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OCHA-oPt protection of civilians summary
data tables: Reports to the end of Dec 2007
Army ends its offensive in eastern
Gaza leaving 17 dead and 10 injured
Palestinian sources reported that the Israeli
army military offensive in the eastern part of
the Gaza Strip that started on Tuesday at
dawn has come to an end, leaving 17
Palestinians dead, and at least 10 injured.
Israel blasts Gaza amid peace talks
Israel has launched a missile attack in the Gaza strip,
killing three Palestinians, as its negotiators opened
fresh peace talks with Palestinian officials.
Gaza: Mahmoud al-Zahar's son,
16 others killed by IDF
(Video) Hamas leader's son killed during aerial strike in northern Strip's Zeitoun neighborhood; total of 17 Palestinians killed during IDF activity Tuesday. 20-year-old Ecuadorian kibbutz volunteer killed by Palestinian sniper fire.
Haniyeh:'Killing Palestinian leaders and
their children will not kill Palestinian cause'
Dismissed Palestinian Prime Minister from Hamas,
Ismail Haniyeh, referred to the killing of Hussein
al-Zahar, the son of senior Hamas leader, Mahmoud
al-Zahar, saying that "the killing of Palestinian
leaders and their children will not kill Palestinian
issue and will not make Hamas give up on its positions.
" Haniyeh made these remarks during a visit to the
Shifa hospital in Gaza where those injured in IDF
operations in Gaza are being hospitalized.
Top Gaza clan split between
Hamas, Fatah
GAZA CITY — The leading opposition clan in the
Gaza Strip is badly split over policy toward the
Hamas regime. The Dughmoush clan has been
divided over whether to reconcile with the Hamas
regime. Palestinian sources said the traditional
leadership has appealed for cooperation with
Hamas while the younger members have
supported the opposition Fatah movement.
Hamas sniper kills kibbutz
volunteer near Gaza fence
An Ecuadorian volunteer working in the fields
of Kibbutz Ein Hashlosha near the Gaza Strip
was killed on Tuesday when he was shot by
a sniper belonging to Hamas' armed wing.
Israeli Settlers and troops attacked farmers
and journalists in Bili'n village near Ramallah
On Tuesday a group of armed settlers and
Israeli troops attacked Palestinian farmers and a
journalist in Bili'n village located near the central
West Bank city of Ramallah.
Israeli Settlers burn a Palestinian house
and the Army up-root trees in Hebron
A group of radical armed settlers attacked a
Palestinian house and set fire to it while the
Israeli Army kidnapped the owners of the
house on Tuesday midday in the southern
West Bank city of Hebron.
Hams sources: P.A security arrests
eight Hamas members in the West Bank
Hamas media sources reported on Monday
that Palestinian Security Forces arrested eight
members of the movement on Sunday in
several West Bank cities.
Hamas spokesperson: Abbas siding with
Bush and against Hamas
Gaza – Ma'an – Hamas Spokesperson Fawzi Barhoum criticized
Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas' speech to the Palestine
Liberation Organization (PLO) Central Council on Sunday,
calling the remarks a "new trick for the Palestinian people
which contradicts his calls for nationalist dialogue, and
[exacerbates] disagreement." Barhoum accused Abbas of
impeding efforts to turn a new page in intra-Palestinian relations
and supporting US president George Bush's calls for escalated
attacks on Hamas and its leaders. As for the Abbas'
accusations that Hamas refused to reopen Gaza Strip
crossings, Barhoum said that was a lie aimed at defaming
Hamas. Barhoum also stated that the Palestinian caretaker
government based in the West Bank is withholding the salaries
of 40,000 civil servants in Gaza Strip due to their political affiliation.
Hamas: IDF massacre in Gaza result
of Bush's support
'Israeli army's operation proves enemy only
understands language of blood and force,'
spokesman for Izz al-Din al-Qassam Brigades
says in response to death of at least 17 Palestinians in Strip.
Hamas arrests senior
Fatah official in Gaza
The Islamist Hamas movement ruling the Gaza
Strip arrested a senior official from the rival
Fatah party overnight in the territory, his family
told AFP on Tuesday. Jamal Kayed of president
Mahmud Abbas's secular Fatah faction, who
headed one of the security services before Hamas
seized control of the territory in June, was detained
by armed men at his home in Gaza City, family
members said.
Israeli military kidnaps at
least 12 Palestinians from Nablus
Israeli forces invaded the northern West Bank
city of Nablus through Beit Iba checkpoint in the
early hours of Tuesday morning and imposed a
curfew on Sura town, near Nablus.
Israeli forces seize five Tulkarem residents
Tulkarem – Ma'an – A Hamas activist missing since Friday
has been confirmed to be captured by the Israeli military,
and four other Palestinians were seized near the West Bank
city of Tulkarem on Monday, Palestinian security sources said.
Thirty-six-year-old Wathiq Jitawi has been missing for more
than three days. His car was found in the village of Bal'a, near
Tulkarem. On Monday Palestinian security officers confirmed
that Jitawi had been abducted by Israeli soldiers at the main
entrance to the village. Jitawi is from the village of Iktaba, also
near Tulkarem. Jitawi's brother Mu'tasim Jitawi and another
Hamas activist named Abdil-Hamid Salama were seized by
Israeli forces in homes on Monday. Activist Hussein Ya'qub
was detained at a military checkpoint in the village of Jbarah,
south of Tulkarem.
cover will not accomplish its goals
Ghazi Hamad, a spokesman of the Hamas
government in Gaza, stated that there is
a need to re-assess the resistance war and
to reset the political agenda. He emphasized
the importance of the political cover for the
resistance saying that "Without political cover
the resistance will be weak"
The Palestinian government calls upon
Israel to stop its attacks on Gaza
The Palestinian government issued a statement on
Tuesday afternoon condemning the Israeli attack
on the Gaza Strip and called on Israel to stop any
military operations because it damages the
Palestinian-Israeli ongoing talks.
Abbas: IDF raid on Gaza is a
massacre which can't be ignored
Israel Defense Forces troops on Tuesday killed at
least 17 Palestinians, including three civilians, in
ground and air operations on Gaza City.
Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas denounced
the raids as "a massacre" which would not be
forgotten by the Palestinians.
Israeli official: Palestinians
will pay heavy price
MKs, government officials react to death
of foreign volunteer by Palestinian sniper
fire near Gaza; 'Olmert is reluctant to declare
war even though the battles have already
begun,' MK Edelstein says.
MK Barake: Palestinian blood dowery
for leaving Lieberman 'wedded' to government
Hadash Chairman MK Mohammad Barake,
spoke Tuesday about IDF operations in Gaza,
which have left 15 Palestinians dead, noting that
"It is not enough the government is starving Gaza
residents, but now it is claiming countless lives daily
through military operations." "Palestinian blood is
a terrible dowery meant to leave Minister for Strategic
Affairs Avigdor Liebermann 'wedded' to the current
government," said Barake (Sharon Roffe-Ofir)
Detainee confined to solitary,
facing a deteriorating health condition
Family of detainee Saleh Dar Mousa
contacted the Nafha society, which defends the
Rights of Palestinian Detainees and Human Rights,
and appealed them to intervene to save the life of
Saleh who is facing a sharply deteriorating health
conditions in Israeli prisons.
Detainee confined to solitary, facing a
deteriorating health condition
Al Mezan condemns assaults on Peaceful
Assembly; Calls for an End to Attacks on
Journalist
On 10 January 2008, Palestinian police attacked
a peaceful march organized by the Palestinian
National and Islamic Factions in the West Bank
town of Ramallah. Eyewitnesses reported to Al
Mezan Center that journalists are being pursued
and arrested by Palestinian security forces
because of the nature of their work and their
political orientation.
Gazans struggle to keep warm facing
fuel, electricity shortages
The severe cold front that has swept Israel
in the last several days has not spared the
residents of the Gaza Strip, and low temperatures
have only highlighted the severe shortages of
basic supplies such as gas and electricity.
Refugee stories - Letters from Gaza
...without electricity or water
Two complete days without electricity or water.
My life is paralysed. My kids are bored. I've run
out of ideas for how to make them have fun. Nothing
keeps them occupied anymore. When there's no
electricity and only candlelight, you have to be
creative to keep children busy; you have to be patient,
telling them stories, encouraging them to play with the
shadows cast by the candles. No point in worrying
about the housework in those moments -
the laundry, cooking, ironing. I used to fill the
bathtub for the kids and they would play in the
water for hours. They loved that, especially when
it was hot. It gave me time to do some work around
the house too. Now, with the water shortage, I can't
do that anymore. I ask myself, are we really living
in the 21st century where all people have an
equal right to their basic needs?
Israel expands a Jewish
settlement in occupied Jerusalem
Palestinian media sources reported on Tuesday that
this week the Israeli Authorities began the construction
of more housing units in a settlement located in the
eastern part of the occupied city of Jerusalem.
The additional constructions will include 60 housing
units solely for the use of Jewish families; the location
is the Ma'alih Hazim settlement built illegally in the
Damascus gate area, a Palestinian neighborhood in
Jerusalem just outside of the old city.
Ariel residents informed of West Bank
construction freeze
Mayor of West Bank city tells municipal council
that locals are prohibited from building even basic
structures without Defense Ministry's authorization.
'If such a settlement freeze would have been
imposed on the Arabs, an intifada of unimaginable
proportions would have broken out,' he says.
Israel expands a Jewish settlement
in occupied Jerusalem
Palestinian media sources reported on Tuesday
that this week the Israeli Authorities began
the construction of more housing units in a
settlement located in the eastern part of the occupied city of Jerusalem.
Minister fails to answer policy question
Ottawa tries to clarify settlement stance as Bernier
ends Holy Land trip on confusing note.
JERUSALEM–A change in direction on a
potentially explosive foreign policy issue –
or just a new minister unsure of his brief?
That was the question for Canadians here
yesterday, the second day of a two-day visit to
the Holy Land by Canadian Foreign Affairs
Minister Maxime Bernier.
Yishai to Lieberman: If PM,
Abbas discuss J`lem, Shas will quit gov`t
Employment, Trade and Industry
Minister Eli Yishai called Minister
for Strategic Affairs Avigdor Lieberman on Tuesday
to tell him that per Shas spiritual leader Rabbi Ovadia
Yosef's order, if Israel negotiates the issue of
Jerusalem with the Palestinians, Shas will
leave the government immediately.
Israelis using former Palestinian graveyards as cattle pens
Jerusalem – Ma'an – The Al-Aqsa Corporation for restoring
Islamic holy sites said on Monday that Israelis are using
ancient Christian and Muslim graveyards in the former
Palestinian village of Al-Barwa, near present day Acre,
which has been deserted since 1948, as pens for cows.
The Corporation released a statement referring to Israeli
settlers from the regional councils of 'Matiyya Asher' and
'Ehud' bulldozing the graveyards and preparing the area
to be used as pens. The statement said that two of the
graveyards used to belong to the Darweesh and the Sa'dy
families, and a third graveyard was used by the Christian
residents of the village, a was the public fourth graveyard
used by the residents before they were displaced in 1948.
It's almost midnight. I rushed to my laptop
when I saw the glow of the lamp after almost 12
hours darkness following one of the electricity cuts that
hundreds of thousands of Gazans like myself have
been subjected to over the past week or so. As a
journalist in Gaza, I was keen to file to my editors
a story on the electricity cuts. I did the job, I talked
with the people, I collected the material but when
I went to my office and sat down in front of my
PC, there was no electricity. EI correspondent
Rami Almeghari reports from Gaza.
Refugees still face dire conditions at
Nahr al-Bared, despite relief efforts
Palestinian refugees returning to the war-torn
Nahr al-Bared camp near Tripoli continue to
face dire living conditions, although an array
of non-governmental organizations (NGOs)
are tackling the relief and infrastructure needs
of the residents, officials working at the camp
said on Monday.
Fertilizer, frustration fuel Gaza's rockets
Gaza City, Gaza - After a rocket fired from the
Gaza Strip on Jan. 3 landed 17 kilometers (10 miles)
inside Israel – deeper than any has penetrated so
far – the Israeli press was full of speculation of
where the weapon may have come from and how
it got into Gaza. The Israeli army first said the
missile was made in Russia. Later it said it had
come from Iran. Israeli officials said the weapon
was further evidence that the smuggling tunnels
between Egypt and Gaza needed to be closed.
Israel's Yediot Aharanot newspaper quoted an
unnamed Israeli security official alleging the
rocket had been smuggled into Gaza by boat.
Settler group refuses to vacate
land slated for school for the disabled
The right-wing Elad settlement organization
is refusing to vacate an area in the Jerusalem
Peace Forest that had been promised to the
special education organization Hadvir Hahadash.
Despite agreement to hand over weapons,
Aksa's Zubeidi still has a gun
Despite an agreement signed by dozens of Fatah
gunmen in the West Bank to hand over their
weapons, head of the Aksa Martyrs Brigades
in Jenin, Zakariya Zubeidi, still has a handgun,
it was reported on Thursday.
Saturday, January 26th, relief convoys will
depart from Haifa, Tel Aviv, Jerusalem and
Beer Sheva, bearing signs "GAZA: LIFT THE
BLOCKADE!" Converging at Yad Mordechai at
12 noon, the rally will be at Erez Checkpoint at
13.00. On the other side will be hundreds of
Gazans, organised by The Palestinian International
Campaign to End the Siege on Gaza
(www.end-gaza-siege.ps), including psychiatrist
and human rights activist, Dr. Eyad Sarraj
A call from Gaza: BREAK THE SIEGE!
A call from Gaza: BREAK THE SIEGE! To save the
olives "Blockade - NO! Ceasefire - YES!" VICTORY
CELEBRATIONINBIL'IN Occupation 40: reports & video
Avnery-Pappe debate - with improved English transcript!
Bil'in: a shooting spree (with video clip) The Ramallah
Initiative Blood on the flag Violent attacks on demonstrators
in Bil'in "Bring the Soldiers Home! - It will not End - Until we
Talk!" The Kana Massacre - a War Crime! "STOP SHOOTING!
START TALKING!" "Stop the War Now!" Gush Shalom meets
with two Hamas leaders Photo archive, actions since 2004
Earlier actions Actions 1992-2006, complete list... and still
more in the archive Friday 14/12/07 A call from Gaza:
BREAK THE SIEGE! photo gallery A shocking first-hand
report about living conditions in the Gaza Strip was delivered Thursday...
Isn't Right for Jewish State
Once again, as the presidential campaign
season heats up, the leading candidates are
going to enormous lengths to demonstrate
their devotion to the state of Israel and their
steadfast commitment to its "special relationship"
with the United States.
Israel Lobby Unrelenting in Efforts to Stifle
Speech It Doesn't Want Americans to Hear
On a global scale, it makes sense to focus on the Israel
Lobby's impact on U.S. foreign policy. When it comes to
the everyday lives and freedoms of Americans, however,
the Lobby's greatest threat is its ravaging of our domestic
institutions. Three almost simultaneous assaults on
academic freedom—at DePaul University, St. Thomas
University and the University of Michigan—make that
point inescapably clear.
Israeli PM: All options open on Iran
Prime Minister Ehud Olmert warned Monday
that all options are open when it comes to keeping
Iran from obtaining atomic weapons, his clearest
sign yet that Israeli could use force against a nation
considered among its most serious threats.
U.S. option to bomb Iran still on the table
Bush gives Israel hope of military action.
Arab Press Reactions To Bush Visit:
'An Absurd, Sadistic Image'
"This black caricature of George W. Bush in
(Bahrain capital city) Manama is a fitting
conclusion to the Arab tragedy. It's an absurd, sadistic
image: the sheikh of Bahrain welcoming his exceptional
guest with ... a golden sword -- the symbol of loyalty
and submission, meaning: "Bleed me white my lord,
if my death pleases you!"
rule sparks religious row
Every time Israeli student Iris Yoffe takes
the bus to Jerusalem, she has to be ready
for abuse from ultra-Orthodox Jews who say
she should be kept off because she's wearing trousers.
Assuming she makes it onto the bus at all -- on several
occasions groups of Orthodox men have tried
to block the door -- Yoffe, 24, heads for the
"women's section" at the back of the bus,
keeps her head down and tries
to ignore the insults.
Barenboim becomes first to hold
Israeli and Palestinian passports
The Israeli pianist and conductor Daniel Barenboim
has been granted Palestinian citizenship for his work
in promoting cultural exchange between young
people in Israel and the Arab world.
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