Conflict..

Palestinian man killed in West Bank Al Jazeera 5/6/2008 A Palestinian civilian has been killed after Palestinan president Mahmoud Abbas’s security forces clashed with armed men for the first time since the launch of a US-backed security drive in the northern West Bank. Mo’men Fawwaz Kmeil, 20, was shot on Tuesday as he tried to escape a standoff between Palestinian forces and local armed men in a cafe in the town of Qabatya near Jenin, residents said. Palestinian forces said in a statement that the man was killed when an "outlawed group" opened fire on the security men. The killing came after hundreds of Palestinian national security troops and presidential guards were deployed in the West Bank city of Jenin on Saturday. The deployment is part of an operation backed by Washington. to show the Palestinian Authority (PA) can curb the activities of Palestinian armed groups - a key Israeli condition for Palestinian statehood. It is the second-biggest Palestinian security campaign in a major West Bank city following a similar mission in Nablus late last year. more.. e-mail Soldiers break into the house of a detained legislator, kidnap his son, son-in-law Saed Bannoura, International Middle East Media Center News 5/6/2008 The Ahrar Center For Detainees’ Studies stated that Israeli soldiers broke on Tuesday at dawn into the house of the detained legislator Dr. Azzam Salhab in the southern West Bank city of Hebron, searched the property and kidnapped his son and his son-in-law. The Center stated that at least three military vehicles surrounded the house before the soldiers broke into it and searched it causing damage to the property. Legislator Salhab was kidnapped by the army more than three years ago. The wife of Salhab stated that soldiers hurled stones at the doors and windows of the house before breaking into it, and that when her son, No’man, stepped out to see what going on; soldiers handcuffed and blindfolded him before taking him to an unknown destination. Soldiers also kidnapped the legislators’ son-in-law. The Ahrar Center reported that the ongoing attacks against the houses of the. . . more.. e-mail IOF troops blow up two Palestinian homes in Nablus, kidnap youth Palestinian Information Center 5/6/2008 NABLUS, (PIC)-- IOF troops blew up two Palestinian homes in the Old city of Nablus during a brief incursion on Monday night that witnessed intensive firing of live bullets and sonic bombs, local reported. They said that an IOF unit in more than 20 army vehicles stormed the city and encircled one of its suburbs. The sources noted that a special force had blasted the two homes before arrival of the military jeeps. Locals believe that the raid targeted arresting or assassinating a Palestinian wanted activist. On Tuesday, however, IOF soldiers kidnapped Saleh Samara, 19, from his family home in Azmut village, east of Nablus. [end] An Israeli air strike kills a fighter in northern Gaza as tanks roll into Jabalya Rami Almeghari & Agencies, International Middle East Media Center News 5/6/2008 An Israeli air strike killed early on Tuesday a Qassam fighter and wounded another, when the car they were driving was hit with a missile. Medical sources in northern Gaza Strip confirmed that Hesham Shomar, 23 was killed and Omar Hammad 25, was wounded after sustaining critical injuries. Hammad has his limbs amputated, medics added. Palestinian security sources said that an Israeli drone fired at least one missile towards a car near the Abraj Al-Nada residential houses in the northern parts of Gaza Strip. The Alqassam brigades, the armed wing of Hamas, said in a statement that Shomar belonged to its ranks. Meanwhile the Israeli tanks rolled earlier in the morning near the eastern cemetery of the Jabalya refugee camp, amidst heavy gunfire towards the nearby residents as bulldozers began razing farm lands in the area. more.. e-mail Al-Qassam Brigades activist killed; one injured in Israeli airstrike on Gaza Ma’an News Agency 5/6/2008 Gaza – Ma’an - An Al-Qassam Brigades activist was killed and another critically injured on Tuesday when an Israeli warplane launched a missile at a civilian car in the northern Gaza Strip. Muawiya Hasanain, the director of ambulance and emergency services in the Palestinian health ministry said that 23-year-old Hisham Shumar was killed and 25-year-old ’Umar Hammad was critically injured. He explained that Hammad has lost some of his limbs. The incident came in tandem with an Israeli incursion into Jabalia refugee camp in the northern Gaza Strip at dawn. The invading forces opened heavy fire on Palestinian houses while bulldozers dug up fields in the area. [end] Israeli forces raid Nablus Ma’an News Agency 5/6/2008 Nablus – Ma’an – Israeli forces raided the northern West Bank city of Nablus amid heavy gunfire on Monday evening. Eyewitnesses told Ma’an’s reporter that ten Israeli military jeeps stormed the city from the south in a sudden raid. Meanwhile, Palestinian security sources mentioned that the incursion was preceded by the infiltration of an undercover Israeli force in the old city of Nablus. They said they believed the undercover force was attempting to assassinate or apprehend ’wanted’ Palestinian activists. [end] Eight fundamental Jewish youth arrested for stabbing to Arab residents of Israel Saed Bannoura & Agencies, International Middle East Media Center News 5/6/2008 The Israeli army radio reported on Monday that eight Israeli youth from Jerusalem were arrested for stabbing and attacking two Arab residents of Israel, residents of Shu’fat refugee camp in the city. The radio said that the attack took place as Israel was celebrating its memorial day, a special day for "remembering fallen soldiers". The incident took place as the two Arab residents were near the entrance of a shopping mall ins Pisgat Ze’ev. Israeli online daily, Haaretz, reported that one of the victims suffered moderate wounds while his friend did not need medical intervention. The Army radio reported that the assailants said during a police probe that they carried their attack in order to "rid Pisgat Ze’ev neighborhood of Arabs". more.. e-mail IAF airstrike kills Hamas gunman in northern Gaza mortar squad News Agencies, Ha’aretz 5/7/2008 An Israel Air Force strike early Tuesday on a mortar launching squad killed one Hamas gunman and wounded three others in northern Gaza, according Palestinian officials. Gaza’s ruling Hamas group confirmed that the men were members of the organization. The IAF strike on the squad was near the town of Beit Lahiya in the northern Gaza Strip, Gaza medics said. The Israel Defense Forces said one of its aircraft targeted and hit a group of armed men near the Gaza-Israel border. Gaza hospital officials said four gunmen arrived for treatment in the early hours of Tuesday and one died of his wounds. Israel regularly carries out raids and airstrikes aimed at halting ongoing rocket fire from Gaza at Israeli towns. Egypt has been trying to broker a cease-firebetween Israel and Hamas, but the efforts have not yielded results so far. more.. e-mail Three injured in shootings involving Palestinian security forces near Jenin Ma’an News Agency 5/6/2008 Ma’an – Palestinian security forces shot and injured two Islamic Jihad fighters in the West Bank town of Qabatiya, near Jenin, on Tuesday. Earlier on Tuesday, security forces came under fire in Qabatia during an ordinary patrol, and a bystander was critically injured in an exchange of fire that followed. The Islamic Jihad movement accused the Palestinian security forces of shooting and injuring two of the group’s activists as when they approached a Palestinian security checkpoint. The security forces they did not deliberately shoot the activists, and that the fighters had attempted to interfere in operation of the security forces. Jenin district security commander Sulaiman Umran told Ma’an that the shooting took place when two gunmen arrived at a police station and tried to secure the release of a detainee. more.. e-mail Palestinian forces kill bystander in clash with Jenin gunmen Reuters, Ha’aretz 5/6/2008 A Palestinian civilian was killed on Tuesday when President Mahmoud Abbas’s security forces clashed with gunmen for the first time since launching a law-and-order push in the northern West Bank. Hundreds of Abbas’s forces deployed to the city of Jenin on Saturday in a U. S. -backed security push Washington hopes will show the Palestinians can rein in militants - Israel’s main condition for Palestinian statehood. Residents in the town of Qabatya near Jenin said civilian Ahmed Fawwaz Kmeil, 20, was shot as he tried to escape a standoff between Abbas’s forces and local gunmen who were sitting in a cafe. Palestinian forces said in a statement the man was killed when an "outlawed group" opened fire on the security men, adding they would investigate the incident and keep up their crime-fighting push. more.. e-mail Israel seals West Bank for Israeli Independence Day Ma’an News Agency 5/6/2008 Bethlehem - Ma’an – Israeli Defense Minister Ehud Barak imposed a blanket security closure on the West Bank that will begin on Tuesday night and extend until Friday. The closure reflects Israeli fears that a Palestinian group could attack during celebrations marking the sixtieth anniversary of Israel’s Declaration of Independence. So-called "humanitarian cases" will be allowed to enter Israel if they receive a special permit from one of the Coordination and Liaison offices in the West Bank. The closure applies mainly to the West Bank, as the Gaza Strip has been locked down, with virtually no one allowed to leave, since last June. [end] Israeli forces seize one Palestinian near Tulkarem Ma’an News Agency 5/6/2008 Tulkarem – Ma’an – An Israeliforce raided the northern West Bank district of Tulkarem on Tuesday morning and stopped Palestinian cars for inspection, according to a Ma’an reporter. No arrests have been reported. Meanwhile, Israeli forces stormed the northern West Bank town of Qafin in the Tulkarem district and apprehended one man after ransacking and inspecting several houses in the neighborhood. Resident Ahmad Az-Zibin was attacked and beaten by soldiers as his home was inspected, say eyewitnesses. [end] Palestinian fighters ’shell Sufa crossing’ Ma’an News Agency 5/6/2008 Gaza - Ma’an - The National Resistance Brigades, the armed wing of the Democratic Front for the Liberation of Palestine (DFLP) and the Al-Aqsa Martyrs Brigades, the armed wing of Fatah, claimed responsibility for launching homemade projectiles at Gaza’s Sufa crossing point on Tuesday. In a joint statement the fighters said "this shelling came in response to the Israeli attacks and affirmed the continuation of resistance." [end] Palestinian youth injured during clashes between PA forces and local gunmen near Jenin Ghassan Bannoura, International Middle East Media Center News 5/6/2008 Palestinian sources reported on Tuesday that one Palestinian youth was injured during clashes that took place in Qabatia town, near the northern West Bank city of Jenin. The clashes took place bwteen gunmen and Palesinian security forces. Security sources in Qabatia stated that as the Palestinian Authority forces were carrying a campaign targeting criminals and stolen cars, armed clashes took place between the forces and unknown gunmen. Ahmed Ikmeil, 20, was hit with a stray round. Medical sources told IMEMC that Ikmeil underwent a surgery and now lies in the IC room in a critical condition. On Sunday 600 security officers were deployed in the district of Jenin as part of a US supervised deal between the Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas and Israel. The those forces were deployed to restore law and order in the city, Palestinian Authority sources told media. more.. e-mail Qabatiya residents wounded in Palestinian infighting Ali Waked, YNetNews 5/6/2008 Exchanges of fire between PA security forcers, armed residents of West Bank town near Jenin leaves seven people injured - Seven Palestinian men were wounded Tuesday afternoon in exchanges of fire between Palestinian Authority security forces and residents of the West Bank town of Qabatiya, near Jenin. The officers arrived in the city as part of a new PA security plan in the Jenin area. A group of local residents, some of them armed and some affiliated with the Islamic Jihad, did not approve of the PA’s activity in the area and began hurling stones at the security officials, who fired back. One of the residents who sustained critical wounds is reportedly in a state of brain death. PA officials accused Islamic Jihad members of firing at the Palestinian security officers, but the organizations denied the claims. more.. e-mail Dead teacher was a Gaza bomb-maker Donald Macintyre in Jerusalem, The Independent 5/6/2008 The UN refugee organisation in Gaza reaffirmed yesterday its "zero tolerance policy" towards political and militant activities by staff after reports that a Palestinian teacher assassinated in an Israeli air attack was a rocket-maker. Reuters quoted unnamed Palestinian militants and Israeli intelligence sources as saying that Awad al-Qiq, 33, acting headmaster at the UNRWA-run Rafah Boys’ Preparatory School was by night secretly a rocket builder for Islamic Jihad. A handwritten note outside the school posted on the metal gate at the entrance to the school declared that the teacher, killed in an air strike last week, was "the chief leader of the engineering unit", who would now find "paradise". Christopher Gunness, a spokesman for the UN Relief and Works Agency, which employs more than 9,000 local staff in Gaza, said that the agency was regularly instructed not to engage in political or militant activities of any kind. more.. e-mail Al-Aqsa brigades claim clashes with Israeli forces east of Jabalia Ma’an News Agency 5/6/2008 Gaza - Ma’an - The Al-Aqsa Martyrs Brigades, the armed wing of Fatah, claimed its members clashed with undercover Israeli units that invaded east of Jabalia in the northern Gaza Strip on Monday night. The Brigades issued a statement saying "our fighters succeeded in countering the occupation army east of Jabalia where we engaged in heavy clashes between our fighters and an undercover Israeli unit in the area of the eastern cemetery." The Al-Aqsa Brigades affirmed that "this Israeli escalation in incursions, assassinations and arrests will not go without punishment." [end] Israeli army detains a Palestinian Police official, kidnap a civilian near Nablus Ghassan Bannoura, International Middle East Media Center News 5/6/2008 The Israeli troops manning the Beit Iba checkpoint, located west of the northern West Bank city of Nablus, detained a Palestinian Police official and assaulted another one on Tuesday. Majid Abed Al Lateef Al Qaddomi, a Palestinian policeman in Nablus, was going to his work when troops stopped him at the checkpoint and detained him from several hours, lieutenant Nidal Al Jarumy was with Al Qadomi, and troops beat him up before releasing them. Moreover, the Israeli attacked the village of Kufer Qalil located near Nablus, searched homes there and kidnapped one civilians. [end] Israeli forces seize Palestinian teenager from his home near Nablus Ma’an News Agency 5/6/2008 Nablus - Ma’an – Israeli forces seized a Palestinian youth from the West Bank village of Azmut, east of the city of Nablus, after breaking into his house before dawn on Tuesday. Palestinian security sources reported that the Israeli forces carried out an incursion in Azmut eastern of the city of Nablus at 3am local time Tuesday and arrested 19-year-old Saleh Ibrahim Samara. [end] Palestinian security forces ’arrest two Hamas members’ Ma’an News Agency 5/6/2008 Bethlehem – Ma’an – Palestinian security affiliated to the West Bank-based caretaker government seized two Hamas members on Monday night, Hamas claimed. Hamas said in a statement that the arrestees were from Tulkarem in the northern West Bank. [end] Palestine Today 050608 Ghassan Bannoura - Audio Dept, International Middle East Media Center News 5/6/2008 Click on Link to download or play MP3 file|| 3 m 0s || 2. 75 MB || Welcome to Palestine Today, a service of the International Middle East Media Centre, www. imemc. org, for Tuesday May 6th 2008. One Palestinian was killed by Israeli fire in Gaza, while in the West Bank Israeli soldiers detained a Palestinian official. These stories, and more, coming up. So stay tuned. News Cast Early on Tuesday, an Israeli air strike killed a Palestinian resistance fighter from Hamas and wounded another, when the car they were driving in northern Gaza Strip was hit with an Israeli missile. Medical sources in the northern Gaza Strip confirmed that Hesham Shomar, 23, was killed and Omar Hammad, 25, was wounded after sustaining critical injuries. Hammad’s limbs were amputated, medics added. Earlier this morning, Israeli tanks rolled near the eastern cemetery of Jabalya refugee camp, firing. . . more.. e-mail

Diplomacy..

Less-than-diplomatic welcome for Bush Efrat Weiss, YNetNews 5/6/2008 Ma’aleh Adumim Municipality sets caravan in disputed territory leading to Jerusalem. Mayor says move was coordinated with Defense Ministry - It’s safe to assume US President George W. Bush won’t be making a stop here during his visit to Israel next week. In a controversial move, the Ma’ale Adumim municipality decided to place a new caravan in the disputed E1 zone between the city and Jerusalem. Mayor Benny Kashriel confirmed on Monday morning that the caravan had been transported last night and told Ynet the city "acted in coordination with the Ministry of Defense." The move, said Kashriel, "is intended to stress the importance of the region to Jerusalem from a strategic-defensive standpoint, for the continuing development of Ma’ale Adumim." The municipality plans to hold a large reception in the area that will be open to the public on Independence Day. more.. e-mail PA official: No Israeli partner in light of latest Olmert probe Barak Ravid and Avi Issacharoff, Ha’aretz 5/7/2008 A senior Palestinian official told Haaretz on Tuesday that "as of now there is no Israeli partner for talks on a final status agreements in light of the continuing investigation against [Prime Minister Ehud] Olmert." The official said the Palestinian Authority understands that the most recent allegations against Olmert are more serious than those in years past, raising the likelihood that the negotiations would be frozen until the end of the judicial process." Our problem is that we also have no partner in Washington," the official said in reference to the American stance on the negotiations between the two sides. As such, the spokesman for Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas, Nabil Abu Rudeina, released a statement Tuesday which, while acknowledging the progress made during Olmert and Abbas’ meeting on Monday over the issue of borders, cautioned that the gaps remain considerable. more.. e-mail PA: Peace talks may be waste of time Ali Waked, YNetNews 5/6/2008 Palestinian officials concerned that new affair faced by Olmert will prevent Israel from moving forward on diplomatic front; Peace efforts undertaken at this time may be useless, senior PA official tells Ynet - The Palestinian angle on the Olmert affair: Palestinian Authority officials are concerned that the new suspicions against Prime Minister Ehud Olmert will affect his ability to make progress in Israeli-Palestinian peace talks, PA sources said Tuesday. A senior Palestinian source told Ynet: "We are concerned that everything that happens now between Israel and us will be useless and a waste of time. According to this source, the PA was surprised to hear Olmert’s Office reporting progress in talks on the issue of borders. The senior source said that after reports on the new Olmert affair surfaced, the PA assumed the Israeli PM was trying to maintain a "business as usual" facade even while facing an investigation." � more.. e-mail Barak: Probe will not affect Olmert’s political decisions Mazal Mualem, Ha’aretz 5/7/2008 Defense Minister Ehud Barak on Tuesday asserted that the latest criminal probeinto Prime Minister Ehud Olmert would not affect his political moves, as well stating that he hoped there was no foundation to suspicions against him." We are all against corruption. I trust the law [enforcement] authorities and the police. I do not imagine that Olmert is influenced by the investigations carried out against him when he makes critical political decisions," the defense minister said. Olmert is currently the subject of a new criminal investigation, the details of which cannot be published due to a sweeping gag order placed Friday on the case. Barak said Olmert consults with him and with Foreign Minister Tzipi Livni when making political decisions. Meanwhile, Kadima Minister Yaakov Edri on Tuesday told Israel Radio that. . . more.. e-mail Shaka’a: The Palestinian goals are achieved through resistance and steadfastness Palestinian Information Center 5/6/2008 COPENHAGEN, (PIC)-- Bassam Al-Shaka’a, the head of the Palestinian national conference, stated in a letter written to the sixth Palestinians of Europe conference held in Copenhagen that the Palestinian people can achieve their national goals through resistance, steadfastness and adherence to the Palestinian rights and constants. In his letter, Shaka’a criticized the course of peace process, saying that Oslo agreements turned the occupying force from an enemy usurping Palestinian lands in 1948 into a state in conflict over occupied lands.   He also warned that dividing the Palestinian cause into disputed issues would deviate the national demands from the correct course and make them subject to the approval of the Israeli occupation. The Palestinian leader underlined that the demands of the Israeli occupation are illegitimate because in its capacity as an aggressor, it must renounce. . . more.. e-mail Canadian postal workers back boycott, sanctions against Israel Palestine News Network 5/6/2008 Reprinted from: Toronto / Sheri Shefa for The Canadian Jewish News— Anti-Israel groups are praising the Canadian Union of Postal Workers (CUPW) for being the first national union in North America to pass a resolution in support of the boycott, divestment and sanctions campaign against Israel. The Coalition Against Israeli Apartheid (CAIA) released a statement after CUPW’s 23rd triennial convention, held April 13 to 17 in Ottawa, that praised the union for passing a "historic resolution’ in support of the global campaign of boycotts, divestment and sanctions against Israeli apartheid." The CAIA says it’s the first time in North American history that a national union has passed such a resolution against Israel." The resolution recognizes Israel as an apartheid state and expresses CUPW’s support for boycott and divestment from Israel. more.. e-mail Israeli government goes against roadmap agreement; approves Modi’in Illit settlement Saed Bannoura, International Middle East Media Center News 5/6/2008 A committee of the Israeli Ministry of the Interior ruled Monday that the illegal Israeli settlement of Modi’in Illit should be granted legal status, despite the construction of unauthorized expansions by its governing council. All Israeli settlements in the occupied West Bank are considered illegal under international law, as Israel, as the occupying power, is not permitted to transfer its civilian population onto land occupied by military force. But the Israeli government has continued to authorize certain settlements, while declaring others illegal. It is unclear what criteria are used by the Israeli government to make this determination. The Israeli government uses an obscure reference in Jordanian law to justify the construction of new settlements in the occupied West Bank, although Jordan has not governed the West Bank since 1967. more.. e-mail J’lem source: Rice seeks Israel, PA memo this week Barak Ravid and Avi Issacharoff, Ha’aretz 5/7/2008 Israel and the Palestinian Authority are both unhappy over a request by U. S. Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice that they publish a memorandum of understanding on the progress of their final-status negotiations to date before U. S. President George Bush arrives on a visit next week. According to a government source, Rice wants such a document to make it clear to the international community that the negotiations are indeed progressing. Prime Minister Ehud Olmert and PA President Mahmoud Abbas held another meeting yesterday, following which the government source said "there has been great progress on the issue of the borders of the Palestinian state." He said there had also been considerable progress on the issue of security arrangements. But Rice told Israeli officials during her recent visit to the region that even though both sides had reported progress, "the world doesn’t believe it. more.. e-mail US Secret Service tours Knesset ahead of Bush visit Amnon Meranda, YNetNews 5/6/2008 Agents ’raid’ Israeli parliament one week before US president’s festive visit in celebration of Israel’s 60th anniversary - Americans raid Knesset: About one week before US President George W. Bush’s planned visit to Israel, some 30 Secret Service agents arrived in Israel in recent days to tour the Knesset and inspect the Israeli parliament’s security arrangements. Bush is expected to land in Israel on May 15 for a festive visit in celebration of the Jewish state’s 60th anniversary. In a meeting held with recently with Avi Balashnikov, the Knesset’s director-general, the Americans demanded that a special fence be built around the Knesset in order to prevent eye contact between Bush and external elements. The American agents "studied" the Knesset perfectly, examined all the building’s entrances and exits, and passed through the route which President Bush is expected to take during his visit several times. more.. e-mail Hamdan: Bush’s coming visit would bring new political disasters to the region Palestinian Information Center 5/6/2008 BEIRUT, (PIC)-- Osama Hamdan, the Hamas representative in Lebanon, warned of the implications of the upcoming visit of US president George Bush, especially with the imminent expiration of his term in office, saying that this visit might bring new political disasters to the region that would be difficult to escape from. Hamdan opined that Bush’s visit would not bring any good to the region because it never happened that his administration did something in the interest of the region. The Hamas leader added that Bush would surprise everyone when he gets his embassy moved from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem and put forward a clear commitment to Israel as a Jewish state which means the closing of the file of refugees’ return and the deportation of remaining Palestinians in the Palestinian lands occupied in 1948. For its part, the popular front for the liberation of Palestine described Abbas’s. . . more.. e-mail Israel to shut West Bank-Jordan border crossing Ma’an News Agency 5/6/2008 Jericho - Ma’an – Palestinian officials in the public administration of border crossings reported on Tuesday that the Allenby Bridge between Jordan and Palestine will be closed beginning at 1pm on Wednesday afternoon due to the Israeli holidays. The crossing will reopen on Thursday, the officials said. Israel controls all of the border crossings in and out of the occupied Palestinian territories, including those, like the Allenby Bridge, that connect Palestine with other Arab countries. [end] Urgent progress needed in key areas to further Middle East peace – Ban Ki-moon United Nations News Service, ReliefWeb 5/5/2008 On the heels of the recent London meeting of the Middle East diplomatic Quartet, Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon today stressed the United Nations’ commitment to achieving peace in the region and highlighted the steps needed for progress towards that end. ’Israel must halt settlement building in the West Bank. The Palestinian Authority must fulfil its commitment to fight terrorism. The rocket attacks on Israel must stop. The humanitarian suffering in Gaza must end,’ he told reporters in New York. On 2 May, Mr. Ban chaired a meeting of the Quartet, comprising the UN, the European Union, Russia and the United States. ’We agreed that there must be urgent progress, if there’s to be any reasonable prospect of building a Palestinian State living side by side with Israel in peace and security,’ he noted. In a statement issued on Friday, the Quartet expressed its strong support. . . more.. e-mail Lives of millions of Palestinians would be worse off without refugee agency, says Secretary-General at exhibit to welcome ’Friends of UNRWA’ Association United Nations Secretary-General, ReliefWeb 5/6/2008 Following is the text of UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon’s remarks at the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East (UNRWA) event marking the opening of the exhibition and welcoming Friends of UNRWA, in New York, yesterday, 5 May: It is a pleasure to join so many friends and supporters of the United Nations Relief and Works Agency [UNRWA] this evening, and to inaugurate a collection of photographs that will surely register deeply with everyone who looks at them. On my way here, I had the opportunity to view the full exhibition that UNRWA has mounted in the lobby of the Secretariat building. I was deeply moved by the images of the day-to-day life of Palestinian refugee children -- sleeping, at play or in school. It is difficult to look at a frightened, tearful child and not be affected; or to have trouble. . . more.. e-mail Activities of Secretary-General in United Kingdom, 1-2 May United Nations Secretary-General, ReliefWeb 5/5/2008 Ban Ki-moon flew to London from Geneva on Thursday, 1 May, to chair a meeting of the principals of the Middle East Quartet on Friday. The Quartet met in Lancaster House in London to discuss the situation in the Middle East. They were joined by Quartet Representative Tony Blair. After the meeting, a Quartet statement was read out Friday morning by Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon at the beginning of a joint press conference with United States Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice; Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov; Dimitrij Rupel, Minister for Foreign Affairs of Slovenia and current European Union President; Javier Solana, High Representative for European Foreign and Security Policy; Benita Ferrero-Waldner, European Union Commissioner for External Relations; and Representative Blair. (See Press Release SG/2137) The Quartet expressed its strong support for ongoing. . . more.. e-mail Egypt braces for new Gaza influx Adam Morrow and Khaled Moussa al-Omrani, Electronic Intifada 5/6/2008 CAIRO, 6 May (IPS) - With next-door Gaza Strip in a humanitarian crisis, the government is desperate to avoid a repeat of January’s Palestinian influx into the Sinai Peninsula. In recent weeks, the security presence along Egypt’s 14-kilometer border with the hapless territory has been significantly reinforced. "The authorities are still in the process of boosting the police presence and enhancing security along the border," Hatem al-Buluk, independent journalist and resident of al-Arish, located some 40 kilometers west of the border, told IPS. Since last June, when authority over the Gaza Strip was seized by Palestinian resistance faction Hamas (after it won the elections here in 2006), the territory has been subject to a crippling Israeli embargo. Backed by both the US and the EU, the siege has effectively deprived Gaza’s roughly 1. more.. e-mail Hamas government says Israeli-Palestinian talks ’aimless and useless’ Rami Almeghari & Agencies, International Middle East Media Center News 5/6/2008 The de-facto Hamas government in Gaza described yesterday the latest Palestinian-Israeli peace talks as ’ aimless and useless’. Taher aL-Nuno, spokesman of the government, said in a statement, faxed to press yesterday night that ’such meetings aim at concluding a communiqué that goes consistent with the Israeli expansionist plans" Al-Nuno asserted on what he termed ’Israeli denial’ of the Palestinian people’s right to return to the historical homeland of Palestine by expanding settlements and tightening the siege on Gaza as well as building an Apartheid Wall in the West Bank. He also appealed to all concerned bodies to intervene immediately to end the ongoing Israeli blockade of Gaza, stressing that any Israeli military offensive on Gaza won’t be a ’picnic. Yesterday, a series of negotiations between Palestinian and Israeli officials were held under the auspices of U. more.. e-mail EU ambassador: The siege on Gaza failed in achieving its goals Palestinian Information Center 5/6/2008 OCCUPIED JERUSALEM, (PIC)- The EU ambassador to the Israeli occupation government Ramiro Cibrian Uzal asserted on Monday that the Israeli economic blockade on Gaza that was backed by the USA and the EU has failed in achieving it goals. In press statements he made in the occupied Palestinian city of Jerusalem and published on Monday, Uzal said that the international community’s policy against Gaza Strip has failed in inciting the Palestinian public against Hamas Movement. Uzal also stressed that the EU should rethink its policy on Gaza Strip, adding that all Gaza exits must be opened before goods and humanitarian aid. He also stressed that demands of the Quartet Committee imposed on Hamas Movement as conditions to open the crossing points and to end the 38-month old economic blockade, including the. . . more.. e-mail Some 2,500 emigrants return to Israel Itamar Eichner, YNetNews 5/6/2008 Absorption Ministry’s campaign to bring Israelis back results in record-breaking numbers - The Absorption Ministry campaign to return emigrantsto Israel ahead of the country’s 60th anniversary has been a great success so far. Since the campaign’s onset, 2,500 people have returned to Israel, the highest number to date. Another 4,500 people are in the process of returning. In November of 2007, the ministry launched a campaign in an attempt to bring Israelis back to the country. The initiative was launched in correlation with the country’s 60th anniversary celebrations, and those who return will be granted various perquisites. Amongst the benefits are discounts on flights and on the shipment of belongings, a reduction on income tax in the countries from which they came, health insurance, Hebrew lessons, assistance in job placements, business. . . more.. e-mail Iran rejects nuclear inspections unless Israel allows them Middle East Online 5/6/2008 GENEVA - An Iranian envoy said Monday his government will not submit to extensive nuclear inspections while Israel stays outside the global treaty to curb the spread of atomic weapons. "The existing double standard shall not be tolerated anymore by non-nuclear-weapon states," Ambassador Ali Asghar Soltanieh told a meeting of the 190 countries that have signed the Nuclear Nonproliferation Treaty. Nuclear safeguards are far from universal, he said, adding that more than 30 countries are still without a comprehensive safeguard agreement with the International Atomic Energy Agency to ensure full cooperation with that UN body. "Israel, with huge nuclear weapons activities, has not concluded" such an agreement or submitted its facilities to the IAEA’s safeguards, Soltanieh said. Israel, widely believed to have atomic weapons, did not sign the nonproliferation treaty, which requires. . . more.. e-mail Row over Hezbollah telecoms grid Al Jazeera 5/6/2008 Lebanon’s government is to take legal action against a private communication network established in the country by Hezbollah, the Shia political organisation and armed group. Ghazi al-Aridi, Lebanon’s information minister, said on Tuesday that the cabinet has decided to pursue all those considered to be involved in the communication network." Since it is illegal and constitutes a threat to the government’s sovereignty and its public properties, we will take legal action and prosecute anyone proven to be involved - either individuals, groups organisations or companies," he said. Lebanon’s ruling bloc has been locked in a political battle with the Hezbollah-led opposition for the last 16 months. Hezbollah has admitted that it possesses its own communication network, but has refused to heed government calls to dismantle it. more.. e-mail Foreign Ministry sending first aid package to Myanmar Barak Ravid and The Associated Press, Ha’aretz 5/7/2008 The Foreign Ministry is sending $100,000 in initial emergency food and medical supplies to survivors of the deadly cyclone that battered Myanmar over the weekend. The aid is being sent in coordination with the American Jewish Joint Distribution Committee. The ministry is planning to organize a larger aid shipment in the next few days, and is helping the members of aid teams for several Israeli non-governmental organizations obtain visas to enter Myanmar. In addition, the ministry has made contact with eight of the estimated 10 Israelis who were in Myanmar when the cyclone hit. It is still trying to reach the other two, but says its inability to do so is likely due to the collapse of Myanmar telephone lines, and the erratic functioning of the Israel Embassy caused by the difficulties posed by the natural disaster. more.. e-mail Israeli President: Nuclear Iran would be ’nightmare’; Israel must remain sole Mideast nuclear power Saed Bannoura, International Middle East Media Center News 5/6/2008 The Israeli President, Shimon Peres, stated Monday that "Iran is a danger not only for Israel but also for the rest of the world", adding that if Iran were to get a nuclear weapon, it would be a "nightmare". In his talk, he tacitly acknowledged that Israel is a nuclear power - something that was long denied by the Israeli state, but has recently been discreetly mentioned by Israeli leaders on a number of occasions. Peres has long been called the ’father of Israel’s bomb’, having obtained help from the French government in the 1950s to build Israel’s nuclear reactor at Dimona. Since building the reactor, the Israeli government has maintained a policy of "nuclear ambiguity" and has never signed the nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty. Most estimates put the number of nuclear bombs in Israel’s arsenal at about 100, which would make it the sixth-largest nuclear power in the world, if it. . . more.. e-mail Hamas: The talk about progress in PA-Israeli negotiations is a new trick Palestinian Information Center 5/6/2008 GAZA, (PIC)-- The Hamas Movement stated Tuesday that the talk about progress in PA-Israeli negotiations is a new trick to mislead the Palestinian and international public opinion, adding that such rumors were issued at the request of US secretary of state Condoleezza Rice to serve as face saving for the American Administration. In a press statement received by the PIC, Fawzi Barhoum, a Hamas spokesman, explained that this trick is used after the disclosure of the false promises made by US president George Bush to PA chief Mahmoud Abbas in Annapolis and during their last meeting. Barhoum said that the talk about such progress is also aimed to cover up for the state of bankruptcy that afflicted Abbas and his negotiators after thirty negotiation sessions without being able to convince Israelis to remove one barrier hindering the movement of Palestinians in the West Bank. more.. e-mail EU contributes 35.5 million euros to pay salaries and pensions of 74,000 Palestinian civil servants Palestine News Network 5/6/2008 East Jerusalem / Alix de Mauny - 74,000 Palestinian public service providers and pensioners will receive on Tuesday a total of €35. 5 million (NIS 195 million), which is being disbursed through the European mechanism for support to the Palestinians, PEGASE. The EU’s PEGASE contribution will be added to this month’s payment of salaries and pensions by the Palestinian Ministry of Finance, thus helping to ensure the continued delivery of essential public services. Responding to a specific request for increased support by the Palestinian Authority, this month’s contribution is higher than in previous months. This higher amount is made possible thanks to additional contributions from Spain and Slovenia, as well as funds from the European Commission. PEGASE channels EU and international assistance to help build a Palestinian State. more.. e-mail Fifth alternative Memorial Day ceremony held in Jerusalem Nadav Shragai, Ha’aretz 5/7/2008 The ’Zochrim’ (remembering) organization held its fifth alternative Memorial Day ceremony Tuesday evening at the Binyanei Hauma convention center in Jerusalem. The ceremony was attended by Jerusalem Mayor Uri Lupolianski, former chief rabbi Yisrael Meir Lau and Jewish Agency Chairman Ze’ev Bielski. The central guest of honor at the ceremony was Amal Nasraledin, who’s son was killed in combat in 1969. Nasraledin spoke about ’blood pact’ forged between Israel’s Jews and Druze in 1948. Other guests of honor includedNadia Cohen, widow of Mossad agent Eli Cohen. Speaking at the ceremony, Cohen called on the Turkish government, the Mossad and Prime Minister Ehud Olmert to do all they can to bring her husband’s bones from Syria to burial in Israel. Cohen noted that Turkey is involved in mediation between Israel and Syria, and can therefore be instrumental in retrieving her husband’s remains. more.. e-mail OPT: Sharjah government offers Dh10 million for Palestinian children Government of the United Arab Emirates, ReliefWeb 5/6/2008 The Government of Sharjah pledged Monday Dh10 million in support of the ’Peace for Palestinian Children’ campaign. The government acted upon instructions by His Highness Dr Sheikh Sultan bin Mohammed Al Qasimi, UAE Supreme Council member and ruler of Sharjah as part of a fund-raising drive championed by Sheikha Jawaher Al Qasimi, wife of the Ruler and Chairperson of the Supreme Family Council, to support the Palestinian children. A telethon by Sharjah TV has raised Dh63 million and today’s donation brought the total money so far raised to Dh73 million. The campaign was launched on April 12 and will run until the end of the month. Sheikh Sultan appealed to firms, companies and individuals (nationals, residents and visitors) to donate money to the charity campaign. ’Donation will contribute to alleviate suffering of Palestinian children,’ he said. more.. e-mail

Human Rights..

Water crisis looming in Gaza due to Israeli blockade Ma’an News Agency 5/6/2008 Gaza – Ma’an – About 70% of families living in the Gaza Strip receive water once every five days, and 30% have access to water only once every week, says Rami Abdu the spokesperson of the Popular Committee for Countering the Siege on the Gaza Strip. In addition, the drinking water in Gaza has become unsafe. Abdu said that 65% of the water network in Gaza is unable to operate normally to Israel’s blockade of the Strip. He explained that due to the continuous closure of border crossings, the municipal councils of the Gaza Strip have been unable to import spare parts for water and sewage pumps and water treatment plants. In addition, the water network and sewage treatment system requires 150,000 liters of diesel fuel a month to operate, and has received far less than that amount due to the Israeli blockade. Officials with the Gaza Coastal Municipalities Water Utility say that due. . . more.. e-mail Child Suffering from Brain Cancer Dies without Treatment in Gaza Because of Israeli Siege Palestine Monitor 5/6/2008 Two Palestinian Women also succumb to lack of treatment bringing the number of Gazan patients to die because of the siege to 145 - Ramallah, 06/05/2008: Thirteen-year-old Asmahan Al Jamal became the 145th patient to fall victim to Israel’s crippling siege on the Gaza Strip yesterday. The teenager died of brain cancer after Israeli military authorities refused to grant her an exit permit to access advanced medical treatment unavailable in Gaza itself." This is the true face of the Israeli government’s siege on Gaza," said Dr. Mustafa Barghouthi MP, Secretary General of the Palestinian National Initiative." One that masquerades as a security measure, but that plumbs such depths of inhumanity that even a chronically ill child is left to die without medical treatment readily available outside of the Strip." Two women from the Al Maghazi refugee camp in central Gaza also died on Monday: Zakyiah Sa’dah, 59, who was suffering from a heart condition, and Nathmiah Abdah, 55, a cancer patient. more.. e-mail West Bank closed, no movement into Israeli boundaries Palestine News Network 5/6/2008 Jerusalem / PNN -- The Israeli government has cordoned off the West Bank and imposed increased security within it until Friday. Beginning last night, moving in the West Bank has become even more difficult than usual for Palestinians. Israeli Army Radio reported on Tuesday that the imposition of the stranglehold was ordered by Israeli Defense Minister Ehud Barak. Tomorrow is the memorial of those killed in war, in addition to the celebrations beginning for 60 years since the creation of the state. Inside Israeli boundaries are completely off-limits, excepting those with permissions for medical conditions. Israeli forces have also claimed that the closure and difficulty of movement within the West Bank comes after receiving warnings that various armed resistance groups are planning attacks. The presence of Israeli soldiers and police is up everywhere, checkpoints. . . more.. e-mail Palestinian Author confined under administrative detention Saed Bannoura, International Middle East Media Center News 5/6/2008 The Ofer Israeli military sentenced a Palestinian writer from Al Yamoun village, near the northern West Bank city of Jenin, to six months under administrative detention without any charges. The Ahrar Center for Detainees’ Studiesreported that the prison administration responded to a request by the prosecution to keep author Ibrahim Abu Al Haija under administrative detention as "he resembles danger to the Israeli public", according to the prosecution. The judge then decided to sentence Abu Al Haija to six months under administrative detention orders. The lawyer of Abu Al Haija demanded the court to reveal the "secret file" against his client and stated that the detainee and his lawyer have the right to know on what basis the detainees is being imprisoned. Israel inherited the administrative detention from the British Mandate. more.. e-mail No prison visits for Palestinians until further notice Palestine News Network 5/6/2008 Jenin / Ali Samoudi - An official at the International Red Cross reported Tuesday that the Israeli authorities decided to suspend all visits to Palestinians in Israeli prisons and detention centers. This is includes those who have been sentenced with ’secret evidence’ in military courts, as well as the hundreds being held without charge or trial under ’Administrative Detention’ and children. The Israeli authorities and the prison administration informed the Red Cross that the suspension of all visits begins today and is in effect until further notice. [end] Ten thousand new family reunifications approved by Israel Ma’an News Agency 5/6/2008 Ramallah - Ma’an - Israeli authorities approved a portion of the list of Palestinian refugees seeking to be reunified with their families living in the Palestinian territories, according to Hussein Ash-Sheikh, the head of the Palestinian Authority’s Civil Liaison Department on Tuesday. The list includes the names of ten thousand individuals who are currently living as refugees in countries such as Lebanon and Jordan and are seeking to return to the Palestinian territories in order to be reunited with their families. Other families on the list are already living in the Palestinian territories, but don’t have legal status. Many of these families could be deported if they were found without a national identity card. The individuals on the list are seeking a Palestinian national identification number, which will allow them to reside legally inside the Palestinian territories. more.. e-mail Court orders state to explain why citizenship law won’t be reversed Tomer Zarchin, Ha’aretz 5/7/2008 The High Court of Justice issued an order Tuesday requiring the state to explain within 60 days why it refuses to overturn the citizenship law, which prevents Palestinians married to Israeli Arabs from gaining Israeli citizenship. The petition on the matter was submitted by the Association for Civil Rights in Israel, the Adalah Legal Center for Arab Minority Rights in Israel, and several individuals who were personally penalized by the law. Among the petitioners was also Meretz MK Zahava Gal-On. The state of Israel generally grants citizenship to spouses of Israelis in a gradual process. In the spirit of this process, a similar process was instituted for the naturalization of spouses of permanent residents, though the process is a little longer. A 2002 temporary order excluded Palestinian spouses from these processes and barred them from becoming Israeli citizens. more.. e-mail World Likud chief calls for cancellation of Nakba Day procession Yoav Stern, Ha’aretz 5/7/2008 Danny Danon, the chairman of World Likud, appealed to Public Security Minister Avi Dichter on Tuesday to issue a ban on the "Nakba Day" procession to be held by Israeli Arabs on Independence Day. In a press release distributed to the news media on Tuesday, Danon said the purpose of the march is "to oppose and incite against the state." "This is a deliberate and subversive challenge of the Arab Israeli leadership against the existence of the State of Israel," Danon said. Should Dichter fail to heed Danon’s call, the World Likud chair said he intends to appeal to the district court. He also demanded the authorities arrest any Arab leader quoted as inciting against the state and its institutions, as well as anyone seen brandishing the flag of an enemy state or a terrorist organization. more.. e-mail Israeli siege contaminates potable water in Gaza Strip Palestinian Information Center 5/6/2008 GAZA, [PIC]-- The spokesperson of the Gaza-based anti-siege popular committee Rami Abdo has warned on Tuesday that the Israeli blockade on Gaza Strip caused a sharp decrease in drinking water, putting lives of the 1. 5 million Gazans at risk. In a statement he issued in Gaza city and a copy of which was obtained by the PIC, Abdo asserted that almost 70% of the Palestinian families in the tiny Strip were receiving potable water once every five days as a result of the siege, warning that the Israeli sanctions on Gaza had also affected maintenance of water networks and treatment of waste water." Keeping up the pressure on Gaza and maintaining closure of its crossing points would lead to an inevitable environmental disaster as a result of contamination" Abdo stressed, explaining that efficiency of the water networks in the Strip had declined by more than 65%. more.. e-mail ISRAEL-OPT: Gaza fuel, cooking gas shortages beginning to bite Wissam Nassar/IRIN, IRIN - UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs 5/6/2008 Without any fuel for vehicles, some Gaza residents have resorted to using donkeys to get around - JERUSALEM/GAZA, 6 May 2008 (IRIN) - Intense political divisions in the Gaza Strip have split people on most issues, except one: the situation has never been worse, nearly everyone agrees. " I never remember Gaza being this bad," said one man in his early 40s. " Living here has become a game of survival. " With fuel supplies nearly dry, many people no longer have cooking gas in their homes, leading some to search for alternative methods to make a meal. " People now are starting to look through the garbage to find combustibles," a Gazan who works for a large international aid organisation told IRIN. " Even my colleagues have begun to search the garbage bins or the sides of the roads to find wood and plastics to burn so they can cook their food at night," he said, requesting anonymity so as to not embarrass his friends. more.. e-mail Palestinian female detainee sentenced to six years imprisonment IMEMC News, International Middle East Media Center News 5/6/2008 The Israeli Central Court in Jerusalem sentenced on Tuesday detainee Nada Idrees, from Al Esawiyya town near Jerusalem, to six years imprisonment. Lawyer of the Palestinian Prisoner Society reported that Idrees was kidnapped by the army more than two years ago. The Israeli prosecution said that Idrees participated in resistance activities against the occupation. [end] Newly supplied with fuel, UNRWA resumes services in Gaza Ma’an News Agency 5/6/2008 Gaza - Ma’an – The United Nations’ relief agency for Palestinian refugees, UNRWA, will resume operating in the Gaza Strip on Tuesday after receiving a delivery of 28,000 liters of gasoline (benzene) and 95,000 liters of diesel, UNRWA spokesperson Adnan Abu Hasna said. UNRWA suspended delivery of food aid and other essential services on Monday due to a shortage of fuel. The organization had only been operating normally since last Tuesday after a four-day shutdown also caused by the fuel shortage in Gaza. 650,000 Palestinian refugees in Gaza depend on UNRWA food aid. Abu Hasna said UNRWA received 55,000 liters of diesel last week and did not received benzene for automobiles. The Gaza Strip has been desperately short of fuel as a result of months of Israeli fuel sanctions. Israel closed Gaza’s only crossing point for liquid fuels for a period in April after Palestinian fighters attacked the crossing. more.. e-mail Egyptian police kill Nigerian trying to cross into Israel The Associated Press, Ha’aretz 5/6/2008 Security and medical officials say Egyptian police have shot and killed a Nigerian man who was trying to cross illegally into Israel. The security official says the guards also shot three Sudanese men and one woman who were also trying to sneak into Israel on Tuesday, but they were not killed. He spoke on condition of anonymity because he was not authorized to talk to the media. Imad Kharboush of El-Arish Hospital says the four Sudanese have bullet wounds, and one additional Sudanese woman who was also arrested has superficial scratches. The security official says the five Sudanese were trying to cross into Israel south of the Rafah crossing, while the Nigerian was attempting to sneak into the country even further south. All were seeking jobs in Israel. more.. e-mail Three Palestinians released from administrative detention Ma’an News Agency 5/6/2008 Nablus - Ma’an – Israeli authorities released three Palestinian prisoners who had been held in without being charged with any crime on Monday, the Nafha society for the defense of prisoners’ rights said. The three newly-released detainees were Jenin resident Lu’ai Muhammad A’rqawi, held since 5 March, Nablus resident , Tayel As’ad Ibrahim, held since 4 January, and Mujahid Saleh Noufel, detained since January 2007. The Nafha society said that Israel as remanded 50 Palestinians to administrative detention since the beginning of the month. Under administrative detention, prisoners can be held without charge or trial virtually indefinitely. There are currently more than 11,000 Palestinians in Israeli jails and prisons. more.. e-mail 93 Palestinians, including 9 children siezed by Israeli forces in Hebron district in April Ma’an News Agency 5/6/2008 Hebron - Ma’an - A report issued by the Hebron branch of the prisoners’ society on Tuesday revealed that 93 Palestinians were arrested, including nine children, in the West Bank district of Hebron during the month of April. The report said that "the number of the arrestees from the Hebron district during April amounted to more than 93 civilians from the village of Bani Na’eem, Al-Fawar refugee camp, the city of Hebron, Beit Ummar, Dura, Al-A’rub, including 24 school children and university students. The Israeli soldiers have been targeting the students. Since the beginning of 2008, 110 schoolchildren and university students have been seized." The report said that by arresting children the Israeli authorities had violated international human rights law. The society also stated that "these arrests were accompanied by intentionally ransacking the contents of homes. more.. e-mail First case of death among the cancer patients who were denied permission to enter Israel in April by the Israel Security Agency Physicians for Human Rights - Israel, Palestine Monitor 5/6/2008 Mohammed Alhurani, a 33-year old resident of Gaza, died yesterday afternoon (Wednesday 30 April 2008) of cancer while waiting for a reply from the Israel General Security Service (GSS) to a request from PHR-Israel. Alhurani was diagnosed in February 2008 as suffering from a malign tumor in the brain. His condition caused severe disturbance of vision. In the past two weeks his conditions deteriorated significantly and he began to suffer from uncontrollable fits and seizures in all parts of the body. PHR-Israel contacted the Gaza District Coordination Office on 7 April 2008 regarding Mr. Alhurani’s condition, attaching a medical opinion from Dr. Alsalam Aghbariya, an oncology specialist at Rambam Hospital in Haifa. Dr. Aghbariya stated categorically that Mr. Alhurani would died within a matter of days or weeks if he did not receive treatment. more.. e-mail Bedouin soldiers: Israel shuns us Yonat Atlas, YNetNews 5/6/2008 On Remembrance Day, Bedouin commun