Agence France Presse - AFP, Daily Star 12/1/2008
OCCUPIED JERUSALEM: The Israeli cabinet on Sunday approved the release of 250 Palestinian prisoners as a goodwill gesture to Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas amid persistent violence around the Hamas-ruled Gaza Strip. The move followed a pledge by acting Prime Minister Ehud Olmert during talks with Abbas on November 17, their first such meeting in two months. The names of those to be freed will now be drawn up by a special committee according to criteria which rule out the release of prisoners "with Jewish blood on their hands. " Israelis will also be able to lodge objections to any candidates identified for release. "President Abbas asked for the release of Palestinian prisoners and Olmert himself announced the Israeli government decision to free 250 of them early in December," Palestinian negotiator Saeb Erakat told AFP.
VIDEO - ISM Gaza Strip: IOF bulldozers and tank on Gazan land east of Khan Younis
International Solidarity Movement 11/30/2008
Gaza Region - Video - On Thursday the 27th of November a group of ISM volunteers who were accompanying farmers and monitoring the situation in Khouza’a east of Khan Younis, observed a concentration of IOF (Israeli Occupation Forces) behind the Green Line. At about 10. 15 a. m. two D-9 armoured bulldozers and a tank crossed the fence and entered the Gaza Strip. Farmers in Khouza’a stopped working in their fields and started to return home. ISM volunteers accompanied them and in the same time were taking footage proving the incident. The IOF forces entered for about 100 to 150 metres and started to move northbound along the Green Line towards Al Faraheen, whilst approaching Palestinian houses and the school in Khouza’a. The Israeli bulldozers were destroying whatever lay in their path along this stretch of Palestinian land, although most of it is not worked by Palestinian farmers as they are prevented from reaching it by IOF shooting.
Unilever to sell stake in plant based in West Bank settlement
Toni O''Loughlin in Jerusalem, The Guardian 12/1/2008
The food and soap manufacturing multinational Unilever has announced that it will divest from an Israeli factory in a Jewish settlement illegally built on land confiscated from Palestinians. Unilever, which makes household staples such as Sunsilk shampoo, Surf washing powder and Vaseline, said it would sell its 51% stake in the Beigel & Beigel factory in the West Bank settlement of Ariel. The UK and Dutch-owned multinational has followed Harrods department store - which cleared its shelves of Beigel & Beigel products, such as pretzels, in August - and a campaign by Britain to crack down on Israeli settlement businesses that are allegedly dodging EU import taxes. Unilever’s announcement also came ahead of a report on its investment in the occupied territories by United Civilians for Peace, a Dutch human rights group.
Ramattan news agency shuts down in response to raids
Jerusalem Post 11/30/2008
Ramattan, one of the largest Palestinian news agencies, accused the Palestinian Authority on Sunday of waging a campaign of harassment and intimidation against its staff in the West Bank. The independent agency, which has several offices in the West Bank and Gaza Strip, was established 10 years ago and has since been providing satellite, production and editing services to many foreign TV stations and media outlets. The agency employs nearly 200 people. The agency’s managers decided to close down all its West Bank offices and suspend its Web site after PA security officers loyal to PA President Mahmoud Abbas raided Ramattan’s headquarters in Ramallah and summoned eight employees for interrogation. The entire home page of Ramattan was colored black, and an announcement published in Arabic said the agency had decided to suspend work in protest against the harassment experienced. . . -- See also: Ramattan News Agency
VIDEO - Reaction in Gaza as the boats stolen by the Israeli navy are returned damaged
International Solidarity Movement 11/30/2008
Video - Initial reports suggest that they had sustained serious damage and that expensive equipment has been stolen. - Three Palestinian trawling vessels confiscated by Israeli naval forces were returned on Thursday 27th November. Almost immediately following the announcement that three Human Rights Groups had filed an appeal against Ehud Barak and the commander of the Israeli navy the boats were returned to Palestinian waters. The vessels were stolen from Gazan waters on 18th November while fishing in Palestinian territorial water. Filed by Al-Mazan, the Palestinian Centre for Human Rights (PCHR) and the International Solidarity Movement (ISM), the appeal to the Israeli Supreme Court was on behalf of the vessels’ owners. The appeal, sent to the Israeli Supreme Court, asked why the boats have not been released and why the fishermen have not been compensated for their loss of income and their loss of use of the boats for the past week.
Candlelight vigil held in Nablus in solidarity with Gaza
International Solidarity Movement 11/30/2008
Nablus Region - Gaza Region - Photos - On the evening of November 30th, Palestinians from the West Bank city of Nablus assembled in the city centre to show support for the people of Gaza, who have been denied access to food, water, medicine and electricity as a result of the complete closure of the Gaza Strip by Israeli authorities. To commemorate the International Day of Solidarity with Palestinian People, over 100 Nablus residents, together with international activists, lit candles and held signs saying "Long Live Gaza," and "Stop Ethnic Cleansing in Palestine", referring to the systematic Israeli attempt to further expel Palestinians from their homelands and diminish Palestinian national identity. The demonstration, organized by a coalition of different Palestinian political parties and organisations, called for unity against the Israeli occupation, chanting, "One flag, one homeland".
IDF soldiers get cash reward for refusing to evict settlers
Tomer Zarchin, Ha’aretz 12/1/2008
Deputy State Prosecutor Shai Nitzan has instructed police to launch an investigation regarding a ceremony that was held to praise soldiers who refused an order to evict settlers from the Hebron market. During the ceremony these soldiers received payment as reward for their refusal. The order was given following a police investigation that raised suspicion that soldiers were incited to refuse commands, an act which under Israeli law is a crime in itself. Nitzan also ordered an investigation into an ad published on the Internet by a group called the Headquarters to Save the People and the Land of Israel, which is suspected to be the organization responsible for orchestrating the ceremony for the soldiers. The ad states that any soldier that resists orders to evict the residents of the Hebron house will receive monetary reward of several thousand NIS.
Criminal probe of Rabbi Wolpe ordered
Jerusalem Post 11/30/2008
The State Attorney’s Office on Sunday ordered police to investigate the organizers of a gathering in honor of soldiers who refused orders to evict Jewish settlers from the wholesale market in Hebron and were jailed for their refusal. During the gathering the soldiers received cash prizes. Deputy State Attorney Shai Nitzan, head of the Special Tasks Division, instructed the police to investigate whether they were guilty of incitement to evasion of duty, which carries a maximum sentence of five years in jail, and incitement to disobedience, which carries a maximum sentence of one year. The gathering was organized by a right-wing organization called Save the Land and the Nation (SOS) headed by Rabbi Shalom Dov Wolpe. Nitzan also asked the police to investigate the publication of a proclamation on the Internet in the name of the same organization declaring that. . .
Qassam strikes residential area in central Sderot
Yanir Yagna in southern Israel, Ha’aretz 12/1/2008
A Qassam rocket fired by militants in the Gaza Strip struck a square in the center of the southern town of Sderot on Sunday. No injuries or damage were reported in the attack. Over the weekend, eight Israel Defense Forces soldiers were wounded, two of them seriously, when a barrage of mortar shells fired from Gaza hit an army base near the kibbutz Nahal Oz. Among the wounded was Noam Nakash, whose leg was amputated as a result of the wounds incurred during the attack. Six of the wounded were still hospitalized on Sunday, two in serious condition, one moderately hurt and three with minor wounds. "Last night I saw the news about the mortar shells," Nakash’s father told Haaretz on Saturday, "and I saw that some had been wounded. I tried to call Noam but he didn’t answer so we called one of his friends.
Gazans build mud stoves using tunnels’ sand; no fuel expected in coming days
Ma’an News Agency 11/30/2008
Gaza – Ma’an Report – Piles of sand and mud began popping up in front of houses in Rafah last week. The traditional signs of home renovations or construction, the neighborhood wondered about the reasons behind these piles, since no construction materials have come into Gaza for months. On closer inspection it becomes obvious that the piles cannot be construction materials, since the sand is not the same color of the sand from Gaza’s abandoned settlements, from where most material has been salvaged. The sand, in fact, is the same color as the sand beneath the homes of the southern area of the Gaza Strip. The sand excavated from the hundreds of tunnels snaking beneath the Gaza-Egypt border is being given a second life. The latest construction projects in Gaza are mud and sand stoves powered by firewood.
Turkish boat to set sail to Gaza within days
Palestinian Information Center 11/30/2008
GAZA, (PIC)-- The government committee to break the siege on Gaza announced on Sunday that a Turkish vessel would soon set sail to the Gaza Strip to contribute in breaking the tightened siege imposed on the Strip. The committee’s spokesman, Alaa Al-Batta, said in a statement that the Turkish boat would carry medicine and solidarity activists. He hailed Arab and international efforts to alleviate the siege on Gaza, thanking in this regard Libya, Qatar, Kuwait and Turkey for sending ships carrying food and medicine to Gaza. Batta called for continuation of such sea voyages until the siege is completely broken, stressing that Gaza was in need of a courageous and strong stand on the part of the freedom loving peoples in the world. For his part, Dr. Mohammed Awad, the head of the committee and secretary of the PA caretaker government, said in a press release that the Israeli occupation. . .
Libyan vessel expected in Gaza Monday amidst Israeli threats to intercept it
Palestinian Information Center 11/30/2008
GAZA, (PIC)-- MP Jamal Al-Khudari, the chairman of the popular committee against the siege on Gaza, has telephoned Libyan vessel Marwa on Sunday, saying that the boat was on its way to Gaza, and was expected to anchor in Gaza Monday morning although the Israeli occupation navy threatened to intercept it. According to Khudari, the Libyan boat, which is fully loaded with relief items and medicines among other basic goods for the besieged Palestinians in Gaza, had arrived to the Egyptian port of Bur Sa’id, and that it would enter the Palestinian national territories on Monday. He added that official and popular reception will be accorded to the first Arab vessel sailing to Gaza with the aim to break the unjust siege. Four foreign vessels carrying relief items to the 1. 5 million people in the tiny Strip had earlier anchored in Gaza waters, paving the way for others to take action towards ending the siege.
Israel continues to close Gaza crossings for the 26th day
Palestinian Information Center 11/30/2008
GAZA, (PIC)-- The Israeli occupation authority announced that Gaza Strip commercial crossings would remain closed on Sunday for the 26th consecutive day ignoring warnings of imminent human catastrophe in the beleaguered Strip. Israeli war minister Ehud Barak ordered the continued closure of those crossings at the pretext that locally made missiles were still being fired from the Strip at Israeli targets. Palestinian resistance factions in the Strip fire their crude missiles in relation to Israeli occupation forces’ incursions or shelling in violation of the calm agreement. MP Jamal Al-Khudari warned last night that the Gaza electricity generation station would stop functioning anew after the limited quantity of fuel that Israeli allowed in a few days ago had been used up. He said that basic services in Gaza such as electricity, water and sewage were rapidly crumbling other than the escalating health, fuel and wheat crises.
Hundreds of Palestinians commemorate 261 victims of Israeli siege
Palestinian Information Center 11/30/2008
GAZA, (PIC)-- Hundreds of Palestinian citizens in the Gaza Strip on Saturday evening flocked to the memorial of the siege victims to commemorate 261 patients who died as a result of the Israeli siege imposed on the Strip. During the rally, which was organized by the popular committee against the siege, the participants chanted slogans and carried banners condemning the siege and the Arab and Islamic silence. In a news conference, MP Jamal Al-Khudari, the head of the popular committee, stated that those victims died because Israel imposed restrictions on their travel for medical treatment and did not allow in medicines, warning that more patients are threatened with death if the siege and closure of crossings continue. In a related context, Kamal Al-Najjar, the head of Khuzaa municipality, on Saturday called on the donor countries and humanitarian organizations to neutralize the. . .
Vigil honors victims of Gaza siege
Ma’an News Agency 11/30/2008
Gaza – Ma’an – Hundreds of Gazans attended a vigil on Saturday honoring victims of the Israeli siege that began in June 2007. At the vigil, Jamal Al-Khudari, Palestinian lawmaker and head of the Popular Committee Against the Siege lit a torch in the shape of the number “261,” the number of victims the committee claims have died as a result of the siege. Participants raised posters and banners condemning international, Arab and Islamic silence on the Israeli closure, as well as demanding the siege to be lifted immediately. The vigil was held near the monument honoring siege victims and commemorated International Day of Solidarity with the Palestinian People. It was attended by the victims’ relatives along with hundreds of dignitaries and ordinary Gazans.
Three hunger-striking former fighters moved to hospital from PA prison
Ma’an News Agency 11/30/2008
Nablus – Ma’an – Three former Palestinian fighters have been hospitalized a day after they and ten others began a hunger strike demanding their release from a Palestinian Authority (PA) prison. The hunger-strikers are all members of the Al-Aqsa Brigades, the armed wing of Fatah. They are held in the PA’s Juneid prison near the West Bank city of Nablus as a part of an amnesty agreement with Israel. Under the arrangement, fighters, usually Fatah members, agree to give up their weapons and serve a term in prison exchange for a “pardon” from Israel. These thirteen have not received their pardons after a year in prison and are demanding that Israel resolve their dilemma. Two prisoners were transferred to hospital on Sunday afternoon. A third prisoner, who started the hunger strike one day earlier and suffers from a previous injury, was taken to hospital Sunday evening.
Gaza Journalists condemn harassing Ramatan in the W. Bank
Palestinian Information Center 11/30/2008
GAZA, (PIC)-- Tens of Palestinian journalists have demonstrated Sunday in Gaza city protesting the harassment against Ramattan news agency at the hands of PA security forces in the West Bank, accusing the Ramallah authority of arresting journalists. Shuhdi Al-Kashef, the chief-editor of the agency, said that there was no valid reason for the PA security forces of PA chief Mahmoud Abbas to storm offices of the agency, and to summon eight of its cadres. "Ramatan is proud to be the pioneer in investing in satellite broadcasting in Palestine that freed the Palestinian media from the Israeli occupation’s hands, and was the first agency that produced the first Palestinian picture", asserted Kashef. He also slammed Abbas’s security departments for asking for a "certificate of good moral conduct" from Ramattan, which is the purely Palestinian agency, while giving free rein for Zionists. . .
Tadhamon: Israel escalated demolition of houses since the beginning of this year
Palestinian Information Center 11/30/2008
OCCUPIED JERUSALEM, (PIC)-- The international Tadhamon (solidarity) society for human rights stated Sunday that Israel had escalated its oppressive policy against the Palestinian people especially the demolition of houses in the West Bank since the beginning of this year. In a report received by the PIC, the society said that the demolitions concentrated during November in occupied Jerusalem in an Israeli attempt to tighten the screws on the Palestinian residents in order to force them to leave the city. The society underlined that the Israeli repressive policy is not confined to demolition, but it goes beyond that, where Israel arrests Palestinian home owners, expels them from their houses by force and gives these homes to Jewish families as was the case in Jerusalem and Al-Khalil. In another development, the IOF troops invaded at dawn Sunday the Nablus city and kidnapped about eight Palestinian citizens.
Israeli police issue interrogation orders to Palestinian officials in front of international delegation
Ma’an News Agency 11/30/2008
Jerusalem – Ma’an – High-ranking Palestinian officials were stopped by Israeli police during a top-level tour with international businessmen and ambassadors in Jerusalem on Sunday. Soldiers interrupted the work of Head of the Presidential Bureau Rafiq Al-Husseini and Prime Ministerial Consultant for Jerusalem Affairs Hatem Abd Al-Qader and handed them orders to appear at the Russian Compound Center on Sunday evening for questioning. The two were detained near the protest tent of Mrs Al-Kurd, whose family was forcibly evicted from their home early in November by a group of Israeli settlers. The woman, whose ailing husband passed away after they were evicted, now lives in a tent near the property. The tent has been demolished three times by the Israeli army and its contents destroyed. Dozens of international delegations and dignitaries have visited the site of the tent, and several arrests of individuals helping the Al-Kurd family were reported.
Israeli official: Abducted PLC members to be released in coming year
Ma’an News Agency 11/30/2008
Bethlehem – Ma’an/Agencies – Buried in a report on the Sunday decision to release 250 Palestinian prisoners was information concerning the fate of dozens of members of Palestine’s Legislative Council (PLC), abducted from Ramallah shortly after the kidnapping of Israeli soldier Gilad Shalit. According to information in the Israeli daily Haaretz, the so called "bargaining chips" are serving varying sentences between two and three years long. A handful of the ministers seized in 2006 have already been released. The men were all charged in an Israeli military court. According to Haaretz the men were taken in “order to trade them for kidnapped soldier Gilad Shalit. ” The report goes on to say the men will “have to be released” even if no deal is struck with the factions in Gaza holding Shalit. The Hebrew edition of the paper quoted an Israeli official as saying that the captured. . .
PA, Hamas praise prisoner release
Herb Keinon And Jpost.com Staff, Jerusalem Post 11/30/2008
Senior PA negotiator Saeb Erekat on Sunday afternoon praised the cabinet’s approval of a pledge made by Prime Minister Ehud Olmert to release 250 Fatah prisoners as a goodwill gesture to mark the upcoming Muslim holiday of Eid al-Adha. Government approves release of Palestinian prisoners, expresses objection to five Erekat said the prisoners’ issue was a top priority for the Palestinian people, Army Radio reported. He added that Israel had not yet notified the Palestinian Authority whether jailed Fatah-Tanzim leader Marwan Barghouti would be released. Hamas spokesman Fawzi Barhoum also approved of the decision. "We praise the release of every Palestinian prisoner from Israeli jails and await their return to their homes and families, as they were arrested due to a policy of crime and terror," the Hamas spokesman said.
Israel to free jailed Palestinians
Al Jazeera 11/30/2008
The Israeli cabinet has given its approval to release a new batch of 250 Palestinian prisoners. The prisoners, a fraction of the 11,000 Palestinians held, will be released in the occupied West Bank before the Muslim holiday of Eid al-Adha, Israeli officials said on Sunday. Ehud Olmert, the acting Israeli prime minister, had promised to free the prisoners on November 17 during a meeting with Mahmoud Abbas, the Palestinian president. "This is a confidence-building measure," Mark Regev, a spokesman for Olmert, said. He said Israel will release prisoners from the Fatah faction and other non-Islamist groups. ’Jewish blood’ The names of those to be freed will now be drawn up by a special committee according to criteria which rule out the release of prisoners "with Jewish blood on their hands".
Across the chasm
Benjamin Pogrund, The Guardian 11/30/2008
A single conference held in two places underlined the practical difficulties of achieving peace in Israel-Palestine - With the Middle East peace process moribund, Palestinians are searching for other ways to achieve freedom. That is what people in civil society, despairing of their leaders, whether Fatah or Hamas, are doing. Three months ago a group of 45 Palestinians reported on options to end Israeli occupation, arguing for closing down the negotiation process with Israel. Last week, theIsraeli-Palestinian Centre for Research and Information held a meeting in Jerusalem to examine a confederation of Israel and Palestine with Jordan. It was hailed as desirable and inevitable - but only feasible after a Palestinian state comes into being. Another potentially important step was taken this week with a two-day conference - "Towards a sustainable peaceful solution" - hosted by the Palestinian Centre for. . .
Israeli cabinet approves release of 250 Palestinian prisoners
Rami Almeghari & Agencies, International Middle East Media Center News 11/30/2008
In its weekly cabinet meeting on Sunday, the Israeli government approved the release of 250 Palestinian prisoners, the outgoing Israeli Prime Minister, Ehud Olmert, pledged tow weeks ago. According to Israeli media outlets, the cabinet’s decision was a ’good-will’ gesture to Palestinian Authority’s president Mahmoud Abbas, who involved in peace talks with Israel following the Islamist Hamas’s takeover of Gaza last year. The outlets said that the list of would-be prisoners will not include prisoners of any Palestinian Islamic party, but rather of the secular Fatah party of Abbas, who holds a sway in the West Bank. Israeli foreign minister, Tsibi Livni, agreed to the decisions , but emphasized on the need that Israel should simultaneously take tough actions against the Hamas party in Gaza, which continues to shun peace talks with Israel until Israel halts attacks against the Palestinian people in Gaza and the West Bank.
Cabinet okays release of 250 Palestinian prisoners
Haaretz Staff and Agencies, Ha’aretz 12/1/2008
The cabinet yesterday approved the release of 250 Palestinian prisoners as a goodwill gesture toward Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas. The prisoners will be released to the West Bank, where Abbas’ government holds sway, before next week’s Muslim holiday of Eid al-Adha, officials said of the decision. Outgoing Prime Minister Ehud Olmert had promised to free the prisoners during a meeting earlier this month with Abbas, who launched peace talks with Israel a year ago, following Gaza’s violent takeover by Hamas. "This is a confidence-building measure," said Olmert’s spokesman Mark Regev. Regev also said that Israel will release prisoners from the ranks of Abbas’ secular Fatah faction and other non-Islamist groups. "This is a national priority for every Palestinian household," Palestinian negotiator Saeb Erekat said, welcoming the cabinet decision.
EU paper on solving Mideast conflict worries Israel
Barak Ravid, Ha’aretz 12/1/2008
Israeli officials are deeply concerned over an internal European Union document outlining the EU’s plans for advancing an Israeli-Palestinian deal in 2009. Inter alia, it calls for increased pressure on Israel to reopen Palestinian institutions in Jerusalem, including Orient House, which formerly served as the Palestinian Authority’s headquarters in the city. The document, a copy of which was obtained by Haaretz, was written by the French Foreign Ministry, as France currently occupies the EU’s rotating presidency. It is slated to be discussed next week at a meeting of the EU’s foreign ministers, and Israel is trying to get various elements changed before then. Titled "The EU Action Strategy for Peace in the Middle East: The Way Forward," the document proposes various steps the EU should take in 2009 on both the Palestinian and the Syrian tracks, with emphasis on the former.
Al-Qassam Brigades: All armed factions will meet in Gaza to discuss truce
Ma’an News Agency 11/30/2008
Gaza – Ma’an – The Al-Qassam Brigades have called an all-factions meeting in Gaza in advance of the 18 December expiration of the truce between the factions and Israel. The truce, although still in-force on paper, has been violated dozens of times over the past month and several factions have declared the agreement defunct. Regardless of the daily projectile firings and maintained closure of the Gaza Strip crossings – measures the truce sought to halt - the Brigades, the armed wing of Hamas, has called parties together to “identify a clear and unified attitude towards it. ”Hamas spokesperson Fawzi Barhoum said the proposed meeting will consider points: the ongoing Israeli violations of the terms of the truce and continued blockade; the necessity for a national consensus on any decision taken regarding truce; Palestinians’ interests and; the input of all concerned sides especially Egypt, who initially brokered the agreement.
Islamic Jihad: Not committed to Gaza truce
Ma’an News Agency 11/30/2008
Gaza – Ma’an – Islamic Jihad’s armed wing said on Sunday that it is not committed to a shaky five-month old ceasefire with Israel as long as Israeli military action and the siege of Gaza continue. “In light of the ongoing Israeli aggression against the Gaza Strip killing more than 17 people this month, the continuation of closing crossing points and tightening the siege, it is a duty of Al-Quds Brigades to retaliate for that aggression,” said Abu Hamza, the spokesperson of the Islamic Jihad’s armed organization. Egypt brokered a ceasefire between Israel and the Hamas-run government of Gaza in June. At the time Hamas secured the agreement of all the armed groups in Gaza. The commitment of these groups to the ceasefire has been shaken by threeweeks of Israeli incursions and a strict blockade of the Strip. He also said homemade projectiles that were launched on Saturday towards. . .
National Resistance Brigades: truce needs to recognize right to resistance
Ma’an News Agency 11/30/2008
Gaza – Ma’an – Palestinian factions must reach a consensus on the status and future of the truce with Israel, which must recognize the right of factions to resistance, said spokesperson of the National Resistance Brigades Abu Salim on Sunday. The Brigades sent a statement to Palestinian media outlets responding to Hamas’ armed wing, the Al-Qassam Brigades, statement calling for an all-factions meeting in Gaza to discuss the state of the truce. “We need to learn from this current truce and reevaluate it,” said the National Resistance Brigades, echoing the Al-Qassam statement. They added, however, that any agreement with Israel over renewed terms of a truce would have to recognize the factions’ right to resist, and respect the terms of the truce.
Three Palestinian fighters wounded by Israeli fire in Gaza
Ma’an News Agency 11/30/2008
Gaza – Ma’an – Three Palestinian fighters were injured late on Saturday night by Israeli shelling after reportedly hurling an explosive device at Israeli special forces who entered the Gaza Strip east of Al-Maghazi Refugee Camp. According to An-Nasser Salah Addin Brigades, the military wing of the Popular Resistance Committees, Israeli soldiers were also injured in the event. The Brigades said their attack came in retaliation for “ongoing Israeli aggression” in the Gaza Strip and the West Bank, An-Nasser Brigades said in a statement which also affirmed that “Jihad” is the best tool for liberating the Palestinian lands. At mid day a homemade projectile landed in an open area in the Israeli border town of Sderot, causing no damage. No Palestinian group has yet claimed responsibility for the attack. Israeli Defense Minister Ehud Barak decided again to keep the border. . .
Israeli artillery wounds three fighters in central Gaza Strip
Rami Almeghari & Agencies, International Middle East Media Center News 11/30/2008
The Salaheldin brigades, the armed wing of the Popular Resistance Committees, announced on Sunday that three of its fighters were shot and wounded by Israeli artillery fire to the east of Maghazi Refugee camp in central Gaza Strip. A statement by the brigades, emailed to press, read that the Israeli artillery shelling came after a group of fighters planted an explosive device for an Israeli special undercover force in east of Maghazi. The statement added that at 11:15 pm yesterday night, the brigades fighters spotted an Israeli military undercover force and then exchanged gun fire, as three fighters were wounded. In the meantime, Israeli defense minister, Ehud Barak, announced that Gaza’s crossings would remain closed due to continued homemade shells fire from Gaza into nearby Israeli towns.
IOF shelling wounds 3 PRC fighters
Palestinian Information Center 11/30/2008
GAZA, (PIC)-- Israeli occupation forces at a late hour on Saturday shelled and wounded three fighters affiliated with the armed wing of the popular resistance committees in central Gaza Strip. The Nasser Salahuddin Brigades said in a communiqué that its members had blasted an explosive device in an IOF invading force that infiltrated into central Gaza east of Maghazi refugee camp. It stressed that casualties were inflicted in lines of the invading troops, and added that three of its fighters were injured in the ensuing IOF shelling. The armed wing underlined that the attack was in response to the IOF incursions and aggressions on the West Bank and the Gaza Strip. [end]
Al-Aqsa brigades claim responsibility for projectile attack; no injuries repoted
Ma’an News Agency 11/30/2008
Gaza – Ma’an – The Al-Aqsa Brigades, the military wing of Fatah, claimed responsibility for launching a projectile at Sderot on Sunday evening. The Brigades said in a statement that the attack came in retaliation for ongoing Israeli atrocities. Israeli media sources said the projectile landed in an empty field in the western Negev and reported no injuries. [end]
Olmert to bring for cabinet vote plan to fortify Gaza-area homes
Tomer Zarchin, Ha’aretz 12/1/2008
The prime minister will submit a proposal to the government next Sunday that would pave the way for the completion of the reinforcement of homes in the region surrounding the Gaza Strip, state prosecutors told the High Court on Sunday. The western Negev has been repeatedly pounded by Palestinian rocket and mortar fire for the last seven years. In February 2008, the government sanctioned a plan calling for the safeguarding of homes that lie within a range of 4. 5 kilometers from the Gaza security fence. The proposal includes the addition of bomb-proof rooms in ground-floor homes as well as residences with easily penetrable roofs. State prosecutors said the additional funds needed to continue the project should it be approved is just part of the government plan to expedite infrastructure development and economic growth, which is aimed at preparing Israel for a possible recession.
Rightists to march in Israel’s largest Arab city Dec. 15th
Tomer Zrachin and Yoav Stern, Ha’aretz 11/30/2008
Right-wing activists Itamar Ben-Gvir and Baruch Marzel will hold a march in Umm al-Fahm, Israel’s largest Arab city on December 15th. In late October the High Court of Justice agreed to allow Ben-Gvir and Marzel to lead a march through Umm al-Fahm in mid-November. The march will not take place in the center of town, but will pass through adjacent areas. The march still must gain approval of the chief of Israeli police before it will be allowed to proceed. If it is approved, it will require the deployment of large police forces in order to secure the participants. Leaders of the Umm al-Fahm municipality have vowed to not allow the parade to happen, even if it gains police approval. Peace Now General Secretary Yariv Oppenheimer blasted the move, saying "the miserable decision to allow this racist march embarrasses Israeli democracy. "
100 Zionist settlers attack Palestinian homes in Al-Khalil
Palestinian Information Center 11/30/2008
AL-KHALIL, (PIC)-- Tens of Zionist settlers from Kiryat Arba settlement and Al-Rajabi building, which has been occupied by settlers for 20 months now, wreaked havoc in Palestinian citizens’ homes and property in Al-Khalil on Saturday. Local sources in Wadi Al-Hussein valley, where the Rajabi building is located, said that more than 100 settlers launched a series of systematic attacks against the citizens and their homes and prevented civilians from moving across the sole street linking the area to the Ibrahimi Mosque. They said that the assaults damaged a number of houses, noting that the Israeli occupation forces stationed nearby did not interfere to stop the attacks that targeted 15 homes. The locals said that three Palestinian boys were injured when they were assaulted by those settlers while they were carrying goods to a grocery store.
Ministry to launch plan for alienated settler youths
Ruth Sinai, Ha’aretz 12/1/2008
The Social Affairs Ministry will soon begin an experimental program for dealing with youth and adolescents alienated from national-religious mainstream society, in an effort to address the phenomenon of "hilltop youth. "A tender is about to be released to choose the operators of the program, slated to be released next month. In the program’s first stage, a number of "hothouses" will operate across the country, which will house youths aged 14-17, who have dropped out of school and/or lost contact with their families. The term hilltop youth is used to describe members of West Bank settlements, who commit acts of violence or vandalism against Palestinians or their property, or engage in other criminal activity. Some of the youths have been contacted by the education and welfare establishments, and participation in the program will be contingent on their agreement.
Undercover Israeli force seizes Palestinian near Tulkarem
Ma’an News Agency 11/30/2008
Tulkarem – Ma’an – An undercover Israeli military force arrested an Al-Aqsa Brigades activist from east of Tulkarem on Sunday. The main was said to have been "wanted" by Israeli authorities. Local sources identified the man as 21-year-old Nasser Khayri Hannun. He was at a car wash when the undercover force stormed the area, seized Hannun and was followed by a back-up patrol to cover the exit of the force. The young man, from the northern West Bank village of Anabta, was seized near his home. According to locals he was an activist for the Al-Aqsa Brigades, the military wing of Fatah. [end]
IDF against Jewish possession of Palestinian land through cultivation
Jerusalem Post 11/30/2008
In an unusual development, the military commander of Judea and Samaria has petitioned the High Court of Justice, asking it to reject a decision by a military appeals court that Jews who had spent 10 years cultivating land owned by Palestinians were legally entitled to possess it. The petition was filed November 5, but came to the attention of The Jerusalem Post on Sunday. The petition and the military appeals court ruling concern three plots of land that had been registered with Palestinians but that have been occupied and cultivated by the Foundation for the Land of Israel Seminary for more than 10 years. The foundation applied to a civil administration committee to register the land as being in its possession, in what is called "first registration. "The committee rejected the application on the grounds that the occupiers could not prove they had come into possession of the land legally.
Ni’lin holds prayer demonstration against the Apartheid Wall
International Solidarity Movement 11/30/2008
Ramallah Region - Photos - Ni’lin village - On Friday 28th November at 12. 30pm approximately 150 Palestinians, internationals and Israelis gathered in protest against the illegal Apartheid Wall that is now under construction on Ni’lin village’s land. The army met the protesters with teargas and rubber-coated steel bullets half a kilometer before they reached the construction site of the wall. This meant that the people of Ni’lin were now even being restricted from land that is not being confiscated by the Apartheid Wall. Several people were hit by rubber coated steel bullets and tear-gas canisters aimed directly at persons in the demonstration. Two Palestinians and one international activist required medical treatment after being hit by tear gas canisters. One of the Palestinians was hit in the chest, breaking a rib, and was taken to Ramallah hospital for treatment.
Fatah lashes out at Hamas for blocking Gaza pilgrims’ departure
Ma’an News Agency 11/30/2008
Ramallah – Ma’an – Fatah reject Hamas’ accusation that Saudi Arabia and Egypt are to blame for Gaza pilgrims’ inability to cross into Egypt and then travel to Mecca for the Hajj. “[Hamas Interior Minister Sa’id Siyam’s] instructions to confiscate pilgrim’s documents and passports as well as beat some of them at the crossing nullify Hamas’ accusations that Egypt is to blame for preventing their departure,” said Fatah spokesperson Ahmad Abd Ar-Rahman. The Rafah crossing, where 3,500 pilgrims are waiting to leave to Saudi Arabia for Hajj, the once in a lifetime Muslim pilgrimage to Mecca, was closed for the second day on Sunday. A power struggle between the Hamas government in Gaza and the Fatah-run Palestinian Authority in Ramallah caused the pilgrimage to be put on hold. Hamas was angered that that Egyptian and Saudi authorities did not fully coordinate with Hamas officials in Gaza.
OPT: Consolidated appeal for 2009 focuses on food
UNRWA, IRIN - UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs 12/1/2008
JERUSALEM, 30 November 2008 (IRIN) - Food aid accounts for over two thirds of the 2009 US$462 million requested by UN agencies and NGOs to fund humanitarian aid programmes in the occupied Palestinian Territories (oPt). Food accounts for $209. 4 million; next comes cash assistance ($133. 3 million), followed by protection, emergency jobs, water and sanitation. The consolidated appeal, launched on 26 November in Jerusalem to fund 96 projects from the NGO community and 63 from UN agencies, is a response to the deteriorating humanitarian situation in the oPt. "This is getting pretty close to handouts, and we are quite sure that Palestinians would prefer to be in another situation," said UN Humanitarian Coordinator in the Palestinian Territories Maxwell Gaylard. Palestinians are becoming increasingly dependent on humanitarian aid - with the global rise in food prices,. . .
Bethlehem mayor: Christmas season will cap boom year for tourism
Reuters, Ha’aretz 11/30/2008
"Jingle Bells" rang out over Manger Square on Sunday as Bethlehem opened a Christmas market that the Palestinian city hopes will help cap a boom year for tourism with a profitable festive season. "It has been an excellent year," Bethlehem’s mayor Victor Batarseh said, forecasting 1. 25 million visitors by the end of 2008 and noting a halving in local unemployment. "We don’t have any empty beds. Two years ago, all the hotels were empty. "Trade in the bibical birthplace of Jesus was devastated when the Palestinian uprising against Israel began in 2000 - months after a papal visit and millennium celebrations had seemed to lock in a rosy future for Bethlehem as a magnet for tourists and pilgrims in a region aglow with hopes for peace. Eight years on, hopes for a final settlement with Israel have faded, like the patched up bullet. . .
West Bank construction costs fall for third month in row
Ma’an News Agency 11/30/2008
Bethlehem - Ma’an - The West Bank’s Construction Cost Index (CCI) declined by nearly four percent in October, according to a report published Sunday by the Palestinian Central Bureau of Statistics (PCBS). The remaining West Bank* CCI went down 3. 73 percent in October (110. 08), compared to 114. 34 in September. The PCBS analysis of Construction Cost developments in September indicates price-level drops in the following industries:-0. 37% -- Quarrying stone/sand-23. 1% -- Building iron-0. 25% -- Cement products-1. 01% -- Aluminum/metal, doors/windows-0. 52% -- Ceramic products-0. 34% -- Wood products-0. 44% -- Equipment rentals-2. 13% -- Metal toolsMeanwhile, the following industries reported increases in average costs:+2. 53% -- Wages/labor costs+0.
Palestinians urge caution in moves to capture fugitive Fatah al-Islam militant
Daily Star 12/1/2008
BEIRUT: Senior Palestinian figures from across the political spectrum have urged a cautious approach in attempts to capture fugitive Fatah al-Islam militant Abdel-Rahman Awad, who is thought to be hiding at the Ain al-Hilweh refugee camp on the edge of Sidon. After meeting with Education Minister Bahia Hariri, Abbas Zaki, the PLO representative in Lebanon and a senior Fatah official, warned against "surprises" which may destabilize the volatile camp. He said that all sides were keen to avoid a repeat of what happened at the Nahr al-Bared camp, when more than 400 people died in fighting between Fatah al-Islam and Lebanese security forces. Awad is a senior member of the Fatah al-Islam militant group who has been linked with a series of deadly bombings targeting Lebanese soldiers in Tripoli over the summer. He also has ties with a Fatah al-Islam cell that carried out a suicide car-bombing in Damascus in September, the Syrian government has said.
Lebanese gov’t recognizes ’state of Palestine’
The Media Line News Agency, Jerusalem Post 11/30/2008
The Lebanese government has approved forming full diplomatic relations with what it calls the "state of Palestine," and is elevating the office of the Palestine Liberation Organization (PLO) in Beirut to the status of an embassy. No date has been set to carry out the decision, which was announced by Lebanese Information Minister Tariq Mitri. The PLO is regarded by the Arab League as the sole representative of the Palestinian people. The organization is currently headed by Mahmoud Abbas, who is also president of the Palestinian Authority. RELATED The Media LineHilal Khashan, a professor of political science at the American University of Beirut, said he thought the move showed the government in Beirut was trying to show support for ’Abbas’ administration.
Ramon joins calls for Olmert to go now
Shelly Paz, Jerusalem Post 11/30/2008
Prime Minister Ehud Olmert should suspend himself now, Vice Prime Minister Haim Ramon said on Saturday night. "I look at him as a friend and tell him that I don’t see why it is good for him to stay on," Ramon said on Channel 2’s Meet the Press program. Remaining in office harms Olmert for many reasons, "but I don’t judge him, I think it’s impossible to judge," he said. Still, Olmert was a good prime minister, Ramon said. "I am a close friend of his. . . and I can say that I have tried to speak to him," he added. Foreign Minister Livni released a statement Thursday that called on Olmert to suspend himself following Attorney General Menachem Mazuz’s announcement last week that he plans to indict Olmert in the Rishon Tours case, pending a hearing. Sources in Kadima criticized Likud leader Binyamin Netanyahu for not joining the calls for Olmert to suspend himself.
Treasury chiefs: PMO exceeding authority on pensions
Erez Wollberg, Globes Online 11/30/2008
In response, National Economics Council chairman Prof. Manuel Trajtenberg and Prime Minister’s Office director-general Raanan Dinur stress the need for urgent action on pension savings. "It appears that negotiations are taking place between officials of the Prime Minister’s Office and representatives of the Histadrut and the employers, and perhaps with other parties, over what is being called ’a safety net for pensions savings’" Thus begins a letter sent by senior officials at the Ministry of Finance to the Prime Minister’s Office this evening. The letter, signed by Ministry of Finance director-general Yarom Ariav, Budgets Commissioner Ram Belinkov, Accountant General Shuki Oren, and Supervisor of Capital Markets, Insurance and Savings Yadin Antebi, warns the Prime Minister’s Office that aid plans for the economy have not passed through their hands, and are not within the areas of authority of those dealing with them.
Treasury: PMO violating the law
Moti Bassok, Ha’aretz 12/1/2008
Senior treasury officials took the exceptional step of sending Olmert a harsh letter yesterday. The officials, including Ariav, budgets director Ran Belinkov and Capital Markets Commissioner Yadin Antebi, wrote to Ra’anan Dinur, director general of the PMO, and to the head of the National Economic Council, Manuel Trajtenberg, saying Dinur and Trajtenberg are acting contrary to the law and outside their authority, and behind the backs of the treasury. "From reading the newspapers and the Finance Committee meeting, we have learned the following things: Seemingly there are negotiations going on between the prime minister’s aides and representatives of the Histadrut and employers, and possibly even with other bodies, over what is called the safety net for pension savings, and on the matter of far-reaching changes in the economic plan.
Treasury officials to PM’s advisers: Your economic plan is illegal
Moti Bassok, Ha’aretz 12/1/2008
Four top treasury officials on Sunday accused two top advisers to Prime Minister Ehud Olmert of acting illegally by trying to circumvent Finance Ministry authority and creating their own emergency economic plan, which goes further than the treasury’s proposed plan. While the unusually harsh letter was addressed to Prime Minister’s Office director general Raanan Dinur and PMO National Economic Council head Manuel Trajtenberg, it essentially is a strike by Finance Minister Roni Bar-On at Olmert, who for many years was considered a close friend. "We ask you to stop any activity that exceeds your areas of responsibility and is understood as obligating the government," wrote Finance Ministry director general Yarom Ariav, budget department head Rami Belinkov, accountant general Shuki Oren and capital market commissioner Yadin Anatbi.
C’tee vote on economic plans delayed
Moti Bassok, Ha’aretz 12/1/2008
The meeting of the Knesset Finance Committee yesterday blew up half an hour after it began, after committee chairman Avishay Braverman (Labor) announced he would not call for a vote on the two of the Finance Ministry’s three emergency economic plans under discussion: the infrastructure and financial plans. Braverman explained by saying that the treasury had yet to finish preparing the third part of its rescue package, the pension savings safety net, in such a way that it would also satisfy the Prime Minister Ehud Olmert, the Histadrut labor federation and the Manufacturers Association; he was putting off the vote on the other parts. Senior treasury officials, and especially Finance Minister Roni Bar-On, were furious. Bar-On demanded the vote be held, telling Braverman: "You have no authority to remove the matter from the agenda.
Netanyahu presents Likud economic plan
Lilach Weissman, Globes Online 11/30/2008
The Likud chairman made it clear that his plan would also form the basis for the 2009 budget. Tax breaks, reform of the Israel Land Administration (ILA), and the expansion of Israel’s highway and railway infrastructure - these are the key measures in the economic plan of Likud chairman Benjamin Netanyahu, which he intends to put into effect, should he become prime minister following the upcoming elections on February 10. "These are three immediate measures which we will put into effect a few weeks after forming the government," he said today at a Deloitte Brightman Almagor conference on "End of the tax year in the shadow of economic crisis". Netanyahu made it clear that the plan would form the Likud’s basis for the 2009 budget. The plan would, he said, include additional measures such as the opening of R&D centers, and reform in the higher education system.
Finance minister blasts Finance C’ttee no-vote decision
Globes'' correspondent, Globes Online 11/30/2008
Ronnie Bar-On: They didn’t ambush me; they ambushed the people of Israel. "It’s unbelievable. They didn’t ambush me; they ambushed the people of Israel," said Minister of Finance Ronnie Bar-On to “IDF Radio" (Galei Zahal) today, shortly after the Knesset Finance Committee ended its meeting this morning without voting on the Ministry of Finance’s economic stimulus plan. Finance Committee chairman MK Avishai Braverman (Labor) earlier said that the committee would not vote on the plan. Bar-On added, "I don’t want to respond until I have the facts in hand. As far as the economy is concerned, the important thing today was to present and get the Finance Committee’s approval for the two plans presented by the Ministry of Finance and approved by the Bank of Israel and the prime minister. Maybe during the weekend, I was not available and I was not consulted.
Finance C’ttee won’t vote on stimulus plan
Lilach Weissman, Globes Online 11/30/2008
MK Avishai Braverman: This is an adequate emergency plan that does not meet the economy’s needs. Knesset Finance Committee chairman MK Avishai Braverman (Labor) announced this morning that the committee will not vote today on the Ministry of Finance’s economic stimulus plan. The committee is meeting this morning with to discuss the plan. Minister of Finance Ronnie Bar-On, Ministry of Finance director general Yarom Ariav, and representatives from the Bank of Israel, Histadrut (General Federation of Labor in Israel), Manufacturers Association of Israel, and other groups will participate. Braverman said, "I was updated by [Prime Minister Ehud] Olmert and [Histadrut chairman Ofer] Eini on progress in the talks for the creation of a safety net for pension funds. Everyone is aware that 2009 will be a tough year for the economy. . . "
Ex-soldier, raped during service, sues Defense Min.
Ruth Sinai, Ha’aretz 12/1/2008
A 20-year-old who was raped during her military service in the Israel Air Force is suing the Defense Ministry to classify her as disabled due to the emotional distress the attack has caused her. The lawsuit says that the woman’s commanders prevented her from receiving psychological treatment, "grounded" her when she was unable to fulfill duties on base and threatened her with a lawsuit or imprisonment. Ultimately, it states, she collapsed and was released after an army psychologist assigned her the lowest possible health "profile," or physical and psychological rating. Attorney Anat Ginsburg, formerly deputy Tel Aviv district attorney and an expert in disability lawsuits, who is representing the plaintiff pro bono, said the woman is the daughter of immigrants from France, all of whose brothers and sisters served in the Israel Defense Forces.
IDI recruiting celebs to boost voter turnout
Shahar Ilan, Ha’aretz 12/1/2008
The Israel Democracy Institute is planning a campaign to encourage voting in the upcoming election, with methods ranging from celebrity broadcasts to toasting voters at local bars. To help voters decide which party to vote for, it is offering an online system that purports to identify the party most closely aligned with the voter’s views, based on a questionnaire comprised of 30 questions. A decade ago, Israel’s turnout rate stood at about 80 percent. After excluding people who have moved abroad, people who have died but not yet been removed from the voter rolls, and people who are too sick to vote, this translates into an effective rate of 90 percent. But the last two elections saw a sharp decline in turnout, to 69 percent in 2003 and 63. 5 percent in 2006, and in the coming election, turnout might well fall below 60 percent - something that could raise questions about the legitimacy of the Knesset’s mandate.
Netanyahu aides split over Feiglin problem
Mazal Mualem, Ha’aretz 12/1/2008
Likud chairman Benjamin Netanyahu’s advisers are divided over the best way to keep Moshe Feiglin from gaining a realistic slot on the party’s Knesset slate. Netanyahu fears that if Feiglin, who represents the party’s far-right flank, did win a realistic spot, it would make the slate less attractive to centrist voters. Some advisers argue that a public battle against Feiglin would merely generate public and media interest in him and exaggerate his faction’s power. They therefore recommend that Netanyahu ignore him. But other advisers say the party cannot sit with folded hands; it must do everything in its power to persuade Likud members not to vote for Feiglin and his followers in the December 8 primary, since Feiglin in a prominent slot would hurt the party’s chances in the general election. Kadima, which plans to make Feiglin a mainstay of its campaign against Likud, is hoping that he will place high on the party’s slate.
Rabin assassin declares hunger strike to protest prison conditions
Jonathan Lis, Ha’aretz 12/1/2008
The man who assassinated former Prime Minister Yitzhak Rabin declared a hunger strike on Sunday to protest the recent escalation of penalties against him in prison. Earlier this month, Prisons Services announced that Yigal Amir would be receiving extra punishment in jail for granting an interview with Channels 10 and 2 without the permission from his wardens. The initial broadcasting of excerpts from the interview raised such an uproar that Channels 2 and 10 decided to pull the full program before its scheduled airing. In the interview - aired just before the anniversary of Rabin’s death - Amir spoke about how the idea to commit the murder initially came about. He that he was at a wedding also attended by Rabin, and realized that the prime minister was protected by only one bodyguard.
Africa-Israel loss reaches over NIS 2.1 billion
Yael Gruntman, Globes Online 11/30/2008
The firm lowered the valuation of its properties in line with the global economic crisis. Africa-Israel Investments Ltd. (TASE: AFIL; Pink Sheets: AFIVY. PK) today published its consolidated financial report for the third quarter of 2008. The holding company controlled by chairman Lev Leviev reported a third quarter loss of NIS 2. 16 billion. The loss is mainly from the NIS 1. 9 billion write-off in value of its real estate investments, as well as a sharp rise in financing expenses, which totaled NIS 419 million, primarily due to the rise this quarter in Consumer Price Index (CPI) figures. The loss is bigger than the NIS 2 billion loss the company recently warned about. The firm reported that its equity as of the end of the quarter was NIS 3. 7 billion, compared with NIS 6. 7 billion at the end of 2007.
Bank of Israel continues dollar purchases
Globes'' correspondent, Globes Online 11/30/2008
The Bank’s goal is now a reserve of $40-44 billion. Bank of Israel officially announced today that it is increasing the country’s foreign currency reserves to between $40-44 billion. Since March 24 the Bank has purchased about $10 billion, raising the current level of Israel’s foreign currency reserves to about $37 billion. The Bank of Israel has said that it will continue purchasing foreign currency at the rate of about $100 million per day. The purchasing program will continue for between another 30 trading days (to reach reserves of $40 billion) to 70 trading days (to reach reserves of $44 billion), providing purchases continue at a rate of $100 million per day. Since the purchases began in March, the shekel-dollar exchange rate has climbed by 60 agorot. With publication of the announcement, dollar options rose by. . . . .
Igal Brightman: Gov’t decisions too little too late
Hadas Magen, Globes Online 11/30/2008
"What we’ve seen so far in the US is just the tip of the iceberg of the crisis. " "The Israeli government has been hesitant in taking decisions, and responding too little too late to successfully navigate economic in a time of crisis," says Deloitte Brightman Almagor Zohar chairman Igal Brightman. He made the comment at the CPA firm’s conference on the "End of the tax year in the shadow of economic crisis" today. Brightman noted the effect of the global crisis on Israeli companies. He said, "The business models under which many Israeli companies operated are no longer applicable. Every company must now review its business model in order to survive. " Brightman has just returned from a business trip to the US and China. He said that the global crisis was undermining the economic balance between East and West.
Pilots: System to identify hijacked planes creates new safety problems
Zohar Blumenkrantz, Ha’aretz 12/1/2008
A new system meant to detect whether a plane has been hijacked has created safety problems of its own, the National Pilots Association said recently in a letter to Transportation Minister Shaul Mofaz. The Code Positive system is still being tested, and the tests are due to be expanded today to encompass some 2,000 Israeli and foreign pilots. These expanded tests will run for several months, after which the Transportation Ministry will decide whether to make the system mandatory for all planes flying to Israel. However, the Pilots Association said in its letter, the tests to date have already revealed numerous problems with the system, ranging from technical problems to a lack of expertise on the part of those manning it. In some cases, "use of the system has itself created a safety problem," it stated. This system, developed by Elbit, is based on a smart card that broadcasts. . .
Drop in housing starts slows
Globes'' correspondent, Globes Online 11/30/2008
Housing starts down in Tel Aviv and Jerusalem, but up in Rishon LeZion and Modi’in. The decline in housing starts has slowed. The Central Bureau of Statistics reports that while there were 1% fewer housing starts in January-September 2008, compared with the corresponding period of 2007, there was no change in the third quarter compared with the corresponding quarter. There were 2. 9% fewer housing starts in the first quarter, compared with the corresponding quarter and 1. 6% fewer housing starts in the second quarter compared with the corresponding quarter. There were 22,640 housing starts in January-September, of which 41% were private and semi-detached houses. The top five cities in terms of housing starts in January-September were Tel Aviv-Jaffa, with 1,339; Jerusalem with 1,095; Rishon LeZion, with 915, Netanya, with 811, and Modi’in, with 731.
Ultra-Orthodox kindergarten teachers file suit against employers for exploitation
Ruth Sinai, Ha’aretz 12/1/2008
A group of ultra-Orthodox kindergarten teachers and assistants yesterday filed a suit against their employers, two ultra-Orthodox NGOs, for employing them under exploitative terms and forcing them to sign a wage agreement that violates basic workers’ rights and laws. The suit, filed at the Tel Aviv Regional Labor Court, says the plaintiffs work six days a week, much longer than the five-and-a-half hours they are supposed to, for NIS 2,800 a month, which they do not receive on time. They are not paid for overtime, are forced to contribute money to their employers, are fired every summer and are forced to sign illegal wage agreements denying them basic rights. The five plaintiffs are represented by the non-profit organization Itach Women Lawyers for Social Justice, which received complaints from 15 kindergarten teachers and assistants in the Sha’arei Zion and Harbatzat Torah kindergarten networks.
Olmert: No doubt Mumbai attack targeted Jewish institutions
News Agencies, Ha’aretz 12/1/2008
Prime Minister Ehud Olmert said Sunday he was pleased with India’s cooperation throughout the deadly Mumbai attacks, toning down criticism voiced by Israeli security experts of the Indian military’s handling of the standoff. Olmert’s comments appeared to be aimed at heading off tensions with India, an important Israeli ally. Speaking at the weekly meeting of his Cabinet, Olmert said there had been proper and correct cooperation with India throughout the crisis. Olmert said there was no doubt the attacks targeted Jewish institutions. While noting that Israel had offered assistance, he said there was never any talk of sending in Israeli forces. "I’m pleased with this cooperation and take this opportunity to thank the Indian government for deciding to keep us updated throughout the events", he said.
Consulate, ZAKA believe there are no more Israel casualties
Anshel Pfeffer, Ha’aretz 12/1/2008
MUMBAI - Israeli consulate representatives and volunteers from the ZAKA emergency response team combed hospitals and morgues across Mumbai yesterday in search of bodies of additional Israelis and Jews killed in last week’s terror attacks. Toward the end of the day, they concluded there are apparently no more Israeli or Jewish casualties yet undiscovered, and that the death toll from the Chabad House stand-off remains at six: Chabad emissaries Gavriel and Rivkah Holtzberg, kashrut supervisors Aryeh Leibish Teitelbaum and Ben Zion Korman of Jerusalem and Bat Yam respectively, Yocheved Orpaz of Givatayim and Norma Schwartzbard-Rabinovich, a Jewish woman from Mexico. Initial reports that there had been nine hostages killed in the Chabad House stemmed from confusion after the siege ended. Meanwhile, the Foreign Ministry announced there are two Israelis traveling in India who still have not contacted their families since the attacks broke out.
Police victim ID unit leaves for India, as two Israelis still missing
Jonathan Lis Yair Ettinger, and Ruth Sinai, Ha’aretz 12/1/2008
Seven members of the police’s victim identification unit left for India on Sunday to assist in locating and identifying the bodies of two missing Israelis who may have been killed in one of last week’s terror attacks in Mumbai. Of the four Israelis that the Foreign Ministry’s situation room listed as being out of contact on Sunday morning, two reported in later in the day. As for the other two, "we must search for them among the casualties of the various attacks," said Chief Superintendent Itzik Coronio, who is heading the delegation. "All of the bodies have been evacuated to a few central locations, and that is where we expect to focus our work. "The police team has prepared "identification kits" containing identifying details of each of the missing Israelis, obtained from their families and Israel Defense Forces records.
Report about Chabad House victims wrapped in tallitot was false
Haaretz Staff, Ha’aretz 12/1/2008
A report in several media outlets that Jews killed during a terrorist raid of the Chabad House in Mumbai on Friday were found wrapped in prayer shawls is false, despite the credence lent it by Prime Minister Ehud Olmert’s repetition of the tale yesterday. "The pictures of the Jewish victims and this terrible image of the directors of the Chabad House wrapped in tallitot are shocking and bring us back to images from history, which we hoped would not be repeated," Olmert said at the beginning of the weekly cabinet meeting. "But it appears that hatred of Jews and Israelis spurred these terrible acts. "Olmert’s comments notwithstanding, there were no prayer shawls on the bodies of any of the six Jews killed in the Chabad House when Israeli Embassy officials, rescue workers and Haaretz and Maariv reporters went in after the raid.
’Indian commandos may have killed some Chabad hostages’
Yaakov Lappin, Jerusalem Post 11/30/2008
Col. Yossi Turgeman, IDF attaché to India, said that the two Israelis announced missing by the Foreign Ministry were not among the dead, Army Radio reported on Sunday evening. Israelis murdered in Mumbai Chabad House to be laid to rest in Israel on Monday - Therefore, Turgeman assessed that the missing Israelis were not killed in the Mumbai terror attacks. Earlier on Sunday, the Foreign Ministry announced that the number of Israelis unaccounted for in Mumbai had dropped to two, after contact was made with two Israelis thought to be missing. [end]
Better late than never: Beirut officially joins Chemical Weapons Convention
Daily Star 12/1/2008
BEIRUT: Lebanon has become the 185th country to sign up to an international convention banning the use of chemical weapons, more than a decade after it was launched. The 1997 Chemical Weapons Convention (CWC) outlaws the production, stockpiling and deployment of chemical weapons, and calls for signatory states to destroy their stocks of such devices. "The government of Lebanon deposited its instrument of accession to the Chemical Weapons Convention with the secretary general of the United Nations," on Friday, according to a statement released by the Organization for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons, the international agency tasked with implementing the treaty. "Upon official confirmation of the receipt of the instrument by the United Nations, the convention will enter into force for Lebanon 30 days after the deposit and this country will become the 185th state party to the CWC," the statement added.
Siniora thanks Ban for progress on Hariri tribunal
Daily Star 12/1/2008
BEIRUT: Prime Minister Fouad Siniora met with UN chief Ban Ki-moon in Doha on Sunday to discuss recent developments onthe Special Tribunal to try suspects in the assassination of former Prime Minister Rafik Hariri. The talks took place on the sidelines of the International Conference on Financing for Development in the Qatari capital. "I am extremely glad to announce that the Special Tribunal for Lebanon is on the right track and will be launched on March 1, 2009," Ban told reporters after the meeting. "I discussed the issue with Premier Siniora and I learned that the Lebanese side is pleased with that date. . . We agreed that the launching of the tribunal will be a step forward towards putting an end to unpunished crime," he said. Ban added that the investigation team would be moving to The Hague in January 2009.
Iran proposes building joint nuclear plants with Arab neighbors
The Associated Press, Ha’aretz 12/1/2008
The head of Iran’s nuclear power agency said Sunday the country is willing to help neighboring Arab countries build joint light-water nuclear power plants if they are interested. There was no immediate reaction from Arab countries, many of whom are deeply suspicious of the Islamic Republic’s intentions regarding its controversial nuclear program. Several Arab countries have announced plans to develop their own civilian nuclear programs for electricity generation in recent years, motivated in part by a feeling they need to keep up with Iran to blunt its growing regional influence. It was unclear why Iran made the offer to help, but it may be trying to allay neighbors’ concerns. Gholam Reza Aghazadeh, the head of the Atomic Energy Organization of Iran, said the country was ready to offer the proposal for joint plants,. . .
Baghdad defends security pact after Sistani criticism
Daily Star 12/1/2008
Iraq’s government tried to quell criticism on Sunday of a security pact that sets deadlines for US military withdrawals, saying opponents could wait to judge how Washington honors commitments to pull back its troops. The comments came after Iraq’s influential top Shiite cleric, Grand Ayatollah Ali al-Sistani, expressed reservations about the pact which paves the way for US troops to withdraw from Iraqi towns by mid-2009, and leave the country by the end of 2011. Iraq’s Parliament approved the pact last week but said it should be put to a national referendum by the end of July. "There will be an opportunity of six months. . . to test intentions, so that the US can make this clear to the Iraqi side and it can be seen they are committed," government spokesman Ali al-Dabbagh told Reuters on Sunday. "We are optimistic of their commitment," he added.
Iraqi Kurds part ways over controversial deal with America
Mohammed A. Salih, Inter Press Service, Daily Star 12/1/2008
COLUMBIA, Missouri: Kurds are divided over a security pact between Iraq and the US, approved by a large majority in the Iraqi Parliament on Thursday, in what appears to be a potential heavy blow to their major gains since the US-led invasion of the country in 2003. Despite the international media’s portrayal of unequivocal unified Kurdish support for the deal, there is an increasing realization within formal and informal Kurdish circles that the Kurds are dooming themselves by approving the deal. During a meeting with US President George W. Bush last month, Iraqi Kurdistan President Massoud Barzani described the pact as being "in the interests of the Iraqi government - it’s in the interests of this country, and we have been and will continue to support it and support its ratification. "Kurdish leaders have very fervently talked about approving the agreement. . . "
Articles
Nobel Laureate: There is a way towards peace for Palestine
Mairead Corrigan Maguire, Electronic Intifada 11/29/2008
The following is a speech delivered by Nobel Peace Prize Laureate Mairead Corrigan Maguire at the seventh International Sabeel Conference in Jerusalem on 19 November 2008:
I am very happy to be here with you and to be invited to speak to you. I want to take this opportunity to thank Dr. Naim Ateek, and all those who helped to organize this conference. I am deeply grateful to have the freedom to come here to East Jerusalem and the freedom to speak and meet with you.
In this the 2lst century many of us take freedom for granted, but not everyone has freedom here in Israel/Palestine. I realized this, yet again, when I told a Palestinian friend I was attending this conference and he told me that though he was born in Jerusalem he is not allowed to come into East Jerusalem.
This brought home to me that East Jerusalem is indeed an integral part of the occupied territory of Palestine and many Arab people born here are not allowed into East Jerusalem.
Many Arabs who do live in East Jerusalem live in fear of their homes being demolished or expulsion by the Israeli Government.
Will James Jones and Hillary Clinton Butt Heads over Palestinian – Israeli Conflict?
Eli Lake, The New Republic, Palestine Media Center 11/27/2008
What will be Barack Obama’s policy towards the Middle East? During the campaign, this was a question that flummoxed partisans of both the Israeli and Palestinian causes. There was enough conflicting evidence of his intentions to lead everyone to believe that they would have a friend in the White House.
But now, we have actual foreign policy appointments to look at. And, guess what? They haven’t clarified the direction of his administration. In fact, there’s a chance that we will be in store for at least four more years of muddle. His administration could be split by the same internal debates that divided the Bush administration.
During the Bush administration, the State Department was the source of every call for envoys, roadmaps, summits, and efforts to revive the peace process. And for most of the Bush era, these calls were rejected by the White House and Pentagon--which believed that the Israeli-Palestinian struggle was a symptom of deeper pathologies within the Islamic and Arab world, and not the underlying cause of Middle Eastern terrorism. Within the Obama administration, this dynamic is likely to be reversed. It may be the White House--and, more specifically, the likely national security advisor, James Jones --that will be the passionate proponent of peace processing. Or, as he told the newsletter Inside the Pentagon last month, "’Nothing is more important" to regional security in the Middle East than resolving the Israeli Palestinian conflict.
So what if the High Court ruled?
Haaretz Editorial, Ha’aretz 11/30/2008
For many years, the Israeli government has accepted responsibility for upholding court rulings in general and those of the High Court of Justice in particular. This is an inseparable part of recognizing that the rule of law is an indispensable requirement for democracy. Last week, however, it became clear that this tradition has been seriously undermined. In two sternly worded rulings issued that week, High Court justices analyzed two different cases in which government ministries viewed binding High Court decisions as recommendations only.
The first dealt with a High Court ruling handed down in early 2006 that voided a government decision to grant preferential status to certain regions of the country with regard to state funding for education. The court struck down this decision because it discriminated against Israeli Arabs.
Last week’s verdict, written by Supreme Court President Dorit Beinisch with the entire extended panel of seven justices concurring, termed the Education Ministry’s prolonged deferment of the initial ruling’s implementation a "grave expression" of the freedom the government has asserted to disregard the ruling and act in accordance with its own priorities.
Mis-shaping Public Understanding of Israel/Palestine Struggle
Jerome Slater, Tikkun, Palestine Media Center 11/27/2008
[PMC Editor’s Note: Jerome Slater’s critique of Thomas Friedman raises important questions about the role of journalists in mis-shaping public understanding of the Israel/Palestine struggle. As we have repeatedly argued in Tikkun, the mistakes made in the creation and perpetuation of that struggle come from both sides, and any historical reading must acknowledge the continued propensity on both sides to engage in acts of violence. Palestinian extremists and terrorists are culpable too—not just Israelis. Because this magazine emerges from the West, where Israel’s side of the story is well known and largely accepted blindly, while the Palestinian side is systematically kept from public consideration, we have often tried to re-balance the story by presenting the facts that the American media and the cheerleaders for the right wing in Israel have kept out of public view. Slater’s critique of Thomas Friedman is part of that effort. In 2003 Tikkun published the book Healing Israel/Palestine in which we try to give a more fully balanced account of the struggle, recognizing that both sides have full culpability for the origin and continuation of the struggle, and we are proud to say that the book is as relevant today as it was when we first published it. Saying that does not diminish the importance of Slater’s challenging of the deep misunderstandings of the situation perpetrated in Western media—misunderstandings which continue to constrain the possibilities of rational pro-peace intervention by the United States.]
As close observers of the century-old conflict between the Zionist movement and the Arab residents of Palestine increasingly understand, the Zionist narrative is riddled with historical mythologies that do not stand up under close and dispassionate examination. But these myths have had the devastating consequence of blinding Israelis—and their unthinking American supporters—to their own role in the never-ending Israeli-Palestinian conflict, as well as in the wider Arab-Israeli conflict.
My Story: Olive harvest 5769
Sarah Kreimer, Jerusalem Post 11/27/2008
"Where are we going?" I asked Arik, as we drove out of Jerusalem in his beat up Subaru, with three other volunteers: an older gentleman and a newlywed couple.
I was beginning the New Year of 5769 with a practical mitzva: serving as a "human shield" between Palestinian families, trying to harvest their olive trees in the West Bank, and Israeli settlers, trying to prevent them. My old friend, Rabbi Arik Ascherman, director of Rabbis for Human Rights, had invited me to come with him - to help in a small grove of trees in the southern West Bank. I hadn’t asked for details; scores of volunteers were being assigned daily to ol
0 Have Your Say!:
Post a Comment