Weekly report on Israeli human rights violations in the occupied Palestinian territory 18-23 Dec 2008
http://www.reliefweb.int/rw/rwb.nsf/db900SID/MCOT-7MMF5B?OpenDocument&RSS20=02-P
Olmert: Israel "Separation Barrier" Around East Jerusalem "Must" be Completed by 2010
Ehud Olmert said in a public statement on Tuesday that the Annexation Wall surrounding East Jerusalem must be completed by the end of 2009.
http://www.imemc.org/article/58131
Um Kamel al-Kurd again claims her Right of Return
On Monday 22nd of December, the people of Sheikh Jarrah, together with international and Israeli activists, returned for the second time to Um Kamel's former house in Talbieh to express her right of return.
http://www.palsolidarity.org/main/2008/12/23/um-kamel-al-kurd-again-claims-her-right-of-return/
Christmas Tree Lit in Protest Tent in Jerusalem
Archbishop Moneeb Younan, of the Lutheran Church in the Holy Land and Jordan, lit a Christmas tree on Tuesday in a protest tent in Sheikh Jarrah neighborhood in Jerusalem. He was joined by Jerusalem governor, Adnan Al Husseini and resident Um Kamel Al Kurd.
http://www.imemc.org/article/58132
Palestinians: Hand Back our West Jerusalem Properties
[Jerusalem] A team of Palestinian experts is currently collecting data on Palestinian properties in western Jerusalem that will be presented at final status negotiations on the issue of Jerusalem, or to the International High Court of Justice if negotiations aren't resumed, according to a senior Palestinian official. The governor of Jerusalem, Adnan Husseini, estimates that Palestinians owned 40 percent of the 17 kilometers square, which included the boundaries of western Jerusalem until the year 1948.
http://www.themedialine.org/news/news_detail.asp?NewsID=23703
Palestinian Governor of Jerusalem: granting Israeli citizenship will destroy capital
Palestinian hopes to establish a state this year are dashed, along with seeing Jerusalem as capital in a recognizable form. The Israeli takeover of the city has reached astonishing heights this year with rapid Jewish settlement and Palestinian expulsion. Adnan Husseini, the Palestinian governor, says that Israeli talk of peace is designed for use in international forums to exploit the time factor to further change facts on the ground.
http://english.pnn.ps/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=4276&Itemid=1
Israeli Military Detains Palestinian Residents from the West Bank
The Israeli Army detained on Wednesday several Palestinian residents from different West Bank areas.
http://www.imemc.org/article/58138
Soldier suspected of firing at Palestinians
An IDF soldier residing in the West Bank settlement of Kiryat Arba is suspected of firing a weapon, making threats and making illegal use of his gun during a clash between Palestinians and settlers in Hebron. Video documentation of the incident was obtained by Ynet on Tuesday. The soldier, Corporal Nahum Ben-Yaakov of the Givati brigade, was arrested and remanded until Thursday. [end]
http://www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7340,L-3643006,00.html
Ofer prison authority refuses to allow doctors examine prisoners
The Israeli Ofer prison authority has refused to allow doctors to examine prisoners who were assaulted by jailors and needed follow up on their conditions after they were injured in the assault.
http://www.palestine-info.co.uk/En/
Israel revokes visitation rights to Palestinian detainees in Ofer Prison
"The father added that the Prison Services cancelled the visiting in order to prevent the families from seeing their wounded sons."
http://www.imemc.org/article/58136
Elderly Palestinian prisoner dies in Israeli jail
Palestinian prisoner, 65-year-old Jum'ah Isma'il Muhammad Mousa from Jerusalem died on Tuesday evening at Israeli Nitzan prison in Ramla after he fell ill. According to Israeli sources, the victim was hospitalized in Israeli Prison Service medical facility where he collapsed and was later announced dead.
http://www.maannews.net/en/index.php?opr=ShowDetails&ID=34199
Fatah Spokesperson Calls on Hamas to Release a Female Fatah Leader in Gaza
Fatah spokesperson, Fahmi Al Za'zrir, stated on Tuesday that Hamas forces are still holding captive Nadia Al Dalo, one of the leaders of the Fatah Youth Organization in the Gaza Strip. Al Dalo was arrested by Hamas security forces two days ago after they broke into her home and confiscated her computer and mobile phone.
http://www.imemc.org/article/58133
Abbas's security carries Jihad activist to hospital after round of torture
PA security apparatuses in the West Bank have carried Islamic Jihad activist Noor Sawafta to hospital after kidnapping him from his hometown in Tobas and torturing him during interrogation rounds.
http://www.palestine-info.co.uk/En/
Islamic Jihad Says Fatah Forces Arrested One of its Fighters
The Islamic Jihad Movement in Palestine stated that security forces loyal to the Fatah movement in the West Bank arrested on Tuesday evening one of the fighters of the al-Quds Brigades, the armed wing of the Islamic Jihad, in Tubas.
http://www.imemc.org/article/58135
Settler gets 16 months in jail for shooting Palestinian
In September 2007, a settler fired at Palestinian shepherds in 'Ein al-Beida, in the northeast West Bank, hitting Muhammad Abu Mutawe'a and paralyzing him. In a plea bargain, the settler pleaded guilty.
http://www.btselem.org/English/Settler_Violence/20081222_Settler_sentenced_ for_shooting_Abu_Mutawea.asp
Israeli activist charged with violating disengagement order
Police claim Neta Golan, who sailed into Gaza on activists' boat, will be charged with violating order prohibiting Israelis from entering Gaza. Meanwhile Lebanese boat prepares to sail for Strip on Jan. 3.
http://www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7340,L-3643262,00.html
Israeli Troops Kill Three Palestinians in the Gaza Strip
Israeli military sources reported that soldiers killed three Palestinians in an area close to Nativ Has'ara settlement, adjacent to the Gaza Strip borders.
http://www.imemc.org/article/58134
Five Qassam fighters killed within the past few hours
Five members of the Qassam Brigades were killed over the past few hours three in IOF shooting and two while on "Jihad mission", the armed wing announced in a communiqué on Wednesday.
http://www.palestine-info.co.uk/En/
Rocket fire leads to close calls
Intense Qassam barrage on south gives way to small miracles in western Negev as Grad missile misses three kids in Sderot, Qassam lands outside children's center in Netivot. 'Enough talk, something must be done,' says council head Ilana Curiel. The lives of three children-aged four, five and eight-were saved Wednesday, as a Grad missile fired from northern Gaza hit their home, moments after they managed to run into the fortified room of the house.
http://www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7340,L-3643690,00.html
Israel's PR campaign to recruit support for killing
The Gaza ceasefire ended last week, fulfilling its six-month mandate. Hamas and the other Palestinian factions fighting the Israeli occupation from Gaza announced that in its present form, the truce would not be extended.
http://www.kabobfest.com/2008/12/israels-pr-campaign-to-recruit-support.html
ANALYSIS /Hamas is playing the brinkmanship game in Gaza
The atmosphere of escalation in the Gaza Strip, which has intensified over the past week, has settled down since Monday. The change appears to stem in part from the wintry weather, which limits the activity of Palestinian militants as well as the Israel Defense Forces. But there also seems to be a connection with the Hamas position, which is dancing a strange tango with Israel and does not currently look like it is particularly interested in an extended confrontation.
http://www.haaretz.com/hasen/spages/1049402.html
Hamas waiting for showdown
Hamas avoids Qassam fire to show it still wants lull, saves rockets for future clash. At the time of writing this, and as opposed to other Gaza groups, Hamas has not yet fired even one Qassam rocket at Israel since the end of the lull. The group's military wing, Izz-al-Din al-Qassam Brigades has not fired rockets at Ashkelon or Sderot, instead making do with mortar fire at Gaza-region communities. Mortars c an kill too, yet Hamas is using them to send a message: We are still interested in a lull, but under new terms.
http://www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7340,L-3642161,00.html
Hamas Tells Fighters to Hold Fire for 24 Hours
The Gaza Strip's ruling Hamas faction on Monday ordered gunmen to hold their fire for 24 hours and said a truce with Israel could be restored, but as rockets continued to fall, Israel signaled that it was preparing for a possible offensive.
In an interview with Israel's Channel 10 television, Hamas leader Mahmoud Zahar indicated that the Palestinian Islamist group is interested in renewing the truce with Israel.
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2008/12/22/AR2008122202388.html?wprss=rss_
world%2Fmideast
Hamas: Israeli stupidity is forcing us to increase rocket attacks
With Kassam rockets still raining down on the cities in the western Negev, including Ashkelon, the Hamas military wing lashed out at Israel late Wednesday, saying that it was Israel, and not the Islamic group which was responsible for the escalation.
"The increasing stupidity of Israel is forcing us to intensify the rocket fire, and to put thousands more Zionists in the line fire in order to protect the Palestinian people," a spokesperson for the military wing said.[End]
http://www.jpost.com/servlet/Satellite?cid=1230111684860& pagename=JPost%2FJPArticle% 2FShowFull
Zaza: Shame on Egypt for waiting for Israeli permission to allow entry of aid
Ziyad Al-Zaza, the economy minister, has said that it was a big shame that Cairo was waiting for an Israeli permission to allow entry of relief material into the Gaza Strip.
http://www.palestine-info.co.uk/En/
Israel partially opens Gaza crossings, as Hamas voices interest on renewing truce
Hamas would be willing to renew its cease-fire with Israel without adding any new conditions, a senior official of the Islamist organization said in an interview published Tuesday. Israel, for its part, agreed to open the border Wednesday to allow food and medicine to enter the Gaza Strip, after days in which the crossings have been closed due to the ongoing rocket fire from Gaza. The shipment of humanitarian aid will include five trucks from Egypt, which requested that Israel open the Kerem Shalom crossing to let the convoy pass, and 30 from the West Bank containing goods supplied by international organizations.
http://www.haaretz.com/hasen/spages/1049394.html
We can always conquer Gaza
Israel's inexplicable capitulation to President George W. Bush's caprice to include the Hamas movement in the elections for the Palestinian Legislative Council in 2006, in complete contradiction to the Oslo Accords, just as the puzzling decision to withdraw from Gaza without an agreement, thereby boosting Hamas, brought us to the current situation in the Strip.
http://www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7340,L-3642770,00.html
Obstacle course in Gaza
Gaza operation to face legal constraints, hostile international opinion, and unfriendly media. Security officials have realized a long time ago that the time of "luxury" operations has passed. Today, any large-scale operation in the Gaza Strip would have to take into a count all sorts of constraints, including the following...
http://www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7340,L-3643251,00.html
Gaza: Fuel shortage leads to increase in burn incidents
Physicians for Human Rights reports Strip's residents resort to primus, stone stoves as alternative method of heating due to increasing fuel deficit; but old fashion methods claim victims. The shortage of fuel in the Gaza Strip has prompted locals to start using old fashioned heating devices, such as the primus and stone stoves as an alternative for heating their homes.
http://www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7340,L-3643476,00.html
UNRWA: no flour, no fuel…crisis in the streets of Gaza
This week in the Gaza Strip the United Nations Relief and Works Agency closed the doors of its distribution centers. The blue gates in Beach Camp were featured on Al Jazeera along with refugees awaiting supplies that are not arriving. The Gaza Strip has been completely closed again for 10 days this time. During the month and a half of near complete closure, the Israeli administration has lifted the ban on limited amounts of humanitarian supplies only a few times.
http://english.pnn.ps/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=4273&Itemid=1
Fayyad: Gaza solution should be PA's first priority
The Palestinian prime minister in London on Tuesday called for fixing the crippling siege of the Gaza Strip ahead of any other national priorities. Prime Minister Salam Fayyad said that "anybody who thinks rationally must think of the Gaza Strip first," according to remarks in an interview with the London-based Arabic newspaper Ash-Sharq Al-Awsat.
http://www.maannews.net/en/index.php?opr=ShowDetails&ID=34188
Egypt briefly opens borders with Gaza
Egypt briefly opened its borders with the Gaza Strip early Tuesday to allow Palestinians, stranded on its territories, to cross into the Palestinian enclave. Adel Zouroub, spokesman for crossing department at Hamas administration, said the one-way opening lasted for three hours and 147 Palestinians could enter into Gaza.
http://news.xinhuanet.com/english/2008-12/23/content_ 10549040.htm
The Arabs` Deadly Silence-All Quiet on the Gazan Shore
"Yes, crimes against humanity are being committed in Gaza according to a Jewish-American professor of international law, and nary a peep was heard from Cairo, Amman, Riyadh or Doha."
http://www.kibush.co.il/show_ file.asp?num=30701
Gaza or Tehran
Is Egypt ceding influence in Gaza to Iran, and is the latter fighting for it, Dina Ezzat asks. --Cairo is shrugging off statements made this week by Hizbullah leader Hassan Nasrallah who called on Egypt to unilaterally open the Rafah border crossing to facilitate humanitarian assistance to over 1.5 million Palestinians desperate under a harsh Israeli siege. Nasrallah, Egyptian officials said, is free to make whatever appeals he wishes, but that will not change the Egyptian stance, which is to insist that only by the reinstatement of Palestinian Authority security personnel on the Palestinian side of Rafah would Egypt open its side of the crossing.
http://weekly.ahram.org.eg/2008/926/eg1.htm
Report: Egypt sanctions Gaza military op
London-based al-Quds al-Arabi newspaper says Egyptian intelligence minister furious with Hamas' decision to shun talks with Fatah, adds Cairo would back limited Israeli operation in Strip in bid to loosen militant regime's grip on area.
http://www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7340,L-3643711,00.html
Egypt: Hamas Must be Reined in, Even in Damascus
Palestinian sources told the London-based Arabic-language newspaper al-Quds al-Arabi that Egyptian Intelligence Minister Omar Suleiman said that "Hamas' leadership must be reined in, even in Damascus." Egypt, he said, "would not object to a limited Israeli incursion in the Strip, which can topple Hamas regime and bring an end to the Gazans' suffering." Suleiman reportedly made the remark during a meeting with Amos Gilad, head of the Defense Ministry's Security-Diplomatic Bureau, in Cairo last week.
http://almanar.com.lb/NewsSite/NewsDetails.aspx?id=68111&language=en
Hamas denies ratification of new penal codes based on Islamic teachings
Head of the Hamas-affiliated legal committee in the Palestinian Legislative Council (PLC) in the Gaza Strip, Ahmad Abu Halabiyya denied on Wednesday that Hamas lawmakers in the Strip have ratified a new law to impose penal codes based on Shari'a (Islamic teachings).
http://www.maannews.net/en/index.php?opr=ShowDetails&ID=34203
Meretz chair calls for talks with Hamas
Chaim Oron tells Ynet politicians must stop talking about wide-scale operation in Gaza, which will only cause Israel 'to sink into mud much deeper than the one in Lebanon'. In the sea of voices calling for a military operation in Gaza in light of the ongoing rocket barrages directed at Israel's southern communities, Meretz Chairman Chaim Oron stood up Wednesday and called on the government to utilize the chance for a ceasefire through dialogue.
http://www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7340,L-3643769,00.html
Palestine's own 'leaders' aren't doing its people any good
Israel's government has been rightly castigated for its appalling treatment of Palestinians trapped in the besieged Gaza Strip-and for its stubborn refusal to end the illegal and immoral policies that have stymied the peace process and squeezed the economic life out of the Occupied West Bank.
http://www.dailystar.com.lb/article.asp?edition_id=10& categ_id=17&article_id=98659
Latin patriarch of Jerusalem rails at occupation
The Latin patriarch in Occupied Jerusalem on Tuesday prayed for an end of "occupation and injustice" in the Holy Land and voiced concern for the future of the Holy City he said is "strangled by settlements." "As Bethlehem waited throughout history for the one who would 'smash the yoke that burdened' the people ...
http://www.dailystar.com.lb/article.asp?edition_id=10& categ_id=2&article_id=98680
EXTRA: Gaza Christians annul Xmas celebrations to protest blockade
Gaza (DPA) -Palestinian Christians living in the Hamas-ruled Gaza will not celebrate Christmas this year and will not perform the midnight Christmas mass, Gaza Latin Church pastor Manuel Musalam said Wednesday. In a statement sent to the media, he said the decision was to protest Israel's blockade on the Gaza Strip and to protest what he said were Israeli threats to invade the salient. Around 4,000 Christians live in the Gaza Strip. Most of them are adherents of the Greek Orthodox Church, but a few follow the Latin church and celebrate Christmas on December 24-25.
http://www.earthtimes.org/articles/show/247711,extra-gaza-christians-annul-xmas-celebrations-to-protest-
blockade.html
Crushing Gaza for Christmas
Who is holding the governments of Britain, the EU and the US to account this Christmas for aiding and abetting the deliberate starving of 1.5 million in Gaza?Hardly anybody. Most of those in a position to do so are Friends of Israel. What of our foreign secretary, Ed Miliband, our very Christian prime minister Brown and our even more pious peace envoy Mr. Blair…. have they done anything at all to insist that Israel's blockade is ended?
http://palestinechronicle.com/view_article_details.php?id=14519
Bethlehem Christmas Defies Israel
Despite chocking Israeli restrictions, preparations are in full swing in the West Bank city of Bethlehem, the birthplace of Jesus Christ, to celebrate Christmas. "We want to bring joy to the hearts of our people," Bethlehem municipal chief Victor Batarsa told IslamOnline.net on Saturday, December 20. "We are trying to create a favorable atmosphere for the pilgrims and tourists and draw a smile on the faces of the residents of the occupied city."
http://palestinechronicle.com/view_article_details.php?id=14518
Evangelical channel to webcast Christmas live from Bethlehem
For many it may be the only way of participating in the anniversary of a story that shaped the world. The likes of Tony Blair and George Bush, who were banned for life by Greek Orthodox monks over the Iraq war, or Palestinians unable to get past Israel's checkpoints to the holy Palestinian city, can now tune in to live pictures of Christmas in Bethlehem.
For the first time this year, yuletide celebrations in Christ's birthplace will be streamed live on the internet-and if you're busy feasting on turkey or watching the Queen's speech you can revisit the scene a couple of days later when it is repeated.
http://www.guardian.co.uk/technology/2008/dec/24/internet-digitalvideo
Christmas in Bethlehem underway
The biggest day of the year for Bethlehem is 24 December when the streets are the most full with tourists, pilgrims, local Christians and Muslims. Christmas in the purported birthplace of Jesus is no small affair. It is also the busiest day of the year for local journalists, 24 hour live coverage. The Peace Center on Manger Square is hosting Santa Claus this afternoon before the Elviz Group from the UK performs. The streets are strung with lights and plastic Santas wave on the streets under the constant din of carols.
http://english.pnn.ps/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=4272&Itemid=1
Patriarch opens Christmas celebrations in Holy Land-Summary
Bethlehem/Jerusalem (DPA)-The new head of the Roman Catholic Church in the Holy Land arrived in Bethlehem Wednesday, at the of an annual Christmas procession from nearby Jerusalem which had ushered in this season's holiday celebrations in the region. The procession led by Latin Patriarch Fouad Twal started shortly after noon at his headquarters in the Old City of Jerusalem, and ended at Bethlehem's packed central Manger Square, with dozens of Palestinian boy and girl Scouts with drums and bagpipes, as well as clergymen in white robes, welcoming the motorcade of some three dozen cars as it arrived in the Biblical city.
http://www.earthtimes.org/articles/show/247717, patriarch-opens-christmas-celebrations-in-holy-land--
summary.html
France: Palestinians got $3 billion in 2008
A French diplomat says that the Palestinians have received $3 billion in foreign aid in 2008. Alain Remy, the French consul general in Jerusalem, said Tuesday that $1.8 billion went for the budget of the Palestinian Authority. Another $700 million went to specific programs. Finally, $500 million went to humanitarian assistance.
http://www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7340,L-3643234,00.html
EU offers $17.3 mn in aid to Iraq, Palestine
The the European Commission, executive arm of the European Union (EU), Tuesday pledged food aid totalling 12.4 million euros ($17.3 million) to vulnerable Iraqis and Palestinians hard hit by rising food prices. The pledge, which comes in response to an appeal from the UN, is intended to support up to 1.9 million poor and needy people in the two countries, a statement from the commission said.
http://story.irishsun.com/index.php/ct/9/cid/2411cd3571b4f088/id/445684/cs/1/
Letters: Settlements shown to be illegal by Israel
Letters: Israel is illegally occupying the Palestinian territories, and the Israeli settlements are therefore illegal under international law. http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2008/dec/24/letters-israel-palestine
Settler council appeals for ban on Geneva Initiative campaign
Shahar Ilan-Haaretz-"They said the campaign encourages the establishment of a Palestinian state, while attacking Jewish settlements in Judea and Samaria."
http://www.haaretz.com/hasen/spages/1049391.html
SECURITY COUNCIL UNDERMINES JUSTICE AND UN CHARTER
The United Nations Security Council passed its first resolution on the Palestinian-Israeli conflict in almost five years, on 16 December. But far from marking a break with the Council's abdication of responsibility for the fate of the Palestinian people, United States-and
Russian-sponsored resolution 1850 is the final nail in the coffin for even the pretense that international law and institutions will play any serious role in ending 60 years of dispossession and occupation, and bringing about a just peace. Hasan Abu Nimah and Ali Abunimah comment.
http://electronicintifada.net/v2/article10048.shtml
CHAMPIONING GLOBAL HUMAN RIGHTS: INTERVIEW WITH RICHARD FALK
Earlier this month, Israeli authorities deported Professor Richard Falk, United Nations Special Rapporteur for Human Rights in the Occupied Palestinian Territories, who had arrived in the country to conduct his duties to investigate rights abuses in the Israeli-occupied West Bank and Gaza Strip. The Electronic Intifada contributor Victor Kattan interviews Falk about the motivation behind
his deportation.
http://electronicintifada.net/v2/article10051.shtml
ACTION ALERT-Urgent call for Action on upgrade of the EU-Israel Association Agreement
http://sabbah.biz/mt/archives/2008/12/24/action-alert-urgent-call-for-action-on-upgrade-of-the-eu-israel
-association-agreement/
Boycott L'Oreal: Makeup for Israeli apartheid
In this holiday season, the Palestinian Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions National Committee calls upon people of conscience all over the world to boycott all the products of the French cosmetics giant, L'Oreal, due to its deep and extensive involvement in business relations with Israel, despite the latter's continued occupation and apartheid policies against the indigenous Palestinian people.
http://electronicintifada.net/v2/article10049.shtml
Memories of Jerusalem: personal stories of Palestinian history
Ramallah /PNN – "Memories of Jerusalem," tells personal stories that extend for more than a century. Finally released in Arabic, the collection of tales as told by Serene Husseini Shahid, was originally published in English eight years ago, in French in 2005 and Hebrew in 2006. Submitted by the late Palestinian intellectual Edward Said and translated from French by Mohammad Barada, the book is a historic biography of a people.
http://english.pnn.ps/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=4274&Itemid=1
Rabbinate without borders
Capt. David Shapira, the paratroop officer who stopped a killing spree in Jerusalem's Mercaz Harav Yeshiva last March by killing the terrorist, recalled his experience on Monday in an interview with Army Radio. Divine grace, he told interviewer Ilana Dayan, was with him that night. He did not assault the terrorist with his M-16 rifle alone; he was guided by the divine power of faith. Shapira is not exceptional. At an Israel Defense Forces conference a few weeks ago a battalion commander protested what he viewed as the critical tone of guest lecturers from outside the army. "I have soldiers who were killed for the sanctity of the land in Gaza," he said. The lecturers were upset: since when do IDF soldiers talk like that?But the officer refused to concede. Upon leaving the conference, he encountered a brigadier general who encouraged him. Don't let them confuse you, the brigadier general advised the lieutenant colonel. You're right. Incidentally, both officers are secular.
http://www.haaretz.com/hasen/spages/1049424.html
Yeshiva students expelled for getting a driver's license
Heads of ultra-Orthodox yeshiva in Jerusalem decide to expel four students who disobeyed rules prohibiting students from obtaining a license. One student readmitted after rabbis learn he got license to help his disabled father. Four students were expelled from the Tiferet Israel yeshiva in Jerusalem last week after it became known that they had obtained driver's licenses in violation of the yeshiva's rules. The decision triggered a heated debate among the ultra-Orthodox public surrounding the question of the legitimacy of owning a license.
http://www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7340,L-3642295,00.html
Opportunistic politicos make visits to Sderot almost as often as Qassams
Sderot residents are tired of the constant Qassam rocket barrages, the Color Red alerts and the strained economic situation in the city. But they are also tired of the politicians who keep making unsolicited visits to their western Negev community. The routine for politicians is already set: They ascend to an observation point on one of the nearby hills from which they can see the Gaza Strip, then visit a school and speak with students. Then, with various members of their entourage and dozens of photographers, they visit the site of a Qassam landing.
http://www.haaretz.com/hasen/spages/1049412.html
Ethnic conflicts will wash over Israel
The Israeli-Palestinian conflict is changing from a fight over border and territory into an ethnic conflict. Former peace negotiator and advisor for the Israeli government, Professor Menachem Klein, expects more and more violent, ethnic clashes within the state of Israel.
http://www.radionetherlands.nl/currentaffairs/region/middleeast/081224-israel-ethnic-conflict
Overcoming the Zero-Sum Hurdle in Israel-Palestine Negotiations
It seems as if the Palestinian-Israeli conflict has been dissected from every possible angle. But despite these various close examinations, there has been relatively little progress made toward a lasting peace deal between the two parties, discouraging some peace activists. Many observers, still abiding that by the well-worn adage that "the road to peace runs through Jerusalem," hope to work out a two-state solution in what is widely perceived as the short remaining window for one.
http://www.antiwar.com/ips/gharib.php?articleid=13947
MUJAHIDEEN BLEED-THROUGH, Part 4 : Palestine and Israel: A ring of terror tightens
What for many years has been an unimaginable goal for al-Qaeda and other Sunni militants-a stronger presence in Palestine and Israel and an ability to attack inside Israel-now seems within reach thanks to the westward-bound jihad highway to the Levant unintentionally created by the United States-led war in Iraq.-Michael Scheuer (Dec 24,'08) This is the concluding article of a four-part series.
http://www.atimes.com/atimes/Middle_East/JL25Ak01.html
Palestinian folklore exhibition inaugurated on sidelines of Qurain festival
Head of the Palestinian Presidency Court Rafeeq Al-Husaini inaugurated Wednesday the Palestinian Folklore Exhibition at Kuwait National Museum, as a part of activities of the 15th Qurain Cultural Festival. The festival, which celebrates Jerusalem, will last for four days.
http://www.kuna.net.kw/NewsAgenciesPublicSite/ArticleDetails.aspx?id=1962432&Language=en
Murr: Lebanese Army incapable of absorbing Hizbullah's assets
The Lebanese Army is incapable of integrating Hizbullah's fighters and weapons into its force, Defense Minister Elias Murr has said in an interview with Future Television. In the interview, aired Monday night, Murr said the army did not have the capacity to absorb Hizbullah's armed wing.
http://www.dailystar.com.lb/article.asp?edition_id=1& categ_id=2&article_id=98677
Tuesday: 10 Iraqis Killed, 12 Wounded
Excerpt: At least 10 Iraqis were killed and another 12 were wounded in the latest attacks. No Coalition deaths were reported. Meanwhile, the resignation of the parliamentary speaker allowed the passage of a measure that will govern foreign troops in the coming months. Also, U.S. General Ray Odierno said that the situation in Iraq is still "fragile."
http://www.antiwar.com/updates/?articleid=13944
Wednesday: 4 GIs, 4 Iraqis Killed; 13 Iraqis Wounded
Excerpt: Three U.S. soldiers died in a vehicular accident on an otherwise quiet day in Iraq. At least four Iraqis were also killed and another 13 were wounded in violent attacks. A U.S. Marine was killed on Sunday as well. Meanwhile, Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki is in Ankara for talks on the Kurdistan Worker's Party. Also, Salvadoran troops will return home at the end of the month when their mandate ends; however, Australia's will remain.
http://www.antiwar.com/updates/?articleid=13948
Iraq bomb kills woman and three children
AFP-A woman and three children were killed on Wednesday when a bomb exploded near the city of Fallujah, west of Baghdad, the US military and a medical official said.
http://news.yahoo.com/s/afp/20081224/wl_mideast_afp/iraqunrestfallujah
Iraqi Parliament Speaker Resigns
After the resignation, Parliament approved a resolution to allow British and other foreign troops to stay in Iraq into 2009.
http://www.nytimes.com/2008/12/24/world/middleeast/24iraq.html
Iraq's main Sunni Arab bloc splinters
BAGHDAD (Reuters)-A quarter of Iraq's largest Sunni Arab parliamentary bloc left on Wednesday, weakening the main political voice of the nation's once-dominant minority. Ten parliamentarians abandoned the Accordance Front bloc over quarrels with fellow members from the Iraqi Islamic Party, said Khalaf al-Ilayan, who heads the Iraqi National Dialogue Council, one of the parties that makes up the bloc.
http://uk.reuters.com/article/gc05/idUKTRE4BN2HF20081224
Politics of fear enter the homes of widows
Iraqi campaigns that use lies and disinformation are geared towards women, who are seen as the key to winning the upcoming elections.
http://www.thenational.ae/article/20081224/FOREIGN/559429371/1041/rss
Iraq appeals to exiled professionals to come home
Iraq has appealed to exiled doctors, university professors, scientists and other qualified Iraqis to come back now that security has improved, but few exiles said on Tuesday they were ready to return. At a two-day conference aimed at luring back tens of thousands of skilled Iraqi professionals after years of war, sanctions and sectarian violence drove them away, Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki asked the elite diaspora to help rebuild Iraq.
http://www.alertnet.org/thenews/newsdesk/KAM239981.htm
Christmas Eve services come early in Baghdad
AP-The Christmas Eve Mass for Baghdad's small and beleaguered Christian community started before dusk Wednesday instead of at the traditional midnight, a reflection of continued security concerns in the Iraqi capital.
http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20081224/ap_on_re_mi_ea/ml_iraq_ christmas_eve
Shuttered views
Film With a filmmaking training centre in Baghdad and a documentary about Iraqi citizens, Kasim Abid hopes to encourage young Iraqis to tell their story.
http://www.thenational.ae/article/20081224/ART/533592332/1042/rss
Baghdad's silent movie theaters reflect cultural darkness in Iraq
Husham al Kanani practically grew up in a Baghdad movie theater, watching films at the cinema his father managed.
http://news.yahoo.com/s/mcclatchy/20081223/wl_mcclatchy/3129735
Iraqi ex-speaker praises shoe-thrower as 'brave'
AP-The newly resigned Iraqi parliament speaker on Wednesday praised the journalist who threw shoes at President George W. Bush and said the legislature should have supported him.
http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20081224/ap_on_re_mi_ea/ml_iraq
Where's al-Zaidi's Pulitzer?
"Que Huevos!" ("What Balls!") grinned Don Juanito the tailor, sipping his tea across the counter and extolling the bravery of Muntadhar al-Zaidi, the Iraqi reporter who gained instant hero status for hurling his shoes at U.S. president George Bush during a Baghdad news conference last week (Dec. 13th). "He should have thrown clown shoes-that way he wouldn't have missed Bush," Daniel the greeter chimed in. An avid wrestling fan, Daniel was impressed by Bush's stutter step dodge of the incoming missiles. "The shoes must be the weapons that Bush was looking for, no?" smiled Manuel the waiter, "now they will take all the shoes from Iraq!" Berta the nurse invited the crowd to bring their old shoes to the U.S. Embassy here to bid goodbye to George Bush.
http://www.counterpunch.com/ross12242008.html
Arab League chief urges member states to talk to Iran
Arabs and Iranians should sit together to try to resolve regional disputes, the head of the Arab League said Tuesday, adding that the fate of the Middle East must not be left up to Tehran and Western powers alone.
http://www.haaretz.com/hasen/spages/1049381.html
Arabs are looking for deeds, not words
US President-elect Barack Obama faces major challenges and opportunities in his foreign policy, and he is getting plenty of unsolicited advice. Here's my contribution on an issue that he-in an interview with The Chicago Tribune earlier this month-defined as a priority for his administration: improving the US image in the Muslim world.
http://www.dailystar.com.lb/article.asp?edition_id=10& categ_id=5&article_id=98656
Bush Forgiveness
"In a gesture of forgiveness for an American considered a hero in Israel, President George W. Bush on Tuesday granted a pardon posthumously to a man who broke the law to supply aircraft to Jews fighting in Israel's 1948 war of independence.Charles Winters was listed in a batch of 19 pardons and one commutation that Bush issued before leaving for Camp David to spend the holidays. No high-profile lawbreakers were on the list." (Two others, Herman Greenspun and Al Schwimmer, also were convicted of violating the act, but they did not serve time. President Kennedy pardoned Greenspun in 1961. President Clinton pardoned Schwimmer in 2000.) Imagine if this gang was smuggling weapons to an Arab state. They would be deep underground by now.
http://angryarab.blogspot.com/2008/12/bush-forgiveness.html
Cheney: 33 had 'harsh' interrogation
Continuing what some might call his his Torture Defense Tour '08, Dick Cheney on Monday revealed for the first time the number of US captives who were subjected to so-called "enhanced interrogation," and he insisted the US had a moral imperative to engage in such techniques.
http://rawstory.com/news/2008/Cheney_33_detainees_suffered_ enhanced_interrogation_1222.html
Five convicted of plotting to kill Ft. Dix soldiers
The Muslim immigrants could face life in prison. Critics say the men were angry but not terrorists, and accuse the FBI of entrapment.
Reporting from Washington--A federal jury convicted five Muslim men Monday of plotting to kill soldiers at an Army base in New Jersey in a case that showed an aggressive FBI effort to infiltrate suspected homegrown terrorist cells.
http://www.latimes.com/news/nationworld/world/mideastemail/la-na-fort-dix-plot23-2008dec23,0,5032302.story
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