Gaza power plant shuts down due to severe fuel shortage
Xinhua News Agency, ReliefWeb 12/7/2008
GAZA, Dec 07, 2008 (Xinhua via COMTEX News Network)- The sole power plant in the Gaza Strip had shut down again on Sunday after running out of the limited amount of industrial fuels that was allowed last week for one day only, a Palestinian officials said. "The limited amounts of diesel to re-operate Gaza power plant, which Israel allowed last week for one day only, has ran out and the power plant has completely stopped," said Kan’an Obaid, deputy director of Palestinian Energy Authority. "All Gaza City and parts of central Gaza Strip won’t have electricity after the power plant has shut down," Obaid said, adding "those areas would be in complete blackout by Sunday night until new amounts of diesel are allowed. " Israel sealed off the Gaza Strip on Nov. 5 after the surge of a new wave of violence, withholding European-funded diesel from reaching the power plant which produces 25 percent of the territory’s electricity.
UN agency warns of food shortage in Gaza due to Israeli blockade
Xinhua News Agency, ReliefWeb 12/7/2008
GAZA, Dec 07, 2008 (Xinhua via COMTEX News Network)- A UN agency in Gaza warned on Sunday that food aid would run out within the coming couple of days due to the ongoing Israeli tight blockade imposed on the Gaza Strip for a month. Adnan Abu Hasna, spokesman of the United Nations for Relief and Work Agency (UNRWA) in Gaza told reporters that the humanitarian crisis in Gaza is mounting and food aids would run out within two days. "UNRWA has urged an international interference to Israel to reopen Gaza crossings to allow food aids and products," Abu Hasna said, adding that "there are 750,000 people of Gaza population who depend on the UN aid. " He said that although Israel has shortly opened Gaza commercial crossings and allowed some trucks loaded with food, "the amount was not enough amid the ongoing closure of the crossings.
Witnesses: Israeli police, soldiers ''deeply involved'' in settler attacks following Hebron house evacuation
Ma’an News Agency 12/7/2008
Hebron - Ma’an - “They were deeply involved. It was obvious. ” This is how Jamal Abu Sa’ifan described the role in the Israeli police and military forces during the settler riots in the aftermath of the evacuation of settlers from the “House of Contention” last Thursday. Abu Sa’ifan filmed the now-famous footage of an Israeli settler shooting two of his relatives during the riots. His account of Thursday’s violence suggests that not only did Israeli forces fail to prevent the settlers’ violent and apparently ethnically-motivated attack on the local population, but in fact facilitated these attacks. By Sunday, even the Israeli Prime Minister, Ehud Olmert, had labeled what took place on Thursday a “pogrom” against Palestinians. On the day that Hebron was set on fire by settlers, however, Olmert released a statement praising his military for a “quick and efficient evacuation".
Israel pulls 20 Palestinians from list of 250 prisoners set for release
Barak Ravid, Ha’aretz 12/8/2008
The ministerial committee overseeing the release of Palestinian prisoners from Israeli jails approved on Sunday the release of 230 prisoners as a gesture of goodwill toward the Palestinian Authority ahead of the Muslim holiday of Eid al-Adha. Last week, the cabinet approved a list of 250 prisoners, during its weekly meeting. Some 20 names were removed from the original list following objections by several ministers, who were opposed to releasing prisoners into the Hamas-ruled Gaza Strip. The list of prisoners includes mainly members of the Fatah faction, led by moderate Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas, and none are classified as having "blood on their hands" or having been directly involved in the murder of Israelis. After the list was approved, Shas Chairman Eli Yishai said "the prisoner release builds on a trend of destructive one-sidedness that is detached from reality.
Israel blocks ’siege-busting’ ship
Al Jazeera 12/7/2008
Elias Karram, Al Jazeera’s correspondent in Jaffa, said special forces had been deployed in the port - Special security forces have been deployed in and around Jaffa’s streets and port in order to stop a ship carrying medical and food supplies reaching Gaza. Elias Karram, Al Jazeera’s correspondent in Jaffa, said on Sunday that the ship had been prevented from docking at the small city port where it was due to pick up supplies before sailing on to the Gaza Strip. Maritime police boarded the boat before it could anchor and collect supplies. Israeli forces on Sunday morning also seized a truck carrying the humanitarian supplies that were to be transferred onto the ship, Karram said. Blockade - The "siege-busting" shipment to blockaded Gaza was arranged by the Authority to Break the Siege, an alliance that includes all Palestinian political parties inside the Green Line - Israeli-Arab politicians and activists living within Israel.
Civil rights group claim Israeli occupation is ''reminiscent of apartheid''
Ben Lynfield in Jerusalem, The Independent 12/7/2008
Israel’s leading civil rights organisation yesterday broke a taboo by describing Israeli policies in the occupied West Bank as being "reminiscent of apartheid" in South Africa. Alleging an intensification of human rights abuses against Palestinians, the respected Association for Civil Rights in Israel (ACRI) made the comparison in an annual report that described the existence of separate legal, planning and transportation systems for Jewish settlers and Palestinians in the West Bank. "Israel has built a modern arterial road system in the West Bank intended in fact only for use by Israeli traffic, whereas the Palestinians are forced to travel for the most part on twisting and dangerous roads," the report said. While Israel facilitates the expansion of Jewish settlements, it restricts the growth of Palestinian towns, the report added.
Gaza resident killed by Israeli tank shell
Saed Bannoura & Agencies, International Middle East Media Center News 12/6/2008
Palestinian medical sources in Gaza reported on Saturday evening that one resident was killed after the Israeli army fired a tank shell into an area east of Gaza City. The Israeli army denied any responsibility for the shelling and claimed that the Palestinian resident died while planting an explosive charge. The slain resident was identified as Raed Yousef, 21. Medical sources reported that Yousef’s body was severely mutilated. The Salah Ed Deen Brigades, the armed wing of the Popular Resistance Committee, stated that Yousef was one of its members. Furthermore, Israeli sources reported on Friday that resistance fighters in Gaza fired four Qassam shells and ten mortars at adjacent Israeli areas; no damages or injuries were reported. The sources added that one shell struck the industrial zone in Ashkelon causing no damages or injuries.
IAF strikes Kassam squad in Gaza
Yaakov Katz And Jpost.com Staff, Jerusalem Post 12/6/2008
The Israeli Air Force on Sunday afternoon attacked a squad of Palestinian terrorists who were preparing to fire a Kassam rocket towards Israel from the northern Gaza Strip. The IAF reported a hit, but the Palestinians said there were no casualties. In the wake of the ongoing rocket and mortar shell fire on the western Negev, Defense Minister Ehud Barak decided Saturday night to keep the border crossings between Israel and the Gaza Strip closed on Sunday. Palestinians fired three Kassam rockets at the western Negev on Sunday afternoon. No wounded or damage were reported. One rocket landed at the entrance to Sderot, while the other two landed in the Sha’ar Hanegev and Eshkol regions. Since Sunday morning, some eight Kassam rockets and five mortar shells were fired at the western Negev. RELATEDWorld Bank warns: Gaza. . .
Gaza man electrocuted in Rafah tunnel
Ma’an News Agency 12/6/2008
Gaza – Ma’an – Palestinian 20-year-old Nidal As’ad Abu Jami was electrocuted on Saturday morning inside a tunnel under the border between Egypt and Rafah in the southern Gaza Strip, local medical sources said. According to Muawiyah Abu Hassanein, the director of Ambulance and Emergency Services in the Palestinian Health Ministry, the young man arrived dead at Abu Yousif An-Najjar Hospital in Rafah shortly following the accident. In late November, a tunnel in the Gaza Strip collapsed, trapping Palestinian workers underground. De facto civil defense personnel and medics pulled three people from the debris of the tunnel collapse. Palestinians were working inside the tunnel when it suddenly collapsed, trapping several under the debris in the As-Salam neighborhood of Rafah in the southern Gaza Strip.
3 Qassams hit western Negev
Shmulik Hadad, YNetNews 12/7/2008
One rocket lands near school at entrance to Sderot causing panic, two others land in open areas. No injuries or damage reported - Three Qassam rockets were fired at Israel from the northern Gaza Strip on Sunday afternoon. One rocket exploded at the entrance to Sderot, not far from a school, and caused a panic at the scene. Another rocket landed within the Eshkol Regional Council and a third fell in Sha’ar Hanegev Regional Council. No injuries or damage was caused. Limor, a 10th-grader in the Sderot school near where the rocket landed, told Ynet, "In the middle of the lesson we heard a Color Red and then we heard a very loud explosion. "We realized that a rocket had fallen right next to us. There was a big panic in the class. We have a student whose house got hit by a rocket not long ago, she really get hysterical.
Israeli forces detain wife of Islamic Jihad leader for second time in Jenin
Ma’an News Agency 12/7/2008
Bethlehem – Ma’an – The wife of prominent Islamic Jihad leader Bassam As-Sa’di was detained for a second time on Saturday; taken out of her family home in Jenin by Israeli forces. The 49-year-old Nawal As-Sadi was previously detained at the Huwwara checkpoint south of Nabulus, and kept in prison for 18 days. Bassam As-Sa’di is currently serving a five-year sentence in an Israeli prison. Two of Nawal’s sons were killed by Israeli forces during the second Intifadah. [end]
Israeli military detains a number of residents including a freed prisoner
IMEMC Staff&Agencies, International Middle East Media Center News 12/7/2008
On Sunday, Israeli military detained a number of Palestinian residents, including a female prisoner that was set free, from different areas of the West Bank, Palestinian media sources and witnesses said. [end]
Israel eases travel restrictions at key West Bank checkpoint
The Associated Press, Ha’aretz 12/7/2008
Palestinians packed into cars to leave the West Bank city of Nablus on Saturday after Israel eased restrictions on residents leaving the town in vehicles for the first time in six years. Luay Saadi, head of Palestinian-Israeli security coordination in Nablus, said Saturday that he was told by his Israeli counterparts that Palestinian men and women over age 50 can now leave the town in their cars, without prior permission from Israel’s army. An Israel Defense Forces spokeswoman could not confirm the new policy. Most Nablus residents cross an Israeli checkpoint on foot to leave town or obtain a permit from Israel’s military to exit in a vehicle. But in an unusual turn of events on Saturday, IDF soldiers allowed all Palestinians in vehicles - not just those driven by people over 50 - to leave the city, prompting a rush of residents to enjoy the sudden easing up of restrictions.
Barak presents gestures to PA ahead of Muslim holiday
Roni Sofer, YNetNews 12/7/2008
After government approves Palestinian prisoner release, Defense Minister Barak informs PA Prime Minister Fayyad of series of gestures ahead of Eid al-Adha holiday, presents figures showing economic improvement in West Bank - Israel presents gestures ahead of Muslim holiday: After approving the release of about 230 Palestinian prisoners,Defense Minister Ehud Barak informed Palestinian Prime Minister Salam Fayyad of a series of Israeli gestures ahead of the Eid al-Adha holiday. In their meeting Sunday, Barak told Fayyad that Israel will allow first-degree relatives - men above 40 and women of all ages - from Judea and Samaria into the Green Line. In addition, Arab Israelis will be allowed to enter Area A in the West Bank, and men aged 45 and above will be given permits to head to Temple Mount. Barak added that in addition to gestures pertaining to West Bank roadblocks,. . .
Israel pardons 45 more wanted al-Aqsa men
Ali Waked, YNetNews 12/7/2008
Gesture made in framework of last year’s amnesty deal with Palestinian Authority -Israel granted full pardon on Sunday to another group of 45 men belonging to the al-Aqsa Martyrs’ Brigades, an offshoot of President Mahmoud Abbas’ Fatah movement, Palestinian sources told Ynet. The full pardon allows the men complete freedom of movement in the territories and beyond. The gesture, made in the framework of last year’s amnesty agreement between Jerusalem and the Palestinian Authority, was finalized following a meeting of Israeli and Palestinian officials. In October 2007, Ynet revealed that Israel and the Palestinian Authority had reached an agreement that saw wanted al-Aqsa members begin a three-month probation period, with those not involved in terrorist activities during this period being granted amnesty.
PA bars Al-Jazeera journalists from Mukata
Jerusalem Post 12/7/2008
The Palestinian Authority has decided to ban a number of journalists from entering the presidential Mukata compound in Ramallah. The decision is aimed at punishing the journalists because of their criticism of the PA leadership or for reporting about the activities of Hamas leaders. Al-Jazeera reporters and TV crews are among those who now appear on the PA’s blacklist. They have been denied access to the Mukata for the past two weeks. Other journalists working for Arab and Western media outlets have also been told that they are no longer welcome to visit the compound. The Foreign Press Association protested "in the strongest possible terms" the ban on Al-Jazeera journalists and urged the authorities in Ramallah to immediately end this restriction. "There can be no legitimate excuse for this unacceptable curtailment of press access to the office and. . .
Journalist’s Syndicate: release imprisoned media workers and ensure free speech
Ma’an News Agency 12/6/2008
Gaza – Ma’an – Palestinian journalists and media workers must be released from West Bank prisons by the Palestinian Authority security apparatus, said a statement from the Palestinian Journalists’ Syndicate on Saturday. The Syndicate said some journalists had been in prison for more than three months, and hoped they would be released before the start of Eid Al-Adha. The statement also called for free access for journalists to locations in the West Bank and the Gaza Strip, as well as a guarantee that news publications from both areas would be made available and not censored. [end]
Gaza to celebrate the feast by candlelight
Saed Bannoura & Agencies, International Middle East Media Center News 12/7/2008
The Gaza power plant will totally shut down on Sunday as it has run out of industrial fuel needed to run the power generators. The residents of the Gaza Strip will have to remain without power and welcome the Al Adha Muslim feast by candle light, if there are any candles left. The Gaza Power Company said that the plant could not run anymore as it has run out of fuel due to the ongoing Israeli siege on Gaza. Israel recently allowed a limited amount of fuel into Gaza, but within a few days it had completely dried up. If the situation continues as it has, the Gaza Strip will remain without electricity. On Thursday, Israel allowed 400. 000 liters of gas into the Gaza Strip, but the amount allowed in was barely enough to last for a few days. The Gaza power company called on human rights groups to intervene, and to ensure that the required amounts of fuel were allowed into the Gaza Strip.
IDF probes soldier’s alleged attack on Haaretz photographer in Hebron
Fadi Eyadat and Amos Harel, Ha’aretz 12/8/2008
An Israel Defense Forces spokesman said late Saturday that the IDF is investigating an alleged attack on a Haaretz photojournalist on assignment in Hebron that occurred earlier in the day. An IDF soldier on Saturday allegedly punched photographer Tess Scheflan and then struck her with his rifle butt. Scheflan suffered light head injuries. An ambulance took her to hospital. The incident occurred when Scheflan and other journalists took a photograph of three IDF soldiers arresting a Palestinian. A soldier who saw them ran toward the group of journalists and demanded they hand over their cameras. After they refused, he tried to forcibly take the camera from another photographer. Scheflan photographed this, and the soldier then allegedly punched her in the face and hit her with the butt of his rifle while she was on the ground.
UNRWA in Gaza: Food reserve will run out in two or three days
Ma’an News Agency 12/7/2008
Gaza – Ma’an –UNRWA food aid reserves in the Gaza Strip will run out in two or three days if Israel continues to close commercial terminals, the UN aid agency announced Sunday. UNRWA spokesman in Gaza Adnan Abu Hasana told the press that the humanitarian crisis in Gaza was increasing. He called on the international community to demand Israel allow the shipment of food aid to Gaza. He noted that over 750,000 people in the area rely almost entirely on the aid. “The 16 truckloads Israel allowed [into the Gaza Strip] last Thursday were not enough in light of the brewing humanitarian crisis,” he explained. He explained that the situation in the Strip was becoming dire for more and more citizens, since some neighborhoods now have no electricity at all. Others, he added have power for a few hours a day. People have become hopeless after the banks failed to pay civil servants salaries, he said.
World Bank: Israel’s blockade of Gaza could lead to bank collapse
Reuters, Ha’aretz 12/7/2008
The World Bank said on Saturday that Israel’s tightened blockade of the Hamas-run Gaza Strip had created cash shortages that could lead to the collapse of banks in the impoverished Palestinian territory. Also sounding an alarm, the International Monetary Fund (IMF) said the spiralling Gazan crisis risked driving Palestinians in need of funds into the arms of those "with easier access to cash from other sources" brought in through tunnels under the border with Egypt. Tunnels are mostly built and run by traders who operate largely within a system regulated and overseen by Hamas. In turn, merchants say, the Islamist movement which is fighting Israel raises funds from the trade by levying fees. Banks across Gaza have been shut since Thursday because they don’t have enough money to operate.
Blackouts as Gaza Power plant runs out of fuel
Ma’an News Agency 12/7/2008
Gaza – Ma’an – The Gaza Strip power plant ran out of fuel and ceased working completely on Sunday afternoon, plunging half of the Strip into darkness, a senior Palestinian energy official said. Kan’an Ubeid, the deputy chief of the Palestinian Energy Authority said that Gaza City as well as the north and central areas of the Gaza Strip are expectd to be without power. Israel allowed 400,000 liters of fuel last Thursday through the Nahal Oz terminal, an insufficient amount to fully operate the plant’s generators. The fuel transfusion was rationed and finally ran out on Sunday. Israel has closed the Gaza crossings for 32 consecutive days and only selectively allowed deliveries of humanitarian supplies to enter on 17, 24, 26 and 27 November and 4 December.
Gaza power plant to shut down afternoon Sunday
Palestinian Information Center 12/7/2008
GAZA, (PIC)-- The executive manager of the Gaza power plant, Walid Suleiman, has said that the plant would stop working by Sunday afternoon in the event the Israeli occupation authority continued to shut down all commercial crossings with the Strip. Suleiman said in a press statement published in the local media on Saturday that the fuel quantities allowed into the Strip could operate the plant for one day only, which meant that the plant would have to stop working until more fuel is allowed into the Strip. The IOA has been closing all commercial crossings with the Strip for five weeks halting all supplies to one and a half million Palestinians. [end]
Fayyad asks Barak to allow cash into Gaza
Ma’an News Agency 12/7/2008
Bethlehem - Ma’an – Palestinian caretaker Prime Minister Salam Fayyad met Israeli Defense Minister Ehud Barak on Sunday afternoon, Israeli radio reported. Fayyad asked Barak to allow Israeli banks to transfer cash to Gaza, where a shortage of banknotes has forced banks to shut down. According to the report, the meeting also addressed the easing of Israeli access restrictions for the Muslim Eid Al-Adha holiday. [end]
Gaza electric company says totally dependent on Israel
Ma’an News Agency 12/6/2008
Gaza – Ma’an – The ongoing electricity crisis in the Gaza Strip remains dependent on fuel supplies from Israel, says Jamal Badrasawi, director of public relations at Gaza’s sole electricity company. He told Ma’an, “Industrial diesel delivered by Israel on Thursday will suffice for a few days until a new shipment is delivered. ”Badrasawi explained that Thursday’s delivery was 400,000 litres of industrial diesel used to run the electricity-generating station in Gaza, asserting that it will last through the Eid Al-Adha holidays, but not much longer. The power plant, which runs on European-supplied industrial diesel, provides power for 40% of the Strip’s 1. 5 million inhabitants, particularly in the center and south of the coastal territory. Other areas receive electricity from Egypt and Israel. In the north, in towns such as Beit Lahiya and Jabalia, residents already face daily power cuts due to an intermittent Israeli supply.
No salaries before Eid: Gaza banks fold as treasuries run dry
Ma’an News Agency 12/6/2008
Gaza – Ma’an – The 1,000 Israeli shekels promised to Gaza Strip government workers will not be paid out by some banks before the Islamic holiday of Eid Al-Adha, according to bank employees who were told not to go to work on Saturday. Several bankers told Ma’an that they received phone calls on Friday evening from bank managers telling them not to head to work on Saturday morning as there is no cash left in banks’ treasuries to distribute. The news also means civil servants’ salaries in the Gaza Strip can only be paid after Eid Al-Adha, which begins this week. Bank managers made a collective decision to shut down operations after they determined they would not be able to pay even half of the Gaza Strip’s workers the 1,000 shekels promised on Friday, which itself is only a fraction of monthly salaries.
UNRWA: Our stores will be empty within two days
Palestinian Information Center 12/7/2008
GAZA, (PIC)-- The UN Relief and Works Agency announced that its stores in the Gaza Strip would run out of stock within two days if the Israeli occupation authority refused to allow passage of relief material into the Strip. Adnan Abu Hasana, the UNRWA spokesman, told reporters in Gaza that the humanitarian crisis in the Strip was worsening. He called for an international pressure on Israel to allow entry of food supplies, adding that 750,000 people in Gaza depend on food assistance. The limited quantity of trucks allowed by Israel last Thursday was not enough, adding that 16 trucks of UNRWA humanitarian aid were allowed to enter the Strip on that day. The situation in the Strip is "unbearable", he said, noting that electricity has been completely cut off in certain areas while electric current reaches other areas for only a few hours.
UNRWA warehouses will completely run out of supplies in a number of days
Saed Bannoura & Agencies, International Middle East Media Center News 12/7/2008
The United Nations Relief and Works Agency (UNRWA) warned on Saturday that its warehouses in Gaza will be totally empty in two or three days if Israel does not open the crossings to allow the entry of humanitarian supplies. Adnan Abu Hasna, UNRWA spokesperson in Gaza, stated in a press conference that the humanitarian crisis in the Gaza Strip was gradually getting worse, and demanded the international community to intervene and ensure the entry of food and medical supplies into the coastal region. Abu Hasna added that 750. 000 Palestinians in Gaza depend on humanitarian aid. He also said that the limited number of trucks carrying humanitarian aid allowed into the Gaza Strip on Thursday was not sufficient to fullfill the increasing needs of the impoverished region. "The situation in Gaza is very bad. There is no power in most of the Gaza Strip, while some areas have power for a couple of hours a day", Abu Hasna stated.
Tense Egypt-Hamas Relations Take a Turn for the Worse
Agence France Presse, MIFTAH 12/6/2008
CAIRO (AFP) - Already tense relations between Egypt and Hamas have soured after Cairo for the first time openly accused the Islamists of torpedoing Palestinian reconciliation talks. Foreign Minister Ahmed Abul Gheit was quoted as saying on Thursday that months of Egyptian-mediated talks between rivals Hamas and Fateh failed in November because of "Hamas’ lack of enthusiasm towards reconciliation". As the only Arab nation bordering the Gaza Strip, Egypt has been trying to reach a detente between Fateh and Hamas and prevent their conflict, which saw Hamas violently eject Fateh from Gaza in June 2007, spilling into Egypt. Cairo is worried about a repetition of the chaotic scenes last January when hundreds of thousands of Gazans broke through the Rafah border crossing and the Israeli lockdown on the territory, to spend a few days shopping in Egypt.
Hamas: Opening Rafah practical response to IOA obstruction of relief ships
Palestinian Information Center 12/7/2008
GAZA, (PIC)-- The Hamas Movement on Saturday denounced the Israeli occupation authority’s obstruction of ships carrying relief material to the Gaza Strip especially the Libyan and Qatari ones. Dr. Sami Abu Zuhri, the Hamas spokesman, said that the act reflects the IOA’s insistence on isolating Gaza from the outside world. He said in a press statement that Hamas believes the IOA land, air and sea blockade on the Gaza Strip calls on the Arab countries to adopt a speedy decision to open the Rafah border terminal once and for all. "This is the natural response to the siege crime," he underlined, adding that it was no longer acceptable that Arab ships go on sailing in the sea to reach Gaza while the Arab-controlled Rafah crossing remains closed.
Israeli journalist speaks to Palestinians in Ramallah after spending three weeks in Gaza
Ma’an News Agency 12/7/2008
Three weeks were not enough to describe the suffering of the Gazan people, she told a large crowd in Ramallah. The hardships are increasing every day and the blockade has caused environmental, educational and health problems, she said. - Ramallah – Ma’an –Israeli journalist Amira Hass spoke at a conference in Ramallah’s Baladna Cultural center on Saturday where she described her experiences in the Gaza Strip during the three weeks she spent reporting from the area. Hass reports for the Israeli daily paper Haaretz, and was based in Gaza for a number of years in the 1990s, after which she moved to Ramallah until forced to leave Palestinian areas by the Israeli government. Hass speaks fluent Arabic. On entering Gaza Hass said she was accompanied by Hamas-appointed security personnel at all hours, and was prevented from entering any of the Strip’s refugee camps.
Palestinians denounce honour killings, gender abuse
Ma’an News Agency 12/6/2008
Bethlehem - Ma’an - Eight United Nations (UN) agencies co-sponsored the first Palestinian festival to combat violence against women, driving home the message that so-called honour killings "have nothing to do with honour. " "It is time for action, not words," UN Development Fund for Women (UNIFEM) Programme Manager in the occupied Palestinian territory Alia El Yassir told participants at the event in Ramallah on Friday. "UN agencies are working as one on this issue and supporting civil societies in their efforts to end violence against women. " The festival, with a similar event taking place in Gaza, was part of the global 16 Days of Activism against Gender Violence, an annual international campaign.
Three arrested in raid on Gaza-bound boat
Yaakov Lappin, Jerusalem Post 12/7/2008
A boat meant to ferry Arab MKs and pro-Palestinian activists into the Gaza Strip was raided by police on Sunday morning while docked at the Jaffa harbor. World Bank urges Israel to inject money into cash-strapped Gaza Strip ahead of Muslim festival- Three people were arrested and a truck carrying goods intended for Gaza was seized, police spokesman Micky Rosenfeld said. The journey was organized by Israeli Arab political parties and private groups. The cargo was to include food and medicine, as well as toys and sweets for Id al-Adha, said Zahi Nujeidat, a spokesman for the Islamic Movement, one of the groups behind the trip. The attempt to reach Gaza contravened Clause 24 of the Disengagement Law, which forbids Israeli citizens from entering Gaza without permission, Rosenfeld said. He added that the ship’s owner had been warned over the weekend that the planned journey was a criminal offense.
Israel prevents local ship from heading to Gaza with medicine, toys
Palestinian Information Center 12/7/2008
NAZARETH, (PIC)-- Israel on Sunday prevented the sailing of a local ship loaded with medicine, relief material and children toys from Yaffa harbor to besieged Gaza Strip and confiscated the shipload. The shipload was collected by Palestinians in the 1948 areas for the people and children of Gaza on the occasion of the Eidul Adha or the Islamic feast of sacrifice. MP Jamal Al-Khudari, the head of the popular anti siege committee in Gaza, charged in a press release that the Israeli blockage of such humanitarian assistance was meant to tighten the siege on Gaza. The ships would continue to set sail to Gaza despite the Israeli measures, he underlined. Arab member of the Israeli parliament Ahmed Tibi told Khudari in a telephone contact that the Arab members of the parliament would try to reach the harbor with all possible means and would address a press conference there to explain the Israeli act.
Israeli Navy bars ship sent by Arab leaders and leftist activists from sailing to Gaza
Saed Bannoura & Agencies, International Middle East Media Center News 12/7/2008
The Israeli navy barred on Sunday morning a ship which was supposed to sail from Jaffa port to the Gaza Strip carrying medical and humanitarian supplies. The ship was organized by Arab leaders and leftist activists in Israel, the Arabs48 news website reported. The ship, was dubbed "the Eid Ship", as the Muslims will be marking the Adha Eid (feast) on Monday. The Israeli navy took the ship to the Tel Aviv port, Arabs48 added. The Israeli police said that the ship carried medical equipment and medicine, and that three activists were detained. The ship had on board seven tons of humanitarian and medical aid, food and toys for children. The Israeli police also detained and interrogated three activists from northern Israel after they arrived in Jaffa with a truck filled with equipment to ship to Gaza. Arab members of the Knesset (MK), Jamal Zahalka and Wasel Taha, said that. . .
Toys, food and medicine seized from Israeli boat planning voyage to Gaza
Ma’an News Agency 12/7/2008
Bethlehem – Ma’an – A group of Israeli Knesset members (MKs) and peace activists preparing to sail aid to Gaza from the Jaffa port south of Tel Aviv were halted and the ship, along with three of the crew, were seized by Israeli police. According to Israeli media sources the ship, and its cargo of food, medicines and toys for the Eid celebration, has been transferred to a nearby Tel Aviv marina. Police reportedly arrested the activists and halted the ship in accordance with the Israeli law that prohibits citizens from entering Gaza without a permit. The law is designed to keep out the settlers removed from the area in 2005, and also prevent moderate or even curious Israelis from visiting the Gaza Strip. Organizer of the voyage Zahi Nujaidat, however, called the move illegal, saying that no Israeli authorities had warned the group that the voyage was prohibited.
PNI condemns Israel’s decision to block ''Eid Ship'' to Gaza
Ma’an News Agency 12/7/2008
Ramallah – Ma’an – The Palestinian National Initiative (PNI) condemned Israel’s decision to block a ship sailing to Gaza from the Jaffa port on Sunday, calling the move a “stupid” decision. Israeli police seized the boat along with its cargo of toys, food, and medicine earlier on Sunday. Palestinian members of the Israeli Knesset had planned to sail the ship to Gaza in defiance of an Israeli blockade of the coastal territory. The vessel had been dubbed the "Eid Ship" after the Eid Al-Adha holiday, which began on Sunday evening. Mustafa Barghouthi, the secretary general of the PNI said, “These measures taken to prevent this ship in addition to preventing the Libyan ship a few days ago do confirm the Israeli policy of collective punishment against besieged Gazan people. ”He vowed that the struggle against the Israeli blockade would continue.
Ynet: Police seize boat ahead of Gaza sail
International Solidarity Movement 12/7/2008
Gaza Region - 1948 Palestine - Arab Knesset members, left-wing activists planning to sail south from Jaffa in bid to ‘break the blockade’, transfer humanitarian equipment to Strip stopped by Israel Police; vessel transferred to Tel Aviv marina. ‘This is a coward move; all we wanted was to deliver medicines,’ says MK Tibi - Police prevent Gaza sail: A boat scheduled to leave the Jaffa Port on Sunday morning with several Arab Knesset members and sail to the Gaza Strip was seized by the police early Sunday and transferred to the Tel Aviv marina, Ynet has learned. The police also seized a truck carrying equipment and medications and detained three suspects for questioning. Left-wing activists and several Arab MKs were planning to dock in the Strip a day before the Muslim Festival of Sacrifice. . . -- See also: Police seize boat ahead of Gaza sail
Olmert, Barak prevent Qatari ship from sailing to Gaza
Roni Sofer, YNetNews 12/7/2008
Doha authorities ask Foreign Minister Livni to allow vessel carrying humanitarian aid to dock in Ashdod Port. Prime minister, defense minister axe move - Prime Minister Ehud Olmert and Defense Minister Ehud Barak have prevented a Qatari ship docking in Cyprus from sailing to the Gaza Strip, Ynet learned Sunday. The decision was reportedly made despite Foreign Minister Tzipi Livni’s promise to the Qatari authorities, that she would consider the matter; and despite the possibility of a diplomatic predicament between Israel and Qatar. "We have no intention of setting up a shipping line to Gaza," said a source in the Prime Minister’s Office. "Israel’s policy is to maintain the siege placed on. . . "
Gaza: Qatar ship’s voyage postponed, Libyan vessel moored in Europe, Free Gaza boat to depart soon
Ma’an News Agency 12/6/2008
Gaza - Ma’an – The aid ship from Qatar slated to depart from Cyprus Saturday morning and arrive in Gaza the following morning was postponed for logistical reasons stemming from Israeli pressure to prevent the ship’s arrival. Member of the Palestinian Legislative Council Jamal Al-Khudari said the delay did not indicate that the ship would be stymied. He explained that the boat is moored in an European port and is in contact with the appropriate officials to ensure the contents of the ship will be delivered to needy Gazans. Another vessel, he added, is set to launch from the fort of Jaffa, Israel on Sunday morning. The Jaffa ship will carry aid as well as members of the Israeli Knesset and Islamic leaders living in Israel. A third voyage, coordinated by the Free Gaza movement, which successfully landed three ships in the Strip since August, will leave Cyprus in December.
El Khodary: ''The Intifada of ships did not stop despite Israeli obstructions''
Saed Bannoura, International Middle East Media Center News 12/6/2008
Palestinian legislator and head of the Popular Committee Against the Siege (PCAS), Jamal El Khodary, stated on Saturday that the "Intifada of ships" will not stop despite ongoing Israeli aggression and attempts to bar the ships from reaching the Gaza Shore. The statements of El Khodary came during a press conference organized by the the Palestinian International Campaign Against the Siege (PCAS) and the Free Gaza Movement. El Khodary thanked Libya, Qatar and the Arab members of the Israeli Knesset for their efforts to break the unjust Israeli siege, and called for official and practical measures by the Arab League and the Arab countries to break the siege. El Khodary added that the Qatari ship that was supposed to arrive today will not be reaching Gaza due to Israeli obstructions and scrambling of its communications.
Police stop Gaza-bound ship sailing from Jaffa
Yuval Goren, Ha’aretz 12/8/2008
A ship that had been slated to sail from Jaffa to the Gaza Strip was halted before ever leaving port yesterday, after the Tel Aviv Police warned the ship’s owner that he could be charged with a crime if the ship set sail. Police also arrested three residents of northern Israel on suspicion of involvement in planning the voyage. The ship was to have carried a cargo of medicines and other supplies, along with several Arab Knesset members. The stated purpose of the voyage was to break the blockade of Gaza. Police had received various tips about the planned voyage, and eventually decided to thwart it by warning the owner, a Tel Aviv resident, that if the ship set sail, he could be charged with violating a law enacted to enable implementation of the disengagement from Gaza in 2005. That law forbids Israelis to enter the Strip without a special permit from the Israeli authorities.
Thousands march in Paris against Gaza siege
Palestinian Information Center 12/7/2008
PARIS, (PIC)-- Thousands hits the streets of the French capital on Saturday evening to protest the Israeli siege on Gaza and to demand its immediate end. MP Jamal Al-Khudari, the head of the Popular Committee Against the Siege, addressed the rally from Gaza hailing such solidarity activities that boost the Palestinian people’s steadfastness and patience. He appealed for continuation of such events along with others such as sit-ins and sending ships to Gaza in addition to pressuring governments to intervene and lift the siege. The lawmaker described the Israeli siege on Gaza as an "unethical and an inhuman war crime", and expressed conviction that one day the siege would end and the Palestinian people would be victorious. In another development, Hamas’s parliamentary bloc thanked Dr. Ali Larijani, the chairman of the Iranian Shura council for his strong condemnation of the siege on Gaza.
Human rights report: West Bank situation ’reminiscent of apartheid regime in South Africa’
DPA, Ha’aretz 12/7/2008
Basic human rights, such as health, a life of dignity, education, housing, equality, freedom from racism, freedom of expression, privacy and democracy are increasingly being violated in Israel, a human rights watchdog group warned Sunday. In its annual report, the Association of Civil Rights in Israel (ACRI)pointed to "extremely worrisome trends at the center of which are violations of the most elementary human rights. " The report also noted that the situation in the occupied West Bank, between Israeli settlers and the local Palestinian population, was "reminiscent, in many and increasing ways, of the apartheid regime in South Africa. "The ACRI noted that since the foundation of Israel, the country’s Arab citizens have been discriminated against though legislation and allocation of resources.
Israeli rights group compares government’s treatment of Palestinians to apartheid
Agence France Presse - AFP, Daily Star 12/8/2008
OCCUPIED JERUSALEM: Israel’s discrimination between Jewish settlers and Palestinians in the West Bank is increasingly reminiscent of white South Africa’s apartheid system, a human-rights group said Sunday. Jewish settlements in the Palestinian territory "have created a situation of institutionalized discrimination and segregation," the Association for Civil Rights in Israel (ACRI) said in a new report. "The discrimination in services, budgets and access to natural resources between the two groups in the same territory constitutes a stark violation of the principle of equality, which [is reminiscent] in many and increasing ways [of] the apartheid regime that was applied in South Africa," it added. The group’s report, published ahead of Wednesday’s 60th anniversary of the signing of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, notes that the 2.
Anarchists Against the Wall awarded German human rights prize
DPA, Ha’aretz 12/8/2008
A group that demonstrates every week against the fence separating Israel from the West Bank was handed a German human rights prize Sunday in Berlin. The Bil’in Village Committee, made up of Palestinians, and Anarchists Against the Wall, an Israeli organization, were jointly awarded the Carl von Ossietzy Medal. Representatives of the two groups gather from Palestine and Israel every Friday to protest against the wall and demand that Palestinians and Israelis be allowed to live side-by-side in peace. The award is given annually by the Berlin-based International League of Human Rights and named after German Nobel Peace Prize winner Carl von Ossietzky (1889-1938), who died in a Nazi concentration camp.
ACRI: Basic human rights violated in Israel
Jerusalem Post 12/7/2008
Basic human rights proclaimed in the Universal Declaration of Human Rights are being increasingly violated in Israel, The Association for Civil Rights in Israel (ACRI) said in its annual report published on Sunday. "The report points to extremely worrisome trends at the center of which are violations of the most elementary human rights - regarding health, a life of dignity, education, housing, equality, freedom from racism, freedom of expression, privacy and democracy," the authors wrote. Furthermore, there was the impact of the ongoing occupation of the territories on Palestinian human rights and the threat it posed to Israeli democracy, they added. The report coincides with the 60th anniversary of the Declaration’s adoption by the UN General Assembly on December 10, 1948.
Tulkarem man receives permit to visit wife, newborn son after issuing appeal through Ma’an
Ma’an News Agency 12/7/2008
Tulkarem – Ma’an – Sa’ed Khaled Badran, a resident of northern West Bank city of Tulkarem, allowing him to visit his newborn son, Khaled, and his wife at the Al-Maqassed hospital in Jerusalem. The permit will allow Badran to enter Jerusalem between 5am until 7pm every day until 13 December. In November, Ma’an published a story Badran’s plight. His wife gave birth prematurely to their son. Badran had appealed to Hussein Ash-Sheikh, the chief of Civil Affairs in the Palestinian Authority, seeking a permit. Palestinian residents of the West Bank are barred from entering Jerusalem, their capital, without special permits issued by Israel. [end]
Green groups accuse JNF of planting in Negev to prevent Bedouin construction and grazing
Zafrir Rinat, Ha’aretz 12/8/2008
The Jewish National Fund is planting increasing numbers of trees in the northern Negev. The organization says it is doing essential work to prevent desertification and to assist in the rehabilitation of the ecosystem, and even presented the work proudly at a workshop on desertification held in Israel last week for experts from around the world. However, environmental protection specialists contend that the forestation causes serious and irreparable damage to nature and the landscape. Critics suggest that one goal of the planting, rather than being environmental, is actually to prevent illegal Bedouin construction or grazing. In recent months, preparation for planting and the planting itself has been going on east of the Bedouin town of Hura. Heavy mechanical equipment belonging to the JNF has uprooted existing vegetation to make way for the new planting.
IDF soldier who hit Haaretz photographer set to face charges
Amos Harel, Ha’aretz 12/8/2008
The Israel Defense Forces will hold a disciplinary hearing for the soldier who allegedly assaulted a photographer Saturday in Hebron. An army investigation into the incident found the soldier violated orders in striking Tess Scheflan, who was on assignment for Haaretz. The soldier allegedly punched her in the face and hit her with his rifle butt while she was on the ground. During the army’s investigation, which was conducted by brigade commander Col. Udi Ben Moha, the soldier admitted he hit Scheflan in the face, but claimed this was only after she had slapped him, a charge Scheflan vehemently denies. Ben Moha said in response that even if the photographer had struck the soldier first, he had no justification for treating her violently. Following the investigation, Brig.
IDF soldier suspected of assaulting Haaretz photographer says she struck him first
Amos Harel, Ha’aretz 12/8/2008
An Israel Defense Forces soldier suspected of assaulting a Haaretz photographer filed a complaint against her on Sunday with the Hebron police for allegedly striking him first. The photographer, Tess Scheflan, vehemently rejects the soldier’s claim, and says she intends to counter-sue. Scheflan suffered light head injuries on Saturday and was taken by an ambulance to hospital after the soldier allegedly punched her in the face and hit her with the butt of his rifle while she was on the ground. The soldier’s commanders urged him to lodge an official complaint with the Hebron district police, after claiming the initial investigation into the incident revealed conflicting versions of the events as recounted by the photographer and the soldiers at the scene.
Soldier files assault complaint against Haaretz photographer
Efrat Weiss, YNetNews 12/7/2008
IDF Spokesperson’s Office says soldier conducted himself inappropriately even if it was the photographer who initiated scuffle near evicted Hebron house -An IDF soldier filed a complaint with the Hebron Police Sunday against Haaretz photographer Tess Scheflan, who he claimed assaulted him over the weekend while she was covering the events in the city. Scheflan claimed the soldier beat her, leaving her lightly wounded, and she was taken to the Shaare Zedek Medical Center in Jerusalem. Police have launched an investigation into the incident. According to the IDF, the soldier claimed that he struck the photographer only after she had attacked him first. Scheflan gave Ynet her version of the events: "One of the Palestinian families in Hebron asked us to visit their home, which apart from one room had been taken over completely by the IDF.
Shin Bet vetoed Arab Israeli’s job as mosque imam
Toni O''Loughlin in Jerusalem, The Guardian 12/8/2008
Israel’s secret police blocked a Muslim Arab citizen from being appointed to a publicly funded job, in its latest attempt to assert authority over public political debate in Israel, a case in Tel Aviv’s labour court has revealed. The case emerged when the state rejected Sheikh Ahmed Abu Awaja’s application to serve as the imam at a mosque in Jaffa, a neighbourhood south of Tel Aviv. He appealed to Tel Aviv’s labour court after he was told that he did not get the job even though he was the only candidate to meet the requirements. The court is due to deliver its decision today. During the case the district prosecutor said that Abu Awaja had been rejected because the General Security Service, commonly known as the Shin Bet, believed he would "jeopardise peace and security in Jaffa, especially in view of the sensitivity of the delicate relationship between the city’s Jewish and Muslim populations".
Shin Bet admits intervening in Muslim cleric appointments to public office
Akiva Eldar, Ha’aretz 12/8/2008
The Shin Bet security service has confirmed for the first time that it regularly intervenes in the appointment of Muslim clergymen to public office, Haaretz has learned. The issue surfaced after the state recently declined to appoint Sheikh Ahmed Abu Awaja to serve as Imam at Jaffa’s Jabalya mosque, even though Abu Awaja was the only certified candidate to fit the threshold requirements. When he appealed to the Tel Aviv Labor Court against the decision not to hire him, the district prosecutor’s office told the court that "according to the assessments of the Shin Bet, the claimant’s appointment to serve as an imam on behalf of the Ministry of Interior may jeopardize security and peace in Jaffa, especially in view of the sensitivity of the delicate relationship between the city’s Jewish and Muslim populations.
Legal analysis / Judicial decision needed
Ze''ev Segal, Ha’aretz 12/8/2008
Ahmed Abu Awaja’s appeal concerning his rejection from serving as imam at Jabalya mosque in Jaffa invokes questions of constitutional significance, whose scope exceeds the claimant’s case. The Tel Aviv Labor Court will have to decide on whether it is legitimate for the Shin Bet to determine whether Abu Awaja is hired or not. If it rules that it is legitimate, it will have to determine the prominence that should be attributed to the Shin Bet’s opinion, as it has been a key element in the decision to nix his application to the tender system established to select publicly-salaried imams. In its defense, the state says that it had to disqualify Abu Awaja because he posed "a risk to the security of the state and to the security of the inhabitants of Jaffa. "This, according to the Shin Bet position handed to the Ministry of Interior according to the law on the Shin Bet security service from 2002.
17-year-old who beat Arabs sent to jail
Aviad Glickman, YNetNews 12/7/2008
Youth convicted of assaulting Arab minors with sticks, clubs and knives at Jerusalem mall on eve of Holocaust Day, sentenced to one year in prison. Attack followed messages on Web calling on Jews to hurt Arabs - A 17-year-old youth was sentenced to one year in prison on Sunday after being convicted of assaulting Arabs with sticks, clubs and knives along with several other teenagers on the eve of Holocaust Day. "I can’t imagine that throughout his life the accused never heard of the Jews’ Holocaust and was never exposed to the horrors in the pursuit of people for belonging to a different race," the Jerusalem Youth District Court wrote in her ruling. According to the indictment, several young people of the Pisgat Ze’ev neighborhood in the capital conspired to hurt Arabs on the eve of the past Holocaust Day.
Skin condition spreading in Israeli prison; sufferers refused access to treatment
Ma’an News Agency 12/6/2008
Nablus – Salfit – Ma’an – An alarming number of Palestinian prisoners of Israel have been infected by a skin disease, caused by the unsanitary conditions inside the prison facilities, said a lawyer for the Prisoners’ Society on Saturday. The lawyer noted that Israeli prison medical staff have refused to treat the condition, which is adding to the intolerable living situation in the prison. According to one prisoner, Tamer Samer Badran, dozens of prisoners have developed a rash from what they believe to be chemicals used in the shower water. He explained that he asked to be seen by a doctor but was refused. Badran has been in the prison since 17 December 2007, and was arrested for being affiliated with the Al-Aqsa Brigades, the armed wing of Fatah. He is still in Al-Julma prison in the northern West Bank.
Price-Tag campaign wreaks havoc throughout West Bank
On Thursday 4th December, extremist Israeli settlers began a multiple-day, International Solidarity Movement 12/7/2008
Photos - On Thursday 4th December, extremist Israeli settlers began a multiple-day rampage throughout the West Bank in response to the eviction of a single settler-occupied house in Hebron. Beginning at 3pm, thousands of settlers blocked roads throughout the West Bank, stoning cars, attacking houses, burning olive groves and desecrating mosques. The main roads into and out of Nablus were blocked by settlers, as were Huwwara, Beit Iba and Beit Furiq checkpoints, leaving many Palestinians stranded for hours. Settlers also blocked roads and attacked Palestinians in the villages of Huwwara, Burin, Al-Funduq, Turmasayya, and the old city of Jerusalem. The main road from Nablus to Qalqilia was blocked on Thursday night, only partly opening on Friday, with the section from Nablus to al Funduq closed by Israeli soldiers throughout Friday.
Nablus demonstrates against settler attacks
International Solidarity Movement 12/7/2008
Nablus Region - Photos - At 12pm on Friday 5th December, approximately 100 residents of Nablus came out to protest against the settler rampage that saw Palestinians attacked in their cars and homes throughout the West Bank, following the eviction of one settler-occupied house in Hebron. Organised by the Nablus municipality, a coalition of political parties and a variety of Nablus-based associations, the demonstration took over the city centre, calling for Palestinians to take a stand against the onslaught of settler attacks. Speakers from various parties called for unity amongst Palestinians, from the West Bank to Gaza; from the camps to the villages, in the face of the inaction of the Israeli authorities to quell the rampage. As one speaker from the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine said "Now settlers and soldiers declare their true face about their feelings for Palestinian people".
Demonstration against Homesh settlement: ''These settlers have completely changed our landscape''
International Solidarity Movement 12/6/2008
Nablus Region - Photos - A group of 50 Palestinians from the village of Burqa in the North of Nablus, joined by solidarity activists and members of the press, held their weekly demonstration demanding the return of Palestinian land from the evacuated illegal Homesh settlement on Friday. The demonstrators marched to farmland surrounding the settlement at 11:00 am Friday morning to replant olive trees on their forcibly neglected land. Over 5000 dunams of land in and surrounding the settlement are inaccessible to the Palestinian populations of the surrounding villages and the demonstrators on Friday were both physically and symbolically reclaiming this important and fertile farmland. The Homesh settlement was abandoned in 2005 following the terms of the "disengagement" plan, though settlers have attempted to repopulate the land multiple times since and none of the land has been returned to its rightful Palestinian owners.
Twelve people injured as Israeli forces attack Ni’lin prayer demonstration
International Solidarity Movement 12/6/2008
Reports - Ramallah Region - Photos - Palestinian residents of Ni’lin gathered, together with Israeli and international activists,at 11. 30am for the weekly demonstration held by the medical clinic close to the land due to be confiscated by Israel. Twelve people were injured during the demonstration. Before the prayer ceremony was carried out the Israeli army moved jeeps and many soldiers close to the cite of the clinic. Once the prayer ceremony was over, heavy tear-gas kept the demonstrators from entering the fields. Protesters were kept from going further than approximately 30 meters from the village. The army was very aggressive and shot a lot of teargas and rubber-coated steel-bullets aiming directly at the non-violent protesters. They also fired at the houses closest to the fields, smashing peoples windows and scaring young children inside.
Israel threatens ’no restraint’ if Hamas keeps retaliating
Agence France Presse - AFP, Daily Star 12/8/2008
OCCUPIED JERUSALEM: Israel threatened tougher action against rocket fire from the Gaza Strip on Sunday as the territory’s sole power plant again shut down in the face of a crippling blockade. Outgoing Prime Minister Ehud Olmert said he has told security chiefs to draw up contingency plans for military action against militant groups in Gaza, although there have been no deaths as a result of the rocket and mortar fire of the past week - and Israel initiated the latest flare-up with a deadly invasion of the enclave in early November. "The State of Israel does not intend to show restraint over this, nor will it countenance such a situation," his office quoted him as telling the weekly cabinet meeting. Foreign Minister Tzipi Livni said the government should respond "militarily, economically and politically. " "The truce has not been respected by the other side," she claimed, referring. . .
ANALYSIS / Israeli deterrence against Hamas is weakening
Amos Harel and Avi Issacharoff, Ha’aretz 12/8/2008
Three numbers are at the heart of Israel’s decision-making process over the Gaza Strip: 20, 40 and 70. Twenty-plus kilometers is the maximum range of Hamas’ rockets in the Strip (which can hit Sderot, Ashkelon, Netivot and Kiryat Gat); 40 kilometers is the range they will be able to reach in the coming months, if missile production is not halted (Ofakim, Kiryat Malachi, Ashdod, Be’er Sheva and Yavneh will be at risk of attack); 70 kilometers is the range the Palestinians are striving to reach. At that point, Jerusalem, Tel Aviv and the Dan Region would be within range of Palestinian rockets. Most Israeli decision makers assume the Gaza Strip will erupt sooner or later. The debate concerns whether the dozens of rockets that have been fired at the Negev in the last few weeks justifies immediate offensive action by the Israel Defense Forces.
Barak: Gaza crossings stay closed Sunday
Ma’an News Agency 12/7/2008
Bethlehem – Ma’an – The Gaza Strip crossings will remain closed on Sunday, according to the decision of Israeli Defense Minister Ehud Barak. The Israeli army has kept Gaza’s borders sealed since 4 November, and selectively allowed a trickle of humanitarian supplies into the area on 17, 24, 26 and 27 November and 4 December. According to Israeli media sources Barak is keeping crossings closed because of the continued firing of homemade projectiles from the Gaza Strip at Israeli targets. Several human rights organizations and international government officials have expressed grave concern over Israel’s decision to lock-down Gaza. European Commissioner for Development and Humanitarian Aid Louis Michel, echoing cries against the actions from Palestinians, called the act one of illegal collective punishment.
Livni calls for reassessment of ’calm’
Jerusalem Post 12/7/2008
Foreign Minister and Kadima chair Tzipi Livni attacked Defense Minister Ehud Barak on Sunday, implying that he is not aware of the reality in the Gaza Strip. FM Livni bluntly tells DM Barak ’there is no cease-fire in Gaza’ - Speaking at the weekly cabinet meeting, Livni called for more dialogue between herself, Barak, and Prime Minister Ehud Olmert on whether to continue the faltering truce with Hamas. According to Livni, "the cease-fire agreement will end shortly in any case, and is not being honored by the Palestinian side. At the moment, we need renewed thought on whether we will act. " "There is no cease-fire in Gaza," she went on, "anyone who calls this ’calm’ doesn’t know what’s happening there. Whoever is responsible for security needs to act. "
Fatah’s Al-Aqsa Brigades in Gaza: We have not talked to Hamas
Ma’an News Agency 12/7/2008
Gaza – Ma’an – Fatah’s military wing the Al-Aqsa Brigades said they have never met with Hamas delegates about the issue of the ceasefire agreement with Israel. Responding to a 2 December report from Hamas that is has met with all Gaza factions on the issue, the Al-Aqsa Brigades announced their commitment to abide by decisions made by Fatah officials in Ramallah. The Brigades stated they would “stick to the decision of our political leadership regarding the ceasefire” even though their position is that it “does not serve Palestinian people’s interests. ”Any member of the Brigades that decided to speak with Hamas officials, the statement continued, did so of their own accord and represented their personal opinion, not that of Fatah.
’Ashamed’ Olmert condemns ’pogrom’ against Palestinians
Agence France Presse - AFP, Daily Star 12/8/2008
OCCUPIED JERUSALEM: Israel’s acting Premier Ehud Olmert on Sunday slammed what he called "pogroms" carried out by Jewish settlers against Palestinians in the Occupied West Bank city of Hebron. "As a Jew, I was ashamed at the scenes of Jews opening fire at innocent Arabs in Hebron. There is no other definition than the term ’pogrom’ to describe what I have seen," he said at the weekly Cabinet meeting. "We are the sons of a nation who know what is meant by a pogrom, and I am using the word only after deep reflection," the prime minister said, quoted by public radio. Olmert said he has instructed Defense Minister Ehud Barak and the relevant authorities "to do everything possible and to act with all their force to halt this phenomenon wherever the control of the state of Israel is exercised. " On Thursday, Zionist extremists shot and wounded three Palestinians in Hebron, hurled rocks. . .
Following settler attacks, Hebron residents feel anger and fear
Brenda Gazzar, Jerusalem Post 12/8/2008
Hebron resident Faez Rajabi was feeling a mix of emotions on Sunday. On the one hand, he was pleased that the disputed four-story apartment building in Hebron that he built for himself and his family was no longer inhabited by settlers. On the other, he lamented the turmoil that erupted during Thursday’s eviction of the settlers from the home, as mostly young extremist settlers attacked policemen, set homes and cars on fire, shot at residents and broke windows and satellite dishes. "I am happy that they left my house, but angry that they attacked people," including women and children, Rajabi said from his late father’s house, where he lives with some of his family members. Rajabi said he had built the house - which the settlers said he had sold to them through an agent - for his family, which includes three wives and 25 children.
Hebron settler who shot at Palestinians remanded
Jonathan Lis, Ha’aretz 12/8/2008
The Jerusalem Magistrate’s Court yesterday extended the remand of Zeev Braude by four days. Braude, a resident of Kiryat Arba, was filmed shooting at Palestinians after the evacuation of the so-called "House of Contention" in Hebron last week. An activist from the B’Tselem human rights organization filmed Braude shooting at Palestinians at short range, hitting one. In the video, the injured man is seen falling to the ground. He then gets up and begins throwing stones at Braude. Braude turned himself in to the police over the weekend, saying he had come to complain the Palestinians shown in the film had tried to lynch him. However, the judge rejected Braude’s side of the story yesterday, and stated that the video shows him clearly taking aim at the Palestinian and instigating the confrontation.
Settler who shot Palestinians in Hebron remanded 4 more days
Jonathan Lis, Ha’aretz 12/8/2008
The Jerusalem Magistrates Court on Sunday extended by four days the remand of Zeev Braude, the settler who was filmed shooting at Palestinians following the evacuation of a disputed house in the West Bank city of Hebron last week. An activist with the B’Tselem human rights group caught Braude on film shooting at Palestinians at short range, hitting one. In the video, the injured man is seen falling to the ground. He then gets up and begins throwing stones at Braude. Braude turned himself in to the police last week, saying he had come to complain the Palestinians shown in the film had tried to lynch him. However, the Jerusalem judge on Sunday rejected Braude’s line of defense, and stated that the video shows him clearly taking aim at the Palestinian and instigating the confrontation.
Hebron shooting: Lawyer claims suspect fired in defense
Efrat Weiss, YNetNews 12/7/2008
Jerusalem court remands for additional four days a Kiryat Arba resident suspected of shooting two Palestinians after eviction of disputed Hebron house, but says Palestinians also at fault. Police representative: Brauda’s aim was to cause an entire population to rise up against us -The Jerusalem Magistrate’s Court on Sunday remanded Ze’ev Brauda, the Kiryat Arba resident suspected of shooting two Palestinians after the eviction of the disputed house in West Bank city of Hebron, for an additional four days. The court accepted the police’s position that the act constituted a provocation. "There is no doubt that the events the suspect was allegedly involved in are very severe and are indicative of the tension between the Jewish and Arab residents of the Kiryat Arba and Hebron area," judge Malka Aviv said in her ruling.
’Palestinians also to blame in Hebron’
Jerusalem Post 12/7/2008
Judge Malka Aviv of the Jerusalem Magistrate’s Court on Sunday ordered a Kiryat Arba resident who shot two Palestinians last week remanded for four days, but released another Kiryat Arba man whom police also wanted to keep in jail. Aviv accepted the police allegation that Zeev Braude had deliberately provoked Palestinians by deviating from the path he was walking on toward the disputed Beit Hashalom structure on Worshipers Way and heading toward a Palestinian house. Videotape of Thursday’s incident taken by Palestinians shows Braude hitting and pushing the Palestinian. Afterward, Braude was attacked by several more Palestinians and opened fire on them. According to Issa Amro, a 28-year-old eyewitness and the Hebron coordinator of B’Tselem’s video camera distribution project "Shooting Back," two settlers began arguing with Palestinians about their right to the land and the Palestinians told them to leave.
VIDEO - PM: Hebron violence a pogrom
Roni Sofer, YNetNews 12/7/2008
(Video) Olmert opens cabinet meeting with attack on settlers’ actions in West Bank city following evacuation of disputed house: ’As a Jew, I’m ashamed of the sights of Jews firing at Arabs in Hebron. ’ Cabinet approves NIS 695 milion increase to southern communities’ fortification budget - VIDEO - Prime Minister Ehud Olmert opened Sunday’s cabinet meeting with an attack on Jewish settlers in Hebron, calling their violence over the weekend "a pogrom". "As a Jew, I’m ashamed of the sights of Jews firing at Arabs in Hebron. I have no other definition for what we saw but a pogrom. We are the sons of a nation which knows what a pogrom is, and I’m saying this after much thought. I have no other way to put it," he said.
Settlers Go on the Rampage Across the West Bank [November 30 - December 6]
MIFTAH, MIFTAH 12/6/2008
The alarming violence instigated by Israeli settlers throughout the West Bank has been on everybody’s minds this week. In November, Israel’s High Court of Justice ordered settlers to leave the Palestinian-owned Ar-Rajabi house in Hebron, also known now as the ‘house of contention’, which has been occupied since 2007. After the decision was given, settler groups descended upon Hebron in anger, ready to retaliate. On December 1, five Palestinians were injured after being attacked by settlers in northeast Hebron. That same day, the settlers set dogs upon Palestinian residents, injuring a further four near the Ibrahimi Mosque in Hebron. The next day, several more Palestinians were beaten with clubs when settlers attacked Palestinian houses in the evening. An Israeli captain who tried to intervene in the attack was also badly injured.
IWPS: Settlers burn olive groves in Immatin
International Solidarity Movement 12/6/2008
Qalqilya Region - At about 2 p. m. on Friday, December 5, 2008, farmers in Immatin, a village in Qalqiliya, noticed a fire had broken out in olive groves several kilometres south of the village. The farmers estimate that the fire spread over an area of 100-150 dunums (1 dunum = 1,000 square meters) before Palestinian firefighters were able to arrive and put it out. An estimated 150 to 200 trees, manly olive but also a fewalmond and fig trees,were affected by the fire. While the almond and fig trees were destroyed, most of the olive trees are likely to survive. Farmers checking the damage to their groves surmised that the fire was likely to have been started in two places. As there was widespread settler violence against Palestinians in the area as well as open calls for a week of "retaliations" after the eviction of extremist settlers from an occupied house in Hebron yesterday, farmers from Immatin believe the fire was set by settlers.
Settlers vandalize home and other property in Ramallah village, burn olive trees
International Womens’ Peace Service 12/7/2008
Date of incident: December 5th, 2008 - Time: Midnight - Place: Turmus’ayya, Ramallah district - Witness/es: Homeowner, family members, village residents - Description of Incidents: At about midnight on Friday, December 5, 2008, settlers -- presumably from the neighbouring settlement of Shilo -- attacked a family home in Turmus’ayya, a village in Ramallah governorate, breaking windows and damaging a door before screams from the homeowner frightened them away. Eight people were at home in two adjacent houses: five adults and three children (a six-month-old baby, and two girls, aged 16 and 17 years). Four settlers came from the settler road about 100m above the house that is bypassing the village. Two of them stayed at a distance while the two other threw about 14 rocks at the sunroom of the house and pulled at the curtains inside tearing them apart. The family members feared they were attempting to break into the house and possibly set fire to it.
Sneh to Barak: Jail Daniella Weiss
Tovah Lazaroff And Shelly Paz, Jerusalem Post 12/8/2008
Former Labor MK Efraim Sneh on Sunday laid the blame for a portion of the unrest in Hebron last week on the head of right-wing activists, particularly former Kedumim mayor Daniella Weiss. In a letter to Defense Minister Ehud Barak, he demanded that Weiss be placed in jail. Weiss was arrested in the aftermath of last Thursday’s evacuation of the disputed four-story Hebron building known as Beit Hashalom. She was later released, although she was banned from reentering Judea. "It is unprecedented that a person who heads armed phalanges that operate against the State of Israel and its soldiers should be free to walk and spread their toxic doctrine in front of the TV cameras, as if there were no law in Israel and no judges in Jerusalem," Sneh wrote to Barak. Sneh - who is running for the Knesset under the banner of a new political party, Strong Israel, and plans. . .
Security source: Settler violence could cause imbroglio with Muslim world
Amos Harel, Ha’aretz 12/8/2008
Recent confrontations between hard-line West Bank settlers and Palestinians, surrounding the evacuation of Hebron’s so-called House of Contention, are likely to entangle Israel in a religious confrontation with Muslim communities the world over, a senior security source told Haaretz this weekend. The violence included the desecration of Muslim cemeteries in Hebron and anti-Muslim graffiti on mosque walls in the city, as well as around Qalqilya and Ramallah. Civil Administration officers in the area quickly washed off the graffiti, before pictures of it could be obtained by the Qatari news station Al Jazeera. Such a broadcast would have reached homes throughout the Arab and Muslim world, and could have sparked a major conflagration, the source said, recalling the wave of demonstrations in 2005 and 2006, following a Danish newspaper’s publication of caricatures of the Prophet Mohammed.
House torched in the Old City of Hebron
International Solidarity Movement 12/6/2008
A Palestinian family of the Old City of Hebron had the top floor of their home torched by a mob of settlers early Saturday morning. In addition to the fire the violent settlers also attacked the lower floors of the home, completely ransacking and ruining the Al-’Uweiwifamily’s kitchen. During the attack Nidal Al-’Uweiwi, his wife and his nine children were all forced to barricade themselves inside a small room of the house so as to not be attacked by the settlers. Though a fire truck was able to reach the scene some time after the flames began, this was only after the family had been rescued from the home by Palestinian Authority police officers. Two of the officers and all of the family were taken to the hospital to be treated for smoke annihilation. This attack comes with the long string of settler violence that has occurred in and around Hebron since the eviction of settlers from the illegally occupied Rajabi house on Thursday.
Settler stone throwers cause Palestinian car to skid off road; two injured
Ma’an News Agency 12/6/2008
Nablus – Ma’an – Two Palestinians were injured Saturday evening when their car skidded off the road after being showered with stones by settlers. The work colleagues were on their way to Nablus, heading home after working for the day in Ramallah. Palestinian medical sources identified the two as 23-year-old Atef Ibrahim Muhammad Rashid and 29-year-old Samah Husam Baslat. The man and woman were moved to hospital in Nablus, where their conditions are described as moderate. Israeli authorities closed the Hawara checkpoint south of Nablus on Saturday after dozens of Israeli settlers demonstrated against the forcible eviction of a group of settlers from a Palestinian home in Hebron on Thursday. Travel in and out of the northern West Bank was severely restricted, until Israeli forces opened the Awarta checkpoint, west of the city, to allow citizens to head home for the approaching Eid Al-Adha holiday.
Settlers block road south of Nablus; Israeli forces periodically close Huwwara
Ma’an News Agency 12/6/2008
Nablus – Ma’an – A secondary road between Nablus and the Israeli settlement Yitzhar was blocked on Saturday by dozens of Israeli settlers who broke the windows of Palestinian cars. The incident took place near Madama, a village on the route of the road. Head of the village council said Saturday’s attack was the third day in a row where settlers vandalized cars and prevented passage on the bypass roadThe main road into Nablus has been intermittently shut by Israeli forces, who close the Huwwara checkpoint, which controls the entry and exit of traffic into the area. Soldiers report fear of settler attacks against Palestinian citizens as the rational for restricting Palestinian movement around the West Bank. On Thursday, Israeli forces forcibly removed 250 right-wing settlers from a Palestinian house in the West Bank city of Hebron, weeks after the Israeli High Court ordered their eviction.
Israeli settlers set home ablaze in Hebron Old City
Ma’an News Agency 12/6/2008
Hebron – Ma’an – A mob of Israeli settlers set ablaze a Palestinian home in the Old City of Hebron on Saturday after climbing to the roof and damaging the home’s interior, according to the family who owns the home. Nidal Al-’Uweiwi, the house’s owner, said that on Saturday several settlers stormed the house from the roof, setting fire to the living room and "completely destroying" the kitchen, all while the 11-member family hid themselves in a separate room. Al-‘Uwewi told Ma’an that he called Palestinian Authority (PA) police, who arrived on the scene. Firefighters later arrived to extinguish the fire. Two police officers were hurt as they suffered smoke inhalation while trying to rescue the family. The officers were transferred to a nearby hospital by ambulances sent from the Palestinian Red Crescent.
Imprisoned PLC members urge PA to shoulder Hebron responsibilities
Ma’an News Agency 12/6/2008
Nablus/Salfit - Ma’an – The detained members of the Palestinian Legislative Council (PLC) with the change and reform bloc sent a statement of solidarity with the residents of Hebron on Saturday. In the statement, sent from the Israeli Megiddo prison, they called on the Palestinian Authority (PA) to shoulder their responsibility to protect citizens and ensure their safety against such attacks. "These attacks are not new,” the statement read, “but the settlers’ fierceness is increasing and more responsible and serious protection for the people of Hebron is required. ”The members wished good health and a speedy recovery to those injured, and urged the PA to provide sufficient support to the people.
Abu Zuhri: UNSC resolution on Al-Khalil hollow
Palestinian Information Center 12/7/2008
GAZA, (PIC)-- Dr. Sami Abu Zuhri, a Hamas spokesman in the Gaza Strip, has criticized the UN Security Council’s "verbal" condemnation of the Jewish settlers’ attacks on Palestinians in Al-Khalil city, describing it as "hollow". Abu Zuhri in a press release on Saturday said that his Movement believes the UNSC resolution on the Jewish settlers’ crimes in Al-Khalil is empty of any meaning, since it is only a verbal decision that does not condemn the Israeli occupation authority and only denounces what it called the settlers’ "violence". The resolution did not include any practical measure to oblige the IOA to evacuate settlers and stop their crimes, he explained. The spokesman said that Hamas affirms the role of resistance in confronting those aggressions, and reiterated calls on the PA leadership in Ramallah to release detained resistance fighters and to hand them their weapons in order to confront those attacks.
Israel: 231 Palestinia
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