Civil Admin:Hundreds of homes okayed for West Bank
Barak Ravid, Ha'aretz
There are hundreds, even thousands, of planned housing units in the West Bank that have building permits and do not need any further government approval before their construction can begin, Brigadier General Yoav Mordechai, the head of the Civil Administration, told the interministerial committee on illegal outposts yesterday. Their construction "could cause similar embarrassment to that created by the publication of the tender for building in Har Homa," he added. The discussion, which was meant to center on planning and construction in the West Bank, quickly turned into a discussion of the Har Homa crisis, in which the recent tender for the construction of more than 300 apartments in this East Jerusalem neighborhood generated sharp criticism from U.S. Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice and United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon.
Israel tanks enter Gaza on eve of peace talks
Rory McCarthy in Jerusalem, The Guardian
Israeli troops in tanks and armoured vehicles mounted an incursion into Gaza yesterday, killing at least six Palestinian militants on the eve of a new round of peace talks. As many as 30 tanks and vehicles were involved in the operation in southern Gaza, near the Sufa crossing and close to the town of Khan Yunis. Several Palestinians were reported injured. The Israeli military said it was a routine operation against militants, but Palestinian officials accused Israel of trying to disrupt the peace talks. Israeli and Palestinian negotiators were to meet today at the King David hotel in Jerusalem to start a new process of talks in the wake of the Middle East conference in Annapolis late last month. Palestinian officials have already complained about an Israeli decision last week to issue tenders for more than 300 houses in the East Jerusalem settlement of Har Homa.
Utility Cuts Increase Misery in Gaza
Erica Silverman, MIFTAH
Israeli cuts in fuel supplies to the Gaza Strip are hitting home, affecting schools, hospitals and businesses as officials from Hamas and the Palestinian Authority exchange blame for the suffering. Utility cuts are intended to pressure Hamas to halt rocket fire into Israel. Filling stations across this seaside territory have shut down, crippling public transportation systems. Khozendar Sons Co. , one of the largest fuel suppliers in Gaza, halted operations in Gaza City last week to protest the limited fuel deliveries. Desperate residents were turned away by signs that read "No diesel" plastered on every pump. A life-size dummy dangled from a noose in front of the empty pumps at one station, a sign tacked to its chest reading: "Those responsible." The fuel crunch also is leaving families without dependable supplies of water or electricity.
In first official talks since 2001, PA blasts Israel for J'lem construction
Shahar Ilan and The Associated Press, Ha'aretz
The first formal Israeli-Palestinian peace talks in seven years got off to a rocky start Wednesday, with the Palestinians lambasting Israel for a new construction project planned in disputed East Jerusalem, a Palestinian official said. The Palestinians have said that newly announced Israeli plans to build more than 300 apartments in the Har Homa neighborhood threatened to undermine the talks. The Palestinians hope to establish the capital of an independent state in East Jerusalem. Palestinian negotiator Saeb Erekat said his delegation introduced the issue of Har Homa and expressed our outrage. "If you want to restore the credibility of the peace process, the Israeli government must revoke this order," he added. Wednesday's talks, which lasted for about 90 minutes, went ahead despite calls by some Palestinians for a boycott over the plans for Har Homa.
Troops demolish a Palestinian home in Jerusalem
Maisa Abu Ghazala รข€" IMEMC, International Middle East Media Center
Israeli bulldozes belonging to Jerusalem Municipality demolished on Tuesday a Palestinian home in the Old City of Jerusalem and attacked two brothers while attempting to evacuate their furniture from the house before the bulldozers leveled it. The house belongs to Zainab Ibrahim Kabaja; the army surrounded the area during early morning hours, and soldiers violently attacked and clubbed Omar Kabaja, 13, and his brother Ali, 20, as they tried to evacuate family belongings and furniture from their home. The two brothers were handcuffed, blindfolded and were dragged on the ground before they were transferred to an Israeli police station where they were detained for several hours. The demolished house was 40 square meters and included one bedroom, one kitchen and one restroom. It provided shelter to Zeinab, her husband and their ten children.
Israeli military attacks close several media centers in Nabulus
Ameen Abu Wardeh, International Middle East Media Center
Israeli military forces invaded the Northern West Bank city of Nablus early on Wednesday and shut down several media offices and agencies in what is considered the most violent direct action against Palestinian media since the beginning of the al Aqsa intifada Local sources reported that military forces invaded the city at around 1. 00 am and forcibly entered the offices of several organizations, confiscating property. Issa Abu Al Ez, director of Afaq TV station in Nablus, reported that the invading troops assaulted an employee of the station who was on duty at the time of the raid, before confiscating broadcasting equipment and computers. Following the raid they army issued the station with a closure notification. The notice was written in Hebrew and Arabic and signed by Israeli army chief, Jadi Alof. It demanded the closure of the TV station and all its branches, with a right of appeal within 14 days.
Four kidnapped in Hebron including one female
Nisreen Qumsieh, International Middle East Media Center
Israeli military forces abducted four Palestinians, including one female during separate incidents in the southern West Bank city of Hebron on Wednesday. Local sources reported that military forces invaded homes and kidnapped two residents in the town of al Shoyokh located north east of Hebron. The abductees were later identified as Mohammad Halayka and Amer Husien. Meanwhile, the Israeli army kidnapped a Palestinian youth from Beit Omar in Northern Hebron. The youth, who was identified as Khalil Al Alamy aged 14 was taken following clashes between a group of Palestinian youths and Israeli military forces at the eastern entrance to the town. In related news, sources in Hebron reported that a Palestinian female was abducted at an illegal Israeli checkpoint in Azion. The woman was later identified as Ihsan Al Dababsa,22 from Noba town, north-west of Hebron.
A Palestinian resistance fighter killed by Israeli army in central Gaza
Rami Almeghari&Agencies, International Middle East Media Center
Local media sources in central Gaza Strip said that a Palestinian resistance fighter of the Saraya aL-Quds Brigades, of the Islamic Jihad group, has been killed after an Israeli tank fired a shell on a group of the Saraya fighters in eastern Gaza Strip. In a statement, faxed to press, the Saraya aL-Quds said that Sameh aL-Aydi, was killed while he and other comrades were firing rocket-propelled grenades at an Israeli military outpost in southeastern Gaza. The Israeli army killed yesterday six Palestinian resistance fighters, three of them belonged to the Saraya aL-Quds brigades, when Israeli tanks rolled into southern Gaza Strip. The Israeli military warned last week of what Israel calls ' attrition operations' against the Gaza Strip, in a ' bid to stop homemade shells fire from Gaza onto nearby Israeli towns'.
Israeli artillery kill Palestinian fighter in Gaza Strip
Ma'an News Agency
Gaza – Ma'an – Israeli artillery killed a Palestinian activist affiliated with Islamic Jihad's Al-Quds Brigades on Wednesday morning. The Israeli army had targeted a group of Palestinian fighters who were launching mortar shells at the Israeli military installation at Kisufim, east of the Gaza Strip. Palestinian medical sources named the victim as twenty-year-old Samih Al-Aydi from Nusayrat refugee camp. The Al-Quds Brigades confirmed the news. On Tuesday Israeli fire killed six Al-Quds Brigades fighters in two separate incursions. [end]
Israeli forces seize 13 Palestinians in West Bank
Ma'an News Agency
Bethlehem – Ma'an –Israeli forces seized 13 Palestinians in the West Bank on Wednesday morning. According to Israeli media sources, 11 of the detainees were from Ramallah, and the other two from Bethlehem. [end]
Palestinian security forces detain 13 near Nablus
Ma'an News Agency
Nablus – Ma'an – Fatah-allied Palestinian security forces seizes 13 people, including four Hamas members, near the West Bank city of Nablus, on Wednesday. The Palestinian Preventive Security Director for Nablus, Akram Rajoub. said his forces stormed the village of Yasid, north of Nablus. He said all of the detainees were suspected of 'penal and security charges. ' Rajoub denied that the security forces came under fire in Yasid. He said, "It was only a heated argument between the security forces and a local family, and the security officers fired into the air in order to maintain control." According to witnesses, the security forces used the building of the local council as interrogation center after a heated argument with the Thahir family who tried to prevent the arrest a man named Ammar Thahir. Hamas said Palestinian security forces detained 13 Hamas members in Yasid.
Israeli forces attack Palestinian media offices in Nablus
Ma'an News Agency
Nablus – Ma'an – Israeli forces ransacked Palestinian media offices in the West Bank city of Nablus on Wednesday morning, witnesses said Soldiers seized computers and transmission equipment from the offices of Afaq TV on the pretext that the station supports 'terrorism. ' According to Salih Qandilo, a transmission worker at Afaq TV, the Israeli forces raided the station's office at 1:30am local time and beat him. The soldiers informed him that the Israeli military ordered the station closed "because the station supports Hamas, Islamic Jihad, and other organizations." Israeli forces stormed the office of An-Najah media, confiscating three computers. They also raided the Ar-Ruwad media office affiliated to the Al-Quds daily newspaper, confiscating eight computers. Suhair Khalaf, the director of Ar-Ruwad in Nablus, told Ma'an that the Israeli attack was the third...
Al-Quds Brigades fire 13 projectiles at Sderot
Ma'an News Agency
Gaza – Ma'an – The Al-Quds Brigades, the military wing of Islamic Jihad, claimed responsibility for launching two homemade projectiles at the Israeli town of Sderot, bringing the total number of projectiles fired at Sderot on Wednesday to 13. They announced in a statement that they were exercising their right to respond to Israeli aggression on the west Bank and Gaza Strip. [end]
Palestinian killed in tunnel collapse in Rafah
Ma'an News Agency
Gaza – Ma'an – Palestinian medical sources announced on Wednesday the death of twenty-three- year-old Mahmoud Qishta from Rafah in the southern Gaza Strip, after a tunnel on the Palestinian-Egyptian borders collapsed. Mu'awiya Hassanain, the director of ambulance and emergency services in the Palestinian health ministry said Qishta's body was taken to Abu Yousif An-Najjar hospital. He died as a result of suffocation due to the tunnel collapse. [end]
Israel launches large-scale incursion in Gaza
Middle East Online
GAZA CITY - Four Palestinian fighters were killed across the Gaza Strip on Tuesday as Israel launched its largest operation in months in the south of the Hamas-run territory, medics and witnesses said. The raids killed three fighters in the south and one in the north and came a day before Israeli and Palestinian negotiating teams were due to sit down for the first time since peace talks were formally resumed at a US conference. In southern Gaza, three members of the Islamic Jihad group were killed by an Israeli tank shell as around 30 tanks pushed around two kilometres (more than a mile) into the territory. The victims were Mohammed Abu Hamra, Ibrahim Barud and Jihad al-Aswad, all of them in their 20s, the group said. Shortly afterwards, seven other fighters were wounded in an Israeli air raid in the same area, they added.
Israel rules out widescale Gaza incursion
Agence France-Presse, ReliefWeb
JERUSALEM, Dec 12, 2007 (AFP) - Israel's security cabinet on Wednesday ruled out launching a widescale military operation in Gaza to counter rocket fire from the Hamas-ruled territory, a senior official told AFP. "The cabinet ruled out a widescale operation for the moment, but decided to continue the current pattern of localised ground incursions and air strikes," the official said on condition of anonymity. The cabinet met on the same day as Israeli and Palestinian negotiators were to sit down for the first time since the two sides formally relaunched their peace talks at a November conference in the United States. The meeting also came a day after Israel carried out one of its largest incursions in Gaza in months, killing six militants in the south of the territory where Islamist Hamas seized power in mid-June.
OPT: Israel army chief says big Gaza push more likely
Reuters Foundation, ReliefWeb
TEL AVIV, Dec 12 (Reuters) - Israel's army chief said on Wednesday that daily strikes against Palestinian militants in the Gaza Strip were having an impact but a big military offensive was becoming more likely. Speaking at a conference in Tel Aviv on security issues, Lieutenant General Gabi Ashkenazi said that daily Israeli incursions into the coastal territory were hurting militants but could not be decisive in curbing attacks against Israel. "We are operating in Gaza on a daily basis. Yesterday we returned from a broad operation... this brings a reduction in the ground threat and the firing of rockets but does not stop it," Ashkenazi said. "We will come to the point where we will have to carry out the big operation." With the exception of public UN sources, reproduction or redistribution of the above text, in whole, part or in any form, requires the prior consent of the original source.
Moyal's resignation a Palestinian victory
Ali Waked, YNetNews
Spokesman for the Popular Resistance Committees welcomes resignation of Sderot mayor: 'God willing, Olmert too will pay someday' - "The resignation of Sderot's mayor constitutes a great victory for the Palestinian resistance. This is a political victory, a victory for morale, it adds to the humiliation we are heaping upon the Zionist army in the field," Muhammad Abd al-'Al, a spokesman for the Popular Resistance Committees (PRC), told Ynet on Wednesday. Members of Abd al-'Al's organization took part earlier in the day in launching the heavy rocket barrage against Sderot, leading Sderot Mayor Eli Moyal to announce his resignation. Concerning Moyal, Abd al-'Al added: "The man who threatened to wipe Beit Hanoun off the map and called upon the Israeli military to do just that was himself wiped off the Israeli public map today.
Palestinians demand halt to settlements as peace talks begin
David Batty, The Guardian
The first formal Middle East peace negotiations in seven years got off to a tense start today with the Palestinian Authority demanding a halt to Israeli plans to build settlements on disputed territory. Palestinian negotiators said the planned construction in the Har Homa neighbourhood in disputed east Jerusalem, along with Israeli military activity in Gaza, threatened to undermine the new peace talks. "We demanded a complete halt to the settlement-building. We have agreed to meet again, nothing else," negotiator Yasser Abed Rabbo told Reuters after the meeting in Jerusalem. Fellow Palestinian negotiator Saeb Erekat added: "If you want to restore the credibility of the peace process, the Israeli government must revoke this order." An Israeli official criticised the Palestinians' complaints, claiming they had cast a shadow over the negotiations.
Lieberman: Gov`t can't discuss outposts, ignore Negev building
Barak Ravid, Ha'aretz
Strategic Affairs Minister Avigdor Lieberman said on Wednesday that Israel cannot discuss the issue of illegal settlement outposts in the West Bank, while ignoring illegal construction in the Negev and Galilee. The Yisrael Beiteinu minister, who made the remarks at a session of the Ministerial Committee on Unauthorized Outposts, was alluding to the large number of unrecognized Arab villages in those areas of the country. The committee was working on a draft procedure for planning and construction in the West Bank. Lierberman said Israel does not treat the two issues equally, and added that "according to the operations coordinator in the territories, 65 percent of the illegal construction in Area C is Palestinian." He was speaking of the territory in the West Bank under Israeli security and civil control, as agreed to in the Oslo Accords.
Peace Now asks Egged to halt bus lines to illegal W. Bank outposts
Haaretz Service, Ha'aretz
The Peace Now movement on Wednesday asked the Egged bus company to halt all routes to illegal outposts in the West Bank and to immediately evacuate any bus stops in the area, Army Radio reported on Wednesday. Peace Now General Secretary Yariv Oppenheimer made the movement's request in a letter to the company which was also sent on to Defense Minister Ehud Barak and Transportation Minister Shaul Mofaz. In the letter, Oppenheimer wrote that "the outposts in the [occupied] territories were built illegally, often on private land belonging to Paletsinian residents. This was without any ruling by the government on the matter, without any overall building plans, and without necessary permission." "We were surprised to discover that despite its illegality, Egged chose to recognize the illegal outposts, to supply then with transport...
Saudi Arabia condemns planned settlement building in East Jerusalem
Brian Kenny, International Middle East Media Center
Saudi Arabia has condemned Israels proposed expansion of the Har Homa settlement which overlooks the West Bank city of Bethlehem. On Tuesday, Saudi foreign minister, Prince Saud al-Faisal, told Saudi FM that the proposed construction of 307 additional homes in Har Homa undermines any agreements which were made at the Annapolis peace conference held in Maryland last month. Al-Faisal stated that "The kingdom strongly condemns Israel's decision to expand settlement building in East Jerusalem, which contradicts the bases and principles of the Annapolis peace conference" The proposed construction, on a settlement which was originally built in the late 1990's amidst international outcry, has also drawn heavy criticism from the United States and the European Union. U.S. Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice said on Friday that the building plan does not help the peace process.
German supplies the PA with logistic support
Rami Almeghari, International Middle East Media Center
German has supplied the Palestinian Authority (PA) with wireless telecommunication devices, worthy of $87. 000, a gesture of support to underway peace-making efforts between the Palestinians and Israelis. Schteinmaaeir added, "the Palestinian Prime Minister, Salam Fayyad, has undertaken security responsibility for the town and we would like to assist him as much as we can". Such a German assistance to the Palestinian government is a part of continued European Union's backing to security reforms in the Palestinian territories, particularily the EU's police mission cooperation with the Palestinian police forces. Palestinians and Israelis agreed few weeks ago to begin implementation of U. S-backed security arrangements across the West Bank, starting with Nablus city. Such arrangements do not include the Hamas-run Gaza Strip.
Tourism minister optimistic about Paris donor meeting
Ma'an News Agency
Bethlehem – Ma'an – The upcoming Paris donor conference will aid development and reform in Palestine, Palestinian Tourism Minister Khouloud Daibes said on Tuesday. Daibes met with Deputy Director-General of UNESCO Marcio Barbosa in the West Bank city of Ramallah on Tuesday. Palestinian ambassador to UNESCO Elias Sunber and the director of the UNESCO office Bashir Al-Amin also attended the meeting. Barbosa expressed his happiness at the resumption of cooperation between the Palestinian government and the international community, saying that UNESCO will support the Palestinians in education and science. However, after he read the draft of the Palestinian development and reform plan, he was disappointed because the education was not given high priority in the plan.
Blair: Palestine a "safe destination" for tourists
Ma'an News Agency
Bethlehem - Ma'an – Palestine is a "safe destination" for tourists to visit, envoy to the Quartet Tony Blair said on Tuesday evening. Speaking to journalists at a joint press conference with the Palestinian minister for tourism, Khouloud Daibes, in the southern West Bank city of Bethlehem, Blair said, "Bethlehem is a safe and good place to come. " "There are many places here that are very important for people of any of the Abrahamic religions. Speaking personally, Jerusalem, Bethlehem and Jericho and the Jordan Valley – these areas of the Holy Land - are probably the most sought after tourist destinations for anyone with a sense of religious history," he added. He conceded that the political dialogue at the Annapolis conference and the Paris donors' conference would only be effective "if at the same time we are able to make change really happen on the ground.
PFLP calls on Abbas to stop meetings with the Israelis
Ma'an News Agency
Gaza – Ma'an - The Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine (PFLP) on Wednesday called on Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas to stop meetings with the Israeli government and reconsider the efficacy of "fruitless" negotiations." "Those meetings continue in light of the ongoing brutal and criminal Israeli aggression against the Palestinian people in Gaza Strip while the international community watches motionlessly," the PFLP said in a statement. The statement described the ongoing meetings post-Annapolis as an Israeli endeavour to negotiate for their own gain and to cover for their aggressive policy and the crippling siege on the Palestinian territories. The statement also called on the international community to intervene to protect the Palestinian people, as well as requesting the Arab League and Arab countries take a serious stance towards Israeli practices.
Start of Mideast talks overshadowed by deaths
Middle East Online
Israelis and Palestinians start negotiations on Wednesday for the first time since relaunching the Middle East peace process, their talks overshadowed by deadly violence in Gaza and by continuing Jewish settlement activity. Negotiating teams headed by Israeli Foreign Minister Tzipi Livni and former Palestinian prime minister Ahmed Qorei will meet at 12:30 pm (1030 GMT) in a luxury Jerusalem hotel for a low-profile meeting away from the media glare. Formally relaunching negotiations in the US city of Annapolis last month, Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert and Palestinian president Mahmud Abbas pledged to aim for a comprehensive agreement by the end of 2008. "I intend to invest in trying to create a path for dialogue and negotiations with our neighbours," Olmert reiterated on Tuesday. "At Annapolis we initiated an effort, which I hope will mature into ongoing and serious dialogue.
Palestinians to Urge Settlement Freeze at Talks
Wafa Amr, MIFTAH
Palestinians will attend peace talks this week despite a plan by Israel to build new homes on occupied land, but will focus on demanding a settlement freeze, senior Palestinian officials said on Tuesday. Israeli and Palestinian negotiators are due to meet on Wednesday two weeks after their leaders relaunched long-stalled peace talks at a U.S. -hosted conference in Annapolis, Maryland. Some Palestinian leaders had proposed boycotting Wednesday's meeting after Israel issued a tender for about 300 new homes near Jerusalem on land it annexed from the West Bank after it occupied the territory in 1967 -- a move not recognized internationally. Israel, which pledged at Annapolis to end settlement activity, insists the building is legal. But the project drew Palestinian outrage and rare U.S. censure. Palestinian leaders said on Tuesday they decided to attend the meeting but insist Israel freeze settlement activity.
Palestinian-Israeli negotiators discuss settlement issue: Erekat
Xinhua News Agency, ReliefWeb
RAMALLAH, Dec 12, 2007 (Xinhua via COMTEX) -- Palestinian chief negotiator Saeb Erekat said Wednesday that the Palestinian-Israeli talks held in the day would be only focus on the expansion of the Israeli settlements which did not stop in the Wets Bank. "We agreed in Annapolis to launch the peace process and it is our right to demand that settlements be the only subject on the table," he told Voice of Palestine Radio. Erekat affirmed that the negotiations won't work properly "if settlement activities continue." Palestinian and Israeli negotiators started the first meeting of final-status talks at noon Wednesday in Jerusalem. The negotiations are being launched as a result of the U.S. - hosted peace conference which was held on Nov. 27 in Annapolis, Maryland, where President George W. Bush set Dec. 12 as the date to start negotiating two-state solution.
Report: Palestinian anti-terror forces training in Russia
Yitzhak Ben-Horin, YNetNews 12/12/2007
PA creates special counter-terror unit, currently undergoing training in Russia, which aims to prevent Hamas from capturing the West Bank - Palestinian forces loyal to Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas have been sent for covert training sessions at a secret base in Russia where they are preparing for a possible attempt by Hamas to conquer the West Bank as it did in the Gaza Strip. Palestinian troops joined a special Russian counter-terror commando unit that earned its stripes fighting Muslim rebels in Chechnya. According to the report published by the New York Daily News, the Palestinian Authority has established an elite unit, called "al-Himaya Wal-Isnad" (defense and reinforcement), designed to combat terror organizations. A group of 25 intelligence officers from the unit was sent to Moscow for the 30 day course, which teaches a range of advanced...
Israel denies encouraging Jews to leave Germany
Reuters, YNetNews
Ambassador to Berlin reassures Nativ agency not trying to convince Jewish community that immigrated to Germany from former Soviet Union to come to Israel. Certainly, though, he says, they are more than welcome in Israel 'as it will always be their home' - Israel is not trying to encourage Jews who left the Soviet Union for Germany to migrate to Israel , its ambassador to Berlin said on Wednesday. German media had reported Nativ, an Israeli agency, was encouraging Jews in Germany to relocate but Yoram Ben-Zeev told a news conference it was aiming only to give them a sense of Israeli culture. "Nativ is not there to get immigrants from the former Soviet Union," Been-Zeev told journalists after being confirmed as the new ambassador to Germany by President Horst Koehler. "The main purpose of Nativ is to bring to those communities a sense of the Jewish culture, the Israeli culture and to help with education.
PCHR Calls for Investigating the Abduction, Torture, and Shooting of 3 Gazans
The Palestinian Center For Human Rights, International Middle East Media Center
PCHR calls for an immediate investigation into the crime of abducting 3 residents of Gaza City, torturing them, and shooting them by unknown gunmen. The Centre stresses that this crime is a continuation of the security chaos plaguing the Occupied Palestinian Territory (OPT). The Center's preliminary investigation indicates that at approximately 23:45 on Monday, 3 December 2007, unknown gunmen abducted Ayman Wasfi El-Khodari (35-year old physician), Yusef Mohammad El-Nounou (24-year old owner of a mobile phone shop), and Nabil Ibrahim El-Nounou (33-year old taxi driver). The abductees were traveling in a vehicle near Ali Bin Abi Talib Mosque in Zaitoon Quarter at the time. They were taken to an undisclosed location. At approximately 19:00 on Thursday, 6 December, the gunmen released the abductees in Othman Bin Affan Street near the Gaza Municipality Park in central Gaza City.
DFLP, PFLP, Islamic Jihad delegates visit a number of Human Rights Organizations in Gaza
IMEMC Staff, International Middle East Media Center
On the anniversary of the International Declaration for Human Rights, delegates representing the leftist Democratic Front for the Liberation of Palestine (DFLP) and Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine (PFLP)and the Islamic Jihad Movement visited a number of human rights groups in Gaza. The PFLP was represented by Dr. Rabah Mhanna, member of the PFLP's political bureau, and member of its central bureau, Mohammad Touman. The PFLP was represented by its Central Bureau members Saleh Zeidan and Mohammad Nasser,while the Islamic Jihad was represented by Sheikh Khalid Al Batsh and Khadir Habeeb. The delegates highlighted the vital role of all human rights centers and groups in defending the Palestinian rights especially as the Palestinians are still suffering under occupation and facing ongoing violations and attacks.
Detainees families hold a protest in front of the Red Cross office in Tulkarem
IMEMC Staff, International Middle East Media Center
Hundreds of families of Palestinian detainees imprisoned by Israel held a protest in front of the Red Cross Office in the northern West Bank city of Tulkarem and appealed human rights groups and the Red Cross to intervene and allow the entry of warm clothes to their detained family members. The families carried pictures of the detained beloved ones and were accompanied by international peace activists. Mother of detainee Kamal Shalaby, who is sentenced to 25 years, stated that her son was taken prisoner five years ago and is suffering from bad health condition and problems in his ears. She added that she was only able to visit her detained son three times and that he is currently in immediate need for medical attention and medications as he was hit by bullet fragments in his head and ear when he was arrested.
UN asks donor countries to raise 462 million US dollars for Palestine
Ma'an News Agency
Bethlehem – Ma'an – The United Nations asked donor countries to raise 462 million US dollars to cover the humanitarian needs in the Palestinian territories for the year 2008. A statement released by more than 40 UN-affiliated organizations and NGOs working in Gaza Strip and the West Bank said that there was an increase in the death rate in the Palestinian territories in 2007 as a result of both the Palestinian-Israeli conflict and the inter-Palestinian conflict. Organizations also said that the poverty ratein the occupied territories reached 57%, and that 34% of the population suffers from malnutrition.
UN Counter-Terrorism and Human Rights Special Rapporteur Finds Israeli Laws and Practices Incompatible with Human Rights
Al-Haq, MIFTAH
United Nations Special Rapporteur for the promotion and protection of human rights and fundamental freedoms while countering terrorism, Mr. Martin Scheinin, will present his mission report following his July 2007 visit to Israel and the Occupied Palestinian Territory (OPT) to the United Nations Human Rights Council in Geneva on Wednesday, 12 December 2007. In the report, the Special Rapporteur finds serious incompatibilities between Israel's counter-terrorism laws and practices and Israel's international human rights obligations. Among his conclusions and recommendations are the following:"…not all acts of violence committed against an occupying power, particularly when violence is targeted at military forces of an occupying power, amount to acts of terrorism. " [para. 3] "All legislation, regulations and military orders must comply with the requirements of the principle of legality…"
Monthly Summary of Israeli Violations - November. 2007
Palestinian Monitoring Group, MIFTAH
The following summary table and overview of events is a survey of Israeli violations during the period 01 November 2007 to 30 November 2007. The report includes a summary table of events by type throughout the West Bank and Gaza Strip, in addition to a comparative table surveying events over the past three months. The survey is compiled from Daily Situation Reports of the Palestinian Monitoring Group (PMG), Negotiations Affairs Department (NAD), and Palestine Liberation Organization (PLO). The PMG monitors all aspects of ground conditions in the West Bank and Gaza Strip, including Israeli violations, Palestinian violations, and Palestinian achievements. The PMG Daily Situation Reports are a survey of daily events collated from information provided by Palestinian Authoritycivil ministries and security agencies. The information reported through the PMG process only represents data available at the time ofdistribution.
UN previews 2008 Consolidated Appeal for $462 million
United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in, ReliefWeb
OCHA yesterday gave donors a preview of the 2008 Consolidated Appeal (CAP) for the occupied Palestinian territory , on behalf of UN agencies, Palestinian and international NGOs operating in the Gaza Strip and West Bank. Together they are hoping to raise $462 million to fund continuing emergency assistance programmes for the Palestinian people, in the face of ever-increasing humanitarian needs. Deputy Commissioner-General Filippo Grandi spoke on behalf of UNRWA, focusing in particular on the refugee population that the Agency is mandated to assist. He stressed that UNRWA was deeply concerned by the grave humanitarian situation in the oPt, and especially in Gaza, where the majority live in desperate conditions. Despite the positive effect of UNRWA's emergency interventions, he added, humanitarian assistance alone could not solve the problems faced by the region.
OPT: Education suffers amidst political tension and conflict in Gaza
United Nations Children''s Fund, ReliefWeb
By Toni O'Loughlin GAZA STRIP, Occupied Palestinian Territory, 12 December 2007 – Najwa Al Smairi, 11, goes to school just metres from Gaza's heavily guarded perimeter. She is one of the brightest students in her class but fears failure due to the violence and uncertainty around her. Recently, Najwah has slipped from fourth to fifth in her class, and the studious 11-year-old is concerned. "When I spoke to my sister she told me not to worry, that it was normal, but I am still worried," she says. Palestinians have long traded on excellence in education as an investment in the future, working their way into the upper echelons of governments and businesses throughout the region. Now, increased political tensions and conflict are having devastating effects in Gaza, where children make up more than half of the population.
Petach Tikva: Ethiopians protest racism in schools
Raanan Ben-Zur, YNetNews
Hundreds gather in front of City Hall to rally against racial segregation in local school, racism towards Ethiopians in Israeli society. 'We won't keep quiet anymore, enough,' says community leader - Hundreds of Ethiopian-born Israelis rallied in Petach Tikva Wednesday in protest of what they defined as racist policies in the city's education system, as well as the wide-spread racism towards Ethiopians in Israeli society in general. Protesters tried to force their way into Petach Tikva's City Hall, but were stopped by security guards. Some of the participants blocked the entrance to the building and stood for a minutes of silence "in memory of the education system, which passed away last week." Meanwhile, other protesters blocked a main intersection nearby, and police forces at the scene decided to enable them to carry on with the rally despite the disruption to traffic.
Ethiopian immigrants protesting discrimination block Petah Tikva streets
Barak Ravid and Haaretz Service, Ha'aretz
Some 1,000 Ethiopian immigrants demonstrated in front of the Petah Tikva municipality on Wednesday, protesting what they termed racist discrimination against members of the community at the city's schools and kindergartens. "Stop the racism," they shouted, while calling on Petah Tikva mayor Yitzhak Ohayon to resign. The protesters blocked several city streets. Israel Radio reported that the Petah Tikva police had received orders not to use force against the demonstrators. On Sunday, Prime Minister Ehud Olmert validated the sentiments of the Ethiopian community when he told the cabinet at the opening of its weekly meeting that "Ethiopian Jews' feeling that they have been wronged is not detached from reality, a reality that we must change." Olmert spoke about the discrimination against Ethiopian-born students, referring...
IDF leaves Palestinian home in shambles after weapons search
Haaretz Staff and Channel 10, Ha'aretz
Haaretz. com/Channel 10 daily feature for December 11, 2007. Last Thursday, in the middle of the night, soldiers arrived at the Nasser household in the village of Yata in the southern Hebron Hills. They came on a routine search for concealed weapons based on intelligence information, but the damages they left behind at the Palestinian family's home were nothing but routine. Related articles: Israel's defense & Annapolis / A defensive dilemma IDF probe finds gross misconduct by troops in Dahariya rampage Old boys' network For more video news and features, visit Haaretz. com TV
Undercover Israeli forces kidnap Palestinian from Ramallah
Brian Kenny, International Middle East Media Center
On Monday evening, undercover Israeli forces abducted a Palestinian man from the West Bank city of Ramallah. Local media reported that the soldiers arrived in a civilian car and stormed an office belonging to the Fatah movement near Ramallah. Muhammad Al-Bawwab, 22 was abducted in the raid. Israel had released Al-Bawwab from a detention center as part of an amnesty deal last summer. Israeli media claim that the abducted man was suspected of firing at the Israeli settlement of Pisgat Ze'ev, near Ramallah.
Palestinian security forces arrest 13, at least 4 of whom are Hamas members, near Nabulus
Brian Kenny, International Middle East Media Center
Palestinian security forces stormed the village of Yasid, north of the West Bank city of Nabulus on Wednesday and arrested 13 people, at least four of those arrested were members of the Hamas movement. The Palestinian Preventive Security Director for Nablus, Akram Rajoub, told local media that all of the detainees were suspected of 'penal and security charges'. He denied that security forces had been shot at in Yasid , although admitted that the security forces had discharged shots into the air in an effort to quench a heated argument which took palace between them and a local family. Eyewitness stated that a building belonging to the local council was temporarily converted by security forces into an interrogation center following a heated argument which broke out between security forces and a local family who had tried to prevent the arrest of Ammar Thahir.
Al-Aqsa Brigades fire on Israeli bus
Ma'an News Agency
Bethlehem – Ma'an – Fatah's armed wing, the Al-Aqsa Brigades, announced on Tuesday evening that they fired at an Israeli bus near the Israeli settlement Qedumim east of the West Bank city Qalqilia. They said the operation was in retaliation for Israeli atrocities against the Palestinians in the West Bank and Gaza trip. [end]
An-Nasser Brigades leader: 'abduct Israeli soldiers, bomb Israeli cities'
Ma'an News Agency 12/12/2007
Gaza – The Deputy Secretary General of the Popular Resistance Committees' military wing, the An-Nasser Salah Addin Brigades, Abu Ahmad Al-Jad said on Wednesday that "abduction of Israeli soldiers and bombing Israeli cities are the best means to exert pressure on the Israeli government to force them release Palestinian prisoners." Abu Ahmad described Tuesday's massive Israeli incursion in Gaza Strip as the outcome of the Annapolis peace summit held in the US in November. He called on all An-Nasser Brigades' groups to block any Israeli assaults.
Palestine Today 121207
Ghassan Bannoura - Audio Dept, International Middle East Media Center 12/12/2007
Click on Link to download or play MP3 file || File 3. 67 MB || Time 4m 0s || Welcome to Palestine Today, a service of the International Middle East Media Centre, www. imemc. org, for Wednesday, December 12th, 2007. In Gaza, Israeli jet-fighters kill one Palestinian man, while troops attack and serve closure notices on media outlets in the West Bank, these stories and more coming up stay tuned. The News Cast Local media sources in the central Gaza Strip reported on Wednesday that a Palestinian resistance fighter of the Al Quds Brigades, of the Islamic Jihad, had been killed when an Israeli tank fired a shell on a group of the Saraya fighters in eastern Gaza Strip. In a statement, faxed to press, the brigade reported that Sameh Al Aydi, was killed while he and other comrades were firing rocket-propelled grenades at an Israeli military outpost south east of Gaza.
Mechanics of new ME peace talks
Martin Patience, BBC Online
At the Annapolis conference held in the US in November, the Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert and Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas agreed to launch new peace negotiations aimed at ending the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. The two sides agreed to "make every effort" to conclude an agreement by the end of 2008. An agreement would mean the establishment of a Palestinian state and a resolution to the final status issues - borders, Jerusalem, settlements, Palestinian refugees and water. The process starts with the first meeting of the steering committee on Wednesday 12 December. Hamas, the militant group that runs the Gaza Strip, is still excluded from the talks - it was not involved at Annapolis and refuses to recognise Israel.
Difficult start to Mid-East talks
BBC Online
Israeli and Palestinian negotiators have held their first formal session of peace talks since 2000, but reports say it was dominated by recriminations. Arguments revolved around plans for new building work in Israeli-occupied East Jerusalem, officials said. A Palestinian negotiator said the only positive outcome was that the two delegations had agreed to meet again. It is a fortnight since the two sides' leaders pledged at Annapolis to seek a Palestinian statehood deal before 2009. Correspondents say the meeting had been meant to set in motion negotiations on so-called core issues - borders, Palestinian refugees, Jerusalem and water. We really wanted to see it as a procedural meeting in good spirit... They created a tense atmosphere Israeli official Mechanics of the newtalks Former Palestinian Prime Minister Ahmed Qurei said in...
Factbox-Olmert and Abbas: the distance between them
Reuters Foundation
Dec 12 (Reuters) - Israeli and Palestinian negotiating teams start the first formal peace talks in seven years on Wednesday with the goal of reaching a statehood deal before U.S. President George W. Bush leaves office. How far apart are Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert and Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas on some of the biggest issues negotiators will face? SECURITY: Israel has said that no agreement will be implemented until the Palestinians dismantle militant groups. Palestinians say Israeli occupation in the West Bank hinders their efforts. Hamas Islamists, who seized control of the Gaza Strip in June, oppose the new talks. BORDERS: Olmert has privately expressed willingness to give up "90-something" percent of the West Bank territory, and 100 percent of the Gaza Strip, as part of a final peace deal, Western officials say.
Palestinian interior minister visits Bethlehem
Ma'an News Agency
Bethlehem – Ma'an – The Palestinian interior minister Abdul-Razaq Al-Yahya paid a visit on Wednesday to the southern West Bank city of Bethlehem to see the Christmas preparations in the city. He also had meetings with West Bank security services in Bethlehem's security compound to discuss the possibility of adopting a plan to keep security and order in the city, according to the information coordinator of Bethlehem governorate, Munjid Jado. The minister talked about the Palestinian caretaker government's achievements towards internal security, lifting the crippling boycott and promoting education and economy. Bethlehem governor Salah At-Ta'mari updated the interior minister on the outcome of Tuesday's meeting in Bethlehem between Quartet envoy Tony Blair and the Palestinian ministers of tourism and local governance.
Hamas Builds Separate Courts in Gaza
Amira Hass,
While all eyes were turned to the meeting at Annapolis late last month, Hamas' government in the Gaza Strip tightened its grip on three important civilian institutions: the court system, the municipality and the Central Palestinian Bureau of Statistics. In taking over these branches of governance, Hamas deepened the institutional rift between its dominion and the Fatah-led West Bank. The fact that these institutions are now under Hamas' auspices add to the Strip's character as a separate entity. The takeover of the civil courthouse occurred on November 26. Two days later, on November 28, Hamas forces took over the statistics bureaus and shut them down. The next day, the municipality received a new director general, who put in place other moves aimed at consolidating Hamas' hold on the city. The takeover on the bureau statistics came after the office refused Hamas' demand to oversee a general census which is currently being conducted.
Survey: U.S. Jews are losing interest in Israel
Shmuel Roser
American Jews are losing interest in Israel, according to figures released Tuesday in the American Jewish Committee 2007 Annual Survey of American Jewish Opinion. Figures showed that 69 percent of Jewish Americans agreed with the statement "Caring about Israel is a very important part of my being a Jew" in 2007, compared to 74 percent last year and 79 percent in 2005. The survey illustrated continued opposition to the war in Iraq by U.S. Jews, although a third recognized that increased military activity known as "the surge" had a positive effect. In 2006, 66 percent agreed with the statement that "Iraq will never become a stable democracy." This year 76 percent maintain this view. Almost 60 percent of participants expressed deep concern about Iran's nuclear program, and 7 percent said they were not at all concerned.
POLITICS: U.S. Jews Tilt Rightwards on Israel
Jim Lobe, Inter Press Service
WASHINGTON, Dec 12(IPS) - U.S. Jews appear to have become more opposed both to Israel's making key concessions in renewed peace talks with Palestinians and to the U.S. carrying out a military attack against Iran's nuclear facilities, according to the latest in an annual series of surveys of Jewish opinion released here this week by the American Jewish Committee (AJC). The poll, which was carried out during November before the formal resumption of Israeli-Palestinian peace talks in Annapolis late last month, also found continued scepticism in the Jewish community over both the war in Iraq and the "war on terror" as conducted by the administration of President George W. Bush. Moreover, a growing majority of Jews identify themselves as Democrats -- 58 percent compared to 54 percent in October 2006 -- while only 15 percent said they considered themselves Republicans, the same percentage...
USAID celebrates renovation of St. Dimitri School in the Old City of Jerusalem
United States Agency for International Development, ReliefWeb 12/12/2007
Old City, Jerusalem - The United States Agency for International Development (USAID) celebrated Wednesday the completion of the renovation of the Greek Orthodox Patriarchate School of St. Dimitri in the Old City of Jerusalem. With its new facilities and modern science laboratory, the school now provides a safer and more adequate educational environment. The project also aimed to maintain and preserve this century old historical building. His Beatitude Patriarch Theophelous III and USAID Mission Director Dr. Howard Sumka attended the event, together with Palestinian Ministry of Education officials and representatives from International Orthodox Christian Charities (IOCC), the implementer of the project. The Patriarch thanked USAID and IOCC for the important job done for the benefit of the Old City community. USAID provided $170,000 towards the school's rehabilitation, which generated approximately 1,700 days of work for Palestinians.
New electricity generator for Gaza Strip
Ma'an News Agency
Bethlehem – Ma'an – A new electricity generator is to be sent to the Gaza Strip, the Israeli liaison and coordination department for the Gaza Strip said in a statement on Wednesday. The generator will enhance power capabilities for the coastal region. It will be added to seven others which have been allowed into the Gaza Strip this year in coordination with the Palestinian power authorities in Ramallah. The Israeli liaison department has also facilitated the entry of 13 Egyptian engineers and technicians into Gaza, who will install the generator during the coming weeks.
Bethlehem tourism looking up for
Christmas despite Israeli policies
Middle East Online
BETHLEHEM, West Bank - Tourism to Bethlehem has risen 60 percent in the run-up to Christmas, despite Israel's separation barrier turning the birthplace of Christ into a "big prison", its mayor said on Tuesday. In his annual address as the small West Bank town -- whose economy has been decimated by Israeli occupation and violence -- prepares for Christmas, Victor Batarseh said tourism to Bethlehem had grown 60 percent in the past three months. "In January 2007, 18,509 tourists visited the city of Bethlehem and starting September 2007, the number of tourists started to increase," he said. There were 64,420 tourists in November and "we are expecting even more this month," the mayor said, attributing the increase to churches abroad projecting an image of safety and encouraging Christians to show solidarity and visit.
Israelis' purchasing power rises
Zeev Klein, Globes Online
Per capita GDP in Israel is still 18% below the OECD average. Israelis' per capita GDP adjusted for purchasing power parity rose to $24,500 as a result of rapid economic growth and the shekel's appreciation against the dollar, according to a comparative study by the Central Bureau of Statistics with 55 other advanced countries. Israel's per capita purchasing power is expected to climb to $27,000 by the end of the year. Nevertheless, Israel is still ranked 23rd in the list, and its per capita GDP is still 18% below the OECD average. Luxembourg is ranked in first place in the Central Bureau of Statistics study, with per capita GDP of $71,300, 2. 9 times the level in Israel. Norway is in second place, with $48,600, followed by the US with $43,000, and Ireland, with $39,000. Ten years ago, Ireland's per capita GDP was the same as Israel's.
Tactical UAV co Bluebird Aero Systems raises $7m
Batya Feldman, Globes Online
The investor is Doron Almog's Athlone Global Security Tactical unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) start-up Bluebird Aero Systems Ltd. has raised $7 million in its second financing round. The investor is Athlone Global Security Ltd. , a homeland security investment company. Athlone made an initial investment in Bluebird Aero in April, and now owns 30% of the company with the completion of the financing round. Bluebird Aero president and CEO Ronen Nadir, an aeronautical engineer, founded the company in 2002. The company develops advanced technological solutions for UAVs. Some of the company's UAVs are already in operation with the Israel Air Force and US Army. The IDF used the company's UAVs during the Second Lebanon War in 2006, and is currently using them for military operations in the Gaza Strip.
Insurance catch leaves foreign workers in pain
Ruth Sinai, Ha'aretz
Like many of the 102,000 foreign workers who are employed in Israel legally, Suzhan Maleh believed his insurance policy would cover his work-related injury. Like many, he found himself navigating a minefield of Catch-22's and bureaucratic glitches the day he tried to collect. After borrowing $6,000 to pay Nepalese and Israeli brokers to find him a job in Israel, Maleh was hired in January 2005 to tend to an elderly couple in Hadera. Every day he lifted the 220-pound man from his wheelchair and carried him to the couch or the bed and back. Last January Maleh felt a sharp pain in his back on one occasion as he was lifting the man. After that, Maleh was no longer capable of performing his duties. By July, the pain was so bad that he had to quit. Afterwards, and following numerous X-rays and examinations, Maleh was told he needed surgery.
Palestinians drive to Jordan for the fist time since 1976
Nisreen Qumsieh, International Middle East Media Center
On Wednesday a team of Palestinian car racers will leave Ramallah and drive to Jordan in their own cars, something which hasn't happened since 1976. The team will participate in the final round of the 2007 Jordanian racing championship of al Aqapa. The race will be launched next Friday by Prince Faysal Bin Al Hussien, Head of the Jordanian motor sport federation. The participation of Palestinian drivers at the event comes following consultation between the director of motor sport in Jordan, Ziad Loza and Head of the Palestinian motor sport league, Khaled Qadora. They coordinated the travel arrangements for the participants with the help of the Prince and the Jordanian Minister of Interior, Eid Al Fayes. Dr. Saeb Erekat, Honorary President of the Palestinian motor sport league also played an important role in the organization of the event.
Channel 10 to launch Israeli version of reality TV show 'Survivor'
Yael Walzer, TheMarker,
Channel 10 has invested more than $5 million in the first 40 episodes of "Survival," Israel-style. The television show's launch is scheduled for this Saturday, after five weeks during which Channel 10 bombarded viewers with promotions that were just part of its public-relations blitz. The first show will be a double episode, competing against "Born to Dance" on Channel 2, broadcast by Keshet. Channel 2 is run by two production companies, Keshet and Reshet, which have divided the week between them. In January they exchange broadcast days, and Reshet will be the one facing off against "Survivor", which it plans to do with "Grease". Like the original American version of Survivor, the Israelis were "abandoned" on an isolated island. "Surviving isn't just a sport and eating cockroaches," said producer Guy Hameiri.
Beirut: Army chief's successor killed
Associated Press,
Blast in outskirts of Lebanese capital leaves four dead, including senior army officer General Francois al-Hajj, leading candidate to take over as army commander when current commander General Michel Suleiman is elected president - An early morning bomb attack killed one of Lebanon's top military generals and at least three others as they drove through a Christian suburb of Beirut, putting even more pressure on the country's delicate political situation, the military and state media said. The military said Brig. -Gen. Francois Hajj, head of military operations in the army command, was killed in the explosion along with his bodyguard. His name had been mentioned as a strong candidate to succeed army commander Michel Suleiman, if he is elected president. Site of blast in Baabda (Photo: Reuters) The blast is the first attack of its kind against the...
Hajj latest casualty in string of assassinations
A car bomb on Wednesday killed Brigadier General Francois Hajj, 54, the head of operations for the Lebanese Armed Forces. He was the first military figure to be killed in such an attack after a string of bombings killed eight other prominent figures since 2005. Here is a glance at the other recent attacks in Lebanon, most of them against opponents of Syria: l February 14, 2005: Former Prime Minister Rafik Hariri, tilting toward the opposition, is assassinated in a massive bombing. Former Economy Minister Bassel Fleihan also died of wounds sustained in the blast. Anti-Syrian groups, then in the opposition, blame the Syrian and Lebanese regimes for the attack, charges both deny. l June 2, 2005: Anti-Syrian journalist and activist Samir Kassir is killed by a bomb placed under his car. l June 21, 2005: Anti-Syrian politician George Hawi, former Communist Party leader, is killed by a bomb under his car.
Assassination of Hajj adds to pessimism among Beirutis
BEIRUT: A car bomb explosion on Wednesday targeting a senior army commander, General Francois Hajj, marked the seventh in a string of political assassinations that have daunted Lebanon since the 2005 attack on former Premier Rafik Hariri. The latest tragedy comes at a time when the nation continues to suffer in a deep crisis of political division preventing the election of a new president. The Daily Star went to the Beirut neighborhood of Hamra for a local perspective. Monday morning's attack in the Christian suburb of Baabda that killed Hajj was the first of such strikes strike against a Lebanese army official. With the head of the military, General Michel Suleiman, being a likely candidate to take up presidency, Hajj had been considered a probable replacement. As chief of operations, Hajj led the military campaign and eventual victory against Fatah al-Islam at the Nahr al-Bared Palestinian refugee camp near Tripoli last summer.
Iran, Egypt hold first 'constructive
talks' since row over pro-Israel leader's killer
Senior Iranian and Egyptian officials held a rare meeting in Tehran on Wednesday, Iranian state media reported. The talks were the countries' first to be billed as "constructive" since an attempt to restore ties in 2003 broke down over differing attitudes to Israel. The 2003 talks failed when Iran rejected Egypt's demand that it remove a Tehran memorial of Khaled al-Islambouli, leader of the group which in 1981orchestrated the assassination of Anwar Sadat, the Egyptian leader who made peace with Israel. Iran is fiercely opposed to Israel. Tehran also still has a street named after Islambouli, however Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmedinejad said in May that Tehran was ready to revive ties with Egypt and open an embassy in Cairo, which Egypt's foreign minister described at the time as 'positive'.
Articles
The Grim Reality in Gaza
Mohammed Omer,
Traffic in the Gaza Strip slowed to a trickle last week, and this week medical centres have scaled back treatment in the medicines and sustenance-destitute Strip.
"Israel's decision is a death penalty: our reserve of fuel is almost zero and it may very likely run out by the end of today," said Khaled Radi, Ministry of Health spokesman for the dismissed Hamas government.
Radi spoke in reference to the 30 November Israeli Supreme Court decision to allow further fuel cutbacks, severe reductions which are crippling Gaza's residents in all aspects of life. Prior to that ruling, as early as October Israel decided to begin limiting fuel, with Gaza soon after enduring serious cuts of over 50% of fuel needs, a dire statistic confirmed by the UN body OCHA.
At the Nahal Oz crossing, through which all fuel enters Gaza, the Palestinian petrol authority reported that Israel has delivered around only 190,000 litres of diesel a day since late October, falling short of the 350,000 litres needed by the Gaza Strip. This number plummeted on 29 November, with Israel delivering a scanty 60,000 litres, only marginally improving three days later, 2 December, with a delivery of 90,000 litres.
Israel's Palestinians speak out
Nadim Rouhana, The Nation, Electronic Intifada
The Annapolis peace talks regard me as an interloper in my own land. Israel's deputy prime minister, Avigdor Lieberman, argues that I should "take [my] bundles and get lost." Henry Kissinger thinks I ought to be summarily swapped from inside Israel to the would-be Palestinian state.
I am a Palestinian with Israeli citizenship -- one of 1.4 million. I am also a social psychologist trained and working in the United States. In late November, on behalf of Mada al-Carmel, the Arab Center for Applied Social Research, I polled Palestinian citizens of Israel regarding their reactions to the Annapolis conference and their views about our future, and how they would be affected by Middle East peace negotiations.
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