Click on the Headline to View Full Story
Israel invites bids for new east Jerusalem settlements
"The Israel Land Administration has published a tender for the construction of 307 housing units in Har Homa," an official in the housing ministry told AFP, referring to a neighbourhood in east Jerusalem. At the Annapolis conference last week, Israel and the Palestinians pledged to implement the 2003 roadmap plan, the first phase of which calls on Israel to freeze all settlement activity and for Palestinians to improve security.
Spokesman: Israel has right to build in E Jerusalem
"Israel will strictly abide by obligations under the Roadmap that applies to West Bank," Mark Regev told Xinhua, adding that "Jerusalem is not the West Bank but Israeli capital." Regev admitted that Jerusalem is one of the core issues under negotiations with the Palestinian. But he claimed that, unlike the West Bank and the Gaza Strip, it's not part of the requirements in the roadmap peace plan.
Peace Now: IDF carried out only 3% of settlement demolition orders
According to the report, from 1997-2007 the Civil Administration issued 3449 demolition orders for illegally built structures in the settlements and settlement outposts, but evacuated and demolished only 107 of them, the report stated.
Palestinian Political detainee hospitalized following attack
A female Palestinian detainee claimed she was attacked and beaten by Israeli gaurds at the Hasaron Israeli detention camp, she told her lawyer on Tuesday.Her lawyer, Shreen Nasser, told how her client Amneh Mona was kept in solitary confinement for over six months.
Palestinian human rights organization:
PA excessive use of force leaves 17 Palestinians dead
The committee reported that 17 Palestinians were killed due to either excessive force by the Palestinian Authority or the general state of lawlessness in the PA controlled areas. Of the 17 killed in the month of November, 12 were in Gaza and 5 in the West Bank
Three Nonviolent Protests in the West Bank
Troops installed barbed wire in an attempt to prevent the protesters from reaching the highway. However, the villagers insisted and managed to reach the road. Troops fired several rounds of rubber-coated steel bullets and tear gas at the protesters, however no injuries were reported. For seven years in a row, Israel prohibits Palestinians from using this 200-mile road which is built on the land of Palestinian villages, and allows only (Illegal) Jewish settlers to use it.
B`Tselem slams Israeli Supreme Courts delay in decision to allow reduction of fuel supplies to Gaza
B'Tselem asserted there should be questions asked regarding the courts unwillingness to intervene in what amounts to collective punishment. They also pointed out that the court has postponed the decision regarding Israels plan to reduce the fuel supplies to Gaza for two weeks as it was supposed to be given on the 2nd of December.
Israei army tortures teenager over false allegations
The subsequent interrogation, in the police taxi and at the Ariel police station where he was then taken, revolved around accusations of stone-throwing at cars on highway 55 as well as at police and military jeeps when they invade Azzoun. Mahmoud was threatened repeatedly, interrogators telling him he must confess to throwing stones if he wanted to return home or else he'd be taken to court and fined. He was repeatedly threatened that the Israeli police would "make problems" for him and his family. He was further repeatedly cursed, profanities used against him and female family members.
Israel mulls how to deal with Gaza amid revived peace push
Last week Olmert said that he would take his time in deciding how to deal with the territory, from where Israel withdrew settlers and troops in 2005 after a 38-year occupation. "The question is not if we have to stop the (rocket) fire, but what kind of strike we should deal," he said in an interview with the mass-selling Yediot Aharonot.
Israeli air strikes kill three Palestinians in Gaza
Israeli air strikes killed three Palestinians in the central Gaza Strip city of Rafah in the early hours of Tuesday morning. The strikes come following Israeli Defense Minister Ehud Baraks' authorization of military action against Gaza. Twelve members of Hamas have been killed during Israeli attacks on Gaza in the past week.
Red Cross training Gaza fighters in international humanitarian law
According to the spokesperson of the Salah al-Din brigades, Abu Mojahed, the armed wing of the Popular Resistance Committees (PRC) in Gaza, which has been attending the ICRC's humanitarian training, "This is a part of the ICRC's mission, which we feel we should respect and deal with." "We always avoid areas where there is a civilian population so we can guarantee less harm is inflicted. However, the Israeli army intentionally harms civilians.
Detainees Media Center: "Israel is avoiding its commitments to the peace process"
The Center also stated that there are dozens of children, women, elderly and sick detainees who should be freed without any preconditions, and that Israel insists on obstructing any progress in the peace process by not fulfilling its obligations.
Israel's First Madam In Lebanon
Shulamit accepted to work with the Mossad, money probably being one of her motives. Before she started her work as a spy, she was sent into training in Ha-Kirya in Tel Aviv, where she learned to fulfill her duties as a prostitute for the Mossad. After that, she was sent to London to learn the English language and good manners, and how to "fish in troubled waters" after men of interest for her employer.
Hospitals to disclose Palestinian patients' profiles to Defense Ministry
Israeli hospitals are no longer authorized to schedule medical appointments for Palestinians without first providing the security services with the patients' names for vetting, Health Ministry officials confirmed to Haaretz Monday.
2 Palestinian police held in shooting
Two Palestinian policemen have been arrested in the fatal shooting of a Jewish settler in a volatile West Bank area where Palestinians are trying to impose law and order, the Israeli military said Monday.
Israeli forces kidnap one Palestinian in Tubas and attack local shepherds
Security sources reported that several Israeli military vehicles invaded the city as well as several other neighborhoods in the surrounding area. Troops besieged a civilian's home before kidnapping a Palestinian youth. The boy, Sameh Sawafta, was taken to an unknown detention center. In a separate incident, Israeli forces attacked a group of shepherds in the al Aquapa village in Tubas.
Adding insult to Gaza's injuries
At a time when the international community is meeting to try to resolve one of the longest standing conflicts in the world, around 20 Palestinians have been killed in Gaza by Israel - in less than one week. These Israeli atrocities only fuel feelings of distrust between the two sides and further contribute to the isolation of the Gaza Strip.
Israel to aid Palestinian refugees in peace deal: OImert
"We will do this out of goodwill, not, God forbid, out of any sense of guilt, but out of pure humanitarian motives and as good neighbours. This is a commitment and a promise," Olmert said. (Surely not from their respect to International Law!
Israeli Arab leaders: A Palestinian state is not the solution for us
Dr. Amal Jamal, head of the Political Science department at Tel Aviv University, said Tuesday that the "Palestinians have their Palestine. We have our Palestine." He emphasized the Palestinian right to self-identification also encompasses the Palestinian minority inside Israel, and demanded Israeli Arabs be give the chance to realize this right.
Budget shortfalls threatening assistance to Palestinian refugees, warns UN official
"Lack of resources means that we are unable to employ enough teachers, health care and social workers to keep pace with a beneficiary population that is growing in both size and needs," said Filippo Grandi, Deputy Commissioner-General of the UN Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East (UNRWA), which aids 4.5 million people.
Egypt relaxes its Gaza border for haj
The movement of Gaza pilgrims through Egypt suggested a softening stance from Cairo toward Hamas. Egypt has had little contact with the group since it seized power. It was also a blow to the rival Fatah-led government in the West Bank, which promised to ship pilgrims out through Israel. Egypt and Saudi Arabia, both traditional supporters of Fatah, were both involved in Monday's passage.
Secretary-General appoints Robert H. Serry of Netherlands United Nations Special Coordinator for Middle East Peace Process
Robert H. Serry of the Netherlands was appointed by United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon as the United Nations Special Coordinator for the Middle East Peace Process and his Personal Representative to the Palestine Liberation Organization and the Palestinian Authority. In this capacity, Mr. Serry will be the Envoy of the Secretary-General to the Quartet..
Bring them home, gradually
Since the separation fence (Apartheid Wall) was built, thousands of settlers who live east of it find themselves in an unclear situation. Having to wait for a political settlement to determine the permanent border is nerve-racking for those who wish to lead a normal life. Polls show that some 20,000 settlers at least would at this point like to vacate communities east of the fence, if they receive enough compensation to buy a new home.
Troubled waters adds tension in West Bank
Amid peace talks between Israelis and Palestinians over how to divide land, there is another conflict bubbling just beneath the surface; this one is over water, a precious resource in the Middle East. The sleepy Palestinian village of Qattaneh just north-west of Jerusalem and with approximately 10,000 inhabitants, many of them refugees, has had its piped water reduced to only one day per week, according to a recent Humanitarian Monitor report released by the U.N. Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA).
Guerrilla artist Banksy in Holy Land
Banksy, who has successfully outfoxed the art world over his identity, has "tagged" the 436-mile West Bank wall before. In 2005, he stencilled nine scenes of life beyond the concrete wall, sparking a craze for international graffiti artists to leave their mark on the eight metre-high concrete barrier and winning plaudits from human rights campaigners for his satirical attack on the wall, which borders large sections of the occupied territories. His latest publicity stunt is timed to coincide with today's opening of an exhibition of his work, and that of other artists, in the city which aims to bring tourists back to Bethlehem over the Christmas period.
Pray for success, because Israel will pay the price of Annapolis failure
There is already a growing international movement calling for boycott, divestment and sanctions against Israel - even now as Israel is engaged in a peace process. It is a small movement lead by the same coalitions that are against globalization and against the war in Iraq . Even though this global movement is presently small and perhaps insignificant, it is being advanced by a tight net of small organizations of activists, many of whom were behind the successful campaign against apartheid. Failure of the Annapolis process is the fuel that these people and organizations are waiting for.
Bush to make 1st official visit to Israel in January
During his visit, Bush is expected to focus on promoting Israeli-Palestinian negotiations in the framework of agreements reached at last week's Mideast peace conference, held in Annapolis, Maryland.. This visit will be Bush's first visit to Israel since he took office seven years ago. Bush visited Israel in 1998 when he was governor of Texas.
President Bush Launches New Partnership to Help Palestinian Youth
The president says an important component will focus on young people in the West Bank. Additional efforts to help the Palestinians will continue when France hosts a donors' conference later this month. President Bush has asked the U.S. Congress to approve an increase of more than $400 million in additional aid to the Palestinian people.
Kidnappers give Britain 10-day ultimatum to quit Iraq
"My name is Jason. Today is the 18th of November. I have been here now held for 173 days and I feel we have been forgotten," the hostage said in the video, as he sat flanked by two masked gunmen in front of a banner reading the Shiite Islamic Resistance in Iraq. The kidnappers set Britain a 10-day deadline from the date of the video's broadcast to pull out of Iraq or see the hostage executed.
0 Have Your Say!:
Post a Comment