News
Woman injured as Israeli 'sniper' fires on PNI leader Barghouthi
Ma'an News Agency
Jerusalem – Ma'an – Israeli police detained the Palestinian Member of Parliament and leader of the Palestinian National Initiative (PNI), Mustafa Barghouthi on Friday morning on his way to Jerusalem for Friday prayers. He was arrested at the Al-Dhahiy checkpoint in the north of Jerusalem after he got out of his car. Dr Barghouthi told Ma'an that he was held for three hours before being released. He then drove to the Qalandia Checkpoint in the central West Bank an attended Friday prayers in front of the checkpoint. He told Ma'an that after the prayer an Israeli army "sniper" started shooting rubber bullets at the worshippers from the checkpoint watchtower. Twenty-four-year-old Jameela Hasan, a mother of six, was shot in the head.
Israel imposes West Bank lockdown
Middle East Online
TEL AVIV - Israel imposed a lockdown on the occupied West Bank overnight as part of security measures brought in for Yom Kippur, the Jewish day of atonement and the holiest in the Hebrew calendar, the army said. "The total closure came into effect overnight and will last until Sunday morning unless it is extended," an army spokesman said. Yom Kippur is the holiest and most important holiday in Judaism. The observant neither eat nor drink from sundown Friday until sundown Saturday as they pray for forgiveness for their sins. Israel suspends all TV and radio broadcasts, stops all public transport and closes ports and airports during the holiday, along with entertainment venues. This year is the 34th anniversary of the start of the 1973 Yom Kippur War when Egypt and Syria launched a surprise attack on Israel to liberate Arab land from Israeli occupation.
UN: Israel has added dozens of new roadblocks in West Bank
Avi Issacharoff, Ha'aretz
Despite repeated promises to reduce the number of roadblocks in the West Bank, Israel has in fact added dozens of new ones, according to the United Nations. Defense Minister Ehud Barak promised U.S. Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice this week to remove 24 roadblocks and consider additional alleviations of movement restrictions on the Palestinians. This followed a similar promise to alleviate movement restrictions that Prime Minister Ehud Olmert made to Palestinian Authority Chairman Mahmoud Abbas. However, the number of roadblocks has now reached 572, an increase of 52 percent compared to 376 in August 2005, according to the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA). In the past two months alone, Israel put up 40 new roadblocks, OCHA said.
US, Israel shared intel before Syria raid
Middle East Online
WASHINGTON - Israel warned the United States that North Korea might be sharing nuclear know-how with Damascus before it carried out an air strike deep inside Syria, the Washington Post reported Friday. Washington was "deeply troubled" by the Israeli intelligence showing North Korean nuclear personnel were in Syria, but US President George W. Bush decided against an immediate response out of concern it could derail delicate talks aimed at persuading Pyongyang to abandon its own nuclear program, the Post said, citing unnamed US officials. After Israel shared its intelligence with the Bush administration in recent months, which included satellite imagery, the United States provided Israel with some confirmation of the original information before Israel went ahead with the night air raid on September 6, the Post reported.
UN human rights chief urges Israel to exercise restraint on Gaza
Reuters, Ha'aretz
UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Louise Arbour on Friday urged Israel to exercise restraint in its dealings with the Hamas-led Gaza Strip. In a statement voicing concern at Israel's decision on Wednesday to declare Gaza a "hostile territory," Arbour said that reducing fuel and power to the tiny territory would place an "unbearable burden" on its 1. 5 million people. The former United Nations war crimes prosecutor and Canadian Supreme Court judge also condemned the indiscriminate firing of rockets into Israel by Palestinian militants in Gaza. Arbour reminded Israel of its obligations under international humanitarian and human rights law not to use disproportionate means or resort to collective punishment. Gaza had already paid a "heavy price" from daily violence, isolation and deprivation,...
Former Israeli defense minister warns of war on Gaza
Rami Almeghari & Agencies, International Middle East Media Center
Former Israeli defense minister and current transportation minister, Shaol Mofaz, expected that an Israeli army attack on Gaza is coming up sooner or later. Mofaz was quoted as saying on Friday that " day will come when Hamas and Fatah will be reunited in a time rockets are still falling on Sderot and nearby Israeli farms, in addition to continued capture of soldier Gil'ad Shalit. Therefore, we anticipate that a large-scale military offensive is coming soon". Israeli media sources said Mofaz's remarks were in response to a plan by deputy-prime minister, Haiem Ramon, in which he called for withdrawing from some parts of the occupied West Bank. Mofaz stated " Jerusalem is not a realestate deal, and no single official can divide the city while the time is not due to discuss final status issues with the...
Israel imposes complete closure on West Bank and Gaza
Ma'an News Agency
Bethlehem – Ma'an – Israel imposed a complete 'security' closure starting from Thursday evening on the whole of the West Bank and the Gaza Strip which will last until Sunday morning. The reason given for this measure is the Jewish Festival of Yom Kippur. Israel said that they would not permit anyone to enter Jerusalem, except for emergency health care and then only with the coordination of the Israeli District Co-ordination Office (DCO). Muslim worshippers will also not be allowed to enter Jerusalem for Friday prayers even if they have a special permit to do so. The Israeli authorities also said they will deploy thousands of police in the streets of East Jerusalem especially in the Old City to ensure the safety of both Muslim and Jewish worshippers.
Israeli forces pull out of Al-Ain Camp
Ma'an News Agency
Bethlehem – Ma'an – Hebrew sources said on Friday that the Israeli forces have finished their three-day operation in the Al-'Ain refugee camp, east of Nablus. The sources also said that during the operation the Israeli forces arrested 49 'wanted' Palestinians and have taken them to an interrogation centre. The Israeli operation in the Al-'Ain camp resulted in the death of two Palestinians and a number of others injured, in addition to the demolition of a number of houses. [end]
Nablus invasion ends with the abduction of Al Qassam brigades leader
Saed Bannoura, International Middle East Media Center
The Israeli army ended its military offensive into Al Ein refugee camp, in Nablus, after kidnapping Nihad Shqeirat, 34, leader of the Al Qasam Brigades, the armed wing of Hamas. During the three-day military offensive, two Palestinians and one Israeli soldier were killed, and at least 49 Palestinians, including two members of Al Aqsa Brigades, the armed wing of Fateh, were kidnapped. Eyewitnesses reported that Shqeirat exchanged fire with Israeli soldiers for several hours and when he ran out of ammunition he attempted to escape from a house he barricaded himself in, but the soldiers managed to surround and kidnap him. An Israeli military source stated that Shqeirat ran the infrastructure of the Al Qassam brigades in Nablus area. Hamas sources reported that Shqeirat was previously imprisoned by Israel...
Qassam Brigades leader arrested in Al-Ain Camp
Ma'an News Agency
Nablus – Ma'an – Israeli Forces early on Friday morning arrested a Palestinian man who Israel accuses of being a leader of the Az-Adin Al-Qassam Brigades, the armed wing of Hamas in the Ain Bayt Al-Ma refugee camp in Nablus. Eyewitnesses in the camp said that thirty-four-year-old Nihad Rashid Shqirat was trying to get out of the house where he had taken up position after using all his ammunition. The Israeli forces arrested him after a long search. The leader of the Israeli army in the West Bank announced that Shqirat was a part of the infrastructure of the Qassam Brigades in the Nablus area. Shqirat has previously spent a number of years in Israeli prisons and around three years ago his family's home in the Al-'Ain refugee camp was destroyed by Israeli forces. [end]
IDF arrests head of Hamas cell in Nablus
Efrat Weiss, YNetNews
Military operation in West Bank city ends with foiled suicide attack, arrest of 49 wanted Palestinians - A senior Hamas leader in Nablus was arrested Friday morning by IDF forces completing an operation in the Beit Ilma refugee camp in the West Bank city. Duvdevan unit forces arrested Niyad Shkirat at the end of a long operation which lasted for the past few days. Forty-nine other wanted Palestinians were also captured during the operation, and all suspects were trasfered to defense forces for investigation. Nablus Raid 2 pardoned Fatah members detained, then released/ Ali Waked Palestinians say al-Aqsa members apprehended during IDF operation in refugee camp released by Israel for fear their arrest would jeopardize amnesty deal Full story The Hamas official...
Arab states condemn Israel's nuclear arsenal at IAEA conference
Daily Star
Arab nations condemned Israel for having nuclear weapons on Friday, the final day of a general conference of the UN watchdog International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA). Omani envoy Salim Mohammad al-Riyami presented the agenda item "Israeli nuclear capabilities and threat," saying there was concern over the "failure of the universality" of the Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT) since Israel refuses to sign it. Israel neither confirms nor denies it has nuclear weapons, although it is believed to have some 200 warheads. "Israel still benefits from total freedom to develop its nuclear capacities," Riyami told the 144 member states of the IAEA. Riyami had said in a document submitted along with the agenda item: "The policies of successive Israeli government have obstructed the peace process in the Middle East and all initiatives to free the region.
Israel 'warned US about North Korea-Syria link'
Daily Star
Israel warned the United States that North Korea might be sharing nuclear know-how with Damascus before it carried out an air strike deep inside Syria, the Washington Post reported Friday. Washington was "deeply troubled" by the Israeli intelligence showing North Korean nuclear personnel were in Syria, but US President George W. Bush decided against an immediate response out of concern it could derail delicate talks aimed at persuading Pyongyang to abandon its own nuclear program, the Post said, citing unidentified US officials. After Israel shared its intelligence with the Bush administration in recent months, which included satellite imagery, the US provided Israel with some confirmation before Israel went ahead with the night air raid on September 6, the Post reported.
Barak: Israel shouldn't appease U.S. president with one year left
Mazal Mualem and Aluf Benn, Ha'aretz
Defense Minister Ehud Barak this week warned against forsaking Israeli diplomatic principles to gain favor with the Bush administration. In statements made to Haaretz, Barak warned against a "withdrawal from Israeli principles that have stood for 40 years, merely to gain favor in the eyes of an American president who is leaving office in a year." Barak also leveled harsh criticism on recent efforts by Prime Minister Ehud Olmert and Vice Premier Haim Ramon to advance diplomatic progress with the Palestinian Authority, stating that even if PA Chairman Mahmoud Abbas and Palestinian Prime Minister Salam Fayad wanted to sign a peace agreement with Israel, they don't have the power to implement it. Barak's words paint a strong contrast to statements made by Olmert speech to a Kadima Party gathering...
"PCHR weekly report: "Five Palestinians killed, one child killed by settlers, 19 resident injured and
Saed Bannoura, International Middle East Media Center
The Palestinian Center for Human Rights (PCHR) based in Gaza published its weekly report on the Israeli violations in the occupied Palestinian territories during the period between September 13 and September 19 -- 2007. During the reported period, Israeli troops shot and killed five Palestinians, including two children, injured nineteen other residents, including six children and one woman. Twenty-six civilians were kidnapped in the West Bank and three others were kidnapped in the Gaza Strip. Attacks in the West Bank: On September 16, Israeli soldiers assassinated a resistance fighter in Balata refugee camp, east of the northern West Bank city of Nablus. On the same day, soldiers shot and killed a Palestinian resident in Hebron city, in the southern part of the West Bank and injured four other residents in the same attack.
Non-violent protest near Bethlehem
Ghassan Bannoura, International Middle East Media Center
On Friday at midday, the residents of Al Walaja village to the north of the southern West Bank city of Bethlehem, joined by International and Israeli supporters marched against the building of the illegal Israeli wall on village land. Palestinians supported by Internationals and Israeli activist removing the road block at Al Walaja – Photo by IMEMC's Ghassan Bannoura (092107) Shortly after Friday prayers were held on the construction site, by main road leading into the village, the protesters marched along the hillside to reach a road which used to connect Al Walaja to Bethlehem. The road was closed by the army two years ago when the building of the Wall began. Villagers, internationals and Israelis, using shovels and bare hands, managed to remove the road-block and reopen the road.
Four injured, one kidnapped at weekly Bil'in protest
Ghassan Bannoura, International Middle East Media Center
On Friday, shortly after midday prayers, the villagers of Bil'in, near the central West Bank city of Ramallah, held their weekly protest against the construction of the illegal Israeli wall on village land. The protesters marched to the site of the wall demanding its immediate removal. Two weeks ago the Israeli High Court ruled that the route be changed. Today the villagers demanded that the ruling be made reality. The Israeli army blockaded the road leading to the construction site and as the marchers reached the obstruction, troops showered the unarmed civilians with tear gas, sound bombs, and steel-coated rubber bullets. Four villagers were injured. A local farmer was kidnapped by the Israeli army during the protest. After several hours the protest came to an end with the local organizers promising to return next week.
Hamas prisoner at a PA prison transferred to hospital
IMEMC Staff, International Middle East Media Center
Eyewitnesses at the National Hospital in Nablus city, in the northern part of the West Bank, reported on Friday that a prisoner detained by the Palestinian Preventive Security Force was transferred to the hospital after he was tortured by preventive security members during interrogation. Hadada is also suffering from preexisting conditions such as ulcerand respiratory issues. Five hours after hospitalization, Hadada was moved back to the Preventive Security headquarters, and when his health condition sharply deteriorated he was moved again to hospital and was placed in the intensive care unit. Hadada was arrested at dawn September 13 after Preventive Security Force members broke into his house in Jabal Al Shimaly area in Nablus. During morning hours Preventive Security members broke into his office in the center of Nablus and sabotaged it, Hamas sources reported.
Four injured, one detained at Bil'in demonstration against illegal Israeli separation barrier
Ma'an News Agency
Ramallah – Ma'an – Four people were treated for injuries and one person was detained at a demonstration against the illegal Israeli separation barrier in the village of Bil'in, near the West Bank city of Ramallah Friday. Dozens of others choked on teargas deployed by Israeli forces that attacked the protesters. In early September the Israeli Supreme Court ruled against the route of the barrier, which currently separates Bil'in residents from their farmland. Weekly demonstrations have continued in the village, demanding a swift and complete implementation of the decision. The injured were identified as Muhammad Khalil Abo Rahmeh, Wa'el Fahmi Abed El Majid Naser, Tarek Shawkat Al Khatib, and 'Omar 'Adel Matar. Mustafa Hatim Al Khatib was arrested.
Villagers resist Israeli separation barrier, roadblocks in Al-Walajah
Ma'an News Agency
Bethlehem – Ma'an - More than one hundred Palestinian, Israeli, and international demonstrators gathered in the village of Al-Walajah, near the West Bank city of Bethlehem today to protest Israeli limitations on Palestinian freedom of movement on Friday. Using shovels, picks, and their bare hands, a large group of protesters managed to clear a road running from Al-Walaja to nearby Beit Jala. Minutes after the women, men, and even young children removed the earth mound, rolling massive boulders into a ravine, a small white car rolled through the newly-cleared motorway. The sight elicited a cheer from the sweaty group. Gathering first for Friday prayers on the dusty construction site for a planned segment of the illegal Israeli separation wall, the protesters marched, chanted, and also built piles of rocks and brush intended to block construction vehicles.
Oxfam's partners in Gaza warn of Israel's decision outcomes to declare Gaza a "hostile entity"
IMEMC Staff& agencies, International Middle East Media Center
The International organization of Oxfam that works in the Humanitarian field in the Gaza strip in partnership with local nongovernmental organizations working in the service sector and infrastructure, warned of the consequences of the Israeli decision to consider Gaza as a hostile entity. He added that they did not receive spare parts needed for maintenance , so they were unable to prepare the networks for the summer and became unable to prepare for the winter fearing that the sewage system will burst if the central pumping stations stop working in Gaza and its neighborhoods will be flooded by wastewaters. He added that 50%of CMWU's activities depend on fuel deliveries to keep the generators working to be able to provide Gaza with water.
Israel denies access of worshipper s into aL-Aqsa Mosque, Palestinians reject
Rami Almeghari & Agencies, International Middle East Media Center
The Israeli police forces and the border-guard personnel denied on Friday access of thousands of Arab worshippers into the aL-Aqsa mosque in the second Friday prayer of the holy month of Ramadan. The Israeli authorities in the occupied Palestinian city have been placing many checkpoints and roadblocks across and around the holy city, while thousands of police men have been deployed. Israel cited the Yum Kipor, a Jewish religious occasion, for locking down the city, in a time hundreds of Jewish worshippers have been allowed access to the vicinity of the Buraq wall 'wailing wall' at the aL-Aqsa mosque. Former Palestinian information minister Mustafa Barghouti, speaking to aL-Jazeera TV channel, said that such measures indicate that Israel is keeping up in imposing facts on the ground forcibly, thus preempting any peace moves.
Israeli Public Security Minister bans charitable Ramadan breakfast in Jerusalem
Maisa Abu Ghazala, International Middle East Media Center
Israeli Public Security Minister, Avi Dichter, on Wednesday barred a charitable Ramadan breakfast on Wednesday that was scheduled by the Faysal Al Husieny organization, based in Jerusalem. The Minister issued the order, claiming that this event is sponsored by or related to the Palestinian Authority. Under Israeli legislation, the Public Security Minister can prevent and bar meetings of any kind at their discretion. Those scheduled to attend included Christian and Islamic religious figures. Abed Al Qder Al Husieny, Director of the Faysal Al Husieny organization, reported that the organization was shocked by the decision of the Minister, adding that the event was in no way related to the Palestinian Authority. Al Husieny added that the charitable event was organized in order to support the youth sector program of the organization.
Gaza-based Fatah leadership resigns over delayed salaries
John Smith & Rami aL-Meghari, International Middle East Media Center
Fatah movement's leadership in Gaza submitted a collective resignation to Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas, over delayed delivery of security personnel's salaries as well as the 'continued Hamas attacks against Fatah's ranks, well-informed sources said. According to Maaan News Agency, spokesman of Fatah in Gaza, Hazem Abu Shannab, cited failure of the Ramallah government to pay salaries for thousands of Palestinian security personnel. Abu Shannab added that the resignation bid came also in protest against the continued Hamas attacks and arrests of the Fatah's cadres and supporters in different parts of Gaza. The resignation of ten Fatah leaders, headed by Zakariya aL-Agha, also came in protest of the Israeli closure on the Gaza Strip, 'which has contributed to further complications', the Fatah spokesman elaborated.
Fatah leaders in Gaza resign, protesting Hamas harassment, Fatah retaliation
Ma'an News Agency
Bethlehem – Ma'an – A group of high-ranking Fatah officials in the Gaza Strip resigned Friday, protesting the conduct of both Hamas and their own party. The committee had been appointed by Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas to reorganize the Fatah movement in the Gaza Strip in the aftermath of Hamas' takeover in June. Fatah's Gaza-based spokesperson Hazim Abu Shanab told Ma'an that the committee has resigned in support of the thousands of Palestinian military personnel who have not been paid by the West-Bank based caretaker government. Abu Shanab also cited Hamas harassment, saying the officials would not go on in the face of Hamas attacks on Fatah in the Strip. Breaking with Fatah's leadership, Abu Shanab also said the committee rejects the Palestinian Authority's firing of Hamas supporters for their political views.
Salah Ad-Din Brigades launch rockets at Ashkelon
Ma'an News Agency
Bethlehem – Ma'an – The Nasser Salah Ad-Din Brigades, the armed wing of the Popular Resistance Committees claimed responsibility for bombarding the Israeli town of Ashkelon, near the Gaza Strip, with four rockets. The Brigades said in a statement the operation was in response to the crimes perpetrated by Israeli forces in the cities of the West Bank and the Gaza Strip, saying they will continue to bombard Israeli towns. Israeli sources confirmed that Palestinian rockets had landed in an open area without causing any injury or damage. [end]
Palestinian arrested in Qalqiliya
Ma'an News Agency
Qalqiliya – Ma'an – Israeli forces arrested a Palestinian man in the early hours of Friday morning in the West Bank town of Qalqiliya. Israeli forces burst in to the home of Ali Mazooz Abd Al-Rahim Daoud and searched it before arresting him. Palestinian security sources said that a number of military vehicles invaded the city at dawn, entering a number of neighbourhoods and carrying out house to house searches. [end]
Al-Aqsa Brigades in Gaza vow to continue armed fight against Israeli occupation
Ma'an News Agency
Gaza – Ma'an – The leaders of Fatah's military wing in the Gaza Strip in the Gaza Strip reaffirmed their commitment to armed struggle against the Israeli occupation. In a press conference the Al-Aqsa Martyrs' Brigades said Israelis will not live in peace until all Palestinians do. They said they will never be involved in any truce with Israel until the occupation is removed. They said they would not be stopped from taking military action, including firing homemade projectiles at Israel, to defend the land and rights of Palestinians living in Gaza. They did not reveal any specific plans for their operations in order to protect their fighters. [end]
OPT: Report No. 47 - Implementation of the agreement on movement and access, 22 Aug - 04 Sep 2007
United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs - OCHA, ReliefWeb
Date: 04 Sep 2007 - The United Nations (1) is submitting the 47th bi-weekly report on the implementation of the 15 November 2005 Agreement on Movement and Access (AMA), covering the period 22 August – 4 September 2007. Overall Progress: During the reporting period, Israel has allowed 335 Palestinians to travel out of Gaza through Erez and then to continue by bus to Nitzana Border Crossing on the Israeli-Egyptian border. During the reporting period no Palestinian was allowed into Gazafrom Egypt through this route. Erez crossing remained open for a limited number of Palestinian senior traders, medical cases and a small number of Palestinians working for international organizations. A single conveyor belt at Karni Crossing was open for three days for the import of grains/animal feed only, otherwise the crossing remained closed.
OPT: Gaza and West Bank – ICRC Bulletin No. 26 / 2007
International Committee of the Red Cross - ICRC, ReliefWeb
Latest report on ICRC activities in the field - Critical humanitarian situation in Gaza - "After three month of almost complete closure, the humanitarian situation in the Gaza Strip is critical," says Angelo Gnaedinger, Director General of the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) after his recent visit to the Gaza Strip. The current situation has had a serious impact on the water and sewerage systems, on hospitals and on the economic situation of Gaza's inhabitants. Water and sewerage - Since mid-2006, military incursions, political instability, import restrictions, extensive damage to Gaza power station, interruptions to fuel supplies and delayed payments have been impairing the operation and maintenance of Gaza's water and sewerage facilities.
Ma'an Exclusive - Hamas media spokesman contacts Israeli deputy defence minister to discuss ceasefire, Israel refuses
Ma'an News Agency
Bethlehem – Ma'an – Ma'an news agency has learnt from unofficial Israeli sources that contact between the offices of the de facto Prime Minister Ismail Haniyeh and that of the Israeli Defence Minister, Ehud Barak was made last week. The contact occurred before the Israeli cabinet meeting declared the Gaza Strip an "enemy entity" and threatened to cut off electricity and water supplies. The Israeli radio station, the Voice of Israel, mentioned that a prominent member of Haniyeh's office contacted a prominent Israeli in the Defence Ministry, through an intermediary, to negotiate the ceasing of rocket fire from the Gaza Strip into Israel. However, Ma'an can reveal that some form of communication took place between Ghazi Hamad, media spokesman for Haniyeh's office and Matan Falna'i, deputy defence minister.
Report: Israel appeals to Hamas in bid to reach truce
Roee Nahmias, YNetNews
Israeli sources approached Palestinian organization officials with offer to launch direct dialogue, al-Sharq al-Awsat reports. According to report, Norwegians acting as mediators, Gilad Shalit issue may also be discussed between parties Sources on behalf of the Israeli government have approached Hamas officials with an offer to launch a direct dialogue in order to bring upon a mutual truce, the London-based Arabic-language newspaper al-Sharq al-Awsat reported Friday. The report has yet to be confirmed by Israeli sources. Rafah Operation Report: IDF kidnaps senior Hamas official / Ali Waked Palestinians report Israeli troops disguised as members of Hamas' security force kidnapped Muhawesh al-Kadi, senior member of group's military wing in Rafah.
Israel Pressure Hamas Ahead of Rice's Arrival
Sreven Erlanger, Helene Cooper, MIFTAH
Hours before Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice arrived here for talks on resolving the Middle East conflict, Israel increased the pressure Wednesday on Hamas, the militant Islamic group in control of the Gaza Strip, by declaring Gaza "hostile territory. " The move opened the way for further restrictions on the supply of crucial goods like electricity and gasoline to Gaza. Israeli officials said the purpose of the declaration, by Israel's security cabinet, was to hold Hamas accountable for any further rocketing or other attacks on Israel from Gaza, which Hamas took over when it routed Fatah forces in June. Asked about the Israeli decision, Ms. Rice said, "Hamas is a hostile entity to us as well. " Both Israel and the United States, as well as the European Union, classify Hamas as a terrorist...
UN for nuclear-weapons-free Mideast
Middle East Online
VIENNA - The UN atomic agency adopted a non-binding resolution on a nuclear weapons-free-zone in the Middle East with Israel and the US voting against and EU states except Ireland abstaining. The lack of consensus weakened the impact of the measure, at a general conference of the UN watchdog International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), diplomats said. The Egyptian-sponsored resolution was backed by 53 votes, with two against and 47 abstentions. The IAEA has a tradition of adopting resolutions by consensus but the Middle East issue is an exception. The Iranian speaker blasted the vote as putting into question the views of "some members that full-scope safeguards" need be complemented by wider inspection measures, as Israel, which has not signed the nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT) seemed to be exempt from this.
For first time, Iran directly confronts Israel on alleged nuclear arms
The Associated Press, Ha'aretz
Israel accused Iran of lying, while Tehran challenged the international community to send inspectors to probe of its arch-rival's nuclear capabilities, in an unusually bitter and rare direct confrontation on Friday. United Nations officials at a 148-nation meeting of the International Atomic Energy Agency in Vienna said they had no memory of the two rival nations ever engaging each other directly at previous meetings, and noted that development - and the unusually harsh tone of their statements - in part reflected Middle East tensions. The exchange came after chief Iranian delegate Ali Asghar Soltanieh - like Arab delegates before him - said that Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert had acknowledged earlier this year that his country possessed nuclear weapons - something that Israel says Olmert never did.
Israel consulted US before Syria strike, report says
Mark Tran, The Guardian
Israel's decision to launch an air strike against a suspected nuclear site in Syria allegedly set up with the help of North Korea came after Israel shared intelligence with the US, it was reported today. The attack on September 6 has been shrouded in mystery, although the Israeli opposition leader, Binyamin Netanyahu, yesterday confirmed in a TV interview that such an attack did take place. His admission came despite a news blackout over the incident. The Washington Post today shed more light on the raid, which has sparked widespread speculation that it was a dry run for a possible attack on Iran's nuclear facilities. The paper said the Bush administration was initially circumspect about Israel's claim that North Korea was helping Syria, and decided against an immediate response because of negotiations aimed at persuading Pyongyang to ditch its nuclear programme.
Bush to hold first direct talks with Blair as Mideast envoy
Reuters, Ha'aretz
U.S. President George W. Bush will meet Tony Blair in New York on Monday, for their first direct talks since the former British prime minister became international Middle East envoy, the White House said. Bush's meeting with Blair will follow a separate session with U.S. -backed Palestinian Authority Chairman Mahmoud Abbas and Palestinian Prime Minister Salam Fayad, also in New York, a day before Bush and other world leaders address the United Nations General Assembly. The round of talks could help lay the groundwork for a U.S. -sponsored Middle East peace conference scheduled for November. Bush played an instrumental role in last June's appointment of Blair, his close ally in the 2003 Iraq invasion, as special envoy for the Quartet of Middle East mediators, the United States, Russia, the European Union and the United Nations.
Ramon: "Israel will not find a negotiator better than President Abbas and his PM"
PNN, International Middle East Media Center
Haiam Ramon, first deputy of the Israeli prime Minster, stated on Friday that Israel will not find a negotiator better that Palestinian president Mahmoud Abbas and his premier Salam Fayyad. He also described annexing Palestinian neighborhoods to Jerusalem as a bad mortgage deal saying that it is similar to annexing the Gaza strip to Israel. Ramon's statements were made during a radio interview on Friday morning, as he was commenting on what was published over his suggestion to transfere Palestinian neighborhoods in East Jerusalem to the Palestinian territories. The Israeli legislator of the Likud party, Gideon Saar, said that in case Israel handed over Palestinian neighborhoods in East Jerusalem the situation of the residents will be worse than those of the Israeli city of Sderot.
Israel Minister's Plan to 'Divide Jerusalem' Sparks Outrage
Agence France Presse, MIFTA
Israeli Deputy Prime Minister Haim Ramon sparked uproar across the political spectrum on Wednesday with a proposal to divide Jerusalem between Israelis and Palestinians as part of a peace deal. Ramon, a close ally of Prime Minister Ehud Olmert, had written to a member of the Jerusalem city council proposing that Israel cede control over the occupied and annexed eastern sector to the Palestinians. But his comments triggered outrage even among members of Olmert's governing coalition. "Jerusalem is a city that has been bringing together the Jewish people for thousands of years, and is not a bargaining chip or piece of real estate," said Eli Yishai, trade and industry minister of the ultra-Orthodox Shas party. "Jerusalem is the Jewish people's right of existence and there is no one who is able to...
Kadima members disagree over how J'lem should be divided
Nadav Shragai, Ha'aretz
Serious differences of opinion have erupted in Kadima over the possibility that the agreement of principles Israel is now negotiating with the Palestinians will determine the final-status deal on Jerusalem. Seven years after the Camp David summit in 2000 and the cabinet's subsequent decision to adopt, with reservations, then U.S. president Bill Clinton's plan to divide the capital, no one in Kadima is asking whether Jerusalem will be re-divided. The only question is how it will be re-divided. Vice Premier Haim Ramon is promoting a plan to Palestinian Prime Minister Salam Fayad in which almost all Palestinian neighborhoods of East Jerusalem would be subtracted from the Israeli city and become part of a Palestinian capital in East Jerusalem.
Olmert to provide cabinet with list of Palestinian prisoners considered for release
Ma'an News Agency
Bethlehem – Ma'an – Israeli Prime Minister, Ehud Olmert, announced that he will provide his cabinet at their next meeting on Sunday with a list of Palestinian prisoners who "have not got blood on their hands," and may be considered for release. However, Olmert did not mention in Thursday night's speech made to members of his Kadima party, the number of Palestinian prisoners that Israel has promised to release. Olmert told his party that he trusts the leader of the Palestinian Authority, Mahmoud Abbas, indicating his goodwill towards strengthening the Palestinian leadership. He added that he will meet with President Abbas after the end of the Jewish holiday at the beginning of next month. [end]
Erekat urges EU countries to increase efforts to move supplies into Gaza
Ma'an News Agency
Jericho – Ma'an – Saeb Erekat, chief negotiator for the Palestine Liberation Organization asked European representatives on Thursday to make more concerted efforts to supply the Gaza Strip with food, medicine, water, electricity, and other basic goods. Erekat said he was meeting with ambassadors, consuls, and other representatives of European Union countries, in hopes of sending a strong message to members of the Middle Eastern diplomatic Quartet of the US, Russia, European Union, and UN. Erekat also warned that Israel's proclamation labeling the Gaza Strip an "enemy entity" will result in further clashes between Israel and Palestinians in Gaza. He also suggested that singling out Gaza makes little sense, as both it and the West Bank are occupied by Israel, citing the definition of occupation from the Fourth Geneva Convention of 1949.
Gaza City's mayor urges European delegation to take action against Israeli seige policies
Ma'an News Agency
Gaza – Ma'an – A delegation from the European Parliament visited the municipal government of Gaza City on Friday. Gaza's mayor, Majid Abu Ramadan, urged European not to tolerate Israel's actions to further incarcerate and isolate the Gaza Strip. The meeting focused on Gaza's humanitarian situation, which is worseningwith Israel's decision to close border crossings even more tightly. Abu Ramadan condemned the Israeli pronouncement of the Gaza Strip as an "enemy entity," warning that the label represents an intention to "starve, torture, and deprive" the people of the Gaza Strip. He said these actions are war crimes, and should not be tolerated by the international community. He called on the European officials to pressure the Israeli government to stop these policies. [end]
Rice Meets Abbas in Search of Conference Accord
Sue Pleming, MIFTAH
Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert confronted critics within his own party who fear he may concede too much to Palestinians and urged them on Thursday to seize an opportunity to make peace after 60 years of conflict. Addressing his centrist Kadima party hours after the latest round of meetings with U.S. Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice, Olmert said he would free more Palestinian prisoners as part of "measured gestures" toward President Mahmoud Abbas as they try to agree terms for a U.S. -sponsored peace conference. Few details filtered out from Rice's 24 hours of talks in Jerusalem and Ramallah although Rice assured Abbas the gathering pencilled in for November near Washington should put the Palestinians firmly on the path to establishing their own state.
Just Another Empty Threat
Aluf Benn, MIFTAH
There have been calls for cutting off the Gaza Strip's electricity supply for some time now as a response to the frustrating and incessant Qassam rocket attacks. Until recently, however, they were viewed as heavy-handed proposals by ministers on the right. Only after Vice Premier Haim Ramon called for cutting off Gaza's electricity supply two weeks ago, thereby making front-page headlines in Yedioth Ahronoth, was the idea manifested in a cabinet decision. Yesterday's decision is an attempt by the government to throw a bone to residents of Sderot and other members of the public who are angry at the rocket attacks. But it contains any operational elements, only declarations - namely, the usual threats against Hamas. The electricity supply will continue, at least until a Qassam claims casualties.
The Court Decided: Menachem was Born in Jerusalem, but not Israel
Shmuel Rosner, MIFTAH
It's been a while since I wrote about this case, but now, when it seems to be concluded, an update is due. It is the case of Menachem Binyamin Zivotofsky of Jerusalem and his parents, suing the government over its refusal to write is his passport that he was born in Israel. The bottom line is simple: for the time being, Zivotofsky lost. The U.S. administration, as a matter of policy, is not willing to confirm that U.S. citizens who were born in Jerusalem were indeed born in Israel because, as was argued by the state's representative in court, the issue is "the subject of profound dispute" and Israel's claim to sovereignty over the city has never been decided. Zivotofsky petitioned the court based on a law passed by Congress in 2002 demanding that the secretary of state list Israel as the country of origin for U.
EF arrest gunmen in Shati' refugee camp
Ma'an News Agency
Gaza – Ma'an – The Executive Forces (EF) announced that they arrested a group of gunmen that shot at an EF post in the Shati' refugee camp in the Gaza Strip two days ago, injuring two people. The EF said in a statement that the arrests came after an investigation involving a number of suspects. They admitted shooting at the EF post in the Shati' refugee camp as well as planting explosives near other EF posts. The statement claimed that the group was taking direct orders from the government in Ramallah and were being paid to carry out their actions. The investigation is continuing, the EF said. [end]
Marwan Barghouthi continues to exert influence from prison
Ma'an News Agency
Bethlehem – Ma'an – Charismatic Fatah leader Marwan Barghouthi says he is still part of the Palestinian leadership even though he remains imprisoned in Israel, serving five life sentences for his activities during the second Intifada, the Israeli newspaper Yedioth Ahronoth reported on Thursday. "I take part in the leadership. I was part of it before I was arrested, I am part of the leadership even when I am behind bars, and in the future, I will continue to be part of it," Barghouthi told the newspaper. His wife, Fadwa Barghouthi, who is also a Fatah activist, said, "Marwan is part of the negotiations and is updated on the talks." The office of Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas reportedly sends direct reports on political developments, and "may even be the one to decide whether the international peace...
Palestinian doctors take sides in Gaza
Middle East Online
GAZA CITY - Politics usually comes to the doctors at Gaza's Al-Shifa hospital on bloody stretchers -- bodies torn apart by Israeli airstrikes. But since the democratically elected Hamas movement seized control of the territory by routing their Fatah party rivals in mid-June, Gaza's doctors have been drawn into the factional divide. Fatah-leaning doctors accuse Hamas of purging its political opponents in the public health sector, and began a Gaza-wide work slowdown in protest, while Hamas accuses the doctors of playing politics at the expense of patients. "Doctors are supposed to be angels, but these doctors are devils," says Khaled Radi, the spokesman for the ministry of health which Hamas took over after it seized power three months ago.
43% of public: Netanyahu's slip of tongue did not cause damage
YNetNews
Poll published by Yedioth Ahronoth reveals every third Israeli believes opposition leader's remarks on Syria operation harmed Israel. Survey also shows that if general elections were held today, Gaydamak's party would win eight Knesset seats - Forty-three percent of Israelis believe that opposition leader Benjamin Netanyahu's comments on the reported IDF overflight in Syria did not cause damage to the State of Israel, a new poll conducted by Dr Mina Tzemach and published by Yedioth Ahronoth Friday morning reveals. According to the survey, if the Knesset elections were held today, billionaire Arcadi Gyadamak's 'Social Justice' party would win eight Knesset seats, only two seats less than Prime Minister Ehud Olmert's Kadima party and two seats more than the National Religious Party.
This Week In Palestine – Week 38 2007
Ghassan Bannoura - Audio Dept, International Middle East Media Center 9/21/2007
Click on Link to download or play MP3 file || File 11. 9 MB || Time 13m 0s This Week In Palestine, a service of the International Middle East Media Center, www. IMEMC. org, for September 15thst through September 21st, 2007. The Israeli government declared the Gaza Strip an "enemy entity," while the army kill eight Palestinian this week, these stories and more coming up stay tuned. Bethlehem - On Friday at midday, the residents of Al Walaja village to the north of the southern West Bank city of Bethlehem, joined by International and Israeli supporters marched against the building of the illegal Israeli wall on village land. Shortly after Friday prayers were held on the construction site, by main road leading into the village, the protesters marched along the hillside to reach a road which used to connect Al Walaja to Bethlehem.
UN report: "Israel increased the number of roadblocks in the West Bank"
Saed Bannoura & Agencies, International Middle East Media Center
The United Nations issued a report revealing that Israel has increased the number of roadblocks in the occupied West Bank despite promises to reduce the number of roadblocks. The UN stated in its report that despite promises made by the Israeli Defense Minister, Ehud Barak, to the US Secretary of State, Condoleezza Rice, to remove 24 roadblocks and consider easing restrictions imposed on the movement of the Palestinians in the West Bank, the number of roadblocks has increased. Barak's promise followed a similar promise by Israel's Prime Minister, Ehud Olmert, during talks with the Palestinian President, Mahmoud Abbas. The UN report revealed that the number of roadblocks reached 572, which is a 52% increase compared to 376 roadblocks in August 2005, Israeli online daily, Haaretz, reported.
Israeli Air Force lays an egg with false alarm
Agence France Presse - AFP, Daily Star
OCCUPIED JERUSALEM: Israel's air force scrambled warplanes on Friday after radar spotted a potential airborne enemy flying from Syria - only to discover the culprits were migratory birds, Army Radio reported. Israeli radar picked up the birds over the Syrian border but officers were unable to rule them out as enemy aircraft from the screen, the radio said. Tensions have soared on Israel's northern border with Syria since Damascus said its air defenses fired on Israeli warplanes that dropped munitions deep inside its territory in the early hours of September 6. The Israeli government has maintained a total blackout on the operation, but the Army Radio report said that military commanders were preferring not to take any risk.
Shots in the dark over Syria's skies
Sami Moubayed, Asia Times
DAMASCUS - Israeli opposition leader Benjamin Netanyahu, while becoming the first official of that country to admit that it did conduct an air raid into Syria on September 6, sheds no further light on the escapade, thus adding to the mountain of speculation that already exists on the incident. Netanyahu said on Thursday that he had given Prime Minister Ehud Olmert his support for "an attack", and promptly drew a rebuke from the premier for speaking out of turn. Israel has imposed a media blackout on the events of the night of September 6, when Syria claimed its airspace in the northern province of Raqqa had been violated and that its defenses forced Israeli F-15 jets to flee, dropping "munitions" and fuel tanks in the desert near the Turkish border.
UNIFIL peacekeepers in South Celebrate International Day of Peace
Mohammed Zaatari, Daily Star
NAQOURA: UN peacekeepers from 28 different national contingents that make up the United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL) celebrated the International Day of Peace in a ceremony held at the mission's headquarters on Friday. "As we gather in our assembly of peace messengers, let us resolve to promote peace, to prevent violent conflict and to raise awarness of the International day of Peace. Today is meant to get people not just thinking of peace, but doing something about it. Let us pledge our direct support for a worldwide cease-fire," said UNIFIL's commander, General Claudio Graziano. Twenty-six years ago, the UN General Assembly established the International Day of Peace as a day of global cease-fire and nonviolence and urged everyone to do their part and lay down their weapons in a day of peace.
Barbir gets a perplexing taste of performance art
Suzan Crile, Daily Star
BEIRUT: Pedestrians in the neighborhood of Barbir got the chance to ponder a perplexing display on Wednesday. Three members of a Lebanese performance ensemble, the Soura Company, struck pose after pose, combining elements of mime and improv to create the effect of moving statues. Soura's performance, "Nahna al-Nas" ("We the People") was as part of the fourth annual Beirut Street Festival." Nahna al-Nas" isn't Soura's first appearance at the festival, a month-long event organized by Zico House in partnership with Bank of Beirut and the Ministry of Culture. Last year, the group performed with Silencio, an Italian group influenced by Comedia delle Arts. Soura has been training with Silencia in Italy and returned just for this show. Their performance began when three actors - Jamal Krayem, Hanan Dirani and Jad Hakawati.
Powers to discuss Iran sanctions
BBC Online
The US is hoping to persuade the other four permanent members of the UN Security Council and Germany of the need for more sanctions against Iran. Washington wants a third round of tougher UN sanctions over its refusal to halt uranium enrichment. Representatives from Russia, China, France, Britain and Germany are to meet in Washington to discuss the issue. Tehran denies the accusations of the US and its European allies that it is trying to build a nuclear weapon. The US is hoping to use the Washington meeting to lay the groundwork for a new UN Security Council resolution in the next few weeks. 'Prepare for war' Two rounds of UN sanctions have failed to convince the Iranians to suspend uranium enrichment, a process that could eventually enable Tehran to build nuclear weapons.
Blackwater working again in Iraq
BBC Online
The US security firm Blackwater has resumed limited operations in the Iraqi capital Baghdad four days after a deadly shootout involving the company. The company provides security to all US state department employees in Iraq. It had been ordered by the Iraqi government to halt operations while a joint US-Iraqi inquiry was held. A US embassy spokeswoman said the decision to allow Blackwater to resume work had been taken in consultation with the Iraqi government. The spokeswoman, Mirembe Nantongo, said Blackwater operations would be limited to essential missions only outside Baghdad's heavily-fortified Green Zone. 'Self-defence' A separate Iraqi interior ministry investigation has found that Blackwater was "100% guilty" of the incident in which 11 Iraqi civilians were killed.
Almost two million displaced in Iraq
Middle East Online
BAGHDAD - The number of Iraqis displaced in their own country because of rampant insecurity has reached almost two million following a sudden jump in August, Iraq's Red Crescent reported on Friday. It said more than 280,000 families, or 1. 9 million people, were displaced by the end of August, compared to 1. 1 million people at the end of the previous month, according to the report. The report gave no explanation for the massive jump in a single month, but said the figure had been on the rise ever since January. Baghdad accounted for the lion's share of the increase, with 970,000 more people classified as displaced. Most of them, about 823,000 people, were from the mainly Shiite east bank of the Tigris river which runs across the city.
Cholera spreads to Baghdad
Middle East Online
GENEVA - A cholera outbreak in Iraq has reached the capital, Baghdad, where one case has been confirmed, the World Health Organisation said Friday. Laboratory tests confirmed on Wednesday that a 25 year-old woman was suffering from the disease, WHO spokewoman Fadela Chaib told journalists. Two more suspected cases in Baghdad were also being tested. About 29,000 cases of acute watery diarrhoea have been recorded in Iraq over the past month, including 1,500 confirmed cases of cholera, mainly in the northeastern provinces of Suleimaniyah, Erbil and Kirkuk, according to the WHO. Chaib said the spread of the bacterial disease into Baghdad was largely expected because of the intense movement of people and goods between the northern areas and the capital.
Iraq Kurds urge Iranian's release
BBC Online
The government of the semi-autonomous Kurdish region of northern Iraq has demanded the release of an Iranian arrested by US forces on Thursday. The US military said the man was a member of the elite Quds Force of Iran's Revolutionary Guards and that he was involved in smuggling explosives. Both the Iraqi Kurds and Tehran said the man was an Iranian trade official in Iraq on the invitation of the Kurds. US-led forces seized the man in a hotel in the Kurdish city of Sulaimaniya. 'Regrettable incident' - A statement from the president of the Kurdish regional government, Massoud Barzani, said the arrest was illegal. The Americans "must release this individual as quickly as possible because this kind of attitude does not serve the common interest", said the statement.
US report on Iraq corruption made public
Middle East Online
By Bryan Pearson – BAGHDAD - A damning report by the US embassy detailing corruption in the Iraqi government was made public on Friday, days ahead of a meeting between Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki and US President George W. Bush. The draft report, posted on the IraqSlogger. com website, paints a grim picture of graft in all government departments, many of which, it says, are controlled by criminal gangs and militia. Maliki's office, it says, has shown an "open hostility" to allowing independent investigators to probe corruption cases. Government corruption is expected to be on the agenda when Maliki and Bush, who has frequently urged the Iraqi government to do more to effect political reconciliation and rein in graft, meet in New York next week at the United Nations General Assembly.
POLITICS: Gov'ts Routinely Dodge U.N. Rights Investigators
Thalif Deen, Inter Press Service
UNITED NATIONS, Sep 21(IPS) - The United Nations is disappointed that an increasingly large number of member states are either refusing to respond to charges of extra-judicial killings or have turned down requests for visits by U. N. special envoys mandated to monitor arbitrary and summary executions in these countries. The 27 states that have so far failed to agree to visits range from Security Council members, such as China, Russia and the United States, to countries like El Salvador, Kenya, Thailand, Israel, Uzbekistan and Venezuela. "The fact that 90 percent of countries identified as warranting a country visit have failed to cooperate with the system -- and that the (Human Rights) Council has done nothing in response -- is a major indictment of the system," said Philip Alston, the U.
Russia bolsters ties with Iran
M K Bhadrakumar, Asia Times
Relations between Russia and the United States will be put to the severe test in the coming weeks as there are growing signs that the US has decided, or has almost decided, to launch a military strike against Iran. Russian observers do not rule out that the administration of US President George W Bush is yet to think through its policy on Iran, and the spate of media "leaks" keeps Tehran and the world community guessing. They analyze that a US military intervention would become inevitable unless Iran relented in its regional policy in Iraq. It is inconceivable for the US to leave its Arab allies in the region to face Iran single-handed. But then, Russian experts do not visualize that the US has reached anywhere near the point where it can claim the security situation has been stabilized...
Fadlallah laments foreign interference, Lebanese acceptance of same
The Daily Star, Daily Star
BEIRUT: Senior Shiite cleric Sayyed Mohammed Hussein Fadlallah on Friday slammed public interference in Lebanon's domestic issues, as well as what he called the "deterioration of the political rhetoric." "Lebanon is waiting for Washington, Paris, the European Union, and the Arab countries to elect the next president," Fadlallah said during his weekly Friday sermon at Al-Imam Hassanayn Mosque in Haret Hreik. Fadlallah said it was a "shame" that the Lebanese allow foreign forces to interfere in their internal affairs, "and listen to the foreign envoys' endless lectures about the necessity to forge a purely Lebanese solution to the ongoing deadlock." "The real problem in Lebanon lies in the fact that many Lebanese politicians still allow their country to be used as an area where feuding international forces can settle their differences," he added.
Rising food prices eat into Ramadan celebrations in Jordan
Agence France Presse - AFP, Daily Star
AMMAN: "I have five children and had to borrow money to cope with a sudden jump in food prices during Ramadan," said Salem Saeed, a school teacher in the Jordanian capital Amman. Saeed is one of many cash-strapped Jordanians who are scrambling to cover expenses during the Muslim holy month, during which people fast during the day but then feast after sundown as lavishly as their budgets permit. "I do not know what I will do when Eid [the feast marking the end of Ramadan] comes," Saeed told AFP. He was speaking as he shopped downtown and faced prices for poultry, dairy and other essential products that have recently surged by between 7 and 30 percent. In a country where minimum wages are set at 110 dinars ($156), the last thing impoverished Jordanians want is a hefty price for foodstuffs for their elaborate meals that break each day's fast.
Report: Syria, North Korea hold high-level talks in Pyongyang
Haaretz Service and News Agencies, Ha'aretz
North Korea and Syria held high-level talks Friday in Pyongyang, the North's state media reported, amid suspicions that the two countries might be cooperating on a nuclear weapons program. The talks took place between Choe Tae Bok, secretary of the Central Committee of the North's ruling Workers' Party, and Saaeed Eleia Dawood, director of the organizational department of Syria's Baath Arab Socialist Party, the official Korean Central News Agency reported. The two sides discussed ways of improving friendship and cooperation and other issues of bilateral interest, KCNA said, without elaborating. U.S. government sources have said that Israel shared intelligence information with the Bush Administration this summer indicating that North Korean nuclear personnel were in Syria, the Washington Post reported Friday.
Sarkozy backs away from Iran war
Al Jazeera
Nicolas Sarkozy, the French president, has played down comments by his foreign minister, saying that France does not want a war with Iran over its nuclear programme. His comments come ahead of a meeting on Friday between world powers to discuss pushing a possible third round of UN sanctions against Iran. "It is an extremely difficult affair, but France does not want war," the president said on Thursday, in a live interview on French television. Earlier Bernard Kouchner, France's foreign minister, had said that the world should "prepare for the worst" over Iran, adding that "the worst is war". He has since tried to play down his comments. In his television interview Sarkozy said: "Iran is trying to get a nuclear bomb.
Decision to Extradite Fujimori Sets International Precedent
Daniela Estrada, Inter Press Service
SANTIAGO, Sep 21 (IPS) - Human rights groups applauded the Chilean Supreme Court's decision Friday to extradite former Peruvian president Alberto Fujimori (1990-2000) to be tried in his country for gross human rights abuses, noting that it sets an international legal precedent. "We are very pleased. We were confident (in the Chilean justice system) because we have always seen this as a perfect opportunity for the Chilean Supreme Court to set an important precedent by extraditing a former civilian president accused of human rights violations," Sergio Laurenti, executive secretary of Amnesty International Chile, told IPS. "Although it was a split verdict, it establishes two principles of international law: the responsibility of command and the principle of extradition," said the activist.
Sin al-Fil resembles war zone after deadly blast
Bomb wrecked dozens of homes By Michael Bluhm, Daily Star
Bomb wrecked dozens of homes - HORSH TABET: The charred motor sat in the middle of Sin al-Fil Avenue, catapulted some 40 meters from where the car housing it had exploded on Wednesday afternoon, killing Phalange Party MP Antoine Ghanem and four others and wounding more than 70. Police guarding the scene said the engine remained the only recognizable part of the TNT-packed auto, although for the sake of the investigation they were attempting to preserve the site as it looked at the time of the blast. The assassination of the 64-year-old Ghanem plunged the country deeper into political turmoil less than a week before the Western-backed government of Premier Fouad Siniora was to square off against the Hizbullah-led opposition over the nation's presidency. The feuding camps have squabbled for months over whether the president could be elected by.
Articles
Welcome to Planet Gaza
Pepe Escobar, Asia Times
It is one of the most scandalous instances of collective punishment anywhere in the world in recent times. And what is the response of the high-minded "international community"? It's the standard "three monkeys" - willfully deaf, dumb and blind.
This Thursday, the Israeli cabinet's decision to declare the 8-kilometer-wide, 23km-long, arid Gaza Strip a "hostile territory" has started to be translated by facts on the ground. The Israel Defense Forces have begun "gradually" to cut the supply of fuel and electricity to the 1.5 million population, one of the highest densities on Earth, 50% of them already living under the poverty line, 50% of them under-15s, 33% of them refugees.
Gaza uses about 200 megawatts of electricity; 120 come from Israel; 65 are produced in Gaza; and only 17 come from Egypt. Israel says supply to generators at Gaza's hospitals will not be affected.
There's more to come: a trade ban, no freedom of movement, no visits to prisoners in Israeli jails, an overall hardcore financial squeeze, and sooner rather than later, another military onslaught. As the Israeli daily Ha'aretz so nicely put it, this is just a "plan to limit services to civilians".
An existential battle is taking place in the Middle East
Rami G. Khouri, Daily Star
The intense political focus on Iraq in the United States continues to revolve around the theme of how soon the US might be able to substantially withdraw its troops. Democrats who won a majority in Congress last November have run up against the limits of their slim majority. Their lack of a two-thirds majority to override a presidential veto means they are unable to force changes in President George W. Bush's policy in Iraq.
The tenor and narrow focus of the public debate in the US accurately reflect the general public sentiment that has been shaped by the administration's policy. This holds that the US has removed a brutal dictator, given the Iraqi people an opportunity to embrace freedom and democracy, and the noble job is done. The main theme that dominates discussions about Iraq here these days is about the feuding Iraqis who seem unable to forge a national consensus or a government that promote reconciliation and power-sharing.
There is no significant questioning of either the moral, legal and political right of the US to invade Iraq, or of the repercussions of that move. The larger questions of what the American adventure in Iraq has done to the entire Middle East remain largely unaddressed here, at a time when those larger issues assert themselves more clearly in the Middle East itself. If the United States plans to maintain large numbers of troops in Iraq for many years - a distinct possibility, as evidenced by American troops in South Korea and Germany, half a century after wars there - then a whole new political and security dynamic emerges and needs to be considered.
Dehumanizing the Palestinians
Ali Abunimah, Electronic Intifada
The Israeli cabinet has voted to declare the occupied Gaza Strip a "hostile entity," thus in its own eyes permitting itself to cut off the already meagre supplies of food, water, electricity and fuel that it allows the Strip's inmates to receive. The decision was quickly given backing by US Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice.
Israel is the occupying power in the Gaza Strip, despite having removed its settlers in 2005 and transforming the area, home to 1.5 million mostly refugee Palestinians, into the world's largest open-air prison which it besieges and fires into from the perimeter. Under international law Israel is responsible for the well-being of the people whose lives and land it rules.
There have been barely audible bleats of protest from the UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon ("Such a step would be contrary to Israel's obligations towards the civilian population under international humanitarian and human rights law") and the European Union ("The [European] Commission hopes that Israel will not find it necessary to implement the measures for which the [cabinet] decisions set the framework yesterday."
Gazans Still Struggle Under de Facto Occupation
Safwat Kahlout, MIFTAH
August 2005 was supposed to have been one of the biggest celebrations in the history of the Palestinian people, especially Gazans. Israel was, for the first time ever, withdrawing its soldiers and settlers from Palestinian areas, allowing Gazans to reclaim almost a third of their land.
When Israel announced its plan to evacuate settlements in the Gaza Strip there was much local, regional and international hype about creating a new Gaza. In addition, promises came in from many countries to develop the impoverished and overpopulated strip of land and Gazans were filled with hope. Never mind that Israel destroyed the houses in their previous settlements and that only greenhouses were left intact after the Israelis were was paid to do so. Palestinians stood ready to construct a future.
But two years later, dreams of freedom and prosperity have turned to dust. First, Palestinians learned that in actual fact the Israeli "withdrawal" could more accurately be understood as no more than a redeployment of troops. The occupation of Gaza did not end. Rather, if before the pullout Israeli jailers lived in Gaza's midst, now the prison guards have left but not before locking the door and throwing away the key.
A Visit that will Serve Little Purpose
Gulf News - Editorial, MIFTAH
US Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice arrived in the region yesterday on her sixth trip this year. The aim is always to resume the peace process, dead for most of the past seven years. This time, she says, the talks with the Israeli officials will tackle the "critical" issues - final borders, the fate of the holy city of occupied Jerusalem, Palestinian refugees and security arrangements. She is also expected to promote the November peace conference, proposed by President George W. Bush.
Rice says Washington means business. "Nobody wants a meeting where people simply come and talk and talk. We want to advance the cause," she said. But that is exactly what she has been doing on all these long trips to the region. Why should we expect this trip to be different? And why would this conference succeed where countless others - Madrid, Geneva, Camp David, Sharm Al Shaikh, to name few - have failed?
One of the main obstacles to peace in the region is the lack of trust among the relevant parties. But the key stumbling block is that the Arabs no longer trust the mediator. Rice will simply come and talk and talk and get her souvenir photo. And that is all she will get from her Israeli hosts.
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