Palestinian talks amid tension
JERUSALEM (Reuters) - A U.S. general on Friday held the first
Israeli-Palestinian meeting to assess compliance with the
"road map" peace plan but Israel's defence minister,
under U.S. pressure over settlement building, did not attend.
Rice: Israelis, Palestinians not doing enough
U.S. Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice said on Friday neither Israel
nor the Palestinians have done "nearly enough" to meet their o
bligations under a 2003 peace plan, making it difficult to sustain
the U.S. push to end a six-decade conflict.
Israel under fire at talks with Palestinians, US
(AFP) Israel came under fire for its continued Jewish settlement construction
in the occupied West Bank at high-level talks on Friday with the Palestinians,
hosted by a senior US envoy. A construction freeze means "not one more brick",
Palestinian prime minister Salam Fayyad said, voicing anger at Israel's failure to
abide by its obligation to halt settlement activity in the West Bank.
The US delegation also complained about the Jewish settlement activity
as well as Israel's failure to sufficiently reduce the number of roadblocks
in the West Bank, according to an Israeli official who asked not to be named.
Palestinians hope US can stop Israeli settlement expansion
The Palestinian Authority (PA) has set its hopes on the US administration to
force Israel to stop expanding settlements in the West Bank and Jerusalem,
according to Palestinian negotiator Saeb Erekat on Saturday. In an interview
with Voice of Palestine radio, Erekat said the US administration can urge
Israel to meet its obligations under the road map peace plan which envisions
a Palestinian state alongside Israel. Erekat mentioned stopping the building
of settlements in the occupied Palestinian territories, removing the settlements
that were built since 2001, reopening the PA offices in east Jerusalem, stopping
military escalation, releasing prisoners and lifting closures and roadblocks. "
All of these were Israel's obligations under the road map and it did not carry
out any single article of the requirements," Erekat said.
Israel putting spokes in wheels of 'Abbas army'
Washington Post reports plan to train 1,000 Palestinian security officers
in Jordan mired in delays, shortage of resources, different between
Americans and Israelis – According to the report, although Israel insists
that the Palestinians must have effective security in the West Bank and
Gaza before its forces withdraw further, the Israeli government has placed
significant restrictions on the US-coordinated training effort.
Vice Premier Ramon: West Bank outposts harm
Israel's relations with US
JERUSALEM - Vice Premier Haim Ramon said on Saturday that Israel's
failure to dismantling settler outposts in the West Bank is hurting bilateral
relations with the United States. Ramon's comment came after U.S. Secretary
of State Condoleezza Rice said Friday neither Israel nor the Palestinians
have done 'nearly enough' to meet peace commitments.
Week 2126 of Occupation: 8 to 14 March 2008
If Abu Mazen (Mahmoud Abbas) is the great friend of Israel and the U.S.,
and the best hope for a real partner on the Palestinian side, why is Israel
doing everything it its power to embarrass and undermine him? While the
U.S. Secretary of State is practically begging Abbas to return to negotiations,
Israel`s actions may finally finish off Mahmoud Abbas as a political figure of
any significance.
Olmert & Israel: the change
[Occupation Magazine editor`s comment (VB): I am surprised by the author`s
willingness to believe in Olmert`s good intentions. In my view, Olmert`s
declarations of the necessity of the two state solution, vacuous negotiations
with the PA, occasional (forever unimplemented) promises of forthcoming
settlement freeze, easing of the closure on Palestinians and the like -
are all a continuation of Sharon`s policy. The aim has for ever been to gain
time and to provide cover for the consistent annexationist policies of Israel
in the West Bank. These policies are fully supported by the Olmert government.
Nevertheless, I believe that there is much material of interest in the following
article.] [Comment on NY Review of Books article, 14 Feb]
Dissolve this impotent entity called the 'Palestinian
Authority' now – by Khalid Amayreh
I really don't understand why these brilliant Palestinian 'negotiators' are
still commuting between Ramallah and West Jerusalem for 'peace talks'
that even little kids in the streets of the smallest refugee camp in Gaza
realize will lead nowhere. Indeed, the vast majority of Palestinians are fed
up with this despicable peace process under whose rubric Israel is
murdering our children, stealing our land, demolishing our homes and
narrowing our horizons.
Egypt fence plans unveiled
Ynetnews presents plans for new border fence characterized as 'national
emergency project' aimed at hindering terror threats on Egyptian border;
fence to consist of two sections, construction scheduled to start in three months
Hamas waiting for Abbas' response to Rafah border proposal [why?]
Hamas leader Ayman Taha said on Saturday. Hamas' view is that the
central dispute is that "some of the parties" want to keep the 2005
Agreement on Movement and Access (AMA), while Hamas wants to
scrap the treaty. The AMA gives significant power to Israel to open
and close the crossing, and positions European observers at the border.
Gaza: IDF chopper hit by bullet
The army said the helicopter was apparently hit by a machinegun
bullet, but fortunately the section of the chopper hit by the bullet
was not a sensitive one. Meanwhile, a senior Air Force official told
Ynet that the threat on Israeli helicopters has been growing. "The threat
is growing every day," the official said. "Terror organizations have great
motivation to hit Air Force aircraft, and helicopters are naturally a major
target because they fly at a relatively low altitude."
Hamas vows to keep Israeli aircraft within its line of fire
Hamas said Saturday it would keep targeting Israel Air Force
aircraft with heavy machine guns, after
hitting an IAF helicopter over Gaza for the first time Friday.
The IDF did not comment on Friday's incident, but security
officials said the helicopter was lightly damaged and returned
to Israel safely. It was not immediately clear whether Friday's
hit was an isolated incident or a sign of Hamas' increasing
military capabilities. Hamas is believed to have more than a
dozen Russian-made KPV-14.5 machine guns.
Mercy Corps: Restocking hospital closets in Gaza
Rarely have deliveries of sheets and hospital gowns been so
warmly received as in Gaza last month. For months, the territory's
healthcare sector has been reeling from Israel's ongoing blockade
of fuel and other imports, leading to a shortage of even the most
basic supplies. Mercy Corps helped restock linen shelves at
Gaza's four main hospitals by distributing nearly 500 doctor's
robes, more than 400 patient gowns and 1,354 bedsheets.
Al Agha: Gaza students suffer from malnutrition
Minister of Education in Gaza, Dr. Mohammad Al Agha told
journalists earlier this week that due to the siege imposed on Gaza
by Israel since June, 2007, most school students in the Gaza Strip
suffer from malnutrition, which has affected their school performance
and capabilities greatly. Al Agha also stated that his ministry has
been facing many obstacles this year due to shortages in school
books, stationery and equipment.
Gaza: For the sake of the children –
by Shafik Morton in Cape Town, South Africa
It was reminiscent of Apartheid when the authorities would always advise
against visiting the Black townships. In Israel, much of the same paranoia
endures, but in the West Bank and Gaza I'd never been met with anything
other than hospitality. I've always felt welcome in Gaza. . . what about the
children, witnesses to their parent's constant humiliation by Israeli violence,
but ultimately its worst victims? Walkabout in Gaza for me has always
meant being trailed by hordes of children. They are all beautiful kids,
yes, but they are not normal; their lives are not normal. I'm a curiosity
because I'm a fair-skinned stranger with a camera, and not a gun.
Study: Most Palestinians believe Western aid encourages corruption
Two out of three Palestinians believe that financial assistance from the
West fosters corruption and foments the conflict between Fatah and
Hamas. Fafo's researchers interviewed 4,000 Palestinians in the West
Bank and the Gaza Strip, between 22 February and 4 March, about the
political and economic situation in the occupied territories. Most of
those surveyed to not believe that aid from the West has improved conditions.
Witness: Two schools in Nablus
Witness presents a series of three films taking a close look at the
extraordinary difficulties and challenges that two ordinary Palestinian
schools face. These videos on YouTube follow one boys' school and
one girls' school through the first four weeks of the school year.
Unpaid teachers, crowded classes and students at risk - normal Palestinian schools.
http://english.aljazeera.net
Part 1: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v
Part 2: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v
Part 3: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v
Part 4: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v
Palestinians unite in anger against Israeli attack
BETHLEHEM, West Bank — It was a display of Palestinian unity
rarely seen since the militant Islamic group Hamas seized power in
Gaza last summer and left the rival pro-Fatah Palestinian Authority
struggling to hold on to the West Bank. As thousands of men and
women crowded into Manger Square on Thursday to attend prayers
and the funerals for four local militants killed by Israeli
undercover forces in a raid the day before, a general strike was
observed throughout this Muslim-Christian city of 30,000 people.
More than creating a temporary fusion of political and ideological divisions,
though, the killings enraged Fatah advocates of negotiations with Israel,
who posed questions about its commitment to peacemaking.
Foreign Press Association in Israel criticizes
government sanctions against Al Jazeera
FPA is worried that the threats of harsher sanctions, including the cancellation
of Government Press Cards and visas, published in the Israeli media, may have
created "a dangerously hostile atmosphere." It appears these sanctions are
being invoked, the FPA Board said, "simply because the government
disagrees with the way the network has chosen to cover Israel and the
Palestinian territories."
Medialens: Israel deaths matter more
The horrific shooting of eight young people at a Jewish seminary
in Jerusalem last Thursday was followed by saturation media coverage.
International statesmen lined up with condemnations of the attack and
condolences for the victims and their families. The contrast to reactions
to the killing of over 120 Palestinians, including many women and children,
in occupied Gaza the previous week could hardly be more striking. No
Western leader was heard condemning the Israeli assault on Gaza as "
an attempt to strike a blow at the very heart of the peace process."
For the Western media the massacres that really matter, the ones which "
strike a blow at the very heart of the peace process",
are those inflicted on Israelis.
Hizbullah to support assassinated Jihad man's family
Nasrallah's office informs widow of Muhammad Shahade, killed by
IDF in Bethlehem this week, that Hizbullah will offer financial support to
his family; Palestinian sources: Shahade planned yeshiva attack on Hizbullah's orders
Nasrallah, Haniyeh offer support to
families of slain Bethlehem fighters
Haniyeh pledged to rebuild Shahada's family house, which was
destroyed by Israeli bulldozers the week before his assassination.
Hizbullah also pledged financial support for the families of those
killed by the Israeli occupation. Shahada and Haniyeh spent two
years together in Marj Az Zohour, in southern Lebanon, after they
were deported by Israel in 1992. At Thursday's funeral, the four
fighters were wrapped in the yellow flag of Hizbullah [actually
only one of them was, according to photos], considered a sign
of the group's growing influence in the occupied Palestinian territories.
Popular Committees demand that Islamic
Summit protect al-Aqsa Mosque
The Palestinian Popular (Folk) Committees issued a press release
demanding the Islamic Summit to issues serious resolutions in order to
protect the Al Aqsa Mosque on Jerusalem, in addition to protecting the
Arab and Islamic sites and houses in the city. Israel continued its
excavations under and near the Al Aqsa Mosque in Jerusalem which is
affecting the foundation of this historic and religious holy site which is
considered the third holiest shrine in Islam.
Wanted Palestinian activist escapes while
Israeli forces raid two towns near Jenin
Israeli occupation forces surrounded a "wanted" man's house in the
West Bank village of Dir Abu Da'if, east of Jenin, and also raided the
nearby town of Qabatiya early on Saturday morning. Palestinian
security sources reported that Israeli forces besieged the house of
Mohie Yaseen, an activist with the armed wing of Fatah, the Al-Aqsa Brigades.
Palestinian teenager wounded in head during
Israeli incursion in Tubas
A Palestinian teenager was injured in the head a sonic bomb fired by Israeli
forces exploded near him during an incursion in the West Bank town of
Tubas early on Saturday. Palestinian security sources said that Israeli
military vehicles invaded the town from the east, shooting their weapons.
17-year-old Nashaat Sawaftah was injured and transferred to a nearby
medical center for treatment. His wound is said to be slight.
Israeli police attack shepherds in Hebron
The Christian Peacemaker Teams (CPT) in Hebron, in the southern
part of the West Bank, reported on Friday that Israeli Border
Policemen attacked several Palestinian shepherds grazing their
sheep and working in their olive groves in Khourba valley. The
policemen were trying to force the shepherds out of a Palestinian
orchard which was attacked by extremist settlers who damaged
some olive trees last month.
Christian Peacemaker Teams:
At-Tuwani reflections – the stations of Shaadi
The South Hebron Hills are a place of great beauty. Gazelles roam the
hillsides, birds are abundant in the sky. When you look out over the
hills you can see ancient Palestinian villages where people are still
living a simple, subsistence lifestyle. But this beauty is marked with
pain. As you look out across the horizon now, you also see the
unmistakable mark of Israeli settlements. They appear as modern
suburban developments dropped down on the hilltops in this rugged
terrain. Settlement outposts extend the reach of these settlements,
and confiscate increasingly more Palestinian land exclusively for Israeli use.
The one-state illusion: reply to my critics – by Michael Neumann
I do share Kfoury's belief that our discussions are sterile. Perhaps
our opinions have some microscopic influence in the US - certainly
not in Israel - but events are moving beyond our reach. More and
more, what counts is the ability of the Palestinians, in the occupied
territories and through Hezbollah, to create facts on the ground.
No longer is that the prerogative of Israel and the United States.
I also agree that it is not for us to tell the Palestinians what to do.
Since most Palestinians appear resigned to a two-state solution, I
see the one-state advocates as doing just that.
Stop Israel!
Instead of slamming the Palestinian resistance, the Arabs should formulate
a better strategy for stopping Israeli atrocities, writes Galal Nassar –
Here is a question that the media is clearly failing to bring up.
Can we really make peace with a usurping entity?
Israel makes another bid for F-22 jets
In the face of Iran's race to obtain nuclear weapons, defense officials
who will visit the US next week plan to ask the Pentagon to reconsider
its decision not to sell Israel the F-22 fifth-generation stealth fighter jet,
The Jerusalem Post has learned.
Israel secretly warned Syria about Hezbollah
Israel recently conveyed a warning to Syria through a third party
that it would hold Damascus accountable if Lebanese Hezbollah
launched attacks on the Jewish state, Israeli and European sources
said on Friday. The sources, speaking on condition of anonymity,
said the warning stemmed largely from Israeli concerns that Hezbollah
would launch salvoes of cross-border rockets to coincide with any
major Israeli offensive in the Hamas-controlled Gaza Strip.
Report: Syria wants 'public' peace talks with Israel
Syria has recently relayed a message to Israel conveying the county's
interest in peace talks with Israel, but on the condition that talks will be
held openly and not under fire, Hezbollah-affiliated Lebanese newspaper
Al-Akhbar reported Saturday.
The silencing of Gilan Atzmon
I have recently signed a petition that condemns the constant
attempts to silence Gilad Atzmon. The same petition also objects
to the constant attempts to discredit and hinder the website that
hosts, among others, Gilad's views—peacepalestine.blogspot.com--
one of the more enlightening internet platforms on Palestine.
Israeli Arab leader: Assassination of Arab figure 'matter of time'
"The political murder of an Arab public figure is a matter of where
and when," Amir Mahoul, chairman of a committee for the
protection of freedoms, told a conference put together by the
organization in Umm el-Fahm. "We are a group that is in real
danger, and the state is responsible for this," he said. Mahoul
said incitement against the Arab community by Israeli
Jewish leaders, especially in the wake of the Mercaz Harav
terrorist attack that left eight dead, is not limited to marginal
politicians but rather emanates from the political center as well.
Rachel Corrie play debuts in Israel
A play about the US activist Rachel Corrie, who was killed at
the age of 23 by an Israeli army bulldozer in Gaza, will be
performed for the first time in Israel tomorrow, on the fifth
anniversary of her death. The single-actor play
My Name is Rachel Corrie will be performed in Arabic in Haifa,
northern Israel, before touring the country and the occupied West Bank.
Bulls-eye brings a breather – by Khalid Amayreh, Al-Ahram
Only a desperate suicide attack on Zionism's nerve centre shook
some sense into Olmert. The attack, carried out by a young
Palestinian from East Jerusalem whose political affiliation remains
a mystery, showed that Israel can't declare open season on the
Palestinians in Gaza and remain immune to deadly retaliation. It
also showed that the conflict between Israel and the Palestinians
can't be decided by military means alone....
Merkel: Threats to Israel are threats to us
BERLIN (Reuters) - German Chancellor Angela Merkel expressed
solidarity with Israel in the face of threats to the Jewish state on
Saturday, the eve of a three-day visit to the country, and said Iran
must halt its nuclear programme.
China to supply crime-fighting gear to Palestinians
"What we signed today [Saturday] will give the Palestinians some
emergency assistance for the security branches," Yang Wei Guo, the
Chinese envoy to the Palestinian territories, told AFP. The agreement
will see China supply vehicles, communications equipment and crime
laboratories via the Jordanian border.
Germany to host conference on help for Palestinians
(AFP) BERLIN (AFP) Berlin will host an international conference on
assistance to the Palestinian police and judiciary at the start of June,
a German foreign ministry spokesman said Friday. According to a
statement from the ministry, Palestinian president Mahmud Abbas
has welcomed the idea of the conference, which will look at ways to
help authorities in the Palestinian territories prepare themselves for statehood.
Barenboim concert in Nazi stadium to benefit Palestinians
Daniel Barenboim's Israeli-Palestinian orchestra is set to perform a Wagner
opera in a former Nazi venue in Berlin. The proceeds will go towards building
a concert hall in the Palestinian city of Ramallah.
EU demands Israel halt all illegal construction in W. Bank, E. J'lem
"The EU reiterates that settlement building anywhere in the occupied
Palestinian Territories, including East Jerusalem, is illegal under
international law," the bloc's presidency said in a statement after
a summit of EU leaders.
Facebook puts Jewish settlers in 'Palestine'
Haifa, Israel — Israelis in the West Bank woke up earlier this week to be
informed that they now live under Palestinian rule, though they were
restored to Israeli rule on Friday. Who was responsible for changing
the map, and how did it change back so quickly? As it turns out, the
Israelis in question were told they lived in Palestine not by any
governmental bodies, but rather by Facebook.
Washington Post Columnist Gives AIPAC
Talks on How to Help Israel in `08 Election
There is nothing wrong with having an agenda; most everyone's got one.
What's wrong is when journalists hide ideas that are important
to them from the public.
Top Blair aide: We must talk to al-Qaida
Western governments must talk to terror groups including al-Qaida
and the Taliban if they hope to secure a long-term halt to their
campaigns of violence, according to the man who for more than a
decade was Tony Blair's most influential aide and adviser. Jonathan
Powell, who served as Blair's chief of staff from 1995 to 2007 and
is widely regarded as having been instrumental in negotiating a
settlement in Northern Ireland, said his experience in the province
convinced him that it was essential to keep a line of communication
open even with one's most bitter enemies.
Winter Soldier: Hundreds of veterans of Iraq and Afghanistan
gather to testify in echo of 1971 Vietnam hearings
(Video, Audio) The soldiers plan to give eyewitness accounts of
the occupations in Iraq and Afghanistan. Organized by Iraq Veterans
Against the War, the gathering is modeled after the 1971 Winter
Solider hearings organized by the Vietnam Veterans Against the
War. Includes rush transcript.
Yassin Aref's struggle for justice in America –
by Stephen Lendman
Yassin Aref is a 37 year old Albany, New York resident and one
of many Muslim victims of police state justice in post-9/11 America.
They've been hunted down, rounded up, held in detention, kept in
isolation, denied bail, restricted in their right to counsel, tried on
secret evidence and trumped-up charges, then incarcerated as
political prisoners or deported to where they face possible arrest and torture.
'No link between Saddam and al-Qaeda'
A DETAILED Pentagon study confirms there was no direct link
between late Iraqi leader Saddam Hussein and the al-Qaeda network,
debunking a claim President George W Bush's administration used
to justify invading Iraq.
US Commanders: al-Qaida in Iraq to Stay
It's not a conclusion the White House talks about much when
denouncing the shadowy group, known as al-Qaida in Iraq, that
used the U.S. invasion five years ago to develop into a major killer.
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