Tuesday, November 18

Occupied Palestine: News and Articles November 18 2008

Israel briefly opens Gaza crossing
Al Jazeera 11/18/2008
The closure of crossings into Gaza has prevented the distribution of UN humanitarian aid in the Strip EPAThe Israelis have temporarily opened the Karem Abu Salem border crossing with Gaza to allow a limited supply of humanitarian aid to reach the territory. Thirty trucks, 11 of which are carrying United Nations (UN) supplies, were allowed to travel into the Strip on Monday. Ayman Mohyeldin, Al Jazeera’s correspondent in Gaza, said: "One UN official told me. . . there will be enough to last a week, but in a week’s time, if Gaza doesn’t get more supplies, the UN will be in the same position. "Mohyeldin reported that UN officials had likened allowing limited supplies through to "a sort of drip-feeding" of the territory. Israel stepped up its blockade of Gaza - keeping crossings closed and so preventing the delivery of fuel and essential humantarian supplies - in response to Palestinian fighters launching rockets into southern Israel.

Israel to free 250 Palestinian prisoners in goodwill gesture to Abbas
Reuters, Ha’aretz 11/18/2008
Prime Minister Ehud Olmert promised Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas during talks on Monday to release 250 Palestinians prisoners next month, a spokesman for Olmert said. "The 250 prisoners will be released in advance of the upcoming Muslim holiday," said the spokesman, describing the move as a goodwill gesture towards Abbas, who revived peace talks with Israel after breaking with Hamas Islamist rivals last year Muslims celebrate the al-Adha feast next month. The spokesman said the prisoners Israel plans to release would not be aligned with Islamist movements. Israel last freed Palestinian prisoners on Aug. 25, during a visit by U. S. Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice, who has been trying to broker a peace deal. At the time, it described the release of the 198 prisoners as a bid to bolster Abbas.

Israeli forces detain 14 Palestinians across West Bank
Ma’an News Agency 11/17/2008
Bethlehem – Ma’an – Israeli forces detained fourteen civilians across West Bank before daybreak on Monday. Israeli sources said their forces detained fourteen “wanted” resistance fighters from Ramallah, Nablus, Hebron and the Jordan valley, and confirmed that the men were taken in for questioning. [end]

Livni to Miliband: U.K. plan to label West Bank goods is ’exaggerated’
Barak Ravid and Haaretz Service, Ha’aretz 11/18/2008
Foreign Minister Tzipi Livni on Sunday told her visiting British counterpart, David Miliband, that the U. K. was taking an "exaggerated" stance in its initiative to distinctly label produce imported from the West Bank. Miliband arrived in Israel on Sunday, where he met with Prime Minister Ehud Olmert and Livni, for a two-day visit aimed at advancing Israeli-Palestinian peace talks. A senior official in Jerusalem described the talks as "not simple," and said that in addition to dissonance over the state of settlements, the two also butted heads on the issues of Syria and the indictment being handed by Britain to Israeli defense officials. During their meeting, Livni also told Miliband that she expected the international community to support Israel as it attempted to quell militant fire from the Gaza Strip.

Car bomb kills Israeli crime boss
Al Jazeera 11/18/2008
A car bomb has killed one of Israel’s most prominent crime bosses in Tel Aviv, Israel’s Haaretz newspaper reports. Israeli police identified the dead man on Monday as Yaakov Alperon, the head of one of the country’s most powerful crime families. Alperon is the most senior figure to be killed and the latest casualty of ongoing gang wars that have left scores of people dead. Police say Alperon was killed instantly when an explosive device was apparently detonated by remote control on a street in Tel Aviv. ’Serious event’In recent years, gang violence has plagued Israeli towns and cities. "An extremely serious event took place today, and its consequences are completely clear to us," Ilan Franco, the Tel Aviv police commander, said.

Settlers threaten ’Amona’-style riots over Hebron eviction
Nadav Shragai and Tomer Zarchin, Ha’aretz 11/18/2008
The High Court on Sunday instructed settlers occupying a house in Hebron to evacuate it within three days, but a coalition of right-wing organizations, MKs and West Bank rabbis said they plan to oppose the move firmly. In an emergency meeting on Sunday in the settlement of Kiryat Arba - the house is located between the settlement and Hebron - the opponents of the evacuation pledged that the settlers would not be removed by Wednesday as the court had demanded. Their resistance, they said, would be "uncompromising, but not violent. ""If the house is evacuated, there will be Amona part two here," said a participant at the meeting, referring to the February 2006 clashes between settlers and security forces during the evacuation of a West Bank outpost. The emergency meeting was organized by Rabbi Dov Lior, the head of the rabbinical committee in Judea and Samaria and the rabbi of Kiryat Arba.

’Ramle woman indicted for aiding Gaza terrorists’
Elie Leshem, Jerusalem Post 11/17/2008
Somaiya Abu Ghanem, a 21-year-old resident of Ramle, was indicted Monday in the Petah Tikva District Court for contact with a foreign agent, the Prime Minister’s Office announced. The Shin Bet (Israel Security Agency), in cooperation with the Israel Police, arrested her on December 28, the statement said. According to the indictment, in September 2008, Ghanem was contacted by Gaza-based Aksa Martyrs Brigades terrorists, who sought her assistance in kidnapping an Israeli. Ghanem allegedly expressed her willingness to aid the terrorists. In the investigation, it also emerged that Ghanem was allegedly asked to assist in bringing a woman suicide terrorist from Gaza into Israel and to lead her to a crowded place, the statement said. Ghanem worked as a teacher’s aide at a Ramle kindergarten and was due to begin university studies.

Gaza media blackout an unprecedented violation of press freedom, say journalists
Ma’an News Agency 11/17/2008
Gaza/Bethlehem – Ma’an – Israel has continued to bar international journalists from the besieged Gaza Strip for at least a week in what media condemned on Monday as an unprecedented violation of press freedom. Steve Gutkin, the AP bureau chief in Jerusalem and the head of the Foreign Press Association told Ma’an that he knows of no foreign journalist that has been allowed into Gaza in the last week. Gutkin said that while Israel has barred foreign press from entering Gaza in the past, the length of the current ban makes it unprecedented. He added that he has received no “plausible or acceptable” explanation for the ban. The AP itself moved two of its international staff into the Strip before the closure began. The Foreign Press Association reiterated its condemnation of the closure on Monday: “We regard this as an unconscionable breach of the Israeli Government’s responsibility to allow journalists to do their jobs in this region.

Israel lets ''few days'' of food supplies into Gaza; UN: ''but then what?''
Ma’an News Agency 11/17/2008
Bethlehem - Ma’an – Delivery of an unspecified number of aid and food trucks to UNRWA and Gaza Strip commercial dealers was confirmed on Monday after Israel threatened to withhold the supplies “depending” on the actions of resistance groups, who launched projectiles at the Negev Monday afternoon. Thirty-three trucks filled with frozen meat, dairy products, medicines and UNRWA food aid waited at the Gaza border since Sunday, when they were turned back on the orders of Israeli Defense Minister Ehud Barak. Barak ordered the crossings closed Monday but appeared to have changed his mind after international condemnation for the decision increased. Then, mid-day on Monday Israel reported the launch of several homemade projectiles from the Gaza Strip, and said they landed in the western Negev. No injuries were reported, and the act has not yet been claimed by any of the Palestinian factions in Gaza.

Report: Israel demolished 90 Palestinian houses since Annapolis
Palestinian Information Center 11/17/2008
OCCUPIED JERUSALEM, (PIC)-- The applied research institute of Jerusalem (ARIJ) reported that Israel, since the Annapolis conference held in October last year, has embarked on building tens of thousands of settlement units in the West Bank and demolished 90 Palestinian houses at the pretext of illegal construction. In a report, ARIJ said that Israel uses the pretext of unlicensed building as an excuse to displace Palestinians from their lands in blatant violation of international law. The report underlined that 55 Palestinian houses were demolished by the IOA in occupied Jerusalem, where Israel aims through the demolition of homes to empty the holy city from its native residents. The report noted that the IOA handed the Palestinian citizens in different West Bank areas more than 400 demolition orders which threatens more Palestinian families with displacement.

8 Qassams hit western Negev
Ilana Curiel, YNetNews 11/18/2008
Most rockets believed to have landed in open areas in Eshkol Regional Council; no injuries reported, several houses sustain damage. Transfer of 30 trucks of humanitarian equipment into Gaza scheduled for Monday put on hold following attack - Eight Qassam rockets were fired at communities in the western Negev’s Eshkol Regional Council on Monday morning. There were no reports of injuries but several houses were damaged. Residents of the Eshkol Regional Council were ordered to enter fortified rooms. The Al-Quds Brigades, the Islamic Jihad’s military wing, claimed responsibility for the attack. Following the barrage, the transfer of humanitarian aid to the Gaza Strip was put on hold. Several explosions were heard south of Sderot at around 10:10 am. Most of the rockets landed in open fields, but one exploded in a kibbutz in the area, damaging a number of houses.

Olmert orders plans drawn up for massive offensive against Gaza
Agence France Presse - AFP, Daily Star 11/17/2008
OCCUPIED JERUSALEM: Interim Israeli Premier Ehud Olmert accused Hamas on Sunday of "shattering" the Gaza truce after two rockets hit Israel, which the Jewish state followed with an air strike that killed four Palestinian resistance fighters. However, Olmert, who made the comments at a weekly Israeli Cabinet meeting, did not mention the initial Israeli invasion of the Gaza Strip on November 5 that killed seven Hamas members. The incursion, which touched off days of fighting, was in violation of an Egyptian-mediated truce between Israel and Hamas which had virtually halted violence between the two foes. The head of the Hamas administration in Gaza, deposed Prime Minister Ismail Haniyya, said Israel was violating the truce and demanded that Israel prove its interest by keeping to its side of the bargain. "Israel must turn its words about a truce into action by halting aggression and. . .

IDF brass slams ’war-mongering’ by top ministers
Amos Harel Avi Issacharoff Barak Ravid and Yanir Yagna, Ha’aretz 11/18/2008
Senior Israel Defense Forces officers yesterday criticized certain cabinet ministers for beating the drum for military action in the Gaza Strip. The General Staff officers called for weighing more aggressive action against Hamas if the rocket fire into the Negev from the strip continued. However, they do not support reoccupying the territory at this stage. Top IDF brass also expressed concern that some politicians were trying to drag the IDF into the political debate. Meanwhile, the fighting in Gaza continued yesterday: The IDF killed four Palestinians from the small Hamas-allied group, the Popular Resistance Committee, who were about to launch Qassams, and a Sderot man sustained minor injuries when a Qassam landed near his home. A spokesman for the group, Abu Mujahid, said the tahadiyeh (lull) with Israel was over as a result of the killing of four of its men.

Livni: ’No such thing as a partial lull’
Ma’an News Agency 11/17/2008
Bethlehem - Ma’an – Israeli Prime Minister-designate Tzipi Livni said on Monday that "there is no such thing as a partial lull – it’s either there or it isn’t, and today it isn’t there. " At a cabinet meeting Livni said that she holds Hamas responsible for the apparent collapse of the truce in the Gaza Strip. It was not clear whether Livni’s remark was intended as an official repudiation of the 16 June truce agreement. Israel invaded the Gaza Strip on 4 November, killing six Palestinian fighters and sparking nearly two weeks of cross-border violence that have thrown the ceasefire into question. Israeli Transportation Minister Shaul Mofaz also reiterated his call for Israel ”stop talking” and begin assassinating Hamas leaders in Gaza in response to homemade rockets fired from Gaza into Israel.

Families of Gaza patients: Egypt besieges Gaza for the third year in a row
Palestinian Information Center 11/17/2008
GAZA, (PIC)-- The family committee of Gaza patients stated Sunday that Egypt along with Israel besieges the Gaza Strip for the third consecutive year, adding that the two parties refuse to allow the patients to receive medical treatment abroad. In a statement received by the PIC, the committee said that the Egyptian authorities insist on preventing dozens of patients from traveling for treatment through the Rafah border crossing while Israel also closes the Erez crossing before patients who need to be admitted into hospitals in the 1948 occupied lands. The committee called on the Palestinian government headed by premier Ismail Haneyya to speak openly to the public about Egypt’s bias in favor of Israel at the expense of the besieged Palestinian people in Gaza. The committee also called for looking for a neutral mediator other than Egypt to deal with the inter-Palestinian files.

Hamas: Egypt detained nine Palestinian patients
Ma’an News Agency 11/17/2008
Gaza – Ma’an – Egyptian security forces detailed nine Palestinian patients on Monday who traveled to Cairo for treatment, taking them to an unknown location, Hamas-affiliated media reported. According to Hamas’ Al-Aqsa satellite channel, Egyptian forces arrested the patients during a raid. A Three-year-old girl is reportedly among the detainees. The Egyptian government has denied the incident and says it will open an investigation. The patients all traveled to Egypt from the Gaza Strip. Among the alleged detainees is the brother of a Hamas lawmaker named Mushir Al-Masri who accompanied his 3 year-old daughter to Egypt treatment. The other patient detainees are: Hussam Mahmoud Ar-Ramlawi, Iyad Ali Hassan Salem from Jabalia, in the northern Gaza Strip. Salem is reportedly paralyzed. Salem’s brother Muhamad Ali Hassan, Muhammad Said Radwan, Nour Khamis Al-Masri. . .

Negev Bedouin mosque facing imminent demolition by Israeli government
Ma’an News Agency 11/17/2008
Bethlehem – Ma’an – The Israeli government is planning to demolish a recently built environmentally-sustainable Bedouin mosque in the Negev desert in the coming days. The Israeli Ministry of the Interior delivered the demolition order for the mud and straw bale structure in the village of Wadi Al-Na’am on Monday. A stop-construction order was issued in August. Rebecca Vilkomerson, of the Bedouin rights and environmental organization BUSTAN said the demolition would likely take place before Thursday. The group is organizing local and international volunteers to stay in the mosque day and night in order to protest and document the destruction of the building. “We can’t stop the bulldozers unfortunately but we want to be there and witness the demolition,” said Vilkomerson. Local Bedouins and volunteers helped build the Mosque over four months as a demonstration of inexpensive and environmentally sound construction techniques.

Ami Ayalon quits Labor, claiming party has lost its will to live
Roni Singer-Heruti, Ha’aretz 11/17/2008
Minister without portfolio Ami Ayalon announced his resignation from Labor Sunday morning, claiming that the center-left party has lost its will to live. "The Labor Party is a body that does not seek political life, and does not fight for its life," said Ayalon, speaking at a press conference. Ayalon, a former head of the Shin Bet security service, is reportedly considering taking over as head of Michael Melchior’s left-wing religious Meimad party. This would be with the intention of becoming part of a larger alliance with Meretz or with the new leftist party launched on Friday. The minister is also believed to be considering joining the Kadima party. Speaking to a group of activists at Kibbutz Sdot Yam on Saturday, the minister said that, "The Labor Party is a party with no ideals, regulations or laws, and it is a party I will not be a part of. "

Ayalon quits Labor, but won’t join Oron’s new left-wing party
Roni Singer-Heruti, Ha’aretz 11/18/2008
MK Ami Ayalon is leaving the Labor Party, but he won’t be joining Meretz chairman Haim Oron’s new left-wing list. The two had been discussing the issue for the past several weeks. Ayalon requested the first or second slot on the party list, and asked that a poll be held to determine whether he or Oron would lead, according to sources involved in the negotiations. However, last night he told Oron he would not be joining. During the press conference he called Sunday to announce his resignation from Labor, Ayalon denied having asked for a top spot - and used the opportunity to criticize the party he was leaving. "I can’t convince even those who are closest to me to vote for Labor. Labor has lost its way," Ayalon said. Party chairman Ehud Barak, he said, "was supposed to be the solution - and the past year and a half have shown me that he is not the solution.

Author hopes to pull Israel to the left with new party
Toni O''Loughlin in Jerusalem, The Guardian 11/17/2008
The renowned Israeli author Amos Oz has joined 30 intellectuals and public figures to forge a leftwing party in an attempt to defeat the resurgent rightwing Likud party, which is leading the polls. But Labour, not the hardline nationalists in Likud, may be the biggest losers if the party succeeds in Israel’s elections which are due in February next year. "I hope the expanded leftist movement will become a replacement for the Labour party. The Labour party has finished its historic role, it isn’t putting forward a national agenda and it joins any coalition," Oz told the Haaretz newspaper. In 2006 Labour’s leading light and Nobel peace prize winner, Shimon Peres, defected to join the hawkish Ariel Sharon, who led a breakaway group from the hardline Likud party to form the more centrist Kadima, which heads the coalition government.

IOF troops round up more Palestinians
Palestinian Information Center 11/17/2008
JENIN, (PIC)-- Israeli occupation forces at dawn Monday rounded up four Palestinian young men including two brothers in Burkin village, west of Jenin city, local sources reported. They said that three of the abducted youths are teenagers and the fourth is a student in the Arab American University in Jenin. Locals in Ya’bad also reported that the IOF soldiers detained a young man and beat up a 7-year-old child during their incursion into the village. The Hebrew radio earlier quoted the IOF command as saying that 14 "wanted" Palestinians were arrested at dawn Monday in Ramallah, Nablus, Al-Khalil cities and Jordan Valley. It said that the Palestinians were held in police stations for interrogation.

Nineteen-year-old Al-Aqsa activist arrested by Shin Bet for planning attack in Israel
Ma’an News Agency 11/17/2008
Bethlehem – Ma’an – Israeli intelligence services detained 19-year-old Al-Aqsa activist Sumayya Abu Ghanem from her home in Ramla south east of Tel Aviv one month ago, according to information released on Monday. According to Israeli sources Abu Ghanem was suspected of planning attacks against Israeli Jewish targets inside Israel. Information detailing the arrest was released on Monday by the Shin Bet, the Israeli General Intelligence unit. [end]

Ramla woman charged for attempt to aid terrorists
Efrat Weiss, YNetNews 11/17/2008
Kindergarten aide arrested, charged with intent to assist Fatah’s military wing with kidnapping of Jews, smuggling of suicide bomber into Israel from Gaza -The Shin Bet and the police suspect that a 21-year old Israeli woman from Ramla was asked by terrorists to assist them in the execution of attacks in Israel. The information was cleared for publication Monday after Petah Tikvah’s District Court indicted the young woman on charges of contacting a foreign agent. Sumiya Abu Ranem, resident of Ramla, is employed as a kindergarten aide in the city. She had planned to start studying at an Israeli university this year, but her plans were thwarted by her arrest several weeks ago. Police asserted that operatives from the al-Aqsa Martyrs’ Brigades, Fatah’s military wing, contacted Abu Ranem and asked her to assist them in kidnapping a Jew, and she expressed a willingness to do so.

Ramle woman arrested on suspicion she planned to assist suicide bombing
Yuval Goren and Haaretz Service, Ha’aretz 11/18/2008
The Shin Bet security service and the Israel police recently arrested Sumiya Abu Aanam, a young woman from Ramle suspected of planning to carry out a terror attack at the behest of militant Palestinian group Al Aqsa Martyrs Brigade. A gag order on the case was lifted Monday, revealing that Abu Aanam, a 21-year-old teacher’s aide at a Ramle kindergarten, was arrested at the end of October. She was set to begin studying at an Israeli university this week. The police investigation revealed that shortly before her arrest, Al Aqsa Martyrs Brigade activists from Gaza contacted Abu Aanam and asked her to help them kidnap a Jewish Israeli. She apparently voiced willingness to assist. The young woman was also asked to help smuggle a female suicide bomber from Gaza into Israel and to take her to a busy area.

Palestine today 111708
IMEMC News - Audio Dept, International Middle East Media Center News 11/17/2008
Click on Link to download or play MP3 file|| 3 m 30s || 3. 22 MB || Welcome to Palestine Today, a service of the International Middle East Media Center www. imemc. org for Monday November 17 2008 As the humanitarian situation in Gaza is on the brink of collapse due to the Israeli closure, Israeli Prime Minister, Ehud Olmert denied during a meeting with Palestinian president Mahmoud Abbas there is any humanitarian crisis in the coastal Strip. This news and more coming up stay tuned. The Hamas-run health ministry in Gaza warned today of stoppage of hospital services at major Gaza hospitals due to the continued Israeli closure of border crossings over the past two weeks. A ministry statement read that major services at such hospitals will stop unless power supplies return to normal, warning of lack of spare parts at such hosipitals.

IDF lets limited aid into Gaza, despite Qassam fire on Negev
Yanir Yagna, Ha’aretz 11/18/2008
Palestinian militants in the Gaza Strip fired between eight to 12 Qassam rockets at the western Negev, most of which landed in open fields. There were no reports of injuries, but a local structure sustained damage, A Qassam rocket fired by militants on Sunday struck a residential yard in the southern town of Sderot on Sunday, leaving one person with light shrapnel wounds. Several other people were treated for shock. Meanwhile, Israel opened a border crossing with the Hamas-controlled Gaza Strip on Monday for the first time in two weeks, allowing in a limited amount of humanitarian aid, U. N. and Palestinian officials said. The move came ahead of talks in Jerusalem between outgoing Prime Minister Ehud Olmert and Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas, who termed Israel’s tightened blockade of the Gaza Strip a "war crime.

Khudari: Israel disregards int’l appeals when it allows in 30 trucks
Palestinian Information Center 11/17/2008
GAZA, (PIC)-- MP Jamal Al-Khudari, the head of the popular committee against the siege, considered Monday the Israel intentions to open the Karem Abu Salem crossing in order to allow 30 trucks carrying aid and food supplies a disregard for international appeals. MP Khudari expressed his refusal of dealing with Gaza as an area which needs nothing but aid provided from time to time, calling for the need to rapidly and fully open all Gaza crossings in order for Gaza to live in freedom. The lawmaker noted that this relief aid is not sufficient, adding that Gaza needs more than 2000 trucks to cover the recent crisis caused by the closures. The lawmaker also stressed the need for continuing the international pressure on Israel to open the crossings and end the tragedy of Gaza. The lawmaker pointed out that the IOA holds in custody Palestinian goods at its ports and force businessmen to pay taxes on them without allowing these goods into Gaza.

Israel allows 30 UN trucks into Gaza
Saed Bannoura & Agencies, International Middle East Media Center News 11/17/2008
The Israeli Authorities allowed on Monday the entry of thirty UN trucks filled with foods and medicine to the Gaza Strip, the Arabs48 news website reported. Yet, the Gaza Strip remains under strict siege and all trade crossing are closed under direct orders of Israeli Defense Minister Ehud Barak. Last week, Israel barred UN trucks from entering the Gaza Strip and claimed that it has intelligence info that resistance groups are planning attacks against Israel. The 15 UN trucks were loaded with medicine and were attempting to cross into the Gaza Strip through the Karni crossing. Dr. Moawia Hassanen, head of the Emergency Unit at the Palestinian Ministry of Health in Gaza, said that the number of patients who died due to the siege arrived to 270, including children, infants and elderly. He added that 400 patients who suffer from chronic diseases were barred from leaving Gaza to receive medical treatment abroad.

Israel allows aid into Gaza as new rocket barrage hits Western Negev
Xinhua News Agency, ReliefWeb 11/17/2008
GAZA, Nov 17, 2008 (Xinhua via COMTEX News Network) --Israel allows aid into Gaza as new rocket barrage hits Western Negev Israel allows aid into Gaza as new rocket barrage hits Western Negev Israel on Monday opened a crossing point into Gaza to allow limited amount of humanitarian aid as militants fired a new barrage of rockets into Israeli border towns. Kerem Shalom crossing point in southeast Gaza Strip was opened this morning to receive truckloads of food and other aid for the UN Relief and Works Agency (UNRWA), said Hatem Owaida, an aide to Hamas’ minister of economy. "We were told that 30 trucks will be allowed in today; 12 of them carrying dairy products and frozen food imported by private companies and the other trucks will go for the UNRWA," Owaida explained. Last week, the UNRWA halted food distributions to 750,000 Palestinians as its storehouses ran out of rations.

IOA opens Karm Abu Salem crossing only for limited aid quantities
Palestinian Information Center 11/17/2008
NAZARETH, (PIC)-- The Israeli occupation authority on Monday opened the Karm Abu Salem crossing allowing entry of limited quantity of supplies to the Gaza Strip but retained the other vital crossings closed especially Nahal Oz through which fuel is transferred to the Strip. Press reports said that the IOA was planning to allow passage for 23 trucks loaded with foods supplies to UNRWA, which, according to the media, would be enough for only one week. UNRWA had announced a halt to its distribution of humanitarian assistance after it ran out of stock. The Hebrew radio reported that war minister Ehud Barak decided to retain the Gaza crossings closed despite appeals to the contrary by the UN and its agencies and the European commission. It said that Barak attributed his decision to the continued firing of home made rockets at Israeli settlements near the Strip.

Obeid warns of humanitarian disaster after power outage
Palestinian Information Center 11/17/2008
GAZA, (PIC)-- Kanaan Obeid, the deputy chairman of the Palestinian energy authority in Gaza, Sunday evening warned of a real humanitarian disaster in the Gaza Strip after the electricity cutoff reached hospitals and sewage pumps. He told a press conference that the sole power generation station in the Strip came to a complete halt last Thursday and as a result 40% of power in Gaza was cut off. The electricity company is distributing power on Gaza and central districts from the direct Israeli power lines, which does not meet the Strip’s needs. He explained that 70% of Gaza Strip areas are now without electricity. The Israeli occupation authority has been barring the entry of necessary materials to maintain the electricity network in the Strip such as the transformers, wires, cables meters and fuses, the energy official underlined.

Jordan’s activists plan to break Gaza blockade
Xinhua News Agency, ReliefWeb 11/17/2008
AMMAN, Nov 17, 2008 (Xinhua via COMTEX News Network) -- Jordan’s activists planned to break Gaza besiege by transporting humanitarian aid to residents there, local daily the Jordan Times reported on Monday. Preparations are under way to dispatch a convoy of ships to Gaza Strip to break the Israeli blockade and provide food and medical supplies to Gaza residents, said Zaki Bani Rsheid, Secretary General with the Islamic Action Front (IAF), the political wing of the Muslim Brotherhood in Jordan. "By dispatching the ships, Jordan will become the first Arab country to take such an initiative. The idea is to have all segments of society, officials, civil society organizations, activists and professional associations work together to aid the Palestinians in Gaza," campaign coordinator Rhayyel Gharaibeh said on Sunday.

Israel to free 250 Palestinian prisoners in goodwill gesture to Abbas
Agence France Presse - AFP, Daily Star 11/18/2008
OCCUPIED JERUSALEM: Caretaker Prime Minister Ehud Olmert said on Monday that 250 Palestinian prisoners would be freed in a goodwill gesture, as Palestinian President Mahmud Abbas urged Israel to maintain the Gaza truce. The pair met in Occupied Jerusalem for the first time in two months, amid rising tension in and around the besieged Gaza Strip. On November 5, Israel shattered a five month truce with the Hamas movement that runs the Gaza Strip by invading the territory and killing seven of the Islamist group’s members. Since then, Palestinian fighters retaliated by firing rockets into Israel while the Jewish state tightened its crippling siege of the enclave. "Abbas had asked him to free Palestinian prisoners and Olmert told him of the decision to release 250 at the beginning of December," Palestinian negotiator Saeb Erakat said.

Hamas: ''Abbas-Olmert meeting, a mockery''
Saed Bannoura & Agencies, International Middle East Media Center News 11/17/2008
Fawzi Barhoum, spokesperson of the Hamas movement, slammed the meeting which took place on Monday between the Palestinian President, Mahmoud Abbas, and Israel’s Prime Minister, Ehud Olmert, and described the meeting as a mockery and a cover-up to the Israeli crimes against the Palestinian people. Barhoum added that this meeting was held while the army is ongoing with its crimes and siege against the Gaza Strip. Barhoum also said that Abbas ignored the Palestinian cause and struggle and "joined the Zionist-American project", and accused Abbas of receiving his orders from the US secretary of state, Condoleezza Rice. He added that Monday’s meeting between Olmert and Abbas was also meant to bar any possible talks between Hamas and Fateh movements , and that this meeting and all similar meetings, are part of an Israeli-American plan to eliminate the resistance, especially Hamas, and to oblige Abbas to make more commitments that only serve Israel.

Israel to free 250 Palestinian prisoners
Roni Sofer, YNetNews 11/17/2008
Prime Minister Olmert meets with Palestinian President Abbas in Jerusalem, informs him Jewish state will release Fatah inmates as goodwill gesture in honor of Muslim holiday of Eid al-Adha. All prisoners freed will be forced to sign commitment not to return to terror - Another goodwill gesture to the Palestinian Authority:Israel will release 250 Fatah prisoners in honor of the Muslim holiday of Eid al-Adha which will take place at the beginning of December, Prime Minister Ehud Olmert announced Monday during a meeting with Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas in Jerusalem. Israeli officials clarified that the gesture will include the release of prisoners who were involved in terror but belong to the moderate camp, and are not members ofHamas or the Islamic Jihad. The release is part of Israel’s effort to encourage the moderate forces and prove that such gestures can only be reached by taking the road of peace.

Abbas: No partial agreements with Israel
Ma’an News Agency 11/17/2008
Ramallah - Ma’an - President Mahmoud Abbas reiterated his rejection of any peace agreement that does not settle the core issues, including Jerusalem, refugees, and borders, in his negotiations with Israel. During a press conference in Ramallah with British Foreign Secretary David Miliband, Abbas said that he would not settle for half measures. He said the issues of water and security would also have to be settled, along with the release of Palestinian prisoners. President Abbas stressed the importance of Britain’s role in the peace process. Abbas has been negotiating a potential final resolution to the Palestinian-Israeli conflict for over a year. The talks have stumbled due to continued Israeli settlement construction and a lack of a unified Palestinian leadership. For his part, Miliband said that at a meeting earlier in the day between Abbas and the Israeli Prime. . .

Hamas: Abbas-Olmert meeting a ''farce''
Palestinian Information Center 11/17/2008
GAZA, (PIC)-- The Hamas Movement on Monday described PA chief Mahmoud Abbas’s meeting with the resigned Israeli premier Ehud Olmert as a "farce" and a "challenge to the Palestinian people’s feelings who are suffering at the hands of Israeli occupation in all areas of Palestine". Fawzi Barhoum, a Hamas spokesman said in a press statement that the meeting clearly aims at covering up the Israeli occupation’s crimes and to beautifying its image following the savage scenes of its aggressions. Abbas has forsaken his people and is completely biased in favor of the Zio-American project, the spokesman charged, adding that Abbas obeyed all dictates of American secretary of state Condoleezza Rice in her latest "ominous visit to the region" and personally supervised the political massacre in lines of Hamas and Palestinian resistance in the West Bank.

Israeli PM promises to release Palestinian prisoners
James Sturcke and agencies, The Guardian 11/17/2008
The Israeli prime minister, Ehud Olmert, today promised to release 250 Palestinian prisoners as violence continued in Gaza. Even as Olmert and the Palestinian president, Mahmoud Abbas, met in Jerusalem, Gaza militants launched rockets, some of which landed in the border town of Sderot, where the British foreign secretary, David Miliband, was visiting. Miliband was not harmed, and it was not immediately clear whether he was still in the area at the time of the attack. Palestinian leaders asked the foreign secretary to take steps against Israeli settlement construction in the West Bank, and Miliband criticised the construction during a news conference with Palestinian officials. Hamas militants overran the Gaza Strip last year, expelling Fatah forces loyal to Abbas. After a relatively effective five-month cease-fire, violence has returned, with. . .

Olmert pledges to free 250 Fatah prisoners in gesture to Abbas
Ma’an News Agency 11/17/2008
Ramallah - Ma’an – Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert pledged on Monday to release 250 prisoners affiliated with Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas’s Fatah movement. During a meeting in Jerusalem, the prime minister vowed to make the gesture before the Msulim Eid Al-Adha holiday on 8 December, a spokesperson for Olmert told reporters. As a political as much as diplomatic gesture, none of those released will be members of Islamic factions, including Fatah’s rival, Hamas. Israel last released 198 Palestinians in a goodwill gesture in August. There are over 11,000 Palestinians in Israeli prisons, who are regarded as symbols of resistance to Israeli occupation. Palestinian officials said that during Monday’s meeting Abbas asked Olmert to extend a five-month-old truce in the Gaza Strip. The ceasefire is due to expire in December.

Olmert vows to release 250 detainees
Saed Bannoura & Agencies, International Middle East Media Center News 11/17/2008
Outgoing Israeli Prime Minister, Ehud Olmert, met on Monday in Jerusalem with the Palestinian President, Mahmoud Abbas, and vowed to release 250 detainees as a gesture of good will ahead of the Adha Muslim feast. Israeli sources reported that all detainees who will be freed must sign a commitment not to carry any attacks against Israel. The sources added that some of the detainees who will be freed carried attacks against Israeli targets but are considered moderate and support the peace talks. Senior Israeli officials stated that this step "comes to encourage moderate forces to talk the road of peace". President Mahmoud Abbas stated in a press conference with the British Foreign Minister, David Miliband, that he and Olmert discussed the peace process and agreed on the release of 250 detainees, the return of deportees and also discussed Israel’s settlement activities in the West Bank.

British FM to pressure Israel on settlements
Barak Ravid, Ha’aretz 11/18/2008
British Foreign Secretary David Miliband arrived in Israel yesterday for a two-day visit, and is expected to express strong opposition to West Bank settlement here. His visit comes while relations between Israel and Britain are strained, due to Downing Street’s intention to label products manufactured in the West Bank, as a means of applying economic sanctions. In addition, he is aiming to advance Israeli-Palestinian peace talks during his regional tour, which will include Syria, Lebanon and the Palestinian Authority. Yesterday, Miliband met with Prime Minister Ehud Olmert and Foreign Minister Tzipi Livni During their meeting, Livni told her British counterpart she expected the international community to support Israel as it attempted to quell militant fire from the Gaza Strip. "Israel cannot just watch its citizens being attacked," she said.

Miliband: Israel must protect its own
Roni Sofer, YNetNews 11/17/2008
Visiting British foreign minister tours rocket-battered Sderot with Defense Minister Barak, who tells guest ’no country can accept constant bombardment of its citizens’. Shortly after their visit two Qassams fired from Gaza destroy greenhouse -Defense Minister Ehud Barak toured Sderot Monday with British Foreign Minister David Miliband. "Israel should, above all, seek to protect its own citizens," Miliband told the people of Sderot. After the tour two Qassam rockets were fired from Gaza. No injuries were reported, but damage was done to one of the greenhouses situated in Eshkol Regional Council. The Popular Resistance Committees and Islamic Jihad claimed responsibility for the attack. Barak and Miliband toured the Qassam-plagued city with Israel’s ambassador to London, Ron Prosor, British Ambassador to Israel Tom Philips, Sderot’s outgoing mayor, Eli Moyal, and the city’s new mayor, David Buskila.

Miliband begins Mideast trip in Occupied Jerusalem
Agence France Presse - AFP, Daily Star 11/17/2008
OCCUPIED JERUSALEM: British Foreign Secretary David Miliband arrived in the Middle East on Sunday for talks with Israeli and Palestinian leaders in a bid to bolster the peace process as Israel prepares for early elections. After landing in Israel, Miliband was due to go into Occupied Jerusalem talks with interim Prime Minister Ehud Olmert, a British Embassy spokeswoman said. Before leaving London, he said his visit was an opportunity to sound out Israeli politicians ahead of the February polls. "My visit to Israel will allow me to listen to all of Israel’s political leaders at this important time," he said, according to a Foreign Office statement. Miliband is due to meet both Foreign Minister Tzipi Livni and right-wing opposition Likud leader Benjamin Netanyahu, the two frontrunners to head a new government. He will also meet Defense Minister Ehud Barak, leader of the center-left. . .

Israelis bristle at attempt to limit exports
Donald Macintyre in Jerusalem, The Independent 11/17/2008
David Miliband, the Foreign Secretary, is embroiled in a diplomatic wrangle with Israel over Britain’s attempts to restrict European imports from Jewish settlements in the West Bank. The exchanges came after four Palestinian militants were killed by an Israeli airstrike on Gaza as they fired mortar rounds into Israel. One landed in the back yard of a home in the southern border town of Sderot, injuring one Israeli. The Israeli Foreign Minister, Tzipi Livni, and the outgoing Prime Minister, Ehud Olmert, used meetings with Mr Miliband to complain about what an Israeli official earlier described as an "annoying" demand from the British Government for a tougher EU imports regime. An internal note circulated to the 27 EU member states suggests that among measures "aimed at curbing settlement building" they should follow Britain’s example by running more thorough checks to see whether. . .

Miliband visits Israel to ’show solidarity’ after rocket attacks
Haroon Siddique and agencies, The Guardian 11/17/2008
Palestinian militants fired six rockets into southern Israel today a few hours before the foreign secretary, David Miliband, was due to visit the area, Israeli police said. Miliband arrived in Israel last night and was scheduled to visit the southern Israeli town of Sderot today. The town has been one of the targets of recent rocket attacks by Palestinian militants as the ceasefire between Israel and Hamas threatens to unravel. Israeli spokesman Micky Rosenfeld said the rockets fired today landed in open areas and no one was injured. Islamic Jihad claimed responsibility. Israeli operations against Hamas gunmen and rocket attacks on Israel by militants have put the five-month ceasefire under increasing strain over the past fortnight. Israel has closed crossings into Gaza, blocking deliveries of food, humanitarian supplies and fuel.

Livni: ''Settlements issue, over exaggerated''
Saed Bannoura & Agencies, International Middle East Media Center News 11/17/2008
During her meeting with the British Foreign Minister, David Miliband, Israeli Foreign Minister, Tzipi Linvi, claimed that the issue of settlements in the occupied territories is "an over exaggerated thing"and demanded the UK to lift the restrictions on importing products manufactured in Israeli settlements, in addition to voiding arrest warrants against a number of Israeli military officials. Livni rejected the British intentions to impose restrictions on settlement products and the intentions to place an identification mark of these products in UK stores. The UK decision was met with anger by Israel but Miliband stated that the British government is under internal pressures to cease importing goods and products manufactured in Israeli settlements in the occupied Palestinian West Bank. Livni told Miliband that "she realizes the amount of pressure" but added that stating that settlements are obstructing peace "is over exaggeration".

Barak: Israel will not accept indiscriminate attacks on its citizens
Haaretz Service, Ha’aretz 11/18/2008
Defense Minister Ehud Barak and British Foreign Secretary David Miliband on Monday toured the southern town of Sderot, which has been pounded by Palestinian militants’ rocket fire in recent days. "No country can accept long-term indiscriminate attacks from a foreign entity on its citizens, and Israel will also not accept it," said Barak. "We will act when the conditions are ripe and, when necessary, we will act with force. "Barak added, "I hope it will not take too long before we can once again bring tranquility to the entire region, and bring back our abducted soldier, Gilad Shalit. "Barak took questions from reporters who asked about a wider military incursion, but said that he does not intend to publicize any IDF operations in the press. "When the time comes for a broader attack, we will do that," said Barak.

Olmert accuses Hamas of ’shattering’ Gaza truce
Middle East Online 11/17/2008
JERUSALEM - Interim Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert accused the democratically elected Hamas movement on Sunday of "shattering" the Gaza truce. Olmert told the weekly cabinet meeting that Israel could not stand idly by while it came under repeated rocket fire and said he had ordered security chiefs to draw up action plans against Hamas’s 17-month-old rule in Gaza. But several more rockets fired from Gaza hit Israel late on Sunday afternoon, leaving one person with light shrapnel wounds to the head and the arm, the army said. Defence officials said that Israel’s border crossings would remain closed to humanitarian deliveries to the aid-dependent territory, despite mounting international pressure for a resumption of desperately needed food and fuel. Palestinian president Mahmud Abbas was expected to press Olmert on the issue in talks on Monday, following appeals from both the European Union and the United Nations.

VIDEO - Gazans urged to pressure Hamas on Shalit
Roee Nahmias, YNetNews 11/17/2008
(Video) Members of Smart Middle East forum believe that to influence Hamas, you must first win support of its public. New video appeal making rounds in Gaza tries to convince families of Palestinian prisoners being held in Israel to put screws on Hamas - VIDEO - "Pressure Hamas" - that’s the key message a new initiative working to help free kidnapped soldier Gilad Shalit is trying to get across in Gaza. Video courtesy of Smart Middle East Forum - At a time when the talks between Israel and Hama s over the release of Palestinian prisoners in exchange for Shalit appear hopelessly stagnated, a forum called Smart Middle East has prepared a short Arabic-language video appealing to the families of those Palestinian prisoners in a bid to force Hamas back to the negotiations table. Circulated through e-mail, automated phone recordings and even video-sharing. . .

Gaza fighters launch up to 14 projectiles into Israel
Ma’an News Agency 11/17/2008
Gaza – Ma’an – Palestinian military organizations launched as many as 14 homemade projectiles into Israel from the Gaza Strip on Monday, a day after Israeli forces killed four Palestinian fighters. The rockets were the latest attacks in an ongoing cross-border conflagration in which 15 Palestinians have been killed. As of Monday only one Israeli was lightly injured and others treated for shock after a projectile landed in a residential yard in the town of Sderot. The Al-Quds Brigades, the armed wing of Islamic Jihad, claimed responsibility for a total of ten projectiles, fired in three separate attacks. At noon the Al-Quds Brigades claimed responsibility for launching eight projectiles into the Eshkol area, east of the Gaza Strip city of Khan Younis. In the late afternoon the group said it fired one projectile at the same area, and another at “the Western Negev.

Olmert pledges to spur fortification efforts
Aviad Glickman, YNetNews 11/17/2008
In response to court petition filed by southern communities, prime minister says fortification of homes threatened by Qassam rockets can be sped up if state approves Finance Ministry’s plan for development of infrastructure -Prime Minister Ehud Olmert plans to spur the fortification of houses in Sderot and the Gaza vicinity communities, a government statement said Monday. The statement was made in response to a petition filed by residents with the High Court of Justice. The residents filed the petition after the Cabinet announced its decision not to increase funding for the fortification of houses within the realm of Qassam rockets. The statement explained why this decision was altered. It said Olmert had held a discussion on the global financial crisis, during which the Finance Ministry presented a plan on manners of dealing with its effects.

IDF releases video of Gaza gunners firing rockets at Israel
Haaretz Service, Ha’aretz 11/17/2008
The Israel Defense Forces released a video on Sunday evening showing militants in the Gaza Strip in the process of firing rockets at Israel. The video was released just hours after Israel Air Force troops killed four Palestinian gunners at a launching pad in northerern Gaza. The video shows militants positioning a rocket launcher and distancing themselves from it before opening fire. Meanwhile, a Qassam rocket fired by Palestinian militants in the Gaza Strip struck a residential yard in the southern town of Sderot on Sunday, leaving one person with light shrapnel wounds. Several other people were treated for shock. This was the third rocket to hit the Negev on Sunday, as violence between Israel and the coastal territory continued for a second week.

Over 10 Kassams fired at South
Yaakov Lappin, Jerusalem Post 11/17/2008
Palestinian factions in Gaza continued their rocket assault on the South on Monday, firing over 10 rockets into Israel. Palestinian rocket fire from Gaza continues to hail down on Israel Two Kassam rockets struck the Sha’ar Hanegev Regional Council Monday evening; no injuries or damage were reported. During the afternoon, shortly after a tour of Sderot conducted by Defense Minister Ehud Barak and British Foreign Minister David Miliband, two Kassam rockets landed in the Eshkol Regional Council, damaging a greenhouse. During the tour, Barak said he told the British foreign minister that "no country can accept continuous and indiscriminate shelling of its citizens from a foreign entity, and Israel will not accept this either.

Water quota mulled if drought continues
Zafrir Rinat, Ha’aretz 11/18/2008
Israelis’ lifestyles may have to be drastically altered if there is a drought this year, the Ministry of National Infrastructures warned during a special discussion on the water crisis during yesterday’s cabinet meeting. Among the possible actions the water authority may be forced to take are a drastic cut in water for public parks and gardens, and a significant increase in water rates to lower consumption. Extreme measures, such as water quotas for households, are also under consideration. Prime Minister Ehud Olmert said during the meeting that bureaucratic mistakes were responsible for the lack of needed desalinization plants in recent years, which could have provided an answer to the present water crisis. The cabinet made a number of decisions, including the establishment of a ministerial committee to remove barriers to building a large desalinization plant in Ashdod.

Two thousand angry protesters cut electricity and build road blocks at Beit Fajjar Stone Factory
Ma’an News Agency 11/17/2008
Bethlehem – Ma’an – Two thousand workers in the Beit Fajjar Stone factories staged aggressive strike action south of Bethlehem on Saturday and 1,000 participated Sunday, calling for better wages and regular pay, as well as strict adherence to the Palestinian Labor Law. Workers erected barriers around the factories, preventing trucks from delivering supplies or exporting stone products. Large numbers of strikers were posted around the several compounds to prevent the use of alternative entry or exit points. Some said the electricity in some factories was also cut off. Member of the stone and construction workers union Khaled Thawabtah said the strike came after a series of small-scale protests which were ignored by the factory administrations. Head of the Stone Masons Union in Palestine Subhi Thawabtah said the union “supports workers’ rights” but encouraged strikers to move forward in “peaceful and democratic ways.

Israeli moderately injured in West Bank shooting
Efrat Weiss, YNetNews 11/17/2008
Man shot twice in apparent auto theft after entering Palestinian village near Kedumim settlement. Police launch investigation; shooters escape with vehicle - An Israeli citizen was moderately injured Monday after being shot in the foot and chest by a Palestinian near the Kedumim settlement in the West Bank in an apparent robbery. A Magen David Adom crew arrived at the scene and evacuated the injured man to Kedumim clinic, from which he was then transferred to hospital by helicopter. An initial investigation revealed that the Israeli driver entered the Palestinian village of al-Funduk near Kedumim, apparently to do some shopping. Two Palestinians tried to steal the man’s car but the Israeli resisted and as a result the Palestinians shot him twice, and drive off in his vehicle. The victim managed to make his way to Kedumim intersection, where he received primary medical treatment.

Israeli man moderately injured in criminally linked West Bank shooting
Haaretz Service, Ha’aretz 11/18/2008
An Israeli man sustained moderate injuries Monday after being shot at by Palestinians, who then stole his car near the West Bank settlement of Kdumim. The man, a resident of the West Bank settlement of Shavei Shomron, had gone down to run errands in a nearby Arab village on Sunday when assailants attacked him, inflicting injuries to his abdomen and foot. An Israeli who had witnessed the attack evacuated the victim to hospital in Kdumim, as the assailants fled the scene with the victim’s vehicle. Police have launched an investigation into the incident and are conducting searches for the assailants. [end]

Hamas: The PA declined morally and politically when it kidnapped Asfour
Palestinian Information Center 11/17/2008
GAZA, (PIC)-- The Hamas Movement stated that the kidnapping of Hamas leader Adnan Asfour for some time on Sunday evening soon after he was released from Israeli jails reflected the level of moral, security and political decline the PA leadership and its security apparatuses had reached. Hamas spokesman Fawzi Barhoum called in this regard on Egypt to declare its position towards the political arrests in the West BankBarhoum held PA chief Mahmoud Abbas directly responsible for the liquidation campaign against the Palestinian resistance and Hamas in the West Bank, adding that Abbas became a destructive element and a threat to the Palestinian people. The spokesman strongly denounced the PLO factions for their silence towards the political arrests practiced by the PA and Fatah leadership, pointing out that the arrest campaigns destroyed the bridges of trust and the Palestinian people’s hope of returning to the dialog.

Haniyeh: Talks with Fatah postponed, not cancelled
Ma’an News Agency 11/17/2008
Gaza – Ma’an – Senior Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh said on Monday that an Egyptian-brokered summit of Palestinian factions has not been cancelled, but rather postponed. Haniyeh, the prime minister of the de facto government in Gaza, said that the summit aimed at restoring unity between Hamas and rival Fatah would be resumed when “pending issues” are resolved. Hamas pulled out of a Palestinian reconcilliation summit planned to begin in Cairo last week in protest of Fatah holding Hamas-affiliated political prisoners. A Hamas-Fatah unity government collapsed in June after Hamas violently took full control of the Gaza Strip. In a statement Haniyeh said he would communicate these views to Arab League Secretary-General Amr Moussa, who has played a role in brokering Hamas-Fatah dialogue. Haniyeh said he is eager to pursue intra-Palestinain dialogues, but that talks would require the proper ‘atmosphere’ to succeed.

PA crackdown has Hamas reducing cash transfers to West Bank
Avi Issacharoff, Ha’aretz 11/18/2008
Hamas has dramatically reduced its money transfers to various charitable organizations in the West Bank formerly linked to the group, as the Palestinian Authority continues to assert its control over those organizations. Hamas had used the charities to transfer money to its operatives in the West Bank and to strengthen its standing among the Palestinian public. Since the beginning of this year, the PA has systematically installed new managements at the charities, which then transferred the organizations’ assets to the PA itself. In addition, the PA has appointed religious leaders affiliated with the Ramallah government to the Waqf Islamic religious trust, which was previously run by clerics identified with the Muslim Brotherhood, Hamas’ parent movement. This leadership change has forced Hamas to stem the flow of money to the charities it once funded.

Abu Marzouk: Abbas’s security works hard to crush all voices against Israel
Palestinian Information Center 11/17/2008
DAMASCUS, (PIC)-- Dr. Moussa Abu Marzouk, the deputy head of Hamas’s political bureau, stated that PA chief Mahmoud Abbas’s security apparatuses devoted themselves to eliminate all voices against Israeli occupation, Dayton and the roadmap plan. Dr. Abu Marzouk underlined that the detention of Hamas leader Adnan Asfour, who was only released after the intervention of Palestinian and Egyptian dignitaries, was conclusive evidence that the PA apparatuses work for Israel and act upon its orders. The Hamas leader also noted that if the PA continued to work against the Palestinian resistance, serve the Israeli occupation and implement the roadmap plan, there would not be any future inter-Palestinian dialog. Abu Marzouk asserted, in this respect, that Hamas would never go to dialog under pressure. Palestinian local sources reported that the PA security apparatuses kidnapped 24 Palestinian. . .

EU donates 750,000 Euros to pave way for future Palestinian elections
Ma’an News Agency 11/17/2008
Bethlehem – Ma’an - The European Union is handing over three quarters of a million Euros to the Palestinian Central Elections Commission to help pave the way for future elections. Roy Dickinson, the European Commission’s Head of Operations in Jerusalem, and Hanna Nassir, the Chairman of the Central Elections Commission (CEC) signed the grant agreement on Monday. The Palestinian Authority is scheduled to hold presidential and parliamentary elections in 2009 and 2010, but the ongoing political split between the West Bank and Gaza, disputes about the timing of the elections, and the Israeli closure of Gaza have cast serious doubts about whether elections are feasible. The CEC will use the grant for an elections outreach program in Palestinian schools, in cooperation with the Ministry of Education. The CEC will train school teachers on the elections system and provide materials. . .

Fatah prepares to repatriate exiled leaders in advance of sixth conference in new year
Ma’an News Agency 11/17/2008
Bethlehem – Ma’an – Several key and senior Fatah members will soon arrive in the West Bank, said head of Palestinian National Council (PNC) Salim Az-Za’noun said on Sunday. The plan will see the party members moved to the West Bank “permanently,” though Az-Za’noun did not indicate whether the leaders were being evacuated from Gaza or brought in from Syria, the Arab world or abroad. He did indicate that the move was part of the extended plans for a sixth Fatah conference. Hinting at the date for the conference, on which details remain scarce, party members indicated that it is slated for some time in the first few months of the new year. The Jordanian daily paper Al-Ghad quoted Az-Za’noun as saying arrangements were being made so that Fatah members who do not have Palestinian identity cards will be able to enter the West Bank “permanently.

Caretaker government lashes out at Hamas
Ma’an News Agency 11/17/2008
Ramallah - Ma’an – The West Bank-based Palestinian government accused the rival Hamas movement of resisting newly deployed Palestinian security forces on Monday. Riad Al-Maliki, the spokesperson of the Fatah-dominated government said that a current security campaign in the West Bank is nonetheless “going well. ”"All the threats by Hamas to control the West Bank are worthless threats," said Al-Maliki. Hamas has accused the Palestinian Authority of cracking down on political opposition in the West Bank. There has been speculation that Palestinian factional fighting could flare up again when President Mahmoud Abbas’ term expires in January. In his weekly press conference in the West Bank city of Ramallah, Al-Maliki said Abbas would soon call a cabinet meeting to discuss how to pursue the Palestinian-Israeli peace negotiations.

Abbas’ absence from Cairo meeting, political arrests caused Hamas to boycott talks
Ma’an News Agency 11/17/2008
Bethlehem – Ma’an – Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas’ refusal to participate in meetings at the aborted Cairo Palestinian reconciliation meeting contributed to Hamas’ decision to boycott the summit, informed sources told Ma’an. This revelation is contributing to an emerging picture of Hamas’ reasons for withdrawing from the meeting, which contributed to its premature collapse. The sources said that Abbas wanted to participate only in ceremonial sessions, not the political negotiations at the Cairo talks, which collapsed before they even began. Since part of the Hamas-Fatah split is the status of Abbas’ presidency, Hamas saw it as imperative that he attend the sessions. Abbas had not planned to attend the opening day of the summit, instead appearing at a meeting of the international Quartet on Middle East peace.

IDF officials: Settlers unlikely to quit Hebron home unless forced
Tomer Zarchin Nadav Shragai and The Associated Press, Ha’aretz 11/17/2008
Settlers have three days to evacuate a disputed building in the West Bank town of Hebron, the High Court ruled Sunday. IDF officials predicted, however that settlers would not voluntarily vacate within the designated time and that forced would most likely be used to implement the evacuation. The officials said the IDF has a total 30 days to complete the settlers’ evacuation from Hebron and to return the building to the proper Palestinian owners. The High Court ruling drew ire from right-wing politicians on Sunday, who termed the eviction "discriminatory" and "scandolous. "The four-story building became a flash point for tensions when settlers moved in early last year after claiming to have purchased it from a Palestinian. But the Palestinian denies the claim and Israeli authorities have not recognized the sale as legal.

Israeli court orders colonists to end takeover of Hebron house
Agence France Presse - AFP, Daily Star 11/17/2008
OCCUPIED JERUSALEM: Israel’s High Court on Sunday gave Jewish settlers three days to evacuate a house in the Occupied West Bank town of Hebron whose ownership is contested. The ruling, which was slammed by settler leaders, follows a series of violent clashes between Israeli security forces and hard-line Jews seeking to erect unauthorized outposts in the Occupied West Bank. All Israeli presence in the Occupied West Bank is illegal under international and stands in violation of numerous UN Security Council resolutions. The court rejected an appeal by two right-wing organizations against an order issued by the state to evacuate the Hebron house, which the settlers claim they had purchased from a Palestinian, who denies selling the house. The house was occupied by dozens of hard-line Jewish settlers in March 2007.

Uzi Landau joins Yisrael Beiteinu
Attila Somfalvi, YNetNews 11/17/2008
Former minister, who served as Knesset member on behalf of Likud for 22 years, announces plan to move to Avigdor Lieberman’s party - Dr. Uzi Landau, who served as a Knesset member on behalf of the Likud for 22 years, is moving to Avigdor Lieberman’s Yisrael Beiteinu party, Ynet has learned. Last week, Landau decided not to run for the 18th Knesset on behalf of the Likud. "This wasn’t an easy decision for me, but I’m at peace with it," Landau said at a joint press conference with Lieberman. He went on to slam his former party. "Today I’m leaving the Likud, which was my political home since my youth. I served there with many friends for many years. Even after it cleaned itself off the Kadima gang, which has no way and no ideology and is essentially an expression of opportunism, the Likud is still gradually losing its identity, and it’s unclear to me where it is heading.

Landau joins Israel Beiteinu because he ’can’t trust Likud’
Gil Hoffman, Jerusalem Post 11/17/2008
Veteran former Likud minister Uzi Landau announced at a Tel Aviv press conference on Monday that he was joining Israel Beiteinu as Avigdor Lieberman’s number two. Former Likud MK Uzi Landau announces he will join Israel Beiteinu party Landau served as an MK from 1984 until 2006. He served as internal security minister and a minister-without-portfolio in former Prime Minister Ariel Sharon’s governments but quit in protest of the Gaza Strip disengagement. Lieberman first spoke to Landau about joining his party a year ago, but Landau only decided to return to politics over the past two months. He said he joined Israel Beiteinu because he was afraid of Kadima Leader Tzipi Livni forming the next government or Likud chairman Binyamin Netanyahu giving her a prominent role in a government he would form. "I see what’s happening in the political arena and the danger of Tzipi Livni leading the country," Landau told The Jerusalem Post.

Begin, Meridor grab spotlight at Likud central committee meet
Mazal Mualem, Ha’aretz 11/18/2008
Likud leader Benjamin Netanyahu on Sunday recognized the faction members who had sat in the opposition with him, even as high-profile candidates for the party’s Knesset list, like returning Likudnik Benny Begin, stole the spotlight at Sunday’s central committee meeting. "Take a good look at the 12 faction members - these are the people who walked with me in the political wilderness and flew the Likud flag during hard times," Netanyahu told the central committee members. The comments appeared to be intended to diminish tensions ahead of the December 8 primary, during which many candidates are expected to displace some of the MKs who sat through Likud’s time in the opposition. Three years after Netanyahu took the power to choose the MKs out of the hands of the central committee and led Likud to one of its worst defeats, he has returned to the central committee as a victor.

Israel wants more Palestinians to join army
Daan Bauwens, Inter Press Service, Daily Star 11/18/2008
TEL AVIV: The Israeli government has begun to actively promote voluntary army service for Palestinian-Israelis. The Knesset, the Israeli Parliament, is meanwhile considering plans to make civil service compulsory for all Israeli citizens, including Palestinian-Israelis. The Palestinian community in Israel - the remnants of the indigenous population who were not ousted or fled from their land in the face of a Jewish terror campaign that preceded the creation of Israel - is opposing the plans. Leaders say the proposals are only a way of getting rid of Palestinian identity. Palestinian-Israelis also have misgivings about compulsory national civil service, which means community service in towns, hospitals or schools as an alternative to military service. Last month Israel’s Haaretz daily newspaper presented recruitment numbers showing an increase in the number of Palestinian-Israelis volunteering for the army. -- See also: Chief IDF rabbi: Army rabbinate needs to inculcate Jewish values

Chief IDF rabbi: Army rabbinate needs to inculcate Jewish values
Amos Harel, Ha’aretz 11/18/2008
The chief rabbi of the Israel Defense Forces is sticking to his position that the military rabbinate must be involved in inculcating soldiers and officers with "values and Jewish awareness," despite the opposition of the education corps. "There is a crucial need to connect [the] soldiers with their roots and Jewish values," Rabbi Avihai Ronski wrote in a letter he sent earlier this month to officers in the military rabbinate, in response to criticism that arose in response to a Haaretz article describing the rabbis’ activities. "Thank God we have the privilege of dealing with this. We should continue to act in the area of Jewish awareness. " Haaretz reported a month ago that the IDF rabbinate was getting involved in areas under the responsibility of the education corps and quoted senior officers as saying the IDF rabbis are. . . -- See also: Israel wants more Palestinians to join army

How did IDF gain control over half of the country?
Zafrir Rinat, Ha’aretz 11/18/2008
Some countries have an army, and some armies, like the Israel Defense Forces, have a country. According to a recent study on the defense establishment and land in Israel, various defense bodies lord over half the land. The army tops the list, but they all largely do as they please with respect to planning and development. The result is that while the rest of the country adopts orderly processes, starting from national and regional master plans, much of the state land remains managed separately. The existence of this kingdom may be essential, but its size and management methods have yet to face serious public scrutiny. The study, "A Land in Khaki: Geographic Dimension of Defense in Israel," was written by geographers Amiram Oren and Rafi Regev and published by Carmel Publishing. Oren has been researching how the defense establishment’s activities affect the planning of land use, the environment and the property sector.

Hermesh blasts Kadima for not reserving slot for him
Gil Hoffman, Jerusalem Post 11/17/2008
The Kadima faction decided to reserve slots on the party’s list for women, immigrants and a non-Jew in a meeting at the party’s Petah Tikva headquarters on Monday, angering representatives of other sectors. MK Shai Hermesh, who represents kibbutzim and moshavim in Kadima, stormed out of the meeting in protest against the decision to reject his request for a reserved slot for his sector. Livni’s chief of staff Amir Goldstein ran out of the building after Hermesh, but he refused to return. "It is chutzpah that they are reserving places for Arabs and immigrants and not for the pioneers who settled this land," Hermesh said on his way out of the building. Hermesh said he was angry because Kadima faction chairman Yoel Hasson prevented a vote on reserving the slot. He said his sector brought the party three seats in the last election and yet he still did not make the Knesset until. . .

Israel Land Administration workers arrested in bribery affair
Noam Sharvit, Globes Online 11/17/2008
"The suspects used their seniority within the authority to satisfy their greed. "Four Israel Land Administration (ILA) workers have been arrested by Israel Police on suspicion of accepting bribes and sexual favors in exchange for reducingpayments owed to the ILA. The bribery is believed to have cost the taxpayer millions of shekels. A further 27 suspects were also detained by police, among them lawyers and middle-men, who are suspected of offering and soliciting bribes. Detectives also raided the ILA offices in Tel Aviv where they seized documents. Police say their inquiries have revealed a case of serious, wide-ranging corruption in the public sector in which "the suspects used their seniority within the authority to satisfy their greed. " The inquiry was launched a year ago after detectives at the Israel Police Economic Crimes Unit received information that the suspects. . .

Crime war feared after Alperon hit
Yaakov Lappin, Jerusalem Post 11/17/2008
Police fear a full-scale war between the country’s various organized crime families will erupt after Mafia kingpin Ya’acov Alperon was killed when a car bomb exploded in his vehicle on a busy Tel Aviv thoroughfare Monday afternoon. Mob kingpin Yaakov Alperon killed in Tel Aviv assassination Three bystanders, including a 13-year-old boy, were wounded in the blast, which left Alperon’s car ablaze as it sat on the corner of Rehov Yehuda Hamaccabi and Derech Namir. The lifeless body of the mob boss, known on the street as "Don Alperon," dangled from an open door. "We received a report of an explosion in a car," paramedic Lior Elharar told Army Radio. "We arrived within several minutes and found three casualties, one of whom was dead. " RELATEDAnalysis: ’This is a war over honor’ "I heard a huge blast and I approached the junction," Idit, an eyewitness, said.

Crime boss killed in underworld Tel Aviv car bombing
Haaretz Service and News Agencies, Ha’aretz 11/18/2008
A car bomb in central Tel Aviv killed one of Israel’s top mafia kingpins on Monday, threatening to unleash an all-out war in Israel’s increasingly violent underworld. Israel Police officials identified the dead man as Ya’akov Alperon, the head of one of the country’s most powerful crime families. Medics said three bystanders were also lightly wounded in the explosion, including a 13-year-old boy. In recent years, mob wars have plagued Israeli towns and cities. Rival underworld gangs have waged bloody battles for control of gambling and protection rackets, targeting each other with bullets, bombs and even anti-tank missiles in violence that has killed dozens of gangsters and at least eight bystanders in the last three years. Monday’s attack was by far the most high-profile incident to date.

Reputed mob boss Alperon killed in blast
Avi Cohen, YNetNews 11/18/2008
Car carrying senior crime figure Yaakov Alperon explodes near bus stop on Namir Road; three other people lightly injured. Former police commander believes family will avenge murder -A loud blast rocked north Tel Aviv on Monday after a rented car carrying reputed crime boss Yaakov Alperon exploded near a bus stop. Magen David Adom rescue forces reported that the person in the car, later identified as Alperon, was killed and three bystanders were lightly injured. Alperon attended a court hearing earlier Monday. The incident took place shortly before 12 pm on the corner of Yehuda Maccabi Street and Namir Road. Large police and MDA forces were dispatched to the area. Zion, the manager of a photo shop on Yehuda Hamaccabi Street, told Ynet, "There was a very loud explosion, on Namir Road, between Bavli and Pinkas Streets.

VIDEO - Plagued by staggering debts, Israeli tycoons struggle to keep companies afloat
Haaretz Staff and Channel 10, Ha’aretz 11/18/2008
Haaretz. com/Channel 10 daily feature for November 17, 2008. The global economic crisis has threatened many fortunes around the world. In Israel in particular, the value of the holdings of two big-name tycoons have been falling so dramatically that experts fear they won’t be able to recover. Billionaires Yitzhak Tshuva and Lev Leviev, who own Delek Group and Africa Israel, both have debts totaling tens of millions of shekels. It’s unclear whether their assets exceed those debts. The deteriorating value of Leviev and Tshuva’s companies has been brought on by the sharp downturn their stocks have taken amid plummeting shareholder confidence. Africa Israel’s value has dropped by 92 percent since the start of 2008, wiping out 17 billion shekels of its value.

Bottom shekel / The market doesn’t want their debt
Hagai Amit, Ha’aretz 11/18/2008
The capital market has decided: Lev Leviev and Yitzhak Tshuva are going to have trouble overcoming the situation. That’s what the events of the last few weeks mean. During the good years, their empires - Africa Israel and Delek respectively - borrowed massively. On Thursday, if you wanted to lend money to Leviev, you could buy Africa Israel bonds on the Tel Aviv Stock Exchange at a yield of 62%, which means a 62% return each year until the bond matures. Meanwhile, just about every other investment avenue in the market is racking up negative returns. Also on Thursday, if you wanted to lend money to Tshuva, you could buy Delek Group bonds at a yield of more than 20%. Bonds of subsidiary Delek Real Estate could be had for a yield of 61% (B5 series) or an astronomical 152% (B4 series). Yet somehow, nobody was buying bonds from Leviev or Tshuva on Thursday.

’Israel, Germany develop nuclear warning system’
Yaakov Lappin, Jerusalem Post 11/17/2008
Working in secret, Israel and Germany have jointly developed a nuclear missile detection system, according to the Defense News Web site. Code-named Project Bluebird, the system is based on the prototype of an aerial infrared sensor designed to identify a nuclear-tipped missile speeding toward a target amid a cluster of decoy missiles. Military planners work under the assumption that in a nuclear strike, decoy missiles could be launched along with those carrying nuclear warheads to confuse and overwhelm missile defense shields. According to the sources, Project Bluebird is designed to avert such a scenario. On November 3, Defense News published details of the program and cited a German defense official as confirming its existence. According to the Web site, the system’s infrared sensor has already been tested aboard a business jet.

Middle East would challenge Clinton as secretary of state
Agence France Presse - AFP, Daily Star 11/17/2008
WASHINGTON: Hillary Clinton, if Barack Obama names her secretary of state as media speculation suggests, will confront staggering challenges overseas like US military engagements in Iraq and Afghanistan, terrorism and a defiant Iran. Clinton, 61, a high-profile senator from New York, formidable Obama presidential campaign rival and former first lady, would be tasked with ushering in a new era of US diplomacy promised by Obama. Sources close to Clinton and Obama did not deny media reports that the former first lady met Obama in Chicago on Thursday and was in the frame to become the top US diplomat. She would face high expectations from a world that has yearned for an end to the turbulent eight years of President George W. Bush and that widely welcomed the victory of America’s first black president with his promises of change.

Appointing Hillary secretary of state would be bold move - Kissinger
Daily Star 11/17/2008
NEW DEHL
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