Tuesday, November 20

Today in Palestine! ~ Headlines November 20, 2007 ~

Brought to you by Shadi Fadda
Click on the Headline to View Full Story

The Israeli army attacks a refugee camp near Jenin and injures four civilians

Palestinian sources reported that an Israeli army force invaded Al Far'a refugee camp located south east of the northern West Bank city of Jenin on Tuesday morning. Troops opened fire at local school boys, injuring four of them.

One killed and three injured in Israeli shelling on Khan Younis
Palestinian medical sources in the southern Gaza city of Khan Younis announced that one Palestinian has been killed and another three were injured, one seriously, after Israeli forces opened fire randomly on civilian homes in Al-Khaza'a town, east of Khan Younis on Tuesday morning.

The Israeli government makes six obstacles ahead of Annapolis conference
Hanna Abu Amerah, a member of the Palestine Liberation Organization executive committee, said that there will be 30 different countries that will take part in the American Annapolis conference for middle east peace, adding that it is good for the Palestinian case to have international solidarity working for it and the attempts to overcome the Israeli unilateral moves aimed at enforcing facts on the ground.

Due to factional tension Palestinian University suspends teaching until further notice
On Tuesday at midday, Beir Zeit University suspended teaching indefinitely due to an attack by unknown gunmen on one of the university students late on Monday night.

Nafha Society: Israeli forces kidnap 20 in 24 hours
The Media department in Nafha Society for Defending the Rights of Detainees and Human Rights reported that Israeli military kidnapped 20 Palestinian civilians from different parts of the West Bank in the past 24 hours.

Hamas: Fatah forces arrested five Hamas members from several parts of the West Bank
Hamas sources reported that Fatah affiliated security forces had arrested five Hamas members and attacked two mosques from several parts of the West Bank on Monday night and Tuesday morning.

Man Blindfolded and Beaten in Tel Rumeida
In the evening the 19th of November a Palestinian man was arrested, blindfolded and beaten without reason while walking outside his house in Tel Rumeida, Hebron. The man was walking in his own property, a couple of meters form his house, when a soldier started yelling at him falsely accusing him for having entered a closed military zone. Two more soldiers appeared and the Palestinian was blindfolded, handcuffed and brought to the army base where he was beaten by one of the soldiers.

Standoff in second day in Ein Beit El-Ma camp; PFLP leader: PA 'trying to succeed where Israel failed'
Bethlehem – Ma'an – A standoff between Palestinian Authority forces and fighters affiliated with the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine (PFLP) has stretched into a second day in a West Bank refugee camp near Nablus, a PFLP official said. PFLP leader Jamil Mizhir said some of the group's leaders are among the fighters still holed up in Ein Beit El-Ma refugee camp, besieged by Palestinian security services since Sunday.

Israeli colonizer killed in W. Bank shooting attack

A 29-year-old Israeli civilian was killed Monday night in a shooting attack near the West Bank settlement of Kedumim. The man, a resident of Kedumim, was driving toward the settlement of Karnei Shomron in the northern West Bank, when gunmen in a passing vehicle opened fire, critically wounding him.

Second Committee approves text calling on Israel not to exploit, damage or endanger natural resources in occupied Arab lands

American Peace activist holds hunger strike
Allene Rusers, a seventy-one year old American Peace activist, on Monday announced that she intended to go on hunger strike for the next two weeks in protest against infighting amongst the Palestinian people and the continued occupation of the Palestinian territories.

Hamas: Fatah security forces arrest Nablus municipal council member
The Hamas movement on Monday claimed that Fatah-affiliated security forces had arrested Hussam al-Qaltuni, 50, a member of the northern West Bank City of Nablus' municipal council.

Israeli court to resume trial of Palestinian chief judge
An Israeli court in Jerusalem is scheduled to resume the trial of Palestinian Supreme Judge Sheikh Tayseer Tamimi on Monday, on charges of incitement against Israel and visiting the Al-Aqsa Mosque in Jerusalem without Israeli permission.

Palestinian P.O.W.s make up half of Israeli prison population

In anticipation of a possible prisoner release, the Israeli prison administration has released statistics on the Palestinian prisoner-of-war population. The 10,580 Palestinians held in Israeli prison camps account for nearly half of all prisoners in Israel.

Gaza: Israel Blocks 670 Students from Studies Abroad
The Israeli government is arbitrarily blocking some 670 students in Gaza from pursuing higher education abroad, Human Rights Watch said today. Israel is denying exit permits that the young men and women need to leave Gaza for university programs in countries such as Egypt, Jordan, Germany, Britain, and the United States.

Israel, Palestinians fail to bridge gaps
JERUSALEM - The Israeli and Palestinian leaders made little progress Monday in a last effort to narrow gaps ahead of next week's U.S.-hosted Mideast peace conference, dimming hopes for a joint declaration of principles in time for the gathering.

Poll: Hamas losing popularity; Palestinians expect Annapolis conference to fail
Bethlehem – Ma'an – Among Palestinians who plan to vote in a future legislative election, 50% would vote for Fatah, and only 14.6% would vote for Hamas, a new poll from An-Najah National University shows.

U.S. set to issue official invites for Mideast peace conference
The United States plans to issue as early as Tuesday official invitations to a much-anticipated Middle East conference, to be held next week at Annapolis, Maryland, hoping for strong backing from a select group of Arab nations for the U.S. effort to relaunch Israeli-Palestinian peace talks.

High-level Saudi presence seen unlikely at Annapolis
RIYADH (Reuters) - Saudi Arabia could keep the United States guessing until the last minute on whether it will attend a Middle East peace conference next week, but analysts and diplomats say a high-level delegation is unlikely.

INTERVIEW-Israel disrupts Palestinian policing -EU adviser
The British police officer in charge of European Union efforts to train Palestinian police accused Israeli troops on Monday of disrupting efforts by the Palestinian Authority to impose its own security measures.

UN agency aiding Palestinian refugees warns of increased budget deficit
The United Nations agency aiding Palestinian refugees warned Monday that it will fall short of reaching its target US$496 million (€338.5 million) budget to help impoverished refugees in Gaza, the West Bank and refugee camps in Lebanon due to donor shortfalls and regional problems.

Israeli Prime Minister tells Cabinet he won't stifle settlement activity
Just hours after announcing to the international community that Israel was committed to the 'Roadmap Plan' for peace and would agree to freeze settlement activity on occupied Palestinian land, Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert made his Cabinet a very different promise.

Refugees from Gaza Face Uncertain Future in the West Bank
Essam Saed's mobile rings constantly as he sits quietly on his patio in Ramallah. Between puffs on his water pipe and sips of Palestinian beer, Saed fields phone calls in both Arabic and Hebrew. He sighs, exhales, and closes his phone. "Forty more refugees are coming to Ramallah from Gaza. They have been shot in the fighting with Hamas, and are waiting in hospitals for permits from the Israelis," he says, taking another long drag.

UN aid chief attacks new Israeli checkpoint plan
The head of the UN agency for Palestinian refugees launched a scathing attack today on a new Israeli plan for a system of checkpoint terminals across the occupied West Bank. Karen AbuZayd, head of the UN Relief and Works Agency (UNRWA), said Israeli authorities had told them of plans to install six specially built terminals to check people and cargo, including aid deliveries.

PA minister: Reopen Palestinian institutions in Jerusalem
Palestinian Authority Information Minister Riad El Malki said Monday afternoon that the Palestinians would demand at Annapolis that Israel reopen Palestinian institutions in Jerusalem under the framework of phase one of the Road Map.

Making the first move
Given the utter imbalance between Israel as occupier and the Palestinians as occupied, peace between them must be initiated by Israel.

As order slides, Palestinian women face honor killings
Rights activists say such murders have increased as a result of the worsened security situation, and press for a new law.

Occupation breeds terror
Israel must leave the territories, and must do it soon - whether accompanied by concessions on the Palestinian side or not.

Balad to hold vote on whether to accept Israel as a Jewish state
The Israeli-Arab Balad party will hold an assembly this Saturday in Shfaram to vote on whether to accept Israel as a Jewish state and if they should oppose the upcoming Middle East Peace Summit in Annapolis.

Israel, free speech, and the Oxford Union
Israel is often portrayed by its supporters as an island of democracy in a sea of authoritarianism. But these very same supporters, in their excessive zeal for their cause, sometimes end up violating one of the most fundamental principles of democracy -- the right to free speech. While accepting free speech as a universal value, all too often they try to restrict it when it comes to Israel and its treatment of the Palestinians. The result is not to encourage but to stifle debate about the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.

What do you mean when you say 'no'?
A festive day for peace: Israel is planning to announce a freeze on construction in the settlements as compensation for refusing to discuss the core issues. The Palestinians are ecstatic at all the good-will gestures Israel is throwing their way. First came the release of prisoners, now a freeze on construction, and the prime minister has already spoken with the settler leaders and informed them of the decision. They said it was a "difficult meeting," as it always is, winking at each other deviously.

CHECKPOINT JERUSALEM BLOG

As blockade drags on, friends in Gaza crave cigarettes, Coke: Maybe this is how it starts for every drug smuggler: An innocent foray into the dark realm, something you expect to be a one-time deal that turns into something habitual, something that goes beyond the boundaries you meant to set, something that drags you into the dangerous netherworld you always meant to avoid ...

NY Arabic School Principal Sues City
An educator who helped create the city's first Arabic-themed public school sued the city on Monday, saying officials forced her to resign following a furor over her public comments. Debbie Almontaser said in the lawsuit that her constitutional rights were violated when she was pressured to resign in August from the Khalil Gibran International Academy in Brooklyn. She had been criticized for not condemning the use of the word "intifada" on a T-shirt made by a youth organization.

The Middle East has had a secretive nuclear power in its midst for years

When will the US and the UK tell the truth about Israeli weapons? Iran isn't starting an atomic arms race, it's joining one.

Today in Iraq

Today in Afghanistan, Pakistan and Iran

Today in the U.S.
Share:

0 Have Your Say!:

Post a Comment