| News Archive 3/10/2009 |  |
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| Conflict |
Three Gazans injured as Israeli navy fires on a car
Ma’an News Agency 3/10/2009
Gaza – Ma’an – Three Palestinians were when Israeli warships fired on a car driving near the beach at the As-Sudaniya neighborhood northwest of Gaza City on Tuesday evening. According to Muawiya Hassanein, director of Ambulance and Emergency Services in the Palestinian Health Ministry, medics evacuated three moderately-injured people to Ash-Shifa Hospital in Gaza City. The Israeli military says that it launched an airstrike on three men who fired a homemade projectile into Israeli territory in the western Negev desert. Minutes later another projectile landed in the area, the military said. A military spokesperson said she was not aware of naval forces firing on the Gaza Strip. more.. e-mail
Israeli aircraft strike Gaza rocket squad, wounding three
Ha’aretz 3/10/2009
The Israel Defense Forces says its aircraft hit a Palestinian rocket squad in Gaza just after the militants fired rockets at Israel. Palestinian security says three people were wounded. The airstrike took place in northern Gaza, the most frequent launching area for rockets. Militants fired four rockets at Israel on Tuesday, the IDF said. There were no reports of damage or casualties. Since Israel called off its offensive in Gaza in late January, and the Islamic Hamas rulers of Gaza also declared a cease-fire, more than 100 rockets have been fired at Israel, according to the IDF. Israel routinely retaliates by bombing smuggling tunnels along the Gaza-Egypt border and targeting Hamas weapons stores. Airstrikes at militants are less frequent. Related articles:Four rockets hit Negev as IAF bombs Gaza targets. . . more.. e-mail
Israeli forces detain 10 across West Bank, raid Tubas and Jenin
Ma’an News Agency 3/10/2009
Jenin – Ma’an – Israeli forces detained ten Palestinian civilians across the West Bank at dawn on Tuesday, security sources said. Meanwhile, Israeli forces stormed areas in the Tubas and Jenin governorates. Israeli patrols raided Tubas city, Al-Far’a Refugee Camp south of Tubas, Rummana and At-Taiba, west of Jenin city, and other areas around it. No arrests were immediately reported in those areas. There were other reports of Israeli forces patrolling streets and neighborhoods at the northern entrance of Tubas, where forces opened fire and erected a military checkpoint. On Monday morning, Israeli forces detained two Palestinians from the northern West Bank villages of Fahma and Iqaba. Thirty-year-old Iyad Nawasra, from the village of Fahma, was taken at the military checkpoint of Barta’a south west of Jenin as he was passing through to go to work. more.. e-mail
Israeli Army kidnaps seven Palestinians from different parts of the West Bank
Ghassan Bannoura & Agencies, International Middle East Media Center News 3/10/2009
Seven Palestinian civilians were reported kidnapped by the Israeli military during pre-dawn invasions, targeting several areas of the West Bank on Tuesday. Israeli troops stormed and searched homes in Tulkarem city in the northern West Bank and kidnapped four civilians, local sources reported. Meanwhile, three residents were kidnapped when Israeli soldiers invaded the city of Ramallah in the central West Bank, and nearby villages, local sources said. All seven were taken to unknown detention facilities, the sources added. In related news, local sources in Bethlehem city in the southern West Bank said that Israeli soldiers invaded the city and surrounded the home of Mohamed and Ra’ed Fararjah. The family said that troops left them an order for an interview with the Israeli secret police at a nearby military camp. more.. e-mail
Two more hospital patients die in Gaza
Ghassan Bannoura & Agencies, International Middle East Media Center News 3/10/2009
Two Palestinian men were reported dead on Tuesday after the Israeli Army refused to allow them to leave Gaza for medical treatment. The Palestinian Ministry of health in Gaza announced that Samier Abu al-Naja, age 21, was injured by white phosphorous shells used by Israel during her military operation "Cast Lead", which began on December 27th and lasted 22 days. Meanwhile, doctors reported that Ibraheem Abu Idheer, age 76, needed medcial care outside of Gaza. His family had prepared all documents needed, but the Israeli Army still refused to let him leave; he died today. With the deaths of al-Naja and Idheer, the number of Palestinian patients who have died as a result of the 21 month-long siege on Gaza has reached 300, the Palestinian Ministry of health in Gaza reported. Two Palestinian patients from Gaza were pronounced dead at Egyptian hospitals, Palestinian medical sources reported on Monday. more.. e-mail
Israel Imposes West Bank Closure During Festival
The Associated Press, MIFTAH 3/10/2009
The Israeli military has imposed a three-day closure on the West Bank, banning Palestinians from entering Israel during a Jewish festival. The military says the closure began early Monday and will last through the Purim holiday, ending at midnight Wednesday. The military says exceptions will be made for Palestinians needing urgent medical care and in other humanitarian cases. Israel’s military considers Jewish festivals likely times for Palestinian attacks and regularly imposes such closures. In the past there have been several deadly bombings targeting Israelis on the Purim festival. In 1994, a Jewish settler killed 29 Palestinians in a Hebron mosque during the holiday. Source: , 9 March. more.. e-mail
Al-Mujahidin Brigades: Israeli jeep blasted with RPG in Beit Hanoun
Ma’an News Agency 3/10/2009
Gaza – Ma’an – An Israeli military jeep was blasted with a rocket-propelled grenade (RPG) north of Gaza City Monday evening. The Fatah-affiliated Al-Mujahidin Brigades claimed to have launched the explosive at the Jeep, which was touring near Beit Hanoun. The Brigades released a statement following the attack claiming thata videotape showsan Israeli ambulance rushing to the scene. The Israeli military press office said there was no evidence of an attack. Late on Monday night, Hizbullah in Palestine claimed responsibility for firing a rocket-propelled grenade at an Israeli military jeep northeast of Beit Hanoun in Gaza. In a statement, the group said there were injuries among the Israeli soldiers targeted. That claim could not be independently verified by Ma’an. Meanwhile, the Al-Quds Brigades, the armed wing of Islamic Jihad, claimed responsibility. . . more.. e-mail
Al-Aqsa Brigades launch projectile at Western Negev
Ma’an News Agency 3/10/2009
Gaza – Ma’an – Fatah’s Jihad’s Al-Aqsa Brigades launched a projectile early at the Western Negev Tuesday morning in retaliation for aggressive and violent Israeli tactics against Palestinians. Israeli sources said two projectiles hit the Ashkelon and Western Negev regions in the early morning. No injuries were reported. In a statement the Al-Aqsa Brigades said the projectile launch was an act of retaliation against the ongoing air and naval strikes against Gaza, as well as the planned home demolitions in Silwan that will see 88 East Jerusalem homes destroyed and over 1,000 homeless. During the week of 1-7 March, 33 rockets and 7 mortars were fired by Palestinian groups into Israel. No Israeli casualties were reported. At the same time 22 Israeli airstrikes and 5 shells caused 5 Palestinian deaths and 11 injuries. more.. e-mail
Gaza militants fire two rockets into western Negev
Ha’aretz 3/10/2009
Palestinian militants in Gaza fired two Qassam rockets into the western Negev Tuesday morning. One rocket struck the Hof Ashkelon regional council, while the other hit Sdot Negev. No casualties or damage were reported. On Sunday, four Qassam rockets fired from Gaza struck open fields in the western Negev. No one was hurt in any of the incidents. Before dawn Sunday, Israel Air Force warplanes bombed a warehouse and two smuggling tunnels in the southern Gaza Strip. Related articles: Poll: Hamas more popular after Gaza offensiveHamas official hails British MP George Galloway as ’hero’ in Gaza ANALYSIS / Gilad Shalit will not be coming home soon #newsletterLink a {text-decoration: none; cursor: pointer;} #newsletterLink img {border:0px;} #newsletterLink{width:470; margin-bottom:20px;} . more.. e-mail
Israel hands over corpse of slain bulldozer driver
Ma’an News Agency 3/10/2009
Bethlehem – Ma’an – Israeli police handed over the corpse on Tuesday, of 24-year-old Mir’i Radayda, the driver of the bulldozer that careened onto the wrong side of the road near a Jerusalem mall on Thursday, crashing into a police car and pubic bus. Israeli authorities labeled the incident, in which two police officers were wounded, a “terrorist attack. ” Radayda was shot dead by police officers and a taxi driver. Radayda lived in Beit Hanina, a neighborhood on the northern outskirts of Jerusalem. Israeli police handed the corpse over to the Palestinian Authority at the Gilo military checkpoint in the West Bank city of Bethlehem. The body was then transferred to the slain driver’s family in the village of Al-Ubaydiya. Mir’i was buried in Al-Ubaydiya at noon. more.. e-mail
Sderot opens heavily fortified indoor children’s playground
Ha’aretz 3/10/2009
Battered by years of Palestinian rocket attacks, the southern Israeli town of Sderot opened a heavily fortified indoor playground on Tuesday that will give its traumatized children a safe place to play. The converted warehouse is equipped with a half dozen shelters and an emergency broadcast system giving the kids a 15-second warning for incoming rockets. Thousands have exploded in the town next to Gaza over the past eight years, including dozens since Israel’s January offensive in Gaza ended. On Tuesday, Israeli aircraft hit a Palestinian rocket squad in northern Gaza just after the militants fired rockets at Israel, wounding three. The protected facility, with a mini-soccer field, video games and a climbing wall, received a warm welcome from residents. more.. e-mail
Palestine Today 031009
Ghassan Bannoura - Audio Dept, International Middle East Media Center News 3/10/2009
Click on Link to download or play MP3 file|| 3 m 00s || 2. 75 MB || Welcome to Palestine Today, a service of the International Middle East Media Center, www. imemc. org, for Tuesday , March 10th, 2009. Two Gazans reported dead and the military kidnaps seven civilians from the West Bank. , These stories and more coming up - stay tuned. The News Cast Two Palestinian men were reported dead on Tuesday after the Israeli army refused to allow them to leave Gaza for medical treatment. The Palestinian Ministry of health in Gaza announced that Samier Abu Al Naja, 21, was injured by the Israeli White Phosphorous shells during the military operation "Cast lead" which lasted for 22 days two months ago. Meanwhile doctors reported that Ibraheem Abu Idheer, 76, needed medical care outside Gaza; his family had prepared all documentation needed but still the Israeli army refused to let him leave and he died today. more.. e-mail
Diplomacy
British MP donates cars and cash to de facto government in Gaza
Ma’an News Agency 3/10/2009
Bethlehem – Ma’an/Agencies – Leftist British MP George Galloway personally donated 25,000 pounds and a fleet of vehicles to the de facto government in the Gaza Strip after arriving in an aid convoy. "We are giving you now 100 vehicles and all of their contents, and we make no apology for what I am about to say. We are giving them to the elected government of Palestine," Galloway said at a press conference in Gaza City, according to AFP. Galloway dared western states to prosecute him for supporting the Hamas-run government, which is boycotted by the US, EU, and much of the international community. "I say now to the British and European governments, if you want to take me to court, I promise you there is no jury in all of Britain who will convict me. They will convict you. " Galloway made the announcement at an outdoor presence conference in the presence of several senior. . . more.. e-mail
Israel opens two crossings into Gaza Strip, keeps one closed
Ma’an News Agency 3/10/2009
Gaza – Ma’an – Israeli authorities allowed the Kerem Shalom and Nahal Oz crossings into the Gaza Strip to be opened on Tuesday while Karni was kept closed, officials said. According to Ra’ed Fattouh, a crossings official in the Gaza Strip, Israel opened the Kerem Shalom crossing to allow in 110 truckloads of humanitarian aid, including 45 loaded with supplies for Palestine’s UN refugee agency, UNRWA, and other international organizations. Meanwhile, Israel allowed in 55 truckloads of flour, sugar, spaghetti, beans, cooking oil, diapers, toilet tissue and blankets for the commercial-private sector. Ten more truckloads of fruit and fertilized eggs were allowed in for the agricultural-private sector, though the Karni crossing remained closed by Tuesday morning. Furthermore, Israel permitted 400,000 liters of industrial diesel needed to operate the power plant in Gaza. . . more.. e-mail
Israel reopens some Gaza crossings
Rami Almeghari & Agencies, International Middle East Media Center News 3/10/2009
On Monday, Israel reopened the Kerem Shalom and Nahal Auz crossings while it kept other Gaza crossings closed, Palestinian crossings officials said. The crossings officials explained that 110 trucks, including 45 belonging to the UNRWA and other international organizations and 55 others belonging to the private sector, loaded with flour, rice, sugar, pasta, beans, cooking oil and blankets, where able to enter Gaza. Also, Israel allowed the entry of apporximately 120,000 gallons of crude-industralized fuel for generating electricity at Gaza’s power plant, as well as 85 tons of cooking gas, while she continued to prevent gasoline and benzene for the fifth month in a row. Since had Israel imposed a crippling blockade on Gaza in June of 2007, it has irregularly re-opened the Gaza commercial crossings; sometimes once or twice a week, and sometimes keeping them closed for prolonged periods of weeks at a time. more.. e-mail
Israel tightens grip on east Jerusalem, West Bank
Middle East Online 3/10/2009
JERUSALEM - A confidential European Union report accuses the Israeli government of using settlement expansion, house demolitions, discriminatory housing policies and the West Bank separation wall as a way of “actively pursuing the illegal annexation” of east Jerusalem, The Guardian newspaper reported. The document said that Israel has accelerated its plans for east Jerusalem and is undermining the Palestinian Authority’s credibility and weakening support for peace talks. Meanwhile, an Israeli human rights group on Monday asked the high court to freeze all Israeli mining activity in the occupied West Bank, calling it a "blatant infringement" of international law. "Under international law, this type of activity constitutes a violation of the laws of occupation and hence of human rights and in some cases is even defined as pillage," Yesh Din said in a petition to the court. more.. e-mail
Global Pressure Mounts Against Israel
Adel Safty, MIFTAH 3/10/2009
Israel is facing unusual pressure for its continued siege of the Gaza population, and for its conduct of the Gaza war. The United States, the European Union (EU) and the United Nations have demanded that Israel allow at least 500 trucks of aid daily into Gaza - Israel has been allowing less than 200. According to Israeli officials, US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton has relayed messages "expressing anger at obstacles Israel is placing to the delivery of humanitarian aid to the Gaza Strip". George Mitchell, the US special envoy to the Middle East, reportedly issued "a sharply worded protest" against Israeli behaviour. Senior US officials told the Israelis that "Israel is not making enough effort to improve the humanitarian situation in Gaza". Senior EU officials have also protested about delays in the flow of aid into Gaza. A recent incident illustrates Israel’s policy of obstruction. more.. e-mail
British MP gives Gaza aid through Hamas
Middle East Online 3/10/2009
GAZA CITY - British MP George Galloway on Tuesday donated thousands of dollars and dozens of vehicles to the Hamas government in the Gaza Strip after arriving in an aid convoy. "We are giving you now 100 vehicles and all of their contents, and we make no apology for what I am about to say. We are giving them to the elected government of Palestine," Galloway said at a press conference in Gaza City. Galloway said he personally would be donating three cars and 25,000 pounds (35,000 dollars) to Hamas Prime Minister Ismail Haniya. "He is the Prime Minister chosen by the people of Palestine," said Galloway. Hamas won in the 2006 Palestinian parliamentary elections. Galloway said that his "message to the Muslim World is that Britain is not your enemy; that Tony Blair does not speak for Britain; we speak for the British people!" "We are all Palestinian!" Galloway,. . . more.. e-mail
‘Viva Palestina’ Arrives in Gaza after 8,000 KM Drive
Palestine Media Center 3/10/2009
After a nearly 8,000 kilometer drive more than 1 million pounds of aid and dozens of vehicles will be trickling into Gaza this week, following the success of George Galloway’s "Viva Palestina" lifeline movement on Monday. Galloway, a British MP, spearheaded the campaign that mobilized thousands of the Muslim community in the UK. Donations for the victims of Israel’s war on the area were collected from several districts in the country, and a convoy of 100 trucks set off from London, drove through France, Spain, boated to Morocco then continued across North Africa to Egypt and waited for two days at the Rafah border. Supervisors of the campaign negotiated with Egyptian officials for two days. On Sunday Egypt allowed a small group of Libyan volunteers into Gaza, and coordinated the passage of three trucks of medical supplies into Israel via Al-Auja crossing to the south of Rafah. According to organizers the hold-up at Rafah was over food supplies Egyptian officials said were not agreed on. more.. e-mail
Galloway’s Aid Convoy Enters Gaza
Mohamed el-Sawwaf – Rafah, Palestine Chronicle 3/10/2009
’We are all Palestinians,’ George Galloway shouted. To the ovation of thousands of jubilant Palestinians, an aid convoy led by British lawmaker George Galloway arrived in the besieged Gaza Strip on Monday, March 9. " (I’m here) to meet the heroes of Palestine’s resistance, the government of Palestine, the people of Palestine," Galloway told reporters. Galloway said he was overwhelmed with happiness to arrive in Gaza on the birthday of Prophet Muhammad and in the wake of Israel’s deadly offensive. " I have entered Palestine many times but the most emotional of these is after the 22-day genocidal aggression against the Palestinian people," Galloway, who kneeled down to kiss Gaza ground, said, referring to the Israeli war that came to a halt on January 18. More than 1,300 Palestinians, mostly civilians, were killed and 5,450 wounded in 22 days of air, land and sea attacks in Gaza. The onslaught, which inflicted heavy damage on Gaza infrastructure, left nearly 20,000 homes and thousands other buildings damaged. more.. e-mail
Report: Hamas official denies possessing video of Shalit
Ha’aretz 3/10/2009
Hamas deputy political chief Moussa Abu Marzouk was quoted by the pan-Arab newspaper Al-Sharq al-Awsat on Tuesday as denying a report that he was in possession of vide showing abducted Israeli soldier Gilad Shalit. The Kuwaiti newspaper Al Jarida reported on Monday that Abu Marzouk had received the tape, in which Shalit was said to appear in good health, during a visit to Gaza. But Abu Marzouk told Al-Sharq al-Awsat that he did not receive such a video during the visit. He was quoted as adding that he did not even meet with any Hamas officials while in Gaza. A senior official in the Prime Minister’s Office said Monday that Israel does not know anything about the videotape, Israel Radio reported. The official said Prime Minister Ehud Olmert is using every possible avenue to ensure Shalit’s release and will do so up until the end of his tenure. more.. e-mail
Israel 'pardons'¯ 78 members of Al Aqsa Brigades
Saed Bannoura & Agencies, International Middle East Media Center News 3/10/2009
Palestinian sources reported on Tuesday that Israel had "pardoned" 78 wanted fighters, members of the Al Aqsa Brigades, the armed wing of Fateh movement. The sources said that 22 members of the Brigades were granted a so-called "full amnesty", 40 others were put under probation, and 16 of them were not even wanted. Yet, the 78 members were supposed to receive this amnesty in August of 2007 after a deal was singed between Israel and the Palestinian Authority, headed by Palestinian President, Mahmoud Abbas. The Ynet News reported that according to Palestinian sources, most of the pardoned fighters will be able to move freely, but some of them will have to remain in Area A, under the Palestinian control. A third group would be under three-month probation. The August 2007 agreement between Israel and the Palestinian Authority granted amnesty to members of the Al Aqsa Brigades as long as they refrain from engaging in any military activity. more.. e-mail
Israel grants amnesty to 20 Al-Aqsa Brigades men in Nablus
Ma’an News Agency 3/10/2009
Nablus – Ma’an Exclusive – Israeli authorities granted amnesty to 20 former members of the Al-Aqsa Brigades, the armed wing of Fatah, in the West Bank city of Nablus on Tuesday, Palestinian security sources confirmed. All of the men are currently held in the Palestinian Authority’s (PA) Juneid prison in Nablus. Israel informed the PA of the decision, which comes under the aegis of a 2007 agreement in which Palestinian guerillas can avoid the threat of imprisonment by Israel if they hand in their weapons and agree to spend a term in a PA jail. The security source told Ma’an’s correspondent in Nablus that 12 of the prisoners were informed of their pardons. According to the source there are seventeen others in Juneid prison waiting for an Israeli pardon. The source gave Ma’an the names of those who were officially informed of their impending release. more.. e-mail
Cairo hosts Palestinian unity talks
Al Jazeera 3/10/2009
Rival Palestinian groups have resumed talks in Egypt on the formation of a unity government that would prepare for presidential and legislative elections and oversee the reconstruction of Gaza. The resumption of talks on Tuesday follow the formation, on February 26, of five committees set up to tackle issues such as the composition of security agencies in the Gaza Strip and the West Bank. Omar Suleiman, the Egyptian intelligence chief who is mediating between various Palestinian groups, urged the rival factions to find speedy solutions to their differences. "I look forward to us finishing our work quickly and within a few days to celebrate our unity. We are meeting here to succeed," Suleiman said. He said the most important job for the Palestinians was to form a government of non-partisan technocrats,. . . more.. e-mail
For Netanyahu, talks with Palestinians supersede Syria
Ma’an News Agency 3/10/2009
Bethlehem – Ma’an/Agencies – Israel’s prime minister-designate, Benyamin Netanyahu, will focus on “the Palestinian track” over talks with Syria, according to an advisor on Monday. One of Netanyahu’s top foreign policy advisors, Dore Gold, told the Jerusalem Post on Monday that the prime minister-designate “has made it clear that presently he would like to focus on the Palestinian track. " The advisor said that indications that "suggest that [Netanyahu] will begin by working on the negotiations with Syria are basing themselves on an inaccurate reading of Netanyahu’s diplomacy in 1998, during his contacts with Damascus. " “There is an unfounded mythology that has gained some currency” that Netanyahu might withdraw from the Golan Heights, which Israel occupied in 1967. “It is not true,” Gold said. Instead, Netanyahu would prefer to focus on the “Syrian track, rather than the Palestinian one,” the Jerusalem Post reported Monday. more.. e-mail
Turkey ’quit Shalit talks due to Hamas demands’
Ha’aretz 3/10/2009
The Saudi newspaper Al-Watan reported on Tuesday that Turkey has ceased trying to broker a deal for the release of abducted Israeli soldier Gilad Shalit due to excessive Hamas demands, Israel Radio said. The newspaper based the report on comments by diplomatic sources. The sources were also quoted as saying that Israel’s "weakness" and lack of support for its efforts had led Turkey to pull out of the negotiations. They said Hamas’ excessive demands had also triggered Turkey’s decision to pull out of the negotiations, Al-Watan reported. The report came after Turkish news channel CNN Turk reported in early Febraury that a deal to secure Shalit’s release could be reached very shortly. The channel said Turkish officials were holding talks at the time with Hamas officials in Damascus. more.. e-mail
ANALYSIS / Gilad Shalit will not be coming home soon
Amos Harel, Ha’aretz 3/10/2009
Defense Minister Ehud Barak timed his visit to the Shalits’ protest tent on Monday to coincide with the evening news broadcasts. That visit is as close as Barak has gotten to expressing public support for paying what Hamas is demanding: the release of 450 serious offenders in exchange for the abducted soldier Gilad Shalit. It appears Barak is not taking the jump for fear that it would be interpreted as a declaration of capitulation to Hamas at a time when Israel is still ostensibly negotiating. Only the day before, Barak received his weekly dose of accusations from Prime Minister Ehud Olmert at the cabinet meeting, regarding the Gaza cease-fire and the Shalit deal. One could argue that Barak’s visit was just another populist gimmick by a politician counting down his days as defense minister. more.. e-mail
Youval Arad: ’Brave decision must bring Gilad home’
Nir Hasson, Ha’aretz 3/10/2009
Ofer Dekel, Prime Minister Ehud Olmert’s special envoy in the negotiations over the release of Gilad Shalit, arrived in Cairo Sunday night as the abducted soldier’s parents spent their first night in the tent they pitched across from the Prime Minister’s Residence in Jerusalem to apply pressure on Olmert to secure Gilad’s release before a change in government. Meanwhile, Hamas deputy political bureau chief Moussa Abu Marzouk is in possession of a videotape showing Shalit, who appears in good health, the Kuwaiti newspaper Al Jarida reported yesterday. According to figures close to Hamas, the videotape was given to Abu Marzouk by the head of Hamas’ military wing, Ahmed Jabari, during the former’s secret visit to the Gaza Strip late last month. In addition, Abu Marzouk received a letter written by Shalit, which he gave to the Syrian Foreign Ministry. more.. e-mail
Aliza Olmert tells Shalits she empathizes with their struggle
Barak Ravid and Haaretz Service, Ha’aretz 3/10/2009
The prime minister’s wife, Aliza Olmert, told the parents of Gilad Shalit Tuesday that she empathized with their struggle. "If I was not a witness to the intensive efforts being invested in Gilad’s release, I certainly would have joined the protest tent myself," Olmert told Noam and Aviva Shalit. The Shalits arrived at their protest tent opposite the prime minister’s residence Sunday, vowing to remain there until PM Ehud Olmert reaches an agreement to secure their son’s release. I see the broad public support for Gilad’s return and the remarkable solidarity that the struggle has awakened," Aliza Olmert told the Shalits, adding that the media has not been permitted to publish the full extent of the efforts to free their son. Meanwhile, Tami Arad, the wife of missing Israel Air Force navigator Ron Arad. . . more.. e-mail
US spills the beans on Israel nukes
Middle East Online 3/10/2009
TEL AVIV- A US military document has classified Israel as “a nuclear power”, further confirming the Jewish State’s possession of nuclear warheads. The document, approved for publication in late 2008 by the US Joint Forces Command (JFCOM), termed Israel “a nuclear power” on a par with Russia, China, India, Pakistan and North Korea, Israeli daily Ha’aretz reported Sunday. JFCOM is one of ten combatant commands in the United States Department of Defense. The report notes that “unfortunately” the arc “coincides with areas of considerable instability (which) are of enormous interest to the United States”. Israel has neither explicitly admitted nor denied possessing nuclear weapons, although, it is widely believed to have up to 200 nuclear warheads in its arsenal. Tel Aviv’s policy of deliberate ambiguity was first skewed when Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert in late 2006. . . more.. e-mail
Israel opposes UK-Hizbullah talks
Daily Star 3/9/2009
BEIRUT: Israel has expressed its objection to the British cabinet’s decision to initiate talks with Hizbullah, Isreali media reported on Sunday. Israel called on the United Kingdom to stop establishing any kind of relations with the party. An Israeli foreign affairs spokesman said on Sunday that Israel considered any rapprochement between Britain and Hizbullah as very dangerous, since it said the latter was a terrorist organization. The spokesman clarified that Israel did not distinguish between Hizbullah’s political and military wings, unlike its stance on Hamas. The spokesman added that while Hizbullah was enhancing its military capacities for future confrontations with Israel. [end]
Hezbollah: War with Israel unlikely in short term
Barak Ravid and Reuters, Ha’aretz 3/10/2009
Hezbollah Deputy leader Sheikh Naim Kassem said yesterday that there was little prospect of another conflict with Israel in the short term. But "in the distant future all things are possible," he warned. Hezbollah and Israel fought a 34-day war in 2006, after Hezbollah abducted two Israeli soldiers. The Hezbollah official also welcomed a review of British policy toward Hezbollah. Britain has said it is willing to talk to the political wing of the movement, which is listed as a terrorist group by Washington. "There is no request for a meeting but we expect this to happen soon," Kassem said, adding that Hezbollah already had "wide contacts" with other European governments. The group’s military arm is on Britain’s list of banned organizations, but Hezbollah itself makes no distinction between its political and military functions. more.. e-mail
Iran: Hostile drones disrupted our satellite launch
Yoav Stern, Ha’aretz 3/10/2009
Hostile unmanned aerial vehicles overflew Iran last month and disrupted the communications systems at the launch site of a missile carrying Iran’s first satellite to space, according to the country’s president, Mahmoud Ahmadinejad. The Iranian leader was quoted by an Iranian news agency as having said in recent discussions that the disruptions of communications caused a delay of several hours to the launch of the rocket, which had to be operated with the use of a backup system. Ahmadinejad said drones flew at very high altitude and used sophisticated electronic equipment to jam ground-based systems. He also said that a decision was made to shoot down the drones with fighter planes, but it was decided not to do so for reasons he did not explain. Meir Javedanfar, an expert on Iran, told Haaretz on Monday that Israel is presumed to be the No. 1 suspect more.. e-mail
GovernmentAl Batsh: 'Gaza police did not arrest Quds Brigades members'¯
Saed Bannoura & Agencies, International Middle East Media Center News 3/10/2009
Khaled Al Batsh, a senior political leader of the Islamic Jihad, denied media reports claiming the the Palestinian police in the Gaza Strip had arrested members of the Al Quds Brigades, the armed wing of the movement. Al Batsh stated that there are not Quds Brigades prisoners in any of the prisons in Gaza, and added that the relation between Hamas and the Islamic Jihad are tension free. In an interview with the Palestine News on Tuesday. Al Batsh said that some media agencies claimed that the Hamas-controlled police in Gaza arrested members of the Al Quds brigades for firing homemade shells into Israel. He added that the news are false, and that no member of the Al Quds brigades was arrested or tortured, especially since some reports claimed that Quds members were arrested and tortured. Al Batsh said that there was a minor issue between Quds Brigades members and the Palestinian. . . more.. e-mail
Hamas delegates arrive in Egypt
Saed Bannoura & Agencies, International Middle East Media Center News 3/10/2009
Izzat al-Rishiq, member of the Political Bureau of Hamas, reported on Monday that Hamas delegates from Gaza and abroad had arrived in Egypt for National Unity talks. Hamas delegates from the West Bank are still unable to leave the West Bank due to Israeli restrictions on their movements. The Hamas team is headed by Mousa Abu Marzouq, deputy head of the Hamas Political Bureau. al-Rishiq stated that Hamas had asked Egypt to urge Israel into allowing West Bank delegates to travel and participate in the upcoming unity talks. Hamas decided to send five of its West Bank members to participate in the talks. The five are, Ra’fat Nassif, Adnan Asfour, Khalid Tafish, Mahmoud Musleh and Nizar Ramadan. al-Rishiq also stated that the Israeli occupation and its allies are not interested an internal Palestinian talks that would lead to unity among the Palestinian factions. more.. e-mail
Egyptian leaders open Palestinian unity dialogue in Cairo
Ma’an News Agency 3/10/2009
Bethlehem – Ma’an – Egypt’s intelligence chief, Omar Sulaiman, opened the first session of a Palestinian national dialogue in Cairo on Tuesday. Sulaiman called on conveners to avoid delay in restoring unity to Palestine, saying that time is up the essence. He suggested that faction leaders “forget about the past and focus on the future. ”He also asserted the importance of reaching a national consensus government of highly qualified members that might not necessarily represent every faction. “We are here to create success as quickly as possible in order to end the Palestinian people’s suffering as soon as possible,” he insisted. After his remarks, Secretary-General of the Arab League Amr Moussa affirmed that conciliation between Palestinian rivals is central to Arab endeavors toward reaching a just peace based on two separate states. more.. e-mail
Resheq: Continued political detention hampers dialog
Palestinian Information Center 3/10/2009
CAIRO, (PIC)-- Ezzet Al-Resheq, political bureau member of the Hamas Movement, has warned that continued political detention in the West Bank might hinder progress in the work of the five dialog committees. He noted, in an exclusive statement to the PIC on Monday, that the issue did not witness any positive development since the dialog kicked off on 24/2/2009. The Hamas leader also noted that all his Movement’s delegates arrived in Cairo except those from the West Bank. Resheq said that Egyptian officials are currently having contacts with Israel to enable the West Bank members of the delegation to travel to Cairo. He charged that Israel and its agents did not want the dialog to succeed. more.. e-mail
Unidentified vandals set fire to car of Palestinian official in Nablus
Ma’an News Agency 3/10/2009
Nablus – Ma’an – Unidentified arsonists set fire to the car of the Director General of the Palestinian Ministry of Sports in Nablus Fathi Khadir on Monday evening. Khadir lives in the village of Beita in the Nablus governorate. His silver Audi was set ablaze while it was parked in front of his home at 11:00pm. He said it was unlikely that the vandalism was politically motivated. Nablus’ Fatah branch condemned the incident and demanded that Palestinian Security Services find the perpetrators and bring them to justice. [end]
Decks Cleared for Palestine Unity
Arab News - Editorial, MIFTAH 3/10/2009
In tendering his resignation, Palestinian Prime Minister Salam Fayyad has done what few politicians do: He has given up his post for a cause he truly believes in. The resignation, of Fayyad’s own free will, was a noble gesture for righteous goals - that of improving the chances of a possible unity government of Fatah and Hamas, an end to the fractious situation that has paralyzed and polarized Palestinian life, and more hope for the peace process leading to an eventual state for a people living under the yoke of a cruel occupation. Previous attempts at unity had collapsed in acrimony, but there is a clear determination this time not felt previously. Starting tomorrow, Hamas and Fatah are to continue working on forming a government, holding new elections, reforming the security services, carrying out confidence-building measures and finding a role for Hamas in the Palestine Liberation Organization. The talks are to go on for 10 days, but the two sides are to keep going after that if there is no agreement. more.. e-mail
Lieberman may not join government due to corruption charges
Saed Bannoura & Agencies, International Middle East Media Center News 3/10/2009
Israeli sources reported on Monday that the Yisrael Beiteinu leader, Avigdor Lieberman, will not last in the upcoming Israel government due to a criminal probe being undertaken by the police against him. The current coalition talks with the Likud party might lead Lieberman to the post of Israel’s Foreign Minister. But, sources said Monday that Lieberman might have to resign after the Israeli police conclude their investigation. Israeli newspaper Haaretz reported that corruption evidence against Lieberman were not made public yet, and that the police will most likely file more charges against him. The Yisrael Beiteinu leader will most likely be interrogated by police in the coming days. more.. e-mail
Netanyahu tries to head off revolt within Likud over cabinet posts
Mazal Mualem, Ha’aretz 3/10/2009
Prime Minister-designate Benjamin Netanyahu yesterday tried to head off a revolt within his party, as his fellow Likud members complained that he is breaking promises by giving away senior cabinet posts to coalition partners. Netanyahu met with MKs Gila Gamliel, Danny Danon and Yariv Levin, who held a protest meeting at the home of MK Silvan Shalom. "The coalition talks have not ended," he told them. "They are at their apex, in terms of both principles and portfolios. " Netanyahu’s aides said he hopes to present his new cabinet next Wednesday or Thursday, and is fearing his faction may rebel. Since the narrow right-wing government will lean on a coalition of 61-65 MKs, internal opposition could topple it. Meanwhile, Yisrael Beiteinu’s leader MK Avigdor Lieberman is adamant in demanding that Daniel Friedmann be kept as justice minister and that his party chair the Knesset Constitution Committee. more.. e-mail
Police shut out taxman on Lieberman probe
Jonathan Lis, Ha’aretz 3/10/2009
The police investigations and intelligence division is refusing to share with the Israel Tax Authority the thousands of documents it has collected in probes of MK Avigdor Lieberman and his daughter Michal. The ITA is keen to investigate the possible tax evasion aspects of suspicions of wrongdoing against the Yisrael Beiteinu chairman. The ITA investigators have asked the police several times in recent months to share documents that are part of a parallel probe they are carrying out into suspicions of Lieberman and his daughter. In response the police investigations department said it refuses to comment on an ongoing investigation. Police believe that some of the suspects have tried to disrupt the investigation against them (not Lieberman), and fear more attempts will follow. more.. e-mail
Mazuz strikes back after Katsav’s brother’s slurs
Zvi Zrahiya, Ha’aretz 3/10/2009
There is no basis to claims of extraneous or personal considerations in the decision to indict former president Moshe Katsav for serious sexual offenses, including rape, the Justice Ministry said yesterday. The ministry said the barbs directed at decision makers in the Katsav case were an attempt to divert attention to immaterial places. The ministry said the decision was not made by Mazuz alone. Despite the dramatic transformations in the case from its start, the Justice Ministry said yesterday that the prosecution’s position had been "consistent," and the prosecution had always said it believed the testimony of complainant A. from the Tourism Ministry regarding the sexual offenses Katsav allegedly committed, including rape. Mazuz announced his decision Sunday to indict Katsav for serious sexual crimes, including rape. more.. e-mail
Katsav re-schedules press conference for Thursday
Rebecca Anna Stoil, Jerusalem Post 3/10/2009
After two years of silence following a now-infamous press conference asserting his innocence, former president Moshe Katsav delayed Tuesday evening a press conference scheduled for Wednesday to protest his innocence. Katsav’s attorney, Zion Amir, said that the press conference was delayed for technical reasons, but would not elaborate. Katsav is said to be writing most of his speech himself, and is expected to direct his harshest criticism at the Justice Ministry and Attorney-General Menahem Mazuz. The press conference, which has been re-scheduled for Thursday, will be held in Katsav’s hometown of Kiryat Malahi. [end]
State Comptroller: Livni led in Kadima primaries fundraising
Hadas Magen, Globes Online 3/10/2009
Nearly two-thirds of contributors for Shaul Mofaz’s campaign came from abroad. Kadima chairwoman and Minister of Foreign Affairs Tzipi Livni raised about NIS 2 million in the party primaries, which she won, states State Comptroller Micha Lindenstrauss in a report on the primaries, published yesterday. NIS 1. 15 million of the money came from Israeli donors and NIS 831,000 came from foreign donors. Livni spent NIS 1. 93 million on her primaries campaign. Minister of Transport Shaul Mofaz, who lost to Livni by a few hundred votes, raised NIS 1. 4 million. NIS 490,000 of the money came from Israeli donors and NIS 915,000, nearly two-thirds, from foreign donors, to whom he returned NIS 635,000. He also received NIS 20,000 from relatives. He spent NIS 1. 7 million on his campaign. Two other candidates in the Kadima primaries raised smaller amounts. more.. e-mail
As Zionists, Israel’s 9th graders scored average of 66%
Or Kashti, Ha’aretz 3/10/2009
Ninth graders here averaged a grade of 66 out of 100 in last year’s exams on Zionism, heritage and democracy, according to recently released test results. The program, dubbed "100 Concepts," has since been scrapped by Education Minister Yuli Tamir, who replaced it with a new one focusing on Jewish heritage. The "100 Concepts" was one of the curricular cornerstones of former education minister Limor Livnat and aimed to inculcate Zionism, cultural heritage and democracy in junior-high students. Each of the 100 major concepts was summed up in a few lines. Some 25,000 ninth-grade Jewish pupils took the exam last year. Some 8,000 Arab pupils took another version of the exam. The questions about democracy were identical for both groups. The scores for Jewish students, whether in state or state religious schools (75 and 55 respectively),. . . more.. e-mail
Human
Rights
Gaza family sues Olmert for $200m after 29 relatives killed
Eli Ashkenazi and DPA, Ha’aretz 3/10/2009
A Palestinian family who lost 29 members in Israel’s offensive in Gaza filed a law suit Tuesday against Prime Minister Ehud Olmert and other Israeli leaders, demanding some $200 million in compensation. The Samouni family, from the southern Gaza City suburb of Zaytoun, filed the suit at the Nazareth District Court against outgoing prime minister Ehud Olmert, Defense Minister Ehud Barak and the Israel Defense Forces Chief of Staff Gabi Ashkenazi. In the morning of January 4, an IDF tank shell hit the family’s three-story building, killing seven of its members. Their apartment was burnt down completely and the survivors took refuge in a shelter, but the building was shelled the following day, and 22 more family members were killed. Both shellings injured 45 other family members, most of them children aged eight to 14, according to a statement by the prosecution. more.. e-mail
Supreme Court upholds ban on Palestinian activist from traveling to accept award
Ha’aretz 3/10/2009
The Supreme Court has banned a Palestinian human rights activist from traveling to Amsterdam to receive a prize. Shawan Jabarin, the West Bank-based director of Palestinian human rights organization al-Haq, hoped to travel to the Netherlands Friday to receive the Geuzenpenning Prize on behalf of his organization. But spokeswoman Ayelet Filo says the court ruled there was real evidence that he is involved with terror organizations, and therefore he will not be allowed to leave for security concerns. Geuzen Resistance Foundation spokeswoman Edith Kwakernaak said Tuesday the organization was shocked and disappointed. "Freedom of movement is a human right, too," she said. "It’s a shame that he can be held prisoner in this way. " more.. e-mail
Soldiers Aggressively End Sit-In Protest and Arrest 5 Peace Activists
International Womens’ Peace Service 3/10/2009
A group of 20 people made up of local villagers, International and Israeli peace activists gathered in the fields of Wadia Rasha to participate in a sit-in protest against the annexation of Palestinian land. The protest was held some distance away from where three bulldozers were clearing the ground for the erection of the future separation wall. The peaceful sit-in protest came to an end after 14 soldiers approached the protesters and decided to declare the fields a closed military zone. A soldiers’ spokesperson announced a five minute deadline for the activists to leave the area or face arrest. Barely two minutes later, the soldiers aggressively handcuffed and arrested seven Israeli and International activists. Groups of four soldiers ganged around each activist they decided to arrest and IWPS volunteers witnessed two activists beingthrown to the ground, beaten with the guns and kicked. more.. e-mail
Court: Probe death of Ketziot prisoner in botched ’morale boosting’ op
Jonathan Lis, Ha’aretz 3/10/2009
The Be’er Sheva Magistrate’s Court has ordered an investigation into the death of Mohammed Ashkar, who was shot in the head during an operation that was intended to be a morale-booster for the elite Israel Prisons Service unit Masada. The operation on October 22, 2007, consisted of a surprise personal search and a search also of the cells of prisoners in Section 12b at the Ketziot Prison for security offenders. In June Judge Drora Beit-Or is to hear testimony of the commander of Ketziot, Shlomi Cohen, and the head of the Prisons Service southern district, Eli Gavison. The attorney for the family of the dead prisoner is also expected to call members of the Masada unit to examine their possible responsibility at the operational and command level. Ketziot is the largest security prison in Israel, with some 2,200 prisoners. more.. e-mail
New aid convoy to leave Scotland in coming weeks
Saed Bannoura, International Middle East Media Center News 3/9/2009
A new convoy carrying medical and humanitarian supplies will be leaving Scotland in the coming weeks, heading to the Gaza Strip. Scottish parliamentarian, Pauline McNeill,will be heading the convoy. Pauline McNeill has been campaigning for peace and justice in Palestine since she was a student leader in the 1980’s. She was a founding member of the Cross-Party Group on Palestine when the Scottish Parliament was established, and has served as Convener for the Group since 1999. Palestinian activist, Rami Abdo, said that the convoy will be carrying medical supplies and equipment urgently needed in Gaza hospitals. Abdo added that preparations for the convoy started more than six months ago. On Monday, and after another morning of intense negotiations with Egyptian authorities, a deal was reached to allow all of the members of a humanitarian convoy to enter Gaza. more.. e-mail
New British convoy for Gaza to depart Scotland within weeks
Ma’an News Agency 3/10/2009
Gaza – Ma’an – The European Campaign to End the Siege on Gaza asserted on Tuesday that their “lifeline” convoy project would not be the last, according to a statement. The first convoy reached the Gaza Strip on Monday, after two days of negotiations with Egypt. Dr Arafat Abu Madi, the head of the campaign, said in a statement that the success achieved by the convoy, which traveled some 8,000 kilometers from Europe to Gaza’s Rafah crossing, was “a triumph for conscientious people of the world, and will have consequences. ”“Europeans are exerting efforts to establish an important political pillar in the issue of lifting the Gaza siege,” Abu Madi said. He highlighted that pressure should be placed on the Israeli occupation by Europe and the international community in order to “end aggression against the Palestinian people for the third consecutive year. more.. e-mail
European campaign: Lifeline convoy not the last
Palestinian Information Center 3/10/2009
BRUSSELS, (PIC)-- The European campaign to lift the siege on Gaza Strip has declared that the British lifeline convoy would be followed by others until the siege is totally lifted. Dr. Arafat Madi, the head of the campaign, said in a statement in Brussels on Tuesday that the success of the convoy in reaching Gaza after passing over 8,000 kilometers was a victory for all "living consciences" in the world. He appealed to the official European regimes to use their influence in the Middle East to deter the Israeli massacres, aggressions, oppressive policies and inhuman practices against the Palestinian people, who have lived through long years of suffering. In the Gaza Strip, Adel Zu’rub, the spokesman of the government committee to break the siege, warned in a press release on Tuesday that humanitarian conditions in the Strip would further deteriorate if the siege persisted. more.. e-mail
Samuni family files suit against Israel for 'criminal negligence' during Gaza War
Ma’an News Agency 3/10/2009
Bethlehem - Ma’an /Agencies - After losing 29 of its members to Israeli shells during the Gaza onslaught the Samuni family filed a suit in a Nazareth court Tuesday demanding 200 million US dollars in compensation. On 4 January the Samuni home was targeted by an Israeli shell. Medical officials at Ash-Shifa hospital also confirmed on 5 January that four children and three adults from the Samuni family were dead. The family gathered in a shelter that was attacked the following day. Jalal Samuni, who managed to escape the building, told Ma’an’s reporters at Ash-Shifa Hospital the day his relatives were killed that more than 20 people were left inside the destroyed shelter, and that he feared many of them were killed. He said advancing Israeli troops told residents to stay in their homes. Then Israeli forces shelled the house. more.. e-mail
Israeli military seizes farmland and detains peace activists near Hebron
Saed Bannoura, International Middle East Media Center News 3/10/2009
Local sources reported that Israeli military forces confiscated over 50 dunums of farmland in Hebron for the purpose of building a Jewish-only road to an Israeli settlement, built illegally on Palestinian land. The land is located in the village of Yatta, south of Hebron, an area that has been subject to a number of Israeli military invasions in recent months. On Monday morning, dozens of Israeli military vehicles invaded the village and laid claim to 50 dunums of farmland, according to local residents. Two international peace activists who were staying in the village went out to the land to confront the soldiers, but were detained for several hours by the troops. The confiscation in Yatta comes in the midst of a series of land confiscations and home demolitions by the Israeli military, in the context of expanding Israeli settlements in the West Bank. more.. e-mail
Israel planning to demolish six homes and mosque in a Nablus village
Saed Bannoura & Agencies, International Middle East Media Center News 3/10/2009
The Israeli Army handed miltary orders to several residents of Aqraba village, southeast of the northern West Bank City of Nablus, informing them of a decision to demolish six homes and a mosque in the village. Local sources in the village stated that the order comes to enable the expansion of Israeli settlements surrounding the village, the Palestinian Information Center reported. The sources added that nearly 90 percent of the village’s land is used as grazing ground, but the Israeli authorities are attempting to annex the land for settlement construction and expansion. There are four Israeli settlements surrounding the village, all built on land annexed from the villagers. Settlers have carried out repeated attacks against the village and its inhabitants, killing four villagers over the past few years. Recently, one resident was killed and another was wounded in a roadside. . . more.. e-mail
Yesh Din petition: Israel pillages West Bank resources
Zafrir Rinat, Ha’aretz 3/10/2009
Israel is violating international law and pillaging natural resources in an occupied territory by allowing Israeli-owned quarries to operate beyond the Green Line, the nonprofit organization Yesh Din Volunteers for Human Rights stated in a petition to the High Court of Justice yesterday. The group is asking the court to issue an interim injunction to suspend excavation and quarrying, until a final ruling on the petition. The petition asks the state to show why it is permitting the mining, allowing quarrying concessions to be issued, and extending existing licenses. There are about 10 Israeli-owned quarries beyond the Green Line in Area C, which is under the Israeli Civil Administration jurisdiction. Owners include some of the country’s largest mining and quarrying companies. These quarries produce mainly gravel, most of it for the Israeli market. more.. e-mail
Bulldozer Attack in Jerusalem Linked to Palestinian Evictions
Sana Abdallah, MIFTAH 3/10/2009
It has been speculated that the attack by a 26-year-old Palestinian man ramming a bulldozer into an Israeli police car in Jerusalem was linked to Israeli plans to demolish dozens of Palestinian homes in East Jerusalem, widely believed to be part of the Jewish state’s strategy to change the face of the holy city by expelling its Arab residents. Palestinian sources said that the man who attacked the police car on Thursday, Mirii al-Radaydeh, was a resident of East Jerusalem and married with one child. He had no history of militancy and acted alone, suggesting that he was responding in rage against escalating Israeli policies against Arab Jerusalemites. Radaydeh was the fourth Palestinian driver of a construction vehicle to go on the rampage against Israelis in West Jerusalem since last July. Palestinian officials are warning that protests against evictions, demolitions, expanding Jewish settlements and attempts to consolidate the Israeli occupation of East Jerusalem will turn more violent if these measures are not reversed. more.. e-mail
Home Demolitions Threaten Peace Talks
Mel Frykberg, Inter Press Service 3/10/2009
RAMALLAH, Mar 10(IPS) - Eight months pregnant Shireen Abu Sbeh, 20, mother of a two-year-old, lives with eight other people in a two-bedroom apartment that is on a list of Palestinian homes in East Jerusalem to be demolished by the Israeli authorities. "I am struggling to sleep at night. I have nightmares that we are on the streets and I am homeless with my newborn baby and my toddler," says Shireen. Israel plans to demolish 88 homes in the Bustan neighbourhood of Palestinian East Jerusalem to make way for a new Israeli archaelogical theme park. "We don’t have any family to take us in as they live in Bustan too, and will also lose their homes. I’m afraid the stress of being homeless is affecting my unborn child," Shireen told IPS. Anaya Abu Sbeh, 44, Shireen’s mother-in-law, said Shireen often breaks down crying. "I don’t know where we will go or what we can do, we are hoping that international pressure will force Israel to abandon the mass demolitions," she told IPS. more.. e-mail
Israeli Rights Group Slam E, Jerusalem House Demolitions
Palestine Media Center 3/10/2009
The Association for Civil Rights in Israel (ACRI) on Monday turned once again to Jerusalem Israeli Authorities and demanded that the demolition of homes in the occupied east Jerusalem cease immediately In its appeal, ACRI claimed that several years ago the Israeli army determined that the home demolitions were ineffective in deterring would-be terrorists and may even encourage terror activity. In a similar petition filed Thursday, ACRI Attorney Nasrat Dakwar contended that since Barkat’s election there has been significant rise in home demolitions in east Jerusalem, adding that residents are given only 72 hours notice before their houses are demolished. ACRI spokeswoman Nirit Moskovitz told Ynet that "as it is the residents of east Jerusalem live under terrible conditions, and the demolitions only add to their despair. more.. e-mail
Aqsa Foundation demands immediate end to Israeli desecration of cemetery
Palestinian Information Center 3/10/2009
OCCUPIEd JERUSALEM, (PIC)-- The Aqsa Foundation for Endowment and Heritage has charged that Jewish fanatics along with the Israeli controlled municipality were desecrating the Ma’manullah cemetery in occupied Jerusalem. Zaki Eghbaria, the chairman of the Foundation, said in a statement on Monday that tens of graves were destroyed or exhumed at the hands of Jewish fanatics other than the Israeli municipality’s act of dumping weed and wood in the cemetery to completely conceal a large part of the graveyard. He also pointed to the Zio-American Simon Wiesenthal Center that was still digging in the cemetery to build the so-called "Museum of Tolerance" on the ruins of the graveyard. The chairman called for immediate maintenance of the cemetery, noting that his Foundation had started a program in this direction. more.. e-mail
Israeli court orders Palestinian to demolish his own home or face penalty
Palestinian Information Center 3/10/2009
OCCUPIED JERUSALEM, (PIC)--The Israeli district court in occupied Jerusalem has ruled that Adel Tamimi, a Jerusalemite, should knock down his own home in the Old City of Jerusalem. The court said that if Tamimi did not tear his own home down he would have to pay for the expenses of its demolition in addition to serving six months in jail. Tamimi said in a statement, "How can I destroy the house in which I lived for 17 years with my own hands! Where will I go with my family? I have paid all fines with the hope of obtaining a construction permit but to no avail". He said that the land is owned by his family and that he had the required documents to prove it. The Israeli occupation authority bans construction or even maintenance of Palestinian homes in occupied Jerusalem’s Old City in a bid to empty the holy city from its indigenous population and replace them with Jewish immigrants. more.. e-mail
British MP Galloway kisses Gaza ground
Jpost.com Staff And Ap, Jerusalem Post 3/9/2009
Some 24 days after leaving Britain, part of a Gaza aid convoy finally arrived in the Strip via the Rafah border crossing on Monday, prompting British MP George Galloway, who headed the group, to kiss the ground. The "Viva Palestina" convoy, bringing medicine, food, clothing and toys, traveled more than 12,000 kilometers, through France, Spain, Morocco, Algeria, Tunisia, Libya and Egypt. It also included ambulances and a fire engine. The convoy reached the Egyptian side of the Rafah crossing on Sunday, but was delayed due to the Egyptian security forces’ objection to the delivery of non-medical aid. The activists spent the night in El-Arish, where locals reportedly pelted them with stones and sprayed anti-Hamas graffiti on their cars. Eventually, an agreement was made with Egypt, whereby some of the non-medial supplies - including electrical generators. . . more.. e-mail
British activists promise to back Palestinian prisoners’ issue
Palestinian Information Center 3/10/2009
GAZA, (PIC)-- A group of English and Scottish activists on Monday met in Gaza with relatives of Palestinian prisoners in Israeli occupation jails and listened to their suffering. Mohammed Al-Katari, the undersecretary of the prisoners’ ministry that hosted the meeting, welcomed the guests and said that such foreign delegations serve as a link to convey the woes of the Palestinian people to the outside world. He elaborated on the Palestinian prisoners’ suffering in occupation jails as a result of quelling measures and deprivation of basic needs. He said that such practices should be exposed before the world community. Members of the delegation stressed that they would exert all efforts possible to convey the question of those prisoners and to organize support rallies. The families of prisoners briefed the guests on the conditions of their next of kin in occupation jails and. . . more.. e-mail
Israel bans former PFLP operative from traveling to Amsterdam
Associated Press, Jerusalem Post 3/10/2009
The Israeli Supreme Court on Tuesday banned a Palestinian human rights activist from traveling to Amsterdam to receive a prize. Shawan Jabarin, the West Bank-based director of Palestinian human rights organization al-Haq, hoped to travel to the Netherlands Friday to receive the "Geuzenpenning Prize" on behalf of his organization. But courts administration spokeswoman Ayelet Filo said the court ruled there was "real evidence that he is involved with terror organizations, and therefore he will not be allowed to leave out of security concerns. " In 1985, Jabarin was convicted by an Israeli court of terror activity on behalf of the radical Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine. He served nine months in prison. Israel put him in administrative detention in 1994, charging that he was still active in the PFLP, and has stopped him from traveling several times in the past. more.. e-mail
Visiting scholar sheds light on issue of Palestinian refugees
Marc Abizeid, Daily Star 3/9/2009
BEIRUT: Canadian author and professor from McGill University Rex Brynen shed some light on the challenges facing Palestinian refugees in Lebanon and throughout the Middle East during a lecture at the American University of Beirut on Friday. Speaking as fast as his lips could move before a crowd of about 50 at the latest event sponsored by the Issam Fares Institute for Public Policy, Brynen detailed some recent history of failed Clinton-era attempts to broker settlement resolutions between Israelis and Palestinians. He blamed the Israeli government for perpetuating the crisis by refusing to accept responsibility for the 1948 Nakba and for persisting with an attitude of indifference toward the issue. "In the Israeli government, which can provide you with detailed statistics on the drop of a hat on orange exports or the range of surface-to-air missiles, there is not a single person who does anything on refugees," he said. more.. e-mail
Habitat for Humanity aids unrecognized Bedouin towns
Ha’aretz 3/10/2009
A new committee to further the rights of Bedouin living in unrecognized villages in the Negev began work yesterday in Be’er Sheva. The organization is a joint project of the Regional Council of Unrecognized Villages and Habitat for Humanity, an international Christian organization that builds housing for the poor. Of the 49 Bedouin villages in the Negev, 13 have been recognized by the state or are in the process of being recognized. However 80,000 Bedouin still live without basic infrastructure and are under threat that the authorities will demolish their homes and confiscate the land. Professors from Israel and abroad are on the committee, as well as former UN officials. In the coming week they are to hear testimony from local inhabitants, tour the unrecognized villages and submit a report to Habitat for Humanity. more.. e-mail
EconomyTaybeh: forget boycotts, buy Palestinian
PNN exclusive, Palestine News Network 3/10/2009
Taybeh - It’s brewing day at Taybeh Brewery and the employees have been working since six in the morning, watching over the making-process of Palestine’s national beer. Nadim Khoury moved back to Palestine from Boston, Massachusetts in 1994. When the Oslo accords were signed he decided to start up his brewing business in his home village, Taybeh, 15 kilometers from the central West Bank’s city of Ramallah. "Brewing has always been my hobby, but I returned to Palestine because I wanted to invest in my country," he told PNN on Monday. What started out as a small, but yet high-risk, private investment has grown to a full scale business with purchasers in Japan, Palestine and Belgium. Khoury points out that the Palestinian economy and its future growth is depending on local investors. "We can’t build up an independent Palestinian state on international aid. " more.. e-mail
Cargo traffic in ports sharply down
Lior Baron, Globes Online 3/10/2009
Haifa, Ashdod and Eilat all saw lower trade traffic in January 2009 compared with January 2008. The recession is being reflected in lower cargo traffic at Israel’s three seaports (Haifa, Ashdod and Eilat). Sources inform "Globes" that there was a 30% fall in cargo traffic (loading and unloading) in January 2009 amounting to 2. 36 million tons compared with 3. 34 million tons in January 2008. There was also a more moderate drop of 13% in container traffic in January 2009 to 172,200 containers compared with 150,200 in January 2008. 98% of international trade goes through Israel’s seaports so these figures from the Ministry of Transport’s maritime administration are a clear indication of the growing slowdown in the economy. The figures show that Haifa Port, the home port of Zim Integrated Shipping Services Ltd. more.. e-mail
Bank of Israel sees worst year ever for growth
Adrian Filut, Globes Online 3/10/2009
Stanley Fischer: We have little leeway for increasing government spending. Governor of the Bank of Israel Prof. Stanley Fischer today presented an updated plan to aid Israel’s economy, but his revised growth forecast points to an economy shrinking faster than ever in its history. Fischer issued an updated forecast of negative growth of 1. 5% in 2009. That rate is the lowest in the history of the State of Israel. The previous forecast by the Bank of Israel was for -0. 2% growth. The Bank of Israel’splan urges the growth in public sector expenditure to remain at 1. 7%, which means that per capita expenditure will not change in 2009. The plan revolves around aiding investment in infrastructure. Without other steps, the budget deficit is expected to reach NIS 35 billion, which is more than 5% of GDP. more.. e-mail
Israel Bank chief unveils dramatic rescue plan for economy
Ha’aretz 3/10/2009
The governor of the Bank of Israel, Stanley Fischer, is recommending a stimulus package that seeks to stem the effects of long-term unemployment and recession, in a presentation scheduled to take place Tuesday in Jerusalem. The Bank of Israel would like the government to approve an increase in unemployment benefits and infrastructure projects funded by the private sector as part of measures to boost the economy. The Bank is also recommending that industries should receive assistance from the state - as long as unemployment does not hit new heights. Stanley Fischer and the director of research at the bank, Karnit Flug, will present the adjusted assessments for 2009 today. Prior to the press conference, Flug is scheduled to present the recommendations to Finance Ministry Director General Yarom Ariav and the director of budgets at the ministry, Ram Balinkov. more.. e-mail
Defense sector M&A drops but Israeli firms may gain
Globes' correspondent, Globes Online 3/10/2009
Niche technologies may attract investment now. The global economic crisis is affecting the defense and aerospace industries. According to a report entitled "Aerospace and Defense Deals 2008" published by Israeli accountancy firm Kesselman and Kesselman - PricewaterhouseCoopers Israel, the volume of mergers and acquisitions (M&A) in these sectors fell sharply in 2008. The report finds that the number of M&A deals in the defense and aerospace sectors fell by 50% in 2008 to $14. 3 billion compared with $32. 9 billion in 2007. A geographical breakdown of the figures found that North America and Europe were responsible for 89% of the value of these deals - $12. 7 billion. In these sectors, the report found that the slowdown began in the second quarter of 2008 and became far more severe in the final quarter of the year, when deals worth an average of just $22 million were recorded. more.. e-mail
Israel unveils $1.1 billion recovery plan
Middle East Online 3/10/2009
JERUSALEM - Israel’s central bank chief Stanley Fischer unveiled a 1. 1 billion dollar recovery plan on Tuesday warning that the economy will contract by up to 1. 5 percent in 2009 after five years of growth. "The Israeli economy is facing recession as a result of the global financial crisis," the central bank said in a report presented by Fischer at a press conference. The former World Bank chief economist unveiled a 4. 4 billion shekel plan to go towards investment in national construction projects, in hi-tech research and development, and government projects. The programme also aims to create an extra 15,000 jobs. Unemployment is nevertheless expected to rise from a 19-year low of six percent in 2008 to 8 percent during the coming year, the bank added. In December the finance ministry announced a 2. 8-billion-dollar scheme to guarantee bank loans and secure pension funds amid the global slowdown. more.. e-mail
Winter rains save northern cherry, apple orchards from being uprooted
Ha’aretz 3/10/2009
Thousands of dunams of orchards have been spared from uprooting due to the heavy downpour in the Upper Galilee, Hula Valley and the Golan over the past two weeks, a private water company CEO said earlier this week. Ahikam Barlevy, CEO of the Hatzbani-Dan company, said the unexpectedly high winter rainfall has averted the danger of severe drought in the north, enabling farmers to put off mass-scale uprooting of cherry and apple orchards. Barlevy said the amount of rain that has fallen in the northern region since the beginning of 2009 has reached 80% of the annual average. More than 100 millimeters of rain was recorded in the Upper Galilee, Hula Valley and Golan Heights during the cold snap at the end of February and the beginning of March, bringing about a sharp increase of water in the Dan Stream, which reached seven cubic meters (7,000 liters) per second, almost triple the 2. more.. e-mail
People
Palestinian Public Opinion Poll No (31)
Palestinian Center for Policy and Survey Research - PSR, MIFTAH 3/10/2009
The popularity of Abbas and Fayyad declines sharply while the popularity of Haniyeh and Hamas increases significantly; but Fateh can still defeat Hamas and the overwhelming majority believes Palestinians after the war on Gaza are worse off than before the war 5-7 March 2009 These are the results of the latest poll conducted by the Palestinian Center for Policy and Survey Research (PSR) in the West Bank and the Gaza Strip between 5 and 7 March 2009. The poll was conducted several weeks after the Israeli attack on the Gaza Strip. The poll period witnessed return of Palestinian factions to reconciliation talks sponsored by Egypt. Total size of the sample is 1270 adults interviewed face to face in 127 randomly selected locations. Margin of error is 3%. This press release covers domestic Palestinian issues; issues related to the peace process and Israeli-Palestinian relations will be covered in a separate joint Palestinian-Israeli press release. more.. e-mail
Poll: Palestinians in Gaza Strip prefer Abbas to Haniyeh
Ma’an News Agency 3/10/2009
Bethlehem – Ma’an – If presidential elections were held today in the West Bank and Gaza Strip, Hamas would win, according to the results of a recent survey published on Tuesday. In turn, the popularity of Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas and outgoing caretaker Prime Minister Salam Fayyad declined sharply, while the popularity of de facto Prime Minister Ismail Haniyeh increased significantly, the poll said. According to research by the Palestinian Center for Policy and Survey Research in the West Bank and Gaza Strip, the overwhelming majority of Palestinians believe they are worse off after Israel’s assault on the Gaza Strip than before, despite new support for Hamas. The results were released several weeks after the Israeli attack on the Gaza Strip, but respondents were surveyed amid the return of Palestinian factions to reconciliation talks in Cairo sponsored by Egypt. more.. e-mail
South by Southwest in Palestine! Not the amazing US music festival, but good enough
Palestine News Network 3/10/2009
PNN - BlogWerds Media is proud to announce the launch of SXSWerds. com, a content aggregation and social media platform dedicated to the wild explosion of news, blog, and social media chatter pointed at the main event: a South by Southwest 2009! So what does that mean? With attention intensifying for SXSW 2009, if you want to find out what news is popping, what blogs are blogging, and where social media chatter is headed, there’s no central platform to see all of that activity -- and interact with it in real time -- with relation to one of the biggest industry events of the year’ until now. SXSWerds. com delivers a dedicated stream of news, blog, and social media activity, and empowers its community of tech and web enthusiasts with a social media layer to vote on stories and posts, comment, and make their own opinions heard. -- See also: SXSWerds.com more.. e-mail
Kafka comes to Bethlehem
Osama Awad, Palestine News Network 3/10/2009
PNN - This play is an adaptation of Franz Kafka’s "The Metamorphosis", as Gregor Samsa awoke one morning from uneasy dreams he found himself transformed in his bed into a gigantic insect. He struggles to keep his relationship with his family despite his transformation and preserve his human side. The play explores the conflict between humanity and animality. It uncovers the struggle to prserve the humanity of individuals despite the pressures of life and the difficult living conditions. The play is a representtation of using arts as an instrument of resistance to all the oppressive conditions that Palestinians go through on daily basis. Trying to escape from the labelling of people or individuals transforms human beings to become animal like and struggle to preserve what is left of their humanity inside them. more.. e-mail
InternationalArab states could help solve Iran standoff
Middle East Online 3/10/2009
VIENNA - UN nuclear watchdog chief Mohamed ElBaradei called on Arab countries to become actively involved in resolving the long-running nuclear standoff with Iran. "I find it surprising that the Arab countries are not engaged in dialogue between Iran and the West. The neighbours so far have been sitting on the fence. Any solution to the Iranian issue has to engage the neighbours," ElBaradei told a foreign policy forum in the Austrian parliament late Monday. After six years of intensive investigations, the Vienna-based International Atomic Energy Agency has not been able to ascertain whether the Islamic republic’s nuclear activities are entirely peaceful as Iran claims. ElBaradei called on Iran to be more transparent about its atomic programme. But fears Tehran could one day use its technology to build a bomb were not a technical but a political issue, the Egyptian-born diplomat said. more.. e-mail
IAEA: Arabs crucial to resolving Iran nuke issue
Ha’aretz 3/10/2009
The stand-off over the disputed Iranian nuclear program cannot be resolved without the engagement of Iran’s Arab neighbors, United Nations atomic watchdog chief Mohamed ElBaradei said on Monday. He said a U. S. policy turnabout towards direct talks with Iran has boosted chances of a peaceful solution but the involvement of Arab states was crucial. Arabs have historically mistrusted Iran but are split over how to deal with it. "I find it surprising that the Arab countries are not engaged in dialogue between Iran and the West. The neighbors so far have been sitting on the fence. Any solution to the Iranian issue has to engage the neighbors," ElBaradei said. Middle East analysts say Gulf Arab states had little love for ex-U. S. President George W. Bush’s hawkish, no-negotiations stance on Iran, fearing it could lead to a ruinous regional war. more.. e-mail
Sudan urged to reverse aid group expulsion
Middle East Online 3/10/2009
UNITED NATIONS - The United Nations made a fresh appeal to Khartoum Monday to reverse its decision to expel 13 key aid groups from Darfur after Sudan’s president was issued an arrest warrant for alleged war crimes and crimes against humanity. UN humanitarian chief John Holmes told a press briefing here that the world body would continue to press for the decision to be reversed. Holmes, who is also the UN relief emergency coordinator, said UN chief Ban Ki-moon might raise the issue with Sudanese President Omar al-Beshir "at the right moment. " "We continue to ask the government of Sudan to reverse it as soon as possible," he noted, stressing that the 13 groups affected by the expulsion were some of the major agencies among the 85 non-governmental organizations operating in strife-torn Darfur. UN officials say that thousands of lives have been put at risk by the decision to. . . more.. e-mail
Saudi king breaks ice with Assad
Paul Handley - RIYADH, Middle East Online 3/10/2009
Syrian President Bashar al-Assad and his Egyptian counterpart Hosni Mubarak are to meet with Saudi Arabia’s King Abdullah in Riyadh on Wednesday, the government announced, as efforts to smooth over Arab differences intensified. The three would be discussing mutual issues and preparing the ground for the Arab League summit in Doha expected to take place on March 30, according to Riyadh diplomatic sources. "Bilateral relations. . . and ways of strengthening them in various fields in addition to regional and international issues of common concern" will be on the agenda, according to the Saudi state news agency SPA. Assad’s visit to Saudi Arabia would also mark a tentative rapprochement between Riyadh and Damascus, after years of strained ties over Syria’s close links with Saudi Arabia’s rival Iran and their backing for radical Islamist movements like Hamas and Lebanon’s Hezbollah. more.. e-mail
US Jewish communities test emergency system
Yaakov Lappin, Jerusalem Post 3/9/2009
In the wake of ongoing terror threats to Jewish targets around the world, representatives of American Jewish communities are now testing an integrated rapid-response system designed to allow communications during times of emergency and to share security information on an ongoing basis. The Secure Community Network (SCN) program is being run under the auspices of the Conference of Presidents of Major American Jewish Organizations and was launched in 2003 in cooperation with the Jerusalem-based Jewish People Policy Planning Institute (JPPPI). As part of the initiative, representatives of US Jewish communities recently held a meeting with JPPPI officials aimed at enhancing the relationship between the two parties. The SCN was founded after the JPPPI highlighted a need to create a program for emergency management, communications and response to serve America’s Jewish community. more.. e-mail
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