Friday, February 29

Today in Palestine! ~ Headlines February 29, 2008 ~

Brought to you by Shadi Fadda
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B'Tselem: 149 Palestinians killed
since the start of 2008

According to B'Tselem, during the first two months of 2008,
Israeli security forces killed 146 Palestinians in the Palestinian
Territories. 132 were killed in the Gaza Strip and 14 in the West
Bank, according to B'Tselem statistics. Of the total number, at
least 42 were not participating in fighting when they killed, and
11 were minors. 87 people were killed during January, and
59 during February (until the 28th).

PCHR Weekly Report: 20 Palestinians killed,
28 wounded by Israeli forces

According to the Palestinian Center for Human Rights
(PCHR)'s Weekly Report, during the week of 21 – 27
February 2008, 20 Palestinians were killed, and 28
were injured by the Israeli military. Of those killed,
3 were children. 8 of the victims, including 3 children
and an elderly man, were killed during a series of air
strikes. Of the injured, most are civilians. In addition,
an international observer was injured by Israeli gunfire.

Death toll in Gaza reaches 27
Palestinian medical sources reported on
Thursday evening that Rami Khalifah 25 died of
wounds he received during earlier Israeli shelling of Gaza city.

Israeli strike kills four Gaza children at play
Palestinian children aged eight, nine, 11 and 12,
killed by Israel fire while playing in field.

Killed while they played football, the child
victims of Israel's revenge on Gaza

Four boys playing football have been killed in Gaza by Israeli
air strikes, according to Palestinian officials, as Israel
responded to the death of a man from a barrage of rocket
attacks with a bloody escalation of violence. At least
16 Palestinians – including the four children –
were killed yesterday as Israel responded to the deadly
attacks the previous day.

Video: Six-month-old baby killed by Israel attacks


Video: Gaza Massacre

The crimes in pictures, extremely graphic


Israeli missiles silence baby's laughter in Gaza
The innocent laughter of six-month-old baby Mohammed
al-Bor'i stopped forever on Wednesday night when shrapnel
from an Israeli missile and rubble struck the infant in the head,
minutes after he enjoyed his last meal. "The baby sucked milk,
he was playing with his mother; I was reading a book when a
rocket hit the Ministry of Interior," said Nasser al-Bor'i, the
baby's father. Sami Abu Salem reports from Gaza.

Egypt teen shot in head near border with Israel, Gaza

A 13-year-old Egyptian girl was shot and critically wounded on
Thursday near an Israeli-controlled border junction between
Egypt, Israel and the Gaza Strip, Egyptian residents said.
Residents in the border area said Samah Nayef Abu Garrad
was shot in the head as she played outside her home, about
700 metres from the Kerem Shalom border terminal.

Another 2 killed in IOF attack in Khan Younis
Palestinian sources report that two employees of the
Palestinian Energy Authority were killed in an IOF air strike
in Gaza on Thursday night. The sources said Israeli aircraft
had targeted a vehicle in the town of Khan Younis.

Harassment and murder during invasions
in Qabatiya, near Jenin

The West Bank town of Qabatiya, just south of Jenin,
is home to over 20,000 people. According to local
residents the Israeli army invade the town every night from
their base in Salem. As they invade, usually very early in
the morning, they throw sound bombs and fire live ammunition
to alert the residents to their presence. Sometimes they set
up sniper positions, usually in empty houses or rooftops
but often inside people's homes, ransacking the properties
during the occupation. The size and scope of the invasions
varies from a few jeeps and foot patrols to full scale
invasions of the town with, up to 30 jeeps and Armored
Personnel Carriers (APCs). Sometimes they make arrests,
and in the last month three people have been killed and
another seriously wounded during the incursions.

Palestinian political detainee dies in
Israeli detention camp due to medical negligence

One Palestinian political prisoner held in the
Israeli desert detention camp of Bir-Shiva was
pronounced dead on Friday morning due to medical negligence.

Decorated IDF officer accused of killing
Palestinian in 'vendetta'

Information contained in a petition that will be filed with the High Court of Justice in the next few days casts serious aspersions on Y.B., now commander of the Jerusalem Border Police's undercover unit and one of Israel's most illustrious warriors. The petition claims he shot to death an unarmed Palestinian, from close range, in the course of a November 2001 operation to arrest the man.

OPT: Israeli bombs destroy Oxfam-funded
health clinic in Gaza

Oxfam today confirmed that a health clinic it helps fund was hit and vital medical equipment were destroyed in what appears to have been an attack by the Israeli air force on Gaza City late last night (27 February). The head quarters of the Palestinian Medical Relief Society, the organisation which runs the clinic, was also destroyed in the attack.

Four injured in the weekly Bil'in nonviolent protest
The villagers of Bil'in, along with international and Israeli
supporters, conducted their weekly protest against the
illegal Israeli wall being built on village land. Israeli troops
attacked protesters injuring four.

Israeli minister warns of Palestinian 'holocaust'
"An Israeli minister today warned of increasingly bitter
conflict in the Gaza Strip, saying the Palestinians could
bring on themselves what he called a "holocaust". "
The more Qassam [rocket] fire intensifies and the rockets
reach a longer range, they will bring upon themselves a bigger
shoah because we will use all our might to defend ourselves,"
Matan Vilnai, Israel's deputy defence minister, told army radio.

Villagers of Al Khader near Bethlehem
protest construction of Israeli Wall

On Friday around 100,villagers of Al Khader, Israeli
and international peace activists held a nonviolent
protest against the illegal Wall, now being constructed
on lands owned by the villagers of Al Khader located near Bethlehem.

Palestinian Child Arts Center appeals
protection for Gaza children

The Palestinian Child Arts Center issued an urgent
press release appealing international human rights groups
and organizations specialized in the rights of children to
intervene and protect the Palestinian children in the Gaza
Strip as they face a real humanitarian disaster.

Gaza residents say Israel troops inside enclave

Palestinians living in the south of the Gaza Strip said Israeli
troops had entered the territory after dark on Thursday in what
appeared to be a small raiding force from the area of the Sufa
border crossing with Israel.

Petition: Release 11.000 Palestinians in Israeli jails

"Please sign and support these political prisoners! Disgrace for Democracy, Israel is detaining right now 40% of the Palestinian MPs who represent the people

Abu Rodeina demands international protection to the Palestinians

Nabil Abu Rodeina, spokesperson to the Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas demanded the international community to intervene and stop the Israeli attacks against the Palestinian people as the Israeli army killed 27 Palestinians, including several children on Wednesday and Thursday. Dozens of civilians were injured.

Rocket narrowly misses Knesset members
Close call: A rocket fired from Gaza Friday landed in a field in the south of the country not far from where hundreds of Israelis were hiking, including Knesset members touring the rocket-battered region. Around 3:30 pm, two rockets fired from northern Gaza landed in open areas. However, soon after it turned out that Knesset members belonging to the Yisrael Beiteinu party, including Chairman Avigdor Lieberman, were hiking near the landing site.

Looking for a new Palestinian partner
At Annapolis, just like on so many occasions before, it was proclaimed that a "window of opportunity" had opened. Since the meeting, Israel's military attacks have killed nearly 150 Palestinians in the occupied territories and Israel has escalated the construction of new settlements, increased the number of roadblocks and tightened its siege of Gaza. But for Israeli leaders it is always the Palestinians who are to blame for missing any "opportunities." EI contributor Hasan Abu Nimah comments.

Police ban memorial ceremony for George Habash
Police commissioner issues injunction ordering closure of events hall in Nazareth where ceremony for remembrance of PFLP-founder supposed to have taken place.

Court rejects petition against ban on Habash memorial rally

The High Court on Friday rejected a petition against a police order prohibiting a memorial rally in Nazareth for George Habash, the founder of the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine, who died in late January.

Gaza-Egypt border in political limbo

One month after throngs of Palestinians flooded into Egypt's Sinai Peninsula from the Gaza Strip, the flashpoint Rafah border crossing remains tightly shut. But according to some opposition figures, the breach -- viewed by many as a victory for Palestinian resistance faction Hamas -- signaled the need for new border protocols consistent with shifting political realities.

Egypt intelligence chief cancels Israel visit amid Gaza fighting

Egyptian intelligence chief Omar Suleiman informed the Defense Ministry on Friday that he was canceling his visit to Israel, scheduled to take place next week. Ministry officials attributed the cancellation to the escalated fighting in the Gaza Strip.

Impossible Travel

This week, Israel announced that Gazans wishing to return to Palestine from Jordan will NOT be permitted to go to the West Bank (or anywhere else for that matter) but will be sent back to Gaza in specially-designated buses. Gazans must now return via the Allenby bridge on Thursdays only and will be sent directly back to Gaza. This rule affects ALL Palestinians registered as being from Gaza, even though they may reside in the West Bank.

Some Lives Worth More Than Others
Once again, we are learning that when it comes to the conflict in Palestine/Israel, some lives are worth more than others. Earlier today, dozens of Qassam rockets fired from the Gaza Strip fell on Sderot, the Israeli town that has borne the brunt of Palestinian rocket fire over the last few years. This time, an Israeli man, "father-of-four" Roni Yechiah, was killed in a car park by shrapnel. Others have suffered injuries. Even as I write this, however, there is news that in the Gaza Strip, the Israeli military, in separate attacks, has killed a 6 month old baby and three Palestinian children age 10, 12 and 14. No names yet. In the case of the three children, the Israeli army claims that it was aiming at militants, and a spokesperson said it was "strange" that there should be children around the alleged vicinity of rocket launchers.

One Palestinian billionaire's vision of unity
Ramallah, West Bank - Munib al-Masri says if he were smart, he would have retired and moved to Tuscany by now. Instead, the billionaire businessman is using his golden years to launch al-Muntada al-Filistin, the Palestine Forum, through which he hopes to bring his society's warring political faction to a point of national reconciliation.

New Palestinian Peace Plan: Staff writer Ilene Prusher says that meeting the richest man in the West Bank was like meeting a well-schooled gentleman from a bygone era
"Munib al-Masri wears a finely tailored suit, speaks elegant English, and likes to kiss the hand of a lady when he bids he farewell, and somehow manages to do so without seeming chauvinist or dated," she says. " He told her that he's rarely slept more than four hours a day, so he feels he's already lived two lifetimes.

John Bolton: McCain Could Be Better Than Bush On Iran
Former United Nations Ambassador John Bolton, one of the Bush administration's most outspoken and hawkish former diplomats on the issue of nuclear nonproliferation, predicted John McCain could be an improvement over George W. Bush on the nuclear threat from Iran should he become president.

Bolton Endorses McCain
Shoring up his support among hawks, the John McCain campaign has announced that John Bolton, President Bush's former ambassador to the UN, has endorsed him for president.

Bolton As McCain's Secretary Of State?
The idea was brewing beneath the veneer of Bolton's address to the Conservative Political Action Conference.


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