Occupied Palestine: News and Articles News

Lebanese coalition files War Crimes complaint at ICC in The Hague
Ma’an News Agency 12/13/2008
Bethlehem – Ma’an – A Beirut-based coalition filed an appeal at the Human Rights Court in The Hague charging Israel and five of its leaders with egregious violations of International law and the Rome Statute stemming from Israel’s actions its continuing blockade of Gaza. Filing the complaint was Lebanese lawyer May El-Khansa, who arrived in Holland on 9 December with a delegation of attorneys to meet with International Criminal Court officials. The complaint requests that the ICC conduct the investigatory its work inside Gaza, given that the Rome Statute allows the Court to ’Circuit’ and travel to an area where Rome Statute crimes are alleged to be occurring. The complaint was filed on 10 December, the date that marks the 60th anniversary of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights. Those charged with War Crimes in the complaint are:Outgoing Israeli Prime. . .

Tulkarem area sees clashes with Israeli forces; nearby arrest of two farmers
Ma’an News Agency 12/13/2008
Tulkarem –Ma’an – Two incidents in Tulkarem district Saturday saw clashes erupt with Israeli forces and two Palestinians arrested, one of them a young boy. The town of Anabta east of Tulkarem was invaded with three Israeli military vehicles and a number of ground troops Saturday evening, local residents reported. The foot-soldiers became embroiled in clashes with village youth after they threw stones and empty bottles at the soldiers, who retaliated with live bullets and gas bombs. Though the clashes calmed down after an hour the troops remained in the town as of press time. Several kilometers away near the illegal Israeli settlement of Avne Hefez a Palestinian farmer and young boy working alongside him. The 15-year-old Subhi Barqawi and 20-year-old Baha’ Yaseen Saleh were working on lands abutting the settlement when they were arrested, and were taken into the area for questioning.

Madoff Wall Street fraud threatens Jewish philanthropy
Gabrielle Birkner and Anthony Weiss, The Forward, Ha’aretz 12/14/2008
The arrest of Wall Street trader Bernard L. Madoff, who federal agents say defrauded investors of an estimated $50 billion, has had immediate consequences in the Jewish philanthropic world. Madoff was arrested Thursday for allegedly defrauding his clients of $50 billion in a massive pyramid scheme over the course of several years. He was released on a $10 million bond. A lawyer for Madoff told the Wall Street Journal: "Bernard Madoff is a longstanding leader in the financial-services industry with an unblemished record. He is a person of integrity. He intends to fight to get through this unfortunate event. "One charity already closed and insiders are worried that the ramifications of Madoff’s financial demise may extend to the many organizations he supported and the wealthy Jews he advised. -- See also: Yeshiva U. may be a victim of $50b. scam

UNSC nears first Mideast plan in 5 years
Associated Press, Jerusalem Post 12/13/2008
For the first time in five years, the UN Security Council (UNSC) is poised to adopt a resolution calling for collective peace in the Middle East. Council members met Saturday in a closed-door emergency session to discuss a US-drafted resolution, strongly backed by Russia, that appeared to have near-unanimous support. A vote on it by the 15-nation council is expected Tuesday. The two-page draft resolution calls on Israelis and Palestinians "to fulfill their obligations" under last year’s peace deal brokered at Annapolis, Maryland, and for all nations and international groups "to contribute to an atmosphere conducive to negotiations. " The council would reiterate "its vision of a region where two democratic states, Israel and Palestine, live side by side in peace within secure and recognized borders.

Fifty-four trucks enter Gaza, fulfilling 25 percent daily need
Ma’an News Agency 12/13/2008
Bethlehem - Ma’an - Fifty-four truckloads of goods, including 11 loads of humanitarian supplies, were allowed into Gaza from Israel on Friday while fuel pipelines remained closed. The supplies are 25 percent of pre-siege levels, and even less of predicted need. Gazan officials say between 400-600 truckloads of goods per day are necessary to maintain the region, and during the last year supplies have been egregiously restricted. According to a UN report released Thursday the average number of goods transferred into Gaza in October this year was 123. In May 2007 the average approximately 475 trucks a day. On Thursday the UN reported the transfer of less than 100 truckloads of goods including 21 loads of humanitarian supplies. UN reports also stated that small amounts of industrial fuel was made available for the Gaza power station, though areas served by the facility. . .

Report: Palestinian prisoners in Israel victims of medical neglect
Ma’an News Agency 12/13/2008
Bethlehem – Ma’an - Palestinian Prisoners Society confirmed Saturday that many Palestinian prisoners are suffering from different illnesses in the Israeli detention facility of Gilboa Prison in Israel just north of the West Bank city of Jenin. Prisoners say their maladies are caused by medical negligence on the part of the prison administration. The Prisoners’ society released a report on the conditions of life for Palestinians in the prisons shortly several lawyers with the organization visited the facility. Conditions that confronted legal staff lead to a call to allow prisoners to receive checkups from medical personnel, and for those prescribed medication to be granted access to it.

Israeli military court to former PLC member: Come back to prison
Ma’an News Agency 12/13/2008
Bethlehem - Ma’an - Former Palestinian Minster of Finance Omar Abd Ar-Razeq was asked by the Israeli Military Attorney on Saturday to turn himself into Israeli authorities in order to serve a five month prison term starting Monday. In an interview with Ma’an Ar-Razeq indicated that he would indeed turn himself in on Monday. He said he would be transferred to Ofer prison near the West Bank city of Ramallah, where he would spend an unknown number of months in detention. Ar-Razeq was arrested in 2006 after Palestinian factions in Gaza captured Israeli soldier Gilad Shalit. Though many ministers were charged, they are generally seen to be held as collateral for Shalit. Ar-Razeq initially spent 26 months in prison and was released in August 2008 and appeared before an Israeli court again in November, at which point his sentencing was postponed.

Israel holds up over 100 busses of Hajj pilgrims at Allenby Bridge
Ma’an News Agency 12/13/2008
Bethlehem – Ma’an – Hundreds of Hajj pilgrims coming back from Saudi Arabia are waiting for Israeli inspections at the Allenby Bridge crossing en route to the West Bank on Saturday. Ma’an’s Saudi Arabia correspondent said that hundreds of pilgrims were stuck between the Jordanian and Israeli side of the Allenby Bridge as a result of "very slow inspections at the Israeli side. " Pilgrims appealed to the Israeli and Jordanian authorities to speed up inspections in order for them to get home. Meanwhile, Palestinian Authority (PA)’s Crossings and Borders Department announced that the Allenby Bridge Crossing would be open for 24 hours on Saturday to allow the passage of Hajj pilgrims into the West Bank from Jordan. Hajj pilgrims began to arrive on Saturday morning and the crossing will continue receiving pilgrims through the night and into Sunday, the PA announced.

Allenby Bridge open 24 hours on Saturday
Ma’an News Agency 12/13/2008
Jericho – Ma’an – The Palestinian Authority (PA)’s Crossings and Borders Department announced that the Allenby Bridge Crossing will be open for 24 hours on Saturday to allow the passage of Hajj pilgrims into the West Bank from Jordan. Hajj pilgrims began to arrive on Saturday morning and the crossing will continue receiving pilgrims through the night and into Sunday, the PA announced. Meanwhile, hundreds of Hajj pilgrims coming back from Saudi Arabia were waiting for Israeli inspections at the Allenby Bridge crossing en route to the West Bank on Saturday afternoon. Ma’an’s Saudi Arabia correspondent said that hundreds of pilgrims were stuck between the Jordanian and Israeli side of the Allenby Bridge as a result of "very slow inspections at the Israeli side. "

Al-Khudari denounces Livni’s statements; Palestinian unity includes those in Israel
Ma’an News Agency 12/13/2008
Gaza – Ma’an – Tzipi Livni’s statements indicating there would be no place for Palestinians in Israel if a Palestinian state is formed reveals Israel’s intentions towards their minority population, said member of the Palestinian Legislative Council Jamal Al-Khaudari on Saturday. Al-Khudari, who is also head of the popular committee against the siege, said Livni’s statements all but called for expelling Palestinians who have remained in the borders of the state of Israel since 1948. He said the incident should remind Palestinians that unity is essential, and must include Palestinians living in the state of Israel as well as Palestinians who are members of rival factions. All Palestinians and the international community should reject statements like Livni’s and push Israel to comply with international law and human rights codes.

Hezbollah slams ‘racist reality’ of Israel
Middle East Online 12/13/2008
BEIRUT - Lebanese Hezbollah accused Israeli Foreign Minister Tzipi Livni on Saturday of wanting to expel Arab Israelis after saying their national aspirations lay outside the Jewish state. "It is not at all surprising that an Israeli official would hold this position, for the Zionist plan is essentially based on expelling an entire population from its land," a Hezbollah statement said. "We point out these comments to the international community, which continues to ignore the racist reality of the Zionist entity. "As long as blood continues to flow in the veins of the resistance, all of Palestine will remain Palestinian," it added. On Thursday, Livni said "my solution for maintaining a Jewish and democratic state of Israel is to have two distinct national entities. " Once a Palestinian state is established, she said she would "be able to approach the Palestinian residents. . .

Local activists vow to block rightist march through Umm al-Fahm ’with their bodies’
Eli Ashkenazi and Yoav Stern, Ha’aretz 12/14/2008
When the High Court of Justice decided at the end of October to allow right-wing activists to demonstrate in the northern Arab city of Umm al-Fahm, Menashe Regional Council head Ilan Sadeh asked police to block the protest. Now, one day before the planned rally, Sadeh says it would seriously harm the social fabric of cooperation and tolerance between ethnic groups in the area, and is planning a counter-demonstration. "We plan to physically prevent the right-wing activists from entering Umm al-Fahm," he said. Members of the regional council are expected to join volunteers from the Kibbutz Movement, which called on members "to come and form a human chain against the provocative acts of the extreme right. "Senior police officials have said they have the authority to block the rally in order to maintain public order and prevent a confrontation.

Israeli forces shut down Hebron Eid festival
Ma’an News Agency 12/13/2008
Hebron – Ma’an – Israeli forces prevented a festival commemorating the fourth day of Eid in the West Bank city of Hebron’s Old City on Saturday, according to event organizers. Soldiers shut down a children’s rally for a local scout group that was heading to a park in the Old City, where the activities were scheduled to be held. A member of the Eid Festival Committee, Majed Abu Sbubeih, claimed that the Israeli procedures amounted to “a continued policy carried out against Hebron,” noting that the yard adjacent to the Ibrahimi Mosque is reserved for Palestinians’ use. [end]

Tensions rise as end to Hamas cease-fire nears
Amos Harel and Avi Issacharoff, Ha’aretz 12/14/2008
Israeli defense officials are expecting a tense week along the Israel-Gaza border, as the six-month cease-fire (tahadiyeh in Arabic) between the Israel Defense Forces and Hamas comes to an end on Friday. Major General Amos Gilad, the head of political military policy at the Defense Ministry, was expected to fly to Cairo Sunday morning to meet with top Egyptian intelligence officials to discuss the Egyptian-brokered cease-fire between Israel and Hamas in the Gaza Strip, set to expire December 19. The assumption in Jerusalem is that while Hamas will seek to extend the cease-fire, the Islamic organization will try to alter the terms of the agreement to allow it to continue firing rockets and mortars at the western Negev at will. In the coming days, Israeli defense officials expect Hamas to increase the number of provocative attacks against. . .

Barak: Shalit one of reasons for lull
Attila Somfalvi, YNetNews 12/13/2008
Defense minister responds to Foreign Minister Livni’s remark that not all troops can be returned, saying Israel must do everything to secure kidnapped soldier’s release, should therefore favor truce over wide-scale operation in Gaza. ’In order to bring Gilad back we’ll have to make tough decisions, but I’m willing to take this responsibility. ’ - Defense Minister Ehud Barak responded Saturday to Foreign Minister Tzipi Livni’s remark that "not all troops can be returned", saying that Israel must do everything to secure kidnapped soldier Gilad Shalit’s release. Speaking at an event in the central city of Holon, the Labor chairman said, "We mustn’t kid ourselves. In order to return Gilad we’ll have to make tough decisions, some of which also hold risks, but I’m willing to take the responsibility in order to see him among us. The last think we should do is renounce responsibility. "

Israel in favor of extending Gaza lull
Roni Sofer, YNetNews 12/13/2008
Defense Ministry’s Amos Gilad to travel to Egypt to relay message that State will continue ceasefire in Gaza if Hamas adheres to all terms, ceases its fire towards Israel - Israel supports the continuation of the ceasefire in Gaza – if Hamas adheres to the conditions. This is the message Amos Gilad, the head of the Defense Ministry’s Diplomatic-Security Bureau, intends to relay to Egypt. Gilad will also seek to determine what progress has been made in the negotiations for the release of kidnapped soldier Gilad Shalit. Gilad is scheduled to leave for Cairo tomorrow, where he will meet with Egyptian Intelligence Minister Omar Suleiman. His trip had been planned as one unrelated to the ceasefire agreement’s expiration on December 19, however the visit will stress Israel’s views on the matter. The Defense Ministry stated that over the last week the artillery fired by terrorist organizations in Gaza has decreased, and that Hamas is assumed to support the extension of the ceasefire agreement with Israel.

Quds Brigades: Calm cannot be extended while IOF aggression persists
Palestinian Information Center 12/13/2008
GAZA, (PIC)-- The Quds Brigades, the armed wing of the Islamic Jihad Movement, has warned the Israeli occupation forces of attempting to invade the Gaza Strip, adding that any such adventure would be met with strong resistance. The armed wing said in a communiqué on Friday that extending the calm agreement between the IOF and Palestinian factions in Gaza was no longer acceptable in the light of the IOF continued aggression, crimes and siege against the beleaguered Strip. Israeli threats and calls to launch a large-scale military operation against the Strip and to assassinate resistance leaders reflect "desperation and failure", it said, adding that the threats further reflect the "Zionist arena’s political and military mess". "We will defend our people and leaders and we will resist occupiers with all our might and potentials and we will not be terrorized by such threats," the armed wing asserted.

Zahhar: ''A *Prisoner Swap Deal Can Be Reached in a Day''
Saed Bannoura, International Middle East Media Center News 12/13/2008
Dr. Mahmoud Zahhar, one of the political leaders of the Hamas movement in the Gaza Strip, stated on Friday, that a prisoner swap deal which would see the release of the captured Israeli soldier, Gilad Shalit, in exchange for releasing Palestinian detainees, could be reached in one day, the Arabs48 news website reported. Dr. Zahhar added that this can be possible if Israel forms a courageous government that agrees to release Palestinian detainees who are sentenced to life terms. The statements of the Hamas leader came in an interview with Israeli Radio on Friday. He said that the Israeli demands to allow the Red Cross to visit Shalit cannot be granted due to security concerns, and added that Hamas is fulfilling its responsibility and taking care of Shalit. The Israeli Ministerial Committee in charge of the affairs of Palestinian detainees approved last Sunday a list of 230 detainees. . .

Barak sends Amos Gilad to Cairo in attempt to extend Gaza truce
Yaakov Katz, Jerusalem Post 12/13/2008
Defense Minister Ehud Barak has dispatched Maj. -Gen. (res. ) Amos Gilad to Cairo for talks on Sunday on extending the cease-fire in the Gaza Strip. Barak supports the extension of the truce, despite the firing of over 200 mortars and rockets into Israel in the past month. Top IDF officers, however, have called for the resumption of military operations against Hamas in the Gaza Strip when the six-month cease-fire expires on Friday. In the latest violation of the faltering truce, Gaza terrorists fired a Kassam rocket into the western Negev on Saturday afternoon. Two rockets were also fired Friday morning. No casualties or damage were reported in the attacks. RELATEDMortar shells, Kassams land in w. NegevOn Thursday, the IDF raised its level of alert along the Gaza border amid fears that Hamas may. . .

PRC spokesperson: ''Shalit deal suspended until Israel fulfills our demands''
Saed Bannoura & Agencies, International Middle East Media Center News 12/13/2008
Abu Mojahid, the spokesperson of the Popular Resistance Committees (PRC), one of three groups holding the Israeli soldier, Gilad Shalit, stated on Saturday that talks on the release of Shalit are suspended until Israel fulfills the demands of the resistance. Abu Mojahid added that the resistance insists that any prisoner swap deal should be based on releasing the detainees from occupation prisons, "therefore, the occupation must her to our demands, and until this happens the case of Shalit will remain closed". He added that the statements of the Israeli Foreign Minister, Tzipi Livni, regarding the captured soldier, and her threats to displace the Arabs in the country, are an indicator that the Israeli society is heading towards further extremism. Abu Mojahid said that Livni’s statements prove that Israel is the side obstructing prisoner-swap talks.

Barak: Schalit release not at any price
Jerusalem Post 12/13/2008
Defense Minister Ehud Barak reiterated on Saturday the government’s wish to see kidnapped soldier Gilad Schalit home safely, but emphasized that this would not be achieved "at any price. " Barak, who made his comments at a ’Shabbat Tarbut’ function in Holon, responded to comments Foreign Minister and Kadima leader Tzipi Livni made on Thursday, when she hinted at the possibility Israel could not secure Schalit’s release by saying the State could not return every soldier. "I’m not too sure that I understand [Livni’s] statement"¦ I have buried many soldiers who were killed and did not return. We have the highest responsibility to return a soldier who is alive and in captivity through suitable and possible methods, but not at any price. "The path to Gilad’s return demands difficult decisions which entail certain dangers.

Scottish pro-Palestinian group ’fabricates’ story of Israeli boycott
Jonny Paul, Jpost Correspondent In London, Jerusalem Post 12/13/2008
A local council in Scotland has emphatically denied the allegation made by a pro-Palestinian fringe group that it had been pressured by the group to boycott and terminate a contract with an Israeli mineral water supplier. West Lothian Council called the claim made by the Scottish Palestine Solidarity Campaign (SPSC), that they were responsible in part for the termination of contracts for water coolers with Eden Springs, "a total fabrication. " Earlier this month, the SPSC announced that Eden Springs had closed its East Scotland depot in Loanhead, near Edinburgh, after a number of Scottish companies had cancelled contracts with the Israeli company because of "violations of international and human rights law. " They said the closure of the depot and loss of contracts was "widely recognized within the industry to be due in part to a determined publicity campaign by the SPSC. "

A ’rabbi’ in the underground
Zvi Bar''el, Ha’aretz 12/14/2008
Daniel Levi, Daniel Guney or Tuncay Guney? Who is this person whom the prosecution in Turkey last week said it wanted to summon to interrogate? According to reports in the Turkish newspaper Milliyet, he is a Mossad agent who was a member of the right-wing nationalist underground known as Ergenekon. It is alleged that Ergenekon planned to topple the pro-Islamic government of Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan. Another Turkish newspaper, Yeni Safak, reported that documents were found in Guney’s apartment that allegedly link members of Israel’s business community with important Turkish figures also involved in the Ergenekon affair. According to other reports in the Turkish press, Guney was an agent of the Turkish intelligence service who penetrated both the ranks of the Turkish police’s intelligence service and the Ergenekon organization so as to expose the identity of its members.

UN Secretary General: End the occupation of Palestine
Ma’an News Agency 12/13/2008
Bethlehem – Ma’an – The UN’s top leader said on Saturday that the need to support peace in Israel and Palestine is “urgent. ”UN Secretary General Ban Ki-Moon sent a message to the United Nations Latin American and Caribbean Meeting in Support of Israeli-Palestinian Peace, which was delivered by Alicia Bárcena, executive secretary of the UN Economic Commission of Latin America and the Caribbean, in Santiago, Chile. “The international community recognizes the urgent need to continue supporting the parties in their efforts to reach a comprehensive agreement on all permanent status issues,” he said. Ki-Moon added that “the goal of such an agreement is clear: an end to the occupation that began in 1967, and the establishment of a Palestinian state living side by side in peace and security with Israel.

UN chief to host Quartet meeting in New York
Ma’an News Agency 12/13/2008
Bethlehem – Ma’an – United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-Moon will host a meeting in New York on Monday, “in the search for a solution to the Middle East conflict,” his office said in a statement on Friday. Attendants are expected to be Ki-Moon’s top diplomatic partners engaged in resolving the conflict, “based on the principle of two states, Israel and Palestine, living side by side in peace. ”Representatives from the US, EU and Russia will join European Commissioner for External Relations Bettina Ferrero-Waldner at UN Headquarters in New York, while French Foreign Minister Bernard Kouchner, representing the EU Presidency, joins Quartet envoy Tony Blair via video-link. The International Quartet – the UN, EU, Russia and US – has been trying to help the parties attain a two-state peace settlement for several years now.

UN Security Council extends Golan Heights mandate
Ma’an News Agency 12/13/2008
Bethlehem – Ma’an – The United Nations Security Council on Friday extended the UN force observing the ceasefire between Israel and Syria on the Golan Heights for another six months, until 30 June 2009. The 15-member body voted unanimously to renew the mandate of the UN Disengagement Observer Force (UNDOF), which was established in May 1974. The latest move was recommended by Secretary-General Ban Ki-Moon in his latest report on the mission. “The situation in the Israel-Syria sector has remained generally quiet,” he wrote. “Nevertheless, the situation in the Middle East is tense and is likely to remain so, unless and until a comprehensive settlement covering all aspects of the Middle East problem can be reached. ”Under the prevailing circumstances, he Ki-Moon maintained that the continued presence of UNDOF in the area is “essential. ”

UN Security Council to discuss peace process at special session
Ma’an News Agency 12/13/2008
Bethlehem – Ma’an – The UN Security Council announced plans to hold a special session on Tuesday to discuss the peace process between Israel and the Palestinians. The meeting is expected to involve top-level government officials, who will ratify a non-binding declaration on the issue. Organizers did not specify what exactly they plan to ratify. US officials hope the special session will encourage both sides to continue their efforts toward achieving a two-state solution, according to statements made by US Permanent Representative to the UN Zalmay Khalilzad at a news conference in New York on Saturday. One of Russia’s UN delegates, Vitaly Ivanovich Churkin, added that the peace process has reached a sensitive stage and that it is essential to carry on negotiations. The Security Council has never conducted joint efforts to support the peace process, Churkin noted.

Hamas: Quartet stand a stab to Palestinian democracy
Palestinian Information Center 12/13/2008
GAZA, (PIC)-- Hamas has belittled importance of the international quartet committee’s meeting in New York next week, calling on the joint Arab delegation to attend the meeting to demand breaking the siege on Gaza Strip. Hamas MP Mushir Al-Masri told Quds Press that the quartet committee’s stands were a stab to the Palestinian democracy and an attempt to override the Palestinian people’s choice. The quartet committee has asked the Palestinian unity government, grouping Hamas, to recognize Israel, renounce "terror" (resistance) and accept previous Israeli-Palestinian agreements Quartet’s insistence on its "undemocratic" conditions meant that nothing beneficial is expected from it, he asserted, adding that Hamas believes that such meetings were "futile" since nothing is achieved in them. However, the Arab delegates are called upon to try and change the quartet committee’s position. . .

Hamas: UNSC meeting on settlement process deceptive
Palestinian Information Center 12/13/2008
GAZA, (PIC)-- Hamas described the UN Security Council’s session to support and encourage the peace process between the Palestinians and Israel as a "new deception", and added that continued talk about peace was a waste of time. Fawzi Barhoum, a Hamas spokesman in Gaza Strip, said on Saturday that the American UN representative’s statement that the session would be to encourage the Palestinian and Israeli parties to complete the peace process was an attempt to deceive the world public opinion into believing that progress was being made in this process. The step is aimed at renewing confidence in the UNSC, which is under American hegemony, the spokesman said, adding that the UNSC had failed in providing the minimum requirements of security for the Palestinian people or in supporting any of its right and constants and displayed clear bias in favor of Israel despite its crimes against the Palestinians.

Hamas spokesperson slams US call for Security Council session
Ma’an News Agency 12/13/2008
Gaza – Ma’an – Hamas spokesperson Fawzi Barhoum on Saturday described the US call for a UN Security Council session to discuss the peace process as “a new trick” aimed at misleading public opinion in the world. “This session comes after Palestinian negotiators’ expectations of any US support for Palestinian rights proved to be false,” Barhoum explained. He added that the session was aimed at renewing confidence in the UN Security Council, which is dominated by the US, after the failure to provide even minimum security for the Palestinian people. “The UN Security Council is one-sided with the Israelis and the crimes they commit against the Palestinian people,” he insisted. Barhoum added that talking about peace efforts would be waste of time, and that the Security Council should take immediate action to lift the siege imposed on the Gaza Strip and provide the Palestinian people their inalienable rights.

UN set to adopt resolution urging Israel, Palestinians to continue talks
Barak Ravid, Ha’aretz 12/14/2008
The United Nations Security Council is expected to adopt a resolution on Tuesday calling on Israel and the Palestinian authority to continue negotiations on the core issues during the course of 2009, after both the Israeli and Palestinian leaders have completed their terms, in efforts to achieve "two states for two peoples. "The core issues on the negotiations table between Israel and the Palestinians include the fate of Jerusalem, parts of which the Palestinians envision as the capital of their future state, the fate of the Palestinian refugees, and the borders of a future Palestinian homeland. Sources in Jerusalem said that the move was likely to force Likud Chairman Benjamin Netanyahu to commit to the peace deal brokered at the November 2007 Annapolis conference, should he be elected prime minister in February, as polls predict.

Hamas says not planning to appoint next Palestinian president
Ma’an News Agency 12/13/2008
Gaza – Ma’an – A senior Hamas leader denied media reports claiming the movement intends to swear in Palestinian Legislative Council (PLC) member Ahmad Bahar as Palestinian President on 10 January. PLC member Salah Al-Bardaweel said in an interview on Saturday that the reports are “incorrect. ”“Hamas does not intend to appoint Bahar president as according to the Palestinian basic law, (current Palestinian President Mahmoud) Abbas’ office ends on 9 January and PLC Speaker Aziz Dweik, who is jailed in Israel, fills the post for 90 days during which he calls presidential elections,” Al-Bardaweel told Ma’an. With regard to the proposed extension of Abbas’ tenure, Al-Bardaweel said it depends on the Cairo dialogue and that the issue is one portion of a comprehensive “package” including restructuring the Palestine Liberation Organization (PLO) and Palestinian Authority (PA) security services.

Former intelligence chief calls for unity, disparages Hamas
Ma’an News Agency 12/13/2008
Bethlehem – Ma’an – The former head of Palestinian Authority (PA) Intelligence Services holds Hamas responsible for the current internal division and sees the split between Palestine’s major parties as a force ‘tearing the country apart. ’Giving an interview on Saturday Tawfiq At-Tirawi, who was suddenly shuffled out of the top job of Head of Intelligence to a position in the officer training wing of the forces, said that although he held Hamas responsible for the initial break, he also held Fatah responsible for failing to reunite the country. At-Tirawi traced the current political crisis to June 2007, when Hamas took control of the Gaza Strip. After this political moment, he said, the Palestinian cause became isolated; this isolation and fragmentation only serves Israel. On Hamas At-Tirawi noted that the Party has made many mistakes, starting with the 2007 “coup,” and. . .

MP Barghouthi castigates Abbas for calling for elections in WB only
Palestinian Information Center 12/13/2008
RAMALLAH, (PIC)-- MP Dr. Mustafa Al-Barghouthi has described PA chief Mahmoud Abbas’s call for early general elections in the West Bank without the Gaza Strip as "insane and a crime". Barghouthi in a statement on Friday warned of not holding the elections in all Palestinian areas or else he said it would be serving the "Zionist scheme aimed at endorsing the complete separation of the West Bank from the Strip". He also warned of tampering with those elections, and stressed that extending Abbas’s tenure would weaken his position before Israel that would spread doubts about the presence of a leadership capable of representing all Palestinians. The MP proposed formation of a transitory national government that would prepare for simultaneous presidential and legislative elections and that would ensure integrity of those elections.

Hamas Declares High Alert Ahead of its Grand Festival in Gaza
Rami Almeghari&Agencies, International Middle East Media Center News 12/13/2008
The ruling Hamas party in Gaza declared a state of high alert ahead of its grand festival, marking the twenty-first anniversary of its establishment. The Hamas-led police forces began deploying hundreds of personnel on main crossroads and streets in Gaza , in preparation for the festival that is due to be held on Sunday at one of Gaza City’s public squares. A statement by the party read that such a move has been coordinated with the Ministry of Interior and that deploying security forces across the region is aimed at preserving order and security. Hamas wrestled for control over Gaza in June, 2007, amidst factional fighting with the Fatah party, lead by Palestinian President, Mahmoud Abbas. Last January, the Hamas-led Ministry of Interior prevented a similar festival by the Fatah party in Gaza because of security concerns.

Abbas returns from Saudi Arabia after Hajj pilgrimage
Ma’an News Agency 12/13/2008
Ramallah – Ma’an – Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas returned home from Saudi Arabia on Friday after performing the Hajj pilgrimage, according to state news agency Wafa. Abbas was accompanied by Fatah Secretary-General At-Tayyib Abd Ar-Rahim and the Palestine Liberation Organization’s chief negotiator, Saeb Erekat, as well as Palestinian Minister of Agriculture and Social Affairs Mahmoud Al-Habbash, the official news agency reported. The report suggested that the current relationship between the Palestinian Authority (PA) and the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia could be described as a “golden era” in bilateral relations. Meanwhile, a Hamas official was quoted as accusing Saudi Arabia and Egypt of political plots against Hajj pilgrims from the Gaza Strip.

Hamas prepares for 21st anniversary celebration
Ma’an News Agency 12/13/2008
Gaza – Ma’an – The Hamas movement on Saturday began preparations for a major festival on Sunday commemorating the 21st anniversary of the movement’s founding. The celebration has been titled, “The West Bank and Gaza…Unity and Dignity,” according to a statement. The festival will be held at Al-Katiba Square in Gaza City. De facto government Prime Minister Ismail Haniyeh is scheduled to deliver a major speech and de facto government police will deploy officers from Saturday onwards in every district in order to “maintain security and order. ”Hamas said in a statement that the movement submitted an official application to the de facto government’s Interior Ministry for approval to carry out the festival. The Hamas-run de facto Interior Ministry approved the application. Despite the pomp, Hamas denied media reports claiming that the movement intends to swear in Palestinian. . .

Doctors worry about Gazans’ reliance on sedative painkiller
The Associated Press, Ha’aretz 12/14/2008
The new drug overtaking the Gaza Strip doesn’t stimulate hallucinations or boost endurance at the dance club. It merely chills you out, which is exactly what many Gazans say they need. Ruled by Islamic hard-liners from Hamas and locked in by Israel and Egypt, Gazans can’t travel outside the strip, have few places to go for fun and are faced with a failing economy. Thus the boom in the popularity of tramadol, a painkiller known here by a common brand name, Tramal. Growing numbers of Gazans have begun using the drug over the past year and a half to take the edge off life in the impoverished seaside strip, pharmacists and residents say. This worries medical personnel, who say the drug can cause dependence. It is a prescription drug in many countries, and the Hamas-run Health Ministry has made efforts to control it, but without much success in a society where medicines available only by prescription elsewhere are often sold over the counter.

Gaza students leave on activists’ ship
Associated Press, YNetNews 12/13/2008
International activists say have helped 11 university students leave blockaded Strip by boat in defiance of Israel, add around 700 students accepted at foreign universities are still stuck in Gaza - International activists say they have helped 11 Gaza university students leave the blockaded territory by boat in defiance of Israel. Ramzi Kysia of the Free Gaza movement said Saturday that the students sailed on the vessel Dignity and reached Cyprus on Friday. He says the students are enrolled at universities in Europe and Canada. Israel and Egypt largely sealed Gaza after the Islamic militant group Hamas seized the coastal territory last year. Some university students have been allowed to cross through Israeli and Egyptian crossings. Activists say round 700 students accepted at foreign universities are still stuck in Gaza.

Palestinian journalists slam Israeli news blackout in Gaza
Ma’an News Agency 12/13/2008
Bethlehem – Ma’an – A letter from five major players in Palestinian and international media called on Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert to lift a ban on journalists in the Gaza Strip. The secretary general and president of the International Federation of Journalists (IFJ), Aidan White and Jim Boumelha, respectively, signed the letter. IFJ is the largest journalists’ union in the world, maintaining some 600,000 members. General Secretary of the National Union of Journalists (NUJ) Jeremy Dear and Gerry Morrisey, general secretary of Broadcasting Entertainment Cinematograph and Theatre Union (BECTU) signed, as well as Betty Hunter, general secretary of the Palestine Solidarity Campaign (PSC). The letter read, “We the undersigned support the calls from the biggest news agencies in the world including the BBC, CNN, Reuters and the Foreign Press Association, who are calling on Israel to lift its current ban on foreign journalists.

PLC member says next Free Gaza ship coming from Lebanon
Ma’an News Agency 12/13/2008
Gaza – Ma’an – A ship loaded with medical supplies for the Gaza Strip will depart from the port of Beirut in ten days, according to Palestinian Legislative Council (PLC) member Jamal Al-Khudari. The independent member of the PLC told Ma’an on Saturday that Lebanese activists are preparing the ship, which he said represents Arab countries’ solidarity with the besieged strip, or what he called the “Ships Uprising. ”He called on all Arab and Islamic countries, as well as foreign countries, to take part in that “uprising,” as well, asserting that the siege has destroyed the environment, health and economy in the Gaza Strip. He highlighted that a ship with parliamentarians from Israel and another from the Iranian Red Crescent plan to set sail next week. De fact government spokesperson Tahir An-Nunu expressed his government’s appreciation of all the efforts to break the siege on the Gaza Strip.

Abu Zaid lashes out at Israeli violations of Palestinian rights
Palestinian Information Center 12/13/2008
GENEVA, (PIC)-- Karin Abu Zaid, the UNRWA commissioner general, has called for protecting the Palestinian people’s rights, describing continued Israeli violation of those rights as a "shame". In a speech delivered on her behalf at the UN premises in Geneva on the 60th anniversary of the human rights declaration, she said, "Let us materialize the vision of the signatories to the international declaration, continued failure to observe that is an international shame". The inhuman closure of the Gaza Strip, the collective punishment against its inhabitants and the 600 roadblocks in the West Bank are a sorrowful reminder of the world community’s failure to apply article 13 of the international declaration concerning the freedom of Movement, the UNRWA chief underlined. She pointed to the soaring death rate in the Palestinian lands, noting that more than 500 Palestinians died this year including 37 children.

Gaza Strip banks to remain open through Saturday
Ma’an News Agency 12/13/2008
Gaza – Ma’an – Banks in the Gaza Strip will remain open on Saturday to continue payments of Palestinian Authority (PA) civil servant salaries that were delayed until Friday due to a cash shortfall. Banks in the Gaza Strip are typically closed on Fridays and Saturdays, yet they opened this weekend due to the exceptional circumstances. Sources told Ma’an that civil servants began withdrawing their salaries on Thursday afternoon through automatic teller machines (ATMs) after Israeli Defense Ministry Ehud Barak approved the delivery of some 100 million shekels from the West Bank to banks in the Gaza Strip. On Friday, sources within the Gaza Strip banking sector indicated that salaries delayed by the currency shortage and Israel’s refusal to allow shekel transfers into the region were available. Israel prevented the transfer of cash into Gaza for two months as a response. . .

Ship smuggles out Gaza students
Al Jazeera 12/13/2008
At least 11 university students from Gaza have escaped out of the blockaded territory by boat in defiance of Israel. Ramzi Kysia, a member of the Free Gaza Movement, said on Saturday that the students sailed on the Dignity ship, which reached Cyprus on Friday. Kysia said the students had been denied exit visas by Israel to attend their universities in Europe and Canada. Some university students have been allowed to cross through Israeli and Egyptian crossings, but activists say at least 700 students accepted at foreign universities are still stuck in Gaza. Israel and Egypt largely sealed Gaza after Hamas, a Palestinian faction, seized the coastal territory from rivals Fatah last year. The Free Gaza Movement has been sailing ships to Gaza for several months, highlighting the plight of the residents and bringing in urgently needed medical supplies.

VIDEO - Gaza… oh beloved Gaza
Sonja Karkar, Palestine Think Tank 12/13/2008
This video describes in pictures and words the shocking details of Israels deliberate ravaging of Palestinian life and society in Gaza. Its purpose is to call attention to the plight of a people under siege, which so far has been chillingly ignored by governments and the world media unwilling to call Israel to account for its criminal execution of the ethnic cleansing of the Palestinians from their own land. The video was created by Sonja Karkar for Australians for Palestine on 9 December 2008 using images captured by various courageous photographers on the ground in Gaza, and the haunting sounds of Sada (Echo), composed and played on the oud by Ahmad Al-Khatib. [end] -- See also: Australians for Palestine

Human Rights Anniversary Marred by Violence [Dec. 7 – Dec. 13]
MIFTAH, MIFTAH 12/13/2008
While the settler violence of last week has relatively tapered off, incidents of settlers vandalizing Palestinian homes in Hebron are still being reported. On the eve of December 12, Hebronites in the city’s heart were terrorized by rampaging settlers who slashed their tires and attacked their homes. Furthermore, that same day, 13 year old Yaqoub Qasrawi was shot in the head by Israeli soldiers in Hebron. The boy was seriously wounded and evacuated by the army to Jerusalem’s Hadasseh hospital for treatment. Palestinian sources and eyewitnesses say Qasrawi was standing in front of his house when he suddenly crumbled to the ground. Israeli army sources insist the boy was with a group of youths throwing stones at an Israeli army jeep when he was struck. Rising tensions between Palestinians and settlers in Hebron may very well flair again after a Jerusalem court indicted Zeev Barouda on December 10 on charges of "malicious intent".

Nonviolent Action in Ma’asara Commemorating the First Intifada
IMEMC Staff, International Middle East Media Center News 12/12/2008
The Israeli military suppressed residents from Al Ma’asara village Friday during a popular demonstration against the wall that’s been built on Palestinian lands. This is happening on the 21st anniversary of the first Palestinian Intifada. When the people reached the village entrance, troops fiercly opposed and assaulted them with sticks and the butt ends of their rifles, while forcing the demonstrators away from the confiscated Palestinian lands. Dutch scouts were involved in the demonstration and they played the Palestinian National anthem, while marching on the Palestinian streets as a sign of solidarity with the Palestinian People. A spokesperson for the popular Committee against the Wall said that "today we are standing beside the Greek child that was killed by Greek police in Athens, but who will be standing with us while thousands of our children are killed? "

Israeli Troops Suppress Non Violent Demonstrations in Bil’in and Ni’lin
IMEMC Staff, International Middle East Media Center News 12/12/2008
The people of Bil’in statred a demonstration after Friday’s prayers that included international and Israeli activists, as well as a community from the Bethlehem district. The demonstrators raised Palestinian flags and rang bells for the anniversary of the first Palestinian Intifada that occurred in 1987. The demonstrators marched inside the village, approaching the area where the wall is erected, but the Israeli soldiers stopped them from entering through the main gate. When the demonstrators approached, the Israeli soldiers shot tear gas canisters, sound grenades and rubber-coated bullets at the crowd, which caused many to choke, including Mohamad Basem, an eight year old child, as well as Baasem Abu Rahma, age 30, and Abed Hamamra, age 37. The vilagers of Bil’in have been demonstrating against the wall, non stop, on a weekly basis, for the past three years.

African killed on Israel-Egypt border
Reuters, YNetNews 12/13/2008
Egyptian police shoot dead Togolese man trying to enter Jewish state illegally. Incident brings to 28 number of African migrants killed by Egyptian security on border with Israel this year - For years Egypt tolerated tens of thousands of Africans on its territory but its attitude hardened after it came under pressure to halt rising numbers of Africans trying to cross the border into Israel. - Egyptian police shot dead a Togolese man on the border with Israel late on Friday as he tried to enter the Jewish state illegally, a security source said. The source said a police patrol spotted the 25-year-old man trying to get through the barbed wire on the border and ordered him to stop, opening fire when he did not. He died instantly of a gunshot wound to the head, the source said. His death brings to 28 the number of African migrants killed by Egyptian security on the border with Israel this year. The migrants, mainly from Sudan, Ethiopia or Eritrea, are looking for work or asylum in Israel.

Egypt police kill African migrant on Israel border
Reuters, Ha’aretz 12/13/2008
Egyptian police shot dead a Togolese man on the border with Israel late on Friday as he tried to enter the country illegally, a security source said. The source said a police patrol spotted the 25-year-old man trying to get through the barbed wire on the border and ordered him to stop, opening fire when he did not. He died instantly of a gunshot wound to the head, the source said. His death brings to 28 the number of African migrants killed by Egyptian security on the border with Israel this year. The migrants, mainly from Sudan, Ethiopia or Eritrea, are looking for work or asylum in Israel. For years Egypt tolerated tens of thousands of Africans on its territory but its attitude hardened after it came under pressure to halt rising numbers of Africans trying to cross the border into Israel. In November, U. S. -based rights group Human Rights Watch called on Egypt to stop shooting African migrants.

Carter, in Damascus, predicts improved U.S.-Syria ties under Obama
The Associated Press, Ha’aretz 12/14/2008
Former U. S. President Jimmy Carter predicted Saturday an improvement in U. S. -Syrian relations under U. S. President-elect Barack Obama and expressed hope that full diplomatic relations would be restored. Carter spoke to reporters in Damascus following a meeting he held with Syrian President Bashar Assad. He told reporters that the two had discussed the reopening of an American school and a U. S. cultural center in Damascus shut down by Syrian authorities following a deadly U. S. raid in October on a village in northern Syria near the Iraqi border. U. S. officials said the raid targeted a militant leader. Damascus says eight civilians had been killed. Carter said he had full confidence that Obama will carry out the promises he made during his campaign. "I don’t have any doubt that the situation will improve between the United States and Syria after we have a new president," he said.

US demands Syria cooperate on nuke plan
Roee Nahmias, YNetNews 12/13/2008
American ambassador to UN nuclear watchdog says Damascus must decide whether it plans to follow in Iran’s footsteps or cooperate on its alleged atomic program. A failure to do so, he warns, would lead to punishment measures - A warning to Syria: US Ambassador to the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) Gregory Schulte says Syria has three months – until the United Nations nuclear watchdog’s next governors’ meeting in March – to start cooperating on its nuclear program, or it will be punished. A failure to do so, he warns, will lead to "punishment measures". In an interview published Saturday with the London-based Arabic-language al-Sharq al-Awsat newspaper, Schulte said that "the Damascus authorities must decide whether they wish to follow in Iran’s footsteps or cooperate. "Schulte also noted that North Korea has neither denied nor confirmed its involvement in the construction of the Syrian nuclear reactor allegedly bombed by Israel.

Syria’s tepid hope in Obama
Shane Bauer in Damascus, Al Jazeera 12/13/2008
It has been more than a month since Barack Obama was elected US president and with five weeks to go until his inauguration, the excitement in the US is quite palpable. The president-elect continues to make headlines as he begins to outline economic policy and pick known politicians to fill out his cabinet. His latest choices of Clinton-era pundits have created the type of controversy political talk shows crave. However, in conflict regions of the Middle East, which have been a focus of much of America’s foreign policy in the past five years, the reaction ranges from casual indifference to cautious optimism. In a four-part series highlighting Middle East reaction one month on, Al Jazeera looks at the Obama factor in Lebanon, Iraq, Syria and the West Bank. The election of Barack Obama may have stirred enthusiasm around the world, but there were no street parties in Damascus on the night of his victory.

Mash’al to meet former US president in Damascus
Ma’an News Agency 12/13/2008
Bethlehem – Ma’an – Hamas leader in exile Khalid Mash’al is scheduled to meet with former US president Jimmy Carter on Sunday in Damascus, a Palestinian political source in Syria said on Sunday. According to the source, the two will discuss a ceasefire between Israel and Hamas in the Gaza Strip, as well as the issue of captured Israeli soldier Gilad Shallit. Also, Carter said the new US administration should play a role in indirect negotiations between Israel and Syria. He added during a lecture he made at the American University in Beirut on Friday that he hopes the US president-elect will get involved in the Middle East peace process. The former US president went on to say that Iran and Syria could contribute to the ongoing peace efforts in the region. He also expressed his sorrow that Hezbollah officials refused to meet with him during his five-day visit to Beirut.

IAEA to Syria: Cooperate or be punished
Jpost.com Staff, Jerusalem Post 12/13/2008
The chief US delegate to the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) warned Syria on Saturday that it had until March to begin showing signs of cooperation over its nuclear plan or the country would face punishment. Gregory L. Schulte presented Damascus with the ultimatum ahead of an IAEA meeting scheduled to take place in three months. Schulte told the London-based Arab daily Asharq Alawsat that "Syria must choose whether it plans to follow in Iran’s footsteps or to cooperate. " Schulte said that according to an American investigation, North Korea had not denied involvement in the construction of the alleged Syrian reactor that was reportededly destroyed by Israel in a September 2007 air strike. If Damascus chooses not to cooperate "there will be a negative reaction and serious questions will be raised," the US envoy cautioned.

Carter on mission to improve US-Syria relations
Associated Press, YNetNews 12/13/2008
During meeting with Assad former US president says Israel is sincere in wanting peace with Syria but no ’genuine peace’ can be achieved unless Israel surrenders ’Arab territories it occupies’ - Former US President Jimmy Carter predicted Saturday an improvement in US-Syrian relations under President-elect Barack Obama and expressed hope that full diplomatic relations would be restored. Carter spoke to reporters in Damascus following a meeting he held with President Bashar Assad. Carter said he had "full confidence" that Obama will carry out the promises he made during his campaign. "I don’t have any doubt that the situation will improve between the United States and Syria after we have a new president," he said. The former US president said he hoped a new US ambassador would be sent to Damascus soon.

Jewish settlers shoot, critically wound Palestinian child
Palestinian Information Center 12/13/2008
AL-KHALIL, (PIC)-- A Palestinian child was critically wounded on Friday when armed Jewish settlers encircled a Palestinian house and fired randomly in its vicinity in Al-Khalil city, eyewitnesses reported. They said that the boy was carried to hospital with serious wounds while the Israeli occupation forces command said that the boy was hit with a rubber-coated bullet fired by one of its troops while dispersing a demonstration. It claimed that the boy was throwing stones at the soldiers. Meanwhile, the Bil’in villagers hit the streets of their village following the Friday congregation in their weekly protest march against the Israeli confiscation of their lands to build the separation fence. IOF troops blocked the marchers’ from crossing the main gate in the wall and fired sonic and gas bombs in addition to rubber bullets at them wounding three including an 8-year-old child while tens were treated for suffocation. -- See also: Hebron boy sustains critical head-wound from Israeli fire

Palestinian fighter wounded in IOF shelling, 3 citizens detained in WB
Palestinian Information Center 12/13/2008
GAZA, (PIC)-- A Palestinian resistance activist was wounded on Friday evening when the Israeli occupation forces fired a land-to-land missile at a group of resistance fighters in Beit Hanun north of the Gaza Strip. Witnesses reported that the missile exploded near the group of fighters, affiliated with the armed wing of the Popular Front for the liberation of Palestine, injuring one of them. In the West Bank, IOF troops stormed the city of Tulkarem and the towns of Attil and Saida, north of the city, and kidnapped three citizens after breaking into their homes. Local sources said that the pre-dawn raid on Saturday wreaked havoc in the homes of the stormed homes, noting that the civilians were forced out of their homes in the cold weather during the ransacking. A similar raid was reported at dawn Saturday in Nablus city and its refugee camps but no arrests were reported.

Israeli forces seize three Palestinians in Tulkarem
Ma’an News Agency 12/13/2008
Tulkarem – Ma’an – Israeli forces seized three Palestinians from the northern West Bank’s Tulkarem district on Saturday morning, according to Palestinian Authority (PA) security sources. The Palestinians were abducted in two villages near Tulkarem, Atteel and Sayda. PA security sources told Ma’an that the arrestees are 23-year-old Faris Duqqa from Attel, as well as 30-year-old Rasim Raddad and 25-year-old Hamad Ma’roof Hamad from Sayda. Israeli authorities did not immediately announce charges against the men, nor provide any pretext for what the men may have been suspected of doing before they were seized by military forces on Saturday. On Friday, Israeli soldiers seized four Palestinians in the northern West Bank city of Nablus, according to local witnesses. Israeli forces invaded the Ash-Sheikh Imad neighborhood west of Nablus, residents said.

Israeli forces detain, interrogate five Jenin residents
Ma’an News Agency 12/13/2008
Jenin – Ma’an – Israeli forces stormed a village near the West Bank city of Jenin on Saturday, detaining five Palestinians for interrogation before releasing them about an hour later, Palestinian Authority (PA) security sources told Ma’an. Three Israeli military patrols raided the village of Az-Zababida, which is south of Jenin, and seized five residents, who were held at the Salem military base. Local residents told Ma’an that the detainees were questioned about throwing rocks near the separation wall. The same residents claimed that soldiers invade the area “every day,” firing gunshots and percussion grenades. [end]

Israeli soldiers invade Al-Bireh, enter several buildings
Ma’an News Agency 12/13/2008
Ramallah – Ma’an – Israeli forces broke into several buildings in the West Bank city of Al-Bireh on Saturday, according to local witnesses. Among the buildings entered in the Ramallah-area town was the Red Crescent Hospital and two banks. Witnesses said Israeli soldiers searched the buildings and took photos of several items inside, including banners. No arrests were immediately reported. [end]

Qurei: Israel continues plan to annex Jerusalem, residents must not be intimidated
Ma’an News Agency 12/13/2008
Jerusalem – Ma’an - Jerusalem residents were warned of an Israeli plan to build synagogues around Palestinian properties and religious sites in the Old City by Senior Palestinian Negotiator Ahmad Qurei. Qurei gave the warning during a tour of the city’s sites vandalized and obstructed by Israeli settlers. He indicated his concern over the plan, especially since it indicated that Qurei’s role as a negotiator was moot, since the plan confirmed Israel’s rejection for a just and comprehensive peace. The systematic changes of the city’ features, as Qurei described them, aroused his skepticism and incredibility towards the peace process. It is a process that will fail without Jerusalem, he said. The siege on Jerusalem is continuing, affirmed Qurei. It is being isolated from other Palestinian neighborhoods and cities; it is surrounded by the wall on three sides.

Qurea: ''Israel is Demanding to Keep 6.8% of the West Bank''
Saed Bannoura, International Middle East Media Center News 12/13/2008
Palestinian negotiator, Ahmad Qurea, stated on Friday that Israel is demanding that it keeps 7% of the occupied West Bank under any permanent peace deal with the Palestinian people. He also said that outgoing Israeli Prime Minister, Ehud Olmert, proposed that Israel would take in 5,000 Palestinian refugees. Qurea stated that the two Israeli positions are not acceptable to the Palestinian people as Israel should withdraw from all territories it captured after the 1967 war, including East Jerusalem. The right of return of Palestinian refugees is a United Nations resolution, guaranteed under the Fourth Geneva Convention, yet disregarded by Israel. The number Olmert is suggesting does not even represent a fraction of the number of refugees, as estimates revealed that there are nearly seven million refugees in various parts of the world.

Israeli press: Qurei releases information on failed Palestinian-Israeli negotiations
Ma’an News Agency 12/13/2008
Bethlehem - Ma’an - Details of the Palestinian negotiations with Israel were released on Friday as Head Palestinian Negotiator Ahmad Qurei confirmed Israel would have retained several West Bank settlements and absorbed 5,000 Palestinian refugees if an agreement had been reached. A Friday report by the Israeli daily Haaretz quoted Qurei as saying Israel would have annexed 6. 8 percent of the West Bank including four Israeli settlement blocks, Ariel, Ma’aleh Adumim, Givat Ze’ev and Efrat-Gush Etzion. Qurei said no decision had been reached on the status of Jerusalem. In late August reports that maps for West Bank borders had been drawn up and at least partially Okayed by Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas, and confirmation on these maps seems to have been provided by Queri, according to the Israeli press article.

Israel ’wants West Bank land’
Al Jazeera 12/13/2008
Israel has proposed annexing 6. 8 per cent of the illegally occupied West Bank, the chief Palestinian negotiator has said in his first detailed comments about the stalled US-backed negotiations. Israel proposed a swap of some of its own territory in return for the annexed area but the Israeli land was not an equal trade in size and quality, Ahmed Qurei said, adding that the Palestinians rejected the offer. Tel Aviv has also said it would allow 5,000 Palestinian refugees to return to the territories as part of the plan to take the land in the West Bank, Qurei said on Friday. The latest peace efforts were launched a year ago at a US-hosted conference in Annapolis, Maryland, where George Bush, the US president said he wanted to see a deal by the end of his presidency in January 2009.

Gov’t to rethink cash transfers to Gaza
Roni Sofer, YNetNews 12/14/2008
Foreign affairs minister to convene officials from defense establishment, treasury, Bank of Israel to reexamine humanitarian considerations obligating Israel to shuttle shekels from Palestinian banks in West Bank to ones in Gaza - Foreign Affairs Minister Tzipi Livni is scheduled to hold a meeting on Sunday afternoon on the subject of transferring Israeli currency to the Gaza Strip. This in response to the harsh public criticism that arose in the wake of Israel’s to transfer of NIS 100 million to the cash-strapped Strip, still under Hamas rule. The discussion, which will be held after the weekly cabinet session, is expected to include the participation of defense establishment officials, Treasury representatives, Foreign Ministry personnel and representatives from the Bank of Israel. In the initial phase of the meeting Livni will demand an explanation. . .

Hamas’ Zahar: Israeli stubbornness led to Lebanon War
Amira Hass, Ha’aretz 12/14/2008
Israel is a foolish country, according to senior Hamas leader Dr. Mahmoud Zahar. He offered this diagnosis in an interview with Haaretz at his home at the end of November, in response to a question about the fate of the prisoner swap. "What was one of the main reasons the Second Lebanon War broke out? Hezbollah kidnapped and killed Israeli soldiers? What for? To liberate Samir Kuntar. Why? Because Israel refused to release him earlier. And then [Israel] made a war, and was defeated. And then they released Kuntar. Isn’t that foolish? Now they want to repeat the same story: They want to make a laughing stock out of us, or pressure us into striking an undesirable deal. Then the Kuntar experience will be repeated. . . This is something that encourages kidnapping [of more soldiers] because there are a lot of people in jail.

Rocket, mortars land in Negev
Ilana Curiel, YNetNews 12/13/2008
Saturday artillery attacks include Qassam that falls near Sderot, activating Color Red alert, as well as two mortar shells that fall in open spaces. No injuries or damage reported - A Qassam rocket exploded Saturday morning in an open area near the southern town of Sderot. Later two mortar shells landed in open spaces in the Negev. There were no reports of injuries or damage in either case. The Color Red alert system was activated in Sderot and the western Negev at 11:03 am. The residents, who are well accustomed to the daily rocket alerts, entered the reinforced rooms. Western Negev residents reported of an explosion heard near the city. "Fortunately the rocket did not land inside the city," Yehuda Ben Maman, Sderot’s security officer, told Ynet. Two Qassams fired from northern Gaza in the late hours of Friday morning landed in western Negev region.

Israeli author Amos Oz: Arab-Israeli conflict kept alive by fanatics
Haggai Hitron and DPA, Ha’aretz 12/14/2008
Israeli author Amos Oz was presented on Saturday with a top German award for his political and literary work. Oz, 69, was honored by the city of Dusseldorf with the Heinrich Heine Prize for combining "literary creativity with political sensibility and humanistic commitment. " The award, worth 50,000 euros ($66,000), is named after the 19th century German poet. It has been awarded biannually since 1972 to personalities who share Heine’s values of tolerance, human rights and mutual understanding of peoples. Oz, who was born in Jerusalem in 1939, is one of Israel’s best-known authors and political voices. He is a co-founder of the Israeli peace movement and a prominent champion of Palestinian rights. In his acceptance speech, Oz said the Arab-Israeli conflict could only be resolved in the context of European values of tolerance, rationality and pragmatism.

Israel-Palestine panel holds session at UN Latin America meeting
Ma’an News Agency 12/13/2008
Bethlehem – Ma’an – A panel of five experts on the Israeli-Palestinian conflict analyzed the situation in the occupied Palestinian territory, including East Jerusalem, at the headquarters of the United Nations Economic Commission for Latin America and the Caribbean (ECLAC) in Santiago, Chile on Friday. The panel held talks during the United Nations (UN)’s Latin American and Caribbean Meeting in Support of Israeli-Palestinian Peace. Speakers at the meeting, which was organized by the Committee on the Exercise of the Inalienable Rights of the Palestinian People and hosted by the government of Chile, spoke of the impact of Israeli settlements in the occupied Palestinian territory, the effects on Palestinian communities of the construction of the wall in the West Bank, and the need to strengthen Palestinian Authority (PA) institutions.

Palestinian Public Opinion Poll No (30)
Palestinian Center for Policy and Survey Research - PSR, MIFTAH 12/13/2008
While Hamas Maintains its Popularity Despite Boycott of Reconciliation Talks, and While about Two Thirds Believe that Abbas’s Term Ends in January 2009, Three Quarters of the Palestinians Support Abbas’s Call for New Elections Early Next Year if Reconciliation Efforts Fail and if Elections Can Be Held in Both the West Bank and the Gaza Strip 3-5 December 2008 These are the results of the latest poll conducted by the Palestinian Center for Policy and Survey Research (PSR) in the West Bank and the Gaza Strip between 3 and 5 December 2008. This period witnessed the collapse of the Egyptian efforts to bring Palestinian factions to reconciliation talks in Cairo due to Hamas’s decision to boycott these talks. It also witnessed serious deterioration in the ceasefire in the Gaza Strip. Total size of the sample is 1270 adults interviewed face to face in 127 randomly selected locations.

Poll: Most Jews feel connection to Hebron
Ynet, YNetNews 12/13/2008
Almost three-quarters of Israeli Jews surveyed feel attachment to West Bank city, with almost half of these attributing this to ’certain Jewish feelings’ -A poll conducted on the heels of the recent eviction of the disputed house in Hebron has revealed that the majority of Israelis, including 61% of the secular population, have some emotional attachment to one of Judaism’s four holiest cities. The survey was conducted forand the Gesher Institute by the Panels Institute, and included 500 respondents that are a representative sample of the adult Jewish population in the country. The margin of error is 4. 5%. Hebron EvictionHebron evacuation completed within hour/ Efrat Weiss (Video) Security forces take settlers by surprise as they storm disputed Hebron house in broad daylight, remove activists barricaded inside.

German Green party received in Ramallah, tours West Bank
Ma’an News Agency 12/13/2008
Ramallah - Ma’an – A German delegation headed by the leader of the nation’s Green Party leader Claudia Ruth arrived in Ramallah for a tour and update on the situation in the West Bank. Receiving the delegation was Head of Fatah bloc in the Palestinian Legislative Council (PLC)Azam Al-Ahamad, who highlighted the recent Israeli attacks on Palestinian civilians. Most prominent in his presentation to the group were the events of 4 December when settlers rioted in Hebron and shot two Palestinians. Al-Ahamad told the group such attacks will abort any future opportunities for peace and a two state solution. He demanded the International community and Europe play an expanded role in the peace track, and to put more pressure on Israel to realize a solution for Palestine based on international laws and UN resolutions.

Balad MK Taha announces resignation
Sharon Roffe-Ofir, YNetNews 12/13/2008
Saying time has come to let others have their say, Balad’s Wasil Taha advises current MKs ’you can contribute to society from outside the Knesset too’ - Balad MK Wasil Taha surprised his fellow party members and supporters on Saturday by announcing he does not intend to run in the upcoming general elections. Taha, who served for two terms as a Balad MK, said the time had come for him to vacate his seat and serve society and the party elsewhere. Balad is set to hold its primary elections next week, to determine the party’s roster for the 18th Knesset elections. The support for Taha in the Arab street guaranteed him a surefire top spot on the list, but he chose to step down despite this. "I have served as an MK for two terms, before that I served for 10 years as chairman of a municipality," said Taha, "now I will vacate my seat, the time has come to let others have their say.

Hadash merges with anti-fence movement
Sharon Roffe-Ofir, YNetNews 12/13/2008
Jewish-Arab party’s chairman says union with grassroots ’Tarabut’ movement, which gained reputation by battling separation fence, will help secure more Jewish votes -The Hadash Party’s council approved a merger on Saturday with the socio-political movement ’Tarabut’, in hopes of attracting more voters just before the national elections. "We are a Jewish-Arab political party that has become saddled with the identity of a solely Arab party. We are very proud of all of our Arab members, but we also want to strengthen our image in Jewish circles," Hadash Chairman MK Mohammad Barakeh told Ynet. Tarabut is a grassroots peace movement whose claim to fame rests on its vehement battle against the separation fence. It is also responsible for the establishment of the ’Ir Lekulano’ (A City for All of Us) Party, which gained a considerable foothold in the recent Tel Aviv municipal election.

Meretz to select Knesset list today
Gil Hoffman, Jerusalem Post 12/14/2008
The 1,000 members of the Meretz council will vote for the party’s Knesset list for the February 10 general election on Sunday between 2 p. m. and 9 p. m at the Tel Aviv Fairgrounds. Council members will be asked to rank the 22 candidates running for the Knesset. The list’s third, fifth, eighth and 10th slots are reserved for women. The top candidates include current MKs Zehava Gal-On, Avshalom Vilan and Tzvia Greenfield, former MKs Ilan Gilon and Mossy Raz, and new candidates such as Young Meretz head Uri Zaki, handicapped activist Yoav Kreim and human rights lawyer Gaby Lasky. Lasky, 41, was born in Mexico and recently completed an international law degree at Northwestern University Law School in Chicago. She is pregnant with twins. Having been 11th on the Meretz list for the outgoing Knesset, she is now hoping for a higher position.

Fresh faces in the frame as Meretz selects roster
Roni Singer-Heruti, Ha’aretz 12/14/2008
About 1,000 Meretz members who are eligible to vote in the primary are expected to converge on the Israel Trade Fairs and Convention Center at Tel Aviv’s Hayarkon Park this afternoon to choose the list of Knesset hopefuls for their party. The use of the traditional, hand-written ballots will avoid the embarrassment suffered by both Likud and Labor when they opted to introduce computerized voting. The departure of MKs Yossi Beilin and Ran Cohen from the party has enabled the introduction of new blood to the Meretz slate, for the first time in years. In various forums the party’s voters have expressed a desire for fresh faces, regardless of what happens with the partnership shaping up between Meretz and the new leftist movement. Groups of fiveEach voter who reports to the north Tel Aviv polling station today will be given a form for ranking the 22 candidates in groups of five, in order of preference.

Israeli poll favourite Netanyahu reins in right
Rory McCarthy in Jerusalem, The Observer, The Guardian 12/14/2008
Binjamin Netanyahu, leader of Israel’s Likud party and favourite to win the coming general election, has moved quickly in an attempt to head off the sudden rise of hardline right-wingers in his movement. When the Likud held primary elections last week to choose its list of candidates for the February vote, among the successful candidates were men such as Moshe Feiglin, a settler who advocates annexation of the occupied West Bank and who was banned from entering Britain this year because of his extremist views. In public, Netanyahu declared it ’the best team that any party is capable of giving the country’. In private, he was reportedly furious, particularly with the ascent of Feiglin. A successful petition to the Likud election committee has now raised regional representatives up the party list. As a result, Feiglin has been pushed down from 20th place to 36th, which means he may not win a seat. Current opinion polls have Likud well ahead of its closest rivals.

Feiglin promises supporters ’a huge revolution’
Amnon Meranda, YNetNews 12/13/2008
After being unceremoniously bumped to unrealistic spot on Likud roster, Moshe Feiglin prepares his supporters for coup attempt on party leadership. ’It’s important for Bibi and the hidden tyrants that I be kept out of the Knesset,’ he writes to his activists - If Likud Chairman Benjamin Netanyahu thought that bumping Moshe Feiglin from the 20th to the 36th slot on the party’s roster would stymie the latter’s drive - he appears to have been decidedly mistaken. Feiglin hinted at what is to come in a letter sent to his supporters this weekend. A translated version of the letter was also posted to Jewish Leadership Movement’s website, which Feiglin founded and leads. Speaking to Ynet, Feiglin confirmed he intends to run an independent campaign for the Likud - "despite Bibi. "The letter was posted to the Hebrew website under the title - ’Now comes the real test - Bibi’s Likud or the people’s Likud.

Ami Ayalon said to be leaving Meimad
Attila Somfalvi, YNetNews 12/13/2008
Senior political sources tell Ynet resigning Labor minister, Meimad MK Melchior have reached conclusion cooperation between them not working - Resigning Minister Ami Ayalon, who was set to lead Meimad in the upcoming Knesset elections, is about to leave the left-wing religious Zonist party. Senior political sources told Ynet on Saturday that Ayalon and Knesset Member Michael Melchior, who headed the movement in the past, have reached the conclusion that the cooperation between them was not working, leading to Ayalon’s departure. Ayalon quit the Labor Party several weeks ago. Before joining Meimad, Ayalon also held talks with Meretz. It is unclear if he still plans to run for Knesset and with which party. Only last month, at a Meimad council meeting in Jerusalem, he said that "the surprising combination between me and Rabbi Michael Melchior is the most surprising one in the

Police need NIS 325m to fight mob crime
Jonathan Lis, Ha’aretz 12/14/2008
Two major crime rings are on the verge of collapse after their heads, Yitzhak and Meir Abergil and Ze’ev Rosenstein, were arrested following an extensive American investigation, according to an internal police document obtained by Haaretz. However, the document also states that due to budgetary shortfalls, the police are having difficulty closing intelligence gaps that would help them thwart hits and convict crime bosses. The document, which summarizes the police work of recent years against 11 crime organizations, reveals that the police Investigations and Intelligence Branch needs NIS 325 million to increase their harvest of intelligence information from wire-taps and cellular lines, and for electronic surveillance of rooms, offices, cars and planes used by senior organized crime figures.

Aides to Livni: Get involved in Kadima primary
Mazal Mualem, Ha’aretz 12/14/2008
Senior Kadima officials are calling on party chairwoman Tzipi Livni to be more involved in the primary vote on Wednesday. They say she could in effect find herself facing an opposition faction that would render her nearly powerless, in light of the all-out campaign by rival Shaul Mofaz on behalf of the people who supported his bid for the party leadership, a move aimed at building a power base for himself among Kadima’s MKs. On Thursday, Mofaz put together a list of his recommended voting choices in the primary, and as reported in the Hebrew edition of Haaretz on Friday, he is very involved in trying to influence the party slate for the general election. Reports of his activities whipped up emotions within Kadima. Senior figures close to Livni said they feared Mofaz was trying to take control of the party’s Knesset representation, while Livni. . .

Green Movement elects veteran activists to its Knesset candidates list