Conflict..

Rafah shelling kills prominent member of the Al Quds Brigades Saed Bannoura & Agencies, International Middle East Media Center News 5/1/2008 The Al Quds Brigades, the armed wing of the Islamic Jihad, reported that the Wednesday evening Israeli shelling which targeted a workshop in Rafah, in the southern part of the Gaza Strip, killed one of its prominent leaders; five Palestinians including two children were wounded, at least two seriously. The Brigades stated that the Israeli air force fired a missile at a blacksmith workshop in Rafah killing the fighter and wounding five others. The workshop was completely destroyed and damage to several surrounding houses was reported. Medical sources in Rafah reported that residents Karam Hammad, 23, and Osama Al Hooby, 25, suffered serious injuries. The sources added that two children, identified as Ahmad Salah, 10, and his brother Amjad Salah, 11, suffered moderate wounds. All of the wounded residents were moved to Abu Yousef Al Najjar Hospital in Rafah. more.. e-mail 12 Qassam rockets hit western Negev Shmulik Hadad, YNetNews 4/30/2008 Sderot, Sha’ar Hanegev Regional Council residents begin their day with rocket salvo, yet again. No injuries, damage reported in any of rocket landings - Residents of the western Negev communities were awakened by a series of Color Red alerts Wednesday, as a dozen Qassam rockets fired from northern Gaza hit the area. No injuries or damage were reported. At around 7:00 am, two rockets landed near a kibbutz in Sha’ar Hanegev Regional Council. A third rocket followed within 30 minutes. An hour and-a-half later, three more rockets were fired: One landed near a Sderot school, the second landed in Sha’ar Hanegev Regional Council’s industrial area and the third in an open area. Around 2 pm, the Palestinians fired four rockets at Israel. One landed in Sdot Negev Regional Council limits, another in Sha’ar Hanegev Regional Council limits and the third near Sderot. more.. e-mail Palestinian groups shell Israeli areas near Gaza despite news of ceasefire Ma’an News Agency 4/30/2008 Gaza – Ma’an – Palestinian military groups continued to launch homemade projectiles and mortar shells into Israel from the Gaza Strip despite news that the factions had agreed during talks in Egypt on a ceasefire. The military wing of Islamic Jihad, the Al-Quds Brigades, and the military wing of the Popular Resistance Committees, the An-Nasser Salah Addin Brigades, said that their fighters fired barrages of projectiles and mortars at the Israeli cities of Sderot and Ashkelon in the western Negev. It appears that Palestinian factions are awaiting for the official announcement of a ceasefire before holding their fire. Meanwhile, Israeli sources reported that 12 homemade projectiles and 3 mortar shells landed in Negev towns. One homemade projectile landed near a school in Sderot and another landed in the hills outside the town, causing a fire. more.. e-mail Palestinians: Militant killed, 3 others hurt in IAF strike on Gaza The Associated Press, Ha’aretz 4/30/2008 An Israel Air Force aircraft attacked a metal workshop in the southern Gaza Strip on Wednesday, killing an Islamic Jihad top militant and wounding three other people, Palestinian officials said. The attack came as Palestinian militant groups agreed in principle to a cease-fire with Israel. Shortly before the air strike, Hamas’ prime minister in the Gaza Strip, Ismail Haniyeh, had said the "ball is in the Israeli court" to keep to the terms of the truce. The IDF confirmed the air strike in Rafah, a town located next to the Egyptian border. Residents said the air strike targeted a metal workshop close to border crossing with Egypt. Metal workshops are often used by militants to make homemade rockets. One witness said three helicopters hovered over the southern Gaza town and were fired at by Palestinian militants on the ground before the air strike took place. more.. e-mail Israeli forces target Rafah shop in missile attack, kill one man, injure 6, including child Palestine News Network 4/30/2008 Rafah / PNN - Medical sources and eyewitness reported Wednesday that Israeli forces killed one Palestinian and injured six others in a targeted hit in the southern Gaza Strip. The shop was for painting cars in Rafah. The man killed was a member of Saraya Al Quds, the armed resistance wing of Islamic Jihad. He was an employee of the workshop. A spokesperson for the party said today that two others among the injured were also members of Islamic Jihad. The Director of Ambulance and Emergency in the Palestinian Health Ministry, Dr. Hassanain said that the man killed was in his thirties and among the six injured was a child. Shrapnel fired from an Israeli missile led to the injuries and death. All were taken to a Rafah hospital. One of the injured is in critical condition. Eyewitnesses confirmed that an Israeli aircraft fired two missiles at a workshop for painting cars belonging to a man from the Tal Zo’rob neighborhood. more.. e-mail Police, IDF troops demolish illegal outpost in West Bank Nadav Shragai, Ha’aretz 4/30/2008 Police and Israel Defense Forces troops on Wednesday demolished an illegal outpost near the northern West Bank settlement of Kochav Hashachar. At the site, Maoz Esther, security forces dismantled a synagogue which had been constructed there without permit. It was built in memory of Yonadav Chaim Hirschfeld, who was killed in the terror attack at the Mercaz Harav Yeshiva in Jerusalem in March. The synagogue, which was not a permanent structure, was dedicated during the intermediate days of the Passover holiday. On Tuesday, police and the Civil Administration demolished a swimming pool which had been built without permit at a home in the Havat Yair outpost, near the northern West Bank settlement of Nofim. Head of the Samaria Regional Council Gershon Mesika lambasted the demolition. more.. e-mail Israeli forces seize ten in raid on Askar refugee camp Ma’an News Agency 4/30/2008 Nablus – Ma’an – Israeli forces seized ten young Palestinian men from Askar refugee camp east of the West Bank city of Nablus on Wednesday morningPalestinian security sources told Ma’an’s reporter in Nablus that Israeli troops stormed the camp from the east after midnight and ransacked several houses before seizing ten young men. [end] Al-Aqsa Brigades fighter evades capture in Jenin Ma’an News Agency 4/30/2008 Jenin – Ma’an – Israeli forces raided home of wanted Palestinian activist Ammar Abu Ghalyun in Jenin refugee camp after midnight on Wednesday. Ghalyun is affiliated to Fatah’s armed wing, the Al-Aqsa Brigades. Local sources told Ma’an’s reporter that undercover Israeli forces entered the camp after midnight in three Palestinian-plated cars at midnight and surrounded Abu Ghalyun’s house. Then more than 20 Israeli military vehicles invaded the camp and closed all its entrances amidst heavy gunfire. They ordered Abu Ghalun through a loudspeaker to turn himself over. They recieved no answer because he was not at home. Local sources added that after a number of unanswered calls, the soldiers broke into the house and damaged its interior as they searched for Abu Ghalun. When they failed to find him in his own home, the Israeli troops broke into neighboring houses and searched them, again in vain. more.. e-mail Al-Aqsa Martyrs Brigades in Gaza survive an Israeli missile attack Rami Almeghari & Agencies, International Middle East Media Center News 4/30/2008 The Al-Aqsa Martyrs Brigades, an offshot of Fatah party in Gaza survived on Wednesday an Israeli missile attack in the northern Gaza Strip city of Beit Hanoun. In a statement, faxed to press, the brigades confirmed that a number of their fighters survived early on Wednesday morning an Israeli land-to-land missile just near the Agriculture college in the Beit Hanoun city in northern Gaza Strip. The statement also read that the brigades’ fighters managed to launch two homemade shells onto the nearby Israeli town of Sderot. " the aL-Aqsa brigades is determined to keep up in the path of resistance until the Israeli occupation comes to an end", the statement further read. Over the past five months, the Israeli army has stepped up attacks on Palestinian resistance groups in Gaza, in what Israel says ’crackdown on launchers of homemade shells’. more.. e-mail Sderot: Qassams hit during Holocaust ceremony Shmulik Hadad, YNetNews 4/30/2008 Two rockets fall in Negev town after Holocaust Remembrance Day ceremony opens in sheltered cultural center. Mayor: Our answer to terrorism is not being afraid -Two Qassam rockets landed in an open area near Sderot Wednesday night shortly after the Holocaust Remembrance Day ceremony began in the western Negev town’s sheltered cultural center. No injuries or casualties were reported. The western Negev was hit with 15 Qassam rockets since the morning hours. Mayor of Sderot, Eli Moyal, told Ynet that "While the IDF Central and Southern Commands asked us to take precautions, they permitted us to hold the ceremony opposite the Holocaust monument in Sderot. On Wednesday morning we received many requests from Holocaust survivors who reside in Sderot asking us to move the ceremony to the cultural center. more.. e-mail Undercover Israeli forces seize Fatah activist in Ramallah Ma’an News Agency 4/30/2008 Ramallah – Ma’an – Israeli forces seized a Fatah-affiliated activist in the West Bank city of Ramallah on Wednesday. Local sources told Ma’an that an undercover Israeli force entered the Ash-Sharafa neighborhood of Ramallah near Al-Am’ary refugee camp and seized 27-year-old Muhammad Da’amin who has been pursued by the Israelis for five years. Local sources said the Da’amin have evaded previous attempts at his arrest. [end] Palestinian fighters launch barrage of projectiles and mortars into Israel Ma’an News Agency 4/30/2008 Gaza – Ma’an – Several Palestinian military organizations fired barrages of homemade projectiles at Israeli towns bordering the Gaza Strip on Tuesday night and Wednesday morning, the groups said. Fatah’s Al-Aqsa Brigades said on Wednesday that their fighters launched three homemade projectiles at the town of Sderot. Separately, another group affiliated to Fatah, the Al-Mujahidin Brigades, claimed responsibility on Tuesday evening for launching two mortar shells at the Israeli military post at Nahal Oz. A third Fatah-affiliated group called the Abu Ammar Brigades said its fighters launched two homemade projectiles at Sderot on Tuesday evening. For their part, the Al-Quds Brigades, the military wing of Islamic Jihad, said their fighters fired five mortar shells at Nahal Oz at midnight on Tuesday. Meanwhile, the Abu Ali Mustafa Brigades, the military wing of the. . . more.. e-mail IOA decides to wipe out Palestinian village Palestinian Information Center 4/30/2008 JENIN, (PIC)-- Apparently bowing to pressures from the Israeli military institution, the Israeli high court issued a ruling entitling the Israeli occupation authority to confiscate most of the land in the Palestinian village of Al-Aqaba that overlooks the Jordanian valley. Palestinian villagers dwelling in the city accused the Israeli court of prejudice, affirming that the Israeli occupation army wants their land to use it for military purposes.  The village is situated in a strategic location overlooking the Jordanian valley region near the West Bank city of Tobas. Sami Sadek, the head of the village’s municipal council, explained that the IOA presented a new structural scheme that sharply reduced the total area of the village from 3,500 dunums (1 dunum= 1000 sq meter) to 100 dunums only, spurring the villagers to file a protest with the high court against the said plan. more.. e-mail As Qassams pound Negev, Sderot residents urge boycott of Independence Day Mijal Greenberg, and Haaretz Service, Ha’aretz 5/1/2008 As the Qassam rocket barrage on Israel continued on Wednesday, a group of residents of the rocket-stricken town of Sderot called for a boycott of the Independence Day celebrations, scheduled for next week. At least ten rockets and three mortar shells were fired on Wednesday at the western Negev from the Northern Gaza Strip. There were no injuries reported in any of the incidents, but a woman and child were treated for shock when a rocket struck the Ashkelon regional council. Two of the Qassams sparked a fire in an open area near Sderot on Wednesday, another struck next to a school in the southern town, and another hit the Sha’ar Hanegev regional council’s Industrial district. None of these rocket attacks caused casualties or property damage. Yossi Timsit, whose wife was seriously injured after a Qassam rocket hit their. . . more.. e-mail Former Shin Bet figure: Why didn’t guards protect Barak? Yossi Verter, Ha’aretz 5/1/2008 A former senior Shin Bet security service officer yesterday blasted bodyguards from the service for failing to protect party leader and defense minister Ehud Barak at a violent incident earlier this week, in what he called "an extremely serious security and protection failure." Shin Bet guards stood by while a Labor Party activist attacked Barak and Agriculture Minister Shalom Simhon at a gathering at the party’s headquarters in Tel Aviv on Monday. Sami Shoshan, a brother-in-law of former party leader Amir Peretz’s reportedly assaulted Barak and Simhon, slamming a microphone in Simhon’s face and snatching a microphone from Barak. Eyewitnesses said Barak was injured, but throughout the incident, which lasted several minutes, the security guards refrained from intervening or protecting Barak, as is their duty. more.. e-mail Palestine Today 043008 Aaron Lakoff, International Middle East Media Center News 4/30/2008 Click here to download or play MP3 file| 3. 66 MB | 4m 0s Welcome to Palestine Today, a service of the International Middle East Media Centre, www. imemc. org, for Thursday April 10th, 2008. The Israeli army invades Gaza and attacks farmers, while in the West Bank Israeli troops kidnap 10 civilians, these stories and more coming up stay tuned. On Wednesday morning at approximately 1am, Israeli troops raided the Al Shariya girls orphanage and school in the southern West Bank city of Hebron. They destroyed a sewing workshop in the school’s basement. The raid came after an ultimatum of April 28th was given by the Israeli army General of Command to close and evacuate all properties and institutions funded by the Islamic Charitable Society, including the Al Shariya school. The Israel army claims that the ICS has ties to Hamas, but the society denies this allegation. more.. e-mail

Diplomacy..

Palestinian militants agree to truce with Israel Nadra Saouli, Daily Star 5/1/2008 Agence France Presse - CAIRO: Palestinian factions agreed on Wednesday to a proposal for a truce with Israel that Egyptian mediators will now try to sell to the Jewish state, a senior Egyptian official said. The 12 groups meeting in Cairo agreed to the plan, already backed by Hamas and Fatah, for a "comprehensive, simultaneous and reciprocal period of calm to be applied progressively, first in Gaza and then in the West Bank," Egypt’s MENA news agency said, without naming the official." This is a stage in a plan aimed at creating a situation that will allow for the lifting of the [Israeli] blockade of the Gaza Strip and the end of internal Palestinian divisions," the official was quoted as saying. A deal for a six-month period of calm had already been accepted by the Hamas, while Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas, from rival Fatah, gave the negotiations unconditional support on Sunday. more.. e-mail Rice accuses Hamas of waging ’proxy’ war Agence France Presse - AFP, Daily Star 5/1/2008 WASHINGTON: Palestinian Hamas militants are serving as the "proxy warriors" for an Iran bent on acquiring an atomic bomb and destroying Israel, US Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice said here late on Tuesday. In a speech to American Jews in Washington, Rice promoted the US policy of isolating Hamas, which she said refused to renounce violence, recognize Israel’s right to exist and respect all previous Palestinian agreements with Israel." But perhaps of deepest concern, the leaders of Hamas are increasingly serving as the proxy warriors of an Iranian regime that is destabilizing the region, seeking a nuclear capability and proclaiming its desire to destroy Israel," Rice told the American Jewish Committee." How can any government negotiate with a group that sees every agreement, every choice not as a compromise to advance peace, but as a tactic to later advance war? "she asked. more.. e-mail Olmert makes surprise visit to Jordan for talks with king Agence France Presse - AFP, Daily Star 5/1/2008 AMMAN: Israeli Premier Ehud Olmert held talks with King Abdullah II on the Middle East peace process during a surprise visit to the Jordanian capital on Wednesday, the palace said." The king stressed the need for Palestinian-Israeli negotiations to lead to an agreement based on a two-state solution before the end of this year," it said in a statement." The agreement should address all final-status issues and result in the establishment of an independent Palestinian state," he told Olmert, referring to core issues in the conflict, notably the fate of Occupied Jerusalem and refugees." Achieving peace requires advancing negotiations within clear mechanisms and specific timelines." The king also urged the Israeli leader to "work toward improving the daily living conditions of Palestinians in the West Bank and Gaza Strip," according to the statement. more.. e-mail Palestinian factions agree on ceasefire, call for restored Palestinian unity Ma’an News Agency 4/30/2008 Bethlehem – Ma’an – Twelve Palestinian political and military factions have agreed in principle to accept a ceasefire with Israel. However, Palestinian leaders agreed that any agreement should be bilateral, apply to both the Gaza Strip and the West Bank, and include an end to the siege of the Gaza Strip. Leaders from a dozen minor factions are in Cairo this week meeting with Egyptian mediators. The talks will resume on Wednesday. The Egyptian mediators are scheduled to resume on Wednesday a round of negotiations with 12 Palestinian factions hoping to reach a ceasefire agreement with Israel. The Egyptian Al-Ahram newspaper quoted most of the Palestinian factions who took part in the talks as saying that they ceasefire should be immediately followed by Egyptian-supervised talks aimed at restoring Palestinian national unity. more.. e-mail U.S Secretary of States says Washington to keep up sidelining Hamas Rami Almeghari & Agencies, International Middle East Media Center News 4/30/2008 U. S Secretary of States, Condoleezza Rice, reiterated yesterday that Washington would keep up sidelining the Islamist Hamas party in Gaza, wondering of what she considered ’negotiating with a group that wants a tactical agreement in order to wage a war in a later stage’. Rice asserted that sidelining Hamas would continue until the party opts for peace as a ’strategic choice’. In her meeting with representatives of the Jewish community in Washington yesterday night , the U. S secretary described Hamas as fighters, who are commissioned by the Iranian regime, in order to destabilize regional security and destroy the state of Israel. Nevertheless, Rice believed that there is a chance to reach some kind of compromise between the Palestinians and Israel by the end of 2008, urging Israel to produce what she called ’some concessions’ for the sake of peace. more.. e-mail All 12 Palestinian factions agree to Gaza cease-fire Yoav Stern, Barak Ravid, Amos Harel, and Jack Khoury, Ha’aretz 5/1/2008 Egyptian intelligence chief Omar Suleiman is expected to arrive in Israel shortly to receive Israel’s official response to the Egyptian cease-fire proposal, Palestinian sources in Cairo said yesterday. Suleiman is to report to Israel on the agreement reached with the Palestinian factions yesterday, who are offering Israel calm in the Gaza Strip in exchange for the opening of the crossing points into the Strip, including the Rafa border crossing with Egypt. The official Egyptian news agency MENA reported that all 12 Palestinian factions whose representatives were in Cairo had accepted the Egyptian proposal. Egypt was not able to get the factions to themselves declare a united position on the agreement, as it had hoped. The proposal reportedly include a general, bilateral truce, to be implemented gradually in the Gaza Strip and later in the West Bank. more.. e-mail Egyptian official: We expect Israel to implement tahadiya agreement Yoav Stern, Ha’aretz 5/1/2008 Egypt is expecting Israel to accept and implement the cease-fire proposal agreed on yesterday by the Palestinian factions, Egyptian Foreign Minister Ahmed Aboul Gheit’s bureau chief said yesterday. Speaking by phone to Haaretz from Cairo, Hossam Zaki, who is also the Egyptian Foreign Ministry’s spokesman, said: "The Israelis are giving themselves plenty of time to think and evaluate. . . Israel can contribute by accepting the Egyptian effort and the tahadiya [calm]." Zaki was in Israel at the beginning of the week and met with Foreign Minister Tzipi Livni, ahead of her expected meeting tomorrow with Aboul Gheit in London during the conference of donor countries to the Palestinian Authority. Zaki said he brought up the subject of the tahadiya with Livni." What is important is to know that tahadiya is a good thing for civilians. more.. e-mail Islamic Jihad Sets Conditions for Truce With Israel Alaa Shahine, MIFTAH 4/30/2008 The Palestinian militant group Islamic Jihad said on Tuesday any possible truce with Israel would not restrict its right to respond to strikes by the Jewish state in the West Bank. Abu Emad al-Rifaie, a senior member of Islamic Jihad, said the group told Egyptian mediators that it approved -- with qualifications -- a Hamas proposal for a truce with Israel that starts in the Gaza Strip." This approval is under the condition that in the event of any Israeli aggression against our mujahideen (fighters) or people in the West Bank. . . we reserve our right to respond to such massacres," he told Reuters in Cairo after talks with Egyptian intelligence chief Omar Suleiman. The Islamist movement Hamas has said extending the ceasefire to Palestinians in the Israeli-occupied West Bank was "an option". Egypt invited 12 Palestinian groups for talks to form a consensus on Hamas’ six-month ceasefire proposal last week between Palestinians and Israel. more.. e-mail King, Mubarak Warn Against ‘Lack of Enthusiasm’ for Peace The Jordan Times, MIFTAH 4/30/2008 His Majesty King Abdullah and Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak on Monday warned against reluctance in peace efforts, stressing that the Palestinians should see tangible results on the ground as soon as possible. Lukewarmness and reluctance to push the peace process forward, they said at their Sharm El Sheikh summit, would exacerbate the situation and lead to further tension and frustration in the region, a Royal Court statement said. King Abdullah and Mubarak reiterated that any solution to the Palestinian issue should be based on relevant international legitimacy resolutions and the 2002 Arab Peace Initiative. They said the envisioned solution should lead to the establishment of an independent Palestinian state. They urged intensified work to remove all obstacles slowing down negotiations under way between the Palestinians and Israelis to address the final status issues, saying that these talks need a proper atmosphere so that they achieve their goals in accordance with a fixed timeframe. more.. e-mail PFLP leaders meet with Arab league chief, Egyptian mediator Ma’an News Agency 4/30/2008 Gaza – Ma’an – High-ranking leaders from the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine (PFLP) met on Wednesday with Egyptian intelligence chief Umar Sulaiman, who is working to broker a ceasefire between Palestinian factions and Israel. The PFLP’s deputy secretary general, Abdul-Rahim Malluh, said that PFLP leaders also met with the Arab League’s Secretary General Amr Mousa to discuss efforts at restoring Palestinian unity. Hamas leader Mahmoud Zahhar reiterated on Tuesday that his movement, which controls the Gaza Strip, is prepared to accept a bilateral ceasefire. Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas, the leader of Hamas’ rival, Fatah, expressed quiet support for a ceasefire. Malluh said priority should be given to bridging the gap between Hamas and Fatah. He added that the PFLP would not oppose any agreement that Palestinians unanimously agree on, especially if it ends the siege on the Gaza Strip. more.. e-mail Rice: Young Palestinians losing hope for peace Associated Press, YNetNews 4/30/2008 In her address to American Jewish Committee’s annual meeting, US secretary of state says: ’What we don’t want is that the hopelessness and the vision of the extremists have no counter’ - US Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice told an American Jewish audience Tuesday that young Palestinians are losing hope for an agreement with Israel." Increasingly, the Palestinians who talk about a two-state solution are my age," Rice, 53, said in a somber speech to The American Jewish Committee at its 102nd annual meeting. Insisting that the Bush administration will never yield to dealing with Hamas militants, Rice said, "What you don’t want is that the hopelessness and the vision of the extremists have no counter." Set to leave early Thursday for more jawboning with moderate Arabs and Israeli leaders, after talks in London designed to raise more economic. . . more.. e-mail Palestinians offer Israel new truce proposal Middle East Online 4/30/2008 CAIRO - All Palestinian militant groups meeting in Cairo have accepted an Egyptian-mediated proposal for a truce with Israel, the official MENA news agency said on Wednesday, citing well-informed sources." All Palestinian factions, forces and parties have accepted Egypt’s proposal on truce with Israel," MENA quoted the sources as saying, referring to Hamas, Fatah and the 12 factions currently in Cairo. The deal on a period of calm with Israel has already been accepted by the democratically elected movement Hamas, while Palestinian president Mahmud Abbas, from rival Fatah, on Sunday gave the negotiations unconditional support. MENA said an official statement would be released later in the day once Egyptian intelligence chief and chief mediator with Israel Omar Suleiman finishes his two days of talks with the factions on Wednesday. more.. e-mail Bush won’t present his final-status guidelines for now, say U.S. officials Barak Ravid, Ha’aretz 5/1/2008 Senior U. S. administration officials stressed during meetings last week in Washington with Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas that President George Bush does not intend at this stage to present guidelines of his own for resolving the core issues of an Israeli-Palestinian permanent peace agreement. An American official who met with Abbas in Washington said that the latter was deeply disappointed by the administration’s unwillingness to pressure Israel on this issue. Abbas’ visit to Washington was a first stop in a political campaign he has launched with the aim of lambasting Israel on two issues - continued construction in settlements, and what he terms "major gaps on the borders issue." According to a political source in Jerusalem, Abbas decided two weeks ago to take up this critical line against Israel with the idea of pushing it during his Washington trip, at the donor. . . more.. e-mail Truce Deal / Hamas claims victory Zvi Bar''el, Ha’aretz 5/1/2008 Several Arab states were required to bring about the truce with the Palestinian factions in Cairo yesterday. Egypt orchestrated the move, but in coordination with Jordan and Saudi Arabia and with Syria’s assistance. The Egyptians’ resolve stemmed from their fear that Hamas would carry out its threats of another breach of the border, with thousands of Gazans spilling into Egyptian territory. Hamas’ rigid opening position included a comprehensive cease-fire both in the West Bank and Gaza Strip, a written commitment for a full opening of the Rafah border crossing and a prisoners’ release. These required flexibility on Egypt’s part, which is reflected in an explicit promise - Hamas says it is a real commitment although apparently it was not given in writing - to open the border. This promise softened Mahmoud a-Zahar’s stance and he accepted the "Gaza first" idea. more.. e-mail Gilad Shalit`s father: Gaza truce must include my son`s release Jack Khoury, Ha’aretz 5/1/2008 The father of abducted Israel Defense Forces soldier Gilad Shalit told Haaretz on Wednesday that the government must make his son’s release a top priority when considering an Egptian-mediated truce proposal with Gaza militants. Noam Shalit said every pending deal must address this issue, adding that he has yet to hear from an authorized source about the progress made in the talks on the imminent truce." We haven’t heard anything concrete, and everything is still confined to rumors and word of mouth, but I nonetheless expect the issue of Gilad’s predicament to be a top priority," he said. Lobbyists for Gilad Shalit and two other soldiers held in captivity by Hezbollah - Ehud Goldwasser and Eldad Regev - have voiced their disappointment in the marginalization of the issue in the talks. more.. e-mail The Hamas government hails factions’ agreement to the ceasefire offer Rami Almeghari & Agencies, International Middle East Media Center News 4/30/2008 The Hamas-dominated government in Gaza hailed on Wednesday the Palestinian factions’ agreement to the ceasefire proposal, Hamas had submitted to Egyptian mediators last week. In a statement, faxed to press, the government of prime minister, Ismail Haniya, said the agreement by factions today in Cairo comes on top of Egyptian efforts to bridge the gap between the various affiliations regarding the ceasefire offer. The statement turned the ball into Israel’s court, urging the international community to pressure the Israeli government in order to end underway hostilities as well as the Palestinian people’s suffering. Media reports said today that representatives of the various Palestinian factions in Gaza had a consensus on the Hamas’s ceasefire initiative, with the reservation of the Islamic Jihad group, the popular front for the liberation of Palestine and the democratic front for the liberation of Palestine. more.. e-mail Cartaker gov’t: The ball now is in Israel’s court after we agreed on calm plan Palestinian Information Center 4/30/2008 GAZA, (PIC)-- The caretaker government headed by premier Ismail Haneyya welcomed Wednesday the Palestinian factions’ consensus on the Egyptian proposal regarding the comprehensive truce, provided that it is implemented in Gaza first and then in the West Bank, pointing out that the ball now is in the court of the Israeli government. In a statement received by the PIC, the government stressed the need to respect this united position of the Palestinian factions and to respond to their demands which includes ending all forms of aggression on the Palestinian people, lifting the siege, and opening the border terminals including the Rafah crossing according to the mechanisms agreed with Egypt. In another statement received by the PIC, Dr. Sami Abu Zuhri, a Hamas spokesman, stated that Cairo’s announcement that the Palestinian factions reached a consensus on the truce under its auspices is. . . more.. e-mail Hamas: Abbas’s Arab tour attempts to seek cover for failure of negotiations Palestinian Information Center 4/30/2008 GAZA, (PIC)-- The Hamas Movement on Wednesday said that the current Arab tour of PA chief Mahmoud Abbas was an attempt to seek an Arab cover for his "miserable failure" in negotiations with occupation. Dr. Sami Abu Zuhri, a Hamas spokesman in Gaza, said in a press release that Abbas is personally responsible for the failure and for the current condition of the Palestine cause because he wholly wagered on the American and Israeli agenda at the expense of Palestinian national rights and interests. Abbas was also the one who promoted the Annapolis conference and urged Arab countries to participate in it and spoke about its agenda and details more than the White House spokesman, Abu Zuhri elaborated. The Hamas spokesman appealed to the Saudi monarch King Abdullah to pressure Abbas to return to dialogue with the Palestinian people instead of negotiating with occupation and to oblige. . . more.. e-mail Olmert to take ’necessary’ steps to handle the situation in Gaza Rami Almeghari & Agencies, International Middle East Media Center News 4/30/2008 Israeli Prime Minister, Ehud Olmert, stressed on Tuesday that his government will soon take some necessary actions to handle the situation in the Gaza Strip, while his intelligence service chief, Amos Gil’ad, accused Hamas of attempting to breach border lines. Israeli media sources reported that Olmert is considering a new security and economic plan for the town of Sderot and other Israeli settlement populations, located near the Gaza Strip. Palestinian resistance factions in Gaza involving Hamas , continue to fire homemade shells into Sderot and other nearby Israeli towns, within what they call ’ a natural reaction to the Israeli occupation attacks on Palestinians in Gaza and the West Bank’. Meanwhile, chief of Israeli intelligence service known or SHABAK, Amos Gil’ad, revealed that the ruling Hamas party in Gaza and other factions in the Strip, have plans to carry on attacks. . . more.. e-mail Security Cabinet objects to ceasefire with Hamas Roni Sofer, YNetNews 4/30/2008 Ministers receive briefing on Gaza situation, terror alerts, Egyptian efforts to broker truce between Israel, Hamas. Final decision on lull deferred - The Security Cabinet met Wednesday and discussed the Egyptian efforts to mediate a ceasefire between Israel and Hamas, as relayed after Former US President Jimmy Carter’s visit to the region. The majority of the cabinet ministers voiced their objection to the move, saying any ceasefire on Israel’s part would only allow Hamas to regroup, rearm and recruit more operatives before it continues its attacks on Israel. Prime Minister Ehud Olmert chose to refrain from making any definitive decision during the meeting, saying he would rather wait for the defense establishment to study the offer first. Internal Security Minister Avi Dichter, who took part in the meeting, said the move might be perceived as legitimizing Hamas: "We have to reach a more.. e-mail Olmert visits Jordan, meets king Abdullah II Saed Bannoura & Agencies, International Middle East Media Center News 4/30/2008 Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert met with the Jordanian Monarch, King Abdullah II, in a visit to the Jordanian capital, Amman, on Wednesday afternoon, the Arabs48 news website reported. The website added that according to Israeli sources, Olmert and Abdullah discussed "the latest developments of the Peace Process" and the ways to implement the decisions of the Annapolis Peace Summit. The visit comes after king Abdullah visited Washington last week in an attempt to urge the United States to exert pressure on Israel to ease its stances and pressures on the Palestinian Authority. The sources said that king Abdullah told Olmert that it is essential that peace talks between Israel and the Palestinians would lead to an agreement by the end of this year, and that this agreement should be based on the two-state solution in accordance to the commitments of both parties as agreed in the Annapolis summit. more.. e-mail Olmert in unscheduled visit to Jordan Roni Sofer, YNetNews 4/30/2008 Prime minister briefs King Abdullah on recent political developments during surprise stopover in Amman, leaders discuss joint economic initiatives, Jordanian aid to Palestinian Authority -Prime Minister Ehud Olmert landed in Amman on Wednesday afternoon for an unannounced visit with King Abdullah II of the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan. During his two-hour stop in the capital Olmert briefed the king on various regional developments and the two went on to discuss joint economic projects between Israel and Jordan as well as the aid provided by the latter to the Palestinian Authority." The two leaders discussed the peace process and ways to make progress towards the objectives set at the Annapolis conference," Olmert’s office said in a statement following the meeting. The prime minister’s office stressed that Wednesday’s was one of the routine meetings held between the two. more.. e-mail Jordan condemns Israeli actions against Palestinians Palestine News Network 4/30/2008 Amman / PNN -- On Wednesday Jordan strongly condemned the unjust Israeli blockade against the Palestinians and the repeated attacks. The country’s official newspaper cited Monday’s killing of six Palestinians in the Gaza Strip, including a mother and her four children. The Minister of State for Information and Communication Nasser Joudah reported that Jordan strongly condemned the latest Israeli aggressions. He added that Saudi Arabia also condemns the repeated Israeli aggressions against the Palestinian people and the unjust blockade. He considered that the embargo which has caused an ongoing humanitarian disaster in the Gaza Strip, the repeated Israeli attacks and the targeting of innocent civilians are all flagrant violations of international humanitarian law in general, and the Fourth Geneva Convention concerning the Protection of Civilian Persons in particular. more.. e-mail During surprise talks in Amman, Abdullah tells PM peace deal must be reached by year’s end Reuters, Ha’aretz 4/30/2008 Prime Minister Ehud Olmert held talks in Jordan on Wednesday with Jordanian King Abdullah II on the Israeli-Palestinian peace process. A palace statement said during the closed-door talks, Abdullah urged Olmert to work on improving the living conditions of Palestinians in the West Bank and the Gaza Strip. The talks on an Amman hilltop palace come as part of the king’s efforts to push forward peace negotiations between the Palestinians and the Israelis. The Jordanian statement said the king told Olmert that his negotiations with the Palestinians must lead to an agreement between both sides before the end of the year, according to the two-state solution and pledges by all sides at the Annapolis meeting, in reference to the international U. S. -hosted peace conference in Maryland, last November. more.. e-mail British Jews call for boycotting Israel’s independence celebrations Saed Bannoura & Agencies, International Middle East Media Center News 4/30/2008 A group of 100 famous academics, authors, actors and public figures of the Jewish population in The United Kingdom signed a letter stating that they will be boycotting the Israeli independence celebrations marking the 60th anniversary, and stated that they "cannot celebrate the birth of a state which was founded on terrorism", The Guardian reported. The signatories of the statement said that Israel forced 70. 000 Palestinians into a "Death March" in 1948. The letter states that Israel forced 70. 000 Palestinians in 1948 out of their home in Lydda (Lod) And Ramleh "in the heat of the summer without food or water", and added that hundreds of them died in what became known Death March. The Guardian said that among the signatories of the letter is Haim Bresheeth, a professor at the University of East London. Prof. Bresheeth was the organizer of the call for an academic boycott against Israel. more.. e-mail Following boycott call, Dubai says Leviev has no license for planned jewelry stores Adalah-NY Contact, International Solidarity Movement 4/30/2008 Boycott & sanctions - info@adalahny. org - www. adalahny. org - New York, NY, April 30 - In a sudden reversal, just 16 days after Israeli billionaire Lev Leviev publicly announced plans to open two new jewelry stores in Dubai this year, a high-level Dubai government official said that Leviev had no trade license to open a store in the Emirate. The report today in Dubai’s Gulf News, followed a flurry of media coverage of the April 18 call by Palestinians and New York activists for Dubai to boycott Leviev’s businesses over his companies’ settlement construction in the Israeli-occupied West Bank. Issa Ayoub, a spokesperson for Adalah-NY, an activist group leading a boycott campaign against Leviev, commented, "We’re gratified that, by refusing trade licenses for Leviev, Dubai has joined the growing movement to boycott Leviev’s companies due to their violations of international law and human rights abuses in Palestine and Angola. more.. e-mail Gaza ’on point of explosion’ warns UN Anne Penketh, Diplomatic Editor, The Independent 4/30/2008 Gaza is about to reach a "point of explosion" that could lead to another breakout by the desperate Palestinian population, trapped by an Israeli economic blockade, the most senior UN official in the territory has warned. Thousands of Palestinians surged across the border with Egypt last January after breaching the border fence in order to buy basic supplies which were no long obtainable in the Gaza Strip. John Ging, Gaza head of the UN Relief and Works Agency which supports Palestinian refugees, said yesterday that the breakout last January "was predicted, but the causes were not addressed". Now, he said, "pressure is building again and coming to a point of explosion". In testimony via videolink to the Commons International Development Committee, Mr Ging said the main problem was access in and out of Gaza. Describing humanitarian conditions in Gaza as "shocking" and "shameful". . . more.. e-mail Israel, EU agree on agriculture trade Globes correspondent, Globes Online 4/30/2008 The deal is described as a major step forward in the integration of the EU and Israeli markets. The European Commission and Israel reached a common understanding today on mutual trade concessions in the fields of agricultural products, processed agricultural products and fisheries. According to the Delegation of the European Commission to the State of Israel, these trade concessions represent a major step forward in the integration of the EU and Israeli markets. For processed agricultural products, a high level of full liberalization of trade for both parties was achieved. For agricultural products, substantial progress was made towards full liberalization of trade. Regarding more sensitive agricultural products, market access improvement was achieved for both sides both by means of increasing existing duty free quotas and by creating new quotas. more.. e-mail Israel to allow shipments of international food aid into Gaza Rami Almeghari & Agencies, International Middle East Media Center News 4/30/2008 Israel decided on Wedensday to allow shipments of international food aid into the besieged Gaza Strip through an alternative crossing, as the Israeli closure of the coastal territory remains in place since June of last year. The Israeli radio, Hebrew service, reported that 10 trucks, loaded with Egyptian and international aid, would arrive in Gaza by the end of this week, through the Israeli-Egyptian crossing of aL-Auja in southern Israel. The Kerem Shalom Israeli commercial crossing, used for cargo into Gaza, was closed almost two weeks ago, when a Palestinian cross-border attack in southern Gaza Strip, wounded seven Israeli soldiers at the crossing. Meanwhile, all Gaza Strip’s crossings, bordering Israel, have been closed since June 2007, with partial opening for some food shipments and other essential item However, such supplies including fuel have been made very scarce for the past several months. more.. e-mail Israel to allow small shipment of international aid to Gaza Ma’an News Agency 4/30/2008 Bethlehem – Ma’an – Israel decided on Wednesday to allow a shipment of humanitarian aid to Palestinians in the Gaza Strip from Egypt and from international organizations. The aid will pass first into Israel the Al-Uja crossing, and then into Gaza through the Sufa crossing, instead of coming directly from Egypt through either the Kerem Shalom or Rafah crossing points. According to Voice of Israel radio, the shipment includes 10 truckloads of goods. [2 pounds per person? - Ed. ]. [end] Rice: Hamas serving as Iran’s ’proxy warriors’ Middle East Online 4/30/2008 WASHINGTON – The democratically elected Palestinian resistance movement Hamas is serving as the "proxy warriors" for an Iran bent on destroying Israel and destabilizing the Middle East, US Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice claimed Tuesday. In a speech to the American Jewish Committee in Washington, Rice mentioned Iran as not just a threat in the Palestinian territories, but also in Lebanon, Iraq and even in Afghanistan. Israel’s Deputy Prime Minister Shaul Mofaz said after talks with Rice on Monday that an Iran-led front in the Middle East is becoming more powerful and weaknesses in it need to be found. Rice vowed to pursue US efforts to isolate democratically elected Hamas." But perhaps of deepest concern, the leaders of Hamas are increasingly serving as the proxy warriors of an Iranian regime that is destabilizing the region, seeking a nuclear capability and proclaiming its desire to destroy Israel," Rice told the group’s annual meeting. more.. e-mail Israel: Amnesty Program for Palestinian Gunmen a Success The Associated Press, MIFTAH 4/30/2008 Israeli defense officials say an amnesty program meant to get Palestinian militants to surrender their weapons has been a success. Under last year’s program, Israel offered to stop hunting down dozens of West Bank militants if they agreed to halt violent activities. The men are required to surrender their weapons, serve a brief sentence in a Palestinian jail and pass a probationary term. A senior Israeli security official says 281 gunmen accepted the offer. He says just six have returned to violence. The offer applied only to members of Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas’ Fatah movement. The official said Tuesday there are no plans to extend the offer to Hamas or other Islamic militant groups. Source: The Associated Press, 29 April. more.. e-mail Hamas: Bush, Barak’s statements reveal scheme to liquidate Palestine cause Palestinian Information Center 4/30/2008 GAZA, (PIC)-- The Hamas Movement on Wednesday described as "serious escalation" the American administration and the Israeli occupation authority’s provocative statements against Hamas and Gaza Strip. Fawzi Barhoum, a Hamas spokesman in Gaza, said in a statement that the statements point to a plan to commit more crimes against the Palestinian people. He said that the statements reflect the nature of the upcoming stage that would follow American president George Bush’s visit to the region, and also display the unlimited American support to the IOA in its scheme to liquidate the Palestine cause. Barhoum predicted more American support especially after the unanimous Congress decision considering Palestine a homeland for the Jews. He said that the decision furnished the way before the IOA to commence a fresh ethnic cleansing campaign in Palestine similar to the one that led to the establishment of the USA. more.. e-mail Islamic Jihad: Ki-Moon’s statements give Israel pretexts to commit more crimes Palestinian Information Center 4/30/2008 GAZA, (PIC)-- The Islamic Jihad Movement strongly denounced Tuesday the statements of Ban Ki-moon, the UN secretary-general, in which he called on the Israeli occupation to show restraint, describing them as coy statements giving Israel pretexts to continue its crimes against the Palestinian people. In a press statement received by the PIC, Khaled Al-Batesh, the spokesman for Islamic Jihad, charged that Ki-Moon deliberately turns a blind eye to the atrocities committed by the Israeli occupation against the Palestinians and publicly criticizes the legitimate Palestinian resistance. Batesh pointed out that the security council and the UN are no longer neutral organizations and lost their credibility and role as international institutions, calling on the Arab governments and peoples to assume their responsibilities towards the oppressed Palestinian people and to protect them especially after Israel escalated its military operations against Gaza. more.. e-mail Bush to Visit Israel, Saudi Arabia, Egypt in May The Associated Press, MIFTAH 4/30/2008 US President George W. Bush will visit Israel, Saudi Arabia and Egypt in May, a trip intended to hail Israel’s 60th anniversary but also shove along Mideast peace talks that have stalled as Bush’s term winds down. The White House on Monday released details of Bush’s trip, the broad outline of which had been expected for weeks. Bush, who was in the Middle East in January to try to advance peace talks between Israeli and Palestinian leaders, had indicated at that time he would return in May to honor Israel’s founding. Pushing for a peace deal before he leaves office next January - including the contours of a Palestinian state - Bush has stepped up his hands-on diplomacy. His trip runs from May 13 to 18. Bush has no plans to hold talks in the West Bank this time, but will meet with Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas in Egypt. more.. e-mail Libya stands by comparison of Nazi concentration camps, Gaza Reuters, Ha’aretz 5/1/2008 Libya stands by its United Nation envoy’s comparison of the plight of Palestinians in Gaza to the Holocaust and deplores a walkout by Western diplomats in protest at the comments, official Libyan media reported on Wednesday. Libya’s Foreign Ministry summoned the ambassadors of France, Belgium and Britain and the U. S. charge d’affaires and asked them to explain the April 23 walkout at the UN Security Council, the Jana news agency reported. Western UN envoys walked out of a Council discussion that day after a Libyan diplomat likened the plight of Palestinians in the Gaza Strip to the Nazi Holocaust." The Libyan representative at the Security Council was right to express the stance of his country," Jana quoted Abdelatti Abidi, head of the ministry’s European Affairs department, as saying. more.. e-mail Olmert: The voices of Holocaust deniers are being heard Haaretz Service, Ha’aretz 5/1/2008 Prime Minister Ehud Olmert lashed out at Holocaust deniers during a ceremony to mark Holocaust Remembrance Day at Yad Vashem on Wednesday saying, "The voices of those who deny the Holocaust are also being heard. To them, the haters, the deniers, and all the conspirators of evil and to all of those who allow them to function within their realms, we say today: This shall never happen again." Olmert added "Historical accuracy doesn’t interest you. . . You want to negate the moral basis of the state of Israel. [But] Israel was not created because of the Holocaust, rather as an expression of the right of the Jewish people to its homeland." "Sixty-three years have passed since the Satanic factories of death of the Nazis and their collaborators seized to operate, yet with the passing of time, the dimensions of the Holocaust still remain beyond comprehension,. . . more.. e-mail ’Israel must be decisive’ Tova Dadon, YNetNews 4/30/2008 Opposition Chairman Netanyahu tells local press in southern Israel ‘government’s blindness’ to blame for Israel’s inability to curtail incessant Qassam barrages - “There will be no choice but to overthrow Hamas. They are essentially Iranian offshoots sitting within us. It’s intolerable that Israel allows its cities to be fired upon; we must move from a war of attrition to a war of decisivness,” said Opposition Chairman Benjamin Netanyahu on Wednesday in a meeting with local journalists in Netivot as he addressed Palestinian rocket attacks from Gaza. Netanyahu asserted that less than 500 Qassams were fired towards Israel prior to the disengagement in 2005, whereas since the pullout there have been over 4,000 rockets. “This is a result of the government’s blindness and erroneous political decisions, which led to the strengthening of the Hizbullah in the North,” added Netanyah. more.. e-mail MK Eldad to Barak: Security on W. Bank roads is deteriorating Nadav Shragai, Ha’aretz 4/30/2008 MK Arieh Eldad (National Union-National Religious Party) has recently complained to Defense Minister Ehud Barak about the deteriorating security situation along roads in the West Bank. Eldad’s petition to the defense minister came amid a number of attempted shooting attacks by West Bank militants over the past few days. On Tuesday night, Palestinian gunmen fired at homes in the Adi Ad outpost near the West Bank settlement of Shiloh, causing no casualties. Eldad wrote that incidents of "the throwing of stones, firebombs, and attacks on vehicles on roads in Judea and Samaria [the West Bank] have recently been increasing, and are often accompanied by [militants’] attempts to block the path of Israeli civilians’ vehicles and then lynch their occupants." Tuesday was not the first time Palestinians have opened fire on Adi Ad, one of the region’s older outposts. more.. e-mail Israel remains on US Priority Watch list Yael Gross-Englander and Gali Weinreb, Globes Online 4/30/2008 The list consists of countries which the US feels violate intellectual property rights. For the third consecutive year, Israel has earned the dubious honor of being listed on the Priority Watch List of the US Office of the Trade Representative (USTR). The list consists of countries which the US feels blatantly violate intellectual property rights. Also on the list together with Israel are China, Russia, Argentina, Chile, India, Pakistan, Venezuela, and Thailand. The USTR hinted in the report that it may seek to block Israel’s admittance to the OECD, if Israel does not amend its intellectual property legislation." The US expects Israel to provide an appropriately high level of IP protection that reflects its status as a partner in the US - Israel FTA and its objective of becoming a member of the OECD," it wrote. more.. e-mail Al Gore to address Tel Aviv University energy conference Globes'' correspondent, Globes Online 4/30/2008 Gore will also be awarded the 2008 Dan David Prize for his social commitment to environmental protection. Former US Vice President and Nobel Peace Prize Laureate Al Gore will deliver the opening address at the Tel Aviv University’s Renewable Energy and Beyond conference on May 20-21. Gore will also be awarded the 2008 Dan David Prize for his social commitment to environmental protection and the prevention of a global ecological disaster. Tel Aviv University is organizing the first international conference on Renewable Energy and Beyond, which will cover technological, economic, political and others aspects relating to the switch to renewable energies as a substitute for oil and coal. Israel President Shimon Peres and other Israeli leaders will also attend. Speakers will include US Assistant Secretary for Energy Efficiency Alexander Karsner, Inter-American Development. . . more.. e-mail European campaign: Tragedies speed up in Gaza due to Israel’s attacks and siege Palestinian Information Center 4/30/2008 BRUSSELS, (PIC)-- The European campaign to lift the siege warned that the ongoing Israeli attacks, which are carried out on the Gaza Strip simultaneously with the suffocating siege imposed ten months ago, accelerate occurrence of unprecedented disasters and catastrophic conditions in the Strip. In a statement received by the PIC, the campaign pointed out that victims of the last Israeli massacre, a mother and her four children, were transferred to hospital on carts pulled by donkeys after the ambulances stopped working due to the lack of fuel. The campaign’s statement called on all high contracting parties to the fourth Geneva convention to fulfill their legal obligations to ensure that the Israeli occupation respects its humanitarian legal duties as an occupying force towards the Palestinian people, calling at the same time for taking steps for the enforcement of international humanitarian laws concerning the Israeli violations. more.. e-mail

Human Rights..

UN facing increased delays at Israeli checkpoints UNRWA, IRIN - UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs 4/30/2008 JERUSALEM, 30 April 2008 (IRIN) - Increased Israeli restrictions on the checkpoints around East Jerusalem have caused more delays and more lost man hours for UN staff in March 2008 than in all of 2007, the UN’s Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) has reported. In the Humanitarian Monitor for March, released on 24 April, OCHA said "operations were significantly affected" and almost daily UN vehicles were delayed and even turned back by Israeli soldiers at checkpoints south of Jerusalem. Israeli soldiers have increasingly insisted on searching UN vehicles at the checkpoints as a condition for being allowed through, despite the fact that Israel signed the 1946 Convention on the Privileges and Immunities of the UN which normally prohibits such searches. Movement of UN staff between the West Bank and East Jerusalem has been increasingly restricted over the years, more.. e-mail Israeli Army raids Hebron Orphanage home to 110 girls Pennie Quinton, International Middle East Media Center News 4/30/2008 At 1. 00 in the morning on the 30th of April, the Israeli Army raids orphanage in Hebron, home to 110 girls, seizing all equipment from community sewing workshop. The Hebron Orphanage for girls is run by the Charitable Islamic Society,(I. C. S) and houses 110 children. The ICS is accused by Israel of funding the Hamas movement under the table, and in recent years, the ICS has been raided several times by the Israeli Army who seized computers and paper work from their offices. Now the Israeli government wants to take property owned by the ICS and has issued a court order to this effect. Bassim the director of the Hebron orphanage for girls says that the Israeli officials came and inspected a sewing work shop in the basement, a project set up to give local women whose husbands are in gaol a means of earning a living. more.. e-mail Palestinian cancer patient dies while waiting for Israeli entry permit Meital Yasur Beit-Or, YNetNews 5/1/2008 Father of six dies of brain tumor at Gaza hospital after his request to undergo surgery in Israel denied for security reasons. Physicians for Human Rights-Israel says it is ’very concerned’ for the fate of 12 other Palestinian cancer patients - A Palestinian father of six who was diagnosed with a brain cancer died at Gaza’s Shifa Hospital on Wednesday while waiting for an entry permit to Israel, where he was set to undergo brain surgery and receive chemotherapy treatment at Ichilov Hospital in Tel Aviv. Three weeks ago, at the request of Physicians for Human Rights-Israel (PHR-Israel), Dr Elsalam Abria of Haifa’s Rambam Hospital wrote an opinion saying that Muhammad el-Harani would die within a few days or weeks unless he receives proper treatment in Israel. Ran Yaron, co-director of PHR-Israel’s Occupied Territories Project, said that after el-Harani. . . more.. e-mail Custody death man was tortured, report reveals Ma’an News Agency 4/30/2008 Hebron – Ma’an – A Hamas member who died in custody at the Palestinian general intelligence service headquarters in Ramallah in the central West Bank was tortured, a fact-finding report revealed on Wednesday. Majd Al-Barghouthi was found dead in his cell in a Ramallah prison on February 23. Fatah-affiliated security services said he died of natural causes, but Hamas claimed he was badly beaten before his death." Barghouthi was subjected to different kinds of torture including physical and psychological torture," the fact-finding report, compiled by the Palestinian Independent Commission for Citizens Rights, claimed. The report also documented a series of failures on the part of the Palestinian security services. According to the report, during Barghouthi’s apprehension and detention legal procedures were not followed. more.. e-mail CPT: Hebron girls orphanage sewing workshop raided by Israeli army International Solidarity Movement 4/30/2008 Hebron Region At 1:00 am on the morning of April 30th, the Israeli Military raided the Hebron Girls’ Orphanage near the intersection of Salaam and Al Adel - Peace and Justice - Streets. Acting on orders issued by Major General Shemni, soldiers looted the workshop of all its sewing and processing machines. Members of Christian Peacemaker Teams and other internationals from Belgium, Britain, Canada, Germany, Holland, Scotland and the US have been sleeping in the orphanage. Their concern is for the children who live in fear of the military forcing them out of the place they’ve come to call home. Their hope last night was that their presence would forestall the army’s raid on the workshop. They hoped in vain. CPT’s Art Arbour decried this latest effort by the Israeli military in its campaign to close the orphanages, "How can grown men do this to little children? "CPT members documented more.. e-mail Israeli troops raid Islamic charities in West Bank Agence France Presse - AFP, Daily Star 5/1/2008 HEBRON, Occupied West Bank: Israeli troops raided two charities linked to Hamas in the Occupied West Bank city of Hebron overnight and seized computers and equipment, the army said on Wednesday." Our forces seized material from these two organizations which, under the guise of charitable organizations, actually worked to directly support the Hamas terrorists, notably by recruiting activists and collecting funds," a spokeswoman said. Witnesses said troops loaded trucks with computers and other equipment belonging to the Islamic Charity Movement and the Islamic Youth Association. The armed forces had previously shut down buildings belonging to the charities and seized computers and files in raids carried out in February. - AFP more.. e-mail IDF shuts down Hamas-affiliated offices in West Bank The Associated Press, Ha’aretz 4/30/2008 JERUSALEM - The Israel Defense Forces said Wednesday that they had shut down offices of a Hamas-affiliated charity in the in the West Bank city of Hebron. The IDF spokesman says that troops early Wednesday shut down financial offices of the Islamic Charity Movement. Israel believes the group works with the Hamas Islamic group to recruit operatives and raise money for militant activities. Israel had closed some Hebron offices of the movement earlier this year. That closure came after two Hamas members from the city carried out a suicide bombing that killed one Israeli. Hamas advocates Israel’s destruction. The group violently seized power in the Gaza Strip last year. Both Israel and the moderate Palestinians rulers of the West Bank fear Hamas will try to wrest control of the West Bank as well. more.. e-mail Stranded holders of Egyptian travel documents go on hunger strike in Gaza Palestinian Information Center 4/30/2008 RAFAH, (PIC)-- Holders of Egyptian travel documents, who are stranded in the Gaza Strip, have announced their intention to go on hunger strike as of today Wednesday until they are allowed back to their relatives and places of residence. The trapped Palestinians said that they would not end their open hunger strike until they are allowed to cross the Rafah border terminal. They asked the Egyptian government to consider their case and to allow them to cross similar to the Egyptian nationals who were trapped in Gaza after closure of the borders." We should not be the victims of political differences or a political game," they said, noting that their sons lost an academic year and they were threatened with loss of their jobs. The Palestinians, with residence permits in other countries, entered Gaza when inhabitants of the Strip blasted and broke through the border fence with Egypt. . . more.. e-mail Unidentified virus infects several detainees in Al Ramla Prison Hospital Saed Bannoura, International Middle East Media Center News 4/30/2008 The Ahrar Center for Detainees Studies reported that an unidentified virus infected several detainees who are already sick and hospitalized at the Al Ramla Israeli prison hospital which already lacks the basic equipment. The Center added that it received a letter from one of the detainees who was receiving treatment at the hospital before he was transferred to Ofer Prison. The detainee said in his letter that this virus infected several detainees while the hospital was unable to identify it. Th