 UN General Assembly resolution - revoked in 1991 - that equated Zionism with racism. The committee, chaired by Senegal, has 22 members and 26 observers. Cyprus and Malta are the only members who are also EU member states, according to the UN Web site.
First group of stranded Palestinians allowed to cross Al Oja border terminal
Wisam Afifa, International Middle East Media Center 8/27/2007
About 100 Palestinians left the Gaza Strip through Beit Hanoun border Crossing (Erez), and then onto the Al Oja border crossing that separates Gaza and Egypt on Sunday. Those allowed to cross were Palestinians in possession of foreign residency papers and students. The event marks the first time that any Palestinian has been allowed to leave the Gaza Strip since the Israeli government closed the Rafah border crossing almost two months ago. Most of the Palestinian factions, Human Rights groups and civil Society organizations have criticized the closure of the Rafah crossing and its replacement with the Al Oja terminal. For its part, the deposed government of Ismail Haniyeh reiterated its opposition to the use of the Al Oja terminal, which falls under full Israeli control.
Ban on truckloads of paper set to hit Gaza schools
Report, The Electronic Intifada, Electronic Intifada 8/27/2007
Because of an Israeli ban on deliveries of paper to Gaza, some 200,000 children will begin the new school year on 1 September without the books they need, UNRWA said. - Israel is allowing in food, medicines and fuel, which it sees as essential aid, but not paper, even though many would see education as a vital sector in need of all the support it can get. "Some 200,000 children will go into our classrooms on 1 September, and won't have the books they need," John Ging, the Gaza director of UNRWA, the UN agency for Palestinian refugees, told IRIN. The shortage has emanated from Israel's refusal, so far, to allow five trucks of paper into the impoverished territory, needed to print the textbooks. Since the Hamas takeover of Gaza in June, Israel has clamped down on the borders, bringing imports and exports almost to a halt with the exception of basic humanitarian goods.
Journalists in Bethlehem protest against attacks targeting reporters in Gaza
International Middle East Media Center 8/27/2007
Dozens of reporters and representatives of media outlets in the West Bank city of Bethlehem protesting on Monday in front of the Church of Nativity against attacks carried by the Executive Force members against protesters in the Gaza Strip. The protesters stated that the Hamas-formed Executive Force attacks reporters during a protest carried by the residents in Gaza last Friday. The protesters carried signs slamming the attacks and calling on Hamas to respect the freedom of expression and the freedom of press in the Gaza Strip. Secretary-general of the reporters union, Sa'id Ayyad, stated during the protest that "it is unfortunate to see these attacks against the reporters especially since we as reporters are facing ongoing attacks by Israeli occupation forces against us".
PCHR Is Concerned Over the Detention and Torture of a Number of Fatah Supporters by the Executive Force
Palestinian Centre for Human Rights 8/27/2007
PCHR is deeply concerned over the arrest campaign waged by the Executive Force in the past two days against a number of supporters of Fatah movement in Gaza City and the central Gaza Strip. PCHR calls for an investigation into the torture and beating of a number of detainees during their detention by the Executive Force and to take legal action against the perpetrators. . According to investigations conducted by PCHR, on Saturday morning, 25 August 2007, the Executive Force arrested 15 residents of al-Daraj neighborhood in the east of Gaza City to interrogate them about their participation in the prayer conducted in the Unknown Soldier Yard in Gaza City on the preceding day, and the demonstration that followed. Fatah movement had called for doing the Friday Prayer in the Unknown Solider Yard, in protest to what it described...
Hamas' Executive Force says some Fateh members are planning to sabotage public places in Gaza
Saed Bannoura, International Middle East Media Center 8/27/2007
The Executive Force of Hamas issued a press release stating the senior sources stated that members of Fateh movement in Gaza are planning to hold demonstrations in specific places in Gaza City in order to undermine security in Gaza as the new school year approaches. The Force stated that the planned acts are intended to be carried out in the coming few days. According to the Executive Force statement, Fateh members are planning to undermine security and stability in Gaza, and claimed that some Fateh members attacked worshipers in Gaza last Friday, and hurled stones and empty bottles at public places. Furthermore, the Force stated the these attacks on the eve of the new school year are carried out in an attempt to disrupt the educational process after the government in Gaza, headed by Ismail Haniyya of Hamas,...
Hamas deplores rabid campaign aiming to eliminate it in WB
Palestinian Information Center 8/27/2007
GAZA, (PIC)-- Hamas deplored on Sunday the unprecedented rabid campaign waged by leaders of the PA security apparatuses affiliated with Fatah which aims to eliminate the movement's presence in the West Bank. In a statement received by the PIC, Hamas said that this campaign was represented in the pursuit and kidnapping of the Islamic bloc's leaders in the Palestinian universities in the West Bank, and in the marginalization of Palestinian professionals working in the government sector because of their political affiliations. Hamas also described the security apparatuses' exercises as more brutal than those practiced by the inquisition courts in the Middle Ages, and criticized the systematic inflammatory dictates practiced by the American administration on PA chief Mahmoud Abbas.
Haneyya government accuses Abbas, Fayyad of conspiring to retain terminal closed
Palestinian Information Center 8/27/2007
GAZA, (PIC)-- Taher Al-Nono, the spokesman of the caretaker government in Gaza, has accused PA chief Mahmoud Abbas and the illegitimate government of Salam Fayyad of conspiring to endorse Oja Egyptian-Israeli crossing as an alternative to the Rafah terminal between Gaza Strip and Egypt. He renewed his government's absolute rejection of replacing the Rafah terminal with that of Oja, adding in a press release that Oja would allow Israel to control the traffic of citizens in and of the Gaza Strip other than blackmailing them. Nono recalled that Fayyad's illegal government had previously tried to operate the Israeli-controlled Karm Abu Salem instead of Rafah. The spokesman noted that his caretaker government was maintaining contact with Egypt and the Arab League to transform Rafah terminal into a sole Egyptian-Palestinian affair according to international laws.
The deposed Hamas government installs its own police forces
Rami Almeghari & Agencies, International Middle East Media Center 8/27/2007
The deposed Hamas government in Gaza is prepared to launch three new security apparatuses in the costal region, secretary general of the Hamas cabinet, Mohamad Awad, confirmed. The newly-installed bodies are internal security, coastal guards and the woman police, will be entitled to maintaining order, protecting Gaza's shores and dealing with women-related issues in the conservative community of Gaza. According to the Hamas-linked Palestine Information Center, secretary of the Islamist government released a statement, making clear that all preparations have been made and that the new police forces will commence duties shortly. Awad renewed his government's respect of law and freedom of press, calling on all journalists to move freely for the best of conveying the truth in both Gaza and West Bank.
Hamas orders private clinics shut
Al Jazeera 8/27/2007
Hamas has ordered striking doctors to shut down their private clinics in Gaza, in a challenge to its rival, Fatah. Hospital doctors across Gaza launched a work slowdown earlier this month to protest against the arrest of a prominent physician allied with Fatah. Most hospital doctors are affiliated with Fatah. On orders from the West Bank-based Fatah government, which pays their salaries, most curtailed their daytime hospital schedule to three hours a day, receiving patients afterwards in relatively more expensive private clinics. Hamas struck back on Monday by ordering the immediate shutdown of the clinics. Comply or else Doctors who do not comply will be fired, and clinics will also be scrutinised to ensure they are properly registered and licensed, Hamas officials said.
Palestinian security men in Egyptian security camp to go on hunger strike
Ma'an News Agency 8/27/2007
Gaza - Ma'an - Palestinian security men, who fled to Egypt during the confrontations in the Gaza Strip following the Hamas takeover in June, on Tuesday announced that they are to go on hunger strike. The men are now in an Egyptian security camp in Rafah and are starting the hunger strike in protest at what they describe as the "Palestinian Authority (PA) leadership's ignoring their case." One of the security officers, Abu Muhannad told Ma'an via telephone, "we were waiting for the PA leaders to deal with our case positively and for them to solve it." He said that they are 175 soldiers and officers in camps, 105 in the Rafah camp and 70 in a military camp in Al Arish in the Gaza Strip. Abu Muhannad added that the Fatah movement has sent each of them only $200 in the last two months and that the Egyptian army has given them clothes.
Al Mezan calls neutralizing the health sector; calls for negotiating health workers and their quick return to work
Al Mezan Center for Human Rights, ReliefWeb 8/26/2007
Al Mezan Center observes with much concern the suffering of Gazans owing to the health workers' strikes. The already poor health services have worsened recently in the Gaza Strip and are expected to become worse soon. On 9 August 2007 the staff of the Shifa Hospital declared a one-day strike, which has developed into a daily partial strike since 20 August 2007 following calls from the Health Workers' Syndicates. A majority of health workers at Gaza's hospitals and a few Primary Care Centers have abided by the Syndicate's call in Gaza, Middle Gaza and Khan Younis districts. Under the partial strike workers attend to their jobs between 8am and 11am every day. The emergency and nighttime services are excluded. And so is the examinations and admission days at the Palestine Nursing College.
Israeli forces arrest a Palestinian man and his son
Ma'an News Agency 8/27/2007
Bethlehem – Ma'an – Israeli forces on Monday afternoon arrested a Palestinian citizen along with his son, in Artas village south west of Bethlehem in the southern West Bank. Chief of the local popular committee for defending land and confronting settlement in Bethlehem district, Khalid Al-'Azza told Ma'an via telephone that the Israeli soldiers stormed into Wadi Amayrah. These are fields which belong to the village, and are under threat of being confiscated by Israel for the establishment of the separation wall. The soldiers seized Awad Abu Sway and his son after they tried to enter the area. Meanwhile, Israeli forces arrested a Palestinian policeman on Monday at the Erez crossing when he attempted to return to the Gaza Strip. Mahir Younis, 28, who serves with the Palestinian Authority police force in the West Bank, had not seen his family for six years.
Israeli court extends detention of alleged Islamic Jihad members
Ma'an News Agency 8/27/2007
Jenin - Ma'an – An Israeli military court on Monday extended the detention of a number of Palestinian prisoners from the Jenin area, accusing them of being members of Islamic Jihad. Human Rights lawyer, Ahmad Shawahnah, said in a statement that the Israeli military court in Salim extended the detention of Ahmad Nazzal from Qabatia until the 19th of November for being a member of Islamic Jihad and possessing weapons. The court also extended the detention of Dergham Husni from Sailat Al-Harithyya until the 24th of October for being a member of the Al Quds Brigades, possessing weapons and planning a military operation against Israeli troops. [end]
Woman arrested en route to visit brother in jail
Ma'an News Agency 8/27/2007
Tulkarem - Ma'an – A Palestinian woman was arrested by Israeli forces on Monday as she was on her way to visit her brother in prison, near Tulkarem. Nadia Yousef Tabal, 38, from the Ain Shams refugee camp, east of Tulkarem was arrested at Teiba Crossing, south of the city, en route to Hadarim jail. The woman's brother told Ma'an that his sister "was accused by the Israeli soldiers at the crossing of having a visiting permit which was not her's and she was attempting to enter Israel illegally." She was taken to the Qadomim interrogation centre. She will be released after the family pays a fine. [end]
Fatah leader admitted to Israeli prison hospital
Ma'an News Agency 8/27/2007
Gaza – Ma'an – Sources close to imprisoned Fatah leader, Nahid Shiekh Khalil, aged 40, revealed on Monday that he was transferred from Ashkelon jail to a hospital at Ramla prison. Sheikh Khalil, who had been injured, was taken to hospital after his health deteriorated while he was being interrogated in Israeli prison cells. Sheikh Khalil's family said that the Israeli occupation is responsible for his life and demanded his immediate release, stating that he suffers from a serious injury. He sustained the injury during violent clashes between Fatah and Hamas in Jabalia refugee camp, in the northern Gaza Strip. Sheikh Khalil survived a targeted assassination attempt by Israeli forces that bombarded his car on 14th January 2002, following that, he was detained for five years.
Global inquiry concludes assessment of counter-terrorism laws, policies and practices in Israel and the oPt
International Commission of Jurists - ICJ, ReliefWeb 8/27/2007
Members of the Eminent Jurists Panel on Terrorism, Counter-terrorism and Human Rights concluded their visit to Israel and the occupied Palestinian Territories today. The Panel, an independent group of eight jurists appointed by the International Commission of Jurists (ICJ), is conducting a global inquiry on the impact of terrorism and counter-terrorism measures on the rule of law, human rights and humanitarian law. It was the sixteenth and final visit of the Panel, which will issue its global report in 2008. The visit was facilitated by the Association for the Civil Rights in Israel (ACRI), the Palestinian Centre for Human Rights (PCHR) and Al Haq. The panel members wish to express their sincere gratitude for their generous support.... many of the participants at the hearings expressed concerns that many measures...
IDF has held African refugees in soldiers' hostel for three weeks
Nurit Wurgaft, Ha'aretz 8/27/2007
The Israel Defense Forces has been holding some 20 refugees and migrant workers from Africa - including pregnant women and a 10-year-old boy who was separated from his parents while crossing into the country - at a soldiers' hostel in Be'er Sheva for the last three weeks, even though the police and Israel Prisons Service are supposed to deal with infiltrators once they cross the border. This is apparently the longest the army has ever held a group of infiltrators. The IDF said it is holding the Africans because the refugee camp at Ketziot Prison has no more room. But nongovernmental organizations active in the field, such as the Hotline for Migrant Workers, claim that the IDF has no authority to hold the infiltrators, and is also not prepared to care for them.
Haniyya welcomes the statements of the French President
Saed Bannoura - MEMC & Agencies, International Middle East Media Center 8/28/2007
The Prime Minister of the dissolved government in Gaza, Ismail Haniyya, from the Hamas party, welcomes on Monday the statements of the French President Nicolas Sarkozy, who stated that he is willing to hold talks with Hamas, the Maan news agency reported. In a statement issued by his office, Haniyya said that his government is willing to hold direct talks with France and the European Countries and stated that his government is committed to its agenda which was agreed upon by the Mecca Unity deal. Haniyya added that he believes in the importance of maintaining strong and solid relations with international countries in order to achieve peace and security, and to end the ongoing conflict by ending the Israeli occupation to Palestine. He expressed hopes that Sarkozy and France will hold a positive role in solving...
Rev. King's son: Mideast leaders could learn from my father
The Associated Press, Ha'aretz 8/27/2007
Today's Mideast leaders could learn from the nonviolent philosophy and practices of famed U.S. civil rights leader Rev. Martin Luther King Jr. , his son said Monday at a forum in Jerusalem. - Martin Luther King III addressed a conference at the Hebrew University in Jerusalem that centered on his father's teachings. After decades of armed conflict, he said Middle East peoples should adopt nonviolence to turn the dreams into action. At the conference, King told his listeners that "we are all interrelated, and now we are even more challenged for this interdependence." He said his father's message of love and peace could be applied in the Mideast. The conference, called Realizing the Dream in the Middle East, examined approaches to Mideast peacemaking.
Barak: Tensions with Syria easing
Amnon Meranda, YNetNews 8/27/2007
Defense minister tells Foreign Affairs, Defense Committee that he will allow IDF to operate freely in Gaza - Defense Minister Ehud Barak appeared before the Knesset's Foreign Affairs and Defense Committee Monday, for the first time since taking office. Barak shared the latest developments on both the northern and southern fronts and laid out his perspectives on the country's security situation and defense options. Israel, said Barak, must start using active anti-missile systems of all kinds, improve the IDF's maneuverability and logistic reserves, increase training and work on its deterrence. "Hizbullah continues its armament and has more rockets today than it did before the Second Lebanon War," said Barak, adding that neither Israel nor Syria....
Hamas hails Egyptian position towards next autumn conference
Palestinian Information Center 8/27/2007
GAZA, (PIC)-- Hamas praised Egyptian chief Hosni Mubarak's position towards the international conference scheduled to be held next autumn at the American president's call, confirming that it reflects a leading Arab realization that this conference will do nothing significant for the Palestinian cause. In a press interview on Sunday, the Egyptian president stated that this conference lacks a "practical framework." "The statements of Mubarak reflect growing Arab awareness of the nature of this conference, which will not achieve anything for the Palestinian cause, and Hamas appreciates such statements and calls for building on them and lobbying to prevent holding the conference," Sami Abu Zuhri, the Hamas spokesman stated. Abu Zuhri warned of the ramifications of holding this conference, saying: "Hamas considers the conference a big lie aimed at liquidating the Palestinian cause..."
Haneyya asks Abbas and entourage to get rid of US-Israel hegemony
Palestinian Information Center 8/27/2007
GAZA, (PIC)-- Ismail Haneyya, the premier of the PA caretaker government, has asked PA chief Mahmoud Abbas and his entourage in Ramallah to get rid of American and Zionist dictates and to initiate inter-Palestinian dialogue. Haneyya in a televised statement to Ramattan news agency on Sunday expressed hope that the Palestinian party in Ramallah was ready for dialogue but it should first rid itself of American-Zionist control. He highlighted that Hamas's supreme leader Khaled Mishaal's visit to Doha reflected the Movement's constant contact with Arabs in their capacity as the strategic depth to the Palestine cause. Asked on Zionist threats to launch a large-scale incursion into the Gaza Strip, Haneyya underlined that the threats revealed the Zionist scheme against the Palestinian people in general and against Gaza in particular.
Abbas and Olmert to meet on Tuesday in Jerusalem
Ma'an News Agency 8/27/2007
Bethlehem – Ma'an – Palestinian sources reported on Monday that President Mahmoud Abbas will meet Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert in Jerusalem on Tuesday. The meeting is to be dedicated to addressing bilateral cooperation in fighting what the West terms 'terror'. The sources expect that Olmert and Abbas may attempt to finalise the main points of the intended document of principles, in preparation for the international peace conference called for by US President Bush and to be held in November. Israeli army radio reported that the two leaders will seek to strengthen security and civil coordination between the Palestinian Authority and Israel. The last meeting of Abbas and Olmert was held on the 6th of August, in the eastern West Bank city of Jericho.
Palestinian President to meet with Israeli Prime Minister
Rami Almeghari & Agencies, International Middle East Media Center 8/27/2007
Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas is to meet Tuesday with Israeli Prime Minister, Ehud Olmert in Jerusalem, Palestinian sources confirmed. The meeting, which is a part of regular bi-weekly meetings, will deal with bilateral Israeli-Palestinian relations and will discuss common grounds concerning the Washington-proposed international conference on Middle East peace, due to be held this fall. Both leaders met in August6 in the West Bank city of Jericho, where they agreed to widen the circle of their talks so that to include core issues of the Palestinian-Israeli conflict. Despite a series of regular meetings over the past several months, things on the ground remain in place; the West Bank sees widespread presence of Israeli checkpoints, continued settlement activities, daily arrests of Palestinians,...
PM, Lieberman to promote bill to change system of government
Barak Ravid, Ha'aretz 8/27/2007
Prime Minister Ehud Olmert and Minister of Strategic Affairs Avigdor Lieberman have agreed to promote the bill to change the system of government during the Knesset's winter session with the intention of pushing it through the final round legislation. Cabinet Secretary Oved Yehezkel met with Lieberman on Monday to discuss the issue ahead of the discussion on the topic scheduled for Wednesday. In the meeting, it was decided that the wording of the legislation would be based on four principles - the stability of the government, the government's ability to administrate, the functional efficiency of the Knesset, and the responsibilities of MKs to their voters. It was also decided that an effort would be made to secure broad support for the 'Norwegian Law,' which stipulates that ministers must have temporary Knesset...
National Command bunker being built
Ofer Petersburg, YNetNews 8/27/2007
New government bunker designed to withstand nuclear attack will house Prime Minister's Office, military commands centers. Project to be completed by 2011 Construction on the new National Command Center, where the country's leaders would be rushed to, should Israel suffer a nuclear attack, is rapidly progressing, Yedioth Ahronoth reported Monday. The $240 million underground bunker is designed to withstand a nuclear bomb and will house the Prime Minister's Office, military commands centers and the necessary civil authorities. "It's like something out of a movie"¦ you walk around it in complete awe, knowing this is the place they'll be running the country from" a government source told Ynet. The bunker was carved into one of the Jerusalem's mountains.
Olmert to Sderot parents: Send your kids to school
Vered Luvitch, YNetNews 8/27/2007
As residents of rocket-battered town continue to protest partial fortification of classrooms in city and nearby communities, prime minister tells them 'the area has been under attack for years and everyone completed their studies safe and sound' - As the residents of the rocket-battered town of Sderot continued to protest the partial fortification of the classrooms in the city and in nearby communities and threatened to boycott the new school year, Prime Minister Ehud Olmert called on them to reconsider. During an conference on education held in the city of Holon on Monday evening, Olmert urged all parents in Sderot and the Gaza vicinity communities to send their children to school on September 2. Cabinet Meeting Stop sanctimonious ranting, says Olmert / Ronny Sofer With school year...
Labor court forbids teachers to strike on September 1st
Vered Luvitch, YNetNews 8/28/2007
Teacher's Association threatens to keep schools closed come September in protest over Finance Ministry's foot-dragging in pay negotiations but Labor Court blocks strike after Education Ministry files urgent petition. Court orders sides to hold intensive negotiations, says it will reconvene on matter during first week of September - The National Labor Court on Monday forbade the Middle and High School Teachers Association education to prevent the start of the school year by going on strike during the first week of September. The court issued a temporary injunction after an urgent petition was filed by the Education Ministry, Finance Ministry and the Union of Local Authorities in Israel and ordered the teachers and Finance Ministry to hold intensive and serious negotiations on the teachers' demands.
Beinisch: Friedmann's reforms are assault on Israeli democracy
Yuval Yoaz, Ha'aretz 8/27/2007
Chief Justice Dorit Beinisch Monday attacked Justice Minister Daniel Friedmann, calling the minister's proposals for curbs on the High Court constitued a direct assault on Israeli democracy. Friedmann has urged restrictions on the universal right to petition the High Court of Justice and on the constitutional validity of its rulings in matters of public affairs. Beinisch made the comments as she and Friedmann attended the swearing-in ceremony Monday for new High Court judges at the President's Residence. In her speech, Beinisch said that "judges can fulfill their role as the defenders of human rights if, and only if, the judicial system is accessible to everyone; only when judges face human suffering, or the distress of the unprivileged.
Tamir: Attempts to impose state education on Haredim will fail
Or Kashti, Ha'aretz 8/27/2007
Education Minister Yuli Tamir said Tuesday that attempts to impose educational criteria on the ultra-Orthodox (Haredim) would meet with certain failure. Tamir made the remarks in the keynote address at a conference on education in Holon. She was referring to the exemption of a section of ultra-Orthodox students from studying the Education Ministry core curriculum. The minister said: "Is there a single person in this hall who believes that if the core curriculum is imposed on the Haredi world, Haredi schools will close down and the children will come to state schools and center their happiness around Zionism?" "Is there anyone who thinks that if studying Judaism and Zionism studies is forced on Arabs they will join hands and dance in circles on independence day?" Tamir asked.
Likud sues Kadima for NIS 1.6 million
Aviram Zino, YNetNews 8/27/2007
Rival parties to go to court regarding dispute over NIS 1. 6 million in party financing funds - The Kadima party is being sued for NIS 1. 6 million ($385,000) by the Likud party, which filed a case against its rival in the Jerusalem District Court on Sunday. Likud party members claimed that MKs who left the Likud did not return funds they had received in accordance with the Party Financing Law despite pledging to do so. The suit was filed by the party's legal advisor Avi Halevi. According to the indictment, most Likud MKs signed a letter of commitment with Hapoalim Bank in 2003, in which they pledged to transfer party funds to a Likud bank account for the duration of the 16th Knesset. The letter emphasized that the commitment would apply even if the MKs left the Likud.
Rabbi Yosef: Secular IDF soldiers are killed because they aren't observant
Haaretz Service, Ha'aretz 8/27/2007
Shas party spiritual leader Rabbi Ovadia Yosef, a former Sephardi chief rabbi of Israel, told followers in remarks broadcast on Monday that Israel Defense Forces soldiers were killed in combat because they did not observe Jewish religious laws." Is it any wonder if, heaven forbid, soldiers are killed in a war? " Rabbi Yosef said during his weekly Saturday night sermon. "They don't observe the Sabbath, they don't observe [the laws of] the Torah, they don't pray, they don't put on phylacteries every day. Is it any wonder that they're killed? It's no wonder. May the Almighty have mercy on them and bring them back to religion. Israeli media accounts of the sermon also quoted Rabbi Yosef as saying that when soldiers "believe and pray, God helps them during the war" and that these troops "don't get killed.
OPT: Feature - After security, beleaguered Gazans want more
Xinhua News Agency, ReliefWeb 8/27/2007
GAZA, Aug 27, 2007 (Xinhua via COMTEX) -- The long expected safety and security returned to Gaza's streets eventually after Hamas took control of the enclave, however people living there began to come to their senses that it is not the only thing they want. "We were looking for an end of chaos, we wanted the security and we got it," said Ahmad al-Ifranji, a middle aged beans dealer whose face showed paradoxically anxiety rather than delight. "Now, the people look for food and dignity life as the first class aim," he turned his topic sharply, making his bewildering paradox clear. That's the reality in Gaza that though the current Gaza ruler the Islamic Hamas movement could provide a relative peace for impartial residents, people there recalculated and started to yearn for better economy and freedom.
Palestinian film 'The Last Call' nominated for short film festival
Ma'an News Agency 8/27/2007
Khan Younis – Ma'an – A Palestinian film called 'The Last Call' was nominated to compete at the international festival of short films in Italy. Fifty-two films were nominated from 2,000 applications. The eleven-minute film is about four Palestinians who receive a telephone call from the Israeli intelligence, ordering them to evacuate their home as it is to be bombarded by the Israeli forces within minutes. The film shows Palestinian citizens successfully encounter the Israeli policy of house demolitions and shows the psychological influence of Israeli conduct on Palestinians. [end]
Civil servants to be paid beginning of September
Ma'an News Agency 8/27/2007
Bethlehem – Ma'an – The Palestinian government decided at the end of its weekly cabinetmeeting in Ramallah on Monday that all civil servants will be paid at the beginning of September. This is contrary to Sunday's statement by the Minister of Economy saying salaries would be paid by the end of August. The Minister of Information and spokesman of the government business, Dr. Riad Malki, said that the government should pay the salaries in the date set by since its inception is the first week of the beginning of each month, following the receipt of taxes from the Israeli side. Al Malki reiterated the government's commitment to pay the salaries owed to the public sector. [end]
The Humanitarian Monitor occupied Palestinian territory No. 15, Jul 2007
United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs - OCHA, ReliefWeb 7/31/2007
Overview- Key Issues - Continued closure of Gaza crossings; impact on economy - Since Hamas took control of the Gaza Strip in mid-June, the main Gaza crossings have been closed due to the breakdown in previous coordination procedures between Israelis and Palestinians. The closures have further weakened the Gazan economy and exacerbated poverty in a population where 1. 1 million out of 1. 4 million were already receiving food assistance prior to mid-June. Karni, the only viable crossing for the passage of commercial and humanitarian goods, remains closed after ten weeks. Sufa and Kerem Shalom crossings, continue to function as the principal alternative entry points for commercial and humanitarian supplies, but lack sufficient infrastructure to be a viable alternative crossing.
Bank of Israel raises interest rate to 4%
Zeev Klein, Globes Online 8/27/2007
The interest rate gap with the dollar has narrowed to 125 basis points. - Governor of the Bank of Israel Prof. Stanley Fischer has raised the interest rate for September 2007 by 25 basis points to 4%. This is the second consecutive monthly hike. Fischer made the announcement by secure video conference from the US. The Bank of Israel said that the rate hike "is consistent with the policy of maintaining price stability, as expressed by the inflation target of 1-3% a year. " The central bank again gave no hint regarding its upcoming interest rate decisions. Many analysts believe that Fischer will now take a time-out of a month or two before raising the interest rate again. However, he will be closely watching market developments. The Bank of Israel said, "The decision to raise the interest rate by a relatively modest 0.
"We'll see many bankruptcies"
Dror Marmor, Globes Online 8/27/2007
Outgoing FAIRE Fund CEO Avi Tenne: Real estate companies are ignoring profit. - Israel's housing market is committing suicide. This is the basic message of outgoing First American-Israel Real Estate (FAIRE) Fund CEO Avi Tenne, just before he throws up his hands and joins the Israeli developers building overseas. After five years as CEO, and two years before the fund is due to expire, it was clear to him that he could not invest in new long-term deals, which persuaded him to hand over the keys to his successor, Shay Braverman. "I realized that the low supply of available projects in Israel and the growing competition among developers made it pointless to make deals now," Tenne told "Globes". "A look at the high land prices and construction costs versus the low sale price in the hundreds of deals I've been.
Proportion of older unemployed grows
Shay Niv, Globes Online 8/27/2007
Workers over the age of 45 have a harder time finding employment. The number of job seekers registered with the Israel National Employment Service (INES) in July totaled 204,500, representing a 1. 7% increase compared with June. INES figures published yesterday point to a further increase in the number of unemployed people aged 45 and upward, who accounted for 47. 1% of the total unemployment count. For the sake of comparison, the proportion of people aged 45 and upward accounted for 43% of the total unemployment count in 2005. INES recently acknowledged the difficulty that older people have finding work in Israel, where the rate of unemployment for older people is one of the highest among Western countries. According to INES sources, the problem stems from both the job seekers themselves, who are not always...
Airports Authority to hire temporary workers to battle airport delays
Zohar Blumenkrantz, Ha'aretz 8/27/2007
The Israel Airports Authority (IAA) promised on Monday to recruit 54 temporary baggage handlers to tackle the manpower shortage at Ben Gurion International Airport. Following the IAA announcement, baggage handlers decided Monday to end the disruptions they had begun the day before, in protest of a shortage of workers to handle the loading and offloading of baggage, which caused up to three-hour departure delays. 31 workers have been recruited to date, and an additional 23 are to follow in order to tackle high levels of passenger traffic during the summer season and the holidays. Meanwhile, the Israel Civil Aviation Authority (ICAA) went on strike Monday. The workers are protesting the allegedly unilateral implementation of a restructuring scheme.
Airports Authority, Ben Gurion workers strike deal
Eli Senyor, YNetNews 8/27/2007
54 additional employees will be hired to meet increased flight demands over the summer and High Holy days - The Israel Airports Authority and the Ben Gurion Airport workers' committee reached an agreement on Monday according to which 54 additional employees would be hired to meet the increased flight demands over the summer and High Holydays. All flights that were schedule to depart in the early hours of Monday morning were delayed by at least 2 hours due to the heavy traffic at the airport. Meanwhile, flight 794, which was scheduled to depart for Antalya, Turkey on Sunday at 3 pm, was delayed by 17 hours due to a strike by the Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) workers strike. Transportation Ministry officials said this strike would have a limited effect as only a few charter flights have not been approved.
Oil refineries' price increases spur fuel imports
Avi Bar-Eli, Ha'aretz 8/26/2007
The oil refineries' announcement late last week that they will lower wholesale prices does not seem to have impressed the Delek Israel fuel company, which has now decided to set out in a new strategic direction. TheMarker has learned that by the end of 2007 Delek is expected to import 70 percent of the fuel it sells, and will continue at the 60-70 percent level of overseas purchases through 2008. Today Delek imports only 40 percent of its fuel needs, which is higher than that of the other fuel companies. It buys the remainder in Israel, mostly from newly privatized Haifa Oil Refineries. Delek has already signed contracts enabling it to reach the 70-percent import level and should achieve it within a few months; thus, for the first time, it will import a majority of its fuel.
Nahr al-Bared fighting persist as authorities sort out evacuees
Michael Bluhm and Sereen Ajami, Daily Star 8/28/2007
BEIRUT: Steady battles ran throughout Monday between the Lebanese Army and Fatah al-Islam at the Nahr al-Bared Palestinian refugee camp in North Lebanon, as mediators continued attempts to allow for an evacuation of wounded Fatah al-Islam militants. Meanwhile, the gunmen's wives and children, including the family of Fatah al-Islam leader Shaker al-Abssi, were interrogated by Lebanese authorities, who charged 13 women and kept them in police custody. The Lebanese Army has not intensified its offensive against the remaining militants since the Friday evacuation of the women and children, an army source told The Daily Star on condition of anonymity. Monday's fighting saw no bombing runs by Lebanese helicopters and little heavy artillery. "It was simply infantry, without cannon," the source said.
Italian official says Lebanon's problems will be solved when its sovereignty is respected
Daily Star 8/28/2007
BEIRUT: Italian Deputy Foreign Minister Ugo Intini said Monday that Italy, in addition to other European countries were committed to helping Lebanon find solutions to the almost 10-month-old political impasse. "Italy is determined to help Lebanon come up with a comprehensive solution to put an end to all skirmishes happening on the Lebanese political scene," Intini said following an afternoon meeting with Prime Minister Fouad Siniora at the Grand Serail. Intini, along with Italian Ambassador to Lebanon Gabriel Checchia, had earlier met with Speaker Nabih Berri. Asked about his country's stance concerning the looming presidential election, Initini said Italy and other European countries refused to interfere in Lebanese domestic issues, adding that the Lebanese were fully capable of solving their own problems.
Sarkozy: Presidential poll Lebanon's only recourse
Daily Star 8/28/2007
French President Nicolas Sarkozy said Monday that the only efficient solution to Lebanon's nine-month-old political impasse was the election of a new president. "The presidential poll ought to proceed within deadlines set by the Constitution, while keeping in mind that Lebanon's next president should act as a representative of all the Lebanese," Sarkozy told an array of ambassadors at the Elysee Palace. Sarkozy said Lebanon's next president should be capable of dealing with everybody, "with all of Lebanon's groups as well as with all of Lebanon's external allies." Sarkozy urged all of the international and regional forces, including Syria, to gather efforts to help Lebanon overcome the continuing standoff. Breaking with the policy of his predecessor Jacques Chirac, Sarkozy said he was prepared to hold high-level...
Officials denounce threats against Saudi ambassador
Daily Star 8/28/2007
BEIRUT: Lebanese officials and religious figures denounced on Monday threats of attack addressed to Saudi Arabian ambassador to Lebanon, Abdel-Aziz Khoja. Former Prime Minister Najib Mikati made a telephone call to the Saudi ambassador and expressed his sympathy with him on the threats of attack he had received. Mikati said that it was shameful and denounced that the ambassador be target of threats in Lebanon. "This can not be seen but an attempt to sabotage the righteous efforts of Khoja in Lebanon, in accordance with Saudi Arabia's steady policy to bring together different Lebanese stand points," said Mikati. Former Premier Omar Karami also expressed his denunciation at the mention of the threats that ambassador Khoja had received. He praised the role of Khoja and his loyal efforts to resolve problems in Lebanon.
Iraq PM hits out at critics
Al Jazeera 8/26/2007
The Iraqi prime minister, has replied to his US and European critics, by making criticisms of his own, including the ongoing killing of Iraqis by US soldiers. At a news conference in Baghdad on Sunday, Nuri al-Maliki singled out Hillary Rodham Clinton and Carl Levin, both Democratic senators, saying they should "come to their senses". Al-Maliki said: "There are American officials who consider Iraq as if it were one of their villages, for example Hillary Clinton and Carl Levin." This is severe interference in our domestic affairs. Carl Levin and Hillary Clinton are from the Democratic party and they must demonstrate democracy. "I ask them to come to their senses and to talk in a respectful way about Iraq." He said it was not acceptable for the US military to kill civilians during raids, a complaint he has made before.
Playing politics with (and in) Iraq
Sami Moubayed, Asia Times 8/28/2007
DAMASCUS - The outpouring of praise shown for Iraq's former president Abdul-Rahman Aref, who died in Jordan this weekend, aged 91, is proof of just how deprived Iraq has become of identity. On the day of his toppling in 1966, Baghdad Radio accused him of being an agent of the US Central Intelligence Agency and a spy for Israel. Now, Baghdad Radio refers to him as a national hero, honored by President Jalal Talabani and Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki. Aref was buried in Amman because of the hopeless security conditions in Iraq, although Maliki had sent an official request to his family to hold a state funeral for him in Baghdad. Representing Maliki at the funeral were Interior Minister Jawad al-Boulani and members of the Iraqi Embassy in Jordan.
Violence stalks Iraq's minorities
Mohammed A Salih, Asia Times 8/28/2007
IRBIL - The deadly suicide attacks on the Yazidi minority in northern Iraq earlier this month are expected to worsen ethnic and sectarian tensions. The suicide bombings in Kahtaniya and al-Jazeera villages in northern Nineveh province on August 14 left more than 400 dead and at least 200 injured. These were the most lethal attacks since the US-led invasion of Iraq in March, 2003. The US military says al-Qaeda is attempting to pit local Yazidi Kurds against Muslim Arabs. Yazidis speak of their "pro- Kurdistan tendencies" as the major provocation for the attacks. They fear this will make them targets for more attacks. "Terrorists will attack every one who is not with them," Ido Babasheikh, advisor to the Iraqi president on Yazidi affairs told Inter Press Service (IPS).
Sarkozy calls for Iraq troop exit
Al Jazeera 8/27/2007
Nicolas Sarkozy, the French president, has called for a clear timetable for the pullout of foreign troops, as he outlined an assertive direction for French foreign diplomacy. "A clear horizon must be defined concerning the withdrawal of foreign troops," Sarkozy said in an address to French ambassadors from 180 countries in Paris on Monday. In his first major foreign policy speech since taking office in May, Sarkozy recalled that France had opposed the US-led invasion of Iraq in 2003, but that it was now ready to help find a political solution. "It is the expected decision on this issue that will force the players to weigh their responsibility and organise themselves accordingly," he said. Sarkozy stressed that "Iraqi extremists must be marginalised," that a "true process of national reconciliation" must...
Iran 'resolves' plutonium issue
BBC Online 8/27/2007
Iran has resolved questions posed by the UN's nuclear watchdog about its plutonium experiments, Tehran says. The claim was made in a text outlining a timetable for co-operation with the International Atomic Energy Agency, which was agreed at talks last week. It would be the first serious issue closed by the IAEA during its four-year inquiry into Iran's nuclear activities. Western powers suspect Iran of building a nuclear weapons capability. Tehran says its nuclear programme is peaceful. The UN Security Council has already imposed two rounds of sanctions against Iran for defying its calls to halt uranium enrichment and plutonium reprocessing, and answer IAEA questions. 'Real limitations'The five-page text of the Iran-IAEA accord was released in Vienna on Monday.
Articles
What do Palestinians really think?
Ali Aunimah, Electronic Intifada 8/27/2007
"Palestinian poll finds support for Fatah government over Hamas." That headline from the International Herald Tribune, one of many similar ones last week, must have warmed the hearts of supporters of the illegal, unelected and Israeli-backed Ramallah "government" of Salam Fayyad. Last June Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas dismissed Prime Minister Ismail Haniyeh of Hamas and the national unity government he headed, and appointed Fayyad without the legally required endorsement of the Palestinian legislative council. This followed Hamas' rout of the US and Israeli-backed militias of Fatah warlord Mohammed Dahlan in the Gaza Strip.
Does this poll vindicate the US and Israeli strategy of funding and arming Palestinian collaborator leaders in Ramallah, and Abbas' strategy of embracing Israel, cracking down on the resistance, colluding in a cruel siege on his people in Gaza, and refusing all dialogue with Hamas? A closer look at the poll results as well as the context suggests the opposite.
The ongoing Nakba: Sickness and health among Palestinian refugees in Lebanon
Rosemary Sayigh, Electronic Lebanon, Electronic Intifada 8/27/2007
Public health expert Michael Marmot underlines the relation between health and two fundamental human needs: autonomy and full social participation, adding that "deprived of a clean safe neighborhood, meaningful work, freedom from police harassment and arrest, and freedoms from violence and aggression, it is harder to have control over one's life or be a full social participant." [1] The values Marmot describes are ones that camp refugees in Lebanon -- like Palestinians in many other places -- do not have. That such conditions should be allowed to continue by the international community is in clear contravention of the first principle of the 1992 Rio Declaration: "Human beings are at the center of concerns for sustainable development. They are entitled to a healthy and productive life in harmony with nature."
Before looking at health, we must therefore look at politics. The two main factors that structure the situation of Palestinians in Lebanon -- the majority who hold refugee IDs, and live in the camps -- are insecurity and poverty. Local, regional and international forces combine to create a situation characterized by absence of autonomy, participation and hope. There has been no improvement on any aspect of well-being since 1982.
The language of force
Uri Avnery, Middle East Online 8/27/2007
In order to accommodate President Bush's request, Olmert is now ready to cooperate with Abbas in writing something like a 'framework agreement' that will lay down the principles of an agreement that may be achieved later on - but without details or a time-table.
Soon after coming to power, Ariel Sharon started to commission public opinion polls. He kept the results to himself. This week, a reporter of Israel's TV Channel 10 succeeded in obtaining some of them.
Among other things, Sharon wanted to know what the public thought about peace. He did not dream of starting on this road himself, but he felt it important to be informed about the trends.
In these polls, the public was presented with a question that came close to the final Clinton Proposal and the Geneva Initiative: Are you for a peace that would include a Palestinian state, withdrawal from almost all occupied territories, giving up the Arab neighborhoods of East Jerusalem and dismantling most settlements?
The results were very instructive. In 2002, 73% (seventy three percent!) supported this solution. In the next two years, support declined, but it was still accepted by the majority. In 2005 the percentage of supporters slipped under the 50% line.
EXHIBIT: "LEBANON: Open Skies of Struggle"
Mostafa Heneway, Electronic Lebanon, Electronic Intifada 8/27/2007
Interview and Flash slide show
In the context of historical political events occurring in Lebanon and throughout the Middle East, photojournalist Stefan Christoff is currently touring a photo exhibition entitled Lebanon: Open Skies of Struggle. Christoff, who is a regular contributor to The Electronic Intifada, was interviewed by Montreal-based independent journalist Mostafa Heneway on the current Lebanon exhibition traveling across Canadian galleries.
Mostafa Heneway: Can you explain the context that led you to travel from Canada to the Middle East and specifically to Lebanon on three different occasions in the past five years?
Stefan Christoff: Over the past five years I have been traveling between Montreal and the Middle East as a social justice activist. My implication in social justice struggles in Canada pertaining to the Middle East, from Lebanon to Palestine both brought about and rooted my travels to the region in multiple ways.
My travels to the Middle East have always occurred within the context of political initiatives that have emerged in Montreal, in solidarity with liberation struggles in the Middle East. Montreal is of course an international city, where you have a major presence of the Arab Diaspora, from both Lebanon and Palestine. As a social justice activist I have worked heavily within these Middle East Diaspora communities and it is this community work that first lead me to the region.
Turning the rubble of war into a temporary residence
Bojan Preradovic, Daily Star 8/28/2007
BEIRUT: "A good solution is a simple solution," says Nachaat Ouayda, managing partner of IDEA sarl. Ouayda and his partner, Sami Markus, are both architects who met while teaching at the American University of Beirut in the late 1980's. The brainchild of their collaboration is IDEA sarl, an architectural and professional management practice and consultancy firm, which a year after the 2006 war with Israel is attempting to raise awareness of an innovation in temporary housing, engineered by Ouayda and Markus themselves.
The relevance of IDEA's conception is even more prominent in the minds of its creators because of the problem posed by the current conflict between the Lebanese Army and Fatah al-Islam militants, and the extensive destruction that the latter has caused in the Nahr al-Bared Palestinian refugee camp.
"Project R" evolved as a solution to the problems that arose as a result of Israel's 34-day massive bombing campaign against Lebanon - most notably, the rubble that countless houses in the South of the country had been reduced to. The latter, coupled with an urgent need to find shelter for close to a million displaced people, compelled Ouayda and Markus to come up with an alternative to the conventional prefabricated concrete housing units and porta-cabins.
MIDEAST: Not Another International Force
Adam Morrow and Khaled Moussa al-Omrani, Inter Press Service 8/6/2007
CAIRO, Aug 27(IPS) - Since the Gaza Strip was taken over by Palestinian resistance faction Hamas in June, Palestinian Authority (PA) President Mahmoud Abbas has twice appealed for the deployment of an "international force" to the troubled territory. But with international contingents already deployed in hotspots from Lebanon to Afghanistan, some observers see the trend as a challenge to principles of national sovereignty.
"The phenomenon represents a return of the region to the foreign colonialism of days past, albeit in a new, internationalised form," Abdel-Halim Kandil, political analyst and former editor-in-chief of opposition weekly al-Karama told IPS. "An international presence in the Gaza Strip would be especially dangerous because many would consider it no different than the Israeli occupation."
Within the last five years, the Middle East and neighbouring regions have seen international force deployments proliferate. Some of these have been mandated to simply keep the peace, but others have been deployed with military objectives in mind.
American party aid institutes are in the Arab line of fire
Dina Bishara, Daily Star 8/28/2007
Foreign democracy assistance organizations working directly with political parties have come into the line of fire as some Arab governments have pushed back against democratization initiatives in the past two years.
In Algeria, Bahrain and Egypt in particular, the National Democratic Institute (NDI) and the International Republican Institute (IRI), both of them American election assistance organizations, have been among the first to feel pressure. In Iraq, where such institutes expend the vast majority of their funding for the Middle East, not only do their employees face danger - an NDI employee was killed in Baghdad in January - but their programs are subject to constant political uncertainty.
Such is also the case in Palestine. In Jordan, Kuwait, Morocco and Yemen, party institutes have maintained their freedom of operation, but even there the governments have sometimes exploited suspicions of foreign governments' agendas to put pressure on parties that accept US assistance. In many other Arab countries institutes have no significant activities yet because they deem the atmosphere too restrictive.
Prison within a Prison
Gideon Levy, MIFTAH 8/27
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